JPH05333415A - Lens attaching/detaching device for interchangeable lens camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the falling of an interchangeable lens driven by a motor from occurring in the case of detaching the lens from the camera body as for the lens attaching/detaching device. CONSTITUTION:This device is provided with detecting means 9 and 56 detecting that both of the camera body 1 and the interchangeable lens 51 are held, a lens releasing switch 36 issuing a command for detaching the lens 51 from the camera body 1, a motor-driven mechanism 29 performing the attaching/ detaching operation of the lens 51 to the camera body 1, and a control means instructing the mechanism 29 to execute the attaching/detaching operation of the lens 51 when the means 9 and 56 detect that both of the camera body 1 and the lens 51 are held and the switch 36 issues the command for detaching the lens 51.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lens attachment / detachment device for an interchangeable lens type camera, and more particularly to an interchangeable lens which is electrically attached to and detached from a camera body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method of attaching and detaching an interchangeable lens to and from a camera body, conventionally, a mechanism for attaching the interchangeable lens to the camera body by a bayonet has been widely adopted. According to this method, first, the bayonet mount portion of the lens is inserted into the bayonet mount portion of the camera body, and then the lens is rotated at a certain angle with respect to the camera body so that the claws of both bayonets are engaged with each other. Therefore, in order to attach the lens to the camera body, two operations of insertion and rotation are required, and it is impossible to attach the lens with one touch.

As a method for solving this problem, there has been proposed a lens attaching / detaching device in which an actuator such as a motor is used to attach a lens to a camera body by an electric mechanism (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-5740). Bulletin). This device operates when the mount command button is pressed on the assumption that the lens is mounted on the camera body.

[0004]

By the way, when the interchangeable lens is detached from the camera body, if the photographer does not hold both the camera body and the interchangeable lens, one of them may fall. The above-mentioned prior art (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-5
No. 740), a safety switch is attached to the interchangeable lens so that the lens cannot be removed unless the photographer presses the safety switch, but nothing about holding the camera body is shown. Therefore, if the photographer mistakenly touches the detachment command switch while holding only the interchangeable lens, the motor operates, the camera body comes off the interchangeable lens, and the camera body itself falls.

It is an object of the present invention to prevent the occurrence of a fall accident when the interchangeable lens is removed from the camera body.

[0006]

A lens attaching / detaching device for an interchangeable lens camera according to the present invention includes detecting means 9 and 56 for detecting that both the camera body 1 and the interchangeable lens 51 are held, and the camera body 1. From interchangeable lens 51
Lens release switch 36 that issues a command to remove the lens
Then, the electric mechanism 29 for attaching and detaching the interchangeable lens 51 to and from the camera body 1, and the detection means 9 and 56 detect that both the camera body 1 and the interchangeable lens 51 are held, and the lens release switch 36 replaces them. It is characterized by further comprising control means 109 for instructing the electric mechanism 29 to execute the detaching operation of the interchangeable lens 51 when a command for detaching the lens 51 is issued.

[0007]

In the structure of the present invention, in order to remove the interchangeable lens from the camera body, the photographer holds the camera body and the interchangeable lens with both hands, that is, the photographer holds the body holding detection electrode as a detection means with both hands. It is activated by pressing the lens release switch while touching the lens holding detection electrode. As a result, the drive motor as the electric mechanism rotates in the opposite direction to that at the time of mounting, and the rotation causes the claw portion of the movable mount portion to be disengaged from the claw portion of the mount portion on the lens side, and the interchangeable lens can be detached from the camera body.

[0008]

1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of an interchangeable lens camera to which the present invention is applied. In the figure,
A power switch 2 and a function changeover switch 3 are arranged on the upper surface of the cartridge chamber of the camera body 1, and an operation dial 4, a release button 5 and a liquid crystal display unit 6 are arranged on the upper surface of the spool chamber. There is. By operating the function changeover switch 3 at the same time as the operation dial 4, it is possible to select a shooting mode, a photometry mode aperture value, a shutter speed, and the like. Information when each mode is selected is displayed on the display unit 6.

The release button 5 is effective when the power switch 2 is turned on. During the stroke, an internal half-push switch is turned on, and a circuit block described later is activated to perform a photometric operation and measurement of the subject brightness. Start distance operation. The photometry result is displayed on the display unit 6, and the distance measurement result is used for control when the focusing lens in the interchangeable lens 51 is driven to perform the focusing operation.

A lens mounting button 7, a lens release button 8, a body holding detection electrode 9 and a focus mode switching lever 10 are arranged on the front surface of the cartridge chamber of the camera body 1. The body holding detection electrode 9 is provided to detect that the photographer holds the camera body 1.

A body mount 11 as a fixed mount portion is installed on the front surface of the camera body 1. On the mount 11, there are arranged a mounting positioning groove 11a for the interchangeable lens 51, a coupling shaft 12 for transmitting rotation to the focusing lens, and three protrusions 13 for detecting the mounting of the interchangeable lens 51. Further, in the figure, a contact point 1 for transmitting and receiving data between a claw portion 14e of a bayonet ring 14, a camera body 1 and an interchangeable lens 51, which will be described later.
6 and the protrusions 17 of the aperture interlocking ring 18 are displayed.

On the other hand, the interchangeable lens 51 has an aperture ring 52 for setting the aperture amount, a projection 53 provided on the aperture ring 52, a bayonet mount 54 for engaging with the camera body 1, its claw portion (bayonet claw) 54a, There are provided a contact 55 for contacting the above-mentioned contact 16 for transmitting and receiving data, and a lens holding detection electrode 56 for detecting that the photographer holds the lens 51.

Mounting of Interchangeable Lens Next, the detailed structure of the camera body 1 will be described with reference to the detailed mechanism diagram shown in FIG. First, the operation of mounting the interchangeable lens 51 on the camera body 1 will be described. To mount the interchangeable lens 51 on the camera body 1, the bayonet mount 54 of the interchangeable lens 51 is used.
Is brought into close contact with the body mount 11 and the positioning protrusion 57 is engaged with the positioning groove 11a. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the mount surface 58 of the lens 51 is attached to the body mount 1.
The protrusion 13 is pressed down to the surface height of the mount 11a by the mount surface 58. When the pushing amount reaches a certain amount for mounting, the contact portion of the lens mounting detection switch 22 is pressed by the rear portion of the protrusion 13 and the detection switch 22 is turned off.

The protrusion 13 and the detection switch 22 are combined on the body mount 11 at an angular interval of about 120 degrees.
It is provided at three places, and it is determined that the lens 51 has been inserted vertically and surely by turning off all the detection switches 22 at the three places and installed at a predetermined position in the optical axis direction.

When the lens mounting button 7 is pushed with all the detection switches 22 turned off in this way, the mounting switch 35 turns on, and the bayonet ring drive motor 2 as the driving means.
9 starts rotating. This rotation is transmitted to the bayonet ring 14 as the movable mount portion via the gears 26 to 28 including the idle gear, and rotates the bayonet ring 14 in the counterclockwise (counterclockwise) direction. The bayonet ring 14 is attached to the inside of the camera body 1 with its outer periphery held by three flanged pins 23.

When the left side portion 14b of the protrusion of the bayonet ring 14 comes into contact with the leaf portion 25a as the rotation progresses, the attachment completion detecting switch 25 which is always on is turned off, and the drive motor 2
The rotation of 9 stops. The rotation of the bayonet ring 14 engages the claws 14e of the bayonet ring 14 with the claws 54a of the bayonet mount 54 to fix the lens 51 to the camera body 1. With this mounting operation, the communication contact 16 on the camera body 1 side and the communication contact 55 on the lens 51 side come into contact with each other, and data communication between the body 1 and the lens 51 becomes possible.

Removal of Interchangeable Lens Next, the operation of removing the interchangeable lens 51 from the camera body 1 will be described. To remove the interchangeable lens 51 from the camera body 1, the photographer holds the camera body 1 and the interchangeable lens 51 with both hands, that is, the photographer holds the body holding detection electrode 9 and the lens holding detection electrode with both hands. It is activated by pressing the lens release button 8 while touching 56.

As a result, the release switch 36 is turned on and the bayonet ring drive motor 29 starts rotating. This rotation is a rotation for rotating the bayonet ring 14 clockwise (clockwise) contrary to the time of mounting, and when the rotation progresses and the protrusion right side portion 14c of the bayonet ring 14 comes into contact with the leaf portion 24a, the ON state is always released. The completion detection switch 24 is turned off and the rotation of the drive motor 29 is stopped. By this rotation, the claw portion 14e of the bayonet ring 14 is disengaged from the claw portion 54a of the bayonet mount 54, and the lens 51 can be detached from the camera body 1.

AF Operation Next, the AF operation will be described. The AF operation automatically adjusts the focus of the subject based on the above-described distance measurement result, and transmits the rotation of the AF motor 34 to the focusing lens in the lens 51. The rotation of the AF motor 34 is transmitted to the coupling shaft 12 via a reduction mechanism including gears 30 to 33 including reduction gears.

A coupling shaft (not shown) is arranged in the lens 51 at a symmetrical position where it can be engaged with the coupling shaft 12, and the rotation is transmitted to the focusing lens via a gear train (not shown). ing. When the lens release button 8 is pressed while the AF motor 34 is rotating to perform the focus matching operation, the rotation of the AF motor 34 is stopped,
The operation of removing the lens 51 described above has priority.

On the other hand, even if the lens release button 8 is pressed during the photographing operation, that is, from the mirror up to the exposure to the mirror down to the completion of the film winding operation, the activation of the drive motor 29 is prohibited. The lens 51 is not detached as described above.

The throttling operation the camera aperture interlocking ring is disposed in the body 1 18, the movement of the diaphragm ring 52 having a lens 51, i.e. a member which transmits the narrowing of the open state to the electronic circuit of the camera body 1 side, The amount of narrowing is detected by the amount of counterclockwise rotation. Before the lens 51 is attached, the arm portion 18a of the diaphragm interlocking ring 18 is pulled by the spring 21 and is in contact with the bent portion 14f of the bayonet ring 14.

When the interchangeable lens 51 is inserted and the bayonet ring 14 starts to rotate counterclockwise, the diaphragm interlocking ring 18 rotates counterclockwise together with the bayonet ring 14 due to the urging force of the spring 21. The projection 17 of the above-mentioned is brought into contact with the projection 53 of the diaphragm ring 52 of the taking lens 51.

As a result, when the photographer manually turns the aperture ring 52 to select the aperture value, the aperture interlocking ring 18 is moved to the aperture ring 52.
Is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the above, and the sliding brush 19 provided on the back side slides on the resistance pattern of the resistor substrate 20. The resistance value at this time represents the amount of narrowing from the open state of the diaphragm, and is input as an electric signal to an electronic circuit described later.

When the lens 51 is removed, the arm portion 18a of the aperture interlocking ring 18 is pushed by the bent portion 14f by the clockwise rotation of the bayonet ring 14, so that the aperture interlocking ring 18 resists the urging force of the spring 21. Then, the protrusion 17 is disengaged from the protrusion 53 of the diaphragm ring 52.

Structure of Block Diagram (Camera Body Side) Next, the circuit block according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. In the figure, the left side portion of the contact points 16 and 55 is a circuit block inside the camera body 1, and the right side portion is a circuit block inside the lens 51. First, the circuit block in the camera body 1 will be described. This block mainly includes the control function of the CPU 109. Power is supplied to the CPU 109 from the battery 100.
From a switching circuit 101 having a transistor configuration.

Power is supplied to the battery check circuit 102 and the CPU 109 via the switching circuit 101. The battery check circuit 102 is composed of a comparator, two resistors and a reference voltage source. The battery check circuit 102 compares the power supply voltage divided by the resistor with the reference voltage to determine the battery 1
The remaining capacity of 00 is determined. The comparison result is transmitted to the CPU 109. A power supply not passing through the switching circuit 101 is also supplied to each circuit, but the illustration is omitted.

The photometric circuit 103 measures the brightness of the subject through the lens 51, and the photometric result is the CPU 109.
Be transmitted to. The sensitivity detection circuit 104 detects the sensitivity signal of the film being used, and generally reads the state of the code representing the sensitivity given to the surface of the film cartridge. The detection result of the sensitivity is transmitted to the CPU 109.

The switch detection circuit 105 is a circuit for detecting the states of various switches (not shown), for example, the release button 5
In addition to a manually operated switch group such as a release switch that is turned on / off in synchronization with a full-press operation of the switch, the state of a switch group that indicates the sequence progress state of the camera is constantly monitored. The monitor result is taken into the CPU 109.

The humidity detecting circuit 106 amplifies a humidity signal detected by a humidity sensor installed in the camera body 1 and outputs the detection result to the CPU 109. Particularly, in the case of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the sensor is arranged at a position where it is possible to determine a state where the lens 51 should not be removed from the camera body 1, for example, a state where rain enters from the mount portion.

The storage circuit 107 is a non-volatile storage medium,
It stores the data that should be stored even when the power supply to the CPU 109 is interrupted among the operations processed by the CPU 109. Switching circuit 110 is CP
A switching circuit having a transistor configuration which is on / off controlled by U109 controls power supply to a circuit block in the lens 51, which will be described later.

The driver 111 is controlled by a signal from the CPU 109, and the display element 112 and the shutter magnet 1 are controlled.
13, bayonet ring drive motor 29, AF motor 3
Control operations such as 4. Release completion detection switch 24,
The mounting completion detection switch 25 is directly connected to the CPU 109. The switch 64 is both detection switches 24 and 2.
A switch for detecting the middle of 5 is added as another embodiment (FIG. 12) described later.

The lens mounting switch 35 is the NOR gate 1
Lens release switch 36 to N input terminal 14
Each of them is connected to one input terminal of the OR gate 116. The holding detection electrode 56 is connected to the other input terminals of the NOR gates 114 and 116 through the communication contacts 16 and 55. The outputs of the NOR gates 114 and 116 are directly transmitted to the CPU 109, and also the AND gate 118 via the NOR gate 117.
Be transmitted to. CPU1 is input to the AND gate 118.
09 output is connected to a power switch 123 that is turned on / off in response to a half-press operation of the release button 5.

The three lens mounting detection switches 22 are NO.
The on / off state is the CPU 1 via the R gate 115.
09 is transmitted. The body-holding detection electrode 9 is at ground potential and is output to the lens 51 via the contact points 16 and 55.

Structure of Block Diagram (Interchangeable Lens Side) Next, a circuit block in the interchangeable lens 51 will be described. This block is mainly configured by the control function of the CPU 122, and power is supplied to the CPU 122 via the switching circuit 110 in the camera body 1. Optical system 1
Reference numeral 21 is interlocked with the coupling shaft 124 on the lens 51 side, and the operation of focusing is executed by the rotation of the coupling shaft 12 on the camera body 1 side. The driver 120 rotates the zooming motor 119 according to the output of the CPU 122 which detects the operation of the zooming switch (not shown), and changes the focal length of the optical system 121.

The lens holding / detecting electrode 56 is the contact point for communication 1.
It is connected to the camera body 1 side through 6 and 55, and is connected to the NOR gates 114 and 116 as described above. CPU 109 and interchangeable lens 5 on the camera body 1 side
Data communication with the CPU 122 on the first side is performed via the data communication lines B1 and B2.

Operation in Block Diagram Next, the basic operation of the camera body 1 and the interchangeable lens 51 by this circuit block will be described. First, the startup of the power supply when the switching circuit 101 is not turned on will be described. When the power switch 123 is turned on in conjunction with the half-press operation of the release button 5, the AND gate 1
The output of 18 becomes "L", and the switching circuit 101 is turned on. Then, the CPU 109 uses the power switch 123
Even after being turned off, the signal of "L" level is continuously output to the gate 118 in order to extend the power supply to itself for a certain period of time.

When the lens 51 is attached to the camera body 1, since the photographer's left hand contacts the body holding detection electrode 9 and the right hand contacts the lens holding detection electrode 56,
The NOR gate 114 is indicated by a line A indicated by a wavy line in the figure.
The "L" level is input to the input terminal of the gate and the gate 114 is opened. When the mounting switch 35 is turned on, the gate 114 produces an "H" level output. As a result, the NOR gate 117 transmits the “L” level output to the gate 118, and turns on the switching circuit 101. The operation of the switching circuit 101 after the power source is activated is the same as that described above.

Next, when the lens 51 mounted on the camera body 1 is detached from the camera body 1, the left hand contacts the body holding detection electrode 9 and the right hand contacts the lens holding detection electrode as in the case of mounting. Since it contacts 56, the "L" level is input to the input terminal of the NOR gate 116 on the line A, and the gate 116 opens. After that, when the release switch 36 is turned on, the gate 116 produces an "H" level output. As a result, the NOR gate 117 transmits the "L" level output to the gate 118, and turns on the switching circuit 101 as described above. The operation of the switching circuit 101 after the power source is activated is the same as that described above.

In this way, the gates 114, 116, 11
7 and 118 are required to generate a signal for activating the switching circuit 101 even when power is not being supplied to the CPU 109, so that power is directly supplied from the battery 100.

When the power supply is activated, the CPU 109 executes the following processing. First, the battery check circuit 10
Read the voltage signal of the battery 100 from 2. As described above, the comparator in the circuit 102 compares the terminal voltage of the battery 100 divided by the two resistors with the reference voltage source and outputs the determination result. In this embodiment, a single output signal is generated from the battery check circuit 102, but output signals of a plurality of levels may be generated. Since the question here is whether or not the voltage allows the mounting / removing operation of the lens 51, the circuit shown in the drawing is taken as an example. If the voltage of the battery 100 is low,
At the same time as the warning operation, processing such as prohibiting the operation of each motor is performed. The details will be described later.

Next, the humidity signal from the humidity detection circuit 106 is read. When the humidity is high, a warning operation is performed and processing for prohibiting the operation of each motor is performed. The details will be described later. Next, the subject brightness signal from the photometric circuit 103 is read. Then, the subject brightness signal and the film sensitivity signal transmitted from the sensitivity detection circuit 104 are calculated, and the exposure information and the like are displayed on the display unit 112 via the drive circuit 111.

Next, the switching circuit 110 is turned on to supply power to the CPU 122 in the lens 51, and further, data communication is performed to obtain lens information, and then the drive circuit 111 is driven based on the data from the distance measuring circuit (not shown). The AF motor 34 is rotated via the coupling shaft 12 and the lens 5
The optical system 121 in 1 is adjusted and a focusing operation is performed. Further, if necessary, zooming data is transmitted to the CPU 122, and the zooming motor 119 is rotated via the drive circuit 120 to adjust the focal length.

Next, when the switch detection circuit 105 detects that the release switch is turned on, the exposure sequence is executed. First, a mirror (not shown) is raised, the diaphragm of the lens 51 is set to a predetermined value, and the drive circuit 1
At 11, the shutter magnet 113 is activated to expose the film for a predetermined time. After that, the winding motor is driven following the lowering of the mirror, and the film is wound by one frame to prepare for the next photographing.

Next, regarding the mounting of the interchangeable lens 51,
When the lens mounting switch 35 is turned on, the bayonet ring drive motor 29 is rotated. This rotation is premised on that the body holding detection electrode 9 and the lens holding detection electrode 56 are short-circuited, that is, the photographer holds the camera body 1 and the interchangeable lens 51.

Similarly, from the camera body 1 to the interchangeable lens 51
A short circuit between the body-holding detection electrode 9 and the lens-holding detection electrode 56 is also a condition when removing the. This is because when the lens 51 is removed, the lens 51 will fall unless it is held by hand. The operation of the mounting switch 35 or the release switch 36 is configured so that the switching circuit 101 can be directly driven through the gates 114, 116, 117 and 118. Therefore, the power switch 123 is not turned on when the lens 51 is attached or detached. Is also executed.

The detection switch 22 is for judging whether the lens 51 is correctly inserted in the mount 11 of the camera body 1. Although the three switches are connected to the CPU 109 separately in the figure, they may be connected in series to each other so that only one input port of the CPU 109 is used. Also in this case, the bayonet drive motor 29 does not operate unless all the switches are turned on. Ideally, the three switches 22 are installed on the mount 11 at intervals of about 120 °. Due to this consideration, the lens 51 is the body 1
It is also possible to detect that it is obliquely inserted at a slight angle with respect to.

Liquid Crystal Display Segment FIG. 5 is an example of a segment of the liquid crystal display section 6. In the liquid crystal display unit 6, a segment 130 which is in charge of display relating to exposure such as shutter speed and aperture value, and a segment 13 which is in charge of operating state display and warning display regarding lens attachment / detachment
1, 132, 133, a segment 134 which takes charge of the remaining amount warning of the battery 100, and a segment 135 which displays a humidity state.

The segments 131, 132, and 133 are each an interchangeable lens that has been removed, an interchangeable lens that has been mounted,
It represents the camera body, and the lens 5
If the bayonet ring drive motor 29 is rotating when attaching / detaching No. 1, the segment 13 is used as a warning.
Blink 1 or 132. At this time, segment 13
3 is turned on.

Further, the bayonet ring drive motor 29 is rotated, or the camera body 1 to the lens 5 are rotated.
If it is not possible to install or remove 1
Both 31 and 133 or segments 132 and 133 blink to give a warning to that effect. Also, camera body 1
When the interchangeable lens 51 is completely mounted or completely removed, the segments 132 and 133 or the segments 131 and 133 are continuously lit and displayed. Further, when the lens 51 is removed and moisture may enter the mechanical section through the mount section of the body 1 or the lens 51 because the humidity around the camera body 1 is too high, the segment 135 blinks. A warning to that effect is given.

Flowchart (Main Routine) Next, referring to the flow charts shown in FIGS.
The processing repeatedly executed by U109 will be described. First, when the power is turned on, the output port of the CPU 109 is reset to the initial state (step 140).

Next, the state of the battery 100 is judged by the output of the battery check circuit 102 (step 14).
1). When the battery 100 is exhausted, the segment 134 of the display unit 6 is blinked (step 142) and the process returns to step 141.

If the battery 100 is not exhausted, the contents of the memory circuit 107 are reproduced (step 143), and it is determined from the information stored in the memory circuit 107 whether the control of the drive motor 29 is interrupted by the timer described later. It is determined (step 144). If the rotation of the drive motor 29 is interrupted by the timer, the segments 131 and 133 of the display unit 6 are blinked to warn the camera body 1 that the interchangeable lens 51 is halfway (step 145). ). In this embodiment, the display element 11
Although the warning by 2 is taken as an example, the warning may be more positively given by voice.

If the rotation of the drive motor 29 is not interrupted, or if the process of step 145 is completed, the state of the attachment completion detection switch 25 is judged (step 146). When the switch 25 is on, the lens 51 has not been attached to the camera body 1, so the process jumps to the lens attachment process described later.

If the switch 25 is off, the lens 51 is already attached to the camera body 1, so that the segments 132 and 133 are turned on (step 14).
7). Next, the state of the lens release switch 36 is determined (step 148). If the switch 36 is on,
In order to perform the operation of removing the lens 51 from the camera body 1, the process jumps to a lens removing process described later.

If the lens release switch 36 is off,
The switching circuit 110 is turned on (step 149),
The power supply to the circuit in the lens 51 is started. Then, data communication is executed via the communication lines B1 and B2 (step 150), and the information in the lens 51 is fetched.

Then, subject brightness information is fetched from the photometry circuit 103 (step 151), and an operation is performed based on this subject brightness information and the film sensitivity information from the film sensitivity detection circuit 104 to obtain an appropriate exposure condition (step). 152). Then, the segment 13 of the display element 112
By controlling 0, the proper exposure condition is displayed on the display unit 6 (step 153).

Next, it is judged whether or not the focus is matched with the subject based on the information from the focus detection (not shown) (step 160), and if not, the drive motor 2
9 is stopped just in case (step 161). This is A
If the drive motor 29 is rotated at the same time when the F motor 34 is driven to perform the focus adjustment, a load is placed on the battery 100, and the attachment / detachment operation of the lens 51 contradicts the focusing operation to be performed. Because.

Next, since the drive motor 29 is stopped,
The AF motor 34 is driven to execute the focus adjustment operation (step 162). The operations in steps 160 to 162 are repeated until it is confirmed in step 160 that the focus is in focus. When it is confirmed in step 160 that the focal point is matched, the AF motor 34 is stopped (step 163), and it is determined whether or not a command for exposure is issued (step 164). Since the exposure command is issued when the release switch is turned on, if the release switch is not turned on, the above-mentioned step 14
The procedure returns to 1 and the above-described processing is repeated.

When the release switch is turned on and the exposure command is issued, the drive motor 29 is stopped just in case (step 164). This is because the exposure operation to be performed from now on conflicts with the mounting / removing operation of the lens 51. Next, a series of exposure operations are performed by raising the mirror, setting the aperture, opening and closing the shutter, etc. (step 16
6) When the exposure operation is completed, the film is wound by one frame to prepare for the next shooting (step 167), and the process returns to step 141 described above.

Flowchart (lens removal) Next, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, the processing when the lens release switch 36 is turned on in step 148 described above, that is, an instruction to remove the lens 51 from the camera body 1 is issued. The processing when the user is present will be described. First, the humidity condition is judged from the output of the humidity detection circuit 106 (step 170). If the humidity is above regulation,
A warning is issued by blinking the segment 135, and it is announced that the removal operation of the lens 51 is prohibited (step 1
71) and the procedure returns to step 141 described above.

If the humidity is below the specified value, the segment 13
5 is turned off (step 172), the operation of the distance measuring circuit including the drive of the AF motor 34 to rotate the drive motor 29 is prohibited (step 173), and the meaning that the lens 51 is detached from the camera body 1 is expressed. For segment 1
32 is made to blink and segment 133 is made to light (step 174).

Then, the drive motor 29 is driven in reverse (step 175). As a result, the above-mentioned bayonet mechanism operates to start the removal of the lens 51. Simultaneously with the start of the reverse rotation of the drive motor 29, the operation of the timer circuit in the CPU 109 is started (step 176). The timer circuit is for limiting the operating time of the drive motor 29,
When the signal of the release completion detection switch 24 is not input even if the drive motor 29 is rotated for a certain period of time, it is a time limiter for determining that it is due to malfunction of the mechanical unit or exhaustion of the battery 100.

Next, the on / off state of the release completion detecting switch 24 is judged (step 177). Switch 2
If 4 is off, it means that the mounting portions of the camera body 1 and the lens 51 are disengaged.
The rotation of the drive motor 29 is stopped (step 178),
The segments 131, 133 are lit to indicate that the lens 51 has been removed from the body 1 (step 17
9) and returns to step 141 described above.

When the release completion detecting switch 24 is turned on, the lens 51 is not removed from the body 1, so that the time counting progress state of the timer is judged (step 180). As a result, when the timer has finished counting, the drive motor 29 was rotated for a certain period of time, but the lens 51 was not removed for some reason, so the drive motor 29 is stopped urgently (step 18).
1).

Next, in the sense of warning, the segment 131,
Blinking of 133 is performed (step 181). The blinking of both segments warns that the bayonet ring 14 is at a halfway position because the drive motor 29 has rotated for a certain period of time and the lens 51 is about to come off the body 1. After that, the fact that the drive motor 29 has been emergency stopped by the timer is stored in the memory circuit 107 (step 181), and the process returns to step 141 described above.

When the release completion detecting switch 24 is on and the timer has not finished counting time, the state of the release switch 36 is judged (step 190). Release switch 36
When is on and the pressing operation of the lens release button 8 is maintained, the process returns to the above-mentioned step 177.

If the release switch 36 is off, the photographer has released the release button 8 on the way even though the lens 51 is being removed. Therefore, the drive motor 29 is simply moved. If stopped, the lens 51 will fall, so the following processing is executed to prevent this.

First, since it is detected that the pressing operation of the lens release button 8 is stopped, the segment 131 blinks and the segment 133 lights up (step 19).
1). Next, the drive motor 29 is normally rotated (step 1
92), the lens 51 is fixed to the body 1 again in order to prevent the lens 51 from dropping.

Next, the timer starts counting with the forward rotation of the drive motor 29 (step 193), and the state of the mounting completion detection switch 25 is judged (step 194). As a result, when the switch 25 is turned off, it means that the lens 51 is securely fixed to the body 1, so the drive motor 29 is stopped (step 195). Then, the segments 132 and 133 are turned on to indicate that the lens 51 is securely fixed to the body 1 (step 19).
6) Then, the process returns to the above-mentioned step 141.

When the mounting completion detection switch 25 is turned on, the progress of the timer is judged (step 19).
7) If the time measurement is not completed, the process returns to step 194. If the timer has completed the time measurement even though the mounting of the lens 51 is not completed, the above-described step 181 is performed.
Jump to the process.

Flowchart (Lens Attachment) Next, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, the processing when the attachment completion detection switch 25 is turned on in step 145 described above, that is, when the lens 51 is not attached to the camera body 1. The processing will be described. This process is a process when the lens 51 is about to be mounted or when the camera body 1 alone is powered on.

First, the state of the release completion detecting switch 24 is judged (step 200). The switch 24 is turned off, that is, the bayonet ring 14 is completely turned left and the lens 5
When it is possible to remove the lens 1, or when the lens 51 is to be mounted,
Since the lens 51 can be removed, the segment 13
1, 133 are turned on (step 201).

Next, the state of the lens mounting switch 35 is judged (step 202). When the mounting switch 35 is off, that is, when the mounting of the lens 51 is not instructed, the process returns to the above-described step 141. When the mounting switch 35 is on and the mounting operation of the lens 51 is instructed, the distance measuring operation including the rotation of the AF motor 34 which may have been operated until then is rotated in order to rotate the drive motor 29. To stop (step 20)
3).

Next, three lens loading detection switches 2
The state of 2 is determined (step 204). If all of the three detection switches 22 are turned on, or if any one of the switches is turned on, the lens 5
Since 1 is not loaded, or it is loaded but not correctly loaded, the process returns to the first step 141. If all the detection switches 22 are off, the lens 5
Since No. 1 is mounted in the body 1 in the correct posture, the mounting operation of the lens 51 is started.

First, the segment 131 is turned on and off for warning, and the segment 133 is turned on (step 205). Next, the bayonet ring drive motor 2
9 is normally rotated (step 206), and the timer starts counting time (step 207). Next, the state of the attachment completion detection switch 25 is judged (step 215), and the switch 2
If the lens 5 is off, the mounting of the lens 51 is completed, so the drive motor 29 is stopped (step 216) and the completion of the mounting of the lens 51 is indicated by the segment 13 of the display unit 6.
2, 133 are turned on (step 217) and the process returns to the first step 141.

When the mounting completion detection switch 25 is turned on, the time counting state of the timer is judged (step 21).
8) If the clock is not completed, the process returns to step 215. If it is completed, the mounting operation was not completed within a predetermined time for some reason, so the process jumps to step 181 and later. Then, the warning action is executed.

When the release completion detection switch 24 is turned on in the above-mentioned step 200, it means that the mounting completion detection switch 25 and the release completion detection switch 24 are both turned on. Is incomplete, or the bayonet ring 14 is in a halfway position due to a mechanical failure. Therefore, in order to confirm the presence or absence of the lens 51, the switching circuit 110 is turned on to supply power to the circuit inside the lens 51 (step 208).

Then, data communication is performed (step 20).
9), it is judged whether or not the data communication is correctly established (step 210). This judgment is substituted by judgment as to whether or not meaningful data is transmitted from the lens 51. If the communication is not established, it is determined that the lens 51 does not exist, and the process jumps to the processing of step 192 and subsequent steps. When communication is established, all the segments 131, 132, 13 are used to warn that the mechanism is malfunctioning.
Blinking 3 (step 211), the first step 14
Return to 1.

Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the processing after step 181 is the processing when it is detected that the mounting and the removal are not completed despite the rotation of the drive motor 29, and the cause thereof. Although the warning was given without specifically specifying, the cause of the stop of the mechanism may be exhaustion of the battery 100.
Immediately after step 182, a process of reading information from the battery check circuit 102 and determining whether or not the battery 100 is exhausted is added (step 22).
0) If it is determined that the battery 100 is exhausted, the segment 134 is blinked and a warning is executed (step 221). In this case, the setting can be performed again by restoring the voltage of the battery 100 or replacing it.

If it is determined that the battery 100 is not exhausted, it suggests that a mechanical problem has been caused. Therefore, as described above, the memory circuit 107 indicates that the battery is stopped halfway.
(Step 183) and returns to the first step 141. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the operation of mounting the interchangeable lens 51 on the camera body 1 is started when the lens mounting detection switch 22 is turned on and the mounting switch 35 is turned on by pressing the lens mounting button 7. The mounting operation may be executed only by mounting the lens 51 on the body 1.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the output of the NOR gate 115, which receives the three detection switches 22 as input, is not only connected to the CPU 109, but also includes a circuit network including a capacitor 211 and a resistor 212. NO via
It is connected to the R gate 117. Further, by removing the mounting button 7 and the lens mounting switch 35, the NOR
The gate 114 is unnecessary.

In this structure, three detection switches 2
When all 2 are turned on, the gate 117 turns the capacitor 21
1. Output an "L" level signal for a predetermined time depending on the value of the resistor 212. The switching circuit 101 is turned on by this signal, the CPU 109 is activated, and the gate 1
The level of 15 is judged and the mounting operation is executed. FIG. 11 shows a processing program for automatically mounting the lens 51 on the camera body 1 with this configuration. This processing program does not require steps 201 and 202 in the program shown in FIG.
3 is replaced with step 204.

Next, the configuration diagram shown in FIG. 12 shows an embodiment in which the peripheral portion of the bayonet ring 14 is improved. In the above-described embodiment shown in FIG. 2, when the lens mounting switch 35 is turned on, the bayonet ring drive motor 29 starts to rotate, and when the bayonet ring 14 is turned counterclockwise to detect the attachment completion detection switch 25 being off, the drive motor 29 is turned on. Stop rotating. On the contrary, when the lens release button 8 is pressed, the bayonet ring 14 is rotated right by the rotation of the drive motor 29,
The release completion detection switch 24 continues until it is turned off.

On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the intermediate detection switch 64 is located at the intermediate point between the OFF detection of the mounting completion detection switch 25 and the release completion detection switch 24.
Was added. In this embodiment, a sliding brush 62 is arranged on the bent portion 61 of the bayonet ring 14,
The structure is such that it slides on the intermediate detection switch 64 on the fixedly arranged substrate 63. The intermediate detection switch 64 is C
It is directly connected to the PU 109.

According to this structure, first, the intermediate detection switch 6 is moved according to the rotation of the bayonet ring 14 at the time of mounting.
4 is turned on, and after that, the attachment completion detection switch 25 is turned off. In the state where the intermediate detection switch 64 is turned on, although the lens 51 is not completely fixed,
The figure shows a state in which the body 1 does not fall off. Therefore, although the lens 51 is not attached to the position where the switch 25 is turned off for some reason, if the intermediate detection switch 64 is turned on, shooting may be allowed as it is.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a processing program of the CPU 109 including the operating state of the intermediate detection switch 64. In this processing program, steps 220 and 221 are added after step 146 in the program shown in FIG. That is, if the attachment completion detection switch 25 is on (step 146), the state of the intermediate detection switch 64 is determined (step 220).

If the intermediate switch 64 is on, it is possible to execute at least photographing, but since it is incompletely fixed, a warning to that effect is given (step 22).
1), the shooting process after step 147 is performed. This allows the photographer to use the camera,
Since a warning has been issued, it may be possible to take appropriate measures so as to fix it completely. If the intermediate switch 64 is off, the process proceeds to step 200 described above.

The addition of such a step is performed in the step 1
If it is executed subsequent to step 97, step 218, etc., it is possible to allow the photographing depending on the circumstances even when the completion of the mounting is stopped by a predetermined timer.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the body holding detection electrode 9 is provided independently, but as shown in FIG. 14, the lens release button 8 itself is made of a conductive material (metal or conductive rubber or the like). With the combined configuration, it can also serve as a detection electrode.

Further, although the lens mount button 7 and the lens release button 8 are provided in the above-described embodiment, the interchangeable lens 51
If it is detected that all the detection switches 22 that are turned on when the is inserted correctly are turned on and the drive motor 29 is started, at least the mechanism related to the mounting button 7 including the mounting switch 35 can be omitted. You can

When the camera body is attached to a tripod and the interchangeable lens is attached or detached, the holding detection mechanism on the camera body side is not required, so the use of the tripod is detected and the safety mechanism is automatically activated. It should be canceled.

[0093]

According to the present invention, the removal operation by the drive motor is prohibited unless both the camera body and the interchangeable lens are held, so that the camera body and the interchangeable lens are accidentally dropped and damaged. It becomes possible to avoid the situation. Further, since the holding detection method uses the current flowing in the body of the photographer, it is possible to reliably detect the holding.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an interchangeable lens camera to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a detailed mechanism diagram of the camera body shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a close contact state of both mount surfaces of an interchangeable lens and a camera body.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a segment diagram of a liquid crystal display unit showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a main routine for explaining the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart at the time of lens removal for explaining the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart when a lens is attached to explain the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another embodiment when the lens is removed.

FIG. 10 is a circuit block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing another embodiment when the lens is attached.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the periphery of the bayonet ring.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a main routine showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is another configuration diagram in which the lens release button and the body holding detection electrode are integrated.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Camera Body 2 Power Switch 3 Function Selector Switch 4 Operation Dial 5 Release Button 6 Liquid Crystal Display 7 Lens Mount Button 8 Lens Release Button 9 Body Holding Detection Electrode 10 Focus Mode Switch Lever 11 Body Mount 11a Mounting Positioning Groove 12 Coupling Axis 13 protrusion 14 bayonet ring 14e claw portion 14f bent portion 16 contact contact 17 protrusion 18 diaphragm interlocking ring 18a arm portion 19 sliding brush 20 resistor board 21 spring 22 lens mounting detection switch 23 flanged pin 24 release completion detection switch 25 mounting Completion detection switch 26, 27, 28 Gear 29 Bayonet ring drive motor 30, 31, 32, 33 Gear 34 AF motor 35 Lens mount switch 36 Lens release switch 51 Interchangeable lens 52 Aperture Ring 53 Aperture ring protrusion 54 Bayonet mount 54a Claw portion 55 Interchange contact point 56 Lens holding detection electrode 57 Positioning protrusion 61 Bent portion 62 Sliding brush 63 Substrate 64 Intermediate detection switch 100 Battery 101 Switching circuit 102 Battery check circuit 103 Photometric circuit 104 Sensitivity detection circuit 105 Switch circuit 106 Humidity detection circuit 107 Storage circuit 109 CPU 110 Switching circuit 111 Driver 112 Display element 113 Shutter magnet 119 Zooming motor 120 Driver 121 Optical system 122 CPU 123 Power switch 130 Exposure display segment 131, 132 Interchangeable lens Display segment 133 Camera body display segment 134 Battery level warning display segment 135 Humidity display segment To

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A detection unit that detects that both the camera body and the interchangeable lens are held, a lens release switch that issues a command to remove the interchangeable lens from the camera body, and the exchange for the camera body. When an electric mechanism for detaching and attaching the lens and the detection means detect that both the camera body and the interchangeable lens are held, and a command for removing the interchangeable lens is issued by the lens release switch. And a control means for instructing the electric mechanism to execute a detaching operation of the interchangeable lens, the lens attaching / detaching device of the interchangeable lens type camera.