JPH0418528A - Remote control optical signal reception equipment for camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the man-hour and the cost by internally providing a photodetector which receives a remote control signal from both of the object side and the eyepiece side. CONSTITUTION:The optical image obtained through a photographic lens 11 consisting of optical lenses 11a and 11b and a stop unit 12 is thrown to a half mirror 31 which reflects infrared rays, and a remote control optical signal as infrared rays obtained through the photographic lens 11 is reflected by the half mirror 31 and is received by a remote control photodetector 30. In this case, a remote control optical signal as infrared rays which is made incident on the inside of a camera through a finder optical system 37 is transmitted through a half mirror 36 and is thrown to the remote control photodetector 30. Consequently, the remote control is performed from both of the front side and the rear side of the camera main body. Thus, the man-hour of production is reduced and the cost is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a remotely controlled optical signal receiving device for a camera, and particularly relates to an improvement in the structure of a light receiving element for receiving a remotely controlled optical signal.

<Prior art> In recent years, remote control devices (hereinafter referred to as remote controls) that output remote control signals using optical signals such as infrared rays have been provided as accessories, and it has become possible to perform release operations etc. wirelessly from a remote location using the remote controls. Cameras designed for this purpose have been put into practical use.

In such a camera with a remote control, a light receiving section that receives a remote control optical signal from the remote control is provided on both the front (subject side) and rear (photographer side) of the camera, and remote control light signals are provided from the front and rear sides of the camera, respectively. A device configured to be operable has been proposed.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show examples of the external appearance of a still video camera equipped with light receiving sections for remote control on the front and rear surfaces of the camera, respectively, as described above. The camera shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is a still video camera that converts an optical image into an electrical image signal using an image sensor and records the still image on a floppy disk.

Here, on the front side of the camera body 1, a photographing lens 2 is provided at the center, and a grip portion 3 is provided at the end on the left side when facing the photographing lens 2. The grip part 3
A release button 4 is provided on the top surface of the camera. Further, on the upper front side of the camera body 1 between the photographing lens 2 and the grip section 3, a front side light receiving section 5 is provided which receives a remote control light signal from a remote controller (not shown).

On the other hand, on the rear side of the camera body l, a disk holder 6 for storing a floppy disk for image recording is provided and covered by an lI8 that is driven open by a release button 7. Beside the disc holder 6 is the camera body 1.
A liquid crystal display section 10 is provided for displaying operation information such as mode settings set by an operation section 9 provided on the top surface of the camera.

Further, an eyepiece lens 12a of the optical viewfinder 12 is provided at the upper center of the rear side of the camera body 1, and an opening/closing lever 14 of the eyepiece shutter of the optical viewfinder 12 is provided on the left side of the eyepiece lens 12a. A rear light receiving section 13 is provided on the right side to receive a remote control optical signal from a remote controller.

Note that 11 is a video output terminal for outputting an image signal to be connected to a television or the like during playback, and 15 is a strobe shoe.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> By the way, in the above-mentioned configuration in which the front and rear surfaces of the camera are provided with light receiving sections for recon light reception, it is necessary to provide a mechanism in which light receiving windows, etc. for remote control optical signals are provided on the front and back surfaces of the camera, respectively. In addition to requiring a large amount of space and being subject to design constraints, it is also necessary to individually adjust the sensitivity of each light-receiving section, which increases production man-hours and is disadvantageous from a cost standpoint.

The present invention has been developed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is not necessary to provide a light-receiving window exclusively for receiving remote control optical signals on the camera body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control optical signal receiving device that can receive a remote control optical signal with one light receiving element.

<Means for Solving the Problems> Therefore, in the remotely operated optical signal receiving device according to the present invention,
A light receiving element for receiving the remote control optical signal from both the objective side and the eyepiece side of the optical viewfinder is installed inside.

Here, the light receiving element may be configured to receive the remote control optical signal and also perform subject photometry.

Moreover, it is preferable to provide a sensitivity switching means for switching the light-receiving sensitivity of the light-receiving element.

<Function> According to this configuration, since the light receiving element that receives the remote control optical signal receives the remote control optical signal through the objective side and the eyepiece side of the optical viewfinder, a window is provided exclusively for receiving the remote control optical signal. Moreover, since the light receiving element receives remote control optical signals from both the objective side and the eyepiece side of the optical viewfinder, only one light receiving element is required to provide two signals to the camera. direction(
- It is possible to enable remote control from the front and rear surfaces of the camera.

Further, if the light receiving element is configured to perform subject photometry as well as receiving the remote control optical signal, the number of elements can be further reduced, which is advantageous in terms of cost and space.

Furthermore, by providing a sensitivity switching means for switching the light receiving sensitivity, it is possible to prevent the light receiving element from becoming saturated and become unable to receive light, and to make the receiving sensitivity of remote control optical signals from two directions different. can do.

<Example> The present invention will be described in detail below. In this embodiment, the camera is a still image configured to record a still image signal obtained by converting an optical image from a photographing lens into an electrical image signal by an image sensor such as a CCD on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk. Let's take a video camera as an example.

First, the overall configuration of the still video camera according to this embodiment will be schematically explained with reference to FIG.

An optical image obtained through a photographing lens 11 consisting of optical lenses lla and llb and an aperture unit 12 is focused on a CCD 13 as an image sensor.

The optical image formed on the CCD 13 is converted into an electric image signal and read out by a transfer pulse from the CCD drive circuit 14, and then sent to a process circuit 15 that performs processing such as color separation.
．． The data is recorded on the floppy disk 19 from the magnetic head 18 via the FM modulation circuit 16 and head up 17.

During reproduction, the changeover switch in the head-up 17 is switched to the FM demodulation circuit 20 side, the image signal recorded on the floppy disk 19 is read through the magnetic head 18, and the image signal is transferred from the FM demodulation circuit 20 to the encoder circuit 2.
A reproduced image signal is output from the video output terminal 22 via the video output terminal 22.

A system control circuit 23 with a built-in CPU controls a timing generation circuit 25 that generates drive timing signals for the CCD drive circuit 14, process circuit 15, etc. based on operation information from operation switches 24 including release and various setting switches. In addition to outputting a control signal, it also outputs a control signal for the changeover switch of the head amplifier 17 and a control signal for the servo circuit 27 that controls the motor 26 that rotates the floppy disk 19 .

The system control circuit 23 also controls the photometric element 28.
The diaphragm unit 12 is controlled by inputting a light amount detection signal from the control switch 24, and a predetermined display is displayed on the liquid crystal display section 29 based on information from the operation switch 24.

Further, a remote control light receiving element 30 that receives a remote control light signal (infrared light signal) from a remote control (not shown) is installed inside to obtain the remote control light signal from the optical system of the optical viewfinder, as will be described later. The system control circuit 23 decodes the remote control optical signal received by the remote control light receiving element 30 and executes a release operation or the like instructed by the remote control optical signal.

Next, the layout of the remote control light receiving element 30 in the camera, which is a feature of this embodiment, will be explained with reference to FIG. still,
In FIG. 1, the left side of the figure corresponds to the front side of the camera, and the right side corresponds to the rear side of the camera.

Here, an optical image obtained through a photographing lens 11 and an aperture unit 12 consisting of optical lenses lla and llb is first irradiated onto a half mirror 31 that reflects infrared light, and an optical image obtained through the photographing lens 11 is A remote control optical signal as external light is reflected by the half mirror 31 and received by the remote control light receiving element 30.

The normal optical image that has passed through the half mirror 31 is split by a beam splitter 32 into a CCD 13 imaging system and an optical viewfinder 33 system, and the optical image of the CCD 13 imaging system that has passed through the beam splitter 32 is sent to an optical filter 34. The image is formed on the light-receiving surface of the CCD 13 via.

On the other hand, the optical image of the finder 33 system split by the beam splitter 32 is
5, the optical image is branched onto the photometric element 28 and passed through the photometric beam splitter 35. The optical image is reflected toward the rear of the camera by the half mirror 36, and is obtained by the photographer with the photographic lens 11 via the finder optical system 37. You can now view the image.

Here, the half mirror 36 has optical characteristics of an optical low-pass filter that transmits a remote control optical signal, which is infrared light, and the finder optical system 37
A remote control optical signal, which is infrared light, enters the camera through the half mirror 36 and is irradiated onto the remote control light receiving element 30.

Therefore, the remote control light receiving element 30 is accessed from the front side of the camera body through the photographing lens 11 (through the viewfinder 33).
The viewfinder optical system 37 receives the incident remote control optical signal (from the objective side of the
It is configured to also receive a remote control optical signal incident through the viewfinder 33 (from the eyepiece side of the finder 33), so that remote control can be performed from both the front side and the rear side of the camera body.

In addition, since one remote control light receiving element 30 can receive remote control optical signals from each of the front and rear surfaces of the camera, the sensitivity of the two sensors can be reduced as in the case where sensors for receiving remote control optical signals are provided on each of the front and rear surfaces. There is no need to make adjustments, and the number of man-hours in production can be reduced, leading to cost reductions.

Furthermore, the finder optical system 3 that constitutes the finder optical system does not require a separate window for the remote control light receiving element 30.
7 (on the eyepiece side) and the photographing lens 11 (on the objective side), the remote control light signal is received from the front and rear surfaces of the camera body, so there is no need to provide a light receiving window exclusively for remote control light reception on the exterior of the camera, and the mechanical structure is simple. This saves space and eliminates restrictions on external design. In other words,
The still video camera shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 has an appearance in which the front light receiving section 5 and the rear light receiving section 13 are eliminated.

In the above embodiment, the angle of incidence of the remote control optical signals from the front and rear surfaces of the camera with respect to the remote control light receiving element 30 is 9.
Since it has a relative angle of 0°, it is necessary to use a remote control light receiving element 30 having a wide directional characteristic as shown in FIG. If the remote control light receiving element 30 is arranged so that the angle of incidence of remote control optical signals from two directions is 45° with respect to the 0° position, the remote control light signals will be incident from the front side and the rear side of the camera, respectively. The light receiving sensitivities of the remote control optical signals can be made substantially equal.

Further, the light receiving element 30 with strong directivity is used, and the configuration is such that remote control optical signals that enter from the front side and the rear side of the camera via the finder 33 optical system are both irradiated from the front side of the light receiving element 30. It is also possible.

In the above embodiment, the photometric element 28 and the remote control light receiving element 30
However, it is possible to provide the function of the remote control light receiving element 30 to the photometric element 28, reducing the number of elements to one, and such a second embodiment is shown in FIGS.
This will be explained below according to the figures.

In addition, in FIGS. 4 and 5 showing the second embodiment, the first
Elements that are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in the figures and FIG.

In FIG. 5 showing the overall configuration of the second embodiment, the feature of the second embodiment that is different from the first embodiment is the photometric element 28.
The remote control light receiving element 30 is omitted in this embodiment, but in its place is a photometric filter unit 41 provided in front of the photometric element 28 and a photometric filter drive circuit that drives and controls this photometric filter unit 41. 42.

This is because the photometric element 28 is sensitive to all wavelengths below visible light, so in photometry for normal photography, a filter is inserted in the optical path to the photometric element 28 to cut off the remote control light signal, which is infrared light. This is because it is necessary to prevent the remote control light signal from being photometered during photometry for normal photography.

FIG. 4(a) shows the mechanical layout in the second embodiment shown in FIG. On the way, the light is branched to the photometric element 28 by the photometric beam splitter 35, passes through the half mirror 4o, and is irradiated onto the photometric element 28 via the photometric filter unit 41. On the other hand, the optical image of the finder 33 system passing through the photometric beam splitter 35 is made to enter the finder optical system 37 via the pentaprism 43. Further, the light incident in the opposite direction from the finder 33 system passes through the photometric beam splitter 35, is split by the light receiving beam splitter 38, and is sent to the light receiving and reflecting mirror 39.
The light is further reflected by the half mirror 40 and irradiated onto the photometric element 28 .

According to this configuration, the finder optical system 37 (eyepiece side)
The remote control optical signal incident reversely from the pentaprism 4
3 and a light receiving beam splitter 38. Light receiving and reflecting mirror 3
9. The photometric beam splitter 35 also receives a remote control optical signal that is irradiated onto the photometric element 2B via the half mirror 40 and is incident from the photographic lens 11 (objective side).
Since the light is irradiated onto the photometric element 28 through the
This allows remote control optical signals to be received from both the front and rear directions of the camera. In other words, the element for receiving the remote control optical signal can also perform photometry. However, since it is necessary to cut off the remote control optical signal when determining the exposure as described above, a photometric filter unit 41 having a configuration as shown in FIG. 6, for example, is provided.

Further, since it is necessary to cut off the light incident from the rear surface of the camera during photometry, the configuration includes means for operating the light receiving and reflecting mirror 39 in synchronization with the operation of the photometry filter unit 41. As shown in FIG. 4(b), when receiving remote control light, the light receiving and reflecting mirror 39 takes the positional relationship 39a and reflects the remote control light to the photometric element 28, but when measuring light, it takes the position 39b and reflects the remote control light from the finder system 33. can be moved to a state where the incident light is not reflected.

In FIG. 6, a filter frame 46 supporting a photometric filter (infrared light cut filter) 45 is swingably supported with respect to the camera body, and is separated from the optical path to the photometric element 28 by a spring mechanism (not shown). Photometric filter 4
However, when the plunger 47 is turned on and the rond of the plunger 47 moves in the direction of the arrow in the figure, the filter frame 46 swings accordingly, moving the photometric filter 45 into the photometric element. It is inserted into the optical path for 28.

Therefore, when performing photometry for determining exposure rather than receiving a remote control light signal, by turning on the plunger 47, the remote control light signal (infrared light) is cut by the photometry filter 45 and a normal optical image is obtained. Only the photometric element 2
8 can be irradiated.

The photometric filter drive circuit 42, which controls the on/off state of the plunger 47, is controlled by the system control circuit 123, and is configured to withdraw the photometric filter 45 from the optical path to the photometric element 28 to receive the remote control optical signal. When the photometric element 28 receives a remote control optical signal such as a release operation instruction in the standby state, the system control circuit 23 determines this and instructs the photometric filter drive circuit 42 to turn on the plunger 47. Output and perform photometry. When the photometry is completed, the plunger 47 is turned off again to enter a standby state for receiving a remote control optical signal.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment which separately includes the photometric element 28 and the remote control light receiving element 30, the remote control light receiving element 30 is omitted because the remote control light signal is received by the photometric element 28. Since the remote control light receiving element 30 is configured to have only one light receiving element, the space for the remote control light receiving element 30 can be reduced, and the number of parts can be reduced.

By the way, if the amount of light incident on the remote control light receiving element 30 (or the photometric element 28 which also functions as the remote control light receiving element 30) is large, the element will reach a saturated state and it will become impossible to determine the reception of the remote control optical signal. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to switch the light-receiving sensitivity of the remote control light-receiving element 30 by a sensitivity switching means, and such an embodiment is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 7 shows the photometric filter unit 4 shown in FIG.
1, the optical path of the remote control light receiving element 30 (or photometric element 28) (for example, in FIG. 4(a),
The diaphragm is inserted into and taken out from the optical path between the half mirror 40 and the photometric element 28 in (b), and the frame 5 is provided with the diaphragm 52 by turning on and off the plunger 51.
3 swings, the aperture 52 is inserted into or withdrawn from the optical path of the remote control light receiving element 30, and when the aperture 52 is inserted onto the optical path of the remote control light receiving element 30, the remote control light receiving element 30 is irradiated. The amount of light decreases, resulting in lower light-receiving sensitivity.

In addition, FIG. 8 shows that a lens 54 is put in and out of the optical path of the remote control light receiving element 30 instead of the aperture 52, and the lens 54 is
4 is inserted, the imaging condition for the remote control light-receiving element 30 is deteriorated and the light-receiving sensitivity is lowered.

In this way, the remote control light receiving element 30 (or photometric element 2
If the light-receiving sensitivity of 8) is switched, it is possible to prevent the element from becoming saturated and unable to receive data, for example, when remotely controlling the camera outdoors in strong sunlight.

Note that the aperture 52. An ND filter (neutral density filter) may be used instead of the lens 54, and here the sensitivity switching means is the plunger 51. Frame body 53 and aperture 52. It is composed of a lens 54 (ND filter).

By the way, although the remote control light signal is incident on the remote control light receiving element 30 (the photometric element 28 in the second embodiment) from the front side and the rear side of the camera as described above, Due to differences in incident conditions with the rear side, it may be necessary to weight the light reception sensitivity of one side to account for the difference between the sensitivity to light incident from the front side and the sensitivity to light incident from the rear side. In this case, the above requirement can be met with a configuration as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 9, the remote control light receiving element 30 is an element having sensitivity characteristics as shown in FIG. Fixed. Here, the gear 61 meshes with a gear 64 that is directly rotated by a motor 63 via a gear 62, and by rotating the motor 63, the remote control light receiving element 30 is integrally rotated around the axis of the gear 61. If the relative angle between the incident light from the front side and the incident light from the rear side is 90°, then if the front side of the element faces the center, the sensitivity will be approximately the same. However, for example, if the motor 63 is rotated so that the front side of the element approaches the incident light from the front side, the sensitivity to the remote control optical signal incident from the front side will increase, and the opposite will occur. In addition, sensitivity to remote control optical signals from the rear side can be reduced.

Therefore, by rotating the motor 63, one sensitivity can be increased and the other sensitivity can be decreased, and remote control optical signals entering from two directions can be weighted arbitrarily.

In the above embodiment, the sensitivity switching means is the gear 6
1,62,64 and a motor 63.

By arranging a sensitivity switching means as shown in FIG. 7 or 8 in the path of incidence of the remote control light receiving element 3o from the front and rear directions of the camera, the sensitivity of the remote control optical signal in the front and back directions of the camera can be changed. You can also let it stand.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, a still video camera is used as an example, but other cameras using silver halide film may be used.

<Effects of the Invention> As explained above, according to the present invention, since the remote control optical signal is received from both the objective side and the eyepiece side of the optical viewfinder, the camera body is dedicated to receiving the remote control optical signal. There is no need to provide a light receiving window, and one light receiving element can receive remote control optical signals from two directions, so the space involved in receiving remote control optical signals can be reduced.
This has the effect that the external design is no longer restricted by the light receiving device, and the number of steps for sensitivity adjustment can also be reduced.

In addition, since the remote control optical signal is obtained and received from the optical system of the optical viewfinder, one light receiving element can receive the remote control optical signal and perform photometry, which further reduces the number of elements. be able to.

Furthermore, if a sensitivity switching means is provided, it is possible to avoid saturation of the light receiving element, and to weight the remote control optical signal depending on the incident direction.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a layout diagram of an optical system of a camera showing a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the camera shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a diagram of a light receiving element in the first embodiment of the same. A diagram showing directional characteristics, FIG. 4(a) is a layout diagram of an optical system of a camera showing a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4(b)
is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4(a), FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the camera shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the photometric filter unit in the second embodiment of the same, and FIG. and FIG. 8 are respectively perspective views showing an embodiment equipped with a sensitivity switching means, FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an embodiment in which the sensitivity switching means is used for weighting the light reception sensitivity, and FIGS. 1O and 11 are respectively FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional camera. 11...Photographing lens 13...CCD 30
... Remote control light receiving element 31.36 ... Half mirror 32 ... Beam splitter 33 ... Optical viewfinder 35 ... Beam splinter for photometry
37...Finder optical system 39...Reflection mirror optical filter unit 61.62.64...Gear 38...Beam splitter for light reception 40...Half mirror 41...Measurement 52... Aperture 54...Lens 63...Motor

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A remote control light signal receiving device for a camera that is equipped with an optical viewfinder and is remotely operated by receiving a remote control light signal from the outside, the device comprising: an optical viewfinder on the objective side and the eyepiece side; A remote control optical signal receiving device for a camera, characterized in that a light receiving element for receiving the remote control optical signal from both sides is installed therein. (2) The light receiving element receives the remote control optical signal and
2. The remote control optical signal receiving device for a camera according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to perform subject photometry. (3) Claim 1 or 2 further comprising a sensitivity switching means for switching the light-receiving sensitivity of the light-receiving element.
A remote control optical signal receiving device for a camera according to any one of the above.