JP3370161B2 - Still image input device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a still image input device, and more particularly, to a still image input device having a solid-state image sensor. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various cameras using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD have been proposed. Automatic control of aperture by motor etc ...
Technical means of 2. Adjustable aperture by manual operation ...
Second technical means3. No diaphragm: Technical means such as the third technical means are known. The function of the diaphragm in each of the above technical means naturally requires adjustment of the amount of light, which can be performed to some extent by adjusting the electronic shutter speed or by automatic gain control (AGC) means. However, CCDs are light,
In particular, since there is a risk of deterioration when extremely intense light such as sunlight is constantly irradiated, a function of closing the aperture to prevent the deterioration has been conventionally known. [0004] However, the above 3)
Of the two technical means, the first technical means can generally perform automatic closing of the iris by turning off the power, but the second and third technical means cannot do this, so It is necessary to protect the CCD by performing some operation, for example, closing the barrier provided on the front of the CCD.
If the means cannot be used, the CCD must be used in a state where the CCD is irradiated with light. On the other hand, the second and third technical means do not require an aperture mechanism (including a motor) or can be realized with a simple configuration, and can reduce the size of a camera. In this case, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the lens and it is unavoidable to increase the size of the camera device. By the way, when an electronic shutter is used to adjust the exposure amount, the shutter speed is 1/60 to 1 /
A wide range of 10,000 has been achieved. The high-speed shutter causes a discomfort (jerky feeling) of the moving image,
This problem does not occur with still images. Therefore, it is possible to cope with most scenes even if the aperture value is fixed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has been made in view of such an event. An object of the present invention is to provide a still image input device that blocks input. [0008] In order to achieve the above object, a still image input apparatus according to the present invention includes a still image capturing means having an image sensor and an output from the still image capturing means. An electronic image output means for outputting an electronic image, a light shielding member for mechanically blocking the input of external light to the image sensor, and a light shielding member being operated by a first manual operation in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the light shielding member And an operation member for switching the electronic image output means to the ON state and recording a still image by a second manual operation following the first manual operation. In the still image input apparatus according to the present invention, the electronic image output means receives an output from the still image pickup means to output an electronic image, and the light shielding member mechanically inputs external light to the image pickup element. To shut off. In addition, the operation member operates in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the light shielding member, opens the light shielding member by a first manual operation, switches the electronic image output unit to an on state, and performs a second manual operation following the first manual operation. A still image is recorded by a manual operation. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a still image input apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, in the still image input apparatus of the first embodiment, a CCD camera 1 having a photographing section formed by a CCD as an image pickup element is provided at a front end of the apparatus.
2 and is connected to a pen-input type portable personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as PDA) 2 via the PC 2. The PDA 2 is a normal pen-input type portable personal computer, and displays an image of a subject 31 output from the CCD of the CCD camera 1 on the display unit 5 thereof. The photographer turns the CCD photographing unit of the CCD camera 1 toward the subject 31 and performs photographing while checking the image of the subject 31 monitored on the display unit 5. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a main part showing the external appearance of the CCD camera 1 in detail. As shown in the figure, the CCD camera 1 has a CCD 33 having a normal function provided at the tip thereof, and a barrier 3a which opens and closes in conjunction with an operation knob 4 described later on the front surface of the CCD 33. , 3b. The barriers 3a and 3b are closed in a non-shooting state (initial state), but are opened by operating the operation knob 4 during shooting. The details will be described later. The operation knob 4 is provided on one side of the CCD camera 1 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. A projection 4a formed at the rear of the operation knob 4 is used for photographing when pressed by a photographer. It performs the function of a switch.
That is, the photographer performs the above-described opening / closing operation of the barrier 3 by sliding the operation knob 4, and the projection 4 a
The photographing operation is performed by pressing. Here, an outline of the operation of the CCD camera 1 will be described. FIG. 2 shows a state of the CCD camera 1 at the time of non-photographing (initial state) as described above.
As shown in FIG. 2, the photographer points the tip of the CCD camera 1 toward the subject 31 and slides the operation knob 4 rearward (first manual operation). Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the barriers 3a and 3b open in the vertical direction, respectively.
The CCD 33 is exposed. As shown in FIG.
An objective lens 33a is provided on the front surface of D33.
At this time, the CCD 33 is supplied with power from the PDA 2 and driven. Then, the subject 31 is displayed on the display unit 5 of the PDA 2.
Image 31a is projected. After confirming the subject image 31a monitored on the display unit 5 of the PDA 2, the photographer presses the projection 4a of the operation knob 4 as shown in FIG. 4 (second manual operation). , The subject 31 is photographed. With this, PDA
A still image obtained when the protruding portion 4a is pressed is stored (photographed) in the storage unit in the storage unit 2. At this time, the display section 5 of the PDA 2 displays “PICTURE” 31b at the lower portion thereof to inform the photographer that the photographing has been performed. The details of the photographing operation will be described later. Next, the configuration inside the CCD camera 1 will be described in more detail. FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a main part showing the internal structure of the CCD camera 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a concave portion 6a is formed in the exterior portion 6 on one side of the CCD camera 1 (see FIG. 2), and the operation knob 4 can slide in the longitudinal direction in the concave portion 6a. Is fitted. A spring hook 4b projecting inward from a lower surface of a front portion of the operation knob 4;
A spring hook 6a projecting inward from the front inner wall surface
The operation knob 4 is biased forward (to the left in the drawing). A contact piece 9 made of an elastic conductor extends downward from the operation knob 4 behind the spring hook 4b. The contact piece 9 has a base end fixed to the operation knob 4 and a curved end portion abuts on a predetermined upper surface of a circuit board 10 disposed inside the CCD camera 1, so that the operation knob 4 can be moved. Accordingly, the upper surface of the circuit board 10 slides. A switch pattern 14 is provided on the sliding track of the contact piece 9 on the circuit board 10. When the contact piece 9 reaches the switch pattern 14, the CCD 33 is turned on and the display unit 5 of the PDA 2 is turned on.
The subject image is monitored at the same time. Further, a protrusion 4a is formed at the rear of the operation knob 4 and communicates with the front by a thin portion 16 and protrudes outward from one side surface of the CCD camera 1. The fitting portion of the operation knob 4 and the exterior portion 6 in the thickness direction is limited only to the front (the left side in the figure) of the thin portion 16, so that the elasticity of the thin portion 16 causes the protrusion 4a to be formed. It can be pushed in. Further, on the inner surface side of the rear portion of the operation knob 4,
The protrusion 4c is formed to protrude inward. The protruding portion 4a swings up and down in the drawing with the thin portion 16 as a fulcrum. As described later, the photographer slides the operation knob 4 rearward during photographing, as described later. Thereafter, when the projection 4a is pressed, and the projection 4c presses the release switch 12, the release operation is performed. As shown in FIG. 6, when the operation knob 4 is slid rearward, a through hole 15 is formed in the peripheral surface of the exterior part 6 facing the tip of the projection 4c. Yes,
At this time, a release switch 12 is provided below the through hole 15. The release switch 12 is a tact switch disposed at a predetermined position on the circuit board 10, and a movable portion that is pressed and moved by the protrusion 4 c of the operation knob 4 is held by an elastic body 12 a and To move to. A conductive rubber 18 is fixed to the lower end of the movable portion. As shown in FIG. 7, when the release switch 12 is pressed by the operation knob 4, the conductive rubber 18 is connected to the circuit. A predetermined switch is made conductive by contacting a predetermined electrode pattern portion 17 on the substrate 10. As shown in FIG. 5, a recess 4d is formed in the operation knob 4 behind the spring hook 4b, and one end of an L-shaped barrier interlocking lever 13 is formed or formed. They are fitted or connected so as to be interlocked. The other end of the barrier interlocking lever 13 is engaged with a rack 25 (see FIG. 8) described later. Next, the operation of each section in the CCD camera 1 will be described. FIG. 5 corresponds to the state shown in FIG. 2 and shows a state (initial state) at the time of non-photographing. When photographing, the photographer points the tip of the CCD camera 1 toward the subject 31 as shown in FIG. 2, and then slides the operation knob 4 backward to the state shown in FIG. (First manual operation). FIG. 6 corresponds to the state shown in FIG. 3, in which the operation knob 4 slides rearward and abuts one end of the concave portion 6a of the exterior part 6. At this time, the spring 8
Is charged, so that the operation knob 4
In FIG. 6, an urging force is acting leftward in FIG. Also,
The contact piece 9 slides on the circuit board 10 and reaches the switch pattern 14, whereby a predetermined switch is turned on. By the switching operation, the CCD 33 is provided with a PD.
Power is supplied from A2. The subject image output from the CCD 33 is monitored on the display unit 5 of the PDA 2. At this time, the projection 4c is connected to the through hole 15
Has reached the top. FIG. 7 corresponds to the state shown in FIG. 4 and shows a state in which the operation knob 4 is pressed after the operation knob 4 reaches the photographing position to perform photographing. After confirming the subject image 31a (see FIG. 3) monitored on the display unit 5 at the stage shown in FIG. 3, the photographer presses the protruding portion 4a to perform photographing (second manual operation). At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the projecting portion 4a swings downward in the figure with the thin portion 16 as a fulcrum. As a result, the projection 4c on the back side of the projection 4a penetrates the through hole 15 and presses the release switch 12.
As a result, the release switch 12 is depressed, and the conductive rubber 18 fixed to the movable portion comes into contact with the electrode pattern portion 17, and a predetermined ON signal is sent to the PDA 2. The PDA 2 stores the image of the subject 31 from the CCD 33 at that time as a still image in the storage section of the PDA 2 by receiving the ON signal. Thereafter, when the photographer releases his / her finger from the protrusion 4a, the operation knob 4 returns to the state shown in FIGS. Note that the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 is also returned to the state shown in FIGS. When the operation knob 4 returns to the initial state, the contact piece 9 is separated from the switch pattern 14, a predetermined switch is turned off, and the power supply to the CCD 33 is cut off. Thereby, the display unit 5 of the PDA 2
Disappears from the subject image 31a. At this time, even if the photographed still image (subject image) remains displayed on the display unit 5, the effect of the present embodiment is not impaired. Next, the mechanism for opening and closing the barriers 3a and 3b will be described. FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part showing the structure of the opening / closing mechanism of the barriers 3a and 3b. The barriers 3a and 3b are rotatable upward and downward, respectively, around the support shafts 22 and 21 of the gears 24 and 23 meshing with each other. Further, the gear 24
Is engaged with the rack 25, and the rack 25 is interlocked with the barrier interlocking lever 13 (see FIG. 5). The barriers 3a and 3b are connected to the objective lens 33 of the CCD 33.
a (see FIG. 3), and the two barriers 3a and 3b cover the objective lens 33a when not photographing, as described above. FIG. 9 corresponds to the states shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6 and 7, and shows a state in which the operation knob 4 is slid backward (to the right in FIG. 3) by the photographer. The above barrier 3
The state of a and 3b is shown. When the operation knob 4 is slid rearward, the barrier interlocking lever 13 (see FIG. 5) also slides in the same direction. At this time, the rack 25 is indicated by an arrow 26 in FIG.
Move in the direction indicated by. Thus, the barriers 3a and 3b are opened by the meshing relationship between the gear 24 and the rack 25 and the meshing relationship between the gear 24 and the gear 23. At this time, the spring 8 is charged, and when the operator releases his / her finger from the operation knob 4, the operation knob 4 returns to the initial state shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, and the barriers 3a, 3
b also returns (closes) to the initial state shown in FIG. As described above, according to the present embodiment,
A small and inexpensive still image input device can be provided with a simple mechanism without using an automatic control (with an actuator) diaphragm mechanism. Also, the opening and closing operation of the barrier is inevitable,
Since the barrier is not forgotten to be closed, the CCD can be reliably protected. In the above embodiment, the barrier is used as the light blocking member. However, when the still image input device has a stop, the stop is used as the light blocking member to operate as in this embodiment. It may be. As described above, according to the present invention, a still image input device which is small in size and blocks external light input to an image pickup device when a photographing operation or a photographing preparation operation is not performed. Equipment can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a still image input device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a CCD in the still image input device of the embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a main part, showing the external appearance of the camera in detail. FIG. 3 is a CCD in the still image input device of the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a main part showing an external appearance of the camera at the time of a first manual operation. FIG. 4 is a CCD in the still image input device of the embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of a main part showing an external appearance of the camera at the time of a second manual operation. FIG. 5 is a CCD in the still image input device of the embodiment.
It is the principal part enlarged side view which showed the internal structure of the camera. FIG. 6 is a CCD in the still image input device of the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a main part showing an internal configuration of the CCD camera at the time of a first manual operation of the camera. FIG. 7 is a CCD in the still image input device of the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view of a main part showing an internal configuration of the CCD camera at the time of a second manual operation of the camera. FIG. 8 is a CCD in the still image input device of the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing a configuration of an opening / closing mechanism of a barrier of the camera. FIG. 9 is a CCD in the still image input device of the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing a configuration of a barrier opening / closing mechanism at the time of a first manual operation of the camera. [Description of Signs] 1 ... CCD camera (still image pickup means) 2 ... PDA (electronic image output means) 3a, 3b ... Barrier (light shielding member) 4 ... Operation knob (operation member) 4a ... Protrusion 4c ... Protrusion 5 ... Display unit 6 Exterior unit 8 Spring 9 Contact piece 10 Circuit board 12 Release switch

Claims (1)

(57) [Claim 1] Still image pickup means having an image pickup device, electronic image output means for receiving an output from the still image pickup device and outputting an electronic image, A light-blocking member for mechanically blocking the input of external light; and interlocking with the opening and closing operation of the light-blocking member, the light-blocking member is opened by a first manual operation, and the electronic image output means is switched on. An operation member for recording a still image by a second manual operation following the first manual operation.