JPH0565860B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a camera in which all mechanical connections between a camera control section and a camera body are replaced with electrical connections, and the connection of the control section to the camera body can be detached.

In recent years, with the introduction of electronics, cameras have automated exposure control, focus adjustment, etc., and with the expansion of interchangeable lenses and various accessories, cameras have become more and more popular.
It has made it possible to use a wide variety of photographic techniques with a single camera, expanding the scope of use and user base of the camera. In such cases, the term system camera, which includes the camera and its accessories, is becoming established.

In cameras, especially single-lens reflex cameras, which are the core of these systems, the camera body and lens are formed as separate units. The control section, which includes operation sections for controlling the shutter speed, release, shutter speed setting, film sensitivity setting, etc., and the viewfinder section are constructed as one unit.

These camera units include interchangeable lenses, flash units, motor drive devices, various release devices,
By attaching various accessories such as various types of viewfinders, it has become possible to take pictures for various purposes.

Therefore, the basic performance of the system is determined by the camera unit. That is, it is impossible to take pictures at a shutter speed higher than the shutter speed of the camera unit, and it is not possible to take pictures with shutter speed priority if the camera unit has only an automatic exposure mechanism that gives priority to the aperture. As a result, if a certain system does not suit the shooting purpose, it is necessary to replace it with another camera unit, and in some cases, it becomes necessary to replace the entire accessory group accordingly.

This invention further separates the conventional camera unit into a main body unit consisting of a dark box for image formation, a film storage section, and a film winding section and a control unit, and by combining the main body unit and control unit in various ways, it is possible to create a conventional camera. It is possible to systematize the unit itself and provide it with a wide variety of performances.

A detailed explanation will be given below with reference to the drawings.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to a conventional single-lens reflex camera unit, and the main unit BU includes a dark box including a mirror 1, a film storage section 2, a film winding upper part 3 driven by a motor, It consists of a finder section 4 and a control unit.
The CU is configured as a detachable grip, and has no mechanical power transmission relationship with the main unit BU, and is only electrically connected via the connector 5.

An example of the configuration of such a control unit CU is shown in FIG.

The MP is the core information processing part of the control unit, and is preferably configured as a single-chip microprocessor. Microprocessor MP is a central processing unit
CPU, read-only memory ROM in which a predetermined control program is written, random access memory RAM for temporarily storing shooting information input from the outside, programmable timer PT that can generate an arbitrary time depending on the program, photometry circuit Analog switch AS for switching multiple analog inputs such as output _A1 from AP and inputting them through ADC, input/output buffer circuit, etc., and input/output circuit I/0 and microcontroller that control input/output information. processor
Oscillation circuit that generates and supplies clock signals in MP
It consists of a CK and a data bus DB that connects them. If you intend to display shooting information by installing a liquid crystal display panel (LCD) inside the viewfinder, viewfinder cover, camera back, etc., please use a microprocessor.
A driver DC for driving the liquid crystal LCD using the output data of the MP is also incorporated into the MP.

The input/output control circuit CIO is also configured as an IC, and consists of registers, decoders, etc., and includes an output control circuit RD that stores MP output information in the register, decodes it, and outputs it to driver D, and main unit shutter control, aperture control, and mirror control. Various magnets for driving etc.
Driver D, which controls motor Mt for Mg drive, film drive, mirror box charge, etc., aperture signal detection section FS, film feed signal detection section FA, various performances originally possessed by the main unit (e.g. Minimum aperture value, upper and lower limits of shutter speed, program AE or aperture priority AE
(or shutter priority AE, motor drive frame speed, etc.)
A waveform shaping circuit WS for signals from the information generating unit AI,
Battery check circuit BC that checks the power supply voltage, operation confirmation of the above WS, BC and other units,
Input control circuit EC that encodes various information such as switch SW for status detection and strobe information input section EF, reduces the number of inputs, and inputs it to MP;
A power supply control circuit PC for supplying battery _B1 on the main body side to the control unit CU when the camera is in operation;
It consists of a constant voltage circuit VR that supplies constant voltage to AP, BC, sliding resistance, etc. The output of the input control circuit EC is the input/output circuit I/0 of MP.
The MP output is input to the output control circuit RD through the input/output circuit I/0 or directly from the CPU.

In the figure, _B2 is a memory backup battery for holding the memory contents of the MP while it is inactive, Q is an oscillator for the oscillation circuit CK, and KB is a battery for controlling film sensitivity, shutter speed, aperture, shooting mode, release, etc. It is used to enter information and may be configured as a push-button keyboard. Also, F ₀
is a sliding resistance for inputting lens aperture information.

The operation of a camera having such a control circuit is the same as that of a normal microprocessor built-in camera, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the main unit BU has a film winding section 3 driven by the motor Mt, the main battery _B1 is housed in the main unit BU,
The control unit CU is composed of a microprocessor MP and an input/output control circuit CIO, and is only electrically connected to the main unit BU by a connector 5. Therefore, if necessary, the camera can be remotely controlled by removing the control unit CU from the main unit BU and connecting it with an extension cord.

In addition, the lens can be extended using a motor or spring, the output of the photoelectric focusing detection device can be displayed on the control unit, and focusing can be performed remotely.
The CU is limited to the microprocessor section, and the input/output control circuit CIO is incorporated into the main unit BU.
Various design changes are possible.

Since this invention has the above-described configuration, by changing the combination of the main unit and the control unit, it is possible to use the same main unit or the same control unit with various imaging methods and with main units of various shapes and sizes. It can take pictures and expand the range of the system as a system camera. Furthermore, if the main body unit and control unit are made common, mass production becomes possible, which has the remarkable effect of reducing costs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the configuration of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the control circuit, and the symbols in the figure are BU: main unit, CU: control unit,
MP: Microprocessor, PT: Programmable timer, AS: Analog switch, ADC: A-
D converter, I/0: input/output circuit, DC: LCD
Driver, CK: Oscillation circuit, CIO: For input/output control
IC, RD: Output control circuit, EC: Input control circuit,
D: Driver, PC: Power supply control circuit, WS: Waveform shaping circuit, BC: Battery check circuit, VR:
Constant voltage circuit, AP: Photometering circuit, LCD: Liquid crystal display board, KB: Keyboard, Q: Vibrator, B ₁ : Main battery, B ₂ : Memory backup battery, EF: Strobe information input section, Mg: Magnet, Mt: Motor, Fs: Aperture signal detection section, F _A : Film feed signal detection section, AI: Main unit performance information generation section,
SW: Switch, F ₀ : Open aperture information generator, 5:
Showing the connector.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A camera having a shutter mechanism, an aperture mechanism, a dark box for image formation, a film storage section, a film feeding section, and a motor for transporting the film, comprising: a grip mounting section provided on the camera body; a microprocessor including a read-only memory in which a predetermined control program is written so as to provide the camera with a wide variety of photographing operations; and a microprocessor that stores and decodes output information of the microprocessor and then sends the information to the driver. a control unit including an input/output control circuit for driving the shutter mechanism, the aperture mechanism, and an input/output control circuit provided on the camera body side for controlling the operation of the motor; A camera characterized in that a control unit connector is detachably connected.