Camera accessory, camera accessory mount, camera body and camera body mount

A camera body that is detachably engaged with a camera accessory including a camera accessory mount and a plurality of accessory-side electric contact points, the camera body comprising:

• a camera body mount with a first tab, a second tab and a third tab set over intervals along a circumferential edge of a circular opening at the camera body and projecting out from the circumferential edge along a radius of the circular opening;
• camera body-side electric contact points made up with a plurality of electric contact points that become electrically connected with the accessory-side electric contact points as the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body;
• and
• an elastic member that applies a force to each of three accessory-side tabs, located at the camera accessory mount included in the camera accessory, the elastic member being configured to force each of three accessory-side tabs toward a rear side of the camera body as the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body, wherein:
• the elastic member includes three force-applying portions that come into contact with the three accessory-side tabs to apply force thereto;
• two force-applying portions located at positions close to a position where the camera body-side electric contact points are disposed, among the three force-applying portions, are set so as to substantially achieve symmetry relative to the camera body-side contact points;
• and
• the camera body mount is configured such that the camera accessory mount is inserted into the camera body mount without any of the first through third tabs hindering any of the three accessory-side tabs at the camera accessory mount, as long as the camera accessory mount is inserted at a correct interlock phase, and the camera body mount is configured such that insertion of the camera accessory mount is disallowed at any phase other than the correct interlock phase as at least two tabs among the first through third tabs and at least two of the accessory-side tabs come into contact with each other.

A camera system, comprising:

• a camera body;
• and
• a camera accessory that is detachably engaged with the camera body, wherein:
• the camera body comprises:
• a camera body mount with a first camera body-side tab, a second camera body-side tab and a third camera body-side tab set over intervals along a circumferential edge of a circular opening at the camera body and projecting out from the circumferential edge along a radius of the circular opening;
• camera body-side electric contact points;
• and
• an elastic member;
• and
• the camera accessory comprises:
• a camera accessory mount assuming a bayonet structure with a first accessory-side tab, a second accessory-side tab and a third accessory-side tab set over intervals in a circumferential direction running along a circumference of a circle with a predetermined diameter and projecting from the circumference along a radial direction;
• and
• accessory-side electric contact points, and wherein
• in the camera body
• the camera body-side electric contract points are made up with a plurality of electric contact points that become electrically connected with the accessory-side electric contact points as the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body;
• the elastic member applies a force to each of the first to third accessory-side tabs toward a rear side of the camera body as the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body;
• the elastic member includes three force-applying portions that come into contact with the first to third accessory-side tabs to apply force thereto;
• two force-applying portions located at positions close to a position where the camera body-side electric contact points are disposed, among the three force-applying portions, are set so as to substantially achieve symmetry relative to the camera body-side contact points;
• the camera body mount is configured such that the camera accessory mount is inserted into the camera body mount without any of the first through third camera body-side tabs hindering any of the first to third accessory-side tabs at the camera accessory mount, as long as the camera accessory mount is inserted at a correct interlock phase, and the camera body mount is configured such that insertion of the camera accessory mount is disallowed at any phase other than the correct interlock phase as at least two tabs among the first through third camera body-side tabs and at least two of the first to third accessory-side tabs come into contact with each other;
• and
• the first camera body-side tab, the second camera body-side tab and the third camera body-side tab are made up with a tab present over an angular range of 76° to 130°, a tab present over an angular range of 177.5° to 226° and a tab present over an angular range of 304.5° to 15° or 375° along a counterclockwise direction relative to a three o'clock direction when the opening at the camera body assuming a lateral orientation is viewed from a front side, and wherein
• in the camera accessory,
• the accessory-side electric contact points are made up with a plurality of electric contact points that become electrically connected with the body-side electric contact points as the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body;
• as the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body, the first through third accessory-side tabs each come into contact with the elastic member so that a force imparted from the elastic member is applied to the first through third accessory-side tabs toward a rear side of the camera body;
• the first through third accessory-side tabs each include a force application portion at which the force imparted from the elastic member is applied when the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body;
• two force application portions located at positions close to a position where the accessory-side electric contact points are disposed, among a first force application portion of the first accessory-side tab, a second force application portion of the second accessory-side tab and a third force application portion of the third accessory-side tab, are set so as to substantially achieve symmetry relative to the accessory-side electric contact points;
• and
• the first accessory-side tab, the second accessory-side tab and the third accessory-side tab are made up with a tab present over an angular range of 56.5° to 115°, a tab present over an angular range of 172.5° to 214.5° and a tab present over an angular range of 272° to 343.5° at the camera accessory mount engaged with the camera body mount, along a clockwise direction relative to a nine o'clock direction viewed from a rear side of the camera accessory.

A camera accessory that is detachably engaged with a camera body including a camera body mount and a plurality of body-side electric contact points, the camera accessory comprising:

• a camera accessory mount assuming a bayonet structure with a first tab, a second tab and a third tab set over intervals in a circumferential direction running along a circumference of a circle with a predetermined diameter and projecting from the circumference along a radial direction;
• and
• accessory-side electric contact points made up with a plurality of electric contact points that become electrically connected with the body-side electric contact points as the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body, the accessory-side electric contact points being not disposed at the first tab, the second tab and the third tab,
• wherein:
• the camera accessory mount is configured to be inserted through the camera body mount without any of the first through third tabs hindered by three camera body-side tabs disposed at the camera body mount as long as the camera accessory mount is inserted at the camera body mount at a correct interlock phase, and the camera accessory mount is configured such that insertion of the camera accessory mount through the camera body mount is disallowed at any phase other than the correct interlock phase with at least two tabs among the first through third tabs coming into contact with at least two of the camera body-side tabs;
• each of the first through third tabs includes a force application portion, each of the first through third tabs being configured to receive a force imparted from an elastic member at the force application portion toward a reverse side of the camera body when the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body, the elastic member being formed at the camera body-side tabs;
• and
• two force application portions located at positions close to a position where the accessory-side electric contact points are disposed, among a first force application portion of the first tab, a second force application portion of the second tab and a third force application portion of the third tab, are set so as to substantially achieve symmetry relative to the accessory-side electric contact points.

A camera body that is detachably engaged with a camera accessory including a camera accessory mount and a plurality of accessory-side electric contact points, the camera body comprising:

• a camera body mount with a first tab, a second tab and a third tab set over intervals along a circumferential edge of a circular opening at the camera body and projecting out from the circumferential edge along a radius of the circular opening;
• camera body-side electric contact points made up with a plurality of electric contact points that become electrically connected with the accessory-side electric contact points as the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body, the camera body-side electric contact points being disposed at a first area having a first central angle, at least a part of the first central angle not overlapping with a second central angle which is defined by a second area where each of the first tab, the second tab and the third tab is disposed;
• and
• an elastic member that applies a force to each of three accessory-side tabs, located at the camera accessory mount included in the camera accessory, the elastic member being configured to force each of three accessory-side tabs toward a rear side of the camera body as the camera accessory is mounted at the camera body, wherein:
• the elastic member includes three force-applying portions that come into contact with the three accessory-side tabs to apply force thereto;
• two force-applying portions located at positions close to a position where the camera body-side electric contact points are disposed, among the three force-applying portions, are set so as to substantially achieve symmetry relative to the camera body-side contact points;
• and
• the camera body mount is configured such that the camera accessory mount is inserted into the camera body mount without any of the first through third tabs hindering any of the three accessory-side tabs at the camera accessory mount, as long as the camera accessory mount is inserted at a correct interlock phase, and the camera body mount is configured such that insertion of the camera accessory mount is disallowed at any phase other than the correct interlock phase as at least two tabs among the first through third tabs and at least two of the accessory-side tabs come into contact with each other.