Digital camera

Details Digital camera Digital camera

1999-06-22

2004-03-09

Garber, Wendy R. (Department: 2612)

Television

Camera, system and detail

Optics

C348S335000, C348S347000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06704053

ABSTRACT:

This application is based on application No. 10-180946 filed in Japan, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera using a taking lens used by cameras using media of different sizes and image sensing elements such as a CCD and the like, and specifically relates to a digital camera using a taking lens for cameras using silver halide film.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, digital cameras have become popular replacements for cameras which use silver halide film in conjunction with advances in semiconductor and image processing arts. Such digital cameras basically take an optical image from a taking lens and subject the image to photoelectric conversion via image sensing element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or the like, subject the converted output data to image processing, and store the image data on a storage medium such as a memory card or the like.
A digital camera which makes practical use of the assets of the silver halide single lens reflex camera has been proposed during the popularization of the digital camera. This camera provides the body of a silver halide camera comprising a magazine at one end in the film length direction, compartment for the power source batteries E
1
-E
4
at the opposite end, and a grip G, used directly as a camera body
2
, as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
.
This camera is provided with a shutter button
9
on the top surface of the grip G of the camera body
2
provided with a viewfinder
3
; a taking lens
301
for a single lens reflex camera is installed on the front mount
25
, a quick return mirror M
1
and focal plane shutter
26
and the like are provided behind the taking lens
301
in the optical axis direction, and a CCD
303
is disposed at a position on the optical axis near the film gate
29
.
When the shutter button
9
is pressed, the quick return mirror M
1
is rotated to the dashed line position in
FIG. 9
so as to be retracted from the photographic optical path, and directly thereafter the focal plane shutter
26
is opened, the object image viewed through the finder
3
forms an image on the CCD
303
, and the CCD
303
converts this image to an optical image via photoelectric conversion. The focus point of the taking lens
301
is automatically focused by an auto focus (AF) actuator
220
provided at a suitable location within the camera body
2
.
As mentioned above, when a CCD receives light using a taking lens
301
of the silver halide single lens reflex camera, the size of the CCD and the size of the silver halide film must be equal, as shown in
FIG. 8
, to ensure the same field angle as the silver halide single lens reflex camera. A large CCD
303
equivalent to the aforesaid film is difficult to manufacture and produces an extremely poor yield in the current state of the art. Conversely, when a conventional small CCD
303
, such as a ½ inch size, is used, the field angle is reduced because light only reaches the center area of the film frame, and an adequately wide angle photograph cannot be obtained.
To eliminate this disadvantage, it has been proposed to remove the back cover of the silver halide single lens reflex camera, and arrange the CCD
303
through a relay lens behind the focus point of the taking lens
301
. According to this construction, an image formed at a certain position on conventional film is relayed via the relay lens, and reduced to a size matching the size of the CCD so as to form an image on the CCD.
In this construction, however, the camera body is elongated in the back, so as to make it extremely difficult to hold the camera, and increasing the susceptibility to so-called camera vibration and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforesaid information, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera that does not increase the size of the camera body even when constructed using a small type image sensing element.
These objects are attained by the digital camera of the present invention which uses the taking lens for a silver halide camera, comprises an optical system disposed between an install position of the taking lens and a focal plane of the taking lens; and an image sensing element disposed at a composite focus plane of the taking lens and the optical system.
Another digital camera of the present invention comprises: a mount on which exchangeable taking lens is installed; an optical system disposed between the mount and a focal plane of the taking lens; and an image sensing element disposed at a composite focus plane of the taking lens and the optical system.


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patent: 5963376 (1999-10-01), Togino
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patent: 6445416 (2002-09-01), Kyuma et al.
patent: 01113712 (1989-05-01), None
patent: 06-169428 (1994-06-01), None
patent: 09-113816 (1997-05-01), None
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