JPH11327024A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To actually detect a camera blur, to always warn an operator of the camera shake when it is caused and to make a camera inexpensive, lightweight and compact. SOLUTION: When a release button 26 is half depressed so as to attain a focusing lock state, the camera blur is detected by a camera blur detection circuit 20 before exposure. When it is judged by a CPU 10 that detected camera blur amount is over an allowable value, the operator is warned of the camera blur by voice by using a data/voice conversion circuit 18 without correcting the camera blur and/or the button 26 is locked so as to inhibit a photographing action. When the button 26 is instantaneously depressed, the camera blur is detected after the exposure. Then, when the camera blur is caused, the operator is warned of it by the voice without correcting it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly, to a camera which detects blur and warns an operator of the camera or prohibits a photographing operation according to the result.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In photographing while holding a camera, if a shutter speed becomes slower than a predetermined speed due to a focal length of a photographing lens mounted on the camera, an exposed image is blurred. Camera shake is likely to occur. Therefore, when camera shake occurs during photographing, a technique for alerting the operator or correcting camera shake has already been developed. For example, in a certain camera, a camera shake limit shutter speed related to a photographing lens is stored in a ROM, and a shutter speed obtained based on a photometry result in a shooting preparation stage is smaller than a camera shake limit shutter speed stored in the ROM. When the size is smaller, a warning is issued to the operator using display means such as an LED.

Another camera measures the amount of camera shake using an angular velocity sensor, and corrects camera shake by moving a photographic lens with a motor to move an image on a film surface according to the amount of camera shake. (Lens shift offset method). In this method, the camera shake amount is detected when the release switch for performing the two-step operation is turned on (half-pressed) in the first stage, and the moving operation of the taking lens is performed during the exposure after the second step is turned on (fully pressed). Done in

[0004]

However, each of the above-mentioned cameras of the prior art has the following problems. First, the former camera uses a ROM as described above.
The camera shake limit shutter speed is stored in the camera, but this value is a numerical value derived by an empirical rule, such as "1/1 the focal length" or "1/2 the focal length" of the photographing camera. There is only. On the other hand, the conditions under which the actual camera shake occurs vary depending on the weight of the camera, the photographing posture, and the like, and also when the camera operator is changed, and in many cases, the above empirical rule does not apply.
For this reason, even if camera shake has occurred, there is a risk that it cannot be warned, or that even if camera shake has not occurred, a warning may be issued.

Although the latter camera has the advantage of being able to correct camera shake, in addition to the angular velocity sensor, a lens correction motor, a photo interrupter and a dedicated CPU
Is not only expensive, but also the whole camera becomes large, so that a lightweight and compact camera cannot be provided. Further, if the operator presses the release switch halfway without pressing the release switch halfway, the camera shake amount is not detected, so that the camera shake correction is not performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost, lightweight and compact camera that can actually detect blur and warn the operator of the blur.

Another object of the present invention is a camera which does not perform a blur warning or the like based on a numerical value obtained from an empirical rule stored in advance in a ROM or the like but actually detects a blur amount. An object of the present invention is to provide a camera that can always warn the operator of a blurring regardless of a shooting operation of the operator.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a camera according to the present invention performs shake detection, and when it is determined that the detected amount of shake exceeds an allowable value, the camera notifies the operator. At least one of a warning and a prohibition of a photographing operation is performed.

The camera according to the present invention further comprises: a shake detecting means for performing shake detection; a shake determining means for determining whether an amount of shake obtained by the shake detecting means exceeds an allowable value; Command means for issuing a command to execute at least one of a warning to an operator and a prohibition of a photographing operation when the blurring amount is determined to exceed the allowable value by the determining means; and And timing determining means for determining the timing at which the command is issued from the means according to the photographing operation of the operator.

[0010]

According to the camera of the present invention, since the blur is actually detected, the blur can be reliably detected regardless of the photographing conditions. Therefore, even if a shake such as a hand shake occurs, it is not possible to warn the user or a warning is issued even though no shake occurs. Further, since a blur warning or the like is issued to the operator without correcting blur, components for blur correction are not required, and a low-cost, light-weight and particularly compact camera around the lens barrel can be obtained. In addition,
Here, the blur amount may be given, for example, as a movement amount of the camera per unit time, and the allowable value may be given, for example, as a shutter speed derived based on a photometric result by photometric means. Then, when the amount of movement of the camera per unit time is greater than the shutter speed, at least one of a warning to the operator and a prohibition of the photographing operation may be performed. The warning to the operator may be performed by at least one of a voice and a display on the display unit, and the prohibition of the photographing operation may be performed by locking a release switch.

Further, according to the camera of the present invention, the timing at which the operator is warned and the prohibition of the photographing operation is performed is determined according to the photographing operation of the operator. According to this, for example, even when the operator suddenly presses the release switch halfway without half-pressing it, the timing of a blur warning or the like is determined accordingly. Therefore, if there is blurring regardless of the photographing operation of the operator, the operator can always be warned of the blurring.

Further, according to the camera of the present invention, since the blur is actually detected, the blur can be reliably detected regardless of the photographing conditions. Therefore, even if a shake such as a hand shake occurs, it is not possible to warn the user or a warning is issued even though no shake occurs.
Further, if there is blurring regardless of the photographing operation of the operator, the operator can always be warned of the blurring. Here, the shake detecting means may be, for example, an angular velocity sensor, an acceleration sensor, a CCD, or the like, which can measure the amount of movement of the camera per unit time. Further, the shake determining means, the instruction means and the timing determining means may be realized by a CPU which controls the operation of the entire camera.

According to the camera of the present invention, the timing determining means determines the timing according to the length of time from when the first stage of the two-stage switch is turned on to when the second stage is turned on. According to this, for example, if the operator locks the focus while pressing the release switch to the first stage, a warning or the like is issued before and after exposure, and the operator does not half-press the release switch until the second stage. When the button is pressed, a warning or the like is issued only after exposure, so that a warning or the like can be issued at an appropriate timing in accordance with the photographing operation of the operator.

According to the camera of the present invention, the command from the command means is issued at least after the exposure before and after the exposure. According to this, even if the operator cannot press the release switch halfway and suddenly presses the shutter to the second stage, for example, the warning before the exposure cannot be performed, the warning is surely issued after the exposure. Therefore, the operator can take a picture of good quality again by taking a picture again.

Further, according to the camera of the present invention, the blur detection is repeatedly performed at predetermined time intervals. According to this, the latest blur detection data can always be used, and the blur can be detected more accurately.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the CPU
Reference numeral 10 denotes a center of the camera according to the present embodiment, which integrally controls the operations of all devices such as a lens and a shutter, and executes calculations related to distance measurement and photometry, as described later. In the present embodiment, the CPU 10 constitutes shake determination means, command means, and timing determination means. A battery 12a is connected to the power supply circuit 12. When a power switch (not shown) is turned on, the CPU 1
Power is supplied to each device in the camera based on the 0 command. The various input switches 14 are switches arranged on the camera and can be operated by an operator, and are used to give the CPU 10 shooting conditions and the like.

The flash circuit 16 causes the flash 16a to emit light based on a command from the CPU 10. The data sound conversion circuit 18 converts the data received from the CPU 10 into a sound signal based on a command from the CPU 10. This audio signal is output as audio from the speaker 18a. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the operator is warned by voice from the speaker 18a that there has been blurring exceeding an allowable value during shooting. Note that as another embodiment, a display device (not shown) such as an LED or a liquid crystal display device may be provided in addition to or instead of the data sound conversion circuit 18 and the speaker 18a. In this case, the warning to the operator can be visually given in addition to or instead of the voice.

The camera shake detection circuit 20 (shake detection means)
A shake signal amplifying circuit 202, a shake sensor A204, and a shake sensor B206 are provided. The shake sensor A 204 and the shake sensor B 206 are angular velocity sensors having the same structure. One of the shake sensor A 204 and the other is at a predetermined angle in the camera so as to detect a shake in the horizontal direction and to detect a shake in the vertical direction. Are located. Outputs from the shake sensor A 204 and the shake sensor B 206 are amplified in the shake signal amplifying circuit 202 and supplied to the CPU 10 via an A / D converter (not shown). The camera shake detection circuit 20 includes a shake sensor A204 and a shake sensor B20.
6 may be provided with a low-pass and / or high-pass filter (both not shown) to which the output of 6 is applied.

The EEPROM 22 is a non-volatile memory used to store a control program and various data for the camera according to the present embodiment, and the CPU 10 instructs writing and reading of these data and the like. The lens drive circuit 24 is a circuit for driving the focus of the lens motor 24a in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 10. When the release button 26 is pressed down to the first stroke (half-pressed state; S1 on), the CPU 10 is activated to start the distance measurement / photometry operation, and when the half-pressed state is maintained for 200 ms or more, for example. The lens is set in a focus locked state at a desired position, and a command to start a photographing operation by driving a shutter when the lens is pressed down to a second stroke lower than the first stroke (fully pressed state: S2 ON) is given to the CPU 10. It is a two-stage switch. The release button 26 may be provided with a mechanism (not shown) that operates according to a command from the CPU 10 and prohibits the release button 26 from turning on S2. By providing such a mechanism, it is possible not only to warn the operator of the blur but also to prohibit the photographing operation when there is a blur, so that photographing is not mistakenly performed.

The shutter drive circuit 28 drives the shutter motor 28a in accordance with a command from the CPU 10 to cause the shutter curtain to run, so that the film is exposed for a predetermined time. The film feeding circuit 30 is a CP
The film motor 30a is driven in accordance with a command from U10, and the film is pulled out from the cartridge by a predetermined length every time one photographing operation is completed. The photometric circuit 32 is a circuit for obtaining field luminance information, and is connected to a photometric element 32a.

The AF circuit 34 is a circuit for measuring a subject distance, and includes a light emitting unit 34a and a light receiving unit 34b for distance measurement.
And are connected. Light such as infrared light emitted from the light emitting unit 34a is reflected by the subject and received by the light receiving unit 34b. The photometry data from the photometry circuit 32 and the distance measurement data from the AF circuit 34 are supplied to the CPU 10, and the lens drive circuit 24 and the shutter drive circuit 28 are operated based on the values calculated from these data.
Operation (lens position, shutter speed, etc.) is controlled.

Next, the operation of the camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 in addition to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the camera of the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the operation in subroutine A of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the operation in subroutine B of FIG. is there. Unless otherwise stated, the following operations are executed by the CPU 10 based on signals from the respective units connected to the CPU 10 of FIG. 1 and programs and data stored in the EEPROM 22, or executed by the respective units according to instructions from the CPU 10. Shall be performed.

First, when the release button 26 is pressed (release-on) while the power switch (not shown) is on, the photometry circuit 32 and the AF circuit 34 perform photometry and distance measurement operations in step S201. The CPU 10 calculates the field luminance information and the subject distance information. Next, in step S202, a 200 ms timer repetition flag (φ φ) to be set to a predetermined value in subroutine A of the next step S203.
T) is reset (φT = 0).

Next, a subroutine A (S2 ON wait subroutine) of step S203 shown in FIG. 3 is executed. In subroutine A, camera shake detection is performed by the camera shake detection circuit 20, and the on / off state of S1 and S2 of the release button 26 is detected. As described below, the camera shake before shooting flag (φA) is appropriately set. You. More specifically, if the state of S1 on and S2 off has been 200 ms or more from the start of the timer, it is determined that "the operator has locked the focus", and camera shake exceeding the allowable amount occurs. If the camera shake flag before shooting is
The warning is issued to the operator in a later step after the flag is set to 1 "(camera shake).
If S2 is turned on in less than 00 ms, it is determined that "the operator has pressed immediately to S2 without performing focus lock", and a warning is not issued to the operator in a later step. , The pre-shooting camera shake flag is set to “0” (no camera shake).

In subroutine A, first, in step S3
At 01, an S2 ON determination flag (φS2) indicating whether or not S2 of the release button 26 is ON is reset (φS2 = 0). Next, in step S302, the 200 ms timer is reset, and the counting is started. Next, in step S303, the outputs from the shake sensor A 204 and the shake sensor B 206 are sampled by the camera shake detection circuit 20 for a certain period. Next, in step S304, step S3
Based on the sampling result in step 03, the shake amount, that is, the actual movement amount of the camera per unit time is calculated. Note that the time required to execute steps S303 and S304 is usually on the order of μs, and the operation time and exposure time (shutter time 1 / shutter time) of the normal release button of the camera are used.
500 for about 2 ms). Therefore,
These steps have little effect on other operations of the camera.

Next, in step S305, the on / off state of S1 of the release button 26 is determined. If S1
Is determined to be in the OFF state (the operator has released the release button 26), the process proceeds to step S306, and S2 is performed.
The ON determination flag φS2 is set to “0” (φS2 = 0), and the process further proceeds to step S307 to set the pre-shooting camera shake flag φA to “0” (φA = 0), and the subroutine A ends. Thereby, step S in FIG.
After the end of the subroutine A of 203, the release-on routine of FIG. 2 can be ended without performing any of the warning and photographing operations.

If it is determined in step S305 that S1 is in the ON state (the operator has pressed the release button 26 at least halfway), step S308 is performed.
Then, the on / off state of S2 of the release button 26 is determined. If it is determined that S2 remains off, the process proceeds to step S309, and it is determined whether 200 ms or more has elapsed from the start of the timer reset in step S302. If 200 ms or more has not yet elapsed, the output from the shake sensor A 204 and the shake sensor B 206 is sampled in order to return to step S303 and perform shake detection again.

If it is determined in step S309 that 200 ms or more has elapsed, the flow advances to step S310 to proceed to step S310.
The 0 ms timer repetition flag (φT) is set to “1”. Then, the process proceeds to step S311, and the shake amount obtained in step S304, that is, the actual movement amount of the camera per unit time is compared with the shutter speed obtained by the CPU 10 with reference to the shooting angle of view. Then, based on the comparison result, the pre-shooting camera shake flag φA is set to “0”.
The subroutine A is set to either (no camera shake) or "1" (camera shake), and the subroutine A ends.

In step S308, the release button 26 is pressed.
If it is determined that S2 is ON, the process proceeds to step S312, and the S2 ON determination flag is set to “1” (φS2 = 1). Then, in step S313, it is determined whether 200 ms or more has elapsed since the start of the timer, that is, whether the 200 ms timer repetition flag (φT) is “0” (200 ms has not elapsed) or “1” (200 ms has elapsed). Is determined. If φT = 0, it means that the operator has fully pressed to S2 without performing focus lock.
0 ”(no camera shake) and the subroutine A ends (φS2 = 1 and φA = 0).
After the end of the subroutine A in step S203 of FIG.
Shooting starts without warning.

If φT = 1, it means that the operator has locked the focus, so that step S3
In step 11, the pre-shooting camera shake flag φA is set to either “0” (no camera shake) or “1” (camera shake), and the subroutine A is ended.

When the subroutine A in step S203 is completed, it is determined in step S204 whether the pre-shooting camera shake flag φA is "0" or "1". If it is determined that φA = 1, step S
Proceeding to 205, a warning is issued to the operator. This warning is issued by a sound such as “hand shake occurs” using the data sound conversion circuit 18 and the speaker 18a. Note that, in addition to or instead of issuing such a warning, a mechanism that inhibits the release button 26 from turning on the S2 may be operated.

Next, in step S206, the on / off state of S1 of the release button 26 is determined again. If it is determined that S1 is on, step S20
After φT = 0 in step 2, the subroutine A is executed again. If S1 is off, the release-on routine of FIG. 2 is terminated.

If it is determined in step S204 that φA = 0, the flow advances to step S207 to determine whether the S2 ON determination flag is "0" or "1". Here, if φS2 = 0, that is, if it is determined that S2 is in the off state, the on / off state of S1 is determined again in step S214 as in step S206. If S1 is determined to be on, step 2
After setting φT = 0 at 02, subroutine A is executed again. If S1 is off, the release-on routine of FIG. 2 is terminated. On the other hand, φS2 = 1, that is, S2
Is determined to be in the ON state, the process proceeds to step S208 to perform photographing. In step S208, the lens drive circuit 24 extends the lens according to the distance measurement value.

Next, a subroutine B (shutter drive subroutine) of step S209 shown in FIG. 4 is executed. In the subroutine B, the shake detection by the camera shake detection circuit 20 is performed during exposure together with the opening and closing of the shutter.
Then, as described below, the camera shake flag during exposure (φB) is appropriately set. More specifically, if there is a camera shake exceeding an allowable amount during exposure, the camera shake flag during exposure is set to "1" (the camera shake is present), and a warning is issued to the operator in a later step. If there is no camera shake exceeding the allowable amount during exposure, the camera shake flag during exposure is set to "0" (no camera shake).

In subroutine B, first, in step S4
At 01, the shutter drive circuit is operated to open the shutter. Then, in step S402, the shutter timer is reset and started so that exposure according to the photometric value obtained in step S201 of FIG. 2 is performed. Next, in step S403, the blur sensor A
Outputs from the shake sensor 204 and the shake sensor B 206 are sampled by the camera shake detection circuit 20 for a certain period. next,
In step S404, the blur amount, that is, the actual movement amount of the camera per unit time is calculated based on the sampling result in step S403.

Next, in step S405, it is determined whether the shutter timer has timed out, that is, whether or not the scheduled exposure time has expired. If the time is not over yet, the process returns to step S403, and the camera shake detection circuit 20 samples the blur. If the time is over, the process proceeds to step S406 to close the shutter and end the exposure.

Next, in step S407, the amount of camera shake determined in step S404, that is, the actual amount of movement of the camera per unit time, is determined by referring to the angle of view of the camera.
Is compared with the shutter speed determined by Then, based on the comparison result, the camera shake flag φB during exposure is set to “
The subroutine B is set to either "0" (no camera shake) or "1" (camera shake), and the subroutine B ends.

When the subroutine B of step S209 ends, in step S210, the lens driving circuit 2
The lens is moved in by 4 and the lens is returned to the initial position. Next, in step S211, the film is fed by one frame by the film feeding circuit 30.
Next, in step S212, it is determined whether the during-exposure camera shake flag φB is “0” or “1”. If it is determined that φB = 1, step S2
Proceeding to 13, a warning is issued to the operator. This warning
As in the case of the above-described camera shake before photographing, the sound is performed by using the data sound conversion circuit 18 and the speaker 18a, for example, by sound such as “camera shake has occurred”. Thus, the operator can take a picture of good quality again by taking the picture again. If it is determined that φB = 0, the release-on routine of FIG. 2 is terminated.

As described above, the camera of this embodiment is
Hand shake detection circuit 20 as shake detection means, and CP as shake determination means, command means and timing determination means
U10, and the camera shake detection circuit 20 actually performs the camera shake detection, so that reliable camera shake detection can be performed regardless of shooting conditions and the like. Therefore, even if a shake such as a hand shake occurs, it is not possible to warn the user or a warning is issued even though no shake occurs.
In addition, even if there is a blur exceeding the allowable value, a blur warning is issued to the operator without correcting the blur, so that a component for blur correction is unnecessary. Therefore, the camera of the present embodiment is relatively inexpensive, lightweight, and particularly compact around the lens barrel.

In the camera according to the present embodiment, the timing of the blurring warning changes depending on whether the operator locks the release button 26 in focus or immediately presses it. That is, when the operator focus locks the release button 26, a warning is issued both before and after the exposure, and when the operator presses the release button 26 immediately, the warning is not issued before the exposure but is issued only after the exposure. Therefore, regardless of the shooting operation of the operator, if there is a blur, it is possible to always warn the operator of the blur.

In the camera according to the present embodiment, the CPU 10 serving as the timing determining means issues a warning in accordance with the length of time from when the release button 26, which is a two-stage switch, is turned on to when the release button 26 is turned on. The timing to be determined is determined. Therefore, for example, when the operator locks the focus while the release button 26 is half-pressed, a warning is issued before and after the exposure. On the other hand, when the operator immediately presses the release button 26 fully without half-pressing, For example, a warning can be issued at an appropriate timing according to the photographing operation of the operator, such as issuing a warning only after exposure. Therefore, if a blur warning or the like is performed before shooting, the operator can shoot in a state in which blur is reliably eliminated,
If a blur warning or the like is issued after shooting, the operator can start shooting again after the blur disappears again.

Further, in the camera of the present embodiment, a command for giving a warning to the operator is issued from the CPU 10 as a command means at least after the exposure before and after the exposure. Therefore, even if a warning before the exposure cannot be made, such as when the operator fully presses the release button 26 without half-pressing, the warning can be reliably issued after the exposure. The person can take a picture of good quality again by taking the picture again.

In the camera of the present embodiment, the blur detection by the camera shake detecting circuit 20 as the shake detecting means is repeatedly performed at predetermined time intervals until the timer is over. Therefore, it is possible to always determine whether the shake amount exceeds the allowable value by using the latest shake detection data, and it is possible to detect the shake more accurately.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a low-cost, lightweight and compact camera that can actually detect blur and warn the operator of the blur. In addition, R
If the camera does not issue a blur warning or the like based on a numerical value obtained from an empirical rule stored in an OM or the like but actually detects the blur amount, and there is blur regardless of the photographing operation of the operator, It is possible to provide a camera that can always warn the operator of this.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the camera of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an operation in a subroutine A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an operation in a subroutine B of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 CPU 12 Power supply circuit 14 Various input switches 16 Strobe circuit 18 Data sound conversion circuit 20 Camera shake detection circuit 20 (shake detection means) 22 EEPROM 24 Lens drive circuit 26 Release button 28 Shutter drive circuit 30 Film feed circuit 32 Photometry circuit 34 AF circuit

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A configuration in which a shake detection is performed, and when it is determined that the detected shake amount exceeds an allowable value, at least one of a warning to an operator and a prohibition of a shooting operation is performed. A camera characterized in that: 2. The warning or the prohibition of the photographing operation,
The camera according to claim 1, wherein the correction is performed without performing correction based on the shake detection. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the timing at which the warning to the operator and the prohibition of the photographing operation are performed is determined according to the photographing operation of the operator.
The camera according to. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blur detection is performed based on a movement amount of the camera per unit time, a shooting angle of view, and a shutter speed. 3. The camera according to 3. 5. A blur detecting means for performing blur detection, a blur determining means for determining whether a blur amount obtained by the blur detecting means exceeds an allowable value, and a blur determining means for determining the blur amount by the determining means. Command means for issuing a command to perform at least one of a warning to the operator and prohibition of the photographing operation when it is determined that the command value exceeds the allowable value; and The timing
A camera for determining timing according to a photographing operation of the operator. 6. The timing determination unit according to claim 5, wherein the timing determination unit determines the timing according to a length of time from when the first stage of the two-stage switch is turned on to when the second stage is turned on. Camera. 7. The camera according to claim 5, wherein the command from the command unit is issued at least after the exposure before and after the exposure. 8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the blur detecting means detects blur based on a movement amount of the camera per unit time, a shooting angle of view, and a shutter speed. A camera according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the blur detection is repeatedly performed at predetermined time intervals. 10. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the warning is a voice warning.