JPH0567212B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention is capable of imprinting data information such as the date displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) onto the film, and uses another LCD different from the LCD to monitor the data information and other photographing-related information. Regarding a camera that performs display.

[Conventional technology]

The electronicization of cameras and technological advances in display elements such as LCDs have led to the provision of cameras that are capable of imprinting the shooting date (data) on the shooting screen of the film. In such a camera, a transmissive liquid crystal is usually built into the back cover, and data information such as the date displayed on the LCD is projected onto the film using a lamp light source. In addition to the above-mentioned transmissive LCD, a reflective LCD for monitoring is provided on the surface of the back cover in order to enable monitoring of data information such as the date captured. On the other hand, there is a lot of information that should be displayed on the camera, so
For example, some of the various shooting-related information of camera functions such as film counter, feed display, battery check, exposure control, and focus control are selected and displayed on the LCD installed in the camera body, making it easy for the user to It has come to provide convenience for photography. Fig. 4 shows an example of a camera having such a display means. In the figure, 41 is a monitor LCD provided inside the camera back cover, and 42 is an LCD provided on the upper side of the camera body for displaying various information. shows. Such a camera is equipped with two LCD display panels (41 for monitor and 46 for photo capture) on the back cover, and one LCD display panel (42) for display on the main body.When focusing on date capture, the display panel shown in Fig. 4b is installed. It has a circuit configuration. A control circuit unit 43 is provided in the camera body together with a display LCD 42 and an LCD drive circuit 44, and based on information from the control circuit unit 43,
The LCD drive circuit 44 generates an AC drive signal suitable for driving the display LCD 42. On the other hand, on the camera back side, there are LCDs 41, 4 for monitoring and for taking photos.
An LCD drive circuit 45 electrically connected to 6 is provided, and the calendar function of the drive circuit 45 counts the date and time, and each time is displayed on the monitor LCD.
41 and also on the LCD 46 for photographing. When taking a picture, the camera back side is controlled by an imaging signal emitted from the main body side control circuit 43.
The LCD driving circuit 45 causes a lamp L installed on the opposite side of the film to emit light for a certain period of time with respect to the image forming LCD 46, thereby imprinting the date on the film. Based on the above configuration, the number of signal lines required between the camera body and the camera back is two: one for the photo signal, and one common line for grounding the circuit between the camera body and the camera back. Although it is possible to control the shooting, the camera as a whole has two LCD drive circuits and one for display.
It has a complex configuration requiring three LCD panels: an LCD, a photo LCD, and a monitor LCD.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

The present invention consolidates LCD displays, simplifies the electrical circuit configuration of the entire camera, and further reduces the space on the camera body side, resulting in a more compact configuration that displays various shooting-related information of the camera, such as date, etc. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a camera that is capable of taking pictures of images.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above purpose is to provide a main body control circuit for converting and outputting photographing-related information generated in the camera body into a signal, and a main body control circuit for supplying power to the main body control circuit in a camera equipped with a date mechanism having a date imprinting means on the back cover. A battery is provided in the camera body, and the shooting related information and the date information of the date mechanism are displayed.
Distinguishes the signals output from the LCD and the main body control circuit, stores them, and drives the LCD.
This is achieved by providing the back cover with an LCD control circuit and a back cover battery that supplies power to the date mechanism and the LCD control circuit.

【Example】

FIG. 1 shows an outline of an embodiment of the present invention. In addition,
The details of a control circuit (described later) provided for properly performing the functions necessary for photographing on the main body side will not be described in detail since they do not constitute a main element of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1a, a display LCD 11 is provided on the outer surface of the back cover of the camera, which can monitor data information such as the date and the like, and can also display other photographic-related information. As for the circuit configuration, as shown in FIG. 1b, a control circuit 13 is provided on the main body side, which can correctly control functions for photographing and output photographing-related information.
On the back cover side, there is an LCD control circuit 15, a photo LCD 16,
A display LCD 11 is provided. The LCD control circuit 15 has a calendar function, receives photographing-related information through a serial signal outputted from the control circuit 13, and displays information based on this information on the display LCD 11 and displays images on the photographic LCD 16. The same date information as the date information used for loading can also be displayed for monitoring purposes. Next, a more specific first embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. In this example, the year and year are used as the imprint information.
It is possible to display the date, time, etc. of the month and day, and the photo-print LCD 116 and display LCD 111 are provided inside the camera back.
will always display this date, etc., and will also display the LCD
Reference numeral 111 indicates among the photographing-related information, in this embodiment, a film counter display, which is the number of photographed frames of the film, and a battery battery, which indicates whether or not there is a problem in the remaining capacity of the battery E1 and/or E2 of the camera to operate the camera. It is configured to display. The LCD control circuit 115 installed on the back cover side of the camera is operated by the battery E2 also mounted inside the back cover, and uses the fundamental frequency obtained by dividing the original oscillation of the crystal oscillator.
The LCD control circuit 115 is now activated. This control circuit 115 has a calendar function, and the year, month, day, time, etc. are recorded on the LCD 11.
6 is displayed on the display LCD 111, and it is also possible to change the date, mode, etc. using the switch group 120. Furthermore, when the control circuit 113 provided on the main body side outputs photographing-related information for display by signal transfer etc., the LCD control circuit 115
This signal is discriminated and displayed on the display LCD 111 in a predetermined display format (for example, numbers, signals, patterns, etc.). This signal transfer form can be performed by a known transfer method using serial signals, etc., and as shown in the signal example in Figure 2b, by setting the transfer control signal ( CE ) to low level CE = “L”, LCD control can be performed. circuit 115
becomes ready to receive. The LCD control circuit 115 is configured to sequentially receive the values of the data signal (DATA) when the synchronization signal ( SCK ) transmitted as a pulsed rectangular wave from the control circuit 113 falls. In this case, a 7-bit serial signal is used as a signal in which various data are made into units. This 7-bit data (hereinafter referred to as unit signal) controls the LCD control circuit 11.
5 causes the display LCD to display as shown in Table 1, and is also used as an imprint control signal to turn on the date imprint lamp L provided on the camera back. Table 1 describes the unit signals in detail. In Table 1, if the vertical direction is n rows and the horizontal direction is column D, the range of (n ₁ to n ₁₂₆ ) rows and (D ₁ to _{D 6} ) columns is data for film counting that counts the number of film frames. n ₁ to n ₁₂₆ ) rows
The range in column _D7 is specified at different timings for battery display, and the data indicating the display state at the time of printing is transferred to the range in rows (n ₁₂₇ to n ₁₂₈ ) and columns (D ₁ to _{D 6} ). The instruction data for executing (n ₁₂₇
~n ₁₂₈ ) is shown in the range of row D ₇ . That is, each n
The data in columns (D ₁ to D ₆ ) of the row and the data in D ₇ are always set as a combined data group,
If columns (D ₁ to _{D 7} ) are made to correspond to each bit, a 7-bit unit signal will be obtained. Table 1 therefore also shows 128 unit signals.

[Table] For example, in row n ₁ , all columns (D ₁ to _{D 6} ) are “0”.
Since column D ₇ is “0”, the film counter will display 0.
The battery indicator is off, and in the _n2 row, all columns (D ₁ to D ₆ ) are "0" and the D ₇ column is "1", so the film counter displays 0 and the battery indicator is lit. If you want to perform imprinting later on before and after the shutter opening/closing operation, for example, if you transfer n ₁₂₇ lines of signals, (D ₁ to D ₆ ) are all "1" and D ₇
is "0", so the film counter display is turned off, the battery display remains in its previous state and does not change, lamp L is turned on and the image is taken, and the signal of line _n128 is transferred instead of _n127 . and (D ₁ ~ _{D 6} )
Since all columns are "1" and _D7 is "1", the film counter lights up, and the battery display remains unchanged and serves as an instruction signal to carry out imaging. As described above, by using D ₁ to D ₇ for display data allocation (D ₁ to _{D 6} ) _and function allocation D ₇ , data setting signals and function control signals can be made into _a unit, By decomposing function control signals that do not have any particular data, such as rows, into signals of (D ₁ to _{D 6} ) and D ₇ as described above, and combining them as a unit signal, it has become possible to control many functions. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2a, there are only 4 contacts including the common contacts.
By simply installing a connection line between the camera body and the back cover, it is possible to display 0 to 62 as a film counter display using a 7-bit serial signal, display a battery warning, and control the imprinting of dates, etc. is achievable. Next, another embodiment that is more practical than the above-mentioned embodiment that performs relatively simple display and control will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the display contents of the display LCD 211 include, in addition to data display,
The film counter display, film feed display, battery remaining amount display, and presence/absence of battery installed on the main body are displayed, but it goes without saying that other shooting-related information may also be displayed.
The number of displays may also be increased or decreased depending on the display area or the like. The display data from the camera body side to the back cover side consists of an 8-bit function control signal and an 8-bit data setting signal. The reason for dividing into two signal units as described above is that, as is clear from Table 2, there are function control signals that do not require data setting signals, and signals that do not require data, such as imprint control signals.
In this case, only the 8-bit function control signal needs to be transferred from the main body side control circuit 213 to the back cover side LCD control circuit 215, so there is no need to always transfer 16-bit signals, and only the necessary 8-bit signals can be transferred. This increases signal transfer efficiency.

[Table] On the other hand, when an 8-bit function control signal with a data setting signal is sent, the preset shooting related information is subsequently converted into a data setting signal signaled by the 8-bit data allocation of D ₉ to D ₁₆ . will be sent. By combining these 8-bit signals into a single display control unit signal (hereinafter referred to as a unit signal), even when trying to change all displays at once as in the past, it is possible to change all displays at once. There is no need to send segment data, and data can only be sent using some unit signals, making it possible to improve the efficiency of signal transfer, that is, to significantly reduce data transfer time. Next, the display contents and each function of the control signal will be explained. Film counter: - In the first embodiment described above, the main body control circuit 113 counts up the value of the count display contents of the number of shots stored in the main body control circuit 113 every time a picture is taken, and converts the counted up value into a 7-bit signal. , the data is sent to the LCD control circuit 115 on the camera back.
However, in this embodiment, the count up (10000100) or count down (10000101) can be controlled by the function signal, so for example, when winding a film, only the one frame winding completion signal is sent from the control circuit 213. The LCD control circuit 215 can display the number of captured frames that have been counted up, and when rewinding the film, the display contents can be easily counted down just by transmitting a single-frame rewinding completion signal. 213, there is no need to store the film count value. In addition, the counter display can be used to display other information, so it is possible to display, for example, the time of a self-timer, or special patterns that can be displayed using the counter's two-digit seven-segment display. This makes it possible to use it for applications other than counters. Display of shooting-related information such as film feeding pattern and battery remaining amount pattern display: - Control signal from the main body side control circuit 213 on the camera body side (10001000)
(100001001) and data setting signals, it is possible to display any shooting related information, and after receiving a control signal from the control circuit 213, the display remains constant unless there is a signal to erase or change the display. A function that allows you to display the time and automatically clear the display.
The LCD control circuit 215 has an LCD control circuit 215, so that erase control can be performed independently only on the LCD control circuit 215 side. This is done in order to avoid unnecessary confusion for the photographer by continuously displaying information related to exposure control or focusing control that does not need to be continuously displayed until the next shooting, or to prevent unnecessary confusion from the photographer, or to control the camera body side. circuit 2
13 becomes inoperable for some reason, it prevents unnecessary display from continuing or accelerates battery consumption, and also eliminates the need to provide a display erase signal every time a display is made. This is to enable deletion after a certain period of time. Battery presence/absence pattern display: - This is a display indicating whether or not the battery E1, which can be inserted and removed from the camera body, is present in the battery compartment. Generally, the photographer needs to open and close the lid of the battery chamber to confirm whether or not the battery E1 is present. In this embodiment, it is possible to easily determine the presence or absence of a battery without opening the battery cover and examining it. Information about the battery presence/absence switch B- _SW , which is turned on and off depending on the presence or absence of the main battery E1, is sent to the back cover. side
The signal is introduced into the LCD control circuit 215, and the presence or absence of a battery is displayed on the display LCD 211 according to this signal.
Note that when the absence of the battery E1 is detected in this display, all the patterns related to the remaining capacity display are immediately turned off. This avoids inconsistencies caused by differences in battery voltage detection and display methods, such as turning on the remaining battery level display despite the absence of a battery, and eliminates confusion in the photographer's judgment. In this embodiment, the information is obtained by the battery presence/absence switch B- _SW , but the information can also be obtained by directly introducing the terminal of the main battery E1 into the LCD control circuit 215 and detecting whether or not voltage is applied. may be displayed.
Of course, it is also possible to detect and display whether or not the battery voltage is lower than a certain set level. In order to display or operate the camera as described above, it has conventionally been necessary to provide a storage circuit within the camera to store photographing-related information as described above. When a memory circuit is built into the main body control circuit 213 on the main body side, the memory circuit always consumes current from the main body side battery E1 in order to continue storing data, while the back cover side uses lithium because the calendar function is always operating. A battery E2 such as the like is provided for driving, and the current of the battery E2 is also consumed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the LCD control circuit 115 which has a built-in memory circuit
By providing this on the back cover side, the memory circuit that was conventionally provided on the main body side is no longer necessary, making it possible to reduce the current consumption of the entire camera. In the storage circuit, data of photographing-related information such as exposure correction, self-timer, etc. that needs to be stored as a camera is written in an 8-bit memory, and can be used for various purposes. By using the data transfer method described above, the third embodiment
Shown in Figure b. (The same symbols have the same functions.) From the main body control circuit 213 to the LCD control circuit 21
When writing data to 5 (shown in [1]), the synchronization signal ( SCK ) occurs after the transfer control signal ( CE ) is issued.
It is possible to store (write) data by transferring data to be written in synchronization with the LCD control circuit 215 as a data input signal (DATA IN).
Since it is necessary to display or store information according to the information on the main body side, data can be written and read from the main body control circuit 213, and in this case (shown in [2]), data transfer is possible. The method is the same as that for writing, and the data to be read can be transferred as a data output signal (DAT OUT). Conventionally, when it comes to controlling the capture time when capturing data information on film, the capture time is selected using a switch on the back of the camera, or the capture time is set to 2 bits from the camera body, taking into account the sensitivity of the film, etc.
In this embodiment, the time control function is controlled by the control signal (10100000) issued from the main body control circuit 213.
The lighting time of the light source such as the lamp L is determined by the subsequent data signal sent to the LCD control circuit 215.
Therefore, in the past, time control was limited to film sensitivities of about IS0 100, 200, and 400, but this embodiment eliminates the need for a specific signal line, and moreover,
In principle, it is possible to control time in 256 ways, making it possible to improve the quality of imprinted characters on films of all sensitivities. Additionally, in the case of the camera of this example, it is possible to open and close the camera back cover.
A back cover switch A- _SW is provided to turn on and off. When the camera back is open using the camera back switch A- _SW , all information about camera operation is unnecessary, and meaningless displays confuse the photographer.
At the same time as the back cover is opened, all the displays on the display LCD 211 are turned off. Furthermore, it is also possible to easily clear the memory of photographing-related information that does not need to be continuously stored, such as the number of photographed frames and the film sensitivity used. However, regarding data display, it is preferable to leave this as is. Leaving film in the camera for a long period of time is not a good idea as it will reduce the image quality of the film, so by displaying the date when the film was loaded into the camera, the photographer can easily check the length of time the film was loaded. This will enable you to take better photos. One method is to memorize the calendar date by operating the back cover switch A- _SW .
By operating the mode switch, the camera back switch A-
It is possible to display the date of operation of _SW , that is, the date of film loading at any time. Of course, a dedicated switch may be provided for this purpose. It is also possible to manually store the date of film loading or the date of film manufacture using the mode switch and correction switch. As mentioned earlier, the LCD control circuit 2 on the back cover side
15 is always in operation, but on the main body side, the main body control circuit 213 is kept in a non-operating state so as not to waste battery power. However, if the camera is left unattended for a long time and the battery E1 on the main body side naturally discharges, or if the camera is moved to a cold region, there may be a difference between the previously displayed battery capacity display and the current display. For this reason, it is sufficient to constantly detect the capacity of the battery E1 on the main body side and display the result, but doing so will increase battery consumption. Therefore, if the performance of the battery E1 is tested at regular intervals, for example, every 24 hours, it is possible to display the remaining battery power with low battery consumption and without any practical problems. In this embodiment, a battery capacity test circuit is built into the main body control circuit 213, and the LCD control circuit 213
15, a power hold signal PH is sent to the main body control circuit 213, a battery capacity test is performed, and the result is sent to the camera back via a serial signal etc. and displayed on the LCD.
At 211, the battery remaining amount display is rewritten.

【Effect of the invention】

The present invention centralizes the display of shooting-related information on the display LCD provided on the camera back so that the photographer can obtain a large amount of information at once. and a control circuit that outputs shooting-related information, a memory circuit on the back cover side, an LCD control circuit that discriminates and displays the information, a monitor LCD, and a display LCD that are integrated.
By providing an LCD, the control circuit for the LCD display can be completely separated in function, and the overall circuit configuration of the camera can be extremely simplified, and the current consumption can also be reduced by unifying the circuits. . Furthermore, the data signal and the function control signal are clearly separated by making the above information a data signal and a unit signal of a predetermined bit, and the function control signal is also a unit signal of a predetermined bit. Since the transmission and reception can be performed, the means for transmitting and receiving signals between the two control circuits can also be performed using, for example, a serial transfer method, and even if the number of information increases, the number of signal lines can be reduced. It became. As a result of the above effects, the present invention has made it possible to provide a camera that is compact and displays a liquid crystal display capable of displaying a multifunctional display in a concentrated manner. Furthermore, the present invention has the following features. (a) The data imprinting control signal is controlled by a predetermined unitized serial signal. (b) The presence or absence of a battery is indicated by a means for detecting the presence or absence of a battery provided on the camera body side. (c) In the battery presence/absence display, if a negative display is made, the remaining battery capacity display is immediately erased. (d) The LCD display set/reset signal generating means is designed to generate signals in synchronization with opening and closing of the back cover. (e) The imprinting time for data imprinting is transmitted by a unitized serial signal of predetermined bits. (f) A battery check start signal is sent from the back cover to the main body at regular intervals, and the remaining battery level is detected. (g) A part of the LCD display contents will be turned off after a certain period of time after receiving a unit signal of a predetermined bit from the control circuit on the main body side.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an overview of the present invention, with FIG. 1a showing a rear view of the camera and FIG. 1b showing a circuit outline.
FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2a shows a circuit diagram, and FIG. 2b shows an example of a signal. FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 3a shows a circuit diagram and FIG. 3b shows a signal example. FIG. 4 shows a conventional example, with FIG. 4a showing a rear view of the camera and FIG. 4b showing a circuit outline. 11,111,211...Monitor display LCD,
13, 113, 213... Main body control circuit, 15,
115, 215...LCD control circuit, 16, 11
6,216... LCD for photography, E1... Battery on main body side, E2... Battery on back cover side.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a camera equipped with a date mechanism on the back cover having a date imprinting means, a main body control circuit that converts and outputs photography-related information generated in the camera body into a signal, and supplies power to the main body control circuit. A main body battery is provided in the camera main body, an LCD displays the shooting related information and the date information of the date mechanism, and a signal output from the main body control circuit is discriminated and stored.
A camera characterized in that the back cover is provided with an LCD control circuit that drives an LCD, and a back cover battery that supplies power to the date mechanism and the LCD control circuit.