JP7154876B2 - Accessories and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an accessory that can be mounted between an interchangeable lens and a camera body and that operates the diaphragm of the interchangeable lens.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a lens adapter that can be mounted between an interchangeable lens and a camera body and that has an operation ring (aperture ring) for controlling the aperture of the interchangeable lens (manual aperture operation). ing.

Conventionally, there has been known a lens adapter that can be attached between an interchangeable lens that does not support manual aperture operation and a camera body that supports manual aperture operation, and that has an operation ring for manual aperture operation. ing. The lens adapter transmits operation information of the operation ring by the user to the camera body, and the camera body controls the aperture based on the received operation information. In this way, by interposing the lens adapter between the interchangeable lens and the camera body, manual aperture operation can be performed for the interchangeable lens that is not compatible with manual aperture operation.

JP 2011-95689 A

However, with a conventional lens adapter, manual aperture operation cannot be performed if both the interchangeable lens and the camera body do not support manual aperture operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an accessory and a program that are mounted between an interchangeable lens that does not support manual aperture operation and a camera body, and that enable manual aperture operation to be realized.

An accessory as one aspect of the present invention is an accessory that can be mounted between a lens device and an imaging device, and includes a communication unit that communicates with each of the lens device and the imaging device, and an operation member that can be operated by a user. and a control unit that transmits a control signal generated based on the operation of the operation member, the control signal for controlling drive of the aperture of the lens device to the lens device via the communication unit . have.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program comprising: a computer provided in an accessory attachable between a lens device and an imaging device; detecting a user's operation of an operation member provided in the accessory; and sending a signal generated based on the operation of the operation member, the signal for controlling the aperture of the lens device to the lens device .

Other objects and features of the invention are described in the following embodiments.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an accessory and a program that are mounted between an interchangeable lens that does not support manual aperture operation and a camera body, and that can implement manual aperture operation.

1 is a block diagram of a camera system in each embodiment; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of manual aperture control in each embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of manual aperture control in each embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, referring to FIG. 1, a camera system according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a camera system (imaging system) 1. As shown in FIG. The camera system 1 includes an interchangeable lens (lens device) 2 , a camera body (imaging device) 3 , and a lens adapter (accessory) 4 mountable between the interchangeable lens 2 and the camera body 3 .

The interchangeable lens 2 is detachable with respect to the camera body 3 . Also, in this embodiment, the interchangeable lens 2 can be attached to the camera body 3 via the lens adapter 4 . The lens adapter 4 has connection mounts at both ends thereof that enable communication (lens-camera communication) between the interchangeable lens 2 and the camera body 3, and one end is detachable from the interchangeable lens 2. , the other end of which is detachable from the camera body 3 . With such a configuration, the interchangeable lens 2 and the camera body 3 can be indirectly connected via the lens adapter 4 .

In this embodiment, the interchangeable lens 2 and the camera body 3 have different flange focal lengths, and the lens adapter 4 is designed to compensate for the flange focal length difference. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lens adapter 4 may be an adapter that is used for the interchangeable lens 2 and the camera body 3 that have no design difference in flange back, as typified by an extender. When the lens adapter 4 is an extender, the interchangeable lens 2 or the camera body 3 is configured to be able to recognize that the lens adapter 4 is an extender and extender information such as its magnification. In addition, the optical information handled by the interchangeable lens 2 or the camera body 3 is appropriately converted so as to handle appropriate optical information such as changes in focal length and aperture value due to the interposition of the lens adapter 4 as an extender. , or preferably to switch data.

The interchangeable lens 2, the lens adapter 4, and the camera body 3 are mechanically connected via mounts (connectors) (not shown). A communication unit 27 is provided in the connector of the interchangeable lens 2 . A communication unit 33 is provided in the connector of the camera body 3 . A connector of the lens adapter 4 is provided with communication units 45 and 46 . With such a configuration, communication between the interchangeable lens 2 and the lens adapter 4 and communication between the camera body 3 and the lens adapter 4 are possible. Power is supplied from the camera body 3 to the interchangeable lens 2 and the lens adapter 4 via communication units 27 , 45 , 46 , and 33 .

The lens adapter 4 includes an adapter CPU 41 , communication units 45 and 46 and an operation member 43 . The operation member 43 is an input device that can be operated by the user and is used to specify (instruct) the drive direction (the direction to increase or decrease the aperture diameter) and drive amount of the diaphragm 23 . In this embodiment, the operating member 43 is an aperture ring. The aperture ring (operating member 43) is an operation ring arranged along the outer circumference of the housing of the lens adapter 4. The direction of rotation of the aperture ring (operating member 43) designates the driving direction of the aperture 23, and the amount of rotation determines the amount of driving the aperture 23. can be specified. However, the operation member 43 is not limited to the aperture ring, and may be configured by other input devices such as a rotary selector, an analog stick, or a seesaw switch (seesaw button). Here, the seesaw switch is an operation button configured to allow at least two inputs, and the driving direction of the aperture is determined by the operated button, and the aperture is driven according to the amount or duration of depression of the button. The amount and drive speed can be determined.

The adapter CPU 41 is adapter control means for controlling all operations within the lens adapter 4, and includes a microcomputer and the like. The adapter CPU 41 incorporates storage means (memory) such as RAM, ROM, and EEPROM, and has a communication section 42 and an aperture control section 44 . The communication unit 42 controls communication with the camera body 3 and communication with the interchangeable lens 2, respectively. The communication unit 42 receives a signal (data) transmitted from the camera body 3 and transmits the signal or a signal based on the signal to the interchangeable lens 2 as necessary. The communication unit 42 also receives a signal (data) transmitted from the interchangeable lens 2 and transmits the signal or a signal based on the signal to the camera body 3 as necessary. The communication unit 42 spontaneously communicates with the interchangeable lens 2 and the camera body 3 as necessary, the details of which will be described later. The aperture control unit 44 acquires operation information (output signal of the operation member 43) from the operation member (aperture ring) 43 based on the user's operation, and controls driving of the aperture 23 (manual aperture control). Details of this process will be described later.

The interchangeable lens 2 includes a lens CPU 20, an imaging optical system 21, a focus drive circuit 22, an aperture (aperture blades, aperture mechanism) 23, a stepping motor (drive means) 25 for driving the aperture 23, an aperture drive circuit 26, and It has a communication unit 27 . The lens CPU 20 is lens control means for controlling all the parts of the interchangeable lens 2, and includes a microcomputer and the like. The lens CPU 20 incorporates storage means such as RAM, ROM, and EEPROM, and controls driving of the stepping motor 25 via the diaphragm drive circuit 26 . The stepping motor 25 and the aperture drive circuit 26 constitute an aperture drive mechanism for driving the aperture 23 .

A diaphragm driving circuit 26 drives a stepping motor 25 to change the aperture diameter of the diaphragm 23, thereby changing the diaphragm value (F value) and adjusting the amount of light. In the present invention, the driving means for the diaphragm 23 is not limited to the stepping motor 25, and other electromagnetic motors such as DC motors and AC motors may be used. The communication unit 27 has a plurality of communication terminals for communication between the lens CPU 20 and the camera CPU 30, and transmits/receives focus detection information, photometry information, ID information, and the like. In this embodiment, the lens adapter 4 is interposed between the lens CPU 20 and the camera CPU 30 . Therefore, the lens CPU 20 communicates with the adapter CPU 41 via the communication unit 27 and the communication unit 45 of the lens adapter 4 .

The camera body 3 has a camera CPU 30 , a control system power supply 31 , a drive system power supply 32 , a communication unit 33 , a lens attachment detection section 34 , a focus detection unit 35 and an imaging element 36 . The communication unit 33 has a plurality of communication terminals for communication between the camera CPU 30 and the lens CPU 20, and transmits/receives focus detection information, photometry information, ID information, and the like. In this embodiment, the lens adapter 4 is interposed between the camera CPU 30 and the lens CPU 20 . Therefore, the camera CPU 30 communicates with the adapter CPU 41 via the communication unit 33 and the communication unit 46 of the lens adapter 4 .

Next, Example 1 of the present invention will be described. First, the operating member (aperture ring) 43 will be described. In this embodiment, the operation member 43 incorporates a rotation detection mechanism. When the user rotates the operation member 43, the adapter CPU 41 (aperture control unit 44) can detect the direction and amount of rotation of the operation member 43 using the rotation detection mechanism. The rotation detection mechanism includes a photoelectric or magnetic rotary encoder, an optical or magnetic encoder, or an encoder configured with a board on which a conductive pattern is printed and a conductive brush, but is limited to these. not to be

Next, manual aperture control (manual aperture operation) in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of manual aperture control.

The aperture control unit 44 monitors (detects) the operation amount and the operation direction of the operation member 43 by the user's operation. Upon receiving the operation detection (SEQ1) of the operation member 43, the aperture control unit 44 performs processing for changing the driving amount and the driving direction of the aperture 23. FIG. The aperture control unit 44 converts the operation amount and the operation direction of the operation member 43 into the drive amount and the drive direction of the aperture 23 in the aperture drive amount and drive direction conversion processing, respectively. At this time, the diaphragm control unit 44 calculates the relative driving amount of the diaphragm 23 based on the operation amount of the operation member 43 and determines the driving direction of the diaphragm 23 based on the operation direction of the operation member 43 . Further, in the present embodiment, an arbitrary constant defined value is used for the driving speed of the diaphragm 23 in manual diaphragm control. Therefore, in this embodiment, the diaphragm control unit 44 should transmit at least the driving direction and driving amount of the diaphragm 23 .

Subsequently, the aperture control unit 44 executes aperture drive requests (SEQ2) and (SEQ3) via the communication unit 42 using the drive direction, drive amount, and drive speed of the aperture 23 described above. The details of the method for determining the drive direction, drive amount, and drive speed of the aperture 23 based on detection of operation of the operation member 43 in the aperture controller 44 will be described later. Based on the aperture drive request (SEQ3) received from the adapter CPU 41, the lens CPU 20 controls the drive of the aperture 23 according to the requested drive direction, drive amount, and drive speed (performs aperture drive control).

In the camera system 1 of this embodiment, an optical information request (SEQ4) is periodically issued (transmitted) from the camera CPU 30 to the lens CPU 20 . In this embodiment, since the adapter CPU 41 is interposed between the camera CPU 30 and the lens CPU 20 , the optical information request transmitted from the camera CPU 30 is once received by the adapter CPU 41 . In this embodiment, the optical information request is issued from the camera CPU 30 even during aperture drive control.

The optical information request (SEQ4) transmitted from the camera CPU 30 is received by the communication section 42 of the adapter CPU 41 and processed as follows. First, the communication unit 42 of the adapter CPU 41 requests the lens CPU 20 for the current aperture value (SEQ5). The communication unit 42 also receives the current aperture value response (SEQ6) of the aperture 23 during aperture drive control. Assume that the current aperture value at this time is F3.2, for example. Here, the current aperture value (F3.2) is the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the brightness range that can be set for the current aperture 23 (hereinafter referred to as the upper brightness limit value and the lower brightness limit value, respectively). .2, and transmits an optical information response (SEQ7) to the camera CPU 30; That is, the adapter CPU 41 sets the brightness upper limit value and the brightness lower limit value (minimum F3.2, maximum F3.2) based on the current aperture value (current F3.2) received from the lens CPU 20 . The adapter CPU 41 then transmits the current aperture value, the upper limit value of brightness, and the lower limit value of brightness to the camera CPU 30 as optical information. Since the optical information request is transmitted from the camera CPU 30 even during aperture drive control, the communication unit 42 of the adapter CPU 41 executes SEQ8 to 10 and transmits an optical information response (SEQ11) in the same manner as described above.

As described above, the aperture control unit 44 monitors (detects) the operation amount and the operation direction of the operation member 43, and counts the operation amount and the operation direction of the operation member 43 detected per unit time. However, the counting method of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a method of performing aperture drive amount and drive direction conversion processing each time a predetermined operation amount is detected.

As described above, the aperture control unit 44 that has received the operation detection (SEQ1) performs aperture drive amount and drive direction conversion processing. In the diaphragm driving amount and driving direction conversion processing, the operation amount and the operation direction of the operation member 43 are converted into the driving amount and the operation direction of the diaphragm 23, respectively. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the drive amount of the diaphragm 23 per unit operation amount of the operation member 43 is defined as a unique value. It is also assumed that the drive direction of the diaphragm corresponding to the operation direction of the operation member 43 is uniquely associated and defined. At this time, the diaphragm control unit 44 calculates the relative driving amount of the diaphragm 23 based on the operation amount of the operation member 43 and determines the driving direction of the diaphragm 23 based on the operation direction of the operation member 43 . In addition, in this embodiment, an arbitrary constant definition value is used for the driving speed of the diaphragm 23 in manual diaphragm control. At this time, the aperture control unit 44 executes aperture drive requests (SEQ2) and (SEQ3) via the communication unit 42. FIG. The lens CPU 20 that has received the aperture drive request (SEQ3) controls the drive of the aperture 23 according to the requested drive direction, drive amount, and drive speed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of manual aperture control. Each step in FIG. 3 is executed by the adapter CPU 41 (communication section 42, aperture control section 44) according to a program.

First, in step S1, the aperture control unit 44 detects an operation of the operation member 43 by the user (operation detection SEQ1). Subsequently, in step S<b>2 , the aperture control unit 44 determines the drive amount and drive direction of the aperture 23 based on the operation amount and the operation direction of the operation member 43 . Then, the communication unit 42 transmits the driving amount and driving direction determined by the aperture control unit 44 to the interchangeable lens 2 (lens CPU 20) as a drive command (control signal for controlling the drive of the aperture 23) (aperture drive request). SEQ2, SEQ3). Subsequently, in step S3, the communication unit 42 requests the current F value (current aperture value) of the aperture 23 from the lens CPU 20 in response to the optical information request SEQ4 from the camera CPU 30 (current aperture value request SEQ5). . If the system specification is such that the lens CPU 20 transmits the current F-number to the camera CPU 30 periodically (for example, at each vertical synchronization signal) even if the adapter CPU 41 does not request it, step S3 is unnecessary. be.
Subsequently, in step S4, the communication unit 42 receives the current F-number of the diaphragm 23 (current aperture value response SEQ6) from the lens CPU 20. FIG. Subsequently, in step S5, the communication unit transmits optical information to the camera body (camera CPU 30) (optical information response SEQ7).

According to the lens adapter 4 of the present embodiment, even in the camera system 1 in which the interchangeable lens 2 having no manual diaphragm function is combined with the camera body 3, the manual diaphragm function can be realized.

By operating the operation member 43, when the interchangeable lens 2 is viewed from the camera body 3, the brightness (F number) of the diaphragm 23 changes even when the interchangeable lens 2 is not instructed to drive the diaphragm 23. - 特許庁At this time, by notifying the camera body 3 from the lens adapter 4 of the upper and lower brightness limits of the aperture 23 as the current F-number, the AE process in the camera body 3 attempts to keep the exposure constant by issuing a drive command to the aperture 23. can be suppressed. In the AE process at this time, the exposure is made constant by changing parameter settings (for example, shutter time and ISO setting) related to exposure other than aperture drive control. In other words, while causing the camera CPU 30 to perform AE processing based on the current F-number, it is possible to suppress issuance of an aperture drive request from the camera CPU 30 and allow the user to freely control the aperture value (F-number).

In this embodiment, the current aperture value (current F-number) is used as information about the brightness of the aperture 23, but the present invention is not limited to this. The information about the brightness of the diaphragm 23 may be information about the F-number instead of the current F-number itself. Information about the F value is, for example, a normalized value for ease of handling by a computer. Alternatively, the information regarding the F-number may be a relative amount from the reference brightness information. Further, the information regarding the brightness of the diaphragm 23 may be the driving step position of the diaphragm 23 (or the absolute coordinates of the diaphragm driving mechanism). For example, when the one-step drive amount and the F-number change amount are associated as design values, the number of drive steps itself is a value that indirectly expresses the F-number. Alternatively, the drive step position of the diaphragm 23 may be a value expressed as a relative amount from the reference brightness information. The information about the brightness of the diaphragm 23 is an evaluation value of the driving amount of the diaphragm driving mechanism obtained using an encoder attached to the diaphragm driving mechanism, and is, for example, a relative coordinate or an absolute coordinate from a reference position. . When one unit of drive position coordinates is associated with the amount of change in F-number, brightness information corresponding to the F-number can be expressed based on the information on the drive position coordinates of the aperture drive mechanism. Alternatively, information regarding the relative amount from the reference brightness information may be used.

Next, Example 2 of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the method of determining the optical information of the diaphragm 23, that is, the method of calculating the optical information responding in SEQ7 and SEQ11 in FIG. Other basic configurations and methods of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, as the optical information of the aperture 23 that responds to the camera CPU 30, the current F-number and brightness are obtained based on the sum of the aperture drive amounts specified in the aperture drive requests that the adapter CPU 41 has transmitted so far. Set the upper limit and the lower limit of brightness. In this embodiment, the adapter CPU 41 also has a RAM area (storage section) for storing the aperture value (F value). In this embodiment, the storage unit can store the F value before issuing the drive command and the drive target F value as the aperture value.

The F value is stored in the storage unit through the communication unit 42 in the following procedure. First, the initial values of the F-number before issuance of the drive command and the drive target F-number are the maximum open F-number set when the interchangeable lens 2 is activated. As for the F-number before issuing the drive command, the maximum open F-number is set via the communication unit 42 when the diaphragm 23 is initialized and driven. When the aperture drive command is issued, the drive target F value stored in the storage unit is updated. When the adapter CPU 41 detects completion of driving of the aperture 23 through communication with the lens CPU 20, it updates the F-number before issuing the drive command in accordance with the aperture drive command.

In this embodiment, the adapter CPU 41 sets the same value as the F value before issuing the drive command as the brightness upper limit value and the brightness lower limit value (optical information) at the optical information responses SEQ7 and SEQ11 in FIG. Preferably, adapter CPU 41 has one or more timers and time storage means. The time storage means is a part of the RAM area of the adapter CPU 41 and stores at least the time (or the timer count value at that instant) at which the drive processing request is made as the drive start time via the communication unit 42 . When the adapter CPU 41 detects completion of driving of the diaphragm 23 through communication with the lens CPU 20 , the communication unit 42 initializes the driving start time. At this time, optical information responses SEQ7 and SEQ11 in FIG. 2 are performed as follows.

When receiving the optical information requests SEQ4 and SEQ8 from the camera CPU 30, the communication unit 42 of the adapter CPU 41 confirms the driving start time. If the drive start time has been initialized, aperture drive control is not in progress. Therefore, the aperture control unit 44 sets the drive target F-number as the current F-number, sets the brightness upper limit value and the brightness lower limit value to the same values as the current F-number, and responds to the camera CPU 30 (SEQ7, SEQ11).

Next, a case where the drive start time is stored when the communication unit 42 receives the optical information requests SEQ4 and SEQ8 from the camera CPU 30 will be described. At this time, the diaphragm 23 is under drive control. Therefore, the current F value (Fno) is the F value (FnoPRE) before issuing the drive command, the current time Tnow acquired by the timer, the time Treq at which the drive processing request was made, the drive speed Vreq specified at the time of the aperture drive request, and the unit drive It can be calculated using the F value change amount Fref per amount. That is, the current F value is represented by the following formula (1).

Fno=FnoPRE+Vreq×(Tnow−Treq)×Fref … (1)
The adapter CPU 41 sets the current F-number based on equation (1), sets the same values as the current F-number as the brightness upper limit value and the brightness lower limit value, and responds to the camera CPU 30 with these values as optical information. (SEQ7, SEQ11).

Next, Example 3 of the present invention will be described. This embodiment differs from Embodiments 1 and 2 in the method of determining the optical information of the diaphragm 23, that is, the method of calculating the optical information that responds in SEQ7 and SEQ11 in FIG. Other basic configurations and methods of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The optical information of the aperture 23 can be used for the convenience of internal processing of the camera body 3, for example, the upper limit value of brightness and the lower limit value of brightness must be an F number on the 1/8 step resolution series. Values may be constrained. It is assumed that the lens adapter 4 of this embodiment knows in advance the F-number (settable F-number) that can be set for the brightness upper limit value and the brightness lower limit value. The settable F value can be obtained each time by calculation of the adapter CPU 41 . Alternatively, all series F-values corresponding to the range of F-values to be used may be stored as a table in the RAM area or ROM area (that is, storage unit), and the adapter CPU 41 may select a settable F-value from the table. good. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the settable F values are stored in the ROM area (storage unit) as a table.

Upon receiving the optical information requests SEQ4 and SEQ8 from the camera CPU 30, the communication unit 42 transmits current aperture value requests (SEQ5 and SEQ9) to the lens CPU 20 and acquires the current aperture value from the lens CPU 20 (current aperture value response SEQ6 , SEQ10) The method of acquiring the current aperture value may be either of the methods of Embodiment 1 or 2. When the current aperture value is determined, the adapter CPU 41 determines the brightness upper limit value and the brightness lower limit value by the following method. In other words, when the current aperture value is determined, the adapter CPU 41 refers to a table (settable F-number table) in the ROM area (storage unit) and specifies (selects) the F-number closest to the current aperture value. ), and the adapter CPU 41 sets the selected F number as the brightness upper limit value and the brightness lower limit value.

In this embodiment, the F-number selected at this time is not limited to the F-number closest to the current aperture value in the table. For example, the closest f-number in either direction brighter or darker than the current aperture value may be selected. The communication unit 42 transmits the current aperture value, the brightness upper limit value, and the brightness lower limit value determined as described above to the camera CPU 30 as optical information of the aperture 23 (optical information response SEQ7, SEQ11).

Next, Example 4 of the present invention will be described. This embodiment differs from Embodiments 1 to 3 in that the lens adapter 4 can control ON/OFF of the manual aperture function. That is, although the camera system in which the manual aperture function can always be used has been described in the first to third embodiments, the user's convenience can be improved by performing ON/OFF control (switching between valid and invalid) of the manual aperture function according to the situation. can increase Therefore, in this embodiment, a method for controlling ON/OFF of the manual aperture function according to the shooting mode, more specifically, a method that allows the manual aperture function to be used (enabled) only when the movie shooting mode is set. explain how to Other basic configurations and methods of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the adapter CPU 41 has a storage section in its internal RAM area for storing the manual aperture function status. The storage unit stores an invalid status (information indicating that the manual aperture function is invalid) as an initial value of the manual aperture function status. In this embodiment, when the operation detection (SEQ1) of the operating member 43 occurs, the aperture control unit 44 confirms the manual aperture function status during aperture drive amount and drive direction conversion processing. When the manual aperture function status is the invalid status, the aperture control unit 44 does not perform subsequent processing (manual aperture control) related to the manual aperture function.

The communication unit 42 communicates with the camera CPU 30 at predetermined intervals, transmits a command requesting a shooting mode (information about the shooting mode) to the camera CPU 30 , and acquires information about the shooting mode from the camera CPU 30 . The adapter CPU 41 (communication unit 42) sets the manual aperture function status to valid (enables the manual aperture function) when the shooting mode acquired from the camera CPU 30 is the moving image shooting mode. On the other hand, when the shooting mode acquired from the camera CPU 30 is a shooting mode other than the moving image shooting mode, such as a still image shooting mode, the adapter CPU 41 sets the manual aperture function status to invalid (invalidates the manual aperture function). In this embodiment, the manual aperture function is enabled/disabled according to the moving image shooting mode or the still image shooting mode, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the manual aperture function is set according to other shooting modes. You may set valid/invalid of a function.

According to this embodiment, the manual aperture function (manual aperture control) can be enabled/disabled in accordance with the shooting mode of the camera body 3, thereby improving user convenience.

Next, Example 5 of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment in that it is possible to turn ON/OFF the manual diaphragm function based on the user's operation (instruction). That is, in the fourth embodiment, a method for switching between enabling and disabling the manual aperture function according to the shooting mode has been described. Explain how to do it.

In this embodiment, the housing of the lens adapter 4 is provided with a switch (switching operation member) for switching between valid/invalid (ON/OFF) of the manual aperture function. When the switch is ON, the adapter CPU 41 enables the manual diaphragm function. On the other hand, when the switch is OFF, the adapter CPU 41 disables the manual diaphragm function.

The flow of processing will be described with reference to the processing sequence of FIG. Check the switch for turning the function ON/OFF. When the switch is OFF, the diaphragm control section 44 does not perform subsequent processes related to the manual diaphragm function.

Thus, in each embodiment, the accessory (lens adapter 4) can be mounted between the lens device (interchangeable lens 2) and the imaging device (camera body 3), and includes the communication section 42, the operation member 43, and the , and a control unit (aperture control unit 44). The communication unit 42 communicates with each of the lens device and the imaging device. The operating member is operable by a user. The control unit controls the aperture 23 of the lens device via the communication unit based on the operation of the operation member.

Preferably, the control unit transmits control signals (drive commands, aperture drive requests SEQ2 and SEQ3) for controlling drive of the aperture to the lens device via the communication unit. More preferably, the control unit determines the drive direction and drive amount of the diaphragm according to the operation direction and operation amount (rotation direction, rotation amount, etc.) of the operation member and generates the control signal.

Preferably, the control unit receives first information, which is information about the brightness of the aperture, from the lens device via the communication unit, and transmits second information, which is optical information about the aperture, to the imaging device. More preferably, the first information is an aperture value (current aperture value). Also preferably, the second information includes the first information received from the lens device.

Preferably, the control unit transmits a control signal (drive command) for controlling drive of the diaphragm to the lens device via the communication unit. The control unit also integrates the control signal (driving amount of the drive command) to calculate the drive target position of the aperture, and calculates the aperture value (actual aperture value) corresponding to the drive target position as the target aperture value of the aperture. Then, the control unit transmits the target aperture value as second information to the imaging device via the communication unit. More preferably, the first information is information indicating a range of brightness that can be set for the aperture (for example, upper and lower limits of brightness that can be set for the aperture). Also preferably, the control unit selects data corresponding to the first information from a table stored in the storage unit, and transmits the data selected from the table to the imaging device as the second information.

Preferably, the control unit switches between enabling and disabling aperture control based on the operation of the operation member, according to the shooting mode. More preferably, the control unit enables aperture control based on operation of the operating member when the shooting mode is the moving image shooting mode, and enables aperture control based on the operation of the operating member when the shooting mode is the still image shooting mode. Disable control. Further, preferably, the control unit switches between validating and invalidating the control of the aperture based on the operation of the operation member according to the setting by the user.

(Other examples)
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by processing to It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

According to each embodiment, it is possible to provide an accessory and a program that are mounted between an interchangeable lens that does not support manual aperture operation and a camera body, and that can implement manual aperture operation.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist.

4 Lens adapter (accessory)
42 Camera lens communication unit (communication unit)
43 Operation member 44 Aperture control unit (control unit)

Claims (12)

An accessory attachable between a lens device and an imaging device,
a communication unit that communicates with each of the lens device and the imaging device;
an operating member operable by a user;
a control unit that transmits a control signal generated based on the operation of the operation member, the control signal for controlling drive of the aperture of the lens device to the lens device via the communication unit. An accessory characterized by: 2. The accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines the driving direction and the driving amount of the diaphragm according to the operating direction and the operating amount of the operating member, and generates the control signal. The control unit, via the communication unit,
receiving first information, which is information about the brightness of the aperture, from the lens device;
3. The accessory according to claim 1, wherein second information, which is optical information relating to said diaphragm, is transmitted to said imaging device. 4. The accessory according to claim 3 , wherein said first information is an aperture value. 5. An accessory according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein said second information comprises said first information received from said lens device. The control unit
calculating a drive target position of the aperture by integrating the control signals;
calculating an aperture value corresponding to the drive target position as a target aperture value of the aperture;
6. The accessory according to any one of claims 3 to 5 , wherein the target aperture value is transmitted to the imaging device via the communication unit as the second information. 6. The accessory according to any one of claims 3 to 5 , wherein the first information is information indicating a range of brightness that can be set for the diaphragm. The control unit
selecting data corresponding to the first information from a table stored in a storage unit;
8. The accessory according to any one of claims 3 to 7 , wherein the data selected from the table is transmitted to the imaging device as the second information. 9. The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the control unit switches between validating and invalidating the control of the aperture based on the operation of the operation member, according to a shooting mode. accessories. The control unit
enabling control of the aperture based on the operation of the operation member when the shooting mode is a moving image shooting mode;
10. The accessory according to claim 9 , wherein the control of the aperture based on the operation of the operation member is disabled when the shooting mode is a still image shooting mode. 9. The controller according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the control unit switches between validating and invalidating the control of the aperture based on the operation of the operation member according to the setting by the user. accessories described in . A computer provided in an accessory that can be attached between the lens device and the imaging device,
detecting a user's operation of an operation member provided on the accessory ;
and sending a signal generated based on the operation of the operation member, the signal for controlling the aperture of the lens device to the lens device .

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