JP2005215630A - Observation device with imaging function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an observation device with an imaging function contrived so that a picture reflected on a display part may be easily viewed in the case of observation outdoors. <P>SOLUTION: The display part 23 is provided to be freely folded on the base of an outer cover 30 incorporating an imaging part and an observation optical system. Since the base becomes eaves in photographing outdoors when observation posture is taken, the image picked up by the imaging part is vividly visually confirmed from the screen 25 of the display part 23. When the image is reproduced, the device can not be put horizontally because the display part 23 becomes a hindrance. Therefore, the device is put by reversing top with bottom. At such a time, by pressing an image reversing button, the image displayed on the display part 23 is displayed in a direction where it is rotated by 180° as the center of the screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an observation apparatus with an imaging function in which an imaging function such as an electronic camera is incorporated in an observation apparatus such as binoculars or monoculars, and more specifically, a display unit that displays an image of a subject to be imaged or a recorded image It is related with the observation apparatus with an imaging function provided with.

  Conventionally, binoculars incorporating a function of an electronic camera are known (Patent Document 1). The binoculars with an electronic camera are provided with a binocular optical system, an imaging unit, and a display unit. The binocular optical system is composed of a pair of observation optical systems for the left eye and the right eye in order to observe a subject to be distant with both eyes. The imaging unit captures an image of an object to be observed with a pair of observation optical systems. The display unit displays a through image captured by the imaging unit and a recorded image.

  In the binoculars with an imaging function described in Patent Document 1, an LCD as a display unit is provided in a unit different from the binoculars via a cable. Since the display unit is provided separately from the binoculars, it is difficult to observe and inconvenient to carry. Therefore, in another example described in Patent Document 1, a display unit is provided so as to protrude freely on a bridge of binoculars.

JP 2001-281555 A (paragraph numbers [0021] [0054])

  However, in the binoculars with an imaging function described in Patent Document 1, since the display unit is provided on the bridge of the binoculars, when observing outdoors, the screen of the display unit is easily exposed to direct sunlight, and an image reflected on the screen is displayed. There was a drawback that it was difficult to see.

  An object of this invention is to provide the observation apparatus with an imaging function devised so that the image reflected on the display unit can be easily seen during outdoor observation.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the observation apparatus with an imaging function of the present invention, a display unit is provided on the lower surface of an outer cover containing an observation optical system and an imaging unit. The display unit can be foldable so as to be compact when carried. Moreover, as a mounting position of the display unit, it is preferable in terms of visibility that the display unit is mounted at a position close to the objective side on the lower surface. About this attachment, it is desirable to attach to the position which does not hide an operation part required by observation optical systems, such as a focusing ring, when it is set to a fall position. In addition, if there is a display unit on the bottom surface, the display unit is in the way and cannot be placed horizontally. Therefore, it is conceivable to play the apparatus with the apparatus placed upside down. In this case, it is preferable to provide an image reverse button and a reverse display means so that the image is displayed in the correct orientation when placed in the reverse direction.

  In the present invention, since the display unit is provided on the lower surface of the outer cover, the bottom surface of the outer cover becomes a wrinkle of the display unit, and it becomes difficult for external light to enter the screen, thereby making it easier to view the image. Further, by providing the display portion so that it can be raised and lowered, it can be folded and portability is improved, and the screen is laid down toward the bottom of the main body portion, so that the screen can be protected.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the binoculars 10 with an imaging function are exposed on the front surface of the main body 11 on the left and right sides of the objective lenses 12 and 13 constituting the observation optical system at a predetermined interval. The main body 11 has a lunch box shape in which the left and right sides of the hand are arcs. Between the pair of objective lenses 12 and 13, the objective lens 14 constituting the imaging optical system is exposed. The optical axes of the observation optical system and the imaging optical system are substantially parallel.

  On the upper surface of the main body 11, a focusing ring 15, a shutter button 16, a power button 17, a menu button 18, and the like are exposed. The focusing ring 15 is operated when focusing the observation optical system. The menu button 18 is operated when switching between the shooting mode and the playback mode. The shutter button 16 is provided at a position where the right index finger comes when gripping. The buttons other than the shutter button 16 and the rings 15 and 17 to 18 may be arranged on the bottom surface of the main body 11, for example. Further, the viewing posture of the binoculars 10 is a posture in which the shutter button 16 comes up.

  As shown in FIG. 2, eyepieces 20 and 21 constituting the observation optical system are exposed on the back of the binoculars 10. A display unit 23 is attached to the bottom surface. The display unit 23 can be folded between a standing position and a lying position via a hinge 24. At the standing position, the screen 25 (hereinafter referred to as “LCD monitor”) 25 of the display unit 23 is viewed from the eyepieces 20 and 21. The hinge 24 is provided on the display unit 23 at the upright position, and rotates the display unit 23 about an axis along a direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the observation optical system. Further, a slot 26 for attaching / detaching a memory card and a battery lid 27 are provided on the left side surface. In the lying position, as shown in FIG. 3, the posture is such that the LCD monitor 25 is faced down.

  The main body 11 is configured to include the observation optical system, the objective lens 14, and an imaging unit having an imaging function inside the outer cover 30. The outer cover 30 includes a main body cover 31 and a movable cover 32, and the movable cover 32 is horizontally movable in the left-right direction with respect to the main body cover 31. One observation optical system, imaging optical system, and display unit 23 are directly or indirectly fixed inside the main body cover 31, and the other observation optical system is directly inside the movable cover 32. Or it is fixed indirectly. When observing, as shown in FIG. 4, the movable cover 32 is pulled out and the distance between the eyepiece lenses 20 and 21 is adjusted to a position corresponding to the eye width.

  As shown in FIG. 5, each observation optical system 35, 36 includes objective lenses 12, 13, roof prisms 37, 38, and eyepiece lenses 20, 21 arranged in order from the object side. For observation, the focusing ring 15 is operated while looking through the eyepieces 20 and 21. When the focusing ring 15 is operated, the eyepieces 20 and 21 are moved in the direction of the optical axes 35a and 36a of the observation optical systems 35 and 36 via the interlocking mechanism 39, which is a mechanical mechanism, according to the operation amount. Thereby, the observation optical systems 35 and 36 can be focused.

  Next, the power button 17 constituting the operation unit 40 is turned on, and the display unit 23 is rotated to the standing position. In response to the power button 17 being turned on, the system controller 41 drives the CCD drive unit 42. The CCD drive unit 42 controls the CCD image sensor 43 to photoelectrically convert the subject image formed by the imaging optical system 50. The converted analog signal is sent to the A / D converter 44, where it is digitally converted to generate image data. The image data is sent to the AE / AF processing unit 46 via the bus line 45.

  The system controller 41 is connected to a ROM 47 and a RAM 48. The system controller 41 includes an AE / AF processing unit 46, a media I / F 57, an image processing unit 55, a video memory 60, and an LCD driver 56. Control. The ROM 47 stores a program for controlling various operations of the binoculars 10, and the system controller 41 controls each unit according to the program. The RAM 48 is used as a work memory in which various variables necessary for program execution are temporarily written.

  The AE / AF processing unit 46 generates an AE signal corresponding to the subject luminance and an AF signal corresponding to the contrast based on the image data, and sends these to the system controller 41. The system controller 41 controls the CCD drive unit 42 so that an appropriate exposure amount is obtained based on the AE signal, and controls the focus lens drive unit 49 so that the contrast is maximized based on the AF signal. The imaging optical system 50 includes an objective lens 14 and a focus lens 52 that are sequentially arranged from the objective side, and has a focal length at which the same shooting field angle as that of the observation optical system can be obtained. The focus lens drive unit 49 moves the focus lens 52 in the direction of the imaging optical axis 50a based on the AF signal to focus the objective lens 14 on the subject.

  Further, the image data is taken into the image processing unit 55, and after being subjected to gamma correction, white balance adjustment, and the like, it is once written into the video memory 60. The system controller 41 controls the image data to be read from the video memory 60 and sent to the LCD driver 56. The LCD driver 56 encodes the image data and displays the captured image on the LCD monitor 25 as a through display.

  The image displayed on the LCD monitor 25 is displayed on the hinge 24 side, that is, on the bottom surface side of the outer cover 30 with the sky facing up. At this time, since the display unit 23 is provided below the eyepieces 20 and 21, the LCD monitor 25 can be easily seen if the lower eye is used from the position of the eye looking into the eyepieces 20 and 21, For example, it is easier to feed the line of sight compared to viewing the screen on the outer cover. In addition, since the bottom surface of the outer cover 30 serves as a bag, external light such as sunlight does not enter, so that the liquid crystal screen is very easy to see. In addition, when using the glasses for both distance and perspective, it is very convenient to look at the distant subject by looking through the eyepieces 20 and 21 with the upper eye and using the lower eye to see the near-view screen.

  While viewing the display image on the LCD monitor 25 (or the observation image through the observation optical systems 35 and 36), the shutter button 16 is pressed. In response to the operation of the shutter button 16, the image data at that time is recorded in the memory card 58 from the image processing unit 55 via the communication I / F 57. The recorded image data is displayed on the LCD monitor 25 for a certain period of time, and the recording can be canceled during that time. An image to be observed is taken while observing in this way.

  When displaying a recorded image, the playback mode is selected by operating the menu button 18. When the playback mode is selected, the images recorded on the memory card 58 are sequentially displayed on the LCD monitor 25. At this time, it is inconvenient when viewing the recorded image because the display unit 23 interferes with the observation posture and cannot be placed on the table. For this reason, it is conceivable to place the display unit 23 on the main body 11 so that the display unit 23 comes upside down with respect to the observation posture. In this way, since the upper surface of the outer cover 30 is substantially flat, the binoculars 10 are placed horizontally on the table when the posture is turned upside down.

  In this case, an image to be displayed on the LCD monitor 25 may be configured to be rotated 180 degrees about the screen center of the LCD monitor 25 and displayed. For example, an image reverse button is exposed and arranged on the bottom surface of the outer cover 30, and a reverse display means for rotating the image captured in response to the operation of the image reverse button 180 degrees and displaying it on the LCD monitor 25 is provided. That's fine. As the reverse display means, the bottom of the outer cover 30 is controlled by changing the order in which the system controller 41 writes image data to the video memory 60 or changing the order in which it is read in response to operating the button in the playback mode. It may be configured to display an image with the side facing the ground. In this case, the image reversing button may be pressed again to return to the image orientation that is erect during observation. Note that a changeover switch, a slide switch, or the like may be used instead of the image inversion button.

  Further, as the reverse display means, a posture (rotation) detection element is provided inside the binoculars 10 with an imaging function, the posture of the binoculars 10 is detected, and the system controller 41 is based on the posture signal obtained from the posture detection element. The image may be displayed in the reverse direction.

  When not in use, the power button 17 is turned off and the display unit 23 is rotated to the lying down position. Thereby, since the display part 23 is folded, it can be made compact.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image to be observed captured by the CCD image sensor 43 is an image obtained from the imaging optical system 50 provided separately from the observation optical systems 35 and 36. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and imaging is performed. The optical system 50 is omitted, and instead, a reflecting means such as a half mirror, a mirror, or a prism is provided in one of the optical paths of the observation optical systems 35 and 36, and the light beam passes through the optical path of the observation optical system by this reflecting means. An image obtained from the observation optical system may be used as an image to be observed as a configuration in which a part of the image is reflected outside the optical path and the reflected light beam is received by the CCD image sensor.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example of the binoculars 10 provided with an imaging function has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to monoculars provided with an imaging function. Moreover, although the autofocus function is provided in the imaging function, it may be a manual focus type imaging function. In this case, the focus lens 52 may be configured to move mechanically in conjunction with the focus ring 15. Further, as a folding mechanism of the display unit 23, not only a rotating mechanism by the hinge 24 but also a mechanism that rotates while sliding or a link mechanism instead of the hinge 24 may be provided so as to be foldable. In addition, the binoculars 10 have a structure in which the left and right observation optical systems are horizontally moved to adjust the eye width, but the present invention can also be applied to a type in which the binoculars 10 are rotated via a bridge.

It is a front side perspective view showing the front surface, upper surface, and right side surface of binoculars with an imaging function. It is a back side perspective view showing the back surface, bottom surface, and left side surface of the binoculars described in FIG. It is a back side perspective view which shows the state which folded the display part. It is a front side perspective view which shows the state which pulled out the movable cover. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the electrical structure of binoculars.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Binoculars with an imaging function 11 Main body part 12, 13 Objective lens which comprises observation optical system 14 Objective lens which comprises imaging optical system 15 Focusing ring 16 Shutter button 23 Display part 25 LCD monitor 30 Outer cover

Claims (3)

  An observation optical system having an objective lens and an eyepiece; an imaging unit that captures an image of an observation target that is observed by the observation optical system; and a display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging unit, An observation apparatus with an imaging function, wherein the display section is provided on a lower surface of an outer cover including an observation optical system and an imaging section.   The imaging according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is provided so as to be able to rise and fall between a position where the display unit lies on the lower surface of the outer cover and a position where the display unit stands in a posture where the screen can be seen from the eyepiece lens side. Functional observation device.   An image reversing operation unit that is exposed and disposed on the outer cover, and a reverse display unit that rotates the image captured in response to the operation of the image reversing operation unit by 180 degrees and displays the image on the display unit. The observation apparatus with an imaging function according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

Images