JP2006174444A - Camera instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a photographer from taking unintended photography by inadvertent shutter button operation. <P>SOLUTION: Image pick-up signal picturized by image pick-up means based on directions of photography is memorized to an image memory 26 built in a camera instrument. This camera has shutters 13a and 13b disposed on different positions of external surface to input directions of photography by operating the shutters; a sensor for setting the 1st photography mode in which a photographer takes others' images, and the 2nd photography mode in which a photographer takes images of his own; and has control means which only operates the shutter 13a when the 1st photography mode is set, and only operates the shutter 13b when the 2nd photography mode is set. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera device that captures an image of a subject with an imaging unit including a photographic lens and a photoelectric conversion element, and stores the imaging signal in a memory.

  Normally, a camera device takes a picture of a person or a landscape that is a subject of the photographer with the lens of the camera facing the camera lens. Sometimes it happens.

  In the camera device, the photographer usually photographs the other person, and the shutter button is disposed at a position where it can be easily operated. However, when taking a picture of yourself, if you move the camera and point the lens at yourself, the position of the shutter button is difficult for your fingers to reach, and the operation is not successful. In view of this, it is considered to provide a shutter button for use in self-photographing at a different position of the camera device apart from the shutter button.

  However, in the conventional camera device, when a plurality of shutter buttons are provided at different positions, the photographer may not touch the shutter button and operate it without intention when holding the camera. There is a possibility that a shooting mistake may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a camera device including a shutter button used for photographing another person and a shutter button used for photographing itself. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera device that can prevent a photographing error due to an inadvertent operation of a shutter button that is not performed.

  According to the present invention, in a camera device that stores an image signal picked up by an image pickup means based on a shooting instruction in a built-in memory, the camera device is arranged at different positions on the outer surface of the camera device and is operated by shooting. First and second shooting instruction means for inputting an instruction; a shooting mode setting means for setting a first shooting mode in which a photographer photographs another person; and a second shooting mode in which the photographer photographs itself; When the first shooting mode is set by the shooting mode setting means, only the operation of the first shooting instruction means is valid, and when the second shooting mode is set by the shooting mode setting means, the second shooting mode is set. And a control unit that enables only the operation of the imaging instruction unit.

  Thereby, it is possible to prevent a shooting mistake caused by an inadvertent operation of the shutter button in a shooting mode not intended by the photographer. Further, images taken by the imaging means are sequentially displayed, and a first posture that is visible when the photographer shoots another person and a second posture that is visible when the photographer shoots himself / herself. Display means capable of changing a state to a posture, and display control for converting a direction of an image to be displayed when the display means is changed to one of the first posture and the second posture. Means.

  Thereby, the display means can be used in both the first shooting mode and the second shooting mode, and an image is displayed according to the shooting mode in each shooting mode.

  Furthermore, the photographing mode setting means includes posture detection means for detecting the posture of the display means, and the posture detection means detects the first posture when the display means is in the first posture. A shooting mode is set, and the second shooting mode is set when it is detected that the display means is in the second posture.

  Accordingly, the change of the photographing mode can be recessed by changing the posture of the display means. Further, the first image display unit is arranged at a position where the photographer can visually recognize another person and sequentially displays images picked up by the image pickup unit when the first shooting mode is set. A second display for sequentially displaying images picked up by the image pickup means when the second shooting mode is set, and the display means and a position where the photographer can view the self Means.

  Thereby, the image picked up by the image pickup means can be displayed by the display means for each shooting mode. Further, in a camera device that stores an image signal picked up by an image pickup unit based on a shooting instruction in a built-in memory, the camera device is arranged and operated at a different position on the outer surface of the camera device to issue a shooting instruction. First and second shooting instruction means for inputting, a shooting mode setting means for setting a first shooting mode in which the photographer takes a picture of the other person, and a second shooting mode in which the photographer takes a picture of himself / herself, and the imaging Images sequentially picked up by the means can be sequentially displayed, and can be changed between a first posture that can be seen when the photographer takes a picture of another person and a second posture that can be seen when the photographer takes a picture of himself / herself When the display means and the display means are in the first posture, the operation of the second photographing operation key is blocked, and when the display means is in the second posture, the operation of the first photographing operation key is blocked. Operation blocker Characterized by comprising and.

  Thereby, it is possible to prevent a shooting mistake caused by an inadvertent operation of the shutter button in a shooting mode not intended by the photographer. Furthermore, the camera device is characterized in that it includes printing means for printing the image stored in the memory on a recording sheet.

  As described above, according to the camera device of the present invention, in a camera device having a plurality of shooting instruction units that are selectively used according to a plurality of shooting modes, only the operation of the shooting instruction unit corresponding to the shooting mode is valid. Alternatively, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that a photographer inadvertently operates a shooting instruction unit that does not correspond to the shooting mode and causes a shooting mistake by preventing the operation of the shooting instruction unit that does not correspond to the shooting mode.

  In addition, the display means can display a picked-up image according to the shooting mode, and can easily adjust the shooting position of the subject at the time of shooting, and a plurality of display modes depending on the display means taking different postures depending on the shooting mode. Since the effectiveness of the operation of the photographing operation means is controlled, it is convenient and it is possible to reliably prevent inconveniences that may lead to photographing mistakes.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing an external configuration of an electronic camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view seen from the back of the electronic camera.

  In the electronic camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the camera device 1 includes a digital camera unit 2 and a printer unit 2 that prints an image photographed by the digital camera unit 2.

  A photographing lens 4 and a flash 5 are provided in front of the digital camera unit 2. On the upper surface of the digital camera unit 2, a liquid crystal display unit 6 is rotatably disposed by hinge mechanisms 7 and 7 as a display unit for displaying a captured image at the time of photographing. The liquid crystal display unit 6 has a posture (second posture) rising on the upper surface of the digital camera unit 2 as shown in FIG. 1 and a posture (first posture) tilted to the back side of the digital camera unit 2 as shown in FIG. ) And can be changed.

  In the case of normal shooting (shooting in the first shooting mode) in which the photographer points the lens 4 at another person or a landscape and shoots them, the liquid crystal display unit 6 is connected to the digital camera unit 2 as shown in FIG. Use it by tilting it to the back. When the photographer photographs the subject by directing the lens 4 toward himself / herself or another person who is aligned with the photographer (photographing in the second photographing mode), the liquid crystal display unit 6 is arranged as shown in FIG. It is used standing on the upper surface of the part 2.

  The liquid crystal display unit 6 incorporates an attitude detection sensor 8 that detects the attitude of the liquid crystal display unit 6. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the sensor 8 has a conductive movable body 9 moved by gravity according to the attitude of the sensor 8 to connect between the pair of contact terminals 10a and 10b (see FIG. 3). 3 (a)) or cutting (the state shown in FIG. 3 (b)), the first shooting mode in which the photographer photographs the other person and the second in which the photographer photographs the self or the like. Acts as a shooting mode setting switch for setting the shooting mode.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the liquid crystal display unit 6 functions as a finder that displays an image captured by the digital camera unit 2 in different shooting modes (first shooting mode and second shooting mode). In addition, according to the change in the orientation of the liquid crystal display unit 6 detected by the sensor 8, image conversion is performed to rotate the orientation of the captured image to be displayed by 180 °, so that the photographer can always see an upright image. To.

  The liquid crystal display unit 6 functions as a viewfinder at the time of shooting, and reproduces and displays an image stored in the digital camera unit 2 after shooting. A power switch 11 for instructing power supply to the digital camera unit 2 and the printer unit 3 is provided on the upper surface of the digital camera unit 2, and an operation mode setting key 12 for setting a photographing mode, a reproduction mode, and a printing mode. Is provided.

  Shutter buttons 13a and 13b are provided on the upper surface and the rear surface of the digital 2, respectively. The shutter button 13a (hereinafter also referred to as a first shutter button) is for use in a normal case where a photographer photographs another person or a landscape. The photographer holds the left side of the camera apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 with the right hand, points the photographing lens 4 toward the subject, and operates the shutter button 13a with his / her finger. The shutter button 13b (hereinafter also referred to as a second shutter button) is for the photographer to take a picture of himself / herself, and the photographer takes the right hand side of the camera device 1 in FIG. 1 or the left hand side in FIG. The lens 4 is held and the lens 4 is pointed at the subject, the self or the self, and others aligned therewith, and a finger is put on the shutter button 13b to operate it.

  The shutter button 13 a instructs the start of the printing operation of the printer unit 3 as well as the photographing instruction in the digital camera unit 2. Reference numeral 14 denotes a recording paper insertion / ejection port provided in the printer unit 3.

The printer unit 3 disposed below the digital camera unit 2 includes a printing mechanism including a thermal head, a recording paper transport mechanism, and the like.
Next, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electronic circuit of a camera device provided with a printer. The CCD 21 is an image pickup device (photoelectric conversion device) that converts an image formed by the taking lens 4 into an analog electric signal and outputs the analog electric signal. The driver 22 is a circuit that drives the CCD 21 and drives the CCD 21 in accordance with the timing signal output from the timing generator 23. The analog / digital conversion circuit 25 is a circuit for converting the analog signal amplified by the amplifier 24 into a digital signal. The image memory 26 is a memory for storing a plurality of digital signals converted by the analog / digital conversion circuit 25. The CPU 27 controls the digital camera unit 2 and the printer unit 3 based on a control program stored in the ROM 28. A flash control circuit 29 adjusts the amount of light and causes the flash 5 to emit light. The video signal generator 30 adds a synchronization signal or the like to the digital image signal output from the analog / digital conversion circuit 25 or the image memory 26 to generate a digital video signal. The VRAM 31 is a memory that stores digital video signals. The digital / analog conversion circuit 32 is a circuit that converts the digital video signal output from the video signal generation unit 30 into an analog video signal and outputs the analog video signal to the liquid crystal display 6 as a display unit. The liquid crystal display 6 drives the liquid crystal based on the analog video signal supplied from the digital / analog conversion circuit 32 via the amplifier 33, and displays a photographed image. In addition, the posture detection sensor 8, the power switch 11, the operation mode setting key 12, and the shutter buttons 13a and 13b are connected to the CPU 27 and an operation signal is input.

  A flag memory 34 stores a flag F and the like for managing the shooting mode. When the first shooting mode is set by the posture detection switch 8, the flag F is set to “0”, and when the second shooting mode is set, the flag F is set to “1”.

The printer unit 3 prints image data of a captured image stored in the image memory 26 of the digital camera unit 2.
In this camera apparatus, when the operation mode key 12 is set to the photographing mode, an analog signal for one screen is output from the CCD 21 by operating the shutter button 13a or 13b, and an analog / digital conversion circuit. 25 is converted into a digital signal and stored in the image memory 26 as image data. Then, print data is created based on the image data stored in the image memory 26, and an image is printed on the recording paper by the printer unit 3. In the photographing mode, the liquid crystal display unit 6 functions as a viewfinder and displays an image based on the output from the CCD 21.

Next, the operation of the photographing process of the camera device in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the photographing process.
In response to the output of the attitude detection sensor 8 that detects the attitude of the liquid crystal display unit 6, the first imaging for imaging the other person if the liquid crystal display unit 6 is tilted to the back side of the digital camera unit 2 as shown in FIG. 2. When the mode is set and the liquid crystal display unit 6 stands on the upper surface of the digital camera unit 2 as shown in FIG. 1, the second shooting mode for shooting the self is set.

  That is, when the sensor 27 detects that the liquid crystal display unit 6 corresponds to the back side of the digital camera unit 2, the CPU 27 sets the value of the flag F stored in the flag memory 34 to “0”, and the liquid crystal display unit 6. Is detected on the upper surface of the digital camera unit 2, the value of the flag F is set to "1".

  When the first shooting mode (F = 0) is set, the operation of the first shutter button 13a is valid (steps S1, S2, S3, S4), and the operation of the second shutter button 13b is It becomes invalid (steps S5 and S6). When the second shooting mode (F = 1) is set, the operation of the second shutter button 13b is valid (steps S5, S6, S7, S8), and the first shutter button 13a is operated. The operation becomes invalid (steps S1 and S2).

  Here, when the first photographing mode is switched to the second photographing mode, that is, when the state of the liquid crystal display unit 6 is changed from the first posture to the second posture, the CPU 27 reads out from the image memory 26. The read image data of one screen is subjected to image conversion for rotating the direction of the captured image by 180 ° and written to the VRAM 31, so that the upright image can be viewed in the second posture. To display.

  Conversely, when the second shooting mode is switched to the first shooting mode, that is, when the state of the liquid crystal display unit 6 is changed from the second position to the first position, the CPU 27 stores the image memory 26. The liquid crystal display unit is configured so that the image data of one screen read from the image data is subjected to image conversion for rotating the orientation of the captured image by 180 ° and written to the VRAM 31 so that an upright image can be viewed in the first posture state. 6 to display.

  When the operation mode setting key 12 is set to the playback mode, the image data of the captured image stored in the image memory 26 is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 6 and the operation mode is set to the print mode. In this case, the image data of the photographed image stored in the image memory 26 can be printed by the printer unit 3 by operating the first shutter button 13a.

  Further, in the first embodiment described above, one liquid crystal display unit 6 is provided, and the first posture and the second posture are determined depending on whether shooting is performed in the first shooting mode or the second shooting mode. However, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a display unit for each shooting mode is provided.

  That is, a first display unit that is disposed at a position where the photographer can visually recognize another person and sequentially displays images picked up by the image pickup unit when the first photographing mode is set; There is provided a second display unit that is disposed at a position where the photographer can view himself / herself and that sequentially displays images picked up by the image pickup unit when the second photographing mode is set.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing the external configuration of the camera apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the camera device according to the first embodiment, control is performed so that only one of the two shutter buttons 13a and 13b is enabled according to the setting of the shooting mode by the posture detection switch 8, but the second embodiment In the embodiment of the camera apparatus, the input to the two shutter buttons 13a and 13b is mechanically controlled.

  That is, in the camera device of the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the liquid crystal display unit 6 is provided with a first button cover piece 35a and a second button cover piece 35b.

  For example, in a mode in which the liquid crystal display unit 6 stands on the digital camera unit 2 and shoots the self (FIG. 6), when the liquid crystal display unit 6 is raised on the digital camera unit 2, the first button cover piece 35a is the first button cover piece 35a. The shutter button 13a is covered and the operation is disabled. At this time, only the operation of the second shutter button 13b is possible.

Moreover, in the aspect (FIG. 7) which image | photographs the other person who fell the liquid crystal display part 6 to the back side of the digital camera part 2, the 2nd button cover piece 35b covers the 2nd shutter button 13b, and the operation is carried out. Make it impossible. At this time, only the operation of the first shutter button 13a is possible.
Thereby, the input to the two shutter buttons 13a and 13b can be mechanically limited to either one only by changing the posture of the liquid crystal display unit 6.

The perspective view seen from the front of the electronic camera which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. The perspective view seen from the back of the electronic camera which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows an example of a structure of the sensor 8 shown in FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic circuit of a camera device according to the present invention. 6 is a flowchart for explaining photographing processing in the first embodiment. The perspective view seen from the front of the electronic camera which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. The perspective view seen from the back of the electronic camera which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Camera apparatus 2 ... Digital camera part 3 ... Printer part 4 ... Shooting lens 5 ... Flash 6 ... Liquid crystal display part 7 ... Hinge mechanism 8 ... Sensor 11 ... Power switch 12 ... Operation mode setting key 13a, 13b ... Shutter 14 ... Insertion ·Vent

Claims (6)

In a camera device that stores an image pickup signal imaged by an imaging unit based on a shooting instruction in a built-in memory,
First and second photographing instruction means which are arranged at different positions on the outer surface of the camera device and are operated to input photographing instructions;
A shooting mode setting means for setting a first shooting mode in which the photographer photographs the other person and a second shooting mode in which the photographer photographs himself / herself;
When the first shooting mode is set by the shooting mode setting means, only the operation of the first shooting instruction means is valid, and when the second shooting mode is set by the shooting mode setting means, the second shooting mode is set. Control means for enabling only the operation of the photographing instruction means;
A camera apparatus comprising: Furthermore, images taken by the image pickup means are sequentially displayed, and a first posture that can be seen when the photographer takes a picture of another person and a second posture that can be seen when the photographer takes a picture of himself / herself Display means capable of changing the state,
Display control means for changing the orientation of the displayed image when the display means is changed to either the first attitude or the second attitude;
The camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   Further, the photographing mode setting means includes posture detecting means for detecting the posture of the display means, and the posture detecting means detects the first photographing mode when detecting that the display means is in the first posture. 3. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the second photographing mode is set when it is detected that the display unit is in the second posture. 4. Further, a first display means is disposed at a position where the photographer can visually recognize another person and sequentially displays images picked up by the image pickup means when the first photographing mode is set. When,
A second display means that is arranged at a position that is visible when the photographer takes a picture of itself and that sequentially displays images picked up by the image pickup means when the second shooting mode is set;
The camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: In a camera device that stores an image pickup signal imaged by an imaging unit based on a shooting instruction in a built-in memory,
First and second photographing instruction means which are arranged at different positions on the outer surface of the camera device and are operated to input photographing instructions;
Images sequentially picked up by the image pickup means are sequentially displayed and changed to a first posture that can be seen when the photographer takes a picture of another person and a second posture that can be seen when the photographer takes a picture of himself / herself. Possible display means;
An operation blocking mechanism for blocking the operation of the second shooting operation key when the display means is in the first position and for blocking the operation of the first shooting operation key when the display means is in the second position. When,
A camera device comprising:   The camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit that prints an image stored in the memory on a recording sheet.

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