JP2002057918A - Digital still camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital still camera that has a high degree of GUI (Graphical User Interface) freedom and can reduce the power consumption. SOLUTION: This digital still camera can display only a status area 21 in the case of displaying setting information such as a shutter speed or exposure of the digital still camera. Thus, when the setting of the digital still camera is operated, displaying only the status area without displaying a natural picture display area needing much power consumption can reduce the power consumed by the digital still camera. Furthermore, the status area 21 is used for all of a display area 20 of an LCD panel so as to increase a displayable area thereby enhancing a degree of GUI freedom.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital still camera that converts light from a subject into an electric signal and stores the electric signal (hereinafter, the digital still camera is simply referred to as a "digital camera").

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a digital camera which converts light from a subject into an electric signal by an optical sensor such as a CCD, converts the converted electric signal into digital data, and records the digital data on a recording medium such as a flash memory. ing. By using a digital camera, it is possible to easily store digital data of an image captured using a personal computer or the like and perform various processings by an individual. In addition, by outputting digital data to a printer, a photograph can be printed without developing the film. Recently, with the improvement of the print quality of a printer, it has become possible to output a high-quality photograph indistinguishable from a silver halide photograph.

A conventional digital camera as described above includes a plurality of liquid crystal display devices (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display).
It has a unit. For example, a color LCD unit provided on the back of a digital camera is used as a finder for determining the composition of a photograph. The color LCD unit is used not only as a viewfinder but also as a display means for reproducing images based on the compressed image data recorded in the flash memory after photographing and for displaying instructions for performing various operations on the digital camera. You. In addition, a monochrome LCD unit for displaying various information of the digital camera, such as a shutter speed or an aperture at the time of shooting, the number of shootable images, or a remaining battery level, is provided on a top surface of the digital camera.

In addition to the above LCD unit,
As a means for informing the user of the state of the digital camera, a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are used.
de) is provided. The LED is, for example, whether or not the digital camera can take a picture according to its color or blinking state.
The user is informed of the operation state of t) and whether the exposure is excessive or insufficient.

[0005]

However, by providing a plurality of LCD units in a digital camera,
It is necessary to provide a circuit for driving the LCD panel for each LCD unit. Therefore, there is a problem that power is consumed in each LCD panel driving circuit, and a battery which is a power supply of the digital camera is quickly consumed. Since a digital camera is mainly used outdoors and portability is important, it is not preferable to use a large and large-capacity battery. Therefore,
It is important to reduce the power consumed by each part of a digital camera.

[0006] Existing digital cameras have a plurality of LCD units as described above. However, the power consumed by the LCD unit accounts for much of the power consumed by the entire digital camera, and reducing the power consumed by the LCD unit means reducing the power consumed by the entire digital camera. Become.

In recent digital cameras, a GUI (Graphic) such as an icon for selecting and inputting desired processing to a color LCD unit in order to improve operability is provided.
calUser Interface). G such as icons
In order to display the UI on the color LCD unit, tens of thousands of pixels of the color LCD unit are required. Therefore, the size of the color LCD unit limits the degree of freedom of the GUI.

However, the power consumed by the color LCD unit occupies most of the power consumed by the digital camera, and the power consumption increases as the size of the color LCD unit increases. That is, if the color LCD unit is enlarged in order to improve the operability when setting a digital camera that is not directly related to shooting, the power consumption at the time of setting increases, and the number of images that can be shot by the digital camera decreases. There is.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital camera having a high degree of freedom of GUI and reducing power consumption.

[0010]

According to the digital camera of the present invention, the display area of the display section is created from the first display area for displaying an image created from the setting screen data, and from the image signal. And a second display area for displaying an image. Since the display area control means can change the number and positions of the scanning lines forming the first display area and the second display area, the first display area and the second display area can be changed.
The display area can change its display area and display position. Since two different display areas can be displayed on one display unit, there is no need to receive a plurality of display units on the digital camera.

Since the first display area is a two-gradation display, for example, if the display area is composed of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) pixels, eight colors are displayed. can do. On the other hand, since the second display area is a multi-gradation display, a color image of 260,000 colors can be displayed, for example, in the case of 64 gradations of each of R, G, and B colors.

When inputting the setting information, that is, when setting, for example, a shutter speed or an exposure instead of executing photographing, only the first display area is displayed on the display unit. Since the first display area can display eight colors and can change the area and position of the display area, the degree of freedom of the GUI for inputting the setting information can be increased. In addition, since power consumption is lower in the case of two-tone display than in the case of multi-tone display, power consumed by the display unit and the entire digital camera when setting information is input can be reduced.

According to the digital camera of the second aspect of the present invention, since the display section is of a liquid crystal display type, it is inexpensive and the power consumed by the digital camera can be reduced. According to the digital camera of the third aspect of the present invention, the display unit has the second storage unit capable of storing the image signal and the setting screen data. Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to repeatedly output the image signal and the setting screen data to the display unit, and it is possible to suppress an increase in power consumed by repeating the output.

According to the digital camera of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the storage section does not require refresh (SRAM (Static)).
ic RAM), power for refresh is not required, and power consumed by the digital camera can be reduced.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment showing an embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a digital camera 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the digital camera 1 includes a control unit 2, a condenser lens 3, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 4, an A /
D converter 5, first storage unit 6, screen data creation unit 7 as a signal creation unit and setting screen data creation unit, LCD unit 8 as a display unit, flash memory 9, interface 10, shutter button 11, and input means And an input unit 12 as the main unit.

The control unit 2 includes a CPU (Central
And a ROM in which programs for performing various controls of the digital camera 1 are recorded. The control unit 2 includes a shutter button 11 for instructing start of photographing, and a digital camera 1
An input unit 12 for inputting a plurality of pieces of setting information to is input. The setting information input from the input unit 12 includes exposure at the time of shooting, setting of a shutter speed, and correction of exposure and color correction of an image after shooting.

The image pickup section includes a condenser lens 3, a CCD 4, and an A / D converter 5. The condenser lens 3 condenses the light from the subject and makes it incident on the CCD 4. The condenser lens 3 is provided with a diaphragm 3a for adjusting the amount of light from the subject that enters. As CCD4, C
(Cyan), M (Magenta), Y (Yellow), G (Green)
A color image is photographed by using a CCD in which an image sensor having complementary color filters is arranged on a matrix. It is also possible to use three color filters of C, M, and Y as the complementary color filters. Also, R (Re
d) It is also possible to use a CCD having primary color filters of G (Green) and B (Blue). The A / D converter 5 converts light from a subject into image data by converting an analog electric signal output from the CCD 4 into a digital signal.

The first storage unit 6 includes a RAM 61 for temporarily storing image data converted by the A / D converter 5 or image data obtained by expanding compressed image data recorded in the flash memory 9; The display area 2 of the LCD unit 8 in the image data stored in the RAM 61
VRAM 6 in which image data to be displayed at 0 is stored
Two. As the RAM 61, a DRAM (Dynamic RAM) having a self-refresh function is used.

The flash memory 9 is a rewritable storage medium capable of holding the contents of recorded image data without power supply. The flash memory 9 is built in the digital camera 1 or is detachably provided in a card slot (not shown) of the digital camera 1. As the flash memory 9, for example, by using a memory card conforming to the PCMCIA standard or a memory card attachable to a PCIMA card adapter,
The contents of the flash memory 9 are directly read and written by a personal computer having a PCIMA card slot.

The screen data creating section 7 functions as a signal creating section for creating an image signal from the image data stored in the RAM 61 or the VRAM 62 and a setting screen data creating section for creating setting screen data from the setting information. Then, screen data to be output to the LCD unit 8 is created from the created image signal and setting screen data.

A cable 14 for outputting the contents stored in the flash memory 9 to an external processing device 13 such as a personal computer is connected to the interface 10. The standard of the interface 10 is a parallel system or a USB (Universal Se
rial Bus) system can be used.

The shutter button 11 reciprocates vertically in FIG. The control unit 2 distinguishes between a “half-pressed” state in which the shutter button 11 is pressed halfway through the movable range and a “full-pressed” state in which the shutter button 11 is pressed close to the limit of the movable range via a shutter stroke detection unit (not shown). Be recognized.

Next, the LCD unit 8 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the LCD unit 8 is provided with pixels constituting a display area 20 for displaying an image.
It comprises a CD panel 81, a control circuit 90 as a display area control means for controlling the data lines 811 and scanning lines 812 of the LCD panel 81 and the entire LCD unit 8, and an SRAM 83 as a second storage for storing screen data. The control circuit unit 90 controls the entire LCD unit 8.

As shown in FIG. 4, the LC of the LCD unit 8 is
In the D panel, a plurality of data lines 811 in the column direction Y and a plurality of scanning lines 812 in the row direction X are formed. A pixel 84 is formed at each intersection of the data line 811 and the scanning line 812. The pixel 84 includes a liquid crystal layer 841 and a TFD (Thin Film) which is a switching element.
Diode) 842 in series. Note that, instead of the TFD 842, a TFT (Thin Film Transi
It is also possible to use stor).

As shown in FIG. 5, the LCD panel 81 includes an element substrate 85 and an opposing substrate 86 arranged opposite to the element substrate 85. Counter substrate 86 of element substrate 85
On the side surface, pixel electrodes 87 made of a transparent conductor such as ITO (Indium Thin Oxide) are arranged in a matrix in the X direction and the Y direction. The pixel electrode 87 is connected to a data line 811 extending in the Y direction via a TFD 842. On the other hand, the element substrate 8 of the opposing substrate 86
A scanning line 812 extending in the X direction is formed on the surface on the fifth side so as to oppose the pixel electrode 87. The element substrate 85 and the opposing substrate 86 thus arranged are separated from each other by a sealing material or a spacer (not shown) so as to have a certain interval. This element substrate 85 and the opposing substrate 8
For example, a liquid crystal 88 of a TN (Twisted Nematic) type is sealed in a gap between the liquid crystal layer 6 and the liquid crystal layer 841 shown in FIG. That is, the liquid crystal layer 841 includes the scanning line 812, the pixel electrode 87, and the liquid crystal 88 interposed between the two at the intersection of the data line 811 and the scanning line 812.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control circuit section 90 includes a data line driving circuit 91, a scanning line driving circuit 92, a display data generating circuit 93, a driving voltage forming circuit 94, a power supply circuit 95,
A drive control circuit 96 and other control circuits (not shown) are provided. The data line drive circuit 91 and the scan line drive circuit 92 create a data signal and a scan signal from the display image data created by the display data creation circuit 93,
The data is supplied to a data line 811 and a scanning line 812, respectively. The other control circuit (not shown) is a data line driving circuit 9.
1 and a scanning line driving circuit 92 to supply a control signal and a synchronization signal. The drive voltage forming circuit 94 creates a voltage level used as a data signal and a voltage level used as a scanning signal. The power supply circuit 95 supplies power to the drive voltage forming circuit 94 and other control circuits, and to each unit of the LCD unit 8.
The drive control circuit 96 divides the display image data into the data line side display image data and the scan line side display image data, and supplies them to the data line drive circuit 91 and the scan line drive circuit 92, respectively.

The second storage unit shown in FIG.
ic RAM) 83. Since the SRAM 83 does not require refreshing, the power required for refreshing is reduced. The screen data created by the screen data creation unit 7 is stored in the SRAM 83. The screen data stored in the SRAM 83 is created as display image data by the display data creation circuit 93, and the drive control circuit 96 sends the display image data from the display image data to the data line drive circuit 91 and the scan line drive circuit 92. The scan line side display image data is supplied. Thus, the pixels 84 forming the display area 20 of the LCD panel 81 are controlled, and an image is displayed in the display area 20.

The details of driving the LCD panel 81 are as follows. When a scan signal is applied to the pixel electrode 87 shown in FIG. 5 via a scan line, the TFD 842 is turned on. When TFD 842 is conductive, data line 811
When a data signal is applied via the TFD 842, a predetermined charge is accumulated in the liquid crystal layer 841 shown in FIG. After the charge is accumulated, even if a non-selection voltage is applied to make the TFD 842 non-conductive,
When the off resistance of the liquid crystal layer 841 is small and the resistance of the liquid crystal layer 841 is sufficiently large, the electric charge accumulated in the liquid crystal layer 841 is maintained. By controlling each of the TFDs 842 to control the amount of charges to be stored, the alignment state of the liquid crystal 88 shown in FIG. 5 is changed for each pixel 84, and predetermined information is displayed.

Next, the display area 20 and the display area 20
Will be described in detail. The display area 20 is the first area as shown in FIG.
Status area 21 as display area, and second
It comprises a natural image display area 22 as a display area. Status area 21 only, natural image display area 22
It is also possible to operate only the status area 21 in this case. Hereinafter, the status area 21 and the natural image display area 22 will be described.

1. Status Area The status area 21 displays various setting information set in the digital camera 1 and the state of the digital camera 1. 1 and 6 to 8 show the status area 21.
3 is an example of an image displayed on the screen. The various setting information described above input from the input unit 12 of the digital camera 1 is shown in FIG.
Is created as setting screen data by the screen data creating unit 7 shown in FIG. The setting screen data is output to the LCD unit 8 as screen data together with the image signal.

The screen data output from the screen data generator 7 is stored in the SRAM 83. The screen data stored in the SRAM 83 is created by the display data creation circuit 93 as display image data. Then, based on the display image data, the control circuit unit 90 of the LCD unit 8 drives the pixels 84 of the LCD panel 81 via the data line driving circuit 91 and the scanning line driving circuit 92 to display an image.

The status area 21 shown in FIG. 1 is constituted by a part of the scanning lines 812 constituting the display area 20, and displays a two-gradation color image. The number and positions of the scanning lines constituting the status area 21 can be freely changed. As a result, the status area 21 is positioned above the display area 20 as shown in FIGS. 1, 6, and 8, or at the middle of the display area 20 as shown in FIG. Arbitrarily moved. Further, it is also possible to make the status area full screen display in which the status area 21 occupies the entire display area 20. Status area 21
Represents a two-gradation color image.
Eight color images are displayed according to the colors.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the status area 21 includes, for example, a shutter speed display 211, an exposure display 212, and a photographing image quality display 21 which are setting information.
3. Strobe shooting status display 214, zoom display 215,
Information such as the number of shots 216 is displayed. Further, a battery capacity display 217, which is a display of a remaining amount of a battery, which is a power source for driving the digital camera 1, and the like are also displayed.

In the status area 21, a plurality of status displays 23 indicating the status of the digital camera 1 are displayed.
The status display 23 corresponds to an LED provided in a conventional digital camera, and for example, one of the LEDs is lit green when a photographable state is available. When the photographing is successfully completed, the other is lit in green to notify the user of the completion of the photographing. In addition, it indicates to the user that an error condition has occurred in a part of the digital camera 1 and that the user is informed of insufficient exposure during shooting.

The screen data created by the screen data creation unit 7 is screen data of 64 gradations for each color of RGB for both setting screen data and image signals included in the screen data. Therefore, the display data creation circuit 93 converts the setting screen data included in the screen data into two-gradation display image data.

The conversion from 64 gradations to 2 gradations will be described. In the case of 64 gradations, the data has an output signal of any of 0 to 63. At this time, set the threshold,
An output signal equal to or higher than the threshold is set to 1 and an output signal smaller than the threshold is set to 0. In the case of data of 64 gradations, the threshold value can be arbitrarily set from 16 to 48. For example,
When 32 is set as the threshold value, if the output signal is 32 or more, 1 is set, and if the output signal is smaller than 32, 0 is set. When the status area 21 is used for full-screen display, the image data is not included in the screen data.

2. Natural image display area The natural image display area 22 is an area in which, for example, an image of a subject captured by the CCD 4 or an image based on compressed image data recorded in the flash memory 9 is reproduced and displayed. In the natural image display area 22, color display of 64 gradations for each of RGB is performed, and a color image of about 260,000 colors is displayed.

For example, when the natural image display area 22 is used as a viewfinder for displaying an image of a subject captured by the CCD 4, a status area 21 is displayed above the display area 20 as shown in FIG. Used as the image display area 22.

When an image based on the compressed image data recorded in the flash memory 9 is reproduced and displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. The photographing number, the photographing date, and the like are displayed, and the corresponding image is displayed in the natural image display area 22.

The natural image display area 22 is constituted by scanning lines other than the scanning lines constituting the status area 21 among the scanning lines 812 constituting the display area 20. Therefore, it is possible to display the natural image display area 22 over the entire display area 20 without displaying the status area 21.

The image data of the subject stored in the VRAM 62 of the first storage unit 6 or the image data expanded from the compressed image data stored in the flash memory 9 is created by the screen data creation unit 7 as an image signal. Then, it is created as screen data together with the setting screen data. This screen data is stored in the SRA of the LCD unit 8.
Output to M83 and stored. The control circuit unit 90 of the LCD unit 8 drives the pixels 84 of the LCD panel 81 based on the display image data created from the screen data stored in the SRAM 83, and displays an image on the display area 20. The screen data output from the screen data generator 7 to the LCD unit 8 is a digital signal, and is not converted into an analog signal during output. When the natural image display area 22 is used for full screen display, the setting screen data is not included in the screen data.

Next, the operation of the digital camera 1 will be described. The digital camera 1 of the present embodiment is controlled to one of a shooting mode and a replay mode. In addition, it is also possible to set a finder mode for performing photographing using an optical finder (not shown). The shooting mode is a mode in which shooting is performed while viewing the image displayed on the LCD panel 81. The replay mode is a mode for reproducing and displaying an image created from the compressed image data recorded in the flash memory 9.

(Photographing Mode) (1) Set the power switch (not shown) of the digital camera 1 to “ON” and set the mode conversion switch (not shown) to “Vi”.
In the “ew” mode, the digital camera 1 enters a standby state for photographing a subject. At this time, in the CCD 4, the light condensed by the condensing lens 3 is converted into an electric signal corresponding to the amount of light every few seconds to several tens of seconds. The converted electric signal is converted into digital image data by the A / D converter 5. When the user selects the LCD of the LCD unit 8
When the panel 81 is used as a finder, the image data is transferred to the VRAM 62 of the first storage unit 6, and as shown in FIG.
The subject is displayed as a moving image in the natural image display area 22.

At this time, the screen data creation section 7 creates the setting screen data from the setting information and the image signal from the image data stored in the VRAM 62. Then, screen data is created from the setting screen data and the image signal.
The created screen data is stored in the SR
Output to AM83. The display data creation circuit 93 of the control circuit unit 90 creates display image data from the screen data stored in the SRAM 83. The control circuit unit 90
Based on the display image data, the pixel 84 of the LCD panel 81 is driven via the data line driving circuit 91 and the scanning line driving circuit 92, and as shown in FIG.
1 and an image are displayed in the natural image display area 22.

Using the status area 21 displayed together with the natural image display area 22, the user can input setting information such as exposure and shutter speed. When the user enters configuration information,
If necessary, the status area 21 can be displayed on a full screen. The determined exposure and shutter speed are indicated by the shutter speed display 2 in the status area 21.
11, displayed as an exposure display 212.

(2) Shutter button 1 by user
When 1 is depressed to enter a “half-pressed” state, the exposure and focus are set and fixed. The user is exposed as described above,
When the control unit 2 automatically determines the exposure and the shutter speed instead of determining the shutter speed and the like, the control unit 2 controls the aperture 3a and the shutter speed of the condenser lens 3 from the light amount data output from the CCD 4. . That is, the control unit 2 changes the exposure by controlling the charge accumulation time of the CCD 4. The shutter of the digital camera 1 is a mechanical shutter that physically blocks light,
Alternatively, one or both of the electronic shutters for electrically controlling the charge storage time of the CCD 4 can be used.

(3) Shutter button 1 by user
When 1 is depressed to be in the “fully pressed” state, the following processing is performed. First, accurate photometry and focusing are performed on the subject. When photometry and focusing are completed, C
All the electric charges accumulated in the CD 4 are discharged once, and then the light from the subject collected by the condenser lens 3 is C
Light is incident on CD4. The CCD 4 outputs the amount of charge corresponding to the amount of incident light as an electric signal.

(4) The electric signal output from the CCD 4 is converted by the A / D converter 5 into digital image data. The converted image data is stored in a DMA for speeding up.
By (Direct Memory Access), an address of the RAM 61 of the first storage unit 6 is directly designated without the intervention of the control unit 2 and is temporarily stored.

(5) The image data stored in the RAM is subjected to various corrections such as white balance adjustment, pixel interpolation processing, and color correction. JPEG (Joint Phot
Compressed image data in a file format, such as a photographic expert group. Control unit 2 for JPEG files
In addition to this, a special algorithm can be provided by software, and a dedicated circuit can be provided for speeding up.

(6) When the compression of the image data is completed,
The image data is copied from the RAM 61 to the flash memory 9 and recorded. During (3) to (6), a still image of the photographed subject is displayed on the LCD 8. Also, when a predetermined time has elapsed after shooting, a moving image can be displayed.

(Replay Mode) (1) When the power of the digital camera 1 is turned “ON” and the mode change switch (not shown) is set to the “Play” mode, the digital camera 1 transmits the compressed image data recorded in the flash memory 9. This is the state for displaying on the LCD panel 81. The user selects a desired image from the compressed image data recorded in the flash memory 9.

When an image is selected, as shown in FIG. 8, a shooting number display 218 in the status area 21 and shooting information recorded simultaneously with shooting, for example, a shooting date display 21
9. Display the photographer and the like. The user selects a desired image with reference to these displays. Status area 21
Is displayed on a full screen, a large number of shooting information is displayed, and image search is easy.

Also, when selecting an image, instead of using the status area 21, a natural image display area 22, which is a full-screen display, is used, so that it is based on the compressed image data recorded in the flash memory 9. A plurality of reduced images (thumbnails) may be displayed. The user searches for a desired image with reference to the thumbnail.

(2) When an image is selected, compressed image data corresponding to the selected image is read from the flash memory 9. Since the compressed image data recorded in the flash memory 9 is compressed in the JPEG file format, it is expanded by a predetermined algorithm and
Is temporarily stored in the RAM 61 or the VRAM 62.

(3) The developed image data is created as an image signal by the screen data creation section 7 and then created as screen data together with setting screen data to be displayed in the status area 21.

(4) The screen data is stored in the LCD unit 8
Is temporarily output to the SRAM 83 and stored. The display data creation circuit 93 creates display image data from the screen data stored in the SRAM 83. Control circuit section 9
0 is the LCD panel 8 via the data line driving circuit 91 and the scanning line driving circuit 92 based on the display image data.
One pixel 84 is driven to display an image as shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the digital camera 1 of the present embodiment, when setting information such as the shutter speed or exposure of the digital camera 1 is displayed, only the status area 21 can be displayed. Therefore, when the setting of the digital camera 1 is operated, the power consumed by the digital camera 1 can be reduced by displaying only the status area 21 without displaying the natural image display area with large power consumption. Further, by setting the entire display area 20 of the LCD panel 81 to the status area 21, the degree of freedom of the GUI can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a display area of a digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an LC of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a D unit.

FIG. 4 shows an LC of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a schematic diagram which shows a D unit.

FIG. 5 illustrates an LC of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a schematic perspective view which shows D panel.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a display area of the digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a display area of the digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a display area of the digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional LCD unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 digital camera 3 condenser lens (imaging unit) 4 CCD (imaging unit) 5 A / D converter (imaging unit) 6 first storage unit 7 screen data creation unit (signal creation unit, setting screen data creation unit) 8 LCD Unit (display unit) 12 input unit (input means) 20 display area 21 status area (first display area) 22 natural image display area (second display area) 81 LCD panel 83 SRAM (second storage unit) 90 control circuit unit (Display area control means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G09G 3/20 611 G09G 3/20 611A 5C022 641 641S 5C080 3/36 3/36 // H04N 101: 00 H04N 101: 00 (72) Inventor Haruhisa Kurane 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa-shi, Nagano F-term in Seiko Epson Corporation (reference) 2H054 AA01 2H088 EA25 HA08 JA05 2H093 NA07 NA16 NA22 NA43 NA53 NC24 NC28 NC29 NC34 NC39 NC50 ND06 ND39 2H102 AA41 AA71 BA01 BA12 BA19 BB01 BB02 BB08 5C006 AA22 AC24 AF01 AF38 AF45 BB16 BC22 BF02 FA47 5C022 AA13 AB67 AC00 AC03 AC13 AC14 AC16 AC17 5C080 AA10 BB06 CC03 DD26 EE26 EE29 GG02 FF30

Claims (4)

[Claims] An imaging unit configured to convert light from a subject into digital data; a first storage unit capable of storing the digital data; a signal generation unit configured to generate an image signal from the digital data; An input unit capable of inputting a setting screen, a setting screen data creating unit for creating setting screen data from the setting information, a display unit having a display area including a plurality of scanning lines and a plurality of data lines, and the display area A first display area, which is composed of a part of scanning lines, and is capable of displaying an image created from the setting screen data in two gradations; A second display area capable of displaying an image created from a plurality of gradations, and display area control means capable of changing the positions and the number of scanning lines constituting the first display area and the second display area. When the input of the setting information, the display unit the digital camera and displaying only the first display region. 2. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein said display unit is of a liquid crystal display type. 3. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein the display unit has a second storage unit capable of storing the image signal and the setting screen data. 4. The digital still camera according to claim 3, wherein said second storage section is an SRAM.