JP2001298642A - Camera with printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save the power at the time of driving a printer with respect to a battery driven camera with the printer. SOLUTION: A battery driven camera 1 with a printer is provided with a camera part 3, a liquid crystal display panel (plane display device) 6 which displays a picture picked up by the camera part, a VTR part (recording part) 4 which records the picture picked up by the camera part, and a printer 5 which prints the picture on printing paper 8, and driving of mechanism parts (the camera part, the VTR part, and/or the liquid crystal display panel) other than the printer is stopped or delayed when the printer is driven.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a battery-equipped camera with a printer. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for saving power when driving a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, portable cameras have become particularly popular, and such portable cameras are driven by batteries.

[0003] Further, in such a portable camera,
Some have been equipped with a printer so that the captured images can be printed out on the spot.

[0004] By the way, there is no battery-powered camera with a printer that restricts the driving of the camera, recording device, or display device when the printer is driven.

[0005]

In such a battery-powered camera with a printer, when the printer is driven, other mechanisms, for example, a camera mechanism (zooming, focusing, etc.), a recording device or a display device are driven. If this happens, the allowable power of the battery will be exceeded, and the operation of each mechanism including the printer will fail, or a large amount of current will be supplied in a short time, and the performance of the battery will deteriorate. There was a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera with a battery that is driven by a battery and that saves power when the printer is driven.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a camera with a printer according to the present invention has a camera unit, a flat display device for displaying an image taken by the camera unit, and an image taken by the camera unit. And a printer that prints on print paper, and that is driven by a battery, in which driving of mechanical units other than the printer during driving of the printer is restricted.

Therefore, in the camera with a printer according to the present invention, when the printer is driven, the driving of the mechanical units other than the printer is restricted, so that the power consumption of the various mechanical units and the driving unit does not overlap. Therefore, the power consumption of the battery drive can be reduced, and the battery life can be extended.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the camera with a printer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The illustrated embodiment is applied to a camera-integrated VTR (video tape recorder) having a liquid crystal display panel.

FIGS. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of a camera with a printer according to the present invention. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the appearance of a camera-integrated VTR 1. FIG.

The camera-integrated VTR 1 has a camera unit 3, a VTR unit 4 as a recording unit, and a printer 5 built in a housing 2. Also, a liquid crystal display panel 6 on the side,
The viewfinder 7 is attached to the upper part. The liquid crystal display panel 6 is opened as shown in FIG. 2 when in use, and is closed as shown in FIG. 1 when not in use.

When the liquid crystal display panel 6 is opened with respect to the housing 2, a paper feed port 10 for inserting the print paper 9 into the printer 5 is exposed. Therefore, the printer 5 does not operate unless the liquid crystal display panel 6 is opened with respect to the housing 2. When the print paper 9 is inserted into the printer 5 from the paper feed port 10, printing is performed in the printer 5, and the print paper 9 is discharged from the paper feed port 10 again. The printing operation is completed when the printing paper 9 is reciprocated a plurality of times in the printer 5.

The above-mentioned liquid crystal display panel 6 and viewfinder 7 are used to determine the composition at the time of photographing, to confirm the photographed image, to select and confirm an image to be printed, and to perform printing work by the printer 5. Also used to display status.

The camera section 3 includes a lens driving mechanism for performing zooming and focusing, an iris mechanism for performing aperture adjustment, and the like, and requires electric power to drive these.

The VTR unit 4 includes a cassette loading mechanism, a tape loading mechanism, a tape running mechanism, and the like, and requires electric power to drive them.

The liquid crystal display panel 6 and the viewfinder 7 require electric power to display an image.

Even in the printer 5, electric power is required to perform a printing operation (printing, paper feeding, etc.).

As described above, the camera-integrated VTR 1 has a plurality of mechanical parts that require electric power, and the battery 8 for supplying electric power to the rear part of the housing 2 for realizing the portable device is detachable. Attached to.

In the camera-integrated VTR 1, when the printer 5 operates, the other camera unit 3, VT
The driving of the R unit 4 or the liquid crystal display panel 6 is restricted.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart when the driving of the camera unit 3 is restricted.

First, when the print paper 9 is inserted into the paper feed port 10 of the printer 5, the leading end of the print paper 9 is caught by a roller (not shown), and the roller of the printer 5 stops (Step 1).

Next, it is determined whether or not the camera unit 3 is operating (Step 2). The operation of the camera unit 3 includes the operation of the focus mechanism unit, the operation of the zoom mechanism unit, the operation of the iris mechanism unit, and the like as described above, but it is effective to stop the operation of the mechanism unit that consumes the most power. It is.

If the camera unit 3 is operating, Step 3
After the operation of the camera unit 3 is stopped, the process proceeds to Step 4.

If the camera unit 3 is not operating, St
Proceed to ep4, the printer 5 enters the standby state,
ON of a switch (not shown) of the printer 5
(Input) Wait.

In the standby state of the printer 5,
By turning on the switch of the printer 5 (Step
p5), the printer 5 is driven to start a printing operation (Step 6). Specifically, the roller is driven, and the print paper 9 caught in the roller is further inserted into the printer 5, and the printing operation is started.

Thus, when the driving of the printer 5 is selected during the operation of the camera unit 3, unnecessary operation of the camera unit 3 during the operation of the printer 5 is stopped, and the power consumption of the battery 8 can be reduced.

In the flow chart (FIG. 3), the operation of the camera unit 3 is described with reference to the printer 5 of the printing paper 9.
Although the operation of the camera unit 3 may be stopped when the drive switch of the printer 5 is detected to be ON, the operation is not limited to this.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart when the driving of the VTR unit 4 is restricted.

First, when the print paper 9 is inserted into the paper feed port 10 of the printer 5, the leading end of the print paper 9 is caught by a roller (not shown) as in Step 1, and the rollers of the printer 5 are stopped (Step 1).
A).

In this state, it is determined whether or not the VTR unit 4 is operating (Step 2A). The operation of the VTR unit 4 includes the operation of the cassette loading mechanism, the operation of the tape loading mechanism, the operation of the tape running mechanism, and the like as described above, but it is effective to stop the operation of the mechanism unit that consumes the most power. It is.

When the VTR unit 4 is operating, Step 3
A, the operation of the VTR unit 4 is stopped, and then Step 4
Go to A.

If the VTR unit 4 is not operating, St
Proceeding to ep4A, the printer 5 enters the standby state, and waits for the switch of the printer 5 to be turned on (input).

In the standby state of the printer 5,
By turning on the switch of the printer 5 (Step
p5A), the printer 5 is driven to start a printing operation (Step 6A). Specifically, the roller is driven, and the print paper 9 caught in the roller is further inserted into the printer 5, and the printing operation is started.

Thus, when the driving of the printer 5 is selected during the operation of the VTR unit 4, the unnecessary operation of the VTR unit 4 during the operation of the printer 5 is stopped, and the power consumption of the battery 8 can be reduced.

The operation of the VTR unit 4 can be prioritized over the operation of the printer 5. In such cases,
This can be easily realized by providing a selection switch for determining which (the VTR unit 4 or the printer 5) is prioritized. When the VTR unit 4 is prioritized, the stop of the VTR unit 4 is detected, and the printer 5 is stopped. Should be operated.

FIG. 5 shows driving (display) of the liquid crystal display panel 6.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart in the case where is limited.

When the printer 5 is driven,
Since the image to be printed is to be checked on the liquid crystal display panel 6, the liquid crystal display panel 6 is in operation (display). The operation of the liquid crystal display panel 6 includes:
In this case, it is effective to stop the operation of the mechanism unit that consumes the most power.

When the pre-printed paper 9 is inserted into the paper feed port 10 of the printer 5, the leading end of the print paper 9 is caught by a roller (not shown) as in Step 1, and the rollers of the printer 5 are stopped (Step 1).
B).

This state is the standby state of the printer 5, and the switch O of the printer 5 in Step 3B is turned off.
It waits for N (input).

In the standby state of the printer 5,
By turning on the switch of the printer 5 (Step
p3B), it is determined whether or not a circuit (not shown) for delaying the display of the liquid crystal display panel 6 has been selected (Step 4B).

This display delay circuit is intended to turn off the display on the liquid crystal display panel 6 after a predetermined time has elapsed after the operation of the printer 5 is started. This makes it possible to confirm the image that has been used, thereby improving usability.

If the display delay circuit is not selected, the process proceeds to Step 5B, where the display on the liquid crystal display panel 6 is turned off, and further proceeds to Step 6B to start the printing operation.

When the display delay circuit is selected in Step 4B, the process proceeds to Step 7B, and the printing operation is started.

After the printing operation is started in Step 7B,
In Step 8B, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed, and if the predetermined time has elapsed, the display of the liquid crystal display panel 6 is turned off (Step 9).
B).

Thus, when the drive of the printer 5 is selected during the operation (display) of the liquid crystal display panel 6, unnecessary operation (display) of the liquid crystal display panel 6 during the operation of the printer 5 is performed immediately or for a predetermined time. After the elapse, the operation is stopped, and the power consumption of the battery 8 can be reduced.

In the above flowchart (FIG. 5), the display delay circuit is used to turn off the display of the liquid crystal display pamel 6. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be detected and the display on the liquid crystal display panel 6 may be turned off. That is,
When the drive switch of the printer 5 is turned on, first, the printing paper 9 bitten by the rollers is fed by the rollers and enters the housing 2 once, and then when the paper is fed in the reverse direction, the actual printing is performed. Therefore, the display on the liquid crystal display panel 6 may be turned off until the printing is started, that is, after the first paper feeding by the rollers is completed.

In the description of the above embodiment, each operation of the camera unit 3, the VTR unit 4, or the liquid crystal display panel 6 is restricted when the printer starts to be driven. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the operation of each mechanism may be limited by combining them in a complex manner.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been given of the case where the present invention is applied to the camera-integrated VTR 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a camera for taking a still image. Although the recording unit is a VTR and the recording medium is a tape-shaped recording medium, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a disk-shaped recording medium or a semiconductor memory.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been given of the case where the printer is provided integrally with the camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printer may be detachable from the camera body. In such a case, it is preferable to attach the printer to the camera body, detect this, and restrict the operation of each of the above-mentioned mechanism units.

Further, in the above embodiment, the liquid crystal display panel is used as the flat display device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. An EL (electroluminescent) display device, a PDP (Plasma display panel) display device There may be.

In the above embodiment, only the battery drive is described. However, in the case where the camera with a printer is driven by supplying power from another power source such as an AC adapter in addition to the battery drive, Alternatively, the restriction on the operation of each of the above-described mechanisms when the printer is driven may be released. Note that, even when the printer is driven by an AC adapter, when the capacity of the AC adapter is small, it is preferable to restrict the driving of the other mechanisms in accordance with the driving of the printer as described above.

In addition, the shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples of the specific embodiments to be carried out when carrying out the present invention. The scope should not be construed as limiting.

[0053]

As is apparent from the above description, the camera with a printer according to the present invention has a camera section, a flat display device for displaying an image taken by the camera section, and an image taken by the camera section. A camera with a printer, which is provided with a recording unit for recording and a printer for printing on print paper and is driven by a battery, characterized in that driving of a mechanical unit other than the printer is restricted when the printer is driven.

Therefore, in the camera with a printer according to the present invention, when the printer is driven, the driving of the mechanical units other than the printer is restricted, so that the power consumption of the various mechanical units and the driving unit does not overlap. Therefore, the power consumption of the battery drive can be reduced, and the battery life can be extended.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the mechanism other than the above-described printer is used as the mechanism of the camera, the unnecessary mechanism of the camera can be stopped when the printer is driven, thereby extending the life of the battery. be able to.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the mechanism other than the printer is used as the mechanism of the recording section, unnecessary mechanisms of the recording section can be stopped when the printer is driven, and the life of the battery is extended. be able to.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the mechanism other than the printer is a flat display device, the flat display device, which consumes a large amount of power, can be stopped when the printer is driven, and the life of the battery can be reduced. Can be extended.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the printer is driven, the display on the flat display device can be turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of the driving, and even after the start of the printing operation, the image to be printed is displayed. Can be confirmed, and the usability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a camera-integrated VTR, and FIG. 1 is a side view showing the entire configuration of the camera-integrated VTR.

FIG. 2 is a plan view.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a case where the mechanism of the camera unit is restricted.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart in the case where the mechanism of the VTR is limited.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart in the case of limiting the liquid crystal display panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... VTR with camera (camera with printer), 3 ...
Camera unit, 4 ... VTR unit (recording unit), 5 ... Printer,
6 liquid crystal display panel (flat display device), 8 battery, 9 print paper

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) H04N 5/765 H04N 5/782 K 5/91 5/91 H (72) Inventor Mune Ishimitsu 6 Kita Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo No. 7-35 within Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Koichi Sakata 6-7-35 Kita Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Junya Ishihara 6-7 Kita Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo No. 35 Sony Corporation F term (reference) 2C061 AP10 HH11 HJ10 HT04 HT13 5C018 FA01 FA03 FB02 5C022 AB67 AC03 AC78 AC79 5C052 AA11 DD10 EE03 FA01 FA03 FB01 FC00 FC06 5C053 FA04 FA21 KA30 LA01 LA03

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A camera comprising: a camera unit; a flat-panel display device for displaying an image captured by the camera unit; a recording unit for recording the image captured by the camera unit; and a printer for printing on print paper. A camera with a printer to be driven, wherein driving of a mechanical unit other than the printer is restricted when the printer is driven. 2. The camera with a printer according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism other than the printer is a mechanism of a camera. 3. The camera with a printer according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism other than the printer is a mechanism of a recording unit. 4. The camera with a printer according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism other than the printer is a flat display device. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein when driving the printer, the driving of the flat display device is stopped by delaying the start of the driving of the printer to limit the driving of the flat display device. A camera with a printer according to claim 4.