CN100451816C - Camera and its manufacturing - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a camera and a manufacture method thereof. A part parameter storage temporary memory is detachably assembled on various parts like a lens barrel part forming the camera, and the temporary memory is manufactured through assembling a non-volatile memory on a base plate. In the manufacturing process of the temporary memory, a required adjustment value is stored in the temporary in order to ensure the performance of the temporary memory, and then the temporary memory is assembled in a camera body part. When the assembly is basically finished, the adjustment value read from the non-volatile memory of the temporary memory is stored in a main memory in the camera body part, and then the temporary memory is disassembled from various parts like the lens barrel part.

Description

Camera and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention is a divisional application of Chinese patent application No. 00136265.8.

technical field

The present invention relates to a camera composed of multiple parts capable of improving the efficiency of manufacturing process and its manufacturing method.

Background technique

Generally, an EEPROM or the like is incorporated in the camera as a storage device for storing control parameters necessary for controlling the camera itself. The control parameters are the charging voltage of the flash, the correction value of the autofocus sensor, the correction value of the shutter, etc., and are information unique to each camera.

In addition, since the camera is manufactured by installing the various components assembled into parts into the camera body parts, the errors (inconsistencies) in the characteristics and performance of the components themselves and the manufacturing errors in the assembly are superimposed, resulting in The respective cameras have different performances. Therefore, sometimes these errors can result in unacceptable camera performance. Therefore, after the camera assembly is basically completed, the components or mechanisms that need to be corrected to eliminate errors are activated and operated, and the control parameters required for correction are obtained and stored in the storage device of the camera body, such as EEPROM. Calibrating according to this parameter can make the camera performance meet the design requirements.

This EEPROM is usually installed one inside the camera. Therefore, the control parameters cannot be obtained and stored in the EEPROM unless the various components and mechanisms are installed and the camera assembly is basically completed.

In this case, if an EEPROM is installed for each component, control parameters can be obtained and stored in the EEPROM during the component manufacturing process. Furthermore, in order to determine the control parameters, the components are made to work independently, which is beneficial to ensure the operation and performance of the components as a unit.

However, installing EEPROM for each part complicates the camera control system. Moreover, even if EEPROMs with small storage capacity are respectively installed, the amount of information actually stored is far less than the storage capacity of the EEPROM. Therefore, unused storage areas are redundant, resulting in excessively high design capabilities. It can thus be seen that the greater the number of EEPROMs installed, the lower the utilization of the memory. Therefore, it will cause an increase in the cost of the electrical system.

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a camera and a co-manufacturing method capable of determining and managing control parameters for each component unit.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical solutions:

An electronic device including a microcomputer, characterized in that it has:

The first part is installed with the microcomputer;

a first storage element, mounted on the first component, for storing control parameters required to control the electronic device through the microcomputer;

a second component mounted on said first component;

A second storage element installed on the second component for storing identification information related to the second component; wherein,

the identification information in the second storage element is transferred to the first storage element and stored in the first storage element,

The second memory element can access data in a non-contact manner using electromagnetic waves, and its driving power is generated by the electromagnetic waves.

The identification information in the second storage element is transferred to the first storage element after the second component is mounted on the first component.

The second memory element is detached from the second member after the identification information is transferred to the first memory element.

The first storage element is a nonvolatile memory.

The memory is pasted on the second member, or hung on the second member after being pasted on a label.

A method of manufacturing a camera, characterized in that:

1st part manufacturing process, it is used for manufacturing 1st part, and this 1st part comprises: be used for controlling the microcomputer of camera, and be used for storing the non-volatile memory of those control parameters necessary for controlling camera;

The second component manufacturing process is used to manufacture the second component controlled according to the control parameters stored in the non-volatile memory, and the second component manufacturing process includes: a process of installing a register; and determining the relationship with the second component. 2. A process of storing the control parameters related to the components in the temporary register; and

An assembly process, which is used to combine the first component and the second component, the assembly process includes: a process of transferring the control parameters stored in the temporary register to the non-volatile memory; and This is the process of removing the above-mentioned register from the second part.

The camera manufacturing method described above is characterized in that the manufacturing step of the first part includes a step of determining a control parameter related to the first part and storing the control parameter in the nonvolatile memory.

The method for manufacturing a camera is characterized in that the temporary storage device is a memory for accessing data in a non-contact manner by using electromagnetic waves.

A method of manufacturing a camera, which is to manufacture a camera by assembling various components into a camera body, characterized in that it has the following steps:

The process of storing the adjustment values required to ensure the performance of the above-mentioned parts in the temporary storage devices respectively installed on the parts;

At the stage of assembling the above-mentioned components into the above-mentioned camera body, the process of storing the above-mentioned adjustment value read from the above-mentioned temporary storage device in the main storage device of the above-mentioned camera;

A process of detaching the above-mentioned temporary storage device from the above-mentioned member after storing the above-mentioned adjustment value in the above-mentioned main storage device.

The camera manufacturing method described above is characterized in that the main storage device is a non-volatile memory.

The camera manufacturing method is characterized in that: the above-mentioned temporary storage device is a memory that can use electromagnetic waves to access data in a non-contact manner.

The camera manufacturing method is characterized in that the temporary storage device is a memory capable of accessing data in a non-contact manner by using light.

The above-mentioned camera manufacturing method is characterized in that the above-mentioned temporary storage device is composed of a label that codes and prints the above-mentioned adjustment value, the label is mounted on the above-mentioned component, and after being assembled into the above-mentioned camera body, the above-mentioned adjustment value Transfer to the above-mentioned main storage device, and remove the label.

The camera manufacturing method described above is characterized in that there is one non-volatile memory.

The camera manufacturing method is characterized in that: the above-mentioned main storage device has:

The first storage area is used to store the manufacturing serial number, manufacturing date, and manufacturing plant of the above-mentioned camera body;

The second storage area is used to store the adjustment value of the auto-focus component;

The third storage area is used to store the adjustment value of the flash unit;

The fourth storage area is used to store the adjustment value of the battery;

a fifth storage area for storing an adjustment value of the driving voltage for film feeding; and

The sixth memory area is used to store the adjustment value of the lens barrel part.

The camera manufacturing method is characterized in that: the sixth storage area is divided into

Cheng: the seventh storage area, used to store the data related to the manufacturing number, manufacturing date, and manufacturing plant of the lens barrel parts;

The eighth storage area is used to store adjustment values for adjusting the infinity position of the photographic lens; and

The ninth storage area is used for storing the adjustment value of the shutter second adjustment used for adjusting the shutter driving time.

The camera manufacturing method is characterized in that the main storage device further has a storage area for storing identification numbers of all components assembled in the camera body.

The camera manufacturing method described above is characterized in that the above-mentioned temporary storage device is composed of a memory capable of re-storing and deleting data, and the stored adjustment value is deleted after being detached from the above-mentioned component.

A camera having a storage device for storing adjustment values for motion control, characterized in that:

having a first part on which a first storage device is mounted, and a second part having a portion where a second storage device can be temporarily mounted;

The second storage device temporarily stores an adjustment value related to the second member, and after the adjustment value is transferred to the first storage device, it is removed from the second member.

In the camera described above, the first storage device is a nonvolatile memory.

The camera described above is characterized in that the second storage device is a memory capable of storing data in a non-contact manner using electromagnetic waves.

The camera described above is characterized in that the second member is at least one member selected from a flash unit, a lens barrel unit, and an autofocus unit.

The camera described above is characterized in that the first storage means has a storage area for storing identification information of various components incorporated in the camera body.

The above-mentioned camera is characterized in that: the above-mentioned memory is pasted on the body of the camera, or hung on the parts after being pasted on a label.

The invention provides a camera manufacturing method with the following steps:

The first component manufacturing process, which is used to manufacture the first component, the first component includes: a microcomputer for controlling the camera, and a non-volatile memory for storing control parameters necessary for controlling the camera;

The second component manufacturing process is used to manufacture a second component that is controlled according to the control parameters stored in the above-mentioned non-volatile memory. This process includes the following two parts: one is to install the temporary register; the other is determining a control parameter related to the second component, and storing the control parameter in the temporary register; and

The final assembly process is used to combine the above-mentioned first component and the second component. This process includes the following two parts: one is to transfer the above-mentioned control parameters stored in the above-mentioned temporary register to the above-mentioned non-volatile memory ; The other is to remove the above scratchpad from the 2nd part after the dump.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic assembly configuration example of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical components of the camera shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the closed position of the lens shutter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing an open position of the lens shutter shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a conceptual configuration of a lens driving mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual sectional configuration diagram showing a lens driving mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a register circuit board mounted on a mirror frame member.

FIG. 7 is a process diagram illustrating the process of manufacturing the camera of the first embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the working situation of "adjusting the shutter second time".

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the procedure for transferring the control parameters stored in the temporary storage unit to the nonvolatile memory in the body unit.

Fig. 10 is an example diagram of a measuring jig used for "infinity position adjustment".

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an adjustment parameter measuring instrument.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating adjustment processing.

13A and 13B are graphs showing the relationship between the control signal of the transistor Q shown in FIG. 3 and the illuminance of light passing through the shutter.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a measurement jig used for "shutter second time adjustment".

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which RFID is used in the register in the second embodiment.

16A and 16B are diagrams showing an example in which an RFID-mounted tag is used as a temporary register; FIG. 16C is a diagram showing an example in which RFID is temporarily fixed on a component circuit board.

FIG. 17A is a diagram showing an example of an allocation state table of a nonvolatile memory;

Fig. 17B is a diagram showing an example of a register storage area allocation table.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a main memory allocation status table of a camera, in which a part of the storage area is used to store identification information of components mounted in the camera body.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic assembly configuration example of the camera according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the electrical components.

The camera generally includes: a body part 1 , a lens barrel part 2 , an autofocus (AF) part 3 and a flash part 4 .

First, the configuration of the body unit 1 will be described.

The body unit 1 has a control unit 5, which is composed of a microcomputer, and controls the entire camera. The drive circuit 6 is controlled by the control unit 5 . The drive circuit 6 supplies drive power to the lens drive motor in the lens barrel unit 2 through the zoom and film drive motor 7 and the contact 9 .

The above zoom and film drive motor 7 applies drive force distributed and transmitted as needed to the film feed mechanism 11 and the focus adjustment mechanism 12 of the lens barrel unit 2 through the drive force distribution mechanism 10 . The film feeding mechanism 11 uses the driving force transmitted from the driving force distribution mechanism 10 to perform a winding operation and a rewinding operation of the loaded film. Also, the focus adjustment mechanism 12 uses the driving force transmitted from the driving force distribution mechanism 10 to move the lens 13 which is a part of the imaging lens to adjust the focus.

Furthermore, a connection gear 14 and a reduction gear 15 are provided between the driving force distribution mechanism 10 and the focus adjustment mechanism 12 . The reduction gear 15 is used to reduce the rotational speed of the zoom and film drive motor 7 to a speed suitable for moving the lens 13 . And, the decelerated zoom and the driving force of the film driving motor 7 are transmitted from the body unit 1 to the inside of the lens barrel unit 2 through the connecting gear 14 .

Furthermore, the control unit 5 is provided with the following nonvolatile memory 16 and zoom and communication interface circuit 18. The former is composed of EEPROM and the like, and is used to store control parameters, correction values of detectors, correction values of flashlights, etc. ; The latter is used to communicate with the external control device 17 through the terminal 19 . The external control device 17 is assumed to be a personal computer (PC) used in the camera manufacturing process.

In the manufacturing process, various adjustment operations are performed under the control of the control unit based on instructions from the external control device 17 . Based on this adjustment operation, the external control device 17 determines control parameters and correction values as final adjustment values, and stores them in the nonvolatile memory 16 . An example of the storage area allocation state table of the nonvolatile memory 16 is shown and explained in FIG. 17A.

The storage area 1 in the memory allocation status table of the nonvolatile memory 16 stores the serial number of the body part, the date of manufacture of the part, and the name of the manufacturing plant of the part. The stored data is not limited to the above, and may include various items deemed necessary, such as the production line number and the number of the manufacturing equipment used. Data for adjustment (adjustment values) of the autofocus (AF) section 3 , such as data for correcting sensitivity errors of the line detector 72 , are stored in the storage area 2 . The storage area 3 stores data for adjustment of the flash unit 4, for example, data related to the charging voltage of the main capacitor. For example, data for battery adjustment, such as a voltage value for battery warning, is stored. In the storage area 5, the voltage applied to the motor when the film is fed is stored. The storage area 6 is a parameter storage area of the lens barrel part 2 . The data stored in this parameter storage area is the data stored in the part adjustment process in the part parameter storage temporary storage part 79 which will be described later. It is transferred to the nonvolatile memory 16 in the following step #110 (see FIG. 7 ).

The configuration of the lens barrel member 2 will be described below.

The lens barrel unit 2 has the following components: the above-mentioned focus adjustment mechanism 12, a focus detection circuit 20 for detecting the focus of the lens 13 and outputting the focus information to the control unit 5, and a circuit for supplying electric power for driving the electromagnetic coil 21. Electromagnetic coil driving circuit 22, applying the driving force of the electromagnetic coil 21, fan-shaped blade driving mechanism 24 for switching and driving the fan-shaped blades constituting the lens shutter 23, using the driving force of the lens driving motor 8 to focus A lens driving mechanism 26 that moves the lens 25 and a pulse generating circuit 27 that outputs a pulse signal in conjunction with the rotation of the lens driving motor 8 . In addition, the electric power required for driving each motor is supplied from the drive circuit 6 of the body part 1 .

The detailed configurations of the lens shutter 23, fan blade drive circuit 24, electromagnetic coil 21, and electromagnetic drive circuit 22 are shown and described in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

The lens shutter 23 is provided with an opening 31 for exposure on a shutter base plate not shown in the figure. A pair of fan blades 32, 33 are supported by pins 34, 35 erected on the shutter base plate and inserted into holes thereof.

In addition, the fan blades 32 and 33 are rotatable, and their stop positions include: a closed position for blocking the opening 31 (see FIG. 3A ) and an open position for exposure (see FIG. 3B ).

Furthermore, the blade lever 36 is supported by the above-mentioned shutter base plate and is held in a freely rotatable state. The pin 36b erected on the front end of one handle can be slidably inserted into the cam holes 32a, 33a of the blades 32,33. The pin 36a erected on the front end of the shank on the other side is in contact with the end surface of the spool 38 of the electromagnetic coil 37 .

An opening spring 39 is suspended between the above-mentioned blade rod 36 and the shutter bottom plate, and is used for applying elastic force to the blades 32 , 33 in the opening direction of the opening 31 . Moreover, the spring 40 in the valve core 38 exerts elastic force on the fan blades 32 and 33 , and its acting direction is opposite to that of the opening spring 39 to close the fan blades. As the spool 38 performs suction or release, the blade lever 36 rotates. The fan blades 32, 33 are switched.

The driving circuit of the electromagnetic coil 37 is composed of a D/A digital-to-analog converter 41, a buffer circuit 42, and a transistor Q1. The control unit 5 can arbitrarily change the driving voltage of the electromagnetic coil 37 by changing the set value of the D/A converter 41 . The output of the D/A converter 41 is impedance-converted by the buffer circuit 42 and supplied to the electromagnetic coil 37 . The voltage application time to the electromagnetic coil 37 is controlled by the conduction time of the transistor Q1.

The lens drive mechanism 26 described above will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .

In this lens driving mechanism 26, the focus lens 25 is supported by a focus lens barrel 51, and an integrated focus lens barrel gear 52 is provided on one end of the focus lens barrel 51, and is connected to a power transmission mechanism 53 described below. Combine. In addition, a spiral body 54 is formed on the outer periphery of the focusing barrel 51 .

And, the lens drive mechanism 26 that drives focus lens 25, its constituent part has: as drive source lens drive motor 8, by the pinion gear 55 that is arranged on the output shaft of this lens drive motor 8 and successively meshes with it The power transmission mechanism 53 that gears 56, 57, 58 constitute, and gear 56 are arranged on the same shaft and rotate at the same rotational speed the rotary splitter 59, and the optical intermittent gear 60 that the rotary splitter 59 is used.

Moreover, since the power transmission mechanism 53 is engaged with the focus barrel gear 52 at the final stage, the rotational force of the lens drive motor 8 is transmitted to the focus barrel gear 52 through the power transmission mechanism 53, and as a result the focus barrel 51 for rotation.

Then, the signal output from the light interrupting gear 60 is input into the control unit 5 through the pulse generating circuit 27, and the control unit 5 counts the pulse signal to detect the extraction amount of the focus lens 25.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the focusing lens 25 (focusing barrel 51) and the lens driving mechanism 26 are arranged in a barrel 62 provided in a part 61 of the barrel member 2 and integrally formed. On the flange portion of the front end portion of the lens barrel 62, a fixed cylinder 63 is provided, and a helical surface 63a is formed on the inner surface of the cylinder portion of the fixed frame 63, which is embedded with the helical surface 54 provided on the focusing lens barrel 51. combine.

The focusing lens barrel 51 is combined with a fixed frame 63 and surrounded by a lens barrel 62 . On the other hand, the lens driving mechanism 26 , that is, the lens driving motor 8 and the power transmission mechanism 53 and the like are arranged in a space formed between the focusing barrel 51 and the lens frame 62 .

If utilize the composition of focus lens barrel 51 and lens driving mechanism 26, make lens drive motor 8 rotate along counterclockwise direction according to CCW direction (counterclockwise direction) signal (according to the instruction of control part 5), then focus lens barrel 51 is relatively Move on the fixed frame 63 and pull it out. This withdrawal movement can be performed until the rear end portion 52b of the focus barrel gear 52 and the rear end surface 63b of the fixed frame 63 collide.

On the other hand, when the focusing lens barrel 51 is rotated in the clockwise direction according to the CW direction (clockwise direction) signal, the focusing lens barrel 51 moves relative to the fixed frame 63 and retracts inward. This retracting movement can be performed until the rear end surface 52a of the focus barrel gear 52 collides with a part 61a of the lens frame member.

Now return to Fig. 2 to describe other configurations.

The autofocus component 3 measures the distance to the subject through the terminal 70 according to the instructions of the control unit 5, and its components are as follows: a distance measuring optical system 71 composed of a pair of lenses, imaging through the distance measuring optical system 71 The line detector 72 composed of CCD and other pixels for photoelectric conversion of the two objects to be photographed, and the control line detector 72 read out the deviation amount of the two images, and calculate the distance to the object according to the deviation amount The distance detection circuit 73.

And the flash unit 4 is composed of a xenon lamp tube 75 installed in the reflector 74, a charging circuit 76 and a light quantity control circuit 77. The main capacitor is charged according to the command of the control unit 5 . The light quantity control circuit 77 discharges the charges stored in the main capacitor via the xenon lamp tube 75 in accordance with the same command from the control unit 5 to emit light.

Furthermore, the temporary storage unit 79 for component parameter storage (hereinafter referred to simply as the temporary storage unit 79 ) is temporarily attached to the lens barrel unit 2 for convenience in the camera manufacturing process. As shown in FIG. 6, the temporary storage unit 79 includes a small circuit board 81 provided with a mounting cutout 84, and a nonvolatile memory 82 mounted thereon. A plurality of detection contacts 83 are arranged on the circuit board 81, and by making the probe contact with the detection contacts 83, the nonvolatile memory 82 can be electrically connected, and the information related to the lens barrel part 2 can be stored. to the non-volatile memory 82.

As the nonvolatile memory 82, EEPROM, battery-backed RAM, or the like can be used. And, the circuit board 81 can be fixed at a predetermined position on the lens barrel base 85 by fitting its cutout 84 to the positioning pin 86 formed on the lens barrel base 85 of the lens barrel member 2, and can be attached and detached. freely. The circuit board 81 and the lens barrel base 85 are adhered so as not to be separated during the manufacturing process. Since the circuit board 81 will be removed after the camera is made, the circuit board 81 is bonded and fixed with a double-sided adhesive tape so that it can be easily removed. In addition, 80 is a connection circuit board for electrically connecting the end 28a of the contact 9 on the side of the lens barrel member 2 shown in FIG.

FIG. 17B shows an example of a memory allocation status table in the component parameter storage temporary storage unit 79 described below.

In addition, the memory allocation state table of the component parameter storage temporary storage unit 79 stores the production number, the date of manufacture, and the name of the manufacturer of the lens barrel component 2 in the storage area 7 . If necessary, the serial number of the production line, the serial number of the equipment used at the time of manufacture, etc. can also be stored. In the storage area 8, data for adjusting the position at infinity is stored. This data is stored in the temporary memory part 79 as a control parameter for adjustment in the 107th process mentioned later. The shutter second time adjustment data is stored in the storage area 9 . This data is stored in the temporary storage unit 79 as a control parameter for adjustment in a step No. 108 described below.

Fig. 7 is a process diagram showing the steps of manufacturing the camera in this embodiment.

Process #100 is an assembly process of the airframe part 1 . A body part 1 including the film feeding mechanism 11, the driving force distribution mechanism 10, the reduction mechanism 15 and the like is assembled in this process. Furthermore, a circuit board for mounting the control section 5 and the nonvolatile memory 16 is also installed in the body unit 1 .

The control parameters of the film feed mechanism 11 by the control unit 5 are determined in this step, and the determined control parameters are stored in the nonvolatile memory 16 .

In the #101 process, the autofocus unit 3 including the distance measuring optical system 71, the line detector 72, the distance detection circuit 73, and the like is assembled.

In the #102 process, the AF part 3 produced in the #101 process is assembled to the body part 1 produced in the #100 process.

In step #103, the strobe unit 4 composed of the xenon lamp tube 75, the reflector 74, the charging circuit 76, the light quantity control circuit 77, and the like is assembled.

In step #104, the flash unit 4 is assembled to the body unit 1 to which the AF unit 3 has been assembled. The body part 1 in which these two parts have been assembled is transferred to the next assembly process (#109 process) in order to further assemble the lens barrel part 2 .

In step #105, the lens barrel unit 2 including the photographing lens including the lens 13, the lens shutter 23, the lens driving mechanism 26, the focus adjustment mechanism 12, and the like is assembled.

In step #106, the part parameter storage buffer 79 described in FIG. 6 is mounted in the lens barrel part 2 .

"Infinity position adjustment" which is one of the adjustments of the lens barrel member 2 is performed in the #107 process. The control parameters obtained through this adjustment are stored in the temporary storage unit 79 . Moreover, the content of adjusting the infinity position will be described later.

In step #108, "shutter second time adjustment" which is one of the adjustments of the lens barrel member 2 is performed. The control parameters obtained through this adjustment are stored in the temporary storage unit 79 . The content of adjusting the shutter second will be explained later.

In step #109, the adjusted lens barrel unit 2 is assembled to the body unit 1 .

In step #110, the control parameters stored in the temporary storage unit 79 are transferred to the nonvolatile memory 16 in the body unit 1 .

Among them, Fig. 8 shows the state of work carried out in #110 process.

The camera body is fixed to a pedestal 91 , and the support plate 92 is fixed to the pedestal 91 . Furthermore, the pin plate 94 to which the probe 93 is attached is supported by the support plate 92 via the shaft 95, and is kept rotatable.

And, the probe 93 is pressed against the detection contact 98 arranged on the main substrate 97 of the body part 1 by the elastic force of the spring 96 . These probes 93 are connected to the external control device 17 via a cable 99, and the external control device 17 and the control unit 5 of the body unit 1 are in a communicable state.

Furthermore, the probe 100 is used to contact the detection contact 83 of the substrate 81 on which the nonvolatile memory 82 of the temporary storage unit 79 shown in FIG. 6 is placed. These probes 100 are fixed to a needle plate 101 , and the needle plate 101 is supported by a shaft 104 so as to be rotatable toward a support plate 103 mounted on the base 91 . The probe 100 is pressed against the detection contact 83 by the elastic force of the spring 105 . The probe 100 is connected to the external control device 17 via a cable 106 , and is in a communicable state with the external control device 17 and the nonvolatile memory 82 constituting the temporary storage unit 79 .

Here, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 , the processing performed in step #110 will be described in detail.

In the manufacturing process, the operator mounts and fixes the camera body part 1 transferred from the #109 process to the base 91 shown in FIG. 8 (step S1). Then, the probe 93 is brought into contact with the detection contact 98 on the main substrate 97, and the probe 100 is brought into contact with the detection contact 83 on the substrate 81 on the barrel unit 2 (step S2). Then, the operator manipulates the external control device 17 to read the control parameters stored in the steps #107 and #108 from the nonvolatile memory 82 of the substrate 81 (step S3).

Then, the operator manipulates the external control device 17 to set the camera in the test mode (step S4). When the camera is set to the test mode, it operates according to commands from a control device external to the camera. Then, the control parameters read out from the nonvolatile memory 82 of the substrate 81 are transferred to the control unit 5 of the camera body unit 1 (step S5). Then, the control parameters received from the external control device 17 are stored in the nonvolatile memory 16 of the body part 1 by the control unit 5 of the camera. The operator removes the camera body from the stand 91 and transfers it to the next process (step S6).

Returning to the camera manufacturing process shown in FIG. 7, the description will now be given.

In step #111, the stored information in the nonvolatile memory 82 on the substrate 81 (temporary storage unit 79 ) mounted on the lens barrel unit 2 has been transferred to the nonvolatile memory 16 in the body unit 1 . Therefore, if the information stored in the nonvolatile memory 82 is erased, the nonvolatile memory 82 can be reused.

That is, in the loop circuit A shown in FIG. 7 , the temporary storage unit 79 can be used multiple times until the lifetime of the mounted nonvolatile memory 82 expires. Obviously, this method is more efficient than the method of installing a dedicated storage device on the lens barrel part 2 to store control parameters.

In step #112, AF unit adjustment and flash unit adjustment are performed. The control parameters determined through these adjustments are directly stored in the nonvolatile memory 16 of the body unit 1 .

The "infinity position adjustment" performed in the above #107 step will be described below.

Generally, in non-TTL type autofocus cameras, the distance to the subject is detected using the triangular distance measurement method. Then, the projection amount of the imaging lens is calculated based on the distance data, and the lens is driven. The amount of extension means: relative to the object at infinity (∞), when the position where the lens is in focus is used as a reference, in order to focus on the object at the measured distance, the lens should be from this How much the reference position protrudes is appropriate.

Also, the reference position (infinity position) of the subject focused on the infinity position exists at the position where the lens is extended by a predetermined amount from the fully retracted position (locking device of the lens barrel). However, this infinity position is affected by dimensional errors and assembly errors of members constituting the optical system, and may differ from lens to lens. Furthermore, in the case of a zoom lens, the reference position differs depending on the focal length.

Therefore, the infinity position is firstly measured for each camera, and the measurement result is stored in a nonvolatile memory as infinity position information. And, when you want to focus on the object to be photographed, first move the lens so that it retracts to the bottom position.

Then, with regard to the amount of extension of the lens corresponding to the distance of the object to be photographed, the amount of lens movement is determined according to the infinity position information, and the lens is moved according to the amount of movement. That is, the so-called "infinity position adjustment" performed in the #107 process is an operation in which the infinity position is measured in the state of the lens barrel member 2 and stored in the temporary storage unit 79 as a control parameter.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a measuring jig used in the above #107 step.

The infinite collimator 111 is composed of a light source 112 , a chart 113 , and a collimator lens 114 . The chart 113 can be equivalent to exist at infinity by utilizing the function of the collimator lens 114 , so if the chart 113 viewed through the collimator lens 114 is used, the infinity position can be adjusted. The lens barrel unit 2 is mounted on the adjustment parameter measuring instrument 110 , and the graph 113 is observed.

FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the adjustment parameter measuring instrument 110 described above.

The adjustment parameter measuring instrument 110 makes the probe 118 of the contact fixture 115 contact the terminal 80a of the connection substrate 80 of the mounted lens barrel part 2 to electrically connect; 83 phase contacts for electrical connection. Furthermore, the respective probes 117 and 118 are connected to the external control device 17 through the communication interface circuit 119 . Therefore, the operation of the lens shutter and the focus lens in the lens barrel unit 2 can be controlled by sending a control signal from the external control device 17 . In addition, information may be stored in the nonvolatile memory 82 of the temporary storage unit 79 .

Furthermore, the adjustment parameter measuring instrument 110 has:

The pulse motor 121 is used to drive the connecting gear 120 of the lens barrel part 2 to adjust the focal length of the lens;

The pulse motor driving circuit 122 is used to drive the pulse motor 121 through the control of the external control device 17, and adjust the focal length of the photographic lens arbitrarily;

a photodetector 123 for photoelectrically converting the image of the chart 113 imaged through the photographic lens is arranged at the same position as that of the film; and

The light detection processing circuit 124 uses an A/D converter to convert the detected sensitive signal into digital image information and sends it to the external control device 17.

The external control device 17 can judge whether the image of the chart 113 is imaged on the photodetector 123 according to the image information from the photodetection processing circuit 124 .

In addition, the operator performs a predetermined operation on the external control device 17 to perform adjustment processing according to the flow chart shown in FIG. 12 .

First, the pulse motor 121 is driven by the pulse motor drive circuit 122 to set the focal length of the imaging lens toward the wide end (step S11). And the lens shutter 23 is set to a fully open state (step S12).

Then, the lens drive motor 8 inside the lens barrel unit 2 is controlled to retract the focus lens 25 (step S13). This retracting action continues until the focus lens 25 hits the stopper (part 61a of the lens barrel member). That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the movement of retraction continues until the rear end 52a of the focus barrel gear 52 collides with a portion 61a of the mirror bronze member.

Then, with the stopper as a reference, the focus lens 25 is extended, and the lens driving motor 8 is stopped when the image read from the chart 113 is formed on the photodetector 123 (step S14), and the The position reaches the image imaging of the chart 113, and the pulse number output by the pulse generating circuit 27 is the infinite distance position data of one of the adjustment parameters, and this data is stored in the nonvolatile memory 82 of the temporary storage unit 79 (S15 step) . This data varies with the focal length of the photographic lens. Therefore, the measurement should be performed while changing the focal length from the wide end to the far end.

Then, it is judged whether or not the focal length is the far end (step S16). If the judgment is not far (NO), the pulse motor 121 is controlled to change the focal length by a predetermined amount to the far side (step S17). Then, in order to measure the infinite distance position data again, return to step S13, and repeat the same process. On the other hand, if the judgment is at the far end (YES), the pulse motor 121 is controlled to set the focal length of the photographic lens toward the wide end (step S18). By setting to the wide end, the overall length of the lens barrel member 2 is shortened, and it is easy to remove from the adjustment parameter measuring instrument, and when transferring the lens barrel member 2 to the next process, it is more suitable to be smaller.

Then, the state of closing the shutter 23 is set (step S19), and a series of adjustment processing ends.

The "shutter second time adjustment" performed in the above #108 process will be described below. 13A and 13B show the relationship between the control signal of the transistor Q1 shown in FIG. 3 and the illuminance of light passing through the shutter. Ts is the length of time that transistor Q1 is turned on.

Fig. 13A shows the shutter second time, the state when the fan blades 32, 33 are opened before the opening 31 is fully opened; Fig. 3B shows the shutter second time is short, and the fan blades 32, 33 are closed before the state is fully opened.

In FIGS. 13A and 13B, te is the time length of 1/2 of the height of the trapezoidal waveform, which can be regarded as the actual shutter second. The movement of the components constituting the shutter lags behind the electrical control signal, so ts and te do not coincide. Therefore, ts must be determined so that the necessary second time and te coincide. Therefore, the relationship between ts and te should be measured to determine the correction value. This action is "shutter second time adjustment".

An example of the configuration of a measuring jig used in the "shutter second time adjustment" of the above-mentioned #108 process is shown and described in FIG. 14 .

The reference light source device 131 is composed of a light source 132 , a light source aperture 133 , and a diffusion plate 134 . The light of the light source device 132 is reduced to a predetermined brightness by the light source diaphragm 133 . Then, the diffuser plate 134 is used to make uniform light, and the lens barrel member 2 is irradiated with light.

Similar to the adjustment in the above #107 process, the operator installs the lens barrel unit 2 on the adjustment parameter measuring instrument 110 . The tuning parameter meter 110 can be used with a slight modification of the meter shown in FIG. 11 . For example, an imaging device is used for the photodetector 123 of the measuring instrument in the above-mentioned step #107. In the "shutter second adjustment", it is necessary to measure the change of the illuminance passing through the shutter as shown in FIG. 13B. Therefore, the photodetector is preferably an SPD (silicon photodiode). Therefore, the photodetection processing circuit also becomes a circuit configuration for detecting the photocurrent output by the SPD.

The detected photoelectric data is transmitted to the external control device 17 through the communication interface circuit 119 . The operator fixes the lens barrel member 2 to the adjustment parameter measuring instrument 110 , and then uses the contact jigs 115 , 116 to make electrical connections and perform predetermined operations on the external control device 17 . In this way, the external control device 17 controls the lens shutter of the lens barrel width every second, and obtains the output of PSD every second. Also, the relationship between ts and te shown in FIG. 13 was measured. And calculate the correction value according to the relationship between ts and te. This correction value is one of the adjustment parameters and is stored in the temporary storage unit 79 .

The second embodiment will be described below.

In the first embodiment described above, a nonvolatile memory is mounted on a small substrate as a temporary storage unit. The probes are brought into contact with the detection contacts provided on the substrate to communicate and read the information of the parts. However, in order to perform electrical connection by contact with the probes, the substrate must be fixed at a predetermined position, and this fixing method is troublesome.

In recent years, a so-called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) data carrier has been proposed, and an IC card, a label, etc. in which the RFID is incorporated have appeared. This RFID can exchange data with the host side using electromagnetic waves (radio waves) of radio frequency.

Fig. 15 shows and explains a schematic configuration example required for implementing RFID.

This configuration generally includes an RFID control unit 141 mounted in the camera, and a read/write device 142 on the host side. Wireless 143, 144 can be used for communication respectively.

The RFID control unit 141 has the following components:

A control circuit 145 for controlling the entire constituent parts;

A rectifier circuit 146, which receives radio waves from the read-write device 142, and produces power for driving the control unit 141 from the radio waves;

A voltage regulator 147, which removes fluctuations from the output voltage of the rectification circuit 146, and supplies power to each circuit part inside the RFID control unit 141;

A demodulation circuit 149, which extracts information such as the data stored in the EEPROM 148 from the received electric wave and the address of the EEPROM 148 required for reading data from the EEPROM 148, and outputs it to the control circuit 145; and

The modulation circuit 150 modulates the carrier wave according to the data read from the EEPROM 148 by the control circuit 145 and transmits it to the read-write device 142 from the antenna 143 .

And, the read-write device 142 communicates with the RFID control unit 141 according to the order of the external control device 17, and it has the following components:

A modulating circuit 151, configured to transmit radio waves to the RFID control unit 141;

The demodulation circuit 152 is used to receive the electric wave from the RFID control unit 141; and

The communication interface circuit 153 is used to control these circuits according to commands from the external control device 17 .

Also, the advantage of using RFID is that it can access the memory in the RFID in a non-contact manner. If the distance between the device on the host side and the RFID that communicates with the RFID is within the range that radio waves can reach, it can access the internal memory of the RFID. That is, it is not necessary to make various shapes such as a card (tag) with built-in RFID and fix it at a specific position on the lens barrel member 2 and the lens frame base 85 .

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, a tag 154 with built-in RFID is produced, and it can be installed on the mirror by using a rope.

on the barrel part 2 and the lens barrel base 85. FIG. 16C can also be made into a coin-shaped 155 with built-in RFID, which is temporarily fixed at any position on the lens barrel base 85 with double-sided tape or the like. This installation position is not a specific position like the above-mentioned embodiment.

As mentioned above, the present embodiment adopts the temporary storage part (nonvolatile memory: EEPROM, etc.) borrowed for RFID, so the mounting position and mounting method to the lens barrel part 2 side have flexibility, even for such as The board 81 incorporating the nonvolatile memory described in the first embodiment is a small component that is difficult to fix, and is easy to use, which is very convenient. In addition, when using RFID, the adjustment data of individual components are stored in the temporary storage unit (EEPROM), and after being assembled into the camera body, the data is read from the temporary storage unit of each component and written into the camera body in batches. within the EEPROM. And, after the batch writing is completed, it is taken out from the part, and the non-volatile memory of the RFID erases the written data and can be reused.

In the above embodiments, radio waves are used, but not only this, light may also be used. For example, the adjustment value is digitized using symbols such as barcodes, letters, and numbers, and printed as labels. Install this label on the part. Alternatively, the data can be printed on a seal, etc., or pasted on the part itself or a label. Then, at the time of adjustment, the adjustment value is read out optically and used.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 18, a storage area may also be provided in the main memory of the camera composed of a non-volatile memory for storing identification information of all components assembled in the camera, such as manufacturing numbers. In this storage area, for example, the manufacturing numbers of various parts such as lens barrel parts, flash parts, and autofocus parts are stored, and when the camera breaks down, the identification information can be read to determine its manufacturing plant and production line, the used Parts and materials, etc., in order to find out the cause of the failure and carry out repairs, etc.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the application of the temporary storage unit 79 is limited to the lens barrel unit 2 only. But there are also control parameters in the autofocus unit 3 and in the flash unit 4 . Therefore, it is obvious that the temporary storage unit 79 can also be used in the manufacturing process of these components.

The manufacturing methods described in the above embodiments have been described using a camera as an example. However, it is obvious that this manufacturing method can also be utilized in other systems, that is, various electronic devices manufactured by assembling multiple parts.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera and its manufacturing method in which control parameters can be determined and managed in units of parts even if only one nonvolatile memory is mounted in the camera.

Claims (5)

1. An electronic device including a microcomputer, comprising:

a 1 st component on which the microcomputer is mounted;

a 1 st storage element mounted on the 1 st part for storing control parameters required for controlling the electronic device by the microcomputer;

a 2 nd member mounted on the 1 st member;

a 2 nd storage element mounted on the 2 nd component for storing identification information related to the 2 nd component; wherein,

the identification information in the 2 nd memory element is transferred to the 1 st memory element and stored in the 1 st memory element,

the 2 nd memory element accesses data in a non-contact manner using electromagnetic waves, the driving power of which is generated by the electromagnetic waves.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the identification information in the 2 nd memory element is transferred to the 1 st memory element after the 2 nd component is mounted on the 1 st component.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said 2 nd memory element is removable from said 2 nd component after transferring said identification information to said 1 st memory element.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the 1 st storage element is a non-volatile memory.

5. An electronic device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the 2 nd memory element is glued to the 2 nd part or is glued to a label and then hung on the 2 nd part.

Images