Portable optical instrument and image pickup apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9451139-B2
Application number	US-201514603883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2015
Priority date	Jan 28, 2014
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

The invention provides a portable optical instrument including: a body portion to which a lens barrel which holds a lens is fixed; a pop-up light emitting unit which projects illumination light forward; and a sighting device which includes an optical element which includes a concave-surface-shaped reflection surface and a sighting device light source opposed to the reflection surface, the sighting device forming a reflection light of the sighting device light source, wherein the optical element is disposed between the light emitting unit and the body portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable optical instrument comprising:
a body portion to which a lens barrel that holds a lens is fixed;
a light emitting unit including a leg portion that swings relatively to the body portion around a first rotation shaft which is parallel to an axis orthogonal to an optical axis of the lens, and a light source portion for illumination provided at a front end of the leg portion, the light emitting unit moving between a housed state in which the leg portion is along an outer surface of the body portion and a projected state in which the leg portion stands up with respect to the outer surface and the light source portion projects from the body portion; and
a sighting device which includes an optical element having a concave-surface-shaped reflection surface, and a sighting device light source opposed to the reflection surface, the sighting device being configured to form a reflection light of the sighting device light source, wherein
the optical element is disposed between the body portion and the light emitting unit when the light emitting unit is in the housed state,
the light emitting unit includes a front cover portion which covers the light source portion in the housed state, an opening portion which penetrates the leg portion in a direction along the optical axis in the projected state, and a rear cover portion which opens and closes the opening portion by swinging relatively to the leg portion around a second rotation shaft parallel to the first rotation shaft on a more distal end side of the leg portion than the opening portion,
the sighting device is disposed so as to penetrate the opening portion when the light emitting unit is in the projected state,
the optical element is held by an optical element holding frame which swings relatively to the body portion around a third rotation shaft parallel to the first rotation shaft, and
the optical element holding frame is brought into a lodged state in which the optical element holding frame is along the outer surface of the body portion, when the sighting device is not used, and the optical element holding frame is brought into a standing state in which the optical element holding frame stands up with respect to the outer surface and presses the rear cover portion in a direction for opening the opening portion in the standing state, when the sighting device is used.

2. The portable optical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the sighting device includes a rotatable knob which is exposed on the outer surface of the body portion, and a light source position changing mechanism which moves the sighting device light source in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis in accordance with rotation of the knob.

3. The portable optical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the sighting device includes a rotatable knob which is exposed on the outer surface of the body portion, and a light source position changing mechanism which moves the sighting device light source in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis in accordance with rotation of the knob.

4. An image pickup apparatus comprising:
a lens barrel which holds an image pickup lens;
a body portion to which the lens barrel is fixed;
a light emitting unit including a leg portion that swings relatively to the body portion around a first rotation shaft which is parallel to an axis orthogonal to an optical axis of the image pickup lens, and a light source portion for illuminating an object, which is provided on a front end of the leg portion, the light emitting unit moving between a housed state in which the leg portion is along an outer surface of the body portion and a projected state in which the leg portion stands up with respect to the outer surface and the light source portion projects from the body portion; and
a sighting device which includes an optical element having a concave-surface-shaped reflection surface, and a sighting device light source opposed to the reflection surface, the sighting device being configured to form a reflection light of the sighting device light source,
wherein the light emitting unit includes an opening portion which penetrates the leg portion in a direction along the optical axis in the projected state,
wherein the sighting device is disposed so as to penetrate the opening portion when the light emitting unit is in the projected state,
the optical element is held by an optical element holding frame which swings relatively to the body portion around a rotation shaft parallel to the first rotation shaft,
the optical element holding frame is brought into a lodged state in which the optical element holding frame is along the outer surface of the body portion, when the sighting device is not used, and the optical element holding frame is brought into a standing state in which the optical element holding frame stands up with respect to the outer surface, when the sighting device is used, and
the image pickup apparatus enables an operation for moving only the light emitting unit from the housed state to the projected state, and an operation for moving the light emitting unit from the housed state to the projected state and simultaneously moving the optical element holding frame from the lodged state to the standing state.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a first urging member which urges the light emitting unit in a direction for moving the light emitting unit from the housed state to the projected state;
a second urging member which urges the optical element holding frame in a direction for moving the optical element holding frame from the lodged state to the standing state;
a first engaging portion which engages with the light emitting unit and maintains the light emitting unit in the housed state;
a second engaging portion which engages with the optical element holding frame and maintains the optical element holding frame in the lodged state;
a first lever which is exposed on the outer surface of the body portion and inputs an operation for moving the first engaging portion and releasing an engagement between the first engaging portion and the light emitting unit; and
a second lever which is exposed on the outer surface of the body portion and inputs an operation for simultaneously moving the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion and releasing the engagement between the first engaging portion and the light emitting unit and an engagement between the second engaging portion and the optical element holding frame.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Mochinushi Hidenobu

Classifications

• G03B15/05 Primary

  Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• G03B2215/0507

  Pop-up mechanisms · CPC title

• G03B13/02

  Viewfinders · CPC title

• H04N5/2254 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic