Lens apparatus diagnostic system, diagnostic program, record medium, lens diagnostic system and controller diagnostic system

• US 7,149,423 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Moriya, Chikatsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W. B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUTHAR, RISHI S
• Application Number:
  US10/405,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20030189640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 396/88, 396/300, 396/287, 396/290, 348/187, 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/175, 348/176, 348/180
• US Class Current: 396/300
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras

Abstract

The lens apparatus diagnostic system, the diagnostic program, the record medium, the lens diagnostic system and the controller diagnostic system have the effects of, by connecting a personal computer to a TV lens and having a diagnosis of the TV lens performed by the personal computer performing communication with the TV lens, implementing the diagnosis of the TV lens with an inexpensive system without necessity of providing a dedicated substrate for self-diagnosis to the TV lens and also capable of the diagnosis of an ENG lens. The personal computer is connected to the lens by an RS232C interface, and a program of an FIND system preinstalled on the personal computer is started. The FIND system allows a diagnostic mode for performing the diagnosis of the lens, a personal computer control mode for controlling the lens and so on to be selected, and the diagnosis of the lens is performed by the personal computer by selecting the diagnostic mode.

Claims

1. A lens apparatus diagnostic system, comprising:

a lens apparatus including;

a detection device which detects information necessary for a diagnosis from each drive member of the lens apparatus;

a first communication device which performs digital two-way communication; and

a first control device which operates the drive members according to a control signal inputted via the first communication device and outputs the information detected by the detection device via the first communication device; and

a computer externally connected to the lens apparatus including;

a second communication device which performs communication with the first communication device of the lens apparatus;

a display device;

a storage device which stores a diagnostic program; and

a second control device which has the diagnostic program executed to operate each of the drive members of the lens apparatus and performs the diagnosis by gathering the information detected by the detection device so as to have diagnostic results thereof displayed on the display device;

a selection device which selects one of a diagnostic mode to diagnose the lens apparatus and a control mode to externally control the lens apparatus;

an operating portion which operates each of the drive members of the lens apparatus while in the control mode;

a device which outputs the control signal according to operation of the operating portion to the lens apparatus via the second communication device; and

another device which outputs mode information indicating which of the diagnostic mode and the control mode is selected by the selection device to the lens apparatus via the second communication device, and

wherein the lens apparatus detects information necessary for the diagnostic from each of the drive members upon determining the drive members are in the diagnostic mode according to the mode information inputted via the first communication device, and detects from each of the drive members only the information necessary to control the drive members upon on determining the drive members are in the control mode.

2. The lens apparatus diagnostic system, as defined in claim 1,

wherein the storage device of the computer is adapted to automatically record diagnostic results obtained by the diagnosis of the lens apparatus as diagnostic history data at least with date information on a record medium, and to record and store the diagnostic history data of the diagnoses performed in past;

wherein the computer further comprises;

a diagnostic history display instruction device adapted to provide an instruction to display diagnostic history; and

a diagnostic history list display device which, upon being instructed to display the diagnostic history by the diagnostic history display instruction device, is adapted to read the diagnostic history data of the past recorded and stored on the record medium by the data storage device from the record medium and to list-display the read diagnostic history data.

3. The lens apparatus diagnostic system as defined in claim 2, wherein the diagnostic history data includes identification of the diagnosed lens apparatus in addition to the diagnostic results and date information.

4. The lens apparatus diagnostic system as defined in claim 2, wherein the diagnostic results recorded and stored as the diagnostic history data by the data storage device include simple information and detailed information, the diagnostic results list-displayed as the diagnostic history data by the diagnostic history list display device being the simple information, so that the detailed information is displayed only when display of the detailed information is specified.

5. The lens apparatus diagnostic system as defined in claim 2, wherein the data storage device records and stores all the diagnostic history data of the diagnoses performed in the past as data in one file.

6. The lens apparatus diagnostic system as defined in claim 2, wherein the diagnostic history list display device list-displays the diagnostic history data for each type of the lens apparatus based on identification of the lens apparatus.

7. The lens apparatus diagnostic system as defined in claim 2, wherein the computer is adapted to diagnose the lens apparatus by having a diagnostic program execute and to operate each of the drive members of the lens apparatus and to gather the information necessary for the diagnosis from the lens apparatus.

8. A lens apparatus diagnostic program applied to a computer, comprising:

a second communication device which performs communication with a first communication device provided on a lens apparatus,

a display device, and

a storage device which stores a diagnostic program;

a selection device which selects one of a diagnostic mode to diagnose the lens apparatus and a control mode to externally control the lens apparatus;

an operating portion which operates drive members of the lens apparatus while in the control mode;

a device which outputs the control signal according to operation of the operating portion to the lens apparatus via the second communication device; and

another device which outputs mode information indicating which of the diagnostic mode and the control mode is selected by the selection device to the lens apparatus via the second communication device,

wherein the lens apparatus detects information necessary for diagnosis from the drive members upon determining the drive members are in the diagnostic mode according to the mode information inputted via the first communication device,

wherein the lens apparatus detects from each of the drive members only the information necessary to control the drive members upon on determining the drive members are in the control mode, and

wherein upon diagnosing the lens apparatus, the computer is adapted to output a control signal via the second communication device which operates the drive members of the lens apparatus to be diagnosed, to gather via the second communication device information necessary for a diagnosis detected on the lens apparatus side from the drive member member which was operated based on the control signal, to diagnose the drive members based on the gathered information, and to display diagnostic results of the diagnosis on the display device.

9. A record medium, wherein the diagnostic program as defined in claim 8 and at least one of an instruction manual and a product brochure of the lens apparatus are recorded.

10. A lens diagnostic system for performing an offset diagnosis of a lens drive apparatus having a control signal outputting device which outputs a control signal of a value according to a setup position of an operating member and a driving device which drives a movable optical element of the lens apparatus to be in a state corresponding to the value of the control signal, the system comprising:

a control signal detection device which detects the value of the control signal outputted by the control signal outputting device;

a follow signal outputting device which outputs a follow signal for indicating the state of the movable optical element;

a first determination device which, in the state where the operating member is set up at a setup position determined to have the movable optical element set up in a predetermined state, is adapted to determine whether or not the value of the control signal detected by the control signal detection device meets a condition of being within a range of standard values allowed as the values for setting up the movable optical element in the predetermined state;

a second determination device which, in the state where the operating member is set up at a setup position determined to have the movable optical element set up in a predetermined state, is adapted to determine whether or not the value of the follow signal outputted by the follow signal outputting device meets a condition of being within the range of the standard values allowed as the values for indicating the predetermined state of the movable optical element; and

a diagnostic device adapted to indicate a normal condition in the case where both the first and second determination devices determine that the conditions are met, to indicate an abnormal condition of the control signal outputting device in the case where, of the first and second determination devices, at least the first determination device determines that the condition is not met, and diagnoses to indicate an abnormal condition of the driving device in the case where, of the first and second determination devices, only the second determination device determines that the condition is not met.

11. The lens diagnostic system as defined in claim 10, wherein the system includes a display device which displays the results of the diagnosis performed by the diagnostic device.

12. A lens diagnostic system for performing an offset diagnosis of a lens drive apparatus having a control signal outputting device which outputs a control signal of a value according to a setup position of an operating member, a signal processing device which outputs an analog voltage signal of a voltage corresponding to the value of the control signal outputted from the control signal outputting device, and an analog driving device which receives the analog voltage signal and drives a movable optical element of the lens apparatus to be in a state corresponding to the voltage of the received analog voltage signal, the system comprising:

a control signal detection device which detects the value of the control signal outputted by the control signal outputting device;

a follow signal outputting device which outputs a follow signal for indicating the state of the movable optical element;

an output voltage detection device which detects the voltage of the analog voltage signal outputted by the signal processing device;

a first determination device which, in a state where the operating member is set up at a setup position determined to have the movable optical element set up in a predetermined state, is adapted to determine whether or not the value of the control signal detected by the control signal detection device meets a condition of being within a range of standard values allowed as the values for setting up the movable optical element in the predetermined state;

a second determination device which, in the state where the operating member is set up at the setup position determined to have the movable optical element in the predetermined state, is adapted to determine whether or not the value of the follow signal outputted by the follow signal outputting device meets a condition of being within the range of the standard values allowed as the values for indicating the predetermined state of the movable optical element;

a third determination device which, in the state where the operating member is set up at the setup position determined to have the movable optical element set up in the predetermined state, is adapted to determine whether or not the voltage detected by the output voltage detection device meets a condition of being within the range of the standard values allowed as the values for setting up the movable optical element in the predetermined state; and

a diagnostic device adapted to indicate a normal condition in the case where all of the first, second and third determination devices determine that the conditions are met, adapted to indicate an abnormal condition of the control signal outputting device in the case where, of the first, second and third determination devices, at least the first determination device determines that the condition is not met, adapted to indicate an abnormal condition of the signal processing device in the case where the first determination device determines that the condition is met and, of the second and third determination devices, at least the third determination device determines that the condition is not met, and adapted to indicate the abnormal condition of the driving device in the case where, of the first, second and third determination devices, only the second determination device determines that the condition is not met.

13. The lens diagnostic system as defined in claim 12, wherein the system includes a changing device which changes a correspondence between the value of the control signal and the voltage of analog voltage signal in the signal processing device so that the voltage detected by the output voltage detection device is within the range of the standard values in the case where the first determination device determines that the condition is met and, of the second and third determination devices, at least the third determination device determines that the condition is not met.

14. A controller diagnostic system comprising:

a lens apparatus,

a controller which is externally connected to the lens apparatus, the controller including an operation unit to operate each drive member of the lens apparatus and outputs a control signal to operate each of the drive members of the lens apparatus, and

a computer which performs communication with the lens apparatus,

wherein the system is adapted to diagnose the controller with the computer,

wherein the lens apparatus includes a first communication device which sends to the computer the control signal inputted from the controller when diagnosing the controller; and

wherein the computer includes a second communication device which performs communication with the first communication device of the lens apparatus, a display device, a storage device which stores a diagnostic program, and a control device which executes the diagnostic program in order to diagnose the controller based on the control signal inputted from the controller via the lens apparatus so as to have diagnostic results thereof displayed on the display device.

15. The controller diagnostic system as defined in claim 14, wherein the control device includes information which operates an operating member of the controller in an interactive mode by the diagnostic program displayed on the display device.

16. The controller diagnostic system as defined in claim 15, wherein to control device is an interactive-mode control device, and the computer comprises:

a non-interactive-mode control device which executes the diagnostic program in order to have a state of the controller displayed on the display device based on the control signal inputted from the controller via the lens apparatus; and

a mode switching device which switches between control by the interactive-mode control device and control by the non-interactive-mode control device.

17. The controller diagnostic system as defined in claim 16, wherein:

the diagnostic results displayed on the display device is a state of the controller.