Compact Electronic Viewfinder Lens Barrel with Integrated Detector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image pickup apparatuses with electronic viewfinders are bulkier due to the need for wiring space to determine the viewfinder's retracted or popped-up state, which increases the device's size.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a first detector fixed onto a cylindrical member, positioned to detect the retracted or popped-up state of the electronic viewfinder, and placing the guide bar inside the projection surface of the display unit, allowing for a compact design by reducing the need for external wiring and optimizing the layout.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a sensor and wiring are added to detect the electronic viewfinder state, then the detection function is improved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the detector with the display unit structure, integrating the detection function into an existing component rather than adding a separate detection system. The detector is positioned to utilize the display unit's structural elements, merging detection functionality with the display assembly to avoid additional wiring space and reduce overall device volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The display unit structure serves multiple functions: it displays information and simultaneously houses the detector for viewfinder state detection. By making the display unit multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for dedicated detection components and wiring, thereby reducing device size while maintaining detection capability.
2Ease of operation
If two guide bars are disposed on the outer circumferential portion of the image display unit, then the guide function is improved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the guide bar from the outer circumferential portion to the inner projection surface of the display unit, effectively changing its spatial dimension and position. This dimensional repositioning allows the guide bar to maintain its guiding function while being embedded within the display unit's structure, thereby reducing the device's external dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide bar is nested within the projection surface of the display unit rather than being placed on the outer circumference. This nesting approach allows the guide function to be integrated into the existing display structure, eliminating the need for additional external space and reducing overall device volume.
Data Source
AI summary
An image pickup apparatus includes a lens barrel unit including an imaging optical system, a first cylindrical member, a second cylindrical member movable relative to the first cylindrical member along a guide bar between a retracted position and a pop-up position, a diopter adjuster provided on the second cylindrical member, a first detector configured to detect that the second cylindrical member is located at the retracted position or the pop-up position, and a first display unit. The guide bar is formed inside a projection surface of the first display unit when viewed from an optical axis direction. The first detection unit is fixed onto the first cylindrical member, and the first detector is more distant from the lens barrel unit than a reference line that passes a center of the first cylindrical member when viewed from the optical axis direction.