Digital camera

Abstract

A digital camera having an airtight chamber formed by a transparent dustproof plate placed adjacent a lens and pressure compensating or mitigating means. A main camera body and a transparent plate form an airtight chamber in a digital camera. A bellows or deflectable diaphragm is placed within the airtight chamber and coupled to a vent hole open to atmosphere outside of the main camera body. In an embodiment, a position adjusting mechanism moves an image pickup element in a vertical and lateral direction providing a perspective control mechanism.

1 . A digital camera comprising:
 a main body;   a lens mount attached to said main body adapted to mount an interchangeable lens;   an image pickup element located in said main body;   a fixed dustproof plate fastened to an inner side of said lens mount attached to said main body and located between an outer side adjacent a location for the interchangeable lens of said lens mount and said image pickup element providing a sealed structure, said fixed dustproof plate located substantially closer to the location for the interchangeable lens than said image pickup element; and   means, coupled to said main body, for mitigating a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of said main body,   whereby dust is prevented from entering said main body and any dust is prevented from being imaged on said image pickup element because any dust is prevented from attenuating the condensed light rays near an imaging position adjacent said image pickup element resulting in a reduced effect on an image formed at said image pickup element.   
     
     
         2 . A digital camera as in  claim 1  wherein:
 said means comprises a bellows placed inside said main body of the digital camera. 
 
     
     
         3 . A digital camera as in  claim 1  wherein said means comprises:
 a vent hole formed in said main body; and 
 a diaphragm placed inside said main body having one side adjacent to said vent hole, said vent hole communicating from the outside of said main body to the one side of said diaphragm, 
 whereby a pressure difference is mitigated between the inside and the outside of said main body. 
 
     
     
         4 . A digital camera having an image pickup element comprising:
 a camera main body;   a lens mount placed on said camera main body;   a transparent dustproof plate attached adjacent to said lens mount forming an air tight chamber in said camera main body;   elastic means, placed within the air tight chamber formed within said camera main body, for extending and contracting elastically according to a pressure difference; and   a vent hole communicating between an external section and atmospheric air of said camera main body and said elastic means placed within the air tight chamber formed within said camera main body,   whereby a pressure difference between the air tight chamber in said camera main body and the external section and atmospheric air of said camera main body is mitigated.   
     
     
         5 . A digital camera having an image pickup element as in  claim 4  wherein:
 said elastic means comprises a closed-end cylindrical bellows. 
 
     
     
         6 . A digital camera having an image pickup element as in  claim 4  wherein:
 said elastic means comprises a deflectable diaphragm. 
 
     
     
         7 . A digital camera comprising:
 a camera main body;   a transparent dustproof plate fixed to a position adjacent a photographing lens to shield atmospheric air forming an airtight chamber within said camera main body of the digital camera;   an image pickup element installed within the airtight chamber;   a variable volume mechanism placed in said camera main body of the digital camera; and   a vent hole placed in the camera main body which is communicatively connected to atmospheric air on one side and said variable volume mechanism on another side,   whereby pressure within the airtight chamber is adjusted in equilibrium to the atmospheric air and a pressure change in the airtight chamber is mitigated.   
     
     
         8 . A digital camera as in  claim 7  wherein:
 said variable volume mechanism comprises a closed-end cylindrical bellows. 
 
     
     
         9 . A digital camera as in  claim 7  wherein:
 said variable volume mechanism comprises a deflectable diaphragm.