JP2002107596A - Stroboscopic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stroboscopic device which can prevent the system down of an imaging unit caused by a power shortage. SOLUTION: A signal output circuit 32 is provided between a control part 22 and a stroboscope control circuit 34. The signal output circuit 32 includes an OR gate 50, and receives a charge stop signal and a motor driving signal from the control part 22. The OR gate 50 outputs the charge stop signal to a stroboscope charging circuit 34b when either of the charge stop signal and the motor driving signal is inputted, and outputs the charge stop signal when a driving instruction is outputted to a motor and when the charge stop signals is outputted from the control part 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flash device, and more particularly, to a flash device provided in an imaging device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in an image pickup apparatus such as a digital camera and a silver plate photographing camera, a motor automatically moves a focus lens to perform auto focus, or when the power is turned on, the focus lens is collapsed into a camera housing. The lens barrel is automatically placed at the reference position by the motor, or the lens barrel is automatically retracted from the reference position when the power is turned off.
In general, a motor is built in an imaging apparatus, such as opening and closing a lens barrier, and various mechanical controls using the driving force of the motor can be performed. Further, an image pickup apparatus equipped with a strobe as a standard is also common.

In an image pickup apparatus such as a compact camera with a zoom lens, a zoom lens group and a focus lens group are housed inside a lens barrel retracted in a housing. When the power is turned on, the motor extends the lens barrel to a predetermined reference position to set the zoom lens group closer to the wide position, and also supports the zoom lens group in the space formed inside the housing by extending the lens barrel The focus lens group is moved to the set position, and the camera enters a standby state in which photographing is possible. Also, the light amount is measured by a photometric sensor or the like, and when the light amount is small or the strobe button is pressed, the strobe is charged in parallel with the driving of the motor, and the shutter is immediately released at the end of standby. Is controlled.

Generally, such drive control of the motor and charge control of the strobe are performed by a CPU built in the image pickup apparatus.
Etc. are performed by the central control unit.

[0005] In recent years, since the size and the voltage of the imaging device have been reduced, the power of the imaging device tends to be insufficient. If the imaging device runs out of power, it interferes with electrical control,
There is a case where the system of the imaging device goes down. In photographing, if a momentary photographing timing is missed, there is a case where the same photographing timing cannot be obtained twice. Therefore, if the system of the image pickup apparatus goes down, it is often impossible to recover.

Therefore, the central control device provided in the image pickup apparatus suppresses the power supplied to the strobe when driving the motor, or temporarily stops the power supply to the strobe or drives the motor. By performing control such as changing the amount of electric power supplied to the strobe in accordance with the type of motor, the system is prevented from being down due to insufficient electric power.

[0007]

In order to control the motor and strobe charging at the same time, it is necessary for the central control unit to control the amount of charge to the strobe according to the type of the motor and the driving state.

For this reason, for example, a charging current value to be supplied to a capacitor for strobe charging is set in advance in several stages, and a central control unit controls a motor among a plurality of types of motors provided in an imaging device. A determination is made as to whether at least one motor is driving, or which of the plurality of types of motors is driving, and instructed to be charged with a charging current value according to the type of motor. , Or instructs to temporarily stop flash charging.

However, the central control unit also controls various components in addition to driving the motor and charging the strobe, and the more processing performed by the central control unit, the greater the load on the central control unit. This increases the need for a high-performance and expensive central controller, which is not preferable.

[0010] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a strobe device capable of preventing a system down of an image pickup device due to power shortage. It is another object of the present invention to provide a strobe device capable of preventing a system shutdown of an imaging device due to power shortage without providing a high-performance central control device in the imaging device.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object,
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a strobe device for an image pickup device for recording an image, wherein a capacitor means for storing electric power for emitting a strobe light, a charging means for controlling charging of the capacitor means, Signal output means for detecting a driving state of a motor provided in the imaging device and outputting a stop signal for stopping the charging based on the detected driving state.

According to the present invention, there is provided signal output means for outputting a stop signal for stopping charging of the capacitor means by the charging means, and the signal output means outputs a charge stop signal based on a driving state of the motor. Therefore, charging of the capacitor is stopped while the motor is being driven.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the system from going down due to insufficient power without imposing a large load on the power supply.

[0014] The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
In the strobe device according to the above, the signal output means,
The driving state of the motor may be detected by a driving signal for driving the motor, and a stop signal for stopping the charging may be output.

That is, by the output of the motor drive signal,
Since the motor is driven, the signal output means of the present invention outputs a charge stop signal to the charging means so that the charging of the capacitor means is stopped when the motor drive signal is input. As a result, the charging process for the capacitor unit by the charging unit is stopped.

[0016] The invention according to claim 3 provides the invention according to claim 1.
Alternatively, in the strobe device according to claim 2, the signal output unit detects a driving state of the motor by detecting rotation of the motor.

That is, the motor may rotate with the driving current remaining for a while even after the driving stop signal is output. Therefore, by detecting the rotation of the motor and outputting a stop signal for stopping the charging, it is possible to stop the charging of the capacitor by the charging unit when the motor is actually driven.
With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the strobe from being charged even though the motor is actually driven.

Further, in the present invention, in addition to the configuration in which the charging means outputs a stop signal for stopping charging to the charging means as the charging stop signal output by the signal output means, as in the invention according to claim 4, When the charging means charges by inputting a charging signal, the stop signal may be a signal for stopping the charging signal to the charging means.

As described above, in the present invention, the signal output means detects the driving state of the motor in an analog manner, outputs a charge stop signal to the charging means, and stops the charging of the capacitor by the charging means. A large amount of electric power is not required at one time, and it is possible to prevent the imaging apparatus from going down due to insufficient power.

Further, since the strobe device of the present invention is provided with the signal output means, the central control means provided in the imaging device detects the driving state of the motor and determines whether to continue charging or to stop charging. Since no load is applied to the central control means provided in the imaging device, the system can be prevented from being down due to power shortage without using a high-performance central control device. Of course, it is preferable in terms of cost.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The digital camera 10 to which the present invention is applied has the configuration shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 (A), 1 (B) and 2, the shutter button 12, liquid crystal display panel 13, zoom lens 14, finder 15, strobe 16, strobe button 17, cross button 19. Display 4
6, the mode dial 47, the lens barrier 61, and the inside of the housing are provided with an imaging device 30, a memory card drive 20, and a control unit 22 for controlling the driving of the devices, as shown in FIG.

The lens 14 includes a zoom lens group 55 (FIG. 3).
Reference; details are not shown) and a focus lens 53 (see FIG. 3; details are not shown).
The position is controlled by 0 and 72. Zoom lens group 55
Is mounted inside the lens barrel, and moves with the expansion and contraction of the lens barrel by rotation of a rotating barrel (not shown) constituting the lens barrel. The rotating cylinder is configured to rotate by driving a DC motor 70, and the driving of the DC motor 70 is controlled by the control unit 22.

The focus lens 53 is mounted on a focus lens frame, and the focus lens frame is mounted on a lens frame that holds a part of the zoom lens group 55. The focus lens frame is configured to move along the optical axis direction by driving the stepping motor 72, and the stepping motor 72 is controlled by the control unit 22.
Controls the driving.

When the power is off, the zoom lens 14 is retracted inside the housing, and the front surface is covered by a lens barrier 61 that can be opened and closed. Lens barrier 61
The open / close state of the lens barrier motor 74 is determined by the lens barrier motor 74, and the drive of the lens barrier motor 74 is controlled by the control unit 22. That is, in the photographing mode, the lens barrier motor 7 is set so that the lens barrier 61 is opened.
The zoom lens 14 is driven by the control unit 22 so that the zoom lens 14 is
The lens barrier motor 74 is driven by the control unit 22 so that the lens barrier 61 is closed after being stored inside.

The image pickup device 30 inside the housing is constituted by an image pickup device such as a CCD, accumulates electric charge corresponding to the amount of incident light in accordance with an exposure control value, and stores the accumulated electric charge, that is, an image signal. Output to the analog signal processing unit 36.

The analog signal processing section 36 performs predetermined analog signal processing (for example, noise reduction processing) on the input image signal, and outputs the processed image signal to the A / D conversion section 38. The A / D converter 38 converts the input analog signal into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the digital signal processor 40. The digital signal processing unit 40 performs predetermined digital signal processing (for example, shading correction processing) on the input digital signal, and outputs the digital signal to the memory 42 as image data.

The memory 42 stores the image data output from the digital signal processing section 40. At this time, if a write instruction is given to a memory card such as a smart media or a floppy disk, the stored image data is compressed and written by the compression / decompression unit 44. Note that it is also possible to set so that the data is written without compression by the compression / expansion unit 44.

The display 46 is composed of a liquid crystal, and when an image display instruction is given, the image data stored in the memory 42 or the image data read from the memory card is displayed as an image, and various functions are selected. Display the screen. The liquid crystal display panel 13 displays current settings of the digital camera, such as an operation mode, image quality, battery amount, strobe light emission / non-emission, and the number of shootable images.

The cross button 19 is a button for selecting a button displayed on the display 46 or moving a cursor when the display 46 is a various item selection screen. The strobe button 17 is a button for issuing a compulsory light emission instruction when the strobe is forcibly fired or for issuing a light emission prohibition instruction when prohibiting the strobe light emission.

The mode dial 47 is a dial for selecting an operation mode of the digital camera. Examples of the mode dial 47 include an auto shooting mode, a manual shooting mode, a self-timer shooting mode, a playback mode, a PC mode for connecting a personal computer to output an image, and Select one of the setup item setting modes for setting the initial conditions of various functions.

When the manual shooting mode is selected with the mode dial 47, the display 46 displays items such as white balance, brightness exposure correction, strobe brightness exposure correction, and continuous shooting. After these items are selected by the cross button 19 and the contents of the selected items are changed, they are confirmed by an execution button (not shown).

When the manual shooting mode is selected by the mode dial 47, the display 46 displays
Modes set in advance according to the shooting purpose, such as landscape mode, commemorative shooting mode, portrait mode, night view mode, backlight mode, and setting item priority modes such as program mode, aperture priority mode, and shutter priority mode Are displayed. One of these items is selected by the cross button 19 and determined by an execution button (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows a configuration of an electric system of the digital camera 10 according to the first embodiment. The lens 14
More specifically, a mechanism (autofocus (AF) mechanism) for focusing the focus lens 53 by a driving force of a driving source such as a stepping motor 72, and a zoom lens to a magnification set in advance by a driving force of a driving source such as a DC motor 70. Group 5
And a zoom mechanism (variable focal length lens) having a zoom mechanism for moving the lens 5. The AF mechanism and the zoom mechanism of the lens 14 are driven by a motor drive circuit 24a. Note that, instead of the zoom lens group 55, a configuration using a fixed focal length lens having only an AF mechanism may be used.

The motor drive circuit 24a is connected to a control unit 22 described later via a bus 88, and controls the driving of each of the motors 70, 72, 74 based on an instruction from the control unit 22.

At a position corresponding to the focal position of the zoom lens group 55 inside the main body 11, an imaging device 30 composed of an area CCD and provided with an electronic shutter mechanism is arranged. The electronic shutter mechanism includes a shutter 26 and an aperture 2
8 and is driven by the drive circuit 24b.

The drive circuit 24b is connected to a control unit 22 to be described later via a bus 88, and controls the drive of the electronic shutter mechanism and the imaging device 30 based on an instruction from the control unit 22.

The image pickup device 30 is arranged so that light reflected from a subject and incident on the zoom lens 55 is imaged on a light receiving surface of the image pickup device 30, and is measured by a photometer (not shown). In accordance with the exposure control value based on the photometric value, the charge corresponding to the amount of incident light is accumulated, and the accumulated charge, that is, the image signal is output to the analog signal processing unit 36 via an amplifier (not shown).

The image pickup device 30 is driven by a drive circuit 24b. The drive circuit 24b drives the image pickup device 30 at a timing synchronized with a timing signal generated by a timing signal generation circuit (not shown) to generate an image signal (light receiving surface). A signal representing the amount of received light in each of the large number of photoelectric conversion cells arranged in a matrix is output.

The timing signal generation circuit is controlled by a control unit 22 described later, and generates various timing signals (clock signals) for operating the imaging device 30, the A / D conversion unit 38, and the like.

The analog signal processing unit 36 performs predetermined analog signal processing (for example, noise reduction processing) on the image signal output from the imaging device 30 and amplified by the amplifier, and outputs the processed image signal to the A / D conversion unit 38. A / D converter 38
Converts an input analog signal into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the digital signal processing unit 40. The digital signal processing unit 40 performs predetermined digital signal processing (for example, shading correction processing) on the input digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the memory 42 via the bus 88 as image data.

The memory 42 stores the image data output from the digital signal processor 40 via the data bus. At this time, if a write instruction is given to the memory card 18, the stored image data is compressed by the compression / expansion unit 44 and written by the memory card drive 20 via an external interface (not shown). The compression / expansion unit 4
4 can also be set to write without compression. This external interface is provided with a digital IO port, so that image data can be output to another device connected to the digital IO port.

The strobe 16 is a strobe light tube 16a.
And a capacitor 16b in which electric power for light emission of the strobe light emitting tube is stored. When a trigger pulse described later is input, power is supplied from the capacitor 16b to the strobe light emitting tube 16a so that the strobe light is emitted. I have. An instruction to charge the strobe 16 to the capacitor 16b and an instruction to strobe light are output from the strobe control circuit 34. Incidentally, the capacitor 16b corresponds to the capacitor means of the present invention.

The flash control circuit 34 includes a trigger circuit 34
a and a strobe charging circuit 34b. The trigger circuit 34a generates a trigger pulse in response to the input of a strobe light emission signal from the control unit 22, and supplies the power stored in the capacitor 16b to the strobe light tube by this trigger pulse, causing the strobe light tube to emit light.

The strobe charging circuit 34b includes the control unit 22
Is configured to be directly input with a charging signal. The strobe charging circuit 34b is also configured to receive a charge stop signal from a signal output circuit 32, which will be described later, and stops charging of the capacitor 16b by input of the charge stop signal. Note that the flash charging circuit 34b corresponds to a charging unit of the present invention. Also, the strobe 16, the strobe control circuit 34 and the signal output circuit 3
Reference numeral 2 corresponds to a strobe device of the present invention.

The control unit 22 includes a CPU 22a, a ROM 22
b, a RAM 22c, a shutter button 12, a cross button 19, a memory card drive 20, a power switch 21, a motor drive circuit 24 via a bus 88.
a, a drive circuit 24b, a signal output circuit 32, a strobe control circuit 34, a memory 42, a compression / expansion unit 44, and a display 46.

The control unit 22 is controlled by the power switch 21
When the power supply 94 is connected and power is supplied,
The start-up process of the digital camera 10 is started based on the program stored in the ROM.

The ROM 22b has a power-on startup processing program, a power-off termination processing program,
And, the various components described above connected to the control unit 22,
Various programs necessary for controlling the digital camera, such as programs for controlling the DC motor 70, the stepping motor 72, and the barrier motor 74, are stored. The RAM 22c stores various data necessary for the programs input via the bus 88.

The control section 22 outputs a motor drive signal to a motor drive circuit. The motor drive signal is also input to the signal output circuit 32.

The signal output circuit 32, as shown in FIG.
It is configured to include an OR gate 50. Note that the signal output circuit 32 corresponds to a signal output unit of the present invention.

The OR gate 50 receives a charge stop signal and a motor drive signal from the control unit 22. When either one of the charge stop signal and the motor drive signal is input, the charge is stopped. Stop signal to strobe charging circuit 3
4b. The time when the OR gate 50 outputs the charge stop signal is when a driving instruction is issued to the motor, or when the control unit 22 determines that it is necessary to secure power for some reason such as a decrease in power. .

The strobe charging circuit 34b controls charging of the capacitor 16b according to the type of the input signal. That is, the strobe charging circuit 34b includes the control unit 2
When a charge signal is input from the second circuit 2, a charge process for the capacitor 16b is performed. When a charge stop signal is input from the signal output circuit 32 during the charge process or the non-charge process, the charge process for the capacitor 16b is stopped.

As described above, the signal output circuit 32 outputs the charging stop signal when the driving instruction is issued to the motor and when the charging stop signal is output from the control unit 22. It is possible to prevent the camera from going down. Further, since a signal output circuit 32 is provided separately from the control unit 22 and the signal output circuit 32 is configured to output a charge stop signal or a charge signal, the driving of the motor can be performed without applying a load to the control unit 22. And the charging process are not performed simultaneously.

(Second Embodiment) Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition,
The digital camera according to the second embodiment has almost the same configuration as the digital camera according to the above-described first embodiment, and therefore only different points will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the digital camera 10 according to the second embodiment, the signal output circuit 32 in the digital camera according to the first embodiment includes an AND gate 51 and an inverter 52. The charging signal and the motor drive signal from the control unit 22 are input to the signal output circuit 32.

The charging signal from the control unit 22 is input to an AND gate 51, and the motor driving signal is input to an inverter 52. Inverter 52 inverts the motor drive signal input from control unit 22 and outputs the inverted signal to AND gate 51. Therefore, the charging signal and the inverted signal from the inverter 52 are input to the AND gate 51. When both the charging signal and the inverted signal are input, the AND gate 51
The charging signal is output to the flash charging circuit 34b.

That is, the strobe charging circuit 34b includes:
Since a charge instruction is issued from the control unit 22 and a charge signal is input when the motor is not driven, the strobe charging circuit 34b always charges the capacitor 16b when the motor is not driven. Processing will be performed.

As described above, since the signal output circuit 32 outputs the charging instruction when the motor is not driven, it is possible to prevent the digital camera from going down due to a decrease in power. In addition, since the signal output circuit 32 is provided separately from the control unit 22 and the charging instruction is issued by the signal output circuit 32, the driving of the motor and the charging process can be performed without applying a load to the control unit 22. Can be avoided at the same time.

(Third Embodiment) Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition,
The digital camera according to the third embodiment has almost the same configuration as the digital camera according to the above-described first embodiment, and therefore only different points will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the digital camera 10 of the third embodiment includes a rotation detection circuit 31 for detecting the rotation of a DC motor 70, a stepping motor 72, and a lens barrier motor 74. Motors 70, 72, 7
4 and the signal output circuit 32. Note that the rotation detection circuit 31 and the signal output circuit 32 correspond to a signal output unit of the present invention.

The rotation detection circuit 31 is a circuit that detects a current flowing through the motor during rotation of the motor and outputs a detection signal such as a high-level signal when the current is detected. Be composed.

That is, in the digital camera according to the third embodiment, the charge stop signal, the motor drive signal, and the detection signal from the rotation detection circuit 31 from the control unit 22 are input to the OR gate 50. When any one of the charge stop signal, the motor drive signal, and the detection signal is input, the charge stop signal is output to the strobe charge circuit 34b. When the OR gate 50 outputs a charge stop signal, when a driving instruction is issued to the motor, or when the control unit 22 determines that it is necessary to secure power for some reason such as power reduction, or This is when the motor is actually driving.

With such a configuration, the charging process can be performed without applying a load to the control unit 22 even when the motor is stopped on the control signal but the motor is actually driven. Since the charging can be stopped, the charging process can be reliably stopped when the motor is driven, and the charging process can be performed when the motor is not driven.

In the third embodiment, the rotation detection circuit 31 is configured to output a detection signal such as a high-level signal when the current flowing through the motor is detected.
For example, a configuration is possible in which a detection signal such as a high-level signal is output when a current equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is detected. A rotation detection circuit 3 is provided for each motor.
1 or a configuration in which the rotation detection circuit 31 is provided on a motor of a predetermined type such as a DC motor alone.

In the third embodiment, the DC motor 70, the stepping motor 72, and the barrier motor 74
A charging stop signal is output when any one of the above is driven to stop the charging process, and the charging is performed when none of the DC motor 70, the stepping motor 72, and the barrier motor 74 is driven. The present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the charging may be stopped when only one predetermined motor or a predetermined type of motor is driven, and may be charged when not driving.

For example, of the DC motor 70, the stepping motor 72, and the barrier motor 74, the charging is stopped when the DC motor 70 that uses the most power is driven, and the charging is performed when the DC motor 70 is not driven.
When driving other motors, charging may be performed continuously.

Further, in the third embodiment, the OR
When any one of the charge stop signal, the motor drive signal, and the motor drive current detection signal is input to the gate 50, the charge stop signal is output to the strobe charging circuit 34b. It is also possible to configure so that only the current detection signal or the charge stop signal and the motor drive current detection signal are input, and charge or stop according to the actual rotation state of the motor. .

In the above-described first to third embodiments, the signal output circuit 32 includes the OR gate 50,
And the configuration including one of the AND gate 51 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the signal output circuit 32 may have a configuration including both the OR gate 50 and the AND gate 51.

In this embodiment, the configuration in which the present invention is applied to a digital camera has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to a digital camera, and a photosensitive material such as a 35 mm film may be used as a recording medium. The present invention can be applied to an imaging device that performs the above, a video camera that shoots a moving image, and the like.

[0069]

According to the present invention, since the driving of the motor and the charging of the strobe are not performed simultaneously,
There is an effect that it is possible to prevent the imaging apparatus from going down due to power shortage. Also, there is an effect that the load on the power supply can be reduced and the camera can be operated for a longer time. Further, since the drive of the motor and the non-drive of the motor can be determined without the control of the central control device or the like on the imaging device side, there is an effect that the load on the central control device can be reduced. Therefore,
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION This invention has the effect that a system down of an imaging device can be prevented without using a high-performance central control apparatus, and also because of power shortage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing an appearance of a front side of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2B is a front view illustrating the appearance of the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a state where the lens is stored when the power is turned off.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a back side of the digital camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an electric block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the digital camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a signal flow according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a signal flow according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an electric block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a digital camera according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a signal flow according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Digital camera 12 Shutter button 13 Liquid crystal display panel 14 Lens 15 Viewfinder 16 Strobe 16a Strobe light emitting tube 16b Capacitor (condenser means) 17 Strobe button 19 Cross button 20 Memory card drive 21 Power switch 22 Control part (central control means) 22a CPU 22b ROM 22c RAM 24a Motor drive circuit 24b Drive circuit 26 Shutter 28 Aperture 30 Imaging device 31 Rotation detection circuit (Signal output means) 32 Signal output circuit (Signal output means) 34 Strobe control circuit 34a Trigger circuit 34b Strobe charging circuit (Charging means) 36 analog signal processing unit 38 A / D conversion unit 40 digital signal processing unit 42 memory 44 compression / decompression unit 46 display 47 mode dial 50 OR gate 51 AND gate 2 inverter 53 focus lens 55 a zoom lens group 61 lens barrier 70 DC motor 71 motor 72 stepper motor 74 the lens barrier motor 88 bus 94 Power

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A strobe device for an image pickup device for recording an image, comprising: capacitor means for storing electric power for causing a strobe to emit light; charging means for controlling charging of the capacitor means; Detects the driving state of the motor
And a signal output means for outputting a stop signal for stopping the charging based on the detected driving state. 2. The strobe device according to claim 1, wherein the signal output unit detects the drive state based on a drive signal for driving a motor. 3. The flash device according to claim 1, wherein the signal output unit detects the driving state by detecting rotation of the motor. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the charging means performs charging by inputting a charging signal, the signal output means stops the charging signal to the charging means as the stop signal. The strobe device according to claim 1.