JP2000125247A - Digital camera, its control method and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera that can photograph an object without missing the perfect moment for a good picture and leave a photographing lens contained at the time other than photographing such as reproduction processing. SOLUTION: In the photographing mode of the digital camera, a lens movement control section 40 of a lens position control section 35 allows a lens moving mechanism 30 to move a photographing lens 3 from a contained position S to a photographing position P, at which the lens 3 comes to a stop. Furthermore, in the reproduction mode, the lens movement control section 40 allows the lens moving mechanism 30 to move the photographing lens 3 from the photographing position P to the contained position S, in which the lens 3 comes to a stop. Since the position of the photographing lens 3 depends on a state (mode) of the digital camera in this way, the user can photograph an object without missing the perfect moment for a good picture and the photographing lens can be left contained in at the time other than the photographing processing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photographing mode in which image data photographed through a photographing lens can be stored in a recording medium, and to output image data stored in the recording medium to a display screen or an external device such as a personal computer. The present invention relates to a digital camera having a possible playback mode and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, imaging devices including a CCD and the like and memories and devices for controlling the memories have become compact, and some of them have a size suitable for being carried so that the whole can be stored in a pocket. is there. However, even if the body is very compact, some optical distance is required for imaging.
In such a digital camera, when carrying the camera, the photographing lens is stored in the body or close to the surface of the body so that the whole camera becomes compact. And a predetermined optical distance is ensured.

[0003]

Such a movement of the taking lens is employed in a compact camera even in a conventional camera which stores an image on a film. For this reason, when taking a picture, the taking lens is at a predetermined position, and when carrying it, the taking lens is housed and compact, so that it is convenient to carry.

[0004] However, a digital camera has a mode for shooting when the power is turned on, an image data recorded in a memory is output to an external device such as a personal computer or a printer, or an image is displayed on a monitor mounted on the digital camera. There are at least two different modes of processing in the reproduction mode. Therefore, if the shooting lens is protruding from the body when the power is turned on, it is good to shoot, but when performing other processing such as reproduction,
Poor balance and difficult to place on floor or desk. Further, if the taking lens is forward, troubles such as damaging the taking lens are likely to occur.

On the other hand, by changing the position of the photographic lens in conjunction with the shutter switch, or by changing the position of the photographic lens manually or by operating a switch, the photographic lens can be housed during reproduction. . However, when taking a picture, it takes time to move the taking lens, so that there is a possibility that a problem such as missing a photo opportunity or forgetting to operate the lens and taking a picture cannot occur.

Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to take a photograph without imposing a burden on a switch operation to the user or to miss a photo opportunity, and furthermore, with the photographing lens kept housed in processing other than photographing such as reproduction. It is an object to provide a digital camera and a control method that can be used.

[0007]

Therefore, in the present invention,
The taking-in / out of the taking lens is performed based on a processing mode such as a taking mode and a reproducing mode. That is,
When the shutter switch is operated, the digital camera according to the present invention is capable of storing image data taken through a shooting lens in a recording medium and outputting image data recorded in the recording medium to a display screen or an external device. A digital camera having a playback mode, and a lens moving mechanism capable of moving the photographing lens to a photographing position where the photographing lens protrudes from the body and a storage position where the photographing lens approaches the body from the photographing position, A lens position control unit moves the photographing lens to the photographing position when the photographing mode is set, and moves the photographing lens to the storage position when the photographing mode is released.

Further, according to the digital camera control method of the present invention, when the photographing mode is set, the photographing lens is moved to a photographing position where the photographing lens protrudes from the body, and the photographing lens is released when the photographing mode is released. Moving the photographing lens from the photographing position to the storage position close to the body.

In the digital camera and the control method according to the present invention, in order to perform the processing, the taking-in / out of the taking lens is performed based on the state (mode) set in the digital camera. Therefore, if the camera is not in the shooting mode even when the power is turned on, the shooting lens does not protrude to the shooting position. Even when the power is turned on, the photographing lens can be stored in the storage position simply by canceling the photographing mode. Therefore, when performing processing other than shooting such as playback,
The digital camera can be used in a compact and well-balanced state with the shooting lens housed. Therefore, when performing processing such as reproduction, the digital camera can be stably placed on a desk or the like. Also, at that time, since the taking lens is in the housed state, the lens is not damaged.

Further, according to the digital camera and the control method of the present invention, when the photographing mode is set, the photographing lens is always protruding to the photographing position. it can. Therefore, there is no chance of missing a photo opportunity or forgetting to operate the taking lens to take a picture. For this reason, according to the present invention, a desired image can be taken without putting a burden on the lens operation for the user and without missing a photo opportunity, and at other times, the digital camera is used in a compact state. it can.

Here, in the present invention, it is possible to provide a changeover switch capable of switching between a photographing mode and a reproduction mode, and to operate the switch to move the photographing lens. By doing so, the position of the taking lens is automatically determined in conjunction with the mode set by the changeover switch.

The above control method can be provided by recording it on a recording medium such as a compact flash memory card readable by a digital camera. Further, it can be used by being installed from a user's personal computer into a program memory of a digital camera.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A digital camera to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 (A), (B)
(C) shows an outline of the digital camera of this example having a front view, a left side view, and a right side view. Also,
2A, 2B, and 2C show a plan view, a rear view, and a bottom view of the digital camera of the present example, respectively. Further, FIGS. 3A and 3B show a state in which the photographing lens is in the storage position and a state in the photographing position, respectively, in the digital camera 1 of the present example.

In the digital camera 1 of this embodiment, a photographing lens 3 is provided at a position offset to one side of the surface of a housing 2 as a body. The lens 3 can be moved in and out in the front-rear direction, and can be stopped at a storage position S approaching the surface of the housing 2 and a photographing position P at which photographing is possible. The user can take a desired image such as a scene by moving the photographing lens 3 from the storage position S to the photographing position P, pointing the photographing lens P in a desired direction, and operating the shutter switch 4. The photographed image (image data) is stored and held in a built-in memory.

The digital camera 1 is provided with a flash 5 for photographing in a dark place and a viewfinder 6 for viewing an image of an object to be photographed. Therefore, various photographing can be performed. A liquid crystal panel (LCD) 8 for a monitor is arranged at the center of the back of the housing 2.
It is also possible to project an image of the photographing target on the LCD 8. Thus, the user can shoot a predetermined subject while checking the image displayed on the LCD 8 instead of looking into the viewfinder 6.

By operating various switches 7a to 7k provided on the back and top surfaces of the housing 2, various processing such as displaying an image recorded and held in the memory on the LCD 8 and selecting photographing quality is performed. Can be done. Among the switches 7a to 7k, the dial switch 7a arranged on the upper surface of the housing 2 is a changeover switch capable of turning on / off the power and switching between a shooting mode and a reproduction mode. The photographing mode is a state (mode) of the digital camera capable of operating the shutter switch 4 and recording image data photographed through the photographing lens 3 in a built-in flash memory. In the playback mode, image data stored in the flash memory is displayed on the LCD.
8 or a digital camera state (mode) that can be output to an external device such as a personal computer.

In the digital camera 1, when the dial switch 7a is stopped at the off position H1, the power is shut off. The power is turned on when the dial switch 7a is rotated clockwise from the off position H1 to stop at the on position H2. When the power is turned on, the mode shifts to the on mode in which the photographing can be performed while looking into the viewfinder 6. At this time, the LCD 8 is off, and can be monitored only by the viewfinder 6. When the dial switch 7a is further rotated clockwise from the on position H2 to stop at the view position H3, the view mode is set and the LCD 8 is turned on. Then, the LCD 8 can be used as a monitor, and photographing using the LCD 8 or the viewfinder 6 can be performed. As described above, in the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment, in the on mode and the view mode, the state of the digital camera 1 is a state in which a photograph can be taken, that is, the above-described photographing mode.

On the other hand, the dial switch 7a is rotated counterclockwise from the off position H1 to the playback position H.
When the display is stopped at 4, the power is turned on and the apparatus enters a playback mode in which image data recorded and held in the memory can be reproduced on the LCD 8. That is, at this time, the state of the digital camera 1 becomes the above-described playback mode.

A panel 9 provided on the upper surface of the housing 2 is for displaying the number of images to be taken, the remaining battery power, and the like. The switch 7b provided on the back surface of the housing 2 is a switch for waiting for a process of recording image data in a memory.

A cover 2a for mounting a compact flash memory card is provided on the bottom surface of the digital camera 1. By opening the lid 2a and installing a compact flash memory card therein, a memory for image recording can be added. On the side of the digital camera 1, an infrared interface for securing connection with an external device such as a personal computer, a printer, a mobile phone, or the like, or an interface 11 to which an RS232C cable or a Centronics cable can be connected are provided. The image data recorded in the flash memory is transmitted to an external device such as a personal computer via the interface 11 so that each external device can edit or print out the image.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic system configuration of the digital camera 1 using a block diagram. The entire digital camera 1 is controlled by the CPU 15, and C
An internal bus 16 connected to the PU 15 stores an imaging unit 17 that captures an image and generates digital image data, a RAM 18 that is used as a temporary storage area, and a plurality of control programs that implement the functions of the CPU 15. RO
M19 and a built-in flash memory 21 for storing image data generated by the imaging unit 17 are connected. If a control program is recorded in the flash memory 21, a configuration in which the ROM 19 is omitted can be adopted.

The internal bus 16 has a switch control unit 23 for controlling an input instruction from a switch group 22 including various switches 7a to 7k provided outside the housing and transmitting the input instruction to the CPU 15, and a mounted compact flash memory. A memory control unit 24 that controls access to the card 10, an LCD control unit 25 that controls input and output of data to and from the LCD 8, and an interface control unit 26 that controls input and output of data of the interface 11 for connecting external devices are connected. .

The digital camera 1 of the present embodiment has a photographic lens 3
Has a lens moving mechanism 30 for moving the lens to the photographing position P and the storage position S. This lens moving mechanism 30
Is provided with a driving force by a driving motor 31. When the photographing lens 3 is moved to the photographing position P and
, And can stop at that position. The drive motor 31 is supplied with a predetermined drive current from a drive circuit 32 connected to the internal bus 16. The control of the drive current is performed by the CPU 15 executing a control program stored in the ROM 19 at an appropriate timing. In this example, as described later, the digital camera 1 is set in a shooting mode (on mode or view mode).
Then, the photographing lens 3 is automatically moved to the photographing position P by the lens moving mechanism 30. On the other hand, when the shooting mode is canceled, that is, when the power is turned off and when the playback mode (playback mode) is set, the shooting lens 3 is automatically moved to the storage position S.

In the digital camera 1, in the on mode or the view mode, when the shutter switch 4 is pressed while the photographing lens 3 is moved to the photographing position P, the light collected through the lens 3 After being converted into a digitized electric signal, the electric signal is input to the imaging unit 17 and converted into image data indicating an image to be captured. Then, the image data is stored in one of the built-in flash memory 21 and the compact flash memory card 10. Note that the focus of the image may be adjusted while the shutter switch 4 is pressed halfway.

FIG. 5 is a schematic functional block diagram of the digital camera 1 of this embodiment. Digital camera 1 is C
It has a lens position control unit 35 configured around the PU 15, and the position of the taking lens 3 is controlled by the lens position control unit 35. This lens position controller 35
The mode determination unit 36 determines whether the mode is the shooting mode (on mode or view mode) or the shooting mode has been released, and the drive circuit 32 sends the signal to the drive motor 31 based on the determination result of the mode determination unit 36. A lens movement control unit 40 that controls the supplied drive current and moves the lens 3 to the photographing position P or the storage position S is provided.

In this example, when viewed by function, the LCD
8 has two modes: a playback mode (reproduction mode) for reproducing image data, and a shooting mode for capturing an image. Of course, it is also possible to prepare a mode for executing functions other than photographing and reproducing. Even in such a digital camera, when the photographing mode is released, the position of the photographing lens 3 becomes the storage position S.

The lens movement control unit 40 includes a mode determination unit 3
When it is determined from the determination result of step 6 that the mode is the on mode or the view mode, a function 37 for holding the taking lens 3 at the taking position P is selected. In this function 37, when the ON mode or the view mode is selected, the driving circuit 32
By controlling the drive current supplied to the drive motor 31 via the, the photographic lens 3 is moved from the storage position S to the photographic position P by the lens moving mechanism 30. As a result, the photographic lens 3 projects forward from the surface of the housing 2.

On the other hand, when the lens movement control unit 40 recognizes that the mode is the playback mode from the result of the determination by the mode determination unit 36, the function 3 for holding the photographing lens 3 in the storage position S.
Select 8. In the function 38, when the playback mode is selected, the drive current supplied to the drive motor 31 is controlled, and the photographic lens 3 is moved from the photographic position P to the storage position S by the lens moving mechanism 30. As a result, the photographic lens 3 is housed on the front side of the housing 2.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for controlling the movement of the photographing lens when the power is turned on in the digital camera of this embodiment. In the digital camera 1, first, when the dial switch 7a is turned clockwise or counterclockwise from the off position H1 in step ST1 and the power is turned on, in step ST2, whether the mode is the on mode or the view mode is determined. Is determined.

If the mode is the on mode or the view mode in step ST2, the photographing lens 3 is moved from the storage position S to the photographing position P by the lens moving mechanism 30 in step ST3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3B, the photographing lens 3 is in a state of protruding forward of the housing 2, and photographing can be performed only by pressing the shutter switch 4. On the other hand, the dial switch 7a is in the off position H1.
When the digital camera 1 is turned to the playback position H4, the state of the digital camera 1 when the power is turned on is set to the playback mode, so that the photographing lens 3 is held at the storage position S. As a result, the reproduction process can be executed in a compact state.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for controlling the movement of the taking lens at the time of mode switching in the digital camera of this embodiment. First, when the mode is switched by operating the dial switch 7a in step ST10, step ST1 is executed.
At 1, it is determined whether the mode has been switched to the on mode or the view mode. If it is determined in step ST11 that the mode has been switched to the on mode or the view mode,
Before the dial switch 7a is operated, the photographing lens 3
Is in the storage position S, the photographing lens 3 is moved to the photographing position P in step ST12. On the other hand, when the mode is switched to the playback mode, since the photographing lens 3 is at the photographing position S, the photographing lens 3 is moved to the storage position S in step ST13. As a result, the photographing lens 3 always projects to the front of the housing 2 in the on mode or the view mode, and is always held in the storage position S near the surface of the housing 2 in the playback mode.

As described above, in the digital camera 1 of the present embodiment, the taking-in and out of the taking lens 3 is performed based on the state (mode) of the digital camera. Therefore, even if the power is turned on, the shooting mode (on mode or view mode)
Otherwise, the photographing lens 3 does not jump to the photographing position P. In addition, it is in shooting mode when the power is turned on,
Even if the photographing lens 3 protrudes to the photographing position P, the photographing lens 3 can be returned to the storage position S only by operating the dial switch 7a to cancel the photographing mode. Therefore, when performing processing other than photographing, the photographing lens 3 can always be stored at a position close to the surface of the housing 2. Therefore, when performing processing other than photographing, the entire digital camera is kept in a compact and well-balanced state, so that the digital camera can be stably placed on a desk. Further, at that time, since the photographing lens 3 is stored, there is no fear of damaging the lens.

In the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment, when the camera is in the ON mode or the view mode, the photographing lens 3 protrudes to the photographing position P, so that the photographing can be immediately performed only by operating the shutter switch 4. For this reason, it is possible to eliminate the problem of photographing caused by the time required for moving the photographing lens 3, such as when the photographing lens 3 is moved in conjunction with the shutter switch 4. For example, it is possible to avoid a problem that a timing of a photo opportunity is shifted and a desired image cannot be photographed. Also,
When a manual switch or a dedicated switch for moving the taking lens 3 is operated, a photograph may not be taken due to forgetting to take out the taking lens 3. However, in the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment, the shooting lens 3 always jumps out to the shooting position P and is ready for shooting in the shooting mode, so that such a problem can be avoided.

Although the digital camera 1 provided with two modes, a photographing mode and a reproduction mode, has been described according to the functions, the present invention is also applied to a digital camera provided with a mode other than the photographing and reproduction modes. Of course, it can be applied. Further, not only a digital camera in which the photographing lens 3 is stopped at the two positions of the storage position S and the photographing position P, but also a camera having a telephoto function and having a plurality of photographing positions P may be provided.

Further, the above-described control method is performed by storing in a recording medium such as the ROM 19 or the flash memory 21 a program having instructions capable of executing processing corresponding to each step of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Can be installed and used.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a digital camera of a type in which the taking lens is inserted into and taken out of the body, the position of the taking lens is changed according to the state of the camera. Therefore, if the shooting mode is not set when the power is turned on, the shooting lens does not protrude forward of the body. In addition, even when the photographing lens is in the photographing mode when the power is turned on and the photographing lens protrudes forward, the photographing lens can be stored in a position close to the body simply by canceling the photographing mode. Therefore, when processing other than photographing is performed, it can be used in a compact and well-balanced state in which the photographing lens is housed. Therefore, it can be easily placed on a floor or a desk in a stable state, and the lens can be protected. Further, according to the present invention, in the photographing mode, the photographing lens always extends to the photographing position, so that photographing can be performed immediately by simply operating the shutter switch. For this reason, there is no problem that a photo opportunity is missed or a photograph cannot be taken.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view of a digital camera to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 1B is a right side view thereof, and FIG. 1C is a left side view thereof.

FIG. 2A is a plan view of the digital camera shown in FIG. 1,
(B) is a rear view, and (C) is a bottom view.

FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a state in which a photographing lens of a digital camera is held in a storage position, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the photographing lens is held in a photographing position.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic system configuration of the digital camera.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic function of the digital camera.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating movement control of a photographing lens in the digital camera when power is turned on.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing movement control of a photographing lens in the digital camera at the time of mode switching.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 digital camera 2 housing (body) 3 taking lens 7a dial switch (switching switch) 15 CPU 22 switch group 30 lens moving mechanism 31 drive motor 32 drive circuit 35 lens position control section 36 mode determination section 40 lens movement control section P shooting position S Storage position

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) // G03B 19/02 F-term (Reference) 2H011 DA05 2H054 AA01 BB11 5C022 AA13 AC02 AC03 AC16 AC31 AC32 AC42 AC54 AC69 AC74 AC77 5C052 AA17 AB04 CC05 DD02 EE02 EE03 EE08 GA02 GA03 GA05 GA08 GA09 GB01 GC10 GD03 GE08

Claims (4)

[Claims] When a shutter switch is operated, a photographing mode in which image data photographed through a photographing lens can be stored in a recording medium, and an image data stored in the recording medium can be output to a display screen or an external device. A digital camera having a playback mode, wherein a photographing lens is protruding from a body and is capable of photographing;
And a lens moving mechanism that can move the taking lens to a storage position where the taking lens approaches the body from the taking position, and when the taking mode is set, the taking lens is moved to the taking position; And a lens position control means for moving the taking lens to the storage position when released. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a changeover switch capable of switching between the photographing mode and the reproduction mode, wherein the lens position control means moves the photographing lens when the changeover switch is operated. And a digital camera. 3. When a shutter switch is operated, a photographing mode in which image data photographed through a photographing lens can be stored in a recording medium, and image data stored in the recording medium can be output to a display screen or an external device. A method of controlling the digital camera having a playback mode, wherein, when the shooting mode is set, the shooting lens is moved to a shooting position where the shooting lens protrudes from a body, and the shooting mode is released. And moving the photographing lens from the photographing position to a storage position near the body from the photographing position. 4. When a shutter switch is operated, a photographing mode in which image data photographed through a photographing lens can be stored in a recording medium, and image data stored in the recording medium can be output to a display screen or an external device. A control program for a digital camera having a playback mode, wherein, when the shooting mode is set, the shooting lens is moved to a shooting position where the shooting lens protrudes from a body, and the shooting mode is released. Then, the control program having an instruction to execute a process of moving the photographing lens from the photographing position to the storage position close to the body from the photographing position is stored, and the computer-readable program is stored. Recording medium.