Camera with display device

• US 4,999,665 A
• Filed: 05/16/1989
• Issued: 03/12/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Okuno, Akira, Nakai, Masaaki, Katoh, Takehiro, Kuroda, Hirokazu, Izumi, Shuji, Ohya, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hix, L. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPYROU, CASSANDRA
• Application Number:
  US07/352,257
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 354/468, 354/484, 354/465, 354/289.1, 354/429, 354/476, 354/127.12, 354/127.1, 324/433, 324/435
• US Class Current: 396/279
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30

Abstract

A camera comprises a main switch, a battery, a battery checking circuit, a display device, a timer and a controller. The camera can be operative by the turn ON of the main switch and can not be operative by the turn OFF of the main switch. The battery supplies an electrical power to circuits in the camera. The battery checking circuit checks a state of the battery. The timer counts a predetermined period of time in response to the turn ON of the main switch. The controller controls the display device based on a result of the battery checking circuit to display the state of the battery during the predetermined period of time and turning off a display of the display device if the state of the battery is better for the camera than a predetermined state after a lapse of the predetermined period of time. Thereby, it is easy to see the other display of the camera in the display device.

Claims

1. A camera with a display device, comprising:

manually operable means having a first state in which the camera cannot be operative and a second state in which the camera can be operative for changing over from one state to the other state;

timer means for counting a predetermined period of time in response to a change of said manually operable means from the first state into the second state;

a battery for supplying electrical power to circuits in the camera;

battery checking means for checking a state of said battery;

display means for displaying the state of said battery based on a result of said battery checking means during at least the predetermined period of time, said display means having a first mode indicating that the state of said battery is better for the camera than a predetermined state and a second mode indicating that the state of said battery is not better for the camera than the predetermined state; and

means for turning off said display menas, after lapse of the predetermined period of time, when said display means is in the first mode and for causing said display means to remain on irrespective of the lapse predetermined period of time when said display means is in the second mode.

2. A camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein said battery checking means comprises means for detecting a voltage of said battery for checking the state of said battery.

3. A camera as claimed in claim 2, wherein said manually operable means is a main switch of the camera.

4. A camera with a display device, comprising:

first manually operable means having a first state in which the camera cannot be operative and a second state in which the camera can be operative for changing over from one state to the other state;

a battery for supplying electrical power to circuits in the camera;

battery checking means for checking a state of said battery;

display means for displaying the state of said battery based on a result of said battery checking means responsive to a change of state of said first manually operable means from the first state into the second state, said display means having a first mode indicating that the state of said battery is better for the camera than a predetermined state and a second mode indicating that the state of said battery is not better for the camera than the predetermined state;

second manually operable means;

light measuring means for measuring brightness of an object in response to an operation of said second manually operable means when said first manually operable means is in the second state; and

means for turning off said display means, at the time of operation of said second manually operable means, when said display means in the first mode and for causing said display means to remain on irrespective of the operation of said second manually operable means when said display means is in the second mode.

5. A camera as claimed in claim 4, wherein said battery checking means comprises means for detecting a voltage of said battery for checking the state of said battery.

6. A camera as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first manually operable means is a main switch of the camera.

7. A camera with a display device, comprising:

manually operable means having a first state in which the camera cannot be operative and a second state in which the camera can be operative for changing over from one state to the other state;

a battery for supplying electrical power to circuits in the camera;

battery checking means for checking a state of said battery;

display means for displaying the state of said battery, said display means having a first mode indicating that the state of said battery is better for the camera than a predetermined state and a second mode indicating that the state of said battery is not better for the camera than the predetermined state; and

means for turning off the display of said display means, in response to a change of state of said manually operable means from the second state into the first state, when said display means is in the first mode and for causing said display means to remain on when said display means is in the second mode.

8. A camera as claimed in claim 7, wherein said battery checking means comprises means for detecting a voltage of said battery for checking the state of said battery.

9. A camera as claimed in claim 8, wherein said manually operable means is a main switch of the camera.

10. A camera with a display device, comprising:

a battery for supplying electrical power to circuits in the camera;

battery checking means for checking a state of said battery;

display means for displaying the state of said battery based on a result of said battery checking means, said display means having a first mode indicating that the state of said battery is better for the camera than a predetermined state and a second mode indicating that the state of said battery is not better for the camera than the predetermined state;

manually operable means; and

means for turning off the display means, at the time of operation of said manually operable means, when said display means is in the first mode and for causing said display means to remain on irrespective of the operation of said manually operable means when said display means is in the second mode.

11. A camera as claimed in claim 10, wherein said battery checking means comprises means for detecting a voltage of said batery for checking the state of said battery.

12. A camera as claimed in claim 11, wherein said manually operable means is a main switch of the camera.

13. A camera as claimed in claim 11, wherein said manually operable means is a mode switch for setting an exposure mode.

14. A camera as claimed in claim 11, wherein said manually operable means is a switch for changing an exposure value.

15. A camera as claimed in claim 10, wherein said manually operable means is a light measuring switch for measuring brightness of an object.

16. A camera with a display device, comprising:

manually operable means having a first state and a second state;

light measuring means for measuring brightness of an object in response to a change of state of said manually operable means from the second state into first state;

a battery for supplying electrical power to circuits in the camera;

battery checking means for checking a state of said battery;

display means, responsive to a change of state of said manually operable means from the second state into the first state, for displaying the state of said battery based on a result of said batter checking means and displaying a shutter speed and an aperture size based on a result of said light measuring means; and

control means, after said manually operable means changes into the second state from the first state on condition that the state of said battery is not better for the camera than a predetermined state, for causing said display means to continue to display the state of said battery and turn off the display of the shutter speed and the aperture size.