Casing of a mechanical mounting for the interchangeable lenses and a camera system using the same

An interchangeable lens unit wherein there are provided a photographing optical means capable of forming images and a controlling means capable of controlling the state of the image which is formed in a preset position through said optical means, said lens unit for cooperation with an operating unit which includes operating means provided for selective connection to said controlling means through a mechanical link and arranged to be actuated by an electric signal coming from outside of the operating unit and which has mounting-demounting means disposed thereon, said operating unit being selectively attachable to and detachable from the lens unit, the lens unit also for cooperation with and selectively attachable to and detachable from a camera body unit, said camera having mounting-demounting means thereon with one end including supplying means for supplying an electric signal, the interchangeable lens unit comprising:

• a housing for carrying said photographing optical means and said controlling means, being provided at both ends of the optical means in the direction of the optical axis thereof, a first mounting-demounting means disposed at at one end of said housing to engage with and disengage from a corresponding mounting-demounting means of said camera body unit for mounting the housing on the camera body unit;
• a second mounting-demounting means disposed on an outside wall surface of said housing for permitting mounting said operating unit on the housing;
• electric signal interconnecting means provided inside said housing with one end thereof being arranged for pressable contact with signal supplying means in said camera when said first mounting-demounting means on the lens unit is mated with the mounting-demounting means of said camera and with the other end being disposed in the second mounting-demounting means, and wherein the electric signal from said supplying means in the camera body unit is provided through said electric signal interconnecting means to said operating unit when the lens unit is mounted on the camera body unit and the operating unit is attached to the lens unit.

An improvement in a camera system comprising a camera body unit, a lens unit and an operating unit, said camera body unit including:

• a camera body housing with an aperture provided in the front part thereof;
• mounting-demounting means disposed on the camera body housing adjacent to said aperture for allowing a lens unit to engage with and disengage from the housing with the optical axis of said lens unit in alignment with said aperture;
• image recording means disposed inside the camera body housing for recording an incident image entering through the aperture on a film disposed in the camera body housing;
• an electric power source disposed in the camera body housing for supplying electric power for driving at least a part of said image recording means;
• and
• electric interconnecting means disposed in the camera body housing having one end electrically connected to said electric power source and the other end positioned in said mounting-demounting means;
• said lens unit including:
• a photographic optical system for forming images in said image recording means;
• a lens housing for carrying said photographic optical system having apertures provided at both ends of the optical system in the direction of the optical axis;
• first mounting-demounting means disposed at least at one end of the lens housing to selectively engage with and disengage from said mounting-demounting means of the camera body unit;
• controlling means disposed in the lens housing to control the state of the incident image which enters said image recording means through said photographic optical system;
• second mounting-demounting means disposed on the outside wall surface of the lens housing to engage with and disengage from the operating unit for operating the controlling means from outside of the lens unit;
• and
• electric interconnecting means disposed inside the lens housing with one end thereof disposed in a position to be brought into pressed contact with the electric interconnecting means provided in the camera body unit when the mounting-demounting means of the camera body unit mates with that of the lens unit while the other end is positioned in the second mounting-demounting means;
• said operating unit including:
• an operating unit housing;
• operating means disposed inside the operating unit housing to be actuated by an electric signal for operating said controlling means in said lens unit, a part of said operating means arranged to engage with said controlling means through a mechanical link;
• mounting-demounting means provided on the outside wall surface of the operating unit housing to engage with and disengage from the second mounting-demounting means of the lens unit for mounting and demounting the operating unit on and off the lens unit;
• and
• electric interconnecting means disposed inside the operating unit housing having one end thereof disposed to be brought into pressed contact with the electric interconnecting means provided in the lens unit when the mounting-demounting means of the operating unit mates with that of the lens unit, the other end being electrically connected to the operating means;
• said camera body unit, said lens unit and said operating unit being interchangeable respectively to provide for optional combinations of different types of units, and said operating means being arranged to be actuated by the output of the electric power source disposed inside the camera body housing.

An automatic focus adjustable camera system comprising a camera body unit including:

• a camera body housing with an aperture provided in the front part thereof;
• mounting-demounting means disposed in said camera body unit in the vicinity of said aperture to permit selective mounting and demounting of a lens unit with the optical axis of the lens unit maintained in alignment with the aperture;
• an electric power source disposed inside said camera body housing for supplying electric power required for operating the camera body unit;
• and
• electric power interconnecting means disposed inside the camera body housing with one end thereof electrically connected to said electric power source and the other end disposed in said mounting-demounting means provided on the camera body unit;
• a lens unit including:
• a photographic optical system for forming images at a preset position inside said camera body unit;
• a lens housing for carrying said photographic optical system;
• a first mounting-demounting means provided on the lens unit for engagement with and disengagement from the mounting and demounting means of the camera body unit for selective mounting of the lens unit on the camera body unit;
• variating means which variates the position of said photographic optical system on its optical axis having one end thereof connected to a part of said lens housing through a mechanical link;
• a second mounting-demounting means provided on the outside wall surface of said lens housing for allowing selective engagement and disengagement of a focus adjustment unit for operating said variating means from outside of the lens unit;
• and electric interconnecting means disposed inside the lens housing having one end disposed to be in pressed contact with the electric interconnecting means of the camera body unit when the mounting-demounting means of the camera body unit mates with that of the lens unit and the other end being disposed in the second mounting-demounting means of the lens unit;
• and
• a focus adjustment unit, including:
• a focus adjustment unit housing;
• a focus-adjustment image forming optical system for forming an image at a preset position inside the focus adjustment unit housing;
• detecting means for detecting the state of the image formed at the preset position by said focus-adjustment image forming optical system, said detecting means being provided with driving means which controls said variating means in relation to the displacement of said focus-adjustment image forming optical system in the direction of its optical axis;
• mounting-demounting means to be selectively engaged with and disengaged from the second mounting-demounting means of the lens unit for mounting and dismounting the focus adjustment unit on and off the lens unit;
• and electric interconnecting means disposed inside said focus adjustment unit housing with one end thereof positioned to be brought into pressed contact with the electric interconnecting means of the lens unit when the mounting-demounting means of the focus adjustment unit mates with the second mounting-demounting means of the lens unit and the other end being electrically connected to said driving means;
• said driving means in the focus adjustment unit thus being arranged to be actuated by the output of said electric power source of the camera body unit.

In a camera system comprising a camera body unit equipped with means for permitting attaching and detaching lens units, an interchangeable lens unit which can be selectively mounted on and demounted from said camera body unit and which allows the forming of an image at a preset position, and an adjustment unit which can be selectively mounted on and demounted from said interchangeable lens unit for adjusting the state of the image formed by the lens unit, said interchangeable lens unit including:

• a photographic optical system for forming said image at a preset position within said camera body unit;
• a lens housing which carries said photographic optical system having apertures provided at both ends of the photographic optical system in the direction of the optical axis thereof;
• a first mounting-demounting means disposed at least at one end of said lens housing for engaging with and disengaging from a mounting-demounting means arranged on the camera body to permit mounting the lens unit on and off the camera body unit;
• controlling means disposed inside the lens housing for controlling the state of the incident image which enters the camera body unit passing through said photographic optical system;
• and
• a second mounting-demounting means disposed on the outside wall surface of said lens housing for allowing selective mounting and dismounting of said adjustment unit on and off the lens unit for operating said controlling means from outside of the lens unit;
• and
• said adjustment unit including:
• an adjustment unit housing;
• operating means which is actuated by an electric signal and in turn operates said controlling means, the operating means being disposed inside the adjustment unit housing with a part of it being arranged to be connected to said controlling means through a mechanical link;
• mounting-demounting means disposed on the outside wall surface of said adjustment unit housing to permit selective engagement with and disengagement from the second mounting-demounting means of the lens unit for mounting the adjustment unit on and dismounting it from said lens unit;
• and
• electric interconnecting means provided in said adjustment unit with one end thereof disposed to be brought into pressed contact when the mounting-demounting means of the adjustment unit comes to mate with the second mounting-demounting means of the lens unit and with the other end being electrically connected to said operating means;
• and
• wherein the lens unit and the adjustment unit are respectively arranged to be interchangeable so as to permit optional combinations between different types of units.