Automatic camera setting apparatus

Claim 2

In a photographic apparatus for photographing an object automatically with at least one predetermined camera setting when a camera has its optical axis displaced from a location out of line with to a location in alignment with the oBject, a pair of means consisting of a reference means and a movable means movable with respect to said reference means, said movable means carrying the camera for moving the camera with said movable means to displace the optical axis of the camera from a location out of line with an object to be photographed to a location where said optical axis is in line with the object to be photographed, manually adjustable detecting means, connected in part to one and in part to the other said pair of means, for automatically providing an operating signal when the camera is displaced to a position where its optical axis is aligned with the object, and camera control means for storing said predetermined setting, said control means being operatively connected with the camera and said detecting means for responding to said signal to automatically set the camera with said predetermined setting.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said detecting means includes a pair of members for producing said signal when said members are in a given position relative to each other, said members being respectively connected to said reference and movable means with one of said members being manually adjustable with respect to the means to which it is connected while the other member remains fixed with respect to the means to which it is connected.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 and wherein one of said members of said detecting means is an electrical switch and the other is a switch actuator therefor.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said camera control means includes a manually adjustable potentiometer for storing said predetermined setting.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 4 and said control means further including motor means for adjusting the camera in accordance with the predetermined setting, a control potentiometer coupled to said motor means and operated thereby in conjunction with the adjusting of the camera, and comparison means connected between said potentiometers for comparing the setting on the control potentiometer with the setting on the manually adjustable potentiometer and for controlling the motor means to operate in a given direction and to a given extent until the settings of potentiometers have a given relationship.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 1 and wherein for photographing a plurality of objects automatically respectively with predetermined camera settings when the camera has its optical axis sequentially aligned with the plurality of objects, the combination includes a plurality of units each composed of said reference means, movable means, and detecting means, each have their detecting means operatively connected with said camera control means, with the latter storing the predetermined settings required for the plurality of objects, respectively, and said control means being operatively connected with the camera to respond to the signals sequentially provided by the plurality of detecting means for automatically setting the camera with the predetermined settings required by the plurality of objects, respectively.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 6 and wherein the plurality of reference means include a common housing formed with a plurality of slots corresponding to the number of reference means, said plurality of movable means including a rotary shaft, common to all of said movable means and extending through the housing and carrying the camera, and a plurality of rings respectively accessible through said slots and turnable about said shaft, said rings respectively carrying means for fixing them to said shafts at selected angles with respect thereto in accordance with the plurality of predetermined settings, said detecting means of said plurality of units including a plurality of switches carried by said common housing and respectively aligned with said rings, and a plurality of means carried by said rings for respectively operating said switches, so that by angularly positioning said rings with respect to said shaft the latter and camera can be turned to align the Optical axis of the camera with the objects to be photographed while successively activating the switches as the camera optical axis is successively aligned with the objects to be photographed, the operation of said switches providing said signals to which said control means responds.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 7 and wherein said control means includes a plurality of individually adjustable potentiometers for respectively storing said predetermined settings, motor means operatively connected with the camera for adjusting the latter in accordance with said predetermined settings, control potentiometer means coupled to said motor means and operated thereby in conjunction with the adjusting of the camera, and comparison means connected between said adjustable potentiometers which store said settings and said potentiometer means for comparing the setting of the latter with the settings of said adjustable potentiometers which store said setting and for controlling the motor means to operate in a given direction and to a given extent until the settings of said potentiometer means and in the sequence of photographing the objects said plurality of adjustable potentiometers have a given relationship.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 8 and wherein said potentiometer means is a single potentiometer.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 8 and wherein said potentiometer means is permanently coupled with said comparison means while said switches of said plurality of detector means are respectively connected in series with the plurality of adjustable potentiometers for sequentially rendering the latter operable in accordance with the sequence of photographing of the plurality of objects.