阅读说明：本技术 透镜镜筒、相机机身、相机系统 (Lens barrel, camera body, and camera system ) 是由 户川久宪 中野拓海 泷田宏树 下山茉理绘 于 2017-04-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种相机系统、透镜镜筒,在具备一体地驱动透镜镜筒和摄像部的模糊校正机构的镜头更换式相机中,能够顺畅地进行镜头更换,提高实用性、便利性。该透镜镜筒能够对相机机身装拆,透镜镜筒具备：第1筒,其具有与所述相机机身的第1部卡合的第1卡合部；和第2筒,其配置于所述第1筒的内侧,且具有光学系统和与所述相机机身的第2部卡合的第2卡合部。(Provided are a camera system and a lens barrel, which can smoothly replace a lens in a lens replacement type camera having a blur correction mechanism for integrally driving the lens barrel and an imaging part, and improve practicality and convenience. The lens barrel is attachable to and detachable from a camera body, and includes: a 1 st cylinder having a 1 st engaging portion that engages with a 1 st portion of the camera body; and a 2 nd cylinder disposed inside the 1 st cylinder and having an optical system and a 2 nd engaging portion engaged with the 2 nd portion of the camera body.)

1. A lens barrel that can be attached to and detached from a camera body, the lens barrel comprising:

A 1 st cylinder having a 1 st engaging portion that engages with a 1 st portion of the camera body; and

And a 2 nd cylinder disposed inside the 1 st cylinder and having an optical system and a 2 nd engaging portion engaged with the 2 nd portion of the camera body.

2. The lens barrel according to claim 1,

The timing at which the 1 st part and the 1 st engagement part start to engage is different from the timing at which the 2 nd part and the 2 nd engagement part start to engage.

3. The lens barrel according to claim 2,

After the 2 nd part and the 2 nd engaging part start to engage, the 1 st part and the 1 st engaging part start to engage.

4. The lens barrel according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

The 1 st engaging portion or the 2 nd engaging portion has a bayonet shape.

5. The lens barrel according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the apparatus is provided with a driving part for driving the 2 nd cylinder relative to the 1 st cylinder.

6. The lens barrel according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

The apparatus is provided with a detection part for detecting the action of the 1 st tube or the action of the 2 nd tube.

7. The lens barrel according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the 1 st cylinder is provided with a communication unit that communicates with the camera body.

8. A camera body to which a lens barrel can be attached and detached, the camera body comprising:

A 1 st frame body having a 1 st engaging portion that engages with a 1 st barrel of the lens barrel; and

And a 2 nd housing which is disposed inside the 1 st housing and has an imaging element and a 2 nd engaging portion which engages with a 2 nd barrel of the lens barrel.

9. A camera system in which a camera body and a lens barrel are detachably attached, the camera system being characterized in that,

The camera body is provided with:

A 1 st frame body; and

A 2 nd housing having an image pickup device,

The lens barrel includes:

A 1 st cylinder engaged with the 1 st frame; and

And a 2 nd cylinder having an optical system and engaged with the 2 nd frame.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a lens barrel, a camera body and a camera system.

Background

In an image pickup apparatus capable of taking a moving image, there has been a conventional shake correction mechanism which is capable of swinging a lens barrel integrated with an image pickup unit with respect to a frame of the image pickup apparatus and which includes 2 driving units having support shafts perpendicular to an optical axis in order to correct a wide range of shake correction angles (see patent document 1).

On the other hand, in the lens-interchangeable camera, it is necessary to attach and detach the lens barrel to and from the camera body when the lens is exchanged.

Disclosure of Invention

The lens barrel of the present invention is a lens barrel attachable to and detachable from a camera body, and includes: a 1 st cylinder having a 1 st engaging portion that engages with a 1 st portion of the camera body; and a 2 nd cylinder disposed inside the 1 st cylinder and having an optical system and a 2 nd engaging portion engaged with the 2 nd portion of the camera body.

Further, a camera body according to the present invention is a camera body to which a lens barrel is attachable and detachable, and includes: a 1 st frame body having a 1 st engaging portion that engages with a 1 st barrel of the lens barrel; and a 2 nd housing which is disposed inside the 1 st housing and has an imaging element and a 2 nd engaging portion which engages with a 2 nd barrel of the lens barrel.

Further, a camera system according to the present invention is a camera system in which a camera body and a lens barrel are detachably mounted, the camera body including a 1 st frame and a 2 nd frame including an imaging element, the lens barrel including: a 1 st cylinder engaged with the 1 st frame; and a 2 nd cylinder having an optical system and engaged with the 2 nd frame.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a system configuration diagram of a camera system 1 including a lens barrel 3 and a camera body 2 according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 1B is a simplified diagram showing a system configuration of a camera system 1 including a lens barrel 3 and a camera body 2 according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the body control unit 215.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the lens control unit 314.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a lens locking mechanism for locking the lens inner case 302 with respect to the lens outer case 301.

fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a body lock mechanism for locking the body inner shell 202 with respect to the body outer shell 201.

Fig. 6 is a front view showing the shaft alignment mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a front view showing a step of mounting the lens barrel to the camera body.

fig. 8 is a view showing an example of a fixing mechanism (a locking mechanism of the mount) for preventing looseness of the bayonet mount.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the body control unit 215 related to the detection of the coupling state using the coupling detection unit 240 and the coupling detection unit 340.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of the coupling release mechanism.

Fig. 11 is a view showing a modification of the structure of the mount on the inner case side.

Fig. 12A is a system configuration diagram of a camera system 1 including a lens barrel 3 and a camera body 2 according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 12B is a simplified diagram showing the system configuration of the camera system 1 including the lens barrel 3 and the camera body 2 according to embodiment 2.

Detailed Description

The following description will be made with reference to the drawings and the like.

In the following description, expressions such as the pitch axis P, the yaw axis Y, and the roll axis R are used as necessary for easy understanding. In the embodiment, the pitch axis P is an axis extending in the left-right direction as viewed from the photographer at a position of the camera body 2 (hereinafter referred to as "normal position") when the photographer photographs a horizontally long image with the optical axis horizontal when the lens barrel 3 is attached to the camera body 2. The yaw axis Y is an axis extending in the up-down direction in the normal position. The roll axis R is an axis extending in the optical axis direction in the normal position. Thus, the pitch axis P, yaw axis Y, and roll axis R are orthogonal to each other. In addition, "orthogonal" includes not only a strict 90 degrees but also a range slightly deviating from 90 degrees due to manufacturing error and/or assembly error.

Note that rotation about the pitch axis P is used as pitch, rotation about the yaw axis Y is used as yaw, and rotation about the roll axis R is used as roll. Further, the pitch direction is defined as the pitch direction, the yaw direction is defined as the yaw direction, and the roll direction is defined as the roll direction.

Further, a direction along the pitch axis P or a direction along the yaw axis Y is taken as a shift direction.

(embodiment 1)

Fig. 1A is a system configuration diagram of a camera system 1 including a lens barrel 3 and a camera body 2 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 1B is a simplified diagram showing a system configuration of a camera system 1 including a lens barrel 3 and a camera body 2 according to embodiment 1. In addition, fig. 1A and 1B show the same camera system 1, and therefore, components not included in one of the drawings, for example, are supplemented by the other drawing, and they are supplemented with each other.

the camera system 1 may be a system capable of zooming or a system incapable of zooming.

(lens barrel 3)

The lens barrel 3 of the present embodiment is attachable to and detachable from the camera body 2. Further, the lens barrel 3 is capable of extending and contracting between a collapsed state (non-photographing state, accommodated state, collapsed state) and an extended state (photographing state).

As shown in the system configuration diagrams of fig. 1A and 1B, the lens barrel 3 includes: a lens inner case 302 that holds therein a lens group L as an imaging optical system, a frame 320 disposed on the outer periphery of the lens inner case 302, a lens outer case 301 (e.g., a fixed cylinder) disposed on the outer periphery of the frame 320, and the like. The lens housing 302 and the frame 320 may be combined to form a lens housing.

In the lens barrel 3 of the present embodiment, the lens inner case 302 is rotatable in the pitch direction about the pitch axis P with respect to the frame 320. The housing 320 is rotatable in the yaw direction about the yaw axis Y with respect to the lens housing 301.

When the entire lens barrel 3 has a cylindrical shape, the lens inner case, the lens outer case, and the housing may also have a cylindrical shape. However, a flat portion may be provided on the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface in order to dispose other parts. Further, the shapes of the lens inner case, the lens outer case, and the frame body may be appropriately deformed to form a flat portion, a notch, a portion with a varying thickness, or the like. The shape may be a quadrangular prism instead of a cylindrical shape.

(lens inner case 302)

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the lens housing 302 of the lens barrel 3 includes a lens group L, a shift direction vibration isolation system 330, a shake detection unit 325, and a lens housing attachment base 326.

The lens case 302 includes a part of a tilt driving unit 322 that drives the lens case 302 in a tilt direction with respect to the housing 320.

The lens group L is an imaging optical system for forming a subject image on the image pickup device 220 disposed in the camera body 2. Further, the lens group L includes an anti-vibration optical system LB. The vibration-proof optical system LB can move in the shift direction, and corrects image blur due to hand shake or the like.

The shift-direction vibration-proofing system 330 is a system that controls the vibration-proofing optical system LB that moves in the shift direction. The image pickup apparatus includes a movable frame holding an anti-vibration optical system LB, an anti-vibration optical system position detecting unit detecting a position of the anti-vibration optical system LB, a displacement driving unit 332 driving the movable frame in a displacement direction, and the like. The displacement drive unit 332 may be a Voice Coil Motor (VCM). The image blur is corrected by driving the anti-vibration optical system LB by the shift driving unit 332 in a direction to cancel the image blur of the subject image due to the camera shake of the photographer or the like.

The shake detection unit 325 detects vibration in the pitch direction, yaw direction, roll direction, or shift direction of the lens housing 302. The shake detection unit 325 may detect vibrations in at least 1 direction. Jitter in all directions can also be detected.

The shake detection unit 325 may be a gyro sensor or the like. The sensor may be constituted by 1 sensor or a plurality of sensors.

The lens inner case mount 326 has a shape having a lens inner case coupling portion 317, and contacts the body inner case mount 224 described later. Further, the lens inner housing mount 326 has a bonding detection portion 340. Details will be described later.

(frame 320)

The housing 320 includes a pitch drive unit 322 and a pitch direction rotation detection unit 323. The tilt driving section 322 drives the lens housing 302 in the tilt direction. When the tilt driving unit 322 drives, the lens housing 302 rotates in the tilt direction around the tilt axis P.

The tilt direction rotation detecting section 323 detects the amount of rotation in the tilt direction of the lens inner case 302. That is, the pitch-direction rotation detection unit 323 detects the driving amount of the pitch driving unit 322. The tilt direction rotation detecting unit 323 detects the amount of rotation of the lens housing 302 (or the amount of driving of the tilt driving unit 322), and thereby can determine whether or not the lens housing 302 (or the tilt driving unit 322) is correctly driven. The housing 320 includes a part of a yaw driving unit 312 that drives the housing 320 in the yaw direction with respect to the lens housing 301.

When the yaw driving unit 312 is driven, the housing 320 is driven in the yaw direction with respect to the lens housing 301. Along with this, the lens housing 302 is also driven in the yaw direction.

(lens case 301)

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the lens housing 301 includes a yaw driving unit 312, a yaw direction rotation detecting unit 313, an operation member 315, a lens housing mount 310, and a lens control unit 314. The yaw driving unit 312 drives the frame 320 in the yaw direction. The yaw direction rotation detection unit 313 detects rotation of the housing 320 in the yaw direction. That is, the yaw direction rotation detection unit 313 detects the driving amount of the yaw driving unit 312. By detecting the amount of rotation of the housing 320 (or the amount of driving of the yaw driving unit 312) by the yaw direction rotation detecting unit 313, it is possible to determine whether the housing 320 (or the pitch driving unit 322) is correctly driven. The operation member 315 is a member operated by a user.

The lens housing mount 310 includes a contact 311 for communication or energization. The lens housing mount 310 has a shape including a lens housing coupling portion 316.

The lens control unit 314 controls the shift drive unit 332, the pitch drive unit 322, and the yaw drive unit 312. When the user operates an operation member 315 described later, the lens control unit 314 moves the lens group L in the optical axis direction to change the focal length.

The lens housing 301 and the lens housing 302 are electrically connected to each other by a wiring portion such as a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as FPC).

(Camera body 2)

Next, the camera body 2 will be explained.

As shown in the system configuration diagrams of fig. 1A and 1B, the camera body 2 includes a body inner case 202 and a body outer case 201 (for example, a body fixing portion).

The body inner case 202 includes an image pickup device 220, an image pickup device driving unit 223, and a body inner case mounting base 224. The body casing 201 includes a body control unit 215, an image processing unit 218, a body casing mount 210, a display unit 214, a battery 212, and an operation member 213.

The image pickup element 220 receives light incident from the imaging optical system (lens group L) and converts it into an electric signal. The image pickup device driving section 223 drives the image pickup device 220 to perform shake correction. The body inner housing mount 224 has a shape having a body inner housing coupling portion 217, and is in contact with the lens inner housing mount 326. Further, a binding detection unit 240 is provided. Details will be described later.

The body control unit 215 performs calculation and/or control of shake correction described later. Further, various controls are performed based on input from the operation unit 213 and the like. The image processing unit 218 performs image processing on the image data output from the image sensor 220.

The body case mount 210 includes a contact 211 for communication or energization. The body shell mount 210 is shaped to include a body shell coupling portion 216. The display unit 214 displays information related to image data and various settings acquired by the image pickup device 220. The operation member 213 is operated by a user.

Further, the body case 201 and the body case 202 are electrically connected by a wiring such as an FPC.

With the above configuration, the camera system 1 according to the present embodiment is a camera system in which the lens barrel 3 can be replaced, and can perform a shake correction operation (hereinafter referred to as integrated drive shake correction) by integrating the lens inner case 302 and the body inner case 202.

In the camera system 1, a body housing 201 of a camera body 2 is integrally coupled to a lens housing 301 of a lens barrel 3. Further, the body inner case 202 of the camera body 2 is integrated with the lens inner case 302 of the lens barrel 3. When the shake detection unit 325 detects a shake in the pitch direction or the yaw direction in this state, the lens control unit 314 drives the yaw drive unit 312 and the pitch drive unit 322 in a direction to cancel the shake detected by the shake detection unit 325 based on the output signal. As a result, shake correction is performed. Image blurring of a subject image due to camera shake of a photographer or the like is corrected. Further, lens shift shake correction using the shift-direction vibration prevention system 330 can also be performed simultaneously or selectively. Further, the image pickup device 220 may be driven by a driving unit, not shown, in any of the shift direction, pitch direction, yaw direction, and roll direction to perform shake correction simultaneously or selectively.

The shake correction of the present embodiment will be described in detail.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the body control unit 215.

In the flowchart shown in fig. 2, the following 3 kinds of shake correction can be performed.

(1) Integrally driving shake correction: the shake correction is performed by integrally driving the lens housing 302 and the body housing 202.

(2) And (3) correcting lens shake: shake correction by the shift-direction vibration-proofing system 330. The anti-vibration optical system LB is driven in the shift direction to correct the image blur.

(3) Image pickup element shake correction: the image pickup device 220 is moved to correct the shake.

When the camera body 2 is turned on and starts operating, the body control unit 215 determines whether or not the display of the live view image or the shooting of the moving image is in progress in step (hereinafter referred to as S) 110. If the live view image is being displayed or the moving image is being photographed, the process proceeds to S120. If neither the live view image display nor the moving image capture is performed, the process proceeds to S160.

In S120, the body control unit 215 determines whether the mode of shake correction is the integral drive shake correction mode, the lens shake correction mode, or the image pickup device shake correction mode. This determines the operation content of the subsequent shake correction. The body control unit 215 determines a mode of shake correction based on a mode set by a user, for example. Alternatively, the body control unit 215 may automatically determine the magnitude of the shake based on the shake detected by the shake detection unit 325. Alternatively, the camera body 2 and the lens barrel 3 may be both provided with an inner case, and the camera body may be determined to be the integral drive shake correction mode, or at least one of the camera body and the lens barrel may be provided without an inner case, and the camera body may be determined to be the lens shake correction mode or the imaging element shake correction mode.

In S130, the body control unit 215 determines whether or not the shake detection unit 325 has detected a shake. The body control unit 215 of the camera body 2 acquires the shake detected by the shake detection unit 325 via the contact 311 and the contact 211. The timing at which the body control unit 215 acquires the shake detected by the shake detection unit 325 is not limited to S130. The lens barrel 3 may transmit the shake detected by the shake detection unit 325 to the camera body 2 at a predetermined timing. The shake detection unit 325 can detect at least one of a shake in the pitch direction, a shake in the yaw direction, a shake in the roll direction, and a shake in the shift direction. The shake in all directions can be detected, and the shake in multiple directions can also be detected. Here, whether or not the shake is detected is determined, for example, when the output value of the shake detection unit 325 is equal to or greater than a certain value. When the shake detection unit 325 detects at least one of the shake in the pitch direction, the shake in the yaw direction, the shake in the roll direction, and the shake in the shift direction, the process proceeds to S140. If the shake detection unit 325 does not detect the shake in the pitch direction, the shake in the yaw direction, the shake in the roll direction, and the shake in the shift direction, the process proceeds to S150.

In S140, the body control unit 215 transmits a shake correction instruction to the lens barrel 3.

The shake correction instruction performed in S140 performs an instruction corresponding to the shake correction mode confirmed in S120. Specifically, when the shake correction mode is the integral drive shake correction mode in S120, the body control unit 215 sends an instruction to drive the pitch drive unit 322 and the yaw drive unit 312 to the lens barrel 3. The calculation of the amount of driving in which direction the yaw driving unit 312 and the pitch driving unit 322 are driven is calculated by the body control unit 215 based on the shake detected in S130, and is transmitted to the lens barrel 3.

Further, when the mode of shake correction is the lens shake correction mode in S120, the body control unit 215 sends an instruction to control the shift direction vibration prevention system 330 to the lens barrel 3. The body control unit 215 calculates the control content of the shift direction vibration damping system 330 based on the shake amount detected in S130, and transmits the control content to the lens barrel 3.

When the mode of the shake correction in S120 is the image pickup device shake correction mode, the body control unit 215 drives the image pickup device driving unit 223. By driving the image pickup device driving unit 223, the image pickup device 220 can be driven in any one of the pitch direction, yaw direction, roll direction, and shift direction. Thereby correcting the image blur. When the mode of shake correction is the image pickup device shake correction mode, the body control unit may control the image pickup device driving unit 223 without sending a shake correction instruction to the lens barrel 3.

The lens control unit 314 controls driving of the actuators (the yaw driving unit 312, the pitch driving unit 322, and the shift driving unit 332 included in the shift-direction vibration damping system 330) in accordance with an instruction from the body control unit 215.

In the calculation of the shake correction by the body control unit 215, at least the detection value of the shake detection unit 325, information on the installation position of the shake detection unit 325, and the center-of-gravity position information of the lens barrel 3 (or the center-of-gravity position information of the lens inner housing 302) are required. Using these pieces of information, parameters of a shake correction instruction necessary for each shake correction are calculated and sent to the lens control unit 314. The calculation of the shake correction may be performed by the lens control unit 314.

In S150, the body control unit 215 determines whether or not the power supply is off. If the power is not turned off, the process returns to S110, and if the power is turned off, the operation ends.

In S160, the body control unit 215 determines whether or not the still image is being displayed. In the case of display of a still image, the process proceeds to S170. In the case where the still image is not displayed, the process proceeds to S150.

In S170, the body control unit 215 continues to display the still image, and returns to S150.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed by the lens control unit 314.

In S210, the lens control unit 314 determines whether or not a shake correction instruction (shake correction instruction transmitted by the body control unit 215 in S140 of fig. 2) has been received from the camera body 2. If the shake correction instruction is received, the process proceeds to S220, and if the shake correction instruction is not received, the process proceeds to S230.

In S220, the lens control unit 314 drives each actuator in accordance with the shake correction instruction to perform a shake correction operation. The shake correction instruction received from the camera body 2 includes information on which actuator is driven in which direction by which amount in S220.

in S230, the lens control unit 314 determines whether or not the power is off. If the power is not turned off, the process returns to S210, and if the power is turned off, the operation ends.

Next, the details of the camera system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in further detail for each configuration.

(1. mounting seat structure)

As described above, the lens barrel 3 of the present embodiment includes the lens housing coupling portion 316 provided in the lens housing 301 and the lens housing coupling portion 317 provided in the lens housing 302. The camera body 2 includes a body case coupling portion 216 provided in the body case 201 and a body case coupling portion 217 provided in the body case 202.

These coupling portions constitute a bayonet. The lens housing coupling portion 316 and the body housing coupling portion 216 can be coupled (or engaged) or separated. Similarly, the lens housing coupling portion 317 and the body housing coupling portion 217 can be coupled (or engaged) or separated. The combination or separation of them is performed by a bayonet. With such a configuration, the lens barrel 3 is configured to be detachable from the camera body 2.

In the camera system 1, when the lens barrel 3 is attached to the camera body 2, the user rotates the lens housing 301 of the lens barrel 3 by a predetermined angle (for example, 60 °) with respect to the body housing 201, and couples the lens housing 301 to the body housing 201 of the camera body 2. More specifically, the lens housing coupling portion 316 is engaged with the body housing coupling portion 216. Since the lens inner case 302 rotates with the rotation of the lens housing 301 relative to the body housing 201, the lens inner case coupling portion 317 engages with the body inner case coupling portion 217, and the lens inner case 302 of the lens barrel 3 is coupled to the body inner case 202 of the camera body 2. The operation of detaching the lens barrel 3 is reversed.

Here, the lens inner housing 302 is not fixed to the lens outer housing 301, and is movable within a predetermined range with respect to the lens outer housing 301. That is, the relative positional relationship between the lens inner housing 302 and the lens outer housing 301 may be changed. The body inner case 202 is not fixed to the body outer case 201, and can move in a predetermined range with respect to the body outer case 201. That is, the relative positional relationship between the fuselage inner skin 202 and the fuselage outer skin 201 may vary. Since the positional relationship between the inner case and the outer case is not fixed in this manner, the lens inner case 302 and the body inner case 202 may not be reliably attached and detached when the lens barrel 3 is attached and detached to and from the camera body 2. Therefore, it is considered that the lens housing 302 and the body housing 202 are attached and detached by the following configuration.

(1-1. inner shell locking mechanism)

As a structure capable of attaching and detaching the lens housing 302 and the body housing 202, there is a lock mechanism for fixing (locking) the lens housing 302 at a predetermined position with respect to the lens housing 301.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a lens locking mechanism for locking the lens inner case 302 with respect to the lens outer case 301. Fig. 4 (a) shows a locked state, and fig. 4 (b) shows an unlocked state.

In the example shown in fig. 4, a DC motor (direct current motor) 401 and a worm 402 are mounted on the lens housing 301 of the lens barrel 3. Further, around the cylindrical portion of the lens inner case 302, a lock ring 403 is rotatably mounted.

A gear portion 404 is formed around the lock ring 403, and a gear member 405 is disposed between the worm 402 and the gear portion 404.

When locked, the DC motor 401 is driven to rotate the worm 402, thereby rotating the lock ring 403 via the gear part 405 and the gear part 404.

In this way, the protrusion 406 provided on the inner peripheral side of the lock ring 403 is in contact with and presses the protrusion 407 provided on the lens inner case 302.

Thereby, the lens inner case 302 is fixed with respect to the lens outer case 301.

When the lock is released, the DC motor 401 is driven in the reverse direction to rotate the worm 402, and the lock ring 403 is rotated in the reverse direction via the gear part 405 and the gear part 404.

Then, the protrusion 406 provided on the inner peripheral side of the lock ring 403 and the protrusion 407 provided on the lens inner case 302 are in a non-contact state, and the lens inner case 302 is released from being fixed to the lens outer case 301.

Further, the lock ring 403 may be mechanically rotated in conjunction with attachment and detachment of the camera body 2 and the lens barrel 3.

Similarly, the body side may be provided with a lock mechanism for fixing (locking) the body inner case 202 at a predetermined position with respect to the body outer case 201.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a body lock mechanism for locking the body inner casing 202 with respect to the body outer casing 201. Fig. 5 (a) shows a state in which the body inner casing 202 and the body outer casing 201 are locked, and fig. 5 (b) shows a state in which the locking of the body inner casing 202 and the body outer casing 201 is released.

In the body lock mechanism of fig. 5, claw portions 241 and 242 driven by an actuator, not shown, are provided in the body case 201. The pawl portions 241, 242 can be moved to switch between the locked state and the unlocked state. Further, the claw portions 241 and 242 may be mechanically moved in conjunction with attachment and detachment of the camera body 2 and the lens barrel 3.

In the following description, a mechanism for locking the lens inner case 302 at a predetermined position with respect to the lens outer case 301 is referred to as a lens locking mechanism, and a mechanism for locking the body inner case 202 at a predetermined position with respect to the body outer case 201 is referred to as a body locking mechanism. Such a lens lock mechanism and/or a body lock mechanism may be configured to be mechanically unlocked. For example, the lock of the lens lock mechanism and the body lock mechanism is released in conjunction with the attachment and detachment of the lens barrel 3. Alternatively, the lock of the lens lock mechanism and the body lock mechanism may be released in conjunction with a switch not shown. Further, the lens lock mechanism and/or the body lock mechanism may be electrically unlocked by a motor, not shown. For example, when it is detected that the lens barrel 3 is mounted, a motor, not shown, is driven to unlock the lens lock mechanism and the body lock mechanism. Alternatively, when an instruction for unlocking is detected by operating the switch and/or the operation member 213, a motor, not shown, may be driven to unlock the lens lock mechanism and the body lock mechanism. In this case, motors, not shown, are provided in the lens barrel 3 and the camera body 2.

In the camera system 1 of the present embodiment, the lens inner case 302 has a degree of freedom that allows a degree of rocking motion with respect to the lens outer case 301, but the movable range thereof is physically (mechanically) limited. Similarly, the body inner case 202 has a degree of freedom of a rockable degree with respect to the body outer case 201, but its movable range is physically (mechanically) limited. Therefore, even when the lens lock mechanism or the body lock mechanism is not operated or not provided, the inner case is configured to rotate following the rotation of the outer case side although the inner case has a predetermined degree of freedom with respect to the rotation.

(1-2. center shaft (rotation axis) involution mechanism)

Since the lens barrel 3 is supported such that the lens inner case 302 can freely swing with respect to the lens outer case 301, a state in which the lens inner case 302 falls down by its own weight and/or a state in which the lens inner case 302 is inclined with respect to the lens outer case 301 are conceivable. When the lens barrel 3 is to be attached to the camera body 2 in such a state, the rotational axis of the lens outer case 301 and the rotational axis of the lens inner case 302 may be displaced, and the lens barrel 3 may not be smoothly attached to the camera body 2. The same applies to the fuselage inner skin 202 and the fuselage outer skin 201.

As a 2 nd example of the structure in which the lens case 302 and the body case 202 can be attached to and detached from each other, a shaft alignment mechanism that aligns the rotational shaft of the lens case 302 with the rotational shaft of the lens case 301 when the lens case 301 rotates will be described.

Fig. 6 is a front view of the shaft alignment mechanism viewed from the object side in parallel with the optical axis.

As shown in fig. 6, in this axis alignment mechanism, as the lens inner housing 302 rotates about its rotational axis, the lens inner housing coupling portion 317 (e.g., a claw portion) rotates while being guided by the guide member 224c provided on the inner housing mount 224 such that the inner diameter thereof gradually decreases, thereby engaging the lens inner housing 302 with the lens outer housing 301.

By this axis alignment mechanism, the lens housing coupling portion 317 is engaged with the body housing coupling portion 217. Therefore, even when the rotation axis of the lens housing 301 does not coincide with the rotation axis of the lens housing 302, the lens barrel 3 can be smoothly attached to the camera body 2. From this point of view, the practicality and convenience of the camera system 1 can be improved.

When the lens barrel 3 is removed from the camera body 2, the lens housing 301 of the lens barrel 3 is rotated in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle (for example, 60 °), and the engaged state with the body housing 201 of the camera body 2 is released. When the lens barrel 3 is rotated in a direction to remove the lens barrel, the lens inner housing 302 is also rotated following the rotation of the lens outer housing 301. As a result, the lens housing coupling portion 316 is removed from the body housing coupling portion 216, and the lens housing coupling portion 317 is removed from the body housing coupling portion 217, so that the removal operation of the lens barrel 3 is completed.

in place of such an axis alignment mechanism, an actuator (not shown) may be driven to align the rotational axis of the lens inner housing 302 with the rotational axis of the lens outer housing 301 so that the rotational axis of the lens inner housing 302 coincides with the rotational axis of the lens outer housing 301, thereby appropriately moving the lens inner housing 302. The locking mechanism described above may also be used to align the rotational axis of the inner housing with the rotational axis of the outer housing.

(1-3. involution mechanism of mount rotation amount)

In the camera system 1, as described above, the inner case side has a degree of freedom with respect to the outer case side. Therefore, when the lens barrel 3 is attached to the camera body 2, the rotation amount (rotation angle) of the lens housing 302 is insufficient, and the coupling between the housing body coupling portion 217 and the lens housing coupling portion 317 is not properly performed.

Therefore, the aligning mechanism of the mount rotation amount will be explained.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a procedure of mounting the lens barrel to the camera body. Is a front view viewed from the object side in parallel with the optical axis.

The body inner housing coupling portion 217 and the lens inner housing coupling portion 317 start to engage before the body outer housing coupling portion 216 and the lens outer housing coupling portion 316 start to engage.

For example, when the lens housing 301 is rotated clockwise, for example, by 5 ° from the state shown in fig. 7 (a), the lens housing coupling portion 317 starts to catch the body housing coupling portion 217 as shown in fig. 7 (b). At this time, the lens housing coupling portion 316 is in a state where the body housing coupling portion 216 is not yet caught. When the lens housing 301 is further rotated clockwise from this state, for example, by 5 ° (rotated 10 ° from the state shown in fig. 7 (a)), the lens housing coupling portion 316 starts to catch the body housing coupling portion 216 as shown in fig. 7 (c). When the lens housing 301 is further rotated clockwise, for example, by 40 ° (rotated by 50 ° from the state shown in fig. 7 (a)) from this state, the lens housing coupling portion 317 completely catches and couples with the body housing coupling portion 217 as shown in fig. 7 (d). At this time, the lens housing coupling portion 316 does not completely catch the body housing coupling portion 216. Thus, by further rotating the lens housing 301, the lens housing coupling portion 316 completely catches and couples with the body housing coupling portion 216. Further, the lens housing coupling portion 316 may be coupled to the body housing coupling portion 216 at substantially the same time as the lens housing coupling portion 317 is coupled to the body housing coupling portion 217.

In this way, a difference is provided between the timing at which the lens inner case coupling portion 317 and the body inner case coupling portion 217 start to be locked and the timing at which the lens outer case coupling portion 316 and the body outer case coupling portion 216 start to be locked. Specifically, the time when the lens inner case coupling portion 317 and the body inner case coupling portion 217 start to be locked is earlier than the time when the lens outer case coupling portion 316 and the body outer case coupling portion 216 start to be locked. This prevents the inner housing body 217 and the inner housing lens 317 from being coupled incorrectly due to an insufficient amount of rotation (rotation angle) of the inner housing lens 302. Therefore, the practicability and convenience can be improved.

this prevents insufficient coupling between the body inner housing mount 224 and the lens inner housing mount 326 due to insufficient rotation amount (rotation angle) of the lens inner housing 302 when the lens barrel 3 is mounted on the camera body 2.

In this regard, the engagement angle of the lens housing coupling portion 317 with respect to the body housing coupling portion 217 may be made smaller than the engagement angle of the lens housing coupling portion 316 with respect to the body housing coupling portion 216. The same object can be achieved by this method.

It is also possible to provide an actuator that, when the lens housing 301 of the lens barrel 3 is coupled to the body housing 201 of the camera body 2, couples the lens inner housing 302 of the lens barrel 3 to the body inner housing 202 of the camera body 2 using the actuator as a trigger. Further, the same operation may be executed by using a button (not shown) pressed by the user as a trigger.

The mechanisms 1-1 to 1-3 described above may be constituted individually or in appropriate combinations.

(1-4. holding mechanism of joint)

Further, the camera system 1 is provided with a mechanism (holding mechanism of the joint) that prevents the joint from loosening. For example, when the lens housing coupling portion 317 and the body housing coupling portion 217 are engaged by the bayonet mechanism, relative displacement between the lens housing coupling portion 317 and the body housing coupling portion 217 in the optical axis direction is unlikely to occur, but displacement may occur in the rotational direction around the optical axis. Therefore, a mechanism for suppressing the shift in the rotational direction around the optical axis will be described.

Specifically, the camera system 1 includes an inner case coupling and holding mechanism that holds (fixes, locks) the coupling of the lens inner case coupling portion 317 and the body inner case coupling portion 217. Further, a housing coupling and holding mechanism is provided that holds (fixes, locks) the coupling of the lens housing coupling portion 316 and the body housing coupling portion 216. Therefore, in the use of the camera system 1, the body inner housing 202 and the lens inner housing 302 can be prevented from being displaced in the rotational direction about the optical axis and being disengaged (engaged) from each other. Further, in the use of the camera system 1, the body housing 201 and the lens housing 301 can be prevented from being displaced in the rotational direction about the optical axis and from being engaged (disengaged). The outer case coupling and holding mechanism and the inner case coupling and holding mechanism may be any type of mechanism, and for example, a mechanical type, an electrical type, or a magnetic type mechanism may be used.

The holding mechanism may be provided with only a housing coupling and holding mechanism. This is because the movable range of the inner case with respect to the outer case is limited to some extent, and therefore, if the outer case side is firmly coupled (engaged), the possibility that the coupling (engagement) of the inner case side is released is low. That is, the coupling (engagement) of the inner case side can be maintained as long as the outer case coupling and holding mechanism is provided. By also providing the inner housing coupling and holding mechanism, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the inner housing side in the rotational direction about the optical axis.

The camera system 1 further includes a release mechanism for releasing the coupling of the lens housing 301 and the body housing 201 by the housing coupling and holding mechanism. By operating the release mechanism, the lock based on the housing engagement holding mechanism is released. Further, in conjunction with the operation of the release mechanism, the lock based on the inner housing engagement holding mechanism is also released. Thus, the camera system 1 releases the lock based on the outer case engagement holding mechanism with the release mechanism, and also releases the lock based on the inner case engagement holding mechanism. This makes it possible to easily attach and detach the lens barrel 3.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a mechanism (coupling portion holding mechanism) for preventing looseness of the coupling portion (for example, displacement in the rotational direction about the optical axis). The up-down direction in fig. 8 is shown as a direction along the optical axis of the lens barrel 3.

Specifically, for example, as shown in fig. 8 (a), the coupling of the body housing coupling portion 216 and the lens housing coupling portion 316 is locked by the housing mount coupling pin 231, and the lens housing 301 is fixed to the body housing 201. The housing mount engaging pin 231 is biased downward in the figure by a spring 234.

In addition, the coupling of the body inner housing coupling portion 217 and the lens inner housing coupling portion 317 is locked by the inner housing mount coupling pin 232, thereby fixing the lens inner housing 302 to the body inner housing 202. The inner housing mount engaging pin 232 is urged downward in the drawing by a spring 234.

further, a linking rod 233 is provided so as to be vertically movable so as to straddle the outer shell mounting seat coupling pin 231 and the inner shell mounting seat coupling pin 232. The interlocking lever 233 is provided to be movable in a direction along the optical axis of the lens barrel 3 (up-down direction in fig. 8). Here, the housing attachment seat coupling pin 231 and the interlinking lever 233 may be configured to be integrally movably fitted to each other. On the other hand, the inner case attachment coupling pin 232 and the interlinking lever 233 are engaged with each other so as to provide a sufficient movable range in the radial direction of the inner case attachment coupling pin 232 so that the body inner case 202 can swing with respect to the body outer case 201. In fig. 8, the interference between the inner case attachment seat coupling pin 232 and the interlinking lever 233 in the vertical direction due to the swinging of the body inner case 202 can be absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the spring 235.

In addition, the lever 233 is operated by a user manually, for example. That is, when the interlinking lever 233 is moved upward in fig. 8, as shown in fig. 8 (b), the housing mount coupling pin 231 is pushed up by the interlinking lever 233, and the housing coupling lock (i.e., the coupling lock of the body housing coupling portion 216 and the lens housing coupling portion 316) is released. At the same time, the inner housing mounting base engaging pin 232 is also pushed up by the interlocking lever 233, so that the inner housing engagement lock (i.e., the engagement lock between the body inner housing engaging portion 217 and the lens inner housing engaging portion 317) is released.

Therefore, only by operating the release mechanism, not only the outer housing engagement lock but also the inner housing engagement lock can be released, and the lens barrel 3 can be easily attached and detached. Further, when the lens barrel 3 is attached to the camera body 2, the outer shell coupling lock and the inner shell coupling lock can be automatically performed only by rotating the lens barrel 3 to a predetermined position. In this way, the practicality and convenience of the camera system 1 can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described outer shell coupling and holding mechanism and inner shell coupling and holding mechanism. For example, as for the inner housing engagement holding mechanism, the inner housing engagement locking may also be electrically performed by an actuator or the like. In this case, for example, when the outer housing engagement lock is released by the operation of the release mechanism (for example, the movement of the interlinking lever 233), it is preferable to perform control such that the inner housing engagement lock is released by the actuator in conjunction with the release of the outer housing engagement lock.

(2. detecting the combination of the inner housing mounting base)

The user can easily confirm the state of the housing side by visual observation, while the user cannot confirm the inner housing side by visual observation. Thus, the user cannot confirm whether the lens housing 302 and the body housing 202 are correctly coupled by visual observation.

therefore, the camera system 1 of the present embodiment includes a detection unit that detects (checks) whether or not the inner housings are correctly coupled to each other. In other words, the detection unit detects the engagement state of the inner housings.

As shown in fig. 1A, 1B, and 7, a coupling detector 240 is provided in the body inner case 202. Further, a coupling detection portion 340 is provided in the lens housing 302. By these bonding detection portion 240 and bonding detection portion 340, it is possible to detect whether the inner housings are properly bonded to each other. Such a detection unit can communicate or be energized.

In a state where the body housing 202 and the lens housing 302 are not correctly coupled (for example, (a), (b), (c) and the like of fig. 7), the coupling detector 240 and the coupling detector 340 do not contact each other.

On the other hand, in a state where the body housing 202 and the lens housing 302 are correctly coupled (e.g., fig. 7 (d)), the coupling detector 240 and the coupling detector 340 come into contact with each other. The binding detection portions can be energized or communicate with each other by contact.

Therefore, when the coupling detector 240 and the coupling detector 340 come into contact and the energization or communication is detected, it can be determined that the lens housing 302 and the body housing 202 are correctly coupled. Further, when the coupling detector 240 and the coupling detector 340 are not in contact and no power-on or communication is detected, it can be determined that the lens housing 302 and the body housing 202 are not coupled correctly. Such determination may be performed by the lens control unit 314 or the body control unit 215. By providing the coupling detection unit 240 and the coupling detection unit 340, it is possible to determine the coupling state of the body housing 202 and the lens housing 302, which cannot be determined from the appearance.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the body control unit 215 related to the detection of the coupling state using the coupling detection unit 240 and the coupling detection unit 340. The lens control unit 314 may perform the operation shown in fig. 9.

When the camera body 2 starts operating with the power supply turned on, the body control unit 215 determines whether or not the energization (or communication) of the coupling detection unit 240 and the coupling detection unit 340 is correctly performed, that is, whether or not the body housing 202 and the lens housing 302 are correctly coupled (engaged) in S310. If it is determined in S310 that power is turned on or communication is performed (the lens housing 302 is coupled to the body housing 202), the process proceeds to S320. If it is determined that power-on or communication is not performed (the lens housing 302 is not coupled to the body housing 202), the process proceeds to S340.

In S320, the body control unit 215 continues the operation of the camera system 1. And then proceeds to S330.

In S330, the body control unit 215 determines whether or not the power supply is off. If the power is not turned off, the process returns to S310, and if the power is turned off, the operation is terminated.

In S340, the body control unit 215 determines whether or not the attached lens barrel is a lens barrel including an inner case. For example, the body control unit 215 receives information related to the lens barrel 3 from the lens barrel 3 via the contact 311 provided in the lens housing 301 and the contact 211 provided in the body housing 201. The information on the lens barrel 3 includes information indicating whether or not the lens barrel is a lens barrel including an inner casing. If the information on the lens barrel 3 includes information indicating that the lens barrel is a lens barrel having an inner casing (or if the information does not include information indicating that the lens barrel is a lens barrel not having an inner casing), the body control unit 215 determines that the attached lens barrel has an inner casing, and proceeds to S350. If the information on the lens barrel 3 does not include information indicating that the lens barrel is a lens barrel having an inner case (or if information indicating that the lens barrel is a lens barrel not having an inner case is included), the body control unit 215 determines that the attached lens barrel does not have an inner case, and the process proceeds to S320.

Here, when a lens barrel (not shown) not having the lens inner case 302 (for example, a lens barrel used in a conventional camera system) is attached to the camera body 2, even if the lens barrel is correctly coupled to the camera body 2, the coupling detector 340 is not provided in the lens barrel, and thus power conduction or communication between the coupling detector 240 and the coupling detector 340 cannot be performed. Even when such a lens barrel without the lens inner case 302 is mounted, the convenience as a mode capable of shooting is high.

Then, when the lens barrel 3 provided with the lens inner case 302 is attached to the camera body 2, information indicating that the lens barrel 3 is provided with the lens inner case 302 is transmitted from the lens barrel 3 to the camera body 2 via the contact 211 and the contact 311 of the body case 201 and the lens case 301. In this way, the camera body 2 can recognize whether or not the attached lens barrel is provided with the lens inner case 302. Therefore, not only the lens barrel 3 provided with the lens inner case 302 may be attached to the camera body 2, but also the lens barrel not provided with the lens inner case 302 may be attached to the camera body 2, and even in this case, it is possible to accurately notify the user whether or not the lens inner case 302 of the lens barrel 3 is correctly coupled to the body inner case 202 of the camera body 2, and it is also possible to perform shooting when the lens barrel not provided with the lens inner case 302 is attached to the camera body 2.

In S350, it is determined in S310 that the body housing 202 and the lens housing 302 are not correctly coupled and that the attached lens barrel is a lens barrel including the lens housing 302. Therefore, the body control unit 215 notifies the user of the fact that the body housing 202 and the lens housing 302 are not properly coupled by sound, display, light, or the like. In addition to or instead of the notification, the operation of the camera system 1 may be temporarily interrupted.

In addition to the above-described operation, when it is detected that the lens inner case 302 of the lens barrel 3 is coupled to the body inner case 202 of the camera body 2, the user may be notified of the fact.

The coupling detection units (240, 340) may also be used as non-coupling detection units that detect a state in which the coupling between the body housing 202 and the lens housing 302 is released, i.e., a non-coupled state. In this case, for example, when the disengagement of the body housing 202 and the lens housing 302 is detected, the user can be notified of the disengagement by sound, display, light, or the like.

(3. forced release mechanism)

the camera system 1 further includes a forcible release mechanism so that the camera body 2 and the lens barrel 3 can be released even when the lens case 302 is firmly attached to the body case 202 for some reason and is difficult to remove. Here, in the case where the lens case 302 is firmly attached to the body case 202, for example, a case where the lens case coupling portion 317 is attached to the body case coupling portion 217 in an abnormal state such as deformation and is difficult to remove is conceivable. Further, when the camera system 1 is dropped or the like in a state where the lens barrel 3 is attached to the camera body 2, the body inner case 202 or the lens inner case 302 is attached to be inclined with respect to the body outer case 201 or the lens outer case 301, and it is conceivable that detachment of the lens barrel 3 is difficult. In such a case, if any countermeasure (for example, a forcible release mechanism in the present embodiment) is not provided, there is a possibility that the coupling between the lens inner case 302 and the body inner case 202 cannot be released even if the lens outer case 301 is rotated. In this case, the lens barrel 3 cannot be removed from the camera body 2.

Then, the camera system 1 of the present embodiment includes a coupling release mechanism (forcible release mechanism) that directly rotates the lens case 302 from the outside of the lens case 301 to release the coupling state between the body case 202 and the lens case 302.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of the coupling release mechanism.

as shown in fig. 10, the coupling/decoupling mechanism includes an operation pin 303 attached to an elongated hole 301a of the lens housing 301 so that the operation pin 303 can be raised and lowered (moved in the radial direction of the lens housing 301) as needed, and a fitting hole 302a formed in the surface of the lens inner housing 302. Here, the long hole 301a is formed to extend in the circumferential direction (rotational direction) of the lens housing 301.

Therefore, when the lens inner housing 302 is firmly attached to the body inner housing 202 and the lens inner housing 302 is not rotated even if the lens outer housing 301 is rotated, the operation pin 303 is attached to be fitted into the fitting hole 302a of the lens inner housing 302, and the operation pin 303 is moved in the circumferential direction of the lens outer housing 301 in this state, whereby the lens inner housing 302 can be forcibly rotated. Therefore, the reliability of the camera system 1 can be improved, and the camera system can be easily handled even in an emergency.

Further, although the operation pin 303 has been described as an example in which the operation pin 303 is prepared as a separate component from the lens barrel 3, the operation pin 303 may be a metal fitting that is integrally attached to the lens barrel 3. Further, a cover may be provided to shield the long hole 301 a.

(4. alternative mount structure to bayonet)

In the above description, an example in which the lens inner case coupling portion 317, the lens outer case coupling portion 316, the body inner case coupling portion 217, and the body outer case coupling portion 216 are formed in a bayonet shape has been described. However, the form of the mount is not limited to the bayonet type, and other configurations may be adopted. Examples thereof include pins, springs, and magnets.

Fig. 11 is a view showing a modification of the structure of the mount on the inner case side.

Instead of the bayonet system, this modification employs a pin engagement system.

That is, as shown in fig. 11 (a), the inner case mount 224 has an annular mount body 224 f. The mount body 224f has 2 locking holes 224d formed at 180 ° intervals on its circumference. Further, 2 arc-shaped magnets 224e are embedded in the mount body 224f at 180 ° intervals so as to be positioned between the 2 locking holes 224 d.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 11 (b), the lens inner housing mount 326 has an annular mount body 326 f. The mount body 326f has 2 recesses 326b formed on its circumference at 180 ° intervals corresponding to the 2 locking holes 224d of the inner housing mount 224. A cylindrical (so-called bullet-shaped) engaging pin 326d having a hemispherical tip is elastically and freely inserted into each recess 326b via a coil spring 326 c.

In the case of the body inner housing mount 224 and the lens inner housing mount 326 of the pin engagement type, the lens inner housing mount 326 can be fixed to the body inner housing mount 224 by the magnetic force of the magnet 224e in a state where the lens inner housing mount 326 is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the body inner housing mount 224 by engaging the 2 engaging pins 326d with the 2 recesses 326 b. As a result, the lens inner case 302 of the lens barrel 3 can be coupled to the body inner case 202 of the camera body 2 with high accuracy and ease.

The pin engagement system is a mechanical system, not an electrical system, as in the bayonet system, and therefore has the following advantages: the battery 212 can be cut off accidentally, which prevents the lens case mounting base 326 from falling off the body case mounting base 224.

The pin engagement method is not limited to the engagement between the body inner mount 224 and the lens inner mount 326, and may be used to engage the body outer mount 210 and the lens outer mount 310.

(5. contact point constitution)

In the camera system 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the contact 211 for communication or energization is provided at the object side end of the body case 201. Further, a contact 311 for communication or energization is provided at the body-side end of the lens housing 301. Therefore, all of the electric signals and the electric power can be transmitted and received between the camera body 2 and the lens barrel 3 on the housing side. Thus, even when a conventional camera system not including the lens inner case 302 or the body inner case 202 is coupled to the lens outer case 301 or the body outer case 201, communication or power supply with the conventional camera system is enabled. This allows the conventional camera system to be used by attaching and detaching the camera system 1.

Since the yaw driving unit 312 and the pitch driving unit 322 are provided in the lens housing 301, if the electric signals and the electric power are transmitted and received between the camera body 2 and the lens barrel 3 on the housing side where the yaw driving unit 312 and the pitch driving unit 322 are disposed, the number and size of the FPCs and the like inside can be minimized. In view of the fact that the FPC is disposed between the inner case and the outer case, the shaking of the inner case is a load, and the reduction of the FPC in the camera system 1 brings about a great effect.

In the lens barrel 3 of the camera system 1, since the contact 311 is provided in the lens housing 301, the lens barrel 3 can be used by attaching it to a camera body (not shown) that does not include the body housing 202. In this case, in the lens barrel 3, the lens inner case 302 is locked to the lens outer case 301 in advance by the lens locking mechanism, thereby preventing the optical axis of the lens group L from being shifted.

In this case, if the displacement direction vibration prevention system 330 is provided in advance to the lens barrel 3 of the camera system 1, lens shake correction can be performed even when the camera body is attached to a camera body that does not include the body inner case 202. Further, it is possible to perform shake correction by driving the image pickup device in any of pitch, yaw, roll, and shift directions. In addition, when the lens barrel 3 of the camera system 1 does not have such a function, the entire lens housing 302 of the lens barrel 3 may be driven to perform shake correction.

Further, the configuration in which the contact 311 and the contact 211 are provided on the housing side has been described, but may be provided on the inner housing side. May also be provided on the shell side and the inner shell side. Since the zoom actuator for driving the lens group L is provided in the lens housing 302, it is preferable that information related to the driving of the zoom actuator is provided by the contacts 211 and 311 provided on the housing side. In this manner, it is preferable that information necessary for the control is transmitted and received at a contact point located on the side (inner case side or outer case side) where the object to be controlled is provided.

(other constitution)

The lens barrel 3 of the camera system 1 is configured such that the lens inner case 302 does not protrude rearward (toward the camera body 2) from the lens outer case 301 in the optical axis direction. Therefore, even when the camera body is mounted to a camera body that does not include the body inner case 202, there is no possibility that the lens inner case 302 interferes with components (a mirror, a shutter, and the like) of the camera body during the shake correction, needless to say, during the mounting. In addition, even when the lens barrel 3 is mounted to a camera body that does not include the body housing 202, the entire lens housing 302 can be moved forward (toward the subject) by an actuator (not shown), so that the lens housing 302 does not interfere with components of the camera body.

On the other hand, in the camera body 2 of the camera system 1, the contact 211 is provided in the body case 201. Therefore, a lens barrel (not shown) not provided with the lens inner case 302 can be attached to the camera body 2 and used. In this case, in the camera body 2, the body inner case 202 is locked to the body outer case 201 by the body lock mechanism, so that the situation in which the position of the image pickup device 220 is shifted can be prevented.

The camera body 2 of the camera system 1 is configured such that the body inner case 202 does not protrude forward (toward the subject) from the body outer case 201 in the optical axis direction. Therefore, even when a lens barrel having no lens inner case 302 is attached, there is no possibility that the body inner case 202 interferes with a component of the lens barrel (a lens or the like located at the rearmost portion (camera body 2 side) of the lens group L) during the shake correction, needless to say, during the attachment. In addition, when a lens barrel not provided with the lens inner case 302 is attached to the camera body 2, the entire body inner case 202 can be moved rearward by an actuator (not shown), so that the body inner case 202 does not interfere with components of the lens barrel.

(embodiment 2)

Fig. 12A is a system configuration diagram of a camera system 1 including a lens barrel 3 and a camera body 2 according to embodiment 2. Fig. 12B is a simplified diagram showing the system configuration of the camera system 1 including the lens barrel 3 and the camera body 2 according to embodiment 2. In addition, since fig. 12A and 12B show the same camera system 1 as in the relation between fig. 1A and 1B, components not included in one of these figures, for example, are supplemented by another figure, and they are supplemented by each other.

As shown in fig. 12A and 12B, in the camera system 1 according to embodiment 2, the contact 211 on the camera body 2 side is provided not in the body case 201 but in the body case 202. The body control unit 215 is not provided in the body case 201 of the camera body 2 but in the body case 202.

The contact 311 on the lens barrel 3 side is not provided in the lens housing 301 but in the lens housing 302. Further, the lens control section 314 is provided not in the lens outer case 301 of the lens barrel 3 but in the lens inner case 302.

Since other configurations are basically the same as those of embodiment 1, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof are omitted.

The embodiment 2 has the same operational effects as those of the embodiment 1. In addition, in embodiment 2, since the contact 211 and the contact 311 are provided in the body inner housing 202 and the lens inner housing 302, respectively, electric power can be supplied from the battery 212 to electric components (for example, a zoom actuator, the shift direction vibration damping system 330, and the like) provided in the lens inner housing 302 without passing through the FPC, and the FPC can be reduced accordingly. Further, electrical signals can be transmitted and received to and from electrical components provided in the lens housing 302 without passing through the FPC, and accordingly, the FPC can be reduced. As a result, the degree of freedom (the size of the swing range) of the lens inner housing 302 of the lens barrel 3 with respect to the lens outer housing 301 can be increased, and the occurrence of troubles due to FPC can be reduced.

Since the number of the contacts 211 and 311 is set according to the amount of communication, it is possible to accurately transmit and receive electric signals to and from the electric components provided in the lens housing 302.

(modification mode)

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and/or changes can be made

(1) In the above embodiment, a case where the body case 201 and the body case 202 are electrically connected to each other through the FPC in the camera body 2 has been described. However, electrical signals may be transmitted and received between the body case 201 and the body inner case 202 by Wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) and near field communication.

(2) In the above embodiment, a case where the lens housing 301 and the lens housing 302 are electrically connected through the FPC in the lens barrel 3 is described. However, an electric signal may be transmitted and received between the lens housing 301 and the lens inner housing 302 by wireless communication such as Wi-Fi or near field communication.

(3) In the above embodiment, the mount of the bayonet system and the pin engagement system is described. However, other means (magnets and/or springs, etc.) may be used instead of or in combination with these means and/or other means (magnets and/or springs, etc.).

(5) In the above embodiment, an example in which 2 actuators, that is, the pitch drive unit 322 and the yaw drive unit 312, are provided for performing the integral drive shake correction is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, an actuator that can be driven in both the pitch direction and the yaw direction may be used. In this case, the housing 320 may be omitted, that is, not provided.

(6) In the above embodiment, an example in which the lens barrel 3 includes the tilt driving unit 322 and the yaw driving unit 312 is described. However, the camera body 2 is not limited to this, and may include the pitch drive unit 322 or the yaw drive unit 312. Both of the driving portions may be provided in the camera body 2, or one driving portion may be provided in the camera body 2 and the other driving portion may be provided in the lens barrel 3.

(7) In the above embodiment, the shake correction is performed by driving the lens inner case 302 and the body inner case 202 in the pitch direction or the yaw direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lens housing 302 and the body housing 202 may be driven in the shift direction to perform shake correction. In this case, a driving unit capable of driving in the shift direction is provided instead of the pitch driving unit 322 and the yaw driving unit 312, and the lens housing 302 or the housing 320 is driven in the shift direction.

(8) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the lens barrel 3 has functions of integrally driving shake correction, lens shake correction, and image pickup device shake correction is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration including at least 1 of the integrated drive shake correction, the lens shake correction, and the image pickup device shake correction, or a configuration including a plurality of shake corrections may be employed.

(9) In the above embodiment, the example in which the shake detection unit 325 is provided has been described, but a plurality of shake detection units may be provided. Any one of the shake detectors may be provided in the lens housing 301, the body inner housing 202, or the body outer housing 201.

The embodiments and modifications may be combined as desired. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

Description of the reference numerals

1 Camera System

2 Camera body

3 lens barrel

201 fuselage shell

202 fuselage inner skin

210 fuselage shell mount

211 contact

212 cell

213 operating part

214 display unit

215 fuselage control section

216 fuselage shell interface

217 fuselage inner shell junction

218 image processing section

220 image pickup element

223 imaging element drive unit

224 fuselage inner shell mount pad

224c guide member

224d locking hole

224e magnet

224f mount body

231 casing mounting seat joint pin

232 inner shell mounting seat joint pin

233 connecting rod

240 binding detection part

241 claw part

242 claw portion

301 lens shell

301a long hole

302 lens inner shell

302a fitting hole

303 operating pin

310 lens outer casing mounting base

311 contact

312 deflection driving part

313 deflection direction rotation detecting part

314 lens control part

315 operating part

316 lens shell combining part

317 lens inner shell joint part

320 frame body

322 pitching driving part

323 pitching direction rotation detecting unit

325 st shaking detector

326 lens inner shell mounting base

326b recess

326c coil spring

326d engaging pin

326f mount body

330 shift direction vibration-proof system

332 shift driving part

340 binding detection part

401 electric machine

402 worm

403 locking ring

404 gear part

405 gear part

406 projection

407 projection

And an L lens group.