Flash-assisted photographing system and a device for use in the same

Claim 2

A flash-assisted photographing system including a camera provided with a taking lens capable of varying the focal length and a flash, the flash-assisted photographing system comprising: a light receiving unit having a plurality of receiving areas operable to separately receive light reflected by different areas of a photographic view; a detector operable to detect a focal length of the taking lens; and a control that includes means for setting weights for outputs of each of the receiving areas based on a detected focal length, said controller further includes means for adding the outputs for the receiving areas which have been weighted by the weights and to stop flash emission upon an addition of the weighted outputs reaching a predetermined value.

Claim 3

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 1, further comprising: a distance detector operable to detect a distance to an object; and a calculator operable to calculate a magnification from a detected focal length and a detected object distance: wherein the controller sets weights for the receiving areas based on a calculated magnification.

Claim 4

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 2, wherein the controller sets weights for the receiving areas in accordance with a product of a detected focal length and a calculated magnification.

Claim 5

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 3, further comprising: a light measuring unit operable to measure a brightness of a center of the photographic view at a first timing predetermined time before an exposure and at a second timing closer to the exposure than the first timing; a discriminator operable to discriminate based on light measurements of the light measuring unit whether an object has moved; and a corrector responsive to the discriminator and operable to correct a product of a detected focal length and a calculated magnification when the object is discriminated to have moved.

Claim 6

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 3, further comprising: a light measuring unit operable to measure respective brightness of different areas of the photographic view at a first timing predetermined time before an exposure and at a second timing closer to the exposure than the first timing; a first calculating unit operable to calculate a brightness of a main object from respective light measurements obtained at the first timing; a second calculating unit operable to calculate respective brightnesses of areas corresponding to the receiving areas of the light receiving unit from respective light measurements obtained at the second timing; and a corrector operable to correct weights for the receiving areas based on a calculated brightness of the main object and calculated brightnesses of areas corresponding to the receiving areas.

Claim 7

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said detector includes an encoder provided in the taking lens which outputs code data representing the focal length of the taking lens.

Claim 8

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the reflected light includes light emitted by said flash, and said photographing system further comprising: a calculator which calculates and determines a light emission terminating timing by means of outputs of said light receiving unit and the weights set by said controller; and a light emission controller which terminates the light emission of said flash.

Claim 9

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the outputs of the receiving areas are currents.

Claim 10

A flash-assisted photographing system including a camera provided with a taking lens capable of varying the focal length and a flash, the flash-assisted photographing system comprising: a light receiver having a plurality of receiving areas operable to separately receive light emitted by the flash and reflected by different areas of a photographic view; and a controller operable to receive a signal which represents a focal length of the taking lens, and to set weights for the receiving areas based on the received signal.

Claim 11

A flash-assisted photographing system including a camera provided with a taking lens capable of varying the focal length and a flash, the flash-assisted photographing system comprising: a light receiver having a plurality of receiving areas operable to separately receive light emitted by the flash and reflected by different areas of a photographic view; and a controller operable to receive a signal which represents a focal length of the taking lens, and to set weights for the receiving areas based on the received signal.

Claim 12

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 9, further comprising a distance detector operable to detect a distance to an object from the system.

Claim 13

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 10, further comprising a calculator operable to calculate a magnification by means of the focal length and the distance to the object.

Claim 14

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 11, wherein said controller sets weights for the receiving areas in accordance with a product of the focal length and the magnification.

Claim 15

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 12, further comprising: an object movement detector which detects whether the object has moved; and a corrector responsive to the object movement detector and operable to correct the product of the focal length and the magnification when the object movement is detected.

Claim 16

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 9, further comprising: a light measuring unit operable to measure brightness of a center of the photographic view at a first predetermined time before an exposure and at a second time closer to the exposure than the first time; a discriminator operable to discriminate based on light measurements of the light measuring unit whether an object has moved; and a corrector responsive to the discriminator and operable to correct a product of a detected focal length and a calculated magnification when the object is discriminated to have moved.

Claim 17

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 9, further comprising: a light measuring unit operable to measure respective brightness of different areas of the photographic view at a first predetermined time before an exposure and at a second time closer to the exposure than the first time; a first calculating unit operable to calculate a brightness of a main object from respective light measurements obtained at the first time; a second calculating unit operable to calculate respective brightness of areas corresponding to the receiving areas of the light receiving unit from respective light measurements obtained at the second time; and a corrector operable to correct weights for the receiving areas based on a calculated brightness of the main object and calculated brightness of areas corresponding to the receiving areas.

Claim 18

A flash-assisted photographing system as defined in claim 9, wherein the controller sets the weights for output currents of the receiving areas.

Claim 19

A flash-assisted photographing system including a camera provided with a taking lens capable of varying the focal length and a flash, the flash-assisted photographing system comprising: a light receiving unit having a plurality of receiving areas operable to separately receive lights reflected by different areas of a photographic view; a detector operable to detect a focal length of the taking lens; a controller operable to set weights for the receiving areas based on a detected focal length; a light measuring unit operable to measure brightness of a center of the photographic view at a first predetermined time before an exposure and at a second time closer to the exposure than the first time; a discriminator operable to discriminate based on light measurements of the light measuring unit whether an object has moved; and a corrector responsive to the discriminator and operable to correct a product of a detected focal length and a calculated magnification when the object is discriminated to have moved.

Claim 20

A flash-assisted photographing system including a camera provided with a taking lens capable of varying the focal length and a flash, the flash-assisted photographing system comprising: a light receiving unit having a plurality of receiving areas operable to separately receive lights reflected by different areas of a photographic view; a detector operable to detect a focal length of the taking lens; a controller operable to set weights for the receiving areas based on a detected focal length; a light measuring unit operable to measure brightness of a center of the photographic view at a first predetermined time before an exposure and at a second time closer to the exposure than the first time; a discriminator operable to discriminate based on light measurements of the light measuring unit whether an object has moved; and a corrector responsive to the discriminator and operable to correct a product of a detected focal length and a calculated magnification when the object is discriminated to have moved.

Claim 21

A flash-assisted photographing system including a camera provided with a taking lens capable of varying the focal length and a flash, the flash-assisted photographing system comprising: a light receiving unit having a plurality of receiving areas operable to separately receive light reflected by different areas of a photographic view; a detector operable to detect a focal length of the taking lens; a controller operable to set weights for the receiving areas based on a detected focal length; a light measuring unit operable to measure respective brightness of different areas of the photographic view at a first predetermined time before an exposure and at a second time closer to the exposure than the first time; a first calculating unit operable to calculate a brightness of a main object from respective light measurements obtained at the first time; a second calculating unit operable to calculate respective brightness of areas corresponding to the receiving areas of the light receiving unit from respective light measurements obtained at the second time; and a corrector operable to correct weights for the receiving areas based on a calculated brightness of the main object and calculated brightness of areas corresponding to the receiving areas.

Claim 22

A flash-assisted photographing system including a camera provided with a taking lens capable of varying the focal length and a flash, the flash-assisted photographing system comprising: a light receiving unit having a plurality of receiving areas operable to separately receive light reflected by different areas of a photographic view; a detector operable to detect a focal length of the taking lens; a controller operable to set weights for the receiving areas based on a detected focal length; a light measuring unit operable to measure respective brightness of different areas of the photographic view at a first predetermined time before an exposure and at a second time closer to the exposure than the first time; a first calculating unit operable to calculate a brightness of a main object from respective light measurements obtained at the first time; a second calculating unit operable to calculate respective brightness of areas corresponding to the receiving areas of the light receiving unit from respective light measurements obtained at the second time; and a corrector operable to correct weights for the receiving areas based on a calculated brightness of the main object and calculated brightness of areas corresponding to the receiving areas.