JPH01183638A - Electronic still camera with shutter sound producing mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To artificially produce shutter sound by arranging lens cover possessing an opening and closing means which is opened for specified time when a shutter button is released and produces opening and closing sound when opening action or closing action is performed. CONSTITUTION:A control device 8 detects that a cover 6 is fully opened by means of a full opening signal outputted when the lens cover 6 abuts on one edge side of a guide groove 10. After specified delay time (for example, about 0-0.1sec), the control device 8 begins accumulating electric charges according to an optical image made incident through a photographing lens 4 from time t3 in a fixed image pickup element 7. After specified time (usually 1/60-1/2,000sec) passes, the electric charges accumulated in the fixed image pickup element 7 are read at time t4. When reading of the electric charges comes to an end, an electromagnet 13 is degaussed by a conduction stopping signal and the cover 6 is fully closed at time t6 by the force of a spring 12. At that time, the cover 6 abuts on the edge surface of the guide groove 10, thereby producing hitting sound with which a photographer can confirm by hearing that an electronic shutter is actuated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an electronic still camera with a shutter sound generating mechanism that generates a pseudo shutter sound in a camera using an electronic shutter or a liquid crystal shutter as a shutter mechanism.

<Conventional technology> In recent years, shutter 8! Electronic shutter and liquid crystal shutter/
An electronic still camera using an aperture has been proposed. An electronic shutter can obtain an arbitrary shutter speed by photoelectrically converting an optical image incident from a photographic lens using a solid-state imaging device such as a COD, and controlling the readout time of the charge accumulated in the solid-state imaging device.

In addition, the liquid crystal shutter/aperture can change the liquid crystal cell between a light-transmitting state and a non-light-transmitting state by controlling the state of the applied voltage over time, allowing you to obtain an arbitrary shutter speed and at the same time change the area to which the voltage is applied. You can get the aperture function by squeezing it.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> An electronic still camera using an electric shutter mechanism such as the above-mentioned electronic shutter or liquid crystal shutter/aperture has the same problem as a mechanical shutter mechanism such as a focal plane shutter or a lens shutter. Since there are no mechanical moving parts, there is no shutter sound at all when the shutter button is released. For this reason, even when the photographer releases the shutter, he or she does not feel that the photograph has been taken, and is unable to confirm from the shutter sound whether or not the shutter operation has actually been performed, which may make him or her feel uneasy.

The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems, and is a shutter sound generating mechanism that can generate a pseudo shutter sound at the time of shutter release with a simple structure even in a camera using an electronic shutter or a liquid crystal shutter for the shutter mechanism. The purpose of this project is to provide an electronic still camera with an attached electronic still camera.

Means for Solving the Problems> In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an electronic still camera in which the shutter mechanism uses an electronic shutter or a physical shutter such as a liquid crystal shutter/aperture, in which the shutter button is kept in a closed state when the shutter button is not released. A lens cover is disposed on the front surface of the photographic lens, and has an opening/closing means that is positioned to cover the front surface of the photographic lens, remains open for a predetermined period of time when the shutter button is released, and generates a pre-opening/closing operation during the opening or closing operation. Features.

Function: When the shutter is released, the lens cover that protects the photographic lens remains open for a predetermined period of time, and when the lens cover opens or closes, the opening/closing a is generated. This creates a pseudo shutter sound when the shutter is released. can be generated.

Practical example Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic still camera with a shutter sound generating mechanism according to the present invention. As shown in this figure, the camera 1 consists of a lens barrel 2 and a camera body 3. The lens barrel 2 includes a photographic lens 4, an aperture 5, and a lens that can be opened and closed to cover the front surface of the photographic lens 4 and protect the photographic lens 4. The camera body 3 includes a solid-state image sensor (such as a COD) 7 having an electronic shutter function, and a control value [8] that controls the electronic shutter time of the solid-state image sensor 7 and the opening/closing operation of the lens cover 6. Equipped with The electronic shutter can obtain an arbitrary shutter speed by photoelectrically converting an optical image incident from the photographing lens 4 with the solid-state image sensor 7 and controlling the time period for which the charges accumulated in the solid-state image sensor 7 are released. . In this way, since charge readout control from the solid-state image sensor 7 is performed electrically, no shutter sound is generated. As shown in FIG. 2, the lens cover 6 formed in the shape of a rectangular plate is provided integrally with a support shaft 9 that is rotatably supported at one end, and when the support shaft 9 rotates, the lens cover 6 moves in the left-right direction within a guide groove 10 provided on the front surface of the photographic lens 4 so as to be perpendicular to the optical axis of the photographic lens 4 (see FIG. 3). An iron piece 11 and a spring 12 whose one end is attached to the lens barrel 2 are fixed to both sides of the support shaft 9 in the same plane. Further, an electric magnet 13 is fixed to a position facing the iron piece 11 of the lens barrel 2 (a third
(see figure), the current flowing through the electromagnet 13 is controlled by a control device 8. The attraction force to the iron piece 11 due to the excitation of the electromagnet 13 is set so that a force that is sufficiently stronger than the spring force of the spring 12 acts. Although omitted in the figure, the solid-state image sensor 7. The control device 8, electromagnet 13, etc. are supplied with power from a battery built into the camera body 3.

Next, the operation of the electronic still camera with a shutter sound generating mechanism according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 which is a time chart.

Place the front lens cover 6 (-dot chain II) on the subject (not shown).
) Point the photographic lens 4 protected by the shutter button (
(not shown) is released at time t0, a current flows through the electromagnet 13 due to the energization signal output from the control device 8, and the electromagnet 13 enters an excited state. Then, the iron piece 11 fixed to the support shaft 9 becomes
Since it is attracted by the electromagnet 13 from time t1, the lens cover 6, which is provided integrally with the support shaft 9, resists the spring force of the spring 12.
moves in the guide groove 10 and becomes fully open at time t2. When the control value fa8 detects that the lens cover 6 is fully opened by the fully open signal that is output when the lens cover 6 comes into contact with one end side of the guide groove 10,
After a predetermined delay time (for example, about 0 to 0.1 seconds), time t
3, the solid-state image sensor 7 starts accumulating charges corresponding to the optical image incident through the photographing lens 4. Then, after a predetermined period of time (usually 1/60 to 1/2000 seconds) has elapsed, the charges accumulated in the solid-state image sensor 7 are read out at time t4. At this time, the aperture 5 is set to a predetermined aperture value based on light amount information input from a light amount detection sensor (not shown), so that appropriate exposure can be obtained. When reading out the charge from the solid-state image sensor 7 is completed, the control device! The electromagnet 13 is demagnetized by the energization stop signal outputted from the magnet 8. Then, at time t5, the lens cover 6 begins to close due to the spring force of the spring 12.
Time t.

to fully close. At this time, the lens cover 6 comes into contact with the end surface of the guide groove 10, causing a sudden sound, and this sound causes the photographer to activate the electronic shutter, which functions as a shutter, by controlling the readout time of the charge of the solid-state image sensor 7. It is possible to hear the movement.

In the above-described embodiment, the electronic still camera uses an electronic shutter for the shutter 81, but an electronic still camera using a physical shutter/diaphragm such as a liquid crystal may also be used.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the lens cover is opened and closed by moving the lens cover in the left and right directions, but as another embodiment, a structure in which the lens cover is opened and closed by moving the lens cover in the vertical direction is also possible.

Furthermore, it is also possible to create a structure in which a pre-opening/closing period occurs when the lens cover is opened.

Incidentally, the lens cover of the present invention is generally also called a lens barrier.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above in detail with the embodiments, according to the present invention, even an electronic still camera using a physical shutter such as an electronic shutter that does not generate shutter sound or a liquid crystal shutter/aperture in the shutter mechanism, Since a pseudo shutter sound can be generated before the lens cover is opened and closed by the shutter release, the shutter operation can be confirmed aurally.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic still camera with a shutter sound generating mechanism according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the lens cover, Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operating state of the lens cover, and Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the lens cover. 3 is a time chart showing the operating state of the present invention. In the drawing, 1 is a camera, 2 is a lock barrel, 3 is a camera body, 4 is a photographic lens, 6 is a lens cover, 7 is a solid-state image sensor, 8 is a control device, 10 is a guide groove, 11 is an iron piece, 12 is a The spring 13 is an electromagnet. Patent application Agent: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a camera that uses a physical shutter such as an electronic shutter or a liquid crystal shutter for its shutter mechanism, when the shutter button is not released, it is in a closed state and covers the front of the photographic lens, and when the shutter button is released, it remains open for a predetermined period of time and opens. 1. An electronic still camera with a shutter sound generating mechanism, characterized in that a lens cover having an opening/closing means that generates an opening/closing sound when opening or closing is disposed on the front surface of the photographing lens.