JP2003149726A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera in which display of shaking is made easily comprehensible at a low cost by effectively using a small number of display means. SOLUTION: In the camera provided with a focus information outputting means outputting information of focusing of the object, a switch closing while being pushed in a release means which is operated during photographing and a display control means controlling the focus information outputting means according to the closing of the switch and displaying the result and a shaking detecting means detecting the shaking state of the camera main body, display control is carried out in a first, a second or a third mode based on the information of output of the shaking detecting means, the switch and for the focusing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly, to detecting camera shake that occurs when shooting with a camera,
The present invention relates to a camera that employs a camera shake prevention technology that warns the photographer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when taking a picture while holding the camera with a hand, a camera sometimes shakes during exposure, resulting in a failure photograph, that is, a so-called camera shake may occur.

In order to prevent this camera shake, various anti-vibration techniques have been studied.

This anti-vibration technology is divided into two technologies: vibration detection and countermeasures against the detected vibration.

Further, the vibration countermeasure technology is further classified into a warning technology for making the user recognize the vibration state and a technology for preventing image deterioration due to camera shake by driving and controlling the photographing lens.

As a warning technique, the applicant of the present invention has proposed a camera resistant to camera shake by devising a display means in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 11-201845.

Also, an example of applying a distance measuring sensor has recently been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-165622.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-276686.

If a new dedicated display means is provided for this display, it is disadvantageous in terms of cost and space. Therefore, there is known a method of displaying by also using LEDs for other functions.

[0009]

However, if the same LED is used for various purposes, it is difficult to make the displays for a plurality of functions easy for the user to understand.

Further, many users did not even have the concept of camera shake, and many photographed without paying attention to camera shake.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to effectively utilize a small number of display means at a lower cost,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera capable of providing easy-to-understand blurring display.

[0012]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, (1) a focus information output means for outputting information for focusing an object and a release means operated during photographing are pushed. A switch that closes on the way,
In the camera, the display control means controls the focus information output means in response to the closing of the switch and displays the result, and a blur detection means for detecting the blur state of the camera. However, there is provided a camera characterized in that display control is performed in the first, second, and third modes based on the output of the blur detection unit, the switch, and the focusing information.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to solve the above problems, (2) the first mode displays a camera shake state before closing the switch, and the second mode:
The information for focusing is displayed immediately after the switch is closed, and the third mode displays the camera shake state again after a predetermined time has passed since the switch was closed (1). A camera as described is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, (3) in the first mode, a camera shake state is displayed in blinking before the switch is closed, and in the second mode, After closing the above switches, focus can be adjusted,
Information indicating that there is no camera shake is displayed in a lit state, and
The mode is a blinking display, and after the switch is closed, there is camera shake, but the information that focusing has been achieved is displayed by lengthening the lighting time when blinking (1) The camera described in 1. is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, (4) the focus information output means for outputting the information for focusing the subject and the release means operated during photographing are closed in the middle of pushing. A switch, and a camera provided with display control means for controlling the focus information output means in response to the closing of the switch and displaying the result, and blur detection means for detecting the blur state of the camera, The display control means, the output of the blur detection means,
There is provided a camera characterized by performing display control in the first, second, third, and fourth modes based on the switch and the focusing information.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, (5) the first mode blinks the camera shake state before closing the switch, and the second mode: After closing the above switches, focus can be adjusted,
Information indicating that there is no camera shake is displayed in a lit state, and
Mode is a blinking display, and after the switch is closed, there is camera shake, but the information that focusing has been achieved is displayed by increasing the lighting time at the time of blinking, and the fourth mode, The camera according to (4), which is a blinking display, and after the switch is closed, information indicating that there is camera shake and focus cannot be obtained is displayed with a long turn-off time when blinking. Will be provided.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) In the present embodiment, a warning display portion such as an LED provided near the finder of the camera, a distance measuring sensor as a camera shake determination, and a monolithic accelerometer are used together. And a vibration detection unit that detects the vibration of the camera and suggests the occurrence of camera shake, and when the camera shake occurs, the lighting of the warning display unit by the LED or the like is changed in a pattern to the user. It employs technology that makes it easy to recognize when a camera shake occurs.

The monolithic accelerometer, which is formed on an IC chip, is a device for detecting vibration by utilizing a capacitance change generated between a movable pattern and an immovable pattern. In the above embodiment, for example, the one proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-178954 can be used.

In the structure of this monolithic accelerometer, both of the above-mentioned patterns are formed by a polysilicon member on a silicon substrate, one electrode is movable and responds to the acceleration, and the other electrode responds to the acceleration. A pair of capacitors are formed in a state where they are stationary.

When acceleration is applied to such a silicon substrate, the capacitance of one capacitor increases and the capacitance of the other capacitor decreases.

A signal processing circuit for converting these differential capacitances into a voltage signal is required, and these movable electrodes, capacitors and signal processing circuit are monolithically formed on the same substrate.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8178054/1990 describes an application for operating a safety device such as a braking system of an automobile or an airbag. By making the device monolithic, the size, the cost and the required power are reduced. It is explained that it has excellent reliability.

In the present embodiment, such a monolithic accelerometer element is effectively arranged and controlled, and while maintaining the above characteristics, the situation peculiar to the camera is taken into consideration, and a highly accurate and effective anti-vibration camera is realized. .

Incidentally, this portion may be constituted by a shock sensor or the like for detecting a shock or the like, instead of the monolithic accelerometer element.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are views showing an example of the configuration of a camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the internal structure with a part thereof cut away.

FIG. 1B is a side view showing the positional relationship between the hard printed circuit board 14 used in this embodiment and a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as a flexible circuit board) 7.

FIG. 1C is a view for explaining the distance measuring optical system of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system including the electronic circuit of the camera according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 (b) is a diagram for explaining directions that can be detected by the monolithic accelerometer 3 of FIG. 2 (a).

As shown in FIG. 1A, on the front surface of the camera 10, in addition to the taking lens 9 and the strobe 8, a finder objective lens 15 and a light receiving lens of a distance measuring section for autofocus are arranged. There is.

Inside the camera 10, the camera 10
An electronic circuit is provided for fully automatic operation.

This electronic circuit includes a rigid printed circuit board 14
The above-mentioned monolithic accelerometer (acceleration IC) 3 mounted above is also included, and FIG.
In part (a) of FIG. 3, it is cut away so that the internal structure can be seen.

In addition to the acceleration IC 3, a one-chip microcomputer (CPU) for controlling the operation of photographing the entire camera is provided on the hard printed circuit board 14.
1 or an interface IC (IFIC) 2 that drives an actuator such as a motor to drive a mechanical system mechanical unit
Has been implemented.

An EEPROM, for example, is provided in the vicinity of the CPU 1 as a memory 4 for storing data for adjusting component variations in the camera assembly process.

FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the relationship between the rigid printed circuit board 14 and the flexible printed circuit board 7 when the main part of the camera 10 shown in FIG.

The rigid printed circuit board 14 is used for the camera 10.
The flexible board 7 is used because it cannot be bent along the curved surface inside the board, and these two boards are connected by the connector 12.

On the flexible substrate 7, (a) of FIG.
As shown in, a display element (LCD) 6 is mounted, and a communication line with the autofocus (AF) sensor 5 and a switch pattern 13 are formed.

The flexible board 7 wraps around to the back surface of the camera 10 and a warning display section 11 as shown in FIG.
A sounding element PCV, a notification element such as an LED, and the like are mounted, the signal output from the CPU 1 is transmitted to the warning display portion 11, and the AF sensor 5 is also configured to transmit and receive the signal.

As shown in FIG. 1 (c), the AF sensor 5 obtains the distance to the object 101 by using the principle of triangulation. The image signal 102 of the object 101 is received by two light receiving elements. The object distance can be detected from the relative position difference X detected by the lens 5d and the sensor array 5c.

Since the subject generally has a vertical shadow, the two light receiving lenses 5d are arranged in the horizontal direction (X direction) as shown in FIG. 1A, and the sensor array 5c is also in the horizontal direction. Is divided into

As a result, the image shift in the X direction that occurs when there is camera shake in the lateral direction can be detected by the AF sensor 5.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2B, the acceleration IC 3 is arranged in a direction in which the shake is detected in the Y direction rather than the X direction so that the detection in both the X and Y directions is complemented by separate sensors. I have to.

Here, the acceleration IC 3 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a manufacturing process of the acceleration IC 3.

First, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, an oxide film 21 is formed on a silicon substrate (IC chip) 20, and a pattern by a resist mask is formed on the oxide film 21.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the exposed portion is removed by etching, and a resist mask is formed, whereby an opening can be formed in an arbitrary portion.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3D, a polysilicon layer 22 is deposited.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3E, the oxide film 21 is selectively removed by wet etching to form a polysilicon layer 22 on the silicon substrate 20 in a bridge structure. It

The polysilicon layer 22 is made conductive by diffusing impurities such as phosphorus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of each part of the acceleration IC 3 manufactured as described above.

First, the movable electrode 22c having pillars at four corners as shown in FIG. 4B is formed on the silicon substrate 20 by the above-mentioned bridge structure.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, another electrode 24, 25 is formed on the silicon substrate 20, and is arranged adjacent to the arm portions 23a, 23b of the movable electrode 22c described above. As a result, the arm portion 23a, the electrode 24, and the arm portion 2
A microcapacitor is formed between 3b and the electrode 25.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, an IC chip in which this movable electrode structure is arranged on the silicon substrate 20 is provided with a processing circuit capable of detecting acceleration in a predetermined direction. The IC is monolithic.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4C, the processing circuit 29 is formed on-chip on the IC chip together with the monolithic movable electrode capacitor.

This is to detect a capacitance component that changes by the movable electrode 22c and output a signal according to the acceleration.

The movement of the bridge-shaped movable electrode 22c increases one of the capacitances formed in the two electrodes,
Since the other decreases, the acceleration in the arrow direction shown in FIG. 4B can be detected.

Therefore, when this IC chip is mounted on a camera, the acceleration in the Y direction can be detected as shown in FIG.

FIG. 5A is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the processing circuit 29.

As described above, the arm portion 23a included in the Y-direction acceleration sensor 31 for detecting the movement in the Y-direction,
A capacitance component is formed between 23b and each of the electrode 24 and the electrode 25, and the capacitance changes due to the movement of the arm portions 23a and 23b.

This capacitance change is converted into an electric signal by the processing circuit 29.

This processing circuit 29 demodulates a carrier wave generator (oscillation circuit) 32 that oscillates a carrier wave having a pulse waveform, and demodulates the respective oscillation waveforms that have changed due to the capacitance change of the Y direction acceleration sensor 31 by full-wave switching rectification. The circuit 34 includes a filter circuit 36 that outputs an acceleration-dependent analog signal, and a PWM signal generation circuit 37 that performs analog PWM conversion.

FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an output waveform from the processing circuit 29.

In this way, the duty ratio of the pulse (half cycle T1 of the output waveform shown in FIG. 5 (b) according to the acceleration
And the total period T2) change.

Therefore, the acceleration IC 3 outputs a voltage signal proportional to the acceleration or a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal proportional to the acceleration.

If the CPU 1 that can handle only digital signals demodulates the PWM signal using the built-in counter,
Acceleration can be detected.

For the voltage signal proportional to the acceleration, an adjusting machine having an A / D converter may be used.

If the PWM signal is used, the CPU 1
It is not necessary to mount an A / D converter on.

FIG. 2A shows such an acceleration IC 3
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system including an electronic circuit of a camera on which is mounted.

In this configuration, a CPU 1 for controlling the entire camera, an IFIC 2, a monolithic accelerometer (acceleration IC) 3, a memory (EEPROM) 4 for storing adjustment data, and an autofocus (AF) section 5a. A photometric unit 5b, a liquid crystal display element (LCD) 6 for displaying the setting status of the camera and information relating to shooting,
A strobe unit 8 including a light emitting tube that emits auxiliary light, a main capacitor 8a that charges electric charges for causing the light emitting tube to emit light, and a taking lens 9 having a zooming function.
A warning display portion 11 including an LED, a resistor 11a connected in series to the warning display portion 11, switches 13a and 13b for starting a photographing sequence of the camera, a photographing lens 9, a shutter 19, a film feeding, etc. Motor 18 for driving the driving mechanism of the motor, the rotary blade 16 rotating in conjunction with the motor 18, and the photo interrupter 17 for optically detecting the hole of the rotary blade 16 rotating for drive control of the motor 18. To be done.

Further, the motor 18 may switch the driving destination by the switching mechanism when driving each driving mechanism such as the photographing lens 9 and the shutter 19, or each driving mechanism may be provided with another motor.

In this structure, the CPU 1 controls the photographing sequence of the camera according to the operating states of the switches 13a and 13b.

That is, according to the output of the monolithic accelerometer 3, the warning display section 11 is used for a camera shake warning, the AF section 5a including a distance measuring section for AF during photographing, and the brightness of an object for exposure control are measured. The photometric unit 5b is driven, a necessary signal is received, and the motor 18 is controlled via the IFIC 2 described above.

At this time, the rotation of the motor 18 depends on the rotation of the rotary blade 1.
6, the IFIC 2 waveform-shapes the signal output from the photointerrupter 17 in accordance with the position of the adjustment hole.

Then, the CPU 1 monitors the state of rotation of the motor 18 based on the output signal from the IFIC 2.

Further, auxiliary light is emitted from the strobe unit 8 as needed.

Here, the strobe mode switched by the SW 13d and SW 13c and the photographing mode including the holding check mode will be described.

The flash modes of this camera include an auto mode, a red-eye reduction mode, a flash-off mode, a forced light emission mode, a night view mode, and a night view red-eye reduction mode.

Then, these strobe modes are set to SW
It is sequentially switched by the operation of 13d.

Here, the auto mode is a mode in which a strobe is automatically emitted by detecting a dark place, a backlit state, or artificial light such as a fluorescent lamp.

The red-eye reduction mode is a so-called red-eye reduction mode in which flash light emission is required in the above-mentioned auto mode and the pupil of the object is contracted by multiple flash preliminary flashes or self LED lighting before starting exposure. This is a mode designed to prevent photographs.

The strobe-off mode is a mode in which the strobe is forcibly stopped when shooting in a place where flash photography is prohibited or when it is desired to take a picture that takes advantage of the mood there.

The forced light emission mode means that the flash is always fired when the subject is overshadowed, for example, when it is desired to remove an unnatural shadow, or when the subject's face is underexposed due to backlighting. This is a mode in which shooting is performed by taking a picture.

The night view mode is a mode in which the exposure is adjusted to the background brightness and the subject is made appropriate by the flash light emission in order to take a beautiful night view photograph.

The night-view red-eye reduction mode is a mode in which the red-eye reduction effect is added to the night-view mode.

The shooting modes include a normal mode, a self-timer use mode, a remote control mode, and a holding check mode, which are sequentially switched by operating the SW 13c.

In the self-timer use mode and the remote control mode, the user normally uses the camera while fixing it on a tripod, so that the holding check mode in the above mode is not necessary.

In the forcible light emission mode, the background is often bright, and since the strobe always emits light to take a picture, it is unlikely to be a camera shake photograph, so the holding check mode is not necessary.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart for explaining the flow of mode change to the holding check mode.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart for explaining the flow of the mode change to the strobe mode.

First, the mode change to the holding check mode will be described.

The flow shown in FIG. 14 is started by operating the self SW 13c because the user wants to switch the mode.

First, in step S154, it is checked whether or not the current mode is the self-timer use mode.

If the self-timer use mode is set, the process jumps to step S155 to change to the remote control mode.

If it is not in the self-timer use mode, it is checked in step S156 whether it is in the remote control mode.

If the remote control mode is selected, the process jumps to step S157. If the remote control mode is not selected, the process jumps to step S159.

In step S157, when switching to the holding checking mode, it is checked whether or not the current strobe mode is the forced flash mode.

In the case of the forced light emission mode, since the effect of the camera shake detection function is small, the normal mode is switched in step S160 without switching to the holding check mode.

When the forced light emission mode is not set,
In step S158, the mode is switched to the holding check mode.

In step S159, it is checked whether or not the current mode is the holding check mode.

If the holding check mode is set, the normal mode is selected in step S160.

If the holding check mode is not set, the normal mode is set.
At 61, the mode is switched to the self mode.

Next, the mode change to the strobe mode will be described.

In the flow shown in FIG. 15, since the user wants to switch the strobe mode, the flash SW 13d
Is started by operating.

First, in step S162, it is checked whether the current strobe mode is the auto mode.

Here, in the case of the automatic mode, the mode is switched to the red-eye reduction mode in step S163.

If the mode is not the auto mode, the process jumps to step S164.

In step S164, it is checked whether the red-eye reduction mode is set.

Here, in the red-eye reduction mode,
In step S165, the flash is turned off.

If it is not in the red-eye reduction mode, the process jumps to step S166.

In step S166, it is checked whether the strobe-off mode is set.

If the strobe-off mode is set, the process jumps to step S167. If the strobe-off mode is not set, the process jumps to step S172.

In step S167, it is checked whether or not the current mode is the holding check mode.

Here, if it is the holding check mode, the process jumps to step S168. Since the holding check mode is unnecessary in the forced light emission mode, the holding check mode is canceled and the process jumps to step S169. .

If the holding check mode is not set, the process jumps to step S171 to clear the holding check mode backup flag.

In step S169, when the forced light emission mode is canceled by operating the flash SW 13d again, the holding check mode is reset, so that the backup flag of the holding check mode is set.

In step S171, the forced light emission mode is set.

In step S172, it is checked whether the forced light emission mode is set.

Here, in the forced light emission mode,
Jump to step S173, and if not in the forced light emission mode, jump to step S177.

In step S173, it is checked whether or not the holding check mode backup flag is set.

Here, if the holding check mode backup flag is set, the process jumps to step S174, and when the forced light emission mode was set in step S171, the holding check mode was canceled. , Set the holding check mode again.

If the holding check mode backup flag is not set, the process jumps to step S175.

In step S175, the previous step S1
Clear the holding check mode backup flag used in 73.

In step S176, the strobe mode is set to the night view mode.

In step S177, it is checked whether the night view mode is set.

If the night view mode is set, the night view red-eye reduction mode is set in step S178.

If the night-view mode is not set, the red-eye reduction mode is set, and therefore the mode is returned to the automatic mode in step S179.

Next, the principle of vibration detection of the camera having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the user 10
When holding the camera with one hand, there is a tendency to slightly vibrate the camera diagonally, which can be decomposed into movements in the X and Y directions, as shown in FIG. 6B.

In general, a general user is often unconscious of such a minute vibration causing an effect of “blurring” at the time of photographing, and the camera 10 detects the minute vibration and displays a warning with an LED. As a result, the user takes a picture by taking measures to suppress vibration, such as attaching the left hand 100a to the camera, so that it is possible to take a picture without failure due to camera shake.

However, it is always annoying if a warning is given,
High-class users who are fully familiar with the occurrence of camera shake may rather enjoy taking pictures that effectively use camera shake, so this holding check function should be set as one of the shooting modes. Devise so that it can be set only when it is deemed necessary.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, the switch 13c and the liquid crystal display unit 6 are provided, and only the functions of the film counter 6a and the like are operated in the normal state, and the user 100 operates the mode changeover switch 13c. The camera shake mode is set only when the operation is performed as shown in (b) of FIG.

When this mode is set, FIG.
As shown in (b) and (c) of FIG.
When the portion c is displayed and the portion 6b blinks, it is understood that the user has entered the holding check mode.

As shown in FIG. 8D, since this mode display also serves as a part of the self-timer mode display, the layout in the LCD is not burdened.

In this case, the display segments 6b and 6c are
By being arranged on the substrate 6d as shown in FIG. 9, display control can be performed independently of each other.

FIG. 10 is an external view of the camera 10 as viewed from the back.

If the user sets the holding check mode and holds the camera and the holding check is unstable, as described above, the warning display section 1 by the LED or the like provided near the finder eyepiece section 61 of the camera 10 is used.
Flash 1 to give a warning.

FIG. 11 is an external view of the camera 10 viewed from the front.

As shown in FIG. 11, the self-timer display LED 65 is made to blink so that the holding of the photographer can be checked when the camera owner asks another person to take a photograph. Good.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views for explaining the difference between the output (image signal) of the AF sensor and the output of the acceleration sensor, which is a feature of the present invention.

However, in this case, it is assumed that the user is causing camera shake having movements in both X and Y direction components, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b).

As shown in FIG. 7A, the image position X1,
At the moment when the camera moves from the stationary state at time t = t0, t =
At the timing of t1, the acceleration sensor outputs a signal when the camera starts moving.
6. If the camera moves at a constant speed between time t = t2 and t = t6, the acceleration sensor does not output a signal because the acceleration sensor has no acceleration.

Then, when the camera stops again, t
= T7, this time, an output is generated from the acceleration sensor in such a direction as to stop the previous constant velocity motion, and the camera becomes stationary after time t = t8.

As a supplement to this acceleration sensor, the image sensor (AF sensor) of the camera outputs an image signal that keeps changing during constant velocity motion. Therefore, if this output is judged, even if the output of the acceleration sensor is 0, The CPU 1 of the camera can determine that the camera is moving.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, an output may be generated from the acceleration sensor even if the image signal hardly changes.

This is the case where the user is trying to hold the camera fixed while shaking, unlike the case of FIG. 7A, the change in the image is small, and even if the image is taken with this, the focus is actually reduced. Depending on the distance, there are many cases where you can take pictures without problems.

That is, even if a large output is generated from the acceleration sensor, the camera may be slightly moving,
Even if the acceleration sensor reacts only occasionally, the camera position may change significantly.

Further, there are some limits to the blur determination by the AF sensor.

For example, in a scene where there is no contrast or a scene where the image is dark and the image cannot be seen, the image sensor (AF sensor) of the camera cannot make a determination because the change in the image is not known.

Further, with the sensor having only one direction of detection as in the present embodiment, the movement or image change of the camera in the direction different from that is not known, and when the camera shakes too much, the AF sensor The position monitored by is deviated and the image changes completely, making it impossible to accurately determine the amount of blur.

Therefore, it is necessary to devise a sensor for properly determining the blur by properly using the sensors according to the two detection methods of the acceleration sensor and the AF sensor.

12 and 13 are shown for explaining display control and the like performed by a CPU in a camera with a holding check mode equipped with a sensor according to such two detection methods in a sequence according to a built-in program. It is a flowchart.

For example, in the camera shown in FIG. 11, when the barrier 10a for protecting the front lens is opened, the user first carries out framing and the holding operation has not been started yet. , The determination by the AF sensor is not effective.

Since the AF sensor monitors only a narrow portion of the screen, it is impossible to make a quantitative evaluation for a large camera movement.

Therefore, in step S1, first, the output of the acceleration sensor is determined, and even if there is a shock when the barrier is opened or a user holds the camera, the holding warning is not displayed for a predetermined time. It is prohibited (step S2).

After that, image detection using the AF sensor is started (step S3).

As a result, it is determined whether the image detection is suitable for the holding check. Therefore, in the case of low luminance (step S4) or low contrast (step S5), this is determined and the image signal is not used. Then, the flow for blur determination by acceleration detection is entered (step S10).

Then, when the acceleration sensor outputs a signal and the output of the acceleration in the reverse direction is not detected for a predetermined time (steps S11 and S12), a warning is issued (step S13).

As shown in FIG. 7 (a), this discriminates that the camera continues to move at a constant speed and informs the user that camera shake may occur.

If the 1st release SW is not pressed, the process returns to step S3 (step S14).

If the image signal is not suitable for camera shake determination, the image detection is repeated at predetermined time intervals (step S22) in the flow from step S20 (step S2).
1, S24), if there is a difference of the predetermined level Xc or more in the image signals, it is determined in step S25, and step S25
Branch to 26 to issue an insufficient holding warning.

By these warnings, the user recognizes that he / she is unconsciously shaking, and holds the device with both hands or puts it on something to prevent the shaking. Can take measures.

When the difference between the image signals is equal to or lower than a predetermined level, no display is performed.

If the 1st release SW is not pressed in step S27, the process returns to step S1.

Then, in steps S14 and S27, 1s
If the t-release is pressed, the brightness is determined and the predetermined exposure time is calculated by the photometric sequence of step S30.

Next, distance measurement for focusing (step S31) is performed, and image detection is again started at predetermined time intervals (steps S32 to S35).

Thereafter, it is judged from the distance measurement result whether or not focusing is possible (step S36), and if not possible, non-focus display (for example, blinking of LED at 2 Hz cycle) is performed (step S41). .

If it is determined that focusing is possible, after the focusing display (LED lighting) is performed for a predetermined time (step S37), if there is a difference of the predetermined level Xc or more in the image signal, Is a shake warning display (for example, LED 8
The blinking at the Hz cycle) is performed again (step S39).

Further, if there is no difference between the image signals by the predetermined level Xc or more, the in-focus display is continued (step S40).

Then, in step S42, the 1st release is determined. If the 1st release is continuously pressed, the process proceeds to the 2nd release determination in step S43.
If the 1st release is released, the process returns to step S1.

If the 2nd release is not pressed in step S43, the process jumps to step S32, image detection is performed again, and display is performed in accordance with the detection result.
When the second release is pressed in step 3, the lens is driven to focus (step S51), and step S3.
The exposure is started according to the exposure time determined by the brightness information obtained by the photometry of 0.

During this time, if the camera shakes, it causes camera shake. Therefore, in step S53, the acceleration is detected to obtain the acceleration g due to a shock or the like when the release button is pressed.

When the acceleration g is large, a camera shake photograph is obtained even when the exposure time is short, and when the acceleration g is small, a camera shake photograph is obtained.

In order to determine this, the exposure time is counted in step S54, and when the exposure is finished (step S55), the speed is calculated from the obtained acceleration g and the exposure time tEND, and only the time tEND is obtained by this speed. Since the amount of movement can be calculated from the change, if it exceeds the allowable amount ΔY of the lens, the process branches from step S56 to step S57 to display a warning for a predetermined time.

As described above, only the change in speed can be known only by acceleration, but in the present embodiment, first, it is determined that the AF sensor output (image signal) does not change at a predetermined position. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine how much the camera has moved during exposure with reference to this.

Next, the warning display in the holding check mode by the camera of the present invention will be described.

As described above, FIG. 10 is a rear view of the camera 10 and is provided with the LCD 6 for mode display, the SWs 13c and 13d for mode setting, and the SW 51 for release.

Also, AF is provided next to the viewfinder eyepiece 61.
The result display LED 11 is provided, and when there is camera shake, by effectively utilizing this LED as the warning display unit 11, the user can be made aware of the occurrence of camera shake.

FIG. 11 is a view showing the front surface of the camera 10. The photographing lens 63 is provided on the front surface of the camera 10.
The finder objective lens 64, the AF sensor 5, and the slide-type barrier 10a that covers them are provided.

On the front surface of the camera 10, a strobe light emitting portion 62 and a self-timer display LED 65 are provided.

When the camera shake occurs, the LED 65 is also AF
If the same display as the result display LED 11 is made, it is possible to know whether or not the camera shake has occurred when the user requests someone to shoot.

FIGS. 16A and 16B show such an A
It is a figure which shows the example which displays the AF result by LED11 for F result display.

In general, the LED 11 for displaying the AF result
Is a 1st release S that is closed by pressing the release SW halfway.
If the result of the distance measurement performed in conjunction with W is determined to be in focus, the light is turned on as shown in (a) of FIG. When it is impossible, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), it blinks to give a warning.

The LED 11 for displaying the AF result is 1s
When the composition is changed while the t-release is kept pressed, the display shows that the focus is locked.

FIGS. 17A and 17B show such A
It is a figure which shows the example which displays the camera-shake determination result by utilizing the characteristic of LED11 for F result display.

In the holding check mode, 1s
If there is camera shake even if the t-release SW is not pressed, a camera shake warning blinking display (a cycle earlier than the blinking when focusing is impossible) is performed.

After the 1st release SW is closed, the display when there is no camera shake is the same as that shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B.
11 is turned on to show that the focus is locked,
Then, the camera shake warning display is started.

When the camera shake falls below a predetermined level during the 1st release, the LED 11 changes to a lighting display indicating that focusing is possible.

When it is impossible to focus, the LED 11 blinks and displays in the same cycle as in FIG.

This is because, normally, when the in-focus is impossible, the photographing is not permitted, and the shake warning display is not so meaningful.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 18 (a),
FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of displaying a result of camera shake determination according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In this case, before the 1st release, as shown in FIG. 18 (a), the hand-shake warning is issued by repeating the pulse emission twice, stopping the emission for a while, and repeating the pattern of 2-pulse emission again.

Further, after the 1st release, it is necessary to turn on or blink according to the AF. When focusing is possible and camera shake occurs, basically, it is turned on and shortened twice periodically. By turning off the light, it is possible to focus, but it indicates that blurring has occurred.

When there is no camera shake, the display is turned on.

If focusing is not possible, as shown in FIG. 18B, basically, blinking is mixed twice with a high cycle at the timing of turning off the blinking display.

Now, in addition to being unable to focus,
It can be shown that camera shake is occurring.

If there is no camera shake, the display will blink.

As described above, the same LED can simultaneously represent the camera shake and the quality of AF.

As described above, according to the present invention, the AF
While using the same display component for display, it becomes possible for the user to display a camera shake state that is easy to understand, and it is possible for the user to take a picture without failure due to camera shake.

Moreover, at the time of holding determination, the sensor used as a conventional distance measuring sensor is also effectively used for camera shake determination, so that highly reliable camera shake determination can be performed without increasing the cost. be able to.

[0202]

Therefore, as described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera which can make an easy-to-understand blurring display at a lower cost by effectively utilizing a small number of display means.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 (a) is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an internal structure with a part thereof cut away, and FIG. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a positional relationship between a hard printed board 14 used in the present embodiment and a flexible printed board (hereinafter referred to as a flexible board) 7, and FIG. It is a figure shown in order to demonstrate an optical system.

2 (a) is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system including an electronic circuit of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 (b) is FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the direction which can be detected by the monolithic accelerometer 3 of (a).

3 is a diagram showing an example of a manufacturing process of the acceleration IC 3 of FIG.

4 is a diagram showing a configuration of each part of an acceleration IC 3 manufactured by the manufacturing process of FIG.

5A is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a processing circuit 29, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an output waveform from the processing circuit 29. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the principle of vibration detection of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

7 (a) and 7 (b) are characteristics A of the present invention.
It is a figure shown in order to demonstrate the difference between the output (image signal) of an F sensor, and the output of an acceleration sensor.

FIG. 8 shows a case where the holding check function of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention is set in one of the shooting modes and can be set only when the user determines that it is necessary. FIG.

9 is a diagram showing an arrangement example of display segments 6b and 6c of FIGS. 8B and 8C. FIG.

FIG. 10 is an external view of the camera 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention viewed from the back side.

FIG. 11 is an external view of the camera 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front.

FIG. 12 is performed by a CPU in a camera with a holding check mode, which is equipped with sensors according to the two detection methods used in the first embodiment of the present invention, in a sequence according to a built-in program. 9 is a flowchart shown for explaining display control and the like.

FIG. 13 is performed by a CPU in a camera with a holding check mode equipped with sensors according to the two detection methods used in the first embodiment of the present invention in a sequence according to a built-in program. 9 is a flowchart shown for explaining display control and the like.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of a mode change to the holding check mode adopted in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart for explaining a flow of a mode change to the strobe mode adopted in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example in which an AF result is displayed by the LED 11 for displaying an AF result used in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a camera shake determination result by utilizing the characteristics of the LED 11 for displaying the AF result employed in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a camera shake determination result according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

14 ... Rigid printed circuit board, 7 ... Flexible printed circuit board (flexible circuit board), 3 ... Monolithic accelerometer (acceleration IC), 10 ... camera, 9 ... Shooting lens, 8 ... Strobe, 15 ... Finder objective lens, 1 ... One-chip microcomputer (CPU), 2 ... Interface IC (IFIC), 4 ... Memory (EEPROM), 12 ... Connector, 6 ... Display element (LCD), 5 ... Auto focus (AF) sensor, 13 ... Patterns for communication lines and switches, 11 ... Warning display part, 101 ... Subject, 102 ... image signal, 5d ... Receiving lens, 5c ... Sensor array, 20 ... Silicon substrate (IC chip), 21 ... oxide film, 22 ... Polysilicon layer, 22c ... movable electrode, 24, 25 ... another electrode, 23a, 23b ... Arms of the movable electrode 22c, 29 ... Processing circuit, 32 ... Carrier wave generator (oscillation circuit), 31 ... Y-direction acceleration sensor, 34 ... Demodulation circuit, 36 ... a filter circuit, 37 ... PWM signal generating circuit, 5a ... Auto focus (AF) section, 5b ... Photometric unit, 8a ... main capacitor, 11a ... resistor 11a, Switch ... 13a, 13b, Switch ... 13c, 13d, 19 ... Shutter, 18 ... motor, 16 ... rotary blade, 17 ... Photo interrupter, 6b, 6c ... Display segment, 61 ... Finder eyepiece, 65 ... LED for self-timer display, 10a ... a barrier.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A focus information output means for outputting information for focusing an object, a switch which is closed during pushing of a release means operated during photographing, and the focus information in response to the closing of the switch. In a camera comprising display control means for controlling the output means to display the result and blur detection means for detecting the blur state of the camera, the display control means comprises the output of the blur detection means and the switch. And a display control in the first, second, and third modes based on the focusing information. 2. The first mode displays a camera shake state before closing the switch, and the second mode displays information for focusing immediately after closing the switch, The camera according to claim 1, wherein in the third mode, the camera shake state is displayed again after a predetermined time has passed since the switch was closed. 3. The first mode displays a camera shake state in a blinking state before closing the switch, and the second mode says that after the switch is closed, focusing can be performed without camera shake. Information is displayed in a lit state, and the third mode is a blinking display, and after the switch is closed, there is camera shake, but the information that the focus has been achieved is extended by increasing the lit time when blinking. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera is displayed as. 4. A focus information output means for outputting information for focusing an object, a switch which is closed during pushing of a release means operated during photographing, and the focus information in response to the closing of the switch. In a camera comprising display control means for controlling the output means to display the result and blur detection means for detecting the blur state of the camera, the display control means comprises the output of the blur detection means and the switch. And display information in the first, second, third, and fourth modes based on the above-mentioned focusing information. 5. The first mode flashes a camera shake state before closing the switch, and the second mode allows focus adjustment after the switch is closed and there is no camera shake. Information is displayed in a lit state, and the third mode is a blinking display, and after the switch is closed, there is camera shake, but the information that the focus has been achieved is extended by increasing the lit time when blinking. The fourth mode is a blinking display, and after the switch is closed, information indicating that there is camera shake and focus cannot be obtained is displayed with a long blinking off time. The camera according to claim 4, wherein: