JP2003219229A - Digital camera for portable telephone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently incorporate a digital camera into a thin portable telephone. <P>SOLUTION: A photographic lens 3 is incorporated so that an optical axis may be almost perpendicular to the front surface of a main body part 2, and the optical axis is almost matched with the thickness direction of the main body part 2. A prism 40 is attached to a lens holder 38 holding the photographic lens 3. The prism 40 deflects photographing light S passing through the photographic lens 3 by 90°. Protective glass 42 for covering the surface of a CCD image sensor 33 is connected to a light outgoing face of the prism 40. The imaging face 33a of the CCD image sensor 33 becomes parallel with the thickness direction of the main body part 2, and the photographing light S reflected on the prism 40 is imaged. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital camera incorporated in a mobile phone for use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of digital cameras are available on the market, which use CCD type or CMOS type solid-state image pickup devices as image sensors and A / D-convert the image pickup signals obtained from the image sensors to record them in a memory. Among them, particularly miniaturized ones are also built in the mobile phone, and the image data obtained by photographing can be easily transmitted to another mobile phone.

In order to incorporate a digital camera in a mobile phone, it is an important point how to integrate the camera parts together as the mobile phone itself becomes more compact. Conventional digital cameras used in mobile phones use small and simple image sensors with a pixel count of about 100,000 pixels, and the memory capacity for storing image data is accordingly increased. Also, the communication time for transmitting image data does not have to be extremely long.

On the other hand, as the convenience of incorporating a digital camera into a mobile phone is recognized, there is an increasing desire to capture higher quality images. In order to capture a high-quality image, it is necessary to increase the number of pixels of the image sensor to, for example, several hundred thousand to one million pixels to obtain a large amount of image data, and a large memory capacity for storing image data. Inevitability and extension of communication time. However, with regard to the memory, it is possible to reduce the size by increasing the density and to reduce the cost by mass production. Also, regarding the communication time, widening the communication frequency is being considered, which enables more efficient transmission of image data. It's starting.

[0005]

On the other hand, it is very difficult to miniaturize the structure of the camera portion from the photographing lens to the image sensor, especially the thickness in the optical axis direction. For example, most of the length of the camera portion in the optical axis direction is determined by the focal length of the photographing lens and the thickness of the image sensor, but the size of the image pickup surface of the image sensor (1/3 to 1/1 in the diagonal line). If the focal length of the taking lens is extremely short with respect to 2 inches, the image magnification becomes too small, which is not suitable for taking an image intended by a general user. Moreover, the thickness of the image sensor includes the thickness of the protective glass and the package in addition to the thickness of the sensor chip, and thus there is a limit to the reduction in thickness. For this reason, the thickness of the mobile phone cannot be made thinner than the thickness of the camera portion in the optical axis direction, and it becomes difficult to give appeal to the design of the mobile phone.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and the structure of the camera portion from the photographing lens to the image sensor is devised so that the thin design of the mobile phone will not be hindered. It is intended to provide a digital camera for use.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention focuses on the fact that it is easy to add electrical signal processing to image data obtained by shooting with a digital camera. Although the photographic lens is exposed on the front of the camera, and the photographic lens is installed so that the optical axis is oriented in the thickness direction, the optical path after the photographic lens is reflected by 90 ° with a reflecting member such as a prism or a mirror to bend the photographic light. A mirror image is formed on the solid-state image sensor. As a result, the entire length of the camera part from the taking lens to the solid-state image sensor in the optical axis direction does not have to be included in the thickness of the main body, and the thickness is thinner than the front shape of the main body. It will allow a great deal of freedom in the design of mobile phones.

The surface of the solid-state image pickup device is generally covered with a protective glass. However, when a prism is used as the reflecting member, the protective glass is bonded to the light exit surface of the prism. This is advantageous not only for downsizing but also for improving the dustproof property of the solid-state image sensor. A liquid crystal monitor is combined with a digital camera so that framing during shooting and observation of a reproduced image can be performed. However, when applying the present invention to a mobile phone having a back cover attached to the main body, By providing the monitor on the back of the main body and exposing the liquid crystal monitor when the back cover is opened, it is possible to prevent the liquid crystal monitor from being shocked when being carried.

Although the back cover is opened when it is used as a mobile phone, the main cover and the back cover cover are penetrated in the closed state so that the back cover can be used as a digital camera even when it is closed. It is better to provide an optical finder like this. In addition, a lens barrier that opens and closes the front of the shooting lens is installed in the main body,
If the solid-state image sensor is driven in response to the opening operation, it can be used as a digital camera even with the back cover closed.

Further, an optical system unit in which a solid-state image pickup device is fixed to a main body and a taking lens and a reflecting member are integrally incorporated can be freely rotated around a taking optical axis orthogonal to an image pickup surface of the solid-state image pickup device. By doing so, the optical system unit can be rotated regardless of the routing of the signal line from the solid-state image sensor, and the shooting direction can be freely changed while keeping the main body in a fixed posture.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a mobile phone incorporating the digital camera of the present invention. A photographing lens 3 is incorporated in the front surface of the main body 2 substantially at the center, and its optical axis is
Is almost vertical to the front of the. The knob 4 is provided on the main body 2.
A lens barrier 4 that moves between a closed position and an open position by the sliding operation of a and a barrier switch 5 that is turned on when the lens barrier 4 is opened are incorporated. When the lens barrier 4 moves from the open position to the closed position shown in the drawing, the front surface of the taking lens 3 and the front surface of the finder objective lens 6 which constitutes an inverted Galilean optical finder are covered.

A stroboscopic light emission window 7 is further exposed on the front surface of the main body portion 2, and a grip portion 8 is raised on the left side surface side in the drawing. The grip portion 8 has a built-in bar antenna for a mobile phone. A release button 12 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 2, and a rechargeable battery pack 13 is loaded on the left side surface. A back cover 15 is rotatably attached to the left side surface by a hinge 14, and the back surface of the main body 2 is completely covered at the closed position shown in the figure.

In FIG. 2 showing the back side, the back cover 15 is provided with a finder eyepiece window 16 and a display window 17. When the lens barrier 4 is moved to the open position, the photographing range of the digital camera can be confirmed through the viewfinder eyepiece window 16. From the display window 17, the main body 2
It is possible to observe lighting, blinking, etc. of the light emitting diode (LED) 25 provided on the back surface of the. Note that it is desirable to cover the display window 17 with a transparent cover in order to prevent dust. A terminal cover 18 is attached to the other side surface of the main body 2. When this terminal cover 18 is opened, AC
The power supply terminal from the adapter and the input / output terminals for various signals are exposed. The overall size of this mobile phone is 55 in length, width and thickness when the back cover 15 is closed.
mm, 90 mm and 25 mm.

The surface of the main body 2 and the back cover 15 are each provided with a label sticker 2 for decorative printing.
The a and 15a are affixed, which gives the appearance design a variety. An opening or a notch is provided in a required portion of the label sticker 2a so as not to interfere with the use of the photographing lens 3, the finder objective lens 6, the knob 4a, the release button 12, and the like. Similarly, label sticker 15
Also in a, a notch for exposing the viewfinder eyepiece window 16 and the display window 17 to the outside is formed.

The label stickers 2a and 15a can be arbitrarily replaced by the user when they become dirty or when the appearance design is changed. Therefore, label seals 2a and 15a having various designs can be provided as products. Of course, if you use a blank label sticker, you can also make your own original design. The label sticker 15a may be supplemented with a description of the basic usage of a mobile phone or a digital camera.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the back cover 15 is opened, the back surface of the main body 2 is exposed, and the liquid crystal monitor 20, the cursor key 21, the mode set key 22, and the speaker 23 capable of displaying a full-color image appear. Further, buttons 24 for adjusting the image display density and contrast of the liquid crystal monitor 20 are provided on the back surface of the main body 2, and three LEs are observed through the display window 17 of the back cover 15.
D25 is provided. These LEDs 25 are used for displaying the status of the digital camera, and indicate whether the power of the digital camera is on / off, whether or not there is enough memory for storing image data, and whether or not the strobe is fully charged. I do.

On the inner surface side of the back cover 15, in addition to the eyepiece lens 16a and the microphone 26, the operation panel section 2 is provided.
7 is incorporated. The operation panel unit 27 includes a power switch 28, a ten-key button for dial-up when used as a telephone, a call button for a telephone directory, a character conversion button when used as a simplified Japanese word processor, and an Internet terminal. It is composed of various operation buttons when used as. Note that the use as a mobile phone or an Internet terminal is the same as that of a conventional mobile phone, and therefore its details are omitted.

An iron piece 29 is incorporated in the end portion of the back cover 15, and when the back cover 15 is closed, it is attracted to the magnet 30 incorporated in the end portion of the main body 2.
This prevents the back cover 15 from being opened accidentally when carried. When the back cover 15 is closed, the protrusion 31a of the back cover 15 enters into the hole 31b of the main body 2, and the cover switch provided at the back is turned off.

FIG. 4 shows a layout of main components of the digital camera built in the main body 2. A camera board 32 is incorporated behind the taking lens 3 and
In addition to the CCD image sensor 33, a driver for driving the CCD image sensor 33, various circuit units such as an A / D converter, an image data processing circuit, and a memory unit are mounted on the device 2. Strobe light emission part 7
Behind the camera, a strobe circuit board 34 including a main capacitor 34a for storing electric charges for strobe light emission is incorporated. A control circuit board 35 of the digital camera is incorporated directly below the release button 12. The control circuit board 35 is provided with a system controller for controlling the operation of the digital camera and a drive circuit unit for the liquid crystal monitor 20.

FIG. 5 shows an outline of the optical system after the taking lens 3. The two-lens taking lens 3 is incorporated into a plastic lens holder 38 together with the diaphragm plate 36 and the spacer 37. On the outer peripheral wall of the lens holder 38, hook claws 38a are integrally formed at positions dividing the outer periphery into three equal parts,
When the plastic holding ring 39 is fitted from the front side of the lens holder 38, the hook claw 38a engages with the locking hole formed in the holding ring 39, and the taking lens 3 is positioned and fixed.

A prism 40 is fixed so as to cover an opening formed on the back surface of the lens holder 38. The prism 40 is composed of a right-angle prism and changes the optical path of the photographing light S converged by the photographing lens 3 by 90 °. Instead of the prism 40, it is possible to use a mirror that is inclined by 45 ° with respect to the optical axis of photographing. Further, the taking lens 3 is also composed of two lenses in order to improve the quality of the image, but it may be one having three or more constituent elements or a single lens with an emphasis on compactness. It is also possible to form the light incident surface of the prism 40 into a spherical surface or an aspherical surface and use it as a part of the taking lens 3.

A protective plate 42 made of glass covering the surface of the CCD image sensor 33 is integrally joined to the light emitting surface of the prism 40 by a balsam. As a result, the image pickup surface 33a of the CCD image sensor 33 is substantially orthogonal to the front surface of the main body 2 and also to the photographing optical axis. The CCD image sensor 33 is electrically connected to the camera substrate 32 by a flexible printed board 43 and a connector 44. A pan focus type is used as the taking lens 3, and therefore the taking lens 3
Even if the optical path length from to the image pickup surface 33a is not changed, for example, a shooting distance range of 1.5 m to infinity is included in the depth of field. Of course, it is also possible to give the taking lens 3 a focusing function.

As described above, by deflecting the photographing optical path by 90 ° using the prism 40, the entire optical system from the front surface of the photographing lens 3 to the CCD image sensor 33 can be compactly incorporated within the thickness of the main body 2. it can. Therefore, the lens thickness increases due to the increase in the number of components of the taking lens 3, the back focus of the taking lens 3 is extended,
It is possible to deal with an increase in the thickness of the CCD image sensor 33 with a margin.

Furthermore, since the entire optical system or the prism 40 and the following can be rotated by an appropriate angle about the image pickup optical axis perpendicular to the front surface of the main body 2, it can be incorporated.
A highly flexible design can be performed according to the internal structure of the main body 2. Although the subject image is formed as a mirror image on the imaging surface 33a by the above optical system, various processing can be added to the image data obtained by the digital camera, so that the mirror image is obtained. Can be easily returned to the normal image.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic electrical configuration of the digital camera and mobile phone. The photographing light that has passed through the photographing lens 3 and the schematically shown prism 40 is imaged on the image pickup surface of the CCD image sensor 33. System controller 5
According to the sequence program stored in the program memory 51, 0 totally controls the operation of each circuit unit shown in the figure. The CCD image sensor 33 picks up an image for each pixel by a clock pulse from the sensor driver 52, and the optical image formed on the image pickup surface is read as R.
(Red), G (green), B (blue) are converted into serial image signals and output. The image pickup signal is amplified by an amplifier 53 whose gain can be adjusted to a predetermined level in consideration of the noise level, and is input to the A / D converter 54.

The A / D converter 54 includes a well-known sampling circuit, and digitally converts an image pickup signal into R, G, B image data for each pixel by a predetermined sampling pulse synchronized with a clock pulse supplied to the CCD image sensor 33. The image data obtained by conversion and obtained image data is processed by the image data processing circuit 5.
Enter in 5. The image data for one screen obtained in this way is processed by the image data processing circuit 55.
6 is stored in a predetermined memory area. This image data is subsequently read by the image data processing circuit 55, correction processing such as gamma correction, knee white clipping, and white balance is performed, and the image data for one screen after various correction processing is stored in the image data memory 56. Stored in the memory area of. Since the image data supplied from the A / D converter 54 is based on the subject image which is a mirror image due to one reflection by the prism 40, the image data processing circuit 55 uses the mirror image. The image data conversion processing is performed so that the image becomes a normal image.

The above-described image data acquisition and image data processing are repeatedly performed each time an image pickup signal for one screen is output from the CCD image sensor 33. Meanwhile, the image data processing circuit 55 sequentially reads the image data for one screen after the correction processing from the image data memory 56, performs resizing processing according to the number of display pixels of the liquid crystal monitor 20, and transfers it to the LCD driver 57. To do. The LCD driver 56 has a built-in D / A converter and sequentially displays the transferred image data on the liquid crystal monitor 20.
Therefore, one screen image is sequentially displayed in full color on the liquid crystal monitor 20, and the subject image is observed as a moving image through image. The backlight 58 incorporated behind the liquid crystal display panel is also turned on by the drive signal from the liquid crystal driver 56.

The image data memory 56 stores the image data for one screen when the release button 12 is operated to take a picture, in addition to the memory area where the image data is sequentially rewritten for each screen. It has a storage area and has a memory capacity capable of storing, for example, image data for 5 screens. The remaining capacity of the image data memory 56 is 1
When it becomes impossible to save the image data for the screen, a warning signal indicating that the memory capacity is insufficient is returned to the system controller 50.

The image data processing circuit 55 further integrates the image data for one screen to determine the brightness of the object, and feedback-adjusts the gain of the amplifier 53 so that the integration level becomes a specified level. If the integrated level of the image data for one screen does not reach the specified level even after this gain adjustment, it means that the subject is too dark, and the flash photography is automatically switched.

The mobile phone circuit unit 60 and the transmission / reception circuit 61 are for achieving a mobile phone function, and operate in response to an operation signal from the operation panel section 27. The mobile phone circuit unit 60 and the transmission / reception circuit 61
Is not directly related to the digital camera of the present invention, and its details are omitted.

The operation switch group 62 includes a lens barrier 4
The barrier switch 5 for detecting the opening of the back cover 15, the cover switch for detecting the open / closed state of the back cover 15,
A release switch for detecting that the release button 12 is pressed halfway or fully is included, and the system controller 50 controls the operation of the digital camera according to the signals from these switches.

Under the control of the system controller 50, the I / O port 63 manages the exchange of signals between the bus line and the input / output terminal 64 exposed when the terminal cover 18 is opened. The strobe device 65 includes the strobe light emitting unit 7 and the strobe circuit board 34, and includes the system controller 50.
The charging / discharging of the main capacitor 34a is performed in response to the charging start signal and the trigger signal. When the main capacitor 34a is completely charged, the charging completion signal is returned to the system controller 50.

The LED driver 66 receives the command from the system controller 50, and the three LEDs 25a, 25 observed through the display window 17 of the back cover 15.
Lighting control of b and 25c is performed. The LED 25a emits green light when the lens barrier 4 is opened and the barrier switch 5 is turned on by operating the knob 4a, and indicates that the digital camera is ready for use.

The LED 25b gives a warning display by blinking red light when the remaining capacity of the image data memory 56 cannot store one screen of image data. LED25c is
When the main capacitor 34a is not charged to the specified level even though the flash photography is required, the green light blinks when the release button 12 is half pressed. The LED 25c is continuously lit in green in response to the half-pressing of the release button 12 when the main capacitor 34a is fully charged or when flash photography is unnecessary.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS. When the lens barrier 4 is closed and the barrier switch 5 is off, as long as the power switch 28 is on, the telephone mode is preferentially maintained regardless of the set position of the mode set key 22. . Therefore,
Even if the mode set key 22 is not set to the telephone mode, and the back cover 15 is closed, the mobile phone can be received.

Further, when the back cover 15 is opened while the mobile phone is in the receiving state, the telephone mode is automatically maintained and the call can be continued as it is. When the back cover 15 is opened, the protrusions 31a are in the holes 3
After exiting from 1b, the cover switch is turned on and the liquid crystal monitor 20 operates. When the liquid crystal monitor 20 operates in the telephone mode in this manner, the display screen displays the data such as the telephone number of the other party and the call duration, which are related to the transmission and reception of the telephone. If the mode set key 22 is set to the telephone mode, it is possible to start the transmission of the mobile phone by operating the operation panel unit 27 for a diamond up operation.
Further, when the image data is transmitted during the use in the telephone mode, it can be stored in the image data memory 56 by operating the button of the operation panel unit 27.

When the mode set key 22 is set to the image reproduction mode, the cursor key 21 is operated to bring up the menu screen on the liquid crystal monitor 20, and further the operation is performed according to the guidance of the menu screen to save the image data in the image data memory 56. The list of images that are displayed is displayed. In addition, one image selected from them can be enlarged and displayed. Furthermore, during the period when the mobile phone call is being performed, the image reproduction mode can be used in parallel with this, and the image data of one selected image can be transmitted to the call destination. . Of course, the image data transmitted from the call destination and stored in the image data memory 56 can also be reproduced as an image on the liquid crystal monitor 20.

When the mode set key 22 is set to the camera mode, the lens barrier 4 is opened by the operation of the knob 4a and the barrier switch 5 is turned on to wait for the image pickup process. Also, when the opening operation of the lens barrier 4 is performed with the back cover 15 closed, the imaging process is started regardless of the setting state of the mode set key 22, and the camera can be used as a digital camera.

The image pickup process is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the lens barrier 4 is opened and the barrier switch 5 is turned on, the camera mode is entered regardless of the open / closed state of the back cover 15 and the set position of the mode set key 22. LED2 when switching to camera mode
5a lights to indicate that the digital camera is ready for use. This display can be confirmed through the display window 17 even when the back cover 15 is closed.

When the lens barrier 4 is opened, the sensor driver 52 operates and the CCD image sensor 33 starts driving. The photographing light S that has passed through the photographing lens 3 and the diaphragm plate 36 and is incident along the thickness direction of the main body 2 is deflected by 90 ° by the prism 40, passes through the protective plate 42, and passes through the protective plate 42, and the image pickup surface 33 a of the CCD image sensor 33. Imaged above. In this way, by bending the photographing light S by 90 °, even if the total optical path length from the front surface of the photographing lens 3 to the CCD image sensor 33 becomes long, it can be easily accommodated within the thickness of the main body 2. The thickness can be reduced. Therefore, it is also advantageous when the focal length of the taking lens 3 is lengthened, when a zoom lens is used as the taking lens 3, or when a CCD image sensor having a large thickness is incorporated.

Further, since the CCD image sensor 33 is integrally fixed by joining the protection plate 42 to the light emitting surface of the prism 40, if the prism 40 is correctly positioned and fixed to the lens holder 38, CC
The D image sensor 33 is also accurately positioned with respect to the taking lens 3. Even if the CCD image sensor 33 is integrated with the prism 40, the CCD image sensor 33 still has the flexible printed board 43 and the connector 44.
Can be easily connected to the camera board 32.

As described above, not only the prism 40 is used as a means for deflecting the optical path of the photographing light S, but also the CCD is used.
By also using the image sensor 33 as a holding means, the digital camera can be easily and space-efficiently incorporated into the thin main body 2. Further, in FIG. 5, the prism 40 is rotated 180 ° about the horizontal optical axis of the photographing lens 3 to reflect the photographing light upward in the drawing, or is rotated 90 ° to make the photographing light S perpendicular to the paper surface. The prism 40 can be reflected in any direction, and the prism 40 can be fixed at an appropriate angle in consideration of the internal space of the main body 2. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design is greatly improved.

The CCD image sensor 33 has an image pickup surface 33.
The subject image formed on a is photoelectrically converted for each pixel, and an image pickup signal for one screen in which photoelectric signals for each pixel are serially continuous is output. The image pickup signal is digitized by the A / D converter 54 and input to the image data processing circuit 55 as image data. The image data processing circuit 55 is an A / D
After the image data for one screen from the converter 54 is stored in a predetermined memory area of the image data memory 56, appropriate data processing is added and written in another memory area. This processing is continuously performed each time one screen of image data is supplied from the A / D converter 54, and the image data written in the memory area is updated each time.

Since the liquid crystal monitor 20 operates when the back cover 15 is opened, the liquid crystal monitor 20
The subject image is displayed as a through image on. Therefore, the framing can be performed by the display image on the liquid crystal monitor 20. When the back cover 15 is still closed, the LCD driver 57 remains off, and neither the image data processing circuit 55 nor the through image display processing is executed. In this case, the optical viewfinder is used for framing for shooting. When the LCD driver 57 is turned off, the backlight 58 of the LCD monitor 20
Since it also remains turned off, in order to avoid exhaustion of the battery pack 13, it is preferable to shoot with the back cover 15 closed.

When the camera mode is entered, the remaining memory capacity of the image data memory 56 is checked. If the image data for one screen cannot be stored, the LED 2
5b flashes in red and a warning is displayed. This warning display can also be confirmed with the back cover 15 closed.

When framing is performed with the optical viewfinder or the liquid crystal monitor 20 and the release button 12 is pressed halfway, the image data processing circuit 55 obtained at that time is 1.
The light is measured based on the image data for the screen, and the amplifier 53
The gain of is automatically adjusted to an appropriate level. When the subject brightness is too low and cannot be handled only by adjusting the gain of the amplifier 53, the flash photography is automatically switched. At this time, when the main capacitor 34a of the strobe device 65 is not charged to the specified level, the LED 25
c flashes and the release lock is applied. When the subject brightness is at a level that can be handled by the gain adjustment of the amplifier 53, or when the charging of the main capacitor 34a is completed, the LED 25c is continuously lit green.
It is displayed that it is possible to shoot as it is.

When the release button 12 is fully pressed,
Immediately after that, the image data for one screen output from the A / D converter 54 is written as it is in a predetermined memory area of the image data memory 56, and the image data after various correction processing is performed is a memory area for data storage. Written in. This image data can be freely read by resetting the mode set key 22 to the image reproduction mode, and the reproduced image can be observed by the liquid crystal monitor 20.

Although the present invention has been described above in accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the back cover 15 is not necessarily required to carry out the present invention. In this case, the main body 2 is operated for a mobile phone. The panel section 27 may be provided. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the lens barrier 4 is provided so that the photographing lens 3 does not become dirty when it is used as a mobile phone, and when the lens barrier 4 is opened, the CCD image sensor 33 is driven and the digital image is displayed. Although power is supplied to the camera, if the lens barrier 4 is omitted, another power switch should be provided so that power can be supplied to the digital camera even when the back cover 15 is closed. You may

When the back cover 15 is opened and the liquid crystal monitor 20 is used as a digital camera while being used as an electronic viewfinder, the release button 12 is used.
Not only that, but if, for example, a button located in the operation panel portion 27 that is easy to operate is also used as a release button, the release operation while holding the back cover 15 with the right hand can be easily performed.

Furthermore, when the main body 2 and the back cover 15 are made thinner, a partial protrusion may be formed on the back side of the main body 2. In this case, the back cover 15 must be provided with a hole into which the protrusion is inserted so that the back cover 15 can be rotated to the regular closed position. When the depth of this hole reaches the thickness of the back cover 15, a through hole is formed in the back cover 15 and the label seal 15a closes the hole on the front side. It is possible to prevent holes that are unnecessary for operation from appearing in the appearance without increasing the thickness.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. When viewed from the front, the optical system unit 70 of the camera portion is rotatably incorporated in the right side surface of the main body 2. Figure 10
As shown in FIG. 3, the optical system unit 70 includes the taking lens 3 and the prism 40, which are held by the lens holder 38. On the other hand, the CCD image sensor 33 is fixed to the cylindrical holding frame 71 fixed to the main body 2 and is mechanically separated from the optical system unit 70 unlike the embodiment described above.

The lens holder 38 has a cylindrical sleeve 3
8b and the support shaft 38c are integrally formed. And
The inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 38b is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of a guide cylinder 71 that is fixedly provided on the frame body that holds the CCD image sensor 33, and the support shaft 38c rotatably penetrates through the main body portion 2. Numeral 38 denotes 180 around the axis L which is an extension of the image pickup optical axis after being reflected by the prism 40, that is, the axis L which is orthogonal to the imaging surface 33a of the CCD image sensor 33.
It is rotatable within the range of °. Thereby, the optical system unit 70 together with the lens holder 38 can be rotated to an arbitrary position between the photographing position where the photographing optical axis faces the front side and the photographing position where the photographing optical axis faces the rear side. When shooting with the optical system unit 70 facing the back side, it is possible to shoot the person's face or figure by opening the back cover 15 and framing while viewing the display image on the liquid crystal monitor 20.

As described above, the CCD image sensor 33
Is fixed and the optical system unit 70 including the taking lens 3 and the prism 40 is rotated to perform photographing, the photographing screen rotates about the axis L according to the rotation position. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the top and bottom of the shooting screen are reversed between when the image is taken with the taking lens 3 facing forward and when the image is taken with the taking lens 3 facing the back side. In order to correct this, if the rotation angle of the optical system unit 70 is detected electrically or photoelectrically and correction processing is applied to the image data for one screen according to the rotation angle, the rotation angle of the optical system unit 70 It is possible to obtain a regular photographed image whose top and bottom are always constant regardless of

Although a digital camera having a rotatable camera portion including a CCD image sensor is known,
In such a digital camera, the signal line from the CCD image sensor is pulled out through the center of the rotation axis, or the camera part and the main body part are connected by a flexible wiring board. On the other hand, in the above configuration, C
Since the CD image sensor 33 is still fixed to the main body 2, the signal line from the CCD image sensor 33 can be kept in a fixed connection path, and the structure inside the main body 2 is simplified to achieve compactness and cost reduction. There is a big contribution.

[0055]

As described above, according to the digital camera of the present invention, the subject image formed on the image pickup surface of the solid-state image pickup device is allowed to be a mirror image, and the optical path after the photographing lens is provided with a prism or a mirror. Since it is reflected by 90 ° with a reflective member such as a lens and bent, the entire length of the camera part from the photographing lens to the solid-state image sensor in the optical axis direction does not have to be contained within the thickness of the main body, which is thin. It will be easy to integrate into mobile phones. Further, since the components after the reflecting member can be rotated and assembled at an arbitrary angle position around the photographing optical axis from the photographing lens to the incidence on the reflecting member, the mobile phone can be built even though the digital camera is built in. It will be possible to have a great deal of freedom in the design of. Furthermore, when a prism is used as the reflecting member, a protective glass that covers the surface of the solid-state image sensor can be bonded to the light exit surface of the prism to be integrated with the prism, so that not only can the size of the solid-state image sensor be reduced. It is easy to assemble and position, and it is also advantageous in terms of dust resistance.

When the back surface of the main body is covered with an openable back cover, a liquid crystal monitor is provided on the back of the main body, so that the back cover can protect the liquid crystal monitor when not in use. . It is desirable to incorporate an optical finder so as to penetrate the main body and the back cover so that the camera can be used immediately as a digital camera even when the back cover is closed. If a lens barrier is further incorporated in the main body so as to open and close the front surface of the taking lens, the digital camera can be operated in conjunction with the opening operation. Further, if the photographing lens and the reflecting member are rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the image pickup surface of the solid-state image sensor, it is possible to change the photographing direction irrespective of the wiring of the signal line from the solid-state image sensor. Become.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front side external view of a mobile phone to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 2 is a rear side external view of the mobile phone shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an external view of a state in which a back cover is opened.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a layout of each unit incorporated in the main body section.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of main parts showing an optical system of a digital camera.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration of a mobile phone incorporating a digital camera.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a basic processing flow of a mobile phone having a built-in digital camera.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of image pickup processing of the digital camera.

FIG. 9 is an external view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of the digital camera shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 body 3 shooting lens 4 lens barrier 5 barrier switches 6 Finder objective lens 15 back cover 16 viewfinder eyepiece window 20 LCD monitor 22 Mode set key 23 speakers 26 microphones 27 Operation panel section 32 camera board 33 CCD image sensor 33a Imaging surface 38 Lens holder 40 prism 70 Optical system unit

Front page continued (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04M 1/21 H04M 1/21 Z 1/725 1/725 // H04N 101: 00 H04N 101: 00

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A digital camera built into a mobile phone having a thickness thinner than the front surface of a main body, wherein the photographing lens is exposed on the front surface of the main body and has an optical axis directed in the thickness direction. A reflecting member for reflecting the optical path of 90 ° by 90 ° and a solid-state image pickup device for picking up the photographing light reflected by the reflecting member, and the image pickup surface of the solid-state image pickup device is oriented substantially parallel to the thickness direction of the main body. A digital camera for mobile phones. 2. The digital camera for a mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting member is formed of a prism, and a protective plate that covers the surface of the solid-state image sensor is joined to a light exit surface of the prism. 3. The back surface of the main body is covered with an openable / closable back cover, and by opening the back cover, the liquid crystal monitor provided on the back surface of the main body is exposed for observation and the electrical characteristics of the liquid crystal monitor are improved. The digital camera for a mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the digital camera is driven in various ways. 4. The digital camera for a mobile phone according to claim 3, wherein an optical finder is provided so as to penetrate the main body and the back cover in the closed position. 5. The mobile phone according to claim 4, wherein a lens barrier that opens and closes the front surface of the taking lens is incorporated in the main body, and the solid-state imaging device is driven in response to the opening of the lens barrier. For digital camera. 6. An optical system unit, in which a solid-state image sensor is fixed to a main body and a photographing lens and a reflecting member are integrally incorporated, is rotatable about a photographing optical axis orthogonal to an image pickup surface of the solid-state image sensor. The digital camera for a mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein: