JP2006217354A - Digital camera, accessory unit, and digital camera system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera, an accessory unit, and a digital camera system capable of arranging an antenna member, at a position where satisfactory radio communication can be attained so as to carry out stable radio communication. <P>SOLUTION: The antenna member is provided on the surface or the inside of a selection dial 3a located, at a position which a finger of a photographer for depressing a release button 2a will not reach. When a longitudinal position grip part 1b is provided on a camera 1, when the camera 1 is angled at a longitudinal position, the antenna member is also provided on the surface or the inside of a selection dial 3b located at a position which the finger of the photographer for depressing a release button 2b will not reach. The antenna member used for the wireless communication is selected, depending on whether the release button 2a or the release button 2b is depressed, when photographing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera, an accessory device, and a digital camera system.

  Conventionally, a digital camera having a wireless communication function capable of wirelessly transmitting information such as image data obtained by photographing to other communication devices and receiving information from other information devices, or a digital camera mounted on a digital camera. Various accessory devices to which a wireless communication function is added have been proposed. Here, when performing wireless communication, the characteristics of the antenna member during wireless communication are greatly affected by the influence of the hand of the photographer who operates the digital camera. For example, when the antenna member is obscured by the photographer's hand or when the hand is near the antenna member, the characteristics of the antenna member deteriorate.

Therefore, in Patent Document 1, the antenna member is placed at a position where the antenna member is not covered by the hand, specifically, the side of the built-in flash, the side of the finder window, the mirror frame, the base of the lens barrier, the side of the auxiliary light window, and the like. I try to arrange it.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-157099

  However, recent digital cameras often use a metal casing or have a metal part. If the antenna member is disposed in the vicinity of such a metal part, the characteristics of the antenna member are deteriorated. Also, it is not always effective to dispose the antenna member inside the digital camera because of the characteristics of the antenna member.

  Further, in a single-lens reflex camera provided with a vertical shooting grip, or with a vertical shooting grip device attached as an accessory device, the camera is held in a vertical position other than the normal position (horizontal position). There are many things. In such cases, when the antenna member is arranged at only one place as in Patent Document 1, the characteristics of the antenna member greatly change depending on the attitude of the digital camera.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a digital camera, an accessory device, and a camera system that can perform stable wireless communication by arranging an antenna member at a position where good wireless communication is possible. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, a digital camera according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a first release button for instructing start of an exposure operation and a first antenna member in a digital camera for capturing a subject image. Wireless communication means for wirelessly transmitting and receiving information to and from other communication devices, and the first antenna member is located near the first release button and the first release button. It is characterized in that it is arranged at a position where the photographer's finger pressing the button is not hooked.

  In order to achieve the above object, an accessory device according to a second aspect of the present invention is attached to the digital camera of the first aspect, and includes a second release button for instructing start of an exposure operation, and the wireless An accessory device comprising a second antenna member for wirelessly transmitting / receiving information to / from another communication device via a communication means, wherein the second antenna member is disposed in the vicinity of the second release button. Further, the camera is arranged at a position where a photographer's finger pressing the second release button is not hooked.

  According to the first and second aspects, since the antenna member is arranged at a position where the photographer's finger is not hooked at the time of photographing, communication may be interrupted by the photographer's finger or the like at the time of communication. And good wireless communication can be performed.

  In order to achieve the above object, a digital camera system according to a third aspect of the present invention is a digital camera system including the accessory device according to the second aspect, and includes at least the first antenna member and the first antenna member. The antenna member of 2 forms a diversity antenna group, and includes antenna control means for controlling the wireless communication of part or all of the diversity antenna group so as to enable transmission and reception. The means performs wireless communication based on a control result of the antenna control means.

  According to the third aspect, the antenna control unit can select an appropriate antenna member at the time of communication, so that more stable communication can be performed as compared with the first aspect and the second aspect.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a digital camera, an accessory device, and a camera system that can perform stable wireless communication by arranging an antenna member at a position where good wireless communication is possible.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are external views of a digital camera (hereinafter referred to as a camera) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the camera 1 can hold and shoot in the normal position (horizontal position) and can also hold and shoot in the vertical position. For this purpose, the main body of the camera 1 has a grip portion 1a for the photographer to hold the camera 1 in the horizontal position and a vertical position grip portion 1b for holding the camera 1 in the vertical position. Is provided.

  FIG. 1A is an external view showing a state when the camera 1 is held in a horizontal position. As shown in FIG. 1A, a release button 2a as a first release button is provided in the vicinity of the grip portion 1a. The release button 2a is a button for instructing the start of the exposure operation with the photographer holding the camera 1 in the horizontal position. In addition, a selection dial 3a is arranged in the vicinity of the release button 2a and at a position where the photographer's finger pressing the release button 2a is not hooked when the camera 1 is held as shown in FIG. ing. The selection dial 3a is a mode selection member for switching the shooting mode of the camera 1 and the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1A, a release button 2b is also provided in the vicinity of the vertical position grip portion 1b of the camera 1. The release button 2b can be operated by the photographer while holding the camera 1 in the vertical position as shown in FIG. Further, a selection dial 3b is arranged in the vicinity of the release button 2b where the photographer's finger pressing the release button 2b is not hooked when the camera 1 is held as shown in FIG. ing.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the release button 2 a of the camera 1. In the example shown in FIG. 2, two selection dials (selection dial 3a and selection dial 4a) are provided. In the present embodiment, an antenna member 5a is provided inside at least one of the selection dials 3a and 4a. Note that such an antenna member is also provided on the selection dial 3b provided in the vicinity of the vertical grip portion 1b.

  Here, the antenna member may be arranged on the surface of the selection dial. The type of the antenna member is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a thin and small antenna member such as a chip type antenna because it is disposed inside or on the surface of the selection dial. Furthermore, in order not to deteriorate the characteristics of the antenna member, the selection dial is more preferably made of a non-metallic material such as a resin.

  In this way, by arranging the antenna member on the surface or inside the operation member arranged in the vicinity of the release button and where the photographer's finger pressing the release button is not hooked, the influence of the photographer's finger or the like during wireless communication Thus, the wireless communication quality is not impaired. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the release button on the side pressed by the photographer faces upward when photographing, so that the antenna member disposed in the vicinity also faces upward. It will turn. That is, good communication can be performed by using the antenna member disposed near the release button on the side pressed by the photographer during communication.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed electric circuit configuration inside the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, the digital camera in FIG. 3 is assumed to be a digital single-lens reflex camera, and includes a lens unit 11 and a body unit 21.

  In FIG. 3, the lens unit 11 includes photographing lenses 12a and 12b, a diaphragm 13, a lens driving mechanism 14, a diaphragm driving mechanism 15, and a lens control microcomputer 16.

  The photographing lenses 12a and 12b are driven in the optical axis direction (direction indicated by a one-dot chain line in the drawing) by a DC motor (not shown) existing in the lens driving mechanism 14. The diaphragm 13 is driven by a stepping motor (not shown) existing in the diaphragm driving mechanism 15 and adjusts the amount of light flux from a subject (not shown) that is incident through the photographing lenses 12a and 12b so as to be incident in the direction of the body unit 21. . The lens control microcomputer 16 drives and controls each part in the lens unit 11 such as the lens driving mechanism 14 and the aperture driving mechanism 15. The lens control microcomputer 16 is configured to be able to perform data communication with a body control microcomputer 22 to be described later via a lens communication connector 17, and is controlled according to a command from the body control microcomputer 22. The body control microcomputer 22 is connected to the mirror drive mechanism 25, the photometry circuit 29, the AF sensor drive circuit 32, the shutter drive control circuit 36, the image processing controller 43, and the like inside the body unit 21, and these circuits, It also controls the mechanism. Such control is performed according to a predetermined control program stored in a non-volatile memory (for example, EEPROM) 23 provided so as to be accessible from the body control microcomputer 22. The nonvolatile memory 23 also stores predetermined control parameters necessary for camera control.

  At the time of shooting, a light beam from a subject (not shown) is incident on the quick return mirror 24 in the body unit 21 through the shooting lenses 12 a and 12 b in the lens unit 11 and the diaphragm 13. Here, the quick return mirror 24 is configured to be movable by a mirror drive mechanism 25. The mirror drive mechanism 25 moves the quick return mirror 24 to an up position (position retracted from the optical axes of the photographing lenses 12a and 12b) and a down position (position shown).

  When the quick return mirror 24 is moved to the down position by the mirror drive mechanism 25, a part of the light flux from the photographing lenses 12a and 12b is reflected by the quick return mirror 24 and passes through the focusing screen 26 and the pentaprism 27. The eyepiece 28 is reached. Thus, the photographer can visually observe the subject through the eyepiece 28. A photometric circuit 29 is arranged in the vicinity of the pentaprism 27. The photometry circuit 29 is provided with a photosensor (not shown), and a well-known photometry process is performed based on the amount of light flux detected by the photosensor.

  A part of the light beam incident on the quick return mirror 24 is transmitted through the quick return mirror 24, and the transmitted light beam is reflected by the sub mirror 30 installed on the quick return mirror 24. The light beam reflected by the sub mirror 30 is guided to an AF sensor unit 31 for performing automatic distance measurement. An AF sensor (not shown) is provided in the AF sensor unit 31, and an output from the AF sensor is transmitted to the body control microcomputer 22 via the AF sensor drive circuit 32. Then, a well-known distance measuring process is performed in the body control microcomputer 22.

  Further, behind the quick return mirror 24, an imaging module including a focal plane shutter unit 34 and an imaging unit 35 that houses an imaging device (CCD) for photoelectrically converting a subject image that has passed through the optical system. Is provided.

  Here, the shutter unit 34 is driven to open and close by a shutter drive control circuit 36. When a shutter drive control signal from the body control microcomputer 22 is input to the shutter drive control circuit 36, the shutter unit 34 is controlled based on the signal. At the same time, a strobe tuning signal for causing the strobe to emit light at a predetermined timing is output from the shutter drive control circuit 36 to the microcomputer 22 for body control. Based on this strobe tuning signal, a light emission command signal is output from the body control microcomputer 22 to the strobe unit 37.

  Here, the strobe unit 37 includes a flash light emission unit 38, a strobe light emission circuit 39, and a strobe control microcomputer 40. The strobe unit 37 can be attached to the body unit 21 via the strobe communication connector 41 so as to be communicable.

  When the quick return mirror 24 is moved to the up position by the mirror drive mechanism 25 and the shutter is opened by the shutter drive control circuit 36, the light flux that has passed through the photographing lenses 12a and 12b is imaged on the image sensor. Here, when the quick return mirror 24 is in the up position, the sub mirror 30 is folded.

  An image sensor interface circuit 42 is connected to the image sensor. In the image sensor interface circuit 42, an image signal obtained by photoelectric conversion in the image sensor is read in accordance with an image signal read start signal from the body control microcomputer 22. Thereafter, the read image pickup signal is converted into digital image data, and the converted image data is written into the SDRAM 44 which is a buffer memory for temporary storage via the image processing controller 43. The SDRAM 44 is used as a work area when image data is converted.

  The image data written in the SDRAM 44 is read out by the image processing controller 43. The image processing controller 43 performs known image processing such as white balance correction processing, color conversion processing, and gamma conversion processing on the image data. Thereafter, a known JPEG compression process is performed. The image data compressed in this way is written into the SDRAM 44. The image data written in the SDRAM 44 is read again by the image processing controller 43 and recorded on the recording medium 46 via the communication connector 45. Here, the recording medium 46 is an external recording medium such as various memory cards or an external hard disk drive (HDD), and is mounted so as to be communicable with the body unit 21 via the communication connector 45 and exchangeable.

  The body control microcomputer 22 is further connected with an operation display LCD 47, a camera operation switch (SW) 48, an attitude sensor 50, and a wireless communication circuit 51.

  The operation display LCD 47 is for notifying the photographer of the operation state of the camera 1 by display output.

  The camera operation SW 48 serving as a release detection means turns on and off a release switch that is turned on and off by operating the release buttons 2a and 2b, a mode selection switch that is switched by operating the selection dials 3a and 3b, and a power source of the camera. And a switch group such as a power switch for detecting an operation state of an operation member such as a release button or a selection dial.

  For example, when the photographer operates the selection dial 3a and the camera operation mode is switched from the shooting mode to the image display mode, the image data stored in the recording medium 46 is read and decompressed by the image processing controller 43. The Thereafter, the decompressed data is converted into a video signal, and an image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 49.

  Further, the posture sensor 50 detects the posture of the camera 1 and outputs the posture detection result to the body control microcomputer 22 as an antenna control means. In the body control microcomputer 22, the antenna member that is effective at the time of communication is selected according to the communication state of the antenna member. This result is notified to the wireless communication circuit 51 as wireless communication means together with various information such as image data input via the image processing controller 43. The wireless communication circuit 51 performs various processes for wireless transmission such as a modulation process on various information such as image data input from the body control microcomputer 22. Then, various information such as image data is transmitted to other communication devices outside the camera via the antenna member enabled in the body control microcomputer 22. Further, when receiving various types of information such as image data, an appropriate antenna member is selected according to the reception sensitivity of the antenna member. Then, various processes for reception such as demodulation processing are performed on various information such as image data received via the selected antenna member.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the antenna member 5a and the antenna member 5b provided in the selection dials 3a and 3b respectively constitute a diversity antenna group, and depending on the communication state of each antenna member during wireless communication. Various types of information such as image data are transmitted using one or both of these antenna members. Thereby, stable wireless communication can be performed even if the posture of the camera changes and the communication state of each antenna member changes.

  Next, selection control of the antenna member at the time of wireless communication in the digital camera as described above will be described. Here, an example in which image data obtained by photographing is transmitted to another communication device outside the camera will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for performing control for selecting an antenna member to be used for image data transmission in accordance with the release button pressed by the photographer during shooting.

  When the camera is turned on and the photographing mode is selected by the photographer (step S1), photographing preparation processing such as photometry processing and distance measurement processing is started (step S2). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not one of the release buttons 2a and 2b has been pressed by the photographer (step S3). If the release button is not pressed, the system waits until it is pressed.

  On the other hand, if the release button is pressed in the determination in step S3, it is determined whether or not the pressed release button is the release button 2a on the normal position side (step S4). If it is determined in step S4 that the release button pressed by the photographer is the release button 2a, the antenna member 5a is selected to be effective (step S5). That is, in this case, the photographer is holding the camera 1 in the normal position (lateral position). In the case of the horizontal position, the antenna member 5a faces upward, and it is preferable to perform communication using the antenna member 5a. Therefore, when the release button 2a is pressed, image data can be transmitted via the antenna member 5a. If it is determined in step S4 that the release button pressed by the photographer is the release button 2b, the antenna member 5b is selected to be effective (step S6). That is, in this case, the photographer is holding the camera 1 in the vertical position. In the case of the vertical position, since the antenna member 5b faces upward, it is preferable to perform communication using the antenna member 5b.

  In step S5 or step S6, after an effective antenna member is selected, a photographing process is performed (step S7), and a subject image is captured through the image sensor. Thereafter, the subject image is subjected to image processing in the image processing controller 43 (step S8) and written to the SDRAM 44 as a buffer memory (step S9). A confirmation image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 49 based on the image data thus written in the SDRAM 44 (step S10). In addition, you may make it perform the process of step S7-step S10 in parallel with the process of step S4-step S6.

  Thereafter, when an image transmission is selected by the photographer (step S11), transmission processing is executed in the wireless communication circuit 51 (step S12), and transmission of image data is started (step S13). Thereafter, when the transmission of the image data is completed (step S14), the image data written in the SDRAM 44 is deleted (step S15), and the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 4 is ended.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for performing control for selecting an antenna member used for image data transmission according to the posture of the camera at the time of shooting.

  When the camera is turned on and the photographing mode is selected by the photographer (step S21), photographing preparation processing such as photometry processing and distance measurement processing is started (step S22). Thereafter, the posture of the camera 1 is detected, and it is determined whether or not the posture of the camera 1 is the normal position (step S23).

  If it is determined in step S23 that the posture of the camera 1 is the normal position, the antenna member 5a is selected to be effective (step S24). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S23 that the posture of the camera 1 is the vertical position, the antenna member 5b is selected to be effective (step S25).

  In step S24 or step S25, after an effective antenna member is selected, a photographing process is performed (step S26), and a subject image is captured through the image sensor. Thereafter, the subject image is subjected to image processing in the image processing controller 43 (step S27) and written in the SDRAM 44 (step S28). A confirmation image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 49 based on the image data thus written in the SDRAM 44 (step S29).

  Thereafter, when an image transmission selection is made by the photographer (step S30), transmission processing is executed in the wireless communication circuit 51 (step S31), and transmission of image data is started (step S32). Thereafter, when the transmission of the image data is completed (step S33), the image data written in the SDRAM 44 is deleted (step S34), and the process of the flowchart of FIG. 5 ends.

  4 and 5 describe an example of transmission, the method of selecting an antenna member according to the attitude of the camera 1 in FIG. 5 can also be used for reception. it can.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the antenna member is provided in the vicinity of the release button pressed by the photographer at the time of shooting and is not covered by the photographer's finger pressing the release button at the time of shooting. Therefore, the possibility of communication being interrupted by a photographer's finger or the like is reduced, and good communication can be performed. Further, in the case where a grip for vertical position shooting is provided, it is in the vicinity of the release button provided on the side of the grip for vertical position shooting, and the photographer's finger pressing the release button during shooting is hung. The antenna member is also arranged inside and on the surface of the button at a non-position. As a result, an appropriate antenna member can be selected depending on the posture of the camera, and stable communication can always be performed.

  Here, the method described in the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a digital camera system including the digital camera 1 and the vertical position photographing grip device 101 as shown in FIG.

  A vertical position photographing grip device 101 shown in FIG. 6 is an accessory device configured to be detachable from the digital camera 1 and is fixed to the digital camera 1 with a tripod screw 106. As shown in FIG. 6, the vertical shooting grip device 101 is also provided with a release button 102 and a selection dial 103 as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. When an antenna member is provided on such a vertical position photographing grip device 101, as in the above-described embodiment, the photographer's finger pressing the release button in the vicinity of the release button 102 is not hung up. It is provided inside or on the surface of the selection dial 103.

  Here, in the above-described embodiment, the antenna member is provided on the selection dial. However, the antenna member is not necessarily provided on the selection dial 103, and communication is not hindered by a photographer's finger or the like during shooting. It may be provided on the surface or inside of another operation member. Also, the number of antenna members is not limited to two, and a diversity antenna group may be configured by preparing three or more antennas.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are naturally possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

  Further, the above-described embodiments include various stages of the invention, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent requirements are deleted from all the constituent requirements shown in the embodiment, the problem described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved, and the effect described in the column of the effect of the invention Can be extracted as an invention.

FIG. 1A is an external view showing a state where a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention is held in a horizontal position, and FIG. 1B is a vertical view of the digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an external view which shows a mode when it holds in the position. It is the figure which expanded and showed the vicinity of the release button 2a. 1 is a block diagram showing a detailed electric circuit configuration inside a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for performing control for selecting an antenna member in accordance with a release button pressed by a photographer at the time of shooting in the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart for performing control for selecting an antenna member in accordance with the posture of the camera at the time of shooting in the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is an external view of a digital camera system.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera, 1a ... Grip part, 1b ... Vertical position grip part, 2a, 2b, 102 ... Release button, 3a, 4a, 103 ... Selection dial, 5a, 5b ... Antenna member, 11 ... Lens unit, 12a, 12b Photographic lens, 13 aperture, 14 lens drive mechanism, 15 aperture drive mechanism, 16 lens control microcomputer, 17 lens communication connector, 21 body unit, 22 body control microcomputer, 23 non-volatile 24, quick return mirror, 25 ... mirror drive mechanism, 26 ... focusing screen, 27 ... pentaprism, 28 ... eyepiece lens, 29 ... photometry circuit, 30 ... sub mirror, 31 ... AF sensor unit, 32 ... AF sensor drive Circuit, 33... Body control microcomputer, 34. 35. Imaging unit, 36 ... Shutter drive control circuit, 37 ... Strobe unit, 38 ... Flash emission unit, 39 ... Strobe emission circuit, 40 ... Strobe control microcomputer, 41 ... Strobe communication connector, 42 ... Image sensor interface Circuit, 43 ... Image processing controller, 44 ... SDRAM, 45 ... Communication connector, 46 ... Recording medium, 47 ... LCD for operation display, 48 ... Camera operation switch (SW), 49 ... Liquid crystal monitor, 50 ... Attitude sensor, 51 ... Wireless communication circuit, 101... Vertical position photographing grip device

Claims (10)

In digital cameras that capture subject images,
A first release button for instructing the start of an exposure operation;
A wireless communication means including a first antenna member for wirelessly transmitting and receiving information to and from other communication devices;
Comprising
A digital camera characterized in that the first antenna member is disposed in the vicinity of the first release button and at a position where a photographer's finger pressing the first release button is not hooked.   The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the position where the photographer's finger is not hooked is a surface or inside of a mode selection member for selecting a shooting mode of the camera.   The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the mode selection member is made of a resin material. It is attached to the digital camera according to claim 1 or claim 2,
A second release button for instructing the start of an exposure operation;
A second antenna member for wirelessly transmitting and receiving information to and from other communication devices via the wireless communication means;
An accessory device comprising:
An accessory device, wherein the second antenna member is arranged in the vicinity of the second release button and at a position where a finger of a photographer who presses the second release button is not hooked. A digital camera system including the accessory device according to claim 4,
At least the first antenna member and the second antenna member form a diversity antenna group,
Comprising antenna control means for controlling transmission / reception of information in part or all of the diversity antenna group wirelessly;
The digital camera system, wherein the wireless communication unit performs wireless communication based on a control result of the antenna control unit.   6. The digital camera system according to claim 5, wherein the antenna control unit performs the control according to a communication state of the antenna member. Release detection means for detecting that either the first release button or the second release button has been operated;
6. The digital camera system according to claim 5, wherein the antenna control means performs the control so that an antenna member arranged in the vicinity of the release button whose operation is detected by the release detection means is made effective. . It further comprises posture detection means for detecting the posture of the camera,
6. The digital camera system according to claim 5, wherein the antenna control unit performs the control according to a detection result of the posture detection unit.   The antenna control means activates the first antenna member when the attitude detection means detects that the camera is in the horizontal position, and the attitude detection means sets the camera attitude to the vertical position. 9. The digital camera system according to claim 8, wherein when the presence is detected, the control is performed so that the second antenna member is made effective.   The digital camera system according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the accessory device includes a grip portion for a photographer to grip when photographing.

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