JP2005189406A - Camera apparatus and charging holder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To periodically perform a focusing control in a camera apparatus by using a charging holder. <P>SOLUTION: The charging holder 2 is provided with a focusing control pattern 206, fixing means 200 to 202 for fixing the camera apparatus 1 so that a distance up to the pattern 206 may be kept constant while making the camera apparatus 1 face the focusing pattern 206, and a power supply means 203 for supplying a charging current to the apparatus 1. In the camera apparatus 1, loading on the charging holder 2 is detected and a secondary battery is charged, and also, the pattern 206 is photographed to perform the focusing control. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera photographing device and a charging holder, and more particularly to a camera photographing device that is attached to a charging holder and performs focus adjustment, and a charging holder used for the focus adjustment.

  In general, in an autofocus camera, a subject is imaged on a light receiving surface by moving a focus lens in the optical axis direction according to the subject distance and adjusting the distance from the focus lens to the light receiving surface. In the case of a film camera that records a photographed image as a chemical change in a silver-lead film or the like, a subject distance is measured using a distance measuring unit, and focus lens drive control is performed based on the measurement result. For this reason, focus adjustment is performed at the time of manufacture so that focus control is performed correctly (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In contrast, in the case of an electronic camera that photoelectrically converts a captured image and electrically records it as electronic data, the in-focus state is evaluated based on the captured image data, and the focus lens is driven based on the evaluation result. As a result, automatic focus control is realized. For this reason, focus adjustment work as in a film camera is not essentially required (for example, Patent Document 3).

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a conventional autofocus camera, and is a diagram for explaining a conventional technique related to focus control of an electronic camera. The AF optical system unit 10 includes a focus lens 20, an image sensor 21, a linear motor 22, and a position sensor 23. Incident light from the subject is condensed on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 21 by the focus lens 20 and converted into a camera signal. The focus lens 20 is driven in the optical axis direction by a linear motor 22, and the lens position is detected by a position sensor 23.

  The camera signal is amplified to a predetermined signal level in the signal amplifying unit 11, and predetermined signal processing is performed in the camera signal processing unit 12 to generate an image signal. The AF signal processing unit 13 evaluates the in-focus state of the image signal and generates an AF evaluation signal. In general, an image photographed at a focal point has a maximum luminance difference between adjacent pixels, and a luminance signal contains many high-frequency components. For this reason, if the high frequency component in the luminance signal is evaluated, the in-focus state can be evaluated. The AF signal processing unit 13 generates an AF evaluation signal based on pixel data in an AF evaluation area to be evaluated, for example, a fixed region near the center.

  The focus control unit 14 generates a drive signal for driving and controlling the focus lens 20 based on the AF evaluation signal from the AF signal processing unit 13. The motor drive unit 15 drives the focus lens 20 by supplying a drive current designated by the drive signal to the linear motor 22.

When performing automatic focus control, the focus control unit 14 scans the focus lens 20 within a predetermined range. The focus lens 20 is scanned by the focus control unit 14 generating a drive signal while monitoring the detection signal of the position sensor 23 and moving the focus lens 20 at every predetermined step. After the scan is completed, the focus control unit 14 compares the AF evaluation signals at the respective lens positions to determine the focal point, generates a drive signal for moving the focus lens 20 to the focal point, and the automatic focal point control is completed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-93846 JP-A-9-90199 JP-A-10-164417

  As described above, in the automatic focus control in the electronic camera, shooting is performed while the focus lens 20 is scanned, the focus state of the actually captured image data is evaluated, and the focus lens 20 is adjusted based on the evaluation result. Drive to focus. For this reason, there is essentially no need to perform adjustment work in order to improve the accuracy of automatic focus control. However, in order to improve the accuracy of the fixed focus control, adjustment work is required.

  Fixed focus control is a control method for driving the focus lens 20 so as to obtain a subject distance designated by the user, such as a close-up mode for photographing a very close subject. For example, there are a case where a barcode is read using a camera-equipped mobile phone and a case where the user who is the operator is going to take a picture. In such a case, fixed focus control is performed.

  In the fixed focus control, the subject distance is designated by the user, and the focus lens 20 is driven to a lens position corresponding to the subject distance. For this reason, the focus lens 20 can be moved faster than the focal point as compared with the case where automatic focus control is performed, and a subject located outside the AF evaluation area can also be focused. Furthermore, if the fixed focus control and the automatic focus control are combined and the focus lens 20 is driven to a lens position corresponding to the subject distance designated by the user and then the auto focus control is performed in a narrow range around the focus lens 20, normal auto focus control is performed. Can reach the in-focus state sooner.

  In order to perform such fixed focus control, it is necessary to store in advance a drive signal for moving the focus lens 20 to a lens position corresponding to the subject distance designated by the user. However, when a change with time occurs in the AF optical system unit 10 or when a strong impact is applied such as dropping the camera photographing apparatus, it is conceivable that the subject distance with respect to the drive signal is shifted. In this case, there is a problem that it becomes impossible to focus on the subject distance designated by the user by the fixed focus control.

  The above-described Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose conventional techniques for performing focus adjustment, both of which relate to adjustment work performed in the manufacturing stage of a camera photographing apparatus, and are ex post facto due to changes over time and impact. The error could not be eliminated. In other words, when an error occurs after the camera photographing apparatus is shipped, there is a problem that the user cannot make adjustments, and has no choice but to ask the dealer or the manufacturer for repair.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera photographing apparatus capable of performing focus adjustment on the user side while suppressing cost. It is another object of the present invention to provide a camera photographing apparatus that can perform focus adjustment without requiring the user to perform complicated operations. It is another object of the present invention to provide a camera photographing device that performs periodic focus adjustment.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a charging holder that can perform focus adjustment of a camera photographing apparatus at low cost and periodically. It is another object of the present invention to provide a small charging holder capable of adjusting the focus of a camera imaging device.

  The camera imaging device according to the present invention includes an imaging unit provided at a position facing a focus adjustment chart provided on the charging holder and charging detection for detecting the mounting on the charging holder when the camera imaging device is attached to the charging holder. Means, charging means for charging the secondary battery based on the detection result of the charging detection means, and focus adjustment means for performing focus adjustment based on the detection result of the charging detection means.

  With such a configuration, when the camera imaging device is mounted on the charging holder, the charging detection unit detects the mounting, the secondary battery is charged by the charging unit, and the focus adjustment is performed by the focus adjustment unit. . For this reason, the user can perform the focus adjustment at a predetermined time interval without performing a complicated work and hardly being aware of the focus adjustment itself. For this reason, it is possible to always maintain the focus control accuracy in the camera photographing apparatus with high accuracy.

  In addition, the camera imaging device according to the present invention is provided at a position where the focus adjustment chart of the charging holder can be irradiated when mounted on the charging holder, and is lit based on the detection result of the charging detection means. It is configured with. With such a configuration, focus adjustment can be performed under appropriate exposure conditions without being affected by the environment during charging.

  Further, the camera imaging device according to the present invention is configured such that the light emission amount when the exposure adjustment light is turned on based on the detection result of the charge detection unit is smaller than the light emission amount when performing exposure adjustment in normal photographing. Is done. In this way, excessive power consumption and heat generation can be prevented by suppressing the amount of light emission during focus adjustment.

  The camera imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes a drive data storage unit that stores drive data of the focus lens, a focus control unit that generates a drive signal based on the drive data of the drive data storage unit, and a drive signal corresponding to the drive signal. A lens driving unit that drives the focus lens to the lens position, and a focus adjustment unit that obtains the focal point of the focus lens when mounted on the charging holder and corrects the driving data of the driving data storage unit.

  With such a configuration, if the focus adjustment unit corrects the drive data based on the drive signal corresponding to the in-focus point, even if an error occurs in the lens position with respect to the drive signal, the error is compensated. The drive data can be corrected. Therefore, accurate focus adjustment can be performed without using a position sensor for detecting the lens position. Furthermore, even if an error occurs in the subject distance with respect to the lens position, the drive data can be corrected so as to compensate for the error.

  In the camera imaging device according to the present invention, the optical system unit including the focus lens generates a linear motor that generates a driving force in the optical axis direction with respect to the lens holder of the focus lens, and biases the lens holder in the optical axis direction. And the lens driving means is configured to supply a driving current corresponding to a driving signal from the focus control means to the linear motor. With such a configuration, the lens position can be controlled by balancing the biasing force of the holder spring and the driving force of the linear motor, and focus control can be performed without using a position sensor. In addition, even if an error occurs in the focus control due to a change in the holder spring over time, the focus adjustment unit maintains the accuracy of the focus control by correcting the drive data.

  The charging holder according to the present invention has a focus adjustment pattern for the camera photographing device to perform focus adjustment, and the camera photographing device is opposed to the focus adjustment pattern, and the distance to the focus adjustment pattern is constant. The camera fixing device for fixing the camera photographing device and the power supply means for supplying a charging current to the secondary battery of the camera photographing device while being fixed by the camera fixing device.

  With this configuration, the user can charge the secondary battery of the camera photographing device and adjust the focus of the camera photographing device simply by mounting the camera photographing device on the charging holder. Accordingly, the focus adjustment can be performed periodically without the user performing complicated work and with little awareness of the user.

  Further, the charging holder according to the present invention includes a focus adjustment lens that enables the camera photographing device to photograph the focus adjustment pattern, and the camera fixing means has a shortest photographing distance from the camera photographing device to the focus adjustment pattern. The camera photographing apparatus is configured to be fixed in a shorter state. With such a configuration, the charging holder capable of focus adjustment can be reduced in size.

  According to the present invention, if the camera photographing device is attached to the charging holder provided with the focus adjustment chart, the camera photographing device can be charged and the focus can be adjusted. For this reason, it is possible to provide a camera photographing apparatus capable of performing focus adjustment on the user side while suppressing cost. In addition, it is possible to provide a camera photographing apparatus that can perform focus adjustment without performing complicated operations by the user. In addition, it is possible to provide a camera photographing apparatus that periodically performs focus adjustment.

  Furthermore, it is possible to provide a charging holder that can perform the focus adjustment of the camera photographing apparatus at low cost and periodically. In addition, a small charging holder capable of adjusting the focus of the camera imaging device can be provided.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of a camera photographing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, in which a so-called camera-equipped mobile phone 1 is shown. In this cellular phone 1, a first casing 100 and a second casing 101 are movably connected by a connecting portion 102, and both casings 100 and 101 can be folded with the front side inward, and the back side is outward when folded. It will be exposed.

  A main display unit 103 is disposed on the front surface of the first housing 100, and a sub display unit 104 is disposed on the back surface. A key operation unit 105 is disposed on the front surface of the second housing, and a camera unit 106 and a light unit 107 are disposed close to each other on the back surface. Therefore, at the time of folding, the sub display unit 104 is arranged on one surface, and the camera unit 106 and the light unit 107 are arranged on the other surface.

  The second casing 101 is provided with a charging locking portion 108 on one side in the longitudinal direction and a charging terminal 109 on the other side. Here, the charging locking portion 108 is provided at the end portion on the coupling portion 102 side and the charging terminal 109 is provided at the end portion on the distal end side, but the opposite may be possible. The charging locking portion 108 is for locking to a later-described charging holder 2 when charging the built-in battery of the camera-equipped mobile phone 1, and is connected to the charging holder 2 via the two charging terminals 109. Charging current is supplied.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the charging holder 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. (A) in the drawing shows a plan view of the charging holder 2 and (b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which charging is performed by attaching the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 to the charging holder 2, (a) is a plan view of the charging holder 2, and (b) is a side view. FIG.

  The charging holder 2 is connected to an AC adapter 205 via a power supply cable 204, and the AC adapter 205 converts a commercial power source into a DC power source and supplies a charging current to the charging holder 2. This charging current is supplied to the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 via the power supply terminal 203 brought into contact with the charging terminal 109.

  The built-in battery of the mobile phone 1 is charged by attaching the mobile phone 1 to the charging holder 2. The guide portions 200 and 201 provided in the charging holder 2 are means for positioning when the mobile phone 1 is mounted on the charging holder 2. Charging is performed in a state where the charging locking portion 108 of the mobile phone 1 is engaged with the locking portion 202 of the charging holder 2 and the charging terminal 109 is in contact with the power supply terminal 203. That is, the locking portion 202 positions the mobile phone 1 that is being charged and holds the mobile phone 1 so that it does not easily fall off.

  The charging holder 2 is provided with a focus adjustment chart 206 on the mounting surface of the mobile phone 1. The focus adjustment chart 206 is used to adjust the focus of the camera unit 106 while the mobile phone 1 is being charged. The mobile phone 1 has the back surface of the second housing 101 facing the focus adjustment chart 206. In this state, the focus adjustment chart 206 is disposed at a position facing the camera unit 106 of the mobile phone 1.

  As will be described later, when the focus adjustment based on the AF evaluation signal is performed in the mobile phone 1, it is desirable that the pattern constituting the focus adjustment chart 206 is a pattern having a large contrast gradient, and such a pattern. It is desirable to contain a lot of. For example, a pattern made of a checkered pattern is suitable as the focus adjustment chart 206.

  Since the mobile phone 1 attached to the charging holder 2 is positioned by the positioning means, the camera unit 106 being charged is directly facing the focus adjustment chart 206, and the camera unit 106 is connected to the focus adjustment camera. The distance to is always a constant distance. Note that the charging holder 2 is not limited as long as it is attached to at least the mobile phone 1 being charged, and may be connected to the AC adapter 205 as shown in FIG. May be built-in.

  When the mobile phone 1 is mounted on the charging holder 2, the focus adjustment chart 206 becomes dark between the mobile phone 1 and the charging holder 2 and becomes underexposed when focus adjustment is performed. For this reason, the focus adjustment chart 206 is arranged so that it can be irradiated by the light unit 107, and the mobile phone 1 performs focus adjustment by turning on the light unit 107.

  Instead of lighting the light unit 107, a lighting means for introducing external light into the focus adjustment chart 206 may be provided in the charging holder 2, but in this case, it is affected by the environment. During focus adjustment, a message to that effect is displayed on the sub display unit 104 of the mobile phone 1 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the mobile phone 1 of FIG. 1, and the blocks corresponding to the components shown in FIG. The wireless unit 31 includes an RF transmission / reception circuit, and performs wireless communication with a wireless base station (not shown) via an antenna. The display unit 32 includes a main display unit 103 and a sub display unit 104 and their control circuits. The voice input / output unit 33 includes a transmitting microphone and a receiving receiver (both not shown). The main control unit 30 is composed of a microprocessor and performs operation control of the blocks 31 to 33 and 105 to 107.

  The battery 34 is a battery power source that drives each block constituting the mobile phone 1, and includes a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The battery charging unit 35 includes a charging circuit for the battery 34 including an overcharge prevention circuit. When power is supplied from the power supply terminal 203 of the charging holder 2 to the charging terminal 109 of the mobile phone 1, the battery charging unit 35 charges the battery 34. It is carried out. The charge detection unit 36 is means for detecting that the battery 34 is mounted on the charging holder 2, and outputs a detection signal to the main control unit 30 based on the voltage level of the charging terminal 109, for example. To do.

  First, when the user operates the power button of the key operation unit 105, the power of the mobile phone 1 is turned on and the wireless communication process is started. For example, the main control unit 30 controls the radio unit 31 to start communication with the radio base station, and location registration processing for the communication system that accommodates the mobile phone 1 is executed. As a result, the mobile phone 1 is ready to make and receive calls.

  If the user operates the mode selection key of the key operation unit 105 in the power-on state to set the operation mode of the mobile phone 1 to the camera mode, the camera mode signal including the focus control signal from the main control unit 30 to the camera unit 106 Is output. Based on the camera mode signal, the camera unit 106 starts designated focus control and outputs image data captured at a predetermined frame rate to the main control unit 30. The image data is output as a monitor image to the display unit 32 and displayed on the main display unit 103 or the sub display unit 104.

  When the user operates the release key of the key operation unit 105 in the camera mode, the main control unit 30 outputs a photographing signal to the camera unit 106 and outputs a lighting signal to the light unit 107 as necessary. Thereafter, the image data output from the camera unit 106 is recorded in a memory (not shown) by the main control unit 30 and displayed on the display unit 32. Note that the light unit 107 is a so-called flash for exposure adjustment, and whether or not the light unit 107 needs to be turned on and the amount of light in the case of turning on is based on the image data of the camera unit 106. 30.

  When the mobile phone 1 is attached to the charging holder 2, a detection signal is output from the charge detection unit 36. Based on this detection signal, the battery charger 35 starts charging the battery 34. The main control unit 30 outputs a focus adjustment signal to the camera unit 106 based on the detection signal, and outputs a lighting signal to the light unit 107 as necessary. Based on the focus adjustment signal from the main control unit 30, the camera unit 106 photographs the focus adjustment chart 106 and performs focus adjustment.

  During focus adjustment, the display unit 32 causes the sub display unit 104 to display “focus adjustment in progress” based on an instruction from the main control unit 30. In addition, the light unit 107 is turned on with a smaller amount of light than when it is turned on in normal shooting, thereby suppressing power consumption and heat generation. The amount of light during normal photographing varies depending on the exposure state, but it is desirable that the amount of light be smaller than the minimum amount of light. The light unit 107 may be always lit while being mounted on the charging holder 2 based on the detection signal of the charge detection unit 36, but it is more preferable that the light unit 107 is lit only during focus adjustment.

  The focus adjustment is executed based on the detection signal from the charge detection unit 36 regardless of whether the power is on or off. It is executed regardless of the operation mode. Accordingly, when the mobile phone 1 is attached to the charging holder 2 with the power off, wireless communication processing including location registration, transmission and reception is not performed, but the camera unit 106 and the light unit 107 are activated and automatically Focus adjustment starts. On the other hand, when the mobile phone 1 is attached to the charging holder 2 with the power turned on, wireless communication processing such as position registration is executed as necessary, and focus adjustment is started in a state where outgoing / incoming calls can be made.

  Further, when the mobile phone 1 is detached from the charging holder 2 during focus adjustment, the detection signal from the charge detection unit 36 is not output. Therefore, the main control unit 30 interrupts the focus adjustment being performed by the camera unit 106 and turns off the light unit 107 that is lit. For example, when there is an incoming call during the focus adjustment performed with the power on, the focus adjustment is interrupted when the user picks up the mobile phone 1 to go off-hook.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the camera unit 106 of FIG. The camera unit 106 includes an AF optical system unit 10, a signal amplification unit 11, a camera signal processing unit 12, an AF signal processing unit 13, a focus control unit 14, a motor drive unit 15, and a drive data storage unit 16. Compared to the conventional camera photographing apparatus shown in FIG. 10, the driving data storage unit 16 is provided, and the AF optical system unit 10 is configured without having a position sensor. Another difference is that the focus control unit 14 performs focus adjustment.

  The AF optical system unit 10 includes a focus lens 20, an image sensor 21, and a linear motor 22. The focus lens 20 is a focus adjustment lens that can move in the direction of the optical axis, and can image subjects at various distances on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 21. The image sensor 21 is a photoelectric conversion means including a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device), a CMOS image sensor, and the like, and generates a camera signal. The linear motor 22 is a driving unit that drives the focus lens 20 and can be driven to a lens position corresponding to the drive current supplied by the motor drive unit 15.

  The camera signal generated by the image sensor 21 is amplified to a predetermined signal level by the signal amplification unit 11, subjected to predetermined signal processing by the camera signal processing unit 12, and output as image data to the main control unit 30. . The AF signal processing unit 13 evaluates the in-focus state of the image data for a predetermined AF evaluation area, and generates an AF evaluation signal.

  The focus control unit 14 generates a drive signal for driving and controlling the focus lens 20 and executes focus control specified by the main control unit 30. That is, when the motor drive unit 15 supplies the drive current specified by the drive signal from the focus control unit 14 to the linear motor 22, the focus lens 20 is driven to a predetermined lens position, and focus adjustment is performed. Further, the focus control unit 14 corrects the drive data in the drive data storage unit 16 based on the focus adjustment signal from the main control unit 30 and performs focus adjustment.

  The automatic focus control by the focus control unit 14 is the same as in the conventional case. That is, the focus lens 20 is scanned over the entire movable range or a predetermined range, and the focal point is determined by comparing the AF evaluation signals at the respective lens positions. Then, a drive signal corresponding to the focal point is generated, and the focus lens 20 is moved to the focal point.

  On the other hand, when fixed focus control is performed, drive data stored in the drive data storage unit 16 is used. The fixed focus control is performed based on the subject distance designated by the user from the key operation unit 105 or the subject distance designated by the application program being executed in the main control unit 30. For example, fixed focus control is executed when a barcode reading mode, a user's (operator) 's own shooting mode, a far-field shooting mode, or the like is designated.

  When a fixed focus control signal including designation of the subject distance is input from the main control unit 30, the focus control unit 14 reads drive data corresponding to the subject distance from the drive data storage unit 16, and uses the motor drive unit as a drive signal. 15 is output. As a result, the focus lens 20 can be moved to a desired focal point. Then, if necessary, automatic focus control may be performed for a narrow scan range.

  Further, the focus control unit 14 performs a focus adjustment process for correcting an error in the correspondence relationship between the drive signal and the subject distance. When a strong impact is applied to the mobile phone 1 due to dropping or the like, some distortion may occur in the AF optical system unit 10 and the subject distance with respect to the drive signal may be shifted. Further, such a deviation can also occur due to the temporal change of the AF optical system unit 10. If the focus adjustment process is performed using the charging holder 2 and such an error is compensated for, it is possible to always perform accurate fixed focus control.

  When the mobile phone 1 is attached to the charging holder 2, focus adjustment is started in the camera unit 106. That is, the focus control unit 14 obtains a focal point on the focus adjustment chart 206 arranged at a predetermined distance, and corrects the drive data in the drive data storage unit 16 based on the drive signal corresponding to the focal point. To do. For example, the original drive data is updated to the corrected drive data, or correction data necessary for the correction process is newly stored together with the original drive data.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the AF optical system unit 10 of FIG. The focus lens 20 is fixed in a cylindrical lens holder 51, and the lens holder 51 is accommodated in the unit housing 50 so as to be movable in the optical axis direction 55. Incident light from the subject passes through the hollow portion of the lens holder 51 and is focused on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 21 by the focus lens 20.

  The linear motor includes a coil 52, a magnet 53, and a holder spring 54. The coil 52 is made of a conductive wire fixed to the side surface of the lens holder 51 and wound in the circumferential direction. The magnet 53 is formed of a permanent magnet that is fixed to the unit housing 50, faces the coil 52, and is disposed so as to surround the coil 52. For this reason, if a drive current is supplied to the coil 52, a drive force corresponding to the drive current acts on the lens holder 52 in the optical axis direction 55.

  The holder spring 54 is means for biasing the lens holder 51 in the optical axis direction 55, and the lens holder 51 is driven to a position where the biasing force of the holder spring 54 and the driving force generated by the driving current are balanced. That is, since the lens position is determined by the driving current, the position of the focus lens 20 can be controlled without using a position sensor.

  However, if the urging force of the holder spring 54 varies due to changes over time, an error occurs in the lens position corresponding to the drive current, and the drive current does not correspond to the subject distance. Further, even if an error occurs in the position of the light receiving surface of the image sensor 21 for some reason, an error occurs in the subject distance corresponding to the drive current. In such a case, since the control error of the fixed focus control becomes large, focus adjustment is necessary.

  Steps S101 to S107 in FIG. 7 are flowcharts showing an example of the focus adjustment process. When the mobile phone 1 is attached to the charging holder 2, a detection signal is output from the charge detection unit 36 (step S101). A focus adjustment signal is output from the main control unit 30 to the camera unit 106 based on this detection signal. The focus control unit 14 starts focus adjustment based on the focus adjustment signal. The focus adjustment includes a scan process of the focus lens 20 (steps S102 to S106) and a drive data correction process (step S107).

  First, the focus lens 20 is moved to a predetermined scan start point (step S102). At this time, after storing the AF evaluation signal output from the AF signal processing unit 13, the focus lens 20 is moved by a predetermined distance (steps S103 and S104). Steps S103 and S104 are repeated until a predetermined scan end point is reached (step S105). However, if the mobile phone 1 is detached from the charging holder 2 and no detection signal is output from the charge detection unit 36 during this scan, the focus processing is stopped (step S106).

  When scanning of the focus lens 20 is completed for a predetermined scan range, a driving signal corresponding to the focal point can be obtained by comparing the AF evaluation signals obtained at the respective lens positions. The focus control unit 14 corrects the drive data held in the drive data storage unit 16 based on the drive signal (step S107).

  According to this embodiment, the focus adjustment is performed by providing the focus adjustment chart 206 on the charging holder 2 and mounting the mobile phone 1 on the charging holder 2. For this reason, the focus adjustment can be performed on the user side without using a special device and with almost no awareness of the user.

  In particular, since the built-in battery of the mobile phone 1 must be charged periodically, focus adjustment can be performed periodically, and the accuracy of focus control can be maintained with high accuracy at all times. Further, since the focus adjustment is automatically performed only by attaching the mobile phone 1 to the charging holder 2, no complicated operation is required. Further, when the mobile phone 1 is detached from the charging holder 2 during the focus adjustment, the focus adjustment process is stopped and no erroneous focus adjustment is performed.

  Further, during charging, the light unit 107 can be turned on to perform focus adjustment with high accuracy. In addition, power consumption and heat generation can be suppressed by lighting with a light amount smaller than that during light emission in normal photographing.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, an example in which the focus adjustment of the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 is performed using the charging holder 2 has been described. In the present embodiment, a method for reducing the size of the charging holder 2 will be described.

  When the focus adjustment chart 206 provided in the charging holder 2 is photographed and the focus adjustment is performed by obtaining the focal point, the distance from the camera unit 106 to the focus adjustment chart 206 is the shortest photographing of the camera unit 106. It must be longer than the distance. That is, since the charging holder 2 needs to be sized according to the shortest shooting distance of the camera unit 106, it can be considered that the charging holder 2 is increased in size by adding a focus adjustment function.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the charging holder 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. (A) in a figure is a top view, (b) is sectional drawing by a BB cut line. In addition, about the part corresponded to the component shown by FIG. 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  On the mounting surface of the charging holder 2, a recess 207 is provided at a position facing the camera unit 106 of the mobile phone 1, and a focus adjustment chart 206 is provided in the recess 207. In a state where the mobile phone 1 is mounted on the charging holder 2, the concave portion is formed so that the camera unit 106 can photograph the focus adjustment chart 206 and the light unit 107 can irradiate the focus adjustment chart 206. Reference numeral 207 has a columnar or tapered shape, and a focus adjustment chart 206 is disposed at the bottom thereof. For this reason, it is possible to increase the distance from the camera unit 106 to the focus adjustment chart 206 while suppressing the size of the charging holder 2.

  Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, the mobile phone 1 is attached to the charging holder 2 in a posture having an angle with respect to the installation surface of the charging holder 2. In this case, the shooting direction of the camera unit 106 of the mobile phone 1 (that is, the optical axis direction 55 in FIG. 6) also has an angle with respect to the normal of the installation surface. For this reason, the depth of the recessed part 207 can be ensured, suppressing the height of the holder 2 for charging.

  FIG. 9 is a view showing another configuration example of the charging holder 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. (A) in a figure is a top view, (b) is sectional drawing by CC cut line. 2 and 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  A focus adjustment lens 208 is provided in the opening of the recess 207. The focus adjustment lens 208 is a means for increasing the distance from the camera unit 106 to the focus adjustment lens 208, and includes, for example, a convex lens. In this case, incident light from the focus adjustment chart is condensed on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 21 through the focus adjustment lens 208 and the focus lens 20.

  That is, by disposing the focus adjustment lens 208 in front of the focus adjustment chart 206, the distance from the camera unit 106 to the focus adjustment chart 206 can be increased equivalently. Therefore, the distance to the focus adjustment chart 206 viewed from the camera unit 106 can be increased while suppressing the size of the charging holder 2.

  By using such a lens 208 for focus adjustment, focus adjustment can be performed even if the distance from the camera unit 106 to the focus adjustment chart 206 is shorter than the minimum photographing distance of the camera unit 106, and the charging holder 2 Can be further reduced in size. The minimum shooting distance here is the minimum value of the subject distance that can be shot by the camera unit 106.

  Note that although an example in the case of a foldable mobile phone has been described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to a foldable mobile phone and can be applied to a non-foldable mobile phone. . Further, the present invention is not limited to a camera-equipped mobile phone. That is, the present invention can be applied to various electronic devices that have a camera photographing function and are driven by a secondary battery, such as PHS, PDA, notebook computer, and digital camera.

  In this embodiment, an example in which focus adjustment is performed during charging of a camera-equipped mobile phone has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case. In other words, any device that can perform focus adjustment with the electronic device mounted on the charging holder may be used, and focus adjustment may be performed before the start of charging, or focus adjustment may be performed after charging is completed. It may be.

It is the external view which showed an example of the camera imaging device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the holder 2 for charging by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which showed a mode that the mobile telephone 1 with a camera was mounted | worn with the holder for charging, and is charging. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an internal configuration of the mobile phone 1 of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of a camera unit 106 in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of an AF optical system unit 10 in FIG. 5. It is the flowchart which showed an example of the focus adjustment process. It is the figure which showed the example of 1 structure of the holder 2 for charging by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is the figure which showed the other structural example of the holder 2 for charging by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structural example of the conventional autofocus camera.

Explanation of symbols

1 Mobile phone
2 Charging holder 10 Optical system unit 11 Signal amplification unit 12 Camera signal processing unit 13 AF signal processing unit 14 Focus control unit 15 Motor drive unit 16 Drive data storage unit 20 Focus lens 21 Imaging element 22 Linear motor 30 Main control unit 34 Battery 35 Battery Charging Unit 36 Charging Detection Unit 105 Key Operation Unit 106 Camera Unit 107 Light Unit 108 Charging Locking Portion 109 Charging Terminals 200, 201 Guide Portion 202 Locking Portion 203 Power Feeding Terminal 204 Power Feeding Cable 206 Focus Adjustment Chart 207 Recessed Port 208 Focus adjustment lens

Claims (7)

Imaging means provided at a position facing a focus adjustment chart provided on the charging holder when mounted on the charging holder;
Charging detection means for detecting attachment to the charging holder;
Charging means for charging the secondary battery based on the detection result of the charge detection means;
A camera photographing apparatus comprising: focus adjustment means for performing focus adjustment based on a detection result of the charge detection means.   The exposure adjustment light is provided at a position where the focus adjustment chart of the charging holder can be irradiated when mounted on the charging holder, and is turned on based on the detection result of the charging detection means. The camera photographing device according to 1.   4. The camera photographing device according to claim 3, wherein the exposure adjustment light has a light emission amount at the time of lighting based on a detection result of the charge detection means smaller than a light emission amount when performing exposure adjustment in normal photographing. . Drive data storage means for storing drive data of the focus lens;
A focus control means for generating a drive signal based on the drive data of the drive data storage means;
Lens driving means for driving the focus lens to a lens position according to the driving signal;
2. The camera photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a focus adjusting unit that obtains a focal point of the focus lens when the charging lens is mounted on the charging holder and corrects the driving data of the driving data storage unit. The optical system unit including the focus lens includes a linear motor that generates a driving force in the optical axis direction with respect to the lens holder of the focus lens, and a holder spring that biases the lens holder in the optical axis direction.
The camera photographing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the lens driving unit supplies a driving current corresponding to a driving signal from the focus control unit to the linear motor. A focus adjustment pattern for the camera photographing device to perform focus adjustment;
Camera fixing means for fixing the camera photographing device so that the camera photographing device faces the focus adjusting pattern and the distance to the focus adjusting pattern is constant;
A charging holder comprising: a power supply unit that supplies a charging current to the secondary battery of the camera photographing device in a state of being fixed by the camera fixing unit. It is equipped with a focus adjustment lens that makes it possible to shoot a focus adjustment pattern with a camera shooting device
7. The charging holder according to claim 6, wherein the camera fixing means fixes the camera photographing apparatus in a state where the distance from the camera photographing apparatus to the focus adjustment pattern is shorter than the shortest photographing distance.

Images