JPS62208028A - Data recording camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To record and transmit a large amount of information by providing a film loading part and a recording medium loading part except for films and also providing a means which transmits a laboratory information signal to a recording medium. CONSTITUTION:The camera body 1 of a data recording camera A is provided with a release button 2, a lighting window 3, a switch group 4 for setting various kinds of information, and a display part 5 for various kinds of information, and a film F is loaded in the body. A rear cover 13 is attached to the body 1 detachably and the loading part X1 for an IC card B is constituted at the inside part of the rear cover 13. The card B is connected to a generating means for a laboratory information provided to the body 1 through connector pins 20 and terminals 10 and the generated laboratory information is transmitted to the card B and stored thereupon. A card having sufficiently large storage capacity is usable as the card B and a large amount of laboratory information can be recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a data recording camera for recording laboratory trimming information.

Niwakishoku Ibaraban Traditionally, trimming information was recorded on the film when shooting.
A camera that performs cropping and printing based on this information has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 54-267
On the other hand, a device has also been proposed in which a data mark indicating imprint data is imprinted outside the image frame of the film, and this data mark is converted into characters in a laboratory and imprinted onto photographic paper (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. (Refer to Publication No. 60-260929)
.

However, conventional cameras with this configuration have the following problems.

(a) Since trimming information and data marks are recorded on the film itself, it is subject to space limitations, and there is a limit to the number of types of information that can be recorded.

(b) Furthermore, it is expected that in the future, more information than trimming information and data marks will need to be conveyed to laboratories, and it will be impossible to cope with this with the current methods.

(c) Another method of transmitting information is to write the information by hand on the order bag at the DP agency. However, in this case, it is difficult for both the DP agency and the laboratory to respond to automation, and it takes a lot of man-hours. Additionally, there is a possibility that information may not be conveyed accurately due to omissions or errors.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and it enables the recording and transmission of a large amount of information, as well as accurate recording and transmission, and facilitates automation in DP distributors and laboratories. The purpose is to enable effective progress.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention for detecting enemy fortune-telling has the following configuration.

That is, the data recording camera of the present invention includes a film mounting section, a mounting section for an electronic or magnetic recording medium other than film, a laboratory information signal generating means, and an output from the laboratory information signal generating means. and signal transmission means for transmitting a signal to the recording medium.

In this configuration, "electronic or magnetic recording medium"
That is, electronic recording media! This indicates that the recording medium may be either a physical recording medium or an electronic and magnetic recording medium.

Also, "lab information" refers to trimming information.

Color temperature information, i-output standard information, and film size.

It includes at least one of information such as film frame number, number of prints, print size, sensitization development, slide creation, special processing, year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.

Ichi-ri The effects of this configuration are as follows.

That is, when the laboratory information signal generation means is driven with the recording medium mounted on the recording medium loading section, a laboratory information signal is generated, which is transmitted to the recording medium via the signal transmission means, and the recording medium is Record the lab information.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a plan view and a rear view showing the appearance of a data recording camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In Figure 1 (A), A is a data recording camera, 1 is a camera body, 2 is a release button, 3 is a lighting window, 4 is a group of setting switches for setting various information, and 5 is a display for displaying various information. Department.

The lighting window 3 is composed of a milky white plate, and a sensor for measuring the light source color is placed below it. Setting switch, Sochi group 4, shutter speed Tv, aperture value AV, film sensitivity Sv (I
It has a group of switches for setting various information such as SO), fiI shadow mode, trimming, drive mode, and exposure standard, as well as +/- switches for sidewalks required for settings. The display unit 5 consists of a portion 5a at the rear (lower side in the drawing) that displays confirmation of the IC card attachment, and a portion 5b at the front (upper side in the drawing) that displays various photographic information. The rc card installation confirmation display section 5a flashes to warn you when the rc card is not installed.

In Figure 1 (B), 6 is a finder, 7 is a cartridge, F is a film, 9 is a spool, 10 is an IC card.
This is a terminal for signal transmission between bodies.

Further, 1) is a screen frame, and 12 is a light emitting diode for imprinting an IC card installation mark.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a front view and a partially cutaway side view of the back cover of the data recording camera.

In FIG. 2, 13 is a back cover that is detachably attached to the camera body 1, 14 is a circuit board, 15 is a contact point with the IC card B, 16 is an IC card pressing plate, and 17 is a part that is integrated with the IC card pressing plate 16. A film pressure bonding plate, a guide bar 19 that guides the forward and backward movement of the IC card press plate 16, and a spring 19 attached around the guide bar 18 to bias the IC card press plate 16 in a direction away from the back cover 13; 20 is a connector pin for the terminal 10 on the camera body 1 side; 21
is a spring that biases the connector bin 20 in a direction away from the back cover 13.

On the board 14, the contacts 15 and the connector pin 20 are electrically connected.

The part between the substrate 14 and the IC card pressing plate 16 constitutes an IC card mounting section Xl, into which the IC card B is inserted from above.
When the IC card B is inserted and the lid 13 is closed, the film pressure bonding plate 17 is pressed against the camera body 1 against the spring 19, so the IC card pressure plate 16 pushes the IC card B to the right in the figure, and the IC card B contacts contact 15 and is electrically connected. At the same time, the connector pin 20 comes into contact with the terminal 10 on the side of the camera body 1 and is pressed into contact with the terminal 10 by the biasing force of the spring 21, so that the IC card B and the camera body 1 are electrically connected.

FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram showing the entire system of the data recording camera.

In FIG. 3, the part surrounded by a chain line 22 shows the inside of the camera body 1, where the CPU is a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer), and the LM is a photometric color unit that measures the subject brightness and the light source color. The photometric colorimetric data is output to the microcomputer CPU as a digital signal. EC is an exposure control unit and is a Tv value calculated by the microcomputer CPU.

The aperture and shutter speed are controlled based on the AV value.

WC is a winding control unit that controls a motor (not shown) that winds the film F, charges various mechanisms such as a shutter and a mirror, and rewinds the film F. DS is a display section for displaying various shooting information, and this display section D
S corresponds to the display section 5 in FIG. PR is film F
There is a mark imprinting section for imprinting a mark to make the film F and the IC card B correspond to each other.

SA is a sequence switch group that performs sequence control such as release, exposure, winding, and rewinding based on the camera status detected by the microcomputer CPU, and includes a release switch, a switch that detects the completion of winding, and the like. 3B is a setting switch group corresponding to setting switch group 4 shown in Fig. 1, and is used to set shutter speed and aperture value,
It has switches for changing the shooting mode, specifying cropping, specifying exposure standards, etc. TM is timing mechanism, AF
is an autofocus control section that performs distance measurement and lens control. LS is a lens information output unit that outputs lens information regarding photography and autofocus, and BA is a power supply provided within the camera body 1, which supplies power to the microcomputer CPU and other blocks. CL is an oscillator, which outputs a clock to the microcomputer CPU and IC card B. AC is an electronic flash device and data imprint device.

Lenses, winders and other accessories.

IC card B is a plastic card with an LSI integrated therein, and its internal configuration is shown in FIG.

The IC card B is composed of a microcomputer CPU and a memory M consisting of an EEPROM. Its external terminals are black, data input/output, and reset.

It has six terminals, including a power supply, a ground, and a memory power supply, which are connected to the camera body 1 as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the transmission and reception of signals between the data recording camera A and the IC card B.

This will be explained below.

In step 2, reset IC card B using the microcomputer CPU of camera body l. ■ Microcomputer CP of IC card B
UI resets ANSWBRTo by reset signal.
Executes a process called RESET. In this process, the predetermined characteristics of the tC card B are determined by the camera body 1.
It outputs the information necessary for the microcomputer CPU to perform the operation. The determination of the characteristics includes, for example, whether the IC card has power supply voltage, frequency, etc. that are compatible with this camera system. ■Microcomputer CP of camera body 1
U inputs information about the characteristics of IC card B sent from microcomputer CPU U + of IC card B, and
Then, it is determined whether the IC card B is normal and compatible with this camera system. Specifically, compatibility, non-installation, incorrect installation, failure, etc. are determined. If IC card B is normal, press ■ to enter the terminal code into IC card B.
Send to. The terminal code differs depending on the terminal such as a camera, a reader/writer for a DP distributor, an automatic printer in a laboratory, or a personal computer for home use. Therefore, the microcomputer CPU of the IC card B determines in which terminal it is attached based on the terminal code received in step (3), and selects an area in the memory M that can be accessed. This is to prevent data from changing unexpectedly by limiting the data that can be accessed depending on the terminal.

The microcomputer CPU of the camera body 1 reads and outputs to the IC card B information indicating the contents of the communication, such as what kind of information is to be communicated and the direction of the communication. The microcomputer CPU of IC card B inputs the information in step 3 and prepares for communication. Next, in [phase], shooting information, laboratory information, and other information are exchanged between the microcomputer CPU of camera body 1 and the microcomputer CPU of IC card B, and various information sent from the camera body 1 side. is stored in the memory M of the IC card B.

When the communication is completed, press ■ to connect the camera body 1's microcomputer CP.
U performs control to stop the operation of the microcomputer CPU U + of IC card B, and as a result, the microcomputer CPU
U+ stops working.

If it is determined in ■ that ■C card B is not normal, a warning will be displayed on the display unit DS indicating that the ■C card B is not normal, such as non-conforming, not installed, incorrectly installed, or malfunctioning with a value of 0, and then ■
Process.

The above algorithm is exactly the same not only for camera terminals, but also for terminals such as reader/writers for DP distributors, lab developing machines, printing machines, and home personal computers.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer CPU of the camera body 1. This will be explained below.

The microcomputer CPU is started by turning on the power supply BA of the camera body 1 or turning on, for example, a photometry switch. In step #1, the status of the sequence switch group SA is input, and in step #2, it is determined whether winding of the film F is completed.

If the film is in the middle of winding, the process moves to step #3 and the film F is wound until winding is completed. When the winding is completed, the process moves to step #4, and it is determined whether all the switches other than the winding completion switch in the sequence switch group SA are normal, that is, whether photography is possible. If not normal, step #5
to stop the operation of the microcomputer CPU. If it is normal, the process moves to step #6, and a start signal is sent to the photometric coloring section LM to start photometry, colorimetry, and distance measurement.

Next, in step #7, lens information is input from the lens information output section LS, in step #8, accessory information is input from the accessory AC, in step #9, the state of the setting switch group SB is input, and in step #10, the input In other words, it is determined whether the shutter speed, aperture value, shooting mode, cropping specification, exposure standard specification, etc. has been changed by the setting switch group SB, and if so, the corresponding setting switch information is processed. Perform processing.

In the next step #1), information obtained as a result of photometry, colorimetry, and distance measurement started in step #6 is input. and,
In step #12, exposure calculation is performed based on the information input in steps #7 to #1), and the photographing Tv value and ti shadow A are calculated.
Calculate data necessary for exposure control such as v value, and proceed to step #
At step 13, the calculated value is displayed on the display section DS. In step #14, the calculated value and other information necessary for the accessory AC are output to the accessory AC.

The microcomputer CPU repeatedly executes a series of sequences from step #4 to step #14 until a release operation is performed.

Note that this series of sequences may be programmed to stop if the release operation is not performed within a predetermined time, or may be programmed to repeat only while the metering switch is being operated. (not shown).

In step #15 following step #14, it is determined whether a release operation has been performed. If no operation has been performed, the process returns to step #4. If it has been operated, the process moves to step #16, and after inputting the clock information from the clock mechanism TM, the microcomputer CPU of the IC card B
, and communicate with each other.

This communication is performed according to the algorithm shown in FIG. As a result, various types of information transmitted from the camera body 1 side are recorded in the memory M of the IC card B.

In step #18, it is determined whether the communication was performed normally. If normal, the process moves to step #19, and a mark is imprinted on the film F to indicate that the film has predetermined information stored in the memory M of the IC card B.

That is, the light emitting diode 12 in the mark imprinting part PR is turned on to imprint a mark on the film F. This mark is imprinted on the film F by using predetermined information (trimming information 2, temperature information, film temperature information, etc.) on the IC card B. Distinguish film F from other films in which frame number, number of prints, R output standard information (1 year, month, date, 1 hour, minute, second, various shooting information, laboratory information, subject size information, etc.) are stored. It's for a reason. As a result, if the two types of films mentioned above are mixed in the lab equipment, IC card B
It becomes possible to make a correspondence with the IC card B while distinguishing the film F on which information is stored from the film on which information is not stored. The details of this will be described later.

After step #19 or when the communication is not normal as determined in step #18, the process moves to step #20, and the shooting Tv value calculated in step #12, the shooting AV
Exposure control that controls the shutter, aperture, etc. is started based on data necessary for exposure control such as values. Next step #
At step 21, a signal indicating that the release has been released is output to each section, and each section is reset.Next, at step #22, wait for the exposure control to be completed, and then return to step #2, where the film F is wound. , film count 1
After advancing the frame (repeating steps #2 and #3), repeat the above process again. In addition, instead of repeating this, when the photometry switch is not operated, the microcomputer CP
It may also be programmed to stop operation of U (not shown).

In the flow of FIG. 6, the microcomputer CPU of the camera body 1 and the microcomputer CPU of the IC card B.

Communication between the camera and the camera is performed for each release operation.

If communication is performed during photometry, the current allowable number of writes to EEFROM (memory M) (
104 to 10' times). In the case of an IC card that does not use EEFROM as the memory M, for example, an IC card that has a built-in battery and RAM, the number of allowed writes is sufficiently large, so communication between the two microcontrollers and the CPU must be performed during photometry. I can do it.

Next, an example of trimming information, which is one of laboratory information among various information stored in the microcomputer CPU of the camera body 1 and the memory M of the IC card B, will be described with reference to the following table.

In this table, a, b, c, and d are the ranges of trimming prints. (A) and CB) in FIG. 7 are the areas a, b, and c to be trimmed and printed.

d is shown on film F.

Codes (01)) and (1)1) command continuous trimming. Continuous trimming means making multiple types of prints with different trimming sizes from the same negative. That is, if the code (01)) is stored in the memory M of the IC card B as trimming information, the printer is controlled by this trimming information during printing, and prints without trimming, printing in trimming range a, and printing in trimming range all. Three types of prints are available.

In FIGS. 7(A) and 7(B), marks ff1l and ml indicating that the film has predetermined information stored in the memory M of the IC card B are shown. This mark m,
, mt will be described in detail later.

FIG. 8 is a process explanatory diagram showing the flow of the IC card B between the user U, the DP agency, and the laboratory L. Solid arrows indicate objects (IC card B, film F, print P,
The flow of the negative film N) is shown, and the broken line arrows show the input/output of data regarding the IC card B.

When user U takes a photo or shadow, camera A's microcomputer C
Trimming information output from PU 1. Temperature information, film frame number, number of prints.

Exposure standard information 1 year, month, day, 1 hour, minute, second 1 Various shooting information.

Predetermined information such as information on the size of the subject is stored in the memory M of the IC card B (see broken line ■). If the user U has a terminal device 31 such as a personal computer and an IC card reader/writer 32 that can be connected to the terminal device 31, the user U can use the terminal device 31 to input information such as the developing method, the location of the image, a short message, etc. to the IC card B. It is also possible to store it in the memory M of (see broken line ■). This can be done not only when requesting development and printing from a DP agent, but also when ordering additional prints.

The IC card B on which predetermined information has been recorded in this manner and the corresponding film F are taken bare to a DP agency.

At the DP agency, a dedicated IC card reader/writer 3 is available.
3 with IC card B, and the receptionist additionally records data such as customer number 1's name, telephone number, etc. on TC card B (see broken line ■). In the case of a customer who cannot perform the process indicated by the broken line (■), the items conventionally written on a paper bag, such as print size, number of prints, presence or absence of special processing, and contents, are recorded on IC card B. IC card reader/writer 3
3 has a switch corresponding to the entry field on the paper bag,
It is easy to handle.

IC card B and film F, which were accepted at the DP agency, are transported bare to laboratory L. In laboratory L, film F and IC card B are sent to the developing machine 34, where development is performed based on the information input from IC card B, and negative film N is obtained (see broken line ■).
. Negative film N and IC card B are sent to a printing machine (not shown), and printing is performed based on data input from IC card B to obtain print P.

In this case, information such as the content of the process, the number of prints, and the management number are recorded on the IC card B (see broken line ■). Furthermore, a large computer 35. Photographing information is obtained from IC card B by reader/writer 36.

It is also possible to read various information such as when the photo was taken and, through statistical processing of this information, provide feedback to create a better photographic system (see dashed line ■).

Negative film N and print P obtained as above
The IC card B with the information added thereto is returned to the DP agency. At the DP agency, the IC card reader/writer 33 reads the information recorded on the IC card B in the laboratory L, and automatically calculates and displays the fee (see broken line ■).

Note that if this IC card B can also be used as a cash card or credit card, the customer does not have to pay in cash.

IC card B is sent to user U from the DP agent.

When print P and negative film N are returned, user U
is a personal computer 31. Reader/writer 32
In addition to being able to read shooting information and processing information using the , it is also possible to record information by storing it in computer memory such as a magnetic disk, magnetic tape, or bubble memory, or by printing and transferring it onto recording paper. Yes, it is possible (see dashed line ■). Print P is stored in album 37.

Note that for users U who do not have the reader/writer 32, a service is also available in which a printout of the information recorded on the IC card B is returned at the same time at a DP agency or laboratory L.

After the IC card B returned to the user U records the necessary information in a computer memory or the like or records it on paper, it can be attached to the camera A again and used any number of times.

FIG. 9 is a process explanatory diagram showing another flow of IC card B. This will be explained below.

When the user U takes the film F and the IC card B to the DP agency, the recorded information on the IC card B is transferred to another recording medium B' exclusively for the laboratory L at the DP agency. Transfer to (transmission between solid line ■ and solid line [phase]). In this way, user U can immediately take IC card B home. Therefore, user U uses IC
Since the card B can be used immediately for the next photograph, there is an advantage that the number of IC cards B held by the user U can be reduced.

The rest of the flow shown in FIG. 9 is the same as the flow shown in FIG. 8, so the same parts and parts will be given the same reference numerals and the explanation will be omitted.

In the embodiment of the present invention, since the IC card B is attached to the rC card attachment section x1 on the inner side of the back cover 13 of the camera A as shown in FIG. Even though there was no need to take it out, it unexpectedly came out on the way! Unless the IC card 13 is opened, predetermined information about all photographed frames of the film F is recorded on the IC card B. The reason for this configuration is as follows.

That is, if IC card B is attached to the outside of camera A, IC card B can be removed from camera A at any time and inserted into camera A. For example, if IC card B is removed from camera A during shooting or communication, or vice versa, IC card B may be inserted into camera A.
There is a risk that an IC card B may be inserted, or an IC card B containing predetermined information up to a frame in the middle of another film may be inserted. In such a case, frames with IC card information and frames without IC card information coexist in the same film F.

In that case, when printing at Lab L, the pieces and IC
Corresponding with card information becomes extremely difficult.

In order to overcome this difficulty, special measures must be taken, which not only increases costs but also imposes significant design constraints.

In order to prevent such inconvenience from occurring, in this embodiment, the IC card B is placed in the IC card mounting portion X located inside the back cover 13 as described above.

It is configured so that it can be attached to.

However, even so, in the initial stage of the introduction of this camera system, there is a possibility that film taken with a camera that cannot record information on IC card B and film taken with this camera system will be mixed in laboratory L. Therefore, it becomes necessary to notify the printing machine in laboratory L that film F was taken with this camera system, and to make correspondence between film F and IC card B.

For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 7(A) and 7(B), marks m, , m, indicating that the film F is recorded with predetermined information on the LC card B, are imprinted on the film F. It is. This mark m1. .

It is not necessary to imprint mt on every frame of film F. Even if only the first frame is imprinted, the film F and the IC card B can be made to correspond to each other using the information on the number of shots.

The marks m+ and ml may be marks m, which are numerically imprinted in correspondence with the photographed frame numbers as shown in FIG.
Or mark all the pieces with dots as shown in Figure 7 (B)! 'J may be used, but
The numerical mark m1 has a higher degree of correspondence with the recorded information on the IC card B.

Although not shown in the diagram, a solid identification code is manually written on each IC card B, and the identification code of IC card B is imprinted along with the mark on the frame that is photographed with the IC card B installed. By doing so, the IC card B and the film F can be made to correspond in a one-to-one relationship, and the degree of correspondence between the two can be made extremely high.

Note that the identification code of IC card B may be input by user U from camera A or a dedicated reader/writer 32, or may be input during the manufacturing process of IC card B and user U inputs it during the manufacturing process of IC card B. An identification code may be selected at the time of purchase.

In the above embodiment, the IC card mounting part Xt was provided in the inner part of the back cover 13 (the part on the 2t [1i13 side] than the film F), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, the IC card mounting section X2 may be provided closer to the camera body l than the film F, or the IC card mounting section Mounting part
3 may be provided. In the former case, IC card B cannot be removed until film F is removed.
In the latter case, the IC card B can be taken out without removing the film F, as in the above embodiment. and,
In either the former or the latter case, a RAM chip may be used as the recording medium.

The present invention also includes the following as examples.

(i) The IC card B does not need to be a general IC card, and may have a shape and format unique to the camera system. Further, the IC card B may have a built-in microcomputer, a battery, and an EEPROM, or may be only an EEFROM without a microcomputer and battery.

(ii) Although IC card B is used as the recording medium in the embodiment, something other than an IC card, such as a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, or a non-volatile memory such as a magnetic bubble memory, may be used as the recording medium. .

(iii) In the example, film F is marked ml, ml
I tried to imprint it, but this imprinting is not necessarily necessary.

(iv) In the embodiment, a plurality of trimming ranges could be specified for the same screen, but it is not necessary to do so. Further, the laboratory information does not necessarily need to include trimming information.

Sugar According to the present invention, the following effects are achieved.

(a) Electronic or magnetic recording media have significantly limited space for recording information compared to film.
Without such limitations, a device with a sufficiently large storage capacity can be used, and a large amount of laboratory information can be recorded. Therefore, the number of types of laboratory information to be recorded is not subject to many restrictions.

(b) Transmission of laboratory information signals to an electronic or magnetic recording medium and transmission of laboratory information signals from the recording medium to laboratory equipment can be performed accurately.

(c) It will be effective in promoting automation of processing at DP distributors and laboratories.

In addition, when an IC card is used as the recording medium as in the example, ■ it is thin and can be easily installed inside the N lid, and ■ the mechanical drive required in the case of a magnetic disk. No mechanism required, advantageous in terms of space ■Writing and reading information is extremely fast;
■It has advantages such as a variety of uses and excellent applicability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 9 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) and (B) in FIG. 1 are a plan view and a rear view showing the external appearance of a data recording camera, (A) in FIG. (B) is a front view and partially broken side view of the back cover of the data recording camera, Figure 3 is a block circuit diagram showing the entire system of the data recording camera, and Figure 4 is a block circuit diagram showing the internal configuration of the IC card. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the transmission and reception of signals between the camera body and the IC card, Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer in the camera body, and Figure 7 (
A) and (B) are cutaway front views of the film after shooting, Figure 8 is a process diagram showing the flow of the IC card and film between the user, DP distributor, and laboratory, and Figure 9 is the I
It is a process explanatory diagram showing another flow of a C card. A...Data recording camera B...IC card (recording medium) F...Film Oka 1) Kazuhide Figure 2 Figure 5

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A film mounting section, a mounting section for an electronic or magnetic recording medium other than film, a laboratory information signal generating means, and transmitting an output signal from the laboratory information signal generating means to the recording medium. A data recording camera equipped with a signal transmission means. (2) The data recording camera according to claim (1), wherein the recording medium is an IC card.