JP2503807B2 - Electronic still camera - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is an electronic device capable of photoelectrically converting a subject image formed by a photographing lens into a still image signal and recording the still image signal for a plurality of screens on an image recording medium whose record content can be updated. It relates to a still camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Such an electronic still camera has an advantage that an image recording medium can be effectively used because a still image signal that does not need to be stored can be updated, that is, rewritten.

[0003]

However, in the conventional electronic still camera, there is no technique that enables this updating by a simple operation. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic still camera that can be easily updated and has improved usability.

[0004]

The electronic still camera according to the invention of claim 1 is characterized by the following recording control means (1) having an automatic access mode and a manual access mode.
01), a signal generating means (101), a selecting means (16), and a designated image area changing means (17). The automatic access mode is a mode in which an unrecorded image recording area in which a still image signal is not recorded is automatically searched and recording can be performed only in the unrecorded image recording area. In the manual access mode, whether the designated image area designated by the selecting means described later or another designated image area changed designated by the designated image area changing means is unrecorded or already recorded, these designated image areas or different This is a mode in which the image designated area can be recorded. The signal generating means (101) prohibits the recording by the recording means when it is determined by the search in the automatic access mode that the entire image recording area has been recorded, and permits the recording by the recording means during the imaging operation in the manual access mode. Signal to do so. The selection means (16) can select an automatic access mode and a manual access mode according to a manual operation, and when the manual access mode is selected, designates an image recording area recorded immediately before. Specify as an image area. The designated image area changing means (17) manually changes the designated image area designated by the selecting means to another designated image area. Further, the electronic still camera according to the invention of claim 2 is characterized in that an image recording area in which the recorded contents can be updated and a specific signal recording area in which a digital specific signal is recorded and which is provided corresponding to the image recording area A plurality of detachable recording means for recording still image signals for one screen in a recordable image recording area and recording the specific signal in the specific signal recording area are provided as follows. And a recording control means (101) having an automatic access mode and a manual access mode, and a signal generation means (101).
And a selecting means (16) and a designated image area changing means (17). The automatic access mode is a mode in which by detecting a specific signal, the unrecorded image recording area where no still image signal is recorded is automatically searched and recording is possible only in the unrecorded image recording area. is there. In the manual access mode, whether the designated image area designated by the selecting means described later or another designated image area changed designated by the designated image area changing means is unrecorded or already recorded, these designated image areas or different This is a mode in which the image designated area can be recorded. Signal generation means (101)
Issues a signal to prohibit recording by the recording unit when it is determined by the search in the automatic access mode that the entire image recording area has been recorded, and to permit recording by the recording unit during the imaging operation in the manual access mode. . The selection means (16) can select an automatic access mode and a manual access mode according to a manual operation, and when the manual access mode is selected, designates an image recording area recorded immediately before. Specify as an image area. The designated image area changing means (17) manually changes the designated image area designated by the selecting means to another designated image area.

The recording prohibition means prohibits recording when it is determined by this search that there is no unrecorded image recording area. The manual access means first enables update recording to the already recorded image recording area where the still image signal was recorded immediately before, and every time a manual operation is performed thereafter, the recordable image recording area is not recorded.・ Switch the recording regardless of whether it has been recorded and prohibit the operation of the recording prohibition means.

The selection means selectively operates the automatic access means and the manual access means in response to a manual operation.
A feature of the electronic still camera according to the invention of claim 2 is that a plurality of image recording areas in which still image signals for one screen are respectively recorded and a digital specific signal provided corresponding to each image recording area are recorded. An image recording medium having a plurality of specific signal recording areas is detachable, and has the following automatic access means, recording prohibition means, manual access means, and selection means.

The automatic access means, prior to recording,
An image recording area in which a still image signal has not been recorded is automatically searched by detecting a specific signal, and recording can be performed in the searched image recording area and the specific signal recording area corresponding thereto. The recording prohibition unit prohibits recording when it is determined by the search of the automatic access unit that there is no unrecorded image recording area.

At first, the manual access means enables update recording in the image recording area in which the still image signal is recorded immediately before and the specific signal recording area corresponding thereto, and each time a manual operation is performed, The recordable image recording area is switched regardless of whether the image is recorded or not recorded, and the operation of the recording prohibition unit is prohibited. The selection means selectively operates the automatic access means and the manual access means according to a manual operation.

[0009]

According to the electronic still camera of the invention of claim 1,
When the automatic access means is selected by the selection means, the still image signal is automatically recorded in the unrecorded image recording area by the function of the automatic access means. If the unrecorded image recording area disappears, it is possible to prevent the recording prohibition unit from prohibiting recording and losing the still image signal to be saved.

If the manual access means is selected, the function of the manual access means enables update recording to the image recording area where the still image signal was recorded just before. The determination as to whether or not the still image signal is worthy of storage is often made immediately after imaging. Therefore, if it is determined that the still image signal captured and recorded now does not need to be stored, the unnecessary still image signal can be updated by simply performing the image capturing operation again under the operation of the manual access unit. Further, when it is desired to update the recorded contents of another image recording area, the updated recording can be performed by manually selecting the image recording area under the operation of the manual access means and then performing the image pickup operation. In this case, since the recording prohibition means is inoperative, the contents of the already recorded image recording area can be freely updated.

According to the electronic still camera of the invention of claim 2, in addition to the case of claim 1, whether the image recording area is unrecorded or already recorded is determined by a digital specific signal different from the still image signal. Therefore, this determination can be performed quickly and with a simple configuration.

[0012]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show the appearance of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic still camera. The camera comprises an image pickup section 1 for photoelectrically converting a subject image into a still image signal, and a storage section 2 having 20 frames of memory cells for storing a still image signal of one frame. Both of these parts are separable as shown in Figures 3a and 3b.

A photographing lens 10 is mounted on the front surface of the image pickup unit 1, and the lens 10 forms a subject image on the image pickup surface of an image pickup device 11 arranged inside the image pickup unit 1 as shown in the sectional view of FIG. Form an image. The lens 10 is provided with a diaphragm 10a, and the image pickup element 11 is provided with a mosaic filter 11a for color separation on the front surface thereof. Further, the image pickup unit 1 is provided with a finder 12 penetrating from the front surface to the rear surface thereof to define a photographing visual field, and in FIG. 1, a contact 13 for attaching an external light source such as a speedlight is provided on the upper surface thereof. An accessory shoe 14 and a release button 15 are provided. When the release button 15 is pressed down shallowly, the power supply switch inserted in the power supply circuit is turned on, and power is supplied.
Along with this, the photometric operation is performed. When the release button 15 is pressed deeply, the power supply switch remains ON and the shooting sequence is started. Once the shooting sequence is started, it does not stop even if the release button 15 is released halfway. Further, the power supply switch is kept ON until the photographing sequence is completed.

In FIG. 2, on the rear surface of the image pickup unit 1, a mode selection lever 16 for selecting one of a mode for automatically accessing the address of a memory cell of the storage unit 2, a mode for manually accessing and a mode for multiple exposure. A push button 17 for manual access, a 7-segment display device 18 such as a liquid crystal display for displaying the address of the memory cell currently accessed, and a switch 19 for disabling the acoustic warning device are provided. . Further, on the side surface of the image pickup unit 1, there are provided an inquiry screw 100 for attaching an external accessory such as a data imprinting device and an electronic monitor device for electronically monitoring a subject image, and a connector 130 for the accessory. There is. As shown in FIG. 2, a display device 201 such as a liquid crystal display or an electrochromic display for displaying the addresses of used memory cells is provided on the rear surface of the storage unit 2.
And a label 202 on which a storage capacity (the total number of memory cells, that is, the number of storable frames) is printed. There is also a detachable slider 203 on the side surface as shown in FIG. 3b. When this is slid to the right, the detachable key 204 protruding on the upper surface of the storage unit 2 slides in the same direction, and the engagement with the fixed key (not shown) in the corresponding portion of the imaging unit 1 is released and the storage unit 2 is released. Can be separated from the imaging unit 1. The storage unit 2 is provided with a T-groove 205, which engages with the guide member 131 on the side of the imaging unit and guides it when detaching. A connector 206 and a pin 207 are provided upright on the upper surface of the storage unit 2. The connector 206 is the imaging unit 1
, Which are connected to corresponding connectors (not shown) for transmitting electric signals to each other. The pin 207 mechanically transmits the storage capacity of the storage unit 2 to the imaging unit 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates an internal structure of the image pickup device 11 of the image pickup unit 1. This is a CCD image pickup device using a so-called interline type charge-coupled device (CCD), which is a light receiving element a _{1, 1} , a _{1, 2,} ..., a _{1, n} , a.
₂ ·····, a _{2 · n} , ···, a _{m · 1} , a _{m · 2} ··
, A _{m · n} are arranged in a matrix of m × n to form a light receiving portion. The total number of light receiving elements, that is, the number of pixels is preferably about 10 ⁶ . Columns in these light receiving elements, for example _{a 1 · 1, a 2 ·} 1 ......, trans Sulfur gate _{TG 1 · 1} and _{TG 2 · 1} is disposed on each of both sides of _{a m · 1.} When the transfer signal φ _TG1 is applied via the terminal 11C _{, the} gate TG _1.1 transfers the charge corresponding to the incident light amount accumulated in each element to the vertical CCD analog shift register S _v1 . While the gate _{TG 2 · 1} via a terminal 11b transfer signal φ
_{When TG2} is applied, the charges are transferred to the overflow drain region OD ₁ . Incidentally, electrical Potenshiyaru trans fir gate _{TG 2 · 1,} the transfer signal phi _TG2
Even when the voltage is not applied, it is slightly lower than the potential between the light receiving elements and the potential between the respective bits of the vertical shift register S _v1 . Accordingly, the charges overflowing from the potential well of the light receiving element flow into the direction of the lower barrier, that is, the overflow drain OD ₁ , and the blooming phenomenon is prevented from occurring. The above is exactly the same for other rows of light receiving elements. Overflow drain OD from the output terminal 11a
_1, ..., charges transferred to OD _n is output to the input terminal 11b trans Sulfur gate _{TG 2 ·} 1, ...,
Is input transfer signal phi _TG2 to TG _{2 · n,} the input terminal 11c trans Sulfur gate _{TG 1 · 1,} ......, T
The transfer signal φ _TG1 to G _{1 · n} is input.

[0016] The transformer Sulfur gate _{TG 1 · 1,} ...
_{,, The} electric charge transferred to the shift registers S _v1 , ..., S _vn in the vertical direction by the transfer signal φ _TG1 to the TG _{1 · n} is the vertical transfer pulse input through the input terminals 11d and 11e. The signals are sequentially transferred downward by φ _v1 and φ _v2 and sent to each bit of the horizontal shift register S _h . Then, it is transferred to the right by lateral transfer pulses φ _h1 and φ _h2 input via the input terminals 11f: 11g, amplified by the sense amplifier A, and taken out from the terminal 11h to the outside.

FIG. 6 shows a circuit configuration of the storage unit 2. FIG. 6a shows a memory cell MC1 for one frame taken out and showing the inside thereof.
It is composed of R1, SR2, SR3, and SR4. Each shift register train has the number of stages (the number of bits) obtained by adding 1 to the total number of light-receiving elements (that is, m × n) included in the image pickup device 11. The information of each shift register train is input to each terminal MC1f. It is transferred from the left to the right in the figure by the clock pulse φ _CT . One pixel corresponds to one bit in the shift register SR1 and one bit in each of the shift registers SR2, SR3, and SR4 at positions corresponding thereto, for a total of four bits. Then, the density information of one pixel is expressed by the digital amount expressed by 4 bits. The amount of information that can be expressed in 4 bits is 00 in binary.
There are 16 steps from 00 to 1111. Of these, 11 steps are used for density expression, and the remaining 5 steps are used for control information of this memory cell. Information from the image pickup unit 1 is input to each input terminal MC1.
g, MC1h, MC1i, MC1j are input to each shift register, and a clock pulse φ from the terminal MC1f.
_The signals are sequentially sent to the right by _CT , but the control information signal is input to the first stage. This signal is 1111,111
There are five types: 0, 1101, 1011, and 0111. These digital specific signals indicate the start position of a series of image signals as one role, and are henceforth referred to as start signals. Such five kinds of start signals are prepared so that there is no problem even if one of the four columns of shift registers has noise and one of them should be 011. This is because. Therefore 00
The same thing can be said even if five kinds of 00, 0001, 0010, 0100 and 1000 are adopted as the start signals.

An image signal from the image pickup device 11 is input following this start signal, and a clock pulse φ _CT
When all the image signals for one frame are sent, the start signal is input to the bit at the right end (1 + m × nth stage). Then, the above-mentioned start signal is output to the output terminals MC1a, MC1b, MC1c, and MC1d of each shift register array, and this is detected to detect the terminal MC1.
If the clock pulse φ _CT from f is stopped, the image signal for one frame is stored in the shift register of four columns. A detection circuit DC is connected to the bit at the right end of the shift register, and if any one of the five types of start signals appears at the output, it is detected and the image signal is transferred to the memory cell MC1. That is, cell M
An output signal indicating that C1 has been used is output terminal M
Output to C1k. The start signal recorded here can be reset by inputting a signal from the terminal MC1e to the last bit (rightmost bit) of the shift register. As will be described in detail later, this function is used when reusing a frame of an address that has failed to be photographed or performing multiple exposure.

As described above, a plurality of memory cells for one frame are collected to form the storage unit 2. An example of the configuration is shown in FIG. 6b. 20 memory cells MC1 (MC1 to MC20) are arranged as shown in FIG. 6A,
These input / output terminals are output terminals MC1k of the detection circuit DC.
All except MC20k are connected to the address setting circuit AS. The address setting circuit AS has an address terminal M
A, an output terminal MO, an input terminal MI, an input terminal MT for the transfer clock pulse φ _CT and a reset terminal MR are provided. When the signal φ _A at the address of the memory cell at the address input terminal MA is input, for example, when a signal for selecting the memory cell at the address 1 is input, the output terminals MC1a to MC1d of the memory cell MC1 at the address 1 are changed. Output terminal MO
The input terminals MC1g to MC1j of the memory cell are connected to the input terminal MI, and the clock terminal MC1f of the memory cell is connected to the terminal M.
At T, the reset terminal MC1e of the memory cell is selectively connected to the terminal MR, and the memory cell MC1 at the first address is connected.
Will be accessed.

On the other hand, the output terminal MC1k of the detection circuit DC
To MC20k are all connected to the display circuit DP, and the circuit D
The output of P drives the display device 201 which displays the memory cell from which the start signal is output, that is, the used memory cell. This device 201 includes an electro-optical element such as a liquid crystal or an electrochromic device, and has an appearance as shown in FIG. In this example, the display device is a storage unit having a storage capacity of "20 frames", and 20 liquid crystal or electrochromic segments are arranged side by side. Of these, the segment corresponding to the used memory cell receives the output signal of the detection circuit DC and is colored. In this example, 1-6,
Memory cells MC1 to MC6, MC8 at addresses 8 to 10
It means that MC10 has been used.

FIG. 8 shows a circuit system of the image pickup unit 1.
In the image pickup device 11 as shown in FIG. 5, the output terminal 11a of the overflow drain is connected to the input terminal of the photometric circuit 102 including the photocurrent amplifier. The output of the photometric circuit is connected to the input terminal of the storage calculation circuit 103, and the circuit 103 calculates the exposure time value and the aperture value that give the proper exposure based on the output of the photometry circuit 102. The control pulse generation circuit 101 generates various pulses that control the imaging sequence, and the circuit 103 outputs the signal φ from its terminal 101C.
Upon receiving _101c , the output signal of the photometric circuit 102 is stored. The storage operation circuit 103 has three output terminals, and the first output of the circuit 103 is supplied to the display circuit 1 through the first terminal.
The output of the circuit 106 is input to the display device 1 including a display element such as an LED or a liquid crystal provided in the finder.
07 is displayed to display the exposure time, aperture value, and the like. The second output of the arithmetic circuit 103 is input to the diaphragm control circuit 105 via the second terminal, and the output of the circuit 105 controls the diaphragm 10a of the taking lens. Further, the third output of the circuit 103 is input to the clock circuit 104 via the third terminal, the circuit 104 receives the signal φ _101a from the output terminal 101a of the pulse generation circuit 101, and the output of the circuit 103 from that point. After a time corresponding to, the exposure end signal is sent to the input terminal 101b of the pulse generation circuit 101.

The input terminals 11h to 11 of the image sensor 11
g is each output terminal 101d to 10d of the pulse generation circuit 101.
1i, each of the control pulses φ _TG2 , φ _TG1 , φ _V1 , φ for driving the image sensor 11
Receive _V2 , φ _h1 and φ _h2 . The output terminal 11h of the image pickup device 11 is connected to the AD conversion circuit 108, where it is converted into a 4-bit digital signal of an analog signal according to the light intensity of each pixel (each light receiving element) and sent to the selection gate 109. The adder circuit 110 used at the time of multiple exposure adds the output of the AD converter circuit 108 and the image signal input from the storage unit 2 via the input terminal C1 and divides by two. That is, the signal is added to the selection gate 109 by taking the arithmetic mean of both. The switch 16d opens and closes in conjunction with the mode selection lever 16 shown in FIG.
When it is in the UL (multiple exposure) position, it is turned on to put the adder circuit 110 into the operating state, and in other cases it is turned off to put the adder circuit 110 into the inactive state. Switch 16C
Also opens and closes in conjunction with lever 16, and lever 16 is M
When it is in the UL position, it is turned on, the output of the adder circuit 110 is passed through the select gate 109, and the AD conversion circuit 108
The output of is blocked. Further, the switch 16C is turned off when the lever 16 is in another position, so that the output of the AD conversion circuit 108 is passed and the output of the addition circuit 110 is blocked through the gate 109, contrary to the above. The output signal of the selection gate 109 is sent to another selection gate 111. The output terminal of the start signal generating circuit 112 for generating the above-mentioned start signal is also connected to the selection gate 111. The gate 111 is a control pulse generation circuit 1
The signal φ _101k from the output terminal 101k of 01
Output of selection gate 109 and start signal generation circuit 112
Any of the outputs is selected and output to the storage unit 2 via the output terminal CO. The detection circuit 113 determines whether the signal input from the output terminal MO of the storage unit 2 via the input terminal CI is a start signal, and sends the resulting signal to the input terminal 101j of the control pulse generation circuit 101. .

The contents of the address counter 114 are sent to the address setting circuit AS of the storage unit 2 via the 5-bit output terminal CA to access the memory cell at the specified address. On the other hand, the output of the counter 114 drives the above-mentioned display device 18 via the display circuit 117 to display the address of the memory cell being accessed. The switch 16a is interlocked with the mode selection lever 16 shown in FIG.
Is in A (automatic access), terminals A and M in FIG.
When in the AN (manual access) or MUL position, it is connected to the terminal M in FIG. Manual address setting circuit 1
When the switch 16a is at the position of the terminal M, the pulse 15 outputs one pulse each time the push button switch 17a is turned on, and changes the contents of the address counter 114 one by one. When the switch 16a is switched to the position of the terminal A, the address counter 114 is connected to the output terminal 101l of the control pulse generating circuit 101 via the input terminal 114a thereof and counts the clock pulse from the circuit 101. The switch 16b is interlocked with the mode selection lever 16 and is turned off when the lever is at A, and turned on when the lever is at another place, and the control pulse generation circuit 10 is operated via the input terminal 101n.
1 informs whether the selected mode is automatic access or not. When the release button 15 is pressed and the switch 15a is turned on, the one-shot multi-vibrator 116 generates a single pulse φ _s and sends a signal for starting the photographing sequence to the circuit 101 via the input terminal 101p. The output terminal 101q is a transfer pulse φ for the storage unit.
_{The CT} is sent to the storage unit 2 via the output terminal CT. The output terminal 101r outputs the reset pulse to be sent to the storage unit 2 to the output terminal C.
It is sent to the input terminal MR of the storage unit 2 via R. Output terminal 1
01s is a signal φ indicating whether or not the photographing sequence is in progress.
Output _busy . The signal φ _busy is the driving circuit 11
The sounding body 119 is caused to emit a warning sound via the display circuit 1
A warning display device 121 such as an LED is turned on via 20 and an electromagnet 123 is operated via a drive circuit 122 to prevent the storage unit 2 from being detached from the imaging unit 1 during a shooting sequence by a safety device (not shown). To A switch 19 (FIG. 2) that turns off the warning sound between the output terminal 101s and the drive circuit 118 prevents the warning sound from being emitted.
(Ref.) Has been inserted. The output terminal 101m is the circuit 11
7 and 118, when all the memory cells of the storage unit 2 are used and there is no free space, an intermittent signal is issued, the display device 18 is blinked, and the sounding body 119 is intermittently sounded.
It is displayed that there is no unused memory cell in the storage unit 2.
The output of the output terminal 101a is sent as a tuning signal to the speedlight or the like via the contact 13 (see FIG. 2). The switching switch 124 connected to the input terminal 101t is switched according to the protrusion amount of the pin 207 (see FIG. 3b) provided upright on the upper surface of the storage unit 2 to change the storage capacity of the storage unit 2 to the circuit 1.
Tell 01. Further, when the storage unit 2 is removed from the image pickup unit 1, the switch 124 causes the reset terminal 11 of the counter 114 to operate.
4r to reset the contents of the counter 114.

FIG. 9 shows the converter 3 that transfers the image signal stored in the storage unit 2 to the magnetic tape cassette. The converter 3 is provided with a connector 301 connected to a connector 206, a cassette holder 302 into which a magnetic tape cassette is loaded, and an operation button 303. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, in FIG. 2, the image pickup unit 1 of the storage unit 2 is mounted. As a result, the connector 206 of the storage unit 2 is connected to the connector (not shown) of the image pickup unit 1, and the terminals MA and MO shown in FIG.
MI, MT and MR are terminals CA, CI, CO and C of FIG.
T and CR are connected respectively.

[Explanation of Operation in Automatic Access Mode] Now, the mode selection lever 16 of the image pickup unit 1 is automatically accessed A
It is assumed that the switch 19 is turned on at the position. Then, the switch 16a in FIG. 8 is connected to the terminal A, and the switches 16b, 16c, and 16d are turned off. In this state, the taking lens 10 is aimed at the subject, the composition is determined, and the focus is adjusted. Then, when the release button 15 is deeply pressed, the switch 15a of FIG. 8 is turned on, and the one-shot multivibrator 116 outputs the single pulse φ _s shown in the time chart of FIG. . The circuit 101 which has received it emits a pulse φ _A from the output terminal 101l at the timing shown in FIG. This pulse φ _A is input to the address counter 114 via the switch 16a. The counter 114 is reset when the storage unit 2 is removed from the image pickup unit 1.

Therefore, the contents of the counter are incremented by one each time one pulse φ _A enters. As a result, the counter 114 sequentially accesses the memory cells in the storage unit 2 via the terminals CA and MA. That is, the counter 114 has the terminal 10
Counting the first pulse from 1l first accesses the first memory cell MC1, then counting the second pulse accesses the second memory cell MC2, and so on. The memory cell MC20 is accessed. The detection circuit 113 outputs the memory cell output signal accessed by the counter 114 to the terminals MO and CI.
If it is a start signal, it sends an L level signal φ ₁₁₃ to the input terminal 101j otherwise. In most cases, all memory cells of the newly installed storage unit 2 are unused,
The signal φ ₁₁₃ goes to the H level immediately after accessing the first memory cell MC1. Therefore, the first memory cell MC1
Is accessed for shooting, and the address of the first memory cell, ie, "1" appears on the display. However, if some memory cells, for example, the first to third memory cells MC1 to MC3 are already used, the circuit 1
01 continues to send the pulse φ _A to the counter 114 while the output φ ₁₁₃ of the detection circuit 113 is at the L level. In this way will promote the address one by one, the unused memory cell corresponds to the output phi ₁₁₃ go to this fourth memory cell MC4 becomes H level at the timing shown in FIG. 10b, the pulse phi _A The output stops. At that time, the memory cell is accessed for photographing, and the address of the memory cell is displayed on the display device 18. The process described above is called an address search.

When the output of the circuit 113 does not become H level even if the address pulse φ _A is issued for the number of frames transmitted by the pin 207 and the switching switch 124, the circuit 101 determines that each memory cell in the storage unit 2 Detects that everything is used. Then, the circuit 101 is connected to the terminal 1
Sending an intermittent signal from 01m to blink the display device 18,
The sounding body 119 emits an intermittent sound and the shooting sequence is stopped. This allows the photographer to know that there are no unused memory cells. This series of warning operations is also performed when the release button is pressed without attaching the storage unit 2 to the image pickup unit 1. This is because the circuit 101 switches the storage unit 2 to the unattached switch 1
By detecting by opening 24. The warning due to the non-mounting is particularly effective when the storage unit is loaded inside the imaging unit and the presence of the storage unit cannot be visually recognized from the outside.

When an unused memory cell is accessed, the output φ _{113 of the} circuit ₁₁₃ becomes H level and the pulse φ
_A stops. Output phi _TG2 terminal 101d as shown in FIG. 10e becomes H level due to the start of power supply by pressing shallow release button 15, trans Sulfur gate _{TG 2} · 1 _{~TG 2} of the image pickup device 11 shown in FIG. 5 _{・ N}
Keep open. Therefore, the charges generated according to the intensity of the light radiated to the light-receiving elements a ₁ , ..., am _{・ n} do not accumulate in the respective elements and are passed through the overflow drains OD _{1 to} OD _n and the output terminal 11 a. Is always taken out as a photocurrent, is subjected to processing such as amplification, logarithmic conversion, AD conversion, etc. by the photometric circuit 102 and is applied to the storage operation circuit 103. When access to the unused memory cells of the storage unit 2 is completed, the output φ of the circuit 113 is output.
Output phi _101C terminal 101C according to ₁₁₃ 10
At the timing shown in d, the L level changes to the H level. While the output φ _101C is at the H level, the photometric circuit 10
The output of 2 is stored in the circuit 103. The circuit 103 calculates the aperture value and the charge accumulation time, that is, the exposure time, from which the appropriate exposure (charge accumulation amount) can be obtained from the stored light intensity value. Information on the appropriate aperture value is provided by the aperture control circuit 10
5 and controls the diaphragm 10a by a known method.
Further, both the information of the proper aperture value and the proper charge storage time are also sent to the display circuit 106, and the display in the display element 107 displays in the finder. Further, information on the proper charge storage time is also sent to the time counting circuit 104. Immediately after, the output phi _TG2 terminal 101d is changed from the H level at the timing shown in FIG. 10e to L level, trans Sulfur gate _{TG 2 · 1}
~ TG _{2 · n} is closed. Simultaneously receiving element a _{1 · 1} of the imaging _device, ..., the signal to the terminal 101a with the accumulation of charge corresponding to the exposure amount in a m · _n starts φ
A signal φ _101a similar to _TG2 (see FIG. 10e) appears. The clock circuit 104 receives the signal φ _101a and outputs its output φ ₁₀₄ from L level to H level as shown in FIG. 10f.
Change the level and start timing. Then, when the appropriate charge storage time has elapsed, the output φ ₁₀₄ changes from the H level to the L level. Circuit 101 which was received via the terminal 101b outputs a pulse phi _TG1 shown in Fig. 10g from an output terminal 101e, opens for a moment the transformer Sulfur gate _{TG 1 · 1 ~TG 1} · _n of the image pickup device 11 .
As a result, the charges accumulated in the light receiving elements a ₁ , ..., Am _n are transferred in the vertical shift registers S _{v1 to} S _vn.
Move on to. This is the end of the exposure. The charge accumulation time, that is, the exposure time, is the transfer gate TG when the output φ _TG2 changes from the H level to the L level.
Trans Sulfur gate _{TG 1} · _{1 ~TG} due _{to 2 ·} 1 ~TG ₂ · _n pulse phi _TG1 is issued from the closed
_{1 · n} is the time until opening.

When the exposure is completed as described above, the signal φ _101k is next issued from the terminal 101k to the selection gate 111 at the timing shown in FIG. 10h. Since the output from the terminal 101k is H level, the gate 111 selects the output (start signal) from the start signal generating circuit 112 and outputs it to the output terminal CO. Terminal 101q in synchronization with this
A transfer pulse φ _CT as shown in FIG. 10m is sent from the terminals CT and MT to the memory unit 2, and a start signal is sent to the memory cell being accessed via the input terminal MI. Then, from the output terminals 101f and 101g to the input terminals 11d and 11e of the image pickup device 11 of FIG.
Vertical transfer pulses φ _v1 and φ _v2 are sent at the timings shown in FIG. 10A, and horizontal transfer pulses φ _n1 and φ _n2 are sent from the output terminals 101h and 101i to the input terminals 11f and 11g at the timings shown in FIGS. As a result, the image signal of each light receiving element is output from the output terminal 11h.
Are output in time series. This signal is AD conversion circuit 1
At 08, it is converted into a digital signal and added to the selection gate 109. The switch 109 of the gate 109 is OFF
Therefore, the image signal from the circuit 108 is passed. Since the output from the terminal 101k is also at the L level, the selection gate 111 also passes the image signal from the gate 109 and is applied from the output terminal CO to the input terminal MI of the storage unit 2. Furthermore, the transfer pulses φ _v1 , φ _v2 , φ _h1 , and
The image signal is sequentially transferred to the shift register of the memory cell which is continuously accessed after the start signal by the transfer pulse φ _cT generated in synchronization with φ _h2 . When the transfer of the image signal for one frame is completed, a start signal appears at the output terminal MO of the storage unit 2, and this is added to the detection circuit 113 via the input terminal CI of the image pickup unit 1. The circuit 113 detects this and stops the transfer pulses φ _v1 , φ _v2 , φ _h1 , φ _h2 , and φ _cT described above.

This completes the shooting sequence for one frame. After that, each time the release button 15 is pressed deeply, the above-described photographing sequence can be repeated until there are no unused memory cells. During the above shooting sequence, that is, during the period from pressing the release button 15 to address search, exposure, and transfer completion, the output terminal 10
The signal φ _busy shown in FIG. 10n is issued from 1s.
The signal φ _busy drives the sounding body 119 and the display device 121 to warn that the photographing sequence is in progress, and at the same time, activates the electromagnet 123 to activate a safety device (not shown) to store the video signal in the storage unit 2. It is impossible to divide the storage unit 2 from the imaging unit 1 before the transfer is completed.

[Explanation of Operation in Manual Access Mode] Next, a case where manual access (MAN) is selected by the mode selection lever 16 will be described. In this case, the memory cell at the desired address can be manually accessed. Figure 2
When the lever 16 shown in is moved to the MAN position, the switch 16a in FIG. 8 is connected to the terminal M, and the switch 16b is turned on.
However, the switches 16c and 16d remain OFF. When the push button 17 is pushed in this state, the normally open switch 17a is turned on, and each time the push button 17 is pushed, one pulse is issued from the manual address setting circuit 115, whereby the address counter 1
The contents of 14 are taken one by one from the address of the memory cell to which the image signal was transferred immediately before and the image signal was transferred. Therefore, the memory cell of the desired address is determined by looking at the display device 201, and the push button 17 is operated until the desired address appears on the display device 18. Of course, when the memory cell used immediately before is desired, it is not necessary to push the push button 17. If the release button 15 is pressed after the completion of this manual access, the above-described address search process is not performed and the reset pulse is output to the terminal 10 instead.
1r is output to the memory cell via terminals CR and MR,
When the accessed memory cell is already used, four bits of the start signal appearing at the output of the memory cell are reset. Therefore, the accessed memory cell can be used because the output of the detection circuit 113 becomes H level regardless of whether it is used or not. In the subsequent sequence, the start signal and the image signal are transferred to the accessed memory cell in the same manner as when the lever 16 is at A.

Therefore, according to the manual access mode, even if the photographing fails, the lever 16 is set to the MAN, and the release button 15 is pressed down again, the failure image signal transferred to the memory cell is newly updated. The memory cells can be used without waste because they are replaced with the image signals captured in. When the push button 17 is operated, a desired memory cell is
It can be used as 1, MC3, MC5, and so on. The manual access is performed cyclically. That is, when the push button 17 is pressed after the last address memory cell MC20 is accessed, the first memory cell M
C1 is accessed. This is because the counter 114 is a programmable counter, and a storage unit 2 having a switch 124 and a pin 207 at a program input terminal (not shown) thereof.
This is because the storage capacity of is input in a digitized form, and when the total number of memory cells is counted, the contents of the counter are reset.

[Explanation of Operation in Multiple Exposure Mode] Next, the case where the multiple exposure mode is selected by the lever 16 will be described. First, the lever 16 is moved to the MUL position after the shooting sequence is completed in either of the above two modes. Then, the switch 16a is connected to the terminal M, and the switches 16b, 16c, 16d are all turned on. Then, even if the release button 15 is pressed, there is no process of address search as in the case of the above-mentioned manual access mode, and the memory cell to which the image signal captured immediately before is transferred remains accessed. Therefore, as in the case of the manual access mode, a reset pulse is output from the terminal 101r to reset the start signal of the memory cell that is still being accessed.

Next, the charge accumulation (exposure) process described above is followed by the transfer process. Since the switch 16c is turned on here, the selection gate 109 causes the switch 16 to operate.
When d is turned on, the output of the adder circuit 110 which is in the activated state is selected and allowed to pass. First, when the start signal is transferred to the accessed memory cell as before,
The adder circuit 110 outputs an arithmetic average signal of the image signal from the accessed memory cell input from the terminal CI and the image signal from the AD conversion circuit 108, which has just been photographed. Of course, this is done under perfect synchronization of each transfer pulse. This arithmetic mean signal is then applied to the gates 109, 1
11, the data is transferred to the accessed memory cell via the terminals CO and MI. When the transfer of one frame is completed as described above, the accessed memory cell stores the image signal in which the first photographic subject and the second photographic subject are combined. This allows multiple exposures to be repeated any number of times, and there is no risk of overexposure because the arithmetic mean is taken instead of the sum each time. Further, not only the memory cell used immediately before but also the memory cell at the desired address can be accessed by the push button 17 to combine with the image signal of the memory cell used before.

The storage unit 2 that has been photographed in any of the above-mentioned modes and has no unused memory cells is removed from the imaging unit 1 by operating the attachment / detachment slider 203 to pull it down. The converter 3 transfers the image signal stored in the storage unit 2 to the magnetic tape cassette.
Therefore, the connector 206 of the storage unit 2 is replaced with the connector 301.
, The tape cassette holder 302 is loaded, and the operation button 303 is operated. Then, the image signals of the memory cells of the storage unit 2 are sequentially transferred to the magnetic tape, and the transferred memory cells are reset and can be reused. At this time, the converter 3 charges the secondary battery contained in the storage unit 2 for backing up the memory cells and driving the display device 201.

[0036]

According to the electronic still camera of the first aspect of the invention, when the automatic access means is selected by the selection means, a still image signal is automatically recorded in the unrecorded image recording area by the function of the automatic access means. If the unrecorded image recording area disappears, the recording prohibition means prohibits recording,
It is possible to prevent the still image signal to be saved from being lost.
If the manual access means is selected, the function of the manual access means enables update recording to the image recording area where the still image signal was recorded just before. Since it is often determined immediately after image pickup whether or not a still image signal is worth saving, if it is determined that the still image signal just captured is not required to be saved, the image is taken again under the operation of the manual access means. Unnecessary still image signals can be updated simply by performing the operation. Further, when it is desired to update the recorded contents of another image recording area, the updated recording can be performed by manually selecting the image recording area under the operation of the manual access means and then performing the image pickup operation. In this case, since the recording prohibition means is inoperative, the contents of the already recorded image recording area can be freely updated.

According to the electronic still camera of the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the case of the first aspect, whether the image recording area is unrecorded or already recorded is determined by a digital specific signal different from the still image signal. Therefore, this determination can be performed quickly and with a simple configuration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the camera of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the camera of the embodiment is separated into an image pickup section and a storage section.

FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the camera of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an internal structure of a solid-state image sensor used in the camera of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a part and the whole of a storage unit of the camera of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a display unit of the display device of the camera of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of an image pickup unit of the camera of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a converter associated with the camera of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a time chart of main pulses for controlling the shooting sequence of the camera of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols for main parts]

1: Electronic still camera (imaging unit) 10: Photographing lens 2: Image recording medium All bits except the rightmost bits (4 bits) of the four columns of shift registers MC1 to MC20: Image recording area MC1 to MC20 Rightmost bit (4 bits) of the four-row shift register: specific signal recording area

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --Continued from the front page Examiner Mitsutake Fujiuchi (56) References JP 54-140515 (JP, A) JP 52-109915 (JP, A) JP 53-124935 (JP, A) Special Kai 50-109710 (JP, A) JP 52-24027 (JP, A)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image pickup means (11), a recording means (2), a recording control means (101), a signal generating means (101), and a selecting means (16).
And a designated image area changing means (17), wherein the image pickup means (11) photoelectrically converts a subject image formed by the photographing lens into a still image signal for one screen. 2) is a detachable device that has a plurality of image recording areas in which the recorded contents can be updated and records the still image signal for one screen in the recordable image recording area. Is an automatic access mode that automatically searches for an unrecorded image recording area in which the still image signal is not recorded and enables recording only in the unrecorded image recording area, and is designated by the selection means. Whether the designated image area or another designated image area changed and designated by the designated image area changing means is unrecorded or already recorded, a manual access mode capable of recording the designated image area or the another image designated area. Have A shall, signal generating means (101) prohibits the recording by said recording means when the image recording area by searching in the automatic access mode that is all recorded is determined,
During the image pickup operation in the manual access mode, a signal is issued so as to permit recording by the recording means, and the selection means (16) can select the automatic access mode and the manual access mode according to a manual operation. In addition, when the manual access mode is selected, the image recording area recorded immediately before is designated as the designated image area, and the designated image area changing unit (17) is the selecting unit. An electronic camera, wherein the specified image area specified by is changed and specified to the another specified image area by a manual operation. 2. An imaging means (11), a recording means (2), a recording control means (101), a signal generating means (101), and a selecting means (1).
6) and designated image area changing means (17), and the image pickup means (11) digitally converts a subject image formed by the taking lens into a still image signal for one screen. (2) is a recordable image having a plurality of image recording areas in which the recorded contents can be updated and a plurality of specific signal recording areas provided corresponding to the image recording areas and in which digital specific signals are recorded. A still image signal for one screen is recorded in a recording area, and the specific signal is recorded in the specific signal area. The recording control means (101) detects the specific signal, An automatic access mode that automatically searches for an unrecorded image recording area in which the still image signal is not recorded and enables recording only in the unrecorded image recording area,
Whether the designated image area designated by the selecting means or another designated image area changed and designated by the designated image area changing means is unrecorded or already recorded, the designated image area or the other designated image area can be recorded. The signal generating means (101) prohibits recording by the recording means when it is determined by the search in the automatic access mode that all the image recording areas have been recorded. Then
During the image pickup operation in the manual access mode, a signal is issued so as to permit recording by the recording means, and the selection means (16) can select the automatic access mode and the manual access mode according to a manual operation. In addition, when the manual access mode is selected, the latest image recording area is designated as the designated image area, and the designated image area changing unit (17) is the selecting unit. An electronic camera, wherein the specified image area specified by is changed to the another specified image area by a manual operation.