[DESCRIPTION] [Invention Title]

SLIDER ASSEMBLY FOR LENS COVER AND DIGITAL CAMERA HAVING THE SAME [Technical Field]

<i> The present invention relates to a slider assembly for lens covers and, more particularly, to a slider assembly for lens covers for use in semi- automatical Iy and slidingly opening and closing a lens cover attached in front of a camera lens for the protection thereof and a digital camera having the same. [Background Art]

<2> In general, a digital camera for taking a picture of an object has a lens arranged in front of a camera body. When not in use, the lens is protected by a lens cover against scratching and adherence of dust or other foreign matters. The lens cover is openably attached in front of the lens to protect the same. The lens cover may be opened and closed in many different ways. In recent years, a digital camera having a lens cover slidingly opened along a body becomes commercially available.

<3> In the prior art digital camera having a slidingly openably lens cover, the lens cover is designed to be manually opened and closed. When using such a digital camera, it is necessary for a user to continuously apply an external force to the lens cover until the lens cover is fully opened or closed. Therefore, the user needs to make a great deal of effort in opening and closing the lens cover and should repeatedly perform a push-pull operation of the lens cover, which means that the lens cover is very inconvenient to use.

<4> Moreover, if an external force is not accurately applied to the lens cover in a sliding direction when pushing and pulling the lens cover to open and close the same, the lens cover may sometimes be twisted and locked against movement. In such instances, the lens cover is not smoothly opened or closed and may be broken in the worst circumstances. [Disclosure]

[Technical Problem]

<5> In view of the above-noted and other problems inherent in the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a slider assembly for lens covers capable of semi-automatically opening and closing a lens cover with an elastic biasing force and a digital camera having the same.

<6> Another object of the present invention is to provide a slider assembly for lens covers that can assure convenient use of a lens cover by allowing the lens cover to be opened and closed with a reduced elastic biasing force and a digital camera having the same.

<7> A further object of the present invention is to provide a slider assembly for lens covers capable of reducing twisting movement and resultant possible locking of a lens cover during its sliding operation and a digital camera having the same. [Technical Solution]

<8> In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a slider assembly for lens covers, including: a fixed plate having a pair of spaced- apart wing portions, a first hinge and a guide slot extending in a sliding direction! a sliding plate slidably coupled to the fixed plate, the sliding plate having a pair of spaced-apart guide portions for slidably receiving the wing portions, a second hinge and a guide shaft slidably inserted into the guide slot; and an elastic biasing member for applying an elastic biasing force to the sliding plate in the sliding direction, the elastic biasing member having a first end pivotably secured to the first hinge and a second end pivotably secured to the second hinge.

<9> In the slider assembly noted above, the fixed plate may include a pair of sliding members fitted to the guide portions of the sliding plate to reduce friction caused by relative sliding movement between the fixed plate and the sliding plate.

<io> In the slider assembly noted above, one of the fixed plate and the sliding plate may have a guide plate portion extending in the sliding direction, and the other of the fixed plate and the sliding plate may have an

idle roller making rolling contact with the guide plate portion.

<u> In the slider assembly noted above, one of the fixed plate and the sliding plate may have a guide plate portion extending in the sliding direction, and the other of the fixed plate and the sliding plate may have a sliding channel member with a sliding groove for receiving the guide plate portion to guide the guide plate portion in the sliding direction.

<12> In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital camera including: a camera body having a lens; a lens cover slidably combined with the camera body for protecting the lens; and a slider assembly provided between the camera body and the lens cover for slidably coupling the camera body and the lens cover together, wherein the slider assembly comprises: a fixed plate fixedly secured to the camera body, the fixed plate having a pair of spaced-apart wing portions, a first hinge and a guide slot extending in a sliding direction; a sliding plate fixedly secured to the lens cover and slidably coupled to the fixed plate, the sliding plate having a pair of spaced-apart guide portions for slidably receiving the wing portions, a second hinge and a guide shaft slidably inserted into the guide slot; and an elastic biasing member for applying an elastic biasing force to the sliding plate in the sliding direction, the elastic biasing member having a first end pivotably secured to the first hinge and a second end pivotably secured to the second hinge.

[Advantageous Effects]

<i4> With the present invention, the slider assembly installed between the camera body and the lens cover is semi-automatical Iy operated by an elastic biasing means. This makes it possible to easily open and close the lens cover with a reduced force, thereby assuring enhanced convenience in use.

<15> Furthermore, the present invention provides a structure in which the sliding plate of the slider assembly combined with the lens cover can be smoothly slid relative to the fixed plate coupled to the camera body. Such a structure greatly reduces twisting movement and resultant possible locking of the lens cover which would occur when opening and closing the lens cover. This leads to a reduced likelihood of breakage of the lens cover and a prolonged life span thereof.

<16> In addition, the slider assembly of the present invention has a simple overall structure and therefore enjoys enhanced ease of fabrication and improved productivity. This reduces occurrence of minor troubles, which assists in saving maintenance costs and performing post management with ease. [Description of Drawings]

<17> Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a digital camera incorporating a slider assembly for lens covers in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

<18> Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a slider assembly for lens covers in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

<i9> Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the slider assembly for lens covers shown in Fig. 2.

<20> Figs. 4 and 5 are front elevational views illustrating the operation of the slider assembly for lens covers shown in Fig. 2.

<2i> Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a slider assembly for lens covers in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. [Best Mode]

<22> Hereinafter, a slider assembly for lens covers in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention and a digital camera having the same will

be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<23> Referring to Fig. 1, a digital camera 100 includes a camera body 110, which has a front surface and a lens 111 arranged on the a front surface, and a lens cover 120 attached to the front surface of the camera body 110 for exposing the lens 111 to take a picture of an object when the digital camera 100 is in use and for protecting the lens 111 when the digital camera 100 is in use. A slider assembly 200 for transversely slidably coupling the lens cover 120 to the camera body 110 is installed between the camera body 110 and the lens cover 120.

<24> As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the slider assembly 200 includes a fixed plate 220, a sliding plate 210 slidably coupled to the fixed plate 220, and a pair of elastic biasing members 230 retained between the fixed plate 220 and the sliding plate 210 for applying an elastic biasing force to the sliding plate 210.

<25> The fixed plate 220 has a pair of spaced-apart wing portions 221 bent twice at the vertical opposite ends thereof, a pair of spaced-apart first hinges 222 arranged between the wing portions 221, and a guide plate portion 223 formed between the first hinges 222 to extend in a sliding direction, i.e., in a transverse direction. A guide slot 224 extending in the sliding direction is formed between the guide plate portion 223 and one of the first hinges 222. A rim protruding with a specified height is formed along the edge of the guide slot 224.

<26> As best shown in Fig. 3, the sliding plate 210 has a pair of spaced- apart guide portions 211 for receiving the wing portions 221 of the fixed plate 220 and guiding them in the sliding direction. Each of the guide portions 211 is bent twice toward each other. Furthermore, the fixed plate 220 has a plurality of idle rollers 214 making rolling contact with the opposite lateral surfaces of the guide plate portion 223, a pair of spaced- apart second hinges 212 arranged to interpose the idle rollers 214 therebetween, and a guide shaft 213 inserted into the guide slot 224 for making movement along the guide slot 224. The guide shaft 213 may be of

either a fixed type or a rolling type. In the present invention, the guide shaft 213 and the guide slot 224 may exchange their positions with each other. In other words, the guide shaft 213 may be attached to the fixed plate 220, and the guide slot 224 may be formed in the sliding plate 210 to extend in the sliding direction.

<27> A pair of sliding members 215 each having a groove for guiding the corresponding one of the wing portions 221 of the fixed plate 220 is fitted to the guide portions 211 of the sliding plate 210. The sliding members 215 serve to reduce the wear caused by frictional sliding contact between the guide portions 211 and the wing portions 221, while allowing the wing portions 221 to make smooth sliding movement. To this end, the sliding members 215 are made of a material having an increased wear resistance and a reduced dynamic friction coefficient.

<28> Referring again to Fig. 3, each of the elastic biasing members 230 has a first end 231 and a second end 232 and is formed of a torsion bar spring bent in zigzag. The first end 231 of each of the elastic biasing members 230 is partially wrapped around and pivotably secured to the corresponding one of the second hinges 212, and the second end 232 of each of the elastic biasing members 230 is partially wrapped around and pivotably secured to the corresponding one of the first hinges 222. The elastic biasing members 230 are retained between the sliding plate 210 and the fixed plate 220 to apply an elastic biasing force to the sliding plate 210 in the sliding direction, whereby the sliding plate 210 can be semi-automatical Iy slid by means of the elastic biasing members 230. In the present invention, the elastic biasing members 230 are not limited to the illustrated ones but may be changed to have other structures insofar as they can be secured to the first hinges 222 and the second hinges 212 and can apply an elastic biasing force to the sliding plate 210 in the sliding direction. Since modification of the elastic biasing members 230 is apparent to those skilled in the art, no description will be made on modified examples thereof.

<29> Next, the operation of the slider assembly 200 will be described with

reference to Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 illustrates the state of the slider assembly 200 in which the lens cover 120 is closed to hide the lens 111, and Fig. 5 illustrates the state of the slider assembly 200 in which the lens cover 120 is opened to expose the lens 111. Although not shown in the drawings, the fixed plate 220 is fixedly secured to the front surface of the camera body 110 by means of fasteners such as screws or the like. Similarly, the sliding plate 210 is fixedly secured to the inner surface of the lens cover 120 by screws or other fasteners.

<30> When the lens cover 120 is closed, the idle rollers 214 of the sliding plate 210 remain in contact with the opposite lateral surfaces of the guide plate portion 223 of the fixed plate 220, and the guide shaft 213 is inserted into the guide slot 224 as illustrated in Fig. 4. Thus, the sliding direction of the sliding plate 210 is restrained by the guide slot 224 and the guide plate portion 223.

<3i> If a user pushes the lens cover 120 in an opening direction (to the left in Fig. 4) to open the lens cover 120 and use the digital camera 100, the sliding plate 210 is slidingly moved in the opening direction. At this time, the second hinges 212 of the sliding plate 210 are moved together, as a result of which the first ends 231 of the elastic biasing members 230 are moved in the sliding direction and elastically deformed. The elastic biasing force applied to the sliding plate 210 acts in the closing direction (to the right in Fig. 5) until the elastic biasing members 230 are compressed to the greatest extent and then acts in the opening direction if the sliding plate 210 moves past a position in which the elastic biasing members 230 are compressed to the greatest extent. Therefore, the sliding plate 210 is automatically moved into an open position under the elastic restoration force of the elastic biasing members 230. During the sliding movement of the sliding plate 210, the guide shaft 213 is moved along the guide slot 224, and the idle rollers 214 are moved in rolling contact with the opposite lateral surfaces of the guide plate portion 223, which assures smooth sliding movement of the sliding plate 210. As a consequence, the lens cover 120 is

O

capable of making smooth sliding movement as compared to the prior art lens cover. This assists in reducing twisting movement of the lens cover 120.

<32> In case where the user applies an external force to the lens cover 120 in the closing direction after using the digital camera 100, the sliding plate 210 is moved in the closing direction, thereby compressing the elastic biasing members 230. If the sliding plate 210 moves past a position in which the elastic biasing members 230 are compressed to the greatest extent, the sliding plate 210 and the lens cover 120 are semi-automatically moved into a closed position under the elastic restoration force of the elastic biasing members 230.

<33> Fig. 6 shows a slider assembly 200 for lens covers in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The slider assembly 200 of this embodiment differs from the slider assembly 200 shown in Fig. 3 in terms of the guide plate portion 223 and its associated structure. The sliding plate 210 has a sliding channel member 216 slidably engaging with the guide plate portion 223 of the fixed plate 220.

<34> The sliding channel member 216 has a sliding groove 216a for partially receiving the guide plate portion 223 of the fixed plate 220. By slidably inserting the guide plate portion 223 into the sliding groove 216a of the sliding channel member 216, the sliding channel member 216 is capable of making smooth sliding movement in the opening and closing directions along the guide plate portion 223. The sliding channel member 216 and the guide plate portion 223 may exchange their positions with each other. In other words, the sliding channel member 216 may be installed in the fixed plate 220, and the guide plate portion 223 may be formed in the sliding plate 210.

<35> The embodiments set forth hereinabove have been presented for illustrative purpose only and, therefore, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

<36> In the present slider assembly for lens covers, elastic biasing members are employed to enable a user to open and close a lens cover with a reduced force. With the present slider assembly, it is also possible to greatly reduce twisting movement and resultant possible locking of the lens cover. This assists in improving the convenience in use, reliability and quality of the products to which the present slider assembly is applied.