JPH03174130A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily confirm the atmosphere or the state of the height of entertainment at the time of automatic release photographing just by taking a glance at a photograph by imprinting information in accordance with the sound pressure level of an input sound or an elapsed time from the time of setting automatic release in the automatic release mode. CONSTITUTION:The camera in which a release action is performed in accordance with the sound pressure level of the input sound automatically performs the release action when the sound pressure level of all the input sounds such as the voice, the laughing voice and the hand clapping of the human, etc., is continued for a specified time in a state where it is equal to or exceeding a reference value in the automatic release mode. When an automatic release lever 5 is made to slide upward, a switch is turned on and a microphone hole 5a appears. A microphone for detecting sound pressure is set under the microphone hole 5a. Then, an LED 6 for displaying the sound pressure level of the sound inputted from the microphone is attached to a camera main body and under the lever 5. Therefore, a user can perform the on/off control of the automatic release mode by operating the lever where the sound pressure level is displayed. Thus, the atmosphere or the state of the height of entertainment at the time of automatic release mode is confirmed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a camera that performs a release operation depending on the sound pressure level of input sound.

(Prior art) There are many opportunities to take photos at banquets and parties, and it is quite difficult for the photographer to go around taking photos during the banquet, and the photographer himself is not included in the photos. Therefore, it would be very convenient if the camera could capture the photo opportunity and automatically release the shutter.With such a camera, everyone, including the photographer, can enjoy the banquet or party.

Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-329184 ``Auto Release Camera'', the applicant of this application detects the sound pressure level of not only human voices but also laughter, applause, and all other input sounds input to the camera. We have proposed a camera that performs a release operation when the sound pressure level exceeds a reference value for a predetermined period of time.

According to this camera, it does not react to impact sounds at banquets or parties, but can automatically release the camera in response to people's voices or laughter. Or you can take the best photos because the release action is done at the moment of fun.

However, when you later try to check the excitement of the party from the finished photos, the photos only show the participants laughing or making noise, so it is difficult to get a sense of the atmosphere from the photos alone. It's not easy to grasp.

(Objective and Structure of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to enable confirmation of the atmosphere or excitement during auto-release shooting, and it is an object of the present invention to data imprinting means detects the sound pressure level of the input sound and imprints the date and time or text on the camera that performs an auto-release operation when the sound pressure level satisfies a predetermined release condition; In the auto release mode, the data imprinting means records any one of the shooting date and time, the sound pressure level of the input sound, information corresponding to the sound pressure level of the input sound, or the elapsed time since the auto release mode was set! or a control means for controlling the data imprinting means so as to imprint a combination thereof.

(Example) The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an external view of an embodiment of the camera according to the present invention, in which 1 is a fixed-focus photographing lens, 2 is a finder, 3 is a framing monitor, 4 is a release button, and 5 is the sound of input sound. This is an auto-release lever for setting the auto-release mode in which the release is activated depending on the pressure level.In this auto-release mode, human voice,
A release operation is automatically performed when the sound pressure level of input sounds such as laughter, applause, etc. continues to exceed a reference value for a predetermined period of time.

When the auto release lever 5 is slid upward, a microphone hole 5a with a switch is exposed. A microphone for detecting sound pressure is installed below the microphone hole 5a. Further, below the auto-release lever 5, five LEDs 6 for displaying the sound pressure level of the audio input from the microphone are attached to the camera body. That is, the auto-release lever 5 is not only an operating member but also a display member.

The user operates the lever that displays the sound pressure level and selects the auto release mode (ON10FF), making the mode switching operation very easy to understand. Even in the auto release mode, a release operation is performed by pressing the release button 4.

7: *No use of self-timer in normal shooting mode;
This is a switch button for selecting strobe light emission mode, etc. 8 is a rank setting button that sets the degree of release according to the state of the sound pressure level in the auto release mode. There are three ranks: "Easy,""Normal," and "Difficult to cut." Each time you press this rank setting button 8, the minimum duration of the sound pressure level, which is the standard for the release operation, is switched, and the degree of release is changed to this level. You can switch in order. This degree of release, or rank, is displayed on a liquid crystal display panel, which will be described later.

9 is a lens barrier (lens cover) for protecting the shooting lens.
, 10 is a liquid crystal display panel for displaying the number of film shots, reference sound pressure level setting value, and other shooting related information; 11 is a strobe; and 12 is a light receiving lens for photometry.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the camera shown in FIG. 1, and parts unrelated to the gist of the present invention are omitted from the diagram.

In the figure, 21 is a battery, 22 is a power supply circuit that supplies power to each part of the circuit, and 23 is an A that controls the photographing sequence.
/Microcomputer with built-in D converter
, 24 is an LCD for the liquid crystal display panel IO and its drive circuit, 25 is a shutter motor driver that drives the shutter drive motor 26, and 27 is an imprint device that can imprint comments and dates, such as on the back cover of a camera. installed on. SL is a switch that is turned ON when the release button 4 is pressed, and PMS is a switch that turns ONL/ON when the auto-release lever 5 is slid upward to place the camera in auto-release mode. 28 processes the audio signal output from the microphone 29 into a sound pressure signal and sends it to the microcomputer 2.
This is an audio processing circuit that outputs to 3. The audio processing circuit 28 includes, for example, an amplifier that amplifies the output signal from the microphone 29, a half-wave rectifier that converts the amplified audio signal into a sound pressure signal representing the loudness of the sound, and an output from the half-wave rectifier. It consists of a logarithmic compression circuit that logarithmically compresses the generated sound pressure signal. The logarithmically compressed sound pressure signal is sent to the CPU 23.
output to the internal A/D converter.

The basic principles of this audio processing circuit 28 and auto-release camera are detailed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 63-329184.

With the above configuration, when the auto-release lever 5 is operated, the auto-release mode is entered, the sound pressure level of the input sound is constantly captured, and when the release conditions are met, the shutter is driven to perform the release operation. Various methods can be considered to determine whether the release condition is met; for example, if the sound pressure signal output from the audio processing circuit 28 continues to exceed a reference value for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that the release condition is met.

Is it because data is imprinted after the release operation is completed?At this time, information such as the shooting date, information according to the sound pressure level of the input sound, or the elapsed time since the auto release setting is sent from the microcomputer to the comment date device. It is input and imprinted. For example, (1,) 0 Example of imprinting the magnitude of the sound pressure level or its maximum value at the time of release: "90 horn", etc.

(2) Example of imprinting a pre-memorized comment during auto-release: ``They laugh a lot'', etc.

(3) 0 example of capturing the elapsed time of auto-release shooting, that is, the elapsed time of the banquet: rl:06J.

The above is just an example, and various other modifications may be considered as the information corresponding to the sound pressure level of the input sound or the elapsed time since the auto-release setting.

Next, the above example (1) will be explained in detail using the flowchart of FIG.

First, after various initial settings (F-1), switch to H
When it enters the ALT state (F-2) and there is a switch input of Sl or PMS, it becomes WAKE UP, that is, the CPU becomes a high-speed mote that operates at high speed CF-3). Next, the switch is determined (F-4), and if 5l=ON, photometry is performed (F-5), and then the shutter is driven (F-4).
-6) Expose, wind the film (F-7), and return to step (F-2) to repeat the same operation.

In step (F-4), when PMS-ON, that is, auto-release mode, the sound pressure data is taken in from the sound pressure processing circuit 28 (F-8), and the maximum value thereof is stored (F-9). Then, wait until the release condition is met (F-10), and when the release condition is met, perform photometry (F-11) and drive the shutter (F-12).
Do g-light. Thereafter, the maximum value data stored in step (F-9) is transferred to the comment/date imprinting device 27 (F-13), and imprinting is performed (F-14). At this time, the maximum value data is imprinted, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(A). However, in the determination step (F-1O), in addition to determining the sound input, it is also determined that the release condition is satisfied when the release button 4 is pressed and the switch S1 is turned on, and the determination step (F-1O) is performed. It includes a function to proceed to step 11).

Next, wind the film (F-15), clear the memory where the maximum value is stored (F-16), then check the PMS (F-17), or if it remains ON, step (F-8). ), and if it is OFF, go to step (F-2)
Return to

In the above example, the maximum value of the sound pressure data is imprinted, but it is also possible to imprint a comment such as ``They laugh a lot'' in response to the auto-release operation, as shown in Figure 4 (b). In this case as well, the operation is similar to that shown in FIG. Further, the comment may be changed depending on the sound pressure level. For example, if the sound pressure level is 85 or higher, you can write ``It's quite exciting'', if the sound pressure level is 95 or higher, you can write ``They laugh a lot'', and if the sound pressure level is 100 or higher, you can write ``There's nothing we can do about it.''It's like that. Alternatively, instead of the sound pressure level of the input sound, the user may be able to select a reference level to be used as a reference for whether or not to perform a release operation, and the comment may be changed and imprinted in accordance with the reference level. Further, the above-mentioned data and comments may be imprinted individually or in combination, or a separate selection means may be provided so that the data and comments can be selected individually or in combination.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of another embodiment. In this case, the elapsed time from the start of the auto-release operation is recorded during the release operation. The operation during normal shooting is the same as that shown in FIG. 3. Omitted.

First, in step (F-4) in Figure 3, PMS
N, that is, in the auto release mode, the timer is reset (S-1) in FIG. 5, and the sound pressure processing circuit 2
The sound pressure data from 8 is taken in (S-2). Then, the camera waits until the release condition is met (5-3), and when the release condition is met, photometry is performed (S-4), and the shutter is driven (S-5) to emit B light. After that, the elapsed time measured by the above timer is imprinted (S-6
). The elapsed time is imprinted, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(C). However, in the judgment step (S-3), in addition to the judgment based on the sound pressure input, it is also judged that the release condition is satisfied when the release button 4 is pressed and the switch S1 is turned ON. ) contains the function to proceed to the step.

Finally, wind the film (S-7), then check the PMS (S-8), or if it remains ON, step (
Return to S-2), and if it is OFF, return to step (F-2).

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, information corresponding to the sound pressure level of the input sound or the elapsed time from the auto release setting is imprinted in the auto release mode, and You can easily check the atmosphere or excitement during release shooting by looking at the photo. Furthermore, if a means for inputting comments such as places and simple words is provided, and the comment imprinting section described above can be switched, multiple types of imprinting can be done with one imprinting device, increasing the enjoyment of viewing layered photographs. I will do it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the camera according to the present invention;
The figure is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the camera shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the embodiment, Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of imprint data, and Fig. 5 is another embodiment. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of FIG.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a camera equipped with an auto-release mode that detects the sound pressure level of input sound and performs an auto-release operation when the sound pressure level satisfies a predetermined release condition,
A data imprinting means imprints the date and time or text, and when in auto release mode, the data imprinting means imprints information corresponding to the shooting date and time, the sound pressure level of the input sound, the sound pressure level of the input sound, or when the auto release mode is set. a control means for controlling the data imprinting means so as to imprint any one type or a combination thereof of the elapsed time since the start of the camera.