JP2002090845A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera which can enhance charging efficiency, without increasing the cost of the solar battery part. SOLUTION: This camera has a dynamo 2 and a solar battery 3, and uses the dynamo 3 and the solar battery 3 as the energy sources. Then, a stroboscopic flashing light part 10 for illuminating an object image uses the output of the dynamo 2 as the energy source. A CPU 6 for controlling a photographing sequence, however, utilizes the output of either one of the dynamo 2 or the solar battery as the energy source.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a camera that does not require a primary battery and does not require battery replacement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A camera using a solar cell or a manual generator has been proposed for a long time and has been commercialized. A solar cell requires a large amount of light for power generation for camera operation. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-106271 discloses that a solar cell is foldable, stored small when carried, and expanded when used. Techniques for increasing the amount of available light are disclosed.

[0003]

However, since the cost of a solar cell is increased by its surface area, a structure having many portions that do not contribute to charging in a normal state has not been satisfactory in terms of camera cost performance. .

Also, some electronic circuits of a camera require a current amount 1000 times as large as that of a weak solar charge, and if such a circuit is to be covered only by the solar charge, there is a chance to take a photo opportunity. There is a problem that the product will be affected.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera capable of increasing the charging efficiency without increasing the cost of a solar cell section.

[0006]

That is, the present invention relates to a camera having a solar cell and a dynamo and using the solar cell and the dynamo as an energy source. And a photographing sequence control circuit for controlling, wherein the strobe means uses the output of the dynamo as an energy source, and the photographing sequence control circuit uses one of the output of the dynamo and the solar cell as an energy source. It is characterized by the following.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a camera using a solar cell as a power source is provided with a reflecting means for reflecting sunlight and making the sunlight incident on the solar cell.

According to the present invention, the circuit unit which requires an amount of current which cannot be supplied by solar charging can be used together with a manual generator (dynamo), and a power supply which can be used immediately when the user wants to use the camera. By devising a circuit, a primary battery is not used, and it is not necessary to replace the primary battery, and it is not necessary to dispose of the primary battery.

The present invention is improved in the following two points.

One is that the charging efficiency of a solar cell largely depends on the incident angle of the sun, but it is difficult to keep the solar panel surface of the camera always facing the sun. Secondly, the output current level of the solar cell is several milliamperes, which is almost the same level as the current consumption of the control circuit of the camera. This means that, even in the daytime, indoors or nighttime, the current consumption of the camera becomes larger and the power supply becomes insufficient.

Further, considering the case where a manual generator is used in combination, a voltage level greatly fluctuates due to the degree of the force of turning by hand. Considering that it should not be.

Other than the camera control circuit, actuators and strobe circuits consume energy that cannot be sufficiently satisfied by the above-mentioned solar power generation. Moreover, strobes and the like are used in places without sunlight. Therefore,
By combining the characteristics of these circuits and the power supply,
A more effective rechargeable camera can be obtained.

[0013]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a camera body 1 has a manual generator (dynamo) 2 and a solar cell 3 as power supplies. Then, the outputs of the dynamo 2 and the solar cell 3 are supplied to a rechargeable battery 5 composed of an electric double layer capacitor, a NiCd battery or the like via a switch (SW) unit 4.

The CPU 6 is a waveform control means composed of a one-chip microcomputer or the like. This CPU
6, a reset circuit 8, an actuator 9, a strobe light emitting unit 10, a display unit 11, a release switch 12, and the like are connected. Further, a mirror 13 for reflecting sunlight and guiding the sunlight to the solar cell 3 is provided outside the camera body 1.

In the camera having such a configuration, the dynamo 2 and the solar cell 3 are used as power supplies, and the current output from the dynamo 2 and the solar cell 3 is supplied to the switch unit 4.
, And the rechargeable battery 5 is charged and used. In this case, the charging by the solar cell 3 is used in a bright place, and the switch unit 4 is switched so that the charging by the dynamo 2 is performed when the dynamo is manually rotated. Thereby, at the same time, the rechargeable battery and the circuit are not destroyed by excessive charging.

The CPU 6 functions with the energy stored in the rechargeable battery 5, and when the charging voltage is low, this is determined by the reset circuit 8, and the operation of the CPU 6 is stopped. The energy of the rechargeable battery 5 is also used as a power source for the actuator 9 for performing various camera functions in addition to the CPU 6.

The CPU 6 controls the strobe light-emitting unit 10 and the display unit 11. Since the strobe 10 consumes enormous energy when emitting light, the energy of the rechargeable battery 5 is not used. The output energy of the dynamo 2 is provided.

Further, the CPU 6 detects the operation of the release switch 12 by the user at the time of release, controls a photographing mechanism such as a shutter (not shown), and determines the flash timing of the strobe as described above. Also, according to the winding of the film, a display unit 1 such as an LCD is provided.
1 is changed so that a message or the like when notifying the user that charging is necessary can be displayed.

For strobe light emission, a high voltage must be applied to a discharge arc tube such as a xenon tube, but obtaining this high voltage from the rechargeable battery 5 is very inefficient.
In addition, oscillation noise of a DC / DC converter for boosting (not shown) may adversely affect the CPU 6 and the like. Therefore, it is preferable to directly use the energy of the dynamo 2 as in the present embodiment in terms of stabilizing the power supply.

The reason why charging by dynamo is more preferable than solar charging as the power supply for the strobe is apparent from the order of voltage and output current as described above.

The current flowing during flash charging is on the order of amperes, and requires a high voltage as described above. So if you try to cover this with solar charging,
A long power generation time is required, and the inconvenience that it cannot be performed immediately when photographing is desired occurs. In contrast, solar power generation can only be expected from a few milliamps to 10 milliamps on a light-receiving surface of a normal camera size,
In dynamo power generation, depending on the size, higher voltage and more current can be expected according to the rotation speed.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of such a camera, and FIG. 2A is an external perspective view showing a state at the time of photographing.

In FIG. 2A, a display unit 11 and a release switch 12 corresponding to a release button are provided on the upper surface of the camera body 1. Further, a photographing lens barrel 15 and a strobe light emitting unit 10 are provided on the front surface of the camera body 1.
Etc. are provided. Further, a mirror 13 is provided on a side surface of the camera body 1.

The solar cell 3 is provided on a side surface of the camera body 1 and can be charged using light reflected from the mirror 13. Due to the effect of this mirror 13,
Even if the sunlight does not necessarily enter the solar panel at right angles, the device is designed to facilitate charging. If the mirror 13 is constituted by a half mirror, charging can be performed by light transmitted through the mirror even when the mirror is closed, that is, when the camera is carried.

As shown in FIG. 2B, a dynamo lever 16 is provided on the bottom surface of the camera body 1 so as to be folded and stored. When the user grips the knob 16a of the lever 16 and rotates it in the direction of arrow A in the figure, the dynamo 2 provided in the camera generates electric power and supplies energy to the camera.

FIG. 2C shows a display example of the display unit 11 when the energy is supplied. The number displayed in the display unit 11 is the number of film frames. When the mark of the lever 16 appears, it indicates that manual power generation is required.

The knob 16a of the lever 16 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (d), when the lever is folded, it is housed in a concave portion 1a formed on the bottom surface of the camera body 1. The lever 16 can be rotated by the user as shown in FIG. 2B by rotating in the direction of arrow B shown in the figure around a shaft portion 16b provided on the bottom surface of the camera body 1. It becomes a state. In addition, 16c is a gear of the speed increasing mechanism for dynamo.

As shown in FIG. 2 (e), if the concave portion 1a also serves as a tripod mounting portion, space can be saved. In this case, a state in which the camera body 1 is fixed on a tripod 18 using the tripod mounting portion is shown. The lever 16 can be stored when the camera body 1 is detached from the tripod 18 and carried, and does not become an obstacle.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
The control operation of such a camera will be described.

When solar charging or dynamo charging is started, first, in step S1, the rechargeable battery 5 for the CPU 6 is charged, the voltage rises, and the reset circuit 8 releases reset. At this time, the CPU 6 starts sequence control according to a built-in program, and proceeds to step S
At 2, a charge voltage check is performed. This is performed by a known battery check circuit (not shown).
Steps S2 and S3 are repeated until the battery check voltage _Vch reaches the predetermined voltage _Vok .

[0033] In step S3, the battery check voltage V _ch is if reaches the predetermined voltage V _ok, as the rechargeable battery 5 having the energy withstand perform imaging sequence, the process proceeds to step S4 and S5. Then, it is checked whether or not the strobe energy (voltage) _Vst is sufficiently charged.

As a result, when the strobe voltage V _st exceeds the predetermined voltage V _stok , the _{process proceeds} to step S6, and a display without a dynamo display is performed. On the other hand, if the strobe voltage V _st does not exceed the predetermined voltage V _stok , step S
The process proceeds to step 7, and the dynamo display is turned on.

When the display in step S6 or S7 is made, photographing is possible. Therefore, the state of the release switch 12 is checked in step S8.
Here, when the release switch 12 is turned on, the process shifts to step S9 to execute a shooting sequence.

On the other hand, if the release switch 12 is not turned on in step S8, or after the photographing sequence is executed in step S9, the process proceeds to step S2.

In the above-described embodiment, if the camera is equipped with an exposure photometric circuit and strobe light emission is unnecessary, the above-described determination in step S5 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S6. Applications are also possible.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a power supply-related circuit according to the present invention in more detail.

The reset circuit 8 and the display unit 11 are connected to the CPU 6 having the A / D conversion circuit 6a.
Solar panel 3a of solar cell 3 and actuator 9
And a driver 9b for driving a motor 9a, and a xenon tube (Xe tube) 10a, which is a flash tube, a trigger circuit 10b, a main capacitor 10c, and a booster circuit 10d.

The CPU 6 also includes a rectifier circuit 20.
, A capacitor 21, a switch transistor 22,
The regulator 28, the Zener diode 31, the electric double layer capacitor 32, the distance measuring and photometric circuit 34, the switch 35, and the capacitor 36 are connected via the filter 29.

Further, a reflection member 13a such as a reflection mirror is provided near the solar panel 3a. Furthermore,
Dynamo is lever 16, gear 1 of the speed increasing mechanism for dynamo
6c, gears 16d, 16e and the like.

In such a configuration, when the lever 16 of the dynamo 2 is rotated, the gear 16c for the large dynamo speed-up mechanism is rotated. Meshing with this gear 16c,
It turns the small gear 16d at a higher speed,
This is repeated once more, the speed is further increased, and the pinion gear of the dynamo 2 is configured to rotate, so that the efficiency at the time of manual charging is improved.

The thus generated AC current is rectified by the rectifier circuit 20 and charged in the capacitor 21.
The energy stored in the capacitor 21 is obtained as a high voltage for strobe light emission by the booster circuit 10d.
c.

In the strobe light emission, the gas in the Xe tube 10a is activated by the trigger circuit 10b, and the energy of the main capacitor 10c is consumed. The voltage of the main capacitor 10c is monitored by an A / D conversion circuit 6a built in the CPU 6.

The light emission control is performed by the CPU 6, and in the CPU 6,
By the output of 4, information for auto focus and automatic exposure can be obtained. Based on this result, the motor 9a is rotated via the driver 9b, and drive control of a mechanical system such as focusing is performed.

Further, information to be notified to the user is displayed and controlled on the display unit 11. The energy of these circuits is
Although stabilized by the filter 29 and the capacitor 36, it is supplied by the output of the solar panel 3 a stored in the electric double layer capacitor 32 and the output from the dynamo 2.

The electric double layer capacitor 32 is prevented from being excessively charged by the Zener diode 31. When overcharging is applied, the Zener diode 31
Flows, and the charging operation is stopped.

Since the CPU 6 controls the entire photographing sequence, it can be charged by any of the two methods. If solar charging is automatically performed when the user carries the camera, the display is turned on, so that the user can know whether or not it is necessary to operate the dynamo according to the result. Here, if the strobe light emission is unnecessary, the operation may be shifted to the photographing operation as it is.

However, if the photographing is continued in a dark place, the supply of energy from the sun is terminated. At that time, the energy from the dynamo 2 is switched to the switch transistor 35.
And the CPU 6 via the regulator 28 and the filter 29
Can be supplied. The regulator 28
The output voltage of the dynamo, which changes according to the speed of rotation of the lever 16 or the like, is converted to a constant voltage.
This is performed by WM control or the like.

Since the CPU 6 monitors the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 32 by the A / D conversion circuit 6a, if an excessive charge is to be performed, the switch transistor 22 is turned off to turn off the circuit or element due to overcharge. Prevent the destruction of.

As described above, the CPU 6 and the like, which always need to supply a voltage at the time of photographing, can use both dynamo and solar power, and the strobe circuit is dedicated to charging by dynamo. Without energy loss, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), without troublesome dynamo operation under sunlight,
The shooting is continued by the supply with the solar battery.

The power supply for strobe charging and the CPU are separate systems from those at the time of charging, so that there is no need to worry about malfunctions of the CPU, the distance measurement and the photometry circuit due to the influence of noise and the like.

Next, another embodiment of a camera capable of efficiently charging a solar cell without operating a dynamo will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the appearance of a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5A, a barrier 38 for protecting the photographing lens 15 of the camera body 1 is provided in the vicinity of the photographing lens 15 so as to be freely opened and closed in a fan shape. A solar panel 3a is provided on the front side of the camera body 1 and on the left side of the taking lens 15. In the figure, the barrier 38 is in a state of being raised substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the camera body 1.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, a mirror 13b is provided on a portion which becomes a front surface of the barrier 38 in a state where the barrier 38 is closed.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C,
Since the barrier 38 is interposed between the photographing lens 15 and the solar panel 3a at the time of photographing, the light reflected by the mirror 13b is also easily incident on the solar panel 3a on the front of the camera. Originally, since the light is blocked by the photographing lens 15, the light shown by the broken line in FIG. 5C is not incident on the solar panel 3 a and cannot be used.
The light as shown by the solid line is supplemented by b and enters. Therefore, the solar charging is efficiently and continuously performed even during the photographing.

In this example, the barrier 38 is provided on the grip portion side (solar panel 3a side). However, the barrier 38 may be provided below the strobe light emitting portion 10 to open and close the barrier on the opposite side. .

Also, if you do not care about charging during shooting,
As shown in FIG. 6A, a half mirror 39 which can be opened and closed like a door may be provided on the front surface of the solar panel 3a. The half mirror 39 can be opened only when the sliding barrier 1b covers the photographing lens, and prevents the reflected light of the half mirror 39 from adversely affecting the photographed image via the photographing lens. I have.

By opening and closing the half mirror 39, as shown in FIG. 6B, in addition to the light directly incident on the solar panel 3a, the light reflected and incident on the half mirror 39 is used for charging. Because it can be done, charging efficiency is improved. In particular, when charging the camera by placing it by the window,
By adjusting the angle of the half mirror 39, the charging efficiency can be increased.

Since this mirror is constituted by a half mirror, as shown in FIG. 6C, even when the half mirror 39 is closed, half light is incident on the solar panel 3a. Therefore, there is no obstruction when carrying, and it is possible to move while performing solar charging.

As described above, the effect of solar charging can be improved by effectively utilizing the reflection member.

The reflecting member described above may be configured as a concave mirror 13b as shown in FIG. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain high charging efficiency while reducing the size of the solar panel and reducing the cost.

[0064]

As explained above, according to the present invention,
By providing a camera that does not need to worry about running out of batteries, it is possible to provide a camera that does not require replacement of batteries and that addresses environmental problems due to battery disposal.

Further, since the charging efficiency is increased, it is possible to immediately take a picture when photographing is desired.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the configuration of the camera shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A is an external perspective view showing a state during shooting, FIG. 2B is a view showing an example of a state in which a dynamo is rotated, and FIG. Is a diagram showing a display example of a display unit when using a dynamo, (d) is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a lever and its vicinity, and (e) is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a camera is fixed to a tripod. is there.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation of the camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a power supply-related circuit according to the present invention in more detail.

5A and 5B show the appearance of a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 5A is an external perspective view showing a state in which a barrier is raised, and FIG. 5B is a state in which the barrier is closed. FIG. 3C is a top view showing a state in which a barrier is raised.

6A and 6B show another configuration example according to the second embodiment, in which FIG. 6A is an external perspective view showing an example of a camera in which a half mirror is provided on the front surface of a solar panel, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of light incident when the half mirror is open, and FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating an example of light incident when the half mirror is closed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which a concave mirror is used as a reflection member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 camera body, 2 manual generator (dynamo), 3 solar cell, 3a solar panel, 4 switch (SW) section, 5 rechargeable battery, 6 CPU, 6a A / D conversion circuit, 8 reset circuit, 9 actuator, 9a motor 9b driver, 10 strobe light emitting section, 10a xenon tube (Xe tube), 10b trigger circuit, 10c main capacitor, 10d booster circuit, 11 display section, 12 release switch, 13 mirror, 13a reflecting member, 15 photographing lens barrel, 16 Lever, 16a knob, 16b shaft, 16c gear, 18 tripod, 20 rectifier circuit, 21, 36 capacitor, 22 switch transistor, 28 regulator, 29 filter, 31 Zener diode, 32 electric double layer capacitor, 34 distance measuring photometer circuit , 35 capacitors.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03B 17/18 G03B 17/18 C Z

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A camera having a solar cell and a dynamo and using the solar cell and the dynamo as an energy source, comprising: a strobe device for illuminating a subject image; and a photographing sequence control circuit for controlling a photographing sequence. A camera comprising: a strobe device using an output of the dynamo as an energy source; and the photographing sequence control circuit using an output of one of the dynamo and a solar cell as an energy source. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the photographing sequence control circuit includes a display unit for displaying information regarding a power supply state and photographing. 3. A camera using a solar cell as a power source, comprising: a reflecting means for reflecting sunlight and entering the solar cell.