Television – Camera – system and detail – Support or housing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-08
2004-08-24
Garber, Wendy R. (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Support or housing
C348S371000, C348S373000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06781634
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electronic cameras generally called digital cameras for electronically recording images picked up by an image pick-up device on a recording medium and, more particularly, to improvements in constructions and dispositions of components of such electronic cameras.
Heretofore, in electronic cameras as well as silver film cameras, covers and internal components are assembled and held in various ways, which are roughly classified into the following two types. In a first type, substantially all the internal components are assembled in single molded or rolled frame to form a unit, and two, i.e., front and rear, cover parts are fitted on the unit for protection thereof (this type being referred to as frame type). In a second type, the cover does not only serve as a mere protective cover, but it also has the role of a frame for supporting the internal components. More specifically, the cover is not a thin shell-like part but has a member for assembling and securing internal components thereto. The internal components are assembled to the cover itself (this type being referred to as cover type).
In the meantime, usual single-lens reflex electronic camera adopts internal layout, which considerably resemble those of silver film cameras of the same single-lens reflex type. More specifically, a movable mirror is used to split the incident light flux to split light fluxes and supplies them to an image pick-up device and a viewfinder. A penta-prism is provided at intermediate to the viewfinder. The eyepiece of the viewfinder is provided substantially at the center of the camera in the long dimension direction thereof. Also, instead of a film an image pick-up surface of the image pick-up device extends perpendicular to the image pick-up optical axis. The camera is used with a power supply battery, which is disposed such that it extends parallel with the film patrone, i.e., perpendicular to the camera body bottom.
In the electronic camera, unlike the conventional silver film camera, it is necessary, in addition to operation checks of various components, to make overall adjustment of the brightness of picked-up image, colors thereof and so forth after the photographing lens, image pick-up device, electric circuit board and other components have been assembled. This means that it is necessary that final confirmation of functions and overall adjustment can be made without fitting the cover. Otherwise, the assembling property is extremely deteriorated.
Regarding this demand, in the frame type the final confirmation of functions and overall adjustment can be made well after forming the unit by assembling the internal components in the single frame and before fitting the cover on the unit. In the second type, however, the components are assembled and mounted in either one of a plurality of cover parts, and some components are conceived by the cover, although this may depend on the shape of the cover. In such a case, it is considerably difficult to make final function confirmation and overall adjustment after the component have been assembled and mounted in the cover. Even if such confirmation and adjustment could be made, great care would be necessary in the adjustment of the component parts assembled in the cover to maintain the appearance of the cover without any damage thereto. Such care deteriorates the assembling property. Therefore, this cover type is unsuited for the electronic camera which has an electronic image pick-up system, although it poses no problem with the silver salt film camera.
In the meantime, there is a strong demand for size reduction of electronic cameras or like portable units. In view of this demand, the frame type is disadvantageous in that the framework structure that is formed by the frame member leads to a volume increase. So far as the size reduction demand is concerned, the cover type is advantageous in that no exclusive frame is unnecessary. However, as described before, the cover type is disadvantageous from the standpoint of the final function confirmation and overall adjustment. In the long run, neither type can meet the two demands for the electronic camera, i.e., readiness of final function confirmation and overall adjustment and size reduction.
Regarding the internal layout of the camera, the electronic camera tends to have a greater volume than the silver film camera because of the presence of the image pick-up device and a processing system therefor. Particularly, since the electric circuit board obviously has a large area, the volume of the electronic camera would be greater without doubt than the silver film camera when the same component layout as therefor is adopted, deteriorating the portability and convenience of handling.
Specifically, there is a trend for increasing depth or thickness of camera. That is, in the electronic camera, an image monitor display (for instance an LCD display) which is often mounted on the camera body in order to provide utmost simultaneous character, is provided together with the viewfinder eyepiece on the rear surface of the camera. With the provision of the image monitor display on the rear surface of the camera, the depth or thickness of the camera is increased in correspondence to the thickness of the LCD of the display. This may result in inconvenience of holding the camera or deterioration of the sense of griping the camera in the photography, which may cause swinging of the camera.
In a further aspect, a penta-prism which is usually used in the single-lens reflex electronic camera, is a factor of increasing the height of the camera. By purely replacing the penta-prism with a mirror system or the like for reducing the camera height, however, the camera depth or thickness is increased in corresponding to the length of the optical path.
As shown above, in the electronic camera it is necessary, in addition to reduce the volume or the camera, to provide adequate balance of the width, depth and height dimensions. In this respect, no substantial considerations have been paid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to solve the above problems inherent in the prior art electronic camera, and it has an object of providing a electronic camera, which is reduced in size, convenient to handle, permits ready final function confirmation and overall adjustment, and has excellent assembling property.
Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provides an electronic camera which permits effective utilization an upper space in the camera body, permits reduction of the depth or thickness of the camera body.
Another object of the present invention is to provides an electronic camera which is free from blocking of strobo light by any camera part and has a strobo light emission part such as to permit effective utilization of the dead pace.
Another object of the present invention is to provides an electronic camera which provides stable state of support utilizing the bottom surface of the camera body and permits effective utilization of the inner space of the camera body adjacent the bottom thereof.
Other object of the present invention is to provides an electronic camera which ensures stability of photographing and can effectively prevent swinging of the camera.
Still other object of the present invention is to provides an electronic camera which permits reduction of the depth or thickness of the camera body.
Further object of the present invention is to provides an electronic camera which internally has a main capacitor for strobo and a battery for camera power supply and permits reduction of the height of the camera body.
Still further object of the present invention is to provides an electronic camera which can hold the main capacitor for strobo with sufficient space efficiency and in a stable state.
Other object of the present invention is to provides an electronic camera which readily permits size reduction of internal components.
Still other object of the present invention is to provides an electronic camera which improves efficiency of mounting elect
Inoue Takashi
Onda Hiroki
Shiozaki Toshikatsu
Garber Wendy R.
Nguyen Luong T.
Olympus Corporation
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
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