JP2000041168A - Adapter device and electronic equipment control system using the device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic device control system which can perform the fast communication between two electronic devices and also can control a desired electronic device at a high speed and with high efficiency by using the memory of an adapter device to perform the communication between both electronic devices. SOLUTION: An adapter device 1 connects an electronic camera 2 to a personal computer 3 and transfers the image data which are photographed by the camera 2 to the computer 3. The 1st and 2nd card-shaped connectors 11 and 12 which construct a connection means are disposed to the adapter device 1 together with a memory card slot 13 which composes a memory application part and a control part 14. The connectors 11 and 12 are connected to the part 14 via the cables 15 and 16 respectively. The slot 13 is placed on the same substrate as the part 14 at a main body part 1a including the part 14, for example, and connected to the part 14. Then a memory card 18 can be freely loaded into and unloaded from the slot 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an adapter device for interconnecting a plurality of electronic devices in order to transfer information between the plurality of electronic devices, and an electronic device control system using the adapter device. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, for example, portable electronic devices often require communication with external devices. For example, in an electronic camera, in addition to writing digitized image data obtained by a shooting operation to a recording medium such as a memory card detachably mounted on the camera body by performing a compression process, etc., if necessary, For example, in order to display an image captured by an electronic camera with high image quality on an external large-screen display device, to store the image in an external large-capacity memory, or to process the image captured by an external image processing device, A function to transfer image data to an external device through an external line has been added.
The functions and the range of use have become extremely diverse.

As a transfer form of image data from an electronic camera to an external device, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-167
No. 979 discloses that a serial communication terminal and a communication means are added to a camera body, and at the time of shooting a subject, image data obtained by a shooting operation is compressed and written into a memory card detachably provided in the camera body. At the time of image data communication, the serial communication terminal of the camera body and the external device are connected via a communication cable, the image data written on the memory card is read and decompressed, and then converted to a serial signal by the communication means. A device is disclosed in which a serial signal is transferred to an external device via a communication cable, and the received serial signal is converted into image data and stored in a memory or the like.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-980 discloses an interface card having a built-in communication circuit detachably mountable in a memory card slot of an electronic camera, and an external device connected to the interface card via a cable. The electronic camera and the external device are connected by using a communication adapter device having a connection unit for connecting the electronic camera to the external device via the communication adapter device, and the image data obtained by the electronic camera is directly transferred to the external device. Is disclosed.

On the other hand, a plurality of electronic devices, for example, an electronic camera and a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a personal computer) are connected via a serial interface, control data is sent from the personal computer to the electronic camera, and the electronic camera is directly connected to the electronic camera. Control is also conventionally performed.

[0006]

However, in the image data transfer mode disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-167797, it is necessary to provide a serial communication terminal and communication means in the camera body. Therefore, there is a problem that miniaturization of the camera is hindered, and a problem that the communication speed is slow because image data is transferred by serial communication. In order to increase the communication speed, it is conceivable to use a signal format with a high communication speed such as parallel communication or IEEE 1394.However, in the case of parallel communication, the communication terminal becomes large, and in the case of IEEE 1394, the communication terminal becomes large. Has a problem that the camera body becomes large because the communication circuit and the like become large-scale.

Further, in the image data transfer mode disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-980, since the communication circuit is built in the interface card of the communication adapter device, the circuit scale becomes large. In addition to the problem, there is a problem that image data cannot be written to the memory card because an interface card is inserted into the memory card slot instead of the memory card for recording image data. It is also conceivable that a dedicated slot for an interface card is provided separately from the memory card slot, and that image data is written to the memory card and transferred to an external device via a communication adapter device at the same time. In this case, two slots are provided, which causes a problem that miniaturization is hindered.

Also, by connecting the electronic camera to a personal computer,
When directly controlling the electronic camera from a personal computer, a direct handshake is required, which causes a problem that the operation is troublesome, and communication cannot be performed when the electronic camera is in the process of shooting. There is a problem that it cannot be controlled well.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and a first object of the present invention is to provide an adapter device appropriately configured to enable high-speed communication between a plurality of electronic devices. It is assumed that.

Further, a second object of the present invention is to provide an electronic equipment control system which can easily and efficiently control electronic equipment by applying the above adapter device.

[0011]

In order to achieve the first object, an adapter device according to a first aspect includes a recording medium mounting portion for detachably mounting and using an information recording medium. One connection means configured to be detachably mounted on the recording medium mounting portion of the electronic device and capable of exchanging information, and a recording medium mounting for detachably mounting and using the information recording medium Other connecting means configured to be detachably mounted on the recording medium mounting section of another electronic device having a section and capable of transmitting and receiving information, and to access from the one connecting means side and the other A memory application unit configured to apply a memory so as to allow access from the connection unit side, and the one connection unit side and the other connection unit to the memory applied to the memory application unit Restrict access from the side It is characterized in further comprising control means for, the.

With this configuration, one electronic device and another electronic device communicate with each other via the memory of the adapter device. Therefore, the speed of writing and reading information to and from the memory becomes the communication speed, and the high-speed communication is performed. Becomes possible.

Furthermore, the adapter device according to claim 2 is
An electronic device including a recording medium mounting portion for detachably mounting and using an information recording medium is configured to be detachably mounted on the recording medium mounting portion to exchange information. Connection means, and a conductor connecting part for detachably connecting a conductor for transmitting and receiving information to and from an external device is detachably connected to the conductor connecting part of another device having a conductor connecting part for transmitting and receiving information. Other connection means configured to be able to do so;
A memory application unit configured to apply a memory so as to enable access from the one connection unit side and access from the other connection unit side; and a memory application unit configured to apply the memory to the memory application unit. Control means for controlling access from the one connection means side and the other connection means side.

As described above, the other connection means of the adapter device is configured to be detachably connected to the conductor connection portion for exchanging information with an external device provided in another electronic device. If, for example, communication with various other electronic devices having a conductor connection portion becomes possible, general versatility can be improved in addition to high-speed communication via a memory.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control means controls so as to transfer information between the one connection means side and the other connection means side via the memory.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the memory is a recording medium that is removable from the memory application unit.

With this configuration, it is possible to write and store the information on a recording medium at the same time as the communication of information between one electronic apparatus and another electronic apparatus, and to store the information on the recording medium. By using a recording medium that can be mounted on the recording medium mounting section of one electronic device, the versatility of the recording medium can be improved.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the memory is an internal memory fixedly mounted on the memory application section.

This eliminates the need for a memory attaching / detaching mechanism, so that the configuration can be simplified and the whole can be inexpensive.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the control means is provided with a detecting means for detecting an access request from the one connecting means side and the other connecting means side to the memory, Based on the output of the means, control is performed to allow access to the memory from any one of the connection means.

In this way, it is possible to automatically write and read information to and from the memory in response to a request from one electronic device or another electronic device.
Even if a plurality of electronic devices are connected, it is possible to operate properly.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, when the above-mentioned detecting means is provided, the control means sends an access prohibition signal to the connecting means which has not received an access request, based on the output of the detecting means. Output.

According to this configuration, the operation in a state where a plurality of electronic devices are connected can be made more reliable.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, in the case where the detection means is provided, the control means maintains the access permission state for a certain time with respect to the connection means side even after the access request is released. To do it.

In this way, when an access request is continuously issued from the same electronic device, the priority can be increased.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, a recording area for control data between the one electronic device and the other electronic device is provided in the memory.

As described above, if the recording area of the control data is secured in the memory, for example, as an absolute address or a file, it is possible to control the electronic device via the memory.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, as the control data, status data indicating a status of the electronic device from the one electronic device, and a status data for the one electronic device from the other electronic device. The data including the processing instruction data is stored in a control data recording area of the memory.

With this configuration, the other electronic device does not directly communicate with the one electronic device, and stores the processing instruction data for the one electronic device in the control data recording area of the memory. Can be controlled, and the control result can be confirmed by reading the state data of one electronic device from the memory. Therefore, for example, when one electronic device is an electronic camera, direct handshaking is not required, so that the operation is simplified. Further, since control data is communicated via the memory, high-speed processing can be performed, and thus, for example, an electronic camera can be efficiently controlled by a personal computer.

Further, in order to achieve the second object,
An invention according to claim 11 is an electronic device control system configured by applying the adapter device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the other electronic device stores the one electronic device in the memory of the adapter device. Control data for a device is written, and the one electronic device reads the control data stored in the memory and executes a process based on the control data.

As described above, if one electronic device is controlled by another electronic device via the memory of the adapter device, efficient operation as a system becomes possible.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the adapter device according to the present invention. The adapter device 1 includes an electronic camera 2 and a personal computer 3
And transfers image data obtained by shooting with the electronic camera 2 to the personal computer 3. Here, as is well known, the electronic camera 2 has a memory card slot 5 for detachably mounting a memory card for recording image data.
The image data obtained by shooting is compressed and written into the memory card inserted in the memory card slot 5. Also, the personal computer 3 has a recording medium mounting section 6 such as a floppy disk drive or a PC card slot for detachably mounting a floppy disk or a PC card.

The adapter device 1 is provided with card-like first and second connectors 11 and 12 constituting connection means, a memory card slot 13 constituting a memory application unit, and a control unit 14. The first and second connectors 11 and 12 are connected to the control unit 14 via cables 15 and 16, respectively. The memory card slot 13 is provided, for example, on the same substrate as the control section 14 in the main body section 1 a where the control section 14 is provided, and is connected to the control section 14, and the memory card 18 is detachably attached to the memory card slot 13. Make sure to attach it.

In this embodiment, the first and second connectors 11 and 12 are connected to the memory card slot 5 of the electronic camera 2.
And has the same terminal structure as the memory card conforming to. In addition, a memory card 18 compatible with the memory card slot 5 of the electronic camera 2 is mounted in the memory card slot 13 of the adapter device 1.

Thus, the first and second connectors 1
One of the first and second connectors 12, for example, a first connector 11 is attached to the memory card slot 5 of the electronic camera 2, and the other second connector 12 is connected via a memory card adapter 19 compatible with the recording medium loading section 6 of the personal computer 3. Recording medium mounting section 6
A memory card 18 is inserted into the memory card slot 13, and image data taken by the electronic camera 2 and supplied to the memory card slot 5 under the control of the control unit 14 is stored in the memory card 18. Is transferred to the personal computer 3 via.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of an example of the adapter device shown in FIG. The power supply voltage is applied to the first and second connectors 11 and 12 and the memory card slot 13 in accordance with the terminal structure of the memory card slot 5 of the electronic camera 2.
Vcc input terminal receiving Vcc, CE input terminal receiving chip enable (CE) signal, that is, access request signal, data line (Io1-Io8) terminals receiving data, read pulse
RE input terminal receiving (RE), receiving write pulse (WE)
In addition to providing a WE input terminal and an address line (AD0 to AD23) terminal for receiving an address signal, the first and second connectors 11 and 12 are further provided with a DIS output terminal for outputting an access inhibition (DIS) signal. . The DIS output terminals of the first and second connectors 11 and 12 are terminals connected to ground in the memory card 18.

The Vcc input terminals of the first and second connectors 11 and 12 are connected to the Vcc input terminal of the memory card slot 13 via the diode OR circuit 21. The power supply voltage Vcc is supplied to the memory card 18 mounted on the memory card 13. Of the first and second connectors 11 and 12
The CE signal supplied to the CE input terminal is supplied to a flip-flop circuit (FF) 22, the two outputs of which are inverted and supplied to an AND circuit 23, and the output of the AND circuit 23 is stored in a memory card. Slot 13
Supply to CE input terminal. In this embodiment, the chip enable (CE) signal, the read pulse (RE), and the write pulse (WE) have negative logic. In this manner, the electronic camera 2 or the personal computer 3 that accesses the memory card 18 through one of the first and second connectors 11 and 12 allows the corresponding connector (1) to be accessed.
The CE signal supplied to the CE input terminal of the memory card slot 13 is set at the L level by setting the CE signal supplied to the CE input terminal of the memory card slot 13 to the low (L) level. Access to the memory card 18 from the electronic device is allowed.

Of the outputs of the FF 22, the first connector 1
An output (herein, referred to as Q output) which becomes high (H) level when the CE signal from 1 becomes L level is supplied to the DIS output terminal of the second connector 12 through the fall delay circuit 24, The other output (herein referred to as the Q ′ output) passes through the fall delay circuit 25 and is connected to the DI of the first connector 11.
Supply to S output terminal.

Io1 to Io1 of the first and second connectors 11 and 12
The Io8 terminals are connected to the corresponding Io1 to Io1 of the memory card slot 13 through data line switching circuits 26-1 to 26-8 having a total of four 3-state buffers in which two 3-state buffers are respectively connected in opposite directions. Connect to Io8 pin. The RE input terminal and the WE input terminal of the first and second connectors 11 and 12 are respectively connected to the corresponding RE input terminal of the memory card slot 13 via the RE selection circuit 27 and the WE selection circuit 28 each having a three-state buffer. Connect to WE input terminal. Similarly, the AD0 to AD23 terminals of the first and second connectors 11 and 12 are also connected to an address line switching circuit 29- having a three-state buffer.
The connection is made to the corresponding AD0 to AD23 terminals of the memory card slot 13 via 0 to 29-23.

The first and second connectors 1 for the memory card 18 mounted in the memory card slot 13
In order to control access from the sides 1 and 12, the FF 22
Is supplied to one input terminal of each of AND circuits 31 and 32, and the RE selection circuit 27, the WE selection circuit 28 and the address line switching circuits 29-0 to 29-29 are provided.
-23 respectively. Similarly, the Q 'output of the FF 22 is supplied to one input terminal of each of the AND circuits 33 and 34, and the RE selection circuit 27, the WE selection circuit 28, and the address line switching circuits 29-0 to 29-23.
Respectively.

Further, the other input terminal of the AND circuit 31 has an RE input supplied to the RE input terminal of the first connector 11.
The signal is inverted and supplied, and the other input terminal of the AND circuit 32 is supplied to the WE input terminal of the first connector 11.
The WE signal is inverted and supplied. Similarly, an RE signal supplied to the RE input terminal of the second connector 12 is supplied to the other input terminal of the AND circuit 33 by inverting the supplied RE signal.
The WE signal supplied to the WE input terminal of the second connector 12 is inverted and supplied to the other input terminal.

As described above, for example, when the CE signal from the first connector 11 is at the L level, the Q output of the FF 22 is set to the H level to allow access to the memory card 18 from the first connector 11 side. When the CE signal from the second connector 12 is at the L level, the Q 'output of the FF 22 is set at the H level to allow access to the memory card 18 from the second connector 12 side.

That is, by setting the CE signal from the first connector 11 to L level, the Q output of the FF 22 is set to H level.
Level, and the Q output thereof makes the RE selection circuit 27, the WE selection circuit 28, and the address line switching circuits 29-0 to 29-0.
29-23, a three-state buffer on the first connector 11 side is selected, and an RE signal, a WE signal, and an address signal AD are sent from the first connector 11 side to the memory card slot 13.
0 to AD23, and at the same time, in response to the Q output of the FF 22 and the RE signal and WE signal from the first connector 11, the AND line circuits 31 and 32 provide the data line switching circuits 26-1 to 26-. 8, the read / write three-state buffer is selected, and data is read / written from / to the first connector 11 to / from the memory card 18 inserted into the memory card slot 13.

Similarly, by setting the CE signal from the second connector 12 to L level, the Q 'output of the FF 22 is set to H level.
Level, and its Q 'output causes the RE selection circuit 27, the WE selection circuit 28, and the address line switching circuit 29-0.
, 29-, and the 3-state buffer on the second connector 12 side is selected, and the RE signal, the WE signal, and the address signal are sent from the second connector 12 side to the memory card slot 13.
AD0 to AD23 are supplied, and at the same time, the Q 'output of the FF 22 and the RE signal and WE from the second connector 12 side are output.
According to the signal, the AND circuits 33 and 34 select a three-state buffer for reading or writing in the data line switching circuits 26-1 to 26-8, and from the second connector 12 to the memory card slot 13 Data is read from / written to the inserted memory card 18.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing an example of writing compressed image data obtained by photographing with the electronic camera 2 to the memory card 18 of the adapter device 1 in the first embodiment. Here, the electronic camera 2 divides the compressed image data of one screen into 200 blocks in a time-series manner, for example, with 512 bytes as one block, for a memory card inserted into the memory card slot 5. To be recorded. Therefore, the first connector 11 of the adapter device 1
Is mounted on the memory card slot 5 of the electronic camera 2 and the second connector 12 is mounted on the recording medium mounting section 6 of the personal computer 3 via the memory card adapter 19. ,
An L level CE signal is supplied from the electronic camera 2 in block units, and in each block, data Io1 to Io8 are recorded in bytes at addresses specified by the address signals AD0 to AD23 in synchronization with the WE signal. .

In synchronization with the falling edge of the CE signal, F
Since the Q output of F22 becomes H level, a DIS signal of H level is supplied to the DIS output terminal of the second connector 12 through the fall delay circuit 24, and the DIS signal causes the personal computer 3 to transmit the signal to the memory card 18 from the PC 3. Access is prohibited. Here, the CE signal is once H between successive blocks.
Level, and the period during which the H level is set is, for example, 10
In the case of msec, the fall delay time in the fall delay circuit 24 is set to, for example, 100 msec.

In this way, even if the CE signal once becomes H level between the sequential blocks during the period when one screen of image data is being written from the electronic camera 2 to the memory card 18, it is supplied to the personal computer 3. Since the DIS signal is maintained at the H level, the access request from the personal computer 3 during the image data writing period is prohibited, and the writing of the image data block is prioritized.

Similarly, when reading out one screen of image data written in the memory card 18 by the personal computer 3, an access request from the electronic camera 2 during the reading period is prohibited, and one screen of image data is read. In order to give priority to the reading of the image data, the falling edge of the DIS signal supplied to the electronic camera 2 is controlled by the falling delay circuit 25.
, For example, for 100 msec.

According to this embodiment, one connector of the adapter device 1, for example, the first connector 11 is mounted on the memory card slot 5 provided in the electronic camera 2, and the other second connector 12 is connected to the memory. By mounting the digital camera 2 on the recording medium mounting section 6 of the personal computer 3 via the card adapter 19, image data obtained by photographing with the electronic camera 2 is written to the memory card 18 mounted on the adapter device 1, and is stored in the memory card 18. Since the written image data can be read by the personal computer 3, the image recording memory card is not replaced from the electronic camera 2 to the personal computer 3, and the electronic camera 2 is not changed at all. Image data obtained by photographing with the electronic camera 2 can be transferred to the personal computer 3 at high speed.

Further, since the image data is written in the memory card 18, it can be stored and
When the adapter device 1 is not used, the memory card 18 can be used by attaching it to the memory card slot 5 of the electronic camera 2, so that the memory card 18 can be used effectively.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention. The adapter device 41 is configured such that, for example, the second connector 42 connected to the personal computer 3 has a shape adapted to the recording medium mounting portion 6 of the personal computer 3, for example, an expansion slot or a PC card slot. The configuration such as that of the first embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and components having the same operation are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

Therefore, according to the adapter device 41, the second connector 42 can be directly mounted on the recording medium mounting portion 6 of the personal computer 3 without using a medium conversion adapter, thereby improving usability. can do.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention. The adapter device 45 has a connector structure in which, for example, a second connector 46 connected to the personal computer 3 can be directly connected to a communication port 47 provided in the personal computer 3, and the main body 45a has a memory card 18 Communication format and communication port 47
Communication circuit 4 for mutually converting between communication formats
8 is provided so that the personal computer 3 accesses the memory card 18 via the communication circuit 48. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the personal computer 3 and the memory card 1
Communication with SCSI, parallel communication, IEEE 139
4. There is an advantage that a general-purpose communication format such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) can be used.

In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the second connector 46 is configured to be connectable to a port of an external device other than the personal computer, and the connection between the memory card 18 and the external device is made. If the communication circuit 48 for mutually converting the communication format of the electronic camera 2 is provided, the image data obtained by photographing with the electronic camera 2 can be transferred to another media card which is not compatible with the electronic camera 2 and written. Transfer to a large-capacity medium such as a PC, write to a printer, print out, transfer to a large screen monitor for display, transfer to a modem for LAN
And can be transferred to various external devices.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This adapter device 51 is the same as a memory card compatible with the electronic camera 2 in the main body 51, instead of providing the memory card slot 13 in the main body and detachably mounting the memory card 18 as in the above-described embodiment. A semiconductor memory 52 having a memory configuration is built in, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the first
In addition to the effects of the embodiment, since the memory card slot 13 is not required, there is an advantage that the cost can be reduced.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a fifth embodiment of the present invention. This adapter device 55 is different from the configuration shown in FIG.
a, a semiconductor memory 56 having a memory configuration different from that of a memory card compatible with the electronic camera 2 and a conversion circuit 57 are provided.
The reading is converted into the memory configuration of the semiconductor memory 56 by the conversion circuit 57, and the other configuration is the same as that of the fourth embodiment.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, since an inexpensive memory such as a DRAM, an SRAM, or a flash memory can be used as the semiconductor memory 56, there is an advantage that the whole can be made more inexpensive.

In the above-described embodiment, when the controller 14 of the adapter device 1 receives an access request from the electronic camera 2 at which the CE signal goes low, for example, the personal computer 3
Although an H-level DIS signal is output to such external devices to prohibit access requests from the external devices, in the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the electronic camera 2 and the external devices (for example, the personal computer 3) Monitor the contents of the access request to the adapter device from the PC or the control data in the electronic camera 2, for example, the continuous shooting mode and the continuous reproduction mode, and control the access to the memory of the adapter device.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of the sixth embodiment. In this adapter device 61, the first and second
Are connected to the memory card slot 13 through the cords 15 and 16 and the control unit 62 in the main body 61a, respectively. The control unit 62 includes a switch unit 63 for controlling on / off of communication between the first connector 11 and the memory card 18 inserted into the memory card slot 13, a second connector 12 and a memory card 18.
Switch means 64 for controlling on / off of communication with the
For monitoring the contents of access requests to the memory card 18 from the first and second connectors 11 and 12 and, for example, control data in the electronic camera 2 connected to the first connector 11 side. A monitor means 65 is provided, and the monitor means 65 controls on / off of the switch means 63 and 64 based on the monitored access request and the content of the control data, and gives priority to communication from one of the connectors. .

For example, when a request for recording image data is input as an access request from the electronic camera 2 to which the first connector 11 is attached, the switch means 63 is used to give priority to the photographing function of the electronic camera 2. Is turned on, the switch means 64 is turned off, and the communication with the personal computer 3 to which the second connector 12 is attached is cut off.
Give priority to communication to. Alternatively, the monitoring means 65
Based on the control data of the electronic camera 2 monitored in the above, the control data is stored in, for example, the continuous shooting mode or the memory card 1.
In the case of a continuous reproduction mode or the like in which the image data of all the frames written in 8 is read out and continuously displayed on a liquid crystal display device built in the electronic camera 2, a predetermined mode is set for the mode. Until the end of the sequence, the switch means 63 is turned on and the switch means 64 is turned off to disconnect the communication with the personal computer 3 and give priority to the communication with the electronic camera 2.

In the above embodiment, image data obtained by photographing with the electronic camera 2 is written to a memory card detachably mounted on the adapter device or a built-in memory of the adapter device, and the image data is written to the personal computer 3 or the like. However, in the seventh embodiment of the present invention, for example, in the first embodiment, a recording area for writing control data between the electronic camera 2 and the personal computer 3 is provided in the memory card 18, In the control data recording area, state data indicating the state of the electronic camera 2 as control data;
The electronic camera 2 is directly controlled by the personal computer 3 by writing the processing instruction data from the personal computer 3 to the electronic camera 2. The control data recording area provided on the memory card 18 is provided as an absolute address or provided in a file format, and writing of image data is prohibited in this area.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the processing on the electronic camera 2 side and the processing on the personal computer 3 side in the seventh embodiment. On the electronic camera 2 side, as shown in FIG. 9, when the power is turned on, the state data in the control data recording area of the memory card 18 is initialized, and the state data when the power is turned on, for example, the zoom position (focal length), On / off of liquid crystal display device, image size such as flash shooting / panorama, shooting image quality, shooting mode such as continuous shooting mode, power supply voltage, flash charging state, AE
(Exposure) value and the like are written (step S1). Thereafter, every 100 msec, for example (step S2), the processing command data from the personal computer 3 in the control data recording area is read (step S3), and it is determined whether or not there is processing command data including a release processing command. (Step S4),
If not, the status data at that time is updated and recorded in the control data recording area (step S5), and the process proceeds to step S2.

If it is determined in step S4 that there is processing command data, release processing is executed based on the processing command data read in step S3 (step S3).
6), it is determined whether or not the release has been performed (step S)
7) If the release is successful, the (compressed) image data obtained by shooting is recorded in the image data recording area of the memory card 18 (step S8), and the release completion, which is one of the state data, is completed. Data is recorded in the control data recording area of the memory card 18 (step S
9), proceed to step S2.

On the other hand, if the release is not possible in step S7, data indicating the cause, for example, data indicating that the release is impossible such as defocus or insufficient power supply voltage is recorded as state data in the control data recording area of the memory card 18. Then (step S10), the process proceeds to step S2.

On the other hand, the personal computer 3 reads the status data of the electronic camera 2 from the control data recording area of the memory card 18 as shown in FIG. 10 (step S11).
It is determined whether or not release is possible based on the state data (step S12). If release is possible, various processing instruction data including a release processing instruction, for example, AE
Data such as a value, an AF (focal length) value, a zoom position, a white balance, a shooting mode, and ON / OFF of the liquid crystal display device are written in the control data recording area (step S13).

Then, after waiting for the photographing processing by the electronic camera 2, the state data recorded in the control data recording area in the memory card 18 is read from the electronic camera 2 (step S14), and it is determined whether or not the release is successful. If the release is successful (step S15), it is determined whether or not processing for a predetermined processing instruction such as continuous shooting has been completed (step S16). Here, if all the processes have not been completed, the process proceeds to step S14, and if completed, a photographing completion display is performed (step S17), and the process ends.

When it is determined in step S12 that the release is impossible, a warning is displayed for the cause, for example, a power supply voltage shortage (step S18), and step S1 is performed.
When the release-ready status data is read in step 5, the status data indicating the cause, such as insufficient power supply voltage or defocus, is displayed as a warning (step S19).
The process ends.

As described above, if the control data between the electronic camera 2 and the personal computer 3 is also transferred via the memory card 18 of the adapter device 1, the control data can be transferred at a high speed similarly to the transfer of the image data. The electronic camera 2 can be controlled by the personal computer 3 at high speed and efficiently.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified or changed. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the electronic camera 2 and the external device such as the personal computer 3 are connected via the adapter device.
A (Personal Digital Assist) to transfer various information data such as sales data, inventory data, document data, etc. to external devices such as the personal computer 3, or to a word processor or solid-state memory recorder to send document data or voice. The data may be transferred to an external device such as the personal computer 3. Further, by appropriately combining the above-described embodiments, an adapter device according to the present invention and an electronic device control system using the same can be configured. Further, the number of electronic devices connected by the adapter device is not limited to two, and information can be transferred between any two electronic devices by connecting more electronic devices.

[0072]

As described above, according to the present invention, communication between one electronic device and another electronic device is performed via the memory of the adapter device. Communication at high speed. Also, by transferring control data between electronic devices via the memory of the adapter device, it is possible to realize an electronic device control system capable of controlling a desired electronic device quickly and efficiently.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of an adapter device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram of an example of the adapter device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a timing chart for explaining an example of the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is also a diagram for explaining a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining processing on the electronic camera side according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining processing on the personal computer side according to the seventh embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 41, 45, 51, 55, 61 Adapter device 2 Electronic camera 3 Personal computer 5 Memory card slot 6 Recording medium mounting unit 11 First connector 12, 42, 46 Second connector 13 Memory card slot 14 Control unit 15, Reference Signs List 16 cable 18 memory card 19 memory card adapter 47 communication port 48 communication circuit 52, 56 semiconductor memory 57 conversion circuit 62 control unit 63, 64 switch means 65 monitor means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5C022 AA13 AC69 AC78 5C052 AA17 AB09 DD02 EE08 FA06 FE04 GA02 GE04 GE06 GE08 5C053 FA08 FA27 KA04 KA26 LA11

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An electronic device having a recording medium mounting portion for detachably mounting and using an information recording medium is detachably mounted on the recording medium mounting portion to transmit and receive information. And a connection means detachably mounted on the recording medium mounting part of another electronic device having a recording medium mounting part for removably mounting and using the information recording medium. Another connection means configured to be able to exchange data, and a memory application configured to apply a memory to enable access from the one connection means side and access from the other connection means side And an control unit for controlling access from the one connection means side and the other connection means side to the memory applied to the memory application unit. 2. An electronic apparatus comprising a recording medium mounting section for detachably mounting and using an information recording medium, the information recording medium being removably mounted on the recording medium mounting section to exchange information. And a conductor connecting portion for detachably connecting a conductor for transmitting and receiving information to and from an external device. The connecting portion is detachably connected to the conductor connecting portion of another device. Other connecting means configured to be able to exchange information with the other connecting means, and a memory adapted to enable access from the one connecting means side and access from the other connecting means side. An adapter device, comprising: a memory application unit; and a control unit that controls access from the one connection unit side and the other connection unit side to the memory applied to the memory application unit. . 3. The control means according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls to transfer information between said one connection means side and said another connection means side via said memory. 2. The adapter device according to 2. 4. The adapter device according to claim 1, wherein the memory is a recording medium detachable from the memory application unit. 5. The adapter device according to claim 1, wherein the memory is a built-in memory fixedly attached to the memory application unit. 6. The control means has a detection means for detecting an access request from the one connection means side and the other connection means side to the memory, and based on an output of this detection means, 3. The adapter device according to claim 1, wherein control is performed such that access to the memory from one connection means side is permitted. 7. The adapter device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit outputs an access prohibition signal to a connection unit that has not received an access request, based on an output of the detection unit. 8. The control device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit controls the connection unit to maintain an access-permitted state for a certain period of time even after canceling the access request.
Or the adapter device according to 7. 9. The adapter device according to claim 1, wherein the memory has a recording area for control data between the one electronic device and the other electronic device. 10. The control data includes state data indicating a state of the electronic device from the one electronic device, and processing command data for the one electronic device from the other electronic device. The adapter device according to claim 9, wherein 11. An electronic device control system configured by applying the adapter device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the other electronic device controls the one electronic device in the memory of the adapter device. An electronic device control system, wherein data is written, and the one electronic device reads the control data stored in the memory, and executes a process based on the control data.