JP2888345B2 - camera - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a camera capable of changing the definition of an operation mode corresponding to a manual operation member of the camera.

(Prior Art) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-112724 proposes a camera capable of setting a normal mode. This is because, as the shooting condition setting, it is possible to specify a mode such as shutter speed priority, aperture priority, manual mode or the like as an exposure control mode, and a general mode including a combination of various conditions such as film sensitivity, shutter speed, and aperture value. Normally, photographing can be performed by setting arbitrary photographing conditions, and photographing can be performed by switching from the photographing conditions arbitrarily set by the switching means to the normal mode.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in this conventional technique, in the normal mode, a combination of a mode, a film sensitivity value, a shutter speed value, and an aperture value among a plurality of photographing conditions is determined, and the switching means collectively determines the combination. Thus, the operation mode is simply switched to the normal mode, and it is not possible to define the operation mode of each manual operation member. Therefore, the function cannot be changed for each manual operation member, and it is difficult to make the operation function suitable for the user's preference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and allows the user to freely define the functions of the operation members, so that the operation modes of the operation members can be limited to only those necessary for the user, thereby simplifying the operation. It is another object of the present invention to provide a camera which can be performed in a short time and which can be easily operated to meet user's preference.

(Means for Solving the Problems) A camera according to the present invention comprises a manual operation member for instructing a predetermined operation in accordance with an operation by an operator, and a definition means for defining at least one operation content for the manual operation member. And storage means for storing the operation content defined by the definition means, wherein the camera is controlled in accordance with the operation content stored in the storage means when the manual operation member is operated.

Further, in the camera according to the present invention, the manual operation member includes:
A plurality of manual operation members are provided, and an arbitrary operation content is defined for each of the plurality of manual operation members.

(Operation) According to the present invention, the user can freely define the operation content of the manual operation member of the camera, so that the function of the manual operation member can be limited to the function necessary for the user, and the operation is simple. In addition, a camera is provided which can be performed in a short time and which can be easily operated to meet user's preference.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of a camera according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing one embodiment.
A plurality of operation switches 1 are provided. The function of each operation switch 1 is defined using the switch definition means 3, and the definition contents are stored in the definition storage means 4. This definition content is an assignment of a switchable mode to each switch. When the switch input confirmation means 2 detects that the operation switch 1 has been operated, the camera mode setting means 5 sequentially switches the modes according to the contents stored in the definition storage means 4, and sets the mode of the camera.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of one embodiment. The CPU 11 composed of a microcomputer controls the operation of the entire camera, and the operation is started by a reset from the reset circuit 13. The reset circuit 13 generates a reset pulse when a battery is inserted and when a power switch is turned on / off.

E ² -PROM15 is the number of frames, the camera status data (in winding, rewinding secondary), abnormal data (fault point), adjustment data (shutter control correction data, auto focus correction data,
This is a non-volatile memory that stores data for each camera such as battery check data. Therefore, even if the battery is removed once for replacement, these data are valid. Further, the generation of the reset pulse from the reset circuit 13 is prohibited during the data writing to the E ² -PROM 15.

When the E ² -PROM15 the read mode, first DX code
Input from DX terminal 16 and CPU 11 via serial line
Is input to Subsequently, the data of the E ² -PROM15 is CPU11
Is forwarded to

The AF circuit (AFIC) 17 is, for example, a phase difference sensor, and supplies distance data to the subject to the CPU 11. When the photometric value is darker than a certain value, the CPU 11 turns on the auxiliary light lamp 18 in accordance with the operation of the AF circuit 17 to generate auxiliary light for distance measurement.

The E ² -PROM 15, the EXT terminal 19, and the AF circuit 17 are connected to the same serial line in order to effectively use the input / output port of the CPU 11, and exchange data with the CPU 11 by serial communication.

The operation switch group (SW) 20 includes various operation switches of the camera, and includes a release switch, a mode switch, and the like. The LED group 21 is an LED in the viewfinder, and includes LEDs for strobe light emission notice, focus indication, and the like. The LCD 22 is an external display panel on the upper surface of the camera, and displays the number of frames, a camera mode, and the like.

An interface (IFIC) 23 performs transmission and reception of signals with the motor driver IC 28 and the photometry unit 24, supplies power to the LCD 22, charges the strobe 35, checks the battery, and the like. In FIG. 2, the power supply is not shown. Further, the interface 23 is operated by a command from the CPU 11, and a shutter motor (Ms) 25, a winding motor (Mw) 26,
This interface has a decode function for selecting the zoom motor (Mz) 27, and the like. Note that the decoding function also includes switching between average photometry and spot photometry in the photometry unit 24. These motors 25, 26, 27 are driven via a motor driver 28 by a decode signal of the interface 23.

The shutter motor 25 drives a lens for automatic focusing during normal rotation, and performs shutter driving during reverse rotation. Here, it is assumed that a lens shutter is employed as the shutter. During auto-focusing, CPU 11 will forward the motor 25 to a target position determined by the calculation of the adjustment data of the distance data and the E ² -PROM15 determined by the AF circuit 17, drives the focusing lens. Here, the reset position of the focusing lens is confirmed by the ON state of the switch 29, and the lens position is confirmed by the number of pulses of the photo-interrupter 30 generated per unit movement amount of the focusing lens.

That is, the CPU 11 refers to the output of the photo-interrupter 30 to control the forward rotation, brake, and off of the motor 25, and stops the focusing lens at the target position.

Switch for resetting motor 25 during shutter control
It is confirmed in the ON state of 31 and is controlled so that a constant aperture waveform is maintained by changing the duty driving ratio according to the adjustment data of the E ² PROM 15.

The winding motor 26 performs film winding during forward rotation, and rewinds film during reverse rotation. The winding control of one frame of the film is performed by counting the number of pulses of the photo interrupter 32.

Photo interrupters 30 and 32 are shutter motor 2
5. It is turned on only when the hoist motor 26 is selected, and the outputs of the photo interrupters 30 and 32 are input to the CPU 11 after digitally removing noise through the IFIC 23. This is because if the outputs of the photo interrupters 30 and 32 are directly input to the CPU 11, an error may occur in the count value due to noise.

The zoom motor (Mz) 27 zooms the lens, and the zoom position can be known by the zoom encoder 33.

The date module 34 prints data such as date and time on a film. The strobe 35 is also connected to the CPU 11.

 FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the operation switch group 20.

The switch 81 is a release switch, which is a two-stage switch including a first release switch 811 and a second release switch 812. The second release switch 812 is turned on after the first release switch 811 is turned on.

Switches 82, 83 and 84 are first, second and third mode changeover switches, respectively. The first, second, and third mode changeover switches 82, 83, and 84 are switches for defining which mode in the mode changeover to be described later. The switch 85 is necessary when defining the mode changeover switches 82 to 84.

All of these switches are pulled up inside the CPU 11, and when the switch is off, it is at "H" level, when it is on, it is at "L" level.

FIG. 4 shows all modes of the camera. Each mode is CPU11
Is assigned to each bit of the RAM address MRAM in
When each bit of M is "1", the mode shown in FIG. If all bits are "0", the mode is the standard mode.

 FIG. 5 shows an example of the switch definition.

A mode in which the RAM addresses MODE1, MODE2, and MODE3 of the CPU 11 can be switched when the changeover switches 82, 83, and 84 are pressed, respectively, is defined.

As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the contents of MODE1 are bits 0,1
Since only "1" is set, each time the switch 82 is pressed, bits 0 and 1 on the MRAM are sequentially set (← "1"). That is, the switch 82 sequentially switches the standard, strobe off, and strobe on modes.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the switch 83 is pressed, the bits 2, 3, and 4 are switched, so that the standard, auto zoom 1, auto zoom 2, and infinity shooting modes are sequentially switched. .

In the case of the switch 84, as shown in FIG. 5C, the standard, continuous shooting, double exposure, and self-timer modes are sequentially switched.

Next, the mode switching procedure according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a subroutine "switch input" executed when any switch of the operation switch group 20 is pressed.

Subroutine "E ² -PROM read" in step 12 (11
(Figure).

In step 14, the state (level) of switches 811 to 85 is set to CPU
Capture within 11. After waiting for 4 ms in step 16, the state of the switches 811 to 85 is read again in step 18.

In step 20, these two read results are compared. If they match, the process proceeds to the next step 22, otherwise, it is determined that the switch is chattering, and the process returns to step 16 and waits for 4 ms. Read the switch status again. This 4 ms is a time for removing chattering, and the value is not limited to 4 ms as long as it is a time sufficient for removing chattering.

In step 22, it is determined whether or not any switch output has fallen, that is, whether or not any switch has been turned on. If there is no falling edge, there is no switch input and the process returns to the main routine.

If there is a fall, it is detected which switch has been pressed in steps 24, 28, 34, 38, and 42, and the following processing is performed according to the detection result, and then the process returns to the main routine.

If the first release switch 811 has been pressed, the subroutine "release processing" is executed in step 26 (see FIG. 8 (a),
(B)) is executed. If any of the changeover switches 82, 83, 84 is pressed, the variables M in the CPU are set in steps 30, 36, and 40.
After setting 1, 2, and 3 in the ODE, a subroutine "mode switching" (FIGS. 7A and 7B) is executed in step 32. If the definition switch 85 is pressed, step
At 44, a subroutine "switch definition" (FIG. 9) is performed.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show a subroutine "mode switching".
It is a flowchart of FIG.

In steps 50, 54, and 58, the value set in the variable MODE is determined, and accordingly, in steps 52, 56, and 60, the RAM address of the CPU 11 is determined.
The contents of MODE1, MODE2, or MODE3 are assigned to the variable DEF in the CPU.
Set to. If the value of the variable MODE does not correspond to any of 1, 2, and 3, the process returns to the main routine as noise.

In the following processing, “0” and “1” of each bit of the variable DEF are LS
Judge from B side, shift the bit of MRAM corresponding to the first “1” bit to the next “1” bit on the MSB side of DEF, MR
If there is no "1" in AM, "1" is set to the bit of MRAM corresponding to the first "1" bit of DEF. In other words, the mode setting (definition) is performed by sequentially changing the contents of the MRAM only in the bit range of "1" defined in MODE1 or the like.

In step 62, the variable Cyf is reset, and in step 64, the variables B and Ff are reset (← “0”). The variable Cyf is a flag for shifting “1” of the MRAM, the variable B is a variable for specifying a bit, and the variable Ff is a flag indicating whether or not “1” is defined in the MRAM, and becomes “1” when defined. .

In step 66, it is determined whether Cyf is “0” or “1”. If Cyf is “1”, it is determined in step 68 whether the B bit of DEF is “0” or “1”. If the B bit of DEF is “1”, it is determined in step 70 whether Ff is “0” or “1”. If Ff is "0", "1" is set to the B bit of the MRAM in step 72, and "1" is set to Ff in step 74. This is to prevent double setting of “1” by mistake.

If Ff is "1" at step 70, "0" is set to the B bit of the MRAM at step 78.

After step 74 or step 78, step 76
To reset Cfy.

If Cyf is "0" at step 66, it is determined at step 82 whether the B bit of DEF is "0" or "1". If the B bit of DEF is “1”, it is determined in step 84 whether the B bit of MRAM is “0” or “1”. If the B bit of the MRAM is "0", Cyf is reset in step 86.

If the B bit of the MRAM is "1" in step 84, "0" is set in the B bit of the MRAM in step 88, and Cy is set in step 90.
Set f to “1”.

After step 76 or step 90, step 80
In step 92, B is increased by 1, and in step 92, it is determined whether B is 8 or more. If not, the process returns to step 66. If it is not less than 8, it is determined in step 94 whether Ff is "0" or "1".
If Ff is “1”, the process returns to the main routine. If Ff is “0”, it is determined in step 96 whether Cyf is “0” or “1”. If Cyf is “1”, return to the main routine and return to C
If yf is “0”, Cyf is set to “1” in step 98, and the process returns to step 64.

The case where Cyf is “0” in step 96 is a case where all bits corresponding to DEF of the MRAM are “0”, and step 98
To set Cyf to “1” and return to step 64.
“1” is set to the MRAM of the “1” bit on the B side.

For example, if MODE2 “00011100” is set in DEF, M
If the initial value of the RAM is “xxx010xx”, go to step 92
B, Cyf, Ff, and MRAM change as shown in Table 1.

When the initial value of the MRAM is “xxx000xx”, B, Cyf, Ff, and MRAM change in step 92 as shown in Table 2.

When the initial value of the MRAM is “xxx100xx”, B, Cyf, Ff, and MRAM change in step 92 as shown in Table 3.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are flowcharts of a subroutine "release process", which is an example showing how the contents of the MRAM are used. This subroutine is started when the first release switch 811 is pressed.

In step 100, a subroutine "photometry" is performed to determine exposure conditions.

In step 102, it is determined whether or not the camera is in infinity shooting mode based on the 4-bit data of the MRAM. In the case of the infinity shooting mode, the AF data is set to Δ in step 104, and in the case of not the infinity shooting mode, a subroutine “ranging” is executed in step 106, and the AF data is set to the distance to the subject.

At steps 108 and 110, it is determined whether the mode is the auto zoom 1 or the auto zoom 2 mode based on the data of 2 or 3 bits of the MRAM. In the case of the auto zoom 1 mode, the ratio is set to 1 (bust) in step 112, and in the case of the auto zoom 2 mode,
In step 114, the ratio is set to 2 (full body image). Step 11
Zoom at 6,118 to obtain the above ratio.

In steps 120 and 122, the state of the release switch 81 is determined. If the first release switch 811 is off, it is determined that shooting has been interrupted, and the process returns to the main routine. When both the release switches 811, 812 are on, the photographing is started.

In step 124, it is determined whether or not the mode is the self-timer mode based on the 7-bit data of the MRAM. In the case of the self-timer mode, the process waits for 12 seconds in step 126.

In step 128, a subroutine "lens extension" is executed based on the AF data, and in step 130, a subroutine "shutter", that is, exposure is performed. 0,1 in MRAM
The strobe off and strobe on modes of the bit are referred to in the processing within this subroutine "shutter" to determine whether or not the strobe emits light.

In step 132, 2 based on the 6-bit data of MRAM
It is determined whether the mode is the double exposure mode. If the mode is not the double exposure mode, the subroutine "winding" is executed in step 134, and the routine proceeds to step 140. In the case of the double exposure mode, after the first image is captured, the process proceeds to step 140 without executing the subroutine "winding" of step 134, and after the second image is captured, the double exposure mode is canceled in step 138, and then The subroutine "winding" of step 134 is executed.

In step 140, it is determined whether the mode is the continuous shooting mode based on the 5-bit data of the MRAM. In the case of the continuous shooting mode, the flow returns to step 120 to determine the state of the release switch 81, and the continuous shooting is continued until the second release switch 812 is turned off.

 If the mode is not the continuous shooting mode, the process returns to the main routine.

As described above, all mode decisions are made at RAM address MRA
This is realized by referring to the data of each bit of M.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the subroutine "switch definition".

At step 150, the variable DEF for definition is reset, and at step 152, -1 is set to the bit variable B for definition.

Next, as in the case of switch input, steps 154-1
At 60, switch state is input except for chattering. If the switch 85 is off, it is determined that the definition is interrupted, and the process returns to the main routine.

At step 166, the state of the first release switch 811 is determined, and each time the switch is turned on, B is increased by one until the value of B becomes 7 at steps 168 and 170. When the second release switch 812 is also turned on, the DEF bit of the current B value is set to “1” in step 174.
Is defined. By repeating this, all bits of DEF are defined.

After all bits have been defined, press one of the changeover switches 82, 83, 84 in steps 178, 184, 188, and the values of the DEF just defined are defined in steps 180, 186, 190 for each switch.
Step 182 after setting to RAM (MODE1, MODE2, MODE2)
In running subroutine "E ² -PROM write", and stores the definition state of the switch to the E ² -PROM. Thereafter, the process returns to the main routine.

Here, it is needless to say that the definition switch 85 is not a switch, and may have a structure in which a short circuit occurs when a jig is attached.

Figure 10 is a subroutine "E ² -PROM write", FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a subroutine "E ² -PROM read". Subroutine "E ² -PROM read" is performed during on of the power switch, but to transfer the contents of the E ² -PROM in the CPU of RAM.

In the "E ² -PROM writing", RAM address in step 200
MODE1, MODE2, and transferred to E ² -PROM contents MODE3 serial, supplies a write signal to the E ² -PROM at step 202,
After waiting for a predetermined time in step 204, generation of the write signal is stopped in step 206.

In "E ² -PROM read" is, E ² -P in step 210
Reads the contents of ROM serially, RAM addresses MODE1, MODE2, M
Set to ODE3.

The present invention can be variously modified, and the changeover switches 82, 8
It is not necessary to provide all three 3,84, and for example, only the changeover switch 82 may be provided. FIG. 12 shows a RAM for defining the switch 82 in such a camera. In this case, each time the switch 82 is pressed, only the standard, auto zoom 1, and self-timer modes are sequentially switched.

Also, E ² -PROM it is of course well CPU embedded, and E ²
EXT is a means to write the contents of the switch definition to PROM.
It goes without saying that means for directly writing to the E ² -PROM using the terminal 19 may be employed.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, the definition of the mode changeover switch can be freely changed, so that several types of cameras can be handled by the same CPU, and the cost can be reduced. Also, only the mode frequently used by the user can be defined in any switch,
A camera with the best operability can be provided for each user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an embodiment according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the embodiment, FIG. 3 is a detailed view of an operation switch group, and FIG. FIGS. 5 (a), 5 (b) and 5 (c) are diagrams for explaining a mode defining RAM, FIGS. 6 to 11 are flowcharts showing the operation of the embodiment, and FIGS. Is a diagram showing a modification. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Operation switch, 2 ... Switch input confirmation means, 3 ... Switch definition means, 4 ... Definition storage means, 5 ... Camera mode setting means.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A manual operation member for instructing a predetermined operation in response to an operation by an operator; a definition means for defining at least one operation content for the manual operation member; and an operation defined by the definition means A camera, comprising: storage means for storing contents, wherein the camera is controlled in accordance with the operation content stored in the storage means when the manual operation member is operated. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said manual operation members are provided, and an arbitrary operation content is defined for each of said plurality of manual operation members.