JPH0543570Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a digital electronic still camera, and more particularly to a digital electronic still camera in which image signals are recorded in a memory cartridge.

[Conventional technology]

In general, electronic still cameras use a solid-state image sensor and a magnetic sheet with a relatively large storage capacity as a recording medium, and take still images of the subject purely electronically and record them on a rotating magnetic sheet, and image playback is a separate process. This is done with television systems, printers, etc.

Since such electronic still cameras have mechanical parts such as a mechanism for rotating a magnetic sheet at high speed and a moving mechanism for a magnetic head that performs magnetic recording and reproduction on the magnetic sheet, there is a limit to how much the camera can be made smaller and lighter.

In response to this, a camera has been proposed in which the analog image signal of a still image is converted into a digital image signal and then stored in a solid-state memory (memory cartridge) that can be attached to and detached from the camera (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 54 -Refer to Publication No. 139422).

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, this type of camera has not yet been put to practical use, and no efforts have been made to improve the practical value of this type of camera, such as the size and shape of its solid-state memory, and the specific layout of the memory inside the camera. It had not been done.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a digital electronic still camera that can make the camera thinner and more compact by effectively utilizing the space inside the camera.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a memory cartridge that can be inserted into and ejected from the camera body, and converts an analog image signal obtained from an image sensor placed at the imaging position of the photographing lens into a digital image signal. , the digital electronic still camera is configured to record this digital image signal in the memory cartridge, and the height of the camera is smaller than the depth of the camera body, and the top and bottom surfaces of the camera body are approximately box-shaped. The memory cartridge is arranged such that the upper and lower surfaces of the memory cartridge are parallel to each other.

[Effect]

That is, the present invention aims to make the camera thinner and smaller by using a memory cartridge as an external storage means of the camera. Furthermore, by arranging the memory cartridge in the above-mentioned relationship for a camera having the above-mentioned external shape, the height of the camera can be prevented from increasing, and the camera can be made thinner and more compact. ing.

〔Example〕

Preferred embodiments of the digital electronic still camera according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a digital electronic still camera according to the present invention. This digital electronic still camera has the appearance of a so-called 110 camera type, and uses a memory cartridge 10 as a recording medium. In addition, like a normal electronic still camera that uses a magnetic sheet, the photographic lens 1
A solid-state imaging device (CCD sensor) 14 is arranged at the imaging position 2. Note that this CCD sensor 14 is fixed on a sensor substrate 16 provided along the bottom surface of the camera, and its optical path is bent at right angles by a prism 17. Thereby, the sensor board 16 can be made large.

On the other hand, an A/D converter (not shown) for converting an image signal (analog signal) obtained from the CCD sensor 14 into an image signal (digital signal) recordable in the memory cartridge 10, and a memory card A socket 18 for exchanging digital signals with the cartridge 10 is fixed to an A/D board 20. In addition, 22 is a strobe, 24 is a battery box,
26 is a finder, and 28 is a power supply circuit. Further, a CCD sensor 14 is provided on the substrates 16 and 20.
Various electric circuits are installed, such as a drive circuit and a system control circuit.

Now, in recent years, the memory cartridge 10 has been attracting attention as an external storage means for electronic devices and the like. Examples of this type of memory cartridge include:
There is something called an IC card or memory card, which consists of a card-shaped case approximately the size of a business card that houses semiconductor memory (EPROM, SRAM, etc.), a microcomputer, a backup battery, etc. Further, in order to access the semiconductor memory, etc., a large number of terminals are arranged on the end surface connected to the socket on the electronic equipment side. The thickness of the casing is generally several mm, but there are some that are relatively thick.

The memory cartridge 10 is inserted from the side of the camera body 30 (arrow A) and fitted into the socket 18 inside the camera body.

As shown in FIG. 1, the memory cartridge 10 is housed so that the upper and lower surfaces of the camera body 30 and the upper and lower surfaces of the memory cartridge 10 are parallel to each other. In other words, as mentioned above, this camera
110 camera type appearance, camera height H
Although the memory cartridge 10 is configured so that it is smaller than its depth D, making it thinner, the memory cartridge 10 can be stored without increasing the height (thickness) of the camera due to the arrangement of the memory cartridge 10 described above. can do.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the digital electronic still camera according to the present invention, and parts common to those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this digital electronic still camera, a memory cartridge 10 is housed parallel to a camera body 30 and is inserted from the front of the camera.

By arranging the memory cartridge 10 in this way, both the height (thickness) and the width of the camera can be kept small, and the width W of the camera can be made smaller than the width of the memory cartridge 10 until it is regulated. can do.

In this embodiment, the solid-state imaging device 14 is arranged on the optical axis of the photographic lens 12, but the solid-state imaging device may be provided by bending the optical path with a prism as in the first embodiment.

Further, in this embodiment, the end of the memory cartridge 10 protrudes from the front surface of the camera when the camera is attached, but the memory cartridge 10 may be arranged so that the entire memory cartridge 10 is housed and attached within the camera body.

In addition, 22 is a strobe, and when using a strobe,
As shown, it pops up on the side of the camera and is stored inside the camera body when the strobe is not in use.

In the digital electronic still camera according to this embodiment, since the camera width W is kept small, when the camera is held up, it can easily fit in the hand and it is easy to take pictures. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the memory cartridge 10 is inserted from the front of the camera.
You can also insert it from the back of the camera.

Next, an example of a mechanism for taking out a memory cartridge inserted into a socket in a camera will be described.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a memory cartridge ejecting mechanism applied to a camera, in which a lever is used to eject the memory cartridge. That is, this ejecting mechanism is mainly composed of an eject lever 40, a lever 42, and a slide member 44.

The lever 42 is connected to a pin 4 fixed to the camera body.
2A, and an eject lever 40 is provided at the other end.

The slide member 44 has a long hole 4 that engages with two pins 45, 45 fixed to the camera body.
4A and 44A are formed, thereby allowing the cartridge to be slidably guided in the cartridge insertion/ejection direction. The slide member 44 is engaged with a long hole 42B formed approximately at the center of the lever 42 via a pin 44B. Further, this slide member 44 is formed with two hook-shaped engaging portions 44C, 44C, and these engaging portions 44C, 44C fit into the guide groove 18 of the socket 18.
It enters into the socket via A and 18A and can come into contact with the front surface of the cartridge.

Therefore, when the eject lever 40 is pressed in the cartridge ejection direction (direction of arrow A) from the state shown in FIG.
Twice the force is transmitted to 4. As a result, the slide member 44 slides in the cartridge ejection direction, and the memory cartridge 10 engaged with the engaging portions 44C, 44C of the slide member 44 also slides together with the slide member 44 and is pulled out from the socket 18. The memory cartridge 10 that has been pulled out from the socket 18 and protruded from the camera body 30 can be easily taken out by grasping the rear end and pulling it out.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, according to the digital electronic still camera according to the present invention, since a memory cartridge is used as a recording medium, various mechanical parts are unnecessary compared to cameras using conventional magnetic sheets, and the camera In addition, by arranging the memory cartridge parallel to the top and bottom surfaces of the camera body, the camera can be made thinner and smaller.

The storage capacity of current memory cartridges is limited to recording 6 or 7 images, but with the integration of storage circuits and improvements in processing circuits, the number of images that can be stored with current magnetic sheets (50 images) has increased. It is also possible to store an equivalent number of images.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a digital electronic still camera according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a memory cartridge ejection mechanism applied to the camera of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention. 10...Memory cartridge, 12...Photographing lens, 14...CCD sensor, 18...Socket,
30...Camera body.

Claims (1)

[Claim for Utility Model Registration] A digital electronic still in which an analog image signal obtained from an image sensor placed at the imaging position of a photographic lens is converted into a digital image, and then this digital image signal is recorded in a memory cartridge. Cameras use memory cartridges that are shaped like a flat card, have a connector on the short side, and store semiconductor memory inside, and the shape of the camera body is such that the height of the camera is smaller than its depth. The memory cartridge accommodating portion for accommodating the memory cartridge is approximately box-shaped, and the longitudinal direction of the camera body is aligned with the insertion/ejection direction of the memory cartridge, and the memory cartridge accommodating portion for accommodating the memory cartridge is arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the camera body matches the insertion/ejection direction of the memory cartridge, and the memory cartridge accommodating portion accommodates the memory cartridge. A digital electronic still camera characterized in that the memory cartridge is formed on the camera body so that upper and lower surfaces thereof are parallel to each other.