JPH0485509A - Telescope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To use a telescope as a lens fixed telescope until a battery is exchanged by providing a control means for fixing an autofocusing lens at a specified position when a voltage value detected by a power source voltage detection means is equal to or under a specified value. CONSTITUTION:When a main switch 145 is turned on and an AF switch 146 is also turned on, the battery is checked by a B.C. circuit 143. When the detected voltage value is equal to or under the specified value, a lens is moved to a previously fixed specified position by the control means (system controller) 140 through a driving circuit 144, then an autofocusing function is stopped. By selecting the specified position to be infinity, the telescope in the lens fixed state where a focusing function by human eye covers a wide range until autofocusing is attained by the exchanged of the battery is obtained. Then, an observer is informed that the telescope is in the lens fixed state by performing autofocusing function stop warning display.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to telescopes such as binoculars and monoculars, and particularly to telescopes having an automatic focusing function.

The telescope of the present invention is not limited to binoculars, but can also be applied to monoculars, but in the following description, binoculars will be specifically taken as an example.

Special Publication 62-620 as binoculars with automatic focusing function
No. 5, Special Publication No. 60-46407, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 154-1983
There is one proposed in No. 705. In this case, a motor is used as a driving force source for driving the focusing lens, and a battery is mounted as the power source.

However, since this motor cannot operate with a power supply voltage below a predetermined value, there is a risk that the motor may stop at an undesired point during autofocus operation. In this case, binoculars without a manual focusing function cannot move the lenses to a desired point, so depending on the stop position of the lenses (particularly the near focal position), the binoculars may no longer function as binoculars.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a telescope in which a lens is fixed in advance at a desired position when the power supply voltage has decreased to a value that makes it impossible to drive the motor (drive the lens). With the goal.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a telescope having an automatic focusing function, which includes a power supply voltage detection means, and a lens that is activated when the voltage value detected by the power supply voltage detection means becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. and a control means for stopping the automatic focusing function after moving the camera to a specific position.

In this case, the specific position is set, for example, to infinity or slightly closer to infinity.

Incidentally, it is preferable to provide a display means for displaying a warning after the automatic focusing function is stopped.

Further, the telescope of the present invention comprises: a lens driving means; a distance measuring means for generating an electric signal corresponding to the amount of image shift of the observed object; and comparing the power supply voltage with a predetermined reference value to determine the state of the power supply voltage. battery state detection means for detecting the battery state when the lens is being driven and at specific times other than when the lens is being driven; a reference voltage supply means for supplying the reference voltage to the battery state detection means; and an output of the distance measuring means. The lens driving means is operated based on the lens driving means, and when the battery state detecting means determines that the battery voltage is lower than the reference voltage when driving the lens, the lens driving means moves the lens to a specific position, and then the lens driving means moves the lens to a specific position. control means for disabling the lens drive means; the reference voltage supply means provides a first reference during a battery state detection operation at a specific time other than when the lens is driven; A second reference voltage higher than the voltage may be applied to the battery state detection means.

Note that the first reference voltage is selected to be a limit value that allows the lens to be driven.

Furthermore, the telescope of the present invention includes a lens driving means, a distance measuring means for generating an electric signal corresponding to the amount of image shift of the object to be observed, and a control means for controlling the lens driving means based on the output of the distance measuring means. and a power supply voltage detection means that compares the power supply voltage with a predetermined reference value to determine the state of the power supply voltage, and when the power supply voltage detection means determines that the power supply voltage is lower than a predetermined second reference value. After moving the lens to the specific position by the lens driving means, inhibiting the lens driving means;
control means for directly inhibiting the lens driving means when the power supply voltage detection means determines that the power supply voltage is lower than a predetermined first reference value; It is also possible to configure the value to be slightly higher than the reference value.

In this case as well, the first reference voltage is selected to be the limit value that allows the motor to be driven.

According to such a configuration, when the voltage value detected by the power supply voltage detection means becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the control means moves the lens to a predetermined specific position, and then automatically focuses the lens. stop functioning.

A fixed lens type that can cover a wide range using the human eye's focus adjustment function by selecting the specific position, for example, at infinity or slightly closer than infinity (until automatic focusing becomes possible after battery replacement) It can be used as a telescope.

By providing a display means for displaying a warning after the automatic focusing function is stopped, the observer can be made aware that the telescope is in the fixed lens state due to a drop in battery voltage.

The telescope also includes a lens driving means, a distance measuring means that generates an electric signal corresponding to the amount of image shift of the observed object, and a battery status that compares the power supply voltage with a predetermined reference value to determine the state of the power supply voltage. battery state detection means for detecting when the lens is driven and at specific times other than when the lens is driven; reference voltage supply means for supplying the reference voltage to the battery state detection means; and based on the output of the distance measuring means. The lens driving means operates the lens driving means, and when the battery state detecting means determines that the battery voltage is lower than the reference voltage when driving the lens, the lens driving means moves the lens to a specific position. control means for inactivating the reference voltage supply means, the reference voltage supply means having a first reference voltage applied during a battery state detection operation at a specific time other than when the lens is driven, during a battery state detection operation when the lens is driven. When a high second reference voltage is applied to the battery condition detection means, the lens can be reliably moved to a specific position by selecting the second reference voltage to be a little higher than the limit value that can drive the lens, for example. You can leave it there.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the binoculars of this embodiment.
FIG. 2 shows the front side, and FIG. 3 shows the back side. Here, 2 is an upper cover of a cover forming the housing of the binoculars 1, and 3 is a lower cover. These covers 2.3 are made of synthetic resin moldings. The upper cover 2 has a sliding operating member 4 (hereinafter referred to as the "first operating member") for a main switch that turns the power on and off.
and a button-type operating member 5 (hereinafter referred to as the "second operating member") for an automatic focusing (hereinafter referred to as rAFJ) switch.On the other hand, the lower cover 3 is provided with a sliding-type operating member for adjusting the interpupillary distance. 6 (hereinafter referred to as the "third operating member"),
Sliding operation member 7.8 for diopter adjustment (hereinafter referred to as “fourth,
A fifth operating member) is provided.

Next, 9 is a front cover, and 10 is a rear cover. A transparent glass is attached to the front cover 9, and inside the front cover 9 are first and second objective lenses 13.14 attached to the first and 211ii11.12 (see Fig. 4), respectively. , a light-receiving window 20 equipped with a light-receiving lens for AF. Note that the light receiving lens is fixed. Since the light receiving window and light receiving lens for ranging are provided separately from the objective lenses 13, 14, etc. of the original binoculars, and because they only receive light from the outside, this ranging optical The system is an external light passive system.

The vertical length of the light receiving window 20 is selected to be equal to or less than the vertical length of the objective lens 13.14. Therefore, the vertical length (thickness) of the binoculars 1 does not increase due to the presence of the light receiving window 15. The rear cover 10 is provided with an eyepiece hood 10a110b made of a rubber material.

The optical system structure of the binoculars 1 having the above-mentioned external structure is as shown schematically in FIG. 1. 2nd Milli! At 11.12, an objective lens 13.14 is arranged in front, a prism 15.16 in the middle and an eyepiece 17.18 in the rear.

The objective lens 13.14 is attached to the lens barrel 11.1 for AF.
2, while the eyepieces 17.18 can be moved independently of each other in their respective barrels 11.12 for diopter adjustment.

In addition to this embodiment, an embodiment in which the eyepiece lens is moved during AF is also possible. 1st and 2nd M cylinder 1
1.12 can move toward or away from each other in order to adjust interpupillary distance, as will be described later.

A focus detection module 19 along the central axis A-A'
The focus detection module 19 includes a light receiving lens 20a fixed at the front. Note that a stepping motor 22 for AF is provided behind the focus detection module 19, and a reduction gear section 23 for decelerating the operation of this motor 22 and transmitting it to the objective lens 13.14 is used for focus detection. It is provided between the module 19 and the motor 22. The focus detection module 19 adopts a phase difference detection method as shown in FIG. 5, although it is not particularly limited to this.

In FIG. 5, the field mask SM and the condenser lens LC are arranged near the image formation position by the light receiving lens 20a. The optical axis Z is behind the condenser lens LC.
Re-imaging lenses L1 and L2 are arranged with the axis of symmetry as the axis of symmetry.
A mask plate 24 having numbers 1 and A2 is provided. A CCD line sensor 25 is arranged on the imaging plane of each re-imaging lens L1, L2. The condenser lens LC has the power to form images of the apertures A1 and A2 of the mask plate 24 on predetermined positions of the light receiving lens 20a, and
The size of 2 is set so that only the light that passes through an aperture corresponding to a specific aperture value, for example, F5.6, out of the observation object light that passes through the light-receiving lens 20a.

Images If11o and Ib on the optical axis are each imaged by the light receiving lens 20.
Images of objects Of, Oo, and Ob in front of a are shown. The re-imaging images of these images If, Io, Ib by the re-imaging lenses L1, L2 are Ilf, 11o, respectively.
SIlb and l2f112o, denoted I2b. That is, the re-imaged images Ito, I2o of the reference imager 0 of the object to be observed at an intermediate distance are focused at a position slightly in front of the line sensor 25, and the re-imaged images If of the object to be observed at a far distance are focused at a position slightly in front of the line sensor 25. Image I 1. f, 2f is the re-imaging image 11o, 2nd
o A re-imaged image 11b1 of the image Ib of the observation object ob located at a short distance, which is focused in front and close to the optical axis 2.I2b is a re-imaged image 11o, which is located behind I2o and away from the optical axis Z. tied to a position. Here, the position of the image formed by the light receiving lens 20a corresponds to the distance between the two re-imaged images,
The line sensor 25 determines whether the distance is near or far depending on whether the distance between the two re-imaged images is longer or shorter than the distance between the two re-imaged images of the reference image Io. The amount of image shift is detected.

That is, the line sensor 25 is composed of a large number of pixels arranged along the moving direction of the re-imaged image, and these pixels are divided into two areas: a standard part and a reference part. The image interval between the two re-imaged images is detected based on the signals from the reference part and the reference part. This detected image interval is processed by a microcomputer.

Then, the microcomputer uses the processing result to
It is determined whether or not it is in the F state, and the day focus amount is calculated.

Furthermore, compared to active triangulation methods, etc., the phase difference detection method only needs to receive a beam of light in one direction, so it does not require optical spread, and is therefore suitable for placement in the center of binoculars. It can be said that there is.

As for the AF operation method, a system controller (described later) outputs a day focus amount from a predetermined focus position based on the output of the sensor, and drives the motor 22 by the day focus amount (therefore, the objective lens 13, 14 This is an open-loop control method that moves the In this example, since focus detection is performed without going through the objective lenses 13 and 14, the lens is driven by the amount of - times focus detection data to achieve in-focus, and the accuracy in that case is determined by the stepping motor. It is raised by using . However, while the second operating member 5 is being pressed (i.e., the AF
) is continuous A while the switch is on
F is realized. When a stepping motor is used as in this embodiment, it can be driven and stopped with high precision, so errors do not accumulate, and it is also advantageous for continuous AF. Regarding AF, there are one-shot AF and continuous AF, and there is usually a mode button.
Normally, mode switching (that is, switching between one-shot AF and continuous AF) is performed, but in this embodiment, such a special button is not provided, and the button for the AF switch is not provided. The switching is performed by operating the second operating member 5 (that is, by whether the observer turns off the AF switch after one AF operation or by turning the AP switch on and on).

Returning to Figure 4, the binoculars [approximately the center of 1 (therefore, the first and second
The focus detection module 19, the motor 22, and its reduction gear section 23 installed in the lens barrel (between the lens barrels 11 and 12) are vertically sectioned along the central axis A-A' as shown in FIG. . However, the motor 22 and the reduction gear portion 23 are not cut in section in FIG. In the figure, the R cylinder 26 is bent into a two-character shape, and includes first, second, and third reflecting mirrors Ml, M2, .
M3 is arranged as shown in the figure to align the optical axis Z of the light receiving lens 20a.
1 below the optical axis ZO of the objective lens, bend the optical axis upward and forward as shown by Z2 by the elbow of the second reflecting mirror, and then bend the optical axis backward as shown by Z3 by the second reflecting mirror M2. The direction is bent so that it is parallel to Z1, and the image of the object to be observed by the light receiving lens 20a is reflected by the condenser lens L.
By making the optical path near the front of C, the length of the optical path is substantially increased and the optical path is made compact.

This is because focus detection accuracy improves when the focal length of the light receiving lens is increased. That is, the amount of lens extension from the infinite position (day focus amount) is expressed as follows: Lens extension amount = f2/(L-f), where f is the focal length of the lens, and 1 is the distance to the object to be observed.

Now, f=30, l=4 m-+4000m
When , 302/ (4000-30) = 0.22 Also, when f-60, l = 4 m → 4000 m,
602/ (4000-60) = 0.9137, and for the phase difference method that calculates the day focus amount,
A lens with a long focal length that greatly defocuses depending on the distance to the object is more advantageous in terms of accuracy.

Focus detection module 19, motor 22, reduction gear section 2
A circuit board 27 is arranged above 3. This circuit board 27 is composed of a flexible printed circuit board, and a plan view thereof is shown in FIG. The front wings 28 , 29 of the circuit board 27 are bent and arranged so as to abut the sides of the focus detection module 19 . Specifically, it is partially adhered to the outer side surface of the lens barrel 26 with double-sided adhesive tape or the like to maintain its bent shape. At the rear, a microcomputer 30, a main switch pattern 31, and an AF switch pattern 32 constituting a system controller to be described later are provided. circuit board 27
In addition, many chip components 33 configuring a predetermined circuit are attached to the .

Returning to FIG. 4 again, if a vertical section is taken along approximately the center BB of the mirror opening 12, the result will be as shown in FIG. 7. [Torso 11
．． At the bottom of 12 there is a mechanism 3 for adjusting interpupillary distance as shown in FIG.
4 and a diopter adjustment mechanism 35 are provided. These mechanisms are mounted on the base plate 36. 8 is the fifth operating member for adjusting the diopter mentioned above, and 6 is the third operating member for adjusting the interpupillary distance.
It is an operating member.

As described above, inside the binoculars 1, the circuit board 27 is placed at the top and the mechanical parts (pupillary distance adjustment mechanism 34 and diopter adjustment mechanism 35) are placed at the bottom, which makes the space inside the binoculars 1 more efficient. This makes it easier to use and makes the whole thing more compact. Moreover, since the electrical part and the mechanical part are separated and independent, each part can be easily replaced. For example, when an electrical component on the circuit board 27 fails, the electrical component or the circuit board 27 can be replaced without any modification to the mechanical parts.

Note that, unlike this embodiment, it is also possible to adopt a mode in which the circuit board 27 is placed below and the mechanism part is placed above, but the interpupillary distance adjustment mechanism 34 and the diopter adjustment mechanism 35 may be adjusted once. Then, there is no need to make much adjustment after that, so these mechanical parts that are used less frequently are placed below, as in this embodiment, while the first operating member 4 for the main switch and the AF switch Since frequently used operating members such as the second operating member 5 are arranged on the upper cover 2, it is reasonable to arrange the circuits related to these near (and therefore above). I can say that.

Other than that, AF from the center to the bottom of the lens barrels 11 and 12.
A lens drive mechanism is provided for this purpose. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, this AF lens drive mechanism includes the motor 22, a reduction gear section 23 consisting of four gears G1 to G4 that reduce the rotation of the motor 22, and the reduction gear section 23. It consists of a camshaft 37 directly connected to the output gear G4, a lens drive lever 38 driven by the camshaft 37, and the like. A cam groove 39 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the cam shaft 37, and a pin 40 of the lens drive lever 38 is engaged with this cam groove 39. Therefore, when the camshaft 37 rotates, the lens drive lever 38 moves in the C or D direction (FIG. 11).

The lens drive lever 38 has a cylindrical portion 44.45 that is loosely engaged with a pair of guides @42.43 provided on the motor base plate 41, and the guide shaft 42 is connected via the cylindrical portion 44.45.
．． It is supported and guided by 43 and moves stably.

Holes 46 and '4 are provided at the left and right ends of the lens drive lever 38.
7 is provided, in which hole 46.47 a pin 48.49 of objective system 13.14 engages. Hole 4G
, 47 are longer in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the lens drive lever 38, but this is due to the adjustment of the interpupillary distance.
This is to allow for the displacement of the parts 12 and 12 in the E direction.

The motor base plate 41 has three support parts 50, 51, 52 extending upward to support the front ends of the guide shafts 42, 43 and the cam shaft 37 at the front, and the motor 22 at the rear. and a support portion 53 for supporting the rear end of the reduction gear portion 23 and the camshaft 37. A pair of spring contact pieces 55, 56 (shown only in FIG. 11, and shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 for simplified illustration) are provided on the bottom 54 of the motor base plate 41 in the vicinity of the support portion 53. (not shown), these contact pieces 55 and 56 form the switch pieces of an infinity switch for detecting the end in the C direction (infinite end), and one of the contact pieces When the six pieces 57 of the lens drive lever 38 come into contact with the contact piece 55.5
6 are in contact with each other. Supports 58, 59 and 60 provided on the base plate 36 in FIG.
．． Threads 62 and 63 supported by 61 are interpupillary distance guide shafts for adjusting interpupillary distance, and lens barrels 11 and 12 are movably supported on these interpupillary distance guide shafts 62 and 63, respectively. 64a
~64d165a~65d are protrusions projecting downward from the lens barrel 11.12, and the interpupillary distance guide shaft 82.63 passes through recesses or holes formed in these protrusions.

Next, FIG. 12 shows the dual @@1 circuit system of this embodiment. In the figure, 14'O is a system controller consisting of a microcomputer. Power supply battery 14
1 output voltage (DC voltage) VDDO is provided as a power source to the motor 22 and also to the DC/DC converter unit 142. This DC/DC conversion unit 142 responds to the PWC signal for power control given from the system controller 140 and supplies a predetermined output voltage (DC voltage) VDDI to the system controller 140, and also supplies VCCI and VCC2 to the focus detection module 19. give. Here, vDDl and V
CC1ha5 V G:Adjustment sale, VCC2ha12V
D is adjusted. Note that the system controller 140 controls the DC/DC converter unit 142 to deenergize VCCl and VCC2 to save battery consumption when the focus detection module 19 is not activated, for example.
control.

143 is a battery check circuit, which checks the output voltage of the battery 141 according to a command from the system controller 140, and sends the result to the system controller 140.
tell to. The details of the battery check circuit are shown in FIG. 32.

The motor drive circuit 144 is operated by a control signal from the system controller 140 and drives the steng motor 22. 145 is a slide type main switch, 146 is a bush type AF switch, 147
is an infinite switch formed by contact pieces 55 and 56 shown in FIG. 148 is a light emitting diode (
As a result of a check by the battery check circuit 143, the LED lights up to warn the user if the battery has fallen below a predetermined value or if the object seen with the binoculars has low contrast. Of the circuit shown in FIG. 12, a portion indicated by a broken line 200 is provided on a circuit board 27 shown in FIG.

Next, FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the installation and storage part of the battery 141, in which (a) and (b) correspond to FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. A line has been added to the battery area. Note that (C) is a right side view of (a). 150 is a grip consisting of a battery cover 151 attached to the lower cover 3 of the binoculars 1;
The grip 150 can be easily held by holding the grip 150 with your fingers. There are 6 batteries inside the grip 150.
41 is housed therein, and the battery 141 is held by attaching and fixing the battery cover 151 to the lower cover 3. Therefore, battery 14
1 is supported by a battery cover 151. In order to prevent the battery cover 151 from being accidentally removed from the binoculars 1, the battery cover release switch 15 is set as shown in FIG.
2 is provided, and it is desirable to configure the battery cover 151 to be detachable from the binoculars 1 by operating this switch 152.

FIG. 14 shows a unipolar drive circuit for a stepping motor. In addition, there is a bipolar type drive circuit as well as a unipolar type, but the bipolar type has a different coil winding method than the unipolar type, and the torque is higher than the unipolar type for the same size, but The circuit configuration becomes complicated. However, with the introduction of ICs, the complexity of the bipolar type circuit is no longer considered a problem, so
Recently, it has been used more and more. Of course, a bipolar drive circuit may also be used in this embodiment.

Now, in FIG. 14, the stinger motor 22 consists of a rotor 400 and four excitation coils L1 to L4, and its drive circuit has an emitter connected to a DC power supply via a terminal 401 and a base. consists of PNP type transistors Q1 to Q4 connected to a motor drive signal source, diodes D1 to D4 connected to their respective collectors, and a resistor R1, and the collectors of transistors Q1 to Q4 are connected to coils L1 to L4. connected to one end of the Note that the other ends of the coils L1 to L4 are grounded.

FIG. 15 shows the sequence of two-phase excitation in the circuit of FIG.
eise), and CCW is counterclockwise (counterclockwise).
clockwise). When the drive signals φ1 to φ4 are at a low level, the corresponding transistors are turned on and the coils are energized, and when they are at the high level, the transistors are turned off and the corresponding coils are de-energized. In FIG. 15, vertical lines tl,
. . . tl corresponds to every 18'' of the rotation angle of the motor.

Now, between t1 and t2, the drive signals φl and φ2 are at low level, the transistor Q2 is turned on, and the coil L
Current flows through L1 and L2, causing two-phase excitation and rotating the motor. Note that in this specification, rotation of the rotor 400 is referred to as rotation of the motor. The rotation starts at tl, stops at T1 midway, and is in a stopped state from T1 to t2. During the next t2-t3 period, drive signals φ2 and φ3 turn on transistors □□□ and Q3, and coils L2 and L3
A current flows through to cause two-phase excitation, and the motor 22 starts again at t2 and stops at T2, and is in a stopped state from T2 to t3. Thereafter, the motor 22 is driven by stepping in accordance with the sequential low level of two of the drive signals φl to φ4. tl-t2, t2-t3, . . . are equal intervals d, and when this interval d is shortened, the motor rotation becomes faster, and when it is lengthened, the rotation of the motor becomes slower.

FIG. 16 shows the speed control characteristics of the motor for good starting and stopping of the motor, and the speed of the motor is controlled in a manner including a trapezoidal portion as shown in the figure from starting to stopping. In FIG. 16, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents speed (pulse rate). At startup, the speed does not increase all at once in order to generate torque, and the engine output is 300PP.
Start at a speed of S (PPS is the number of pulses per second, called pulse rate), then gradually increase the speed to 600PPS, then 600PPS
rotate at a constant speed. 6 to stop the motor
The speed is gradually reduced from 00PPS to 30opps and then brought to a standstill. The period in which the speed is gradually increased is referred to as an acceleration period, and the period in which the speed is gradually decreased is referred to as a deceleration period. In the motor control of the embodiment described later, for example, when the moving distance of the lens is small, constant speed driving is performed from the beginning without providing an acceleration period.

The driving of the stepping motor has been explained above using the case of two-phase excitation as an example, but the excitation method used in this embodiment does not need to be limited to two-phase excitation, and even one-phase excitation can be used.
Or a mixed method of 1-phase and 2-phase (1-phase-2-phase excitation method)
Therefore, the excitation sequences for these one-phase excitation methods and one-phase-two-phase excitation are shown in FIGS. 17 and 18.

Further, the characteristics of each of the above methods are briefly explained as follows.

1 韮I"Uwa (method in which only one phase is always excited. Although the input power is small, there is little torque drop and the efficiency is good, but the damped vibration during stepping is large and tends to cause disturbances, so it cannot be used in a wide range of pulse rates. It is unsuitable if you do so, or if you dislike vibration.

1-phase I"vb (method that always excites two phases. For this reason, the input power is doubled compared to single-phase excitation, and the temperature rise is also higher, but high torque can be obtained and damped vibration is small, so Often used.The step angle is the same as one-phase excitation.

A method that alternately excites one phase and two phases. The input power is 1.5 times that of 1-phase excitation, and the torque is between 1-phase excitation and 2-phase excitation. Since the step angle is 172 for 1-phase or 2-phase excitation, the resolution of the system can be doubled, and the response pulse is also 2
It will be doubled.

Next, the control operation by the microcomputer 30 constituting the system controller 140 in this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 19 and subsequent figures.

FIG. 19 shows a general operational flow. In the figure, first, when the battery 141 is installed, a reset operation is performed in each part of the microcomputer 30, and initial settings are made (step #1). This initial setting initializes the input/output board of the microcomputer 30,
This is to initialize data. Turning the main switch 145 ON has meaning after this initial setting6. In step #5, the main switch 145 turns OFF.
Determine whether it is N or not, and if it is OFF, step #7
and enters the wait (standby) state. That is, although the power is on, the microcomputer 30 is not working. If it is determined in step #5 that the main switch 145 is ON, the process advances to the next battery check routine (#10). Next, in step #15, it is determined whether the battery check result is OK or not.
If not, the process proceeds to step #20 and a warning is displayed. This warning is performed by the light emitting diode (I, ED) 148. And that warning is from main switch 145
is performed continuously while is ON (step #25), and other operations are not accepted. When the main switch 145 is turned off, a wait state is entered (step #26). In the determination of battery check in step #15 above, OK is determined.
In this case (if the battery voltage is sufficient), the lens is moved to the infinity position in the next step #30. This is because it is necessary to know the lens position for at least one point, and the infinity position of that one point is the 1113th! This is obtained by contacting the convex piece 57 with the H switch piece 55 and turning on the infinite switch 147, and further moving from there to a mechanical contact, and subsequent lens driving is performed using this point as a reference.

After the lens is reset to the infinite position in step #30, the AF switch 146 is turned on in step #35.
It is determined whether or not it is OFF, and if it is OFF, step #4
Go to 0 for auto power off (Auto Pow
er 0FF). Here, in the case of auto power off, in step #41 the APO8
It becomes ET. Conversely, if it is not auto power off, proceed to the next step #45 and turn off the main switch 14.
5 is ON or not. Main switch 145 is OFF
If F, it becomes a wait state (step #46), and O
If N, return to step #35 and switch AF switch 1.
46 is ON. AF switch 146
If is ON, CCD driving (operating the CCD for distance measurement) is performed in step #50, distance measurement calculation is performed in step #55, and block selection is performed in step #60. Here, the block selection refers to block selection for distance measurement. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 22(b), the CCD line sensor for distance measurement has three blocks (first block BLI, It is divided into two blocks BL2 and a third block BL3), and distance measurement calculations (including contrast calculations) are performed for each block. is to choose. This allows you to choose which object to observe in both far and near competition.
It becomes possible to take actions such as whether to do F or not.

Next, in step #65, low contrast is determined.

The low contrast determination herein refers to determining whether the contrast of the observed object is less than a predetermined value in all blocks, and is performed based on the data of the Shiba CCD. When it is determined that the contrast is low, the process proceeds to step #70, where it is determined whether or not the lens should be set at a specific position.If the lens is not set at the specific position, the process proceeds to step #45. When setting to a specific position, set it to the specific position in step #75 and proceed to step #85. The reason for setting the lens at a specific position when using low contrast is because if you detect low contrast many times, you will not know where you are looking. For example, it is well known from experience that when looking at the horizon, if you move the lens to an infinity position, you can see it. In this embodiment, the specific position is not limited to this particular position, but is assumed to be an infinitely distant position.

In the low contrast determination at step #65, when it is determined that the contrast is not low, the process proceeds to step #80, where the lens extension position is calculated, and the process proceeds to step #85. By the way, in Fig. 19, block selection (step #60)
After that, determine whether all blocks are low contrast (
Although step #65) is performed, low contrast may be determined before block selection, and in fact, in the detailed flowchart described later, low contrast is determined before block selection. Now, step #
In step #85, the number of pulses for driving the motor to the lens extension position is calculated.6 Next, if the lens extension position is within the focusing range, there is no need to drive the motor, so in step #90, it is determined whether the motor drive is OK. If it is NO, return to step #45, if OK, perform a battery check in the next step #95, and then proceed to step #1.
00, it is determined from the battery voltage checked in step #95 whether the motor drive is at its limit. Here, if the motor drive limit is reached, the lens is driven to a specific position in step #110, and then the process advances to step #20, which is a warning display flow. The reason for driving the lens to a specific position when the motor drive limit voltage is reached is that when the battery is exhausted and the lens cannot be driven, it is easier to use the telescope if the lens is on the far side rather than on the near side. Moreover, it is possible to see a wider range than the near side. Incidentally, it is preferable for the specified position during the above-mentioned low contrast to be at infinity in terms of probability, but it is better to set the specified position at the time of battery check to be slightly closer than infinity in order to cover a wider range. If it is determined in step #100 that the motor drive limit is not reached, the motor is driven in step #105, and then the process returns to step #45.

Note that this flowchart assumes that only two-phase excitation drive is used to drive the stepping motor.
Therefore, step #105 simply drives the motor with two-phase excitation, but an embodiment in which two-phase excitation and one-phase excitation or 1-2-phase excitation are used together is also possible, and the flowchart (steps in FIG. 19) is also possible. Corresponding to #105) is the 20th
and FIG. 21, respectively.

Second, the embodiment shown in Fig. 20 uses 1-2 phase excitation drive near the focal point to reduce the step angle to increase accuracy, and when the amount of lens drive to the focal point is large, the step angle is initially large. The lens is driven at high speed by 2-phase excitation drive, and switched to 1-2 phase excitation near the focal point.

In addition, the embodiment shown in Fig. 21 reduces battery consumption by slowing down drive with 2s excitation during startup, which requires high torque, and switching to 1-phase excitation drive, which has low torque but consumes less current, when the load becomes lighter. I'm trying to reduce it.

First, in the flowchart of FIG. 20, step #11
In step 5, it is determined whether the lens position is near the in-focus point, and if it is not near the in-focus point, the process proceeds to step #120 to perform two-phase excitation drive, and as a result, it is determined again in step #125 whether or not the lens position is near the in-focus point. do. In the end, step #12
0 and #125 realize two-phase excitation up to the vicinity of the in-focus point. If it is determined in step #115 or #125 that the focal point is near, the process proceeds to step #130 and the motor is driven with 1-2 phase excitation. And next step #13
In step 5, it is determined whether or not the focused point has been reached, and if No, the process returns to step #130 to continue 1-2 phase excitation, and if Yes, the motor is stopped in step #140.

Next, in the flowchart of FIG. 21, step #150
If it is not near the focused point, slow-up drive is performed with two-phase excitation in step #155, and then constant-speed drive is performed with one-phase excitation in the next step #160. As a result, it is determined whether or not it has come near the in-focus point (step #165). If NO here, the process returns to step #160 to continue constant speed driving by one-phase excitation. If Yes, slow down drive with 1-2 phase excitation step #
170), Step # to determine whether or not the in-focus point has been reached.
175), if the in-focus point has not been reached, step #170
Continue 1-2 phase excitation drive. When the focal point is reached, the process proceeds to step #180 and the motor is stopped. In step #150 above, if it is near the in-focus point, step #1
85 and step #190, the motor is driven by 1-2 phase excitation until the focused point is reached, and when the focused point is reached, the process proceeds to step #180 and the motor is stopped.

Next, the operation shown in FIG. 19 will be explained in detail according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 23 and subsequent figures.

When the batteries are installed in the binoculars, the reset routine shown in FIG. 23 is executed and initial settings are made in step #200.
Various operations are performed as an initial setting, but to explain only the typical ones shown in the figure, first, DC
DA used to set the 2wC terminal that controls the /DC converter unit 142 to O, or to drive the motor described later.
Set M to O, initialize the timer, and set the fast AF flag FSTAF.

When the above-mentioned initial settings are completed, it is determined in step #205 whether or not the main switch 145 is turned on, and if the main switch 145 is turned off, the process is performed in step #21.
The process proceeds to the operation flow described in steps #0 to #220, that is, the flow for setting the WIT state. First, in step #210, among the boats in the microcomputer 30, the output boat to which the motor 22 and the LED 148 are commonly connected is turned off. Next, step #21
5, the clock frequency is switched. Specifically, lower the speed from a high-speed clock to a low-speed clock.

Further, in step #220, the DC/DC converter unit 142 is stopped and the WIT state is entered (step #225). In this WIT state, the microcomputer 30 is emitting a clock at a low frequency, but the power consumption is lower than when the microcomputer 30 is emitting a clock at a high frequency.

Returning to step #205 above, main switch 145
When is ON, the process advances to step #230, where a battery check is performed, and then, at step #235, the result of the battery check is determined. Here, if the result of the battery check is negative, a warning is issued by blinking the LHD 148 (step #240).

At this time, the blinking frequency of LE0148 is 2 Hz, although it is not particularly necessary to limit it to this. Then, this warning by decreasing the LED light is continuously performed as can be seen from step #245 if the main switch 145 is ON. When the main switch 145 is turned OFF, the process proceeds from step #245 to step #210, and the operation flow for entering the WIT state described above is executed.

Next, when it is determined in step #235 that the battery check result is OK, the process proceeds to step #250, where the first AF flag and battery check flag are set. When this is completed, infinite (oO) reset is performed in step #260. For this infinite reset, if you don't know where the lens is at the beginning, you won't be able to determine how to move the lens later, so after turning on the main switch, move the lens to the specified position (infinity). This routine is shown in Figure 29, so it will be done later in 1.
This will be explained according to FIG. 429. After the infinite reset is completed, the count of timer 2 is set in step #265, which means setting the time to enter APO (auto power off) SET, which will be described later.

Next, in step #270, it is determined whether the AF switch 146 is ON or not, and if it is ON, the AF switch 146 is turned on as shown in FIG.
Proceed to routine N, and if OFF, step #280
The first AF flag is set. After that, in step #285, move count MOVECN
Make T 8φH. Thereafter, in step #290, it is determined whether or not the timer 2 has counted up. If it has counted up, the routine of APO3ET is entered (step #295).

APO3ET is basically the same as the wait state, but differs in the following points. That is, in the wait state, time passes in the same state, but in APO3ET, the circuit is set to move at regular intervals.

Specifically, if the main switch 145 is ON and the AP switch 146 is not pressed for 15 seconds, the clock frequency is lowered to save power consumption, and
The DC/DC converter unit 142 is stopped. After exiting this APO8ET routine, the process returns to step #265.

If it is determined in step #290 that timer 2 has not counted up, the next step #300
It is determined whether the main switch 145 is turned on or not. If the main switch 145 is turned off, the process enters a wait state (step #305). If the main switch is ON, the process returns to step #270 and executes the subsequent flow.
When timer 2 counts up, it enters APO8ET, and the main switch turns OFF before timer 2 reaches the count up.
When it becomes FF, it means entering a wait state.

Next, the SON routine shown in FIG. 24 will be explained. This SON routine is the main routine in this binocular. First, in step #400, it is determined whether the first AF flag is set. If the first AP flag is set in step #400, the first AF flag is reset in step #405, and then in step #41O,
Initialize the CCD (input certain data, perform integration, and simulate data dump to stabilize subsequent COD data). After this initialization of the CCD is completed, the CCD is driven. The initialization is performed when the first AF flag is set in step #400, that is, when the AF switch 146 is turned from OFF to OFF.
Since the first AF flag is in a reset state after that, the process directly proceeds to step #415, CCD driving, without going through the initialization routine. CCD driving consists of an integration operation in which photocharges are accumulated for a predetermined period of time, and a data dump operation after the integration is completed.

When CCD driving is completed, distance measurement calculation is performed in step #420. This distance measurement calculation includes a calculation for calculating the amount of image deviation between the standard part and the reference part on the CCD, and the three blocks BLI, BL2, BL2, BL2, BL1, BL1, BL1, BL2, BL1, BL1, BL1, BL2, BL1, BL1, BL2, BL1, BL1, BL1, BL2, BL1, BL2, BL1, BL2, BL1, BL1, BL2. BL3 (Figure 22(b)
), and a contrast calculation for detecting the individual contrasts of (see ). Here, the standard part and the reference part on the CCD are provided in software for each block in the phase difference detection method for calculating the amount of shift (day focus amount). Of the two images obtained by separately forming the observation object in each AF block in the line direction using the optical system, one corresponds to the standard part and the other corresponds to the reference part.

When the distance measurement calculation is completed, the low contrast flag is reset in step #425, and then the low contrast determination routine is entered. Step #43 of the low contrast determination routine
0 has three blocks BLI, BL2. It is determined whether or not all of BL3 are in low contrast, and if all three blocks are in low contrast, the low contrast flag is set in step #435, and then low contrast processing begins (step #440).
). This low contrast processing will be explained according to the flow shown in FIG. When the low contrast flow LOGOH is entered, the count number of the low contrast counter is incremented by 1 in step #5000 to check how many times the low contrast has been counted.

After that, the process proceeds to step #5100, and it is determined whether or not the set number of times LCONNO minus the count number is 0. If it is not 0, the LED 148 is turned on in step #5400 to issue a warning. and go to MSwO. If it is O, step #520
Set the low-con count to 0 at 0 and proceed to the next step #53
After executing a low control reset routine (see FIG. 28, which will be described later) at 00, it becomes MPCAAL. This MPC
AL proceeds to step #550 (FIG. 24). Then, the MSWO returns to step #300 through step #310 (FIG. 23).

In step #430 of Fig. 24, 3 blocks BLI
, BL2. If any one of BL3 is not in low contrast, the process proceeds to step #445 to determine whether or not the second block BL2 is in low contrast. If the second block BL2 is not in low contrast, the process proceeds to step #460. Select the second block BL2 with (Second block BL2
). If the second block BL2 is low contrast in step #445, the next step #450
Proceed to and determine whether the first block BLI is low contrast.
Here, if the first block BLI is low contrast, three blocks BLI, BL2. Since only the third block BL3 among BL3 is not in low contrast, the third block BL3 is selected in step #470.

However, if the first block BLI is low content in step #450, step #455
It is determined whether or not M > Here, XMI is the first distance measured this time.
The amount of deviation of the block BLI, XM3 represents the amount of deviation of the third block BL3 measured this time, and XM represents the amount of previous deviation (the amount of deviation corresponding to the current lens position).

As described above, in this embodiment, there are three blocks BLI.

BL2. Priority is given to the second block BL2 of BL3, but this is because in the case of binoculars, as shown in FIG. the middle block within, i.e. the second
This is because it is reasonable to give priority to the distance measurement data of block BL2. If the second block BL2 has a low contrast, this embodiment adopts the distance measurement data of the first block BLI or the third block BL3, whichever has a smaller deviation from the current lens position. (Steps #450 to #470).

After block selection has been performed as described above, which block has been selected is stored in memory (step #
475). If a block is selected, it means that it is not low contrast, so the low contrast warning LED
is turned OFF (step #480).

Now, as shown in Fig. 31, it is possible to extend the lens from the infinity position to a position of 2 m, but there is a deviation direction flag that indicates which side the lens has deviated from 4 m, which is the midpoint of the extended amount. After resetting in step #485, it is determined in the next step #490 whether the deviation amount XM is positive or negative. Here, the focus detection module is set so that the amount of deviation is O when measuring a distance of 4 m, and as shown in Figure 31, the intermediate point of 4 m is 0, and the near side (2 m side) is positive (+ ), and the infinity side is (-). XM (
-), a shift direction flag is set in step #500. Therefore, when this flag is set, it indicates that the distance is more than 4 meters to infinity.

After setting the deviation direction flag in step #500, DFK is changed to DFKM in step #505. Kokote, DFK corresponds to the XM(7) code, and M in DFKM indicates that it is negative (therefore, on the infinity side).

In step #490, when XM is on the (+) side, DFK is set to DFKP in step #495. Here, P of DFKP indicates that it is positive (therefore, it is near).

After step #495 or step #505, the process proceeds to step #510, where the value obtained by multiplying the amount of deviation XM by DFK is set as the number of deviation pulses DF. Here, DFK is a constant that converts the amount of deviation X into the number of pulses (the number of motor drive pulses). Next, in step #515, it is determined whether the deviation direction flag is set or reset. When this deviation direction flag is set (
In other words, when it is 1), as I said earlier, it is on the infinity side (-)
Step #520
Proceed to and substitute (SP-DF) as the target position pulse number TP. SP is the number of pulses from the infinite position to the reference position of 4 m, as shown in FIG. Step #5
After Step 20, proceed to step #525, where the TP
Determine whether or not is smaller than 0. If TP is smaller than 0, set TP to O in step #530, and then proceed to step #5.
Proceed to step #50, and if it is 0 or more, continue to step #55
Go to 0. In addition, in this way, TP is 0 in step #525.
Determine whether it is smaller than #, and if it is smaller, step TP #
530 is limited to 0 by the CC that detects the amount of deviation.
In D and the like, TP may become less than O due to the influence of noise, so this is to prevent malfunction of the motor drive due to such a problem.

When the shift direction flag is not set in step #515 (that is, when it is O), it means that the shift is toward the near side (+), so as can be seen from FIG. 31, the target position pulse number TP is the value (S
P+DF) (step #535).

Next, in step #540, it is determined whether or not this TP is larger than TPMAX. If TP>TPMAX, then in step #545, TP is limited to TPMAX, and then the process proceeds to step #550; if TP≦TPMAX, Proceed to step #550 without doing anything. Here, TPMAX represents the number of feeding pulses up to the maximum point of the feeding amount, that is, the point of 2 m.

The operations after step #550 are not only performed following each of the above-mentioned steps, but also when there is an NPC or AL. First, in step #550, the motor drive mode MMD is set to O, and in the next step #555, the number of drive pulses MP is set to (TP-NP). This (TP-
NP) represents the number of pulses from the current position to the target position. Subsequently, in step #560, it is determined whether the drive pulse counter is negative or not, and if it is negative, the next step #5 is performed.
65, set (NP-TP) to MP, and step #57
Assume that X, which indicates whether 0 is plus or minus with respect to the current position, is 1. If MP is positive in step #560, X is set to 0 in step #575. In the above explanation,
TP, NP, SP, etc. are actually RAM address names, and X is a CPU register name.

Note that the contents of this register X indicate whether it is plus or minus with respect to the current position in UNI and step #625 to be described later, but it is used for various other purposes in the flow to be described later.

After step #570 or step #575,
Proceeding to step #580, the number of focus zone pulses GZP is subtracted from the number of drive pulses MP. Then, check whether the result of the subtraction is positive or negative in step #58.
If it is negative, the amount of deviation is within the in-focus zone, so the motor is not moved. That is, in this case, proceed to step #590, set MOVECNT to O for counting the number of motor drive designated pulses, and then set BC (battery checker flag) in step #595.
Determine the reset flag, and if it is set, reset this flag in step #600 and proceed to step #
Proceed to step #605 to set BCNG, and if it is not set, proceed to step #610 to perform MSllo, as
In WO, after setting timer 2 in step #310 of FIG. 23, the process advances to step #300.

On the other hand, in the BCNG, the process returns to step #240 and a warning is displayed. In step #585 (MP-GZP
) is determined to be positive, it means that the amount of deviation is larger than the in-focus zone, so step #61
Proceed to step 5 to execute the motor drive routine MOVE.

25, which describes OVE in this routine in detail according to FIG.
In the flow shown in the figure, it is first determined in step #620 whether or not there is a preset flag in the register, and if there is a preset flag here, the process jumps to step #655 to unconditionally move the motor, but if there is no preset flag, Proceed to step #625. Examples of the preset flag include a low contrast reset flag. In step #625, it is determined whether the direction of the shift is toward infinity (1) or nearer to the current position. This determination is made based on whether the above-mentioned X is X=1 or x=O. here,
When X=1 (that is, when the direction of deviation X points toward infinity with respect to the current position), the process advances to step #655 to drive the motor. However, when x=O (that is, when the direction of deviation is near the current position), step #6
At step 30, it is determined whether the current position exceeds a predetermined limit value (LIMIT). Here, if the current position exceeds a predetermined limit value and is near, it means that the observer was looking nearby beforehand, and an object passed nearby while looking far away. Since this is not the case, the process proceeds to step #655 to move the motor.

However, in step #630, even if the current position (NP) is near, if it is at or below the predetermined limit value (LIMIT), the process proceeds to step #635 and calculates GZPX2, which is twice the focus zone. Then, in step #640, count the number of pulses to the target position! It is determined whether 4P is less than or equal to a predetermined value of GZPX2. And GPZ
When X2≧MP, step #65 to drive the motor
Proceed to step 5, but when GPZX2 < key, that is, reach the target position.

is moved to a predetermined value nearer than the current lens position (GPZ
If the deviation exceeds X2), the count MOVECNT indicating the number of distance measurements is incremented by 1 in step #645, and it is determined in the next step #650 whether the count value exceeds a predetermined number of times. Here, MOVEN
O2 is a constant indicating the predetermined number of distance measurements. The predetermined number of times is not limited to this, but three or four times are selected.

If the number of distance measurements is less than the predetermined number in step #650,
Proceed to MSWO and do not move the motor. However, if the predetermined number of times is exceeded, step #655 is taken to move the motor.
Proceed to. This is because if the deviation in step #645 is more than a predetermined value, there is a high possibility that something has crossed between the observer and the object to be observed, so as a general rule, the motor will not be moved.
When this state of deviation is detected a predetermined number of times, there is a high possibility that the observer intentionally looked at something nearby, which means that the motor should be moved.

Now, in step #655, the low contrast reset flag is reset. As mentioned earlier, the low contrast reset flag is a flag that is set when moving the lens to a specific position during low contrast.
This is a flag for jumping from 5 to #650, and since its role has been completed, it is reset to 0. Next, in step #660, the count value of the distance measurement counter is set to 0. Subsequently, in step #665, data indicating the direction of deviation present in register X is input into register A in order to confirm the motor drive direction. In the next step #670, the current direction A (contents of register A) is subtracted from MHF indicating the direction before distance measurement (rotation direction at the previous time) regarding the motor rotation direction flag MHF, and in step #675 The current direction A is set as the rotation direction flag M)IF. Next, step #68
A flag indicating that backlash correction was performed at 0 (BCH
After resetting the MHF flag), in step #685
- Determine whether A=0. Here, if the value is 0 (i.e., the same direction as the previous time), proceed to step #700, and if it is not 0 (i.e., the direction is opposite to the previous time), proceed to step #69.
When set to 0, the backlash correction value (BC) I) is stored in the register BC.
COUNT and sets the BCH flag in step #695. Steps #685 to #695 are a flow for correcting in advance the backlash caused by backlash when the motor rotates in the opposite direction to the previous time.

This is because when the motor rotates in the opposite direction, backlash of the gears causes play, causing the motor to idle despite the presence of pulses, so a backlash correction value is added to the number of pulses.

Next, in step #700, the number of pulses for acceleration and deceleration of the motor is set. This is the acceleration period (MMD=O in terms of mode) in the motor control characteristics shown in Figure 16.
This determines how many pulses are used for each of the and deceleration periods (MMD=2). Here, the total number of pulses in the acceleration period and the deceleration period is obtained by setting the acceleration period and the deceleration period to be the same number of pulses VPN, and taking twice that number (VPNx2). After step #700, the process proceeds to step #705, where the maximum pulse rate is set as an initial value in the pulse rate NPH. Specifically, the initial pulse rate of the acceleration period of the motor speed control characteristic in FIG.
Enter the numerical value to create pps. Then step #
At 710, it is determined whether the number of pulses MP to the target point is smaller than the sum of the number of pulses in the acceleration period and the deceleration period plus 1 (VPNX2+1). In FIG. 16, MP is the number of pulses corresponding to the period from the starting point to the stopping point of the motor. In this judgment, if MP is smaller than (VPNXZ+1), the process advances to step #715 and the motor drive mode MMD is set to 3. An MMD of 3 means that the distance from the current position to the next one is short, so the vehicle is driven at low speed from the beginning. On the other hand, MP (VPNX
2+1) or more, in step #720 the previous M
The key point here is the value obtained by subtracting the acceleration VPN from P.

After step #715 and step #720, motor drive data is set in step #725 or step #730. First, in step #725, the data at the address DAM in the RAM is put into the register X of the CPU. Step # 730 TEHAMDATAO,X (33rd
Drive data shown in the figure) is placed in register A. Thereafter, in step #735 it is determined whether or not the low contrast flag is set. If the low contrast flag is set (1), the microcomputer 3 to which the LED 148 and the motor 22 are commonly connected is determined in step #740.
If the boat Abit5 of 0 is set to O(O, I, ED14
8 is in the operable state) and proceeds to step #745. If the low control flag is not set (the flag = O), do nothing and proceed to step #8 with A bit 5 remaining 1 (motor is in the operable state). Proceed to #745. At step #745, motor drive data output P5 is set to register A.
give the content of

Next, in step #750, it is determined whether or not the battery check flag is set (that is, whether or not the battery is checked when the motor is driven). In this way, determining whether or not to check the battery when driving the motor is as follows:
In this embodiment, the battery check is not performed every time the AF switch 146 is turned on, but when the motor is driven.
This is because the battery check is performed only when the F switch 146 is turned from OFF to ON. That is, first, to explain the case where the AF switch 146 is turned on from OFF, step #230 in FIG.
A battery check is performed at step #250, and if the result is OK, a battery check flag is set at step #250. When the AF switch 146 is turned on in this state, the S ON routine starts from step #270.
In the determination of the battery check flag in step #750, it is determined that the battery check flag is set, so a battery check is performed in the subsequent step #760. When this battery check is completed, the battery check flag is reset in steps #770 and #785, regardless of whether the battery check result is negative or OK. In this state A
Even if the F switch 146 continues to be ONt (that is, even if it is determined that the AF switch 146 is ON in step #270), the battery check flag remains in the reset state, so even if step #750 is reached again, the battery is Check step #760 will be skipped,
No battery check is performed. Next, when the AF switch 146 is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step #270 or step #280, and as the timer 2 counts up, the APO3ET routine is entered.
O! Since the JT routine sets the battery check flag, the AF switch 146 is set again.
is turned on, and as a result, the routine enters the SON ON routine at step #270, and when step #750 is reached, it is determined that the battery check flag is set, and a battery check is performed.

As described above, when the AF switch 146 is turned from OFF to ON, a battery check is performed when the motor is driven, and when the AP switch 146 is in the ON state other than that, a battery check is not performed when the motor is driven. As a result of the determination in #750, if the battery check flag is not set, the process proceeds to step #790, and if it is, the process proceeds to step #755 and waits for 1 ms. This weight means that when any two of the power signals φ1 to φ4 are set to low level in the circuit shown in Fig. 32 and a current is passed through the coil, the voltage will fluctuate immediately after the current is applied, so the voltage will become stable. This is to wait. Otherwise, the potentials of the five points taken out for battery checking will also fluctuate, making it impossible to expect an accurate battery check. After waiting for the voltage to stabilize at step #755, a battery check is performed at step #760. Then, the check result is determined in step #765, and if the battery check result is negative, the battery check flag is reset in step #770, and after executing the battery check reset routine in the next step #775, MP
It becomes CAL.

Here, the routine for battery check and specific position reset at low power will be explained with reference to FIG. First, when checking the battery, set a battery check reset flag to move the lens to a specific position in step #3000, and then set the TP in step #3050.
Input the specific position BCTP at the time of battery check as . When the contrast is low, a low contrast reset flag is set in step #3100. Then, the process advances to step #3200, where the specific position LCTP at low contrast is set as TP.
Put in. If these specific positions are at infinity, T
P becomes TP=O, and if it is 50 m, it becomes the number of pulses corresponding to it. Next, in step #3300, the focusing range GZP is narrowed to 5 pulses, and the process returns. The purpose of narrowing the focusing range GZP at the specific position in step #3300 is to make it easier to reach the specific position. That is,
According to steps #820 and #825 of the MOVE flow, the in-focus zone is set wide in advance on the infinity side, so when the lens is moved to a specific position in this specific position reset routine, it is necessary to focus within that wide in-focus zone. If there is a lens in the target area, the lens will not move and will not reach the target point, so the focusing range (zone) is set narrowly within this routine. In this embodiment, GZP is set to 5 pulses, but it is natural to set it smaller than GZMAX, which will be described later, and if it is set smaller than GZMIN, the effect of specific position reset will be greater.

Returning to FIG. 25, if the battery check result is OK in step #765, the battery check flag is reset in step #785, and then step #790
1.5m5ec weight. This weight is used to widen the width of the first pulse when driving the motor. It should be noted that by widening the width of the initial pulse in this way, it is possible to enjoy the advantage that torque can be easily obtained at the time of starting the motor.

Next, in step #795, the contents of address CAM in RAM are stored in register X. After that, step #800
and run the motor drive routine. After this motor drive routine is completed, it is determined in step #805 whether or not the battery check reset flag is set. This flag is a flag that is set when going to a specific position during a battery check. As a result of the above determination, if this flag is set, the flag is reset in step #810 and then becomes BCNG.

However, if the battery check reset flag is not set in step #805, the focus zone is calculated in steps #820 and #825. Specifically, the focus zone is changed depending on the distance to the object to be observed. That is, although the focus zone (focus range) differs depending on the person and age, in general, in nature, the farther the distance, the lower the contrast. This increases the variation in distance measurement data, and there is a possibility that the lens may be driven inadvertently (hunting phenomenon). To prevent this, the in-focus zone is made wider as it goes farther away depending on the distance to the object to be observed.

NP corresponds to the current position, and GZK indicates the slope of the focusing zone characteristic shown in FIG. 36. The GZK is calculated from the relationship shown in Fig. 36, from the focusing zone GZMAX at infinity, the focusing zone GZMIN at the near position, and TPMAX corresponding to the distance between the infinity and near positions, GZK = (GZMAX - GZMIN) /TPMAX
It is.

In step #820, NP is multiplied by GZK, and in step #825, the difference between the maximum GZ value GZMAX and NPXGZK is calculated to obtain the in-focus zone GZP.

This concludes the main flow. Next, step #8 above
The motor drive routine at 00 will be explained with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 26, first, in step #900, motor drive data MDATAO,X is input into register A of the CPU.

MDATAO indicates the motor drive data in Figure 33,
represents the number of the data. After that, in step #905, the contents of register A are read to the output port P5, and in step #910, the contents of the register A are read out to the output port P5, and the RAM address D is read out in step #910.
Put the contents of register X into AM.

Next, in step #915, it is determined whether the infinity flag is set. This infinite flag is the MUGE flag shown in Figure 29.
This is a flag that becomes 1 when the H routine is passed. When the infinity flag is set, the process proceeds to step #920, where it is determined whether or not the infinity switch 147 is ON. If it is ON, the mode MMD is set to 5 in step #930.

MMD5 is a mode in which the lens drives the motor at a constant speed after turning on the infinite switch 147. Next, constant speed drive rate MR3PR is entered into register A in step #935. Note that this constant speed drive rate MR3PR is, for example, 40
Set to 0pps. Step #9 after step #935
Proceed to 40. If the infinity flag is not set in step #915, or if the infinity switch is OFF in step #920, the initial value of the counter is stored in register A in step #925, and then the process proceeds to step #940.

In step #940, the contents of register A are transferred to register R5.
Put it in. Incidentally, the counter counts down and when the count value is O, time-up occurs. Step #945 is a timer subroutine, specifically the operation of waiting for the time-up. In other words, see what the rate is. Then, create a time according to that pulse rate.

Next, in step #950, the direction flag Ml (F) with respect to the current position is determined.Here, if MHF indicates the infinite side, it is determined in step #970 whether or not X=O. Assuming that the data has a relationship as shown in Figure 33, when MHF = 1, X is 3 → 2 →
It changes in the order (direction) of 1 → 0 → 3, so step #9
At 70, it is determined whether or not X=O, and if X=O, then X=3. If X=0 in step #970, set X-1 to X.

On the other hand, when M)]F=0, X is 0 → 1 → 2 → 3
→ Since it changes depending on the order (direction) of 0, if the MHF is on the near side (=0) in step #950, it is determined in step #955 whether or not X=3, and if X=3, then X=O. Step #965), if X=3, set X+1 to X (
Step #960).

After setting X (that is, the data indicating the number in register X) as described above, step #985
It is determined whether the backlash flag (BCH flag) is set. Here, if this BCH flag is set, the count value of the backlash counter is decremented by 1 in step #990, and it is determined whether the value of the backlash counter has become O in the next step #995. , if the flag is not 0, the process returns to the first step #900 of this routine, and if the flag is 0, the BCH flag is reset in step #1000.

In this backlash correction routine, constant speed driving is performed at the minimum pulse rate (low speed). The reason is that during backlash correction, the drive is in an idling state with no load applied, and once backlash correction is finished and the backlash is gone, the load on the fish increases and there is a risk of it losing synchronization, so it is driven at a pulse rate with high torque. This is because it is necessary to do so.

If the BCH flag is not set in step #985, the mode MMD is set to M in step #1005.
It is determined whether MD=5. If MMD=5,
In step #1010, the counter value MC0UNT corresponding to the drive pulse of distance W in FIG. 34 is decremented by 1, and in the next step #1015, it is determined whether the count value is 0 or more. If the value is 0 or more, the process returns to the first step #900 of this routine. If it is smaller than O, the infinity flag is reset in step #1020, and then the routine proceeds to a motor stop routine.

In reality, it is desirable that the counter value MC0UNT be set to a value greater than or equal to the number of pulses corresponding to the distance W. This is because when the infinite switch 147 is turned on, the distance W is considered to vary relatively due to variations in the strokes of the switch pieces. In addition, by setting the number of pulses to be larger than the number equivalent to W in this way, the lens system is mechanically hit 403 (in the explanation of FIGS. 9 to 11, the support part 5
3), a gear clutch acts on the lens system to prevent damage. By the way, when bringing the lens position to infinity as the reference position, it is more reliable and more reliable to proceed further from the ON point and bring it to mechanical contact 403 instead of turning it on at the infinity switch 147. This is due to the intention that the accuracy is high. Therefore, if reliability and accuracy can be satisfied with a switch, the motor may be stopped by turning on the switch, and its position may be set to the infinite position. In this way, control becomes simple and the gear clutch described above can be omitted.

If MMD=5 in step #1005,
In step #1025, it is determined whether MMD=3, and MM
If D=3, distance MP to move in step #1030
Degrease L by 1 and proceed to the next step #103
5, it is determined whether MPI<0. Here, when MPL≧0, the routine returns to the first step #900, and when MPL<O, the routine proceeds to the motor stop routine.

In this case, since the distance is short, the data is stored in register M.
Since it is only in the lower 8 bits of P, it is called MPL (L indicates lower).

If MMD=3 is not found in step #1025, the process proceeds to step #1040 and it is determined whether MMD=2. MMD=2 corresponds to the deceleration period as described above.

If MMD=2, do nothing and proceed to step #10
Proceed to 65, but here, if MMD = 2, MMD =
1 or MMC=O, so step #
In step 1045, MP is decremented by 1, and in the next step #1050, it is determined whether MP is 0 or more. Then, if MP<O, it means that the mode changes from MMD=1 to MMD=2, so step #105
5, MMD=2, and step #1060, MM
The number of pulses VPNR at D=2 is (VPNR+1
). This is because the number of pulses is one less during the deceleration period, and if left as is, the subsequent determination in step #1075 will be incorrect, so 1 is added here in advance. If the mode changes to MMD=2 in step #1055, or if MMD=2 originally (
If yes in step #1040), step #1040
At 1065, the pulse rate is determined by adding a predetermined value VFR to the current pulse rate.

This is because when MMD=2 (ie, the deceleration portion), the pulse width is gradually widened as shown in FIG. 35(b) in order to slow down the rotational speed of the motor.

In the next step #1070, the determined number of pulses is changed to 1.
Since it is decremented each time, the number of pulses is determined by subtracting 1 from the VPNR. And the number of pulses is O
It is determined in step #1075 whether the value has become 0 or not, and if it has not become 0, the process returns to the first step #900. When the number of pulses reaches O, the motor stop flow (MSTOP
).

If IIIP is 0 or more in step #1050, it means that the mode has not changed, so the process advances to step #1080 and mode MMD is set to MIIID=
Determine whether it is O (i.e. acceleration period) and MMD = 0
If not, return to the first step #900 and perform step #
The flow after 900 is executed, and finally the process proceeds from step #1050 to step #1055. However, if MMD=O in step #1080, the pulse rate is set as the current pulse rate minus the predetermined value VPR in step #1085. This is because in the case of acceleration, the width of the pulse is gradually narrowed as shown in FIG. 35(a). Next step #1
At step #090, the number of pulses is decremented by 1, and whether or not the value has become O is determined at step #1095.
If it is not 0, return to the first step #900,
If it is 0, the next mode MMD=1 is formed in step #1100, and the process returns to the first step #900.

Next, in the motor stop routine MSTOP, the motor mode is set to MMD=0 in step #1105.

This is because when the motor is driven again after it has stopped, it should be in the initial state (MMD=0). Next, in step #1110, a wait of 3 m5ec is performed, but this is to ensure a long pulse width when stopping the motor as well as when starting (starting) the motor, so that the motor can be stopped smoothly. Thereafter, the motor is stopped in step #1115. Specifically, all motor drive output ports of the microcomputer are set to high level (therefore, φ1=φ2=
φ3=φ4=1). Finally, in step #1120, TP is made into MP. This means that the lens has come to the target position (TP) and stopped, so now it is time to move to the target position (TP).
) should be the current position (NP).

Next, the operational flow of the battery check will be explained with reference to FIG. 27. First, in step #2000, the BCG terminal of the microcomputer is set to low level. As a result, the transistor Q5 of the battery check circuit shown in FIG.
2. The voltage generated at the connection midpoint J of R3 changes (increases),
Not constant. Therefore, in step #2005, sufficient time is waited for the charging of the capacitor C1 to be completed.

After that, the measured data is stored in the RAM (upper byte CAL, H1 lower byte CAL.

L) and set 8 as the number of measurements by putting 8 into register X of the CPU (step #202
0). Then, in step #2025, register A is set to O.
After that, in step #2030, the voltage obtained from the three points of the 32nd rM and sent to the microcomputer 3o is converted from an analog quantity to a digital quantity.
Start the D conversion operation. And next step #
After waiting for the A/D conversion operation to be completed in step 2035, the next step #2040 sets the carry flag CY to 0, and in step #2045, data ADRR indicating voltages at three points is added to register A and a new value is added. The contents of register A are set to be the contents of register A. After this addition, step #2051
The carry flag CY is determined. In other words, the result of addition is
If there is an overflow, CY=1, and the process proceeds to the next step #2052, where CAL and H are incremented. This data addition is performed by adding the eight measured values one by one (
That's true. In step #2055, the numerical value X between the number of measurements is decremented by 1. Then, in the next step #2060, it is determined whether or not X#(O) has been reached.
If it is not 0, return to step #2030.
Repeat the operations from step #2030. and,
When the operations after step #2030 are performed eight times,
X becomes O, proceeding to step #2062 and register A
Put the value into CAL, L. This value is the lower byte of the summed measurement value. Next, proceed to step #2065 and convert i,000 BCG of microcomputer 30 to BCG.
=1 (ie, high level). Therefore, the transistor Q5 is turned off, and the voltage at the three points is changed to the capacitor C1.
decreases as the charge discharges, and finally reaches the ground potential (
initial state).

In step #2070, the total value of the data is divided by 8 and stored in the register A in order to calculate the average value from the total value of 8 times. In addition, (CAL-H) and (CAL-L) are upper-level, as shown in steps #2010 and #2015.
Indicates the lower byte. Step #20 like this
The data calculated in step 70 is transferred from register A to RAM address ANODATA in the next step #2075.
Hessdoor is done. Next, in step #2080, the amount X to be added to the battery check reference value is set to O.

Next, it is determined in step #2085 whether or not the battery check flag is set, and if this flag is set, the amount to be added is set to X=0.2 in step #2090.
If the user is not standing, the process proceeds to step #2095 without doing anything. This is because the reference value for determination is changed depending on whether the battery check flag is on or off.

In step #2095, the reference value is subtracted from the data A, and in the next step #2100, it is determined whether the subtraction result is smaller than 0 or not. Here, whether it is smaller than 0 or not means, of course, determining whether or not A<(E-BCLKx). Note that E-BCLK is, for example, 4·Ov, and the amount X to be added is X=0.2V. Therefore, when the BC flag is not set, the reference value is 4.
Although it is OV, if the BC flag is set, it becomes 4.2V. Here, the standard value 4. OV is the limit value at which the motor can be driven, and the battery voltage is 4. If it is smaller than Ov, the motor cannot be driven. Therefore, the standard value 4. 0.2V from OV
When the battery voltage drops to a reference value of 4.2V, which is the sum of The reason why the reference value of 4.2V is provided is to leave enough voltage to at least move the lens to a specific position before the motor becomes impossible to drive. Since the BC flag was not set during the battery check when the main switch was turned from OFF to ON (step #230 in Figure 23), the standard value was 4. Ov, and the average voltage of the eight times detected is 4.
A battery check is performed to see if it is smaller than OV. On the other hand, the battery check (second
In step #760) of FIG. 5, since the BC flag is set, the reference value is 4.2V, and a battery check is performed to see if the detected average voltage of 8@ is smaller than this reference value of 4.2V.

Next, as a result of these battery checks, if the data is smaller than the reference value, the process returns with the carry flag set to 1 in step #2105, and if it is greater than the reference value, the process returns directly. Above steps #230 and #780
Following the battery check (steps #235, #765)
The determination as to whether or not the battery check is OK is made based on whether or not this carry flag is set. That is, when the carry flag is 0 (CY=O), it is OK,
If the carry flag is 1 (CY=1), the result is negative.

Next, the infinite flow MU (JN of FIG. 29 will be explained. This infinite flow MUGEN is performed by turning the main switch 145 from OFF to ON1, as performed in step #26o of the reset flow RESET shown in FIG. 23. When entering this flow, the infinity flag is first set in step #4000, and the pulse number MR representing the distance W from the infinity switch ON to the contact surface is set.
Set ESNO to infinite counter MC0UNT (step #4.50). Next, in step #4100, the motor drive pulse rate MRPR when the infinite switch is ON is calculated.
Set in RAM MR8PR. Since the load on the pulse motor is greater than usual when the infinite switch is ON, the hull rate is set to be smaller than usual and the motor torque is increased.

Next, in step #4150, the RAM address DAM
Put the contents of into CPU register X, step #42
Enter motor data MDATAO1X into register A with 00. Next, in step #4250, the contents of register A are read to output port P5, and in step #4300
Set the motor mode MMD to MMD=O, and step #
Set MHF to 1 at 4350. Note that Ml(F is set to 1 because in this case, the lens is always moved to the infinite position (1).Next, in step #4400, the lowest pulse rate at startup is set as the motor startup pulse rate. , In step #4450, 300, which is the number of pulses that can be cleared from the infinity position to the near side, is set as MP.Then, in step #4500, TPt-0 is set, and in step #
Initialize VPNR with 4550 and step #46
Wait 3+asec until the motor rotates at 00,
Jump to the MOTOR drive routine in FIG.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the battery voltage is a predetermined value (reference value).
When the following conditions occur, the lens is moved to a specific position, and after the movement is completed, AF is stopped. This will be explained with reference to the above flowchart. First, when the main switch 145 is turned on and the AF switch 146 is also turned on, the process goes through step #750 in FIG. As determined, step #770. #77
5 is executed, the process becomes MPCAL, and the process returns to step #550 in FIG. At this time, a specific position is set in step #775 (see FIG. 28). Next, when you come to step #750 in FIG. 25 again, first step #750 is reached.
Since the battery check flag has been reset by step #770, steps #750 to #790.
The process advances to step #800 via #795, where the motor is driven to the specific position.

After that, the process advances to step #805, but since the battery check reset flag has been set in the battery check reset routine (FIG. 28) corresponding to the previous step #775, steps #805 to #8
10, then BCNG (step #815), and then step #240 in FIG. 23, where no AF operation is performed.

Brother Jsu and Kyuen.

As explained above, according to the present invention, when the voltage value detected by the power supply voltage detection means becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value,
Since the control means stops the automatic focusing function after driving the lens to a predetermined specific position, it is possible to see as wide a range as possible without impairing the function of the telescope.

In particular, by selecting a specific position at infinity, it is possible to create a telescope with a fixed lens that can cover a wide range using the human eye's focus adjustment function (until automatic focusing becomes possible after battery replacement). .

By providing a display means that displays a warning after the automatic focusing function stops, the observer can be made aware that the lens of the telescope is in the fixed state due to a drop in battery voltage.

Further, the first reference voltage is set to a limit value that can drive the lens,
For example, by selecting the second reference voltage to be slightly higher than the limit value for driving the lens, it is possible to reliably move the lens to a specific position.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of binoculars embodying the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a front view, Figure 3 is a back view, Figure 4 is a plan view showing the internal optical system and focus detection module, etc., Figure 5 is a diagram showing the optical system of the focus detection module, Figure 6 is the fourth
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line AA' in the figure, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line BB', and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the circuit board used in this embodiment. Figure 9 shows the AF lens drive mechanism viewed from above, Figure 10 shows it viewed from the front, and Figure 1.
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view thereof. FIG. 12 is a circuit block diagram showing the circuit configuration of this embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the battery storage structure. FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram showing a drive circuit for a stepping motor. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the sequence of two-phase excitation in the circuit of FIG. 14. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the speed control characteristics of the stepping motor. FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are diagrams showing sequences of one-phase excitation and one-phase-two-phase excitation, respectively. FIG. 19 is a schematic flowchart showing the control of the microcomputer constituting the system controller, and FIGS. 20 and 21 are flowcharts showing specific examples of driving the stepping motor. FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of blocks in the ranging area. Figure 23, Figure 24, Figure 25, Figure 26, Figure 27,
28, 29, and 30 are detailed flowcharts of FIG. 19. FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram thereof. FIG. 32 is a circuit diagram for explaining the battery check circuit. FIG. 33, FIG. 34, FIG. 35, and FIG. 36 are explanatory diagrams of the above flowchart. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Binoculars, 4...First operation member for main switch, 5...A
second operating member for F switch, 11.12...first;
Second lens barrel, 13.14... Objective lens, 17.18... Eyepiece lens, 19... Focus detection module, 20a...
・Light receiving lens, 2゛...Stepping motor, 2
3... Reduction gear section, 25... CCD line sensor,
26... Lens barrel, 27... Circuit board, 3
6...Base plate, 37...Camshaft, 3
8... Lens drive lever 39... Cam groove, 41...
・Motor plywood, 48.49...Bin, 55.56...Switch piece for Mugen switch, 140
...System controller, 141...Battery, 142...DC/DC converter unit, 143...Battery check circuit, 145...Main switch, 146...AF switch, 147...Infinity switch , 148... Light emitting diode for warning display, 150...
Grip, 151...Battery cover, 152...
Battery cover release switch, 160...Binocular field frame, 161...Distance measurement area, 403...Mechanical (mechanical) hit, φ1 to φ4
... Motor drive signal, L1 to L4... Excitation coil, BLI to BL3... CCD line sensor block. 1. Fig. 2 Fig. Fig. 2 31 Main SW pattern No. 13 translation (a) (b) (C) Fig. 16 Fig. 17 Fig. 18 Fig. 1 phase excitation force formula 1-2 phase excitation force Formula Fig. 15 Excitation sequence (two-phase excitation) H gate Fig. 20 Fig. 21 Fig. 22 (b) CCD line sensor rod Fig. 28 Fig. 29 Fig. 30 Fig. 32 Fig. 31 Fig. 33 Fig. 11134 Fig. 35 Figure (a) - Type 1 (b) +++++++ - "Knee No. 3
Figure 6

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) In a telescope having an automatic focusing function, after moving the lens to a specific position when the voltage value detected by the power supply voltage detection means and the voltage value detected by the power supply voltage detection means becomes a predetermined value or less, A telescope comprising: control means for stopping an automatic focusing function. (2) The telescope according to claim 1, wherein the specific position is located at infinity or slightly closer to infinity. (3) The telescope according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying a warning after the automatic focusing function is stopped. (4) A lens driving means, a distance measuring means that generates an electric signal corresponding to the amount of image shift of the object to be observed, and a battery state detection device that compares the power supply voltage with a predetermined reference value to determine the state of the power supply voltage. battery state detection means for detecting the reference voltage when driving the lens and at specific times other than when driving the lens; reference voltage supply means for supplying the reference voltage to the battery state detection means; activating the driving means, and when the battery state detecting means determines that the battery voltage is lower than the reference voltage when driving the lens, the lens driving means moves the lens to a specific position, and then the lens driving means is activated. and a control means for prohibiting a battery state detection operation when the lens is being driven, the reference voltage supply means is configured to provide a first reference voltage that is higher than a first reference voltage that is applied during a battery state detection operation at a specific time other than when the lens is being driven. A telescope characterized in that a reference voltage of 2 is applied to the battery state detection means. (5) a lens driving means; a distance measuring means for generating an electric signal corresponding to the amount of image shift of the object to be observed; a control means for controlling the lens driving means based on the output of the distance measuring means; power supply voltage detection means for determining the state of the power supply voltage by comparing it with a predetermined reference value; and when the power supply voltage detection means determines that the power supply voltage is lower than a predetermined second reference value, the lens driving means After moving the lens to the specific position, the lens driving means is inhibited, and when the power supply voltage detection means determines that the power supply voltage is lower than a predetermined first reference value, the lens driving means is directly inhibited. and a control means for controlling the telescope, wherein the second reference value is slightly higher than the first reference value. (6) The telescope according to claim 5, wherein the first reference value is a limit voltage value at which the lens can be driven.