JPS6349740A - Flexible printed circuit board mounting structure for variable focus camera - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to mounting electrical components for cameras, particularly flexible printed circuit boards for variable focus cameras in which a lens barrel equipped with a shutter, diaphragm, etc. moves back and forth to change the focal length, etc. It is related to the mounting structure.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 3, in a variable focus camera, etc., a lens barrel part 1 holding a photographing lens L that is advanced and retracted by a motor 3 via a transmission screw 2 is connected to a fixed main body (not shown). If an electrical connection is required between the
is fixed, and the contact piece 4 is in contact with a substrate 5 having a pattern 5a provided on the main body side, and the contact piece 4 slides on the pattern 53 surface of the substrate 5 as the lens barrel section 1 moves back and forth. A one-sided system was used.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> By the way, in the configuration of the conventional example described above, the contact piece 4 and the pattern 5
There are concerns about poor contact with a, and when a large number of signals have to be transmitted, the number of contacts increases, further reducing reliability. In addition, the space efficiency is very poor and the cost is high.

On the other hand, if lead wires are used for this connection, it may be difficult to make the elasticity of each lead wire the same depending on the number of signal wires, which will have a negative effect on switching operation, reduce assembly work efficiency, and reduce space efficiency. It also had the drawback of making things worse.

Furthermore, flexible printed circuit boards have become popular in recent years, and methods have been proposed that take advantage of their stretchability and high density. However, many flexible printed circuit boards are assembled with a bending tendency, making it difficult to cut from the bent portion and assembling, and the assembled state is not uniform.

The present invention eliminates the drawbacks of the conventional example described above, makes effective use of the dead space of the camera, and constructs telescopic parts in one piece, thereby creating a variable focus camera that is easy to assemble and inspect, and is durable. The purpose is to provide a flexible printed circuit board mounting structure.

Means for Solving the Problems> The configuration of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object will be explained using FIG. 1 corresponding to an embodiment.

The present invention provides a variable focus camera in which one end 14a
The other end 14f is attached to the structural member (camera body in the illustrated example) 11.
Flexible support pull printed circuit boards 14 each fixed to a moving member (front plate in the illustrated example) 16 and making mutual electrical connection are folded back at least twice on the way so as to surround the main optical path of the lens L during photographing. The movable member 16 is arranged so that it expands and contracts as the moving member 16 moves back and forth.

Effects> In the above configuration, when the movable member 16 retreats, the flexible printed circuit board 14 absorbs compression at two bent portions.

Therefore, it is possible to maintain almost no stress on the flexible printed circuit board 14.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 and 2.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a camera body, and a first light-shielding tube 12 and a second light-shielding tube 13 are attached to the front side of the camera body, fitting each other in a double tube shape, and the first light-shielding tube 12 and the second light-shielding tube 13 are As the front plate 16, which will be described later, moves forward and backward, it slides back and forth to block light from the photographing optical path.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a flexible printed circuit board, one end of which is connected to a main body side board (not shown) and fixed to the camera body 11, and the other end of which is a front board mounting part 14f (not shown) is connected to a front board (not shown). It is fixed to the front plate 16 and electrically connects the camera body 11 side and the front plate 16 side so as to surround the photographing optical path, and the intermediate part is centered on the axes X and Y that are orthogonal to each other. Each of them is gently bent, and these bent portions are attached so as to expand and contract as the front plate 16 moves forward and backward. Furthermore, the flexible printed circuit board 14 has flat parts 14b and 14c that sandwich the axis X, and flat parts 14d that sandwich the axis Y.
14e is approximately 1/1 of the first light shielding tube 12 and the second light shielding tube 13.
It is surrounded by about 4 people.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a photometric element, which is soldered to the front plate attachment part 14f of the flexible printed circuit board 14, measures the brightness of the subject, and sends its output signal to the arithmetic processing section on the camera body side through the flexible printed circuit board 14. It is set to be sent.

The front plate 16 has a shutter mechanism, an autofocus mechanism, etc. (not shown), and a support bar 17 at the rear thereof.
and a guide bar 18 are attached parallel to the optical axis, and the support bar 17 and guide bar 18 support the camera body 1.
1, and supports the main lens L and the photometric lens 19 that guides light to the photometric element 15, and switches the focus by moving the front plate 16 back and forth. ing.

In this embodiment with the above configuration, when the front plate 16 is in a retracted state, the flexible printed circuit board 14 absorbs compression at two bent portions centered on the axes X and Y, respectively. In this case, as shown by the two-dot chain lines in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c), the flat parts 14b and 14c are in the horizontal plane, and the flat parts 14d and 14c are in the horizontal plane.
14e tilts forward and backward, respectively, in a vertical plane. However, since the flat portions 14b to 14e are long, the curvatures of the two bent portions do not change much compared to the state in which the front plate 16 moves forward. Therefore, almost no stress is applied to the flexible printed circuit board 14. In this way, the flexible printed circuit board 14 can absorb a long stroke while maintaining a large curvature by bending twice, because it takes up approximately 1/4 of the space around the lens barrel and light-shielding tube, which was conventionally a dead space in this variable focus camera. This is because the length of the flexible printed circuit board 14 is secured within the structure.

<Effects of the Invention> As explained above, the present invention is capable of transmitting a large number of signals with high reliability by bending and arranging a flexible printed circuit board around the photographing optical path in mounting electrical components of a variable focus camera. By providing a sufficient amount of deflection, the flexibility of the flexible printed circuit board can be maintained without affecting the focus switching function, and the dead space around the photographing optical path can be effectively utilized.

In addition, since it can be constructed from a single component, there is no need to make connections.
It can be made into a unit and can be easily assembled without bending, and after assembly, it is stably held by its own tension and has the advantage of eliminating assembly variations.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of a flexible printed circuit board mounting structure for a variable focus camera according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram of the mounting state of the flexible printed circuit board.
) shows a front view, (b) shows a top view, (C) shows a side view,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main parts of a conventional variable focus camera showing the state in which it is mounted. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Camera main body (fixed structural member), 12... First light-shielding tube, 13... Second light-shielding tube, 14... Flexible printed circuit board, 14a... Main body mounting part, 14b-
14e...Plane part, 14f...Front plate mounting part, 16.
...Front plate (movable member), 17...Support bar, 18...
・Guide bar, L...Main lens (a) (b) (c) Fig. 2

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a variable focus camera having a movable member that moves as the focus is switched, a flexible camera having one end fixed to a fixed structural member and the other end fixed to the movable member and electrically connected to each other. A flexible print for a variable focus camera, comprising a printed circuit board, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is arranged so as to surround a photographing optical path and is folded back at least twice along the way, and expands and contracts as the movable member moves. Board mounting structure. 2. The flexible printed circuit board mounting structure for a variable focus camera according to claim 1, wherein the flexible printed circuit boards are bent about axes in different directions. 3 The flexible printed circuit board is 1/4 around the optical axis.
A flexible printed circuit board mounting structure for a variable focus camera according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flexible printed circuit board mounting structure is bent to surround the above.