Patent Publication Number: US-2007122144-A1

Title: Camera including lens protection cap

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. §119 from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0114050, filed on Nov. 28, 2005, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly, to a camera including a lens protection cap for preventing damage of a lens.  
      2. Related Art  
      A camera includes a lens for forming an image by condensing or diverging light. Cameras are classified into digital cameras and analog cameras. In digital cameras, light that passes through a lens is condensed to form an image on an image sensor, whereas in analog cameras, light that passes through a lens is condensed to form an image on a film. When there is a damage, such as a scratch is generated on the lens, light is not uniformly refracted. As a result, distortion may be generated on a photographed image. Therefore, a protection cap is provided to a camera to protect the lens from becoming damages.  
      Protection caps are generally classified into manual type protection caps in which users are required to manually put on lenses, and auto type protection caps in which lenses are automatically opened/closed in response to power on/off operations of cameras. The manual type protection caps have advantages of a simple structure and low manufacturing costs; however, there are also disadvantages in that the users must manually cap the lenses, and that the manual type protection caps can be lost. In contrast, the auto type protection caps are much more convenient to use, but require additional parts, such as a motor and a gear for driving the protection caps. As a result, the structure of the auto type protection caps can be complicated, and can take up valuable space inside the cameras. In addition, manufacturing cost can also be increased.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Several aspects and example embodiments of the present invention provide a camera including a lens protection cap exposing/shielding a lens in cooperation with a power switch controlling power ON/OFF operation of the camera. Such a lens protection cap can also realize lens exposing/shielding operations, without requiring additional driving elements, such as a motor and a gear.  
      Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.  
      In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a camera including: a case; a lens located inside the case and exposed toward a front side; a power switch provided on the outer surface of the case, for turning a power ON/OFF; and a lens protection cap for preventing damage of the lens by shielding the lens when power is turned OFF, wherein the power switch and the lens protection cap are directly connected with each other such that the lens protection cap exposes/shields the lens when the power switch is ON/OFF-operated.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, the power switch may slide in a side direction on an outer surface of the case to turn the power on/off, and the lens protection cap may move to the side direction a distance the power switch slides, so as to expose the lens.  
      According to another aspect of the present invention, the power switch may include a sliding lever mounted in the case such that the sliding lever is pushed to the side direction by a user&#39;s finger, and a metal power joint attached on the inside of the sliding lever, and when the sliding lever is slid to one side, the metal power joint allows a power circuit of the camera to be connected so that a current flows through the power circuit to turn the power on, while removing the lens protection cap from the lens.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, the sliding lever of the power switch and the lens protection cap may be connected with each other using a connector, and the sliding lever, the connector, and the lens protection cap are integrally formed.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, the camera may further include a printing unit installed inside the case to print an image on a printing medium. The printing unit may include an ink ribbon containing dye that develops color on the printing medium, and a thermal print head (TPH) heating the ink ribbon to sublimate the dye contained in the ink ribbon, thereby allowing the ink to permeate into the printing medium. The case may include a paper-feeding slot for supplying a printing medium on which an image is to be printed to the inside of the case, and a discharge slot discharging a printing medium on which an image has been printed to the outside of the case.  
      In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a camera comprises: a rectangular parallelepiped case having a lens provided on a front side, a display panel provided on a back side, and a power switch provided on an upper surface of the case to turn power ON/OFF; a printing unit arranged inside the case to print an image captured by the lens on a printing medium fed, via a paper feeding slot located on the upper surface of the case; and a lens protection cap provided to cover the lens, wherein the power switch and the lens protection cap are connected, via a connector, such that, when the power switch is turned ON, the lens protection cap covers the lens, and when the power switch is turned OFF, the lens protection cap uncovers the lens.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, the power switch is mounted on the upper surface of the case, and is slidable in a side direction to turn the power ON/OFF, and the lens protection cap moves in the same side direction so as to cover/uncover the lens. Such a power switch comprises a sliding lever mounted on the case, and a metal power joint attached on the inside of the sliding lever, such that, when the sliding lever is slid to one side, the metal power joint allows a power circuit of the camera to be connected so that a current flows through the power circuit to turn the power ON, while removing the lens protection cap from the lens.  
      According to another aspect of the present invention, the sliding lever, the connector, and the lens protection cap are integrally formed by a polymer resin. The printing unit comprises an ink ribbon containing dye that develops color on the printing medium, and a thermal print head for heating the ink ribbon to sublimate the dye contained in the ink ribbon, thereby allowing the dye to permeate into the printing medium. In addition, a paper-feeding slot is provided for feeding the printing medium on which an image captured by the lens is to be printed into the inside of the case, and, likewise, a discharge slot is provided for discharging the printing medium on which an image has been printed to the outside of the case.  
      In addition to the example embodiments and aspects as described above, further aspects and embodiments of the present invention will be apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following descriptions. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      A better understanding of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of example embodiments and the claims when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, all forming a part of the disclosure of this invention. While the following written and illustrated disclosure focuses on disclosing example embodiments of the invention, it should be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and that the invention is not limited thereto. The spirit and scope of the present invention are limited only by the terms of the appended claims. The following represents brief descriptions of the drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a camera, shown from a front side, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of a lens protection cap relative to a lens of the camera shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a camera, shown from a rear side, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a printing unit provided inside the camera as shown in  FIG. 1 ; and  
       FIGS. 5 and 6  are views explaining operations of a power switch and a lens protection cap shown in  FIG. 1 .  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
      Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.  
       FIGS. 1 and 2  are a perspective view of a camera and an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the camera according to an example embodiment of the present invention, shown from a front side, respectively; and  FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a camera according to an example embodiment of the present invention, shown from a rear side.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the camera  10  includes a rectangular parallelepiped case  12  and an image sensor  17  located inside the case  12  and on which light received from a front side is condensed to form an image. In addition, a lens  16  condensing or diverging light to form an image on the image sensor  17  is provided to the front side of the image sensor  17 . The lens  16  is exposed to the front side of the camera  10 , while power of the camera  10  is turned “on” and shielded by a lens protection cap  25 , while the power of the camera  10  is turned “off” so that damage to the lens  16  such as scratches may be prevented.  
      A power switch  20  is provided on the upper side surface of the case  12  to allow a user to turn the camera  10  on/off. The power switch  20  includes a sliding lever  21  (refer to  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) mounted in the case  12  such that the sliding lever  21  may be easily pushed in a side direction by a user&#39;s finger, and a metal power joint  22  (refer to  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) attached on the inside of the sliding lever  21 . The sliding lever  21  and the lens protection cap  25  are connected with each other using a connector  23 . The sliding lever  21 , the connector  23 , and the lens protection cap  25  are integrally formed of a polymer resin. This way the lens protection cap  25  can easily open and close a lens  16  when the power switch  20  is turned on/off, and there is no need to install driving elements, such as a motor and a gear, to drive the lens protection cap  25 . In other words, the camera  10  does not need to separately include driving elements, such as a motor and a gear, to drive the lens protection cap  25 . Instead, the camera  10  exposes/shields the lens  16  by moving the lens protection cap  25  in the same direction and the same distance as the power switch  20  slides when the power switch  20  slides.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , a display panel  30  for displaying an image and input buttons  32  for setting parameters of an image to be photographed, such as a data size of an image and a shooting mode are provided on the backside of the camera  10 . A shooting button  27  is provided on the upper side surface of the case  12  for the user to shoot an image.  
      In addition, the camera  10  further includes a printing unit  40  (refer to  FIG. 4 ) inside the case  12  to print an image on a printing medium P and output the same. A reference numeral  13  represents a paper-feeding slot for supplying a printing medium P to the printing unit  40  located inside the case  12 . The paper-feeding slot  13  is formed in the upper side surface of the case  12 . The printing unit  40  provided inside the camera  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , will now be described in detail in connection with  FIG. 4  herein below.  
      Referring to  FIG. 4 , the printing unit  40  includes a thermal print head (TPH)  41 , a platent roller  43 , an ink ribbon  45 , ribbon support wheels  46  and  47 , and a pair of delivery rollers  50 . The ink ribbon  45  contains dye that develops color on the printing medium P. The thermal print head (TPH)  41  is arranged for heating the ink ribbon  45  to sublimate the dye contained in the ribbon  45  and allow the dye to permeate into the printing medium P, thereby developing color on the printing medium P. The TPH  41  includes a plurality of heat emitting elements (not shown) arranged in the width direction of the printing medium P. The heat emitting elements selectively emit heat to develop color on the printing medium P as described above. The ink ribbon  45  is supported by being wounded on a pair of ribbon support wheels  46  and  47  so as to maintain the tension of the ink ribbon  45 . A platen roller  43  is provided below the TPH  41  to press the printing medium P and the ink ribbon  45  toward the heat emitting elements (not shown) of the TPH  41 .  
      In addition, a pair of delivery rollers  50  are arranged at the end of the paper feed slot  13  to face each other and to feed the printing medium P, which is inserted into the inside of the case  12  through the paper-feeding slot  13 , between the TPH  41  and the platen roller  43 , and repeatedly reciprocate the printing medium P between the TPH  41  and the platen roller  43  so that a color image may be formed on the printing medium P. One of the delivery rollers  50  is a driving roller, while the other is an idle roller driven by the rotation of the driving roller. A discharge slot  14  is provided in the lower side of the case  12  to output a printing medium P on which an image has been printed.  
      A printing process of the printing unit  40  will now be described below. The printing medium P inserted into the inside of the case  12  through the paper-feeding slot  13  is fed, by the delivery rollers  50 , between the TPH  41  and the platen roller  43  spaced apart from each other. With the rear portion of the printing medium P seized by the delivery rollers  50 , the delivery rollers  50  stop rotation, and the TPH  41  sticks closely to the platen roller  43  with the ink ribbon  45  and the printing medium P interposed between the TPH  41  and the platen roller  43 .  
      To develop color, the delivery rollers  50  rotate in a direction opposite to a paper-feeding direction, and the printing medium P interposed between the TPH  41  and the platen roller  43  is picked by the delivery rollers  50  at the paper feeding slot  13 , and moved to the direction opposite to the paper-feeding direction. The ink ribbon  45  travels with the same speed as the delivery speed of the printing medium P and the heat emitting elements (not shown) of the TPH  41  selectively emit heat to sublimate the dye contained in the ink ribbon  45  and develop color on the printing medium P, thereby forming an image on the printing medium P.  
      The ink ribbon  45  includes yellow Y, cyan C, magenta M sections, and a glossy section to realize a color image. While the printing medium P is repeatedly reciprocated between the TPH  41  and the platen roller  43  by the delivery rollers  50 , each of the sections goes through a color developing process at least one time, so that a color image is printed on the printing medium P. The printing medium P on which a color image is printed is delivered to the paper-feeding direction by the delivery rollers  50  and discharged to the outside of the case  12  through the discharge slot  14 . In another embodiment of the present invention, the printing medium P on which the color image is printed may be discharged to the outside of the case  12  through the paper-feeding slot  13 .  
      Turning now to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , operations of a power switch  20  and a lens protection cap  25  as shown in  FIG. 1  are shown. Referring to  FIG. 5 , a power switch  20  is located on the upper surface of the case  12 , and includes a sliding lever  21  mounted on the case  12  and a metal power joint  22  attached underneath the sliding lever  21 . A pair of terminals  28   a  and  28   b  adjacent to the power switch  20  are spaced from each other so that a power circuit  28  of the camera  10  (refer to  FIG. 1 ) is opened. At this point, the power switch  20  is located at a power-off point and the lens protection cap  25  connected to the power switch  20  shields the lens  16  so that the lens  16  may not be exposed to the front side of the case  12  (refer to  FIG. 1 ). Therefore, the lens  16  is protected from damage.  
      When a user pushes the sliding lever  21  of the power switch  20  to a side direction, i.e., to the left with his finger, the power switch  20  slides to a power-on point as shown in  FIG. 6 . At this point, the power switch  20  overlaps the pair of terminals  28   a  and  28   b  and the metal power joint  22  attached on the inside of the sliding lever  21  contacts both the terminals  28   a  and  28   b , so that the power circuit  28  is connected and a current may flow through the power circuit  28 . At this point, the lens protection cap  25  moves to the left as much as a distance the power switch  20  moves, to expose the lens  16  to the front side of the case  12 . Therefore, a user may photograph an image using the camera  10 .  
      When intending to turn off the camera  10 , a user pushes the sliding lever  21  to the right at this time to slide the power switch  20  to the power-off point as shown in  FIG. 5 . At this point, the lens protection cap  25  shields the lens  16  again to protect the lens  15  from being damaged.  
      The camera according to the present invention includes the lens protection cap that cooperates with the on/off operations of the power switch to prevent the damage of the lens when the camera is not used. In addition, since the lens protection cap may realize exposing/shielding operations of the lens without a separate driving element such as a motor and a gear, the present invention is advantageous in miniaturizing a camera and reducing manufacturing costs. Also, since the present invention has a simple structure, possibility of camera disorder reduces. Moreover, since the printing unit  40  is incorporated into the camera  10 , the space inside the camera  10  will be premium, and, as result, the use of a power switch  20  to remove a lens protection cap  25  is most advantageous. Further, the lens protection cap  25  can be configured to expose/shield the lens  16 , either on the outer surface of the case  12  or an inner surface of the case  12  for the manufacturer&#39;s convenience.  
      While there have been illustrated and described what are considered to be example embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art and as technology develops that various changes and modifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the present invention. Many modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations may be made to adapt the teachings of the present invention to a particular situation without departing from the scope thereof. For example, the printing unit included in the camera may print an image in an inkjet or electro-photographic manner. In addition, the components and methods as show in  FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 . can be implemented differently as long as their respective operations remain faithful to simple structure of opening/closing a lens without using driving elements, such as a motor and a gear. Accordingly, it is intended, therefore, that the present invention not be limited to the various example embodiments disclosed, but that the present invention includes all embodiments failing within the scope of the appended claims.