JP2006064944A - Digital camera finder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problems wherein it is difficult to see a liquid crystal display screen arranged on the rear side of a digital camera under direct sunlight in terms of brightness, and the screen image is too small to see in the case of using as an electronic view finder, and also, the photographer must view the screen off the finder to confirm the photographed image. <P>SOLUTION: For the single lens reflex digital camera, a liquid crystal display device is arranged on the bottom surface of a mirror box so as to be directed toward a finder screen, and in the case of confirming the photographed image, the photographer can view the image while looking through the finder by optionally rotating down the reflection mirror. In the compact digital camera, the liquid crystal display device is arranged in the vicinity of above or below and left or right of the optical finder, and the display screen is guided to the optical finder by using an optical means for converting the optical path for the optical finder, so that the display screen is seen through the eyepiece part of the optical finder. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a single-lens reflex digital camera, and a compact camera type digital camera and a range finder type digital camera finder in which a photographing lens and an optical finder for drawing are separated.
In the following, the space for reversing the mirror behind the interchangeable lens mount in a single-lens reflex digital camera body will be referred to as a mirror box, and the optical system of the shooting lens and the optical viewfinder for drawing will be separated. A digital camera of the compact camera type that does not have a distance measurement function in the finder is referred to as a compact digital camera, and a digital camera having a double image coincidence distance meter interlocking finder is referred to as a range finder type digital camera.

  Conventionally, in a digital camera, a liquid crystal display device having a plurality of functions such as confirmation of a photographed image or display of a device setting menu, and use as an electronic viewfinder to confirm a subject during photographing, is a camera body. It is arranged to be fixed to the back surface of the camera, or arranged on the back surface of the camera body, so that it can be seen using a mechanism fixed at an arbitrary angle.

In a compact digital camera in which the optical system of the shooting lens and the optical viewfinder for drawing are separate, a liquid crystal display device is provided in the viewfinder, and the image captured by the image sensor is displayed on the liquid crystal display device in real time. Some of them are displayed and used as an electronic viewfinder so that they can be seen when looking through the viewfinder.
In this case, in addition to the electronic viewfinder liquid crystal display device provided in the viewfinder that is viewed at the time of shooting, an electronic viewfinder and a liquid crystal display device for checking captured images and displaying setting operation menus are separately provided on the back of the camera. However, it is the liquid crystal display device on the back of the camera body that confirms the captured image.

In compact digital cameras and rangefinder digital cameras, an optical viewfinder is provided, and at the same time, a liquid crystal display device provided on the back of the camera body is provided with a function as an electronic viewfinder. Can be used properly depending on the situation.
However, in this case as well, it is the liquid crystal display device arranged on the back of the camera body that can confirm the captured image.

  In “Camera” (Patent Document 1), there is a single-lens reflex digital camera in which a liquid crystal display is arranged in front of a hollow pentaprism and an image can be confirmed by looking through an optical viewfinder.

  In “Finder” (Patent Document 2), there is a single-lens reflex digital camera in which a liquid crystal display device is arranged on a focusing screen at the bottom of a pentaprism, that is, a finder screen, to display a photographed image and photographing information.

  The “digital camera” (Patent Document 3) is a single-lens reflex camera, which has a method of rotating a mirror as means for changing the direction of an optical path.

In “Camera Device” (Patent Document 4), there is a digital camera with a built-in liquid crystal finder that reduces the size of the device by refracting the optical path.
JP 2000-292831 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-134294 JP 2000-165709 A JP 2003-174573 A

  In a digital camera of the type that arranges a liquid crystal display device on the back of the body, this liquid crystal display image is difficult to check in bright places such as outdoors under direct sunlight due to brightness problems, and as a method to improve its visibility, Measures such as increasing the brightness of the screen have been taken, but with this measure, electricity consumption increases, battery life is shortened, whiteout occurs in the image, and gradation reproducibility also decreases.

  As a means for solving this problem, there is a method of shielding light by surrounding a liquid crystal display device with a hood, and a light shielding hood for this purpose is also commercially available. In addition, there are some which can enlarge the display by adding a convex lens to the shading hood, but in any case it is not possible to attach such a hood around the liquid crystal display device. The volume is significantly increased, and when looking into the viewfinder during shooting, the face and hood interfere with shooting, and the handling of equipment such as mounting during shooting and removal during storage is complicated. This is a major obstacle in handling digital cameras.

Some digital cameras with a liquid crystal display on the back of the camera body have a plastic cover to protect the liquid crystal display surface from scratches caused by impact or friction. Each time the screen is checked, the protective cover must be attached and removed, and the cover may be lost, which complicates handling of the digital camera.
Further, as a method for protecting the liquid crystal surface, a method of attaching a protective seal is also used. Although this method can protect the liquid crystal display surface from scratches due to friction, it is difficult to protect it from an impact on the liquid crystal surface. In this way, the presence of the liquid crystal display installed on the back of the digital camera requires attention for handling such equipment as a professional photographer on a daily basis.

  When a zoom lens is set to the telephoto side in a compact digital camera with a zoom lens that has an optical viewfinder and a liquid crystal display device arranged on the back of the main unit can be used as an electronic viewfinder. If you try to obtain the same angle of view and shooting range as a liquid crystal display electronic viewfinder image obtained through a photographic lens with a type of viewfinder, the structure of the optical viewfinder will be complicated and will increase production costs . Furthermore, in short-distance shooting such as macro shooting, the range that can be seen with the viewfinder differs from the actual shooting range due to parallax. In this way, the field of view and the shooting range of the captured image that can be confirmed with the optical viewfinder and the electronic viewfinder differ depending on the shooting distance, especially when the zoom lens is set to the maximum telephoto or macro shooting. You must check the angle of view and shooting range by looking at the video of the electronic viewfinder. In this way, in the digital camera of the type in which the optical system of the photographing lens having telephoto zoom and the optical finder for drawing is separated, the electronic view finder and the electronic view finder using the liquid crystal display device depending on the focal length of the zoom The two types of confirmation methods with different viewing distances must be used by changing the relative positions of the viewfinder and the eyes, and the operation is complicated.

  In a digital camera having a liquid crystal display device on the back, the screen is used as a menu display screen for confirming captured images and various setting operations of devices. When the photographer checks the captured image, the photographer must be positioned on the back side of the camera body.After pressing the shutter, look away from the optical viewfinder and display the LCD screen on the back of the camera body. The device or eye must be moved to a position where it can be seen, but the viewing distance differs greatly between the image in the optical viewfinder viewed from a distance and the LCD screen on the back of the camera body viewed from a distance. The operation of seeing alternately is very troublesome for elderly people who have reduced eye accommodation.

  In a digital camera with a liquid crystal display on the back, it is difficult to increase the size of the liquid crystal display due to physical restrictions on the back of the camera body. When used as a viewfinder, it is necessary to check the shooting range and focus such as autofocus, check the shot image, and check the menu image for various settings of the device. In particular, when the number of display pixels of the liquid crystal display device is small and the resolution is low, it is difficult to confirm the focus as an electronic viewfinder, and it is difficult to understand the so-called “focus mountain”, and this image must be viewed from the near side. This makes it difficult for elderly photographers who have reduced eye accommodation.

  Some small digital cameras do not have an optical viewfinder, and a liquid crystal display device is built in the viewfinder and used as an electronic viewfinder. In a digital camera using such a built-in liquid crystal display device as an electronic viewfinder, the size of the liquid crystal display device for the electronic viewfinder cannot be increased due to the downsizing of the device. The number of pixels is smaller than the restriction, and it is difficult to confirm the focus by relying on the image.

  In a digital camera with a liquid crystal display on the back, the photographer looks away from the optical viewfinder once and confirms the captured image, and puts the device or eyes to a position where the liquid crystal display image on the back of the camera body can be seen. Must move. If you want to continue shooting, you must check the captured image on the liquid crystal display device and then look into the optical viewfinder again for shooting. It is very cumbersome to introduce a moving subject again at high speed, and it takes time to introduce the moving subject into the viewfinder again. Although it is desirable to be able to check the captured image in an instant without looking away from the optical viewfinder and without changing the viewing distance, a liquid crystal display device for checking the captured image is arranged on the back of the camera body. It is not possible if it is done.

  In a digital camera, various camera settings can be changed using the buttons on the back of the camera body or the command dial on the top of the camera body. This setting operation is displayed on the LCD on the back of the body. Must be done while visually recognizing the menu and equipment buttons. This is because it is desirable to be able to change this setting in a short time while looking through the optical viewfinder without changing the eye position and viewing distance in order not to miss a photo opportunity. In the format in which various settings are made on the back side, it is necessary to change the position of the eye and the viewing distance each time and set it again. An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a single-lens reflex digital camera including a mirror box, wherein the reflection mirror in the mirror box reflects the transmitted light to the viewfinder side from the viewfinder screen. A mechanism for rotating the front surface and the front surface of the image sensor, and a mechanism for moving a liquid crystal display device provided for displaying an image by a photographing lens and a menu of various setting operations in and out of the camera body, A liquid crystal display device is arranged on the bottom surface of the mirror box, and a lens optical system for focusing an image of the liquid crystal display device on the finder screen is provided in the mirror box, and the finder is in a state where the reflection mirror is rotated to the front surface of the image sensor. It is possible to see the image of the liquid crystal display device placed on the bottom of the mirror box from the eyepiece. Is a single-lens reflex type digital camera according to claim Rukoto.

  The invention described in claim 2 is a single-lens reflex digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display device can be pulled out to the back of the camera and fixed at an arbitrary angle.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compact camera type digital camera and a range finder type digital camera in which an optical system of a photographing lens and an optical finder for drawing is separated, and an optical path of the optical finder. An optical system including an optical path changing movable mirror, a camera body having a liquid crystal display device for displaying images and various setting menus provided on the outside by a photographing lens, and a mechanism for moving the display surface. The display surface of the device is arranged facing the inside of the camera body, the liquid crystal display image is optically changed by an optical system including an optical path changing movable mirror, and arbitrarily introduced into an optical viewfinder, and the liquid crystal display type and optical by the liquid crystal display device Compact digital camera and range phi, characterized by a viewable viewfinder It is a Zehnder type digital camera.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the liquid crystal display device is supported by a rotating arm, and the display surface can be rotated and reversed from the state facing the inner side of the camera body and directed to the outside of the camera on the rear side of the camera. 4. The compact digital camera and the range finder type digital camera according to claim 3, wherein the structure is a structure.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the liquid crystal display device for confirming the photographed image is arranged on the bottom surface of the mirror box, the photographed image is focused on the finder screen using optical means, and the photographer confirms the photographed image. At the time of setting or various setting operations, the liquid crystal display image can be viewed while looking through the viewfinder from the eyepiece by rotating and pressing down the reflection mirror arbitrarily. This is a single-lens reflex digital camera with a structure that can be pulled out from the bottom of the space for reversing the mirror and fixed at an arbitrary angle on the back of the camera.

  In addition, the present invention provides an optical display from a liquid crystal display device for use in confirmation of a photographed image and electronic viewfinder or various setting menus arranged outside the camera body with the display surface facing the inside of the body and in the vicinity of the optical viewfinder. By using optical means such as a mirror or lens that changes the optical path with respect to the viewfinder, the liquid crystal display image can be arbitrarily guided into the optical viewfinder, and the image of the liquid crystal display device can be viewed from the viewfinder eyepiece In addition, a compact digital camera and a rangefinder digital camera having a structure in which the liquid crystal display device can be pulled out to the back of the camera and fixed at an arbitrary angle.

  In the single-lens reflex digital camera of the present invention, the liquid crystal display device is stored inside the camera body, so that the user can carry the camera without worrying about damage to the liquid crystal display surface due to impact and abrasion due to friction. I can do it.

  Further, in the single-lens reflex digital camera of the present invention, the photographer pushes down the reflecting mirror by an arbitrary operation such as a push button while looking through the optical viewfinder, so that the liquid crystal display device arranged at the bottom of the mirror box Now you can see the screen, and you can quickly check the captured images without the trouble of having to change the relative position of the camera and eyes for images with different viewing distances as before. become able to do.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, by arranging the liquid crystal display device at a position in the mirror box behind the interchangeable lens mount that is not directly exposed to ambient light, the brightness of the liquid crystal screen can be reduced regardless of the brightness of the shooting environment. The captured image can be confirmed without raising it more than necessary. As a result, the power consumption of the digital camera can be reduced, and the reproducibility of the image on the liquid crystal screen and the gradation reproducibility thereof are also improved.

  In the present invention, with a single-lens reflex digital camera, the liquid crystal display device can be arbitrarily pulled out from the bottom of the mirror box and viewed at an arbitrary angle when confirming a photographed image. It can be used in the same way as a liquid crystal display device. With this mechanism, the photographer can not only view the liquid crystal display screen at an arbitrary position behind the camera, but also fix the liquid crystal display screen at a position where the liquid crystal display screen can be viewed from the front of the camera. You can see more taken images. This is useful when confirming a photographed image from the front of the camera, such as photographing in a narrow space where a human cannot go around the camera or self-portrait photographing by remote control.

  In the present invention, the bottom surface of the mirror box behind the interchangeable lens mount of the single-lens reflex camera has an area that is substantially equal to or larger than that of the reflecting mirror, and a sensor for controlling exposure is provided on the bottom surface of the mirror box. Although it may be arranged, arranging the liquid crystal display device at a position where it does not interfere with it does not lead to an increase in the size of the camera body, but rather a shutter mechanism and an image sensor behind the mirror box as in the past, Then, the liquid crystal display device is stored on the bottom surface of the mirror box space by arranging these components in a straight line in the axial direction of the interchangeable lens, such as an outward facing liquid crystal display device. The front and rear thickness can be reduced.

  The bottom of the mirror box of a single-lens reflex camera has a width and depth that is at least equal to or greater than that of the reflecting mirror because of the need for a space to flip up the reflecting mirror. The liquid crystal display device has expandability that allows it to be stored in the mirror box space up to an area with the same or larger area and aspect ratio as the reflective mirror, and a liquid crystal with high-density pixels in such an area. By mounting a display device and enlarging the display image through an optical viewfinder, a high-definition display image with a large appearance can be obtained. This is because, in the method of disposing a liquid crystal display in front of the hollow pentaprism disclosed in Patent Document 1, an external liquid crystal display device as in the present invention is provided at the front of the hollow pentaprism of the camera in terms of design and function. A common large liquid crystal display cannot be built in. Therefore, the present invention in which the image of the same liquid crystal display device that is arranged toward the outside of the body is displayed in the viewfinder is superior in the fine reproducibility and visibility of the image as compared with the method described in Patent Document 1. . Further, when the liquid crystal display device is fixed only in the pentaprism by the method according to Patent Document 1, the liquid crystal display image cannot be viewed unless looking through the viewfinder, and the liquid crystal display device can be arbitrarily set as in the present invention. The degree of freedom of the image confirmation method that can be confirmed by pulling out cannot be obtained.

  Also, the screen of the liquid crystal display device arranged on the bottom of the mirror box is projected onto the viewfinder screen by optical means, so the apparent size of the image is the liquid crystal display screen fixedly provided on the back of the camera body It is bigger than looking from a distance. That is, rather than enlarging the liquid crystal display device fixed on the back of the camera body, it is better to place a small, high-definition liquid crystal display device on the bottom of the mirror box space and to enlarge it through the optical viewfinder. Since an image with a larger apparent size that can be easily confirmed is obtained, the liquid crystal display device is smaller than a liquid crystal display device fixed to the back of the camera body on the premise that the image is viewed at a distance. Get better.

  For single-lens reflex cameras, there is a technology that overlays a liquid crystal display device on the viewfinder screen and displays information necessary for shooting, such as the focus area and photometric range, and attempts are made to display captured images on this liquid crystal display device. It has been broken. As disclosed in Patent Document 2, in a single-lens reflex digital camera, a reflection mirror in a mirror box is a half mirror, and a captured image obtained on an image pickup device in a state where the reflection mirror is flipped up is displayed on a liquid crystal display device on a finder screen. A method of outputting and displaying a backlight and diffusing the light with a diffusion plate is also being studied.

  However, since this method uses a half mirror, the light incident through the interchangeable lens cannot be projected onto the viewfinder screen without being dimmed, and the photographer always uses the liquid crystal display plate on the viewfinder screen. If the liquid crystal display is not displayed, the photographed image will be dark when the dimmed transmitted light is seen, and the photographed image with reduced resolution constrained by the pixel grid of the liquid crystal display panel must be viewed through the viewfinder. Don't be. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, the liquid crystal is displayed in accordance with the amount of light of the photographed image. However, in consideration of the above conditions, the liquid crystal image is almost always displayed except for photographing in a very bright environment. This is equivalent to using a liquid crystal display device as an electronic viewfinder. In the present invention, the reflection mirror of a single-lens reflex digital camera is a total reflection mirror, and a finder image at the time of photographing can be viewed by an optical means without being greatly dimmed. This is advantageous in that it is used only when confirming a photographed image by pushing and rotating the reflecting mirror and during device setting operations, so that the visibility and resolution of the finder screen image during photographing are not reduced.

  As a method for rotating the reflection mirror of a single-lens reflex camera to change the optical path, a method as shown in Patent Document 3 has been devised. However, the technical purpose of Patent Document 3 is to convert a captured image that has entered through the interchangeable lens into a finder screen on the upper surface of the space for inverting the mirror behind the interchangeable lens mount, Pass the shutter behind the space for reversing the mirror and the film direction, and place a CCD image sensor on the bottom of the mirror box space for reversing the mirror behind the interchangeable lens mount, and route the optical path toward the image sensor This is a change, and is different from the technical purpose and mechanism of the present invention, and the same effect as the present invention cannot be obtained.

In recent years, single-lens reflex digital cameras can select one focus area from a plurality of arbitrary positions on the captured image. However, the position of this focus area is the image when confirming the playback of the captured image. Not displayed above.
In the present invention, when projecting a photographed image on the finder screen, if this focus area is stored as data at the time of photographing, the position of the focus area is simultaneously read and superimposed as a video when confirming reproduction of the photographed image. It can be reproduced.

  According to the present invention, even in a compact digital camera and a range finder type digital camera, the liquid crystal display device can be stored in the vicinity of the optical viewfinder of the camera body with the liquid crystal surface inside, and damage due to the impact and scratches due to friction can be prevented. You can carry it without worrying.

  Further, according to the present invention, in a compact digital camera and a range finder type digital camera, an optical means can be added to the optical finder to arbitrarily move the optical display in order to guide the liquid crystal display image to the optical finder. While looking through the optical viewfinder, the user can automatically capture two types of captured images, the subject viewed through the optical viewfinder or the subject image displayed on the liquid crystal display as an electronic viewfinder, depending on the focal length of the zoom lens, or It can be selectively switched by an arbitrary operation such as a push button.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the compact digital camera and the range finder type digital camera, the photographer can check the photographed image while looking through the optical viewfinder, and can perform various setting operations. . This eliminates the hassle of checking images with different viewing distances by changing the relative position of the camera and the eyes, allowing you to quickly check captured images and change device settings. become able to do.

  Further, in the compact digital camera and the range finder type digital camera as in the present invention, the liquid crystal display is arranged at a position where the outside light in the optical finder does not directly hit and can be seen. Regardless of the brightness of external light, the captured image can be confirmed without increasing the brightness of the display more than necessary. This makes it possible to save power in a compact camera type digital camera in which the optical system of a photographic lens and an optical viewfinder for drawing, which are becoming smaller, are separated. The reproducibility and the gradation reproducibility are also good.

  According to the present invention, the volume of the optical viewfinder is increased by adding optical means such as a mirror and a lens to view the image of the liquid crystal display device in the compact digital camera and the rangefinder type digital camera optical viewfinder. This is because, compared to the case where a light-shielding hood is attached to the rear LCD display later as in the current digital camera, the overall volume can be made compact, and the face and the light-shielding hood interfere when shooting. There is nothing to do. Furthermore, the photographer does not need to carry a light shielding hood separately.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a compact digital camera and a range finder type digital camera, such as a digital camera equipped with a viewfinder built-in type liquid crystal display device and a back surface liquid crystal display device, It is not necessary to equip two liquid crystal display devices, a liquid crystal display device with a built-in finder and a liquid crystal display device arranged on the back of the camera. When only one liquid crystal display device is arranged in the vicinity of the finder, it can be used as an electronic view finder. Further, by arbitrarily pulling out the liquid crystal display device and arranging it on the back surface, it can be used in the same manner as a conventional back surface liquid crystal display device. Also, the resolution of the two images that can be seen at that time is the same, and even when viewed through the optical viewfinder, an image with a high resolution and a large appearance can be obtained. By reducing the number of parts in this way, it is possible to reduce the production cost of the digital camera.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, in the compact digital camera and the range finder type digital camera, the liquid crystal display device can be fixed at a position where it can be seen from the front of the camera, so that the photographer can see the photographed image from the front of the camera. This is also a convenient function in applications such as shooting in a narrow space where humans cannot get behind the camera, and self-portrait shooting by remote control.

  When a liquid crystal display device is used as an electronic viewfinder, there is a method as shown in Patent Document 4 as a strategy for miniaturization. However, this method uses a liquid crystal display device as an electronic viewfinder and aims to reduce the size of the device by refracting the optical path when the display image is obtained through the viewfinder. Thus, it is not intended to introduce a liquid crystal display image arbitrarily in the optical viewfinder, and the liquid crystal display image externally attached to the body and the liquid crystal display image viewed through the optical viewfinder are made into one common thing, The liquid crystal display screen is not intended to obtain a high-resolution, apparently taken image by introducing it into an optical viewfinder. Further, Patent Document 4 is intended to reduce the size of the device by optical path refraction, and is not intended to protect and reduce the size of the liquid crystal screen by the storage method of the liquid crystal display device as in the present invention.

One embodiment of the first invention described in claims 1 and 2 is shown in FIG.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a single-lens reflex digital camera. During normal shooting, light emitted from a subject enters through an interchangeable lens 1 and the optical path is changed by 90 degrees by a reflecting mirror 5 fixed at position a. Then, the process proceeds from the viewfinder screen 2 to the viewfinder eyepiece 4 via the pentaprism 3. When the shutter button is pressed, the reflecting mirror 5 rotates to the position b, and the photographed image passes through the shutter mechanism 6 and reaches the image sensor 7 and an image is photographed.
The reflecting mirror 5 can be rotated and pushed down from the position a to the position c by an arbitrary button operation.

By arranging the liquid crystal display device 9 at the bottom of the mirror box and the mirror mirror rotating mechanism, the light of the image of the liquid crystal display device 9 arranged at the bottom of the mirror box is placed directly above the lens optical system. 8 is projected onto the finder screen 2 without being disturbed by the reflecting mirror 5 which is converged by 8 and rotated down to the position of c and guided to the finder eyepiece 4 through the pentaprism 3.
The photographer confirms the liquid crystal display image by rotating and depressing the 5 reflecting mirror to the position of c in the vertical direction by arbitrarily pressing the button when confirming the captured image or operating various settings of the camera using the liquid crystal display device. I can do it.

The image output control of the liquid crystal display device differs depending on whether the liquid crystal is stored in the body or pulled out from the body, and when the liquid crystal display device is stored in the body, light is emitted toward the mirror box. Only when the reflecting mirror 5 is in the position of c that is pushed down and rotated, no light is emitted when the reflecting mirror is in the position of a or b.
By performing this control, the light emission of the liquid crystal display device is prevented from confirming the captured image and affecting the captured image.

  As an embodiment of the second aspect, FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view when the liquid crystal display device is pulled out from the bottom of the mirror box in the body and fixed to the back of the camera body. The liquid crystal display device 9 is fixed to a housing 10 of the liquid crystal display device, and the housing 10 of the liquid crystal display device is connected to a guide rail mechanism 11 for pulling out the liquid crystal display device on one axis. The guide rail mechanism 11 has a shape sandwiching the casing 10 of the liquid crystal display device. When the guide rail mechanism is pulled out, the liquid crystal display device is pulled out together with the casing.

  Further, the housing 10 of the liquid crystal display device has a structure that can form an arbitrary angle with respect to the guide rail mechanism 11 for pulling it out, with the tip axis as a center. As a result, the casing 10 of the liquid crystal display device can be raised upright and placed on the back side of the camera body, and the liquid crystal display device is fixed at a position where it can be seen from the front side of the body as shown in the sectional view of FIG. I can do it. In this case, a vertically inverted image is displayed so that the liquid crystal display image is an erect image when viewed from the front.

  More specifically, the procedure for pulling out the liquid crystal display device to the back of the body is shown in FIGS. FIG. 4 is an external view of a single-lens reflex digital camera using the present invention viewed obliquely from the rear. As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal display device 9 is stored in a form sandwiched between the guide rail mechanism 11 together with the casing 10. When this is pulled out, as shown in FIG. 5, first, the guide rail mechanism 11 and the liquid crystal display device are pulled out together with the housing 10 in a straight rearward direction in the d direction. Next, the housing 10 of the liquid crystal display device is rotated in the e direction about the tip of the guide rail as an axis, and the display surface of the liquid crystal display device 9 is raised to stand upright. Finally, as shown in FIG. 6, the guide rail mechanism 11 is pushed back in the direction f, and the liquid crystal display device is fixed so as to be attached to the back of the camera body.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the liquid crystal display device is pulled out of the body from the bottom of the mirror box, the space where the liquid crystal display device is stored on the bottom of the mirror box becomes an empty space, and stray light from outside enters the mirror box. There is also the possibility of getting in. In order to prevent this, a light shielding curtain 12 is provided at the bottom of the mirror box, and when the liquid crystal display device is pulled out of the body, the light shielding curtain 12 is pulled out at the bottom of the mirror box.

  One embodiment of the second invention described in claims 3 and 4 is shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the vicinity of the viewfinder of the compact digital camera. When the optical path changing mirror 25 at the time of normal photographing is at the position a, the light emitted from the subject enters the objective lens 21 of the optical finder and is guided to the eye through the eyepiece 24 of the optical finder. The optical path changing mirror 25 fixed at the position a rotates around its end, and is usually at the position a. It operates to rotate and tilt in the optical viewfinder by operating any button and is fixed at the position b. Thus, the optical path is changed.

  The housing 30 of the liquid crystal display device has a structure that rotates around a rotation fixed shaft 31 of the housing. In the example of FIG. 7, the liquid crystal display device 29 fixed to the housing 30 of the liquid crystal display device is optical. It is arranged above the viewfinder with the display surface facing down. The photographer can view through the viewfinder eyepiece 24 via the lens optical system 28 that rotates the optical path switching mirror to the position b by an arbitrary button operation and converges the light emitted from the screen of the liquid crystal display device 29. I can do it. Thus, the photographer can selectively confirm the image by direct light entering from the optical viewfinder and the image obtained by the photographing lens optical system and obtained through the liquid crystal display device.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the housing 30 of the liquid crystal display device has a structure that rotates around the rotation fixed shaft 31 of the housing, and rotates it in the direction of g so that the liquid crystal display device 29 is in an upright position. When fixed, the photographer can see the LCD screen from the front of the camera.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the liquid crystal display device 30 is fixed to the rear surface of the conventional body by rotating the housing 30 of the liquid crystal display device in the h direction and bringing it to a position that stands upright on the rear surface of the camera body. You can use it in the same way as you do. In this case, the display image of the liquid crystal display device is vertically inverted from the display image at the position of the liquid crystal display device shown in FIG.

  When the liquid crystal display device is not above the viewfinder but at the position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the optical path changing mirror 25 is fixed at the position a. In other words, unless the lid-shaped liquid crystal display device is fixed to the top of the viewfinder, there is no point in moving the optical path switching mirror, and outside light enters the optical viewfinder from other than the objective lens 21. Thus, the lens optical system 28 for viewing the liquid crystal image is covered from the inside so that the viewfinder image is not difficult to see. This control prevents direct sunlight from above from being mistakenly viewed through the viewfinder.

  In more detail, an embodiment as claimed in claim 4 is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 are external views of the compact digital camera using the second invention as viewed obliquely from the rear, and FIG. 10 is an external view when the liquid crystal display device is stored facing the optical viewfinder. At this time, the liquid crystal display device is not exposed anywhere in the body of the compact digital camera. FIG. 11 shows an external appearance when the liquid crystal display device is rotated 270 degrees around the rotation fixing shaft 31 of the housing from the upper position of the original optical viewfinder and fixed to the back of the camera body.

"Effect of embodiment"
According to the above embodiment, all the problems to be solved by the present invention can be solved.

"Other embodiments"
In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 12, the display surface of the liquid crystal display device is arranged on the inner side of the camera body as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. There is a method of guiding the display image into the optical viewfinder. The light emitted from the liquid crystal display device 29 reaches the light path changing mirror 25 through the lens optical system 28 whose optical path is rotated by 90 degrees by the reflecting mirror 32 and further converges the light. The light rotated 90 degrees again by the optical path changing mirror 25 is guided to the eye through the eyepiece unit 24 of the optical viewfinder.

  In FIG. 12, the casing 30 of the liquid crystal display device is rotated 180 degrees by the rotation shaft 31 so that the display surface of the liquid crystal display device 29 can be directed to the outside of the body. FIG. 13 shows an example of the reversing mechanism of the liquid crystal display device in this embodiment. The casing 30 of the liquid crystal display device is first developed in the i direction by the indirect mechanism of the rotating shaft 31, and then this is rotated 180 degrees in the j direction. By rotating, the liquid crystal display surface can be reversed upside down. Further, the reversing mechanism itself of such a liquid crystal display device is generally used in the liquid crystal display device of a digital camera.

  However, the present invention is not an invention of such a reversal mechanism, the liquid crystal display device is arranged on the inside of the body, and the display image is used using engineering means such as a mirror and a lens for changing the optical path, The present invention provides a means for guiding the light into the optical viewfinder so that it can be seen, and the present invention is highly useful also in a compact digital camera having the reversing mechanism of the liquid crystal display device as in this embodiment.

  The present invention relates to a viewfinder of a digital camera and an apparatus for viewing a display image of a liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a single-lens reflex digital camera according to claim 1 and 2 when a liquid crystal display device is stored in an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a single-lens reflex digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention when the liquid crystal display device is pulled out to the back of the camera body. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the single-lens reflex digital camera according to claim 1 and 2 when the liquid crystal display device is pulled out from the camera body and the liquid crystal screen is fixed at a position where it can be seen from the front. FIG. 4 is an external view of a single-lens reflex digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from the rear in an embodiment of the single-lens reflex digital camera according to claim 1. In one embodiment of the single-lens reflex digital camera according to claims 1 and 2, an external view of the camera as viewed obliquely from the back is an explanation of a method for developing a liquid crystal display device. In one embodiment of the single-lens reflex digital camera according to claims 1 and 2, an external view of the camera viewed obliquely from the rear, and a method for arranging the liquid crystal display device on the back of the camera body are described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a compact digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention when the liquid crystal display device is stored in an embodiment. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the compact digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention when the liquid crystal display device is rotated upright and fixed at a position visible from the front. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the compact digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention when the liquid crystal display device is rotated and fixed to the back of the camera body. FIG. It is the external view which looked at the camera from diagonally backward in one Embodiment with the compact digital camera of Claim 3 and 4. FIG. 5 is an external view of the compact digital camera according to claim 3 and 4 as viewed from obliquely rearward when the liquid crystal display device is rotated and fixed to the back of the body. It is sectional drawing at the time of storing a liquid crystal display device in other embodiment in the compact digital camera of Claim 3 and 4. In another embodiment of the compact digital camera according to claims 3 and 4, an external view of the camera as viewed obliquely from the rear, illustrates a method of rotating the liquid crystal display device toward the outside of the body.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Interchangeable lens 2 Finder screen 3 Penta prism 4 Finder eyepiece 5 Reflection mirror 6 Shutter mechanism 7 Image sensor 8 Lens optical system 9 Liquid crystal display device 10 Case of liquid crystal display device 11 Guide rail mechanism a Photographing incident from an interchangeable lens Reflection mirror position when viewing an image with an optical viewfinder b Reflection mirror position when a shutter is pressed c Reflection mirror position when viewing a liquid crystal display image at the bottom of a mirror box with an optical viewfinder 12 Light-shielding curtain d Direction to pull out the liquid crystal display device e Direction in which the liquid crystal display device is rotated upright f Direction in which the liquid crystal display device is pressed against the back of the body 21 Objective lens 24 of the optical finder 24 Eyepiece 25 of the optical finder 25 Optical path changing mirror 28 Lens optical system 29 Liquid crystal display device 30 Case of the liquid crystal display device 31 Rotation fixed shaft 32 of liquid crystal display device housing Projection mirror a Position b of the optical path switching mirror when the photographed image received from the objective lens of the optical viewfinder is viewed from the viewfinder eyepiece. Position g of the optical path switching mirror when the liquid crystal display image is viewed from the viewfinder eyepiece. The direction in which the liquid crystal display device is rotated and brought to the back of the body i The direction in which the liquid crystal display device is deployed j The direction in which the liquid crystal display device is rotated and the front and back are reversed

Claims (4)

  In a single-lens reflex digital camera equipped with a mirror box, the reflecting mirror in the mirror box has a mechanism for rotating the reflected light from the position reflecting the transmitted light toward the viewfinder to the front of the viewfinder screen and the front of the image sensor, and a photographing lens The liquid crystal display device provided for displaying images and menus for various setting operations is moved inside and outside the camera body, and the liquid crystal display device is disposed on the bottom surface of the mirror box. An image of the liquid crystal display device provided in the mirror box with a lens optical system for focusing the image on the finder screen provided on the bottom of the mirror box from the viewfinder eyepiece in a state where the reflection mirror is rotated to the front surface of the image sensor Single-lens reflex digital camera characterized by being able to see   2. The single-lens reflex digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display device has a structure capable of being pulled out to the back of the camera and fixed at an arbitrary angle.   In a compact camera type digital camera and a range finder type digital camera, in which the photographing lens and the optical finder for drawing are separated, an optical system including an optical path changing movable mirror in the optical path of the optical finder is provided. A liquid crystal display device that displays an image by a photographic lens provided on the outside of the camera body and various setting menus, and has a mechanism for moving the display surface, with the display surface of the liquid crystal display device facing the camera body inside The liquid crystal display image is changed into an optical path by an optical system including an optical path changing movable mirror, and arbitrarily introduced into an optical viewfinder, and a liquid crystal display type and an optical type viewfinder that can be switched by a liquid crystal display device. Features compact digital camera and rangefinder digital camera.   The liquid crystal display device is supported by a rotating arm, and has a structure in which the display surface can be rotated and reversed from the state facing the inside of the camera body and directed to the outside of the camera on the back of the camera. 3. The compact digital camera and range finder type digital camera described in 3.

Images