JPH0980527A - Photographing device provided with shake correction mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the service life of a power source battery from being reduced by inhibiting the action of a shake correction mechanism when the focal distance of a photographing optical system exists within a prescribed range. SOLUTION: By a microcomputer for a shake correction control action 3, the driving of a shake correction driving part is controlled based on the output of a microcomputer for a body 25 in a body device 2 and the positional information of an optical system from an X encoder 5, a Y encoder 9, a distance encoder 15 and a zoom encoder 22. Then, a long focal distance side (telephoto side) and a short focal distance side (wide side) are previously decided according to the using purpose of the user of a photographing device as the prescribed range. When the focal distance exists within the prescribed range or when the focal distance exists within the prescribed range and a power source voltage is equal to or under a preset prescribed value, the action of the shake correction mechanism is inhibited. Thus, the power source voltage is prevented from being futilely consumed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus having a shake correction mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an AF mechanism has been generally used in a photographing device represented by a camera. In recent years, it has been proposed to add a shake correction mechanism for correcting camera shake to this image capturing apparatus.

This blur correction mechanism is incorporated in a photographing device to detect an angular variation of the optical axis due to camera shake or the like, and corrects a photographed image by this. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
An example applied to a single-lens optical system is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 66535, while a captured image is corrected by shifting a part of a photographing optical system of an internal focusing type telephoto lens in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-183217. Examples of doing so are known.

In a photographing device equipped with these shake correction mechanisms, normally, a shake correction control mode is selected and set by a mode setting switch provided in the main body of the photographing device,
The blur correction control was performed.

[0005]

However, in a photographing apparatus having such a blur correction mechanism, when the blur correction control mode is selected, regardless of the focal length of the lens,
The blur correction control was always continued.

That is, in the case of a zoom lens or an interchangeable lens, the focal length can be changed, but even if the focal length is changed, the blur correction control is constantly performed to operate the blur correction mechanism.

Therefore, on the long focal length side, that is, on the telephoto side, the movement amount of the shake correction mechanism (= focal length × α
(Proportionality constant) becomes large, the power supply battery is consumed unnecessarily, and the life of the power supply battery is shortened. Therefore, for example, film exposure control that affects the basic functions of the camera,
It becomes impossible to perform other control such as mirror drive control and film feed control.

On the short focal length side, that is, on the wide side, the amount of blurring is originally small, and the blurring correction mechanism is constantly operated even though there is little need to perform blurring correction control. It consumes the power battery and shortens the life of the power battery as in the case of the long focal length side.

[0009]

In view of the above problems, the present invention determines a long focal length side (tele side) or a short focal length side (wide side) according to the purpose of use of the user of the photographing apparatus. If the focal length is within this predetermined range, or if the focal length is within this predetermined range and the power supply voltage is below a preset predetermined value, By prohibiting the operation of the mechanism, unnecessary consumption of the power battery is prevented.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blur correction mechanism for relatively moving all or part of the photographing optical system and a photographing screen based on a detected value of a blur amount of an optical axis in the photographing optical system, When the focal length of the photographic optical system is within a predetermined range, a blur correction controller for inhibiting the operation of the blur correction mechanism is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blur correction mechanism for relatively moving all or part of the photographing optical system and a photographing screen on the basis of the detected value of the blur amount of the optical axis in the photographing optical system, When the focal length of the photographing optical system is in a predetermined range set in advance and the power supply voltage of the shake correction mechanism is equal to or less than a predetermined value set in advance, the shake correction control for prohibiting the operation of the shake correction mechanism is performed. And a section.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(First Embodiment) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by way of an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of an image pickup apparatus having a shake correction mechanism according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an image capturing apparatus including the shake correction mechanism according to the first embodiment. Further, FIG. 4 is a top view of the image pickup apparatus of this embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a display unit.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, this blur correction mechanism is incorporated in a photographing device (see FIG. 3) including a lens device 1 and a body device 2, and will be described later. A part of the photographing optical system is moved based on the detected value of the blur amount of the optical axis in the photographing optical system.
The lens apparatus 1 is provided with a shake correction control microcomputer 3, an ultrasonic motor microcomputer 16, a communication microcomputer 24 and the like, while the body apparatus 2 is provided with a body microcomputer 25 and the like. In the present embodiment, each of these microcomputers is combined to form the shake correction control unit of the present invention.

Microcomputer 3 for blur correction control
Is a microcomputer 25 for the body of the body device 2.
Of the X-axis drive motor 7, the X-axis motor driver 8, the Y-axis drive motor 11, and the Y-axis drive motor 11 based on the optical system position information from the X encoder 5, the Y encoder 9, the distance encoder 15, the zoom encoder 22, and the like. The drive of the shake correction drive unit including the shaft motor driver 12 and the like is controlled.

The lens contact 4 is a group of electrical contacts used for exchanging signals between the lens device 1 and the body device 2, and is connected to the communication microcomputer 24. The X encoder 5 is for detecting the amount of movement of the optical system in the X-axis direction, and its output is connected to the X encoder IC 6. The X encoder IC 6 is for converting the amount of movement of the optical system in the X axis direction into an electric signal, and the signal is sent to the shake correction control microcomputer 3. Further, the X-axis drive motor 7 is a drive motor that shift-drives the X-axis image stabilization optical system, and the X-axis motor driver 8
Is a circuit for driving the X-axis drive motor 7.

Similarly, the Y encoder 9 is for detecting the amount of movement of the optical system in the Y-axis direction, and its output is connected to the Y encoder IC 10. The Y encoder IC 10 is for converting the amount of movement of the optical system in the Y-axis direction into an electric signal, and the signal is sent to the shake correction control microcomputer 3. Furthermore, the Y-axis drive motor 11 is a drive motor that shift-drives the Y-axis shake correction optical system, and the Y-axis motor driver 12 is a circuit that drives the Y-axis drive motor 11.

The blur correction head amplifier 13 is a blur detection unit for detecting the blur amount, and is a circuit for detecting the blur amount. That is, the image blur information is converted into an electric signal, and the signal is sent to the blur correction control microcomputer 3. As the shake correction head amplifier 13, for example, an angular velocity sensor or the like can be used.

The VR switch 14 is a switch for turning on / off the shake correction drive and switching between the shake correction mode 1 and the shake correction mode 2. Here, for example, the blur correction mode 1 is a mode for performing rough control when correcting the blur of the finder image after the shooting preparation start operation,
The blur correction mode 2 is a mode in which precise control is performed when blur is corrected during actual exposure.

The distance encoder 15 is an encoder for detecting the focus position and converting it into an electric signal, and the output thereof is similarly the blur correction control microcomputer 3, the ultrasonic motor microcomputer 16 and the communication microcomputer. It is connected to the computer 24.

Microcomputer 16 for ultrasonic motor
Is for controlling the ultrasonic motor 19 that drives the focusing optical system drive unit. The USM encoder 17 is
It is an encoder that detects the amount of movement of the ultrasonic motor 19, and its output is connected to the USM encoder IC 18. The USM encoder IC 18 is a circuit that converts the movement amount of the ultrasonic motor 19 into an electric signal, and the signal is
It is sent to the microcomputer 16 for the ultrasonic motor.

The ultrasonic motor 19 is a motor for driving the focusing optical system. The ultrasonic motor drive circuit 20 is a circuit which has a drive frequency specific to the ultrasonic motor 19 and generates two drive signals having a 90 ° phase difference from each other.
The ultrasonic motor IC 21 is a circuit that interfaces between the ultrasonic motor microcomputer 16 and the ultrasonic motor drive circuit 20.

The zoom encoder 22 is an encoder for detecting the lens focal length position and converting it into an electric signal.
The output is the image stabilization control microcomputer 3,
It is connected to the ultrasonic motor microcomputer 16 and the communication microcomputer 24.

The DC-DC converter 23 is a circuit which supplies a stable DC voltage against the voltage fluctuation of the power supply battery, and is controlled by a signal from the communication microcomputer 24.

The communication microcomputer 24 communicates between the lens device 1 and the body device 2, and the other microcomputers in the lens device 1 (the shake correction control microcomputer 3 and the ultrasonic motor microcomputer 16). Etc.) is a microcomputer that transmits a command to.

The body microcomputer 25 instructs the blur correction display section (not shown) to display a warning based on the maximum blur correction time information transmitted from the lens device 1, the exposure setting information, the subject brightness information, and the like.

The VR operation switch 27 is a switch for operating the shake correction mechanism, and its output is connected to the shake correction control microcomputer 3. The release switch 28 is provided in the body device 2, and when the user of the photographing apparatus transmits the start of exposure control to the body device 2 and is designated by the blur correction control start switch determination processing, Determine the transmission timing. It is composed of a half-press switch SW1 that starts the shooting preparation operation by half-pressing the release button by the user of the image-capturing device, and a full-press switch SW2 that instructs the start of exposure control by fully pressing the release button.

The power supply source 29 is provided in the body device 2 and supplies a large capacity power supply to the lens device 1. The lens device 1 is used as a power source for driving a motor that consumes a large amount of power.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the zoom area selection switch 30 is provided in the body device 2 and is a switch for the user of the photographing apparatus to select a focal area in which the blur correction control is not prohibited. Is.

Further, as shown in FIG.
Is provided in the body device 2 and has a selection range of FAR, MIDDLE and NEAR when the zoom region is selected.
It is a display device for checking in stages.

The image pickup apparatus having the shake correction mechanism according to this embodiment is configured as described above. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation sequence of the image capturing apparatus according to this embodiment.

Step (hereinafter abbreviated as "S") 2
At 00, the communication microcomputer 24 prepares for communication. At the same time, the shake correction control microcomputer 3 prepares for communication in S201, and the ultrasonic motor microcomputer 16 prepares for communication in S202.

In step S203, the communication microcomputer 24 communicates with the body device 2 via the lens contact 4. In step S204, the focus control instruction from the body device 2 is transmitted to the ultrasonic motor microcomputer 16.

In step S205, the ultrasonic motor microcomputer 16 performs focusing control based on the information of the zoom encoder 22, the distance encoder 15, and the like. In step S206, the shake correction control instruction from the body device 2 is transmitted to the shake correction control microcomputer 3.

In step S207, the shake correction control microcomputer 3 performs a shake correction calculation. In step S208, the blur correction control microcomputer 3 performs blur correction control. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation sequence of the blur correction control calculation module described in S207 of FIG. Hereinafter, the operation sequence of the image capturing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

In S600, the shake correction control microcomputer 3 AD-converts the value of the power supply voltage of the power supply supplied to the X motor driver 8 and the Y motor driver 12 into a digital value, and the flow proceeds to S601.

In step S601, the shake correction control microcomputer 3 reads the instruction value of the zoom encoder 22, and the flow advances to step S602. In S602, S60
The instruction value of the zoom encoder 22 read in 1 is converted into a focal length value, and the process proceeds to S603. In this way, in S601 and S602, the focal length of the photographing optical system is obtained.

The focal length thus obtained is
The same applies to both the zoom lens and the interchangeable lens. In the case of the zoom lens, it is the adjusted setting value, and in the case of the interchangeable lens, it is the focal length of the lens being used at the time of shooting.

In S603, the value of the focal length obtained in S602 is the lower limit value L of the preset focal length.
It is determined whether it is larger than _lim , that is, whether the focal length is within the set range. When the value of the focal length is larger than the lower limit value L _lim (when the focal length is within the setting range), the process proceeds to the control duty detailed calculation of S606, and the normal blur correction control is performed to execute the blur correction mechanism. Activate.

On the other hand, when the value of the focal length is smaller than or equal to the lower limit value L _lim (when the focal length is out of the set range), the process proceeds to S604, and the determination of the power supply voltage proceeds to S604. .

That is, in the present embodiment, a predetermined range is set on the short focus side, and when the focal length is within the predetermined range of the lower limit value L _lim or less, the operation of the shake correction mechanism is prohibited. Is.

In the present invention, "prohibiting the operation of the blur correction mechanism" means not only the mode in which the blur correction mechanism in the operating state is stopped but also the blur correction mechanism in the stopped state is continuously stopped. Aspects are also included.

In S604, AD in S600
It is determined whether or not the converted power supply voltage value is larger than a preset power supply voltage limit value V _lim . The value of the power supply voltage that has been AD converted is a preset limit value V of the power supply voltage.
If it is larger than _lim , the process proceeds to a detailed control duty calculation in S606, and normal blur correction control is performed to operate the blur correction mechanism.

On the other hand, is the value of the AD-converted power supply voltage smaller than the preset limit value V _lim of the power supply voltage?
Alternatively, if they are equal, the process proceeds to S605, where the operation of the shake correction mechanism is prohibited.

The power supply voltage may be set appropriately based on an experimental value and an empirical value according to the degree of decrease in the voltage value. In S605, the control duty set in the blur correction control in S208 of FIG. 2 is set to 0, and the operation of the blur correction mechanism is prohibited.

In S606, the control duty set in the blur correction control in S208 of FIG. 2 is calculated in detail, and normal blur correction control is performed. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the focal length of the photographing optical system exists outside the predetermined range set in advance, the shake correction mechanism is normally operated, while the focal length exists within the predetermined range. If the focal length is within a predetermined range and the power supply voltage is below a preset limit value, unnecessary operation of the power is suppressed by prohibiting the operation of the shake correction mechanism. It is possible to prevent the battery life from being shortened by suppressing the occurrence of abnormalities such as film exposure control, mirror drive control, film feeding control, etc. at the time of shooting due to battery consumption.

(Modification) The present invention is equally applicable not only to a photographing device having a zoom lens but also to a photographing device having an interchangeable lens.

Further, in the first embodiment, as described above,
Set a predetermined range on the short focal length side and set the focal length to the lower limit value L
When it is within a predetermined range below _lim, the operation of the shake correction mechanism is prohibited. But,
The present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, when a predetermined range is set on the long focal length side and the focal length exists in a predetermined range that is equal to or more than the upper limit value H _lim , the blurring may occur. The operation of the correction mechanism may be prohibited.

Further, if the suppression of the voltage drop of the power supply battery is given the highest priority, the lower limit value L _lim is set on the short focus side and the upper limit value H _lim is set on the long focus side, and the focal length is set to be short. The vibration reduction mechanism may be configured to be activated when it exists between the limit value L _lim and the upper limit value H _lim .

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, it is confirmed in S603 that the focal length is within a predetermined range,
Further, in S604, the operation of the shake correction mechanism is prohibited after confirming that the power supply voltage is less than the predetermined value V _lim set in advance, but the present invention is not limited to this mode, and for example, S604. The confirmation of the power supply voltage may be omitted, and the operation of the shake correction mechanism may be prohibited only by confirming that the focal length is within a predetermined range.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of an image pickup apparatus including a shake correction mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation sequence of the image capturing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image capturing apparatus including a shake correction mechanism according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the image capturing apparatus including the shake correction mechanism according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display unit of the image capturing apparatus including the shake correction mechanism according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of the blur correction control calculation module described in S207 of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 lens device 2 body device 3 blur correction control microcomputer 4 lens contact 5 X encoder 6 X encoder IC 7 X axis drive motor 8 X axis motor driver 9 Y encoder 10 Y encoder IC 11 Y axis drive motor 12 Y motor driver 13 Shake correction head amplifier (angular velocity sensor) 14 VR switch 15 Distance encoder 16 Ultrasonic motor microcomputer 17 USM encoder 18 USM encoder IC 19 Ultrasonic motor 20 Ultrasonic motor drive circuit 21 Ultrasonic motor IC 22 Zoom encoder 23 DC- DC converter 24 Microcomputer for communication 25 Microcomputer for body 26 Subject finder 27 VR operation switch 28 Release switch 29 Power supply source 30 Zoom area selection switch 31 Display

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A blur correction mechanism for relatively moving all or part of the photographing optical system and a photographing screen based on a detected value of a blur amount of an optical axis in the photographing optical system, and a focus of the photographing optical system. An image pickup apparatus having a shake correction mechanism, comprising: a shake correction control unit for inhibiting the operation of the shake correction mechanism when the distance is within a predetermined range. 2. A blur correction mechanism for relatively moving all or part of the photographing optical system and a photographing screen based on a detected value of a blur amount of an optical axis in the photographing optical system, and a focus of the photographing optical system. And a shake correction control unit for inhibiting the operation of the shake correction mechanism when the distance is within a predetermined range set in advance and the power supply voltage of the shake correction mechanism is equal to or less than a predetermined value set in advance. An image pickup apparatus equipped with a blur correction mechanism.