JP4766063B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electronic equipment.

Conventionally, in order to improve the usability of information handled by electronic devices (electronic data, etc.) and to provide flexibility in the storage capacity of information handled by electronic devices, removable memories (PC cards, SD cards) , Smart media, memory sticks, etc., hereinafter referred to as memory cards), and electronic devices are known to read and use electronic data from the attached memory card. . For example, it is known that image data taken with an electronic camera is stored in a memory card attached to the electronic camera, and image data taken in the past from the memory card is displayed on a display screen of the electronic camera for browsing. .

In such an information processing system consisting of an electronic device and a memory card, there is an upper limit on the storage capacity of the memory card, so that the number of memory cards tends to increase as the information processing system is used for a long time. It was. In addition, the user uses a plurality of memory cards, and stores and uses different types of electronic data for each memory card. For example, in the case of an electronic camera, the user of the electronic camera is divided for each memory card, or the subject genre (classification of landscape, person, flower / bird, etc.) is divided and used for each memory card.

When a user selects a target memory card from a large number of removable memory cards and uses it in an electronic device, the user generally determines how much free memory the memory card has. what kind of information is often to be used to confirm that the or the like is contained. In such confirmation work, a conventional memory card is individually attached to an electronic device, the electronic data and card information stored in the memory card are read by the electronic device, and the user browses the read information on the display screen of the electronic device. It was done by doing. However, when checking memory cards in electronic devices one by one in this way, it would be very time consuming if the number of memory cards became enormous, and the target memory card could not be extracted quickly. . For example, in an electronic device such as an electronic camera, when it takes time to select a memory card, a photo opportunity may be missed.

As a measure to cope with such problems, in order to identify what kind of electronic data is stored in each memory card, an index of printed or handwritten index of the stored electronic data is stored in each memory card. A necessary memory card is selected by referring to the index, and the selected memory card is mounted on an electronic device for use.

However, since the memory card itself is small, the area of the index sheet to be pasted is small, and it is difficult to display all information for accurately identifying electronic data stored in the memory card. In addition, it is difficult to constantly manage and update the contents of electronic data stored in the memory card because it requires a great deal of labor. In particular, information such as the free capacity of a memory card that is being used changes every time the memory card is used, so it is almost impossible to manually update and manage the index.

The present invention aims to provide an electronic equipment to be easily identifiable the information of the electronic device to the removable storage medium body.

Electronic equipment according to the present invention, the information non-volatile memory capable of writing and reading of data, the recording medium including a nonvolatile display unit capable of maintaining displayed contents without the power supply, a removable electronic device, A connector terminal for supplying power to the recording medium by mechanical contact with a connector terminal provided on the recording medium when the recording medium is mounted, and forming a communication path for the information data; A control unit that displays identification information corresponding to stored contents on the nonvolatile display unit; and a switch that detects opening and closing of the lid of the recording medium insertion unit, and the control unit is detected by the lid opening and closing switch. When performed, identification information corresponding to the storage contents of the recording medium is displayed on the nonvolatile display unit.

It is possible to provide a storage medium easily identifiable to by lever, the information of the removable storage medium to the electronic apparatus of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an information system according to the present embodiment . A memory card 77 (storage medium) is detachable from an electronic camera 100 (electronic device), and the memory card 77 is attached to the electronic camera 100. In this case, a communication path is formed between the electronic camera 100 and the memory card 77 by mechanical contact between the connection section (connector) of the electronic camera 100 and the connection section (connector) of the memory card 77, and the communication path is used to Various information (image data) is exchanged between the camera 100 and the memory card 77. Such a communication form is called contact communication. Further, electric power is supplied from the electronic camera 100 to the memory card 77 by mechanical contact between the connection portion (connector) of the electronic camera 100 and the connection portion (connector) of the memory card 77.

On the other hand, there is a so-called RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) non-contact communication path between the electronic camera 100 and the memory card 77, and when the memory card 77 is brought close to the vicinity of the electronic camera 100, the storage medium 77 is connected by the communication path. The information of the memory card 77 (for example, the free space, the identification information of the memory card 77, the file name of the image data, etc.) is transferred to the electronic camera 100, and the information is displayed on the display screen of the electronic camera 100. In the RFID transmission system, power can be wirelessly supplied by mutual induction and electromagnetic induction of coils by an alternating magnetic field by electromagnetic coupling simultaneously with information communication, and the memory card 77 can be electronic camera 100 even when no power is supplied by connector connection. It is possible to receive the electromagnetic wave generated by and generate power for communication. For the RFID transmission method, an electrostatic coupling method (using an inductive action by static electricity, the communication distance is several millimeters, also referred to as a close contact type), an electromagnetic coupling method (using an electromagnetic induction action that is tightly coupled, and the communication distance is ~ Dozens of centimeters, also called proximity type), electromagnetic induction method (using electromagnetic induction action, communication distance is ~ 1m, also called proximity type), microwave method (using microwave band radio waves, communication distance is ~ 5m), and any method may be used according to the usage form. However, when the electronic camera 100 is used, the power supply burden of the electronic camera 100 is reduced in order to prevent interference with a plurality of memory cards 77. Therefore, it is preferable to use an electromagnetic coupling method or an electromagnetic induction method with a communication distance of several centimeters.

With this configuration, the user of the electronic camera 100 does not need to attach the memory card 77 to the electronic camera 100 one by one, and only by bringing the memory card 77 close to the electronic camera 100 (about several centimeters) (for example, information on the memory card 77 (for example, The free space, the identification information of the memory card 77, the file name of the image data, etc.) can be confirmed.

2 and 3 are external views (front view and back view) of an embodiment of an electronic camera 100 which is an electronic apparatus to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 2, a photographing lens 10 for forming a subject image, a finder 11 for confirming a photographing screen, a strobe 12 for illuminating the subject at the time of photographing, and the brightness of the subject are formed on the front surface of the electronic camera 100. A photometric circuit 13 for detection and a grip portion 14 protruding from the camera body are provided to make it easier for the user to hold the electronic camera 100 by hand. A release button 16 for instructing photographing is provided on the upper surface, and the electronic camera 100. Is provided with a power switch 17 for ON / OFF control of the power.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the back of the electronic camera 100, an eyepiece of the finder 11, a left LCD (left screen) 21 having a substantially rectangular screen for text display and image display, and a text display and image display. A right LCD (right screen) 22 having a substantially rectangular screen is arranged, and below the right LCD 22 is an up button 23, a down button 24, and a left direction used for switching display images in the playback mode. A button 25, a right direction button 26, and a determination button 27 are arranged. A shooting mode button 28 for setting the electronic camera 100 to a shooting mode and a playback for setting the electronic camera 100 to a playback mode are provided below the left LCD 21. A mode button 29 and a card button 31 for reading and displaying information of the memory card 77 close to the electronic camera 100 in a non-contact manner are arranged. The side surface is provided with a memory card slot 30 for mounting a memory card 77 for storing image data.

The release button 16, the up button 23, the down button 24, the left button 25, the right button 26, the enter button 27, the shooting mode button 28, the playback mode button 29, and the card button 31 are all operated by the user. Key.

On the surface of the left LCD 21 and the right LCD 22, a so-called touch screen 66 having a function of outputting contact position data corresponding to a position instructed by a finger touch operation is arranged, and a selection item displayed on the screen. And can be used to select image data. The touch screen 66 is made of a transparent material such as glass or resin, and the user can observe an image or text formed inside the touch screen 66 through the touch screen 66.

FIG. 4 is an external view of the memory card 77. When the memory card 77 is inserted into the memory card slot 30 of the electronic camera 100 in the direction of the arrow, the connector terminal 78 mechanically contacts a connector terminal (not shown) inside the electronic camera 100. Thus, an electrical communication path is formed between the memory card 77 and the electronic camera 100. Note that some of the terminals of the connector terminal 78 are power supply terminals. When the connector terminal 78 is attached to the electronic camera 100, power is supplied from the electronic camera 100 side through the power supply terminal.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal electrical configuration of the electronic camera 100 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and each component has a data / control bus 51 for transmitting various information data and control data. Are connected to each other. Each component is roughly composed of a block centered on a shooting control circuit 60 that performs a shooting operation of image data, a block centered on a screen control circuit 92 that executes display of image data and related information, a memory card 77, and the like. It can be divided into a block centering on a wireless communication circuit 72 that performs non-contact communication, and a block centering on a user interface such as an operation key 65 and a CPU 50 that performs overall control on each control circuit.

The CPU 50 (central processing unit) is a means for controlling the electronic camera 100 as a whole. Various instructions are given to the screen control circuit 92 and the power supply control circuit 64. The photometry circuit 13 measures the luminance of the subject and outputs photometry data as the measurement result to the CPU 50. The CPU 50 sets the exposure time and sensitivity of the CCD 55 by the CCD drive circuit 56 according to the photometric data, and controls the aperture value of the diaphragm 53 by the aperture control circuit 54 via the photographing control circuit 60 according to the set data.

In the shooting mode, the CPU 50 controls the shooting operation via the shooting control circuit 60 according to the operation of the release button 16. Further, when the subject is dark based on the photometric data, the CPU 50 causes the strobe 12 to emit light via the strobe driving circuit 73 at the time of shooting. The timer 74 has a built-in clock circuit, detects date / time information corresponding to the current date / time, and supplies the shooting date / time information to the CPU 50 at the time of shooting. The CPU 50 adds the shooting date / time information to the image data and stores it in the memory card 77. CPU50 controls each part according to the control program memorize | stored in ROM67 (read-only memory). An EEPROM 68 (electrically erasable and writable ROM) is a non-volatile memory and stores setting information and the like necessary for the operation of the electronic camera 100. The RAM 70 is a volatile memory and is used as a temporary work area for the CPU 50. The CPU 50 detects the operation state of the power switch 17 and controls the power source 63 (battery or the like) via the power control circuit 64.

The photographing control circuit 60 performs focusing and zooming of the photographing lens 10 by the lens driving circuit 52, controls the exposure amount of the CCD 55 by controlling the diaphragm 53 by the diaphragm control circuit 54, and controls the operation of the CCD 55 by the CCD driving circuit 56. To do. The light flux from the subject is formed as a subject image on the CCD 55 through the diaphragm 53 for adjusting the amount of light by the photographing lens 10, and this subject image is picked up by the CCD 55. A CCD 55 (charge coupled device) having a plurality of pixels is a charge storage type image sensor for capturing a subject image, and an electric image signal corresponding to the strength of the subject image formed on the CCD 55 is driven by the CCD. In response to the drive pulse supplied by the circuit 56, the signal is output to the analog processing unit 57.

The analog processing unit 57 samples the image signal photoelectrically converted by the CCD 55 at a predetermined timing, and amplifies the sampled signal to a predetermined level. The A / D conversion circuit 58 (analog / digital conversion circuit) digitizes the image signal sampled by the analog processing unit 57 to convert it into digital data, and the photographing buffer memory 59 temporarily stores the digital data.

The shooting control circuit 60 repeats the above operation during the shooting mode, and the screen control circuit 92 reads digital data sequentially stored in the shooting buffer memory 59 via the data / control bus 51 and temporarily stores it in the frame memory 69. The through image display operation of converting the digital data into display image data and re-storing it in the frame memory 69 and displaying the display image data on the left screen 21 is repeated. The screen control circuit 92 obtains text display information from the CPU 50 as necessary, converts it into display text data, stores it in the frame memory 69, and displays the display text data on the left screen 21 and the right screen 22. . In this manner, in the shooting mode, the image captured by the CCD 50 is displayed in real time on the left screen 21, so that it is possible to perform composition setting for shooting using this through image as a monitor screen. Become. The photographing control circuit 60 detects the focus adjustment state of the photographing lens 10 by analyzing the degree of the high frequency component of the digital data stored in the photographing buffer memory 59, and the lens driving circuit 52 adjusts the focus of the photographing lens 10 according to the detection result. Do.

When the shooting control circuit 60 receives a shooting instruction from the CPU 50 at the time of release, the CCD 55 causes the CCD 55 to pick up a subject image, and the image signal generated by the shooting is sent through the analog processing unit 57 and the A / D conversion circuit 58. And temporarily stored as digital data (raw data) in the photographing buffer memory 59. The shooting control circuit 60 converts or compresses the digital data once stored in the shooting buffer memory 59 into a predetermined recording format (JPEG or the like) to form image data, and the image data is a memory card mounted in the memory card slot 30. Record and save to 77.

A GPS circuit 61 (global positioning system circuit) detects position information (longitude data, latitude data) of the electronic camera 100 using information from a plurality of satellites orbiting around the earth, and a shooting position at the time of image shooting. Information is supplied to the CPU 50. The CPU 50 adds the shooting position information to the image data and stores it in the memory card 77.

In the reproduction mode, the screen control circuit 92 reads the image data instructed to the CPU 50 from the memory card 77 inserted in the memory card slot 30, temporarily stores it in the frame memory 69, and displays the image data on the left screen 21. At the same time, text data such as shooting data is displayed on the right screen 22 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 50.

When the card button 31 is operated, the CPU 50 operates the wireless communication circuit 72, transmits a read command to the outside through the transmission / reception antenna 76, and responds to the read command to the memory card 77 in the vicinity of the electronic camera 100. The card information data transmitted from is received. Further, the CPU 50 displays the received card information data on the left screen 21 and the right screen 22 via the frame memory 69 by the screen control circuit 92.

FIG. 6 is a detailed configuration diagram of the wireless communication circuit 72. The wireless communication circuit 72 includes a control unit 721 that controls the components of the wireless communication circuit 72 and an oscillation unit that generates a modulation clock for modulating transmission data. 723, a modulation unit 722 that modulates transmission data received from the data / control bus 51 according to a modulation clock, a power amplification unit 724 that amplifies the modulated transmission data and transmits it from the transmission / reception antenna 76, and is received by the transmission / reception antenna 76. A demodulator 725 that demodulates the received data and sends it to the data / control bus 51. Based on the control signal received from the CPU 50 via the data / control bus 51, the control unit 721 permits / inhibits the operations of the modulation unit 722, the oscillation unit 723, the power amplification unit 724, and the demodulation unit 725, and reads out card information. The wireless communication circuit 72 is deactivated at other times, thereby reducing the burden of wireless power transmission and saving energy.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the transmission / reception antenna 76 in the electronic camera 100, and the coiled transmission / reception antenna 76 is housed behind the left LCD 21 that can ensure a relatively wide plane space. By arranging the transmission / reception antenna 76 in a relatively wide plane space in this manner, energy-efficient non-contact communication and non-contact power supply can be achieved. In addition, the act of bringing the memory card 77 close to the card information display screen in the center of the back of the electronic camera 100 is a very natural act, and the electronic camera 100 is held in one hand and the memory is placed in the other hand. Since it is the easiest operation when the card 77 is held, a user-friendly interface can be constructed.

FIG. 8 is a detailed configuration diagram of the memory card 77. The control unit 771 that controls the components of the memory card 77, the transmission / reception antenna 774 that transmits / receives electromagnetic waves, and the transmission data from the AC component of the signal received by the transmission / reception antenna. Received by the transmission / reception antenna 774, the clock generation unit 773 that generates the modulation clock for modulating the transmission data, the modulation unit 722 that modulates the transmission data according to the modulation clock, the demodulation unit 775 that demodulates the reception data received by the transmission / reception antenna 774. a power generation unit 776 that occur with power from the AC component of the electromagnetic wave signal, the card information and EEPROM777 for storing and image data, the connector is in mechanical contact with the connector terminals of the electronic camera 100 when attachment to the electronic camera 100 pin 78.

When the memory card 77 is attached to the electronic camera 100, electric power is supplied from the electronic camera 100 via the connector terminal 78, and the control unit 771 controls the electronic camera 100 via the connector terminal 78. Based on the signal, the image data received from the electronic camera 100 is stored in the EEPROM 777, or the image data stored in the EEPROM 777 is transmitted to the electronic camera 100. The control unit 771 prohibits the operations of the modulation unit 772, the transmission / reception antenna 774, the clock generation unit 773, the demodulation unit 775, and the power generation unit 776 while the memory card 77 is attached to the electronic camera 100. Thereby, even when the memory card 77 is attached to the electronic camera 100, the electronic camera 100 can perform non-contact communication with a memory card other than the attached memory card without interference with the attached memory card 77. it can. The detection of the mounting of the memory card 77 to the electronic camera 100 is performed by the control unit 771 that checks the voltage of the power supply terminal in the connector terminal 78 or mechanically detects the mounting of the memory card 77 to the electronic camera 100. This is done by checking the status of

On the other hand, when the memory card 77 is not attached to the electronic camera 100, the power generation unit 776 generates power necessary for the operation of the memory card 77 by the AC component of the electromagnetic wave signal received by the transmission / reception antenna 774. The power generation unit 776 includes a rectifier and a capacitor, rectifies the AC component of the received signal with the rectifier, generates a DC voltage, and stores the generated power in the capacitor. Based on the control signal received from the electronic camera 100 demodulated by the demodulator 775, the control unit 771 writes information received from the electronic camera 100 into the EEPROM 777, information stored in the EEPROM 777, and information such as the free capacity of the memory card. Is modulated by the modulation unit 772 and transmitted from the transmission / reception antenna 774 to the electronic camera 100.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of information stored in the memory card 77. The memory card 77 stores card information and a plurality of image files. The card information includes card identification data for identifying the memory card 77 from other memory cards, representative image data, and the like. The representative image data may be one image data in the image file stored in the memory card 77, or image data for identifying other memory cards (for example, in the case of a memory card storing flower image data) The image data of a flower may be used as a representative image, or the face image data of the owner or user of a memory card may be used as representative image data. However, since non-contact communication has a slower communication speed than contact communication and representative image data is used for confirmation on the screen of the electronic camera 100, the representative image data is stored in a normal image file. It is desirable that the image data (for example, a thumbnail image) whose data capacity is compressed from the image data to be stored. Each image file is composed of image data and additional information data. As shown in FIG. 10, the additional information data includes shooting data indicating various settings at the time of shooting, shooting date / time data, and shooting position data.

FIG. 11 is a state transition diagram of an embodiment of the electronic camera 100 according to the present invention. When the power is turned on, the camera enters a shooting mode. By operating the release button 16, a shooting operation, creation of an image file after shooting, and storage of the image file in the memory card 77 are performed. In the playback mode, the playback display operation of the image data stored in the memory card 77 is performed. When the shooting mode button 28 is operated, the playback mode is shifted to the shooting mode, and when the playback mode button 29 is operated, the shooting mode is switched to the playback mode. When the card button 31 is operated, non-contact communication is performed with a memory card 77 not attached to the electronic camera 100 in the vicinity of the electronic camera 100, and information on the memory card 77 is read and displayed.

FIG. 12 is a main flowchart of the operation of the electronic camera 100 (CPU 50) in the above embodiment. First, when the power switch 17 is operated in S10, the power supply is turned on, and in S20, a shooting mode subroutine is executed to enable shooting. When the release button 16 is operated during the shooting mode, a release interrupt processing subroutine of S30 is executed and a shooting operation is performed. When the playback mode button 29 is operated during the shooting mode, the mode switching interrupt processing subroutine of S40 is executed, the playback mode subroutine of S50 is executed, and the image data stored in the memory card 77 is played back and displayed on the left screen 21. The Conversely, when the shooting mode button 28 is operated during the playback mode, the mode switching interrupt processing subroutine of S40 is executed, and the process proceeds to the shooting mode subroutine of S20. When the card button 31 is operated during the shooting mode and the playback mode, the card button interrupt processing subroutine of S60 is executed, and the card information of the memory card 77 is read and displayed.

FIG. 13 is a detailed flowchart of the shooting mode subroutine. When activated in S20, the processing in S201 is repeated. In S201, image data sequentially generated by the CCD 55 under the camera setting conditions set by the user is displayed on the left screen 21 as shown in FIG. 14, and the camera setting conditions, date / time information data (time data), and shooting position data at that time are displayed. (Position data) is displayed as text on the right screen 22.

FIG. 15 is a detailed flowchart of the release interrupt processing subroutine. When activated in S30, it is checked in S301 whether or not it is in the shooting mode. In the case of the shooting mode, the imaging operation is executed under the shooting conditions set by the user or the camera in S302, the time data and the position data are added to the image data obtained in S303 and stored in the memory card 77, and S304. Return at.

FIG. 16 is a detailed flowchart of the mode switching interrupt processing subroutine. When the shooting mode button 28 or the playback mode button 29 is activated in S40, it is checked whether the button operated in S401 is the shooting mode button 28. If it is the mode button 28, the playback mode is terminated and the process proceeds to the shooting mode subroutine of S20. If the operated button is not the shooting mode button 28, the shooting mode is terminated, and the process proceeds to the reproduction mode subroutine of S50.

FIG. 17 is a detailed flowchart of the playback mode subroutine. When the playback mode subroutine is activated in S50, the processing in S501 is repeated. In S501, the image data stored in the memory card 77 is selected and read in accordance with the operation of the left direction button 25 and the right direction button 26, and is reproduced and displayed on the left screen 21 as shown in FIG. The shooting data to be displayed is displayed. The latest image data is displayed immediately after the power is turned on, and after that, the image data with the old time data is sequentially displayed according to the operation of the left direction button 25, and the new time data is sequentially displayed according to the operation of the right direction button 26. Display image data.

FIG. 19 is a detailed flowchart of the card button interrupt processing subroutine activated by the operation of the card button 31. When activated in S60, a read command is transmitted to the outside via the wireless communication circuit 72 and the transmission / reception antenna 76 in S601. If the response to the read command transmitted in S602 is within a predetermined time, the process waits. If there is no response, a warning display as shown in FIG. 20 is displayed on the right screen 22 in S603, and the process proceeds to S605. If there is a response, the information received from the memory card 77 via the wireless communication circuit 72 and the transmission / reception antenna 76 in S604 is displayed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 21, representative image data is displayed on the left screen 21, and card identification data, memory card storage capacity / free capacity data, and the like are displayed on the right screen 22. The storage capacity / free capacity data of the memory card can be recognized more easily by analog display using icons or the like. In this state, image file information is sequentially displayed as shown in FIG. 22 according to the operation of the upper button 23 and the lower button 24.

In S605, the timer 74 is reset and started. In S606, it is checked again whether or not the card button 31 has been operated. If the card button 31 has been operated, the process returns to S601 to perform the next memory card information reading operation. If not operated, the elapsed time from S605 is checked in S607, and if the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to S606, and if the predetermined time has elapsed, the operation of the wireless communication circuit 72 is lowered and returned in S608.

FIG. 23 is a main flowchart of the operation of the memory card 77 (control unit 771). When the power is turned on (attached to the electronic camera 100 or received electromagnetic waves from the electronic camera 100) and activated in S70, the electronic camera 100 is activated in S701. If it is not attached, it is checked in S702 whether a read command has been received by non-contact communication. If not, the process repeats S702 to wait for reception of the read command. If so, card information (card identification data, storage capacity data / free capacity data, image file information, etc.) is transmitted to the electronic camera 100 by non-contact communication, and the process returns to S702.

On the other hand, if it is attached to the electronic camera 100 in S701, the process proceeds to S704, the non-contact communication operation is prohibited, and the operation by the contact communication after S705 is performed. In step S705, it is checked whether an instruction to write an image file is received from the electronic camera 100 by contact-type communication. If an instruction to write an image file is received, the image file received from the electronic camera 100 is written to the EEPROM 777, and step S705 is performed. Return to. If an instruction to write an image file is not received in S705, the process proceeds to S707, where it is checked whether an instruction to read an image file is received from the electronic camera 100 by contact communication, and an instruction to read an image file is received. Transmits the image file stored in the EEPROM 777 to the electronic camera 100, and returns to S705. If no image file read instruction has been received, the process returns to S705.

In the embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 23), information for identifying a storage medium can be displayed on the electronic device side simply by bringing the storage medium (memory card 77) close to the electronic device (electronic camera 100). In other words, the user can easily know summary information about the storage medium without attaching it to an electronic device that uses the storage medium, so an index for identifying the storage medium can be attached to the storage medium, or the storage medium can be identified. Therefore, the trouble of mounting the storage medium on the electronic device can be saved. Further, in an electronic device that handles image data such as an electronic camera, the memory card storing the image data can be identified intuitively by displaying the representative image data, so that the memory card can be identified more quickly. Can do. (Description of Modifications) The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications and changes can be made.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 23), the information for identifying the memory card 77 is displayed on the screen of the electronic camera 100 only by bringing the memory card 77 close to the electronic camera 100. When a memory card is brought close to the electronic camera 100 at the same time, confusion occurs, and it becomes difficult to know which memory card information is displayed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 24, an operation member 778 (pressure sensor or thin switch) is built in the vicinity of the center of one side of the memory card 77, and information on the memory card 77 is transmitted to the electronic camera 100 according to the user's operation. You may make it display. FIG. 25 is a main flowchart of the operation of the memory card 77 configured as described above, and is different from the flowchart of FIG. 23 in that S710 is added between S702 and S703. In other words, when the read command is received from the electronic camera 100, the memory card 77 checks whether or not the operation member 778 has been operated by the user in S710, and proceeds to the transmission of card information in S703 only when operated. Yes. In this way, since the user can associate the memory card displayed on the electronic camera 100 with the memory card operated by the user, the user is confused even when there are a plurality of memory cards in the vicinity of the electronic camera 100. There is no.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 23), the information for identifying the memory card 77 is displayed on the screen of the electronic camera 100 only by bringing the memory card 77 close to the electronic camera 100. When a memory card is brought close to the electronic camera 100 at the same time, confusion occurs, and it becomes difficult to know which memory card information is displayed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 26, when a display means 779 (liquid crystal device, electroluminescence element, electronic paper, etc.) is built in the vicinity of the center of one side of the memory card 77 and an electromagnetic wave signal is received from the electronic camera 100, the memory card 77 This information may be displayed on the display means 779 built in the memory card 77. FIG. 27 is a detailed flowchart of the card button interrupt processing subroutine of the electronic camera 100 corresponding to the memory card 77 having such a configuration. When activated in S60, the electromagnetic wave is transmitted via the wireless communication circuit 72 and the transmission / reception antenna 76 in S610. Start sending. In S611, electromagnetic wave transmission is continued for a predetermined time to supply power to the memory card 77, and the process returns in S612. FIG. 28 is a main flowchart of the operation of the memory card 77 configured as described above, and is different from the flowchart of FIG. 23 in that S720 is added instead of S702 and S703. That is, if the memory card 77 receives an electromagnetic wave from the electronic camera 100 as a read command, the memory card 77 displays its own card information on the display means 779 in S720. In this way, the user can identify the memory card based on the information displayed on the display means 779 of the memory card 77 in the vicinity of the electronic camera 100, and bring a plurality of memory cards close to the electronic camera 100 at a time. Since the memory card can be selected while browsing the display information, it is possible to efficiently and quickly select and identify the memory card.

Note that the electronic paper described above is a display device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-316397 or a display device described in an article published in the Nikkei Science February 2002 issue, etc. It is rewritable, thin and flexible, and has features such as non-volatile display even when the power is turned off. When the memory card 77 includes such a nonvolatile display device, power is supplied from the electronic camera 100 while the memory card 77 is attached to the electronic camera 100, and information on the memory card 77 is displayed. You may make it display on the electronic paper built in the memory card 77. FIG. In this way, information relating to the memory card 77 is displayed on the electronic paper in a non-volatile manner without power supply even after the memory card 77 is removed from the electronic camera. Therefore, an index for identifying the storage medium is stored in the storage medium. It is possible to save the trouble of attaching the storage medium to the electronic device in order to attach or identify the storage medium.

When the electronic camera 100 controls the display of card information on the electronic paper, the display timing on the electronic paper is set to the memory card 77 in order to accurately grasp the free space of the memory card 77 and the image file information. The CPU 50 of the electronic camera 100 detects the operation of the memory card slot 30 (detects opening / closing of the slot lid with a switch) and stores the card information on the electronic paper of the memory card 77. At the time of displaying or turning off the power switch, the power supply control circuit 64 does not immediately turn off the power of the electronic camera 100 but displays the card information on the electronic paper of the memory card 77 and then the power supply control circuit 64 causes the electronic camera to display the card information. 100 may be turned off. Alternatively, the CPU 50 of the electronic camera 100 may periodically update the card information of the memory card 77 installed in the memory card slot 30 and display it on the electronic paper. Further, when the memory card 77 controls the display of the card information on the electronic paper, the memory card 77 installed in the memory card slot 30 updates the card information when the card information changes (increase / decrease in free space). And display it on electronic paper. This eliminates the need to bring the memory card in the vicinity of the electronic camera 100 in order to identify the memory card, so that the memory card can be identified and selected efficiently and quickly without further restrictions. Can do.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 23), the card information used for identifying the memory card 77 relates to the storage capacity / free capacity data of the memory card 77 and the information stored in the memory card 77. Data (file name, file creation date, file creation location, etc.) and data relating to the user / owner of the memory card 77. Any information can be used to identify the memory card according to the purpose of the memory card. It doesn't matter if it is such information. For example, if the electronic device is a music player and a digital music file such as MP3 is stored on the memory card, the representative part of the music file stored on the memory card on the music player side is displayed. Voices may be reproduced and displayed, a music genre may be displayed, or a song composer, songwriter, performer, or the like may be displayed.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 23), an example of writing information from the electronic camera 100 to the memory card 77 by non-contact communication is not shown, but information for identifying the memory card 77 is non-contact type. You may make it write in the memory card 77 from the electronic camera 100 by communication. For example, when the memory card 77 is used exclusively for a specific electronic camera 100, the identification information of the electronic camera 100 is written from the electronic camera 100 to the memory card 77 by non-contact communication.

It is a conceptual diagram of this embodiment . It is an external view (front view) of an electronic camera. It is an external view (back view) of an electronic camera. It is an external view of a memory card. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of an electronic camera. It is a block diagram of a wireless communication circuit. It is an arrangement plan of a transmitting and receiving antenna. It is a block diagram of a memory card. It is a block diagram of the data of a memory card. It is a block diagram of additional information data. It is a state transition diagram of an electronic camera. It is a main flowchart of CPU. It is a flowchart of a subroutine. It is a display example of a screen. It is a flowchart of a subroutine. It is a flowchart of a subroutine. It is a flowchart of a subroutine. It is a display example of a screen. It is a flowchart of a subroutine. It is a display example of a screen. It is a display example of a screen. It is a display example of a screen. It is an operation | movement flowchart of a memory card. It is explanatory drawing of a memory card. It is an operation | movement flowchart of a memory card. It is explanatory drawing of a memory card. It is a flowchart of a subroutine. It is an operation | movement flowchart of a memory card.

Explanation of symbols

10 Shooting lens 16 Release button 21 Left LCD (left screen)
22 Right LCD (right screen)
28 Shooting mode button 29 Playback mode button 31 Card button 50 CPU
51 Data / Control Bus 55 CCD
60 Shooting Control Circuit 63 Power Supply 65 Operation Key 72 Wireless Communication Circuit 77 Memory Card 100 Electronic Camera

Claims (4)

An electronic device in which a non-volatile memory capable of writing and reading information data and a recording medium having a non-volatile display unit capable of maintaining display contents without power supply are detachable,
A connector terminal for supplying power to the recording medium by mechanical contact with a connector terminal provided on the recording medium when the recording medium is mounted, and forming a communication path for the information data;
A control unit for displaying identification information corresponding to the storage content of the recording medium on the nonvolatile display unit;
A switch for detecting opening and closing of the lid of the recording medium insertion portion,
The control unit causes the non-volatile display unit to display identification information corresponding to the storage content of the recording medium when detection by the lid opening / closing switch is performed. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the non-volatile display unit to periodically update and display identification information corresponding to the storage content of the recording medium during the mounting period of the recording medium; Electronic equipment consisting of. 3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information includes information related to a free capacity of the recording medium. 3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information includes image data.

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