JP2986105B2 - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electronic camera connectable to an external storage device.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, electronic still cameras have become widespread, but with the increase in capacity of solid-state memories in recent years, electronic cameras with built-in solid-state memories that are more reliable, more durable, and smaller and lighter than these electronic still cameras have been developed. It is being realized.

An electronic camera with a built-in solid-state memory is, for example, a solid-state memory such as a semiconductor memory that is irremovably built therein.
An image signal obtained by an electronic imaging means such as a CCD solid-state imaging device is stored in the solid-state memory.

By the way, in such an electronic camera, if an image signal corresponding to the storage capacity of the solid-state memory is stored, the next photographing cannot be performed. Therefore, the image signal stored in the solid-state memory must be deleted. At this time, if the image signal already stored in the solid-state memory needs to be stored, it is necessary to transfer and store the image signal to another recording medium (external recording medium).

Therefore, there is an information recording apparatus for recording an image signal stored in a solid-state memory built in an electronic camera on a recording medium having a relatively large storage capacity different from the solid-state memory, such as a floppy disk or a semiconductor memory. . The information recording device is connected to the above-described electronic camera, and receives an image signal stored in a solid-state memory of the connected electronic camera and records the image signal on a predetermined recording medium.

Further, even if the electronic camera has a removable information recording medium such as a floppy disk or an IC card, the information recorded on the information recording medium can be stored in a state where the information recording medium is mounted on the electronic camera. In some cases, the information is read out of the electronic camera, and the read information is recorded on another information recording medium loaded in the information recording device or reproduced by the information reproducing device.

As described above, a signal processing unit having a sufficient signal processing capability is provided in an external device that reads out information recorded on an information recording medium provided in an electronic camera and performs recording and reproduction outside the camera. Regardless of whether the electronic camera is used or not, the electronic camera is provided with a signal processing unit having a sufficient signal processing capability.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

The above-described electronic camera has sufficient signal processing capability, but also causes an increase in cost. Further, when connected to an external device having the above-described signal processing unit, there is a possibility that a signal that has been subjected to signal processing on the electronic camera side is subjected to signal processing again on the external device side.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera which can reduce costs and supply a suitable signal to an external storage device having digital signal processing capability.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an electronic camera according to the present invention includes an image sensor for imaging a subject and performing photoelectric conversion, and an A / D converter for A / D converting a video signal output from the image sensor. / D conversion means, storage means fixed on a circuit board inside the camera so as to directly store the digital video signal converted by the A / D conversion means, the digital video signal stored in the storage means, A data output terminal for outputting a digital video signal to an external storage device capable of performing video processing on the digital video signal via an output buffer means, and transmission and reception of control signals to and from the external storage device when connected to the external storage device And a power input terminal for receiving power supply from the external storage device when connected to the external recording device. That.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electronic camera system including the electronic camera. In the figure, 10 is an electronic camera, and 20 is an information recording / reproducing device as an external device.
The electronic camera 10 has an imaging lens 11, a finder window 12, a strobe window 13, a release button 14, and the like, and has the same shape as a general camera. However, this electronic camera 10
, A battery 15 is provided in the grip portion. The battery 15 is detachable by a structure described later in detail, and is removed by sliding the knob 16 in a direction indicated by an arrow A in the figure.

On the other hand, the information recording / reproducing device 20 has a connecting head 21 as an adapter. The connecting head 21 is connected to an information recording / reproducing apparatus main body 23 via a cord 22.

6 and 7 are views showing a circuit board of the electronic camera 10, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the front side, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the back side. In the figure, reference numeral 61 denotes a circuit board, on which an imaging element 62, a strobe unit 63, power input terminals 64a and 64b, and a connector pattern 65 are provided. Reference numerals 71a to 71d denote semiconductor memories, which are fixed to the circuit board 61 so as not to be detachable. Here, the power input terminals 64a and 64b are terminals for inputting power supplied from the battery 15 and the connecting head 21. The connector pattern 65 serves as a contact for transmitting information such as image signals recorded in the semiconductor memories 71a to 71d when the connecting head 21 is mounted on the electronic camera 10, and is used as an adapter connection. Provided as a connection terminal.

Although not shown, the circuit board 61 also has other elements constituting the circuit mounted thereon.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the battery 15 is removed from the electronic camera 10 shown in FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the battery mounting portion 30 of the electronic camera 10
Are concave portions that are open at the front, side, and bottom of the electronic camera 10. The battery mounting section 30 has a first surface 31 parallel to the front surface and a second surface 32 perpendicular to the first surface 31. The second surface portion 32 has a first
A groove 33 is formed at a joint portion with the surface portion 31.

The first surface portion 31 does not reach the side surface of the electronic camera 10, and is open between the side surface of the electronic camera 10 and the first surface portion 31. Thereby, the connector pattern 65 provided on the circuit board 61 is exposed. Openings 34a, 34b are provided in the first surface 31 at positions corresponding to the power input terminals 64a, 64b provided on the circuit board 61, and the power input terminals 64a, 64b are exposed.

Further, a guide rail 35 is provided at a lower end of the first surface portion 31. A notch 36 is provided near the end of the guide rail 35 at the bottom of the electronic camera 10. Also,
A concave portion 37 is provided in the second surface portion 32, and a spring 38 is provided in the concave portion 37 with one end thereof slightly protruding.

Although the knob 16 is provided so as to be slidable as described above, it is normally urged by a spring or the like (not shown) and is normally in the state shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the battery 15. The battery 15 has a box-shaped housing in which an electromotive substance is sealed. 41a and 41b are contact pieces, some of which protrude outside the housing. The portions of the contact pieces 41a, 41b protruding outside the housing come into contact with power input terminals 64a, 64b provided on the electronic camera 10 when the battery 15 is mounted on the electronic camera 10 as shown in FIG. The power generated by the electromotive substance is supplied to the electronic camera 10.

And, as shown in FIG.
One of the ends along the arrangement direction of 41b has contact pieces 41a, 4
A protruding edge 42 rising from the surface where a portion of 1b protrudes and having a hook-shaped cross section extends to the other end, extending the surface where a portion of the contact pieces 41a and 41b protrude. Protrusions 43 are formed respectively. In addition, of the ends orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the contact pieces 41a and 41b, an end near the contact piece 41b is provided with a stepped portion 4.
4 are formed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the connecting head 21 of the information reading device 20. As shown in the drawing, the connecting head 21 is provided with a housing 51 of the same shape and size as the housing of the battery 15 shown in FIG.
5), a hook-shaped protruding edge 52 (battery 15).
Of the battery 15), a protruding portion 53 (corresponding to the protruding portion 43 of the battery 15) extending a surface on which a part of the contact pieces 51a and 51b protrude, and a step portion 54 (a step portion of the battery 15). 44 (corresponding to 44). Furthermore, this connecting head 21
A protruding portion 55 is provided on the surface from which the contact pieces 51a and 51b protrude so as to be continuous with the protruding edge portion 52. A terminal 56 is provided on the protrusion 55 in a state corresponding to the connector pattern 65 of the electronic camera 10. The terminal 56 and the contact pieces 51a, 51b
Are connected to the information recording / reproducing apparatus main body 23 by a code 22, respectively.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. In addition,
1 to 3 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in the drawing, when the battery 15 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 30, the groove 33 and the protruding portion 43, and the notch 36 and the protruding portion
42 are fitted with each other, thereby preventing the battery 15 from dropping forward. In addition, the battery 15 is held by the knob 16 to prevent the battery 15 from dropping to the side. The battery 16 mounted on the battery mounting portion 30 is urged laterally (to the left in the drawing) by a spring 38. When the knob 16 is slid to lose the lateral holding force, the battery 15 Is discharged.

Although not shown in the figure, the stepped portion 44 shown in FIG. 3 is fitted to the guide rail 35 shown in FIG. 2 to prevent the battery 15 from dropping downward.

When the battery 15 is mounted on the battery mounting section 30 in this manner, the contact pieces 41a, 41b of the battery 15 are connected to the power input terminals 64a, 64.
4b, power is supplied to the circuit of the electronic camera 10. In the figure, reference numeral 15a denotes an electromotive substance.

Although not shown, when the connecting head 21 is mounted on the battery mounting section 30, the groove 33, the protruding edge 53, the notch
36 and the protruding edge portion 52, and the guide rail 35 and the step portion 54 are fitted to each other, and are held by the knob 16 and mounted in the same manner as when the battery 15 is mounted (fifth illustration). When the connecting head 21 is mounted, the contact pieces 51a, 51b contact the power input terminals 64a, 64b and the information input terminals 5a, 51b.
6 comes into contact with the connector pattern 65. Various elements constituting a circuit and the like are mounted on a portion indicated by a two-dot chain line A in FIG.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are block diagrams showing the configuration of the electric system of the electronic camera system configured as described above.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the camera 10, and FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information recording / reproducing apparatus 20. 6 and 7 are designated by the same reference numerals.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, the electronic camera 10
After the image signal obtained in 62 is pre-processed by a preamplifier 81, it is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter 82 and stored in a semiconductor memory 71 (71a to 71d). This semiconductor memory 71
In order to output the image signal stored in the memory device to the outside, the image signal to be output is supplied to the data output terminal 84 via the output buffer 83. Here, a predetermined one of the connector patterns 65 (shown in FIG. 6) is assigned to the data output terminal 84.

Reference numeral 85 denotes a system controller that controls the electronic camera as a whole. The system controller 85 includes a driver 86 for driving the image sensor 62, a photometric circuit 88 for receiving the output of the photometric sensor 87 and measuring the amount of light, a synchronous signal generator (SSG) 89 for generating a synchronous signal, and an operator. Are connected to a control switch 90 for performing an instruction operation on the system controller 85, and a control signal terminal 91 for transferring a control signal when the information recording / reproducing device 20 is connected. Here, the control signal terminal 91 is assigned a predetermined one of the connector patterns shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 92 denotes a power supply circuit that supplies power to each unit of the electronic camera 10. In the power supply circuit 92, a power supply input terminal 64 (64a, 64b) and a backup battery 94 are connected via a switch 93. The switch 93 is switched by the system controller 85.The system controller 85 selects the power supply input terminal 64 when the battery 15 or the connecting head 21 is mounted, and otherwise selects the backup battery 94. Switch to select
Control 93.

Therefore, the battery 15 is connected to the power supply input terminal 64 in a normal state such as when photographing, and power is supplied from the battery 15 to the power supply circuit 92. Also, both the battery 15 and the connecting head 21
When the backup battery 94 is not mounted on the power supply circuit 92, the backup battery 94 is selected by the switch 93, and power is supplied from the backup battery 94 to the power supply circuit 92. Thereby, the semiconductor memory 71
To protect the image signal stored in it.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 20 inputs the image information input from the data input terminal 101 to the D / A converter 103 via the input buffer 102. The D / A converter 103 converts the input image signal into an analog signal,
It is given to the video processing circuit 104. The video processing circuit 104 performs a predetermined video process such as color separation, gamma correction, and white balance on the given image signal. The image signal that has undergone the video process is coded by an encoder 105 and input to a modulator 107 via a switch 106. The image signal is modulated by a modulator 107 and then input to a disk drive 109 via a recording amplifier 108 and recorded on a floppy disk such as a still video floppy disk. Note that an external input terminal 110 is also connected to the switch 106, and the switch 106 selects one of the encoder 105 and the external input terminal 110.

When reproducing an image, an image signal recorded on a floppy disk is read by a disk drive 109 and input to a demodulator 112 via a reproduction amplifier 111. The demodulator 112 demodulates the input image signal and supplies it to the external output terminal 113. Therefore, if a television monitor or the like is connected to the external output terminal 113, an image is reproduced on the connected television monitor or the like.

A system controller 114 controls the information recording / reproducing apparatus as a whole. This system controller 114
A control switch 115 for the operator to perform an instruction operation on the system controller 114, and a control signal terminal 116 for transferring a control signal to and from the connected electronic camera 10 when connected to the electronic camera 10. Is connected.

Reference numeral 117 denotes a power supply circuit for supplying power to each unit of the information recording / reproducing apparatus, and receives a commercial power supply 118. Reference numeral 119 denotes a power output terminal for supplying power output from the power supply circuit 117 to the electronic camera 10 when the electronic camera 10 is connected.

The data input terminal 101, the control signal terminal 116,
The power supply output terminal 119 is provided on the connecting head 21, the data input terminal 101 and the control signal terminal 116 use the terminal 56 shown in FIG. 4, and the power supply output terminal 119 is connected to the contact pieces 51a and 51b in FIG. Is used.

Here, when the connecting head 21 of the information recording / reproducing device 20 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 30 of the electronic camera 10,
The data output terminal 84 is connected to the data input terminal 101, the control signal terminal 91 is connected to the control signal terminal 116, and the power input terminal 64 is connected to the power output terminal 119. Therefore, the electronic camera 10 and the information recording / reproducing device 20
The respective system controllers 85 and 114 are connected to each other, and the information recording / reproducing apparatus 10 can read out the image signals stored in the semiconductor memory 71 of the electronic camera 10. Further, the electronic camera 10 is driven by electric power obtained from a commercial power supply.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the connector pattern 65 serving as a connection terminal for connecting the information recording / reproducing device 20 is provided.
However, when shooting, etc.
Covered by 15. Therefore, connector pattern 65
The connector pattern 65 can be reliably protected without newly providing a cover or the like for covering the connector. Further, since the connector pattern 65 is formed directly on the circuit board 61, there is no need to connect using a lead wire or the like, so that it is possible to suppress noise mixing and signal attenuation to a low level, and to accurately transmit and receive signals. be able to. Furthermore, connecting head
Since the mounting portion 21 is shared with the battery mounting portion 30 and the connecting head 21 has substantially the same shape as the battery 15, the battery 15 and the connecting head 21 are attached to the battery mounting portion 30 of the electronic camera 10. In either case, the outer shape of the electronic camera 10 is the same. Therefore, the electronic camera 10 has a neat shape,
Operability is improved. Further, since the battery 15 and the connecting head 21 have substantially the same shape, common parts can be applied, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Also, the contact pieces 41a and 41b and the information input terminal 56 are
Have a step, so that when the battery 15 or the connecting head 21 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 30, the contact pieces 41a and 41b do not contact the connector pattern 65, and thus the connector pattern is unnecessary. 65 can be prevented from being worn, and an element can be prevented from being destroyed due to an overcurrent flowing in the circuit. The electronic camera 10 is an information recording / reproducing device.
When the electronic camera 10 is connected to the electronic camera 10, it is not necessary to be portable, and therefore it is not necessary to be driven by a battery. The electric power obtained from the commercial power supply 118 is supplied only by attaching the power supply 21, so that it is not necessary to obtain electric power with a power supply cord or the like, which is convenient. Furthermore, since all the circuits are mounted on one board, the size of the device can be reduced. Further, since the heavy battery 15 is provided in the grip portion, there is an effect that the weight balance is good and the stability is good at the time of photographing or the like.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the electronic camera of the present invention, the digital video signal stored in the storage means for directly storing the output of the A / D conversion means,
Because data is output from the data output terminal to the external storage device,
A signal processing unit is not required, cost can be reduced, and suitable signals can be supplied to an external storage device having digital signal processing capability. In addition, since it has a control signal terminal for transmitting and receiving a control signal to and from the external storage device, it is possible to control reading of a digital video signal stored in the electronic camera from the external storage device,
Excellent convenience. Further, since the digital camera has a power input terminal for receiving power supply from the external storage device, power shortage occurs during reading of the digital video signal from the electronic camera to the external storage device, and the reading is interrupted. Things can be avoided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an electronic camera system including an electronic camera according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the system, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the battery, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the connecting head, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the connecting head, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the front surface of the circuit board of the electronic camera, FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the back surface of the substrate of the electronic camera, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric system of the electronic camera. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric system of the information recording / reproducing apparatus. 10 electronic camera, 15 battery, 20 information recording / reproducing device, 21 connecting head, 56 terminal, 65
... Connector pattern, 71 (71a-71d) ... Semiconductor memory.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An imaging device for imaging a subject and performing photoelectric conversion; A / D conversion means for A / D converting a video signal output from the imaging device; and conversion by the A / D conversion device. Storage means fixed on a circuit board inside the camera so as to directly store the digital video signal obtained by the digital camera, and a digital video signal stored in the storage means is output to the digital video signal via an output buffer means. A data output terminal for outputting to an external storage device capable of processing; a control signal terminal for transmitting and receiving a control signal to and from the external storage device when connected to the external storage device; A power input terminal for receiving power supply from the external storage device when connected.