JP2007279153A - Camera tripod screw mounting device - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided a tripod screw mounting device in which a tripod fixing screw hole is arranged directly under a lens barrel of a camera and sufficient mounting strength can be secured without increasing the height of the camera.
A tripod fixing screw hole 20a is provided in a tripod screw holder 20, and a fitting hole 11a is provided in a bottom portion of a camera body 11. The tripod screw holder 20 is vertically separated from the bottom surface of the camera body 11 when attached to the camera body 11 and is in contact with and fixed to the top surface of the pan head 41. Immediately before the tripod screw holder 20 comes into contact with the top surface of the pan head 41, the stopper 20b of the tripod screw holder 20 comes into contact with the stoppers 11b provided on the front and back sides of the camera body 11, so that the tripod screw holder After the 20 abuts the top surface of the pan head 41, the tripod screw holder 20 is tensioned so that the camera body 11 is firmly integrated with the camera body 11, and the camera body 11 is fixed to the top surface of the pan head 41. Is done.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a tripod screw mounting device provided in a camera for fixing a camera for taking a subject image to a tripod.

  Conventionally, a tripod is used to fix the camera. The bottom of the camera body has a screw hole for mounting on a tripod (hereinafter referred to as a tripod fixing screw hole), and a head for mounting the camera (hereinafter referred to as a pan head) is provided on the head of the tripod. A screw (hereinafter referred to as a tripod screw) to be screwed into a tripod fixing screw hole provided on the bottom surface of the camera body is prepared, and the camera is fixed to the pan head on the tripod head by a tripod screw. .

  In general, it is preferable that the tripod fixing screw hole is disposed at the lower part of the lens barrel of the camera, particularly on the same line as the optical axis from the viewpoint of ease of use at the time of photographing (Patent Document 1 below). reference).

  However, it is difficult to secure a space around the lens barrel so that it is called the prime location of the camera. Especially, those using a bright and large lens do not have a small space below the lens barrel. Especially in the case of digital cameras, a liquid crystal display panel may be placed on the entire rear cover, making it difficult to secure the space below the lens barrel. If a tripod fixing screw hole is forcibly placed here, the height of the camera will increase. Therefore, it is not preferable in terms of design.

For this reason, some low-profile cameras have a tripod fixing screw hole that is shifted from the bottom of the lens barrel and placed in the camera's dead space, for example, under the battery compartment, even at the expense of ease of use. (See Patent Document 2 below).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-304902 JP 11-007074 A

  In order to prioritize the ease of use of the camera attached to the tripod, the tripod fixing screw hole must be arranged at the lower part of the lens barrel of the camera, but this increases the height of the camera. However, if the tripod fixing screw hole is placed at a location other than the bottom of the lens barrel of the camera, the use of the tripod is sacrificed.

  The present invention provides a tripod screw mounting device with a tripod fixing screw hole that can secure sufficient mounting strength without increasing the height of the camera even if it is arranged at the lower part of the lens barrel of the camera. The purpose is to provide.

  By reducing the height of the tripod fixing screw hole required to fix the camera to the tripod, it can be placed at the bottom of the lens barrel, and the components that make up the tripod fixing screw hole are external to the camera when mounted on the tripod. The camera's tripod screw installation is characterized in that the camera is firmly fixed to the tripod by securing a sufficient distance from the fitting hole provided in the camera body side part. apparatus.

  A tripod screw holder is provided for fixing the camera to the tripod by moving vertically from the lower surface of the camera body and press-contacting the tripod head by pressure when the camera is attached to the tripod.

  The tripod screw holder is preferably formed in a U-shape before and after in the optical axis direction so as to move vertically from the lower surface of the camera body.

  The tripod screw holder may be supported by the camera body by a pair of link members and housed in the camera body by a spring when the camera is not attached to a tripod.

The tripod screw holder is supported on the camera body by a pair of high tensile elastic members having excellent tensile stress strength, extensibility and bending stress, and restoring force such as special rubber, and the camera is not attached to the tripod. In this case, the camera body may be accommodated by its own tension.

At the lower part of the camera body adjacent to the tripod screw holder, a tripod screw fitting hole is arranged at a position concentric with the tripod fixing screw hole provided in the tripod screw holder and attached to the tripod. The camera is firmly fixed to the tripod by fitting the tripod screw into the fitting hole when the tripod screw holder is pressed against the pan head by a tripod screw.

  Even if a tripod fixing screw hole is arranged in the lower part of the lens barrel of the camera, the height of the camera is not increased, and the tripod can be used easily. When mounting the camera on a tripod, the tripod screw holder provided with a tripod fixing screw hole can be taken out of the camera body to ensure sufficient mounting strength. When not mounted, the camera can be stored in the camera body. Therefore, it is preferable in terms of design.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a lens barrel 13 in which a photographing lens 12 is incorporated, a finder objective window 14 constituting a finder, and a strobe light emitting unit 16 that irradiates flash light toward a subject are provided on the front surface of the camera body 11. A shutter button 17 used for a shutter release operation is provided on the upper surface of the camera body 11. Further, a tripod screw holder 20 provided with a tripod fixing screw hole 20a used when the digital camera 10 is attached to a tripod is disposed below the lens barrel 13. A memory card slot 19 in which a memory card is detachably accommodated is provided on one side surface of the camera body 11, and captured image data is recorded in the memory card accommodated in the memory card slot 19. The

  The place which looked at the camera main body 11 from the back is shown in FIG. In addition to the finder eyepiece window 15 and the liquid crystal display (LCD) panel 18 constituting the finder, a power button, various menu buttons, a mode selection button, and the like are provided.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which the digital camera 10 is attached to the tripod 40. A tripod screw 45 for fixing the digital camera 10 is attached to the pan head 41 provided at the head of the tripod 40, and the tripod screw 45 is inserted into a tripod fixing screw hole 20 a provided at the bottom of the digital camera 10. By screwing, the digital camera 10 is firmly fixed to the pan head 41 provided on the head of the tripod 40.

  The pan head 41 to which the digital camera 10 is fixed can be freely changed in its posture by the arm 42, whereby the direction of the photographing lens 12 of the digital camera 10 can be easily selected and fixed. It has a possible structure.

  FIG. 4 shows a state before the camera body 11 is fixed to the camera platform 41, and FIG. 5 shows a state after the camera body 11 is fixed to the camera platform 41.

  The tripod screw holder 20 is provided with a tripod fixing screw hole 20 a, and a fitting hole 11 a is provided at the bottom of the camera body 11. The entire tripod screw holder 20 is formed in a U-shape and covers the bottom surface of the camera body 11. Further, a stopper 20b is provided at the tip, and is arranged to face the stopper 11b provided on the bottom side surfaces of the front and rear of the camera body 11.

  In order to attach the digital camera 10 to the pan head 41, the tripod fixing screw hole 20a is aligned with the tip of the tripod screw 45 and rotated clockwise. As a result, the tripod screw 45 advances through the tripod fixing screw hole 20a, and then engages with the fitting hole 11a, and the tip of the tripod screw 45 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the fitting hole 11a. Further, when the tripod screw 45 is turned, the tripod screw holder 20 is separated from the bottom surface of the camera body 11 vertically and comes into contact with the top surface of the pan head 41.

  Immediately before the tripod screw holder 20 comes into contact with the top surface of the pan head 41, the stopper 20b of the tripod screw holder 20 comes into contact with the stoppers 11b provided on the bottom side surfaces of the front and rear of the camera body 11. When the tripod screw holder 20 is in contact with and fixed to the top surface of the pan head 41, tension is applied to the tripod screw holder 20, and the camera body 11 is firmly integrated with the tripod screw holder 20. The camera body 11 is firmly fixed to the top surface of the pan head 41.

  Further, since the tripod fixing screw hole 20a is provided at the center of the tripod screw holder 20, the distance from the tripod fixing screw hole 20a to the stoppers 20b at both ends is equal. The optical axis is fixed with respect to the base 41 in a standard posture.

  Next, another embodiment will be described. 6 shows a state before the camera body 51 is fixed to the camera platform 41, and FIG. 7 shows a state after the camera body 51 is fixed to the camera platform 41. In the above embodiment, the U-shaped tripod screw holder 20 holds the camera body 51, but in this embodiment, the tripod screw holder 25 is housed inside the camera body 51. As a result, the tripod screw holder 25 does not have a portion exposed to the external portion other than the bottom portion of the digital camera 10, and color matching with other external components is unnecessary.

  The tripod screw holder 25 is provided with a tripod fixing screw hole 25 a, and a fitting hole 51 a is provided at the bottom of the camera body 51. The entire tripod screw receiver 25 is formed in a U shape and is housed inside the camera body 51 except for the bottom surface. Further, a stopper 25b is provided at the tip toward the outside, and is disposed to face the stopper 51b provided on the inside of the bottom side surface of the front and rear of the camera body 51.

  The procedure and principle of fixing the digital camera 10 to the camera platform 41 are the same as those in the previous embodiment, and similarly, the camera body 51 is firmly fixed to the top surface of the camera platform 41.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described. 8 is a view as seen from the bottom side of the camera, and FIGS. 9 and 10 partially show the camera body 61 in a cross section. FIG. 9 shows a state before the camera body 61 is fixed to the camera platform 41, and FIG. 10 shows a state after the camera body 61 is fixed to the camera platform 41.

  The tripod screw holder 30 is provided with a tripod fixing screw hole 30 a, and a fitting hole 61 a is provided at the bottom of the camera body 61. The tripod screw holder 30 is pivotally supported on one end of a pair of link members 31 by a shaft 33, and the other end of the pair of link members 31 is engaged with one end of a spring 32 by a shaft 34. The other end of the spring 32 is locked to a shaft 61 c provided at the bottom of the camera body 61. The shaft 34 supports the pair of link members 31 at the center thereof, and both end portions are movable along a guide groove 61f formed by the internal part 61d and the exterior part 61e of the camera body 61, Consideration is made so that the spring 32 does not come into strong contact with surrounding members when it expands and contracts.

  After the tip of the tripod screw 45 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the fitting hole 61a, when the tripod screw 45 is further rotated, the tripod screw holder 30 is separated vertically from the bottom surface of the camera body 61, and the pan head 41 It abuts on the top surface of and is fixed. At this time, the tripod screw holder 30 is strongly pressed toward the camera body 61 by the tension of the spring 32 via the pair of link members 31 and is pulled with equal force from side to side. The camera body 61 is firmly integrated with the camera body 61, and the camera body 61 is firmly fixed to the top surface of the pan head 41.

  The tripod screw holder 30 is automatically housed in the camera body 61 by the tension of the spring 32 when the screwing with the tripod screw 45 is released.

  Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the link member 31 and the spring 32 in the third embodiment are replaced with a high-tensile elastic member 35 such as special rubber. 11 shows a state before the camera body 61 is fixed to the camera platform 41, and FIG. 12 shows a state after the camera body 61 is fixed to the camera platform 41.

  The tripod screw holder 30 is provided with a tripod fixing screw hole 30 a, and a fitting hole 61 a is provided at the bottom of the camera body 61. The tripod screw holder 30 is pivotally supported on one end of a pair of high tension members 35 by a shaft 33, and the other end of the pair of high tension elastic members 35 is locked to a shaft 61 c provided on the bottom of the camera body 61. ing.

  After the tip of the tripod screw 45 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the fitting hole 61a, when the tripod screw 45 is further rotated, the tripod screw holder 30 is separated vertically from the bottom surface of the camera body 61, and the pan head 41 It abuts on the top surface of and is fixed. At this time, the tripod screw holder 30 is strongly pressed toward the camera body 61 by the tension of the pair of high-tensile elastic members 35 and is pulled with equal force from side to side. The camera body 61 is firmly fixed to the top surface of the pan head 41.

  The digital camera has been described above as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the digital camera, and can be applied to a film camera using a photographic film.

It is the perspective view which looked at the digital camera provided with the tripod screw attachment apparatus of this invention from the front. It is the perspective view which looked at the digital camera provided with the tripod screw attachment apparatus of this invention from the back. It is a perspective view after fixing the digital camera provided with the tripod screw attachment apparatus of this invention to the tripod. It is sectional drawing before fixing the tripod screw attachment apparatus of this invention to a tripod. It is sectional drawing after fixing the tripod screw attachment apparatus of this invention to the tripod. It is sectional drawing before fixing the tripod screw attachment apparatus of another embodiment of this invention to a tripod. It is sectional drawing after fixing the tripod screw attachment apparatus of another embodiment of this invention to the tripod. It is the figure which looked at the tripod screw attachment apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention from the camera bottom face. It is sectional drawing before fixing the tripod screw attachment apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention to a tripod. It is sectional drawing after fixing the tripod screw attachment apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention to the tripod. It is sectional drawing before fixing the tripod screw attachment apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention to a tripod. It is sectional drawing after fixing the tripod screw attachment apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention to the tripod. It is a front view of the conventional camera in which the tripod fixing screw hole is directly under the lens barrel. It is a front view of the conventional camera in which the tripod fixing screw hole was arrange | positioned at the corner of the camera.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Digital camera 11, 51, 61 Camera body 11a, 51a, 61a Fitting hole 13 Lens barrel 20, 25, 30 Tripod screw holder 20a, 25a, 30a Tripod fixing screw hole 31 Link member 32 Spring 35 High tension elastic member 41 pan head 45 tripod screw

Claims (5)

  In a tripod screw mounting device provided on the lower surface of the camera body, the camera is moved to a position perpendicular to the lower surface of the camera body and pressed against the tripod head by an operation when the camera is mounted on the tripod. A tripod screw fitting for fixing to a tripod fixing screw hole provided in the tripod screw holder at the lower part of the camera body adjacent to the tripod screw holder. A tripod screw for a camera, wherein a tip of the tripod screw is fitted into the fitting hole when the tripod screw holder is pressed against the camera platform by a tripod screw attached to the tripod. Mounting device.   2. The tripod screw mounting device for a camera according to claim 1, wherein the tripod screw holder is disposed below the lens barrel and is formed in a U-shape before and after the optical axis direction.   The tripod screw holder is disposed below the lens barrel, is supported by the camera body by a pair of link members and a spring, and when the camera is not attached to a tripod, the restoring force of the spring The camera tripod screw mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the camera tripod screw mounting device is housed in the camera body. The tripod screw holder is disposed below the lens barrel and is supported by the camera body by a pair of high-tensile elastic members having tensile stress, bending stress, and restoring force, and the camera is not attached to the tripod. 2. The camera tripod screw mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the camera body is housed in the camera body by the restoring force of the pair of high tension elastic members themselves.   A digital camera comprising the tripod screw mounting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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