Camera with memory address designation feature

• US 5,502,830 A
• Filed: 09/08/1993
• Issued: 03/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aihara, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US08/117,658
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 395/425, 354/217, 354/105, 354/215, 354/213, 354/21, 354/289.12
• US Class Current: 711/217
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/091 Digital circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/349 Arrangements for evaluating degradation, retention or wearout, e.g. by counting erase cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/3495 Circuits or methods to detect or delay wearout of nonvolatile EPROM or EEPROM memory devices, e.g. by counting numbers of erase or reprogram cycles, by using multiple memory areas serially or cyclically
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/00 Arrangements for writing information into, or reading information out from, a digital store G11C5/00 takes precedence; auxiliary circuits for stores using semiconductor devices G11C11/4063, G11C11/413

Abstract

A memory device having a plurality of regions is provided with a designating circuit for performing data erasing and writing in a given memory region. A change circuit changes the memory region either after a predetermined number of erasing/writing cycles or in response to the number of times an operation member effects a detected state.

Claims

1. A camera provided with a memory circuit having a plurality of addresses, comprising:

a) an information portion for storing an information value corresponding to a number of times that a new film cartridge is loaded in the camera;

b) an address designation circuit for designating addresses on the basis of the information value stored in said information portion, said designation circuit designating a different address each time that the information value in said information portion changes a predetermined number of times; and

c) a control circuit for effecting at least one of writing and reading photographic information to and from the addresses designated by said address designating circuit.

2. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said control circuit writes in an information value of a number of film frames corresponding to every time one film frame is wound up.

3. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said information portion stores an information value corresponding to a number of times the film is loaded and auto loaded.

4. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said information portion stores an information value corresponding to a number of times a cover of a film loaded chamber is opened and closed.