JP2000184250A - Cartridge type image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily confirm a state such as the number of photographed frames while a cartridge type image pickup device is mounted on a silver salt camera. SOLUTION: This device 10 is mounted to a silver salt camera in place of a film cartridge for enabling the silver salt camera to be used as an electronic camera. This device 10 is provided with a display device 11 at a prescribed position that displays the status of the camera 10. This prescribed position signifies a position where the device 10 mounted on the silver salt camera can be seen from a film confirmation window provided to a rear cover while the rear cover is closed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a patrone type image pickup apparatus, and more particularly to a patrone type image pickup apparatus which is mounted on a silver halide camera in place of a film patrone and which enables the use of the silver halide camera as an electronic camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a patrone-type image pickup device having a shape similar to the film patrone is mounted in place of a film patrone mounted on a silver halide camera, so that the silver halide camera can be used as an electronic camera. A type imaging device has been proposed.

[0003] This type of patrone-type imaging apparatus can perform electronic imaging using an existing silver halide camera body and lens, and can perform silver halide photography and electronic imaging as occasion demands. There is an advantage that the two cameras can be used separately. However, a general silver halide camera is not provided with a special interface with the above-described patrone-type imaging device, and therefore, the operating state of the patrone-type imaging device, the number of shots, and the like can be determined via the silver-halide camera. There is a problem that cannot be confirmed.

On the other hand, in recent years, while a patrone-type image pickup device is mounted on a silver halide camera, an operation state such as the remaining number of recordable images and a normal / abnormal state is determined by an external device via voice communication or a film confirmation window. (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-98326) has been proposed that enables infrared communication.

[0005]

However, when transmitting various kinds of information of the patrone type imaging device by voice,
Since there is no history, confirmation is ambiguous, and when performing infrared communication, an external device for communicating with the camera is required. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a patrone-type imaging device that allows a user to easily check the state of the number of shots and the like while the patrone-type imaging device is attached to a silver halide camera. The purpose is to:

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is mounted on a silver halide camera in place of a film patrone so that the silver halide camera can be used as an electronic camera. A patrone-type imaging device, wherein the patrone-type imaging device is attached to a silver halide camera, and the state of the patrone-type imaging device is at a position where the patrone-type imaging device can be visually recognized from a film confirmation window provided on the back cover in a state where the back cover is closed. Is displayed on the display.

That is, many recent silver halide single-lens reflex cameras and silver halide compact cameras have a transparent film confirmation window on the back cover, and the film cartridge is mounted on the silver halide camera. The user can check information such as the film type and ISO sensitivity printed on the cartridge body. Of course, a light-blocking member is attached around the inside of the film confirmation window so that the film is not exposed by external light entering from such a film confirmation window.

In the invention according to claim 1 of the present application, display means is provided at an appropriate position of the patrone type imaging device so that the user can confirm the state of the patrone type imaging device through the film confirmation window. The display means has a first display portion that is larger than the film confirmation window and is visible from the film confirmation window and a second display portion that is not visible from the film confirmation window, as described in claim 2 of the present application. Is displayed on the first display portion. Further, as shown in claim 3 of the present application, a display means different from the display means may be separately provided.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present application has detecting means for detecting that the camera is mounted on the silver halide camera. When the detecting means detects that the camera is mounted on the silver halide camera, the second means is used.
Or the display of the other display means is turned off. That is, the second display portion or another display means which cannot be seen when the camera is mounted on the silver halide camera and the camera back is closed provides information necessary only when the camera back is opened or when the camera is removed from the camera. The display can be performed, thereby preventing waste of power consumption.

[0010] The invention according to claim 5 of the present application is characterized in that it has an operation section for setting the state of the patrone type imaging device, and the display means performs a display according to the set contents on the operation section. . In other words, the user can operate the operation unit while watching the display content of the display means, and can appropriately set the photographing conditions and the like in the patrone-type imaging device. The display means changes the information to be displayed periodically at predetermined time intervals as described in claim 6 of the present application, whereby a large amount of information can be displayed with a small display area.

The invention according to claim 7 of the present application is characterized in that it has an explanation sticker attached near the film confirmation window of the back cover and explaining information displayed on the display means. That is, since the display surface of the display means that can be confirmed through the film confirmation window is small, a large amount of information cannot be displayed. I can't confirm. Therefore, by attaching the commentary sticker in the vicinity of the film confirmation window, the displayed contents can be accurately determined.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a patrone type imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 are external views of a patrone-type imaging device according to the present invention as viewed from the front side and the back side, respectively.

As shown in these drawings, this patrone-type imaging device 10 includes a column-shaped main body 10A having a shape similar to a film patrone, and an image-capturing element supporting member 1 attached thereto.
OB is attached. Main body 10A
For example, a display device 11 having a display element such as a liquid crystal or a light emitting element such as a lamp, an operation unit 12 for turning on the power and performing various settings, and information transfer between a recording memory inside the main body and an external device. An external terminal 13 for transmitting and receiving is provided.

In this display device 11, the patrone type imaging device 10 is mounted on a silver halide camera 40 (see FIG. 9),
2 is provided at a position on the main body 10 </ b> A that can be visually recognized from a film confirmation window 44 provided on the back cover 42 when the cover 2 is closed, and the operation unit 12 is provided adjacent to the display device 11. The film confirmation window 44 is a window provided for confirming the type of film printed on the film cartridge and the ISO sensitivity when a film cartridge (not shown) is mounted. When the patrone type imaging device 10 according to the present invention is mounted, it functions as a window for viewing the display portion of the display device 11.

A solid-state image pickup device 14 is provided on the image pickup device supporting member 10B. When the patrone type image pickup device 10 is mounted on a silver halide camera, the solid-state image pickup device 14 is located on the exposure film surface. It has become. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the patrone type imaging device 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the patrone-type imaging device 10 includes the display device 11, the operation unit 12,
In addition to having an external terminal 13 and a solid-state imaging device 14, a signal processing circuit 15, a recording memory 16, a control circuit 17, a battery (not shown) serving as a power supply, and the like are built in the main body.

When the patrone type imaging device 10 having the above configuration is mounted on a silver halide camera and a release button is pressed, incident light passing through a photographic optical system of the silver halide camera is photoelectrically converted by a solid-state imaging device 14 to generate an image signal. Is output as The image signal output from the solid-state imaging device 14 is
5 where white balance adjustment, gamma correction, YC signal (luminance signal Y and chroma signal C) conversion, YC
After the signal processing such as the signal compression processing is performed, it is recorded in the recording memory 16.

The control circuit 17 controls the driving of the solid-state imaging device 14, controls the signal processing circuit 15 and the recording memory 16,
Display control of the display device 11, signal discrimination from the operation unit 12,
And external communication via the external terminal 13. next,
A method of using the patrone type imaging device 10 having the above configuration will be described. First, the power of the patrone type imaging device 10 is turned on by the operation unit 12, and necessary settings such as an image size and a compression ratio are set by the operation unit 12. Since the setting contents are displayed on the display device 11, desired settings can be made while viewing the display contents of the display device 11.

Next, the back cover of the silver halide camera is opened, and the patrone-type image pickup device 10 is mounted in the manner of mounting a film patrone.
And then close the back cover. At this time, the solid-state imaging device 14 of the patrone type imaging device 10 is disposed so as to be located on the exposure film surface of the silver halide camera, and the display device 11 of the patrone type imaging device 10 can be confirmed through the film confirmation window on the back cover. Come to position.

After the mounting is completed, the power of the silver halide camera is turned on. Then, when the release button is pressed, an image is taken in by the patrone-type imaging device 10 in synchronization with this. Methods for synchronizing with the release button include a method of starting imaging when the amount of light incident on the solid-state imaging device 14 reaches a certain amount, a method of detecting a release button input signal via the external terminal 13, a shutter sound, and the like. Can be considered.

The display device 11 displays an operation state indicating that recording is currently being performed during recording of a photographed image, and displays the remaining number of images that indicates how many remaining images can be recorded after recording is completed. Thereby, the user can grasp the current state of the patrone type imaging device 10 by viewing the display content of the display device 11 through the film confirmation window.

After the photographing is completed, the patrone type imaging device 10 is taken out from the silver halide camera and the patrone type imaging device 10 is taken out.
Each is attached to a predetermined external device (not shown). The external device reads the image data in the recording memory 16 via the external terminal 13 of the patrone type imaging device 10, displays the image data on a monitor, saves the image data as necessary, or outputs the image data to a printer. .

The contents displayed by the display device 11 are as follows. (1) Operation status (power ON, shooting standby, AF status, recording, error, etc.) (2) Number of shots (remaining or recorded number) (3) Compression rate (Fine / Normal / Basic) (4) Image Size (1280 x 1024/640 x 480) (5) Strobe status (auto / forced ON / forced OFF / daylight sync / red-eye reduction) (6) Focusing distance (ranging information [m] / macro mode) (7) ) Battery level (indicator or warning lamp) (8) Exposure mode (program / aperture priority / shutter speed priority / manual) (9) Photometric pattern division (spot metering / pattern metering) (10) White balance mode (sunny / cloudy) / Tungsten / Fluorescent lamp) (11) ISO sensitivity (50/100/400 etc.) (12) Exposure compensation state (-1 / -0.5 / ± 0 / + 0.5 / + 1) (13) Date and time (14) Images (thumbnails of recorded images, through images, etc.) Next, a table provided in the patrone type imaging device For another embodiment of the apparatus will be described.

FIG. 4 is an external view showing another embodiment of the patrone type imaging apparatus according to the present invention. The patrone type imaging device 20 is provided with a display device 21 which is larger than the patrone type imaging device 10 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the display device 21 has a display portion 21A that can be seen from the film confirmation window and a display portion that cannot be seen from the film confirmation window (hereinafter, referred to as an “extended display portion”).
1B. In the display portion 21A, power ON /
Lamp 22A indicating a shooting standby state, lamp 22B blinking during recording, and display unit 22 displaying an error message and the like.
A display unit 22D for displaying C and the number of remaining images is provided.

On the other hand, there is a restriction that the extended display portion 21B cannot be seen unless the back cover is opened or the patrone type imaging device 20 is removed from the silver halide camera. This is an effective display part to inform the user of the status and the setting status. That is, the user operates the operation unit 12 while looking at the extended display portion 21B before attaching the patrone-type imaging device 20 to the silver halide camera, and performs various settings of the patrone-type imaging device 20. For example, when a button on the operation unit 12 is pressed,
The item to be set is selected by moving the pointer 23 shown in FIG. 5 up and down in FIG. Subsequently, another button of the operation unit 12 is pressed to change the setting content (display content). In FIG. 5, the pointer 23 has moved to the position of "Q", and each time another button is pressed here, the recording compression ratio setting in the patrone type imaging device sequentially changes, and the display content also changes accordingly. / NO
It sequentially changes to RM / BASC and the like.

It should be noted that it is basically arbitrary to display various information of the patrone type image pickup device on the display portion 21A or the extended display portion 21B. The information frequently required by the user can be displayed on the display portion 21A through the film confirmation window.
Is preferably displayed. FIG. 6 is an external view showing still another embodiment of the patrone-type imaging device according to the present invention. This patrone type imaging device 30 is provided with a display device 11 and a display device 31 as compared with the patrone type imaging device 10 shown in FIG.

Here, the display device 11 corresponds to the display portion 21A of the display device 21 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and the display device 31 corresponds to the extended display portion 21B of the display device 21. By the way, the extended display portion 21B of the display device 21
And the display device 31 are invisible when the back cover is closed, and it is a waste of power to continue displaying in this state. Therefore, in the present invention, the state in which the back cover is closed or the state in which the patrone type imaging device is mounted is detected, and the extended display portion 2 is detected.
1B and the display of the display device 31 are automatically turned off to prevent useless power consumption.

As a sensor for detecting a state in which the back cover is closed or a state in which the patrone type image pickup device is mounted, an optical sensor 34 and a physical switch 35 such as a leaf switch or a micro switch as shown in FIG. 7 can be considered. . The optical sensor 34 is arranged at a position where light is shielded when the patrone type imaging device is mounted on the silver halide camera or when the back cover is closed, and the photoelectric conversion signal from the optical sensor 34 has become equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. Sometimes, a command signal for turning off the display of the extended display portion 21B and the display device 31 is output.

The physical switch 35 is provided on the inner wall of the concave portion 37 of the bottom face 36 of the main body, and comes into contact with the silver halide camera when the patrone type image pickup device is mounted on the silver halide camera.
N, and outputs a command signal to turn off the display of the extended display portion 21B and the display device 31. Next, a display method by a display device provided in the patrone type imaging device will be described.

The display portion that can be seen through the film confirmation window on the back cover is generally not so large, and it is necessary to display necessary information in a limited space. On the other hand, if a large amount of information is to be displayed at a time in a limited space, the display content of each one becomes small and becomes difficult to see. For example, it is assumed that the current recording compression ratio (Q) is the setting (F) of FINE, the image size (F) is the setting (L) of LARGE, and the number of remaining recordings is 15. If these are to be displayed on a four-digit display device, they can be displayed as "FL15". In this case, the first digit is the compression ratio, the second digit is the image size, and the third and fourth digits are the remaining number of recordings. It is difficult for the user to memorize certain things and it is difficult to understand. Further, in the case of four-digit display in a limited space, the size per digit becomes small, and the display becomes difficult to see.

Therefore, in the present invention, a lot of information can be displayed in a limited space by periodically changing the display contents. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, "QF (Quality is Fine)" and "FL (Film Size
(Large) ”and“ 15 (the number of remaining recordings) ”are periodically changed every few seconds, so that a two-digit display device can provide a display that is easier to understand.

When necessary information is displayed by lamps, abbreviations, numbers, or the like on a display portion that can be seen through the film confirmation window on the back cover, what the display contents mean is memorized to some extent. There is a need. Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9, a commentary sticker 4 for explaining what the display contents seen from the film confirmation window 44 mean.
6 is attached to the patrone type imaging device. The user attaches the commentary sticker 46 to the back cover 42 of the silver halide camera 40 (adheres adjacent to the film confirmation window 44), so that the user's burden of memorizing the meaning of the displayed content is reduced.

[0032]

As described above, according to the patrone type imaging device of the present invention, the display device provided on the patrone type imaging device can be seen through the film confirmation window. The various states of the patrone-type imaging device can be easily confirmed by the display device while being attached to the camera.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a patrone-type imaging device according to the present invention as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the patrone type imaging device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the patrone-type imaging device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an external view showing another embodiment of the patrone-type imaging device according to the present invention.

5 is a diagram showing details of a display portion of the display device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an external view showing still another embodiment of the patrone-type imaging device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram used to show an example of a sensor that detects a state in which a back cover is closed or a state in which a patrone-type imaging device is mounted.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display method on a display device of the patrone-type imaging device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of a silver halide camera equipped with a patrone-type imaging device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 20, 30 ... patrone type imaging device 10A ... main body 10B ... imaging device support member 11, 21, 31 ... display device 12 ... operation unit 13 ... external terminal 14 ... solid-state imaging device 34 ... optical sensor 35 ... physical switch 40 ... Silver halide camera 42 ... back cover 44 ... film confirmation window 46 ... commentary seal

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A patrone-type imaging device which is mounted on a silver halide camera in place of a film patrone and enables the silver-halide camera to be used as an electronic camera. A patrone-type imaging device, further comprising a display unit for displaying a state of the patrone-type imaging device at a position visible from a film checking window provided on the back cover with the lid closed. 2. The display means has a first display portion which is larger than the film confirmation window and is visible from the film confirmation window, and a second display portion which is not visible from the film confirmation window. 2. The patrone-type imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the following information is displayed on the first display portion. 3. The patrone type imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit different from said display unit. 4. A detection means for detecting that the camera is mounted on the silver halide camera, and when the detection means detects that the camera is mounted on the silver halide camera, the second display portion or the another display means is provided. 4. The patrone-type imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the display of "?" 5. The patrone-type imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit for setting a state of the patrone-type imaging device, wherein the display unit performs display in accordance with a setting content of the operation unit. apparatus. 6. The patrone-type imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display means changes information to be displayed periodically at predetermined time intervals. 7. The patrone-type imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a comment sticker attached near the film confirmation window on the back cover, for explaining information displayed on the display means.