JP2002090844A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera having satisfactory operability by reducing the number of operation times for setting of modes, by discriminating the state of the camera, such as power supply state. SOLUTION: This camera, which can cyclically set plural modes of the camera operations according to the operations of a single-mode setting operation member, is provided with a discrimination means for discriminating the state of the camera. The number of settable modes is changed by using the mode setting operation member, based on the discriminated result of the discrimination means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera capable of selecting and setting various photographing modes and capable of optically imprinting date and caption information on a film or magnetically recording the same. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent remarkable miniaturization of cameras,
It has been a major challenge to secure the size, arrangement, and ease of setting of various operation members on the camera. In particular,
Since portability is very important in a compact camera, it is necessary to achieve both compactness and operability of the camera.

On the other hand, the functions mounted on compact cameras are increasing. For example, auto focus (hereinafter simply referred to as A
The function can also be switched between a mode that measures distance over a wide range and a mode that focuses on the center according to the user's preference, and the flash shooting mode can be switched according to the brightness of the subject. The automatic mode for automatically firing the flash, the mode for forcibly firing the flash,
For example, a mode in which the light is forcibly turned off can be set by the user.

Further, in a camera capable of recording the photographing date and time, caption (title), and photographing conditions optically or magnetically on the photographed film, the photographing date and time and caption contents are set according to the user's preference. I can do it.

In order to set various modes related to the operation of the camera, a method of operating an operation member such as a small button corresponding to each mode has been adopted. Providing a large number of operation members in a compact camera to be viewed involves downsizing of the operation members, and deteriorates operability when setting a mode.

In view of the above, a dedicated operation member for setting various modes is provided. Then, in order to correct or change the setting contents, the correction is performed by operating the zoom operation member without providing the dedicated operation member. A camera capable of making a change has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-90786.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10 (1998) discloses a camera in which a zoom operation member by an electric zoom mechanism is used by dividing it into three or more regions as an operation member for setting a mode.
No. 142650.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-142664, an operation member for setting a first mode is provided, and a second photographing mode is operated by operating the same operation member without providing a dedicated operation member. There has been proposed a camera that can be shifted to.

[0009]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention
In the camera proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 6, when modifying or changing settings, the camera is operated by a zoom operating member without providing a dedicated operating member for performing the correction or change. Although it is possible to reduce the size and cost, it is not sufficient in terms of downsizing and space saving of the camera because dedicated operation members for setting various modes are individually provided.

In the camera proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-142650, the operability is improved by dividing the zoom operation member into three or more regions.
In this case, the zoom operation member becomes large. In addition, dedicated operation members for setting various modes are individually provided, which is not enough to reduce the size of the camera.

The camera proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-142664 is excellent in operability in that the first mode and the second mode can be easily switched by the same operating member. In that a dedicated operation member corresponding to the first mode is separately provided,
After all, it is not satisfactory in terms of downsizing and space saving of the camera.

Further, none of the cameras proposed in these publications employ an appropriate mode setting mode in accordance with the operation state of the camera, and therefore, the operability is not satisfactory for the photographer. .

Accordingly, the present invention provides an easy-to-understand display of date settings such as mode settings, dates and times and minutes, and caption-related settings without increasing the number of operation members, and an operation that allows easy correction and change of such information. We propose a camera with excellent characteristics.

[0014]

The camera according to the present invention comprises:
A camera capable of cyclically setting a plurality of modes relating to the camera operation in accordance with the operation of a single mode setting operation member, comprising a determination unit for determining a camera state, based on a determination result of the determination unit The number of modes that can be set by the mode setting operation member is changed. As a result, the mode can be changed or set with the minimum required number of operations, and the operability of the camera can be improved. Further, since various mode settings are performed by a single mode setting operation member, the camera body can be downsized, the operation buttons can be secured to a certain size, and the operability of the camera can be improved.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A camera according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a flowchart of mode setting in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the camera according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the camera according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of only the LCD display panel of the camera according to the present embodiment.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 201 denotes a camera body, and a finder eyepiece window 202, an LED 203 which is turned on when the distance measurement is completed, and an LED 204 which is turned on when the strobe charging is completed are arranged on the upper portion of the camera body 201. Have been.

A wide operation button (zoom operation member according to the present invention) for performing a zooming operation to a wide angle side of the electric zoom lens is provided on the upper right side, which is easy to operate with the right thumb while holding the camera body 201. ) 206 and a tele operation button (zoom operation member according to the present invention) 207 for performing a zooming operation toward the telephoto side. Further, a release button 205 is arranged on the upper part thereof.

An LCD display panel 20 for centrally displaying various information of the camera, such as a setting mode, a power supply state, the number of films, and the like, is provided at the center of the rear surface of the camera body 201.
8 are arranged. Immediately below that, a print 208 'serving as an auxiliary display at the time of mode setting described later is provided.

On the lower left side of the camera body 201, a mode setting button (mode setting operation member according to the present invention) 209 which is depressed when setting various modes is arranged, and on the lower right side. A main power button 210 for switching on / off of the main power is arranged.

The configuration of the electric circuit of the camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

A microcomputer 301 controls the operation of each of the following circuits. Microcomputer 3
The ROM 01 stores a ROM for storing programs for controlling various operations of the camera, a RAM for storing variables, and an EEPROM (electrically erasable and writable memory) for storing various parameters.

Reference numeral 302 denotes a signal input circuit for detecting the state of various operation switches (not shown). 303 is
This is a shutter control circuit for controlling energization of a magnet that drives shutter blades (not shown). Reference numeral 304 denotes a lens control circuit for controlling a motor that drives the entire zoom lens barrel (not shown) and the focus lens.

Reference numeral 305 denotes a flash emission control circuit for controlling charging and emission of the flash. Reference numeral 306 denotes a film feeding control circuit for driving a film feeding motor to wind and rewind the film.

Reference numeral 307 denotes an A for measuring the distance to the subject in accordance with a command from the microcomputer 301.
F (distance measurement) control circuit,
Send the distance measurement result to 1. The microcomputer 301 sends a signal to the lens control circuit 304 based on the input distance measurement result, and drives the focus lens to focus on the subject.

Reference numeral 308 denotes an AE (photometry) circuit which performs photometry of a subject using a photometry sensor (not shown) in response to a command from the microcomputer 301 and sends a photometry output to the microcomputer 301. Microcomputer 30
1 performs A / D conversion of the input photometric output and determines exposure conditions (aperture, shutter speed, presence / absence of strobe light emission).

Reference numeral 309 drives the LCD display panel 208 in response to a signal from the microcomputer 301, and outputs various kinds of camera information, such as a setting mode, a power supply state, and the like.
This is a liquid crystal display control circuit for notifying the photographer of the number of films and the like.

Reference numeral 310 denotes a power supply control circuit for converting input power supplied from the battery power supply of the camera into an appropriate power supply level and supplying power to each circuit block including the microcomputer 301.

The LCD display panel 208 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows the LCD display panel 20.
The display content of 8 is a case where all the segments are temporarily turned on, and actually, only necessary segments out of all the segments are turned on.

▼ at the bottom of the LCD display panel 208
The mark segments 401 to 405 are segments that are lit only when a mode is set, and that indicate to the user which mode is currently set in correspondence with the print 208 ′ serving as an auxiliary display.

Within a dotted line 406, segments for displaying date and caption settings are arranged. In addition, a segment group for indicating the setting contents of the flash photography mode is arranged in 407 surrounded by a dotted line.

Reference numeral 408 denotes a segment group for displaying the number of films, 409 denotes a segment group for displaying the presence / absence of film loading and the remaining battery level, and 410 and 411 denote segments.
A segment group represents the setting contents of the AF mode and the AE mode.

Next, the operation of the microcomputer 301 for setting a mode in the camera of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In step 100, the camera is in the normal state, and the camera body displays necessary information on the LCD display panel 208 regardless of the power ON / OFF state. Here, when it is detected that the mode setting button 209 has been pressed, the routine proceeds to step 101, where it is determined whether or not the power is on.

If the main power button 210 is operated and the power of the camera is turned on, the flow advances to step 102 to set the flash photography mode. When the strobe shooting mode is set, the wide operation button 206
By operating the tele operation button 207, the contents of the flash photography mode can be changed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the wide operation button 206 or the tele operation button 207 is operated, the segment 401 is turned on, and an automatic mode (AUTO) in which a strobe is automatically emitted according to a photometry result; Red-eye reduction mode (AUTO-R) that performs preliminary light emission to reduce the so-called red-eye phenomenon, forced light emission mode (MON) that forcibly emits a strobe, non-light emission mode (MOFF) that does not always emit a strobe, and a strobe at night view , And a night scene mode (SLOW) in which the shutter speed is linked appropriately for a long time can be cyclically set.

If the predetermined time has elapsed or the release button 205 has been operated without operating the wide operation button 206 and the tele operation button 207, the routine returns to the normal state of step 100.

When the mode setting button 209 is operated in the flash photography mode setting state, the flow advances to step 103 to set the AF mode. Even in this AF mode setting state, the wide operation button 206 or the tele operation button 20
By operating 7, the contents of the AF mode can be changed.

For example, as shown in FIG.
When 02 is lit, a mode in which distance measurement is performed at the center of the shooting screen (SPOT-AF) and a mode in which ranging is performed over a wide range of the shooting screen (WIDE-AF) can be set.

If the predetermined time has elapsed or the release button 205 has been operated without operating the wide operation button 206 and the tele operation button 207, the routine returns to the normal state of step 100.

When the mode setting button 209 is operated in the AF mode setting state, the routine proceeds to step 104, where A
Set the E mode. Even in this AE mode setting state, the wide operation button 206 or the tele operation button 207
By operating, the contents of the AE mode can be changed.

For example, as shown in FIG.
03 is turned on, and in addition to the appropriate level, it is possible to intentionally set the exposure to an excess of +1.5 stops or, conversely, to set the exposure to -1.5 stops. It should be noted that, besides performing exposure at an appropriate level, it may be possible to set whether the photometry is performed at the center weight (spot photometry) or determined at the average level (average photometry).

If the predetermined time has elapsed or the release button 205 has been operated without operating the wide operation button 206 and the tele operation button 207, the routine returns to the normal state of step 100.

When the mode setting button 209 is operated in the AE mode setting state, the process proceeds to step 105,
Set the date mode. Even in this date mode setting state, the contents of the date mode can be changed by operating the wide operation button 206 and the tele operation button 207.

For example, as shown in FIG.
04 lights up and sets the format of date information that is recorded optically or magnetically on the film, such as “year / month / day”, “month / day / year”, “day / month / year”, or the date and time. Can be selected, or "OFF" for not recording can be selected.

If the predetermined time has elapsed or the release button 205 has been operated without operating the wide operation button 206 and the tele operation button 207, the routine returns to the normal state of step 100.

When the mode setting button 209 is operated in the date mode setting state, the flow advances to step 106 to set the caption mode. Even in the caption mode setting state, the contents of the caption mode can be changed by operating the wide operation button 206 and the tele operation button 207.

For example, as shown in FIG.
05 lights up, the format of caption information recorded optically or magnetically on the film is "Japanese",
Languages such as "English", "French", "German", and "Spanish" are set cyclically, and a number "1" indicating a caption corresponding to each predetermined language is set.
5 "(in the case of five types), or" OFF "in which no caption is recorded can be selected.

If the predetermined time has elapsed or the release button 205 has been operated without operating the wide operation button 206 and the tele operation button 207, the routine returns to the normal state of step 100.

In the caption mode setting state, if the mode setting button 209 is operated, the predetermined time elapses without operating the wide operation button 206 and the tele operation button 207, or the release button 205 is operated, It returns to the normal state of step 100.

Here, if the power state is off in step 102, the process proceeds to step 105 without proceeding to step 102. In other words, when the power is off, no shooting is performed. Therefore, even if the mode setting button 209 is operated, the flash shooting mode for setting the shooting and the AF mode
The date mode can be set without setting the mode and AE mode. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the meaningless mode setting from being performed, to reduce the number of times the mode setting button 209 required for the date mode setting is operated, and to improve the operability. The description after the date mode setting state in step 105 is as described above.

The order of the modes that can be set cyclically using the mode setting button 209 can be set as appropriate. However, if the mode that is frequently used can be set first, the operability of the camera is improved. be able to.

As described above, in the present embodiment, unnecessary mode setting is prevented from being performed by judging the power supply state of the camera, so that the necessary mode setting can be performed with the minimum necessary number of operations. it can.

Since a plurality of modes can be set cyclically in response to the operation of the single mode setting button 209, it is not necessary to provide operation buttons for setting various modes exclusively. The number of operation members can be reduced to a necessary minimum. Therefore, downsizing and operability of the camera can be improved.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment described above, the on / off state of the power supply is determined in step 101, but various other modes can be adopted.

In the present embodiment, as shown in step 101 'of FIG. 10, not only is the on / off state of the power supply determined, but also the presence or absence of a rewind film and the state of failure of automatic film feeding (AL). Was determined.
The operation of the camera in the present embodiment is the same as the operation of the camera described in the first embodiment.

In other words, when there is a film that has been rewound or when AL has failed, there is no need to set the flash photography mode, AF mode, and AE mode for performing the settings relating to photography. Only the date mode settings without having to do so. Here, by setting the date mode regardless of the camera state (power ON / OFF state, etc.), the display format of the date and time can be changed at any time, and the simple clock display can be switched. Can be

In addition to the determination of the camera state, whether or not an image recording medium (such as a film) is loaded may be determined. Further, various modes may be appropriately set according to the determination result.

(Third Embodiment) In the first and second embodiments, the flash photography mode is set by the mode setting button 20.
As one of the modes set by the operation of No. 9, the mode setting is incorporated in the circulation of the mode setting. However, in the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 11, the operation button for setting the flash photography mode is set by the mode setting. A button is provided separately from the button 209 to remove the mode setting from circulation. That is, by operating the operation button for setting the flash photography mode, the flash photography mode is set in step 102 '. On the other hand, step 101 '
In the above, the on / off state of the power supply, the presence / absence of a rewind film, and the failure state of automatic film feeding (AL) are determined.

Here, the operation of the camera after step 101 'is the same as the operation of the camera described in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, by adding an operation member for setting the flash photography mode to the camera, the effect of space saving and miniaturization of the camera is weakened, but the flash photography mode which is frequently used is set. When operation buttons for exclusive use are provided to improve the operability of the camera, it can be suitably used.

In addition to the modes described in the first to third embodiments, continuous shooting in which continuous shooting can be performed while the release button is pressed and only one frame is operated by one operation of the release button. Various modes related to shooting may be added, such as a feed mode set for switching to single shooting capable of shooting.

[0063]

According to the camera of the present invention, the mode can be set properly by the mode setting button by judging the camera state. Can be performed, and the operability of the camera can be improved.

Further, since it is not necessary to provide dedicated operation buttons for setting the various modes as described above, the number of operation buttons can be reduced to a necessary minimum. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the camera body or to secure operation buttons to a certain size, thereby improving the operability of the camera.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a mode setting process in a camera according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a rear side external view of the camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an LC used in the camera according to the first embodiment.
The enlarged view of D display panel.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of mode circulation and LCD display in a strobe shooting mode setting state of the camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of mode circulation and LCD display in the AF mode setting state of the camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of mode circulation and LCD display in the AE mode setting state of the camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of mode circulation and LCD display in a date mode setting state of the camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of mode circulation and LCD display in a caption mode setting state of the camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a camera mode setting process according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a camera mode setting process according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 201 Camera main body 202 Viewfinder eyepiece window 203, 204 LED 205 Release button 206 Wide operation button 207 Tele operation button 208 LCD display panel 209 Mode setting switch 210 Main power switch

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03B 17/24 G02B 7/11 N 2H103 F-term (Reference) 2H002 AB01 AB04 BC06 BC11 DB00 FB02 HA11 2H051 GA10 GA18 GB20 2H053 AB03 BA04 DA09 2H100 DD02 DD12 2H102 AA51 AA66 2H103 AA11 AA31 BA33 BA44

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A camera capable of cyclically setting a plurality of modes relating to a camera operation in response to an operation of a single mode setting operation member, comprising: a determination unit for determining a camera state; A camera, wherein the number of modes that can be set by the mode setting operation member is changed based on a determination result. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera state determined by the determination unit is at least one of a power supply state, a film rewinding state, and other states of the loaded image recording medium. The described camera. 3. A date mode for performing setting relating to date information including at least one of a date and a time to be recorded on an image recording medium corresponding to a photographed image, and an image corresponding to a photographed image. Caption mode for setting caption information to be recorded on the recording medium, ranging mode for setting the subject distance, metering mode for setting the brightness of the subject, and strobe mode for setting the flash emission The camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera has at least one mode. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of modes include the date mode, the caption mode, the distance measurement mode, the photometry mode, and the strobe mode. The camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a mode that can be set by a setting operation member is the date mode and the caption mode. 5. The image recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the image recording medium is a film, and one of the plurality of modes has a film feeding mode for switching between continuous shooting and single shooting. camera. 6. A setting content in each mode can be changed in accordance with an operation of a zoom operation member for causing a photographing optical system to perform a zoom operation in a state in which each of the modes is set. A camera according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising a display member for displaying each of the modes. 8. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising a strobe mode setting operation member for setting a strobe mode for making settings relating to strobe light emission.