JP2001103355A - Headphone type video camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headphone type video camera that realizes a small-sized camera imposing little burden on a user carrying the camera by making full use of a small-sized semiconductor memory card and that can pick up a video image of an object and reproduce the video image while the user wears the camera on its head. SOLUTION: A speaker section 4 having a speaker 4a is fitted to the lower end of a main body section 1 and an insertion section 2 to insert the semiconductor memory card 3 is provided to the outside of its upper end. A speaker section 6 having a speaker 6a is fitted to the other end of a headband section 5 in succession to the upper part of the main body section 1. A battery is inserted by opening a battery case cover at the inside of the headband section 5, a remote controller 9 makes an operation instruction toward a light receiving window 1a, a camera section 7 picks up the image of an object while confirming the object by the finder section 9 and the semiconductor memory card 3 records the photographed data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory card having a semiconductor memory and a terminal integrally provided with a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory to a device, and recording an image on the memory card. The present invention relates to a headphone type video camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, recording of a moving image by a video camera generally involves recording a moving image on a tape by mechanically driving a video tape as a recording medium and moving relative to a magnetic head.

[0003]

However, such a conventional video camera requires power for driving a recording medium, and is therefore large in size, heavy, and large in power consumption. Recently, a semiconductor video camera using a semiconductor memory as a recording medium has also been used. However, the semiconductor video camera has a structure that can be stored in a pocket or the like, and fully utilizes the small size of the semiconductor memory in dimension. It was hard to say.

An object of the present invention is to provide a headphone-type video camera which makes full use of the small size of a semiconductor memory, has a small size for carrying, and has an integrated imaging unit and recording medium. It was made for the purpose of.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a headphone type video camera having a semiconductor memory having a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory to a device. A video camera capable of storing an integrally provided semiconductor memory card and recording an image on the memory card, comprising a speaker on both sides of a headband, one of which has an imaging camera unit and an image recording means. And a semiconductor memory card storage section for image recording is provided, and the video captured by the camera section is recorded on the semiconductor memory card.

[0006] With this configuration, since the recording medium is a semiconductor memory card, power for driving the recording medium is not required, power consumption is small, the device can be reduced in size and weight, and all components are integrated in a form similar to a headphone. It is easy to carry, does not disturb the use, allows the user to concentrate on shooting while wearing it on his head, and works so that shooting can be continued even while walking, running or exercising.

A second aspect of the present invention is the same as the first aspect, except that the camera section is configured to be detachable from the headband. With this configuration, the camera section is detached. It also works so that it can be used for video and audio reproduction only.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the camera section is provided with a finder extending forward from a line of sight from the camera section, and monitors an image input to the camera section by the finder. This configuration is characterized in that it is possible to confirm whether or not the subject being photographed is completely captured.

Further, in the structure of claim 4, in the structure of claim 1, the power supply section is arranged in the headband, whereby the headband has a function of simply connecting the left and right speakers. Instead, it works so that it can be effectively used as a storage space for batteries.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a headphone type video camera according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from the front right, and FIG. In the figure, a main body 1 has a shape in which an outer casing 1a and an inner casing 1b are fitted from the front and rear so that a circuit section can be housed in an internal cavity, and is formed of plastic, metal, or the like.

An insertion portion 2 for a memory card is opened on the outer upper surface of the main body portion 1.
Is mechanically fixed to the main body 1 by the insertion pressure when the terminal 3a is inserted in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.
Are electrically connected to a connector (to be described later) inside the main body 1. Concave portions 2a and 2b are provided on the side of the insertion section 2 corresponding to both surfaces of the semiconductor memory card 3 so that the inserted semiconductor memory card 3 can be easily taken out.
Is provided. A light receiving window 1c for receiving light from a remote controller, which will be described later, is provided on the front surface of the main body 1.

A right speaker 4 is attached to a lower portion of the main body 1 by a support 4c. A headband portion 5 is formed in a semicircular shape of elastic plastic or metal or the like following the upper portion of the main body portion 1, and a left speaker portion 6 is provided at a lower end of the headband portion 5 with a right speaker portion 4. In the same manner as described above, they are mounted symmetrically by the support portion 6c. The left and right speakers 4 and 6 are supported on the headband 5 by a conventionally known ball joint type or gimbal type support shaft. It is desirable to be able to rotate up and down to conform to the shape of the user's head and pinna. The inner surfaces of the left and right speaker units 4 and 6 are covered with a material such as foamable soft plastic or foamable synthetic rubber in which bubbles communicate with each other to improve ear contact.
6a is built in the protruding portions 4b and 6b of each speaker, and is mounted so as to abut from the front of the pinna toward the center of the entrance of the ear canal so that sound energy can be effectively transmitted into the ear canal. ing. In the speaker sections 4 and 6 except for the speakers 4a and 6a, circuit components that cannot be accommodated in the main body 1 can be accommodated.

Although not shown in detail, the length of the headband section 5 can be adjusted by various conventionally known methods so that the positions of the left and right speaker sections 4 and 6 with respect to the top of the head can be changed when the headband section 5 is worn on the head. This is preferable. A battery case cover 5a is held on the back surface of the headband portion 5 by a hinge portion 5b so as to be openable and closable, and is always closed by a battery cover lock knob 5c.

At the position of the support portion 4c of the right speaker portion 4 of the main body portion 1, a camera portion 7 is removably mounted forward from the main body portion 1, and an imaging lens portion 7a is attached to the tip of the camera portion 7. And a microphone 8 is provided beside it. A finder section 9 is attached to the vicinity of the front end of the camera section 7 via a rotating shaft 9a. The finder section 9 is arranged so as to extend forward with the right eye when the headband 5 is mounted on the head. The finder unit 9 may project an image from the inside of the camera unit 7 toward a mirror inside the finder unit 9 in a so-called head-up display so as to view the reflected light. An eyepiece may be provided on the near side to focus on the eye. Since the finder unit 9 is also attached to the headband unit 5 via the camera unit 7, it is possible to confirm whether or not the subject is completely within the shooting range during shooting.

The camera unit 7 is configured to be detachable from the main unit 1 by a fastener 7b provided coaxially with the support unit 4c, and is configured to be connectable to the main unit 1 by a connector. Thus, when the camera unit 7 is detached together with the finder unit 9, it is possible to use the camera unit 7 exclusively for sound reproduction. When no monitor is required, the finder 9 can be removed from the line of sight by opening the rotary shaft 9a as shown in FIG.

A remote controller 10 for instructing the headphone type video camera to operate is provided with an operation unit 10a.
The operation unit 10a can be pushed and slid left and right and back and forth, for example, start recording by pushing, stop recording by pushing again, zoom in by sliding right (arrow A1 direction), and zoom in left (arrow B1). Direction), zoom-out, start playback on the upper side (arrow C1 direction), and stop playback on the lower side (arrow D1 direction). The result of the operation is from the light emitting section 10b to the light receiving section 1c of the main body 1. Can be sent to and controlled.

The main unit 1 or the headband unit 5 may be turned on / off by a sensor that senses pressure when worn on the head, or may be provided with a separate power switch.

Next, in the block diagram of FIG. 5 showing the electrical connection according to the embodiment of the present invention, the image of the subject is captured by the imaging lens unit 7a of the main body 1, and the CCD image sensor 12 photoelectrically converts the image of the subject. I do. The A / D conversion circuit 13 converts the image signal into a digital signal. This A / D
One of the outputs of the conversion circuit 13 is applied to a view finder 15 via a switch 14 to form an image. The other output of the A / D conversion circuit is applied to a digital signal processing circuit 16 which performs image processing and compression processing for recording, and the processed output is applied from a connector 22 to a terminal portion of the semiconductor memory card 3. The data is recorded at a predetermined location of the semiconductor memory device 3c by the memory control unit 3b. The control circuit 19 controls all the components in the process of photographing, and the light receiving section 20 analyzes the infrared pulse train of the remote controller incident from the light receiving window 1c and gives an instruction to the control circuit 19. The power supply unit 21 supplies necessary power to each circuit. The connector 22 makes an electrical connection between the main body 1 and the semiconductor memory card 3.

In the semiconductor memory card 3, the terminal 3a
Is connected to the memory control unit 3b, and the memory control unit 3b controls writing of data to the memory element 3c, reading of data, and copyright protection based on a request from the main unit 1.

The D / A conversion circuit 17 and the output circuit 18 may be provided when it is necessary to output a video being shot or a video being played back from the output terminal 23 outside the headphones.

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the semiconductor memory card 3 used in the present embodiment, wherein FIG.
(B) is the figure seen from the front. As an example of this embodiment, for example, the dimensions are width 24 × length 32 × thickness 2.1.
A stamp size (mm) is used. As such a small semiconductor memory card, 32 MB to 64 M
There is a capacity of B, and a large capacity is under development, and a large capacity of storage is made by using a video and audio compression technique. In the memory card 3 of FIG. 6, the upper main body 31 of the memory card and the lower main body 32 of the memory card are united, and the semiconductor memory element 3c and the memory control section 3b are accommodated in concave portions inside. A notch 33 is provided on the side surface of the upper body 31 of the memory card, in which a write enable / disable setting element 34 is slidably fitted to a guide 35, and FIG. Then, the user can put a claw on it and slide it in the direction of arrow A, thereby making it possible to write data as shown in FIG. 6B. A memory dedicated for reproduction may be fixed in the state shown in FIG. 6A without sliding.
A plurality of terminals 36 are provided on the terminal portion 3a at one end in the longitudinal direction, and a reverse insertion preventing portion 37 is provided beside the terminal 36. The terminal 36 engages with the shape inside the main body and can be inserted to the end even if it is inserted upside down. The terminal 36 and the connector 22 of the main body 1 are not electrically connected. The central portion of the memory card upper body 31 is recessed one step from the peripheral portion to form a label attaching portion 38.

The operation will be described below. First, the battery cover lid 5a is opened by sliding the battery cover lock knob 5c, and a predetermined battery is stored in the internal battery case. If the battery is thin and flexible, it can be stored along the headband portion 5 even if it is slightly curved.
The battery case cover 5a is closed, and the battery case cover 5a is closed and locked by the battery cover lock knob 5c. Thus, the headband unit 5 can be effectively used not only as a function of simply connecting the left and right speakers but also as a storage space for batteries.

The semiconductor memory card 3 is inserted into the insertion section 2 of the main body 1.
Is mechanically fixed to the main body 1 by the insertion pressure when the terminal 3a is inserted in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.
Are electrically connected to the connector 22 inside the main body 1. The headband section 5 is pushed outward and attached to both ears. At this time, the above-mentioned sensor detects that the mounting state has been reached, and the power switch is turned on. Next, when the user holds the remote controller 10 and operates it toward the light receiving window 1c of the main body 1, the infrared light incident from the light receiving window analyzes the infrared pulse train by the light receiving unit 20, and gives an instruction to the control unit 19 based on the result. If the instruction is recording, the image of the subject formed by the imaging lens unit 7 is CC
The image is photoelectrically converted by the D image pickup device 12 and converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion circuit 13. One of the output signals passes through the switch 14 and the viewfinder 15 confirms the image of the subject. The other output of the A / D conversion circuit 13 is subjected to signal processing by a digital signal processing circuit 16 which performs processing such as image processing for recording and band compression, and the control unit 19 sends a signal from a connector 22 to a terminal 3a of the semiconductor memory card 3. And instructs the memory controller 3b to access a required address in the memory element 3c to record data. The control unit 19 controls the operation of each of the above circuits in this photographing process.

When reproducing the recorded image data, the operation unit 10a of the remote controller 10 is slid in the direction of arrow C1. Then, the control unit 19 connects the switch 14 to a terminal different from the one shown in the figure, the data recorded in the memory element 3c of the semiconductor memory card 3 is read from the connector 22, and the data compressed by the digital signal processing circuit 16 is expanded. , Switch 14 to the viewfinder 15, and the recorded video is reproduced. To stop the reproduction, the operation unit 10a of the remote controller 10 may be slid in the direction of arrow D1. By using the remote controller 10 as described above, the operation can be easily performed even when the user wears the head.

Here, the recording of the sound is omitted for the sake of simplicity only for the explanation of the photographing of the video, but the sound at the time of photographing similarly captured by the microphone 8 is recorded on the semiconductor memory card 3 for the sake of simplicity. It can be easily reproduced. The left and right loudspeakers 4 and 6 are also used for monitoring audio during photography and for monitoring reproduced audio during reproduction.

As described above, the video camera according to the present embodiment does not require power for driving the recording medium because the recording medium is a semiconductor memory card, consumes little power, can be made compact and lightweight, and has the same form as headphones. It provides a video camera that is easy to carry because all components are integrated, allows you to concentrate on shooting without holding your hand, and allows you to continue shooting while walking, running or exercising. .

In the present embodiment, the number of operation units, operable functions, circuit configurations, and the like are merely examples, and can be changed as necessary.

In this embodiment, the operation is performed using the infrared remote controller. However, a wired remote controller extending from the main body 1 with a wire may be used.

Further, since the display of the reproduction status and the like cannot be seen during reproduction if provided on the main body, a display section is provided on the remote controller so that bidirectional communication with the main body 1 is enabled to display the operation state. Is also good. If it is a wired system, two-way communication is easy.

[0030]

As described above, according to the headphone type video camera of the present invention, a speaker is provided on both sides of the headband, and one of the headband is provided with a camera section for image pickup and image recording means. The semiconductor memory card storage section is provided, and the image captured by the camera section is recorded on the semiconductor memory card. Therefore, since the recording medium is a semiconductor memory card, power for driving the recording medium is not required and power consumption is reduced. It can be small, compact and lightweight, and all components are organized in the same form as headphones, so it is easy to carry, and you can enjoy shooting while wearing it on your head without disturbing use, walking, An advantageous effect that the photographing can be continued while running or exercising can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a headphone type semiconductor memory player according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed obliquely from the right front side;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same left diagonally viewed from the front.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a plan view in which the finder is opened.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection.

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a semiconductor memory card used in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body part 1a Outer housing | casing 1b Inner housing | casing 1c Light-receiving window 2 Insertion part 2a, 2b recessed part 3 Semiconductor memory card 3a Terminal part 3b Memory control part 3c Memory element 4 Right speaker part 4a Speaker 5 Headband part 5a Battery case cover 5b Hinge part 5c Battery cover lock knob 6 Left speaker part 6a Speaker 7 Camera part 7a Image pickup lens part 8 Microphone 9 Viewfinder part 10 Remote controller 10a Operation part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Mamoru Shiozaki 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Pref. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Terms (reference) 5C022 AB65 AC03 AC07 AC25 AC42 AC69 AC71 AC78 5C052 AA17 AB02 CC11 EE01 EE02 EE08

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A video camera capable of storing a semiconductor memory card having a semiconductor memory and integrally provided with a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and a device and recording an image on the memory card. A speaker is provided on both sides of the headband, and one of them is provided with a camera unit for image pickup and an image recording unit, and a semiconductor memory card storage unit for image recording is provided. A headphone-type video camera characterized in that recording is performed on a memory card. 2. The headphone type video camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera section is configured to be detachable from a headband. The 3. A camera unit, the finder extending from the camera unit to Looking forward provided, before the said viewfinder
2. The headphone type video camera according to claim 1, wherein an image input to the camera unit can be monitored. 4. The headphone-type video camera according to claim 1, wherein a power supply unit is disposed in the headband.