Still video adapter

• US 4,862,293 A
• Filed: 08/31/1987
• Issued: 08/29/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Saito, Mitsuru, Tanimoto, Tetsuyuki, Umeda, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): McElheny, Jr., Donald
• Application Number:
  US07/090,912
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 358/335, 358/906, 358/909, 358/342, 360/33.1, 360/35.1
• US Class Current: 386/225
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/00 Arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus with cameras or projectors G03B31/00 ; recording/reproducing of music for electrophonic musical instruments G10H1/0033; automatic arrangements for answering calls or for recording messages for absent subscribers H04M1/64; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with dictation recording and playback systems H04M11/10; connection of TV recorder with other related apparatus, e.g. TV camera or receiver, in which the TV signal is significantly involved H04N, e.g. H04N23/00, H04N5/765; combination of radio or TV with other apparatus, e.g. with vehicles H05K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2116 Picture signal recording combined with imagewise recording, e.g. photographic recording photographic cameras G03B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

A still video adapter is attached to the body of a standard photographic camera, in place of the back cover of the camera, to enable picture taking on a magnetic disk, being provided with a deck portion extending from one side to the front of the adapter to hold a magnetic disk in parallel with the side of the adapter.

Claims

1. A still video adapter to be attached to a camera body of a standard photographic still picture camera normally used with a silver halide film, in place of a rear cover of said camera, said still video adapter comprising:

an image pick-up means for opto-electrically converting an image of an object into a picture signal;

a recording medium on which the picture signal is recorded; and

a recording means, provided at one side section of said still video adapter and extended to forward of said still video adapter, for recording the picture signal onto said recording medium.

2. A still video adapter of claim 1, wherein said side section has an opening which is provided on top surface thereof and through which said recording medium is detachably loaded.

3. A still video adapter of claim 1, wherein said camera includes a hinge portion through which said camera rear cover and said still video adapter are selectively attached to said camera body, and said still video adapter further comprising attachment means to be engaged with said hinge portion of said camera body and provided at a portion opposite to said side section.

4. A still video adapter of claim 1 further comprising a viewfinder optical relay system to be optically connected to an eyepiece of said camera body;

and a display means located between position of said viewfinder optical relay system and position of said recording means.

5. A still video adapter of claim 1 further comprising a photographic optical relay system with its entrance to be faced with an exposure window of the camera body.

6. A still video adapter of claim 5 wherein said photographic optical relay system includes a reflecting portion for reflecting the photographic optical axis sideways.

7. A still video adapter of claim 6 further comprising a circuit block including a signal processing circuit located under said photographic optical relay system.

8. A still video adapter of claim 5 further comprising a first circuit board located in front of said photographic optical relay system and in parallel with the front surface of said still video adapter;

and a second circuit board connected to said first circuit board and located perpendicular to said first circuit board and below said photographic optical relay system.

9. A still video adapter of claim 1 further comprising a light receiving means for generating a control signal used for white balance adjustment, the light receiving window thereof being located on the front surface of said side section carrying said recording means.

10. An adapter which, when attached to a camera body of a standard photographic still picture camera, record picture images obtained through said camera body to a recording medium machine readable for future reproduction and viewing, comprising:

optical means receiving said images from at least part of an exposure window of said camera body;

opto-electrical conversion means for converting said images into electrical signals; and

recording means for receiving and recording said electrical signals to said recording medium.

11. The adapter of claim 10 in which said recording medium is a magnetic disk detachably housed in a magnetic deck as said recording means.

12. The adapter of claim 11 in which said deck has a smallest dimension and is mounted such that said smallest dimension extends substantially horizontally over one side of said adapter, when said camera is held in an upright position.

13. The adapter of claim 10, further comprising a main circuit board oriented to be substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of said camera body and a plurality of circuit boards electrically connected to said main circuit board and extended perpendicularly to said main circuit board.

14. The adapter of claim 13 in which said optical means is mounted between two of said plurality of circuit boards.

15. The adapter of claim 10 in which removing a rear cover of said camera allows attachment of an optical function back, performing at least one of the functions of data imprinting, interval timer exposure, and exposure calculation, to be attached to said camera body, and in which said adapter is attached to said camera body in identical manner as said optional back.

16. The adapter of claim 15 in which a bottom surface of said camera body allows attachment of an automatic winding device to be attached and in which said adapter receives power from a battery case attaching to said camera body in identical manner as said automatic winding device, further in which a bottom surface of said battery case allows attachment of said automatic winding device to be attached to said battery case in identical manner as said automatic winding device attached to said camera body.

17. A battery case for use in a still video camera system including a camera body of a standard photographic still picture camera and a still video back detachably mounted to said camera body in place of a rear cover of said camera body, said battery case comprising:

an attachment portion to be engaged with a tripod screw hole of said camera body; and

a power supply terminal through which power of said battery case is to be supplied to said still video back, said still video back including a power terminal receiving the power through said power supply terminal when said still video back and battery case are attached to said camera body.

18. A battery case of claim 17, wherein said camera system further includes a flash device attached to said camera body and capable of data transmission to said still video back with said camera body and still video back including data terminals used for the flash data transmission respectively, the flash data transmission being made through said camera body and battery case.

19. A battery case of claim 17, wherein said camera system further includes an automatic winding device having an attachment portion to be engaged with said tripod screw hold of said camera body, a driving shaft to be engaged with a winding shaft of said camera body, and a tripod screw to be engaged with said tripod screw hole of said camera body, and said better case further comprising a tripod screw hole to be engaged with said tripod screw of said automatic winding device;

and an interconnection shaft to be interconnected with said winding shaft of said camera body and said driving shaft of said automatic winding device respectively.