JP2017068175A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rotational operation member superior in durability and capable of reducing sliding sounds generated during rotational operation.SOLUTION: The rotational operation member includes: a dial (301) which is operated to rotate; and a dial base (305) to which a click force is applied when the dial (301) is operated to rotate. The dial base (305) is provided with a distortion sensor (700) disposed on a plane parallel to a rotation axis of the dial (301). Using an output from the distortion sensor (700), the rotation direction and the number of clicks when the dial (301) is operated to rotate are detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a rotation operation member of the imaging apparatus.

  In an imaging device such as a digital camera that captures a subject image by converting it into an electrical signal, the imaging light beam is received by the imaging device, a photoelectric conversion signal output from the imaging device is converted into image data, and a memory card, etc. Record on a recording medium. A CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS sensor (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), or the like is used as the imaging device.

  In a conventional imaging device, a rotation operation member for setting information is arranged on the upper surface or the back surface of the imaging device. The rotation operation member includes a rotating mechanism, and mode setting and command setting can be performed by rotating the rotation operating member. At the time of shooting, it is also possible to change setting values such as shutter speed and aperture value.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a rotary operation member that is provided with a dial click mechanism for performing a click operation. The rotary operation dial can perform mode setting and command setting by operating the switch by sliding the electrical contact piece on the electronic circuit pattern in conjunction with the rotation of the dial.

JP 2003-87622 A

  However, in the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, the switch operation is performed when the electrical contact piece and the electronic circuit pattern are in physical contact with each other during dial operation. For this reason, the problem of the malfunction of the switch due to the frictional noise caused by the sliding friction between the electrical contact piece and the circuit pattern during the rotation operation, the vibration sound of the electrical contact piece, and the wear of the electrical contact piece and the electronic circuit pattern due to repeated rotation operation There is a concern that will occur.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a rotary operation member that is capable of reducing sliding noise during rotation operation and that has excellent durability.

In order to achieve the above object, the rotary operation member according to the present invention includes:
A dial (301) to be rotated;
A rotary operation member having a dial base (305) to which a click force is applied when rotating the dial (301),
A strain sensor (700) is disposed on a surface of the dial base (305) parallel to the rotation axis of the dial (301);
The rotation direction and the number of clicks when the dial (301) is rotated are detected by the output of the strain sensor (700).

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is possible to reduce the sliding sound at the time of rotation operation, and the rotation operation member excellent in durability can be provided.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an entire camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the electrical structure inside the camera in embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the rotation operation member which is the 1st Example of this invention. It is the rear view and sectional drawing which show the rotation operation member which is 1st Example of this invention. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the front side of the rotation operation member which is the 1st example of the present invention. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the back side of the rotation operation member which is 1st Example of this invention. It is a rear view for demonstrating the click mechanism of the rotation operation member which is the 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the state transition of click force when rotating the rotation operation member which is 1st Example of this invention. It is a perspective view explaining arrangement | positioning of the distortion sensor of the rotation operation member which is 1st Example of this invention. It is a graph of the detection signal by the distortion sensor when rotating the rotation operation member which is 1st Example of this invention. It is a front view which shows the rotation operation member which is the 2nd Example of this invention. It is the rear view and sectional drawing which show the rotation operation member which is the 2nd Example of this invention. It is the exploded perspective view seen from the front side of the rotation operation member which is the 2nd example of the present invention. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the back side of the rotation operation member which is the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a graph of the detection signal by the distortion sensor when rotating the rotation operation member which is 2nd Example of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, a digital single lens reflex camera (hereinafter referred to as a camera) will be described as an imaging apparatus.

  First, an overall schematic configuration of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of the camera according to the present embodiment, and shows a state in which a photographing lens unit (not shown) is removed. 1A is a perspective view of the camera viewed from the front side (subject side), and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the camera viewed from the back side (photographer side). FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the camera according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, a mount 2 for detachably fixing a photographic lens unit (not shown) is provided on the front surface of the camera body 1. The mount 2 is provided with a mount contact 507 that enables communication of a control signal, a status signal, a data signal, and the like between the camera body 1 and the photographing lens unit and supplies power to the photographing lens unit. In addition, the camera body 1 is provided with a lens lock release button 4 which is pressed when the mounted photographing lens unit is removed at a position close to the mount 2.

  Inside the camera body 1, there is provided a mirror box 20 through which a photographic light beam that has passed through the photographic lens is guided. In the mirror box 20, a main mirror (quick return mirror) 6 for reflecting the photographing light flux in a predetermined direction is disposed. As shown in FIG. 2, the main mirror 6 guides the photographic light flux in the direction of the penta roof mirror 22 so as to be held at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the photographic optical axis, and guides it in the direction of the image sensor 33. It changes to a state where it is held at a position retracted from the imaging light flux.

  The camera body 1 is provided with a grip portion 9 for a photographer to hold the camera body 1. The grip unit 9 is provided with a release button 10 for a photographer to instruct the camera to perform photographing. As shown in FIG. 2, the release button 10 includes SW1 (10a) and SW2 (10b). SW1 is turned on by the first stroke of the release button 10, and SW2 is turned on by the second stroke.

  A shoe groove 12 and a contact 13 for attaching a camera accessory such as a flash are provided on the upper portion of the camera body 1. Further, a shooting mode setting dial (hereinafter referred to as a mode dial) 810 for setting a shooting mode and a main operation dial 310 which is a rotation operation member for changing setting values such as a shutter speed and an aperture value are provided. Regarding the main operation dial 310, detailed description of the embodiment will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, a power switch 501 is provided on the upper back of the camera body 1, and the power of the camera is turned on and off by rotating the lever. In addition, a finder eyepiece window 14 is provided at the upper center of the back surface of the camera body 1 so that the photographer can observe the imaging light flux reflected by the main mirror 6 described above. A color liquid crystal monitor 15 capable of displaying an image is provided near the center of the back of the camera body 1. Further, a sub operation dial 330 which is a second rotation operation member is provided at a position where it can be operated with the thumb during gripping.

  A terminal cover 16 that protects an external device terminal connector (external interface 40) is disposed on the right side when viewed from the front of the camera body 1, and a medium that opens and closes when a recording medium (external memory 39) is inserted and removed on the left side. A cover 17 is provided.

  In addition, a battery lid 180 that opens and closes an opening of a battery chamber (not shown) that houses a battery (not shown) that supplies power to the camera is provided on the bottom surface of the camera.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the camera according to the present invention. A central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as “MPU”) 100 formed of a microcomputer built in the camera body 1 controls operation of the camera, and executes various processes and instructions for each element. The EEPROM 100a built in the MPU 100 can store time information of the time measuring circuit 109 and other information.

  Connected to the MPU 100 are a mirror drive circuit 101, a focus detection circuit 102, a shutter drive circuit 103, a video signal processing circuit 104, a switch sense circuit 105, a photometric circuit 106, and a strobe drive circuit 113. The operation of the strobe unit 504 is controlled by the strobe drive circuit 113. Further, a liquid crystal display driving circuit 107, a battery check circuit 108, a time measuring circuit 109, a power supply circuit 110, and a piezoelectric element driving circuit 111 are connected. These circuits operate under the control of the MPU 100.

  The MPU 100 communicates with the lens control circuit 201 in the photographing lens unit 200a via the mount contact 507. The mount contact 507 also has a function of transmitting a signal to the MPU 100 when the photographing lens unit 200a is connected. Accordingly, the lens control circuit 201 communicates with the MPU 100 and drives the photographing lens 200 and the diaphragm 204 in the photographing lens unit 200a via the AF driving circuit 202 and the diaphragm driving circuit 203. In FIG. 2, only one photographing lens 200 is shown for convenience, but in actuality, it is constituted by a large number of lens groups.

  The AF drive circuit 202 is constituted by, for example, a stepping motor, and adjusts the focus of the photographing light flux to the imaging element 33 by changing the focus lens position in the photographing lens 200 under the control of the lens control circuit 201. The aperture driving circuit 203 is configured by, for example, an auto iris or the like, and changes the aperture 204 under the control of the lens control circuit 201 to obtain an optical aperture value.

  The main mirror 6 guides the photographic beam passing through the photographic lens 200 to the penta roof mirror 22 and transmits a part thereof while being held at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the photographic optical axis 50 shown in FIG. To the sub mirror 30. The sub mirror 30 guides the photographic light beam transmitted through the main mirror 6 to the focus detection sensor unit 31.

  The mirror drive circuit 101 is composed of, for example, a DC motor and a gear train, and drives the main mirror 6 to a position where the subject image can be observed by the finder and a position where the subject image is retracted from the photographing light beam. When the main mirror 6 is driven, the sub mirror 30 is simultaneously moved to a position for guiding the photographing light beam to the focus detection sensor unit 31 and a position for retracting from the photographing light beam.

  The focus detection sensor unit 31 is composed of a field lens, a reflection mirror, a secondary imaging lens, a diaphragm, a line sensor composed of a plurality of CCDs, etc. arranged in the vicinity of an imaging surface (not shown), and a phase difference type focus detection. I do. A signal output from the focus detection sensor unit 31 is supplied to the focus detection circuit 102, converted into a subject image signal, and then transmitted to the MPU 100. The MPU 100 performs focus detection calculation by the phase difference detection method based on the subject image signal. Then, the defocus amount and the defocus direction are obtained, and based on this, the focus lens in the photographing lens 200 is driven to the in-focus position via the lens control circuit 201 and the AF drive circuit 202.

  The penta roof mirror 22 converts and reflects the photographing light beam reflected by the main mirror 6 into an erect image. The photographer can observe the subject image from the viewfinder eyepiece window 14 through the viewfinder optical system 18. The penta roof mirror 22 also guides a part of the photographing light flux to the photometric sensor 46. The photometric circuit 106 obtains the output of the photometric sensor 23, converts it into a luminance signal for each area on the observation surface, and outputs it to the MPU 100. The MPU 100 calculates an exposure value based on the luminance signal.

  The shutter unit (for example, a mechanical focal plane shutter) 32 has a shutter front curtain at a light shielding position and a shutter rear curtain at an exposure position when a photographer observes a subject image with a viewfinder. Next, at the time of shooting, the shutter front curtain travels from the light shielding position to the exposure position to perform exposure travel so that light from the subject passes through and the image sensor 33 captures an image. After the elapse of a desired shutter time, the shutter trailing curtain moves from the exposure position to the light shielding position, and the photographing is completed. The mechanical focal plane shutter 32 is controlled by a shutter drive circuit 103 that has received a command from the MPU 100.

  The imaging unit 400 is a unit in which an optical low-pass filter 410, an optical low-pass filter holding member 420, a piezoelectric element 430 that is a piezoelectric member, and an imaging element 33 are mainly unitized. The image sensor 33 photoelectrically converts a subject image. In this embodiment, a CMOS sensor is used, but there are various other types such as a CCD type, a CMOS type, and a CID type. An imaging device may be employed. The optical low-pass filter 410 disposed in front of the image sensor 33 is a single birefringent plate made of quartz and has a rectangular shape. The piezoelectric element 430 is a single-plate piezoelectric element (piezo element), and is configured to vibrate by the piezoelectric element driving circuit 111 in response to an instruction from the MPU 100 and transmit the vibration to the optical low-pass filter 410.

  The clamp / CDS (correlated double sampling) circuit 34 performs basic analog processing before A / D conversion, and the clamp level can be changed. The AGC (automatic gain adjusting device) 35 performs basic analog processing before A / D conversion, and can change the AGC basic level. The A / D converter 36 converts the analog output signal of the image sensor 33 into a digital signal.

  The video signal processing circuit 104 performs overall image processing by hardware such as gamma / knee processing, filter processing, and information composition processing for monitor display on the digitized image data. The image data for monitor display from the video signal processing circuit 104 is displayed on the color liquid crystal monitor 15 via the color liquid crystal drive circuit 112. The video signal processing circuit 104 can also store image data in the buffer memory 37 through the memory controller 38 in accordance with an instruction from the MPU 100. Further, the video signal processing circuit 104 can also perform image data compression processing such as JPEG. When continuous shooting is performed, such as continuous shooting, image data can be temporarily stored in the buffer memory 37, and unprocessed image data can be sequentially read out through the memory controller 38. Thereby, the video signal processing circuit 104 can sequentially perform image processing and compression processing regardless of the speed of the image data input from the A / D converter 36.

  The memory controller 38 has a function of storing the image data input from the external interface 40 in the external memory 39 and outputting the image data stored in the external memory 39 from the external interface 40. As the external memory 39, a flash memory that can be attached to and detached from the camera body is used.

  The switch sense circuit 105 transmits an input signal to the MPU 100 according to the operation state of each switch. The switch SW1 (10a) is turned on by the first stroke (half press) of the release button 10. The switch SW2 (10b) is turned on by the second stroke (full press) of the release button 10. When the switch SW2 (10b) is turned on, an instruction to start photographing is transmitted to the MPU 100. Further, a main operation dial 310, a sub operation dial 330, a shooting mode setting dial 810, and a power switch 501 are connected.

  The liquid crystal display driving circuit 107 drives the in-finder liquid crystal display device 41 in accordance with an instruction from the MPU 100.

  The battery check circuit 108 performs a battery check according to an instruction from the MPU 100 and transmits the detection result to the MPU 100. The power supply 42 supplies power to each element of the camera.

  The time measuring circuit 109 measures the time and date from when the power switch 501 is turned off to when it is turned on, and transmits the measurement result to the MPU 100 in accordance with an instruction from the MPU 100.

  Hereinafter, the main operation dial 310 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As described above, the main operation dial 310 is disposed at a position where the dial operation part is partially exposed from the camera exterior surface and can be rotated and clicked with the index finger while holding the grip part 9. Has been. When shooting, the shutter speed and aperture value settings can be changed. In addition, a command operation of a menu displayed on the color liquid crystal monitor 15 and a selection operation of a captured image and a captured moving image are possible.

  FIG. 3 is a front view of the main operation dial unit (300) of the camera body 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 4A is a rear view, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line MM of FIG. 5 and 6 are exploded perspective views of the main operation dial unit (300) of the camera body 1 according to the present invention. 5 is a view from the front side, and FIG. 6 is a view from the back side. Details of the configuration of the main operation dial unit (300) will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a release unit 600 is disposed on the front side of the main operation dial unit (300). The release unit 600 includes a release button 10, SW1 (10a), SW2 (10b), and a release base 602. By operating the release button 10, SW1 (10a) and SW2 (10b) signals are transmitted to the MPU 100 by the switch sense circuit 105 via the dial FPC (flexible printed circuit board) 308.

  The dial 301 has a circular shape, and a knurl is formed on the outer periphery, so that friction can be ensured during a rotation operation. Further, in this embodiment, the dial 301 is formed of a resin member (for example, polycarbonate) constituting a central shaft, and the operation portion on the outer peripheral side is formed of an elastic member (for example, rubber, elastomer). Operability is improved. Further, the resin member and the elastic member of the dial 301 may be formed by two-color molding.

  The rotary shaft of the dial 301 is fitted and held by a dial base 305 and is fixed by a screw 331 via a click plate 307. The click plate 307 is a click member having irregularities, and is formed of, for example, metal. The dial base 305 has a recess into which the click ball 302 and the click spring 303 are fitted, and is covered with a dial cover 304. The click ball 302 is a spherical ball member made of metal or resin, and the click spring 303 is formed of an elastic member such as a coil spring. Since the click ball 302 is urged with respect to the click plate 307 in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis by the click spring 303, the click force is generated by rotating the dial 301. The dial base 305 is provided with a distortion sensor 700 that detects distortion caused by a click force. The output signal of the strain sensor 700 is transmitted to the MPU 100 by the switch sense circuit 105 via the dial FPC 308.

  The dial cover 304 is fixed to the dial base 305 with screws 332, and these two members are fixed to the release base 602 with screws 330a and 330b. Further, it is fixed to an exterior cover (not shown) by screws 333a, 333b, 333c. With such a configuration, the main operation dial 310 can be operated in the camera state.

  7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining a click mechanism of the main operation dial 310. FIG. FIG. 7 is a view of the main operation dial 310 as viewed from the back, and shows a state where the dial cover 304 is not provided. (I), (ii), and (iii) of FIG. 8 are enlarged views of a portion N shown in FIG. 7 and show a state transition when the dial 301 rotates. Fm indicates the force applied by the click ball 302 to the dial base 305, and Fq and Fr indicate the forces that the click ball 302 receives from the click spring 303 and the click plate 307, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the click ball 302 is urged by Fq toward the center of the rotation axis by the click spring 303. At this time, when an operation force is applied clockwise when the dial 301 is viewed from the back, a normal force Fr is applied to the click ball 302 at the contact point with the click plate 307. The dial base 305 is given a resultant force of Fm = Fq + Fr by the click ball 302.

  The dial base 305 is fixed to the exterior cover with screws 333a and 333c. For this reason, when the dial 301 is rotated, a click force is generated and Fm is applied to the dial base 305, so that a slight distortion occurs in the dial base 305. By detecting this distortion with the distortion sensor 700 disposed on the side surface of the dial base 305, the rotation direction of the dial 301 and the number of clicks can be detected. The strain detection signal from the strain sensor 700 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 shows the state transition of Fm, Fq, and Fr when the dial 301 is rotated clockwise. 8 (i), (ii), and (iii) are diagrams for explaining that the click ball 302 transitions from the most concave portion, the slope, and the most convex portion of the click plate 307. FIG.

The state shown in FIG. 7 is (i). In (i), an angle formed by a vector of Fm ₁ and Fr ₁ is defined as θ ₁ .

When the click plate 307 rotates clockwise from the state (i) to the state (ii), the click spring 303 is charged, so that the force Fq ₂ applied to the click ball 302 increases (Fq ₂ > Fq ₁ ). Then, the normal direction is also shifted by shifting the contact point between the click ball 302 and the click plate 307, so that the vector of Fr ₂ changes (θ ₂ > θ ₁ ). Thus, Fm ₂ is a resultant force of Fq ₂ and Fr ₂ from (ii) _is a Fm 2 <Fm _1. Subsequently, (iii) is a case where the click ball 302 is positioned at the most convex portion of the click plate 307. Since the click spring 303 is most charged, the force acting on the click ball 302 is maximized (Fq ₃ > Fq ₂ ). Then, the vector of Fr ₃ is almost opposite to Fq ₃ (Fq3 = −Fr3). That is, the relationship is Fm ₃ = Fq ₃ + Fr ₃ ≈0.

Thus, when the dial 301 is rotated clockwise and the click plate 307 rotates in the same manner, as described in (i), (ii), and (iii), the transition of Fm is Fm ₁ > Fm _2. > Fm ₃ ≈0. Further, in the process in which the click ball 302 gets over the most convex part of the click plate 307 and falls into the adjacent concave part, Fm is very small even if it acts.

  In FIG. 9, the arrangement of the strain sensor 700 for detecting Fm acting on the dial base 305 will be described.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B are perspective views of the main operation dial 310 as viewed from the left and right of the back surface, and Zm indicates the rotation axis of the dial 301.

  The region where the distortion of the dial base 305 is easy to detect is a surface perpendicular to the surface of the force generating the click force, and is indicated by Sm which is a shaded portion in the figure. The plane region Sm is a plane perpendicular to the plane on which Fm, Fq, and Fr work, and is a plane parallel to the rotation axis Zm. Since shear distortion is likely to occur in the area of the surface perpendicular to the surface where the click force is generated, the distortion of the dial base 305 due to the click force tends to be easily detected. In particular, the distortion tends to increase near the portion fixed to the exterior cover.

FIG. 10 shows a graph of the output signal S ₇₀₀ of the strain sensor 700 when the dial 301 is rotated. (A) is a graph of the output signal S ₇₀₀ when the dial 301 is rotated clockwise and (b) is rotated two clicks counterclockwise.

  (I), (ii), and (iii) shown in FIG. 10A correspond to FIG. Since the strain sensor 700 can detect the distortion of the dial base 305 when the dial 301 is rotated, it is possible to detect the change in Fm described with reference to FIGS.

  When the dial 301 is rotated by one click in the clockwise direction, Fm becomes a force curve having a peak due to the relationship between the click ball 302 and the click plate 307 as described in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10A, Fm increases until (i), which is the moment when the click plate 307 is about to move. When the click plate 307 starts to move, the click ball 302 relatively runs up the slope of the click plate 307, passes through the state of (ii), and reaches (iii) which is the most convex portion. At this time, Fm decreases in (i) → (ii) → (iii), and becomes substantially zero in (iii). In the process in which the click ball 302 passes through the maximum convex portion of (iii) and falls into the next concave portion, Fm is very small.

At this time, if the sensor output peak in the state (i) is calculated in advance and the click detection threshold (V ₁ ) is set, the rotation direction and the number of clicks of the click plate 307 can be determined by reading this peak value. It is possible to detect.

FIG. 10B shows an output graph of the strain sensor 700 when the dial 301 is rotated counterclockwise by two clicks. The strain sensor 700 can detect tensile strain and compression strain in a certain direction. For example, in this embodiment, the tensile strain is <+> and the compressive strain is <->. At this time, the output is <+> due to the tensile strain in the clockwise direction, but the output is <−> due to the compressive strain in the counterclockwise direction, so that a signal output as shown in FIG. It is possible to detect the direction of rotation. In this case, click the detection threshold is set to -V _2.

As described above, the number of clicks and the rotation direction when the main operation dial 310 is rotated are detected by the output S ₇₀₀ of the strain sensor 700, so that the sliding noise of the metal contact piece during the rotation operation is reduced and durability is improved. It is possible to provide an operation member having excellent properties.

  The mode dial 810 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Since the overall configuration of the camera is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, the mode dial 810 is disposed on the upper surface side of the camera body 1 and can set a shooting mode and the like. The mode dial 810 has a rotation shaft arranged substantially perpendicular to the exterior surface, and can rotate the dial portion.

  FIG. 11 is a top view of the mode dial unit (800) of the camera body 1 according to the present invention. 12A is a bottom view, and FIG. 12B is a TT cross-sectional view of the bottom view. 13 and 14 are exploded perspective views of the mode dial unit (800) of the camera body 1 according to the present invention. 13 is a view from the upper surface side, and FIG. 14 is a view from the lower surface side.

  Details of the configuration of the mode dial unit (800) will be described with reference to FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, and FIG.

  The mode dial 801 has a circular shape, and a diamond cut shape is formed on the outer periphery, so that friction can be ensured during a rotating operation. The rotation shaft of the mode dial 801 is fitted and held by a mode dial base 805 and fixed by a screw 831 through a click plate 807.

  The mode dial base 805 has a recess into which the click ball 802 and the click spring 803 are fitted, and is covered with a mode dial cover 804. Since the click ball 802 is urged by the click spring 803 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis with respect to the click plate 807, the click force is generated by rotating the mode dial 801. The mode dial base 805 is provided with distortion sensors 710 and 720 that detect distortion caused by a click force. The strain sensors 710 and 720 are disposed on both sides of the click force generation unit, and can detect strain on a plane parallel to the rotation axis of the mode dial 801. Output signals of the strain sensors 710 and 720 are transmitted to the MPU 100 by the switch sense circuit 105 via the mode dial FPC 808.

  The mode dial cover 804 is fixed to the mode dial base 805 with screws 832, and the mode dial base 805 is fixed to an exterior cover (not shown) with screws 833 a, 833 b, and 833 c. With such a configuration, the mode dial 810 can be operated in the camera state.

  Since the detailed description of the click mechanism is the same as that of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 15 shows graphs of output signals S ₇₁₀ and S ₇₂₀ of the strain sensors 710 and 720 when the mode dial 801 is rotated. (A) is a graph of an output signal when the mode dial 801 is rotated by two clicks in the clockwise direction when viewed from the lower surface side, and (b) is counterclockwise as viewed from the lower surface side.

  When the mode dial 801 is rotated by one click, the strain sensor detects a strain having a peak as in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, since the strain sensors 710 and 720 are arranged on both sides so as to sandwich the click force generation portion, it is possible to detect both tensile strain and compression strain during rotation. For this reason, the detection accuracy of the rotation direction of the dial and the number of clicks can be improved by setting threshold values for the outputs of the strain sensors 710 and 720, respectively.

FIG. 15A shows an output when the mode dial 801 is rotated by two clicks clockwise. The outputs of the strain sensors ₇₁₀ and ₇₂₀ are S ₇₁₀ and S ₇₂₀ , respectively, and are solid lines and broken lines in the graph. As described above, when the strain sensor 710 detects a tensile strain, a compressive strain is generated in the strain sensor 720 installed on the opposite side across the click force generation unit. This is a box-shaped configuration because the recesses in which the click balls 802 and the click springs 803 of the mode dial base 805 are fitted are fixed so as to be covered by the mode dial cover 804. Therefore, if a click force is generated during the rotation operation of the mode dial 801, the installation surface of the strain sensors 710 and 720 tends to have a strain opposite to tension and compression. For this reason, by setting the click detection threshold values of the strain sensor outputs S ₇₁₀ and S ₇₂₀ as W 11 and −W 12, respectively, it is possible to perform detection with higher accuracy while preventing erroneous detection. (B) is an output when the mode dial 801 is rotated by two clicks counterclockwise. The click detection threshold values of S ₇₁₀ and S ₇₂₀ are set to -W22 and W21, respectively. With respect to the sensor outputs S ₇₁₀ and S ₇₂₀ in the clockwise direction and (b) counterclockwise, substantially opposite outputs are detected according to the rotation direction.
Summarizing the strain sensor outputs S ₇₁₀ and S ₇₂₀ and the detection of the rotation direction and the number of clicks,
_{S 710 ≧ W 11, S 720} ≦ -W 12 → clockwise, one-click _{S 710 ≦ -W 22, S 720} ≧ W 21 → counterclockwise, the one click.

As described above, the number of clicks and the rotation direction when the mode dial 810 is rotated are detected by the outputs S ₇₁₀ and S ₇₂₀ of the strain sensors ₇₁₀ and ₇₂₀ , so that the sliding sound of the metal contact piece during the rotation operation is detected. It is possible to provide an operation member that is reduced and has excellent durability.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

300 dial units, 301 dials,
302 Ball member (click ball), 303 Elastic member (click spring),
305 dial base, 301 click member (click plate),
700 Strain sensor

Claims (5)

A dial (301) to be rotated;
A rotary operation member having a dial base (305) to which a click force is applied when rotating the dial (301),
A strain sensor (700) is disposed on a surface of the dial base (305) parallel to the rotation axis of the dial (301);
Wherein the output of the strain sensor (700) (S _700), the rotation operating member, characterized in that detecting the direction of rotation and number of clicks when the rotational operation of the dial (301). The click force when the dial (301) is rotated is generated by the ball member (302) being urged by the elastic member (303) with respect to the click member (307) having unevenness. The rotation operation member according to claim 1. The rotation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of strain sensors (700) are arranged on a plurality of surfaces parallel to a rotation axis of the dial (301) of the dial base (305). Operation member. The output of the strain sensor (700), in order to detect the rotational direction and number of clicks when the rotational operation of the dial (301), set the output click detection threshold _{(S 700) (V} 1, -V ₂₎ The rotation operation member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotation operation member is provided. An imaging apparatus comprising the rotation operation member according to any one of claims 1 to 4.