JP2000083187A - Electronic image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic image pickup device capable of surely protecting data in a recording medium at the time of taking out the recording medium from a recording medium housing chamber. SOLUTION: A lid 16 for a memory card for covering the opening 21 for insertion of a memory card housing chamber 21a is arranged on the side face of the holding part of a device main body and a memory card lid switch 22 for detecting the opened/closed state of the lid for the memory card is arranged on the side of the device main body corresponding to a projection 16a integrally formed at a part of the lid for the memory card. At the time of detecting that the lid for the memory card is opened by the memory card lid switch when a power source is in an on-state, the power source is forcibly turned off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic image pickup apparatus for electronically recording a subject image picked up by an image pickup device on a recording medium, and more particularly to data in the recording medium when the recording medium is taken out of a recording medium storage chamber. The present invention relates to an electronic imaging device capable of reliably protecting the electronic imaging device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electronic image pickup apparatus for recording a subject image converted into an electric signal by an image pickup device on a recording medium which is detachably arranged, a recording medium which covers and protects an opening of a recording medium storage chamber. The lid for the battery and the lid for the battery covering the opening of the battery housing are respectively provided on different surfaces of the apparatus main body, for example, the recording medium lid is disposed on the side of the apparatus main body, and the battery lid is disposed on the bottom of the apparatus main body. . The battery housing is configured such that cylindrical batteries are inserted from the bottom surface of the device main body and are arranged in the vertical direction of the device main body.

[0003]

By the way, in the conventional electronic image pickup apparatus constructed as described above, the recording medium cover which covers the opening of the recording medium storage chamber is opened to store the recording medium. When the recording medium is taken out of the room, there is a possibility that the recording medium may be taken out with the power supply kept ON, and there is a problem that data in the recording medium is destroyed. At present, no particular consideration is given to the protection of data at the time of taking out data from such a recording medium in a conventional electronic imaging device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional electronic image pickup apparatus, and it is possible to reliably prevent data on the recording medium from being destroyed when the recording medium is taken out of the recording medium storage chamber. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic imaging device having the above configuration.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention converts an image of a subject into an electric signal using an image sensor and records the image in a recording medium storage chamber formed in a main body of the apparatus. In an electronic imaging apparatus capable of recording the electric signal on a medium, a rotation lid for a recording medium covering an insertion opening of the recording medium storage chamber and an open / close state of the rotation lid for the recording medium are detected. And a switch for turning off the power.
When the switch detects that the recording medium rotating cover has been opened in the N state, the power supply is forcibly turned off.

With this configuration, when the recording medium is taken out of the recording medium storage chamber and the cover for the recording medium is opened, the power is forcibly turned off by a switch for detecting the open / closed state of the cover. When the recording medium is taken out, the data on the recording medium is not destroyed, and can be reliably protected.

[0007]

Next, an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an external view of an electronic imaging apparatus (referred to as a digital camera) according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a subject, and FIG. 2 is an external view as viewed from a photographer. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a state when the rotating lid for the recording medium (memory card) is opened, and FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing an aspect when the rotating lid for the battery is opened. FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing an electrical configuration in this embodiment. In the present embodiment, the apparatus main body is composed of two exterior members, a front cover 1 and a rear cover 2. A photographing lens 3 is provided on the front surface of the front cover 1, and a rotatable strobe 4 is provided on the upper surface.
1 and 2 show a state in which the strobe 4 is not used. On the upper surface of the front cover 1, a power switch button 5 for turning on / off the power of the apparatus is provided. When the power switch button 5 is pressed, a power switch 5-b (FIG. (See FIG. 5).
Controls ON / OFF of the power supply.

Around the power switch button 5, there is provided an annular R / P switch button 6 which is rotated and operated. The R / P switch button 6 is used to switch between recording and playback, and the power switch button 5
Is rotated around the R / P
By operating the switch 6-b (see FIG. 5), switching of the recording / reproducing mode is controlled. A release button 7 is provided on the right end of the upper surface of the front cover 1. When the release button 7 is pressed during recording, an internal release switch 7-b (FIG. 5) is pressed.
) Is turned ON, and the subject image is recorded on a memory card described later. A zoom knob 8 is provided around the release button 7, and the zoom knob 8 is configured to rotate around the release button 7. When the zoom knob 8 is turned clockwise or counterclockwise, the zoom switch 8-b (see FIG. 5) causes the zoom focus mechanism 35 (see FIG. 5) in the photographing lens 3 to move in accordance with a preset direction. Under the interlocking control, the photographed image is enlarged or reduced. A mode LCD 9 is arranged near the release button 7 on the upper surface of the front cover 1, and the mode LCD 9 displays information such as the number of recorded images, the number of images that can be shot, and the setting of the shooting mode. . A self LED window 10 for a self timer is provided at the front edge of the upper surface of the front cover 1 so that a self LED 10-b (see FIG. 5) provided therein blinks when the self timer is used. Has become.

An eyepiece 11 of an optical finder for confirming a photographed image is arranged at the upper left end of the rear cover 2. Four shooting mode setting buttons 12 are arranged side by side. This shooting mode setting button 12 turns on the flash
It is used to set the compression ratio or shutter speed for / OFF, forced light emission or recording, and has a shooting mode switch 12-b (see FIG. 5) corresponding to each. An image LCD display unit (color liquid crystal display unit) 13 is disposed on the rear cover rear portion below the finder eyepiece unit 11.
Displays the recorded subject image, and is used to confirm the image after shooting. Also, the image LCD display unit 13 includes:
It is also possible to turn on / off display of additional information at the time of recording an image other than an image, for example, display of a recording date and time or a frame number. On the right side of the image LCD display section 13, four image LCD buttons 14 are arranged in the vertical direction, and corresponding image LCD switches 14-b (see FIG. 5) are arranged inside. The display information of the image LCD display unit 13 is set using the image LCD button 14.

In FIG. 2, the right side of the electronic imaging apparatus according to this embodiment is a gripping portion 15 which is gripped by a right hand during normal photographing and corresponds to a so-called grip portion. A memory card cover 16 is disposed on the front side of the grip portion 15 as viewed from the photographer, that is, at the right end corner of the rear cover 2. One side edge of the memory card cover 16 is It is configured to be held by a lid rotation center portion 17 disposed at a joint portion between the and the rear cover 2, and to be opened and closed by rotating around the lid rotation center portion 17. FIG. 2 shows the memory card cover 16 in a closed state.
In order to open 16 with a finger, a concave portion 18 for inserting a finger is formed in a corresponding portion on the back surface of rear cover 2. In addition, a memory card LED window is provided on the back surface above the concave portion 18.
19, a memory card LED 19-b (see FIG. 5) for indicating that the memory card is being accessed is arranged inside.

The cover 16 for a memory card can be opened by manually turning a finger into the recess 18 and rotating the cover. FIG.
It is a diagram showing a state where the memory card lid 16 is opened,
The portion of the rear cover 2 corresponding to the memory card lid 16 is mainly composed of two surfaces: a flat surface portion 20-a substantially parallel to the back surface and a concave curved surface portion 20-b having a concave curved surface. Have been. An opening 21 for inserting the memory card 31 is formed in a part of the concave curved surface portion 20-b in the lid so as to approach the rear surface portion. Further, a memory card storage room 21a is arranged parallel to the rear part, and the memory card 31 is inserted parallel to the rear part of the rear cover 2. Memory card storage room 21
A card connector 32 (see FIG. 5) for holding the memory card 31 so as to be able to be inserted and removed is arranged inside a. The card connector 32 is further mounted on an internal board. The opening for inserting the memory card 31 is obliquely and arcuately formed in the memory card storage chamber.
Even in the state where the memory card 31 is loaded into the memory card 21a, the central portion of the edge portion of the memory card 31 is configured such that an area sufficient to be pinched by a finger is exposed.

In addition, a memory card cover switch 22 and a reset switch 23 are disposed adjacent to the memory card cover switch 22 in the flat portion 20-a in the cover corresponding to the vicinity of the open / close front end of the memory card cover 16. The memory card cover switch 22 is a switch for detecting the open / close state of the memory card cover 16, and a protrusion 16a formed integrally with a part of the memory card cover 16.
However, the memory card lid switch 22 is pressed to detect the open / closed state of the memory card lid 16. The power is forcibly turned off when the memory card lid switch 22 detects that the memory card lid 16 has been opened while the electronic imaging device is in a power-on state both during recording and during reproduction. That is, when the memory card cover 16 is opened, the power is turned off at the same time. Therefore, when the memory card 31 is pulled out of the storage room 21a, the power is securely turned off, so that the data in the memory card 31 is protected. Is done.

The memory card cover switch 22 has a protruding edge formed on the rear cover body so as to surround the periphery thereof so as not to be pressed and operated by mistake, and a reset switch provided in the vicinity thereof. The reset switch 23 is disposed in the minute recess so that the switch can be turned on by pressing with a tip of a ballpoint pen, and when the reset switch 23 is pressed, all the settings of the electronic imaging device are set. The function is lost and it returns to the initial state.

The axial rotation center portion 17 of the memory card lid 16
The battery cover 24 that rotates about the shaft rotation center portion 17 is disposed on the right side of the front cover 1 that constitutes the grip portion 15. A lever 25 for turning on / off the battery cover lock is provided at a central portion of the battery cover 24. As shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, a battery storage section 27 for storing four batteries is provided below the release button 7 and the mode LCD 9.
Are arranged sideways, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus main body. A battery connection contact piece 28 also serving as a battery cover lock piece is provided on the back surface of the battery cover 24, and the battery 26 serves as a power supply to a voltage required by an internal DC / DC converter 33 (see FIG. 5). The data is converted and supplied to each circuit unit.

Next, an outline of the operation of the electronic imaging apparatus having the above-described configuration during operation will be described mainly with reference to FIG. During recording, release button 7
By the N operation, the subject image is converted into an electric signal by the imager 37 via the imaging lens 3 and the mechanical shutter 36 that have been subjected to focus zoom control by the zoom focus mechanism 35. The electric signal from the imager 37 is subjected to signal processing by a video processing circuit 38, is further converted to a digital signal by a digital processing circuit 39, and image data is recorded on a memory card 31 using a built-in memory 40 as a buffer memory.
On the other hand, at the time of reproduction, after the image data of the memory card 31 is converted by the digital processing circuit 39, the image
A digital signal is output to an external printer, a personal computer, or the like through reproduction and display on the display 13 or via the digital interface 41. Further, an image can be reproduced on an external TV as an analog video output through the video encoder 42.

During the recording or reproduction as described above, it takes several seconds to access the memory card 31. If the memory card 31 is pulled out from the card connector 32 during this time, the data in the memory card 31 is destroyed. There is danger. Therefore, it is necessary to notify the photographer or user that the memory card 31 is being accessed. In the present embodiment, the memory card LED 19-b disposed inside corresponding to the memory card LED window 19 is turned on or off while the memory card 31 is being accessed. By the blinking or continuous lighting of the memory card LED 19-b, the photographer or the user can surely know that the memory card 31 is being accessed.

In the above embodiment, the memory card cover 16 that covers and protects the insertion opening 21 of the memory card storage chamber 21a provided in the grip portion 15, and the battery cover that covers the opening of the battery storage portion 27 Since the lid rotation center 17 of the 24 is shared, the operation of attaching and assembling the memory card lid 16 and the battery lid 24 to the apparatus main body composed of the front cover 1 and the rear cover 2 is facilitated. The number of moving shafts can be reduced by one, which can reduce the size of the device. In addition, since the memory card lid 16 is disposed at the back corner of the grip portion 15, the opening and closing operation is easy, and the insertion opening 21 of the memory card storage chamber 21a is located at the corner and at the back. The recess is formed only on one side of the insertion opening 21, so that the recess for grasping the edge of the memory card 31 loaded in the memory card storage chamber with a finger and taking out the memory card 31 may be formed. Space can be reduced.

Further, in the above embodiment, the battery cover 24 is provided on the side surface of the grip portion 15 and the battery housing portion 27 is formed so that the cylindrical batteries 26 are arranged in a horizontal direction and inserted. The height of the device body can be reduced without being limited by the length of the cylindrical battery. Further, since the contact piece for connecting the battery is provided inside the battery cover 24, the length of the battery housing portion 27 can be reduced. In addition, since the battery lid 24 is not provided on the bottom of the device main body as in the conventional case but is provided on the side surface of the grip portion 15, the battery can be replaced even when a tripod or the like is fixed to the bottom of the device main body. Becomes A storage chamber 21a for the memory card 31 having a short longitudinal dimension is provided on the back side of the apparatus main body, and a battery storage section 27 having a large longitudinal dimension is disposed at a position away from the memory card storage chamber 21a in the thickness direction of the apparatus main body. , Image LCD display unit 13 in memory card storage room
Since it is provided on the back of the apparatus main body adjacent to 21a, the longitudinal dimension of the apparatus main body can be suppressed.

In the above-described embodiment, the reset switch 23 is disposed adjacent to the memory card cover switch 22 in the area covered by the memory card cover 16, but the reset switch 23 is provided for the battery. It may be arranged in the area covered by the lid 24, and in this case also, it is easy to operate when necessary, and it is possible to prevent the operation from being performed carelessly. Although a battery using a cylindrical battery is shown as the battery, the present invention is also applied to a case where a battery having a shape whose longitudinal direction is recognized, such as a plate, is not limited to the battery for power supply. The same effect can be obtained.

[0020]

As described above with reference to the embodiments, according to the present invention, when it is detected that the recording medium rotating lid is opened while the power is on, the power is forcibly turned off. Since the recording medium is turned off, the data of the recording medium is not destroyed when the recording medium is taken out of the recording medium storage chamber, and the data can be reliably protected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an electronic imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a subject direction.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from a photographer direction.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a state when a memory card cover is opened in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing a state when a battery cover is opened in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing an electrical configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 front cover 2 rear cover 3 taking lens 4 strobe 5 power switch button 5-b power switch 6 R / P switch button 6-b R / P switch 7 release button 7-b release switch 8 zoom knob 8-b zoom switch 9 Mode LCD 10 Self LED Window 10-b Self LED 11 Fan Eyepiece 12 Shooting Mode Setting Button 12-b Shooting Mode Switch 13 Image LCD Display 14 Image LCD Button 14-b Image LCD Switch 15 Holder 16 Memory Card Lid 16a Projection 17 Lid rotation center 18 Recess 19 Memory card LED window 19-b Memory card LED 20a Lid flat surface 20b Lid concave surface 21 Memory card insertion opening 21a Memory card storage room 22 Memory card lid switch 23 Reset switch 24 Battery cover 25 Battery cover lock lever 26 Cylindrical Battery 27 Battery compartment 28 Battery connection piece 31 Memory card 32 Memory card connector 33 DC / DC converter 34 System controller 34 Zoom focus mechanism 36 Mechanical shutter 37 Imager 38 Video processing circuit 39 Digital processing circuit 40 Internal memory 41 Digital interface 42 Video encoder

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An electronic image pickup device capable of converting a subject image into an electric signal by an image pickup device and recording the electric signal on a recording medium detachable from a recording medium storage chamber formed in the apparatus main body. The apparatus comprises: a rotating lid for a recording medium that covers an insertion opening of the recording medium storage chamber; and a switch that detects an open / closed state of the rotating lid for the recording medium.
An electronic imaging apparatus, wherein the power is forcibly turned off when the switch detects that the recording medium rotating cover is opened in the N state. 2. The electronic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switch is provided on the apparatus main body corresponding to the recording medium rotating lid.