JP2997803B2 - Camera with self-check function - 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 incorporating a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as "microcomputer"), which checks the operation of the camera by itself and detects an abnormal state when the operation is abnormal. The present invention relates to a camera having a self-check function for prohibiting an operation at an abnormal state detection point.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When an abnormal operation of a camera occurs, it is common practice to take measures such as prohibiting operation of the camera in order to prevent the operation from developing into a more serious abnormal state. .

[0003]

However, even if the above-mentioned abnormal condition detection is detected, depending on the abnormal state detection position, the camera can be operated while permitting the operation of the camera other than the abnormal state detection position. Nevertheless, if the operation of the camera itself is prohibited uniformly, it is very inconvenient for the user (photographer).

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a camera having a self-checking function that enables a predetermined camera operation except for a portion determined to be abnormal even when it is determined to be abnormal. The purpose is to do.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera having a self-check function.
An abnormal state detecting means for detecting an abnormality of the camera operation together with the abnormal state occurrence part; an inhibiting means for inhibiting the operation of the abnormal state occurrence part according to the output of the abnormal state detecting means; Permission means for permitting a predetermined camera operation other than where an abnormal state occurs.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera having a self-check function, comprising: an abnormal state detecting means for detecting an abnormal operation of the camera together with an abnormal state occurrence position; Prohibiting means for prohibiting the operation of the part, determining means for determining whether or not the photographing is possible even if the prohibiting means is actuated; Control means for permitting the camera operation and prohibiting the camera operation when it is determined that the photographing is impossible.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a camera having a self-check function according to the present invention. In the camera having the self-check function according to the present invention, as shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG. 1, when an abnormality in the camera operation is detected by the abnormal state detecting means 1 together with the abnormal state occurrence part, the abnormal state detecting means 1 The output is stored in the storage means 2. Therefore, when the operation switch 3 for confirming the abnormal state is operated, only when the switch 3 is operated, the display control means 4 selects and displays the display section 5 indicating the location of the abnormality based on the storage in the storage means 2. You.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a camera having a self-check function according to the present invention. FIG.
, A checker 10 is an adjustment tool disposed outside the camera, which is required for automatic adjustment or automatic check performed at the time of production or repair of the camera, and is connected to a microcomputer 11 built in the camera, Data is sent and received by serial communication.

An E2-PROM (Electric) connected to the microcomputer 11 for transmitting and receiving data by serial communication
ally Erasable and Programmable Read Only
The memory 11 stores various adjustment data such as lens coefficients and shutter adjustment data during AF (auto focus) in the production process.
The data of the 2-PROM 12 is read, and necessary camera operations are sequentially performed. Since the DX terminal 30 for reading the DX code of the film is connected to the E2-PROM 12, the DX code is read by the microcomputer 11 together with the above data. Further, when the user uses the camera, the microcomputer 11 sends an E2−− signal to the microcomputer 11 by sending a signal indicating the number of frames of the film, a status signal such as idle feeding, winding / rewinding, etc. PROM1
2 is written. This E2-PR
When an abnormal code is written in the OM 12, the abnormal code is transmitted to the checker 10 via the microcomputer 11 and read out when the checker 10 is connected to the camera.

Liquid crystal display (hereinafter abbreviated as LCD) 1
Reference numeral 3 indicates the number of film frames, the loaded film state, the battery state, each mode of the camera (self-timer, strobe light emission inhibition, etc.), etc., according to a command from the microcomputer 11. When an operation abnormality occurs, two mode changeover switches SW1, SW2 connected between the microcomputer 11 and the ground.
Only when 2 is pressed simultaneously, an abnormal mark indicating an abnormal state and an abnormal point mark indicating an abnormal point are displayed on the LCD 13. Further, an instruction from the microcomputer 11 is given to the information imprinting device 14 to imprint the date, time and the like on the film. Further microcomputer 1
When the strobe 15 is used, the command of 1 is also given to the strobe 15 to start charging, and a charge end signal is returned from the strobe 15 to the microcomputer 11 to complete the charging. When a trigger signal is sent from the microcomputer 11 to the strobe 15 after charging is completed, the strobe 15 emits light. A light-emitting diode (hereinafter abbreviated as LED) 16 displays a self-state, a strobe notice, an in-focus state, and the like according to a command from the microcomputer 11. The operation switch section 17 includes various operation switches other than the mode changeover switches SW1 and SW2, for example, a release switch, a rewind switch, a zoom switch, and the like. The user operates these switches to operate the switches. Various operations of the camera are performed. The first of the mode changeover switches SW1 and SW2
Is a switch for switching, for example, between a strobe off mode and a forced light emission mode. Switch.

The AF unit 18 measures the distance to the subject by using a distance measuring sensor (not shown).
When the distance measurement data from the E2-PROM is input to the microcomputer 11, the distance measurement data and the E2-PROM
A lens drive amount is calculated from the lens coefficient data in the motor drive device 12 (hereinafter abbreviated as MD).
Drives the lens motor 21.

An exposure control circuit section (hereinafter abbreviated as AE section) 19 performs photometry. When photometric data from the AE section 19 is input to the microcomputer 11, the microcomputer 11 transmits the photometric data to the DX. From the data, the shutter motor 23 is controlled to properly set the exposure. Also, A
The E section 19 also checks the voltage, and when the voltage drops sharply, notifies this to the microcomputer 11 to prevent runaway of the microcomputer. The AE unit 19 further includes an MD 20
And the interface of the microcomputer 11, which contributes to reducing the number of ports of the microcomputer 11. MD20
Are based on signals from the AE unit 19, and the four motors 21 to
One out of 24 is selected and driven. When the film is rotating, the film winding / rewinding motor 24 turns on a switch 28 linked to a driven sprocket (not shown) for each frame, and outputs an ON signal to the microcomputer 11. The shutter motor 23 controls the microcomputer 11 to control the shutter by feeding back the output of the encoder 27 that generates one pulse per unit movement amount of the shutter to the AE unit 19. The zoom motor 22 outputs the output of the encoder 26 linked to the zooming to the AE unit 19.
Is controlled by the microcomputer 11. The lens motor 21 is driven based on the distance measurement data from the AF unit 18, feeds back the output of the encoder 25 to the AE unit 19, and is controlled by the microcomputer 11.
Each of the encoders 25 to 27 includes a photo interrupter or a photo reflector. When a motor is selected in the AE section 19, an encoder output linked to the motor is automatically input to the microcomputer 11. The film switch 29 is a switch that is turned on when the film is pulled out of the patrone and is present in an exposed portion (aperture portion), and is turned off when the film is wound into the patrone.

Next, the operation of the camera having the self-check function according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for judging whether the drive is wide or normal during zoom drive. In this camera, when a power switch (not shown) is turned off, the zoom lens returns to the wide position. In this case, first, it is checked whether or not the camera is at the wide position by checking the encoder 26. If the camera is originally at the wide position, the flow operation is terminated and the process returns.
In this case, since the zoom motor 22 is not moved,
The normal state and the abnormal state do not change from the previous state. If the zoom position is not the wide position, the zoom motor 22 is moved to the wide position, and it is checked whether or not the value of the encoder 26 changes at regular intervals. Under normal circumstances, the value of the encoder 26 should change until it moves to the wide position. If it does not change, the encoder 26 is regarded as abnormal and the zoom motor 22 is stopped, and the routine jumps to the <wide abnormal processing> routine. In the normal case, the camera moves to the wide position. Therefore, the above flow is repeated until the camera reaches the wide position. When the wide position is reached, the zoom motor 22 is stopped. In this case, since the normal operation is performed, the abnormal state is cleared, the wide operation ends, and the process returns.

When the routine shifts to the <wide abnormality processing> routine, first, as shown in FIG. 4, it is checked whether or not it is the first abnormality. If it is the first abnormality, the process jumps to the <wide> routine again. In this case, if it is an abnormality again, the process returns to the <wide abnormality process>, so that the second abnormality is detected at this time. However, when the zoom motor 22 becomes abnormal due to a slight mechanical hooking, the zoom motor 22 may operate normally when the zoom motor 22 is stopped once and then moved again. I will return.

If it is determined that the second abnormality has occurred, the zoom abnormality state is set, and it is checked whether the zoom position is the normal position. For example, with a zoom lens barrel that has a macro shooting function, photos cannot be taken in the range from the macro position to the normal position, so it is assumed that this zoom range is not at the normal position, and the camera is operated with key lock. Make it impossible. When the zoom position is at a position other than the above, that is, at a normal position where a picture can be taken, a picture can be taken even if the picture is abnormal, so that the process returns to the main routine with the zoom being abnormal. As a result, even if the zoom function is impaired, the user can move to a position where a picture can be taken and can take a normal picture. The normal / abnormal judgment of the other parts can be similarly performed. Table 1 shows an example of the abnormality check. The abnormal state uses one byte of the E2-PROM12,
For example, bit 0 corresponds to rewind, bit 1 corresponds to lens drive, bit 2 corresponds to zoom operation, and so on.
In the case of, it may be abnormal, and in the case of 0, it may be normal.

[0018] FIG. 5 shows a routine called <LCD from the main routine.
Display processing>.

The display of the abnormal state is performed only when the two mode changeover switches SW1 and SW2 are simultaneously pressed. That is, two mode changeover switches SW1, SW
Normal display is performed unless 2 is pressed at the same time.
When the two switches SW1 and SW2 are simultaneously pressed, it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality. If there is an abnormality, an abnormality is displayed, and if there is no abnormality, a normal display is made. The determination as to whether or not there is an abnormality is made by checking the contents of the E2-PROM 12. If the E2-PROM 12 is abnormal, it cannot be set in the E2-PROM 12, so that one bit of RAM in the microcomputer 11 is used in particular.

The normal display is displayed on the LCD 13, for example, as shown in FIG.
Is performed as shown in FIG. That is, at the approximate center position of the LCD 13, a frame number display section 31 composed of segment elements and a film loading display section 3 composed of a patrone and a film frame shape are provided.
2 and the like are displayed. The abnormal display is performed as shown in FIG. That is, when the zoom abnormality is set in the flow of FIG. 4, the two mode changeover switches SW1 and S
When W2 is pressed at the same time, an abnormal display section 33, which symbolizes a tool such as a wrench, is displayed as an abnormal mark on the left side of the display section 32 on the LCD 13, and among the segments of the frame number display section 31, Is displayed and the user is notified of the location where the abnormality has occurred. Each segment of the frame number display section 31 corresponds to each location as shown in FIG. 8, for example, the first segment 31a is a shutter, the second segment 31b is a rewind, and the third segment 31
c is lens drive, fourth segment 31d is zoom, 5th segment
The segment 31e is the strobe 15, the sixth segment 31
Each segment corresponds to a function of each unit, such as f, the AE unit 19, and the seventh segment 31g, other predetermined locations. Therefore, when the abnormality display section 33 is displayed, the user knows that the camera operation has become abnormal,
By seeing which of the segments 31a to 31g is displayed as the abnormal part mark, it is possible to immediately know which part is abnormal.

The abnormal location mark is not limited to the one in which the abnormal display of one function is represented by one segment, and a plurality of segments which are not normally displayed simultaneously in the frame number display may be simultaneously displayed. Good. The corresponding segment of the abnormal part is also displayed in the frame number display section 31.
It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained by using a segment other than the above segment.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, when an abnormal state of operation of a camera is detected together with a place where an abnormal state occurs, the operation of the abnormal place is prohibited, and the abnormal state detection place is detected. There is an effect that a predetermined camera operation other than the above can be permitted and shooting can be continued. If it is determined that the photographing is impossible due to the abnormality at the abnormal state occurrence location, the operation of the camera can be prohibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a camera having a self-check function according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a camera having a self-check function according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a self-check of the operation of the camera shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a self-check of the operation of the camera shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a self-check of the operation of the camera shown in FIG. 2;

6 is a plan view showing a normal display state and an abnormal display state in the display pattern of the LCD in FIG. 2, respectively.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a normal display state and an abnormal display state in the display pattern of the LCD in FIG. 2 respectively;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating each function of abnormal display of each segment of the frame number display section on the LCD.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Abnormal state detection means 2 ... Storage means 3 ... Operation switch 4 ... Display control means 5 ... Display part 11 ... Microcomputer (abnormal state detection means, display control means) 12 ... E2-PROM (Storage means) 13 ... LCD (Display) Section) 31a to 31g ... segment (display section) SW1, SW2 ... mode switching device (operation switch)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03B 17/02 G03B 7/00

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] An abnormal state detecting means for detecting an abnormal operation of a camera together with an abnormal state occurrence part, an inhibiting means for inhibiting the operation of the abnormal state occurrence part in response to an output of the abnormal state detecting means, A camera having a self-check function, comprising: a permission unit that permits a predetermined camera operation other than the abnormal state occurrence position even when operated. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said prohibiting means prohibits the operation at the location where the abnormal condition occurs when the abnormal condition detecting means detects a predetermined plurality of abnormalities. Camera with check function. 3. An abnormal state detecting means for detecting an abnormal operation of the camera together with an abnormal state occurrence position, an inhibiting means for inhibiting the operation of the abnormal state occurrence position in accordance with an output of the abnormal state detecting means, A determining means for determining whether or not the image can be captured even when acting; if the determining means determines that the image capturing is possible, the camera operation other than the abnormal state occurrence location is permitted, and if it is determined that the image capturing is impossible, A camera having a self-check function, comprising: control means for prohibiting operation of the camera. 4. A camera having a self-check function according to claim 1, wherein said abnormal condition detecting means detects an abnormal operation of the photographing lens.