Patent ID: 6208809
Filing Date: 2001-03-27
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
A camera comprising:a movable barrel assembly holding a taking lens therein, and movable back and forth along an optical axis of the taking lens relative to a camera body;a barrel driving assembly including a drive ring, the drive ring being immovable in the direction of the optical axis and rotatable by a motor about the optical axis in one direction; anda cam mechanism interconnecting the barrel driving assembly and the movable barrel assembly such that the movable barrel assembly makes at least one stroke of reciprocative movement along the optical axis while the drive ring makes one revolution in said one rotational direction;wherein the movable barrel assembly comprises a movable barrel, and the barrel driving assembly comprises the drive ring and an axial guide member for stopping the movable barrel from rotating and guiding the movable barrel in the direction of the optical axis, whereas the cam mechanism comprises an endless cam groove provided on one of the movable barrel and the drive ring and at least a cam pin provided on the other of the movable barrel and the drive ring, the cam pin being engaged in the endless cam groove through an axial guide slit formed through the axial guide member, and the endless cam groove comprising segments extending obliquely to said rotational direction of the drive ring such that the cam pin moves back and forth in the direction of the optical axis at least once while the drive ring makes one revolution in said one rotational direction.