Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Sinji Urata

Masahiro Kawasaki

Eiichi Tano

A device for controlling a camera according to whether or not a flashgun is mounted on the camera and whether or not the flashgun is charged. The camera operation may be an electrically controlling an automatic shutter operation or a manual shutter operation. An input terminal transmits a charge signal of the flashgun and a detection switch determines whether or not the flashgun is mounted on the camera. In a first state in which a flashgun with a charge signal terminal is mounted on the camera but the flashgun is not charged yet, the detection switch is turned on or off. A voltage lower than a predetermined value is applied to the input terminal, and an ordinary automatic shutter control or an ordinary manual shutter control is obtained according to information provided by the detection switch and information provided by the input terminal. In a second state in which the flashgun mounted on the camera has been charged, the detection switch is turned on or off, a voltage higher than said predetermined value is applied to the input terminal, and a flash synchronization shutter control is obtained according to information provided by the detection switch and information provided by the input terminal. In a third state in which a flashgun having no charge signal terminal is mounted on the camera, the detection switch is merely turned on or off, the input terminal is in open state, and the X shutter control is obtained according only to information provided by the detection switch.

Camera controller for flashgun operation

A display device in the view finder of a camera in which relevant photographing information is displayed digitally by display elements. A logical product of an electrical signal is generated by a switch operated when said camera is set for self-timer photographing or, when the camera is set for bulb photographing. This signal and an electrical signal provided upon start of photographing, are employed and the lighting of the display elements in the finder is stopped in synchronization with the start of self-timer photographing or with the start of bulb photographing.

Camera display device in view finder

A digital display device is disclosed which is used for digitally displaying correct exposure time. The display device includes a repetitive pulse generator for generating repetitive pulses to control the charging-discharging operation of an integration capacitor. The number of clock pulses produced by a clock pulse oscillator during the period in which the charged voltage level on the capacitor is increased to the output level of a light measuring circuit which is proportional to the logarithmic value of the brightness of an object to be photographed starting from the voltage level of a reference voltage source is counted by a counter. An LED display is energized by the counter output through a decoder. At this time, the capacitor is charged at the highest possible speed by additional current from a charging speed-up control circuit in addition to constant current from a conventional constant current source, thereby eliminating the necessity of providing a conventional memory device for temporarily storing the immediately preceding digital data already displayed on the display during the period of time till the counter terminates to count the clock pulses necessary for presenting a new digital data to be displayed on the display.

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Tachikawa, Japan

Sinji Urata