Camera accessory, camera accessory mount, camera body and camera body mount

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9075287-B2
Application number	US-201113225959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2011
Priority date	Sep 6, 2010
Publication date	Jul 7, 2015
Grant date	Jul 7, 2015

Abstract

A camera accessory can be detachably engaged with a camera body that includes a camera body mount, and is equipped with an accessory mount assuming a bayonet structure with a first tab, a second tab and a third tab set over intervals in a circumferential direction running along a circumference of a circle and projecting from the circumference along a radial direction. The accessory mount can be inserted through the camera body mount without any of the first through third tabs being hindered by any of three camera body-side tabs at the camera body mount, as long as the accessory mount is inserted into the camera body mount at a correct interlock phase. The accessory mount includes a restricting member disposed near the third tab.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A camera accessory that can be detachably engaged with a camera body that includes a camera body mount, the camera accessory including a cylindrical member having an optical path in its inner circumferential side and being equipped with an accessory mount assuming a bayonet structure with a first tab, a second tab and a third tab disposed at a circumferential surface of the cylindrical member over intervals in a circumferential direction running along the circumferential surface and projecting outward from the circumferential surface along a radial direction, the camera accessory and the camera body being configured to exchange signals between each other via respective electrical contact points when the accessory mount is fully mounted to the camera body mount, wherein:
the first through third tabs are disposed at the accessory mount so that the first through third tabs can be inserted through the camera body mount without any of the first through third tabs being hindered by any of three camera body-side tabs at the camera body mount, when the accessory mount is inserted into the camera body mount at a correct interlock phase;
the first tab, the second tab and the third tab extend over varying lengths along the circumferential direction;
the first tab extends over a greatest length along the circumferential direction among the first through third tabs;
the third tab extends over a smallest length along the circumferential direction among the first through third tabs;
the accessory mount includes a restricting member disposed such that the third tab overlaps the restricting member as viewed along a direction parallel to an axial direction of the camera accessory;
the restricting member is provided overlapped by the third tab so as to come into contact with a side end of one camera body-side tab among the camera body-side tabs when the first through third tabs having been inserted into the camera body mount at the correct interlock phase are rotated along the circumference in a first rotating direction, thereby restricting a rotation range in the first rotating direction; and
the restricting member is provided overlapped by the third tab so as to come into contact with a side end of a camera body-side tab different from the one camera body-side tab when the first through third tabs are rotated with respect to the camera body mount along the circumference in a second rotating direction opposite from the first rotating direction, thereby restricting a rotation range in the second rotating direction.

2. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first through third tabs are disposed at the accessory mount so that insertion of the first through third tabs through the camera body mount is disallowed if the accessory mount is positioned at a phase other than the correct interlock phase, with at least two tabs among the first tab, the second tab and the third tab coming into contact with at least two of the camera body-side tabs.

3. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first tab at the accessory mount having been inserted at the correct interlock phase and having been mounted at the camera body mount overlaps a camera body-side tab assuming an uppermost position when the camera body is set with a longitudinal orientation achieved by rotating the upright camera body assuming a lateral orientation by approximately 90°.

4. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first tab, the second tab and the third tab are fixed to a main body of the camera accessory.

5. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first tab, the second tab and the third tab are rotatably disposed so as to be allowed to rotate along the circumferential direction relative to a main body of the camera accessory.

6. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first tab, the second tab and the third tab are made up with a tab present over an angular range of approximately 56.5° to approximately 115°, a tab present over an angular range of approximately 172.5° to approximately 214.5° and a tab present over an angular range of approximately 272° to approximately 343.5° at the accessory mount having been mounted at the body mount, along a clockwise direction relative to a nine o'clock direction viewed from a mounting side of the camera accessory onto the camera body mount.

7. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein:
central angles of circular arcs representing lengths of the first tab, the second tab and the third tab extending along the circumferential direction are approximately 71.5°, 58.5° and 42°, respectively.

8. A camera accessory according to claim 7 , wherein:
when the first tab, the second tab and the third tab are rotated along the circumferential direction by approximately 40.5° in order to mount the accessory mount, having been inserted at the correct interlock phase, with the body mount, the accessory mount becomes completely mounted at the body mount.

9. A camera body with which the camera accessory according to claim 8 that includes the accessory mount can be detachably mounted, the camera body including a cylindrical member provided with an opening of the camera body, and equipped with a body mount adopting a bayonet structure with a first camera body-side tab, a second camera body-side tab and a third camera body-side tab disposed over intervals along a circumferential surface of the cylindrical member and projecting from the circumferential surface along a radial direction, wherein:
the first through third camera body-side tabs are disposed at the body mount so that the accessory mount can be inserted without any of the first through third camera body-side tabs being hindered by any of the first, second and third tabs of the accessory mount, when the accessory mount is inserted into the body mount at the correct interlock phase;
the first camera body-side tab and the second camera body-side tab are disposed next to each other with a gap therebetween in the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface;
an interval between the first camera body-side tab and the second camera body-side tab is narrowest among intervals between tabs set next to each other in the circumferential direction among the first through third camera body-side tabs;
the first camera body-side tab includes a first end portion that faces towards the gap between the first camera body-side tab and the second camera body-side tab disposed next to the first camera body-side tab in the circumferential direction;
the second camera body-side tab includes a second end portion that faces towards the gap between the second camera body-side tab and the first camera body-side tab disposed next to the second camera body-side tab in the circumferential direction; and
an angle by which the accessory mount, having been inserted at the correct interlock phase, is allowed to rotate relative to the body mount is an angle representing a range between a phase at which the restricting member of the accessory mount comes into contact with the first end portion and a phase at which the restricting member comes into contact with the second end portion,
thereby defining the angle by which the accessory mount, having been inserted at the correct interlock phase, is allowed to rotate relative to the body mount by the interval between the first camera body-side tab and the second camera body-side tab; and
when the accessory mount is positioned at the correct interlock phase, the body mount allows insertion of the accessory mount without any of the first camera body-side tab, the second camera body-side tab and the third camera body-side tab coming into contact with any of the first, second, and third

Assignees

• Hasuda Masanori
• Kotani Noriyasu
• Hoshikawa Hideaki
• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Hasuda Masanori
• Kotani Noriyasu
• Hoshikawa Hideaki

Classifications

• G03B17/565 Primary

  Optical accessories, e.g. converters for close-up photography, tele-convertors, wide-angle convertors · CPC title

• G03B17/566 Primary

  Accessory clips, holders, shoes to attach accessories to camera (if integral part of camera body G03B17/02) · CPC title

• G03B17/14 Primary

  interchangeably · CPC title