Image capture apparatus

Abstract

An image capture apparatus has an electronic view finder assembly. The assembly has a casing including inner and outer casings; an accommodation spacing, an opening, a cover, an eye cup portion, a stopper, and a dust prevention cushion. The accommodation spacing accommodates the inner casing held in the same extension direction as the outer casing. The opening is provided in the outer casing for insertion of the inner casing into the accommodation spacing. The cover closes the opening. The eye cup portion is attached to a rearward end of the outer casing. A stopper stops forward movement of the inner casing accommodated in the accommodation spacing in the state of the opening closed by the cover. The dust prevention cushion is interposed in a compressed state between overall circumferential peripheries of respective rearwardly facing and forwardly facing wall faces of the inner and outer casings in the state where the forward movement of the inner casing is stopped by the stopper.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an exterior configuration of an image capture apparatus according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior configuration (viewed from a different direction) of the image capture apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the image capture apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an electronic view finder assembly located in an accommodation position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electronic view finder assembly located in an upper position;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic view finder assembly;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the electronic view finder assembly;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an inner casing;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view components assembled into the inner casing;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an outer casing;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cover; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an eye cup portion.

Claims

1. An image capture apparatus including an electronic view finder assembly comprising: a liquid crystal display device that displays on a display surface an image generated in accordance with an image capture signal generated by an image capture element;a back light that illuminates the liquid crystal display device; andan optical system that magnifies the image that is to be displayed on the display surface,wherein a casing of the electronic view finder assembly includesan inner casing that accommodates the liquid crystal display device and the back light, that is cylindrical in cross-sectional shape, and that extends in a forward-rearward direction;an outer casing that has a cylindrical shape having a cross section larger in size than a cross section of the inner casing and that extends in the forward-rearward direction;an accommodation spacing that is provided in an interior of the outer casing and that accommodates the inner casing in a state where an extension direction of the inner casing is the same as an extension direction of the outer casing;an opening that is formed in a wall portion of the outer casing extending along the extension direction of the outer casing and that is used to insert the inner casing into the accommodation spacing;a cover that closes the opening;an eye cup portion that accommodates the optical system and that is attached to a rearward end of the outer casing;a stopper that stops forward movement of the inner casing in a state where the inner casing is accommodated in the accommodation spacing and the opening is closed by the cover; anda dust prevention cushion interposed in a compressed state between an overall circumferential periphery of a rearwardly facing wall face of the inner casing and an overall circumferential periphery of a forwardly facing wall face of the outer casing inside the outer casing in a state where the forward movement of the inner casing is stopped by the stopper.

2. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the inner casing has a larger length in the forward-rearward than a left-right width thereof; andthe opening extends with a left-right width larger than the left-right width of the inner casing and with a front-rear length larger than the front-rear length of the inner casing.

3. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the accommodation spacing is provided close to a forward end of the outer casing in the outer casing.

4. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is formed of a stopper wall that is an inner face where the cover faces the accommodation spacing and that is formed to the cover to expand in the direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the outer casing.

5. An image capture apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the stopper wall has a stopper face capable of abutting on a forward end of the inner casing, wherein the stopper face is formed of a sloped surface changing in shape towards the side of an interior of the accommodation spacing.

6. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the overall circumferential periphery of the rearwardly facing wall face of the inner casing is an overall periphery of a rear end face of the inner casing;an abutment wall is expansively formed on an inner face where the outer casing faces the accommodation spacing in a portion located rearward of a portion where the opening is formed, to expand on an overall periphery of the inner face in the direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the outer casing and to be integral with the outer casing; andthe overall circumferential periphery of the forwardly facing wall face of the outer casing is an overall circumferential periphery of a forwardly facing face of the abutment wall.

7. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the outer casing has a cross section having a shape as a rectangular frame formed from a lower wall, an upper wall, and lefthand and righthand sidewalls;a front wall connecting between a forward end of the upper wall and forward ends of the lefthand and righthand sidewalls is provided to the forward end of the outer casing;the lower wall is located in a near-rear end portion of the outer casing; andthe opening extends from a forward end of the lower wall to a lower end of the front wall between lower ends of the lefthand and righthand sidewalls.

8. An image capture apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: flexible substrates for signal transfer and power supply are connected to the liquid crystal display device and the back light;projection walls, respectively, are forward-projectively provided to forward ends of the front wall and the cover to extend horizontally and to oppose one another in a state that the opening is closed by the cover; anda substrate insertion spacing is formed between the projection wall of the front wall and the projection wall of the cover,wherein the flexible substrates are each passed through the substrate insertion spacing, thereby to extend internally and externally of the outer casing of the electronic view finder assembly.

9. An image capture apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the substrate insertion spacing includes a forward-rearward extention portion and a vertical extention portion, wherein: the forward-rearward extention portion extends forward and rearward and has a rear end communicating with the interior of the outer casing of the electronic view finder assembly; andthe vertical extension portion extends downward from a forward end of the forward-rearward extension portion and has a lower end open to the outside.

10. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a camera body, wherein: the electronic view finder assembly is provided in a rear portion of an upper face of the camera body;the forward end of the outer casing is pivotally joined to the camera body to be vertically pivotable; andthe opening is provided to a lower face where the outer casing faces downward.