JP2001147474A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera which is not prematurely set to an inoperative state in the case that it is impossible to affirm that the camera is actually faulty. SOLUTION: The camera is provided with abnormality detection means (various sensors and detection circuits 12, 15, 18, 34, and 36, etc.), which detect the abnormality of camera operation, an inactive state setting means (a program incorporated in a control circuit 1) which sets the camera to the inoperative state in the case that an abnormal operation has been detected by the abnormality detection means, and restriction means (prescribed values of the program incorporated in the control circuit 1, for example, conditions such as temperature and voltage) which puts restrictions on setting of the inoperative state setting means in the case that the camera is under a prescribed condition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for setting a camera to an inoperative state when the operation of the camera is not performed normally.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there is a camera technique in which a camera is locked so that it cannot be operated and put into an inoperative state. According to Japanese Patent No. 2657920 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 1-204035) specifically taught, when an abnormality is detected in a camera, the camera is not caused to be in a non-operation state by a single abnormality detection, but is performed a plurality of times. The camera is set to the non-operational state for the first time when the operation abnormality is detected. Therefore, in the event of an accidental operation abnormality in a state where the camera is not truly broken, the camera is not set to the inoperative state, and in this regard, it can be said that the camera is provided as a relatively easy-to-use practical camera. . As described above, according to the related art, it can be used as long as it does not fail without locking against accidental operation abnormality.

[0003]

However, even when the camera does not really break down, if the abnormal operation is accidentally repeated, the setting of the inoperative state cannot be said to be appropriate. Sometimes. In such a case, the user is troubled. For example, a camera is usually designed so that its operation can be guaranteed under a certain condition, but the user may use the camera outside the condition range without noticing. Specific conditions include temperature. For example, if the temperature is returned to the assurable temperature environment from an unusable condition due to freezing or the like, normal use can be resumed, but the camera may remain in an inoperative state.

[0004] In some cases, accidental abnormalities are likely to occur depending on operating conditions. For example, when the voltage of the battery is low, the operation tends to be unstable, and consequently an accidental abnormality is likely to occur. Setting the camera to a non-operational state in such a case is not necessarily advantageous to the user. For example, when photographing in a place where a substitute camera cannot be procured, the fact that a normal camera becomes unusable instead of taking a defective photograph is an extremely large price.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to determine the abnormality of a camera more accurately and to prevent the camera from being inadvertently set to a non-operational state when it cannot be said that the camera has actually failed. It is to provide a camera.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention takes the following measures. That is, according to the present invention, abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in camera operation, non-operation setting means for setting the operation of the camera to an inoperative state when the abnormal operation is detected by the abnormality detection means, A camera having a restriction means for restricting the setting of the non-operation setting means when is set under a predetermined condition. The restricting means restricts the non-operation setting of the camera according to at least one of the temperature and the voltage.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The gist of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a camera according to the present invention. The control circuit 1 is a microprocessor, and includes a ROM, a RAM, a timer, a counter, an AD converter, and the like. The control circuit 1 controls peripheral circuits according to a program stored in the ROM in advance, thereby controlling the operation of the entire camera.

The strobe control unit includes a light emitting unit including a Xe tube 2, a reflector 3, and a Fresnel lens 4, a strobe light emitting circuit 5, and a strobe charging circuit 6. The strobe charging circuit 6 includes a capacitor for storing charge for Xe tube emission, a DC / DC converter for boosting a power supply voltage for charging the capacitor, and a charging voltage measuring circuit for measuring a charging voltage of the capacitor. Is done. Then, charging is started in accordance with an instruction from the control circuit 1, and the control circuit 1 monitors the charging voltage and stops charging when the charging voltage reaches a predetermined voltage. Strobe light emitting circuit 5
Is the start of flash emission by the high voltage trigger signal and X
Emission stop by stopping the e-tube current is executed in accordance with an instruction from the control circuit 1.

The lens frame includes a zoom lens 7 for changing the focal length of the photographing optical system, and a shutter 8 also serving as a diaphragm.
And a focus lens 9 for focus adjustment. The zoom lens 7 is driven through a zoom lens driving circuit 10 in accordance with an instruction from the control circuit 1, and the focal length at that time is determined by a Z sensor 11 and a focal length detecting circuit 12 provided in the lens frame.
Is input to the control circuit 1 via the. The shutter 8 is driven to open and close by a command from the control circuit 1 via a shutter drive circuit 13. The control circuit 1 detects a shutter open state via an S sensor 14 and a shutter detection circuit 15 provided in the shutter section. Exposure control is performed by time control.

The focus lens 9 is driven through a focus lens drive circuit 16 in accordance with an instruction from the control circuit 1, and the extension position at that time is controlled via an L sensor 17 and a lens position detection circuit 18 attached to the lens frame. Input to the circuit 1. The film feeding unit includes a spool 1 for winding the film.
9 and a spool chamber 20, a cartridge chamber (not shown) for loading the film cartridge 21, and a fork member (not shown) which engages with a key groove of the spool to rotate the spool 19 of the film cartridge 21. Is done.

When a film is loaded in the camera, the control circuit 1 controls the spool 1 via a film winding circuit 22.
9 and wind the film until the first frame reaches the shooting position. Further, the film for one frame is wound up every time the photographing is performed. The winding amount of the film is determined by counting the perforation of the film. That is, the control circuit 1 controls by detecting and counting the perforations passing through the F sensor 23 and the film detection circuit 24 provided on the pressure plate.

The control circuit 1 drives the LED 25 via the printing circuit 26 to print the data output from the clock circuit 33 on the film when the film is wound up after photographing. This may of course be magnetic recording. However, in this case, it is needless to say that the head is not an LED but a magnetic head. The film is rewound into the cartridge 21 when the shooting of all the frames is completed or when the user of the camera gives an instruction during the shooting. The control circuit 1 rotates the above-described fork member via the film rewinding circuit 27 to rewind the film.

The photometric unit comprises a photometric lens 40 and an AE sensor 4
1 and a photometric circuit 42. A photocurrent, which is output from the AE sensor 41 and is proportional to the luminance of the object scene, is converted into a voltage by the photometric circuit 42, logarithmically compressed, and output to the control circuit 1. The control circuit 1 controls the brightness data, the film sensitivity data input through the film sensitivity reading circuit 28,
Based on subject distance data, zoom lens focal length data, and camera mode, which will be described later, a shutter release time for proper exposure, necessity of strobe light emission, an appropriate amount of strobe light emission (time), and the like are calculated. .

The distance measurement performed by the camera is called "passive A".
F method ”, and the distance measurement unit includes a pair of distance measurement lenses 43a,
43b, AF sensor arrays 44a and 44b, and a distance measuring circuit 45. The control circuit 1 inputs a subject image signal formed on the AF sensor arrays 44a and 44b via a distance measuring circuit 45, calculates a subject distance from an interval between the two images, and further extends the focus lens 9. Calculate the amount.

The switch input circuit 29 includes a BRSW 46 interlocking with the opening and closing of a barrier that covers the front of the camera and plays a role of a power switch, and a BKSW 4 interlocking with the opening and closing of the back cover.
7, 1RSW48 which is turned on when the two-stage shutter release button is pressed down to the first stage, 2RSW49 which is also turned on when the shutter release button is pressed down to the second stage, ZUSW50 and ZDSW5 which are turned on in conjunction with the operation of the seesaw type zoom lever
MDSW5 that turns on in conjunction with push-button operation
2, the RWSW 53 and the like are connected, and outputs the state of each switch to the control circuit 1. When the ON state of the BRSW 46 is detected, the control circuit 1 recognizes that the user has opened the barrier of the camera, extends the zoom lens 7 from the retracted state to the wide-angle end at which photography can be performed, and starts charging the strobe. . Conversely, when the off state of the BRSW 46 is detected, the zoom lens 7 is retracted. The display described later is also linked to the BRSW 46.

When detecting that the BKSW 47 has changed from the on state to the off state, the control circuit 1 determines that the user has loaded the film and closed the back cover, and winds the film up to the first frame, that is, the so-called "initial". Perform "loading".

When the ON of the 1RSW 48 is detected, the control circuit 1 starts a preparation operation for photographing. That is, the distance measurement and the photometry are executed, and while the 1RSW 48 is kept on,
Preserving data and preparing for shooting.

Subsequently, when the 2RSW 49 is detected to be on, the focusing lens 9 is extended based on the above data, the shutter 8 is opened for a time necessary for proper exposure of the film, and after the exposure, the focusing lens 9 is moved. When the film is rewinded, the film is wound up by one frame, and when the strobe light is emitted, the battery is charged again to prepare for the next photographing. Z
When the ON of the USW 50 is detected, the control circuit 1 starts driving the zoom lens 7 to the telephoto side. And ZUSW5
The drive is continued until 0 is detected or the zoom lens 7 reaches the telephoto end. Similarly, when the ON of the ZDSW 51 is detected, the driving of the zoom lens 7 to the wide angle side is started. Then, whether the ZDSW 51 is turned off or
Driving is continued until the zoom lens 7 reaches the wide-angle end.

Each time the MDSW 52 is turned on, the control circuit 1 sequentially changes the shooting mode of the camera. That is,
Each time the user presses the MODE button, the mode of the camera is updated to the auto mode, the red-eye reduction mode, the strobe light emission inhibition mode, the strobe forced light emission mode, and the like, and the display is updated at the same time. When the ON of the RWSW 53 is detected, the control circuit 1 starts rewinding the film.

Of the above switches, BRSW 46, B
KSW47 and RWSW53 are set as interrupt switches, and when the state changes, the switch input circuit 29
, An interrupt signal is output to the control circuit 1. Even when the control circuit 1 is in the stop mode for power saving, the operation is restarted when this interrupt signal is input.

The display circuit 30 is connected to a liquid crystal display section 31 for displaying a camera mode, a film counter, a date, and the like, and an LED display section 32 for AF in a finder section and for displaying a flash warning. Is converted to display data and displayed. The temperature measuring circuit 34 measures the environmental temperature of the camera and outputs the measured temperature to the control circuit 1. Control circuit 1
In addition to performing correction based on the notified temperature data at the time of AF calculation, the temperature data is also used as a process determination material when an abnormality occurs, which will be described later. Power supply voltage stabilization circuit 35
Operates a DC / DC converter in accordance with an instruction from the control circuit 1 to stabilize a circuit power supply when a large current is used such as when driving a motor or charging a strobe.

The power supply voltage detection circuit 36 measures the remaining amount of the battery, which is the power supply of the camera, according to the instruction of the control circuit 1, and outputs it to the control circuit 1. When the barrier is opened, the voltage of the battery is measured while a current flows through the pseudo load resistor immediately before driving the motor, and the subsequent operation is guaranteed. If the voltage of the battery is lower than the voltage limit at which operation can be guaranteed or lower, a battery warning display or a battery NG display is displayed to prompt the user to replace the battery. In the case of the battery NG, the operation of the camera is also prohibited.

The non-volatile memory 37 is an electrically rewritable memory, is connected to the control circuit 1 via a communication line, and stores data from the control circuit 1 or outputs data to the control circuit 1. The control circuit 1 stores the camera status data such as the film counter value, the history of the abnormality of the shutter 8 and the number of times of abnormality detection, the adjustment value, and the like in the built-in RAM and also in the non-volatile memory 37, and removes the battery. In such a case, when the battery is loaded again, the battery can be returned to the original state.

The control circuit 1 can communicate with a peripheral device connected to an external connector 39 via a communication circuit 38.
In addition to being able to send and receive data to and from the outside, it is also possible to externally execute a program built in the control circuit 1. Communication is set to be possible at any time by interrupt processing.

FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5 illustrate a series of operations of the control circuit 1 described above in the form of flowcharts. In FIG. 2, first, the battery is loaded into the camera,
When the barrier or the back cover is operated, the program stored in the ROM attached to the control circuit 1 is activated as follows.
Executed from ART.

In S1, the EE in the nonvolatile memory 37
Data necessary for controlling the camera is read from the PROM, and is expanded in the RAM provided therewith. In S2, the open / closed state of the barrier, that is, the ON / OFF state of the BRSW 46 is determined.
, The display of the liquid crystal display 31 and the LED display 32 is started. Further, if the BRSW 46 is in the off state, S4
Turn off the display with.

In step S5, a battery check is performed to determine whether or not the voltage of the battery as the power source (battery) can guarantee the operation of the camera. Proceed to step. The details of the battery check operation will be described later.

In S6, the REW stored in the RAM
Check the INDF (rewind execution flag). If it is 0, branch to S11. If it is 1, proceed to S7.

At S7, a film rewinding operation is performed. Rewinding is performed by rotating a fork member engaged with the film cartridge via the film rewinding circuit 27. The fact that the film is entangled in the cartridge is detected by the F sensor 2 via the film detection circuit 24.
The determination is made by detecting the perforation of the film in 3.

When the rewinding operation is completed, REW is executed in S8.
Clear the INDF, set REWINDEF (rewind end flag) in S9, and leave E
It is stored in the EPROM 37. Subsequently, in S11, LOC
Check KF (complete operation lock flag). As will be described in detail later, when LOCKF is 1, it means that an abnormality has been confirmed in the camera operation, and the process branches to S36 to perform processing after the abnormality. If LOCKF is 0, the process proceeds to S12.

Here, the processing procedure when there is an abnormality will be described first. First, in S36, the state of the 1RSW 48 is checked. If the 1RSW 48 is off, the process branches to S50 in FIG. On the other hand, if the 1RSW 48 is on, the state of the ZUSW 50 is checked in the following S37. If it is determined in step S37 that the ZUSW 50 is off, the process branches to step S50 in FIG. 3, and if it is determined that the ZUSW 50 is on, the process proceeds to the next step S38.

After waiting for 2 seconds in S38, in S39, the state of the 1RSW 48 is checked again. If the ON state is continued, the flow branches to S50 in FIG. If the switch is off, the state of the ZUSW 50 is checked again at S40. If the switch is on, the process branches to S50 in FIG. If both 1RSW48 and ZUSW50 are off, clear LOCKF in S41,
In S42, SHTDMGF (shutter damage flag:
(See below) and proceed to S43, where the EEPROM
37 is stored.

Thereafter, the zoom lens 7 is retracted in S50 in FIG. 3, and the display is turned off in S51.
Move to CK process. The collapsing operation of the zoom lens 7 is performed via the zoom lens driving circuit 10.
Is performed by driving. The retracted state of the zoom lens 7 is
The output signal of the Z sensor 11 is input via the focus detection circuit 12 to determine the position.

The above processing will be briefly described.
When F is 1, i.e., when the camera operation is confirmed abnormal and operation is restricted, for example, immediately after operating the barrier, the telephoto side of the shutter release button and the seesaw zoom lever is pressed. In addition, the operation lock state can be forcibly released by a special operation in which both are released in the next two seconds. However, such a specification is not used by a normal camera user, and it is desirable that the above-mentioned special operation has a level of speciality that the camera user does not accidentally execute.

If LOCKF is 0 in S11, LOADF (film loading execution flag) is checked in S12. If LOADF is 0, the process proceeds to S17. On the other hand, if LOADF is 1, S
At 13, film loading is executed. The film loading is an operation of feeding the first frame of the film to the photographing position, and is performed by rotating the spool 19 via the film winding circuit 22. For film position detection, use film sensor
3. The detection is performed by the film detection circuit 24. When the film loading is completed, LOADF is cleared in S14, REWINDEF is cleared in S15, and S1 is cleared.
In S6, after writing and storing in the EEPROM 37, S1
Go to 7.

In S17, the state of the BRSW 46 is checked again. Here, if the BRSW 46 is off,
Since it means that the barrier was closed during the above series of processing, the process branches to S22, where the zoom lens 7 is retracted,
After turning off the display in S23, the process proceeds to the STOP process.
On the other hand, if it is determined in S17 that the BRSW 46 is on, the subsequent processing is continued.

In S18, the camera temperature is input from the temperature measurement circuit 34. The input temperature data is used not only for correction of AF data and the like, but also as a reference for abnormality determination, which will be described later. In S19, the data display of the film counter and the like updated by the rewind operation and the loading operation is updated.

Next, following FIG. 3, in S20, SHTDM
Check GF. If SHTDMGF is 1, the shutter 8 may not function properly.
The process branches to S24 to check the operation of the shutter 8. On the other hand, if SHTDMGF is 0, it is determined that the shutter 8 functions normally and the process proceeds to S21.

In S24, the zoom lens 7 is extended to the focal length at which the operation of the shutter 8 has previously failed.
As will be described in detail later, when the function of the shutter 8 is doubtful, the focal length data (Z sensor 11,
The focal length detection circuit 12), the extension amount of the focus lens 9 (input from the L sensor 17 and the lens position detection circuit 18), temperature data (input from the temperature measurement circuit 34), and power supply voltage data (from the power supply voltage detection circuit 36). EEPR)
Since it is stored in the OM 37, it can be extended to the focal length at that time.

In S25, the focus lens 9 is similarly extended to the position where the abnormality has occurred. These processes are procedures for checking the function of the shutter 8 under the same conditions as possible when an abnormality has previously occurred. For example, when the flexible printed circuit board for electric wiring in the mirror frame is broken, the zoom lens 7
The forming state of the substrate differs depending on the feeding amount of the shutter, and the substrate may accidentally become conductive in the collapsed state, but may become non-conductive when it is extended.
Is normal, but after that, it becomes abnormal again at the time of photographing, so as not to cause further inconvenience to the camera user. Therefore, it is not always necessary to set the above processing procedure to a condition when an abnormality occurs, and it can be said that it is desirable to set a condition in which an abnormality is more likely to occur. These conditions differ depending on the mechanism of the camera. For example, the zoom lens 7 extends to the telephoto end, the focus lens 9 extends to the closest end, and the drive voltage of the shutter 8 is set to a low voltage. It is. With the above processing, a reliable shutter check can be executed in S26.

In S27, the result of the shutter check in S26 is confirmed. If the shutter 8 functions normally, SHTDMGF is cleared in S28 and S29
After writing and storing in the EEPROM 37, the zoom lens 7 is temporarily retracted in S30. In S31, the film is wound up by one frame. This is because there is no reliability in the exposure to the shooting frame when the shutter 8 has an abnormality. Immediately after the shutter 8 returns to the normal state, the winding operation for one frame is performed to prepare for the next exposure. It is.

In S32, WINDF (winding execution flag) is cleared. In S33, it is determined whether or not the film is wound up as a result of film winding. If it is not the film end, the process proceeds to S35. If it is the film end, the process proceeds to S35 in order to execute the rewind operation later.
34 sets REWINDF, and S35 sets EEPR
Write and store in OM37.

If it is determined in step S27 that the operation of the shutter 8 is abnormal, the process branches to step S44. In S44, the power supply voltage at this time is checked. If it is determined that the power supply voltage is lower than the predetermined value, the process branches to S50, where the zoom lens 7 is retracted.
Move to CK process. In this case, the operation of the shutter 8 is certainly abnormal, but there is still a possibility of a temporary operation failure due to a low power supply voltage, so that a complete operation lock described later is not performed (LOCKF = 0). ). S4
At 5, the temperature is checked. If the temperature is not within the predetermined range, the flow branches to S50. As in the case of S44, this processing is performed when there is a possibility that the abnormality is temporary due to temperature.

If it is determined in S44 that the power supply voltage is sufficient and the temperature is in the predetermined range in S45, the abnormality counter is counted up in S46. The "abnormal counter" counts the number of times a deterministic abnormality has occurred in the shutter 8, and is reset to 0 when shipped from a camera manufacturer. Subsequently, in S47, it is determined whether the value of the abnormality counter is equal to or greater than a predetermined value N or less. If the value of the abnormality counter is less than N, the flow branches to S49. If the value is equal to or larger than N, LOCKF is set to 1 in the next S48, and then the process proceeds to S49.

As described above, once LOCKF
Is set, the operation is completely locked except for the film rewinding operation and the collapsing operation.
Be careful with this set. Therefore, even if an abnormality is satisfied while the conditions such as the operating environment temperature and the power supply voltage are satisfied, it is not possible to say that the abnormality has not occurred accidentally due to other factors. However, in this case as well, if N is set to an excessively large value, the meaning of the complete operation lock is lost.
A degree is desirable. Alternatively, it is possible to set N = 1 and immediately lock the operation completely when an abnormality occurs.

In step S49, the condition data, abnormality counter, abnormality occurrence date and time (input from the clock circuit 33), abnormality release such as various flags, temperature, power supply voltage, lens position, etc., and the total number of releases are stored in the EEPROM 3.
After writing in 7, the process proceeds to S50.

Now, in the above S20, SHTDMGF
Is continued when the value is 0. In this case, since the shutter 8 functions normally, the process proceeds to S21, where W
Check the INDF, and if WINDF is 0, proceed to S60 in FIG. On the other hand, if WINDF is 1, S
The flow branches to 31 to execute the film winding process and thereafter.

Subsequently, in S60 of FIG.
(Flash charging execution flag) is set. Later this C
Charging of the strobe light emission capacitor is executed according to the setting of HARGF. The procedure after S61 in FIG. 4 is a loop process in a state where the barrier of the camera is opened. In S61, the display is updated.

In S62, the state of the BKSW 47 is checked. The BKSW 47 is a switch that is linked to the opening and closing of the back cover of the camera, and is configured to be turned on in the open state and turned off in the open state. That is, when the state of the BKSW 47 changes from ON to OFF, it may be determined that the camera user has loaded a film cartridge. In this case, the process branches to S92, and a LOADF (film loading flag) is set. After writing in the EEPROM 37 in S93, the process returns to START. LOADF is S in FIG.
A check is made in step 12, and a "film loading" process is performed thereafter.

If the BKSW 47 has not changed from ON to OFF, the state of the RWSW 53 is checked in S63. The RWSW 53 is linked to a rewind button for forcibly rewinding the film before the film is used up to the last frame. If the RWSW 53 changes from off to on, it is determined that the rewind button has been pressed. You.
In this case, the process branches to S94, sets a REWINDF (rewind flag), and in S95, sets the EEPROM 37
And then returns to START.

The above-mentioned REWINDF is checked at S6 in FIG. 2, and thereafter, "film rewind processing" is performed.
If the RWSW 53 has not changed from off to on,
In S64, the state of the BRSW 46 is checked. BRSW
If 46 is off, the process returns to START without proceeding. The BRSW 46 is checked in S2 and S17 in FIG. 2, and shifts to a “STOP” process. On the other hand, BRSW4
Even if 6 is on, REWINDE in S65 in FIG.
If F is 1, the process does not proceed and returns to S61. That is, in the state where the film rewinding has been completed, no operation other than the barrier operation, the back cover operation, and the rewinding operation is accepted.

If REWINDEF is 0 in S65, it is determined in S66 whether the zoom lens 7 has been extended. This determination is made based on an input signal from the focal length detection circuit 12. If it is determined that the zoom lens 7 has already been extended to the photographing area, the process proceeds to S68. If it is determined that the zoom lens 7 is still in the retracted state, the zoom lens 7 is extended to the wide-angle end in S67. The focus lens 9 is moved to the infinite position and reset.

In S68, CHARGF is checked. CHARGF is used when a barrier or the like is operated (S6
0) and set after the exposure operation (S90 in FIG. 5).
If CHARGF is 0, the process proceeds to S72, and if it is 1, the strobe needs to be charged. Therefore, a battery check is performed in S69, and charging is performed in S70.
After the CHARGF is cleared in step, the process proceeds to S72 in FIG.

In S72 shown in FIG. 5, the state of 1RSW 48 is checked. That is, it is determined whether or not the shutter release button has been pressed. If the 1RSW 48 is off, the process branches to S96. On the other hand, if the 1RSW 48 is on, it is determined that the shutter release button has been pressed, and the process proceeds to S73 in preparation for photographing to perform a battery check.

In S74, the temperature is measured. In S75, the output data of the AF sensors 44a and 44b is input via the distance measuring circuit 45, and the distance to the subject and the focus lens 9 are set.
Is calculated. In S76, the AE sensor 41
Is output through the photometric circuit 42 to measure the luminance of the subject and to read the film sensitivity reading circuit 28.
Based on the film sensitivity data, the setting mode, the subject distance data, and the like, which are input via the CPU, the shutter release time, necessity of strobe light emission, strobe light emission timing, strobe light emission time, and the like are calculated.

In the state where the photographing preparation is completed as described above, S
At 77, it is checked whether or not the 2RSW 49 is on, that is, whether or not the shutter release button has been pressed.
If the 2RSW 49 is on, the flow shifts to the shooting operation from S79. On the other hand, if the 2RSW 49 is off, the state of the 1RSW 48 is re-checked in S78.
Continue to monitor the state of 49. If the 1RSW 48 is turned off, it can be determined that the shutter release button has been released, and the process returns to S61 in FIG.

When the shutter release button is pressed,
In S79, the focus lens 9 is extended based on the already calculated data. In S80, WINDF is set,
In S81, the data is written to the EEPROM 37. In S82, exposure to the film is performed, and the exposure operation will be described later in detail (see FIG. 12).

In S83, SHTDMGF is checked. This is to check whether or not the exposure operation has been completed normally. If SHTDMGF is 1, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the operation of the shutter 8, and the process branches to S26 in FIG. Perform a shutter check. Here, the process may branch to S44 in FIG. In this case, the abnormality detected during the exposure operation is counted as one abnormality occurrence number. If the exposure operation has been completed normally (SHTDMGF = 0), the film is wound up by one frame in S84. And in S85, WIN
DF is cleared to 0.

In S86, as a result of winding the film,
It is determined whether or not it is the film end. If the film end has not been reached, the process proceeds to step S88.
To set REWINDF to 1, and in S88, EEP
It is written and stored in the ROM 37. In S89, REWI
The NDF is checked, and if it is 1, the process returns to START to execute the film rewinding, and if it is 0, the process proceeds to the next S90.

In S90, CHARGF is set.
Thus, the strobe is charged in the next loop processing. In S91, the 1RSW 48 is checked, and this S91 is repeated while it is on. When turned off,
Since it is determined that the shutter release button has been released,
Returning to S61 in FIG. 4, similar loop processing is continued.

In S72 in FIG. 5 described above, 1
If the RSW 48 has been turned off, the process proceeds to S96, where the state of the ZUSW 50 is checked. If the ZUSW 50 is on, it means that the zoom lever has been operated to the telephoto side.
After performing a battery check in step 7, the zoom lens 7 is driven to the telephoto side in step S98. The “zoom extension process” in S98 ends when the ZUSW 50 is turned off or when the zoom lens 7 reaches the telephoto end.

In S99, ZUSW50 is checked,
While the switch is on, S99 is repeated. If the zoom lever is turned off, it is determined that the zoom lever has been released, so the flow returns to S61 to continue the loop processing. Note that the processing procedure of S100 to S103 is the same as that of S96 to S99 when the zoom lens 7 is moved to the wide angle side.

1RSW48, ZUSW50, ZDSW5
If none of them is turned on, in S104 the MD
Check the state of SW52. If the MDSW 52 is off, the process returns to S61 in FIG. 4. If the MDSW 52 is on, in S105, the operation mode of the camera is changed.
S106 is repeated until the DSW 52 is turned off, and the process returns to S61 in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a detailed flowchart showing the "STOP" process in FIG. In S400,
In order to suppress the current consumption of the camera, the control circuit 1 shifts the control to an operation stop mode (STOP mode). Immediately before the shift to the STOP mode, the control circuit 1 interrupts so as to be able to start by changing the state of each switch. You are setting.

Steps S401 and subsequent steps are the processing procedure after the control circuit 1 is activated by an interrupt. First, in S401, it is checked whether or not the activation factor is a change of the BKSW 47 from OFF to ON. Here, if the activation factor is BK
If it can be confirmed that the state of the switch SW47 has been changed from OFF to ON, it is determined that the camera back cover has been opened, and S40 is performed.
Clear LOADF in 2 and EEPROM in S403
After writing to 37, the process returns to S400 and shifts to the STOP mode again.

If it is determined in S401 that the activation factor is not the change of the BKSW 47 from OFF to ON, the process proceeds to S40.
In step 4, it is checked whether the activation factor is a change from the ON state of the BKSW 47 to the OFF state. Here, if it is confirmed that the activation factor is a change in the state of the BKSW 47 from ON to OFF, it is determined that the back cover of the camera has been closed, and the processing shifts to processing for loading the film. However, if an abnormality is found in the shutter 8, loading a new film imposes a disadvantage on the camera user, so that loading should not be performed. Therefore, SHTDMGF is checked in S405. Here, if this SHTDMGF is 1, there is a possibility that some abnormality has occurred in the shutter 8, so that
Without doing anything, the process returns to S400 and shifts to the STOP mode again. When SHTDMGF is 0, S4
06 sets LOADF to 1, and S407 sets EEPR
After writing in the OM 37, the process returns to S1 in FIG. 2, and in S13, the film loading is performed.

If it is determined in S404 that the activation factor is not a change from the ON state to the OFF state of the BKSW 47, it is checked in S408 whether the activation factor is a change in the RWSW 53 from OFF to ON. Here, if it is confirmed that the activation factor is a change in the state of the RWSW 53 from OFF to ON, REWINDF is set to 1 in S409 to execute rewinding of the film, and written to the EEPROM 37 in S410. After that, the process returns to S1 in FIG. 2, and the film is rewound in S7.

Finally, at S408, the activation factor is R
If it is determined that the WSW 53 has not been changed from OFF to ON, the process proceeds to S411, and in S411, it is checked whether or not the activation factor has been changed from OFF to ON of the BRSW 46. Here, if it is confirmed that the activation factor is a state change of the BRSW 46 from off to on,
Returning to S1 in FIG. 2, the operation of the camera is restarted. on the other hand,
If the activation factor is not a change in the state of the BRSW 46, the process returns to S400 and shifts to the stop mode again.

FIG. 7 shows the "operation LOCK" in FIG.
The processing is shown in detail in a flowchart. Operation LOC
The K process is a process performed when an abnormality is found in the operation of the shutter 8, and is a process for preventing the camera user from being disadvantaged thereafter. Therefore, in this operation LOCK process, basically, only "forced rewind" of the film is permitted.

In S500, the control circuit 1 shifts to the operation stop mode (STOP mode) in order to reduce the current consumption of the camera.
The control circuit 1 sets an interrupt so that it can be activated by a change in the state of each switch. The process after S501 is a process after the control circuit 1 is activated by an interrupt. First,
In S501, it is checked whether or not the activation factor is a change of the RWSW 53 from OFF to ON. Here, if it can be confirmed that the activation factor is a change in the state of the RWSW 53 from OFF to ON, REWINDF is set to 1 in S502 to execute film rewinding, and S is executed.
After writing in the EEPROM 37 in 503, the S in FIG.
Returning to step 1, the film is rewound in step S7.

Next, in S501, the activation factor is set to RWSW
If it is determined that 53 is not a change from off to on, in S504, it is checked whether the activation factor is a change from off to on or from on to off of the BRSW 46. Here, if it is confirmed that the activation factor is a change in the state of the BRSW 46, the process returns to S1 in FIG. 2 to resume the operation of the camera. This is to forcibly cancel the “operation LOCK” process described in FIG. 2 or to perform a shutter check operation. If the operation LOCK is not canceled and the normal return of the shutter 8 is not confirmed, the operation is immediately performed. The process returns to the LOCK process.
On the other hand, if the activation factor is not a change in the state of the BRSW 46, it is checked in S505 whether the activation factor is a communication request from the communication circuit 38.

When a peripheral device is connected to the external connector 39, communication with the peripheral device is executed in S506. By this communication, the data of the camera can be rewritten from outside the camera.
It is also possible to clear and release the operation lock.

If it is determined in S505 that the activation factor is not a communication request from the communication circuit 38,
When the communication process in S506 ends, the process returns to S500 and shifts to the STOP mode again.

FIG. 8 shows S5 in FIG. 2 and S6 in FIG.
9, the "battery check" process of S73, S97, and S101 in FIG. 5 is shown in detail in a flowchart.
First, in S600, the power supply voltage stabilizing circuit 35 is activated to stabilize the power supply of the circuit, and then a current (dummy load) is supplied to the pseudo load. This is a process for setting the battery close to the actual operating state of the camera and measuring an accurate power supply voltage.

In step S601, the voltage of the battery is measured by the power supply voltage detection circuit 36, the result is stored in the RAM, and the supply of the dummy load is terminated. In S602, the measured battery voltage is compared with a predetermined level 1. here,
If the battery voltage is equal to or higher than level 1, the subsequent camera operation can be sufficiently ensured, and thus the "battery check" process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S602 that the battery voltage is lower than level 1, the process proceeds to step S60.
At 3, a comparison is made with a predetermined level 2. Here, if the battery voltage is equal to or higher than level 2, that is, if the battery voltage is lower than level 1 and equal to or higher than level 2, the subsequent camera operation can be guaranteed, but the remaining battery level is small, so In order to prompt the user to replace the battery, a warning is displayed in step S604, and the battery check process ends.

In S603, if it is determined that the battery voltage is lower than level 2, since the subsequent camera operation cannot be guaranteed, an NG display of the battery is performed in S605, and the mode shifts to the STOP mode in S606. S607
In step S606, the activation factor is checked when the STOP mode is canceled in step S606. Here, if the activation factor is a change in the state of the BRSW 46, the process proceeds to S2 in FIG.
Return to 1 and restart the operation. However, the activation factor is BRS
If it is determined that the change is not the state change of W46, the process returns to S606 and enters the STOP mode again. That is, when the battery voltage becomes the NG level, the camera does not restart except for the barrier operation or the replacement of the battery.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show the structure and operation of the shutter 8 in the camera of the present embodiment. FIG. 9 shows a case where the shutter 8 is in a closed state, and FIG. It shows a case in which it is in an open state. The shutter 8 in this camera detects the state of the solenoid 77, the plunger 77a, the sectors 71 and 72, the sector lever 75, the shutter, and the S for detecting an abnormality.
It is composed of various components such as a sensor (PI: photo interrupter) 14. These various components are respectively arranged at predetermined positions on a shutter base plate (not shown) fixed to the camera body inside the camera. The shutter base plate is provided with an opening 70 for exposure, and the center of the opening 70 is set so as to substantially coincide with the optical axis of the taking lens.

In the vicinity of the opening 70 of the shutter base plate, sector pins 73 and 74 are set up with respect to the shutter base plate. Each of the sector pins 73 and 74 has a hole formed in the base of each of the sectors 71 and 72 composed of two thin plate members having a substantially half-moon shape. Thus, the sectors 71 and 72 are rotatably supported with respect to the shutter base plate between a closed position where the opening 70 is shielded from light and an open position where the opening 70 is exposed.

In the vicinity of the sectors 71 and 72, approximately L
A letter-shaped sector lever 75 is rotatably supported on the shutter base plate. At the tip of one arm of the sector lever 75, a pin 75b is implanted.
A cam hole provided at the base of each of the sectors 71 and 72 is engaged with 5b. A pin 75a is also implanted at the tip of the other arm of the sector lever 75, and the pin 75a is arranged so as to abut the tip of the plunger 77a of the solenoid 77. An opening spring 76 is suspended between the other arm of the sector lever 75 and a fixed portion (not shown) of the shutter base plate.

The urging force of the opening spring 76 is shown in FIGS.
The direction is set in the direction of the arrow X1 shown in FIG. 0 to rotate the sector lever 75 counterclockwise in FIGS. Accordingly, the sectors 71 and 72 are urged by the urging force of the opening spring 76 in a direction to open the opening 70. Also, the direction in which the plunger 77a is separated from the plunger 77a, that is, FIGS.
Spring 78 which urges in the direction of arrow X2 shown in FIG.
Are suspended between the shutter base plate and a fixed portion (not shown). Therefore, rotation of the sector lever 75 in the counterclockwise direction by the urging force of the opening spring 76 is regulated by the urging force of the separation spring 78. Thereby, the plunger 7
When the suction circuit 7a is driven and controlled by the control circuit 1 via the shutter drive circuit 13 to perform the suction operation or the opening operation, the sector lever 75 is rotated in a predetermined direction. Accordingly, the sectors 70 and 72 also rotate in a predetermined direction, so that the opening 70 is opened and closed.

On the other hand, a PI (photo interrupter) 14
Is a predetermined position on the shutter base plate, that is, FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 0, the shutter 71 is fixed integrally with the shutter base plate at a position where the rotation of the sectors 71 and 72 can be detected. As shown in FIG. 9, when the opening 70 is opened by the sectors 71 and 72 (that is, the state shown in FIG. 9), the PI 14 in the camera according to the present embodiment is configured such that the detection luminous flux is
1 and is a position shielded by the
Before the opening 72 starts to rotate and the opening 70 starts to open, the opening 72 once goes through a transmitting state and a light blocking state, and is located at a predetermined position where the opening 70 starts to open and becomes transparent again.
Then, the PI 14 is released from the light blocking state of the detection light beam,
When this is transmitted, an ON signal is generated.

Thus, in this camera, the aperture 7
This signal, which is generated immediately before the start of the engagement of 0 and at the same time as the opening is started, is output to the control circuit 1, and the control circuit 1 recognizes this as a trigger signal indicating that the exposure operation is started, Exposure control processing is executed according to this. Further, as described later, the control circuit 1 also uses this signal to determine whether the shutter operation is abnormal.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing the operation of the shutter 8. Here, FIG. 9 and FIG.
The opening and closing operation of the shutter 8 will be described with reference to the change of the shutter 8 indicated by 0 and the chart of FIG. First, in the state shown in FIG. 9, the energization of the solenoid 77 is started (that is, the solenoid 77 is turned on; see reference numeral A in FIG. 11). Accordingly, the plunger 77a moves in the suction direction (the direction of the arrow X1 in FIG. 9) against the urging force of the separation spring 78. Thus, the sector lever 75 rotates counterclockwise by the urging force of the opening spring 76. Along with this, the pin 75 on one arm of the sector lever 75
b moves, and the sectors 71 and 72 rotate in predetermined directions. As a result, the opening 70 that has been shielded from light by the sectors 71 and 72 moves to the open state. In this case, before the sectors 71 and 72 start rotating and the opening 70 opens, the sector 71 releases the light blocking state of the PI 14, so that the detection light beam of the PI 14 changes to the transmitting state. Accordingly, the output signal level of the PI 14 changes from the high (Hi) state indicating the light shielding to the high state.
The state changes to a low (Lo) state indicating transmission (reference: B in FIG. 11).

When the rotation of the sector 71 further proceeds, PI
Reference numeral 14 once returns to the light-shielded state (reference: C in FIG. 11). Then, at the time point (open position) indicated by the reference symbol D in FIG.
The light blocking state of the opening 70 by the first and second 72 is gradually released,
The opening 70 is completely opened when it reaches the open position indicated by reference symbol E in FIG. The state at this time is the state shown in FIG.

Thereafter, the energization of the solenoid 77 is released (that is, the solenoid 77 is turned off; see reference F in FIG. 11).
And the plunger 77a by the urging force of the separation spring 78.
Is moved in the direction of arrow X2 in FIG. Accordingly, the sector lever 75 rotates clockwise, and the sectors 71 and 7 are rotated.
2 gradually shifts to the closed state (reference: G in FIG. 11). Then, when the sector 71 returns to the state shown in FIG.
The output signal level of the PI 14 returns to the high state through the high state and the low state (reference: H in FIG. 11).
Thus, it is detected that the opening 70 is completely closed by the sectors 71 and 72. The operation when the shutter 8 is operating normally is as described above.

The shutter 8 operates as described above,
In this case, if the shutter 8 operates abnormally for some reason, for example, it is considered that the output signal of the PI 14 also becomes abnormal. Therefore, by monitoring the signal of the PI 14 during the operation of the shutter 8, an abnormal operation of the shutter 8 can be detected.

The signal abnormality of the PI 14 and, consequently, the shutter 8
There are the following four cases of the abnormal operation. That is, first, when the output signal of the PI 14 is in a low state before the energization of the solenoid 77, second, after the energization of the solenoid 77,
If the output signal of the PI 14 does not change from the high level to the low level within a predetermined time (see: T1 in FIG. 11),
Third, after a change in the output signal of the PI 14 indicated by reference symbol B in FIG.
When the output signal of the PI 14 does not change from the high level to the low level again within T2) shown in FIG. 11, that is, when the signal indicated by the symbol D in FIG.
The case where the output signal of the PI 14 does not return to the high level within a predetermined time (see T3 in FIG. 11) after the energization of the solenoid 77 is released.

In the first case described above, it is conceivable that the sectors 71 and 72 of the shutter 8 are broken in an open state. Therefore, it is considered that the film disposed at the position facing the opening 70 at this time is highly likely to be in the exposed state. Next, in the above second and third cases,
It is considered that there is a high possibility that the opening operation when the sectors 71 and 72 of the shutter 8 are in the open state has an abnormality, and a normal exposure operation is not being executed. Further, in the above-described fourth case, there is an abnormality in the closing operation of the shutter 8, and not only the proper exposure was not performed, but also
It is considered that the shutter 8 remains open and the film is continuously exposed. As described above, the control circuit 1 determines, based on the output signal of the PI 14,
It has a function of detecting an abnormality of a predetermined operation of the camera.

FIG. 12 is a detailed flowchart showing the "exposure" operation of S82 in FIG. In S700, the state of the output signal of the PI (photo interrupter), which is the S sensor 14, is checked. As described with reference to FIG. 11, before driving the shutter 8, the output of the PI must be at a high level. Here, if the PI does not output a high signal, the shutter 8 has already been opened before driving, so the process branches to S719 to store that the shutter 8 was abnormal in the initial state, The process further proceeds to S727, and the abnormality detection flag SHTDM
GF is set, and in S728, the writing operation to the EEPROM 37 is completed.

On the other hand, if the initial state of the PI signal is normal, that is, high in S700, the energization of the solenoid 77 is started in S701. Thereby, the shutter 8
Starts driving. In S702, a time corresponding to T1 in FIG. 11 is set in a timer provided in the control circuit 1, and
In step S703, a timer is started. The time set here is actually a time with a margin to T1, but is set to T1 for simplicity.

At S704, the output signal of PI is checked. This is because the sector 71 starts to rotate, and FIG.
This is for confirming a signal change represented by reference symbol B in FIG. If the PI output signal is high in S704,
The process shifts to S720, and the timer is checked in S720. Here, if the time set in the timer has elapsed, it means that a change in the PI output signal corresponding to the code B in FIG. 11 has not been detected within the time T1, so that in S721, The fact that the shutter 8 has T1 abnormality is stored, and the flow advances to S727. In this case, sector 71
May be slower than intended or not moving.

On the other hand, if it is confirmed in step S704 that the PI output signal has become low,
At 5, the timer 8 is set to the shutter 8 opening time (TSHT), and at S706, the timer is started. The time set here is the time calculated in S76 in FIG. 5, the time corresponding to T2 in FIG.
The delay time from when the energization of 7 is released to when the sectors 71 and 72 actually start the closing operation is corrected in advance.

In S707, the time measured by the timer is as shown in FIG.
It is checked whether the time corresponding to T2 in 1 has elapsed. Here, T2 is also the actual T2 as in the case of T1 described above.
It is a time that has enough time for
Keep 2 If the timer has not counted T2 in S707, it is checked in S708 whether the PI output signal has changed from high level to low level. That is, it is checked whether or not a signal change represented by a symbol D in FIG. 11 has been detected. If a signal change has not been detected yet, the process returns to S707 again, and the above processing is repeated. If the time T2 has elapsed in S707 before the signal change is detected in S708, the process branches to S722, stores that the shutter 8 has T2 abnormality, and proceeds to S727. In this case, it is conceivable that the movement of the sector 71 is slower than intended or stopped halfway in the section represented by the reference symbols B to D in FIG. When the change of the PI output signal is confirmed in S708, the “exposure second playback loop” process of S709 to S713 is executed.

In step S709, the flash emission flag (FL)
Check (SHF). FLSHF is a flag that is set when strobe light emission is necessary.
It is set at 76. If FLSHF is 0, the process proceeds to S713. On the other hand, if FLSHF is 1, in S710, the time counted by the timer is set to the strobe light emission timing (T
It is checked whether or not the time corresponding to (FLSH) has elapsed. TFLSH is the time calculated in S76 in FIG.

If it is determined in step S710 that the flash emission timing has not been reached, the process returns to step S709 to repeat the above processing. If it is the flash emission timing, the flash is emitted in S711, and then the FLSHF is cleared to 0 in S712. S713
Then, it is checked whether or not the exposure time has ended. If the processing has not been completed, the process returns to S709 to continue the exposure time reproduction processing.

If the end of the exposure time is detected in S713, the energization of the solenoid 77 is released in S714. As a result, the sectors 71 and 72 shift to the closing operation. As is clear from the timing chart of FIG. 11, in the process of normally closing the shutter 8, the PI output signal changes twice from the low level to the high level. S71
From 5 onward, these two changes are checked. S71
At 5, the timer is set to a time corresponding to T3 in FIG. 11, and the timer is started at S716. However,
Here, it is only necessary to finally confirm the opening of the shutter 8 indicated by the reference symbol H in FIG. 11, so that a time that has a margin several times as large as the actual T3 is set. Therefore, it is set to T3.

In S717, the first PI output signal change is checked. When a change is confirmed, S
Proceeding to 718, the PI output signal change of the second change is checked. In either case of S717 and S718, if no signal change is confirmed, the timer is checked in S723 and S725, and if T3 has not elapsed, the process returns to S717 and S718 to continue the checking process. , T3 have elapsed, S724 and S7
At 26, the fact that the shutter 8 was abnormal at T3 is stored,
The process proceeds to S727. In this case, the closing operation of the shutter 8 is abnormal. If a second change in the PI output signal is confirmed in S718, the shutter 8 has normally completed the exposure operation, and the exposure operation process ends here.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing in detail the shutter check operation in S26 of FIG. still,
In this processing, there are many processing steps similar to the “exposure” operation processing in FIG. 12, and therefore, steps that perform the same processing as in FIG. 12 are given the same reference numerals as in FIG. 12, and description thereof is omitted.

In S800, the first check flag (CH
K1F) is set. In the shutter check operation, two checks are performed to improve the reliability. CHK1F is a flag indicating that the first check is being performed. By the way, in the first check,
A longer check time corresponding to T1 and T2 is used to check whether the sectors 71 and 72 are not operating at all or whether the operation is only slow due to the attachment of foreign matter or the like. It is also expected that it may be removed during the checking operation here. Also,
On the other hand, in the second check, the time corresponding to T1 and T2 is set short, and the purpose is to check again whether the shutter has returned to normal.

In steps S801 and S802, it is checked where the abnormality of the shutter 8 occurred. In S801,
If it is determined that the abnormality is an initial state abnormality, or
If it is determined in 802 that T3 is abnormal, S8
03 to S806 are performed. In the case of the above abnormality, there is a possibility that the shutter 8 is kept open.
The check is performed after the shutter is driven once. That is, in S803, the solenoid 77 is energized,
After waiting for a predetermined time (T4) in 804, S805
Then, the energization of the solenoid 77 is released, and in S806, the process waits for a predetermined time (T5). For example, this is a process expecting the possibility that foreign matter is attached to the sectors 71 and 72 by forced driving here. T4 and T5 are sufficient times for opening and closing the shutter 8,
For example, a long time of about 100 ms is set.

S700, S701, S702, S719
Are the same as in FIG. However, after execution of S719, S8
Proceeding to 19, as a result of the shutter check, a flag (CHKNGF) indicating that the shutter 8 is abnormal is set. In S27 in FIG. 3, the result of the shutter check is determined by checking this flag.

In S807, CHK1F is checked.
If it is 1, in S702, the already set T
The time corresponding to 1 is reset to a longer time T1 '. As described above, the first check is to take a longer time for determination.

S703, S704, S720, S721
Are the same as in FIG. However, after execution of S721, S8
Proceed to 19. If it is confirmed in step S704 that the PI output signal has become low level, the timer sets the shutter 8 open time (TSHTS) in step S809.

In S810, CHK1F is checked.
If it is 1, in step S811, the already set T
Reset the SHTS to a longer time (TSHTL).
In S812, the timer is started at the set time. In step S813, the process stands by until the timer measures the set time. In S814, during the standby, the PI
It is checked whether the output signal has changed from high level to low level. That is, it is checked whether or not a signal change represented by a symbol D in FIG. 11 has been detected. If no signal change has been detected, the flow branches to S722 to store the fact that the shutter 8 has an abnormality in T2, and
Proceed to 819.

If it is determined in step S814 that the PI output signal has changed, the flow advances to step S714. S714, S71
5, S716, S717, S718, S723, S72
4, S725 and S726 are the same as those in FIG. However,
After execution of S724 and S726, the process proceeds to S819. When the above four checks have been completed normally, S815
Then, check CHK1F. Here, if CHK1F is 1, it indicates that the first check has been completed, so the flow branches to S816, where CHK1F is cleared, and then SK.
At 817, the shutter drive voltage is set to a voltage lower than usual, and the process returns to S700 to start the second check.

In S816, by clearing CHK1F, the second check time is strictly performed with a short time and a low voltage. By the way, in S815, CHK
If 1F is 0, even in the second check, four checks have been completed normally, so in S818,
CHKNGF is cleared, and a series of “shutter check” processing ends.

(Operation and Effect) As described above, in the camera of this embodiment, for example, the temperature measurement circuit 34 measures the environmental temperature of the camera, and performs control based on the temperature data notified to the control circuit 1. The program in the circuit 1 is AF
In addition to correcting the calculation, it also makes a judgment when an abnormality occurs.
That is, when a camera abnormality is detected, the environmental temperature before the operation is used for determination, and when the temperature is out of the operation guarantee range by a predetermined amount, this is not counted as the number of times of abnormality detection, and the camera is locked. ing.

As described above, in this camera, attention is paid to the temperature condition by measuring the air temperature. However, the disadvantage that the camera is not unlocked once it is locked in the immobile state as in the prior art is eliminated, and the temperature at which the operation can be guaranteed is eliminated. Returning to the range will allow normal use of the camera immediately without leaving the camera inactive. In addition, this camera pays attention to the voltage of the power supply, and the same operation and effect can be obtained.

This camera can prevent accidental abnormal operations from being repeated and can use the camera with normal operations within a range that can be used as long as the camera does not really break down. Thus, it is understood that consideration is given to avoiding inconvenience to the user as much as possible. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a camera that is more accurately determined to be abnormal and that is not set to the inoperative state when the camera is not out of order is realized.

(Modification) The above embodiment may be modified as follows. For example, the environmental condition of the object to be measured may be the humidity of the environment in which the camera is used, in addition to the above-described temperature, and the use condition of the camera may be set strictly, particularly when the camera is used in the rain. In addition, as long as it is a factor that adversely affects the operation itself of the camera, attention may be paid to an overcurrent value, a resistance abnormality, and the like of other parts other than the voltage of the battery or the like. According to these, the same or higher effects as those of the illustrated embodiment can be expected.

(Other Modifications) In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As described above, the description has been given based on the embodiments and the modifications thereof. However, the present invention includes the following inventions. (1) When the camera detects an abnormality, the environmental conditions before the operation are checked, and if the camera is out of the camera operation guarantee range by a predetermined amount, the camera is locked without counting the number of occurrences of the abnormality. A camera characterized in that it is controlled to

(2) The environmental condition is at least temperature, humidity or power supply voltage. (1)
Can be provided.

[0114]

As described above, according to the present invention, the abnormality of the camera is more accurately determined, and if it cannot be said that the camera is actually out of order, the camera is inadvertently set to the inoperative state. It is possible to provide a camera that does not have to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a camera as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure executed by a control circuit of the camera.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the operation procedure of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the operation procedure of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the operation procedure of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the “STOP” processing in FIG. 2 in detail;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an “operation LOCK” process in FIG. 2 in detail;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of a “battery check” process in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration when a shutter of the camera is in a closed state.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration when a shutter of the camera is in an open state.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing a change in shutter opening / closing operation and a signal change accompanying the change.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the “exposure” operation procedure in FIG. 5 in detail;

FIG. 13 is “Shutter check” in FIG. 2;
5 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure in detail.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the operation procedure of FIG. 13;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Control circuit (built-in program), 2 ... Xe tube, 3 ... Reflector, 4 ... Fresnel lens, 5 ... Strobe light emitting circuit, 6 ... Strobe charging circuit, 7 ... Zoom lens, 8 ... Shutter, 9 ... Focal lens, 10 ... Zoom lens drive circuit, 11 ... Z sensor (for focal length detection), 12 ... Focal length detection circuit, 13 ... Shutter drive circuit, 14 ... S sensor (for shutter detection), 15 ... Shutter detection circuit, 16 ... Focal lens Drive circuit, 17: L sensor (for detecting the lens position), 18: Lens position detecting circuit, 19: Spool, 20: Spool chamber, 21: Film cartridge, 22: Film winding circuit, 23: F sensor (for detecting film) , 24 ... film detection circuit, 25 ... LED, 26 ... printing circuit, 27 ... film rewind circuit, 28 ... file 29: switch input circuit, 30: display circuit, 31: liquid crystal display, 32: LED display, 33: clock circuit, 34: temperature measurement circuit, 35: power supply stabilization circuit, 36: power supply voltage Detection circuit, 37: Non-volatile memory, 38: Communication circuit, 39: External connector, 40: Lens (for AE sensor), 41: AE sensor, 42: Photometry circuit, 43a, 43b: Lens (for AF sensor), 44a 44b AF sensor, 45 distance measuring circuit, 46-53 various switches, 70 opening, 71, 72 sector, 73, 74 sector pin, 75 sector lever, 76 opening spring, 77 solenoid, 77a … Plunger, 78… separation spring. S1 to S106: camera sequence (main routine), S400 to S411: STOP (subroutine), S500 to S506: operation LOCK (subroutine), S600 to S607: battery check (subroutine), S700 to S728: exposure (subroutine), S800 S819: Shutter check (subroutine).

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H020 MA03 MA05 MC53 MC54 MC55 MC61 MC62 MC71 MC79 MC83 MC84 ME07 ME34 2H100 DD02 EE00 FF01 FF02

Claims (2)

[Claims] An abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality in the operation of the camera; a non-operation setting means for setting the operation of the camera to an inoperative state when the abnormal operation is detected by the abnormality detecting means; And a limiting unit that limits the setting of the non-operation setting unit when the condition of (1) is satisfied. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the restricting unit restricts a non-operation setting of the camera according to at least one of temperature and voltage.