Electronic apparatus, stand and electronic apparatus stand system

• US 6,812,971 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Terane, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Villecco, John M
• Application Number:
  US10/238,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20030076440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/211.8, 348/211.13, 348/211.14, 348/333.01, 348/333.02, 348/333.06, 348/333.07, 348/333.11, 348/333.13, 348/375, 348/376, 348/246, 348/247, 358/906, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/561, 455/572, 455/573
• US Class Current: 348/375
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply

Abstract

An electronic camera system of this invention is an electronic camera system comprising an electronic camera and a camera stand which is provided so as to enable the electronic camera to be mounted thereon and includes a power supplying section for supplying power to the electronic camera mounted. The electric camera system is mainly characterized in that the electronic camera is formed so as to have an exterior shape capable of being mounted on the camera stand, and the camera stand is formed so as to have an exterior shape which enables the electronic camera to be mounted either in a first direction in which the front of the camera faces to the front of the camera stand or in a second direction in which the back of the camera faces to the front of the camera stand.

Claims

1. An electronic camera system comprising:

an electronic camera, and

a camera stand which includes a power supplying section for supplying power to said electronic camera, when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera has an exterior shape capable of being mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said camera stand has an exterior shape which enables said electronic camera to be mounted thereon in one of a first direction in which a front of the camera faces a front of the camera stand and a second direction in which a back of the camera faces a front of the camera stand, and

wherein said electronic camera can be mounted on said camera stand either in the first direction in which the front of the camera faces the front of the camera stand or in the second direction in which the back of the camera faces the front of the camera stand, and includes;

a plurality of operation modes,

a direction sensing section which senses whether said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand in said first direction or said second direction, and

a control section which selects a specific operation mode from said plurality of operation modes according to the mounting direction of the electronic camera sensed by said direction sensing section.

2. The electronic camera system according to claim 1 wherein the power supplying section of said camera stand supplies power to the electronic camera when said electronic camera is mounted in either one of the first direction and said second direction.

3. The electronic camera system according to claim 1 wherein said control section selects and sets a photographing mode when the mounting direction of said electronic camera sensed by said direction sensing section is said first direction.

4. The electronic camera system according to claim 3, wherein said control section inhibits setting of a reproducing mode when the mounting direction sensed by said direction sensing section is said first direction.

5. The electronic camera system according to claim 4 wherein said control section further changes the photographing mode to an external communication mode in which communication is made with an external unit according to an instruction when the mounting direction sensed by said direction sensing section is said first direction.

6. The electronic camera system according to claim 3 wherein said electronic camera includes:

a photographing mode setting section which, when said direction sensing section senses said first direction, enables a specific photographing mode for automatic photography that is different from a normal photographing mode to be set as said photographing mode, and

a camera control section which, when the photographing mode setting section sets the specific photographing mode for automatic photography, controls the electric camera body to photograph under photographing conditions such that photographing operations are imperceptible.

7. The electronic camera system according to claim 1 wherein said control section selects and sets a photographing mode when the mounting direction sensed by said direction sensing section is said first direction and a lens cover for said electronic camera is open.

8. The electronic camera system according to claim 1 wherein said control section selects and sets a reproducing mode when the mounting direction sensed by said direction sensing section is said second direction.

9. The electronic camera system according to claim 8, wherein said control section inhibits setting the photographing mode when the mounting direction sensed by said direction sensing section is said second direction.

10. The electronic camera system according to claim 9, wherein said control section further changes the reproducing mode to one of an external communication mode and a print mode according to an instruction when the mounting direction sensed by said direction sensing section is said second direction.

11. The electronic camera system according to claim 8, wherein said electronic camera is mountable on said camera stand in a position different from a position in which said electronic camera is mounted in normal use, and said electronic camera includes:

a display section which is mounted on the back of said camera and displays an image based on image data, and

an image direction changing section which changes a direction of the image displayed on said display section, when said direction sensing section senses said second direction and the reproducing mode is set.

12. The electronic camera system according to claim 1 wherein said electronic camera includes:

a liquid-crystal display section which is mounted on the back of said camera, and which displays an image based on image data,

a field angle changing section which changes a direction of a field angle at the liquid-crystal display section, and

a control section which, when said direction sensing section senses said second direction, controls said field angle changing section to set said direction of the field angle to a setting value corresponding to the position in which said electronic camera body is mounted on said camera stand.

13. The electronic camera system according to claim 1 wherein said electronic camera includes a defective pixel sensing section which senses defective pixels in a photographing element, and

wherein said control section sets said operation mode to a defective pixel sensing mode in which said defective pixel sensing section senses defective pixels with specific timing, when said direction sensing section senses that said electronic camera is said second direction.

14. An electronic camera system comprising:

an electronic camera, and

a camera stand which includes a power supplying section for supplying power to said electronic camera when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera has an exterior shape capable of being mounted on said camera stand in one of a first direction in which a front of the camera faces a front of said camera stand and a second direction in which a back of the camera faces the front of said camera stand,

wherein said camera stand has an exterior shape which enables said electronic camera to be mounted in either one of the first direction in which the front of the camera faces the front of said camera stand and a second direction in which the back of the camera faces the front of said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera includes a power receiving section corresponding to said power supplying section on an exterior of said electronic camera or in a vicinity of said exterior of said electronic camera,

wherein said power supplying section is provided in a position that faces the power receiving section of said electronic camera mounted in said first direction and that faces the power receiving section of said electronic camera mounted in said second direction,

wherein the power supplying section of said camera stand supplies power to the electronic camera, when said electronic camera is mounted in either one of said first direction and said second direction,

wherein each of said electronic camera and said camera stand further includes a data transmitting and receiving section which transmits and receives data,

wherein data transmission and reception is performed by emitting and receiving an optical signal,

wherein the data transmission and reception section of said camera stand includes;

a first optical conducting section which corresponds to said first direction,

a second optical conducting section which corresponds to said second direction, and

a light coupling section which couples one of a light-receiving element and a light-emitting element to said first optical conducting section and said second optical conducting section.

15. An electronic camera system comprising:

an electronic camera which is mountable on a camera stand and which receives power from a power supplying section provided on the camera stand when said camera is mounted on the camera stand,

wherein an exterior shape of said electronic camera enables it to be mounted on said camera stand in one of a first direction in which a front of the camera faces a front of said camera stand and in a second direction in which a back of the camera faces the front of said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera comprises;

a plurality of operation modes,

a direction sensing section which senses whether said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand in said first direction or said second direction, and

a control section which selects a specific operation mode from said plurality of operation modes according to the mounting direction sensed by said direction sensing section.

16. A camera stand which is capable of mounting an electronic camera thereon, said camera stand comprising:

a power supplying section for supplying power to the mounted electronic camera, and

an exterior shape which enables said electronic camera to be mounted thereon in one of a first direction in which a front of the camera faces a front of the camera stand and in a second direction in which a back of the camera faces the front of the camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera selects a specific operation mode from a plurality of operation modes according to a mounting direction and sets the selected mode, and

wherein said power supplying section supplies power to the electronic camera, when said electronic camera is mounted in either one of the first direction in which the front of the camera faces the front of the camera stand and the second direction in which the back of the camera faces the front of the camera stand.

17. A system comprising an apparatus with a specific function and a stand with a power supplying section which supplies power to said apparatus when said apparatus is mounted on said stand,

wherein said apparatus has an exterior shape capable of being mounted on said stand,

wherein said stand has an exterior shape which enables said apparatus to be mounted thereon in one of a first direction in which a front of said apparatus faces a front of said stand and a second direction in which a back of said apparatus faces the front of said stand,

wherein said apparatus is capable of being mounted on said stand either in the first direction or in the second direction, and said apparatus includes:

a plurality of operation modes,

a direction sensing section which senses whether said apparatus is mounted on said stand in said first direction or said second direction, and

a control section which selects a specific operation mode from said plurality of operation modes according to the mounting direction sensed by the direction sensing section.

18. An electronic camera system comprising an electronic camera and a camera stand on which said electronic camera is detachably mounted,

wherein said electronic camera includes:

a camera body,

a mount sensing section which senses that the camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

a control section which operates a specific function of said electronic camera when the mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

wherein said camera stand includes a power supplying section which supplies power to said electronic camera when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand in a position different from a position in which the electronic camera is mounted in normal use, and wherein said electronic camera includes a display section which displays an image based on image data, and an image direction changing section which changes a direction of the image displayed on said display section, and

said control section controls said image direction changing section, when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand.

19. The electronic camera system according to claim 18 wherein said image direction changing section further changes the direction of said displayed image based on information about the direction of the image corresponding to the image data.

20. The electronic camera system according to claim 19 wherein said image direction changing section, when said camera body is not mounted on said stand, changes the direction of said displayed image based on said information about the direction of said image to provide a representation suitable for a normally used position.

21. The electronic camera system according to claim 20 wherein said camera body includes an image data output section which outputs display image data to an external display unit, and,

wherein when said sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said stand, said image direction changing section changes the direction of the displayed image to provide a same representation as that suitable for said normally used position, based on information about said direction of said image in a case of the display image data outputted from said output section, and changes the direction of the displayed image to provide a representation suitable for a position when the camera body is mounted, based on information about said direction of said image in a case of the image data displayed on said display section.

22. The electronic camera system according to claim 18

wherein said display section includes a clock display section which displays a clock, and

wherein said image direction changing section changes a direction of a clock representation displayed on said display section, when said sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said stand.

23. An electronic camera system comprising an electronic camera and a camera stand on which said electronic camera is detachably mounted,

wherein said electronic camera includes:

a camera body,

a mount sensing section which senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

a control section which operates a specific function of said electronic camera when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

wherein said camera stand includes a power supplying section which supplies power to said electronic camera when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera includes a liquid-crystal display section which displays an image based on image data and a field angle changing section which changes a direction of field angle at the liquid-crystal section and,

when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, said control section controls said field angle changing section to change said direction of said field angle to a setting value corresponding to a position in which the camera body is mounted on said camera stand.

24. The electronic camera system according to claim 23 wherein said field angle changing section is a brightness changing section which changes brightness of said liquid-crystal display section.

25. The electronic camera system according to claim 23 wherein said camera body includes an operation section which enables the setting value of said direction of field angle to be varied manually.

26. The electronic camera system according to claim 23 wherein with said camera body mounted on said stand, an operation section which enables the setting value of said direction of field angle to be varied manually is provided on a stand exterior section.

27. An electronic camera system comprising an electronic camera and a camera stand on which said electronic camera is detachably mounted,

wherein said electronic camera includes:

a camera body,

a mount sensing section which senses that the camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

a control section which operates a specific function of said electronic camera when the mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

wherein said camera stand includes a power supplying section which supplies power to said electronic camera when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera includes a photographing mode select section which selects one of a normal photographing mode and a specific photographing mode for automatic photography as a photographing mode, and

said control section performs control so that said photographing mode select section can select the specific photographing mode for automatic photography, when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand.

28. The electronic camera system according to claim 27 wherein said camera control section photographs under photographing conditions such that photographing operations are imperceptible, when said specific photographing mode is selected.

29. The electronic camera system according to claim 28 wherein said photographing conditions such that photographing operations are imperceptible comprise photographing while inhibiting at least one of strobe light emission, display by a display section, lens movements by a focusing section and a zooming section, driving operations by a diaphragm and shutter section, and sound reproduction and calling.

30. The electronic camera system according to claim 27 wherein said electronic camera includes a charging section which charges a built-in secondary battery with the power supplied from said camera stand.

31. The electronic camera system according to claim 30 wherein said camera control section performs control to interrupt the charging by said charging section and execute photography and, after completion of the photography, resume the charging, when a photograph instruction is given in said specific photographing mode during the charging of the built-in secondary battery by said charging section.

32. The electronic camera system according to claim 30 wherein said camera control section performs control to interrupt the charging by said charging section and execute photography, when a photograph instruction is given in said specific photographing mode during said charging of the built-in secondary battery by said charging section.

33. The electronic camera system according to claim 32 wherein said electronic camera includes a battery remaining power sensing section, and said camera control section recharges the battery, when the battery remaining power sensing section senses a decrease in an amount of battery remaining power as a result of photographing after the photographing operation is completed.

34. An electronic camera system comprising an electronic camera and a camera stand on which said electronic camera is detachably mounted,

wherein said electronic camera includes:

a camera body,

a mount sensing section which senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

a control section which operates a specific function of said electronic camera when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

wherein said camera stand includes a power supplying section which supplies power to said electronic camera when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera includes a photographing mode setting section which sets a specific photographing mode for automatic photography as a photographing mode, and

wherein said control section performs control to said photographing mode setting section to set the specific photographing mode for automatic photography when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand.

35. An electronic camera system comprising an electronic camera and a camera stand on which said electronic camera is detachably mounted,

wherein said electronic camera includes:

a camera body,

a mount sensing section which senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

a control section which operates a specific function of said electronic camera when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

wherein said camera stand includes a power supplying section which supplies power to said electronic camera when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera includes a camera examination section which examines the camera,

wherein said control section activates said camera examination section with specific timing, when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

wherein said camera examination section comprises a defective pixel sensing means which senses defective pixels in a photographing element.

36. The electronic camera system according to claim 35 wherein said camera body further includes a temperature measuring section, and said defective pixel sensing section senses defective pixels according to a temperature measured by the temperature measuring section.

37. The electronic camera system according to claim 35 wherein said camera body further includes a charging section which charges a built-in secondary battery with the power supplied from said camera stand, and

wherein said activation control section starts the charging by said charging section after said defective pixel sensing section senses a defective pixel.

38. The electronic camera system according to claim 35 wherein said camera body further includes a charging section which charges a built-in secondary battery with the power supplied from said camera stand, and

wherein said activation control section activates said defective pixel sensing section, after the charging by said charging section is completed.

39. The electronic camera system according to claim 35 wherein said camera stand includes a light projecting section which projects light onto a photographing system of said mounted electronic camera, and

wherein said defective pixel sensing section of the electronic camera senses black defective pixels in the photographing element from an output of the photographing element on which light is projected by said light projecting section.

40. The electronic camera system according to claim 35 wherein said defective pixel sensing section of the electronic camera senses white defective pixels in the photographing element from the photographing element with a shutter of the camera closed.

41. An electronic camera which is mountable on a camera stand and receives power from a power supplying section provided on said camera stand when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand, said electronic camera comprising:

a camera body,

a mount sensing section which senses that the camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

a control section which activates a specific function of the electronic camera, when the mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera is mounted in a position different from a position in which said electronic camera is mounted in normal use and includes a display section which displays an image based on image data and an image direction changing section which changes a direction of the image displayed on said display section, and

wherein said control section controls said image direction changing section, when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand.

42. The electronic camera according to claim 41 wherein said image direction changing section further changes the direction of said displayed image based on information about the direction of the image corresponding to said image data.

43. An electronic camera which is mountable on a camera stand and receives power from a power supplying section provided on said camera stand when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand, the electronic camera comprising:

a camera body,

a mount sensing section which senses that the camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

a control section which activates a specific function of the electronic camera, when the mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand,

a liquid-crystal display section which displays an image based on image data, and

a field angle changing section which changes a direction of field angle at the liquid-crystal display section,

wherein said control section, when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, controls said field angle changing section to change said direction of the field angle to a setting value corresponding to a position in which the camera body is mounted on said camera stand.

44. The electronic camera according to claim 43 wherein said field angle changing section comprises a brightness changing section which changes a brightness of said liquid-crystal display section.

45. An electronic camera which is mountable on a camera stand and receives power from a power supplying section provided on said camera stand when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand, the electronic camera comprising:

a camera body,

a mount sensing section which senses that the camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

a control section which activates a specific function of the electronic camera, when the mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand,

a photographing mode select section which selects one of a normal photographing mode and a specific photographing mode for automatic photography as a photographing mode,

wherein said control section, when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, performs control to enable said photographing mode select section to select the specific photographing mode for automatic photography.

46. The electronic camera according to claim 45 wherein said camera control section photographs under photographing conditions such that photographing operations are imperceptible, when said specific photographing mode is selected.

47. The electronic camera system according to claim 46 wherein said photographing conditions such that photographing operations are imperceptible comprise photographing while inhibiting at least one of strobe light emission, display by a display section, lens movements by a focusing section and a zooming section, driving operations by a diaphragm and shutter section, and sound reproduction and calling.

48. An electronic camera, which is mountable on a camera stand and receives power from a power supplying section provided on said camera stand when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand, the electronic camera comprising:

a camera body,

a mount sensing section which senses that the camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

a control section which activates a specific function of the electronic camera, when the mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand,

a camera examination section which examines said electronic camera,

wherein said control section activates said camera examination section with specific timing, when said mount sensing section senses that said camera body is mounted on said camera stand, and

wherein said camera examination section comprises a defective pixel sensing means which senses defective pixels in a photographing element.

49. The electronic camera system according to claim 48 wherein said camera body further includes a temperature measuring section, and said defective pixel sensing section senses defective pixels according to a temperature measured by the temperature measuring section.

50. An electronic camera system comprising:

an electronic camera, and

a camera stand which includes a power supplying section for supplying power to said electronic camera when said electronic camera is mounted on said camera stand,

wherein said electronic camera has an exterior shape capable of being mounted on said camera stand, and

wherein said camera stand has an exterior shape which enables said electronic camera to be mounted thereon in one of a first direction in which a front of the camera faces a front of the camera stand and a second direction in which a back of the camera faces the front of the camera stand,

wherein a direction sensing section is provided to detect whether said mounted electronic camera faces said first direction or said second direction, and

wherein said direction sensing section uses a part of two pairs of electric contact groups each arranged in a ring shape on the electronic camera and the camera stand to utilize conductivity or non-conductivity corresponding to the direction the electronic camera.