JPH08201904A - Instant camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To easily carry and handle an instant camera by improving the constitution thereof in the thickness direction and making it thin. CONSTITUTION: A lens barrel 12 holding a photographing lens 10 is made to project to a front-side photographing position from the collapsible barrel position of a main body 14 by a spring 17. Then, the main body 14 is covered with a packing material 22, for example, by a vacuum packing system in the collapsible state of the lens barrel 12. A housing case made of a hard plastic material may be used instead of the packing material 22. In such a way, the camera can be made thin when it is not used. Besides, a cover piece may be set so as to be freely slid left and right at the outside circumference of the main body 14 so that the lens barrel 12 in the collapsible state of barrel is pressed by the cover piece and the lens barrel 12 is made to project by retracting the cover piece. In such a case, the collapsible state of the lens barrel 12 can advantageously be maintained again after it is made to project once. Besides, the lens barrel 12 may be put in the collapsible state by a lock means so that the lock state is released by the operation of a winding-up knob 18.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thin structure of a simple camera, such as a film with a lens, which is small and lightweight.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a simple camera, there is, for example, a film with a lens, and the film with a lens is used as a single-use camera for one film.
It is widely used because of its advantages such as small size, light weight, easy carrying and handling.

[0003]

By the way, in this kind of simple camera, further downsizing and weight saving are required in order to facilitate the carrying and handling as described above. This can be achieved to some extent by uniformly reducing all sizes of the members. However, there is a limit to all this size reduction,
Further, due to the reduction of the size of the camera, it is difficult to operate the shooting button or the film winding operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is not to reduce the size of the entire camera, but to focus on the thickness direction of the camera, and improve the configuration in this thickness direction to make the camera thinner. Therefore, a simple camera that is easy to carry and handle as a result is provided.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a simple camera according to the invention as defined in claim 1 is a lens barrel for holding a photographing lens, and the lens barrel from a storage position by a biasing member. It is characterized in that it comprises a main body arranged so as to project to a front photographing position, and a cover body for covering the main body while maintaining the lens barrel retracted to the storage position. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the cover body is
A cover piece that is movable between the position that covers the lens barrel and the side-side retracted position is used.When the cover piece is moved to the retracted position, the lens barrel projects to the shooting position and retracts the lens barrel to the storage position. At this time, the cover piece is configured to be movable to a position covering the lens barrel. A simple camera according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a lens barrel holding a taking lens,
A main body in which the lens barrel is arranged to project from the storage position to the front photographing position by a biasing member, and a state in which the lens barrel is retracted to the storage position for maintaining the lens barrel in the retracted state at the time of use. And a locking means. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the lock means is
It is characterized in that the retracted state of the lens barrel is released in association with the film winding.

[0006]

In the camera, since the distance between the front photographing lens and the rear film is determined by the focal length of the photographing lens, the thickness of the camera including the photographing lens is made thinner than the dimension determined by this focal length. You cannot do it.
Therefore, in the present invention, the main body in which the lens barrel for holding the taking lens is separated is made thin, and the lens barrel portion is retracted into the main body only when not in use. Further, this lens barrel portion is assembled so as to project to a predetermined position by a spring when the camera is used.

The maintenance of the retracted state of the lens barrel can be executed by the cover body covering the camera.
The cover body includes a packaging member, a storage case, and the like. For example, the camera body is packaged in a vacuum pack, or the camera is housed in a storage case formed of a hard plastic material or the like to urge the lens barrel to a biasing member. It can be collapsed against the urging force of. On the other hand, when the camera is taken out of the cover body at the time of use, the lens barrel will be pushed out to the photographing position by the biasing member, which enables photographing.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the cover body can be a cover piece that slides left and right on the outer periphery of the camera with a size that covers only the lens barrel portion. According to this cover piece, when the cover piece is moved to the retracted position, the lens barrel projects to the shooting position, and by moving the cover piece to the position of the lens barrel, it becomes possible to maintain the retracted state of the lens barrel, There is an advantage that the lens barrel can be easily stored at any time.

Further, according to the inventions of the third and fourth aspects, the collapsible state is maintained by the locking member of the locking means being locked to the lens barrel, and when in use, for example, during initial setting of the film. The locking state of the locking member with respect to the lens barrel is released in association with the winding, whereby the lens barrel projects to the photographing position.

[0010]

1 and 2 show the structure of a simple camera (internal structure is omitted) according to the first embodiment, which is a film with a lens. In the example,
As shown in FIG. 1C, a lens barrel 12 holding a taking lens 10 is attached to a main body (case) 14 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and the lens barrel 12 and the main body 14 are made of a synthetic resin material. . On the rear side of the lens barrel 12, a main body 14
Stopper (annular protrusion) that abuts the lens barrel guide portion 15 on the side
16 is formed, and a spring (biasing member) 17 for pushing the lens barrel 12 forward is attached.

Therefore, the lens barrel 12 is retracted to the storage position where it is stored in the main body 14 as shown in FIG. 1 (A), and at the same time, it is projected by the spring 17 to the photographing position in FIG. 1 (C). At this photographing position, the photographing lens 12 is arranged at a predetermined focal length with respect to the film (not shown). The film (not shown) to be filled on the left side of the drawing is wound up by the winding knob 18 shown on the right side of the drawing to the winding section on the right side.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the camera in a state where the lens barrel 12 is projected. A finder (opening) 19 is arranged on the upper portion of the lens barrel 12 and an image is taken on the upper surface of the main body 14. Button 20 is provided.

In the above-mentioned camera, the camera shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), a package 22 as a cover body made of a plastic film or the like is placed on the main body 14 by a vacuum pack. At this time, the lens barrel 12 is retracted against the biasing force of the spring 16 and is stored in the storage position. Therefore, when the lens barrel 12 is retracted to the storage position, the thickness of the main body 14 is reduced by the amount of protrusion of the lens barrel 12 as compared with the state of FIG. 1C, so that it can be carried and handled when not in use. Will be easier.

When the package body 22 shown in FIG. 1 (B) is opened and the main body 14 is taken out at the time of use, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the lens barrel 12 is pushed forward by the spring 17, and the stopper 16 comes into contact with the lens barrel guide portion 15 so that the lens barrel 12 is placed at the photographing position. With this arrangement of the lens barrel 12, it is possible to take an image with the taking lens 10. As described above, in the first embodiment, the package 22 is wrapped in a vacuum pack. However, as the cover body, a rectangular solid rigid plastic material having a size for accommodating the main body 14 in a state in which no gap can be formed is used. It is possible to use another storage case, and in this case, the retracted state of the lens barrel 12 when not in use can be maintained by storing the camera in the storage case with the lens barrel 12 retracted.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, a sliding cover piece is arranged as a cover body. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the structure inside the main body 24 is similar to that of the first embodiment,
A lens barrel 12 holding the taking lens 10 is configured to project by a spring 17. As shown in FIG. 4, a cover piece 25 made of a synthetic resin material having a shape that covers the outer periphery of the box-shaped body 24 in the longitudinal direction is slidably attached to the left and right, and is attached to the outside of the body 24. Is provided with stoppers 26, 27A and 27B. Therefore, FIG.
By moving the cover piece 25 until it hits the stopper 26 as shown in (A), the retracted state of the lens barrel 12 can be maintained. As shown in FIG. Move it until it hits 27A, 27B, and the lens barrel 12
Will pop out.

According to the structure of the second embodiment, when the cover piece 25 is moved from the state shown in FIG. 3A to the state shown in FIG. The body 12 protrudes from the main body 24, and the camera is ready for shooting. On the other hand, when not in use, the protruding lens barrel 1 of FIG.
2 is pushed into the main body 24, and the cover piece 25 is used as the stopper 2
If the lens barrel 12 is moved to the position where it is stopped at 6, it is possible to maintain the housed state of the lens barrel 12.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the third embodiment. In this third embodiment, the lock member is used to maintain the lens barrel at the storage position. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the structure of the body 28 including the lens barrel 12 and the spring 17 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the stopper (annular protrusion) of the lens barrel 12 is provided in the body 28. A locking member 30 that engages 16 is arranged. That is, the left end portion 30A of the lock member 30 engages with the stopper 16 of the lens barrel 12 in the collapsed state, and the claw portion 30B and the bent portion 30C are formed at the right end. On the other hand, a gear 31 is provided coaxially below the film winding knob 18, and a gear 33 having a release pin 32 is arranged so as to mesh with the gear 31. Further, a claw member 34 with which the claw portion 30B of the lock member 30 is engaged when it is moved to the right is mounted in the main body 28.

According to the structure of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, the lock member 30 is stored at the time of storage.
Engages with the stopper 16 of the lens barrel 12 and enters a locked state, so that the lens barrel 12 is maintained in the retracted state without popping out. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the film is wound up to the initial set position by rotating the winding knob 18 counterclockwise during use, the gear 33 rotates clockwise. At this time, the pin 32 on the gear 33 has the bent portion 3
Since 0C is engaged, the lock member 30 is moved to the right side in the drawing, and the locked state is released. This lock member 3
In the case of 0, the claw portion 30B engages with the claw member 34 and stops, whereby the locking member 30 is prevented from returning. In this way, the lens barrel 12 is placed at the shooting position by the spring 17, and the shooting lens 10 is ready for shooting.

In the third embodiment described above, the lock state of the lock member 30 is released in association with the rotation of the winding knob 18, but the lock member 30 is, for example, a slide switch arranged outside the main body 28. You may move it.

[0020]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the lens barrel holding the taking lens is configured to project from the housing position of the main body to the front photographing position by the biasing member. In addition, since the main body is covered with the cover while the lens barrel is retracted to the storage position, the camera can be made thinner when not in use, making it easier to carry and handle with a simple camera. Becomes

According to the second aspect of the invention, the cover piece as the cover body is made movable on the outer periphery of the main body, and when the cover piece is moved to the retracted position, the lens barrel projects to the photographing position, When the barrel is retracted to the storage position, the cover piece moves to the position where it covers the lens barrel.
In particular, there is an advantage that even after the lens barrel is once projected, the lens barrel can be maintained in the retracted state again.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the locking means maintains the retracted state of the lens barrel in the storage position, and the retracted state is released during use. Therefore, in this case as well. It is possible to reduce the thickness of the camera when not in use. Further, according to the invention described in the fourth aspect, the release of the locking means is executed in conjunction with the film winding, so that the lens barrel is moved to the photographing position when the film is wound to the initial setting position. It has the advantage of being placed automatically.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B show a configuration of a simple camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1A is a state diagram when stored, FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a configuration of a package (when opened), FIG. C) is a state diagram during use.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the camera in the state shown in FIG. 1C as seen from the front side.

3A and 3B show a configuration of a simple camera of a second embodiment, FIG. 3A is a state diagram when stored, and FIG. 3B is a state diagram when used.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cover piece according to a second embodiment.

5A and 5B show a configuration of a simple camera according to a third embodiment, FIG. 5A is a state diagram when stored, and FIG. 5B is a state diagram when used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Photographic lens, 12 ... Lens barrel, 14, 24, 28 ... Main body, 17 ... Spring, 18 ... Winding knob, 22 ... Packaging body, 25 ... Cover piece, 30 ... Lock member, 31, 33 ... Gear, 32 ... Release pin.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A lens barrel for holding a photographing lens, a main body in which the lens barrel is arranged to project from a storage position to a front photographing position by an urging member, and a state in which the lens barrel is retracted to the storage position. A cover body that covers the main body while maintaining
A simple camera that includes. 2. The cover body is a cover piece that is movable between a position that covers the lens barrel and a side-side retracted position, and the lens barrel projects to the photographing position when the cover piece is moved to the retracted position. The simple camera according to claim 1, wherein the cover piece is configured to be movable to a position for covering the lens barrel when the lens barrel is retracted to the storage position. 3. A lens barrel for holding a photographing lens, a main body in which the lens barrel is arranged to project from a storage position to a front photographing position by a biasing member, and a state in which the lens barrel is retracted to the storage position. And a lock means for maintaining this state and releasing this collapsed state at the time of use. 4. The simplified camera according to claim 3, wherein the lock means is configured to release the retracted state of the lens barrel in association with film winding.