JP4097822B2 - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic camera capable of communicating information including image information by connecting to an external device such as a personal computer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, various electronic cameras having an external interface have been proposed in which the operation of the electronic camera body is controlled by connecting a data processing device such as a personal computer.
[0003]
For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-163202, even when a power-down command that suppresses the operation of each part of the camera and suppresses power consumption is input from a personal computer, power is supplied only to the interface. Is described.
[0004]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-234021 discloses that an electric camera platform equipped with a camera that outputs captured moving image information and sound is operated in a power saving low function mode even when there is no external power supply. A system having a host computer adapted to be described is described.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Even when an external device for controlling the operation of the electronic camera is connected, it is not only possible to take an image without a power source such as a battery for driving the electronic camera. In addition, the image data already recorded on the medium in the electronic camera cannot be used.
[0006]
With respect to this point, the former Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-163202 secures only the power supply of the interface, cuts off the power supply on the camera side, and stores that the setting of the operation of each part of the camera is completed. It simply prevents the malfunction by resetting the register, and does not store the image in the camera.
[0007]
The same applies to the latter Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-234021, which also restricts the operation mode of the electric camera platform for changing the imaging direction of the camera used in the videophone / conference system, etc. Images are not stored in the electric head.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to perform an imaging operation when a power supply battery of a camera body is consumed while an external device for remote operation control is connected. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera in which image data already recorded on a medium in the camera body can be used even when it cannot be performed.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera for recording image information by an electronic imaging unit on a recording medium, a reading unit for reading the image information from the recording medium, and an external device via a bus including a power supply line. A communication means for transmitting and receiving information including the image information to and from the external device, and a power supply from the external device via the power supply line of the bus according to a transfer request from the external device. Control means for supplying to at least the reading means and the communication means, reading the image information recorded on the recording medium, and transmitting the information to the external device.
[0010]
With such a configuration, the image information recorded on the recording medium can be read out and transmitted to the external device regardless of the presence or absence of the power source. This can be used effectively.
[0011]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the control means detects a state of a power supply built in the camera body and supplying power to at least the communication means, the reading means, and the control means. When the power supply state detection unit detects that the power supplied from the power supply is below a specified level, the communication unit transmits information indicating the fact to the external device. It is characterized by that.
[0012]
With such a configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to notify and warn that the power source of the electronic camera is consumed also on the external device side.
[0013]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the power source is a battery, and the power state detector detects a state of the battery.
[0014]
With such a configuration, in addition to the operation of the invention according to the second aspect, it is possible to more quickly recognize the consumption of the battery power source with a limited capacity.
[0015]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the control means detects a state of a power source built in the camera body and supplying power to at least the communication means, the reading means, and the control means. The control means further includes a power supply state detection means, and when the power supply state detection means of the control means detects that the power supplied from the power supply is below a specified level, the control means itself and the reading means And only the circuit system including the communication means for reading out the image information recorded on the recording medium and transmitting the image information to the external device is operated.
[0016]
With such a configuration, in addition to the operation of the invention described in claim 1, the functions of other circuits not related to the transmission of the already recorded image information are stopped, and the recorded image information is read. And transmission to the external device can be performed reliably.
[0017]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a shut-off means for shutting off the power supplied from the external device via the power supply line of the bus.
[0018]
With such a configuration, in addition to the operation of the invention described in claim 2, the power from the built-in battery of the electronic camera and the external device can be selectively used.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment in the case where the present invention is applied to an electronic camera that performs remote control using, for example, a personal computer as an external device will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0020]
FIG. 1 shows a circuit configuration of a power supply control system of an electronic camera, which is a battery in which BT is a power source. The power supplied from the battery BT is supplied to the power supply control circuit 11 and applied directly to an A / D conversion terminal of the control unit 12 described later as a battery voltage detection signal.
[0021]
The power supply control circuit 11 transforms and stabilizes the power supplied from the battery BT to create a voltage Vcc necessary for each circuit to operate, and this voltage Vcc is supplied to the zoom 13, strobe 22, Application and supply to the key input circuit 14, the imaging circuit 15, the image processing circuit 16, and the LCD display circuit 17, and to the memory card circuit 18, the control unit 12, and the communication circuit 19 through the diode D1 on the power supply line PL, respectively. .
[0022]
The control unit 12 controls the operation of the entire electronic camera. The power control circuit 11, the zoom 13, the strobe 22, the key input circuit 14, the imaging circuit 15, the image processing circuit 16, and the LCD display are connected to its control port. The circuit 17 is connected to send and receive control signals.
[0023]
The key input circuit 14 includes various operation keys including a release button, a mode key, a zoom key, and the like.
[0024]
The imaging circuit 15 includes a CCD that is an imaging element disposed at an imaging position of the lens optical system and a driving circuit for the CCD.
[0025]
The image processing circuit 16 picks up the image information captured by the image pickup circuit 15 and performs predetermined image processing such as DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform), quantization, and entropy coding. While the data is compressed, the image information read from the memory card attached to the memory card circuit 18 is decompressed in the reverse procedure.
[0026]
The LCD display circuit 17 includes an EVF (Electronic View Finder), an LCD panel and a backlight used for confirming a recorded image, and display drive circuits thereof.
[0027]
The memory card circuit 18 drives a memory card mounted to record the image information compressed by the image processing circuit 16, and performs writing / reading by directly transmitting / receiving the image information to / from the control unit 12. To do.
[0028]
The communication circuit 19 transmits and receives various data between the externally connected device and the control unit 12.
[0029]
Thus, the electronic camera is connected to an external device such as a personal computer (not shown) by a serial bus interface cable 20 conforming to, for example, IEEE1394. The cable 20 is connected to the communication circuit 19 to transmit and receive image information and the like, and has a power supply line PL1 that can supply power of about 100 [mA] at the maximum. PL1 is connected to the power supply line PL via a circuit breaker (shown as “Ic” in the figure) 21 and a diode D2.
[0030]
That is, the memory card circuit 18, the control unit 12 and the communication circuit 19 are connected to a region sandwiched between the anodes of the diodes D1 and D2 on the power supply line PL as shown in the figure, so that the memory card circuit 18, the control unit 12 and the communication circuit 19 can receive both supply power from the power supply control circuit 11 and supply power sent from an external device (not shown) via the cable 20.
[0031]
Further, the control unit 12 interrupts the power supply from the external device via the cable 20 by the circuit breaker 21 corresponding to the operating state.
[0032]
Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
[0033]
FIG. 2 shows the processing contents of the power control system mainly by the control unit 12 after the power is turned on by operating the power switch. At the beginning, the battery voltage detection signal from the battery BT is A / D converted. Whether or not the battery BT is depleted and has sufficient power for a normal imaging operation is determined based on whether or not the value obtained in this way has reached a specified value (step S1).
[0034]
Here, when the generated voltage of the battery BT has reached a specified value and it is determined that the battery BT has sufficient power for a normal imaging operation, the circuit breaker 21 causes the personal computer through the cable 20 to operate. The camera sequence for imaging is executed in order to shut off the power supply and shift to the operation as a normal camera. However, if it is determined that the battery BT is exhausted, the memory card circuit 18 In addition, the functions of the circuits other than the communication circuit 19 and the circuit breaker 21, that is, the power supply control circuit 11, the zoom 13, the strobe 22, the key input circuit 14, the imaging circuit 15, the image processing circuit 16, and the LCD display circuit 17 are stopped. At the same time, the control port for transmitting and receiving control signals to and from these circuits is temporarily shut off (step S2).
[0035]
On this basis, the communication circuit 19 waits for communication with a personal computer as an external device connected via the cable 20 (step S3). When it is determined that communication has started, A message indicating that the battery BT is exhausted is sent to the personal computer, and the user using the electronic camera and the personal computer is recognized (step S4).
[0036]
Then, it waits for any command to be input from the personal computer (step S5). When it is determined that the command has been input, whether or not the command is to read image information from the memory card attached to the memory card circuit 18 (step S6), and writing the image information to the memory card. Alternatively, whether to instruct to erase the written image information (step S7), or to instruct a camera operation for imaging such as a release, a mode change, a zoom operation of a lens and a strobe. It is determined whether or not (step S8), and if none of them, the process returns to step S5 again to wait for the next command from the personal computer.
[0037]
If it is determined in step S9 that the command input from the personal computer is an instruction for reading image information from the memory card, for example, the serial number added to the command from the memory card. The designated image information is read out and transmitted to the personal computer side (step S9). Thereafter, the process returns to step S5 again to wait for the next command input from the personal computer.
[0038]
When it is determined in step S7 that the command input from the personal computer is an instruction to write image information or to erase the written image information, or to instruct camera operation in step S8. In any case, it is assumed that the power supplied via the cable 20 is very limited, and there is not enough capacity to execute these operations. A message indicating that the battery BT is exhausted is notified, and the user using the electronic camera and personal computer is made to recognize (step S10). Thereafter, the process returns to step S5 again, and the next personal computer receives the message. Wait for the command to be entered.
[0039]
Thus, even if the battery BT is exhausted and the imaging operation as a normal camera cannot be performed, the limited power supply from the personal computer side via the cable 20 allows the memory to be Since the image information recorded on the memory card mounted on the card circuit 18 can be read out and transmitted to the personal computer, the personal computer can effectively use at least the already recorded image information. it can.
[0040]
In addition, since it is notified to the personal computer when the battery BT is depleted, the personal computer can recognize that the battery BT of the electronic camera is depleted. Treatment can be performed.
[0041]
Further, when it is determined that the battery BT is depleted, other circuits not related to reading and transmission of image information from the memory card attached to the memory card circuit 18, that is, the power control circuit 11, the zoom 13, the strobe 22. In order to stop the functions of the key input circuit 14, the imaging circuit 15, the image processing circuit 16, and the LCD display circuit 17, the recorded image information is read by the memory card circuit 18, the control unit 12, and the communication circuit 19 and sent to the personal computer. Can be reliably executed.
[0042]
In addition, a circuit breaker 21 that cuts off the electric power supplied from the personal computer via the cable 20 is provided. When the battery BT is not consumed and an imaging operation as a normal camera is performed, the circuit breaker 21 Since power from the personal computer can be cut off, the power from the battery BT, which is a built-in battery of the electronic camera, and the personal computer can be selectively used.
[0043]
In the above embodiment, a memory card mounted on the memory card circuit 18 is used as a recording medium for recording image information. Alternatively, a magneto-optical rotating disk medium may be used.
[0044]
In addition, the electronic camera and the external device are described as being connected by the cable 20 conforming to the IEEE 1394 serial bus interface. However, if the power can be supplied with a limited capacity, the serial camera is also serially connected. It may be in accordance with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) which is a bus interface, and is not limited to a serial bus.
[0045]
In addition, the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the image information recorded on the recording medium can be read out and transmitted to the external device regardless of the presence or absence of the power source. This can be used effectively.
[0047]
According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, it is possible to notify and warn that the power source of the electronic camera is consumed also on the external device side.
[0048]
According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 2, the consumption of the battery power source having a limited capacity can be recognized more quickly.
[0049]
According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the recorded image information is stopped by stopping the functions of other circuits not related to the transmission of the already recorded image information. Reading and transmission to the external device can be performed reliably.
[0050]
According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 2, the power from the built-in battery of the electronic camera and the external device can be selectively used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing contents according to the embodiment;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Power supply control circuit 12 ... Control part 13 ... Zoom 14 ... Key input circuit 15 ... Imaging circuit 16 ... Image processing circuit 17 ... LCD display circuit 18 ... Memory card circuit 19 ... Communication circuit 20 ... Cable 21 ... Circuit breaker (Ic)
22 ... Strobe BT ... Battery PL, PL1 ... Power line

Claims (5)

In an electronic camera that records image information by an electronic imaging means on a recording medium,
Reading means for reading image information from the recording medium;
A communication means connected to an external device via a bus including a power supply line and transmitting / receiving information including the image information to / from the external device;
In accordance with a transfer request from the external device, supply power from the external device via the power supply line of the bus to at least the reading unit and the communication unit to read image information recorded on the recording medium, An electronic camera comprising control means for transmitting to the external device. The control means further includes a power supply state detection means built in the camera body for detecting a state of a power supply that supplies power to at least the communication means, the reading means, and the control means,
The said communication means transmits the information which shows that to the said external device, when the said power supply state detection means detects that the electric power supplied from the said power supply is below regulation. The electronic camera described. The power source is a battery,
3. The electronic camera according to claim 2, wherein the power supply state detecting means detects the state of the battery. The control means further includes a power supply state detection means built in the camera body for detecting a state of a power supply that supplies power to at least the communication means, the reading means, and the control means,
The control means includes the control means itself, the reading means, and the communication means when the power supply state detection means of the control means detects that the power supplied from the power supply is less than a specified value. 2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein only the circuit system for reading the image information recorded on the recording medium and transmitting it to the external device is operated. 3. The electronic camera according to claim 2, further comprising a shut-off means for shutting off power supplied from the external device via the power supply line of the bus.

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