JPH11327022A - Electric connector for interchangeable lens, and method for assembling contact pin - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connector capable of suppressing the reduction of press-contact force even in the case that an interchangeable lens barrel is used over a long term in the connector whose movable contact pins are made in press-contact and conducted with/to the connector arranged on a camera main body side by spring force when the lens barrel is attached to a camera main body. SOLUTION: Plural hole parts 10a-10j are formed on a contact point cover 10 so as to make the contact point pins 21a-21j fixed to a contact point supporting plate 20 project. Then, conductive parts 31a-31j are formed on a conductive supporting plate 30 so as to be extended from the end part thereof formed like a comb while corresponding to the pins 21a-21j formed on the plate 20. A contact point pressing spring 40 is provided with spring parts 41a-41j pressuring contact points according to the number of contact points. Then, the conductive parts 31a-31j of the plate 30 are brought into contact with the pins 21a-21j of the plate 20 and made to press-contact with them so as to project them from the hole parts 10a-10j of the cover 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an electric connector for an interchangeable lens, and more particularly to an interchangeable lens barrel having a connector for connecting an electric device on the interchangeable lens side to an electric device on the camera body side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a camera that performs automatic exposure control and automatic focus adjustment, it is necessary to transmit various information such as the aperture value of a photographic lens and a conversion coefficient to a camera main body. I have. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-63929 proposes a connector using a movable contact pin.
Also, the present applicant has proposed as Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 63-122328. Also, with the autofocusing of cameras, single-lens reflex cameras having a motor or the like in a camera body or an interchangeable lens barrel have been released.

[0003]

The contact pin shown in the prior art is held by a conductive leaf spring or a conductive coil spring, and is pressed against the camera-side contact. Electric signals and electric power are connected to the lens-side electric circuit via the conductive leaf spring and the conductive coil spring. However, when a drive device such as a motor is provided in the interchangeable lens, the power supply current is supplied to the lens side circuit via a conductive leaf spring or a conductive coil spring. In some cases, the resilience of the elastic spring is lost, the contact pressure of the contact pins is weakened, and conduction failure occurs, resulting in malfunction or malfunction due to a signal failure. To avoid this, increasing the width and thickness of the conductive spring can prevent spring set to some extent, but it is difficult to cope with the increase in the number of contacts, and it also increases the spring pressure and causes There was a problem in durability, such as scratches on the contacts.

[0004] A second problem to be solved by the present invention is as follows.
In the conventional example, the contact pins press the mating contact with the force of a spring, use a conductive material for the spring, and use the same number of springs as the contact to conduct from the circuit inside the lens to the contact portion. For example, in the connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-63929, a conductive material is used for the metal leaf spring member, and the structure is such that the conductivity is used. Therefore, each spring member is independent of each other and insulated. There is a need. For this reason, the number of spring members required is the same as the number of contacts, and there are problems such as an increase in the number of parts and a complicated operation at the time of assembly / repair / disassembly. In addition, there is a problem that the cost of the spring member is generally high due to the necessity of adjustment, and it is difficult to maintain the quality.

A third problem to be solved by the present invention is that in a configuration in which a large number of contact pins are arranged in a radial direction, as the number of parts arranged increases, the angle on the arranged arc increases, and assembly is extremely difficult. Solving the difficult problem.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an interchangeable lens barrel having a pivotable lens barrel mount that can be coupled to and detached from a camera body mount by pivoting about an optical axis. In an electrical connector in which the movable contact piece is press-contacted to the connector on the camera body side by its elasticity when mounted on the main body, the contact support member, the conductive member, and the elastic member are configured in this order so that no current flows through the elastic member. Thus, deterioration of the elastic force of the elastic member is prevented.

Further, the contact support member of the electrical connector is formed in a comb shape, the contact pin is held in the comb portion, and an independent conductive portion is provided on the flexible printed circuit board having flexibility in correspondence with the contact pin. The spring member and the conductive member are independent from each other by forming the end surface in a comb-like shape and making the spring member that presses the contact pin held by the contact support member with the necessary force to the contact portion of the camera-side connector into a comb-like shape. As a result, the number of parts was reduced and assembly was facilitated.

Further, a plurality of contact pins formed of a conductive material are held by a support on a contact support plate formed in a comb-like shape, and the support is cut into the contact support plate after being pressed into the contact support plate.
By bending the contact support plate, a structure in which a large number of contact pins are radially arranged can be easily manufactured.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interchangeable lens having an electric connector to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the inside of a contact cover.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a mount for lens replacement, which has a bayonet claw 11 and is fixed to a fixed cylinder 2. The fixed barrel 2 is provided with a distance adjustment ring 3 and an aperture adjustment ring 4 rotatably. When the distance adjustment ring 3 is rotated, the focusing lens group moves in the optical axis direction, and the focus adjustment is performed. Done. A lens protection cylinder 7 is formed on the mount 1, a part of which protrudes from the end face of the bayonet claw 11 to form a protrusion 8, and a contact cover 10 is inserted into the protrusion 8. In the contact cover 10, a contact support plate having contact pins is accommodated with a flexible substrate having a conductive portion pushed up by a spring member sandwiched therebetween.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a contact cover, and a plurality of holes 10a to 10j are provided so that contact pins 21a to 21j fixed to the contact support plate 20 protrude. In addition, three positioning pins (not shown) are provided on the back surface of the contact cover 10, and the contact support plate 20, the conductor support plate 3
0, positioning holes 22a, b, c, 32a, b, c, 42 provided in the contact holding spring 40 and the stopper plate 50, respectively.
a, b, c, 52a, b, c, and are caulked.

The conductor support plate 30 is provided with conducting portions 31a to 31j from the comb-shaped ends corresponding to the contact pins 21a to 21j provided on the contact support plate 20.

The contact pressing spring 40 is provided with spring portions 41a to 41j corresponding to the number of contacts and for pressing the contacts.
The conductive portions 31a to 31j provided on the conductor support plate 30 are brought into contact with the contact pins 21a to 21j provided on the contact support plate 20, and are further pressed so as to protrude from the holes 10a to 10j of the contact cover 10. The contact pins 21 a to 21 j provided on the contact support plate 20 are embedded in the through holes and caulked, and are conductive from the upper surface to the lower surface of the contact support plate 20. Thus, an electric signal or a power supply current can be supplied to the lens-side circuit from the connector of the camera body.

Next, a method of assembling the contact pins to the contact support plate will be described. FIG. 3 is a process diagram of assembling the contact pins.
In FIG. 3a, reference numeral 25 denotes a contact pin 21a formed of a conductive material.
21j. The contact support plate 20 has through holes 23a to 23d at positions corresponding to the contact pins 21a to 21j.
23j are provided. The contact pins 21a to 21j are shown in FIG.
Press in as shown. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, by cutting the support 25 from the end of the contact pin, the assembly of the contact pins 21a to 21j to the contact support plate 20 is completed. Finally, as shown in FIG. 3D, a bending process is performed to a shape corresponding to the contact cover. Further, the support 25 may be cut after the contact support plate 20 is bent.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another contact holding spring. FIG. 4A is a bending spring corresponding to the contact pin, provided with spring portions 61a to 61j for applying pressure, and FIG. 4B is made of elastic rubber. Similarly, contact portions 71a to 71j for applying pressure are provided corresponding to the contact pins.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view using the contact holding spring 60 shown in FIG. 4A, wherein 11 is a lens bayonet, 12 is a contact of a camera-side connector, and a contact cover 10 is provided below the contact cover.
Contact pin 21a, conductor support plate 30, contact holding spring 60
Are arranged in this order. FIG. 6 uses the elastic rubber 70 shown in FIG. 4B. Each of the contact pressing springs is formed of one component for a plurality of contact pins.

In this embodiment, ten contact pins are provided. However, the number is not limited to one, and may be one or two. The larger the number, the more effective the assembling work is. Also, in the present embodiment, the description has been made with the lens mount connector of a type that protrudes in an arc shape, but the present invention is also applicable to a connector of a type that protrudes from the mount surface in the optical axis direction, and it is also applicable to a connector on the camera mount side. Needless to say.

[0018]

According to the present invention, since the spring material is not energized, it is independent of each other and does not need to be insulated. Therefore, the spring material can be integrally formed in a shape connected at the fixed end.

Further, the number of spring members can be reduced by integrally forming the spring members. This can reduce costs. Further, the incorporation of the spring member is simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interchangeable lens having an electrical connector.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the inside of a contact cover.

FIG. 3 is a process drawing of assembling contact pins.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another contact holding spring.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a main part of a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a main part of a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lens bayonet part 2 Fixed cylinder 3 Distance adjustment ring 4 Aperture adjustment ring 7 Lens protection cylinder part 8 Projection part 10 Contact cover 11 Contact support plate 11a-11j Contact pin 10a-10j Hole part 11 Lens bayonet 12 Contact point of camera side connector 20 Contact support plates 21a to 21j Contact pins 22a, b, c Positioning holes 23a to 23j Through holes 25 Supports 30 Conductor support plates 31a to 31j Conducting portions 32a, b, c Positioning holes 40 Contact holding springs 41a to 41j Spring portions 42a, b, c positioning hole 50 stop plate 52 a, b, c positioning hole 60 contact holding spring 61 a to 61 j spring portion 70 elastic rubber 71 a to 71 j contact portion

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An interchangeable lens barrel having a pivotable lens barrel mount that can be coupled and detached by pivoting around an optical axis with respect to a camera body mount, and is movable when the lens barrel is mounted on a camera body. An electrical connector in which the contact pins are pressed into contact with the connector on the camera body side by its elasticity, the electrical connector being a contact cover, a contact support plate provided with individual contact pins, a conductor support plate having a conductive portion,
The conductive portion is constituted by an elastic member that presses against a contact pin provided on the contact support plate, and a contact cover, a contact support plate, a conductor support plate,
An electrical connector for an interchangeable lens, characterized by being arranged in the order of elastic members. 2. An electrical connector comprising a contact cover, a contact support plate provided with a contact pin, a conductor support plate, and an elastic member in this order, wherein the contact support plate, the conductor support plate, and the elastic member have respective comb-shaped end faces. A contact pin is provided on each comb portion of the contact support member, and a conductive portion is provided from each comb tooth end surface of the conductor support plate toward the opposite end surface. Electrical connector for lens. 3. A contact support plate formed in a comb-like shape, wherein a plurality of contact pins formed of a conductive material are held by a support, and after press-fitting into the contact support plate, the support is cut and processed. A contact pin assembling method characterized by performing bending.