JP2001268403A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video camera equipped with an image display means having both of the merits of an LCD panel and an electronic view finder which is the image display means loaded on the video camera without enlarging it or increasing the cost. SOLUTION: A magnifying lens group (2b) constituted so as to be freely advanced/withdrawn is arranged on the front surface of a movable LCD panel (2f) capable of being unfolded/housed and a display image (2a) is observed more closely than the least distance of distinct vision (about 250 mm) through the advanced magnifying lens group (2b).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus having a liquid crystal display, and more particularly to a structure optimal for a video camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Regarding a video camera according to the prior art,
This will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 to 6.

A video camera has a function of recording an image of a subject on a recording medium such as a tape, or reproducing and outputting a captured image or other images from the recording medium. Therefore, there is provided an image display means for displaying a currently photographed image to confirm a photographed image, or for reproducing and confirming an already recorded image.

[0004] Various types of image display means have been proposed and put into practical use. Conventional video cameras provided with image display means are listed and described below.

First, as a first prior art video camera, there is a "video camera having an electronic viewfinder". An electronic view finder is disclosed in, for example,
It has a configuration in which a small screen realized by a small liquid crystal display panel or a small CRT or the like and a means (loupe) for optically enlarging and observing the small screen as in the technology disclosed in JP-A-39177. I have.

The optical structure of the electronic viewfinder will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, a small liquid crystal display panel (hereinafter, referred to as LCD: Liquid Crystal) is provided inside an electronic viewfinder surrounded by a casing (not shown).
al Display) (5a) and a convex lens (5b). The object-side focal point of the convex lens (5b) is LC
It is located slightly closer to the object side than D (5a). The convex lens (5b) is configured as a single lens having a positive power or a lens group having a positive power as a whole by combining a plurality of single lenses. The LCD (5a) can be replaced with a small CRT. LCD (5
a) is a transmission type in many cases, and is provided with a backlight means such as a cold cathode tube on the back surface.

A convex lens (5) passing through the center of the LCD (5a)
b) The viewpoint (5c) is set at a position on the optical axis close to the convex lens (5b), and when the operator places his / her eyes at the viewpoint (5c) and looks into the electronic viewfinder, the size becomes H. The displayed LCD image (virtual image) (5d) is visually recognized on the object side.

The above-mentioned convex lens (5b) and viewpoint (5c)
Is used approximately fixedly in the position shown in FIG. 5, and retracts the convex lens (5b) from the front surface of the LCD (5a), or moves the convex lens (5b) to a viewpoint (5e) far away from the convex lens (5b). If they are arranged or if they are combined, they are not suitable for practical use.

That is, the convex lens (5b) is connected to the LCD (5
a) If the user attempts to directly observe the LCD (5a) by placing his / her eyes at the same viewpoint (5c) while retracting from the front surface, L
If the CD (5a) is too close to the eye and exceeds the adjustment range of the eye and cannot be visually recognized, and if one tries to observe the LCD (5a) directly from a distant viewpoint (5e), the LCD (5a)
Is too small, and the displayed image cannot be sufficiently observed.

Further, the convex lens (5b) is replaced with an LCD (5a)
When observing the LCD image (5d) from a distant viewpoint (5e) with the convex lens (5b) being small and having a small effective diameter, the visible image is limited to a size (diameter) of H ′. Since the virtual image is a part of the displayed LCD (5a), the peripheral part of the image displayed on the LCD (5a) is blurred, which is not practical. If the convex lens (5b) is configured to have a large size in order to eliminate shaking, the size of the electronic viewfinder is increased, which is not practical.

The advantages of the "video camera equipped with an electronic viewfinder" described above include that the electronic viewfinder is small, so that the video camera can be made small. LCD (5
a) There is almost no irradiation, and there is no obstacle to use even in a high illuminance environment such as outdoors during the day. The face is brought into contact with the eye cap provided near the exit of the convex lens (5b) of the electronic viewfinder. Since the observation posture is set, the holding of the video camera is stabilized, the shake of the shooting screen is reduced, and the fatigue due to the shooting is relatively small.

Next, as a video camera according to the second prior art, a "video camera having liquid crystal display means without a magnifying lens" will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1 which is an external perspective view of the video camera, a liquid crystal display means (1b) which is openably and closably attached to a housing (1a) covering a main body through a connecting means.
The liquid crystal display means (1b) has a large LCD (1
c) is arranged, and the displayed image is confirmed from a clear viewing distance (described later) without using an optical magnifying unit (loupe). Note that the electronic viewfinder (1d), which is an image display unit mounted on the video camera shown in FIG. 1 in addition to the liquid crystal display unit (1b), can check an image under high illumination such as outdoors during the day, It is provided for use with lower power consumption.

The LCD (1c) is larger than the small LCD (5a) for the electronic viewfinder described above. The distance between the LCD (1c) and the eyes at the time of observation is arbitrary within a range where the eyes can be adjusted. On the other hand, in general, when observing an object with the naked eye, the optimal distance is around 250 mm, and this distance is also referred to as “clear vision distance”.

[0015] The above-mentioned clear viewing distance can be determined, for example, by using the published book "Introduction to Optics for User Engineers" (Kishikawa: Optronics, Inc., ISBN4-900474-30-4,
1990) on page 219, "When observing an object directly with the naked eye, -250 mm, or -4d
p. Is called the clear vision distance and is considered to be the easiest to see. "
There is a description. "Optics", another published book (Murata:
Science, ISBN4-7819-0209-X,
1984), on page 210, "When we read, write and do manual work, the distance is about 25 cm, and this distance has the habit of making it easy to focus for a long time. There is a description.

The advantages of the video camera according to the second prior art are listed below. Since the observer observes the displayed image with his / her eyes removed, there is no need to fix the eyes at the viewpoint. The operation feeling is good because it is easy to check the surrounding situation, and multiple people other than the operator can observe at the same time,
In addition, since the liquid crystal display means is attached to the body so that it can be freely expanded and stored by the connecting member, it is possible to store the liquid crystal display means in the main body when not shooting, so that the whole is small and it is convenient for handling, storing, and carrying etc. Can be

Next, as a video camera according to the third prior art, a description will be given of a "video camera having a liquid crystal display means capable of observing from a clear distance through a magnifying lens". For example, in the technique disclosed in JP-A-6-289380, there is a description of a liquid crystal display means which can be observed from a clear viewing distance through a magnifying lens, although the configuration is not limited to a display means of a video camera.

The optical configuration of the display means provided in the third prior art video camera will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the large LCD (4a) has such a size that it can be observed from a distance such as clear viewing distance alone without using a magnifying lens. The convex lens (4b) is a large LCD (4a)
Has a larger effective diameter than the size of the LCD (short side, long side or diagonal length). Are arranged to observe the LCD image (4d) which is an enlarged virtual image.

The view point (4c) is a large LC with a roughly clear viewing distance.
D (4a), as is clear from the configuration diagram of FIG. 4, in order to observe a solid LCD image (4d), the convex lens is larger than the large LCD (4a) as described above. It is necessary to increase the effective diameter of (4b).

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 4, when the convex lens (4a) is inserted between the viewpoint (4c) and the large LCD (4a) or when the convex lens (4a) is detached, the convex lens (4a) is separated by a substantially clear visual distance. Observation from the viewpoint (4c) is possible. However, assuming a viewpoint (4e) closer to the large LCD (4a), when the convex lens (4b) is detached, the eyes become large.
Since it is too close to a), it is out of the adjustable range of the eye and cannot be observed, and when the convex lens (4b) is inserted, a clear virtual image cannot be seen because the position of the viewpoint is different from that at the time of design. Observation is not possible.

An advantage of the video camera according to the third prior art is that an LCD image (4d) larger than an actual large LCD (4a) can be observed, so that the visibility of the image is improved. is there.

[0022]

The video cameras according to the prior art described in the above three examples have the following problems to be solved.

First, in the first prior art "video camera having an electronic viewfinder", observation is always performed through a convex lens (5b), so that the position of the viewpoint is fixed and the surrounding conditions are simultaneously viewed. However, there is a problem that the operability is not good and a plurality of users cannot observe at the same time.

Further, in the second prior art "video camera having liquid crystal display means without magnifying lens",
It is often necessary to observe an image from a position before and after the distance of clear vision, and it is necessary to continue shooting while stretching the arm so that the video camera body is separated from the body about 20 to 30 cm, and holding is not stable, There has been a problem that the shake of the shooting screen increases and the operator's fatigue increases.

Further, in many cases, the LCD is of a transmissive type provided with a backlight means. In an environment with high illuminance such as outdoors in the daytime, external light is incident on the LCD and is reflected on the surface, so that a display image can be observed. It will be difficult. A light shielding hood placed around the LCD is also used to prevent external light from entering,
Since the viewpoint is far from the LCD, it is difficult to completely cover the LCD. For example, as shown in the configuration of FIG. 6, a structure in which external light can enter from a direction in which the hood does not cover the LCD is obtained. Therefore, there is a problem that it is impossible to prevent the display image from being difficult to observe due to the incidence of external light.

The third prior art "video camera having liquid crystal display means capable of observing from a clear distance through a magnifying lens" is a problem to be solved by the second prior art described above. In addition to the above, the convex lens (4b) needs to be configured to be larger than the large LCD (4a).

As described above, in the conventional video camera, various configurations of image display means to be mounted have been proposed and put into practical use. However, their disadvantages and advantages are opposite to each other, and they are advantageous and disadvantageous. Was resolved and there was no configuration with only the advantages. Therefore, instead of a single display means, a configuration having both a large LCD and an electronic viewfinder is often used (the configuration in FIG. 1 is an example). The viewfinder is not required, and the configuration is redundant and useless, causing unnecessary increase in size and cost of the video camera.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in an image pickup apparatus having an image display means, holding at the time of photographing is stable and fatigue is small, so that a plurality of persons can simultaneously observe the display screen. In addition, in order to provide a video camera that can easily prevent the display image from being difficult to see due to the incidence of external light, and prevent an increase in size and cost, the following description is provided. And is pivotally supported on one side of the one side surface of the apparatus main body (2h) so as to be able to be developed outside the apparatus main body (2h), and is image-displayed. Do L
A CD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel (liquid crystal display means 2f) and the device main body (2h) housed in the one side surface of the device main body (2h) and can be developed outside the device main body (2h). ) Is rotatably supported on the other side of the one side surface, and the device main body (2h).
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a magnifying lens group (convex lens 2b) that allows a display screen (large LCD 2a) of the LCD panel (2f) expanded outside to be magnified from a position closer than a clear distance. apparatus. "A folding light shielding hood (2i) for blocking unnecessary external light to the display screen (2a) of the LCD panel (2f) is provided in the one side surface of the apparatus main body (2h). An image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup device according to claim 1 is provided.

[0029]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention described in claim 1 of the present application discloses an apparatus main body (2h)
The device body (2h) is housed so as to be integrated with one side surface of the device body (2h) and can be deployed outside the device body (2h).
h) an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that is pivotally supported on one side of the one side surface so as to be rotatable and capable of displaying an image;
play) a panel (liquid crystal display means 2f) and the device main body (2h) housed inside the one side surface of the device main body (2h) and can be developed outside the device main body (2h).
h) the LC which is pivotally supported on the other side of the one side surface so as to be rotatable and is developed outside the apparatus body (2h).
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a magnifying lens group (convex lens 2b) that allows a display screen (large LCD 2a) of a D panel (2f) to be magnified from a position closer than a clear distance. "I will provide a.

In order to further solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 2 of the present application is directed to a folding light-shielding device for blocking unnecessary external light to the display screen (2a) of the LCD panel (2f). The hood (2i) is connected to the device main body (2h).
The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is provided in the one side surface. "I will provide a.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS.
A video camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The video camera according to the present embodiment is described as follows: “The video camera is housed so as to be integrated with one side surface of the device main body (2h), and can be deployed outside the device main body (2h). An LCD (Liquid Cr) that is rotatably supported on one side of the one side surface and that displays an image.
ystalDisplay) panel (liquid crystal display means 2f), and the panel of the apparatus main body (2h) housed inside the one side surface of the apparatus main body (2h) and capable of being developed outside the apparatus main body (2h). A display screen (large LCD 2) of the LCD panel (2f) which is pivotally supported on the other side of one side surface so as to be rotatable and is developed outside the apparatus main body (2h).
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a magnifying lens group (convex lens 2b) that allows a) to be magnified from a position closer than the distance of clear vision. Or "the LCD panel (2
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a folding light shielding hood (2i) for blocking unnecessary external light to the display screen (2a) in (f), in the one side surface of the apparatus main body (2h). An imaging device according to any one of the preceding claims. "

That is, in FIG. 2, which is an external perspective view of the video camera of the present embodiment, the liquid crystal display means (2f) can be freely opened and closed (unfolded and stored) via the connecting means on the main body housing (2h). Installed. Similarly, the lens frame (2g) is connected to the main body housing (2h) via the connecting means.
Is attached to open and close freely.

The liquid crystal display means (2f) includes a large LCD (2f).
a) a convex lens (magnifying lens group) (2b) is integrally attached to the lens frame (2g), and when the liquid crystal display means (2f) and the lens frame (2g) are open as shown in FIG. The optical axis of the convex lens (2b) is large LCD (2
The configuration is substantially the same as the center normal of a).

When the video camera is not used, the liquid crystal display means (2f) and the lens frame (2g) are rotatably housed by the hinge-shaped connecting means, and become compact by being integrated with the main body housing (2h) to be housed and carried. Becomes easier. When using a video camera, the liquid crystal display (2
f) and raise the lens frame (2g) (to open)
The state as shown in FIG. 2 or the liquid crystal display means (2
Only f) is opened, and the lens frame (2g) is closed.

It should be noted that the lens frame (2g) has the above-mentioned configuration, and may be a configuration (not shown) which is attached to the liquid crystal display means via a connecting means so as to be freely opened and closed.
Further, the liquid crystal display means (2f) and the lens frame (2g) may be connected to each other, and the lens frame (2g) may be developed in conjunction with the development of the liquid crystal display means (2f).

Further, in the configuration shown in FIG. 2, a foldable cover (light-shielding hood) (2i) is provided, and is developed so as to block the incidence of external light when the liquid crystal display means (2f) and the lens frame (2g) are open. It has a possible configuration. The foldable cover (2i) may be provided so as to be connected to the lens frame (2g), and may be expanded in conjunction with the expansion of the lens frame (2g).

In FIG. 2, the folding cover (2i)
Is configured to cover only the top surface, but may be configured to cover the other two surfaces.
h) together with the liquid crystal display means (2f) and the lens frame (2f).
g) is completely shielded from light. As will be described later, the eye is located immediately behind the convex lens (2b) during observation with the convex lens (2b) in the open state, so that there is little space between the eye and the convex lens (2b) and there is room for external light to enter. Is less.

Next, the optical configuration of the display means in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Large LCD (2
a) has a size that can be observed independently from the clear viewing distance or the like, and the convex lens (2b) that can freely enter and leave is a large LCD (2).
The object side focal point is located slightly closer to the object side than a). Effective diameter of convex lens (2b) is large LCD
A size smaller than the size (2a) (short side, long side or diagonal) is sufficient. This is because the configuration is such that the eyes are observed close to the convex lens (2b), so that the LCD image (2e) is not blurred even with a small aperture. The convex lens (2b) may be a single lens having a positive power, or may be constituted by a lens group having a positive power as a whole.

There are two methods for observing the display image on the large LCD (2a), and the first method (the convex lens (2
b) Entry mode), the convex lens (2b) is
(2a) In a state in which the camera is made to enter the front surface, an eye is placed on the first viewpoint (2c) close to the convex lens (2b), and the enlarged virtual image, ie, the LCD image (2e) is observed. In the second method (convex lens (2b) retreat mode), the convex lens (2
With b) retracted from the front of the large LCD (2a),
A second LCD which is approximately at a clear visual distance (M) from the large LCD (2a).
The eye is positioned at the viewpoint (2d), and the display screen is observed.

When observation is made in the convex lens (2b) entry mode, the eyes come close to the convex lens (2b) and the convex lens (2b)
b) Since the photographing can be performed while the operator's face is in contact with the eye cap provided on the emission side, the holding is stabilized, the shake of the photographing screen is prevented, and the operator is relatively less tired. The LCD (2a) and the convex lens (2
Since b) and the eyes are arranged close to each other, a light-shielding hood that blocks external light can be easily configured, and it is easy to prevent a problem that a display image is difficult to see in an environment with high illuminance.

As described above, as is apparent from the configuration diagram of FIG. 3, the convex lens (2b) does not need to be made larger than the large LCD (2a), and can have a small aperture. Since the observation is performed with the eyes brought close to each other, it is not necessary to relatively increase the magnification of the virtual image, and the focal length of the convex lens (2b) can be made longer, so that the convex lens (2b)
Is easy to design and manufacture, and the cost can be reduced. For the above reasons, the size and cost of the video camera can be reduced.

Further, when observation is performed in the retreat mode of the convex lens (2b), the second viewpoint (2d) where the eyes should be placed can be set relatively freely in the vicinity of the approximate clear viewing distance, so that the photographing posture becomes free. In addition, the operational feeling is improved, and the surrounding situation can be seen even while observing the screen. Also, a plurality of persons can observe the display image at the same time.

In the description of the present embodiment, the present invention is limited to a configuration in which the present invention is applied to a video camera. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described above, and an electronic still camera (digital camera) for recording and reproducing a still image and the like. The present invention is also applicable to imaging devices in the fields described above. Further, the present invention is not limited to the liquid crystal display means, and can be applied to all imaging devices having a display means for displaying an image according to other principles and configurations.

[0044]

As described in detail above, the image pickup apparatus provided by the invention of claim 1 of the present application is composed of a device main body (2
h) is housed so as to be integrated with one side surface, and can be rotatably locked to one side of the one side surface of the device main body (2h) so that it can be deployed outside the device main body (2h). LCD (Liquid Crysta)
lDisplay) panel (liquid crystal display means 2f), and the panel of the apparatus main body (2h) housed inside the one side surface of the apparatus main body (2h) and capable of being developed outside the apparatus main body (2h). A display screen (large LCD 2a) of the LCD panel (2f) which is pivotally supported on the other side of one side surface so as to be rotatable and is developed outside the apparatus main body (2h).
And a magnifying lens group (convex lens 2b) that allows the lens to be magnified from a position closer than the clear vision distance. '', The holding during shooting is stable and less fatigued, multiple people can observe the display screen at the same time, you can change the viewpoint freely during observation, you can see the surrounding situation, and An effect of realizing an imaging device that can easily configure a light-shielding hood that eliminates the difficulty of viewing a display image due to the incidence of external light without increasing the size and cost is achieved.

The liquid crystal display means (2f) and the lens frame (2g) including the convex lens (2b) are respectively connected to the main body so as to be openable and closable via connecting means. Not only can the video camera of the present invention be made compact, the approach and retreat of the convex lens can be easily performed, and the mechanism can be simplified, and the switching operation between the two methods for observing the display screen described above is quick and easy. Since it is possible and can be realized with a simple configuration, the liquid crystal display means configured to be openable and closable via the connecting means and the lens frame including a convex lens similarly configured to be openable and closable are indispensable components of the present invention. There is a unique effect not found in the prior art.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 2 of the present application, "the L
A folding light-shielding hood (2i) for blocking unnecessary external light to the display screen (2a) of the CD panel (2f);
The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is provided in the one side surface of the device main body (2h). In addition to the above-described effects, the present invention has an effect of providing an image pickup apparatus that actually blocks the incidence of external light and eliminates the difficulty of viewing a displayed image.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a conventional video camera.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the video camera according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an optical system used for a liquid crystal display unit of the video camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an optical system used for liquid crystal display means of a conventional video camera.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an optical system used for an electronic viewfinder of a conventional video camera.

FIG. 6 is a configuration example of a light shielding hood that blocks external light to a liquid crystal display unit in a conventional video camera.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2a Large LCD (display screen) 2b Convex lens (magnifying lens group) 2f Liquid crystal display means (LCD panel) 2h Main body housing (device main body) 2i Folding cover

Claims (2)

[Claims] The apparatus is housed so as to be integrated with one side of the apparatus main body, and can be rotatably locked to one side of the one side of the apparatus main body so as to be able to be developed outside the apparatus main body. LCD (Liquid Crysta
l) a panel, housed in the one side of the device body, and rotatably locked to the other side of the one side of the device body so as to be deployable outside the device body. An image pickup device, comprising: a magnifying lens group which is rotatably supported and is capable of enlarging a display screen of the LCD panel developed outside the apparatus main body from a position closer than a clear view distance. 2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a folding light shielding hood for blocking unnecessary external light to the display screen of the LCD panel is provided in the one side surface of the apparatus main body. apparatus.