JP2006180094A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera which has superior resistance to a shock given to a lens barrel portion and an internal HDD, and is thinned and downsized. <P>SOLUTION: Disclosed is the electronic camera which has a photography optical system 5 forming a subject image on an imaging element, a hard disk unit 7 which records data generated by imaging by the imaging element, and a substrate where the photography optical system and hard disk unit 7 are fixed and supported in one body, the substrate 1 being held across a buffer member 13 to a housing 15 of the camera or a structure 25 coupled to the housing of the camera. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera such as a digital still camera, and more particularly to an electronic camera incorporating a hard disk device.

In recent years, with the increase in the density of image pickup devices such as digital still cameras (hereinafter referred to as electronic cameras), the amount of imaged images has increased, and recording media mounted on electronic cameras including conventional semiconductor memory devices Is required. In response to this increase in capacity, an electronic camera equipped with a small hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD) is being considered. Since HDDs are vulnerable to vibrations and shocks, in conventional electronic devices equipped with HDDs (for example, personal computers (PCs), personal data assistants (PDAs), personal AV devices, etc.), the impact resistance to HDDs. In order to enhance the performance, a configuration is adopted in which the HDD is surrounded by a buffer member such as an elastic body or a spring to be protected and held inside the device (for example, see Patent Document 1). Also, in the electronic camera, it is necessary to protect the electronic camera main body and the lens barrel from an impact caused by dropping or the like, and these measures have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2004-134036 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-26837

  However, the conventionally proposed countermeasures against impact of HDD and the lens barrel protection means of the electronic camera have a problem that it is difficult to make the electronic camera thinner and smaller.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera that is excellent in impact resistance to a lens barrel and a built-in HDD and can be reduced in thickness and size.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a photographing optical system that forms a subject image on an image sensor, a hard disk device that records data imaged by the image sensor, the photographing optical system, and the hard disk device. An electronic camera comprising: a substrate that is fixed and integrally supported, and the substrate is held on a camera housing or a structure coupled to the camera housing via a buffer member. provide.

  In the electronic camera according to the present invention, it is preferable that the buffer member is made of an elastic body.

  In the electronic camera according to the present invention, it is preferable that at least one of the photographing optical system and the hard disk device is supported on the substrate via an elastic body.

  In the electronic camera according to the present invention, it is preferable that the elastic body is a rubber bush.

  The electronic camera according to the present invention preferably has a configuration in which a finder is further fixed to the substrate.

  The electronic camera according to the present invention preferably has a configuration in which an auxiliary light emitting device is further fixed to the substrate.

  In the electronic camera according to the present invention, it is preferable that a microphone is fixed to the housing of the camera or the structure, and the sound collected by the microphone is recorded in the hard disk device.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the electronic camera which is excellent in the impact resistance to a lens-barrel part and built-in HDD, and can be reduced in thickness and size can be provided.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration perspective view of an electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a rubber bush portion for fixing a substrate to a housing in the electronic camera according to the embodiment. is there.

  1 and 2, the substrate 1 is imaged with a lens barrel portion 5 that supports a photographing lens 3 of the camera, an unillustrated imaging element that captures an image of a subject that is imaged by the photographing lens 3, and an imaging element. A hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD) 7 for recording subject image data, a finder 9 for framing the subject, an auxiliary light emitting device 11 for irradiating the subject with auxiliary light when the luminance of the subject is insufficient, In addition, electronic components (not shown) are respectively fixed.

  The lens barrel 5 is fixed to the substrate 1 with a plurality of screws 5a, and the HDD 7 is fixed with a plurality of screws 7a. Note that at least one of the lens barrel 5 and the HDD 7 may be screwed via an elastic member (for example, a rubber member) in order to reduce vibration and impact from the substrate 1. By doing so, it is possible to prevent vibrations generated by the lens barrel 5 and the HDD 7 from interfering with each other.

  The HDD 7 is connected to a connector (not shown) disposed on the substrate 1 by a flexible substrate (FPC) (not shown). Further, other electronic components (not shown) are mounted on the substrate 1 to form a part of the control unit of the electronic camera.

  The substrate 1 is fixed to the front cover 15 of the electronic camera with a plurality of screws 19 via elastic members (for example, rubber bushes) 13 and washers 17 disposed at four locations for absorbing and relaxing vibrations and shocks. FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view in a fixed state. The rubber bush 13 is formed with a groove 13a that fits into a hole 1a formed in the substrate 1 and holds the substrate 1 over the entire circumference. The substrate 1 is held on the front cover 15 by holding the substrate 1 with the rubber bush 13 and screwing it onto the front cover 15 with the screw 19 via the washer 17. Since the substrate 1 is held through the rubber bush 13 in this way, it becomes possible to absorb and mitigate vibrations and impacts transmitted from the outside to the lens barrel 5 and the HDD 7 through the front cover 15.

  Further, when the substrate 1 is held on the front cover 15, the lens barrel 5 can be inserted into the lens opening 15 a of the front cover 15 in a non-contact state with the front cover 15. Can be prevented from being transmitted directly to the lens barrel 5.

  A microphone 21 is disposed inside the front cover 15. The microphone 21 is fixed to the front cover 15 via an elastic member such as rubber, and is configured to prevent noise due to vibrations from the outside.

  The front cover 15 is provided with a finder window 15b, an auxiliary light emission window 15c, a release button 15d, a microphone hole 15e, and the like.

  After fixing the substrate 1 to the front cover 15, the rear cover 23 is fixed to the front cover 15 by fixing means (not shown). A circuit board 25 for a control circuit of the electronic camera is fixed to the rear cover 23 by fixing means (not shown). A display device (for example, LCD) (not shown) and buttons for setting conditions (not shown) are arranged on the rear side surface of the rear cover 23. The general connection is made by FPC or the like. In this way, an electronic camera is configured.

  In the electronic camera according to the present embodiment, the front cover 15 and the rear cover are fixed by holding and holding the substrate 1 on which the lens barrel portion 5 and the HDD 7 are mounted on the front cover 15 via a rubber bush 13 that is an impact buffer member. Thus, it is possible to make it difficult to transmit external vibrations and shocks transmitted through 23 to the lens barrel unit 5 and the HDD 7.

  Further, by integrating the lens barrel 5, the HDD 7, the finder 9, and the auxiliary light emitting device 11, which are the main members of the electronic camera, on the substrate 1, the thickness and size can be reduced. When it becomes possible, it becomes easier to align each axis with the optical axis of the photographing.

  Further, since the HDD 7 is fixed to the substrate 1, the heat generated from the HDD 7 is efficiently radiated through the substrate 1 as compared with the case where the conventional HDD 7 is surrounded by a buffer member and protected.

  In the present embodiment, the substrate 1 is fixed to the front cover 15 via the rubber bush 13, but the substrate 1 is fixed to the circuit substrate 25 via the rubber bush 13, and the circuit substrate 25 is further fixed to the rubber bush. It may be configured to be fixed to the front cover 15 via, for example. In this case, since the board 1 is fixed to the front cover 15 via the circuit board 25, the earthquake resistance and the shock resistance can be further improved.

  The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and is not limited to the above-described configuration and shape, and can be appropriately modified and changed within the scope of the present invention.

It is a schematic structure perspective view of the electronic camera concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the rubber bush part which fixes a board | substrate to a housing | casing in the electronic camera concerning embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 3 Shooting lens 5 Lens barrel 7 Hard disk drive (HDD)
9 Finder 11 Auxiliary Light Emitting Device 13 Rubber Bush 15 Front Cover 17 Washer 19 Screw 21 Microphone 23 Rear Cover 25 Circuit Board

Claims (7)

A photographing optical system for forming a subject image on the image sensor;
A hard disk device for recording data imaged by the image sensor;
A substrate for fixing and integrally supporting the photographing optical system and the hard disk drive;
An electronic camera, wherein the substrate is held on a camera casing or a structure coupled to the camera casing via a buffer member.   The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the buffer member is made of an elastic body.   The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the photographing optical system and the hard disk device is supported on the substrate via an elastic body.   The electronic camera according to claim 2, wherein the elastic body is made of a rubber bush.   The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein a finder is further fixed to the substrate.   The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary light emitting device is further fixed to the substrate.   The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein a microphone is fixed to the camera casing or the structure, and audio collected by the microphone is recorded in the hard disk device.

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