Patent ID: 6608651
Filing Date: 2003-08-19
Classification: G03B,H04N

Abstract:
A camera system including a camera body and an accessory unit detachably attached to said camera body, comprising:(A) camera-side control means disposed in said camera body, for producing a control command; (B) accessory-side control means, disposed in said accessory unit, for discriminating a plurality of functions which are different from each other in the operation time depends on a response characteristic and for producing operating status information relative to controllable functions respectively; and (C) communication means for transmitting the control command outputted from said camera-side control means to said accessory-side control means and for transmitting back the operating status information from said accessory-side control means to said camera body, wherein said accessory-side control means transmits the operating status information from the accessory side to said camera-side control means at the time of initial communication between said camera-side control means and said accessory-side control means, said camera-side control means changes a timing of transmitting the control command to the functions in said accessory unit respectively, while said accessory unit transmits the operating status information relative to said functions and at the time of control communication after termination of the initial communication, said camera-side control means controls said communication means so as to inhibit a control of the function in an uncontrollable state by changing the communication timing for transmitting the control command according to the status information and receive the operating status information of the function in the uncontrollable state.