JP2019095721A - Accessory device, imaging apparatus, and communication control program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an accessory device capable of performing highly accurate communication control.SOLUTION: An accessory device (100) attachable to/detachable from an imaging apparatus (200) includes an accessory communication part (112) for performing communication with the imaging apparatus and an accessory control part (111) for controlling the communication with the imaging apparatus through the accessory communication part. The accessory communication part performs the communication with the imaging apparatus by a first communication system and a second communication system. The accessory control part transmits information indicating the state of the accessory device to the imaging apparatus in the first communication system, when a transmission request is received from the imaging apparatus and transmits the information indicating the state of the accessory device to the imaging apparatus in the second communication system, when the state of the accessory device is changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an accessory device such as an imaging device (camera body) and an interchangeable lens that can communicate with each other.

  In Patent Document 1, in order to detect a change in zoom position due to an external force, a zoom lens position control device constantly monitors the change in zoom position, and initializes the stop position of the zoom lens when the zoom position changes. It is disclosed. Patent Document 2 discloses an imaging device that normally performs synchronous communication and performs asynchronous communication (UART) at a predetermined time.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-303779 JP 2012-53443A

  However, the zoom lens position control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 only performs initialization in the zoom lens after the change of the zoom position, and takes into consideration the influence of the camera body due to the change of the zoom position. Absent. Patent Document 2 only discloses sending status information by asynchronous communication in accordance with the driving state of the interchangeable lens. Therefore, in the configurations of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, it is not possible to perform highly accurate communication control so that the camera body quickly performs appropriate control according to the state change of the interchangeable lens. In addition, the same problem may occur in accessory devices other than interchangeable lenses.

  Then, an object of the present invention is to provide an accessory device, an imaging device, and a communication control program capable of highly accurate communication control.

  An accessory device as one aspect of the present invention is an accessory device that is attachable to and detachable from an imaging device, and the communication between an accessory communication unit that communicates with the imaging device and the imaging device via the accessory communication unit is performed. An accessory control unit for controlling the accessory communication unit, the accessory communication unit performs the communication with the imaging device in the first communication method and the second communication method, and the accessory control unit performs the first communication method Wherein, when a transmission request is received from the imaging device, information indicating a state of the accessory device is transmitted to the imaging device, and in the second communication method, the accessory state is changed, the accessory is Information indicative of the state of the device is transmitted to the imaging device.

  An imaging apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is an imaging apparatus to which an accessory device can be attached and detached, and the communication between the camera communication unit that communicates with the accessory device and the accessory device via the camera communication unit And the camera communication unit performs the communication with the accessory device by the first communication method and the second communication method, and the camera control unit performs the first communication. In the method, when a transmission request is transmitted to the accessory device, information indicating a state of the accessory device is received from the accessory device, and in the second communication method, when the state of the accessory device changes, the information Information indicating the state of the accessory device is received from the accessory device.

  A communication control program according to another aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of: communicating with an imaging device according to a first communication method to a computer of an accessory device detachable from the imaging device; A communication control program for executing the step of performing communication, wherein, in the step of performing the communication according to the first communication method, when a transmission request is received from the imaging device, information indicating the state of the accessory device is In the step of transmitting to the imaging device and performing the communication according to the second communication method, when the state of the accessory device changes, information indicating the state of the accessory device is transmitted to the imaging device.

  Other objects and features of the present invention are described in the following examples.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an accessory device capable of highly accurate communication control, an imaging device, and a communication control program.

It is a block diagram showing composition of a lens exchange type camera system in each example. It is the schematic which shows the communication circuit of the lens microcomputer and camera microcomputer in each Example. It is the schematic which shows the 1st communication system and 2nd communication system in each Example. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the positional information on a variable magnification lens in each Example, and a voltage. It is a figure which shows the relationship of the positional information on a focus lens and drive amount in each Example. It is a figure which shows command communication and lens information in each Example. It is a flowchart which shows the process (communication interruption process) of the camera microcomputer in each Example. It is a flow chart which shows processing (position detection processing) of a lens microcomputer in each example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  FIG. 1 shows an imaging system (camera) including a camera body 200 as an imaging device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and an interchangeable lens (lens device) 100 as an accessory device detachably (removably) attached thereto. System) is shown. However, the accessory device is not limited to the interchangeable lens 100, and this embodiment is also applicable to other accessory devices that can be attached to and detached from the camera body 200.

  The camera body 200 and the interchangeable lens 100 transmit control instructions and internal information through the communication units that they each have. Also, each communication unit supports a plurality of communication formats, and selects the optimum communication format for various situations by switching to the same communication format in synchronization with each other according to the type of communication data and the communication purpose. It is possible to In this embodiment, a first communication format (first communication method) and a second communication format (second communication method) described later are set as the communication format. The camera body 200 can set the communication mode with the interchangeable lens 100 to a first camera communication mode corresponding to a first communication format and a second camera communication mode corresponding to a second communication format. The interchangeable lens 100 can set the communication mode with the camera body 200 to a first lens communication mode corresponding to a first communication format and a second lens communication mode corresponding to a second communication format.

  First, specific configurations of the interchangeable lens 100 and the camera body 200 will be described. The interchangeable lens 100 and the camera body 200 are mechanically and electrically connected via a mount 300 which is a coupling mechanism. The interchangeable lens 100 receives power supply from the camera body 200 via a power supply terminal (not shown) provided on the mount 300, and controls various actuators and a lens microcomputer (lens microcomputer) 111 described later. The interchangeable lens 100 and the camera body 200 communicate with each other via a communication terminal (shown in FIG. 2) provided on the mount 300.

  The interchangeable lens 100 has an imaging optical system. The imaging optical system performs focusing in order from the object OBJ side, the field lens 101, the variable magnification lens (zoom lens) 102 that performs magnification variation, the aperture unit 114 that adjusts the light amount, the image blur correction lens 103, and And a focusing lens 104.

  The variable magnification lens 102 and the focus lens 104 are held by lens holding frames 105 and 106, respectively. The lens holding frames 105 and 106 are guided movably in the optical axis direction indicated by a broken line in the drawing by a guide shaft (not shown), and are driven in the optical axis direction by stepping motors 107 and 108, respectively. The stepping motors 107 and 108 move the variable power lens 102 and the focus lens 104 in synchronization with the drive pulse.

  The image blur correction lens 103 moves in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the imaging optical system to reduce image blur caused by camera shake and the like.

  The lens microcomputer 111 is an accessory control unit that controls the operation of each unit in the interchangeable lens 100. The lens microcomputer 111 receives a control command transmitted from the camera body 200 via the lens communication unit 112 as an accessory communication unit, and receives a transmission request for lens data (accessory data). Also, the lens microcomputer 111 performs lens control corresponding to the control command, and transmits lens data corresponding to the transmission request to the camera body 200 via the lens communication unit 112.

  The lens microcomputer 111 outputs control signals to the zoom drive circuit 119 and the focus drive circuit 120 in response to commands relating to zooming and focusing among the control commands to drive the stepping motors 107 and 108. As a result, zoom processing for controlling the magnification change operation by the variable magnification lens 102 and AF (Auto Focus) processing for controlling the focus adjustment operation by the focus lens 104 are performed.

  The interchangeable lens 100 has a manual focus ring 130 that can be rotationally operated by the user, and a focus encoder 131 that detects the amount of rotational operation of the manual focus ring 130. The lens microcomputer 111 causes the focus drive circuit 120 to drive the stepping motor 108 in accordance with the amount of rotational operation of the manual focus ring 130 detected by the focus encoder 131 to move the focus lens 104. As a result, MF (manual focus) is performed.

  The aperture unit 114 is configured to include aperture blades 114a and 114b. The states of the diaphragm blades 114 a and 114 b are detected by the Hall element 115, and are input to the lens microcomputer 111 via the amplification circuit 122 and the A / D conversion circuit 123. The lens microcomputer 111 outputs a drive signal to the diaphragm drive circuit 121 based on the input signal from the A / D conversion circuit 123 to drive the diaphragm actuator 113. Thereby, the light amount adjusting operation by the diaphragm unit 114 is controlled.

  Further, the lens microcomputer 111 drives the anti-vibration actuator 126 via the anti-vibration drive circuit 125 in accordance with the shake detected by a shake sensor (not shown) such as a vibrating gyroscope provided in the interchangeable lens 100. Thereby, image shake correction processing for controlling the movement of the image shake correction lens 103 is performed.

  The camera body 200 includes an imaging device 201 such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor, an A / D conversion circuit 202, a signal processing circuit 203, a recording unit 204, a camera microcomputer (camera microcomputer) 205, and a display unit 206. Have.

  The imaging element 201 photoelectrically converts an object image (optical image) formed by the imaging optical system in the interchangeable lens 100 and outputs an electrical signal (analog signal). The A / D conversion circuit 202 converts an analog signal from the imaging element 201 into a digital signal. The signal processing circuit 203 performs various kinds of image processing on the digital signal from the A / D conversion circuit 202 to generate a video signal. The signal processing circuit 203 also generates, from the video signal, the contrast state of the subject image, that is, the focus information indicating the focus state of the imaging optical system and the luminance information indicating the exposure state. The signal processing circuit 203 outputs the video signal to the display unit 206, and the display unit 206 displays the video signal as a live view image used for confirmation of composition, focus state, and the like.

  A camera microcomputer 205 as a camera control unit controls the camera body 200 according to an input from a camera operation unit 207 including an imaging instruction switch (not shown) and various setting switches. Further, the camera microcomputer 205 transmits a control command related to the magnification change operation of the magnification varying lens 102 to the lens microcomputer 111 according to the operation of the zoom switch (not shown) via the camera data transmission / reception unit 208b. Furthermore, the camera microcomputer 205 transmits, to the lens microcomputer 111, a control command related to the light amount adjustment operation of the diaphragm unit 114 according to the luminance information and the focus adjustment operation of the focus lens 104 according to the focus information via the camera data transmission / reception unit 208b. Do.

  Next, communication circuits configured between the camera body 200 (camera microcomputer 205) and the interchangeable lens 100 (lens microcomputer 111) and communication performed between them will be described using FIG. The camera microcomputer 205 has a function of managing a communication method and communication settings with the lens microcomputer 111, and a function of notifying the lens microcomputer 111 of a transmission request and the like. The lens microcomputer 111 also has a function of generating lens data and a function of transmitting the lens data.

  The camera microcomputer 205 has a camera communication interface circuit 208a, and the lens microcomputer 111 has a lens communication interface circuit 112a. The camera microcomputer 205 (camera data transmission / reception unit 208b) and the lens microcomputer 111 (lens data transmission / reception unit 112b) are communication terminal units (shown by three squares in the figure) provided on the mount 300 and camera communication interface circuits 208a and 112a. Communicate through In this embodiment, the camera microcomputer 205 and the lens microcomputer 111 perform (three-wire type) asynchronous serial communication using three channels. A camera communication unit 208 includes the camera data transmission / reception unit 208b and the camera communication interface circuit 208a, and a lens communication unit 112 as an accessory communication unit includes the lens data transmission / reception unit 112b and the lens communication interface circuit 112a.

  In the present embodiment, the camera microcomputer 205 and the lens microcomputer 111 perform three-wire first serial communication (first communication method) using three channels and a two-wire second serial communication using two channels. The communication control is performed while switching to the serial communication (second communication method).

  In the first serial communication, one of the three channels is a clock channel (LCLK) to which a clock signal is input / output. One of the other two channels is a first data communication channel (DLC) used for lens data transmission from the lens microcomputer 111 to the camera microcomputer 205. Another channel is a second data communication channel (DCL) used for camera data transmission from the camera microcomputer 205 to the lens microcomputer 111. The first serial communication generally adopts a communication format called a clock synchronous communication system.

  In the second serial communication, one of the three channels is an unused channel (RTS). One of the other two channels is a first data communication channel (DLC) used for lens data transmission from the lens microcomputer 111 to the camera microcomputer 205. Another channel is a second data communication channel (DCL) used for camera data transmission from the camera microcomputer 205 to the lens microcomputer 111. The second serial communication generally employs a communication format called start-stop synchronous communication system (UART). However, in the present embodiment, the first serial communication and the second serial communication are not limited to these communication methods, and may be other communication methods such as non-contact photoelectric type or radio wave type.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the first serial communication (first communication method) and the second serial communication (second communication method), and each communication of LCLK / RTS, DCL, DLC in FIG. The electrical signal of the channel is shown. The first serial communication on the left side and the second serial communication on the right side of the center line C in FIG. 3 are switched from the first serial communication to the second serial communication with the C line as a boundary. . In the present embodiment, the communication method is determined according to the photographing mode set in the camera body 200. For example, when the still image mode is selected as the shooting mode of the camera body 200, communication between the camera body 200 and the interchangeable lens 100 is performed in the first serial communication. On the other hand, when the moving image mode is selected as the shooting mode, communication between the camera body 200 and the interchangeable lens 100 is performed in the second serial communication.

  Further, as another example, it is assumed that the first serial communication is a communication method corresponding to an old system, and a communication method by the second serial communication is added later. That is, when the old camera body or the old interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body, only the first serial communication is supported, but when the new interchangeable lens is attached to the new camera body, after the first serial communication It is possible to switch to the second serial communication. Note that the present embodiment is premised to be applied to the case where communication is performed by the above-described second serial communication (second communication method), so the second serial communication will be described in detail.

  In the second serial communication, communication is performed using two channels as described above, and since this is asynchronous communication, each channel can communicate independently. In order to communicate independently, the camera body 200 and the interchangeable lens 100 need to determine the information received from each other, and the type and amount of information (communication amount) to be transmitted from now on at the beginning of the communication are command information It is necessary to send to the other party as. In this embodiment, it is assumed that information on the state (lens position etc.) of the interchangeable lens 100 is transmitted to the camera body 200. Therefore, the lens microcomputer 111 first transmits command information indicating the type of information to the camera microcomputer 205 via the first data communication channel (DLC) at the time of the synchronous communication in FIG. Thereafter, the lens microcomputer 111 transmits lens information (data of the state of the interchangeable lens 100) to the camera microcomputer 205 through the first data communication channel (DLC).

  Since the command information itself indicates the amount of information, the camera microcomputer 205 can determine the two types of information and the amount of information by analyzing the command information. Therefore, the camera microcomputer 205 can determine the position of the head of the next command information by determining the total amount of lens information received from the next based on the command information received first. Note that this operation is not limited to the lens microcomputer 111. Even when the camera microcomputer 205 transmits information to the lens microcomputer 111, the camera microcomputer 205 performs the same operation.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position information of the variable power lens 102 and the voltage, and shows the change in the sensor signal for detecting the unillustrated moving amount when the variable power lens 102 is driven in the optical axis direction. ing. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents the position (zoom position) of the variable magnification lens 102, and the vertical axis represents voltage (the output voltage of an A / D converter not shown). Here, the position (zoom position) of the variable magnification lens 102 corresponds to the position of each lens group when there are a plurality of lens groups that move during zooming, and each zoom position corresponds to a different focal length.

  In this embodiment, a sensor (not shown) has a volume resistance, and a circuit in which a voltage changes in accordance with the resistance value with respect to the position of the variable magnification lens 102 is configured. This voltage change is detected by an A / D converter (not shown) of the lens microcomputer 111, and the V-Tele voltage at the telephoto end and the V-Wide voltage at the wide-angle end are adjusted as ZOOM 63 and ZOOM 0 as magnification change positions, respectively. I remember. That is, the position (zoom position) of the variable magnification lens 102 is converted as 64 divided digital position information from ZOOM 0 to ZOOM 63 from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end. Assuming that the current output value of the A / D converter is (V-Zoom), an arithmetic expression for converting to digital position information is expressed as follows.

| 64 / ((V-Tele)-(V-Wide)) × ((V-Zoom)-(V-Wide)) |
The lens microcomputer 111 constantly monitors the change of the digital position information (every predetermined time), and updates the magnification change information (zoom position information).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position information (focus position) of the focus lens 104 and the drive amount. Each focus position corresponds to a different object distance. The stepping motor 108 moves the focus lens 104 in synchronization with the drive pulse. Therefore, the drive pulse at this time is treated as an absolute position of the focus lens 104. For example, in the case where the infinite end of the focus lens 104 is 0 pulse, it is assumed that 0 to 50 pulses are at the position of FOCUS 0 (infinite end). Similarly, it is determined that the drive amount of 51 pulses to 100 pulses is FOCUS1... And the drive amount of 551 pulses to 600 pulses is FOCUS 7 (closest end). As described above, in the present embodiment, the driving amount of the stepping motor 108 can be specified as the position information of the focus lens 104. Therefore, when the interchangeable lens 100 is powered on, the lens microcomputer 111 drives the focus lens 104 to the infinite end position so that the position becomes a zero pulse. The lens microcomputer 111 constantly monitors such a positional change of the focus lens 104 (every predetermined time) and updates it as focus position information.

  FIG. 6 shows the relationship between information on optical specifications of the interchangeable lens 100 (optical information), information on the aperture unit 114, lens position information such as zoom position and focus position, etc., and command information when transmitting to the camera microcomputer 205. FIG. Optical information A to C, command information and the like regarding the interchangeable lens 100 are stored in storage means such as an internal memory of the lens microcomputer 111.

  As described with reference to FIG. 3, since the second serial communication is asynchronous communication, the camera microcomputer 205 needs to determine the information received from the lens microcomputer 111. Therefore, in the first communication, the lens microcomputer 111 transmits command information to cause the camera microcomputer 205 to determine the type of information to be transmitted. The command information is in one-to-one correspondence with various optical information.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the optical information A of the interchangeable lens 100, “A0” in hexadecimal is command information. Similarly, the optical information B of the interchangeable lens 100 is treated as hexadecimal "B0", and the optical information C is treated as hexadecimal "C0" as command information. Further, regarding actuator information (diaphragm position information) of the diaphragm unit 114, hexadecimal "C0" is command information. Further, with regard to the absolute position information (F ring position information, Z ring position information) of the focus lens 104 and the variable magnification lens 102, “E0” and “F0” in hexadecimal are command information respectively. As described above, the camera microcomputer 205 determines and organizes the types of information according to the correspondence table linked in advance based on the command information received first, and stores the information in the storage means such as the internal memory. Used for control. Also, the camera microcomputer 205 determines the amount of communication based on the received command information, and generates necessary information, and at the same time determines what time the next command information is received information. Communication is established when the camera microcomputer 205 repeats these determinations. Note that since the above-described optical information is information that changes according to the position of the variable magnification lens 102 or the focus lens 104, the optical information value also changes as the lens position changes. .

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart regarding communication interrupt processing of the camera microcomputer 205. The communication interrupt process of FIG. 7 is executed by the camera microcomputer 205 when the camera microcomputer 205 receives a communication from the lens microcomputer 111.

  When the camera microcomputer 205 receives a communication from the lens microcomputer 111, a communication interrupt is triggered in step S300. Subsequently, in step S301, the camera microcomputer 205 determines whether or not the current communication is command information, that is, whether or not the command analysis mode is in effect. If it is determined that the current communication is command information, the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, the camera microcomputer 205 analyzes the information received from the lens microcomputer 111, and determines which information the information received from the lens microcomputer 111 is from now on (command analysis processing).

  Subsequently, in step S303, the camera microcomputer 205 derives an amount of information corresponding to the command information stored in advance in the camera microcomputer 205 based on the next received command information, and acquires the amount of information to be received. In the present embodiment, the command information received from the lens microcomputer 111 is optical information A of “A0” in hexadecimal in FIG. 6, and the amount of information is 4 bytes (one communication information is 1 byte). Although described as receiving, it is not limited to this. Subsequently, in step S304, since the command information is optical information A and the reception amount is 4 bytes, the camera microcomputer 205 determines that the next communication information is data, and sets the data acquisition mode. Then, in step S308, the camera microcomputer 205 ends the interrupt processing. By setting the data acquisition mode at step 304, the camera microcomputer 205 determines that it is not in the command analysis mode at step S301 when the communication is received next.

  If it is determined in step S301 that the camera microcomputer 205 is not in the command analysis mode, the data acquisition mode is set, and thus the process proceeds to step S305. In step S305, the camera microcomputer 205 performs data acquisition processing. Then, in step S306, the camera microcomputer 205 determines whether all the information (predetermined information) of the designated optical information A has been received. If the reception of all the optical information A has not been completed, the process proceeds to step 308 and the interrupt process is ended.

  On the other hand, when reception of all the information is completed in step 306, the camera microcomputer 205 generates data of optical information A from the received 4 bytes of information and stores it in a storage means such as an internal memory of the camera microcomputer 205. Remember. The camera microcomputer 205 controls the interchangeable lens 100 and the camera body 200 based on the stored information (data of optical information A). Then, in step S307, the camera microcomputer 205 shifts from the data acquisition mode to the command analysis mode (sets the command analysis mode). Thus, the camera microcomputer 205 operates so as to recognize that the information received from the lens microcomputer 111 is command information from the next communication. Then, in step S308, the interrupt processing ends.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart regarding the position detection process of the lens microcomputer 111 in the second communication method. The lens microcomputer 111 detects the positions of the focus lens 104 and the variable magnification lens 102 at predetermined time intervals. That is, the position detection process of FIG. 8 is executed by the lens microcomputer 111 at predetermined time intervals.

  First, in step S400, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the lens microcomputer 111 executes position detection processing. Subsequently, in step S401, the lens microcomputer 111 detects the position (zoom position) of the variable magnification lens 102. For example, the lens microcomputer 111 reads out the value (V-Zoom) of the A / D converter (not shown) indicating the position information of the variable magnification lens 102, and converts it into digital position information based on the arithmetic expression described with reference to FIG. Convert. By this calculation, the lens microcomputer 111 can determine which position the current zoom position of the interchangeable lens 100 is divided into 64 positions. Subsequently, in step S402, the lens microcomputer 111 detects the position (focus position) of the focus lens 104. For example, the lens microcomputer 111 can read out the current drive pulse amount of the focus lens 104 and determine the position (digital position information) of the focus lens 104 according to the table of FIG.

  Subsequently, in step S403, the lens microcomputer 111 changes the zoom position detected in step S401 or the focus position detected in step S402 (whether the current digital position information has changed with respect to the previous digital position information) ) Or not. If neither the zoom position nor the focus position has changed, the process advances to step S407 to end the position detection process. On the other hand, if at least one of the zoom position and the focus position has changed, the process proceeds to step S404. In step S404, the lens microcomputer 111 stores the current position information (current position) in a storage unit such as an internal memory, for use in determining the next change in position information.

  Subsequently, in step S405, since the focus position or the zoom position has changed, the lens microcomputer 111 generates optical information corresponding to the current position. For example, optical information affected by changes in zoom position includes focal length information and open F value information, and information affected by changes in focus position includes distance information and the like, but is limited thereto is not.

  Subsequently, in step S406, the lens microcomputer 111 transmits the optical information generated in step S406 to the camera body 200. For example, at the time of optical information transmission processing, the lens microcomputer 111 transmits command information corresponding to various optical information to the camera microcomputer 205 in the first communication, and starts transmission of optical information in the next communication. That is, the lens microcomputer 111 transmits information indicating the lens position (the state of the interchangeable lens 100) after transmitting the type and amount of information to the camera body 200 in the second communication method. The lens microcomputer 111 repeats this transmission process until transmission of all the optical information is completed, and after the transmission process is completed, the process proceeds to step S407, and the position detection process is ended.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the lens microcomputer 111 transmits the optical information of the interchangeable lens 100 to the camera body 200 according to the change of the zoom position and the focus position, but in the present embodiment, the lens microcomputer 111 detects the position of the diaphragm unit 114 (diaphragm position). Transmit optical information according to the change of. Here, the position (diaphragm position) of the diaphragm unit 114 is the position (driven state) of the blade for changing the aperture diameter of the aperture stop as a detection target, and corresponds to the size of the aperture diameter of the aperture stop.

  As shown in FIG. 6, even when the position of the diaphragm unit 114 (diaphragm position information) changes, the lens microcomputer 111 transmits the change to the camera microcomputer 205. For this reason, for example, when the diaphragm unit 114 is driven by the determination of the lens microcomputer 111 to change the diaphragm position, it is necessary to transmit information on the operation to the camera microcomputer 205. The lens microcomputer 111 transmits, for example, information indicating that the diaphragm unit 114 is in operation, and diaphragm position information itself. In addition to the diaphragm unit 114, the same applies to the case where the lens microcomputer 111 drives the variable power lens 102 or the focus lens 104 based on its own judgment. As shown in FIG. 6, even when the position information of the focus ring or zoom ring (not shown) operated by rotating the focus lens 104 or the variable magnification lens 102 manually or by an external actuator changes, the position of the lens microcomputer 111 The information is transmitted to the camera microcomputer 205.

  As described above, in the first embodiment or the second embodiment, the accessory communication unit (lens communication unit 112) communicates with the camera body 200 by the first communication method and the second communication method. When the accessory control unit (lens microcomputer 111) receives a transmission request from the camera body 200 in the first communication method, the accessory control unit (lens microcomputer 111) transmits information indicating the state of the accessory device (interchangeable lens 100) to the camera body 200. On the other hand, when the state of the accessory device changes in the second communication method, the accessory control unit transmits information indicating the state of the accessory device to the camera body 200. In other words, when the accessory control unit receives the transmission request from the camera body 200 in the first communication scheme, the accessory control unit transmits only the information corresponding to the received transmission request to the camera body 200. On the other hand, in the second communication method, when the state of the accessory device changes in the second communication method, the accessory control unit sequentially transmits information on the accessory device to the camera body 200 according to the change in the state.

  Preferably, in the first communication method, the accessory control unit transmits information indicating the state of the accessory device to the camera body 200 when the transmission request is received, and the accessory device when the transmission request is not received. Does not send that information even if it changes. Further preferably, in the second communication method, the accessory control unit determines whether or not the state of the accessory device has changed every predetermined time. When the state of the accessory device changes, information indicating the state of the accessory device is transmitted to the camera body 200. On the other hand, when the state of the accessory device has not changed, the accessory control unit does not transmit information indicating the state of the accessory device to the camera body 200.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Although the processing of the lens microcomputer has been described in the first and second embodiments, the same processing can be performed by the camera microcomputer. The camera body 200 is provided with a plurality of switches (not shown), and by operating these switches, it is possible to notify the interchangeable lens 100 that the state of the switch has changed.

  With regard to the processing of each microcomputer, the flowcharts of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are interchanged, and control is interchanged to information on the state of a switch (not shown) of the camera body 200 instead of zoom and focus position information. Therefore, the detailed description is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, when the camera control unit (camera microcomputer 205) transmits a transmission request to the accessory device (interchangeable lens 100) in the first communication method, the camera control unit (camera microcomputer 205) receives information indicating the state of the accessory device from the accessory device. . On the other hand, when the state of the camera body 200 changes in the second communication method, the camera control unit transmits information indicating the state of the camera body 200 to the accessory device.

  According to each embodiment, in the optical apparatus having the communication function, it is possible to transmit the latest information to the connected party by using various position information and the state of the switch as a trigger. Therefore, it can be used particularly for camera systems such as lens-interchangeable digital cameras and video cameras.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. Can also be realized. It can also be implemented by a circuit (eg, an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

  According to each embodiment, for example, changes in the state of the interchangeable lens can be quickly transmitted to the camera body, and focusing accuracy, AE accuracy, shortening of focusing time, and accuracy of camera shake correction can be improved. Therefore, according to each embodiment, it is possible to provide an accessory device capable of highly accurate communication control, an imaging device, and a communication control program.

  As mentioned above, although the preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

100 Interchangeable Lens (Accessory Device)
111 Lens Microcomputer (Accessory Controller)
112 Lens Communication Unit (Accessory Communication Unit)

Claims (14)

An accessory device that can be attached to and removed from an imaging device,
An accessory communication unit that communicates with the imaging device;
An accessory control unit that controls the communication with the imaging device via the accessory communication unit;
The accessory communication unit performs the communication with the imaging device in a first communication method and a second communication method.
The accessory control unit
In the first communication method, when a transmission request is received from the imaging device, information indicating a state of the accessory device is transmitted to the imaging device,
6. An accessory device according to the second communication method, wherein, when the state of the accessory device changes, information indicating the state of the accessory device is transmitted to the imaging device. The accessory control unit
In the first communication method, when the transmission request is received from the imaging device, only information corresponding to the transmission request received from the imaging device is transmitted to the imaging device.
The accessory according to claim 1, wherein, in the second communication method, when the state of the accessory device changes, the information is sequentially transmitted to the imaging device according to the change of the state. apparatus. In the first communication method, the accessory control unit
When the transmission request is received from the imaging device, information indicating the state of the accessory device is transmitted to the imaging device,
The accessory device according to claim 1, wherein when the transmission request is not received from the imaging device, the information is not transmitted to the imaging device even when the state of the accessory device changes. In the second communication method, the accessory control unit
Determining whether the state of the accessory device has changed at predetermined time intervals;
When the state of the accessory device changes, the information indicating the state of the accessory device is transmitted to the imaging device;
The accessory device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information indicating the state of the accessory device is not transmitted to the imaging device when the state of the accessory device is not changed. . The accessory device is a lens device,
The accessory device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the state of the accessory device is a lens position in the lens device. The accessory device according to claim 5, wherein the lens position is a position of a focus lens. The accessory device according to claim 5, wherein the lens position is a position of a zoom lens. The accessory device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the state of the accessory device is a state of a switch of the accessory device. The accessory control unit transmits the information indicating the state of the accessory device after transmitting the type and amount of information to the imaging device in the second communication method. The accessory device according to any one of 8. An imaging device to which the accessory device is attachable and detachable.
A camera communication unit that communicates with the accessory device;
A camera control unit that controls the communication with the accessory device via the camera communication unit;
The camera communication unit performs the communication with the accessory device in a first communication method and a second communication method.
The camera control unit
In the first communication method, when a transmission request is transmitted to the accessory device, information indicating a state of the accessory device is received from the accessory device,
In the second communication method, when the state of the accessory device changes, information indicating the state of the accessory device is received from the accessory device. The camera control unit
Determining whether the accessory device is compatible with the second communication method;
If the accessory device corresponds to the second communication method, control of the communication with the accessory device is performed by the second communication method,
The imaging device according to claim 10, wherein the communication with the accessory device according to the second communication method is not controlled when the accessory device does not correspond to the second communication method. An imaging device to which the accessory device is attachable and detachable.
A camera communication unit that communicates with the accessory device;
A camera control unit that controls the communication with the accessory device via the camera communication unit;
The camera communication unit performs the communication with the accessory device in a first communication method and a second communication method.
The camera control unit
In the first communication method, when a transmission request is transmitted to the accessory device, information indicating a state of the accessory device is received from the accessory device,
In the second communication method, when the state of the imaging device changes, information indicating the state of the imaging device is transmitted to the accessory device. An accessory device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An image pickup system comprising: an image pickup element for photoelectrically converting an optical image formed through an image pickup optical system. In the computer of the accessory device that can be attached to and detached from the imaging device,
Communicating with the imaging device in a first communication scheme;
It is a communication control program which performs the step which communicates the said imaging device by a 2nd communication system, Comprising:
In the step of performing the communication according to the first communication method, when a transmission request is received from the imaging device, information indicating a state of the accessory device is transmitted to the imaging device,
10. A communication control program comprising transmitting information indicating the state of the accessory device to the imaging device when the state of the accessory device changes in the step of performing the communication according to the second communication method.