JPH02242245A - Remote control device for camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a remote control device having high functional relativity with a camera main body by freely attaching and detaching a transmitter provided with an operation command means and a photographing information display means to the camera main body. CONSTITUTION:When the transmitter 10 is attached and integrated with the camera main body 1 through a bi-directional signal transfer means 9, the camera can be used in the same way as a general camera by the operation command means 13-17 and the display means 12 of the transmitter 10. The command means 13-17 area a shutter release button, a zoom switch, a stroboscopic mode setting button, an exposure correction button and a self timer button. When the transmitter 10 is detached from the main body 1, remote control that the transmitter 10 commands the operation of the main body 1 is accomplished. Since photographing information is displayed on the display means 12 of the transmitter 10, in the case, an operator performs a photographing operation in the same way as the usual operation of the camera.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a camera remote control device.

"Prior art and its problems" This type of remote control device basically includes a remote release signal transmitter and receiver, and this receiver is mounted on the camera body side and works in conjunction with the electromagnetic shutter to transmit the remote release signal. The receiver receives a remote release signal from the camera and releases the shutter.

As described above, in the conventional remote control device whose basic function is only the shirt release, the transmitter and receiver are provided separately from the camera body. In other words, when remote control is not being used, neither a receiver nor a transmitter is necessary, and the release is performed using only the camera body. When performing remote control, the receiver is attached to, for example, a hot shoe, the release cable is connected to the release socket on the camera body, and the operator then operates the transmitter when away from the camera body to release the shutter. do.

Furthermore, with conventional remote control devices, there is no way for the operator holding the transmitter to check the shooting information displayed on the display of the camera body, and the operator can check this shooting information from a distance from the camera body. Can not do it.

``Object of the Invention'' The present invention is based on the above-mentioned awareness of the problems regarding conventional camera remote control devices, and is characterized in that it provides a remote control device that has a higher functional relationship with the camera body. To provide a remote control device in which a transmitter is detachable from a camera body, becomes a part of the camera body when attached to the camera body, and operates as a transmitter when removed. A further object of the present invention is to obtain a device that allows camera information to be confirmed on the transmitter side.

"Summary of the Invention" The present invention provides a bidirectional signal exchange means between a camera body and a transmitter that is detachable from the camera body, and outputs a photographing operation command to the transmitter. An operation command means and a display means for displaying photographic information are provided, and the camera body is operated by the operation command means of the transmitter via the signal exchange means, and the camera body is operated by the operation command means of the transmitter via the signal exchange means. The camera is characterized by displaying shooting information from the camera body.

According to this camera, when the transmitter is attached to the camera body and integrated, it can be used like a general camera due to the operation command means and display means of the transmitter part. When the transmitter is removed from the camera body, the transmitter can be used to remotely control the operation of the camera body. At this time, this transmitter displays shooting information similar to that normally displayed on the display of a camera, so even when using the transmitter, the operator can operate the camera in the same way as normal camera operations. You can perform shooting operations intuitively.

The structure of the signal exchange means can be simplified if it is composed of an optical signal exchange means that transmits and receives information using optical signals. In other words, even when the transmitter is attached to the camera body and used, no connection operation for transmitting and receiving signals is required.

Furthermore, if the camera body and the transmitter are provided with a power supply means that is engaged when these are attached to each other and are integrated, and supplies power from the camera body to the transmitter, the camera body and the transmitter can be integrated. When this is the case, power can be supplied to the transmitter from the battery installed on the camera body side, which has a large capacity, so the life of the battery installed on the transmitter side can be extended.

"Embodiments of the Invention" Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the transmitter 10 attached to the camera body 1, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the transmitter 10 removed from the camera body 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the camera body 1 includes a back cover 2 that opens and closes when loading film like a normal camera, and a back cover release lever 3 that is operated when opening the back cover 2.
It is equipped with a finder 4 for checking the subject.

The camera body 1 further includes a guide rail 6 that serves as a guide when attaching the transmitter 10, a locking member 7 for integrally fixing the transmitter to the camera body 1, and a locking member 7. A lock release lever 8 is provided which is moved to a lock position and an unlock position.

The camera body 1 is provided with an information transmitter 9 as a means for transmitting and receiving signals with the transmitter 10. This information transmission section 9 receives a photographing operation signal from an infrared light transmitting/receiving element provided in the transmitter 10, and also sends a signal for transmitting photographing information to the transmitter 10 via this infrared light transmitting/receiving element. Infrared light transmitting/receiving elements 9A and 9B are provided as transmitting/receiving means. Further, power supply bins 9C and 9D for supplying power to the transmitter 10 are also provided. Note that one of the infrared light transmitting and receiving elements 9A and 9B is a light receiving element, and the other is a light projecting element.

The transmitter 10 transmits a photographing operation signal such as a shirt release signal to the camera body 1, and also includes a display unit 12 as a display means constituted by an LCD that displays photographing information from the camera body 1, and a shirt release signal. A shirt tally release button 13 that outputs a tally release signal, a zoom switch 14 that outputs a zooming amount adjustment signal, a strobe mode setting button 15 that outputs a strobe mode setting signal, and an exposure compensation button that outputs an exposure compensation signal. 1
6, and a self-timer button 17 that outputs a self-timer setting signal.

These shirt release button 13, zoom switch 14, strobe mode setting button 15, exposure compensation button 16, and self-timer button 17 constitute operation command means.

Furthermore, when this transmitter 10 is viewed from the wearing side, it has a configuration as shown in FIG. 2. That is, a guide engaging portion 18 that engages with the guide rail 6 of the camera body 1 is formed, and a contact surface that comes into contact with the information transmission portion 9 of the camera body 1 has a
Information transmission section 19 that exchanges signals with information transmission section 9
is provided. This information transmission section 19 is provided with infrared light transmitting/receiving elements 19A, 19B corresponding to the infrared light transmitting/receiving elements 9A, 9B on the camera body 1 side, and a power receiving land 19C119D corresponding to the power supply bottle 9C19D. ing. Note that one of the infrared light transmitting and receiving elements 19A and 19B is a light receiving element, and the other is a light projecting element.

The signals to be sent and received between the camera body l and the transmitter 10 are as follows:
Shooting operation command signals (for example, shirt release signal, zoom command signal, self-timer setting signal, etc.) from the transmitter 10 to the camera body 1, and shooting information (for example, a signal for the number of films used) from the camera body 1 to the transmitter 10. , film loading signal, focusing signal, etc.).

FIG. 3 is a detailed diagram of the connection state between the information transmission section 9 and the information transmission section 19 when the transmitter 10 is attached to the camera body 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an electrical wiring diagram on the transmitter side.

As shown in the figure, when the transmitter 10 is attached to the camera body 1, the infrared light receiving element 9A and the light emitting element 9B provided in the information transmission section 9 are It is located opposite to the external light projecting element 19A and the light receiving element 19B, respectively, and these elements transmit shadow operation commands and photographing information using infrared light. Moreover, the power supply bins 9C and 9D are urged in the protruding direction by a spring 9E, and when the transmitter 10 is attached, the power supply bins 9C and 9D are biased in the protruding direction by a spring 9E.
and 9D are in elastic contact with the powered lands 19C and 19D, and as shown in FIG.
Power is supplied to the CPU 30 and the step-down circuit 31 on the side. Note that the powered lands 19C and 19D are formed on the substrate 19E.

Moreover, when the transmitter 10 is not installed, the CPU
30 and the step-down circuit 31 are supplied with power from a remote control battery 32 via a diode D2. In this way, when the transmitter 10 is attached to the camera body 1 as shown in Fig. 2, the transmitter 10 becomes a part of the camera body 1 and is responsible for various operations and displays during shooting. Become.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the electrical parts of the camera body 1 and the transmitter 10 when signals are exchanged between the two, and FIG. 6 is a diagram of the electrical components of the camera body 1. , FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the electrical part of the transmitter 10.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the camera body 1 includes a CPU as a control means for controlling all operations of the camera.
40 and an infrared light receiving element 9A consisting of a photodiode.
An infrared light projecting element 9B consisting of an infrared light LED and an infrared light LED is provided. The infrared light projecting element 9B is driven by a driver 41 constituted by a switching element such as a transistor based on a command from the CPU 40, and the infrared light receiving element 9A is driven by a preamplifier 42 that amplifies the received signal and detects the waveform. The above signal is sent to the CPU 40 via the shaping section 43.
Output to. Note that the preamplifier 42 and the detected waveform shaping section 43 constitute a waveform amplification circuit 44. Also,
This CPU 40 includes a rewind switch 45 for rewinding the film, a zoom control section 46 for controlling zooming, a winding/rewinding control section 47 for controlling winding and rewinding of the film, and a flash for operating the flash. A control section 48, an exposure focus control section 49 that controls exposure and focus, a step-down circuit 50 that adjusts the voltage to a voltage that can be used by the CPU 40, and a clock signal generation section 51 that outputs a clock signal to the CPU 40 are connected. .

The CPU 40 is activated by operating the main switch 52, and gives various commands to these control units based on a photographing operation signal output from the transmitter 10, which will be described later. Furthermore, this C
Power supply bins 9C and 9D are connected to the PU 40.

On the other hand, the transmitter 10 has, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7,
A CPU 30 that controls this operation, an infrared light projecting element 19A made of an infrared light LED, and an infrared light receiving element 19B made of a photodiode are provided. The infrared light projecting element 19A is driven by a driver 35 composed of a switching element such as a transistor based on a command from the CPU 30, and the infrared light receiving element 19B is driven by a preamplifier 36 that amplifies the received signal and a detection waveform shaping device. The above signal is output to the CPU 40 via the section 37. Note that the preamplifier 36 and the detected waveform shaping section 37 constitute a waveform amplification circuit 38.

The CPU 30 includes a step-down circuit 31 that adjusts the voltage to a usable voltage, a clock signal generation section 33 that outputs a clock signal to the CPU 30, a display section 12, and various operation switches 20 that constitute operation command means. Powered land 19
C is connected. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the step-down circuit 31 is connected to a power-supplied land 19D via a diode D, and a remote control battery 32 via a diode D.
are connected to each other.

The operation of the remote control device having the above configuration will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 8 is a waveform diagram of carrier waves when transmitting and receiving signals, Figure 9 is a diagram showing signal waves and transmission codes, and Figure 12 and Figure 8 are diagrams showing one word of a transmission command. 13 and 9 are diagrams showing an example of a display displayed on the display unit 12. FIG.

The remote control device of the present invention can be used both when the transmitter 10 is removed from the camera body 1 and the camera is remotely controlled, and when the transmitter 10 is attached to the camera body 1 and used simply as an operation unit rather than a transmitter. Also, photographing operation commands and photographing information are transmitted between the information transmitting sections 9 and 19 as signal transmitting/receiving means based on signals as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

First, in order to transmit a photographing operation command from the transmitter 10 to the camera body 1, for example, 40
Ktlz, to output a carrier pulse signal with a duty ratio of 0.2, and to transmit these photographic information from the camera body 1 to the transmitter 10, a
Outputs a carrier pulse signal with a frequency of 0 KHz and a duty ratio of 0.2. Then, the signal wave is carried by a carrier wave as shown in FIG. 9, which is composed of such a carrier pulse signal,
Regarding the transmission code of the signal wave, one with a pulse width of 500 μs is determined to be 1, and one with a pulse width of 250 μs is determined to be O.

Therefore, for example, when the release is turned on using the transmitter 10, a unique signal corresponding to this release-on as shown in FIG. The CPU 40 of the camera body 1 decodes this signal and instructs the release operation, and the release is performed. After receiving this release signal, photographing information of the release operation, for example, a signal unique to this information as shown in FIG.
This information will be displayed on the display section 12 provided in the.

In this way, image manipulation command signals such as a shirt release signal, a zoom command signal, a self-timer setting signal, an exposure compensation signal, a strobe setting signal, and a photometry signal are output from the transmitter 10 to the camera body 1. . Further, the camera body 1 sends the transmitter 10 as shooting signals such as the number of film sheets, film winding, lens focal length, strobe status, etc.
The self-timer operating state, presence or absence of exposure correction, autofocus, focus lock, release operation, and battery warning are output, and these photographic information are displayed on the display section 12 as shown in FIG. 11.

In other words, the number of films is 50, the film advance is 51, the lens focal length is 52, the flash is 53, and the self-timer is 54. The presence or absence of exposure compensation is displayed as 55, and the battery warning is displayed as 56.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, in the camera of the present invention, the transmitter is removable from the camera body, becomes a part of the camera body when attached to the camera body, and operates as a transmitter when removed. This makes it possible to share the machine, resulting in a remote control device at lower cost and with less waste. In addition, since the transmitter is equipped with a display means, you can easily check the shooting information even from a distance from the camera, and at the same time, the image manipulation commands output from the transmitter are actually transmitted to the camera body. You can also check whether the

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the camera remote control device of the present invention, showing a state in which a transmitter is attached to the camera body, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which the transmitter is removed from the camera body. , Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the connection state between the information transmission parts when the transmitter is attached to the camera body, and Figure 4 is an electrical wiring diagram on the transmitter side when connected as shown in Figure 3. , Figure 5 is a block diagram of the electrical part when transmitting and receiving signals between the camera body side and the transmitter side, Figure 6 is a diagram of the electrical part of the camera body, and Figure 7 is a diagram of the electrical part of the transmitter. Part configuration diagram. Figure 8 is a diagram of carrier wave waveforms when transmitting and receiving signals, Figure 9 is a diagram showing signal waves and transmission codes, Figure 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of one word of a transmission command, and Figure 11 is a diagram of the waveforms displayed on the display. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display. 16: exposure compensation button (operation command means), 17: self-timer button 17 (operation command means), 19: information transmission section (signal exchange means), 40: CPU (control means).

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A camera body; a transmitter that is detachable from the camera body; a two-way signal exchange means provided between the camera body and the transmitter; a shooting operation provided on the transmitter; The camera body is provided with an operation command means for outputting a command; and a display means for displaying photographing information, which is also provided on the transmitter, and the camera body is operated by the operation command means of the transmitter via the signal exchange means, A remote control device for a camera, wherein the display means of the transmitter displays photographing information from the camera body via the signal exchange means. (2) A remote control device for a camera according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitting/receiving means is an optical signal transmitting/receiving means. (3) In claim 1 or 2, a power supply means is provided between the camera body and the transmitter, which is engaged when the two are integrated and supplies power from the camera body to the transmitter. Camera remote control device.