JPH0782183B2 - Method and device for automatic determination and adjustment of shooting parameters of camera - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a processing unit for storing information data, controlling a camera mechanism and / or displaying their functions, and a photographic camera provided with an interchangeable lens group having an information element. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically determining and adjusting imaging parameters.

PRIOR ART In the conventional method and apparatus, the lens characteristics and characteristics (data) important to the shooting conditions such as initial diaphragm, maximum diaphragm, focal length, etc. are transferred to the processing unit on the camera side and are required there for film exposure. It is processed together with other parameters.

A conventional relay medium for this information is formed by mechanical components from which functional data is derived.

It is known from West German Laid-Open Patent No. 3,003,605 to electrically transfer each objective lens information to a processing circuit of a camera. According to this, in the circuit of the adjusting part that simulates information, a circuit part that mediates other information is provided. This information is transferred to the evaluation circuit of the camera. It is also well known to arrange multiple contacts on a lens and a camera so that data can be transferred between them via electrical conductors or non-conductors. This technology represents so-called contact-based information transfer.

In that case, as in the device shown in West German Patent No. Reduce sex. Furthermore,
The contacts must have good conductivity so that the transferred signal itself can be effectively processed by the coupling circuit. This presupposes all complex mechanical mechanisms. Moreover, relaying is limited to a few individual pieces of information.

Therefore, in JP-A-59-108628, a device is proposed, in which a replaceable lens barrel comprises a PROM or programmable fixed value memory, in which the information is in the camera casing. The information is entered so that it can be read from.

Multiple contact strips are eventually used to connect the objective lens to the camera housing, but this presents the same difficulties as described above. Furthermore, it has been found that the data relay device has the disadvantage that the objective lens thus equipped only obtains all its functional capabilities in combination with a correspondingly equipped camera.

For reducing the possible sources of error with respect to information relaying, West German Patent Publication No. 3,209,364 discloses that the transfer of information necessary for the determination of imaging parameters can be transmitted from the objective lens to the camera via a single contact. Proposed. In that case, the information is represented by a total quantity consisting of two variable parts of a range which reproduces the first and second segmented information and is transferred to the processing unit after separation by the separation unit.

The disadvantage of this device is that only one or at most two lens characteristics which are important for adjusting the shooting conditions can be transferred to the processing unit.

From German Patent Publication No. 3,227,404 it is known that a device in which the information supplied by an objective lens is transferred to a camera by means of only one contact. An active device is further provided in the objective lens, which converts the various parameters belonging to the lens into electrical signals and changes them so that they can be identified by the evaluation unit on the camera side. .

A drawback of conventional devices is that multiple information must be transferred from the lens to the camera in order to make the computational corrections of the various imperfections and value properties of the objective lens. This is conventionally done with multiple contacts or multiple serially read information.

OBJECTS AND EFFECTS It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for providing a camera with all the information necessary for taking a picture, with minimal relay costs. In particular, the disadvantage that each objective lens must have a memory (ROM) and this memory must contain all (but not necessarily) memory cells for information is also avoided.

Furthermore, the information (data) specific to the maximum number of lenses can be transferred to the processing unit on the camera side by the minimum number of contacts between the camera and the photographing objective lens. In that case, the device is characterized by simplicity and failure. In addition, a shooting lens equipped with such a relay device can be used in future cameras as well as in current cameras without impairing its function.
It can be used, for example, by maintaining a constant mechanical adjustment curve.

Configuration Regarding the method for stopping the electrical relay of individual information and automatically determining and adjusting the various types of imaging parameters described above,
This purpose is achieved as follows.

A) Each lens of the series of interchangeable lens groups is uniquely provided with a mark represented by an electric signal, and b) The actual value of the physical property of the objective lens necessary for the photographing conditions is electrically measured by the camera. Is permanently stored in the processing unit of c), the indicator is used to read this stored value, and d) the read value is processed in the processing unit together with the exposure parameters that depend on other shooting conditions.

The device according to the invention for carrying out this method comprises the following requirements:

A) Whether each lens of the series of interchangeable objective lens groups has a logic circuit that supplies an electric signal as a marker by joining,
Alternatively, the camera-side processing unit comprises at least one addressable logic circuit device known per se, which logic circuit device comprises at least one element for generating an indicator signal, which logic circuit device comprises: The actual values of the physical properties required for the shooting conditions are permanently stored as electrical signals, and c) the processing unit further has at least one intermediate memory, to which a beacon signal is supplied. Generating an address signal for reading the value of the objective lens used in each case stored in the logic circuit, d) An output circuit known per se is arranged after this logic circuit device, which output circuit The read value of the lens used at that time is supplied to the arithmetic circuit as an electric signal.

Preferred embodiments of the method of the invention and the apparatus for carrying it out are set forth in the claims 2-6 and 8-14.

The present invention will be described in detail below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 to 5, the boundary between the objective lens and the camera is given by the dotted line 1. Contact points above this dotted line
There are 2, 3 and 4 which connect the unit on the objective lens side to the processing unit 6 on the camera side, of which 2 is the feed contact, 3 is the relay contact and 4 is the ground contact.

The logic circuit 5 for generating the indicator signal shown in FIG. 1 is connected in front of the gates 7 and 8, the other gates 9 and 10 and the binary counters 11 and 12 and the gates 7, 8 and 10 which constitute the pulse generator. The impedances 13,14,15, the capacitor 16 connected to the gate 8, the capacitor 17 connected to the gate 10 and the binary counter 11
Switch switches 18 to 21 and 18 'to 21' and 22 to 25 and 22 'to 25'. These switches allow the markings of the lenses to be generated to be adjusted relative to one another by the combination.

The power supply voltage of the camera for the lens fixed to the camera
U _B is applied to the logic circuit 5 on the lens side via the feed contact 2. As a result, the potential at the output of gate 10 temporarily becomes zero, which causes the pulse generator consisting of gates 7 and 8 to stop operating. At the same time, the information content represented, for example, by the combination of the switches 18-25 and 18'-25 'corresponding to one lens group is collected and added to the counters 11, 12 for preliminary adjustment.

After the operating voltage is applied to the part consisting of the resistor 15 and the capacitor 17 connected to the gate 10, the pulse generator consisting of the gates 7 and 8 generates a pulse, and this pulse generates the relay contact 3
At the same time, it is relayed to the camera side processing unit 6.

Furthermore, this pulse is counted by counters 11 and 12. The output CA of the counter 12 produces a signal when the counter fully counts and this signal enters the pulse generator consisting of the gates 7 and 8.

For relaying lens information at relay contact 3, see Gate 26.
The pulse generator on the camera side, consisting of
To drive. When the digit becomes Q _D , the power supply voltage is applied to the lens side logic circuit 5 through the switch transistor 29 having the base connected to the voltage divider composed of the resistors 30 and 31 in the start phase as described above.

In addition, the output signal (Q _A
~ Q _D = 1) controls gate 32, which causes another counter 33 and 34 to be decremented (gate 32 = 0).

The subtraction of the counters 33, 34 (gate 32 ≠ 0) is followed by a relay phase in which the pulses generated by the lens-side logic circuit 5 for the relay contact 3 are put therein. An intermediate memory 35 connected next to them via the outputs Q _A -Q _D of the counters 33, 34 holds an indicator, which is stored there as soon as a signal occurs at its input "DATA-IN". It This signal is supplied from the arithmetic circuit 37 according to the counting state of the counter 28.

The output of the intermediate memory 35 is the address input A _{0 to} A of the MOS memory 36.
Connected to ₇ , this MOS memory electrically holds the actual values of the physical properties of the lens needed for the shooting conditions.

Input A of the MOS memory 36 from the arithmetic circuit 37 of the processing unit 6
A signal combination is placed at _{8 to} A ₁₀ , which determines either the stored characteristic of the lens, such as the maximum or minimum aperture or other information, selects it from memory 36 and outputs it. The calculation circuit 37 is used for the calculation via the circuit 38.

At the same time, the pulses on the counters 33 and 34 are also fed to their subsequent decoder circuits 39, 40 and display devices 41, 42 to display the indicia of the lenses used there.

FIG. 2 shows one modification. In FIG. 2, a slide register 74 is mainly provided in the lens side logic circuit 5,
This register is populated with the lenses used through switches 75-82. In front of the slide register 74,
An RC circuit including a diode 83, a resistor 84 and a capacitor 85 is connected.

The camera side processing unit 6 has an intermediate memory 35 and a MOS memory 3
6. In addition to the arithmetic circuit 37 and the output circuit 38, a slide register 57 is included. Further, the processing unit 6 includes gates 86 and 87 which form a pulse generator together with a capacitor 88 and resistors 89 and 90, and counters 91 and 92, which have logic circuits 93, 94 and 96 and resistors shown in FIG. Switch transistor 29 with 30,31 connects. Pulse generator 86
The -90, the counters 91, 92 and the logic circuits 93, 94, 96 form a control unit, which produces a set of eight clock pulses within a given time, which are directed to the feed contact 2.

By screwing the lens into the camera and connecting them, the connection to the power supply voltage U _B of the camera side logic circuit 5 is made. 8
The start of each clock pulse causes the slide register 74 to be energized via the diode 83.

The camera side slide register 57 is controlled by the logic circuit 96.

Input to the lens side slide register 74 after supplying voltage
The voltage at SL is within a short time (between 1 clock pulse)
To "0", so that the lens markings that are also inserted according to the switches 75-82 are collected in the slide register 74. By discharging the power supply voltage of the capacitor 85 to the 0 level, the marker of the lens is relayed in series from the lens side slide register 74 to the camera side slide register 57 through the relay contact 3 together with the clock pulse at the power feeding contact 2.

Subsequent processing of the lens marker in processing unit 6 is similar to that described with respect to FIG.

Pulse generators 86-90, counters 91,92 and gates 93,9
4,96 constitute a control unit of the processing unit. The course occurs in two phases: relaying the sign from the lens and reading the sign at the memory unit. During this relay phase, the output Q _{C of the} counter 91 and the output Q _{A of the} counter 92 have a "1" signal, so that 8 clock pulses occur at the output of the gate 93. The read phase of the indicator occurs during the remaining time, ie when the gate 94 has a "0" signal at its output. During this time, the arithmetic circuit 37 provides the "DATA-IN" signal to the intermediate memory 35, so that the indicator can be read into it.

The inputs D ₈ , D ₉ and D ₁₀ allow the arithmetic circuit 37 to determine which information of the lens should be read from the memory, and thereby calculate it with the other image data, and the result with the display device. Parameter control device and give.

As will be appreciated, the outputs 66-73 of the slide register 57 can be provided to other processing units apparent to those skilled in the art.

As another example, FIG. 3 shows an electrical device for determining the signal for the generation of a lens marker on the lens side. Third
In the figure, a multivibrator 97 is provided for this purpose,
An RC circuit composed of a resistor 98 and a capacitor 99 is connected to its input B, and its input A is grounded.

In addition to the switch transistor 29 including the resistors 30 and 31 shown in the previous figure, the intermediate memory 35, the MOS memory 36, the arithmetic circuit 37 and the output circuit 38, the camera side processing unit 6 has a gate 10
1, 102, a pulse generator including resistors 103 and 104 and a capacitor 105, counters 106 to 108 and another counter 109,
It includes 110 and gates 111 and 112 connected to it.
Further, the camera side processing unit 6 includes the light emitting diodes 115 and 1
It includes decoders 113 and 114 with an indicator, shown at 16, and connected to counters 109 and 110.

In the connected camera and lens, as described above, here, the lens side logic circuit 5 which is the multivibrator 97 is used.
Receives a voltage from the feed contact 2 if the counter 108 operates.

The pulse period of the multivibrator 97 is given to the camera side circuit 6 at the relay contact 3 and is converted into the counting content of the counter there. Therefore, the counters 109 and 110 are first subtracted by the output of the gate 111a (the output of the counter 106).
Q _A , the output Q _{D of the} counter 107 and the counter 108 are “0” signals).

A pulse generator consisting of gates 101 and 102, resistors 103 and 104, and capacitor 105 generates a pulse, which is generated by the counter 10
Enter 6 to 108. When the counter 108 now outputs, the counters 109 and 110 can count through the gate 112 during the operation phase of the lens-side multivibrator 97.

The count content reached after the pulse period in the counters 109 and 110 is further processed in the arithmetic circuit 37, as described above, or in the decoders 113, 114 and in the display unit 1.
Displayed through 15,116.

When the output Q _D of the counter 107 and the output of the counter 108 become the "1" signal (that is, the gate 111b = "1"), the relay occurs in the intermediate memory 35.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 for automatically determining and adjusting the photographing parameters in the photographic camera, only the condenser 99 is provided as the signal generating means in the lens, and in that case, the multivibrator 97 causes the camera side processing unit 6 to operate.
Can be located at.

FIG. 4 shows a modification of FIG. In the figure, in addition to the grounding contact 4 common to all the circuit devices described above, there is only one contact 117 through which power is supplied to the lens side logic circuit 5 and information is relayed from the lens to the camera. .

Therefore, the transistor 118 is connected to the multivibrator 97 on the lens side, the collector of which is connected to the resistor 119.
Its base connects to resistor 120.

On the other hand, on the camera side, a comparator 121 is connected in front of a gate 112 for controlling the counters 109 and 110, one input of which receives a power supply voltage via a voltage divider composed of resistors 122 and 123, and the other input It is connected to the collector of the switch transistor 29 via the resistor 124.

At the time of starting the device, power is supplied to the resistor 119 and the transistor 118 in the operation phase of the multivibrator 97. This voltage application causes a voltage drop in the resistor 124 on the camera side, which is detected by the comparator 121. The voltage pulse output from the comparator 121 is supplied to the counters 109 and 110. The count content is then further processed as described above.

In another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 5, the power supply to the lens side logic circuit 5 and the relay of information between the lens and the camera are as follows.
It is caused by only one contact 125. The power supply can of course be carried out via the contact 2.

In this case, the signal generating means on the lens side is essentially constituted by the variable capacitor 126. This may be used alone, but as shown in FIG. 5, a shift trigger circuit 128 temperature-compensated by a feedback resistor 127 can generate an electric signal indicating a lens marker.

On the camera side, a pulse generator including gates 129 and 130, resistors 131 and 132, and a capacitor 133 is provided for relaying a lens marker together with the counters 134 and 135 which follow it. The latter is connected to the arithmetic circuit 37 through the intermediate memory 35, the MOS memory 36 and the output circuit 38.

During the operating phase of the pulse generators 129-133, the pulses generated therefrom are counted by the counters 134,135. At the end of this operating phase, the counting contents are retrieved from the intermediate memory 35 after the activation of the delay device VG and before the counters 134 and 135 are decremented again.

The frequency generated at the contact 125 is determined by the capacitor 126 and the resistor 127. Therefore, it is within the scope of the invention to provide only the resistor 127 on the lens and the rest of the logic circuit on the camera.

In addition to detecting the resistance value that determines the sign via the frequency as described above and relaying it to the camera, for example, the voltage generated by supplying a constant current to the resistance is known as A /
It is also within the scope of the invention to add to the memory unit 35 via a D converter.

Since the costs required for relaying the lens markings are low, the present invention enables the formation of relay devices that operate with very high reliability. This can be accomplished by the use of an electrical memory that can be easily reprogrammed in the camera or can be easily replaced.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of a lens indicator signal generating circuit and a circuit for relaying the signal to a camera, and FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 show a lens indicator signal determining device and a camera. It is a figure which shows the Example of the circuit for the relay of the signal to. 2 ... Feed contact, 3 ... Relay contact, 4 ... Ground point, 5 ...
... Signal signal generating logic circuit, 6 ... Processing unit, 11,1
2 ... Binary counter, 13,14,15 ... Resistance, 18-25,18 '
25 '... Switch, 28,33,34 ... Counter, 30,31 ......
Resistance, 29 ... switch transistor, 35 ... intermediate memory, 36 ... MOS memory, 37 ... arithmetic circuit, 38 ... output circuit, 41, 42 ... display device, 57, 74 ... slide register

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-59-46633 (JP, A) JP-A-58-105139 (JP, A) JP-A-59-18935 (JP, A) JP-A-58-152226 (JP , A)

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A photography camera with an interchangeable objective lens group having a processing unit for storing information data, controlling a camera mechanism and / or displaying their functions and an information element, characterized in that: (B) Each of the series of interchangeable objective lenses is given its own mark represented by an electric signal, and (b) it is important for the photographing conditions of each objective lens. The actual value of the physical property is electrically stored in the processing unit on the camera side, (c) the above-mentioned sign is used to select the stored value, (d) the selected value depends on the shooting condition. Being processed within the processing unit along with a different exposure parameter. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the indicia of the objective lens is controlled by the camera and transferred to a processing unit of the camera when the lens is connected to the camera. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the relaying of the marking is performed in a time pulse manner. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indicia of the objective lens is represented as digital information. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indicator is represented by an analog electrical value. 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein several objective lenses of similar characteristics are treated equally with respect to some or all parameters. 7. A processing unit for storing information data, controlling a camera mechanism and / or displaying their functions, an interchangeable objective lens group with information elements, and at least one common camera and objective lens. A device for automatically determining and adjusting photographing parameters of a photographing camera equipped with a contact device having a ground contact of (a) a series of interchangeable objective lenses, each of which has an electric signal marked when connected. Each lens has at least one component that generates a beacon signal, and (b) the camera-side processing unit is addressable by at least one. This circuit device permanently stores the actual values of the physical characteristics of each objective lens, which are important for the shooting conditions, as electrical signals. The processing unit further comprises at least one intermediate memory, to which an indicator signal is supplied and an address signal is generated for reading the value of the objective lens stored in the logic circuit in each case. (E) One output circuit is connected to the logic circuit device, and the read value of the lens using this output circuit is given to the arithmetic circuit as an electric signal. 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the circuit on the lens side includes a switch that operates in a combinable manner and a counter connected to the switch. 9. A device according to claim 7, wherein the lens-side signal determining component comprises a multivibrator. 10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the lens side circuit includes a slide register that can be set by a switch that operates in a combinable manner. 11. A device according to claim 7, wherein the lens side includes active components for sign generation. 12. The contact device comprises at least one other than a ground contact.
A device according to claim 7 having a single contact. 13. The device according to claim 12, wherein a contact for supplying power to the lens side logic circuit for activation and a contact for outputting a temporal pulse are provided. 14. A contact according to claim 12, wherein there are contacts for storing clock pulses and for supplying a voltage, and contacts for relaying temporal pulses are arranged between the camera and the objective lens.
The device according to paragraph.