JPS61153628A - Lighting range-variable flash device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To fit a proper wide panel adaptor to the titled device and to attain photographing without uneven exposure (uneven illumination) by generating an alarm when a photographing lens exceeding a wide angle limit is loaded. CONSTITUTION:The flash device is provided with a reading means for reading out a signal corresponding to the focal distance of a photographing lens loaded to the camera, a determining means for determining the irradiation angle of a light emitting part on the basis of the read-out signal, a discriminating means for discriminating whether the read-out signal exceeds the limit of the wide angle side or not, and a means for generating an alarm when the excess of the limit on the wide angle side is discriminated by the discriminating means. When a focal distance signal indicating than the picture angle of the photographing lens can not be covered even by the widest lighting angle is read out, an alarm is generated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a flash device whose irradiation angle automatically changes depending on the focal length of a photographic lens.

Obedience! However, with this type of 7-lash device, there is a limit to the widest irradiation angle that can be set, and depending on the type of interchangeable lens,
The irradiation range may not completely cover the imaging angle of view. If the irradiation range does not cover the shooting angle of view, uneven exposure (uneven illumination) will inevitably occur. This is a problem that occurs, for example, when an interchangeable lens with a focal length of 20 mm is attached to a flash device whose wide-angle limit of the irradiation range corresponds to a lens with a focal length of 28a+m.

By the way, conventional flash devices that change the irradiation angle according to the focal length of the photographic lens so that the irradiation range always covers the angle of view of the photographic lens have been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-3576 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. This method has been proposed in 1982-120921 and JP-A-59-140428.

However, in these conventional technologies, the irradiation range of the flash device and the zoom range of the zoom lens are 1:
1, and there is no mention of the above-mentioned problems that arise when attempting to change the illumination angle by attaching various interchangeable lenses.

Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel flash device that can proactively deal with the problems.

l suck Δ 恢! For this reason, the present invention provides means for reading from the camera side a signal corresponding to the focal length of a photographic lens attached to the camera;
means for determining the illumination angle of the light emitting section based on the read signal, means for determining whether the read signal exceeds the wide-angle limit, and determining whether the wide-angle limit is exceeded by the determining means. The basic feature is that when it reads a focal length signal that does not cover the angle of view of the photographic lens even at the widest irradiation angle, it issues a warning.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The features of the present invention, including other features, will be specifically explained below with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall circuit diagram of a camera system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applicable. (CB) is the circuit of the camera body (
(hereinafter referred to as camera circuit), (LE) is a zoom lens circuit (hereinafter referred to as lens circuit) related to an interchangeable lens that is detachably attached to the camera body, and (FL) is a circuit for a flash device that is externally attached to the camera body. Such a circuit (hereinafter referred to as a flash circuit) is shown. Lens circuit (LE)
and camera circuit (CB) are connector (CNo) = (C
The flash circuit (FL) and camera circuit (CB) are connected to each other via the connector (CN2).
) and (CN3), and each circuit operates in conjunction with each other.

Figure 2 shows the operation of a microcomputer (MCB) (hereinafter referred to as microcomputer), which plays a central role in control operations in the camera circuit (CB).
0-Chart. In addition, FIGS. 3 to 6 are 70-charts showing the operation control of the microcomputer (MCF) built in the 7-latch circuit (FL), and these 70-charts are shown below.
The above circuit configuration and its operation will be explained along the chart. In order to make it easier to understand, in the following, the signal name of the signal line may be used as the name of the terminal where the signal goes in and out, and among the two-level voltages, the high level will be referred to as rHJ, and the low level will be referred to as rLJ. shall be shown.

In the camera circuit (CB) shown in Fig. 1, at the first step of pressing down the release button (not shown), the photometry switch (S
, ) is closed, the interrupt terminal (IT) of the microcomputer (MCB) falls to rLJ, and the microcomputer (MCB) starts operating from step 2 in FIG. Step■
Now, the transistor (BT) is made conductive and power is started to be supplied to the lens circuit (LE) via the protective resistor, and the display circuit (DSP), jf output control circuit (EXC), and photometry circuit of the camera circuit (CB) are turned on. (LMC,) also starts supplying power.

Next, the microcomputer (MCB) starts the lens circuit (
LE). First, the terminals (
C3L) to rHJ, and then outputs 1 byte worth of clocks (8 clocks) to the terminal (CKOB). Then, the terminal (C3L) of the interface circuit (IFC) becomes rHJ.
As a result, the lens and circuit become active, and the terminal (
Based on the clock of the terminal (CKOL) corresponding to the clock from CKOB), the ROM (
Parallel data is read from LR). Parallel data is converted into serial data by a parallel-to-serial conversion circuit (PS) and sent to a terminal (S
LD) and is output to the serial input terminal (SINB) of the microcontroller (MCB) via the interface circuit (IFC).
is input. The microcomputer (MCB) stores this 1-byte data in a predetermined built-in storage section.

On the other hand, in the lens circuit (LE), the control circuit (CC) outputs data from the ROM (LR) every time the output of one byte of data is completed.
) addresses are updated sequentially and reading continues. Also,
When reading data that changes when zooming with a zoom lens, 7 addresses in the ROM (LR) are specified by combining the code data output from the code plate (ZC) that is linked to the zooming operation and the data from the control circuit (CC). be done. The data read by the camera in this way includes data on the maximum aperture value, the aperture value for small apertures, the amount of change in the aperture value due to zooming, the focal length (f) of the photographic lens, and whether the photographic lens is attached. There is check data that detects whether

When the data acquisition from the lens circuit (LE) side is completed, the microcomputer (MCB) moves to the data acquisition operation from the flash circuit (FL) side (step 2). Terminal (
C3L) to rLJ and the terminal (C3F) to rHJ,
An rHJ pulse with a time width TO is output from the terminal (FMO). This pulse is generated by the interface circuit (IFC)
from the flash control circuit (FC) via the terminal (ST3).
C). When the signal (ST, ) is input, 7
The fan control circuit (FCC) becomes ready for data output, outputs rHJ pulse from the terminal (CON), and if the microcomputer (MCF) is in a stopped state, this causes the microcomputer (MCF) to start operating. Next, the microcomputer (MCB) on the camera side connects to the terminal (FCH)
is set to [■] to perform serial input/output operation, and the clock is connected to the flash control circuit (FC) via the terminal (ST3).
C), the control circuit (FCC) outputs one byte of data to the terminal (ST2) in synchronization with the clock. This serial data is transferred to the interface circuit (
The data is read into the microcontroller (MCB) from the serial input terminal (SINB) via the IFC. This data is, for example, the main switch (MSW) for power supply of the 7 Lassie equipment.
, the status of whether charging is completed, and data related to FDC, which will be described later. Completion of charging is indicated when the charging voltage of the main capacitor (CM) for the 7-Lassier exceeds a predetermined value, and this means that the output of the monitoring circuit (CDC) indicating the charging status is output from the control circuit (FCC). and enter
If the output is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, it is taken as a charge completion signal. Note that hysteresis is set for detection, and while a charging completion signal is output when the voltage exceeds a certain value, a charging completion signal is not output when the voltage falls below a lower fixed value. Also, when a light emission stop signal is input from the camera circuit (CB) side within a certain period of time after the cannon tube (XE) starts emitting light, the exposure control operation ends and the X contact (Sx) is opened and the control is adjusted for a certain period of time. A signal indicating that light has been emitted is output, and this operation is called a 7-lash distance checker (FDC), and the output signal is called an FDC signal.

Once the initial data on the 7 rash side has been taken in and completed, preparations for actual operation begin from step (2) onwards. first,
The terminal (C3F) and CFCH> are set to rLJ, and the operation of the A-D converter built in the photometric circuit (LMC) is started (step 2). Then, data such as exposure control mode, exposure time, aperture value, and ISO sensitivity are input from the data output circuit (Do) to the microcontroller (MCB), and then data from the photometry circuit (LMC) that has been A-D converted is input. input.

The photometry circuit (LMC) is equipped with an A-D converter for steady charging and steady light output, and a photometry circuit for flash light. Integration of the photometric value is started, and when the integrated value reaches a value corresponding to the ISO sensitivity, an rHJ pulse for stopping light emission is output to the terminal (FSP).

When the acquisition of the A-D conversion data is completed in step (2), it is determined in step (2) whether or not the flash is fully charged based on the data from the flash side. Then, if charging is completed, calculations for flash photography are performed in step 2, and if charging is not completed, calculations for constant light photography are performed in step 1. Next, in the [phase] step, the calculated control value is and mode etc. on the display section (
Then, in step (3), it is determined based on the check data whether an interchangeable lens is attached. Here, if the lens is attached, reset the focal length (f) that is being read at that time.1. If the lens is not attached, leave it as before and proceed to step ■
Then, the data is sent to the flash circuit (FL) side.

In the data sending operation, first, the terminal (C3F) is set to rHJ, a pulse of rHJ with a time width T is output to the terminal (FMO), and the interface circuit (I FC) is set to the terminal (ST
, ). When the control circuit (FCC) receives this pulse, it outputs the pulse from the terminal (DIN), puts the microcomputer (MCF) in the data input operation state, and outputs the pulse from the terminal (ST,
) is output to the terminal (CKOF), and data from the terminal (ST2) is output to the terminal (SKOF).
INF). The microcontroller on the camera side (
MCB), terminal (C8F) is rHJJI child (FCH)
remains rLJ, and the control aperture value and shooting mode type (P
, A, S, M mode) and ISO sensitivity, focus, and g distance (f
) are output in series, 1 byte each. When output, the interface circuit (IFC) outputs the clock to the terminal (S
Ts), data is output to the terminal (ST2), and these data are read into the microcomputer (MCF) on the 7-rush side.

When this operation is completed, in step ■, it is determined whether the photometry switch (S,) remains closed and it is closed (O
N) If yes, move on to step (■). Step■
Now, the reset switch (S3) closes when the exposure control operation is completed and opens when the exposure control mechanism is fully charged.
).

If these switches (8 switches) are ON, charging is not yet complete, so the release switch (S2
) without determining the state (step @), returns to step (2) and performs the same operation as described above.

On the other hand, charging is completed and the reset switch (S,) is turned to O.
If it is FF, then the release switch (S2) is closed by the second press of the release button.
This switch (S) is used to determine whether the
If it is determined that 2) is not ON, step
Start counting from the initial value of the power hold timer and return to step (■).

On the other hand, release switch (S2) is pressed in the previous step [phase].
When it is determined that the step is ON, the exposure starts (
start) signal to the 7 lash circuit (FL).

This operation first sets the terminal (C3F) to rHJ, and then sets the terminal (C3F) to rHJ.
A pulse of rHJ with a time width T2 is output to FMO). This pulse is sent to the control circuit (FCC) via the terminal (STY).
The control circuit (FCC) resets the FCC signal by the -2 signal and enters the light emission preparation state. Next, the microcomputer (MCB) sets the terminal (C3F) to rLJ and the terminal (REL) to rHJ, and outputs the l output control circuit (EXC).
). At this time, the interface circuit (I FC) has the terminal (REL) at rHJ, so the interface circuit (I FC) transfers the signal input from the flash side via the terminal (ST2) to the terminal (FSA). The signals from the terminal (FSP) are output to the terminals (ST, ), respectively.

The control circuit (FCC) outputs an "H" signal to the terminal (STY) when data is not being exchanged, if the charging is completed, and rLJ if the charging is not completed.
When the closing signal of the contact (Sx) is input through the terminal (STI), if the terminal (ST2) is rHJ, it is switched to rLJ. The interface circuit (IFC) has a terminal (R
Since EL) is set to rHJ, the signal from the terminal (ST2) is output to the terminal (FSA), and the photometry circuit (LMC)
starts integration at the falling edge of the signal from the terminal (FSA).

On the other hand, this 7-speed control circuit (FCC) has an X contact (
When the closing signal of Sx) is input, 1. When charging is complete, a trigger signal is output to the terminal (TR) and the bird creates one circuit (TRC)! ! IJ to cause the cannon tube (XE) to emit light and to make the thyristor (SC) conductive. When the integral value based on the previous integral in the photometric circuit (LMC) reaches a predetermined value, a light emission stop signal is output to the terminal (FSP), and the interface circuit (IFC)
It is input to the control circuit (FCC) via the child (ST). When the light emission stop signal is input within a certain time after the X contact (Sx) is turned on, the control circuit (FCC) outputs this signal to the terminal (QC) and remembers that it has output this signal. put. On the other hand, the light emission stop circuit (QUC)
When a light emission stop signal is received from the terminal (QC), it operates immediately, makes the thyristor (SC) non-conductive, and turns off the cannon tube (
XE) stops emitting light. In addition, the control circuit (FCC)
In response to the completion of the exposure control operation and the opening of the X contact (S
) continues to send the above-mentioned FDC signal while it is at rHJ.

The above exposure control operation is executed in step [phase], and when this step is completed, the microcomputer (MCB) returns to step (2). Here, it is determined again whether the photometry switch (S,) is turned on. If it is ON, step■
Return to step ■ via . On the other hand, switch (S+)
If it is OFF, the switch (S,) is in the ON state, so in the step O, the transistor (BT,)
is turned OFF, and in step (2), interrupts to the terminal (IT) are enabled, and the series of operations is completed.

Meanwhile, charging of the exposure control mechanism is completed and the switch (S
, ) is OFF and the switch (S+) is turned OFF, in this case, it is determined in step (2) whether the timer has overflowed (for example, 10 seconds have passed since the timer start).

If there is an overflow, the operation is terminated, but if there is no overflow, the operations of steps ■~■~[phase] are repeated.

Next, the control operation performed by the microcomputer (MCF) of the flash circuit (FL) will be explained using the 7+:I- chart shown in FIG.

When the main switch (MSW) is closed by external operation, power supply starts to the microcontroller (MCF), and an auto-reset signal input to the reset terminal (RES) causes
The operation starts from step 1. Note that in this initial state, the output terminal of the microcomputer (MCF) is controlled by the microcomputer (MCF) so that the external circuit connected to the microcomputer (MCF) does not operate.

Iko's step uses a built-in register T that monitors the time that the microcomputer (MCF) continues to operate by counting.
Resetting the IR6 Next, in step #2, the flag M
Set "1" in OF. The flag MOF is used to distinguish between the two modes.
" is set to "0" in the manual mode. Here, the automatic mode refers to the lens (FLE) which is arranged at the light emission position of the xenon tube (XE) and changes the irradiation angle by being driven forward and backward. ) is automatically set to a position according to the focal point and point pressure #1 (f) of the interchangeable lens input from the camera side.On the other hand, manual mode is a mode in which the position of the lens for changing the illumination angle ( FLE) position, switch (ZP
) is semi-automatically set to a position according to the number of times the switch is turned from OFF to ON. The automatic mode and manual mode can be switched each time the switch (ZM) is changed from OFF to ON. That is, if you turn on the switch (ZM) when you are currently in automatic mode, it will become manual mode, and if you turn on switch (ZM) while in manual mode.
Press N to switch to automatic mode.

Now, after the flag MOF is set to "1" in step #2, in step #3, the data of the position where the lens (FLE) should be localized in automatic mode is set to the built-in register ZPR. , data PD2 is set as an initial value. Further, in the next step #4, the same data PD2 as before is set as an initial value in the built-in register ZPR2 in which the data of the position where the lens (FLE) should be localized in the manual mode is set. The relationship between lens position data and focal length (r) is used in association as shown in Table 1, for example.

In Table 1, small fish with diameter 111(f) of 28 mm or less, α
In this case, the lens position data is forced to the PDo, and a warning is displayed to indicate this.

This will be discussed in detail later. In addition, in manual mode, each time the switch (zp) is changed from OFF to ON, the lens position data changes in order of increasing focus distance (4). , is configured to return to.

When the above operations up to step #4 are completed, the process moves to step #5. Also, the process moves to step #5 due to an interrupt. That is, this is a case where the main switch (MSW) remains closed for a certain period of time (for example, 10 seconds) and the microcomputer (MCF) has already stopped operating. At this time, when a pulse for data exchange is input from the camera side, an "H" pulse is output from the control circuit (FCC) to the terminal (CON), and the microcomputer (MCF) receives the falling edge of this pulse from the terminal. (IT,)
is detected, the operation is resumed, and the address is immediately moved to step #5.

Step #5 enables interrupts to the terminal (IT+), resets the timer nostar TIR, and starts this timer in the next step #7.
In the next step #8, an interrupt is enabled due to the count up of the timer.

Then, the process proceeds to step #9, an external pressure subroutine.

In the external pressure subroutine, processing related to charging related to flash emission is performed, that is, in FIG. 3(B) showing a detailed flowchart, it is first determined in step #57 whether or not charging has been completed. If the charging is completed, in step #59, the distance range in which automatic dimming is performed (hereinafter referred to as the interlocking range) is displayed on the display unit (ZDP) together with the display of charging completion.Then, the external pressure circuit (DD ) is turned off (step #62), the operation of the external pressure circuit (DD) is stopped, and the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step #57 that the charging is not completed, the display of both the charging completion and interlocking range is turned off (step #58), and the process proceeds to the next step #60. In step #60, the output voltage of the power supply battery (FBA) is
It is checked whether the voltage is sufficient to operate each circuit supplied with power via the main switch (MSW). The microcomputer (MCF) takes in the output of the battery checker (BC) connected in parallel to the power supply battery (FBA) and judges it as 0. If the result is insufficient, the transistor (BT) is removed in step #62. While turning off the
If it is sufficient, the transistor (BTI) is turned on in the step well 61 to continue charging, and the process returns to the main routine (RTN).

In step #10 of the main routine, it is checked whether a light emitting unit whose flash light emission direction can be changed is located at a bounce photographing position. In other words, if we define the angle formed by the irradiation direction of the flash light with respect to the optical axis of the photographic lens as the bounce angle, then the data corresponding to this angle (hereinafter referred to as
data BP from the code board (BOD) that outputs angle data).

Determine whether the is being output. As can be seen from Table #12 showing the relationship between angle data and bounce angle, if the angle data is BP, the light emitting section is in a frontal light state, and otherwise it is in a bounce state.

(From?-J!ff) According to Table 2, if data BP is output, step #1
3, otherwise proceed to step #11.

In step #11, the flag MOF is set to 0'', and even if it was in automatic mode, it is forcibly switched to manual mode.Then, in step #12, the display (ZDP) shows "
``Bounce'' is displayed, and the process moves to step #17.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step #10 that there is no bounce state, the bounce display is turned off in step #13.
Bind, then in step #14 press the mode change switch (Z
M) is changed from OFF to ON. Then, when the mode changes from OFF to ON, the mode is changed (step #15), and if the mode has not been changed, the process proceeds to step #16 with the current mode unchanged. That is, in the above description, the manual mode is forced when the camera is in the bounce state, and it is possible to operate in either the manual or automatic mode in the front light state.

In step #16, the mode in the front light state is determined, and if it is manual mode, the process moves to step #17, and if it is automatic mode, the process moves to step #30.

When in manual mode, press the switch (ZP) in step #17.
) has changed from OFF to ON, and if it has changed, the contents of register ZPR2 are changed by one step in the order shown in Table 1 above (step #18). After this data change is completed, next #19 to #2
In step 1, angle data is determined. Then, if the data is BP,, BP,, BP, it is #2 as it is.
Move to step 9. However, the angle data is B P
2, the process proceeds to step #22, and in subsequent steps up to step #28, the position of the illumination angle changing lens (FLE) is restricted according to the focal length fi(f) of the interchangeable lens. The contents of this restriction are shown in Table 3, with × indicating prohibition of setting and ○ indicating permission to set. In the table, lens position data P D ! , ; indicates the lens position in association with (PD).

Table 3: Limiting the lens position in this way means that when the BP2 position is set to 65 degrees, the bounce angle is 28 to 3
With a 5mm interchangeable lens, if the lens (FLE) is at the (PD,), (PD,) position, the direct light from the light emitting part will enter the shooting angle of view, and the For interchangeable lenses, the lens (FL) is placed at the (PD,) position.
This is because if E) is present, direct light from the light emitting section will enter the photographing angle of view.

Therefore, in step #22, it is determined whether the focal length (f) of the interchangeable lens is a value corresponding to PD, and
If so, #23. In step #24, the setting value is PD,
or FD, and if it is either, set the setting value to FD2, PD,, PD.

If neither of these is the case, proceed directly to step #29. On the other hand, if the focal length (f) is not a value corresponding to PD in the previous step #22, it is then determined in step #26 whether it is a value corresponding to PD. PD +
If not, proceed directly to step #29, but P
If D+, first check whether the set value is PD or not (step #27).
If the set value is not PD, the set value is left as is and the process proceeds to step #29.

Note that if the bounce position corresponds to the data BP,, BP, then no matter where the lens (FLE) is located, if it is a shooting lens with a longer focal length than 28III11, the direct light from the light emitting part will not be reflected in the shot image. Never go inside the corner,
At this time, no restrictions are placed on the lens position.

In step #29, it is determined whether the lens position data set in the register ZPR matches the data from the code board (ZFC) that outputs a code indicating the lens position. If they do not match, proceed to step #31; if they match, proceed to step #34; on the other hand,
In automatic mode, the process moves from step #16 to step #30, and the contents of register ZPR, in which lens position data based on focal length (f) is set, and data from the code board (ZFC) are If they match, the process moves to step #34; if they do not match, the process moves to step #31).

In step #31, the lens (FLE)
Since we are trying to operate the drive motor (MO), we need to use the power battery (FLE) to move the lens (FLE) quickly.
The transistor (BT
, ) to 0FFL, and the booster circuit (DD) is deactivated. At the same time, the motor drive circuit (MD) is activated and the motor (
Set the lens (FLE) by MO) or focal length M(
f) to the position corresponding to (step #32).

Next, in step #33, the above-described boosting subroutine is performed, and once that is completed, the process moves to step #34.

In step #34, automatic mode or manual mode and lens position (irradiation angle data) are displayed, and the process proceeds to step #35. In this step, the maximum light emission amount I vmax and the minimum light emission amount Iv according to the irradiation angle are
+*in, the control aperture value Ay input from the camera side, and the ISO sensitivity Sv, the following equations (1) and (2) are calculated to determine the interlocking range Dvwax-DvIIlin.

Ivmax +Sv Av=DvlIlax...
...(1) Ivmin+5v-Av=Dva+in
・・・・・・(2) Next, in step #36, set the ISO
The sensitivity is displayed on the display section (ZDP), and then, if the FDC signal is input, FDC is displayed, and if it is not input, the FCC display is turned off (steps #37 to #39).

After these display controls, the process returns to step #9 and the above-described operations are repeated.

As mentioned above, this main routine is automatic.

Regardless of the manual mode, if it becomes a bounce state, it will become manual mode. The position of the lens (FEL) is maintained as it was at the time of switching, and the lens (FEL) will not automatically move unless the switch//ch (ZP) is operated. That is, the illumination angle does not change before and after switching to the bounce state, and even when switching from the bounce state to the front light state, or even from one bounce state to another, the illumination angle does not change in manual mode. Similarly, the illumination angle does not change before and after switching. Therefore, when trying to change the light emission direction of the light emitting part, the lens (F
LE) does not turn off and moves, which may surprise the photographer, or the motor (MO) may be turned off while the photographer is holding down the lens (FLE).
There are no problems such as movement and malfunction.

Although there may be a special case where the light emission direction is changed while operating the switch (ZP), normally the switch (ZP)
P) is located on the back of the flash device in a location that will not close unless you actively press it with your finger (for example, the operating parts such as switches are almost flush with the housing surface to prevent malfunctions due to contact). In practice, the light emission direction and the illumination angle are never changed at the same time.

Next, in this embodiment where up to a 28-inch interchangeable lens is considered, if an interchangeable lens with a shorter focal length than this is attached, the control operation to deal with this will be explained in the 70-chart of FIG. 3(C). I will explain along.

First, in Figure 1, the control circuit (FCC) is connected to the terminal (ST
, ), the control circuit (FCC) outputs a pulse of rHJ to the terminal (DIN>), and at the fall of this pulse rLJ, the control circuit (FCC) outputs a pulse of rHJ to the terminal (DIN>).
An interrupt request is applied to the terminal (IT, ) of F), and the microcomputer (MCF) immediately starts the operation from step #40 in FIG. 3(C), no matter what operation it is executing.

In step #40, data from the camera side is read. That is, from the terminal (ST,) via the control circuit (FCC), in synchronization with the clock pulse input from the terminal (CKOF), from the terminal (ST2) via the control circuit (FCC) and from the terminal (SINF). Read the input 3-byte data in series. And then step #
At 41, the focal length of the read data! (f) is 28m...
Determine whether the focus is shorter than that. When the focal length is shorter than 28vn, the focal distance (f) is set to 28 aperture, and a warning is displayed by displaying the lens position in step #42) and step #43.On the other hand, in the case of a longer journey than 28+u+, α , reset the warning display state and #4
Move on to step 5. Here, the reason why the warning is displayed means that when the light emitting section is in frontal light, the irradiation range cannot cover the angle of view of the photographing lens, and when the light emitting section is in a bounce state, the direct light from the light emitting section is This indicates that there is an extremely high possibility that the object will fall within the angle of view of the lens. Note that this warning can also be issued when the manual mode is set in a frontal light condition and the set illumination angle does not cover the field angle of the photographic lens. Furthermore, when switching to manual mode in the bounce state, the focal length of the interchangeable lens is
Although the irradiation angle is limited according to I(f) (steps #22 to #28), instead of limiting, a warning may be issued in steps #25 and #28. Conversely, when the manual mode is set in a frontal light condition, the manually set lens position may be limited depending on the focal length (f) of the interchangeable lens.

Note that the above-mentioned restriction or warning in the manual mode under front light conditions needs to be performed only when data input from the camera side is being read during the operation period.

If this warning or restriction is performed when the main switch (MSW) is turned on and data has never been read, there is a possibility of malfunction. This is because it also limits the This flash device may be used with cameras that do not have data transfer capabilities, and
It may also be used away from the camera, ie, without being connected to a force/vessel.

The contents of the above-mentioned warnings and restrictions are shown in Table 4, for example.

○ mark indicates permission, and X mark indicates prohibition with warnings and restrictions.

In step #45 of Table 4, FIG. 3(C), the read focal length (f) is decoded based on Table 1 above, and one of the data PD, ~PD, is transferred to the Renostar ZPR, Set to . Then, in step #46, in Figure 3 (
Similarly to step #35 in A), the interlocking range is calculated using equations (1) and (2). Then c, reset the timer register TIR in step #47, and step #48
Then, start counting the timer from the initial value, and proceed to step $49. At $50, enable timer interrupts and interrupts to the terminal (IT, ) and return to the main routine. Therefore, every time data is transmitted or received, the microcomputer (MCF) starts operating 10w1n from that point on.

To explain the timer interrupt according to Figure 3 (CD), when the timer finishes counting for a certain period of time, a timer interrupt occurs regardless of which operation the main routine in Figure 3 (A) is performing. Performing operations from step 6 Note that here, the minimum count value of the timer is set in advance to 1 sec.

In step #51, 1" is added to the contents of the timer reno star TIR. In the next step #52, 1" is added to the contents of the timer reno star TIR. value T to be extracted
It is determined whether or not the time has reached c (“258H”). If it is not Te, the process returns to the main routine, and if it is Tc, the process advances to step #53. Here, the external pressure transistor (BT
I) to 0FFL, then in step #54 the motor (MO
) to 0FFL, then step #55) to erase all the display on the display (ZDP), proceed to step #56, and set the terminal (
Enables interrupts to ITO) and then stops operating.

Next, various modifications will be explained.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a modification of FIG. 3, and shows only the parts that are different from those in FIG. 3. Here, the operation of displaying a warning in the automatic mode in a bounce state is shown.

That is, when it is determined that BP is ≠O° and a bounce state is detected in step #10, a bounce is displayed in step #70, and the 7-lag MOF is set to "1" in step #70. ”, that is, whether it is automatic mode.

In automatic mode, the focal length of the photographic lens (
It can't be helped if the beam angle changes according to f), but since it is in a bounce state, it is desirable to manually set the beam angle. Therefore, in the next step #71, it is currently in automatic mode. A warning is displayed to indicate this.

On the other hand, if it is determined in the previous step #70 that the manual mode is set, there is no need to issue a warning because the mode is in a desirable state at this time, so the mode warning display is turned off in step #72. The process moves to step #14 of the 311m(A).

Even in the case of the above modification, the irradiation angle is maintained at the irradiation angle before switching even if the bounce state is changed, and the irradiation angle does not change simply by switching to the bounce state.

In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the focal length (f) is configured to be variable up to the irradiation angle that covers the angle of view of the photographic lens of 28 m theory. However, it is also assumed that the photographic lens has a focal length shorter than 28m5+, and this needs to be dealt with as before. Therefore, in order to cover the right angle of the photographing lens with a shorter focal length, a wide panel adapter is further attached to the light emission position at the illumination angle position corresponding to 28τ11111.
It is conceivable to cover the angle of view of the i-shadows of IIl.

By the way, at this time, it was in manual mode and the illumination angle was 28.
Positions other than m+n (that is, lens position data is P
I, PD2-PD), there is no point in attaching the wide panel overdriver.

Therefore, in order to make it significant even in these cases, a switch is provided at the attachment point of the wide panel adapter to detect whether or not this swallowtail adapter is attached. Then, in the 70-chart of FIG. 3(A), #
After step 16, a step is provided to determine whether or not this adapter is attached, and when it is determined that it is attached based on the signal from the detection switch, lens position data PD is set in register ZPR2, #2
Proceed to step 9. On the other hand, if it is determined that the wide panel adapter is not attached, the configuration is such that the process immediately proceeds to step #17.

Therefore, by doing this, when the wide panel adapter is attached in manual mode under front light conditions, the illumination angle will automatically change to the position corresponding to 28111a+, and the focal length (f) is automatically set to an illumination angle that sufficiently covers the angle of view of the 2011IIm lens. In this case, the display of the illumination angle in step #34 is as follows:
It is preferable to display 2011I+1 instead of 28mn+. Further, it is desirable to provide a step of detecting the attachment of the wide panel 7 after step #42, and to reset the warning display when it is determined that the wide panel 7 is attached.

Furthermore, after step 19, a step is provided to determine whether a wide panel adapter is attached, and when this 7 doubler is attached in the bounce state, when the angle data is BP2, as shown in Table 5, , when the angle data is BP, limit or warn the illumination angle as shown in Table 6 @Table 5 (BP2) Table 6 (BPI) On the other hand, when attaching Wide Panel 7 Gupta in automatic mode, Usually, the focal length (f) of the photographic lens is 2
This is when the focus is shorter than 8n+n+, and at this time, the focus and α distance (f) data input from the camera side are automatically set to the illumination angle position corresponding to PDo (I41, In step #42, the focal length (f) is forcibly set to 2811IIO, and in step #45, PD is decoded from this focal length (f), so no problem occurs.

By the way, in addition to the wide panel swallowtail, it is also conceivable to attach, for example, a light reflecting device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 160231/1983. When this type of light reflecting device is provided, there is no need to change the irradiation angle according to the focal length (f) of the lens, and the irradiation angle can be set to a state desired by the user.

Therefore, assuming that this device is provided, a switch for detecting attachment/detachment of the device is provided6, and a step for detecting attachment/detachment of the device is provided after step #9 to determine this. When the attachment is detected, the manual mode is set (MOF=0) and the process moves to step #17.
When changing PD data, immediately proceed to step #
29.

In this way, the irradiation range can be set as desired by the user without violating the predefined irradiation angle restrictions.

In FIG. 3 (B) according to the embodiment, when the charging is completed (step #57), the interlocking range is also displayed (step #59), but if the bounce state or the above-mentioned light reflection When the device is attached, the display of this interlocking range has no meaning. Therefore, when it is detected that the bounce state or the light reflection device is attached, it is desirable that the charging completion display is turned on, but the interlocking range display is turned off.

Next, another modification will be explained. In relation to the switch (ZP) and switch (ZM) in Figure 1,
Programming simplifies the configuration of the product. That is, switching between automatic mode and manual mode is performed by a switch (ZM), and setting of lens position data in manual mode is performed by a switch (zp), but these two switches are combined into one switch.

In this case, #14. #15. Step #16 is removed, and whether the dual-purpose switch (ZP) has changed from OFF to ON is determined by N in step #17 in both the bounce state and the front light state. Then, if it remains OFF or ON, the next mode is determined, and if it is automatic mode, the process moves to step #30, and if it is manual mode, the process moves to step #19. On the other hand, the dual-purpose switch (ZP)
When it is determined that ZPR2 has changed from OFF to ON, the contents of the data in register ZPR2 are changed. At this time, the data includes PDo+PD+tPDztPDi and t:
, fictitious f) Len 7: Have the position data PD 4 in advance, and further PD.

→PD, -PD2-+PD, →PD, -PD, -,,
, so that the data is changed in this order. As a result of this data change, if it is PD, then it is determined whether it is in a bounce state or not, and if it is not in a bounce state, it sets the flag MOF to "1" and switches to automatic mode, and moves to switch #30. let If it is in the bounce state, the automatic mode is prohibited, so the data PD is set in the register ZPR and the process moves to step #19. On the other hand, if the changed data is not PD, then it is determined what PD is, and whether PD is the same as the one in the manual mode [-6.
Therefore, the flag MOF is set to "0" and the process moves to step #1. If it is neither PD nor PD, the lens position data is to be changed while the manual mode is maintained, so the process directly proceeds to step #19. Note that when it is determined in step #10 that the bounce state is present, it is determined whether the contents of the register ZPR2 are PD, and if it is PD, the contents of the register ZPR are moved to the register ZPR2, and the flag MOF is set. 0" to move to step #12, and if it is not PD, move to step #12 as it is. If you do the above, even if you set it to the bounce state in automatic mode, - off, for changing the illumination angle. The lens (FLE) does not move.This modification is specifically illustrated in the form of a 70-chart in FIG.

Next, yet another modification will be explained along chart 70 in FIG.

In this modification, when the light emitting unit is in front light and in manual mode, the illumination angle of the flash light set manually cannot cover the angle of view of the photographing lens based on the focal length information input from the camera side. This is to give a warning when there is no such thing.

That is, first, the focal length from the camera side on the flash side (
A flag DRF is provided to indicate whether or not the data in f) has been read, and is set to "1" if the data has been read from the camera side, and "0" if not. Therefore, as shown in step #92, the flag DRF is set to 1'' when starting a read operation due to an interrupt request to the interrupt input terminal (lower IT); As shown in step , the value is set to 0'' when the operation starts when the power is turned on and when the operation is stopped due to a timer interrupt.

In step #19.20.21 of FIG. 3(A), the angle data is BP,, BP, or BP.

If it is determined that it is not, in step #80 of FIG. 6, the angle data corresponds to front light (0°), BP,
Determine whether or not. If it is not BP, the warning display is turned off in step #83 and the process moves to step #29. However, if it is determined in step #80 that it is a frontal light condition, the camera side is turned off in step #81. The data is read and it is determined whether the 7-lag DRF is 1". If it is "0", the process moves to step #83, but if it is "1", the process moves to step #82.

Here, data (ZPR) corresponding to the focus and α distance (f).

) is PD 3. PD, the illumination angle covers the photographing angle of view no matter where the illumination angle changing lens (FLE) is located, so the process moves to step #83. If the content of the reno star ZPR is not PD, it is further determined whether it is PD2 in step #84. If it is PD2, it is determined whether the set lens position data (contents of ZPR) is PDco. Here, PD does not cover the irradiation angle range, so
At step #90, the warning display is ONL and the process moves to step #2.

On the other hand, if it is not PD3, the shooting angle of view is covered no matter where the lens (FLE) is located, so the process moves to step #83. Do the same for steps #86 to #89 below,
The configuration is such that the determination is made in accordance with Table 4, and when the irradiation range covers the photographing angle of view, the warning display is set to 0FFL, and when it does not, the warning display is turned on and the process proceeds to step #29.

Note that in the above modification, a warning is displayed, but conversely, the range of illumination angles that can be set may be limited.

In this case, in step #85 (ZPR2)=PD
, when it is determined that ZPR is PD2! Strain, step #87. (ZPR2)=PD1f(Z
When it is determined that PR2) = PD2, set ZPR2 to PD.
, make it. When it is determined in step 89 that (ZPR2)≠PD, ZPR2 may be set to PD.

In the above embodiments or modifications, when the interchangeable lens is not attached, the irradiation angle does not change by taking off the interchangeable lens in automatic mode, so the focal length Cf of the previously attached lens is ) The data was sent as is. However, there is no point in issuing warnings or restrictions based on this data. Therefore, data indicating whether a lens is attached is also sent from the camera side, and when data indicating that a lens is not attached is input, the 7-lag DRF is set to "0".
It is better to make it .

The wide panel adapter was mentioned above, but it is desirable to deal with the telepanel adapter in the same way. In other words, a detection means similar to the installation detection switch of the wide panel Agebuta is provided for the telepanel adapter, and when the installation of this Agebuta is detected, the Renostar ZP
Lens position data PD:l is set in R2, and the process moves to step #29, so that the lens (FLE) is brought to the furthest position. In this case as well, it is desirable that the irradiation angle be displayed in a manner that corresponds to when a telepanel adapter is attached, rather than 70 mm. Further, at this time, in bounce photography, since the subject is not directly irradiated, no warning display is necessary.

As mentioned above, when a wide panel adapter or tele panel adapter is attached, instead of forcibly moving the lens (FLE) to the wide end or tele end, the lens position at that time and the wide panel adapter or tele panel The irradiation range may be displayed depending on the combination with -. Furthermore, when a wide panel adapter or telepanel adapter is attached, it is preferable to change the display related to the interlocking range.

In the above embodiments and modifications, the irradiation range and irradiation angle are displayed together, but this J! fj
The display related to the coverage angle may be configured to blink until it is adjusted to the focal length (f) data input from the camera side or to a manually set value, and then to remain lit continuously. good. In this way, it can be immediately determined whether the irradiation range angle has been adjusted to the planned irradiation range angle, and the continued blinking can also serve as a warning that the irradiation range cannot cover the photographing angle of view. To implement this, step #
A step for performing a blinking display is provided before 32, and
The step well 43 may be replaced with a step that displays the focal length (f) 28+nm by blinking.

In the embodiments and modifications described above, the change in the direction of irradiation of the flash light is determined by determining the output of the detector and performing step-sequential calculations, but there is a method that can be used to make the determination more easily. . That is, a detection switch is provided at the part that is operated by hand when changing the irradiation direction, and the step of determining whether or not the detection switch is in a state where this operation is detected is performed before step #31. #
29, provided after step #30. If the operation is not detected, the illumination angle changing operation from step #31 is performed, and if the operation is detected, the process immediately goes to step #36 without performing the changing operation from step #31. Let it move. In this way, movement of the illumination angle changing lens can be always prohibited during the operation of changing the light emission direction. It is preferable that this detection switch is configured as a switch that moves when the illumination angle is changed and that conducts when the hand touches an externally exposed part, such as the support part at the lens position (FLE). .

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the illumination angle is changed by moving the lens forward or backward; however, the invention is not limited to this type. This does not preclude the present invention from being similarly applied to a method in which the irradiation angle is varied by controlling voltage or current.

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, a warning is issued when a photographic lens exceeding the wide-angle limit is attached. This allows the photographer to attach a suitable wide panel adapter and take pictures without uneven exposure (uneven lighting).

Also, even if there is no wide panel Agebuta,
As an implementation, if the configuration is configured to automatically set the widest illumination angle in conjunction with the above warning, uneven exposure (uneven illumination) will occur.
There is no doubt that this is more convenient for the photographer and others than when no information is given, as the photograph is taken with the understanding that the photograph will be taken with the least amount of defects. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall circuit diagram of a camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a 70-chart showing control operations performed by a microcomputer built into the camera body, and FIG. It is a 70-chart showing the control operation performed by the built-in micro combinator, and the same figure (A
) is the main routine, (B) is the boost subroutine,
5C is a flowchart showing details of the 171 interrupt processing routine, and FIG. 2D is a flowchart showing details of the timer interrupt processing routine. FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are portions 70-charts illustrating alternative embodiments or modifications, respectively. CB...Camera body circuit, LE...Zoom lens circuit, FL...Flash device circuit, MCB. MCF...Microcomputer, MO...Motor, FLE...Lens for changing the irradiation angle.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A means for reading from the camera side a signal corresponding to the focal length of the photographic lens attached to the camera, a means for determining the irradiation angle of the light emitting unit based on the read signal, and a means for determining the illumination angle of the light emitting unit based on the read signal, and the read signal is at the wide-angle side. A variable irradiation range flash device comprising means for determining whether the limit on the wide-angle side is exceeded, and means for warning when the determining means determines that the limit on the wide-angle side is exceeded. (2) Claim (1) further comprising means for activating the determining means so that the maximum illumination angle is set at the same time as a warning when the determining means determines that the wide-angle limit is exceeded. Variable irradiation range flash device described