JP2010204326A - Portable apparatus and imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten starting time as well as lowering cost and reduction of a chip size. <P>SOLUTION: When transferring first and second programs for controlling a first and second drive means to the nonvolatile memory 209 of a sub-microcomputer 206, a first CPU 201 transfers one of the first and second programs. Upon receiving a reception completion signal from the sub-microcomputer, the first CPU starts the other one of the first and second programs and transmits a control start instruction signal for the first or second drive means in parallel therewith. After receiving the control start instruction signal, a second CPU 207 controls the first or second drive means according to the first or second program in parallel with the reception of the other one of the first and second program. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable device and an imaging apparatus having a plurality of CPUs.

  In recent years, functions of mobile devices such as digital cameras and digital videos have been diversified. For example, there are a camera shake correction function, a high-speed silent zoom, an AF (autofocus) function, a face recognition function using an image recognition technique, and the like. As described above, in order to realize a complicated and time-consuming function, an increasing number of portable devices adopt a system having a plurality of CPUs (Central Processing Units). As a result, high-speed processing is realized by distributing the CPU load to the main CPU that performs processing of general functions and the sub CPU that performs processing of functions that require complicated processing.

  On the other hand, there is a concern that the cost and chip size increase by having a plurality of CPUs. As an improvement measure, a single nonvolatile memory for storing a program is used for a plurality of CPUs to reduce the cost and the chip size. That is, the non-volatile memory is provided only on a microcontroller (hereinafter referred to as a main microcomputer) including a main CPU. Then, the program is transferred from the main microcomputer to the volatile memory of the microcontroller (hereinafter referred to as sub-microcomputer) including the sub CPU at the time of startup, and the processing of the sub CPU is executed on the volatile memory. In addition, by executing the program in the volatile memory, the memory access time is faster than that in the nonvolatile memory, and an effect that high-speed processing can be realized is also obtained.

  However, in such a system, in order to activate the peripheral device controlled by the sub CPU, the activation process cannot be started until the program transfer is completed, and it takes time to activate the entire device. In a portable device such as a digital camera or a digital video, it is desired that the mobile device can be started immediately and can be used even when the power is turned off.

  In Patent Document 1, a program to be transferred is divided and compressed and stored in a non-volatile memory. After the CPU on the transmission side divides and transfers the program, the CPU on the reception side sequentially develops it on the volatile memory. There has been proposed a technique for shortening the startup time by executing.

JP 2007-26318 A

  However, when driving peripheral devices controlled by the main CPU and the sub CPU, an inrush current may occur in the control circuit at the start of control. When the control start timings of peripheral devices occur simultaneously in the main CPU and the sub CPU, the inrush currents of the peripheral devices overlap, and the power supply voltage becomes unstable. For this reason, there is a possibility that the battery drop is erroneously detected even though the remaining battery level is sufficient.

  Also, in a digital camera having a retractable lens barrel, if it takes time for the zoom lens operation to start after the power button is pressed, the user misunderstands that the power button has not been pressed. . In a system in which the zoom lens is controlled by the sub CPU, such misunderstanding may occur if it takes a long time to transfer the program.

(Object of invention)
An object of the present invention is to provide a portable device and an imaging apparatus capable of reducing cost, reducing the chip size, and shortening the startup time.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention controls a first CPU for controlling the entire system, a main microcomputer having a nonvolatile memory for storing a plurality of programs, a first drive means, and a second drive means. A volatile memory transferred from the nonvolatile memory of the main microcomputer, and a second CPU for controlling the first driving means and the second driving means in accordance with the program transferred to the volatile memory. In a portable device having one sub-microcomputer, the nonvolatile memory of the main microcomputer divides a first program for controlling the first drive means and a second program for controlling the second drive means The first CPU stores the first program and the second program in the sub-myco When transferring to the volatile memory, firstly, transfer of one of the first program and the second program is started, and upon receipt of reception completion from the sub-microcomputer, the other of the first program and the second program The second CPU transmits a control start command for the first drive unit or the second drive unit in parallel, and the second CPU receives the control start command, and then receives the control start command from the main microcomputer. In parallel with receiving the other of one program and the second program, a portable device that controls the first driving means or the second driving means in accordance with one of the first program and the second program. Is.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while aiming at cost reduction and reduction of chip size, the portable device or imaging device which can aim at shortening of starting time can be provided.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a main microcomputer and a sub-microcomputer according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a memory map of a sub-microcomputer according to the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart of transfer processing of a first program according to Embodiment 1. 7 is a flowchart of transfer processing of a second program according to the first embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a lens barrel according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation at power-on of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart of a lens barrel feeding process according to Embodiment 1; 3 is a flowchart of a lens barrel retracting process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a main microcomputer and a sub-microcomputer according to a second embodiment.

  The mode for carrying out the present invention is as shown in Examples 1 and 2 below.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an imaging apparatus 100 such as a digital camera according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a lens barrel, which includes a zoom lens 102, an aperture shutter 103, a correction lens 104 that realizes image stabilization (IS), and a focus lens 105. Reference numeral 106 denotes a zoom control unit that controls the zoom lens 102, 107 denotes an aperture shutter control unit that controls the aperture shutter 103, 108 denotes an IS control unit that controls the correction lens 104, and 109 denotes focus control that controls the focus lens 105. Reference numeral 110 denotes a lens system control unit.

  Reference numeral 111 denotes an image sensor made up of a CCD, a CMOS, or the like. Reference numeral 112 denotes an AFE (analog front end) circuit, which includes a timing pulse generation (TG) circuit, a correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit, an A / D converter, and the like. The AFE circuit 112 converts the analog electrical signal converted by the image sensor 111 into a digital signal at a specific sampling period. Reference numeral 113 denotes an image processing circuit that performs pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the signal from the AFE circuit 112 and transfers it as image data to an image memory 114 composed of a DRAM or SRAM.

  Reference numeral 115 denotes an image display unit composed of a TFT_LCD (Thin Film Transistor Driven Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, which displays image data obtained by shooting and also displays specific information (for example, shooting information). The image display unit 115 realizes an electronic finder function by sequentially displaying image data generated by the output signal of the image sensor 111. Reference numeral 116 denotes a camera system control unit which sends a control command to the peripheral device in accordance with a user operation.

  Reference numeral 117 denotes an operation unit. In a shooting operation, a release button included in the operation unit 117 is pressed. When the release button is pressed, the camera system control unit 116 instructs the lens system control unit 110 to obtain an optimum exposure value or an exposure value set by the user. Accordingly, an appropriate aperture position is set by the aperture shutter control unit 107 and the aperture shutter 103. Also, the AFE circuit 112 is instructed to set the gain. Further, the camera system control unit 116 instructs the lens system control unit 110 to optimize the focus according to the distance of the subject. Thereby, the focus lens 105 is set to a desired focus position via the focus control unit 109. In this state, exposure to the image sensor 111 is started, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the diaphragm shutter 103 is closed to complete the exposure.

  Reference numeral 118 denotes an I / F (interface) unit, which outputs image data generated during the exposure to the recording unit 119. The recording unit 119 controls a recording medium such as a memory card including a flash memory. The recording medium may be a memory area built in the camera. Reference numeral 120 denotes a power supply unit.

  In the imaging device 100, the lens system control unit 110 that controls the lens barrel 101, the control units from the zoom control unit 106 to the focus control unit 109, and the camera system control unit 116 that controls other systems include: Processing is performed on a different CPU.

  FIG. 2 shows the hardware configuration of two CPUs and their peripheral devices (peripherals).

  The main microcomputer 200 includes a CPU 201, a DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) 202, a RAM 203, a ROM 204, and a SIO (Serial Input / Output) 205. Similarly, the sub-microcomputer 206 includes a CPU 207, a DMAC 208, a RAM 209, a ROM 210, an SIO 211, and the like, but the ROM 210 has a small capacity for storing a transfer program.

  In the imaging apparatus 100, the main microcomputer 200 performs processing of the camera system control unit 116 in FIG. In addition, the sub-microcomputer 206 performs processing of each control unit from the lens system control unit 110 and the zoom control unit 106 to the focus control unit 109 in FIG. Since the ROM 204 in the main microcomputer 200 is a non-volatile memory, data can be retained (stored) even when power is not supplied. The ROM 210 in the sub-microcomputer 206 has a limited capacity. Therefore, the program executed by the sub CPU 207 when the power from the power supply unit 120 is not supplied is stored in the ROM 204 in the main microcomputer 200. When the power is turned on, the sub CPU 207 receives the program via the SIOs 205 and 211, stores it in the RAM 209, and executes the stored program.

  Here, the DMAC 208 will be described. The DMAC is a controller for transferring data at high speed between a memory and a memory or between memory peripheral devices. By setting the transfer source address, the transfer destination address, and the transfer size at the start of data transfer, the CPU can automatically transfer data without going through the CPU during transfer. By using the DMAC, the CPU can perform another process simultaneously with the program transfer.

  The main microcomputer 200 sets the memory area where the sub CPU program is stored on the ROM 204 as the transfer source address, and the transmission buffer of the SIO 205 as the transfer destination address. The sub-microcomputer 206 sets a reception buffer of the SIO 211 as a transfer source address and a memory area for storing a program on the RAM 209 as a transfer destination address. When the transfer is started, the program is transferred from the ROM 204 to the SIO 205 by DMA transfer. Next, data is transferred to the SIO 211 by serial communication between the SIO 205 and the SIO 211. Further, the data is transferred to the RAM 209 by DMA transfer between the SIO 211 and the RAM 209. In this way, program transfer can be realized without going through the CPU.

  FIG. 3 shows the address space of the sub-microcomputer 206. In the sub-microcomputer 206 in the first embodiment, I / O is allocated by the memory mapped I / O method, and memory and I / O are allocated in 4 GB from 0x00000000 to 0xFFFFFFFF.

  0x00000000 is a reset vector. The reset vector is an area where processing is first executed when a hardware reset is applied after power is supplied to the sub-microcomputer 206. In the reset vector, the start address of the program to be executed first is written, and when the reset vector is executed, the address is written in the program counter (PC). The PC is a register in which an instruction to be executed next by the CPU is written. Processing can be jumped by writing an address in this register. In the sub-microcomputer 206, the ROM 210 is the only area that can hold the program in the initial state. Therefore, 0x0000F800, which is the head address of the ROM 210, is written in the reset vector, and the transfer program stored in the ROM 210 can be executed.

  The area from 0x00000004 to 0x0000F7FF is allocated as a memory area of the RAM 209. This area is divided into a first program area in which a program to be transferred first is stored and a second program area in which a program transferred in parallel with the execution of the first program is stored. ing.

  After 0x00FFE000, it is allocated as an I / O area. Examples of the I / O include a SIO 211, a general-purpose input / output port (not shown), and other peripherals. Since the I / O is arranged in the memory space by the memory mapped I / O method, the peripheral can be used by performing the same address designation as accessing the memory when accessing the I / O. Is possible.

  Here, generation means for dividing and generating programs and execution means for executing the programs on the sub-microcomputer 206 will be described.

  In an embedded device such as a portable device, a means called cross compilation is used as a means for creating a program to be executed on a CPU. This is a method in which a program is once created on a host machine such as a personal computer, and converted into executable binary data and transferred to the target machine. A program (source code) written in a program language is converted into a machine language program (object code) by software called a compiler, which converts the program language into machine language. By creating a program by dividing the source code for each function, the generated object code is also divided and generated. In order to generate a program (binary code) that can be executed on the CPU from the divided object code, it is necessary to combine the object code called a linker into one program. In the linker, when linking object codes, real addresses are allocated based on address information called relocation information where each object code is arranged on a memory. By this processing, it is possible to refer to other codes from the divided object code.

  Two binary codes can be generated by separately linking the object code group assigned to the first program area and the object code group assigned to the second program area. In order to refer to the code between the programs, it is possible to refer to the code as long as the address information of each other is known.

  A program access method on the sub-microcomputer 206 will be specifically described.

  The first program area includes a command reception / analysis unit that receives a control command from the main microcomputer 200 and analyzes the content of the command, and a startup processing unit in which a startup process of a device that is first driven is described. The The activation process is, for example, a zoom extension process described later in FIG. 8 or a focus collapse process described later in FIG. The second program area is configured by a control processing unit in which the control processing of each device after completion of the startup processing is described. The control process is, for example, a focus extension process, which will be described later with reference to FIG. Data transmission / reception is performed between the main microcomputer 200 and the sub-microcomputer 206 using a predetermined communication protocol. The command receiving / analyzing unit receives data and analyzes the command content from the received data according to the communication protocol. If the instruction content is, for example, startup processing, the startup processing unit of the first program area is executed. In the case of other control processing, the control processing unit of the second program area is executed. Therefore, the control process is executed by jumping to the address obtained by adding the offset address of the area where the process is actually described to 0x00007C00 which is the start address of the second program area. However, if the transfer of the second program is not completed, the CPU may malfunction if an attempt is made to access the address. Therefore, when a command in the second program area is transmitted from the main microcomputer 200 without completing the transfer, an error is returned to the main microcomputer 200.

  Next, a series of processing until the sub-microcomputer 206 is turned on and reception of all programs is completed will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process from turning on the power to the completion of reception of the first program.

  When the sub-microcomputer 206 is powered on (S100), the transfer program address is set in the PC as described above, and the program transfer process is started (S101). In the transfer program, data transfer information is set for the DMAC 208 (S102). The transfer source address is the SIO receive buffer address allocated to the I / O area, the transfer destination address is 0x00000004, which is the first address of the first program area, and the transfer size is 31 kbytes. Next, a transmission / reception interrupt is permitted and the communication enable signal is validated to enable communication (S103). The main microcomputer 200 monitors this signal, and when this signal becomes communicable, it starts program transfer.

  The processing from the next step S104 to step S107 and the processing of the second and subsequent steps S103 are performed by the SIO 211 and the DMAC 208.

  When reception data is received (YES in S104), a reception interrupt occurs, the communication enable signal is invalidated (S105), and the next data is not transmitted. In this state, the program is copied from the reception buffer to the first program area of the transfer destination RAM 209 (S106). When copying is completed, it is determined whether data transfer of the designated size has been completed (S107). If not completed (NO in S107), the communication enable signal is validated again (S103). This process is sequentially repeated until data transfer of the specified size is completed, thereby realizing program transfer.

  If it is determined that data transfer of the specified size has been completed (YES in S107), then checksum calculation is performed (S108). The checksum is one of error detection methods when transmitting / receiving data. The transferred data is regarded as a numerical value, and the total value is compared with the data calculated in advance to check whether the data has been destroyed due to noise in the communication path during transfer. It becomes possible. As a result of the checksum comparison (S109), if the value is correct (OK in S109), the main microcomputer 200 is returned to the main microcomputer 200 that the reception has been completed normally (S110). On the other hand, if the comparison result is incorrect (NG in S109), a transfer error command is returned to the main microcomputer 200 (S111).

When the transfer error command is returned, the main microcomputer 200 performs error correction processing such as retransmission, or displays an error warning on the image display unit 115 and ends the activation processing.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing that the sub-microcomputer 206 is controlled by the first program in parallel with the reception of the second program after the transfer process is normally completed in FIG.

  When the reception of the first program is normally completed in step S110 in FIG. 4, the process is jumped by setting 0x00000004 which is the first address of the first program area to the PC, and the process of the first program is started (S200).

  The processing from step S201 to step S211 is the same as the processing for receiving the first program (S201 to S211), and the program transfer is performed without going through the CPU by setting the transfer information of the second program area in the DMAC 208. . At this time, the transfer source address is a reception buffer, the transfer destination address is 0x00007C00 which is the top address of the second program area, and the transfer size is 31 kbytes.

  In step S203, it is determined whether the second program data has been received. If no data has been received (NO in S203), whether a control command (control start command) from the main microcomputer 200 to the sub-microcomputer 206 has been received. It is determined whether or not (S213). If it is determined that a control command has been received (YES in S213), the sub CPU 207 starts control of devices connected to the sub microcomputer 206 in accordance with the received command (S214).

  The second program data and control (start) command are communicated from the main CPU 201 to the sub CPU 207 via the SIOs 205 and 211. As processing of the first program of the sub CPU 207, data sent from the main CPU 201 is received, and it is determined whether it is data of the second program or a control (start) command. As a result of the determination, if it is data of the second program, the data is copied to the second program area (see FIG. 3) on the memory, and if it is a control (start) command, control of the device (zoom or focus) is started. .

  In steps S203 and S213 of FIG. 5, it is always monitored whether data communication is occurring, and when data is received, it is determined whether it is program data or a control (start) command, Processing is executed according to the determination. If no data communication has occurred, steps S203 and S213 are both NO, indicating that monitoring is repeated. Program data is sent intermittently in byte units, and a control start command is generated during that time, and copying of program data and device control calculation processing are performed simultaneously by the sub CPU 207 is referred to as “in parallel”. expressing.

  Next, an example of specific processing in the imaging apparatus 100 will be described using FIGS. 6 to 9.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lens barrel 101 in the optical axis direction. The lens barrel 101 is a collapsible lens barrel. FIG. 6A shows the extended state, and FIG. 6B shows the retracted state.

  In FIG. 6, a lens barrel 101 is a three-group barrel. Reference numeral 300 denotes a first lens group that is a front group of the zoom lens 102, and 301 denotes a rear group of the zoom lens 102 and a correction lens 104 for correcting camera shake. A second lens group 302 including the aperture shutter 103 and a third lens group 302 serving as the focus lens 105 are provided. Each lens group is a mechanical mechanism that drives in the optical axis direction using an actuator such as a DC motor, a stepping motor, or an ultrasonic motor as a power source. The first lens group 300 and the second lens group 301 realize a zoom function by changing the distance from the image sensor 111 and the distance between each group in conjunction with driving of one actuator. The third lens group 302 can be driven by a single actuator and realizes adjustment of the bint position by moving the focus lens 105. Further, the correction lens 104 which is a part of the second lens group 301 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction, thereby realizing reduction of camera shake. The aperture shutter 103 can block exposure by adjusting the exposure amount exposed to the image sensor 111 by changing the aperture diameter of the aperture, or by fully closing the shutter.

  The retracted state of the lens barrel 101 (see FIG. 6B) is a state in which the lens groups are closest to each other, and the size of the camera is reduced by shortening the retracted length. If the third lens group 302, that is, the focus lens 105 is driven in a state where the first lens group 300 and the second lens group 301, that is, the zoom lens 102 are retracted, the zoom lens 102 and the focus lens 105 are collided and damaged. There is a fear. Therefore, in order to perform the extension operation from the retracted state, it is necessary to drive the focus lens 105 after the zoom lens 102 is first extended. Similarly, when retracting, it is necessary to retract the zoom lens 102 after retracting the focus lens 105. At this time, as compared with the focus lens 105, the zoom lens 102 has a large amount of movement from the retracted state to the extended state, so that it takes time to complete the extended operation. Therefore, the extending operation of the focus lens 105 is started before the extending operation of the zoom lens 102 is completed so that the entire extending time of the lens barrel 101 is shortened.

  Next, the flow of processing until the imaging apparatus 100 is turned on and the lens barrel 101 is extended or retracted will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing from power-on to activation in each mode. After the power is turned on (S300), it is determined whether the activation mode is the shooting mode or the playback mode (S301). If it is the photographing mode, it is determined whether or not the lens barrel 101 is in the retracted state (S302), and if it is in the retracted state, the feeding process is performed as it is (S303). On the other hand, there is a case where the power is turned off while the lens barrel 101 is extended because the battery is removed while the imaging apparatus 100 is powered on. When the power is turned on in this state, the zoom lens 102 and the focus are turned on. The lens position of the lens 105 is reset. For this purpose, the retracting process (S303) is performed once, and then the feeding process similar to the normal activation is performed (S304). After that, activation is performed in the shooting mode (S305).

  If the activation mode is the playback mode, it is next determined whether or not the lens barrel 101 is in the retracted state (S306). If the lens barrel 101 is in the retracted state, the playback mode is started in the retracted state. It performs (S308). On the other hand, when the lens barrel 1010 is turned on in the extended state, the lens barrel 101 is retracted (S307), and then activated in the reproduction mode (S308).

  As described above, in the feeding process, it is necessary to drive the zoom lens 102 first. Therefore, a zoom drive program is assigned to the first program, and other programs (including an actual program and a focus drive program) are assigned to the second program. In the retracting process, it is necessary to drive the focus lens 105 first. Therefore, the focus driving program is assigned to the first program, and the other program (actual program) is assigned to the second program. The ROM 204 of the main microcomputer 200 stores these two types of programs, and changes the program to be transferred according to the activation mode and the retracted state.

  Next, the flow of program transfer and processing of the lens barrel 101 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  If the camera system control unit 116 (corresponding to the CPU 201 in the main microcomputer 200) determines that the lens barrel 101 is in the retracted state in the determination in step S302 of FIG. 7, the feeding process shown in FIG. 8 is performed in step S304. Do. If it is determined in step S302 or step S306 that the lens barrel 101 is in the extended state, the retracting process shown in FIG. 9 is performed in step S303 or step S307.

  In the payout process, after the power is turned on, the camera system control unit 116 starts transferring the zoom driving program to the lens system control unit 110 (corresponding to the CPU 206 in the sub-microcomputer 200) as shown in FIG. If the checksum determination is normal after receiving the program, the lens system control unit 110 returns a reception completion command to the camera system control unit 116.

  Upon receiving the reception completion command, the camera system control unit 116 transfers other real programs to the lens system control unit 110. At the same time, power-on of image pickup circuits such as the image pickup element 111 and the AFE circuit 112 is started. After starting the actual program transfer, a zoom feed start command is transmitted to the lens system control unit 110 at a timing for avoiding an inrush current of the imaging circuit (a timing at which peak currents do not overlap). Thus, the transfer of the actual program and the zoom feed start command are performed in parallel. The inrush current is detected by a current detection circuit, or by detecting the inrush current time in advance and measuring the elapsed time.

  When receiving a control start command from the lens system control unit 110, the zoom control unit 109 starts the extension process of the zoom lens 102. The zoom control unit 109 detects the occurrence of an inrush current after starting driving and notifies the camera system control unit 116 of the occurrence. The camera system control unit 116 avoids the inrush current of the zoom control unit 109 and turns on the image display unit 115. Thereafter, the camera system control unit 116 is notified of the completion of the transfer of the actual program and the end of the inrush current of the image display unit 115. Further, when the zoom lens 102 is extended to a position where it does not collide with the focus lens 105, the lens system control unit 110 notifies the focus lens 105 drive start permission command via the focus control unit 106.

  When all of these notifications are prepared, a feeding start command is transmitted to the focus control unit 106, and the zoom lens 102 and the focus lens 105 perform the feeding operation simultaneously. Thereafter, when each lens reaches the extended position, the camera system control unit 116 is notified of the completion of extension, and the extension operation is completed.

  Next, the retracting process will be described with reference to FIG.

  After the power is turned on, the camera system control unit 116 (CPU 201 in the main microcomputer 200) starts transferring the focus driving program to the lens system control unit 110 (CPU 206 in the sub microcomputer 200). When the lens barrel 101 is retracted, other peripheral devices are not driven. Therefore, immediately after the reception of the focus driving program is completed, the camera system control unit 116 transmits a retracting command to the focus control unit 109. Simultaneously with the start of collapsing, transfer of the actual program (including the zoom driving program) is also started. In this way, the transfer of the actual program and the focus collapse start command are performed in parallel. In order to shorten the feeding time of the lens barrel 101, the driving speed of the zoom lens 102 is set to be higher than that of the focus lens 105. For this reason, when the zoom lens 102 and the focus lens 105 are driven simultaneously, there is a risk of collision when the lens is retracted. Therefore, after the focus lens 105 is retracted when the lens is retracted, the retracting operation of the zoom lens 102 is started. When the zoom lens 102 is completely retracted, the lens system control unit 110 notifies the camera system control unit 116 that the lens barrel 101 has been retracted.

  The imaging device 100 according to the first embodiment includes the following components. The image sensor 111 is an image pickup unit that picks up a subject image and outputs an image signal. Further, the zoom lens 102 and the zoom control unit 106 that change the focal angle and change the angle of view of the subject image, and the focus lens 105 and the focus control unit 109 that adjust the focus position are provided. Furthermore, it has a main microcomputer 200 having a CPU 201 that is a first CPU for controlling the entire system and a ROM 204 that is a nonvolatile memory for storing a plurality of programs. Furthermore, it has RAM209 which is a volatile memory in which the program which controls the zoom control part 106 and the focus control part 109 is transferred. Furthermore, it has the submicrocomputer 206 which has 2nd CPU which controls the zoom control part 106 and the focus control part 109 according to the program transferred to the volatile memory.

  The ROM 204 stores a first program for controlling the zoom control unit 106 and a second program for controlling the focus control unit 109 separately. When transferring the first program and the second program to the RAM 209 of the sub-microcomputer 206, the CPU 201 of the main microcomputer 200 first starts transferring one of the first program and the second program. When the reception completion is received from the sub-microcomputer 206, the other transfer of the first program and the second program is started, and a control start command of the zoom control unit 106 or the focus control unit 109 is transmitted in parallel. After receiving the control start command, the CPU 207 of the sub-microcomputer 206 controls the zoom control unit 106 or the focus control unit 109 in parallel with receiving the other of the first program and the second program.

  It should be noted that the timing for generating the control start command of the zoom control unit 106 is a timing at which electrical loads generated by the startup process performed by the first CPU and the control process of the zoom control unit 106 do not overlap. Specifically, the peak current does not overlap between the current flowing through the control circuit that controls the image sensor 111 and the image display unit 115 and the current flowing through the zoom control unit 106.

  In addition, the imaging apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes the following components. Mode determining means (step S301 in FIG. 7) for determining whether it is a photographing mode or a reproduction mode, and state determining means (FIG. 7) for determining whether the zoom means (and each lens included in the focus means) is in the extended state or retracted state. Steps S302 and S306).

  The CPU 201 of the main microcomputer 200 performs the following when transferring the first program and the second program to the RAM 209. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the order of the first program and the second program is changed according to the determination result determined by the mode determination unit and the determination result determined by the state determination unit. And forward it.

  With the above configuration, the ROM 210 in the sub-microcomputer 206 for storing the first and second programs is eliminated, or the memory area is reduced by storing only the transfer program. Therefore, cost and chip size can be reduced. In addition, since the program transfer and the peripheral device control start command are performed in parallel, the startup time can be shortened. Further, the electrical load generated by the start-up process performed by the first CPU 201 and the start of control of the zoom driving means or the focus driving means performed by the second CPU 207 is prevented from overlapping. Therefore, the peak current can be reduced and power saving can be realized.

  Next, an image pickup apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of three CPUs and their peripheral devices (peripherals). Note that. It is assumed that the configuration of the imaging device is the same as that in FIGS.

  The main microcomputer 400 having a large capacity nonvolatile memory and two sub microcomputers 406 and 412 having a small capacity nonvolatile memory are included. In the main microcomputer 400 (CPU 401), the camera system control unit 116 is controlled. The sub-microcomputer 406 (CPU 407) controls the lens system control unit 110 and the zoom control unit 106, and the sub-microcomputer 412 (CPU 413) controls the lens system control unit 110 and the focus control unit 109. The diaphragm shutter control unit 107 and the IS control unit 108 are controlled by either the sub-microcomputer 406 or the sub-microcomputer 412.

  As in the first embodiment, since the nonvolatile memory capacity on the sub-microcomputers 406 and 412 is small, it is necessary to transfer the program when the power is turned on. At this time, as described in the first embodiment, either the zoom lens 102 or the focus lens 105 is driven first in accordance with the determination result of the startup mode (shooting mode or playback mode) and the retracted state of the zoom lens 102. There is a need. Therefore, the order of transferring the program from the main microcomputer 400 to the sub-microcomputer 406 or 412 is changed according to the determination result.

  In addition, a mode determining unit that determines a mode selected from a plurality of activation modes, that is, a shooting mode or a playback mode, and a state determination unit that determines states of the zoom unit and the focusing unit. Then, the transfer order of the first program and the second program is changed according to the determination result determined by the mode determination unit and the determination result determined by the state determination unit. Yes.

  Therefore, also in the second embodiment, the nonvolatile memory for storing the program is eliminated or the memory area is reduced, so that the cost and the chip size can be reduced. In addition, since the program transfer and the peripheral device control start command are performed in parallel, the startup time can be shortened. Furthermore, like the first embodiment, the peak current can be reduced, and power saving can be realized.

  In the first and second embodiments, two or three CPUs have been described. However, four or more CPUs may be used. Moreover, although the example in which the communication between the CPUs is serial communication has been shown, they may be directly connected by a bus.

(Correspondence between Invention and Example)
In the present invention, the zoom control unit 106 corresponds to the first drive unit and zoom control unit of the present invention, and the focus control unit 109 corresponds to the second drive unit and focus control unit of the present invention. 7 corresponds to the mode determination means for determining the activation mode and the mode determination means for determining whether the mode is the shooting mode or the playback mode. 7 is a state determination unit that determines the state of the first drive unit or the second drive unit of the present invention, and determines whether the zoom lens is in the extended state or the retracted state. It corresponds to a state determination means.

200 Main microcomputer 201 Main CPU
202 Data transfer device 204 Non-volatile memory 206 Sub-microcomputer 207 Sub-CPU
208 Data transfer device 209 Volatile memory

Claims (6)

A first CPU for controlling the entire system, and a main microcomputer having a nonvolatile memory for storing a plurality of programs;
A volatile memory in which a program for controlling the first driving means and the second driving means is transferred from the nonvolatile memory of the main microcomputer, and the first driving means and the program according to the program transferred to the volatile memory In a portable device having at least one sub-microcomputer having a second CPU for controlling the second driving means,
The nonvolatile memory of the main microcomputer stores a first program for controlling the first driving means and a second program for controlling the second driving means separately,
When the first CPU transfers the first program and the second program to the volatile memory of the sub-microcomputer, the first CPU starts to transfer one of the first program and the second program. When the reception completion is received from, the other transfer of the first program and the second program is started, and at the same time, the control start command of the first drive means or the second drive means is transmitted,
The second CPU receives one of the first program and the second program in parallel with receiving the other of the first program and the second program from the main microcomputer after receiving the control start command. The portable device is configured to control the first driving unit or the second driving unit according to the above.   The timing for starting the control of the first driving means or the second driving means in accordance with one of the first program and the second program is the startup process performed by the first CPU and the first performed by the second CPU. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the electric loads generated when the driving unit or the second driving unit starts controlling do not overlap. Mode determining means for determining a mode selected from a plurality of startup modes;
State determination means for determining the state of the first drive means or the second drive means,
When transferring one of the first program and the second program to the volatile memory of the sub-microcomputer, the first CPU is determined by the determination result determined by the mode determination unit and the state determination unit. The portable device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer order of the first program and the second program is changed according to the determination result.   The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the second CPU has a nonvolatile memory that stores a transfer program. An imaging apparatus as a portable device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Zoom control means as the first drive means;
An imaging apparatus comprising: focus control means that is the second drive means. An imaging apparatus as a portable device according to claim 3,
Zoom control means as the first drive means;
Focus control means that is the second drive means,
The mode determination means determines whether the start mode is a shooting mode or a playback mode,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the state determination unit determines whether the zoom lens controlled by the zoom control unit is in a retracted state or a retracted state.

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