Camera device

Abstract

To provide a camera device which can change the visual field range of a finder in accordance with the elongating or contracting state of a lens barrel.SOLUTION: A camera device 1 comprises a finder unit 9 for observing a front visual field through a finder window 6, and a drive lever 110 capable of rotating around a shank 18. An operation cylinder 20 for elongating or contracting a telescopic unit has a guide plane 201 that extends along the circumferential direction and a recess 202 that adjoins the guide plane 201. The drive lever 110 includes an operation unit 112 capable of coming into contact with the guide plane 201 of the operation cylinder 20. The camera device 1 further comprises: an urging spring 130 for urging the operation unit 112 of the driver lever 110; a prism 140 which can change the direction of a visual field observed by the finder unit 9; and a prism guide lever 120 which is capable of rotating around a shaft body 150. The prism guide lever 120 includes a prism holding unit 124 for holding the prism 140 and a driven gear unit 122 that meshes with a drive gear unit 114 of the drive lever 110. The prism holding unit 124 is constructed to be insertable into the finder unit 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a camera device, and particularly to a camera device provided with a lens barrel that can be extended and retracted along the optical axis direction.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a camera provided with a lens barrel that enables one or more cylinders to be extended and retracted in the optical axis direction by rotating an operation ring has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In recent years, in such a camera, attempts have also been made to further extend the lens barrel forward from normal shooting to enable shooting at a short distance (macro shooting) in addition to normal shooting.

[0003] Such a camera is usually provided with a finder for the user to observe the subject. However, since the position of the subject during macro shooting is closer to the camera than the position of the subject during normal shooting, the subject does not enter the field of view observable from the finder, making it difficult to perform macro shooting well. Therefore, there is a need for a technique that can easily change the range of the finder's field of view according to the extended and retracted state of the lens barrel.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a camera device capable of changing the range of the finder's field of view according to the extended and retracted state of the lens barrel.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera device capable of changing the range of the viewfinder's field of view according to the telescopic state of the lens barrel. This camera device includes a housing having a viewfinder window formed on the front surface, a frame housed inside the housing, a lens barrel that houses at least one lens, a viewfinder unit for observing the front field of view through the viewfinder window of the housing, and a drive lever rotatable about a first axis. The lens barrel includes a fixed cylinder having a base fixed to the frame and a cylindrical wall extending axially from the base, a telescopic unit disposed radially inward of the cylindrical wall of the fixed cylinder and capable of telescoping in the axial direction, and an operation cylinder that rotates without moving in the axial direction with respect to the fixed cylinder to operate the telescoping of the telescopic unit. The operation cylinder has a guide surface extending along the circumferential direction and a lever drive portion adjacent to the guide surface in the circumferential direction and having an outer diameter different from that of the guide surface. The drive lever includes an operating portion capable of contacting the guide surface of the operation cylinder and a drive gear portion having a plurality of teeth. The camera device further includes a biasing member that biases the operating portion of the drive lever toward the guide surface of the operation cylinder, a prism capable of changing the direction of the field of view observed by the viewfinder unit, and a prism guide lever rotatable about a second axis. The prism guide lever includes a prism holding portion that holds the prism and a driven gear portion having a plurality of teeth that mesh with the plurality of teeth of the drive gear portion of the drive lever. The prism holding portion is configured to be insertable into the viewfinder unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5A

Figure 5B

Figure 5C

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

Figure 6C

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13A

Figure 13B

Figure 13C

Figure 13D

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the camera device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13D. In FIGS. 1 to 13D, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. Also, in FIGS. 1 to 13D, the scales and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated or some components may be omitted. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish components from each other and do not represent a specific order or sequence.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a camera device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The camera device 1 in the present embodiment is a camera (instant camera) that uses a photographic film that is automatically developed after shooting. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to other than such instant cameras. In the present embodiment, for convenience, the +X direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as "front" or "forward", and the -X direction is referred to as "rear" or "backward".

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the camera device 1 includes a front cover 2, a rear cover 3 attached behind the front cover 2, a top cover 4 sandwiched between the front cover 2 and the rear cover 3, and a lens barrel 5 that houses a lens unit inside. A finder window 6 is formed in the front cover 2, and a flash window 7 is disposed adjacent to the finder window 6. Further, a release button 8 is disposed on the -Z direction side of the finder window 6. A discharge slit 4A extending in the Y direction is formed in the top cover 4, and the photographic film developed after shooting is discharged from the discharge slit 4A.

[0011] The lens barrel 5 in the present embodiment has a structure that can be expanded and contracted in the optical axis direction. The lens barrel 5 in the state shown in FIG. 1 is in the most contracted state in the optical axis direction (X direction). The state where the lens barrel 5 is in the state shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as the "retracted state" of the camera device 1.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of components housed in an internal space formed by a front cover 2, a rear cover 3, and a top cover 4, and shows a state in which the lens barrel 5 is extended to the maximum in the optical axis direction P (X direction). When the lens barrel 5 is in this state, it is referred to as the "maximum extended state" of the camera device 1.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped frame 80 is housed in the internal space formed by the front cover 2, the rear cover 3, and the top cover 4. A photographic film or the like is housed inside this frame 80. In addition to the above-described lens barrel 5, a finder unit 9 for the user to confirm the field of view in front of the lens barrel 5 through the finder window 6 is attached to the frame 80.

[0014] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lens barrel 5 in the camera device of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the lens barrel 5 in the present embodiment includes a fixed barrel 10 attached to the front surface of the frame 80, an operation barrel 20 configured to be rotatable without moving axially with respect to the fixed barrel 10, a cover barrel 30 covering the outer periphery of the operation barrel 20, a rotating barrel 40 configured to be rotatable and axially movable with respect to the fixed barrel 10, a key barrel 50 configured to be axially movable together with the rotating barrel 40 without rotating with respect to the fixed barrel 10, a cover ring 58 attached to the front edge of the key barrel 50, and a direct-acting barrel 70 configured to be rotatable together with the key barrel 50 with respect to the fixed barrel 10. In the present embodiment, a lens unit including at least one lens (not shown) is housed inside the direct-acting barrel 70. An openable and closable barrier 78 is disposed in front of the lens unit of the direct-acting barrel 70. In the present embodiment, the rotating barrel 40, the key barrel 50, the cover ring 58, and the direct-acting barrel 70 constitute a telescopic unit that can be telescoped in the axial direction (Z direction).

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, the operation cylinder 20 has a cylindrical portion 21 extending in the axial direction (X direction) and two extending portions 22 extending rearward from the cylindrical portion 21. The cylindrical portion 21 is disposed radially outside the fixed cylinder 10. Further, the cylindrical portion 21 has a flange portion 21A projecting radially outward in the vicinity of its rear end, and a knurl 21B is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 21 to facilitate handling during assembly. The two extending portions 22 are disposed at positions facing each other with the optical axis P interposed therebetween.

[0016] Axial grooves 24 extending in the axial direction (X direction) are formed on the inner peripheral surfaces of the extending portion 22 and the cylindrical portion 21. Further, two circumferential grooves 25 extending in the circumferential direction and two connecting grooves 26 extending from the rear edge portion of the cylindrical portion 21 in the +X direction and connecting to the ends of the circumferential grooves 25 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 21. The two axial grooves 24, the two circumferential grooves 25, and the two connecting grooves 26 are respectively arranged at intervals of 180 degrees along the circumferential direction.

[0017] Three recesses 27 are formed at the front edge portion of the cylindrical portion 21, and a notch portion 28 is formed by cutting a part of the flange portion 21A on the -X direction side of each recess 27. These recesses 27 and notch portions 28 are arranged at intervals of 120 degrees along the circumferential direction.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed cylinder 10 has a rectangular frame-shaped base portion 11 fixed to the frame 80, a cylindrical wall 12 extending forward (+X direction) from the base portion 11, and two engaging pieces 13 protruding radially outward from the cylindrical wall 12. Thread holes 11A are formed at the four corners of the base portion 11, and the fixed cylinder 10 is fixed to the frame 80 by inserting a screw 81 (see FIG. 2) through the thread hole 11A and screwing the screw 81 into the frame 80.

[0019] The width along the axial direction (hereinafter referred to as the axial width) of the engaging piece 13 of each fixing cylinder 10 is slightly smaller than the axial width of the circumferential groove 25 of the operating cylinder 20. The engaging piece 13 of the fixing cylinder 10 is engaged with the circumferential groove 25 of the operating cylinder 20 so that it can move circumferentially inside the circumferential groove 25. Due to the engagement between the engaging piece 13 of the fixing cylinder 10 and the circumferential groove 25 of the operating cylinder 20, the operating cylinder 20 can rotate relative to the fixing cylinder 10 without changing its axial position relative to the fixing cylinder 10.

[0020] Also, the width along the circumferential direction (hereinafter referred to as the circumferential width) of the engaging piece 13 of the fixing cylinder 10 is smaller than the circumferential width of the communication groove 26 of the operating cylinder 20. Therefore, when assembling the operating cylinder 20 to the fixing cylinder 10, by aligning the circumferential position of the engaging piece 13 of the fixing cylinder 10 with the circumferential position of the communication groove 26 of the operating cylinder 20 and moving the operating cylinder 20 from the front of the fixing cylinder 10 in the -X direction, the engaging piece 13 of the fixing cylinder 10 can be moved axially (X direction) inside the communication groove 26 of the operating cylinder 20 and moved to the end of the circumferential groove 25. In this state, by rotating the operating cylinder 20 relative to the fixing cylinder 10, the engaging piece 13 of the fixing cylinder 10 and the circumferential groove 25 of the operating cylinder 20 can be engaged.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, two through cam grooves 14 extending through the cylindrical wall 12 are formed in the cylindrical wall 12 of the fixing cylinder 10. The two through cam grooves 14 are arranged at intervals of 180 degrees along the circumferential direction. Each through cam groove 14 extends such that its circumferential position gradually changes from the rear end to the front end. Also, the rear end and the front end of the through cam groove 14 extend in the circumferential direction. On the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 12 of the fixing cylinder 10, two cam grooves 15 extending in a shape corresponding to the above-described through cam grooves 14 and two axial grooves 16 extending in the axial direction (X direction) are formed. In the present embodiment, the cam grooves 15 are formed at positions rotated 90 degrees around the axis relative to the through cam grooves 14.

[0022] The cover cylinder 30 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the fixed cylinder 10 together with the operation cylinder 20 described above. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover cylinder 30 includes a cylindrical portion 31 extending in the axial direction (X direction), an annular portion 32 extending radially inward from the front end of the cylindrical portion 31, three engaging portions 34 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31, and three hook portions 35 disposed behind the three engaging portions 34. In the present embodiment, the three engaging portions 34 and the three hook portions 35 are aligned in the circumferential direction and are arranged at intervals of 120 degrees along the circumferential direction.

[0023] Each hook portion 35 is configured to engage with the inner peripheral edge of the opening formed in the front cover 2. When the hook portion 35 engages with the inner peripheral edge of the opening of the front cover 2, the cover cylinder 30 is rotatable with respect to the front cover 2. Further, the circumferential width of the engaging portion 34 of the cover cylinder 30 is substantially the same as the circumferential width of the concave portion 27 of the operation cylinder 20, and each engaging portion 34 is fitted (engaged) with the concave portion 27 of the operation cylinder 20 in the circumferential direction. Also, the circumferential width of each hook portion 35 is substantially the same as the circumferential width of the notch portion 28 of the operation cylinder 20, and each hook portion 35 is fitted with the notch portion 28 of the operation cylinder 20. Thereby, the cover cylinder 30 and the operation cylinder 20 are integrated.

[0024] The rotating cylinder 40 is configured to be rotatable and axially movable with respect to the fixed cylinder 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating cylinder 40 includes a cylindrical portion 41 extending in the axial direction (X direction) and disposed radially inside the fixed cylinder 10, two operating portions 42 protruding radially outward near the rear end of the cylindrical portion 41, two protruding portions 43 protruding radially outward near the rear end of the cylindrical portion 41, and three engaging pieces 44 protruding radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 41.

[0025] The amount of protrusion of the actuating portion 42 radially outward is greater than the amount of protrusion of the protruding portion 43 radially outward. For example, the actuating portion 42 can be configured by attaching a screw to a boss portion formed near the rear end portion of the cylindrical portion 41. In the present embodiment, the actuating portion 42 and the protruding portion 43 are alternately arranged at intervals of 90 degrees along the circumferential direction. Further, the three engaging pieces 44 are arranged at intervals of 120 degrees around the axis.

[0026] The outer diameter of each actuating portion 42 is slightly smaller than the circumferential width of the through cam groove 14 of the fixed cylinder 10 and the circumferential width of the axial groove 24 of the operating cylinder 20. Each actuating portion 42 engages with the axial groove 24 of the operating cylinder 20 through the through cam groove 14 of the fixed cylinder 10. Further, the outer diameter of each protruding portion 43 is smaller than the circumferential width of the cam groove 15 of the fixed cylinder 10, and the protruding portion 43 can move inside the cam groove 15 of the fixed cylinder 10.

[0027] With such a configuration, the actuating portion 42 of the rotating cylinder 40 can engage with the through cam groove 14 of the fixed cylinder 10 and move along the through cam groove 14 inside the through cam groove 14 of the fixed cylinder 10, and can also engage with the axial groove 24 of the operating cylinder 20 and move along the axial direction inside the axial groove 24 of the operating cylinder 20. Due to the engagement between the actuating portion 42 of the rotating cylinder 40 and the axial groove 24 of the operating cylinder 20, when the operating cylinder 20 rotates with respect to the fixed cylinder 10, the rotating cylinder 40 rotates with respect to the fixed cylinder 10 together with the operating cylinder 20. At this time, due to the engagement between the actuating portion 42 of the rotating cylinder 40 and the through cam groove 14 of the fixed cylinder 10, as the rotating cylinder 40 rotates, the rotating cylinder 40 moves in the X direction with respect to the fixed cylinder 10 along the shape of the through cam groove 14. Thus, when the operating cylinder 20 rotates with respect to the fixed cylinder 10, the rotating cylinder 40 rotates with respect to the fixed cylinder 10 and is fed out in the +X direction. When the actuating portion 42 of the rotating cylinder 40 moves along the through cam groove 14 of the fixed cylinder 10, the protruding portion 43 of the rotating cylinder 40 moves inside the cam groove 15 of the fixed cylinder 10, and the rotating cylinder 40 is supported auxiliarily inside the fixed cylinder 10 by the engagement between the protruding portion 43 of the rotating cylinder 40 and the cam groove 15 of the fixed cylinder 10.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 41 of the rotating cylinder 40, six cam grooves 45 extending such that the circumferential position gradually changes from the rear end portion toward the front end portion, and six connecting grooves 46 extending in the -X direction from the front edge portion of the rotating cylinder 40 and connecting to the front end portions of the cam grooves 45 are formed. The six cam grooves 45 and the six connecting grooves 46 are arranged at intervals of 60 degrees around the axis.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, the key cylinder 50 has a cylindrical portion 51 extending in the axial direction (X direction). The cylindrical portion 51 of the key cylinder 50 is arranged radially inside the cylindrical portion 41 of the rotating cylinder 40. In the cylindrical portion 51 of the key cylinder 50, six axial grooves 52 extending in the axial direction (X direction) through the cylindrical portion 51, and six connecting grooves 53 extending in the -X direction from the front edge portion of the cylindrical portion 51 and connecting to the end portions of the axial grooves 52 are formed. The six axial grooves 52 and the six connecting grooves 53 are each arranged at intervals of 60 degrees along the circumferential direction.

[0030] Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 51 of the key cylinder 50, three circumferential grooves (not shown) extending in the circumferential direction near the front edge of the cylindrical portion 51, and three connecting grooves 55 extending in the +X direction from the rear edge portion of the cylindrical portion 51 and connecting to the end portions of the circumferential grooves are formed. The three connecting grooves 55 and the three circumferential grooves are each arranged at intervals of 120 degrees along the circumferential direction.

[0031] The axial width of the circumferential groove of the key cylinder 50 is slightly larger than the axial width of the engaging piece 44 of the rotating cylinder 40, and the engaging piece 44 of the rotating cylinder 40 is engaged with the circumferential groove 54 of the key cylinder 50 so that it can move circumferentially inside the circumferential groove 54. By the engagement between the engaging piece 44 of the rotating cylinder 40 and the circumferential groove 54 of the key cylinder 50, the key cylinder 50 can rotate relative to the rotating cylinder 40 without changing the axial position with respect to the rotating cylinder 40.

[0032] Further, the circumferential width of the communication groove 55 of the key cylinder 50 is larger than the circumferential width of the engaging piece 44 of the rotating cylinder 40. Therefore, when assembling the key cylinder 50 to the rotating cylinder 40, the circumferential position of the engaging piece 44 of the rotating cylinder 40 is aligned with the circumferential position of the communication groove 55 of the key cylinder 50, and by moving the key cylinder 50 in the -X direction from the front of the rotating cylinder 40, the engaging piece 44 of the rotating cylinder 40 can be moved axially (X direction) inside the communication groove 55 of the key cylinder 50 and moved to the end of the circumferential groove 54. In this state, by rotating the key cylinder 50 relative to the rotating cylinder 40, the engaging piece 44 of the rotating cylinder 40 and the circumferential groove of the key cylinder 50 can be engaged.

[0033] The key cylinder 50 has an engaging portion (not shown) that engages with the axial groove 16 of the fixed cylinder 10. This engaging portion is configured to engage with the axial groove 16 of the fixed cylinder 10 and move axially inside this axial groove 16. Therefore, the key cylinder 50 can move axially together with the rotating cylinder 40 while rotating relative to the rotating cylinder 40 without rotating relative to the fixed cylinder 10.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, the linear motion cylinder 70 has a cylindrical portion 71 disposed radially inside the key cylinder 50 and six cylindrical operating portions 72 protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface. These operating portions 72 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. The outer diameter of each operating portion 72 is slightly smaller than the circumferential widths of the axial groove 52 and the communication groove 53 of the key cylinder 50 and the circumferential widths of the communication groove 46 and the cam groove 45 of the rotating cylinder 40, and each operating portion 72 engages with the cam groove 45 of the rotating cylinder 40 through the axial groove 52 of the key cylinder 50.

[0035] Since the key cylinder 50 cannot rotate relative to the fixed cylinder 10 due to the engagement between the above-described engaging portion and the axial groove 16 of the fixed cylinder 10, while the rotating cylinder 40 can rotate relative to the fixed cylinder 10, when the rotating cylinder 40 rotates relative to the fixed cylinder 10, the linear movement cylinder 70 moves in the X direction relative to the rotating cylinder 40 along the shape of the cam groove 45 due to the engagement between the operating portion 72 of the linear movement cylinder 70 and the cam groove 45 of the rotating cylinder 40. In this way, by rotating the rotating cylinder 40 relative to the fixed cylinder 10, the linear movement cylinder 70 can be extended from the rotating cylinder 40 in the +X direction.

[0036] When assembling the linear movement cylinder 70 to the key cylinder 50, after assembling the key cylinder 50 to the rotating cylinder 40 as described above, the rotating cylinder 40 is rotated relative to the key cylinder 50 to align the circumferential position of the communication groove 46 of the rotating cylinder 40 with the circumferential position of the communication groove 53 of the key cylinder 50. Further, by aligning the circumferential position of the operating portion 72 of the linear movement cylinder 70 with the circumferential positions of these communication grooves 53, 46 and moving the linear movement cylinder 70 in the -X direction from the front of the rotating cylinder 40 and the key cylinder 50, the operating portion 72 of the linear movement cylinder 70 can be moved from the communication grooves 53, 46 into the axial groove 52 of the key cylinder 50 and the cam groove 45 of the rotating cylinder 40 respectively. Thereby, the operating portion 72 of the linear movement cylinder 70 can be engaged with the axial groove 52 of the key cylinder 50 and the cam groove 45 of the rotating cylinder 40.

[0037] Thus, in this embodiment, in order to introduce the operating portion 72 of the linear movement cylinder 70 into the axial groove 52 of the key cylinder 50 and the cam groove 45 of the rotating cylinder 40, communication grooves 53, 46 are formed in the front edge portions of the key cylinder 50 and the rotating cylinder 40 respectively. Since it is not preferable for the appearance of the product when these communication grooves 53, 46 are exposed to the outside, a cover ring 58 that covers the front edge portions of the key cylinder 50 and the rotating cylinder 40 is attached to the key cylinder 50. For example, this cover ring 58 can be attached to the key cylinder 50 by fitting a protrusion 58A (see FIG. 3) formed on the rear surface of the cover ring 58 into the communication groove 53 of the key cylinder 50.

[0038] According to the above-described embodiment, in the retracted state of the camera device 1 shown in FIG. 1, when the user performs an operation of rotating the cylindrical portion 31 of the cover cylinder 30 with respect to the fixed cylinder 10, the operation cylinder 20 rotates integrally with the cover cylinder 30, and due to the engagement between the operating portion 42 of the rotating cylinder 40 and the axial groove 24 of the operating cylinder 20 and the engagement between the operating portion 42 of the rotating cylinder 40 and the through-cam groove 14 of the fixed cylinder 10, the rotating cylinder 40 rotates integrally with the operating cylinder 20 and moves axially along the shape of the through-cam groove 14 of the fixed cylinder 10. Further, due to the engagement between the operating portion 72 of the linear movement cylinder 70 and the axial groove 52 of the key cylinder 50 and the engagement between the operating portion 72 of the linear movement cylinder 70 and the cam groove 45 of the rotating cylinder 40, the linear movement cylinder 70 moves axially along the shape of the cam groove 45 of the rotating cylinder 40 without rotating with respect to the fixed cylinder 10. In this way, it is possible to extend both the rotating cylinder 40 and the linear movement cylinder 70 of the lens barrel 5 axially. In the retracted state and the maximum extended state, the extending portion 22 of the operating cylinder 20 abuts against the edge portion 19A (see FIG. 3) of the pedestal portion 19 of the base portion 11 of the fixed cylinder 10, thereby restricting further rotation of the operating cylinder 20.

[0039] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the components shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the fixed cylinder 10 has a shaft portion 18 (first shaft) extending in the +Z direction from the base portion 11. A drive lever 110 is attached to this shaft portion 18. A prism guide lever 120 is disposed adjacent to this drive lever 110, and a prism 140 for changing the direction of the visual field observed by the finder portion 9 is attached to this prism guide lever 120.

[0040] Returning to FIG. 2, a guide surface 201 extending along the circumferential direction is formed at the rear edge of the cylindrical portion 21 of the operating cylinder 20 attached to the fixed cylinder 10. Further, a recess 202 having a predetermined depth is formed at a position adjacent to the guide surface 202 in the circumferential direction. In other words, the bottom surface of the recess 202 has an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the guide surface 201, and the recess 202 serves as a lever drive portion for driving the drive lever 110 as described later.

[0041] FIG. 5A is a front view of the drive lever 110, FIG. 5B is a plan view, and FIG. 5C is a right side view. As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the drive lever 110 includes a cylindrical tube portion 111 extending in the +X direction, an operating portion 112 extending in the +X direction outside the radial direction of the tube portion 111, an arm portion 113 extending from the tube portion 111, and a drive gear portion 114 formed at the end of the arm portion 113. The drive gear portion 114 has a plurality of teeth 115 formed side by side along the circumferential direction.

[0042] The shaft portion 18 of the fixed cylinder 10 is inserted into the tube portion 111 of the drive lever 110, and the drive lever 110 can rotate about the shaft portion 18. In a state where the drive lever 110 is attached to the shaft portion 18 of the fixed cylinder 10, as shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the operating portion 112 extending in the +X direction is located outside the radial direction of the guide surface 201 and the concave portion 202 of the operating cylinder 20.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, a biasing spring 130 (biasing member) made of a torsion coil spring is attached around the tube portion 111 of the drive lever 110. One arm portion 130A of the biasing spring 130 engages with the pedestal portion 19 of the base portion 11 of the fixed cylinder 10, and the other arm portion 130B engages with the engaging portion 116 (see FIG. 5B) of the drive lever 110. This biasing spring 130 is mounted around the tube portion 111 so that the opening angle between the arm portions 130A and 130B is smaller than the free angle of the biasing spring 130, and the biasing spring 130 is configured to bias the operating portion 112 of the drive lever 110 toward the guide surface 201 and the concave portion 202 of the operating cylinder 20. In the illustrated example, this biasing spring 130 is constituted by a torsion coil spring, but it is also possible to be constituted by other types of springs (for example, leaf springs).

[0044] FIG. 6A is a front view showing the prism guide lever 120 to which the prism 140 is attached, FIG. 6B is a plan view, and FIG. 6C is a right side view. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the prism guide lever 120 includes a cylindrical tube portion 121 extending in the X direction, a driven gear portion 122 formed on the radially outer side of the tube portion 121, an arm portion 123 extending from the tube portion 121, and a prism holding portion 124 that holds the prism 140 at the end of the arm portion 123. The driven gear portion 122 has a plurality of teeth 135 formed side by side along the circumferential direction, and the teeth 135 of the driven gear portion 122 are engaged with the teeth 115 of the drive gear portion 114 of the drive lever 110.

[0045] A shaft body 150 (see FIG. 4) made of, for example, a screw is inserted into the tube portion 121 of the prism guide lever 120, and this shaft body 150 is fixed to the frame 80. The inner diameter of the tube portion 121 is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft body 150, and the prism guide lever 120 can rotate around the shaft body 150 (second shaft).

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, the finder unit 9 includes a housing 90 that houses a porro prism and a lens (both not shown) inside, and a cover member 91 attached to the front surface of the housing 90. An opening 92 that is open in the +Y direction is formed in the housing 90.

[0047] A part of the arm portion 123 of the prism guide lever 120 and the prism holding portion 124 are inserted into the housing 90 of the finder unit 9 through the opening 92 of the housing 90 of the finder unit 9, so that the prism holding portion 124 and the prism 140 held thereby are located inside the housing 90 of the finder unit 9.

[0048] In such a configuration, when the drive lever 110 rotates about the shaft portion 18 of the fixed cylinder 10, the prism guide lever 120 rotates about the shaft body 150 due to the engagement between the teeth 115 of the drive gear portion 114 of the drive lever 110 and the teeth 135 of the driven gear portion 122 of the prism guide lever 120. As a result, the prism 140 held by the prism holding portion 124 swings about the shaft body 150. Hereinafter, this operation will be described in more detail.

[0049] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the retracted state of the camera device 1, and FIG. 8 is a plan view. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the camera device 1 is in the retracted state, that is, in the state of FIG. 1, the operating portion 112 of the drive lever 110 is located on the guide surface 201 of the operating cylinder 20, and the operating portion 112 of the drive lever 110 is pressed against the guide surface 201 of the operating cylinder 20 by the biasing force of the biasing spring 130. At this time, due to the engagement between the drive gear portion 114 of the drive lever 110 and the driven gear portion 122 of the prism guide lever 120, the prism guide lever 120 is held at a position deviated from the optical path Q in the viewfinder portion 9, as shown in FIG. 8.

[0050] In the retracted state, when the user performs an operation of rotating the cover cylinder 30 and the operating cylinder 20 with respect to the fixed cylinder 10, as described above, the rotating cylinder 40 of the lens barrel 5 rotates with respect to the fixed cylinder 10 and extends in the +X direction, and the linear movement cylinder 70 extends in the +X direction without rotating with respect to the fixed cylinder 10. In this state, the user can perform normal photography. The state in which the lens barrel 5 is in this state is referred to as the "intermediate extension state" of the camera device 1.

[0051] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the intermediate payout state of the camera device 1. As shown in FIG. 9, when the camera device 1 is in the intermediate payout state, the operating portion 112 of the drive lever 110 continues to be located on the guide surface 201 of the operation cylinder 20, and the positions of the drive lever 110 and the prism guide lever 120 are the same as when the camera device 1 is in the retracted state. Therefore, the prism guide lever 120 is held at a position deviated from the optical path Q in the viewfinder unit 9. In this state, when the user looks through the eyepiece lens (not shown) of the viewfinder unit 9, the subject can be photographed while observing the field of view centered on the normal optical path Q.

[0052] In the intermediate payout state, the operating portion 42 of the rotating cylinder 40 is located at the front end portion 14A (see FIG. 4) extending in the circumferential direction of the through-cam groove 14 of the fixed cylinder 10. When the user further rotates the cover cylinder 30 and the operation cylinder 20 with respect to the fixed cylinder 10 from this intermediate payout state, although the rotating cylinder 40 of the lens barrel 5 rotates with respect to the fixed cylinder 10, it does not payout further in the +X direction, and only the linear motion cylinder 70 pays out in the +X direction, resulting in the maximum payout state described above. In this state, the user can perform close-up photography (macro photography).

[0053] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the maximum payout state of the camera device 1, and FIG. 11 is a plan view. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the camera device 1 transitions from the intermediate payout state to the maximum payout state, the operating portion 112 of the drive lever 110 moves from the guide surface 201 of the operation cylinder 20 onto the recess 202. Since the outer diameter of the bottom surface of the recess 202 of the operation cylinder 20 is smaller than the outer diameter of the guide surface 201, the operating portion 112 of the drive lever 110 moves in the -Z direction by the biasing force of the biasing spring 130. As a result, the drive lever 110 rotates clockwise in FIG. 10 about the shaft portion 18 of the fixed cylinder 10. Then, the prism guide lever 120 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 10 by the meshing of the driven gear portion 122 and the drive gear portion 114 of the drive lever 110. Finally, as shown in FIG. 10, the prism holding portion 124 of the prism guide lever 120 contacts the inner surface of the housing 90 of the viewfinder unit 9, and the rotation of the prism guide lever 120 is stopped.

[0054] At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the prism 140 held by the prism holding portion 124 of the prism guide lever 120 is inserted into the middle of the optical path Q in the viewfinder unit 9. By this prism 140, the optical path Q in the viewfinder unit 9 is changed to the optical path Q', and the direction of the visual field observed by the viewfinder unit 9 is changed. In the present embodiment, in the maximum extended state, since shooting at a short distance is performed, the range of the visual field is changed so that a location closer to the lens barrel 5 of the camera device 1 can be observed.

[0055] As described above, in the present embodiment, with the operating portion 112 of the drive lever 110 biased toward the guide surface 201 of the operation cylinder 20 by the biasing spring 130 and in contact with the guide surface 201, when the operation cylinder 20 is rotated to expand and contract the expansion and contraction unit, the operating portion 112 of the drive lever 110 reaches the recess 202 adjacent to the guide surface 201, and the biasing force of the biasing spring 130 acts on the drive lever 110 due to the difference in outer diameter between the guide surface 201 and the recess 202, causing the drive lever 110 to rotate about the shaft portion 18. Along with the rotation of the drive lever 110, the prism guide lever 120 swings about the shaft body 150 due to the engagement between the drive gear portion 114 of the drive lever 110 and the driven gear portion 122 of the prism guide lever 120. Along with the swinging of the prism guide lever 120, the prism 140 held by the prism holding portion 124 of the prism guide lever 120 is inserted into the viewfinder unit 9, so that the direction of the visual field observed by the viewfinder unit 9 can be changed by the prism 140. Thus, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the range of the visual field observed by the viewfinder unit 9 can be easily changed according to the expansion and contraction state of the lens barrel 5.

[0056] Here, as a method of fixing the prism 140 to the prism holding portion 124 of the prism guide lever 120, a method using an adhesive can be considered. However, in such a method, it is conceivable that the adhesive adheres to the lens surface of the prism 140, making the image observed through the prism 140 difficult to see. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the prism 140 is fixed to the prism holding portion 124 of the prism guide lever 120 without using an adhesive. Hereinafter, the fixing structure of the prism 140 in the present embodiment will be described.

[0057] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the prism 140. As shown in FIG. 12, the prism 140 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped base portion 141 and a pedestal portion 142 protruding from the base portion 141 in the -X direction. The pedestal portion 142 has an inclined lens surface 143 (first lens surface), and the base portion 141 has a lens surface 144 (second lens surface) on the opposite side of this lens surface 143. Further, the base portion 141 includes a peripheral portion 145 extending outward from the pedestal portion 142. This peripheral portion 145 includes an extension portion 146 whose width in the Y'' direction expands on both sides of the pedestal portion 142.

[0058] Also, the prism 140 has two bosses 147 extending in the -X direction (first direction) from the extension portion 146 of the peripheral portion 145, and two protrusion portions 148 protruding in the +Z'' direction (second direction) and the -X direction from the edge portion on the +Z'' direction side of the peripheral portion 145. The two bosses 147 are arranged on both sides sandwiching the pedestal portion 142 in the Y'' direction (third direction).

[0059] In the present embodiment, a step is formed between the peripheral portion 145 of the prism 140 and the lens surface 143 on the pedestal portion 142. Thus, since the bosses 147 and the protrusion portions 148 are formed on a surface different from the lens surface 143, the lens surface 143 on the pedestal portion 142 can be formed with high precision.

[0060] FIG. 13A is a front view of the prism guide lever 120, FIG. 13B is a rear view, FIG. 13C is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 13A, and FIG. 13D is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 13A. As shown in FIGS. 13A to 13D, the prism holding portion 124 of the prism guide lever 120 includes a side wall 125 surrounding the periphery of the prism 140 and an opposing portion 126 extending inward from the side wall 125 and facing the peripheral edge portion 145 of the prism 140. An opening R into which the pedestal portion 142 of the prism 140 is inserted is formed inside the opposing portion 126.

[0061] Two insertion holes 127 for inserting the boss 147 of the prism 140 are formed in the opposing portion 126 of the prism holding portion 124. In the present embodiment, the insertion holes 127 penetrate the opposing portion 126, but the insertion holes 127 may not penetrate the opposing portion 126. Further, a notch 125A is formed in the side wall 125 of the prism holding portion 124 corresponding to the extension portion 146 of the prism 140.

[0062] Engagement holes 128 that engage with the protrusion 148 of the prism 140 are formed in the opposing portion 126 and the side wall 125 of the prism holding portion 124. In the present embodiment, the engagement holes 128 penetrate the opposing portion 126, but the engagement holes 128 may not penetrate the opposing portion 126.

[0063] When fixing the prism 140 to the prism guide lever 120, the prism 140 is tilted and inserted into the opening R, and the protrusion 148 of the prism 140 is engaged with the engagement hole 128 of the prism holding portion 124. Then, when the boss 147 of the prism 140 is inserted into the insertion hole 127 of the prism holding portion 124, the prism 140 is fixed to the prism holding portion 124 of the prism guide lever 120.

[0064] According to such a configuration, by engaging the protrusion 148 of the prism 140 with the engagement hole 128 of the prism holding portion 124 of the prism guide lever 120 and inserting the boss 147 of the prism 140 into the insertion hole 127 of the prism holding portion 124, the prism 140 can be attached to the prism holding portion 124 of the prism guide lever 120. Therefore, the prism 140 can be attached to the prism guide lever 120 without using an adhesive. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a situation where an adhesive adheres to the lens surfaces 143 and 144 of the prism 140 and makes the image observed through the prism 140 difficult to see.

[0065] Further, in the present embodiment, since a pair of bosses 147 are arranged on both sides of the lens surface 143 in the Y” direction, the prism 140 can be more stably fixed to the prism guide lever 120. Further, since the protrusions 148 of the prism 140 are formed adjacent to each other, the prism 140 can be more stably fixed to the prism guide lever 120. Note that the number of the protrusions 148 is not limited to the illustrated one (two), and a single protrusion 148 may be formed on the prism 140, or three or more protrusions 148 may be formed on the prism 140.

[0066] In the present embodiment, the recess 202 formed at a position adjacent to the guide surface 201 of the operation cylinder 20 functions as a lever driving portion for driving the drive lever 110. However, a protrusion having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the guide surface 201 may be formed at a position adjacent to the guide surface 201 of the operation cylinder 20, and the drive lever 110 may be driven by this protrusion. In this case, when the operating portion 112 of the drive lever 110 comes into contact with the protrusion and is lifted, it is necessary to configure the drive lever 110 and the prism guide lever 120 so that the prism guide lever 120 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 10.

[0067] In the present embodiment, the drive lever 110 is attached to the shaft portion 18 provided on the fixed cylinder 10, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the drive lever 110 may be attached to a shaft portion provided on the frame 80.

[0068] In addition, the telescopic unit in this embodiment is composed of a rotating cylinder 40, a key cylinder 50, a cover ring 58, and a linear cylinder 70, and is configured to expand and contract in two steps (an intermediate payout state and a maximum payout state). However, the telescopic unit may be configured to expand and contract continuously (i.e., in a single step), or may be configured to expand and contract in three or more steps.

[0069] The terms "upper", "lower", "above", "below", "upper side", "lower side", "front", "front side", "rear", "rear side", "width", and other terms indicating positional relationships used in this specification are used only to specify the relative relationships between elements in the context of the illustrated embodiments, and do not specify absolute positional relationships. Therefore, it should be noted that if the position or orientation of the device changes, the directions indicated by these terms will also change accordingly.

[0070] As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera device capable of changing the range of the field of view of a finder according to the telescopic state of a lens barrel. This camera device includes a housing having a finder window formed on the front surface, a frame housed inside the housing, a lens barrel housing at least one lens, a finder unit for observing the forward field of view through the finder window of the housing, and a drive lever rotatable about a first axis. The lens barrel includes a fixed cylinder having a base fixed to the frame and a cylindrical wall extending axially from the base, a telescopic unit disposed radially inward of the cylindrical wall of the fixed cylinder and capable of telescoping in the axial direction, and an operation cylinder that rotates without moving in the axial direction with respect to the fixed cylinder to operate the telescoping of the telescopic unit. The operation cylinder has a guide surface extending along the circumferential direction and a lever drive portion adjacent to the guide surface in the circumferential direction and having an outer diameter different from that of the guide surface. The drive lever includes an operating portion capable of contacting the guide surface of the operation cylinder and a drive gear portion having a plurality of teeth. The camera device further includes a biasing member that biases the operating portion of the drive lever toward the guide surface of the operation cylinder, a prism capable of changing the direction of the field of view observed by the finder unit, and a prism guide lever rotatable about a second axis. The prism guide lever includes a prism holding portion that holds the prism and a driven gear portion having a plurality of teeth that mesh with the plurality of teeth of the drive gear portion of the drive lever. The prism holding portion is configured to be insertable into the finder unit.

[0071] According to such a configuration, when the operating cylinder is rotated to expand and contract the expansion and contraction unit while the operating portion of the drive lever is biased toward the guide surface of the operating cylinder by the biasing member and is in contact with the guide surface, the operating portion of the drive lever reaches the lever drive portion adjacent to the guide surface, and the biasing force of the biasing member acts on the drive lever due to the difference in outer diameter between the guide surface and the lever drive portion, causing the drive lever to rotate about the first axis. As the drive lever rotates, the prism guide lever swings about the second axis due to the engagement between the drive gear portion of the drive lever and the driven gear portion of the prism guide lever. As the prism guide lever swings, the prism held by the prism holding portion of the prism guide lever is inserted into the finder portion, so that the direction of the visual field observed by the finder portion can be changed by the prism. Thus, according to the above-described configuration, the range of the visual field observed by the finder portion can be easily changed according to the expansion and contraction state of the lens barrel.

[0072] The lever drive portion of the operating cylinder can be configured by a recess formed adjacent to the guide surface.

[0073] The prism may have a first lens surface, a peripheral portion located outside the first lens surface, at least one boss extending from the peripheral portion along a first direction, a second lens surface located on the opposite side of the first lens surface in the first direction, and at least one protrusion protruding from the peripheral portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the first direction. The prism holding portion of the prism guide lever may have a side wall surrounding the periphery of the prism and a facing portion extending inward from the side wall and facing the peripheral portion of the prism. At least one insertion hole for inserting at least one boss of the prism may be formed in the facing portion of the prism holding portion, and an engagement hole engaging with at least one protrusion of the prism may be formed in the facing portion and the side wall of the prism holding portion.

[0074] According to such a configuration, by engaging the protrusion of the prism with the engagement hole of the prism holding portion of the prism guide lever and inserting the boss of the prism into the insertion hole of the prism holding portion, the prism can be fixed to the prism holding portion of the prism guide lever. Therefore, the prism can be fixed to the prism guide lever without using an adhesive. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a situation where an adhesive adheres to the lens surface of the prism and the image observed through the prism becomes difficult to see.

[0075] It is preferable that the at least one boss of the prism includes a pair of bosses disposed on both sides sandwiching the first lens surface in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction. By arranging the bosses in this way, the prism can be fixed to the prism guide lever more stably.

[0076] The peripheral edge of the prism may include an extended portion whose width expands in the third direction, and the pair of bosses may be formed on the extended portion of the peripheral edge.

[0077] The at least one protrusion of the prism may include a plurality of protrusions formed adjacent to each other. By engaging such a plurality of protrusions with the engagement holes of the prism holding portion of the prism guide lever, the prism can be fixed to the prism guide lever more stably.

[0078] It is preferable that a step is formed between the peripheral edge of the prism and the first lens surface. In this case, since the bosses and protrusions are formed on a surface different from the lens surface, the lens surface can be formed with high precision.

[0079] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be implemented in various different forms within the scope of its technical idea.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0080] 1 Camera device 2 Front cover 3 Rear cover 4 Top cover 5 Lens barrel 6 Finder window 7 Flash window 8 Release button 9 Finder unit 10 Fixed cylinder 11 Base part 12 Cylindrical wall 14 Through cam groove 20 Operation cylinder 30 Cover cylinder 32 Annular part 40 Rotating cylinder 50 Key cylinder 58 Cover ring 70 Linear motion cylinder 80 Frame 90 Housing 91 Cover member 92 Opening 110 Driving lever 111 Cylindrical part 112 Actuating part 113 Arm part 114 Driving gear part 115 Teeth 116 Engaging part 120 Prism guide lever 121 Cylindrical part 122 Driven gear part 123 Arm part 124 Prism holding part 125 Side wall 126 Opposing surface 127 Insertion hole 128 Engaging hole 130 Biasing spring (biasing member) 135 Teeth 140 Prism 141 Base part 142 Pedestal part 143 (First) lens surface 144 (Second) lens surface 145 Peripheral part 146 Extension part 147 bosses 148 protrusions 150 shaft body 201 guide surface 202 recess (lever drive part)

Claims

1. A housing with a finder window formed in the front, a frame housed inside the housing, a lens barrel that houses at least one lens, and a fixed cylinder having a base fixed to the frame and a cylindrical wall extending axially from the base; a telescopic unit disposed radially inside the cylindrical wall of the fixed cylinder and telescopic in the axial direction; an operation cylinder that operates the telescoping of the telescopic unit by rotating without moving axially with respect to the fixed cylinder, the operation cylinder having a guide surface extending along the circumferential direction and a lever drive portion adjacent to the guide surface in the circumferential direction and having an outer diameter different from that of the guide surface A lens barrel including; a finder unit for observing the forward field of view through the finder window of the housing; a drive lever rotatable about a first axis, an operating portion capable of contacting the guide surface of the operation cylinder, and a drive gear portion having a plurality of teeth A drive lever including; a biasing member that biases the operating portion of the drive lever toward the guide surface of the operation cylinder; a prism capable of changing the direction of the field of view observed by the finder unit; a prism guide lever rotatable about a second axis, a prism holding portion that holds the prism and is configured to be insertable into the finder unit, and a driven gear portion having a plurality of teeth that mesh with the plurality of teeth of the drive gear portion of the drive lever A prism guide lever including A camera device comprising.

2. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the lever drive portion of the operation cylinder is constituted by a recess formed adjacent to the guide surface.

3. The prism has a first lens surface, a peripheral portion located outside the first lens surface, at least one boss extending from the peripheral portion along a first direction, a second lens surface located on the opposite side of the first lens surface in the first direction, and at least one protrusion protruding from the peripheral portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and in the first direction And has The prism holding portion of the prism guide lever has a side wall surrounding the periphery of the prism, and a facing portion extending inward from the side wall and facing the peripheral portion of the prism And has At least one insertion hole for inserting at least one boss of the prism is formed in the facing portion of the prism holding portion. Engagement holes that engage with the at least one protrusion of the prism are formed in the opposing surface and the side wall of the prism holding portion. The camera device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The at least one boss of the prism includes a pair of bosses disposed on both sides sandwiching the first lens surface in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction. The camera device according to claim 3.

5. The peripheral portion of the prism includes an extended portion with an increased width in the third direction. The pair of bosses are formed in the extended portion of the peripheral portion. The camera device according to claim 4.

6. The at least one protrusion of the prism includes a plurality of protrusions formed adjacent to each other. The camera device according to any one of claims 3 to 5.

7. A step is formed between the peripheral portion of the prism and the first lens surface. The camera device according to any one of claims 3 to 6.

Images