JP2006091091A - Portable information apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable information apparatus in which innovative usability which had not been realized by conventional technologies is achieved by integrating apparatuses of different functions. <P>SOLUTION: The portable information apparatus includes a projector section for emitting a projection pattern transmitted through a projection lens 101; an imaging means having a photographic lens for photographing a subject; an instructing means for instructing the imaging means to photograph an image to be recorded on a recording medium; and a control means for exerting control such that the specific projection pattern transmitted through the projection lens according to the instruction given by the instructing means is emitted to the subject. In other words, when a shutter button is fully depressed, illuminating light from the projector section is emitted to the subject through the projection lens. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable information device such as a mobile phone incorporating a small projector and an imaging unit.

  Conventionally, various projector apparatuses that project image data formed on an LCD panel or the like onto a screen through a projection lens are known. Conventional projectors are large and expensive, and have been mainly used for business purposes. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for viewing on a large screen even in ordinary households, and accordingly, the shape has been considerably reduced in recent years, and the price has been reduced to a level that can be purchased personally. Conventionally, a high-brightness xenon lamp or the like has been used as the light source. However, this is not only expensive, but also requires a certain procedure for on / off timing and the like, and a fan for heat dissipation is also essential.

  On the other hand, in recent years, high-brightness LEDs have been developed, and low-cost, low-heat generation, and blue light-emitting LEDs have also been put to practical use, so that projectors using LEDs as light sources are rapidly developed for consumer use. Is underway. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-234154 discloses a reflective SLM integrated photoelectric package using one or more LEDs as a light source.

 On the other hand, in recent years, the spread of mobile phones has been remarkable, and various functions such as mail and the Internet have been added one after another in addition to normal conversation. Furthermore, in recent years, mobile phones with a photographing function equipped with an image pickup device with more than 2 million pixels have also appeared, and their multi-functionality is progressing.

 Various inventions in which the projector and the portable device described above are combined have been conventionally performed. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-65879 discloses a projection display function-integrated camera in which the projection display means shares the lens system of the imaging means by using a half mirror or a rotating total reflection mirror. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-137039 discloses an electronic camera with a projector function. In this electronic camera, an image is projected onto a screen through a photographing lens by selectively attaching an eyepiece and a light. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-58814 discloses a cellular phone provided with an image projection unit at a required position of the phone body. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-21992 discloses a mobile phone in which a display, a projector, and a control unit are housed in a casing. Here, the light source unit is composed of, for example, a white light emitting organic EL. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-171428 discloses a digital camera that moves a CCD or an optical system in accordance with selection of a projection mode.

 Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-199060 (US 2002-63855A) discloses a portable computing device having a circuit for transmitting an output displayed on a display screen integrated with the device to a video projector. Japanese Translation of PCT International Publication No. 2002-516044 (WO98 / 19435) discloses a portable communication device having a micro device play system using a small high-resolution active matrix liquid crystal display with an illumination system and a magnifying optical system. . Here, an embodiment using a backlight light source using a plurality of LEDs and a rear projection screen that allows several people to observe a display image at a time is disclosed. US Pat. No. 6,489,934 discloses a portable wireless device including a projector for projecting the entire original page sent to an external screen separately from displaying on an incorporated display.

The above-described invention realizes a new usability by incorporating a miniaturized projector into a portable device such as a cellular phone. However, in addition to these new functions disclosed in the prior art, many new functions can be realized in consideration of the multi-functionality of individual devices. Devices having different functions in the present invention It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable information device that realizes a new usability that has not been realized by the conventional technology.

 In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention of claim 1 calculates a distance to a subject, a projector unit that irradiates a projection pattern that has passed through a projection lens, an imaging unit that shoots a subject, and a subject. Computing means for instructing the imaging means to take an image for recording on a recording medium, and a predetermined projection pattern transmitted through the projection lens in response to an instruction from the instruction means. And a control means for controlling to irradiate the subject. That is, when the shutter button is fully pressed to record on a recording medium such as a memory card, the illumination light from the projector unit is irradiated to the subject through the projection lens, so it is necessary to prepare a separate strobe for shooting. Absent.

 The invention of claim 2 is further characterized by comprising setting means for setting the image pickup means to repeatedly take an image in accordance with an instruction from the instruction means. That is, the illumination light is repeatedly emitted from the projector unit to the subject even during continuous shooting. The invention of claim 3 further includes a calculation means for calculating a distance to the subject, and the calculation means applies to the subject irradiated with the predetermined projection pattern according to a setting result of the setting means. And repeatedly calculating the distance. That is, at the time of continuous shooting, the subject irradiated with the illumination light is continuously shot. It is possible to repeatedly calculate the distance with respect to the subject illuminated for shooting.

 The invention of claim 4 further comprises a discriminating unit for discriminating the subject brightness, and when the discriminating unit discriminates that the brightness of the subject is not more than a predetermined value, the control unit displays the predetermined projection pattern. It is characterized by controlling to irradiate the subject. That is, illumination light is emitted when it is determined that the subject is dark. The invention of claim 5 further includes setting means for setting a shooting mode for shooting a subject, and the control means responds to an instruction from the instruction means when the setting means sets the shooting mode. And controlling to irradiate the subject with the predetermined projection pattern. The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the control means detects that the photographing means has finished photographing the subject and controls to stop the irradiation of the predetermined projection pattern.

 The invention of claim 7 further includes illumination means for irradiating the projection pattern, and the illumination means emits light of white light, red light, green light, blue light, and yellow light. Among these, it is characterized by comprising at least one kind of light source. The invention of claim 8 further includes setting means for setting an illumination color of the illumination means, and selection means for selecting a light source of a predetermined emission color from the light sources according to a setting result of the setting means. This makes it possible to select a desired illumination color. The invention of claim 9 further comprises setting means for setting the illumination color of the illumination means, and determination means for determining the emission intensity of the light source of the predetermined emission color selected by the selection means. Yes. That is, by determining the light emission intensity of each light source, the intensity of the irradiation light can be determined. Thereby, the hue of irradiation light can be changed. The invention of claim 10 is characterized in that the light source is a light emitting diode.

 The eleventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that the predetermined projection pattern is a pattern that maximizes the amount of light applied to the subject. The invention of claim 12 further comprises setting means for setting an illumination area illuminated by the lighting means, and the control means forms the predetermined projection pattern in accordance with the setting of the setting means. Yes. Thereby, it is possible to illuminate only a part of the area in the shooting screen.

 According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the predetermined projection pattern is a pattern in which the amount of irradiation light changes stepwise at the boundary between the illumination area set by the setting means and another area. The invention according to claim 14 is characterized in that the predetermined projection pattern is a pattern in which the amount of light applied to the illumination area set by the setting means is greater than the amount of light applied to other areas. .

 The invention of claim 15 further includes an AF means for calculating a distance to a subject and driving the photographing lens, and a setting means for setting the projection lens to have a focal length according to a calculation result of the AF means. It is characterized by having prepared. Thus, the focal length of the projection lens can be changed according to the distance to the subject, so that the subject can be irradiated with the optimum illumination light.

 The invention of claim 16 is characterized in that the projection lens is also used as the photographing lens.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a mobile phone with a projector function will be described as an example of a portable information device. The mobile phone of this embodiment is not only a normal mobile phone function unit that simply communicates with the other party or sends / receives e-mails, but also a digital camera unit that captures an object, and an image or data information that is projected on a screen. And a small projector unit. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the outline of the digital camera unit and the projector unit among these blocks.

 First, the block regarding the function of the digital camera incorporated in the mobile phone main body 100 will be described. The taking lens 101 includes a zoom lens for continuously changing the focal length and a focus lens for adjusting the focus. These lenses are driven by a lens driver 102. Here, the lens driver 102 includes a zoom driving mechanism and driving circuit for the zoom lens, and a focus driving mechanism and driving circuit for the focus lens, which are controlled by the CPU 120. The photographing lens 101 forms a subject image on the imaging surface of the image sensor 103. The image sensor 103 is a photoelectric conversion image sensor that outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the light intensity of the subject image formed on the image pickup surface, and a CCD type or MOS type solid state image sensor is used. The image sensor 103 is driven by a driver 104 that controls the timing of signal extraction.

 An imaging signal from the solid-state imaging device 103 is input to the signal processing circuit 105. Here, analog processing such as correlated double sampling processing (CDS) is performed and further converted into a digital signal. The image signal converted into the digital signal is also subjected to various image processing such as contour enhancement, gamma correction, and white balance correction by the signal processing circuit 105. The buffer memory 106 is a frame memory that can store data for a plurality of frames captured by the image sensor 103. The signal converted into digital data by the signal processing circuit 105 is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 106. The data written in the buffer memory 106 is read again into the signal processing circuit 105 and subjected to the various image processing described above, and the processed data is stored in the buffer memory 106 again.

  The processed image data recorded again in the buffer memory 106 is recorded as necessary in a small external storage device 107 such as a removable memory card. Conversely, the image data stored in the external storage device 107 can be read out and projected onto the screen 111 by a projector described later.

 The CPU 120 performs sequence control when the digital camera unit and the projector unit operate. Of course, it is also possible to control a cellular phone function unit (not shown). The AF calculation unit 1201 of the CPU 120 performs AF calculation based on the image signal from the image sensor 103 and drives the photographing lens by the lens driver 102 based on the calculation result. This calculation result is also stored in the storage unit 1202. Here, the AF method includes a known method such as a contrast method or a phase difference method. In this embodiment, the contrast method is used.

 Next, a block relating to the projector unit will be described. Illumination light generated by a light source 108 composed of one or a plurality of high-intensity light emitting diodes (LEDs) passes through a transmissive projection liquid crystal (LCD) panel 109 on which a projection pattern is formed. As a result, the projection data passes through the projection lens 110 and is enlarged and displayed on the screen 111. The mobile phone function unit is equipped with an LCD monitor 121 capable of appreciating image data having a size of about 1 to 2 inches and a display LCD panel 122 for confirming only character data. Data displayed on the monitor 121 and the display LCD panel 122 is projected on the screen 111 as projection data as required under the control of the CPU 120. For example, the LCD monitor 121 may be about 320 × 240 pixels and the display LCD panel 122 may be about 100 × 20 pixels. If power consumption, space, etc. are sufficient, the display LCD panel 122 may use the same member as the LCD monitor 121.

 When the character data displayed on the display LCD panel 122 is confirmed on the screen 111, the focus of the projection lens 110 is adjusted so that the projection distance to the screen 111 is about 10 to 100 cm. As the screen 111, a postcard-sized blank sheet or a white wall surface in the vicinity is used. Or you may make it project on the same surface as the desk on which the mobile phone is placed. In this case, since the projection screen has a trapezoidal shape, data for correcting this is formed on the projection LCD panel 109 in advance.

 The light source 108 is turned on / off by the driver 112 under the control of the CPU 120. The driver 113 performs control for forming a projection image on the projection LCD panel 109. Thereby, the transmittance of each pixel in the projection LCD panel 109 is individually set. The driver 114 adjusts the focus of the projection lens 110. These drivers are also controlled by the CPU 120.

 The position detectors 115, 116, and 117 detect whether the light source 108, the projection LCD panel 109, and the projection lens 110 are in predetermined positions during operation or non-operation as a projector, respectively. The operation member 118 is various operation switches and buttons operated by the user, such as an on / off switch of the light source 108 and an operation mode setting dial described later. This includes various operation members of the mobile phone function unit. The angle detector 119 detects an angle formed by an upper housing and a lower housing of a foldable mobile phone described later.

 In order to incorporate the ultra-small projector unit described so far into a mobile phone, an ultra-small light source is required. Here, the light source 108 applied to the projector unit of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which only one LED is used as the light source 108 and the size of the light emitting surface thereof is substantially the same as the size of the transmissive surface of the projection LCD panel 109. Here, a simple homojunction structure will be described, but other structures may be used. A schematic structure of the light source 108 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the light source 108 has a light emitting surface formed by contacting an n-type semiconductor 1082 and a p-type semiconductor 1083 on a substrate 1081. The size of the light emitting surface is almost the same as that of the projection LCD panel 109. Electrodes 1084 and 1085 for applying a-(minus) voltage and a + (plus) voltage are formed on these semiconductors, respectively.

 The emission color is determined according to this semiconductor material. For example, when GaP is used, a green LED is obtained. Light emission of red, blue, yellow, etc. can also be realized by changing the semiconductor material and the junction structure. On the other hand, the white light emitting LED is realized by placing a blue LED and a YAG (yttrium, aluminum, garnet) phosphor layer on the front surface of the blue LED. That is, when blue light hits the phosphor, yellow light is generated, and the generated yellow light and the original blue light transmitted through the phosphor layer are mixed to generate white light.

 As the number of pixels of the projection LCD panel 109 increases, the size of the LCD panel 109 increases, and as described above, it may be difficult to use an LED having a light emitting portion having almost the same area as the LCD area. . Even in such a case, the present embodiment uses as few LEDs as possible to simplify the structure of the projector and to reduce power consumption.

 FIGS. 10-13 is an Example at the time of using several LED as a light source. FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which four LEDs are used as the light source. As can be seen from this drawing, the total size of the light emitting surfaces of the four LEDs is arranged on the same plane so as to be substantially the same as the size of the projection LCD panel 109. Here, one LED of red (R), blue (B), green (G), and white (W) is used. In this case, the driving method of these LEDs differs depending on whether the projection LCD panel 109 is a color LCD or a monochrome LCD.

 When the projection LCD panel 109 is a color LCD on which an on-chip color filter is formed, the four LEDs emit light at the same time and are mixed so that white light is produced on the screen, and the projection LCD Each image data is formed in a pixel corresponding to each color of the panel 109. On the other hand, when the projection LCD panel 109 is a monochrome LCD, these four types of LEDs are controlled to emit light in time series in order of a length of about 1/60 seconds. Image data corresponding to the emission color is formed on the projection LCD panel 109 in synchronization with the emission colors of these LEDs. Originally, if there are only three light sources of R, G and B, the projected image is visually averaged and recognized as a color image on the screen. In order to further increase the brightness on the screen, a white LED is also used here. I am using it.

 FIG. 11 shows a case where two LEDs are used as the light source. Here, red (R) and white (W) in which the size of the total light emitting surface of the two LEDs is approximately equal to the size of the projection LCD panel 109 is shown. ) LEDs are arranged. Also in this case, the projection LCD panel 109 is a monochrome LCD, and normally only the W LED continuously emits light, and when it is desired to perform highlighting at the time of warning or the like, the R LED is emitted instead of W. About these two LED, you may make it color-mix using blue (B) and yellow (Y) LED like white LED mentioned above, and it may be made white.

 FIG. 12 shows a case where R, G, and B3 LEDs are used as the light source. 12A and 12B, the centers of the three LEDs are arranged at an equal distance from the center of the projection LCD panel 109. 12 (b) is an arrangement example in consideration of the shape of the LED. The projection LCD panel 109 in this case may be either a monochrome LCD or a color LCD, as in the case of FIG.

 FIG. 13 shows a case where four LEDs are used as the light source. In the case of FIG. 10 described above, four types of LEDs having different emission colors are used, but here, only four white (W) LEDs are used. In this case, a color LCD is used as the projection LCD panel 109. The four LEDs emit light continuously in succession.

 As shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, the center positions of the plurality of LEDs are arranged perpendicular to the image forming surface of the projection LCD panel 109 and equidistant from a straight line passing through the center of the projection LCD panel 109. ing. Thereby, even if a plurality of LEDs are arranged at different positions, light emission unevenness and color unevenness can be minimized. Further, when a light diffusing member is inserted between the light source 108 and the projection LCD 109, the above-described light emission unevenness and color unevenness are further reduced.

 Moreover, the illumination light of arbitrary light emission colors can be created by making the light emission intensity | strength of LED of a different light emission color differ between LEDs. This can be said in either case of light emission in time series or continuous light emission. As described above, it is possible to realize a small light source unit that can be incorporated into a mobile phone by using a minimum number of LEDs. Moreover, you may use an organic EL element instead of LED described so far. Up to this point, the description has been given of the case where both the LED and the organic EL element are used as illumination means for the projection LCD panel 109 on which projection information is formed. On the other hand, if the LED or organic EL element is sufficiently small and has high brightness, the LED or organic EL element is simply replaced with the projection LCD panel instead of the combination of the light source unit and the projection LCD panel described above. It is also possible to arrange a plurality of pieces in the same area as the transmission area 109. This makes it possible to create a direct projection pattern by self-emission.

 Further, in the description so far, the transmissive liquid crystal panel has been described as a member for forming projection image data, but the member for forming a projection image is not limited thereto. For example, a reflective liquid crystal panel or a reflective DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) element may be used. Normally, when a DMD element is used, a color image is projected onto a screen by rotating a wheel with R, G, and B color filters, but if the light source unit according to this embodiment is used, it is small and movable. A projector having no parts can be realized.

 FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the mobile phone with a projector function described in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 200 has a so-called foldable structure in which two rectangular parallelepiped housings are pivotally connected by a hinge on one side. Among these, a photographing camera 201 and a display LCD panel 202 for confirming character data such as an incoming call from the other party (the same as the display LCD panel 122 in FIG. 1) are installed on one surface of the upper casing. Yes. Although not shown in FIG. 2, a slightly large LCD monitor (LCD monitor 121 in FIG. 1) for viewing images and character data and the voice of the other party are displayed on the surface opposite to the above-described surface of the upper housing. An output speaker or the like is installed.

 On the upper surface of the lower housing, there are arranged a key switch for inputting numbers and characters, an operation button 203 including a cross key switch for selecting up / down / left / right in the display screen, and a voice input microphone (not shown). Yes. As shown in FIG. 23, the cross key switch is generally composed of a composite switch of four push switches 401 and a center push switch 402 for instructing up, down, left and right directions. The center push switch 402 is used as a shutter button for instructing photographing with the digital camera unit described above. A projector projection lens 204 is disposed on one side surface of the lower housing, and character data is projected onto the small screen 205. This character data is the same data displayed on the display LCD panel 202. When data is projected on the screen 205, no display is performed on the display LCD panel 202.

 On the other side of the lower housing, the memory card insertion slot 206, the projector illumination on / off switch 207, and the projector operates when the upper housing is folded below a predetermined angle, or simply operates like a flashlight A select dial 208 is provided for selecting whether to perform only the operation (details will be described later). The operation member 118 described in FIG. 1 corresponds to the operation button 203, the illumination on / off switch 207, and the select dial 208 in FIG.

 Next, the operation mode of the mobile phone with a projector function according to the present invention will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. In step S101 of FIG. 3, it is detected that some operation has been performed by the user or that a telephone call or mail has been received, and after entering the operation mode from the standby mode, the process proceeds to step S102. Here, “some operation” refers to a case where the above-described upper casing is opened or the operation member 118 is operated by the user.

 In step S102, it is determined whether the angle formed by the upper housing and the lower housing detected by the angle detector 119 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle. Here, the tilt angle of 0 ° means that the upper housing and the lower housing are overlapped, and the tilt angle of 180 ° means that the upper housing is open to make a phone call or mail with the other party. Point to. If the tilt angle is larger than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S103, and if it is smaller, the process proceeds to step S104.

 If it is determined in step S102 that the upper housing is not opened or is equal to or smaller than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S104, and the setting position of the select dial 208 is determined in step S104. If the set position is the position of the projector mode for causing the projector to operate, the process proceeds to step S105 to enter the mode for performing the projection operation. Details of the timing of the projection operation mode will be described later.

 If the set position is the light mode position, the process proceeds to the step of the illumination operation in step S106. In this illumination operation, image information is not projected onto the screen, but is simply used as a substitute for a flashlight to illuminate a subject such as a person. In this lighting operation, only the power source of the light source 108 is turned on, and all other power sources are turned off to reduce power consumption. Details of the timing of this irradiation operation will be described later. Also, the projector mode and light mode setting by the select dial 208 is effective only when the upper case is closed below a predetermined angle. If the upper case is open, the operation button 203 shown in FIG. 2 is operated. Then, a menu related to normal operation is displayed on the LCD monitor 121 (not shown), and the various mode settings set in accordance therewith are followed.

 In step S103 in a state where the upper housing is opened, first, it is determined whether or not the light mode is set according to a menu screen (not shown) displayed on the LCD monitor 121. If it is determined that the light mode is set, the process proceeds to the step of the illumination operation in step S106 described above. The illumination operation here is the same as when the light mode is set with the setting dial 208 when the upper casing is closed. If it is determined that the light mode is not set, the process proceeds to step S107.

 In step S107, it is determined whether or not the projector mode is set from the menu screen as in the light mode setting. If it is determined that the projector mode is set, the process proceeds to step S105 to perform a predetermined projection operation. If it is determined that the projection operation is not set, the process proceeds to step S108.

 In step S108, it is determined whether or not the shooting mode is set according to a menu screen (not shown) displayed on the LCD monitor 121. If it is set to the mode for performing the photographing operation, the process proceeds to step S109. In step S109, the subject is actually photographed as a digital camera, details of which will be described later. If the shooting mode is not set, the process proceeds to step S110, and the mobile phone operates as a normal mobile phone. That is, an operation according to a user operation is performed according to functions associated with various mobile phones such as a telephone operation with a partner, an email operation, and a game. Of course, various settings such as volume adjustment, vibration setting, and image editing can be performed.

 In step S111, the CPU 120 determines whether or not a state in which no operation is performed by the user has elapsed for a predetermined period or longer. If not, the process returns to step S102. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the first standby mode is entered and this flow is terminated. As is apparent from the above description, the cellular phone of this embodiment can perform projector operation and illumination operation regardless of the open / close state of the upper housing. Similarly, since the projector operation and the illumination operation can be performed also in the cellular phone mode or the photographing mode, various usage forms can be realized.

 In the mobile phone of the present invention, the distance to the subject is calculated by the AF calculation unit 1201 before shooting, and the shooting lens 101 is driven based on the result. The AF method employed here is the contrast method as described above. If the contrast of the subject is low, the projector unit emits a specific pattern as AF auxiliary light, and AF calculation is performed based on the reflected light. Further, if the subject brightness is low when shooting image data for recording, the projector then illuminates the subject with uniform light to replace strobe light. These specific contents will be described next.

 First, details of the photographing operation in step S109 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S201, it is confirmed whether or not the light source of the projector is on. This is because the light source may be turned on in another operation mode before entering the main photographing mode. If the light source is on, the light source is turned off in step S202, and the process proceeds to step S203. If not, the process proceeds to step S203. In addition to this, as a method for confirming that the photographing mode is set, it may be detected that a lens position other than the projection lens 110 in the projector mode is set. The details of moving the projection lens 110 will be described later.

 In step S203, the moving image photographed by the photographing camera 201 is displayed on the LCD monitor 121. In step S204, it is determined whether an AF start instruction has been issued. This AF operation start instruction is issued by pressing the center push switch 402 of the cross key once. If the start instruction has not been given, this routine is terminated. If the start instruction has been given, the process proceeds to step S205, where the AF calculation unit 1201 performs AF calculation. Details of this AF calculation will be described later. In step S206, it is determined whether or not an instruction to record a captured image on the memory card 107 is given. This recording instruction is made by pressing the above-described cross key center push switch 402 again. If the recording instruction is given, the process proceeds to step S208. If the recording instruction is not given, the process proceeds to step S207. In step S207, it is determined whether or not the AF calculation is set to be repeated.

 Usually, in a digital camera, there is a single AF mode in which the AF operation is stopped after focusing on the subject only once, and a continuous AF mode in which the AF operation is continuously repeated following the movement of the subject. . The same setting can be made in the cellular phone of the present invention. This setting is performed by displaying the AF mode setting menu on the LCD monitor 121 by the operation button 203 described above (not shown). If it is set to repeat AF, the process returns to step S205, and if it is not set to repeat AF, the process proceeds to step S208.

 In step S208, if the AF auxiliary light is turned on at the time of AF calculation, it is turned off. In step S209, recording on the memory card is performed, and this flow is finished. Details of step S209 will also be described later. In the above description, the center push switch 402 of the cross key is pressed twice in total for instructing the start of AF and the start of recording. Instead of this, a shutter button similar to the shutter button of a normal camera is separately provided. The provided structure may be sufficient. That is, the normal shutter button starts AF calculation by so-called half-pressing the shutter button lightly, and instructs to start recording by further pressing it, that is, full-pressing.

 Next, the AF operation in step S205 in FIG. 4 will be described using FIG. In step S301, image data is read from the image sensor 103, and in step S302, the AF calculation unit 1201 performs AF calculation. Here, the image data to be used for the AF calculation uses image data read from the image sensor 103 in order to display a moving image on the LCD monitor 121 described above.

 In step S303, it is determined whether AF calculation is possible. If AF calculation is possible, the process proceeds to step S304. If AF calculation is not possible, the process proceeds to step S305. These determinations are made immediately after calculation by the AF calculation unit 1201. When the subject contrast is too low, AF calculation is impossible. However, when the subject brightness is too low, AF calculation is impossible. Therefore, not only the determination based on the AF calculation result but also the object luminance may be determined separately and the result may be taken into consideration.

 In step S305, it is determined whether the specific pattern has already been emitted from the projector unit. If AF is not possible even though the specific pattern has already been irradiated, the process proceeds to step S307, and if not, the process proceeds to step S306 to irradiate the specific pattern. An oblique straight line pattern is suitable as the specific pattern. FIG. 14 shows an example of this specific pattern. Based on the irradiated specific pattern, the process returns to step S301 to perform AF calculation again. If the AF calculation is possible in step S303, the calculation result is stored in the storage unit 1202 in step S304 and the photographing lens is driven to end the routine relating to the AF operation.

 The case where the AF calculation is impossible even though the specific pattern is irradiated in step S305 may indicate that the subject is too far or too close, so in step S307 the AF display is not displayed on the LCD monitor 121 or the like. At the same time, the photographing lens is driven to a focal position such as pan focus, and this routine is finished. Since the subject may move and become AF-enabled, the AF disabled display only needs to be displayed for the minimum recognizable time.

 Next, the recording operation in step S209 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, if a recording instruction is issued by pressing the center push switch 402 of the cross key twice or pressing the shutter button fully, the subject brightness is determined in step S401. If the subject brightness is sufficient, the process proceeds to step S405, and if the subject brightness is lower than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S402.

 In step S402, illumination light generated by the projector unit is irradiated to the subject as strobe light. At this time, the LED used for the light source 108 usually emits light at the maximum luminance for the same emission time as the exposure time, but the emission luminance or the emission time is adjusted according to the distance from the AF calculation result to the subject. May be. As a result, it is possible to prevent the subject from being too close and the face from flying with strobe light. In step S403, the subject illuminated by the image sensor 103 is exposed, the illumination light is turned off in step S404, and image data is read from the image sensor 103 in step S605. In step S 406, the read image data is subjected to predetermined processing by the signal processing circuit 105 and recorded in the memory card 107.

 In step S407, it is determined whether or not the continuous shooting mode is set. If it has not been set, the recording routine is terminated, and if it has been set, the process returns to step S401 and the photographing is repeated until the recording instruction is canceled. Here, if AF is desired to follow the movement of the subject during continuous shooting, the setting may be made to return to step S205 in FIG. 4 instead of step S401. That is, at the time of continuous shooting, AF operation is performed using strobe-illuminated image data output from the image sensor 103 for recording.

 Here, the illumination color of the illumination light applied to the subject described in step S402 will be described. As described above, this projector can use not only white LEDs but also LEDs such as red, blue, green, and yellow, so that the subject can be illuminated by selecting a color for irradiation. Here, the illumination color is not limited to the emission color of a single LED, and an arbitrary illumination color can be created by changing the emission intensity between LEDs of different emission colors. Of course, it is also possible to change the amount of irradiation light by changing the emission intensity of the white LED. In this way, it is possible to perform shooting with various effects such as the effect that the sunset is hitting the subject or the sepia tone only of the subject.

 Similarly, by setting various patterns on the projection LCD panel 109, a unique photographing effect can be provided. As an example of this pattern, only a part within the shooting angle of view is illuminated, or only a part above, below, left, and right within the screen is brightened, and the other parts are gradually darkened. The strobe light setting with such special effects may be set by displaying a setting menu on the LCD monitor 121 in advance. FIG. 24 shows an example of the setting menu display. In the figure, it is shown that an item surrounded by a square frame is selected. In the figure, a default setting state is shown. In FIG. In the setting of illumination color, only pure colors of R, G, B, and Y are set in the figure, but by making it possible to select the light emission intensity of each LED and a plurality of LEDs simultaneously. These intermediate colors may be set.

 Furthermore, the focal length of the projection lens 110 may be set based on the AF calculation result. As a result, the subject is optimally illuminated as intended by the photographer. In the shooting and recording routines shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 described so far, when the illumination is turned off, all the power supplies for the projection LCD panel 109 and other circuit systems necessary for the operation of the projector are turned off. Electric power can be reduced.

 Next, the projection operation in step S105 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. This step is a case of operating as an original projector. The content to be projected when the projector is operating differs depending on whether the upper housing is closed or open. Therefore, first, in step S501, it is determined whether or not the angle formed by the upper casing and the lower casing is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle. For this purpose, the angle detector 119 described above is used. If it is not less than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S502, and if it is greater than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S505. In step S502, it is determined whether the illumination light has already been turned on. If it is on, the process proceeds to step S504. If it is not on, the process proceeds to step S503, the light source 108 is turned on, and the process proceeds to step S504. In step S504, projection image data having the same content as that displayed on the LCD monitor 121 is formed on the projection LCD panel 109, the image data is projected on the screen 111, and the mode of the main projection operation is terminated. At the time of this projection operation, the power supply of the LCD monitor 121 is turned off as described above, but power consumption can be reduced by turning off all the other circuit power supplies necessary for photographing. These are automatically performed when the operation mode is entered, but the LCD monitor 121 may be manually turned on / off. Further, the specification may be such that a captured image can be projected. In that case, the power supply of the circuit system related to the imaging is kept on as it is.

 If it is determined in step S501 that the upper housing is in the folded state, it is determined in step S505 whether the illumination light is on. When the upper casing is folded, the setting opposite to that in step S502 in the case of opening is performed. That is, if the illumination light is off, the process proceeds to step S507 as it is, and if the illumination light is on, the process proceeds to step S506, and the illumination light is turned off and then proceeds to step S507.

 In step S507, it is determined whether or not there is an incoming call such as a telephone call or mail. If there is no incoming call, the process proceeds to step S510. If an incoming call is detected, the process proceeds to step S508. In step S508, the illumination light is turned on to project and display that a call or mail has arrived. At this time, as described above, the display LCD panel 122 is turned off. Of course, the display LCD panel 122 may be set to be turned on simultaneously.

 When there is an incoming call, the user usually opens the upper housing and checks the phone or mail. Therefore, in step S510, it is determined whether or not the user has performed any operation. As an example of the user operation, if the angle detector 119 detects that the user has opened the upper housing, the process proceeds to step S512, and if the upper housing is not opened, the process proceeds to step S511. In step S511, an elapsed time since the incoming call is detected is determined. If it is within the predetermined time, the process returns to step S509 to continue projecting the incoming call display. It is more effective to notify the user of an incoming call with a sound warning such as a buzzer (not shown). If the user does not operate anything even after the predetermined time has passed, the process proceeds to step S512 to turn off the illumination light and stop the front desk. Thereby, the projection operation at the time of the incoming call is finished.

 Next, the illumination operation in step S106 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the subject is irradiated with illumination light as bright as possible from the light source 108. For this purpose, the subject can be irradiated with brighter light when the projection LCD panel 109 is retracted from the optical path. In step S601 of FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not the projection LCD panel 109 is retracted from the projection optical path. If it has been retracted, the process proceeds to step S603. If it has not been retracted, the projection LCD panel 109 is retracted from the optical path in step S602. This is because the illumination light from the light source 108 is used most effectively. At this time, all the power supplies of circuits other than the circuit necessary for turning on the light source 108 are turned off.

 In addition, when it is desired to illuminate in the above-described shooting mode or mobile phone mode, it is necessary to smoothly switch to the light mode. For that purpose, it is better to perform the illumination operation without retracting the projection LCD panel 109 one by one. In that case, the amount of irradiation light can be increased as much as possible by maximizing the transmittance of the projection LCD panel 109. In addition, by making the light emission amount of the light source 108 variable, it is possible to reduce the amount of irradiation light and extend the irradiation time as much as possible. Further, as in the case of the strobe emission at the time of shooting described above, when a plurality of LEDs having different emission colors are used as the light source 108, various emission colors can be obtained by changing the emission intensity of the LEDs used in addition to the white illumination. Lighting is possible. Further, by forming a projection pattern on the projection LCD panel 109 so as to illuminate only a part of the area within the angle of view, it can also be used as an assist function during shooting. Details of this function will be described later.

 In step S603, it is determined whether or not the light source 108 is turned on. If it is turned on, the process proceeds to step S606, and if it is turned off, the process proceeds to step S604. In step S604, it is determined whether there is an illumination on instruction by the illumination on / off switch 207 of FIG. If there is no ON instruction, this routine is terminated. If there is an ON instruction, the process proceeds to step S605. After the illumination light is turned on in step S605, it is determined in step S606 whether there is an instruction to turn off the illumination light by the illumination on / off switch 207 in FIG. If there is no off instruction, the illumination light irradiation is continued and the routine is terminated. If there is an illumination light off instruction, the illumination is turned off in step S607 and the routine is terminated.

 As described above, the operation of illuminating the subject brightly instead of the flashlight is not limited to the case where the light mode is set by the select dial 208 with the upper housing folded. In the step of the photographing operation in step S109 in FIG. 3, there may be a case where it is desired to check the subject in a brighter state when the photographing field angle and subject before photographing are displayed on the LCD monitor 121. Alternatively, it is possible to realize a shooting assist function for performing shooting more effectively. By using the illumination on / off switch 207 to turn on the illumination light, this photographing assist can be easily realized.

 An example of this photographing assist function will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an illumination range when it is desired to shoot with the main subject arranged at the lower right of the screen. In the figure, a range in which a white portion is illuminated is shown. By illuminating only the lower right part in this way, the photographer can be surely notified of the main subject position. Further, by setting the AF area so that AF is performed on the bright subject portion, it is possible to prevent the center portion from being inadvertently focused. The lower right portion may be selected and set as the lower left portion. FIG. 16 shows an effective assist function when there are two main subjects. By disposing the subject at the illuminated position in this way and setting it as the AF area, it is possible to prevent so-called hollowing out in which the subject is focused in the middle.

 FIGS. 15 and 16 are suitable for a case where it is desired to shoot a person with a considerably large person in the screen, such as a bust shot. On the other hand, since the portion to be illuminated is not limited to a person, it is also possible to illuminate, for example, only within a preset AF area. Thus, the photographer can check the currently set AF area. Alternatively, only an area that is AF-locked can be illuminated as a result of the AF calculation. As a result, the photographer can check the area in focus. In this way, the assist function at the time of shooting may have a special effect such as setting the illumination color described in the above-described strobe shooting at the time of shooting. Of course, since the entire screen can be illuminated uniformly, it is possible to check the angle of view before shooting when the shooting screen is dark. The illumination pattern, illumination color, illumination intensity, and the like are set in advance on a menu setting screen (not shown) at the time of shooting.

 The use of the projector unit simply as the illumination means in this way can be applied to other cases where a mobile phone is operating or when some data is projected during the projector operation. In other words, during operation of the mobile phone, if the user simply wants to illuminate the subject for some reason, the subject can be illuminated immediately by turning on the illumination on / off switch 207. Similarly, while the contents of the LCD monitor 121 or the display LCD panel 122 are being displayed, if the user simply wants to illuminate the subject for some reason, the lighting on / off switch 207 can be turned on to indicate that. Irrespective of the display, it is possible to simply irradiate the subject with high-intensity illumination.

 The projector unit described so far includes an ultra-small light emitting unit and an image forming unit, and the projection distance to the screen is also short. As a result, the volume of the entire projector unit can be reduced to a very small shape, and a mobile phone incorporating the projector unit can be easily realized. The second embodiment to be described next is an embodiment that enables further miniaturization than the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, this object is achieved by partially changing the arrangement of the components between when the projector unit is in operation and when it is not in operation.

 FIG. 17 shows the storage state when the projector unit is not operating in the second embodiment. As can be seen from the figure, the light source 108, the projection LCD panel 109, and the projection lens 110 constituting the projector unit are completely housed in the mobile phone casing with the space between the components as narrow as possible. Yes. FIG. 18 is a view for explaining that image data can be projected to a predetermined size on the screen by extending the projection lens 110 from the casing of the mobile phone during operation as a projector. In addition to moving the lens in this way, the distance between the light source 108 and the projection LCD panel 109 may be wider than that during storage during projection.

 FIG. 19 is a view for explaining that the projection LCD panel 109 is retracted from the projection optical path in the light mode explained in FIG. Here, the projection LCD panel 109 is retracted from the optical path and the projection lens 110 is extended from the casing of the mobile phone. In this way, when the projection LCD panel 109 is retracted, it may be configured to manually retract in conjunction with the setting of the light mode, but a motor or the like set for retracting may be used. In this case, in the light mode, not only the light source 108 is turned on but also the save circuit is turned on as described above. Further, as the timing of movement, the movement is performed in conjunction with the light mode. The light source 108 is turned on after the projection LCD panel 109 completes moving to a predetermined position. This is to reduce the load on the battery by turning off the illumination during a meaningless movement period even when the illumination is turned on and reducing the maximum power consumption. Further, the movement completion is detected by the position detector 116 shown in FIG.

 Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, downsizing is realized by adopting an integrated structure in which the imaging unit and the projector unit are arranged at predetermined positions so that the photographing lens and the projection lens can be used in a single lens system.

 FIG. 20A shows an embodiment in which a half mirror 301 is further installed in the integrated block 303. In this embodiment, when operating as a projector, half of the light flux from the light source 108 and the projection LCD panel 109 is reflected by the half mirror 301 and data is projected onto the screen using the lens 302 as a projection lens. On the other hand, at the time of shooting, the lens 302 is used as a shooting lens, and half of the light flux from the subject passes through the half mirror 301 and the image sensor 103 is exposed.

 FIG. 20B shows an embodiment in which the arrangement of the light source 108, the projection LCD panel 109, and the image sensor 103 is changed from that in FIG. Since there is no difference in performance due to these arrangements, any arrangement may be determined according to the arrangement relationship with other blocks inside the casing of the mobile phone, ease of heat dissipation, or the like. Further, by using the half mirror 301, it is possible to simultaneously perform both the projector operation and the photographing operation. As a result, even when the photographing lens and the projection lens are combined in one lens system, the above-described AF auxiliary light irradiation, strobe light irradiation at the time of photographing, or illumination operation before photographing or during portable operation can be performed. It becomes possible.

 FIG. 21 shows an embodiment in which a total reflection mirror 304 is used instead of the half mirror 301 used in the block of FIG. FIG. 21A shows a case where light beams from the light source 108 and the projection LCD panel 109 are reflected by the total reflection mirror 304 and data is projected by the projection lens 302. FIG. 21B shows a case where the light flux from the subject is received by the image sensor 103. In this case, the total reflection mirror 304 is rotated and retracted from the optical path. The detector 305 detects whether the total reflection mirror 304 is located at the projection position or the light receiving position at the image sensor 103. The timing when the mirror rotates is set when each operation mode is set. Further, instead of rotating the mirror in this way, the total reflection mirror 304 may be moved parallel to move out of the optical path.

 In the embodiment of FIG. 21, the projector and the luminous flux at the time of photographing are used 100% effectively, but since both operations cannot be performed simultaneously, either of FIG. 20 or FIG. 21 is used depending on the purpose of use or product specifications. Any method may be adopted. Also in FIG. 21, the arrangement of the light source 108, the projection LCD panel 109, and the image sensor 103 may be changed as in FIG.

 FIG. 22 shows an integrated block in which the projection light beam from the light source 108 and the projection LCD panel 109 and the incident light beam to the image sensor 103 are arranged in parallel. In this case, the lens 302 is moved manually or electrically in conjunction with the setting of the setting dial 208 in FIG. 2 to be a projection lens or a photographing lens, respectively. A detector 306 detects whether the lens 302 is in a projection position or a photographing position.

 When a total reflection mirror is used as shown in FIG. 21 or when the lens is moved as shown in FIG. 22, the shooting flow shown in FIG. 4, the projection flow shown in FIG. 7, and the illumination shown in FIG. A step for confirming whether the mirror is retracted at the start of the flow or set to the optical path used by the lens is inserted. However, it is preferable to change the insertion position of this confirmation step in order to ensure the illumination operation and suppress the maximum power consumption. That is, in the operation mode in which the illumination is turned on, the illumination is turned on after the mirror or lens described above has completely moved to a predetermined position. On the other hand, when the operation mode is set to turn off the illumination, the illumination is turned off immediately at the same time when the operation mode is set. Further, in FIGS. 19, 21 and 22, the movement completion of the projection LCD panel 109, the lens 302 and the total reflection mirror 304 is detected and determined by the respective detectors, but this is simply determined without using the detectors. You may make it discriminate | determine a movement state according to the instruction | indication result of a movement.

 In the description of the embodiments so far, the case where the projector function is incorporated in the mobile phone has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the mobile phone. For example, by incorporating a projector function into a digital camera, a PDA (portable information terminal), or the like, a portable device that enables an unprecedented usage pattern can be easily realized.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the perspective view and operation state of the mobile phone with a projector function by this invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an overall operation sequence of the projector-equipped mobile phone according to the present invention. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a photographing operation of the mobile phone with a projector function according to the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining AF operation | movement of the mobile phone with a projector function by this invention. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a recording operation of the mobile phone with a deprojector function according to the present invention. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a projection operation of the mobile phone with a projector function according to the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the illumination operation | movement of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the magnitude | size of the light source part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the case where several LED is used for the light source part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the other case which uses several LED for the light source part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the other case which uses several LED for the light source part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the other case which uses several LED for the light source part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the specific pattern irradiated when AF of the mobile phone with a projector function by this invention is impossible. It is a figure explaining the illumination range illuminated at the time of imaging | photography assistance of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the other illumination range illuminated at the time of imaging | photography assistance of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the form at the time of accommodation of the projector part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the form at the time of the illumination operation | movement of the projector part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the other case which uses several LED for the light source part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the case where the imaging part and projector part of the mobile phone with a projector function by this invention are made into an integral structure. It is a figure explaining the other case which integrated the imaging part and projector part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the other case which integrated the imaging part and projector part of the mobile telephone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the cross key switch used for the mobile phone with a projector function by this invention. It is a figure explaining the setting menu display of the strobe light of the mobile phone with a projector function by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Shooting lens 102 Lens driver 103 Image pick-up element 104 Driver 105 Signal processing circuit 106 Buffer memory 107 External storage device 108 Light source 109 Projection liquid crystal panel 110 Projection lens 111 Screen 112 Driver 113 Driver 114 Driver 115 Position detector 116 Position detector 117 Position detector 118 Operation member 119 Angle detector 120 CPU
121 LCD Monitor 122 LCD Panel for Display 1201 AF Operation Unit 1202 Storage Unit 200 Folding Cell Phone 201 Camera for Shooting 202 Display LCD Panel 203 Operation Button 204 Projector Projection Lens 205 Small Screen 206 Memory Card Insertion Port 207 Illumination On / Off Switch 208 Select Dial 301 Half mirror 302 Lens 303 Integrated block 304 Total reflection mirror 305 Detector 306 Detector

Claims (16)

A projector unit for irradiating a projection pattern transmitted through the projection lens;
An imaging means having a photographic lens for photographing a subject;
Computing means for computing the distance to the subject;
Instruction means for instructing the imaging means to take an image for recording on a recording medium;
A portable information device comprising: a control unit that controls to irradiate the subject with a predetermined projection pattern that has passed through the projection lens in accordance with an instruction from the instruction unit. The portable information device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit configured to set the imaging unit to repeatedly shoot in accordance with an instruction from the instruction unit. Furthermore, it has a calculation means for calculating the distance to the subject,
The portable information device according to claim 2, wherein the calculation unit repeatedly calculates a distance with respect to the subject irradiated with the predetermined projection pattern according to a setting result of the setting unit. In addition, a determination means for determining subject brightness is provided,
2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines that the luminance of the subject is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the control unit controls to irradiate the subject with the predetermined projection pattern. Portable information equipment. Furthermore, a setting unit for setting a shooting mode for shooting a subject is provided,
2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control so that the predetermined projection pattern is irradiated onto the subject in accordance with an instruction from the instruction unit when the photographing mode is set by the setting unit. 2. The portable information device according to 1. 6. The portable information device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit detects that the photographing unit has finished photographing the subject and controls to stop the irradiation of the predetermined projection pattern. Furthermore, an illumination means for irradiating the projection pattern is provided,
The said illumination means is comprised by at least 1 or more types of light source from each light source which light-emits the luminescent color of white light, red light, green light, blue light, and yellow light. The portable information device described. And setting means for setting the illumination color of the illumination means;
The portable information device according to claim 7, further comprising a selection unit that selects a light source of a predetermined emission color from the light sources according to a setting result of the setting unit. And setting means for setting the illumination color of the illumination means;
9. The portable information device according to claim 8, further comprising a determining unit that determines a light emission intensity of a light source having a predetermined light emission color selected by the selecting unit. The portable information device according to claim 7, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined projection pattern is a pattern that maximizes the amount of light applied to the subject. Furthermore, it comprises setting means for setting an illumination area illuminated by the illumination means,
2. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit forms the predetermined projection pattern in accordance with the setting of the setting unit. 13. The portable information device according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined projection pattern is a pattern in which the amount of irradiation light changes stepwise at a boundary between an illumination area set by the setting unit and another area. . 13. The mobile phone according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined projection pattern is a pattern in which the amount of light applied to the illumination area set by the setting unit is greater than the amount of light applied to other areas. Type information equipment. And AF means for calculating the distance to the subject and driving the taking lens;
2. The portable information device according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting the projection lens to have a focal length according to a calculation result of the AF means. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein the projection lens is also used as the photographing lens.