JPH02211433A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily input camera information even in any using state in parallel to a releasing operation by providing a dial for camera information input at the position on a rear cover where the dial can be operated with the thumb. CONSTITUTION:On the rear cover 20 of a camera main body 10, the dial 30 for camera information input is arranged at the position where the dial can be operated with the thumb in a camera holding state. While the shutter button is released in photography with the index finger, the dial 30 on the rear cover is rotated with the thumb and the rotation manipulated variable and rotational position are converted by a specific dial circuit into electric signals, which are inputted to a microcomputer. Consequently, various pieces of information can easily be inputted in vertical position photography and photography using the motor driving device in parallel to the releasing operation to make the camera extremely easy to use and securely obtain a shutter chance.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) This invention relates to a camera, and in particular to a camera having a multi-function dial on the back cover surface for inputting various information to the camera. be.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional cameras are provided with operation members such as levers, dials, or buttons on the surface of the camera as information input devices, and the operation members are separated for each type of input information. Therefore, when inputting a plurality of pieces of mutually different information into the camera, the camera user needs to operate a plurality of operation members simultaneously.

Furthermore, in most conventional cameras, the operating member is placed on the front or top surface of the camera, particularly near the release button.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The conventional camera described above has the following problems.

(1) If you try to input information into the camera when taking a picture using a camera whose operating member is installed on the front or top of the camera, you must operate the operating member with your index finger, middle finger, ring finger, etc. This makes it extremely difficult to operate, and you often have to take your finger off the release button. Therefore, photo opportunities are often missed.

(11) If you want to take pictures in a vertical position with a motor drive device (high-speed winding device) attached to the camera, you must operate the vertical release button provided on the motor drive device. Since the operating member is not located near the release button, the operating member cannot be operated, and therefore information cannot be input in parallel with the shutter release operation.

(m) When holding the camera vertically to take pictures in a vertical position, you must also operate the vertical release button provided at the bottom of the camera, but in this case, as in (l l), the release button must be pressed. Since there is no operating member near the shutter release, it is not possible to input information in parallel with the shutter release operation.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems inherent in the conventional camera described above, and to provide an improved camera that allows information input operations to be easily performed in parallel with the shutter release operation in any usage state of the camera. The objective is to provide a camera with

(Means for Solving the Problems) In the camera according to the present invention, an information input dial that can be operated with the thumb is provided on the back cover surface of the camera and at a position near the thumb when the camera is held. According to the camera of the present invention, which is characterized by:
Both when shooting in a vertical position and when using a converter drive device, it is possible to easily input various information in parallel with the shutter release operation. It also provides a camera that is extremely easy to use and allows you to reliably capture any photo opportunity.

[For production]

In the camera of the present invention, various information is sent to the microcomputer inside the camera while taking a picture by pressing the shutter release button with the index or middle finger and rotating the dial 30 on the back cover surface with the thumb. can be input. Also, when shooting in a vertical position with the high-speed winding device attached to the camera body, or when shooting with the camera body in the vertical position, you can operate the dial 30 with your thumb while pressing the shutter release button. can.

〔Example〕

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

1 to 4, 10 is the camera body, 11 is the eyepiece, 12 is a button to be operated when performing exposure compensation or aperture setting, 13 is a known AE rotary button, 14
is the shutter release button, 15 is the first multi-function dial that is rotated when determining the exposure compensation value or aperture setting value, and button 12 is the exposure compensation dial when the camera is set to automatic exposure control. This button also functions as an aperture setting button for setting the aperture of the lens when the camera is set to manual exposure, and the dial 15 is rotated at the same time as the button 12 is pressed. By operating it, an exposure compensation value is input or an aperture value is set.

20 is a back cover; 20a is a finger rest provided on the back cover 20 and serves as a place for the thumb when holding the camera; 3;
0 is a second information input multi-function dial provided on the surface of the back cover 20, and this dial has a rotation axis substantially parallel to the optical axis of the photographic lens, and is located below the finger rest 20a. During operation, information can be input simply by slightly moving the thumb resting on the finger rest 20a.

21 is a dial lock switch for prohibiting information input using the dial 30. Also, in FIG. 4, 40 is a high-speed winding device attached to the camera body 10, and the high-speed winding device 40 is When the camera body 10 is attached to a camera and used, the camera body 10 is placed in a vertical position as shown in FIG. Note that the high-speed winding device 40 is provided with a release button (not shown) for vertical position.
The release button is used in the holding state as shown in Figure s4.

FIG. S shows the back M20 in an open state. As shown in FIG. 6, a click board 32 that rotates together with the dial 30 is arranged on the back side of the back M20.
A printed wiring board 33 on which a conductor pattern 33a is formed is fixed to the click board 32, as also shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a click ball 34 that fits into a recess formed on the outer periphery of the click plate 32 is disposed, and a spring 35 biasing the ball 34 toward the recess is activated by the back cover. It is provided on the back side of 20. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the back M20
The conductor pattern 33a of the printed wiring board 33 is on the back side of the printed wiring board 33.
A switch 31 having three sliding contact pieces 31a to 31c that slides into contact with the back cover 20 is fixed.
It is electrically connected to a dial circuit 56 (FIG. 7) on the circuit board/board 23 attached to the back side of the dial circuit 56 (FIG. 7).

Although not shown in FIG. 5, the same printed wiring board 33 and click board 32 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are attached to the dial 15. A switch having three contact pieces that make sliding contact with the conductor pattern is provided in the camera body 10, and the contact pieces connect to a dial circuit on another circuit board (not shown) installed in the camera body. 55 (FIG. 8).

The dial circuits 55 and 56 are circuits for converting the rotational operation amount and rotational position of the dials 15 and 30, respectively, into electrical signals, and as will be explained later with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, The circuits 55 and 56 have terminals Vcc,
RE Q,,, 5OtlT.

It has 5CLK and GND. And the terminals Vcc, RES, REQ of the dial circuit 56.

5OUT, 5CLK, and GND are terminals 22a to 22f provided on the back side of the back cover 20 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8.
It is connected to the. Note that the terminals 22a to 22f provided on the back side of the back cover 20 come into contact with contacts 16a to 16f provided in the camera body 10 when the back cover 20 is closed.

Next, an outline of the electrical configuration of the camera of the present invention and a dial circuit related to the dials 15 and 30 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the electrical configuration of the camera of the present invention.

In FIG. 8, 56 is the dial circuit shown in FIG. , 50 is a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as CPU) built into the camera body 10, 63 is an A/D converter that converts the photometry output of the photometer into a digital signal, and 64 is the POR of the CPU 50.
A known diaphragm drive device that narrows down the lens according to the output of Tl; 72 is a magnet that releases tension (starts running) of the shutter trailing curtain in a shutter mechanism (not shown);
73 is a transistor that controls the energization of the magnet 72; 74 is a magnet that releases the tension of the shutter front curtain; 75 is a transistor that controls the energization of the magnet 74; 76 is a magnet that drives the aperture drive device 64; 77 is a transistor that controls the energization of the magnet 72; A transistor for controlling energization to the magnet 76, 78 a magnet for releasing the first tension (not shown), 79 a transistor for controlling energization to the magnet 78, 80 a film winding motor, and 81 the motor. A transistor 82 controls the energization of the shutter release button 14.
A photometry start switch that turns ON when the stroke is pressed (
83 is an exposure start switch (hereinafter abbreviated as SW2) that is turned ON when the shutter release button 14 is pressed to the second stroke; 84
is OFF when the back cover 20 is open, and the back cover 20
The back cover switch turns on when the is closed (5 below)
(abbreviated as WBP), 85 is a switch (hereinafter abbreviated as SW4) that is turned ON when a mirror (not shown in the camera body 1o) is in a raised state and turned OFF when the film winding is completed; 86 is a switch that is set by the camera user to the mode O when making changes
A mode change switch 87 (hereinafter abbreviated as SWMODE) is a function changeover switch that responds to a function changeover operation member (not shown) (hereinafter abbreviated as SWMODE).
(abbreviated as WMF), 88 is a switch that turns on when the exposure compensation button 12 is pressed (hereinafter referred to as SWCO).
(abbreviated as MP), 58 is a known LCD display, 57 is the L
A known LCD display circuit controls the lighting of the CD display 58, 52 is a power supply switch, 59 (bottom center in FIG. 8) is a reference voltage generator for the photometer, and 60 is a light receiver which is a component of the photometer. silicon photocell (SPC) for
61 is a logarithmic compression diode that is a component of the photometry device; 62 is an operational amplifier that is a component of the photometry device; 51 is a power source for a battery or the like mounted on the camera body 10; and 54 is for resetting the CPU 50 when the power switch is turned on. It is a capacitor for.

The dial circuit 56 shown in FIG.
E S E T , RE Q , S C L K ,
5OOT.

GND, and these terminals are connected to terminals 22a to 22f provided on the back side of the spine M20 and contacts 18a to 16 on the camera body side, as shown in FIGS. 5, 7, and 8.
It is connected to the circuit inside the camera body 10 via f as follows. That is, the power supply terminal Vcc is connected to the constant voltage source Vce in the camera body through the contact IBa of the camera body 10, and the terminal RES is connected to the constant voltage source Vce through the contact 16b of the camera body 10.
At port P46 of U50, terminal REQ is connected to 18c and OR
The terminal 5OtlT is connected to the port P47 of the CPU 50 via the gate 65, and the terminal 5OtlT is connected to the contact 16d and the AND gate 67 and O
Data input port S of CPU 50 via R gate 66
IN, the terminal SCL is connected to the clock output port SCL of the CPU 50 via contacts 1 and 6e and the AND gate 69.
In addition, the ground terminals GND are each connected to a ground portion within the camera body 10 via contacts 16f.

On the other hand, the dial circuit 55 provided in the camera body 10 has the same configuration as the dial circuit 56, but has terminals V cc , RE S , and RE Q .

5OUT, 5CLK, and GND are individually connected to the ports of the CPLI 50, the constant voltage source, and the grounding portion via electrical wiring without going through the contacts 16a to 16f. That is, the terminal 5OUT is connected to the AND gate 68 and the OR gate 6.
6 to port SIN of cpu50, terminal 5CLK
is connected to port 5CL of CPU 50 via AND gate 70.
7 connected to K, respectively.

In addition, an inverter 71 is connected to port P45 of the CPU 50.
．． AND gate 68. AND gate 70 is connected in parallel, ADN gates 69 and 67 are connected in parallel to the output terminal of inverter 71, and port P45 has a signal for selecting one of dial circuits 55 and 56.
This is a port that outputs a signal, and when the output of port P45 is “high” (or 1), AND gate 70 and AN
The output of the D gate 68 becomes "high" and data communication between the CPU 50 and the dial circuit 55 becomes possible. On the other hand, when the output of the port P45 is "low" (or zero), the output of the AND gates 69 and 67 becomes "high". Each output becomes "high" and data communication between the CPLJ 50 and the dial circuit 56 becomes possible.

Next, the configuration of dial circuits 55 and 56 will be explained with reference to FIG. Incidentally, since the dial circuit 55 and the dial circuit 56 have the same configuration, only the dial circuit 56 will be described with respect to the same portions of both circuits.

The dial circuits 55 and 56 have various connection terminals as shown in FIG. 8, and also have up/down counters 90, 8-bit counters 93, . Parallel-serial conversion circuit 94°OR gates 91 and 92. have. Input signal terminal LIP of up/down counter 90
/DOWN is connected to the switch 5WDIAL1, which is formed by relative sliding between the contact piece 31b and the conductive pattern 33a shown in FIG.
The contact piece 31c and conductor pattern 33 shown in FIG. 7 are attached to L.
A switch SWD I Al1 is connected by sliding relative to a.

Figure 10 shows switch 5 when dial 30 is rotated.
10(a) is a timing chart showing the pulses generated from WDIAL1 and switches 5WDI^2 and their generation timings. FIG. FIG. 10(b) shows the pulses generated from the switch SWD I Al1.
7 represents the pulses generated from both switches when the switch is rotated one click counterclockwise in FIG.

The up/down counter 90 is configured to count when the voltage applied to its clock terminal CLK rises to "high", and in the case of FIG. In the case of figure (b), up-counting is performed. That is, the dial 30 is
When the dial 30 is rotated clockwise in the figure, the up/down counter 90 counts up, and when the dial 30 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 7, the counter 90 counts up.

The parallel-serial conversion circuit 94 is for converting the parallel signal input from the up/down counter 90 into a serial signal and sending it out, and the serial signal is sent from the 5OUT terminal of the dial circuit 56 to the terminal 22d of the back fi20.
The data is then transmitted as input information into the camera to the SIN boat of the CPU 50 via the AND gate 67 and OR gate 66 in the camera body 10, as shown in FIG. 8, through the contact LAD of the camera body 10.

Clock terminal CLK of parallel-serial conversion circuit 94
The clock input terminal 5CLK of the dial circuit 56 is connected to the clock input terminal 5CLK of the dial circuit 56, and the clock input terminal 5CLK of the dial circuit 56 is connected to the CP
A clock signal transmitted from clock output port 5CLK of U50 is inputted via AND gate 69. The clock signal sent from the port 5CLK of the CPU 50 is sent to the parallel-serial conversion circuit 94.
is input to the counter 93, and the conversion circuit 94 receives 8 clocks (for 1 communication) of the clock signal @2 terminals 5OUT
output (serial data to be sent to the CPU 50). The counter 93 generates an output every 8 clocks,
Correspondingly, when the output of the OR gate 91 becomes 21, the counter 93 and the up/down counter 90 are simultaneously reset.

The terminal REQ of the dial circuit 56 is a terminal of a rotation detection signal transmission line for notifying the CPU 50 in the camera body that the dial 300 has been rotated.
The boat P47 of No. 50 serves as a dial rotation detection means, and the OR gate 92 in the dial circuit serves as a dial rotation detection signal generation means.

The operation of the dial circuit 56 and the input of information to the CPU 50 when the camera user rotates the dial 30 will be briefly described below.

When the camera user rotates the dial 30, the switches 5WDIAL2 and 5WDIALI shown in FIG. ) or a pulse as shown in FIG. 10(b) is input, and the up/down counter 90 counts one pulse in response to the rising edge of the 5WDIAL2 pulse and outputs the counted value.

When the first pulse is output to the output terminal of the up/down counter 90, the output of the OR gate 92 changes from "low" to "
Therefore, the output of the REQI terminal of the dial circuit 56 changes from low to high, and the output of the OR gate 65 (FIG. 8) also changes from low to high, and the CPU 5
A "high" signal is input to port P47 of 0. C.P.
U5Q detects that the dial 30 (or 15) has been rotated when the boat P47 becomes "high", and changes the output of the boat P45 to either "low" or "high". (The output of the boat P45 is set to "high" when the dial 15 is operated.) When the CPtJ50 detects that the dial 30 is rotated, the output of the boat P45 is set to "low" (or zero). )
In response to this, the output of the inverter 71 becomes "high 1" and at the same time, one input of each of the AND gates 69 and 67 becomes "1 high". As a result, between the CPtJ50 and the dial circuit 56, there is a serial data transmission line (terminal 5O11T of the dial circuit 56 - AND gate 67 - OR gate 6 [1 - CPt150 (7) port 5IN)) and a synchronous clock for serial communication. Transmission line (CPU 50 boat 5CLK-AND gate 69-
Terminal SCL of dial circuit 56) is completed, and a clock pulse generated from port 5CLK of CPU 50 is input to clock input terminal 5CLK of dial circuit 56 via AND gate 69, and the clock pulse is input to counter 93 and clock input terminal 5CLK of dial circuit 56. It is input to the parallel-serial conversion circuit 94.

When the dial 30 is rotated by one click or more, multiple pulses are generated from the switches 5WDIALI and 2, and the up/down counter 90 outputs a count value of 1 or more or 11 or more as an 8-bit signal. The 8-bit signal is sent to the parallel-serial converter circuit 9.
4, it is converted into a serial signal. The parallel-to-serial conversion circuit 94 outputs serial data to the terminal 5OUT in synchronization with the clock pulse sent from the CPU 50, and the serial data is input to the port SIN of the CPU 50 through the data transmission line described above, and is transmitted within the CPU 50. stored in memory.

11 to 13 are flowcharts of programs executed within the CPU 50, FIGS. 11 and 12 are main flowcharts, and FIG. 13 is a subroutine flowchart.

FIG. 14 shows an example of the display on the LCD display 58 shown in FIG. 8, where ■ is a display state when all patterns are displayed, and ■ is a state in which the camera of the present invention is in a manual shooting state. ■ is the display state during shooting standby when shutter priority exposure is selected in the camera of the present invention;
indicates the display state during standby for shooting when aperture priority is selected in the camera of the present invention, and ■ indicates the display state when the camera is set to manual shooting mode and the initial input information is changed by rotating the dial 15 or 30. The display state when the camera is set to aperture priority, ■ is the display state when exposure compensation is performed after the camera is set to aperture priority, and ■ is the display state when metering is performed with the camera set to aperture priority. (■) is the display state when the mode setting is set manually in the camera of the present invention, (■) is the display state when the MF setting is selected and set at F-1 in the camera. , is shown.

Next, the overall operation of the camera of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 11 to 13.
The process will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in the figure, and the display on the display 58 will be explained with reference to FIG. 14. The contents of the flags, registers, and ports in the CPt 150 described in the flowcharts of FIGS. 11 to 13 are as follows.

(i) Register MODER: AE mode (automatic exposure mode) register 1 = manual 2 shutter priority 3 - aperture priority COMPI: Exposure compensation register 3 - 3 stops over 0; correction zero - 3 - 3 stops under TVR: Shutter register 1 = 1/2 second 10 = 1/1000 second AVR: Aperture register 1 F 1.4 8 = F16 MFR: MF setting register 1 = TvAv setting exchange setting 2 + Exposure compensation (set only when switch SW 1 is on) SVR : l5OLz register 5 = implicitly l5O100 DIALIR: Multi-function dial 15 count register DIAL2R: Back cover dial 30 count register CDIR CD2R CD3R CD4R (ti) Flag PF MF ING WMFF : LCD display buffer 1 : LCD display buffer 2 : LCD display buffer 3 : LCD display buffer 4 SWIDIAL Back cover status flag 〇 - Back cover open 1 - Back cover closed MF setting 0 Snow normal operation 1 = MF setting MFSW status flag 0 = MFSW off 1 - MFSW off Back cover dial exposure compensation reception when SWt is off o = Exposure compensation is possible regardless of swt on/off 1 = Exposure compensation is possible with the back cover only when SW1 is on CHGD I AL TvAv setting switching in manual mode 0 Wealth main body Tv / Back MAv 1 - Main body Av / Back cover Tv DIAL2EN Back cover dial presence/absence 0; Back cover dial absent 1 = Back cover dial included Note that Table 1 below shows the relationship between the data input to the CPU 50 from the dial circuits 55 and 56, etc., and the display on the LCD display 58. It is a data showing correspondence and an LCD display correspondence table.

Table 1 Below, with reference to Figures 8 to 14 as well as Table 1 and Figures 1 to 7, the operation of each part of the camera of the present invention will be described in its initial state. Now assume that all the switches are off (that is, film winding has been completed and the back cover 20 is open).

When the power switch 52 is turned on, the battery voltage is supplied to Vcc. At this time, the capacitor 54 is gradually charged via the resistor 53, and the terminal RES of the CPU 5Q is charged for a certain period of time.
By setting LOW, the CPU 50 is reset.

As a result, the CPU 50 executes R in the flowchart of FIG.
The operations start from ESET in order.

(1) Initialization of registers, ports, and flags MODER
, COMPR, TVR, AVR.

MFR, SVR, DIALIR, DIAL2R are CPt
150, and values are appropriately assigned to each register. When the value of MODER is 1, it is manual mode,
2 gives you shutter priority, 3 gives you aperture priority.

Also BPF, MFING, SWMFF.

5WIDIAL, C) IGDIAL, DIAL
2EN are flags in the CPt 150, each of which is cleared to 0. Each output port is also cleared.

(2) Output high to P46 (3) Wait for a certain period of time (4) Drop P46 to low (2) to (4) reset the dial circuit 55.56.

(5) Detects the back cover switch 5WBP and branches to (6) since it is currently between the back cover.

(6) Clear the back cover status flag BPF.

(7) Clear flag DIAL2EN.

(8) Check the flag MF I NG and if it is 1 (87)
fart. Since it is O now, go to (9).

(9) Switch SWMF is detected, and since it is off, go to (10). (10) Switch SW4 is detected. Since it is off (11) (
11) Detects the switch SWMODE, it is off (12
)fart.

(12) Detected boat P47. If the dial is not rotated, it is 0, so go to (13).

(13) Detects switch SWI. Since it is off, go to (14).

(14) If MOD E R is 3, go to (16). Otherwise, go to (15).

(15) Transfer 7VR (7) value to register LCDIR.

(16) Clear register LCD IR to O.

(17) If MOD E R is 2, go to (19). Otherwise, go to (18).

(18) Transfer AVR (7) value to register LCD2R.

(19) Clear register LCD2R to 0.

(20) Store the value of COMPR in L CD 3 R.

(21) Store the MODER value in LCD4R.

Therefore, from (14) to (21), now L CD
IH Ni5 (TVR (7) value installed), LCD2
5 for R (AVR (7) value set in 1), LCD3R
1 is stored in 0% LCD4R.

(22) Display is performed on the LCD by calling the display blue routine.

Let me explain the brutine displayed here.

(119 address AO, At OO ratio output (120FO
Output R72kmLCDIR(7) value.

(Outputs high to 121P 51.

(122 fixed time wait.

(Return 123P 52 to Low.

LCD with high signal of P51 from (121) to (123)
The display circuit 57 takes in the address and data and displays it. In this case, 30 is displayed as shown in Table 1.

This means that the shutter speed is 1/30 seconds.

(124) to (138) are similar, and the values of LCD2R are read into address 01, LCD3R is read into address 10, and LCD4R is read into address 11 in order. Therefore, on the LCD display 58,
As shown in Figure 14 ■, shutter 1730 seconds, aperture FS
, 6. Mode M is displayed. If now M
If ODER is 2 (shutter priority), operations (14) to (16) will cause LCDIR, TVR, LCD2R
, LCD3R becomes 0, and LCD4R becomes 2. Therefore, the display as shown in FIG. 14 (■) is performed. Similarly, M
In the case of OD E R-3, it is displayed as shown in Figure 14 ■ 6 As explained above, if no operation is performed and all switches are off, (5) - (1G) → (11) -
The loop control of (13) - (22) - (5) is repeated and the mode, shutter speed, aperture, etc. are continued to be displayed. From now on, this will be called the main loop.

When the back cover is closed while repeating the main loop control, the process branches from (5) to (23).

(23) Determine B P F. Since it is set to 0 in (6), go to (24).

(24) Output 1 to P46, dial circuit 55°5
Reset 6.

(25) Output O to P45. Therefore, the output of inverter 71 is high. AND gates 69 and 67 open,
Select the dial circuit 56 on the back cover side.

(26) Perform serial communication. The serial communication clock of the CPt 150 is transmitted to the 5CLK terminal of the dial circuit 56 through the AND gate 69.

In synchronization with this, the value of the up/down counter 90 is read out and stored in the accumulator register (hereinafter referred to as A) of the CPU 50 through the AND gate 67.

(27) Return P46 to O.

(28) Determine the value of A. Since the RESET terminal is pi, the up/down counter 90 is cleared and the serial output of the dial circuit 56 becomes all zeros. Therefore, the process branches to (30) and the DIAL2EN flag is set.

Further, when a normal back cover without the dial circuit 56 is attached, all terminals 16a to 16f become ovens, and all serial communication data becomes high. Therefore, A is not zero, and DIAL2EN is cleared in (29).

(3i) After setting BPF, return to (8).

After this, when you go through the display and return to (5) again, the BPF has been set, so you can change from (23) to (31).
The dial circuits 56 and 55 are not connected to each other. Therefore, the dial circuits 55 and 55 are reset only when the back cover is closed, and it is possible to determine whether the dial circuit 56 is attached or not. Furthermore, when the back cover is opened again, the BPF is cleared in step (6), so it can be reset - times each time the back cover is opened and closed.

When the back cover is closed and the dial circuit 56 is connected, when the dial 15 or dial 30 is rotated, the REO terminal of the dial circuit 56.55 goes high and P47 goes high through the gate 65. Make it.

Therefore, (12) branches to (33).

(33) Call the dial reading subroutine.

Explanation of dial reading subroutine (151) 1 output to P45. ° Therefore, the output of inverter 71 is low. AND gates 68 and 70 open to select dial circuit 55 on the main body side.

(152) Perform serial communication. The serial communication clock of the CPU 50 is transmitted to the 5CLK terminal of the dial circuit 55 through the AND gate 70.

In synchronization with this, the value of the up/down counter 9o is read out and stored in A of the CPU 50 through the AND gate 67.

(153) Store the value of the A register to DIALIR.

(154) Determination of DIAL2EN flag. If the dial circuit 56 is connected and the DIAL2EN flag is 1, go to (155).

(155) Output 0 of P45 and select the dial circuit 56 on the back side of the lid.

(156) (157) then (152), (1
53'), the order of the up/down counter 90 is written to DIAL2R using serial communication, and the process returns to the main screen. Also, if the dial circuit 56 is not connected, it branches from (154) to (158) and the DIAL2
Clear R and return to main.

This subroutine causes DIALIR to dial 15,
The count value of the dial 30 can be read into DIAL2R.

(34) Determine the value of the MODER register. If it is 1 (manual mode), go to (35).

(35) Determine the CHGDIAL flag. Since it has been cleared in (1), go to (36).

(38) Add the value of AVRll: DAI L2R.

Thereby, the aperture value can be changed by the number of times the dial 30 is rotated and clicked. For example, if you rotate it counterclockwise by two clicks, the value of the up/down counter 90 will be 2, and therefore the DIAL2R will also be
It becomes 2. AVR is 5+2 which equals 7.

(37) Determination of SW COMP. I'm off right now, so go to (38).

(3B) Change the shutter speed by adding the TVRklDAI L I R values. For example, when rotated clockwise by one click, the value of the up/down counter 90 becomes 1, and therefore the DIALIR also becomes
It becomes -1.

TVR becomes 4 at 5-1. (52) Call the limit subroutine.

Explanation of limit subtracting (139) Determine whether TVR is greater than 10.

(140), TVR when TVR is greater than 10
set to 10.

(141) Determine whether TVR is smaller than 1.

(142) When TVR is smaller than 1, set TVR to 1
Make it.

Therefore, when TVR is between 1 and 10, it remains as it is. When larger than 10, set to 1o; when smaller than 1, set to 1
This will put a limit on.

(143) to (150) are similar, AVR is 1 and 8, C
Limit OMPR between -3 and 3 and return to main.

Display is performed on the LCD in steps (14) to (22), but this time the TVR is 4 and the AVR is 7, so Figure 14 ■
It will be displayed like this.

In this way, you can arbitrarily change the shutter speed using the dial 15 and the aperture value using the dial 30.
The results can be confirmed on the LCD display.

If there is no dial circuit 56 on the back cover, or when the back cover is open, DIAL2R is always cleared to 0 at (158), so the aperture value cannot be changed at (3B). In such a case, While holding down SWCOMP,
When the dial 15 is rotated, the process branches from (37) to (39).

(3!1) Add AVRk:D I ALI R.

Therefore, operations such as changing the aperture value by rotating the dial while pressing SWCOMP, and changing the shutter speed by releasing it are also possible.

Further, some users may wish to reverse the roles of dials 15 and 30 in manual mode. Therefore, the CHGDIAL flag is provided.

If the CHGD I AL flag has been set in the function setting mode described later, the process branches to (4o) at (35).

(40) to (43) are almost the same as (36) to (39), except that TVR and AVR are completely replaced.

Therefore, the dial 15 can be used to change the aperture, and the dial 30 can be used to change the shutter. Of course, it is also possible to change the shutter speed while turning on SWCOMP, and to change the aperture value by releasing the switch.

Shutter priority when mode register MODER is other than 1,
In the case of aperture priority, the process branches to (44) at (34).

(44) Determination of SW I D I A L flag. (1
) has been cleared, so go to (46).

<46) Add the values of COMPRl, :D I AL2R. Therefore, by rotating the dial 3o, the exposure compensation value of COMPR can be changed. For example, by rotating the dial 3o two clicks counterclockwise, DIAL2R becomes 2. Therefore, COMPR is also 2.

(47) Determination of SW COMP. Because it's off, (
Go to 48).

(48) Discrimination of MOD E H. 2 (Share priority), branch to (49); if aperture priority, branch to (50).

Therefore, by rotating the dial 15, the shutter speed can be changed if shutter priority is given, and the aperture value can be changed if aperture priority is given.

After applying limits to the upper and lower limits in (52), each mode is displayed.

However, since COMPR is 2, the display will be as shown in Figure 14 (■).

In addition, when the dial circuit is not connected as in the case of manual operation, by rotating the dial 15 while turning on SWCOMP, it is possible to branch from (47) to (51) and change the exposure compensation value.

If the user is having trouble changing the exposure compensation value easily, he or she can set the SWl[1IAL flag in the function setting mode, which will be described later. In this case, (44) becomes (45)
Branch into.

(45) Determine SW 1. When SWI is off, the process does not proceed to (4B), so no matter how much the dial 30 is rotated, the exposure compensation value cannot be changed.

The exposure compensation value can only be changed by rotating the dial 30 while turning on SW1.

Changing the mode The mode can be changed by turning on SWMODE.

If it continues to be displayed in the main loop, SWMODE
When turned on, (11) branches to ■.

(76) If the dial is not rotated, P47 is 0°, so go to (83).

(83) Clear everything from LCD I R to LCD3R and store the MODER value in LCD4R.

(84) Call the display blue routine, and only the current mode is displayed, as shown in Figure 14 (■). After that, return to ■,
From then on, while SWMODE is on, (5) → (10)
→(11)→(76) -(84)→(5) are looped in this order.

When the dial 15 is rotated while SWMODE is turned on, P47 goes high and changes from (76) to (77).

(77) Call the dial reading subroutine.

(7B) Add DIALIR to M OD E R.

(79) to (82) are routines for limiting the mode between 1 and 3. This allows M-T-A when the dial is rotated counterclockwise, and A→T→M when rotated clockwise.
and the mode can be changed.

When SWMODE is turned off after the settings are completed, the main loop returns and the display changes according to the newly set mode.

When the photographer points the camera at the subject and presses the release button to the first stroke while the main loop is running, the switch SWI is turned on and the dial 3ρ is turned on (45).
When exposure compensation becomes possible, C1 (13) to (
Branch to 53).

(53) Measure the brightness of the subject from FORTO and A/
Read the D-converted value and add the film sensitivity and exposure compensation value. Here, film sensitivity and register SVR is 1 and 5
(that is, l5O100f7) apex value), and the exposure correction value is the value set in COMPR. EV of the result
Store in R.

(54) Determine the mode. If shutter priority (55)
, if aperture priority is set (5B), if manual is set (57)
fart.

(55) Calculate the appropriate aperture value
Store on AVH.

(56) Calculate the appropriate shutter time using EV-AV and store it in the TVR.

(57) Call the limit subroutine to apply the TV R and A VR limit.

In this way, calculations in each mode could be performed.

(58) TVR to LCDIR, LCD2R1, l: A
VR.

Transfer the values of COMPR to LCD3R and MODER to LCD4R.

(59) Call the brutine to display, therefore the LCD
The display 58 displays a message as shown in FIG. 14 (■). The display for each mode is the same except for the mode display part.

(6Cl) Discrimination of S W 2. If it's not on,
Return to (5), (5) −(to) −(12) −
The loop of (13) - (59) - (5) is repeated as long as the SWI is on to execute photometry display.

When the photographer presses the release button further to the second stroke to take a picture at the time when the photometric value is displayed, the switch SW2 is turned on.

Therefore, the process branches from (60) to ■.

(61) Output AVR (aperture value) to PORTl.

(62) to (63) P41. A high signal is output to P42, transistors 77.79 are turned on, and magnets 76.78 are energized. Then, a mechanical tension (not shown) is released by the magnet 78, and the mirror is raised, and the aperture is narrowed by the magnet 76.

(64) to (65) After waiting for a certain period of time, the magnet 78 is de-energized.

(66) Wait for the narrowing down to be completed. When the magnet 76 is energized, the aperture is mechanically narrowed down. When the aperture is narrowed down to a predetermined value, the aperture drive circuit 64 outputs a high signal and P37 becomes 1, so that it can be known that the aperture control is completed.

(67) Set the output of P42 to low and magnet 76
Turn off the power.

(68) Calculate the real time from the apex value Tv and set it in the timer.

(69) to (71) The magnet 74 is energized and the shutter front curtain is moved.

(72) Wait until the timer elapses in real time.

(73) to ()5) The magnet 72 is energized. Run the shutter rear curtain.

The aperture and shutter can be controlled by the operations 21 to 32 above. After completing the series of release operations, return to ■.

When returning to the main loop, switch SW4 is turned on because the release is completed. Therefore, from (10) (
159).

(159) Output 1 to P40, transistor 81
is turned on, the motor 80 is energized, and winding is started.

(160) Wait until switch SW4 is turned off.

(181) When winding of one frame is completed, the motor energization is terminated.

As explained above, photometry, exposure, and winding control can be performed.

Finally, the function setting mode will be explained.

The function setting mode can be entered by turning on the switch SWMF.

SWMF while repeatedly executing the main loop
When turned on, the process branches to (85) at (9).

(85) Set 1 to the MFFING flag.

(86) Set the SWMFF flag to 1 and go to ■.

(89) Determine whether the dial has been rotated. If it is not rotated, go to (97).

(97) SWMF status check, it's on (98)
fart.

(98) Set the timer for 10 seconds.

(99) Determine the SWMFF flag. Since it was set in (85), go to (108).

(108) Determine the value of MFR. Since it is set to 1 in (1), go to (109).

(109) -1° to LCD IR (110) C) (GD I AL flag determination.

<111) If CHGD I AL is 1, LCD2R
-1.

(112) If CHGDIAL is 0, -2 to LCD2R
゜ (117) Clear LCD3R and LCD4R.

(u8) Call the blue routine to display.

Therefore, the display becomes as shown in FIG. 14 (■).

F-1 indicates that CHGDIAL is currently being changed, and O indicates that CHGDIAL is 01, that is, in manual mode, dial 15 is used for shutter setting and dial 30 is used for aperture setting.

After displaying, return to ■.

When you reach (8) again, this time MFI NG is set, so branch to (87).

It continues to fly until the 10 seconds timer runs out.

While SWMF is on, the timer continues to be set in (9B), so the function setting mode does not end.

When SWMF is turned on, the process branches to (100) at (97).

(100) Clear S W M F F.

At this time, since the timer is not set, return to (5) with SWMF off, (5) → (8) → (87) → (10
When repeating steps 0) → (5), T I MER becomes 0 after 10 seconds, and from (87) to (8
8), clears the MF ING flag, ends the function setting mode, and returns to the main loop.

When SWMF is turned on again during function setting mode (97)
Branch to (98), and reset the timer to 10 seconds at (98).

(99) Since SWMFF has been cleared at (10G), the process branches to (101).

(101) Check the value of MFR. Because it is engineering (10
2) (102) to (104) inverts the C) iGD I AL flag.

In this way, by turning on SWMFF, the function setting mode is entered, and by turning it off and on again, the flag can be inverted, and the function of CHGDIAL can be set.

When dial 15 is rotated during function setting mode, P4
7 goes high, and it rolls from (89) to (90).

(90) Call the dial reading subroutine.

(91) Set the timer for 10 seconds. Therefore, each time the dial is rotated, the timer is extended.

(92) Add DIALIR to MFR.

(93) to (96) are routines for limiting the mode between 1 and 2. As a result, by rotating the dial counterclockwise, F-1→F-2, and by rotating the dial clockwise, F-2
→You can exchange the functions being set with F-1.

CHGDI also in the case of VFR-2, that is, 5WIDIAL
As in the case of AL, SWM from (105) to (107)
Press F again to switch 5WIDIAL and display the result (
113) to (118).

In this way, it becomes possible to set the functions of the camera.

As explained above, in the camera of the present invention, by using the dial attached to the back cover, manual and exposure compensation settings can be easily set, and in particular, information can be input easily while pressing the release button. be able to.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the camera of the present invention, by providing the dial for inputting information to the camera on the plane of the back cover, it is easy to shoot not only in the normal position (horizontal position) of the camera, but also in vertical position. This makes it possible to input information smoothly, and in particular, it is possible to input information without taking your finger off the release button, making it possible to secure a photo opportunity. Furthermore, by detecting the input of the dial and displaying it with a sound or the like, it is possible to warn if the input is careless and also to confirm that the input has been made appropriately.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a rear view of the camera of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a top view of the camera, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the camera. Figure H4 is a rear view of the camera with the high-speed winding device attached and held in the vertical position, Figure 5 is a rear view of the camera with the back cover open, and Figure 6 is the rear view of the camera with the camera back cover open. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the attached dial 30 and its related parts, FIG. 7 is a front view showing the dial and a portion that converts the amount of rotational operation of the dial 30 into an electrical signal, and FIG. 8 is a front view showing the dial. A circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration built into the camera, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a dial circuit that converts the amount of rotational operation of dials 30 and 15 into electrical signals, and FIG. Figure 10(a) shows the pulses generated when the dial 30 is rotated clockwise in Figure 7, and Figure 10(b) shows the pulses generated when the dial 30 is rotated counterclockwise. 11 to 13 are flowcharts of the program executed in the CPU 50 shown in FIG. 8, and FIG.
5 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a CD display 58. FIG. 10... Camera body 14... Shutter release button 15... Multi-function dial 20... Back cover 30...
Multi-function dial 31 (provided on back M20) Switches 31a to 31c Sliding contact piece 32...
・Click board 33...Printed wiring board 33a・
...Conductor pattern 50...Microcomputer 55 and 56...Dial circuit Fig. 3 1 and 4 others/Fig. 10(b) SWDIAL 2-"-"- Fig. 14

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The camera has a rotation axis substantially parallel to the optical axis of the photographing lens on the back cover surface of the camera, rotates on the back cover surface, and transmits information to the camera at a position near the thumb when the camera is held. A camera characterized by having a dial for inputting information. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the dial allows exposure information to be input. 3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the dial is capable of inputting lens control information. 4. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising an operation display means for notifying a camera user of the operation in response to an input operation of the dial.