Lens barrel, control method, and imaging device

Abstract

A lens barrel that comprises: a lens drive unit that moves a lens holder that holds a lens in the optical axis direction; a lock mechanism that restricts the movement of the lens holder at a moving end of the lens holder; and a control unit that, as transition processing that transitions the lens holder into a state in which the movement thereof is restricted by the lock mechanism, performs control that reduces the movement-restricting force of the lock mechanism and then makes the lens drive unit move the lens holder into a position in which the movement thereof is restricted by the lock mechanism.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present technology relates to a lens barrel or an imaging device having a locking mechanism for a lens holder, and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, the lens barrel of an interchangeable lens for an interchangeable lens camera or a lens for an integrated lens camera has a mechanism for moving the lens group in the optical axis direction, such as a focus mechanism or a zoom mechanism. Patent Document 1 listed below discloses an optical device that forms an image on an imaging plane using an optical system including a group of moving lenses. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-91831 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In lens barrels, lens movement mechanisms for focusing and zooming are generally either manual or actuator-driven. Examples of actuators include DC motors, stepping motors, ultrasonic motors, and linear motors (VCM: Voice Coil Motors). Linear motors have become popular in recent years to provide responsiveness and thrust, but they cannot provide holding force when the power is turned off. Therefore, when the camera or lens barrel is carried with the power turned off, vibrations, shocks, or changes in posture can cause the lens holder that holds the internal lens group to move in the optical axis direction and come into contact with the moving end, which can cause abnormal noise and wear or damage to the mechanism. For this reason, it is appropriate to restrict the movement of the lens movement mechanism when the power is turned off, etc. However, if the movement of the lens is to be restricted, it is necessary to appropriately transition to a movement restricted state when the power is turned off, etc. Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a technique that enables an appropriate transition from a state in which lens movement is possible to a state in which movement is restricted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The lens barrel according to the present technology includes a lens driving unit that moves a lens holder that holds a lens in the optical axis direction, a locking mechanism that restricts the movement of the lens holder at the moving end of the lens holder, and a control unit that controls the lens driving unit to move the lens holder to a position where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism while the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated as a transition process that transitions the lens holder to a movement restricted state by the locking mechanism. For example, as a transition process at the time of termination when the power is turned off, the lens holder for the focus lens or the like is put into a movement restricted state in which movement is restricted, thereby preventing the lens holder from moving inadvertently. An imaging device according to the present technology includes the above-described lens barrel configuration.

[0006] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, the locking mechanism may be an electromagnetic actuator that restricts movement of the lens holder by magnetic attraction, and in which the magnetic attraction force is reduced or eliminated by passing current through it. The electromagnetic actuator is configured to attract the object by magnetic force when a solenoid is not energized, and to reduce or eliminate the attracting force by applying a current to the coil.

[0007] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the above-described present technology, it is conceivable that the control unit executes the transition process after executing a transition preparation process that moves the lens holder to a preparation position for starting the transition process. First, the lens holder is moved to a predetermined preparation position, and then, with the movement limiting force of the locking mechanism reduced, the lens holder is moved to a position where movement is limited by the locking mechanism.

[0008] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, the preparation position is considered to be a position that is set based on a distance that is affected by the movement limiting force of the locking mechanism. For example, the preparation position may be a position immediately before the attraction force of the solenoid is exerted.

[0009] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, the control unit may perform, as the transition process, a pushing process in which the lens holder is moved until it abuts against a part of the locking mechanism and is pushed in, and a pulling process in which, after the pushing process, the lens holder is moved in the opposite direction to the pushing direction and returned to a predetermined end position. The transition process for bringing the lens holder into the movement restricted state is performed in two stages: a pushing process and a pulling process.

[0010] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, it is conceivable that the control unit performs control to reduce or eliminate the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism during the pushing process. To prevent a lens holder from colliding strongly with an attractive force due to magnetic force, for example, when the lens holder is pressed to a position where the movement is restricted.

[0011] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, it is conceivable that the control unit performs control to generate a movement limiting force of the locking mechanism during the pulling process. After the lens holder is pressed against the locking mechanism by the pushing process, the pulling process is performed while an attractive force is exerted by, for example, magnetic force.

[0012] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, the control unit executes a transition preparation process to move the lens holder to a preparation position for starting the transition process, and then executes the transition process, and the movement of the lens holder in the pushing process is thought to be executed at a slower speed than the movement of the lens holder in the transition preparation process. For example, the lens holder is moved at high speed in the transition preparation process, and moved at low speed in the push-in process.

[0013] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the above-described present technology, it is conceivable that the control unit determines the timing of executing the transition process based on the presence or absence of a power limiting instruction requesting that power consumption be limited. When a transition to the movement restricted state is to be made at the time of termination or the like, the timing of executing the transition process is changed depending on whether or not the power available in the lens barrel is limited.

[0014] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, when a power limit instruction is issued, the control unit may be configured to execute the transition process during a period different from a period during which termination processes for other actuators are executed. If a power restriction instruction is issued when transitioning to the movement restricted state, the transition process is made so that it does not overlap in time with the termination process of other actuators.

[0015] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the above-described present technology, when a power limit instruction is issued, the control unit may be configured to perform the transition processing after termination processing for other actuators has been completed. If a power limit command is issued when power is turned off or the like, the shutdown process for other actuators is given priority, and transition processing is performed after the completion of the shutdown process.

[0016] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, it is conceivable that the lens holder can be put into a movement restricted state at the object side movement end by the locking mechanism. Lens barrels are often placed on a desk or the like with the object side positioned lower than the image side, or are hung by a user with a hanging belt or strap with the object side positioned lower than the image side, and by configuring the lens holder to lock at the end of movement on the object side, the lens holder is more frequently locked by the locking mechanism (put into a movement restricted state).

[0017] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, it is conceivable that a plurality of the locking mechanisms are provided, and the lens holder can be put into a movement restricted state at the object side movement end and the image side movement end by the locking mechanisms. The lens holder is locked at both the object side movement end and the image side movement end by a locking mechanism.

[0018] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, it is conceivable that two of the locking mechanisms are provided, and that the two locking mechanisms are provided on opposite sides of the optical axis. The lens holder is locked on the opposite side across the optical axis.

[0019] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, the locking mechanism is composed of an adhesive force generating portion having an adhesive portion and generating an adhesive force, and an adhesive portion that is attached by the adhesive force generated in the adhesive force generating portion and supported by the lens holder, and it is conceivable that the adhesive portion is made displaceable relative to the lens holder in a direction different from the optical axis direction. Since the adsorbed portion is adsorbed to the adhesive force generating portion while being displaced relative to the lens holder depending on the orientation of the adhesive force generating portion, it is possible to increase the contact area of the adsorbed portion with the adhesive force generating portion when the adsorbed portion is adsorbed to the adhesive force generating portion.

[0020] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, it is conceivable that an elastic member is provided between the lens holder and the adsorbed portion, which urges the adsorbed portion in a direction approaching the adsorption force generating portion. The attracted portion supported by the lens holder is biased in a direction approaching the attraction force generating portion.

[0021] In the lens barrel or imaging device according to the present technology described above, it is conceivable that the adsorbed portion is displaceably supported on the lens holder via a mounting shaft, a curved concave surface is formed on the lens holder, and a curved convex surface is formed on the mounting shaft so as to be able to slide against the concave surface when the adsorbed portion is displaced relative to the lens holder. When the attracted portion is displaced relative to the lens holder, the curved convex surface slides against the curved concave surface.

[0022] The control method according to the present technology is a control method for a lens barrel equipped with a lens driving unit that moves a lens holder that holds a lens in the optical axis direction, and a locking mechanism that restricts the movement of the lens holder at the moving end of the lens holder, and as a transition process that transitions the lens holder to a state in which movement is restricted by the locking mechanism, the lens driving unit controls the lens holder to move to a position where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism, with the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism reduced or eliminated. By reducing the movement restricting force, gentle contact is facilitated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a camera system according to an embodiment of the present technology; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a module configuration of a lens control unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 4 to 9, this figure shows the specific configuration of the solenoid, and is a conceptual diagram showing the internal structure of the lens barrel. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the lens holder, the solenoid, etc. in an unlocked state. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a solenoid. [Figure 6]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the lens holder, the solenoid, etc. in a locked state. [Figure 7] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific support structure etc. of the adsorbed portion. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before an attracted part is attracted to an attracting force generating part when the yoke is attached to a second fixing member in an inclined state. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the attracted part is attracted to the attracting force generating part when the yoke is attached to the second fixing member in an inclined state. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the attracted portion is attracted to the attracting force generating portion in a configuration in which the yoke is attached to the second fixing member in an inclined state, a concave surface is formed on the support portion, and a convex surface is formed on the mounting shaft. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the attracted portion is attracted to the attracting force generating portion in a configuration in which the yoke is attached to the second fixing member in an inclined state, a concave surface is formed on the support portion, and a convex surface is formed on the mounting shaft. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration in which solenoids are arranged on both the object side and the image side. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration in which a solenoid is disposed on the opposite side across the optical axis. [Figure 14] 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the voltage applied to the solenoid and the attraction force. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an initial state of the embodiment. [Figure 16] 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams illustrating an escape operation process from the lock mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams of a state during lens driving according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating the influence of disturbances during lens driving according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams of a state where the lens driving has finished in the embodiment; [Figure 20] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams illustrating a state where power is cut off during lens driving according to an embodiment. [Figure 21]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an example of state transition from start-up to end according to an embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the transition of the escape process according to the embodiment. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart of an example of a process at the time of escape according to an embodiment. [Figure 24] 10 is a flowchart of an escape process according to an embodiment. [Figure 25] 10 is a flowchart of a process of determining escape according to an embodiment. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart of a return drive process according to an embodiment. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart of a retry process according to an embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a startup escape sequence when there is no power limit according to an embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a startup escape sequence when there is a power limit according to an embodiment. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a recovery escape sequence when there is no power limit according to an embodiment. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a recovery escape sequence when there is a power limit according to an embodiment. [Figure 32] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a recovery escape sequence when a power limit is changed according to an embodiment. [Figure 33] 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams of the transition of the adsorption preparation process according to the embodiment. [Figure 34] 10 is a flowchart of a suction preparation process according to an embodiment. [Figure 35] 10 is a flowchart of a process of moving to a pickup preparation position according to an embodiment. [Figure 36] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the transition of the adsorption process according to the embodiment. [Figure 37] 10 is a flowchart of an adsorption process according to an embodiment. [Figure 38] 10 is a flowchart of a pressing process according to an embodiment. [Figure 39] 10 is a flowchart of a pulling process according to an embodiment. [Figure 40] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a pressing range according to an embodiment. [Figure 41] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a termination sequence when there is no power limit according to the embodiment. [Figure 42] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a termination sequence when there is a power limit according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The embodiments will be described below in the following order. <1. Camera system configuration> <2. Locking mechanism> [2-1 Solenoid configuration, etc.] [2-2 Modifications regarding the support structure of the adsorbed part] [2-3 Examples of focus lens driver placement] <3. Escape and adsorption operations> <4. Escape from movement restrictions> <5. Timing of escape processing according to power limitations> <6. Transition to movement restriction state> 7. Adsorption process timing according to power limitations <8. Summary and Variations>

[0025] In the embodiments, the lens barrel of an interchangeable lens camera system will be described as an example, and the focus lens group will be described as having a locking mechanism using a solenoid. This locking mechanism uses magnetic force to attract the lens holder that holds the focus lens group, thereby restricting its movement. The restricted state is sometimes referred to as "locked."

[0026] In addition, the following terms are used: "Escape" refers to the operation of releasing the lens holder from the state in which movement is restricted by the locking mechanism and transitioning to a state in which focusing operation is possible. "Escape processing" refers to processing for performing an escape. "Adsorption" refers to the state in which the lens holder is attracted by the magnetic force of the locking mechanism. It is sometimes used as a general term to refer to the process of transitioning to a movement-restricted state by the locking mechanism. The "suction process" refers to a process of transitioning to a movement restricted state by suction using a locking mechanism, and is an example of a process of transitioning to a movement restricted state. "Unnecessary suction" refers to a state in which the lens holder is unintentionally sucked due to disturbances or the like during an imaging operation.

[0027] <1. Camera system configuration> 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a camera system to which the present technology is applied. The camera system 1 is a digital camera with interchangeable lenses, and includes a detachable lens barrel 2 and an imaging device 3 that forms the camera body.

[0028] The lens barrel 2 includes a mount portion 21 that is detachably attached to a mount portion 51 of the imaging device 3. The mount portion 21 has a plurality of terminals (not shown) that are electrically connected to the imaging device 3.

[0029] The lens barrel 2 includes a lens control unit 22, a zoom lens 23, an image stabilization lens 24, an aperture 25, a focus lens 26, an LCD ND (Neutral Density) filter 27, a lens barrel display unit 28, an operation unit 29, a memory unit 30, a recording unit 31, a power supply control unit 32, a solenoid 33, and a sensor 34. Furthermore, the lens barrel 2 includes a zoom lens driver 41 , a camera shake driver 42 , a camera shake lock driver 43 , an aperture driver 44 , a focus lens driver 45 , a liquid crystal ND driver 46 , and a solenoid driver 47 .

[0030] The lens control unit 22 is composed of, for example, an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and peripheral circuits, and controls the entire lens barrel 2 by reading and executing a predetermined control program recorded in the recording unit 31.

[0031] For example, the lens control unit 22 controls the position of the zoom lens 23 in accordance with instructions from the imaging device 3 supplied via a predetermined communication terminal of the mount unit 21 or user operations received by the operation unit 29.

[0032] More specifically, the lens control unit 22 acquires the current position of the zoom lens 23 from a zoom position detection sensor constituted by, for example, a magnetic sensor (MR sensor), determines a drive direction and drive amount for moving the zoom lens 23 to a predetermined position based on the acquired result, and outputs the determined drive direction and drive amount together with a movement command to the zoom lens drive unit 41. Based on the movement command supplied from the lens control unit 22, the zoom lens drive unit 41 moves the zoom lens 23 in the optical axis direction so as to achieve the instructed drive direction and drive amount.

[0033] The lens control unit 22 also controls the image stabilization lens 24 to correct camera shake. Specifically, based on the amount of camera shake detected by the camera shake detection sensor, the lens control unit 22 determines the drive direction and drive amount of the image stabilization lens 24 in a direction that cancels the amount of camera shake, and outputs the determined drive direction and drive amount together with a movement command to the image stabilization driver 42. The image stabilization sensor is configured, for example, with both or either a gyro sensor and a three-axis acceleration sensor. The gyro sensor is used to detect deviation (shake) in a direction corresponding to pitch or yaw as the correction direction of the image stabilization lens 24, and the three-axis acceleration sensor is used to detect deviation (shake) in the directions of the X and Y axes when the optical axis direction is the Z axis. The image stabilization driver 42 moves the image stabilization lens 24 in the specified drive direction and drive amount based on the movement command supplied from the lens control unit 22.

[0034] When the power supply is turned off, lens control unit 22 performs control to mechanically lock image stabilization lens 24. That is, while power is being supplied from imaging device 3 to lens barrel 2, image stabilization lens 24 is maintained at a predetermined position through control via image stabilization drive unit 42. However, when the power supply is turned off, position control by image stabilization drive unit 42 stops, and image stabilization lens 24 falls a predetermined distance in the direction of gravity. Lens control unit 22 mechanically locks image stabilization lens 24 via image stabilization lock drive unit 43 depending on when the power supply is turned off, preventing the lens from falling. Image stabilization lock drive unit 43 mechanically locks image stabilization lens 24 based on a lock command supplied from lens control unit 22.

[0035] The lens control unit 22 controls the aperture diameter of the diaphragm 25 in accordance with instructions from the imaging device 3 supplied via a predetermined communication terminal of the mount unit 21. Specifically, the lens control unit 22 acquires the aperture diameter of the diaphragm 25 detected by the diaphragm detection sensor, and instructs the diaphragm driving unit 44 to drive the diaphragm 25 so that the F-number becomes the F-number specified by the imaging device 3. The diaphragm driving unit 44 drives the diaphragm 25 so that the aperture diameter becomes the aperture diameter specified by the lens control unit 22.

[0036] Lens control unit 22 controls focus lens 26. Specifically, lens control unit 22 acquires the current position of focus lens 26 from a lens position detection sensor, determines a drive direction and drive amount for moving focus lens 26 to a predetermined position based on the acquired result, and outputs the determined drive direction and drive amount together with a movement command to focus lens drive unit 45. Focus lens drive unit 45 moves focus lens 26 in the optical axis direction so as to achieve the instructed drive direction and drive amount. The focus lens 26 includes one or more optical elements. The focus lens 26 may be configured with two types of focus lens groups: a focus lens group closer to the zoom lens 23 and a focus lens group closer to the image sensor 16 of the imaging device 3.

[0037] The lens position detection sensor can be configured, for example, by a magnetic sensor, a photodiode array, a potentiometer, a reflective encoder, or the like.

[0038] The focus lens driving unit 45 can be configured with, for example, an ultrasonic motor, a DC motor, a linear actuator, a stepping motor, a piezoelectric element, or the like.

[0039] The lens control unit 22 controls the liquid crystal ND filter 27. Specifically, the lens control unit 22 determines the transmittance of the liquid crystal ND filter 27 in response to an instruction from the imaging device 3 supplied via a predetermined communication terminal of the mount unit 21 or a user operation received by the operation unit 29, and outputs the determined transmittance to the liquid crystal ND drive unit 46. The liquid crystal ND drive unit 46 determines a voltage value that will result in the specified transmittance, and supplies a drive voltage to the liquid crystal ND filter 27. The liquid crystal ND filter 27 uses liquid crystal elements to change the light transmittance in response to the drive voltage.

[0040] The lens control unit 22 controls the solenoid 33. The solenoid 33, which is a type of electromagnetic actuator, is a locking mechanism that magnetically attracts and holds the lens holder 60 (see FIGS. 3, 4, etc.) that holds the focus lens 26, as will be described in detail later. When the power is turned off, the solenoid 33 magnetically attracts the lens holder 60, thereby restricting unnecessary movement of the lens holder 60. The solenoid driver 47 energizes a coil 73 (see FIG. 4) provided in the solenoid 33. The energization reduces the magnetic force, thereby reducing or eliminating the attraction force of the solenoid 33. The lens control unit 22 controls the solenoid driver 47 to turn on / off the energization of the solenoid 33.

[0041] Sensor 34 comprehensively refers to various sensors provided in lens barrel 2, such as the zoom position detection sensor, camera shake detection sensor, aperture detection sensor, and lens position detection sensor described above. Values detected by sensor 34 are input to lens control unit 22 sequentially.

[0042] The lens barrel display unit 28 is a display unit arranged on the lens barrel and configured with a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The lens barrel display unit 28 displays predetermined numerical values, characters, or symbols, such as the focal length and depth of field at the current lens position.

[0043] The operation unit 29 corresponds to a zoom ring for manually setting the zoom magnification, a focus ring for manually setting the focus lens, etc., and accepts manual operations by the user and supplies an operation signal corresponding to the accepted operation to the lens control unit 22.

[0044] The memory unit 30 is a volatile storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is used as a storage area for various data during operation.

[0045] The recording unit 31 is a non-volatile storage medium, and stores various data such as predetermined control programs executed by the lens control unit 22 and adjustment parameters.

[0046] The power supply control unit 32 detects the amount of power supplied from the imaging device 3, and based on the detected amount of power, optimally allocates the amount of power to each part within the lens barrel 2 (the lens control unit 22 and various driving parts) and supplies power.

[0047] The imaging device 3 on the body side includes a mount section 51 to which the lens barrel 2 is detachably attached. The mount section 51 has a plurality of terminals (not shown) that are electrically connected to the mount section 21 of the lens barrel 2.

[0048] When the lens barrel 2 is attached to the mount section 51 of the imaging device 3, the terminals of the mount section 51 are electrically and physically connected to the corresponding terminals of the mount section 21 of the lens barrel 2. The connected terminals include, for example, a terminal for supplying power (power supply terminal), a terminal for transmitting commands and data (communication terminal), and a terminal for transmitting a synchronization signal (synchronization signal terminal).

[0049] The imaging device 3 further includes a power supply control unit 10, a power supply unit 11, a body control unit 12, a shutter 13, a shutter detection unit 14, a shutter drive unit 15, an imaging element 16, an image signal processing unit 17, a recording unit 18, a display unit 19, and an operation unit 52.

[0050] The body control unit 12 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or MPU, non-volatile memory, and peripheral circuits, and controls the entire camera system 1 by reading and executing a predetermined control program stored in the internal non-volatile memory.

[0051] For example, the body control unit 12 causes the image sensor 16 to capture an image based on an operation signal representing a predetermined user operation supplied from the operation unit 52. The body control unit 12 also sends a predetermined command to the lens barrel 2 via the mount unit 51 to drive the focus lens 26, zoom lens 23, etc.

[0052] Furthermore, for example, lens position information of the focus lens 26 and zoom position information of the zoom lens 23 are supplied from the lens barrel 2 to the body control unit 12 via the mount unit 51, and the body control unit 12 causes the image sensor 16 to capture images to be recorded in the recording unit 18 or images to be transmitted to an external device at the optimal timing based on this information. Image data obtained by the imaging element 16 is recorded on a recording medium 53 via a recording unit 18 or displayed on a display unit 19 under the control of the body control unit 12 .

[0053] Shutter 13 is disposed in front of image sensor 16 and opens and closes under the control of shutter driver 15. When shutter 13 is closed, it blocks light from the subject that has passed through the optical system of lens barrel 2. Shutter detector 14 detects the open / closed state of shutter 13 and supplies this information to body controller 12. Shutter driver 15 drives shutter 13 to an open or closed state under the control of body controller 12.

[0054] The image sensor 16 is configured by, for example, a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, and captures an image of a subject, generates and outputs image data.

[0055] If the imaging element 16 is configured as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor, an electronic shutter can be used, and therefore the shutter 13 can be omitted. When the shutter 13 is omitted, the shutter detection unit 14 and the shutter driving unit 15 used to control the shutter 13 are also omitted.

[0056] The image signal processing unit 17 performs predetermined image signal processing on the image supplied from the imaging element 16. For example, the image signal processing unit 17 converts the RAW image supplied from the imaging element 16 into image data in a predetermined file format, and causes the image processing unit 17 to record the image data on the recording medium 53 via the recording unit 18. The image signal processing unit 17 also performs demosaic processing on the RAW image, and further performs lossless or lossy compression to convert the image data into image data in a predetermined file format, and causes the image processing unit 17 to record the image data on the recording medium 53 via the recording unit 18. For example, the image signal processing unit 17 also converts the image data supplied from the imaging element 16 into an image signal in a predetermined display format, and supplies the image signal to the display unit 19 to display the captured image.

[0057] The recording unit 18 performs a process of recording data of an image captured by the imaging element 16 onto a recording medium 53 formed of, for example, a nonvolatile memory, and a process of reading image data from the recording medium 53. The recording medium 53 may be detachable.

[0058] The display unit 19 is configured with a panel-type display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL display, and displays images (moving or still images) supplied from the image signal processing unit 17. The display unit 19 is mounted on the rear surface opposite to the front surface where the mount unit 51 is disposed, and can display through images, images recorded on the recording medium 53, etc.

[0059] Power supply control unit 10 supplies power from power supply unit 11 to each unit of image capture device 3. Power supply control unit 10 also calculates the amount of power that can be supplied to lens barrel 2, taking into account the operating state of image capture device 3, and supplies power to lens barrel 2 via mount unit 51. Power supply unit 11 is configured with, for example, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like.

[0060] The operation unit 52 includes hardware keys such as a shutter button, mode dial, and zoom button, as well as software keys using a touch panel overlaid on the display unit 19, and receives predetermined operations performed by the user and supplies the operation signals to the body control unit 12. By operating the operation unit 52, the user can, for example, set the shooting mode or camera parameters.

[0061] In the above-described camera system 1, the lens barrel 2 is provided with a solenoid 33 as a locking mechanism for the lens holder 60 (see FIG. 4, etc.) that holds the focus lens 26. The following description focuses on the focus lens-related devices, namely, the focus lens 26, lens holder 60, focus lens driving unit 45, solenoid 33, and solenoid driver 47.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 2, the lens control unit 22 has an actuator management module 4, a focus actuator control module 5, a second actuator control module 6, a third actuator control module 7, etc. as control modules implemented by software programs.

[0063] The focus actuator control module 5 is a module that controls the operations of the focus lens driving unit 45 and the solenoid driver 47 in a predetermined sequence, and executes the necessary movement operation of the focus lens 26 (lens holder 60) in the optical axis direction.

[0064] For convenience of explanation, when focus actuator control module 5 is taken as the first actuator control module, second actuator control module 6, third actuator control module 7, etc. refer to modules that control drive units other than the drive unit related to lens holder 60. In the case of this embodiment, the drive units related to lens holder 60 are focus lens drive unit 45 and solenoid driver 47, and therefore second actuator control module 6, third actuator control module 7, etc. refer to control modules for drive units such as zoom lens drive unit 41, camera shake control unit 42, and aperture drive unit 44.

[0065] The actuator management module 4 is a module that issues instructions to each actuator control module (5, 6, 7, etc.) and manages each actuator in the lens barrel 2 so that it performs an appropriate operation at an appropriate timing. In this embodiment, various operations are performed by controlling the actuators assigned to each actuator control module (5, 6, 7, etc.) under the management of the actuator management module 4. The escape process and suction process, which will be described later, are controlled by the focus actuator control module 5. The execution timing of these control processes is also managed by the actuator management module 4.

[0066] <2. Locking mechanism> [2-1 Solenoid configuration, etc.] The specific configuration of the solenoid 33 will be described below (see FIGS. 3 to 9).

[0067] The solenoid 33 functions as a locking mechanism that locks the moving body that moves in the optical axis direction at a predetermined position. In the following, the lens holder 60 that holds the focus lens 26 will be described as an example of the moving body. However, the moving body applied in this technology is not limited to the lens holder 60 that holds the focus lens 26, but may be any other moving body that moves in the optical axis direction, such as a lens holder that holds a zoom lens 23, etc.

[0068] Inside lens barrel 2, focus lens driving section 45 and other driving sections (not shown) are arranged at positions on the outer periphery of the movement range of focus lens 26 (see FIG. 3). Focus lens driver 45 and other drivers are disposed, for example, on opposite sides of focus lens 26. Examples of other drivers include zoom lens driver 41 and camera shake driver 42. Also, inside lens barrel 2, solenoid 33, which functions as a locking mechanism, is disposed at a position on the outer periphery of the range of movement of focus lens 26.

[0069] The focus lens driving unit 45, other driving units, and solenoid 33 may be disposed at any position outside the moving range of the focus lens 26.

[0070] The focus lens 26 is held by a lens holder 60 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The lens holder 60 has an annular holding portion 61 that holds the focus lens 26, a connecting portion 62 that protrudes outward from the holding portion 61, supported portions 63, 63 that respectively protrude outward from the holding portion 61, and a supporting portion 64 that protrudes outward from the holding portion 61. The supported portions 63, 63 are positioned on opposite sides of the focus lens 26, and the connecting portion 62 and the supporting portion 64 are positioned, for example, between the supported portions 63, 63 in the circumferential direction.

[0071] The lens holder 60 has supported portions 63, 63 each supported by guide shafts 65, 65 extending in the optical axis direction of the focus lens 26. The focus lens driving unit 45 is connected to the connecting portion 62. Therefore, the lens holder 60 is guided by the guide shafts 65, 65 by the driving force of the focus lens driving unit 45 and moved in the optical axis direction of the focus lens 26. The focus lens 26 is moved integrally with the lens holder 60 in the optical axis direction.

[0072] A first fixing member 66 and a second fixing member 67 are arranged inside the lens barrel 2, and the first fixing member 66 and the second fixing member 67 are positioned apart in the optical axis direction with the support part 64 sandwiched between them. The first fixing member 66 and the second fixing member 67 are attached, for example, to the inner surface of the outer casing of the lens barrel 2 or to part of a structure arranged inside the lens barrel 2. However, the first fixing member 66 and the second fixing member 67 may also be formed integrally with the outer casing of the lens barrel 2.

[0073] A stopper 68 is attached to the surface of the first fixing member 66 facing the support portion 64. The stopper 68 may have elasticity (cushioning properties). A portion of the solenoid 33, excluding a part of it, is fixed to the surface of the second fixing member 67 facing the support portion 64.

[0074] The solenoid 33 is composed of an attraction force generating part 69 fixed to the second fixed member 67 and an attracted part 70 supported by the support part 64 of the lens holder 60 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The attraction force generating part 69 of the solenoid 33 is positioned on the object side (subject side) with respect to the focus lens 26.

[0075] The attraction force generating unit 69 has a yoke 71 fixed to the second fixing member 67 , a magnet 72 held by the yoke 71 , and coils 73 , 73 attached to the yoke 71 .

[0076] The yoke 71 has a fixed portion 74 fixed to the second fixing member 67 and attraction portions 75, 75 protruding in the same direction from the fixed portion 74. The magnet 72 is held in a state where it is embedded in the fixed portion 74. The coils 73, 73 are attached to the attraction portions 75, 75, respectively. The surface of the attraction portion 75 facing the attracted portion 70 is formed as a flat attraction surface 75a.

[0077] In the solenoid 33, when the coils 73, 73 are not energized, an attractive force is generated in the attractive force generating unit 69, making it possible to attract the attracted part 70. On the other hand, when the coils 73, 73 are energized in the solenoid 33, the attractive force generated in the attractive force generating unit 69 disappears, making it impossible to attract the attracted part 70. Note that the solenoid 33 may be configured so that the attractive force generated in the attractive force generating unit 69 is reduced by energizing the coils 73, 73.

[0078] In this way, in the solenoid 33, the state of generation of the attractive force in the attractive force generating unit 69 changes depending on the state of current flow to the coils 73, 73, and the attracted part 70 is attracted to the attractive force generating unit 69 side by the generated attractive force.

[0079] When the coils 73, 73 are not energized and an attractive force is generated in the attractive force generating unit 69, if the attracted portion 70 is located within a certain distance from the attracting portions 75, 75, the attracted portion 70 is attracted by the attractive force generated in the attractive force generating unit 69. Therefore, the focus lens 26 and the lens holder 60 are moved toward the attractive force generating unit 69 in the optical axis direction, the attracted portion 70 is attracted to the attracting portions 75, 75, and the two come into contact, and the lens holder 60 transitions to a locked state in which it cannot move (see FIG. 6).

[0080] On the other hand, when the coils 73, 73 are energized and the attractive force generated in the attractive force generating unit 69 is lost, the lens holder 60 is made movable in the optical axis direction regardless of the distance between the attracting units 75, 75 of the attracted unit 70. Furthermore, when the coils 73, 73 are energized when the lens holder 60 has transitioned to the locked state, the attractive state of the attractive force generating unit 69 to the attracted unit 70 is released, and the lens holder 60 transitions to an unlocked state in which it is movable.

[0081] A specific support structure of the support portion 64 of the adsorbed portion 70 will be described below. The attracted portion 70 is made of a magnetic metal material such as iron, and is supported in a displaceable state on the support portion 64 via a mounting shaft 76 and an elastic member 77 (see FIG. 7). The surface of the attracted portion 70 facing the attraction force generating portion 69 is formed as a flat attracted surface 70a.

[0082] An insertion hole 64a is formed in the support portion 64, and the mounting shaft 76 is inserted through the insertion hole 64a. The mounting shaft 76 is made up of a round shaft-shaped insertion portion 78, a restricted portion 79 that protrudes outward from one axial end of the insertion portion 78, and a connecting shaft portion 80 that protrudes in the axial direction from the other axial end face of the insertion portion 78.

[0083] The mounting shaft 76 has a connecting shaft portion 80 connected to the attracted portion 70, and is prevented from falling off the support portion 64 by a regulated portion 79. The diameter of the insertion portion 78 is smaller than the diameter of the insertion hole 64a. Therefore, the mounting shaft 76 is displaceable relative to the support portion 64 in a direction different from the axial direction (optical axis direction).

[0084] The elastic member 77 is, for example, a compression coil spring, and is supported between the support portion 64 and the attracted portion 70. Therefore, the attracted portion 70 is urged by the elastic member 77 in a direction approaching the attraction force generating portion 69 in the axial direction of the mounting shaft 76. In addition, the urging force of the elastic member 77 presses the regulated portion 79 of the mounting shaft 76 against the surface of the support portion 64 opposite to the side on which the attracted portion 70 is located.

[0085] The elastic member 77 is not limited to a compression coil spring, and other elastic members may be used as long as they have the function of applying a biasing force to the adsorbed portion 70 in the direction away from the support portion 64 in the axial direction of the mounting shaft 76, such as rubber or a leaf spring.

[0086] As described above, in the solenoid 33, the yoke 71 of the attraction force generating unit 69 is attached to the second fixed member 67, but depending on the attachment accuracy of the yoke 71 to the second fixed member 67 and the tolerances of each part, the yoke 71 may be attached in an inclined state with respect to the second fixed member 67 (see FIG. 8). Note that in FIG. 8, the inclination angle of the yoke 71 with respect to the second fixed member 67 is exaggerated for ease of understanding (the same applies to the following figures).

[0087] In this case, when the coils 73, 73 are not energized and an attractive force is generated in the attractive force generating unit 69, if the attracted portion 70 is present within a certain distance from the attracting portions 75, 75, the attracted portion 70 is attracted by the attractive force generated in the attractive force generating unit 69, and the mounting shaft 76 and the attracted portion 70 are displaced (inclined) relative to the support portion 64 (see FIG. 9 ). In other words, since the attracted portion 70 is attracted so as to be attracted to both the attracting portions 75, 75, the mounting shaft 76 and the attracted portion 70 are displaced relative to the support portion 64 in accordance with the inclination angle of the yoke 71 relative to the second fixed member 67.

[0088] Therefore, the adsorbed portion 70 is adsorbed with the adsorbed surface 70a in surface contact with the adsorbing surfaces 75a, 75a of the adsorbing portions 75, 75, respectively, and when the adsorbed portion 70 is adsorbed to the adsorbing force generating portion 69, the contact area of the adsorbed portion 70 with the adsorbing force generating portion 69 can be increased, thereby ensuring a stable locking state of the solenoid 33 with respect to the lens holder 60.

[0089] Furthermore, an elastic member 77 is provided between the lens holder 60 and the adsorbed portion 70 to urge the adsorbed portion 70 in a direction approaching the adhesive force generating portion 69, so that the adsorbed portion 70 supported by the lens holder 60 is urged in a direction approaching the adhesive force generating portion 69, and the adsorbed portion 70 is always held in a constant position relative to the support portion 64, and the adsorbed portion 70 displaced relative to the lens holder 60 by the adhesive force generating portion 69 can be reliably adsorbed.

[0090] [2-2 Modifications regarding the support structure of the adsorbed part] Next, a modified example of the support structure for the adsorbed portion 70 will be described (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0091] As described above, the adsorbed portion 70 is supported in a displaceable state on the support portion 64 via the mounting shaft 76, but it is also possible to form the support portion 64 and the mounting shaft 76 into the following shapes as the support portion 64A and the mounting shaft 76A, respectively (see Figure 10).

[0092] The support portion 64A has a concave surface 81 formed on the opening edge of the insertion hole 64a on the side opposite to the side of the attracted portion 70. The concave surface 81 is formed on the entire opening edge of the insertion hole 64a and is formed in an annular shape extending in the circumferential direction.

[0093] The mounting shaft 76A is composed of an insertion portion 78, a regulated portion 79A, and a connecting shaft portion 80, and a convex surface 82 is formed on the regulated portion 79A of the mounting shaft 76A. The convex surface 82 is formed at a position continuous with the insertion portion 78, is formed in an annular shape extending in the circumferential direction, and has a curvature that is the same as or larger than the curvature of the concave surface 81. The convex surface 82 is convex toward the concave surface 81 so as to face the concave surface 81 when the mounting shaft 76A is inserted into the insertion hole 64a of the support portion 64A.

[0094] When the insertion portion 78 of the mounting shaft 76A is inserted into the insertion hole 64a, the convex surface 82 is pressed against the concave surface 81 by the biasing force of the elastic member 77, and the convex surface 82 is made slidable on the concave surface 81.

[0095] In the above configuration, when the yoke 71 is attached in an inclined state relative to the second fixing member 67, and the attracted portion 70 is attracted by the attracting force generated in the attracting force generating portion 69, the mounting shaft 76A and the attracted portion 70 are displaced (inclined) relative to the support portion 64A (see FIG. 11). At this time, the convex surface 82 of the mounting shaft 76A slides over the concave surface 81, causing the attracted portion 70 to be displaced relative to the support portion 64A. The attracted surface 70a of the attracted portion 70 is in surface contact with the attracting surfaces 75a, 75a of the attracting portions 75, 75, respectively, and the lens holder 60 transitions to the locked state.

[0096] As described above, a curved concave surface 81 is formed on the lens holder 60 and a curved convex surface 82 is formed on the mounting shaft 76A, so that when the adsorbed portion 70 is displaced relative to the lens holder 60, the curved convex surface 82 slides against the curved concave surface 81, thereby facilitating the displacement of the adsorbed portion 70 relative to the lens holder 60.

[0097] Furthermore, by forming a curved concave surface 81 on the lens holder 60 and a curved convex surface 82 on the mounting shaft 76A, a part of the support part 64A and a part of the mounting shaft 76A are always in contact with each other when the attracted part 70 is displaced. Therefore, no rattle occurs between the mounting shaft 76A and the support part 64A when the attracted part 70 is displaced, and the displacement of the attracted part 70 relative to the lens holder 60 can be made even smoother.

[0098] While the above describes an example in which the curved concave surface 81 is formed on the lens holder 60 and the curved convex surface 82 is formed on the mounting shaft 76A, a configuration in which a flat inclined surface inclined with respect to the axial direction of the insertion hole 64a is formed instead of the concave surface 81, and the convex surface 82 slides on this inclined surface may also be adopted. Also, a curved convex surface may be formed instead of the concave surface 81, and a flat inclined surface inclined with respect to the axial direction of the mounting shaft 76A may be formed instead of the convex surface 82, and the inclined surface formed on the mounting shaft 76A may be formed to slide on the convex surface formed on the lens holder 60.

[0099] [2-3 Examples of focus lens driver placement] Next, examples of the arrangement position of the solenoid 33 will be described (see FIGS. 4, 12, and 13).

[0100] The lens barrel 2 can be configured such that the solenoid 33 is positioned on the object side (subject side) in the optical axis direction with the focus lens 26 as a reference (see FIG. 4). In such a configuration, the lens holder 60 can be locked by the solenoid 33 at the object side end of its movement.

[0101] Furthermore, when the lens holder 60 is moved toward the image side and the support portion 64 of the lens holder 60 comes into contact with the stopper 68 attached to the first fixed member 66, the movement of the lens holder 60 is stopped by the stopper 68, and the lens holder 60 is held at the moving end on the image side, thereby restricting excessive movement toward the image side.

[0102] Generally, the diameter of the object-side end of the lens barrel 2 is larger than the diameter of the image-side end, so when the lens barrel 2 is placed on a desk or the like, it is often placed with the object side positioned lower than the image side to ensure a stable placement. Also, when the lens barrel 2 is suspended by a hanging belt or strap, the user often handles it with the object side positioned lower than the image side.

[0103] Therefore, by configuring the solenoid 33 to be positioned on the object side and allowing the lens holder 60 to be locked at the moving end on the object side by the solenoid 33, the lens holder 60 moves toward the object side due to its own weight and is locked by the solenoid 33 more frequently, which makes it possible to efficiently prevent the generation of abnormal noises and vibrations that are transmitted when the lens barrel 2 is gripped and cause an uncomfortable feeling.

[0104] However, although the above example shows a configuration in which the solenoid 33 is positioned on the object side, the lens barrel 2 can also be configured so that the solenoid 33 is positioned on the image side.

[0105] Furthermore, the lens barrel 2 can be configured so that the solenoid 33 is positioned on both the object side and the image side in the optical axis direction with the focus lens 26 as a reference (see FIG. 12). In such a configuration, the lens holder 60 can be locked by the solenoid 33 at both the object side and image side movement ends.

[0106] The solenoid 33 is positioned on the object side and the image side, and the lens holder 60 can be locked by the solenoid 33 at both the object side moving end and the image side moving end. This means that the lens holder 60 is locked at each moving end regardless of whether it moves in either direction along the optical axis, making it possible to more efficiently prevent the generation of abnormal noises or vibrations that cause discomfort.

[0107] Furthermore, the lens barrel 2 can be configured so that the solenoid 33 is positioned on the opposite side of the optical axis S (see FIG. 13). In such a configuration, the lens holder 60 can be locked at the object-side movement end by the two solenoids 33. When two solenoids 33 are provided, the lens holder 60 is provided with two support portions 64 that support the attached portions 70, respectively.

[0108] The solenoids 33, 33 are positioned on opposite sides of the optical axis S, and the lens holder 60 can be locked at the moving end on the object side by the two solenoids 33, 33, so that the lens holder 60 is locked on the opposite side of the optical axis S, thereby ensuring a stable locking state for the lens holder 60 by the solenoids 33, 33.

[0109] Although the above example shows a configuration in which the solenoids 33, 33 are positioned on opposite sides of the optical axis S on the object side, the lens barrel 2 can also be configured so that the solenoids 33, 33 are positioned on opposite sides of the optical axis S on the image side. Also, the lens barrel 2 can also be configured so that the solenoids 33, 33 are positioned on opposite sides of the optical axis S on the image side, and so that the solenoids 33, 33 are also positioned on opposite sides of the optical axis S on the image side.

[0110] Furthermore, although the above shows an example in which one or two solenoids 33 are arranged on the object side or the image side, the number of solenoids 33 is arbitrary, and three or more solenoids 33 may be arranged on the object side or the image side.

[0111] <3. Escape and adsorption operations> The attraction and release of the lens holder 60 by the solenoid 33 will now be described. 14 shows the relationship between the voltage applied to the solenoid 33 and the attractive force. By passing a current through the coil 73, a magnetic force is generated in the yoke 71 in the opposite direction to the magnetic force of the magnet 72, and the attractive force of the solenoid 33 caused by the magnet 72 can be reduced or eliminated. Here, the attractive force changes as shown in Figure 14 depending on the voltage applied when current flows to the coil 73. In other words, it can be seen that the attractive force of the solenoid 33 can be reduced or eliminated by applying a voltage. For example, when performing the escape described below, the application of voltage V3 causes the attractive force to disappear, making it easier to escape from a state in which movement is restricted by adhesion.

[0112] 15 to 20 show various operating states in the configuration of FIG. 4 described above. In each drawing, the focus actuator is marked "ON" or "OFF", which indicates whether or not the VCM or the like serving as the focus lens driving unit 45 is being driven. Furthermore, "ON" and "OFF" for the solenoid 33 indicate whether or not current is being applied to the coil 73. "OFF" indicates that no current is being applied, and an attractive force is being generated by the magnetic force caused by the magnet 72. "ON" indicates that current is being applied, and the attractive force is reduced or eliminated.

[0113] Figure 15 shows the initial state. In this case, the attracted portion 70 attached to the lens holder 60 is attracted to the yoke 71 of the solenoid 33 attached to the second fixed member 67 by magnetic force, thereby holding the lens holder 60 in a restricted movement state.

[0114] When an instruction to move the focus lens is given, the focus lens driving unit 45 operates to start moving the lens holder 60 . However, since it is inefficient for the thrust force of the focus lens driver 45 alone to exceed the attractive force, the solenoid 33 is energized at the same time as the focus lens driver 45 starts moving, thereby reducing or eliminating the attractive force. Figure 16 shows the state after the lens has been released from the contact state due to attraction.

[0115] The greater the distance L between the attracted part 70 and the yoke 71, the more rapidly the attracting force decreases. The distance at which the suction force becomes negligible compared to the thrust force of the focus lens driving unit 45 is defined as "L0". 17 shows a state in which the distance L between the attracted part 70 and the yoke 71 is longer than the distance L0. At this point, even if the power supply to the coil 73 is stopped and an attractive force is generated, the movement of the lens holder 60 is not affected. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 17, drive control similar to that of a normal focus lens mechanism without a locking mechanism is possible. Note that the position of the focus lens 26 (lens holder 60) is constantly monitored by the lens control unit 22 using a lens position sensor, so the lens control unit 22 can determine that the distance L has reached L>L0.

[0116] Fig. 18 shows a state where, when the focus lens 26 is being normally driven during the imaging operation, due to strong external disturbances or the like, the position of the lens holder 60 has unintentionally moved to a position where L < L0. Since the coil 73 is not energized during normal times, the lens holder 60 is in a state of being affected by the attracting force. In this state, it is appropriate to immediately energize the coil 73 to substantially eliminate the attracting force and drive the moving lens group using the focus lens driving unit 45 so that the distance L becomes L > L0.

[0117] Fig. 19 shows the end of the driving of the focus lens 26, for example, due to the power-off of the camera system 1. When starting the end process, the lens holder 60 exists at a position where the distance L is L > L0. Also at that time, the focus lens driving unit 45 is energized and the energization to the coil 73 is stopped.

[0118] In this case, move the position of the lens holder 60 in the direction where the distance L = 0 using the focus lens driving unit 45. At that time, when the distance L reaches L0, start the energization to the coil 73. When the distance L becomes approximately 0, stop the energization to the focus lens driving unit 45 and the coil 73. Since the yoke 71 of the solenoid 33 and the attracted portion 70 come into contact and adsorb, the lens holder 60 is in a state of being held with respect to the second fixing member 67.

[0119] Fig. 20 shows a case where, during the driving of the focus lens 26, the power supply is interrupted unintentionally, for example, due to battery removal or removal of the lens barrel 2. The energization to the focus lens driving unit 45 and the coil 73 is stopped. The distance L between the attracted portion 70 and the yoke 71 becomes unknown, but the lens holder 60 can move back and forth due to its own weight. When the lens holder 60 moves due to its own weight, the distance L = 0, and the yoke 71 of the solenoid 33 and the attracted portion 70 come into contact and attract each other, so the lens holder 60 is held with respect to the second fixing member 67. That is, even in the case of an abrupt power cut, once it moves to the moving end due to its own weight, it enters a movement-restricted state.

[0120] Figure 21 shows an example of transitioning through the above various states. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the distance L. L = 0 indicates a state where the yoke 71 and the attracted portion 70 are in contact and attracting each other. That is, it is a state where the lens holder 60 is at one moving end. "L0" is the limit distance up to which the attracting force reaches as described above. "L3" indicates the distance to the other mechanical moving end. The moving range for focus control (focus control range) is set as the range from "L1" to "L2". In the above vertical and horizontal axes, the solid line indicates the trajectory of the lens movement.

[0121] Also, below the figure, the operating state, the energization state of the focus actuator (focus lens driving unit 45), and the energization state of the solenoid 33 are shown together. "ON" indicates energization, and "OFF" indicates non-energization.

[0122] The time point t0 is the initial state. To perform an escape operation from this initial state, the movement of the lens holder 60 is started by the focus lens driving unit 45, and the solenoid 33 is energized. When the distance L = L0 is reached at the time point t1, the energization of the solenoid 33 is terminated. When the distance exceeds L1, it enters the focus control range. For example, at the time point t2, the escape operation ends, and thereafter, it enters a driving state by normal focus control.

[0123] Assume that between the time points t3 and t4, the distance L < L0 due to an external disturbance. At this time, while energizing the solenoid 33, the lens holder 60 is returned within the focus control range by driving the focus lens driving unit 45.

[0124] At time t5, the shutdown operation such as power off is started. After time t5, the focus lens driving unit 45 moves the lens holder 60 in a direction approaching the solenoid 33. This initiates the suction preparation process, which will be described later. At time t6, the solenoid 33 starts to be energized, and the adsorption process described later is carried out. After the movement is restricted by suction, at time t7, the focus lens driver 45 and the solenoid 33 are de-energized, so that the movement is maintained restricted by suction even after the power is turned off.

[0125] <4. Escape from movement restrictions> The process of escaping from the movement restriction state by the solenoid 33 will be described in detail below. There are two main opportunities to escape from a restricted movement state: When the lens is started (hereinafter referred to as "startup") When recovering from unnecessary suction caused by external impact during imaging operation (hereinafter referred to as recovery). Note that the period during which imaging is performed does not only refer to the period of one frame recorded as a still image, but also includes the period during which a through image is displayed on the display unit 19 for still image recording, and the period during which a moving image is being captured and recorded. In other words, it refers to at least the period during which image capturing is performed as photoelectric conversion in the imaging element 16. Furthermore, it can also be considered a period when an operating mode in which still image recording and moving image recording are possible is in place, even if a through image is not being displayed.

[0126] The state transitions during the exit process at startup and recovery are shown in Fig. 22. These are the process transitions performed by the focus actuator control module (hereinafter abbreviated as "control module 5") in response to an exit instruction from the actuator management module 4 in Fig. 2.

[0127] When an escape command is received, the control module 5 performs the initial process (ST0). In the initial processing, processing such as sequence acquisition, initialization of internal variables, and determination of whether or not the adsorption state is occurring are performed. If there is no adhesion, there is no need for escape operation, so the state transitions to the completed state (ST2). For example, this may occur if, for some reason, the robot was already out of the movement restriction state at startup. By determining whether or not there is adhesion and deciding whether or not escape processing is necessary, unnecessary escape operations can be avoided.

[0128] Normally, the process transitions from the initial process (ST0) to the exit process (ST1). At startup, when the escape is completed in the escape process (ST1), the state transitions to a completion state (ST2), and thereafter the drive state is set to normal focus control.

[0129] During return, once the escape process (ST1) has completed, the system transitions to return drive (ST4). This return drive (ST4) is an operation that drives the focus lens to the position (return position) immediately before the movement was restricted due to disturbances, etc. Once the return position is reached, the system enters a completion state (ST2), and thereafter the system enters a drive state under normal focus control.

[0130] At startup or recovery, even if the exit process (ST1) is performed, it may fail to exit. In such a case, the system transitions to a retry state (ST3) and waits for a certain period of time. When the retry wait is completed, the exit process (ST1) is executed again.

[0131] During execution of the escape process (ST1), the escape operation may be interrupted and the state may transition to the completed state (ST2) if a power limit instruction is issued during the escape operation. The lens control unit 22 may be instructed to limit power consumption through communication from the body control unit 12. As will be described later, if there is a power limit instruction at startup or recovery, the timing of the escape instruction is adjusted in the first place, but if a power limit instruction occurs after the escape operation has started, the escape operation may be interrupted and ended.

[0132] A specific example of processing by the lens control unit 22 (control module 5) assuming the transition shown in FIG. 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 to 27. FIG.

[0133] 23, the control module 5 checks whether an escape command has been issued from the actuator management module 4. If an escape command has been issued, the control module 5 proceeds to step S101 and subsequent steps.

[0134] In step S101, the control module 5 performs initial processing, such as acquiring a sequence and initializing internal variables. In step S102, the control module 5 checks whether the lens holder 60 is currently in an adsorption state, i.e., whether the lens holder 60 is currently in a movement restricted state.

[0135] If the current state is not the adsorption state, the control module 5 sets the variable "state" indicating the state to "state=completed" in step S104. If the current state is the adsorption state, the control module 5 sets the state to "escape" in step S103.

[0136] In step S105, the control module 5 checks whether or not the state is "completed." If the state is "completed," the escape process is completed in step S111, and the series of escape operation controls is completed. For example, even if an escape command is issued at startup or recovery, if it is determined that the robot is not in an adsorption state, the state is set to "completed" in step S104, and the process proceeds from step S105 to step S111, where termination processing is performed to complete the operation. As the termination processing, the control module 5 notifies the actuator management module 4 of completion, and also initializes flags and variables, etc.

[0137] If the state is not "completed" in step S105, the control module 5 proceeds to step S106 to perform an exit process. The exit process in step S106 includes an exit process at startup, an exit process including a return drive at the time of return, and an exit process as a retry.

[0138] The exit process in step S106 is repeated through the processes in steps S107 and onwards until state = completion is reached in step S105. In the case of an exit instruction at startup, the process returns from step S107 to step S105, and the process of step S106 is repeated until state=completed.

[0139] In the case of an escape instruction upon return, the control module 5 proceeds from step S107 to step S108, and determines whether or not a power limit instruction has been issued by communication from the body control unit 12 at that time. If a power limit has not been instructed, the control module 5 returns from step S109 to step S105, and if state=completed is not set, the control module 5 repeats the process of step S106. If power limitation is instructed, the control module 5 sets the state to complete in step S110. Therefore, the process proceeds from step S105 to step S111, where the series of escape operation control is ended. This is the case where the escape process is interrupted and ended due to the occurrence of a power limit instruction during the escape process.

[0140] This type of interruption and termination occurs only when the program is being resumed. In the startup exit process, the processes of steps S108, S109, and S110 are not performed, and therefore, even if a power limit determination is made during the exit process, the process is not interrupted.

[0141] The exit process in step S106 is shown in FIG. First, the control module 5 branches the process depending on the current state in step S140. If state=exit in step S103 in Fig. 23, the process proceeds to step S141 and subsequent steps in Fig. 24.

[0142] In step S141, the control module 5 sets a target escape position. For example, the position is set to a position between distance L1 and distance L2 in Fig. 21. Alternatively, the target escape position may be set to a position that is distance L0 or more away from the solenoid 33. That is, the target escape position should be a position that is at least beyond the range of the attractive force of the solenoid 33 .

[0143] In step S142, the process branches depending on the count value of the escape attempt time TE, which indicates the execution time of the escape action. The escape execution time TE is initialized in the initial process (step S101 in FIG. 23), and initially TE=0. In this case, the control module 5 acquires the escape start position in step S143, that is, the position of the lens holder 60 at the time when the escape starts.

[0144] Then, the control module 5 increments the escape execution time TE in step S144, unlocks the locking mechanism in step S145, i.e., energizes the solenoid 33, and controls the drive of the focus actuator in step S146. As a result, in a state in which the suction force is reduced or eliminated, the focus lens drive unit 45 drives the lens holder 60, and the lens holder 60 starts moving in the escape direction.

[0145] Thereafter, in the process of FIG. 24, the process from step S141 onwards is carried out as long as the state=escape continues. From the second time onwards, since the escape target position has already been set in step S141, the process proceeds to step S142, where the process branches depending on the count value of the escape execution time TE.

[0146] In this example, the focus lens is driven continuously for a certain period of time to perform the escape, for example, until the escape execution time TE=3 is reached. Note that continuing until the escape execution time TE reaches 3 is just an example for the purpose of explanation. In reality, the drive duration should be set depending on the distance to the escape target position, the drive amount for one timing of the focus lens drive unit 45, etc. Alternatively, the drive may be continued while monitoring the detection value of the focus lens position sensor. However, by controlling the duration of the escape operation using the escape execution time, it is possible to limit the energization of the solenoid 33 to a certain period of time.

[0147] 24, when the escape execution time TE= is "1" or "2", the control module 5 increments the escape execution time TE in step S144, energizes the solenoid 33 in step S145, and continues to control the drive of the focus actuator in step S146. In other words, the drive in the escape direction by the focus lens drive unit 45 continues with the suction force reduced or eliminated.

[0148] When the escape execution time TE reaches 3, the control module 5 advances the process from step S142 to step S150, and makes an escape determination. An example of the escape determination process is shown in FIG. In step S180, the control module 5 stops the power supply to the lock device, that is, the solenoid 33. In step S181, the control module 5 calculates the relative drive amount, that is, the difference between the current position of the lens holder 60 and the escape start position acquired in step S143.

[0149] The escape determination is based solely on the actual drive amount. However, the actual drive amount has an error of several μm. Therefore, in step S182, the control module 5 checks whether the relative drive amount is greater than (target drive amount−10 μm). The target drive amount is the difference between the escape target position set in step S141 and the escape start position acquired in step S143. That is, the control module 5 checks whether or not a drive amount greater than (target drive amount - 10 μm) has actually been obtained by driving the focus lens drive unit 45 in the escape direction, and if so, the escape is completed, and the escape success flag is set to 1 in step S183. On the other hand, if the drive amount is less than (target drive amount - 10 μm), it is determined that escape has not been successful, and the escape success flag is set to 0 in step S184.

[0150] After making the escape determination as shown in FIG. 25, the control module 5 proceeds to step S151 in FIG. 24, where the process branches depending on the value of the escape success flag. If the escape success flag is 0 and it is determined that the escape is unsuccessful, the state is set to retry in step S171, and the movement of the lens holder 60 by the focus lens driving unit 45 is stopped in step S172.

[0151] If the escape success flag is 1 and it is determined that the escape is successful, the control module 5 proceeds to step S152, where the process branches depending on whether the current escape is an escape at startup or an escape at return. If it is startup, the state is set to "completed" in step S153, and the movement of the lens holder 60 by the focus lens driving unit 45 is stopped in step S154. If it is a return time, the state is set to return drive in step S160.

[0152] In either case, the escape execution time TE is reset to 0 in step S155.

[0153] In the case of an escape at startup, when the state is set to "completed" in step S153, the process proceeds to steps S107, S105, and S111 in the subsequent processing of Fig. 23, and the escape operation is completed. In step S111, as an end processing, the control module 5 notifies the actuator management module 4 of completion, and also initializes flags and variables, etc.

[0154] On the other hand, in the case of escape during return, the state is not yet "completed" in the subsequent processing of Fig. 23, so the process proceeds to step S106 and the process of Fig. 24 is performed. However, in this case, the state is "return drive", so the process proceeds to the return drive processing of Fig. 26 as shown as "c1" in the figure.

[0155] In step S131, the control module 5 determines whether or not the return is complete. In this case, the control module 5 compares the position of the lens holder 60 immediately before the unnecessary suction occurred with the current position to determine whether or not the current position has reached the position before the unnecessary suction occurred.

[0156] If the recovery is not complete, the control module 5 proceeds to step S132 to check whether the device is operating normally. In this case, "not operating normally" refers to a case where a driving error has occurred. If the focus lens is being driven normally, the control module 5 continues driving by the focus lens driving unit 45 in step S135. Then, as shown by "c3", the process returns to FIG. 24 and proceeds from step S106 to step S107 in FIG.

[0157] Then, the process returns to step S106, and the process proceeds to step S131 in Fig. 26. Therefore, after the control module 5 starts the return drive process, the control module 5 continues driving by the focus lens drive unit 45 while successively determining whether return has been completed.

[0158] If it is determined in step S131 that the return is complete at a certain point in time, the control module 5 sets state=complete in step S133, and stops the movement of the lens holder 60 by the focus lens driving unit 45 in step S134. 23, the process proceeds from step S105 to step S111, where the termination process is performed to complete the escape operation upon return. In this case, the focus lens is returned to the position immediately before the unwanted suction due to disturbance or the like occurred.

[0159] If a drive error occurs during the return drive, the control module 5 proceeds from step S132 to step S136 in FIG. 26, sets state=completed, stops the movement of the lens holder 60 by the focus lens drive unit 45 in step S137, and sets the escape success flag=0 (unsuccessful). However, in this case, since the state is "completed," the process proceeds from step S105 to step S111 in FIG. 23, and the escape operation is completed. In this way, when the escape operation is completed without successful escape, an escape instruction is issued again from the actuator management module 4, and the processing of FIG. 23 is resumed.

[0160] After the state is set to "retry" in step S171 in FIG. 24 described above, the process in FIG. 24 performed in step S106 proceeds from step S140 to step S190 in FIG. 27 as indicated by "c2".

[0161] In step S190, the control module 5 determines whether the number of retries is equal to or less than the upper limit value X. If it is equal to or less than the upper limit value X, the control module 5 judges the retry wait time TW in steps S191 and S192.

[0162] Since the retry wait time TW is initially 0, the control module 5 proceeds to step S193 and increments the retry wait time TW. Then, in step S199, the control module 5 stops the lens holder 60 at the position at that time, or maintains that stationary state, and returns to Fig. 24 as shown by "c3", and proceeds from step S106 to step S107 in Fig. 23.

[0163] Then, in the process of step S106, the process proceeds to step S191 in FIG. 27 again. Since the retry wait time TW is not 0, the process proceeds to step S192, where it is determined whether the retry wait time TW has reached the time-up time Tup. If the retry wait time TW has not reached the time-up time Tup, the control module 5 increments the retry wait time TW in step S194, and continues driving by the focus lens driving unit 45 in step S199.

[0164] When the retry wait time TW reaches the time-out time Tup at a certain point, the control module 5 proceeds from step S192 to step S195, resets the retry wait time TW, and sets state=exit in step S196. Then, the control module 5 returns to Fig. 24 as shown by "c3" in step S199, while maintaining the state in which the movement of the lens holder 60 by the focus lens driving unit 45 is stopped, and performs the processing in Fig. 23.

[0165] As a result of the state being set to "escape," the escape process shown in steps S141 to S155 in Fig. 24 is carried out in the next step S106. That is, the escape operation is carried out as a retry. In this way, if the escape action does not result in a successful escape and the state becomes "retry", the process in FIG. 27 waits for a certain period of time, and then the escape action is performed again using the same escape process. Before the escape operation is performed as a retry, the retry wait time TW is counted to wait for a certain period of time, thereby preventing the solenoid 33 from being energized for a long period of time. This prevents the solenoid 33 from generating heat.

[0166] 27, if it is determined that the number of retries exceeds the upper limit X, the control module 5 sets the abnormal end flag to 1 in step S197, determining that the sequence has ended abnormally, and then sets the state to sequence end in step S198. In this case, the lens control unit 22 notifies the body control unit 12 of an abnormal end.

[0167] The setting of the upper limit X of the number of retries should be determined by design, but it is also possible to change the control depending on the number of retries. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, since the attracting force changes depending on the voltage applied to the solenoid 33, it is possible to change the applied voltage and weaken the attracting force each time a retry is performed.

[0168] As an example, in an escape process that is not a normal retry, the applied voltage is set to voltage V0 in FIG. 14, and in the retry process, the applied voltage is set to voltage V3. Alternatively, the first retry may be at voltage V1, the second retry at voltage V2, and the third retry at voltage V3. By doing so, it is possible to reduce power consumption as much as possible.

[0169] It is also possible to change the voltage applied to the solenoid 33 in this way, and then use the voltage at which release is complete. For example, if the voltage applied to the solenoid 33 is inappropriate and the magnetic force cannot be neutralized, resulting in a failed escape, the voltage can be changed in a retry, which may result in a successful escape. In this case, the changed voltage is stored, and the stored voltage is applied in subsequent escape processes. Furthermore, the voltage may be changed in accordance with the change in the distance L between the attracted part 70 and the yoke 71 during the release operation.

[0170] Here, an example of the above-mentioned unnecessary attraction will be mentioned, in which the lens holder 60 is attracted to the solenoid 33 during an image capturing operation, resulting in a movement restriction state. During focus control, the distance L between the yoke 71 of the solenoid 33 and the iron attracted part 70 of the lens holder 60 is sufficient, so adhesion will not occur during normal use, but unwanted adhesion may occur when an intentional or unintentional impact is applied in the optical axis direction.

[0171] Examples of cases where unwanted adhesion is unlikely to occur include the following: When a shock is applied perpendicular to the optical axis When the lens holder 60 is far from the solenoid 33 (for example, when the object distance is far in a configuration in which the locking mechanism is located on the object side) For panning and tilting - If the photographer is pushed from behind while photographing a subject

[0172] These are less likely to cause unwanted adsorption. On the other hand, the following are examples of cases where unwanted adhesion is likely to occur:

[0173] When the photographer jumps while shooting downwards When the camera is intentionally tilted in the direction of the optical axis When the camera is attached to a shooting grip and shaken When shooting while riding in a vehicle with extremely high acceleration (such as an airplane racing or performing acrobatic flying)

[0174] In such cases, there is a possibility of unwanted adhesion, but these cases can be intentional, a major accident, or something that can be predicted. There are also cases where focus control is not possible in the first place, such as when the acceleration is extremely high. For the above reasons, in normal use cases of photography, it is unlikely that unwanted attraction will occur due to the solenoid 33. Even if unwanted attraction does occur, it can be dealt with by the escape process described above.

[0175] In order to prevent unnecessary attraction, it is advisable to perform a process in which, for example, when the distance L between the yoke 71 and the attracted portion 70 becomes equal to or less than L0 during normal imaging operation, electricity is applied to the solenoid 33, as shown as the operation between time points t3 and t4 in Figure 21.

[0176] <5. Timing of escape processing according to power limitations> When a power limit instruction is received through communication from the body control unit 12, the actuator management module 4 changes the timing of the escape process from normal times when no power limit instruction is received. This process will be described below.

[0177] The operating power of the lens barrel 2 is supplied from the power supply unit 11 of the imaging device 3, but for example, when the remaining battery charge is low or when power consumption on the body side is high, the body control unit 12 may send a power limit instruction to the lens barrel 2. For example, it may send a request to perform processing at a power lower than a certain wattage.

[0178] 28 to 32 show examples of sequence control by the actuator management module 4 depending on whether or not such a power limit instruction is issued. In these figures, the vertical axis is the time axis, and the operations and communications of the body control unit 12, actuator management module 4, control module 5, second actuator control module 6 (hereinafter referred to as second control module 6), and third actuator control module 7 (hereinafter referred to as third control module 7) are shown. Although three control modules (5, 6, 7) are shown as an example, the number of control modules that require initialization may be four or more, or may be two or less. For the purpose of explanation, the second control module 6 and the third control module 7 are shown as examples positioned as control modules for actuators other than the focus actuator control module 5.

[0179] 28 shows the case where each actuator operates at startup, and shows an opportunity for the control module 5 to perform initialization related to escape processing and focus control. This is the case where there is no particular power limit instruction.

[0180] At startup, such as when the user turns on the power of the imaging device 3, the body control unit 12 transmits an initialization command CM0 to the lens control unit 22. In response to this, the actuator management module 4 in the lens control unit 22 first issues an escape command CM1 to the control module 5. In response to this, the control module 5 performs the exit process P1, which is the process previously described with reference to Figures 23 to 27.

[0181] In parallel, the actuator management module 4 issues an initialization instruction CM2 to the second actuator, an initialization instruction CM3 to the third actuator, and so on. In response to this, the second control module 6 performs an initialization process P2, and the third control module 7 performs an initialization process P3.

[0182] When each control module completes the instructed processing, it returns a completion notification to the actuator management module 4. The control module 5 issues a completion notification R1 in response to the completion of the exit process P1. The second control module 6 issues a completion notification R2 in response to the completion of the initialization process P2. The third control module 7 issues a completion notification R3 upon completion of the initialization process P3.

[0183] The actuator management module 4 issues an initialization command CM4 to the control module 5 after receiving at least the completion notification R1 of the exit process P1. In response to this, the control module 5 performs the initialization process P4, and then issues a completion notification R4 upon completion of the initialization process P4.

[0184] When the initialization of each actuator is complete, the lens control unit 22 (actuator management module 4) transmits to the body control unit 12 a completion notification R0 in response to the initialization command CM0. The above is a series of processes performed by the lens control unit 22 when an initialization instruction is issued. In this case, the exit process P1 is performed simultaneously with the initialization processes P2, P3, etc.

[0185] On the other hand, FIG. 29 shows a case where a power limit instruction is issued when an initialization instruction CM0 is issued from the body control unit 12. In this case, the exit process P1 and the initialization process for the other actuators are not performed at the same time.

[0186] In response to an initialization command CM0 from the body control unit 12, the actuator management module 4 issues an exit command CM1 to the control module 5. In response to this, the control module 5 performs an exit process P1, and issues a completion notification R1 upon completion. The actuator management module 4 then issues an initialization command CM4 to the control module 5. In response to this, the control module 5 performs initialization processing P4, and issues a completion notification R4 upon completion.

[0187] Thereafter, the actuator management module 4 issues an initialization command CM2 to the second control module 6. In response to this, the second control module 6 performs an initialization process P2, and issues a completion notification R2 upon completion. In parallel, the actuator management module 4 issues an initialization command CM3 to the third control module 7. In response to this, the third control module 7 performs initialization processing P3, and issues a completion notification R3 upon completion.

[0188] When the initialization process for each actuator is complete, the lens control unit 22 (actuator management module 4) transmits to the body control unit 12 a completion notification R0 in response to the initialization command CM0.

[0189] In other words, in this case, initialization instructions for actuators other than the focus actuator are not issued until the exit process is completed. As a result, the exit process, which involves energizing the solenoid 33, is executed during a period different from the period during which initialization processes for the other actuators are executed. Therefore, the periods in which power consumption occurs do not overlap, and operations that comply with power limit requests are performed.

[0190] Next, FIG. 30 shows a case where there is no power limit instruction at the time of recovery. When unnecessary adsorption occurs, the control module 5 issues an adsorption notification R10 to the actuator management module 4. As a result, the actuator management module 4 recognizes the need for an escape upon recovery, and issues an escape command CM1 to the control module 5. In response to this, the control module 5 performs an exit process P1, and issues a completion notification R1 to the actuator management module 4 upon completion of the exit process P1.

[0191] Although not shown in the figure, other actuator operations may be performed in parallel with the escape process. However, since there is no power limit instruction, these operations can also be performed in parallel.

[0192] FIG. 31 shows a case where a power limit instruction is issued at the time of recovery. An unnecessary suction occurs, and the control module 5 issues a suction notification R10 to the actuator management module 4. In this case, the actuator management module 4 issues a power limit command CM21 to the second control module 6 and a power limit command CM31 to the third control module 7. In response to this, the second control module 6 and the third control module 7 perform corresponding processes P21 and P31, such as transitioning to a reduced power operation state, and issue completion notifications R21 and R31 to the actuator management module 4.

[0193] The actuator management module 4 issues an escape command CM1 to the control module 5 after confirming the completion notifications R21 and R31. In response to this, the control module 5 performs an exit process P1, and issues a completion notification R1 to the actuator management module 4 upon completion of the exit process P1.

[0194] That is, the actuator management module 4 prevents the other actuators from performing operations that consume a large amount of power, and then executes an escape process that involves energizing the solenoid 33. This allows for an appropriate exit upon recovery while complying with the power limit instruction.

[0195] FIG. 32 shows a case where unnecessary adhesion occurs during imaging operation, and power restriction occurs when release is being performed during recovery.

[0196] It is assumed that there was no power limit instruction at the time when the unnecessary adsorption occurred. When unnecessary suction occurs and the control module 5 issues a suction notification R10 to the actuator management module 4, the actuator management module 4 issues an escape command CM1 to the control module 5 since the situation is the same as in the case of FIG.

[0197] It is assumed that a power limit instruction is issued while the control module 5 is performing an escape process. In this case, the state becomes "completed" in steps S108, S109, and S110 in FIG. 23, and the termination process is performed in step S111 without the escape being completed. That is, in this termination process, a completion notification R1 in FIG. 32 is issued.

[0198] However, since the release is not yet complete and the actuator is still in an adsorption state, the control module 5 issues an adsorption notification R10 to the actuator management module 4 again. At this point, there is a power limit instruction, so the actuator management module 4 issues a power limit instruction CM21 to the second control module 6 and a power limit instruction CM31 to the third control module 7. In response to this, the second control module 6 and the third control module 7 perform corresponding processes P21 and P31, such as transitioning to a reduced power operation state, and issue completion notifications R21 and R31 to the actuator management module 4.

[0199] The actuator management module 4 issues an escape command CM1 to the control module 5 after confirming the completion notifications R21 and R31. In response to this, the control module 5 performs an exit process P1, and issues a completion notification R1 to the actuator management module 4 upon completion of the exit process P1.

[0200] In other words, if a power limit command is issued during the escape process, the control module 5 terminates the process before it is completed. Then, since the robot is in an adsorption state, the control module 5 notifies the robot of this again. Upon receiving the adsorption notification R10 after the power limit instruction is issued, the actuator management module 4 limits the power consumption of the other actuators and then executes the escape process, similar to the example of FIG. In this way, even if a power restriction instruction is issued during the escape process, the escape process can be executed in accordance with the request.

[0201] <6. Transition to movement restriction state> Next, the process of transitioning to the movement restricted state by the locking mechanism will be described in detail. Specifically, this is the process of placing the lens holder 60 in an adsorption state by the solenoid 33, which is the locking mechanism. This process is usually performed as a termination process when the camera system 1 is powered off.

[0202] However, in this embodiment, before the adsorption process is performed as the transition process, an adsorption preparation process is performed as a preparation process. That is, as the termination process when the power is turned off, a preparation process (adsorption preparation process) and a transition process (adsorption process) are performed. It should be noted that the transition process in the broad sense (adsorption process in the broad sense) may be considered to be performed in two stages: a preparation process (adsorption preparation process) and a transition process in the narrow sense (adsorption process in the narrow sense). In the following specific example, the termination process will be described as a sequence in which two stages of processing, ie, adsorption preparation processing and adsorption processing, are performed.

[0203] First, the state transition in the pickup preparation process is shown in Fig. 33. This is the transition of the process that the control module 5 performs in response to a pickup preparation instruction from the actuator management module 4.

[0204] When a pickup preparation command is received, the control module 5 performs the initial process (ST10). In the initial processing, processing such as sequence acquisition and internal variable initialization is performed, and a determination is made as to whether or not the adsorption state is established. If the object is adsorbed, the adsorption preparation operation is not necessary, and the state transitions to the completion state (ST12). For example, this occurs when the movement is already restricted at the time of termination due to some cause such as a disturbance. By determining whether the object is adsorbed and deciding whether or not adsorption preparation processing is necessary, unnecessary adsorption preparation operations can be avoided.

[0205] Normally, the initial process (ST10) is followed by movement to the pickup preparation position (ST11). Then, when the lens holder 60 is moved to the suction preparation position, the state transitions to a completion state (ST12), and the suction preparation process is completed. In addition, if the adsorption, i.e., movement restriction state occurs during movement to the adsorption preparation position (ST11), or if an error occurs regarding the movement of the lens holder 60, the state transitions to the completed state (ST12), and the adsorption preparation process is completed.

[0206] Here, the adsorption preparation position is a position set based on the distance that the adsorption force of the solenoid 33 can reach, and may be, for example, a position where the distance L=L0 (see FIGS. 17, 21, etc.) or a position close to that. For example, it is desirable to set the lens holder 60 at the position closest to the solenoid 33 within the range where the suction force does not reach. In particular, in this preparation process, the lens holder 60 is moved to the suction preparation position as quickly as possible. Therefore, setting the suction preparation position as close as possible to the solenoid 33 is advantageous for shortening the time required for the series of processes at the end.

[0207] A specific example of the suction preparation process of the lens control unit 22 (control module 5) assuming the transition shown in FIG. 33 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0208] In step S200 of Fig. 34, the control module 5 checks whether there is a pickup preparation command from the actuator management module 4. If a pickup preparation command has been issued, the control module 5 proceeds to step S201 and subsequent steps.

[0209] In step S201, the control module 5 performs initial processing, such as acquiring a sequence and initializing internal variables. In step S202, the control module 5 checks whether the lens holder 60 is currently in an adsorption state, i.e., whether the lens holder 60 is currently in a movement restricted state.

[0210] If the current state is the adsorption state, the control module 5 sets the state to "completed" in step S203. If the current state is not the suction state, the control module 5 sets the state to "moving to the suction preparation position" in step S202.

[0211] In step S205, the control module 5 checks whether the state is "completed." If the state is "completed," the control module 5 performs termination processing in step S207, completing the pickup preparation processing. As the termination processing, the control module 5 notifies the actuator management module 4 of completion, and also initializes flags and variables. For example, even if an instruction to prepare for suction is issued during the termination process due to power off, if the suction state is already established, the state is set to "completed" in step S203, and the process proceeds from step S205 to step S207, completing the operation.

[0212] If the state is "state=movement to pickup preparation position" at the stage of step S205, the control module 5 proceeds to step S206 and performs processing for moving to the pickup preparation position. Step S206 is repeated until state = completed. FIG. 35 shows the process of moving to the pickup preparation position in step S206.

[0213] In step S220, the control module 5 determines whether or not the movement to the suction preparation position has been completed, whether or not a drive error has occurred, or whether or not the suction state has been reached. If it is not one of these, but rather the lens holder 60 is at the start of or in the process of moving to the suction preparation position, the control module 5 controls the focus lens driving unit 45 to move the lens holder 60 at high speed toward the suction preparation position in step S222. This causes the lens holder 60 to move to the suction preparation position. The reason for the high-speed movement is to reach the suction preparation position as quickly as possible. For example, the lens holder 60 may be moved at the highest speed within the variable speed range of the focus lens driver 45.

[0214] If the result of step S220 corresponds to either movement completion, drive error, or adsorption, the control module 5 sets state=complete in step S223, and stops the movement of the lens holder 60 by the focus lens drive unit 45 in step S224.

[0215] As described above, when the state becomes "completed," the control module 5 proceeds from step S205 to step S207 in FIG. 34, where the termination process is performed and the pickup preparation process is completed.

[0216] Following the above preparation process (adsorption preparation process), an adsorption process is performed as a transition process to actually transition to the movement restricted state. This is a process to actually adsorb the lens holder 60 to the solenoid 33 from the adsorption preparation position.

[0217] 36 shows the state transitions in the adsorption process. These are the process transitions that the control module 5 performs in response to an adsorption instruction from the actuator management module 4. In this embodiment, the adsorption process is performed in two stages: a pushing process and a pulling process.

[0218] When a pickup instruction is received, the control module 5 performs the initial process (ST20). In the initial processing, processing such as sequence acquisition, initialization of internal variables, and determination of whether or not the adsorption state is occurring are performed. If the robot is attached, the attachment operation is unnecessary and the state transitions to the completed state (ST23). For example, this occurs when the robot is already in a movement restricted state at the time of termination due to some cause such as a disturbance. By determining whether the robot is in an attached state and determining whether attachment preparation processing is necessary, unnecessary attachment operations can be avoided.

[0219] Normally, the initial process (ST20) is followed by a push-in process (ST21). In the pushing process (ST21), the control module 5 drives the lens holder 60 at a low speed in a direction to bring it into contact with the solenoid 33, and further controls it so that it is slightly pushed in while in contact.

[0220] When this push process (ST21) is completed, the control module 5 transitions to the pull process (ST22). A timeout in the push process also causes the control module 5 to transition to the pull process (ST22). In the pulling process, the control module 5 controls the lens holder 60 to be pulled back from the pushed-in position to a predetermined end position.

[0221] When the pulling process is completed or a timeout occurs, the control module 5 transitions to a completion state (ST23), and the suction process is completed.

[0222] The pushing process is a process in which the lens holder 60 pushes the elastic member 77 of the solenoid 33 by the amount that it can contract. The pulling process is a process in which the lens holder 60 returns the solenoid 33 from the pushed-in state to the end position, which is the normal contact position with the solenoid.

[0223] A specific example of the adsorption process of the lens control unit 22 (control module 5) assuming the transition shown in FIG. 36 will be described with reference to FIGS. 37, 38, and 39. FIG.

[0224] 37, the control module 5 checks whether there is a pickup instruction from the actuator management module 4. If a pickup instruction has been issued, the control module 5 proceeds to step S301 and subsequent steps.

[0225] In step S301, the control module 5 performs initial processing, such as acquiring a sequence and initializing internal variables. In step S302, the control module 5 checks whether the current state is an adsorption state, that is, a movement restricted state.

[0226] If the current state is the adsorption state, the control module 5 sets the state to "completed" in step S303. If the current state is not the adsorption state, the control module 5 sets the state to "push" in step S302.

[0227] In step S305, the control module 5 checks whether the state is "completed." If the state is "completed," the control module 5 performs termination processing in step S309, completing the adsorption process. As the termination processing, the control module 5 notifies the actuator management module 4 of completion, and also initializes flags and variables. For example, even if an adsorption instruction is confirmed in step S300, if the adsorption state is already established, the state is set to "completed" in step S303, and the process proceeds from step S305 to step S309, where the operation is completed.

[0228] If the state is not "completed" at step S305, the control module 5 determines whether the state is "pulling" at step S306. If the state is not "pull," that is, if the state is "push," the control module 5 performs a push process in step S307. This step S307 is repeated while the state is "pressed." FIG. 38 shows the pressing process in step S307.

[0229] In step S320, the control module 5 determines whether the pressing is complete. If the pressing is not completed, the control module 5 determines in step S321 whether a timeout has occurred or whether a driving error of the lens holder 60 has occurred.

[0230] If neither of these conditions is met and the lock device is in the process of being pushed in, the control module 5 releases the movement limiting force of the lock device, that is, energizes the solenoid 33 in step S322. Then, in step S323, the control module 5 controls the focus lens driving unit 45 to move the lens holder 60 at a low speed in the direction in which the lens holder 60 abuts against the solenoid 33. Therefore, at the point when the pushing starts, the solenoid 33 starts to be energized and the lens holder 60 starts to move at a low speed. This state continues until the pushing is completed.

[0231] The reason for the slow movement is to prevent the contact between the lens holder 60 and the solenoid 33, specifically the contact between the attracted portion 70 and the yoke 71, from causing a strong collision. Furthermore, the solenoid 33 is energized in order to reduce or eliminate the attraction force, thereby preventing the attracted part 70 and the yoke 71 from colliding strongly with each other due to the attraction force. Therefore, the lens holder 60 and the solenoid 33 come into gentle contact with each other, and this also prevents the generation of impact noise.

[0232] The speed of this low-speed movement is at least slower than the speed of the movement during the suction preparation process. In order to avoid a strong collision, for example, the lens holder 60 may be moved at the lowest speed within the variable speed range of the focus lens driving unit 45.

[0233] If it is determined in step S320 that the pushing is complete, the control module 5 restores the movement limiting force of the locking device in step S324, that is, stops the power supply to the solenoid 33. Then, in step S325, the state is set to "pull".

[0234] Through the pushing process up to this point, the lens holder 60 is moved from the suction preparation position shown in FIG. 40 to the pushing position. The solenoid position in the figure is the position where the attracted portion 70 and the yoke 71 come into contact, and the pushing position is the position where the lens holder 60 is pushed in by the compression of the elastic member 77 after the contact. That is, when it is detected that the lens holder 60 has reached the pressed-in position, the pressing process is completed.

[0235] Even if the control module 5 determines in step S321 that a timeout or drive error has occurred, it terminates the power supply to the solenoid 33 in step S324 to restore the movement limiting force of the locking device, and sets the state to "pull" in step S325.

[0236] As a result of the above push processing, the state becomes "pull," and the subsequent processing in FIG. 37 proceeds from step S306 to step S308, which is the pull processing. The pulling process is a process of returning the lens holder 60 from the pushed-in position shown in FIG. 40 to the end position. This step S308 is repeated while the state is in the pulling state. FIG. 39 shows the pulling process in step S308.

[0237] In step S330, the control module 5 determines whether the pulling is complete. If the pulling is not completed, in step S331, the control module 5 determines whether a timeout has occurred or whether a driving error of the lens holder 60 has occurred.

[0238] If it is not one of these and the lens is in the process of being pulled, the control module 5 controls the focus lens driving unit 45 to move the lens holder 60 to the solenoid position (end position) in step S332. In other words, the lens holder 60 is returned from the pressed-in state.

[0239] If it is determined in step S330 that pulling is complete, the control module 5 sets state=complete in step S333, and then stops driving by the focus lens driving unit 45 in step S334. That is, the power supply to the focus lens driving unit 45 is stopped.

[0240] By the pulling process up to this point, the lens holder 60 is moved to the end position shown in FIG. 40, and at that position the lens holder 60 is maintained in a state of being attracted by the magnetic force of the solenoid 33.

[0241] As described above, when the state becomes "completed," the control module 5 proceeds from step S305 to step S309 in FIG. 37, where the termination process is performed and the adsorption process is completed.

[0242] As described above, the suction process begins with a pushing process in which the solenoid 33 is energized and the suction force is reduced or eliminated, and the lens holder 60 is driven at a low speed to abut against the solenoid, and then slightly pushed in. The reason for the pushing is that the solenoid 33 and the lens holder 60 have an elastic member 77 that acts as a cushion against contact therebetween. Because of the elastic member 77, the solenoid position measured at the time of shipment may differ from the actual solenoid position depending on the posture, etc. Taking such a difference into consideration, it is appropriate to perform a pushing operation to ensure a secure contact state. Thereafter, as a pulling process, the solenoid is de-energized, and the lens holder 60 and the locking mechanism are pulled by the amount of the push-in while they are attracted to each other by magnetic force. If the power supply to the focus lens drive unit 45 and the solenoid 33 is stopped while the lens is pressed in, the elastic member 77 will bounce back, causing noise and impact, so the lens is driven to the end position where the repulsive force of the elastic member 77 disappears.

[0243] The reason why the shutdown process when the power is turned off is divided into two stages, the suction preparation process and the suction process, is that other control modules are also simultaneously performing their shutdown processes. Since the adsorption process involves energizing the solenoid 33, there is a possibility that the power may run out. Therefore, the process is divided into two stages so that the solenoid can be energized after waiting for the processing of other control modules.

[0244] 7. Adsorption process timing according to power limitations The actuator management module 4 changes the timing of the suction process depending on whether or not a power limit instruction has been issued through communication from the body control unit 12. This process will be described below. Sequence control by the actuator management module 4 depending on whether or not a power limit instruction is given is shown in Figures 41 and 42. These figures are shown in the same format as Figure 28 and the like.

[0245] FIG. 41 shows the sequence at the end when there is no power limit instruction. When the user turns off the power of the imaging device 3 or when other operations are to be performed to terminate the operation, the body control unit 12 transmits a termination command CM20 to the lens control unit 22. In response to this, the actuator management module 4 in the lens control unit 22 first issues a suction preparation command CM11 to the control module 5. In response to this, the control module 5 performs the pickup preparation process P11, which is the process described with reference to FIGS.

[0246] In parallel, the actuator management module 4 issues an end instruction CM22 to the second actuator, an end instruction CM32 to the third actuator, and so on. In response to this, the second control module 6 performs the termination process P22, and the third control module 7 performs the termination process P32.

[0247] When each control module completes the instructed processing, it returns a completion notification to the actuator management module 4. The control module 5 issues a completion notification R11 in response to the completion of the pickup preparation process P11. The second control module 6 issues a completion notification R22 in response to the completion of the termination process P22. The third control module 7 issues a completion notification R32 in response to the completion of the termination process P32.

[0248] The actuator management module 4 issues a pickup command CM12 to the control module 5 at least after receiving a completion notification R11 of the pickup preparation process P11. In response to this, the control module 5 performs the adsorption process P12, which is the process described with reference to FIGS. Then, the control module 5 issues a completion notification R12 upon completion of the adsorption process P12.

[0249] When the processing of each actuator is completed, the lens control unit 22 (actuator management module 4) transmits a completion notification R20 to the body control unit 12 in response to the end instruction CM20. The above is a series of processes performed by the lens control unit 22 when an end instruction is issued.

[0250] On the other hand, FIG. 42 shows a case where a power limit instruction is issued when a termination instruction CM20 is issued from the body control unit 12. In this case, the suction process P12 and the termination process for the other actuators are not performed at the same time.

[0251] In response to an end command CM20 from the body control unit 12, the actuator management module 4 issues a pickup preparation command CM11 to the control module 5. In response to this, the control module 5 performs a pickup preparation process P11, and issues a completion notification R11 upon completion.

[0252] In parallel, the actuator management module 4 issues a termination command CM22 to the second control module 6. In response to this, the second control module 6 performs termination processing P22 and issues a completion notification R22. Furthermore, in parallel, the actuator management module 4 issues a termination command CM32 to the third control module 7. In response to this, the third control module 7 performs termination processing P32 and issues a completion notification R32.

[0253] After receiving completion notifications from other actuator control modules such as the second and third actuators, the actuator management module 4 issues a pickup command CM12 to the control module 5. In response to this, the control module 5 performs the adsorption process P12, and then issues a completion notification R12 upon completion of the adsorption process P12.

[0254] When the termination process for each actuator is completed, the lens control unit 22 (actuator management module 4) transmits a completion notification R20 to the body control unit 12 in response to the termination command CM20.

[0255] In this way, by preventing the suction process from being performed simultaneously with the termination process by other actuator control modules, it becomes possible to comply with the power limit instruction even if the solenoid 33 is energized.

[0256] <8. Summary and Variations> The above embodiment provides the following effects. The lens barrel 2 of the embodiment includes a focus lens driver 45 that moves the lens holder 60 that holds the focus lens 26 in the optical axis direction, and a solenoid 33 that serves as a locking mechanism that limits the movement of the lens holder 60 at the moving end of the lens holder 60. The lens control unit 22 determines whether to execute an escape process that causes the lens holder 60 to escape from a state in which movement is restricted by the locking mechanism, and controls the focus lens driver 45 to move the lens holder 60 in a state in which the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated as the escape process in response to the execution determination. For example, by providing a locking mechanism using a solenoid 33, the focus lens 26 is placed in a solenoid-adsorbed state when not in use, and movement is restricted, thereby preventing the focus movement frame from colliding with the end of the mechanism and generating noise or impact. Furthermore, when movement of the focus lens 26 is required, such as at startup or during imaging operation, an escape process is performed to escape from the movement restricted state (adsorption state), thereby enabling normal focus control.

[0257] In addition, in the lens barrel 2 of the embodiment, the lens control unit 22 performs a transition process to transition the lens holder 60 to a state in which movement is restricted by the locking mechanism, and controls the focus lens driving unit 45 to move the lens holder 60 to a position where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism while the movement restriction force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated. By transitioning to the movement restricted state as a termination process such as powering off, the locking mechanism when not in use can properly function to prevent abnormal noise and impact as described above. Furthermore, by moving the lens holder 60 with the movement restricting force reduced or eliminated, it is possible to prevent the lens holder 60 from being sucked in during the transition process and from colliding strongly with the locking mechanism.

[0258] In this embodiment, the locking mechanism is an electromagnetic actuator (solenoid 33) that restricts movement of the lens holder 60 by magnetic attraction, and the magnetic attraction force is reduced or eliminated when energized. That is, a magnetic locking mechanism is provided at the moving end of the lens, and when the lens holder 60 comes into contact with the moving end, the magnetic force attracts and holds the lens holder 60. Therefore, a stopper member is not required, and there is no need to consider damage to the stopper member. Furthermore, even if an operation other than normal termination is performed, for example, if the battery is removed while the imaging device 3 is powered on, or if the lens barrel 2 is removed from the body as an interchangeable lens, the lens holder 60 is attracted and held by magnetic force, so the lens holder 60 does not repeatedly come into contact with the moving end, thereby reducing noise and vibration. In particular, the lens holder 60 for the focus lens 26 is often driven by a linear motor (voice coil motor), but the optical design of recent large-diameter, wide-angle, bright lenses tends to make the lens holder 60 heavier. This increases the risk of abnormal noise and impact, so it is extremely useful to prevent abnormal noise and collisions when the power is off. Furthermore, with a mechanical locking mechanism, there is a risk that the mechanism itself may be damaged by an unexpected impact, and the risk increases particularly as the weight of the lens holder 60 increases, but this risk can be reduced by using a magnetic attraction mechanism. Furthermore, since the movement restriction state is achieved by magnetic attraction, no special power is required to maintain the locked state. By applying current for a short period of time during the escape process to reduce or eliminate the attractive force, a situation can be created where escape is easy. Furthermore, by reducing or eliminating the attractive force with a short period of current during the attraction process, a pushing operation with gentle contact can be achieved. In this way, appropriate operation can be achieved with only a temporary current application, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0259] It should be noted that a locking mechanism other than the solenoid 33 may be used as the electromagnetic actuator, and for example, a mechanical locking mechanism or a locking mechanism that utilizes friction may also be considered.

[0260] In this embodiment, the lens control unit 22 is configured to perform the escape process at startup (see FIGS. 23 to 27), thereby allowing the escape process to be performed appropriately as preparation for the photographing operation.

[0261] In this embodiment, the lens control unit 22 performs escape processing when the movement of the lens holder 60 is restricted by the locking mechanism during an imaging operation (see FIGS. 23 to 27). If the lens holder 60 is attracted to the solenoid 33 due to an impact or the like during imaging operation, focus control becomes impossible, hindering imaging operation. In this case, a determination is made as to whether to perform an escape process, and by performing the escape process, the focus control state before the lens holder was attracted can be restored.

[0262] In this embodiment, the lens control unit 22 determines whether to execute the escape process based on whether the movement of the lens holder 60 is restricted by the locking mechanism (see FIG. 23). When attempting to perform the escape process in response to an escape command, such as at startup or during unnecessary adsorption during imaging operation, it is possible that the adsorption state has already been lost for some reason. In such cases, the escape process is unnecessary. If this is detected, unnecessary processing can be avoided by setting the state to "Completed" without performing the escape process.

[0263] In the embodiment, an example has been given in which the lens control unit 22 determines the timing to execute the escape process based on the presence or absence of a power limit instruction requesting that power consumption be limited (see FIGS. 29 to 32). When an escape instruction is issued, the timing of the escape process is set to differ depending on whether a power restriction is imposed by the image capture device 3 side or not. This allows the escape process to be executed in a manner appropriate to the situation, particularly when there is a power restriction.

[0264] In the embodiment, an example has been given in which, when a power limit instruction is issued at startup, the lens control unit 22 executes the escape process during a period different from the period during which the initialization process for the drive units other than the drive unit for the lens holder 60 is executed (see FIG. 29). The drive units other than the drive unit for the lens holder 60 are the actuators controlled by the second and third actuator control modules 6 and 7 in FIGS. 2 and 29. At startup, each actuator is initialized and an exit process is performed. However, if there is a power limit, the exit process can be made to comply with the power limit by ensuring that it does not overlap with the initialization process of other actuators.

[0265] In the embodiment, an example is given in which, when the lens control unit 22 receives a power limit instruction while the lens holder 60 is in a movement restricted state by the locking mechanism during imaging operation, the lens control unit 22 executes the escape process after performing power limit control on the driving units other than the driving unit related to the lens holder 60 (see Figure 31). If there is a power limit when an escape command is given to recover from an unnecessary suction state during imaging operation, power limit control is performed on the other actuators before the escape process is executed. This allows the escape process to be executed with reduced power consumption and also enables a quick recovery from the unnecessary suction state.

[0266] In the embodiment, the lens control unit 22 ends the escape process when a power limit instruction requesting that power consumption be limited is received during execution of the escape process (see FIGS. 23 and 32). If a power limit is instructed during the escape process, the request for power limit can be met by terminating the escape process that energizes the solenoid.

[0267] In the embodiment, the escape process is a process of moving the lens holder 60 at least out of the range where the movement limiting force of the locking mechanism can be applied. By performing the minimum movement of the lens holder 60 in the escape process to put it outside the range of attraction by the magnetic force of the solenoid 33, the solenoid 33 no longer has any effect on the drive by focus control, enabling normal focus control. Furthermore, by putting it outside the attraction range, there is no problem even if the power to the solenoid 33 is stopped and the power is restored, so the power-on time can be shortened, which is effective in reducing power consumption.

[0268] In the embodiment, the escape process performed when the movement of the lens holder 60 is restricted by the locking mechanism during imaging operation is a process of moving the lens holder 60 out of the range of the movement restriction force of the locking mechanism and then returning it to the position it was in just before the movement restriction state was reached (see Figure 26). After the escape process moves the lens holder 60 out of the suction range of the solenoid 33, it is returned to the focus control position immediately before unnecessary suction occurred. This allows the lens holder 60 to quickly return to the original imaging operation state when unnecessary suction occurs.

[0269] In the embodiment, the escape process involves moving the lens holder 60 out of the range of the movement restriction force of the locking mechanism, then de-energizing the solenoid 33 and returning it to the position it was in just before the movement restriction state (see Figures 24, 25 and 26). When the lens holder 60 is moved out of the attraction range of the solenoid 33 by the escape process, the influence of the attraction force disappears, so the power to the solenoid 33 is turned off and the lens holder 60 is returned to the focus position just before unnecessary attraction occurred. This shortens the time that power is supplied to the solenoid 33, and reduces power consumption.

[0270] In the embodiment, if the lens control unit 22 is unable to complete the intended movement of the lens holder 60 in the escape process, the lens control unit 22 performs a retry process by ending the state in which the movement limiting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated, waiting for a certain period of time, and then performing control to cause the focus lens driving unit 45 to move the lens holder 60 (see FIGS. 24 and 27). The intended movement is, for example, a movement determined to be successful in step S151 of FIG. 24. It can also be said to be a movement that reaches at least outside the attraction range caused by the magnetic force of the solenoid 33. If the escape process fails, a retry is performed to complete the escape process. This retry is performed by waiting a certain period of time when the escape process fails. During this waiting period, the solenoid 33 is turned off. This prevents the solenoid 33 from being energized for a long period of time even when a retry is necessary. Heat generation due to the energization of the solenoid 33 is also suppressed.

[0271] In the embodiment, an example is given in which the lens control unit 22 performs a transition preparation process (adsorption preparation process) to move the lens holder 60 to a preparation position (adsorption preparation position) for starting the transition process, and then performs the transition process (adsorption process) (see Figures 34 and 35). By performing the transition preparation process (suction preparation process), it is possible to always cause movement from a specific position toward the solenoid 33, which makes it easier to control the transition process (suction process). Furthermore, by separating the transition preparation process from the transition process, the execution timing of the transition process can be made more flexible. When the above-mentioned power limit instruction is issued, the transition preparation process can be performed first, so that the transition process (suction process) involving energization of the solenoid 33 does not occur simultaneously with the termination process of other actuators (see Figure 41). Even in this case, since the actuator has already been moved to the suction preparation position, the suction process can also be executed in a short time.

[0272] In the embodiment, the preparation position is a position that is set based on the distance that the movement limiting force of the locking mechanism can exert. For example, the preparation position may be a position immediately before the attraction force of the solenoid 33 is exerted. In the attraction preparation process, the lens holder 60 is moved to the preparation position, which is a position immediately before the influence of magnetic attraction is exerted when the solenoid 33 is not energized. By setting the preparation position to a position not affected by magnetic force, there is no need to energize the solenoid 33 during the attraction preparation process, and power consumption can be reduced.

[0273] In the embodiment, the lens control unit 22 performs, as a transition process, a pushing process in which the lens holder 60 is moved until it abuts against a part of the locking mechanism and is pushed in, and a pulling process in which, after the pushing process, the lens holder 60 is moved in the opposite direction to the pushing direction and returned to a predetermined end position (see Figures 37, 38, and 39). The pushing process ensures that the lens holder 60 comes into contact with the solenoid 33. Thereafter, the pulling process maintains the movement restricted state at a predetermined end position, and prevents the repulsion of the elastic member 77 from generating abnormal noise or the like.

[0274] In the embodiment, the lens control unit 22 performs control to reduce or eliminate the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism during the push-in process (see FIG. 38). By energizing the solenoid 33 to reduce the suction force during the push-in process, it becomes less likely that the suction force will cause the lens holder 60 to come into violent contact or collide with the solenoid 33. This makes it possible to avoid the generation of abnormal noise during the transition process and accelerated wear on the mechanism.

[0275] In this embodiment, the lens control unit 22 performs control to generate a movement limiting force of the locking mechanism during the pulling process (see FIGS. 38 and 39). In other words, when the pushing process is completed, the power supply to the solenoid 33 is stopped, and then the pulling process is performed. As a result, the lens holder 60, which has been tightly attached during the pushing process, is pulled while being attracted by the attraction force of the solenoid 33, so that the lens holder 60 is reliably attracted by magnetic force and is returned to the end position while still attracted. Therefore, a stable transition to a movement restriction state can be achieved.

[0276] In the embodiment, the lens control unit 22 moves the lens holder 60 at a slower speed in the push-in process than in the transition preparation process. For example, the lens holder 60 moves at a high speed in the transition preparation process and at a low speed in the push-in process. By performing the pushing process at a low speed, the lens holder 60 can be brought into gentle contact with the solenoid 33. This makes it possible to avoid abnormal noises and wear of components when the lens holder 60 is pushed in. Although it is possible to mitigate the impact when the moving end comes into contact with an elastic member such as rubber, if the impact from the lens holder 60 is large, it is necessary to make the elastic member larger or wider. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure clearance between the elastic member and other components before and after the moving lens group in consideration of the amount of deformation caused by the elastic member, which results in poor space efficiency. By moving the lens holder 60 at a slow speed to avoid strong impacts, as in this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate these drawbacks of elastic members. Furthermore, in the transition preparation process before the pressing, the lens holder 60 is moved at high speed, thereby quickly setting the lens holder 60 in a state where the transition process (pressing process) can be started. This reduces the overall processing time required to transition to the movement restricted state.

[0277] In the embodiment, an example has been given in which the lens control unit 22 determines the timing to execute the transition process based on the presence or absence of a power limit instruction requesting that power consumption be limited (see FIGS. 41 and 42). When issuing an instruction to transition to the movement restricted state, the timing of the transition process is set to differ depending on whether a power restriction is imposed by the imaging device 3 side or not. This allows the transition process to be performed in a manner appropriate for the situation, especially when power constraints are present.

[0278] In the embodiment, an example has been given in which, when a power limit instruction is issued, the lens control unit 22 executes the transition process in a period different from the period in which the termination process for the other actuators is executed (see FIG. 42). When the power is turned off, a transition process to a movement restricted state is performed in conjunction with the termination process of each actuator, but if there is a power limit, the transition process to energize the solenoid 33 can be made to not overlap with the termination process of other actuators, allowing operation to comply with the power limit.

[0279] In the embodiment, an example has been given in which, when there is a power limit instruction, the lens control unit 22 performs the transition process after the termination process for the other actuators has been completed (see FIG. 42). This prevents the solenoid 33 from being energized until the shutdown process for each actuator is completed, allowing the shutdown process for the other actuators to be executed appropriately.

[0280] In the embodiment, a locking mechanism that restricts the movement of the lens holder 60 for the focus lens 26 is used as an example, but the technology disclosed herein can also be applied to cases where a locking mechanism that restricts the movement of the lens holder for other lenses, such as the zoom lens 23, is provided.

[0281] Furthermore, in the embodiment, the lens barrel 2 is described as an example of an interchangeable lens, but the technology of the present disclosure can also be applied to a lens barrel that is integrated with the imaging device body and cannot be detached. When the lens barrel is integrated with the imaging device body, the body control unit 12 and the lens control unit 22 shown in FIG. 1 do not need to be configured separately, and the operation control of the present disclosure may be performed by a single control unit. In this case, the control unit performs various processes related to the escape operation described in the embodiment, such as determining whether to execute an escape process for escaping the lens holder 60 from a state where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism, and controlling the focus lens driving unit 45 to move the lens holder 60 in a state where the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated as the escape process in response to the execution determination. Furthermore, the control unit performs various processes related to the transition process described in the embodiment, such as controlling the focus lens driving unit 45 to move the lens holder 60 to a position where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism in a state where the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated as a transition process for transitioning the lens holder 60 to a state where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism. Furthermore, regardless of whether the lens barrel 2 is separate from or integrated with the imaging device 3, when a lens control unit 22 and a body control unit 12 are provided as in the embodiment, the body control unit 12 may perform the control processing of the lens control unit 22 in the above-mentioned embodiment. In other words, the control unit that performs the control processing of the present technology may be the lens control unit 22, the body control unit 12, or a control unit that integrates these.

[0282] The effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also be present.

[0283] The present technology can also be configured as follows. (1) a lens driving unit that moves a lens holder that holds the lens in the optical axis direction; a locking mechanism that limits movement of the lens holder at a moving end of the lens holder; a control unit that controls the lens holder to move to a position where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism by using the lens driving unit in a state where the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated, as a transition process for transitioning the lens holder to a movement restricted state by the locking mechanism. Lens barrel. (2) The locking mechanism is an electromagnetic actuator that restricts the movement of the lens holder by magnetic attraction, and the magnetic attraction force is reduced or eliminated by energization. The lens barrel according to (1) above. (3) The control unit After performing a transition preparation process of moving the lens holder to a preparation position for starting the transition process, the transition process is performed. The lens barrel according to (1) or (2) above. (4) The preparation position is a position set based on the distance that the movement limiting force of the locking mechanism can reach. The lens barrel according to (3) above. (5) The control unit As the transition process, a pushing process of moving the lens holder to a state where the lens holder abuts against a part of the locking mechanism and is pushed in; After the pushing process, a pulling process is performed by moving the lens holder in the opposite direction to the pushing direction and returning it to a predetermined end position. The lens barrel according to any one of (1) to (4) above. (6) The control unit During the pushing process, the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated. The lens barrel according to (5) above. (7) The control unit During the pulling process, control is performed to generate a movement limiting force of the locking mechanism. The lens barrel according to (6) above. (8) The control unit a transition preparation process is performed to move the lens holder to a preparation position for starting the transition process, and then the transition process is performed; The movement of the lens holder in the pushing process is performed at a slower speed than the movement of the lens holder in the transition preparation process. The lens barrel according to any one of (5) to (7) above. (9) The control unit determines the timing to execute the transition process based on the presence or absence of a power limit instruction requesting a limit on power consumption. The lens barrel according to any one of (1) to (8) above. (10) When a power limit instruction is received, the control unit The transition process is executed during a period different from the period during which the termination process for the other actuators is executed. The lens barrel according to (9) above. (11) When a power limit instruction is received, the control unit The transition process is performed after the termination process for the other actuators is completed. The lens barrel according to (9) or (10) above. (12) The lens holder can be placed in a movement restricted state at the object side movement end by the locking mechanism. The lens barrel according to any one of (1) to (11) above. (13) A plurality of the locking mechanisms are provided, The lens holder can be placed in a movement restricted state at the object side movement end and the image side movement end by the locking mechanism. The lens barrel according to any one of (1) to (12) above. (14) Two of the locking mechanisms are provided, The two locking mechanisms are provided on opposite sides of the optical axis. The lens barrel according to any one of (1) to (13) above. (15) the locking mechanism is composed of an attraction force generating part having an attraction part and generating an attraction force, and an attraction receiving part that is attracted by the attraction force generated in the attraction force generating part and supported by the lens holder, The attracted portion is displaceable relative to the lens holder in a direction different from the optical axis direction. The lens barrel according to any one of (1) to (14) above. (16) An elastic member is provided between the lens holder and the attracted portion to bias the attracted portion in a direction approaching the attracting force generating portion. The lens barrel according to (15) above. (17) the attracted portion is displaceably supported by the lens holder via a mounting shaft, The lens holder has a curved concave surface, The mounting shaft is formed with a curved convex surface that is slidable on the concave surface when the attracted portion is displaced relative to the lens holder. The lens barrel according to (15) or (16) above. (18) a lens driving unit that moves a lens holder that holds the lens in the optical axis direction; a locking mechanism that limits movement of the lens holder at a moving end of the lens holder; A method for controlling a lens barrel comprising: As a transition process for transitioning the lens holder to a state in which movement is restricted by the locking mechanism, control is performed to move the lens holder by the lens driving unit to a position in which movement is restricted by the locking mechanism in a state in which the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated. Control method. (19) a lens driving unit that moves a lens holder that holds the lens in the optical axis direction; a locking mechanism that limits movement of the lens holder at a moving end of the lens holder; a control unit that controls the lens holder to move to a position where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism by using the lens driving unit in a state where the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated, as a transition process for transitioning the lens holder to a movement restricted state by the locking mechanism. Imaging device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0284] 1 camera system 2 Lens barrel 3. Imaging device 4 Actuator Management Module (Management Module) 5. Focus actuator control module (control module) 6 Second Actuator Control Module (Second Control Module) 7 Third Actuator Control Module (Third Control Module) 12 Body control unit 22 Lens control unit 26 Focus Lens 33 Solenoid 45 Focus lens drive unit 47 Solenoid Driver 60 Lens holder 70 Adsorbed part 71 York 72 Magnet 73 Coil

Claims

1. a lens driving unit that moves a lens holder that holds the lens in the optical axis direction; a locking mechanism that limits movement of the lens holder at a moving end of the lens holder; a control unit that controls the lens holder to move to a position where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism by using the lens driving unit in a state where the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated, as a transition process for transitioning the lens holder to a movement restricted state by the locking mechanism. Lens barrel.

2. The locking mechanism is an electromagnetic actuator that restricts the movement of the lens holder by magnetic attraction, and the magnetic attraction force is reduced or eliminated by energization. The lens barrel according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit After performing a transition preparation process of moving the lens holder to a preparation position for starting the transition process, the transition process is performed. The lens barrel according to claim 1 .

4. The preparation position is a position set based on the distance that the movement limiting force of the locking mechanism can reach. The lens barrel according to claim 3 .

5. The control unit As the transition process, a pushing process of moving the lens holder to a state where the lens holder abuts against a part of the locking mechanism and is pushed in; After the pushing process, a pulling process is performed by moving the lens holder in the opposite direction to the pushing direction and returning it to a predetermined end position. The lens barrel according to claim 1 .

6. The control unit During the pushing process, the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated. The lens barrel according to claim 5 .

7. The control unit During the pulling process, control is performed to generate a movement limiting force of the locking mechanism. The lens barrel according to claim 6.

8. The control unit a transition preparation process is performed to move the lens holder to a preparation position for starting the transition process, and then the transition process is performed; The movement of the lens holder in the pushing process is performed at a slower speed than the movement of the lens holder in the transition preparation process. The lens barrel according to claim 5 .

9. The control unit determines the timing to execute the transition process based on the presence or absence of a power limit instruction requesting a limit on power consumption. The lens barrel according to claim 1 .

10. When a power limit instruction is received, the control unit The transition process is executed during a period different from the period during which the termination process for the other actuators is executed. The lens barrel according to claim 9.

11. When a power limit instruction is received, the control unit The transition process is performed after the termination process for the other actuators is completed. The lens barrel according to claim 9.

12. The lens holder can be placed in a movement restricted state at the object side movement end by the locking mechanism. The lens barrel according to claim 1 .

13. A plurality of the locking mechanisms are provided, The lens holder can be placed in a movement restricted state at the object side movement end and the image side movement end by the locking mechanism. The lens barrel according to claim 1 .

14. Two of the locking mechanisms are provided, The two locking mechanisms are provided on opposite sides of the optical axis. The lens barrel according to claim 1 .

15. the locking mechanism is composed of an attraction force generating part having an attraction part and generating an attraction force, and an attraction receiving part that is attracted by the attraction force generated in the attraction force generating part and supported by the lens holder, The attracted portion is displaceable relative to the lens holder in a direction different from the optical axis direction. The lens barrel according to claim 1 .

16. An elastic member is provided between the lens holder and the attracted portion to bias the attracted portion in a direction approaching the attracting force generating portion. The lens barrel according to claim 15.

17. the attracted portion is displaceably supported by the lens holder via a mounting shaft, The lens holder has a curved concave surface, The mounting shaft is formed with a curved convex surface that is slidable on the concave surface when the attracted portion is displaced relative to the lens holder. The lens barrel according to claim 15.

18. a lens driving unit that moves a lens holder that holds the lens in the optical axis direction; a locking mechanism that limits movement of the lens holder at a moving end of the lens holder; A method for controlling a lens barrel comprising: As a transition process for transitioning the lens holder to a state in which movement is restricted by the locking mechanism, control is performed to move the lens holder by the lens driving unit to a position in which movement is restricted by the locking mechanism in a state in which the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated. Control method.

19. a lens driving unit that moves a lens holder that holds the lens in the optical axis direction; a locking mechanism that limits movement of the lens holder at a moving end of the lens holder; a control unit that controls the lens holder to move to a position where movement is restricted by the locking mechanism by using the lens driving unit in a state where the movement restricting force of the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated, as a transition process for transitioning the lens holder to a movement restricted state by the locking mechanism. Imaging device.

Images