JPH0262852B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to an automatic focusing camera, and in particular, information for performing focus adjustment and photometric values are stored for each of a plurality of subjects, and the focus adjustment is actually performed from the stored values. The present invention relates to calculating and controlling values used for exposure control and values used for exposure control.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional autofocus cameras are known to focus on a targeted subject and perform focus detection and photometry in the same area so that the subject is exposed to particularly appropriate exposure. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 129237/1983 states that focus detection and photometry are performed in the same area by performing photometry on each photodetector array on focus detection and averaging the brightness information to obtain a photometry value. The technology is described.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, conventional methods do not perform focus detection and photometry for a plurality of subjects. Therefore, in this conventional example, information for performing focus adjustment and photometric values are each stored for a plurality of subjects, and based on these stored values, values for actually performing focus adjustment and values used for exposure control are stored. No consideration was given to issues that arise when calculating values.

Now, let's consider a case where a certain piece of information is selected from multiple pieces of stored information for performing focus adjustment, and the value to actually perform focus adjustment is calculated based on this selected information. . At this time, if the photometric value corresponding to the information that was not selected is used to calculate the exposure control value, the value for which focus adjustment should be performed and the value for which exposure control should be performed will target different subjects. In this case, both focus and exposure are controlled based on different subjects, which is not preferable.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to select a certain piece of information from a plurality of pieces of stored information for performing focus adjustment, and to calculate a value for actually performing focus adjustment based on this selected information. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic focus detection camera in which photometric values corresponding to unselected information are not taken into account when calculating an exposure control value.

Means for Solving the Problems An automatic focusing camera according to the present invention includes a measuring means for obtaining information for performing focus adjustment on a subject, and individually storing a plurality of measured values measured by the measuring means. a first storage means for measuring the photometry of a subject existing at a measurement point measured by the measurement means; and a second storage means for individually storing a plurality of photometric values measured by the photometry means. storage means; selection means for selecting a measurement value for calculating a value to actually perform focus adjustment from among the plurality of measurement values stored in the first storage means; a first calculation means for calculating a value to be used for actual focus adjustment based on the measured value, and a first calculation means for calculating an exposure value to be used for exposure control from a plurality of photometric values stored in the second storage means. a second calculation means and a control means for controlling a photometric value corresponding to a measurement value not selected by the selection means so as not to contribute to the exposure value calculation in the second calculation means, and a photographing lens; A focus adjusting means for driving the photographic lens to adjust the focus based on the value obtained by the calculating means, and an exposure control means for controlling the exposure based on the exposure value obtained by the exposure value calculating means. It is characterized by this.

Effect: With the above configuration, certain specific information is selected from among multiple pieces of stored information for performing focus adjustment, and the value to actually perform focus adjustment is calculated based on this selected information. In this case, the photometric value corresponding to the information that has not been selected is not taken into account in calculating the exposure control value.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the automatic focusing camera according to the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail.

First, before explaining the specific configuration of an automatic focusing camera, a general method for determining the median value D based on the depth of field will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. For example, when focusing on an object located at distance D, the permissible focal range that can be recognized as sharp at the same time, that is, the near-side limit distance Dmin and far-side limit distance Dmax of the depth of field range, are calculated by the following formulas. It is required.

Dmin= ^Df2 / ^f2 +δF(D-f)(1-η)...(1) Dmax= ^Df2 / ^f2 -δF(D-f)(1-η)...(2) Here, D... Distance to the subject, f...lens focal length, δ...fxz ¹ = f/1500, F...lens aperture value, η...in normal photography η≒o, z ¹ = normally considered on the screen This is the resolution of the eye.

Therefore, if the subject is located between the distances Dmin and Dmax, conversely, by focusing at the distance D, it is possible to focus on both subjects located at the above Dmin and Dmax. .

This invention is based on the above-mentioned concept, and the distance D when the depth of field range is (Dmax-min), that is, the median value of the depth of field, is determined as follows.

From the above equations (1) and (2), Dmin−Dmax=f ² /f ² −δF(−f)(1−
η) −f ² /f ² +δF(−f)(1−η) =2Df ² δF(D−f)(1−η)/f ⁴ −{δF(D−f
)(1−η)}…(3) By rearranging this equation (3), we obtain 2/DD=1/Dmin+1/Dmax…(4), and further rearranging this, we get =2Dmin Dmax/Dmin+Dmax ...(5) Therefore, by the above formula (5), the nearest distance Dmin and the farthest distance Dmax where each subject is located
If this is known, the median value of the depth of field that can encompass it can be determined independently of the lens aperture diameter values F, ... δ, ... η.

Therefore, for example, as shown in Fig. 1, the nearest distance Dmin = 2 m where the objects are located, and the farthest distance Dmax =
At a position of 4m, the median depth of field is from the above formula (5): =2Dmin・Dmax／Dmin+Dmax=2.2.4/2+4=16/
6=2.666m. In the embodiment described below, this calculation of the median value is performed, for example, by an arithmetic circuit,
Arithmetic expression (5) at that time is given by the arithmetic instruction device.

However, the depth of field d ₁ and d ₂ at the farthest and nearest sides relative to the median in the figure are: d ₁ = -Dmin = δF ² / f ² + δF...(6) d ₂ = Dmax - = δF ² / f ² −δF …(7) As is clear from equations (6) and (7), the depth of field d ₁ , d ₂ depends on the aperture diameter of the lens aperture.
varies greatly, and depending on the set aperture value FN ₀ , the farthest and nearest distances Dmax and Dmin may or may not be included in the depth of field d ₁ and d ₂ at that time.

That is, as shown in Fig. 1, for example, when the aperture value is F5 or F6, the limit distance on the far side of the depth of field d ₁ or d ₂ is the farthest distance where the subject is located.
In cases equivalent to Dmax and Dmin, the aperture value is 5,
At the minimum aperture (diaphragm) side of 6, the depth of field
d ₁ and d ₂ become wider, and the farthest and near distances Dmax and Dmin
On the other hand, at the maximum aperture (open) side of the aperture value F5, 6, the depth of field _d1 , _d2 becomes narrower,
It does not include the farthest and nearest distances Dmax and Dmin above.

Therefore, in particular, the depth of field d ₁ and d ₂ are the farthest and nearest distances.
The following methods are used to detect cases where Dmin and Dmax are not included.

In other words, the depth of field based on the set aperture value FN ₀
Calculate the ranges d ₁ and d ₂ and check whether the depths of field d ₁ and d ₂ are larger than the distances D ₁ and D ₂ from the median to the nearest distance Dmin and the farthest distance Dmax, respectively. Compare and if d ₁ + d ₂ < D ₁ + D ₂ , then
Shooting at this time is stopped and a warning is issued. In the embodiment described below, the depth of field d ₁ and d ₂ are calculated by a depth of field width calculation circuit, and if the comparison result is d ₁ + d ₂ <D ₁ +D ₂ , then At the same time, a warning is issued by the comparison warning calculation circuit.

Further, FIG. 2 explains how to obtain the median value in consideration of the difference in exposure amount due to the strobe device. In Figure 2, find the distance corresponding to 1/2 of the exposure amount given to the subject located at the farthest and near distances Dmax and Dmin, that is, the median value, and focus on the distance of this median value. , Naturally, the farthest and nearest distance Dmax to the median value,
The idea is that the difference in exposure for objects located at Dmin will be equal.

The median value in this case is determined as follows.

In other words, each aperture value F ₁ , F ₂ and the difference in the number of aperture steps η 1 , η 2 for the subject located at the farthest and near distances Dmax and Dmin illuminated by a strobe device having a predetermined guide number ( _GNo = _K) is expressed as follows.

F ₁ = K/Dmin …(10) η ₁ = logF ₁ /log√2 …(11) F ₂ =K/Dmax …(12) η ₂ = logF ₂ /log√2 …(13) Therefore, both subjects 1/2 of the aperture step difference η ₂ − _{η 1} is the median and nearest distance Dmin or farthest distance
Since it is equal to Dmax and the number of aperture stages (=logF−logF ₁ /log√2), the following formula holds true.

2/1・logF ₂ −logF ₁ /log√2=logF−logF ₁ /log
√2...(14) 2logF=logF ₁ +logF ₂ Therefore, logF ² = logF ₁ +logF ₂ ...(15) Here, from the above equations (10), (12) and F=K/, log(K/D) ² = logK/Dmin・K/Dmax …(16) K ² /D=K ² /Dmin・Dmax …(16a) Therefore, =√・ …(16a) In the example below, this calculation of the median value is
This is performed by an arithmetic circuit, and at that time, arithmetic expression (16b) is given by an arithmetic instruction device.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 2, if the subject is at the closest distance Dmin=2m and the farthest distance
When the position is Dmax=4m, the median value of the exposure difference is √・=√2×4≒2.83m from the above formula (16b),
If the photographic lens is adjusted to this median value, the exposure differences ±α (Ev) will be equalized for subjects located between the farthest and nearest distances Dmax and Dmin.

As described above, the median value D based on the depth of field α and the median value D considering the exposure amount difference α are different from each other even if the farthest and nearest distances Dmax and Dmin of the subject are the same. They are different, and the photographer can make a selection depending on which one is more important.

Next, a specific configuration of an automatic focusing camera using the above principle will be explained with reference to an embodiment shown in FIG.

When the camera operator operates the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the focus memory mechanism 16, release mechanism 1, priority signal buttons 24, 60, 61, 62,
These are the AE and FM selection button 37, the manual cancel instruction button 36, and the cancel button 23.The configuration of each part will be sequentially explained below along with the operation with each related part.

First, a case will be described in which focusing is performed in consideration of the depth of field.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, in the case of normal shooting, the release mechanism 1, gate 2, distance measuring device 3, gate 4, memory circuit 5, cancel circuit 6, arithmetic circuit 7, gate 8, shift register 9, distance display It is composed of a device 10, a comparison warning calculation circuit 11, a distance calculation circuit 12, a lens drive control start circuit 13, a lens drive control completion detection circuit 14, and a shutter drive control start circuit 15.

In the above configuration, the gate 2 is now opened by the operation signal of the release mechanism 1, and the range finder 3 is activated by the signal from the gate 2, and the gate 4 is opened and detected by the range finder 3. The object distance is stored in the storage circuit 5 via the gate 4. Note that if the release mechanism 1 is returned to its original position in this state, the original position return signal a from the release mechanism 1 operates the cancel circuit 6, and the cancel signal b from the cancel circuit 6 causes the memory circuit 5 to be activated. Cancels the information stored in , and prepares for the next operation.

On the other hand, when the operation by the release mechanism 1 is further continued, the calculation start signal C from the release mechanism 1 is transmitted to the calculation circuit 7 for calculating the median value.
At the same time, stored information is inputted from the storage circuit 5 to the arithmetic circuit 7 via the gate 8 which is in an open state.

When the calculation start signal C is applied to the calculation circuit 7 and the calculation is started, the calculation circuit 7 applies an information stop signal to the shift register 9, and the signal from the shift register 9 closes the gate 8. The output of information from the memory circuit 5 is stopped.

The median output signal output by the arithmetic circuit 7, that is, the median output signal based on the distance measured by the release mechanism 1, is output from the distance display device 10.
is entered and the calculated median value is displayed. Also,
The median output signal is also input to a comparison warning calculation circuit 11 that calculates the far and near points with respect to the median value, and the comparison warning calculation circuit 11 advances the shift register 9 based on this input signal to sequentially read the stored information. Invoke and import. The comparison warning calculation circuit 11 receives information on the depth of field from the distance width calculation circuit 12, and within this comparison warning calculation circuit 11, the far and near point distances with respect to the median are calculated and stored in the storage circuit 5. It is compared with stored information to see if it is within the depth of field.
When the object is not within the depth of field, a stop signal is output to the lens drive control start circuit 13 to prevent the lens control operation, and a signal is also output to the distance display device 10 to ensure that the object is within the depth of field. A warning will be displayed to indicate that it is not included.

Note that, as described above, when distance measurement is performed using only the release mechanism 1, the stored information is = and is not related to the depth of field, so neither a stop signal nor a warning is displayed.

Further, the shift register 9 is incremented sequentially for the comparison in the comparison warning arithmetic circuit 11.
When all operations are completed, the shift register 9 sends a comparison completion signal to the lens drive control start circuit 13.
is output to. This lens drive control start circuit 13
When only the comparison completion signal is input, it starts operating and operates the photographing lens, and controls the photographing lens to the in-focus position in consideration of the depth of field based on the information on the median value. When the photographic lens stops, an output signal from the lens drive control completion detection circuit 14 is output to the shutter control start circuit 15, which starts controlling the shutter (not shown).

Next, a case will be described in which one focus memory mechanism 16 and one release mechanism 1 perform distance measurement calculations and control in consideration of the depth of field.

In this case, in addition to the above configuration, a focus memory mechanism 16, a shift register 17, a gate 1
8, memory circuit 19, gate 20, calculation instruction device 2
1, cancel circuit 22, cancel instruction circuit 2
3. Absolute priority signal circuit 24, memory display circuit 25,
It is composed of a gate 26, a cancel circuit 27, and a gate 28.

In this configuration, first, when the focus memory mechanism 16 is operated, the shift register 17 is activated and the gate 18 is opened, and the focus memory mechanism 16 is operated.
The distance measuring device 3 is activated by the final position signal No. 6, and distance information is stored in the storage circuit 19.

Next, the gates 2 and 4 are opened by the operation of the release mechanism 1, and the distance measuring device 3 is activated by the signal from the release mechanism 1, and the distance measurement information is stored in the storage circuit 5 by the operation of the release mechanism 1. Ru. Note that when the release mechanism 1 is returned to its original position, the cancel circuit 6 is activated as described above. However, the memory contents of the memory circuit 19 remain.

Furthermore, when the release mechanism 1 is operated, a calculation start signal C is output to the calculation circuit 7, and calculation of the median value is started. Distance information is input to the arithmetic circuit 7 from the memory circuits 5 and 19 via the gate 20, and an instruction signal d of a predetermined arithmetic expression is input from the arithmetic instruction device 21.

Then, when the instruction signal d corresponding to the above equation (5) is input from the calculation instruction device 21, the median value D is calculated based on the distance information from the storage circuits 5 and 19, and the distance The signal is output to the display circuit 10, the lens drive control start circuit 13, and the comparison warning calculation circuit 11. As described above, at the same time as the calculation starts, the gates 8 and 20 are closed via the shift register 9 to prevent information from being input to the calculation circuit 7 from the memory circuits 5 and 19.

When the output of the median value is input to the comparison warning calculation circuit 11, the shift register 9 advances and each stored information is input to the comparison warning calculation circuit 11. It is sequentially compared whether the depth of field is within the depth of field determined by the f...FNo of the lens.

In this case, when the depth of field is outside, the out signal is input to the distance display circuit 10 and the lens drive control start circuit 13 to display a warning, and the operation of the photographic lens is stopped.

Further, the comparison warning calculation circuit 11 receives an instruction signal d corresponding to the calculation formula for comparison from the calculation instruction device 21, and when the comparison with the distance information called by the shift register 9 is completed, A comparison completion signal e is input from the shift register 9 to the lens drive control start circuit 13. The lens drive control start circuit 13 receives the median output signal from the arithmetic circuit 7 and the comparison completion signal e, and when the out signal is not input from the comparison warning arithmetic circuit 11, the photographing lens operation is started, and the in-focus position, that is, the arithmetic circuit 7
The photographic lens is stopped by a signal from the camera. Stopping of the photographic lens is detected by a lens drive control completion detection circuit 14, and a shutter drive control start circuit 15 is activated to control opening and closing of a shutter (not shown). Further, the lens drive control completion detection circuit 14
As a result, the detection signal is input to the cancel circuit 23, and the information in the memory circuit 19 is canceled by the output from the cancel circuit 23, resulting in the next photographing state.

However, if the stored information does not fall within the depth of field with respect to the median value, the photographing lens will not start operating, making it impossible to take photographs. In this case, the out signal cancel instruction circuit 23 and the absolute priority signal circuit 24 function.

That is, when the focus memory mechanism 16 is operated and the subject distance at which the user absolutely wants to focus is stored in, for example, the memory circuit 19, its contents are output to the memory display circuit 25 and displayed.
At this time, if the absolute priority signal is output from the absolute priority signal circuit 24 by human operation, the gate 2
6 stops working. In addition, out when outputting the out signal
The signal cancel instruction circuit 23 is also manually operated to maintain the operating state.

Now, the median value is calculated by the calculation circuit 7 based on the information in the memory circuits 5 and 19, and the comparison warning calculation circuit 11 sequentially compares the median value output signal to see if it is within the depth of field. It will be done. In this case, when the memory contents of the memory circuits 5 and 19 both output an out signal, first, the memory circuit 5 is compared and an out signal is output, and the lens drive control start circuit 13 activates the photographing lens. is stopped and input to the cancel circuit 27. On the other hand, with the output from the comparison warning calculation circuit 11,
Activating the shift register 9, a signal indicating that a comparison is being made with the stored contents of the memory circuit 5 is sent to the cancel circuit 2.
7, the gate 28 is in the operating state,
The memory contents of the memory circuit 5 are canceled by the cancel information outputted through the gate 28.

Next, it is compared with the memory circuit 19 and outputs an out signal, but the absolute priority signal circuit 24 is activated and the gate 26 is closed by the absolute priority signal, and as in the case of the memory circuit 5, a cancel signal is output. It is not output to the memory circuit 19.

Then, the shift register 9 increments sequentially, and a completion signal from this shift register 9 is input to the out signal cancel instruction circuit 23, and a signal instructing the calculation of the median value is again input to the arithmetic circuit 7. The calculation is again performed based on the memory state stored in the memory circuit 19. Here, since only the memory contents of the memory circuit 19 are stored, the memory information of the memory circuit 19 = the median value,
It is possible to obtain a photograph in which only the desired subject selected by the user is in focus.

As described above, even if multiple subjects are not included in the depth of field, and shooting is interrupted and a warning is given, one of the subjects can be prioritized by manual operation, It is now possible to continue shooting.

In the above configuration, when distance measurement is performed using only one focus memory mechanism 16, the focus memory mechanism 16 is operated and the distance measurement device 3 is activated to output distance measurement information. Furthermore, since the shift register 17 is operating and the gate 18 is also operating, distance measurement information is input to the storage circuit 19. Information to operate only with stored information is artificially input from the focus memory mechanism 16 to the gate 2, and the gates 2 and 4 are inoperative.

If the release mechanism 1 is operated in this state, the operation signal is stopped at the gate 2 and the distance measuring device 3 is not activated. When the release mechanism 1 is further operated, the calculation start signal C is input to the calculation circuit 7, and the median value is calculated based on the information stored in the storage circuit 19. Here, if there is only one piece of memory information,
Storage information of this storage circuit 19 = median value,
The subsequent operation order is the same as that of the normal release mechanism 1, so a description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, when measuring distance using only a plurality of focus memory mechanisms 16, each focus memory mechanism 16
With this operation, the distance measuring device 3 is activated and outputs distance measurement information. At the same time, shift register 17 and gate 1
8 is also in the operating state, the distance measurement information is input to the storage circuit 19. Then, by sequentially operating each focus memory mechanism 16, the shift register 17 sequentially advances, each gate 29, 30, 31 is sequentially operated, and distance measurement information is sequentially stored in each storage circuit 33, 34, 35. do. It goes without saying that the release mechanism 1 prevents distance measurement information from being artificially output to the gates 2 and 4. Note that the calculation of the median value and the like are as described above, and furthermore, even when a plurality of focus memory mechanisms 16 and release mechanisms 1 are used together, it can be easily understood from the above explanation.

Furthermore, when an out signal indicating that the depth of field is outside is output from the comparison warning calculation circuit 11,
This is manually operated before shooting. When the out signal cancel instruction circuit 23 is operated, the out signal cancels the stored information in each of the storage circuits 19, 33, 34, and 35 that is not within the depth of field. When all the operations of the comparison warning calculation circuit 11 are completed, a comparison completion signal e is outputted, and the calculation is started again.
Based on the remaining stored information, the median value is output again from the arithmetic circuit 7, and the comparison warning arithmetic circuit 11
A comparison warning is issued, and drive control of the photographing lens is started.

The arithmetic circuit 7 outputs a median signal, and the comparison warning arithmetic circuit 11 does not output an out signal.
When the comparison completion signal d indicating that all comparisons have been completed is input from the shift register 9 to the lens drive control start circuit 13, lens drive control is started and the photographing lens is brought to the in-focus position based on the median value signal. A detection signal from the lens drive control completion detection circuit 14 activates the cancel circuit 22, canceling all stored information and driving the shutter to open and close. The configuration described above is included in the configuration shown in FIG. In addition,
The gate 2 is configured so that the distance measuring device 3 is not activated by the release mechanism 1 when a photograph is taken using only information from the focus memory mechanism 16. Further, if a manual cancel device 36 is added to the cancel circuit 22, it is convenient to cancel the stored contents when erroneous information is accidentally stored. This cancel device 36 can be simplified, for example, by having a configuration in which it also serves as an operating member for the battery check circuit.

Next, a case will be described in which focusing is performed in consideration of the exposure amount during strobe photography.

In this case, the above configuration is combined with a normal shooting/flash shooting selection device (hereinafter referred to as AE/Flash shooting selection device for simplicity).
(referred to as FM selection device) 37, aperture value FNo calculation circuit 38, guide number GNo information device 39, exposure amount width setting device 40, strobe interlocking external regulation circuit 41,
Aperture value FNo information device 42, photometry device 43, gates 44, 45...49, memory circuits 50...54, average exposure value v calculation circuit 55, brightness display device 56, gates 57...59, absolute priority signal circuits 60...62 Configuration is added.

In this configuration, first, the AE/FM selection device 37 is connected to the FM mode, and the AE/FM selection device 37 is connected to the FM mode.
The FM mode signal from 7 is output to the calculation instruction device 21, guide number GNo information device 39, and shutter drive control start circuit 15, respectively. The calculation instruction device 21 outputs a signal corresponding to the above equation (16b) to the calculation circuit 7.

In the arithmetic circuit 7, based on the above formula (16b),
One or more pieces of distance information output from the plurality of memory circuits 5, 19, 33, 34, and 35 correspond to 1/2 of the difference in exposure amount of strobe light between the farthest distance and the nearest distance to the subject. Calculate the median value. This calculated median value is calculated by the distance display circuit 10, the lens drive control start circuit 13, the comparison warning calculation circuit 11, and the aperture value FNo calculation circuit 38.
added to.

The aperture value FNo calculation circuit 38 calculates a flash automatic calculation formula (GNo=F×s) from the above median value and the guide number GNo information including strobe light amount information and film sensitivity from the guide number GNo information device 39. Based on this, the aperture value FNo at the median value is calculated and output to the distance width calculation circuit 12.

The distance range calculation circuit 12 calculates distance ranges on the near side and the far side corresponding to an exposure amount range of, for example, ±1Ev, centering on the aperture value FNo at the median value, and outputs the distance ranges to the comparison warning calculation circuit 11. The exposure width can be arbitrarily set by the exposure width setting device 40 according to the allowable exposure range of the film used.

On the other hand, the comparison warning calculation circuit 11 compares each difference between each distance information from each storage circuit 5, 19, 33, 34, 35 and the median value with the output information from the distance width calculation circuit 12, That is, it is compared and determined whether or not the distance is within a predetermined exposure amount width. If all of the differences are within the above distance range, the out signal is not output and the lens drive control start circuit 14 starts operating with the comparison completion signal from the shift register 9. A lens control operation and a shutter control operation are performed.

Note that at this time, the shutter drive control starting circuit 1
5 inputs the FM mode signal from the AE/FM selection device 37 and sets the shutter speed to synchronize with the strobe light emission operation.

Also, contrary to the above, any of the above differences,
If it is outside the above distance range, the comparison warning calculation circuit 11
An out signal is output from the distance display circuit 10 and the lens drive control start circuit 13, and along with the warning display, the lens control start operation is blocked.
However, as described above, when a specific subject is designated by the absolute priority signal circuit 24, distance information corresponding to that subject is left in any of the memory circuits 5, 19, 33...35. Therefore, this distance information becomes a median value and is output to the lens drive control start circuit 13, and thereafter, a lens drive control operation and a shutter drive control operation are performed based on this median value output signal.

Furthermore, the strobe interlocking external regulation circuit 41 uses the light emission amount and film sensitivity information output from the guide number GNo information device 39, and the aperture value.
The distance range of the strobe on the near and far side determined by the maximum F value (Fmax) and minimum F value (Fmin) of the photographing lens in use is determined from the FMo information device 42, and the exposure amount tolerance from the exposure amount width setting device 40 is determined by Regulations should be made taking into account the width. This regulated strobe limit distance range information is input to the comparison warning calculation circuit 11,
The comparison warning calculation circuit 11 performs the comparison warning operation within the regulated strobe limit distance range.

Therefore, if any of the above stored information is out of the strobe limit distance range that takes into account the allowable exposure range, the out signal from the comparison warning calculation circuit 11 will be used to display the distance as described above. The signal is output to the device 10 and the lens drive control start circuit 13, a warning is displayed, and the lens drive control start operation is blocked.

In addition, in connection with the operation of the autofocus mechanism 16, photometry is also performed simultaneously with the above-mentioned distance measurement operation, and volatility information for the subject is transmitted to the gate 45.
The data is stored in the storage circuit 50 via the.

When the autofocus mechanism 16 is operated multiple times, distance measurement and photometry are performed each time, and the shift register 17 transfers the brightness information of the multiple objects to each one via the gates 18, 29...30. The data is stored in memory circuits 51, 52, . . . , 54.

In this way, one or more pieces of brightness information stored in each of the storage circuits 50, 51, . be done. This calculation result is the AE/FM selection device 37 mentioned above.
Only when the AE mode is set, the shutter drive control start circuit 15 controls the shutter opening/closing operation based on the average exposure value v. This average exposure value v information is displayed on the brightness display device 56, and for example, this average exposure value v
If the shutter speed is slower than the predetermined shutter speed, an additional camera shake warning will be displayed.

Further, the memory circuits 50...54 cancel the distance information in the memory circuits 5, 19, 33...35 by the cancel signal from the cancel circuit 27, and also cancel the distance information in the memory circuits 50...54 paired with this distance information. Luminance information is also canceled at the same time.

However, as mentioned above, the absolute priority signal circuit 2
When any of the gate circuits 26, 28, 57...59 specified by 4, 60...62 is closed, both memory circuits 5, 19, 33...35 and 5
0...54 are not canceled and can be photographed only for the prioritized subject.

As described above, since it is configured to perform light metering simultaneously using the shift register 17 of the focus memory mechanism 16 in conjunction with the focus memory mechanism 16, it is also possible to meter the light of the main subject. At the same time, it is also possible to store brightness information. Further, by photometry, the average exposure value v for the subject and background can be calculated in the same manner as the autofocus mechanism 16 described above. By driving and controlling the opening and closing of the shutter using the average exposure value v, an unprecedented autofocus camera can be provided. moreover,
When an out signal is generated from the comparison warning calculation circuit 11, storage is canceled and the stored information is not inputted.

Effects of the Invention As detailed in the above embodiments, by using the automatic focus adjustment device according to the present invention, certain specific information is selected from a plurality of pieces of stored information for performing focus adjustment, When the value to actually perform focus adjustment is calculated based on this selected information, the photometric value corresponding to the unselected information is not taken into account when calculating the exposure control value, so focus adjustment is not necessary. The value to be controlled and the value to be controlled for exposure are the same for the subject. This is preferable because both focus and exposure are controlled based on the same subject.

Various embodiments of this invention are listed below.

1) It has a function of measuring the distances of multiple subjects with different shooting distances using an automatic focus adjustment device (AF device) and storing the measured distance values in memory, and also inputs the measured distance values to an arithmetic circuit and An AF device characterized in that an arithmetic circuit performs calculations to obtain a median value considering the depth of field of a plurality of measured distance values, and outputs the median value as a lens control position signal.

2) In the device described in item 1 above, each of the near point side and far point side of the depth of field determined by the focal length and aperture value information (FNo) of the lens based on the above median value. In addition to calculating the distance, each calculated value is compared with the stored value of each storage means, and if the distance is outside the depth of field or within the depth of field, a display or a warning signal is issued. Something to do.

3) The device described in item 2 above, characterized in that the aperture value information is a signal based on AEF information from a photometer at an initial stage of the release mechanism. .

4) In the devices described in Items 3 and 4 above, the camera release or lens start signal is deactivated by a display or warning signal when the depth of field is out of the above-mentioned depth of field. something that is characterized by

5) In the device described in item 1 above, the distance measuring device is activated by a signal from the release to store the measured distance value, and a calculation is performed using the measured distance value and the measured distance value stored in the focus memory. and outputs the median value of the depth of field.

6) In the device described in item 3 or 4 above, each comparison is performed sequentially and an operation completion signal is output upon completion of the comparison operation, and the output signal is used as a trigger for starting lens control. characterized by.

7) In the device described in item 4 above, an out signal and a signal for manually canceling out are output, and when both signals are input to the memory circuit, the memory is canceled, and the comparison operation is performed sequentially. When the operation is completed, a completion signal is outputted, and the median depth of field is calculated again using each memory value based on the completion signal.

8) The device described in item 7 above, characterized in that the output from the memory device operates a display device to display memory location information.

9) The apparatus described in item 7 above, characterized in that all memory functions are canceled by a lens control completion signal.

10) The device described in the above item 7, characterized in that an absolute priority device is provided so that when the device is operated, memory cancellation is not performed by an out signal.

11) In the device described in item 2 above, a device that simultaneously performs photometry and stores it in conjunction with a focus memory mechanism, and a device that operates a distance measurement device with a signal from the release and stores the measured distance value in photometry memory. Something that is characterized by something that has happened.

12) The apparatus described in item 11 above, characterized in that the average exposure value is determined by calculating the photometric memory.

13) The device described in item 2 above, characterized in that distance measurement by the release mechanism is prevented.

14) The apparatus described in item 7 above, characterized in that its photometric memory is also canceled.

15) The apparatus described in item 8 above, characterized in that the photometric memory is entirely canceled.

16) In a device that uses an automatic focus adjustment device (AF device) to memorize the distance of at least two subjects with different shooting distances, the light amount information (GNo) of the light emitting device is used. By presetting the film sensitivity to be used, the distance of the FM mechanism can be set based on the above information.

17) In the device described in item 16 above, the allowable exposure amount can be arbitrarily set in consideration of the film latitude of objects at different distances.
The feature is that the distance of the FM mechanism can be set.

18) The apparatus described in item 17 above, characterized in that a warning signal is issued when a subject falls outside the permissible exposure range.

19) The device described in item 18 above, characterized in that the warning signal disables the camera release.

20) In a device that uses an automatic focus adjustment device (AF device) to store distance measurement values for at least two or more subjects having different photographing distances, the information on the light amount of the light emitting device, the film sensitivity, and The device is characterized in that a warning signal is issued when the subject exceeds the far point distance determined by the aperture F value of the camera used.

21) The device described in item 20 above, characterized in that when the near point side does not exceed the far point distance, the shooting distance is set on the near point side.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a graph showing the median depth of field.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing the median value of strobe exposure, and FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram showing the structure of the present invention. 3... Distance measuring device, 7... Arithmetic circuit, 5, 19, 3
3, 34, 35... Memory circuit, 13... Lens drive control start circuit, 14... Lens drive control completion detection circuit, 38... Aperture value FNo calculation circuit, 43... Photometer, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54... Memory circuit,
55...Average exposure value calculation circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Measuring means for obtaining information for performing focus adjustment on a subject; first storage means for individually storing a plurality of measured values measured by the measuring means; and the measuring means a second storage means for individually storing a plurality of photometric values measured by the photometry means; and the first storage means. a selection means for selecting a measurement value for calculating a value for actually performing focus adjustment from among a plurality of measurement values stored in the memory; and a selection means for actually performing focus adjustment based on the measurement value selected by the selection means. a first calculation means for calculating a value to be used for the exposure control; and a second calculation means for calculating an exposure value to be used for exposure control from a plurality of photometric values stored in the second storage means.
a control means for controlling the photometric values corresponding to the measured values not selected by the selection means not to contribute to the exposure value calculation in the second calculation means; a photographic lens; A focus adjusting means for controlling the focus by driving the photographing lens based on the value obtained by the calculating means; and an exposure control means for controlling the exposure based on the exposure value obtained by the exposure value calculating means. An automatic focusing camera characterized by: 2. The automatic focus adjustment camera according to claim 1, wherein the first calculation means calculates a value for bringing objects present at a plurality of measurement points into the depth of field. 3. The selection means selects the depth based on the midpoint of the depth between the measurement value corresponding to the farthest object and the measurement value corresponding to the closest object among the measurement values measured by the measurement device. Individually determining whether the measured values stored in the first storage means fall within the depth when the focus is adjusted to the midpoint, and clearing the measured values that do not fall within the depth from the first storage means. 2. The automatic focusing camera according to claim 1, wherein a measured value for calculating a value for actually performing focus adjustment is selected.