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US 5,515,134 AGranted
Camera power source system
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorFumiya Taguchi
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorFumiya Taguchi
Estimating the term…
A power source system for a camera includes a primary power source, a secondary power source, a digital logic circuit and a reset circuit. The power source system includes a primary power source connection to connect the primary power source to the digital logic circuit and to the reset circuit, a secondary power source connection to connect the secondary power source to the reset circuit, and a power .source that controls the primary and secondary power source in selectively supplying power to the reset circuit and the digital logic circuit. The power source system permits the digital logic circuit to be reset with certainty.
A power source system for a camera having a primary power source, a secondary power source, a digital logic circuit and a reset circuit coupled to the digital logic circuit, said power source system comprising:
A power source system for a camera having a primary power source, a secondary power source, a digital logic circuit, and a reset circuit that resets the digital logic circuit, said power source system comprising:
A method of controlling a camera, said camera having a digital logic circuit, a reset circuit coupled to the digital logic circuit, a primary power source connected to said digital logic circuit and to said reset circuit, a secondary power source connected to said reset circuit, and a power source control device that controls said primary and said secondary power sources, said method comprising the step of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
Control of exposure by setting shutters, diaphragms or filters, separately or conjointly: power supplies; Circuitry or arrangement to switch on…
Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor: details of energy supply or management
Apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs or for projecting or viewing them
Term ended 9 Dec 2014 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power source system used in a camera, and in particular, to a power source system that permits a digital logic circuit within the camera to be reset consistently.
2. Description of Related Art
The invention will be described in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals designate like elements and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the camera power source system according to the present invention;
FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 2e are timing charts showing the power source control in the camera power source system;
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a power source system for a camera according to the present invention. The FIG. 1 power source system includes a battery 1, a DC/DC converter 2, a logic reset circuit 3, a logic circuit 4 that is reset by the logic reset circuit 3, a CPU 5, a voltage regulator 6, a transistor circuit 7, and diodes 8, 9 (e.g., Schottky diodes).
Cameras are generally provided with a separate circuit block for components that draw large amounts of current, including, e.g., the strobe circuit, the motor, and the magnets. In addition, a separate circuit block is usually provided for components to which a stable voltage must be applied, including, e.g., the CPU 5 and the EEPROM. High voltage components, including, e.g., the CCDs or ICs that drive the motor, are also configured in a separate circuit block. Each of these kinds of circuit blocks use the battery 1 as its fundamental power source.
Power is supplied directly from the battery to the circuit block that draws large amounts of current. Power is supplied from the 5 V output OUT of the DC/DC converter to the circuit block that requires stable voltage. Power to the circuit block that requires high voltage is supplied from the 12 V step-up system that can be connected to the DC/DC converter. When a voltage from the battery is supplied to the input IN of DC/DC converter 2, DC/DC converter 2 outputs a preset voltage when the control terminal CNT is controlled so as to be at a particular level, e.g., the "L" level.