JP2006229585A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera displaying an image and information on the image in an easy-to-view state according to the combination of a display screen and an image to be displayed. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic camera having a display function comprises: an imaging section which images a subject and generates an image; a detection section which detects the imaging attitude of the electronic camera at the time of the imaging by the imaging section, a recording section which associates the image generated by the imaging section with the detection result of the detection section and records the result; a display section which displays the image recorded by the recording section and the information on the image; and a display control section which adjusts at least one of the size, display direction, and display position of the image when the image is displayed at the display section according to the aspect ratio of the display screen of the display section, the size of the image recorded in the recording section, and the detection result of the detection section, and also adjusts a display area when the information on the image is displayed at the display section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera having a display function.

Conventionally, an electronic camera having a display function for displaying an image generated by imaging on a display screen such as a monitor is known. Such an electronic camera displays an enlarged or reduced image according to the aspect ratio of the image to be displayed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, when a vertically long image is displayed on a horizontally long display screen, the image is reduced and displayed according to the length of the display screen in the vertical direction. In such a case, a portion where no image is displayed (a non-display portion) occurs on the left and right sides of the image. This non-display portion is normally displayed in black.
JP 2002-15268 A

  In the invention of Patent Document 1, a character display area for displaying shooting data such as a shooting date / time and an image file name is provided, and the non-display portion described above is used as a character display region, thereby effectively using the non-display portion. . However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, since the display screen is simply divided into an image display area and a character display area for display, depending on the aspect ratio and magnification of the image, the image itself, the shooting date / time, the image Shooting data such as file names may be difficult to see.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera that can easily display an image and information related to the image according to a combination of a display screen and an image to be displayed.

  The electronic camera according to claim 1, in an electronic camera having a display function, an imaging unit that captures a subject image and generates an image, and a detection that detects an imaging posture of the electronic camera at the time of imaging by the imaging unit A recording unit that records the image generated by the imaging unit in association with a detection result of the detection unit, a display unit that displays the image recorded by the recording unit and information about the image, According to the aspect ratio of the display screen of the display unit, the size of the image recorded in the recording unit, and the detection result by the detection unit, the size of the image when displaying the image on the display unit, A display control unit that adjusts at least one of the display direction of the image and the display position of the image, and adjusts a display area when information related to the image is displayed on the display unit Characterized by comprising a.

  The electronic camera according to claim 2 is the electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the electronic camera is connected to an external display device and exchanges information, and the external display device is connected via the connection portion. An acquisition unit that acquires an aspect ratio of the display screen, and the display control unit acquires the aspect ratio of the display screen of the external display device acquired by the acquisition unit, and the image recorded in the recording unit. At least one of the size of the image when the image is displayed on the external display device, the display direction of the image, and the display position of the image according to the size and the detection result by the detection unit. And adjusting a display area when displaying information related to the image on the external display device, and the connection unit supplies information adjusted by the display control unit to the external display device. It is characterized in.

  The electronic camera according to claim 3, in an electronic camera having a display function, an imaging unit that repeatedly captures a subject image to generate an image, and detects an imaging posture of the electronic camera at the time of imaging by the imaging unit A detection unit; a display unit that displays the image generated by the imaging unit and information about the image; an aspect ratio of a display screen of the display unit; a size of the image generated by the imaging unit; and the detection unit And adjusting at least one of the size of the image when the image is displayed on the display unit, the display direction of the image, and the display position of the image according to the detection result by A display area for displaying information on the display unit and a display control unit for adjusting at least one of display directions are provided.

  According to the electronic camera of the present invention, it is possible to easily display an image and information related to the image according to the combination of the display screen and the image to be displayed.

<< First Embodiment >>
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
As shown in the front external view of FIG. 1A, the electronic camera 1 according to the first embodiment includes a photographing lens 2 on the front surface and a release button 3 on the upper surface. Further, as shown in the rear external view of FIG. 1B, a liquid crystal monitor 4 and a cross button 5 are provided on the rear surface. The liquid crystal monitor 4 has a display screen with an aspect ratio of 3: 4.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the electronic camera 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic camera 1 includes an imaging unit 6 including an imaging lens 2 and an imaging element (not shown), a microphone 7 for acquiring sound, an operation unit 8 including a release button 3 and a cross button 5, and each unit. A control unit 9 for controlling, a detection unit 10 for detecting the imaging posture of the electronic camera 1, a display processing unit 11 for controlling the display content of the liquid crystal monitor 4, a speaker 12 for outputting sound, a recording unit 13 for recording images, etc. The connection part 14 which can be connected mutually is provided. The detection unit 10 includes a sensor that detects a shooting posture indicating whether the user holds the electronic camera 1 in a vertical position or a horizontal position during imaging. The specific configuration of this sensor is the same as that described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-15268, for example. Further, the aspect ratio of the imaging element (not shown) of the imaging unit 6 is 3: 4, which is the same as that of the liquid crystal monitor 4.

In FIG. 2, the imaging unit 6, the display processing unit 11, the recording unit 13, and the connection unit 14 are connected to the control unit 9. The output of the microphone 7 is connected to the speaker 12 via the control unit 9. The states of the operation unit 8 and the detection unit 10 are detected by the control unit 9, and the output of the display processing unit 11 is connected to the liquid crystal monitor 4.
The imaging unit 6 and the control unit 9 correspond to “imaging unit” in the claims, and the control unit 9 and the detection unit 10 correspond to “detection unit” in the claims. The control unit 9 and the recording unit 13 correspond to a “recording unit” in the claims, and the liquid crystal monitor 4 corresponds to a “display unit” in the claims. The control unit 9 and the display processing unit 11 correspond to “display processing unit” in the claims, and the control unit 9 and the connection unit 14 correspond to “connection unit” in the claims.

  In the electronic camera 1 having the above-described configuration, when an instruction to capture a subject image is instructed via the release button 3, the control unit 9 detects this and captures a subject image via the imaging unit 6. Then, the control unit 9 detects the imaging posture at the time of imaging via the detection unit 10 and records the image generated by imaging and the detection result in association with each other and records them in the recording unit 13. When audio information is also acquired through the microphone 7 at the time of image capturing, the audio information is similarly associated and recorded in the recording unit 13.

Hereinafter, an operation at the time of image reproduction, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. In the present embodiment, information related to an image is displayed together with the image during image reproduction. Whether or not such information is displayed is preferably specified by the user.
When the reproduction of the image is instructed via the operation unit 8, the control unit 9 determines whether or not the image to be reproduced is selected in step S1. Note that the image selected here is one of the images recorded in the recording unit 13 and, as described above, the aspect ratio of the imaging element (not shown) of the imaging unit 6 is 3: 4. The aspect ratio of the resulting image is also 3: 4.

When an image to be reproduced is selected, the control unit 9 determines whether or not to display on the liquid crystal monitor 4 in step S2. The determination as to whether or not to display on the liquid crystal monitor 4 may be made based on a user operation via the operation unit 8, or the type of an external device (such as a display device) connected to the connection unit 14 is determined. Then, the determination may be performed based on the determination result.
If it is determined to display on the liquid crystal monitor 4, in step S3, the control unit 9 determines the size, display direction, and display position of the image to be displayed. In step S3 and step S5, which will be described later, in order to make the description easy to understand, the description will be made using an image when displayed. In step S3 and step S5 described later, the size, display direction, and display position of the image are determined in order to generate such an image.

  The control unit 9 reads an image to be displayed and information related to the image from the recording unit 13. The information related to the image includes shooting information such as shooting date and time, a detection result by the detection unit 10, and the like. The control unit 9 then displays the image size when displaying the image according to the aspect ratio of the display screen of the liquid crystal monitor 4 (here, 3: 4), the size of the recorded image, and the detection result. An image display direction and an image display position are determined.

  When an image captured in the horizontal position is displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal monitor 4, as shown in FIG. 4A, the image enlargement rate so that a predetermined information display area can be provided at the lower and right portions of the image. Alternatively, the reduction ratio is determined, and the display position is determined at the upper left corner. Note that if the enlargement ratio or reduction ratio is made equal to the enlargement ratio or reduction ratio when an image captured at a vertical position described later is displayed, a display with less discomfort for the user is possible. In FIG. 4A, a display area for displaying character information a representing shooting information such as a shooting date and a shooting mode is provided at the bottom of the image, and the presence or absence of audio information (obtained via the microphone 7) is displayed on the right side of the image. The example which provides the display area which displays the character information b to represent is shown.

  When an image captured in the vertical position is displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal monitor 4, as shown in FIG. 4B, after the image is rotated by 90 °, the vertical length of the display screen of the liquid crystal monitor 4 is obtained. In addition, the enlargement ratio or reduction ratio of the image is determined, and the display position is determined at the left end. FIG. 4B shows an example in which a display area for displaying the character information c in which the character information a and the character information b are combined is displayed on the right part of the image. Note that the content and layout of information to be displayed may be specified by the user in accordance with the size and shape of the information display area.

  On the other hand, when it determines with not displaying on the liquid crystal monitor 4 in step S2, the control part 9 acquires the information of a display apparatus in step S4. The display device information is information such as the aspect ratio of the display screen, and may be specified by the user via the operation unit 8 or from an external device (such as a display device) connected to the connection unit 14. Information may be acquired automatically. The control unit 9 (the operation unit 8 and the connection unit 14) when performing such acquisition corresponds to an “acquisition unit” in the claims.

  In step S5, the control unit 9 determines the size of the image when displaying the image and the display of the image according to the information on the display device acquired in step S4, the size of the recorded image, and the detection result. The direction and the display position of the image are determined. Here, a case where display is performed on an external device having a display screen with an aspect ratio of 9:16 such as a high-definition screen will be described as an example. When an image with an aspect ratio of 3: 4 is displayed on a display screen with an aspect ratio of 9:16, the non-display portion is enlarged.

  When an image with an aspect ratio of 3: 4 captured in the horizontal position is displayed on a display screen with an aspect ratio of 9:16, the length of the display screen with an aspect ratio of 9:16 in the vertical direction is displayed as shown in FIG. 5B. In addition, the enlargement ratio or reduction ratio of the image is determined, and the display position is determined at the left end. FIG. 5A is the same view as FIG. 4A when displayed on the display screen having the aspect ratio of 3: 4. Comparing FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, it can be seen that it is possible to provide an information display area capable of displaying the same level of character information d while displaying an image larger. Note that the content and layout of information to be displayed may be specified by the user in accordance with the size and shape of the information display area.

  In addition, when an image with an aspect ratio of 3: 4 captured in a vertical position is displayed on a display screen with an aspect ratio of 9:16, the image is rotated 90 ° and then the vertical direction of the display screen with an aspect ratio of 9:16 is displayed. The enlargement ratio or reduction ratio of the image is determined according to the length, and the display positions are determined at the left end and the right end. By determining in this way, as shown in FIG. 6B, two images captured in the vertical position can be displayed in parallel. FIG. 6A is the same view as FIG. 4B when displayed on the display screen having the aspect ratio of 3: 4. Although FIG. 6B shows an example in which two images are moved to the left and right and an information display area is provided at the center, the layout is not limited to this example. In the example of FIG. 6B, an icon e is used instead of the character information “with voice information”. Thus, by displaying icons, information can be easily displayed in a limited information display area.

In step S6, the control unit 9 generates a display image via the display processing unit 11 according to the content determined in step S3 or step S5.
In step S7, the control unit 9 supplies the display image generated via the display processing unit 11 to each unit based on the determination in step S2. For example, if it is determined in step S <b> 2 that the image is to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 4, the image is supplied to the liquid crystal monitor 4.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, a subject image is captured to generate an image, the imaging posture of the electronic camera at the time of imaging is detected, and the generated image and the detection result are recorded in association with each other. . Then, when displaying the recorded image and information related to the image, the size of the image when displaying the image, the size of the recorded image, and the detection result are determined according to the aspect ratio of the display screen, the size of the recorded image, and the detection result. At least one of the display direction and the display position of the image is adjusted, and the display area for displaying information about the image is adjusted. Therefore, according to the combination of the display screen and the image to be displayed, the image and the information related to the image can be displayed easily.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, a connection unit that is connected to an external display device and exchanges information, and an acquisition unit that acquires the aspect ratio of the display screen of the external display device connected via the connection unit, According to the acquired aspect ratio of the display screen of the external display device, the size of the image, and the detection result, the size of the image when the image is displayed on the external display device, and the display direction of the image. In addition to adjusting at least one of the display position of the image, the display area for displaying information on the image on the external display device is adjusted, and the adjusted information is supplied to the external display device. Therefore, even when an image is displayed on an external display device having a different aspect ratio, the image and information related to the image can be displayed easily.

<< Second Embodiment >>
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The electronic camera of the second embodiment has the same configuration as the electronic camera 1 of the first embodiment. Therefore, illustration and description of the configuration are omitted, and the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used below.

In the second embodiment, each process executed when reproducing an image generated by imaging in the first embodiment is executed during composition confirmation based on a through image.
That is, the control unit 9 detects the posture of the electronic camera 1 while repeatedly capturing a subject image via the imaging unit 6. Then, the same processing as that of the first embodiment is performed on the image generated by imaging, and the image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 4. Since the normal through image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 4, the determination in step S2 and the steps S4 and S5 in the flowchart of FIG. 3 are unnecessary. Further, when playing back an image generated by imaging, the liquid crystal monitor 4 is always arranged horizontally, but may be arranged vertically when checking the composition.

  When the control unit 9 determines that the composition check is performed in the horizontal position by the detection unit 10, as shown in FIG. 7A, the image is provided so that predetermined information display areas are provided at the lower part and the right part of the image. The enlargement ratio or reduction ratio is determined, and the display position is determined at the upper left corner. In FIG. 7A, a display area for displaying character information a representing photographing information such as a photographing date and a photographing mode is provided at the bottom of the image, and a display area for displaying character information f representing the remaining number of images that can be photographed is displayed on the right side of the image. Further, an example in which a histogram display graph g of the signal level is provided at the lower right is shown.

  If the detection unit 10 determines that composition confirmation is performed in the vertical position, the control unit 9 does not rotate the image by 90 ° (composition confirmation is performed in the vertical position as shown in FIG. 7B). Therefore, the enlargement ratio or reduction ratio of the image is determined so that a predetermined information display area can be provided at the lower and right portions of the image, and the display position is determined at the upper left corner. In FIG. 7B, a display area for displaying character information a representing photographing information such as a photographing date and a photographing mode is provided at the bottom of the image, and a display area for displaying character information f representing the remaining number of images that can be photographed is displayed on the right side of the image. Further, an example in which a signal level histogram display graph g is provided at the lower right is shown. Further, the character information a, the character information f, and the histogram display graph g are rotated by 90 ° according to the detection result by the detection unit 10.

  Furthermore, when the user instructs zoom-in via the operation unit 8, the information display area is gradually reduced. That is, the display position is determined at the left end, and the information display area is gradually reduced as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, thereby enlarging the image by zooming in while securing the information display area. At this time, the layout is changed or an abbreviated display ("2005. ○. ○." Is abbreviated to "○ / ○") is displayed so that the information is easily displayed in a limited information display area.

If the information display area cannot be further reduced as shown in FIG. 8C, a part of the area in the display screen is fixed as the information display area as shown in FIG. 8D, and the image is displayed in the remaining part. Enlarge the center part to display. At this time, an information display area may be provided so as to overlap a part of the image.
As described above, according to the second embodiment, a subject image is repeatedly captured to generate an image, and an image capturing posture of the electronic camera at the time of capturing is detected, and the generated image and information about the image are detected. At the time of display, at least the size of the image when displaying the image, the display direction of the image, and the display position of the image according to the aspect ratio of the display screen, the size of the generated image, and the detection result While adjusting one, at least one of the display area and the display direction when displaying information about the image is adjusted. Therefore, even during composition confirmation based on a through image, it is possible to display the image and information related to the image in an easily visible manner.

Note that the same process as the process at the time of enlargement described with reference to FIG. 8 in the second embodiment may be applied to the first embodiment.
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, an example in which shooting information, a histogram, and the like are displayed in the information display area is shown, but other information may be displayed. For example, when the electronic camera 1 has a GPS (Global Positioning Systems) function, position information, a map, or the like may be displayed, or help information indicating an operation method of the electronic camera 1 may be displayed. Anyway.

1 is an external view of an electronic camera 1. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the electronic camera 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic camera 1. It is a figure which shows the example of the image at the time of displaying on a display screen. It is a figure which shows another example of the image at the time of displaying on a display screen. It is a figure which shows another example of the image at the time of displaying on a display screen. It is a figure which shows another example of the image at the time of displaying on a display screen. It is a figure which shows another example of the image at the time of displaying on a display screen.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic camera 2 Shooting lens 3 Release button 4 Liquid crystal monitor 5 Cross button 6 Imaging part 7 Microphone 8 Operation part 9 Control part 10 Detection part 11 Display processing part 12 Speaker 13 Recording part 14 Connection part

Claims (3)

In an electronic camera with a display function,
An imaging unit that captures a subject image and generates an image;
A detection unit for detecting an imaging posture of the electronic camera at the time of imaging by the imaging unit;
A recording unit that records the image generated by the imaging unit in association with the detection result of the detection unit;
A display unit for displaying the image recorded by the recording unit and information about the image;
According to the aspect ratio of the display screen of the display unit, the size of the image recorded in the recording unit, and the detection result by the detection unit, the size of the image when displaying the image on the display unit A display control unit that adjusts at least one of a display direction of the image and a display position of the image, and adjusts a display area when information related to the image is displayed on the display unit. A featured electronic camera. The electronic camera according to claim 1,
A connection unit for connecting to an external display device and transferring information;
An acquisition unit that acquires an aspect ratio of a display screen of the external display device connected through the connection unit;
The display control unit, according to the aspect ratio of the display screen of the external display device acquired by the acquisition unit, the size of the image recorded in the recording unit, and the detection result by the detection unit Adjusting at least one of the size of the image when the image is displayed on the external display device, the display direction of the image, and the display position of the image, and information related to the image to the external display device Adjust the display area when displaying,
The said connection part supplies the information after the adjustment by the said display control part to the said external display apparatus. The electronic camera characterized by the above-mentioned. In an electronic camera with a display function,
An imaging unit that repeatedly captures a subject image to generate an image;
A detection unit for detecting an imaging posture of the electronic camera at the time of imaging by the imaging unit;
A display unit for displaying the image generated by the imaging unit and information related to the image;
According to the aspect ratio of the display screen of the display unit, the size of the image generated by the imaging unit, and the detection result of the detection unit, the size of the image when displaying the image on the display unit A display for adjusting at least one of a display direction of the image and a display position of the image and adjusting at least one of a display area and a display direction when information related to the image is displayed on the display unit An electronic camera comprising a control unit.

Images