RU2251221C2 - Portable data terminal, digital camera for portable data terminal and system, consisting of portable data terminal and digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: mobile communications.

SUBSTANCE: device has socket, appropriate for use as headphone socket.

EFFECT: higher efficiency.

11 cl, 37 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to a portable information terminal, such as portable telephones having a headphone jack for inputting / outputting an audio signal, a system for personal portable telephones (PTs), a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable personal computers, to a digital camera for use with a portable information terminal, a system consisting of a digital camera and a portable information terminal, as well as a method for controlling a portable information term scarlet.

Recently, as a result of the increasing speed of data transfer using portable information terminals, as well as significant progress made in information transfer technologies, portable phones are being transformed from telephone sets to complex information devices that are rapidly spreading.

Due to this trend, consumer needs have expanded from basic types of information, such as images, music, mail, to higher-level content such as moving images and programs, and it is expected that other applications will appear in the future.

In response to these consumer needs, vending machines began to appear on the market, which can be called information sale machines and which provide sales services not only of information in the form of audio data, but also in various other forms, while access to information can be made by connecting a portable information terminal to the machine selling information using a special cable.

When receiving information from an information sales machine using such a special cable, it is necessary to insert the cable connector into the portable information terminal, but there is the inconvenience that the connector has a front and a back side to guarantee a connection in the set direction, and therefore, the user must follow for the correct connection of the connector.

In addition, when the connector is inserted into the portable information terminal, the locking mechanism is activated and the connection is blocked, but if the user tries to remove the connector, not knowing that it is blocked, the connector may be overloaded and damaged. Also, when a portable telephone and TFT are used as a communication device for performing mobile computing, usually a PC card is used as an interface, and therefore, when traveling, you must have a PC card and connecting cables with you, which also creates inconvenience. In addition, in some computers there is only one PCMIA slot for inserting a PC card (personal computer card), which means that when this slot is occupied by a portable phone, it is impossible to connect other devices, which is also inconvenient. In addition, if you want to use any peripheral device, then the PC-card inserted in the PCMIA slot must be replaced by another card, which also takes time.

Meanwhile, in response to the need to transfer images recorded by a digital camera to another terminal by connecting a digital camera to this portable terminal, Japanese Patent Applications Hei 10-341302 and Hei 11-08823 (first publications) proposed a method for making a chord connection, such like IRDA (infrared data access) or RS-232C, for connecting a digital camera to a portable data terminal.

However, transmission of video data using chords, such as IRDA or RS-232C, is associated with processing and portability problems.

In addition, conventional digital cameras must be able to connect to various conventional portable communication terminals, such as a portable telephone terminal, SPT, PDA, personal laptop computers, so that even if a display section, such as a liquid crystal monitor, and an operating section are provided in the portable terminal , they are often also available in a digital camera, which complicates the work and increases the cost of such combined systems. In addition, since it is impossible to supply power from the device to which the camera is connected, the camera itself must have a power source, which increases the size of the case, which means that it already loses its property as a portable device. As explained above, in the past there was a problem of simplifying the design of the camera and obtaining a more convenient digital camera.

In addition, video data is usually transmitted sequentially in accordance with the EIA (Electronic Industry Association) standard, while IRDA, RS232 and others usually require the use of special interfaces. In addition to cable-based data transfer methods, as described above, Japanese Patent Application Hei 06-268582 proposed a method for transmitting data via a medium such as a memory card, but even using this method requires an interface circuit and a driver circuit. For this reason, when connecting a digital camera to a portable information terminal, expensive parts and interfaces were required in the past and it was difficult to reduce the size of digital cameras and portable terminals or to reduce the cost of such a combined system.

In addition, when using such an RS-232C cable as described above, serial transmission is used in accordance with the EIA RS-232C standard, but with normal serial transmission, it is necessary to perform the so-called acknowledgment operation by exchanging certain commands between the portable terminal and the digital camera up to start communication so that the video data is transmitted after confirming that both parties are in working condition, and it is not possible to immediately begin the transmission of video data. Also, in sequential transmission, information is added to each byte (= 8 bits) of data to distinguish between the beginning and end of individual data, so when using 2 bits from 8 to distinguish, the amount of information that 1 byte can carry is only 6 bits, which reduces the efficiency of data processing. In addition to this problem, although parallel transmission is also known, in which the transmission speed increases due to an increase in the number of serial lines, the parallel data transmission method is not preferable, since it increases the cost of the system because it is necessary to increase the number of signal lines in the communication terminal devices such as a digital camera and portable information terminal, which require a small size, light weight and low cost.

Also, when recording images using a digital camera, the user must perform several operations, namely: select the image recording mode using the buttons of the operating section provided on the portable terminal, and confirm the settings on the terminal display section, press the definition button to set the image recording mode, and then record the image in this recording mode. In addition, if the portable terminal is, for example, a portable telephone, then at least two buttons must be used, one to switch from the sound mode as a phone function to the recording mode as a camera function, and the other to determine the task in the selected mode. It is also necessary to provide the operation buttons necessary for recording the image, for example, a button that performs the shutter function and setting buttons that specify the recording conditions and other conditions. This increases the number of buttons that must be used to switch to the recording mode and ensure the operation of the camera, and as a result, when ready to record the image, the user must spend some more time pressing the buttons until he reaches the stage of determining the recording mode. And to determine the image recording mode, you must first select the image recording mode, and then work with the definition buttons, and at the same time, the user needs to look at the display section of the portable terminal when working with the buttons to set the image recording mode parameters, so the problem is not only complex operations with buttons, but also missed the ability to record good images.

In the light of the problems described above, the first task underlying the present invention is to create a portable information terminal that would allow a very efficient data exchange with an external device due to a simpler cable connection.

The second objective of the invention is to create a user-friendly digital camera that would allow you to freely change the direction of image recording without complicating the design of the camera so that it can be used with a portable information terminal having a headphone jack for input / output of an audio signal, as well as a portable information a terminal for use with such a digital camera and a combination system consisting of a digital camera and an information terminal.

Moreover, given the fact that the portable information terminal is already equipped with a headphone jack for inputting / outputting an audio signal, this jack can be used for data transmission, therefore, the third objective of the invention is to create a portable information terminal and a digital camera for it, as well as a portable system , consisting of a digital camera and an information terminal that do not require a special connecting device or expensive interfaces.

The fourth objective of the invention is the creation of a portable information terminal and a digital camera for it, as well as a portable system consisting of a digital camera and an information terminal, which would allow easy, fast and efficient transmission of video data, in particular using serial transmission.

The fifth objective of the invention is directed to the creation of a portable information terminal that can operate with fewer buttons and does not require monitoring the screen in the display section and providing a special button for recording the image.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable information terminal comprising a jack having first and second transmitting contacts for transmitting and receiving data, which are connected to contacts 173, 174 for transmitting / receiving data of a connector 101 shown in FIG. 12.

Since there are two contacts for data transfer in this design, this allows you to connect to a connector such as a universal serial bus (hereinafter referred to as USB connector), which has a similar design.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the portable information terminal comprises a jack that further has a power contact for connecting to a power terminal 171 of the connector 101 shown in FIG. 12, and a ground contact for connecting to the ground terminal 172 of the connector 101. Due to the presence of the power contact and the ground contact, supply power from an external source.

According to a third aspect of the portable information terminal, the socket has contacts arranged in the following order from the inside to the outside of the terminal case: a first contact for data transmission, a second contact for data transmission, a ground contact and a power contact. In this design, since the housing section having the largest contact area is selected as the power contact, the problem of poor contact is eliminated even with a full rotation. Incomplete insertion of the plug also does not lead to a short circuit due to transmission through an adjacent contact. In particular, problems on the side of the terminal are eliminated because the power and ground contacts are located in the same way as in the headphone jack.

According to a fourth aspect of the portable information terminal, the jack can be used with a headphone jack. In this design, since the earphone jack in any existing portable information terminal can be used as data output, there is no need to provide a new connector for connecting the USB cable. In addition, the headphone jack can be rotated 360 degrees around the axis of the plug, but since there is no need to follow a certain orientation of the USB connector when inserted into the jack, it is convenient to use. In addition, due to the absence of a blocking device for the headphone jack, the plug connector can be removed without risk of damage. Examples of portable information terminals in which this jack can be used as a headphone jack are a portable telephone, SPT, OCA.

A seventh aspect of the portable information terminal relates to a jack in which a first data terminal corresponding to a data terminal 11d of a connector 10 of a digital camera 1 can be used for a data line, and a second data terminal corresponding to a terminal 11c for transmitting a clock signal of a connector 10 digital camera 1, can be used for the sync line.

In this design, the headphone microphone contacts can be used to transmit video data generated by a digital camera, which allows to obtain a multi-purpose portable information terminal.

The eleventh aspect of the portable information terminal further comprises a circuit switching section (switching section 125 or 126 in an embodiment of the invention) that connects the jack to a sound circuit (audio interface 19a in this embodiment) or a data processing circuit (USB interface 19c in this embodiment).

In this design, the circuit (interface) for processing input data can be switched to correspond to an external device connected to this jack, and this allows data processing corresponding to an external device.

A sixteenth aspect of the portable information terminal relates to a circuit switching section that connects the socket to a data processing circuit (USB interface 19c) when information related to the start of data transmission is input to the circuit switching section (in the embodiment described below, when the user uses the operation section 23 to switching to UWB mode, and a signal informing about this is input from the CPU 26, or a special signal indicating the connection of the USB cable is input from an external device).

In this design, if it is detected that a USB cable has been connected, the circuit switching section automatically turns on the target connection of the headphone jack so that processing corresponding to different data output from the headphone jack can be performed.

A seventeenth aspect of the invention relates to an information terminal comprising a jack having four contacts: for power, ground, clock and data.

The camera can be directly connected mechanically as well as electrically to this portable information terminal by inserting the plug of a digital camera into the socket.

The eighteenth aspect of the portable information terminal relates to four socket contacts arranged in the following order from the inside to the outside of the terminal case: a data contact, a clock signal contact, a ground contact and a power contact.

At the same time, by choosing the section of the housing that has a large contact area as the power contact, the problem of inappropriate contact can be eliminated even if it is completely rotated. Even with a partial insertion of the plug, a short circuit can be eliminated, since there are no terminals nearby. For the headphone microphone, the ground contact is located second from the base section, which eliminates problems in this output.

A nineteenth aspect of the portable information terminal relates to a jack used with a headphone jack.

In this design, since the headphone jack on the existing portable information terminal can be used to transmit video data, there is no need to provide a new jack for connecting a digital camera. A portable information terminal, in which you can use the socket as a headphone jack, includes, for example, a portable telephone, an STP, and an OCA.

The twenty-first aspect of the portable information terminal relates to a switching section of a circuit (switching section 25) that selects either a sound circuit (audio interface 19a) or an imaging circuit (video interface 19b) depending on the signal input to the socket, and then connects the selected scheme.

With this design, image recording can be started by simply connecting a digital camera.

A twenty-fourth aspect of the portable information terminal relates to a switching section of a circuit identifying a connected external device by inserting a plug of an external device into the socket by measuring electrical resistance between predetermined contacts of the plug, which allows identification of the connected device using simple electronic circuits.

A twenty-fifth aspect of the invention relates to a digital camera for a portable information terminal, to which you can connect a portable information terminal having a socket for input / output signals, including audio signals, the digital camera comprising a digital camera housing having a plug for plug-in connection with a socket, and the plug has a circular cross section.

In this design of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, the digital camera housing, which has a plug for detachable connection with a socket, allows you to select a recording angle in any direction within 360 degrees and provide adjustment in any direction by rotating the plug relative to the plug in the socket of the portable information terminal axis.

In addition, the plug of the digital camera is connected by inserting directly into the socket of a portable information terminal, and these two devices form a single terminal by mechanical and electrical connection with each other. Moreover, the connecting cable that was required in the past is no longer required, and since the digital camera and the portable information terminal are transformed into a single terminal, the image recording operation can be performed with one hand.

The twenty-sixth aspect relates to a digital camera for a portable information terminal, in which the plug is positioned so that its tip is substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the digital camera lens.

Therefore, when the plug is connected to the jack, which is normally present on the side surface of the portable information terminal, it is possible to operate with a digital camera while observing the display section of the portable information terminal.

The twenty-seventh aspect relates to a switching section provided either in a digital camera housing or in an information terminal for switching between a sound circuit and an image forming circuit, and when the jack and the plug are electrically connected, video data is transmitted from the side of the digital camera to the information terminal via the plug and nest.

Accordingly, an image recording operation can be started by simply connecting a digital camera.

The twenty-ninth aspect relates to a protruding section made around the periphery of the plug on the housing of the digital camera, so when the plug is inserted into the socket, the protruding section abuts the periphery of the socket and when the digital camera is rotated, the surface of the protruding section slides along the periphery of the socket.

In this design, the digital camera can be easily rotated relative to the portable information terminal, and in this case, the protruding section is preferably made convex.

Thirty-second aspect relates to the plug of a digital camera equipped with four contacts: for power, grounding, clock and data, respectively.

This allows you to work with a digital camera using the power supplied from the portable information terminal and transmit the recorded video data to the portable information terminal.

The thirty-sixth aspect relates to four contacts arranged in the following order, starting from the base section of the side of the digital camera body: a power contact, a ground contact, a sync signal contact, and a data contact.

Accordingly, by choosing a section of the housing that has a large contact area as a power contact, it is possible to eliminate the problem of improper contact even in the event of a complete rotation. Also, when the plug is partially inserted, a short circuit can be eliminated, because there are no pins nearby. For the headphone microphone, the grounding section is the second from the base section, which helps to prevent malfunctions in the terminal.

The thirty-seventh aspect relates to a ground contact and a clock terminal for a plug that are electrically isolated.

In this design, by determining the resistance value between the contacts, it is possible to inform the portable information terminal that a digital camera is connected to it.

A thirty-ninth aspect relates to a digital camera having an insertion section for cable passage, so that a strap-like object can be used to pass through the insertion section to facilitate carrying the camera.

The fortieth aspect relates to a digital camera for a portable information terminal having a movable element that holds the plug and is able to move with it, and a guide section that supports the movable element, allowing free movement along the longitudinal axis of the plug and allowing the plug to fit in the housing of the digital camera, so that the plug can be stored in the housing itself.

The forty-first aspect relates to a lens cap of a digital camera designed to protect the lens of a digital camera and able to detach from the lens by moving it together with the movable element, which protects the lens from dust and shock.

In a digital camera having such a design, connecting the plug and the portable information terminal using a cable having a first terminal for electrically connecting the plug and a second terminal for transmitting information output from the plug allows the camera to be moved both horizontally and vertically. Accordingly, this allows you to record images in an even wider range.

A forty-second aspect relates to a portable system consisting of an information terminal and a digital camera containing the portable information terminal according to paragraph 18, and a digital camera for the portable information terminal according to paragraph 36, connected to the portable information terminal.

A forty-third aspect relates to a portable system consisting of an information terminal and a digital camera containing the portable information terminal according to paragraph 24, and a digital camera for the portable information terminal according to paragraph 37, connected to the portable information terminal.

In this design, the determination of the resistance value between the contacts allows the portable information terminal to be informed that a digital camera is connected to it.

A forty-fourth aspect relates to a portable information terminal having a contact for receiving data and a contact for transmitting a clock signal.

In this design, video data can be input from a digital camera into a portable information terminal in a simple manner. In addition, any headphone jack provided in a conventional portable telephone can be used for a contact for receiving data and a contact for transmitting a clock signal, so there is no need to provide a new output.

A forty-fifth aspect relates to a portable information terminal, further comprising a contact for transmitting data. Moreover, by providing a contact for transmitting data and connecting a contact for receiving data from a digital camera, the portable information terminal is able to operate with a digital camera. In this case, data can be transmitted in two directions. Also, since the headphone jack of a conventional portable information terminal has four channels, such a headphone jack can be adapted for this use even if a contact for receiving data is further provided, resulting in three contacts.

A forty-sixth aspect relates to a portable information terminal having a first digital camera connection recognition section, which comprises a control section for recognizing that a digital camera has been connected to the portable information terminal when a clock signal is input to the sync terminal.

In this design, by simply inputting the clock when an external device is connected, it can be determined that the external device is a digital camera.

The forty-eighth aspect relates to a section of the synchronization line provided with a second digital camera connection recognition section, which comprises a control section for starting to generate a clock signal when an external device is connected, and for recognizing that the external device is a digital camera when the data receiving contact receives in advance certain data.

In this design, an external device can be distinguished by supplying clock signals and discriminating data input from an external device corresponding to the clock signal.

The fiftieth aspect relates to a digital camera for a portable information terminal having two contacts: a contact for transmitting data and a contact for transmitting a clock signal.

In this design, since the connected device has an output with two contacts, it is possible to transfer video data to it in a simple way without using a complex interface, etc.

The fifty-first aspect relates to a digital camera for a portable information terminal having a contact for receiving data.

In this design, it becomes possible to receive data, which allows, for example, to operate a digital camera from a device connected to it.

The fifty-second aspect relates to a digital camera for a portable information terminal, further comprising a control section that provides a clock signal via a contact for transmitting the clock signal to an external device when it is connected.

In this design, the output of the clock signal from the pin for transmitting the clock signal allows the device to which the digital camera is connected to recognize that a digital camera has been connected.

A fifty-fourth aspect relates to a digital camera for a portable information terminal, wherein when the control section receives the clock signal through the contacts for transmitting the clock signal, the camera outputs predetermined data through the contact for data transmission.

In this design, transmitting predetermined data in response to issuing a clock signal from the connected device allows the device to which the camera is connected to easily recognize that a digital camera has been connected.

The fifty-sixth aspect relates to a system consisting of a portable information terminal and a digital camera comprising a portable information terminal according to the forty-fourth aspect, and a digital camera according to the fiftyth aspect connected to the portable information terminal.

As described above, the proposed portable information terminal is provided with a contact for transmitting a clock signal and a contact for receiving data, and the digital camera is also equipped with a contact for transmitting a clock signal and a contact for data transmission, so that when mutually corresponding contacts are connected, the portable information terminal is able to perform the task of distinguishing an external device or recognition that a digital camera has been connected, as well as when transmitting video data to a portable information terminal, you can proves any image on the display section of the portable information terminal. If each of them has only one data line, it is impossible to operate with a digital camera from a portable information terminal, therefore it is preferable to provide a memory of sufficient capacity to store video data that will be transmitted from the digital camera. Also, in addition to these two contacts, providing a contact for transmitting data in a portable information terminal and a contact for receiving data in a digital camera allows controlling a digital camera from a portable information terminal. In this case, when the portable information terminal recognizes that a digital camera has been connected as an external device, the internal circuits of the portable information terminal switch to the digital camera service functions, which allows controlling the digital camera from the portable information terminal due to the fact that the operation section becomes, for example , operating section of a digital camera. Each element has a maximum of three contacts, so that the headphone jack of an existing portable information terminal can be used as it is, and there is no need to provide a special output. To provide communication between two devices, whether it is unidirectional or bi-directional communication, a step-by-step synchronization method, which is typically implemented by a synchronized serial interface and a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter, can be used.

A sixty-second aspect relates to a portable information terminal comprising: a side detection section of a terminal that detects a transmission ready signal indicative of a data ready state transmitted from a digital camera and a receiving section that receives video data transmitted from a digital camera, the receiving the section receives video data after the detection section of the terminal side detects a signal of readiness for transmission.

A sixty-third aspect relates to a portable information terminal in which, when the receiving section receives video data, it detects an anomaly in the reception of a recognition signal of the reception anomaly contained in the received video data.

A sixty-fourth aspect relates to a portable information terminal, further comprising a terminal side output section that provides a transmission request signal requesting video data to be transmitted when the terminal side detection section detects a transmission ready signal, while the terminal side output section provides a transmission request signal to the digital camera, and the receiving section receives video data transmitted from the digital camera in response to a transmission request signal.

A sixty-sixth aspect relates to a portable information terminal in which the receiving section receives video data in one unit when the transmission request signal is not interrupted.

A sixty-seventh aspect relates to a digital camera for a portable information terminal, comprising an output section on the camera side that provides a ready-to-transmit signal indicative of a ready state for transmitting video data to the portable information terminal, and a transmitting section that transmits video data in one unit to the portable an information terminal, wherein the transmitting section transmits the video data in one unit to the portable information terminal after the output section on the camera side outputs The signal is ready to transmit.

A sixty-eighth aspect relates to a digital camera for a portable information terminal having a camera-side output section for detecting a transmission request notification signal output from a portable information terminal requesting video transmission, and when the camera-side detection section detects a transmission request signal thereafter As it issues a transmit ready signal, the transmitting section transmits video data to the portable information terminal.

A sixty-ninth aspect relates to a portable system consisting of an information terminal and a digital camera comprising the portable information terminal in paragraph 62 and a digital camera for the portable information terminal in paragraph 67 connected to the information terminal.

A seventy-seventh aspect relates to a method for controlling a portable information terminal to which a digital camera can be connected, the digital camera being connected to the body of the portable information terminal and pressing a predetermined button provided in the operating section of the portable information terminal for a predetermined period of time, leading the digital the camera is in the recording state and in this state, by working with one or more buttons in the operating section, the radio, proper recording of the function assigned to this button.

Accordingly, there is no need to provide a special button for image recording purposes and therefore a smaller number of buttons is required for the image recording operation, which eliminates the need to switch to the recording mode and work in it with confirmation of each item on the display section.

The seventy-eighth aspect relates to a method for controlling a portable information terminal, in which a digital camera is switched to a recording state and held therein, and when a button is pressed from a plurality of buttons in an operation section for a period of time that is shorter than a predetermined period of time, the assigned button is executed the operation corresponding to the recording function of the digital camera in the recording state, and in this state, if one of the many buttons in the operating section is clicked on a predefined For a period of time, the portable information terminal will be brought into a certain state, activated by input from this button.

In this context, a specific state requested by input from a button is understood to mean a state included by input from a button, such as the operation of starting communication, setting parameters for a telephone function or data transfer function, composing mail and entering a telephone number. Accordingly, switching between the operating state for communication (communication mode) and the operational state for recording an image (recording mode) is facilitated due to the fact that a user-friendly system is provided.

A seventy-ninth aspect relates to a method for controlling a portable information terminal to which a digital camera can be connected, wherein when a digital camera is connected to the housing of the portable information terminal and a predetermined button provided in the operating section of the portable information terminal is pressed for a predetermined time period , the digital camera is brought into the recording state, and in this state, if the specified button is operated on in the operating section, the opera tion corresponding to the recording function assigned to this preset button.

In this method, by pressing a single button, you can switch the operating mode from communication mode to recording mode, which eliminates erroneous button presses and facilitates the process.

An eightieth aspect relates to a portable information terminal to which a digital camera can be connected, comprising an operation section having a plurality of buttons, and a control section for controlling a portable information terminal providing recording operation with confirmation of each item on the display section.

The eighty-first aspect relates to a portable information terminal, in which a control section controls the portable information terminal in such a way that the digital camera switches to the recording state and remains in it, and when one button of the plurality of buttons in the operation section is pressed for a period of time that is shorter in advance a certain period of time, the operation assigned to the pressed button is performed, corresponding to the recording function of the digital camera in the recording state, and in this state, if one button and of the buttons of the operating section is pressed for a predetermined period of time, the portable information terminal switches to a certain state, enabled by the input from this button.

Accordingly, switching between the operating state for communication (communication mode) and the operating state for recording an image (recording mode) is facilitated, since a user-friendly system is provided.

An eighty-second aspect relates to a portable information terminal to which a digital camera can be connected, comprising an operation section having a plurality of buttons, and a control section for controlling the portable information terminal in such a way that when the camera is connected to the housing of the portable information terminal and a predetermined button, provided in the operating section of the portable information terminal, pressed for a predetermined period of time, the digital camera is switched chaetsya in the recording state and in this state, if you press a predetermined button in the operation section, an operation corresponding to the recording function assigned to a given predetermined button.

Thus, working with one button, it is possible to switch the operating mode from communication mode to recording mode, and thus erroneous button presses are eliminated and the process is performed effortlessly.

Figa depicts a front view of a digital camera for a portable information terminal according to option 1-1,

figv depicts a side view of a digital camera for a portable information terminal according to option 1-1,

figs depicts a bottom view of a digital camera for a portable information terminal according to option 1-1,

fig.1D depicts a perspective view of a digital camera for a portable information terminal according to option 1-1,

figure 2 depicts an exploded view of a digital camera for a portable information terminal according to option 1-1,

figure 3 depicts schematically the connection status of a digital camera for a portable information terminal,

figure 4 depicts a block diagram of a digital camera for a portable information terminal in a connected state,

figa depicts the algorithm of the process of recording images and transmitting recorded video information,

figv depicts the algorithm of the process of recording images and transmitting recorded video information,

6A schematically illustrates a method for using a digital camera,

6B schematically illustrates a method for using a digital camera,

Fig.7 depicts an example implementation of the microphone plug of the earphone,

Fig. 8 shows an exemplary embodiment of a stereo headphone plug,

Fig.9 schematically depicts the connection of the information terminal with a digital camera using a special extension cable,

figure 10 depicts an example of using a special extension cable as a strap for connecting a digital camera with a portable information terminal,

11 depicts the appearance of a digital camera having a housing for storing the plug and the guide,

12 illustrates a USB cable 100 used in embodiment 1-2,

Fig.13 depicts a structural diagram of a configuration of a portable information terminal according to option 1-2,

Fig.14 depicts a structural diagram of a configuration of a portable information terminal according to option 1-3,

15 illustrates a portable digital camera connection device consisting of a portable information terminal and a digital camera,

Fig. 16 is a structural diagram of a configuration of a portable digital camera connection device,

Fig. 17 depicts exemplary timing diagrams of the output signals of (a) a synchronization line and (b) a data line of a digital camera, respectively, from each output of a portable information terminal and a digital camera with two contacts,

Fig. 18 depicts exemplary timing diagrams of the output signals of (a) a synchronization line and (b) a data line, respectively, of a digital camera from each terminal of a portable information terminal and a digital camera with two contacts,

Fig. 19 depicts exemplary timing diagrams of the output signals of (a) a synchronization line, (b) a data line of a digital camera and (c) a data line of a portable information terminal, respectively, from each terminal of the portable information terminal and digital camera with three contacts,

Fig. 20 depicts exemplary timing diagrams of the output signals of (a) a synchronization line, (b) a data line of a digital camera and (c) a data line of a portable information terminal, respectively, from each terminal of the portable information terminal and digital camera with three contacts,

Fig.21 depicts a timing diagram of the output signal from the data line of the digital camera shown in Fig.18, 20,

Fig depicts a structural diagram of a configuration of a portable information terminal and a digital camera in embodiment 3,

23 is a timing chart for transmitting video data from a digital camera 650 to a portable information terminal 630,

24 schematically depicts a video data structure S1,

Fig. 25 is a timing chart of outputting a clock signal to a data request signal line L1b and outputting video data to a data output signal line L1c,

26 schematically depicts an example of a table showing the elements contained in the header 400a,

27 schematically depicts exemplary marker values of an end 400c formed by 2-byte data,

FIG. 28 schematically depicts an example output sequence of the video data body 400b in the video data S1,

Fig.29 depicts a structural diagram of a configuration of a portable information terminal in embodiment 4,

Fig.30 schematically depicts a keyboard in the operating section of a portable information terminal in embodiment 4, shown in Fig.29,

Fig.31 depicts the algorithm of the control process of the portable information terminal in option 4, shown in Fig.29,

Fig. 32 is a flowchart of a process for controlling a portable information terminal in embodiment 4 of Fig. 29.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below.

1 shows a digital camera for use with a portable information terminal (hereinafter referred to simply as a “digital camera”), where FIGS. 1A-1D respectively represent a front view, a side view, a bottom view and a perspective view of a digital camera for a portable information terminal in option 1-1.

Figure 2 shows an exploded view of a digital camera according to this embodiment. The digital camera contains a top cover 2, an IR filter 3, a lens barrel 4 forming the camera lens system, a holder 5 for positioning the lens barrel 4 and blocking the penetration of light from the outside of the optical axis to the image forming element, a film 6 that prevents harmful reflection of light, CMOS IC 7 for processing an image forming element and video data, a support plate 8 for mounting the IC 7 and other electronic parts and a lower cover 9.

On the lower surface of the upper cover 2 and on the lower cover 9, semicircular cutouts 2a, 9a are made. Behind each cutout 2a and 9a there are support plates 2b, 9b and each cutout also has support plates 2b, 9b with a slot in each of them. In this case, the CMOS IC 7 can be replaced by a ROM IC.

The plug 10 is attached to the camera body by inserting the lower base section 10a of the plug 10 between the cutouts 9a, 9b of the lower cover 9 and assembling the parts 2-8, placing the upper cover 2 and inserting the upper part of the base section 10a between the cutout 2a and the support plate 2b. The plug is arranged sequentially starting from the base section side "10a, pin On for power, pin 11b for ground, pin 11c for clock, pin lid for data. Top cover 2 and bottom cover 9 are attached with screws (not shown). This the design can be fixed without using screws.

The central axis 10b of the plug 10 is oriented so that it is located at right angles to the optical axis (optical axis of the frame) 4a of the lens. The protruding part 12 is made as part of the upper and lower covers surrounding the plug 10. The protruding section 12 is a part that protrudes above the lower surface of the periphery of the base section, and it is preferable to have a convex shape with a gradual decrease in the size of the protrusion as the tip protrudes from the periphery of the base plug sections 10.

The light from the image object, propagating through the lens window 2c on the top cover 2, is introduced into the lens barrel 4 through an IR filter 2 and is focused on the image forming element CMOS IS7. The video signals stored in the image forming elements are converted into electrical signals processed in CMOS IC 7 and transmitted to plug 10. In this context, it is assumed that the video signals are output after correcting the white balance.

Figure 3 presents a diagram explaining the connection status of the digital camera.

The headphone jack 11 is formed on the right side surface 13c of the portable telephone 13.

A section of the liquid crystal display 24 is located in front, and the antenna 13b is located on the upper surface.

When the plug 10 of the digital camera 1 is inserted into the earphone jack 11 in the direction shown in FIG. 3, the digital camera 1 is electrically connected to the portable telephone 13 and mechanically locked in place.

The headphone jack 11 for connecting the plug 10 can be rotated 360 degrees about the axis 10b of the output, as shown by the bidirectional arrow A, since both terminals are round. For this reason, the lens window 2c of the digital camera can rotate relative to the front surface of the portable telephone 13 having a display section 13c in the direction A shown in FIG. Therefore, the optical axis of the lens (image recording direction) of the digital camera 1, which intersects the plug 10 at right angles, can be directed in any direction in the range of 360 degrees relative to the section 24 of the liquid crystal display.

In addition, the protruding section 12 provided on the lower surface of the digital camera touches the peripheral side surface of the earphone jack 11, sliding along it. This minimizes the protrusion distance of the digital camera 1 with respect to the portable telephone 13, as well as the contact area with the portable telephone 13. As a result, a compact device can be obtained and the sliding movement can be facilitated when the recording direction of the digital camera 1 is changed relative to the terminal axis 10b in the connected state.

In addition, since the peripheral section 1 a of the protruding section 12 of the digital camera is remote from the side surface 13 c of the portable telephone 13, if the digital camera has a cover for the headphone jack 11, it can be rotated without touching the cover so that the cover of the headphone jack 11 does not interfere with the correct the location of the digital camera.

Hereinafter, the internal circuit configuration of the digital camera 1 will be described when it is connected to the portable information terminal in Embodiment 1-1, with reference to FIG. 4. In this case, the portable information terminal is a portable telephone (including an STP).

As shown in the drawing, the digital camera 1 comprises an imaging section 14, an AD conversion section 15, a signal processing section 16, a buffer memory section 17, and an interface (IF) section 18. In this case, the capacity of the buffer memory section 17 allows one image sheet to be stored, and the memory section 20 is in the form of a semiconductor memory and cards, etc. It should be noted that the video data can be directly output to the portable telephone 13 without storing them in the buffer memory 17.

On the other hand, the portable telephone 13 comprises an IF section 19 for exchanging data with an external device connected via the headphone jack 11, a memory section 20 including a ROM, RAM with various programs and fixed data, an antenna (not shown), and a high frequency section 21 a transceiver for exchanging audio signals and other data with the destination terminal through the base station, a signal processing section 22 mainly for data processing, an operation section containing various buttons, for example, as on a ten-button panel, section The liquid crystal display 24 for displaying various data, a switching section 25 for switching the interface section 19, depending on the type of external device, and a CPU 26 for controlling each section in the execution of programs stored in the memory section 20.

The interface section 19 consists of an audio interface (IF) 19a and a video interface 19b. The audio interface 19a responds to analog audio signals input from an external connected device, such as a headphone microphone or stereo headphone, and converts such analog signals to digital signals that can be processed inside the portable telephone, and outputs the converted data to a signal processing section 22, or converts the output digital audio signal data from a memory section 20 or a signal processing section 22 to analog data and outputs this data to an external device via the headphone jack 11.

On the other hand, when the digital camera 1 is connected as an external device to the headphone jack 11, the video interface 19b provides compatibility of the data processed by the digital camera 1 and the portable telephone 13.

This means that the video data input from the headphone jack 11 is converted to data that can be processed by the portable telephone, and the processed data is output to the signal processing section 22, or the digital data output from the signal processing section 22 is converted to data that can process the digital camera 1, and the processed data is output to the digital camera 1 through the headphone jack 11.

The signal processing section 22 is a circuit specialized for processing digitized data, such as audio and video data, at high speed and may comprise, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP).

Section 24 of the liquid crystal display displays various settings of the telephone functions of the portable telephone and various menus, as well as various information related to different external devices (headphone and stereo headphones, etc.) when an external device is connected through the headphone jack.

Also part of the memory is a ROM that stores various programs for performing telephone functions, control programs and various fixed data, and the CPU 26 controls various sections of the portable telephone 13 by executing such programs. RAM (not shown) temporarily stores data processed by the signal processing section 22, data processed by the CPU 26, and various data input from outside.

The switching section 25 identifies a device connected to the headphone jack 11 and switches to an interface corresponding to the connected device.

In particular, when the switching section 25 detects that a plug is connected to the headphone jack 11, it determines the type of device by determining the resistance value between the second and third contacts on the tip of the connected plug and determines the type of device based on this value.

Hereinafter, the identification process of the connected external device by the switching section 22 will be described in more detail using specific examples of connecting a digital camera 1, a headphone microphone and stereo headphones to the headphone jack 11.

In Fig.7 illustrates an example of connecting a microphone plug of the earphone, and Fig.8 is an example of connecting a stereo headphone. The headphone plug shown in FIG. 1 has four pins: pin 71 for power, pin 72 for ground, pin 73 for receiving audio data (pin for earphone), pin 74 for transmitting audio data (pin for microphone), and in these Of the four contacts, the resistance value between the ground terminal 72 and the audio data terminal 73 is different from the resistance value between the earth ground terminal 72 and the audio data terminal 74. As for the stereo headphones shown in Fig. 8, their plug has four pins: a loose pin 81, a pin 82 for grounding, a pin 83 for receiving stereo audio data (left) and a pin 84 for receiving stereo audio data (right), and of these four contacts, the resistance value between the grounding contact 82 and the contact 83 for receiving stereo audio data (left) and the resistance value between the grounding contact 82 and the contact 84 for receiving stereo audio data (right) will approximate equal. It should be noted that in the microphone plugs of the earphone and stereo headphones, the conclusions are not isolated from each other.

In addition, for the plug 10 of the digital camera 1 shown in FIG. 2, the grounding section 11b is isolated from the contact 11c for transmitting the clock signal, therefore, the resistance value between these terminals is infinite.

Accordingly, the switching section 25 determines the resistance value between the second contact and the third contact, and if this value is infinite, it is concluded that digital camera 1 is connected, if it is not infinite, then either a headphone microphone or stereo headphones are connected, therefore, the resistance value is further determined between these two conclusions, as described above, for comparison. If, as a result of the determination, it is found that the resistance values are equal, then it is concluded that the stereo headphones are connected, and if the detected resistance values are different, then it is concluded that the headphone microphone is connected.

As described above, when the switching section 25 determines that the connected device is a digital camera 1, the IF section 19 selects a video interface corresponding to the video data to allow data transmission between the digital camera 1 and the portable telephone 13 via the video interface 19b. Also, when selecting the video interface 19b, operation buttons (not shown) in the operation section 23 of the portable telephone 13 act as function buttons predetermined for the digital camera 1. In this case, the video data is processed sequentially.

In addition, in addition to being able to automatically detect the connection of the digital camera 1 and select the video interface, the above switching section 25 can be configured to identify that the external device is the digital camera 1 when the user performs a certain operation (for example, switches the mode). Also in this embodiment, a switching section 25 may be provided on the side of the digital camera 1.

Figure 5 illustrates the process algorithm from the stage of preparation for recording images to the stage of transmission of video information.

5a, the portable telephone 13 is in a normal operating state (S501). In this state, the plug 10 of the digital camera 1 is inserted and connected to the headphone jack 11 (S502). The current state is set to camera mode (S503). The CPU 26 of the portable telephone determines whether the telephone is activated, and if the telephone is activated, the algorithm returns to S501 (S504). If the telephone is not activated, it is determined whether the digital camera 1 is activated (S505). If it is not activated, the algorithm returns to S504. If the digital camera 1 is ready to receive video data, the video data is read (S506).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the digital camera 1 connected to the portable telephone performs initialization (S512), and the recorded images are processed to output video data to the side of the portable telephone 13 through the plug 10 (S513, S514). Then, the algorithm determines whether the camera mode is off (S515), and if the answer is yes, then the process ends. In step S507 of FIG. 5A, video output from the digital camera 1 is displayed on the liquid crystal screen of the liquid crystal display section 24. Then, the algorithm determines whether the user has performed the image saving operation (S508), and if the saving operation is indicated, the video data is transmitted from the digital camera 1 through the plug 10, the headphone jack 11 and the IF section 19 to the portable telephone 13 (S509), and the video data is stored in RAM memory sections 20 (S510). Then, the algorithm determines whether the operation of transmitting recorded video data has been indicated (S511), and if it is indicated, the process proceeds to the telephone operation in step S504 and transmits the video data. If the transfer operation has not been indicated, the process returns to the normal operation of the terminal in step S501.

Next, an example of using the digital camera 1 by connecting it to a portable telephone 13 will be described. FIG. 6A shows the case of directing the lens window 2c of the digital camera 1 to a recording object 27 opposite the user and recording an image in which the user sees the image on section 24 the liquid crystal display of the portable telephone 13. In this case, the digital camera 520 mechanically holds the portable telephone 13, which allows one-handed operation.

FIG. 16B shows a case where the lens window 2c of the digital camera 1 is directed toward the user himself, holding the portable terminal device connected to the digital camera, and recording his own image while observing his own image displayed on the liquid crystal display section 24.

As described above, in the proposed device of the portable terminal for connecting a digital camera, the image recording direction can be easily changed by rotating the digital camera around the axis of the plug.

Also, using a special extension cable 50 having a headphone jack 11 'at one end and a plug 10' at the other end, and inserting the plug 10 'of a special extension cable 50 into the headphone jack 11 of the portable information terminal, you can freely manipulate digital camera 1. If you provide holder 31 on the digital camera 1 and pass a special extension cable 50 through the hole 40 for the strap made on the portable information terminal and through the holder 31 of the digital camera 1 and insert the plug 10 ' With a special extension cable 50 into the earphone jack 11 ', the digital camera can be attached to the portable information terminal and thereby facilitate its carrying. The shape of the holder 31 does not have any restrictions, it is only necessary that the hole is large enough for the strap to pass through it, and such a holder can be made in any suitable place.

In addition, by providing, in the above embodiments, a handle 32 connected to the plug 10 and a guide 33 for freely moving the handle 32 along the central axis 10b of the plug 10, as shown in FIG. 11, the plug 10 can be contained in the camera body. Having also provided a cover for protecting the lens window 2c and attaching the lens cover to the handle 32, the lens cover can be removed by moving the handle 32. This arrangement allows you to include the plug 10 in the camera body, as well as place the cover on the lens window 2c.

A sensor may also be provided to detect that the digital camera 1 has been flipped to flip the recorded image on a digital camera or on a portable information terminal.

The portable information terminal may also be configured so that position information can be attached to the recorded video data by receiving this information from the base station so that the position of the recorded image can be identified later.

Next, a portable information terminal according to embodiment 1-2 will be described.

In the example illustrated as option 1-1, the plug 10 of the digital camera 1 is connected to the headphone jack 11, and in this embodiment, the headphone jack 11 is connected to the CORN cable connector (universal serial bus) to provide high-speed data exchange with a personal computer, etc. P.

On Fig shows the cable USB 100, intended for use in this embodiment. As can be seen in this diagram, the connector 101 of the USB cable 100 has a shape that allows you to connect it to the headphone jack 11. The connector 101 has four contacts arranged in the following order, starting from the tip: the first contact 174 for transmitting / receiving data, the second contact 173 for receiving / transmitting data, the contact 172 for grounding, the contact 171 for power. The USB cable is electrically and mechanically connected to the portable telephone 13 by inserting the connector into the earphone jack 11 on the right side surface 13 c (see FIG. 3) of the portable telephone 13 in the direction shown in FIG. 3. Furthermore, due to the circular cross section of the connector 101, it can be rotated 360 degrees about the central axis 101b of the connector 100 as its axis of rotation.

In this case, the other connector 102 at the opposite end of the USB cable 100 is connected to an upstream device such as a personal computer and various data can be exchanged between the external device and the portable information terminal, including audio data, video data, text data, etc.

In addition, from the contacts provided on the connector 101, the ground contact 172 and the power contact 173 can be left free if power is not to be supplied from an external device.

13 shows an internal circuit diagram of a portable information terminal according to this embodiment. Like option 1-1, a portable telephone (including TSP) is used as a portable information terminal.

As shown in the diagram, the portable telephone 13 has a design similar to the portable telephone 13 in FIG. 4, only the internal structure of the interface section is different.

In this embodiment, the connector 101 of the USB cable 100 is connected to the headphone jack 11 in such a way that an interface is required for matching the data output from the USB cable 100 and the data processed by the portable telephone. For this reason, instead of the video interface 19b used in embodiment 1-1, the USB interface 19c is provided in the interface section 119 for converting data output from the USB cable 100 and data processed by the portable telephone 13. When the USB cable 100 is connected to the headphone jack 11, the switching section 125 connects the output of the headphone jack 11 to the USB interface 19c, and when a headphone microphone or stereo headphones is connected, the output of the headphone jack 11 is routed to the audio interface 19a.

In this case, the switching section 125 after detecting that the user has performed a certain function of the operating section 123, for example, switching the mode, performs the process of recognizing an external device (a device connected to the headphone jack 11, in this case, USB cable 100). You can automatically recognize an external device by inputting a special signal issued by an external device through a USB cable 100 and providing an additional function in the switching section 125 to recognize a given signal, which indicates that the USP cable 100 is connected. In this case, the signal must be a special signal in advance specific for a portable phone and external device.

Next, operation of the portable telephone 113 will be described.

First, when the portable telephone 113 is in the normal on state, the user inserts the USB 101 connector into the headphone jack 11 of the portable telephone 113 to provide an electrical and mechanical connection, and the current state is set to USB.

In this case, a signal informing that the mode setting is switched to USB mode is transmitted to the CPU 126 of the portable telephone 113. The CPU 126, recognizing that the mode setting has changed to USB mode, determines whether the USB cable has been connected to the headphone jack 11. If the result indicates that such a connection has occurred, the CPU 126 provides a signal to the switching section 126, notifying the establishment of the USB mode, and the switching section 125 then selects the USB interface 19c as the output interface for the headphone jack 11. When the actual data transfer begins, the inputted data from the headphone jack 11 is output to the signal processing section 122 via the USB interface 19c, and the processing section 122 processes the inputted data, after which the processed data is stored as necessary in the ROM in the memory section 120.

On the other hand, if the user instructs to transmit data from the operating section 123 of the portable telephone 113, the signal processing section 122 reads the data from the RAM or ROM of the memory section 120, and the read data is output to the EAR cable 19c and the earphone jack 11. At the same time, the required data can be transferred to an external device via a USB cable.

Next will be described option 1-3 of a portable information terminal. The portable information terminal in this embodiment has the functions provided for in the portable telephone 13 described in Embodiment 1-1, as well as the function provided for the portable telephone 113 described in Embodiment 1-2. This means that this portable information terminal can be connected to the headphone microphone, stereo headphones, digital camera 1 and USB cable as external devices through the headphone jack 11. Therefore, the portable information terminal in this embodiment is provided with an audio interface 19a, a video interface 19b, and a USB interface 19c in the interface section 219, as shown in FIG. 14, and these interfaces switch depending on the type of external device connected to the headphone jack 11. This allows you to get even more convenient portable information terminal.

Next, a digital camera and a portable information terminal according to Embodiment 2 will be described. In this case, the portable information terminal is a portable telephone (including an STP).

Fig. 15 illustrates a portable information terminal and a digital camera in Embodiment 2. In this figure, reference numeral 510 refers to a portable telephone, and reference numeral 520 relates to a digital camera.

The digital camera 520 has a lens window 522 in the central section of the camera body 521, and the plug 523 protrudes from a lower surface 521a that intersects the optical axis of the lens (not shown), for example, inside the lens window 522. The plug 523 has two contacts: a terminal 525a for transmitting a clock signal and a terminal 525b for transmitting data, or in addition to these two contacts a third terminal 525c for receiving data is also provided.

The portable telephone 510 has a display section 510, such as a liquid crystal display, on the telephone body 511, an antenna 513, a socket 514 on the side surface 511a. Socket 514 is provided with two contacts: one for receiving data and one for transmitting a clock signal to correspond to plug 523 of the digital camera 520 described above, or in addition to these two contacts, a third contact for data transmission is provided. In this case, it is preferable that the jack for the headphone microphone available on the existing portable telephone is used as a jack.

When the plug 522 of the digital camera 520 is inserted into the earphone jack 514 of the portable telephone 510, the contacts of the plug 523 and the jack 414 are in contact with other contacts of the same kind in special places of insertion, allowing the transmission of signals. Thus, a combined system of a digital camera and a portable information terminal is proposed, comprising a portable telephone 510 and a digital camera 520, connected mechanically and electrically.

Next, a circuit configuration of a portable connecting device of a digital camera will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 16, the portable telephone 510 comprises an interface (IF) section 510a for exchanging data with an external device, a memory section 510b for storing various data, an RF processing section 510c for processing data passing through the antenna, a signal processing section 510d for processing transmit / receive signals and an operation section 510e comprising a 10-button keyboard and function buttons and others operated by a user, a display section 512 served by a liquid crystal display section 510f, and a control section 510d for controlling detecting different sections of the portable telephone 510 and, in addition, slot 527 and having contact for transmitting the timing for exchanging various data with an external device, and a contact 527b for receiving data. In addition, the presence of a contact 527c for transmitting data to the headphone jack 514 allows, if necessary, to transmit data to an external device.

The control section 510 (g) is made in the form of a logic circuit controlled mainly by a microcomputer, and contains a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. The CPU performs certain calculations according to specified programs. The ROM stores control programs and control data necessary for executing various CPU programs, and RAM is used similarly for temporary storage and output of various data necessary for the CPU to perform various calculations.

The digital camera 520 comprises an imaging section 520a having an image forming element, such as a CCD (charge coupled device), an analog-to-digital conversion section 520b for converting video data expressed in analog signals into digital signals, a control section 520c for controlling various sections digital camera 520 and video processing, IF section 520e for transmitting data to the buffer memory section 520f, where the video data is stored, and from it, as well as to the connected external device and from it, contact 525a for transmitting a clock signal and contact 525b for data transmission. The capacity of the buffer memory 520d is designed to store one image sheet, and the memory section 510b contains a semiconductor memory and cards, and the like.

The control section 520c is made in the form of a logic circuit that operates mainly under the control of a microcomputer and contains a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. The CPU performs certain calculations in accordance with the specified programs. RAM stores control programs and control data necessary for executing various programs in the CPU, and RAM is used similarly for temporary storage and output of various data necessary for the CPU to perform various calculations.

To match the headphone jack 514 of the portable telephone, the plug 523 is made with two contacts - a contact 525a for transmitting a clock signal and a contact 525d for transmitting data, but a contact 525c is also provided for receiving data transmitted from an external device.

Moreover, when the plug of the digital camera 520 is inserted into the socket of the portable information terminal 510, thereby providing their electrical connection, the portable information terminal 510 and the digital camera 520 carry out the processes that will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, a case will be described with reference to FIGS. 17, 18, where there are two contacts between the portable telephone and the digital camera 520, i.e. the portable telephone 510 has a terminal 527a for transmitting a clock signal and a terminal 527b for receiving data, and a digital camera 520 has a terminal 525a for transmitting a clock signal and a terminal 525b for transmitting data. In this case, there are two possibilities: the first is to feed the clock from the digital camera 520, and the second is to feed the clock from the portable phone 510.

<Digital camera sends a sync signal>

17 is a timing chart for a clock signal and corresponding output when the portable telephone 510 and digital camera 520 are electrically connected and the clock signal is supplied from the side of the digital camera 520 to the side of the portable phone 510.

As shown in the diagrams, when the plug 523 of the digital camera 520 is connected at time t0 to the earphone jack 514 of the portable telephone 510, forming an electrical connection, the control section 520c inside the digital camera 520 generates a clock signal from the contact 525a for transmitting the clock signal (see Fig. 17a) and arbitrary data is output from the contact 525b for data transmission (see figv).

In such a process, the clock signal is input to the control section 510g of the portable telephone 510 via terminal 527 for transmitting the clock signal and the IF section 510a, and arbitrary data is input via the contact 527b for receiving data and the IF section 510a. In this case, arbitrary data can be any arbitrary data, but not data that was specially organized in advance between a digital camera and a portable telephone.

Then, after detecting the clock and data, the control section 510g determines that the currently connected external device is a digital camera 520, and the control section 510g stores the video data output from the digital camera and inputted via contacts 525b, 527b for data transmission to the memory section 510v inside the portable phone 510, and displays the received image on the liquid crystal display 510f.

The video data, after being stored in the memory section 510b of the portable telephone 510, can be freely displayed on the liquid crystal display 510f or deleted by the user by performing certain operations using the operation section 510e.

<510 handheld phone delivers clock>

FIG. 18 is a timing chart for a clock signal and corresponding output when the portable telephone 510 and digital camera 520 are electrically connected and the clock signal is supplied from the side of the portable telephone 510 to the side of the digital camera 520.

As can be seen in the diagrams, when the plug 523 of the digital camera 520 is inserted at time t0 into the earphone jack 514 of the portable telephone 510, forming an electrical connection between them, the control section 520c inside the digital camera 520 receives a clock signal via terminal 527a for transmitting the clock signal of the portable telephone 510 and terminal 525a for transmitting a clock signal and an IF section 520e of a digital camera (see Fig. 18a).

After receiving the clock signal, the control section 520c inside the digital camera 520 provides data of a given format from the data line section 525. For example, if “AA55” is set as the formatted data, the digital camera 520 outputs the signals shown in FIG. 21 to the portable telephone 510 via the data contact 525a. In particular, the control section 520c provides the predetermined data in “AA55” format to the portable telephone 510 in synchronization with the clock input. Therefore, data of a special format is input into the portable telephone 510 through the data line section 527b and the IF section 510a.

In the above example, the predefined data is not limited to the 8-bit data described above, but may include any type of data, it is only important that they are consistent between the portable telephone 510 and digital camera 520.

If the data received by the control section 510g are predetermined data, it determines that the currently connected external device is a digital camera 520, and stores the video data transmitted from the digital camera 520 through the data line sections 525b, 527b in the portable memory section 510b the telephone 510 and displays the received video data on the liquid crystal display section 510f.

In this case, the video data stored in the memory section 510b of the portable telephone 510 can be freely displayed on the liquid crystal display section 510f or deleted by the user by performing certain operations using the operation section 510e.

On the other hand, when data other than the specified format is input, or no data is entered, it is concluded that the external device currently connected is not a digital camera.

The following case concerns an example in which a portable telephone 510 and a digital camera 520 are connected through three contacts. This means that the portable telephone 510 has a terminal 527a for transmitting a clock signal, a terminal 527b for receiving data and a terminal 527c for transmitting data, and a digital camera 520 has a terminal 525a for transmitting a clock signal, terminal 525b for transmitting data and a terminal 525c for receiving data.

In this case, there are two ways to supply the clock signal: the clock signal is supplied by the side of the digital camera 520 or the clock signal is supplied by the side of the portable telephone 510.

<Digital camera sends a sync signal>

19 is a timing chart for a clock signal and corresponding output when the portable telephone and digital camera are electrically connected and the clock signal is supplied from the digital camera to the portable telephone.

As can be seen in the diagrams, when the socket 514 of the portable telephone 510 is connected at time t0 to the plug 523 of the digital camera 520, forming their electrical connection, the contact 520c for transmitting the clock signal inside the digital camera 520 gives the clock signal from the contact 525a for transmitting the clock signal (see figa ), and arbitrary data is output from terminal 525b for data transmission (see FIG. 19B).

In this process, the clock signal is input to the control section 510g of the portable telephone 510 via terminal 527 for transmitting the clock signal and the IF section 510a, and arbitrary data is input through the terminal 527b for receiving data and the IF section 510a. In this case, arbitrary data means any arbitrary data, but not the data that was previously organized between the digital camera and the portable telephone.

Then, when the control section 510g detects the clock and data, it determines that the digital device 520 is currently connected to the external device, selects the circuit in the IF section 510a corresponding to the video data, and switches the circuits.

When selecting the imaging scheme, the operation buttons and the like on the operating section 510e of the portable telephone 510 function as predetermined function buttons for the digital camera 520.

Then, when the user operates the operation section 510e as buttons for a digital camera, the control section 510g transmits signals corresponding to this operation to the digital camera 520 via the data transfer terminal 527c (see FIG. 19C). The control section 520c inside the digital camera 520 may perform various processes corresponding to the operational data to implement the processes specified by the portable telephone 510 to the digital camera 520.

<510 handheld transmits a clock signal>

20 is a timing chart for a clock signal and corresponding output when the portable telephone and digital camera are electrically connected and the clock signal is supplied from the portable telephone to the digital camera.

As can be seen in these diagrams, when the plug 523 of the digital camera 520 is connected at the time t0 to the earphone jack 514 of the portable telephone 510, providing their electrical connection, the control section 520c inside the digital camera 520 receives a clock signal through terminal 527a for transmitting the clock signal in the portable telephone 510, contact 525a for transmitting a clock signal in a digital camera and an IF section 520e (see FIG. 20A).

After receiving the clock, the control section 520c inside the digital camera 520 provides data of a given format from the data line section 525a (see FIG. 20B). For example, if “AA55” is selected as such formatted data, the digital camera 520 outputs the signals shown in FIG. 21 to the portable telephone 510 via the data transfer terminal 525a. Accordingly, data of a certain format is input into the portable telephone 510 through the data line section 527b and the IF section 510a.

Then, when the control section 510g determines this data, and if it corresponds to predetermined data, it determines that the external device currently connected is a digital camera 520, selects the circuit in the IF section 510a corresponding to the video signals, and switches the circuits.

When an image forming circuit is selected, operation buttons and the like provided in the operation section 510e of the portable telephone 510 function as predetermined function buttons for the digital camera 520.

Then, when the user operates the operation section 510e as buttons for a digital camera, the control section 510g transmits signals corresponding to this operation to the digital camera 520 via the data transfer terminal 527c (see FIG. 20C). After that, the control section 520c inside the digital camera 520 can perform various processes corresponding to the operational data to implement the processes specified by the portable telephone 510 for the digital camera 520.

On the other hand, when data other than the specified format is input, or data is not input at all, it is concluded that the currently connected external device is not a digital camera, and the control section 510g does not perform any specific processes.

Next, a portable information terminal and a digital camera for connecting to a portable information terminal according to Embodiment 3 will be described. In this embodiment, a portable telephone (including a PT) will be used as an example of a portable information terminal.

On Fig presents a structural diagram of a configuration of a portable information terminal and a digital camera for connecting to a portable information terminal.

The portable telephone 630 shown in the diagram stores or displays, depending on the need, the necessary video data received from the digital camera 650 via a special signal line. On the other hand, the digital camera 650 is powered by power supplied from the portable telephone 630, and transmits the recorded video data to the portable telephone 630 via a special signal line. The portable telephone 630 and the digital camera 650 are connected by the following signal lines L1a-L1c: a power line L1a for supplying power from the portable telephone 630 to the digital camera 650, a data request signal line L1b for issuing a request signal for video data from the portable telephone 630 to the digital camera 650, and a data output signal line L1e for transmitting (transmitting) a readiness signal and video data from the digital camera 650 to the portable telephone 630. In this case, the signal lines L1a-L1c are connected to the headphone jack J1 of the portable telephone 630.

Next will be described the design of a portable telephone 630.

The telephone control section 602 has a function (terminal detection section) for detecting a transmission ready signal indicating that it is ready to transmit video data output from the digital camera 650 via a data output line L1e, a function L1b (terminal side output section) of transmitting a transmission request signal to a digital camera 650 through the data request signal line, and a function (receiving section) for receiving video data transmitted from the digital camera 650 via the data output signal line L1e. The telephone control section 602 controls the on / off power supplied to the digital camera 650 via a power line L1a. In addition, the telephone control section 602 controls various sections of the portable telephone 630. The telephone control section 602 contains, for example, a CPU and performs its functions by executing various programs to update the function previously stored in the memory section containing ROM and the like.

The memory section 604 is a memory for storing information related to various functions of the portable telephone 630, and stores telephone numbers according to the phone book function or video data received from the digital camera 650 under the control of the telephone control section 602.

The display section 606 displays the operating states of various functions of the portable telephone 630 and displays information such as the telephone number of the transmitter and reception conditions at the time of reception, remaining battery power, and video data received from the digital camera 650 for on-demand viewing.

The power section 608 supplies power to various sections of the digital camera 650, and its power on / off function is controlled by the operation of the telephone control section 602.

The operation section 610 is used to perform various functions when using a telephone or receiving video data from a digital camera 650 and has alphanumeric buttons for entering numbers and symbols and menu buttons (not shown) for selecting various functions. The treble section 670 is used to provide the telephone function for the portable telephone 630 and comprises a treble section 670a for processing radio signals 670b and a microphone 670c. The construction of the HF section 670 is the same as that of a conventional portable telephone, and therefore is not explained in detail.

Next, the design of the digital camera 650 will be described.

The camera control section 622 has a function (output section of the output on the camera side) for transmitting a readiness signal for transmitting, indicating that the video data is ready for transmission to the portable telephone 630 via the data output signal line L1e, a function (detection section on the camera side) of detecting the request signal for a transmission requesting the transmission of video data from the portable telephone 630 via the data request signal line L1b, a function (transmission section) of transmitting video data to the portable telephone 630 via the data output signal line L1e. The control section 622 also controls the various sections of the portable telephone 630. The camera control section 622 is formed, for example, by the CPU and performs its function by executing various programs previously stored in the ROM and the like to update the functions of the camera control section 622.

A memory 624 stores data sequentially recorded by the digital camera 650, and video data is stored sequentially, for example, in the form of images. The imaging section 625 also contains the imaging functions of the digital camera 650 and has a lens and a CCD (not shown) and the like, and records an image of the recording object under the control of the camera control section 622. The image recorded by the image forming section 626 is processed by the camera control section 622 and stored in the memory 624 as video data. The digital camera 650 can also record images automatically at predetermined intervals, for example, under the control of the camera control section 622, stores the video data in the memory 624, and updates the video data at predetermined intervals.

Next, a process for transmitting video data from a digital camera 650 to a portable telephone 630 will be described. FIG. 23 shows a timing diagram for transmitting video data from a digital camera 650 to a portable telephone 630. The video data S1 consists of complete video data equivalent to a single image of a digital camera, header and marker the end. In this diagram, when a predetermined supply voltage P [V] is supplied from the portable telephone 630 to the digital camera 650 via the power line L1a (at time t0), the digital camera 650 starts its operation, and the camera control section 622 changes the state of the signal output line L1e from high impedance state (Hiz) to state H (high). Thus, the digital camera 650 informs the portable telephone 630 that it is preparing to transmit video data. At this point, the camera control section 622 initializes each section of the digital camera 650, and then processes the first image recorded by the image forming section 626 (including the video recording process) into the memory 624 (MO interval). During the MO interval, the data signal output line L1c (1) remains in the state N. When the processing described above ends, the camera control section 622 switches the data output signal line L1e to the L (low) state, while the L state transmits a transmission ready signal ( time t1). Thus, the portable telephone 630 is notified that the preparation for the transmission of video data is completed.

The telephone control section 620 detects the state L of the output data signal line L1e and provides a special signal sequentially to the digital camera 650 via the data request signal line L1b (time t2). Such a signal may be a clock signal (transmission request signal) C1 corresponding to the bit count in the video data 31. When the clock signal C1 is not output, the data request signal line L1b is normally set to L by the telephone control section 602.

In response to the clock signal C1, the camera control section 622 sequentially reads the video data S1 stored in the memory 624 and outputs it to the data output signal line L1c. When the video data S1 corresponding to one image is output, the camera control section 622 returns the data output signal line L1 to state H (time t3) and informs the portable telephone 630 that it is in a state of preparation for data transmission. At this time, the camera control section 622 is processing the second image recorded by the image forming section 622 (including recording video data for one image in the memory 624) (interval M1). After the above process is completed, the camera control section 622 switches the data output signal line L1c to state L (time t4). Thus, the portable telephone 630 is notified that the preparation for the transmission of video data is completed. After that, the processes between t1 and t4C are repeated and video data is transmitted as needed. Accordingly, the camera control section 622 transmits the video data to the image outputs and the video data is output after the transmission ready signal (state L for the data output signal line L1c) in response to the clock signal from the telephone control section 602.

The telephone control section 602 sequentially receives the video data outputted to the data signal line L1c and writes it to the memory 604, and when the video data corresponding to one image is recorded in the memory 604, it displays the video data on the display section 606 for viewing. Also, if it is necessary to stop the video data from the digital camera 650, the telephone control section 602 stops supplying a predetermined supply voltage P [V] to the digital camera 650 (time tx) to stop the operation of the digital camera 650 so as not to receive more video data. At the same time, the portable telephone 630 does not supply power to the digital camera, which helps prevent excessive battery consumption of the portable telephone 630.

On the other hand, if the portable telephone 630, for example, receives mail while receiving video data, the telephone control section gives priority to receiving mail, so that the transmission of the clock signal C2 is temporarily suspended (ΔMa, ΔMb), and the clock signal C2 is divided into clock signals C2a-C2c, which are displayed. In response to the interruption of the clock signal C2, the camera control section 622 interrupts the output of the video data S2 (ΔMa, ΔMb). When the output of the sync signal C2 resumes, starting with the sync signal (C2b and then C2c), which follows the sync signal (C2a) transmitted immediately before the interruption, the camera control section 622 sequentially outputs the video data S2 (S2b, 32c) that follows the data ( S2a) transmitted immediately before the interruption. According to this procedure, even when the telephone control section 602 temporarily interrupts the generation of the C2 clock signal to perform a task other than receiving the video data, it is possible to continue receiving the interrupted video data S2 by resuming the generation of the C2 clock signal.

Also, when the camera control section 622 updates (overwrites) the stored video data in the memory 624 at predetermined intervals (for example, 0.2 seconds) with the most recent video data, if the interrupt interval (ΔMa, ΔMb) becomes longer than the video update interval, then during of this interval, the video data in the memory 624 is updated with the most recent video data. In this case, the problem arises that the video data output from the output of the camera control section 622 according to the resumption of the C2 clock by the telephone control section 622 will be different from the image that was before the clock signal was interrupted. In this case, the camera control section 622 switches the data signal line L1c to state H and notifies the portable telephone 630 that it is in a state of preparation for transmitting video data. Meanwhile, the telephone control section 602 detects a ready-to-transmit signal and interrupts the process of resuming reception of the interrupted video data S2 (resuming issuing of the clock signal C2). Then, if it detects a signal indicating the state of the transmission permission (state L of the data output line L1c), the telephone control section 602 can carry out the normal video data reception process performed during the interval t1-t4. Using this procedure allows you to resume receiving video data without any problems when the clock signal from the digital camera 650 was interrupted for a period longer than the refresh interval of the image of the digital camera 650.

Next, the structure of the video data (frame) will be described with reference to Fig.24. In this diagram, video data S1 is composed of complete video data 400b equivalent to one image recorded by the digital camera 650, a header 400a containing attributes for one image, and an end marker 400c showing the end of the video data S1.

The relationship between the output of the clock signal and the output time of the video data will be explained below with reference to Fig.25. In this diagram, each data bit that makes up the video data S1, i.e. S1 [0], S1 [1], ... S1 [n], where n is an integer, is issued in response to the front moment t2 [0] (t2 [0] = t2), t2 [1], .. .t2 [n] of the clock signal C1. The interval M2 is the time interval between the moment of the edge t2 [n] of the clock signal C1 and the output time of each bit of data S1 [n] of the video data S1; the interval M3 represents the width of the clock signal C1 in the state H, and the interval M4 (M5) represents the period of one cycle of the clock signal C1 (frequency). In this case, the clock signal C1 is output at a constant interval, but this period can sometimes vary between M4 and M5 depending on the processing status in the telephone control section 602. In such cases, the output time of bit data S1 [n] of the video data S1, respectively (S1 [1] -S1 [2]) also changes.

On Fig shows the structure of the header 400A. The header 400a may, for example, contain 32 bytes, indicating elements such as / false / to detect anomalies in the received data, as will be described below / confirmation of the start of video data /, attributes of the main video data, such as / image width / and / image height / and etc.

As long as the clock from the telephone control section 602 is not interrupted, the camera control section 622 transmits data for each title element 400a as a whole as video data S1 (Fig. 24). Therefore, the acknowledgment operation (the steps of exchanging confirmation commands that the transmitter and receiver are both ready to start the transmit / receive operations), which was necessary for each header element in the past, can now be performed in one step and this reduces the time required for the acknowledgment operation.

Also, the telephone control section 602 is capable of detecting an anomaly in the received video data by reconciling elements in the header 400a of the video data S1, such as / false / data and data / confirmation of the start of the video data /, with the given values. For example, if / false / data in the received video data is equal to “552A” (hexadecimal number), then they differ from the fixed value “AA55” ((hexadecimal number) and therefore are considered anomalous.

On Fig presents an example of a data value of a 2-byte marker end 400c. In this diagram, the end marker has a data value of “FFD9” (a hexadecimal number) and is data showing the end of the video data S1.

On Fig shows an example of the output sequence of video data S1. In this diagram, after the header 400c, the complete video data 400b is sequentially transmitted and the end marker 400c is transmitted last.

In this embodiment, a digital camera 650 may be installed directly on the portable telephone 630 to form a terminal of two terminals. In this case, there is no need to connect the cable and provides additional ease of use.

The option described above is also an example of using a clock signal to request the transmission of video data from a portable information terminal to a digital camera, but the data transmission method is not limited to this case. For example, after notifying the portable information terminal that it is ready to transmit video data from a digital camera, video data can be transmitted from the digital camera at the appropriate time. In this case, the data request signal line between the portable information terminal and the digital camera becomes unnecessary to facilitate interconnection, and this reduces the cost of production by reducing the number of signal lines for connectors and cables. The contents of the header and end marker containing the video data (frames) may vary depending on the type, function and portability of the digital camera and portable information terminal.

Hereinafter, a portable information terminal according to Embodiment 4 will be described. In this case, a portable telephone (including an STP) is used as an example of a portable information terminal.

On Fig presents the electrical configuration of a portable information terminal according to this option. In the diagram, a portable telephone 700 comprises an antenna (not shown), an RF processing section 701 for processing audio signals, and the like. with a responding terminal through a base station, a signal processing section 702, an operation section 704 having various buttons, for example a ten-button section, a display section 706 for displaying various data, a ROM 708 for storing various programs and fixed data, RAM 716, an external memory interface section 710 The CPU 712 for general control of the various sections and the portable terminal interface section 714.

The signal processing section 702 is a circuit for performing functions such as encoding and decoding audio signals, modulating received signals decoded in the high-frequency processing section 701, outputting to a speaker (not shown), and encoding audio signals to input an audio call from a microphone (not shown) ) and issuance to section 701 RF processing.

30, the operating section 704 provided on the housing of the portable telephone includes various buttons, such as a start button for receiving a call, an end button for ending a call, numeric buttons (also with the alphabet), a ten-button section 704A including a button #, a button * and other code buttons, the F button to set functions, the power button to turn on / off the power, the clear button to clear the settings, the mail manager button to send a request, and more.

The display section 706 displays settings and menu information for providing the telephone functions of the portable information terminal 700, as well as video information such as recording parameters to be used when connecting the camera 800 to the portable information terminal.

ROM 708 stores various programs for providing telephone functions and control programs, as well as various fixed data.

RAM 716 stores temporary data processed by the CPU 712 and various data inputted externally through the external memory interface section 710.

The camera 800 consists of a digital camera 801 and a digital camera interface section 802 and can be connected to the portable telephone 700 using the headphone jack typically provided on the portable telephone 700. FIG. 29 shows a block diagram of a portable telephone 700 connected to the camera 800 which the clock signal is supplied from the camera 800 to the side 700 of the portable telephone via the control line 730, the control line 731 transfers control data from the side of the portable telephone 700 to the camera 800, and the signal line 732 transmits video data Recorded by the digital camera 801.

The control operations for switching the operating mode are performed by the CPU 712 and this process will be described below with reference to the algorithms shown in FIGS. 31 and 32. The portable telephone 700 has two operating modes — the audio mode and the recording mode. The sound mode is the operating mode used when the portable telephone 700 operates as a telephone, and the recording mode allows you to record an image when a camera is connected to the portable telephone 700 by operating the buttons of the operation section 704 of the portable telephone 700.

When the power buttons are pressed in the operating section 704, as shown in FIGS. 31, 32, the operating mode of the portable telephone 700 is set to the sound mode and the telephone function is turned on (step S300). Then, in step S301, it is determined whether the camera 800 is connected to the portable telephone 700. The process of distinguishing the connection of the camera 800 can be implemented by providing means for detecting the connection of the connector to the headphone jack of the portable telephone 700, and the detection signal is received and used for this determination. The determination can also be made depending on whether or not the signal of the digital camera 801 of the camera 800 has been output to the portable telephone 700 via the digital camera interface section 802. You can, of course, use other methods.

If it is determined in step S301 that the camera 800 is not connected to the portable telephone 700, then the algorithm proceeds to step S312 and the process ends, leaving the setting in sound mode.

If it is determined in step S301 that the camera 800 is connected to the portable telephone 700, then in step S302 it is determined whether the button in the operation section 740 that is normally used for the communication function (telephone function in this embodiment) of the portable telephone 700 has been pressed. In this embodiment the specified button is, for example, the F button.

The F button is normally used in conjunction with the number buttons for a specific function of the telephone functions, but in this case it is assumed that the F button is intended to switch the sound mode to recording mode when the camera 800 is connected to the portable telephone 700. If it is determined in step S302 that the F button was pressed as the mode switching button, then it is determined in step S303 whether it was pressed by a long press that requires pressing the button for a certain duration. If it is determined in step S302 that the F button has not been pressed, or it is determined in step S303 that the F button has been pressed by briefly pressing the button for a shorter time than the specified duration, the algorithm proceeds to step S312 and the process ends with saving installation in sound mode.

If, in step S303, it is determined that the F button is pressed for a long time, during which the button is pressed for a certain duration, the algorithm switches to the recording mode, which allows you to control the camera 800 using the buttons in the operation section 704 of the portable telephone 700 (step S304). At this point, reflected light from the recorded object is received in the recording section (not shown) of the digital camera 801 and converted into video data in the recording section in accordance with the brightness of the recorded object, and video data of the recorded object is output from the signal line 732 to the side of the portable telephone 700 via section 802 the digital camera interface in synchronization with the clock signals issued from the control line 730. The CPU 712 accesses the video data through the portable telephone interface section 714 and transfers them to the display section 706 i.

As a result of this, an image based on the video data from the output of the digital camera 801 is displayed in the display section 706 of the portable telephone 700 (step S305). Then, in step S306, it is determined whether the F button has been pressed to change the mode. If it is determined in step S306 that the button F has been pressed, then in step S307 it is determined whether the button F has been pressed by briefly pressing. If it is determined that the F button was pressed by briefly pressing it, it acts as a shutter button and the digital camera 801 records the image of the recorded object (step S308) and the recorded still image is displayed on the display section 706 (S309).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S307 that the F button was pressed by long pressing, the mode switches from the recording mode to the audio mode (step S313) and the process ends. The state of the portable telephone 700 in audio mode corresponds to a certain state requested by the state of the input button. In this case, a certain state means a state that is activated by the enter button, such as the operation of starting a call, setting parameters for the telephone function or data transfer functions, composing mail or entering phone numbers.

After the still image recorded in step S309 is displayed on the display section 706, a determination is made whether the recording process is completed (step S310). This determination may be based on highlighting the end button in the operating section 704 as the end button of the recording when the recording mode is active, and this determination is made depending on whether or not the end button has been activated.

If it is determined in step S310 that the recording process is completed, the algorithm goes into sound mode (step S311) and this process ends. If it is determined in step S310 that the recording process is not finished, the algorithm returns to step S306 and the above process is repeated.

In this embodiment, the portable information terminal can operate in such a way that when receiving mail, when the terminal is in recording mode, the mode switches to the mail receiving mode.

In this embodiment, also the specific button in the operating section 704, normally assigned to the telephone function, is used as the mode switch button to switch between the audio mode and the recording mode when the camera 800 is connected to the portable telephone 700, and in addition, when the terminal is in the mode recording, this button is used as a function button that provides functions that relate to recording operations, for example, as a shutter button, but instead of highlighting only one button for the function s related to the write operation for image recording functions, you can select several different buttons.

In addition, in this embodiment, the shutter button is selected to represent a function related to image recording operations, but this selection is not a limitation, and the button can be highlighted to perform other functions, such as a zoom operation or setting recording conditions.

Also, before or after switching to the recording mode, you can switch from the sound mode to the recording mode or from the recording mode to the sound mode by short or long pressing, provided that such an operation can be distinguished from other operations.

The present invention has been embodied in the examples described above with reference to the drawings, however, its specific structural solutions are not limited to these examples and include other structural solutions that are not beyond the scope of the invention.

For example, in options 1-1-1-4, a portable telephone (including TFT) was used as the preferred portable information terminal, however, this case is not restrictive and any terminal is suitable if it can be connected to portable personal computers, electronic notebooks and digital cameras.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to a first aspect, the portable information terminal has two contact points for transmitting and receiving data, which allows connection to a USB cable having a similar construction. Therefore, it is not necessary to take with you the usually necessary PC-card and you can get a convenient portable information terminal. In addition, it is possible to exchange data between a portable information terminal and a personal computer without a slot for a PC card, while other peripheral devices on the side of the personal computer can work in parallel.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the portable information terminal has a power contact and a ground contact, and therefore it is possible to supply power from an external source. This reduces the power consumption of the portable phone.

According to the third aspect of the portable information terminal, the socket contacts are arranged in the following order from the inner side to the external side of the terminal case: a contact for transmitting / receiving data, a second contact for transmitting / receiving data, a ground contact and a power contact, which eliminates the problem of poor contact even when the section A housing having a large contact area rotates fully to serve as a voltage source. In addition, this eliminates the short circuit due to the absence of an adjacent contact even with partial insertion of the plug. In particular, problems on the side of the terminal are eliminated because the location of the power contact and the ground contact corresponds to the location of the contacts of the earphone jack.

According to a fourth aspect of the portable information terminal, it is not necessary to provide a new connector for connecting a USB cable, since the headphone jack provided in any existing portable information terminal can be used as an output for data transmission. This allows you to reduce the size, weight and cost of the portable communication terminal and at the same time provide a convenient portable information terminal. In addition, since the earphone jack can be rotated 360 degrees around the axis of the plug, there is no need to observe a certain orientation of the USB connector when inserting it into the jack, which is also convenient to use. Due to the absence of a blocking mechanism, it is possible to carry out the disconnection safely.

According to a fifth aspect of the portable information terminal, in the terminal output, a first data transmission contact, namely, a data transmission-reception contact can be used as a data line contact, and a second data transmission contact, namely, a data transmission-reception contact can be used as contact for the clock line, which allows you to get a multi-purpose portable information terminal. Thus, you can get a portable information terminal that responds to changing user needs and has great practicality.

According to a sixth aspect of the portable information terminal, a circuit switching section is further provided that connects the socket to a sound circuit or a data processing circuit, and therefore, depending on the external device connected to the socket, the circuit for processing input and output data is switched, allowing processing of data corresponding to the external device. This allows a single socket connection even for external devices that process different data.

According to a seventh aspect of the portable information terminal, if it is detected that a USB cable has been connected, the circuit switching section automatically includes target connection of the earphone jack depending on the connected device, and this allows processing in accordance with different data output from the earphone jack.

According to an eighth aspect of the portable information terminal, a socket is provided having four contacts for powering, grounding, transmitting a clock signal and transmitting data, and therefore, by inserting the plug of a digital camera into the socket, a mechanical as well as an electrical connection can be made directly. This allows you to receive power from a portable information terminal, record images, and send recorded images to a portable information terminal.

According to the ninth aspect of the portable information terminal, the socket contacts are arranged in the following order from the inside to the outside of the terminal case: a data contact, a clock signal contact, a ground contact and a power contact, which eliminates the problem of poor contact, even if the housing section , which has a large contact area, rotates fully to serve as a voltage source. In addition, it is possible to exclude a short circuit even when the plug is partially inserted, since there are no terminals nearby. For the headphone microphone, the ground contact is located second from the base section, which eliminates problems in this output.

According to a tenth aspect of the portable information terminal, the jack can be used as a headphone jack, and therefore, the headphone jack on any existing portable information terminal can be used as data output and there is no need to provide a new jack for connecting a digital camera. This allows you to reduce the size, weight and cost of a portable communication device and at the same time get a convenient portable information terminal.

According to an eleventh aspect of the portable information terminal, since there is provided a switching section of a circuit that selects either a sound circuit or an image forming circuit depending on a signal input to the jack, and then connects the selected circuit to the jack, image recording can be started by simply connecting a digital camera.

According to a twelfth aspect of the portable information terminal, when the plug of the external device is inserted into the socket, the circuit switching section measures the electrical resistance between the predetermined contacts of the plug and thereby identifies the connected external device. This allows you to identify the connected device using simple electronic circuits.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, there is provided a digital camera for a portable information terminal, to which a portable information terminal having a jack for input / output of audio signals can be connected, the housing of the digital camera is provided and the plugs are made so that they are almost perpendicular to the optical axis of the digital camera lens , and when the plug is inserted into the socket of the portable information terminal, the body of the digital camera rotates on the axis of the plug. In addition, when the digital camera according to the invention is connected to the portable information terminal, since it is possible to freely adjust the recording direction of the image, it is possible to realize a digital camera that is convenient to operate. Also, since any socket already on the portable information terminal can be used to form a connection, there is no need to provide a separate path for receiving the connection terminal, and an inexpensive product can be obtained. In addition, through the integration of a digital camera with a portable information terminal, the image recording operation can be performed with one hand, which also increases user convenience.

In this design, it is also possible to arbitrarily vary the angle of connection of the plug within 360 degrees by making a circular cross section of the plug, and this angle can be adjusted by rotating the axis of the plug in the connected state in the center.

According to the fourteenth aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, since the plugs are arranged so that they are substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the digital camera lens, when the plug is connected to a jack, which is usually present on the side surface of the portable information terminal, it is easy to mount the digital camera in the optimum position while observing the display section of the portable information terminal.

According to a fifteenth aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, a switching section is provided either in the digital camera housing or in the portable information terminal for switching between a sound circuit and a video circuit, and when the jack and plug are electrically connected, video data is transmitted from the digital camera side to the information terminal via plug and socket. As a result, after simply connecting the digital camera, it is possible to immediately start the image recording operation.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the digital camera for a portable information terminal, the protrusion section is made around the periphery of the plug on the digital camera body, so when the plug is inserted into the socket, the protrusion section abuts the periphery of the socket and when the digital camera is rotated, the surface of the protrusion section slides along the periphery of the socket, which makes it easy rotate the digital camera by sliding relative to the portable information terminal.

According to a seventeenth aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, the plug is provided with four contacts for powering, grounding, transmitting a clock signal and data transmission, and therefore, it is possible to operate a digital camera using power supplied from the portable information terminal and transmit recorded video data to the portable information terminal . Since a device for supplying power to a digital camera housing is not required, cost, weight and size can be reduced.

According to an eighteenth aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, four contacts are arranged in the following order, starting from the base section of the side of the digital camera body: a power contact, a ground contact, a clock signal contact, and a data contact, and even when the section that has a large contact area, is selected as a contact for power, you can eliminate the problem of improper contact, even in the case of a complete turn. In addition, when the plug is only partially inserted, a short circuit can be eliminated because there are no terminals nearby. For the headphone microphone, the grounding pin is the second from the base section, which helps prevent malfunctions in the terminal.

According to a nineteenth aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, the ground terminal and the clock terminal on the plug are electrically isolated. In this design, by determining the resistance value between the contacts, it is possible to inform the portable information terminal that a digital camera is connected to it. As a result, the portable information terminal can be easily notified with the aid of a simple circuit design that another plug is connected and that a digital camera is connected, thereby reducing cost and reducing size.

According to a twentieth aspect of the digital camera for the portable information terminal, an insertion section is provided, and therefore, after passing the strap through the insertion section into the loop hole provided in front of the portable information terminal, the digital camera and the case of the portable information terminal can be combined to facilitate carrying by connecting the ends of the strap .

According to a twenty-first aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, there is provided a movable member that holds the plug and is able to move with it, and a guide section that supports the movable member, allowing free movement along the longitudinal axis of the plug and allowing the plug to fit in the housing of the digital camera, to provide portability.

According to a twenty-second aspect of a digital camera, a lens cap is provided for the portable information terminal to protect the lens of the digital camera and can be detached from the lens by moving it together with the movable element, which allows you to place the plug in the body of the digital camera and at the same time close the lens with a cap and Protect it from dust and shock.

According to a twenty-third aspect of a digital camera connected to a portable information device, it is possible to determine the type of external devices such as a digital camera connected to a portable information terminal by connecting the digital camera and the portable information terminal having mutually corresponding connection points, and furthermore an arbitrary image can be displayed on a display section of a portable information terminal by sending video data to portable th information terminal. In addition, since the digital camera for the portable information terminal is directly mounted on the portable information terminal, there is no need for a cable for connection and it is convenient to operate the digital camera. Also, due to the possibility of using the headphone jack on an existing portable information terminal as a jack for connecting a digital camera, special input is not required and this reduces the cost of the product.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the portable information terminal, there is provided a contact for transmitting video data from a plug of a digital camera electrically connected to a contact for receiving data, and a contact for transmitting a clock signal from a plug of a digital camera connected to a contact for transmitting a clock signal, whereby video data from a digital camera you can simply enter from the camera into a portable information terminal, and in addition, for a contact for receiving data and a contact for transmitting a clock signal, you can use Call of the headphone jack, provided in any conventional portable phone, so there is no need to provide a new special conclusion, and it can reduce the size of the device and reduce its cost.

According to the twenty-fifth aspect of the portable information terminal, a contact for transmitting data is further provided, and since this allows data to be exchanged with the portable information terminal in two directions, the functions of the portable information terminal can be expanded and provide additional value. In addition, the headphone jacks on any conventional portable information terminal have four channels, and even if the data contact as described above has three contacts, since using this headphone jack is generally sufficient, it becomes possible to transmit and receive data. for example, without using an expensive interface. This allows for a reduction in the size and cost of the device.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the portable information terminal, in the case of inputting the clock signal into the transmission contact, a first digital camera connection recognition device is provided which recognizes that a digital camera is connected. Thus, when inputting from external devices when the clock signal is input, it can be easily determined whether the external device is a digital camera and the digital camera can be easily connected using the connection terminal available on the portable information terminal.

According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the portable information terminal, the control section starts generating a clock signal for the external device through a contact for converting the terminal clock signal to the clock signal of the external device when it is connected, and then, in the case of receiving predetermined data, a second digital connection recognition device is provided in the first section of the data line a camera that recognizes that a digital camera is connected, and therefore you can easily identify external devices, and a portable information terminal can be made with a simple scheme.

According to the twenty-eighth aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, since there are only two contacts — a data contact and a clock contact — when the connected devices have two contacts, data can be transmitted, and therefore video data can be transferred to the connected device in a simple way without using a complicated interface, etc. As a result, you do not need to use a complex interface and you can get a miniature and inexpensive product.

According to the twenty-ninth aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, by providing an additional contact for receiving data, it is possible to receive data and this allows, for example, controlling a digital camera from a device connected to the target connection. Thus, a digital camera with added value can be realized.

According to a thirtieth aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, since the control section starts to generate a clock signal and output it to an external device when it is connected, it can be easily determined whether the digital camera has been connected with respect to the device at the end of the connection / destination, and this can be provide without the use of an expensive interface and using a simple circuit design.

According to the thirty-first aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, since when the control section receives a clock signal through a contact for transmitting a clock signal, it outputs predetermined data through a contact for data transmission, this makes it easy to recognize at the destination connection whether the digital camera has been connected to the devices, which can be implemented without using an expensive interface using a simple circuit design.

According to a thirty-second aspect of a portable information device connected to a digital camera, the portable information terminal described above is connected to a digital camera and this makes it easy to implement a type of external device such as a digital camera connected to a portable information terminal. In addition, in the case of unidirectional communication, the number of pins is two, and in the case of bidirectional communication, their number is three. However, in any case, since you can use the headphone jack available on existing portable information terminals, you can implement an economical connection between the portable information terminal and a digital camera and at the same time shorten the project cycle. In addition, due to the fact that it is possible to transmit and receive data using the headphone jack, compared with the case of transmitting and receiving data using, for example, infrared radiation and ES-232, there are no problems with directivity and cables and the use environment can be favorable for the user.

According to the thirty-third aspect of the portable information terminal, the portable information terminal (portable telephone) detects a video data ready signal that is transmitted from the digital camera, and receives video data sent from the digital camera based on this transmission, and therefore, acknowledgment (acknowledgment) of the start is not required transmission by transmitting and receiving a given command between them, as is usually done, and you can quickly transmit video data to a portable information terminal.

According to the thirty-fourth aspect of the portable information terminal, the portable information terminal detects an anomaly in receiving video data based on the reception anomaly identification signal (information in the header) included in the received video data, and thus the error and video input and display of the portable information terminals can be prevented.

According to the thirty-fifth aspect of the portable information terminal, using the signal to prepare for transmission, the portable information terminal notifies the digital camera that the video data is in a state of readiness for transmission and therefore they can be entered under satisfactory conditions regarding the operating state of the portable information terminal.

According to the thirty-sixth aspect of the portable information terminal, all video data from a digital camera can be received at once, and therefore, they can be sent all together and not divided into small data packets (one byte in size), as is usually done, which allows the portable information terminal to receive data quickly and efficiently.

According to the thirty-seventh aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, the usual acknowledgment operations can be performed all at once, which reduces the time spent on them. In addition, after the portable information terminal has been notified that the video data from the digital camera is in a state of readiness for transmission because they are sent properly, the data request signal line between the portable information terminal and the digital camera becomes unnecessary, the connection is simplified and At the same time, the cost of production is reduced by reducing the number of signal lines on the contacts and cables for the connections.

According to a thirty-eighth aspect of a digital camera for a portable information terminal, there is provided camera side detection means for detecting a transmission request signal requesting transmission of video data with a notification from the digital camera, and if the camera side detection means detects a transmission request signal after it outputs a signal preparing for transmission, the transmitting section transmits video data to a portable information terminal, which ensures the sending of video data with satisfactory conditions regarding the operating status of the portable information terminal.

According to the thirty-ninth aspect of the portable information terminal connected to the digital camera, the digital camera for the portable information terminal is directly mounted on the portable information terminal, and therefore, there is no need for a cable for connection and the handling thereof is facilitated.

According to the fortieth aspect of the method of controlling a portable information terminal, there is no need to provide special buttons for image recording functions and a sufficiently small number of buttons to operate during image recording, and there is no need to perform confirmation operations on the display device screen one after another in order to switch to a state readiness for image recording and image recording operations. Therefore, since there is no need for buttons dedicated to the image recording function, the portable information terminal can be compact. Also, the operation of sequential confirmation on the screen of the display section to switch to the ready state for recording the image becomes unnecessary and this eliminates the operation of confirming the installation status while monitoring the screen of the display section and the operation of the buttons.

According to the forty-first aspect of the method of controlling a portable information terminal, the digital camera is put into a state of readiness for recording, and if any button from the set of buttons in the operation section is pressed for a period of time that is shorter than the constant time described above, an operation corresponding to the image recording function is performed a camera assigned to those buttons that are operated in a state of readiness to record an image, and if any button from the set of buttons in the operating section is pressed continuously At the same time, the control is carried out in such a way that the state entered by the preset button is shifted, and this facilitates the switching between the working mode of readiness for transmission (communication mode) and the mode of readiness for recording an image (image recording mode), creating convenience for the user.

According to a forty-second aspect of a method for controlling a portable information terminal, provided that the camera is connected to the portable information terminal, if an operation is performed in which a particular button among the plurality of buttons in the operation section is continuously pressed for a period longer than a certain time, the digital camera switches to the recording ready state and in this state, if a particular button is pressed, an operation corresponding to the recording function assigned to that button is performed, i.e., due to s with one button when switching between the transmission mode and an image recording mode eliminates errors in operation with buttons and simplified work.

In addition, switching to the image recording ready state and the image recording operation can be performed with a single button, and when performing these operations, there is no need to confirm them one by one on the screen of the display section, which eliminates complicated work with the buttons and provides confirmation of the installation status when monitoring the screen section of the display.

According to a forty-third aspect of the portable information terminal, an operating means is provided having a plurality of buttons and a control means in which, provided that a digital camera is connected to the portable information terminal, if an operation is performed in which a particular button among the plurality of buttons in the operation section is continuously pressed for more than for a certain time, the camera switches to the ready state for recording the image and in this state if then one of the many buttons is pressed operation section, the operation corresponding to the camera image recording function assigned to this button is performed, so that there is no need to provide buttons allocated for the image recording function, a small number of buttons to operate during image recording, and there is no need to perform confirmation operations on the screen one after another display devices to perform a switch to the image recording ready state and the image recording operation. In addition, since a small number of buttons are enough to work during image recording, errors in working with buttons are eliminated and operation is simplified. The sequential confirmation operation on the screen of the display section also becomes unnecessary in order to switch to the ready state for recording the image and the image recording operation, and this eliminates the complexity of the operation of confirming the status of the settings while observing the screen on the display section.

According to the forty-fourth aspect of the portable information terminal, the control section sets the digital camera in a state of readiness for recording and the control is performed in such a way that in case of an operation in which one of the plurality of buttons in the operating section is pressed in this condition for a period of time that is shorter a constant period of time, the operation corresponding to the recording function of the camera image assigned to the pressed button is performed, and in the case of performing an operation in which one button from the set of buttons of the operating section is pressed for a long period of time, the input state of the predetermined button is shifted, which means that the switching between the state of the operation of readiness for communication (communication mode) and the state of the operation of readiness for recording an image (recording mode of the image) is facilitated, which facilitates the user’s work.

According to a forty-fifth aspect of the portable information terminal, there is provided an operation section having a plurality of buttons and a control section in which a state when the camera is connected to the portable information terminal if an operation is performed in which a particular button of the plurality of buttons in an operation section of the portable information terminal pressed continuously for a time longer than a certain time, the digital camera switches to the ready state for recording and in this state, if A certain button, the operation corresponding to the recording function assigned to this button is performed, and this switching between the communication mode and the image recording mode can be performed using a single button, so that errors in the operation of the buttons are eliminated and operation is simplified. In addition, switching to the recording ready state and the image recording operation can be performed with a single button, so there is no need for sequential confirmation on the display screen and complex operation of the buttons to confirm the status of the settings while monitoring the display screen.

Claims (41)

1. A portable information terminal comprising a jack having first and second transmitting contacts for transmitting and receiving data, in which the jack is suitable for use as a headphone jack. 2. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, in which the socket also contains a contact for power and a contact for grounding. 3. The portable information terminal according to claim 2, in which the socket contacts are arranged in the following order from the inside to the outside of the terminal case: the first contact for data transfer, the second contact for data transfer, the ground contact and the power contact. 4. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, in which the first contact for data transmission is made suitable for use in a data line, and the second contact for data transmission is made suitable for use in a clock line. 5. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, which also comprises a circuit switching section connecting the socket to a sound circuit or a data processing circuit. 6. The portable information terminal according to claim 5, wherein the circuit switching section connects the socket to the data processing circuit when information related to the start of data transmission is input to the circuit switching section. 7. A portable information terminal containing a jack having four contacts: for power, ground, clock and data, in which the jack is made suitable for use as a headphone jack. 8. The portable information terminal according to claim 7, in which four socket contacts are arranged in the following order from the inside to the outside of the terminal case: a contact for data transmission, a contact for transmitting a clock signal, a contact for grounding, and a contact for power. 9. The portable information terminal according to claim 7, comprising a circuit switching section that selects either a sound circuit or an image forming circuit depending on a signal input to the socket, and then connects the selected circuit to the socket. 10. The portable information terminal according to claim 9, in which when the plug of the external device is inserted into the socket, the switching section of the circuit identifies the connected external device by measuring the electrical resistance between the predetermined contacts of the plug. 11. A digital camera for a portable information terminal having a jack suitable for use as a headphone jack, a housing having a plug for detachably connecting to the jack, the plug having a circular cross section. 12. The digital camera according to claim 11, to which you can connect a portable information terminal having a socket for input / output signals, including audio signals, comprising a housing having a plug for detachable connection with a socket that has a circular cross section, and the socket is made suitable for use as a headphone jack. 13. The digital camera according to claim 11, in which the plug is positioned so that its tip is essentially perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens of the digital camera. 14. The digital camera according to claim 11, which comprises a switching section of the circuit either in the digital camera housing or in the portable information terminal for switching between the audio circuit and the image forming circuit, and when the socket and the plug are electrically connected, video data is transmitted from the digital camera side to the information terminal through the plug and socket. 15. The digital camera for the portable information terminal according to claim 11, in which a protruding section is made around the periphery of the plug on the digital camera body, so that when the plug is inserted into the socket, the protruding section abuts the periphery of the socket and when the digital camera is rotated, the surface of the protruding section slides around the periphery nests. 16. The digital camera for the portable information terminal according to claim 11, in which the plug has four contacts: for power, grounding, clock and data. 17. The digital camera for the portable information terminal according to clause 16, in which the four contacts of the plug are arranged in the following order, starting from the base section of the side of the housing of the digital camera: a contact for power, a pin for grounding, a pin for transmitting a clock signal and a pin for data transfer. 18. The digital camera for the portable information terminal according to clause 16, in which the contact for grounding and the contact for transmitting the clock signal of the plug are electrically isolated. 19. The digital camera for the portable information terminal according to claim 11, which further comprises an insertion section for cable passage. 20. The digital camera for the portable information terminal according to claim 11, which comprises a movable element holding the plug and capable of moving with it, and a guide section supporting the movable element and allowing it to move freely along the longitudinal axis of the plug and allowing the plug to fit in the digital housing cameras. 21. The digital camera for the portable information terminal according to claim 20, which further comprises a lens cap for protecting the lens of the digital camera, the lens cap being able to be removed from the lens when moving with the movable element. 22. A portable information terminal comprising a contact for receiving data and a contact for transmitting a clock signal in which the jack is suitable for use as a headphone jack. 23. The portable information terminal according to item 22, which also contains a contact for data transfer. 24. The portable information terminal of claim 22, which further comprises a first digital camera connection recognition section for recognizing that a digital camera has been connected to the portable information terminal when a clock signal is input through a contact for transmitting a clock signal. 25. The portable information terminal according to claim 22, which comprises a second digital camera connection recognition section for starting to generate a clock signal when connecting an external device and for recognizing that the external device is a digital camera when a data receiving contact receives predetermined data. 26. A digital camera for a portable information terminal, comprising a contact for transmitting data and a contact for transmitting a clock signal, in which the jack is suitable for use as a headphone jack. 27. A digital camera for a portable information terminal according to claim 26, which also comprises a contact for receiving data. 28. The digital camera for the portable information terminal according to claim 26, which further comprises a control section that outputs a clock signal to the external device when it is connected through a contact for transmitting the clock signal. 29. The digital camera for the portable information terminal of claim 28, wherein when the control section receives a clock signal through a contact for transmitting a clock signal, it outputs predetermined data through a contact for data transmission. 30. A portable information terminal comprising a detection section on a terminal side that detects a transmission ready signal indicative of a data ready status transmitted from a digital camera and a receiving section that receives video data transmitted from a digital camera, wherein the receiving section receives video data after the detection section on the terminal side detects a transmit ready signal. 31. The portable information terminal of claim 30, wherein when the receiving section receives video data, it detects an anomaly in the case of receiving a discrimination signal of a reception anomaly contained in the received video data. 32. The portable information terminal according to claim 30, which also comprises an output section on the terminal side that provides a transmission request signal requesting video data to be transmitted, while when the detection section on the terminal side detects a transmission ready signal, it issues a transmission request signal in the digital camera and the receiving section receives video data transmitted from the digital camera in response to a transmission request signal. 33. The portable information terminal of claim 32, wherein the receiving section receives video data in one unit when the transmission request signal is not interrupted. 34. A digital camera for a portable information terminal, comprising an output section on the camera side that provides a ready-to-transmit signal indicative of a ready state for transmitting video data to a portable information terminal, a transmitting section that transmits video data in one unit to the portable information terminal, moreover, the transmitting section transmits the video data to the portable information terminal after the output section on the camera side issues a signal of readiness for transmission. 35. The digital camera for the portable information terminal according to clause 34, which also includes a detection section on the camera side, which detects a transmission request signal requesting transmission of video data from the portable information terminal, and when the detection section on the camera side detects a transmission request signal after as the output section on the camera side issued a ready-to-transmit signal, the transmitting section transmits video data to the portable information terminal. 36. A method of controlling a portable information terminal configured to connect a digital camera to it, wherein when a digital camera is connected to the housing of the portable information terminal and a predetermined button provided in the operating section of the portable information terminal is pressed for a predetermined time period, the digital camera it is brought into the recording state and in this state, when you press a button or several buttons in the operating section, the operation is performed, respectively stvuyuschaya recording function assigned to this button. 37. The method of controlling the portable information terminal according to claim 36, wherein the digital camera is brought into a recording state and held therein, and when a button of a plurality of buttons of an operation section is pressed for a period of time that is shorter than a predetermined period of time, the operation assigned to be pressed the button and the corresponding recording function of the digital camera in the recording state, and in this state, if you press the button from the buttons of the operating section for a predetermined period of time, the portable information terminal is brought into a certain state, included by input from the button. 38. A method of controlling a portable information terminal configured to connect a digital camera to it, wherein when a digital camera is connected to the housing of the portable information terminal and a predetermined button provided in the operating section of the portable information terminal is pressed for a predetermined time period, digital the camera is brought into the recording state and in this state, if a predetermined button in the operating section is pressed, the operation is performed, respectively The recording function assigned to a predefined button. 39. A portable information terminal, configured to connect a digital camera to it, comprising an operation section having a plurality of buttons and a control section for controlling the portable information terminal such that when a digital camera is connected to the housing of the portable information terminal and a predetermined button is pressed available in the operating section of the portable information terminal for a predetermined period of time, the digital camera is brought into a recording state and and, if the button in the operating section is pressed in this state, the operation corresponding to the recording function assigned to this button is performed. 40. The portable information terminal according to claim 39, wherein the control section controls the portable information terminal so that the digital camera is brought into a recording state and remains there, and when a button of the plurality of buttons in the operating section is pressed for a period of time that is shorter in advance a certain period of time, the operation assigned to the pressed button is performed, corresponding to the recording function of the digital camera in the recording state, and in this state, if the button from the buttons of the operating section is pressed in advance a certain period of time, the portable information terminal is brought into a certain state, included by input from the button. 41. A portable information terminal configured to connect a digital camera to it, comprising an operation section having a plurality of buttons, and a control section for controlling the portable information terminal in such a way that when the camera is connected to the housing of the portable information terminal and a predetermined button provided in the operating section of the portable information terminal, pressed for a predetermined period of time, the digital camera is brought into a recording state and in In this state, if a predetermined button in the operation section is pressed, an operation corresponding to the recording function assigned to this predetermined button is performed.

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