JP2005236702A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide to a user imaging device information associated with the imaging device advantageous to the user with appropriate timing. <P>SOLUTION: A digital camera 1 includes a camera cone 3 and a CCD (charge transfer element) imaging element 45 for taking the image of an object, and an LCD monitor 13 for displaying the picked-up image. At the start of the digital camera 1, a system controller 50 causes the LCD monitor 13 to display at least part of camera information, such as a setting condition, a photography mode, the power battery remaining amount, power-supply turn-on time, the number of picked-up sheets, the number of photographable sheets, an operation method, and an advice on photography. The camera information interrupts the display by recognizing: the lapse of time in which a prescribed time has passed, a prescribed operation which is carried out, uttered prescribed voice information, and so on. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus called an digital camera or an electronic camera, which captures and reproduces an electronic image of a still image (still image) or a movie image (moving image).

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are cameras that display a startup logo on an image display unit such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) at startup. The purpose of displaying the activation logo is to entertain the user during the waiting time for the activation process, or to promptly notify the user that the activation has been started. However, the information displayed there is the same content every time, such as a manufacturer's logo or a product logo, and changes little. Users may notice these logos at first, but as they continue to use the product for a while, they will be less interested in content that doesn't change each time. If you keep displaying this unchanged logo every time you start up, you may feel that the startup time is longer than it actually takes, and you may even feel annoyed.
In addition, not only the camera but also electrical products having a display have the same manufacturer logo, product logo, or “Good-Bye” or “bye-bye” power-off message when the power is turned off. There are many that display. The display at the time of power-off is the same every time and changes little. Thus, in this case as well, the user will not only be disinterested, but even feel annoyed if the display without such change continues every time when the power is turned off.

  Further, as a camera that performs a special display when the power is turned on, that is, at the time of startup, there is a camera as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. In Patent Document 1, when the camera is started after turning off the power, the setting state is set when a state different from the setting state at the time of the last power-off is caused by an operation of a dial or the like while the power is off. It is described that a display indicating that has changed. In other words, if the camera is restarted after being turned off during shooting, the camera will be restarted immediately after shooting is finished and the camera is turned off to take a similar subject. If the camera is turned on again after shooting for a long time and the camera is turned off by the automatic power off function to save power, etc., the subject conditions may be the same as when the power is turned off. In many cases, it is often desirable that the setting state be the same as when the power is turned off. Therefore, instead of resetting the setting state to the initial state when the power is turned off, the setting state when the power is turned off is maintained so that shooting can be continued in the same setting state even when restarting. However, it is often desirable. However, it is often the case that the subject is shot under completely different conditions when starting up, and it is necessary to be able to change the setting state of the aperture dial etc. even when the power is off. There are many cases. Such a setting change can occur even if it is touched by hand or touched with luggage, so if the setting is changed while the power is off, a warning will be displayed to recognize the user. What is urged is the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Moreover, as what performs a special display at predetermined timings, such as at the time of power-off, there exists a thing as shown, for example in patent document 2. FIG. In Patent Document 2, it is possible to easily display a representative image among images taken within a specific period divided by actions such as time and power on / off. There has been disclosed a digital camera that can display the representative image by using an operation waiting time at the time of OFF. That is, the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes an image recording unit that records a captured image on a recording medium such as a memory card, an image display unit that displays the recorded image, and the recording medium that is captured within a specific period. A representative image including a start image which is the oldest image recorded in the image or an end image taken last in the specific period is displayed on the image display means at a predetermined time such as when the power is turned off. It has history display means for displaying at timing. With this history display means, a required representative image among images taken during a specific period can be easily confirmed when the power is turned off.
However, no information other than those described above is displayed when the power is turned on or off, or special information is not displayed at other predetermined timings, for example, at the time of battery replacement or mode change. .

JP 2001-290188 A JP 2003-204508 A

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and provides an imaging apparatus capable of providing the user with imaging apparatus information related to the imaging apparatus useful for the user at an appropriate timing. It is aimed.
That is, an object of claim 1 of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can provide the user with imaging apparatus information related to the imaging apparatus that is particularly useful to the user before the start of imaging.
The second aspect of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can provide imaging apparatus information related to the imaging apparatus that is particularly useful to the user to the user after the imaging is completed.
An object of claim 3 of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can provide imaging apparatus information relating to the imaging apparatus that is particularly useful to the user to the user before and after battery replacement.
An object of a fourth aspect of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of providing the user with imaging apparatus information related to the imaging apparatus that is particularly useful to the user before and after the change of the imaging operation mode.

Furthermore, an object of claim 5 of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can make a user accurately recognize the setting status of the imaging apparatus.
An object of claim 6 of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that allows a user to accurately recognize the power consumption state of the power supply battery of the imaging apparatus.
The object of the seventh aspect of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can allow a user to accurately recognize an appropriate operation method of the imaging apparatus.
An object of an eighth aspect of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can allow a user to accurately recognize appropriate imaging advice information of the imaging apparatus.
An object of claim 9 of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can allow a user to accurately recognize the storage status of an image storage unit of the imaging apparatus.
An object of claim 10 of the present invention is to provide an image pickup apparatus that can selectively allow a user to selectively recognize the situation of matters relating to the image pickup apparatus as desired.
An object of an eleventh aspect of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can allow a user in the display process to recognize a situation related to the imaging apparatus accurately and efficiently.

An object of claim 12 of the present invention is to provide an image pickup apparatus that can monitor a situation related to the image pickup apparatus and allow a user to recognize the image accurately and more efficiently.
An object of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can allow a user to recognize a situation related to the imaging apparatus more accurately and more efficiently according to recognition of audio information.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 1
Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
In an imaging apparatus comprising image display means for displaying an image taken by the imaging means,
The image display device further includes information display means for displaying the image pickup device information when the image pickup device is activated.
In order to achieve the above-described object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 2
Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
In an imaging apparatus comprising image display means for displaying an image taken by the imaging means,
The image display device further includes information display means for displaying the image pickup device information when the image pickup device is powered off.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 3
Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image display means for displaying an image picked up by the image pickup means;
In an imaging apparatus comprising battery power supply means for supplying driving power from a power supply battery to each part of the imaging apparatus,
The battery power supply means further includes an information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the battery is replaced.
In order to achieve the above-described object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 4
Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image display means for displaying an image picked up by the image pickup means;
In an imaging apparatus comprising mode switching means for switching an imaging operation mode,
The image display device further includes information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information when the image operation mode is switched by the mode switching means.

Furthermore, the imaging device according to the present invention described in claim 5 is the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The imaging apparatus information displayed on the image display means includes setting information of the imaging apparatus including at least one of a recorded image size and an imaging operation mode.
An imaging device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the imaging device according to any one of the first, second, fourth, and fifth aspects,
The imaging apparatus has battery power supply means for supplying driving power from a power supply battery to each part of the imaging apparatus, and battery remaining capacity detection means for detecting the remaining battery capacity of the power supply battery in the battery power supply means, and The imaging apparatus information displayed on the image display unit includes battery remaining amount information indicating a remaining battery level detected by the remaining battery level detecting unit.
An imaging device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the imaging device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects,
The imaging apparatus information displayed on the image display means includes operation method information indicating an operation method of the imaging apparatus.

The imaging device according to the present invention described in claim 8 is the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The imaging device information displayed on the image display means includes imaging advice information indicating advice for imaging of the imaging device.
The imaging device according to the present invention described in claim 9 is the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The imaging device information to be displayed on the image display means includes image number information indicating at least one of the number of captured images of the imaging device and the number of images that can be captured according to the remaining amount of storage capacity of the image information. It is characterized by.
An imaging device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the imaging device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects,
The image display device further includes display item selection means for selecting and setting display information items of the imaging device information to be displayed on the image display means as desired.
An imaging device according to the present invention described in claim 11 is the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The display apparatus further comprises display timer means for monitoring the elapsed display time of the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means and displaying the image pickup apparatus information after the display for a predetermined time.

An imaging device according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the imaging device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects,
An operation monitoring unit that monitors an operation state of the imaging device and hides the imaging device information in response to at least a predetermined operation of the imaging device during display of the imaging device information on the image display unit; It is characterized by providing.
An imaging device according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the imaging device according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects,
The imaging device is
Sound acquisition means for capturing ambient sound as an electrical signal;
Discriminating and recognizing predetermined audio information by the user from the audio signal captured by the audio acquisition means, and the imaging in response to the recognition of the predetermined audio information during display of the imaging device information on the image display means It further has voice recognition means for hiding device information.

[Action]
That is, an imaging apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is an imaging apparatus including an imaging unit for imaging a subject image and an image display unit for displaying an image captured by the imaging unit. The apparatus further includes information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the apparatus is activated.
With such a configuration, it is possible to provide the user with imaging apparatus information related to the imaging apparatus that is particularly useful for the user at an appropriate timing before the start of imaging.
An image pickup apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is an image pickup apparatus including an image pickup means for picking up a subject image and an image display means for displaying an image picked up by the image pickup means. The apparatus further includes information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the apparatus is turned off.
With such a configuration, it is possible to provide the user with imaging apparatus information relating to the imaging apparatus that is particularly useful to the user after the imaging is completed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus for picking up an image of a subject, image display means for displaying an image picked up by the image pickup means, and driving power from a power supply battery to each part of the image pickup apparatus. An image pickup apparatus comprising battery power supply means for supplying, further comprising information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the battery power supply means replaces the power battery.
With such a configuration, it is possible to provide the user with imaging device information related to the imaging device that is particularly beneficial to the user before and after battery replacement.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus comprising imaging means for imaging a subject image, image display means for displaying an image taken by the imaging means, and mode switching means for switching an imaging operation mode. And an information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the image switching operation mode is switched by the mode switching means.
With such a configuration, it is possible to provide the user with imaging apparatus information related to the imaging apparatus that is particularly beneficial to the user before and after the change of the imaging operation mode.

Furthermore, an imaging device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the imaging device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the imaging device information displayed on the image display means includes a recorded image size and an imaging. The setting information of the imaging apparatus including at least one of the operation modes is included.
With such a configuration, in particular, it is possible to make the user accurately recognize the setting status of the imaging apparatus.
An imaging apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first, second, fourth, and fifth aspects, wherein the imaging apparatus receives drive power from a power supply battery. The image pickup device information to be displayed on the image display means has battery power supply means for supplying to each part of the image pickup device and battery remaining amount detection means for detecting the battery remaining amount of the power supply battery in the battery power supply means. The battery remaining amount information indicating the remaining battery amount detected by the remaining battery amount detecting means is included.
With such a configuration, in particular, the user can be made to accurately recognize the power consumption state of the power supply battery of the imaging apparatus.

An image pickup apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the image pickup apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the image pickup apparatus information displayed on the image display means is an operation method of the image pickup apparatus. The operation method information shown is included.
With such a configuration, it is possible to make the user accurately recognize an appropriate operation of the imaging apparatus.
An imaging apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the imaging apparatus information displayed on the image display means is for imaging of the imaging apparatus. Imaging advice information indicating the advice is included.
With such a configuration, in particular, it is possible to make the user accurately recognize advice information for appropriate imaging of the imaging apparatus.
An imaging apparatus according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein an operation status of the imaging apparatus is monitored and the image display unit displays the imaging apparatus information. The image processing apparatus further includes an operation monitoring unit that hides the imaging apparatus information in response to at least a predetermined operation of the imaging apparatus during display.
With such a configuration, in particular, it is possible to monitor the situation related to the imaging device and to make the user recognize the information accurately and more efficiently.

An imaging apparatus according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the imaging apparatus captures a surrounding sound as an electrical signal, and the sound. In addition to discriminating and recognizing predetermined audio information by the user from the audio signal captured by the acquisition means, the imaging apparatus information in response to recognition of the predetermined audio information during display of the imaging apparatus information on the image display means Is further included.
With such a configuration, it is possible to make the user recognize the situation relating to the imaging apparatus more accurately and more efficiently in response to voice recognition.
That is, according to each claim of the present invention, for example, at startup, at least one of imaging device information such as a setting state of an imaging device such as a camera, a shooting mode, and a remaining battery level is displayed. In this case, the user can accurately grasp and confirm the state of the imaging apparatus, can perform appropriate shooting immediately after activation, and can reduce setting errors and the like.

  Or, for example, when displaying at least a part of the imaging device information such as the power-on time, the number of images to be captured, the remaining battery power and the number of images that can be photographed (memory remaining amount) when the power is turned off, It is possible to know the usage status of the camera, etc., and the status of the power storage battery and image recording medium such as memory card for subsequent use, and it is possible to accurately determine the replacement time of the power supply battery and the image recording medium. Become. Furthermore, for example, when displaying at least a part of the imaging device information such as the remaining battery level and the number of storable images when replacing the battery, a battery with a low remaining battery level such as a used battery is inserted, Even if the number of shootable images (remaining memory capacity) of an image recording medium such as a card is low, it can be confirmed by simply replacing the battery. Further, for example, when at least a part of the imaging device information such as the shooting mode is displayed even when the image display unit is automatically changed to a non-display mode such as the power saving mode. Therefore, there is no possibility that the user mistakes the occurrence of the failure.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the imaging device which makes it possible to provide a user with the imaging device information which concerns on the said imaging device useful for a user at an appropriate timing can be provided.
In particular, according to the imaging apparatus of claim 1 of the present invention, the imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit for imaging a subject image and an image display unit for displaying an image captured by the imaging unit. By further providing information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the image pickup apparatus is activated, it is possible to provide the user with image pickup apparatus information related to the image pickup apparatus that is beneficial to the user before starting the image pickup. It becomes possible.
According to the image pickup apparatus of claim 2 of the present invention, the image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup means for picking up a subject image and an image display means for displaying an image picked up by the image pickup means. By providing information display means for displaying the image pickup device information on the image display means at the time of power-off operation of the image pickup device, the image pickup device information related to the image pickup device that is particularly useful to the user is provided to the user after the image pickup is completed. It becomes possible to do.

According to the image pickup apparatus of claim 3 of the present invention, the image pickup means for picking up the subject image, the image display means for displaying the image picked up by the image pickup means, and the drive power from the power supply battery. A battery power supply means for supplying to each part of the apparatus, and further comprising an information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the power supply battery in the battery power supply means is replaced. It becomes possible to provide the user with imaging device information related to the imaging device that is beneficial to the user when the battery is replaced.
According to the imaging apparatus of the fourth aspect of the present invention, an imaging unit for imaging a subject image, an image display unit for displaying an image captured by the imaging unit, and a mode for switching an imaging operation mode And a switching means, and further comprising an information display means for displaying the imaging device information on the image display means when the imaging operation mode is switched by the mode switching means. It is possible to provide the user with the imaging device information related to the device when the shooting operation mode is changed.

According to the imaging device of claim 5 of the present invention, in the imaging device of any one of claims 1 to 4, the imaging device information to be displayed on the image display means includes a recorded image size and an imaging operation mode. By including the setting information of the imaging apparatus including at least one of the above, it is possible to make the user accurately recognize the setting state of the recorded image size and the shooting operation mode in the imaging apparatus.
According to an imaging device of a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to any one of the first, second, fourth, and fifth aspects, the imaging device supplies driving power from a power supply battery. The image pickup device information to be displayed on the image display means has battery power supply means for supplying to each part of the image pickup device and battery remaining amount detection means for detecting the battery remaining amount of the power supply battery in the battery power supply means. By including the remaining battery level information indicating the remaining battery level detected by the remaining battery level detecting means, it is possible to make the user accurately recognize the consumption status of the power supply battery of the imaging device.
According to an imaging device of a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device of any one of the first to sixth aspects, the imaging device information to be displayed on the image display means is an operation method of the imaging device. By including the operation method information shown, it is possible to make the user recognize the appropriate operation method of the imaging apparatus.

According to an imaging device of an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the imaging device information displayed on the image display means is for imaging of the imaging device. In particular, it is possible to make the user accurately recognize appropriate advice for imaging by the imaging apparatus.
According to the imaging device of claim 9 of the present invention, in the imaging device of any one of claims 1 to 8, the imaging device information to be displayed on the image display means has already been captured by the imaging device. By including image number information indicating at least one of the number of captured images and the number of images that can be captured according to the remaining amount of image information storage capacity, in particular, the user can accurately recognize the storage status of the image storage unit of the imaging device It becomes possible to make it.

  According to the imaging device of claim 10 of the present invention, in the imaging device of any one of claims 1 to 9, display information items of the imaging device information to be displayed on the image display means are selected as desired. By further providing display item selection means for selecting and setting, it is possible to allow the user to select and set the display information item relating to the imaging apparatus in particular as desired.

According to an imaging device of an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the display elapsed time of the imaging device information on the image display means is monitored, and a predetermined time By further providing display timer means for displaying the imaging device information after the display, it is possible to allow the user to display and recognize the situation related to the imaging device accurately and efficiently only for a predetermined time.
According to an imaging device of a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, an operation status of the imaging device is monitored and the image display means of the imaging device information is displayed. In particular, it further comprises an operation monitoring unit that hides the imaging device information in response to at least a predetermined operation of the imaging device during display of the image. It becomes possible to make it.
According to an imaging device of a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the imaging device captures a surrounding sound as an electric signal, and the sound. In addition to discriminating and recognizing predetermined audio information by the user from the audio signal captured by the acquisition means, the imaging apparatus information in response to recognition of the predetermined audio information during display of the imaging apparatus information on the image display means In addition, it is possible to allow the user to recognize the situation related to the imaging apparatus more accurately and more efficiently, by further including voice recognition means for hiding.

Hereinafter, a digital camera as an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the imaging apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 show the configuration of the digital camera. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the overall configuration of the digital camera, FIG. 2 is a front view of the digital camera shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the subject side, and FIG. 3 is a photograph of the digital camera shown in FIGS. FIG. 4 is a rear view seen from the person side, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the digital camera shown in FIGS.
A digital camera 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a lens barrel unit 3, a strobe light emitting unit 4, a distance measuring unit 5, an optical viewfinder 6, and a remote control (remote control) light receiving unit on the front side of the camera body 2 facing the subject. 7, a release button 9, a mode dial 10, and a sub LCD (liquid crystal display) 11 on the upper surface of the camera body 2, and an LCD on the rear side of the camera body 2 that normally faces the photographer. A monitor 13, an AF (autofocus) -LED (light emitting diode) 14, a strobe LED 15, a power switch 16, an operation button unit 17 and a zoom button 18 are provided, and a memory mounting portion 22 is provided on one side of the camera body 2. It has.

The operation unit 19 includes a release button 9, a mode dial 10, a power switch 16, an operation button unit 17, and a zoom button 18, and an external expansion memory 21 such as a memory card as a recording medium (shown in FIGS. 1 to 3). (Not shown) is mounted and stored in the memory mounting portion 22, and the power battery 23 (not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) is loaded in a battery loading portion (not shown).
That is, a lens barrel unit 3 having a photographic optical system that makes an object photographic light incident and imaged is provided in the vicinity of the center of the front side of the camera body 2 of the digital camera 1. A strobe light emitting unit 4 that emits strobe illumination light to irradiate, a distance measuring unit 5 for measuring the distance to the subject during autofocus (AF), and a user's visual confirmation of a shooting range and the like An optical finder 6 is provided. Further, below the optical finder 6, a remote control light receiving unit 7 that receives an optical signal for remote control from a remote controller (remote control) (not shown) is provided. On the upper surface of the camera body 2 of the digital camera 1, there are provided a release button 9 for instructing shooting, a mode dial 10 for switching shooting modes, and a sub LCD 11 for displaying the number of shots or the number of shots. It has been.

  Further, on the back side of the camera body 2 of the digital camera 1, an LCD monitor 13 for displaying a photographed image, an AF-LED 14 for indicating a focusing state such as focusing / non-focusing of AF at the time of photographing, and a strobe A strobe LED 15 indicating the charging state of the power supply capacitor, a power switch 16 for switching on / off the power, an operation button unit 17 for performing operation instructions and various settings from the outside, and a zoom for performing a zooming operation A button 18 is provided. The AF-LED 14 and the strobe LED 15 are also used for display applications other than AF and strobe, for example, a display indicating that the external expansion memory 21 (see FIG. 4) is being accessed, depending on the operation mode of the system. Is done. The release button 9, the mode dial 10, the power switch 16, the operation button unit 17 and the zoom button 18 are collectively referred to as an operation unit 19. Furthermore, an external expansion memory mounting portion 22 to which an external expansion memory 21 (see FIG. 4) such as a memory card is detachably mounted is provided on the side surface of the camera body 2 of the digital camera 1. The digital camera 1 also includes a battery loading unit (not shown) in which a power battery 23 (see FIG. 4) is detachably loaded.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of the system of the digital camera 1 shown in FIGS. The digital camera 1 shown in FIG. 4 includes a lens barrel unit 3, a strobe light emitting unit 4, a distance measuring unit 5, a remote control light receiving unit 7, a sub LCD 11, an LCD monitor 13, and an AF-LED 14, which are mentioned in connection with FIGS. , A strobe LED 15, an operation unit 19, and a memory mounting unit 22. The operation unit 19 includes a release button 9, a mode dial 10, a power switch 16, an operation button unit 17 and a zoom button 18. An external expansion memory 21 such as a memory card as a recording medium is mounted and stored in a memory mounting portion 22 which is an external expansion memory interface (I / F) including an external expansion memory connector, and a power battery 23 is a battery (not shown). Loaded in the loading section. Further, the digital camera 1 shown in FIG. 4 includes a zoom lens 30, a zoom drive motor 31, a focus lens 33, a focus drive motor 34, an aperture 36, an aperture motor 37, a mechanical shutter (mechanical shutter) 39, a mechanical shutter motor 40, and a motor driver. 42, CCD (charge coupled device) solid-state imaging device 45, F / E (front end) -IC (integrated circuit) 46, system controller 50, ROM (read only memory) 65, RAM (random access memory) 66, SDRAM ( (Synchronous dynamic RAM) 67, built-in memory 68, LCD driver 69, video amplifier (video amplifier) 70, video jack 71, USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector 72, serial driver circuit 73, RS-232C Connector 74, sub CPU (central processing unit) 75, buzzer 76, sub LCD driver 77, microphone (microphone) 79, microphone amplifier (microphone amplifier) 80, audio recording circuit 81, speaker 83, audio reproduction circuit 84, audio amplifier 85 , A DC-DC (direct current-direct current) converter 86 and a strobe circuit 91 are provided.

  The zoom lens 30 and the zoom drive motor 31 constitute a zoom optical system 32, the focus lens 33 and the focus drive motor 34 constitute a focus optical system 35, the aperture 36 and the aperture motor 37 constitute an aperture unit 38, The mechanical shutter 39 and the mechanical shutter motor 40 constitute a mechanical shutter unit 41. The F / E-IC 46 includes a CDS (Correlated Double Sampling) 47, an AGC (Auto Gain Controller) 48, an A / D (Analog-Digital) converter 49, and a TG (Timing Generator). To timing generator) 52. The system controller 50 includes a first CCD signal processing block 51, a second CCD signal processing block 53, a CPU (central processing unit) block 54, a local SRAM (static RAM) 55, a USB block 56, a serial block 57, JPEG- A CODEC block 58, a resize block 59, a TV (television) signal display block 60, and an external expansion memory block 61 are provided.

That is, in FIG. 4, the lens barrel unit 3 has a zoom optical system 32 including a zoom lens 30 as a driven member that captures an optical image of a subject and a zoom drive motor 31 as a drive source motor that drives the zoom lens 30. A focus optical system 35 having a focus lens 33 and a focus drive motor 34, a diaphragm unit 38 having a diaphragm 36 and a diaphragm motor 37, a mechanical shutter unit 41 having a mechanical shutter 39 and a mechanical shutter motor 40, and these A zoom driver motor 31, a focus drive motor 34, a diaphragm motor 37, and a motor driver 42 for driving a DC motor such as a mechanical shutter motor 40 are provided.
The CCD solid-state imaging device 45 converts the optical image information captured and imaged by the lens barrel unit 3 into an analog image signal composed of an electrical signal. In addition, the F / E-IC 46 includes a CDS unit 47 that performs correlated double sampling to remove image noise, an AGC 48 that performs gain adjustment, and an A / D converter 49 that converts an image signal into a digital signal. And a TG 52 that receives a vertical synchronizing signal (VD signal) and a horizontal synchronizing signal (HD signal) from the first CCD signal processing block 51 of the system controller 50 and generates a drive timing signal.

  The system controller 50 serving as a control unit performs white balance adjustment setting and gamma adjustment setting for digital image data input from the CCD solid-state imaging device 45 via the F / E-IC 46 and, as described above, the VD signal and HD. A first CCD signal processing block 51 for outputting a signal and a second CCD signal processing block 53 for performing conversion into luminance data / color difference data by filtering processing are provided. Further, the system controller 50 is configured to control the digital camera 1 such as the motor driver 42 and the CCD solid-state imaging device 45 in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 65 based on signals input from the remote control light receiving unit 7 and the operation unit 19. Communication with a CPU block 54 for controlling the operation of each unit, a local SRAM 55 for temporarily storing data necessary for control of the CPU block 54, and an external device such as a PC (personal computer) using a USB interface. USB block 56, serial block 57 for serial communication with an external device such as a PC, JPEG-CODEC block 58 for compressing / decompressing in accordance with the JPEG method, and the size of image data is enlarged / reduced by interpolation processing. Resize block 59 and image data Are externally extended to control a TV signal display block 60 for generating a video signal for displaying the image on an external display device such as an LCD monitor 13 or a TV, and an external expansion memory 21 such as a memory card for recording photographed image data. And a memory block 61.

The ROM 65 stores a control program written in a code that can be decoded and executed by the CPU block 54, data necessary for control of the CPU block 54, and the like.
When the power switch 16 of the operation unit 19 is operated and the digital camera 1 is turned on, the control program stored in the ROM 65 is loaded into a main memory (not shown), and the CPU block 54 follows the control program. The operation of each part of the digital camera 1 is controlled, and data necessary for the control is temporarily stored in the RAM 66 and the local SRAM 55. In the embodiment described here, a rewritable flash ROM is used as the ROM 65. By using a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash ROM, it is possible to change control programs, parameters necessary for control, and the like, and it is possible to easily upgrade functions.

The SDRAM 67 temporarily stores image data in the process and results when various processes are performed by the system controller 50. The stored image data is, for example, “RAW-” in a state in which white balance setting and gamma setting are performed in the first CCD signal processing block 51 after being taken in via the F / E-IC 46 from the CCD solid-state imaging device 45. “RGB image data”, “YUV image data” converted to luminance data / color difference data in the second CCD signal processing block 53, and “JPEG compression” performed in the JPEG-CODEC block 58 JPEG image data ". The built-in memory 68 is provided for storing captured image data when the external expansion memory 21 such as a memory card is not attached to the memory attachment unit 22, for example. Even if it is not, the captured image data can be stored in the built-in memory 68.
The LCD driver 69 drives the LCD monitor 13 and converts the video signal output from the TV signal display block 60 into a signal for display on the LCD monitor 13. By doing so, the LCD monitor 13 allows the user to monitor the state of the subject before shooting, check the shot image, and view the image data recorded in the external expansion memory 21 or the built-in memory 68. You can check and appreciate.

The video amplifier 70 is an amplifier that converts the video signal output from the TV signal display block 60 into, for example, a video signal having an impedance of 75Ω, and the video jack 71 is an external display device such as a TV that can display the video signal. It is a jack for connection. The USB connector 72 is a connector for USB connection to such an external device in order to perform USB communication with the external device such as a PC. The serial driver circuit 73 is a circuit that converts the output signal voltage of the serial block 57 in order to perform serial communication with an external device such as a PC. The RS-232C connector 74 is connected in serial with an external device such as a PC. It is a connector for performing.
The sub CPU 75 is a CPU composed of, for example, a microprocessor including a ROM, a RAM and the like built in one chip, and outputs output signals from the remote control light receiving unit 7 and the operation unit 19 to the CPU block 54 as user operation information. At the same time, the control information corresponding to the state of the digital camera 1 output from the CPU block 54 is converted into control signals for the sub LCD 11, AF-LED 14, strobe LED 15, buzzer 76 and the like and output. The LCD driver 77 is a drive circuit that drives the sub LCD 11 based on an output signal from the sub CPU 75.

The audio recording unit includes a microphone 79 into which a user inputs an audio signal, a microphone amplifier 80 that amplifies the input audio signal, and an audio recording circuit 81 that records the amplified audio signal. In addition, the audio reproduction unit includes an audio reproduction circuit 84 that converts a recorded audio signal into a signal for output from the speaker 83, and an audio amplifier 85 that amplifies the converted audio signal and drives the speaker 83. And a speaker 83 that acoustically outputs the amplified audio signal.
Specific operations at various operation timings of the digital camera 1 according to the present invention configured as described above will be described as an embodiment for each operation timing.

[First embodiment (at start-up)]
<Startup sequence>
First, a general activation sequence of the digital camera 1 will be described. When the user turns on the power switch 16 of the camera operation unit 19, the sub CPU 75 detects this and outputs a signal to the DC / DC converter 86 (this signal system is clearly shown in FIG. 4). Absent). The DC / DC converter 86 is activated by the signal and generates a power output required by each part of the system from the power supply battery 23. After the various power outputs are generated by the DC / DC converter 86, the sub CPU 75 outputs a reset signal to the system controller 50. In response to the reset signal, the system controller 50 resets the system and starts activation. After starting, the system controller 50 operates as a camera by executing a control program stored in the ROM 65. However, since execution from the ROM 65 may slow down the processing speed, it is usually stored in the ROM 65. The transferred control program is once transferred to the SDRAM 67 and developed. The transfer time to the SDRAM 67 depends on the capacity of the control program and occupies a large weight in the startup sequence. In general, DMA (Direct Memory Access) transfer is used for the transfer of the control program. The DMA transfer directly transfers data between memories without the CPU such as the CPU block 54 of the system controller 50 being interposed. When the transfer is completed, an interrupt is generated, so that other processes can be processed in parallel during the program transfer. After the control program is expanded to the SDRAM 67, the program is executed on the SDRAM 67 to operate as a camera.

<Starting logo display sequence>
Next, the activation logo display sequence according to the present invention will be described. Note that the information display according to the present invention is not strictly a logo display, but is considered to be a substantial development of the conventional logo display, and will be referred to as a “logo display” for convenience of explanation. . The control program stored in the ROM 65 that stores the control program includes two programs “a logo display program” and a “main program” in advance. The logo display program includes processes such as system controller initialization, camera information acquisition, activation logo display program, and transfer of the main program to SDRAM 67. The main program includes normal camera operations such as shooting and playback. It is assumed that the necessary processing is included.

Hereinafter, the activation sequence including the activation logo display sequence will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the system controller 50 is activated, the logo display program P11 stored in the ROM 65 is executed. In the logo display program P11, the system is first initialized (step S11), and the logo display program is expanded from the ROM 65 to the SDRAM 67 (step S12). It is desirable to reduce the size of the logo display program P11 as much as possible in order to minimize the transfer time to the SDRAM 67. When the development of the logo display program P11 on the SDRAM 67 is completed, the execution is transferred from the ROM 65 to the SDRAM 67. Next, DMA setting is performed to expand the main body program P12 from the ROM 65 to the SDRAM 67, and DMA transfer is started (step S13). During the transfer period of the main program P12, the activation logo display sequence according to the present invention is executed.
In the activation logo display sequence, first, necessary camera information acquisition processing for displaying information at the time of activation is performed (step S14). Then, the acquired camera information is displayed on the LCD monitor 13 or the sub LCD 11 as a logo display (step S15).

As described above, the logo display program P11 ends, but the logo display itself on the LCD monitor 13 or the sub LCD 11 ends in response to a logo display end trigger as described later, and normal camera operation is performed by executing the main body program P12. Transition. Execution of the main program P12 is terminated when the power is turned off.
There are various types of camera information acquired in step S14 and provided for display in step S15. Hereinafter, the display contents at the time of activation will be referred to as camera setting information, camera shooting mode, remaining battery level, camera operation method, and A method for acquiring camera information as shooting advice will be described.

<Starting logo display contents>
・ Acquisition of camera setting information Camera setting information such as image recording size, strobe on / off, image quality setting and auto power off setting is recorded in the ROM 65, which is a flash ROM, as with the control program. When there is a change in the contents, the setting is retained in the RAM 66, and the setting is updated by overwriting the changed portion in the ROM (flash ROM) 65 when the power is turned off. In the activation logo display sequence, the camera setting information is acquired by reading a predetermined area in the ROM 65 where the camera setting information is stored.

Acquisition of Camera Shooting Mode The digital camera 1 has various modes such as a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, a voice recording mode, a playback mode, and a communication mode. Further, there is a power saving mode in which an image display unit such as the LCD monitor 13 that consumes a large amount of power is not displayed for power saving. If such a mode is set and the user does not notice it, the LCD panel of the LCD monitor 13 does not light up even when the camera is activated. It gives the user the wrong interpretation of a failure. In addition, in order to save power, in the case of a type of camera in which the LCD monitor 13 is not displayed during the flash charging, the display of the LCD monitor 13 disappears if the flash charging is started immediately after starting. Similarly, it is misunderstood that it has failed. For this reason, it is desirable to display shooting mode information at startup.
The shooting mode may be selected by turning the mode dial 10 by a mechanical operation as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, or selected by an OSD (On Screen Display) displayed on the image display unit. Some electronic dials are set by operation. The shooting mode information is stored in the RAM 66 area or the ROM 65 area. In the activation logo display sequence, camera shooting mode information is obtained by reading information from the RAM 66 or the ROM 65.

・ Acquisition of remaining battery information Generally, the remaining battery level is determined by the battery voltage. The battery voltage is constantly monitored even during camera operation, and the battery remaining capacity symbol is changed in accordance with the battery remaining capacity. As a specific example, FIG. 6 shows the discharge characteristics of the battery, where the vertical axis represents the battery voltage, and the horizontal axis represents the power supply time, that is, the device drive time. FIG. 7 shows an example of a battery remaining amount display symbol used for a digital camera or the like. In FIG. 6, threshold values V1, V2, V3, and V4 are set for the battery voltage. However, V1>V2>V3> V4. Then, the periods corresponding to the respective threshold values are T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 as shown in the figure. Further, the voltage value obtained by A / D converting the battery voltage is Ve, and the comparison result between the voltage value Ve and the threshold values V1 to V4 by the CPU block 54 or the like indicates that (a) in FIG. 7 during the T1 period (Ve> V1). ) Is displayed on the LCD monitor 13 or the sub LCD 11 indicating that the battery is almost exhausted and there is a sufficient remaining amount. In the next T2 period (V2 <Ve <V1), as shown in FIG. 7B, a symbol indicating a state in which the remaining amount of the battery is slightly decreased, and in the T3 period (V3 <Ve <V2), A symbol indicating a state in which the remaining battery level is further reduced as in (c) of FIG. 7, and, in the T4 period (V4 <Ve <V3), the remaining battery level is slightly lower as in (d) of FIG. 7. Is displayed on the LCD monitor 13 or the sub LCD 11, respectively. Then, during the T5 period (Ve <V4), as shown in FIG. 7E, a symbol indicating a state in which the remaining battery power is not available and the power battery cannot be used is displayed, and the power battery is replaced or charged. The system is terminated so that the user is informed and the device can be terminated normally.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that the sub CPU 75 has an A / D conversion function for converting the battery voltage from analog data to digital data. The sub CPU 75 converts the battery voltage from an analog value to a digital value by A / D conversion, and sequentially stores it in the internal RAM of the sub CPU 75. The system controller 50 refers to the value stored in the internal RAM, determines how much the remaining battery level is, and acquires it as remaining battery level information.

・ Acquisition of camera operation method / shooting advice information There are various functions in the camera, and it is difficult to use all of these functions completely. Therefore, it is useful for the user to introduce an operation method for using the functions installed in the camera, information useful at the time of shooting, and the like at startup. For example, you can use the camera to “focus by pressing the release button halfway”, and the shooting advice is “When shooting in dark places, camera shake tends to occur. An appropriate number of messages such as "" are prepared in the ROM area, and information is acquired by reading the area. The message may be displayed randomly at each startup, or the camera counts the number of times the power is turned on, the total usage time since the camera was purchased, or the total number of shots. The display content may be gradually changed to a more advanced content in accordance with the frequency of use of.

<Starting logo display means and display method>
Currently, LCDs are mainly used as image display units, but cameras using organic EL or the like have begun to appear, and it is considered that devices with lower power consumption will appear in the future. In this embodiment, an LCD monitor 13 using an LCD as an image display unit will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the one using the LCD monitor 13 as an image display unit.
The LCD startup sequence will be described. When various power outputs are raised by the DC / DC converter 86, power is supplied to the LCD monitor 13. When a control signal such as an LCD setting value is sent from the system controller 50 and display data stored in the ROM 65 or the like is sent to the LCD monitor 13, the LCD monitor 13 starts display. Therefore, when the LCD monitor 13 is used as a display unit, the logo display program P11 needs to include a transmission process of a control signal and display data to the LCD monitor 13.

-Startup logo display method Next, the startup logo display method will be described. As for the display mode of the activation logo, only one symbol may be displayed in the center of the screen, or a plurality of symbols may be displayed. When a plurality of symbols are displayed, the colors of some symbols of interest may be changed or the size of the symbols may be changed. When a plurality of items are displayed, the user may select the contents to be displayed in advance, and only the selected items may be displayed. As a selection method in the case of selecting in this way, a startup logo display selection mode is prepared, options are prepared in advance, and the user performs a selection operation of contents to be displayed using the camera operation unit 19 or the like. It is good to make it.
Several specific examples will be described. FIG. 8A shows an example in which only one symbol is displayed, and shows a state in which only the remaining battery level is displayed. In such a display mode, when activated, only one piece of information is displayed, so the user can reliably recognize this information. Next, (b) of FIG. 8 is an example in the case of displaying a plurality of symbols. In FIG. 8B, information on the remaining battery level, strobe setting, shooting mode, and white balance is displayed. In this case, since there are a plurality of pieces of information to be displayed, the user can obtain information relating to the camera in detail and effectively at the time of activation.

Further, display items can be selected as desired, that is, one of a plurality of display items is selectively set and displayed as shown in FIG. When a plurality of items can be selectively set and displayed as shown in FIG. 8B, for example, a display item selection mode is prepared, and options are selected in advance as shown in FIG. By displaying the display item selection screen prepared and selecting the item to be displayed by the camera operation unit 19 or the like, the user's own display can be realized, and the attachment to the camera is also brought about. In addition, the camera may have a specific mode that stops some functions of the camera, such as a power saving mode. In a specific mode such as the power saving mode, when the logo display function at startup is stopped, a special mode at startup is used as shown in FIG. It is desirable to display to inform that it is.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the display of the camera operation method displays a message such as “Adjust the focus by pressing the release button halfway”, and the shooting advice is displayed as shown in FIG. In this way, it is only necessary to display a message such as “When shooting in a dark place, camera shake is likely to occur, so let's fix the camera firmly”, but it will be easier to understand if a graphical display is performed if necessary.

Display Content Setting Method A method for selecting and setting desired display content from a plurality of display items as shown in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIG. The camera 1 has a logo display selection mode for selecting a logo display content as one of operation modes. When selecting the logo display, first, the camera 1 is set to the logo selection mode using the camera operation unit 19 or the like (step S21).
When entering the logo selection mode, a display item is selected (step S22). In the selection of the display item, for example, a plurality of display content options are displayed on the image display unit as shown in FIG. 9, and the user selects from the selection items using the numeric keypad of the camera operation unit 19 or the like. For the selected item, the display color is changed or the display of the selected item is reversed (indicated by hatching in FIG. 9), so that the item is selected is displayed. . When selection of the display item is completed, the display item is determined (step S23). The display item may be determined when a predetermined button is pressed. When the display item is determined, the setting is stored in the flash ROM 65 or the like (step S24).

As a storage method, for example, a table number is assigned such that the remaining battery level is 0, the strobe is 1 and the image size is 2, and when 1 is written for each table number, display selection is performed, and when 0 is written, no display is performed. For example, it may be selected. When the display item selection is completed, the logo display selection mode is terminated by pressing a predetermined button or the like (step S25).
These are just a few of the examples according to the invention, and the invention is of course not limited thereto.

<How to delete the logo display>
Next, a method for ending the logo display will be described with three examples.
・ When the end logo is displayed after a certain period of time has elapsed, a timer inside the CPU such as the CPU block 54 of the system controller 50 is started to measure the display time. When a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the logo is displayed. It may be automatically deleted, and a normal photographing sequence such as monitoring may be performed. Note that the display time setting may be arbitrarily selected by the user.
That is, as shown in FIG. 13, when the camera is activated (step S31), a timer is started (step S32), and logo display is started (step S33). After the elapse of a predetermined time (step S34), the logo display is turned off (step S35), and the process is terminated.

-When the end logo is displayed by an arbitrary button operation, the logo display may be ended when the user presses an arbitrary operation button such as a release button. After the logo display is completed, the normal shooting sequence (monitoring, etc.) is started. In this way, the user can confirm the display content and then terminate the display.
That is, as shown in FIG. 14, when the camera is activated (step S41), logo display is started (step S42). Waiting for an arbitrary button to be pressed (step S43), the logo display is turned off (step S44), and the process is terminated.

The end camera 1 by voice recognition is provided with a voice acquisition function using the microphone 79 or the like and a voice recognition function for recognizing the acquired voice. Then, a specific voice such as “disappear” may be set in advance, and when the word is pronounced, the camera 1 side recognizes the voice and ends the logo display. After erasing the logo, move to normal shooting sequence (monitoring, etc.)
That is, as shown in FIG. 15, when the camera is activated (step S51), logo display is started (step S52). A voice circuit such as a voice acquisition function and a voice recognition function is activated (step S53). When the corresponding voice registered in advance is recognized (step S54), the logo display is turned off (step S55), and the process ends. .

<Selecting whether or not to display the logo>
The display of the startup logo described above is very effective for users who are not very familiar with the operation of the camera or beginners, but for users who are proficient in shooting the camera, the logo display at startup is It may be unnecessary or troublesome. In consideration of such a case, it may be possible to enable / disable the startup logo display function. This setting may be performed in substantially the same manner as the shooting conditions and the like.
Next, with reference to FIG. 16, a process for determining whether or not to display a logo will be described. In the flash ROM 65, a flag setting area for whether or not to display a logo is provided, and 1 is written in advance in the case where the logo is displayed at the time of startup, and 0 is written in the case where the display is not performed. When the camera 1 is activated by turning on the power switch 16 of the operation unit 19 (step S61), first, a flag indicating whether or not to display a logo is read from the flash ROM. Then, the flag content is checked (step S62). When the flag is 1, the display content item is read (step S63), the display method is further read (step S64), the camera information is acquired, and the logo display process is performed (step S63). Step S65), the process is terminated. If the flag indicating whether or not to display the logo is 0, the logo is not displayed. Therefore, the processing is immediately terminated without reading the display item and the display method and without performing the logo display processing.

  In reading the display contents in step S63, the display items set in the logo display selection mode as described above are read from the flash ROM 65, and in reading the display method, layout information such as which contents are displayed at which position, When displaying a background image and a plurality of pieces of camera information, settings such as enlarging the camera information of interest are stored in advance in the flash ROM 65, and these settings are read. These display methods can be set in the same manner as display items in the logo display selection mode described above.

[Second embodiment (when power is off)]
Next, logo display when the power is turned off will be described as a second embodiment.
<Power off sequence>
First, a general power-off sequence of the digital camera 1 will be described. When the power switch 16 is turned off, or when the power battery 23 is exhausted and the remaining amount runs out, the normal sequence shifts to the power off sequence. In the case of the retractable lens barrel unit 3, the power-off sequence is such that the lens barrel is housed, the LCDs 11 and 13 are hidden, the camera setting information is saved, and the like, and then the sub CPU 75 sends to the DC / DC converter 86. On the other hand, a power off signal is supplied. The DC / DC converter 86 generates a power supply required by the system, but according to a signal from the sub CPU 75, the power supply is turned off in a predetermined order to stop the peripheral circuits, and finally the system controller 50 is turned on. Stop. The sub CPU 75 continues to operate even after the power is turned off, and monitors the timing when the power switch 16 is operated next.

<Power-off logo display sequence>
A power-off logo display sequence will be described with reference to FIG. When a power-off trigger that indicates power-off occurs due to an operation of the power switch 16 or a decrease in the output of the power battery 23, the camera 1 starts to house the lens barrel (step S71). During the lens barrel storing operation period, the process proceeds to the logo display program P60, where camera information acquisition (step S72) and logo display (step S73) are performed. The camera information to be acquired is, for example, the use of the current camera by knowing when the power is turned off, such as the number of shots taken since the power was turned on, the power-on time, the number of flash firings, the remaining battery capacity and the remaining amount of recording media. It is preferable to be able to consider how the method was and how to prepare for the next use. That is, in the same way as the startup logo display, in addition to the camera setting information and the remaining battery level, the power-on time, the number of flash firings, the number of still images shot, the number of movie shots, the number of still images that can be shot (remaining capacity), and the number of movie shots Acquire and display information related to operations performed after turning on the power, such as (remaining capacity). When the logo display process ends, in response to the logo display process end trigger, the LCD or the like is turned off (step S74), the power is turned off (step S75), and the process ends.

  The power-on time is the time from when the camera is turned on until the camera is turned off. The system controller 50 or the sub CPU 75 has a timer function. When a signal is generated, the measurement is terminated and information is acquired as the power-on time. The number of flashes, the number of shots, etc. are counted when the operation is performed in the shooting sequence, and each data is acquired when the power is turned off. Also, if the number of focus times, the number of zoom times, etc. are counted and displayed at the end logo, the situation of the shooting operation can be understood well. Further, by calculating the time required for shooting one image from the number of shots and the power-on time, it is possible to recognize how much time is spent on composition determination and shooting operation.

<End logo display method>
FIG. 18 shows an example of the power-off logo display, in which the power-on time, the number of shots and the average shooting time are displayed. The display of the power-off logo continues for example while the lens barrel is housed, and the display can be turned off at the timing when the LCD is turned off by the conventional power-off, or can be turned off after a certain period of time, as in the first embodiment. Alternatively, the light may be turned off when an arbitrary button such as a release button is pressed, or may be turned off when a specific sound is emitted by voice recognition.

[Third embodiment (during battery replacement)]
Next, a logo display at the time of battery replacement will be described as a third embodiment.
<Battery replacement sequence>
Many people want to know how much battery power is left when the power supply battery 23 is attached to the camera 1. It is good to replace the battery with a new one when replacing the battery, but it is convenient to see how much the remaining battery level is when the battery is used. However, actually, the remaining battery level cannot be confirmed unless the camera 1 is turned on and the camera 1 is activated.

<Logo display sequence during battery replacement>
Therefore, a logo display sequence at the time of power exchange will be described. When the power battery 23 is attached to the camera 1, the sub CPU 75 is activated. The sub CPU 75 outputs a signal to the DC / DC converter 86 after startup. The DC / DC converter 86 is activated by the signal and generates a system power supply necessary for displaying a logo from the battery 23. Here, the system necessary for displaying the logo is, for example, the system controller 50, the LCD monitor 13, the LCD driver 69, the ROM 65, the SDRAM 67, and the like. After the various power supplies are turned on, the sub CPU 75 gives a reset signal to the system controller 50. The system controller 50 resets the system with a reset signal and starts activation. The system controller 50 reads and executes the control program stored in the ROM 65 after activation. The control program is divided into a logo display program (P80) and a main body program and stored, and in the logo display program (P80), initialization of the system controller 50, acquisition of camera information, and the like are performed. In addition, it is assumed that the main body program includes a program for processing necessary for normal operation of the camera such as shooting and reproduction.

  Next, a logo display sequence at the time of battery replacement will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, when the system controller 50 is activated by the battery replacement trigger such as turning on the sub CPU 75 when the battery is replaced, the system controller 50 starts up, the system controller 50 executes the logo display program in the ROM 65. Execute. In the logo display program, after initialization of the system (step S81) and acquisition of camera information (step S82), a logo is displayed on the LCD monitor 13 (step S83). Then, the power is turned off by the logo display end trigger (step S84). In addition to the camera setting information described above, the camera information acquired when the battery is replaced includes resource information necessary for shooting such as the remaining battery level, the number of recordable images on the recording medium, and the number of stored images. Is preferred. The battery remaining amount information is the same as in the case of the first embodiment described above. Information on the number of recorded images can be obtained by accessing the internal extended memory 68, which is a recording medium, or the external expansion memory 21 such as a memory card, and counting file headers. The number of shootable images can be calculated from the unused area of the recording medium and the photographic image size to obtain information.

<Battery replacement logo display content>
FIG. 20 is an example of a battery replacement logo display. The capacity of the recording medium, the use area, the number of stored images, the remaining battery level, and the like are displayed.
When the battery level is low or when the number of storable pictures is small, the OSD of that part blinks or the display color is changed so that the user can recognize it. May be easily recognized. The logo display means and the logo erasing method are the same as those of the above-described embodiments.
In this manner, for example, at the time of activation, by displaying at least one of the imaging device information such as the setting state of the imaging device such as a camera, the shooting mode and the remaining battery level, the user can accurately determine the state of the imaging device. Therefore, it is possible to quickly capture an appropriate image after activation, and to reduce setting mistakes.

  Alternatively, for example, when the power is turned off, the immediately preceding camera is displayed by displaying at least a part of the imaging device information such as the power-on time, the number of shots, and the remaining battery power and the number of shots (memory remaining amount). It is possible to know the status of use of the image recording medium such as a power supply battery and a memory card for subsequent use, and it is possible to accurately determine the replacement time of the power supply battery and the image recording medium. . Furthermore, for example, when the battery is replaced, by displaying at least a part of the imaging device information such as the remaining battery level and the number of images that can be shot, a battery with a low remaining battery level such as a used battery can be inserted, or a memory card Even if the number of shootable images on the image recording medium is reduced, it is possible to confirm them by simply replacing the battery. Further, for example, even when the image display unit is automatically changed to a non-display mode such as the power saving mode, at least a part of the imaging device information such as the shooting mode is displayed. This eliminates the possibility that the user will mistake the occurrence of a failure.

It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the digital camera as an imaging device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the front view which looked at the digital camera of FIG. 1 from the to-be-photographed object side. It is the rear view which looked at the digital camera of FIG. 1 from the normal photographer side. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic system configuration of the digital camera of FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows typically an example of the starting sequence containing the logo display sequence at the time of starting of the digital camera which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a characteristic view which shows the battery voltage characteristic with respect to electric power supply time progress of the battery voltage concerning the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the battery remaining charge display which concerns on the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows three types of examples of the display form of the display logo which concerns on the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the selection screen of the display item of the display logo which concerns on the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the camera operation method information which concerns on the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the imaging | photography advice information which concerns on the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the selection setting method of the display content of the display logo which concerns on the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which complete | finishes display of the display logo which concerns on the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment in fixed time. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which complete | finishes the display of the display logo concerning the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment by arbitrary button operation. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which terminates the display of the display logo which concerns on the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment by voice command. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the display / non-display process of the display logo which concerns on the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows typically an example of the operation | movement sequence containing the logo display sequence at the time of the power-off of the digital camera which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the display form of the display logo which concerns on the digital camera of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows typically an example of the operation | movement sequence containing the logo display sequence at the time of battery replacement of the digital camera which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the display form of the display logo which concerns on the digital camera of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital camera 2 Camera body 3 Lens barrel unit 4 Strobe light emission part 5 Ranging unit 6 Optical finder 7 Remote control (remote control) light-receiving part 9 Release button 10 Mode dial 11 Sub LCD (liquid crystal display part)
13 LCD Monitor 14 AF (Auto Focus) -LED (Light Emitting Diode)
15 Strobe LED
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 Power switch 17 Operation button unit 18 Zoom button 19 Operation part 21 External expansion memory 22 Memory mounting part 23 Power supply battery 30 Zoom lens 31 Zoom drive motor 32 Zoom optical system 33 Focus lens 34 Focus drive motor 35 Focus optical system 36 Aperture 37 Aperture Motor 38 Aperture unit 39 Mechanical shutter (mechanical shutter)
40 Mechanical shutter motor 41 Mechanical shutter unit 42 Motor driver 45 CCD (charge coupled device) solid-state imaging device 46 F / E (front end) -IC (integrated circuit)
47 CDS (correlated double sampling) section 48 AGC (automatic gain controller)
49 A / D (Analog-Digital) Converter 50 System Controller 51 First CCD Signal Processing Block 52 TG (Timing Generator)
53 Second CCD signal processing block 54 CPU (central processing unit) block 55 Local SRAM (static RAM)
56 USB block 57 Serial block 58 JPEG-CODEC block 59 Resize block 60 TV (television) signal display block 61 External expansion memory block 65 ROM (read only memory)
66 RAM (Random Access Memory)
67 SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM)
68 Built-in memory 69 LCD driver 70 Video amplifier (video amplifier)
71 Video Jack 72 USB (Universal Serial Bus) Connector 73 Serial Driver Circuit 74 RS-232C Connector 75 Sub CPU (Central Processing Unit)
76 Buzzer 77 Sub LCD driver 79 Microphone
80 Microphone amplifier (microphone amplifier)
81 Audio Recording Circuit 83 Speaker 84 Audio Playback Circuit 85 Audio Amplifier 86 DC-DC (DC-DC) Converter 91 Strobe Circuit 91

Claims (13)

Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
In an imaging apparatus comprising image display means for displaying an image taken by the imaging means,
An image pickup apparatus further comprising information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the image pickup apparatus is activated. Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
In an imaging apparatus comprising image display means for displaying an image taken by the imaging means,
An image pickup apparatus further comprising information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the image pickup apparatus is turned off. Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image display means for displaying an image picked up by the image pickup means;
In an imaging apparatus comprising battery power supply means for supplying driving power from a power supply battery to each part of the imaging apparatus,
An image pickup apparatus, further comprising: information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the battery power supply means replaces the power battery. Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image display means for displaying an image picked up by the image pickup means;
In an imaging apparatus comprising mode switching means for switching an imaging operation mode,
An image pickup apparatus further comprising information display means for displaying the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means when the mode switching means switches the image pickup operation mode.   5. The imaging apparatus information displayed on the image display means includes setting information of the imaging apparatus including at least one of a recorded image size and an imaging operation mode. The imaging device according to item. The imaging apparatus includes battery power supply means for supplying driving power from a power supply battery to each part of the imaging apparatus, and battery remaining amount detection means for detecting a remaining battery capacity of the power supply battery in the battery power supply means, and The image pickup device information displayed on the image display means includes battery remaining amount information indicating a remaining battery level detected by the remaining battery level detecting unit. The imaging device according to claim 5.   The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the imaging apparatus information displayed on the image display unit includes operation method information indicating an operation method of the imaging apparatus.   The imaging according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the imaging device information displayed on the image display means includes imaging advice information indicating advice for imaging of the imaging device. apparatus.   The imaging device information displayed on the image display means includes image number information indicating at least one of the number of captured images of the imaging device and the number of images that can be captured according to the remaining amount of storage capacity of the image information. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein   The display item selection means for selecting and setting the display information item of the imaging device information to be displayed on the image display means as desired, according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The imaging device described.   11. The display timer means for monitoring the display elapsed time of the image pickup apparatus information on the image display means and displaying the image pickup apparatus information in a non-display after displaying for a predetermined time. The imaging device according to any one of the above.   An operation monitoring unit that monitors an operation state of the imaging device and hides the imaging device information in response to at least a predetermined operation of the imaging device during display of the imaging device information on the image display unit; The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an imaging apparatus according to claim 1. The imaging device
Sound acquisition means for capturing ambient sound as an electrical signal;
Discriminating and recognizing predetermined audio information by the user from the audio signal captured by the audio acquisition means, and the imaging in response to the recognition of the predetermined audio information during display of the imaging device information on the image display means The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising voice recognition means for hiding the apparatus information.

Images