Stand apparatus, electronic equiqment using the same and its accessory apparatus

• US 20050253962A1
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Naito, Yoshitaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,437,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/375
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories

Abstract

A stand apparatus having the connector so as to correspond to a position of an electronic equipment being housed and comprises a connection inhibiter member to inhibit the connection if the position of the electronic equipment being housed and a turned state of the connector do not match with each other. Furthermore, electronic equipment, e.g., a camera, can be connected with the stand apparatus electrically either in the state of the equipment body facing up with the display apparatus of the camera being folded thereon, or in the state of the display apparatus being folded onto the back side of the equipment body with the display surface facing up.

Claims

1. A stand apparatus, being the stand apparatus for housing electronic equipment in electrical connection with the stand apparatus, comprising:

a housing unit for housing the electronic equipment in at least two different orientations;

a stand body comprising a stand connection unit for connecting with a connection unit of the electronic equipment; and

a shifter unit for shifting a position of the stand connection unit in response to an orientation of the electronic equipment being housed in the housing unit.

2. The stand apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing unit houses the electronic equipment in either orientation thereof, i.e., its front facing up or down.

3. The stand apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shifter unit is installed in the stand body and includes a turning unit for shifting a position of the stand connection unit, and

the stand connection unit is installed at a position displaced from the turning center axis of turning face of the turning unit in a radial direction and places itself in two positions by the turning unit turning in response to a corresponding connection unit of the electronic equipment, whose position in the housing unit changes according to an orientation of the electronic equipment being housed therein.

4. The stand apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the stand connection unit shifts the two positions from one position to the other by the turning unit turning approximately 180 degrees.

5. The stand apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a connection inhibiter member, being installed nearby the stand connection unit in the turning face, for inhibiting a connection between the stand connection unit and the connection unit of the electronic equipment when a position of the stand connection unit is not corresponding to that of the connection unit of the electronic equipment.

6. The stand apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the housing unit comprises a mounting surface for mounting the electronic equipment and side walls vertically structured from the opposing two ends of the mounting surface for protectively positioning two sides of the electronic equipment,

the stand body comprises a flat part which forms a rear wall of the housing unit,

the turning unit is of a cylindrical shape whose end surface is featured as the turning face which forms a surface approximately flush with the flat part of the stand body, is positioned for corresponding to a connection unit of the electronic equipment when it is mounted onto the housing unit, and is positioned so as to expose a part of its circumferential surface of the cylindrical shape above the stand body as operation part.

7. The stand apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the housing unit and the stand body are detachably attached with each other.

8. The stand apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the turning unit feeds the electronic equipment housed in the housing unit from the stand connection unit by way of the connection unit of the electronic equipment.

9. A stand apparatus for housing a camera in electrical connection with the stand apparatus, comprising:

a housing unit for housing the camera in at least two different orientations;

a stand connection unit for connecting with a connection unit of the camera; and

a shifter unit for shifting a position of the connection unit in response to an orientation of the camera being housed in the housing unit.

10. A camera system, being the camera system comprising a camera and a stand apparatus housing the camera in electrical connection with the stand apparatus, wherein

the camera comprises a connection unit on one side thereof for connecting with the stand apparatus electrically, and

the stand apparatus comprises a housing unit for housing the camera in either orientation thereof, i.e., its front facing up or down, a stand connection unit for connecting with the connection unit of the camera electrically, and a shifter unit for shifting a position of the stand connection unit in response to an orientation of the camera being housed.

11. The camera system according to claim 10, wherein the connection unit of the camera is installed so as to be positioned at the center of the height of the camera.

12. The camera system according to claim 10, wherein the camera comprises a moving unit for moving a display apparatus for displaying a photographed image to the front and rear positions of the camera, and when housing the camera in the housing of the stand apparatus, the moving unit places the display surface of the display apparatus facing the front of the camera in the case of housing the camera facing up, while moves the display apparatus to the rear position of the camera and places the display surface exposed to the outside in the case of housing the camera facing down.

13. A camera, having a connection unit for connecting electrically with a connection unit of a same stand apparatus when the same stand apparatus housing the camera in either orientation thereof, i.e., its front facing up or down.

14. An accessory apparatus, being the accessory apparatus in electrical connection with portable electronic equipment, comprising:

a first accessory comprising a housing unit for housing the electronic equipment and a feeder unit for feeding at least thereto; and

a second accessory, being connected with the first accessory, for having an expansive function relating to the electronic equipment, wherein

each of the first and second accessories is equipped with a power input unit for supplying power to the electronic equipment from the outside, and

an inhibiter unit is comprised for inhibiting a use of power input unit equipped either in the first or second accessories when the second accessory is connected with the first accessory.

15. The accessory apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the second accessory comprises

a shield member as the inhibiter unit for shielding a terminal of power input unit of the first accessory,

a connection part for connecting with the first accessory electrically, and

a turning unit for turning the shield member and the connection part, respectively, wherein

the shield member shields an opening which is featured in a chassis surface of the second accessory, positioning the connection part inside the opening, when the second accessory is not connected with the first accessory, whereas

the shield member shields a terminal of the power input unit of the first accessory, positioning the connection part in a connectable position, when the second accessory is connected with the first accessory.

16. The accessory apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the second accessory comprises a flat outer shape on its top surface enabling the first accessory to be mounted thereon.

17. The accessory apparatus according to claim 14, wherein an electronic equipment to be housed in the first accessory is a camera.

18. The accessory apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first and second accessories are respectively equipped by signal input &

output terminals for communicating a signal between the electronic equipment and the outside, and

the shield member shields the terminal of the power input unit and the signal input &

output terminal, both of which are equipped in the first accessory.

19. The accessory apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the second accessory comprises a large capacity storage media apparatus for recording image data of a camera.

20. An accessory, being the accessory to be electrically connected with portable electronic equipment, comprising:

a terminal for inputting an electric supply power to the electronic equipment from the outside; and

a shield member for shielding the input terminal of a charging apparatus when housing the electronic equipment and connecting with the charging apparatus which is equipped with the input terminal for inputting an electric supply power to the electronic equipment.