HK1204681B - Lock releasing device for camera - Google Patents

Abstract

A lock releasing device for camera 1 that is disposed on a camera body side C and can release a lock of a lens locking mechanism 2 that locks an interchangeable lens L mounted on the camera body side C by an external operation, comprising a lock releasing part 3 that can release the lock of the lens locking mechanism 2 by imparting a predetermined displacement amount Sm and a lock releasing ring 4 that is disposed at a coaxial position to the interchangeable lens L in such a manner as to transmit at least a predetermined displacement amount Sm to the lock releasing part 3 and enable external operation.

Description

Unlocking device for camera

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lock release device for a camera, which is suitable for use in releasing a lock of a lens lock mechanism for locking an interchangeable lens attached to a camera body.

Background

In general, a lens interchangeable camera is configured by a combination of a camera body and an interchangeable lens that is attached to and detached from the camera body. In this case, although the interchangeable lens can be directly attached to the camera body when the camera body and the interchangeable lens are of the same manufacturer, the interchangeable lens cannot be directly attached when the specifications (manufacturer specifications) of the mounting portion of the camera body and the mounting portion of the interchangeable lens are different due to a difference in manufacturer between the camera body and the interchangeable lens, and the camera body and the interchangeable lens can be attached with the mounting adapter interposed therebetween. Further, a lens lock mechanism is incorporated in the camera body side (including the mount adapter), and when the interchangeable lens is mounted on the camera body side, the lock mechanism locks the interchangeable lens to prevent the interchangeable lens from falling off, and on the other hand, a lock release device is provided on the camera body side, and when the interchangeable lens is removed from the camera body side, the lock release device is operated by hand to release the lock of the lens lock mechanism, so that the interchangeable lens can be removed.

Conventionally, such lock release devices are configured by what is called a one-point operation method in which an operation button or an operation lever is mostly used. For example, patent document 1 discloses the following lock release mechanism: when the attachment/detachment button is pressed, the lock pin linked with the attachment/detachment button is retracted from the attachment surface of the camera attachment unit, and the lock is released. Further, patent document 2 discloses the following lock release mechanism: when the lock release button is pressed in, the tip of the guide shaft presses the pressed portion, the lock pin support member moves downward along the guide shaft against the biasing force of the lock pin biasing spring, and the tip of the lens lock pin is retracted to a non-engagement position substantially flush with the main body side mounting surface and is accommodated in the lock pin advancing and retracting hole, thereby releasing the lock. Further, patent document 3 discloses the following lock release mechanism: when the head portion of the lock release button is pressed, the lock release button and the movable member move against the spring, and the lens lock lever is rotated about the axis by the tapered outer peripheral surface of the movable member, and the lock claw of the lens lock lever is disengaged from the lens attached to the lens attachment portion, thereby releasing the lock of the lens, and patent document 4 discloses the following lock release mechanism: when the mount lock release button is pressed against the elastic force of the compression coil spring, the distal end portion of the shaft depresses the coupling member, and the pin is guided to the cylinder guide portion, whereby the lock pin is pulled down in the axial direction thereof, whereby the lens drive pin interlocked with the lock pin is pulled down, thereby releasing the lock of the lens.

However, the conventional unlocking devices for cameras (patent documents 1 to 4) described above have the following problems.

First, the operation buttons or the operation levers are in a form protruding a lot from the arrangement surface on the camera body side. Therefore, this portion cannot be held by hand, and is an obstacle to use of the camera, and it is difficult to design a simple or compact external shape (shape), and this is also a factor of disadvantage in ensuring the degree of freedom in designing the external shape.

Secondly, since an operation of, for example, a pin point (pin point) type is required, the operation is required to be performed while confirming a position, and the operation is difficult because the position of the camera body is held by a hand depending on the overall shape of the camera body. Therefore, the operation cannot be easily and quickly performed, the operability is poor, and the lock releasing means is not necessarily desirable from the viewpoint of ensuring the ease and rapidity of the lock releasing operation.

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-175190

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2000-305127

Patent document 3: japanese patent laid-open publication No.10 (1998) -206953

Patent document 4: japanese patent laid-open publication No.10 (1998) -90773

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a lock release device for a camera which solves the above problems in the background art.

The present invention provides a lock release device for a camera, which is arranged on a camera body side and can release a lock of a lens lock mechanism by an operation from the outside, wherein the lens lock mechanism locks an interchangeable lens mounted on the camera body side, the lock release device for a camera is characterized by comprising: a lock releasing section that can release the lock of the lens lock mechanism by being given a predetermined displacement amount; and a lock release ring disposed coaxially with the interchangeable lens so as to be operable from the outside while transmitting at least a predetermined displacement amount to the lock release portion.

According to the unlocking device 1 for camera of the present invention having such a configuration, the following significant effects are obtained.

(1) Since the lock release ring 4 is disposed coaxially with the interchangeable lens L and has an annular shape as a whole, the lock release ring 4 can be integrated with the interchangeable lens L in shape (external shape). Therefore, the unnecessary protruding portion on the front surface of the camera can be removed, the space saving property and the handling property can be improved, the degree of freedom of the outer shape design can be improved, and the overall sense of unity can be produced to improve the merchantability.

(2) Since the lock release ring 4 is provided to be operable from the outside so as to transmit at least the predetermined displacement amount Sm to the lock release portion 3, a portion of the lock release ring 4 that transmits the displacement amount Sm to the lock release portion 3, which portion is within at least a predetermined range, becomes an operable range. Accordingly, assuming a normal interchangeable lens L, the circumferential range of approximately ± 50 [ ° ] and the entire circumferential range of approximately 100 [ ° ] with respect to the position of the lock release portion 3 becomes the operable range. Therefore, it is possible to realize an easy and quick release operation and the like, and it is also possible to contribute to improvement of operability.

(3) According to a preferred embodiment, when the lock release portion 3 is disposed at a position on the right side or the left side of the interchangeable lens L attached to the camera body C side when viewed from the rear direction Fr, the user can easily operate the camera body C with the fingers when holding the camera body C with the hand, which contributes to further improving the ease and rapidity of the release operation.

(4) According to a preferred embodiment, when the lock releasing portion 3 is used in combination with the lock portion 2r in the lens lock mechanism 2, the structure is simplified, and thus cost reduction by reduction in the number of components, improvement in durability by improvement in rigidity, and improvement in operational feeling can be facilitated.

(5) According to a preferred embodiment, when the lock releasing portion 3 is formed separately from the lock portion 2r in the lens lock mechanism 2, the lock releasing device 1 including the lock releasing portion 3 can be constructed without being affected by the shape and structure of the lock portion 2r, and thus the degree of freedom in designing the entire device is improved, which can contribute to improvement of versatility.

(6) According to a preferred embodiment, if the lock release ring 4 is disposed so as to be able to be displaced forward and backward in the optical axis direction Fc including the lock release direction Fcn in which the lock can be released against the elastic force of the elastic member 5s (5 r.) biased in the optical axis direction Fc, the lock release operation can be easily performed by a so-called one-touch method.

(7) According to a preferred embodiment, if the lock release ring 4 is disposed so as to be capable of being rotationally displaced in the circumferential direction Ff including the lock release directions Ffn and Ffp in which the lock is released against the elastic force of the elastic member 5s that biases in the circumferential direction Ff, the lock release operation can be performed in the same manner as the operation rings such as the focus ring and the zoom ring in the interchangeable lens L, and therefore, the interchangeable lens L can be given a uniform feeling from the operation surface. Further, since the operation can be performed at all positions of the entire circumference (360 °,) of the circumferential direction Ff of the lock release ring 4, the usability and convenience can be improved, and the operation can be easily performed even if the user is left-handed.

(8) According to a preferred embodiment, when the lock release ring 4 is disposed in the mounting adapter a that is attached to and detached from the camera mounting portion Cm of the camera body C, greater performance can be obtained from the viewpoint of ensuring the operational effect of the present invention. That is, since the overall shape of the mounting adapter a is annular, in the conventional case, an operation lever has to be provided instead of the operation button. Therefore, the projecting portion is more conspicuous as the overall shape and presents an obstacle, but by using the lock release ring 4, these conventional problems can be solved.

(9) According to a preferred embodiment, when the attachment adapter a is provided with the focus adjustment auxiliary ring 7 capable of displacing the front attachment portion 6 to which the interchangeable lens L is attached and detached in the optical axis direction Fc, the interchangeable lens L can be moved in addition to the original focus range (distance) of the focus ring provided in the interchangeable lens L, and therefore, the entire focus range (distance) can be further expanded, and the overall camera performance can be further improved.

(10) According to a preferred embodiment, when the mounting adapter a is provided with the auxiliary ring lock mechanism 8 for locking or unlocking the adjustment position of the focus adjustment auxiliary ring 7, the problem that the set position (adjustment position) adjusted by the focus adjustment auxiliary ring 7 is erroneously displaced during use can be avoided, and thus the stability and the convenience in use can be further improved.

(11) According to a preferred embodiment, when the lock release ring 4 is provided integrally with the camera body C, unnecessary protruding portions on the front surface (front panel) of the camera body C can be removed, and thus the appearance (shape) of the entire camera can be improved.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mounting adapter having a preferred embodiment of the lock release device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top cross-sectional view of the mounting adapter;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the mounting adapter;

fig. 4 is a rear view of the interchangeable lens attached to and detached from the mount adapter;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view for clearly illustrating the restraining mechanism of the mounting adapter;

FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged side view illustrating the secondary ring locking mechanism of the mounting adapter;

fig. 7 is a side view showing the mount adapter and a phantom view showing a state in which a camera body and an interchangeable lens are mounted on the mount adapter;

fig. 8 is a side view showing the mount adapter and a camera body and an interchangeable lens mounted on the mount adapter;

fig. 9 is a perspective view of a lock release ring and a lock release portion (lock pin) provided in the lock release device;

fig. 10 is a top sectional view of a lock release ring provided to the lock release device;

fig. 11 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a locked state of the lock release device and the lens lock mechanism;

fig. 12 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the unlocking of the lock releasing device and the lens lock mechanism.

Fig. 13 is an overall perspective view showing a state in which a camera body and an interchangeable lens are mounted on the mount adapter;

fig. 14 is a side view of a camera body and an interchangeable lens having a lock release device according to a modified embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 15 is a side view of a mount adapter and an interchangeable lens having a lock release device according to another modified embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram of a lock release device in the mount adapter.

Description of the reference symbols

1: a lock releasing means; 2: a lens locking mechanism; 2 r: a locking portion; 3: a lock releasing section; 4: a lock release ring; 5: an elastic member; 6: a front mounting portion; 7: an auxiliary ring for focus adjustment; 8: an auxiliary ring locking mechanism; a: installing an adapter; c: a camera body; cm: a camera mounting section; l: replacing the lens; sm: a prescribed displacement amount; fr: a back side direction; fc: the direction of the optical axis; fr: circumferential direction; fcn: a lock release direction; ffn: a lock release direction; ffp: the unlocking direction.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not intended to limit the present invention, but to facilitate understanding of the present invention. Further, the detailed description of the known portions is omitted to avoid the unclear invention.

First, in order to facilitate understanding of the structure of the lock release device 1 of the present embodiment, a basic structure of the mounting adapter a having the lock release device 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 8.

When the specification of the lens mount Lm in the interchangeable lens L does not match the specification of the camera mount Cm in the camera body C, the mount adapter a is used while being interposed between the camera body C and the interchangeable lens L. Therefore, when the mount adapter a is used, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the rear side of the mount adapter a is attached to the camera mount Cm of the camera body C, and the lens mount Lm of the interchangeable lens L is attached to the front side of the mount adapter a.

Fig. 1 shows a mounting adapter a, which is formed in a ring shape (short cylindrical shape) as a whole. The mount adapter a has a rear mount 21 to which the camera mount Cm of the camera body C is attached and detached on the rear end side in the optical axis direction Fc, and has a front mount 6 to which the lens mount Lm of the interchangeable lens L is attached and detached on the front end side in the optical axis direction Fc. The front mount section 6 is provided with a lens lock mechanism 2 for locking the mount when the interchangeable lens L is mounted, and a lock release device 1 of the embodiment for releasing the lock of the lens lock mechanism 2. Therefore, depending on the type of the mount adapter a, the rear mount portion 21 is configured corresponding to the type of the camera body C, and the front mount portion 6 is configured corresponding to the type of the interchangeable lens L.

On the other hand, a focus adjustment auxiliary ring 7 is disposed at an intermediate position in the optical axis direction Fc of the mounting adapter a. As shown in fig. 2, the auxiliary ring 7 includes an auxiliary ring main body 7m located at the front and a support cylindrical portion 7s located at the rear, and the auxiliary ring main body 7m is rotatably supported by the support cylindrical portion 7 s. A rear mounting block 24 having a rear mounting portion 21 is disposed on the rear side of the auxiliary ring 7, and a front mounting block 25 having a front mounting portion 6 is disposed on the front side of the auxiliary ring 7.

The rear side of the rear mounting block 24 is configured as the rear mounting portion 21, and the front side of the rear mounting block 24 is configured as the grip cylinder portion 24 h. The rear mounting portion 21 has an engagement tube portion 21c projecting rearward and three locking claw portions 21n. Each of the locking claw portions 21n · is formed integrally with the rear end of the engagement tube portion 21c at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and projects in the radial direction, and at least a part of each of the locking claw portions 21n · is formed in a different shape. This allows the camera body C to be attached to and detached from the camera mounting portion Cm only at a specific angular position. Although not shown in detail, the camera mounting portion Cm has the same basic configuration and function as the front mounting portion 6 described later, and includes an inner peripheral surface for allowing insertion of the locking claw portions 21n. The inner peripheral surface of the engagement cylindrical portion 21c of the rear attachment portion 21 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the support cylindrical portion 7s of the auxiliary ring 7 by screwing.

On the other hand, the front side of the front mounting block 25 disposed on the front side of the auxiliary ring 7 is configured as the front mounting portion 6, and the rear side of the front mounting block 25 is configured as the screw cylinder portion 25 j. In this case, the front attachment portion 6 and the threaded cylindrical portion 25j are integrally assembled, and the outer peripheral surface of the threaded cylindrical portion 25j is screwed to the inner peripheral surface of the auxiliary ring main body 7m of the auxiliary ring 7 by a screwing mechanism 26 using a screw mechanism or the like (see fig. 5). As shown in fig. 5, the relative displacement in the rotational direction of the front mounting block 25 and the rear mounting block 24 described above is restricted by a restricting mechanism 27 using a restricting lever 27 s.

The lens mount Lm of the interchangeable lens L is attached to and detached from the front mount 6. Fig. 3 shows, as an example, the front shape of the front mount 6, and fig. 4 shows the rear shape of the interchangeable lens L attached to and detached from the front mount 6, that is, the lens mount Lm in the interchangeable lens L. As shown in fig. 4 and 8, the lens mount Lm exemplified has an engagement tube portion Lmc projecting rearward and four locking claw portions lmn provided at the rear end of the engagement tube portion Lmc. Each of the locking claw portions lmn · is integrally formed at the rear end of the engagement tube portion Lmc so as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and projects in the radial direction, and at least a part of each of the locking claw portions lmn · is formed in a different shape. Thus, the front mount 6 can be attached to and detached from the lens mount Lm only at a specific angular position in the interchangeable lens L.

Therefore, the front mount 6 of the mount adapter a to which the lens mount Lm of the interchangeable lens L is attached and detached is configured by an inner peripheral surface portion 6i that allows insertion of the locking claw portions lmn · included in the engagement tube portion Lmc, and four locked claw portions 6n · provided at a front end edge of the inner peripheral surface portion 6 i. Each of the engaged claw portions 6n · · 6i is integrally formed at a front end edge of the inner peripheral surface portion 6i with a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and protrudes in the center direction. Further, a notch recess 6h · · is formed between the respective locking claw portions 6n · to allow entry of the respective locking claw portions lmn · to each other, and the shape of the notch recess 6h · corresponds to the shape of the respective locking claw portions lmn · to each other.

In such a configuration, the auxiliary ring 7 and the front mounting block 25 are screwed together via the screwing mechanism 26, and the front mounting block 25 is restricted in rotational displacement only by the restricting mechanism 27, so that the interchangeable lens L can be relatively displaced in the optical axis direction Fc with respect to the camera body C when the auxiliary ring 7 is rotated by hand. Therefore, the interchangeable lens L can be moved in addition to the original focus range (distance) of the focus ring provided in the interchangeable lens L, and thus the entire focus range (distance) can be further expanded, and the overall camera performance can be further improved.

As shown in fig. 6, the auxiliary ring 7 is provided with an auxiliary ring locking mechanism 8 for locking and unlocking an adjustment position (set position) of the auxiliary ring 7. The auxiliary ring lock mechanism 8 has a lock member 8r that is displaced forward and backward in the optical axis direction Fc in accordance with a sliding manner on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary ring 7, and the lock member 8r is biased toward the rear mounting block 24 by a spring member, not shown. One or more locking recesses 8s are formed in the rear mounting block 24 at predetermined positions in the circumferential direction, into which a part of the lock member 8r can be inserted. Therefore, if the auxiliary ring locking mechanism 8 is provided, the adjustment position can be locked, and therefore, the problem that the set position adjusted by the auxiliary ring 7 is erroneously displaced during use can be avoided, and the stability and the convenience during use can be further improved.

Further, a lens lock mechanism 2 that locks the mount when the interchangeable lens L is mounted is disposed between the front mount portion 6 and the screw cylindrical portion 25j in the mount adapter a, and a lock release device 1 of the present embodiment that releases the lock of the lens lock mechanism 2 by a manual operation is disposed.

Next, a specific configuration of the lock release device 1 (including the lens lock mechanism 2) according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 10.

The lock release device 1 is integrated with the lens lock mechanism 2. In this case, the lens lock mechanism 2 includes a round bar-shaped lock pin 11 shown in fig. 2 and 9, a rear portion of the lock pin 11 is inserted into a guide recess 12 provided in the screw cylinder portion 25j via a spring (elastic member) 5s, and a front end portion of the lock pin 11 protrudes forward through an opening portion 6s provided in the front mounting portion 6. Thereby, the lock pin 11 is biased forward by the compression elastic force of the spring 5s, and displacement in the forward direction is restricted by the stopper portion 11s in the form of a flange integrally provided on the lock pin 11.

In this case, the position where the lock pin 11 is disposed on the right side with respect to the attached interchangeable lens L when viewed from the rear direction Fr. This makes it possible to easily operate the camera body C with the right finger H (see fig. 12) when the camera body C is held by the right hand, and thus, the ease and rapidity of the releasing operation can be improved. In addition, the case of being disposed at the left side is not eliminated. In this case, the left hand can be operated with the left finger when holding the camera body C with the left hand.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 4, a U-shaped notch engaging portion Lms into which the distal end portion of the lock pin 11 can be inserted is provided on the lens mount portion Lm. Therefore, when attached, the distal end portion of the lock pin 11 is locked by the notch engaging portion Lms, and the attached interchangeable lens L is locked. In this case, the lock pin 11 functions as the lock portion 2r by being displaced in the biasing direction (forward) of the elastic force of the spring 5 s. Then, if the lock is displaced in the opposite direction (rearward) with respect to the biasing direction, the lock can be released.

Next, the structure of the lock release device 1, which is an important part structure, will be described. The lock release device 1 has a lock release ring 4 shown in fig. 9 and 10. The lock release ring 4 has: a release ring body 4m formed in a cylindrical shape and a restricting ring portion 4s formed in a ring plate shape, the restricting ring portion 4s being integrally formed at an intermediate position in the optical axis direction Fc in an inner peripheral surface of the release ring body 4m and projecting in a center direction. As shown in fig. 2, the lock release ring 4 is interposed between the front mounting portion 6 and the threaded cylindrical portion 25j, and is assembled so as to be displaceable within a predetermined range in the front-rear direction. At this time, it is considered that the outer peripheral surface of the ring body 4m is guided to the inner peripheral surface of the auxiliary ring body 7 m. Also, it is considered that the front surface of the restricting ring portion 4s is restricted by the lens mount Lm. A plurality of compressed springs (elastic members) 5r · are interposed between the front surface of the screw cylinder portion 25j and the rear surface of the restriction ring portion 4 s. In the illustrated case, three springs 5r · and the aforementioned one spring 5s are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction, and the total of four springs 5s, 5r · · are arranged.

Thereby, the lock release ring 4 is urged forward by the compressive elastic force of the springs 5s, 5r. Therefore, the lock release ring 4 can be pressed from the outside. In this case, the distal end side of the lock release ring 4 is made to protrude within a predetermined width range from the distal end of the auxiliary ring 7, and the distal end face of the lock release ring 4 is made to align with the surface of the distal end face of the front mounting portion 6. That is, it is considered that a sense of unity (unity) in design is given to the interchangeable lens L and the mount adapter a.

The restriction ring portion 4s is provided with an opening 4sh through which the distal end portion side of the lock pin 11 is inserted. Thus, the distal end portion of the lock pin 11 passes through the opening 4sh and then protrudes forward through the opening 6s of the front mounting portion 6. Therefore, the lock pin 11 functions as the lock portion 2r and also functions as the lock releasing portion 3 that transmits displacement of the lock releasing ring 4 in the optical axis direction Fc. In this way, when the lock releasing portion 3 is used as the lock pin 2r, the following advantages are obtained because the structure is simplified: this contributes to cost reduction by reducing the number of components, improvement in durability by improving rigidity, and improvement in the feeling of operation.

In the present embodiment, the lock release device 1 (lock release ring 4) is attached to the mounting adapter a. If the lock release ring 4 is thus provided on the mounting adapter a, greater performance can be achieved from the viewpoint of ensuring the operational effect of the present invention. That is, since the overall shape of the mounting adapter a is annular, in the conventional case, an operation lever has to be provided instead of the operation button. Therefore, the projecting portion is more conspicuous as the overall shape and presents an obstacle, but by using the lock release ring 4, these conventional problems can be solved.

Next, the function of the lock release device 1 of the present embodiment including the method of using the attachment adapter a will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 13.

First, when the mount adapter a is used, the rear mount portion 21 of the mount adapter a is mounted on the camera body C. In this case, after the grip cylinder portion 24h of the mount adapter a is held by hand and the rear mount portion 21 of the mount adapter a is inserted into the camera mount portion Cm of the camera body C at a specific angular position, if the rear mount portion is turned in a predetermined direction, the locking claw portions 21n.

Then, the interchangeable lens L is mounted on the front mount section 6 of the mount adapter a. In this case, the lens mount Lm in the interchangeable lens L is inserted into the front mount 6 in the mount adapter a at a certain angular position. At this time, the lock pin 11 elastically supported by the spring 5s (5 r.) is pressed into the front surface of the front mounting portion 6. Thereafter, if the interchangeable lens L is rotationally operated in a predetermined direction with respect to the mount adapter a, the locking claw portions lmn · · to be locked in the camera mount Cm are respectively locked in the locked claw portions 6n · to be locked in the front mount 6, and if the position of the lock pin 11 pressed into the front surface of the front mount 6 is made to coincide with the position of the notch engaging portion Lms, the lock pin 11 projects forward by the elastic force of the spring 5s and enters the notch engaging portion Lms. Thereby, the attachment of the replacement lens L is locked by the locking function of the lens locking mechanism 2. Fig. 11 shows the lens lock mechanism 2 in the locked state in an enlarged cross section. Fig. 13 shows an overall external configuration of the camera body C, the mount adapter a, and the interchangeable lens L. With the above, the mounting of the mount adapter a and the interchangeable lens L to the camera body C is ended.

On the other hand, when the interchangeable lens L is removed from the mount adapter a, the following operation is performed. First, the camera body C is held by hand, and the lock release ring 4 is pushed toward the auxiliary ring 7 located rearward by the finger H as shown in fig. 12. At this time, the lock releasing portion 3 (lock pin 11) can be operated within a predetermined range in the operation range of the lock releasing ring 4. Specifically, assuming a normal interchangeable lens L, the circumferential range of approximately ± 50 [ ° ] and the entire circumferential range of approximately 100 [ ° ] with respect to the position of the release lock section 3 becomes the operable range. As described above, the lock release device 1 of the present embodiment includes the lock release ring 4, in which the lock release ring 4 can transmit at least the predetermined displacement amount Sm to the lock release portion 3 and can be operated from the outside, and therefore, a portion of the lock release ring 4, which is in at least a predetermined range and transmits the displacement amount Sm to the lock release portion 3, becomes an operable range. Therefore, it is possible to realize an easy and quick release operation and the like, and it is also possible to contribute to improvement of operability. Further, the lock release ring 4 is disposed so as to be able to be displaced forward and backward in the optical axis direction Fc including the lock release direction Fcn in which the lock is released against the elastic force of the elastic member 5s (5 r.) that biases in the optical axis direction Fc, and thus the lock release operation can be easily performed by a so-called one-touch method.

On the other hand, since the stopper portion 11s is locked to the auxiliary ring 7, when the lock release ring 4 is press-fitted, a predetermined displacement amount by the operation is transmitted to the lock pin 11 (lock release portion 3), and the lock pin 11 is also press-fitted. Then, when the lock releasing portion 3 is displaced by a predetermined displacement amount Sm according to the operation amount of the auxiliary ring 7, the distal end surface of the lock pin 11 is disengaged from the notch engaging portion Lms of the lens mount portion Lm, and therefore the replacement lens L may be rotated in the opposite direction to the mounting time with the other hand. At this time, when the lens mount section Lm of the interchangeable lens L is rotated to a specific angular position, it is possible to separate the lens mount section Lm from the front mount section 6 of the mount adapter a.

Further, the operation of removing the mounting adapter a from the camera body C may be performed in the same manner. In this case, since a predetermined lock release mechanism, not shown, is provided on the camera body C side, the lock can be released by operating in this order. After the lock is released, the front mount portion 6 of the mount adapter a can be detached from the camera mount portion Cm of the camera body C by rotating the mount adapter a relative to the camera body C by hand to a specific angular position.

Therefore, according to the unlocking device 1 of the present embodiment described above, since the unlocking ring 4 is disposed at a position coaxial with the interchangeable lens L and is annular as a whole, the unlocking ring 4 can be integrated with the interchangeable lens L in shape (external shape). Therefore, the unnecessary protruding portion on the front surface of the camera can be removed, space saving can be achieved, further, the handleability can be improved, the degree of freedom in designing the external shape can be improved, and further, the merchantability can be improved by giving a sense of unity to the whole.

Next, a lock release device 1 according to a modified embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 14 to 16.

The lock release device 1 of the modified embodiment shown in fig. 14 is a device in which the lock release ring 4 is disposed in the camera body C. The embodiment of fig. 1 to 13 shows a case where the lock release ring 4 is disposed on the mounting adapter a which is detachable from the camera mounting portion Cm of the camera body C, but fig. 14 is disposed integrally with the camera body C. Therefore, the lens lock mechanism 2 including the front mount 12 and the lock release device 1, which are a part of the front side of the mount adapter a described above, is provided on the camera body C, and the auxiliary ring 7 and the rear mount 21 in the mount adapter a are not provided (absent). When the lock release ring 4 is integrally provided with the camera body C in this manner, unnecessary protruding portions on the front surface (front panel) of the camera body C can be removed, and thus the appearance (shape) of the entire camera can be improved.

In the lock release device 1 of the modified embodiment shown in fig. 15 and 16, the lock release ring 4 is arranged such that: the lock can be rotationally displaced in the circumferential direction Ff including the lock releasing directions Ffn and Ffp in which the lock is released against the elastic force of the elastic member 5s that is urged in the circumferential direction Ff. Therefore, the lock release ring 4 is disposed so as to be rotatable and displaceable in the circumferential direction Ff and is disposed so as to restrict displacement in the optical axis direction Fc. Further, an uneven anti-slip portion 51 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lock release ring 4. On the other hand, in the illustrated case, the unlocking portion 3 is formed integrally with the lock portion 2r (lock pin 11) and is formed separately without being used as a double function. In this way, the unlocking unit 3 may be formed separately from the locking unit 2r in the lens locking mechanism 2, and in this case, the unlocking device 1 including the unlocking unit 3 can be constructed without being affected by the shape and structure of the locking unit 2 r. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the entire device can be improved, and the improvement of versatility can be facilitated.

As shown in fig. 16, the unlocking ring 4 shown in the example is formed with an unlocking surface 52 in which inclined surfaces 52p and 52n are combined in a V-shape, and the distal end of the unlocking portion 3 supported by the elastic member 5s is brought into contact with the unlocking surface 52. In this case, since the elastic member 5s can be engaged with both the inclined surfaces 52p and 52n, the elastic force component of the elastic member 5s acts in both the one direction Ffp and the other direction Ffn in the circumferential direction Ff. Therefore, the lock release ring 4 can be reset to the lock position (boundary position of the inclined surfaces 52p and 52 n) regardless of which direction Ffp and Ffn the lock release ring is displaced. The structure shown in fig. 16 is a schematic structure, and can be replaced by various structures as long as the same function (action) is exhibited.

If the lock release ring 4 is disposed so as to be rotationally displaceable in the circumferential direction Ff including the lock release directions Ffn and Ffp in which the lock can be released against the elastic force of the elastic member 5s that biases the circumferential direction Ff, the lock release operation can be performed in the same manner as the operation rings such as the focus ring and the zoom ring in the interchangeable lens L, and therefore, the interchangeable lens L can be given a uniform feeling from the operation surface. Further, since the operation can be performed at all positions of the entire circumference (360 [ o ]) of the circumferential direction Ff of the lock release ring 4, the usability and convenience can be improved, and the operation can be easily performed even if the user is left-handed.

Although the preferred embodiment (modified embodiment) has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and the structure, shape, material, number, and the like of the detailed portion may be arbitrarily changed, added, or deleted without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, as illustrated, the camera body side includes not only the camera body but also a mounting adapter mounted on the camera body. The camera body includes various camera bodies such as a still camera body, a video camera body, an analog camera body, and a digital camera body, and also includes various optical apparatus bodies using the same interchangeable lens such as a projector body. Therefore, the "camera body" in the present invention is a concept of various "optical apparatus bodies" including a removable interchangeable lens. Further, the case where the auxiliary ring 7 is provided in the mounting adapter a is exemplified, but the auxiliary ring 7 is not necessarily provided.

The lock release device of the present invention can be used when releasing the lock of a lens lock mechanism that locks an interchangeable lens attached to a camera body side.

Claims (21)

1. A lock release device for a camera, which is disposed on a camera body side and can release a lock of a lens lock mechanism that locks an interchangeable lens attached to the camera body side by an operation from outside,

the lock releasing device for a camera includes:

a lock releasing unit that can release the lock of the lens lock mechanism by being given a predetermined displacement amount; and

a lock release ring disposed at a position coaxial with the interchangeable lens so as to be operable from the outside while transmitting at least a predetermined displacement amount to the lock release portion,

the lens locking mechanism has a locking portion having a lock pin and an elastic member, a distal end of the lock pin is engaged with an engagement portion provided on the interchangeable lens so as to be able to lock a position of the interchangeable lens, the elastic member applies a force to the lock pin toward the interchangeable lens,

the lock release ring is disposed so as to be capable of being displaced forward and backward in an optical axis direction including a lock release direction in which locking is released against an elastic force of the elastic member that is urged in the optical axis direction.

2. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 1,

the lock releasing portion also serves as the lock pin.

3. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 2,

the lock release ring is provided so as to be capable of engaging with the lock pin from a distal end side of the lock pin and transmitting displacement of the lock release ring to the lock pin.

4. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 2,

the locking pin exposes at least a portion to the outside.

5. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 2,

the lock release portion is disposed on a right side or a left side with respect to an interchangeable lens attached to the camera body side when viewed from a rear direction.

6. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 1,

the lock release ring is provided so as to be engaged with the lock release portion and to be capable of transmitting displacement of the lock release ring to the lock release portion.

7. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 1,

the lock release ring is disposed on a mounting adapter that is detachable from a camera mounting portion of the camera body.

8. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 7,

the mount adapter has a focus adjustment auxiliary ring capable of displacing a front mount section to which the interchangeable lens is attached and detached in an optical axis direction.

9. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 8,

the attachment adapter has an auxiliary ring locking mechanism for locking or unlocking an adjustment position of the focus adjustment auxiliary ring.

10. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 1,

the lock release ring is provided integrally with the camera body.

11. A lock release device for a camera, which is disposed on a camera body side and can release a lock of a lens lock mechanism that locks an interchangeable lens attached to the camera body side by an operation from outside,

the lock releasing device for a camera includes:

a lock releasing unit that can release the lock of the lens lock mechanism by being given a predetermined displacement amount; and

a lock release ring disposed at a position coaxial with the interchangeable lens so as to be operable from the outside while transmitting at least a predetermined displacement amount to the lock release portion,

the lens locking mechanism has a locking portion having a lock pin and an elastic member, a distal end of the lock pin is engaged with an engagement portion provided on the interchangeable lens so as to be able to lock a position of the interchangeable lens, the elastic member applies a force to the lock pin toward the interchangeable lens,

the lock release ring is disposed so as to be rotationally displaceable in a circumferential direction including a lock release direction in which locking is released against an elastic force of the elastic member that urges in the circumferential direction.

12. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 11,

the lock release ring is provided so as to be capable of engaging with the lock pin from a distal end side of the lock pin and transmitting displacement of the lock release ring to the lock pin.

13. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 11,

the locking pin exposes at least a portion to the outside.

14. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 11,

the lock release portion is disposed on a right side or a left side with respect to an interchangeable lens attached to the camera body side when viewed from a rear direction.

15. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 11,

the lock releasing portion is formed separately from the lock pin.

16. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 15,

the lock release ring is provided so as to be engaged with the lock release portion and to be capable of transmitting displacement of the lock release ring to the lock release portion.

17. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 11,

the lock release ring has an inclined surface that converts a rotational displacement in a circumferential direction into a displacement in an optical axis direction to be transmitted to the lock release portion.

18. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 11,

the lock release ring is disposed on a mounting adapter that is detachable from a camera mounting portion of the camera body.

19. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 18,

the mount adapter has a focus adjustment auxiliary ring capable of displacing a front mount section to which the interchangeable lens is attached and detached in an optical axis direction.

20. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 19,

the attachment adapter has an auxiliary ring locking mechanism for locking or unlocking an adjustment position of the focus adjustment auxiliary ring.

21. The lock release device for a camera according to claim 11,

the lock release ring is provided integrally with the camera body.