Camera component

Abstract

The invention relates to a camera component having a communication device for transmitting a control signal and / or a status signal, said communication device comprising a control unit and at least one electrical terminal, said electrical terminal having at least two energy supply contacts and at least two signal contacts, and said communication device comprising at least one communication device for transmitting a control signal and / or a status signal. The control unit is configured to perform the following steps when the communication device is connected to another communication device of another camera component via the electrical terminal:-perform a first check of whether communication can be performed with the another communication device based on a first protocol; -then performing a second check of whether communication can also be performed with another communication device based on a second protocol; and-in the event of a positive result of the second check, establishing a communication with the other communication device on the basis of the second protocol.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a camera component formed by a motion image camera or an accessory device for a motion image camera, wherein the camera component includes a communication device for transmitting control signals and / or status signals of the camera component, wherein the communication device includes a control unit and at least one electrical terminal, wherein the electrical terminal has at least two energy supply contacts and at least two signal contacts. Background Art

[0002] Motion picture cameras are used, for example, in the production of film for movies, television films and films for streaming services, where electronic motion picture cameras are often used. Electronic motion picture cameras usually include an integrated optical system (camera objective, camera lens) or a lens mount to enable the selective connection of corresponding interchangeable lenses (interchangeable objective lenses) suitable for a particular recording situation. In order to be able to record the images captured with the aid of the optical system, an electronic image sensor for generating an image signal from the incident light and an image signal processing device for converting the image signal into a digital image data stream are usually provided.

[0003] In this respect, a remote control device can be provided which is capable of controlling an electronic motion image camera, in particular a video camera, or a conventional motion image camera, in particular a film camera, for recording a motion image sequence and / or of setting recording parameters or changing these parameters during recording. Thus, the camera operator directing the motion image camera only needs to ensure the correct and possibly variable alignment of the camera to record the desired image portion, while the corresponding setting of the recording parameters can be taken over by another person, a camera assistant or a focuser. For example, provision can be made for adapting the frame rate, shutter speed, aperture (f-stop), focus distance or focus, or focal length (zoom factor) of the camera lens in a remotely controlled manner and in particular in a sequence previously agreed upon during recording between the camera operator and the user of the remote control device.

[0004] The setting of the parameters of the camera, in particular the setting of the aperture, the focus distance and the focal length, can be carried out via a corresponding lens setting motor, which can be integrated into the camera lens or can be arranged as a separate external unit outside the camera lens. Such a lens setting motor can be connected to a rotatable lens ring of the camera lens, so that the corresponding parameter can be changed by rotating the lens ring by means of the lens setting motor. Thus, the remote control setting of the recording parameters can be carried out by sending a setting signal to the corresponding lens setting motor by means of a remote control device, so as to transfer the associated lens ring to the desired rotational position. Such a remote control device is known, for example, from DE 196 29 484 A1 and WO 2010 / 046237 A1. Furthermore, for example, DE 42 19 331 A1 shows a remote control device for setting different recording parameters by controlling the corresponding lens setting motor before and in particular during the recording of moving images.

[0005] The above-mentioned setting motor forms an accessory device for a corresponding moving picture camera. For example, a remote control device connected to a moving picture camera or another accessory device via a cable can in turn form an accessory device for a moving picture camera. Likewise, a setting motor for a camera support, in particular a setting motor for electric drive of a camera in a panning direction and / or a tilting direction, is a possible accessory device for a moving picture camera, as is known, for example, from US 5963749 A.

[0006] The signal sent by the above-mentioned communication device can be, for example, a control signal of the camera component (for example, for setting the desired value of the motor) and / or a status signal of the camera component (for example, for setting the actual value of the motor or the actual value of the position sensor of the camera lens).

[0007] Thus, the transmission of control signals and / or status signals can take place between different camera components which are equipped with corresponding, mutually matching communication devices. The communication can take place based on a communication protocol. A common communication protocol is the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, which is specified in many kinds of variants and further developments, in particular based on the ISO 11898 standard. Communication based on a communication protocol, in particular the CAN protocol, makes it possible to establish a serial bus system for signal transmission between a plurality of camera components.

[0008] An advantage of serial bus systems, in particular the CAN bus, is that the wiring effort is relatively low and message collisions are avoided. Error detection mechanisms such as bit stuffing, frame checking and cyclic redundancy checking enable a high degree of robustness and safety. Each device in the bus system can communicate independently with the other bus participants. In addition, it is advantageous that such a bus system can be easily expanded by further bus participants. The bus participants can in particular be plug-and-play, thus eliminating laborious installation and setting processes. Energy supply contacts enable the energy supply of camera components to also take place via the communication device.

[0009] Users want more powerful and flexible camera components, which often go hand in hand with higher data rates in communication. For example, high data rates are becoming increasingly important for focus setting motors to ensure sufficiently high resolution at high setting speeds. However, common bus systems, especially the widely used CAN bus system, are not designed for high transmission frequencies.

[0010] In order to achieve higher data rates, it is possible in principle to switch to a particularly broadband protocol. However, this would exclude the further use of existing camera components, for example camera components which include a CAN-based communication device. The user would therefore have to convert the entire existing camera component to the new communication system, which would involve high acquisition costs. Summary of the invention

[0011] The object of the present invention is to enable faster and more flexible communication of camera components while avoiding high acquisition costs.

[0012] According to the invention, the control unit of the communication device of the camera component is configured to perform the following steps when the communication device is connected to another communication device of another camera component via an electrical terminal or via one of a plurality of electrical terminals:

[0013] - performing a first check whether communication with another communication device based on a first protocol is possible;

[0014] - then, performing a second check whether communication with another communication device based on a second protocol is still possible; and

[0015] In the event of a positive result of the second check, establishing communication with the further communication device based on the second protocol.

[0016] The camera component according to the invention is capable of communicating both via a first protocol and via a second protocol. The first protocol may be a widely used but relatively slow protocol. The second protocol may be a relatively fast protocol compared to the first protocol. If the communication partner is also capable of communicating based on the second protocol, this will be determined during the second check. In the case of a positive result of the second check (as a necessary condition or directly as a sufficient condition), communication with another communication device can be established based on the second protocol and another communication can be performed via the second protocol. This not only enables particularly high bandwidths, for example 100 Mbit / s at a cable length of up to 15 m in the case of the SPE protocol, but also enables the use of additional functions, such as the provision of metadata and timestamps. However, based on the first check, the camera component according to the invention also identifies connected camera components that can only communicate via the first protocol. This means that the camera component according to the invention is backward compatible, because the camera component can communicate with modern devices based on the second protocol and with older devices based on the first protocol. A particular advantage here is that separate terminals and connecting cables do not have to be provided for communication based on the first protocol and communication based on the second protocol, since common energy supply contacts and signal contacts as well as existing (eg four-pole) connecting cables can be used for both protocols.

[0017] The camera component according to the invention may be a motion picture camera or an accessory device for a motion picture camera. The other camera component with which communication is to be established may also be a motion picture camera or an accessory device for a motion picture camera. The various accessory devices may, for example, include a (integrated or external) setting motor for a camera lens, an electric filter (e.g. an electrically rotatable polarizing filter), a motor-adjustable camera support (e.g. an electric tripod head with a drive in the translation direction and / or the tilt direction), a camera stabilization device (e.g. an electrically stabilized pan / tilt head), an image stabilization device (e.g. an electrically controlled optical image stabilization device for a motion picture camera or a lens), a remote control device (as described above) or a film set lighting device (e.g. a controllable spotlight).

[0018] The first protocol may in particular be the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, which is widely used in its variants and further developments, so that many existing camera components can be connected to the camera component according to the invention.

[0019] The second protocol may be, for example, a network protocol capable of transmitting time stamps, in particular the Internet Protocol (IP) in its various variants and further developments. If the second protocol is capable of transmitting associated time data in addition to pure values ​​(e.g. expected value, actual value, sensor value), this opens up new application possibilities for existing camera components in modern film technology, since the time accuracy of the image data of the motion picture camera used can be subsequently linked to the recording parameters (e.g. the focusing distance of the lens, the position or orientation of the motion picture camera in space). This is important, for example, in post-production in the case of virtualization of the recording environment.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, the second protocol can be a single pair Ethernet (SPE) protocol. The SPE protocol is designed for transmitting Ethernet via a single pair of copper cores. The SPE protocol can be specified according to the IEEE 802.3 standard, in particular the IEEE 802.3cg (10Base-T1) standard. The advantage of communicating based on the SPE protocol is that, compared with the historically widely used protocols (such as the CAN protocol), not only relatively fast data transmission and the transmission of metadata and timestamps can be achieved. On the contrary, communication can be carried out via a small number of conductive cores, in particular only via two cores, so that cables widely used in history can also be used for communication based on the SPE protocol. In particular, cables, plugs and sockets used for communication based on the CAN protocol can also be used for this purpose, where only a small amount of impedance adjustment is required at most.

[0021] In a camera system comprising a moving picture camera and a plurality of accessory devices for the moving picture camera, it is also sufficient that the communication device of the individual camera components comprises only a single electrical terminal, while the communication devices of the other camera components each comprise at least two electrical terminals. If the communication device of a camera component (such as the moving picture camera itself or a motorized filter) comprises only a single electrical terminal, this camera component can in particular form the last link in the serial bus arrangement.

[0022] As for the control unit of the communication device, the control unit can be configured to automatically recognize the connection to another communication device of another camera component via corresponding electrical terminals, for example by monitoring contacts, as is generally known in hot-plugging methods.

[0023] The control unit can be configured to, in the event of a positive result of the first check, at least temporarily establish communication with another communication device based on a first protocol (e.g., a CAN protocol). The bus system formed by the communication devices can thereby be temporarily, completely or partially established. Thus, the communication option via the first protocol is used immediately. The second check can then be performed using the first protocol, just as additional checks that may have to be performed. If the other communication device can communicate via both the first protocol and the second protocol, the existing capability that is also able to communicate via the second protocol can communicate via a connection based on the first protocol. The communication devices of the camera component and the other camera component can therefore use the first protocol to negotiate the subsequent use of the second protocol.

[0024] If the communication between the communication devices occurs based on the first protocol, the (at least two) signal contacts of the corresponding electrical terminals can be used for signal transmission, and the (at least two) energy supply contacts can be used to supply electrical energy to the communication device or the corresponding communication device. If the communication between the communication devices occurs based on the second protocol, the same applies; alternatively, in the case of communication based on the second protocol, energy supply can be performed via the signal contacts of the corresponding electrical terminals.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured to repeat the first check in the event of a negative result of the first check. Thus, it is possible to wait until communication based on the first protocol (e.g. CAN-based communication) is completely possible, so that the first protocol thus serves as a safe entry protocol. All devices that are at least able to communicate based on the first protocol, which are used in many existing camera components, can be used in the corresponding camera system.

[0026] In other embodiments, the control unit may be configured to perform a second check in case of a negative result of the first check. In this embodiment, in case communication based on the first protocol (e.g. CAN communication) is not feasible, communication based on the second protocol may be attempted "accidentally", so to speak. This is particularly effective in camera application environments using camera components that are primarily or exclusively based on the first protocol or the second protocol.

[0027] In some embodiments, establishing communication with another communication device based on the second protocol includes the communication device and the other communication device negotiating a master / slave assignment. This helps manage access to a common transmission channel. The master / slave assignment will be understood as a hierarchy defined based on which of the communication devices has a higher priority right to send a signal.

[0028] In some embodiments, the control unit of the communication device may include at least one controller (e.g., a microcontroller), at least a first transceiver corresponding to a first protocol (e.g., a CAN transceiver), at least a second transceiver corresponding to a second protocol (e.g., an SPE transceiver), and at least one switching device, wherein the switching device is configured to selectively couple the first transceiver or the second transceiver to (at least two) signal contacts of (at least one) electrical terminal of the communication device to send signals via the electrical terminal, and wherein the controller is configured to control the coupling of the first transceiver and the second transceiver to the signal contacts of the communication device. Thus, switching between the first transceiver and the second transceiver can be performed quickly and easily. A transceiver is understood to be a combination of an electronic receiver and an electronic transmitter, in particular for wired signal transmission, wherein the signal transmission is performed, for example, based on the CAN protocol in a CAN transceiver and based on the SPE protocol in an SPE transceiver. The first transceiver, the second transceiver and the controller may have corresponding integrated circuits. The first transceiver and the second transceiver ensure that the transmission signal is converted into a logic signal and protected against overvoltage. The switching device may have one or more transistors or one or more relays connected to the controller and the electrical terminals.

[0029] The transmitted signals may include signals for establishing a connection and the aforementioned control signals and / or status signals of the camera components, as well as associated metadata and / or timestamps.

[0030] The controller of the communication device may be configured to control signal transmission between a plurality of terminals, in particular two terminals, of the communication device.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the invention, the communication device of the camera component can have two electrical terminals of the type described (i.e., in each case including at least two energy supply contacts and at least two signal contacts) and an interface for signal transmission between the communication device of the camera component and the component function control unit. In such an embodiment, the controller of the communication device can be configured to control the signal transmission between the two electrical terminals of the communication device and / or to control the signal transmission between one of the two electrical terminals and the interface of the communication device. The component function control unit can be a component-specific control unit, which controls the operating mode of the camera component based on the transmitted signals. For example, the motor control of the lens setting motor or the basic control unit of the camera can form a component function control unit. The interface of the camera component enables the component function control unit of the camera component to be signal-coupled to the communication device of the camera component, so that all control signals and status signals required for the operation of the camera component can be transmitted to one or more connected camera components.

[0032] The control unit of the communication device can have a first transceiver (e.g., a CAN transceiver) and a second transceiver (e.g., an SPE transceiver) for each electrical terminal (in particular, for each of two or more electrical terminals). Thus, a connection based on the first protocol or a connection based on the second protocol can be selectively established via each electrical terminal.

[0033] The control unit may have a corresponding switching device for each of a plurality of (e.g. two) electrical terminals or a common switching device for a plurality of (e.g. two) electrical terminals. In addition, the control unit may have a corresponding controller for each of a plurality of (e.g. two) electrical terminals or a common controller for a plurality of (e.g. two) electrical terminals.

[0034] The communication device of the camera component may have at least one signal converter. The signal converter may be part of the controller of the communication device of the control unit, in particular, or may be formed separately from the controller. The signal converter may be configured to selectively convert a signal (e.g., a CAN signal) received based on a first protocol into a signal (e.g., an SPE signal) based on a second protocol or convert a signal (e.g., an SPE signal) received based on a second protocol into a signal (e.g., a CAN signal) based on a first protocol. The controller of the communication device may be configured to control the signal converter to convert a signal received at an electrical terminal based on a first protocol into a signal based on a second protocol to output a signal based on the second protocol at another electrical terminal of the communication device; and / or control the signal converter to convert a signal received at an electrical terminal based on a second protocol into a signal based on a first protocol to output a signal based on the first protocol at another electrical terminal of the communication device. In this embodiment, the communication device of the camera component may perform an adapter function. For example, in the serial coupling of camera components according to the daisy chain principle, an SPE signal output by one of the camera components may be converted into a CAN signal by the next camera component, and may then be output to the next camera component. For example, a camera component with only CAN capabilities can be included in this way in a chain of camera components with SPE capabilities, wherein the camera component with only CAN capabilities is preferably placed at the end of the chain facing away from the controller.

[0035] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit is configured to perform an evaluation of the signal transmission quality after establishing communication with another communication device based on the second protocol, and in the case of a negative result of the evaluation, establish communication with another communication device based on the first protocol instead of the second protocol. This takes into account the situation that a connection based on the first protocol (e.g., a CAN connection) may be slower but more robust than a connection based on the second protocol (e.g., an SPE connection), and in particular allows for longer cable lengths. The evaluation of the signal transmission quality represents a quality check, based on which a situation where there are problems with the connection based on the second protocol can be identified. In this case, for example, when the cable length exceeds 15m, it is advantageous to use the first protocol even though both communicating parties have the basic ability to establish a connection based on the second protocol. The evaluation may include comparing the measured data rate with a threshold value, wherein, for example, being below the threshold value is considered to be a negative evaluation result. Therefore, this evaluation of the signal transmission quality may represent an additional criterion to actually establish communication with another connected communication device based on the second protocol in the case of a positive result of the second check.

[0036] Preferably, the corresponding electrical terminal of the communication device, in particular each of a plurality of electrical terminals (e.g. two electrical terminals) of the communication device, has only two energy supply contacts and only two signal contacts. Thus, a particularly light and compact four-pole connecting cable can be used. In addition, the dimensions of the terminal plug and the terminal socket can be kept to a minimum. For example, for the CAN protocol and for example, for the SPE protocol, two energy supply lines and two signal lines are usually sufficient.

[0037] Further developments of the invention can also be seen from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The present invention will be described below by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Figure 1 is a representation of a motion picture camera including a plurality of lens setting motors;

[0040] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 a communication device for a lens setting motor in the lens setting motor shown in ;

[0041] Figure 3 Shown based on Figure 2 Terminals of communication equipment;

[0042] Figure 4 It is shown by Figure 2 A flowchart of steps to be performed by a control unit of the communication device shown; and

[0043] Figure 5 It is shown by Figure 2 Flowchart showing an alternative sequence of steps to be performed by a control unit of a communication device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Figure 1 A moving image camera 13 is shown which comprises a camera body 15, to which an interchangeable lens 19 is fastened. The interchangeable lens 19 has three lens rings 20, 21, 22, by means of which respective parameters of the moving image camera 13 can be set. For example, the first lens ring 20 can be provided to adapt the focus distance of the interchangeable lens 19 by rotation, while the focal length can be set, for example, by means of the second lens ring 21. The third lens ring 22 can, for example, be provided to adapt the aperture. Respective electric lens setting motors 25, 26 and 27 are provided to be able to adjust the lens rings 20, 21 and 22. The lens setting motors 25, 26, 27 form a camera component in the form of an accessory device for the moving image camera 13. The lens setting motors 25, 26, 27 are mechanically connected to the camera body 15 via a support rod 33. The interchangeable lens 19 is mechanically connected to the camera body 15 via a lens mount 34.

[0045] In order to be able to check the corresponding image focused by means of the interchangeable lens 19 and thus to be able to check the correct alignment of the moving image camera 13, a viewfinder 35 is further arranged at the camera body 15. Since the moving image camera 13 is provided with the interchangeable lens 19, different kinds of lenses and a lens ring driving unit matching the lenses can also be connected to the camera body 15.

[0046] The setting motor 25 of the first lens ring 20 is connected to the setting motor 26 of the second lens ring 21 via a first connection cable 37, and the setting motor 26 of the second lens ring 21 is connected to the setting motor 27 of the third lens ring 22 via a second connection cable 38. In addition, the setting motor 27 of the third lens ring 22 is connected to the lens mount 34 via a third connection cable 39, and the lens mount 34 is connected to the basic control unit of the moving image camera 13 (in Figure 1 The basic control unit is accommodated in the camera body 15 (not visible in FIG. 1 ). A serial bus is thus formed. The connecting cables 37, 38, 39 are preferably four-pole and have an impedance of at least 80 ohms, preferably at least 100 ohms.

[0047] Via the serial bus, control signals and / or status signals can be exchanged between the setting motors 25, 26, 27 and the lens mount 34 and thus between the basic control unit of the motion picture camera 13. To this end, the setting motors 25, 26, 27 and the basic control unit are equipped with corresponding communication devices 45, one of which is in the Figure 2is shown in simplified form.

[0048] Each of the communication devices 45 for setting the motors 25, 26, 27 comprises an electronic control unit 47 and, for example, two electrical terminals 49, wherein each of the two electrical terminals 49 has two signal contacts 50, 51 and two energy supply contacts 66, 67 ( Figure 3 ).

[0049] The control unit 47 comprises a controller 53, which has, for each of the two electrical terminals 49, a first transceiver (e.g., a CAN transceiver 57), a second transceiver (e.g., an SPE transceiver 59), and a switching device 61. By means of the switching device 61, the CAN transceiver 57 or the SPE transceiver 59 can be selectively coupled to the two signal contacts 50, 51 of the associated electrical terminal 49 to send and / or receive signals via the electrical terminal 49. The controller 53 is connected to the corresponding switching device 61 via a control line 62 and is configured to control the coupling of the associated CAN transceiver 57 and the associated SPE transceiver 59 to the associated signal contacts 50, 51. The communication device 45 can generally have another arrangement formed by the controller 53, the CAN transceiver 57, the SPE transceiver 59, the switching device 61 and the electrical terminals 49. For example, a separate controller can be provided for each pair of CAN transceivers 57 and SPE transceivers 59. The switching device 61 can also be configured in particular to switch the energy supply contacts 66, 67 ( Figure 3 The communication device 45 may also comprise only a single electrical terminal 49 or more than two electrical terminals 49 (eg three or four or even more electrical terminals 49).

[0050] The communication device 45 also has a signal converter 63, which is integrated in the controller 53 and is configured to selectively convert a CAN signal received at one of the electrical terminals 49 into an SPE signal or to selectively convert an SPE signal received at one of the electrical terminals 49 into a CAN signal. The controller 53 is configured to control the signal converter 63 to convert the CAN signal received at one of the two electrical terminals 49 into an SPE signal, thereby outputting the SPE signal at the other of the two electrical terminals 49. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 53 is configured to control the signal converter 63 to convert the SPE signal received at one of the two electrical terminals 49 into a CAN signal, thereby outputting the CAN signal at the other of the two electrical terminals 49. Therefore, the communication device 45 can be used as an adapter between a CAN-based device and a device based on SPE.

[0051] Furthermore, the communication device 45 may have an interface 64 for signal transmission between the respective communication device 45 and the motor control of the respective setting motor 25, 26, 27. If such an interface 64 is present, the control unit 47 of the communication device 45 (in particular the controller 53 of the communication device 45) may be configured to control the signal transmission between the two electrical terminals 49 of the communication device 45 and / or between one of the two electrical terminals 49 and the interface 64. The interface 64 may include electrical connection points and / or electrical contacts.

[0052] Figure 3 In addition, it is shown that based on Figure 2 Each of the two terminals 49 of the communication device 45 has two signal contacts 50 , 51 and two energy supply contacts 66 , 67 , which can be configured, for example, as socket contacts or plug contacts for plug-in electrical connection by means of connecting cables 37 , 38 , 39 .

[0053] refer to Figure 4 , the following will describe a process performed by the control unit 47 of the communication device 45 when the communication device 45 is connected to another communication device 45 via one of the two electrical terminals 49.

[0054] First, in step 71, a connection to another communication device 45 is detected, for example by means of a so-called hot plug method. Then, in step 72, a first check is performed whether communication with another communication device 45 based on a first protocol, for example the CAN protocol, is possible. If this is not the case, i.e., if the result of the first check is negative, a return is made to step 71.

[0055] However, if the result of the first check is positive, then in step 73, communication with the other communication device 45 is established based on the CAN protocol. Then, in step 74, a second check is performed whether communication with the other communication device 45 based on a second protocol (e.g., the SPE protocol) is also possible. If this is the case, i.e., if the result of the second check is positive, then in step 75, the switching device 61 of the corresponding electrical terminal 49 is controlled to couple the SPE transceiver 59 to the two signal contacts 50, 51 to send signals via the electrical terminal 49. Then, in an (optional) step 76, further requirements for subsequent communication based on the SPE protocol are negotiated. For example, a master / slave assignment can be negotiated between the connected communication devices 45. In step 77, communication with the other communication device 45 is established based on the SPE protocol. In step 78, signal transmission is performed based on the established communication.

[0056] If the result of the second check in step 74 is negative, the process jumps directly to step 78 and communication continues based on the CAN protocol.

[0057] Figure 5 An alternative process is shown, where Figure 5 The left part of the flowchart shown in corresponds to Figure 4 .and Figure 4 The difference is that in the case of a negative result of the first check in step 72, instead of jumping back to step 71, in step 79 the switching device 61 of the corresponding electrical terminal 49 is controlled to couple the SPE transceiver 59 to the two signal contacts 50, 51 in order to transmit the signal via the electrical terminal 49. Subsequently, in step 80 a check is made as to whether communication based on the SPE protocol is possible. If this is not the case, a jump is made back to step 71. However, if communication based on the SPE protocol is possible, SPE communication is initiated in steps 81 to 83, which correspond to steps 76 to 78.

[0058] According to an embodiment not shown, after establishing communication with another communication device 45 based on the SPE protocol, an evaluation of the signal transmission quality is performed, and in case of a negative result of the evaluation, communication with another communication device 45 is established based on the CAN protocol instead of the SPE protocol.

[0059] The communication device 45 may be assigned to the moving image camera 13 ( Figure 1 ) itself, assigned to the lens setting motors 25, 26, 27 ( Figure 1 ), to a setting motor for a rotatable polarization filter (not shown), to a motor-adjustable camera support, to a higher-level control unit of the camera system (e.g. a control computer), to a camera stabilization device, to an image stabilization device, to a film set lighting device or to a remote control device (e.g. a handheld control unit). In this respect, the devices mentioned form camera components.

[0060] The invention enables the joint use of SPE-capable camera components and non-SPE-capable CAN-based camera components in complex camera systems, wherein different kinds of other communication protocols are also possible. It is not possible to choose between different terminals in this respect. Likewise, different cables do not have to be provided and managed. The user does not have to be responsible for selecting the communication protocol at all. Instead, the appropriate protocol is always used automatically.

[0061] Reference numerals list

[0062] 13Motion Picture Camera

[0063] 15 Camera Body

[0064] 19Interchangeable lenses

[0065] 20First lens ring

[0066] 21 Second lens ring

[0067] 22Third lens ring

[0068] 25 Setting the motor

[0069] 26 Setting the motor

[0070] 27 Setting the motor

[0071] 33 support rod

[0072] 34 lens mount

[0073] 35 Viewfinder

[0074] 37 First connection cable

[0075] 38 Second connection cable

[0076] 39Third connection cable

[0077] 45Communication equipment

[0078] 47 Control Unit

[0079] 49 electrical terminals

[0080] 50 signal contacts

[0081] 51 signal contact

[0082] 53 Controller

[0083] 57CAN transceiver

[0084] 59SPE transceiver

[0085] 61 Switching Devices

[0086] 62 control lines

[0087] 63 signal converter

[0088] 64 interfaces

[0089] 66 Energy supply contacts

[0090] 67 Energy supply contacts

[0091] 71-83 Method Steps

Claims

1. A camera component, the camera component being formed by a motion picture camera (13) or an accessory device (25, 26, 27) for the motion picture camera (13), the camera component comprising: A communication device (45) for transmitting at least one of a control signal or a status signal of the camera component, wherein the communication device (45) comprises a control unit (47) and at least one electrical terminal (49), wherein the at least one electrical terminal (49) has at least two energy supply contacts (66, 67) and at least two signal contacts (50, 51), Wherein, the control unit (47) is configured to perform the following steps when the communication device (45) is connected to another communication device (45) of another camera component via the at least one electrical terminal (49): - performing (72) a first check whether communication with the other communication device (45) based on a first protocol is possible; - then, performing (74) a second check whether communication with the further communication device (45) based on the second protocol is still possible; and In the event of a positive result of the second check, establishing (75, 76, 77) a communication with the further communication device (45) based on the second protocol.

2. The camera component according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit (47) is configured to, in the event of a positive result of the first check, at least temporarily establish a communication with the further communication device based on the first protocol.

3. The camera component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control unit (47) is configured to repeat the first check in case of a negative result of the first check.

4. The camera component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control unit (47) is configured to, in case of a negative result of the first check, perform (74) the second check.

5. The camera component according to claim 1, wherein: The step of establishing (75, 76, 77) communication with said another communication device (45) based on said second protocol comprises: The communication device (45) negotiates (76) a master / slave assignment with the other communication device (45).

6. The camera component according to claim 1, wherein: The first protocol is a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol.

7. The camera component according to claim 1, wherein: The second protocol is at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) or a network protocol capable of transmitting a timestamp.

8. The camera component according to claim 1, wherein: The second protocol is a Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) protocol.

9. The camera component according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit (47) of the communication device (45) comprises at least one controller (53), at least one first transceiver (57) corresponding to the first protocol, at least one second transceiver (59) corresponding to the second protocol and at least one switching device (61), wherein the at least one switching device (61) is configured to selectively couple the at least one first transceiver (57) or the at least one second transceiver (59) to the at least two signal contacts (50, 51) of the at least one electrical terminal (49) of the communication device (45) to transmit a signal via the at least one electrical terminal (49), and The controller (53) is configured to control the coupling of the at least one first transceiver (57) and the at least one second transceiver (59) with the at least two signal contacts (50, 51) of the communication device (45).

10. The camera assembly of claim 9, wherein: The communication device (45) of the camera component has two electrical terminals (49) and an interface (64) for signal transmission between the communication device (45) of the camera component and a component function control unit; The controller (53) of the communication device (45) is configured to control the transmission of signals between the two electrical terminals (49) of the communication device and / or to control the transmission of signals between one electrical terminal (49) of the two electrical terminals (49) of the communication device (45) and the interface (64).

11. The camera component according to claim 9, wherein: The communication device (45) of the camera component has two electrical terminals (49), and wherein the control unit (47) of the communication device (45) has the at least one first transceiver (57) and the at least one second transceiver (59) for each of the two electrical terminals (49).

12. The camera assembly of claim 1, wherein: The communication device (45) of the camera assembly has a plurality of electrical terminals (49); The communication device (45) of the camera component has at least one signal converter (63), and the at least one signal converter (63) is configured to selectively convert a signal received based on the first protocol into a signal based on the second protocol or convert a signal received based on the second protocol into a signal based on the first protocol; and The control unit (47) of the communication device (45) is configured to: Controlling the at least one signal converter (63) to convert a signal received at one of the plurality of electrical terminals (49) based on the first protocol into a signal based on the second protocol, so as to output the signal based on the second protocol at another electrical terminal of the plurality of electrical terminals (49) of the communication device (45); and / or The signal converter (63) is controlled to convert a signal received at one of the plurality of electrical terminals (49) based on the second protocol into a signal based on the first protocol, so as to output the signal based on the first protocol at another electrical terminal of the plurality of electrical terminals (49) of the communication device (45).

13. The camera assembly of claim 1, wherein: The control unit (47) is configured to perform an evaluation of signal transmission quality after establishing communication with the other communication device (45) based on the second protocol; and in case of a negative result of the evaluation, establish communication with the other communication device (45) based on the first protocol instead of the second protocol.

14. The camera assembly of claim 1, wherein: The at least one electrical terminal (49) of the communication device (45) has only two energy supply contacts (66, 67) and two signal contacts (50, 51).

15. The camera assembly of claim 1, wherein: The camera assembly is formed by accessory devices for the motion picture camera (13), including setting motors (25, 26, 27) for camera lenses (19), motorized filters, motor-adjustable camera supports, camera stabilization devices, image stabilization devices, remote control devices or film set lighting devices.

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