Camera accessory and camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9684229-B2
Application number	US-201313856459-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2013
Priority date	Apr 4, 2012
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

The camera accessory is attachable to a camera. The camera accessory includes an accessory mount to be detachably coupled with a camera mount). The accessory mount is provided with accessory bayonet claws and brought, by relative rotation with the camera mount, from a first state in which each of the accessory bayonet claws is inserted between camera bayonet claws provided in the camera mount into a second state in which the accessory bayonet claws engage with the camera bayonet claws to complete coupling of the accessory and camera mounts. The camera accessory is further provided with accessory contact surfaces arranged in a relative rotation direction of the mounts in the accessory mount. The accessory contact surfaces includes a first accessory contact surface used for indicating type of the camera accessory and is provided adjacent to the accessory bayonet claw.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A camera accessory detachably attachable to a camera, the camera accessory comprising:
an accessory mount to be detachably coupled with a camera mount provided in the camera, the accessory mount being provided with accessory bayonet claws and being brought, by relative rotation with the camera mount, from a first state in which each of the accessory bayonet claws is inserted between camera bayonet claws provided in the camera mount into a second state in which the accessory bayonet claws engage with the camera bayonet claws to complete coupling of the accessory and camera mounts;
an accessory contact holding portion provided in the accessory mount; and
a plurality of electrical contact surfaces including at least seven electrical contact surfaces arranged along a rotation direction of the accessory and camera mounts and held by the accessory contact holding portion,
wherein the plurality of electrical contact surfaces include a first electrical contact surface configured to indicate a predetermined voltage corresponding to a type of the camera accessory in the second state, thereby indicating the type of the camera accessory, a sixth electrical contact surface provided for receiving a supply of source power from the camera, and a seventh electrical contact surface provided for a ground connection corresponding to the sixth electrical contact surface,
wherein the seventh electrical contact surface is arranged between the first electrical contact surface and the sixth electrical contact surface,
wherein one of the accessory bayonet claws is positioned at a phase of the first electrical contact surface in the rotation direction of the accessory and camera mounts, and
wherein any of the accessory bayonet claws are not positioned at a phase of the sixth electrical contact surface in the rotation direction of the accessory and camera mounts.

2. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the accessory bayonet claw is provided adjacent to the first electrical contact surface such that contact of the first electrical contact surface with a corresponding camera contact pin provided in the camera mount is sufficiently maintainable.

3. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical contact surface is provided alongside of the accessory bayonet claw.

4. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical contact surface is provided side by side with the accessory bayonet claw.

5. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of camera contact pins including a first camera contact pin that makes an electrical contact with the first electrical contact surface in the second state are provided in the camera mount,
wherein the first camera contact pin contacts the electrical contact holding portion in the first state,
wherein the plurality of electrical contact surfaces include second electrical contact surfaces that do not contact the first camera contact pin in the second state, and
wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied along the rotation direction:
(a) a pitch between the first electrical contact surface and a second electrical contact surface adjacent thereto is larger than a pitch between the second electrical contact surfaces adjacent to each other;
(b) an interval between the first electrical contact surface and the second electrical contact surface adjacent thereto is larger than an interval between the second electrical contact surfaces adjacent to each other; and
(c) a width of the first electrical contact surface is larger than a width of the second electrical contact surface.

6. A camera accessory according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of electrical contact surfaces include a third electrical contact surface used for detection of attachment of the camera accessory to the camera, and
wherein the first electrical contact surface is provided such that, during the relative rotation of the accessory mount with the camera mount from the first state to the second state, contact of the first electrical contact surface with the first camera contact pin is started earlier than or simultaneously with start of contact of the third electrical contact surface with a third camera contact pin corresponding to the third electrical contact surface.

7. A camera accessory according to claim 6 , wherein, along the rotation direction, a distance between (a) a portion, of the first electrical contact surface, where the contact with the first camera contact pin is started during the relative rotation from the first state to the second state and (b) a portion, of the third electrical contact surface, where the contact with the third camera contact pin is started during the relative rotation from the first state to the second state is shorter than or equal to a distance between the first camera contact pin and the third camera contact pin.

8. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical contact surfaces include a fourth electrical contact surface, as the power electrical contact surface, provided for receiving, from the camera, a supply of source power for communication between the camera and the camera accessory.

9. A camera accessory according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of electrical contact surfaces include a fifth electrical contact surface, as the ground electrical contact surface, provided, along with the fourth electrical contact surface, for a ground connection, and
wherein the fifth electrical contact surface is arranged between the first electrical contact surface and the fourth electrical contact surface.

10. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the sixth electrical contact surface is provided for receiving, from the camera, a supply of source power for driving an actuator provided in the camera accessory.

11. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical contact surfaces include an eighth electrical contact surface provided for communicating data with the camera.

12. A camera accessory according to claim 11 , wherein the sixth electrical contact surface is provided for receiving, from the camera, a supply of source power for driving an actuator provided in the camera accessory, and
wherein the eighth electrical contact surface is arranged between the first electrical contact surface and the sixth electrical contact surface.

13. A camera accessory according to claim 12 , wherein the seventh electrical contact surface is provided, along with the sixth electrical contact surface, for a ground connection, and
wherein the seventh electrical contact surface is arranged between the sixth electrical contact surface and the eighth electrical contact surface.

14. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical contact surface is connected with a resistance having a predetermined resistance value corresponding to the type of the camera accessory.

15. A camera accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical contact surface is arranged within an angle range where the accessory bayonet claw is provided in a circumferential direction of the accessory mount.

16. A camera accessory according to claim 15 , wherein the sixth electrical contact surface is provided for receiving, from the camera, a supply of source power for driving an actuator provided in the camera accessory.

17. A camera to which a camera accessory is detachably attachable, the camera comprising:
a camera mount to be detachably coupled with an accessory mount provided in the camera accessory, the c

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Nishio Tetsuya
• Konno Yoshihiko
• Tokunaga Tatsuyuki
• Hasegawa Takashi
• Sugawara Azusa
• Kikuchi Hiroshi

Classifications

• 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

• G03B17/565

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