Camera system

• US 5,333,030 A
• Filed: 11/06/1992
• Issued: 07/26/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Yoshida, Tadahiro, Omaki, Takanobu, Kitaura, Mashio, Nakai, Masaaki, Taniguchi, Nobuyuki, Nakasa, Masayuki, Kikukawa, Yoshiiku
• Primary Examiner(s): PERKEY, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US07/972,739
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 354/173.1, 354/173.11, 354/266, 354/105, 354/106, 354/145.1, 354/412, 354/295, 354/286, 354/484, 354/443
• US Class Current: 396/303
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/097 for control of both exposure time and aperture
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/16 in accordance with both the intensity of the flash source and the distance of the flash source from the object, e.g. in accordance with the "guide number" of the flash bulb and the focusing of the camera

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A camera system including a camera body and a camera accessory attachable to the camera body, comprising:

first means, provided in the camera body, for controlling operation of the camera body;

second means, provided in the camera accessory, for controlling operation of the camera accessory;

first means, provided in the camera body, for actuating the first controlling means in accordance with a manual operation so as to initiate the operation of the camera body;

second means, provided in the camera accessory, for actuating the second controlling means in accordance with another manual operation so as to initiate the operation of the camera accessory;

means, provided in the camera body, for generating a first actuating signal and sending said first actuating signal to the camera accessory in response to the actuation of the first controlling means in order to actuate the second controlling means thereby initiating the operation of the camera accessory simultaneously with the operation of the camera body when the first controlling means is actuated by the first actuating means; and

means, provided in the camera accessory, for generating a second actuating signal and sending said second actuating signal to the camera body in response to the actuation of the second controlling means in order to actuate the first controlling means thereby initiating the operation of the camera body simultaneously with that of the camera accessory when the second controlling means is actuated by the second actuating means.

2. A camera accessory attachable to a camera body, and accomplishing a plurality of functions which are peculiar to the camera accessory, comprising:

a plurality of switches each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of functions;

means for controlling the functions of the camera accessory;

means for actuating the controlling means in accordance with a manual operation of at least one of said switches; and

means for generating an actuating signal and for sending said actuating signal towards a camera body in response to the actuation of the controlling means in order to actuate the camera body simultaneously with the actuation of the camera accessory.