JP2015038574A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent photographing from being executed in a photographic mode not intended by a photographer.SOLUTION: In an imaging apparatus including photographic mode switching means 100 and 130 for manually switching the photographic mode, measurement means 60 for measuring a photographic environment on a subject, release buttons 51 and 52 for actuating a shutter in photographing, and control means 160 performing various kinds of control, the release buttons include a double action switch SW emitting signals according to a half-depression operation and a full-depression operation respectively and the control means determines whether or not the photographic mode selected by the photographic mode switching means is a proper photographic mode corresponding to a photographic condition decided based on the measurement information of the measurement means, when the release button is half-depressed and performs control not for actuating the shutter, when it is determined that the photographic mode is an improper photographic mode. Thus, the waste of a film caused by photographing in an unwanted photographic mode can be prevented.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera, a film-type still camera, and an instant camera provided with a shooting mode switching means for switching a shooting mode, and more particularly, a digital camera including a release button incorporating a double action switch, a film type The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a still camera and an instant camera.

  As a conventional imaging device, a main body, a lens barrel with a built-in imaging lens and attached to the center of the main body so as to be able to advance and retreat, a discharge portion for discharging a photographed instant film, a strobe and a finder provided on the front surface of the main body, When shooting with the main body in a normal posture (vertical direction), including a first release button provided on the front surface of the main body for operating the shutter and a second release button provided on the side surface of the main body for operating the shutter. The first release button is used, and the second release button is used when shooting with the body in the horizontal position (the second release button is positioned above the vertical direction). Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, in this imaging apparatus, these release buttons (the first release button and the second release button) merely perform an on / off switch operation to determine whether or not to perform a shutter operation, and therefore, the photographer However, if the release button is pressed when the desired shooting mode is not set, the shutter is opened, the instant film is exposed, and shooting is performed in an undesired shooting mode.
Therefore, in order to shoot in the desired shooting mode, it is necessary to reattach another instant film. Therefore, the instant film is wasted and time-consuming to shoot, which is not economical and is not economical. It is necessary to prevent misoperation.

Other imaging devices include a main body, a release button provided on the upper surface of the main body and incorporating a double action switch, a moving image button provided on the upper surface of the main body for starting and ending moving image shooting, and provided on the upper surface of the main body. A dial-type mode dial for selecting one of a plurality of shooting modes such as a still image shooting mode and a movie shooting mode is provided, and when a movie is shot by operating a movie button, a release is performed. When the button is pressed halfway, the camera switches to the still image shooting mode and the shooting preparation operation (measurement of the shooting environment such as distance measurement and photometry) is performed, and then the release button is fully pressed. In this case, there is known a configuration in which a still image shooting operation is executed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
However, in this image pickup apparatus, the double action of the release button is simply shifted to the shooting preparation operation (ranging, photometry) for normal still image shooting by the first action (half-press operation), and then the second action. The shutter action is performed by the second action (full pressing operation), and no other functions are provided.

JP 2000-10168 A JP 2012-155952 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is not intended by a photographer in an imaging apparatus having a photographing mode switching means that can switch photographing modes as appropriate manually. Imaging that prevents shooting in the shooting mode, and can prevent waste of the film due to shooting in the shooting mode, which is not desired when using film for shooting, and can notify the photographer of erroneous operations, etc. To provide an apparatus.

The image pickup apparatus of the present invention controls various control operations, such as a shooting mode switching unit for manually switching a shooting mode, a measuring unit for measuring a shooting environment related to a subject, a release button for operating a shutter during shooting. An image pickup apparatus including a control means, wherein the release button includes a double action switch that emits a signal corresponding to a half-press operation and a full-press operation, and the control means includes a half-press operation of the release button. When it is determined that the photographing mode selected by the photographing mode switching means is an appropriate photographing mode corresponding to the photographing condition determined based on the measurement information of the measuring means, it is determined that the photographing mode is inappropriate. In this case, the shutter is controlled so as not to operate.
According to this configuration, when the shooting mode is selected by the shooting mode switching unit and the release button is pressed halfway for shooting, the shooting mode selected by the shooting mode switching unit is measured by the control unit. If it is determined whether or not the shooting mode is suitable for the shooting condition determined based on the information, and if the shooting mode is inappropriate (unintentionally selected by the photographer or a shooting mode unsuitable for the shooting environment), the shutter (E.g., providing a restricting means for restricting the movement of the release button so that the release button is not fully pressed, and operating the restricting means, or a drive unit for operating the shutter in software) Control to not work). On the other hand, when the shooting mode is appropriate (the shooting mode intended by the photographer or suitable for the shooting environment), the release button is fully pressed to complete desired shooting. Note that the measurement of the shooting environment by the measuring means and the determination of the shooting conditions based on the measurement information may be performed after the selection of the shooting mode by the photographer and before the half-press operation of the release button, or the release button It may be performed after the half-pressing operation using the half-pressing operation as a trigger.
In this way, it is possible to prevent shooting from being performed in a shooting mode that is not intended by the photographer or suitable for the shooting environment, and in particular, shooting that is not desired when using a film (for example, an instant film) for shooting. Film waste due to shooting in the mode can be prevented.

In the above-described configuration, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the control means controls to deactivate the shutter even when the release button is fully pressed when it is determined that the photographing mode is inappropriate.
According to this configuration, when it is determined by the control means that the photographing mode is inappropriate, the shutter is not controlled even when the release button is fully pressed, that is, the control software is used. Since it only respond | corresponds, a structure can be simplified compared with the case where the mechanical control means etc. which control full release operation of a release button are provided, and a system can be simplified.

The above configuration may further include a display unit that displays various information, and the control unit may control to display error information on the display unit when it is determined that the photographing mode is inappropriate. it can.
According to this configuration, when the control unit determines that the shooting mode is inappropriate, the error information indicating that the shooting mode is inappropriate is displayed on the display unit. Therefore, the photographing mode can be switched by the photographing mode switching means to select an appropriate photographing mode.

The above configuration further includes a strobe that adjusts the amount of light at the time of shooting, and the shooting mode switching means is configured to be able to reciprocate within a predetermined angle range around a predetermined pause position and to automatically return to the pause position. And a switch that emits a trigger signal for continuously switching the shooting mode in conjunction with a rotation operation in one direction or the other direction of the mode switching operation ring, and the detecting means measures the amount of light of the subject. It is possible to adopt a configuration including an optical sensor that performs the following.
According to this configuration, as a premise that the control unit determines whether or not the selected photographing mode is appropriate, the mode switching operation ring is rotated and held in one direction or the other direction, and the trigger signal is generated by the interlock switch. The desired shooting mode can be selected by switching the shooting mode continuously, releasing the mode switching ring and automatically returning it when the desired shooting mode is reached. The light sensor measures the light quantity of the subject. Thus, the shooting conditions (shutter speed, determination of whether or not to emit the flash, etc.) can be determined.
In particular, if the timing for releasing (automatically returning) after rotating and holding the mode switching operation ring is shifted, there may be a transition to a shooting operation without selecting a desired shooting mode. In this case, since the shutter is controlled so as not to operate, it is possible to prevent waste of photographing.

In the above configuration, the control unit may employ a configuration for controlling the measurement unit to perform a measurement operation based on an output signal when the release button is pressed halfway.
According to this configuration, since the measurement operation by the measurement unit is performed based on the output signal when the release button is pressed halfway, the shooting environment (light quantity, etc.) by the measurement unit is only when the photographer intends to shoot. ) Is measured, and it is possible to reliably determine whether or not the selected photographing mode is appropriate while achieving simplification of the control sequence.

  According to the imaging apparatus having the above-described configuration, in an imaging apparatus having a shooting mode switching mechanism capable of manually switching shooting modes as appropriate, shooting is performed in a shooting mode not intended by the photographer or suitable for the shooting environment. In particular, it is possible to prevent waste of the film due to photographing in an undesired photographing mode when using a film for photographing, and it is possible to obtain an imaging device capable of notifying a photographer of an erroneous operation.

It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the imaging device (instant camera) concerning the present invention from the front side. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the imaging device (instant camera) concerning the present invention from the back side. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an imaging apparatus (instant camera) according to the present invention. 1 shows a circuit of a release button of an imaging apparatus (instant camera) according to the present invention, in which FIG. FIG. 4C is a circuit diagram showing a state where the button is fully pressed. It is a block diagram which shows the control circuit of the imaging device (instant camera) which concerns on this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a shooting mode that can be selected by a shooting mode switching unit (mode switching operation mechanism) in the imaging apparatus (instant camera) according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control flow in the imaging device (instant camera) which concerns on this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The imaging apparatus according to this embodiment is an instant camera loaded with a film for instant photography (instant film). As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cover main body 10 that defines the outer contour, and the cover main body 10 A base body 20 housed inside, and a plurality of lens barrels 31 that are provided in the base body 20 and perform the lens extending and retracting operations in the optical axis L direction (as well as a shutter mechanism 32, an aperture mechanism 33, and a barrier mechanism 34). Lens barrel 30, main switch 40 provided on the front side of the cover body 10, a first release button 51 provided on the inner side of the main switch 40, and a first switch provided on the side of the cover body 10. 2 release button 52, AE sensor 60, AE sensor 6 as measuring means provided on the front surface of lens barrel 30. A stroboscopic light control sensor 70 provided adjacent to the stroboscope, a stroboscope 80 provided on the front surface of the cover body 10, a finder 90 provided from the rear side to the front side of the cover body 10, and the front surface and inside of the cover body 10. A mode switching operation mechanism 100 (including a mode switching operation ring 101 and an interlocking switch 102) as a photographing mode switching means provided, a back cover 110 provided on the rear side of the cover body 10 so as to be opened and closed, and a back cover 110 The presence or absence of film depending on whether or not an instant film cartridge is loaded in the camera body, the mode switch 130 serving as the display unit 120 and the photographing mode switching means, the back cover opening / closing detection sensor 141 that detects opening / closing of the back cover 110 The film presence / absence detection sensor 142 for detecting the film, and the film discharge mechanism 15 provided in the base body 20 The control unit 160 is mounted on the circuit board CB provided in the base body 20 and serves as a control means for performing various controls. The storage unit 170 is mounted on the circuit board CB and stores various control information. The power supply 180 etc. which are accommodated are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cover body 10 includes a front cover 11, a rear cover 12 that supports the back cover 110 so that it can be opened and closed, a side cover 13, a side cover 14, and an instant film discharge port 15 a. The upper cover 15 and the like are provided so as to be detachably coupled to each other and the base body 20.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front cover 11 accommodates a lens barrel 30 provided in the base body 20 on the inner side so that the lens barrel 30 can be extended and retracted, and a cylindrical portion to which the mode switching operation ring 101 is attached adjacently. 11a and the like.
As shown in FIG. 3, the base body 20 is formed so as to hold a lens barrel 30, a circuit board CB, various electronic parts necessary for photographing, and a cartridge provided with an instant film. Is detachable from the rear side, and the instant film after photographing can be discharged through the discharge port 15a.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the lens barrel 30 includes a plurality of nested lens barrels 31 that hold the lens and that can be extended and retracted (expanded / contracted) in the direction of the optical axis L. A shutter mechanism 32 that performs a shutter operation, an aperture mechanism 33 that performs an aperture operation during photographing, a barrier mechanism 34 that opens and closes the front of the lens, and the like are provided.
The plurality of lens barrels 31 include a drive unit that is extended and retracted in the direction of the optical axis L, and a short-distance shooting position (standby for shooting) that is extended a predetermined amount by turning on the power supply 180 from the retracted position when the power supply 180 is off. Position), a long-distance shooting position with a predetermined amount from the short-distance shooting position, and a close-up shooting position with a predetermined amount from the short-distance shooting position. Here, the long-distance shooting position and the close-up shooting position are appropriately selected by switching the shooting mode.
The shutter mechanism 32 includes a shutter that opens and closes an opening through which subject light passes toward the film, a drive unit (actuator) that drives the shutter, and the like, and performs an opening and closing operation of the opening based on a command from the control unit 160. Shaped to do.
The diaphragm mechanism 33 includes a diaphragm for narrowing an opening through which the subject light passes toward the film, a driving unit (actuator) thereof, and the like. The photographing mode switching unit (mode switching operation mechanism 100, mode switch 130) is used. A predetermined aperture amount corresponding to the selected shooting mode is set in advance, and when the shooting mode is selected by the photographer, the aperture operation is performed so that the aperture amount corresponds to the shooting mode. ing.
The barrier mechanism 34 opens the opening in front of the lens in conjunction with the retracting operation from the retracted position of the lens barrel 31 to the shooting standby position, while the front of the lens is interlocked with the retracting operation of the lens barrel 31 to the retracted position. It is formed so as to close the opening.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main switch 40 is arranged in a ring around the first release button 51 on the front surface of the cover body 10 and is urged to rotate in one direction by a spring or the like to stop at the rest position. When the power supply 180 is turned on, the power supply 180 is turned on by rotating the power supply 180 in a different direction with a finger, and the power supply 180 is automatically returned to the rest position when the finger is released, while the power supply 180 is turned off. In this case, the power supply 180 is turned off by rotating the finger 180 in the other direction again with a finger, and automatically returns to the rest position when the finger is released.
When the main switch 40 is operated and the power supply 180 is turned on, the lens barrel 31 is extended from the retracted position to the close-up shooting position (shooting standby position), and the barrier mechanism 34 opens the opening to enter the shooting standby state. On the other hand, when the power supply 180 is turned off, the lens barrel 31 is retracted to the retracted position and stopped, and the barrier mechanism 34 closes the opening portion, and the photographing is disabled.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first release button 51 is arranged to be operated with an index finger or the like of the right hand when shooting an instant camera with the normal shooting posture in the portrait orientation, As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C, a double action switch SW that emits a signal corresponding to a half-pressing operation and a full-pressing operation from a non-operating state in which the button is not pressed is provided.
That is, when the first release button 51 is pressed halfway, the light amount of the subject is measured by the AE sensor 60 (the shooting environment is measured), and the shooting conditions such as the shutter speed and whether or not the flash 80 is caused to emit light. Subsequently, the shooting mode selected by the shooting mode switching means (mode switching operation mechanism 100, mode switch 130) is appropriately set in accordance with the shooting conditions determined based on the measurement information of the measuring means (AE sensor 60). The controller 160 generates a trigger signal for determining whether or not it is a proper shooting mode, and a trigger signal for operating the shutter mechanism 32 in a proper shooting mode is generated by a full-press operation thereof.

The second release button 52 is arranged to be operated with the index finger or the like of the right hand when shooting the instant camera shown in FIG. 1 in the horizontal direction (the posture in which the second release button 52 faces upward). As in the case of the first release button 51, as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C, in response to a half-pressing operation and a full-pressing operation from a non-pressing state where no pressing is performed. A double action switch SW for emitting a signal is provided.
In other words, when the second release button 52 is pressed halfway, the light amount of the subject is measured by the AE sensor 60 (the photographing environment is measured), and the photographing conditions such as the shutter speed and whether or not the flash 80 is caused to emit light are determined. Subsequently, an appropriate shooting corresponding to the shooting condition in which the shooting mode selected by the shooting mode switching means (mode switching operation mechanism 100, mode switch 130) is determined based on the measurement information of the measuring means (AE sensor 60). A trigger signal for determining whether or not the mode is selected is generated by the control unit 160, and a trigger signal for operating the shutter mechanism 32 in the case of an appropriate shooting mode is generated by the full-press operation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the AE sensor 60 is provided on the front surface of the lens barrel 30 (the lens barrel 31). When the first release button 51 or the second release button 52 is half-pressed, This is an optical sensor that measures the amount of light (visible light) of a subject as a shooting environment related to the subject based on an output signal. The AE sensor 60 functions to provide information when determining shooting conditions such as the shutter speed and whether or not the strobe 80 is caused to emit light.

As shown in FIG. 1, the strobe light control sensor 70 is provided in front of the lens barrel 30 (the lens barrel 31) and adjacent to the AE sensor 60, and after the opening operation of the shutter mechanism 32 starts, The function of providing information when measuring the amount of emitted light of the strobe 80 is measured.
As shown in FIG. 1, the strobe 80 is provided on the front surface of the cover body 10, and after the shutter mechanism 32 starts to open by a control signal determined based on the measurement signal of the strobe light control sensor 70. Thus, the adjusted predetermined amount of light is emitted before the end of the closing operation.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the viewfinder 90 is provided from the rear side to the front side of the cover body 10 and is formed so that a photographer can look into when determining an image frame for shooting. Is.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5, the mode switching operation mechanism 100 is fixed to the mode switching operation ring 101 and the base body 20 attached to the cover body 10 (the cylindrical portion 11 a of the front cover 11 thereof). The interlock switch 102 that is mounted on the circuit board CB and interlocks with the rotation operation of the mode switching operation ring 101, and a mechanism that automatically returns the mode switching operation ring 101 to a predetermined rest position (not shown, for example, the rest position for automatic return is And a substantially V-shaped cam portion corresponding to the portion, and an engagement arm or the like that is spring-biased and engaged with the cam portion).
Then, when the mode switching operation ring 101 is rotated and held in one direction by a predetermined angle, the lens barrel 31 (of the lens barrel 30) is extended and retracted as necessary based on a trigger signal generated by the interlock switch 102. The photographing mode is switched continuously as appropriate.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the shooting mode is a short-distance shooting mode WM (corresponding to a rest position) → kids shooting mode KM (shutter speed is shorter than standard) → party shooting mode PM (shutter speed is standard) → close-up shooting mode MM → bulb shooting mode BM (holding the shutter open for several seconds) → multiple-exposure shooting mode DM (shooting over different subjects) → long-distance shooting mode TM → short-distance shooting The shooting mode WM is continuously switched in an endless manner, and the mode switching operation ring 101 is released and automatically returned to stop the transmission of the trigger signal by the interlock switch 102, and the desired shooting mode is selected.
When the mode switching operation ring 101 is rotated and held in the other direction by a predetermined angle, the lens barrel 31 (of the lens barrel 30) is extended and retracted as necessary based on the trigger signal generated by the interlock switch 102. The shooting mode is switched continuously as appropriate.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the shooting mode is a short-distance shooting mode WM (corresponding to a rest position) → a long-distance shooting mode TM → a multiple-exposure shooting mode DM (shoots different subjects in an overlapping manner) → a bulb shooting mode. BM (hold shutter open state for several seconds) → close-up shooting mode MM → party shooting mode PM (shutter speed longer than standard) → kids shooting mode KM (shutter speed shorter than standard) → close range The shooting mode WM is continuously switched in an endless manner, and the mode switching operation ring 101 is released and automatically returned to stop the transmission of the trigger signal by the interlock switch 102, and the desired shooting mode is selected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the back cover 110 is connected to the cover main body 10 (rear cover 12) so as to be freely opened and closed, and houses mounting portions 111 and 112 for attaching the display unit 120 and the mode switch 130, and a power source 180. Storage section 113 is provided.
The display unit 120 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like provided on the rear surface of the cover body 10 (the back cover 110 attached to the rear cover 12) so as to be visible from the rear side, and displays various information. To get.
For example, the display unit 120 is selected by the shooting mode selected by the shooting mode switching means (mode switching operation mechanism 100, mode switch 130) or by the shooting mode switching means (mode switching operation mechanism 100, mode switch 130). When the shooting mode is not an appropriate shooting mode corresponding to the shooting conditions determined based on the measurement information of the measuring means (AE sensor 60) (inappropriate shooting mode), error information for notifying that, or other Information related to shooting is displayed.

The mode switch 130 is a push-type switch provided on the rear surface of the cover body 10 (the back cover 110 attached to the rear cover 12) so as to be visible from the rear side.
The mode switch 130 is pressed only once after the power supply 180 is turned on, so that the shooting mode can be switched by the mode switching operation mechanism 100 (the mode switching operation ring 101 and the interlocking switch 102). A permission signal is issued, and thereafter, every time a pressing operation is performed, the photographing mode is switched to select a desired photographing mode.
In addition to the photographing modes that can be selected by the mode switching operation mechanism 100 described above, the photographing modes that can be selected by operating the mode switch 130 include the light photographing mode (reading a preset fixed value, shutter speed, flash 80 to change the light emission time of 80 to take a bright photo), high key shooting mode (to take a photo brighter than the light shooting mode), darkon shooting mode (read a preset fixed value, shutter speed, strobe 80) Various shooting modes such as shooting a dark picture by changing the light emission time of the image are included.
That is, the mode switch 130 has a function of permitting a shooting mode switching operation by the mode switching operation mechanism 100 in addition to a function as a shooting mode switching unit that is separate from the mode switching operation mechanism 100.

The back cover open / close detection sensor 141 is provided on a part of the base body 20 and is electrically connected to the control unit 160 as shown in FIG. 5. For example, the back cover open / close detection sensor 141 generates a signal when the back cover 110 is closed. The controller 160 detects information that the back cover 110 is in a closed state.
The film presence / absence detection sensor 142 is provided on the circuit board CB fixed to the base body 20 so that the detection unit protrudes from a portion where the cartridge containing the instant film is loaded, as shown in FIG. For example, when a cartridge containing an instant film is loaded, a signal is generated and information indicating that the instant film is present is detected by the control unit 160. .

  The film discharge mechanism 150 includes a drive unit for discharging the instant film and is provided in a part of the base body 20, and the drive unit is electrically connected to the control unit 160 as shown in FIG. 5. Based on the signal of the shutter operation completion by the shutter mechanism 32, the photographed instant film is discharged from the discharge port 15a.

  The control unit 160 is mounted on the circuit board CB fixed to the base body 20 and, as shown in FIG. 5, the lens barrel 30 (the driving unit of the lens barrel 31, the driving unit of the shutter mechanism 32, and the aperture mechanism 33). Drive unit), main switch 40, double action switch SW of first release button 51 and second release button 52, AE sensor 60, strobe light control sensor 70, strobe 80, interlock switch 102 of mode switching operation mechanism 100, display Unit 120, mode switch 130, back cover open / close detection sensor 141, film presence / absence detection sensor 142, film discharge mechanism 150, storage unit 160, power supply 180, etc., and based on various detection information Determination of conditions (shutter speed, whether or not to make the strobe 80 emit light, etc.), shooting mode switching means (mode Comparison with stored information on whether or not the photographing mode selected by the replacement operation mechanism 100 and the mode switch 130 is an appropriate photographing mode corresponding to the photographing condition determined based on the measurement information of the measuring means (AE sensor 60) Various processes such as judgment are performed to control the entire system.

The storage unit 170 is mounted on the circuit board CB fixed to the base body 20 and is electrically connected to the control unit 160 as shown in FIG. The shooting conditions and the like corresponding to are stored as a map.
Therefore, when the release buttons 51 and 52 are pressed halfway, the control unit 160 determines that the shooting mode selected by the shooting mode switching unit (mode switching operation mechanism 100 and mode switch 130) is the measurement unit (AE sensor 60). Judgment is made (appropriately based on information stored in the storage unit 170) whether or not the photographing mode is appropriate for the photographing conditions determined based on the measurement information (shutter speed, whether the strobe 80 is caused to emit light, etc.). Be able to.
As shown in FIG. 2, the power source 180 is a portable battery formed so as to be detachably housed in the housing portion 113 of the back cover 110.

Next, the photographing operation of the photographer and the control operation by the control unit 160 in the instant camera configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, before the power supply 180 is turned on by operating the main switch 40, the back cover 110 is opened and a cartridge including an instant film is loaded, and then the back cover 110 is closed to prepare for photographing. . Here, when the main switch 40 is operated and the power supply 180 is turned on (step S1), the lens barrel 31 is extended from the retracted position to the short-distance photographing position (photographing standby position), and the barrier mechanism 34 is attached to the lens barrel 31. The opening is opened in conjunction with the movement.

  When the back cover opening / closing detection sensor 141 detects that the back cover 110 is closed (step S2) and the film presence / absence detection sensor 142 detects that there is a film (step S3), the process proceeds to the next step. . (If the back cover open / close detection sensor 141 and the film presence / absence detection sensor 142 detect that the back cover 110 is open or there is no film, the process proceeds to the next step. (It is necessary to confirm whether 110 is closed and a cartridge is loaded.)

Here, when the photographer presses the mode switch 130 only once, the photographing mode switching operation by the mode switching operation mechanism 100 is allowed.
Then, the photographing mode is appropriately operated by the photographer (by appropriately pressing the mode switch 130 or by appropriately rotating the mode switching operation ring 101), and a desired photographing mode is selected (step S4). .

  Subsequently, when the photographer presses the first release button 51 or the second release button 52 halfway (step S5), the AE sensor 60 measures the light quantity of the subject based on the output signal (the shooting environment is changed). Measurement is performed, and shooting conditions such as shutter speed and whether or not the strobe 80 is caused to emit light are determined (step S6), and then the shooting selected by the shooting mode switching means (mode switching operation mechanism 100, mode switch 130). It is determined whether or not the mode is an appropriate shooting mode corresponding to the shooting condition determined based on the measurement information of the measuring means (AE sensor 60) (step S7).

When it is determined in step S7 that the selected shooting mode is appropriate, when the photographer further presses the first release button 51 or the second release button 52 and performs a full pressing operation (step S8). The shutter mechanism 32 is activated to perform a shutter operation (step S9).
Here, if it is determined in advance that the strobe 80 needs to emit light, the strobe 80 emits light during the shutter operation (between the shutter starts to open and closes), and the strobe dimming sensor is instantaneous. The reflected infrared light of the subject is measured by 70, the light emission amount (light emission time) of the strobe 80 is determined, and control such as the stop of the strobe 80 is immediately performed based on the determination.

Thereafter, the film discharge mechanism 150 is driven based on the photographing completion signal, and the photographed instant film is discharged from the discharge port 15a (step S10).
Then, it is determined whether or not the power switch 180 is turned off by the operation of the main switch 40 (step S11). If the power switch 180 is not turned off, the process returns to step S2, and the power switch 180 is turned off by the operation of the main switch 40. Completes this control sequence.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S7 that the selected shooting mode is an inappropriate shooting mode, the photographer may further press the first release button 51 or the second release button 52 and fully press the button. (Step S12), the shutter mechanism 32 is kept in an inoperative state (the shutter operation is not performed), error information (error message) is displayed on the display unit 120 (Step S13), and then the process returns to Step S2.
Therefore, the photographer operates the photographing mode switching means (mode switching operation mechanism 100, mode switch 130) again to select an appropriate photographing mode.

As described above, when the shooting mode is selected by the shooting mode switching means (100, 130) and the release button (51, 52) is pressed halfway for shooting, the control means (160) switches the shooting mode. It is determined whether or not the photographing mode selected by the means (100, 130) is a photographing mode suitable for the photographing condition determined based on the measurement information of the measuring means (60), and an inappropriate photographing mode (the photographer is mistaken for the photographing mode). When the selected shooting mode is not intended or is not suitable for the shooting environment), the shutter is controlled not to operate (here, the driving unit that operates the shutter is controlled not to operate in software). Therefore, it is possible to prevent shooting from being performed in a shooting mode unintended by the photographer or not suitable for the shooting environment and It is possible to prevent the waste-free.
In particular, when it is determined by the control means (160) that the photographing mode is inappropriate, the shutter is not controlled even if the release button (51, 52) is fully pressed, that is, software is controlled. Since it is only supported by the control software, the structure can be simplified and the system can be simplified as compared with the case where a mechanical restricting means for restricting the full pressing operation of the release button is provided.

When the mode switching operation mechanism 100 is used as the photographing mode switching means, if the timing for releasing (automatic return) after the mode switching operation ring 101 is rotated and held is shifted, the photographing operation is performed without selecting the desired photographing mode. However, since the shutter is controlled so as not to operate as described above, it is possible to more effectively prevent wasteful photographing.
Further, a measurement operation by the measurement means (60) is performed based on an output signal obtained by half-pressing the release button (51, 52), that is, after the photographing mode is selected and when the photographer intends to photograph. Since the measurement environment (light quantity, etc.) is measured by the measurement means (60), it is possible to reliably determine whether the selected imaging mode is appropriate while achieving simplification of the control sequence.

In the above-described embodiment, an embodiment of an instant camera using an instant film is shown as an imaging device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other film-type still cameras or digital still cameras may be used. Similarly, the present invention can be applied. Further, the shooting modes switched by the shooting mode switching means are not limited to those shown in the embodiment, and other shooting modes may be included.
In the above embodiment, the mode switching operation mechanism 100 (the mode switching operation ring 101 and the interlocking switch 102) and the mode switch 130 are shown as the photographing mode switching means. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is operated manually. Other mechanisms may be employed as long as they are suitable.

  As described above, the imaging apparatus according to the present invention is configured to perform shooting in a shooting mode not intended by the photographer in the imaging apparatus including the shooting mode switching unit that can switch the shooting mode as appropriate manually. In particular, it is possible to prevent film waste due to shooting in an undesired shooting mode when using film for shooting, and because it can notify a photographer of erroneous operation, not limited to an imaging device such as an instant camera, It is also useful as an imaging device mounted on other cameras or optical devices.

10 Cover body 20 Base body 30 Lens barrel 31 Lens barrel 32 Shutter mechanism 33 Aperture mechanism 34 Barrier mechanism 40 Main switch 51 First release button 52 Second release button SW Double action switch 60 AE sensor (measuring means)
70 Strobe light control sensor 80 Strobe 90 Viewfinder 100 Mode switching operation mechanism (shooting mode switching means)
101 Mode switching operation ring 102 Interlocking switch 110 Back cover 120 Display unit 130 Mode switch (shooting mode switching means)
141 Back cover open / close detection sensor 142 Film presence / absence detection sensor 150 Film discharge mechanism 160 Control unit (control means)
170 Storage Unit 180 Power Supply

Claims (5)

A shooting mode switching means for manually switching the shooting mode, a measuring means for measuring a shooting environment related to a subject, a release button for operating a shutter at the time of shooting, and a control means for performing various controls are provided. An imaging device,
The release button includes a double action switch that emits a signal corresponding to a half-press operation and a full-press operation,
The control means determines whether or not the photographing mode selected by the photographing mode switching means is an appropriate photographing mode corresponding to a photographing condition determined based on measurement information of the measuring means when the release button is pressed halfway. Control the shutter to be deactivated when it is determined that the shooting mode is inappropriate.
An imaging apparatus characterized by that. The control means controls to deactivate the shutter even when the release button is fully pressed when it is determined that the inappropriate photographing mode is selected.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1. It further includes a display unit that displays various information,
The control means controls to display error information on the display unit when determining that the inappropriate photographing mode is set;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein It also includes a strobe that adjusts the amount of light when shooting,
The photographing mode switching means includes a mode switching operation ring configured to be capable of reciprocating a predetermined angular range around a predetermined rest position and automatically returning to the rest position, and one direction of the mode switching operation ring Or an interlocking switch that generates a trigger signal that continuously switches the shooting mode in conjunction with a rotation operation in another direction,
The measurement means includes an optical sensor that measures the amount of light of the subject.
The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The control means controls the measurement means to perform a measurement operation based on an output signal when the release button is pressed halfway.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 4.

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