JPS62226137A - Waterproof camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a camera which has a forward/backward movable lens barrel by providing a cylinder which communicates with the space in the camera behind the lens barrel. CONSTITUTION:A block 13 equipped with the lens barrel 12 and cylinder 14 is fixed to the front surface of a camera body 11, a hole which is open to the outside of the camera is bored at the lower end of the cylinder 14, and a communication path 14A which communicates with the space in the camera behind the lens barrel 12 is provided nearby the upper end of the cylinder. A piston 14a is arranged in the cylinder 14 and moves up and down in the cylinder 14 according to the pressure in the space in the camera. The space in the camera when the lens barrel 12 is sunk in the camera to enter a wide-angle lens mode is small, so the piston 14a in the cylinder 14 is pushed back with the increased pressure in the space. When the lens barrel 12 is drawn out to the front of the camera to enter a telephoto lens mode, the space in the camera is large, the piston 14a in the cylinder 14 is pushed up with hydraulic pressure at the outside of the camera by the pressure reduction in the space, thereby moving up.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a waterproof camera used for underwater photography, and particularly to a waterproof camera equipped with a lens barrel that can move forward and backward. Here, a lens barrel that can be moved back and forth is the distance between the foremost lens (including the case of a glass front plate) and the focal plane inside the camera body for switching between telephoto and wide-angle, zooming, extending a retractable lens, etc. is variable over a relatively large range.

(Prior art) Waterproof cameras used for underwater photography have a liquid-tight camera body, so if the lens barrel is made to move back and forth, the volume of the entire camera including the lens barrel changes. This is difficult to realize in reality because the air pressure inside the camera changes.

Hence the lenses! In order to take underwater photographs with a 4ft camera that can move back and forth, it is necessary to store this type of camera, which is not liquid-tight, in a liquid-tight transparent case, and to operate the camera inside from outside the case. is required,
This is extremely inconvenient in practice.

Therefore, there is a need for a camera that is easy to handle and whose lens barrel can be moved back and forth underwater.

<Object of the Invention> In response to the above-mentioned demands, it is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof camera in which a lens barrel can be moved back and forth.

(Structure of the Invention) The waterproof camera according to the present invention is provided with a cylinder that communicates with the interior space of the camera behind the lens barrel, and the volume of this cylinder is adjusted according to the pressure change in this space that changes as the lens barrel moves back and forth. The camera is characterized in that it is designed to change the air pressure, thereby absorbing changes in the atmospheric pressure inside the camera.

The cylinder has one end open to the outside of the camera, the other end communicated with the space behind the lens barrel, and has a piston inside, and the space inside the camera changes as the lens barrel moves backward. The piston is automatically moved in the pressure regulating direction according to changes in atmospheric pressure, and may be provided on the camera body side, or may be provided on the front side of the camera so as to be lined up next to the lens barrel.

Note that if a part of this cylinder is made visible from the outside, telephoto or wide-angle display can be made depending on the position of the piston.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the waterproof camera of the present invention is equipped with a cylinder for adjusting the internal pressure of the camera as described above, the lens barrel can be moved forward and backward while maintaining the camera's liquid-tight state, allowing telephoto, Wide angle switching or zooming can be performed. In addition, since it becomes possible to use a retractable lens in a waterproof camera, it becomes possible to create a compact waterproof camera that is convenient to carry, opening up a new field of cameras suitable for marine leisure. In terms of camera technology, this is an extremely significant contribution.

(Example) Next, an example of the waterproof camera according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of an embodiment in which a cylinder is provided in front of the camera. The principle of the present invention in this embodiment is explained first.
To explain with a diagram, a lens barrel 2 is installed on the front surface of a camera body 1 so as to be movable back and forth so as to maintain the distance from the focal plane 1a inside the camera to the front glass 2a. One end communicates with the camera interior space 3 whose volume changes with the back and forth movement of 2 (4A) L, and the other end communicates with the frontage (4B
) is also provided on the front surface of the camera, and a piston 4a within this cylinder 4 moves within the cylinder 4 in accordance with the back and forth movement of the lens barrel 2 to maintain the pressure in the front and back space 3 at a substantially constant level. It's like that.

(This pressure is naturally higher when the camera is underwater,
It is lower when it is in the air. ) The cylinder 4 is installed at the front of the camera in the above embodiment, but if one end communicates with the camera interior space 3 behind the lens barrel and the other end opens to the outside of the camera, the cylinder 4 will be connected to the camera. Needless to say, it can be placed anywhere.

Note that the camera may be simply provided with a hole (naturally, a plug for light shielding and dustproofing is removably provided), and a cylinder may be removably connected to this hole via a conduit or the like. In this way, the cylinder can be attached only when used underwater, and the camera can be made as small and light as possible during normal use.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show an embodiment in which the cylinder is provided next to the lens barrel on the front side of the camera. A block 1 equipped with a lens barrel 12 and a cylinder 14 on the front of a camera body 11
3 is fixedly installed, a hole 14B opening to the outside of the camera is opened in the downward slope of the cylinder 14, and a communication passage 14A communicating with the camera interior space behind the lens barrel 12 is provided near the end E of the cylinder.
is provided. Inside the cylinder 14 is a piston 14
a is arranged and moves up and down within the cylinder 14 in response to changes in the pressure in the camera interior space.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the lens barrel 12 is inserted into the camera to form a wide-angle lens. At this time, since the space inside the camera is small, the increased pressure in the space causes the piston 14a in the cylinder 14 to move. is pushed downward.

Figure 3 shows the state in which the lens S]fEi12 is pulled out in front of the camera to form a telephoto lens.At this time, the space inside the camera is large, so the piston 14a inside the cylinder 14 is moved outside the camera due to the reduced pressure in that space. is pushed upward by the water pressure. - In the above embodiment, if the piston 14a is colored and a part of the block 13 is made transparent so that the piston 14a moving up and down inside the cylinder 14 can be seen from the outside, the position of the piston 14a can be changed to wide angle (W) or telephoto. (T> can be displayed.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which the cylinder 24 is disposed on the top surface of the camera body, in which a piston 24a inside the cylinder 24 moves left and right within the piston 24 in accordance with the back and forth movement of the lens barrel 22. ) and telephoto (T) are displayed. A communication hole 24A that communicates the cylinder 24 with the space inside the camera is provided at the right end of the cylinder, and an intake hole 24B that opens the cylinder 24 to the outside of the camera is provided in the cylinder 2.
It is located at the left end of 4.

Next is the tele, which moves back and forth while maintaining a liquid-tight state.

A specific example of the fS31 of a wide-switchable lens barrel and cylinder will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

Figure 5 is tele (telephoto), Figure 6 is wide (wide angle).
Indicates the status of A lens barrel 3 is attached to the front of the camera body 31.
2 is provided and guided by guide pins 32Δ and 32B so as to be movable back and forth. A glass front plate 32a is waterproofed and fixed to the front surface of the lens barrel 32 with an O-ring 32a', and an objective lens 32b and a converter lens 32c which can be taken in and out are arranged behind the glass front plate 32a. The converter lens 32c is moved in and out of the optical path by a switching mechanism 1a (not shown) so that it is removed from the optical path during wide-angle mode (FIG. 6) and inserted into the optical path only during telephoto mode (FIG. 5). . A space 33 behind the lens barrel 32 is filled with a film (not shown).
The camera body 31 is connected to a dark space in front of the lens barrel, and communicates with a vertically extending cylinder 34 provided on the front surface of the camera body 31 on the side of the lens barrel through a communication hole 34A. A transparent display window 35 is formed in front of the cylinder 34, and displays telephoto and wide images depending on the position of a piston (not shown) that moves up and down i11 inside the cylinder 34. Since the structure of the cylinder 34 is the same as that in FIGS. 1 to 3, further detailed explanation will be omitted.

The lens barrel 32 and the camera body 31 are connected by a bellows 36, and the lens barrel 32 is connected to the camera body 31 while maintaining a liquid-tight state.
-C so that it can move back and forth. This bellows 36 may be replaced with a slide seal.

When switching from the wide-angle mode shown in FIG. 6 to the telephoto mode, the lens barrel 32 is pulled out forward, and the telephoto converter lens 32c is rotated around the axis 32c' and moved onto the optical axis of the objective lens 32b. Ru. At this time,
Since the volume of the camera internal space 33 increases, the cylinder 3
The piston 4 (not shown) moves so as to send air inside the cylinder into the camera body through the communication hole 34A. Water or air outside the camera enters the cylinder on the opposite side of the piston. As a result, the lens barrel 32 can be easily pulled out and switched to the telephoto state (not shown in FIG. 5).

When switching from the telephoto state shown in Fig. 5 to the wide state shown in Fig. 6, the lens barrel 32 is pushed toward the camera body, and the telephoto converter lens 32c is rotated around the shaft 320' and moved out of the optical axis. .

At this time, the volume of the camera interior space 33 becomes smaller, so the air pressure inside the camera interior space 33 increases, and the air therein enters the cylinder 34 through the communication hole 34A, moves the piston, and moves the piston to the cylinder on the opposite side of the piston. 34 is forced out of the cylinder.

In this way, even if the lens barrel 32 moves back and forth, the camera interior space 33, which changes due to this movement, is communicated with the cylinder 34 equipped with a piston, so even in a liquid-tight waterproof camera, the camera interior space 33 changes. The piston automatically absorbs the change, allowing the lens barrel 32 to move back and forth.

This makes it possible to switch between tele and wide modes and install a zoom lens on a waterproof camera, resulting in improved performance.
A waterproof camera with an expanded range of use can be realized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle of the invention in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS.
The figure shows a wide-angle state, and Fig. 3 shows a telephoto state. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the waterproof camera according to the present invention in which a cylinder is provided on the top surface of the camera, and Figs.
The figure shows an example lens barrel with a cylinder installed on the front of the camera.
FIG. 3 is a plan cross-sectional view showing details of the structure of the cylinder. 1, 11.31...Camera body 2, 12.22.32...Lens barrel 3.33...
・Space inside the camera behind the lens barrel 4, 14.24.3
4...Cylinder 4a, 14a, 24a...
Piston 4A, 14Δ, 24A, 34Δ...Communication hole 43, 143.243...Vent hole Fig. 1 Fig. 4 2qa' 24 '24A Fig. 2 Nail Fig. 3 Fig. 5 Fig. 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] The front lens is movable back and forth while maintaining a liquid-tight state, and the volume changes in response to changes in the pressure in the camera interior space behind the lens barrel, which changes as the lens barrel moves back and forth. A waterproof camera characterized by comprising a cylinder that communicates with a space behind a lens barrel so as to allow the camera to move.