Blade opening and closing device and imaging device

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a drive lever that is rotatable in a first rotation direction from a first rotation position to a second rotation position and a second rotation direction from a second rotation position to a first rotation position; a drive body that applies a driving force to the drive lever as a rotational force in the first rotation direction; a biasing spring that biases the drive lever to apply a driving force to the drive lever as a rotational force in the second rotation direction; and an opening / closing blade operated in a closing direction to close an opening with the rotation operation of the drive lever in the first rotation direction and operated in an opening direction to open an opening with the operation of the drive lever in the second rotation direction, wherein a driving force is applied to the drive lever in the first rotation direction from the drive body in a state in which a driving force is not applied from the biasing spring, and a driving force is applied to the drive lever in the second rotation direction from the biasing spring in a state in which a driving force is not applied from the drive body.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present technology relates to a blade opening / closing device having opening / closing blades that open and close an opening through which light passes, and an imaging device including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of imaging devices, such as video cameras and still cameras, are provided with an imaging element that photoelectrically converts light captured by an optical system having a group of lenses, optical elements, etc. Some of these imaging devices have a focal plane shutter that functions as a blade opening and closing device to control the light entering the imaging element when shooting a subject.

[0003] Some blade opening and closing devices are provided with a base body in which an opening is formed, an opening and closing blade that moves (runs) relative to the base body, and a drive lever that applies a driving force to the opening and closing blade, and the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing blade is performed by the rotational movement of the drive lever (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

[0004] The drive lever is rotated between a first rotation position (initial position) and a second rotation position. When the drive lever is held at the first rotation position, the opening / closing blade is, for example, at an opening position that opens the opening, and when the drive lever is held at the second rotation position, the opening / closing blade is, for example, at a closing position that closes the opening.

[0005] The blade opening and closing device described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a first drive lever (called a first closing lever in Patent Document 1) and a second drive lever (called a second closing lever in Patent Document 1), each of which can rotate.

[0006] In the blade opening / closing device described in Patent Document 1, a biasing force is constantly applied to the second drive lever by a tension coil spring, and the second drive lever is rotated against the biasing force of the tension coil spring to move the opening / closing blades from the open position toward the closed position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-296641 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Incidentally, in the blade opening / closing device described in Patent Document 1, the second drive lever is constantly biased by a tension coil spring, and when the opening / closing blades are moved from the open position to the closed position, the second drive lever is rotated by a drive force that overcomes the bias force of the tension coil spring.

[0009] Therefore, when the opening / closing blade is moved from the open position to the closed position, it becomes necessary to apply a large driving force to the second drive lever, which may result in an increase in the size of the driver that applies the driving force to the second drive lever and an increase in power consumption. Also, in order to ensure a reliable and stable rotation state of the drive lever from the second rotation position to the first rotation position, it is desirable to increase the biasing force of the tension coil spring.

[0010] However, in this case, it becomes necessary to apply a greater driving force to the second driving lever when the opening / closing blade is moved from the open position to the closed position, which results in a further increase in the size of the driving body and in increased power consumption.

[0011] Therefore, an object of the blade opening and closing device and imaging device of the present technology is to reduce the size of the driver and the power consumption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] First, the blade opening / closing device according to the present technology includes a drive lever that is rotatable in a first rotation direction from a first rotation position to a second rotation position and in a second rotation direction from the second rotation position to the first rotation position, a drive body that applies a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the first rotation direction, a biasing spring that biases the drive lever to apply a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the second rotation direction, and an opening / closing blade that moves in a closing direction to close an opening in association with the rotational movement of the drive lever in the first rotation direction and moves in an opening direction to open the opening in association with the movement of the drive lever in the second rotation direction, and when no driving force is applied from the biasing spring to the drive lever, a driving force in the first rotation direction is applied from the drive body, and when no driving force is applied from the drive body to the drive lever, a driving force in the second rotation direction is applied from the biasing spring.

[0013] As a result, when the opening / closing blade is moved in a closing direction to close the opening, a rotational movement in a first rotational direction is performed without a driving force being applied to the drive lever from the biasing spring, and when the opening / closing blade is moved in a opening direction to open the opening, a rotational movement in a second rotational direction is performed without a driving force being applied to the drive lever from the driver.

[0014] Secondly, in the above-mentioned blade opening and closing device, the opening and closing blade is biased in the opening direction, Through the opening and closing blades The driving lever To In the second rotation direction of Energizing Granting power A vane return spring is preferably provided.

[0015] As a result, the drive lever is rotated in the second rotation direction by the drive forces of both the biasing spring and the blade return spring.

[0016] Thirdly, in the above-mentioned blade opening and closing device, it is desirable that a rotor is provided on the drive body, the drive lever is made rotatable independently of the rotational movement of the rotor, the drive lever is rotated integrally with the rotor in the first rotation direction by the drive force of the drive body, and the drive lever is rotated independently of the rotor in the second rotation direction by the drive force of the biasing spring.

[0017] As a result, the drive lever is rotated in a first rotation direction by the drive force of the drive body, and is rotated in a second rotation direction by the drive force of the biasing spring.

[0018] Fourth, in the above-mentioned blade opening and closing device, it is desirable that the rotor and a part of the drive lever are positioned opposite each other in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotor, and the biasing spring is disposed between the rotor and the part of the drive lever positioned opposite each other.

[0019] This positions the biasing spring between the rotor and the drive lever in the direction of the rotor's rotation axis.

[0020] Fifth, in the above-described blade opening and closing device, it is preferable that the drive lever be rotatable in the first rotation direction independently of the rotor when the drive body is not energized.

[0021] As a result, when the drive lever is rotated in a first rotation direction due to the occurrence of an impact while the rotor is not rotating, the drive lever is rotated in a second rotation direction by a driving force different from the driving force of the rotor and is maintained in the first rotation position.

[0022] Sixth, in the above-mentioned blade opening and closing device, it is desirable that the center of gravity of the rotor is located on the rotation axis.

[0023] This makes it difficult for the rotor to rotate when an impact occurs.

[0024] Seventh, in the above-mentioned blade opening and closing device, it is desirable that the rotation axis of the rotor and the rotation axis of the drive lever are the same.

[0025] This allows the rotor to rotate and the drive lever to turn about the same fulcrum.

[0026] Eighth, in the above-mentioned blade opening and closing device, it is desirable that a pressing portion is provided on the rotor, a pressed portion is provided on the drive lever which is pressed by the pressing portion, and the drive lever is rotated in the first rotation direction by the driving force of the drive body as a result of the pressed portion being pressed by the pressing portion.

[0027] As a result, the driving force of the driver is transmitted from the pressing portion to the pressed portion, causing the driving lever to rotate.

[0028] Ninth, in the above-mentioned blade opening and closing device, it is desirable that a brake lever is provided that is operable between a deceleration start position and a rotation stop position, and that the rotation speed of the drive lever is reduced when rotating in the first rotation direction by operating the brake lever from the deceleration start position toward the rotation stop position.

[0029] As a result, the rotation speed of the drive lever is reduced by the brake lever when the drive lever rotates in the first rotation direction.

[0030] Tenth, in the above-described blade opening and closing device, it is preferable that a lever support portion is formed on the brake lever, and the drive lever rotated in the first rotation direction is supported by the lever support portion.

[0031] As a result, the rotation speed of the drive lever is reduced by the brake lever and the drive lever is supported by the brake lever, so there is no need to separately provide a member for reducing the rotation speed of the drive lever and a member for supporting the drive lever.

[0032] Eleventh, in the above-mentioned blade opening / closing device, it is desirable that a brake stopper be provided against which the brake lever is pressed to stop the brake lever at the rotation stop position, and that the brake lever be stopped at the rotation stop position by the brake stopper, thereby holding the drive lever in the second rotation position.

[0033] As a result, when the brake lever is stopped at the rotation stop position by the brake stopper, the drive lever supported by the lever support portion is held at the second rotation position.

[0034] 12. In the above-mentioned blade opening / closing device, it is desirable that a support base is provided on which the drive lever is rotatably supported, a connecting shaft is provided to the drive lever to which the opening / closing blade is connected, a position retaining portion is formed on the support base for retaining the drive lever in the first rotation position, and the drive lever is retained in the first rotation position by pressing the connecting shaft against the position retaining portion by the biasing force of the blade return spring.

[0035] As a result, the connecting shaft to which the opening and closing blades are connected is pressed against the position maintaining portion, thereby maintaining the drive lever in the first rotation position, so there is no need to provide a separate part for connecting the opening and closing blades to the drive lever and a separate part for maintaining it in the first rotation position.

[0036] An imaging device according to the present technology includes a blade opening / closing device that controls light taken in through an optical system, and an imaging element that photoelectrically converts the light taken in through the optical system. The blade opening / closing device includes a drive lever that is rotatable in a first rotation direction from a first rotation position to a second rotation position and in a second rotation direction from the second rotation position to the first rotation position, a driver that applies a drive force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the first rotation direction, and a drive unit that applies a drive force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the second rotation direction by biasing the drive lever. and an opening / closing blade that is moved in a closing direction to close the opening as the drive lever rotates in the first rotation direction and is moved in an opening direction to open the opening as the drive lever rotates in the second rotation direction, wherein a driving force in the first rotation direction is applied from the driver to the drive lever when no driving force is applied from the drive spring, and a driving force in the second rotation direction is applied from the drive spring to the drive lever when no driving force is applied from the driver to the drive lever.

[0037] As a result, in the blade opening and closing device, when the opening and closing blade is operated in the closing direction to close the opening, a rotational movement in the first rotation direction is performed without a driving force being applied to the drive lever from the biasing spring, and when the opening and closing blade is operated in the closing direction to close the opening, a rotational movement in the second rotation direction is performed without a driving force being applied to the drive lever from the driver.

[0038] 14. In the above-mentioned blade opening / closing device, it is desirable that the blade opening / closing device comprises a drive block having the drive body and a mechanism block having the opening / closing blade, the size of the drive block in the direction of movement of the opening / closing blade is smaller than the size of the mechanism block, the drive block is positioned on the outer periphery of the mechanism block, and terminal portions are arranged on opposite sides of the drive block in the direction of movement of the opening / closing blade on the outer periphery of the mechanism block.

[0039] As a result, the terminal portions are disposed in the spaces on the outer periphery side of the mechanism block. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] 2 to 20 show an embodiment of a blade opening / closing device and an imaging device according to the present technology, and this figure is a perspective view of the imaging device. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing the imaging device as seen from a different direction than in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the imaging device. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 11 is a front view showing a state in which the opening / closing blades are held in an open position. FIG. [Figure 8] 11 is a front view showing a state in which the opening / closing blades are held in a closed position. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a rotor, a biasing spring, and a drive lever. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the rotor, the biasing spring, and the drive lever. [Figure 11] 12 to 16, this figure shows the operation of the blade opening and closing device, and is a rear view showing the initial state. [Figure 12] 13 is a rear view showing the state immediately after the opening / closing blades start to close. FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a rear view showing a state in which the closing operation of the opening / closing blades is performed subsequent to FIG. 12, and the connecting shaft of the drive lever comes into contact with the brake lever so that the drive lever is held in the second rotation position. [Figure 14] 13 is a rear view showing the state immediately after the opening operation of the opening / closing blades is started. FIG. [Figure 15] 15 is a rear view showing a state in which the opening operation of the opening / closing blades is performed subsequent to FIG. 14 and the drive lever is separated from the brake lever. FIG. [Figure 16]11 is a rear view showing a state in which the connecting shaft is pressed against the position maintaining portion and the drive lever is maintained at the first rotation position. FIG. [Figure 17] 18 shows the operation of the blade opening and closing device when an impact or the like occurs while it is not energized, and this figure is a rear view showing a state in which the drive lever has been rotated toward the second rotation position. [Figure 18] 13 is a rear view showing a state in which the drive lever, which has been rotated toward the second rotation position, has been rotated to the first rotation position by the biasing force of a biasing spring or the like. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the positional relationship between the drive block and the mechanism block. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an imaging device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present technology will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] In the embodiment described below, an imaging device according to the present technology is applied to a still camera, and a blade opening and closing device according to the present technology is applied to a focal plane shutter provided in the still camera.

[0043] Furthermore, the scope of application of this technology is not limited to still cameras and focal plane shutters installed in still cameras, but can be widely applied to, for example, various imaging devices incorporated into video cameras and other equipment, and various blade opening and closing devices such as irises installed in these imaging devices.

[0044] In the following description, the directions of front, back, up, down, left and right are indicated as viewed from the photographer when taking pictures with a still camera. Therefore, the subject side is the front and the photographer side is the rear.

[0045] Note that the directions of front, back, up, down, left and right shown below are for convenience of explanation, and the implementation of the present technology is not limited to these directions.

[0046] Furthermore, the lens groups described below may be constituted by one or more lenses, or may include one or more lenses and other optical elements such as an iris.

[0047] <Schematic configuration of imaging device> First, a schematic configuration of the imaging device will be described (see FIGS. 1 to 3).

[0048] The imaging device 1 is configured, for example, by arranging required parts inside and outside a horizontally long, flat housing 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The imaging device 1 may be a device to which an interchangeable lens 200 can be attached and detached, as shown in FIG.

[0049] A flash 3 is provided on the front of the housing 2. A shutter button 4, a zoom switch 5, and a power button 6 are provided on the top of the housing 2 (see Figures 1 and 2). A display 7, various operation units 8, 8, ..., and a viewfinder 9 are provided on the rear of the housing 2.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 3, inside the housing 2, an optical system 10 having a group of lenses and optical elements, a vane opening / closing device (focal plane shutter) 11 that controls the amount of light taken in by the optical system 10, and an image sensor 12 that photoelectrically converts the light taken in through the vane opening / closing device 11 are arranged in this order from the front.

[0051] <Configuration of the blade opening and closing device> The configuration of the blade opening and closing device 11 will be described below (see Figs. 4 to 10).

[0052] The blade opening and closing device 11 has a base body 13, a pressing plate 14, an opening and closing blade 15, links 16, 16, and a drive mechanism 17, and is disposed in front of the imaging element 12 (see FIGS. 4 to 6).

[0053] The base body 13 is formed, for example, in a horizontally elongated, generally rectangular shape, and has a rectangular opening 13a penetrating from front to back (see Figs. 4 and 5). The opening 13a is slightly larger than the effective light incidence area on the imaging surface of the imaging element 12. The effective light incidence area on the imaging surface is the area into which light necessary to be captured by the optical system 10 and generate an image is incident.

[0054] A portion of the base body 13 below the opening 13a is provided as a holding portion 18 which is a holding area where the opening / closing blade 15 is held in the open position, and one side portion of the opening 13a in the base body 13 is provided as an attachment portion 19. The imaging element 12 is disposed on the rear side of the base body 13.

[0055] Pin insertion holes 19a, 19a protruding forward are formed vertically spaced apart from each other at the lateral end of the mounting portion 19. A shaft movement hole 19b is formed in the mounting portion 19, and the shaft movement hole 19b is formed in a substantially arc shape. A spring hook protrusion 19c protruding forward is provided above the pin insertion holes 19a, 19a on the mounting portion 19.

[0056] The pressing plate 14 is formed to have approximately the same size and shape as the base body 13, and has a through hole 14a. The pressing plate 14 is attached to the base body 13 from the front side with the opening / closing blade 15 sandwiched between them. When the pressing plate 14 is attached to the base body 13, the opening 13a is positioned directly behind the through hole 14a.

[0057] An escape hole 14b is formed in the pressing plate 14, and the escape hole 14b is formed in an arc shape. When the pressing plate 14 is attached to the base body 13, the escape hole 14b is positioned in front of the shaft movement hole 19b.

[0058] The opening / closing blade 15 is composed of a plurality of sheet-like sectors 15a, 15a, ... (see FIG. 5). The blade opening / closing device 11 functioning as a focal plane shutter is configured as a so-called electronic front-curtain shutter by combining, for example, an electronic curtain that functions as a front curtain by controlling the image sensor 12 and the opening / closing blade 15 that is provided as a mechanical structure and functions as a rear curtain.

[0059] The sectors 15a, 15a, ... are formed in a horizontally elongated shape, and for example, four sectors are provided. The sectors 15a, 15a, ... of the opening / closing blade 15 are positioned so that at least a portion of each of them overlaps with each other in the thickness direction. The sectors 15a, 15a, ... are rotatably connected to both links 16, 16, respectively.

[0060] The links 16, 16 are formed in a sheet shape and function as parallel links. The links 16, 16 are each formed with a support hole 16a, 16a at one end in the longitudinal direction. One of the links 16 is formed with an elongated connecting hole 16b near one end in the longitudinal direction. The other link 16 is formed with a spring hook hole 16c.

[0061] Support pins (described later) are inserted into the support holes 16a of the links 16, 16, and the links 16, 16 are rotated around the support pins as fulcrums. The links 16, 16 are rotated relative to the base body 13 and the presser plate 14 while maintaining a parallel state.

[0062] When the links 16, 16 are rotated, the sectors 15a, 15a, ... are moved (traveled) in a substantially vertical direction. At this time, the sectors 15a, 15a, ... are moved by different distances, and the overlapping area is changed, so that the sectors 15a, 15a, ... are opened and closed between an opening position (see FIG. 7) where the opening 13a of the base body 13 is opened and a closing position (see FIG. 8) where the opening 13a is closed.

[0063] The direction of movement of the opening / closing blade 15 from the open position to the closed position is defined as the closing direction, and the direction of movement of the opening / closing blade 15 from the closed position to the open position is defined as the opening direction.

[0064] When the opening / closing blade 15 is moved as described above, the overlapping area of ​​the sectors 15a, 15a, . . . changes depending on the position to which the sectors are moved, and the area is smallest in the open position.

[0065] Therefore, since the space required for arranging the opening / closing blade 15 is small in the open position and the area of ​​the opening / closing blade 15 is largest in the closed position, the blade opening / closing device 11 can be made smaller in the direction of movement of the opening / closing blade 15 and a sufficiently large opening 13a can be formed.

[0066] Furthermore, sheets (not shown) having light-transmitting holes positioned corresponding to the openings 13a are arranged between the opening / closing blade 15 and the front surface of the base body 13, and between the opening / closing blade 15 and the rear surface of the pressure plate 14, and these sheets facilitate the operation of the opening / closing blade 15.

[0067] The drive mechanism 17 is configured by arranging each required portion on a support base 20 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0068] The support base 20 is formed in a vertically long plate shape facing the front-rear direction. A substantially arc-shaped axial operation hole 21 is formed near the lower end of the support base 20. One end edge in the longitudinal direction of the axial operation hole 21 is formed as a position retaining portion 21a.

[0069] Support pins 20a, 20a protruding forward are provided vertically spaced apart from each other on the support base 20. A receiving protrusion 20b protruding rearward is provided on the outer periphery of the support base 20.

[0070] The support pins 20a, 20a are inserted from the rear into the pin insertion holes 19a, 19a of the base body 13, and are inserted from the rear into the support holes 16a, 16a of the links 16, 16. Therefore, the links 16, 16 are rotated relative to the base body 13 and the presser plate 14, with the support pins 20a, 20a as fulcrums.

[0071] The support base 20 is attached to the mounting portion 19 of the base body 13 from the rear. When the support base 20 is attached to the mounting portion 19, the axial movement hole 21 is located directly behind the axial movement hole 19b.

[0072] With the support base 20 attached to the attachment portion 19, a blade return spring 22 is supported by one of the support pins 20a (see Figs. 7 and 8). The blade return spring 22 is, for example, a torsion coil spring, and is composed of an annular coil portion 22a and arm portions 22b, 22b each protruding from the coil portion 22a.

[0073] The blade return spring 22 has a coil portion 22a supported by the support pin 20a, one arm portion 22b supported by the spring hook protrusion 19c of the base body 13, and the other arm portion 22b inserted into and supported by the spring hook hole 16c of the link 16. Therefore, a biasing force in one rotation direction is applied to one link 16 by the blade return spring 22, and the biasing force of the blade return spring 22 is transmitted from one link 16 to the opening / closing blade 15, and the opening / closing blade 15 is biased in the opening direction by the blade return spring 22.

[0074] A rotor shaft 23 is attached to the support base 20. The rotor shaft 23 protrudes rearward from the support base 20. A brake support portion 24 is provided on the rear surface of the support base 20. A brake stopper 25 protruding rearward is attached to the rear surface of the support base 20. The brake support portion 24 and the brake stopper 25 are positioned around the axial operation hole 21.

[0075] The drive mechanism 17 is provided with a cover plate 26 attached to the support base 20, a drive body 27 partially attached to the cover plate 26, a drive lever 28 rotatable relative to the support base 20, and a biasing spring 29 that biases the drive lever 28 (see Figures 4 to 6).

[0076] The cover plate 26 consists of a cover surface portion 26a facing in the front-to-rear direction and mounting protrusions 26b, 26b, ... that protrude forward from the outer periphery of the cover surface portion 26a, and the tips of the mounting protrusions 26b, 26b, ... are attached to the support base 20 by screws or the like.

[0077] The driver 27 includes a yoke 30 , a coil 31 , and a rotor 32 .

[0078] The yoke 30 is formed in an annular shape, and is attached from the front to the cover surface portion 26a of the cover plate 26, and is positioned inside the attachment projections 26b, 26b, .... The coil 31 is attached in a state where it is wound around a part of the yoke.

[0079] The rotor 32 is composed of a rotor base 33 made of a resin material and a rotor magnet 34 attached to the rotor base 33 (see Figs. 9 and 10). The center of gravity of the rotor 32 is located on or near the rotation axis.

[0080] The rotor base 33 has an annular base portion 35 and a tubular portion 36 protruding rearward from the center of the base portion 35. The rotor magnet 34 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is attached to the rotor base 33 with the tubular portion 36 inserted into the center and one end face in the axial direction in contact with the base portion 35.

[0081] A pressed portion 37, a pressing portion 38, an acting portion 39, and a spring support portion 40 are provided on the outer periphery of the base portion 35 in this order, spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and protruding in the opposite direction to the cylindrical portion 36.

[0082] The drive lever 28 has an action base 41 formed in a plate shape of a predetermined shape and a connecting shaft 42 protruding forward from one end of the action base 41. The action base 41 has an annular rotation fulcrum part 41a and an arm part 41b protruding from the rotation fulcrum part 41a, and the connecting shaft 42 protrudes from the tip part of the arm part 41b. The action base 41 is provided with a pressed part 41c protruding from a connecting part between the rotation fulcrum part 41a and the arm part 41b, and the pressed part 41c protrudes in a direction different from the protruding direction of the arm part 41b from the rotation fulcrum part 41a.

[0083] The rotor shaft 23 is inserted into the rotation fulcrum portion 41a of the drive lever 28, and the drive lever 28 is supported by the support base 20 so as to be rotatable about the rotor shaft 23 as a fulcrum.

[0084] With the drive lever 28 supported by the support base 20, the connecting shaft 42 of the drive lever 28 is inserted through the shaft movement hole 21 of the support base 20 and the shaft movement hole 19b of the base body 13, and is inserted into the relief hole 14b of the presser plate 14. The connecting shaft 42 is inserted into the connecting hole 16b formed in one of the links 16 between the shaft movement hole 19b and the relief hole 14b (see FIG. 5). Therefore, when the drive lever 28 is rotated, the connecting shaft 42 is moved, and the links 16, 16 are rotated while maintaining their parallel state, and the sectors 15a, 15a, ... are moved substantially in the vertical direction in accordance with the rotation of the drive lever 28.

[0085] Further, the rotor 32 has a rotor shaft 23 inserted into a portion extending from the base portion 35 to the cylindrical portion 36, and is made rotatable with respect to the support base 20 with the rotor shaft 23 as a fulcrum (see FIG. 6).

[0086] As described above, the drive lever 28 is rotatable about the rotor shaft 23 as a fulcrum, the rotor 32 is rotatable about the rotor shaft 23 as a fulcrum, and the rotation axis of the rotor 32 and the rotation axis of the drive lever 28 are the same.

[0087] Therefore, the rotation of the rotor 32 and the rotation of the drive lever 28 are performed around the same fulcrum, so that the blade opening and closing device 11 can be made compact.

[0088] The biasing spring 29 is, for example, a torsion coil spring, and is composed of an annular coil portion 29a and arm portions 29b, 29b each protruding from the coil portion 29a (see FIGS. 6, 9, and 10).

[0089] The biasing spring 29 has a coil portion 29a supported by the rotor shaft 23, one arm portion 29b supported by a spring support portion 40 of the rotor base 33 of the rotor 32, and the other arm portion 29b supported by a pressed portion 41c of an action base 41 of the drive lever 28. Therefore, biasing forces are applied to the rotor 32 and the drive lever 28 in mutually opposite directions in which the pressing portion 38 and the pressed portion 41c approach each other.

[0090] In the blade opening and closing device 11, the rotor 32 and the pivot fulcrum portion 41a of the drive lever 28 are positioned opposite each other in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotor 32, and the biasing spring 29 is positioned between the rotor 32 and the pivot fulcrum portion 41a which are positioned opposite each other (see Figure 10).

[0091] In this manner, in the blade opening / closing device 11, the rotor 32 and a portion of the drive lever 28 are positioned opposite each other in the direction of the rotational axis of the rotor 32, and the biasing spring 29 is disposed between the rotor 32 and a portion of the drive lever 28 which are positioned opposite each other.

[0092] Therefore, since the biasing spring 29 is positioned between the rotor 32 and the drive lever 28 in the direction of the rotational axis of the rotor 32, the biasing spring 29 does not protrude outward from the rotor 32 in the radial direction of the rotor 32, and the blade opening and closing device 11 can be made smaller.

[0093] In the driver 27 configured as above, when a current is supplied to the coil 31, the rotor 32 rotates in a direction corresponding to the direction of the current.

[0094] Further, the driving lever 28 is rotated between a first rotation position which is a rotation end in the direction of the biasing force of the biasing spring 29 and a second rotation position which is a rotation end in the direction opposite to the biasing force of the biasing spring 29. The rotation direction of the driving lever 28 from the first rotation position to the second rotation position is defined as a first rotation direction, and the rotation direction of the driving lever 28 from the second rotation position to the first rotation position is defined as a second rotation direction.

[0095] The drive mechanism 17 is provided with a brake lever 43 (see FIG. 6). The brake lever 43 is formed in a substantially V-shape and is rotatable about the brake support portion 24 of the support base 20 as a fulcrum. The brake lever 43 is rotated between a deceleration start position where the deceleration of the drive lever 28 begins and a rotation stop position where the rotation is stopped.

[0096] The V-shaped bent portion of the brake lever 43 is provided as a supported plate portion 44, and the supported plate portion 44 is supported by the brake support portion 24. The brake lever 43 has a portion extending in one direction from the supported plate portion 44 provided as a brake arm 45, and a portion extending in the other direction from the supported plate portion 44 provided as an acting arm 46.

[0097] A concave portion is formed on the side edge of the supported plate portion 44, and this concave portion serves as a lever support portion 44a. An acted upon portion 45a protruding rearward is provided at the tip of the brake arm 45. A stopped portion 45b protruding rearward is provided on the outer periphery of the brake arm 45.

[0098] The brake lever 43 is supported by a support member 48 on the brake support portion 24 via a pressure spring 47. Therefore, the brake lever 43 is supported by the pressure spring 47 in a state in which a certain load is applied to the support base 20, and is rotated relative to the support base 20 when a rotational force larger than the frictional force between the brake lever 43 and the support base 20 generated by the pressure spring 47 is applied to the brake lever 43.

[0099] <Operation of the blade opening and closing device> The operation of the blade opening and closing device 11 will be described below (see FIGS. 7, 8, and 11 to 16).

[0100] First, the initial state of each part of the drive mechanism 17 will be described (see FIGS. 7 and 11).

[0101] In the initial state before the power button 6 of the imaging device 1 is operated, no current is passed through the coil 31, no driving force is generated in the driver 27, and the rotor 32 is stopped from rotating (see FIG. 11). At this time, the rotor 32 is held in a predetermined rotational position by the detent torque as the rotor magnet 34 is attracted to the yoke 30 by the magnetic force, and the pressed portion 37 is pressed against the receiving protrusion 20b of the support base 20.

[0102] In the initial state, the drive lever 28 is biased in the second rotation direction by the biasing force of the biasing spring 29, and the connecting shaft 42 is pressed against the position retaining portion 21a of the shaft operation hole 21 formed in the support base 20 and retained in the first rotation position. At this time, the pressing portion 38 of the rotor 32 is in a state of contact with or close to the pressed portion 41c of the drive lever 28. In addition, the biasing force of the blade return spring 22 in the second rotation direction is applied to the drive lever 28 via the links 16, 16 and the opening / closing blade 15, and the biasing force of the blade return spring 22 also presses the connecting shaft 42 against the position retaining portion 21a of the shaft operation hole 21 and retains it in the first rotation position.

[0103] Furthermore, in the blade opening / closing device 11, it may be configured so that only the blade return spring 22 is provided among the blade return spring 22 and the biasing spring 29.In this case, the drive lever 28 is held in the first rotation position by the connecting shaft 42 being pressed against the position holding portion 21a by the biasing force of the blade return spring 22.

[0104] In addition, in the blade opening and closing device 11, for example, the spring force of the blade return spring 22 is set smaller than the spring force of the biasing spring 29.

[0105] In the initial state, the opening / closing blade 15 is biased in the opening direction by the blade return spring 22 and is held in the open position (see FIG. 7).

[0106] At this time, the image sensor 12 is in a closed state (non-exposed state) where no light is incident thereon by an electronic curtain (front curtain).

[0107] In the initial state, the brake lever 43 is held at the deceleration start position, and the brake arm 45 is separated from the connecting shaft 42 of the drive lever 28 (see FIG. 11). At this time, the brake lever 43 is held in a state in which the acted portion 45a is in contact with the acting portion 39 of the rotor 32, the stopped portion 45b is separated from the brake stopper 25, and the acting arm 46 is held at a position not overlapping with the shaft operation hole 21.

[0108] In the above-described initial state, when the coil 31 is energized, the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing blade 15 is started (see FIG. 12). At this time, prior to the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing blade 15, control of the electronic curtain is started.

[0109] When the coil 31 is energized, the rotor 32 starts to rotate in one direction, and the opening / closing blade 15 moves in the closing direction from the open position to the closed position. When the opening / closing blade 15 moves from the open position to the closed position, the electronic curtain is controlled according to the operating speed of the opening / closing blade 15 in a state where a slit is formed between the electronic curtain and the opening / closing blade 15, and light is incident on the image sensor 12 through the formed slit, thereby performing exposure.

[0110] When the rotor 32 starts to rotate in one direction, the pressing portion 38 of the rotor 32 presses the pressed portion 41c of the drive lever 28, and the drive lever 28 is rotated in the first rotation direction from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. The drive lever 28 is pressed by the pressing portion 38 of the rotor 32 and rotates, and is rotated integrally with the rotor 32. Therefore, when the drive lever 28 is rotated in the first rotation direction, the biasing spring 29 is also rotated together with the rotor 32 and the drive lever 28, and the biasing force of the biasing spring 29 does not become a load on the rotor 32, and the rotor 32 is rotated at high speed by the driving force of the driver 27 toward the second rotation position.

[0111] At this time, the acting portion 39 is separated from the acted portion 45 a of the brake lever 43 as the rotor 32 rotates.

[0112] As described above, in the blade opening / closing device 11, a pressing portion 38 is provided on the rotor 32, and a pressed portion 41c pressed by the pressing portion 38 is provided on the driving lever 28, and the pressed portion 41c is pressed by the pressing portion 38, whereby the driving lever 28 is rotated in the first rotation direction by the driving force of the driver 27.

[0113] Therefore, the driving force of the driver 27 is transmitted from the pressing portion 38 to the pressed portion 41c to rotate the driving lever 28, so that the driving lever 28 can be reliably rotated with a simple structure.

[0114] The opening / closing blade 15 is moved at high speed in the closing direction from the open position to the closed position in accordance with the rotation of the drive lever 28.

[0115] Subsequently, current is applied to the coil 31, the rotor 32 continues to rotate in one direction, and the drive lever 28 is further rotated toward the second rotation position, thereby moving the opening / closing blade 15 further toward the closing position (see Figures 8, 11 and 13).

[0116] When the drive lever 28 is further rotated toward the second rotation position, the connecting shaft 42 comes into contact with the brake arm 45 of the brake lever 43 held at the deceleration start position, and the brake lever 43 is pressed by the connecting shaft 42 and rotated from the deceleration start position toward the rotation stop position against the frictional force against the support base 20 (see FIG. 13). Therefore, the rotation speed of the drive lever 28 is gradually reduced by the brake lever 43 as it approaches the second rotation position, and the operating speed of the opening / closing blades 15 is also gradually reduced as it approaches the closed position.

[0117] At this time, the connecting shaft 42 of the drive lever 28 is inserted into the lever support portion 44a of the brake lever 43, and is supported by the brake lever 43, and is rotated integrally with the brake lever 43 to the second rotation position.

[0118] The brake lever 43 is stopped from rotating and held in a rotation stop position when the stopped portion 45b of the brake arm 45 comes into contact with the brake stopper 25 attached to the support base 20. By holding the brake lever 43 in the rotation stop position, the rotation of the drive lever 28 is also stopped and the drive lever 28 is held in the second rotation position.

[0119] At this time, the current supply to the coil 31 is stopped, and the rotation of the rotor 32 is stopped.

[0120] When the drive lever 28 is held in the second rotation position as described above, the opening / closing blade 15, which is operated in conjunction with the rotation of the drive lever 28, reaches the closed position, completing the movement of the opening / closing blade 15 from the open position to the closed position, and the opening / closing blade 15 is held in the closed position to close the opening 13a of the base body 13 (see Figure 8).

[0121] As described above, the blade opening / closing device 11 is provided with the brake lever 43 which is operable between the deceleration start position and the rotation stop position, and by operating the brake lever 43 from the deceleration start position toward the rotation stop position, the rotation speed of the drive lever 28 is reduced when rotating in the first rotation direction.

[0122] Therefore, the rotation speed of the drive lever 28 is reduced by the brake lever 43 when rotating in the first rotation direction, so that when the drive lever 28 is rotated by the driving force of the driver 27, impact due to contact with other components of the drive lever 28, such as the support base 20, can be prevented and the drive lever 28 can be held in a stable state in the second rotation position.

[0123] Further, a lever support portion 44a is formed on the brake lever 43, and the drive lever 28 rotated in the first rotation direction is supported by the lever support portion 44a.

[0124] Therefore, since the rotational speed of the drive lever 28 is slowed down by the brake lever 43 and the drive lever 28 is supported by the brake lever 43, there is no need to separately provide a component for slowing down the rotational speed of the drive lever 28 and a component for supporting the drive lever 28, and the proper operating state of the drive lever 28 can be ensured while reducing the number of parts.

[0125] Furthermore, a brake stopper 25 is provided against which the brake lever 43 is pressed to stop the brake lever 43 at a rotation stop position, and the brake lever 43 is stopped at the rotation stop position by the brake stopper 25, thereby holding the drive lever 28 in the second rotation position.

[0126] Therefore, when the brake lever 43 is stopped in the rotation stop position by the brake stopper 25, the drive lever 28 supported by the lever support portion 44a is held in the second rotation position, so that the drive lever 28 can be stably held in the second rotation position while being supported by the brake lever 43.

[0127] When the movement of opening / closing blade 15 from the open position to the closed position is completed, the movement of opening / closing blade 15 from the closed position to the open position is then started. When the movement of opening / closing blade 15 from the closed position to the open position is started, imaging element 12 is brought into a closed state (non-exposed state) where no light is incident by the electronic screen.

[0128] The movement of the opening / closing blades 15 from the closed position to the open position is initiated by energizing the coil 31 in the opposite direction to the previous one, causing the rotor 32 to rotate, and then the drive lever 28 to turn.

[0129] When current is applied to the coil 31 in the opposite direction, the rotor 32 starts to rotate in the other direction (see FIG. 14). When the rotor 32 starts to rotate in the other direction, the drive lever 28 is held in the second rotation position by the brake lever 43, so that the rotor 32 rotates independently of the rotation of the drive lever 28.

[0130] At this time, even if the rotor 32 rotates, the opening / closing blade 15 continues to be held in the closed position because the drive lever 28 is not rotated.

[0131] When the rotor 32 is rotated in the other direction to a certain position, the acting portion 39 presses the acted portion 45a of the brake lever 43 in conjunction with the rotation of the rotor 32 (see FIG. 15). The brake lever 43 is rotated from the rotation stop position toward the deceleration start position by the acting portion 39 pressing the acted portion 45a.

[0132] When the brake lever 43 is rotated from the rotation stop position toward the deceleration start position, the drive lever 28 supported by the brake lever 43 is rotated in the second rotation direction from the second rotation position toward the first rotation position in conjunction with the rotation of the brake lever 43, and the connecting shaft 42 is separated from the brake lever 43. Therefore, the drive lever 28 is released from the state in which it is supported by the brake lever 43.

[0133] At this time, the opening / closing blade 15 is moved in the opening direction from the closed position to the open position in accordance with the rotation of the drive lever 28.

[0134] Since the drive lever 28 is biased in the second rotation direction by the blade return spring 22 and the biasing spring 29, when the support state by the brake lever 43 is released, the biasing forces of the blade return spring 22 and the biasing spring 29 are used as a driving force to rotate the drive lever 28 at high speed toward the first rotation position (see Figure 16).

[0135] At this time, the rotor 32 has rotated in the other direction prior to the rotation of the drive lever 28, so the rotor magnet 34 is attracted to the yoke 30 by magnetic force and is held in a state returned to its initial state by detent torque, with the pressed portion 37 pressed against the receiving protrusion 20b of the support base 20. When the rotor 32 has returned to its initial state, the supply of electricity to the coil 31 is stopped.

[0136] As described above, in the blade opening / closing device 11, the rotor 32 is provided with an acting portion 39, the brake lever 43 is provided with an acted upon portion 45a, and when the acted upon portion 45a is pressed by the acting portion 39, the brake lever 43 is moved from the rotation stop position toward the deceleration start position, and as the brake lever 43 moves from the rotation stop position toward the deceleration start position, the support state of the drive lever 28 by the lever support portion 44a is released.

[0137] Therefore, the acted portion 45a is pressed by the acting portion 39 of the rotor 32, and the brake lever 43 is moved from the rotation stop position toward the deceleration start position, thereby releasing the support state of the brake lever 43 against the drive lever 28. As a result, the support state of the brake lever 43 against the drive lever 28 is released in accordance with the rotational movement of the rotor 32, and the drive lever 28 can be reliably rotated from the second rotation position toward the first rotation position while simplifying the structure without requiring a dedicated driver 27 that applies a driving force to the brake lever 43 to move from the rotation stop position toward the deceleration start position.

[0138] Furthermore, when the drive lever 28 is pressed by the acted-on portion 45a, the drive lever 28 is released from the supported state by the lever support portion 44a.

[0139] Therefore, since the acted upon portion 45a has both the function of moving the brake lever 43 from the rotation stop position toward the deceleration start position by the driving force of the rotor 32, and the function of pressing the driving lever 28 to release the support state of the driving lever 28 by the lever support portion 44a, the structure of the brake lever 43 can be simplified while reliably rotating the driving lever 28 from the second rotation position toward the first rotation position.

[0140] The drive lever 28 rotated in the second rotation direction is stopped from rotating by the connecting shaft 42 being pressed against the position maintaining portion 21a of the shaft operation hole 21, and is maintained in the first rotation position.

[0141] At this time, the brake lever 43 is held at the deceleration start position, with the acting portion 39 of the rotor 32 in contact with the acted portion 45 a and the stopped portion 45 b separated from the brake stopper 25 .

[0142] The drive lever 28 is held in the first rotation position as the connecting shaft 42 is pressed against the position holding portion 21a by the urging forces of the blade return spring 22 and the urging spring 29.

[0143] As described above, in the blade opening / closing device 11, a support base 20 is provided on which the drive lever 28 is rotatably supported, a connecting shaft 42 is provided to connect the opening / closing blade 15 to the drive lever 28, and a position retaining portion 21a is formed on the support base 20 to retain the drive lever 28 in a first rotation position, and the connecting shaft 42 is pressed against the position retaining portion 21a to retain the drive lever 28 in the first rotation position.

[0144] Therefore, the connecting shaft 42 to which the opening / closing blade 15 is connected is pressed against the position holding portion 21a, and the driving lever 28 is held in the first rotation position, so there is no need to provide a separate part for connecting the opening / closing blade 15 to the driving lever 28 and a separate part for holding it in the first rotation position, and the configuration of the driving lever 28 can be simplified while the driving lever 28 can be reliably held in the first rotation position.

[0145] The opening / closing blade 15 is moved in the opening direction as the drive lever 28 rotates, and is held in the open position as the drive lever 28 is held in the first rotation position (see FIG. 7).

[0146] As described above, the imaging device 1 has a so-called electronic front-curtain shutter configuration that combines an electronic curtain that functions as a front curtain with the opening / closing blade 15 that is provided as a mechanical structure and functions as a rear curtain.

[0147] Some imaging devices use an electronic shutter that operates both the front and rear curtains electronically, in which case the front curtain is cleared by charge clearing and the rear curtain is read out continuously. However, in the case of an electronic shutter, the speed is determined by the readout speed of the sensor, so there is a risk of a problem called rolling shutter distortion, in which an image of a moving subject is distorted. On the other hand, some imaging devices use a shutter that operates both the front and rear curtains mechanically, in which case a drive mechanism for both the front curtain and the rear curtain is required, which may lead to an increase in the size of the imaging device and the number of parts.

[0148] Therefore, by configuring an electronic front-curtain shutter by combining an electronic curtain and opening / closing blades 15 as in the imaging device 1, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of rolling shutter distortion while suppressing the increase in size of the imaging device 1 and the increase in the number of parts.

[0149] In the above, an example has been shown in which the opening / closing blade 15 is moved from the open position to the closed position by the driving force of the driver 27, but it is also possible to provide a spring mechanism that applies a biasing force to the opening / closing blade 15 from the open position to the closed position, and use the biasing force of this spring mechanism as a driving force to rotate the drive lever 28 in the first rotation direction to move the opening / closing blade 15 from the open position to the closed position.

[0150] <Operation of the blade opening and closing device when electricity is not applied> Next, the operation of the imaging device when an impact occurs while no current is being applied to the coil 31 will be described (see FIGS. 17 and 18).

[0151] Impact may occur to the imaging device 1, for example, when a user moves the imaging device 1 while the power is not on (before the power button 6 is operated) or when the imaging device 1 is dropped.

[0152] In such a case, the rotor 32 is held in its initial position by the detent torque and is therefore difficult to rotate, but depending on the magnitude and direction of the force applied at the time of impact, the drive lever 28 and the opening / closing blade 15 are rotated in the first rotation direction from the first rotation position to the second rotation position against the biasing forces of the blade return spring 22 and the biasing spring 29 (see Figure 17).

[0153] At this time, the brake lever 43 is held in the deceleration start position in an initial state with the acting portion 39 of the rotor 32 in contact with the acted portion 45a. Therefore, since the rotor 32 is not rotated, the brake lever 43 is not rotated from the deceleration start position toward the rotation stop position.

[0154] The drive lever 28 is allowed to rotate from the first rotation position toward the second rotation position to a position where the action base 41 contacts the acted portion 45a of the brake lever 43. At this time, the opening / closing blade 15 is moved in the closing direction toward the closing position in accordance with the rotation of the drive lever 28.

[0155] When the force of the impact becomes smaller, the drive lever 28 and the opening / closing blade 15 are rotated in the second rotation direction toward the first rotation position by the urging forces of the blade return spring 22 and the urging spring 29 (see FIG. 18). At this time, the urging forces of both the blade return spring 22 and the urging spring 29 are applied to the drive lever 28 and the opening / closing blade 15, so that the drive lever 28 is rotated at high speed toward the first rotation position and the opening / closing blade 15 is moved at high speed toward the open position.

[0156] The drive lever 28 rotated in the second rotation direction is stopped from rotating and held in the first rotation position by the connecting shaft 42 being pressed against the position holding portion 21a of the shaft operation hole 21, and the opening / closing blade 15 operated in the opening direction is held in the open position.

[0157] In this manner, in the blade opening and closing device 11, the drive lever 28 is allowed to rotate in the first rotation direction independently of the rotor 32 when the drive body 27 is not energized.

[0158] Therefore, when the driving lever 28 is rotated in the first rotation direction due to the occurrence of an impact while the rotor 32 is not rotating, the driving lever 28 is rotated in the second rotation direction by a driving force different from the driving force of the rotor 32 and held in the first rotation position, so that the driving body 27 does not need to have a large detent torque to hold the driving lever 28 in the first rotation position, and the driving body 27 can be made smaller and its power consumption can be reduced.

[0159] In addition, after the driving lever 28 is rotated in the first rotation direction due to the occurrence of an impact, the driving lever 28 is rotated in the second rotation direction by the biasing forces of both the blade return spring 22 and the biasing spring 29 and is held in the first rotation position, so that the rotation in the second rotation direction is performed at high speed and with a large driving force.

[0160] Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bounding caused by rebound when the connecting shaft 42 of the drive lever 28 comes into contact with the position holding portion 21a, and the time from when the drive lever 28 is rotated in the first rotation direction to when it returns to the first rotation position is shortened, so that the user can use the imaging device 1 quickly after an impact occurs, thereby improving usability.

[0161] Furthermore, since the center of gravity of the rotor 32 is located on or near the rotation axis, the rotor 32 is less likely to rotate when an impact occurs, and rotation of the drive lever 28 in the first rotation direction associated with the rotation of the rotor 32 can be prevented.

[0162] <Summary> As described above, in the imaging device 1 and the blade opening / closing device 11, the drive lever 28 is made rotatable independently of the rotational movement of the rotor 32, the drive lever 28 is rotated integrally with the rotor 32 in a first rotation direction by the driving force of the driver 27, and the drive lever 28 is rotated independently of the rotor 32 in a second rotation direction by at least the biasing force of the blade return spring 22.

[0163] Therefore, the drive lever 28 rotates in the first rotation direction together with the rotor 32, and rotates in the second rotation direction separately from the rotor 32, and the drive lever 28 is held in the second rotation position by at least the biasing force of the blade return spring 22. This eliminates the need to generate a driving force in the driver 27 large enough to overcome the detent torque and rotate the drive lever 28 toward the second rotation position, thereby reducing power consumption and making the driver 27 more compact.

[0164] Further, a biasing spring 29 is provided which is supported between the rotor 32 and the drive lever 28 and biases the drive lever 28 in the second rotation direction.

[0165] Therefore, the biasing spring 29 that biases the drive lever 28 in the second rotation direction is supported between the rotor 32 and the drive lever 28, and the drive lever 28 rotates integrally with the rotor 32 in the first rotation direction, so that the biasing force of the biasing spring 29 does not become a load on the driving force of the drive body 27 when the drive lever 28 rotates in the first rotation direction. This makes it possible to reduce the driving force of the drive body 27 that rotates the drive lever 28 in the first rotation direction. In addition, since the drive lever 28 is rotated in the second rotation direction by the biasing forces of both the blade return spring 22 and the biasing spring 29, the drive lever 28 can be rotated quickly and reliably to the first rotation position.

[0166] Furthermore, in the imaging device 1 and the blade opening / closing device 11, when no driving force is applied from the biasing spring 29 to the drive lever 28, a driving force in a first rotation direction is applied from the drive body 27, and when no driving force is applied from the drive body 27 to the drive lever 28, a driving force in a second rotation direction is applied from the biasing spring 29.

[0167] Therefore, when the opening / closing blade 15 is operated in the closing direction to close the opening 13a, a rotational movement in the first rotational direction is performed without a driving force being applied to the drive lever 28 from the biasing spring 29, and when the opening / closing blade 15 is operated in the opening direction to open the opening 13a, a rotational movement in the second rotational direction is performed without a driving force being applied to the drive lever 28 from the driver 27.

[0168] As a result, there is no need to apply a large driving force to the driving lever 28 when the opening / closing blade 15 is moved from the open position to the closed position, and the driving body 27 can be made smaller and its power consumption can be reduced.

[0169] In addition, a blade return spring 22 is provided which urges the opening / closing blade 15 in the opening direction and also urges the drive lever 28 in the second rotation direction. Therefore, the drive lever 28 is rotated in the second rotation direction by the driving forces of both the urging spring 29 and the blade return spring 22, so that the drive lever 28 can be rotated in the second rotation direction at high speed, thereby shortening the operating time.

[0170] Furthermore, a driving body 27 having a rotor 32 is provided as a driving body, and a driving lever 28 is made rotatable independently of the rotational movement of the rotor 32, and the driving lever 28 is rotated integrally with the rotor 32 in a first rotation direction by the driving force of the driving body 27, and the driving lever 28 is rotated independently of the rotor 32 in a second rotation direction by the driving force of a biasing spring 29.

[0171] Therefore, since the drive lever 28 is rotated in the first rotation direction by the driving force of the drive body 27 and rotated in the second rotation direction by the driving force of the biasing spring 29, the drive lever 28 can be rotated reliably and smoothly in both the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction with a simple structure.

[0172] <Other> The blade opening / closing device 11 is mainly comprised of a drive block 50 constituted by a drive lever 28, a yoke 30, a coil 31, a rotor 32, and a brake lever 43, and a mechanism block 60 constituted by a base body 13, a pressure plate 14, and an opening / closing blade 15 (see Figure 19).

[0173] As described above, the drive block 50 is mainly composed of the drive lever 28, the yoke 30, the coil 31, the rotor 32 and the brake lever 43, and has a simple structure and is compact in size.

[0174] In this way, in the imaging device 1, the drive block 50 is made smaller in size, so that the drive block 50 has a smaller width than the mechanism block 60 in the movement direction (up and down direction) of the opening and closing blade 15. Therefore, when the drive block 50 is disposed to the side of the mechanism block 60, it is possible to form arrangement spaces inside the housing 2 on both sides of the drive block 50 in the movement direction of the opening and closing blade 15.

[0175] Therefore, the imaging device 1 is configured such that terminal units 70, 70 are arranged on both sides of the drive block 50 in the moving direction of the opening / closing blade 15. The terminal units 70 are, for example, a terminal for headphones, a terminal for a microphone, and a terminal for connecting to an external device such as an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface: registered trademark) or a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0176] In this way, in the imaging device 1, the size of the drive block 50 is made smaller than the size of the mechanism block 60 in the movement direction of the opening and closing blade 15, the drive block 50 is positioned on the outer periphery of the mechanism block 60, and terminal portions 70, 70 are arranged on opposite sides of the drive block 50 in the movement direction of the opening and closing blade 15 on the outer periphery of the mechanism block 60.

[0177] Therefore, since the terminal portions 70, 70 are disposed in the space on the outer periphery side of the mechanism block 60, the imaging device 1 can be made smaller by effectively utilizing the arrangement space.

[0178] <One embodiment of the imaging device> An example of the configuration of an embodiment of an imaging device according to the present technology will be described below (see FIG. 20).

[0179] The imaging device 1 has a camera block 90 that performs imaging functions, a camera signal processing unit 91 that performs signal processing such as analog-digital conversion of the captured image signal, and an image processing unit 92 that performs recording and playback processing of the image signal. The imaging device 1 also has a display unit 93 (display 7) that displays the captured image, etc., an R / W (reader / writer) 94 that writes and reads the image signal to and from the memory 100, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 95 that controls the entire imaging device 1, a lens drive control unit 96 that controls the drive of the lens arranged in the camera block 90, and an operation unit 97 (shutter button 4, zoom switch 5, power button 6, operation unit 8, etc.) such as various switches that are operated as required by the user.

[0180] The camera block 90 may be provided as an interchangeable lens 200 .

[0181] The imaging device 1 is provided with an imaging element 12, such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), that converts an optical image captured by a camera block 90 into an electrical signal.

[0182] The camera signal processing unit 91 performs various signal processing such as converting the output signal from the imaging element 12 into a digital signal, removing noise, correcting image quality, and converting into a luminance / color difference signal.

[0183] The image processing unit 92 performs processes such as compression, encoding, decompression and decoding of image signals based on a predetermined image data format, and conversion of data specifications such as resolution.

[0184] The display unit 93 has a function of displaying various data such as the operating state of the user on the operation unit 97 and the captured image. Note that the imaging device 1 does not necessarily need to be provided with the display unit 93, and may be configured such that the captured image data is sent to another display device and the image is displayed.

[0185] The R / W 94 writes image data encoded by the image processing unit 92 into the memory 100 and reads image data recorded in the memory 100 .

[0186] The CPU 95 functions as a control processing section that controls each circuit block provided in the imaging device 1, and controls each circuit block based on an instruction input signal from an operation section 97, etc.

[0187] The lens drive control unit 96 controls a lens drive unit that moves the lens based on a control signal from the CPU 95 .

[0188] The operation unit 97 outputs to the CPU 95 an instruction input signal in response to an operation by a user.

[0189] The memory 100 is, for example, a semiconductor memory that is detachable from a slot connected to the R / W 94 or a semiconductor memory that is built into the imaging device 1 in advance.

[0190] The operation of the imaging device 1 will now be described.

[0191] In a standby state for photographing, a photographed image signal is output to the display unit 93 via the camera signal processing unit 91 under the control of the CPU 95, and is displayed as a camera-through image. When an instruction input signal is input from the operation unit 97, the CPU 95 outputs a control signal to the lens drive control unit 96, and the lens is moved under the control of the lens drive control unit 96.

[0192] When a photographing operation is performed in response to an instruction input signal from the operation unit 97, the photographed image signal is output from the camera signal processing unit 91 to the image processing unit 92, where it is compressed and encoded and converted into digital data in a predetermined data format. The converted data is output to the R / W 94 and written into the memory 100.

[0193] When playing back image data recorded in memory 100, the R / W 94 reads out specific image data from memory 100 in response to an operation on the operation unit 97, and after the image processing unit 92 performs an expansion / decoding process, the playback image signal is output to the display unit 93, and the playback image is displayed.

[0194] In this technology, "imaging" refers to a process including only a part or all of a series of processes from a photoelectric conversion process of converting the light captured by the image sensor 12 into an electric signal, to a conversion of the output signal from the image sensor 12 into a digital signal by the camera signal processing unit 91, noise removal, image quality correction, conversion into luminance and color difference signals, etc., to a compression / encoding / decompression / decoding process of the image signal based on a predetermined image data format and a conversion process of data specifications such as resolution by the image processing unit 92, and a writing process of the image signal to the memory 100 by the R / W 94.

[0195] That is, "imaging" may refer only to the photoelectric conversion process of converting the light captured by the image sensor 12 into an electrical signal, or may refer to a range of processes from the photoelectric conversion process of converting the light captured by the image sensor 12 into an electrical signal to the processing by the camera signal processing unit 91 of converting the output signal from the image sensor 12 into a digital signal, removing noise, correcting image quality, converting into luminance and color difference signals, etc., or may refer to a range of processes from the photoelectric conversion process of converting the light captured by the image sensor 12 into an electrical signal to the processing by the camera signal processing unit 91 of converting the output signal from the image sensor 12 into a digital signal, removing noise, correcting image quality, converting into luminance and color difference signals, etc., and ... It may refer to the photoelectric conversion process of converting light captured by the image sensor 12 into an electric signal, to the conversion of the output signal from the image sensor 12 into a digital signal, noise removal, image quality correction, conversion to luminance and color difference signals, etc., by the camera signal processing unit 91, and the compression, encoding, decompression and decoding process of the image signal based on a predetermined image data format and conversion of data specifications such as resolution by the image processing unit 92, or it may refer to the writing process of the image signal to the memory 100 by the R / W 94. The order of each process in the above processes may be changed as appropriate.

[0196] In addition, in the present technology, the camera block 90 and the imaging device 1 may be configured to include only some or all of the imaging element 12, camera signal processing unit 91, image processing unit 92, and R / W 94 that perform the above processing.

[0197] Furthermore, the camera block 90 may be configured to include some of the imaging element 12 , the camera signal processing unit 91 , the image processing unit 92 , and the R / W 94 . <This technology> The present technology can also be configured as follows.

[0198] (1) a drive lever that is rotatable in a first rotation direction from a first rotation position to a second rotation position and in a second rotation direction from the second rotation position to the first rotation position; a driver that applies a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the first rotation direction; a biasing spring that biases the drive lever to impart a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the second rotation direction; an opening / closing blade that is moved in a closing direction to close the opening in association with a rotational movement of the drive lever in the first rotational direction and is moved in an opening direction to open the opening in association with a movement of the drive lever in the second rotational direction, a driving force in the first rotation direction is applied from the driver to the drive lever in a state in which no driving force is applied from the biasing spring, A driving force in the second rotation direction is applied from the biasing spring to the driving lever in a state in which no driving force is applied from the driving body to the driving lever. Blade opening and closing device.

[0199] (2) A blade return spring is provided to bias the opening / closing blade in the opening direction and to bias the drive lever in the second rotation direction. The blade opening and closing device described in (1) above.

[0200] (3) The driving body is provided with a rotor, The drive lever is rotatable independently of the rotational movement of the rotor, the drive lever is rotated integrally with the rotor in the first rotation direction by the drive force of the drive body, The drive lever is rotated in the second rotation direction by the drive force of the biasing spring independently of the rotor. The blade opening and closing device according to (1) or (2).

[0201] (4) The rotor and a part of the drive lever are positioned opposite to each other in a direction of a rotation axis of the rotor, The biasing spring is disposed between the opposing rotor and a portion of the drive lever. The blade opening and closing device described in (3) above.

[0202] (5) When the driving body is not energized, the driving lever is rotatable in the first rotation direction independently of the rotor. The blade opening and closing device according to (3) or (4).

[0203] (6) The center of gravity of the rotor is located on the rotation axis. The blade opening and closing device according to any one of (3) to (5).

[0204] (7) The rotation axis of the rotor and the rotation axis of the drive lever are the same. The blade opening and closing device according to any one of (3) to (6).

[0205] (8) The rotor is provided with a pressing portion, a pressing portion that is pressed by the pressing portion is provided on the driving lever, When the pressed portion is pressed by the pressing portion, the driving lever is rotated in the first rotation direction by the driving force of the driving body. The blade opening and closing device according to any one of (3) to (7).

[0206] (9) a brake lever is provided which is operable between a deceleration start position and a rotation stop position; The brake lever is moved from the deceleration start position toward the rotation stop position, whereby the rotation speed of the drive lever is reduced when rotating in the first rotation direction. The blade opening and closing device according to any one of (1) to (8).

[0207] (10) A lever support portion is formed on the brake lever, The drive lever rotated in the first rotation direction is supported by the lever support portion. The blade opening and closing device described in (9) above.

[0208] (11) a brake stopper is provided against which the brake lever is pressed to stop the brake lever at the rotation stop position; The brake lever is stopped at the rotation stop position by the brake stopper, so that the drive lever is held at the second rotation position. The blade opening and closing device according to (10) above.

[0209] (12) a support base is provided on which the drive lever is rotatably supported; A connecting shaft is provided to connect the opening / closing blade to the driving lever, a position retaining portion that retains the drive lever at the first rotation position is formed on the support base; The connecting shaft is pressed against the position holding portion by the biasing force of the blade return spring, so that the drive lever is held at the first rotation position. The blade opening and closing device described in (2) above.

[0210] (13) The optical system includes a vane opening / closing device that controls light received through the optical system, and an image pickup element that performs photoelectric conversion on the light received through the optical system, The blade opening and closing device is a drive lever that is rotatable in a first rotation direction from a first rotation position to a second rotation position and in a second rotation direction from the second rotation position to the first rotation position; a driver that applies a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the first rotation direction; a biasing spring that biases the drive lever to impart a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the second rotation direction; an opening / closing blade that is moved in a closing direction to close the opening in association with a rotational movement of the drive lever in the first rotational direction and is moved in an opening direction to open the opening in association with a movement of the drive lever in the second rotational direction, a driving force in the first rotation direction is applied from the driver to the drive lever in a state in which no driving force is applied from the biasing spring, A driving force in the second rotation direction is applied from the biasing spring to the driving lever in a state in which no driving force is applied from the driving body to the driving lever. Imaging device.

[0211] (14) the blade opening / closing device includes a drive block having the drive body and a mechanism block having the opening / closing blades, The size of the drive block is smaller than the size of the mechanism block in the moving direction of the opening / closing blade, The drive block is located on the outer periphery side of the mechanism block, Terminal portions are arranged on the outer periphery of the mechanism block on opposite sides of the drive block in the moving direction of the opening / closing blade. The imaging device according to (13) above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0212] 1. Imaging device 11 Blade opening and closing device 12 Image sensor 13a aperture 15 Opening and closing blades 20 Support Base 21a Position holding part 22 Wing return spring 25 Brake stopper 27 Driving Body 28 Drive lever 29 Spring 32 rotor 38 Pressing part 39 Acting part 41c Pressed part 42 Connecting shaft 43 Brake lever 44a Lever support 45a Actuated part 50 Driving Block 60 Mechanism Block 70 Terminal section

Claims

1. a drive lever that is rotatable in a first rotation direction from a first rotation position to a second rotation position and in a second rotation direction from the second rotation position to the first rotation position; a driver that applies a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the first rotation direction; a biasing spring that biases the drive lever to impart a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the second rotation direction; an opening / closing blade that is moved in a closing direction to close the opening in association with a rotational movement of the drive lever in the first rotational direction and is moved in an opening direction to open the opening in association with a movement of the drive lever in the second rotational direction, a driving force in the first rotation direction is applied from the driver to the drive lever in a state in which no driving force is applied from the biasing spring, A driving force in the second rotation direction is applied from the biasing spring to the driving lever in a state in which no driving force is applied from the driving body to the driving lever. Blade opening and closing device.

2. A blade return spring is provided to bias the opening / closing blade in the opening direction and to apply a biasing force in the second rotation direction to the drive lever via the opening / closing blade. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 1 .

3. The driving body is provided with a rotor, The drive lever is rotatable independently of the rotational movement of the rotor, the drive lever is rotated integrally with the rotor in the first rotation direction by the drive force of the drive body, The drive lever is rotated in the second rotation direction by the drive force of the biasing spring independently of the rotor. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 1 .

4. The rotor and a part of the drive lever are positioned opposite to each other in a direction of a rotation axis of the rotor, The biasing spring is disposed between the opposing rotor and a portion of the drive lever. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 3.

5. When the driving body is not energized, the driving lever is allowed to rotate in the first rotation direction independently of the rotor. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 3.

6. The center of gravity of the rotor is located on the rotation axis. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 3.

7. The rotation axis of the rotor and the rotation axis of the drive lever are the same. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 3.

8. The rotor is provided with a pressing portion, a pressing portion that is pressed by the pressing portion is provided on the driving lever, When the pressed portion is pressed by the pressing portion, the driving lever is rotated in the first rotation direction by the driving force of the driving body. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 3.

9. a brake lever is provided which is operable between a deceleration start position and a rotation stop position; The brake lever is moved from the deceleration start position toward the rotation stop position, whereby the rotation speed of the drive lever is reduced when rotating in the first rotation direction. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 1 .

10. A lever support portion is formed on the brake lever, The drive lever rotated in the first rotation direction is supported by the lever support portion. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 9.

11. a brake stopper is provided against which the brake lever is pressed to stop the brake lever at the rotation stop position; The brake lever is stopped at the rotation stop position by the brake stopper, so that the drive lever is held at the second rotation position. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 10.

12. a support base is provided on which the drive lever is rotatably supported; A connecting shaft is provided to connect the opening / closing blade to the driving lever, a position holding portion that holds the drive lever at the first rotation position is formed on the support base; The connecting shaft is pressed against the position holding portion by the biasing force of the blade return spring, so that the drive lever is held at the first rotation position. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 2.

13. The optical system includes a vane opening / closing device that controls light received through the optical system, and an image pickup element that performs photoelectric conversion on the light received through the optical system, The blade opening and closing device is a drive lever that is rotatable in a first rotation direction from a first rotation position to a second rotation position and in a second rotation direction from the second rotation position to the first rotation position; a driver that applies a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the first rotation direction; a biasing spring that biases the drive lever to impart a driving force to the drive lever as a rotation force in the second rotation direction; an opening / closing blade that is moved in a closing direction to close the opening in association with a rotational movement of the drive lever in the first rotational direction and is moved in an opening direction to open the opening in association with a movement of the drive lever in the second rotational direction, a driving force in the first rotation direction is applied from the driver to the drive lever in a state in which no driving force is applied from the biasing spring, A driving force in the second rotation direction is applied from the biasing spring to the driving lever in a state in which no driving force is applied from the driving body to the driving lever. Imaging device.

14. the blade opening / closing device includes a drive block having the drive body and a mechanism block having the opening / closing blades, The size of the drive block is smaller than the size of the mechanism block in the moving direction of the opening / closing blade, The drive block is located on the outer circumferential side of the mechanism block, Terminal portions are arranged on the outer periphery of the mechanism block on opposite sides of the drive block in the moving direction of the opening / closing blade. The imaging device according to claim 13.

Images