JP4912243B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus including an imaging device such as a digital still camera that operates an operation member to operate a switch.

  In recent years, electronic devices such as digital cameras have become more multifunctional, and the number of operation buttons has increased accordingly. On the other hand, the size of the main body and the size of the display unit such as a liquid crystal screen have been increased, and the arrangement space for the operation buttons tends to be reduced. For this reason, the operation buttons are downsized or the intervals between the operation buttons are reduced, and the possibility of erroneous operation is increased.

As a countermeasure for this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic device that performs processing so that a predetermined button operation is accepted only for a certain period of time, and does not accept an operation when the operator operates the device unintentionally. Has been.
JP 2002-232770 A

  However, the electronic device disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be applied only to operations that can be expected to be operated at regular time intervals (timing) because processing that does not accept operations can only be controlled by time. There's a problem.

  The present invention provides an electronic device that can avoid an erroneous operation at an arbitrary timing in a situation where an erroneous operation may occur.

An electronic apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an electronic apparatus having a grip portion, and includes a switch unit that outputs a signal in response to operation of an operation member, and contact detection that detects contact with the grip portion. In a state in which the contact is not detected by the contact detection means, a posture detection means for detecting whether the posture of the electronic device is a normal position or a position rotated by 90 degrees from the normal position. In the state where the signal from the switch means is received, the contact is detected by the contact detection means, and the attitude of the electronic device is detected to be the normal position by the attitude detection means, the switch means The contact detection unit detects the contact without receiving the signal, and the posture detection unit rotates the attitude of the electronic device by 90 degrees from the normal position. In a state in which it is located it is detected, and having an operation means for receiving a signal from said switch means.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the misoperation in the state in which the user hold | gripped the electronic device can be avoided effectively.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  4 and 5 show a camera as an electronic apparatus (or an imaging apparatus) that is an embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, 1 is a front cover that covers the front side of the camera, and 2 is a back cover that covers the back side. Reference numeral 11 denotes a lens barrel unit that holds a photographing lens and the like, and a zoom motor 13 and a gear unit 14 for driving the lens barrel are integrally assembled. The lens barrel unit 11 is fixed to the metal chassis 4 by lens barrel fixing screws 12a, 12b, and 12c.

  A battery case 21 for holding the battery 23 is fixed to the metal chassis 4 by battery case fixing screws 22a and 22b.

  As shown in the drawing, an opening 21 a is formed on one surface of the battery case 21, and the memory card slot 52 covers the lid.

  A power connector 32 and a video and audio input jack 33 are mounted on the battery case 21 side of the power flexible wiring substrate 31 connected to the main wiring substrate 51 by a connector. The power connector 32 and the jack 33 are arranged so as to be combined with recesses 21e and 21f provided in the battery case 21.

  The battery case 21 is formed with a triangular hole 21b. The position of the hole 21 b is the same position in the left-right direction with respect to the insertion direction instruction mark 23 a provided on the battery 23. By aligning this position and inserting the battery 23 into the battery case 21, the battery 23 is correctly inserted. A metal chassis 4 is disposed behind the triangular hole 21 b provided in the battery case 21. Since the metal chassis 4 is made of metal, the silver color of the chassis 4 can be seen through the triangular hole 21b, and the visibility of the triangular hole 21b is improved.

  Reference numeral 41 denotes a flash unit, and reference numeral 42 denotes a flash light emitting unit. A flash flexible wiring board 43 mounted with a flash circuit is attached to a frame portion extending below the flash unit 41. In addition, a flash capacitor 44 that stores electrical energy for flash emission is fixed to the frame portion.

  The flash unit 41 is disposed on the front surface of the zoom motor 13 and the gear unit 14 assembled to the lens barrel unit 11, and is fixed to the metal chassis 4 using a flash fixing screw 45 from the side surface.

  At this time, since the width of the flash light emitting unit 42 is substantially the same as the combined width of the zoom motor 13 and the gear unit 14 arranged at the rear part thereof, these are arranged without waste of space.

  Reference numeral 51 denotes a main wiring board on which a CPU, a memory, an image processing LSI, a power supply circuit and the like are mounted. A slot 52 and a USB connector 54 into which a memory card 53 as an external memory for storing video and audio is inserted are mounted on the back surface of the main wiring board 51. The main wiring board 51 is screwed to the metal chassis 4 by main wiring board fixing screws 55a, 55b, 55c.

Reference numeral 61 denotes an operation flexible wiring board on which a release switch, a power switch, and the like are mounted. Reference numeral 71 denotes a speaker, and the speaker 71 is electrically connected to the operation flexible wiring board 61 by the contact of the terminal portion with the exposed copper foil provided on the operation flexible wiring board 61.

  Reference numeral 81 denotes a liquid crystal panel, which is covered with a liquid crystal cover 82 to constitute one unit with the backlight 83. The unit of the liquid crystal panel 81 and the backlight 83 is fixed to the metal chassis 4 by liquid crystal fixing screws 84a and 84b. Reference numeral 85 denotes a reinforcing plate, which is attached to protect the liquid crystal panel 81 from external pressure.

  A light emitting button 91 has a light guide member 92 attached to the center thereof. When the light emitting button 91 is operated, the tact switch 62 mounted on the operation flexible wiring board 61 is pushed by the light guide member 92, and the tact switch 62 becomes conductive.

  A light emitting diode 63 is arranged beside the tact switch 62. The light emitted from the light emitting diode 63 is guided to the surface of the light emitting button 91 through the light guide member 92. The light emitting button 91 is positioned and fixed to the back window 3 that is bonded and fixed to the back cover 2.

  Reference numeral 101 denotes an upper surface cover. The top cover 101 includes a mode switching lever 102 for selecting an operation mode of the camera, a zoom lever 107 for performing a zoom operation, a release button 108 for starting an imaging preparation operation and an imaging operation, and a power source for turning on / off the power. The button 109 is held. The upper surface cover 101 is disposed on the upper surface of the battery case 21 with the operation flexible wiring board 61 interposed therebetween. Further, a concave portion 101 a for accommodating the jack cover 110 is provided on a side portion of the top cover 101. The jack cover 110 is a member for covering the USB connector 54 and the video / audio input jack 33.

  The mode switching lever 102 is operated left and right to switch the operation mode of the camera to a still image capturing mode, a moving image capturing mode, and an image reproduction mode. The mode switching lever 102 is fixed by a lever fixing screw 105 together with the back click plate 103 and the slice 104 with the top cover 101 interposed therebetween. The click ball 106 moves between the three holes provided in the click plate 103 to give a click feeling to the operation of the mode switching lever 102. Further, when the segment 104 moves on the wiring exposed portion 64 on the operation flexible wiring board 61, a signal instructing switching of the operation mode of the camera is generated.

  Reference numeral 111 denotes a side cover, which is molded by die casting from the viewpoint of strength and design. The side cover 111 covers the side surface of the camera. In addition, a hole 111a is formed in the central portion of the side cover 111, and the strap string 112 is hung on the bar portion 111b provided therebetween. In addition, the hole 111a is fitted with an inner member 113 whose inside is hemispherically cut out from the back side, so that the strap string 112 can be easily hung. By arranging the wall surface of the inner member 113 so as to cover the periphery of the hole 111a of the side cover 111, the strap string 112 is prevented from being cut at the edge around the hole 111a.

  The side cover 111 is fixed to the metal chassis 4 with the front cover 1, the rear cover 2, and the inner member 113 sandwiched between the side cover screws 114a and 114b.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes a tripod mounting seat on which a tripod mounting screw is formed.

  The front cover 1 and the back cover 2 are fixed from the side by side fixing screws 6a and 6b and from the bottom by bottom fixing screws 7a and 7b.

  Reference numeral 121 denotes a cross button as an operation member. A cross button cap 122 for decoration is bonded and fixed to the cross button 121, and one operation button is formed by these two members. The cross button 121 is fixed to a holding mat 124 made of silicon rubber with double-sided tape. The holding mat 121 performs urging and holding to the neutral position of the cross button 121 together with the center button 123. The center button 123 is positioned and held by the holding mat 124.

  Two types of switches are overlapped in the direction in which the cross button 121 is pushed. One is an analog switch 130 and the other is a metal dome sheet 141. These switches 130 and 141 are aligned to the same position.

  When the photographer operates the cross button 121, the switches 130 and 141 are pressed by the emboss 121a and the rib 121b provided on the cross button 121, and the input by the two switches 130 and 141 is the camera at the same pressing point. To be done.

  The analog switch 130 is electrically connected to the operation flexible wiring board 61 by inserting the connecting portion 136 into the connector 65 mounted on the operation flexible wiring board 61.

  Next, the details of the analog switch 130 which is the switch means in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The analog switch 130 is configured by integrally fixing a flexible wiring board 132 and a metal plate 131 by thermocompression bonding. The flexible wiring board 132 and the metal plate 131 are bonded together in a state where the wiring exposed portion 133 of the flexible wiring board 132 and the metal plate 131 are electrically connected by a conductive film.

  When the cross button 121 is pressed by the photographer, the emboss 121a or the rib 121b provided on the cross button 121 bends the carbon printing part 134 provided on the analog switch 130. At this time, the gap between the carbon printing part 134 and the metal plate 131 at the pressing point disappears, and the carbon printing part 134 and the metal plate 131 come into contact with each other, thereby conducting. Thereby, the change from the resistance value in the non-contact state can be input to the camera system (main wiring board 51).

  This gap is very small, and the gap can be eliminated with a slight force enough to bend the flexible wiring board 132. For this reason, the photographer can feel as if he / she is operating just by touching the cross button 121.

In this flexible wiring board 1 32 of the analog switch 130, since the carbon printing unit 134 is formed so as to be distributed uniformly, it is possible to continuously change the resistance value in response to the pressing point. Further, since the carbon printing part 134 is formed substantially concentrically, signal processing corresponding to the angle of the pressing point is possible. That is, it can be recognized that the user touches any one of the upper, lower, left and right of the cross button 121.

  However, as shown in FIG. 1, when the photographer holds the camera at the time of imaging, it is natural to grip the camera as follows. That is, the right hand thumb 151 holds the light emitting button 91 and the vicinity of the cancel button 93 integrally formed therewith, and the right index finger 152 pushes the release button 108.

  However, since the cross button 121 is provided below the right thumb 151, there is a possibility that the cross button 121 may be operated unintentionally by the right thumb 151 while holding the camera.

  In order to prevent such an erroneous operation, the present embodiment employs the following configuration. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hole 2 a is provided in the place of the back cover 2 that is touching with the thumb 151 of the right hand, that is, the grip portion. A protrusion 93a provided on the external side of the cancel button 93 is inserted into the hole 2a and protrudes to the outer surface. Therefore, the protrusion 93a protrudes from the hole 2a and functions as a finger hook for the grip portion.

  A protrusion 93 b is provided on the back side of the cancel button 93 (the non-appearance side of the cancel button 93). The extending portion 137 of the analog switch 130 is positioned and fixed so as to be located just below the protruding portion 93b.

  A metal plate 138 is also fixed to the extending portion 137 by thermocompression bonding, and the metal plate 138 and the wiring exposed portion 139 provided on the extending portion 137 are fixed in a state of being electrically connected by a conductive film. .

  When the photographer presses the cancel button 93, the wiring exposed portion 139 (flexible wiring board) of the extending portion 137 bends and comes into contact with the metal plate 138 and becomes conductive. Similar to the operation unit, the gap between the wiring exposed portion 139 and the metal plate 138 is very small, and they come into contact with each other with a slight force enough to bend the flexible wiring board. In addition, since the metal plate 138 is held by the holding member 142 in the pressing direction, the finger touches the grip on the outer surface of the camera without making the photographer aware of pressing the cancel button 93. It becomes possible to detect.

  The cancel button 93 and the above-described conduction structure associated therewith correspond to contact detection means.

  In the camera configured as described above, the camera system (main operation board) as the operation means performs signal processing as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. In the following description, “S” means a step.

  First, when the cross button 121 is pressed (operated) (S101), when the cancel button 93 is not pressed (S102), the pressed position of the cross button 121 is determined from the resistance value output from the analog switch 130. Read (S103). Then, command processing corresponding to the resistance value is performed (S104). That is, a signal corresponding to the depression of the cross button 121 is accepted.

  On the other hand, when the cross button 121 is pressed (operated) (S101), when the cancel button 93 is pressed (S102), the wiring exposed portion 139 of the extending portion 137 of the analog switch 130 shown in FIG. The metal plate 138 comes into contact. At this time, since the carbon printing portion is not formed between them, the resistance value is small. Thereby, contact with the gripping part is detected.

  The camera system does not perform any command processing when this contact is detected, that is, prohibits reception of a signal from the cross button 121. With this configuration, even if the photographer holding the camera accidentally presses the cross button 121, if the cancel button 93 is pressed with a slight force, a signal corresponding to the press of the cross button 121 is displayed. Is not accepted, and the corresponding command processing is not performed.

  In the present embodiment, the analog switch 130 and the switch of the metal dome sheet 141 in which the resistance value continuously changes depending on the pressing point have been described as examples. However, other switch means such as a pressure-sensitive switch that detects the pressed pressure, a switch that detects a change in capacitance that detects static electricity, and a tact switch may be used.

  Further, although the metal dome sheet 141 is disposed so as to overlap in the pushing direction of the cross button 121, it is not always necessary. The cross button 121 and the cancel button 93 may be configured as separate members.

  Furthermore, the relationship between the pressing of the cancel button 93 and the force required for the operation of the cross button 121 may be the same for both, or may be larger than the other. For example, the force required for pressing the cancel button 93 may be increased to some extent, and the cancel button 93 may be pressed only by the gripping force with the camera held for imaging. As a result, it is possible to prevent the usability of the camera from being lowered because the operation of the cross button 121 is not accepted only by lightly touching the cancel button 93.

  The camera has an imaging mode and a playback mode. In the imaging mode, it is common to take an image while holding the camera as shown in FIG. In the reproduction mode, the recorded image may be viewed by rotating the camera 90 degrees from the normal position shown in FIG. At this time, it is natural to press the cancel button 93 with the thumb 151 of the right hand.

  Then, by rotating the camera 90 degrees from the normal position, the cross button 121 can be operated with the left hand. However, since the cancel button 93 is pressed, the operation of the cross button 121 is not actually accepted.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, a posture detector (posture detection means) 56 is built in the camera. The posture detector 56 detects whether the camera is in the normal position or the position rotated 90 degrees (specific posture). Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the camera system performs signal processing as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. The difference from FIG. 6 is that even when the cancel button 93 is pressed (S102), if the camera is in a specific posture rotated 90 degrees by the posture detector 56 (S105), the cancel button 93 is pressed (to the gripping unit). The operation of the cross button 121 is accepted even if the contact is detected.

  By adopting such a configuration, an erroneous operation of the cross button 121 can be prevented at the time of imaging, and an operation of the cross button 121 in a state where the camera is rotated 90 degrees at the time of reproduction or the like can be received.

  Further, when a specific posture is detected by the posture detector 56, the signal of the cancel button 93 may be validated.

The rear view of the camera of the Example of this invention. The disassembled perspective view of the switch provided in the camera of the Example. The front view of the switch of an Example. The exploded perspective view of the camera of an Example. The exploded perspective view of the camera of an Example. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the camera of an Example. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the camera of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front cover 2 Back cover 3 Back window 4 Metal chassis 11 Lens barrel unit 13 Zoom motor 14 Gear unit 21 Battery case 23 Battery 31 Power supply flexible wiring board

41 Flash Unit 51 Main Wiring Board 56 Attitude Detector 61 Operation Flexible Wiring Board 62 Tact Switch 63 Light Emitting Diode 64 Wiring Exposed Portion 81 Liquid Crystal Panel 91 Light Emitting Button 92 Light Guide Member 93 Cancel Button 121 Cross Button 123 Center Button 130 Analog Switch 131 Metal Board 132 Flexible wiring board 133 Wiring exposed part 134 Carbon printing part 137 Extension part 141 Metal dome sheet 142 Holding member 151 Thumb of right hand 152 Index finger of right hand

Claims (1)

An electronic device having a grip part,
Switch means for outputting a signal in response to the operation member being operated;
Contact detection means for detecting contact with the gripping part;
Attitude detection means for detecting whether the attitude of the electronic device is a normal position or a position rotated by 90 degrees from the normal position;
In a state where the contact is not detected by the contact detection means, a signal from the switch means is received,
Wherein said contact is detected by the contact detecting means, and wherein in the state in which the attitude detection means posture of the electronic device is detected that the a positive position, without accepting Rukoto signals from said switch means,
In a state where the contact is detected by the contact detection unit and the posture detection unit detects that the posture of the electronic device is a position rotated by 90 degrees from the normal position, a signal from the switch unit is received. an electronic apparatus, comprising an operation means for Ru accepted.