JP2005348300A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce costs and to small-size an electronic camera by using a lens cover also as a cover of a memory card storage part in the electronic camera which records images on a memory card. <P>SOLUTION: A memory card storage part is provided near a lens part and a lens cover is used also as a lid for the memory card storage part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an arrangement of a recording medium storage unit and a lens cover that covers a lens unit of an apparatus that records a digital image obtained from an imaging unit on a removable recording medium.

  In recent years, with the rapid advancement of digital technology, electronic still cameras for recording a subject image photographed by an image sensor such as a CCD as disclosed in JP-A-2002-199272 in a semiconductor memory have become widespread. .

  Depending on the purpose of shooting, video is recorded on a magnetic tape cassette that can be photographed for a long time, and still images are recorded on a removable semiconductor memory with excellent searchability and expandability. Products are also appearing.

  The electronic camera as described above always has a lens unit for imaging the subject on the image sensor, but it is equipped with a slide-type lens cover to prevent the lens from becoming dusty or scratched when not in use. There are also many things. Further, the semiconductor memory housing portion also needs a lid in order to ensure dustproofness, reliability, and impact resistance. Conventionally, a recording medium lid that covers and protects the opening of the recording medium storage chamber and a lens cover that covers the opening of the lens unit are provided separately.

  Such an electronic camera for general users is required to be small, light, and strong so that it can be easily carried and used.

  On the other hand, with the miniaturization, the space for arranging various operation switches, display units, storage units such as recording media and batteries is reduced, and the layout of each unit is difficult. As a result, the arrangement of each part becomes cramped or unreasonable. As a result, operability, holding properties, etc. are sacrificed, and the commercial value is impaired.

  In the above-described conventional example, the recording medium lid that covers and protects the opening of the recording medium storage chamber and the lens cover that covers the opening of the lens unit are provided separately, and thus are not suitable for downsizing. was there.

  An object of the first invention according to the present application is to reduce the size of the electronic camera by reducing the cost of the electronic camera by arranging the recording medium storage portion in the vicinity of the lens unit and sharing the lens cover and the recording medium lid.

  An object of the second invention according to the present application is to provide an electronic camera excellent in operability despite being small in size by discharging the recording medium in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the lens cover.

  In view of the fact that the object of the third invention according to the present application is exclusive when photographing a subject (when using the lens portion) and when attaching or detaching the recording medium, the lens cover is arranged between the lens portion and the recording medium. It is an object to provide an electronic camera with good operability and reliability that prevents at least one of the storage portions from being covered, thereby preventing erroneous operation of the other, entry of dust, scratches or breakage even when one is being used.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first invention according to the present application is characterized in that a lens cover is also used as a lid for hiding the recording medium insertion portion.

  In the above configuration, the user moves the lens cover to a position corresponding to each use state when the lens cover is not used, when photographing, and when the memory card is attached / detached. The lens cover covers both the taking lens and the memory card storage unit when not in use, covers only the memory card storage unit at the shooting position, and covers the lens cover and memory card storage unit when the memory card is attached / detached. Both are exposed. By taking the above form, the lens cover can be used as a cover for the memory card, and it is not necessary to provide a separate cover for the semiconductor memory, thereby reducing the cost and reducing the size of the main body.

  A second invention according to the present application is characterized in that it also serves as a memory card ejection switch by opening and closing the lens cover. In the configuration of the first invention, when the memory cover is moved from the photographing position to the memory card attaching / detaching position and the memory card can be ejected, the memory card ejecting mechanism is configured to operate. There is no need to operate the discharge button separately, improving operability.

  A third invention according to the present application is characterized in that the lens cover always covers at least one of the photographing lens and the memory card storage portion. In this configuration, when the camera body is not used, both the taking lens and the memory card storage unit are covered with the lens cover, and when using the shooting lens, the memory card storage unit is always protected by the lens cover. When the memory card is attached / detached, the photographing lens is always protected by the lens cover, and the safety and reliability are further enhanced as compared with the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the first invention of the present application, the recording medium storage portion is disposed in the vicinity of the lens unit, and the lens cover and the recording medium lid are used in common. Down and downsizing of the device are possible. According to the second invention of the present application, by ejecting the recording medium in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the lens cover, the operability is excellent and the apparatus can be downsized. According to the third aspect of the present application, the protective effect as a cover can be further improved without impairing operability.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic camera representing the present invention as seen from the lens side, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view as seen from the photographer side. 1 is a camera body, 2 is a photographing lens, 3 is a lens cover, 4 is a semiconductor memory card storage unit, 6 is an electronic viewfinder (hereinafter abbreviated as EVF), 7 is a microphone, 8 is a zoom switch, 9 is a shutter button, 10 Is a mode changeover switch, 11 is an image display unit, and 12 is a battery storage unit.

  This electronic camera converts analog image information of a subject photographed by the image sensor 103 into digital image information, and records this digital image information in the semiconductor memory card 13 accommodated in the semiconductor memory card accommodating portion 4. is there.

  In the present embodiment, the taking lens 2, the semiconductor memory card storage unit 4, the lens cover 3 and the microphone 7 are arranged on the front side of the main body. FIG. 1 shows an unused state in which the lens cover 3 covers both the photographing lens 2 and the semiconductor memory card storage unit 4.

  The central portion of the mode switch 10 is a shutter button 9. The mode switch 10 is configured to rotate about the shutter button 9 and switches between modes such as power-off and photographing / playback depending on the rotation position. The image display unit 11 is designed to be rotatable in two axial directions around the hinge unit 14. FIG. 1 shows an unused state, but when in use, the image display unit can be opened in an arbitrary state, and an image taken or taken can be viewed on a large screen. 8 is configured to slide up and down with a zoom switch, and the captured image is enlarged or reduced in accordance with a preset direction.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the electronic camera. The camera body 1 is provided with a lens unit 100 having a photographic lens 2 that forms incident light, a diaphragm mechanism 101, and a focus mechanism 102. In the lens unit 100, the diaphragm mechanism 101 and the focus mechanism 102 are controlled based on a control signal from the CPU 124. The subject image formed by the lens unit 100 is converted into an electric signal by the solid-state image sensor (CCD) 103. The analog image signal read from the CCD 103 is converted into a digital image signal by the digital processing circuit 105 through the video signal processing circuit 104. This digital image information is input to the AE processing circuit 131 and the AF processing circuit 132, and the exposure amount and the focus position are calculated, respectively. The image signal is displayed on both or one of the EVF 6 and the image display unit 11. At this time, various information such as the battery capacity, zoom magnification, number of shots, date, etc. instructed from the CPU are also displayed on the image display unit together with the captured image.

  Digital image information is temporarily recorded in the built-in memory 106 when the photographer presses the shutter 9. The digital image signal recorded in the built-in memory 106 is transferred to the semiconductor memory card 13 as needed, and a plurality of image contents are recorded on the semiconductor memory card 13.

  On the other hand, at the time of reproduction, the image data of the semiconductor memory card 13 is converted by the digital processing circuit 103 and then reproduced and displayed on the image display unit 11 or outputted to an external personal computer or printer via the digital interface 104. Further, an image can be reproduced on an external television as an analog video output through the video encoder 103.

  4 to 6 are front views when the camera body 1 is viewed from the lens side. 4 shows the unused state, FIG. 5 shows the time of photographing, and FIG. 6 shows the state of attaching / detaching the semiconductor memory card 13. The lens cover 3 can be manually slid in the vertical direction along the cover guide grooves 16a and 16b provided in the main body 1, and is a stopper mechanism (not fixed) held at a predetermined position shown in FIGS. (Shown). When the electronic camera is not used, the lens cover 3 covers the photographing lens 2 and the memory card storage portion 4 as shown in FIG. 4 to prevent external impact, dust and dirt. During photographing, the lens cover 3 is moved by hand to the position shown in FIG. At this time, the memory card insertion portion 4 can ensure the dustproofness covered with the lens cover 3 and is not erroneously operated.

  When the memory card is attached or detached, the lens cover 3 is further lowered by hand to the position shown in FIG. 6 to expose the memory card insertion portion 4. At this position, the microphone 7 is blocked by the lens cover 3, but there is no problem because the microphone 7 is not used when the memory is attached or detached. The memory card insertion part is formed with a concave curved surface 15 and is provided with an opening 4a of the memory card insertion part. The concave curved surface 15 is designed to have a shape that exposes an area sufficient to be picked by a finger even in a state where the memory card 13 is loaded in the memory card storage portion 4. A card connector 45 that holds the memory card 13 so as to be freely inserted and removed is disposed inside the memory card insertion portion 4, and performs communication between the circuit on the main body side and the memory card 13.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the memory card 13 is picked up with a finger using the concave portion provided in the opening of the memory card insertion portion. However, depending on the type of the memory card, the memory card 13 may have to be taken out by the ejection mechanism. is there. Further, depending on the shape of the main body 1, there may be a case where a sufficient concave shape cannot be formed. In this case, a separate discharge switch is required. In the second embodiment, the lens cover also serves as the discharge switch. FIG. 7 shows a position when the semiconductor memory card 13 is attached and detached. On the back surface of the lens cover 3, a protrusion 30 is disposed at a position where it abuts on the slide lever 20. When the lens cover 3 is further pushed down by hand as shown in FIG. 8 from this state, the slide lever 20 is moved downward by the protrusion 30 and pivoted about the slide lever shaft 21. The discharge arm 40 is rotated around the discharge arm rotation shaft 41 by the slide lever cam shaft 22 planted in the slide lever 20 engaged with the cam groove 42 of the discharge arm. As shown in FIG. The single part 13b of the card is pushed to eject the semiconductor memory card 13. The user can take out the semiconductor memory card 13 by holding the single part 13a of the semiconductor memory card 13 pushed out by the discharge arm 40 with a finger. Since the slide lever 20 is biased upward by the spring 31, the lens cover 3 is returned to the position shown in FIG. 40 also returns to the state shown in FIG. 9 and the semiconductor memory card 13 can be inserted again.

(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment, when the memory card is attached / detached, the lens cover 3 moves from the unused state to the upper position as shown in FIG. In the state of FIG. 7, the photographing lens 2 is covered with a lens cover 3. In the first embodiment, when the memory card 13 is attached / detached, the lens cover 3 is positioned at the bottom and the photographing lens 2 is exposed, so that there is a possibility that the photographing lens 2 may be accidentally touched during attachment / detachment work. there were. In contrast, in this embodiment, when the memory card is attached / detached, the lens 2 is covered with the lens cover 3, so that the operator does not touch the surface of the lens 2 by mistake when attaching / detaching the memory card 13. , Safety and workability can be improved.

  Further, in the first to third embodiments, the operability can be further improved by linking the lens cover operation with the power switch and the mode change switch of the camera body. That is, when the lens cover is in the memory card attachment / detachment position as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, power supply / communication to the memory card 13 is prohibited, and the lens cover is in the shooting state as shown in FIG. In some cases, the mode is automatically switched to the shooting mode, and when the lens cover 3 is in a position to hide the shooting lens 2 and the memory card storage unit 4 as shown in FIG.

It is the perspective view seen from the lens side of the electronic camera of the present invention. It is the perspective view seen from the photographer side of the electronic camera of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the whole structure of the electronic camera of this invention. It is a front view which shows the unused state of a 1st Example. It is a front view which shows the imaging | photography state of a 1st Example. It is a front view which shows the time of memory card attachment / detachment of a 1st Example. It is a front view which shows the time of memory card attachment / detachment of a 2nd Example. It is a front view which shows the memory card discharge mechanism operation time of the second embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the time of memory card attachment / detachment of 2nd Example. It is sectional drawing which shows the memory card discharge mechanism operation time of the second embodiment. It is a front view which shows the time of memory card attachment / detachment of a 3rd Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera body 2 Shooting lens 3 Lens cover 4 Memory card insertion part 6 Liquid crystal display part 13 Semiconductor memory card

Claims (3)

  An electronic camera that has a lens unit and a lens cover that protects the lens unit, and that records a digital image captured by an image sensor on a detachable recording medium, wherein the lens cover covers the insertion part of the recording medium. And an electronic camera.   2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the lens cover also serves as a discharge switch for the recording medium.   The first position where the lens cover covers both the lens portion and the recording medium insertion portion, the second position where only the lens portion side is covered, and the third position where only the recording medium insertion portion is covered. An electronic camera characterized by having the electronic camera.

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