# US 9,039,309 B2 · Exchangeable lens and camera body

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- Number: US 9,039,309 B2
- Document ID: US9039309B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/468,612
- Filed: 2012-05-10
- Published: 2012-11-22
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2011-05-13
- Assignees: Nikon Corporation
- Applicants: Masafumi Oikawa; Kazuharu Imafuji; Shigeo Takahashi; Shunji Nagaya
- Inventors: Masafumi Oikawa; Kazuharu Imafuji; Shigeo Takahashi; Shunji Nagaya
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039309B2

## CPC

- H04N 23/663: for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals
- G03B 13/34: Power focusing
- G03B 17/14: interchangeably
- G03B 17/565: {Optical accessories, e.g. converters for close-up photography, tele-convertors, wide-angle convertors}
- G03B 17/18: Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light (indicating depth of field G03B13/30)
- G03B 2206/00: Systems for exchange of information between different pieces of apparatus, e.g. for exchanging trimming information, for photo finishing
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D)

## Abstract

An exchangeable lens includes: a mount unit at which a camera body is detachably engaged; a plurality of drive target members, conditions of which change as a drive force is applied thereto; an initialization unit that executes initialization processing for each of the plurality of drive target members; an initialization status transmission unit that transmits initialization statuses, each indicating a status of the initialization processing executed for one of the drive target members, to the camera body via a first transmission path over predetermined first cycles; and a drive condition transmission unit that transmits a drive condition of at least one drive target member among the plurality of drive target members to the camera body via a second transmission path different from the first transmission path over predetermined second cycles different from the predetermined first cycles.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An exchangeable lens, comprising:
a mount unit at which a camera body is detachably engaged;
a plurality of drive target members, conditions of which change as a drive force is applied thereto;
an initialization unit that executes initialization processing for each of the plurality of drive target members;
an initialization status transmission unit that transmits initialization statuses, each indicating a status of the initialization processing executed for one of the drive target members, to the camera body via a first transmission path over predetermined first cycles; and
a drive condition transmission unit that transmits a drive condition of at least one drive target member among the plurality of drive target members to the camera body via a second transmission path different from the first transmission path over predetermined second cycles different from the predetermined first cycles.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An exchangeable lens according to claim 1, wherein:
after a change occurs in the initialization status of at least one drive target member among the plurality of drive target members, the drive condition transmission unit starts transmitting the drive condition of the drive target member, the initialization status of which has changed.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

An exchangeable lens according to claim 2, wherein:
after the initialization statuses of all the drive target members for which initialization processing is executed by the initialization unit change, the drive condition transmission unit starts transmitting at least the drive condition of the one drive target member.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

An exchangeable lens according to claim 2, wherein:
the initialization unit starts executing initialization processing for all the drive target members at once.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

An exchangeable lens according to claim 2, wherein:
one of the drive target members is an aperture; and
the initialization unit completes initialization processing for the aperture ahead of the initialization processing for another drive target member.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

An exchangeable lens according to claim 5, wherein:
until the initialization unit completes initialization processing for the aperture, the initialization status transmission unit transmits the initialization status information indicating that the initialization processing for a drive target member other than the aperture is not complete.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

An exchangeable lens according to claim 2, wherein:
the initialization unit initializes the drive target members in a predetermined order by executing the initialization processing for one drive target member at a time.

### Claim 8

An exchangeable lens, comprising:
a mount unit at which a camera body is detachably engaged;
a plurality of drive target members, conditions of which change as a drive force is applied thereto;
an initialization unit that executes initialization processing for each of the plurality of drive target members;
an initialization status transmission unit that transmits initialization statuses, each indicating a status of the initialization processing executed for one of the drive target members, to the camera body via a first transmission path over predetermined first cycles; and
a drive condition transmission unit that transmits position information related to a position of at least one drive target member among the plurality of drive target members to the camera body via a second transmission path different from the first transmission path over predetermined second cycles different from the predetermined first cycles.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

An exchangeable lens according to claim 8, wherein:
after a change occurs in the initialization status of at least one drive target member among the plurality of drive target members, the drive condition transmission unit starts transmitting the drive condition of the drive target member, the initialization status of which has changed.

### Claim 10

An exchangeable lens, comprising:
a mount unit at which a camera body is detachably engaged;
a drive target member, a condition of which changes as a drive force is applied thereto;
an initialization unit that executes initialization processing for the drive target member;
an initialization status transmission unit that transmits an initialization status indicating a status of the initialization processing executed for the drive target member to the camera body via a first transmission path over predetermined first transmission cycles; and
a drive condition transmission unit that transmits position information related to a position of the drive target member, to the camera body via a second transmission path different from the first transmission path over predetermined second cycles different from the predetermined first cycles.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

An exchangeable lends according to claim 10, wherein:
the initialization status unit transmits the initialization status and the drive condition transmission unit transmits the position of the drive target member to the camera body concurrently.

### Claim 12

A camera body, comprising:
a mount unit at which an exchangeable lens is detachably mounted, with the exchangeable lens being equipped with a plurality of drive target members, drive conditions of which change as a drive force is applied thereto;
an initialization status reception unit that receives initialization statuses, each indicating a status of specific initialization processing executed at the exchangeable lens for one of the drive target members, from the exchangeable lens via a first transmission path over first cycles; and
a drive condition reception unit that receives a drive condition of at least one drive target member among the plurality of drive target members from the exchangeable lens via a second transmission path different from the first transmission path over second cycles different from the first cycles.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

A camera body according to claim 12, wherein:
after detecting a change in at least the initialization status of the one drive target member, the drive condition reception unit starts receiving the drive condition of the drive target member the initialization status of which has changed.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A camera body according to claim 13, wherein:
after the initialization statuses of all the drive target members for which the initialization processing is executed at the exchangeable lens change, the drive condition reception unit starts receiving at least the drive condition of the one drive target member.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

A camera body according to claim 14, further comprising:
a control unit that enables specific control processing to be executed for each of the plurality of drive target members, wherein:
the control unit does not allow the control processing to be executed for any drive target member, execution of the initialization processing for which is indicated to be incomplete in the initialization status data.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

A camera body according to claim 15, wherein:
one of the drive target members is an aperture; and
the control unit enables aperture control processing to be executed for the aperture as the control processing.

### Claim 17

An exchangeable lens, comprising:
a mount unit at which a camera body is detachably engaged;
a plurality of drive target members, conditions of which change as a drive force is applied thereto;
an initialization unit that executes initialization processing for each of the plurality of drive target members;
an initialization status transmission unit that transmits initialization statuses, each indicating a status of the initialization processing executed for one of the drive target members, to the camera body via a first transmission path in response to a request output from the camera body over first cycles; and
a drive condition transmission unit that transmits a drive condition of at least one drive target member among the plurality of drive target members to the camera body via a second transmission path different from the first transmission path in response to a request output from the camera body over second cycles different from the first cycles, wherein:
after a change occurs at least in the initialization status of the one drive target member, the drive condition transmission unit starts transmitting the drive condition of the drive target member, the initialization status of which has changed.

### Claim 18

An exchangeable lens comprising:
a mount unit at which a camera body is detachably engaged;
a plurality of drive target members, conditions of which change as a drive force is applied thereto;
an initialization unit that executes initialization processing for the drive target member; and
an initialization status transmission unit that transmits, using a single transmission path, an initialization status indicating a status of the initialization processing executed for each of the drive target members individually to the camera body.

### Claim 19

An information transmission method for an exchangeable lens detachably engaged to a camera body at a mount, comprising:
an initialization step for executing initialization processing for a drive target member, a condition of which changes as a drive force is applied thereto;
an initialization status transmission step for transmitting an initialization status indicating a status of the initialization processing executed for the drive target member to the camera body via a first transmission path over predetermined first transmission cycles; and
a drive condition transmission step for transmitting position information related to a position of the drive target member, to the camera body via a second transmission path different from the first transmission path over predetermined second cycles different from the predetermined first cycles.

### Claim 20

An information transmission method for an exchangeable lens detachably engaged to a camera body at a mount, comprising:
an initialization step for executing initialization processing for a plurality of drive target members, conditions of which change as a drive force is applied thereto; and
an initialization status transmission step for transmitting, using a single transmission path, an initialization status indicating a status of the initialization processing executed for each of the drive target members individually to the camera body.