JP2017146379A - Accessory, optical instrument, optical instrument system, imaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an accessory advantageous to a drive of an operation ring provided at a circumference of an interchangeable lens.SOLUTION: An accessory 300 acquires information on a load for driving an operation ring 118 from an interchangeable lens 100 having the operation ring 118 for moving an optical element 102, and changes a drive state of driving means according to the information on a load and information on a driving force of the driving means. That is, the information on a load and the information on a driving force are compared, and when information on a driving force is larger than the information on a load, the drive state of the driving means is changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an accessory, and more particularly to an accessory that can be attached to and detached from an interchangeable lens.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in some camera systems that include a camera body and an interchangeable lens, accessories (adapter) are attached to the interchangeable lens.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133620 discloses a technique for switching the adapter control in accordance with the setting information of the image stabilization control switch transmitted from the interchangeable lens to the adapter in the adapter inserted between the camera body and the interchangeable lens.

  In Patent Document 2, in the adapter inserted between the camera body and the interchangeable lens, when the communication standard is different between the camera body and the interchangeable lens, the adapter performs processing for matching both communication standards. There is a disclosure about a technique for performing an appropriate operation.

JP2013-64949A Patent No. 541416

  On the other hand, in a camera system in which an interchangeable lens is detachable, when a zoom ring, which is a means for changing the focal length provided on the outer periphery of the interchangeable lens, is manually moved, smooth zoom in moving image shooting can be realized. There is a difficult problem.

  Although Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 disclose an adapter that can be attached to an interchangeable lens, it is difficult for the adapter to appropriately drive a zoom ring provided on the outer periphery of such an interchangeable lens.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an accessory, an optical device, an optical device system, and an imaging system that are advantageous for driving an operation ring provided on the outer periphery of an interchangeable lens.

  An accessory according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that information on a load for driving the operation ring is obtained from an optical apparatus having an operation ring for moving the optical element.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an accessory, an optical device, an optical device system, and an imaging system that are advantageous for driving an operation ring provided on the outer periphery of an interchangeable lens.

1 is a block diagram of an imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph of the relationship between the load torque and the electric current concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of accessory control concerning the 1st Embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of accessory control concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the zoom ring and accessory concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment described below is an example as means for realizing the present invention, and should be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration and various conditions of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is not limited to the embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an imaging system (camera system) including a camera body according to an embodiment of the present invention, an interchangeable lens detachable from the camera body, and an accessory detachable from the interchangeable lens. The interchangeable lens 100 is detachably connected to the camera body 200 via a mount. The accessory 300 is detachably connected to the outer peripheral surface of the interchangeable lens 100 via a mount. The accessory 300 and the interchangeable lens 100 (optical device) connectable to the accessory 300 constitute an optical device system of the present invention. The optical system (100, 300) and the camera body 200 (imaging device) connectable to the optical system constitute an imaging system of the present invention.

  The interchangeable lens 100 has an imaging optical system. The imaging optical system includes a plurality of optical elements (for example, optical lens units), and forms an optical image of an object (subject). The imaging optical system of this embodiment includes a field lens 101, a zoom lens 102 as a variable power lens, an aperture unit 105 for adjusting the amount of light, an afocal lens 103, and a focus lens 104 as a focusing lens in order from the incident direction of the subject image. Have. Such a lens configuration in which the focus lens 104 is arranged rearward when viewed from the subject side is called a rear focus lens and is generally used in a small interchangeable lens camera or the like.

  A zoom lens 102 that moves in the optical axis direction of the imaging optical system to change the focal length and a focus lens 104 that moves in the optical axis direction to adjust the focal point are held by lens holding frames 106 and 107, respectively. The lens holding frames 106 and 107 are configured to be movable in the optical axis direction by the guide shaft, and the zoom lens and the focus lens are moved in the optical axis direction by the actuators 110 and 111. The actuator 110 is a cam mechanism in which the zoom lens 102 moves along a mechanical groove by manually rotating a zoom ring (operation ring) 118 provided on the lens barrel (outer peripheral surface) of the interchangeable lens 100. Performs zooming / magnifying operation of the imaging optical system.

  The lens control unit 120 (optical device control means) includes a lens microcomputer 121, a power supply unit 122, and a communication unit 123, and performs various controls corresponding to commands transmitted from a camera body 200 and an accessory 300 described later. The lens microcomputer 121 controls driving of the imaging optical system according to a control signal given from the camera microcomputer 211 via the communication units 213 and 123. Further, the lens microcomputer 121 transmits a drive command to the accessory 300 and controls the drive system of the accessory 300. In addition, control is performed in accordance with an input from an operation instruction unit such as a focus ring 130 provided in the lens barrel of the interchangeable lens 100, and the overall operation of the interchangeable lens 100 is controlled. The rotation amount of the focus ring 130 is detected by the detection unit 131. Further, the position detection circuit 113 detects the movement amount / position of the zoom lens 102 in the optical axis direction due to the rotation of the zoom ring 118, and gives information to the lens microcomputer 121.

  The actuator 111 is driven by the drive circuit 114. The drive circuit 114 drives the actuator 111 according to the drive signal input from the lens microcomputer 121. The focus focusing operation accompanying the zooming / magnifying operation of the imaging optical system is performed by controlling the actuator 111 by an electronic cam method using cam locus data generally used in a digital camera or the like. The lens microcomputer 121 gives a drive signal to control the drive means.

  A diaphragm unit 105 for adjusting the amount of light has diaphragm blades 105a and 105b. The state of the aperture blades 105a and 105b is detected by the photo interrupter 116. The lens microcomputer 121 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 115 based on the input signal. The drive circuit 115 drives the aperture actuator 112 based on the control signal.

  The accessory 300 is disposed on the zoom ring 118 to drive the zoom ring 118 and is configured to be connectable to the interchangeable lens 100 (optical apparatus). The accessory 300 can adjust the focal length of the interchangeable lens 100 by rotating the zoom ring 118 of the interchangeable lens 100. The accessory 300 includes an accessory control unit 310 that performs overall control of the accessory 300, a power supply 301, an actuator 302, a drive circuit 303, a current detection circuit 304, a zoom ring drive gear 504, and a switch mechanism 505. The power for rotating the zoom ring 118 is transmitted from the actuator 302 by a gear 504 mechanically connected to the zoom ring, and the state of the actuator 302 is detected by a photo interrupter and a pulse plate (not shown). A signal detected by a photo interrupter (not shown) and a pulse plate is input to the accessory control unit 310. The actuator 302 is driven by the drive circuit 303. The drive circuit 303 drives the actuator 302 according to the control signal input from the accessory control unit 310. That is, the actuator 302 and the gear 504 are connected to the zoom ring 118 of the interchangeable lens 100 and function as drive means for driving the zoom ring 118. A photo interrupter and a pulse plate (not shown) function as drive amount detection means for detecting the drive amount of the drive means. The accessory control unit 310 (accessory control means) includes an accessory microcomputer 311, a power supply unit 312, and a communication unit 313. The accessory microcomputer 311 exchanges data (information) via the lens microcomputer 121 and the communication units 123 and 313. That is, the accessory control unit 310 can communicate with the interchangeable lens 100. Further, the accessory microcomputer 311 controls the entire operation of the accessory 300 by driving the actuator 302 by controlling the drive circuit 303 with an instruction of the lens microcomputer 121 or an operation input unit such as a switch (not shown).

  The camera body 200 includes an imaging element 201 such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor that photoelectrically converts an optical image formed by the imaging optical system, and an A / D conversion circuit 202. Further, a signal processing circuit 203 for processing a signal output from the A / D conversion circuit, a recording medium 204, a memory 205, a display unit 206, an operation input unit 207, and a camera control unit 210 are provided. The camera control unit 210 includes a camera microcomputer 211, a power supply unit 212, and a communication unit 213.

  The optical image that has passed through the interchangeable lens 100 is converted into an electrical signal (analog signal) by photoelectric conversion in the image sensor 201. The analog signal is converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion circuit 202 and input to the signal processing circuit 203. The signal processing circuit 203 performs various kinds of image processing on the input electronic signal (digital signal), thereby generating focus information indicating the focused state of the image and generating luminance signal information indicating the exposure state. Conversion to a recordable data format is performed. Thereafter, an output signal (video signal) from the signal processing circuit 203 is sent to the recording medium 204, and the video signal is recorded on the recording medium 204. At the same time, the subject image generated by the signal processing circuit 203 is displayed on the display unit 206, and the composition and focus state of the subject image being photographed can be confirmed. Further, the display unit 206 displays a menu screen operated by the photographer. The camera microcomputer 211 controls the entire camera body in accordance with inputs from the operation input unit 207 such as a shooting instruction switch, a menu screen, and a camera setting related switch. In addition, the camera microcomputer 211 instructs the lens microcomputer 121 to drive the aperture unit 105 and the focus lens 104, control settings for the focus ring 130, operation requests to the interchangeable lens 100, and settings.

  The interchangeable lens 100 and the camera body 200 are mechanically and electrically connected by a mount 400. Both can communicate with each other via the terminal portion of the mount 400. The lens microcomputer 121 and the camera microcomputer 211 communicate in synchronization with the control reference signal via the terminal units 410, 411, and 412. In addition, the interchangeable lens 100 acquires power from the camera body 200 via the terminal portions 401, 402, 403, and 404 and consumes it as driving power for the various actuators 110, 111, and 112, processing power for the lens microcomputer 121, and the like. ing.

  Similarly to the camera body 200, the interchangeable lens 100 and the accessory 300 are also mechanically and electrically connected by a mount 500. Both can communicate via the terminal portion of the mount 500. The lens microcomputer 121 and the accessory microcomputer 311 communicate in synchronization with the control reference signal via the terminal units 501, 502, and 503. Also, the accessory 300 is consumed by its own power supply 301 as a driving power supply for various actuators 302, a processing power supply for the accessory microcomputer 311, and the like.

  The present invention will be described below.

  The accessory 300 that drives the zoom ring 118 of the interchangeable lens 100 needs to correspond to various interchangeable lenses 100. The load torque for sliding the zoom ring 118 of the interchangeable lens 100 varies depending on, for example, the weight of the zoom lens 102 and the structure of the cam mechanism. That is, the accessory 300 needs to cope with various interchangeable lenses 100 in which the load torque necessary for sliding (driving) the zoom ring 118 differs depending on the type. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the interchangeable lens 100 has such information regarding the load (load torque information T) as unique information of the interchangeable lens 100, and sends the information to the accessory 300 by communication. Then, the accessory 300 obtains information (load torque information T) related to the load for driving the zoom ring 118 from the interchangeable lens 100, and determines appropriate control based on the load torque information T. Enables driving. FIG. 2 is a graph simply showing the relationship between the current of the actuator 302 and the load torque. The drive torque can be calculated from the relationship that the amount of current increases as the load torque increases. The accessory 300 monitors the current by the current detection circuit 304 and calculates the driving torque output from the actuator 302. Here, the current detection circuit 304 functions as a detection unit that detects a current flowing through the actuator 302, and the accessory control unit 310 functions as a calculation unit that calculates the driving torque of the actuator 302 based on the current and the above relationship. .

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart in which the accessory 300 drives the zoom ring 118 of the interchangeable lens 100. When the interchangeable lens 100 is attached to the camera body 200 in S101, the interchangeable lens 100 waits for the accessory 300 to be attached (S102). When the accessory 300 is attached to the interchangeable lens 100, the interchangeable lens 100 transmits load torque information (T) as information unique to the interchangeable lens to the accessory 300 (S103). When the accessory 300 receives the load torque information (T), the accessory 300 waits until a zoom drive command is issued (S104). The zoom drive command may be commanded by communication from the interchangeable lens 100, for example, or may be issued by an operation unit such as a switch of the accessory 300. When the zoom drive command is issued, the accessory 300 drives the actuator 302 to drive the zoom ring 118 of the interchangeable lens 100 (S105). At the same time as the driving of the zoom ring 118 is started, the accessory 300 calculates information related to the driving force of the actuator 302 (S106). Specifically, the drive torque (X) of the actuator 302 is calculated based on the current flowing through the actuator 302. The accessory 300 compares the calculated drive torque (X) with the load torque information (T) sent from the interchangeable lens 100 (S107), and when the drive torque (X) is larger than the load torque information (T). Then, it is determined that there is an abnormality and an abnormality avoiding operation is performed (S108). Various operations can be considered as the above-described abnormality avoidance operation. For example, the abnormality can be avoided by stopping the driving of the zoom ring 118. Further, for example, when a foreign object (finger) is sandwiched between the zoom ring 118 and the accessory 300 as shown in FIG. 5, the load torque increases, and thus the calculated drive torque (X) increases. In this case, the abnormality can be avoided by rotating the accessory 300 by a certain amount in the direction opposite to the direction in which the zoom ring 118 was driven. As described above, the accessory control unit 310 determines the zoom drive abnormality based on the load torque information T and the drive torque X, and performs the abnormality avoidance operation (that is, changes the drive state of the drive means). More specifically, the load torque information T and the drive torque X are compared. If the drive torque X is larger than the load torque information T, the drive state of the drive means is changed. In this embodiment, as a method for changing the driving state of the driving unit, a method for changing the driving direction of the driving unit to the reverse direction and a method for stopping the driving of the driving unit are given as examples. For example, the driving force may be controlled to decrease without stopping the driving.

  As described above, the load torque information (T) of the zoom ring 118, which is a unique value of the interchangeable lens 100, is sent to the accessory by communication, so that it is suitable for the accessory 300 while supporting various interchangeable lenses 100. Can be operated. Moreover, although the present Example demonstrated the preferable form of this invention, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

  The configuration of the camera body 200, the interchangeable lens 100, and the accessory 300 of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the reference numerals used in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart in which the abnormal state of the accessory 300 can be determined not only by the driving torque but also by the mechanical switch mechanism 505 as in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the above-described switch mechanism 505, which is a mechanism that is disposed in the gap between the zoom ring 118 and the accessory 300 and can detect that a foreign object has been caught. In this embodiment, the switch mechanism 505 functions as part of a determination unit that determines whether or not there is an object (foreign matter) between the zoom ring 118 and the accessory 300, and the switch mechanism 505, the accessory control unit 310, and the like. This constitutes the judging means of the present invention. Here, when an object (foreign matter) exists between the zoom ring 118 and the accessory 300, the determination unit determines that there is an object (foreign matter) by pressing the switch of the switch mechanism 505.

  When the interchangeable lens 100 is attached to the camera body 200 in S201, the interchangeable lens 100 waits for the accessory 300 to be attached (S202). When the accessory 300 is attached to the interchangeable lens 100, the interchangeable lens 100 transmits load torque information (T) as information unique to the interchangeable lens to the accessory 300 (S203). Upon receiving the load torque information (T), the accessory 300 waits until a zoom drive command is issued (S204). For example, the zoom driving command may be instructed by communication from the interchangeable lens 100 or may be issued by an operation unit such as a switch of the accessory 300. When the zoom driving command is issued, the accessory 300 drives the actuator 302 to drive the zoom ring 118 of the interchangeable lens 100 (S205). At the same time that the zoom ring 118 starts to be driven, the accessory 300 calculates the drive torque (X) of the actuator 302 (S206). The accessory 300 compares the calculated drive torque (X) with the load torque information (T) sent from the interchangeable lens 100 (S207), and when the drive torque (X) is larger than the load torque information (T). Judged as abnormal. At that time, the state of the switch mechanism 505 described above is confirmed (S208), and if it is determined that the switch is pressed, it is determined that a foreign object is caught and the first abnormality avoiding operation is performed ( S209). In the first abnormality avoiding operation, the accessory 300 rotates a certain amount in the direction opposite to the direction in which the zoom ring 118 was driven. On the other hand, if it is determined in S208 that the switch has not been pressed, it is determined that a string-like foreign matter is involved, and a second abnormality avoiding operation is performed (S210). In the second abnormality avoiding operation, the accessory 300 stops driving the zoom ring 118. As described above, in addition to the first embodiment, the accessory control unit 310 determines zoom drive abnormality based on the state of the switch mechanism 505, and performs abnormality avoidance operation based on the determination result (that is, drive means). Change the driving state of the). More specifically, when it is determined from the state of the switch mechanism 505 that there is an object (foreign matter), control is performed to change the driving direction of the driving means to the reverse direction, and conversely, it is determined that there is no object (foreign matter). In such a case, control is performed to stop the drive of the drive means.

  As described above, by determining the abnormal state of the interchangeable lens 100, it is possible to realize an appropriate avoidance operation according to each abnormal state. Moreover, although the present Example demonstrated the preferable form of this invention, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the accessory that can drive the interchangeable lens and the zoom ring of the interchangeable lens, the accessory can be operated appropriately by sending the zoom load torque information of the interchangeable lens to the accessory.

  That is, the interchangeable lens of the present invention has load torque information necessary for sliding the zoom ring, and the accessory controls the drive of the accessory based on the load torque information sent from the interchangeable lens. Appropriate operation was made possible. Therefore, when an accessory that drives the zoom ring is attached to the interchangeable lens, it is possible to cause the accessory to perform an appropriate operation by sending information unique to the interchangeable lens to the accessory by communication.

  Also, when a software program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied from a recording medium directly to a system or apparatus having a computer that can execute the program using wired / wireless communication, and the program is executed Are also included in the present invention.

  Accordingly, the program code itself supplied and installed in the computer in order to implement the functional processing of the present invention by the computer also realizes the present invention. That is, the present invention includes a computer program itself in which a procedure for realizing the functional processing of the present invention is described.

  In this case, the program may be in any form as long as it has a program function, such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to the OS. As a recording medium for supplying the program, for example, a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk or a magnetic tape, an optical / magneto-optical storage medium, or a nonvolatile semiconductor memory may be used.

  As a program supply method, a computer program that forms the present invention is stored in a server on a computer network, and a connected client computer downloads and programs the computer program.

  The present invention can be suitably used for an imaging system such as a compact digital camera, a single-lens reflex camera, and a video camera.

100: interchangeable lens 102: zoom lens 118: zoom ring 300: accessory 302: actuator 310: accessory control unit 504: zoom ring driving gear

Claims (11)

An accessory connectable to an optical device having an operation ring for moving an optical element,
Drive means for driving the operating ring;
Accessory control means for communicating with the optical device,
The accessory control means includes
Obtaining information on a load for driving the operation ring from the optical device,
Accessories characterized by that.   The accessory according to claim 1, wherein the accessory control unit changes a driving state of the driving unit based on information on the load and information on a driving force of the driving unit.   The accessory control means compares the information about the load with the information about the driving force, and changes the driving state of the driving means when the information about the driving force is larger than the information about the load. The accessory according to claim 2, wherein   The accessory according to claim 3, wherein the accessory control unit changes a driving direction of the driving unit to a reverse direction or stops driving of the driving unit. Determining means for determining whether there is an object between the operation ring and the accessory;
The accessory according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the accessory control unit changes a driving state of the driving unit based on a determination result of the determination unit.   The accessory control means changes the driving direction of the driving means to the reverse direction when the judging means judges that the object is present, and when the judging means judges that the object is absent, the driving means The accessory according to claim 5, wherein the driving of is stopped.   6. The determination unit according to claim 5, further comprising a switch, wherein when the object exists between the operation ring and the accessory, the switch is pressed to determine that the object is present. Or the accessory of 6. The information about the load is a load torque for driving the operation ring,
The information on the driving force is a driving torque of the driving means,
Detecting means for detecting a current flowing in the driving means;
The accessory according to claim 2, further comprising a calculation unit that calculates a driving torque of the driving unit based on the current. An optical device that can be connected to an accessory,
An optical element;
An operation ring configured to be connectable to the accessory and driving the optical element;
Optical device control means for communicating with the accessory,
The optical instrument control means includes
Transmitting information on a load for driving the operation ring to the accessory;
An optical apparatus characterized by that. An optical instrument system comprising an accessory and an optical instrument connectable to the accessory,
The optical instrument is:
An optical element;
An operating ring for moving the optical element;
Optical device control means for communicating with the accessory,
The accessory is
Driving means connected to the operating ring and driving the operating ring;
Accessory control means for communicating with the optical device,
The optical instrument control means includes
Sending information on the load for driving the operation ring to the accessory,
The accessory control means includes
Obtaining information about the load from the optical device;
An optical apparatus system characterized by the above. The optical instrument system according to claim 10;
An imaging system comprising: an imaging device connectable to the optical device system.