JP2017090724A - Optical device, imaging apparatus, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical device that has a mechanism in which a driving speed of a movable optical member changes by following an operation speed of an operation member and can perform a fine adjustment of a field angle with a simple operation.SOLUTION: The optical device includes a digital camera having: a zoom ring 116; and a drive controller 104 for controlling the drive of a zoom lens 1012 in accordance with an operation of the zoom ring 116. The drive controller 104 switches, in accordance with an operation speed of the zoom ring, a driving control of the zoom lens between a first driving control for controlling the drive of the zoom lens by following the operation speed of the zoom ring and a second driving control for making the zoom lens slightly drive without following the operation speed of the zoom ring.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical apparatus, an imaging apparatus, a control method, and a program.

  As the zoom magnification is increased, an imaging apparatus that is an optical device equipped with a high-speed zoom function has been proposed. Since the angle of view changes drastically during high-speed zooming, even if the photographer wants to end the zoom operation at the desired angle of view, the angle of view cannot often be set at once. In such a case, the photographer has finely adjusted the angle of view by repeating zoom tele and wide operations.

  In order to solve this problem, there has been proposed an imaging apparatus that changes the zoom speed according to the operation angle of the operation member. In this imaging apparatus, since the zoom speed is changed by the photographer adjusting the operation angle, it is easy to finely adjust the angle of view. On the other hand, in addition to the recent increase in zoom magnification, the imaging apparatus itself is also becoming smaller, so there may be a case where sufficient space cannot be obtained in the zoom operation unit. In such a case, since the difference in the operation amount of the operation member for switching between the high speed and the low speed of the zoom speed becomes small, the imaging apparatus erroneously performs the high speed zoom during the fine adjustment of the angle of view described above. It is difficult to set the angle of view desired by the photographer.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an imaging device that determines that the angle of view is finely adjusted and easily enters a low-speed zoom when the time from when the zoom operation is performed to when the zoom operation is performed again is short. doing.

JP 2012-53192 A

  However, the imaging apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following problems because it determines whether or not to change the zoom speed depending on whether or not the zoom is re-operated within a predetermined time. For example, when the angle of view is adjusted again by moving the subject immediately after the angle of view is adjusted once for a stationary subject, the zoom speed becomes slow. Since the zoom speed is limited, depending on the moving speed of the subject, the angle of view may not be adjusted in time, and there is a possibility of missing a photo opportunity. Also, with this imaging device, even if it is intentionally moved at a low speed, the probability of moving at a low speed can be increased, but the zoom speed is not low, so fine adjustment of the angle of view is not easy.

  The minimum speed when driving the normal zoom at a constant speed is limited by the load of the lens barrel and the torque of the actuator that moves the zoom. Depending on the minimum zoom speed, the photographer may find it difficult to fine-tune the angle of view even when the zoom is moved at the minimum speed. In order to deal with such a problem, in order to control the zoom at a constant speed at a lower speed, it is possible to use an actuator having a large output torque. However, this increases the cost and increases the mounting area. Therefore, in an imaging apparatus having a mechanism that changes the drive speed of the zoom lens (movable optical member) following the operation speed of the operation member, it is required to finely adjust the angle of view with a simple operation.

  The present invention provides an optical apparatus having a mechanism that changes the driving speed of the movable optical member following the operation speed of the operation member, and capable of finely adjusting the angle of view with a simple operation. With the goal.

  An optical apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an operation member and a control unit that drives and controls the movable optical member in accordance with the operation of the operation member. The control unit, according to an operation speed of the operation member, a drive control of the movable optical member, a first drive control for driving and controlling the movable optical member following the operation speed of the operation member; Switching is performed by the second drive control for minutely driving the movable optical member without following the operation speed of the operation member.

  According to the present invention, an optical apparatus having a mechanism that changes the drive speed of the movable optical member following the operation speed of the operation member, and capable of finely adjusting the angle of view with a simple operation. Can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the optical apparatus of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the rotational speed of a zoom ring, and the drive speed of zoom. It is a figure which shows the structure regarding the zoom drive of a digital camera. It is a figure which shows the structural example of an optical sensor. It is a figure explaining the detection operation of the drive direction and drive position of a zoom lens. It is an example of the drive process of the zoom lens according to operation of a zoom ring. It is a figure explaining the detection process of rotation of a zoom ring. 5 is a flowchart for explaining drive control of a zoom lens. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the rotational speed of a zoom ring, and zoom speed. It is a figure which shows an example of the stop condition table which shows the stop conditions of zoom. It is a figure which shows the control amount at the time of normal drive, the drive speed of zoom, and the position change of a zoom lens. It is a figure which shows the control amount at the time of step drive, the drive speed of a zoom lens, and the position change of a zoom lens. It is a figure which shows the control amount at the time of step drive, the drive speed of a zoom lens, and the position change of a zoom lens. It is a figure which shows the control amount at the time of step drive, the drive speed of a zoom lens, and the position change of a zoom lens. It is a figure which shows the control amount at the time of step drive, the drive speed of a zoom lens, and the position change of a zoom lens. It is a figure which shows the control amount at the time of step drive, the drive speed of a zoom lens, and the position change of a zoom lens.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an optical apparatus according to the present embodiment.
The optical apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 is a digital camera as an example of an imaging apparatus. The digital camera includes a lens barrel 101 to a power switch 114.

  The lens barrel 101 includes a zoom lens for adjusting an angle of view, which will be described later, a focus lens for adjusting the focus, a shutter for controlling the exposure time, and an aperture for adjusting the amount of light received by the image sensor 102 (image brightness). Is built-in. The image sensor 102 converts the optical image obtained by the lens barrel 101 into an electric signal. The imaging signal processing unit 103 converts the video signal transmitted from the imaging element 102 into a signal suitable for storing in the memory card 111. The drive controller 104 drives and controls each actuator such as a zoom driving DC motor built in the lens barrel 101 in accordance with an instruction from the system controller 105.

  The system controller 105 controls the entire digital camera. The zoom lever 106 is an operation member used by a user who wants to change the angle of view to instruct the zoom drive. The flash memory 107 is a nonvolatile storage unit that can electrically erase and write data. Reference numeral 108 denotes a program memory. When the camera device is activated, the program compressed in the flash memory 107 is decompressed / decompressed in the program memory 108. The system controller 105 operates according to a program decompressed / expanded in the program memory 108. The image display memory 109 is a storage unit that temporarily stores captured images. The display 110 displays a captured image.

  The image of the subject is formed on the image sensor 102 through a zoom lens, a focus lens, and a diaphragm that are present inside the lens barrel 101. The subject image formed on the image sensor 102 is photoelectrically converted into an electric signal. An image related to the electrical signal output from the image sensor 102 is read at a predetermined cycle, and is subjected to signal processing by the image signal processing unit 103 so as to become a standard image signal.

  The signal processed by the imaging signal processing unit 103 is temporarily stored as a standard digital image in a predetermined cycle in the image display memory 109, and simultaneously sent to the display 110 to display the captured image. (Standby standby state). When the user presses the shutter button 113 in this shooting standby state, shooting is performed. When the shutter button 113 is pressed, the image is read from the image sensor 102 with a preset exposure time and temporarily stored in the image display memory 109. The accumulated image is recorded in the memory card 111 after being converted into optimum data for storage by the imaging signal processing unit 103. The memory card 111 for storing the photographed image may be an optical disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, or the like, or may be a randomly accessible memory composed of a solid-state semiconductor memory such as a FLASH memory or an SRAM / DRAM.

  The mode dial switch 112 is a switch used for switching the shooting mode. The user can switch and set the automatic shooting mode, aperture priority mode, shutter speed priority mode, and moving image shooting mode by operating the mode dial switch 112. The power switch 114 is a switch used for switching the power ON / OFF.

  The flash 115 is a light emitting unit that projects auxiliary light for autofocus and adjusts the amount of light emitted during flash photography. The zoom ring 116 is an operation member for driving the zoom of the lens barrel 101. Similarly to the zoom lever 106, the zoom drive is performed when the user operates the zoom ring 116. The zoom lever 106 controls the driving and stopping of the zoom lens according to the operation angle, while the zoom ring 116 controls the start and stop of zooming according to the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116. In addition, the zoom speed when operating the zoom lever 106 is constant, but the zoom speed when operating the zoom ring 116 changes according to the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116. In the present embodiment, the system controller 105 and the drive controller 104 function as a control unit that drives and controls a zoom lens that is a movable optical member in accordance with an operation of an operation member (for example, the zoom ring 116).

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the rotation speed of the zoom ring and the driving speed of the zoom.
When the operation speed of the zoom ring 116 becomes equal to or higher than the zoom drive start speed, the zoom drive is started. When the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116 is lower than the zoom drive start speed, the zoom drive is not started and the zoom remains stopped. The zoom driving speed changes at three speeds of low speed, medium speed, and high speed in accordance with the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116. When the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116 becomes equal to or higher than the switching speed 1, the zoom driving speed is switched from the low speed to the medium speed. When the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116 becomes equal to or higher than the switching speed 2, the zoom driving speed is switched from the medium speed to the high speed. As described above, when the zoom ring 116 is operated, the zoom drive speed changes in accordance with the operation speed of the zoom ring. The zoom lever 106 is driven at a high speed as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration related to zoom driving of the digital camera shown in FIG.
In FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, internal configurations of the drive controller 104 and the lens barrel 101 will be described. The drive controller 104 includes a motor control controller 1041, a driver circuit 1042, and an optical sensor detection unit 1043. When the zoom ring 116 is operated by the user, the output signal of the optical sensor 1161 changes.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the optical sensor.
FIG. 4A shows a state in which the position detection member included in the optical sensor 1161 is viewed from directly above. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the position detection member provided in the optical sensor 1161 is viewed from the side. Reference numeral 1161a denotes a transmissive photo interrupter whose output signal changes according to the amount of received light. Reference numeral 1161b denotes a light shielding member for transmitting and blocking light from the photo interrupter 1161a. Reference numerals 1161c and 1161e denote light emitting units of the photo interrupter 1161a. Reference numerals 1161d and 1161f denote light receiving portions of the photo interrupter 1161a. When the zoom ring 116 is operated by the user, the light shielding member 1161b rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the zoom ring. As the light shielding member 1161b rotates, the amount of light received by the light emitting units 1161d and 1161f changes.

  Returning to the description of FIG. The optical sensor detection unit 1043 detects a signal output from the optical sensor 1161 as the zoom ring 116 rotates, and binarizes each signal based on a preset threshold value. The optical sensor detection unit 1043 detects the time interval of each edge of each binarized signal, and stores the falling edge and falling edge interval information of each signal in a register (not shown). The information is updated every time the stored rising and falling edges are detected.

  The motor controller 1041 reads out each edge interval of each signal stored in the optical sensor detection unit 1043 at a predetermined period, and calculates the target speed of the zoom lens 1012 from the read edge interval. The motor controller 1041 controls an input signal (control amount) to the driver circuit 1042 so that the speed of the zoom lens 1012 becomes a target speed calculated based on the edge interval. The driver circuit 1042 generates a PWM duty signal corresponding to the input signal from the motor controller 1041 and applies it to the DC motor 1011 that is the actuator of the zoom lens 1012.

  The DC motor 1011 starts driving with a signal supplied from the driver circuit as an input. When the DC motor 1011 starts driving, the zoom lens 1012 moves via a gear directly connected to the DC motor 1011 (not shown). The motor controller 1041 monitors the position and speed of the zoom lens managed by the optical sensor detection unit 1043 at a predetermined cycle. The motor controller 1041 controls the duty of the PWM signal supplied to the DC motor 1011 so that the zoom lens 1012 stops at the target position while operating at the driving speed instructed by the system controller 105.

  An optical sensor 1013 of the same type as the optical sensor 1161 is attached to a gear shaft (not shown) that directly connects the DC motor 1011 and the zoom lens 1012. When the zoom lens 1012 moves, the optical sensor 1013 outputs an electrical signal (analog signal) according to the movement of the zoom lens 1012. The mechanism for outputting an analog signal from the optical sensor 1013 in accordance with the movement of the zoom lens is the same as that of the optical sensor 1161. The analog output signal output from the optical sensor 1013 is binarized by a binarization circuit (not shown) existing inside the optical sensor detection unit 1043. The optical sensor detection unit 1043 detects the time interval of each edge of the binarized signal, and detects the driving speed, driving distance, and driving direction of the zoom lens 1012 based on the detected edge interval information. Information on the driving speed, driving distance, and driving direction of the zoom lens 1012 detected by the optical sensor detection unit 1043 is notified to the motor controller 1041.

  The motor controller 1041 determines a control amount to be input to the driver circuit 1042 according to the difference between the driving speed of the zoom lens 1012 instructed by the system controller 105 and the driving speed of the zoom lens 1012 detected by the optical sensor detection unit 1043. change. The control amount output from the motor controller 1041 to the driver circuit 1042 is determined by known PID control.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of detecting the driving direction and driving position of the zoom lens.
The signals shown in FIG. 5 are output from the output signal output from the optical sensor 1161 when an encoder pulse plate (not shown) inside the optical sensor 1161 rotates, and to a binary circuit provided in the optical sensor detection unit 1043. It is a quantified signal. FIG. 5A shows an A-phase binarized signal obtained by binarizing an A-phase analog signal by a binarization circuit. FIG. 5B shows a B-phase binarized signal obtained by binarizing the B-phase analog signal with a binarization circuit. The driving direction of the zoom lens 1012 is determined by the order of rising and falling edges of the A-phase binarized signal and the B-phase binarized signal. For example, A phase binarized signal rise (Aup), B phase binarized signal rise (Bup), A phase binarized signal fall (Down), B phase binarized signal fall (Bdown) Assume that edges are detected in the order of In this case, the zoom lens 1012 is driven from the Wide direction to the Tele direction.

  B-phase binarized signal rise (Bup), A-phase binarized signal rise (Aup), B-phase binarized signal fall (Bdown), A-phase binarized signal fall (Adown) Assume that edges are detected in order. The zoom lens 1012 is driven from the Tele direction to the Wide direction.

  The position of the zoom lens 1012 is managed by the number of falling and falling edges of the binarized signal. Assume that driving from Wide to Tele direction. For example, A phase binarized signal rise (Aup), B phase binarized signal rise (Bup), A phase binarized signal fall (Down), B phase binarized signal fall (Bdown) ) Is detected by the optical sensor detection unit 1043. Assuming that the zoom position before the zoom is driven is position 0, and the direction from Wide to Tele is the direction in which the zoom position count increases, the zoom position count advances by 4 counts, and the zoom position becomes position 4. Thereafter, if edges are detected in the order of the rise of the B-phase binarized signal (Bup), the rise of the A-phase binarized signal (Up), and the fall of the B-phase binarized signal (Bdown), the zoom is performed. The position count is subtracted by 3 counts, and the zoom position becomes position 1. As described above, the position of the zoom lens 1012 is managed by the order and the number of times of detecting the edges of the A-phase and B-phase binarized signals detected by the optical sensor detection unit 1043.

  FIG. 5C shows an operation clock of the optical sensor detection unit 1043. The optical sensor detection unit 1043 calculates the driving speed of the zoom lens from the time intervals (edge intervals) of the rising and falling edges of both the A-phase and B-phase binarized signals. The edge interval is obtained by converting the time interval between the rising edges of the A phase and the B phase and between the falling edges into the number of operation clocks. Each edge interval of each phase is detected based on a counter whose value increases by one for each operation clock of the optical sensor existing in the optical sensor detection unit 1043.

An example of calculating the zoom lens driving speed V _ZM (unit: rps) from the time interval T1 from the rising edge of the A-phase binarized signal to the next rising edge will be described. The clock frequency f _clk of the optical sensor detection unit 1043 in the present embodiment is 10 kHz. The number of pulses per phase of the encoder (= the number of slits of the encoder pulse plate) P _c output from the optical sensor 1013 per one rotation of the motor is 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the advance amount C _ZM of the internal counter of the optical sensor detection unit 1043 during the time interval T1 is 10. The optical sensor detection unit 1043 calculates the drive speed V _ZM of the zoom lens 1012 according to the following Equation 1.

  The zoom control speed calculated by the optical sensor detection unit 1043 is notified to the motor controller 1041. The motor controller 1041 determines whether the zoom lens driving speed has reached the target speed (10 rps) instructed by the system controller 105. When the zoom lens drive speed is equal to or lower than the target speed, the motor controller 1041 decreases the output control amount. On the other hand, when the driving speed of the zoom lens reaches the target speed, the motor controller 1041 increases the control amount to be output. As described above, the motor controller 1041 controls the driving speed of the zoom lens while comparing the actual speed of the zoom lens with the target speed at predetermined time intervals so that the zoom lens continues to be driven at the target speed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a zoom lens driving process in accordance with the operation of the zoom ring.
First, in S601, the presence / absence of rotation of the zoom ring 116 is detected.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the zoom ring rotation detection process.
When the user operates the zoom ring 116, the output signal of the optical sensor 1161 changes. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show a time change of a signal obtained by binarizing the output signal of the optical sensor 1161 by the optical sensor detection unit 1043. FIG. 7C shows each edge interval time stored in a period holding register (not shown) that detects and holds the edge interval of the binarized signal by the optical sensor detection unit 1043. The optical sensor detection unit 1043 detects the edge interval time of each of the four edges of the A-phase and B-phase signals, and holds only the latest edge interval in the period holding register. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, first, the edge interval of the A-phase binarized signal is held in the holding register. Next, the value held in the period holding register at the timing when the edge of the B phase comes is rewritten to T3. Thereafter, the period holding register is rewritten to T4 when the falling edge of the A phase detects the edge, and the period holding register is rewritten to T5 when the falling edge of the B phase detects the edge. As described above, the period holding register holds only the latest edge interval of each of the A-phase and B-phase binarized signals.

  FIG. 7D shows whether or not the zoom ring is operated. The start and stop of the ring operation is determined based on the change in the value of the period holding register at the zoom ring position change detection timing described later. The optical sensor detection unit 1043 determines that the user has operated the ring when the rotation period of the ring is shorter than a predetermined time. Thereby, it will be in a ring operation state. When the ring operation state is entered, zoom driving is performed at a zoom lens drive speed corresponding to the ring operation speed until the stop of the ring operation is detected. The optical sensor detection unit 1043 detects the stop of the ring operation based on whether or not the value of the period holding register changes at the zoom ring position change detection timing. In this embodiment, the optical sensor detection unit 1043 determines that the user has stopped operating the zoom ring when the value of the period holding register has not changed three times continuously at the zoom position change detection timing. Thereby, it changes to a ring operation stop state. When the ring operation stop state is entered, processing for stopping driving of the zoom lens being driven is started.

  FIG. 7E shows the detection timing of the position change of the zoom ring 116. The motor controller 1041 accesses the period holding register of the optical sensor detection unit 1043 at a predetermined period to detect a change in the position of the zoom ring 116. Whether there is a change in the position of the zoom ring 116 is determined by whether there is a change in the value held in the period holding register since the previous access. The motor controller 1041 reads the direction of a zoom ring driving direction holding register (not shown) that holds the driving direction simultaneously with the timing of the position change of the zoom ring 116. The drive direction holding register rewrites the drive direction information at the timing when the rotation direction of the zoom ring 116 changes. The rotation direction of the zoom ring 116 is determined by which of the rising edges of the A phase and B phase of the binarized signal of the optical sensor shown in FIG. 7 is detected first. When the rising edge of the A phase is detected prior to the rising edge of the B phase, it is determined that the rotation is in the forward direction. At this time, the zoom lens 1012 moves in the Tele direction. If the rising edge of the B phase is detected prior to the rising edge of the A phase, it is determined that the rotation is in the reverse direction. At this time, the zoom lens 1012 moves in the Wide direction. Information regarding the determined rotation direction is stored in a drive direction holding register in the optical sensor detection unit 1043.

  Returning to the description of FIG. In step S <b> 602, the optical sensor detection unit 1043 detects the rotation direction and rotation speed of the zoom ring 116. Subsequently, in S603, the motor controller 1041 determines whether the zoom lens 1012 can be driven. If the zoom lens 1012 can be driven, the process proceeds to S604. If the zoom lens 1012 cannot be driven, the process proceeds to S607. When the rotation direction of the ring is the reverse direction, that is, the direction in which the zoom moves in the Wide direction in a state where the zoom lens is positioned at the Wide end, the zoom lens 1012 cannot be driven even if the zoom is driven. In addition, when the rotation direction of the ring is the forward direction, that is, the direction in which the zoom lens moves in the Tele direction with the telephoto lens positioned at the Tele end, the zoom lens 1012 cannot be driven even if the zoom is driven.

In step S604, the motor controller 1041 calculates a zoom target speed V _ZMT . In step S <b> 605, the motor controller 1041 determines whether the zoom lens 1012 can be driven based on the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116 held by the optical sensor detection unit 1043 and the drive start speed of the zoom lens 1012. . If the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116 is slower than the zoom drive start speed, the motor controller 1041 determines that the zoom lens 1012 cannot be driven. Therefore, the motor controller 1041 does not drive the zoom lens 1012 and the process proceeds to S607. If the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116 is higher than the zoom drive start speed, the motor controller 1041 determines that the zoom lens 1012 can be driven. Then, the process proceeds to S606, and the motor control controller 1041 drives the zoom lens 1012 so that the driving speed of the zoom lens becomes the target speed V _ZMT calculated in S604. When calculating the zoom target speed V _ZMT in S604, the following equation 2 is used.

式２のT_Rは、光学センサ検出部１０４３で検出した光学センサ１１６１の２値化信号のエッジ間隔である。kは、光学センサ検出部１０４３で検出したエッジ間隔をズームレンズ１０１２の目標速度に変換するための変換係数（ズームリング回転速度―ズーム駆動速度変換係数）である。モータ制御コントローラ１０４１は、式２を基に理想のズームの駆動速度を算出する。モータ制御コントローラ１０４１は、算出した速度をズームレンズの低速、中速、高速の３つの速度と比較し、３つの速度のうち最も近い速度をズームの目標速度に設定する。

T _R of formula 2 is the edge interval of the binary signal of the optical sensor 1161 which is detected by an optical sensor detecting portion 1043. k is a conversion coefficient (zoom ring rotation speed−zoom drive speed conversion coefficient) for converting the edge interval detected by the optical sensor detection unit 1043 into the target speed of the zoom lens 1012. The motor controller 1041 calculates the ideal zoom drive speed based on Equation 2. The motor controller 1041 compares the calculated speed with the three speeds of the zoom lens, ie, the low speed, the medium speed, and the high speed, and sets the closest speed among the three speeds as the zoom target speed.

  Next, in S606, the motor controller 1041 performs zoom driving. In step S <b> 607, the motor controller 1041 determines whether to stop rotating the zoom ring 116. The rotation stop determination is a determination of whether or not the rotation of the zoom ring 116 is stopped. If the rotation of the zoom ring 116 continues, the process proceeds to S602, and the rotation direction and rotation speed of the ring are detected again. If the rotation of the zoom ring 116 has stopped, the process proceeds to S608 and the driving of the zoom lens is terminated. Then, the process proceeds to S601 and waits for the user to operate the zoom ring 116 again.

  The speed at which the zoom speed can be driven at a constant speed is limited due to the relationship between the output torque of the DC motor and the load on the lens barrel. When the speed of the zoom lens 1012 is controlled, the speed is used by using the edge interval information of the signal obtained by binarizing the signal of the optical sensor 1013, and the drive input to the zoom lens 1012 is controlled based on the speed information. To do. Accordingly, when the driving speed of the zoom lens 1012 is slow, the period for detecting the change in the value of the edge interval is long, and therefore the period for correcting the driving input to the zoom lens based on the detected zoom driving speed becomes long. As a result, when a sudden load change occurs, it is highly possible that the control input of the motor controller 1041 will not be updated in time and the zoom will stop before the zoom lens 1012 reaches the target position. Become. In order to drive the zoom stably without causing such a phenomenon that the zoom does not reach the target position and stops halfway, generally, the minimum speed of the zoom lens has some margin on the high speed side. It is set to have. Depending on the minimum zoom speed, the angle of view changes rapidly even when the zoom is driven at the minimum speed, and fine adjustment of the angle of view may be difficult even when the zoom ring 116 is rotated at an extremely slow speed. . In this embodiment, the zoom lens is stably driven minutely without driving the zoom lens 1012 at a constant speed under a predetermined condition.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating drive control of the zoom lens according to the first exemplary embodiment.
When the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the digital camera drives the zoom lens 1012 by minute feed (hereinafter referred to as “step drive”). S801 through S803 in FIG. 8 are the same as S601 through S603 in FIG.

  In step S804, the drive controller 104 determines whether the zoom lens 1012 can be controlled at a constant speed. The determination criterion is whether or not the speed obtained by converting the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116 into the zoom speed by the expression 2 exceeds the normal driveable speed shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the rotation speed of the zoom ring and the zoom speed.
FIG. 9 shows a zoom when the zoom ring 116 is rotated at three speeds: a speed at which constant zoom control (normal driving) is possible, a speed at which step driving is possible, and a speed at which neither constant speed control nor step driving is possible. The relationship between the rotation speed of the ring and the zoom speed is shown. The breakdown of the area includes a dead zone area where the zoom is not driven even when the zoom ring is operated, a step drive area where the zoom does not follow the speed of the zoom ring 116, and a normal drive area where the zoom follows the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116. Each region uses a step driveable speed (second threshold) and a normal driveable speed (first threshold) as boundary values. The dead zone region is set to prevent unnecessary zoom operation due to a ring malfunction. The drive controller 104 controls the zoom lens 1012 not to be driven even when the zoom ring 116 is operated when the rotation speed of the zoom ring 116 is equal to or less than the step driveable speed (second threshold or less). By providing the dead zone, the zoom does not move when the zoom ring is slightly rotated due to vibration or the like, so that it is possible to prevent the zoom from malfunctioning in a situation not intended by the user. The step drive region is a region where the zoom is moved at a speed equal to or lower than the zoom speed at which normal drive (first drive control) cannot be performed. In the step drive region, the drive controller 104 performs step drive (second drive control) that finely drives the zoom lens 1012 without following the operation speed of the zoom ring. That is, the drive controller 104 switches the drive control of the zoom ring between normal drive and step drive according to the operation speed (rotational speed) of the zoom ring.

  Returning to the description of FIG. If the rotation speed of the zoom ring exceeds the normal driveable speed, the process proceeds to S805. In S805, the drive controller 104 calculates the target speed of the zoom lens. In step S806, the drive controller 104 starts zoom constant speed control, and the process advances to step S807.

  If the rotation speed of the zoom ring is equal to or lower than the normal driveable speed (less than the first threshold value), the process proceeds to S809. In step S809, the drive controller 104 determines whether step driving is possible. There are two conditions for determining whether step driving is possible. The first condition is whether or not the rotation speed of the zoom ring is equal to or higher than the step driveable speed. The second condition is whether or not the step drive mode is set to be effective by menu operation.

  The validity / invalidity of the step drive mode is set when the user selects validity / invalidity by operating the menu of the portable camera device. If the rotation speed of the zoom ring is within the range of the step driveable speed and the step drive is set to be valid, the process proceeds to S810 and the step drive is started. If the rotation speed of the zoom ring is slower than the speed at which step driving is possible, or if step driving is invalid, the drive controller 104 proceeds to step S807 without performing zoom driving.

  In S807, the drive controller 104 determines ring rotation stop based on the zoom stop condition. The ring rotation stop determination is a determination as to whether or not the ring rotation has stopped. When the position of the zoom ring is detected at the ring position change detection timing, if the value of the period holding register has not changed continuously for a predetermined number of times, the drive controller 104 stops the operation of the zoom ring by the user. And stop zooming. The predetermined number of times may be switched according to the target speed of the zoom lens.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a stop condition table indicating zoom stop conditions.
The stop condition table is stored in advance in predetermined storage means (not shown) provided in the drive controller 104. In the stop condition table, a zoom speed type and a ring operation stop determination count are set. The zoom speed type indicates the type of the target speed of the zoom lens. The ring operation stop determination count indicates the number of counts determined that the zoom ring operation is stopped. This count number indicates the number of times that there is no continuous change in the value of the period holding register.

  As shown in FIG. 10, at the time of step driving, it is determined that the operation of the zoom ring has been stopped when there is no change in the value of the period holding register for five consecutive times at the ring position change detection timing. Operate the zoom ring when there is no continuous change in the value of the period holding register for 4 consecutive times at low speed during normal driving, 3 consecutive times at medium speed, and 2 consecutive times at high speed. Is determined to have been stopped. In other words, as the target speed of the zoom lens increases, the ring operation stop determination count is set to a smaller number. If the zoom stop condition is uniformly set regardless of the zoom target speed, the user may feel uncomfortable. For example, if the stop determination time is tuned so that there is no sense of incongruity in the high-speed driving speed, and the zoom ring is rotated at a low speed, the system controller 105 will allow the user to fine-tune the angle of view. It is determined that the operation has been stopped. On the other hand, if the zoom ring is rotated at a high speed when tuning is performed on the low speed side, the amount of movement of the zoom from when the ring stops until the zoom stops increases, causing a sense of incongruity. As shown in FIG. 10, by changing the zoom stop condition depending on the target speed of the zoom lens, it is possible to reduce a sense of discomfort when the user stops the operation of the zoom ring.

  Returning to the description of FIG. If it is determined in S807 that the rotation of the zoom ring has stopped, the process proceeds to step S808. Then, the drive controller 104 stops the zoom drive. On the other hand, when it is determined that the rotation of the zoom ring continues, the process returns to S802 again, and the flow from S802 to S807 is repeated.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a control amount, a zoom driving speed, and a zoom lens position change during normal driving.
FIG. 11A shows the change over time of the control amount for driving the zoom lens 1012, which is output from the motor control controller 1041 to the driver circuit 1042. FIG. 11B shows a temporal change in the zoom lens speed when the zoom lens is driven by a control input from the motor controller 1041. FIG. 11C shows a time change of the zoom lens position when the zoom lens is driven by a control input from the motor controller 1041. In normal driving, the drive controller 104 changes the control amount output from the motor controller 1041 while detecting the actual zoom drive speed so that the zoom lens operates at a target speed determined by the rotation speed of the zoom ring. . As a result, the zoom continues to be driven near the target speed unless a large disturbance is applied to the zoom lens.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a control amount, a zoom lens driving speed, and a zoom lens position change during step driving.
FIG. 12A shows the change over time of the control amount for driving the zoom lens 1012, which is output from the motor controller 1041 to the driver circuit 1042. FIG. 12B shows a temporal change in the zoom lens speed when the zoom lens is driven by a control amount input from the motor controller 1041. FIG. 12C shows a time change of the zoom lens position when the zoom lens is driven by a control input from the motor controller 1041.

  As shown in FIG. 12A, in the step drive, the control amount output from the motor controller is not changed according to the rotation speed of the zoom ring. Instead, a controlled variable having a fixed value for a predetermined time is supplied to the DC motor. The control input to the zoom lens output from the motor control controller is a control input in which ON (ON) and OFF (OFF) are periodically repeated stepwise. As a result of the drive control based on this control input, the zoom lens drive speed repeatedly changes from the zoom lens stop state to the vicinity of the reference speed as shown in FIG. The zoom reference speed is a low zoom speed during normal driving (constant speed control) shown in FIG. That is, in the control example shown in FIG. 12, the drive controller 104 performs control so that the period during which the position of the zoom lens changes and the period during which the zoom lens is stopped are repeated based on a control input that is periodically turned ON and OFF. To do.

  A description will be given of the magnitude of the control input at the time of step driving and an index for setting the ON and OFF periods. The ON interval of the control input is such that the zoom speed reaches the reference speed within the step drive cycle even when the camera load is large (for example, when the camera is faced down in a low temperature environment). Set the time. For the control input OFF period, the time is set so that the zoom is stopped once from the state of moving at the reference zoom speed within the step drive cycle. The magnitude of the control input at the time of step driving and the setting of the step driving cycle may be set uniformly by the camera or may be adjusted for each individual.

  By performing step driving, as shown in FIG. 12C, the zoom position is not constant as in normal driving, and the period of position change and the period of stop are repeated. When the target speed of the zoom lens is high, the user feels uncomfortable if the driving is repeated. However, when the driving and the stop are repeated at a low speed or less during normal driving, the feeling of discomfort is small because the speed of the stop and driving is small. When the user feels uncomfortable by repeating the stop and drive, it is possible to reduce the uncomfortable feeling by shortening the period during which the zoom lens stops by changing the size of the control amount or the step drive cycle. .

(Example 2)
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a control amount during step driving, a driving speed of the zoom lens, and a change in the position of the zoom lens according to the second embodiment.
13A to 13C correspond to FIGS. 12A to 12C. In the second embodiment, the drive controller 104 changes the zoom drive speed by changing the step drive cycle. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14A, the drive controller 104 makes the step drive cycle longer than the step drive cycle shown in FIG. Therefore, as compared with the case of the step drive shown in FIG. 12, the period during which the control input is ON for a predetermined time is short, and the amount of zoom change during the predetermined period is small. As a result, the apparent zoom drive speed can be made slower than when the step drive shown in FIG. 12 is performed. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 13, the drive controller 104 changes the drive speed of the zoom lens by changing the cycle of the control input.

(Example 3)
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a control amount during step driving, a driving speed of the zoom lens, and a change in the position of the zoom lens according to the third embodiment.
14A to 14C correspond to FIGS. 12A to 12C. In the third embodiment, the drive controller 104 changes the section in which the control input is ON. Specifically, the drive controller 104 shortens the section in which the control input is ON as compared with the step drive shown in FIG. Since the control input ON section is short, the period during which the zoom position moves is short compared to the step driving shown in FIG. Therefore, the apparent zoom speed can be reduced. In other words, in the control example shown in FIG. 14, the drive controller 104 changes the zoom lens drive speed by changing the ratio between the ON period and the OFF period of the control input.

Example 4
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a control amount during step driving, a driving speed of a zoom lens, and a change in position of the zoom lens in Example 4.
15A to 15C correspond to FIGS. 12A to 12C. In the fourth embodiment, the drive controller 104 changes the value of the control input when the control input is ON. Specifically, the drive controller 104 reduces the value of the control input when the control input is ON, as compared with the step drive shown in FIG. Since the control input is small, the zoom speed when the control input is ON is slow. Therefore, the apparent zoom driving speed is reduced. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 15, the drive controller 104 changes the drive speed of the zoom lens by changing the magnitude of the control input.

(Example 5)
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a control amount during step driving, a driving speed of the zoom lens, and a change in the position of the zoom lens according to the fifth embodiment.
FIGS. 16A to 16C correspond to FIGS. 12A to 12C. In the example shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, the drive controller 104 changes the control input so as to repeat ON and OFF in steps. On the other hand, in the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the control input is gradually increased or decreased by changing the rate of change (slope) of the control input. That is, in the control example shown in FIG. 16, the drive controller 104 controls the zoom lens based on a control input that changes the rate of change in size per unit time.

  In addition to changing the control input change rate, the drive controller 104 changes the step drive cycle, the ON / OFF ratio of the control input, or the size of the control input, so that the zoom speed during the step drive can be increased. It may be changed.

  The present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments thereof, but the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. A part of the above-described embodiments may be appropriately combined. For example, the drive controller 104 may change the step drive cycle or the magnitude of the control input in addition to changing the ON / OFF ratio of the control input as shown in FIG. Further, the drive controller 104 may change the magnitude of the control input in addition to changing the step drive cycle of the control input as shown in FIG.

(Other examples)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

104 Drive controller 116 Zoom ring

Claims (12)

An operation member;
A control unit that drives and controls the movable optical member according to the operation of the operation member,
The control unit, according to an operation speed of the operation member, a drive control of the movable optical member, a first drive control for driving and controlling the movable optical member following the operation speed of the operation member; An optical apparatus characterized by switching between the second drive control for minutely driving the movable optical member without following the operation speed of the operation member. The control unit switches the drive control of the movable optical member to the second drive control when the operation speed of the operation member is equal to or less than a first threshold value, and the operation speed of the operation member reaches the first threshold value. 2. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when it exceeds, the drive control of the movable optical member is switched to the first drive control. The control unit performs drive control of the movable optical member when the operation speed of the operation member is equal to or lower than a first threshold and when the second drive control is set to be effective. The optical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the optical device is switched to drive control No. 2. The control unit performs control so that the movable optical member is not driven even when the operation member is operated when an operation speed of the operation member is equal to or lower than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. The optical apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the optical apparatus is characterized in that: The controller is
When executing the second drive control, control is performed so that a period during which the position of the movable optical member changes and a period during which the movable optical member is stopped are repeated based on a control input that is periodically turned on and off. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical apparatus is an optical apparatus. 6. The optical according to claim 5, wherein the control unit changes a driving speed of the movable optical member by changing a cycle of the control input when executing the second drive control. machine. The control unit, when executing the second drive control, changes the drive speed of the movable optical member by changing a ratio between an ON period and an OFF period of the control input. The optical apparatus according to claim 5 or 6. The said control part changes the drive speed of the said movable optical member by changing the magnitude | size of the said control input, when performing said 2nd drive control. The optical apparatus according to any one of the above. The said control part performs said 2nd drive control based on the said control input from which the change rate of the magnitude | size per unit time changes. The any one of Claims 5 thru | or 8 characterized by the above-mentioned. Optical equipment. The imaging device functioning as an optical apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the movable optical member is a zoom lens. According to the operation of the operation member provided in the optical device, it has a control process for driving and controlling the movable optical member,
In the control step, according to the operation speed of the operation member, the drive control of the movable optical member is performed according to the operation speed of the operation member, the first drive control for driving and controlling the movable optical member, A method for controlling an optical apparatus, wherein switching is performed by a second drive control that finely drives the movable optical member without following the operation member of the operation member.   A program for causing a computer to execute the method for controlling an optical apparatus according to claim 11.

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