Camera

Details Camera Camera

1999-02-01

2001-02-20

Gray, David M. (Department: 2851)

Photography

With film drive

Mechanical detail

C396S538000, C396S541000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06190059

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera that performs various operations for picture-taking by performing change-over of an output of a single driving source.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, a camera as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-313791 has been proposed to perform various operations for picture-taking by performing change-over of an output of a single driving source. In the camera, the motor, which is the single driving source, is transferred to different corresponding sections of a lens barrel for zoom-in and zoom-out operations, and to a film-windup part in a spool chamber or to a film-rewind part in a cartridge chamber to perform the designated operation. A clutch mechanism and a plurality of gear trains connect the motor to the respectively driven sections.
Nevertheless, in the camera disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-313791, sections including the drivable section of the lens barrel, and drivable sections in the spool chamber and cartridge chamber are not unitized. Furthermore, the clutch mechanism and respectively drivable sections are connected by a plurality of gear trains.
Therefore, if the specifications for one of the drivable sections is changed, the entire design of the camera must be changed. Hence, a significant amount of time and cost is required to change the specifications and design of a camera. In addition, in an assembly process of the drivable sections, an inefficient use of labor is expended to assemble the parts of every unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is performed in consideration of the above problems and provides a camera that requires only a minimum of change to a section of each unit even when the specifications or the model changes, and has a construction such that parts assembly of every unit is also easy.
A camera of the present invention which is used for recording a subject image on a film with an image pickup lens comprises a driving source; spool chamber unit having a film spool chamber and a first driving-force transfer means for winding a film up; a cartridge chamber unit having a cartridge chamber where a film cartridge is loaded; a second driving-force transfer means for rewinding the film; a lens barrel unit having a third driving-force transfer means held in a fixed frame for driving a lens holding barrel to hold the image pickup lens and to move back and forth freely; and a connecting member having a driving-force transfer mechanism for transferring the driving-force of the driving source while remaining connected to at least the second and third driving-force transfer means.
In the above-described camera, when the spool chamber unit, cartridge chamber unit, and lens barrel unit are mounted in the connecting member directly or indirectly, the second and third driving-force transfer means are connected with the driving-force transfer mechanism. In addition, if any unit is dismounted from the connecting member, the connection between the driving-force transfer mechanism and the driving-force transfer means of the unit dismounted is released.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5854952 (1998-12-01), Terada
patent: 6039476 (2000-03-01), Katagiri et al.
patent: 8313791 (1996-11-01), None

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