JP2005252414A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera that can switch an optical image from an optical element and a video image displayed on an electric video image display means and can be downsized. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic camera comprises: an imaging element 5; an optical element 2 for forming an image on the imaging element; an optical finder 4 for confirming an image formed on the imaging element; a liquid crystal display unit 3 composed of the video display apparatus 3a for displaying the electric video image on its video display screen and a panel 3b whose reflectance can be switched, and capable of being displaced at a position at which the electric video image is displayed on the optical finder and a position at which light made incident from the optical element is led to the optical finder; a moving means 7 for moving the position of the liquid crystal display unit; a display driver 6 for allowing the liquid crystal display unit to display a desired electric video image; and a control means 8 for controlling driving of the display driver in response to the position of the liquid crystal display unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera that can be miniaturized.

  Conventionally, in an electronic camera, an optical image display unit and an electrical image display unit are combined and displayed so as to be switched. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-146235 discloses the following: Such a configuration has been proposed. FIGS. 5A and 5B show only the optical system proposed in the above publication in a simplified manner. 5A is a diagram showing a mode when the optical image display unit is used, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a mode when the electrical image display unit is used. In FIGS. 5A and 5B, 101 is a subject, 102 is an optical element, 103 is an optical viewfinder, 104 is an electric image display means, 105 is a first mirror, and 106 is a second mirror. . The second mirror 106 is disposed on the optical path from the electrical image display means 104 to the optical viewfinder 103, and is configured to be retractable from the optical path. Here, the optical element 102, the optical finder 103, the electric image means 104, the first mirror 105, and the second mirror 106 constitute a part of the electronic camera 110.

  When the optical image display means is used, as shown in FIG. 5A, the optical image of the subject 101 obtained through the optical element 102 is obtained by the first mirror 105 and the second mirror 106. Guided to expression finder 103. As a result, the photographer can view the image of the subject 101 that has been optically processed.

On the other hand, when switching from the optical image display means to the electrical image display means, the second mirror 106 is placed on the optical path from the electrical image display means 104 to the optical viewfinder 103 as shown in FIG. By further retracting, the display image of the electric image display means 104 is guided to the optical viewfinder 103.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-146235

  By the way, current electronic cameras tend to be miniaturized so that they can be easily carried by users. However, in the conventional example shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the second mirror 106 is used to switch between the optical image from the optical element 102 and the video displayed on the electrical video display means 104. It is composed. For this reason, since it is necessary to arrange the second mirror 106 inside the electronic camera 110, there is a problem that further miniaturization is difficult. The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems in the conventional electronic camera, and can be downsized while switching between the optical image from the optical element and the image displayed on the electric image display means. An object is to provide an electronic camera.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is an image sensor, an optical element that forms an image on the image sensor, and an optical system for confirming an image formed on the image sensor. Displacement into a finder and a position where an electric image can be displayed on the image display surface and the electric image is displayed on the optical finder and a position where light incident from the optical element is guided to the optical finder Possible optical path changing means, moving means for moving the position of the optical path changing means, a display driver for displaying a desired electrical image on the optical path changing means, and the display driver according to the position of the optical path changing means. An electronic camera is constituted by display driver control means for controlling driving.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the first aspect, the optical path changing means is configured such that the reflectance of the video display surface can be varied.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the first aspect, the optical path changing means has a transparent film having a total reflection characteristic in the vicinity where the incident angle of incident light from the optical element is 45 degrees. It is characterized by having.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, an image displayed on the optical finder can be arbitrarily changed into an optical image through an optical element and an electric image without changing the basic structure of a single-lens reflex camera or the like. It is possible to provide an electronic camera that can be reduced in size. According to the second aspect of the present invention, when changing the optical path of the light incident from the optical element, the reflectance is increased so that more subject light is guided to the optical viewfinder and an electrical image is displayed. Can reduce the reflectance so as not to impair the brightness of the displayed image. According to the third aspect of the invention, when an electrical image is displayed, most of the light path of the subject light incident from the optical element is changed while maintaining the brightness of the displayed image. Light can be guided to the optical viewfinder to provide the photographer with a bright optical image.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the invention will be described.

  First, a first embodiment of the electronic camera according to the present invention will be described. FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating an outline of the electronic camera according to the first embodiment. 1A shows a mode when an optical image from an optical element is guided to an optical finder, and FIG. 1B shows a mode when an electrical image displayed on a liquid crystal display is guided to the optical finder. Each embodiment is shown. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, 1 is a subject, 2 is an optical element, 3 is a liquid crystal display as an optical path changing means having an electric image display function, and 4 is an optical viewfinder (hereinafter simply referred to as a viewfinder). ) 5 is an image sensor, 6 is a display driver of the liquid crystal display 3, 7 is a moving means of the liquid crystal display 3, and 8 is a control means for controlling the display driver 6 and the moving means 7. The optical element 2, the liquid crystal display 3, the viewfinder 4, the image sensor 5, the display driver 6, the moving means 7 and the control means 8 constitute a part of the electronic camera 10. Here, the liquid crystal display 3 is configured by attaching a panel capable of switching reflectance, which has been developed in recent years, to the image display surface, and is disposed on the optical path from the optical element 2 to the image pickup element 5, It is configured so that it can be retracted from the optical path. As the control means 8, a CPU is used.

  Next, the operation when the optical image from the optical element 2 is guided to the finder 4 shown in FIG. First, the liquid crystal display 3 is set to a high reflectance by the control means 8 and is used for the purpose of changing the optical path from the optical element 2 to the imaging element 5. Further, the control means 8 causes the display driver 6 to operate so as not to display an image on the liquid crystal display 3, and the moving means 7 directs the optical path toward the viewfinder 4, so that the liquid crystal display 3 is moved from the optical element 2 to the imaging element 5. Place on the light path to. At this time, the optical path of the optical image of the subject 1 obtained via the optical element 2 is guided to the finder 4 by changing the optical path by the reflection function of the liquid crystal display 3. Thus, the photographer can confirm the optical image of the subject 1 from the viewfinder 4.

  Next, the operation in the case of leading an electrical image displayed on the liquid crystal display 3 to the finder 4 shown in FIG. First, the liquid crystal display 3 is set to a low reflectance by the control means 8 and is used for the purpose of displaying an electrical image. Further, the control means 8 causes the display driver 6 to operate so as to display an electrical image such as an output image from the image sensor 5 on the liquid crystal display 3, and the moving means 7 moves the liquid crystal display 3 from the optical element 2. The electrical image displayed on the liquid crystal display 3 is controlled to a position where it can be displayed on the finder 4 by retracting from the optical path to the image sensor 5. At this time, the optical image of the subject 1 obtained through the optical element 2 is formed on the imaging surface of the imaging element 5 and converted into an electrical signal. This electric signal is converted into an electric signal that can be displayed on the liquid crystal display 3 by the display driver 6 and sent to the liquid crystal display 3. The liquid crystal display 3 displays the input electrical signal as an image. This video is guided to the finder 4, and the photographer can check the display video from the finder 4.

  2A and 2B are block configuration diagrams showing a modification of the first embodiment. 2A shows a mode when an optical image is guided to the finder 4, and FIG. 2B shows a mode when an electrical image displayed on the liquid crystal display 3 is guided to the finder 4. Show. 2A and 2B, 11 is a pentaprism disposed between the liquid crystal display 3 and the viewfinder 4, 12 is a shutter disposed so as to be retractable on the incident side of the image sensor 5, and 13 is an image sensor. 5 are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in this modification, by adding the pentaprism 11, the photographer can photograph toward the subject 1. Further, the shutter 12 operates simultaneously with the liquid crystal display 3, and when an optical image is guided to the finder 4, as shown in FIG. 2A, the shutter 12 is disposed in front of the image sensor 6, and the liquid crystal display is displayed on the finder 4. When the electrical image displayed on the device 3 is guided, it is disposed so as to retreat to a position that secures an optical path from the optical element 2 to the image sensor 5 as shown in FIG. The video signal processing circuit 13 is provided between the display driver 6 and the image sensor 5 and performs processing on the video signal converted into an electrical signal. Other operations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

  The switching between the case where the optical image is guided to the finder 4 and the case where the electrical image displayed on the liquid crystal display 3 is guided to the finder 4 can be arbitrarily selected by the photographer, as shown in the first embodiment and the modification thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, it may be configured to automatically switch at the time of shooting. In FIG. 3, when the photographer freely composes the composition, that is, at the time of preparation for photographing, the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A is adopted, and an optical image is displayed on the finder 4. Lead. Next, at the stage of shooting by fully pressing the shutter button, the arrangement shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 2B is adopted, and the electricity displayed on the liquid crystal display 3 on the finder 4 is displayed. Switches to a function that guides the target image. Even when a captured image is displayed after shooting, the function of displaying an electric image displayed on the liquid crystal display 3 on the finder 4 is used, and after the shooting, the photographer arbitrarily adjusts the composition again (preparation for shooting) ) To switch to the function of guiding the optical image to the finder 4.

  Thereby, the number of parts of the camera can be reduced, and further miniaturization of the camera can be realized. In addition, since the basic configuration is equivalent to that of a conventional single-lens reflex camera, application to a single-lens reflex camera is also easy.

  Next, a specific example of the liquid crystal display 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A is a perspective view, and FIG. 4B is a side view. The liquid crystal display 3 includes a video display device 3a and a panel 3b that is attached to the video display surface of the video display device 3a and that can switch the reflectance. Here, when the incident light is guided to the finder 4, the reflectance of the panel 3b is increased. On the other hand, when the electrical image of the video display device 3a is guided to the finder 4, the reflectance of the panel 3b is decreased. Note that the reflectance is changed by the control means 8.

  With this configuration, when an optical image is guided to the finder 4, a lot of light can be guided to the finder 4, so that a bright image can be displayed. On the other hand, when the electrical image of the image display device 3a is guided to the finder 4, incident light is not reflected, so that the brightness of the image can be maintained.

  The liquid crystal display 3 may be configured such that a film made of a transparent material having the characteristic of total reflection at an incident angle of about 45 degrees is attached to the image display surface of the image display device 3a. In this case, when the optical image is guided to the finder 4, the liquid crystal display 3 is driven so that the incident angle is 45 degrees with respect to the optical path, and the electrical image displayed on the image display surface is guided to the finder 4. Is retracted from the optical path and is driven so that its display surface faces the viewfinder 4. As a result, when the liquid crystal display 3 is disposed on the optical path, light is input to the liquid crystal display 3 at an incident angle of about 45 degrees. Therefore, a transparent film that totally reflects near the incident angle is provided. Thus, all of the incident light can be guided to the finder 4 and a bright optical image can be provided to the photographer.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing a first embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention. It is a schematic block block diagram which shows the modification of the electronic camera which concerns on Example 1 shown in FIG. In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and its modification, a mode in which the switching between the case where the optical image is guided to the finder and the case where the electrical image displayed on the liquid crystal display is guided is automatically performed. It is explanatory drawing which shows. It is the perspective view and side view which show the structural example of a liquid crystal display. It is a schematic block block diagram which shows the structural example of the conventional electronic camera.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Subject 2 Optical element 3 Liquid crystal display 3a Image | video display apparatus 3b Panel 4 Optical finder 5 Imaging element 6 Display driver 7 Moving means 8 Control means
10 Electronic camera
11 Penta prism
12 Shutter
13 Video signal processing circuit

Claims (3)

  An image sensor, an optical element that forms an image on the image sensor, an optical finder for confirming an image formed on the image sensor, and an electric image can be displayed on a video display surface; , An optical path changing means displaceable to a position where the electrical image is displayed on the optical finder, and a position where light incident from the optical element is guided to the optical finder, and the position of the optical path changing means is moved. An electronic camera comprising: a moving unit; a display driver that displays a desired electrical image on the optical path changing unit; and a display driver control unit that controls driving of the display driver according to a position of the optical path changing unit.   The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the optical path changing unit is configured so that a reflectance of the image display surface can be varied.   2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the optical path changing unit includes a transparent film having a total reflection characteristic on the surface in the vicinity where an incident angle of incident light from the optical element is 45 degrees.

Images