JPH0254620B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Application) The present invention relates to a battery cover attachment detection mechanism for detecting whether or not a battery cover of a camera is attached, for example.

(Prior Art) A mechanism for detecting whether or not a battery or a battery cover is attached to an electric device has been known, and a control circuit is caused to perform a predetermined operation based on the detected information.

The present applicant previously disclosed a method in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-133124 that detects whether the battery or battery cover is attached and operates a power-up clear circuit when the battery is attached to prevent unauthorized circuit operation when replacing the battery. We are making suggestions to prevent this from happening.

The actual battery installation detection in the above proposal is as follows:
Two methods are proposed: a detection method using a switch that responds to the installation operation of the battery itself, and a detection method using a switch that responds to the installation operation of the battery cover. In the former method of this proposal, in a configuration where multiple batteries are placed horizontally in the battery storage room and the attachment/detachment of these multiple batteries is independent, it is possible to reliably detect whether the power source battery is conducting or not. Therefore, it becomes necessary to arrange a mounting-responsive switch for each battery, which leads to problems in terms of cost and problems that go against making the entire device more compact.

Furthermore, in the latter method of the above proposal, false detections may occur due to deformation or looseness in which the battery cover is raised due to the spring biasing force of the switch that responds when the battery cover is attached, or warping due to aging of the battery cover. Problems are likely to occur. This problem particularly occurs in large-area battery covers of devices that house a large number of batteries, and a solution to this problem has been desired. In addition, in order to solve the above problem, it is conceivable to arrange the response switch at a position corresponding to the hook part that is the fulcrum for opening and closing the battery cover, but in such a configuration, the battery cover is attached to the spring of the switch. It is necessary to press the hook against the biasing force at the beginning of mounting, which poses a problem in terms of operability.

(Summary of the Invention) The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides low cost, compactness of the device, prevention of unauthorized deformation of the battery cover, and good operability when attaching the battery cover. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery cover attachment detection mechanism.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a battery cover attachment detection mechanism having a switch that responds to pressure, in which the battery cover is configured with a locking member that locks the battery cover when the attachment to the main body of the device is completed, and The pressing part is characterized by a battery cover attachment detection mechanism disposed on the movement locus of the locking member during the battery cover attachment operation.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on the drawings.

Figure 1 essentially detects whether the battery is installed or not.
It shows a circuit device that uses the detected information to power up and clear the camera control circuit.
FIG. 1 shows an example of circuit control using detection information from a battery attachment detection switch.

In the figure, 112 is a capacitor for forming a power up clear circuit, and 114 is a capacitor 112.
A resistor having a high resistance value connected in series to the capacitor 112 to form a charging path for the resistor 1.
One end of 14 is connected to the output end of a power source (not shown) connected to battery 104 . Reference numeral 116 is a trigger circuit for forming a power up clear circuit connected to the output end of the capacitor 112, and the output end of the trigger circuit 116 is connected to the reset terminal of each digital circuit (not shown) of the camera control circuit for power up clearing. connected to provide a signal. A control circuit 120 is composed of a CMOS-IC microprocessor, etc., and has an oscillation circuit that outputs clock pulse signals and the like using a crystal oscillator 122. The control circuit 120 is constantly driven by being supplied with power from the battery 104. 124 is an electric circuit system separate from the control circuit 120, which connects the battery 10 via a power switch 126.
Connected to 4.

Next, the operation of the above circuit will be explained.

When the battery 104 is installed in an initial state in which no charge is accumulated in the capacitor 112 and power is supplied to each electric circuit 120, 124, etc.,
The output terminal of the shot trigger circuit 116 of the power-up clear circuit becomes a high level (hereinafter referred to as HL), and a power-up clear signal of HL is applied to a reset terminal of a digital circuit (not shown). Further, since a charging current flows through the resistor 114 at the same time as the power is turned on, the capacitor 112 is charged, and the potential at its output terminal gradually increases in proportion to the resistance value of the resistor 114 and the capacitance of the capacitor 112. When the charging potential of the capacitor 112 reaches the threshold value of the Schmitt trigger circuit 116, the output terminal of the Schmitt trigger circuit 116 is inverted from HL to low level (hereinafter referred to as LL), the power up clear signal disappears, and each The initial reset of the digital circuit in the electrical circuit is completed. Thereafter, in the camera, a sequence for exposure control is executed in a known manner by electric circuits 120 and 124 in conjunction with the depression of the shutter release button. Note that the output potential of the capacitor 112 is maintained approximately at the output potential of the battery 104 during the exposure control described above and during subsequent exposure control since the discharge current is small.

In such a situation, the operation in the case where the battery 104 is quickly replaced or the battery cover is opened inadvertently will be described.

In such a case, the short circuit switch SW1 is closed when the battery cover is opened. For this reason, the capacitor 11 of the power up clear circuit, which was holding a potential higher than the threshold of the schmitt trigger circuit 116,
2 is short-circuited by the switch SW1, the charge in the capacitor 112 is instantly discharged via the switch SW1, and its charging potential becomes below the threshold of the Schmitt trigger circuit 116, that is, almost zero.

After that, the battery 104 is replaced within a short time,
If the battery cover is closed again or opened inadvertently, but only the battery cover is closed without replacing the battery 104, the input potential of the Schmitt trigger circuit 116 is approximately zero at this time. Therefore, the output terminal of the Schmitt trigger circuit 116 is activated in response to power application, that is, the closing of the battery cover.
A power-up clear signal is generated by inverting from LL to HL to ensure that the digital circuit is reset. On the other hand, when the battery cover is closed, switch SW1
Since the capacitor 112 is opened, the capacitor 112 is charged again when the battery cover is closed, that is, when the power is turned on, and its charge level gradually increases. And as mentioned above,
The charge level is the Schmitt trigger circuit 116
exceeds the threshold value, the Schmitt trigger circuit 11
The output potential of 6 is inverted from HL to LL, the power up clear signal disappears, the initial reset of the digital circuit is completed, and each electric circuit 120, 124
executes the exposure control operation as described above from a normal initial state.

2 to 9 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the camera seen from the bottom, where 1 is a battery cover with an area approximately the same as the bottom of the camera, 2 is a locking member of the battery cover 1, 3a is a tripod screw hole of a tripod screw member 3, and 4 is the bottom cover of the camera body, 5
is the back cover of the camera body, 6 is the top cover of the camera body, 7 is
is the eyepiece frame. The locking member 2 has a structure in which the locking position and the unlocking position can be selected by rotating the locking member 2. Although the specific structure will be described later, the locking member 2 is in the unlocking position.
The operation part 2a protrudes from the surface of the battery cover 1 and has a finger hook function, which improves the operability when the battery cover 1 is removed.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the camera with the battery cover 1 removed. Four batteries 9 (for example, AAA batteries) are placed horizontally, two on each side with the receiver 4a in between. There is. The four batteries 9 are supported by a positive battery contact 10 and a negative battery contact 11 in a concave battery housing 12, respectively. Although not shown in detail, the four batteries 9 are wired to be electrically connected in series. In the battery storage portion 12, receiving portions 4a and 4b are arranged at the end positions in the left and right direction and at the center position in FIG. The flat surface 4c of the receiving portion 4a becomes the abutting surface when the battery cover 1 is attached. The tripod screw member 3 is formed in the receiving part 4a, and the tripod screw hole 3
A thread groove 3b is formed in a. Further, an engaging portion 8 of the locking member 2 is formed in the receiving portion 4a,
In FIG. 3, the battery cover detection pin 13 can be visually read at the center of the engaging portion. Details regarding this engaging portion 8 will be described later. In the figure, 4d is a hook hole that serves as a swinging point when the battery cover 1 is opened and closed.

4 and 7 are cross-sectional views taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 5 and 8 are plan views of the main parts of FIGS. , FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 are developed cross-sectional views of the main parts. 4 to 6 show the locking member 2 in a locked state, and FIGS. 7 to 9 show the unlocked state.

First, to explain the locked state of the locking member 2, the receiving portion 4a is fastened to the camera body 14 at a plurality of locations with screws 15, and is firmly fixed to the camera body 14. Two hook claws 1a are formed on one side of the battery cover 1, and the hook claws 1a are hooked into the hook holes 4d of the bottom cover 4, thereby serving as swing fulcrums when the battery cover 1 is opened and closed. It also serves to prevent one side from lifting up when worn. A tapered portion 1b is formed on the inner surface of the battery lid 1 adjacent to the receiving portion 4a.
It is designed to prevent unauthorized contact with the receiving part 4a when it is attached.

The locking member 2 has a disc-shaped operating part 2a and a shaft part 2b.
The operating portion 2a is formed integrally with the
protrudes from the surface of the battery cover 1 and is further knurled on the surface, thereby allowing the user to press and rotate the cover with his or her fingers.
Further, a locking member 16 having two protrusions is attached to the lower end of the shaft portion 2b of the locking member 2 by being caulked after being inserted into the hole 1e of the battery cover 1. It goes without saying that the locking member 16 can be attached to the shaft portion 2b by various methods other than the caulking method, such as using a tightening washer or a screw. Also, lock member 2
A compression coil 7 is disposed on the shaft portion 2b between the battery cover 1 and the battery cover 1, and the spring biasing force of the compression coil 17 causes the locking member 2 to move in the direction of arrow X, that is, the locking member 16 is moved relative to the battery cover 1. It is set to work in the direction of clamping.

The engaging part 8 is constructed at a position corresponding to the locking member 2 of the receiving part 4a, and as shown in FIGS. A protrusion 8f is formed, and the thickness of the protrusion 8d, 8e, and 8f is set to three different thicknesses as shown in FIG. Specifically, the diameter of the hole 8a is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the locking member 16, and the locking member is placed in a portion where the projections 8d to 8f are not formed (referred to as a hollow portion 8b for convenience). 16, the lock member 2 itself is not restrained by the engaging portion 8 and becomes free in the axial direction. However, the locking member 16 is
When located on the lower surface of f, the locking member 2 is locked to the engaging portion 8. In the locked state shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the locking member 16 is located on the lower surface of the lock groove projection 8e, and is located in the lock groove projection 8e, which is the thinnest among the projections 8d to 8f, and locks the compression coil 1.
It is understood that the locking function in the axial direction is generated by being pressed against the lower surface by 7, and since it is located between the thick protrusion 8d and the stopper protrusion 8f, it is also locked in the rotating direction. Ru. The axially movable stroke h of the locking member 2 with respect to the battery cover 1 is set in the relationship of "thickness of the protrusion 8d<h<stopper protrusion 8f", and as shown in FIG. 16'' position and can be located on the lower surface of the lock groove protrusion 8e shown by the solid line. Furthermore, since the thickness of the stopper protrusion 8f is set to be thicker than the axially movable stroke h of the lock member 2, the protrusion 8f prevents the locking member 16 from rotating beyond a predetermined amount.

The battery storage section 12 is firmly fixed to the camera body 14 with screws or the like (not shown), and although it is not visible in the cross-sectional position in FIG. 4, it is formed into a concave shape as a whole to enable storage of the battery 9. . The contact piece 18 and the contact piece 19 are attached to the boss 12b portion of the battery storage portion 12 via an insulating plate 20, and are prevented from coming off by caulking the tip of the boss 12b. In this case, since the battery case 12 is made of an insulating material such as plastic, it is understood that the contact pieces 18 and 19 are insulated even at the mounting portion. The battery lid detection pin 13 is inserted into the hole 12c of the battery storage part 12, is biased toward the battery lid 1 side by the spring force of the contact piece 19, and its tip engages with the tip of the shaft portion 2b of the locking member 2. , so as to be interlocked with the movement of the lock member 2 in the axial direction. When the locking member 2 is in the locked state as shown in FIG.
The detection pin 13 is pushed by the locking member 2, and the contact piece 18 and the contact piece 19 are controlled to be non-conductive. The contact piece 18, the contact piece 19, and the battery cover detection pin 13 are configured as a switch that responds to pressure to detect the attachment state of the battery cover 1 according to the present invention, and is in a non-conductive state, although illustration of electrical wiring etc. is omitted. Non-attachment of the battery cover 1 is detected at , and attachment is detected at the conductive state.

Note that the contact piece 19 is always spring-biased in the direction of the contact piece 18, and of course the lock member 2 is spring-biased upward in FIG. Engagement part 8 of receiving part 4a
Since the spring biasing force is substantially applied to the receiving portion 4a fixed to the camera body 14,
A force that lifts the battery cover 1 will not be generated.

Next, the lock member 2 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9
The unlocked state of the device will be described, including an explanation of how to change from the locked state to the unlocked state.

The locking member 2 is released from the locked position by pressing the operating portion 2a with the back of a finger and rotating it. Note that a tapered portion 1c is formed on the battery cover 1 near the operating portion 2a to improve the operability of the rotating operation of the operating portion. and,
In this operating method, the locking member 2 is inevitably pushed in, so the engagement between the locking member 16 and the locking groove protrusion 8e is disengaged, and the rotational operation can be easily performed.
When the locking member 16 is rotated in the direction shown in FIG. 9, the locking member 16 comes into contact with the stopper protrusion 8f, allowing the user to sense that the locking member 16 has reached the unlocked position. In this state, if the user releases his/her finger to release the locking member 2, the locking member 16 will be located at the hole 8a position and will pop out from the plane of the battery cover 1 due to the urging force of the compression coil 17 ( (See Figure 7). At this time, the battery lid detection pin 13 is no longer pressed by the locking member 2, and the contact piece 18 and the contact piece 19 are brought into conduction. Further, in this state, even if an attempt is made to rotate the locking member 2, the locking member 16 is formed on the battery cover 1, and the locking member 16
Since it is inserted into the groove 1g, which is made up of a groove with almost the same shape as the locking member 16, its rotation is restricted and it is held in the unlocked position (the unlocked position of the locking member 16), so as not to impede future operability to the locked state. I have to.

In this unlocked state, the locking member 2 protrudes from the plane of the battery cover 1 as described above, so the user can easily remove and remove the battery cover 1 by simply placing his/her finger on the operation part 2a. . To actually remove the battery cover 1, use the operating section 2a of the locking member 2.
This is done by pulling up the battery cover 1 and swinging it open around the hook claw 1a.

The operation from the locked state to the unlocked state has been described above, but since the operation from the unlocked state to the locked state is also performed by reversing the above-mentioned operation, a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the attachment state of the battery cover 1 can be detected extremely accurately by checking the non-conduction and conduction between the contact piece 18 and the contact piece 19, and the spring biasing force of the contact piece 19 in the direction of the battery cover 1 can be detected by the locking member. It can be seen that, with the configuration of 2, it is substantially added to the receiving part 4a and not to the battery cover 1, so that unauthorized deformation such as warping of the battery cover 1 can be prevented. Furthermore, since the pressing of the contact piece 19 to make it non-conductive is performed by the lock member 2 that is locked to the receiving part 4a, even if the battery cover 1 warps slightly due to aging, the warp will not occur when the contact piece 19 is connected. Reliable switching control can be achieved without affecting the pressing force of the piece 19.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the contact piece 18 and the contact piece 19 are not electrically connected until the locking operation of the lock member 2 is properly performed. It is possible to prevent the battery cover 1 from opening when the camera is used due to forgetting to lock it.

Further, in this embodiment, the spring biasing force of the compression coil 17 pushes the battery cover 1 into the receiving portion 4 in the locked state.
Since the battery cover 1 acts in the direction of pressing against the battery cover 1, it is possible to prevent rattling when the battery cover 1 is attached.

FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of the invention.
Since this second embodiment only changes some of the components of the first embodiment, the same components are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations will be omitted.

That is, in the second embodiment, the battery cover detection pin 21 is set long, and the pin 21 of the camera body 14 is
A relief portion 14a is formed at a position corresponding to the above. In this configuration, the battery cover detection pin 21 not only controls conduction and non-conduction between the contact pieces 18 and 19, but also controls the battery by the spring biasing force of the contact pieces 19 in the unlocked state as shown in the figure. It also has the function of improving operability by lifting the entire lid 1 to make the removal operation even easier.

FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the invention.
Since this third embodiment is also a modification of only some of the components of the first embodiment, the same components are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations will be omitted.

That is, in the third embodiment, the attachment of the battery cover 1 is detected by the rotation of the locking member 2 when the locking operation is performed. The base is fixed to the contact piece seat 24 attached by caulking or the like, and is normally maintained in a conductive state. The contact piece 23 is rotated in the locking direction of the locking member 2 to lock the locking member 1.
6, that is, the contact piece 2 is extended to the position where it engages with the locking groove projection 8e of the engaging portion 8.
When the locking member 2 is rotated by the locking operation and the locking member 16 reaches the position of the locking groove protrusion 8e in the final stage of locking, the contact piece 23 is forcibly moved in the non-conducting direction (Fig. (downward). As a result, the contact piece 22 and the contact piece 23 become non-conductive, and the attached state of the battery cover 1 is detected. Note that in the above-mentioned locked state, the contact piece 23
The spring biasing force acts on the locking member 16 in the unlocking rotation direction, but the locking member 16 is in the locked state, that is, in the lock groove projection 8e position, it is not rotated by the projection 8d formed in the unlocking direction. It is understood that since the locking is performed, there is no effect. In the figure, 8g is the relief part of the contact piece 23 in the locked state.

The feature of this third embodiment is that it is possible to detect the attachment state of the battery cover 1, and also to detect whether the locking member 2 has reached the proper position when rotating to the locked state. 22, 23
The output can also be used as an unlock warning signal, and the difference from the first embodiment described above is that this embodiment outputs an unlock signal when the locking member 16 is locked to the engaging portion 8. The reason is that it can be detected.

In the embodiment described above, the battery cover 1 was configured to swing open and close with respect to the bottom cover 4 of the camera body using the hook claw 1a as a fulcrum.
Even if the battery cover 1 is simply locked to the bottom cover 4 by the locking member 2 alone, the same effects of the present invention can be obtained.

Further, in the embodiment, the attachment detection switch for the battery cover 1 is constructed of a contact piece, but other switches, such as a switch that obtains an elastic biasing force using silicone rubber or conductive rubber, may be used.

In addition, in the embodiment, the output of the battery cover 1 attachment detection switch is shown as an example of a circuit used to power up and clear the camera control circuit, but in other cases, for example, in a camera using a CPU, the output of the battery cover 1 attachment detection switch is
Various implementations can be performed, such as output for switching the operation from standby mode to operation mode, or output for switching between display and erasure on the camera information display section.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, the present invention provides a pressure response to the movement trajectory of the locking member provided on the battery cover when it is attached to the device body in order to lock the battery cover when the attachment is completed. By arranging the pressing portion of the switch, the pressing force of the switch does not become a force that lifts the battery cover, thereby preventing the switch from causing unauthorized warping. Further, in the present invention, even if the battery cover warps due to aging, the switch is pressed by a locking member that does not affect the warp, so reliable switch operation can be achieved.
Furthermore, in the present invention, it is also possible to check based on the output of the switch whether or not the locking member has been operated to lock the battery cover. Furthermore, according to the present invention, even in devices that house multiple batteries, substantial battery attachment detection can be performed by simply providing one detection switch, resulting in miniaturization and cost reduction of the devices themselves. can be fulfilled.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an example of circuit control based on information detected by a press-responsive switch according to the present invention. Figure 2~
FIG. 9 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the camera seen from the bottom. Figure 3 is a bottom view of the camera with the battery cover removed. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line A--A in FIG. 1 showing the battery cover in a locked state. Fifth
The figure is a plan view of the main part of FIG. 4 viewed from the direction of arrow B.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory developed cross-sectional view of the main parts. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A--A in FIG. 1 showing the unlocked state of the battery cover. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the main part of FIG. 7, viewed from the direction of arrow B. FIG. 9 is an explanatory developed cross-sectional view of the main parts. 10th
The figure is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a plan view of main parts showing a third embodiment of the present invention. 1...Battery cover, 2...Lock member, 18,1
9, 22, 23... contact piece.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a battery cover attachment detection mechanism having a switch that responds to pressure, the battery cover is configured with a locking member that locks the battery cover when attachment to the main body of the device is completed, and the pressing portion of the switch is configured to A battery lid attachment detection mechanism, characterized in that it is disposed on the movement locus of the locking member during a lid attachment operation. 2. The battery lid attachment detection mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the switch is spring-biased in the direction of its original shape. 3. In claim 1 or 2, the switch is biased by a spring in the direction of detachment of the battery cover, and moves the battery cover in the direction of detachment by releasing the locking member from the main body of the device. Battery cover attachment detection mechanism. 4. The battery lid attachment detection mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking member is formed approximately at the center of the battery lid. 5. The battery lid attachment detection mechanism according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the locking member includes a spring member that elastically clamps the battery lid and the device body in a locked state with the device body.