WO2020166106A1

WO2020166106A1 - Image-capturing device

Info

Publication number: WO2020166106A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/027954
Authority: WO
Inventors: 真吾橋本; 悠一鈴木
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2019-02-15
Filing date: 2019-07-16
Publication date: 2020-08-20
Also published as: CN111886852B; JPWO2020166106A1; CN111886852A; JP6754996B1

Abstract

This image-capturing device 1 including a main body 1a from which a battery 20 is detachable is provided with a USB port 16, a PD controller 13, and a microcomputer 11. The USB port 16 is connectable to an external apparatus through a USB cable, and supplies power to the image-capturing device 1 from the external apparatus. The PD controller 13 determines whether the external apparatus, which is connected to the USB cable connected to the USB port 16, corresponds to a USB PD. The microcomputer 11 outputs, in response to the determination by the PD controller 13, information indicating the propriety of charging of the battery 20 by power supplied from the external apparatus, and displays the information on a status liquid crystal monitor 15 or a liquid crystal monitor 35.

Description

Imaging device

The present disclosure relates to an image pickup device in which a battery can be attached and detached, and particularly to an image pickup device that can receive power by a USB PD (Power Delivery).

Electronic devices capable of receiving power by USB connection are known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

When an electronic device is connected to an external device via a USB terminal, the user often expects that the battery of the electronic device will be charged. However, depending on the USB standard, the power supply status to the electronic device may differ, and the battery may not be charged from the external device as the user expects.
The present disclosure provides an imaging device that can prevent a user from mistakenly recognizing charging of a battery.

The imaging device according to the present disclosure is an imaging device having a main body to which a battery can be attached and detached, and includes a terminal, a determination unit, and a control unit. The terminal can be connected to an external device via a USB cable and supplies power from the external device to the imaging device. The determination unit determines whether the external device connected to the USB cable connected to the terminal supports USB PD. The control unit outputs information indicating whether or not the battery can be charged by the power supplied from the external device according to the determination by the determination unit, and causes the display unit to display the information.

According to the present disclosure, it is effective to prevent the user from erroneously recognizing the charging of the battery in the imaging device compatible with the USB PD.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image pickup apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the control flow for turning on the power supply of an imaging device. It is a figure which shows the control flow for turning off the power supply of an imaging device. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the operation flow of negotiation at the time of USB connection. 7 is an example of information displayed on the liquid crystal monitor in the first embodiment. 7 is an example of information displayed on the liquid crystal monitor in the first embodiment. 7 is an example of information displayed on the liquid crystal monitor in the first embodiment. 7 is an example of information displayed on the liquid crystal monitor in the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image pickup apparatus according to the second embodiment. It is a table showing the power and communication speed of the USB external device of each standard. It is a graph comparing the power that can be supplied by USB PD compatible devices and USB PD non-compatible devices with respect to the power consumption of the imaging device.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters and duplicate description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is for avoiding unnecessary redundancy in the following description and for facilitating understanding by those skilled in the art. It should be noted that the inventor provides the accompanying drawings and the following description for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims by these. Absent.

In the following description, the external device and the image pickup apparatus can be connected via a USB cable having a plug conforming to various USB standards shown in FIG. 9, and the plug is a USB port 16 (see FIG. Attached and detached in 1). Also, among these standards, the USB PD compatible device is a device based on the standard capable of supplying 15 W to 100 W as shown in FIG. With a device compatible with USB PDs, it is now possible to simultaneously charge and supply power (supply drive power for the imaging device) for the first time, as described below.

As shown in FIG. 9, among the USB connected devices, the current USB connected devices are standard USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and USB BC 1.2, and the transmission power is about 5V/0.5A to 5V/1.5A. Is. However, since the current USB connection device can supply power of 7.5 W or less, the connected image pickup device has power for charging the battery and drive power for driving all the functions of the image pickup device. Could not cover both sides. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the transmission power of the USB PD compatible device can be up to 100W. Therefore, the imaging device connected to the USB PD compatible device can not only charge the battery but also obtain driving power at the same time. Although not shown in FIG. 9, USB 1.0 and USB 1.1, which have no power feeding capability, are lower standards of the current USB connection device.

The power consumption of driving an image pickup device varies depending on its operation mode. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the power consumption when the main function of the image pickup apparatus is executed. Examples of main functions include live view (Live), high-speed continuous shooting (H continuous shooting), and recording (4k60P REC) at a frame rate of 60P for 4K images. As shown in the figure, the imaging device consumes about 10 W for high-speed continuous shooting and 14 W for 4k60P REC. However, as described above, current USB connection devices that do not support USB PD (devices that do not support USB PD) can supply power of only 7.5 W at most, so these are only available from the transmission power from the USB connection device. The main function of the image pickup device cannot be executed.

On the other hand, as shown in the graph on the right side of FIG. 10, the USB PD-compatible device can not only cover the drive power required to execute the main function of the imaging device, but also the surplus power for power supply Part) can be used to charge the battery.

Based on the above, the imaging device according to the present disclosure will be described.

[1. Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, the imaging device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[1-1. Constitution]
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the image pickup apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The image capturing apparatus 1 is, for example, a lens-integrated digital camera capable of capturing a still image or a moving image.

The image pickup device 1 includes a main body 1a, an optical system 50 attached to the main body 1a, and a battery 20 detachably attached to the main body 1a. The main body 1a is a housing that houses the internal components described below. The optical system 50 includes a lens group such as a focus lens and a zoom lens, and a driving unit for each lens. The optical system 50 is controlled and driven by the main body control unit 30 described later. The battery 20 supplies electric power for operating the imaging device 1. The battery 20 may be a primary battery or a secondary battery. The battery 20 may be an internal battery attached inside the main body 1a or an external battery attached outside the main body 1a by a battery grip or the like. There may be a plurality of batteries 20, and the plurality of batteries 20 may be an internal battery and an external battery, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging device 1 includes a microcomputer 11, a charging IC (Integrated Circuit) 12, a PD controller 13, a status liquid crystal monitor 15, a USB port 16, an analog switch 17, and a power supply. A switch monitoring IC (Integrated Circuit) 18 and a power supply IC (Integrated Circuit) 19 are provided. These parts operate in the control of power supply to the imaging device 1, as described later.

The image pickup apparatus 1 further includes a main body control unit 30, an operation unit 33, a flash memory 34, a liquid crystal monitor 35, a wireless communication unit 36, a CMOS image sensor 37, and a memory card 40. These parts perform the main functions of the imaging device 1 by the operation of the main body control unit 30. The main functions of the image pickup apparatus 1 include image pickup, image processing, input/output of image data, writing/reading of image data to/from a recording medium, software update processing such as firmware, and the like.

In FIG. 1, dotted arrows show the flow of signals related to power supply, and solid arrows show the flow of serial signals or parallel signals for other communication and control. The functions of each unit including the exchange of signals will be described below.

The microcomputer 11 (an example of a control unit) includes a CPU and a memory. The microcomputer 11 switches the analog switch 17 and inputs the D+/D- signal from the USB port 16 to the main body control unit 30, the microcomputer 11, or the charging IC 12. The microcomputer 11 obtains the result of port determination from the charging IC 12. The microcomputer 11 also detects a signal (High signal or Low signal) generated according to the mounting and removal of the battery 20, and determines whether the battery 20 is mounted. The microcomputer 11 acquires the remaining amount of the battery 20. For the remaining amount of the battery 20, for example, the voltage value of the battery 20 may be monitored by the power supply IC 19, and the remaining amount of the battery 20 may be acquired according to the voltage value.

The charging IC 12 controls the power supply from the USB port 16. By this control, the electric power obtained from the USB port 16 is used to charge the battery 20 or activate the main body control unit 30 of the imaging device 1.

The charging IC 12 is also connected to the microcomputer 11 to make port determination. The port determination determines the type of external device. For example, whether the external device is a PC (personal computer) or an AC adapter.

PD controller 13 negotiates with an external device via the CC (Configuration Channel) terminal of USB port 16. In the negotiation, the direction of power supply between the imaging device 1 and an external device, the setting of current/voltage, the role of each terminal, and the like are determined via the CC terminal, as described later. The microcomputer 11 acquires the result from the PD controller 13 to determine whether the external device is a USB PD compatible device.

The status liquid crystal monitor 15 (an example of a display unit) is a display device arranged on the main body (for example, the upper surface) of the imaging device 1 separately from the liquid crystal monitor 35. The status liquid crystal monitor 15 displays a message or the like according to a command from the microcomputer 11.

The USB port 16 (an example of a terminal) is a Type C terminal, and is a connection terminal for connecting an external device and the imaging device 1 via a USB cable (not shown). The USB port 16 includes a VBUS terminal for power supply, a GND terminal, the above-mentioned CC terminal, and terminals for D+ and D- signals. The external device has the same terminal, CC is pulled up, and the voltage of the CC terminal is monitored. When the external device detects the pull-down of CC on the imaging device 1 side, the external device supplies a voltage to VBUS. As a result, power is supplied to the imaging device 1 side.

The analog switch 17 is switched under the control of the microcomputer 11, and connects the USB port 16 to either the microcomputer 11, the main body control unit 30, or the charging IC 12. When there is an input signal (D+, D−) from the USB port 16, the analog switch 17 connects the USB port 16 to the charging IC 12, and the charging IC 12 makes a port determination. As a result of the port determination, when the external device is, for example, a PC and communicates with the imaging device 1, the analog switch 17 connects the USB port 16 to the main body control unit 30. After the external device and the imaging device 1 are connected, when performing enumeration, which is exchange of data for mutual authentication, and determining the power from VBUS by the microcomputer 11, the analog switch 17 The USB port 16 is connected to the microcomputer 11.

The power switch monitoring IC 18 is a circuit that monitors whether or not an operation (hereinafter, referred to as an ON operation) of turning on a power switch (not shown) of the image pickup apparatus 1 is performed. When the power switch is turned on, the power switch monitoring IC 18 sends a signal to the microcomputer 11 via a GPIO (General-purpose input/output) terminal.

The power supply IC 19 controls the power supply from the battery 20 when the battery 20 is attached. The power supply IC 19 also executes and cuts off power supply to the main body of the image pickup apparatus 1 in response to ON/OFF operation of the power switch of the image pickup apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the power switch monitoring IC 18 detects that the power switch is turned ON, it sends a power ON request signal to the microcomputer 11. The microcomputer 11 sends a power ON request signal to the power IC 19, and the power IC 19 turns ON the power of the image pickup apparatus 1. As a result, the main body control unit 30 can be activated and the main function of the image pickup apparatus 1 can be executed. When turning the power switch from ON to OFF, as shown in FIG. 3, the operating body control unit 30 detects that the power switch has been turned OFF and sends a power OFF request signal to the microcomputer 11. The microcomputer 11 transmits a power-off request signal to the power supply IC 19, and the power supply IC 19 turns off the power supply of the imaging device 1.
The main body control unit 30 is a computer device including a CPU, memories such as RAM and ROM. The main body control unit 30 controls the overall operation of the image pickup apparatus 1 including image processing according to an instruction from the operation unit 33 and software written in the ROM. The main body control unit 30 communicates with an external device through the USB port 16. For example, the main body control unit 30 communicates with an external device when a mass storage is connected or when tethering is performed.

The main body control unit 30 includes an image processing unit 31 and a DRAM 32. The image processing unit 31 performs predetermined image processing on the image data output from the CMOS image sensor 37. The predetermined image processing includes gamma correction processing, white balance correction processing, flaw correction processing, YC conversion processing, digital zoom processing, compression processing, decompression processing, and the like. The DRAM 32 is used as a work memory of the main body control unit 30.

The main body control unit 30 may include, instead of the CPU, a processor configured by a dedicated electronic circuit designed to realize a predetermined function. That is, the main body control unit 30 can be realized by various processors such as a CPU, MPU, GPU, DSP, FPGA, and ASIC. The main body control unit 30 may be composed of one or more processors. Further, the main body control unit 30 may be composed of one semiconductor chip together with the image processing unit 31 and the like.

The operation unit 33 includes a release button, other types of buttons, a cross key, a dial, a touch panel arranged on the liquid crystal monitor 35, and the like. The user operates the operation unit 33 to execute each function of the image pickup apparatus 1. The operation unit 33 includes a power switch of the image pickup apparatus 1. When the power switch is turned on, the main body control unit 30 can be activated and the main function of the image pickup apparatus 1 can be executed. When the power switch is turned off, the main body control unit 30 is not activated and the main function of the image pickup apparatus 1 cannot be executed.

The flash memory 34 stores image data processed by the main body control unit 30 and stores the image data. The flash memory 34 also stores programs and parameters used by the main body control unit 30.

The liquid crystal monitor 35 (an example of a display unit) is a display device arranged on the back surface of the main body 1a, for example. The liquid crystal monitor 35 displays the image data (still image or moving image) processed by the image processing unit 31. The liquid crystal monitor 35 displays a setting menu for setting the operating conditions of the image pickup apparatus 1. The liquid crystal monitor 35 may include a touch panel that functions as a part of the operation unit 33. Instead of the liquid crystal monitor 35, another display device such as an organic EL display may be used.

The wireless communication unit 36 includes a communication module of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, and the main body control unit 30 bidirectionally controls communication with a device wirelessly connected. The communication module may be infrared communication, wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or the like, as long as it can wirelessly connect to an external device.

The CMOS image sensor 37 is an image sensor including a light receiving element, an automatic gain control circuit, and an analog/digital converter. The light receiving element converts the optical signal collected by the optical system 50 into an electric signal and outputs it. The automatic gain control circuit amplifies and outputs the electric signal output from the light receiving element. The analog/digital converter converts the electric signal output from the automatic gain control circuit into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the main body control unit 30. The CMOS image sensor 37 is controlled by a timing generator, and executes still image and moving image capturing operations, through image capturing operations, data transfer operations, electronic shutter operations, and the like. The image data generated by the CMOS image sensor 37 is sent to the image processing unit 31. Instead of the CMOS image sensor 37, another image sensor such as an NMOS image sensor or a CCD image sensor may be used.

The memory card 40 is mounted in a memory slot and has a storage element such as a semiconductor memory inside. The memory card 40 stores image data. The main body control unit 30 reads the image data stored in the memory card 40, processes the read image data by the image processing unit 31, and displays it on the liquid crystal monitor 35. A plurality of memory cards 40, for example, two memory cards 40 may be provided.

[1-2. motion]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image pickup apparatus 1.

The microcomputer 11 of the image pickup apparatus 1 determines whether the USB cable is connected to the image pickup apparatus 1 (S101). When there is an input signal (D+, D−) from the USB port 16, the USB switch 16 is connected to the microcomputer 11 by switching the analog switch 17. When the microcomputer 11 determines that the connection is established (Yes in S101), the process proceeds to step S102.

The microcomputer 11 is connected to the charging IC 12, determines the type of the external device connected to the USB port 16 according to the signal from the charging IC 12, and then the connected external device is a USB PD via the PD controller 13. It is detected whether or not it is a compatible device (S102). At this time, the PD controller 13 connected to the microcomputer 11 determines whether or not the external device is a USB PD compatible device by acquiring the result of the negotiation via the CC terminal of the USB port 16.

Here, with reference to FIG. 5, the negotiation through the CC terminal for detecting that the device is a USB PD compatible device will be described.

First, the microcomputer 11 applies power to the PD controller 13 by power control (S1131: control power ON). Next, the microcomputer 11 sets the required electric power/current to the PD controller 13 (S1132: initial setting). After the initial setting, the PD controller 13 restarts, connects to the external device and starts the negotiation according to the set value set in S1132 (S1133). At this time, the PD controller 13 notifies the microcomputer 11 that the plug of the USB cable has been inserted into the USB port 16. In the negotiation, the external device notifies the PD controller 13 of the power supply capability. At this time, the PD controller 13 notifies the microcomputer 11 that the power supply capability list has been received. Upon receiving this notification, the microcomputer 11 determines whether the external device is a USB PD compatible device. Next, the PD controller 13 makes a power supply request to the external device. Then, in response to the request, the external device notifies the PD controller 13 of permission of power supply and the completion of power supply preparation.

The PD controller 13 notifies the microcomputer 11 that the so-called PD contract including the above-mentioned power supply condition is completed (S1134), and the PD contract is completed. The microcomputer 11 confirms with the PD controller 13 the voltage and current set in the PD contract (S1135).

As a result of the above negotiations, in FIG. 4, if it is detected that the external device is a USB PD compatible device, the process proceeds to step S103, and if it is not the USB PD compatible device, the process proceeds to step S108.

Microcomputer 11 permits power supply from an external device based on the above negotiation via charging IC 12 (S103). The microcomputer 11 causes the status liquid crystal monitor 15 to display information and a message indicating that power is supplied from an external device, as shown in FIG. 6A, for example (S104). Note that this information may use icons, marks, graphics, etc., instead of text.

The microcomputer 11 determines whether or not the battery 20 is attached to the imaging device 1 (S105). The microcomputer 11 detects a signal (High signal or Low signal) generated according to the mounting and removal of the battery 20 via the power supply IC 19, and determines whether or not the battery 20 is mounted. When the battery 20 is attached (Yes in step S105), the microcomputer 11 permits the charging IC 12 to charge the battery 20 (S106). The microcomputer 11 causes the status liquid crystal monitor 15 to display information or a message (hereinafter referred to as charging information) indicating that the battery 20 is charged (S107).

The charging information includes information such as whether or not charging is possible, the remaining amount of the battery 20, the charging power (W), the charging current amount (A), and the scheduled full charging time. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, a notation indicating that the battery 20 is being charged (“CHArGE” or the like) and an icon of the battery 20 may display an icon indicating the remaining amount of the battery 20. When indicating that the battery 20 cannot be charged, the notation (“CHArGE” or the like) may be hidden. Further, as shown in the figure, information 15a (for example, 65 minutes) indicating a scheduled time until completion of charging may be displayed. Further, instead of or in addition to these pieces of information, the charging power (W) and the charging current amount (A) of the battery 20 may be shown. Further, these display information may be switchably displayed by a displayed menu operation button (not shown). In addition, the charging power or the charging current may not be displayed by the value itself, and the notation such as “fast”, “normal”, or “slow” may be used according to the user's feeling.

The display of the charging information allows the user of the imaging device 1 to recognize that the battery 20 is charged. In the present embodiment, the electric power allocated to charge the battery 20 from the USB PD compatible device is predetermined to a fixed value. As shown in FIG. 10, since the image pickup apparatus 1 has different power consumption depending on the operation, the value of this power is the drive power of the power supply of the external device and the function having the largest power consumption of the main functions of the image pickup apparatus 1. It is determined based on the difference between and.

On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S102 that the external device is a USB PD compatible device (No in step S102), the microcomputer 11 causes the external device to have a USB standard of 2.0 or more via the PD controller 13. It is determined whether or not there is (S108). If the external device is USB standard 2.0 or higher, the microcomputer 11 permits power supply from the external device (S109). At this time, the microcomputer 11 causes the status liquid crystal monitor 15 to display information and a message indicating that power is supplied (S110). Further, the microcomputer 11 determines whether or not the power of the image pickup apparatus 1 is turned on via the main body control unit 30 or the power switch monitoring IC 18 (S111). When the power is on, the microcomputer 11 causes the status liquid crystal monitor 15 to display information or a message urging the power to be turned off in order to charge the battery 20, as shown in FIG. 7A ( S112). When the power is off, the microcomputer 11 permits charging of the battery 20 via the charging IC 12 (S113).

In the case of a device that does not support USB PD, a device of USB 2.0 or higher has a power supply capability, but as described above, it is sufficient to supply both the power supply for the drive power for executing the main function of the imaging device 1 and the battery charge. There is no power supply capability. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, among the operation modes of the image pickup apparatus 1, even the live view with the smallest power consumption requires 6.5 W of power. On the other hand, the power supplied by the USB BC1.2 standard device is 7.5 W (5 V/1.5 A) as shown in FIG. 9, which is 1.0 W higher than the power consumption of the image pickup apparatus 1. However, even if there is 1.0 W of electric power, if the full charge voltage of the battery 20 is about 10 V, the charging current value will be about 100 mA. At such a current value, there is a possibility that the lower limit of the charging current (for example, the charging is stopped at 50 mA or less) may be caused due to variations in the charging current, and the battery 20 itself may not be charged. Regarding other operation modes, since the power consumption of the image pickup apparatus 1 exceeds the power supply of the USB BC1.2 standard device, it is necessary to use the power of the battery 20. Monitoring the operation mode of the image pickup apparatus 1 and switching between charging and power feeding of the battery 20 has little merit although the system of the image pickup apparatus 1 is complicated. Therefore, in the case of a device that does not support USB PD and is a device of USB 2.0 or more, the imaging device 1 according to the present embodiment is the battery 20 if it is being driven, that is, if the power is ON. Does not charge.
When the image pickup apparatus 1 is being driven, the user of the image pickup apparatus 1 is informed that the battery 20 is not charged, that is, the power source needs to be turned off for charging. As a result, it is possible to prevent the user from erroneously recognizing that the battery 20 is charged only when connected to the external device via the USB cable.

In step S108, if the external device is not USB standard 2.0 or higher, that is, if it is USB1.0 or USB1.1, the microcomputer 11 supplies power to the status LCD monitor 15 from the external device as shown in FIG. 7B. Information or a message indicating that the operation cannot be performed is displayed (S114).

The image pickup apparatus 1 terminates the above processing according to a predetermined termination condition. The predetermined termination condition is, for example, the disconnection of the USB cable.

Note that the display modes shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B are examples, and any of texts, icons, marks, figures, and the like, or a combination thereof may be used. Further, when the power of the image pickup apparatus 1 is ON, information may be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 35 instead of or in addition to the status liquid crystal monitor 15.

[1-3. effect]
The image pickup apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is an image pickup apparatus having a main body 1a to which the battery 20 can be attached/detached, and includes a USB port 16, a PD controller 13, and a microcomputer 11. The USB port 16 can be connected to an external device via a USB cable, and supplies power from the external device to the imaging device 1. The PD controller 13 determines whether or not the external device connected to the USB cable connected to the USB port 16 is compatible with USB PD. In response to the determination by the PD controller 13, the microcomputer 11 outputs information indicating whether or not the battery 20 can be charged by the power supplied from the external device, and displays the information on the status liquid crystal monitor 15 or the liquid crystal monitor 35.
The information indicating whether or not the battery can be charged is information that allows the user to recognize that the battery 20 can be charged by supplying power from the connected external device. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A, a message indicating that power supply by USB PD is performed, and a message indicating that power supply by USB PD cannot be performed as shown in FIG. 7B. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6B, the notation (“CHArGE” or the like) may be displayed only when the battery 20 can be charged, and may not be displayed when the battery 20 cannot be charged.

The user of the image pickup device 1 basically expects to charge the battery 20 by connecting the image pickup device 1 to an external device via a USB cable. However, some USB Type-C cables are compatible with USB PD and some are not. If the connected external device does not support USB PD, it is not possible to obtain the power to drive the imaging device 1 and the power to charge the battery 20.

Therefore, the imaging device 1 misunderstands that the user is charging the battery 20 by displaying information indicating whether or not the battery 20 can be charged, depending on whether or not the external device is a USB PD compatible device. Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to suppress the risk that the image pickup apparatus 1 stops driving due to a battery exhaustion.

Also, even if it is a USB PD compatible device, the power that can be supplied varies, and at first glance the user does not know how much power to charge. However, by displaying the charging information, the user can recognize that the charging that he is expecting is being performed.

[2. Embodiment 2]
In the imaging device 1 according to the first embodiment, when the connected external device is a USB PD compatible device, the electric power used to charge the battery 20 is constant. However, the power consumed by the imaging device 1 varies depending on its operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the power required to drive the image pickup apparatus 1 differs depending on the operation mode of the image pickup apparatus 1. On the other hand, when the electric power for charging the battery 20 is constant, it is set based on the minimum value of the difference obtained by subtracting the drive power of the imaging device 1 according to the operation mode from the power supplied by the external device. Therefore, the power supplied from the external device may be surplus.

Therefore, in the imaging device 1 according to the present embodiment, the power used for charging the battery 20 is controlled according to the power consumption according to the operation of the imaging device 1, that is, the driving power of the imaging device 1. Hereinafter, the imaging device 1 according to the second embodiment will be described focusing on the points different from the first embodiment.

[2-1. Constitution]
The configuration of the imaging device 1 according to the present embodiment is similar to the configuration of the imaging device 1 shown in FIG.

[2-2. motion]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the image pickup apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, when the external device to be connected is a USB PD compatible device, power is supplied to the imaging device 1, and when the battery 20 is attached, charging is executed (steps S102 to S106). ). In the first embodiment, the power for charging the battery 20 is constant, but in the second embodiment, the power for charging the battery 20 is controlled according to the driving power of the imaging device 1. Specifically, the following processing is performed for charging the battery 20. It is assumed that the image pickup apparatus 1 is powered on.

Microcomputer 11 obtains power supply information of the external device (S1061). The microcomputer 11 acquires the power supply information of the external device by serial communication from the charging IC 12.

The microcomputer 11 acquires power consumption information for operating the imaging device 1 (S1062). The microcomputer 11 obtains the power consumption information for executing the function of the imaging device 1 from the charging IC 12 by serial communication. The charging IC 12 includes a circuit that monitors the power consumption of the imaging device 1, and the microcomputer 11 acquires the power consumption information from the charging IC 12.

The microcomputer 11 calculates the charging current (S1063). Specifically, the microcomputer 11 calculates the difference between the power supplied from the external device and the power consumption for executing the function of the imaging device 1, and calculates the current required for charging. For example, if the power supplied from the external device is 27 W and the power consumption for executing the function of the imaging device 1 is 14 W, the difference between them is 13 W. If the power of 13 W is used as the power for charging the battery 20, if the full charge voltage of the battery 20 is 8.4 V, the current value for charging the battery 20 is 13 W/8.4 V=about 1. 55A.

Microcomputer 11 sets the calculated current value as charging power for battery 20 (S1064). Specifically, the microcomputer 11 sets the charging current value for the charging IC 12 by serial communication. The charging IC 12 controls the amount of current from the external device according to the set current value.

Like the first embodiment, the microcomputer 11 causes the status liquid crystal monitor 15 or the liquid crystal monitor 35 to display the charging information of the battery 20 (S107).

The microcomputer 11 repeats steps S1062 to S107 shown in FIG. 8 unless a predetermined termination condition such as disconnection of the USB cable or power OFF operation occurs.

In the second embodiment, the charging current to the battery 20 is also changed every time the power consumption of the imaging device 1 is determined. Therefore, the displayed charging information is changed according to the set charging current.

[2-3. effect]
In the imaging device 1 according to the second embodiment, when the external device is compatible with the USB PD and the power of the imaging device 1 is ON, the microcomputer 11 monitors the driving power of the imaging device 1 and drives the driving power. The power for charging the battery 20 is controlled accordingly.

In the imaging device 1 according to the present embodiment, the power for charging the battery 20 is set according to the driving power of the imaging device 1. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 10, the power consumption of the image pickup apparatus 1 is smaller during the live view (LIVE) operation than the operation during the recording of the 4K image at the frame rate of 60P, and the battery 20 is charged for charging. Large power can be obtained. Therefore, the USB supply power can be efficiently used and the battery 20 can be efficiently charged.

[2-4. Modification]
In the second embodiment, the microcomputer 11 monitors the drive power of the image pickup apparatus 1 and controls the power for charging the battery 20 according to the drive power, but instead of this, the microcomputer 11 of the image pickup apparatus 1 is controlled. The electric power for charging the battery 20 may be controlled according to the operation mode.

When the external device is compatible with the USB PD and the power of the image pickup apparatus 1 is ON, the main body control unit 30 causes the operation mode of the image pickup apparatus 1 according to the operation of the operation button or the operation menu (not shown). To decide. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, there are operation modes such as live view (Live), high-speed continuous shooting (H continuous shooting), and recording at 4K image at a frame rate of 60P (4k60P REC). The power for charging the battery 20 may be dynamically set based on the difference between the maximum power consumption in these operation modes and the power supplied by the external device. In this case, the microcomputer 11 acquires the operation mode switching information from the main body control unit 30, and calculates and sets the charging current according to the switching (S1063 to 1064).

Even by the above operation of the image pickup apparatus 1, the image pickup apparatus 1 can efficiently use the USB power supply.

[3. Other Embodiments]
As described above, each embodiment has been described as an example of the technique disclosed in the present application. However, the technique in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to the embodiment in which changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. are appropriately made. Moreover, it is also possible to combine the respective constituent elements described in the above-described embodiment to form a new embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the lens-integrated type digital camera is taken as an example of the image pickup apparatus 1, but an interchangeable lens type camera may be used. The imaging device 1 may be a device having an imaging function, such as a smartphone or other mobile terminal.

The execution order of the processing methods in the above embodiments is not necessarily limited to the description of the above embodiments, and the execution order may be changed or a plurality of processes may be executed at the same time without departing from the scope of the invention. You may.

The program in the above embodiment is not limited to the program recorded in the recording medium, and may be obtained via an electric communication line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network typified by the Internet, or the like.

The embodiment has been described above as an example of the technology according to the present disclosure. To that end, the accompanying drawings and detailed description are provided. Therefore, among the constituent elements described in the accompanying drawings and the detailed description, not only constituent elements that are essential for solving the problem but also constituent elements that are not essential for solving the problem in order to exemplify the above technology. Can also be included. Therefore, it should not be immediately recognized that the non-essential components are essential by the fact that the non-essential components are described in the accompanying drawings and the detailed description.

Further, since the above-described embodiment is for exemplifying the technique in the present disclosure, various changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. can be made within the scope of the claims or the scope of equivalents thereof.

The present disclosure can be applied to electronic devices having an imaging function, such as digital cameras, movie cameras, and camera-equipped mobile phones.

1: Imaging device 1a: Main body 11: Microcomputer 13: PD controller 15: Status liquid crystal monitor 15a: Information 16: USB port 17: Analog switch 19: Power supply IC
20: Battery 30: Main body control unit 31: Image processing unit 32: DRAM
33: Operation unit 34: Flash memory 35: Liquid crystal monitor 36: Wireless communication unit 37: CMOS image sensor 40: Memory card 50: Optical system

JP, 2018-32221, A

Claims

An imaging device having a main body to which a battery can be attached and detached,
A terminal that can be connected to an external device via a USB cable, and that supplies power from the external device to the imaging device;
A determination unit that determines whether or not an external device connected to the USB cable connected to the terminal supports USB PD;
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: a control unit that outputs information indicating whether or not the battery can be charged by the electric power supplied from the external device according to the determination by the determination unit and causes the display unit to display the information.
The control unit does not permit charging of the battery when the external device does not support a USB PD and the power of the imaging device is ON.
The imaging device according to claim 1.
When the external device is compatible with a USB PD, charging of the battery is permitted regardless of whether the power of the imaging device is ON or OFF.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1.
Of the power supplied from the external device, the power for charging the battery is constant,
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3.
When the external device is compatible with USB PD and the power of the imaging device is ON, the control unit monitors the driving power of the imaging device and charges the battery according to the driving power. Control the power of
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1.
In the case where the external device is compatible with a USB PD and the power of the imaging device is ON, the control unit determines whether or not the power supplied from the external device depends on the operation mode of the imaging device. Control the power for charging the battery,
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1.
When the external device supports USB PD, the control unit causes the display unit to display charging information regarding charging of the battery.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1.