JP5293255B2 - Information recording / reproducing apparatus and digital camera - Google Patents

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information recording / reproducing apparatus and a digital camera which are in an electronic apparatus typified by an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera and perform control related to a battery used for driving the apparatus.

  In recent years, digital cameras have been used not only for private purposes but also for public purposes. A digital camera extends a lens barrel unit having a plurality of lens units at the time of shooting, performs shooting, and stores the images on, for example, an SD memory card (hereinafter referred to as an SD card) that is a recording medium for recording the shot images. To do. Further, as a feature, the digital camera has display means (LCD (liquid crystal monitor) or the like), and the captured image state can be immediately confirmed by reproducing the captured image on the LCD.

  In addition, during playback or when the power is turned off, the lens barrel unit is housed in the digital camera body, so that the shape of the digital camera is kept compact and convenient for carrying. Further, a battery is mainly used as a power source for driving the digital camera. There are also known digital cameras that can use not only rechargeable batteries but also dry batteries such as AA.

  Some digital cameras display a warning on the LCD when the amount of power stored in the battery decreases while the camera is being used for shooting after turning on the power. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, power consumption differs between an image recording / playback mode and a voice recorder mode or an audio mode. The threshold used for the battery check is changed in the audio mode. As a result, when the digital camera is operated as a voice recorder or an audio player, the operation time is extended.

  Also, when a user who has purchased a digital camera uses the digital camera for the first time, attaches a battery to the digital camera and turns on the power, or attaches a battery that was removed from the digital camera and turns on the power. For example, if the battery to be installed is not sufficiently charged, the digital camera may not operate and the power may be turned off.

  In such a case, the user cannot understand why the digital camera does not start up and can easily avoid it by charging the battery. Inquiries may be made to camera support services, or they may be returned immediately after purchase.

  And the above-mentioned patent document 1 discloses the control for changing the threshold value according to the operation mode of the digital camera after the power is turned on. However, the battery check when the power is turned on is not disclosed.

  The main object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and perform control such as performing a battery check at the time of starting up the device and, if the battery is insufficiently charged, issuing a warning prompting the battery to be charged. An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus and a digital camera that can be used with peace of mind.

In order to achieve the above object, an information recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a battery for power supply and whether or not an output voltage of the battery is lower than a start permission voltage when the apparatus is started. includes a voltage determining means for determining, and a warning means for performing a warning when the output voltage of the battery is determined to be lower than the start permission voltage by the voltage determining means, said voltage determining means, the state at the time of device activation The activation permission voltage used for the determination is changed depending on whether or not is the first activation after purchase .
It is a sign.

Further, the invention described in claim 2, in the information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said voltage determining means, wherein the first launch after purchase, to determine using a first activation permitting voltage, date After the setting is made, a determination is made using a second activation permission voltage that is higher than the first activation permission voltage .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery for power supply, voltage determination means for determining whether or not the output voltage of the battery is lower than a start permission voltage when the apparatus is started, and the battery by the voltage determination means. Warning means for giving a warning when it is determined that the output voltage of the battery is lower than the activation permission voltage, and the voltage determination means is the first after the detachable battery is attached from the removed state. The activation permission voltage used for the determination is changed depending on whether the activation is performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first to third aspects, the warning means issues a warning by a display prompting charging of the battery . According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first to fourth aspects, a warning is given by blinking or a warning sound by a light emitting means or a sounding means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first to fifth aspects, the apparatus power is turned off after a predetermined time elapses after the warning means gives a warning according to the determination of the voltage determination means. It is a feature. Furthermore, in the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the invention described in claim 7 is the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to claims 1 to 6, wherein the warning means gives a warning according to the judgment of the voltage judgment means, after the warning confirmation operation, or for a predetermined time. The apparatus power is turned off after a lapse of time.

A digital camera according to an eighth aspect includes the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects.

  According to the said structure, the warning which prompts the optimal apparatus starting according to the charge condition of the battery at the time of starting, or battery charge can be performed.

  According to the present invention, the optimum device is confirmed by checking the battery voltage at the start-up so that it can be used with peace of mind even for a user unfamiliar with the operation of the device regardless of the state of charge of the battery bundled at the time of device purchase. It is possible to start up, and further, there is an effect that a warning for prompting battery charging according to the necessity can be performed.

1 is a block diagram showing an information recording / reproducing apparatus (digital camera) according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) of the digital camera of the present embodiment is an upper external view of the lens barrel unit in the housed state, (b) is an upper external view of the lens barrel unit in the extended state, (c) is a front external view of the subject side, and (d) ) Rear view of the user In this example of icon display, (a) is a battery level icon on the display, (b) is full, (c) is half remaining, (d) is near end, (e) is remaining. Illustration showing no quantity icon Voltage diagram showing a voltage drop according to the usage time of the battery of this embodiment (A) shows the operation of automatic power off according to the present embodiment, (b) is a flowchart of the reproduction mode. Flowchart for each selection mode when starting the camera of this embodiment Flow chart at startup in the shooting mode of the camera of this embodiment The flowchart which shows the operation | movement including initial setting at the time of the first photography mode starting after the camera purchase of this embodiment A flowchart showing a cold boot or hot boot operation in the shooting mode of the present embodiment

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a digital camera which is an information recording / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is an upper external view of the digital camera, a state in which the lens barrel unit is stored, FIG. 2B is a state in which the lens barrel unit is extended, and FIG. 2C is a front external view as viewed from the subject side. , (D) is a rear external view as seen from the user side of photographing.

  A digital camera (hereinafter referred to as a camera) 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a zoom lens 3, a focus lens 4, and a mechanical mechanism 5 (that is, a mechanical shutter, a diaphragm, a filter, and the like) in an imaging lens unit 2. Further, a zoom control unit 3a for realizing a zoom function, a focus control unit 4a having a function for focusing on a subject, and a mechanical mechanism 5 are an aperture / shutter for performing aperture control and shutter control for controlling the brightness of the subject. It has a control unit 5a, and includes a lens barrel unit storage / feeding control unit 6a for feeding or storing these lens barrel units 6 at the time of activation.

  FIGS. 2A and 2B show a state when the lens barrel unit is housed and a state when the lens barrel unit is extended, and a release button (shutter) 11, a mode dial 12, and a power switch 13 are arranged on the upper part of the camera 1. Is installed. The mode dial 12 is a shooting mode for shooting, a playback mode for displaying a shot photo, a setup mode for setting various settings, or a portrait mode for shooting a person or a night view, etc. A plurality of functions are provided to the user, and the user switches each mode with the mode dial 12 and selects a desired mode. For example, when the photographing mode is set for photographing, the lens barrel unit 6 is extended to enter the monitoring mode.

  In the monitoring mode, that is, when the user is viewing the subject in real time on the display unit (LCD) 15, the release button 11 is released, and the image received through the lens is the light receiving element 7. It is converted into an electrical signal from the CCD unit or CMOS unit and transferred to the image processing unit 21, and the image is displayed on the display unit (LCD) 15 in real time. Usually, a small image of 30 frames per second and a pixel number of 640 × 480 is transferred and displayed on the display unit 15. Thus, the user waits for an opportunity to confirm the subject in real time and press the release button 11.

  FIG. 2C shows the SD card 16 and the battery 17. When purchasing the camera 1, the user first opens the cover 14 of the camera 1, and installs the SD card 16 and the battery 17. Referring to the block diagram of FIG. 1, the memory card unit 22 (SD card 16) is connected to various circuit blocks including the system control unit 23 through a system bus, and photographs taken, that is, image information (for example, JPEG files) Etc.) is stored in the SD card 16. The battery 17 supplies power to various blocks via the power supply circuit unit 18. The voltage data A / D converted by the power supply circuit unit 18 is connected to the system control unit 23, and the system control unit 23 monitors the voltage of the battery 17 as well as the power on / off.

  The power supply circuit unit 18 is controlled separately from the system control unit 23, that is, has a control unit that controls the power supply by another CPU. When the battery 17 is mounted, the camera 1 operates in the power saving mode even when the camera 1 is in a power-off state. When the power supply circuit unit 18 detects that the power switch 13 is turned on and starts supplying power to the system control unit 23, the system control unit 23 is activated.

  In addition, the power supply circuit unit 18 has a simple memory, and performs serial communication with the system control unit 23 to exchange information such as whether or not the battery 17 is attached / detached and how many times the battery 17 is started up. Is going. For this reason, in the power supply circuit unit 18, it is necessary to perform a cold boot for initializing hardware such as a memory or the like before the execution of the application program at the first activation when the battery 17 is mounted. It is possible to determine whether there is no hot boot.

  FIG. 2D is an external view of the camera 1 as viewed from the user side, and is equipped with various buttons. Various buttons, the mode dial 12, and the release button 11 correspond to the operation unit 10 in the block diagram of FIG. When the user operates the zoom button 19 in FIG. 2D in the monitoring state, the zoom lens 3 is operated by the zoom control unit 3a in FIG. 1, so that the tele button 19b is pressed when shooting a telephoto subject. Press the WIDE button 19a to shoot a close subject.

  The release button 11 used for shooting is usually a two-stage button. The first row is a button for focusing, that is, focusing. At this time, the focus control unit 4a in FIG. 1 operates, and the focus lens 4 is moved to focus on the subject optimally. The diaphragm is normally controlled for a bright subject and is opened for a dark subject. Shooting is performed by pressing the second button.

  When the shutter speed is 1 second, exposure is performed for 1 second and the shutter is closed. The image processing unit 21 performs various types of image processing on digital data (image information) received from the light receiving element 7 (CCD / CMOS). The data received at this time usually uses all the pixels of the image sensor, and it is not uncommon for elements of high pixels such as 100,000 pixels to be used in recent years. The image processing unit 21 has a compression function that adds color processing such as white balance to the received raw data and performs processing by a compression method compliant with the JPEG method.

  The compressed data is decompressed and stored in the first memory unit 24 (volatile), and the shooting conditions and the model name of the camera 1 are added as a JPEG data header so that the file format Exif conforms to the digital camera. The captured JPEG file is stored in the memory card unit 22. This completes the photographing process.

  The USB communication unit 26 is used to exchange JPEG files with an external device (not shown) such as a personal computer or a printer. When the mode dial 12 is switched to playback, the JPEG file is taken out from the memory card unit 22 and developed in the first memory unit 24. Data decompressed by the decompression process in the image processing unit 21 is displayed on the display unit 15 and the user can check the captured image.

  The clock unit 27 has a clock for managing the current date and time, such as a dated photo, and operates with an internal auxiliary battery to manage the date and time even when the battery 17 is not attached. In addition, the user can make settings according to his / her preference by using the up / down / left / right cross buttons 20 and the OK button 20a shown in FIG. Specifically, the shooting size is set to “10M” or “5M”, the language setting is “Japanese” or “English”, and the metering method is “central method” or “multiple method”. The setting of can be changed. These settings are retained even when the power is turned off, and the retained data is stored in the second memory unit 25 (non-volatile). As a result, the setting information is retained even when power is not supplied, that is, when the battery is not installed or the power is turned off.

  3A is a battery remaining amount icon displayed on the display unit, FIG. 3B is a remaining amount full icon, FIG. 3C is a remaining remaining amount half, FIG. 3D is a remaining amount near end, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display. By this display, the user can know how much the battery 17 is remaining when the camera 1 is used.

  The power management function of the program stored in the system control unit 23 in FIG. 1 periodically acquires a voltage value from the A / D port of the power supply circuit unit 18. As a result, the voltage value of the battery 17 is checked and any one of the icons shown in FIGS. 3B to 3D is displayed on the display unit 15.

  When monitoring the camera 1, a voltage drop occurs to supply power to the lens barrel unit 6, and a further voltage drop occurs during flash charging. The remaining battery level is displayed as either half or remaining, and the threshold value for this is stored in the voltage table. (Table 1) is a battery voltage table for changing the voltage value according to the operation mode of the camera 1.

  FIG. 4 is a voltage diagram showing a voltage drop according to the usage time of the battery. In FIG. 4, the voltage of the battery decreases from the voltage (V) during full charge as the usage time (Time) in the right direction in the figure elapses. When the shooting mode is monitored, if the voltage is between “FULL_V” and “MONI_HALF_V”, a full remaining amount icon (FIG. 3B) is displayed.

  Further, in the case of a voltage from “MONI_HALF_V” to “MONI_NERA-END_V”, a remaining half icon (FIG. 3C) is displayed, and if the voltage is from “MONI_NERA-END_V” to “MONI_POWER_OFF_V” A remaining amount near-end icon (FIG. 3D) is displayed.

  In this way, the remaining amount of the battery 17 is displayed on the display unit 15 to indicate the state, and when it becomes “MONI_POWER_OFF_V” or less, an icon indicating no remaining amount (FIG. 3E) is displayed, and the battery 17 is charged to the user. Prompt.

  Similarly, in the playback mode, in the case of a voltage from “PLAY_HALF_V” to “PLAY_NERA-END_V”, a remaining half icon is displayed, and if the voltage is from “PLAY_NERA-END_V” to “PLAY_POWER_OFF_V”, the remaining amount is displayed. Display near-end icons.

  5A and 5B are flowcharts showing the automatic power-off operation. FIG. 5A is a flowchart of the monitoring mode, and FIG. The automatic power-off operation will be described with reference to FIG. When the camera 1 is powered on and is being monitored (S1), it is periodically checked whether or not the voltage falls below the threshold value “MONI_POWER-OFF_V” shown in (Table 1) (S2). When it falls below (Yes in S2), the automatic power-off operation is started.

  As an automatic power-off operation, first, the lens barrel unit 6 is housed (S3). This is because if the power is turned off while the lens barrel unit 6 is left out, the camera 1 will not be in a compact state, but the risk of hitting and damaging the lens barrel unit 6 will also increase. For this reason, as a voltage value of “MONI_POWER-OFF_V”, it is a necessary condition that a voltage sufficient to accommodate the lens barrel unit 6 remains.

  In the process S3 of FIG. 5A, the lens barrel unit 6 is securely stored, and in the process S4, a no-remaining battery icon (FIG. 3E) is displayed on the display unit 15 to indicate the power. Although the turning-off is performed, the operation of storing the lens barrel unit 6 and the operation of displaying the icon with no remaining amount may be parallel processing.

  Further, in the reproduction mode shown in FIG. 5B, confirmation is made based on the voltage value of “PLAY_POWER-OFF_V”. Since the lens barrel unit 6 is in the retracted state, the retracting operation (S3) is not performed. The operation of displaying the battery exhaustion display is performed, and the power-off operation is started.

  The battery exhaustion display (the remaining battery icon) displays for a predetermined time and notifies the user that the battery is exhausted. This is distinguished from the function provided in the camera 1, for example, when the user does not perform an operation for 3 minutes, in which the power of the camera 1 is automatically turned off in the same manner as the above-described operation. Therefore, the battery exhaustion display is displayed. Further, in order for the user to recognize the battery exhaustion display, an icon with no remaining amount may be blinked.

  The threshold voltage for starting this automatic power-off also has a voltage table as shown in (Table 1) depending on the operating state of the camera 1. Specifically, at the time of monitoring, automatic power-off is performed if “MONI_POWER-OFF_V” or less, and at the time of playback, automatic power-off is performed if it is “PLAY_POWER-OFF_V” or less.

  Further, (Table 2) is a voltage table of activation permission voltages that are referred to when the camera 1 is activated and indicate voltage values that can be activated normally, and FIG. 6 illustrates operations for each selection mode at the time of activation of the camera. It is a flowchart to show.

  As shown in FIG. 6, after the camera 1 is powered on, it is determined whether the camera 1 is activated in the shooting mode or the reproduction mode (S11). Thereby, it is determined whether or not the lens barrel unit 6 needs to be extended. Each mode can be determined based on whether the mode dial 12 described above is in the shooting mode or the playback mode.

  When the camera is activated in the shooting mode (Yes in S11), it is further determined whether or not the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or lower than “CAP_ENABLE_V” shown in (Table 2) (S12), and a voltage equal to or lower than “CAP_ENABLE_V” is determined. When it is detected (Yes in S12), a battery exhaustion display (FIG. 3 (e)) is displayed on the display unit 15 for a predetermined time (S13) and the power is turned off.

  In the process S12, when a voltage equal to or higher than “CAP_ENABLE_V” is detected (No in S12), the lens barrel unit 6 is extended as usual (S14), and the monitoring mode is set (S15).

  Further, in the process S11, when the playback mode is activated (No in S11), it is determined whether or not the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or lower than “PLAY_ENABLE_V” (S16), and a voltage equal to or lower than “PLAY_ENABLE_V” is determined. If it is detected (Yes in S16), a battery exhaustion display is displayed on the display unit 15 for a predetermined time (S13), and the power is turned off.

  Further, in the process S16, when a voltage equal to or higher than “PLAY_ENABLE_V” is detected (No in S16), the reproduction mode is set without performing the operation of extending the lens barrel unit 6 (S17).

  Next, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation at the start-up in the shooting mode of the camera. When the camera 1 is activated for the first time after purchase, the activation permission voltage “CAP_ENABLE_1_V” is referred to.

  First, when the camera 1 is powered on, it is determined whether or not it is the first activation after purchase (S21). This determination can be made by looking at the second memory unit 25 (non-volatile) in FIG. 1 described above. Specifically, “0xffff” is written to a predetermined address in the second memory unit 25 at the time of factory shipment. When the camera 1 is activated, if it is “0xffff” by looking at a predetermined address in the second memory unit 25, it is determined that the activation is the first after purchase.

  Thereafter, “0x0001” is written to a predetermined address in the second memory unit 25. At the time of the second activation, it can be determined that the activation is the second one by looking at “0x0001” of the predetermined address. The same “0x0001” written to the predetermined address may be repeatedly written at each activation.

  Similarly, “0x0000” is written to a predetermined address in the second memory unit 25 at the time of shipment from the factory. If the predetermined address of the second memory unit 25 is “0x0000”, it is determined that the number of shots is “0”. Thereafter, each time shooting is performed, “1” is added to the predetermined address and written, so that the number of shots can be determined.

  In the process S21, at the time of the first activation after purchase (Yes in S21), it is determined whether or not the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or lower than “CAP_ENABLE_1_V” (S22). Yes), a warning screen prompting charging of the battery 17 is displayed for a predetermined time (S23), and the power is turned off.

  Also, in the process S21, when it is not the first activation after purchase (No in S21), it is confirmed whether or not the number of images taken by the camera 1 is 0 (S24). When the number of shots is 0 (Yes in S24), that is, when no shot is taken, it is determined whether or not the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or lower than “CAP_ENABLE_2_V” (S25). (Yes in S25), a warning screen for charging the battery 17 is displayed for a predetermined time (S23), and the power is turned off.

  In the process S24, if the number of shots is not zero but the predetermined number n or less (for example, 10 or less), the voltage of the battery 17 in the process S25 may be determined by “CAP_ENABLE_2_V”. This is because when it is considered that the user who has not operated the camera 1 is starting to use, or it is considered that the number of images that can be stored in the SD card 16 attached to the camera 1 cannot be continued.

  If the number of shots in step S24 is not zero (No), the processing after step S12 in FIG. 6 described above is performed, and the monitoring mode is set. In the above-described processing S22 and processing S25, when the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or higher than the reference voltage value (No), the lens barrel unit 6 is extended in processing S14 in FIG. 6, and the process proceeds to monitoring mode in processing S15.

  Also in the start-up in the reproduction mode, the same processing is executed with “PLAY_ENABLE_1_V” and “PLAY_ENABLE_2_V” as reference voltage values.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing operations including initial settings at the time of activation in the first photographing mode after the purchase of the camera. When the camera 1 is activated for the first time after purchase, an operation for initializing the apparatus is normally performed, and for example, a date setting screen for prompting date input is displayed. Thus, the current date and time registration is performed in the clock unit 27 that manages the date and time shown in FIG. 1, and based on this, the date and the like can be given to the captured image information. For this reason, the activation permission voltage “CAP_ENABLE_V” is referred to as a voltage value that enables an initial setting operation at the first activation after purchase.

  First, as in FIG. 7 described above, the camera 1 determines whether or not it is the first activation after purchase (S21). At the first startup after purchase (Yes in S21), it is determined whether or not the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or lower than “CAP_ENABLE_V” (S27). If it is lower (Yes in S27), the power is turned off. To do.

  In step S27, if the voltage is equal to or higher than “CAP_ENABLE_V” (No in S27), the date setting screen is displayed (S28), and the user is prompted to set the date input. After confirming the date and time by setting the date and time, it is determined whether or not the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or lower than “CAP_ENABLE_1_V” (S22). If the voltage is equal to or lower (Yes in S22), the battery 17 is prompted to be charged. The warning screen is displayed for a predetermined time (S23), and the power is turned off.

  Also in the above-described process S22, when the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or higher than the reference voltage value (No), the lens barrel unit 6 in the process S14 of FIG. 6 is extended, and the process proceeds to the monitoring mode in the process S15.

  7 and FIG. 8, the warning screen displayed in the process S23 is powered off after a predetermined time display. However, a confirmation operation when the user confirms the display of the warning screen (for example, “OK” on the warning screen). The power may be turned off after an operation such as pressing.

  In addition, when the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or lower than “CAP_ENABLE_V” in the process S27 of FIG. 8 (Yes), the power-off process is performed, but it is sufficient that the warning screen of the process S23 can be displayed. There is also sex. For this reason, as a warning method that does not require more voltage, a light emitting means (LED), a sound generation means (speaker), etc. are arranged in the vicinity of the power switch 13, and notification is made by flashing or warning sound.

  This warning method may be performed instead of displaying the warning screen in step S23, or may be performed together.

  Further, in order not to miss the timing at which the camera 1 wants to take a picture, it is preferable that the time from when the power is turned on to when the picture can be taken is as short as possible. For this reason, an apparatus that shortens the startup time after power-on is desired. There are two types of boot processing for starting an application after the power is turned on: cold boot and hot boot.

  First, cold boot will be described. When the user first turns on the power switch after attaching the battery 17 to the camera 1 (power on), the hardware such as the memory of the camera 1 is initialized in order to prevent malfunction immediately after the power is turned on. . Thereafter, a cold boot for starting an application necessary for the camera 1 is performed.

  On the other hand, the battery 17 is already attached to the camera 1, and after starting up once, each setting of hardware is stored in the second memory unit 25 or the like. Therefore, in the hot boot, it is not necessary to perform the initialization as described above, and an application necessary for the camera 1 can be started immediately. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the activation time.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a reference of the activation permission voltage in the cold boot or hot boot operation in the photographing mode.

  First, in the power supply circuit unit 18 described above, it is determined whether or not the user has attached the battery 17 to the camera 1 (S31). When the cold boot is performed (Yes in S31), it is determined whether the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or lower than the activation permission voltage “CAP_ENABLE_COLD_V” (S32). If it is below (Yes in S32), a warning screen for charging the battery 17 is displayed for a predetermined time (S23), and the power is turned off.

  In the process S31, during hot boot (No in S31), it is determined whether the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or lower than “CAP_ENABLE_HOT_V” (S33). If it is below (Yes in S33), a warning screen for charging the battery 17 is displayed for a predetermined time (S23), and the power is turned off.

  Further, when the voltage of the battery 17 is equal to or higher than the reference voltage value in the processing S32 and S33 (No), the lens barrel unit 6 is extended in the processing S14 shown in FIG.

  The voltage value of “CAP_ENABLE_COLD_V” to be referred to is “CAP_ENABLE_1_V” shown in the voltage diagram of FIG. 4 so that the battery 17 is fully charged when it is attached. In particular, when the battery 17 is used after being fully charged, the battery 17 can be used for a longer period of time, preventing it from deteriorating faster than repeating charging halfway.

  Further, the voltage value of “CAP_ENABLE_HOT_V” to be referred to is “CAP_ENABLE_V” shown in the voltage diagram of FIG. 4, so that the user can shoot without missing the desired shooting opportunity according to the request of the user who wants to shoot immediately. Is possible.

  According to the present invention, the optimum device is confirmed by checking the battery voltage at the start-up so that it can be used with peace of mind even for a user unfamiliar with the operation of the device regardless of the state of charge of the battery bundled at the time of device purchase. This is useful for information recording / reproducing apparatuses and digital cameras, because it can be activated and can be urged to charge the battery according to the necessity.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital camera 2 Imaging lens part 3 Zoom lens 3a Zoom control part 4 Focus lens 4a Focus control part 5 Mechanical mechanism 5a Aperture / shutter control part 6 Lens barrel unit 6a Lens barrel unit storage / feeding control part 7 Light receiving element 11 Release button 12 Mode dial 13 Power switch 14 Cover 15 Display 16 SD card 17 Battery 18 Power supply circuit 19 Zoom button 19a WIDE button 19b TELE button 20 Cross button 20a OK button 21 Image processing unit 22 Memory card unit 23 System control unit 24 First Memory unit 25 Second memory unit 26 USB communication unit 27 Clock unit

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-116031

Claims (8)

A battery for power,
Voltage judging means for judging whether or not the output voltage of the battery is lower than the activation permission voltage at the time of starting the device;
Warning means for giving a warning when it is determined by the voltage determination means that the output voltage of the battery is lower than the activation permission voltage,
The information recording / reproducing apparatus characterized in that the voltage determination means changes the activation permission voltage used for determination depending on whether or not the apparatus activation state is the first activation after purchase . The voltage determination means makes a determination using the first start permission voltage at the first start after the purchase, and after setting the date, a second start permission voltage that is higher than the first start permission voltage. The information recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determination is performed by using . A battery for power,
Voltage judging means for judging whether or not the output voltage of the battery is lower than the activation permission voltage at the time of starting the device;
Warning means for giving a warning when it is determined by the voltage determination means that the output voltage of the battery is lower than the activation permission voltage,
The voltage determination means changes the activation permission voltage used for determination depending on whether or not the battery is detachable and is activated for the first time after the battery is removed. apparatus. The information recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the warning means issues a warning by a display prompting charging of the battery . The information recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the warning unit issues a warning by blinking or a warning sound generated by a light emitting unit or a sound generation unit. 6. The information recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus power is turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed after the warning means gives a warning based on the determination by the voltage determining means . The apparatus power supply is turned off after the warning means gives a warning according to the judgment of the voltage judgment means, after the warning confirmation operation, or after a predetermined time has passed. The information recording / reproducing apparatus according to Item . A digital camera comprising the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1.

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