JP2001305610A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a camera equipped with a slide opening/closing type lens cover 13 covering over the front of a photographing lens 11, where the backlash of the lens cover is reduced and a gap through which a user peeps inside the lens cover is eliminated. SOLUTION: A lens cover receiving part 24 extended along the side 13b of a front end in a lens cover opening direction and constituted by swelling the front of a camera main body inside the lens cover in a state where the lens cover 13 is closed is formed in the camera.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera provided with a slideable lens cover for covering the front surface of a photographing lens.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the so-called compact camera has been further downsized, and a photographic lens has recently been projected from the shape largely protruding from the camera main body, but has recently become almost flush with the front surface of the camera main body. More and more. As the projection amount of the photographing lens has been reduced in this way, the number of cameras configured to cover the front surface of the photographing lens with a slide-type lens cover has increased.

Further, as the size and thickness of the camera have been reduced, the components of the camera have also been reduced in size and thickness. Is arranged.

[0004]

The lens cover in a camera provided with a slide-open / close type lens cover is not the exception described above, and is formed of a plate material as thin as possible while maintaining the required strength. The components for attaching the lens cover to the front cover of the camera are also miniaturized to such an extent that the lens cover can be supported only at a minimum necessary point.

[0005] For this reason, although the strength of the lens cover is calculated, there is a problem that rattling with respect to the camera front cover is likely to occur.

In the case of a camera having a slide-open / close-type lens cover, a member to be operated in cooperation with opening / closing of the lens cover, for example, a switch lever which needs to be turned on / off in conjunction with opening / closing of the lens cover, a lens, A member for clicking which keeps the cover open and closed in that state is disposed in a gap between the front surface of the front cover of the camera and the lens cover. If these members have space in the camera body, an arm or the like to be inserted into the camera may be formed on the lens cover side and arranged in the camera body. There is no room for this, and a lens cover is placed on the outer surface of the front cover of the camera to solve space problems.

In this case, the lens cover has a small gap with the front surface of the front cover of the camera in order to smoothly perform the sliding operation. There is also a problem that components disposed on the inner surface of the lens cover are seen through the gap between the cover and the lens cover, which is not preferable in design. The problem that parts placed on the front of the front cover of the camera are visible is not a problem because the lens cover is open when you are trying to take a picture. Moreover, since the upper and lower ends of the lens cover slide and are fitted with the front cover part of the camera, the inside is difficult to see. Since it can be configured so as to abut against the wall, there is no gap in which the inside can be seen, and there is a problem with the gap on the end side in the lens cover opening direction when the lens cover is closed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a camera having a slide-open / close-type lens cover, in which the play of the lens cover is reduced and a gap in which the inside of the lens cover can be seen is eliminated. The purpose is to do.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a camera having a slidable lens cover for covering the front surface of a photographic lens, wherein the lens cover is provided inside the lens cover when the lens cover is closed. The lens cover receiving portion is provided so as to protrude from the camera body side along the contour side of the opening direction end.

Since the camera of the present invention has the lens cover receiving portion projecting from the camera body side, the lens cover is also supported by the lens cover receiving portion, and rattling of the lens cover with respect to the camera body side is prevented or reduced. You. Further, since the lens cover receiving portion is provided along the contour of the above-mentioned lens cover end portion, when the lens cover is closed, the lens cover receiving portion serves as a wall between the front surface of the camera front cover and the lens cover. Is prevented from being peeped out.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention with a lens cover closed, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the camera shown in FIG. 1 with a lens cover open.

At the approximate center of the camera 10 when viewed from the front, a lens barrel 12 having a photographing lens 11 is provided.
Is disposed, and a lens cover 13 of a slide opening and closing type is provided on the front surface thereof. This lens cover 1
The upper and lower portions 3 are slidably fitted to the camera body, and slide between a closed state shown in FIG. 1 and an open state shown in FIG. 2 by a user operation.

In the closed state shown in FIG. 1, the side 1 at the rear end of the lens cover 13 in the opening direction (the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 1).
3a is in contact with a wall 10a formed on the front of the camera.

In the upper part of the camera 10, a strobe light emitting portion 14, an autofocus light emitting window 15a and a light receiving window 15b, a photometric AE window 16, and a finder objective window 17 are arranged.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the front surface and a lens cover of the camera shown in FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a state where a lens cover is assembled on the front of the camera.

The lens cover 13 is made of resin, and a metal guide plate 18 is integrated with the inner wall surface of the lens cover 13 by heat caulking. Guide claws 13c and 13d are formed above and below the lens cover, and are slidably fitted inside the camera front cover as shown in FIG. The guide plate 18 integrated with the lens cover 13 is slidably locked by a guide member 19.

Further, on the front surface of the front cover of the camera, a click ball 20 for giving a click feeling when the lens cover 13 is opened and closed and maintaining the lens cover in an open state or a closed state, A click spring 21 for elastically pressing the guide plate 18 against the guide plate 18 is provided.
Further, there is provided a switch lever 22 which rotates in response to opening and closing of the lens cover 13 and transmits an open / closed state of the lens cover to a switch (not shown). A component holding portion 23 for holding these components is formed on the front surface of the front cover of the camera.

The click ball 20 includes a click spring 21.
When the lens cover is slid from the closed state to the opening direction when the lens cover is slid in the opening direction, a click hole 18 formed in the guide plate 18 at the timing when the lens cover reaches the open state.
When the lens cover 13 is kept open, the lens cover 13 is slid in the closing direction from the open state, and the lens cover 13 is formed on the guide plate 18 at the timing when the lens cover 13 is closed. One click hole 18b is provided to give the user a click feeling, and the lens cover 13 is maintained in the closed state.

When the switch lever 22 is engaged with the inner wall of the lens cover 13 and the lens cover 13 is closed, the switch lever 22 is inclined as shown in FIG. The rotation state of the switch lever 22 is transmitted to a switch (not shown) to turn the switch on and off, and the opening and closing of the lens cover 13 is transmitted to an electric circuit system inside the camera.

At a position adjacent to the component holding portion 23, a lens cover receiving portion 24 where the camera front cover swells.
Are formed. This lens cover receiving portion 24 is provided as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, when the lens cover 13 is closed, the lens cover 13 is opened inside the lens cover 13 (FIG. 1).
(In the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 3), and extends along the side 13b at the end.

The height of the lens cover receiving portion 24 is formed so as to be substantially in contact with the inner wall surface of the lens cover 13, whereby rattling of the lens cover 13 on the camera body side is reduced. I have. That is, the upper and lower guide claws 13c and 13d of the lens cover 13 are slidably engaged with the front cover of the camera, and the guide plate 18 integrated with the lens cover 13 is
Is slidably locked to the front cover of the camera, but the guide claw 1 of the lens cover 13 is restricted due to dimensional restrictions.
Since the widths of 3c and 13d and the width of the guide member 19 are also small, and the lens cover 13 and the front cover of the camera are formed so that they can be easily slid in consideration of dimensional errors in resin molding. These guide claws 13c, 1
3d, backlash is inevitably inevitable only by the guide by the guide member 19. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the lens cover receiving portion 24 is formed on the front surface of the front cover of the camera, even if a force is applied to the lens cover, the lens cover 13 hits the lens cover receiving portion 24 and is hard to move, so that there is no backlash. Effectively reduced.

Further, as described above, the lens cover receiving portion 24 is in the lens cover opening direction (arrow A) inside the lens cover 13 with the lens cover 13 closed.
Direction) Since the lens extends along the side of the end portion, even if the user looks in from the side in a state where the lens cover is closed, the line of sight is blocked by the lens cover receiving portion 24 and the click ball 20
Members disposed inside the lens cover, such as the switch lever 22 and the switch lever 22, are not seen, and are also preferable in design.

Incidentally, the camera in the present invention may be a camera of a type for photographing on a photographic film, or may be an electronic camera for photographing on a semiconductor image pickup device.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent or reduce rattling of the lens cover and to realize a camera which is preferable in design.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a camera as one embodiment of the present invention in a state where a lens cover is closed.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the camera shown in FIG. 1 with a lens cover opened.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of a front surface and a lens cover of the camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a state where a lens cover is assembled on a front surface of a camera.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Camera 10a Wall 11 Photographing lens 12 Lens barrel 13 Lens cover 13a Rear end side of lens cover 13b Front end side of lens cover 13c, 13d Guide nail 14 Strobe light emitting part 15a Autofocus light emitting window 15b Light receiving for autofocus Window 16 AE window for photometry 17 Finder objective window 18 Guide plate 18a, 18b Click hole 19 Guide member 20 Click ball 21 Click spring 22 Switch lever 23 Parts holding part 24 Lens cover receiving part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A camera provided with a slide-open / close-type lens cover for covering a front surface of a photographing lens, wherein the inside of the lens cover in a state where the lens cover is closed, along a contour side of an end in an opening direction of the lens cover,
A camera characterized in that a projection serving as a receiving portion of a lens cover is provided on the camera body side. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the lens cover receiving portion is formed integrally with a front cover of the camera.