JP2000078443A - Video camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video camera easily operable by a user. SOLUTION: Concerning the video camera composed of a main body 11 of the camera for photographing, recording and reproducing an object and a liquid crystal display means 14, which is attached to the main body 11 of the camera so as to be freely opened/closed, having a liquid crystal screen, on the opposite side of liquid crystal screen 23 of the liquid crystal display means 14, a first operating means 20 is provided for the operation of photographing, recording and reproducing. Further, it is preferable that a second operating means 21 for the operation of photographing, recording and reproducing is provided on the side face of the main body 11 of the camera confronted to the liquid crystal screen 23 of the liquid crystal display means 14 in the closed state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video camera having a liquid crystal display which can be opened and closed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, many video cameras have a liquid crystal display having a liquid crystal screen mounted on a camera body for photographing, recording, and reproducing an object.

This liquid crystal display means usually displays a reproduced image in a reproducing mode, and displays a reproduced image in a photographing mode.
Used to see the subject. This liquid crystal display means is attached to the camera body so as to be openable and closable, and is usually used in an open state and stored in the camera body in a closed state, and confirmation of a subject is provided on the camera body. Electronic viewfinder (hereinafter referred to as “EVF”)
Done by

[0004]

However, in the conventional video camera, no operation means for photographing, recording, and reproducing operations is arranged on the back of the liquid crystal display means. This is because the operability of the operating means is good in the closed state, but poor in the open state. Also,
With the recent miniaturization of the camera body and the enlargement of the LCD screen,
Dead space is increasing, and design and design freedom are decreasing. Furthermore, for power saving or when shooting outdoors in a bright place, the EVF is used instead of the liquid crystal display.
In many cases, conventional video cameras have poor operability. This is because the operation means used at the time of photographing, for example, fade, backlight correction, manual focus, etc., are not always arranged in a place where the user can easily operate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and has as its object to provide a video camera which is easy for a user to operate.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a video camera provided by the present invention comprises a camera body for photographing, recording, and reproducing a subject, and a liquid crystal screen attached to the camera body for opening and closing. And a liquid crystal display means having a first operation means for performing operations of photographing, recording, and reproduction on an opposite surface (rear surface) of the liquid crystal screen of the liquid crystal display means. Further, a second operation means capable of performing the same operation as the first operation means is provided on a camera body in which the liquid crystal screen faces when stored (closed).

[0007]

In the video camera according to the present invention, operating means used for photographing is provided on the back of the liquid crystal display means.
Also, the camera body is provided with operation means for performing the same operation. For this reason, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a user with an optimal operation environment during shooting.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail by way of examples with reference to FIGS.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a video camera in which a liquid crystal display means is in an open state, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a video camera in which the liquid crystal display means is in a closed state.

The video camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 automatically displays a subject in a camera mode, displays a reproduced image in a VTR mode, and switches EVF in conjunction with opening and closing of a liquid crystal display means. It has become.

This video camera comprises a camera body 11 and
Lens unit 12, EVF unit 13, liquid crystal display unit 14
Opening / closing / tilting mechanism 15, power switch 16, trigger switch 17, opening / closing detecting means 18 for detecting opening / closing of the liquid crystal display means, battery 19, first operating means 20, and second operating means 21 And a liquid crystal screen 23 and the like.

The camera body 11 is provided with an imaging section for photographing a subject, a recording / reproducing section for recording / reproducing a video signal, a control section for controlling each section of the video camera, and the like. The lens unit 12 has a function of guiding a subject image to an imaging unit. The EVF unit 13 is used for a user to view a subject in a shooting mode. The liquid crystal display means 14
It includes a liquid crystal screen 23 used for displaying recorded images and reproduced images. The subject image is displayed on the liquid crystal screen 23 in the camera mode, and an image represented by a video signal reproduced from a video tape is displayed in the VTR mode.

The liquid crystal display means 14 is attached to the camera body 11 via an opening / closing / tilt mechanism 15. Therefore, the liquid display means 14 is openable and closable in the arrow direction about the open / close axis, and is rotatable in the arrow direction about an axis perpendicular to the open / close axis. When the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the closed state, it is housed in the concave portion 11a on the side surface of the camera main body 11, and when it is in the open state, it is in a state of protruding right from the side surface of the camera main body 11. At this time, the liquid crystal screen 23 is
Turn to the side. The battery 19 is attached to the rear end of the camera body 11 and supplies power to the camera body 11.

The power switch 16 is a switch for the user to switch between the camera mode and the VTR mode.
The trigger switch 17 is a switch for the user to switch between start and stop of shooting in the camera mode. The opening / closing detection means 18 of the liquid crystal display means is provided in the camera body 1.
1, a switch for detecting the open / closed state of the liquid crystal display means 14. This switch can be provided on the liquid crystal display means 14 side.

The first operation means 20 is a liquid crystal display means 14
, That is, on the opposite side of the liquid crystal screen 23. This is the same as when shooting in camera mode and VT
Operation means used for recording and playback in R mode.
For example, operation buttons for fade, backlight correction, manual focus, and the like. The second operation means 21 is an operation button provided in the concave portion 11a on the side surface of the camera body 11 and having the same function as the first operation means. The second operation means 21 is provided at a position where the second operation means 21 does not overlap (do not face) the liquid crystal screen 23 when the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the closed state (storage state). When the liquid crystal display means 14 is stored, the first operation means 20 and the second operation means 21 have a positional relationship in which they are seen from the direction A in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the power switch 16 enters the camera mode and the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the housed state, that is, when the subject is confirmed using the EVF section 13, the liquid crystal display means is used. The photographing operation can be performed by the first operation means 20 provided on the back of the camera 14.

When photographing with the liquid crystal display means 14 opened as shown in FIG. 1, the second operation means 21 provided on the side surface of the camera body 11 at substantially the same position as the first operation means 20 is provided. Accordingly, the same shooting operation as that of the first operation unit 20 can be performed.

Further, in the video camera of the first embodiment, when the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the open state, the operation given to the second operation means 21 is enabled by the open / close detection means 18, and the first operation is performed. The operation provided to the means 20 can be invalidated. When the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the closed state, the operation given to the second operation means 21 can be invalidated, and the operation given to the first operation means 20 can be made valid.

According to the present embodiment, since the first operation means 20 is disposed on the back of the liquid crystal display means 14, when the liquid crystal display means 14 is to be photographed in a closed state, the operation means is at an optimal position for operation. Will come. For this reason, according to the video camera of the first embodiment, comfortable operability can be provided to the user, and the degree of freedom in design and design is greatly increased.

The first operating means 20 and the second operating means 21 are disposed at overlapping positions when viewed from the side, so that the liquid crystal display means 14 can be opened or closed. , The same operability can be obtained.

(Embodiment 2) In the embodiment 1, when the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the open state, the operation given to the first operation means 20 becomes invalid, but this operation is switched to another operation. It may be.

For example, if the operation is used during reproduction,
Operations such as adjusting the brightness of the liquid crystal, adjusting the volume of the speaker, and switching the screen display can be considered.

The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S101 (hereinafter, S means step), the power switch 16 is used to select whether the video camera is in a camera mode or a VTR mode. If S101 is in the camera mode, S10
In step 2, the open / close state of the liquid crystal display means 14 is detected. When the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the open state, the process proceeds to S103. Here, the second operation means 21 provided on the camera body 11 is enabled,
Proceeding to S104, the first operation means 20 provided on the back of the liquid crystal display means 14 is invalidated. In S102, when the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the closed state, the process proceeds to S105, where the first operation means 20 is enabled, and the process proceeds to S106, where the second operation means 21 is disabled.

Up to this point, the same applies to the case of the first embodiment.

In S101, if the mode is the VTR mode, the process proceeds to S111. If the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the open state, the process proceeds to S112, where the first operation means 20 is switched to the VTR system, and the second operation means 21 is enabled in S113. If the liquid crystal display means 14 is in the closed state in S111, the first operation means 20 is invalidated in S114, and the second operation means 21 is invalidated in S115.

(Embodiment 3) Embodiment 3 is a first embodiment of Embodiment 1.
This is an example in which no electrical detection means is provided in the operation means 20 of FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a video camera according to the third embodiment. The overall configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Example 3
In the embodiment, the liquid crystal display means 14 is provided with a hole 22 communicating with the second operation means 21 when the liquid crystal display means 14 is stored. LCD screen 23
Is located below this hole 22. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the liquid crystal display means 14 according to the third embodiment. The first operation means 20 and the liquid crystal screen 23 do not overlap in the vertical positional relationship.

When the first switch operator 24 is pushed into the hole 22 from outside the liquid crystal display means 14 in the closed state,
A switch operation mechanism capable of pressing a switch 26 on a substrate 27 via a second switch operation element 25 of the camera body 11 is provided.

FIG. 6 shows this switch operating mechanism. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the liquid crystal display means 14 in a housed state. Reference numeral 24 denotes a first switch operator of the first operation means 20, which is inserted into the hole 22 and has an elastic body (coil spring) 28. Urges the housing 29 outside. The second operation means 21 of the camera body 11 is provided with a second switch operator 25,
A switch 26 is provided on 7. In this state,
When the first switch operator 24 is pressed, the camera body 1
1 is pressed, the second switch operator 25 provided on
The switch 26 on the substrate 27 is pressed.

In the first embodiment, two identical operating means 20 and 21 are simply provided. In the third embodiment, a plurality of operating means are provided.
A comfortable operation can be realized without increasing the cost.

In the above embodiment, a video camera has been described as an example, so a tape is used as a recording medium, but a disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like can also be used as a recording medium.

In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0034]

As described above, according to the video camera of the present invention, since the operation means for photographing, recording, and reproducing operations is provided on the back of the liquid crystal display means which opens and closes, the video camera is comfortable for the user. In addition to providing a photographing operation, an effect of increasing the degree of freedom in design and design can be obtained.

Further, since the first operating means and the second operating means are arranged at substantially the same position, the same operational feeling can be obtained regardless of whether the liquid crystal display means is open or closed.

Further, since the first operating means is arranged at a position not overlapping the liquid crystal screen, it is possible to operate the second operating means with the first operating means when the liquid crystal display means is closed. Therefore, it is not necessary to have a plurality of electrical detection means such as switches, and cost can be reduced.

Further, since the operation means can be switched to an effective operation means depending on the open / close state of the liquid crystal display means, careless erroneous operation can be prevented.

Further, since the operation contents of the operation means can be switched by the mode and the opening and closing of the liquid crystal display means, a plurality of operations can be performed by one operation means without increasing the number of operation means such as switches.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a video camera according to a first embodiment with a liquid crystal display unit in an open state.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the video camera according to the first embodiment with a liquid crystal display unit in a closed state.

FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart of the video camera according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a video camera according to a third embodiment with a liquid crystal display unit in an open state.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a liquid crystal display unit according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a video camera according to a third embodiment with a liquid crystal display unit in a closed state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Camera main body 12 Lens part 13 EVF part 14 Liquid crystal display means 15 Open / close / tilt mechanism 16 Power switch 17 Trigger switch 18 Open / close detection means 19 Battery 20 First operation means 21 Second operation means 22 Hole 23 Liquid crystal screen 24 First Switch operator 25 second switch operator 26 switch 27 substrate 28 elastic body (coil spring)

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A video camera comprising: a camera body for photographing, recording, and reproducing an object; and a liquid crystal display means having a liquid crystal screen, which is openably and closably attached to the camera body, wherein the liquid crystal screen of the liquid crystal display means is provided. A video camera having a first operation means for performing operations of photographing and recording / reproducing on the opposite side of the video camera. 2. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising a second operation unit for performing operations of photographing and recording / reproducing on a side surface of the camera body facing the liquid crystal screen of the liquid crystal display unit in a closed state. Video camera. 3. The video camera according to claim 1, wherein the first operation means is provided at a position not overlapping with a liquid crystal screen in a vertical positional relationship. 4. The video device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit that can operate a second operation unit with the first operation unit when the liquid crystal display unit is in a closed state. camera. 5. The camera body or the liquid crystal display means,
3. The video camera according to claim 2, further comprising an opening / closing detection unit that detects opening / closing of the liquid crystal display unit, and switching between operation and non-operation of the first and second operation units by the opening / closing detection unit. 6. The operation of the first operation means is switched by the open / close detection means.
The described video camera. 7. The video camera according to claim 1, wherein the medium for recording and reproducing the object is a tape. 8. The video camera according to claim 1, wherein the medium for recording and reproducing the object is a disk. 9. The medium for recording and reproducing the object is a semiconductor memory.
The described video camera.