Operating and optical devices

Abstract

To provide an operating device that is advantageous for the adjustment of optical characteristics.SOLUTION: An operating device (10) generates a command to drive an optical member in a lens device, and has: an operating member (101); a detection unit (102) that detects the amount of operation of the operating member; processing units (103-105) that generate commands based on output from the detection unit; and a load generation unit (106) that generates an operation load to be applied to the operating member. When the optical member is in a predetermined drive state, the processing units control the load generation unit so that the operation load of the operating member is increased from a first load to a second load and decreased from the second load to a third load.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an operating device and an optical device. [Background technology]

[0002] Some lens devices, such as television lenses and video lenses, are equipped with movable optical components such as zoom lenses, focus lenses, and irises (aperture diaphragms), and can control the drive of these optical components. For example, the drive of the focus lens group can be controlled by an operator operating an operating device called a focus demand.

[0003] Some operating devices have no mechanical limit on the amount of operation (no operating end) when generating a control command by rotating an operating member. In an operating device without an operating end, the operating member can be rotated infinitely, so the drive control of the focus lens group can be performed according to the relative value (amount of change) of the operating amount rather than the absolute value of the operating amount.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses that in an operating device without an operating element, an operating load is applied to the operating element so that the operator can recognize that the amount of operation of the operating element corresponds to the end of the adjustment range of the optical characteristics. The ability to recognize this can be advantageous in terms of operability of the operating device when adjusting the optical characteristics. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-023943 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The operating device of Patent Document 1 may have a disadvantage in that an operating load continues to be applied to the operating member while the operating amount corresponds to the end. An object of the present invention is to provide an operating device that is advantageous for adjusting optical characteristics, for example. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention Operating device is an operating device that generates a command for driving an optical member in a lens device, An operating member; a detection unit that detects an operation amount of the operation member; a processing unit that generates the command based on an output of the detection unit; a load generating unit that generates an operation load to be applied to the operation member; The processing unit controls the load generating unit so that, when the optical member is in a predetermined driving state, the operation load of the operation member increases from a first load to a second load and decreases from the second load to a third load. death, The magnitude of the first load and the magnitude of the third load are different from each other. It is characterized by R . [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an operating device that is advantageous for adjusting optical characteristics. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an operating device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of temporal changes in the operation amount and the operation load in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow in the second embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of temporal changes in the operation amount and the operation load in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical device as an imaging device; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In principle (unless otherwise specified) throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments, the same components will be designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0011] [Embodiment 1] This embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an operating device according to the first embodiment. In the figure, 10 is an operating device (here, a focus demand) for operating a movable optical member (here, a focus lens group) in a lens device. 20 is the lens device. The operating device 10 and the lens device 20 constitute an optical device. 101 is an operating member with which an operator (user) operates the optical member, and can be configured to include, for example, a knob that is rotated. Here, the operating member 101 does not have a mechanical end that limits the operating range.

[0012] Reference numeral 102 denotes a detection unit that may be configured to include a potentiometer, a rotary encoder, or the like, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the amount of operation of the operation member 101. Reference numeral 103 denotes a command generation unit that generates a command (here, a focus command) based on the amount of operation of the operation member 101 detected by the detection unit 102. Reference numeral 104 denotes a communication unit that encodes the command generated by the command generation unit 103 into a command in a communication command format and transmits the encoded command to the lens apparatus 20. The lens apparatus 20 receives the command from the operation device 10, drives the optical member based on the command, and changes the optical characteristics of the lens apparatus (here, the object distance). Reference numeral 106 denotes a load generation unit that generates an operation load to be applied to the operation member 101. Reference numeral 105 denotes a control unit that causes the load generation unit 106 to generate an operation load to be applied to the operation member 101 based on the amount of operation detected by the detection unit 102. Details of the processing by the control unit 105 will be described later. Note that the command generating unit 103, the communication unit 104, and the control unit 105 may be partly or entirely configured by a single or multiple processors such as CPUs, and are also referred to as processing units.

[0013] Here, a configuration example of the load generating unit 106 will be described. As an example, the load generating unit 106 may be configured to include an MRF (Magneto-Rheological Fluid) device using a magnetorheological fluid (MR fluid). A magnetorheological fluid is a fluid whose viscosity changes depending on the strength of a magnetic field when the magnetic field is applied. Because the load generating unit 106 is mechanically connected to the operating member 101, the operating load applied to the operating member 101 can be changed by controlling the magnetic field applied to the magnetorheological fluid by the control unit 105. By increasing the voltage applied to the MRF device, the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid increases, and a high operating load that makes it difficult to move the operating member 101 can be applied to the operating member 101. Note that, although an example has been shown in which the lens apparatus and the operating device are spatially separated while being connected via a communication unit, this is not limiting and they may also be spatially integrated.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow in the first embodiment. This processing is executed by a processing unit. In the diagram, in step S101, an operation amount is acquired from the detection unit 102. In step S102, it is determined whether the operation amount acquired in step S101 corresponds to (the object distance of) the closest (MOD) end or the infinity (INF) end. Here, a range of the operation amount corresponding to a specific range of the optical characteristics is defined as an operation amount effective range (also simply referred to as an effective range), and a range outside the operation amount effective range is defined as an operation amount invalid range (also simply referred to as an invalid range). For example, a range of the operation amount corresponding to the range of object distance from the closest end to the infinity end as the specific range can be defined as an effective range, and a range outside the closest end with respect to the effective range can be defined as a closest end-side invalid range, and a range outside the infinity end can be defined as an infinity end-side invalid range. Only when it is determined in step S102 that the operation amount corresponds to the close end or the infinity end, does the process proceed to step S103. When it is determined in step S102 that the operation amount does not correspond to the close end or the infinity end, the process proceeds to step S105. In step S103, measurement (timing) of elapsed time is started. Next, the process proceeds to step S104. In step S104, an operation load at an operation amount at the end to be generated by the load generation unit 106 is specified. On the other hand, in step S105, it is determined whether the elapsed time obtained by the timing started in step S103 has exceeded a predetermined time (a time (threshold) for continuing to generate an operation load at the end). If the exceedance has occurred, the process proceeds to step S106. If the exceedance has not occurred, the process returns to step S101. In step S106, an operation load at an operation amount other than the end is specified as the operation load to be generated by the load generation unit 106. In step S107, the load generating unit 106 generates the operation load specified in step S104 or step S106.

[0015] The threshold value of the elapsed time and the operation load at the end are set to a magnitude that allows the operator to recognize that the operation amount of the operation member has reached the end of the operation amount effective range and that allows the operation member 101 to be stopped at that end. For example, the threshold value is set to be equal to or greater than the time required for the operator to stop operating the operation member 101 after recognizing the end, and the operation load at that end is set to be equal to or greater than the force (torque) with which the operator operates the operation member 101. Note that the operation load for operation amounts other than the end may be an operation load that makes it easy for the operator to operate the operation member, and may be changeable by the operator. Furthermore, the load generating unit 106 may not generate an operation load for operation amounts other than the end.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of temporal changes in the operation amount and operation load in the first embodiment. The diagram shows an example in which the operation member 101 is operated from a certain operation amount to the infinity end and then to the close end. In FIG. 3(a), the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the operation amount of the operation member 101, and in FIG. 3(b), the horizontal axis represents the same time as in FIG. 3(a), and the vertical axis represents the operation load. The operation load is controlled in accordance with the processing flow described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0017] In the figure, first, the operating member is gradually operated from a certain operating amount within the operating amount effective range toward (the operating amount of) the infinity end. Before reaching the infinity end, an operating load at an operating amount other than the end is generated by the load generator 106. When the operating amount reaches the infinity end, an operating load at the end is generated by the load generator 106 from time T1 over a period of time T. After the time T has elapsed, the operating load is returned to an operating load at an operating amount other than the end. Thereafter, the operating member is gradually operated toward (the operating amount of) the very close end. Before reaching the very close end, the operating load remains an operating load at an operating amount other than the end. Then, when the operating amount reaches the very close end, an operating load at the end is generated by the load generator 106 from time T2 over a period of time T. After the time T has elapsed, the operating load is returned to an operating load at an operating amount other than the end.

[0018] As described above, when the operation amount of the operating member 101 reaches the close end or the infinity end, the operation load is set to the end operation load (higher than the operation load at an operation amount other than the end) for a predetermined time. This is advantageous in terms of power consumption when making the operator recognize that the optical member has reached the end of its movable range. This is because the operator typically does not continue to operate the operating member 101 in the same direction after recognizing that the end has been reached. Furthermore, since the applied operation load is released after the time T has elapsed, when the operating member 101 is operated in the opposite direction after recognizing that the end has been reached, the operation load is less likely to be applied to the operation in the opposite direction. This contributes to the operability of the operating device. Therefore, according to this embodiment, an operating device that is advantageous for adjusting optical characteristics in terms of power consumption and operability can be provided.

[0019] In the operation amount invalid range (the near end side invalid range or the infinite end side invalid range), the load generator may be configured to generate an operation load different from that in the operation amount valid range, thereby enabling the operator to distinguish whether the current operation amount is within the operation amount valid range or the operation amount invalid range.

[0020] The load required to stop the operation member 101 may vary depending on the operation speed of the operation unit 101. The higher the operation speed of the operation unit 101, the greater the operation load required. Therefore, the operation load at the end may be changed based on the operation speed of the operation member 101. Furthermore, the operation load required to stop the operation member 101 may vary depending on the operator, since there are individual differences in the force required to rotate the operation member 101. Therefore, the operation load may be changed depending on the operator. Furthermore, if the operation member 101 cannot be stopped with a pre-specified operation load, the operation load may be updated to a higher operation load.

[0021] Furthermore, since the operation load at the end becomes relatively small when the operation load at an operation amount other than the end becomes large, the operation load at the end may be changed based on the magnitude of the operation load at the operation amount other than the end. Note that the load generation unit for the operation load at the operation amount other than the end may be different from the load generation unit at the end, and in that case, a detection unit that detects the magnitude of the operation load at that operation amount may be provided, and the operation load at the end may be changed based on the output of the detection unit.

[0022] Furthermore, while the above describes an example of an operating device that adjusts the object distance, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be an operating device that adjusts the light intensity or focal length, for example. Furthermore, while the present embodiment describes an operating member that does not have a mechanical end that limits the operating range, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, an operating member with an end may be used. In this case, the configuration of this embodiment may be applied to any operating range set within the operating range limited by the end (e.g., corresponding to the range of object distances from close to infinity). Furthermore, while the above describes an example of a load generator using a magnetorheological fluid, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be any load generator that generates an operating load using electric power. As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an operating device that is advantageous for adjusting optical characteristics, for example.

[0023] [Embodiment 2] This embodiment relates to an optical device including an operating member (an operating device including the operating member). The optical device may be a so-called interchangeable lens device. The optical device may also be an integrated device in which the lens device and operating device of embodiment 1 are integrated. This embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical device according to embodiment 2. In this figure, 30 is the optical device of this embodiment. An operating member 101, a detection unit 102, a command generation unit 103, and a load generation unit 106 are components of the optical device 30.

[0024] Reference numeral 301 denotes a movable optical element (focus lens group) for adjusting the object distance. Reference numeral 302 denotes a position detection unit that detects the position of the optical element 301. Reference numeral 303 denotes a drive control unit that generates a control signal for drive control (position control) of the optical element 301 based on the command generated by the command generation unit 103 and the position of the optical element detected by the position detection unit 302. Reference numeral 304 denotes a drive unit that drives the optical element 301 based on the control signal generated by the drive control unit 303. Reference numeral 305 denotes a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature inside the optical device 30. Reference numeral 306 denotes a control unit that controls the load generation unit 106 based on the amount of operation detected by the detection unit 102, the position of the optical element 301 detected by the position detection unit 302, and the temperature inside the optical device 30 detected by the temperature detection unit 305. Details of the processing by the control unit 306 will be described later.

[0025] The processing in this embodiment can also be applied to an operation device in a configuration including a lens apparatus and an operation device, as in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the processing flow in the second embodiment. In the diagram, first, in step S201, an operation amount is acquired from the detection unit 102. In step S202, the position of the optical element is acquired from the position detection unit 302. In step S203, it is determined whether the operation amount acquired in step S201 is within the operation amount invalid range. In this embodiment, the operation amount invalid range is an outer range separated from the operation amount valid range by a predetermined operation amount (insensitive range). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operation amounts corresponding to the close end and the infinity end are identified based on the output of the position detection unit, not the output of the detection unit 102. That is, based on information regarding the driving state of the optical element from the lens apparatus, the processing unit can identify (recognize) that the operation amount of the operation element is the operation amount corresponding to the end (predetermined operation amount). Such recognition is useful because, for example, when the position of an optical element is controlled by proportional control, a steady-state error (the difference between a command (target) and a controlled variable) may occur, whereas an operation load can be generated based on the controlled variable, i.e., the actual position of the optical element. If the operation variable acquired in step S201 is within the operation variable invalid range, the process proceeds to step S206; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S204. In step S204, an operation load within the operation variable valid range is specified as the operation load to be generated by the load generator. In step S205, timing (described later) is stopped. In step S206, it is determined whether the operation member 101 is being operated (the operation variable is changing) and the timing is stopped. If the operation is being performed and the timing is stopped, the process proceeds to step S207; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S212. In step S207, it is determined whether the operation member 101 is being operated within the operation variable invalid range in a direction away from the operation variable valid range (outward). If the operating member 101 has been operated outward, the process proceeds to step S208, and if not, the process proceeds to step S209. In step S208, a predetermined time T is set. In step S209, a predetermined time t is set.Here, the time T is a time sufficient for the operator to stop the operation member 101, and the time t is a very short time that does not hinder the operator from operating the operation member 101. In the following step S210, an operation load at the edge of the operation amount invalid range is specified as the operation load to be generated by the load generation unit. In step S211, time measurement (timing) is started (the aforementioned time lapse starts at this point). In step S212, it is determined whether the elapsed time obtained by the timing has exceeded the time T or t set in step S208 or step S209. If the time lapse has occurred, the process proceeds to step S213; if the time lapse has not occurred, the process proceeds to step S215. In step S213, as in step S204, an operation load within the operation amount valid range is specified as the operation load to be generated by the load generation unit 206. In step S214, as in step S205, the time measurement is stopped.

[0026] In step S215, an operational load is designated so as to compensate for fluctuations in the operational load due to temperature fluctuations. Specifically, the designation can be made based on information indicating the relationship between temperature and operational load, which is stored in advance in the control unit or the like, and information on the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 305. In this way, it is possible to reduce fluctuations in the operational load due to temperature fluctuations, and therefore it is possible to provide an operating device that is advantageous in terms of operability. In step S216, the load generation unit 106 is caused to generate the operational load designated in step S215, and the process returns to step S201.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of temporal changes in the operation amount and operation load in the second embodiment. The diagram shows an example in which the operation member 101 is operated from a certain operation amount toward the infinity end, then further outward, and then into the operation amount effective range. In FIG. 6(a), the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the operation amount of the operation member 101, and in FIG. 6(b), the horizontal axis represents the same time as in FIG. 6(a), and the vertical axis represents the operation load. The operation load is controlled in accordance with the processing flow described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0028] In the first embodiment, an operation load at the end was generated when the operation amount reached the infinity end. However, in this embodiment, an operation load at the end of the operation amount invalid range is applied at an operation amount that is a preset amount outside the infinity end. Specifically, an operation load at the end is applied for a time period T at time T20 when the optical element 301 passes the infinity end. If this operation load is applied at the end, the operation load changes frequently when adjusting the optical characteristics (object distance) near the end, which can reduce operability. Therefore, by configuring as in this embodiment, operability near the end can be improved.

[0029] Thereafter, the operation load is generated by the load generating unit for a time T. Thereafter, the operation load is returned to within the operation amount valid range, and the operating member can be operated further outward. If the operating member is operated further outward from the operation amount invalid range, the operation load is again generated by the load generating unit 106 at times T21 and T22 when the outward operation of the operating member is detected in order to prevent the operating member from leaving the operation amount valid range. Thereafter, the operating member is operated within the operation amount invalid range in a direction approaching the operation amount valid range (inward). Because the operation inward is an operation returning to the operation amount valid range, during the period T23 to T24 of that operation, each time an operation inward is recognized, the load generating unit 106 generates the operation load for an extremely short time t that is unlikely to interfere with that operation. By doing so, when the operating member is operated inward within the invalid operation amount range, the operation is less likely to be obstructed, and the operator can recognize that the current operation amount is within the invalid operation amount range, thereby providing an optical device (operating device) that is advantageous in terms of operability.

[0030] The optical device (operation device) according to this embodiment may be advantageous in terms of power consumption, as in the first embodiment, by applying an operational load only for time T or t. Furthermore, the device may be advantageous in terms of operability by applying an operational load at the edge of the operation amount invalid range. Furthermore, the device may be advantageous in terms of operability by varying the duration of the operational load applied between outward and inward operations within the operation amount invalid range. Furthermore, the device may be advantageous in terms of operability by compensating the applied operational load based on temperature information (by ensuring that the magnitude of the operational load of the operating member is a set magnitude). Note that the compensation of the operational load may be based on information about other usage conditions that change the operational load of the operating member (e.g., external magnetic fields, atmospheric pressure, changes in the operational load over time (related to usage time), characteristics (changes) of the load generator and the elements of the operating member, etc.) instead of or in addition to temperature information. When compensating for the operation load based on information about the other usage status, the optical device (operation device) may include a detection unit that detects the usage status or an acquisition unit that acquires information about the usage status (the acquisition unit may include the communication unit 104 in the first embodiment). Furthermore, a predetermined operation load may be applied to the operation member for a predetermined time at a predetermined operation amount, such as a boundary between the invalid range of the operation amount of the operation member and the valid range of the operation amount of the operation member. That is, the processing unit may control the load generation unit so that the operation load of the operation member increases from the first load to the second load when the optical member is in a predetermined drive state (corresponding to the predetermined operation amount of the operation member). The processing unit may also control the load generation unit so that the operation load of the operation member decreases from the second load to the third load in this case. The processing unit may control the load generation unit so that the magnitude of the first load and the magnitude of the third load are different from each other. When the processing unit controls the load generation unit in this way, the recognition of the boundary is not limited to being based on the output of the detection unit 102. The boundary can be recognized based on a command generated by the command generating unit 103 or information (from the lens device 20) about the driving state of the optical member (for example, information about the position of the optical member).Furthermore, the processing unit may change the setting related to the magnitude of the second load based on the change in the amount of operation of the operating member during a period in which the operating load of the operating member is the second load. As described above, if the operating member 101 is not appropriately stopped by a pre-specified operating load (second load), the magnitude of the second load may be updated so that the operating load is increased. Furthermore, if the operating member 101 is excessively stopped by a pre-specified operating load (second load), the second load may be updated so that the operating load is reduced.

[0031] In addition, within the invalid operation amount range, the magnitude of the applied operational load may be different between an outward operation and an inward operation, instead of or in addition to the duration of the applied operational load. In this case, the operational load applied to an outward operation may be greater than the operational load applied to an inward operation. The processing unit may control the load generation unit so that when the operating member is operated in the invalid range in a direction away from the valid range, the operational load of the operating member increases from the third load to the fourth load. The processing unit may also control the load generation unit so that when the operating member is operated in the invalid range in a direction approaching the valid range, the operational load of the operating member increases from the third load to the fifth load. The processing unit may also control the load generation unit so that when the operating member is operated in the invalid range in a direction approaching the valid range, the operational load of the operating member decreases from the fifth load to the third load. Furthermore, when the operating member is operated within the invalid range toward the valid range, it is preferable that at least one of the following is smaller than when the operating member is operated within the invalid range toward the valid range. That is, it is also preferable that at least one of the operational load applied to the operating member and the time during which the operational load is applied to the operating member is smaller. Note that the processing unit is not limited to controlling the load generator so that a predetermined operational load is applied to the operating member for a predetermined time at an operation amount at the boundary between the valid range and the invalid range of the operation amount as a predetermined operation amount. That is, the predetermined operation amount does not have to be the operation amount at the boundary and can be, for example, any predetermined operation amount (corresponding to any drive state of an optical element). Furthermore, the operational load of the operating member within the valid range can be configured to be changeable. In this case, the processing unit can control the load generator so that the second load increases as the operation load increases. With the above configuration, it is easy to reproduce a predetermined operation amount (drive state of an optical element) by operating the operating member, thereby providing an operating device that is advantageous in terms of operability. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an operating device that is advantageous for adjusting optical characteristics, for example.

[0032] [Embodiment relating to an optical device as an imaging device] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical device serving as an imaging device. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 1000 denotes an optical device serving as an imaging device configured to include the above-described operation device 10 or optical device 30. The optical device 1000 may be configured to include a camera device 40 (imaging unit; imaging device body) having an imaging element 40a that captures (images) an image formed by the lens device 20 or the optical device 30. The operation device 10 may be spatially separated from the lens device 20. The operation device 10 may be communicatively connected to the lens device 20 via wired or wireless communication. The camera device 40 may have a function for transmitting commands to optical elements. In this case, the commands may be generated, for example, by a (camera) operation device 40b serving as a subunit of the camera device 40. Alternatively, the commands may be generated, for example, by an autofocus function or an autoiris function of the camera device 40. The operation device 40b may be spatially separated from the body of the camera device. The operation device 40b can be connected to the camera device body via wired or wireless communication. The operation device 40b can generate at least one of a command corresponding to the object distance of the lens device, a command corresponding to the focal length or zooming of the lens device, and a command corresponding to the effective aperture or iris aperture diameter of the lens device. According to this embodiment, by including the operation device 10 or the optical device 30, it is possible to provide an imaging device that is advantageous for applying an operation load to an operation member at a predetermined operation amount (corresponding to the drive state of an optical member; for example, corresponding to the end of a specific range of optical characteristics).

[0033] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 10 Operating device 101 Operating member 102 Detection unit 103 Command generation unit (constituting the processing unit) 105 Control section (constituting the processing section) 106 Load generation section

Claims

1. An operating device that generates a command to drive an optical member in a lens device, An operating member; a detection unit that detects an operation amount of the operation member; a processing unit that generates the command based on an output of the detection unit; a load generating unit that generates an operation load to be applied to the operation member; the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that, when the optical member is in a predetermined driving state, the operation load of the operation member increases from a first load to a second load and decreases from the second load to a third load; An operating device, wherein the magnitude of the first load and the magnitude of the third load are different from each other.

2. The operating device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit determines whether the optical member is in a predetermined driving state based on an output from the detection unit.

3. 2. The operation device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit identifies a case where the optical member is in a predetermined driving state based on information relating to the driving state of the optical member from the lens device.

4. 4. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined drive state is a drive state within an ineffective range of the drive state of the optical member.

5. 5. The operating device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined drive state is a drive state at a boundary between the ineffective range and an effective range of the drive state of the optical member.

6. The operating device according to claim 5, characterized in that the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that, when the operating member is operated in the invalid range in a direction away from the valid range, the operating load of the operating member increases from the third load to a fourth load and decreases from the fourth load to the third load.

7. An operating device for generating a command for driving an optical element in a lens device, comprising: An operating member; a detection unit that detects an operation amount of the operation member; a processing unit that generates the command based on an output of the detection unit; a load generating unit that generates an operation load to be applied to the operation member; the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that, when the optical member is in a predetermined driving state, the operation load of the operation member increases from a first load to a second load and decreases from the second load to a third load; the predetermined drive state is a drive state in an ineffective range of the drive state of the optical element, the drive state being at a boundary of the ineffective range with an effective range of the drive state of the optical element, an operating device characterized in that the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that, when the operating member is operated in the invalid range in a direction away from the valid range, the operating load of the operating member increases from the third load to a fourth load and decreases from the fourth load to the third load.

8. The operating device according to claim 5, characterized in that the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that, when the operating member is operated in the invalid range in a direction approaching the valid range, the operating load of the operating member increases from the third load to a fifth load and decreases from the fifth load to the third load.

9. An operating device for generating a command for driving an optical element in a lens device, comprising: An operating member; a detection unit that detects an operation amount of the operation member; a processing unit that generates the command based on an output of the detection unit; a load generating unit that generates an operation load to be applied to the operation member; the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that, when the optical member is in a predetermined driving state, the operation load of the operation member increases from a first load to a second load and decreases from the second load to a third load; the predetermined drive state is a drive state in an ineffective range of the drive state of the optical element, and is a drive state at a boundary between the ineffective range and an effective range of the drive state of the optical element, an operating device characterized in that the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that, when the operating member is operated in the invalid range in a direction approaching the valid range, the operating load of the operating member increases from the third load to a fifth load and decreases from the fifth load to the third load.

10. The operating device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that when the operating member is operated in the invalid range in a direction approaching the effective range, at least one of the operational load applied to the operating member and the time during which the operational load is applied to the operating member is smaller than when the operating member is operated in the invalid range in a direction away from the effective range.

11. 6. The operating device according to claim 5, wherein the effective range corresponds to a specific range of the optical characteristics of the lens device that are changed by driving the optical member.

12. 12. The operating device according to claim 11, wherein the specific range of optical characteristics is a range of object distances from close to infinity.

13. 12. The operating device according to claim 11, wherein the specific range of optical characteristics is a range set within a range of object distances from close to infinity.

14. An operating device for generating a command for driving an optical member in a lens device, comprising: An operating member; a detection unit that detects an operation amount of the operation member; a processing unit that generates the command based on an output of the detection unit; a load generating unit that generates an operation load to be applied to the operation member; the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that, when the optical member is in a predetermined driving state, the operation load of the operation member increases from a first load to a second load and decreases from the second load to a third load; the predetermined drive state is a drive state in an ineffective range of the drive state of the optical element, and is a drive state at a boundary between the ineffective range and an effective range of the drive state of the optical element, the effective range corresponds to a specific range of optical characteristics of the lens device that are changed by driving the optical member; An operating device, wherein the specific range of optical characteristics is a range set within a range of object distances from close to infinity.

15. The operation load of the operating member within the effective range is changeable, 15. The operation device according to claim 5, wherein the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that the second load increases as the operation load increases.

16. The operating device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit controls the load generating unit so that the second load increases as the operating speed of the operating member increases.

17. An operating device for generating a command for driving an optical member in a lens device, comprising: An operating member; a detection unit that detects an operation amount of the operation member; a processing unit that generates the command based on an output of the detection unit; a load generating unit that generates an operation load to be applied to the operation member; The processing unit controlling the load generating unit so that, when the optical member is in a predetermined driving state, the operation load of the operation member increases from a first load to a second load and decreases from the second load to a third load; An operating device, characterized in that the load generating unit is controlled so that the second load increases as the operating speed of the operating member increases.

18. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the processing unit changes a setting related to the magnitude of the second load based on a change in the amount of operation of the operating member during a period in which the operating load of the operating member is the second load.

19. An operating device for generating a command for driving an optical member in a lens device, comprising: An operating member; a detection unit that detects an operation amount of the operation member; a processing unit that generates the command based on an output of the detection unit; a load generating unit that generates an operation load to be applied to the operation member; The processing unit controlling the load generating unit so that, when the optical member is in a predetermined driving state, the operation load of the operation member increases from a first load to a second load and decreases from the second load to a third load; An operating device, characterized in that a setting relating to the magnitude of the second load is changed based on an operation amount of the operating member that has changed during a period in which the operating load of the operating member is the second load.

20. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that the processing unit controls the load generating unit based on information on the usage status of the operating device so that the magnitude of the operating load of the operating member becomes a set magnitude.

21. An operating device for generating a command for driving an optical member in a lens device, comprising: An operating member; a detection unit that detects an operation amount of the operation member; a processing unit that generates the command based on an output of the detection unit; a load generating unit that generates an operation load to be applied to the operation member; The processing unit controlling the load generating unit so that, when the optical member is in a predetermined driving state, the operation load of the operation member increases from a first load to a second load and decreases from the second load to a third load; An operating device characterized in that the load generating unit is controlled based on information on a usage state of the operating device so that the magnitude of the operating load of the operating member becomes a set magnitude.

22. a lens device having the optical member; and an operation device according to claim 1 that generates a command to drive the optical member.

23. 23. The optical device according to claim 22, further comprising an image pickup device for capturing an image formed by the lens device.

Images