JPH02259632A - Remote control camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately take a photograph without losing a shutter opportunity by constituting a camera so that it can receive remote control signals from the front and the back of the camera. CONSTITUTION:A light receiving window 12 for receiving infrared light from a remote control transmitter 15 is provided near the central part of the front surface of the camera and a light receiving window 13 same as the window 12 is provided on the upper part of the rear surface of the camera. In the case of the reception of the remote control from the front of the camera, delay occurs from a time when the push button 15a of the remote control transmitter 15 is pushed till a time when a releasing action is started, so that a photographer can correct a posture for remote control operation during the delay and the can take a photograph in a normal posture. In the case of the reception of the remote control from the back of the camera, the releasing action is performed simultaneously with the remote control operation. Thus, a moving object is instantaneously photographed without blurring caused by the vibration of the camera without losing the shutter opportunity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a remote control camera that can be operated remotely using infrared light or the like.

[Prior art]

Remote control systems, which use infrared light and ultrasonic waves to remotely control televisions, audio systems, air conditioners, etc., have become popular, but recently remote control cameras have also become available (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-42627 and the same). 62-145232, etc.).

There are also models on the market that attach a remote control receiving unit to the camera that emits a signal to drive the release after receiving a signal from a remote control transmitter.

Using a remote control camera allows you to take pictures of a large number of people, such as in a group photo, or allows you to take pictures of yourself without having to rely on others when there are no other people around. This expands the possibilities for photography and doubles the fun.

By the way, conventional remote control cameras generally take pictures by sending a remote control signal from the front of the camera, but if we expand the possibilities of photography even further, we can take pictures of animals and children in their natural state without the other person noticing. There is also a desire to take pictures with the camera fixed on a tripod or the like while preventing camera shake, and a remote control camera seems to be able to satisfy these needs. To achieve this, a light receiving section similar to the light receiving section for receiving remote control signals from the front of the camera, which is conventionally provided on the front of the camera (on the shooting lens side), is also provided on the back of the camera, allowing the photographer to move from a distance behind the camera. Is it a good idea to receive the remote control signal when operating the remote control from a hidden position or without touching the camera?If you consider the situation during shooting, the photographer may operate the remote control while standing in front of the camera. When using a conventional remote control camera, there is a delay before the camera starts shooting after the remote control is operated, so that the camera is not photographed with the remote control transmitter facing the camera in order to operate the remote control. A time is set aside during which the photographer can correct his or her posture.

However, as mentioned above, in a situation where a photograph is taken from behind the camera by remote control operation, there is a risk of missing a photo opportunity if there is a delay time.

(Purpose and Structure of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to take accurate photographs by remote control operation from both the front and rear of the camera, and to achieve this purpose. In addition, the camera is configured so that remote control signals can be received from both the front and rear of the camera, and the release operation is delayed when a remote control signal is received from the front of the camera than when a remote control signal is received from behind the camera. .

(Example) The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of an embodiment of a remote control camera according to the present invention, in which (A) shows the front side of the camera, and (B) shows the back side of the camera.

Although it is called a remote control camera, its appearance is almost the same as a normal camera.The camera body has a photographing lens 2 in the center of the front, and a strobe light window 3, a finder window 4, and a pair of distance measuring devices at the top of the front. Windows 5a and 5b are arranged side by side, and between the pair of distance measuring windows 5a and 5b is a photometric window 7 and a self-timer lamp 8 that lights up when the self-timer is in operation.
and is provided. Furthermore, a release button 6 is provided on the upper end of the camera body.

Further, a back cover 9 that can be opened and closed for loading film is provided on the back of the camera body 1, and a display window 10 that displays the date on a liquid crystal is provided in the center of the back cover 9. Further, a finder eyepiece window 4' is provided at the top of the camera body l at a position corresponding to the finder window 3 on the front surface of the camera.

Up to this point, there is no difference from a normal camera.The remote control camera has a light receiving window 12 located near the center of the front of the camera that receives infrared light from a remote control transmitter 15 (see Figure 2), which will be described later. It differs from a normal camera in that a similar light receiving window 13 is also provided at the upper part of the back of the camera.

Figure 2 shows the remote control transmitter 15 used for remote control operation, and this remote control transmission! 115 can be removably stored in a recess 14 formed on the side surface of the camera body 1.

The remote control transmitter 15 has a push button 15a on one side, and when this push button 15a is pressed, a light emitting window 15b on the front side is opened.
Infrared light is projected from the front. The internal circuit of the remote control transmitter 15 and the infrared remote control signal are already known and are not the subject matter of the present invention, so they will not be described here.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a circuit built into the camera body of the remote control camera according to the present invention.

In the figure, 21 is a power supply battery for the camera, 22 is a power supply holding circuit that supplies a predetermined power supply voltage to each part of the camera, and 23
24 is a control microcomputer, and 24 is an activation switch that is linked to the release button 6 and the attachment/detachment of the remote control transmitter 15. When the release button 6 is pressed, the start switch 23 is turned on.
However, the power supply holding circuit 22 supplies a predetermined power supply voltage to the microcomputer 24. The microcomputer 22 outputs a self-holding signal to the power holding circuit 22 through the signal line A, and the microcomputer 24 itself controls the power supply, so that even if the start switch 23 is turned off, the microcomputer 24 maintains its operating state.

25a is a front remote control receiving circuit that receives a remote control signal from the remote control transmitter 15 through a light receiving window 12 provided on the front side of the camera, and 25b is a front remote control receiving circuit that receives a remote control signal from the remote control transmitter 15 through a light receiving window 13 provided on the back side of the camera. 26 is the camera body l
27 is an LED display in the finder that displays the results of photometry and distance measurement in the finder 2; 28 is the camera body; 1, an infrared light emitting circuit for emitting infrared light for distance measurement from a distance measurement window 5a provided at the upper front surface of 1;
AF that outputs distance measurement data according to the subject distance
30 is a lens drive circuit for moving the photographing lens 2 in accordance with the measurement results; 31 is a shutter drive circuit for opening the shutter; 32 is a winding/rewinding drive circuit for the film feed barrel; 33 is a control circuit; This is a self-display circuit for lighting the self-timer lamp 8 when the self-timer is set. Note that this self-timer lamp 8 also flashes just before the end of the remote control mode, but this point will be described later.

Next, explaining the switches, SL is a switch that is turned on when the shutter button 6 is lightly pressed. When turned on, the camera reads photographic information into the microcomputer and starts distance measurement and photometry. S2 is a switch that turns ON when pressed down further and starts the camera's photographing operation. 35 is a remote control switch that is turned on when the remote control transmitter 15 attached to the camera body l is removed from the camera body l. When this remote control switch 35 is turned on, the camera goes into remote control mode.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the normal shooting mode, which is not the remote control mode, will be explained.

When release button 6 is pressed and Sl is turned on (F-1
), photometry (F-2) and distance measurement (F-3) are performed.The remote control switch 35 is checked to see if it is ON10FF (F-4), but it is currently OFF (not in remote control mode). ) Go to step (F-8),
Displays photometry and distance measurement results in the viewfinder. To confirm whether the release is being operated according to the photographer's will, check ON10FF of switch S again (F-9), and then check whether switch S2 is ON (F-9). 10) If it is ON, determine whether the photographing lens 2 has been extended once (F-11); if the photographing lens 2 has not been extended, the photographing lens 2 is extended according to the distance measurement F-12) , drives the shutter,
The film is exposed to light (F-13), and then the extended photographic lens 2 is returned to its initial position (F-14).

Drive the film motor to wind the film (F
-15) Next, it is determined whether the remote control switch 35 is ON (F-16), but since it is not ON here, the sequence ends.

Next, the operation in remote control mode will be explained.

Steps (F-1) to (F-3) are the same as described above, or if the remote control switch 35 is ON in step (F-4), that is, in remote control mode, the remote control transmitter is used as the primary Check whether the remote control signal from No. 15 has been received (F-5), and if the remote control signal is received, perform a series of shooting operations, that is, the steps described above (F-11).
) to (F-15). After that, check 0N10FF of the remote control switch 35 again (F-16), and if it is still ON, set the 5-minute timer (F-16).
17), Continue remote control mode. Then, the loop formed by steps (F-18), (F-19), and (F-20) determines whether there is remote control reception during the 5 minutes (F-19) or whether there is a cancellation (F-20). ). In step (F-19).

When it is determined that there is a remote control reception, next, it is determined whether the reception is from the front or the rear of the camera, based on whether the reception is from the front remote control receiving circuit 25a or the rear remote control receiving circuit 25b. (F-21) As a result, if the remote control is received from in front of the camera, set a delay time of 2 seconds (F-22) and proceed from steps (F-2) to (F-5), and from there Further step (F-t
The process advances to steps B through F-15), where a series of photographing operations are performed.

If it is determined in step (F-21) that the remote control has been received from behind the camera, the process immediately returns to step (F-2) without setting a delay time, and a series of photographing operations similar to those described above are performed.

In this way, if the remote control is received from in front of the camera,
There is a two-second delay between when the push button 15a of the remote control transmitter 15 is pressed and when the shooting operation, specifically the release operation, starts, so during this time the photographer can correct his or her posture when operating the remote control, and the operation is normal. You can take pictures in a certain posture,
If the remote control is received from the rear of the camera, the release operation is performed at the same time as the remote control operation, allowing you to instantly photograph moving subjects such as animals and children without losing a photo opportunity without being shaken by the camera. Note that the delay time does not need to be limited to that in the above embodiment, and may be arbitrarily set by providing means for making the delay time variable as necessary.

In this embodiment, even after a series of photographing operations using the remote control is completed, if the remote control mode is still active, the 5-minute timer is set again (F-17).

If the remote control is canceled in step (F-20), the sequence ends. In remote control mode, attach the remote control transmitter 15 to the camera body 1 (that is, set the remote control switch 35 to 0FF), or press the release button 6.
It will be canceled when the shooting is finished.

Now, when the 5-minute timer period has elapsed, a 30-second timer is set (F-23), and the self-timer lamp 8 provided on the front of the camera body l blinks to notify you that the remote control mode is about to end. carried out (F-24),
Then, through a loop of steps (F-25) and (F-26), it is checked whether there is any remote control reception during these 30 seconds. If there is remote control reception (F-26),
Step (F-17) is reached and the 5-minute timer is set again, but if no remote control is received, the sequence ends.

By the way, when the light receiving sections for receiving remote control signals are provided separately on the front and back surfaces of the camera as in the above embodiment, it is preferable to consider the following points.

(1) When operating the remote control from the front of the camera, the photographer is often within the shooting field of view, but when operating the remote control from behind the camera, the photographer is not necessarily directly behind the camera.

(2) Most photographs are taken with sunlight shining on the back of the camera and the subject being illuminated (frontlight photography).

Considering the above (1), as shown in FIG. 5(A), the light receiving element 13 is
It is preferable that the angle θb formed by the guide wall 16b of the infrared light reaching the camera is selected to be larger than the angle θ formed by the guide wall 16a of the light receiving window 12 provided in the front of the camera (θ5>θ).

θ1 may be selected to be slightly wider than the photographing angle of view (for example, 57° for a photographing lens with a focal length of 40 mm, and 30° for a photographic lens with 80 layers).

By doing so, the remote control operation from the rear of the camera can be performed from a wide range even if the photographer shifts in the lateral direction of the camera.

On the other hand, considering (2) above, regarding the vertical direction of the camera, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to install it slightly lower than the light shielding member 17a provided immediately inside the light receiving window 12.

By doing this, direct sunlight that hits from behind the camera during front-light photography is difficult to enter the light receiving element 13b, and the amount of light received by the light receiving element is saturated due to the infrared component contained in the sunlight, and the remote control signal is not transmitted. The camera will never stop working even if the camera receives an error message.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show other examples for shielding the remote control light-receiving element from light, and these can be applied to the front of the camera and the back of the camera as necessary.

In the example shown in Fig. ggG, a light-shielding plate 18 that can be rotated about point B is provided inside the camera body l, and when the opening/closing lever 19 provided on the surface of the camera body l is operated in the closing direction shown by the arrow. The light shielding plate 18 rotates to close the light receiving window 13. This can prevent direct light from the sun from entering the light receiving window 13 and causing the remote control to malfunction.

In FIG. 7, a rotatable disk 20 with a square hole 20a is provided inside the camera body 1.
The disc 20 is appropriately rotated by hand depending on the horizontal position to prevent direct sunlight from entering the light receiving window 13, thereby preventing malfunction of the remote control.

Various other light shielding members can be considered, such as providing an open/close type cover or a sliding type cover on the camera body l.

In the above embodiment, the remote control light receiving sections are provided separately on the front and back sides of the camera body.The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the remote control light receiving sections are provided in a form that protrudes from the top of the camera body. may be provided integrally, or may be provided in two stages, upper and lower.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention is configured to receive remote control signals from the front and rear of the camera, so it is possible to take pictures remotely not only from the front of the camera but also from the rear. You can instantly take pictures of moving subjects such as animals without letting the other person notice and without camera shake. This allows you to accurately capture natural images without missing any photo opportunities.

Furthermore, by setting a difference in the time required to start the release operation between the remote control operation from the front of the camera and the remote control operation from the rear, the desired and accurate photograph can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of an embodiment of a remote control camera according to the present invention, (A) is a front view of the camera, (B) is a rear view of the camera, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a remote control transmitter. ,
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of one embodiment of the remote control camera according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the remote control camera according to the present invention, and FIGS. 5 (a) and (b) are the remote control 6 and 7, which are plan and side schematic diagrams showing the structure for blocking light from the signal light receiving section, are two different examples showing the structure for blocking light from sunlight. ■...Camera body, 12.13-...Remote control signal receiving window, 15...Remote control transmitter Figure 5

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A remote control camera characterized by having a light receiving section that receives a remote control signal from the front of the camera and a remote control signal from the rear of the camera. (2) The remote control camera according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving section is provided on the front and back sides of the camera body, respectively. (3) The remote control camera according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a release control means for delaying the release operation when a remote control signal from the front of the camera is received than when a remote control signal from the rear of the camera is received.