JP2006004517A - Optical memory medium playback device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical memory medium playback device in which an optical detector that has been used in a digital camera is used not only for photographing of an object to be photographed but also used for reading of a hologram memory. <P>SOLUTION: An optical memory medium playback device 13 has a digital camera image forming lens 2 which is used to form an image onto an optical detector 3 that converts object light beams from the object to be photographed and a hologram memory light collecting lens 9 that introduces laser light beams 10 to the core layer of a hologram memory 8 in which a core and a clad are laminated and data are stored as a hologram. A hologram image being diffracted from the hologram memory 8 is reproduced as electric signals. Thus, the optical detector 3 provides a camera function and an optical hologram memory medium playback function. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical memory medium reproducing apparatus that reads data from a hologram memory.

  FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a conventional digital camera 1. The digital camera 1 has a lens 2 and a photodetector 3. The lens 2 once collects the external light incident on the digital camera 1 and forms an image on the photodetector 3. The photodetector 3 converts data such as the light intensity of the subject image formed on the photodetector 3 into an electrical signal.

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating a state during operation of the digital camera 1 illustrated in FIG. Scattered light from the subject 4 with external light such as sunlight enters the imaging lens 2 for the digital camera. In the imaging lens 2 for digital camera, incident light is once condensed, and a subject image 5 is formed on the photodetector 3. In the photodetector 3, the data of the imaged subject image 5 is converted into an electrical signal.
The data of the subject 4 converted into an electric signal can be used as image data by being recorded on a recording medium (not shown).
However, in the conventional digital camera 1, the photodetector 3 is used only for photographing the subject 4, and is not used for other purposes.

On the other hand, as contents related to the hologram memory, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a technique for reading a large amount of data from the hologram memory.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-345419 JP 2003-141475 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to reproduce an optical memory medium that can use a photodetector used in a digital camera not only for photographing a subject but also for reading out a hologram memory. To provide an apparatus.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 provides a first light collection for forming an image on an electric signal conversion means for converting object light from a subject into an electric signal. And a hologram image diffracted from the hologram memory, having a second condensing means for laminating the core and the clad and introducing the laser beam into the core layer of the hologram memory storing data as a hologram As an electric signal, and a single electric signal conversion means has a camera function and an optical hologram memory medium reproduction function.

  In the invention according to claim 2, in the case of functioning as a camera in the invention according to claim 1, the first light condensing means is driven to pause the second light condensing means. In the case of controlling as described above and functioning as an optical hologram medium reproducing device, the apparatus further includes a control unit that controls the second condensing unit to be driven and the first condensing unit to be stopped.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided the invention according to the first or second aspect, wherein the hologram memory is detachable.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the second condensing unit is configured to make light incident on a specific core layer of the hologram memory. There is further provided a position adjusting means for adjusting the position.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the subject image formed by the first condensing unit is incident on the electric signal converting unit. It further has a light shielding means for shielding the light.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the light converting means is shared by the first light collecting means and the second light collecting means, it is possible to reproduce an inexpensive and small optical memory medium that can be used for a digital camera. An apparatus can be provided.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, which of the first condensing means and the second condensing means is driven in each case of using as a camera and reading data from the hologram memory? Therefore, the optical memory medium reproducing apparatus of the present invention can be used as a camera or can be used for reading data.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the hologram memory medium can be detached, the optical memory medium reproducing apparatus can reproduce the hologram memory in which various data are recorded.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, since the second condensing means is provided, it becomes possible to make the laser beam incident on a specific core layer of the hologram memory, and the data recorded in the hologram memory over a plurality of layers. Specific data can be read out from the list.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the light shielding means for shielding the subject image formed by the first light collecting means from being incident on the electric signal converting means is provided, the optical memory medium reproducing apparatus Noise can be eliminated when reading data, and high quality data can be read.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the hologram memory 8 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The hologram memory 8 includes a clad layer 6 (6-1, 6-2, 6-3,...) And a core layer 7 (7-1, 7-2, 7-3,..., 7-n,. ..) has a structure in which the layers are stacked alternately.
The core layer 7 is formed using a transparent material such as quartz or plastic. The thickness of the core layer 7 is about 1 μm. On the other hand, the cladding layer 6 is formed using a material having a refractive index smaller than that of the core layer 7. The thickness of the cladding layer 6 is about 10 μm.

  Next, a method for reading data from the hologram memory 8 will be described. Laser light 10 is irradiated from the side surface of the hologram memory 8. The laser beam 10 is condensed by the hologram memory condensing lens 9 and is incident on the core layer 7-n. The laser beam 10 incident on the core layer 7-n travels through the core layer 7-n in the direction of the arrow D1. A hologram that scatters the laser beam 10 incident on the core layer 7 is formed on the cladding layer 6.

  The laser beam 10 incident on the core layer 7-n is scattered by a hologram formed corresponding to the data recorded on the cladding layer 6, and diffracted beam 11 scattered in the vertical direction of the core layer 7-n. However, the hologram images 12 are formed above and below the hologram memory 8. Data can be read from the hologram memory 8 by detecting the hologram image 12 with a photodetector. Since the hologram memory 8 can be formed of an inexpensive material, a large amount of data can be provided at a low price.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the optical memory medium playback device 13 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The optical memory medium reproducing device 13 includes a digital camera imaging lens 2, a photodetector 3, a hologram memory 8, and a hologram memory condenser lens 9. The imaging lens 2 for digital camera forms an image of external light incident from the outside of the optical memory medium reproducing device 13 on the photodetector 3. The condensing lens 9 for hologram memory condenses and enters the laser beam 10 onto the core layer 7 (FIG. 2) constituting the hologram memory 8.

When the hologram memory 8 includes a plurality of clad layers 6 and core layers 7 and data is recorded over a plurality of layers, the hologram memory condensing lens 9 is moved in the direction of the arrow D2. The laser beam 10 is made incident on a specific core layer.
Since the hologram memory 8 is formed using a transparent material such as quartz or plastic, the light incident from the imaging lens 2 for the digital camera reaches the photodetector 3 without being blocked.

In addition, since the hologram memory 8 is read-only, the hologram memory 8 can be replaced with a hologram memory in which other data is recorded without being fixed to the optical memory medium reproducing device 13. With such a configuration, various data such as image data and music data can be read from the hologram memory using the optical memory medium reproducing device 13.
The photodetector 3 is arranged at a position where the subject image formed by the digital camera imaging lens 2 is formed. As the photodetector 3, a CMOS (Complementary MOS), a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), or the like can be used.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a case where the optical memory medium playback device 13 of this embodiment operates as a digital camera. External light such as sunlight is reflected by the subject 4 and enters the imaging lens 2 for the digital camera of the optical memory medium playback device 13. The subject image 5 incident on the digital camera imaging lens 2 is condensed and passes through the hologram memory 8. Since the hologram memory 8 is completely transparent, the subject image 5 incident from the imaging lens 2 for the digital camera is not blocked by the hologram memory 8 by applying an optical design to refraction. The detector 3 can be reached.

  The external light collected by the imaging lens 2 for the digital camera passes through the hologram memory 8 and then forms a subject image 5 on the photodetector 3. The light detector 3 performs a process of converting it into an electrical signal in accordance with the light intensity of the subject image 5 formed on the light detector 3. Data obtained by photographing the subject 4 converted into an electrical signal by the photodetector 3 is recorded on a recording medium (not shown) and can be used as image data.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation when the optical memory medium reproducing device 13 of the present embodiment reads data from the hologram memory 8.
The condensing lens 9 for hologram memory makes a laser beam 10 incident on a specific core layer 7 in the hologram memory 8 in order to read data recorded in a specific layer recorded in the hologram memory 8. The position is controlled as follows.

  The laser beam 10 condensed by the hologram memory condensing lens 9 travels through the core layer 7 of the hologram memory 8. When the laser beam 10 passes through the core layer 7, the laser beam 10 is scattered by the cladding layer 6, and a hologram image is formed in the space above and below the hologram memory 8. Using the photodetector 3, a hologram image formed in the lower area of the hologram memory 8 is detected. The hologram image detected by the photodetector 3 is converted into an electric signal and read out to a recording medium (not shown).

As a result, data recorded in the form of holograms in the hologram memory 8 can be read out as data that can be processed by a personal computer or the like. Various data such as image data and music data can be recorded in the hologram memory 8.
In addition, when data is read from the hologram memory 8 of the optical memory medium reproducing device 13, there is a possibility that noise is generated when the subject image 5 incident from the imaging lens 2 for digital camera is imaged on the photodetector 3. . Therefore, it is possible to shield the incident light from the imaging lens 2 for the digital camera from reaching the photodetector 3 and to provide a shutter for forming only the hologram memory image on the photodetector 3.

  By providing the shutter mechanism in the optical memory medium reproducing device 13 in this way, light incident from the imaging lens 2 for the digital camera can be completely shielded, so that the quality of data read from the hologram memory 8 is improved. Can do. However, even when the optical memory medium reproducing apparatus 13 is not provided with a shutter mechanism, it can be used in a dark room or by covering the digital camera imaging lens 2 with a hand or the like, so that the hologram memory 8 can be used. It is also possible to improve the quality of read data.

  By configuring the optical memory medium reproducing device 13 as in the present embodiment, the photodetector 3 can be shared in each case when used as a digital camera or when reading out data from the hologram memory 8. It becomes. Therefore, a device having both a camera function and a data reproduction function can be manufactured at a low cost and in a small size.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated along embodiment, this invention is not restrict | limited to these. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, improvements, combinations, and the like can be made.

  It can be used for personal computer peripherals that have a function of reading large amounts of data into a digital camera.

It is the schematic which shows the operation | movement in the case of reading data from the hologram memory of the optical memory medium reproducing | regenerating apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the hologram memory of the optical memory medium reproducing | regenerating apparatus by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the optical memory medium reproducing | regenerating apparatus by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the case where the optical memory medium reproducing | regenerating apparatus by this embodiment operate | moves as a digital camera. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the conventional digital camera.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera 2 ... Digital camera imaging lens 3 ... Photo detector 4 ... Subject 5 ... Subject image 6 (6-1, 6-2, 6-3 ... ) ... Cladding layer 7 (7-1, 7-2, 7-3 ...) Core layer 8 ... Hologram memory 9 ... Condensing lens 10 for hologram memory ... Laser light DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Diffracted light 12 ... Hologram image 13 ... Optical memory medium reproducing | regenerating apparatus

Claims (5)

First condensing means for forming an image on an electric signal converting means for converting object light from a subject into an electric signal, and a core layer of a hologram memory in which a core and a clad are stacked and data is stored as a hologram A second condensing means for introducing laser light into
Reproduce the hologram image diffracted from the hologram memory as an electrical signal,
An optical memory medium reproducing apparatus having a camera function and an optical hologram memory medium reproducing function with one electric signal converting means.   In the case of functioning as a camera, the first condensing unit is driven to control the second condensing unit to be stopped. In the case of functioning as an optical hologram medium reproducing device, the second condensing unit is controlled. 2. The optical memory medium reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling the first light collecting means to be stopped by driving the light collecting means.   The optical memory medium reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the hologram memory is configured to be detachable.   4. The optical memory medium reproduction according to claim 1, further comprising a position adjusting unit that adjusts a position of the second light collecting unit in order to make light incident on a specific core layer of the hologram memory. apparatus. 5. The optical memory medium according to claim 1, further comprising a light shielding unit for shielding a subject image formed by the first light collecting unit from entering the electric signal conversion unit. Playback device.

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