JP2004301924A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the accuracy of white balance adjustment by contriving the position of a lighting window for white balance. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic camera having a white balance sensor 23 is equipped with a finder housing part 11 swollen from the upper surface of a camera main body 10 and housing a finder optical system inside. The sensor 23 is provided in the housing part 11 and also the lighting window 21 guiding light to the sensor 23 is provided at a corner part between the front surface 11a and the upper surface 11b of the housing part 11. Then, the sensor 23 is arranged so that the normal Ln of its light receiving surface 23a may be inclined to the upper part of the camera with respect to a photographic optical axis at the rear of the window 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic camera having a white balance sensor.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An electronic camera has a function of adjusting white balance for image data generated by an image sensor. In particular, an apparatus that automatically adjusts white balance detects surrounding color temperature information, obtains a white balance adjustment value based on the detection result, and adjusts image data. Thereby, even when the light source is different, such as sunlight or a fluorescent lamp, image data of an appropriate color can be obtained without being conscious.
[0003]
The detection of color temperature information may use an output signal of an image sensor for generating image data, but some electronic cameras have a white balance sensor separately from the image sensor for more accurate adjustment. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an example in which a white balance sensor is provided in an exchangeable finder device, and external light is guided to the white balance sensor from a lighting window provided on a front surface (vertical surface) of the finder device.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-6-178169 [0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when a lighting window is provided on the vertical surface, only light from the subject direction is guided to the white balance sensor, and accurate white balance adjustment may not be performed.
[0006]
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera in which the position of a lighting window for white balance is devised to improve the accuracy of white balance adjustment.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is applied to an electronic camera having a white balance sensor, includes a finder storage section that swells from the upper surface of the camera body and stores a finder optical system therein, and provides a white balance sensor in the finder storage section. A lighting window for guiding light to the sensor is provided at a corner between the front surface and the upper surface of the finder housing portion or a surface facing obliquely upward with respect to the front surface.
Here, the “front surface” of the finder storage unit described above is not necessarily a vertical surface, and may be a surface having a slight angle with respect to the vertical. Further, the “upper surface” is not limited to the horizontal surface, but may be a surface having a slight angle with respect to the horizontal direction. Further, the “front surface” and the “upper surface” may be curved surfaces.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the white balance sensor is disposed behind the lighting window so that a normal line of a light receiving surface of the white balance sensor is inclined upward with respect to a photographing optical axis.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the lighting window is provided at a position almost directly above the photographing optical axis.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 and 2 are a front view and a top view of a single-lens reflex type electronic camera according to the present embodiment. As is well known, a pentagonal part (finder storage part) bulging from the upper surface of the camera body 10 houses a finder optical system such as a pentaprism, and an eyepiece is provided on the back side. At the corner between the front surface 11a and the upper surface 11b of the pentagonal portion 11, a lighting window 21 for guiding external light to a white balance sensor disposed in the pentagonal portion 11 is provided. By providing the lighting window 21 in the pentagonal section 11 in this way, the window is not covered by hand when the camera is held.
[0009]
As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3, a diffusion member 22 is fitted into the daylighting window 21, and a white balance sensor 23 is disposed immediately behind the diffusion member. The white balance sensor 23 is mounted on a flexible printed circuit board 24 and is held by a holder 25. The sensor light receiving surface 23a is covered with an infrared cut filter 26, and this filter 26 is also held by the holder 25. A rigid pressing plate 27 is fixed to the back surface of the sensor mounting portion of the flexible printed board 24, and the pressing plate 27 and the holder 25 are fixed to a mounting portion in the pentagonal section 11 with screws or the like.
[0010]
In the present embodiment, the white balance sensor 23 is disposed obliquely as shown. To be more precise, when the camera is held at the horizontal position, the direction Ln of the normal to the sensor light receiving surface 23a is fixed so as to be inclined upward by an angle α with respect to the horizontal plane. α is, for example, 30 degrees.
Although not shown, a light shielding member is arranged near the lighting window 21 so that light from the lighting window 21 is not guided to the finder optical system.
[0011]
The holder 25 is provided with an opening for exposing the sensor light receiving surface 23a. Therefore, external light that has entered the pentagonal section 11 from the lighting window 21 passes through the opening of the holder 25 and passes through the infrared cut filter 26. The light is received by the light receiving surface 23a of the white balance sensor 23. The photoelectric conversion output of the white balance sensor 23 is sent to a circuit (not shown) via the flexible printed circuit board 24, and contributes to white balance adjustment.
[0012]
In the present embodiment, as described above, the daylighting window 21 is provided at the corners of the front surface 11a and the upper surface 11b of the pentagonal portion 11, and the white balance sensor 23 is disposed obliquely immediately behind the same. Means that light from above is guided in addition to light from the direction of the subject in front. Usually, since the light source is often located above, there is a high possibility that accurate white balance adjustment can be performed by also taking in light from above.
[0013]
Incidentally, when the white balance sensor is also used as an image sensor for generating image data as in the related art, or in a dedicated white balance sensor that receives light transmitted through a photographing lens (TTL white balance), the light receiving range is Is limited to the shooting screen. Further, even in the case of the external light type white balance sensor as in the present embodiment, if the lighting window is provided on the front surface of the camera (vertical surface), only the light in the direction of the subject can be received.
[0014]
Further, in the present embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 1, since the lighting window 21 and the white balance sensor 23 are located almost directly above the optical axis X, there is no shift between the subject to be photographed and the sensor light receiving range. , More accurate white balance adjustment. By tilting the white balance sensor 23, the sensor unit can be disposed at the corner of the pentagonal portion 11 as shown in FIG. 3, and the conventional dead space can be used efficiently.
[0015]
Note that the configuration in which the white balance sensor 23 is arranged obliquely contributes to effective use of space as described above, but this is not an essential requirement. That is, regardless of the arrangement state of the white balance sensor 23, as long as light from the object direction and above can be guided into the pentagonal section 11, the light can be obtained by using an optical member such as a mirror. Can be guided to the sensor. Depending on the configuration of the pentagonal portion, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the lighting window 21 'may be provided not on the corner of the pentagonal portion 11' but on the surface 11c facing obliquely upward with respect to the front surface 11a '.
[0016]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the white balance sensor is provided in the finder storage unit, and the lighting window for guiding light to the white balance sensor is provided at a corner between the front surface and the upper surface of the finder storage unit, or a surface facing obliquely upward with respect to the front surface. With this arrangement, the light from the direction of the subject and the light above it can be guided to the white balance sensor, and more accurate white balance adjustment can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exemplary front view of an electronic camera according to an embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the electronic camera.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a front portion of a penta section.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an example in which a lighting window is provided on a slope of a pentagonal part.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Camera main body 11, 11 'Penta portion 11a Front surface 11b Upper surface 11c Surface 21, 21' facing obliquely upward with respect to the front surface Lighting window 22 Diffusion member 23 White balance sensor 24 Flexible printed circuit board 23a Light receiving surface 25 Holder Ln Light receiving surface method line

Claims (3)

In an electronic camera having a white balance sensor,
Equipped with a viewfinder storage section that protrudes from the top of the camera body and stores the viewfinder optical system inside,
The white balance sensor is provided in the viewfinder storage unit, and a lighting window for guiding light to the white balance sensor is provided in a corner between the front surface and the upper surface of the viewfinder storage unit, or a surface facing obliquely upward with respect to the front surface. An electronic camera, characterized in that: 2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the white balance sensor is arranged behind the lighting window so that a normal line of a light receiving surface of the white balance sensor is inclined upward with respect to a photographing optical axis. 3. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the lighting window is provided at a position substantially directly above a shooting optical axis.

Images