Television – Camera – system and detail – Support or housing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-01
2004-01-27
Garber, Wendy R. (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Support or housing
C348S376000, C396S535000, C396S540000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06683653
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic camera, and more particularly to the arrangement of components in an electronic camera, which converts a captured image into image data and records the image data in a recording medium, and the arrangement of control members.
The present invention also relates to a dial control device of electronic equipment, and more particularly to a dial control device that makes it possible to change multiple functions even in a small space.
2. Description of Related Art
An ordinary electronic camera comprises an imaging part, which includes a taking lens and an imaging device such as a charge-coupled device (CCD); a signal circuit part, which processes an image signal obtained by the imaging device; a recording part for recording image data: an image display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, which displays the captured image; a battery for supplying electric power; and a control part for changing image-recording modes and displays, etc. The size and operability of the entire electronic camera depends mainly on the layout of the components.
Recently, there has been an earnest desire to develop a compact electronic camera. Since the compact electronic camera is difficult to operate, it is important to develop an electronic camera that is small and easy to operate.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 9-230438 discloses providing a visual field frame changeover dial at substantially the center of the back face of the camera. According to this arrangement, the camera, which is held by one hand, is difficult to operate, and a positional relationship between the dial and the image display is not taken into consideration at all.
A push button or a rotary dial is used for the control part of much conventional electronic equipment such as electronic cameras. As the electronic equipment becomes smaller and increases the functions, it is an important factor to allot a space for arranging the control part and improve the operability. Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-31812 discloses a switch button structure wherein a rotary knob is arranged around an ON/OFF push button. This switch button structure, however, has only one function of switching ON/OFF an operating button provided inside the knob, and it is impossible to enter a variety of commands. Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 8-122842 discloses a control part structure wherein two control parts (a changeover dial and a changeover lever), which change image-recording modes of the camera, are arranged coaxially with one another so that they can be rotated separately. According to this control part structure, there must be a difference in height between the two rotary control members so that the inside rotary member and the outside rotary member can be rotated separately. In fact, the control knob of the changeover lever projects over the changeover dial. In this mode, the camera is difficult to operate with only one hand, and it is not satisfactory in view of the design due to the unevenness of the surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed in view of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object the provision of the electronic camera that is easy to operate and compact.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the dial control device of the electronic equipment, which is easy to operate, inputs a variety of commands, and achieves the satisfactory appearance with little unevenness.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present invention is directed to an electronic camera comprising: an imaging part including a taking lens and an imaging device for capturing an image; an image display for displaying the image captured by the imaging part; a recording part for recording, in a card-shaped recording medium, image data representing the image captured by the imaging part; a battery for supplying electric power to the camera; and a casing for containing the imaging part, the image display, the recording part and the battery therein, the casing being substantially rectangular-parallelepipedic and provided with a grip part to be gripped on an external surface thereof; wherein, when the camera is seen from a back thereof, the imaging part is arranged at the upper left part of the casing; the grip part is arranged at the right part of the casing; the battery is arranged at the right part of the casing corresponding to an inside of the grip part such that a long axis of the battery is along the grip part and the right side of the casing; the image display is arranged along the back face of the casing and at the left of the battery so as not to overlap with the battery; and the recording part is arranged behind and parallel to the image display such that the card-shaped recording medium is inserted to and extracted from the left side of the casing along a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the taking lens.
According to the present invention, the electronic camera is compact since the imaging part, the image display, the recording part and the battery of the camera are arranged in the minimum space.
Seen from the cameraman holding the grip part, the image display is positioned at the lower left part of the back face of the camera. Hence, there is no possibility that the display screen is covered with the hand, and the display is easy to view. Moreover, the inlet for the card-shaped recording medium is provided at the opposite side of the grip part (the left side of the casing), and thus, the recording medium is inserted and extracted easily while the grip part is held by the hand.
According to the present invention, a finder is incorporated in an optical block including the taking lens and the imaging device of the imaging part. Since the image-capturing optical system and the finder optical system are incorporated into one block as a unit, the optical finder can be arranged close to the taking lens to reduce the parallax. Seen from the back of the camera, the imaging part is arranged at the upper left part of the camera, and the optical finder is necessarily arranged at the upper left part of the camera. The cameraman holding the grip part can easily look through the finder.
According to the present invention, an electronic flash is arranged above the battery. Seen from the front of the camera, the electronic flash is provided above the grip part, in other words, at the upper left part of the camera. A finger of the hand holding the grip part is positioned below the electronic flash, and this prevents the finger from obstructing the emission of light. Depending on how the camera is held, however, the finger may cover the electronic flash window. To avoid this, a projection is preferably formed at the electronic flash window at the front of the casing so that the projection can prevent the finger holding the grip part from covering the electronic flash window.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to an electronic camera comprising: an imaging part including a taking lens and an imaging device for capturing an image; an image display for displaying the image captured by the imaging part, the image display being arranged on a back face of a camera body; a grip part for being gripped, the grip part being arranged at a side of the camera body; a dial control device arranged on the back face of the camera body at such a position as to be operated by a thumb of a hand gripping the grip part, the dial control device being capable of rotating within a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the taking lens.
According to the present invention, the dial control device is arranged on the back face of the camera body at such a position as to be operated by the thumb of the hand holding the grip part formed at the side of the camera body. For this reason, it is easy to operate the dial control device using only one hand.
The dial control device is preferably arranged at the upper right part of the back face of the camera, and t
Miyake Michihiro
Nagumo Yoichi
Tokiwa Kentaro
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Garber Wendy R.
Ye Lin
LandOfFree
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