Patent ID: 6731869
Filing Date: 2004-05-04
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
An electrical connecting structure in a lens barrel of a camera, the camera comprising a shutter section located within a lens barrel, a front-set lens secured to the shutter section, and a rear-set lens, which is associated with a plurality of cam followers and is driven through a cam so as to move along an optical axis direction and with respect to the front-set lens, an electrical connecting section, at which a certain part of an electrical wiring extending from the shutter section toward a camera main body and an electrical wiring extending from a shutter actuating section associated with the shutter section are electrically connected to each other, being located within the lens barrel, wherein:the rear-set lens has at least one flat peripheral region at a periphery of the rear-set lens, a cam follower, which is disposed on the side of the flat peripheral region of the rear-set lens, is located such that a predetermined space is formed on the side outward from the flat peripheral region of the rear-set lens, the predetermined space is ensured between the front-sec lens and the rear-set lens in a state, in which the rear-set lens takes a position optically closest to the front-set lens, the electrical wiring, which extends from the shutter section toward the camera main body, is constituted of a long, narrow strip-shaped flexible circuit board, passes through a position in the vicinity of the flat peripheral region of the rear-set lens, and extends toward the camera main body, the electrical connecting section is located within the predetermined space, the long, narrow strip-shaped flexible circuit board is provided with conductor cads at a part which is to be located within the predetermined space, one of two connectors is electrically connected to the conductor pads, the other connector is electrically connected to the electrical wiring, which extends from the shutter actuating section, the electrical connecting section, at which the one connector and the other connector are electrically connected to each other, is located within the predetermined space, the rear-set lens also has a different flat peripheral region at the periphery of the rear-set lens, which periphery is on the side facing the shutter actuating section, and the shutter actuating section and the electrical connecting section are located on the sides opposite to each other with the optical axis intervening therebetween.