Shutter control device, shutter unit, imaging apparatus, shutter control method, and shutter control program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11743594-B2
Application number	US-202217729749-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2022
Priority date	Nov 29, 2019
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A shutter control device that controls a drive device for a mechanical shutter included in an imaging apparatus, includes: a processor configured to control a drive interval of the mechanical shutter in a case where the mechanical shutter is continuously driven by the drive device, and the processor is configured to: set, as a first time, a drive interval of the mechanical shutter at which a temperature of the drive device is made to be saturable at a saturation temperature lower than an allowable upper limit temperature in a case where the mechanical shutter is continuously driven by the drive device; and control a drive interval of the mechanical shutter based on a comparison between an elapsed time from a reference timing and a number of times of the mechanical shutter being driven during the elapsed time, the elapsed time being calculated by a unit of the first time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shutter control device that controls a drive device for a mechanical shutter included in an imaging apparatus, the shutter control device comprising:
a processor configured to control a drive interval of the mechanical shutter in a case where the mechanical shutter is continuously driven by the drive device, wherein
the processor is configured to:
set, as a first time, a drive interval of the mechanical shutter at which a temperature of the drive device is made to be saturable at a saturation temperature lower than an allowable upper limit temperature in a case where the mechanical shutter is continuously driven by the drive device; and
control a drive interval of the mechanical shutter based on a comparison between an elapsed time from a reference timing and a number of times of the mechanical shutter being driven during the elapsed time, the elapsed time being calculated by a unit of the first time.

2. The shutter control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to execute first count processing of increasing or decreasing a count value in a case where a predetermined time elapses from the reference timing and second count processing of increasing or decreasing the count value reversely to the first count processing in a case where the drive of the mechanical shutter is executed, and
in a state in which a second time shorter than the first time is set as the drive interval and the count value is a default value, the drive interval is changed from the second time to a time equal to or more than the first time.

3. The shutter control device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first count processing is processing of changing the count value by N that is a natural number equal to or greater than 1 in a case where a time of N times the first time has elapsed from the reference timing, and
in a state in which the second time is set as the drive interval, the count value is the default value, and a timing at which the drive of the mechanical shutter is needed is reached, the processor changes the drive interval from the second time to a time equal to or more than the first time.

4. The shutter control device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the first count processing is count-up processing of increasing the count value,
the second count processing is count-down processing of decreasing the count value, and
an upper limit value is set for the count value.

5. The shutter control device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the upper limit value is a value obtained by adding, to the default value, a number of times of the drive of the mechanical shutter needed for increasing the temperature of the drive device from the saturation temperature to the allowable upper limit temperature in a case where the drive of the mechanical shutter is executed at a settable minimum drive interval.

6. The shutter control device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the processor holds the count value even in a state in which an apparatus including the shutter control device is stopped.

7. The shutter control device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the processor sets the count value to the default value after the apparatus is started in a case where the holding of the count value fails.

8. The shutter control device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the processor updates the count value by adding, to the held count value, a quotient obtained by dividing a time from a first point in time at which the apparatus is stopped to a second point in time at which the apparatus is started, by the first time, after the apparatus is started.

9. The shutter control device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the processor determines whether or not to execute the drive of the mechanical shutter based on the elapsed time and the count value in a case where a drive timing of the mechanical shutter is reached, and changes the count value after the determination.

10. A shutter unit comprising:
the shutter control device according to claim 1 ; and
the mechanical shutter.

11. An imaging apparatus comprising:
the shutter control device according to claim 1 .

12. A shutter control method that controls a drive device for a mechanical shutter included in an imaging apparatus, the shutter control method comprising:
a control step of setting, as a first time, a drive interval of the mechanical shutter at which a temperature of the drive device is made to be saturable at a saturation temperature lower than an allowable upper limit temperature in a case where the mechanical shutter is continuously driven by the drive device, and controlling a drive interval of the mechanical shutter based on a comparison between an elapsed time from a reference timing and a number of times of the mechanical shutter being driven during the elapsed time, the elapsed time being calculated by a unit of the first time.

13. The shutter control method according to claim 12 ,
wherein, in the control step, first count processing of increasing or decreasing a count value in a case where a predetermined time elapses from the reference timing and second count processing of increasing or decreasing the count value reversely to the first count processing in a case where the drive of the mechanical shutter is executed are executed, and
in a state in which a second time shorter than the first time is set as the drive interval and the count value is a default value, the drive interval is changed from the second time to a time equal to or more than the first time.

14. The shutter control method according to claim 13 ,
wherein the first count processing is processing of changing the count value by N that is a natural number equal to or greater than 1 in a case where a time of N times the first time has elapsed from the reference timing, and
in the control step, in a state in which the second time is set as the drive interval, the count value is the default value, and a timing at which the drive of the mechanical shutter is needed is reached, the drive interval is changed from the second time to a time equal to or more than the first time.

15. The shutter control method according to claim 14 ,
wherein the first count processing is count-up processing of increasing the count value,
the second count processing is count-down processing of decreasing the count value, and
an upper limit value is set for the count value.

16. The shutter control method according to claim 15 ,
wherein the upper limit value is a value obtained by adding, to the default value, a number of times of the drive of the mechanical shutter needed for increasing the temperature of the drive device from the saturation temperature to the allowable upper limit temperature in a case where the drive of the mechanical shutter is executed at a settable minimum drive interval.

17. The shutter control method according to claim 13 ,
wherein, in the control step, the count value is held even in a state in which an apparatus that executes the shutter control method is stopped.

18. The shutter control method according to claim 17 ,
wherein, in the control step, in a case where the holding of the count value fails, the count value is set to the default value after the apparatus is started.

19. The shutter control method according to claim 17 ,
wherein, in the control step, the count value is updated by adding, to the held count value, a quotient obtained by dividing a time from a first point in time at which the apparatus is stopped to a second point in time at which the apparatus is started, by the fi

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Miyata Masahiko

Classifications

• H04N23/73 Primary

  by influencing the exposure time · CPC title

• G03B7/22 Primary

  in accordance with temperature or height, e.g. in aircraft · CPC title

• G03B30/00

  Camera modules comprising integrated lens units and imaging units, specially adapted for being embedded in other devices, e.g. mobile phones or vehicles · CPC title

• G03B9/58

  Means for varying duration of "open" period of shutter · CPC title

• G03B9/64

  Mechanism for delaying opening of shutter (separate from shutter G03B17/38) · CPC title