Photography – With power supply detail
Utility Patent
1999-06-17
2001-01-02
Perkey, W. B. (Department: 2851)
Photography
With power supply detail
C396S425000
Utility Patent
active
06169857
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure for electrically connecting a camera and an accessory which is coupled to the camera.
Conventionally, a camera is provided with a tripod socket on its bottom surface. The tripod socket is formed as a threaded opening, with which a tripod screw is engaged to secure the camera on a tripod head. The tripod socket can be used not only for mounting the camera on the tripod head, but also used for coupling various camera accessories to the camera.
Recent cameras are electronically controlled, and for supplying electrical power, batteries are generally accommodated in the camera bodies. In order to enhance power supply capacity, an accessory which is known as a battery grip and accommodates a battery having a larger capacity than the interior battery is coupled to the camera.
FIG. 6
schematically shows a conventional connection structure of a camera and a battery grip.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, a camera
100
is formed with a battery chamber
102
, which holds a battery. The battery chamber
102
has an opening on the bottom surface of the camera
100
through which batteries can be exchanged. On an upper inner surface of the battery chamber
102
, a pair of positive and negative electrodes
103
and
104
are provided. When an interior battery is inserted in the battery chamber
102
, the positive and negative electrodes
103
and
104
contact positive and negative a negative electrodes of the battery.
When a battery unit
106
is used, the battery is removed from the battery chamber
102
, and an adapter
108
, which is formed on a top surface of the battery unit
106
to have the same shape of the battery, is inserted in the battery chamber
102
.
In a central portion of a bottom surface of the camera
100
, a tripod socket
105
is formed. The battery unit
106
is provided with a screw
107
to be engaged with the tripod socket
105
of the camera
105
. The screw
107
is inserted in a through hole formed in the battery unit
106
, and a tip of the threaded portion is protruded from the top surface of the battery unit
106
. On the bottom surface side of the battery unit
106
, a head of the screw
107
is located. By fastening the screw
107
with the tip end thereof inserted in the tripod socket
105
, the battery unit
106
is secured to the camera
100
.
On a top surface of the adapter
108
, positive and negative electrodes
109
and
110
are formed. The positive and negative electrodes
109
and
110
are connected to positive and negative poles of the battery (i.e., the external battery) accommodated in the battery unit
106
. When the screw
107
is firmly fastened and the battery unit
106
is coupled to the camera
100
, the electrodes
109
and
110
contact the electrodes
103
and
104
so that electrical power is supplied from the battery unit
106
to a circuit
101
of the camera
100
.
The conventional connection structure described above has a drawback as indicated below.
Since the battery unit
106
is coupled to the camera
100
only by engagement of the screw
107
with the threaded socket
105
, if an external force for separating left-hand side portions, in
FIG. 6
, of the camera
100
and of the battery unit
106
is applied, the electrodes
109
and
110
may be detached from the electrodes
103
and
104
, which disconnects power supply from the battery unit
106
to the camera
100
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved structure for electrically connecting two devices, which are coupled such that a surface of one of the devices contact a surface of the other and secured at one point, for example by a screw, a plurality of contacts being provided on the contacted surfaces.
For the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a connection structure for connecting at least first and second circuits respectively provided in first and second devices. The first and second devices respectively have first and second surfaces, and the second device is secured to the first device, with the first and second surfaces being contacted. The second device is secured to the first device by means of a single screw provided to the second device and a threaded hole which receives the screw, formed on the first device. The connection structure includes:
(1) first and second connectors provided on the first surface, each of the first and second connectors electrically connected to the first circuit, the first and second connectors arranged at opposite portions, with respect to the threaded holes on the first surface; and
(2) third and fourth connectors to be respectively connected to the first and second connectors, the third and fourth connectors provided on the second surface, each of the third and fourth connectors electrically connected to the second circuit, the third and fourth connectors arranged at portions corresponding to the first and second connectors.
With this structure, at least one of (a) first and third connectors or (b) second and fourth connectors remain contacted even if an external force is applied to separate the first and second devices. Accordingly, electrical connection between the first and second circuits is maintained without failure.
Optionally, the first contact, the threaded hole, and the second contact may be arranged substantially on a same line. With this arrangement, the electrical connection between the first and second circuits is highly ensured.
Alternatively, an angle formed between a line connecting the first contact and the threaded hole, and another line connecting the threaded hole and the second contact is within a range between 90 degrees to 270 degrees.
If the above condition is satisfied, electrical connection between the first and second circuits may not be lost even if the external force is applied in a direction of separating the first and second devices.
In one case, a signal related to an operation of one of the first and second circuits is transmitted from the other of the first and second circuits, through the first, second, third and fourth connectors.
Optionally or alternatively, the electrical power may be supplied from one of the first and second circuits to the other of the first and second circuits, through the first, second, third and fourth connectors.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a connection structure which includes:
(1) first and second connectors provided on the first surface, each of the first and second connectors electrically connected to the first circuit; and
(2) third and fourth connectors to be respectively connected to the first and second connectors, the third and fourth connectors provided on the second surface, each of the third and fourth connectors electrically connected to the second circuit.
The first, second, third and fourth connectors are arranged such that:
(a) the first and second connectors neutrally connected to the third and fourth connectors, respectively,
(b) if the first connector is detached from the third connector, connection between the second and fourth connectors are tightened, and
(c) if the second connector is detached from the fourth connector, connection between the first and third connectors are tightened
Also with this structure, at least one of (a) first and third connectors or (b) second and fourth connectors remain contacted even if an external force is applied to separate the first and second devices. Accordingly, electrical connection between the first and second circuits is maintained without failure.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided, a camera system, which is provided with:
a camera;
an accessory to be secured to the camera, at least first and second circuits being respectively provided in the camera and the accessory, the accessory being secured to the camera by means of a screw provided to an upper surface of the accessory and a threaded hole formed on a bottom surface of the camera,
first and second connectors provided on the bottom
Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Perkey W. B.
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