JP2001228526A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera which is manufactured without necessitating a large-scaled manufacturing line while assembling a complicated unit and whose quality is excellent. SOLUTION: This camera is composed of plural units (a mirror frame unit 2, a main body unit 1, an autofocusing unit 3 and a stroboscope unit 4), and possesses memories (unit nonvolatile memories 20, 16, 30 and 40) respectively provided for the plural units and to store quality information for each unit and a controlling means (a microcomputer 10) to control warning or display based on information obtained by combining the stored content of each memory.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera comprising a plurality of units.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It has been common practice to attach a date of manufacture, a serial number, a lot number, etc. to a part or unit in order to manage the parts or unit constituting the camera. Such information is stamped on the unit body, or the history of each unit is recorded using a sticker or a bar code. A technique for correcting variations in camera components using data stored in an EEPROM is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-198818.

[0003]

However, when the camera system becomes complicated, the units constituting the system become complicated, and the performance of the system cannot be managed only by the conventional serial number and lot number. In other words, each unit composed of a complex group of components accumulates variation in components, and therefore, depending on the combination of units, the camera composed of each unit may be incompatible with each other, and good performance may not be obtained.

[0004] In addition, information on the combination of units cannot be handled by conventional management methods such as engraving and barcodes, or a camera cannot meet the standard without management by introducing a complicated network computer. Often it was a good product.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-198818 describes a technique for correcting variations, but does not disclose any combination of units.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a high-quality camera which does not require a large-scale production line while combining complicated units. Is to do.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising a plurality of units, provided in each of the plurality of units, and provided with quality information about each unit. And a control means for controlling a warning or a display based on information obtained by combining the storage contents of the memories.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising a plurality of units each having a memory, wherein each of the memories has a first area for storing data for controlling a camera operation according to a design value. , And a second area for storing quality information such as an error.

A third invention is a camera comprising a plurality of units, wherein the camera is provided in the plurality of units,
Each of the first area for storing the quality information under the first condition, the memory having a second area for storing the quality information under the second condition, and the quality under the first condition, The control device includes a control unit that performs correction control to match the design value, and a determination unit that determines a quality state of the camera based on a combination of information in the second area of each memory.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a state of a camera manufacturing factory. 3 (b), (c),
As shown in (d), the camera 100 during manufacture includes a lens frame unit 2, a main body unit 1, an AF unit 3, and the like.

In the manufacture of a camera, various adjustments are made to cancel the cause of the variation of each unit, and then the unit is shipped. If the variation overlaps, the unit may not meet a predetermined standard. For example, when each unit has a variation in the front focus tendency in the last minute range, the camera in which these are integrated has a high probability of failure. Therefore, in the present embodiment, each unit includes a memory 20a (in the case of the lens frame unit 2), 1b (in the case of the main unit 1), and 20b (in the case of the AF unit 3) capable of storing unit data indicating the tendency of variation. Have.

In the flowchart of the camera manufacturing line as shown in FIG. 4A, first, the unit data stored in each memory is read (step S).
1) Combined information obtained by combining the unit data is formed (step S2), and it is determined whether or not the combined information satisfies a predetermined standard (step S3). If not, a warning is issued (step S5). When entering, the combined information (for example, the degree of the previous pin) is stored in the nonvolatile memory for the main body (the main body EE).
(PROM) (step S4).

As shown in FIG. 3A, the repairer 60 confirms the combined information of the camera for which the warning has been issued, and reconfigures the camera into a unit 2b having another variation.

[0015] The camera itself may have a display function. That is, in the flowchart of FIG. 4B, when the display button is pressed (step S10), the variation data of each unit is combined to form combined information, which is used as display data (step S11). Next, the display data is displayed on the display unit (LCD) 19a (step S12). As a result, the repairer 60 can determine, for example, what the focus characteristic tends to be and perform quick repair. In addition, it is possible to grasp the tendency of variation of each unit and feed it back to the preceding process.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a part of functions of a camera in the first embodiment of the present invention. A microcomputer 10 provided in the main unit 1 and controlling a camera controls a driver circuit 11 to drive a zoom & film driving motor 12 to operate a film feeding mechanism 14. At the same time, the driving force distribution mechanism 13 also drives the speed reduction mechanism 15 which is the driving source of the lens frame unit 2.

The main body non-volatile memory 16 includes, for example, threshold data of a photo interrupter signal for detecting the number of rotations of the zoom & film drive motor 12 and a film feeding mechanism as parameters for the above-mentioned driving. , The threshold data of the perforation detection signal is stored as history information unique to the main unit.

The lens frame unit 2 includes a photographing lens 6 for changing the focal length to focus on a subject, and a lens shutter 7 for performing an exposure operation. A so-called zoom operation is performed by the variable focal length mechanism 21 using the main unit 1 as a drive source to change the focal length. At the same time, focal length information detected by the focal length detecting circuit 22 is transmitted to the microcomputer 10.

The microcomputer 10 drives the lens drive motor 25 to control the focus adjustment mechanism 24 based on the signal of the pulse generation circuit 26 to perform focusing.

The nonvolatile memory 20 for the lens frame unit includes:
Information on the correspondence between the focal length at the time of focusing and the zoom position of the lens frame, information on the resolution of the focus adjustment mechanism 24, information on the moving speed characteristics of the sector blades when the shutter is opened and closed, and the like are stored.

The autofocus unit 3 is operated by the AF sensor 3 based on a signal from the microcomputer 10.
2 has a distance detection circuit 31 for performing distance measurement by driving.

The nonvolatile memory 30 for the AF unit includes:
Adjustment data for matching the distance measurement data with the actual distance, and data such as temperature characteristics of the sensor are stored.

The strobe unit 4 is a unit for controlling light emission of a flash 43 by a charging circuit 41 for charging to a voltage required for light emission by a signal from the microcomputer 10 and a light amount control circuit 42.

The flash unit nonvolatile memory 40 stores charging voltage data, light emission time data, and the like.

The main unit 1 is provided with a communication interface circuit 17 for communicating with an external control device 50 such as a personal computer, for example. Can read and modify any information stored in the nonvolatile memory.

Each of the units functions as a camera by being combined, and the data is exchanged between the units mainly by the main unit.
Information as to which unit has been combined, characteristics when combined, and the like are stored as history in the nonvolatile memory.

FIG. 2 is a memory space diagram showing the first embodiment of the present invention, and conceptually shows the spatial arrangement of nonvolatile memories provided for each unit. The nonvolatile memory stores a management number of the unit itself, a manufacturing date, a lot number of parts, adjustment data for realizing a target performance of the unit, variation data from design, and the like. Further, the nonvolatile memory of the main unit includes an area for recording information on the quality of performance determined by further combining information of each unit.

Here, first, the components relating to the camera focusing will be described with respect to the present embodiment. FIG. 5A shows a configuration of a distance measuring unit, in which a light projecting lens 70 for projecting light of an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) 72 for projecting infrared rays to a subject, and receiving a reflected signal light from the subject. A light receiving lens 71 and a sensor (PSD) 73 provided on a flexible substrate 73a for detecting the position of the reflected signal light are provided so as to be adhered to the frame 32. Further, an integrated circuit (AFIC) having a function of controlling the IRED 72 and the PSD 73 and processing an output signal thereof.
31 and the EEPROM 30 are mounted on a printed circuit board 74.

FIG. 5B is a view showing a state in which the above-described distance measuring units are connected by a lead wire 72a, a flexible board 73a and the like.

The position at which the reflected signal light from the subject enters the PSD 73 varies depending on the subject. From this, the subject distance is detected based on the principle of triangulation. However, in addition to the quality of each component such as IC, the variation of the assembly and the like are accumulated, and simply assembling each component,
The distance measurement performance as designed cannot be obtained.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, an assembling process as shown in FIG. That is, after assembling, bonding (step S20), adjustment (step S21), bonding (step S22), the characteristics of the distance measuring unit (AF unit) are checked in step S23, and the result is written in the EEPROM (step S24). ). Here, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), an operator 77 actually operates the distance measuring unit at a factory and checks its characteristics. The electric circuit of the distance measuring unit communicates with the personal computer 75 via the connector 76, and the distance measurement result obtained when the chart 78 arranged with a predetermined distance L1 is measured is taken into the personal computer 75.

Here, the flow of the AF characteristic check of FIG. 6B is executed so that the deviation from the design value is eliminated. That is, the IRED is caused to emit light (step S30), an actual measurement value DL1 at a predetermined distance is obtained (step S31), and an error ΔDL between the actual measurement value at this time and the design value DL0 is obtained to obtain the unit nonvolatile memory ( (EEPROM) (step S33). As a result, at the time of actual distance measurement, the distance is calculated by adding the correction value ΔDL to the actually measured value DL1, and the focus is adjusted.

In step S32, the personal computer 75 recognizes and determines the light quantity PL1 at the time of distance measurement for the chart 78 of FIG. 5C. Next, in step S34, step S
The light amount determined in 32 is compared with the light amount of the design value. As described above, the light projection type distance measuring device outputs an accurate distance measurement value if the light amount is sufficient. However, if the light amount is small due to the quality of the components, for example, accuracy degradation at a long distance is likely to occur. That is, a unit having a small amount of light tends to focus on a long distance.

If it is determined in step S34 that the amount of light is small, the flow branches to step S36, in which the value FAF indicating that an error is likely to occur at a long distance is set to -0.1, and in step S37, the value is set to the non-volatile memory for the unit. Memory (EEPR)
OM). If the light amount is sufficient, FAF is set to 0 (step S35). It is possible to write in the memory whether or not the manufactured ranging unit is likely to cause an error.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a step of storing a deviation from a design value which occurs in assembling the camera body. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for assembling the main body. As shown in FIG. 7A, a film winding and winding portion (main body) 1 includes a winding motor 12, a winding and rewinding gear train 14, and E.
The board 16a on which the EPROM 16 is mounted is assembled with screws to form a main unit (step S40).
In the main unit manufactured as described above, FIG.
As shown in (b), a surface 100 to which a lens frame unit including a photographing lens is applied and a surface 1 to which a film is applied
The position difference FK at position 01 is an important factor when focusing the camera. The reason is that the auto focus control of the camera is to adjust the lens position so that the lens is in focus with respect to the film surface 101. If this FK deviates from the design value, even if the distance measurement result of the distance measurement unit is accurate, the camera will not be adjusted. It is out of focus because it focuses on the wrong place.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7C, the difference FK between the positions of the two surfaces at the center is actually measured using the laser displacement meters 81a, 81b and 81c (step S4).
1) Calculate the deviation ΔF from the design value (step S4)
2) Write ΔF as FH into the EEPROM (step S43). At the time of focusing, the microcomputer 10 of the camera (FIG. 1) performs control taking this value into account.

On the other hand, since the focus of the peripheral portion of the screen is also important, the deviation ΔF of the peripheral portion is also checked in step S44. Next, the obtained .DELTA.F is compared with the deviation .DELTA.F with respect to the center obtained earlier to obtain a further error, and this is stored in the EEPROM as FH1 (step S4).
5).

In FIG. 7C, reference numeral 80 denotes a personal computer. Reference numeral 82 denotes a jig to be applied to the film surface, and the main unit 1 is checked while being firmly fixed by being sandwiched between metal plates 84a and 84b pressed by the force of springs 83a and 83b. I have.

Non-volatile memory 1 for main unit of main unit 1
Reference numeral 6 stores information on error factors that are likely to affect the actual shooting due to backlash during molding and assembly distortion.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a process of storing a deviation from a design value which occurs in assembling the lens barrel unit 2 of the camera. As shown in FIG. 9A, mirror frames 6a, 6b, 6c for fixing a lens, a shutter unit 7, and the like are assembled in the unit frame 2, and the EEPROM 2
A substrate 20a having 0 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 9B, these lens systems are fixed to the main body unit 1 so that the reflected light from the subject is focused on the film 89 during photographing. Therefore, the quality of each component affects the focus accuracy in a form amplified by the lens. In addition, since the lens causes a focus shift due to a spatial frequency due to a tilt or a position error and a focus shift due to the vertical and horizontal directions of the chart, very accurate assembly and measurement are required.

FIG. 9C shows a configuration for actually measuring the deviation from the design value of the camera frame unit 2, and FIG. 10A is a flowchart of assembling the camera frame unit 2. After assembly and bonding (step S50), the parallel light formed by the light source 90 and the lens 91 is converted to a chart 92.
And the focus position is adjusted by the lens 93 to the CCD 93.
Fit on top. At this time, while checking the contrast, the CCD 93 is moved back and forth by the slide members 94a and 94b to check the quality of the focus position (step S51). The personal computer 97 monitors the output of the CCD 93 by an image processing circuit 96 connected to the CCD 93, scans the slide members 94 a and 94 b by the scanning mechanism 99, and checks the positions by the displacement amount inspection means 95.

The personal computer 97 stores the displacement amount at this time in the unit non-volatile memory (EEPROM) 20 so as to correct the deviation from the design value for forming an image.
Write as L (step S52). Camera CPU
Performs focus control taking this into account at the time of focusing.

After writing the EEPROM, the personal computer 97 switches the chart 92 by the chart switching means 98 (step S53). This may be a change such as changing the chart in which the spatial frequency is adjusted to 20 at the time of lens design to, for example, 10 or switching from a vertical chart to a horizontal chart. In any case, if they are made as designed, the focus position should not be deviated due to these chart changes, but there may be differences due to the aforementioned component precision and assembly variations. However, it is not always possible to produce only ideal products due to the ability of the production line, restrictions on process settings, and the like, and products having a predetermined tolerance must be judged as non-defective products. However, among non-defective products, there are non-defective non-defective products and ideal non-defective products.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the focus position after the chart switching is checked (step S54), and the deviation amount when the focus position is shifted is written as ΔFLC in the unit nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) 20 (step S54). S55).

As described above, in focusing, various units are entangled, and the performance is satisfied.

Steps S70 to S73 in FIG. 10B are flowcharts of unit combination information. In the above embodiment, the combined information of the focus relation of each unit is composed of the FAF of the distance measuring unit, the FH1 of the main unit, and the lens frame unit FLC, and a value obtained by reading and adding these values indicates the reliability of the focus (the combined information). ). That is, in addition to the EEPROM data that can be corrected under specific conditions, the reliability at a long distance, the reliability of focus other than at the center, and the reliability due to a change in the chart are evaluated as EEPROM of the same dimension.
By storing in the OM, the reliability at the time of actual shooting can be predicted in the process.

In this way, a camera whose condition is too poor in terms of unit combination is repaired or the unit is replaced. This is as described in FIGS. This combination information may be determined by the CPU of the camera from the EEPROM value of each unit, or the personal computer in the factory assembling process may determine from the EEPROM value of each unit. For example, in the final step of FIG. 3A, the worker 61 may connect the camera 100 and the personal computer 63 via the interface 62 to check. If the reliability is low due to the combined information, the personal computer 63 displays a warning to that effect.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
It is possible to provide a high-quality AF camera that not only satisfies the focus accuracy under specific conditions but also considers the reliability of focus under various environments and conditions. Moreover, even if there is some variation in each unit, it is acceptable if the variations cancel each other out when combined, and there is no problem for the user at all, so it is possible to effectively use the units that could not comply with strict standards and were blindly defective As a result, the defective rate can be reduced and a camera can be provided at low cost.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an exposure relationship will be described. FIG. 11A shows a configuration of an exposure photometry unit of the camera. A sensor 103, an IC 103a, an EEPR
The OM 105 is mounted. An aperture 102 is arranged on the front surface of the sensor 103. FIG. 11B shows the lens frame unit 2 and illustrates that the shutter actuator 28 and the shutter sector 7 are incorporated in the unit. 20 is EEPRO
M20.

FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b) are diagrams showing the variation characteristics of each of the above elements. The photometric unit can take a variation as shown by a dotted line with respect to a solid line of a design value as shown in FIG. 12A due to variation in characteristics of sensors and ICs and a difference in position between the diaphragm 102 and the sensor 103. Therefore, here, the brightness of the light source is changed by 3 points in the state of the photometry unit, and the photometry result (output of the IC) at that time is monitored, and the EEPROM 2 is used.
Write to 0.

Also, as shown in FIG. 12B, the lens frame unit also has an error in the aperture characteristics due to variations in the motor and transmission system, or differences in assembling and finishing of the sectors.
Therefore, the characteristics of the opening are checked over a plurality of timings, and the variation from the design value is checked in the EEPROM 2.
Write it to 0. FIG. 11C shows an overview of the camera 100 including such a unit. That is,
Even if the photometry unit and the lens frame unit have predetermined errors, if these are canceled out, there will be no problem with the camera. If the errors are emphasized, they will be treated as defective. The solid line indicates the design value, and the dotted line indicates the actually measured value, and the difference between them is an error.

FIG. 13A shows the relationship between the brightness and the control of the exposure time. The higher the brightness, the shorter the exposure time needs to be. Also, when the lens is dark, the exposure time needs to be longer because the lens is not brighter than the open aperture. In order to adjust this relationship according to the design value (theoretical value), the camera is actually operated at the brightness of the adjustment point, and adjustment is performed so that the error of the film surface exposure amount at that time becomes zero.

In particular, when the photometry and aperture characteristics have non-linear variations, errors may occur at positions other than the adjustment points. However, there is a time constraint in a mass production factory to adjust the error for all brightness (luminance). Therefore, in the present embodiment, adjustment is made so that the error is reduced not only at one point but also at a plurality of points in consideration of the characteristics of each unit. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13B, the shift H is corrected at the adjustment point to reduce the overall error amount.

In the case of focusing, calculation may be performed by giving a correction amount to each unit. However, in the case of exposure, it is practically difficult to make the shutter opening characteristics (particularly the opening timing) uniform by correction. Accordingly, a camera that opens early will have a shutter that tends to be over, so that if the brightness is the same, the metering will be over-corrected so that the exposure will not be unnecessarily long. Also, the camera that opens late will have a shutter that is slightly under,
Adjust the photometry result to be under in order to make the exposure time longer.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are diagrams showing the configuration of a checker used to monitor the aperture characteristics. The aperture characteristics of the shutter can be monitored by a checker as shown in FIG. The shutter 205 may be controlled by the personal computer 202 while light is incident from the light source 200, and the amount of light passing through the shutter 205 may be monitored by the light receiving element 203. So shutter 2
At the time of opening 05 and the relationship of the amount of light exposed on the film at that time, the unit inspection process can be checked in detail, and the error at that time is stored in the EEPROM. The deviation from the design value can be corrected from this error.

The photometric unit can be adjusted by using a checker as shown in FIG. Here, the light amount switching unit 2 is operated by a signal from the personal computer 202.
At 06, the light amount of the light source 200 is switched to
4 The output of the photometric unit is monitored by switching the brightness of the surface. The adjustment data for bringing the output of the photometric unit close to the theoretical value or the design value is written in the EEPROM of the photometric unit.

However, in practice, an adjustment error occurs in a very dark place or a bright place due to the linearity of the photometric circuit, the correction formula, and the restriction of the quantization error.

In the photometric unit adjustment, even if the most frequently used luminances BV8 and B12 are adjusted to have correct values, an error may occur in the BV4 and BV15, so this is measured and stored in the EEPROM.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the procedure of photometric adjustment at this time. First, the output of the luminance 8 is actually measured (step S80), and then the output of the luminance 12 is actually measured (step S81). Next, a correction value such that the luminance 8 and the luminance 12 become design values is calculated and stored in the EEPROM (step S82). Next, the output of the luminance 4 is checked to calculate an error (steps S83 and S84), and then the output of the luminance 15 is checked to calculate the error (steps S85 and S85).
86). Finally, the calculated error is stored in the EEPROM (step S87).

In a camera combining these units as shown in FIG. 13A, each unit has its own EEP.
Corrected by ROM value and works as designed,
In a dark place or a bright place, an error that cannot be corrected occurs. Since the error amount is also stored in the EEPROM of each unit, the error amount when combined (error 1, error 1 in FIG. 13)
2) can be determined. If these are large, a shift may be added to the adjustment point, and if the overall error is reduced, the shift may be finely adjusted as shown in FIG.

After the units are combined to form a camera, the adjustment may be performed according to the flow shown in FIG. After assembling each unit (step S60),
In step S61, the camera is pointed at a light source having a predetermined brightness (BV0), and a correction amount H is determined so that the exposure error at that time becomes a predetermined value (here, 0) (step S62). It is stored (step S63). When the camera actually performs shooting, exposure control may be performed with reference to the stored correction amount H. The storage location of the correction amount H may be any EEPROM such as the nonvolatile memory 16 or 20 in FIG.

When this adjustment is made, each unit also holds error information at other brightness in each EEPROM, so that the error of brightness BV1 other than BV0 is also obtained by synthesizing the characteristics of each unit. (Steps S64 and S65). This determination is made in accordance with FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b).
As described above, the checker in the process may determine whether the CPU 10 of the camera determines. By this determination, the quality of other brightness points can be determined without requiring a light source other than BV0 in the camera state, and the equipment can be simplified.

As described above, when it is determined that the exposure error of BV1 is too large (step S66),
A warning is issued (step S67), the shift amount ΔH is determined according to the deviation amount (step S68), and a value taking this into account is stored as the correction amount H (step S69,
S70). In this manner, a camera with good accuracy as a whole can be provided by adding shift correction with the adjusted luminance BV0.

In the conventional camera, when determining the standard of the variation of the parts, the variation of each unit is determined by simply adding the variation. However, in the present invention, the variation information of each unit is determined according to the actual performance. In the case of mutually canceling each other, a method for obtaining a good product is adopted, so that productivity and quality can be improved. In this embodiment,
The yield related to exposure can be improved, and the quality of the product can be improved as a whole.

The error when each condition is changed has been described above. However, a value relating to the magnitude of the variation that occurs at random, such as the shutter turbulence and the variation of the AF focus control, may be stored. . Even if the shutter has a large variation, if the photometry unit is a unit without variation, the camera as a whole will be a good product.

(Third Embodiment) A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Distance measurement unit and lens frame unit require S / N besides mere deviation from design value.
17 is poor even if the distance is determined once or focus control is performed once due to quantization error or brake error in mechanical control.
As shown in (a) and (b), random variations occur depending on the data and the feeding position. The center of this variation is generally compared with a design value to form data for correction. That is, at the time of distance measurement, if the control for canceling the difference between the center of variation and the design value is performed, almost accurate focusing can be performed.

However, since this variation occurs at random, the type of correction to be performed is determined each time, and therefore cannot be incorporated in the EEPROM as a correction value. However, in practice, even if the same AF data D1 is output, considering the variation, as shown in FIG.
An error Δ1 / L of a reciprocal of the distance is generated, and at the time of focusing, a variation ΔK of the amount of extraction is added to this error, and finally a variation of ΔP becomes a focusing error.
If this ΔP is within an allowable value within the depth of field, it can be determined that the camera is a good camera, but if it exceeds a predetermined level, it is a defective camera.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18A, in addition to the amount of deviation from the design value, the variation information of each unit is input to the CPU for determination, and these variation addition values are large. If too long, a warning is issued assuming that the focus accuracy is low.

FIG. 18B is a flowchart of the judgment by the CPU at this time. After assembling the camera using each unit,
The correction value is calculated based on the deviation information from the design value (step S90). If the correction value is OK (step S91), the CPU adds the variation information (step S92) and determines whether the variation information is within a predetermined range. (Step S9
3) The quality state is determined according to the result (steps S94, S95). By such a method, it is possible to immediately determine whether the combination of the units is good or not, so that a defective product does not need to be sent to a subsequent process, and an efficient camera can be produced.

According to the above-described embodiment, since information about what performance can be achieved when combining units is provided for each unit, the performance assurance level after assembly is improved, and The property is also improved. Further, the combination characteristics of the compatible units are quantified to show the combination characteristics of the units, and by having the information in the units themselves, it is possible to select a partner to be combined. This also leads to a reduction in defective products.

Further, at the unit stage, the exterior of the camera has not yet been mounted, and the characteristics including the analog characteristics of the internal circuit can be easily grasped. The difficulties, such as, are brought up. However, in this embodiment, after performing a detailed check in the unit state and setting the product state,
The quality of the entire product can be assured simply by communicating simple digital data based on the quality information stored in the unit itself, and a high quality product can be provided to the user.

[0073]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a high-quality camera which does not require a large-scale production line while combining complicated units.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a part of functions of a camera in a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a memory space diagram showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of a camera manufacturing factory.

FIG. 4A is a flowchart showing a procedure of a camera manufacturing line for combining each unit data to form combined information, and FIG. 4B is a display flowchart for displaying combined information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing each element related to camera focusing.

FIG. 6A is a flowchart showing details of an assembling process, and FIG. 6B is a flowchart showing details of an AF characteristic check.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a process of storing a deviation from a design value which occurs in assembling the main body of the camera.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for assembling the main body.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a process of storing a deviation from a design value which occurs in assembling the lens barrel unit 2 of the camera.

FIG. 10A is a flowchart of assembling the lens frame unit 2 of the camera, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing a procedure for creating unit combination information.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention in which the present invention is applied to an exposure relationship.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a variation characteristic of each element.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for describing control of brightness and exposure time.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an adjustment procedure after assembling the camera.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of a checker used to monitor the aperture characteristics.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of photometry adjustment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing random variations that occur in one distance determination and one focus control.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention in which variation information for each unit is considered in addition to a deviation amount from a design value.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body unit 2 Lens frame unit 3 Autofocus unit 4 Strobe unit 6 Shooting lens 7 Lens shutter 10 Microcomputer 11 Driver circuit 12 Zoom & film drive motor 13 Driving force distribution mechanism 14 Film feeding mechanism 15 Reduction mechanism 16 Non-volatile for main body Memory 17 Communication interface circuit 19 Warning section 19a Display section 20 Non-volatile memory for unit 21 Variable focal length mechanism 22 Focal length detection circuit 24 Focus adjustment mechanism 25 Lens drive motor 26 Pulse generation circuit 27 Sector blade drive mechanism 28 Sector drive actuator 29 Sector Blade detection circuit 30 Non-volatile memory for AF unit 31 Distance detection circuit 32 AF sensor 40 Non-volatile memory for unit 41 Charging circuit 42 Light amount control circuit 43 Shrewsbury 50 external control device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A camera comprising a plurality of units, comprising: a memory provided in each of the plurality of units, for storing quality information of each unit; and information combining storage contents of each of the memories. And control means for controlling a warning or display. 2. A camera comprising a plurality of units each having a memory, wherein each of the memories includes a first area for storing data for controlling a camera operation according to a design value, and quality information such as an error. And a second area for storing the information. 3. A camera comprising a plurality of units, wherein each of the plurality of units is provided with a first area for storing quality information under a first condition and a quality information under a second condition. A memory having a second area to be adjusted, control means for performing correction control for adjusting the quality under the first condition to a design value, and a camera based on a combination of information in the second area of each memory. And a determination means for determining a quality state of the camera.