Extender apparatus, lens apparatus, and image pickup apparatus

Abstract

To provide an extender device capable of smoothly switching electric operation and manual operation without special operation.SOLUTION: An extender device that includes a lens holding member that holds at least a part of a lens group, and inserts and removes the lens group held by the lens holding member into and from an optical path by rotating the lens holding member around a first rotation axis, the extender device comprising: A manual operation unit configured to manually rotate the lens holding member around the first rotation axis, a first drive shaft unit having a first contact piece, a second drive shaft unit having a second contact piece, and an electric drive unit configured to rotate at least the first drive shaft unit and the second drive shaft unit around the second rotation axis, wherein the electric drive unit rotates the first drive shaft unit to bring the first contact piece into contact with the second contact piece, thereby transmitting a rotational force of the electric drive unit to the lens holding member; The first contact piece and the second contact piece do not come into contact with each other in the operation range of the manual operation section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an extender device, a lens device, and an imaging device. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional extender devices, the photographer can insert or remove a lens group into or from the optical path by operating an operation unit, allowing the focal length to be easily changed. Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which the photographer operates a manual operation unit to rotate a lens holding member (lens support member) including the lens group, and the lens holding member is held in the optical path by abutting against a stopper provided at the end position. Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which the focal length can be changed by electrically operating a manual operation unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-352395 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-216518 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the prior art disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1, the focal length is changed by manually operating the manual operation unit, but it is not compatible with electric operation for remote control. Furthermore, there is a demand for a lens that can be used for both electric and manual operation in the same lens to accommodate a variety of photography situations. Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, the manual operation unit is covered by the electric switching device, so manual operation is not possible with the electric switching device attached. Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, the manual operation unit is exposed even with the electric switching device attached, but manual operation is not possible unless the remote control member is removed.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an extender device that can smoothly switch between electric operation and manual operation without any special operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an extender device as one aspect of the present invention has a lens holding member that holds at least a portion of a lens group, and inserts or removes the lens group held by the lens holding member into or from an optical path by rotating the lens holding member around a first rotation axis, and is characterized in that it has a manual operation unit that rotates the lens holding member around the first rotation axis by manual operation, a first drive shaft unit that has a first contact piece, a second drive shaft unit that has a second contact piece, and an electric drive unit that rotates at least the first drive shaft unit and the second drive shaft unit around the second rotation axis, and the electric drive unit rotates the first drive shaft unit and causes the first contact piece to abut against the second contact piece, thereby transmitting the rotational force of the electric drive unit to the lens holding member, and the first contact piece and the second contact piece do not abut within the operating range of the manual operation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an extender device that can smoothly switch between electric operation and manual operation without any special operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an imaging device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the extender device in the retraction phase according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view of the inside of a housing of the extender device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a view showing the inside of the housing of the extender device according to the first embodiment as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2. [Figure 5]8 is a BB cross-sectional view of the first drive shaft portion and the second drive shaft portion in the retracted phase of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a front view of the extender device in which the lens holding member starts to rotate from the retraction phase by electrical operation in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a BB cross-sectional view of the first drive shaft portion and the second drive shaft portion in the phase shown in FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a front view of the extender device of the first embodiment when the lens holding member is electrically rotated by half the rotation angle from the retracted phase to the inserted phase. FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a BB cross-sectional view of the first drive shaft portion and the second drive shaft portion in the phase shown in FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a front view of the extender device in the insertion phase according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 8 is a BB cross-sectional view of the first drive shaft portion and the second drive shaft portion in the insertion phase of the first embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same members or elements, and redundant descriptions will be omitted or simplified.

[0010] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, an imaging device 300 including a lens device 100 having an extender device 30 and a camera body 200 will be described first with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the entire imaging device 300 according to this embodiment. FIG. 1(A) is an example of a side view of the imaging device 300 according to this embodiment. FIG. 1(B) is an example of a perspective view of the imaging device 300 according to this embodiment. OA in FIG. 1 indicates the optical axis of the imaging device 300.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, an imaging device 300 in this embodiment is configured to include a lens device (lens barrel) 100 and a camera body 200. The lens device 100 also includes an extender device 30 as shown in Fig. 1. Details of the extender device 30 in this embodiment will be described later. Although not shown in Fig. 1 for the sake of simplicity, the lens device 100 is also configured to include, for example, a lens group, a cam ring, a guide barrel, a zoom ring, an electromagnetic diaphragm unit, and various lens barrel groups.

[0012] A control board (lens apparatus 100-side control board) is disposed within the lens apparatus 100. The lens apparatus 100-side control board is configured as at least one computer including a CPU, memory, etc. The lens apparatus 100-side control board is electrically connected to each part of the lens apparatus 100 to control each operation (e.g., drive operation) within the lens apparatus 100. The memory functioning as a recording medium of the lens apparatus 100-side control board is configured, for example, with a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or a non-volatile memory such as a read only memory (ROM). The memory stores various information related to the operation and processing of the lens apparatus 100. The memory may also store various information related to the camera body 200 and the electric switching device 40. The lens apparatus 100-side control board needs to have at least one CPU and one memory, but may have multiple of each.

[0013] The lens device 100 also has a mount. The mount in the lens device 100 is a component fixed to a camera body 200 that has an image sensor 210 that captures an image of a subject through a lens (optical member). That is, the mount in the lens device 100 is configured to be attachable to a mount provided in the camera body 200, and by attaching it to the mount provided in the camera body 200, it can be communicatively connected to the camera body 200. As a result, the lens device 100 and the camera body 200 that has the image sensor 210 can form an image sensor 300. The image sensor 300 is configured to be able to capture an image formed through the lens device 100. The image sensor 210 is configured by an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).

[0014] The camera body 200 also has a control board (control board on the camera body 200 side) not shown. The control board on the camera body 200 side is configured as at least one computer including a CPU, memory, etc., and performs overall control of the operation of the camera body 200. The memory functioning as a recording medium on the control board on the camera body 200 side is configured, for example, with a volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or a non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory). The memory stores various information related to the operation and processing of the camera body 200. Note that the memory may also store various information related to the lens apparatus 100 and the electric switching device 40. It is sufficient for the control board on the camera body 200 side to have at least one CPU and one memory, but there may also be multiple of each.

[0015] The control board on the camera body 200 side operates when the camera body 200 is turned on by operating a power button (not shown) on the camera body 200. The control board on the lens apparatus 100 side operates when the camera body 200 is turned on while the lens apparatus 100 is connected to the camera body 200 via a mount in the lens apparatus 100. The control board on the camera body 200 side is also electrically connected to the control board on the lens apparatus 100 side by being electrically connected to each other via their respective mounts.

[0016] In addition, a control board (a control board on the lens device 100 side or a control board on the camera body 200 side) that functions as a control unit in the imaging device 300 may send and receive control signals according to the operation and processing, thereby controlling each operation of the electric switching device 40 described later.

[0017] Next, the extender device 30 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 2 to 4. Fig. 2 is an example of a front view of the extender device 30 according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is an example of a perspective view of the inside of the housing of the extender device 30 according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is an example of a view of the inside of the housing of the extender device 30 according to this embodiment as seen from the direction of arrow A in Fig. 2.

[0018] The extender device 30 in this embodiment has a lens holding member (lens support member) 1, a manual operation unit 2, a lens housing 4, a worm gear 9, a first drive shaft unit 10, a second drive shaft unit 11, a first gear 12, a second gear 13, a third gear 16, and a fourth gear 17. The extender device 30 further has a fixed spring 18 (spring member), a rotary encoder 19, a friction mechanism 21, and an electric switching device (electric drive unit) 40.

[0019] The lens holding member 1 holds at least a part of a lens group (not shown) of the lens device 100. The extender device 30 in this embodiment can switch the focal length by inserting and retracting the lens holding member 1 holding the lens group into and from the optical path A1. In other words, the extender device 30 is a device that can switch the focal length by inserting and removing the lens group held by the lens holding member 1 into and from the optical path A1. As will be described later, the extender device 30 can insert and remove the lens group held by the lens holding member 1 into and from the optical path A1 by rotating the lens holding member 1 around a first rotation axis A3 (centered on the first rotation axis A3). The optical path A1 is synonymous with the optical axis OA shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] The lens holding member 1 is a member that can rotate around the first rotation axis A3 either by manual operation using the manual operation unit 2 or by electric operation using the electric switching device 40.

[0021] The magnet 7 is used by a first Hall IC 5 (described later) to detect that the lens group held by the lens holding member 1 has been inserted onto the optical path A1. Furthermore, the magnet 7 is also used by a second Hall IC 6 to detect that the lens group held by the lens holding member 1 has been retracted to the retracted optical system center A2.

[0022] The lens housing 4 has a first Hall IC 5 that detects the insertion phase of the lens holding member 1 into the optical path A1, and a second Hall IC 6 that detects the retraction phase of the lens holding member 1 into the optical path A1.

[0023] The first Hall IC 5 detects that the lens group held by the lens holding member 1 has been inserted onto the optical path A1 by detecting the magnet 7. Specifically, while the lens holding member 1 is rotating around the first rotation axis A3, the first Hall IC 5 detects the magnet 7 arranged on the lens holding member 1, thereby detecting that the lens group held by the lens holding member 1 has been inserted onto the optical path A1.

[0024] The second Hall IC 6 detects the magnet 7 to detect that the lens group held by the lens holding member 1 has been retracted to the retracted optical system center A2. Specifically, while the lens holding member 1 is rotating around the first rotation axis A3, the second Hall IC 6 detects the magnet 7 arranged on the lens holding member 1, thereby detecting that the lens group held by the lens holding member 1 has been retracted to the retracted optical system center A2. In this embodiment, the first Hall IC 5 and the second Hall IC 6 also function as a first detection unit. The detection results of the first Hall IC 5 and the second Hall IC 6 are transmitted to the electric switching device 40.

[0025] The lens holding member 1 is connected to a manual operation unit 2. Specifically, the manual operation unit 2 is connected to the lens holding member 1 by being fixed to the lens holding member 1 with a fixing member 3 such as a screw. Therefore, the fixing member 3 may also be included in the configuration of the extender device 30. A user can insert or retract the lens holding member 1, which holds a lens group (not shown), into or out of the optical path A1 by operating the manual operation unit 2 (manual operation). The manual operation unit 2 rotates around a first rotation axis A3 by manual operation. As a result, the lens holding member 1 connected to the manual operation unit 2 also rotates in the same direction as the manual operation unit 2. As will be described later, the operating range of the manual operation unit 2 can be set to a range where the first contact piece 14 and the second contact piece 15 do not come into contact with each other.

[0026] The electric switching device 40 has an electric switching device housing 20, a motor 8, and a control unit (not shown). The electric switching device housing 20 functions as a housing for the electric switching device 40 and protects the motor 8 and control unit disposed therein. The motor 8 is a drive device that functions as a power source for the electric switching device 40.

[0027] The control unit (not shown) is at least one computer having a CPU (processor), memory, etc., and is connected to the components of the electric switching device 40 (e.g., the motor 8) via a line or the like. The control unit controls the operation of the electric switching device 40 in accordance with a program stored in the memory, thereby controlling the operation of the extender device 30. For example, by controlling the motor 8, the first drive shaft unit 10 and the like can be rotated around the second rotation axis A4 (centered on the second rotation axis A4). In this embodiment, the operation of the electric switching device 40 is controlled by a control unit arranged inside the electric switching device 40. However, the operation may also be controlled by a control board arranged on the lens device 100 side or the camera body 200 side. Furthermore, a control unit (not shown) included in the electric switching device 40 may control the operation of the lens device 100 and / or the operation of the camera body 200 in addition to controlling the electric switching device 40. It should be noted that a control unit (not shown) of the electric switching device 40 can be activated when the power of the camera body 200 is turned on in a state in which the lens device 100 is connected to the camera body 200 via a mount.

[0028] The memory functioning as a recording medium possessed by the control unit (not shown) is configured, for example, by a volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or a non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory). In addition to information related to the electric switching device 40, the memory stores various information related to the entire system of the imaging device 300 constituted by the lens device 100 and the camera body 200. The control unit (not shown) is not limited to having one CPU, but may have multiple CPUs. Furthermore, the number of memories such as ROM and RAM is also not limited to one, but may have multiple CPUs.

[0029] For example, the memory stores images captured by the image sensor 210, various parameter settings, ISO sensitivity, and other settings, shooting modes, and various correction data. It may also store control programs, variables, constants, and the like that control the overall operation of the image capture device 300, including the electric switching device 40. The memory of the lens device 100 and the camera body 200 may also store this information. The electric switching device 40, the lens device 100, and the camera body 200 may each have a secondary storage device (not shown) as a storage medium separate from the memory. The secondary storage device is, for example, a rewritable storage device (storage medium) such as a hard disk or flash memory, and is configured to store each piece of data received via electrical contacts (not shown).

[0030] The electric switching device 40 is connected to the lens holding member 1 by meshing the first gear 12 and the second gear 13. In other words, by meshing the first gear 12 and the second gear 13, the electric switching device 40 is indirectly connected to the lens holding member 1 via the first gear 12 and the second gear 13. The first gear 12 is provided on the second drive shaft portion 11 so as to rotate about a second rotation axis A4. The second gear 13 is provided on the lens holding member 1 so as to rotate about a first rotation axis A3. The second gear 13 is formed so as to be integral with the lens holding member 1. The first rotation axis direction and the axial direction of the second rotation axis are parallel to the optical path A1.

[0031] The first drive shaft 10 includes a first contact piece 14. The second drive shaft 11 includes a second contact piece 15. In this embodiment, the first contact piece 14 and the second contact piece 15 are located at the same position in the direction along the optical axis of the lens group (not shown). The first drive shaft 10 and the second drive shaft 11 rotate around the second rotation axis A4 when driven by the motor 8. That is, the electric switching device 40 can rotate the first drive shaft 10 and the second drive shaft 11 around the second rotation axis A4.

[0032] The first drive shaft portion 10 and the second drive shaft portion 11 rotate, and the first gear 12 and the second gear 13 mesh and rotate, thereby transmitting the rotational force generated by the drive of the motor 8 to the lens holding member 1. In other words, the rotational force output from the motor 8 of the electric switching device 40 can be transmitted to the lens holding member 1 via the worm gear 9, the first drive shaft portion 10, the second drive shaft portion 11, the first gear 12, and the second gear 13. This allows the lens holding member 1 to be rotated by electric operation.

[0033] The rotary encoder (second detection unit) 19 sets the initial phase of the rotation direction of the first contact piece 14 and detects the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft unit 10. The rotary encoder 19 is connected (indirectly connected) to the first contact piece 14 of the first drive shaft unit 10 via a third gear 16 and a fourth gear 17. The third gear 16 is fixed to the first drive shaft unit 10. The fourth gear 17 is fixed to the rotary encoder 19.

[0034] Next, the mechanism of the extender device 30 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 11. Figure 5 is a BB cross-sectional view of the first drive shaft 10 and the second drive shaft 11 when the extender device 30 in this embodiment is retracted. Figure 6 is a front view of the extender device 30 in this embodiment when the lens holding member 1 has started to rotate by electric operation. Figure 7 is a BB cross-sectional view of the first drive shaft 10 and the second drive shaft 11 in the phase of Figure 6.

[0035] FIG. 8 is a front view of the extender device 30 in a phase where the lens holding member 1 of this embodiment has rotated 1 / 2 of the rotation angle from the retraction phase to the insertion phase by electrical operation. FIG. 9 is a B-B cross-sectional view of the first drive shaft portion 10 and the second drive shaft portion 11 in the phase of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a front view of the extender device 30 when the lens holding member 1 is in the insertion phase. FIG. 11 is a B-B cross-sectional view of the first drive shaft portion 10 and the second drive shaft portion 11 when the lens holding member 1 is in the insertion phase. D1 in the figure indicates the rotation direction of the first contact piece 14. D2 in the figure indicates the rotation direction of the second contact piece 15.

[0036] As described above, the electric switching device 40 is connected to the lens holding member 1 by meshing the first gear 12 provided on the second drive shaft portion 11 with the second gear 13 provided on the lens holding member 1 so as to rotate integrally around the rotation axis (around the first rotation axis A3). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2 and other figures, even when the electric switching device 40 is connected to the lens holding member 1, the manual operation unit 2 is exposed from the electric switching device housing 20. With this configuration, even when the electric switching device 40 is connected to the lens holding member 1 (indirectly connected), the user can manually operate the manual operation unit 2. Furthermore, as described above, the lens holding member 1 and the second gear 13 are configured to be integrated, which reduces the number of parts and enables the extender device 30 to be made more compact.

[0037] As described above, it is preferable that the lens holding member 1 and the second gear 13 are configured as a single member while having their own respective uses. However, this is not limiting, and for example, the lens holding member 1 and the second gear 13 may be separate members that are fixed together with fixing means such as bolts or screws to connect the lens holding member 1 and the second gear 13 into a single member.

[0038] The switching operation of the electric switching device 40 between the retraction phase and the insertion phase will be described below. FIGS. 2 and 5 show the state of the lens holding member 1 before operation in the retraction phase. First, the operation of driving the lens holding member 1 from the retraction phase shown in FIG. 2 to the insertion phase shown in FIG. 10 will be described below. In this case, the state of the lens holding member 1 in FIGS. 2 and 5 is the initial state. Note that, in the following, it is assumed that the movement (rotation) of the lens holding member 1 from the retraction phase to the insertion phase is performed by electric operation. That is, the following describes the operation of the extender device 30 when the lens holding member 1 moves from the retraction phase to the insertion phase by driving the electric switching device 40.

[0039] When the electric switching device 40 starts to operate, the first contact piece 14 of the first drive shaft 10 starts to rotate in rotation direction D1, which is the rotation direction of the first contact piece 14. This results in the state shown in FIG. 7. That is, the first contact piece 14 of the first drive shaft 10 comes into contact (abuts) with the second contact piece 15 of the second drive shaft 11. Then, the first contact piece 14 rotating in rotation direction D1 abuts against the second contact piece 15, causing the second contact piece 15 to start rotating in rotation direction D2, which is the rotation direction of the second contact piece 15.

[0040] As the second contact piece 15 rotates in this way, that is, as the second drive shaft portion 11 rotates, the first gear 12 also rotates. Then, as the second gear 13 rotates due to the rotation of the first gear 12, the lens holder 1 starts to rotate around the first rotation axis A3 as shown in FIG. 6. As the first contact piece 14 rotates while abutting against the second contact piece 15 in this way, the lens holder 1 rotates around the first rotation axis A3. In other words, as the rotational force of the electric switching device 40 is transmitted to the lens holder 1, the lens holder 1 rotates in the same rotation direction as the second contact piece 15.

[0041] Next, while the first contact piece 14 and the second contact piece 15 continue to rotate, when the lens holder 1 exceeds a predetermined angle of 1 / 2 of the rotation angle from the retraction phase to the insertion phase, as shown in FIG. 8 , the tension of the fixed spring 18 causes the second contact piece 15 to begin rotating. In other words, when the lens holder 1 exceeds 1 / 2 of the rotation angle from the retraction phase to the insertion phase, the rotation of the second contact piece 15 is switched from that caused by the electric switching device 40 to that caused by the fixed spring 18 (the main force rotating the second contact piece 15 is switched). In this embodiment, the fixed spring 18 is incorporated in the extender device 30 so that the spring tension causes the second contact piece 15 of the second drive shaft 11 to rotate in the rotation direction D2 when the lens holder 1 exceeds 1 / 2 of the rotation angle from the retraction phase to the insertion phase. Note that the above 1 / 2 is an example, and the fixed spring 18 may be set to operate at an angle other than 1 / 2. Also, instead of setting it to 1 / 2 of the rotation angle, a tolerance may be set to 1 / 2 (approximately 1 / 2).

[0042] When the second contact piece 15 starts to rotate due to the fixed spring 18 generating a predetermined tension, the second contact piece 15 rotates in the rotation direction D2 while moving away from the first contact piece 14, as shown in Figure 9. Note that even after the second contact piece 15 moves away from the first contact piece 14, the first contact piece 14 continues to rotate due to the drive of the motor 8. Furthermore, because the rotation speed of the second contact piece 15 due to the tension of the fixed spring 18 is faster than the rotation speed of the first contact piece 14, after the second contact piece starts to rotate due to the tension of the fixed spring 18, the first contact piece 14 does not come into contact with the second contact piece 15 again.

[0043] While the second contact piece 15 is rotating in the rotation direction D2, the first Hall IC 5 detects the magnet 7, thereby detecting the insertion phase of the lens holder 1 into the optical path A1. That is, as shown in FIG. 10 , it is detected that the lenses held by the lens holder 1 are inserted into the optical path A1. When the first Hall IC 5 detects the magnet 7, a control unit (not shown) starts rotating the first drive shaft 10 to return the first contact piece 14 to its initial phase based on the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft 10 detected by the rotary encoder 19. Specifically, the first drive shaft 10 is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction D1, returning the first contact piece 14 to its initial phase as shown in FIG. 11 . That is, once the insertion phase of the lens holder 1 is detected, the control unit (not shown) controls the electric switching device 40 based on the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft 10 to move (rotate) the first contact piece 14 to a position outside the operating range of the manual operation unit 2 (outside the operating range C1).

[0044] Then, by returning the first contact piece 14 to the initial phase, the next time switching is performed by manual operation, even if the second contact piece 15 rotates, the first contact piece 14 will not be within the operating range C1 of the second contact piece 15, and so the first contact piece 14 and the second contact piece 15 will not come into contact. In other words, even if the manual operation unit 2 is operated to switch from electric operation to manual operation, the first contact piece 14, which is arranged in the initial phase, will not come into contact with the second contact piece 15, and therefore it is possible to prevent a load on the motor 8 that would be caused by contact.

[0045] In this way, even if the second contact piece 15 is rotated by operating the manual operation unit 2, the first contact piece 14 is located outside the operating range C1 of the second contact piece 15, and therefore the first contact piece 14 and the second contact piece 15 do not come into contact within the operating range of the manual operation unit 2. In other words, even if the second contact piece 15 rotates by operating the manual operation unit 2 to rotate the lens holding member 1 after electrically operating the electric switching device 40, the first contact piece 14 does not exist within the rotational range of the second contact piece 15, and therefore the respective contact pieces do not come into contact with each other.

[0046] It is desirable to return the first contact piece 14 to the initial phase as described above, but it is sufficient if the first contact piece 14 is returned to a position that is at least outside the operating range C1 of the second contact piece 15. In this case, it is preferable to return the first contact piece 14 from its current position to the initial phase position at some timing.

[0047] Incidentally, when the lens holding member 1 is switched from the insertion phase to the retraction phase by electrical operation, the same can be applied to the above-described case where the lens holding member 1 is switched from the retraction phase to the insertion phase by electrical operation. Below, the case where the lens holding member 1 is switched from the insertion phase to the retraction phase by electrical operation will be described, omitting as appropriate the fact that the same can be applied to the case where the lens holding member 1 is switched from the retraction phase to the insertion phase by electrical operation.

[0048] First, the electric switching device 40 is driven to bring the rotating first contact piece 14 into contact with the second contact piece 15, causing the second contact piece 15 to rotate in the same direction as the first contact piece 14. Next, when the lens holding member 1 exceeds half the rotation angle from the insertion phase to the retraction phase, the second contact piece 15 switches to rotating due to the tension of the fixed spring 18. Then, while the second contact piece 15 is rotating, the second Hall IC 6 detects the magnet 7, and it is detected that the lens holding member 1 has retracted to the retracted optical system center A2.

[0049] Next, when the second Hall IC 6 detects the magnet 7, a control unit (not shown) starts rotating the first drive shaft 10 to return the first contact piece 14 to its initial phase based on the rotation amount of the first drive shaft 10 detected by the rotary encoder 19. That is, the first drive shaft 10 is rotated so that the first contact piece 14 reaches its initial phase as shown in FIG. 5, returning the first contact piece 14 to its initial phase. By returning the first contact piece 14 to its initial phase, the next time manual switching is performed, even if the second contact piece 15 rotates, the first contact piece 14 is not within the operating range C1 of the second contact piece 15, so the first contact piece 14 and the second contact piece 15 do not come into contact. This allows manual switching without any special operation after electrically switching by the electric switching device 40.

[0050] Furthermore, in the structure of the extender device 30 of this embodiment, if a force greater than a certain level is applied during power operation, the friction mechanism 21 provided between the worm gear 9 and the first drive shaft 10 will rotate freely, thereby disconnecting the motor 8 from the lens holder 1. In other words, the friction mechanism 21 releases the connection between the motor 8 and the lens holder 1. In this embodiment, the friction mechanism 21 also functions as a release mechanism that releases the connection between the motor 8 and the lens holder 1. The force greater than a certain level that triggers the operation of the friction mechanism 21 can be set arbitrarily. For example, by setting the force applied when the manual operation unit 2 is operated as the force greater than a certain level, the connection between the motor 8 and the lens holder 1 can be released even if the power operation is suddenly switched to manual operation. Alternatively, the connection between the motor 8 and the lens holder 1 may be released when a force greater than a certain level is applied during manual operation.

[0051] This prevents a load from being applied to the motor 8 even if the manual operation unit 2 is operated during switching by electric operation performed by the electric switching device 40. In other words, the configuration of the electric switching device 40 of this embodiment makes it possible to prevent a load from being applied to the motor 8 even if manual operation is suddenly performed by the manual operation unit 2 during electric operation.

[0052] As described above, the extender device 30 having the electric switching device 40 of this embodiment allows smooth switching between electric operation and manual operation at any time without any special operation while the electric switching device 40 is connected. Furthermore, the configuration of the extender device 30 of this embodiment prevents unnecessary load from being placed on the motor 8 when switching from electric operation to manual operation.

[0053] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0054] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration.

[0055] (Configuration 1) an extender device having a lens holding member that holds at least a part of a lens group, and rotating the lens holding member around a first rotation axis to insert or remove the lens group held by the lens holding member into or from an optical path, a manual operation unit that rotates the lens holding member around the first rotation axis by manual operation; a first drive shaft portion having a first contact piece; a second drive shaft portion having a second contact piece; an electric drive unit that rotates at least the first drive shaft unit and the second drive shaft unit around a second rotation axis; the electric drive unit rotates the first drive shaft and causes the first contact piece to abut against the second contact piece, thereby transmitting the rotational force of the electric drive unit to the lens holding member; The first contact piece and the second contact piece do not come into contact with each other within the operation range of the manual operation unit. The extender device is characterized by the above.

[0056] (Configuration 2) The extender device described in configuration 1, characterized in that the lens holding member rotates around the first rotation axis when the first contact piece rotates while in contact with the second contact piece.

[0057] (Configuration 3) The device further includes a spring member that generates a predetermined tension, The extender device of configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that when the rotation angle of the lens holding member exceeds a predetermined angle, the tension of the spring member causes the second contact piece to rotate faster than the rotation speed of the first contact piece.

[0058] (Configuration 4) a first detection unit that detects an insertion phase and a retraction phase of the lens holding member into the optical path; a second detection unit that detects the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft unit; and a control unit that rotates the first drive shaft unit based on the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft unit detected by the second detection unit in the insertion phase and the retraction phase detected by the first detection unit so that the first contact piece is at a position where it does not contact the second contact piece. 3. The extender device according to configuration 1 or 2.

[0059] (Configuration 5) The extender device of configuration 4, characterized in that when the insertion phase or the retraction phase is detected by the first detection unit, the control unit rotates the first drive shaft unit to move the first contact piece to a position outside the operating range of the manual operation unit.

[0060] (Configuration 6) The device further includes a spring member that generates a predetermined tension, The extender device of configuration 4 or 5, characterized in that when the rotation angle from the retraction phase to the insertion phase or from the insertion phase to the retraction phase exceeds 1 / 2, the second contact piece continues to rotate while moving away from the first contact piece due to the tension of the spring member.

[0061] (Configuration 7) 7. The extender device of any one of configurations 4 to 6, wherein when the first detection unit detects the insertion phase or the retraction phase, the control unit controls the electric drive unit to rotate the first drive shaft unit and return the first contact piece to an initial phase.

[0062] (Configuration 8) The extender device of configuration 7, characterized in that when the first contact piece is in the initial phase, the second contact piece does not come into contact with the first contact piece even if the second drive shaft portion is rotated by the manual operation.

[0063] (Configuration 9) the second drive shaft portion has a first gear that rotates integrally with the second drive shaft portion around the second rotation axis, the lens holding member has a second gear that rotates around the second rotation axis, The extender device described in any one of configurations 1 to 8, characterized in that the first gear and the second gear mesh and rotate, thereby transmitting the rotational force output from the electric drive unit to the lens holding member, causing the lens holding member to rotate.

[0064] (Configuration 10) The extender device described in any one of configurations 1 to 8, characterized in that the electric drive unit is indirectly connected to the lens holding member by meshing between a first gear that rotates around the second rotation axis integral with the second drive shaft unit and a second gear that rotates around the first rotation axis.

[0065] (Configuration 11) 11. The extender device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, further comprising a release mechanism that releases the connection between the electric drive unit and the lens holding member when a force greater than a certain level is transmitted to the electric drive unit.

[0066] (Configuration 12) 12. The lens device according to any one of configurations 1 to 11, wherein the first contact piece and the second contact piece are located at the same position in a direction along the optical axis of the lens group.

[0067] (Configuration 13) 13. The extender device according to any one of configurations 1 to 12, wherein the first rotation axis direction and the second rotation axis direction are parallel to the optical path.

[0068] (Configuration 14) The extender device of any one of configurations 1 to 13, wherein the lens holding member can be rotated around the first rotation axis either by manual operation using the manual operation unit or by electric operation using the electric drive unit.

[0069] (Configuration 15) A lens group; and the extender device according to any one of configurations 1 to 14. A lens device characterized by:

[0070] (Configuration 16) an imaging element that captures an image of a subject through an optical member; and the lens device according to aspect 15. An imaging device characterized by:

[0071] (Configuration 17) The imaging device described in configuration 16 further comprises a control unit that rotates the first drive shaft portion to a position where the first contact piece and the second contact piece do not abut based on the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1 Lens holding member 2 Manual operation section 3 Fixing member 8 motors 10 First drive shaft 11 Second drive shaft 12 First Gear 13 Second Gear 14 First contact piece 15 Second contact piece 16 Third Gear 17 Fourth Gear 18 Fixed spring 19 Rotary Encoder 20 Electric switching device housing 21 Friction mechanism 30 Extender Device 40 Electric switching device

Claims

1. an extender device including a lens holding member that holds at least a part of a lens group, and that inserts or removes the lens group held by the lens holding member into or from an optical path by rotating the lens holding member around a first rotation axis, a manual operation unit that rotates the lens holding member around the first rotation axis by manual operation; a first drive shaft portion having a first contact piece; a second drive shaft portion having a second contact piece; an electric drive unit that rotates at least the first drive shaft unit and the second drive shaft unit around a second rotation axis; the electric drive unit rotates the first drive shaft and causes the first contact piece to abut against the second contact piece, thereby transmitting the rotational force of the electric drive unit to the lens holding member; The first contact piece and the second contact piece do not come into contact with each other within the operation range of the manual operation unit. The extender device is characterized by the above.

2. 2. The extender device according to claim 1, wherein the lens holding member rotates around the first rotation axis when the first contact piece rotates while in contact with the second contact piece.

3. The device further includes a spring member that generates a predetermined tension, 2. The extender device of claim 1, wherein when the rotation angle of the lens holding member exceeds a predetermined angle, the tension of the spring member causes the second contact piece to rotate faster than the rotation speed of the first contact piece.

4. a first detector that detects an insertion phase and a retraction phase of the lens holding member with respect to the optical path; a second detection unit that detects the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft unit; a control unit that rotates the first drive shaft based on the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft detected by the second detection unit in the insertion phase and the retraction phase detected by the first detection unit so that the first contact piece is not in contact with the second contact piece. The extender device according to claim 1 .

5. 5. The extender device according to claim 4, wherein when the first detection unit detects the insertion phase or the retraction phase, the control unit rotates the first drive shaft unit to move the first contact piece to a position outside the operating range of the manual operation unit.

6. The device further includes a spring member that generates a predetermined tension, The extender device of claim 4, characterized in that when the rotation angle from the retraction phase to the insertion phase or from the insertion phase to the retraction phase exceeds 1 / 2, the second contact piece continues to rotate while moving away from the first contact piece due to the tension of the spring member.

7. 5. The extender device according to claim 4, wherein when the first detection unit detects the insertion phase or the retraction phase, the control unit controls the electric drive unit to rotate the first drive shaft unit and return the first contact piece to its initial phase.

8. The extender device of claim 7, characterized in that when the first contact piece is in the initial phase, the second contact piece does not come into contact with the first contact piece even if the second drive shaft portion is rotated by manual operation.

9. the second drive shaft portion has a first gear that rotates integrally with the second drive shaft portion around the second rotation axis, the lens holding member has a second gear that rotates around the second rotation axis, The extender device of claim 1, wherein the first gear and the second gear mesh and rotate, thereby transmitting the rotational force output from the electric drive unit to the lens holding member, causing the lens holding member to rotate.

10. The extender device described in claim 1, characterized in that the electric drive unit is indirectly connected to the lens holding member by meshing between a first gear that rotates around the second rotation axis integral with the second drive shaft unit and a second gear that rotates around the first rotation axis.

11. 2. The extender device according to claim 1, further comprising a release mechanism that releases the connection between the electric drive unit and the lens holding member when a force greater than a certain level is transmitted to the electric drive unit.

12. 2. The lens device according to claim 1, wherein the first contact piece and the second contact piece are located at the same position in a direction along the optical axis of the lens group.

13. 2. The extender device according to claim 1, wherein the first rotation axis direction and the second rotation axis direction are parallel to the optical path.

14. 2. The extender device according to claim 1, wherein the lens holding member is rotatable about the first rotation axis by either manual operation using the manual operation unit or electric operation using the electric drive unit.

15. A lens group; and an extender device according to any one of claims 1 to 14. A lens device characterized by:

16. an imaging element that captures an image of a subject through an optical member; and the lens device according to claim 15. An imaging device characterized by:

17. 17. The imaging device according to claim 16, further comprising a control unit that rotates the first drive shaft portion to a position where the first contact piece and the second contact piece do not abut based on the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft portion.

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