JPH1031258A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain space saving by efficiently arranging members such as an improved battery, etc., in a dead space, as for a camera using the improved battery capable of being repeatedly charged/discharged. SOLUTION: On both sides of a cylindrical lens barrel 12, a film cartridge chamber 14 and a spool chamber 16 are separately arranged, and a main battery 34 is arranged in a space formed between the lens barrel 12 and the film cartridge chamber 14, or between the spool chamber 16 and the lens barrel 12. Especially, by arranging the main battery 34 so that the longitudinal axis of the columnar main battery 34 may be parallel to the optical axis of the lens barrel 12, the horizontal width and the height of the camera are reduced. Besides, by properly arranging plural main batteries in spaces (a) to (d) shown in the figure, the outside diameter of each main battery is made smaller, then, the space is more effectively used in the camera.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly, to a camera provided with a power supply capable of supplying a large capacity and a large current to a circuit such as a strobe or a film winding means using a rechargeable battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional camera uses a manganese or lithium primary battery as a power source and a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery as a power source. Also, a power supply device for charging a secondary battery built in a camera using a solar cell has been proposed (JP-A-63-91641). However, a manganese primary battery has a low voltage, and therefore requires a plurality of batteries to obtain a high voltage, and it is difficult to obtain a large capacity current. However, there is a problem that it is not suitable for a camera which consumes a large current in recent years. on the other hand,
Lithium-based primary batteries have the advantage of being able to obtain high voltage and large capacity current, but the batteries themselves are expensive and environmental problems at the time of disposal have been pointed out. Furthermore,
Lithium-based primary batteries are sometimes more difficult to obtain in travel destinations or overseas than manganese or alkaline primary batteries. In such cases, use the camera when the batteries are exhausted. There is a problem that it is necessary to give up or to carry a spare battery in advance in order to prevent such a situation, which is complicated.

[0003] Although charging of a primary battery is generally prohibited, as described in detail in JP-A-7-130400 and JP-A-8-84619, a lithium-based primary battery is described. Even under a certain condition, the battery can be charged safely. The lithium batteries (especially metal lithium batteries) described in these publications are charged at a time rate current of about 2 μC to 5 mC when the remaining amount is within the range of 5 to 95% of the capacity C. By doing so, without impairing the properties of the primary battery,
Charge and discharge can be repeated. In each of the above publications,
There is disclosed a method in which the lithium battery and the solar battery are combined and applied to a camera, and the lithium battery is charged by electric power generated by the solar battery.

[0004] In the present specification, a battery having both characteristics of a primary battery and characteristics of a secondary battery is referred to as an "improved battery".
I will call it.

[0005]

However, in a power supply device having a solar cell, the solar cell itself is expensive, and the temperature of the camera increases due to the need to expose the camera to high illuminance during charging. There was a risk of failure. Furthermore, when the secondary battery (improved battery) is rapidly consumed, the problem that the camera cannot be used has not been solved because the amount of power generated by the solar battery is small and it takes time to charge.

From this viewpoint, the present applicant has already proposed a power supply device for charging the improved battery with an auxiliary battery such as an AA battery (see Japanese Patent Application No. 7-273050). In incorporating the improved battery into the camera, it is desirable to reduce the size of the camera by saving space while taking into account the relationship with other members constituting the camera.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a small camera using a battery (improved battery) that can be repeatedly discharged and charged.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, when the self-discharge rate of the primary battery is substantially equal and the remaining amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity, the discharge and recharge is repeatedly performed. Possible, a main battery that supplies power to a power consuming unit that performs an operation necessary for shooting, an auxiliary battery that supplies charging energy to the main battery, and a boosting unit that boosts an output voltage of the auxiliary battery, A charging unit for supplying power to the main battery via the boosting unit and charging the main battery, wherein the main battery includes one of a pair of left and right film chambers and a taking lens mirror. An axis disposed between the bodies and indicating the longitudinal direction of the main battery and a film winding axis of the film chamber are arranged in parallel with each other.

According to the present invention, a camera is used in which a film cartridge chamber and a spool chamber are disposed on both sides of a photographing lens barrel, respectively, and photographing is performed with one of the pair of left and right film chambers. Since the main battery is arranged in a space formed between the lens barrels in parallel with the film winding axis, the main battery can be effectively stored in a limited space. As a result, the width of the camera can be reduced, and the camera can be downsized.

Further, the main battery, the film transport motor, and at least one of the main condensers are arranged on the same axis so that their respective longitudinal directions are on the same axis, thereby further saving space. be able to. The invention according to claim 3 is to achieve the above object,
A main battery for supplying power to a power consuming unit that is capable of repeatedly discharging and charging when the self-discharge rate of the primary battery is substantially equal to and has a remaining amount equal to or more than a predetermined capacity and performs an operation required for photographing; An auxiliary battery that supplies charging energy to the battery, and a boosting unit that boosts the output voltage of the auxiliary battery, and a charging unit that supplies power to the main battery and charges the main battery via the boosting unit; A camera having a cylindrical lens barrel provided between the film cartridge chamber and the spool chamber and containing a taking lens, wherein the main battery is formed between the film cartridge chamber and the spool chamber. The main battery is disposed in at least one of upper and lower spaces of the lens barrel, and an axis indicating a longitudinal direction of the main battery and an optical axis of the lens barrel are disposed parallel to each other. There.

The present invention focuses on the structure of a camera in which a cylindrical lens barrel is disposed between a film cartridge chamber and a spool chamber, and mainly focuses on a space formed above and below the cylindrical lens barrel. In the arrangement of the batteries, these upper and lower spaces, for example, upper right, lower right, upper left, or when arranging the main battery in at least one of the four corners of the lower left,
By arranging the axis indicating the longitudinal direction of the main battery and the optical axis of the lens barrel to be parallel, not only the width of the camera but also the dimension in the vertical direction (height direction) can be reduced. Can be. In this case, by arranging a plurality of main batteries at a plurality of locations above and below the lens barrel, the outer diameter of each main battery can be reduced, and limited space can be used effectively. There is an advantage.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a light projecting unit for projecting light for distance measurement for detecting a distance to the subject toward the subject, and a light projecting unit for projecting the light from the projecting unit. A light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the light reflected by the subject, a finder unit that observes the subject image, between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, between the light emitting unit and the finder unit, or between the light receiving unit and It is disposed in at least one of the spaces between the finder sections, and can be repeatedly discharged and charged when the self-discharge rate of the primary battery is substantially equal to and the remaining amount is equal to or more than a predetermined capacity, and is necessary for photographing. A main battery that supplies power to the power consuming unit that performs the operation, an auxiliary battery that supplies charging energy to the main battery, and a boosting unit that boosts the output voltage of the auxiliary battery, Supply power to the main battery and It is characterized by comprising a charging means for charging the battery, the.

According to the present invention, the main battery is disposed in at least one of the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion for distance measurement or between the finder portion and the light emitting portion or the light receiving portion. By effectively utilizing the space that was not utilized,
Space saving can be achieved. According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the above object, the invention is provided at a camera bottom between a film cartridge chamber and a spool chamber,
A main battery for supplying power to a power consuming unit that is capable of repeatedly discharging and charging when the self-discharge rate of the primary battery is substantially equal to and has a remaining amount equal to or more than a predetermined capacity and performs an operation required for photographing; An auxiliary battery that supplies charging energy to the battery, and a boosting unit that boosts the output voltage of the auxiliary battery, and a charging unit that supplies power to the main battery and charges the main battery via the boosting unit; It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, since the main battery is disposed at the bottom of the camera between the film cartridge chamber and the spool chamber, there is an advantage that the width of the camera can be reduced. An auxiliary battery storage chamber for detachably storing the auxiliary battery is formed at the bottom of the camera between the film cartridge chamber and the spool chamber, and a battery cover that is opened and closed when replacing the auxiliary battery is opened and closed when the film cartridge is loaded. By attaching to the camera body side avoiding the back cover member, it is not affected by opening and closing of the back cover member,
There is an advantage that the battery cover can be opened and closed, and the auxiliary battery can be easily replaced.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the camera according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG.
4 to 4 are internal perspective views of the camera showing the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a top view, and FIG.
Is a bottom view, and FIG. 4 is a left side view. As shown in FIG.
A lens barrel 12 holding a photographing lens 11 is provided at the center of the camera 10, and a film cartridge chamber 14 for storing a film cartridge (not shown in FIG. 1) is formed on the right side of the lens barrel 12. The spool chamber 16 is formed on the left side. Film cartridge room 1
A flash device 18 is provided at the upper part of the camera 4, that is, at the upper right corner of the front of the camera. On the left side of the strobe device 18, an AF light projecting unit 20, an AF light receiving unit 22, and a finder unit 24 are provided in this order.

The film cartridge chamber 14 is provided with a spool drive shaft 26 which engages with a spool of a film cartridge loaded in the chamber, and a detection switch (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the film cartridge. ing. On the other hand, the spool chamber 16 is provided with a take-up spool 28 for taking up the film sent from the film cartridge. The take-up spool 28 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and has a film transport motor 30 incorporated therein. The torque of the film transport motor 30 is transmitted to the take-up spool 28, and the gear trains 32A, 32B,.
, 32I, 32J to the spool drive shaft 26.

That is, when the film transport motor 30 rotates forward, the film is sent out from the film cartridge loaded in the film cartridge chamber 14 and is wound on the take-up spool 28. When the film transport motor 30 is reversed, the spool drive shaft 26 of the film cartridge chamber 14 is reversed, and the film wound on the take-up spool 28 is rewound into the film cartridge. The rotation of the film transport motor 30 is controlled by the camera controller, and the film is fed one frame (winding up). When the end of the film is detected after all the frames of the film have been photographed, the film transport motor 30 is driven in reverse, and the drawn-out film is automatically rewound into the film cartridge.

A film rewind lever (not shown) is provided on the back of the camera 10. By operating the film rewind lever, the film can be rewound to the film cartridge halfway before the completion of all frame shooting. Is available. The lens barrel 12 at the center of the camera
A main battery 34 for supplying power to various circuits in the camera is disposed in a space formed between the camera and the lower part of the spool chamber 16. The main battery 34 is a rechargeable battery dedicated to a camera that has a small amount of self-discharge, and is an improved battery having both characteristics of a primary battery and a secondary battery. Although the configuration of the main battery 34 will be described in detail later, for example, a battery having a self-discharge rate of 5% / year or less is used, and its voltage is 3.2 V when properly charged. The shape of the main battery 34 is not particularly limited and may be any shape. In general, the main battery 34 is formed in a columnar shape, and has, for example, the same shape as a current CR2 type battery. Is formed. The main battery 34 is arranged such that an axis indicating its longitudinal direction (an axis connecting the top surface and the bottom surface of the cylindrical main battery) is parallel to the optical axis of the lens barrel 12, that is, perpendicular to the film surface. .

On the left side of the spool chamber 16, a main condenser 36 for accumulating electric charge for strobe light emission is arranged in a vertical direction. That is, the main condenser 36 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an axis indicating the longitudinal direction thereof and an axis of the winding spool 28 are arranged in parallel with each other. Behind the main capacitor 36, an auxiliary battery 40 for supplying charging energy to the main battery 34 is arranged vertically in parallel with the arrangement direction of the main capacitors 36 (FIG. 3).
reference). A battery cover 42 is provided at the rear corner of the camera 10 so as to be openable and closable on a shaft 42 </ b> A, and an auxiliary battery 40 is provided in an auxiliary battery storage chamber formed inside the battery cover 42.
Is stored. By opening the battery cover 42, the auxiliary battery 40 stored in the auxiliary battery storage chamber can be taken out and replaced.

The auxiliary battery storage chamber is, for example, one AA
A manganese-based AA battery is housed as the auxiliary battery 40. The auxiliary battery 40 is not limited to an AA battery, but may be a primary battery of another form. However, manganese-based AA batteries are widely used and can be easily obtained at low cost anywhere in the world. There are advantages.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 43 denotes a camera control circuit, reference numeral 44 denotes a boosting circuit for charging, and reference numeral 46 denotes a mounting space for a charging circuit for the main capacitor 36. The power supply of the camera 10 is the main battery 3
4, the main battery 34 and the auxiliary battery 40 are connected to the booster circuit and the control circuit through contact pieces 47A, 47B, 48A, and 48B. Electrically connected. Then, power is supplied from the main battery 34 to the strobe device 18, the film transport motor 30, the zoom motor 49, and the like.

Next, the main battery will be described. Main battery 3
4, the improved battery is used as described above. As the positive electrode active material of the improved battery, manganese dioxide is preferable, and particularly, manganese dioxide synthesized by electrolysis and manganese dioxide chemically synthesized are preferable. As a material that can be used as the negative electrode active material, lithium metal and lithium alloy (any metal that forms an alloy with lithium may be used, but Al, Mn, Sn, Mg, Cd, and In are particularly preferable, and an alloy containing Al is particularly preferable). Preferably, it is used.

A conductive agent, a binder, a filler, and the like can be added to the electrode mixture. The conductive agent may be any electronic conductive material that does not cause a chemical change in the configured battery. The addition amount is not particularly limited,
It is preferably from 1 to 50% by weight, particularly preferably from 2 to 30% by weight. As the binder, a polysaccharide, a thermoplastic resin, a polymer having rubber elasticity, or a mixture thereof can be used. The amount of the binder added is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 to 50% by weight, and particularly preferably 2 to 30% by weight.

As the filler, any fibrous material that does not cause a chemical change in the constructed battery can be used. Usually, fibers such as olefin-based polymers such as polypropylene and polyethylene, glass, and carbon are used. Although the amount of the filler is not particularly limited,
~ 30% by weight is preferred. The non-aqueous electrolyte is generally composed of a solvent and a lithium salt (anion and lithium cation) dissolved in the solvent, and comprises propylene carbonate and / or butylene carbonate and 1,2-dimethoxyethane and / or diethyl carbonate. An electrolyte containing LiCF ₃ SO ₃ , LiClO ₄ , LiBF ₄ and / or LiPF ₆ in the mixed solution of the carbonate is preferable. The amount of these electrolytes to be added to the battery is not particularly limited, but may be used in a required amount depending on the amounts of the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material and the size of the battery.

The volume ratio of the solvent is not particularly limited.
In the case of a mixture of propylene carbonate and / or butylene carbonate to 1,2-dimethoxyethane,
0.4 / 0.6 to 0.6 / 0.4 is preferred. The concentration of the supporting electrolyte is not particularly limited, but may be 0.1 to 1 liter of the electrolytic solution.
2-3 moles are preferred. The metal lithium-based battery having such a configuration has a self-discharge rate as small as that of a primary battery, and when discharged from a fully charged state to below a specified energy value, the function as a storage battery thereafter rapidly increases. It has the property of decreasing to With the capacity in a fully charged state as 100 as a reference, the amount of discharged energy is represented by the usage rate with respect to the total energy,
I will call it.

According to an experiment, when the discharge and the charge are repeated within a range where the depth of discharge does not exceed 5%, the deterioration of the main battery is small, the cycle life is large, and photographing of 3000 shots or more is sufficiently possible. . On the other hand, when used at a depth of discharge of 30%, the performance of the main battery as a storage battery is reduced, and the cycle life is shortened. In this case, only about 1000 shots can be repeatedly shot. The deeper the depth of discharge, the shorter the cycle life becomes.The deeper the depth of discharge, the lower the performance as a storage battery, and the smaller the electrical capacity that can be stored in the main battery by recharging. Cycle life is also reduced.

That is, it is desirable to use the main battery so as to repeatedly discharge and charge the battery within a shallow depth range. Therefore, when this improved battery is actually used, a proper depth of discharge is set in accordance with the setting of the limit of use as a camera, and management is performed so that discharge and charge are repeated so as not to exceed the range of the depth of discharge. There is a need to. FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of a charging circuit for charging main battery 34 with auxiliary battery 40. The charging circuit 50 includes a charging control circuit 52 and a boosting circuit 54 as shown in FIG.
The charging control circuit 52, respectively detects a voltage V _CR and the voltage V _E of the auxiliary battery 40 of the main battery 34, for example, a main battery 34
The voltage V _CR, becomes smaller than the voltage value 3.2 V of the full charge state (V _CR <3.2V), and voltage V _E of the auxiliary battery 40
When V _E ≧ 0.9 V (the end voltage of the auxiliary battery 40), the booster circuit 54 is operated to charge the main battery 34.

On the other hand, the charging control circuit 52 determines that the main battery 34 is
When fully charged (voltage V_CR= 3.2V)
 Or when the auxiliary battery 40 is exhausted and the voltage V of the auxiliary battery 40 is
_EIs V _EStops booster circuit 54 when <0.9V
Let it. Further, the charge control circuit 52 controls the remaining of the auxiliary battery 40.
In order to display the amount and the like on the liquid crystal panel 60, the auxiliary battery 4
A signal indicating a voltage of 0 is output to the display control circuit 62.

As described above, the display control circuit 62 receives the signal indicating the voltage of the auxiliary battery 40 from the charge control circuit 52, the signal from the film counter indicating the remaining amount of the film, the strobe switch, the shutter button, and the self-timer. The signal from the switch etc. is added,
The required display is performed on the liquid crystal panel 60 based on these input signals. The charging control circuit 52 is supplied with driving power from the main battery 34.

Next, the boosting circuit 54 will be described. FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing an example of the booster circuit. As shown in the figure, the booster circuit 54 is of a push-pull type, and the power source of the auxiliary battery 40 is
2, the current is converted into alternating current by the transistors Q 1 and Q 2 which are alternately turned on by the transistor T 2, and the voltage is boosted via the transformer T.
By rectifying by 5, the DC voltage is converted to a DC voltage necessary for charging the main battery 34.

Here _, assuming that the number of turns on the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer T is n _1, n ₂ , the voltage V on the primary side of the transformer T is
₁ and the voltage V ₂ on the secondary side are expressed by the following equation (1):

[0032]

## EQU1 ## There is a relationship of V ₁ / V ₂ = n ₁ / n ₂ (1). On the other hand, the voltages V ₁ and V ₂ required on the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer T are:

[0033]

## EQU2 ## V ₁ = 0.9−V _DS = 0.7 [V] (Min) (2)

[0034]

V ₂ = 3.2 + 0.7 × 2 + 0.5 = 5.1 [V] (3) (where 0.9: final voltage of auxiliary battery 40 V _DS : saturation voltage between drain and source of transistors Q1 and Q2 3.2: The maximum voltage of the main battery 34 is 0.7 × 2: the voltage drop in the rectifier circuit 55). Therefore, the turns ratio n ₂ / n ₁ of the transformer T is

[0035]

## EQU4 ## n ₂ / n ₁ = V ₂ / V ₁と 7.3 (4) As described above, the charging circuit 50 shown in FIG. 4 transfers the charging energy of the auxiliary battery 40 to the main battery 34 every time the voltage V _CR of the main battery 34 becomes V _CR <3.2 V, and Charge. Then, when the main battery 34 is fully charged (when the voltage V _CR becomes 3.2 V), the charging operation is stopped.

After the main battery 34 is fully charged,
When the electric capacity of the main battery 34 decreases due to the use of the camera, the charging energy is transferred from the auxiliary battery 40. The electric capacity of the main battery 34 increases with the charging time, and the electric capacity of the auxiliary battery 40 decreases. Thus, the main battery 34
The energy of the auxiliary battery 40 is transferred to the main battery 34 in accordance with the energy consumption of the main battery 34, so that the main battery 34 is always kept in a state close to full charge.

By doing so, there is an advantage that the main battery 34 can be easily handled without fear of over-discharge deterioration. Further, since the main battery 34 is a lithium-based battery,
As compared with the auxiliary battery 40, a high voltage and a large current can be supplied to the camera, so that a camera requiring a large current can be supported, and the charging time of the strobe can be shortened.

Now, when the charging energy of the auxiliary battery 40 is transferred to the main battery 34 and the capacity of the auxiliary battery 40 reaches almost 0 (when the voltage of the auxiliary battery 40 reaches its final voltage 0.9V), thereafter, Unless you replace the auxiliary battery 40,
The charging energy is not supplied from the auxiliary battery 40 to the main battery 34. However, the main battery 34 has its voltage V
_{Since the CR} is maintained in a state of charge close to full charge, there is a certain amount of electricity that can be consumed (for example, an amount of electricity capable of taking 100 shots) until the voltage V _CR reaches a predetermined battery check level. doing. Therefore, the camera can be continuously used without immediately replacing the auxiliary battery 40 with a new one.

Also, when the auxiliary battery 40 is replaced, the auxiliary battery 40 may be an AA battery, and thus has an advantage that it can be easily obtained at low cost anywhere in the world.
Further, since the charging circuit 50 has the boosting circuit 54,
AA batteries that have been used in other devices can be used to some extent. In this embodiment, when the voltage V _CR of the main battery 34 falls below 3.2 V, the auxiliary battery 4
Although the zero charging energy is transferred to the main battery 34, the present invention is not limited to this, and charging may be started after the voltage of the main battery 34 reaches a predetermined voltage value (for example, 3.0 V). Alternatively, the number of shots after the state of full charge may be counted, and when the number of shots reaches a predetermined value (for example, 100 shots), the charging energy of the auxiliary battery 40 may be transferred to the main battery 34. However, in this case, the charge control circuit 52 needs to receive a signal indicating the number of shots from the camera.

According to the camera configured as described above, the cylindrical main battery 34 is disposed in the space defined by the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical lens barrel 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the spool chamber 16. 1 and 4), a dead space that has not been used conventionally can be effectively used. In particular, by arranging the main battery 34 so that the axis indicating the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical main battery 34 and the optical axis of the lens barrel 12 are parallel (that is, the direction orthogonal to the film surface), the camera 10 The width can be reduced. In this case, as the outer diameter of the main battery 34 is smaller than the diameter of the lens barrel 12, the main battery 34 can be efficiently disposed in the space between the lens barrel 12 and the spool chamber 16, which is effective. .

In the above embodiment, the case where the main battery 34 is disposed in the space formed between the lens barrel 12 and the lower part of the spool chamber 16 (the lower left space of the lens barrel 12 in FIG. 1). Although described, the place where the main battery 34 is arranged is not limited to the above-mentioned space, and may be arranged in the spaces a, b, c, d, and e shown by the dashed-dotted circle in FIG. That is, the space a formed between the lens barrel 12 and the upper part of the spool chamber 16, the lens barrel 12 and the film cartridge chamber 14
B, a space c formed between the lens barrel 12 and the lower part of the film cartridge chamber 14, and a space c formed between the AF projector 20 and the AF receiver 22. The main battery 34 may be arranged in any of the spaces d. Further, the main battery 34 is connected to the AF
It is also conceivable to provide between the light receiving section 22 and the finder section. In this case, the power of the film transport motor 30 is applied to the spool drive shaft 26 by forming the sizes of the AF light projecting unit 20, the AF light receiving unit 22, and the finder unit and the outer diameter of the main battery 34 substantially equal. Transmission gear train 32
A, 32B,.
A, 32B,... Can be connected in a plane.

The shape of the main battery 34 is not limited to a columnar shape, and various forms are conceivable. For example, the required capacity is divided and a plurality of small-capacity main batteries are provided. In such a case, the outer diameter of each main battery can be reduced, and the camera space can be more effectively used. Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG.
FIG. 10 shows a camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 shows a front internal perspective view of the camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same or similar members as those of the camera according to the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. Spool chamber 16
A support member 65 for supporting the main battery 34 is provided on the side surface of the main battery 34, and the main battery 34 is vertically attached to the support member 65.

That is, the main battery 34 is provided in a space formed between the lens barrel 12 and the spool chamber 16 at the center of the camera, and a shaft indicating the longitudinal direction of the main battery 34 and a shaft of the take-up spool 28 are provided. They are arranged so that they are parallel to each other. The auxiliary battery 40 is disposed laterally below the lens barrel 12 and at the bottom of the camera, and the auxiliary battery 40 can be replaced by removing the battery cover 42 provided detachably. ing.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the inside of the upper surface of the camera. The details of the lens barrel 12 are omitted in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the spool chamber 16 and the lens barrel 1
2, and the main battery 34 is disposed in a space defined by the front exterior cover 67 of the camera. FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view inside the camera, and FIG. 10 is a left side perspective view. 9 and 10, details of the lens barrel 12 are omitted. As shown in the figure, the auxiliary battery 40 and the main capacitor 36 are arranged laterally on the bottom of the camera, and their respective longitudinal axes are arranged in parallel. Thus, the space formed at the bottom of the camera between the film cartridge chamber 14 and the spool chamber 16
By arranging the auxiliary battery 40 and the main capacitor 36, the lateral dimension of the camera can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the film is loaded, the camera back cover 70 is half-opened and the film cartridge 72 is dropped in the direction of arrow A. Part 7
In a loading type (drop-in type) camera in which the film 4A is guided by the main body back surface 76 and the back cover 70 and the film enters into a predetermined position, the main body back surface 76 and the back cover 7
There is a special restriction on the shape of the back lid to form a slit between zero. That is, the bottom surface of the camera 10 is divided by the back cover 70 provided on the shaft 80 formed at the end of the main body so as to be freely opened and closed. In FIG. 9, the dividing line is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

In such a drop-in type camera, when the auxiliary battery 40 is arranged at the bottom of the camera,
In consideration of the above shape, it is desirable that the auxiliary battery 40 be disposed on the camera body side so that the battery cover 82 of the auxiliary battery storage room does not interfere with the dividing line. The battery cover 82 is provided on a shaft 82A so as to be freely opened and closed as shown in FIG. 12, and the auxiliary battery 40 is stored in an auxiliary battery storage chamber formed inside the battery cover 82. The auxiliary battery 4 stored in the auxiliary battery storage chamber by opening the battery cover 42
0 can be taken out and replaced. With this configuration, there is an advantage that the auxiliary battery 40 can be replaced by opening and closing the battery cover 82 regardless of opening and closing of the back cover 70.

In the second embodiment, the case where the main battery 34 is disposed in the space formed between the lens barrel 12 and the spool chamber 16 has been described.
The place where 4 is arranged is not limited to the above-mentioned space, and may be arranged in a space f indicated by a chain line in FIGS. That is, the main battery 34 may be arranged in a space f defined by the lens barrel 12, the film cartridge chamber 14, and the camera exterior case 67. In addition, since the main battery 34 can have various shapes, by providing a plurality of small-capacity main batteries, the space of the camera can be more effectively used.

Further, in the second embodiment, the case where the main condenser 36 is disposed at the bottom of the camera has been described. However, the main condenser 36 is vertically arranged with the main battery 34, and the respective longitudinal directions are shown. The axes may be arranged on the same axis. In the second embodiment, the case of a cylindrical lens barrel has been described, but a square lens barrel may be used.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a front internal perspective view of the camera according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a bottom internal perspective view thereof. The same or similar members as those of the cameras according to the first and second embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. This camera is different from the camera shown in FIG. 7 in that the main battery is arranged at the bottom of the camera instead of being arranged between the lens barrel 12 and the spool chamber 16 or the film cartridge chamber 14. FIG.
As shown in (1), the main battery 34 is provided on the right side of the main capacitor 36, and the main battery and the main capacitor are arranged so that their axes indicating their longitudinal directions are on the same axis. Further, the main battery is disposed adjacent to the auxiliary battery 34 so that the axes indicating the respective longitudinal directions thereof are parallel to each other, and the negative electrode of the auxiliary battery 40 and the negative electrode of the main battery 34 are a common contact piece member. 48B. The negative electrode terminal of the main capacitor 36 is also connected to the contact piece member 48B.

In consideration of the shape peculiar to the drop-in system, the auxiliary battery 40 and the battery cover 82 are provided on the main body side, and the battery cover 82 is provided so as to be openable and irrespective of the opening and closing of the back cover 70. . According to the camera configured as described above, the main battery 34 and the main capacitor 36 are arranged side by side on the same axis and arranged at the bottom of the camera, and the auxiliary battery 40 is arranged adjacent to and parallel to the main battery 34. The main battery 3 in a limited space inside the camera.
4. The main capacitor 36 and the auxiliary battery 40 can be efficiently stored. Further, by arranging the auxiliary battery 40 and the main battery 34 in parallel in this manner, the negative electrode contact piece of the auxiliary battery 40 and the negative electrode contact piece of the auxiliary battery 34 can be formed by one contact piece member 48B. , Contact member 48B
There is an advantage that can be shared. Thereby, the size of the camera can be reduced, and the number of parts can be reduced.

Further, by providing the battery cover 82 of the auxiliary battery storage chamber outside the shape of the back cover 70, the battery cover 82 can be opened and closed independently without being affected by the opening and closing of the back cover 70. The auxiliary battery 40 can be replaced. Although the drop-in type camera has been described in the second and third embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this.
The battery cover of the auxiliary battery storage room is provided outside the shape of FIG.
It is desirable that the auxiliary battery 40 can be replaced regardless of the opening and closing of the battery.

[0052]

As described above, according to the camera of the present invention, the main battery is placed in the space formed between the taking lens barrel and the film cartridge chamber or between the spool chamber and the taking lens barrel. Since the main battery is arranged in parallel with the winding shaft, the main battery can be effectively stored in a limited space. As described above, the size of the camera can be reduced by arranging the main battery in a space (dead space) that has not been conventionally used. Particularly, the main battery, the film transport motor, and at least one of the main condensers are arranged on the same axis so that their respective longitudinal directions are on the same axis, so that further space saving can be achieved. it can.

When arranging the main battery in the space formed above and below the cylindrical lens barrel, the main battery is arranged so that the axis indicating the longitudinal direction of the main battery and the optical axis of the lens barrel are parallel to each other. By doing so, there is an advantage that not only the width of the camera but also the dimension in the vertical direction (height direction) can be reduced. In this case, by providing a plurality of small-diameter main batteries at a plurality of locations at the four corners of the lens barrel, there is an advantage that a limited space can be more effectively used.

Further, by arranging the main battery in at least one space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion for distance measurement, or between the finder portion and the light emitting portion or the light receiving portion, space can be saved. Can be achieved. Further, by arranging the main battery at the bottom of the camera between the film cartridge chamber and the spool chamber, the width of the camera can be reduced.

When the auxiliary battery is arranged at the bottom of the camera, the battery cover can be opened and closed without being affected by the opening and closing of the back cover member by attaching the battery cover to the camera body. There is an advantage that the auxiliary battery can be easily replaced, and the present invention is particularly effective for a camera employing a so-called drop-in system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front internal perspective view of a camera showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top internal perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side internal perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram including a charging circuit for charging a main battery with an auxiliary battery.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of a booster circuit.

FIG. 7 is a front internal perspective view of a camera showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a top internal perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a side internal perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view for explaining a film cartridge loading method.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a front internal perspective view of a camera showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 13;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera 12 ... Lens barrel 14 ... Film cartridge chamber 16 ... Spool chamber 20 ... AF light emitting part 22 ... AF light receiving part 24 ... Finder part 28 ... Take-up spool 30 ... Film transport motor 34 ... Main battery 36 ... Main Capacitor 40 ... Auxiliary battery 42, 82 ... Battery lid

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Akio Omiya 1-324 Uetake-cho, Omiya-shi, Saitama Fuji Photo Optical Machine Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A main power supply means for supplying power to a power consuming means capable of repeatedly discharging and charging when a self-discharge rate of a primary battery is substantially equal to and a remaining amount is equal to or more than a predetermined capacity, and performing an operation required for photographing. A battery, an auxiliary battery that supplies charging energy to the main battery, and a booster that boosts an output voltage of the auxiliary battery, and supplies power to the main battery via the booster to charge the main battery. The main battery is disposed between one of the pair of left and right film chambers and the taking lens barrel, and an axis indicating the longitudinal direction of the main battery. A camera, wherein a film winding axis of the film chamber is arranged in parallel with each other. 2. A film transport motor, which is supplied with power from the main battery and transports the photographic film, and a main capacitor for storing electric charge for strobe light emission, wherein the film transport motor and the main capacitor 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the main battery and the main battery has their axes indicating their longitudinal directions arranged on the same axis. 3. A main power supply for supplying power to a power consuming means which is capable of repeatedly discharging and charging when the self-discharge rate of the primary battery is substantially equal to and the remaining amount is equal to or more than a predetermined capacity, and which performs an operation required for photographing. A battery, an auxiliary battery that supplies charging energy to the main battery, and a booster that boosts an output voltage of the auxiliary battery, and supplies power to the main battery via the booster to charge the main battery. And a cylindrical lens barrel provided between the film cartridge chamber and the spool chamber and containing a taking lens, wherein the main battery includes the film cartridge chamber and the spool chamber. And an axis indicating the longitudinal direction of the main battery and an optical axis of the lens barrel are arranged in parallel to each other in at least one of upper and lower spaces of the lens barrel formed between the main battery and the main battery. Is Camera that characterized the door. 4. A light projecting unit that emits distance measuring light for detecting a distance to a subject toward a subject, a light receiving unit that receives light reflected by the subject of light emitted from the projecting unit, A finder section for observing a subject image; and a space between at least one of a space between the light emitting section and the light receiving section, between the light emitting section and the finder section, or between the light receiving section and the finder section. A main battery that supplies power to a power consuming unit that is capable of repeatedly discharging and charging when the self-discharge rate of the primary battery is substantially equal to and the remaining amount is equal to or more than a predetermined capacity and performs an operation necessary for photographing. An auxiliary battery that supplies charging energy to the main battery; and a booster that boosts an output voltage of the auxiliary battery, and supplies power to the main battery via the booster to charge the main battery. Means and Camera to be. 5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: disposing a charge on the bottom of the camera between the film cartridge chamber and the spool chamber when the self-discharge rate of the primary battery is substantially equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity. A main battery that supplies power to a power consuming unit that performs an operation necessary for photographing; an auxiliary battery that supplies charging energy to the main battery; a boosting unit that boosts an output voltage of the auxiliary battery; Charging means for supplying power to the main battery through the device and charging the main battery. 6. An auxiliary battery storage chamber for detachably storing the auxiliary battery is formed at the bottom of the camera between the film cartridge chamber and the spool chamber, and a battery cover which is opened and closed when the auxiliary battery is replaced. Provided, wherein the battery lid is
6. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera is attached to a main body of the camera, avoiding a back cover member that is opened and closed when the film cartridge is loaded.