Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Mashio Kitaura

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Masaaki Nakai

Takanobu Omaki

Tadahiro Yoshida

Masayuki Nakasa

Yoshiiku Kikukawa

Norio Ishikawa

Seiji Yamada

Akihiko Fujino

Toshihiko Ishimura

Kenji Tsuji

Tsutomu Ichikawa

Ichiro Yoshiyama

Masayuki Yoshii

Yasuhiro Nanba

Akio Yamanishi

Koji Yamamoto

Nobuyuki Tanijuchi

A camera system including a camera body and a camera accessory attachable to the camera body, such as an interchangeable back lid, an interchangeable lens, a flash device and so on, is disclosed. In the system, a plurality of circuits provided in plurality of camera accessories are controlled by a microcomputer provided in the camera body. Data is transmitted between the microcomputer and the circuits using a serial data bus and synchronizing clock line connected therebetween. The circuit to receive the data sent from the microcomputer, or the circuit which should send the data to the microcomputer are selected by the microcomputer through chip select lines provided between the microcomputer and each circuit.

Camera system

Camera system having an accessory and being operable to prohibit a

A camera system including a camera body and a camera accessory attachable to the camera body, such as an interchangeable back lid, an interchangeable lens, a flash device and so on, is disclosed. In the system, a plurality of circuits provided in plurality of camera accessories are controlled by a microcomputer provided in the camera body. Data transmitted between the microcomputer and the circuits using a serial data bus and synchronizing clock line connected therebetween. The circuit to receive the data sent from the microcomputer, or the circuit which should send the data to the microcomputer are selected by the microcomputer through chip select lines provided between the microcomputer and each circuit.

A camera comprising a flash unit attachable to a camera body, a switching device and a control device. The flash unit includes a light emitter switchable between an emission permit state in which the light emitter is projected from a body of the flash device and an emission prohibit state in which the light emitter is retracted into the body. The flash unit further includes a control circuit for selectively placing the light emitter in the emission permit state and the emission prohibit state. A main switch is provided in the camera body to be switchable between a position for permitting a camera operation and a position for prohibiting the camera operation. When the light emitter is placed in the emission permit state when the main switch is switched to the position for permitting the camera operation.

Camera system with flash device

A camera system including a camera body and a camera accessory attachable to the camera body, such as an interchangeable back lid, an interchangeable lens, a flash device and so on, is disclosed. In the system, a plurality of circuits provided in a plurality of camera accessories are controlled by a microcomputer provided in the camera body. Data transmission between the microcomputer and the circuits uses a serial data bus and synchronizing clock line connected therebetween. The circuit to receive the data sent from the microcomputer, or the circuit which should send the data to the microcomputer, are selected by the microcomputer through chip select lines provided between the microcomputer and each circuit. The camera system is capable of coordinating flash mode and a bracket exposure mode. When the bracket mode is set, an exposure value for obtaining a proper exposure condition, a value for obtaining an over exposure condition by a predetermined exposure amount, and a value for obtaining an under exposure condition by a predetermined amount are each calculated for serially exposing a plurality of frames. Serial exposure of the frames is interrupted when a flash photographing mode is discriminated.

Camera system including exposure mode data back and flash accessories

From a data transmission device to a camera system including a camera and electronic flash device, operation instruction data such as set or calculated exposure control data, shutter release data instructing the operation of the camera system, flash emission testing data and the like are serially transmitted in the form of infrared light signal. When the reception of these data is completed, the camera starts its operation to control given operation of the camera system such as the exposure initiation of the camera, test light emission of the electronic flash device and the like in accordance with received data. Additionally, in the case where the data transmission device is an exposure meter which measures flash light and daylight, flash light emission operation or light emission interruption operation of the electronic flash device is controlled in accordance with the determination whether the exposure control data calculated and transmitted to the camera system is for the daylight photography or the flash light photography.

Data transmission system for a camera

A camera system including a camera body and a camera accessory attachable to the camera body, such as an interchangeable back lid, an interchangeable lens, a flash device and so on, is disclosed. In the system, a plurality of circuits provided in the plurality of camera accessories are controlled by a microcomputer provided in the camera body. Data is transmitted between the microcomputer and the circuits using a serial data bus and synchronizing clock line connected therebetween. The circuit to receive the data sent from the microcomputer, or the circuit which should send the data to the microcomputer are selected by the microcomputer through chip select lines provided between the microcomputer and each circuit.

Camera system with plural interchangeable accessories sharing a common

A photographic camera provided with a focus detecting system having a device for periodically sensing a focus condition of the camera to repeatedly produce a signal in response to every periodical sensing of the focus condition so as to effect the focus detection according to the signal from the sensing device.

Camera with an improved focus detecting system

A camera acoustic indicating device for indicating, by sound, attainment of an in-focus condition of a camera objective lens and warning possibility of a blur occuring exposure time due to low brightness of an object to be photographed. The sound for the in-focus indication is intermittently generated at a frequency higher than that at which the sound for the blur warning is intermittently generated. When the attainment of an in-focus condition is detected while the blur warning is being made, the warning is interrupted for a given time period during which the attainment of the in-focus condition is indicated for a short time.

Acoustic indicating device for cameras

An exposure time control device for a camera which measures the light reflected from a surface of a leading shutter curtain and/or a surface of a film can determine exact exposure time even if difference exists between reflection factors of the surfaces, by means of a simple construction including no special light measuring circuit other than a light measuring circuit originally provided for the exposure time control purpose. A first memory or storage capacitor memorizes logarithmically compressed output of the light measuring circuit fed through a first switch when the first switch is opened in conjunction with start of the leading shutter curtain travel while a second storage or memory capacitor memorizes the output fed through a second switch when the second switch is opened in conjunction with completion of the leading shutter curtain travel. An operational circuit combines the output of the light measuring circuit at a time of full shutter opening with the output in the second memory capacitor subtracted by the output in the first memory capacitor, producing a corrected output. A time count circuit controls timing of trailing shutter curtain release in accordance with the corrected signal.

Camera exposure time control device

In a camera shutter control system, film exposure is ensured even when object brightness is so high as to require a shutter speed faster than the maximum shutter speed available and at which shutter operation might not cause film exposure without the present invention. A delay circuit provides a delay in addition to the time provided by the shutter control circuit as a function of object brightness, and a delay control circuit actuates the delay circuit only when the object brightness exceeds a given level. An optional flash control circuit interrupts flash firing in response to the shutter closing signal of the shutter control system. In that case, the delay control circuit is disabled in response to the high brightness of the object illuminated by the flash light, by means of a low pass filter which does not allow the rapidly changing signal produced by the flash to be transmitted to the delay control circuit.

Growing community of inventors

Tondabayashi, Japan

Mashio Kitaura