JP2008028728A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera which is excellent in operability for a photographer in terms of prevention against tilt photography. <P>SOLUTION: In the digital camera 10 as an embodiment of the present invention, a CPU 38 judges in which of posture for horizontal photography and posture for vertical photography a camera main body 12 is by comparing amplitudes of sensor outputs from an acceleration sensors 92 when the camera main body 12 is held facing a subject to photograph the subject. Then the CPU 38 when judging the camera body is in the posture for horizontal photography displays an auxiliary line image consisting of longitudinal lines 88 and 88 and lateral lines 90 and 90 on a liquid crystal monitor together with a subject image on condition that the tilt angle of the camera main body 12 in the posture detected by the acceleration sensor 92 is ≥1° to a horizontal axis. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera, and more particularly, to a digital camera in which a vertical line or horizontal line auxiliary line image is superimposed and displayed on a liquid crystal monitor that displays a through image of a subject so that a photographed image does not tilt.

  The digital camera captures a subject image obtained through a photographing lens by an individual image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS, and displays a through image of the subject image on an electronic viewfinder such as a liquid crystal monitor. The photographer performs framing while confirming the through image, determines the photographing range, and performs photographing.

  However, if the photographer unconsciously shoots, there are many problems that the photographer pays attention only to the main subject, the horizontal reference is neglected, and the photographed image is tilted due to the photographer's habit. To do.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 detects the tilt of the camera based on information from an acceleration sensor that detects the tilt of the camera, records this on a recording medium, displays the tilt on an electronic viewfinder, and further records it. A digital camera that corrects an image based on tilt information is disclosed.

Patent Document 2 discloses a digital camera that displays a three-division auxiliary frame that is equally divided into three in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction on the electronic viewfinder together with a through image. According to this digital camera, during framing, the 3-division auxiliary frame is displayed on the electronic viewfinder, and the camera is held so that the vertical and horizontal parts of the subject overlap the auxiliary line of the 3-division auxiliary frame. No image can be obtained.
JP 2004-343476 A JP 2000-270302 A

  However, since the digital camera of Patent Document 1 has a function of correcting a recorded image based on tilt information, there is a drawback that the camera becomes very expensive.

  On the other hand, the digital camera of Patent Document 2 has a simple structure because it only displays the three-part auxiliary line on the electronic viewfinder, but the three-part auxiliary line is always displayed on the electronic viewfinder. For this reason, there was a drawback that it was annoying for the photographer.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera that is easy to use for photographers in preventing tilted shooting.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display unit for displaying a through image captured for framing a subject and a sensor for detecting a tilt angle of the camera body with respect to a horizontal direction or a vertical direction in order to achieve the above object. And a control unit that displays an auxiliary line image composed of vertical lines and / or horizontal lines on the display unit together with a subject image when the tilt angle detected by the sensor exceeds a first angle. It is provided in the main body.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the tilt angle of the camera body detected by the sensor exceeds the first angle, the control unit displays an auxiliary line image composed of vertical lines and / or horizontal lines on the display unit. Display with the image. As a result, the photographer captures the image by adjusting the horizontal line or vertical line displayed in the through image to the auxiliary line image or by aligning the horizontal line or the vertical line so as to be parallel to the auxiliary line image. No subject image can be obtained. Further, the digital camera of the present invention is not displayed on the display unit unless the tilt angle of the camera body exceeds the first angle. Therefore, as compared with the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 2 in which the three-part auxiliary line is always displayed on the electronic viewfinder, the auxiliary line image is not obstructive. The first angle is preferably set to an angle at which the photographed subject image is not minded, for example, ± 1 °.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the control unit determines whether the camera body is in a vertical shooting posture or a horizontal shooting posture based on an inclination angle detected by the sensor. The auxiliary line image is displayed on the display unit based on the determined vertical shooting posture or horizontal shooting posture.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the control unit determines whether the current posture of the camera body is the vertical shooting posture or the horizontal shooting posture based on the tilt angle detected by the sensor, An auxiliary line image is displayed on the display unit based on the determined posture.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the sensor is an acceleration sensor, and the control unit has a magnitude of an output value of the X axis of the acceleration sensor and an output value of the Y axis orthogonal to the X axis. It is determined whether the camera body is in a vertical shooting posture or a horizontal shooting posture by comparing the height, the determined vertical shooting posture, or the tilt angle of the camera main body based on the horizontal shooting posture, When the second angle larger than the first angle is exceeded, the auxiliary line image is deleted, the color of the auxiliary line image is changed, or the brightness of the auxiliary line image is changed.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, for example, when the output of the acceleration sensor is Y-axis> X-axis, the control unit determines that the camera body is in the horizontal shooting posture, and the output of the acceleration sensor is Y-axis < In the case of the X axis, the control unit determines that the camera body is in the vertical shooting posture. The control unit determines that the camera body is intentionally tilted when the tilt angle of the camera body with respect to the determined posture exceeds a second angle that is larger than the first angle. Then, delete the auxiliary line image displayed on the display, change the color of the auxiliary line image (lighten), change the brightness of the auxiliary line image (darker), and In addition, it is confirmed that the image is tilted and the auxiliary line image is not obstructed at least during intentional tilt shooting. The second angle is about ± 10 °. Therefore, the auxiliary line image is displayed on the display unit within an inclination range of ± 1 ° to ± 10 °.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second, or third aspect, the camera body includes a warning unit, and the control unit is configured to detect the tilt angle detected by the sensor exceeding the first angle. Is characterized by generating a warning from the warning means.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the tilt angle detected by the sensor exceeds the first angle, not only the auxiliary line image is displayed on the display unit but also a warning is generated from the warning means. , Let the photographer know that it is a tilted shot. Examples of warning means include means for lighting / flashing the light emitting unit and means for sounding a horn.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, when the digital camera is switched to the macro shooting mode, the control unit is configured to perform the operation regardless of the tilt angle detected by the sensor. An auxiliary line image is not displayed on the display unit.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the digital camera is switched to the macro mode, the camera body is generally tilted downward to shoot a subject, and in this macro mode, Since the camera body is not tilted, unnecessary auxiliary line images are not displayed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect, when the digital camera is switched to the self-photographing mode, the control unit is configured so that the tilt angle detected by the sensor is the first angle. When the angle of 1 is exceeded, a warning lamp provided on the front side of the camera body is controlled to be turned on.

  Since the display unit as an electronic viewfinder is provided on the back of the camera body, the photographer (self) displays the self-image displayed on the display unit and the auxiliary line image when tilted when switching to the self-photographing mode. Can not see. In such a situation, when the invention according to claim 6 is switched to the self-photographing mode, the control unit is arranged on the front side of the camera body when the inclination angle detected by the sensor exceeds the first angle. Controls lighting of the provided warning light. Thus, the subject himself can confirm that the camera body is tilted without looking at the auxiliary line image on the display unit. In place of the warning light, a horn may be sounded.

  According to the digital camera of the present invention, when the tilt angle of the camera body detected by the sensor exceeds the first angle, the control unit displays an auxiliary line image including vertical lines and / or horizontal lines on the display unit together with the subject image. Since it is displayed, it is convenient for the photographer to prevent tilted shooting.

  Preferred embodiments of a digital camera according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a digital camera 10 according to an embodiment as viewed from the front, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the digital camera 10 as viewed from the back. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the digital camera 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the camera body 12 of the digital camera 10 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a grip portion 14 bulging forward is formed on the left side of the front surface. A shooting button 16 is disposed on the upper surface of the camera body 12 where the grip portion 14 is located. The photographing button 16 is provided at a position where the photographing button 16 can be operated by the index finger of the right hand of the photographer holding the grip portion 14. Further, on the right side of the front surface of the camera body 12, a retractable / extending type two-stage lens barrel 20 holding the photographing lens 18 is provided so as to protrude forward. Furthermore, a strobe light emitting unit 22 having a xenon tube is provided on the upper left side of the front surface of the camera body 12, and an optical viewfinder objective unit 24 and an LED (warning light) 26 are provided in the vicinity of the strobe light emitting unit 22. Be placed. Further, a speaker (warning means) 28 is provided on the side surface of the camera body 12. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, a liquid crystal monitor (display unit) 30, a mode selection switch 32, various switches such as a cross key 34, and an optical viewfinder eyepiece 36 are provided at predetermined positions on the back of the camera body 12, respectively. ing.

  In the digital camera 10, by operating the mode selection switch 32, one shooting operation is selected from the shooting operations of still image shooting, moving image shooting, and continuous shooting (continuous shooting). When the still image shooting operation is selected, the subject is shot for each frame by pressing the shooting button 16, and when the movie shooting operation is selected, the moving image (Motion JPEG) is displayed while the shooting button 16 is pressed. ) Shooting is possible. Further, when the continuous shooting operation is selected by the mode selection switch 32, continuous shooting is continued while the shooting button 16 is pressed, and a plurality of frames can be shot until the finger is raised from the shooting button 16.

  The overall operation of the digital camera 10 is comprehensively controlled by a central processing unit (CPU (control unit)) 38 as shown in FIG. The CPU 38 functions as a control unit that controls the camera system according to a predetermined program, and also performs a calculation unit such as an automatic exposure (AE) calculation, an automatic focus adjustment (AF) calculation, and a white balance (WB) adjustment calculation. Function as.

  The ROM 42 connected to the CPU 38 via the bus 40 stores programs executed by the CPU 38 and various data necessary for control. The EEPROM 44 stores CCD pixel defect information, various constants / information related to camera operation, and the like. Has been.

  The memory (SDRAM) 43 is used as a program development area and a calculation work area for the CPU 38, and is also used as a temporary storage area for still and moving image data and audio data. An HDD (Hard Disk Drive Unit) 45 is a temporary storage memory dedicated to image data. Note that the memory 43 and the HDD 45 can be shared.

  The mode selection switch 32 is an operation means for switching between a still image shooting, a moving image shooting, and a continuous shooting (continuous shooting) shooting mode and a playback mode. When the mode selection switch 32 is operated to connect the movable contact piece 32A to the contact point a, the signal is input to the CPU 38, and the digital camera 10 is set to the photographing mode. When the movable contact piece 32A is connected to the contact point b, the digital camera 10 is set to a reproduction mode for reproducing a recorded image.

  The shooting button 16 is an operation button for inputting an instruction to start shooting, and includes a two-stroke switch having an S1 switch that is turned on when half-pressed and an S2 switch that is turned on when fully pressed.

  The menu / OK key (not shown in FIG. 2) functions as a menu button for instructing to display a menu on the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 30, and as an OK button for instructing confirmation and execution of selection contents. This is an operation key that has both functions. The cross key 34 is an operation unit for inputting instructions in four directions, up, down, left, and right, and functions as a button for selecting an item from the menu screen or instructing selection of various setting items from each menu. With the cross key 34, one shooting operation is selected from still image shooting, moving image shooting, and continuous shooting (continuous shooting), and the selected shooting operation is confirmed by pressing the menu / OK key. A cancel key (not shown in FIG. 2) is used to delete a desired object such as a selection item, cancel an instruction content, or return to the previous operation state.

  The liquid crystal monitor 30 is also used as a user interface display screen, and displays information such as menu information, selection items, and setting contents as necessary. Although the liquid crystal monitor 30 is a liquid crystal display, other types of display devices such as an organic EL can be used instead.

  The digital camera 10 has a media socket 46, and a recording medium 48 can be attached to the media socket 46. The form of the recording medium 48 is not particularly limited, and various media such as a semiconductor memory card represented by SmartMedia (trademark), a portable small hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and a magneto-optical disk can be used.

  The media controller 50 performs necessary signal conversion in order to exchange input / output signals suitable for the recording medium 48 mounted in the media socket 46.

  The digital camera 10 also includes a USB interface unit 52 as communication means for connecting to a personal computer or other external device. By connecting the digital camera 10 and an external device using a USB cable, it is possible to exchange data with the external device. Of course, the communication method is not limited to USB, and other communication methods may be applied.

  Next, the photographing function of the digital camera 10 will be described.

  When the shooting mode is selected by the mode selection switch 32, power is supplied to an imaging unit including a color CCD solid-state imaging device (hereinafter referred to as CCD) 54, and a still image, a moving image, or continuous shooting is enabled. Thereafter, one of the shooting operations is selected from the still image shooting, the moving image shooting, and the continuous shooting (continuous shooting) with the cross key 34, and the selected shooting operation is confirmed by pressing the menu / OK key.

  The lens barrel 20 is an optical unit that includes a photographic lens 18 including a focus lens and a mechanical shutter 56 that also serves as an aperture. The lens barrel 20 is electrically driven by a lens driving unit 58 and a diaphragm driving unit 60 controlled by the CPU 38, and zoom control, focus control, and iris control are performed.

  The light that has passed through the photographic lens 18 forms an image on the light receiving surface of the CCD 54. A number of photodiodes (light receiving elements) are two-dimensionally arranged on the light receiving surface of the CCD 54, and red (R), green (G), and blue (B) primary color filters are provided corresponding to the photodiodes. They are arranged in a predetermined arrangement structure. The CCD 54 has an electronic shutter function for controlling the charge accumulation time (shutter speed) of each photodiode. The CPU 38 controls the charge accumulation time in the CCD 54 via the timing generator 62. Instead of the CCD 54, another type of image sensor such as a MOS type may be used.

  The subject image formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD 54 is converted into a signal charge of an amount corresponding to the amount of incident light by each photodiode. The signal charge accumulated in each photodiode is sequentially read out as a voltage signal (image signal) corresponding to the signal charge based on a drive pulse supplied from the timing generator 62 in accordance with a command from the CPU 38.

  The signal output from the CCD 54 is sent to an analog processing unit (CDS / AMP) 64 where the R, G, and B signals for each pixel are sampled and held (correlated double sampling processing), amplified, and then A / Applied to D converter 66. The dot-sequential R, G, B signals converted into digital signals by the A / D converter 66 are stored in the memory 43 via the image input controller 68.

  The image signal processing circuit 70 processes the R, G, and B signals stored in the memory 43 in accordance with instructions from the CPU 38. That is, the image signal processing circuit 70 includes a synchronization circuit (a processing circuit that converts a color signal into a simultaneous expression by interpolating a spatial shift of the color signal associated with the color filter array of the single CCD), a white balance correction circuit, It functions as an image processing means including a gamma correction circuit, a contour correction circuit, a luminance / color difference signal generation circuit, etc., and performs predetermined signal processing using the memory 38 in accordance with commands from the CPU 38.

  The RGB image data input to the image signal processing circuit 70 is converted into a luminance signal and a color difference signal by the image signal processing circuit 70 and subjected to predetermined processing such as gamma correction. Image data processed by the image signal processing circuit 70 is recorded in the HDD 45.

  When the captured image is output to the liquid crystal monitor 30, the image data is read from the HDD 45 and sent to the video encoder 72 via the bus 40. The video encoder 72 converts the input image data into a predetermined signal for display (for example, an NTSC color composite video signal) and outputs the converted signal to the liquid crystal monitor 30.

  When the shooting button 16 is pressed halfway and S1 is turned on, the digital camera 10 starts AE and AF processing. That is, the image signal output from the CCD 54 is input to the AF detection circuit 74 and the AE / AWB detection circuit 76 via the image input controller 68 after A / D conversion.

  The AE / AWB detection circuit 76 includes a circuit that divides one screen into a plurality of areas (for example, 16 × 16) and integrates RGB signals for each divided area, and provides the integrated value to the CPU 38. The CPU 38 detects the brightness of the subject (subject brightness) based on the integrated value obtained from the AE / AWB detection circuit 76, and calculates an exposure value (shooting EV value) suitable for shooting. According to the obtained exposure value and a predetermined program diagram, the aperture value and the shutter speed are determined, and the CPU 38 controls the electronic shutter and iris of the CCD 54 to obtain an appropriate exposure amount.

  The AE / AWB detection circuit 76 calculates an average integrated value for each color of the RGB signals for each divided area during automatic white balance adjustment, and provides the calculation result to the CPU 38. The CPU 38 obtains an integrated value of R, an integrated value of B, and an integrated value of G, obtains a ratio of R / G and B / G for each divided area, and calculates R / G and R / G of the values of B / G. The light source type is discriminated based on the distribution in the color space of G, B / G, etc., and the white balance is adjusted so that the value of each ratio is approximately 1, for example, according to the white balance adjustment value suitable for the discriminated light source type. The gain value (white balance correction value) for the R, G, and B signals of the adjustment circuit is controlled to correct the signal of each color channel. When the gain value of the white balance adjustment circuit is adjusted so that the above-described ratio values are values other than 1, an image in which a certain color remains can be generated.

  The AF control in the digital camera 10 is, for example, a contrast AF that moves a focusing lens (a moving lens that contributes to focus adjustment among the lens optical systems constituting the photographing lens 18) so that the high-frequency component of the G signal of the video signal is maximized. Applies. That is, the AF detection circuit 74 cuts out a signal in a focus target area set in advance in a high-pass filter that passes only a high-frequency component of the G signal, an absolute value processing unit, and a screen (for example, the center of the screen). An area extraction unit and an integration unit that integrates absolute value data in the AF area are configured.

  The integrated value data obtained by the AF detection circuit 74 is notified to the CPU 38. The CPU 38 calculates a focus evaluation value (AF evaluation value) at a plurality of AF detection points while moving the focusing lens by controlling the lens driving unit 58, and determines a lens position where the evaluation value is a maximum as a focus position. To do. Then, the lens driving unit 58 is controlled so as to move the focusing lens to the obtained in-focus position. The calculation of the AF evaluation value is not limited to a mode using the G signal, and a luminance signal (Y signal) may be used.

  The shooting button 16 is pressed halfway, AE / AF processing is performed when S1 is turned on, the shooting button 16 is fully pressed, and the shooting operation for recording starts when S2 is turned on. The image data acquired in response to S2 ON is converted into a luminance / color difference signal (Y / C signal) in the image signal processing circuit 70, subjected to predetermined processing such as gamma correction, and then stored in the memory 43. The

  The Y / C signal stored in the memory 43 is compressed according to a predetermined format by the compression / decompression circuit 78 and then recorded on the recording medium 48 via the media controller 50. For example, an image is recorded in JPEG format.

  When the playback mode is selected by the mode selection switch 32, the compressed data of the final image file (last recorded file) recorded on the recording medium 48 is read. When the file related to the last recording is a still image file, the read compressed image data is expanded to an uncompressed YC signal via the compression / expansion circuit 78 and then passed through the image signal processing circuit 70 and the video encoder 72. Are converted into display signals and then output to the liquid crystal monitor 30. Thereby, the image content of the file is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 30.

  During single-frame playback of still images (including playback of the first frame of a movie), the file to be played can be switched by operating the right or left key of the four-way controller (forward frame advance / reverse frame advance). it can. The image file at the frame-advanced position is read from the recording medium 48, and still images and moving images are reproduced and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 in the same manner as described above. The digital camera 10 is driven by the power of the battery 82 supplied through the power supply circuit 80.

  On the other hand, the auxiliary line display unit 84 connected to the CPU 38 via the bus 40 incorporates a ROM 86, and the ROM 86 includes two vertical lines 88 shown in FIG. 4B displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30. , 88 and auxiliary line image data representing an auxiliary line image composed of two horizontal lines 90, 90 are stored. The auxiliary line display unit 84 generates composite image data obtained by combining the auxiliary line image data and the through image data acquired as a through image and stored in the memory 43, and displays the combined image data on the liquid crystal monitor 30. As a result, the liquid crystal monitor 30 displays a through image divided into nine vertical and horizontal lines by the two vertical lines 88 and 88 and the two horizontal lines 90 and 90 as shown in FIG. In the embodiment, the two vertical lines 88 and 88 and the two horizontal lines 90 and 90 are displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only one vertical line 88 may be displayed. Only one horizontal line 90 may be used.

  Incidentally, the digital camera 10 includes an acceleration sensor 92 as shown in FIG. The acceleration sensor 92 detects the tilt angle of the camera body 12 and outputs the detection result to the CPU 38. The acceleration sensor 92 is constituted by a set of sensors each having a reference axis (X axis, Y axis) for detecting an inclination angle in the horizontal direction (X axis direction) and the vertical direction (Y axis direction) of the CCD 54.

  The CPU 38 can display the inclination angle of the photographing result on a part of the liquid crystal monitor 30 based on the detection result of the inclination angle detected by the acceleration sensor 92. In the display of the tilt angle, it is determined based on the output signal of the acceleration sensor 92 whether the posture is a landscape orientation according to the landscape composition of FIG. 4 or the portrait orientation of portrait orientation of FIG.

  That is, the CPU 38 compares the amplitudes of these two sensor outputs by converting each sensor output signal of the acceleration sensor 92 whose reference axis is set in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction into absolute values and comparing them. Here, when the determination result that the amplitude of the sensor output obtained by setting the reference axis in the Y-axis direction is larger (Y-axis> X-axis) is obtained, framing is performed in the landscape orientation as shown in FIG. It is determined that On the other hand, when the determination result that the amplitude of each sensor output obtained by setting the reference axis in the X-axis direction is larger (Y-axis <X-axis) is obtained, framing is performed in the vertical shooting posture as shown in FIG. Is determined to have been performed.

  Further, the CPU 38 detects the vertical lines 88 and 88 on the liquid crystal monitor 30 when the inclination angle in the horizontal shooting posture and the vertical shooting posture detected by the acceleration sensor 92 exceeds ± 1 ° (first angle). , And horizontal lines 90 and 90 are displayed together with a through image as a subject image.

  According to the digital camera 10 having such a configuration, when the subject is photographed, the camera body 12 is held facing the subject, and at that time, the CPU 38 compares the amplitudes of the sensor outputs output from the acceleration sensor 92, It is determined whether the camera body 12 is in the horizontal shooting posture or the vertical shooting posture. When the CPU 38 determines that the posture is horizontal shooting, if the tilt angle of the camera body 12 in that posture detected by the acceleration sensor 92 exceeds ± 1 ° with respect to the horizontal axis, the CPU 38 of FIG. ), The auxiliary line image including the vertical lines 88 and 88 and the horizontal lines 90 and 90 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 together with the subject image.

  As a result, the photographer aligns the horizon line (horizontal line) 94 or the vertical wall surface (vertical line) 96 of the building displayed in the through image with the vertical lines 88 and 88 and the horizontal lines 90 and 90, or the vertical line 88. , 88 and the horizontal lines 90, 90 so that the vertical lines 88, 88 and the horizontal lines 90, 90 disappear on the liquid crystal monitor 30 as shown in FIG. Since an object with no tilt is displayed, the subject image without tilt can be obtained by releasing the shooting button 16 at this time.

  Further, when the CPU 38 determines that the posture is a vertical shooting posture, when the inclination angle of the camera body 12 in the posture detected by the acceleration sensor 92 exceeds ± 1 ° with respect to the vertical axis, FIG. ), The auxiliary line image including the vertical (horizontal) lines 88 and 88 and the horizontal (vertical) lines 90 and 90 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 together with the subject image.

  As a result, the photographer uses the horizontal line (horizontal line) 94 displayed on the through image or the vertical wall surface (vertical line) 96 of the building to the vertical (horizontal) lines 88 and 88 and the horizontal (vertical) lines 90 and 90. Or the vertical (horizontal) lines 88 and 88 and the horizontal (vertical) lines 90 and 90 are aligned in parallel with the liquid crystal monitor 30 as shown in FIG. Since subjects with no inclination, in which the (horizontal) lines 88 and 88 and the horizontal (vertical) lines 90 and 90 have disappeared, are displayed, the subject image without inclination is obtained by releasing the photographing button 16 at this time. Can do.

  As described above, in the digital camera 10 according to the embodiment, the auxiliary line image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 when the tilt angle of the camera body 12 exceeds ± 1 °, but the tilt angle of the camera body 12 is ± 1 °. Unless it exceeds, it is not displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30. Therefore, as compared with the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 2 in which the three-part auxiliary line is always displayed on the electronic viewfinder, the auxiliary line image is not obstructive.

  The first angle of ± 1 ° is an angle that does not matter whether the captured subject image is tilted. Therefore, the auxiliary line image is convenient because it is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 when the captured subject is tilted at an angle greater than an angle of concern when tilted.

  By the way, the CPU 38 intentionally moves the camera body when the tilt angle of the camera body 12 with respect to the determined posture of the camera body 12 exceeds ± 10 ° (second angle), which is larger than ± 1 °. 12 is determined to be taken and the auxiliary line image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 is erased. Thus, the photographer can confirm that the photographing is intentional tilt photographing, and the auxiliary line image is not obstructed at the time of intention tilt photographing.

  Although the auxiliary line image is deleted, the color of the auxiliary line image may be changed or the brightness of the auxiliary line image may be changed. For example, the ROM 86 of FIG. 3 stores two types of auxiliary line image data having different display colors. One is for displaying a black auxiliary line on the liquid crystal monitor 30, and the other is for displaying a white auxiliary line on the liquid crystal monitor 30. When the tilt angle of the camera body 12 is ± 1 ° or more and less than ± 10 °, a black auxiliary line is displayed. When the camera body 12 exceeds ± 10 °, a white auxiliary line that is less noticeable than the black color is displayed. You can do it.

  Further, the CPU 38 generates an alarm from the speaker 28 when the tilt angle detected by the acceleration sensor 92 exceeds ± 1 °. Thereby, the photographer can also confirm by sound that the camera body 12 is tilted more than an angle that hinders photographing.

  Furthermore, when the photographer presses the macro mode button 98 to switch the digital camera 10 to the macro shooting mode, the CPU 38 displays the auxiliary line image on the liquid crystal monitor 30 regardless of the tilt angle detected by the acceleration sensor 92. Control so that it is not displayed.

  That is, when the digital camera 10 is switched to the macro mode, the camera body 12 is generally tilted downward to shoot a subject. In this macro mode, the camera body 12 is tilted. This is because it is better not to display an unnecessary auxiliary line image.

  When the photographer presses the self-photographing mode button 100 and the digital camera 10 is switched to the self-photographing mode, the CPU 38 detects the camera body when the inclination angle detected by the acceleration sensor 92 exceeds ± 1 °. The LED 26 provided on the front side of 12 is controlled to be turned on.

  Since the liquid crystal monitor 30 as an electronic viewfinder is provided on the back of the camera body 12, when switching to the self-photographing mode, the self-image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 and the auxiliary line image when tilted are viewed. I can't. Under such circumstances, when the mode is switched to the self-photographing mode, the CPU 38 controls the lighting of the LED 26 provided on the front side of the camera body 12 when the inclination angle detected by the acceleration sensor 92 exceeds ± 1 °. Therefore, the subject himself / herself can confirm that the camera body 12 is tilted without looking at the auxiliary line image on the liquid crystal monitor 30. Note that a horn may be sounded from the speaker 28 instead of turning on the LED 28.

The perspective view which looked at the digital camera of an embodiment from the front The perspective view which looked at the digital camera shown in FIG. 1 from the back surface The block diagram which showed the whole structure of the digital camera shown in FIG. Rear view of digital camera showing posture during horizontal shooting Rear view of digital camera showing posture during vertical shooting

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Digital camera, 12 ... Camera body, 18 ... Shooting lens, 20 ... Lens barrel, 26 ... LED (warning light), 28 ... Speaker (warning means), 30 ... Liquid crystal monitor (display part), 38 ... Central processing Device (CPU (control unit)) 54 ... CCD, 84 ... auxiliary line display unit, 88 ... vertical line, 90 ... horizontal line, 92 ... acceleration sensor, 98 ... macro mode button, 100 ... self-shooting mode button

Claims (6)

A display unit that displays a through image captured for framing the subject;
A sensor that detects the tilt angle of the camera body with respect to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction;
A control unit that displays an auxiliary line image composed of vertical lines and / or horizontal lines on the display unit together with a subject image when an inclination angle detected by the sensor exceeds a first angle;
A digital camera comprising the camera body.   The control unit determines whether the camera body is in a vertical shooting posture or a horizontal shooting posture based on the tilt angle detected by the sensor, and determines the determined vertical shooting posture or horizontal shooting posture. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary line image is displayed on the display unit as a reference.   The sensor is an acceleration sensor, and the control unit compares the magnitude of the X-axis output value of the acceleration sensor with the output value of the Y-axis orthogonal to the X-axis so that the camera body is in a vertical shooting posture. It is determined whether there is a landscape orientation or a landscape orientation, and the tilt angle of the camera body with respect to the determined portrait orientation or landscape orientation exceeds a second angle larger than the first angle. 3. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary line image is deleted, the color of the auxiliary line image is changed, or the brightness of the auxiliary line image is changed.   2. The camera body includes a warning unit, and the control unit generates a warning from the warning unit when an inclination angle detected by the sensor exceeds the first angle. The digital camera according to any one of 2 and 3.   The control unit does not display the auxiliary line image on the display unit regardless of an inclination angle detected by the sensor when the digital camera is switched to a macro shooting mode. The digital camera according to any one of 3 and 4.   When the digital camera is switched to the self-photographing mode, the control unit displays a warning light provided on the front side of the camera body when the tilt angle detected by the sensor exceeds the first angle. 6. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein lighting control is performed.

Images