Waterproof camera

Details Waterproof camera Waterproof camera

2001-07-10

2003-01-14

Gray, David M. (Department: 2851)

Photography

Underwater, waterproof, or water-resistant camera

C348S081000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06507700

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof camera that has a waterproof function for the camera case, and in particular, to a waterproof camera suitable for wide-angle cameras which need a large range of view and which have applications, for example, as on-vehicle monitors or industrial monitors.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known waterproof cameras that have the waterproof function so that they can be used outdoors or in an environment with much moisture. In recent years, jointly with improvement in performances of imaging and miniaturization, the waterproof cameras are used mainly in on-vehicle and industrial applications.
In such waterproof cameras, one waterproof structure that has been used frequently in the past uses a protective case that contains a camera therein. In this structure, a waterproof function is obtained by sealing with a flat glass an opening formed in the objective-side front of the protective case. However, when applying the waterproof function using this protective case to a wide-angle camera, there is a problem that the angle of incidence light to the wide-angle camera contained in the protective case narrows in response to restrictions by the range of the flat glass. Securing a large angle of incidence of light needs a large flat glass. Accordingly, the wide-angle camera will result in a large scale as a whole.
Another waterproof structure is disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 9-265035. The waterproof technology given in this publication is related with a waterproof structure of the lens barrel of a lens-shutter type of camera. Specifically, of a group of front lenses, the periphery section of a lens located at the front end is pressed onto an annular abutting surface of a lens pressure ring, with a coating member inserted therebetween. This eliminates the necessity of using a conventional protective glass arranged in the front of the camera.
Then, it is conceivable to carry out the waterproof structure disclosed by the above publication toward a wide-angle camera. That is, it could be possible that the disclosed waterproof structure be applied to the first lens located at the objective-side front of a plurality of lenses of a wide-angle camera.
However, in the case of the waterproof structure disclosed by the above-mentioned publication, a lens pressure ring is screwed to the periphery section of the first lens located at the objective-side front. The lens barrel is required to extend along its axial direction. Hence, the extended portion and lens pressure ring will become obstacles over the incidence angle to the first lens. As a result, like the flat glass of the protective case, there still remains a conflicting problem between securing a wide angle of incidence of light and miniaturizing a camera.
Moreover, the waterproof structure disclosed by the above-mentioned publication is directed to the waterproof of interior of a lens barrel. Thus, for applying such waterproof structure to a camera in which both lens barrel and constituents of an imaging system, such as a solid-state image sensor, are disposed within the protective case, another waterproof structure has to be given the constituents of the imaging system. Consequently, the simplification and miniaturization of the structure of the camera itself are difficult after all.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to overcome the above difficulties, and an object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof camera with its simplified internal structure, its compact entire size, and a wide range of view to a lens system.
To realize the above object, as one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a waterproof camera comprising: a group of wide-angle lenses including a first lens and one or more remaining lenses; a camera case having a front opening is formed in a front thereof and the front opening being shielded with the first lens; and a lens barrel being fixed in the camera case and containing the remaining lenses fixed therein.
By way of example, one end of the lens barrel is integrated with a bottom of the front opening of the camera case.
As another aspect, the present invention provides a waterproof camera comprising: a group of wide-angle lenses including a first lens and one or more remaining lenses; a camera case having a front opening formed in a front thereof; and a lens barrel having a further front opening formed in a front thereof, wherein the lens barrel contained in the camera case so that the lens barrel seals the front opening of the camera case and the further opening of the lens barrel is sealed with the first lens and the remaining lenses are contained within the lens barrel.
Therefore, the waterproof camera of which inside is air-tightly sealed is provided, with the front lens formed in the front. The waterproof camera is made compact in size, relatively simplified in the internal structure, and suitable for wide-angle imaging.
Still another aspect of the present invention, there is a waterproof camera comprising: a waterproof camera case in a front of which a first opening is formed; a lens barrel being fixed within the camera case, in a front of which a second opening is formed, and in which a lens-containing space communicated to the second opening is formed; and a group of lenses being disposed in the lens-containing space and consisting of a plurality of lenses including a first lens, wherein the first lens is located over the second opening of the lens barrel and a circumferential edge of the second opening of the lens barrel is sealed with a peripheral of the first lens.
Accordingly, with the front lens located at the front opening, the sealing is steadily accomplished between the front lens and the lens barrel. Therefore, in addition to being used for imaging, the first lens works as well as a protective glass conventionally used. Since such a protective member is unnecessary, the camera is made compact in size and structure as a whole. Because the front lens is located at the frontmost row of the camera, a wider range of view to the lenses can be secured, being preferable for wide-angle imaging. It is enough that the lenses are fabricated in only the lens barrel, so that the internal structure of the camera is also simplified.
It is preferred that the first lens has a circumferential side surface intersecting with a radial direction of the first lens and a first step part presenting a step-like change in cross section in an optical axis direction of the first lens, the lens barrel having a second step part presenting a step-like change in section in the optical axis direction, and a sealing member is disposed in the radial direction between the first and second step parts.
Accordingly, the sealing member shows an excellent sealing performance against wind and rain between the first lens and the lens barrel. Stress with this sealing is mostly caused in the radial direction of the lens. Giving the front lens a specified amount of strength enables the first lens to absorb the stress without any deformation. In other words, the occasion in which the stress occurs in the direction of an optical axis is avoided surely. Therefore, because the stress will not influence on, for example, a CCD substrate of an imaging unit, there is no distortion in the substrate, resulting in that deteriorations in image quality due to such stress can be avoided without fail.
It is also preferable that the lens barrel has a third step part presenting a step-like change in section in the optical axis direction, the third step part being formed on an outer circumferential surface of a tip of the lens barrel, the camera case has a fourth step part presenting a step-like change in section in the optical axis direction, the fourth step part being formed on an inner circumferential surface of a wall forming the first opening of the camera case, and a further sealing member is disposed in the radial direction between the third and fourth step parts.
Accordingly,

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