Camera battery check device having multiple battery check levels

A battery check device for a camera having a plurality devices which receive an electrical power supply from a battery, which plurality of devices can be respectively activated or inactivated, comprising:

• a modification device to determine whether each respective device of the plurality of devices is activated or inactivated and to set a battery check level based on the devices which are activated and based on the devices which are inactivated;
• and
• a prohibition device to prohibit a photographic operation when the voltage of the battery decreases to a level less than the battery check level set by the modification device,
• wherein the modification device changes the battery check level to a level at which a device can operate, the device being a device consuming the most electrical power among the devices that have been activated if a plurality of devices are activated.

A camera, comprising:

• a battery;
• a shutter device which is activated upon receiving an electrical power supply from the battery;
• a plurality of devices, other than the shutter device, which are activated upon receiving an electrical power supply from the battery;
• a detection device to detect a battery voltage level;
• a prohibiting device to prohibit activation of at least one of the plurality of devices according to a voltage level detected by the detection device, the prohibiting device including a storage device to store predetermined respective levels of priority assigned to the respective devices, the predetermined levels being from a lowest priority level to a highest priority level, the prohibiting device prohibiting activation of the plurality of devices in order of the device having the lowest priority level to the device having the highest priority level as the detected battery voltage decreases;
• and
• a control device to control activation of the shutter device based on the detected battery voltage level and the devices whose activation is prohibited by the prohibiting device.

A battery check device for a camera having a plurality devices which are activated upon receiving an electrical power supply from a battery, comprising:

• a detection device to detect a remaining capacity of the battery;
• and
• a prohibition device to prohibit the activation of the plurality of devices in order of lower priority as the detected remaining capacity of the battery decreases,
• wherein the plurality of devices include a flash device, an autofocus device and a motion compensation device, and the motion compensation device has the lowest priority, the autofocus device has the next lowest priority and the flash device has the highest priority.

A battery check device for a camera having a plurality devices which are activated upon receiving an electrical power supply from a battery, comprising:

• a detection device to detect a remaining capacity of the battery by comparing a plurality of battery check levels with the terminal voltage of the battery;
• and
• a prohibition device to prohibit the activation of the plurality of devices in a specified order as the detected remaining capacity of the battery decreases,
• wherein the plurality of devices include a motion compensation device, an autofocus device and a flash device, and the plurality of battery check levels include a first level, a second level, a third level and a fourth level, wherein the operation of the motion compensation device is prohibited when the voltage of the battery decreases to less than the first level, the operation of the autofocus device is prohibited when the voltage of the battery decreases to less than the second level, the operation of the flash device is prohibited when the voltage of the battery decreases to less than the third level, and the operation of all devices is prohibited when the voltage of the battery decreases to less than the fourth level.

A battery check device for a camera having a plurality devices which receive an electrical power supply from a battery, which plurality of devices can be respectively activated or inactivated, comprising:

• a modification device to set a battery check level based on the devices which have been inactivated, wherein the modification device changes the battery check level according to a device consuming the most electrical power among the devices that have been inactivated if a plurality of devices are inactivated;
• and
• a prohibition device to prohibit a photographic operation when the voltage of the battery decreases to a level less than the battery check level set by the modification device,
• wherein the plurality of devices include a shutter device, a flash device, an autofocus device and a motion compensation device, and the flash device has the highest power consumption followed in order of decreasing power consumption by the motion compensation device and the autofocus device, and
• wherein the modification device sets one of a first battery check level, a second battery check level and a third battery check level, and the first battery check level is a level at which at least the shutter device and the flash device can be activated, the second battery check level is a level at which at least the shutter device and the motion compensation device can be activated, and the third battery check level is a level at which at least the shutter device and the autofocus device can be activated.

A camera, comprising:

• a battery;
• a shutter device which is activated upon receiving an electrical power supply from the battery;
• a plurality of devices, other than the shutter device, which are activated upon receiving an electrical power supply from the battery;
• a detection device to detect a battery voltage level;
• a prohibiting device to prohibit activation of at least one of the plurality of devices according to a voltage level detected by the detection device, the prohibiting device prohibiting activation of the plurality of devices in a specified order corresponding to the voltage level detected the detection device, the specified order being from a device having a greatest power consumption to a device having a lowest power consumption;
• and
• a control device to control activation of the shutter device based on the detected battery voltage level and the devices whose activation is prohibited by the prohibiting device.

A method of operation of a system including a battery for supplying power to a plurality of devices, comprising the steps of:

• setting predetermined respective levels of priority corresponding to the respective devices, the predetermined levels of priority ranging from a lowest priority level to a highest priority level;
• setting a plurality of battery check levels;
• detecting a remaining capacity of the battery;
• comparing the detected remaining capacity of the battery with each of the plurality of battery check levels;
• and
• prohibiting activation of at least one of the plurality of devices in order of the lowest priority device to the highest priority device as the result of the comparison between the remaining capacity of the battery and the battery check levels indicates that the remaining capacity of the battery is decreasing.

A method of setting a battery check level for a battery which supplies power to a plurality of devices, which plurality of devices are respectively activated by supplying power from the battery or inactivated by stopping supply of power from the battery, comprising the steps of:

• determining whether each of the respective devices of the plurality of devices are activated;
• setting respective battery check levels corresponding to each respective device which is determined to be activated;
• setting a battery check level corresponding to the highest battery check level set among the activated devices;
• and
• prohibiting a photographic operation in response to the voltage of the battery decreasing to a level less than the set battery check level.

A battery check device for a camera having a plurality of devices which are activated upon receiving an electrical power supply from a battery, comprising:

• a detection device to detect a remaining capacity of the battery;
• and
• a prohibition device to prohibit activation of at least one of the plurality of devices,
• wherein the prohibition device selects the number and types of the plurality of devices whose activation is prohibited in a specified order corresponding to the detected remaining capacity of the battery,
• wherein the specified order being from a lowest priority device to a highest priority device with respect to how essential the respective device is for photography, and
• wherein the plurality of devices include a flash device, an autofocus device and a motion compensation device, and the motion compensation device has the lowest priority, the autofocus device has the next lowest priority and the flash device has the highest priority.

A battery check device for a camera having a plurality of devices which are activated upon receiving an electrical power supply from a battery, comprising:

• a detection device to detect a remaining capacity of the battery;
• and
• a prohibition device to prohibit the activation of at least one of the plurality of devices, wherein the prohibition device selects the number and types of the plurality of devices whose activation is prohibited in a specified order corresponding to the detected remaining capacity of the battery, the specified order being from a lowest priority device to highest priority device with respect to how essential the respective device is for photography,
• wherein the detection device detects the remaining capacity of the battery by comparing a plurality of battery check levels with the terminal voltage of the battery, and
• wherein the plurality of devices include a motion compensation device, an autofocus device and a flash device, and the plurality of battery check levels include a first level, a second level, a third level and a fourth level, wherein the operation of the motion compensation device is prohibited when the voltage of the battery decreases to less than the first level, the operation of the autofocus device is prohibited when the voltage of the battery decreases to less than the second level, the operation of the flash device is prohibited when the voltage of the battery decreases to less than the third level, and the operation of all devices is prohibited when the voltage of the battery decreases to less than the fourth level.