JP2792497B2 - Camera with flash light emitting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera provided with a flash light emitting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a photograph is taken using a flash light emitting device, a so-called "red-eye phenomenon" may occur in which the human eye of a subject appears red. This red-eye phenomenon is considered to be caused by the flash light that has entered the eyeball reflected by the retina, reaches the camera through the pupil, and is exposed on the film.

Heretofore, there has been proposed a method of closing the pupil of a subject by irradiating the subject with light and then performing film exposure to prevent the red-eye phenomenon. (Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-48088) On the other hand, a continuous shooting function has been proposed in which a shutter can be continuously released when a large number of shots are to be taken during a predetermined time.

[0004]

In the case of performing photographing using the continuous photographing function, it is desirable to shorten the interval between photographing performed a plurality of times as much as possible. However, when light emission is performed to prevent the red-eye phenomenon, it takes about 1.2 hours from light emission until the pupil is minimized.
It took about a second, which was contrary to the former request.
That is, both have conflicting problems, and it is not easy to achieve both the continuous shooting function and the red-eye prevention function in creating a high-performance camera.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera capable of performing continuous shooting while preventing the occurrence of a red-eye effect.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The inventor of the present invention has found that, in the case of continuous shooting, since scenes are continuous, if a flash is required for the first frame, it is highly probable that the flash will be fired even in subsequent shooting. The red-eye effect was reduced by the light emission during the previous shooting, and it was considered that the red-eye effect was unlikely to occur during continuous shooting except during the shooting of the first frame.

In view of the above, the camera according to the present invention comprises flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, and preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary light emission so as to perform a closing operation of a human pupil before the flash light for photographing is emitted. Continuous photographing means for performing continuous photographing, flash light emitting control means for operating the flash light emitting means at the time of photographing each frame of continuous photographing, and operating the preliminary light emitting means at the time of photographing the first frame of continuous photographing; And a preliminary light emission control means for stopping the photographing of the subsequent frames.

[0008]

According to the above configuration, in the case of continuous shooting, preliminary light emission is performed to prevent the red-eye phenomenon prior to photographing of the first frame, and no preliminary light emission is performed for the second and subsequent frames.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the appearance of a single-lens reflex camera to which the present invention is applied.
Is constituted by a camera body 2 and a replaceable photographing lens 3. On the upper part of the camera body 2, a shutter release button 4, an up button 6a and a down button 6b, an auxiliary light irradiation window 8 for auto focus, a built-in flash light emitting unit 1
0, detachable external flash attachment accessory shoe 12, flash emission setting button 14, exposure mode setting button 1
6, a drive mode setting button 18 and an aperture setting button 20 are provided. An AF mode setting member 22 is provided on the side of the photographing lens 3. The AF mode setting member 22 is used to set an autofocus operation until focusing is performed only once according to an operation of the shutter release button 4. A one-shot AF mode position 22a, a continuous AF mode position 22b for setting to perform an autofocus operation again when the lens is out of focus after one-time focusing, and a setting for not performing lens driving. It is configured to be movable to a manual focus mode position 22c.
A pre-flash (pre-flash) setting button 26 is provided on the upper rear surface of the grip portion 24.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the entire circuit of the camera.

The CCPU is a main microcomputer, and performs sequence control of the camera and exposure calculation. AFC is an autofocus unit, which includes a lens drive unit and a microcomputer for distance measurement calculation. LDC is a distance measuring sensor, and AFC
Is controlled by AFEN is an encoder for lens drive control, detects the amount of lens drive, and transmits it to the AFC. AFMO is a lens driving motor.
AFLD is a distance measuring auxiliary light LED, and the light of this LED is applied to the subject through the auxiliary light irradiation window 8.

LEC is a memory in the lens, which is connected to the CCPU by a serial data bus SDB.
DX is a film sensitivity reading unit which reads the ISO sensitivity of the film and transmits it to the CCPU.

The DSP is a display drive unit, and drives an LED based on data from the CCPU. LLD, PR
LD, CHLD, INLD, LCLD are display LEDs
The details will be described later with reference to FIG. S
LD is a self-timer operation display LED.
Can be observed from the subject through the auxiliary light irradiation window 8.

The LMC is a photometer for natural light and transmits luminance information to the CCPU. Actually, the luminance information is a plurality of data obtained by the multi-division SPC, but since it is a known technique, detailed description is omitted here.

The FLMC is a light meter for flash light, determines a flash light control level based on film sensitivity information from the DX, and controls the light control of the flash.

The DEDR is a decoder / drive unit that decodes data transmitted from the CCPU through the DRDB and drives various actuators described below.

The FMO is a motor for charging a mechanical system such as an aperture and a mirror and for winding the film. RLM is
This is a magnet for starting a release operation. A
PM is a diaphragm control magnet. 1CM, 2CM
Are control magnets for the first and second shutters, respectively. BZ is a buzzer.

APEN is an encoder for controlling the aperture, and transmits a pulse corresponding to the aperture to the CCPU.

S1 is a switch which is turned on when the shutter button A is pressed in the first stage. MOS is an exposure mode setting switch that is turned on in response to the operation of the exposure mode setting button 16. Each time the MOS is turned on, the exposure mode is changed from P → A → M →
It switches cyclically in the order of S → P. DRS is a drive mode setting switch that is turned on in response to the operation of the drive mode setting button 18.
It switches cyclically in the order of continuous shooting → self → single shooting. U
S and DOS are up button 6a and down button 6b, respectively.
The switch is an up switch and a down switch that are turned on in response to the operation of. The switch is used to change the aperture setting value or the shutter speed. The FLS is a switch for switching ON / OFF or Auto / OFF of the built-in flash, and is turned ON in response to the operation of the flash emission setting button 14. The above six switches are input to the AND circuit and the input of the AN, and the output of the AN is connected to the CCPU. S
Reference numeral 2 denotes a switch that is turned on when the shutter button 4 is pressed in the second stage. S4: ON when the shutter 2 curtains run
The switch is turned off when the film winding is completed. FMS is a focus mode switch, which switches between one-shot auto focus (AO), continuous auto focus (AC), and manual focus (MF) according to the set position of the AF mode setting member 22. PFS is a pre-emission mode selection switch. The pre-emission mode is set while the pre-emission setting button 26 is pressed and turned on. APS is an aperture setting switch interlocked with the aperture setting button 20. When the APS is turned on via the up button 6a and the down button 6b while the APS is on, the aperture setting value is changed. , DOS
Is turned on, the shutter speed setting value is changed.

DDC is a booster circuit for the built-in flash. BXE is a xenon tube provided in the light emitting section 10 of the built-in flash. The BFLC is a circuit for light emission and dimming of the built-in flash. FLGC is a control unit of the built-in flash circuit and the booster circuit, and controls the built-in flash based on a signal from the CCPU. Sx is a synchro switch, which is turned on when the operation of one shutter is completed, and creates a flash emission timing. OFL is an external flash part.

FIG. 4 (a) shows the entire display of the display device observed in the viewfinder. The green focus mark INLD, which is lit when the autofocus operation is completed and the camera is in focus, is shown. A red out-of-focus mark LCLD that lights up during autofocus operation and when focusing is not possible, flashes when no flash emission is set, flashes when flash emission is required, and lights up when the main capacitor of the flash is charged. There are provided a charge mark LLD, a flash mark CHLD which is lit when charging is completed and the flash is ready, and a pre-emission mark PRLD which flashes when pre-emission is required and turns on when pre-emission is set.

FIG. 4 (f) shows an example in which the pre-emission mark PRLD in FIG. 4 (a) is changed to an eye mark. It may be configured to illuminate green when pressed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of this embodiment, which will be described below.

First, S1, MOS, DRS, VS, DO
When at least one of the S and FLS start switches is turned ON, the output of the AND circuit AN becomes LOW and is input to the INT terminal of the CCPU. The INT terminal is an interrupt terminal. The CCPU is interrupted by an edge from High to Low, the CCPU is activated from a standby state, and software processing starts (WAKE step S
A1).

Next, the flow advances to step SA2 to determine whether or not S1 is ON at the input port I1.
If 1 is OFF, the process proceeds to Step SA3. In step SA3, in order to stop distance measurement and lens driving,
The output port O1 (AFSTA) is set to High. AFS
The AFC stops operating due to the edge of TA from Low to High.

Next, in order to stop the photometry at step SA4, the photometry stop data is transmitted to the LMC via the SDB.

Next, in step SA5, it is determined whether or not a start switch other than S1 is ON by input port I3.
Determined by I5, I7, I9, I11, either is ON
If so, the processing is performed. Determine the start switch
The processing will be described later with reference to FIG. If none of the start switches has been turned ON, or after the processing in step SA5, the process proceeds to step SA6, where C
The CPU enters a standby state.

On the other hand, if S1 is ON in step SA2, the process proceeds to step SA7, where LE is passed through SDB.
Input lens data from C.

Next, in step SA8, data of the external flash is input through the SDB.

Then, the flow advances to step SA9 to detect the state of the FMS through the input ports I17, I19, and I21, and to determine which of the one-shot AF, the continuous AF, and the manual focus is set as the AF mode. Determine. The external flash data including the AF mode information, the lens data, and the presence / absence of the external flash is transmitted to the AFC.

Next, the process proceeds to Step SA10, where the output ports O1 and (AFSTA) are set to Low, and a start signal is supplied to the AFC. The AFC starts distance measurement, calculation, and lens driving according to a change in AFSTA from High to Low.

Next, in step SA11, the photometric operation is started by transmitting photometric start data to the LMC via the SDB.

If the photometry and the distance measurement have not been completed even once, at step SA12, the process stands by until the photometry data and the distance measurement data are available. These are the steps SA
10. The determination is made based on the time from the start of the distance measurement and photometry in step SA11.

Next, when the preparation of the photometry data and the distance measurement data is completed, in step SA13, the above data is input from the 2MC and the AFC through the SDB. AF
Since C obtains lens position information by AFEN, the CCPU can obtain distance information to the subject.

Next, at step SA14, automatic exposure (A
E) Perform the operation. This is based on the lens data, photometric luminance data, and whether or not the flash is used, which has already been obtained, based on the control aperture value (AV), shutter speed (T
V), which will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

Next, the flow advances to step SA15 to determine whether or not the flash has been charged, whether or not the AF operation (lens drive) has been completed, whether or not S2 has been turned on or off, and whether or not the release operation should be started. Is determined. If the release is not permitted in the above determination, step SA2 is performed again.
Returning to step S15, as long as S1 is ON, steps SA2 to SA15 are repeatedly executed. Step S
A15 includes a display control, data transmission from the camera to the external flash, and a pre-flash routine. Since it is a routine that forms the framework of the present invention, it will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and 11.

If it is determined in step SA15 that the release operation has been permitted, the process proceeds to step SA16 after necessary processing such as display and pre-emission, and the necessity of main emission of the flash is determined. . AE calculation step SA
If the flash non-emission is selected in step 14, the flow advances to step SA17 to set the output port O9 (MAIN) to Hig.
h. This causes the FLGC to prohibit the main flash of the built-in flash. If the flash emission has been adopted, the output port O9 (MAIN) is determined in step SA18.
Is set to Low, and the main light emission of the built-in flash is permitted.

Next, the flow advances to step SA19 to perform exposure control. This includes start of release by turning on the RLM, aperture control by APM, shutter speed control by ICM / 2CM, etc., which are well known and will not be described in detail. Explaining only the flash related, ICM “OF
F "causes the curtain I to start running, and upon completion of curtain I running, the synchro switch Sx is turned on.
A changes from High to Low, and a trigger signal for light emission is input to the external flash OFL and the built-in flash FLGC. However, the presence / absence of light emission is determined in advance by the flash enable / disable data from the CCPU through the SDB in the case of an external flash, and the aforementioned M
Depends on the AIN signal.

The FLGC outputs a built-in flash emission trigger signal (BTRG) to the BFLC in synchronization with the FLSTA only when the MAIN is Low, and emits light. Also, the change of FLSTA from High to Low
The LMC starts photometry for flash dimming. When the light intensity of the flash reaches an appropriate level by this metering,
The FLMC transmits a flash emission stop signal (FLSTP) to the OFL and the FLGC. FLGC is the above-mentioned MAI
Only when N is Low, a built-in flash emission stop signal (FSTP) is output to the BFLC in synchronization with FLSTP, and emission is stopped.

In step SA19, the input port I1
5 is used to detect S4 and wait until it becomes "Low".
This is to wait until the two curtains have completed running and the film can be wound up.

Next, in step SA20, a film winding operation is performed. Here also, S4 is detected and the process waits until film winding is completed, that is, S4 becomes High.

Next, in step SA21, the drive mode is determined. In the case of continuous shooting, step SA
2 and the above-described routine is repeated. In the case of single shooting or self-photographing, the process proceeds to step SA22, where S1 is determined. If S1 is ON, here, "OF
F "is waited. If S1 is OFF, the process returns to step SA2. If it is OFF again after the determination of S1, the process proceeds to step SA3.

The above-described activation switch determination / processing routine (step SA5) will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

First, upon entering the process of (step SA5), US is determined (step SB1). If the US has been switched from OFF to ON, the process proceeds to (Step SB2); otherwise, the process proceeds to (Step SB8) if the US has been switched from ON to OFF while remaining OFF.

In step SB2, the AE mode is determined. If the mode is the aperture priority mode (A mode), the flow advances to step SB5 to set the aperture setting value (AVSET) to 0.5 EV.
Just up.

If the mode is not the A mode in (step SB2), the process proceeds to (step SB3), where (step SB2)
The AE mode is determined again in 3). Here, in the case of the manual exposure mode (M mode), (Step SB
Proceeding to 4), if APS is determined and ON, AVSET is increased by 0.5 EV in (step SB5).

If the mode is not the M mode in (step SB3), or if the APS is "OF" in (step SB4)
F ”, the process proceeds to (Step SB6),
The AE mode is determined again. Therefore, in the case of the M mode or the shutter speed priority mode (S mode), the process proceeds to (Step SB7) to increase the shutter speed set value (TVSET) by 0.5 EV.

In step SB6, in the case of the program mode (P mode), (step SB7) is skipped, and (step SA5) is executed in the same manner as when (step SB5) and (step SB7) are executed. The process ends, and the process proceeds to the next (step SA6).

As described above, the routine that passes through (step SB2) is a case where VS is turned on.
When APS is ON in M mode or A mode, AVSET is increased by 0.5 EV, and APS is O in M mode.
In case of FF or S mode, TVSET should be 0.5E
V is increased, and nothing is changed in the P mode.

Next, at step SB1, VS is turned off.
If it is not ON from F, the process proceeds to (Step SB8) to determine the DOS. Here, DOS changes from OFF to O
If it is switched to N, the process proceeds to (Step SB9),
Otherwise, the process proceeds to (Step SB15).

In step SB9, the AE mode is determined. If the mode is the A mode, the process proceeds to step SB12,
Lower VSET by 0.5 EV.

If the mode is not the A mode in (step SB9), the flow advances to (step SB10) to determine the AE mode again. If the mode is the M mode (step SB1)
Proceeding to 1), APS is determined and if "ON", AVSET is reduced by 0.5 EV at step SB12. If the mode is not the M mode in (step SB10), or if the APS is "OFF" in (step SB11), the process proceeds to (step SB13) to determine the AE mode again. Therefore, in the case of the M mode or the S mode (step SB14), the TVSET is reduced by 0.5 EV.

In the case of the P mode in (step SB13), (step SB14) is skipped (step SB1).
2), as in the case where (Step SB14) is executed,
The process as (Step SA5) ends, and the process proceeds to the next (Step SA6).

The routine that passes through the above (step SB9) is to accept that the DOS is turned on.
APS when APS is ON in mode or A mode
VSET is reduced by 0.5 EV, APS is turned off in M mode
In F mode or S mode, TVSET is 0.5EV
It goes down and does not change anything in P mode.

Next, if the DOS is not "OFF" or "ON" in (step SB8), the process proceeds to (step SB8).
Proceed to 15) to determine the FLS. Where FLS is O
When the FF is switched to ON, (step SB1
Go to 6), otherwise go to (Step SB19).

In step SB16, the AE mode is determined. In the case of the P mode, the process proceeds to step SB17 to change the built-in flash mode. That is, in the automatic light emission mode (Auto), the light emission inhibition mode (OF)
F), and if it is OFF, it is "Auto".

In step SB16, if the mode is not the P mode, the flow advances to step SB18 to change the mode of the built-in flash in the same manner as in step SB17. However, since the automatic light emission mode is only in the P mode, here, in the case of “OFF”, the forced light emission mode (ON) is used.
In the case of “ON”, it is “OFF”.

As described above, when (Step SB17) or (Step SB18) is executed, the built-in flash mode is changed, the processing of (Step SA5) is completed, and the process proceeds to the next (Step SA6).

Next, in step SB15, the FLS is set to "O".
FF ”is not“ ON ”, then (step SB
Proceed to 19) to determine the MOS. Here, the MOS is "OF
F ”to“ ON ”(step SB
Proceed to 20); otherwise, proceed to (Step SB22).

In step SB20, the AE mode is changed. That is, if the mode is the P mode, the mode is the A mode,
In the case of the mode, the mode is changed to the M mode, in the case of the M mode, the mode is changed to the S mode, or in the case of the S mode, the mode is changed to the P mode.

Next, the process proceeds to (Step SB21), where the built-in flash mode is corrected. That is, "Auto" is P
Because it exists only in the mode, the above A
If the result of the change in the E mode is the P mode and the built-in flash mode is ON, the built-in flash mode is set to Auto, and if the result of the change in the AE mode is other than the P mode, If the built-in flash mode is set to Auto, the built-in flash mode is changed to ON. The execution of (Step SB21) ends the processing of (Step SA5), and proceeds to the next (Step SA6).

Next, at (step SB19), the MOS
If it is not ON from FF (NO in step SB22), DRS is determined. If the DRS is switched from OFF to ON, the process proceeds to (Step SB23), and the drive mode is changed. That is, in the case of single shooting, the shooting mode is changed to continuous shooting, in the case of continuous shooting, the shooting mode is changed to self, and in the case of self shooting, the shooting mode is changed to single shooting.

If this (Step SB23) is executed, or if the DRS is not changed from OFF to ON in (Step SB22), the process of (Step SA5) is completed and the process proceeds to the next (Step SA6).

The above is the routine of the determination of the start switch and the processing routine, and the change setting of the AVSET, the built-in flash mode, the AE mode, and the drive mode is performed.

The mode of the external flash is irrelevant to the FLS of the camera, and is set by a switch (not shown) on the external flash. However, the same processing as the correction in the built-in flash mode described above is also performed in the external flash mode. That is, the camera transmits the AE mode of the camera to the external flash, whereby the external flash performs processing so that “Auto” exists only in the P mode.

The aforementioned AE calculation routine (step SA1)
4) will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

First, in the process of (step SA14), an EV value is calculated from the above-described photometric luminance data, lens data, and film sensitivity data from DX (step SC1). Details are omitted. Next, (Step SC
In 2), the flash mode is determined. Forced flash mode (O
If N), proceed to (Step SC3); otherwise, proceed to (Step SC4).

In (Step SC3), the control AV and TV for flash photography are determined in accordance with the AE mode. That is, in A mode, AVSET is
And the maximum synchronizing speed (TVX) of the flash photography is TV. In the S mode, TV and AV are calculated from the EV value using a flash P diagram. AVSET AV in M mode
And TVSET is TV. However, at the time of flash photography, it is necessary to hold down the TV to TVX.
When VSET exceeds TVX, TVX is set to TV, and the value of TVSET is also replaced by TVX. this is,
If TVSET exceeds TVX, only TV
If the DOS is pressed down, the TV does not change unless the DOS is operated a number of times, even if the TVSET is down at the DOS.

Next, if the flash mode is not "ON" in (Step SC2), (Step SC4)
It is determined whether or not a flash is required for shooting. The case in which a flash is required is when the brightness is low and it is easy to handle, or when it is determined to be backlight by multi-segment photometry. (Details are omitted because of a known technique.) When a flash is required, the process proceeds to (Step SC5) to determine a flash mode. If at least one of the built-in flash and the external flash is "Auto", the process proceeds to (Step SC6). (Step SC6)
Then, from the EV value, TV and A
Calculate V.

Next, in (Step SC4), when it is determined that the flash is unnecessary, or (in Step SC5)
If it is determined that the built-in flash is in the light emission inhibition mode (OFF) and that the external flash is not attached or "OFF", the process proceeds to (Step SC7).

In step SC7, A of natural light photography
V and TV are calculated according to the AE mode. That is, P
In the mode, AV and TV are calculated from the EV value using a P diagram. In the A mode, AVSET is set to AV, and (EV-
AV) is a TV. In S mode, set TVSET to TV
And (EV-TV) is AV. In M mode, A
Let VSET be AV and TVSET be TV.

As described above, when (Step SC3), (Step SC6), or (Step SC7) is executed, the processing of the AE calculation routine (Step SA14) ends, and the process proceeds to (Step SA15).

FIG. 8 is a main flowchart of the display and red-eye prevention system. Hereinafter, description will be given along this flowchart.

In step SDI, it is determined whether or not a flash is necessary.
Proceed to 2. In step SD2, it is determined whether the light emission of the built-in flash is set (ON). If the light is turned on, it is determined in step SD3 whether the built-in flash is fully charged. If not, the charge is made in step SD4. The display indicating the inside and the charging mark LLD are turned on, and the display flash mark CHLD indicating the completion of charging is turned off. Lighting, extinguishing, or blinking of the display is performed by the following control. Data bus S by microcomputer CCPU
Through the DB, data for turning on, off, and blinking each display is sent to the DSP. The DSP turns on, turns off, and blinks LLD, PRLD, CHLD, INLD, and LCLD, respectively, according to the data.

At step SD5, the boosting operation of the boosting circuit of the built-in flash is started, and the process returns to step SD3. Accordingly, steps SD3 to SD are performed until charging is completed.
D5 will be repeated. If the built-in flash is turned off or the charging of the built-in flash is completed in step SD2, the flow advances to step SD6 to stop the charging of the built-in flash.

At step SD7, it is determined whether or not the external flash is mounted and the power is ON. If it is ON, it is determined at step SD8 whether the external flash is completely charged. If the charging is completed, in step SD9, the charging mark LLD is turned off to indicate that charging is being performed, and the charging completion display flash mark CHLD is turned on.

At step SD10, a charge completion flag is set.

If it is determined in step SD8 that the external flash is not charged, the display LLD indicating that charging is in progress is turned on in step SD14, the display CHLD indicating that charging is completed is turned off, and the charging completion flag is reset in step SD15. If no external flash is attached in step SD7,
Alternatively, if it is determined that OFF has been selected, step S
Proceed to D11. In step SD11, the built-in flash is ON
Is determined. Built-in flash is O
If N, the charging is always completed because of the operations of steps SD3 to SD5 described above.
Proceeding to step SD10, the LLD is turned off, the CHLD is turned on, and the filling flag is set. If the built-in flash is OF, proceed to Step SD12, make LLD blink, and
Turn off the LD. That is, when the LLD flashes, it is determined that the flash is necessary, and the built-in flash is turned off.
F indicates that the external flash is not attached, which means that flash photography is recommended.

In the present embodiment, the display during charging and the display of recommendation are shared, but they may be displayed separately.

If it is determined in step SD1 that the flash is unnecessary, the steps SD16 LLD and CHLD are turned off, and the charging completion flag is reset in step SD17. In step SD18, the camera focus adjustment mode (lens drive mode) is either automatic (hereinafter referred to as AF) or manual (hereinafter referred to as MF).
Is called). If AF, A in step SD19
It is determined whether or not the F operation has been completed. If the operation has been completed, the process proceeds to step SD20. If it is determined in step SD12 that it is MF, step SD19 is skipped and the process proceeds to step SD20.

In step SD20, it is determined whether or not the release button 4 of the camera has been pressed down to the second stage to turn on S2. If the release button 4 has been pressed down and S2 has been turned on, it is determined that a release has been made. Proceeds to the light emission determination subroutine, and if not pressed down, step S
In D21, the process proceeds to a sub-routine for determination of pre-flash, and step S
In step D22, the data is transferred to the external flash unit in step SD, and the process returns to step SA2 in FIG. The data to be sent to the external flash includes a flag indicating whether or not a flash is required, a camera mode, pre-emission optical data described later, and a flag indicating whether or not the external flash is pre-emitted.

In step SD24, the same operation (data output to flash) as in step 22 is performed, and the flow advances to step SD25.

In step SD25, it is determined whether or not the pre-emission button has been pressed. If the pre-emission button has been pressed, the flow advances to step SD26 to determine the drive mode of the camera. If it is in the continuous shooting mode (continuous shooting mode), the flow advances to step SD28 to determine whether or not shooting is the first time.
If it is the first time, and if the drive mode is other than continuous shooting, the process proceeds to the sub-step SD27 of the pre-emission process. If it is determined in step SD28 that the continuous shooting has been performed for the second time or later, the process proceeds to step SD29. That is, at the time of continuous shooting, the pre-emission for preventing red-eye is performed only once at the first time of the release and not at the second time or more. If it is determined in step SD25 that the pre-flash button has not been pressed, the flow advances to step SD30 to determine whether the drive mode of the camera is self. If it is a self-photographing, the process proceeds to a self-process subroutine described later in step SD31, and then proceeds to step SD29 after the process. Step SD
If it is other than the self at 30, the process skips step SD31 and proceeds to step SD29. In step SD29, the AF motor is stopped, and the flow advances to the above-described exposure control routine.

FIG. 9 is a subroutine for judging pre-emission. In step SE1, it is determined whether the automatic focus adjustment function (AF) is continuous (hereinafter, referred to as "continuous") or one-shot (hereinafter, referred to as "one-shot") in which the adjustment function stops after focusing. If AF is continuous in step SE1, it is assumed that the subject is a moving object. As will be described later, the interval between pre-flash and shooting is
Since it is about 0.7 to 1.2 seconds, and if it is a moving object, it is not possible to specify how the subject moves during this time, so it is not possible to determine the possibility of occurrence of red eyes, so the process proceeds to step SE25.
If not, the process proceeds to step SE2. In step SE2, it is determined whether the external flash is ON. If the flash is ON, it is determined in step SE3 whether the flash is within the interlocking range.

Here, the following calculation is performed.

DV (AF)> DV (FL) within the interlocking range DV (AF) <DV (FL) Outside 〃 However, DV (AF) is distance information possessed by the AFC DV (FL) = IV + SV−AV IV: External flash light SV: Film sensitivity AV: Control aperture value If it is within the interlocking range, it is determined that the flash arrives, and if it is out of the interlocking range, the process goes to step SE4. Since no countermeasure is meaningful, go to step 25. In step SE4, it is determined whether or not the subject is backlit. If not, the process proceeds to step SE5.

In step SE5, it is determined whether or not flashing is necessary. If so, the flow advances to step SE6. In step SE6, the photographing magnification B is calculated by the following calculation.
Is calculated, and if it becomes equal to or less than a certain value, for example, I / 85 or less, the process proceeds to step SE7.

B = f / DV (AF) where f is the focal length. As will be described later, proceeding to step SE7 means that there is a possibility of occurrence of red-eye. That is, in step SE6, if the photographing magnification is low, regardless of the possibility of the occurrence of red-eye, it is considered that there is no concern during printing, so the process proceeds to a routine in which no red-eye countermeasures are taken (step SE2).
5) In step SE7, it is determined whether or not the subject luminance is lower than the luminance at which red-eye is likely to occur, the red-eye luminance, for example, BV1. This luminance information is obtained by subtracting a release error of information from the lens from the information of the photometric circuit LMC, and is absolute luminance information. If less than red-eye luminance, step SE
Proceed to 8. In step SE8, it is determined whether or not the photographing distance DV (AF) is equal to or longer than a certain distance.

When DV (AF) is larger than the value obtained by dividing the distance FL between the flash optical axis and the lens optical axis by, for example, tan2 °, it is determined that there is a possibility that red-eye occurs, and step S is performed.
Go to E9. This is because, when viewed from the subject, the occurrence of red-eye is considered to be high when the angle of the optical axis between the lens and the flash intersects, for example, 2 ° or less. From the above, it can be seen that in steps SE4 to SE8, it is determined whether there is a possibility of occurrence of red eyes. In other words, when a condition is required that a flash is required, and not a backlight, but a shooting magnification is high and a shooting distance is equal to or less than a certain luminance, the frequency of red-eye occurrence is high, and it is determined that it is necessary to take a countermeasure (pre-flash). I have.

If the above conditions are not satisfied, step SE25
Proceed to.

FIG. 20 (a) is a graph of luminance, distance and red-eye occurrence probability. The higher the luminance, the smaller the pupil of the eye and the lower the probability of occurrence of red eyes. Further, as the distance increases, the angle between the flash and the lens optical axis viewed from the subject decreases, and the probability of occurrence of red eyes increases.

FIG. 20 (c) is a graph showing the degree of concern for red-eye during printing at a photographic magnification. When considering the print size in a general size, as the magnification becomes smaller, the red-eye becomes smaller, and when viewed from a distance of clear vision, it is not bothersome.
On the other hand, if the magnification is large, it feels irritable.

In step SE25, it is determined whether or not the pre-emission button has been pressed.
Proceeding to E26, the flag as to whether or not the external flash is pre-emitted is reset (the external flash is not pre-emitted), and the flag as to whether or not the external flash is pre-emitted is reset (pre-emitted) in step SE27. Next, at step SE28, the display PRLD indicating that pre-emission is required is turned off. If it is determined in step SE25 that the pre-button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step SE9. This is the pre-button ON
In order to reflect the user's intention to make the light emission, the light emission is performed even if the conditions for generating red eyes are not met. In step SE9, ON / OFF of the built-in flash is determined. If the built-in flash is ON, the process proceeds to step SE10. In steps SE10 to SE12, it is determined whether or not the external flash fires pre-emission. When the external flash is set to ON (step SE10), and when the flash (step SE11) capable of pre-emission is directly facing (step SE12), the flow advances to step SE18 to set an external pre-emission flag, and at step SE19. The pre-emission flag is set. As described above, this data is sent to the external flash to prepare for the pre-flash.

If any one of the conditions in steps SE10 to SE12 is missing, the flow advances to step SE20, where the external pre-emission flag is reset, and the flow advances to step SE19. That is,
If any of the external pre-emission conditions in steps SE10 to SE12 are missing, the built-in flash will emit pre-emission.

In step SE0, the built-in flash is turned off.
If so, the process proceeds to step SE14. Step SE14 to SE
Step 16 is the same routine as the above-mentioned steps SE10 to SE12. If the pre-emission condition of the external flash is satisfied, the routine proceeds to step SE18. If any of the conditions are not met, the built-in flash is turned off.
Since the pre-emission cannot be performed because of F, the process proceeds to step SE26.

In step SE21, the data is written in the ROM addressed by the data of the luminance, magnification, and subject distance. The light amount data of the pre-emission is read.

FIGS. 21 (a), (b) and (c) are graphs showing the relationship between luminance, magnification, distance and pre-light emission amount.

As shown in FIG. 21 (a), since the luminance is large and the discomfort during printing is increased, the amount of pre-emission is increased and red eyes are eliminated as much as possible. As shown in FIG. 21 (c), if the distance is short, the probability of occurrence of red-eye decreases, so that even if the pre-emission amount is small, there is an effect of preventing red-eye. The light quantity data of the pre-emission is determined in consideration of the above factors.

This data is sent to the external flash as described above, and the pre-emission amount is determined. In step SE22, it is determined whether or not the pre-button has been pressed. If the pre-button has been pressed, the pre-emission mark PRLD is lit in step SE24 to indicate that the pre-button has been pressed (FIG. 4 (e)). . In this case, the indication that pre-emission is required, that is, the blinking of the mark PRLD (FIG. 4D) is common to the elements, but may be always provided separately. The pre-emission mark PRLD in FIG. 4 (f) is another embodiment of the mark PRLD in FIG. 4 (a). When pre-emission is required, the eyeball is displayed in red, and turned off by pressing the pre-emission button. I am trying to do it. This display is straightforward and easy to understand for the red-eye effect.

The processing returns to the main routine after the processing in steps SE23, SE24 and SE28.

FIG. 11A shows a routine for controlling pre-emission.

In step SF1, it is determined whether or not self-timer shooting (hereinafter, self-timer) is performed.
In F2, self processing is performed in a self processing subroutine.
If not self, this process is skipped and the process proceeds to step SF3. In step SF3, the aforementioned pre-emission flag is determined. When the pre-emission is performed, the process proceeds to step SF4, and when the pre-emission is not performed, the process returns to the main routine. In step SF4, data of the time Tpre from the pre-flash to the exposure is read from the ROM addressed by the data of the luminance, the magnification, and the photographing distance.

FIGS. 22 (a), (b) and (c) show luminance, magnification, distance and time Tpr from pre-flash to exposure operation.
This shows the relationship of e.

The pupil becomes smaller as the luminance becomes higher.
As shown in FIG. 2 (a), even if Tpre is short, a sufficient effect can be obtained.
If Tpre does not change even if the luminance falls below a certain level, the closed pupil starts to re-open due to the pre-light emission after a certain time interval, so that the effect of the pre-light emission is lost.

As shown in FIG. 22 (b), when the magnification is small, it is less noticeable at the time of printing. Therefore, even if Tpre is shortened, the effect of the pre-emission can be obtained. The reason why Tpre does not increase when the magnification is equal to or more than a certain value is the same as in the case of the above luminance.

As shown in FIG. 22 (c), if the distance becomes longer, the probability of occurrence of red-eye becomes lower. Therefore, even if Tpre is shortened, there is an effect of preventing red-eye by pre-emission. The reason that Tpre does not become longer even when the distance becomes longer than a certain distance is the same as in the case of the luminance described above.

In step SF5, the above-mentioned external pre-emission flag is determined. When it is determined that the external flash emits light, the process proceeds to Step SF7, where the terminal 05 is set to Low.
To The FLGC is configured such that when 05 is Low, BTRG is not output even if 07 becomes High, so that the built-in flash does not emit light even if a pre-emission signal (pulse signal of 07) described later is output. In step SF6, the terminal 05 is set to High to enable pre-emission of the built-in flash.

In steps SF8 to SF10, the terminal 07
Is output for a certain period of time. The reference numeral 07 is also connected to an external flash, and when this is set to High, the internal flash emits light if the external flash emits pre-flash if the external flash emits pre-flash. During this time, the external flash is sent from the camera to the external flash. It is configured to emit light according to the pre-emission amount data. The built-in FLGC is configured to emit light with a constant light amount. In other words, when 07 becomes High, BTRG is set to High, emission is not started if 05 is Low, and emission of the built-in flash is started. After a certain time, FSTP is set to High, and emission of the built-in flash is stopped.

In step SF11, it is determined whether or not AF is a jointinian.
In F12, it is determined whether or not the external flash is pre-emitted. If the external flash is not pre-emitted, the internal flash is pre-emitted. Start boosting the voltage by the built-in flash converter.

If it is determined in step SF11 that the AF is contiguous, the flow proceeds to step SF14 without starting the boosting by the flash converter in step SF13 in order to guarantee the motor drive voltage for AF. Also,
If it is determined in step SF12 that the external flash is pre-emitted, since the energy of the built-in flash has not been consumed, step SF13 is skipped and step SF14 is skipped.
Proceed to.

In step SF14, the data indicating that the time is between the pre-flash and the photographing is transmitted to the AF through the data bus SDB.
Send to C and flash the AFLED with AFC. In step SF15, the above-described waiting for Tpre time step SF16
To stop the flashing, and stop the AFC AFLED in step SF17, and return to the main routine.

FIG. 11B shows a subroutine of the self-processing. At step SG1, the counter for the self-second is reset and started. In step SG2, it is determined whether or not this counter has exceeded a certain value. If not, the process proceeds to step SG2. In other words, step SG2 is repeated until the self-time reaches 4, and the process returns to the main routine when the self-time reaches. While step SG2 is being repeatedly executed, QSLD blinks to indicate that the self-timer is operating.

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram showing the inside of an external flash to which the present invention is applied. This external flash can be used by being attached to the camera shown in FIGS. The FCPU is a microcomputer that controls the entire operation of the flash. The SDB is a serial data bus for exchanging data with the microcomputer CCPU of the camera body. This bus is composed of the following terminals. CSF is a chip select flash terminal.
It becomes Low when the PU designates an external flash as a communication partner. This terminal CSF is connected to the microcomputer F
It is connected to the interrupt terminal INT1 of the CPU, and is activated by falling to Low. The R / W terminal is a terminal which becomes Low when the microcomputer CCPU of the camera body reads data and becomes High when the microcomputer CCPU outputs data. SCK is a terminal for outputting a clock for synchronization when the microcomputer CCPU of the camera body performs data communication with other circuits in series. SOUT is transmitted from a microcomputer CCPU of the camera to another circuit (in FIG. 3, an external flash OFL, a photometric circuit LMC, an AF circuit AFC,
A circuit LEC in the interchangeable lens, a display circuit DSP, a code reading circuit D for indicating the film sensitivity on the film container
X) is a terminal for outputting data in series, and is connected to the serial data input terminal SIN of the microcomputer FCPU. SIN is a terminal for serially outputting data from another circuit to the microcomputer CCPU of the camera body, and is connected to the serial data output terminal SOUT of the microcomputer FCPU.

MSW is a main switch for switching the flash ON and OFF. Every time the switch is closed, a pulse is output from the pulse generator PG, and this signal is sent to an interrupt terminal INT0 of the microcomputer FCPU.
To start. DS is a detection switch that is turned on when the external flash is directly attached to the hot shoe of the camera body, and is turned off when the flash is not directly attached to the hot shoe. BS is turned on when the flash emitting unit is in a bounce state. The detection switch is turned off in the front light state. With these two detection switches, if DS is ON and BS is OFF, the flash is directly connected to the camera body and the light emitting unit is directly facing the subject. Judge that you are. On the other hand, if DS is OFF, it means that the flash is connected to the camera body by a cable connector or the like, and it is not necessary to take measures against red-eye.
Further, even if DS is ON, if the switch BS is ON, the light emitting unit does not face the subject, so that it is not necessary to take measures against red-eye.

CHD is a light emitting diode for indicating that the flash is completely charged, OND is a light emitting diode for indicating that the flash is ON, OFFD is a light emitting diode for indicating that the flash is OFF, and AUD is an automatic light emitting diode. A light emitting diode for indicating the state is indicated, PRED is a light emitting diode for indicating that preliminary light emission is performed as a measure against red eyes, and BF0 to BF4 are buffers for driving the light emitting diodes.

HVG is a power supply circuit for flash emission, and performs a boosting operation when the terminal CHSTA becomes High, and stops boosting when the terminal CHSTA becomes Low. The CHDC A / D-converts the output voltage of the main capacitor in the power supply circuit GVG when the terminal DCL becomes Low, and transmits it to the microcomputer FCPU via the data bus CHLD. This data is the main light emission amount data transmitted to the camera body,
It is used as light emission amount data of pre-light emission.

PRE, FLSTA, and FLSTP are terminals to which a light emission control signal from the camera body is input. PR
E is a terminal which becomes Low at the timing of performing preliminary light emission, FL
The STA inputs a closing signal of the X contact SX which is turned ON when the front curtain of the camera has completed traveling. The FLSTP receives a High signal from the light control circuit of the camera body when the amount of reflected light from the subject due to main light emission reaches a predetermined amount. FXE is a light-emitting unit, and FFLC is a light-emitting control circuit of the light-emitting unit FXE.
Light emission is stopped when OP becomes High.

The terminal PON / OFF is a terminal which becomes high when data indicating that preliminary light emission is to be performed is input from the camera body via the data bus SDB. The terminal PRE becomes low and the inverter IN becomes high when the inverter IN becomes high. AN
The output of No. 3 becomes High and a pulse of High is output from the pulse generator PG2. This pulse is OR circuit O
It is sent to the light emission control circuit FFLC via R0, and pre-light emission starts. Also, the output of pulse generator PG2 is H
When rising to igh, the timer TI1 starts counting time. For example, when 0.1 msec elapses, a high pulse is output from the timer TI1 and sent to the light emission control circuit via the OR circuit OR1 to stop pre-light emission. This is the first
This is shown in the time chart of FIG.

Terminal MON / OFF, flash ON
In the mode, when the exposure control mode of the camera is the manual mode (M mode) and the flash is in the forced flash mode, or when the flash is in the ON mode and the exposure control mode of the camera is the automatic mode (P, A, S mode) Is high when a light emission signal is input from the camera when is in the automatic light emission mode, and becomes low otherwise. When the SX contact SX is closed and FLSTA becomes Low, the output of the inverter "-IN0 becomes High, and the input / output of the AND circuit AN2 becomes High. Thereby, a High pulse is output from the pulse generator PG1 and the OR circuit OR0. , The main light emission is started, the flip-flop FF is set by the pulse from the pulse generator PG1, the Q output becomes High, and the timer TI0 is set for a certain time (for example, 2.5 ms).
ec) Start counting. When the counting of the predetermined time is completed, the timer TI0 outputs a pulse, the Q output of the flip is connected to one input of the AND circuit AN1, and the dimming circuit FLM of the camera main body while the Q output is High.
Only the pulse output from C and input via the terminal FLSTP is output from the AND circuit AN1. This pulse is supplied to the light emission control circuit FFLC via the OR circuit OR1, and the main light emission of the flash is stopped. This is the 15th
This is shown in the time chart of FIG.

The operation will be described below with reference to the flowchart of the microcomputer shown in FIGS. 16 to 19. Prior to that, data sent from the camera body to the flash and data sent from the flash to the camera body will be described.

Table Camera → Flash Flash → Camera 1 Camera exposure control mode Flash ON / OFF 2 Main flash ON / OFF Charge complete / Incomplete 3 Pre-flash ON / OFF Pre-flash enable / disable 4 Pre-flash 5 Flash 6 Light emitting unit facing / not facing The table shows data sent from the camera to the flash and data sent from the flash to the camera. The data sent from the camera to the flash is data of the exposure control mode of the camera. This data is set to the automatic flash mode when the flash mode is ON and the forced flash mode is entered when the M mode is input. With / without main light emission
A signal indicating whether or not flash light emission is performed in the automatic light emission mode. If main light emission is present, MON / OFF is set to High, and main light emission is started when the X contact SX is closed. Becomes Low and the main light emission is not performed even if the X contact SX is closed. Pre-flash presence / absence is a signal indicating whether or not pre-flash is performed by an external flash. If pre-flash is present, the terminal PON / OFF becomes High, and pre-flash is started by a signal input from the camera body via the terminal PRE. . On the other hand, if there is no pre-emission, the terminal PON / OFF is Low.
No pre-emission is performed.

Next, data sent from the flash to the camera will be described. The flash ON / OFF signal transmits whether the flash is ON or OFF by operating the main switch MSW. The charge completion / incomplete state is transmitted to the camera if the charge voltage of the main capacitor of the HVG in the power supply circuit has reached a predetermined value, and if not, the incomplete signal is transmitted to the camera. The pre-flash enabled / disabled includes a pre-flash flash and a non-preflash flash, which are used to distinguish between them. Note that the flash shown in FIG. 13 is capable of pre-emission, and always transmits a signal of pre-emission to the camera in the ON mode.

Examples of pre-flash enabled and non-pre-flash enabled flashes will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 (A) and 12 (B).
In FIG. 12 (A), the light emitting portion 101A of the external flash 101 is far from the optical axis of the photographing lens 3, the occurrence of red-eye is extremely low, and the function of the pre-emission is not required, so the pre-emission function is provided. The pre-flash-disabled data to the camera body. On the other hand, in the case of the external flash 102 shown in FIG. 12B, the distance between the light emitting unit 102B and the optical axis of the photographing lens 3 is not much different from that of the built-in flash, and the probability of occurrence of red eyes is high. Therefore, in the case of the external flash 102, a pre-emission function is provided, and data indicating that pre-emission is possible is transmitted to the camera body.

FIG. 12 (A) and FIG. 12 (B) 1
01 and 102 are both provided with a pre-emission function, and both transmit pre-emission-enabled data to the camera body, and furthermore, an optical axis of the light-emitting unit and the taking lens when the flash is mounted on the mounting unit (or Data relating to the distance between the flash and a mounting portion for attaching the flash to the camera body may be transmitted to the camera body. In this case, the pre-flash should be performed by determining whether the probability of occurrence of red-eye is high by combining the focal length of the photographing lens, the photographing distance, and the distance between the red-eye light emitting portion of the external flash and the lens optical axis. A warning can be given. The distance data may be longer or shorter than a certain value, or the distance may be data of a plurality of pits having resolution with other data (focal length, shooting distance).

The external flashes 101 and 102
Have no pre-emission function,
The external flash 102 that requires pre-flash outputs a signal that requires pre-flash by the built-in flash to the camera, and the external flash 101 that does not require pre-flash outputs a signal that does not require pre-flash by the built-in flash to the camera. When the external flash 102 is attached, a pre-flash required display is performed as necessary.
When the is mounted, the pre-emission required display may not be performed.

Note that the camera's built-in flash may be configured not to emit light during film exposure but to perform only pre-emission.

The pre-emission amount is data of the pre-emission amount determined from the output of the charge amount detection circuit and the above-mentioned pre-emission and time (for example, 0.1 msec). , Subject brightness, focal length), and changes in the sense of pre-flash and main flash. The main light emission amount is output as light emission amount data according to the output of the charge amount detection circuit CHDC, and is used as one of parameters for determining the aperture opening in the camera body and determining whether the probability of occurrence of red-eye is high or not. Used. When the flash unit is mounted directly on the hot shoe of the camera body and the flash unit is not bounced, a signal is sent directly when the flash unit is not directly mounted on the hot shoe. Even if the light-emitting unit bounces, a signal indicating that the light-emitting unit is not facing is transmitted. If the camera body is directly facing, the camera body determines whether or not pre-emission by an external flash is necessary, and if it is necessary, sends a signal of pre-emission to the flash device. On the other hand, if a signal that is not directly facing the flash is sent to the camera body, the optical axis of the light emitting unit and the optical axis of the photography engineering system are not close to each other, and it is determined that there is no possibility of red eye due to the emission of the external flash. Therefore, a signal with pre-flash is not sent from the camera to the flash, and there is no pre-flash.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation when the main switch MSW is operated. When the MSW is operated and an interrupt signal is input to the interrupt terminal INT0 to start the microcomputer FCPU, it is first determined whether or not the previous mode is the ON mode. If the mode is the ON mode, the process proceeds to step SH20. If the mode is the OFF mode, the process proceeds to step SH1. The process proceeds (step SH0).

In step SH1, the mode is changed from OFF to ON, and it is then determined whether or not the charging is completed (step SH3). If the charging completion level has not been reached, the boosting operation of the power supply circuit HVG is started (step SH5), and the process proceeds to step SH10. On the other hand, SH3
If it is determined that the charging has reached the completion level in the step, the charging completion display light emitting diode CHD is turned on (step SH6), and it is determined whether or not the charging level has reached the highest level (saturation level). If it is not the highest level, the boosting is started (step SH8), and if it is the highest level, the step shifts to SH10 while the boosting is stopped. Note that, as described later, in the OFF mode, the light-emitting diode CHD for charging completion display is turned off, so that if the charging is not completed, the light-emitting diode CHD is left as it is.

In step SH10, the light emitting diode OND indicating the ON mode is turned on, then the light emitting diode OFFD indicating the off mode, the light emitting diode AUD indicating the automatic light emitting mode, and the light emitting diode PRED indicating the pre-light emitting mode. Is turned off (step SH).
11) Preliminary light emission is prohibited, and main light emission is permitted (steps SH12 and SH13), and the process proceeds to step SH40. By switching from the OFF mode to the ON mode by the above operation, the initial state in the ON mode is set. If it is determined in step SH0 that the previous mode is the ON mode, the flow shifts to step SH20 and O
Switch from N to OFF. And the charge completion display, O
The light emitting diodes CHD, OND, AUD, and PRED for performing the N mode display, the automatic light emission mode display, and the pre-light emission display are turned off (step SH22), and the light emitting diode OFFD for displaying the OFF mode is turned on to indicate the OFF mode. (Step SH26), the pre-flash and the main flash are prohibited (steps SH28 and SH30), and the process proceeds to step SH40. With the above operation, the setting to the OFF mode is completed.

In step SH40, terminals INT0 and INT0
1 to accept the interrupt signal, and the timer register T
The IR is reset (step SH42). Then, the built-in timer is reset and the counting is started (step SH44), the interruption by the timer is permitted (step SH46), and the operation is stopped. The interrupt operation by the timer will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 show that when the data communication between the camera body and the flash is performed, the chip select flash terminal CSF becomes Low and the microcomputer FC
9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when a PU is activated. First, in step SI0, it is determined whether the data is transmitted from the camera body to the flash or the data is transmitted from the flash to the camera body by determining the state of the R / W terminal. If the R / W terminal is High and the camera body sends data from the camera to the flash, the operation from step SI1 in FIG. 17 is performed. If the R / W terminal is Low and data is sent from the flash to the camera body, the operation proceeds to step S1. 1
The operation shown in FIG. 8 is performed.

In step SI1, each data shown in the table sent in series from the camera body is input. Next, in step SI2, it is determined whether or not the mode is the ON mode.
In the case of the mode, the operation is stopped in step SI4. In the case of the OFF mode, the operation of steps SI29 to SI31 is performed without performing the operation of steps SI4 to SI24, and the operation is stopped. In step SI4, it is determined whether or not the exposure control mode data input from the camera is the M mode. If the mode is the M mode, the forced emission mode is set, so the automatic emission mode display light emitting diode AUD is turned off (step SI4).
8) Move to step SI10. If the mode is not the M mode, the mode is the automatic light emission mode. Therefore, the display light emitting diode AUD is turned on (step SI5), and it is determined whether or not the main light emission is present (step SI6). If there is no main light emission, step SI
At 12, the terminal MON / OFF is set to Low, the main light emission is prohibited, and the process proceeds to Step SI18.

When the data with the main light emission is input in the forced light emission mode and the automatic light emission mode, the terminal MON / OFF is set to High in step SI10, and the light emission is permitted. Next, it is determined whether or not the step SI14 pre-emission is performed.
If the pre-emission is present, the terminal PON / OFF is set to High to set the pre-emission to a permitted picture state, and the light-emitting diode PRED for displaying the pre-emission mode is turned on (steps SI15 and SI15).
16) Move to step SI21. On the other hand, step SI14
If no pre-emission is determined in step SI18, the terminal PO
N / OFF is set to Low to disable the pre-emission, the pre-emission display light emitting diode PRED is turned off (step SI19), and the routine proceeds to step SI21. If no light emission is performed in the automatic light emission mode, no pre-emission is performed, so that the process immediately proceeds from step SI12 to step SI18.

In step SI21, it is determined whether or not the charging voltage of the main capacitor has reached the charging completion level.
If the charge level has been reached, the light-emitting diode CHD is turned on (step SI22). Then, it is determined in step SI23 whether or not the charge level has reached the saturation level. If the charge level has reached the saturation level, the boosting is stopped. (Step SI24)
The process moves to step SI29. On the other hand, if the saturation level has not been reached, the boosting is continued or the boosting stop state is not performed, and the process proceeds to step SI29. On the other hand, if the charge level has not been reached in step SI21, the boosting is started and the charge completion display is turned off (steps SI26 and SI27).
The process moves to step SI29. As described above, the flash boosts the voltage up to the saturation level, and restarts the boosting when the voltage drops below the charge completion level. The charge completion display CHD is turned on if the level is higher than the charge completion level. At step SI29, interruption by the timer is permitted, the timer is reset and started, and the timer register TIR is reset (step SI30). At step SI31, the terminal INT is set. The reception of the interrupt signal to the INT is permitted and the operation is stopped.

If it is determined in step SI0 that data is to be transmitted from the flash to the camera, an eighteenth
The process moves to step SI50 in the figure. In step SI50, O
It is determined whether or not the mode is the N mode. If the mode is the OFF mode, the data for transmitting the flash OFF is set, the light emitting diode for displaying the OFF mode is turned on, and the operation for interruption in steps SI83 to 86 and the transmission of the OFF data are performed. (Step SI85) to stop the operation.

When the ON mode is determined in step SI50, the operation for preparing (setting) various transmission data is performed in step SI52 and subsequent steps. In step SI52, data indicating that the flash is ON is set, and the ON mode display light emitting diode OND is turned on. Next, step SI
In steps 54 to 58 and SI60 to 62, the same charge completion level and saturation level as those in steps SI21 to SI21 and SI26 and 27 in FIG. In step SI56, data for transmitting the completion of charging is set, and in step SI61, data for transmitting non-charging is set.

In step SI65, it is determined whether or not the flash is directly mounted on the camera body according to the state of the switch DS. If the flash is not directly mounted, data indicating that the light emitting unit is not directly facing the subject is set (step SI65). Step SI68), and then proceed to step SI70. If it is determined that the camera is directly mounted, then in step SI66, it is determined whether or not the camera is in the bounce state based on the state of the switch BS. If it is in the bounce state, data indicating that it is not facing directly is set (step SI68). ) Shift to step SI70. On the other hand, if the flash is directly connected and is not in the bounce state, the flash light emitting unit sets data indicating that it is in a state of directly facing the subject (step SI).
67) Move to step SI70.

In step SI70, the amount of charge of the main capacitor is input, the amount of pre-emission is calculated from this and the amount of pre-emission, and the pre-emission amount data is set. Next, in step SI71, light emission amount data in the case of full light emission during main light emission is calculated from the charging voltage of the main capacitor, and this data is set. Then, data indicating that pre-emission is possible is set, and in steps SI83 and SI84, the same operation as in steps SI29 and SI30 in FIG. 17 is performed. Then, the data set in the previous steps is stored in the camera body. Transmission is performed in series (step SI85). And terminals INT0, INT
The operation is stopped by permitting the reception of the interrupt signal to 1.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing an operation which is started and executed by an interrupt signal output each time the timer counts a predetermined time in a state where the timer interrupt is enabled in FIGS. 16, 17, and 18. . When a predetermined time (for example, 250 msec) elapses after the timer starts counting, the timer is interrupted, and the operation from step SJ0 is started. In step SJ0, 1 is added to the content of the timer register TIR, and in step SJ1, it is determined whether or not the content of the timer register TIR has reached K (for example, 16). K
If not, the operations in FIGS. 16, 17, and 18 have been completed and the fixed time (250 msec.times.16 = 4 seconds) has not elapsed, and the flow shifts to step SJ5 to determine whether or not the mode is the ON mode. If in the ON mode, steps SJ7 to SJ10,
In steps 15 and 16, the same operations as steps SI21 to 24, 26 and 27 in FIG. 17 are performed. If the mode is the OFF mode, the operation related to the boosting is not performed, and the process shifts to step SJ18. Step SJ18,
At 19, the operation for the next timer interrupt is performed, and the terminal INT
0, INT1 is stopped (step SJ30), and the operation is stopped. On the other hand, when the content of the register TIR reaches K in step SJ1, that is, the operation for data communication with the camera is completed or the main switch MSW
A certain time (for example, 4 seconds) from the end of the operation by the operation
Is elapsed, all display light emitting diodes are turned off in step SJ25, and terminals MON / OFF, PON / OFF
Is set to Low, pre-emission and main emission are prohibited, boosting is stopped, an interrupt signal to terminals INT0 and INT1 is permitted, and the operation is stopped.

FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b) show another embodiment. This embodiment is a modified embodiment of steps SF1 to SP17 in FIG. FIG. 11 (a)
The difference from FIG. 23 is that the exposure control operation can be prohibited after the pre-emission.

Hereinafter, description will be made based on a flowchart.
Steps SF1 'to 14' are shown in FIG.
Since steps SF1 to SF14 are the same, description thereof will be omitted. In step SF15 ', a timer for counting the time Tpre between the pre-emission and the exposure control operation is started. This timer generates an interrupt output after a lapse of Tpre from the start. In step SF15 ', this timer interruption is enabled.

In step SF16 ', it is determined whether or not the pre-emission button 26 is pressed (ON).
Repeat 16 '. If it is released (OFF), step S
Proceed to F17 ', and in step SF17', the pre-flash button 26
Is determined, and if it is OFF, step SF17 'is repeated, and if it is ON, the process proceeds to step SF18'.

That is, when the pre-emission button 26 is released (step SF16 ') and pressed again (step SF17') between the pre-emission and the exposure control operation, the process proceeds to step SF18 '. In step SF18 ', the boosting is stopped, and in step SF19', the AF auxiliary light is turned off. Step SF
At 20 ', interruption of the timer is disabled, and interruption by the timer of Tpre is prohibited. In step SF21 ', the state of S1 is determined. If not, step SF21 'is repeated.
As described above, the exposure control operation is not performed by pressing the pre-button again.

Here, the exposure control operation may be inhibited by another button using the pre-emission button. After the pre-emission, if the pre-emission button is kept pressed or released, the program proceeds to step SF16 'or SF1.
7 'is repeated.

In this state, when the timer interrupt of the count of Tpre is input, the program proceeds to step SF21 '. In step SF21 ', interruption is disabled. In step SF22', step-up is stopped. In step SF23 ', the AF auxiliary light is turned off. The process returns to the main routine and proceeds to the exposure control operation.

The present embodiment includes the following configuration.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary light emission so as to perform a closing operation of a human pupil before emitting the flash light for photographing, and preliminary light emission under predetermined conditions are necessary. A camera comprising: a discriminating means for discriminating that there is; and control means for activating the preliminary light emitting means based on a discrimination result of the discriminating means.

The above-mentioned camera, further comprising a pre-flash emission display means for displaying that preliminary flash is to be performed before the preliminary flash means is activated. Here, the display before preliminary light emission may be a sound display such as a buzzer, a sound display in the viewfinder, a visual display arranged on the outer surface of the camera, or the like.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary flash light so that the human pupil closes before the flash light for photographing, and measuring means for measuring the luminance of the object. And a determining means for determining that preliminary light emission is necessary when the subject brightness is equal to or lower than a predetermined level based on the measurement result of the photometric means.

In the camera, the photometric means is configured to measure the light transmitted through the aperture of the taking lens, and the discriminating means is configured to measure the measurement result of the photometric means and the aperture when measuring the photometric means. When the absolute luminance obtained based on the aperture value is equal to or less than a predetermined level, it is determined that preliminary light emission is necessary.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary light emission so as to perform a closing operation of a human pupil before the flash light for photographing, and magnification detecting means for detecting magnification of a subject And a determination unit that determines that preliminary light emission is necessary when the subject brightness is equal to or lower than a predetermined level and the shooting magnification is higher than a predetermined value.

The camera has a distance detecting means for detecting a subject distance, and a focal length detecting means for detecting a focal length of the taking lens. The magnification detecting means is based on the subject distance and the focal length. Is configured to determine the photographing magnification.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary light emission so as to perform a closing operation of a human pupil before the above-mentioned flash light for photographing, and photometric means for measuring subject brightness. A camera comprising: a distance detecting unit that detects a subject distance; and a determining unit that determines that preliminary light emission is necessary when the subject brightness is equal to or less than a predetermined level and the subject distance is larger than the predetermined distance.

In the camera, the determining means is configured not to determine that preliminary light emission is necessary when the subject distance is out of the interlock with the flash light emitting means.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary light emission so as to perform a closing operation of a human pupil before emitting the flash light for photographing, and photometric means for measuring subject brightness Back light detecting means for detecting a back light state, flash light control means for activating the flash light means when the subject brightness is equal to or lower than a predetermined level and in the back light state, and the flash light control means for setting the subject brightness to a predetermined value. A determining means for determining that preliminary light emission is necessary when operating the flash light emitting means at a level or lower.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary flash light emitting means for performing preliminary flash light emission so that the human pupil closes before the flash light for photographing, and subject brightness are measured. A camera comprising: a photometric unit; and a control unit that controls a time period from the preliminary flash operation to the photographing flash operation according to the subject luminance.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary flash light emitting means for performing preliminary flash light emission so that the human pupil closes before the flash light for photographing, and subject brightness are measured. A camera comprising: a photometric unit; and a control unit that controls a time period from the preliminary flash operation to the photographing flash operation according to the subject luminance.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary flash light emission so that a human pupil closes before the above-mentioned flash light for photographing, and a photographing magnification are detected. A camera comprising: magnification detection means; and control means for controlling a light emission amount of the preliminary light emission according to the photographing magnification.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure; preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary flash light emission for closing the pupil of a human before the flash light for photographing;
After the preliminary flash emission, it is displayed that the photographing is performed after the preliminary flash emission until the photographing is started. A camera provided with a display unit after preliminary light emission. Here, the display after the preliminary light emission can be performed by sound, sound, or light display.

The above camera has an automatic focusing means for moving the taking lens to a focusing position, and an auxiliary light emitting means for irradiating a subject as required when the automatic focusing means is operated. A camera configured to cause the auxiliary light-emitting means to emit light after the preliminary flash emission and before photographing is started.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary flash light emission so as to close the pupil of the human before the flash light for photographing, Camera having charge storage means for storing charge energy for performing preliminary flash light emission and storage control means for storing charge in the charge storage means until photographing is started after preliminary flash light emission. .

A flash light emitting device which is detachable from the camera body and emits flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, and a preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary light emission so as to perform a closing operation of a human pupil before the flash light for photographing is emitted. Consisting of cameras.

In the flash photographing system, the flash light emitting device has an instruction section for indicating information regarding preliminary light emission, while the camera determines whether or not the preliminary light emission by the preliminary light emission means is necessary based on the information of the instruction section. A flash photographing system comprising a determining means for determining.

In a flash light emitting device which is detachable from a camera and emits flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, when the distance from the flash light emitting portion to the optical axis of the photographing lens of the camera is longer than a predetermined value, the preliminary light emission by the camera is performed. A device that indicates that it is not needed.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary light emission so as to perform a closing operation of a human pupil before the flash light for photographing, and preliminary light emission of the flash light emitting means A camera comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not the preliminary light emission by the preliminary light emission unit is necessary based on information.

A flash light emitting device which is detachable from a camera and emits flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, has preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary light emission so as to perform a closing operation of a human pupil before the above-mentioned flash light for photographing. A flash light emitting device provided with an indicating section indicating that preliminary light emission by a camera is not required.

Flash light emitting means for emitting flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, preliminary light emitting means for performing preliminary light emission so that the human pupil closes before the flash light for photographing, and a mode for operating the preliminary light emitting means Operating means for selecting a flash light emitting means, an automatic light emitting control means for controlling whether the flash light emitting means emits a flash light for photographing, and a mode for operating the preliminary light emitting means by the operating means, and A photographing apparatus comprising: stopping means for stopping the preliminary light emission by the preliminary light emitting means when the flash light emitting means is controlled not to perform the photographing flash light emission by the means.

[0170]

According to the above arrangement, the light emission for reducing the red-eye effect is not performed between each release during continuous shooting, so that the photographing interval can be shortened. The next shooting is performed with the red-eye effect reduced. In addition, since the preliminary light emission is performed prior to the photographing of the first frame, the red-eye effect can be reduced in all photographing during continuous photographing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a camera according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective perspective view of a camera according to the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display mode of the camera according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer CCPU in the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer CCPU in the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer CCPU in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer CCPU in the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer CCPU in the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a microcomputer CCP according to the present embodiment.
6 is a flowchart showing the operation of U.

FIG. 11 shows a microcomputer CCP in the present embodiment.
6 is a flowchart showing the operation of U.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing an embodiment of the external flash according to the present invention and showing a state where the external flash is mounted on a camera.

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram of an embodiment of an external flash according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a timing chart showing an embodiment of an external flash according to the present invention and showing an operation of the circuit.

FIG. 15 is a timing chart showing an embodiment of the external flash according to the present invention and showing the operation of the circuit.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation of the microcomputer FCPU according to the embodiment of the external flash according to the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the microcomputer FCPU according to the embodiment of the external flash according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation of the microcomputer FCPU according to the embodiment of the external flash according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer FCPU, showing an embodiment of the external flash according to the present invention.

20 (a) is a diagram showing a relationship between a red-eye occurrence probability and subject brightness, FIG. 20 (b) is a diagram showing a relationship between a red-eye occurrence probability and subject brightness, and FIG. 20 (c) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the degree of concern for red-eye and the photographing magnification.

FIGS. 21 (a), (b) and (c) show the relationship between the pre-emission amount and the subject brightness, the pre-emission amount and the shooting magnification, and the relationship between the pre-emission amount and the subject distance in the embodiment according to the present invention. FIG.

FIGS. 22 (a), (b) and (c) show the time Tpre from pre-flash to film exposure and the subject brightness, the time Tpre and the photographing magnification, and the time Tpre and the subject according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a diagram which shows the relationship of distance, respectively.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a modified embodiment of the camera according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 FLGC, BFLC, BXE: flash light emitting means FLGC, BFLC, BXE, CCPU: preliminary light emitting means Steps SF1 to SF17: preliminary light emitting means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Kanji Tsuji, Examiner, Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. 2-3-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi Akiyoshi Sato (56) References JP-A 1-235932 (JP, A) JP-A-1-261624 (JP, A) JP-A-52-80120 (JP, A) JP-A-63-172135 (JP, A) JP-A-2-108030 (JP, A) ( 58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G03B 15/05

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A flash light emitting means for emitting a flash light for photographing at the time of film exposure, a preliminary light emitting means for performing a preliminary light emission so as to perform a closing operation of a human pupil before emitting the flash light for photographing; Continuous photographing means; flash light emission control means for operating the flash light emitting means at the time of photographing each frame of continuous photographing; and actuating the preliminary light emitting means at the time of photographing the first frame of continuous photographing, and stopping at the time of photographing subsequent frames. And a preliminary light emission control unit.