JP2003287667A - Optical device and camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the power consumption and to lessen an operation sound when an optical system is electrically controlled. <P>SOLUTION: The optical system which has lenses 1-a and 1-b and a variable mirror 15 forms a subject image on a surface of a CCD 3. The variable mirror 15 is a mirror whose reflecting surface deforms by application of voltage, and hardly generate a sound due to the deformation of the reflecting surface and consumes a little electric power to deform the reflecting surface and hold the deformation state. A mirror control part 16 has a pattern ID indicating the shape of the reflecting surface of the variable mirror 15 and a voltage estimation part which estimates the value of voltage to be applied to the variable shape mirror 15 for deformation into the shape, estimates the voltage applied to the variable mirror 15 according to the pattern ID specifying the shape of the reflecting surface of the variable mirror 15 to be sent from a CPU 11, and applies the voltage with the estimated voltage value to a fixed electrode 15-4 of the variable mirror 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique used in an optical system such as an image pickup device, and particularly to a technique preferably used in focus control and zoom control of the optical system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an optical system such as an image pickup device, a stepping motor is mainly used when electric focus control and zoom control are performed. FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of a conventional digital camera capable of electrically performing zoom control. First, the digital camera shown in the figure will be described.

The lens 1 forms a subject image on the surface of the CCD 3. The diaphragm 2 limits the amount of light incident through the lens 1 as necessary. CCD (Charge Coupled Devic
e) 3 is an image pickup device that photoelectrically converts the subject image formed by the action of the lens 1 and outputs an electric signal indicating the image.

The image pickup processing section 4 is a CDS (Correlated Dou
ble Sampling: Correlated double sampling circuit) and AGC
(Automatic Gain Control circuit), ADC (Analog to Digital Converter), etc. are configured to remove reset noise that may be included in the electric signal output from the CCD 3 and adjust the signal level. The processed electric signals, which are signals, are converted into captured image data, which is a digital signal.

The signal processing unit 5 performs correction processing such as white balance and γ correction on the photographed image data output from the image pickup processing unit 4 and the image data after the expansion processing output from the compression / expansion processing unit 6. The compression / decompression processing unit 6 performs compression processing and decompression processing of the image data, and the image data compression processing for the image data output from the signal processing unit 5 and the compression output from the card I / F 7 are performed. Image data expansion processing is performed on the image data. In the compression processing and the expansion processing of the image data, for example, J
Compression processing and decompression processing based on the PEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) method are performed.

The card I / F 7 enables data transfer between the digital camera and the memory card 8 and performs writing and reading of image data. The memory card 8 is a semiconductor recording medium for recording data, and is configured to be attachable to and detachable from this digital camera.

The lens frame control section 9 controls the lens 1 and the diaphragm 2 in accordance with instructions from the CPU 11. Control circuit 10
Controls the image pickup operation performed by the CCD 3 and the image pickup processing unit 4 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 11.

CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11
Is a central processing unit that controls the operation of the entire digital camera. The memory 12 is a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a control program for causing the CPU 11 to control the operation of the entire digital camera is stored in advance.
And a RAM (Random Access) used as a work storage area when the CPU 11 executes this control program.
Memory) is a semiconductor memory consisting of.

DAC (Digital to Analog Converter)
Reference numeral 13 converts the image data, which is a digital signal output from the signal processing unit 5, into an analog signal. LCD monitor 14
Is a display device on which an image represented by an analog signal output from the DAC 13 is displayed.

The digital camera shown in FIG. 11 is composed of the above components. Next, FIG. 12 will be described. This figure shows a part related to the control of the lens 1 in the detailed configuration of the lens frame control section 9 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the lens 1 is more specifically a fixed lens 1-
1 and the movable lens 1-2 are installed in the lens frame 1-3, and the zoom operation is performed by linearly moving the movable lens 1-2 in the lens frame 1-3 in the left-right direction in the figure. Is possible. The diaphragm 2 is omitted in FIG. Further, the fixed lens 1-1 and the moving lens 1-2
Includes the case of a lens group each including a plurality of lenses.

The position sensor 9-1 is a sensor for detecting that the moving lens 1-2 has passed a reference position preset on the lens frame 1-3. A photodetector such as a photo interrupter or a photo reflector is used as the position sensor 9-1. For example, a mechanism for blocking or reflecting light when the moving lens 1-2 reaches its reference position is provided. The position sensor 9-1 is made to detect the interruption or reflection of the light.

The current controller 9-2 is a stepping motor 9
-3 is changed based on the pulse signal sent from the CPU 11 to control the rotation of the stepping motor 9-3 according to the instruction of the CPU 11.
The stepping motor 9-3 converts electric energy into rotary motion. The rotational movement of the stepping motor 9-3 is converted into linear movement by, for example, a lead screw (not shown) or the like, and the moving lens 1-2 is linearly moved in the left-right direction within the lens frame 1-3 in the figure.

The lens frame control section 9 is composed of the above-mentioned components. Explaining the zoom operation in the digital camera shown in FIG. 11, for example, an operation on a zoom control button (not shown) such as “TELE / WIDE” is detected by the CPU 11, and a pulse signal corresponding to the detected operation is detected. The current is supplied from the CPU 11 to the current control unit 9-2 of the lens frame control unit 9, and the current control unit 9-2 controls the current according to the pulse signal to control the rotational movement of the stepping motor 9-3. The movable lens 1-2 moves within the lens frame 1-3 according to the rotational movement thereof.

In the above example, the zoom operation is explained, but the autofocus control is not so different. To briefly explain one example thereof, an instruction is given from the CPU based on the contrast of an image picked up by a CCD, a stepping motor is rotated, and a focusing lens of an optical system is moved in a direction in which the contrast is increased. Is.

[0015]

Since the stepping motor used for moving the lens, which is also used in the above-mentioned example, consumes a large amount of power, the duration of the battery used as the power source of the image pickup apparatus is reduced. Had a great influence on.

Further, in a digital camera having a function of simultaneously shooting a moving image and recording a sound in addition to a function of shooting a still image, for example, a video camera which records a sound in parallel with shooting a moving image, stepping is performed. The operation sound of the motor may be picked up by the voice recording microphone, and in such a case, it is necessary to take sound insulation measures against the operation sound.

In view of the above problems, it is an object to be solved by the present invention to reduce the power consumption and to reduce the operating noise when electrically controlling the optical system.

[0018]

An optical device according to one aspect of the present invention is an optical system for forming a subject image, and a deformable mirror provided in the optical system and having a reflecting surface deformed by application of a voltage. And the respective voltage values to be applied to the plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror in order to deform the reflecting surface into a shape according to an instruction for specifying the shape of the reflecting surface, First information showing a relationship with a voltage value to be applied to the electrode in order to deform the reflecting surface into the shape, the first information indicating the relationship with respect to any one of the electrodes,
And estimating means for estimating based on the second information indicating the position of each of the electrodes, and voltage applying means for applying the voltage of the voltage value estimated by the estimating means to the plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror. The above-mentioned problems are solved by configuring so that and.

The deformable mirror produces almost no sound by deforming the reflecting surface, and consumes very little power for deforming the reflecting surface and for maintaining the deformed state. Further, the relationship between the shape of the reflecting surface of the deformable mirror provided in the optical system and the optical characteristic obtained from the optical system by the shape can be known in advance by actual measurement or the like. Therefore, the estimation means is made to estimate each voltage value to be applied to each electrode of the deformable mirror in order to deform the reflecting surface into a shape according to the instruction to specify the shape of the reflecting surface. By applying the voltage of the voltage value obtained as the estimation result to each of the plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror by the voltage applying means, this optical system can have desired optical characteristics.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, since the control of the optical characteristics in the optical system such as the focus control and the zoom control is realized by the deformation of the reflecting surface of the deformable mirror, the control of the optical system is performed electrically. The power consumption during the operation can be reduced, and the operation noise can be reduced. Also, since the voltage applied to the electrodes of the deformable mirror is estimated by the estimating means, it is not necessary to prepare all the data indicating the applied voltage for each shape and each electrode in advance. The required data storage capacity is reduced.

An optical device according to another aspect of the present invention includes an optical system for forming a subject image, a deformable mirror provided in the optical system, the reflecting surface of which is deformed by application of a voltage. Each voltage value to be applied to the plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror in order to deform the reflecting surface into a shape according to an instruction for specifying the shape of the reflecting surface is designated in advance for the reflecting surface. First information indicating the relationship between the shape and each voltage value to be applied to the plurality of electrodes in order to deform the reflecting surface into the specified shape, and the difference between the specified shape and the specified shape And an voltage applying means for applying a voltage having a voltage value estimated by the estimating means to a plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror, respectively. By doing To solve the problems described above.

This structure is different from the structure of the above-described optical device according to the present invention only in the method of estimating each voltage value to be applied to each electrode of the deformable mirror by the estimating means. Has the same action and effect as. In other words, also with this configuration, power consumption when electrically controlling the optical system is reduced, operation noise can be reduced, and the data storage capacity required to configure the optical device is further reduced. Is reduced.

An optical device according to still another aspect of the present invention is an optical system for forming a subject image, and a deformable mirror which is provided in the optical system and whose reflecting surface is deformed by application of a voltage. And each voltage value to be applied to the plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror in order to deform the reflecting surface into a shape in accordance with an instruction for specifying the shape of the reflecting surface is specified in advance for the reflecting surface. And a plurality of pieces of information indicating the relationship between the shape different from the shape specified by the instruction and the voltage value to be applied to the electrode in order to deform the reflecting surface into the different shape. Estimating means for estimating by performing interpolation based on the first information; and voltage applying means for applying a voltage having a voltage value estimated by the estimating means to a plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror, respectively. To solve the aforementioned problems by configured to have.

This structure is also different from the structure of the above-described optical device according to the present invention only in the method of estimating each voltage value to be applied to each electrode of the deformable mirror by the estimating means. Also results in the same as described above. In other words, this configuration also reduces the power consumption when electrically controlling the optical system,
The operating noise can be reduced, and further, the data storage capacity required for constructing the optical device is reduced.

In the above-described optical device according to the present invention, the deformable mirror has a first electrode which is integrated with the reflection film having the reflection surface or is the reflection film itself, and the reflection electrode. A plurality of second electrodes which are physically separated from the film and are provided so as to face the reflection film and which are electrically insulated from each other; The reflecting surface can be deformed by applying a potential difference between the second electrode and the second electrode.

According to this structure, a deformable mirror whose reflecting surface is deformed in a complex manner by applying a voltage can be obtained.
The optical system can have complex and highly accurate optical characteristics. Here, the deformable mirror is formed on the reflective film by attracting the reflective film by a Coulomb force generated by applying a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode. The reflecting surface being deformed can be deformed.

According to this structure, a deformable mirror whose reflecting surface is deformed by application of a voltage can be obtained. Further, the above-described optical device according to the present invention can be configured to further include a shape storage unit that stores information indicating the current shape of the reflecting surface.

According to this structure, by acquiring the information stored in the shape storage means, it is possible to know the current shape of the reflecting surface of the deformable mirror and further the current optical characteristics of the optical system. Like Here,
The information stored in the shape storage means can be configured so that it can be referenced from outside the optical device.

With this configuration, the current shape of the reflecting surface of the deformable mirror and the current optical characteristics of the optical system can be known from outside the optical device. Further, in the above-described optical device according to the present invention, the optical device further includes a storage unit that stores the first information, and the estimating unit is configured to store the first information based on the first information stored in the storage unit. The first information stored in the storage unit can be rewritten to new information given by estimating the voltage value and stored in the storage unit.

According to this configuration, the voltage value to be applied to each electrode of the deformable mirror in order to deform the reflecting surface into the instructed shape, for example, with respect to the individual difference of the deformable mirror or aging, can be estimated. You will be able to do the right thing. Further, in the above-mentioned optical device according to the present invention,
The focus may be adjusted by applying the voltage by the voltage applying unit.

According to this structure, power consumption is reduced when the focus adjustment, that is, the focus adjustment is electrically performed, and the operation sound can be reduced. Further, in the above-described optical device according to the present invention, it is possible to configure so that the magnification adjustment of the optical system is performed by the voltage application unit applying the voltage.

According to this structure, the power consumption is reduced when the variable magnification adjustment, that is, the zoom adjustment is performed electrically, and the operation noise can be reduced. Further, even in a camera including the above-described optical device according to the present invention, the same operation and effect as those of the above-described optical device according to the present invention can be obtained, and the above-described problems can be solved.

[0033]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that a case where the present invention is implemented by a digital camera will be described here. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a digital camera embodying the present invention. In addition,
In the figure, constituent elements that function similarly to those in the conventional digital camera shown in FIG. 11 are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted here.

The configuration of the digital camera shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG.
As can be seen by comparing with the one shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera shown in FIG. 1 is configured by adding a variable mirror 15, a mirror controller 16, and an I / F unit 17 to the one shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, the lens frame controller 9 controls the light amount, for example, the diaphragm 2.

The variable mirror (variable shape mirror) 15 is a mirror whose shape of the mirror surface can be changed by applying a voltage, and reflects the light representing the object image incident on the lens 1-a. The optical path is directed to the CCD 3, and the lenses 1-a and 1-b and the variable mirror 15 constitute an optical system in this digital camera. The variable mirror 15 will be described later.

The mirror controller 16 controls the voltage applied to the variable mirror 15 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 11 to deform the variable mirror 15 into a desired shape.
The I / F (Interface) unit 17 is a CPU of the digital camera
It controls the data transfer between the PC 11 and the PC 18, and is provided with an interface circuit for USB (Universal Serial Bus), for example. The PC 18 is used to write the data for sensitivity correction of the CCD 3 in the memory 12 in the manufacturing process of this digital camera, for example.

The digital camera shown in FIG. 1 is composed of the above components. A PC (Personal Compu
ter) 18 is used for giving various data pre-recorded in the memory 12 and the mirror control unit 16 to this digital camera, and does not constitute the digital camera in FIG.

Next, the variable mirror 15 will be described with reference to FIG. This figure is a diagram showing the principle structure of the variable mirror 15, FIG. 11 (a) is a diagram seen from diagonally above, and FIG. 11 (b) is a sectional view. In FIG. 2, the thin film 15-1
Is an organic film having a conductor such as aluminum coated on its upper surface in the figure, and reflects light coming from above in the figure.

The upper substrate 15-2 holds the periphery of the thin film 15-1. The lower substrate 15-3 fixes and holds the fixed electrode 15-4. A plurality of fixed electrodes 15-4 are provided on the lower substrate 15-3 as a plurality of electrically insulated regions.

The terminals 15-5 are electrically connected to the fixed electrodes 15-4, respectively. In the figure, the upper substrate 15-2 and the lower substrate 15-3 are arranged such that a spacer (not shown) is sandwiched between them so as to maintain a constant distance therebetween, and further fixed to the thin film 15-1. The electrodes 15-4 are arranged so as to face each other.

The variable mirror 15 is constructed as described above. In this variable mirror 15, when a potential difference is applied between the thin film 15-1 and the fixed electrode 15-4, the thin film 15-1 is attracted to the fixed electrode 15-4 side by the Coulomb force and deformed into a concave shape. This deformation produces almost no sound, and the power consumed for this deformation and for maintaining the deformed state is very small. Here, fixed electrode 1
By devising the shape of each of 5-4 and controlling the potential applied to each of the fixed electrodes 15-4, the thin film 15-1 can be deformed into a desired shape (curvature). Since the change in the curvature of the mirror produces the same effect as the change in the curvature of the lens of the optical system, the deformation of the variable mirror 15 produced in this way realizes the function of moving the focus and the function of zooming. This is the present embodiment. The shape of the mirror is not limited to a fixed shape, but may be a free-form surface.

Regarding the variable mirror 15, for example, Optics Communications (Optics Com) is used.
munications), 140 (1997), 187-1
See the description of the membrane mirror on page 90 for details. Next, FIG. 3 will be described. The figure shows the detailed configurations of the variable mirror 15 and the mirror controller 16 in FIG.

In general, the fixed electrode 15- of the variable mirror 15
4 is often arranged two-dimensionally on the lower substrate 15-3 as shown in FIG. 2, but here, as shown in FIG. 15-
4 is arranged one-dimensionally on a straight line x on the lower substrate 15-3, and as shown in FIG. 3, the positions of the fixed electrodes 15-4 are x ₁ , x ₂ , x ₃ , ... and shall be shown. Also, at this time, the voltage applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 at the position of x _i (potential difference from the thin film 15-1)
Be V _i .

The external IF (Interface) unit 16-1 is a CP
It controls the data exchange between the U11 and the mirror controller 16. The external IF (Interface) unit 16-1 and C
Communication with the PU 11 may be performed by any method such as a method of mutually referencing the register of the other party, a method of transmitting and receiving a response to the issuance of the request command, or a pulse signal method.

The control unit 16-2 is the mirror control unit 1
6 to control the operation. The control unit 16-2 may be composed of a logic circuit and is a CP that executes a control program.
You may make it implement | achieve by U. Pattern storage unit 16-
3 stores a table showing a relationship between an instruction given by the CPU 11 and a voltage value to be applied to each fixed electrode 15-4 in order to cause the variable mirror 15 to deform corresponding to the instruction.

Stored in the pattern storage section 16-3
An example of data is shown in FIG. ID in the table shown in FIG.
(Identification Data) Numerical value indicating the number
"Pattern ID") and each fixed electrode 1
5-4 is associated with the voltage value to be applied,
In the illustrated example, x indicating the position of each fixed electrode 15-4
_iValue and voltage to be applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 at that position
Value V_iThe relation with is i = 1,2,3,4,5
It is shown for each ID.

When the control unit 16-2 acquires the pattern ID issued from the CPU 11, the control unit 16-2 determines the voltage value V _i of each fixed electrode 15-4 associated with this pattern ID in this table as the pattern storage unit 16-3. Is read out from the memory, and the voltage generator 16-5 is controlled to control this voltage V _i.
Is applied to each fixed electrode 15-4 located at x _i . In this example, each data is created such that the deformation amount of the variable mirror 15 increases as the numerical value of the pattern ID increases.

The data stored in the pattern storage unit 16-3 is the data stored in the PC connected to the I / F unit 17 in FIG.
It is convenient to configure it so that it can be rewritten by 18. By doing so, different data can be written in the pattern storage section 16-3 of each digital camera at the time of manufacturing the digital camera.
This is because it is possible to compensate for the individual difference of the above, and it is also possible to compensate for the secular change of the variable mirror 15 when repairing the digital camera or the like. In addition, in order to write the data from the PC 18 to the pattern storage unit 16-3, the PC 18 requires the I / F unit 17, the CPU 11, and the external IF.
The data may be transferred via the unit 16-1 and the control unit 16-2.

The state storage section 16-4 is a memory for storing the pattern ID most recently instructed by the CPU 11 and the voltage value currently applied to each fixed electrode 15-4 based on this pattern ID. . Voltage generator 16-5
Serves as a voltage applying means for stepping down or boosting the voltage of the DC power supply 19 and applying a voltage of a voltage value instructed by the control section 16-2 to each fixed electrode 15-4.

The mirror control section 16 is composed of the above-mentioned components. The DC power supply 19 is a power supply for the digital camera shown in FIG. 1, and is, for example, a battery. Next, FIG. 5 will be described. The figure illustrates a method of data transmission between the CPU 11 and the mirror controller 16. In this data transmission, parallel transmission may be performed by using one data line for each bit as shown in FIG. 9A, or as shown in FIG. It is also possible to prepare a data line and a data read line and perform serial transmission to determine the logic of the data line at the timing when the logic of the clock line is inverted. Note that in the example of the figure, both (a) and (b) are 5-bit data (that is, ID
= 11). In addition, as described above, data transmission may be performed by another method (register reference, request command transfer).

Next, FIG. 6 will be described. This figure is a flow chart showing the contents of the shape control processing of the variable mirror 15 performed in the control section 16-2. The figure will be described below. First, when an operation of turning on a power switch (not shown) is performed to start supplying power to each unit of the digital camera, first, S101.
At, the initialization process is performed on the control unit 16-2 itself.

In the subsequent S102, the fixed electrode 1 required for deforming the deformable mirror 15 into the initial shape.
5-4 shows the data indicating the voltage value applied to the voltage generator 16-
The process of transferring to 5 is performed. The voltage generator 16-5 supplies a voltage having a voltage value based on this data to the fixed electrode 15-4.
Apply to.

In S103, a process of storing the initial pattern ID indicating the shape of the variable mirror 15 in the initial state in the state storage unit 16-4 is performed. In S104, a process of determining whether or not an operation of turning off the power switch is detected. If the result of this determination process is Yes, S1
The process proceeds to 05, and if No, the process proceeds to S106.
The operation to turn off the power switch is detected by, for example, CP.
The CPU 11 sends data indicating that this operation has been detected by the U11.

In S105, a process for transferring the data for setting the voltage value applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 of the variable mirror 15 to zero to the voltage generator 16-5 is performed, and thereafter the shape control process is completed. . In S106, a process for determining whether or not a new pattern ID is sent from the CPU 11 is performed. If the result of this determination process is Yes, S1
The process proceeds to 07. On the other hand, if the result of the determination process in S106 is No, that is, if the input of a new pattern ID is not detected, the process returns to S104 and the above-described process is repeated.

In S107, the data stored in the pattern storage unit 16-3 is referred to and the data (voltage pattern) indicating the voltage value data corresponding to the pattern ID sent from the CPU 11 is read out from the pattern storage unit. Done. In S108, a process of transferring the voltage pattern read in the previous step to the voltage generator 16-5 is performed. The voltage generator 16-5 applies a voltage having a voltage value based on this voltage pattern to the fixed electrode 15-4.

In S109, a process of storing the pattern ID sent from the CPU 11 in the state storage unit 16-4 is performed, and thereafter, the process returns to S104 and the above-described process is repeated. The processing up to this point is the shape control processing, and the control unit 16-2 performs this processing to change the shape of the variable mirror 15 to the shape indicated by the pattern ID transferred from the CPU 11.

The current shape of the variable mirror 15 is changed to CP.
To know, U11 causes the CPU 11 to issue an acquisition request for the pattern ID stored in the state storage unit 16-4 to the mirror control unit 16, and the control unit 16-2 which has obtained this request sends the state storage unit 16- The pattern ID stored in No. 4 may be read out and transferred to the CPU 11.

Next, another example in which the present invention is implemented by a digital camera will be described. In the embodiment described so far, the pattern storage unit 16 in the mirror control unit 16 is used.
-3, as illustrated in FIG. 4, each fixed electrode 15-4.
Since the data indicating the value of x _i indicating the position and the voltage value V _i to be applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 at that position are all stored for each pattern ID, a large amount of data is stored in the pattern. It was stored in the section 16-3.

On the other hand, in the embodiment described below, the voltage to be applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 located at x _i in order to deform the deformable mirror 15 into the shape indicated by the pattern ID designated by the CPU 11. By estimating V _i by the mirror control unit 16, the amount of data storage required for the pattern storage unit 16-3 is reduced.

For convenience, the embodiment described below will be referred to as the "second embodiment", and the embodiment already described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 will be referred to as the "first embodiment". . The configuration of the digital camera according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, and may be that shown in FIG. However, the configuration of the mirror control unit 16 is slightly different from that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows the detailed configuration of the mirror control unit 16 in the second embodiment.

As can be seen by comparing the configuration shown in FIG. 7 with that shown in FIG. 3, the mirror control unit 1 in the second embodiment is shown.
6 is a pattern storage unit 16 from the configuration in the first embodiment.
-3 is deleted, and a voltage estimation unit 16-6 and an estimated reference data storage unit 16-7 are added and configured. Therefore, here, only the voltage estimation unit 16-6 and the estimation reference data storage unit 16-7 will be described.

The voltage estimating section 16-6 has the variable mirror 15 having the shape indicated by the pattern ID designated by the CPU 11.
Estimate the voltage V _i to be applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 located at x _i in order to deform The estimated reference data storage unit 16-7 stores data (reference data) which is a basis for the voltage estimation unit 16-6 to estimate the applied voltage V _i . Although the reason will be described later, the amount of data stored in the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7 is smaller than the amount of data stored in the pattern storage unit 16-3 in the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, three examples of the method of estimating the applied voltage V _i performed by the voltage estimating unit 16-6 will be described. The first method of estimating the applied voltage V _i is
Voltage V _i the pattern I to be applied to the relationship between the pattern ID and the applied voltage to the fixed electrode 15-4 is located in x _i based on any one of the fixed electrode 15-4
Estimate for each D.

For example, in the data example shown in FIG. 4, it can be easily inferred that an arbitrary pattern ID has a relationship between x _i and V _i expressed by the following equation. V _i = −0.2 × | x _i −x ₃ | + V ₃ Therefore, if the above formula is derived in advance from the data example of FIG. 4, the value of x _i indicating the position of each fixed electrode 15-4 is obtained. Fixed electrode 15 at a specific position (position x _{3 in} the above formula)
-4 to be applied to the voltage (in the above equation, the applied voltage V
By preparing the value for ₃ ) for each pattern ID in advance, the voltage V _i to be applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 located at x _i can be estimated for each pattern ID from the above equation. it can. That is, this formula is based on the applied voltage value to the fixed electrode 15-4 at the reference position and the difference in position with the reference fixed electrode 15-4.
The applied voltage for each pattern ID for 5-4 is estimated.

FIG. 8 shows an example of data stored in the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7 in advance when the voltage V _i is estimated as described above. Referring to FIG. 8, (a) is position data indicating the respective arrangements of the fixed electrodes 15-4, (b) is a pattern ID sent from the CPU 11, and the variable mirror 15 is formed in the shape indicated by the pattern ID. The fixed electrode 15 at the position of x ₃ for deformation
4 is the reference voltage data showing the voltage V ₃ to be applied to No. 4. Further, FIG. 8C is coefficient data showing the multiplication coefficient “−0.2” used on the left side of the above equation. Each data shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C is stored in advance in the estimation reference data storage unit 16-7. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 8 with FIG. 4, the amount of data stored in the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7 is larger than the amount of data stored in the pattern storage unit 16-3 in the first embodiment. It is clear that there are few.

The estimation of the applied voltage performed by the voltage estimating unit 16-6 using these data stored in the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7 will be described with a specific example. In addition,
Here, the voltage V ₂ to be applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 of x ₂ when the pattern ID is “1” is estimated.

First, the data required for estimation is acquired from the estimation reference data storage unit 16-7. In the example of FIG. 8, "1 as the value of x ₂ from the position data of (a).
0 "and obtains the" 2.0 "as the value of x ₃ (the position of the fixed electrode 15-4 applied voltage to the reference voltage data is shown), ID from the reference voltage data of the (b) = 1 At this time, “0.5” is acquired as the value of V ₃ , and the coefficient value “−2.0” is acquired from the coefficient data of (c). The voltage acquisition unit 16-6 sends these data to the control unit 16-2.
To get through.

Upon obtaining these data from the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7, the voltage estimation unit 16-6 substitutes these values into the above equation to calculate the value of V ₂ . That is, V ₂ = (− 0.2) × | (1.0) − (2.0) | +
The calculation of (0.5) = 0.3 is performed in the voltage estimation unit 16-6, and 0.3 is obtained as the estimation result of V ₂ .

Next, the second method for estimating the applied voltage V _i will be described. In the first method described above, the fixed electrode 15
Fixed electrode 1 positioned at x _i with reference to the relationship between the pattern ID and the applied voltage in any one of
The voltage V _i to be applied to 5-4 is estimated for each pattern ID. On the other hand, in the second method described below, the fixed electrode 1 in a certain pattern ID is
5-4 Voltage V to be applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 in an arbitrary pattern ID with reference to the applied voltage for each
_It is to estimate _i .

For example, in the data example shown in FIG.
X when the turn ID value is n_iThe position of
Voltage V to be applied to constant electrode 15-4_iThe value of [n] is as follows
It is presumed that they have the relationship of V_i[N] = 0.5 × n²+ (V_i[1] -V
₃[1]) In the above formula, V_i[1] has a pattern ID value of 1
X when _iMark the fixed electrode 15-4 at the position
The voltage value to be applied, V₃[1] is the pattern ID value
X when is 1₃Fixed electrode 15-4 at the position
Is the voltage value to be applied to.

Therefore, if the above equation is derived in advance from the data example of FIG. 4, each fixed electrode 15-4 in a specific pattern ID (when the value of the pattern ID in the above equation is "1") By preparing in advance the value of the voltage (the applied voltage V _i [1] in the above equation) to be applied to the fixed electrode 15-, which is located at x _i when the pattern ID is n, from the above equation. The voltage V _i [n] to be applied to 4 can be estimated for each pattern ID. That is, this formula is based on the voltage value applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 in order to deform it into the shape of the variable mirror 15 indicated by the reference pattern ID.
The applied voltage is estimated for each D.

FIG. 9 shows the voltage V as described above.
Estimated reference data storage unit 1 when estimating _i [n]
6-7 shows an example of data to be stored in advance. Referring to FIG. 9, (a) shows each fixed electrode 15 when the pattern ID sent from the CPU 11 is “1”.
-4 is the reference voltage data showing the voltage V _i [1] to be applied, and (b) shows the multiplication coefficient “0.5” used in the left side of the above equation. It is coefficient data. Each data shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B is stored in advance in the estimation reference data storage unit 16-7.

As can be seen by comparing FIG. 9 with FIG. 4, this estimated reference data storage unit 16- is compared with the data amount stored in the pattern storage unit 16-3 in the first embodiment.
It is clear that the amount of data stored in 7 is small. The voltage estimation unit 16-6 is the estimation reference data storage unit 16-
The estimation of the applied voltage using these data stored in FIG. 7 will be described with a specific example. Here, the voltage V ₂ [3] to be applied to the fixed electrode 15-4 of x ₂ when the pattern ID is “3” is estimated.

First, the data required for estimation is acquired from the estimation reference data storage unit 16-7. In the example of FIG. 9, from the reference voltage data of (a), V when ID = 1
The "0.3" as the _second value V ₂ [1], further, ID = 1
In this case, “0.5” is acquired as the value V ₃ [1] of V ₃ at that time, and the coefficient value “0.5” is obtained from the coefficient data of (b).
To get. The voltage acquisition unit 16-6 acquires these data via the control unit 16-2.

Upon obtaining these data from the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7, the voltage estimation unit 16-6 substitutes these values into the above formula to calculate the value of V ₂ [3]. That is, V ₂ [3] = 0.5 × 3 ² + (0.3−0.5) = 4.
3 is calculated in the voltage estimation unit 16-6 to obtain V
₂ [3] 4.3 is obtained as the estimation result.

Next, a third method for estimating the applied voltage V _i will be described. The third method is applied voltage V for each pattern ID of each fixed electrode 15-4 prepared discretely.
_{The i} [n] data is used to estimate the applied voltage value between the prepared data by interpolation.

Explaining the zoom control as an example, when observing an object while deforming the variable mirror 15 and performing a zoom operation, the appearance of the object is unclear if the deformation control can be performed only discretely. It becomes natural. Therefore, the limit of the value that can be taken as the pattern ID is relaxed, and when the pattern ID which is not an integer is sent from the CPU 11, the applied voltage to each fixed electrode 15-4 stored in advance in the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7. The applied voltage is estimated by performing interpolation using the data of V _i .

In the third method, the estimation reference data storage unit 16-7 stores the same data as that stored in the pattern storage unit 16-3 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, for example. I will let you. It should be noted that in this case, the amount of data stored in the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7 is the same as that in the pattern storage unit 16-3 when simply compared, but an optical system realized by using this third method is used. In order to realize the same control as in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment, the data stored in the pattern storage unit 16-3 is shown in FIG.
Since it is necessary to make the amount much larger than that shown in, the effect of reducing the amount of data to be stored can be obtained by this third method as well.

The specific method will be described with reference to the graph shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the voltages V _i [1] to V _i [5] corresponding to the patterns 1 to 5, and the patterns 1 to 5 are, for example, the focusing distance (∞, 10 m). 2 m, 1 m, and 20 cm).

For example, when focusing on 50 cm, 50c
It is assumed that m is "4.3" when converted to a pattern ID.
Then, the applied voltage when this pattern ID is “4.3”
Pressure V _iTo estimate [4.3], the pattern ID is
Applied voltage V when "4"_iValue and pattern of [4]
Applied voltage V when ID is "5"_iAnd the value of [5]
Estimated by performing linear interpolation with the proportional distribution used.
Set.

The present method can be applied to the zoom position setting, and the zoom position can be finely positioned even with a small amount of data. Note that the interpolation method used in this method is not limited to linear interpolation, and other interpolation methods such as curve interpolation and spline interpolation may be used.

The method of estimating the applied voltage V _i described above is based on S1 in the shape control process shown in FIG.
Instead of the processing step of 07, the voltage estimation unit 16-6 is performed. By doing so, the variable mirror 15 can be changed to the shape indicated by the pattern ID transferred from the CPU 11.

The data stored in the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7 can be rewritten by the PC 18 connected to the I / F unit 17 of FIG. 1 as in the case of the pattern storage unit 16-3 described above. It is convenient to configure it in. By doing so, different data can be written in the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7 of each digital camera at the time of manufacturing the digital camera, so that it becomes possible to compensate for the individual difference of the variable mirror 15 and repair of the digital camera. It is also possible to compensate for the secular change of the variable mirror 15 in such cases. In addition, in order to write data from the PC 18 to the estimated reference data storage unit 16-7, the PC 18 requires the I / F unit 17, the CPU 11, and the external IF.
The data may be transferred via the unit 16-1 and the control unit 16-2.

In addition, the derivation of the equation used for estimating the voltage V _i is not dependent on human intuition or the like, but another method, for example, the sum of squares of the difference between the measured value and the theoretical value obtained from the function is the minimum. Alternatively, the least squares method for determining the function may be used. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and changes can be made. For example, although the above-described embodiment describes an example in which the present invention is implemented by a digital camera, a so-called silver-salt camera for taking a silver-salt photograph for recording a subject image on a film,
Alternatively, the present invention can be implemented by a video camera or the like that records a moving image as a video signal.

[0085]

As described in detail above, the present invention is
Almost no sound is generated by deforming the reflecting surface, and the power consumed for deforming the reflecting surface and maintaining the deformed state is very small. The reflecting surface by applying a voltage to the deformable mirror. By controlling the optical characteristics of the optical system such as focus control and zoom control, the power consumption when electrically controlling the optical system is reduced, and the operation noise can be reduced. Has the effect of becoming. Further, since the applied voltage to the electrodes of the deformable mirror is estimated, it is not necessary to prepare all the data indicating the applied voltage for each shape and each electrode in advance. It has the effect of being reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera that implements the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a principle structure of a variable mirror.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a variable mirror and a mirror control unit in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in advance in a pattern storage unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of data transmission between a CPU and a mirror control unit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of shape control processing.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a variable mirror and a mirror controller in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in advance in an estimated reference data storage unit in the first example of applied voltage estimation.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in advance in an estimated reference data storage unit in the second example of applied voltage estimation.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a method of estimating an applied voltage.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional digital camera.

12 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a lens frame controller shown in FIG.
It is a figure which shows the part which concerns on control of an optical system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1-a, 1-b lens 1-1 Fixed lens 1-2 Moving lens 1-3 mirror frame 2 aperture 3 CCD 4 Imaging processing unit 5 Signal processor 6 Compression / expansion processing unit 7 card I / F 8 memory cards 9 Lens frame control unit 9-1 Position sensor 9-2 Current controller 9-3 Stepping motor 10 Control circuit 11 CPU 12 memories 13 DAC 14 LCD monitor 15 variable mirror 15-1 thin film 15-2 Upper substrate 15-3 Lower substrate 15-4 Fixed electrode 16 Mirror controller 16-1 External IF unit 16-2 Control part 16-3 Pattern storage unit 16-4 State storage unit 16-5 Voltage generator 16-6 Voltage estimation unit 16-7 Estimation reference data storage unit 17 I / F section 18 PC

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 5/225 G02B 7/04 ED

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An optical system for forming a subject image, a deformable mirror provided in the optical system, the reflecting surface of which is deformed by application of a voltage, and a shape according to an instruction for specifying the shape of the reflecting surface. Each voltage value to be applied to the plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror to deform the reflecting surface should be applied to the electrode to deform the shape of the reflecting surface and the shape of the reflecting surface. Estimation means for estimating based on a first information indicating a relationship with any one of the electrodes and a second information indicating a position of each of the electrodes, which is a relationship with a voltage value; An optical device comprising: a voltage applying unit that applies a voltage having a voltage value estimated by the unit to a plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror. 2. An optical system for forming a subject image, a deformable mirror provided in the optical system, the reflecting surface of which is deformed by application of a voltage, and a shape according to an instruction for specifying the shape of the reflecting surface. In order to deform each of the voltage values to be applied to the plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror in order to deform the reflecting surface to a shape designated in advance for the reflecting surface and the reflecting surface to the designated shape And an estimating means for estimating based on first information indicating a relationship with each voltage value to be applied to the plurality of electrodes, and second information indicating a difference between the designated shape and the designated shape. An optical device, comprising: a voltage applying unit that applies a voltage having a voltage value estimated by the estimating unit to each of a plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror. 3. An optical system for forming a subject image, a deformable mirror provided in the optical system, the reflecting surface of which deforms when a voltage is applied, and a shape according to an instruction for specifying the shape of the reflecting surface. The voltage values to be applied to the plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror for deforming the reflecting surface are the shapes that are specified in advance for the reflecting surface and are specified by the instruction. Estimating means for estimating by performing interpolation based on the first information which is a plurality of information indicating the relationship between the different shape and the voltage value to be applied to the electrode in order to deform the reflecting surface into the different shape. And a voltage applying unit that applies a voltage having a voltage value estimated by the estimating unit to a plurality of electrodes of the deformable mirror, respectively. 4. The deformable mirror comprises a first electrode, which is integral with or is the reflective film on which the reflective surface is formed, and is physically separated from the reflective film. A plurality of second electrodes each of which is provided so as to face the reflective film and is electrically insulated from each other, and includes a first electrode and a second electrode. The optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reflecting surface is deformed by applying a potential difference therebetween. 5. The deformable mirror is formed on the reflection film by attracting the reflection film by a Coulomb force generated by applying a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode. The optical device according to claim 4, wherein the reflecting surface is deformed. 6. The optical device according to claim 1, further comprising a shape storage unit that stores information indicating a current shape of the reflecting surface. apparatus. 7. The optical device according to claim 6, wherein the information stored in the shape storage means can be referenced from outside the optical device. 8. The storage device further stores the first information, wherein the estimation device estimates the voltage value based on the first information stored in the storage device, 8. The first information stored in the storage means can be rewritten with new information provided from outside the optical device, according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The optical device according to the item. 9. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein focus adjustment of the optical system is performed by the voltage application unit applying the voltage. . 10. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage application unit applies the voltage to adjust the magnification of the optical system. . 11. A camera comprising the optical device according to claim 1. Description: