JP3955486B2 - Lens retractable camera - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lens retractable camera that expands and contracts a lens barrel in accordance with the state of the camera.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Currently, when the power is turned off, the lens is retracted, and when the power is turned on, the lens barrel extends and the lens protrudes to a predetermined position. It is popular. In such a camera, the lens barrel can be expanded and contracted depending on whether the power is turned on or off, thereby providing the advantage of compactness at the time of carrying or storage, but not after the lens barrel is extended to a predetermined position. However, there is a problem in that it takes time to prepare for shooting because shooting cannot be performed.
[0003]
For such a problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-289160 discloses that the lens is retracted by a predetermined amount from the shooting state between the shooting state in which the lens can be shot and the retracted state in the most retracted position. There has been proposed a lens collapsible camera capable of shortening the preparation time for photographing by providing at least one retracted state at the above-described position and allowing the lens position to be selected from an external operation. In this lens retractable camera, if any switch of the camera is not operated for a certain period of time when the lens position is in the shooting state, the lens is automatically placed in the retracted state, and the lens position is in the retracted state. When any one of the various switches of the camera is operated at this time, position changing means for automatically positioning the lens in the photographing state is provided.
[0004]
However, the lens retractable camera described above does not consider the case where a wide conversion lens, a dustproof, drip-proof cover, or the like is attached, and in this case as well, the power supply The lens barrel is expanded and contracted with turning on and off. However, when the wide conversion lens is attached, the lens barrel will not be stored correctly even when the camera is turned off. When the cover is attached, the outer shape will not change even if the lens barrel is retracted. Therefore, the contraction process of the lens barrel is unnecessary.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points. When a wide conversion lens, a dustproof cover, a drip-proof cover, or the like is mounted, the lens is not retracted when the power is turned off. Thus, there is provided a lens retractable camera that eliminates the need to extend the lens barrel when the power is turned on next time and shortens the time required for photographing preparation.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
By extending and retracting the lens barrel as the power is turned on and off, the photographing lens changes to at least two states: a photographing state where the photographing lens is in a photographing position and a housing state where the photographing lens is retracted into the camera body . In a lens retractable camera in which a conversion lens attached to the tip of the lens barrel and a dustproof and drip-proof cover attached so as to cover the camera body can be attached as an exterior, it detects that the conversion lens is attached. Exterior detection means comprising a lens sensor and a cover sensor for detecting that the dustproof and drip-proof cover is attached, lens position detection means for detecting the position of the photographing lens, and the exterior is attached by the exterior detection means. When the lens barrel is detected, the lens barrel retracts when the power is turned off, and the taking lens is moved forward. And control means for performing processing to kept taking state, the contracting operation of the lens barrel due to power-off even when the dust and water cover is detected as being attached as an exterior by the cover sensor And cancel setting means for setting the control means to cancel the processing. This eliminates the lens barrel extension operation when the power is turned on again, thereby shortening the time required to prepare for photographing. Further, it is possible to reduce power consumption accompanying the change of the position of the photographing lens.
[0007]
The lens sensor and the cover sensor described above are installed inside or on the inner surface of the camera body by reading a physical change generated by mounting the exterior. This can prevent malfunction of the sensor due to external contact or the like.
[0008]
If the exterior detection means detects that the exterior has been removed while the power is off, the camera body is automatically turned on and the lens barrel is retracted to bring the camera body into the stowed state. Let This makes it possible to provide a lens retractable camera that is easier to use.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1 and 2 are perspective views showing the appearance of a lens retractable digital camera 10 embodying the present invention. In FIG. 1 showing the front appearance of the digital camera 10, a lens barrel 16 incorporating a photographic lens 14 is provided on the front and top surfaces of the camera body 12, and stroboscopic light emission that opens and emits stroboscopic light at the time of flash photography. The unit 18 is provided with a shutter button 20 used for a shutter release operation, and a self-timer notification LED 22 for notifying photographing timing by a self-timer. In FIG. 2, on the back of the digital camera 10, an LCD 24 for displaying a through image and a reproduction image, a power button 26 for switching power on and off, and an operation button 28 for performing various settings are provided. FIG. 1 shows a storage state in which the lens barrel 16 is retracted in the camera body 12, and the outer shape is compact and convenient for storage and carrying.
[0010]
FIG. 3 shows a state when the power is turned on in the digital camera 10 without the exterior shown in FIG. When the power is turned on, the lens barrel 16 is automatically extended and the photographing lens 14 protrudes to a predetermined position, that is, the photographing state. After that, since various settings of the camera body 12 are automatically performed and preparation for shooting is completed, the user can shoot while looking at the through image displayed on the LCD 24 on the back of the camera body 12 in the same manner as a normal digital camera. The angle of view is determined, and the shutter button 20 is pressed to perform shooting.
[0011]
Here, FIG. 4 shows a system configuration of the digital camera 10. The subject light transmitted through the photographing lens 14 fixed to the lens barrel 16 is converted into an image signal by the CCD 30. Thereafter, this image signal is subjected to noise removal and level adjustment by the CDS / AGC circuit 32, and digitized R (red), G (green), and B (blue) for each pixel by the A / D converter 34. The image data is temporarily written in the internal memory 36. The image data written in the internal memory 36 is continuously sent to the signal processing circuit 38, where YC processing for separating the luminance signal and the color signal, gamma correction, knee / white clip correction processing, contour correction processing, and the like are performed. Then, it is written again as digital data in the internal memory 36. Thereafter, the digital data is read from the internal memory 36, resized, adjusted for the number of pixels, and displayed on the LCD 24 as a through image.
[0012]
When a shooting angle of view is determined while viewing the through image displayed on the LCD 24 and shooting is performed by pressing the shutter button 20, a shooting command is issued from the CPU 42, digital data is read from the internal memory 36, and compressed. The data is sent to the decompression processing circuit 44. This is to efficiently use the external memory by compressing the photographed data and recording it in the external memory. The compressed digital data is written into the internal memory 36 and then read out and stored in the memory card 40.
[0013]
The digital camera 10 includes a lens position control circuit 46, a lens position detection circuit 48, and an exterior detection means 50. As will be described in detail later, each time the power is turned on / off, the CPU 42 detects whether the exterior is mounted by the exterior detection means 50, and further, based on the position of the photographing lens 14 detected by the lens position detection circuit 48. Thus, the expansion and contraction of the lens barrel 16 is determined. Expansion and contraction of the lens barrel 16 is executed by the lens position control circuit 46 based on a command from the CPU 42.
[0014]
Hereinafter, the exterior mounted on the digital camera 10 and the aforementioned exterior detection means 50 will be described with specific examples. FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the digital camera 10 equipped with a wide conversion lens 52 as an exterior. The wide conversion lens 52 is fitted and fixed in a frame 54 provided at the tip of the lens barrel 16. The lens barrel 16 further includes an exterior detection unit 50 that detects the attachment of the wide conversion lens 52.
[0015]
A first example of the exterior detection means 50 is shown in FIG. 6A shows a state before the wide conversion lens 52 is mounted, and FIG. 6B shows a state after the mounting. A switch 56 is provided on the inner side of the frame 54 and can be tilted in the direction in which the wide conversion lens 52 is fitted. When the edge of the wide conversion lens 52 is inserted into the frame 54, the switch 56 is pushed down as shown in FIG. The change of the switch 56 is detected by a sensor provided on the back side of the switch 56 and is transmitted to the CPU 42 to be detected as mounting of the exterior.
[0016]
As a second example, an exterior detection means using a photo interrupter is shown in FIG. 7A and 7B, FIG. 7A shows a state before the wide conversion lens 52 is attached, and FIG. 7B shows a state after the attachment. In FIG. 7, the light emitting LED 58 is embedded on the back side of the frame 54 provided at the tip of the lens barrel 16, and the light receiving sensor 60 is embedded at a position horizontal to the light emitting LED 58. Before the wide conversion lens 52 is attached, the light emitted from the light emitting LED 58 is detected by the light receiving sensor 60. However, when the wide conversion lens 52 is attached as shown in FIG. 5B, the light from the light emitting LED 58 is blocked by the wide conversion lens 52, so that the light receiving sensor 60 hardly senses the light emitted from the light emitting LED 58. The CPU 42 detects that the wide conversion lens 52 is mounted by the change in the amount of received light.
[0017]
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the digital camera 10 when the dustproof and dripproof cover 62 is mounted as an exterior. The cover 62 is made of plastic so that the camera body 12 in a photographing state from which the lens barrel 16 protrudes can be accommodated completely. A protective glass 64 is fixed at a position facing the photographing lens 14, the strobe light emitting unit 18, and the LCD 24 of the cover 62. A shutter button 66 is attached to the upper and rear surfaces of the cover 62, a cancel key 68 that is optionally pressed when the lens barrel 16 is to be retracted, a power button (not shown), and an operation button (not shown). And is electrically connected to the camera body 12 via a remote control cable described later in detail. Thus, the camera body 12 can be set and photographed even when the cover 62 is attached.
[0018]
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the inside of the cover 62. The back surface of the cover 62 is covered with a lid 72 that can be freely opened and closed via a hinge part 70. Inside the cover 62, a camera mounting member 74 is rotatably provided. The camera mounting member 74 is aligned with a camera mounting screw 76 that is screwed into a tripod screw hole on the bottom surface of the camera body 12 and an exterior detection hole provided on the bottom surface of the camera body 12. A pin 78 that also serves to prevent shaking inside the cover 62 is provided, so that the camera body 12 can be fixed on the camera mounting member 74. When the camera body 12 is correctly fixed on the camera mounting member 74, the pin 78 reaches the sensor provided in the camera body 12 from the exterior detection hole of the camera body 12, so that the CPU 42 detects the attachment of the exterior. Is done. Also, a remote control cable 80 having a plug 80a is provided inside the cover 62. By inserting the plug 80a into the digital input / output terminal of the digital camera 10, various buttons provided on the outer surface of the cover 62 are provided. The camera body 12 is electrically connected. As a result, the user can take a picture while wearing the cover 62.
[0019]
As shown in the above three examples, each of the exterior detection means includes a sensor for reading a physical change caused by mounting the exterior, and the sensor is disposed on the inner surface or inside of the camera body. ing. This can prevent malfunction of the sensor due to external contact or light reception.
[0020]
When the power supply is switched on and off while the exterior is mounted as described above, the expansion and contraction processing of the lens barrel 16 accompanying the power supply switching is unnecessary. In this digital camera 10, even if the power is turned off with the exterior attached, the lens barrel 16 is not contracted and the photographing lens 14 is kept protruding so that the preparation for photographing when the power is turned on thereafter is maintained. Reduce the time it takes.
[0021]
Here, the determination of the lens position when the power is turned off will be described in detail. FIG. 10 is a flow for determining the lens position when the power is turned off. First, when the power is turned off in step S100, in step S102, the CPU 42 confirms that the user has not canceled the function of the present invention that the lens barrel 16 is not contracted when the exterior is mounted. To do. Cancellation of this function can be set by performing a predetermined operation with the operation button 28 of the camera body 12 or pressing a cancel key 68 provided on the cover 62. This is effective, for example, when the cover 62 as shown in FIG. 8 is attached and when the lens barrel 16 is retracted so that the camera body 12 can be easily inserted and removed. If the function cancellation is set in step S102, the process proceeds to step S104, the lens retracting process is performed, and then the shooting end process S106 is completed, and the process ends.
[0022]
If the function cancellation is not set, the CPU 42 detects the position of the photographing lens 14 by the lens position detection circuit 48 in step S110. As a result, when the photographing lens 14 is in the retracted state, the photographing end process S106 is performed as it is, and the operation ends S108. On the other hand, if the camera body 12 is in the shooting state, the process proceeds to step S112, and the CPU 42 detects whether the exterior is mounted by the exterior detection means 50. When the exterior is mounted, the photographing end process is performed in step S106 while the position of the photographing lens 14 is in the photographing state, and the operation is finished S108. If it is detected in step S112 that the exterior is not attached, the process proceeds to step S104. After the lens retracting process is performed, the photographing end process S106 is performed and the operation ends S108.
[0023]
As described above, when the exterior is mounted, the operation is terminated while the lens position is in the shooting state. However, in this digital camera 10, the exterior detection means 50 is driven even when the power is turned off. When it is detected that the exterior has been removed, the power is automatically turned on to perform the lens retracting process. FIG. 11 shows a flowchart in the case where the exterior is removed with the power off.
[0024]
In FIG. 11, first, when it is detected that the exterior has been removed by the exterior detection means 50 in step S114, the process proceeds to step S116, and the CPU 42 automatically turns on the power. In step S118, the CPU 42 drives the lens position control circuit 46 to contract the lens barrel 16 and perform lens collapse processing. When the lens retracting process S118 ends and the camera body 12 is in the retracted state, a power-off process S120 is performed, and the operation ends S122.
[0025]
On the other hand, FIG. 12 shows a flow for determining the lens position when the power is turned on from the off state. First, when the power is turned on in step S124, it is detected in step S126 whether or not the exterior is mounted by the exterior detection means 50. If it is detected that the exterior is attached, the process proceeds to step S128, and the CPU 42 receives a signal from the lens position detection circuit 48 and detects whether the photographing lens 14 protrudes to a predetermined initial position. If the photographic lens 14 has already protruded to the initial position, the live view display processing is started in step S130, and the camera is ready to shoot S132. However, if the exterior is not attached in step S126, or if the photographic lens 14 is not in the initial position in step S128, the process proceeds to step S134 and the projection process of the lens barrel 16 is performed, and then the through image display process S130. Is started, and the photographing state S132 is entered.
[0026]
As described above, when the power supply is repeatedly turned on and off while the exterior is attached to the camera body 12, the photographing lens is kept in the photographing state, so that the time required for preparation for photographing is greatly reduced. Can do. When the lens barrel 16 is desired to be contracted with the exterior attached, the user simply presses the cancel key 76 or performs a predetermined operation with the operation button 28. Further, when the exterior is removed while the power is off, the power is automatically turned on and the lens barrel 16 contracts to the retracted state, and then the power is automatically turned off again. Easy to use.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the lens retractable camera according to the present invention includes the exterior detection unit that detects that the exterior is mounted on the camera body, and the lens position detection unit that detects the position of the photographing lens. When it is detected by the exterior detection means that the exterior is mounted, the contraction operation of the lens barrel accompanying the power-off is stopped and the photographing lens is held in the photographing state. As a result, unnecessary lens barrel contraction is omitted, and the time required for subsequent imaging preparation can be greatly reduced. In addition, the power consumption associated with the retracting and protruding of the taking lens can be reduced.
[0028]
The exterior detection means described above includes a sensor that reads a physical change generated by mounting the exterior, and this sensor is installed inside or on the inner surface of the camera body. This prevents malfunction of the sensor due to external contact or the like.
[0029]
If the exterior detection means detects that the exterior has been removed while the power is off, the camera body is automatically turned on and the lens barrel is retracted to bring the camera body into the stowed state. Since it has a function to change, it can be used easily.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a front surface of a digital camera embodying the present invention in a stored state.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the rear appearance of the digital camera.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a front appearance of the digital camera in a shooting state.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a digital camera.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the front appearance of a digital camera equipped with a wide conversion lens.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of exterior detection means.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of exterior detection means.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the front appearance of a digital camera equipped with a cover.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the inside of the cover.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a system processing flow after the power is turned off.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a system processing flow when the exterior is removed with the power off.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a system processing flow after power is turned on.
[Explanation of symbols]
12 Camera body 14 Shooting lens 16 Lens barrel 50 Exterior detection means

Claims (3)

When the power is turned on and off, the lens barrel is expanded and contracted to change into at least two states: a photographing state where the photographing lens is in a position where photographing is possible and a retracted state where the photographing lens is retracted into the camera body. In a lens retractable camera in which a conversion lens attached to the tip of the lens barrel and a dustproof and drip-proof cover attached to cover the camera body can be attached as an exterior ,
Exterior detection means comprising a lens sensor that detects that the conversion lens is mounted and a cover sensor that detects that the dustproof and drip-proof cover is mounted ,
Lens position detecting means for detecting the position of the photographing lens;
Control means for performing a process of stopping the contraction operation of the lens barrel when the power is turned off and holding the photographing lens in the photographing state when the exterior sensing means detects that the exterior is attached; ,
A lens collapsible camera, comprising: a cancel setting unit configured to set the control unit to cancel the process when the cover sensor detects that the dustproof / splashproof cover is attached . The sensor for a lens and the sensor for a cover read the physical change which generate | occur | produces by mounting | wearing with an exterior, and are installed in the inside or the inner surface of the said camera main body, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Lens retractable camera.   When it is detected that the exterior is removed by the exterior detection means when the power is off, the camera body is automatically turned on and the lens barrel is contracted to store the camera body. The lens retractable camera according to claim 1, wherein the lens retractable camera is changed to a state.

Images