JP2007028302A - Photographing device system, charging method, photographing device and cradle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a photographing device system capable of improving charging efficiency and safety, a charging method, a photographing device and a cradle. <P>SOLUTION: In a camera system 99 including a digital camera 10 provided with tripod hole 54 and a secondary battery 77 for feeding the power for driving, and the cradle 80 corresponding to the digital camera 10, a ferrite core 78 and a coil 79 where power is induced by electromagnetic induction are arranged centering on the tripod hole 54 to the digital camera 10, and the digital camera 10 controls the charging of the power induced by the ferrite core 78 and the coil 79 to the secondary battery 77. On the other hand, the cradle 80 is provided with a tripod hole fitting projection part 83 to be fitted into the tripod hole 54, and a ferrite core 84 and a coil 85 for feeding power induced by the ferrite core 78 and the coil 79 are arranged so that they may be at least partially positioned inside the tripod hole fitting projection part 83. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus system, a charging method, a photographing apparatus, and a cradle, and in particular, a photographing apparatus including a tripod hole and a secondary battery that supplies driving power, and a cradle corresponding to the photographing apparatus. The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus system including the method, a charging method for the secondary battery of the photographing apparatus system, the photographing apparatus, and the cradle.

  In recent years, the demand for digital cameras such as digital electronic still cameras and digital video cameras has increased rapidly as the resolution of imaging elements such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) area sensors and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensors has increased. Yes.

  In addition, in this kind of photographing apparatus such as a digital camera or a silver halide photographic camera, the photographing apparatus is an external device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”), PDA (Personal Digital Assistant, portable information terminal) or the like. Some of them have a cradle that can be easily connected to the apparatus or used to easily charge a secondary battery built in the photographing apparatus.

  By the way, conventionally, in order to be able to charge the secondary battery built in the photographing apparatus through the cradle, the photographing apparatus and the cradle are provided with a mechanical contact for supplying electric power for charging the secondary battery. It was done. However, when it is necessary to provide a waterproof function to the photographing apparatus, it is not preferable that such a contact point is exposed to the outside of the photographing apparatus main body. Further, in order to prevent such a contact from being exposed to the outside of the photographing apparatus main body, a member such as a cover that covers the contact is required. In this case, the member is attached and detached each time the battery is charged. It was necessary and time-consuming.

Therefore, as a technique that can be conventionally applied to solve the above problems, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3 include a secondary battery built in a camera using electromagnetic induction. A technique for charging in a contactless manner is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-14615 JP-A-11-289679 JP 2001-69388 A

  However, in the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the power for charging the secondary battery is supplied by electromagnetic induction in a state where the bottom surface of the camera and the upper surface of the charging device are separated from each other. Therefore, if the camera is removed from the charging device during charging for some reason, the heated surface in the vicinity of the power induction site in the camera and the charging device will be exposed, so it is not necessarily There is a problem that high safety cannot always be ensured, and there is a problem that high charging efficiency is not always obtained.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a photographing apparatus system, a charging method, a photographing apparatus, and a cradle that can improve charging efficiency and safety.

  In order to achieve the above object, a photographing apparatus system according to the present invention includes a tripod hole, a secondary battery that supplies driving power, a power induction that is arranged around the tripod hole and that is induced by electromagnetic induction. And a photographing device comprising control means for controlling charging of the power induced by the power induction means to the secondary battery, a fitting portion fitted into the tripod hole, and an inside of the fitting portion And a cradle provided with power supply means for supplying power induced by the power induction means.

  The photographing apparatus system of the present invention includes a photographing apparatus including a tripod hole and a secondary battery that supplies driving power, and a cradle corresponding to the photographing apparatus. The secondary battery includes all rechargeable batteries such as nickel metal hydride battery, nickel cadmium battery, and lithium ion battery.

  Here, in the present invention, the imaging device induces electric power by electromagnetic induction by the electric power inducing means arranged around the tripod hole, and charging control of the induced electric power to the secondary battery is performed by the control means. Is called.

  On the other hand, in the present invention, the power induced by the power inducing means is supplied by the cradle by the power supply means in which the fitting portion is fitted into the tripod hole and at least a part of the fitting portion is located inside the fitting portion. The

  Thus, according to the imaging apparatus system of the present invention, the imaging apparatus includes an imaging apparatus including a tripod hole and a secondary battery that supplies driving power, and a cradle corresponding to the imaging apparatus. On the other hand, power inducing means for inducing electric power by electromagnetic induction is arranged around the tripod hole, and charging control of the electric power induced by the electric power inducing means to the secondary battery is performed by the imaging device. On the other hand, the cradle is provided with a fitting portion that fits into the tripod hole, and at least a part of the power supply means that supplies power induced by the power induction means is provided inside the fitting portion. Since it arrange | positions so that it may be located, charging efficiency and safety | security can be improved.

  In the present invention, the surface of the fitting portion that fits into the tripod hole may have a thread that engages with a tripod thread provided in the tripod hole.

  According to the present invention, the power supply means causes the power induction means to induce a power of a first voltage lower than a predetermined reference voltage for charging the secondary battery for a predetermined period. The power of the reference voltage is to be induced later, and a detecting means for detecting a charging current when the power inducing means is induced in the cradle with respect to the power inducing means, and detected by the detecting means And a prohibiting unit that prohibits the supply of power by the power supply unit when the charged current is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

  Further, according to the present invention, a communication means for communicating with the cradle, a power supply path induced by the power induction means, a first path for driving the apparatus, and the secondary battery are connected to the photographing apparatus. Switching means for selectively switching to any one of the second paths for charging, and switching control means for controlling the switching means to switch to the first path when communication by the communication means is prioritized. And may be further provided. The communication means includes wireless communication such as IEEE802.11a / b / g, Bluetooth (Bluetooth), IrDA standard, UWB (Ultra Wide Band), NFC (Near Field Communication). In addition to communication according to communication standards, communication according to various wired communication standards is included.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, a charging method according to the present invention includes a photographing device including a tripod hole and a secondary battery for supplying driving power, and a cradle corresponding to the photographing device. In the charging method for the secondary battery of the system, power inducing means for inducing electric power by electromagnetic induction is arranged with respect to the photographing device around the tripod hole, and the power is taken by the photographing device. Controls charging of the secondary battery with the electric power induced by the inducing means, and provides the cradle with a fitting portion that fits into the tripod hole and supplies the electric power induced by the electric power inducing means. The power supply means is arranged so that at least part of the power supply means is located inside the fitting portion.

  Therefore, according to the charging method of the present invention, since it operates in the same manner as the imaging apparatus system of the present invention, it is possible to improve the charging efficiency and safety as in the imaging apparatus system. The secondary battery includes all rechargeable batteries such as nickel metal hydride battery, nickel cadmium battery, and lithium ion battery.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, the photographing apparatus of the present invention is arranged with a tripod hole, a secondary battery for supplying driving power, and the tripod hole as a center, and power induced by electromagnetic induction is induced. Power inducing means, and control means for controlling charging of the power induced by the power inducing means to the secondary battery.

  Therefore, since the imaging device of the present invention operates in the same manner as the imaging device of the imaging device system of the present invention, it is possible to improve the charging efficiency and safety as with the imaging device system.

  Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, a cradle according to the present invention includes a tripod hole, a secondary battery for supplying driving power, a power induction that is arranged around the tripod hole and induces electric power by electromagnetic induction. And a cradle corresponding to a photographing device provided with a control unit that performs charging control of the power induced by the power induction unit to the secondary battery, and a fitting unit that fits into the tripod hole, Power supply means for supplying power induced by the power induction means and at least part of which is located inside the fitting portion.

  Therefore, since the cradle of the present invention operates in the same manner as the cradle of the photographing apparatus system of the present invention, the charging efficiency and safety can be improved as in the photographing apparatus system.

  According to the present invention, the imaging device includes a tripod hole and a secondary battery for supplying driving power, and a cradle corresponding to the imaging device, and the imaging device is provided with electric power by electromagnetic induction. The induced electric power inducing means is arranged around the tripod hole, and the imaging device controls charging of the electric power induced by the electric power inducing means to the secondary battery, while the cradle A fitting portion that fits into the tripod hole, and a power supply means that supplies power induced by the power inducing means is disposed so that at least a part thereof is positioned inside the fitting portion. Therefore, the effect that charging efficiency and safety can be improved is obtained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a case where the photographing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a digital electronic still camera (hereinafter referred to as “digital camera”) for photographing a still image will be described.

[First Embodiment]
First, an external configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the front of the digital camera 10 is provided with a lens 12 for forming a subject image and a viewfinder 70 used for determining the composition of the subject to be photographed. Further, on the upper surface of the digital camera 10, a release button (so-called shutter) 60 that is pressed by a photographer when performing photographing and a power switch 66 are provided.

  Note that the release button 60 according to the present embodiment is in a state where the release button 60 is pressed down to an intermediate position (hereinafter referred to as “half-pressed state”) and a state where the release button 60 is pressed down to a final pressed position beyond the intermediate position (hereinafter, referred to as “lower pressed state”) It is configured to be able to detect a two-stage pressing operation of “fully pressed state”. In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, when the release button 60 is pressed halfway, the AE (Automatic Exposure) function works to set the exposure state (shutter speed, aperture state). After that, AF (Auto Focus) function is activated and focus control is performed, and then exposure (photographing) is performed when it is fully pressed.

  On the other hand, on the back of the digital camera 10, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as “the eyepiece” of the finder 70 and a subject image, various menu screens, messages, etc. indicated by the digital image data obtained by photographing). 30), a shooting mode that is a mode for performing shooting, and a playback mode that is a mode for displaying (reproducing) a subject image indicated by digital image data obtained by shooting on the LCD 30. A mode changeover switch 62 that is operated when setting, and a cross cursor button 64 configured to include four arrow keys that indicate four directions of movement in the display area of the LCD 30; up, down, left, and right. Is provided.

  Further, the side surface of the digital camera 10 is provided with a slot SL1 and a slot SL2 in which a portable recording medium capable of recording digital image data obtained by photographing is mounted. Are provided with a wireless communication unit 46 that communicates with a cradle 80 described later according to a predetermined wireless communication standard (Bluetooth in the present embodiment) and a tripod hole 54.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, an external configuration of the cradle 80 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in the figure, the cradle 80 includes a cradle body 81 having a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape as a main component, and the power switch 82 and the tripod hole 54 of the digital camera 10 are fitted on the upper surface of the cradle body 81. A cylindrical tripod hole fitting convex portion 83 is provided. The cradle 80 is individually connected to the PC 90 and the DC (direct current) power source 95 by connection cables prepared in advance.

  The digital camera 10 is placed on the upper surface of the cradle body 81 of the cradle 80 configured as described above, with the tripod hole fitting convex portion 83 fitted in the tripod hole 54, and the power switch 82 is turned on. By doing so, it is possible to easily exchange various information between the digital camera 10 and the PC 90 and to charge a secondary battery 77 described later built in the digital camera 10.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the configuration of the main part of the electrical system of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in the figure, the digital camera 10 includes an optical unit 13 including the lens 12 described above, a CCD 14 disposed behind the optical axis of the lens 12, and a correlated double sampling circuit (hereinafter “ CDS ”) 16 and an analog / digital converter (hereinafter referred to as“ ADC ”) 18 for converting the input analog signal into digital data, and the output terminal of the CCD 14 is the CDS 16. The output terminal of the CDS 16 is connected to the input terminal of the ADC 18.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 has a line buffer having a predetermined capacity and an image input controller 20 that performs control for directly storing the input digital image data in a predetermined area of the second memory 40 described later, and the digital image data. The image signal processing circuit 22 that performs various image processing and the digital image data are compressed in a predetermined compression format, while the compressed digital image data is decompressed in a format corresponding to the compression format. The compression / decompression processing circuit 24 to be applied and a video signal indicating the image to be displayed on the LCD 30 while generating a signal for displaying on the LCD 30 an image or menu screen indicated by the digital image data (this embodiment) Video / LCD that generates an NTSC signal and outputs it to the video output terminal OUT. And encoder 28, is configured to include a. Note that the input end of the image input controller 20 is connected to the output end of the ADC 18.

  In addition, the digital camera 10 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 32 that controls the operation of the entire digital camera 10 and physical quantities required to operate the AF function (in this embodiment, an image obtained by imaging with the CCD 14). The brightness of the image obtained by imaging by the CCD 14 in this embodiment, and an AF detection circuit 34 that detects the contrast value.) And an AE function and an AWB (Automatic White Balance) function. An AE / AWB detection circuit 36 for detecting the amount of data), a first memory 38 composed of an SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) used as a work area when the CPU 32 executes various processes, The first is composed of a VRAM (Video RAM) that stores digital image data obtained by photographing. It is configured to include a memory 40, a.

  Furthermore, the digital camera 10 includes a media controller 42 for enabling the digital camera 10 to access the recording medium 42A attached to the slot SL1 and the recording medium 42B attached to the slot SL2.

  Image input controller 20, image signal processing circuit 22, compression / decompression processing circuit 24, video / LCD encoder 28, CPU 32, AF detection circuit 34, AE / AWB detection circuit 36, first memory 38, second memory 40, And the media controller 42 are connected to each other via a system bus BUS.

  Therefore, the CPU 32 controls the operations of the image input controller 20, the image signal processing circuit 22, the compression / decompression processing circuit 24, and the video / LCD encoder 28, and detects them by the AF detection circuit 34 and the AE / AWB detection circuit 36. The obtained physical quantity and the access to the first memory 38, the second memory 40, the recording medium 42A, and the recording medium 42B can be respectively performed.

  The above-described wireless communication unit 46 is also connected to the system bus BUS, and the CPU 32 can perform mutual communication with the cradle 80 in a state where the CPU 32 is disposed at a predetermined position of the cradle 80.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 is provided with a timing generator 48 that mainly generates a timing signal for driving the CCD 14 and supplies the timing signal to the CCD 14. The input end of the timing generator 48 is connected to the CPU 32 and the output end is connected to the CCD 14. The driving of the CCD 14 is controlled by the CPU 32 via the timing generator 48.

  Further, the CPU 32 is connected to an input end of the motor drive unit 50, and an output end of the motor drive unit 50 is connected to a focus adjustment motor, a zoom motor, and an aperture drive motor provided in the optical unit 13.

  The lens 12 included in the optical unit 13 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of lenses, and is configured as a zoom lens that can change (magnify) the focal length, and includes a lens driving mechanism (not shown). Yes. The lens drive mechanism includes the focus adjustment motor, the zoom motor, and the aperture drive motor. The focus adjustment motor, the zoom motor, and the aperture drive motor are each supplied with a drive signal supplied from the motor drive unit 50 under the control of the CPU 32. Driven by.

  Further, the various buttons and switches (generally referred to as “operation unit 52” in FIG. 3) of the release button 60, the mode change switch 62, the cross cursor button 64, and the power switch 66 are connected to the CPU 32. The CPU 32 can always grasp the operation state of these buttons and switches.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 performs a charging operation for the power source 72 that supplies driving power to each unit, the secondary battery 77 that is a power supply source for the power source 72, and the secondary battery 77. A charging unit 59 that performs switching operation of a power supply path induced by a ferrite core 78 and a winding 79, which will be described later, and a voltage detection unit 74 that detects the voltage level of the secondary battery 77 are provided.

  The charging unit 59 controls the charging operation of the secondary battery 77 and the rectifying / smoothing unit 56 for rectifying and smoothing the alternating power induced by the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79 and switching the supply path. The charging control unit 58 that performs the above control and three switches 76A, 76B, and 76C are provided.

  Both ends of the winding 79 are connected to the input end of the rectifying / smoothing unit 56, and the output end of the rectifying / smoothing unit 56 is connected to the power source unit 72 via the charging control unit 58 and the switch 76B in this order, and the charging control is performed. It is connected to the positive electrode of the secondary battery 77 through the unit 58 and the switch 76C in this order. The positive electrode of the secondary battery 77 is connected to the power supply unit 72 via the switch 76A. The switch switching control ends of the switches 76A to 76C are connected to the charging control unit 58, and the switching state (on state) and the disconnecting state (off state) of the switches 76A to 76C are switched by the charging control unit 58. Be controlled.

  On the other hand, the negative electrode of the secondary battery 77 is grounded, and the positive electrode of the secondary battery 77 is connected to the input terminal of the voltage detector 74 whose output terminal is connected to the CPU 32. Here, the voltage detection unit 74 detects the voltage level of the secondary battery 77, and the CPU 32 can always grasp the voltage level.

  Here, when the secondary battery 77 is charged (hereinafter referred to as “charging operation”), the digital camera 10 is driven by the power supplied from the secondary battery 77 (hereinafter referred to as “built-in battery drive”). , And when the digital camera 10 is driven by the power induced by the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79 (hereinafter referred to as “external power driving”), each switch 76A by each charging control unit 58. The opening / closing control states of ˜76C are shown in the following Table 1.

  For example, during the charging operation, both the switch 76A and the switch 76B are turned off and the switch 76C is turned on by the charging control unit 58. Accordingly, the electric power induced by the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79 and rectified and smoothed by the rectifying and smoothing unit 56 can be used to charge the secondary battery 77 without being supplied to the power source unit 72. It becomes like this.

  On the other hand, as shown in the cutaway side view of FIG. 4, the ferrite core 78 according to the present embodiment has a side view symmetric shape with the horizontal centerline as the center, and the central axis of the tripod hole 54 is the center. And is arranged so as to surround the tripod hole 54. The winding 79 is wound around the body of the ferrite core 78.

  On the other hand, as shown in the figure, the cradle 80 according to the present embodiment has a ferrite core 84 that is symmetrical with respect to the side line of sight with respect to the horizontal center line. It is arranged so that a central axis of 83 is the center and a part is located inside the tripod hole fitting convex portion 83. A winding 85 having both ends connected to the output end of a DC (direct current) / AC (alternating current) converter 87 is wound around the body of the ferrite core 84.

  Further, in the cradle 80, when the digital camera 10 is disposed at a predetermined position (the state shown in FIG. 4), the wireless communication unit 46 is located at a position facing (close to) the wireless communication unit 46 provided in the digital camera 10. A wireless communication unit 86 capable of mutual communication with the unit 46 is provided.

  On the other hand, FIG. 5 shows a circuit configuration of a portion related to a charging operation for the secondary battery 77 built in the digital camera 10 in the digital camera 10 and the cradle 80.

  As shown in the figure, the cradle 80 according to the present embodiment is provided with a CPU 89 that controls the operation of the entire cradle 80. The CPU 89 is connected to the DC / AC converter 87 described above, and the driving of the DC / AC converter 87 is controlled by the CPU 89.

  In addition, a DC power source 95 is connected to the DC power input terminal of the DC / AC converter 87, and the DC / AC converter 87 converts the DC power supplied from the DC power source 95 to AC power under the control of the CPU 89. Has the role of converting to

  Further, a current detector 88 for detecting the magnitude of a current flowing at this position (hereinafter referred to as “charging current”) is interposed between the DC / AC converter 87 and the negative electrode of the DC power source 95. The output terminal that outputs a signal indicating the magnitude of the charging current detected by the current detector 88 is connected to the CPU 89. Therefore, the CPU 89 can grasp the magnitude of the charging current as necessary.

  On the other hand, as shown in the figure, the rectifying / smoothing unit 56 provided in the digital camera 10 includes a diode 56A and a capacitor 56B, and the alternating power induced by the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79 is generated. The DC power is rectified by the diode 56A, smoothed by the capacitor 56B and converted into DC power, and the DC power is applied to the charge control unit 58 described above.

  The digital camera 10 and the cradle 80 configured as described above constitute a camera system 99 as an imaging apparatus system of the present invention.

  Next, the operation of the camera system 99 according to the present embodiment will be described. First, the operation of the digital camera 10 during shooting will be briefly described.

  A signal indicating the subject image output from the CCD 14 by imaging through the optical unit 13 is sequentially input to the CDS 16 and subjected to correlated double sampling processing, and then input to the ADC 18. The ADC 18 receives R ( The red, G (green), and B (blue) signals are converted into 12-bit R, G, and B signals (digital image data) and output to the image input controller 20.

  The image input controller 20 accumulates digital image data sequentially input from the ADC 18 in a built-in line buffer and temporarily stores it in a predetermined area of the second memory 40.

  Digital image data stored in a predetermined area of the second memory 40 is read out by the image signal processing circuit 22 under the control of the CPU 32, and a digital gain corresponding to the physical quantity detected by the AE / AWB detection circuit 36 is added to these. In addition to white balance adjustment, gamma processing and sharpness processing are performed to generate 8-bit digital image data, and YC signal processing is further performed to perform luminance signal Y and chroma signals Cr and Cb (hereinafter referred to as “YC signal”). And the YC signal is stored in an area different from the predetermined area of the second memory 40.

  The LCD 30 is configured so that it can display a moving image (through image) obtained by continuous imaging by the CCD 14 and can be used as a finder. In this way, the LCD 30 is used as a finder. The generated YC signal is sequentially output to the LCD 30 via the video / LCD encoder 28 at a predetermined cycle. As a result, a through image is displayed on the LCD 30.

  Here, when the release button 60 is fully pressed by the user, the YC signal stored in the second memory 40 at that time is converted by the compression / expansion processing circuit 24 into a predetermined compression format (in this embodiment). , JPEG format) and then recording as an image file (electronic file) on the recording medium 42A via the media controller 42, thereby taking a picture.

  Next, the operation of the cradle 80 during the charging operation for the digital camera 10 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 6 illustrates a charging process program executed by the CPU 89 of the cradle 80 when the digital camera 10 is placed on the cradle 80 with the tripod hole 54 fitted to the tripod hole fitting convex portion 83. It is a flowchart which shows a flow. In the camera system 99 according to the present embodiment, whether the digital camera 10 is placed on the cradle 80 in a state where the tripod hole 54 is fitted to the tripod hole fitting convex portion 83 is determined based on the upper surface of the cradle body 81. In addition, when the digital camera 10 is normally arranged, it is detected by determining whether or not a micro switch (not shown) provided at a position where the bottom surface of the digital camera 10 abuts is turned on. For example, the detection may be performed by determining whether or not communication with the wireless communication unit 46 of the wireless communication unit 86 is possible.

  First, in step 100 of the figure, by starting the oscillation of the DC / AC converter 87, the power of the reference voltage set in advance as the upper limit voltage that can charge the secondary battery 77 at high speed and safely is digitally converted. Application of an alternating voltage that can be induced to the camera 10 is started, and in the next step 102, the magnitude of the charging current indicated by the signal input from the current detection unit 88 is equal to the charging of the secondary battery 77. Wait until the magnitude of the charging current at the time of completion becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, stop oscillation of the DC / AC converter 87 in the next step 104, and then terminate this charging processing program.

  In the digital camera 10, alternating power is induced by the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79 in accordance with the AC voltage applied by the processing of this charging processing program, and the alternating power is converted into DC power by the rectifying and smoothing unit 56. The charging control unit 58 controls the charging of the secondary battery 77 using the DC power.

  As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, a photographing device (here, the digital camera 10) including a tripod hole and a secondary battery that supplies driving power, and a cradle corresponding to the photographing device, The power inducing means (here, the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79) for inducing electric power by electromagnetic induction with respect to the photographing apparatus is disposed around the tripod hole, and the photographing apparatus , While controlling charging of the secondary battery with the electric power induced by the electric power inducing means, the fitting portion (here, the tripod hole fitting convex portion 83) fitted into the tripod hole with respect to the cradle. ) And power supply means for supplying power induced by the power induction means (here, the ferrite core 84 and the winding 85) are at least partially inside the fitting portion. Since arranged as location, it is possible to improve the charging efficiency and safety.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, an example in which the power of the reference voltage is induced after inducing the power of a voltage lower than the reference voltage for a predetermined period to the digital camera 10 will be described. The configuration of the camera system 99 according to the second embodiment is the same as that according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 7, the effect | action at the time of charge operation with respect to the digital camera 10 of the cradle 80 which concerns on this 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 7 shows the second embodiment executed by the CPU 89 of the cradle 80 when the digital camera 10 is placed on the cradle 80 with the tripod hole 54 fitted to the tripod hole fitting convex portion 83. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the charge process program which concerns.

  First, in step 200 of the figure, by starting oscillation of the DC / AC converter 87, power of a voltage lower than the reference voltage (here, a voltage that is one third of the reference voltage) is supplied to the digital camera 10. The application of an alternating voltage that can be induced is started, and in the next step 202, the magnitude of the charging current indicated by the signal input from the current detection unit 88 is not properly disposed. In the case, it is determined whether or not the lower limit value of the magnitude of the charging current is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 210 described later. The process proceeds to step 204.

  In step 204, it is determined whether or not a predetermined period (in this case, 10 seconds) has elapsed since the processing of step 200 is performed. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step 202 and an affirmative determination is made. When this happens, go to Step 206.

  In step 206, the oscillation state of the DC / AC converter 87 is shifted so that the power of the reference voltage can be induced in the digital camera 10. In step 208, the current is input from the current detection unit 88. Wait until the magnitude of the charging current indicated by the signal becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold as the magnitude of the charging current at the completion of charging of the secondary battery 77, and in the next step 210, the DC / AC converter 87. After stopping the oscillation, this charging processing program is terminated.

  In the digital camera 10, alternating power is induced by the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79 in accordance with the AC voltage applied by the processing of this charging processing program, and the alternating power is converted into DC power by the rectifying and smoothing unit 56. The charging control unit 58 uses the DC power to control the charging of the secondary battery 77 as in the first embodiment described above.

  As described above in detail, the present embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment, and the power supply means (here, the ferrite core 84 and the winding 85) is replaced with the power induction means. (Here, the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79) are induced only for a predetermined period of power of a first voltage lower than a predetermined reference voltage for charging the secondary battery. A power current is induced, and a cradle detects a charging current when the power inducing means is inducing the power of the first voltage. When the detected charging current is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the power Since the supply of power by the supply means is prohibited, excessive charging caused by the charging operation being performed in a state where the photographing apparatus (here, the digital camera 10) is not properly arranged. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of Do charging current, the safety can be further improved.

[Third Embodiment]
In the third embodiment, when the digital camera 10 is in a state in which communication by the wireless communication unit 46 should be prioritized, the power supply path of power induced in the digital camera 10 is a path for driving the digital camera 10. An example of the case of automatically switching to will be described. The configuration of the camera system 99 according to the third embodiment is the same as that according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted here.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8, an operation when the power supply path of the digital camera 10 according to the third embodiment is switched will be described. 8 shows the power supply executed by the CPU 32 of the digital camera 10 when information for instructing the download of the image file recorded on the recording medium 42A of the digital camera 10 is input from the PC 90 via the cradle 80. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of a path | route switching process program.

  First, in step 300 of the figure, the voltage level of the secondary battery 77 detected by the voltage detector 74 is the minimum corresponding to the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 77 required for downloading the image file. It is determined whether the level is less than a predetermined level. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 302.

  In step 302, the charge control unit 58 is controlled so that the switches 76 </ b> A to 76 </ b> C are in the state during external power driving (see also Table 1), and then the process proceeds to step 306. As a result of the processing in step 302, the electric power induced by the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79 is supplied to the power supply unit 72 via the charging control unit 58 and the switch 76B in order, so that the digital camera can be used without using the secondary battery 77. 10 can be activated.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 300, the process proceeds to step 304 where the charge control unit 58 is controlled so that the state of the switches 76A to 76C is the state when the built-in battery is driven (see also Table 1). Then, the process proceeds to step 306. As a result of the processing in step 304, the electric power from the secondary battery 77 is supplied to the power supply unit 72 via the switch 76A. As a result, the digital camera 10 can be operated by the electric power from the secondary battery 77.

  In step 306, all the image files recorded on the recording medium 42A are read out and transmitted to the wireless communication unit 86 of the cradle 80 via the wireless communication unit 46, and then the power supply path switching processing program is terminated.

  Note that the cradle 80 transfers the image file received from the digital camera 10 by the wireless communication unit 86 to the PC 90.

  As described above in detail, the present embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment, and can communicate with the imaging device (here, the digital camera 10) in communication with the cradle ( Here, the power supply path induced by the wireless communication unit 46) and the power induction means (here, the ferrite core 78 and the winding 79) is charged to the first path and the secondary battery for driving the device. Switching means (here, switches 76A to 76C) for selectively switching to any one of the second paths for performing communication, a state in which communication by the communication means is prioritized (here, an instruction to download an image file is instructed) The switching means is controlled to switch to the first route when the secondary battery is in a state where the remaining capacity of the secondary battery is low), improving convenience It can be.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the surface to be fitted into the tripod hole 54 of the tripod hole fitting convex portion 83 is a smooth curved surface has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and is an example. As shown in FIG. 9, it is also possible to provide a form in which a screw thread that engages with a screw thread provided in the tripod hole 54 is provided on the surface of the tripod hole fitting convex portion 83 ′ that fits into the tripod hole 54. . In this case, the detachment of the digital camera 10 during charging can be prevented, so that safety can be further improved and the digital camera 10 can be accurately positioned with respect to the cradle 80 ′. The charging efficiency for the secondary battery 77 can be further improved.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the tripod hole fitting convex portion 83 having a cylindrical shape is applied as the fitting portion of the present invention has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, Other shapes such as a conical shape, a tapered shape, and a prismatic shape can also be applied.

  In addition, the configuration of the camera system 99 according to each of the above-described embodiments (see FIGS. 1 to 5 and 9) is merely an example, and it is needless to say that the configuration can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. .

  In addition, the flow of processing of the various processing programs described in the above embodiments (see FIGS. 6 to 8) is also an example, and the processing order of each step can be changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. It goes without saying that unnecessary steps can be deleted, new steps can be added, and the like.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the photographing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a digital electronic still camera has been described. However, the present invention is also applicable to other photographing apparatuses such as a digital video camera and a silver halide photographic camera. Needless to say, you can.

It is an external view which shows the external appearance of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure on the external appearance of the cradle which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the electric system of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a fracture side view showing the composition of the camera system concerning an embodiment. It is a circuit diagram (partial block diagram) showing a circuit configuration of a part related to a charging operation for a secondary battery built in the digital camera of the digital camera and cradle in the camera system according to the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the charge process program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the charge process program which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the electric power supply path | route switching process program which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example on the external appearance of a cradle in the case of providing the screw thread screwed in the screw thread provided in the tripod hole in the surface fitted to the tripod hole of a tripod hole fitting convex part.

Explanation of symbols

10 Digital camera 32 CPU (switching control means)
46 Wireless communication unit (communication means)
54 Tripod hole 56 Rectification smoothing part 58 Charge control part (control means)
59 Charging part 76A-76C Switch (switching means)
77 Secondary battery 78 Ferrite core (power induction means)
79 Winding (power induction means)
80 Cradle 83 Tripod hole fitting convex part (fitting part)
84 Ferrite core (power supply means)
85 winding (power supply means)
86 Wireless communication unit 88 Current detection unit (detection means)
89 CPU (prohibited means)
90 PC
95 DC power supply 99 Camera system

Claims (7)

A tripod hole, a secondary battery for supplying driving power, a power inducing means arranged around the tripod hole and inducing power by electromagnetic induction, and the secondary of power induced by the power inducing means An imaging device comprising a control means for controlling charging of the battery;
A cradle including a fitting portion that fits into the tripod hole, and a power supply means that is at least partially located inside the fitting portion and supplies power induced by the power induction means;
An imaging device system including: The imaging device system according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the fitting portion that fits into the tripod hole has a screw thread that is screwed into a screw thread for a tripod provided in the tripod hole. The power supply means causes the power induction means to induce a power of a first voltage lower than a predetermined reference voltage for charging the secondary battery for a predetermined period, and then the power of the reference voltage To induce
In the cradle,
Detecting means for detecting a charging current when power of the first voltage is induced in the power inducing means;
Prohibiting means for prohibiting the supply of power by the power supply means when the charging current detected by the detection means is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
The imaging device system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: In the photographing device,
Communication means for communicating with the cradle;
Switching means for selectively switching the power supply path induced by the power induction means to one of a first path for driving a device and a second path for charging the secondary battery;
Switching control means for controlling the switching means to switch to the first path when communication by the communication means is prioritized;
The imaging device system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: A charging method for the secondary battery of an imaging apparatus system including an imaging apparatus including a tripod hole and a secondary battery for supplying driving power, and a cradle corresponding to the imaging apparatus,
A power inducing means for inducing electric power by electromagnetic induction is arranged around the tripod hole with respect to the photographing apparatus, and the electric power induced by the electric power inducing means is applied to the secondary battery by the photographing apparatus. Charge control,
The cradle is provided with a fitting portion that fits into the tripod hole, and at least a part of the power supply means that supplies power induced by the power induction means is located inside the fitting portion. A charging method characterized by being arranged as described above. A tripod hole,
A secondary battery for supplying driving power;
Power inducing means arranged around the tripod hole and inducing electric power by electromagnetic induction;
Control means for controlling charging of the secondary battery with the electric power induced by the electric power inducing means;
An imaging device with A tripod hole, a secondary battery for supplying driving power, a power inducing means arranged around the tripod hole and inducing power by electromagnetic induction, and the secondary of power induced by the power inducing means A cradle corresponding to a photographing apparatus having a control means for controlling charging of a battery,
A fitting portion that fits into the tripod hole;
A power supply means for supplying power induced by the power induction means while at least a part of the fitting portion is located;
Cradle equipped with.

Images