JP2007166515A - Recording and reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device wherein high visibility (lightness) is made compatible with power consumption by operating in a low power consumption mode during ordinary use and improving visibility by increasing lightness of a display screen automatically as needed. <P>SOLUTION: An image display unit of a recording and reproducing apparatus can be switched between two stages of ordinary luminance and luminance higher than the ordinary luminance through a luminance control means and when the recording and reproducing apparatus is powered on, the image display unit operates with the ordinary luminance but when a shutter button is pressed by half for a pre-operation of still picture photographing, the image display unit operates with luminance higher than the ordinary luminance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display apparatus used in a recording / reproducing apparatus such as an electronic camera.

  As an image display device used for confirming a photographed image in an electronic camera, a camera-integrated VTR, or the like, a liquid crystal display device that is most balanced in terms of cost, size, and performance is generally used at present. . The liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel that displays an image and a backlight that emits white light from the back surface of the liquid crystal display panel. Here, since the appearance of the image of the liquid crystal display device depends on the brightness of the display screen with respect to external light, in general, the brighter the backlight, the better the image visibility.

  However, increasing the brightness of the backlight directly increases the power consumption. In electronic cameras and camera-integrated VTRs that are often driven by a battery, an increase in power consumption leads to a decrease in battery duration, resulting in poor usability of the device.

  Therefore, a mode that allows the user to arbitrarily select the backlight brightness is provided, and depending on the user's usage environment, the backlight brightness is increased to give priority to the visibility of the screen, or the battery duration is given priority. Devices are provided that can be configured to dim the light.

  The above is a description of a liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight as a display device. Increasing is the same trend.

As another conventional example, Patent Document 1 can be cited.
JP 2001-086393 A

  As described above, in the display device of the image recording / reproducing apparatus, good visibility (brightness) and power consumption are contradictory, and it is difficult to achieve both.

  Even if there is a function of selectively switching the brightness of the backlight, the user has to change the setting each time according to the use environment, and there is a problem that the operation is troublesome.

In order to solve the above problems, an image display apparatus of an image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention provides:
In a recording / reproducing apparatus having an image display unit, brightness control means for controlling the brightness of a display screen of the image display unit, and a still image shooting function, the image display unit is controlled by the brightness control means. It is possible to switch between two levels of brightness that is brighter than the brightness. When the recording / playback device is turned on, it operates at the normal brightness, and when the shutter button is pressed halfway for the preliminary operation of still image shooting, Is also characterized by operating at bright brightness.

  Also, for preliminary operation of still image shooting, the shutter button is pressed halfway to operate the display device at a brightness brighter than normal, and then the shutter button is fully pressed to return to the original brightness after shooting is completed. And

  In addition, after the still image shooting is completed, a preview function is provided to display the image after shooting for a predetermined time on the display device. After that, the brightness is returned to normal.

  The image display unit includes a liquid crystal panel and a backlight whose luminance can be changed.

  Alternatively, the image display unit is composed of an organic EL panel.

  According to the present invention, since the brightness control means for controlling the brightness of the display device according to the presence / absence of the half-press, full-press and preview operation of the shutter button is provided, the brightness control means allows the user to When the shutter button is pressed halfway as a shooting preliminary operation during shooting, the brightness of the display device operates at a brightness brighter than usual. Further, when the shutter button is fully pressed and the photographing is completed, the normal brightness is restored. In addition, when a preview function for displaying a photographed image on the display device for a predetermined time after photographing is completed is displayed with a bright luminance during the preview period, the normal luminance is restored after the preview period.

  As described above, the brightness of the image display device is automatically increased during the preliminary shooting operation and the preview operation in which the image confirmation is most important, and the image can be easily confirmed.

  In normal use, a slightly dark image with low power consumption is displayed, and the screen brightness is increased only when necessary. A display device of a playback device can be provided.

  Next, details of the present invention will be described in accordance with the description of the embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of an embodiment in which the image display apparatus of the present invention is implemented in an electronic camera.

  In the figure, 1 is a lens, 2 is a CCD that converts light incident on the lens 1 into an electrical signal, and 3 is a camera signal that converts the output signal of the CCD 2 into a video signal and performs various video signal processing such as gamma and white balance. The processing circuit 4 is a recording / reproducing apparatus that performs signal processing suitable for recording the output signal of the camera signal processing circuit 3 on the recording medium 5 during recording and performs reproduction signal processing of the signal recorded in the recording medium 5 during reproduction. , 6 is a shutter button, 7 is a microcomputer storing a program for controlling the apparatus, 8 is a signal process (gamma) suitable for displaying a video signal output from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 on an LCD (liquid crystal panel) 9. , Brightness, contrast, 1H inversion, etc.) LCD driving circuit 10 is a backlight driving circuit for controlling the lighting of the backlight 11 and the luminance. A liquid crystal display unit 12 is a combination of the LCD drive circuit 8, the LCD 9, the backlight drive circuit 10, and the backlight 11.

  In the above configuration, when the power switch (not shown) is turned on and the electronic camera is turned on, the microcomputer 7 drives the camera signal processing circuit 3, the recording / reproducing apparatus 4, the LCD driving circuit 8 and the like, and drives the backlight. The circuit 10 is controlled to turn on the backlight 11 with normal luminance. When the microcomputer 7 detects that the user has pressed the shutter button 6 halfway as a preparatory operation for photographing, the microcomputer 7 controls the backlight driving circuit 10 to turn on the backlight 11 with a brightness brighter than usual. When the microcomputer 7 detects that the shutter button 6 has been fully pressed and photographing has been performed, the microcomputer 7 controls the backlight driving circuit 10 to return the backlight to normal brightness. Further, in the case of an apparatus having a so-called “preview function” in which a recorded image is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 12 for a predetermined time immediately after shooting, the shutter button 6 is fully pressed to perform shooting, and then the preview display ends. When the microcomputer 7 detects this, the microcomputer 7 controls the backlight drive circuit 10 to return the backlight 11 to the normal luminance.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation process of the display device of this embodiment.

  First, when the power source of the electronic camera body is turned on in S1, the microcomputer 7 controls the backlight drive circuit 10 in S2 to turn on the backlight 11 with standard luminance. Next, when the shutter button 6 is half-pressed in S3, the microcomputer 7 controls the backlight drive circuit 10 to turn on the backlight 11 with a brightness brighter than the standard (S4). Next, when the half-press of the shutter button 6 is not released in S5 but is fully pressed (S6), the preview mode is confirmed (S7). If the preview mode is selected, a preview operation is started (S8), and the preview is terminated after a predetermined time has elapsed (S9). When the preview operation is completed, the microcomputer 7 controls the backlight drive circuit 10 to return the brightness of the backlight 11 to the standard (S10). When the microcomputer 7 detects that the half-press of the shutter button 6 is released in S5, the brightness of the backlight 11 is returned to the standard (S10). Similarly, when the microcomputer 7 detects that the preview mode is not selected in S7, the luminance of the backlight 11 is returned to the standard.

  In the above embodiment, a liquid crystal display unit composed of an LCD and a backlight is used as an image display device. However, other display devices such as an organic EL panel are used instead of switching the backlight brightness in the above embodiment. The same effect can be obtained by changing the brightness of the device itself.

The block diagram which shows the basic composition of embodiment which implemented the image display apparatus of this invention in the electronic camera. 10 is a flowchart of operation processing of the display device of the present embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Lens 2 CCD
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Camera signal processing circuit 4 Recording / reproducing apparatus 5 Recording medium 6 Shutter button 7 Microcomputer 8 LCD drive circuit 9 LCD (liquid crystal panel)
10 Backlight Drive Circuit 11 Backlight 12 Liquid Crystal Display Unit

Claims (5)

  In a recording / reproducing apparatus having an image display unit, brightness control means for controlling the brightness of a display screen of the image display unit, and a still image shooting function, the image display unit is controlled by the brightness control means. It is possible to switch between two levels of brightness that is brighter than the brightness. When the power of the recording / reproducing device is turned on, it operates at the normal brightness. A recording / reproducing apparatus characterized by operating at a bright luminance.   For preliminary operation of still image shooting, the shutter button is half-pressed to operate the display device at a brightness brighter than normal, and then the shutter button is fully pressed to return to the original brightness after shooting is completed. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1.   After the still image shooting, a preview function is provided to display the image after shooting for a predetermined time on the display device, and the display image is operated at a brightness higher than normal during the preview period. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording / reproducing apparatus returns to normal luminance.   4. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit includes a liquid crystal panel and a backlight capable of changing luminance.   The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit includes an organic EL panel.

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