JPH08211473A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To accurately display the number of films capable of being fed in accordance with the battery voltage of a secondary battery charged from a solar batter. CONSTITUTION: This camera is provided with the secondary battery 1 charged by the solar battery 2 as a charging means, a film sensitivity detecting means 7, a photometry means 14 for measuring main object luminance, a number of photographing-possible films display means 8 consisting of four segments, a flashing device 10 and a forcibly actuating switch 18 for flashing. The number of fed films remaining at present or the number of the fed films in a flashing mode is calculated based on the data obtained by the secondary battery voltage detecting means 6, the film sensitivity detecting means 7 and the photometry means 14 or the actuating state of the forcibly actuating switch 18 for flashing 18, thereby the number of the films capable of being fed is displayed on the display means 8, in such a manner that all segments are lighted when the capacitance of a battery is maximum and only one segment is lighted when the capacitance is minimum, for instance.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera having a secondary battery film-capable number display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a device for displaying the number of rechargeable film films of a secondary battery in a camera detects a battery voltage as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and each segment lighting voltage and a battery voltage are fixed values set in advance. The camera is configured to display regardless of whether the flash device is used or not.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the segment lighting value with respect to the battery voltage is displayed as a preset fixed value regardless of the shooting conditions, the following drawbacks occur. there were. That is, depending on the conditions at the time of taking a photograph (when the flash device is used and when not used), the battery level display and the actual number of film shots may differ, and the battery may suddenly run out and you may miss the photo opportunity. is there.

This is because the power consumption of the battery for one shot of the camera is different when the flash device is not used and when it is used.
This is because the display of the remaining battery capacity and the number of fed sheets vary. In particular,
If the power source of the camera is a secondary battery and the camera has a built-in battery, if the battery suddenly runs out, the camera may be unable to shoot. In addition, if the secondary battery charging means has a low charging capability (here, a solar cell), rapid charging cannot be performed and charging cannot be performed at night, and thus the usability becomes extremely poor.

The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional example, and
An object of the present invention is to provide a camera that can more accurately display the number of film shots that can be taken when a secondary battery is used.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the camera of the present invention according to claim 1 has a secondary battery, a charging means for charging the secondary battery, and a voltage of the secondary battery. A voltage detection means for detecting the film sensitivity, a film sensitivity detection means for detecting film sensitivity information, a photometric means for photometrically measuring the brightness of the main subject, and a filmable number display means for displaying the filmable number of the film. The display of the photographable number display means is changed based on the information obtained from the detection means, the film sensitivity detection means and the photometric means.

Similarly, in the camera of the present invention as defined in claim 2, the secondary battery, the charging means for charging the secondary battery, the secondary battery voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery, and the film A displayable number display means for displaying the number of shootable images,
A flash device and a switch means for forcibly operating the flash device are provided, and the display of the number of photographable lines display means is changed according to the state of the switch means.

Similarly, the camera of the present invention according to claim 3 is a secondary battery, a charging means for charging the secondary battery, a secondary battery voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery, and a film. A displayable number display means for displaying the number of shootable images,
A flash unit and a switch unit for forcibly prohibiting the operation of the flash unit are provided, and the display of the number of photographable lines display unit is changed according to the state of the switch unit.

In the present invention as set forth in claim 4, it is preferable that the charging means for charging the secondary battery is a solar cell.

[0010]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, the present invention is based on the information obtained from the voltage detecting means, the film sensitivity detecting means and the photometric means. Depending on the state of the switch means for operating the flash device, and the present invention according to claim 3 according to the state of the switch means for forcibly inhibiting the operation of the flash device.
By changing the display of the number of images that can be taken for each, the number of images that can be taken with the film that is charged by the solar battery can be accurately known, and the camera user can be warned of the remaining battery level in advance for actual shooting conditions. .

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electric circuit showing the configuration of the camera of this embodiment. In the figure, 1 is a secondary battery as a power source, 2 is a charging means such as a solar cell for supplying energy to the secondary battery, 3 is connected in parallel to the charging means 2, and the energy from the charging means 2 is supplied. Overcharge prevention means 4 for preventing overcharge of the secondary battery 1 is a diode for preventing energy stored in the secondary battery 1 from being discharged to the charging means 2 and overcharge prevention means 3, and 5 is a CPU of the camera , 6 is a battery voltage detecting means for detecting a battery voltage according to a signal from the CPU 5, and 7 is a film sensitivity detecting means for detecting film sensitivity information.

Reference numeral 8 is a display means for displaying information according to the signal of the CPU 5, which is composed of battery mark segments 1-4 as will be described later, and 9 is an autofocus means for obtaining distance information of the main subject, Reference numeral 10 is a flash device of the camera, 11 is a motor driving means for driving a lens focus driving motor 12 and a film winding motor 13 based on the information obtained from the autofocus means 9, and 14 is a photometric of the brightness of the main subject. A light metering means, 15 is a switch that is turned on at the first stroke for each information acquisition during the main release operation of the camera, 16 is a switch that is turned on at the second stroke during the main release operation of the camera, and 17 is the power supply of the camera Switch, 18 is a manual switch for forcibly operating the flash device 10, and 19 is forcibly prohibiting the operation of the flash device 10. It is a manual switch that. Two
Reference numeral 0 is a shutter drive circuit that drives a shutter when photographing a camera, and 21 is a shutter drive coil.

The operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be described according to the flowchart of First, step 1
From step S2, it is determined in step 2 whether the power supply switch 17 is on. If it is on, the process proceeds to step 3. In step 3, the voltage of the secondary battery 1 is immediately checked by the battery voltage means 6, and in step 4, it is determined whether or not the voltage is higher than or equal to the voltage required for camera operation.
Proceeding to step 35, the hold state is set and the operation of the camera is prohibited. If the voltage is equal to or higher than the voltage required for camera operation, the process proceeds to step 5. In step 5, the presence or absence of the film is judged. If it is determined that there is no film, the process proceeds to step 7a, and the CPU 5 of the camera automatically sets ISO
The sensitivity is set to a predetermined value (ISO100 in this embodiment), and the process proceeds to step 8. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a film, the process proceeds to step 6.

In step 6, ISO information of the film is detected, and the process proceeds to step 7. In step 7, the ISO sensitivity is set in the RAM of the CPU 5 based on the information obtained in step 6, and the process proceeds to step 8. In step 8, the brightness of the main subject is measured, and the process proceeds to step 9. In step 9, the current remaining number of sheets to be fed is calculated based on the ISO information and the battery voltage information set in step 7, and the luminance information obtained in step 8, and the process proceeds to step 10. In step 10, the number of fed sheets is displayed based on the information calculated in step 9, and the process proceeds to step 11.

In step 11, it is judged whether or not the manual switch 18 forcing the flash light emission is turned on,
If it is off, the process proceeds to step 12, and if it is on, the process proceeds to step 14. At step 12, it is determined whether or not the manual switch 19 for forcibly prohibiting the flash light emission is turned on. If it is off, the process proceeds to step 13, and if it is on, the process proceeds to step 15. In step 13, the flash light emission forced mode is reset and normal auto operation is performed, and the process proceeds to step 16.

On the other hand, if step 11 advances to step 14, the flash light emission forced on mode is entered, and step 16 is entered. If step 12 is proceeded to step 15, the flash light emission forced off mode, that is, the AE mode is entered, and step 15 Go to.

In step 16, it is judged whether or not the first stroke switch 15 for the main release is turned on. If the switch 15 is not turned on yet, the process returns to step 11, and if it is turned on, the process proceeds to step 17. In step 17, the battery voltage detection means 6 checks the battery voltage again, and the process proceeds to step 18. In step 18, auto focus is performed, and the process proceeds to step 19. In step 19, the brightness information of the main subject is measured, and the process proceeds to step 20.

In step 20, it is judged from the information obtained in step 19 whether it is brighter or darker than the flash emission level. If it is dark, the process proceeds to step 24, and if it is bright, the process proceeds to step 21. In step 21, it is judged whether or not the flash light emission forced on mode is set. If the forced light emission mode is on, the process proceeds to step 25. If not, the process proceeds to step 22. In step 22, since the flash non-emission mode is set, the number of sheets that can be fed in AE shooting is calculated, and the process proceeds to step 23. In step 23, the display of the number of fed sheets is changed from the data initially calculated and displayed in steps 9 and 10, and the process proceeds to step 28.

If step 20 proceeds to step 24, it is judged whether or not the flash light emission forced off mode is set. If it is in the forced off mode, step 22 proceeds to step A.
E shooting. If it is not the forced off mode, the flash light emission mode is set, and the routine proceeds to step 25. In step 25, the flash device 10 is charged with energy for flashing, and the process proceeds to step 26. In step 26, the number of sheets to be fed in the flash mode is calculated, and in step 27, the initially set and displayed data is changed and displayed, and the process proceeds to step 28.

In step 28, it is judged again whether or not the first stroke switch 15 of the main release is turned on. If it is off, the process returns to step 11, and if it is on, the process proceeds to step 29. In step 29, the second main release
It is determined whether or not the stroke switch 16 is turned on, and if it is turned off, the process returns to step 28 and step 2
It is held until switches 15 and 16 are turned on at 8 and 29, and if it is on, the process proceeds to step 30. In step 30, the focus lens is driven by the information from the autofocus means 9, in step 31, the shutter is energized by the brightness information obtained in step 19, the shutter is driven, and the process proceeds to step 32.

Next, in step 32, the film winding operation is performed, and in step 33, the system other than the display is reset while the displays of steps 23 and 27 are held, and the process returns to step 11.

A method of displaying the number of fed sheets at this time will be described below. The table of FIG. 4 shows the energy storage capacity for each voltage of the secondary battery 1, the one-shot energy used for AE shooting and the one-shot energy for flash emission, and the camera for the voltage of the secondary battery. It represents the number of sheets fed. Here, one film is tentatively described as a 24-shot film. By the way, the energy consumption for shooting in AE and the energy consumption for shooting in FA (flash photography mode) are AE energy: FA
An example is the case of a camera with energy = 1: 4.

As the display method, as shown in FIG. 5, the number of sheets to be fed corresponding to one to four segments of the battery mark is displayed. In FIG. 5A, segment 1 is turned on and the number of sheets to be fed is 1 or more. The same figure (b) shows that segment 1 to segment 2 are lit up and the number of feeds is 3 or more, and the figure (c) shows that segment 1 to segment 3 is lit up and the number of feeds is 5 or more. (D) is lighting of segments 1 to 4 and the number of feeding is 7 or more, and the lighting of the segments 1 to 4 is changed by the reference number shown in the table of FIG. As an effect of displaying in this way, it is possible to obtain an accurate display of the number of shootable images in the environment where the camera shoots or is about to shoot.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, the secondary battery, and the charging means for charging the secondary battery,
A voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery, a film sensitivity detecting means for detecting film sensitivity information, a photometric means for photometrically measuring the brightness of the main subject, and a photographable number display means for displaying the number of photographable films of the film. By changing the display of the photographable number display means based on the information obtained from the voltage detection means, the film sensitivity detection means, and the photometry means, the film photography of the battery for the actual photography condition can be performed. The number is accurate, the camera user can be warned in advance of the remaining battery level, and the camera user can be promoted to charge the secondary battery before the shooting date, which improves usability.

The present invention according to claims 2 and 3 is 2
A secondary battery, charging means for charging the secondary battery, secondary battery voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery, photographable number display means for displaying the number of photographable films, and a flash device. It has a switch means for forcibly operating the flash device or a switch means for forcibly prohibiting the operation of the flash device, and changes the display of the photographable number display means according to the state of the switch means. As a result, the number of batteries that can be film-captured with respect to the actual imaging conditions becomes accurate, and the camera user can be warned in advance of the remaining battery power.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electric circuit showing a configuration of a camera of an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the sequence of the operation.

FIG. 3 is a continuation of the flowchart in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a chart showing the relationship between voltage and the number of shootable images.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a display method thereof.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a method of displaying the number of shootable images in a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram similarly showing the relationship between the voltage and the number of shootable lines.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Rechargeable battery, 2 ... Charging means (solar cell), 3 ...
Overcharge prevention means, 4 ... Diode, 5 ... CPU, 6
..Battery voltage detection means, 7 ... Film sensitivity detection means,
8 ... Display means, 9 ... Auto focus means, 10 ...
.Flash devices, 11 ... Motor drive means, 12, 13 ...
Motor, 14 ... Photometric means, 15 ... Main release first
Stroke switch, 16 ... Main release second stroke switch, 17 ... Power supply switch, 18 ...
Manual switch for forcing flash emission, 19 ... Manual switch for forcing flash emission, 20 ... Shutter drive circuit, 21 ... Shutter drive coil.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A secondary battery, charging means for charging the secondary battery, and voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery,
It has a film sensitivity detecting means for detecting film sensitivity information, a photometric means for photometrically measuring the brightness of the main subject, and a photographable number display means for displaying the number of photographable films of the film, and the voltage detecting means and the film sensitivity detecting means. A camera which changes the display of the number-of-capable-images display means based on the information obtained from the photometric means. 2. A secondary battery, a charging means for charging the secondary battery, a secondary battery voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery, and a displayable number display for displaying the number of filmable shots of the film. A camera, comprising: a flash unit, a flash unit, and a switch unit for forcibly operating the flash unit, and changing the display of the number of shootable image display unit according to the state of the switch unit. 3. A secondary battery, a charging means for charging the secondary battery, a secondary battery voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery, and a displayable number display for displaying the number of filmable shots of the film. A camera comprising: a flash unit, a flash unit, and a switch unit for forcibly prohibiting the operation of the flash unit, and the display of the number-of-images-capable display unit is changed according to the state of the switch unit. 4. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the charging means is a solar cell.