JP4883344B2 - Digital camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a small digital camera using a CCD image sensor.

Today, there is a strong demand for miniaturization and thinning of digital cameras, which are small electronic cameras, and highly integrated and high-density parts are incorporated inside.
When these parts are assembled, in order to efficiently perform the assembling work, parts are unitized for each function, and a plurality of units are assembled and connected.

  As an example of this unitization, for example, a photographing unit in which a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD and a photographing lens are integrated, a strobe unit in which a strobe light emitting unit and a strobe condenser are integrated, a liquid crystal display element, a backlight panel, It has been proposed to use a display unit that integrates electronic components such as various ICs and LSIs and a memory card socket on a circuit board (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, today, there is a demand for a digital camera having an optical zoom function as well as an electronic zoom in a card-type small digital camera, and a lens barrel containing a lens from the camera body and a lens in the lens barrel A digital camera having a retractable lens that projects a zoom lens and adjusts the focus by projecting the lens is also widely used.

  When adjusting the zoom and focus, without changing the overall length of the projection lens group, the first lens group on the objective side and the final lens group on the imaging element side are fixed lenses, and a plurality of movable lens groups are provided in the middle. The taking lens unit to be arranged has also been used.

  In a digital camera incorporating a lens unit equipped with this inner zoom lens or inner focus lens, as shown in FIG. 7, the first lens of the photographing lens is positioned in the vicinity of the corner on the upper side of the front of the camera body 10. In some cases, a lens window 12 is provided, a flash light emission window 24 is provided so that a flash is arranged in the vicinity of the lens window 12, and a release button 19 is provided on the upper surface of the camera body 10. Some 10 have a monitor screen and zoom buttons on the back.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, a lens unit 41 having a first lens 45 positioned on the lateral upper side of the camera body 10 and facing forward and having an image sensor 43 attached to the lower end is incorporated. The circuit unit and the battery 31 are built in the side of the lens unit 41 (for example, Patent Document 2).

The lens unit 41 has an optical axis conversion element that changes the optical axis direction of the prism or the like by 90 degrees behind the first lens 45, and is aligned with the optical axis of the imaging element 43 in the immediate vicinity of the imaging element 43. A fixed lens group having a plurality of movable lens groups, an inner zoom lens and an inner focus lens, between the fixed lens group and the optical axis conversion element, and driving to move the movable lens group in the optical axis direction A motor and a lead screw are provided.
JP 2004-015601 A JP-A-2005-010281

  Since the lens unit having the inner zoom lens and the inner focus lens can change the optical zoom magnification without changing the total length of the lens unit, it can be a photographing unit suitable for a small digital camera.

  However, if the optical zoom magnification is increased or the zoom rate change range is increased, the total length of the inner zoom lens unit becomes longer, making it difficult to store in a small digital camera. It was difficult to increase the range of change.

  The present invention provides a small digital camera that eliminates such drawbacks and increases the magnification and change width of the optical zoom.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 includes an inner zoom lens and an inner focus lens, and an optical axis conversion for converting the direction of light incident from the outside by 90 degrees and guiding it to the image sensor. A lens unit containing the element , a circuit board, a strobe unit, a battery, a display unit, a key unit, and a first lens unit for guiding light to the lens unit on the right side when viewed from the front. A camera body in which the length sufficient to satisfy the distance between the optical axis conversion element and the imaging element in the lens unit is substantially equal to the length in the long side direction, and the lens unit is stored in the lens unit. Inside the camera body, avoid the storage position of the lens unit in the camera body, and empty except for the left and right in the long side direction. In houses said circuit board, said flash unit, and the battery, and the display unit, and a key unit.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the camera body includes a release button on an upper surface portion .

According to the present invention, it can be constructed largely small-sized digital cameras change width's over beam magnification or zoom rate.

  The best mode of the digital camera according to the present invention includes a lens unit 41 that includes an inner zoom lens and an inner focus lens and an optical axis conversion element, and a first lens 45 of the photographing lens group on the front surface of the camera body 10. It is arranged close to the provided lens window 12 and is arranged horizontally long with the second optical axis changed by the optical axis conversion element behind the first lens 45 as the horizontal direction of the camera body 10. is there.

  Then, a notch 47 is provided in a part of the front lower portion of the lens unit 41, the circuit board 15 is L-shaped, and a part of the circuit board 15 is inserted into the notch 47 of the lens unit 41 to be attached to the lens unit 41. The circuit board 15 is disposed below the lens unit 41 with a part of the circuit board 15 overlapped.

  Furthermore, a battery 31 is disposed below the circuit board 15 below the lens unit 41, a strobe light emitting unit 22 is disposed above the lens unit 41, and a strobe capacitor 23 is disposed immediately behind the optical axis conversion element in the lens unit 41. The display unit 25 and the key unit 35 are arranged side by side behind the lens unit 41 without overlapping each other.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the embodiment of the digital camera according to the present invention has a lens window 12 on the left side of the front center of the camera body 10, and a first lens 45 as a photographic lens is positioned in the lens window 12. As described above, the camera body 10 is provided in the vicinity of the front surface of the camera body 10, and the lens unit 41 having an inner zoom function and an inner focus function is incorporated in the camera body 10 in a horizontally long shape.

  Then, the circuit board 15 is arranged behind the lens unit 41, and the display unit 25 and the key unit 35 are arranged further on the circuit board 15 without overlapping, and the battery 31 is provided below the lens unit 41. Each member is housed in the camera body 10 with the strobe unit 21 disposed above the lens unit 41.

  Although not shown, the upper surface of the camera body 10 has a power switch button and a release button, and the rear surface of the camera body 10 has a monitor display screen, cursor keys, a menu determination button, and the like.

  The lens unit 41 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a prism that converts the direction of light having the first optical axis incident on the first lens 45 by 90 degrees is disposed behind the first lens 45 as an optical axis. The direction of the second optical axis, which is an optical axis of light reflected by the optical axis conversion element, is incorporated as a conversion element, and is the long axis direction of the lens unit 41.

  Further, a movable lens group and a fixed lens group are incorporated, and the optical axis of the movable lens such as the inner zoom lens and the inner focus lens and the optical axis of the fixed lens disposed immediately before the image sensor 43 or the image sensor 43 are the second optical axis. The lens group such as the inner zoom lens and the inner focus lens can be moved along the second optical axis, and has an image sensor 43 at the end opposite to the optical axis conversion element. .

  The lens unit 41 includes a zoom drive motor 51 for driving the inner zoom lens, a zoom lead screw 53 for moving the zoom lens in the second optical axis direction by the rotation of the motor 51, a zoom lens, A guide shaft 55 for moving the focus lens and the like only in parallel, and a focus drive motor and a focus lens drive mechanism for moving the focus lens are also incorporated.

  The circuit board 15 has a memory card connector 17 and a CPU for controlling the drive of the camera, and other electronic components such as a plurality of LSIs, ICs and memories. The display unit 25 is a liquid crystal display. The element and the backlight panel are overlapped and integrated, and an IC and a driver for driving the display element are incorporated.

  The key unit 35 has a plurality of keys and switches such as cursor keys and menu selection buttons attached to the board, and the strobe unit 21 has a strobe light emitting unit 22 and a strobe capacitor 23 integrated. It is.

  In this way, various parts are unitized, and the battery 31 and the strobe unit 21 are arranged above and below the lens unit 41 and the lens unit 41 is arranged horizontally, so that assembly is easy and the optical path length in the lens unit 41 is increased. The size of the camera body 10 is not changed while being lengthened.

  In order to superimpose the circuit board 15 and the display unit 25 behind the lens unit 41, the optical body has a long optical path length and a wide range of change in zoom magnification and zoom ratio by slightly increasing the thickness of the camera body 10. A digital camera having a zoom function can be obtained.

  As another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a rectangular circuit board 15 is arranged below the lens unit 41, a battery 31 is placed behind or in front of the circuit board 15, and a strobe is placed above the lens unit 41. The light-emitting unit 22 is arranged, and the lens unit 41 has a large triangular notch that aligns the back side of the optical axis conversion element with the prism shape, and the strobe capacitor 23 is inserted into this notch and is placed in the immediate vicinity of the back side of the optical axis conversion element. In some cases, the display unit 25 and the key unit 35 are arranged side by side behind the lens unit 41 without overlapping.

  In this second embodiment, since the circuit board 15 is rectangular and disposed below the lens unit 41, the second light of the lens unit 41 is widened in the horizontal direction only by slightly increasing the vertical width of the camera body 10. The optical path length is increased by aligning the axes, and only the display unit 25 and the key unit 35 are disposed behind the lens unit 41.Therefore, the camera body 10 is kept thin without increasing the zoom magnification and The change width of the zoom rate can be increased.

  In addition, since the back side of the optical axis conversion element in the lens unit 41 is cut out in a triangle and the strobe condenser 23 is disposed in the immediate vicinity of the back side of the optical axis conversion element, the density inside the camera body 10 is high, and the body size A digital camera equipped with an optical zoom function with a large zoom magnification and a large zoom rate change range can be achieved by reducing the size.

  In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide shaft 55 built in the lens unit 41 is positioned so that the upper guide shaft 55 is close to the front and the lower guide shaft 55 is close to the rear. A rectangular parallelepiped cutout 47 is formed at the front lower side of the lens unit 41, and the circuit board 15 is formed in an L shape so that the protruding portion of the circuit board 15 is inserted into the cutout 47 of the lens unit 41. The circuit board 15 is arranged below the lens unit 41 so that a part of the circuit board 15 and a part of the lens unit 41 overlap each other.

  In this way, the circuit board 15 is disposed so as to partially overlap the lens unit 41, the battery 31 is disposed behind the circuit board 15 below the lens unit 41, and the display unit is disposed behind the lens unit 41. If the 25 and the key unit 35 are arranged side by side without overlapping each other, the lens unit 41 having a long optical path length can be accommodated in the camera body 10 without making the camera body 10 thin and increasing the vertical direction width.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the lens unit 41 also has a triangular notch on the back side of the optical axis conversion element, and a strobe condenser 23 is disposed at the position of the notch so that the strobe light emitting unit 22 is replaced with the lens unit. 41 is located above.

  As another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a zoom drive motor 51 and a zoom lead screw 53 are arranged below the second optical axis and above the first lens 45 and the optical axis conversion element. A focus lens, a focus drive motor and a drive mechanism which are formed in the vicinity of the image pickup element 43 by forming the concave portion 49 are arranged above the second optical axis, and the optical system drive mechanisms are dispersedly arranged above and below the optical axis. Accordingly, there is a lens unit 41 having a crank-shaped contour, and a strobe light emitting unit 22 is disposed in a concave portion 49 formed above the optical axis conversion element.

  In this way, the zoom drive motor 51 and the zoom lead screw 53 are disposed below the second optical axis to form the lens unit 41 in a crank shape, and the strobe light emitting unit 22 is formed in the recess 49 formed above the optical axis conversion element. Can reduce the space above the lens unit 41 inside the camera body 10 and reduce the useless space in the lateral direction of the strobe light emitting unit 22 as a strobe light emitting device disposed above the lens window 12. it can.

  Also in the fourth embodiment, as in the third embodiment, a notch 47 is provided in the front lower part of the lens unit 41 in the vicinity of the image sensor 43, and a part of the L-type circuit board 15 is provided in the lens unit 41. The circuit board 15 is arranged below the lens unit 41, the display unit 25 and the key unit 35 are arranged behind the lens unit 41 without overlapping, and the strobe capacitor 23 is arranged in the vicinity of the back side of the optical axis conversion element. Thus, the vertical width of the camera body 10 can be further reduced as compared with the third embodiment.

  Thus, in the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention, the lens unit 41 having the inner zoom function and the inner focus function is arranged horizontally to increase the optical path length in the lens unit 41, and the zoom magnification and the zoom rate change range. It can be a small digital camera having a large optical zoom function.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be freely changed and improved without departing from the gist of the invention.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the internal structure of a digital camera according to the present invention. The figure which represented typically the internal structure as 2nd Example of the digital camera which concerns on this invention. The figure which represented typically the state which looked at the internal structure as 3rd Example of the digital camera which concerns on this invention from the right side and the front. The figure which represented typically the state which looked at the internal structure as 3rd Example of the digital camera which concerns on this invention from the left side. The figure which represented typically the state which looked at the internal structure as 3rd Example of the digital camera which concerns on this invention from the upper direction. The figure which represented typically the internal structure as 4th Example of the digital camera which concerns on this invention. FIG. 6 is an external view showing an example of a digital camera having a conventional inner zoom function. The figure which shows typically an example of the internal structure of the digital camera provided with the conventional inner zoom function.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Camera body 12 Lens window 15 Circuit board 19 Release button 21 Strobe unit 22 Strobe light emission part 23 Strobe condenser 24 Strobe light emission window 25 Display unit 31 Battery 35 Key unit 41 Lens unit 43 Image sensor 45 1st lens 47 Notch part 49 Recessed part 51 Zoom drive motor 53 Zoom lead screw 55 Guide shaft

Claims (2)

A lens unit that includes an inner zoom lens and an inner focus lens, and an optical axis conversion element that converts the direction of light incident from the outside by 90 degrees and guides it to the image sensor ;
A circuit board;
A strobe unit,
Battery,
A display unit;
A key unit,
A first lens unit for guiding light to the lens unit on the right side when viewed from the front direction, and a length sufficient to satisfy the distance between the optical axis conversion element and the imaging element in the lens unit A camera body approximately equal to the length of
Inside the camera body in a state where the lens unit is housed, avoid the housing position of the lens unit in the camera body, and in a space excluding the left and right in the long side direction, the circuit board, the strobe unit, A digital camera that houses the battery, the display unit, and a key unit. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera body includes a release button on an upper surface portion.

Images