Patent US3777638A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US3777638A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Exposure control circuitry compensated for temperature and voltage fluctuations

Assignee: Minolta Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1972-10-30
•
Granted: 1973-12-11
•
Expires: 1992-10-30
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract In an electrical exposure control device for a single lens reflex camera in which the scene light of objects to be photographed which passes through the objective lens of the single lens reflex camera is received by light receiving elements the output thereof is detected by the compression circuit as a voltage proportional to the value of logarithm of the brightness of said light, said potential is stored in the storage means, the timing circuit is actuated, at the time of exposure, by the current anti-logarithmically converted from the stored voltage, and the activation circuit for terminating the exposure is included; there is disclosed that said device comprises a constant current generating circuit for preventing variation of current resulting from fluctuation of voltage in the power source, said voltage being impressed to the compression circuit; a circuit to which the current generated at the constant current generating circuit is fed, said circuit including photoconductive elements and resistors, and generating a voltage proportional to a value of logarithm of illumination of light receiving surfaces; a compression circuit connected in series to the secondlymentioned circuit and including a bias voltage generating circuit depending upon a set value of film speed and a set value of diaphragm aperture, said compression circuit photographically calculating voltage of both circuits which is developed by output current of said constant current generating circuit and producing output voltage proportional to a value of logarithm of duration of exposure; a storage means for storing output voltage of said compression circuit through a switch prior to exposure; a timing circuit for producing an anti-logarithmically converted current from the stored voltage of said storage means simultaneously with the exposure, the thus produced current being impressed thereto; and an activation circuit being actuated by said timing circuit and terminating the exposure, said device being free from error which may be introduced due to a variation of characteristics of P-N functions in these circuits depending upon a variation of temperature, and part of these circuits being of an integrated circuit.

Inventors

  • 👤 K Yata
  • 👤 Y Nanba
  • 👤 M Sahara

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-31 13:36
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03B; G03B7/00; G03B7/08; G03B7/081; G03B7/083

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim 308 words
An electrical exposure control device for a single lens reflex camera, comprising: a power source having positive and negative terminals; a constant current generating circuit for generating current proportional to absolute temperature and including: a resistance consisting of a first resistor, one terminal of which is connected to said positive terminal, and a second resistor connected in series to said first resistor, a first NPN transistor having a collector connected to said second resistor, an emitter connected to said negative terminal, and a base connected to the junction of said first and second resistors, a second NPN transistor having a base connected to the collector of said first NPN transistor and an emitter connected through a third fixed resistor to said negative terminal, a first transistor circuit consisting of a PNP transistor having an emitter connected through a fourth resistor to said positive terminal, and a third PNP transistor having a base connected to a collector of said PNP transistor, a collector connected to the emitter of said PNP transistor and an emitter connected to the collector of said second NPN transistor, a second transistor circuit having a circuit connection equivalent to said first transistor circuit and consisting of a PNP transistor having a base connected to the base of the PNP transistor of said first transistor circuit and an emitter connected through a fifth resistor to said positive terminal, and an NPN transistor; a compression circuit including light receiving elements connected to an emitter of the NPN transistor of said second transistor circuit and which produces a potential proportional to the logarithm of light on the receiving surfaces of said light receiving elements; means for storing an output of said compression circuit; and a timing circuit including a fourth NPN transistor having a base for receiving the voltage of said compression circuit at the time of exposure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 308 words
An electrical exposure control device for a single lens reflex camera, comprising: a power source having positive and negative terminals; a constant current generating circuit for generating current proportional to absolute temperature and including: a resistance consisting of a first resistor, one terminal of which is connected to said positive terminal, and a second resistor connected in series to said first resistor, a first NPN transistor having a collector connected to said second resistor, an emitter connected to said negative terminal, and a base connected to the junction of said first and second resistors, a second NPN transistor having a base connected to the collector of said first NPN transistor and an emitter connected through a third fixed resistor to said negative terminal, a first transistor circuit consisting of a PNP transistor having an emitter connected through a fourth resistor to said positive terminal, and a third PNP transistor having a base connected to a collector of said PNP transistor, a collector connected to the emitter of said PNP transistor and an emitter connected to the collector of said second NPN transistor, a second transistor circuit having a circuit connection equivalent to said first transistor circuit and consisting of a PNP transistor having a base connected to the base of the PNP transistor of said first transistor circuit and an emitter connected through a fifth resistor to said positive terminal, and an NPN transistor; a compression circuit including light receiving elements connected to an emitter of the NPN transistor of said second transistor circuit and which produces a potential proportional to the logarithm of light on the receiving surfaces of said light receiving elements; means for storing an output of said compression circuit; and a timing circuit including a fourth NPN transistor having a base for receiving the voltage of said compression circuit at the time of exposure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 179 words
An electrical exposure control device for a single lens reflex camera as in claim 1, further comprising: a third transistor circuit in said constant current generating circuit and connected equivalently to said first transistor circuit, and consisting of a PNP transistor having a base connected to the base of the PNP transistor of said first transistor circuit and an emitter connected through a sixth resistor to said positive terminal, and an NPN transistor; a fifth NPN transistor in said compression circuit for producing a voltage proportional to the logarithm of illumination on the light receiving surfaces of said light receiving elements, said fifth NPN transistor having a similar temperature characteristic to that of said fourth NPN transistor; a variable resistor having one terminal connected to an emitter of said fifth NPN transistor and connected to the emitter of the NPN transistor of the third transistor circuit of said constant current generating circuit and another terminal is connected to said negative terminal, and the resistance of said variable resistor varying in accordance with the diaphragm aperture and film speed settings.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 88 words
An electrical exposure control device for a single lens reflex camera as in claim 1, wherein said timing circuit includes a first capacitor connected to the collector of said fourth NPN transistor, and a second capacitor in parallel with said fourth NPN transistor and said first capacitor, said second capacitor and said series connected first capacitor and said fourth NPN transistor being selectively connected through a first change-over switch to a second variable resistor the resistance of which varies according to the diaphragm aperture and film speed settings.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 91 words
An electrical exposure control device for a single lens reflex camera as in claim 3, further comprising: a second change-over switch for establishing either automatic exposure control or manual exposure control; a level detection circuit connected through said second change-over switch to one terminal of either of said first capacitor or said second capacitor for detecting the voltage of either of said first and second capacitors, to thereby generate a signal when said voltage reaches a predetermined level; and an electromagnet for terminating exposure and actuated by said level detection circuit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 64 words
An electrical exposure control device for a single lens reflex camera as in claim 4, wherein said means for storing includes a capacitor for storing the output voltage of said compression circuit and a fixed resistor connected to said capacitor and said negative terminal to thereby compensate for a voltage drop of said power source which results from the current flow to said electromagnet.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 68 words
An electrical exposure control device for a single lens reflex camera as in claim 5, further comprising a delay circuit connected between an output terminal of said level detection circuit and an input terminal of said operating circuit to compensate for the time interval representing the OVERLAP between a trailing edge of a first curtain and a leading edge of a second curtain at the cocked position thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 103 words
An electrical exposure control device for a single lens reflex camera as in claim 3, further comprising: a fourth transistor circuit connected equivalently to said first transistor circuit in said constant current generating circuit and consisting of a PNP transistor having a base connected to the base of the PNP transistor of said first transistor circuit and an emitter connected through a resistor to said positive terminal, and an NPN transistor; and a meter circuit to which the output voltage of said compression circuit is fed and to which the emitter current of said NPN transistor of said fourth transistor circuit is fed.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3641890A Cited
US3698302A Cited
US3712194A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1976-12-10 1977-06-11 1977-12-11 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1980-12-10 1981-06-11 1981-12-11 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1984-12-10 1985-06-11 1985-12-11 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag