Patent Application
20240345358
The present disclosure relates to a drive apparatus, an optical system, and an image pickup apparatus.
In the lens apparatus, an operation ring capable of arbitrarily operating photographing conditions such as focusing, zooming, and an aperture is provided in a lens exterior portion of the lens apparatus. In such a lens apparatus, a drive apparatus is attached to the outside of the lens barrel, and a drive gear of the drive apparatus is engaged with a gear of the operation ring, whereby the operation ring can be driven by using the drive apparatus. In order to construct a photographing environment in which photographing equipment is reduced for the purpose of securing mobility at the time of photographing, it is necessary to realize stable photographing regardless of a photographing time by operating a drive apparatus by power supply from a camera.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-108373 discloses a configuration in which connecting portions for supplying power to the electric zoom device and the lens unit are provided, and the connecting portions are electrically connected to each other when the electric zoom device is attached to the lens unit.
However, in the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-108373, the contact pressure of the connecting portion is not stable depending on the positional relationship between the fixed position of the electric zoom device and the connecting portion to be electrically connected, and thus there is a concern that insufficient power may be supplied. Further, when the contact pressure is unstable, in order to stabilize the power supply, it is necessary to increase the size of the electrical components so that a large amount of current can flow.
The present disclosure has an object to provide a drive apparatus capable of stably supplying power without increasing the size of the device.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present disclosure, a drive apparatus attachable to a lens apparatus including an operation ring, the drive apparatus comprising: a first fixing portion for fixing the drive apparatus to the lens apparatus; an actuator for rotating the operation ring; and an electrical connection portion comprising a plurality of terminals electrically connected to the lens apparatus. The plurality of terminals includes a first terminal to which a first voltage for driving the actuator is supplied and a second terminal corresponding to a reference potential of the first voltage. The first terminal and the second terminal are disposed closer to the first fixing portion than, any other terminals of the plurality of terminals than the first and the second terminals.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail in accordance with the accompanying drawings.
The lens apparatus 100 according to the embodiment is provided with an operation ring 101 in which a gear for setting a zoom photographing state by a rotation operation is formed, and another operation ring (not illustrated) in which a gear for setting a focus photographing state or an aperture photographing state is formed. The drive apparatus 1 has an exterior member mainly constituted by a base member 3 and a cover member 4. The base member 3 and the cover member 4 are fastened by a fixing member (not illustrated). The material of the base member 3 and the cover member 4 is metal or resin. Further, the base member 3 and the cover member 4 are plated or coated.
The base member 3 of the drive apparatus 1 is disposed on the curved surface 3a has a curved shape corresponding to the shape of the fixed outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral portion of the lens apparatus 100. The curved surface 3a has one arc AR, and a plurality of fastening members 5a and 5b for fixing the drive apparatus 1 to the lens apparatus 100 along the arc AR. The drive apparatus 1 is attachable to and detachable attached to the lens apparatus 100 via the fastening members 5a and 5b. The fastening members 5a and 5b may be screws that are crewed into the lens apparatus 100, and the drive apparatus 1 is fixed to the lens apparatus 100 by fastening the fastening members 5a and 5b. In the embodiment, one fastening member 5a (first fixing portion), the other fastening member 5b (second fixing portion), and the electrical connection portion 2 are provided on one arc of the curved surface 3a. The electrical connection portion 2 is arranged closer to the fastening member 5a than a center point C between the fastening member 5b and the fastening member 5a on the arc.
The electrical connection portion 2 is formed of a non-conductive resin and is fixed to the inside of the base member 3 by a fixing member 7. A plurality of contact pins 2a (terminals, pin terminals) are provided so as to protrude from the electrical connection portion 2 toward the lens apparatus 100. The contact pin 2a is made of a highly conductive material, is press-fitted into the electrical connection portion 2 and is held therein. The contact pin 2a can expand and contract in the protruding direction due to its plunger-type structure. The electrical connection portion 2 is electrically connected to the lens apparatus 100 by a plurality of contact pins 2a.
The electrical connection portion 2 is provided in the vicinity of any one of at least two fastening members 5a and 5b for fixing the drive apparatus 1 to the lens apparatus 100. In the embodiment, the electrical connection portion 2 is disposed on the same circular arc as the two fastening members 5a and 5b and is disposed close to one fastening member 5a, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and even in a case where there are three or more fastening members, the electrical connection portion may be disposed at a position close to any one of the fastening members.
The substrate 9 has a flat plate shape and is fixed to the base member 3 by two fixing members 13. The substrate 9 is connected to a plurality of electrical components by wire 12 and the substrate 9 is capable of communicating electrical signals and supplying current for driving the motor 11. The drive switch 14 is fastened to the base member 3 by a fixing member (not illustrated). Two switch portions 14a are provided on the upper surface of the drive switch 14. When one of the two switch portions 14a of the drive switch 14 is pressed, the motor 11 is operated, and torque is transmitted from each gear group to be described later, so that a zoom operation to the wide-angle side or the telephoto side can be performed.
The FPC 22 is an electrical component that connects an electrical signal or current input to each of the contact pins 2a of the electrical connection portion 2 to the substrate 9. In the embodiment, on the substrate 9, the motor 11, the electrical connection portion 2, and the drive switch 14 are connected to each other via the wire 12 or the FPC 22, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, electrical components for various purposes, such as a USB (universal serial bus) and an external communication connector, may be connected.
Next, a driving mechanism portion configured inside the base member 3 will be described. The drive gear 15 has a substantially cylindrical shape, has a gear teeth surface formed on an outer diameter surface thereof, and meshes with the operation ring 101, and a shaft member 16 is fitted to an inside diameter surface of the drive gear 15. D-cut surfaces 15a and 17a are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the drive gear 15 and the inner peripheral surface of the transmission gear 17, respectively. Two D-cut surfaces 16a are formed on the outer diameter surface of the shaft member 16. The D-cut surfaces 16a and 17a of the drive gear 15 and the transmission gear 17 are fitted to the D-cut surface 15a of the shaft member 16, so that the drive gear 15 and the transmission gear 17 are integrally rotated via the shaft member 16. The drive gear 15 and the transmission gear 17 are fixed to the shaft member 16 by the E-ring 18, so that the drive gear 15 and the transmission gear 17 are prevented from being displaced in the axial direction and from falling off from the shaft member 16.
The motor gear 19 has a substantially circular shape, a gear teeth surface is formed on an outer diameter surface, and a motor shaft is fitted to an inside diameter surface. The motor gear 19 is fastened by bringing a tip of a set screw (not illustrated) screwed into the motor gear 19 into contact with a D-cut surface (not illustrated) provided on the motor shaft. Thus, the motor gear 19 rotates integrally with the rotation of the motor shaft.
The partition member 20 supports the shaft member 16 and rotatably holds the drive gear 15 therein via the shaft member 16. The motor 11 is fixed to the partition member 20 by an L-shaped metal plate 21 using a fixing member (not illustrated). With the above configuration, the partition member 20 is fastened to the base member 3 in a state of holding the motor 11 for electrically operating the operation ring 101 and the plurality of gears for transmitting the driving force of the motor 11 to the operation ring 101.
In
The VBAT terminal T1 (first terminal) of the electrical connection portion 2 and the VBAT terminal P1 of the electrical connection portion 102 are terminals for supplying a driving power supply VBAT (first voltage) as driving power used for driving the motor 11 from the lens apparatus 100 to the drive apparatus 1. In other words, the VBAT terminals T1 and P1 are terminals used to supply power other than communication power, which will be described later, from the lens apparatus 100 to the drive apparatus 1. The PGND terminal T2 (second terminal) of the electrical connection portion 2 and the PGND terminal P2 of the electrical connection portion 102 are terminals corresponding to the ground level (reference potential) of the drive power supply VBAT of the drive system of the motor 11. That is, the PGND terminals T2 and P2 are ground terminals corresponding to the driving power supply VBAT.
The VDD terminal T3 (third terminal) of the electrical connection portion 2 and the VDD terminals P3 of the electrical connection portion 102 are terminals for supplying a communication control power supply VDD (second voltage) as communication power mainly used for communication control from the lens apparatus 100 to the drive apparatus 1. The DGND terminal T4 (fourth terminal) of the electrical connection portion 2 and the DGND terminal P4 of the electrical connection portion 102 are terminals corresponding to the ground level (reference potential) of the communication control power supply VDD. That is, the DGND terminals T4 and P4 are terminals indicating a voltage of a reference voltage level (ground level) corresponding to the communication control power supply VDD and predetermined terminals used for other communication. The PGND terminals T2 and P2, and the DGND terminals T4 and P4 described above are also ground terminals for connecting various power supply systems of the lens apparatus 100 and the drive apparatus 1 to a ground level (reference voltage level).
The MIF terminal T5 (fifth terminal) of the electrical connection portion 2 and the MIF terminal P5 of the electrical connection portion 102 are terminals to use to detect that the drive apparatus 1 is attached to the lens apparatus 100 (determining whether it is attached). The control unit 10 configured on the substrate 9 detects that the drive apparatus 1 is attached to the lens apparatus 100 and that the drive apparatus 1 is detached from the lens apparatus 100 based on the voltage values detected by the MIF terminals T5 and P5. Then, after detecting the attachment of the drive apparatus 1, for example, by detecting the MIF terminals T5 and P5, the control unit 10 starts supplying power to the power system terminals (VDD terminals T3, P3, VBAT terminals T1, P1) and performs control to start communication between the lens apparatus 100 and the drive apparatus 1. The communication terminals T6 and T7 of the electrical connection portion 2 and the communication terminals P6 and P7 of the electrical connection portion 102, which are the other terminals, are terminals used for communication between the lens apparatus 100 and the drive apparatus 1.
The VBAT terminal T1 for supplying the drive power supply VBAT for driving the motor 11 and the ground terminal (PGND terminal T2) corresponding to the drive power supply VBAT are arranged at positions close to the fastening member 5a for fixing the drive apparatus 1 in the electrical connection portion 2. That is, as illustrated in
The VDD terminal T3 for supplying the communication control power supply VDD and the ground terminal (DGND terminal T4) corresponding to the communication control power supply VDD are arranged at positions next to the VBAT terminal T1 and the PGND terminal T2 with respect to the fastening member 5a for fixing the drive apparatus 1 in the electrical connection portion 2. That is, as illustrated in
Here, the VBAT terminal T1 and the PGND terminal T2 are to stably drive the motor 11 in a steady state and to drive the motor 11 at a high speed, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which a large amount of current can stably flow. Therefore, in the FPC 22 connecting each of the contact pins 2a to the substrate 9, the widths of the wire patterns connected to the VBAT terminal T1 and the PGND terminal T2 are set to be wider than those of the other wire patterns to suppress the electric resistance, thereby allowing a large amount of current to flow. For this reason, in the VDD terminal T3 and the DGND terminal T4, it is necessary to stably supply a current to cause various electrical components mounted on the substrate 9 to function. For this reason, in the FPC 22, it is possible to cause a relatively large amount of current to flow by setting the widths of the wire patterns of the VDD terminal T3 and the DGND terminal T4 to be wider than the wire patterns used for communication.
Furthermore, the position of the contact pin 2a can be brought close to the lens apparatus 100 in accordance with the fastening state of the drive apparatus 1, and the contact pin 2a can be firmly pressed when the lens apparatus 100 is mounted. Therefore, a large amount of current can flow through the VDD terminals T3 and P3 and the PGND terminals T2 and P2. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the line width of the FPC 22 and to contribute to a reduction in the size of the drive apparatus 1. As illustrated in
When the drive apparatus 1 is attached to the lens apparatus 100, the contact pins 2a come into contact with the terminals 102a of the lens apparatus 100, so that power can be supplied from the lens apparatus 100 to the drive apparatus 1 and control signals can be input to and output from the drive apparatus 1, and the motor 11 of the drive apparatus 1 is driven by the power supply. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the drive apparatus 1 capable of stably supplying power from the image pickup apparatus via the lens apparatus 100 without increasing the size of the apparatus.
A modification in which the drive apparatus 1 is firmly fixed to the lens apparatus 100 and the contact pin 2a is reliably brought into contact with the electrical connection portion 102 even when the diameters of the lens apparatus 100 vary will be described.
Due to the difference in the radius R1˜R3 of the lens apparatus 100, the distance X1˜X3 between the electrical connection portions 2 and 102 of the lens apparatus 100 and the drive apparatus 1 has a relationship of X2>X1>X3. In a case where the radius R3 of the lens apparatus 100 is smaller than the curvature radius r of the curved surface 3a of the drive apparatus 1, a clearance (gap) is partially present between the lens apparatus 100 and the drive apparatus 1 in the circumferential direction. However, by disposing the electrical connection portion 102 close to the fastening member 5a, the drive apparatus 1 is fixed to the lens apparatus 100 by the fastening member 5a without a clearance in the vicinity of the fastening member 5a, and the contact pin 2a can be reliably brought into contact with the electrical connection portion 102. Therefore, it is possible to firmly press the contact pin 2a regardless of variations in the mounting diameters of the fastening portions of the lens apparatus 100 and the drive apparatus 1.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-064041, filed Apr. 11, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-064041 | Apr 2023 | JP | national |
