JP2003309753A - Digital camera and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera for protecting both a recording medium and image information by setting a lock mechanism to a cover for storing a battery and the recording medium and detecting an unlock state so as to activate a protection function of the recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: The digital camera includes: a recording medium interface 16 for recording image information in response to an optical image of an object to a removable recording medium; a lock mechanism 23 for locking opening/ closing of covers 24, 27 used to store at least one of a battery 25 for supplying power to them and the recording medium 16 to a main body; and a control section 17 for controlling each section to protect the recording medium 16 when a sensing switch 22 senses the unlock of the lock mechanism. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital still camera for recording image information according to an optical image of a subject, and more particularly to a digital still camera having a protection function during recording operation of a recording medium and a control method thereof. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, digital still cameras have been widely manufactured and popularized against the backdrop of the cost reduction of memory devices.
In such a digital still camera, generally, after the video signal from the solid-state image sensor is processed by the preprocessing unit,
It is converted into a digital signal by the D converter. The A / D-converted signal is processed by the processing unit and stored in the memory as image data. Then, the image data stored in the memory is written to a removable medium, or the LC
Images are displayed on a D (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like. Further, the image data written in the medium is displayed on the LCD. A microcomputer, which is a built-in control unit, controls these operations, and commands to the microcomputer are input from operation buttons.

In such a conventional digital still camera, at the time of image recording, the LCD screen displays that the image is being recorded. The recording medium may cause serious damage such as breakage of the recording medium when an abnormal state that disturbs the operation occurs during the writing operation. Therefore, the protection function is designed to be activated when there is an operation that may cause such an abnormal state. As an example, when the opening / closing of the lid for storing the battery or the recording medium in the main body is detected, the digital still camera is forcibly turned off to protect the recording medium. As a result, the possibility of damage to the recording medium is avoided, but the image information being recorded is erased.

[0004]

Therefore, in the conventional apparatus, if the battery or the lid of the recording medium is opened during photographing, the power is forcibly turned off to protect the recording medium, so that all the image information being recorded is erased. There is a problem that it will be done.

The present invention provides a digital camera which protects both a recording medium and image information by providing a lock mechanism on a lid for storing a battery or a recording medium and operating a protection function of the recording medium when unlocking is detected. With the goal.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a digital camera for photographing a subject and recording image information of the subject, wherein the image information is recorded on a removable recording medium. Means and locking means for locking the opening of the lid with respect to a lid that stores at least one of a battery for supplying power to the recording means and the recording medium in the main body; A digital camera, comprising: a control unit that controls the recording unit to protect the recording medium when the detection element detects that the lock unit is unlocked.

In the digital camera according to the present invention, a lock mechanism is provided on a common lid for storing a recording medium and a battery. Therefore, when trying to open the lid to replace the battery or the recording medium, the lock mechanism must be released.

Therefore, when the user unlocks the locking mechanism in order to accidentally open the lid while recording the image information of the photographed image on the recording medium, this release is detected by the switch, and the protection operation of the recording medium is performed. I do. That is, the power is not turned off immediately, but the recording on the recording medium is interrupted, and the image information being recorded is saved in the memory or the like. Further, since the user is currently recording, a warning message, such as displaying a message on the display to turn the lock on again without opening the lid, prompts the user to turn on the lock, or gives a beep sound to warn the user. It is a thing.

By doing so, in the conventional apparatus having no lid lock mechanism, when the lid is detected to be opened, the power is immediately turned off to protect the recording medium. Can be protected according to the invention without being erased. Further, when the user notices an improper operation by the warning sound or the warning display and turns on the lock again, the recording process is automatically restarted. As a result, it is possible to quickly recover the recording process.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A digital still camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of an embodiment of a digital still camera according to the present invention, FIG.
FIG. 4 is an external view showing the structure of another embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the processing by the lock detection switch.

<Digital Still Camera According to the Present Invention> A digital still camera C according to the present invention has a solid-state image sensor 11 for receiving an optical image of a subject through an imaging lens and a solid-state image sensor 11 in FIGS. A preprocessing unit 12 that receives an image signal output from the device and performs preprocessing such as exposure calculation.
And A for digitally converting the image signal from the preprocessing unit 12.
And / D converter 13.

The image signal converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 13 is further processed by a DSP (Digital Signal Process).
ssor) 14 and signal-processed, and stored in the memory 15 as image information. After that, this is recorded on the removable recording medium 16 or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
Play) 18 displays an image corresponding to the image information.

These photographing processing, recording processing, and reproduction processing are performed according to the control processing of the microcomputer section 17 according to the user's operation of each switch 19 such as a power switch, a lens opening / closing switch, and a mode switch.

Further, a light receiving portion 21 is provided, and IR (Infrar
ed Ray: Infrared) It is also preferable to receive a light beam from a remote controller (650 to 700 nanometers) R and output a detection signal in response to this. This detection signal is supplied to the microcomputer unit 17 as a digital control signal by the preprocessing / 1-bit A / D converter 20.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a lid 24 for storing the battery 25 and the recording medium 16 in the main body is provided, and the lid 24 is not opened and closed immediately but is protected by the lock mechanism 23. Has been done. That is, in order to open the lid 24 for the user to replace the battery or take out the recording medium 16, the lock mechanism 23 is unlocked and then the lid 2 is opened.
4 from the closed state of FIG. 2 (a) to the opened state of (b). This lock mechanism 2
The lock of No. 3 and its release are detected by the lock detection switch 22. The detection result is supplied to the microcomputer unit 17 as an electric signal.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the lid 24 is opened vertically after the lock mechanism 23 is released. Furthermore, in FIG. 3, after the lock mechanism 23 is released, the lid 27 is slid horizontally and
It shows a case where the lock detection switch 22 is opened in the vertical direction, and the lock detection switch 22 is provided on the substrate 28 together with the metal fitting 29. 3A shows a state in which the lock mechanism 23 is locked, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the lock is released and the lid 27 is slid and opened in the vertical direction.

In the digital still camera C of the present invention having such a structure, after the power is turned on, the photographing process, the recording process, and the moving image photographing process are performed according to the operation of each switch according to the operation mode determined by the mode switch (not shown). ,
Performs communication processing and playback processing with external personal computers. Further, in terms of strobe setting, zoom photographing, and reproduction, image feeding, image enlargement / reduction, and the like are performed. Further, in the setup mode, various settings are made.

In such a digital still camera C, according to the present invention, the protection function is activated as described below by the control of the microcomputer section 17 in accordance with the function of the lock mechanism 23 and the detection signal from the lock detection switch 22. It is a thing. That is, when the photographing mode is selected and the shutter is turned on (S11), predetermined image processing or the like is performed on the image information acquired by the solid-state image sensor 11 (S12),
After being converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter, the DSP 14 performs predetermined digital processing. Further, the image information that has been photographed and subjected to predetermined processing is recorded on the recording medium 1.
While recording in 7, the LED is turned on (S13). Then, when recording is completed (S14), the LED is turned off (S21).

If the lock detection switch 22 detects the release of the lock before the recording is completed (S1
5) As a recording medium protection process, image information being recorded is saved and recording on the recording medium is stopped (S16). By such a treatment, the image information which has been erased by immediately turning off the power in the conventional apparatus is protected without being erased. Further, a warning display such as "The lid is unlocked during recording. Please turn on the lock immediately" is displayed on the liquid crystal screen 18 to prompt the user to restore the lock mechanism 23 (S17). Further, the warning effect can be enhanced by providing a not-shown oscillator at the same time as the warning display to generate a beep sound.

Thereafter, it is detected whether or not the lock mechanism 23 is restored (S18), and if the lock detection switch 22 is turned on, recording of the photographed image information on the recording medium 16 is restarted and the LED is turned on (S19). ). Further, the warning display on the liquid crystal screen 18 is interrupted (S20). Then, this is continued until the recording process is completed.

As described above in detail, the lock mechanism 23 is provided on the lid 24 of the battery, the recording medium, etc., and the open / closed state is detected by the lock detection switch 22 to release the lock mechanism to perform the above-mentioned protection function. By exerting, the recording medium can be protected without losing the captured image information. Further, if the lock mechanism is restored by a warning display or the like, the recording process can be promptly restored immediately without turning on / off the power supply.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, by storing both the battery 25 and the recording medium 16 with one lid 23, 27, it is possible to provide both by only providing one lock detection switch 22. It becomes possible to obtain a lock detection signal for protection.

The various embodiments described above enable a person skilled in the art to implement the present invention, and it is easy for a person skilled in the art to think of various modifications of these embodiments, and the invention has the inventive ability. It is possible to apply to various embodiments without having. Therefore, the present invention provides
The present invention covers a wide range that is consistent with the disclosed principle and novel features, and is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0024]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the lid for storing the battery and the recording medium in the main body is provided with the lock mechanism, and the lock detection switch for detecting the locked state is provided. And when it detects that the lock is released,
Provided is a digital camera capable of protecting both a recording medium and image information when a lid is about to be opened during recording by processing the recording medium and image information so as to be protected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of an embodiment of a digital still camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing the structure of an embodiment of a digital still camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing the structure of another embodiment of the digital still camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing by a lock detection switch in the digital still camera according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Solid-state image sensor, 12 ... Pre-processing unit, 13 ... A / D converter, 14 ... Digital signal processing unit, 15 ... Memory, 1
6 ... Recording medium, 17 ... Microcomputer unit, 18 ... Liquid crystal screen, 1
9 ... Mode switch / each switch, 20 ... Pre-processing unit / 1
Bit A / D converter, 21 ... Light receiving element, 22 ... Lock switch.

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5C022 AA13 AB15 AB40 AB65 AB66                       AC13 AC22 AC42 AC71 AC73                 5C052 AA17 AB04 DD02 EE02 EE08                       GA02 GA09 GB01 GD03 GE08

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A digital camera for photographing a subject and recording image information of the subject, the recording means recording the image information on a removable recording medium, and a battery for supplying power to the recording means. A lid for storing at least one of the recording medium and the recording medium in the main body, the lock means locking the opening of the lid, and the detection element detecting that the lock means is unlocked. Then, a control means for controlling the recording means to protect the recording medium, and a digital camera. 2. The lid that is locked by the locking means,
The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the battery and the recording medium are stored in a main body. 3. The control means, when the detection element detects that the lock means is unlocked, suspends the recording of the image information on the recording medium without deleting the image information. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the digital camera is stored in a predetermined storage area. 4. The control means, when the detection element detects that the lock means is unlocked, displays a message on the display screen prompting the user to relock the lock because the lock is released during shooting. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the digital camera is a digital camera. 5. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the control means generates a beep sound when the detection element detects that the lock means is unlocked. 6. A method of controlling a digital camera for photographing a subject and recording image information of the subject, comprising: recording means for recording the image information on a removable recording medium; and power supply to each of the above means. A lid for storing at least one of the battery and the recording medium in the main body for locking the opening of the lid and the unlocking of the locking means. A control step of controlling the recording means to protect the recording medium when the detecting means detects that the lock means is unlocked, for a digital camera having a detecting means for detecting. A method for controlling a digital camera, characterized by: