JP2002303920A - Strobe light emitting device and camera system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately irradiate a subject with strobe light. SOLUTION: This strobe light emitting device can be attached to/detached from a photographic lens and has a light emitting part to perform the irradiation of the strobe light, and the direction of the light emitting part can be manually changed. The device has an irradiation range calculation means for calculating the irradiation range of the strobe light by detecting the direction of the light emitting part, a decision means for deciding whether or not the subject is within the irradiation range of the strobe light calculated by the irradiation range calculation means based on a subject distance and the focal distance of the photographic lens, and a warning means for performing warning operation when the decision means decides that the subject is out of the irradiation range of the strobe light.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a strobe light emitting device which issues a warning so that a subject is properly irradiated with strobe light when the strobe light irradiation range is manually changed, and the strobe light emitting device. Camera system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is a strobe light emitting device attached to a barrel of a macro lens and mainly used for macro photography. This strobe light emitting device has a plurality of light emitting units attached to a lens barrel and irradiated with strobe light. Each of these light emitting units can be manually rotated up, down, left and right, and each light emitting unit can be removed. When performing macro shooting using this strobe light emitting device, the photographer manually moves each light emitting unit up, down, left, and right so that the light emitting surface of the light emitting unit is directed toward the nearest subject, and then shoots by emitting light from the light emitting unit. It is carried out.

On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-13231,
There has been proposed a strobe system capable of automatically directing a strobe irradiation direction to a subject intended by a photographer. In this case, a single strobe mounted on the camera body is automatically turned to the subject side.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 1-304435, an appropriate exposure value is obtained from the distance between the strobe and the subject, the distance between the walls, and the reflectivity of the wall, and the appropriate exposure value is outside the exposure range in which the camera can be controlled. In such a case, an exposure control device that issues a warning or prohibits shooting is proposed. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H5-165089 proposes a display device in a finder for obtaining a strobe irradiation range based on subject distance information, focal length information and strobe irradiation angle information, and displaying the strobe irradiation range on a finder. . Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-138446, when shooting is performed by bounce irradiation in which strobe light is reflected to an object other than the subject and then irradiated to the subject, it is detected whether or not the shooting situation is inappropriate for the bounce irradiation. Cameras have been proposed that warn the photographer when it is detected that the photographing situation is appropriate.

[0005]

However, when the photographer manually moves the plurality of light emitting units up, down, left, and right so that the light emitting surface of the light emitting unit faces the subject, the photographing is actually performed by the light emitting unit. It is not known whether or not the flash light is properly applied to the subject, and the photographer can only move the light-emitting unit up, down, left and right depending on intuition.

In a state where only one of the plurality of light emitting units is set to emit light, or in a state where the light emitting unit is detached from the lens barrel so as to emit light, the light emitting surface of the light emitting unit is exposed to an object. Similarly, when photographing from the side, it is not known whether the flash light is properly applied to the subject, and there is a drawback that the operation of the light emitting unit has to rely on the intuition of the photographer.

When the light emitting unit is moved in accordance with the photographer's intuition, there is a possibility that the photographing may fail because the strobe light is not properly applied to the subject.

On the other hand, in the flash system proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-13231, if the subject is out of the range of the flash light irradiation, it is only necessary to set the range of the flash light closest to the subject. .

An exposure control device proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 1-304435 detects whether or not bounced light reaches a subject, and issues a warning if the bounced light does not reach the subject. It does not judge the appropriateness of the irradiation range when directly irradiating the object.

Further, in the display device in the finder proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-165089, the flash irradiation range is only displayed on the viewfinder. It is not known how much the illumination angle should be changed to bring the subject into the flash illumination range.

The camera proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-138446 is also based on the premise that shooting is performed by bounce irradiation, and does not judge the appropriate irradiation range when the subject is directly irradiated with strobe light. .

In view of the above, the present invention provides a warning or the like so that the emission range of the strobe light becomes appropriate when the light emission unit is manually moved, so that the emission range of the strobe light in the light emission unit manually moved by the user is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide a strobe light emitting device capable of quickly determining whether or not a flashlight is appropriate and easily irradiating a subject with a strobe light appropriately, and a camera system having the strobe light emitting device.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a light emitting section detachable from a taking lens and irradiating a strobe light, and the direction of the light emitting section can be manually changed. In the flash light emitting device, an irradiation range calculating unit that detects a direction of the light emitting unit to calculate an irradiation range of the strobe light, and a subject is calculated by the irradiation range calculating unit based on a subject distance and a focal length of the photographing lens. And a warning means for performing a warning operation when the determination means determines that the subject is out of the flash light irradiation range. And

As described above, when the warning operation is performed when the subject is out of the range of the strobe light irradiation, the user of the apparatus can quickly determine whether or not the strobe light is properly applied to the subject. In addition to this, it is possible to prevent a failure in photographing due to performing photographing in a state where the strobe light is not properly applied to the subject. Here, the warning operation can be performed by displaying information indicating that the subject is out of the irradiation range of the strobe light.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a strobe light emitting device which is detachable from a photographing lens and emits strobe light, and the direction of the light emitting unit can be manually changed. Irradiating range calculating means for detecting the strobe light range and detecting whether the subject enters the irradiating range of the strobe light calculated by the irradiating range calculating means based on the subject distance and the focal length of the taking lens. Determining means for determining whether the object is out of the flash light irradiation range, and calculating a correction amount of the direction of the light emitting unit so that the object falls within the flash light irradiation range. And a display unit for displaying the correction amount of the direction of the light emitting unit calculated by the correction amount calculation unit.

As described above, by displaying the correction amount of the direction of the light emitting section, the user of the apparatus can easily irradiate the subject with the strobe light easily by operating the light emitting section according to the displayed contents. Can be.

On the other hand, when the strobe light is emitted from any of the plurality of light emitting units, a warning operation is performed when the determination unit determines that the subject is out of the range of the strobe light irradiation. In addition, it is possible to prevent shooting failure due to shooting when the flash light is not properly applied to the subject, and to easily illuminate the subject with the flash light easily by displaying the correction amount of the direction of the light emitting unit. it can.

It should be noted that the strobe light emitting device of the present invention can be used in a case where it is mounted on a camera and a subject close to the camera is irradiated with strobe light to take a picture.

[0019]

(First Embodiment) The structure of a camera system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the camera system according to the present embodiment.

Reference numeral 200 denotes a camera body, in which optical parts, mechanical parts, electric circuits, films, and the like are stored so that a photograph can be taken. Reference numeral 201 denotes an accessory shoe provided on the camera body 200, to which a flash control unit 203 described later is attached. The accessory shoe 201 is provided with a contact group serving as an interface that enables communication between the camera body 200 and the flash control 203.

Reference numeral 202 denotes a lens barrel detachable from the camera body 200. The lens barrel 202 houses a photographic lens composed of a plurality of lens groups. 2
Reference numeral 03 denotes a strobe control unit, which contains a control circuit for controlling strobe light emission, a strobe power supply circuit serving as a power supply for strobe light emission, and the like. Reference numeral 204 denotes a ring adapter, which is detachably attached to the tip of the lens barrel 202 and holds light emitting units 205 and 209 described later. In addition,
The flash control unit 203 and the light emitting units 205 and 209 correspond to a flash light emitting device of the present invention.

Reference numeral 205 denotes a light emitting unit for irradiating strobe light, and contains a flash discharge tube, a reflector, a Fresnel lens, a light emitting circuit, and the like. 206 is a light emitting unit 2
A stroboscopic light irradiation window 206 is provided in front of the stroboscopic light 05.

Reference numeral 207 denotes a rotating member for rotating the light emitting unit 205 right and left. The rotating member 207 includes a rotation angle of the light emitting unit 205 with respect to the rotating member 207 (the light emitting unit 2).
A detection member such as an encoder and a sensor for detecting an inclination angle in the left-right direction of FIG.

Reference numeral 208 denotes a rotating member for rotating the light emitting unit 205 up and down. The rotation angle of the light emitting unit 205 with respect to the rotation member 208 (the light emitting unit 2
A detection member such as an encoder and a sensor for detecting an inclination angle in the up-down direction of the camera 05 is built in. The rotating member 208 is connected to the ring adapter 204 and can move along the ring adapter 204 on the outer periphery of the lens barrel 202. Thereby, the rotating member 208 can be moved along the ring adapter 204,
The position of the light emitting unit 205 on the outer periphery of the ring adapter 204 (the lens barrel 202) can be changed. And
The rotating member 208 has a built-in detection member (encoder, sensor, etc.) for detecting at which position in the circumferential direction of the ring adapter 204 the light emitting unit 205 is located.

Reference numeral 209 denotes a light emitting unit for irradiating strobe light, and contains a flash discharge tube, a reflector, a Fresnel lens, a light emitting circuit, and the like. 210 is the light emitting unit 2
Reference numeral 09 denotes a strobe irradiation window arranged in front of the strobe light.

Reference numeral 211 denotes a rotating member for rotating the light emitting unit 209 right and left. The rotation member 211 includes a rotation angle of the light emitting unit 209 with respect to the rotation member 211 (the light emitting unit 2).
Detecting member for detecting the inclination angle in the left-right direction of 09)
(Encoders, sensors, etc.).

Reference numeral 212 denotes a rotating member for rotating the light emitting unit 209 up and down. The rotation angle of the light emitting unit 209 with respect to the rotation member 212 (the light emitting unit 2
A detection member (encoder, sensor, or the like) for detecting the vertical angle of 09 (inclination angle in the vertical direction) is built in. Also,
The rotating member 212 is connected to the ring adapter 204, and can move on the outer periphery of the lens barrel 202 along the ring adapter 204. Thereby, the rotating member 212 can be moved along the ring adapter 204,
The position of the light emitting unit 209 on the outer periphery of the ring adapter 204 (the lens barrel 202) can be changed. And
The rotating member 212 has a built-in detection member (encoder, sensor, etc.) for detecting at which position in the circumferential direction of the ring adapter 204 the light emitting unit 209 is located.

A code 213 is provided between the flash control unit 203 and the light emitting unit 205.
The strobe power supply circuit housed in the light-emitting unit 03 is electrically connected to the light-emitting circuit housed in the light-emitting unit 205. 214
Is a code disposed between the strobe control unit 203 and the light emitting unit 209, and electrically connects the strobe power supply circuit housed in the strobe control unit 203 and the light emitting circuit housed in the light emitting unit 209. .

Next, FIGS. 3 and 4 are top views of the camera system according to the present embodiment. Here, the light emitting unit 20
5, 209 and the lens barrel 202 show their internal structures. The description of the same members as those described in FIG. 2 will be omitted.

Reference numeral 215 denotes a photographing lens housed in the lens barrel 202. Reference numeral 114 denotes a first flash discharge tube housed in the light emitting unit 209, and discharge discharge (strobe light emission) is performed by flowing a high-voltage charge into the first flash discharge tube 114. Here, the first flash discharge tube 114 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the first flash discharge tube 114 is the longitudinal direction of the light emitting unit 205.

Reference numeral 216 denotes a reflection shade housed in the light emitting unit 205, and reflects the strobe light generated in the first flash discharge tube 114 toward the strobe irradiation window 206 side.

Reference numeral 121 denotes a second light source housed in the light emitting unit 209.
This is a flash discharge tube, and discharge light emission (strobe light emission) is performed by flowing a high-voltage charge into the second flash discharge tube 121. Here, the second flash discharge tube 121 is arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the second flash discharge tube 121 is the longitudinal direction of the light emitting unit 209. Reference numeral 217 denotes a reflection shade housed in the light emitting unit 209, which reflects the strobe light generated by the second flash discharge tube 121 toward the strobe irradiation window 210.

A dashed line S0 in FIGS. 3 and 4 indicates an optical axis of a subject light beam passing through the photographing lens 215, and a solid line S1.
And the angle between the solid line S2 and the solid line S2 indicate the angle of view of photographing. Also,
The dotted line L0 (dotted line L0 ′) indicates the center line of the strobe light emitted from the light emitting unit 205, and the range between the solid line L1 and the solid line L2 (solid line L1 ′ and solid line L2 ′) is the light emitting unit 20.
5 shows an irradiation range of the strobe light in FIG. Similarly, a dotted line R0 (dotted line R0 ′) indicates the center line of the strobe light emitted from the light emitting unit 205, and includes a solid line R1 and a solid line R2 (solid line R2).
The range between 1 ′ and the solid line R2 ′) indicates the irradiation range of the strobe light in the light emitting unit 209.

Next, FIGS. 5 and 6 are side views of the camera system according to the present embodiment. Here, the camera body 2
As for 00 and the lens barrel 202, their internal structures are shown. The description of the same members as those described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 will be omitted.

Reference numeral 218 denotes a main mirror, which is obliquely provided in the photographing optical path when observing the subject, and
The luminous flux passing through the object 5 is transmitted to a pentaprism 22 described later.
When the image is taken, the subject is evacuated from the image taking optical path and hits the subject light beam on the film surface arranged on the back of the camera body 200. In addition, a part of the main mirror 218 is a half mirror, and transmits a light beam of the subject even when the main mirror 218 is obliquely provided in the photographing optical path. The luminous flux transmitted through the main mirror 218 is
It is sent to a distance measuring device 220 described later.

Reference numeral 219 denotes a sub-mirror, which is a main mirror 21.
8, and reflects a light beam transmitted through the main mirror 218 to a distance measuring device 220 described later.

Reference numeral 220 denotes a distance measuring device for measuring a subject distance. When measuring the subject distance, first, the subject light flux passing through the photographing lens 215 passes through a part of the main mirror 218, is reflected by the sub mirror 219, and is guided to the distance measuring device 220. The distance measuring device 220 measures the subject distance based on the guided subject light flux. The measurement result is output to the control unit (camera microcomputer) in the camera body 200 as a subject distance signal.

The distance measuring mechanism in this embodiment is a conventional auto focus mechanism. The value measured by the distance measuring device 220 is the defocus amount, and the calculation of the absolute distance is performed from the absolute position of the focus lens at the time of focusing.
The actual focusing operation is performed by moving a focus lens group in the taking lens 215 in the optical axis direction by a focus driving mechanism (not shown) based on a defocus amount obtained by the distance measuring device 2 and a lens-specific parameter. Do with.

Reference numeral 221 denotes a focusing screen, on which a transmission type liquid crystal panel for displaying various kinds of information in photographing with a camera is provided integrally. Reference numeral 222 denotes a condenser lens that condenses the subject light flux that has passed through the focusing screen 221 and
Send to 23.

Reference numeral 223 denotes a pentaprism, which totally reflects the subject light flux passing through the condenser lens 222 and sends it to a finder (not shown). This allows the photographer to observe the subject image through the viewfinder.

Here, the dotted line S3 in FIGS. 5 and 6 indicates the optical axis of the subject light beam passing through the photographing lens 215, and the angle between the solid lines S4 and S5 indicates the photographing angle of view.
A dotted line UDL0 (dotted line UDL0 ′) indicates the light emitting unit 205.
Indicates the center line of the strobe light emitted from
1 and solid line UDL2 (solid line UDL1 'and solid line UDL
The range sandwiched by 2 ′) indicates the range of irradiation of the strobe light in the light emitting unit 205. Although FIGS. 5 and 6 show side views of the camera body 200 on the side where the light-emitting unit 205 is arranged, the same configuration is adopted on the side where the light-emitting unit 209 is arranged.

Next, the circuit configuration of the camera system according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows an electric circuit block diagram of the camera system.

First, the circuit configuration arranged on the camera body 200 will be described.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a battery serving as a power supply for the camera body 200. Reference numeral 2 denotes a power supply circuit, and an output voltage from the power supply circuit 2 is supplied to each circuit described later. As the power supply circuit 2, for example, a constant voltage circuit that outputs a constant voltage even when the voltage of the battery 1 changes can be used. 3 is DC / D
The C converter boosts the voltage of the battery 1 and supplies it to the camera microcomputer 8 as a constant output voltage.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a switch unit, which comprises a switch detection circuit 5 and a switch group 6. The switch detection circuit 5 detects the on / off state of each of the switches constituting the switch group 6 and outputs the detection signal to the camera microcomputer 8. The switch group 6 includes, for example, a switch (SW1) that is turned on when the release button is half-pressed, a switch (SW2) that is turned on when the release button is fully pressed, and a switch (aperture, shutter speed setting SW) for setting an exposure. ) Etc. are included.

7 is an EEP connected to the camera microcomputer 8
ROM (ROM capable of electrically erasing and rewriting data). Setting information necessary for the camera operation is written in the EEPROM 7.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a camera microcomputer, which includes a CPU, a ROM,
The microcomputer has a one-chip IC circuit configuration including a RAM, an input / output control circuit (I / O CONTROL), a multiplexer, a timer circuit, and the like, and can control the camera system by software. Here, the EEPROM 7 may be built in the camera microcomputer 8.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a distance measuring circuit arranged in the distance measuring device 220, which measures a subject distance. Here, as a method of measuring a subject distance, an active method in which light is projected from the camera body 200 side and reflected light from the subject is received to obtain distance measurement information, or a line sensor provided corresponding to a screen And a drive circuit for controlling the drive of the line sensor. The drive circuit controls the accumulation of electricity in each sensor and reads the image signal in each sensor, so that the subject image is focused at any position. A passive method can be used in which the calculation is performed by using an existing phase difference detection method to detect the difference.

In the present embodiment, as described above, at the time of measuring the subject distance, the subject light beam passing through the photographing lens 215 passes through a part of the main mirror 218 and the sub mirror 219.
, The object distance is measured by the distance measuring device 220. And
An object distance signal as a result of the measurement is output from the distance measuring device 220 to the camera microcomputer 8. Here, the value measured by the distance measuring device 220 is the defocus amount, and the calculation of the absolute distance is performed from the absolute position of the focus lens at the time of focusing. The actual focusing operation is performed by driving a focus lens group in the photographing lens 215 by a focus driving mechanism (not shown) based on the defocus amount and parameters unique to the lens.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a focal length detecting circuit which sends focal length information of the photographing lens 215 to the camera microcomputer 8. Here, when the taking lens 215 is a single lens,
Data indicating a fixed focal length is sent to the camera microcomputer 8, and when the taking lens 215 is a zoom lens,
Data indicating a focal length corresponding to a zoom stop position of the photographing lens 215 detected by a zoom encoder (not shown) is sent to the camera microcomputer 8.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a display unit, which is a liquid crystal display (LC).
D) 12 and a liquid crystal display circuit 13.
The LCD 12 displays information on camera shooting. The LCD 12 is attached to the inside of the viewfinder or the exterior of the camera body 200. In addition, not only LCD but also LED or the like may be used as a display element for displaying information related to camera shooting. The liquid crystal display circuit 13 causes the LCD 12 to display information regarding camera shooting in accordance with a command from the camera microcomputer 8.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a photometric circuit for measuring the luminance of the subject. The photometric circuit 14 receives data from the camera microcomputer 8 and sends data (subject brightness) necessary for determining an appropriate exposure to the camera microcomputer 8. Also,
The photometric circuit 14 also measures the amount of light during preliminary light emission.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a dimming circuit, which detects light reflected by the subject by strobe light emission and outputs a signal for stopping light emission when a proper exposure is obtained. This output signal is input from the camera microcomputer 8 to a flash microcomputer 108 described later via the contact group 17.

Reference numeral 16 denotes an X contact, which is turned on in synchronization with the operation of a shutter (not shown) provided in the camera body 200, and controls the timing of strobe light emission by the strobe microcomputer 10.
Tell 8 One end of the X contact 16 is connected to S4 of the flash microcomputer 108 via a contact group 17,
The other end is at the GND level.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a contact group which serves as an interface between the camera microcomputer 8 and the flash microcomputer 108. The camera microcomputer 8 and the flash microcomputer 108 can communicate with each other via the contact group 17. The contact group 17 is provided on the accessory shoe 201 as described above.

Next, the interface terminals in the camera microcomputer 8 will be described. SCK is a flash microcomputer 1
08, a synchronous clock output terminal for performing serial communication with the flash microcomputer 108, SDO is a serial data output terminal for performing serial communication with the flash microcomputer 108, SDI is a serial data input terminal for performing serial communication with the flash microcomputer 108, and SCHG is This is an output terminal for detecting the completion of charging of the main capacitor for storing light emission energy in the strobe control unit 203. Here, SCK is connected to the S0 terminal of the flash microcomputer 108 via the contact group 17, SDO is connected to the S1 terminal of the flash microcomputer 108 via the contact group 17, and SDI is the contact group 17
Is connected to the S2 terminal of the flash microcomputer 108, and SCHG is connected to the flash microcomputer 1 via the contact group 17.
08 is connected to the S3 terminal.

Next, the circuit configuration of the strobe (including the strobe control unit 203 and the light emitting units 205 and 209) will be described.

Reference numeral 101 denotes a battery serving as a power source of the strobe. Reference numeral 102 denotes a strobe power supply circuit, and an output voltage from the strobe power supply circuit 102 is supplied to each circuit described later. For example, the power supply circuit 102 boosts the voltage of the battery 101 and accumulates electric charge in a main capacitor (not shown) until the voltage reaches a set voltage. This output is supplied to a first light emitting circuit 113 and a second light emitting circuit 120 described later. 103
Is a DC / DC converter, which is supplied as a constant voltage circuit that outputs a constant voltage even if the voltage of the battery 101 changes, to a flash microcomputer 108 described later.

Reference numeral 104 denotes a switch unit, which includes a switch detection circuit 105 and a switch group 106. The switch detection circuit 105 detects the on / off state of each switch among the plurality of switches constituting the switch group 106, and outputs this detection signal to the flash microcomputer 108.
Output to Here, the switch group 106 includes, for example, setting of the amount of strobe light emitted from the light emitting units 205 and 209 during flash photography (selection of the light amount ratio between the light emitting units 205 and 209 and selection of the light emitting unit which is not to emit light among the light emitting units 205 and 209). (A light amount setting switch according to the present invention), a strobe mode setting switch for setting a strobe mode which is a mode for causing the light emitting units 205 and 209 to emit light, and the like. There is a switch for controlling strobe light emission.

Reference numeral 107 denotes an EEPROM (ROM capable of electrically erasing and rewriting data) connected to the flash microcomputer 108. This EEPROM10
In 7, setting information necessary for the flash emission operation is written. For example, the light emitting units 205 and 209 are stored in the EEPROM 7.
Can be stored in advance.

Reference numeral 108 denotes a flash microcomputer (including an irradiation range calculation unit, a determination unit, a correction amount calculation unit, and a warning unit), a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and an input / output control circuit (I / O CONTROL). It has a one-chip IC circuit configuration including a microcomputer, a multiplexer, a timer circuit, and the like, and can control a strobe and a camera system by software. Note that the flash microcomputer 108 may include the EEPROM 107.

Reference numeral 110 denotes a first left / right angle detection circuit (rotating member 2
07 is a circuit of a detection member incorporated in the light emitting unit 20.
When the camera 5 is manually rotated left and right, the inclination angle of the light emitting unit 205 in the left and right direction is detected, and the detection result (left and right position data) is sent to the flash microcomputer 108.

Reference numeral 111 denotes a first vertical angle detection circuit (rotating member 2
08, a light-emitting unit 20).
When the camera 5 is manually rotated up and down, the tilt angle of the light emitting unit 205 in the up and down direction is detected, and the detection result (up and down position data) is sent to the flash microcomputer 108.

Reference numeral 112 denotes a first circumferential angle detection circuit (rotating member 2
08, a light-emitting unit 20).
5 is moved along the ring adapter 204, the position of the light emitting unit 205 in the circumferential direction of the ring adapter 204 is detected, and the detection result (circumferential position data) is sent to the flash microcomputer 108.

As a result, the flash microcomputer 108
Based on the left and right position data, the up and down position data, and the circumferential position data, the irradiation range of the strobe light in the light emitting unit 205 is determined.

Reference numeral 113 denotes a first light source accommodated in the light emitting unit 205.
The light emitting circuit discharges the electric charge stored in the strobe power supply circuit 102 into the first flash discharge tube 114 by receiving a command from the strobe microcomputer 108 or cuts off the discharge. A first flash discharge tube 114 is connected to the first light emitting circuit 113 and irradiates an object.

Reference numeral 115 denotes a first monitor circuit for monitoring the amount of light emitted from the first flash discharge tube 114, which can control the amount of light emission by monitoring the amount of light emitted during preliminary light emission and main light emission.

Reference numeral 117 denotes a second left / right angle detection circuit (rotating member 2).
11, a light-emitting unit 20).
When the camera 9 is manually rotated left and right, the inclination angle of the light emitting unit 209 in the left and right direction is detected, and the detection result (left and right position data) is sent to the flash microcomputer 108.

Reference numeral 118 denotes a second vertical angle detection circuit (rotating member 2
12 is a circuit of a detection member incorporated in the light emitting unit 20.
When the camera 9 is manually rotated up and down, the tilt angle of the light emitting section 209 in the up and down direction is detected, and the detection result (up and down position data) is sent to the flash microcomputer 108.

Reference numeral 119 denotes a second circumferential angle detection circuit (rotating member 2
12 is a circuit of a detection member incorporated in the light emitting unit 20.
When the camera 9 is moved along the ring adapter 204, the position of the light emitting unit 209 in the circumferential direction of the ring adapter 204 is detected, and the detection result (circumferential position data) is sent to the flash microcomputer 108.

As a result, the flash microcomputer 108
An irradiation range of the strobe light in the light emitting unit 209 is determined based on the left / right position data, the up / down position data, and the circumferential position data.

Reference numeral 120 denotes a second light source accommodated in the light emitting unit 209.
The light emitting circuit discharges the charge stored by the strobe power supply circuit 102 into the second flash discharge tube 121 or interrupts the discharge in response to a command from the strobe microcomputer 108. Reference numeral 121 denotes a flash discharge tube which is connected to the second light emitting circuit 120 by a second flash discharge tube and irradiates an object.

Reference numeral 122 denotes a second monitor circuit for monitoring the amount of light emitted from the second flash discharge tube 121. The amount of light emission can be controlled by monitoring the amount of light emitted during preliminary light emission and main light emission.

A display unit 123 is a liquid crystal display (L)
CD) 124 and a liquid crystal display circuit 125. The LCD 124 displays information related to flash photography. The LCD 124 can be provided on the exterior of the flash control unit 203 or on the exterior of the light emitting units 205 and 209. As a display element for displaying information related to flash photography, not only an LCD but also an LED or the like may be used. The liquid crystal display circuit 125 causes the LCD 124 to display information on flash photography in accordance with a command from the flash microcomputer 108.

Next, the light emission operation in the camera system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

On the camera body 200 side, first, the battery 1
Are connected, and when a main switch (not shown) which is one of the switch groups 6 is turned on, the power supply circuit 2 and the DC / DC converter 3 are activated. Thereby, the power supply circuit 2, DC /
Constant voltages are generated by the DC converter 3, and these constant voltages are supplied to the camera microcomputer 8 and each circuit. When a constant voltage is supplied to the camera microcomputer 8, C
A reset operation is performed in the PU. Specifically, it clears a flag in the program or clears stored contents.

Also, on the strobe side, the battery 101
Is connected, and when a main switch (not shown), which is one of the switch groups 106, is turned on, the strobe power supply circuit 10
2. Constant voltages are generated by the DC / DC converter 103, and these constant voltages are supplied to the flash microcomputer 108 and each circuit. When a constant voltage is supplied to the flash microcomputer 108, a reset operation is performed in the CPU in the flash microcomputer 108. Specifically, it clears a flag in the program or clears the contents stored in the memory.

The program operation in the camera microcomputer 8 and the flash microcomputer 108 will be described below.

In step S 1, the on / off state of each switch of the switch group 6 is detected by the switch detection circuit 5, and this detection signal is output to the camera microcomputer 8. For example, the switch detection circuit 5
W (SW1 and SW2), shutter priority mode, aperture priority mode, flash operation switch for switching the flash mode, film insertion operation switch, zoom operation S
The on / off state of each switch such as W, remote control setting switch, film sensitivity switch SW, and auto focus / manual focus switch SW is detected.

In step S2, it is determined whether or not the switch SW1 is on. If the switch SW1 is on, the process proceeds to step S3. If the switch SW1 is off, the process returns to step S1.

In step S3, the focal length detection circuit 10
Is sent to the camera microcomputer 8, and the focal length of the photographing lens 215 is stored in the camera microcomputer 8. Here, when the taking lens 215 is a single lens, a fixed focal length is stored in the camera microcomputer 8, and when the taking lens 215 is a zoom lens, it is detected by a zoom encoder (not shown). The focal length corresponding to the zoom stop position of the taking lens 215 is stored in the camera microcomputer 8.

In step S4, the distance measuring circuit 9 measures the subject distance in response to an instruction from the camera microcomputer 8.
At the time of measuring the subject distance, first, the subject luminous flux passing through the photographing lens 215 passes through a part of the main mirror 218,
The light is guided to the distance measuring device 220 by the sub mirror 219. The distance measuring device 220 measures the subject distance based on the subject light flux. When the measurement of the subject distance is completed, a signal indicating the subject distance information is output to the camera microcomputer 8. The value measured by the distance measuring device 220 is the defocus amount, and the calculation of the absolute distance is performed from the absolute position of the focus lens at the time of focusing. The actual focusing operation is performed by driving a focus lens group in the photographing lens 215 by a focus driving mechanism (not shown) based on the defocus amount and parameters unique to the lens.

In step S5, the camera microcomputer 8 and the flash microcomputer 108 communicate with each other via the contact group 17. At this time, the camera microcomputer 8 reads the presence / absence of the strobe control unit 203 and the type determination data of the strobe light emitting device attached to the camera body 200.

In step S6, the flash control unit 203
It is determined whether a twin strobe (TWNST) including the light emitting units 205 and 209 is mounted on the camera body 200. If it is determined that the TWNST is mounted on the camera body 200, the process proceeds to step S7,
A strobe light emitting device other than TWNST is
If it is determined that the camera is mounted on the camera main body 200, or if it is determined that TWNST or another strobe light emitting device is not mounted on the camera body 200, the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S7, the flash microcomputer 10
In step 8, the user checks the amount of strobe light emitted from the light emitting units 205 and 209 set by operating the light emission amount setting switches for setting the amount of strobe light emission in the switch group 106, and considers light emitting units that do not emit light. Then, based on subject distance information obtained by communication with the camera microcomputer 8 and focal length information of the photographing lens 215, a necessary light distribution range, which is a range requiring strobe light irradiation, is calculated. In the present embodiment, the calculation of the necessary light distribution range is performed by the flash microcomputer 108, but may be performed by the camera microcomputer 8.

In step S8, the position data (left / right position data, up / down position data, and circumferential position data) of the light emitting unit 205 set at a predetermined position by the photographer's operation.
Is detected.

More specifically, the first left / right angle detection circuit 110 detects the inclination angle of the light emitting unit 205 in the left / right direction,
The result of this detection (left and right position data) is
Send to 08. Further, the first vertical angle detection circuit 111 detects the tilt angle of the light emitting unit 205 in the vertical direction, and sends the detection result (vertical position data) to the flash microcomputer 108. Further, the position of the light emitting unit 205 in the circumferential direction of the ring adapter 204 is detected by the first circumferential angle detection circuit 112, and the detection result (circumferential position data) is sent to the flash microcomputer 108.

In step S9, the position data (left / right position data, up / down position data, and circumferential position data) of the light emitting unit 209 set at a predetermined position by the photographer's operation.
Is detected.

More specifically, the second left / right angle detection circuit 117 detects the inclination angle of the light emitting section 209 in the left / right direction,
The result of this detection (left and right position data) is
Send to 08. Further, the second vertical angle detection circuit 118 detects the inclination angle of the light emitting unit 205 in the vertical direction, and sends the detection result (vertical position data) to the flash microcomputer 108. Further, the position of the light emitting unit 209 in the circumferential direction of the ring adapter 204 is detected by the second circumferential angle detection circuit 119, and the detection result (circumferential position data) is sent to the flash microcomputer 108.

In step S10, the irradiation range of the strobe light in the light emitting units 205 and 209 is obtained based on the position data of the light emitting units 205 and 209 detected in step S8 and step S9. The light emitting unit 205,
209, the data indicating the range of irradiation of the strobe light
The information may be stored in the EPROM 107 in advance.

In step S11, the strobe light from the light emitting units 205 and 209 is generated based on the necessary light distribution range calculated in step S7 and the irradiation range of the strobe light in the light emitting units 205 and 209 obtained in step S10. It is determined whether the subject is properly irradiated.

Here, when either one of the light emitting units 205 and 209 is removed, or when one of the light emitting units is set so as not to emit light by operating the light emission amount setting switch, the other light emitting unit is not used. Based on the irradiation range of the strobe light in the light emitting unit and the necessary light distribution range, it is determined whether the strobe light from the other light emitting unit is properly irradiated on the subject.

When it is determined that the strobe light from the light emitting units 205 and 209 (including the other light emitting unit when one of the light emitting units does not emit light) is not properly applied to the subject, that is, the subject is not irradiated with the light emitting units 205 and 209 If it is determined that the flash light is out of the irradiation range of the flash light in step S12, the process proceeds to step S12, and if it is determined that the flash light from the light emitting units 205 and 209 is properly applied to the subject, that is, the subject is If it is determined that it is within the flash light irradiation range, the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S12, the light emitting units 205 and 20
Information indicating that the strobe light emitted from 9 deviates from the subject is displayed on the LCD 124. The light emitting unit 20
In order to properly irradiate the subject with the strobe light from the light emitting units 205 and 209 based on the strobe light irradiation range and the necessary light distribution range in 5, 209, the light emitting units 205, 2
The amount of correction indicating how much the camera 09 should be rotated up, down, left, and right is calculated, and the calculation result is displayed on the LCD 124.

As described above, by displaying the correction amounts of the light emitting units 205 and 209 on the LCD 124, the photographer can obtain the L level.
Based on the correction amount displayed on the CD 124, the light emitting unit 20
5 and 209 are rotated up, down, left and right to emit light.
The subject can be appropriately irradiated with the strobe light at 9.

For example, the LCD 124 displays the message “Light emitting unit 205:
[Left 10 ° -upper 5 °] correction, light emitting unit 209: [right 5 ° -lower 5 ° correction] can be displayed, and the photographer can move the light emitting units 205, 209 up, down, left, and right based on this display. , The directions of the light emitting units 205 and 209 can be corrected. In this case, the light emitting unit 205 is moved leftward by 1
The light emitting unit 209 is rotated by 0 ° and upward by 5 °.
Is rotated rightward by 5 ° and downward by 5 °.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a scale is provided on the rotating member 211 and the LCD 124 is provided with, for example,
By displaying “5: scale + 1, light emitting unit 209: scale-2”, the photographer can use the light emitting unit 20 by the displayed scale.
5, 209 can be rotated left and right to correct the irradiation range. In this case, the light emitting unit 205 is
By rotating the scale, the light emitting unit 209 is rotated by two scales in the negative direction. In this way, by providing the scale on the rotating member 211, the direction of the light emitting units 205 and 209 can be easily corrected. Here, the above-described scale may be provided on the rotating member 212 for rotating the light emitting units 205 and 209 in the vertical direction.

In the present embodiment, the information indicating that the irradiation range of the strobe light is out of the subject and the light emitting sections 205 and 2 are provided on the LCD 124 provided on the strobe side.
Although the correction amount of the direction 09 is displayed, such information may be displayed on the LCD 12 provided on the camera body 200 side. Step S1
If it is determined in step 1 that the strobe light from the light-emitting units 205 and 209 is not properly applied to the subject, a sound may be emitted to notify the photographer.

Here, a case where the direction of the light emitting units 205 and 209 (the irradiation range of the strobe light in the light emitting units 205 and 209) is corrected in the left-right direction will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 3, the subject A is located within the irradiation range of the light emitting units 205 and 209 at the photographing angles of view of S1 and S2. Therefore, the strobe light from the light emitting units 205 and 209 is appropriately applied to the subject A. On the other hand, the subject B located closer to the camera body 200 than the subject A is located outside the irradiation range of the light emitting units 205 and 209, and the strobe light from the light emitting units 205 and 209 is not properly applied to the subject B. .

Therefore, when the subject B is to be properly irradiated with the strobe light, the LCD 124 displays information indicating that the subject B is not properly irradiated with the strobe light in the current orientation of the light emitting portions 205 and 209. In addition to the display, a correction amount indicating how much the light emitting units 205 and 209 should be rotated left and right in order to properly irradiate the subject with the strobe light from the light emitting units 205 and 209 is displayed. Accordingly, the photographer rotates the light emitting units 205 and 209 in the left and right directions according to the instruction displayed on the LCD 124. Specifically, the scale is attached to the rotating member 211 as described above, and the photographer rotates the light emitting unit 209 in the left and right direction by the scale displayed on the LCD 124. Similarly, the rotation member 207 is scaled, and the photographer
The light emitting unit 205 is rotated left and right by the scale displayed on the CD 124.

By rotating the light emitting units 205 and 209 in the left and right directions in accordance with the instruction displayed on the LCD 124, the irradiation range of the strobe light on the light emitting units 205 and 209 changes as shown in FIG. Also, the strobe light from the light emitting units 205 and 209 is irradiated.

Next, a case in which the direction of the light emitting unit 205 (209) (irradiation range of the strobe light in the light emitting unit 205) is corrected in the vertical direction will be described with reference to FIGS.

When the light emitting unit 205 is in the state shown in FIG. 6, the subject A and B are not irradiated with the strobe light from the light emitting unit 205. For this reason, when the light emitting unit 205 is in the state shown in FIG. 6, information indicating that strobe light is not properly applied to the subjects A and B in the current orientation of the light emitting unit 205 is displayed on the LCD 124. In addition, a correction amount indicating how much the light emitting unit 205 needs to be rotated in the vertical direction to appropriately irradiate the strobe light from the light emitting unit 205 to the subject is displayed. Accordingly, the photographer rotates the light emitting unit 205 in the vertical direction according to the instruction displayed on the LCD 124. Specifically, the rotating member 208 is graduated, and the photographer
The light emitting unit 205 is rotated in the up and down direction by the scale indicated by.

By rotating the light emitting unit 205 in the vertical direction in accordance with the instruction displayed on the LCD 124, the irradiation range of the strobe light in the light emitting unit 205 is changed as shown in FIG.
The strobe light from the light emitting unit 205 is emitted to the subjects A and B. 5 and 6 illustrate the vertical rotation operation of the light emitting unit 205, but the same applies to the light emitting unit 209.

In step S13, it is determined whether or not the switch SW2 is turned on. When the switch SW2 is on, the process proceeds to step S14, and when the switch SW2 is off, the process returns to step S1.

In step S14, strobe light is emitted from the light emitting units 205 and 209 in synchronization with the exposure operation on the film surface. First, the X contact 16 is turned on, information on whether the main capacitor is fully charged is transmitted from the SCHG terminal of the camera microcomputer 8 to the camera microcomputer 8 from the strobe microcomputer 108, and if the main capacitor is fully charged, Then, the camera microcomputer 8 outputs a light emission permission signal to the flash microcomputer 108 via the contact group 17. The flash microcomputer 108 includes a first light emitting circuit 113
Then, a light emission trigger is applied to the second light emitting circuit 120 to discharge light into the first flash discharge tube 114 and the second flash discharge tube 121 to emit light.

Light emission is started in the light emitting units 205 and 209, and the first monitor circuit 115, the second monitor circuit 122,
The light metering circuit 14 and the light control circuit 15 detect the light emission amount and the subject reflected light, and stop the light emission when it is determined that the proper exposure has been achieved. When the light emitting operation is completed, step S1 is performed.
Return to If it is determined in step S6 that a flash device other than TWNST is mounted on the camera body 200, the flash device other than TWNST emits flash light in synchronization with the film surface exposure operation. You. If it is determined in step S6 that no TWNST or other strobe light emitting device is mounted on the camera body 200, the strobe light emission operation is not performed and only the exposure operation is performed.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 10 and 11 are flowcharts showing a light emitting operation of a camera system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The structure of the camera system in the present embodiment is the same as the structure of the camera system in the first embodiment.

This embodiment is a modification of the flowchart in the light emission operation of the camera system according to the first embodiment. Specifically, from step S1 to step S
12 flows in the same flow as in the first embodiment, and in step S12, information indicating that the strobe light emitted from the light emitting units 205 and 209 deviates from the subject is L.
After being displayed on the CD 124, the process returns to step S1. That is, when the subject is out of the range of the emission of the strobe light from the light emitting units 205 and 209, the routine for determining the ON / OFF state of the SW2 as in the first embodiment is not performed.

Here, as in the first embodiment, step S
It is also possible to make it possible to switch between the case of proceeding from step 12 to step S13 and the case of returning to step S1 after step 12 as in the present embodiment. Then, a switching switch for performing this switching is connected to the camera body 200.
Side switch unit 4 or the strobe-side switch unit 104. In addition, EEPROM on the program
7 or the EEPROM 107.

On the other hand, in steps S8 and S9, the attachment / detachment state of the light emitting unit 205 and the light emitting unit 209 is detected. If it is determined in step S11 that the light emitting unit 205 and the light emitting unit 209 have been removed, In step S12, information indicating that the light emitting unit 205 and the light emitting unit 209 have been removed may be displayed on the LCD 124 or the LCD 12 provided in the viewfinder of the camera.

When the light emitting units 205 and 209 are detached and directed to the subject side, the irradiation range of the strobe light can be controlled only by the photographer's intuition, so that the light emitting units 205 and 209 are removed. By displaying the indicated information, the photographer can be alerted, and it is possible to reduce erroneous photographing when the strobe light is not properly applied.

Also, when performing macro photography using the camera system of the present embodiment, the light emitting unit is often removed (attached or removed) while looking through the viewfinder, indicating that the light emitting unit has been removed. By displaying the information on the LCD 12 provided in the viewfinder, the photographer can be alerted.

On the other hand, if information indicating that the light-emitting unit 205 and the light-emitting unit 209 have been removed is displayed on the LCD 124 or the like in step S12, the routine proceeds to step S13 to determine the ON / OFF state of SW2. You may not go.

[0117]

According to the present invention, a warning operation is performed when the subject is out of the range of the strobe light irradiation, so that the user of the apparatus can determine whether or not the strobe light is properly applied to the subject. This makes it possible to make a quick determination and prevent a photographing failure due to photographing in a state where the flash light is not properly applied to the subject.

Further, when the subject is out of the flash light irradiation range, a correction amount of the direction of the light emitting unit is calculated so that the subject falls within the flash light irradiation range, and the calculated direction of the light emitting unit is calculated. Is displayed, the user of the apparatus can easily irradiate the subject with the strobe light easily by operating the light emitting unit according to the displayed contents.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an electric circuit block diagram of a camera system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the camera system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the camera system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the camera system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the camera system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the camera system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the light emitting unit 209 and the rotating member 211.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a light emitting operation in the camera system of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a light emitting operation in the camera system of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a light emitting operation in the camera system of the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a light emitting operation in the camera system of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 8 camera microcomputer 9 ranging circuit 10 focal length detection circuit 11 display unit 104 switch unit 107 EEPROM 108 strobe microcomputer 123 display unit 200 camera body 203 strobe control unit 207 rotating member 211 rotating member

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03B 15/03 G03B 15/03 W 17/18 17/18 B Z 17/20 17/20 F term (reference) 2H002 CD01 CD06 CD11 FB58 FB71 FB73 HA11 HA13 2H044 AE10 2H053 AA01 AA02 AA05 AA06 AC13 AC17 AD01 AD14 AD21 BA31 BA51 BA72 CA26 CA32 2H102 AA71 AB13 AB27 BA17 BB08 CA01 CA11

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A strobe light emitting device which is detachable from a taking lens and emits strobe light, and which can manually change the direction of the light emitting unit. Irradiating range calculating means for calculating the irradiating range of the strobe light; and determining whether or not the subject falls within the irradiating range of the strobe light calculated by the irradiating range calculating means based on the subject distance and the focal length of the taking lens. An electronic flash device comprising: a determination unit; and a warning unit that performs a warning operation when the determination unit determines that the subject is out of the irradiation range of the strobe light. 2. A strobe light emitting device which is detachable from a photographing lens and emits strobe light, and which can manually change the direction of the light emitting unit. Irradiating range calculating means for calculating the irradiating range of the strobe light; and determining whether or not the subject falls within the irradiating range of the strobe light calculated by the irradiating range calculating means based on the subject distance and the focal length of the taking lens. Determining means for calculating, when the determining means determines that the subject is out of the range of the flash light irradiation, calculating the correction amount of the direction of the light emitting unit such that the subject is within the range of the flash light irradiation; And a display unit for displaying the correction amount of the direction of the light emitting unit calculated by the correction amount calculation unit. 3. The strobe light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the warning means displays, as the warning operation, information indicating that the subject is out of a flash light irradiation range. 4. The light emitting unit is movable in a circumferential direction of the photographing lens, and the irradiation range calculating unit detects a position of the light emitting unit in a circumferential direction of the photographing lens, and detects the position of the detected light emitting unit. The strobe light emitting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an irradiation range of the strobe light is calculated based on a position and a direction of the light emitting unit. 5. A light amount setting unit for setting a light amount of strobe light emitted from the light emitting unit, wherein the determination unit irradiates the subject with the strobe light based on the light amount set by the light amount setting unit. The strobe light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the range is within a range. 6. A strobe light emitting device which is detachable from a photographing lens and emits strobe light, and in which a direction of the light emitting unit can be manually changed, a detachment state of the light emitting unit is detected. An electronic flash device comprising: a detachable state detecting unit; and a warning unit that performs a warning operation when the detachable state detecting unit detects that the light emitting unit has been removed. 7. The strobe light emitting device according to claim 6, wherein the warning unit displays information indicating that the light emitting unit has been removed as the warning operation. 8. The strobe light emitting device according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said light emitting portions. 9. A camera system comprising: the strobe light emitting device according to claim 1; and a detachable camera. 10. The camera system according to claim 9, wherein the object is photographed by irradiating a strobe light from the light emitting unit to a subject close to the camera.