JPH11258690A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collapsible barrel type electronic camera which can have an attachment lens mounted and is reduced in restriction on stroboscopic flash arrangement and reducible in thickness. SOLUTION: At the back facing part of a camera body 1, an image pickup cover 10 which holds an image pickup element and an optical fiber lens inside and is provided with a finder ocular part 9 is provided forming part of the back facing and for photography, the image pickup part cover 10 is projected from the back facing surface to position the imaging device and an image pickup optical system, etc., at a given air interval. When no photograph is taken, the image pickup part conver is put back in the camera body to shorten the air interval between the imaging device and image pickup optical system, etc., and consequently while an attachment lens can be mounted on the front lens, the camera is made compact when carried.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a retractable electronic camera (digital camera) which is capable of reducing the thickness of a camera body by changing the distance between a photographing optical system and an image pickup device when photographing and not photographing. Still camera).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in a silver halide film camera, in order to improve the portability of the camera, the air gap between the lenses of the photographing lens is shortened during non-shooting, and is extended to a regular lens interval only during shooting. A so-called collapsible camera equipped with a taking lens shortening mechanism is well known. As a structure of the collapsible camera, a configuration in which a part of a photographing lens frame including a front lens portion is stored in a body of the camera when not photographing and projects from the body when photographing is common. .

[0003]

However, the conventional collapsing method of a silver halide film camera is a type in which a part including a front lens of a photographing lens moves back and forth in the direction of a subject. For this reason, if you want to attach a so-called attachment lens that can be attached or detached from the outside such as a close-up lens or a macro lens, if you perform a retracting operation with it attached,
The attachment lens may collide with the body. Therefore, in a retractable camera, an attachment lens is not usually attached, and there is a problem that the function cannot be expanded by attaching the attachment lens. Further, since the front lens protrudes from the camera body, it is necessary to prevent the strobe light from being shaken by the protruding lens barrel, and there is a problem that the arrangement position of the strobe is restricted. Such a problem with the collapsible camera is a problem that also occurs when a conventional collapsible camera is simply applied to an electronic camera that records a subject image using an image sensor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem which occurs when the conventional collapsible lens system is simply applied to an electronic camera. It is an object of the present invention to provide a retractable electronic camera capable of reducing the thickness of the camera body by changing the interval and the like, further mounting an attachment lens, and reducing restrictions on strobe arrangement. The purpose is as follows. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera in which the position of an image sensor with respect to a photographing optical system or the like can be largely changed as necessary while being covered by a cover member. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera which can be made compact when it is carried. A third object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera in which an attachment lens can be mounted and the degree of freedom of arrangement of a strobe can be increased. An object of the invention according to claim 4 is to provide an electronic camera capable of peeping through a finder without a cover member becoming an obstacle during photographing. An object of the invention according to claim 5 is to provide an electronic camera that can be further reduced in size during non-photographing and that can further improve portability.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera for photoelectrically converting and recording an image of a subject passing through a photographic optical system by an image sensor. And a cover member that covers the image sensor and is disposed so as to be movable with the image sensor, and the cover member moves freely in the direction of the photographing optical axis of the photographing optical system. It is configured to be able to. With this configuration, the position of the image sensor in the direction of the photographing optical axis can be changed by moving the cover member. It can be largely changed while covering with a cover member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the first aspect, the cover member takes a position protruding from the electronic camera main body at the time of photographing, and at least most of the cover member is stored in the electronic camera main body at the time of non-photographing. The evacuation position is set to be taken. With this configuration, at least most of the cover member that covers the image sensor is stored in the camera body when not photographing, the air gap between the image sensor and the photographing optical system is shortened, and the image sensor is used only when photographing. The air gap between the photographing optical systems and the like can be returned to the regular air interval, and compactness when carrying can be achieved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the first or second aspect, the cover member is disposed on a back surface of the electronic camera body, and can be moved substantially perpendicular to the back surface. It is characterized by having been done. With this configuration, a collapsible configuration in which the front lens of the imaging optical system is not moved from the front of the camera body can be used, and an attachment lens can be attached to the front lens, so that the shooting range can be expanded. There is no need to worry about strobe light being shaken by the lens frame of the shooting optical system,
The degree of freedom of the arrangement of the strobe can be increased.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the third aspect, the cover member further holds an optical viewfinder lens for visually recognizing a subject image. With such a configuration, the lens of the finder also protrudes from the back of the camera body together with the cover member at the time of shooting, so that the cover member does not become an obstacle when the photographer looks into the finder. Can be.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the first or second aspect, the photographing optical system comprises a bending optical system having an optical axis converting means for changing a direction of a photographing optical axis therein. The cover member is configured to move in the direction of the photographing optical axis after being converted by the optical axis converting means. As described above, an electronic camera that has been made thinner by using a bending optical system having an optical axis conversion unit as a photographing optical system,
At the time of non-shooting, the size can be further reduced, and the portability can be further improved.

[0010]

Next, an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1A is a schematic overall perspective view of a first embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 1B is a schematic general perspective view as viewed from the back side. FIG. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, reference numeral 1 denotes a camera body. On the front surface of a front exterior 1a for protecting the front side of the camera body 1, an opening 2 for a photographing lens and a photographing lens opening 2 are located to the right. A transparent window 3 for an optical finder for visually recognizing a subject is provided at an upper portion, and a strobe window 4 is provided at a central upper portion. The camera body 1 has a shape in which the left side has a bulge in the thickness direction as compared to the right side when viewed from the front side,
It serves as a grip for the photographer at the time of photographing the camera, so that the camera body 1 can be stably held.

On the upper surface of the camera body 1, power is turned on, O
A power button for performing FF, a release button for recording an image in a memory at the time of photographing, a mode switching button 7 for switching a recording mode at the time of photographing, and a display unit 8 are provided. In addition, back exterior 1 of camera body 1
b, an image pickup unit cover 10 holding an image pickup element and an optical finder lens therein and having a finder eyepiece 9 is provided, and the image pickup unit cover 10 forms a part of a rear exterior. When the camera is not being photographed, it is stored inside the camera body so that its surface portion is substantially flush with the rear exterior surface, and when photographing, as shown in FIG. It is configured.

Next, the detailed structure of the optical system including the imaging unit cover will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2A shows a state in which the imaging unit cover is protruded from the camera body at the time of photographing, and FIG. 2B shows a stored state at the time of non-photographing. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, 11
Denotes a photographing system, and 12 denotes an optical finder section, which are arranged in an optical system holder 13 attached to the front exterior 1a of the camera body 1. The imaging unit cover 10 is configured to slide and move along the inner peripheral wall of the open end of the optical system holder 13.

The photographing system 11 mainly includes a fixed first lens group frame 14, a second lens group frame 15 and a second lens group frame 15 arranged so as to be movable with respect to the first lens group frame 14. And an imaging unit holding frame 16 movably disposed with respect to the imaging unit holding frame 16. The first group lens frame 14 has a cylindrical portion holding one lens serving as a front lens, and a penetrated cam groove 17 for moving the second group lens frame 15 is formed in the cylindrical portion. ing. A plurality of cam grooves 17 are formed in parallel with the optical axis.
Also, the first group lens frame 14 has a first
A plate-like lens barrier 18 for protecting the group lens is provided to be openable and closable in parallel with the front exterior 1a. The second lens group frame 15 includes a cylindrical portion that holds two lenses, and a plurality of cam pins 19 are erected on a part of the cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion of the second lens group frame 15 can move along the inner peripheral wall of the open end of the first lens group frame 14 by engaging with the cam groove 17 of the group lens frame 14. Further, in the cylindrical portion of the second lens group frame 15,
A plurality of penetrating cam grooves 20 for moving the imaging unit holding frame 16 are formed in parallel with the optical axis. Although not shown, the opening / closing mechanism of the lens barrier 18 is driven in conjunction with the rearward movement of the second lens group frame 15. The imaging unit holding frame 16 has a cylindrical shape, and includes an IR cut filter 21, a low-pass filter 22, and a CCD imaging device 23. A substrate 24 is mounted on the back surface of the CCD imaging device 23. The signal is transmitted to an imaging substrate in the camera body via a flexible substrate (not shown). Also, a plurality of cam pins are provided in a part of the imaging unit holding frame 16.
25 is implanted and engages with the cam groove 20 of the second lens group frame 15 so that the imaging unit holding frame 16 can move in and out along the inner peripheral wall of the open end of the second lens group frame 15. Is configured.

The optical finder section 12 includes a finder first group lens frame 26 and a finder second group lens frame 27. The finder first group lens frame 26 has a cylindrical portion and holds two lenses. And is fixed in the optical system holder 13. The cylindrical portion is provided with a plurality of penetrating cam grooves 28 for moving the finder second lens group frame 27 in parallel with the optical axis. The finder second group lens frame 27 has a cylindrical portion holding one lens, and a plurality of cam pins 29 are erected inside the open end of the cylindrical portion. The cam groove 28 of the first lens group frame 26 is engaged, and the inner peripheral wall of the open end of the cylindrical part can be fitted and moved along the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical part of the finder first group lens frame 26. The imaging unit holding frame 16 and the finder second lens group frame 27 do not necessarily need to be fixed to the imaging unit cover 10, and are configured to be moved in conjunction with the movement of the imaging unit cover 10. I just need to.

Next, the operation of the optical system including the imaging unit cover configured as described above will be described. In the storage state at the time of non-photographing as shown in FIG. 2B, the imaging unit cover 10 is pressed rearward by a pressing spring (not shown), that is, so as to protrude from the surface of the rear exterior 1b. It is held in the stored state by the urging lock means. First, at the time of photographing, when the power button 5 is turned on, the spring urging lock means of the imaging unit cover 10 is mechanically released,
The imaging unit cover 10 is moved rearward by the urging force of the pressing spring. Along with the rearward movement of the imaging unit cover 10, the imaging unit holding frame 16 of the photographing optical system 11 and the finder second group lens frame 27 of the optical finder unit 12 move in conjunction therewith, and the imaging unit holding frame moves. With the movement of 16, the second lens group frame 15 further moves backward. Further, in conjunction with the backward movement of the second lens frame 15, the opening / closing mechanism of the lens barrier 18 connected thereto is driven to move the lens barrier 18 to the open position. When the power button 5 is turned on, the microcomputer in the system board of the camera body is started, and control of various operations is started. In the ON position of the power button 5,
The position of the imaging unit cover 10 is restricted to a protruding imaging position by a member (not shown) linked to the power button 5. When the power button 5 is in the ON position, the imaging unit cover 10 is held at the protruding position in this manner, so that the position of the CCD imaging device 23 and the like can be prevented from being shifted during photographing.

When the imaging unit cover 10 projects and moves to a predetermined imaging position shown in FIG. 2A, a position detection sensor (not shown) detects the position of the imaging unit holding frame 16. Based on the detection signal from this position detection sensor,
The microcomputer determines that the photographing system is at a position where photographing is possible. Then, after confirming that the other conditions are normal, the mode is changed to the photographing mode. By operating the release button 6, the photographed image is recorded on the recording medium.

After the photographing is completed, the power button 5 is turned off, and the imaging section cover 10 is pressed forward, that is, toward the storage position in the camera body, against the pressing spring. When the imaging unit cover 10 reaches the storage position, the imaging unit cover 10 is locked by the spring-biased locking means and is held at the storage position, and the lens barrier 18 is moved with the forward movement of the second lens unit frame.
Is also driven to the closed position. In the storage position of the imaging unit cover 10, the back of the imaging unit cover 10 is
It may be stored so as to be substantially flush with b, or as shown in FIG. 2B, it may be set to a position where it slightly protrudes. In addition, the movement of each lens barrel is configured to be sequentially connected from the imaging unit cover 10 to the front side, but a cam provided with a cam groove in a circumferential portion that rotates in conjunction with the movement of the imaging unit cover 10. A configuration may be adopted in which a cylinder is arranged, a cam pin provided on each lens barrel is engaged with a cam groove of the cam barrel, and each lens barrel is moved via the cam pin.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
Description will be made based on (B). In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an electronic camera having a bent image pickup optical system having an optical axis changing unit. An image pickup unit cover is arranged on the bottom of the camera body. ), And stored in the camera body as shown in FIG. 3B when not photographing.

3A and 3B, reference numeral 31 denotes a front fixed frame, and the fixed frame 31 has a first group lens 32 and a reflecting mirror.
33, and the direction of the optical axis of the photographing light that has passed through the first group lens 32 is reflected by the reflection mirror 33, is bent by 90 °, and is turned downward in the vertical direction. A flange portion is formed on the lower surface of the front fixed frame 31, and a rear fixed frame 34 is attached. A plurality of penetrating cam grooves 36 for moving the moving frame 35 are provided in the rear fixed frame 34 in parallel with the optical axis. A plurality of cam pins 37 are erected at the tip of the moving frame 35 and engage with the cam grooves 36 of the rear fixed frame 34, so that the moving frame 35 can slide along the inner peripheral wall of the rear fixed frame 34. It has become. The moving frame 35 includes a second group lens frame 38 holding two lenses, a third group lens frame 39 holding one lens, and an IR cut filter at the lower end.
An imaging unit holding frame 43 holding the 40, low-pass filter 41, and CCD imaging device 42 is fixed. An imaging unit cover 44 is arranged to cover the imaging unit holding frame 43,
The moving frame 35 can be moved into the rear fixed frame 34 in conjunction with the movement of the imaging unit cover 44.

In the second embodiment constructed as described above, the imaging unit cover 44 is urged downward by a pressing spring so as to protrude from the bottom of the camera body when stored. At the time of photographing, the spring urging lock means for the imaging unit cover 44 is mechanically released in conjunction with the ON operation of the power button, and the imaging unit cover 44 is moved downward by the urging force of the pressing spring, that is, from the bottom of the camera body. Move so as to protrude, and the second lens group frame together with the image sensor 42
38 and the third lens group frame 39 are moved to a state where photographing is possible. After the photographing is completed, the power button is turned off, and the imaging unit cover 44 is manually pushed upward, that is, is moved in the direction of being stored in the camera body, whereby the imaging unit cover 44 is held at the storage position by the spring-biased lock means.

In the above embodiment, the movement of the image pickup unit cover to the storage position is manually performed. However, a drive motor is provided inside the camera body to be electrically operated, and the power button is provided. Of course, it may be configured so that it can be automatically stored in conjunction with the OFF operation of the camera.

[0022]

As described above with reference to the embodiment, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the position of the image sensor in the direction of the photographing optical axis can be changed by moving the cover member. At the time of photographing or the like, the position of the image pickup device with respect to the photographing optical system or the like can be largely changed while being covered with a cover member as necessary. According to the second aspect of the present invention, at least most of the cover member that covers the image sensor is stored in the camera body during non-shooting, the air gap between the image sensor and the photographing optical system is reduced, and the image is captured only during photographing. It is possible to return the space between the element and the photographing optical system to the regular air space,
Compactness can be achieved when carrying. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the attachment lens can be mounted on the front lens, and there is no possibility that the strobe light is shaken by the lens frame of the photographing optical system. Can be According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the lens of the finder is also configured to move integrally with the cover member, it is possible to prevent the cover member from becoming an obstacle when looking into the finder. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further reduce the size of an electronic camera which has been reduced in thickness by using a bending optical system when not photographing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front perspective view and a schematic rear perspective view showing an entire electronic camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an optical system portion including an imaging unit cover during imaging and non-imaging according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an optical system portion including an imaging unit cover during imaging and non-imaging according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 camera body 1a front exterior 1b rear exterior 2 shooting lens aperture 3 transparent window for optical viewfinder 4 strobe window 5 power button 6 release button 7 mode switching button 8 display section 9 viewfinder eyepiece section 10 imaging section cover 11 imaging system 12 optical viewfinder Unit 13 Optical system holder 14 First group lens frame 15 Second group lens frame 16 Imaging unit holding frame 17 Cam groove 18 Lens barrier 19 Cam pin 20 Cam groove 21 IR cut filter 22 Low pass filter 23 CCD image sensor 24 Substrate 25 Cam pin 26 Viewfinder First group lens frame 27 Viewfinder second group lens frame 28 Cam groove 29 Cam pin 31 Front fixed frame 32 First group lens 33 Reflecting mirror 34 Rear fixed frame 35 Moving frame 36 Cam groove 37 Cam pin 38 Second group lens frame 39 Third lens group frame 40 IR cut filter 41 Low pass filter 42 CCD image sensor 43 Image capturing unit holding frame 44 Image capturing unit cover

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An electronic camera which photoelectrically converts and records a subject image passing through a photographic optical system with an image sensor, forms a part of an exterior of an electronic camera body, covers the image sensor, and moves together with the image sensor. An electronic camera, comprising: a cover member disposed so as to obtain the cover member, and the cover member is configured to be able to move forward and backward in a photographing optical axis direction of the photographing optical system. 2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is configured to take a position protruding from the electronic camera main body during photographing, and to assume a retracted position where at least most of the cover member is stored in the electronic camera main body during non-photographing. The electronic camera according to claim 1. 3. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is disposed on a back surface of the electronic camera main body, and is configured to be movable substantially perpendicular to the back surface. . 4. The electronic camera according to claim 3, wherein the cover member further holds a lens of an optical finder for visually recognizing a subject image. 5. The photographing optical system is a bending optical system having an optical axis converting means for changing a direction of a photographing optical axis inside, and the cover member is a photographing light after being converted by the optical axis converting means. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the electronic camera is configured to move in an axial direction.