JPH0683386B2 - Electronic still camera - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic still camera using a memory cartridge as an image recording medium.

[Conventional technology]

Recently, a memory cartridge for writing and reading a large amount of information, for example, a card-type memory cartridge with a thickness of about 2 mm, a so-called IC card, has been put into practical use by incorporating a memory such as LSI in the cartridge. It is beginning to be used as a storage medium for various information devices such as various memory cartridges. In order to mount such a memory cartridge on the main body of an information device or the like, an insertion opening is formed in the outer wall of the main body, and the memory cartridge is inserted through this insertion opening. When the memory cartridge is inserted until the pins of the connector provided on the main body side and the concave connection terminals of the memory cartridge are fitted, the rear end surface of the memory cartridge and the outer wall surface of the main body are flush with each other, It is attached to the main body.

Therefore, when removing the memory cartridge, a means for ejecting the memory cartridge to a position where it can be pulled out by hand is required. As a means for ejecting such a memory cartridge, sliding the eject knob causes the protrusions to protrude from both sides of the connector and presses the end of the memory cartridge fitted to the connector toward the insertion opening, and There is provided a device in which a memory cartridge is detached and protruded from an outer wall of a main body.

On the other hand, an electronic still camera that converts an optical image into a video signal using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD and records the still image on a video still floppy has begun to be provided.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

By the way, recently, attempts have been made to use the above-mentioned memory cartridge instead of the video still floppy as a storage medium of the electronic still camera. However, as described above, the insertion port of the memory cartridge provided in the information device provided so far is exposed to the outside in order to facilitate the insertion and removal of the memory cartridge. This is sufficient if it is an information device used only indoors, but if the memory cartridge insertion method used so far is diverted to the electronic still camera that is mainly used outdoors, it will Needless to say, even after the memory cartridge is mounted, there is a problem that dust or dirt may enter inside through the gap between the insertion port and the rear end of the memory cartridge. Further, in the conventional memory cartridge ejecting device, it is necessary to eject the end portion of the memory cartridge from a state where the end portion of the memory cartridge is not projected at all to a position where it can be grasped by hand. There was a problem that the performance was not good.

[Object of the Invention]

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic still camera having a memory cartridge attaching / detaching structure that is easy to attach / detach a memory cartridge and is excellent in dustproofness. To do.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to achieve the above object, in the electronic still camera of the present invention, an end portion of a memory cartridge is partially protruded and accommodated in a camera body portion, and a strobe which is attached to and detached from the camera body portion through a locking means. The end portion or the power supply portion is provided with an end storage space for storing the end portion of the memory cartridge to cover the end portion of the memory cartridge and the insertion port of the memory cartridge.

[Action]

According to the above configuration, when the memory cartridge is ejected, the lock means is unlocked and the strobe portion or the power supply portion is separated from the camera body portion, and the protrusion is made so that it can be grasped with a sufficient hand. Since the end of the memory cartridge is exposed, the memory cartridge can be collected by grasping this end by hand and pulling it out. Also, when the memory cartridge is loaded, if the lock means is unlocked and the strobe portion or the power supply portion is separated from the camera body, the insertion port of the memory cartridge appears, so the memory cartridge is inserted into this insertion port. And the flash unit or power supply unit is attached to the camera body unit via the locking means as before, the memory cartridge can be reliably loaded in the electronic still camera.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

〔Example〕

In FIG. 1 showing a state in which a memory cartridge 5 is loaded in the electronic still camera 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention, the electronic still camera 1 comprises a main body portion 2 and a flash portion 20,
The main body portion 2 and the strobe portion 20 are rotatably attached via a hinge 10. A lock claw 4 having a claw 4a is provided above the side surface 3 of the body portion 2.
The claw 22a corresponding to is formed on the inner wall of the rectangular hole 22 provided on the side surface 21 of the strobe 20. The lock claw 4 is biased from below by a spring (not shown), and by pressing the top portion 4b of the lock claw 4 against this spring, the claw 4a is pressed.
Is pushed downward, and the engagement between the claw 4a and the claw 22a is released.

An insertion opening 6 for the memory cartridge 5 is formed on the side surface 3, and a connector (not shown) that is fitted to the memory cartridge 5 at the bottom of the insertion opening 6 and is electrically connected to the main body. No) is attached. When the memory cartridge 5 is fitted in the connector, the end portion of the memory cartridge 5 is projected so that it can be grasped with a finger as shown in the drawing. The strobe portion 20 is provided with a groove 23 into which the protruding portion of the memory cartridge 5 is inserted.
Two projections 25 and 26 are formed on the bottom 24 of the. The depth to the protrusions 25 and 26 is the same as the length of the end of the memory cartridge 5 protruding from the side surface 3 when the concave connection terminal of the memory cartridge 5 and the pin of the connector are securely fitted. Is set to.

The side surface 3 is provided with a contact portion 7 for electrically connecting the main body portion 2 and the strobe portion 20, and the contact portion 7 is provided with contacts 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e. . The contacts 7a, 7b are
They are (+) terminal and (-) terminal, respectively, for supplying power from a charging power source (not shown) built in the main body section 2 to the condenser of the strobe section 20. Contact 7c is main body 2
It is a terminal for transmitting a strobe control signal from the strobe unit 20 to the strobe unit 20. The contact 7d is a terminal for transmitting a charging completion signal of the strobe unit 20 from the strobe unit 20 to the main body unit 2.
The contact 7e is a terminal for transmitting the guide number (GN) of the flash unit 20 from the flash unit 20 to the main body unit 2. A contact portion 28 having contacts corresponding to these contacts 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e is provided on the strobe portion 20 side.

The electronic still camera 1 of the first embodiment configured as described above
In order to load the memory cartridge 5 into, the top 4b of the lock claw 4 is first pressed. As a result, the nail 4a and the nail 22a are
When the upper part of the strobe portion 20 is pulled away from the main body portion 2, the strobe portion 20 is disengaged from the hinge 10.
The side surface 3 of the main body portion 2 appears by being rotated about. Insert the memory cartridge 5 from the insertion opening 6 and push it in until it abuts. Rotate the strobe unit 20 to move the strobe unit to the side surface 3.
Press firmly so that the sides 21 of the 20 come into close contact. The ends of the memory cartridge 5 are pressed by the protrusions 25 and 26, the concave connection terminals of the memory cartridge 5 and the pins of the connector are completely fitted, and the main body 2 and the memory cartridge 5 are securely electrically connected. . At the same time, the contact part 7 and the contact part
The contacts of 28 contact each other, and the main unit 2 and the strobe unit 20
Are electrically connected to each other, and the claw 4a and the claw 22a are engaged with each other so that the strobe portion 20 is locked to the side surface 3 of the main body portion 2.

Similarly, to collect the memory cartridge 5, the main body 2
Then, the lock of the flash unit 20 is released, and the flash unit 20 is rotated. Memory cartridge 5 protruding from side surface 3
The memory cartridge 5 is detached from the connector and collected by grasping with a finger and pulling. After that, if the strobe portion 20 is rotated as before to press the strobe portion 20 against the main body portion 2, the main body portion 2 and the strobe portion 20 are locked, and the insertion opening 6 is covered by the strobe portion 20. Protected from dust and dirt.

Next, an electronic still camera 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The electronic still camera 30 uses the memory cartridge 5 as an image recording medium, converts an image captured by the taking lens into a video signal, and writes the video signal in the memory cartridge 5. The electronic still camera 30 is provided with a power source unit 40 on the side surface 32 of the main body unit 31 in a separable manner. The power supply unit 40 supplies power for driving each of the shutter, AF, image signal processing circuit and the like built in the main body unit 31.

An insertion opening 33 for inserting the memory cartridge 5 is provided on the side surface 32, and a connector (not shown) for electrically connecting the memory cartridge 5 to the main body 31 is provided at the back of the insertion opening 33. ) Is fixed. The insertion port 33
The depth from the connector to the connector is set so that when the memory cartridge 5 is fitted into the connector, the end of the memory cartridge 5 is projected from the side surface 32 by a length that can be grasped by a finger.

Lock claws 34 and 35 for detachably attaching the main body 31 and the power supply 40 are provided above and below the insertion opening 33. These lock claws 34 and 35 are the lock claws 4 of the first embodiment.
The power supply unit 40 has holes 42 and 43, respectively, each having a structure similar to that described above, and the claws to be engaged with the lock claws 34 and 35 are formed on the inner wall thereof. Also, at the top of the side surface 32,
Contacts 3 for electrically connecting the main body 31 and the power supply 40
6,37 are attached. The side surface 41 of the power supply unit 40 is provided with contacts 44 and 45 corresponding to the contacts 36 and 37, a groove 46 into which the end of the memory cartridge 5 is inserted, and a battery chamber 48 into which a battery 47 is inserted. Are provided respectively.

To load the memory cartridge 5 into the electronic still camera 30 having such a structure, the power supply unit 40 is held by hand and the tops of the claws 34 and 35 are pressed. The engagement between the holes 42, 43 and the claws 34, 35 is released, and the power supply unit 40 is separated from the main body unit 31.
When the memory cartridge 5 is inserted into the insertion opening 33 of the side surface 32 until it abuts, the memory cartridge 5 is inserted through the connector.
And the main body are electrically connected. After confirming that the battery 47 is loaded in the battery chamber 48 of the power supply unit 40, the side surface 41 of the power supply unit 40 and the side surface 32 of the main body unit 31 are brought into close contact with each other. The end of the memory cartridge 5 enters the groove 46, the contacts 36, 37 contact the contacts 44, 45, and the power supply 40 and the main body
And 31 are electrically connected. At the same time, the lock claws 34 and 35 are engaged with the holes 42 and 43, so that the power supply unit 40 is locked to the main body unit 31.

To take out the memory cartridge 5, the tops of the claws 34 and 35 are pressed to separate the power supply unit 40 from the main body unit 31, and the side surface 32
When the end of the memory cartridge 5 protruding from the memory cartridge 5 is grasped and pulled by a finger, the memory cartridge 5 is detached from the connector and collected. When the power supply unit 40 is brought into close contact with the main body unit 31 as before and is locked, the insertion port 33 is protected from dust by the power supply unit 40.

Next, an electronic still camera 50 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Electronic still camera
Reference numeral 50 is an addition of the ejecting device 52 for facilitating the removal of the memory cartridge 5 to the first embodiment. In FIG. 4 showing the structure of the ejecting device 52, the ejecting device 52 is provided with pawls 56 and 57 that engage with the memory cartridge 5.
It comprises a slide plate 58 provided with, an eject button 55 to be pressed at the time of eject operation, and a connecting lever 59 for increasing the pressing force of the eject button 55 and transmitting it to the slide plate 58.

Long holes 59a and 59b are formed at both ends of the connecting lever 59.The projection 58a engaged with the long hole 59a is ejected to the slide plate 58, and the projection 55a engaged with the long hole 59b is ejected. The connection lever 59 provided on each of the buttons 55 is rotated around a fixed shaft 53 fixed in the main body. Since the position of the fixed shaft 53 is biased toward the long hole 59a side, the load required to press the eject button 55 is small.

A connector 70 having a pin fitted to the concave contact of the memory cartridge 5 is provided near the claws 56 and 57. In addition, the eject button 55 is attached to the flash unit 60 attached to the electronic still camera 50 via the hinge 10.
Is formed with a groove portion 61 into which an end portion of is inserted.

To take out the memory cartridge 5 from the electronic still camera 50 having such a structure, the lock claw 4 is pressed to rotate the strobe portion 60, and then the eject button 55 is pressed. The projection 55a presses the end of the long hole 59b to rotate the connecting lever 59, and the end of the long hole 59a presses the projection 58a in the arrow direction. As a result, the claws 56, 57 press the ends of the memory cartridge 5, the memory cartridge 5 is moved integrally with the slide plate 58, and the memory cartridge 5 is detached from the connector 70. The memory cartridge 5 can be easily collected by grasping the end of the memory cartridge 5 with a finger and pulling it out.

Instead of the eject button 55, an eject device that disconnects the memory cartridge 5 from the connector 70 by interlocking with the opening / closing operation of the hinge 10 and the pressing operation of the top portion of the lock claw 4 is also possible.

Although the card-shaped memory cartridge is used as the image recording medium of the electronic still camera as described above, a thick memory cartridge such as a tubular shape may be used.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the electronic still camera of the present invention, the end portion of the memory cartridge is partially projected and housed in the camera body portion, and is attached to and detached from the camera body portion via the locking means. An end storage space for storing the end of the memory cartridge is provided in the strobe part or the power supply part to cover the end of the memory cartridge and the insertion port of the memory cartridge.

Therefore, since the memory cartridge can be completely stored in the camera body, the dustproof property can be made extremely excellent, and the strobe part or the strobe part having a size larger than the end part of the memory cartridge can be provided. Since the end part storage space for storing the end part of the memory cartridge is provided in the power supply part, it is possible to increase the protruding part of the memory cartridge, which makes it easier to grab the memory cartridge with fingers and to attach and detach the memory cartridge easily. It will be possible to provide an electronic still camera that can be used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main part of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the ejecting device portion of the third embodiment of the present invention. 1,30,50 …… Electronic still camera 4,34,35 …… Lock claw 6,33 …… Insertion port 10 …… Hinge 20,60 …… Strobe 23,46,61 …… Groove 25,26 …… Projection 40 …… Power supply 52 …… Eject device 55 …… Eject button

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An electronic still camera in which a video signal is written in a memory cartridge that can be attached to and detached from a main body, and an insertion opening for the memory cartridge is formed, and an end portion of the memory cartridge is partially projected to be stored. A camera body and a strobe unit which is attached to the camera body through a locking means, emits light in response to a synchronizing signal from the camera body, and has a storage space for storing an end of the memory cartridge. An electronic still camera characterized in that 2. An electronic still camera in which a video signal is written in a memory cartridge which can be attached to and detached from a main body, wherein an insertion port of the memory cartridge is formed, and an end of the memory cartridge is partially projected to be stored. A camera body, and a power supply unit which is attached to the camera body through a locking means, supplies a power supply current for driving to the camera body, and has a storage space for storing an end of the memory cartridge. An electronic still camera, characterized by being composed of.