JP2877571B2 - Camera adjustment 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 adjusting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when adjusting the photometry of a camera, the adjustment is performed using a volume, a selection resistor, and the like.
Therefore, for readjustment at the time of repair, the camera must be disassembled until the electric circuit of the camera is exposed, such as by removing the case of the camera. However, with the recent development of IC technology, the adjustment parameters are written into a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM, thereby achieving low cost and labor saving. At this time, the camera must not be disassembled for writing, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-97926, in which writing is performed by also using the DX read contact when rewriting the EEPROM. Even those that can be adjusted have been proposed.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. Sho.
Since the information adjustment using the DX contact piece is performed, the cost of the camera is increased, and the complexity of manufacturing is increased.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and uses a serial communication terminal between a camera and a strobe for adjustment so that an adjustment operation can be performed without adding a special circuit for adjustment. And a camera adjusting device. Further, in the present invention, when specific data is transferred from the camera to the strobe during normal strobe communication when the adjusting device is attached, the adjusting device is not used for normal strobe communication. The communication data is sent to the camera, and when the data is transferred to the strobe, the camera is brought into the adjustment state for the first time when the specified communication comes. It was configured not to enter.

[0005]

[Function] By using the communication terminal of the camera accessory shoe for adjustment, no special circuit is added to the camera.
In addition, a camera that can be adjusted without disassembling the camera can be provided. Further, it is possible to prevent the adjustment operation from being performed carelessly during the actual operation.

[0006]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a camera used in a camera adjusting device according to the present invention, wherein 1 is a camera body, 2 is a release button, 3 is an accessory shoe,
Indicates each contact for communication, and 8 indicates an X contact.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. The area surrounded by the dashed line 9 is the camera circuit diagram,
The area surrounded by the dashed line 10 is the strobe circuit diagram,
A portion surrounded by a dashed line is a circuit diagram of the camera adjustment device.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a microcomputer for controlling the camera, which is readable and writable internally but cannot hold data when the power is turned off.
AM, read-only R that can hold data even when power is off
It has three types of data storage means: an OM and a readable and writable EEPROM capable of holding data even when the power is turned off.

13 is a photometric circuit diagram for measuring the brightness of the subject, 14 is an aperture driving device for driving a lens aperture, 15 is a flip-up control device for a quick return mirror, 16 is a winding device for winding a film and charging a shutter. It is.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a switch (hereinafter referred to as SW1) interlocked with the first stroke of the release button 2 (FIG. 1), and reference numeral 18 denotes a switch (hereinafter SW2) interlocked with the second stroke of the release button 2 (FIG. 1). .

Reference numeral 19 denotes a magnet for controlling the traveling of the front curtain of the shutter, reference numeral 20 denotes a magnet for controlling the traveling of the rear curtain of the shutter, and reference numerals 21 and 22 denote transistors.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a switch SWX that is turned on when the traveling of the shutter first curtain is completed. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Are signal pins for connecting the camera and the strobe in the accessory shoe, 24, 25, 26, and 2 respectively.
It corresponds to the strobe side pins 7 and 28. Contacts 4, 2
Reference numeral 4 denotes a terminal to which a serial clock is transmitted from the camera to the strobe (hereinafter, referred to as SCLK). Contacts 5, 25
Is a terminal to which data is transferred from the strobe to the camera in synchronization with the serial clock (hereinafter referred to as SIN). The contacts 6 and 26 are terminals to which data is transferred from the camera to the strobe in synchronization with the serial clock (hereinafter referred to as SOUT).
). The contacts 7 and 27 are terminals for transmitting a busy signal from the strobe to the camera indicating that the strobe is not currently available for communication (hereinafter referred to as BUSY). The contacts 8 and 28 are terminals for determining the flash emission timing connected to the switch SWX23 of the camera.

Reference numeral 29 denotes a flash control microcomputer. 30
Is a battery, 31 is a strobe main switch, 32 is a strobe charging circuit, 33 is a diode, 34 is a capacitor,
Reference numeral 5 denotes a charge completion detection circuit for detecting the charging voltage of the capacitor 34 and informing the flash microcomputer 29 of the charging voltage. Reference numeral 36 denotes a circuit for controlling flash light emission based on a command from the flash microcomputer and a signal from the X contact 23. Reference numeral 37 denotes a xenon tube.

Reference numeral 38 denotes an adjusting microcomputer; 39 to 42, contacts connected to the contacts 4 to 7 of the camera instead of the strobe circuit; 43, a display device; and 44, an input device.

Hereinafter, the operation of the camera will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

In the following description, EVR, GNOR, I
SOR, AVCALR, MONR, ADDR H, AD
DR L is a storage unit that is arranged in the RAM of the camera control microcomputer 12 and erases data when the power is turned off. ADJR is the EE of the camera control microcomputer 12.
The storage means is provided in the PROM, and retains the memory even when the power is turned off. The program shown in the flowchart is actually storage means recorded as a machine language code in the ROM of the camera control microcomputer 12 at the time of manufacture of the microcomputer.

A is an accumulator, which is a register in which the microcomputer can perform arithmetic processing.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

When power is supplied from a power supply circuit (not shown), the camera control microcomputer 12 starts control from (1) in FIG.

(1) The camera control microcomputer 12 is initialized.

(2) The state of SW1 is determined, and if it is not turned on, (2) is repeated indefinitely. If the photographer half-presses the release button 2 of the camera, the switch SW1 is turned on, and the process proceeds to (3).

(3) The brightness of the subject is fetched from the photometry circuit 13 and stored in the EVR register.

(4) Correction data ADJR is added to the photometric value EVR
Add the value of.

The output of the photometric circuit varies with the brightness. The deviation of the photometric value can be corrected by storing the deviation of each photometric circuit in advance and adding it to the photometric result.

(5) Hexadecimal 01H in accumulator A
Write the value of

(6) The flash communication subroutine is called, and the value of the accumulator A is transmitted to the flash by one byte.

The flash communication subroutine will now be described.

When the strobe communication subroutine is called, the process first proceeds to step 40.

(40) The process waits until the BUSY signal of the strobe is released and the communication is accepted.

(41) Serial IO register S of camera
Write the value of accumulator A to IO. At the same time as the writing, a known serial communication circuit inside the camera control microcomputer 12 operates. The serial communication circuit outputs a pulse for 8 bits to SCLK, and SIO is synchronized with the pulse.
The data written to the register is written SOUT one bit at a time.
Transfer to The strobe-side serial communication circuit fetches the data of SOUT in synchronization with the transmitted SCLK pulse. At the same time, the data set in the serial communication circuit of the strobe is transferred to SIN. The serial communication circuit on the camera side also fetches the SIN data into the SIO register in the camera in synchronization with SCLK. Thus, one S
Data can be transferred bi-directionally one byte at a time in the CLK communication.

(42) Wait for completion of serial communication.

(43) After serial communication, the serial data transferred from the strobe is stored in the SIO register of the camera, and is stored in the accumulator.

By the operations of steps 40 to 43, 1-byte data can be transmitted and received between the camera and the strobe.

01H is a command to send the focal length of the lens to the strobe, and the strobe waits for reception of the lens focal length.

When the flash communication routine returns, the lens focal length is input to the accumulator A in (7), and the flash communication is performed in (8), and the lens focal length is stored in the flash.

(9) The data sent from the flash at the same time as the focal length transfer is discriminated. If it is 55H, the flow branches to an adjustment routine. When a normal flash is attached, 0
Since 0H is sent, the process proceeds to (10).

(10, 11) 02H is transferred to the strobe to set it in the ISO receiving state.

(12, 13) ISO (film sensitivity information) is transferred.

(14, 15) Transfer 04H to the strobe,
This is a strobe status read command. The strobe determines whether or not the capacitor 34 has sufficiently accumulated electric charge by the next (1).
6, 17).

(16, 17) Camera uses 00H for strobe
Send. The strobe transmits the full status to the camera.

(18) Determine the strobe status. If the accumulator A is 01H, flash photography is possible upon completion of charging, so that the procedure proceeds to (23), and if not, the procedure proceeds to (19).

(19, 20) Transmit 06H to the strobe. This 06H is a command to prohibit flash emission.

(21) AE program operation is performed.

(22) The second stroke of the release button 2 is determined, and if it is off, go to (2) and repeat (2) to (21).

If the strobe is full, the process branches from (18) to (23).

(23, 24) Send 05H to the strobe. This is a command for reading the guide number of the strobe.

(25, 26, 27) The guide number transferred from the strobe is stored in GNOR.

(28) Based on the measured EVR value and guide number, calculate the aperture at the time of shutter in the flash mode.

(29, 30) The aperture reception command 03H is transmitted to the strobe.

(31, 32) The calculated aperture value is transmitted to the strobe.

(33, 34) 07H indicating permission of light emission is transmitted to the strobe.

The above-mentioned strobe communication and strobe operation are performed, and SW2 is determined in (22). Turn on SW1 for photometry,
Release button 2 when repeating calculation and flash communication
Is pushed to the second stroke, from (22) to (35)
Branch to the release.

(35) The mirror flip-up device 15 is operated to prepare for exposure. At the same time, the aperture driving device 14 is operated to stop down to the aperture calculated in steps 21 and 28. Step 3 when mirror up and narrowing down are completed
Move to 6.

(36) The front curtain running magnet 19 is energized to run the shutter front curtain.

(37) Wait for the shutter time calculated in steps 21 and 28.

(38) The rear curtain running magnet 20 is energized to run the rear curtain of the shutter.

(39) The winding device 16 is operated to charge the shutter and wind the film.

As described above, normal photometry and exposure operations can be performed.

Next, the operation of the flash control microcomputer 29 will be described.

FLEMR, ISOL and AVR are RAMs in the flash control microcomputer 29.

When the power is turned on from a power supply circuit (not shown), the flash control microcomputer 29 executes step 60 in FIG.
Start control from.

(60) The microcomputer 29 for camera control is initialized.

(61) 00H is stored in the accumulator A.

(62) Call a communication waiting subroutine.

FIG. 6 shows a communication waiting subroutine.

(88) The value of the accumulator A is stored in the serial IO register.

In the flash communication of the camera, the communication is started simultaneously with storing the data in the SIO register.
Since it is on the receiving side, the serial communication circuit waits for a serial clock from the camera. If the camera does not transmit SCLK, it waits forever.

(89) By setting BUSY to 0, the camera is notified that reception is possible.

(90) Wait for the camera to communicate.

Upon receiving the SCLK transmission from the camera, the flow advances to (91).

(91) The BUSY is set to 1 to indicate that reception is not possible.

(92) The transmitted data is taken out from the serial IO register SIO.

The communication is received from the camera as described above.

When one-byte communication is received from the camera, the communication waiting subroutine ends and the routine proceeds to step 63.

(63) Check the received command. 0
If it is 1H, the camera transmits the focal length, so the flow goes to step 64 to enter the focal length receiving state.

(64, 65) 00H is stored in the accumulator A.
Is stored, and communication from the camera is accepted. When the camera sends the focal length, the data from the strobe will be 00
H. Therefore, when the strobe is mounted, the branch at step 9 always proceeds to step 10.

(66) The focal length information from the camera is FL
Store in ENR. Upon completion, the flow goes to 61 and waits for a strobe command again.

(67-70) Similarly, if the command is a 02H command, ISO data is received.

(71-74) Similarly, if the command is 03H, the calculated aperture value is received.

(75) If the command is the 04H command, go to step 76 since the flash status is read.

(76, 77, 78, 79) If the output CCC of the completion detection circuit 35 is high, charging has been completed, so that the flow goes to step 78 and the camera receives 01H. Conversely, if it is not completed, 00H is transmitted to the camera.

If the command is not 01H to 04H, the control moves to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a continuation of the flowchart of the flash control microcomputer 29.

(80) Step 05 if 05H command
Go to 1.

(81, 82) The guide number is transmitted to the camera. Upon completion, the process returns to the step 61.

If the command is (83, 84) 06H, the light emission control circuit 36 is deactivated. So the camera is AE
, The strobe does not emit light even if the X contact 23 is turned on.

(85) Step 8 if 07H command
Go to 6.

(86) The amount of strobe light emission is obtained from the information on the ISO, aperture, and focal length received from the camera.

(87) The light emission control circuit 36 is set to a light emission enabled state. Then, the calculated light emission amount is set. Upon completion, the process returns to the step 61. In this way, the strobe operates according to the data received from the camera. If the photographer releases the camera while the flash is enabled, step 3
In step 6, the shutter first curtain runs, and the SWX 23 is turned on at the timing when the shutter is fully opened. The light emission control circuit 36 is SW
Flash light is emitted at the falling edge of X23. When the strobe light reaches the light emission amount obtained in step 86 in advance, the light emitting circuit 36 stops the strobe light emission. In this way, the subject is properly exposed.

The operation of the flash circuit can be performed as described above.

Next, the adjusting operation, which is the main point of the present invention, will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a camera adjustment routine.

When the camera transmits the focal length information to the strobe, and when the camera receives data of 55H, which is not possible when the strobe is attached, it is determined that the adjusting device is attached to the strobe contact, and the routine of the camera proceeds to step 9.
Jumps to the adjustment routine.

(44) Transmit AAH to the strobe. At the time of adjustment, the camera does not control the communication, but controls the communication timing from the adjustment circuit side. Therefore, the adjusting circuit drops the BUSY signal when transmitting 55H. And
BUSY goes high only when you want to send to the camera. In this way, the communication timing can be controlled from the adjustment circuit.

(45) The flash communication routine is called. If the adjustment circuit has set BUSY, it waits for the busy wait of step 40.

(46) If the transmitted command is 00H, the flow returns to step 44 to wait for communication.

(47) Otherwise, set the command to MON
Store in R.

(48) Strobe communication call, BUSY wait state.

(49) Received data is ADDR Stored in H.

(50) Call for strobe communication, BUSY
I will wait.

(51) Received data is ADDR L.

(52) Determine the value of MONR. If it is a 10H command, it is a read command, so go to step 53.

(53) RAM or EEPROM specified by the 2-byte address transmitted in steps 48 to 51
And the like.

(54) Transmit to the adjustment circuit. Upon completion, the flow returns to step 44 for command waiting.

(55-57) Similarly, if the command is a 20H command, it is a write command, so the data received from the adjustment circuit in step 56 is written to the RAM or EEPROM at the address received in steps 48-51.

(58) If the command is the 40H command, the subroutine at the address designated in steps 48 to 51 is called. Therefore, the program in the camera can be executed only by knowing the address of the subroutine on the camera side. Upon completion, the process returns to the step 44.

If a command other than 10H, 20H, and 40H is received, the process returns to step 44, ignoring the command.

As described above, various operations can be executed by reading / writing data at an arbitrary address of the camera control microcomputer 12 or calling an arbitrary subroutine via the strobe communication terminal. become.

Here, an example of the adjustment program will be described.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart in the adjusting device. Here, the case where the deviation of the photometric level is adjusted is shown.

The adjusting device 11 is attached to the terminals 4 to 7 of the camera 9 in a state where the camera can measure the reference diffused light source whose brightness is known. Here, for example, EV10.

The operation of the adjusting device is started while pressing the release button 2 of the camera. The adjustment microcomputer 38 starts operation from step 93.

(93) The microcomputer 38 for adjustment is initialized.

(94) 00H is stored in the accumulator A.

(95) Call waiting for communication.

(96) In steps (5) and (6) of FIG.
Steps 94 and 95 are repeatedly executed until the 1H command comes.

When the focal length transmission command 01H is received, the process proceeds to step 97.

(97, 98) At the same time that the focal length is received from the camera in the (7, 8) processing of FIG.
Send H.

(99, 100, 101) 00H is stored in the accumulator A, and 1-byte communication is performed in the process of (45).

If the camera successfully responds to the focal length communication response 55
After receiving H and entering the adjustment routine, the camera transmits AAH in steps 44 and 45. The adjustment program confirms the response and proceeds to step 102. If the camera did not enter the adjustment routine, the AAH
Is not transmitted, so the process returns to step 94 and starts over from the beginning.

(102) A call command is transmitted to the camera at 40H in the (45) processing again on the camera side.

(104-107) In the processing of (48) and (50), the address of the photometry subroutine is transmitted to the camera, and the brightness of the light source is measured.

That is, the address data in (104) and (106) are input to ADDRH and ADDRL in steps (49) and (51) on the camera side. On the other hand, MONR
Is input with the data 40H in the above (102). Therefore, (58) and (5) of the adjustment routine of FIG.
At 9), the addresses at (104) and (106) are called. At this address, a photometry routine is performed. After the photometry is performed as described above, the process proceeds to (108). On the other hand, the adjustment routine also returns to (44).

(108, 109) In the processing of the routine (45) on the camera side in FIG. 4, the read command 10H is transmitted to the camera. This 10H is MON in the processing of (47).
Input to R.

(110-113) Address data of the register EVR of the camera storing the photometry result is transmitted to the camera in the processing of (48) and (50) in FIG.
9) At step (51), this data is used for the ADDRH, AD
Input to DRL.

The adjustment routine is as described above (108-113).
(52) and (53) are executed based on the communication result at step (5), and the measured value stored in the address designated EVR is changed to (5).
It is sent out in the process of 4). The value of this EVR is received by the adjusting device in (114) and (115) of the adjusting program.

(116) The difference between the value of the received EVR from the predetermined photometric value to be obtained at the time of EV10 is obtained and stored in DATA.

It is assumed that the light metering routine at the time of the above adjustment is performed with the light source as EV10. Therefore, the value stored in the above data becomes an error of the photometric circuit of the camera being adjusted.

(117, 118) (44), (4) in FIG.
In the process of 5), the write command 20H is sent to the camera, and the camera receives 20H at the MONR.

(119-122) Adjustment value register ADJ
The address data of R is sent to the camera in the processing of (48) and (50) in FIG.
Input to ADDRL.

In the routine of FIG. 4 for the camera, (55) and (5) are based on 20H input to the MONR.
6) and (57) are executed. By executing (56) and (57), the data stored in the above data in (123) and (124) of the adjustment program is changed to (119 to 122).
The above register ADJR of the camera addressed by
To end the adjustment operation.

In this way, the deviation of the photometric value could be adjusted while the camera was actually operating. Needless to say, this adjustment method can be used not only for the deviation of the photometry, but also for adjustment of the inclination and the bending of the photometry, and AF and feeding. Also, the code 55H signal for entering the adjustment routine is not limited to this value, and may be any code that is not used in other actual flash communication. Further, it is more desirable to use a code of several consecutive bytes because the probability of erroneously entering the adjustment routine during actual strobe communication is reduced.

[0133]

As described above, the present invention provides a camera that can be adjusted without adding a special circuit to the camera and without disassembling the camera by using the communication terminal of the accessory shoe of the camera for adjustment as described above. Could be configured. Further, it is possible to prevent the adjustment operation from being carelessly performed during the actual operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an external appearance of a camera used for a camera adjustment device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the entire camera system in the camera adjustment device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a camera program.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an adjustment routine.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a part of a flash program.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a part of a flash program together with FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an adjustment program.

[Explanation of symbols]

 9 Camera 10 Strobe 11 Adjuster

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G03B 7/00-7/28 G03B 15/03 G03B 15/05 G03B 17/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A camera adjustment device having a communication pin connected to a communication pin of an accessory shoe unit for mounting a strobe of a camera, and accessing information in a memory in the camera via the communication pin to adjust information in the camera. A camera configured to read an adjustment program in the camera by communicating a specific command signal not used for communication with the camera when the strobe is mounted from the adjustment device to the camera via the pin. Adjustment device.