Camera with infrared beam type remote controller

• US 5,491,529 A
• Filed: 10/07/1993
• Issued: 02/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Katsuji, Iwai, Fumio, Shiina, Michihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, HOWARD BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US08/132,860
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 354/400, 354/402, 354/403, 354/404, 354/162, 354/163, 354/266, 354/195.1, 356/3, 356/4
• US Class Current: 396/59
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/32 using active means, e.g. light emitter including both an active and a passive focus detecting device G02B7/285; using ultrasound G02B7/40
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/38 Releasing-devices separate from shutter integral with shutter G03B9/08

Abstract

A camera according to the present invention prevents distance measurement errors in remote control shots under high luminance and those in which the distance of a background between right and left objects is measured, by projecting a remote control signal including a ranging signal in a form of infrared beam from a transmitter. The ranging signal, within the remote control signal, includes multiple pulses with different pulse widths, and each pulse width is set so that the number of pulses received by the receiving circuit becomes fewer accordingly as the distance between the transmitter and a receiver provided in the camera becomes larger. When the receiver receives a ranging signal from the transmitter, a distance recognizing unit counts a pulse number of the ranging signal received by the receiver, and recognizes the distance to the transmitter, namely the object, from the relationship of received pulse numbers and distance stored in a memory unit.

Claims

1. A camera with an infrared beam type remote controller for performing a remote control shot comprising:

transmitting means, responsive to an external operation, for projecting an infrared remote control signal including at least one ranging signal composed of a sequence of pulses with different pulse widths;

receiving means for receiving said remote control signal including the at least one ranging signal from said transmitting means;

said ranging signal having pulse widths set so that the number of ranging signal pulses received by said receiving means becomes fewer accordingly as the distance between said transmitting means and said receiving means becomes larger;

memory means for storing a relationship between the pulse number, of said ranging signal which said receiving means receives, and distance;

distance recognizing means, responsive to said receiving means and said memory means, for counting the pulse number of that portion of said ranging signal which said receiving means actually received, and for reading a distance corresponding to a counted pulse number from said memory means, and for recognizing a distance between said transmitting means and the camera; and

focusing means, responsive to said distance recognizing means, for bringing out a taking lens to a lens position corresponding to the distance recognized by said distance recognizing means.

2. The camera of claim 1 further comprising;

switching means, responsive to an external operation, for requesting the remote control shot; and

standby means, responsive to said switching means and said receiving means, for making the camera assume a standby status after the lapse of a prescribed time in case no signal is given from said transmitting means within said prescribed time after the remote control shot is requested.

3. The camera of claim 2 further comprising display means, responsive to said switching means and said receiving means, for giving a display representing a reception waiting while a signal is not given from said transmitting means, and for giving a display representing a reception in place of the reception waiting when the signal is given from said transmitting means, after the remote control shot is requested.

4. A camera with an infrared beam type remote controller for performing a remote control shot comprising;

transmitting means, responsive to an external operation, for projecting an infrared remote control signal including at least one ranging signal composed of a sequence of pulses with different pulse widths;

receiving means for receiving said remote control signal including the at least one ranging signal from said transmitting means;

said ranging signal having pulse widths set so that the number of ranging signal pulses received by said receiving means becomes fewer accordingly as the distance between said transmitting means and said receiving means becomes larger;

memory means for storing a relationship between the pulse number, of said ranging signal which said receiving means receives, and distance;

an electrically rewritable non-volatile memory E² PROM for storing the numbers of received pulses, representing cases requiring correction, of the ranging signal of said receiving means and correction values for the numbers of received pulses of said ranging signal of said receiving means,

the numbers of received pulses, representing cases requiring correction, of the ranging signal of said receiving means and correction values for the numbers of received pulses of said ranging signal of said receiving means being set based on comparison between the numbers of received pulses, for distance under field conditions exceeding a prescribed high luminance, of said ranging signal of said receiving means and pulse numbers for distance of said memory means;

counting means, responsive to said receiving means, for counting the pulse number of that portion of said ranging signal which said receiving means actually received;

correcting means, responsive to said counting means and said E² PROM, for giving a corrected pulse number by correcting a pulse number counted by said counting means, by means of said correction value, in a circumstance in which the field conditions exceeds said prescribed high luminance and the number of received pulses of said ranging signal of said receiving means is less than the number of received pulses representing a circumstance requiring correction, and for giving a pulse number counted by said counting means in other cases;

distance recognizing means, responsive to said correcting means and said memory means, for recognizing the distance between said transmitting means and the camera by reading a distance corresponding to a pulse number from said correcting means; and

focusing means, responsive to said distance recognizing means, for bringing out the taking lens to a lens position corresponding to the distance recognized by said distance recognizing means.

5. The camera of claim 4, wherein the numbers of received pulses, representing cases requiring correction, of the ranging signal of said receiving means and the correction values for the numbers of received pulses of said ranging signal of said receiving means are determined by measuring the number of received pulses of said ranging signal of said receiving means for distance under field conditions exceeding said prescribed high luminance and based on comparison between these measured values and pulse numbers for distance of said memory means, and written externally into said E² PROM.

6. The camera of claim 4 further comprising;

switching means, responsive to an external operation, for requesting the remote control shot; and

standby means, responsive to said switching means and said receiving means, for making the camera assume a standby status after the lapse of a prescribed time in case no signal is given from said transmitting means within said prescribed time after the remote control shot is requested.

7. The camera of claim 6 further comprising display means, responsive to said switching means and said receiving means, for giving a display representing a reception waiting while a signal is not given from said transmitting means, and for giving a display representing a reception in place of the reception waiting when the signal is given from said transmitting means, after the remote control shot is requested.

8. A distance determination system for use in a camera having a remote control device, the system comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting an infrared remote control signal including at least one ranging signal composed of a sequence of pulses of different widths;

a receiver for receiving the remote control signal including the at least one ranging signal; and

recognition means, responsive to the receiver, for determining actual distance from the transmitter to the receiver as a function of that portion of the ranging signal actually received.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

each pulse of the ranging signal, after a first pulse, is changed in size relative to its preceding pulse, the sequence of pulses changing in size by one of progression and regression;

the system further comprising;

a counter, responsive to the receiver, for counting a pulse number, the pulse number being a number of pulses received of the ranging signal;

the recognition means determining actual distance as a function of the pulse number.

10. A system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a look-up table memory for storing at least one relation between pulse number and actual distance;

the recognition means determining actual distance by providing the pulse number to the look-up table memory and receiving therefrom an actual distance according to one of the at least one relation.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein:

the at least one relation in the look-up table memory including a first relation in which the pulse number is inversely proportional to the actual distance.

12. A system according to claim 10, further comprising:

an ambient luminance sensor for sensing ambient luminance; and

a comparator, responsive to the ambient luminance sensor, for comparing the ambient luminance against a reference level;

the look-up table memory storing at least a first and second relation between pulse number and actual distance;

the recognition means, also responsive to output from the comparator, determining actual distance as a function of the ranging signal and the comparator output.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein:

when the comparator indicates that the ambient luminance is greater than the reference level, the recognition means operating upon the second relation; and

when the comparator indicates that the ambient luminance is less than or equal to the reference level, the recognition means operating upon the first relation.

14. A system according to claim 8, further comprising:

an ambient luminance sensor for sensing ambient luminance;

a comparator, responsive to the ambient luminance sensor, for comparing the ambient luminance against a reference level;

the recognition means, also responsive to output from the comparator, determining actual distance as a function of the distance information signal and the comparator output.

15. A method for determining distance for use with a camera having a remote control device, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting an infrared remote control signal including the at least one ranging signal composed of a sequence of pulses of different widths;

receiving the remote control signal including the at least one ranging signal; and

determining actual distance from a point where the transmission occurred to a point where the reception occurred as a function of that portion of the ranging signal actually received.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

each pulse of the ranging signal, after a first pulse, is changed in size relative to its preceding pulse, the sequence of pulses changing in size by one of progression and regression;

the method further comprising the step of;

counting a pulse number, the pulse number being a number of pulses received of the ranging signal;

the step of determining actual distance including determining a function of the pulse number.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

storing at least one relation between pulse number and actual distance in a look-up table manner;

the step of determining including determining actual distance by retrieving from storage, according to one of the at least one relation, an actual distance in response to providing the pulse number.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein:

the step of storing including storing a first relation in which the pulse number is inversely proportional to the actual distance.

19. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

sensing ambient luminance; and

comparing the ambient luminance against a reference level;

the step of storing including storing at least a first and second relation between pulse number and actual distance;

the step of determining including determining actual distance as a function of the ranging signal and the comparator output.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein:

when the comparison indicates that the ambient luminance is greater than the reference level, the step of determining operating upon the second relation; and

when the comparison indicates that the ambient luminance is less than or equal to the reference level, the step of determining operating upon the first relation.

21. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

sensing ambient luminance;

comparing the ambient luminance against a reference level;

the step of determining including determining actual distance as a function of the distance information signal and the comparator output.