JPH08160517A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To surely recognize a reuse frequency by inhibiting the use of other persons, in a camera provided with a control means. CONSTITUTION: In the camera provided with the control means 20 executing various kinds of control required for photographing, even if a photographer tries to read out from the outside in a normal method, based on the completion of the photographing of the number of frames capable of being photographed on a film 13, the control means 20 inhibits operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera which exposes a film through a lens and a shutter, and more particularly to a camera which prohibits reuse after photographing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a camera is constructed by incorporating a lens and a shutter in a box-shaped package, and a film is pre-loaded inside the camera in a state in which it cannot be replaced by a user, and the photographing of the film is completed. Then, a film called a lens-equipped film of a type brought in together with a camera or a disposable camera has attracted attention.

This type of camera has many reusable parts because it is used only once by the user who purchased it.
From the viewpoint of resource saving and protection of the global environment, consideration must be given to recycling (a specific example thereof is described in JP-A-5-19419).

However, once used parts may be recycled many times, and the greater the number of times of recycling, the greater the chance of failure during use. Therefore, a proposal has been made to store the number of recycles in a built-in storage means, read this to grasp the number of recycles, and limit the number of recycles for recycling. An example thereof is shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-306627.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, although the number of times of recycling can be grasped, since it can be reused by a person (other person) other than a specific trader, it is possible to grasp it by oneself. I was able to do it, but I could not grasp how many times it was reused by others. For this reason,
There was a risk that a failure might occur during the reuse of the reused product.

An object of the present invention is to provide a camera capable of reliably grasping the number of reuses regardless of the user.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention as set forth in claim 1 is a camera equipped with a control means for executing various controls associated with photographing, and the number of photographable images with respect to the film. Means are provided for deactivating the control means based on the end of photographing of minutes.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the inactivating means is inactivated based on the input of preset specific information.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a camera having a control means for executing various controls associated with photographing and a film take-out detection means, the control means is disabled based on the output state of the film take-out detection means. A means for actuating is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the inactivation of the control means is released based on the input of specific information set in advance.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in a camera having a control means for executing various controls associated with photographing and a photographing end detecting means for detecting the end of photographing, based on an output state of the photographing end detecting means. Means for deactivating the control means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the release of the inactivation of the control means is performed based on the input of preset specific information.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in a camera equipped with a control means for executing various controls associated with photographing and a developing preparation detecting means for detecting a developing preparation state, an output state of the developing preparation detecting means is changed. Based on this, means for disabling the control means is provided.

According to the invention described in claim 8, the inactivation of the control means is released based on the input of specific information set in advance.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the control means of the camera is prohibited from operating based on this after the filming of the number of shootable images on the film is completed, by the normal method. Disable reading from the storage means from outside. This can prevent reuse by others.

According to the camera of the second aspect, only when the operation of the control means cannot be started by another person and the specific information (for example, the specific activation signal) is input from the outside. The operation of the control means is enabled. As a result,
A person who knows the specific information can operate the control means, and can obtain, for example, information on the number of recycles stored in the storage means.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the film take-out detecting means is turned on with respect to the control means of the camera, the control means becomes inoperative so that the external reading means cannot read out. become. This can prevent reuse by others.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the operation of the control means in the inoperative state is started by the specific information given from the outside. As a result, only the person who knows the specific information can operate the control means while making it impossible for others to start the operation of the control means.

According to the camera of the fifth aspect, when the photographing end detection means is turned on with respect to the control means of the camera, the control means is in an inoperative state, and it is impossible to read from the storage means from the outside. become. This allows
Reuse by others can be disabled.

According to the camera of the sixth aspect, the inoperative state of the control means can be released by the specific information provided from the outside. As a result, only the person who knows the specific information can operate the control means.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the developing preparation detecting means is turned on with respect to the control means of the camera, the control means is in an inoperative state, and it is impossible to read from the storage means from the outside. become. This allows
Reuse by others can be disabled.

According to the camera of the eighth aspect, the inoperative state of the control means can be released by the specific information provided from the outside. As a result, only the person who knows the specific information can operate the control means.

[0023]

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

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of a camera according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of the electric system.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a taking lens, 2 is a lens actuator for driving the taking lens 1, and a lens encoder for generating a lens position signal, 3 is a lens shutter, 4 is a photometric sensor for AE (automatic exposure), 5 is a lens for determining the light receiving angle of the photometric sensor 4, 6 is a block including a finder, 7 is a photoreflector for obtaining a signal for frame indexing, 8 is a film feeding motor arranged in a spool, and 9 is A gear train 10 for decelerating and switching between winding and rewinding is a rewinding fork.

Further, 11 is an outer frame formed by molding of plastic or the like, 12 is a back plate attached to the outer frame 11 by means such as adhesion, 13 is a film, and 14 is the film 13 with the tip of the film exposed. The film cartridges P1 and P2 are perforations provided on both sides of the film 13 at regular intervals.

Further, 15 is a hole for a release button provided at the right end of the upper surface of the outer frame 11, 16 is a release button provided in the hole 15, and 17 is a switch for instructing activation of photometry and distance measurement. (SW1) and 18 are switches (SW2) for starting the sequence of opening the shutter and feeding the film.

A printed circuit board 19 is mounted inside the back plate 12. In this way, the printed circuit board 19 is attached to the back plate 12
The reason for attaching to is to enable reuse. The printed circuit board 19 has a control means 20 for controlling various operations of the camera, a communication means 21 for communicating with an external device, a semiconductor memory such as DRAM, SRAM, E ² PROM, flash memory or a backup. A storage unit 22 using a semiconductor memory or the like with a battery is mounted.

The printed circuit board 19 has a connector CN.
1 is provided, and a connector CN2 is provided on the side of the back plate 12. The connectors CN1 and CN2 are electrically connected when the back plate 12 is closed. By allowing the printed circuit board 19 to be taken out from the camera, information can be reproduced externally. If you want to change the information during use, connect the external device and connector C.
Communication is performed by connecting N1. CO is a coil formed or arranged on the printed circuit board 19 so that communication with the outside can be performed by electromagnetic coupling.

Next, the configuration of FIG. 2 will be described.

Reference numeral 23 is a strobe circuit for driving the arc tube, 24 is a motor driver for driving the film feeding motor 8, 25 is a time measuring means, and 26 is a moving amount detecting means for the photo reflector 7 or the film 13. Film feed detection means, 27 is an auto iris means for determining the aperture and shutter speed according to the accuracy of the subject based on the output of the photometric sensor 4, 28 is a distance measurement means, and an auto drive for driving the lens actuator by the output of the means. Focusing means 29 is a shutter control means for driving the lens shutter 3 by the output of the auto iris means 27,
Reference numeral 30 is a film take-out detection switch. Also, 3
Reference numeral 1 is an information input means 31 composed of a personal computer or the like.

In FIG. 2, each means is an independent integrated circuit, but a plurality or all of these circuits can be integrated into one IC, which makes it possible to reduce the cost. . For example, Motorola I
If C "MC68HC11E9" is used, the control means 2
0, the communication means 21 and the storage means 22 can be integrated into one IC.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. In addition, "S" in FIG.
Means a step.

First, a specific activation signal from the information input means 31 via the coil CO of the communication means 21 or the connectors CN1 and CN2 (for example, the signal via the coil CO is a binary signal " The operation is started by communicating "1" and "0" and communicating the start signal of the information of the specific length of the binary signal (S30).
1). In this way, since the activation signal is specified, even if a person who does not know the content of the activation signal tries to start communication, it cannot be executed. As another activation method, for example, there is a method in which the switch 17 is pulled up, the switch 18 is connected to GND, and power is applied.

After the operation is started, the user releases the release button 16
When the button is pressed halfway (S302), the switch 17 is turned on. When this switch is turned on, the auto focus means 28 drives the lens 1 so as to perform focusing, and the auto iris means 27 sets the aperture and shutter speed to prepare for shooting. When the release button 16 is further pressed from this state, the switch 18 is turned on. When this switch is turned on, the shutter control means 29 operates, the lens shutter 3 is opened, the auto iris means 27 is closed at the shutter speed set, and the film surface is exposed (S3).
03).

Next, the remaining film number information stored in the storage means 22 is read out, and the presence or absence of the remaining film number is checked by the control means 20 (S304). When there is a remaining film number, the control unit 20 drives the motor driver 24 to rotate the film feeding motor 8 while the film feeding detection unit 26 monitors the film feeding, and winds the film 13 by one frame. And then stop (S3
05). Thereafter, the control means 20 executes a process of reducing the remaining film number stored in the storage means 22 by one frame. If the number of remaining films is 0, the process proceeds to step 307.

Further, the control means 20 monitors the operating state of the film take-out detection switch 30, and if this switch is on, it is judged that the film has been taken out (S306), and all the operations are completed ( S307). After the operation is completed, the operation cannot be performed unless the processing for starting the operation executed in step 301 is performed, and the reuse by another person can be prevented.

By the way, in this type of camera, the process of ending the operation is not always the same. For example,
When the film is taken out, it is not always taken out after the film is completely taken, and in many cases, the operation ends when there is a remaining number of films. That is, in addition to the end of shooting, there are conditions equivalent to the end of shooting, and these must be dealt with. Hereinafter, some of these cases will be described with reference to flowcharts.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a second processing example in the present invention. Note that, in FIG. 4, the same reference numerals are used for the same processes as those in the steps shown in FIG. 3, and thus duplicated description will be omitted in FIG.

The process in FIG. 4 is different from the process in FIG. 3 in step 401, and the operation ends when it is determined that “imaging is completed”. In order to detect the end of shooting, instead of the film take-out detection switch 30,
An “imaging end detection switch” (not shown) is provided.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a third processing example in the present invention. Note that, in FIG. 5, the same reference numerals are used for the same processes as those in the steps shown in FIG. 3, and thus duplicated description will be omitted in FIG.

The process in FIG. 5 is different from the processes in FIGS. 3 and 4 in that instead of steps 306 and 401, a “development preparation” determination process (step 501) is provided. This process is performed by detecting that the back plate 12 has separated from the outer frame 11. For this purpose, a "development preparation detection switch" (not shown) for detecting removal of the back plate 12 is provided in place of the film removal detection switch 30, and the control means 20 controls the back plate based on the switch-on. 12 is removed, that is, the development preparation state is determined.

In the above description, the processing is divided into each of the three cases, but all or two of the switches corresponding to each case may be provided and the corresponding processing may be performed. .

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a second configuration example of the camera according to the present invention. The difference of the present embodiment from the configuration of FIG. 2 is that the communication means 21 is removed and the switches 17, 1 are
8 is characterized in that the information input means 31 is connected through 8 so that the input information from the information input means 31 can be input through the switches 17 and 18. According to this configuration, the communication means 21 is not necessary, so that the configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. The information input to the switches 17 and 18 includes
Clocks, data signals, etc. are conceivable.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a third configuration example of the camera according to the present invention. The present embodiment is different from the configuration shown in FIG. 6 in that the shutter control means 29 can also receive information from the information input means 31. In this way, by increasing the number of input ports from the information input means 31, it is possible to make it difficult for others to reuse. In FIG. 7, the shutter control means 29 is used for input, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other members such as the control means 20 may be used.

[Correspondence between Invention and Embodiment] In the above embodiments, the control means 20 corresponds to the control means of the present invention, the storage means 22 corresponds to the storage means of the present invention, and the film take-out detection switch 30 is the main. It corresponds to the film removal detecting means of the invention.

[0047]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, in the camera provided with the control means for executing various controls associated with photographing, based on the completion of photographing of the number of photographable images on the film. Since the means for disabling the control means is provided, it is possible to prevent reuse by another person. In addition, it becomes possible to accurately grasp the number of reuses.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the means for disabling cancels the disabling on condition that the preset specific information is input, so that the person who knows the specific information can control the means. Can be operated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a camera having a control means for executing various controls associated with photographing and a film take-out detection means, the control means is disabled based on the output state of the film take-out detection means. Since the means for actuating is provided, it can be prevented from being reused by others. In addition, it becomes possible to accurately grasp the number of reuses.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the release of the inactivation of the control means is based on the input of preset specific information. Therefore, only the person who knows the specific information operates the control means. It will be possible.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in a camera including a control means for executing various controls associated with photographing and a photographing end detecting means for detecting the end of photographing, based on the output state of the photographing end detecting means. By providing a means for disabling the control means, it is possible to prevent reuse by another person. In addition, it becomes possible to accurately grasp the number of reuses.

In the invention as set forth in claim 6, since the release of the inactivation of the control means is based on the input of preset specific information, only the person who knows the specific information operates the control means. be able to.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a recyclable part is used, and a storage means for storing the number of recycles, a control means for executing various controls associated with photographing, and a developing device for detecting the preparation state of development are used. In a camera equipped with preparation detection means and capable of photographing only one film loaded at the time of shipment, means for disabling the control means based on the output state of the development preparation detection means is provided. Therefore, it can be prevented from being reused by another person. In addition, it becomes possible to accurately grasp the number of reuses.

In the invention described in claim 8, since the release of the inactivation of the control means is based on the input of preset specific information, only the person who knows the specific information operates the control means. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal configuration of a camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of an electric system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a first processing example of a camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a second processing example according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a third processing example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a second configuration example of the camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a third configuration example of the camera according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 8 film feeding motor 13 film 14 film cartridge 17, 18 switch 20 control means 21 communication means 22 storage means 26 film feeding detection means 29 shutter control means 30 film removal detection switch 31 information input means

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A camera having a control means, characterized by further comprising means for disabling the control means upon completion of photographing for the number of photographable images. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the inactivating means releases the inactivation on condition that preset specific information is input. 3. A camera having a control means for executing various controls associated with photographing and a film take-out detection means, wherein means for disabling the control means based on an output state of the film take-out detection means is provided. A camera characterized by. 4. The camera according to claim 3, wherein the release of the inactivation of the control means is based on input of specific information set in advance. 5. A camera comprising a control means for executing various controls associated with shooting and a shooting end detection means for detecting the end of shooting, wherein the control means is deactivated based on the output state of the shooting end detection means. A camera, characterized in that it is provided with means. 6. The camera according to claim 5, wherein the release of the inactivation of the control means is based on input of specific information set in advance. 7. A camera comprising a control means for executing various controls associated with photographing and a development preparation detection means for detecting a development preparation state, wherein the control means is disabled based on an output state of the development preparation detection means. A camera provided with means for activating. 8. The camera according to claim 7, wherein the release of the inactivation of the control means is based on input of specific information set in advance.