JP2009169266A - Lens barrel and camera system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lens barrel with an improved operation part such as a focus adjusting optical system. <P>SOLUTION: The lens barrel includes touch sensors 10, 80 disposed on the outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical body 4, and a controlled mechanism 16 controlled based on an operation signal sensed by the touch sensors 10, 80. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lens barrel and a camera system including the lens barrel.

  As a lens barrel used for a camera or the like, a lens barrel having a so-called power focus mechanism that drives an optical system by the force of a driving device such as a motor in response to an operation of an operation ring provided on an outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, the conventional lens barrel has a problem in that the mechanical structure of the lens barrel becomes complicated because the operating ring must be rotatably provided with respect to the lens barrel.
JP 2001-166196 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a lens barrel having an improved operation unit such as a focus adjustment optical system.

In order to solve the above problems, a lens barrel according to the present invention is:
A touch sensor (10, 80) disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body (4) for detecting a contact state and outputting an operation signal according to the contact state;
A controlled mechanism (16) controlled based on the operation signals (ω, θ, D) detected by the touch sensor (10, 80).

  Further, for example, the controlled mechanism (16) may be a focus adjustment mechanism that adjusts the focus of the optical system.

  Further, for example, the focusing sensitivity that is the ratio of the control amount of the focus adjustment mechanism (16) to the operation signal (ω, θ, D) may be selectively set from a plurality of different setting values. .

  Further, for example, the control speed of the focus adjustment mechanism for the operation signal (ω, θ, D) may vary according to the detected amount of the operation signal.

  For example, the lens barrel (2) according to the present invention may include a display unit (12) that displays information related to the controlled mechanism (16).

  For example, the touch sensor (10, 80) includes a first detection unit (10) that obtains a first operation signal, and a second detection unit that obtains a second operation signal different from the first operation signal. (80).

  Further, for example, the lens barrel according to the present invention may vary the control of the controlled mechanism in accordance with the combination of the first operation signal (10) and the second operation signal (80).

  The camera system according to the present invention includes a control unit (22) that controls the controlled mechanism (16) using any one of the lens barrels (2) and the operation signals (ω, θ, D). And have.

  Further, for example, the camera system according to the present invention further includes a focal length detection means (54) for detecting a focal length of the photographing optical system (14, 16, 18) included in the lens barrel (2), The control unit (22) may change the control amount of the focus adjustment mechanism (16) based on the operation signal (ω, θ, D) according to the focal length.

  In addition, for example, the camera system according to the present invention further includes focus detection means (52) for detecting a focus adjustment state of the photographing optical system (14, 16, 18) included in the lens barrel (2), The control unit (22) may change the control amount of the focus adjustment mechanism (16) based on the operation signal (ω, θ, D) according to the focus adjustment state.

  In the above description, in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, the description is made in association with the reference numerals of the drawings showing the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The configuration of the embodiment described later may be improved as appropriate, or at least a part of the configuration may be replaced with another component. Further, the configuration requirements that are not particularly limited with respect to the arrangement are not limited to the arrangement disclosed in the embodiment, and can be arranged at a position where the function can be achieved.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lens barrel according to a first embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a camera including the lens barrel shown in FIG.
3 is an enlarged view of a main part schematically showing the main part of the lens barrel shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of a function that defines the relationship between the detection signal and the focusing sensitivity.
FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the focus evaluation value and the position of the focus adjustment optical system,
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the focus adjustment operation in the camera shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a lens barrel according to the second embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the lens barrel shown in FIG.
First embodiment

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lens barrel 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The lens barrel 2 has a cylinder 4 in which a bayonet mount 6 is formed. The lens barrel 2 is attached to the camera body through a bayonet mount 6. A zoom ring 8 for operating the zoom mechanism, a touch pad 10 for manually operating the focus mechanism, a display unit 12 for displaying information on the focus mechanism, and the like are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 4. ing. The touch pad 10 detects a contact state and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the contact state. The display unit 12 is configured by a liquid crystal display device or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the lens barrel 2 used in the interchangeable lens camera will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lens barrel used in an optical device other than the lens-integrated camera or the camera. It may be.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a camera including the lens barrel 2 shown in FIG. The lens barrel 2 is attached to the camera body 3 via a bayonet mount 6 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the lens barrel 2 includes first to third optical systems 14, 16, and 18 that constitute a photographing optical system. Subject light incident from the first optical system 14 side (Z-axis negative direction side) of the lens barrel 2 is disposed inside the camera body 3 by the first to third optical systems 14, 16, and 18. It is guided to the image sensor 20. The second optical system 16 is a focus adjustment optical system, and moves in the direction along the optical axis L to adjust the focus of the photographing optical system. In the block diagram of FIG. 2, the illustration of the mechanism related to the zoom mechanism and the like is omitted.

  The control unit 22 provided in the camera body 3 controls the second optical system 16 provided in the lens barrel 2 and further controls the entire focus mechanism of the camera. The camera shown in FIG. 2 can select an autofocus mechanism or a manual focus mechanism as the focus mechanism. When the autofocus mechanism is selected as the focus mechanism, the control unit 22 is provided in the lens barrel 2 based on the focus adjustment state detected by the focus detection unit 52 provided in the camera body 3. The second optical system 16 is controlled.

  On the other hand, when the manual focus mechanism is selected, the control unit 22 controls the inside of the lens barrel 2 based on the operation signal detected by the touch pad 10 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the barrel 4 of the lens barrel 2. The second optical system 16 provided in is controlled. As shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 3, the touch pad 10 includes a plurality of unit sensors 30 arranged along the circumferential direction with the optical axis L as the center. The unit sensor 30 is a sensor for detecting the degree of proximity between the unit sensor 30 and a part of the body of the camera user, such as a finger.

  In the present embodiment, a capacitance detection type sensor is used as the unit sensor 30, but the unit sensor 30 is not limited to this, and for example, a low resistance detection type sensor, a surface acoustic wave detection type sensor, an optical detection type sensor Etc. can be used. Moreover, although the unit sensor 30 in this embodiment is arranged along the circumferential direction centering on the optical axis L, the arrangement | sequence of the unit sensor 30 in this invention is not limited to this. For example, the unit sensors 30 may be arranged along the optical axis L, or may be arranged in a two-dimensional direction so as to form a grid on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 4.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the user's finger or the like touches the protective sheet 32 of the touch pad 10, the capacitance of the unit sensor 30 close to the contact portion changes. The touchpad 10 according to the present invention preferably includes the detection circuit 24 shown in FIG. The detection circuit 24 shown in FIG. 2 is based on the capacitance of each unit sensor 30 shown in FIG. 3, and the position of the user's finger, the moving angle, the angular velocity, the moving direction, etc., or a value proportional to or related to these. Can be detected. Note that the touch pad 10 and the detection circuit 24 can be configured as separate components.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the detection circuit 24 according to the present embodiment includes a movement speed detection circuit 34, a movement amount detection circuit 36, and a movement direction detection circuit 38. The moving speed detection circuit 34 according to the present embodiment detects the angular speed ω shown in FIG. 3 from the change in the capacitance of the unit sensor 30 constituting the touch pad 10. Further, the movement amount detection circuit 36 and the movement direction detection circuit 38 shown in FIG. 2 detect the movement angle θ and the movement direction D shown in FIG. 3 from the change in the capacitance of the unit sensor 30 constituting the touch pad 10, respectively. To do.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the position of the user's finger. In FIG. 3, the user traces the surface of the touch pad 10 with his / her finger along the circumferential direction around the optical axis L. In FIG. 3, the user's finger moves from a position indicated by a broken line to a position indicated by a solid line during a predetermined time.

  The angular velocity ω is an angle change rate when the user's finger rotates and moves around the optical axis L during a predetermined time. The movement angle θ is an angle by which the user's finger is rotated about the optical axis L during a predetermined time. The movement direction D is a rotation direction in which the user's finger rotates about the optical axis L during a predetermined time.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 22 provided in the camera body 3 includes a speed sensitivity setting unit 40, a movement amount sensitivity setting unit 42, a speed setting unit 44, a movement amount setting unit 46, and a movement direction. A setting unit 48 and a drive control unit 50 are included.

The speed sensitivity setting means 40 shown in FIG. 2 sets the focusing speed sensitivity tv. Here, the focusing speed sensitivity tv is a ratio between the angular speed ω detected by the moving speed detection circuit 34 and the driving speed of the second optical system 16. The speed sensitivity setting unit 40 according to the present embodiment may set the focusing speed sensitivity tv according to the magnitude of the angular speed ω detected by the moving speed detection circuit 34, for example. In this case, the speed sensitivity setting means 40 sets the focusing speed sensitivity tv according to the following formula including a predetermined function f.
tv = f (ω)
Here, as the function f, various functions can be used for smoother focus adjustment. For example, a function f1 or a function f2 as shown in FIG. 4 can be used.

  When the functions f1 and f2 are used, the focusing speed sensitivity tv in the low angular velocity region where the angular velocity ω is small becomes relatively small. On the other hand, the focusing speed sensitivity tv in the high angular velocity region where the angular velocity ω is larger than that in the low angular velocity region is larger than the focusing speed sensitivity tv in the low angular velocity region. That is, by setting the focusing speed sensitivity tv in this way, the difference in the moving speed of the user's finger on the surface of the touch pad 10 is emphasized and reflected in the driving speed of the second optical system 16.

  Therefore, the user of the camera may move the finger touching the surface of the touch pad 10 quickly when roughly adjusting the focus. When the finger is moved quickly, it is emphasized and reflected in the moving speed of the second optical system 16, so that the focus adjustment can be performed quickly. Further, when finely adjusting the focus, a finger touching the touch pad 10 may be moved slowly. If you move your finger slowly, it will be emphasized and reflected in the moving speed of the second optical system 16. Therefore, focus adjustment can be performed while viewing changes in the subject image more reliably from the viewfinder (not shown) provided on the camera. It can be carried out.

  The speed sensitivity setting unit 40 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2 changes the focusing speed sensitivity according to the focal length of the photographing optical system configured by the first to third optical systems 14, 16, and 18, for example. You can also The camera body 3 is provided with a focal length detection means 54 that detects the position of the second optical system 16 that is a focus adjustment optical system and detects the focal length of the photographing optical system.

  The focal length detection unit 54 includes, for example, a pulse generation unit that generates a pulse corresponding to the amount of movement of the second optical system 16, a position detection unit that detects the position of the second optical system 16 from the pulse, and the like. Also good. As shown in FIG. 2, the focal length detection unit 54 according to the present embodiment outputs a signal related to the focal length of the photographing optical system to the speed sensitivity setting unit 40.

  For example, the speed sensitivity setting unit 40 according to the present embodiment increases the focusing speed sensitivity tv in the telephoto area where the focal length is large, and the focusing speed sensitivity tv in the wide-angle area where the focal distance is smaller than the telephoto area. It can be made smaller than the sensitivity tv.

  By setting the focusing speed sensitivity tv in this way, the driving speed of the focus adjustment optical system is increased in the telephoto area where the movement distance of the focus adjustment optical system (second optical system 16) tends to be relatively large. Adjustments can be made. Further, since the moving speed of the second optical system 16 becomes slow in a wide-angle region where the moving distance of the focus adjusting optical system tends to be relatively small, the second optical system 16 is prevented from suddenly accelerating / decelerating in a narrow range, and driven. The load on parts can be reduced.

  Further, the speed sensitivity setting unit 40 shown in FIG. 2 may change the focusing speed sensitivity tv according to the detected defocus amount when the focus detection unit 52 is a phase difference detection method, for example. That is, when the defocus amount is larger than the predetermined value, the focusing speed sensitivity tv is set to a large value, and when the defocus amount is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the focusing speed sensitivity tv is set so that the defocus amount is smaller than the predetermined value. You may set to a small value compared with the case where it is large. Further, the focus detection unit 52 provided in the camera body 3 according to the present embodiment may detect a focus evaluation value related to the contrast of an image obtained by the image sensor 22 as a focus adjustment state.

  In this case, the change rate of the detected focus evaluation value is large at a position away from the in-focus point as shown in FIG. Therefore, the focusing speed sensitivity tv is increased when the change rate of the focus evaluation value is large, and the focusing speed sensitivity tv is decreased when the change rate of the focus evaluation value is small. In any case, as shown in FIG. 2, the focus detection unit 52 according to the present embodiment outputs a signal related to the focus adjustment state of the photographing optical system to the speed sensitivity setting unit 40.

  By setting the focusing speed sensitivity tv in this way, focus adjustment can be performed quickly even when the second optical system 16 is not in the vicinity of the in-focus point. Further, when the second optical system 16 is in the vicinity of the in-focus point, focus adjustment can be performed while more reliably viewing a change in the subject image from a finder (not shown) provided in the camera.

  Note that the speed sensitivity setting unit 40 according to the present embodiment considers a plurality of input signals related to the angular velocity ω, the moving angle θ, the focal length or the defocus amount of the imaging optical system, and the like, and sets the focusing speed sensitivity tv. It may be set. Further, the speed sensitivity setting means 40 may set the focusing speed sensitivity tv to a constant value that does not change depending on the angular speed ω or the focal length.

The movement amount sensitivity setting means 42 shown in FIG. 2 sets a focusing movement amount sensitivity td that is a ratio of the driving amount of the second optical system 16 to the movement angle θ detected by the movement amount detection circuit 36. In the movement amount sensitivity setting means 42 according to the present embodiment, for example, the focusing movement amount sensitivity td can be set according to the magnitude of the movement angle θ detected by the movement amount detection circuit 36. In this case, the movement amount sensitivity setting means 42 can set the focusing movement amount sensitivity td according to the following formula including a predetermined function g.
td = g (θ)
Here, as the function g, various functions can be used for smoother focus adjustment.

  For example, as the function g shown in FIG. 4, the focusing movement amount sensitivity td when the movement angle θ is small is relatively smaller than the focusing movement amount sensitivity td when the movement angle θ is large. Can be used. When the focusing movement amount sensitivity td is set in this way, the difference in the movement angle θ of the user's finger on the surface of the touch pad 10 is emphasized and reflected in the driving amount of the second optical system 16.

  That is, when the focus is roughly adjusted, the driving amount of the second optical system 16 with respect to the movement angle θ can be increased by largely moving the finger touching the surface of the touch pad 10. Therefore, the focus adjustment can be performed efficiently. Further, when finely adjusting the focus, the driving amount of the second optical system 16 with respect to the movement angle θ can be reduced by moving the finger touching the touch pad 10 small. Therefore, the second optical system 16 can be moved small to perform more accurate focus adjustment.

  The moving amount sensitivity setting unit 42 according to the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 is, for example, a focusing moving amount sensitivity td according to the focal length of the photographing optical system configured by the first to third optical systems 14, 16, and 18. Can also be changed. For example, the movement amount sensitivity setting unit 42 increases the focusing movement amount sensitivity td in a telephoto region having a large focal length, and sets the focusing movement amount sensitivity td in a telephoto region in a wide-angle region having a focal length smaller than the telephoto region. It can be made smaller than td.

  By setting the focusing movement amount sensitivity td in this way, focus adjustment can be performed with a smaller movement angle θ even in a telephoto area where the movement distance of the focus adjustment optical system tends to be relatively large. In the wide-angle region where the movement distance of the focus adjustment optical system tends to be relatively small, the amount of drive of the second optical system 16 with respect to the movement angle θ is small, so that more accurate focus adjustment can be performed.

  Also, the movement amount sensitivity setting unit 42 shown in FIG. 2 may change the focusing movement amount sensitivity td according to the detected defocus amount when the focus detection unit 52 is a phase difference detection method, for example. . For example, when the defocus amount is larger than a predetermined value, the focusing movement amount sensitivity td is set to a large value, and when the defocus amount is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the focusing movement amount sensitivity td is set to a predetermined value. You may set to a small value compared with the case where it is larger than a value. If the focusing movement amount sensitivity td is set in this way, when the second optical system 16 is not in the vicinity of the in-focus point, the driving amount of the second optical system 16 with respect to the movement angle θ is large, so that the focus adjustment is performed quickly. Can do. When the second optical system 16 is in the vicinity of the in-focus point, the driving amount of the second optical system 16 with respect to the movement angle θ is small, so that more accurate focus adjustment can be performed.

  Note that the movement amount sensitivity setting means 42 according to the present embodiment takes into account a plurality of input signals related to the angular velocity ω, the movement angle θ, the focal length or the defocus amount of the imaging optical system, and the like, and the focusing movement amount sensitivity. You may set td. For example, the focusing movement amount sensitivity td can be set in consideration of the defocus amount and the movement angle θ in combination, and a focus adjustment operation similar to autofocus can be performed. On the other hand, the movement amount sensitivity setting means 42 may set the focusing movement amount sensitivity to a constant value that does not change depending on the angular velocity ω or the focal length.

  The speed setting means 44 shown in FIG. 2 is based on the angular velocity detected by the movement speed detection circuit 34 and the focusing movement amount sensitivity td set by the speed sensitivity setting means 40, and the movement speed setting signal of the second optical system 16 is used. Is output. The movement amount setting means 46 is based on the movement angle θ detected by the movement amount detection circuit 36 and the focusing movement amount sensitivity td set by the movement amount sensitivity setting means 42, and the movement amount setting signal of the second optical system 16. Is output. The movement direction setting means 48 outputs a movement direction setting signal for the second optical system 16 based on the movement direction D detected by the movement direction detection circuit 38.

  Further, the drive control means 50 shown in FIG. 2 is based on the setting signals output from the speed setting means 44, the movement amount setting means 46, and the movement direction setting means 48, and is a second optical system that is a focus adjustment optical system. A drive signal is applied to a drive motor 56 that moves the system 16. Also, the focal length of the photographing optical system is ford-backed by the drive control means 50 by the focal length detection means 54.

  The drive control unit 50 can display the focusing speed sensitivity tv, the focusing movement amount sensitivity td, the focal length of the photographing optical system, and the like on the display unit 12. The user of the camera can confirm these values by confirming the display on the display unit 12. The camera body 3 may have an input means (not shown) for inputting a setting value related to the focusing mechanism. Here, examples of the setting values related to the focusing mechanism include the setting method of the respective focusing sensitivities tv and td, the moving direction of the second optical system 16 with respect to the moving direction D detected by the touch pad 10, and the like. Further, the drive control means 50 can display these set values on the display unit 12.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the focus adjustment operation by the camera shown in FIG. In step S101, the touch pad 10 shown in FIG. 2 is activated in accordance with switching from the autofocus mechanism to the manual focus mechanism or when the main power of the camera is turned on. Specifically, the detection of capacitance by the unit sensor 30 shown in FIG. 3 is started.

  In step S102 shown in FIG. 6, the manual focus mechanism is initialized. Specifically, setting methods such as focusing speed sensitivity and focusing movement amount sensitivity are initially set. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, the case where the focusing speed sensitivity is initially set so as to change according to the defocus amount detected by the focus detection unit 52 in step S102 will be described as an example. The focusing movement amount sensitivity is initially set to always have a constant value.

  In step S <b> 103, it is determined whether an operation signal is input from the touch pad 10. Specifically, whether or not the movement angle θ or the angular velocity ω of the user's finger or the like shown in FIG. 3 is detected by the detection circuit 24 shown in FIG. If there is no input from the touch pad 10, an input waiting state is entered unless a signal for ending the touch pad 10 is input to the control unit 22 (step 109 in FIG. 6).

  When there is an input from the touch pad 10, the focus detection unit 52 shown in FIG. 2 detects the defocus amount (step 104 shown in FIG. 6). Next, in step 105, based on the detected defocus amount, it is determined whether or not the second optical system 16 (see FIG. 2), which is a focus adjusting optical system, is arranged in the vicinity of the focal point (see FIG. 5). ). Specifically, the speed sensitivity setting means 40 shown in FIG. 2 determines whether or not the defocus amount detected in step 104 is equal to or less than a predetermined value set in advance.

  When the second optical system 16 shown in FIG. 2 is not disposed in the vicinity of the focal point, the speed sensitivity setting means 40 sets the focusing speed sensitivity tv to a predetermined value t0 (step S106 shown in FIG. 6). On the other hand, when the second optical system 16 is disposed in the vicinity of the focal point, the speed sensitivity setting means 40 sets the focusing speed sensitivity tv to a predetermined value t1 (t1 <t0) smaller than t0 ( Step S107 shown in FIG. As described above, when the defocus amount is larger than the predetermined value, the focusing speed sensitivity tv is set to t0. When the defocus amount is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the focusing speed sensitivity tv is set so that the defocus amount is smaller than the predetermined value. It is set to a smaller value t1 than when it is larger.

  After the focusing speed sensitivity tv is set by the speed sensitivity setting means 40, the second optical system 16 which is a focus adjusting optical system is driven. For example, the speed setting means 44 uses the product of the angular speed ω detected by the movement speed detection circuit 34 and the focusing speed sensitivity tv set by the speed sensitivity setting means 40 as the movement speed setting signal of the second optical system 16. Output. The drive control means 50 applies a drive signal to the drive motor 56 based on the movement speed setting signal and the movement amount setting signal output from the movement amount setting means 46. The drive motor 56 drives the second optical system 16 that is a focus adjustment optical system according to the drive signal (step S108 shown in FIG. 6).

  In step 109 shown in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not an OFF signal for ending the touch pad 10 is input to the control unit 22. When the OFF signal is not input, the process moves to step S103, and it is determined whether or not there is an input from the touch pad 10. On the other hand, when the OFF signal for ending the touch pad 10 is input to the control unit 22 by switching from the manual focus mechanism to the auto focus mechanism, the detection by the touch pad 10 is ended (shown in FIG. 6). Step 110).

  Thus, the lens barrel 2 according to the present embodiment includes the touch pad 10 for manually operating the focus mechanism. As a result, the camera including the lens barrel 2 according to the present embodiment does not require a manual focus ring that is rotatably provided to the lens barrel because of a manual focus mechanism, unlike the conventional technique. Therefore, the lens barrel 2 according to this embodiment has fewer moving parts and a simple mechanical structure than the lens barrel according to the prior art.

In addition, in a camera including the lens barrel 2 according to the present embodiment, focusing sensitivity such as focusing speed sensitivity and focusing movement amount sensitivity can be selectively set from a plurality of different set values. Accordingly, the focusing sensitivity is changed in accordance with the movement of the camera user's finger or the like, the required amount of movement of the focusing optical system, and the like, thereby realizing a faster and more accurate manual focus mechanism.
Second embodiment

  FIG. 7 is a plan view of the lens barrel 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The lens barrel 2 according to the second embodiment is different in that it has a second touch pad 80 in addition to the first touch pad 10 corresponding to the touch pad 10 according to the first embodiment. Except for the touch pad 80 and parts related thereto, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment.

  The second touch pad 80 according to the second embodiment is disposed away from the first touch pad 10 at a position where the first touch pad 10 is moved by a predetermined angle about the optical axis L. With this arrangement, the user can easily touch one of the first touch pad 10 and the second touch pad 80 with the thumb while touching the other with a finger other than the thumb. . Therefore, the user of the camera operates the release button or the like while holding the camera body 3 with one hand, and holds the first and second touch pads 10 and 80 while holding the lens barrel 2 with the other hand. Can be operated simultaneously.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a camera including the lens barrel 2 shown in FIG. The configuration of the camera shown in FIG. 8 further includes a second touch pad 80 and a second detection circuit 82, except that the second touch pad 80 is connected to the drive control means 50 via the second detection circuit 82. This is the same as the camera shown in FIG. The internal structure of the second touch pad 80 is the same as that of the touch pad 10 according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG.

  The second touch pad 80 has a second detection circuit 82 shown in FIG. The second detection circuit 82 can detect the presence / absence of contact of the user's finger, the movement angle, the angular velocity, the movement direction, and the like based on the capacitance of the unit sensor included in the second touch pad 80. Therefore, the second detection circuit 82 of the second touch pad 80 can obtain an operation signal different from that of the detection circuit 24 of the first touch pad 10.

  The second detection circuit 82 includes a contact detection circuit 84, a second movement speed detection circuit 86, and a second movement direction detection circuit 88. The contact detection circuit 84 according to the present embodiment can detect whether the user's finger or the like is in contact with the second touch pad 80. The second moving speed detection circuit 86 corresponds to the moving speed detection circuit 34 in the first touch pad 10. The second moving speed detection circuit 86 detects a second angular speed that is an angular speed when a user's finger or the like rotates and moves around the optical axis L on the surface of the second touch pad 80. The second movement direction detection circuit 88 corresponds to the movement direction detection circuit 38 in the first touch pad 10. The second movement direction detection circuit 88 detects a second drive direction that is a rotation direction when a user's finger or the like rotates on the surface of the second touch pad 80 about the optical axis L.

  The second detection circuit 82 outputs the presence / absence of contact on the second touch pad 80 detected by each detection circuit, the second angular velocity, the second rotation direction, and the like to the drive control unit 50.

  The detection circuit 24 and the control unit 22 shown in FIG. 8 output a signal for controlling the second optical system 18 that is a focus adjustment optical system, as in the first embodiment shown in FIG. For example, the speed setting means 44 shown in FIG. 8 sets the moving speed of the second optical system 16 based on the angular speed detected by the moving speed detection circuit 34 and the focusing movement amount sensitivity set by the speed sensitivity setting means 40. Output a signal. The movement amount setting means 46 shown in FIG. 8 is based on the movement angle detected by the movement amount detection circuit 36 and the focusing movement amount sensitivity set by the movement amount sensitivity setting means 42, and the movement amount of the second optical system 16. Outputs a setting signal. The movement direction setting means 48 outputs a movement direction setting signal for the second optical system 16 based on the movement direction detected by the movement direction detection circuit 38.

  The drive control unit 50 according to the second embodiment can consider the signal output from the second detection circuit 82 of the second touch pad 80 when outputting the drive signal to the drive motor 56. For example, whether or not the user's finger or the like is in contact with the second touch pad 80 at the same time that the operation signal that is the source of the drive signal is detected by the detection circuit 24 of the first touch pad 10. Is determined from the output of the contact detection circuit 84. As a result, if a user's finger or the like is in contact with the second touch pad 80 at the time, a drive signal is output to the drive motor 56. On the other hand, when the user's finger or the like is not in contact with the second touch pad 80, the output of the drive signal to the drive motor 56 is cancelled.

  That is, the drive control unit 50 according to the second embodiment can perform focus adjustment only when the user performs an operation while touching both the first touchpad 10 and the second touchpad 80. . With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the focusing mechanism in the lens barrel 3 from malfunctioning when a part of the user's body accidentally contacts the first touch pad 10.

  There are also the following application examples. The drive control means 50 is obtained by the second detection circuit 82 of the second touch pad 80 at the same timing and the movement angle and drive direction detected by the circuit board 24 of the first touch pad 10 shown in FIG. The second moving angular velocity and the second driving direction are compared. When the detection signals obtained by both the touch pads 10 and 80 are approximated within a predetermined range, a drive signal is output to the drive motor 56 so that a normal control amount is obtained. On the other hand, when the detection signals obtained by both touch pads 10 and 80 are different beyond a predetermined range, the drive signal is changed so that the control amount is smaller than the normal control amount. This is output to the drive motor 56.

  By adopting such a configuration, the control amount of the manual focus mechanism can be changed depending on whether the fingertip is moved or operated with the entire hand. Accordingly, it is possible to perform a focus adjustment operation.

  The lens barrel 2 according to the second embodiment is a focus adjustment optical system based on a control signal based on both a signal detected by the first touch pad 10 and a signal detected by the second touch pad 80. A certain third optical system 16 is controlled. Therefore, by using the lens barrel 2 according to the second embodiment, it is possible to prevent a malfunction of the focus adjustment optical system or increase operation variations.

Other embodiments

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the focus adjustment mechanism has been described as an example of the controlled mechanism that is controlled based on the operation signal detected by the touch pad. It is not limited to this. For example, even when a zoom mechanism or a squeezing adjustment mechanism is used as a controlled mechanism, the number of movable parts is reduced, and the mechanical structure can be simplified.

  Further, a plurality of controlled mechanisms according to the present invention may be provided. For example, based on the operation signal detected by the touch pad described above, switching between an autofocus mechanism and a manual focus mechanism, switching between operation and non-operation of a camera shake prevention mechanism, and the like may be performed.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lens barrel according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a camera including the lens barrel shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the main part schematically showing the main part of the lens barrel shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of a function that defines the relationship between the detection signal and the focusing sensitivity. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the focus evaluation value and the position of the focus adjustment optical system. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the focus adjustment operation by the camera shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a lens barrel according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the lens barrel shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Lens barrel 3 ... Camera body part 4 ... Case 10 ... Touch pad 12 ... Display part 16 ... 2nd optical system 22 ... Control part 24 ... Detection circuit 30 ... Unit sensor 34 ... Movement speed detection circuit 36 ... Movement amount Detection circuit 38 ... Movement direction detection circuit 40 ... Speed sensitivity setting means 42 ... Movement amount sensitivity setting means 52 ... Focus detection means 54 ... Focal length detection means 80 ... Second touch pad 82 ... Second detection circuit

Claims (10)

A touch sensor disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, detecting a contact state and outputting an operation signal corresponding to the contact state;
A lens barrel having a controlled mechanism controlled based on the operation signal detected by the touch sensor.   The lens barrel according to claim 1, wherein the controlled mechanism is a focus adjustment mechanism that adjusts a focus of an optical system.   The lens barrel according to claim 2, wherein a focusing sensitivity, which is a ratio of a control amount of the focus adjustment mechanism to the operation signal, can be selectively set from a plurality of different setting values.   The lens barrel according to claim 2, wherein a control speed of the focus adjusting mechanism with respect to the operation signal varies according to a detection amount of the operation signal.   The lens barrel according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays information related to the controlled mechanism.   The touch sensor includes: a first detection unit that obtains a first operation signal; and a second detection unit that obtains a second operation signal different from the first operation signal. The lens barrel according to any one of 5.   The lens barrel according to claim 6, wherein the control of the controlled mechanism is varied according to a combination of the first operation signal and the second operation signal.   A camera system comprising: the lens barrel according to claim 1; and a control unit that controls the controlled mechanism using the operation signal. Further comprising a focal length detecting means for detecting a focal length of a photographing optical system provided in the lens barrel,
The camera system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit changes a control amount of the focus adjustment mechanism based on the operation signal in accordance with the focal distance. A focus detection unit for detecting a focus adjustment state of a photographing optical system included in the lens barrel;
The camera system according to claim 9, wherein the control unit changes a control amount of the focus adjustment mechanism based on the operation signal in accordance with the focus adjustment state.

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