JPH04291332A - Data imprinting device for camera - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data imprinting device for a camera.

0002

[Prior Art] A conventional data imprinting device for a camera is
As imprint data, it is widely known to imprint a caption in addition to the year, month, day (date) or date, hour, minute (time).

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, although captions can be imprinted, there is a problem that it takes a very long time to select a large number of captions.

[0004] Therefore, the present invention realizes selection in a short time by simple operation even when there are a large number of captions.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problem] The camera data imprinting device of the present invention imprints date and time data from an electronic clock and data consisting of captions such as numbers, alphabets, and kanji characters onto film. The imprinting device is characterized in that the captions that can be selected change every month in conjunction with an electronic clock of the device or the camera body in which the device is incorporated.

[0006]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be explained in detail below based on examples. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing selectable captions for each month in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0007] In the end, when it comes to what captions are used for, general camera users seem to frequently use captions for event names, greetings, etc. when taking photographs.

[0008] For this reason, in this embodiment, a total of about 50 types of selectable captions are prepared, such as events for each month of the year and greetings exchanged at those times.

Furthermore, the aforementioned large number of captions are categorized and organized by month.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the hardware of the present invention. 1 is a one-chip microcomputer equipped with ROM, RAM, display RAM, electronic clock, input/output terminals, etc. 2 is a key input switch for selecting captions. 3 is the mode setting key input switch. Reference numerals 4 and 5 indicate key input switches for inputting data for imprinting, and are used to input and set characters, numbers, symbols, etc. to be imprinted. 6 is a dot matrix LCD panel for external display. 7 is a data imprinting circuit.

RO of one-chip microcomputer 1
As shown in the memory map of FIG. 3, the captions of FIG. 1 are stored in memory for each month in M. Further, the RAM of the one-chip microcomputer 1 can store up to five pieces of data input and set by the user using the three and four key input switches for each month. A caption number is assigned to each of the captions. When the user operates the mode setting key input switch 3 in January to enter the caption setting mode, the microcomputer 1 determines January in the monthly data from the electronic clock, and selects one of the captions corresponding to January. The data of "Happy New Year" with caption number NO=1 at the beginning is written to the display RAM. The external display LCD panel 6 displays all or part of the caption data written in the display RAM using an LCD driver.

[0012] The user can sequentially change the captions displayed on the external display LCD panel 6 by operating the caption selection key input switch any number of times with his or her fingertips. Any one caption can be selected from the caption group for January in the caption group table. Similar operations can be performed each month throughout the year.

Next, a flowchart of software for selecting an arbitrary caption will be explained. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of software for selecting an arbitrary caption from a group of captions corresponding to the month indicated by the month data of the electronic clock provided in the one-chip microcomputer 1.

Reference numeral 8 reads the month data indicated by the electronic clock provided in the microcomputer 1, and determines what month it is now. Month judgment 8 in the caption group table
In order to always read the first caption from the caption group corresponding to the month determined in step 9, the initial setting is performed by setting the caption number NO = 1 in step 9. In step 10, the month and caption number NO determined in month determination 8 and initial setting 9 are converted into the address of the caption data to be read.

At step 11, the data at the address whose address was converted at step 10 is transferred to the display RAM. 11, the data is transferred to the display RAM. The data transferred to the display RAM at step 11 is
Use the LCD driver to connect the external display LCD panel 6
will be displayed. At step 12, a signal from the mode setting key input switch 3 is detected. When the signal is detected, the device exits the caption mode and stops processing in the caption mode. At step 13, a signal from the caption selection key input switch 2 is detected. When the signal is detected, the caption number NO is incremented at 14 to determine the next caption to be displayed. In step 15, it is determined whether the number of captions in the caption group corresponding to the month determined in month determination 8 has been exceeded. As a result of the determination, if the number of captions is exceeded, the process jumps to the initial setting of 9, and if the number of captions is not exceeded, the process jumps to address conversion of 10. Therefore, if the number of captions exceeds the number of captions, the caption data stored at the beginning of the group of captions for the month is read again.

Processing similar to the above example for January is performed on caption groups corresponding to each month from January to December.

Any caption selected in this manner becomes imprint data, and is imprinted onto the film by the imprint circuit 7.

In the above embodiment, captions that are frequently imprinted are classified and organized by month and stored in memory as a caption group table. In addition, since the caption group in the caption group table is software-linked with monthly data from the built-in electronic clock,
The user can select an arbitrary caption only from the caption group corresponding to the month when the photo is taken.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the caption group classified into the month corresponding to the month data of the electronic clock is stored in the memory section of the caption group table classified by month. By the means for specifying the caption and the means for selecting any one caption from the loaded caption group, the memory section of the caption group table has a large number of captions, but only several types of captions can be saved. This is equivalent to selecting only from This allows you to quickly and easily select captions even if there are a large number of them. Moreover, it is also possible to greatly increase the number of captions that can be selected, thereby greatly expanding the user's selection range.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

[Figure 1] Diagram showing monthly captions

[Figure 2] Block diagram of hardware of the present invention

[Figure 3] Memory map diagram

FIG. 4 is a flowchart diagram.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 One-chip microcomputer 2
Key input switch for caption selection 3 Mode setting key input switch 4 Key input switch for input data selection 5 Key input switch for input data set 6 LCD panel for external display 7 Imprint circuit 8 Month determination 9 Initial setting 10 Address exchange 11 For display RAM data transfer 12 Signal judgment from mode setting key input switch 1
3 Signal judgment from key input switch for caption selection 14 Increment caption number NO 1
5 Comparison of caption number and incremented NO

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] Date and time data from an electronic clock, and
In a camera data imprinting device that imprints data consisting of captions such as numeric alphabets and kanji characters onto film, 1) the device imprints monthly data on the electronic clock of the device or the camera body in which the device is installed; month determination means for reading and determining the month in which the device is to be used; 2) a memory section of a caption group table organized by month; 3) a caption group table from among the caption group tables; , a specifying means for specifying a caption group corresponding to the month determined by the month determining means; 4) a selecting means for selecting an arbitrary caption from among the caption group read by the specifying means;
5) A data imprinting device for a camera, comprising a display section that displays the content of the caption selected by the selection means.