Television – Camera – system and detail – Optics
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-18
2004-12-07
Christensen, Andrew (Department: 2615)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Optics
C348S374000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06829011
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-248677, filed Sep. 2, 1999, and Japanese Patent Application No. 11-248678, filed Sep. 2, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated herein by this reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic imaging device, especially, to an electronic imaging device which improves a configuration of a shooting lens unit and an arrangement of an internal unit.
In general, in an electronic imaging device, especially an electronic camera (digital still camera), since the number of internal element components thereof is larger than that of the camera of the film installation type, the camera main body tends to become large and deteriorate portability, etc. Therefore, a lot of proposals to achieve the miniaturization are performed. Especially, when thickness in the optical axis direction of the camera main body becomes thick, the bad influence is caused for not only portability but also the holding stability at shooting. As a factor that the camera main body becomes thick, it is thought that the arrangement of the image display section such as various electric circuit board and LCD influences with the optical path length of the optical system.
First, concerning the optical path length of the optical system, by bending the optical system at a midpoint in an optical path, the method of making the camera main body compact is known well without changing the total length of the optical path length.
The following camera device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 9-281578. In this camera device, the wide-angle converter lens is rotatably and movably arranged to an incidence side of the telescopic master lens, which images an image of the subject on the imaging surface of the solid imaging element. This converter lens is rotated and moved at a position on the optical path from the subject to the master lens and a position outside an optical path, and the reflection mirror is arranged at the rotation center of the converter lens. As a result, the length of the device can be set to a short optical path length from the imaging surface to the reflection mirror, and the entire device is made compact.
The following imaging device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 9-211287. This imaging device installs the prism in which the inclined plane which reflects and deflects the luminous flux to the object side of the shooting system is made as an inside reflection side, and shortens length in the horizontal direction of the shooting system by constructing to perform imaging through the prism.
Regarding to the arrangement of the image display section such as various electric circuit board and LCD, a method of prevent from increase of thickness has been performed by arranging the shooting optical system in the end portion of the main body of the device and applying a layout in which the shooting optical system and various electric circuit board, and the image display sections, etc. are not overlapped in the main body of the device in the thickness direction.
As described above, conventionally, a method of bending the shooting optical system is known to thin the thickness of the device. However, thickness of device is not determined only by a physical size of the shooting optical system. Relative arrangement with the print circuit board or the image display section is an important element in the thickness of the device as previously described. In addition, it is also possible that portability and the operativeness of the device cannot be satisfied only with the device thin, and convenience worsens oppositely. Actually, a large restriction is caused in shape and the layout and there is a possibility that the disadvantage is brought up by operativeness etc., since the position of the shooting optical system is limited to a left end or a right end of the main body of the device and as a result, the camera becomes oblong to secure the area of the substrate, etc. When the shooting optical system is arranged in the end portion in the main body of the device so as not to be overlapped to the various electric circuit board and the image display section, etc., a similar disadvantage is occurred, even when the shooting optical system is incorporated in the main body of the device.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic imaging device, which can achieve a thin main body of device and maintain well-balanced whole shape and excellent operativeness by considering an arrangement of the internal configuration component.
The first electronic imaging device, which performs a photoelectric-conversion of a subject light with an imaging element and records it, according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a first lens arranged along a first optical axis to take a luminous flux from the subject; an optical axis conversion material which bends the luminous flux which passes the first lens along a second optical axis which intersects with the first optical axis; a second lens which images the luminous flux bent along the second optical axis to the imaging element arranged on the second optical axis; and an optical amount adjustment device provided between the imaging element and the optical axis conversion material. The preferred manners of the first electronic camera are as follows.
(1) The second lens and the imaging element are made in a unit.
(2) A plurality of imaging control materials to control an imaging operation; a first driving power giving material which gives a driving power to at least one of the imaging control materials; and a second driving power giving material which gives a driving power to a driving power giving material different from the first driving power giving material are further provided, and the first driving power giving material and the second driving power giving material are arranged in a first space and a second space divided by a planar which includes the first optical axis and the second optical axis, respectively.
(3) In (2), the imaging control material is provided between the imaging element and the optical axis conversion material and includes a movement mechanism which moves the second lens.
(4) In (3), the first driving power giving material and the second driving power giving material include an AF motor and a zoom motor, which perform an AF operation and a zooming operation by moving the second lens.
(5) The first lens and the optical axis conversion material construct a first unit, the second lens and the imaging element construct a second unit, and the first unit and the second unit construct a shooting lens unit.
(6) In (5), a flash unit arranged in parallel to the second optical axis is further provided.
(7) In (6), a power supply arranged in parallel to the second optical axis is further provided, and the flash unit is arranged between the shooting lens unit and the power supply.
(8) In (6), a power supply arranged in parallel to the second optical axis is further provided, and the shooting lens unit is arranged between the flash unit and the power supply.
(9) The light amount adjustment device includes an aperture shutter unit which performs a control of an aperture and a shutter at the same time.
(10) The imaging lens unit has a imaging element moving mechanism which moves the imaging elements along the second axis to an imaging surface.
The second electronic imaging device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: an optical axis conversion material which bends a luminous flux along a second optical axis which intersects with a first optical axis after taking in a luminous flux from a subject through a lens arranged along the first optical axis; a lens group which images the luminous flux bent along the second optical axis to an imaging element arranged on the second optical axis; an imaging element which receives the luminous flux which passes the lens group and p
Asakura Yasuo
Daigaku Masaaki
Fujii Naoki
Higuchi Tatsuji
Takahashi Yukinori
Christensen Andrew
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Long Heather R.
Olympus Optical Co,. Ltd.
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