Motor drive and control apparatus for a camera

A motor drive and control apparatus for an automatic focus adjusting unit of a camera comprising

• a motor for driving a taking lens to an in-focus position in response to an output from focus detecting means;
• speed detecting means for detecting the speed of movement of the taking lens as it is driven by the motor;
• storage means for storing an optimum deceleration curve used to stop the taking lens at a target position;
• lens control means for comparing the speed of movement of the lens against the deceleration curve to control the movement of the taking lens to the in-focus position in conformity with the deceleration curve;
• and motor on limit means operative adjacent to a target position in a zone adjacent to the deceleration curve to be activated by a signal from the speed detecting means while the motor is on.

A motor drive and control apparatus for an automatic film winding unit comprising

• a drive motor for performing the film winding operation;
• detecting means for detecting the speed of movement of a film;
• storage means for storing an optimum deceleration curve which is used to stop the film at a position where a given length thereof has been wound up;
• control means for comparing the speed of movement against the deceleration curve to control the drive motor until the stop position is reached, in conformity to the deceleration curve;
• and motor on limit means operative close to a target position and in a zone adjacent to the deceleration curve to be activated by a signal from the speed detecting means while the drive motor is on.

A motor drive and control apparatus for camera in which a driven member is driven by a motor to move to a target position;

• comprising
• an encoder for converting a travel of the driven member into a pulse form;
• detecting means for detecting that the driven member has reached within a given range short of the target position;
• storage means for storing an output from the detecting means;
• and motor on limit means operative subsequent to the storage in the storage means of the fact that the drive member has reached within a given range short of the target position to turn the motor on when the speed is equal to or less than a given value, and to brake or turn the motor off in response to the rising or the falling edge of a output pulse from the encoder.

A method of driving and controlling a motor for a camera in which a driven member is driven to a target position in accordance with an output from an encoder which converts a travel of the driven member into a pulse form;

• comprising the steps of
• storing the fact that the driven member assumes a position which is within a given range short of the target position and the speed is less than a given value;
• driving the motor;
• in the presence of the storing, turning the motor off or braking the motor in response to the rising or the falling edge of a pulse from the encoder.

A motor drive and control apparatus for a camera in which a driven member is driven to a target position by means of a motor;

• comprising
• an encoder for converting a travel of a driven member into a pulse form;
• detecting means for detecting a speed in accordance with an output from the encoder;
• control means responsive to an output from the detecting means to turn the motor off or to brake the motor;
• and means for reinitiating the motor drive unless an output is delivered from the encoder within a given time interval which follows the operation of the control means.

A motor drive and control apparatus for a camera comprising

• a motor for driving a driven member;
• speed detecting means for detecting the speed of movement of the driven member as it is driven by the motor;
• storage means for storing a first deceleration curve which is used to stop the driven member at a target position;
• comparison means for comparing the speed of movement against the first deceleration curve and also for comparing the speed of movement against a second deceleration curve which differs from the first deceleration curve;
• and control means for controlling the motor between an on condition, a braked condition and an off condition on the basis of the results of the comparison.

A motor drive and control apparatus for a movable member comprising:

• a motor for driving the movable member;
• movement detecting means for detecting the rate of movement achieved by said motor;
• storage means for storing values defining a curve representing a deceleration form a given value to a stop condition at a predetermined target position;
• control means for comparing the speed of movement provided by said speed detecting means with values stored in said storage means for controlling the operation of said motor means to thereby control the movable member sot that the movable member moves to the target position substantially in conformity with the curved stored in said memory means;
• and
• means responsive to said speed detecting means for limiting the on condition of said motor when said movable means lies in a region adjacent to the target position.

A method for driving and controlling a movable member which is driven to a target position by a motor whose output is monitored by an encoder for converting the output of the motor, which represents movement of the movable member, into a pulse form, comprising the steps of:

• providing a predetermined curve which represents the speed of the movable member between a control position and the target position;
• energizing the motor;
• periodically comparing the speed of travel of the movable member against the stored values and turning off the motor whenever the speed of movement of the movable member is greater than the value against which it is compared;
• and
• turning off the motor whenever the speed of movement of the movable member is less than the value against which the speed of the movable member is compared.