JP3147375B2 - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electronic camera, and more specifically, an electronic camera that can use a large-capacity recording medium such as a solid-state memory device and a magnetic medium as a recording medium of a captured image. About.

[Prior Art] An electronic still camera is known as this kind of electronic camera. 2. Description of the Related Art An electronic still camera is a device that electromagnetically records a captured image on a solid-state memory device such as a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, or a memory card including a semiconductor memory, and has already been put to practical use.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When a solid-state memory device is used as a recording medium, there is a disadvantage that the solid-state memory device using an IC memory as a constituent element is expensive, but the access speed is high, and therefore continuous shooting (continuous shooting) ) Has the advantage that the restriction substantially does not exist. On the other hand, when a magnetic medium such as a magnetic tape is used as a recording medium, the medium itself is inexpensive, but there is a drawback that the data writing speed at the time of recording is limited and the continuous shooting speed is limited.

To solve such problems, both the solid-state memory device, that is, the memory card and the recording / reproducing unit for the small magnetic tape, can be attached to the electronic still camera body, and when high-speed continuous shooting is required. For example, a configuration is conceivable in which a photograph is taken with a memory card attached, and when high-speed continuous shooting is not required, a small magnetic tape recording / reproducing unit is attached to take a picture.

However, such a configuration has the drawback that the management and handling of the photographed image are complicated, the circuit processing is also complicated, a complicated operation is required, and it is very difficult to use.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera that can be used as a large-capacity recording medium and a solid-state memory device without impairing operability.

[Means for Solving the Problems] An electronic camera according to the present invention includes a camera body, a first memory device that stores information captured by the camera body, and is connectable to the camera body; An electronic camera which has a second memory device having a larger capacity and a lower writing speed than that of the memory device, and which allows the camera main body and the second memory device to be freely connected via the first memory device. A transfer unit that transfers information stored in the first memory device to the second memory device according to a remaining capacity of the first memory device and a connection state of the second memory device. It is characterized by having.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are external views of a state in which an IC memory card is attached to a camera body, wherein FIG. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a rear view. 10 is a camera body, 12 is an IC memory code, 14 is a photographing lens, 16 is a release switch, 18 is a finder, 20 is a display section for displaying the number of shots, etc., 22 is an IC memory card 12 in the camera body 10. The connector of the camera body 10 for electrical connection.

In the present embodiment, the camera body is
In addition to the connector connected to the connector 22 of the connector 10, a connector 12 for connection to a small magnetic tape recording / reproducing unit described later.
It has a. In other words, in this embodiment, the IC memory
The card 12 functions as a buffer between the camera body 10 and the small magnetic tape recording / reproducing unit.

FIG. 2 shows the camera body 10 via the IC memory card 12.
(A) is a plan view, and (b) is a rear view, in which a small magnetic tape recording / reproducing unit 24 is connected. The small magnetic tape recording / reproducing unit 24 is provided with a connector 26 that is connected to the connector 12a of the IC memory card 12 described above.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration in a state where only the IC memory card 12 is connected to the camera body 10, and FIG. FIG. 2 shows a circuit configuration block diagram in a state where the main body 10 is connected.

In the camera body 10, an image sensor 30, a camera signal processing circuit 32 for performing known camera signal processing such as gamma correction on an output of the image sensor 30, and an A / D converter for digitizing the output of the camera signal processing circuit 32 34, and a camera control circuit 36 for controlling the entire camera. The IC memory card 12 has a memory 38 capable of storing a plurality of captured images, and a memory for controlling writing and reading of the memory 38. There is a control circuit 40. Also, a small magnetic tape recording / reproducing unit
The recording signal processing circuit 24 performs a recording signal process for recording on the magnetic tape 42, the rotating head 44, and the magnetic tape 42.
46, and a control circuit 48 for controlling the entire unit 24.

FIG. 5 shows an operation flowchart of the memory control circuit 40. First, FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The camera body 10 and the IC memory card 12 are connected to a data line and a control signal line by a connector 22, and the remaining capacity of the memory 38 is always transmitted to the camera control circuit 36 of the camera body 10 via the control signal line. Have been informed. When there is room in the memory 38 (S1), the memory control circuit 40 sends a photographing permission signal to the camera control circuit 36 (S2). In the camera body 10, shooting is performed according to the operation of the release switch 16, and the image sensor
The output of 30 is subjected to well-known processing in a camera signal processing circuit 32 and then digitized by a D / A converter 34. The output data of the D / A converter 34 is applied to the memory 38 of the IC memory card 12 via the connector 22. The memory control circuit 40 supplies a predetermined write address to the memory 38 in accordance with a command from the camera control circuit 36 (S7), and causes the image data output from the A / D converter 34 to be written to a predetermined storage location of the memory 38. (S8). When the unused area of the memory 38 is exhausted (S1), the memory control circuit 4 sends a photographing inhibition signal to the camera control circuit 36 (S4), whereby the camera control circuit 36 inhibits the photographing.

The operation of FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. At this time, the memory 38 functions as a large-capacity buffer, and can achieve continuous shooting at the same speed as when recording on the IC memory card 12. There is no remaining space in the memory 38 (S1)
When the unit 24 is connected (S3), the data stored in the memory 38 is sent to the tape unit 24 and recorded on the magnetic tape 42, and the storage area of the memory 38 is released (S3).
If there is a photographing signal from the camera body 10, the photographed image data is stored in the memory 38 (S7, 8). The image data stored in the memory 38 is automatically transferred to the tape unit 24 when the memory 38 is full, and is recorded on the magnetic tape 42.

Although a magnetic tape has been described as an example of a low-speed and large-capacity recording medium, a magnetic disk may of course be used.

[Effects of the Invention] As can be easily understood from the above description, according to the present invention, the second memory device having a larger capacity than the first memory device is provided in the camera body via the first memory device. For example, since a magnetic tape device can be connected, a memory having a high recording speed such as a solid-state memory device and a recording medium such as a magnetic tape having a low recording speed and a large capacity can be used together without requiring a complicated operation. Also, the recording locations of both the continuously shot image and the normally shot image are not divided, and image management is simplified.

In a state where the second memory device is connected to the first memory device, the first memory device is connected to the first memory device according to the information storage state.
By providing transfer means for transferring the information stored in the second memory device to the second memory device, the photographed image data is temporarily stored in the first memory device having a high recording speed, for example, at the time of continuous shooting. Since the image data is transferred to the second memory device having a large capacity, the image can be recorded at a sufficient recording speed even if continuous shooting is performed many times, and the recording capacity is not insufficient. In other words, it operates as if a large-capacity solid-state memory device is connected. That is, it is possible to select between a case where the first memory device is used as the image recording medium and a case where the first memory device is operated like a buffer and the second memory device is the final recording medium, Usability is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an embodiment of the present invention in which only an IC memory card is connected to a camera body, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an external view of an embodiment of the present invention in which a small magnetic tape recording / reproducing unit is connected to a camera body via a card, FIG. 3 is a circuit configuration block diagram corresponding to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram corresponding to FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of the memory control circuit 40 of the IC memory card 12. 10: Camera body, 12: IC memory card, 12a: Connector,
14: shooting lens, 16: release switch, 18: finder, 20: display, 22: connector, 24: small magnetic tape recording / reproducing unit, 30: imaging device, 32: camera signal processing circuit,
34: A / D converter, 36: Camera control circuit, 38: Memory, 40: Memory control circuit, 42: Magnetic tape, 44: Rotating head, 46: Recording signal processing circuit, 48: Control circuit

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A camera body, a first memory device that stores information captured by the camera body and is connectable to the camera body, and has a larger capacity and a lower writing speed than the first memory device. An electronic camera comprising a second memory device, the camera body and the second memory device being freely connectable via the first memory device, and the remaining capacity of the first memory device An electronic camera, comprising: transfer means for transferring information stored in the first memory device to the second memory device according to a connection state of the second memory device.