Device for unlocking cartridge chamber lid of camera
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHajime Watanabe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A camera of the kind using a cartridge with the cartridge accommodated inside a cartridge chamber is required to ensure that the lid of the cartridge chamber is openable only when film has been rewound into the cartridge. To meet this requirement, there is a known method for unlocking the cartridge chamber lid only when the film has been rewound. However, in the event of some accident, it might become impossible to rewind the film to make the cartridge chamber lid no longer unlockable. To solve this problem, a camera according to the invention disclosed is arranged to make the cartridge chamber lid unlockable in response to a specific operation performed differently from an ordinary photo-taking operation.
Claims13
A camera having a cartridge chamber arranged to accommodate therein a cartridge having a film stowed therein, said camera comprising:
- a lock mechanism having a locking state in which a lid of the cartridge chamber is locked to the cartridge chamber and an unlocking state in which the lid of the cartridge chamber is unlocked to be openable and closable, said lock mechanism being arranged to operate according to movement of a lens barrel in such a way as to come into the locking state when the lens barrel is located within a first range of position including a photo-taking position and to come into the unlocking state when the lens barrel is located at a specific position which differs from the first range of position;
- a lens driving mechanism arranged to move the lens barrel to the specific position when a predetermined condition including completion of film rewinding is satisfied;
- and
- a control circuit arranged to cause said lens driving mechanism to drive the lens barrel to the specific position in response to a specific operation when the predetermined condition is not satisfied.
A camera having a cartridge chamber arranged to accommodate therein a cartridge having a film stowed therein, said camera comprising:
- a lock mechanism arranged to be controlled and driven to one of a locking position for locking a lid of the cartridge chamber to the cartridge chamber and an unlocking position for unlocking the lid of the cartridge chamber to be openable and closable;
- a first control circuit arranged to judge whether a predetermined operation condition is satisfied and, if the predetermined operation condition is satisfied, to control and drive said lock mechanism from the locking position to the unlocking position;
- and
- a second control circuit arranged to allow said lock mechanism to be driven from the locking position to the unlocking position in response to a specific operation if the predetermined operation condition is not satisfied.
A camera having a cartridge chamber arranged to accommodate therein a cartridge having a film stowed therein, said camera comprising:
- a lock mechanism arranged to be controlled and driven to one of a locking position for locking a lid of the cartridge chamber to the cartridge chamber and an unlocking position for unlocking the lid of the cartridge chamber to be openable and closable;
- a communication terminal capable of being connected to an adjustment tool and arranged to perform communication with said adjustment tool in a state of being connected to said adjustment tool;
- storage means having a driving control program stored therein for driving said lock mechanism from the locking position to the unlocking position;
- and
- a control circuit arranged to execute the driving control program upon receipt of predetermined data from said adjustment tool through said communication terminal.
A cartridge using apparatus having a cartridge chamber arranged to accommodate therein a cartridge, said cartridge using apparatus comprising:
- a lock mechanism arranged to be controlled and driven to one of a locking position for locking a lid of the cartridge chamber to the cartridge chamber and an unlocking position for unlocking the lid of the cartridge chamber to be openable and closable;
- a first control circuit arranged to judge whether a predetermined operation condition is satisfied and, if the predetermined operation condition is satisfied, to control and drive said lock mechanism from the locking position to the unlocking position;
- and
- a second control circuit arranged to allow said lock mechanism to be driven from the locking position to the unlocking position in response to a specific operation if the predetermined operation condition is not satisfied.
A cartridge using apparatus having a cartridge chamber arranged to accommodate therein a cartridge, said cartridge using apparatus comprising:
- a lock mechanism arranged to be controlled and driven to one of a locking position for locking a lid of the cartridge chamber to the cartridge chamber and an unlocking position for unlocking the lid of the cartridge chamber to be openable and closable;
- a communication terminal capable of being connected to an adjustment tool and arranged to perform communication with said adjustment tool in a state of being connected to said adjustment tool;
- storage means having a driving control program stored therein for driving said lock mechanism from the locking position to the unlocking position;
- and
- a control circuit arranged to execute the driving control program upon receipt of predetermined data from said adjustment tool through said communication terminal.
A camera having a cartridge chamber arranged to accommodate therein a cartridge having a film stowed therein, said camera comprising:
- a lock mechanism having a locking state in which a lid of the cartridge chamber is locked to the cartridge chamber and an unlocking state in which the lid of the cartridge chamber is unlocked to be openable and closable, said lock mechanism being arranged to operate according to movement of a lens barrel in such a way as to come into the locking state when the lens barrel is located within a first range of position including a photo-taking position and to come into the unlocking state when the lens barrel is located at a specific position which differs from the first range of position;
- a lens driving mechanism arranged to move the lens barrel to the specific position when a predetermined condition including completion of film rewinding is satisfied;
- a communication terminal capable of being connected to an adjustment tool and arranged to perform communication with said adjustment tool in a state of being connected to said adjustment tool;
- storage means having a control program stored therein for shifting said lock mechanism from the locking state to the unlocking state;
- and
- a control circuit arranged to execute the control program upon receipt of predetermined data from said adjustment tool through said communication terminal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.