JP2008113333A - Camera-equipped portable terminal and camera apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera-equipped portable terminal which combines enhancement in visibility of an operation part and a display part with miniaturization and thickness reduction of the terminal itself without adding exclusive components such as an optical sensor by adding an optical sensor function to an imaging device, and to provide a camera apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The camera-equipped portable terminal is provided with an imaging part 11a comprised of a first imaging area for outputting an imaging signal used for image display among photoelectrically converted signals output from imaging areas of the imaging device and a light control part 11b comprised of a second imaging area for outputting the photoelectrically converted signals which are not used for the image display among the imaging areas of the imaging device, a TG (timing generator) 12 supplies a driving signal only to the imaging part 11a in imaging and supplies the driving signal only to the light control part 11b in non-imaging. The signal from the light control part 11b is used for generating brightness information (a) of the surroundings in an exposure control processing part 14. An luminance adjusting part 16 adjusts luminance of a display 17 based on the brightness information (a) of the surroundings. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera-equipped mobile terminal and a camera device, and more particularly to a mobile terminal and a camera device equipped with a camera such as a camera-equipped mobile phone and a digital camera.

  Currently, the needs of mobile phones, digital cameras, personal computers (hereinafter referred to as personal computers), etc. tend to be small, thin, and focus on design. On the other hand, improving the visibility of displays such as mobile phones, digital cameras, and PCs, and the key input section is a problem that is of great interest to users. The movement for adjusting the brightness and improving the visibility has been introduced in mobile phones, digital cameras, personal computers, and the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In Patent Document 1, when a user operates in an illumination mode, an electrical signal (imaging signal) relating to brightness is acquired from an image sensor, the electrical signal is compared with two predetermined threshold values, and based on the comparison result. When it is determined whether the brightness around the main unit is within the predetermined range and the brightness around the main unit is within the predetermined range, the brightness around the main unit is slightly dark. And light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that function as backlights for the display unit are lit at the lowest brightness to reduce power consumption while ensuring visibility, and the brightness around the body is determined to be brighter than the specified range When the above LED is turned on at the maximum brightness to ensure visibility, and when it is determined that the brightness around the body is darker than the predetermined range, the LED is turned off to reduce power consumption. You With configuration of the camera cellular phone is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-110681 (page 3-4)

  However, in the conventional camera-equipped mobile phone described in Patent Document 1 described above, the brightness around the main body is detected using the output electric signal of the image sensor only in the illumination mode. In this case, the brightness around the body cannot be detected, and the brightness of the LED cannot be controlled.

  On the other hand, when a dedicated optical sensor that detects the brightness of the surroundings is provided, the brightness of the display unit and operation unit is always detected by detecting the ambient brightness with the optical sensor regardless of whether the camera is used or not. However, since a camera-equipped mobile terminal equipped with a camera is required to be small and thin, it will be possible to adjust the brightness of the display unit and operation unit by increasing the number of parts. Has its limits.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and by adding an optical sensor function to the image sensor, the visibility of the operation unit and the display unit can be improved without adding a dedicated component such as an optical sensor, and a terminal. An object of the present invention is to provide a camera-equipped mobile terminal and a camera device that can be both compact and thin.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera-equipped portable terminal that performs image display on a display using a photoelectrically converted signal from a mounted image sensor. Among the converted signals, an imaging unit configured by a first imaging region that outputs an imaging signal used for image display and a photoelectrically converted signal that is not used for image display among imaging regions of the imaging element are output. Based on instructions from the operation unit and the dimming unit configured with two imaging regions, a driving signal is supplied only to the imaging unit during imaging to function as a camera, and a driving signal is supplied only to the dimming unit during non-imaging Thus, based on the drive means for operating the imaging unit and the dimming unit independently of each other, and the photoelectrically converted signal output from the imaging unit or the dimming unit in the operating state, the imaging unit or the dimming unit Brightness information generating means for generating ambient brightness information according to the amount of incident light, and either the brightness of the display and the brightness of the backlight of the key of the operation unit according to the ambient brightness information or And luminance adjusting means for adjusting both.

  According to the present invention, one imaging region of the imaging device is divided into a first imaging region that outputs an imaging signal and a second imaging region that outputs a photoelectrically converted signal that is not used for image display. Based on the photoelectrically converted signal output from the imaging unit or the dimming unit in the operating state by driving the imaging unit configured by the region and the dimming unit configured by the second imaging region independently of each other Thus, ambient brightness information is generated according to the amount of incident light of the imaging unit or the light control unit, and at least the brightness of the display is adjusted based on the ambient brightness information. It is not necessary to newly provide a dedicated optical sensor for generating image data, and ambient brightness information can be generated in both cases of imaging and non-imaging.

  In order to achieve the above object, the second aspect of the invention relates to the operation of the circuit unit that performs a predetermined imaging process on the photoelectrically converted signal output from the imaging unit during imaging and generates an image signal. It is characterized by stopping the photoelectrically converted signal output from the light control unit during non-imaging. In the present invention, since the photoelectrically converted signal output from the dimming unit at the time of non-imaging is not a signal for display on the display, the operation of the circuit unit that generates the image signal can be stopped. Power consumption can be reduced.

  In order to achieve the above object, the third aspect of the invention provides a driving means for controlling the driving means at the time of starting the display to supply a driving signal only to the light control unit and for stopping the display on the display. Control means for controlling to stop the supply of drive signals to the imaging unit and the light control unit is further provided. In the present invention, in the power saving mode, the display is in a non-display state, and there is no need to reflect ambient brightness information, so the light control unit also stops the operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the brightness information generated by the brightness information generating means changes greatly beyond a predetermined value after the brightness adjustment by the brightness adjusting means, the brightness is increased. The brightness adjustment unit again adjusts the luminance based on the ambient brightness information generated by the height information generation unit. According to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the luminance corresponding to the change in ambient brightness.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera-equipped portable terminal having an operation unit for performing an operation and performing image display on a display using a photoelectrically converted signal from a mounted image sensor. A brightness information generating means for generating ambient brightness information according to the amount of incident light of the image sensor based on a photoelectrically converted signal output from the image sensor at the time of starting the display, and the ambient brightness information And a brightness adjusting means for adjusting one or both of the brightness of the display and the brightness of the backlight of the key of the operation unit. In the present invention, it is possible to optimize the brightness of the display or the brightness of the key backlight without having an optical sensor for detecting brightness in the surroundings.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when the display is composed of a liquid crystal display element, the brightness adjusting means adjusts a driving current for the backlight that irradiates the liquid crystal display element with light, and the display is organic. When constituted by EL, the drive current of the organic EL is adjusted.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera device that displays an image on a display using a photoelectrically converted signal from an image sensor that images a subject illuminated by an illumination device. Among the photoelectrically converted signals output from the imaging region, an imaging unit configured by a first imaging region that outputs an imaging signal used for image display, and a photoelectric that is not used for image display among the imaging regions of the imaging element. A dimming unit configured by a second imaging region that outputs the converted signal, and a driving signal is supplied only to the imaging unit during imaging to function as a camera, and a driving signal is supplied only to the dimming unit during non-imaging Thus, based on the drive means for operating the imaging unit and the light control unit independently of each other, and the photoelectrically converted signal output from the imaging unit or the light control unit in the operating state, A brightness information generating unit that generates ambient brightness information according to the amount of incident light of the light unit; and a brightness adjusting unit that adjusts the illumination brightness of the lighting device according to the ambient brightness information. To do. This invention has the same function and effect as the first invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to generate ambient brightness information in both cases of imaging and non-imaging without newly providing a dedicated optical sensor for generating ambient brightness information. Thus, the number of mounted parts can be reduced, and it is possible to improve both the visibility of the display and the like and the size and thickness of the terminal itself in both cases of imaging and non-imaging.

  In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to optimize the power of illumination such as a display by having a photosensor function, and it is possible to provide a camera-equipped mobile terminal with a long use time by reducing power consumption and high visibility. .

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, since it is not necessary to open a window for an optical sensor other than an incident light window of an image pickup device of an existing camera, the degree of freedom in designing a mobile terminal with a camera is not impaired.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and FIG. 2 are block diagrams showing the main part of an embodiment of a camera-equipped mobile terminal according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of this embodiment when the operation of the imaging unit is stopped. FIGS. 2A and 2B are block diagrams for explaining the operation of the present embodiment at the time of the operation of the imaging unit. In both drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The present invention relates to a camera-equipped portable terminal equipped with a camera such as a camera-equipped cellular phone, a camera-equipped simple cellular phone (PHS), a camera-equipped notebook personal computer, etc. 1 and FIG. 2 show only the parts related to the operation that is a feature of the present embodiment.

  1 and 2, the image pickup unit 11a and the light control unit 11b constitute a single camera module in a camera-equipped mobile terminal as a whole, and a large number of pixels are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix in the horizontal and vertical directions. In addition, the imaging element is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). Among the imaging areas of this imaging device, the first imaging area of a predetermined size used for image output constitutes the imaging unit 11a, and the remaining second imaging area of a small size not used for image output is adjusted. The light part 11b is comprised. The imaging unit 11a images a subject. The dimmer 11b is an optical sensor for detecting the brightness around the portable terminal. In addition, the imaging unit 11a and the light control unit 11b are provided with a timing generator (TG) 12 and other peripheral driving circuits so as to operate independently of each other.

  Further, the signal processing unit 13 receives an electrical signal of a level corresponding to the amount of incident light from the imaging unit 11a or the light control unit 11b as an input, and generates ambient brightness information based on the level of the input electrical signal. A control processing unit 14 and an other processing unit 15 that performs known processes such as A / D conversion and white balance control on the input electric signal are included. The luminance adjustment unit 16 adjusts the luminance of the display 17 based on the ambient brightness information input from the signal processing unit 13. If the display 17 is a liquid crystal display element (LCD), the brightness adjusting unit 16 controls the amount of light of the backlight. The backlight increases in luminance (light quantity) when the drive current is increased. Moreover, when the display 17 is comprised by organic EL (electroluminescence), a brightness | luminance (light quantity) can be made high by raising the consumption current (drive current) of organic EL itself. The display 17 displays an image captured by the imaging unit 11a, a preset menu screen, or the like.

  The operation unit 18 includes various keys operated by the user, and desired information is input by the user. The control unit 19 controls the operation of the TG 12 and the display 17 based on input operation information from the operation unit 18. The TG 12 supplies a drive signal only to one of the imaging unit 11a and the light control unit 11b under the control of the control unit 19. Note that the luminance adjusting unit 16 can also adjust the luminance of the backlight of the key of the operation unit 18.

  In this embodiment, the dimming unit 11b is started and stopped in conjunction with the display and non-display of the display 17 (the display is started when the display starts and is stopped when the display is not displayed). When the light control unit 11b is operating, ambient brightness information is obtained, and the brightness of the display 17 is changed based on the information to improve the visibility. In addition, for the key illumination of the operation unit 18 and the like, the light emission amount is adjusted based on the ambient brightness.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment when the operation of the imaging unit 11a is stopped will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 1 and the flowchart of FIG. First, when the user operates the operation unit 18 to turn on the camera-equipped mobile terminal according to the present embodiment, the display 17 is activated based on a control signal from the control unit 19 according to the power-on operation (FIG. 3). Step A301). During this startup, the key backlight is also turned on. Here, the key backlight includes not only the backlight of the display 17 but also the key backlight of the operation unit 18. When the present embodiment is a foldable mobile phone with a camera, when the upper casing and the lower casing are opened from the folded state, the display 17 is automatically activated and the key backlight is turned on. It is also possible.

  Further, based on the control signal from the control unit 19 according to the power-on operation, the TG 12 starts supplying the drive signal only to the dimming unit 11b as shown in FIG. 1 and starts only the dimming unit 11b independently. (Step A302 in FIG. 3). At this time, since the drive signal is not supplied from the TG 12 to the imaging unit 11a, the imaging unit 11a stops operating.

  By the activation of the light control unit 11b, the light control unit 11b photoelectrically converts incident light from the surroundings of the camera-equipped mobile terminal according to the present embodiment, and outputs an electric signal having a level corresponding to the amount of incident light, to the signal processing unit 13. Supply. The signal processing unit 13 generates ambient brightness information a corresponding to the amount of incident light of the dimming unit 11b based on the level of the input electrical signal in the internal exposure control processing unit 14 (step A303 in FIG. 3). As an operation of the exposure control processing unit 14 for generating the ambient brightness information a, for example, a process similar to the process in which the digital camera determines the exposure time can be used. That is, the digital camera recognizes the brightness of the spot based on the amount of incident light accumulated in the sensor so that the captured image does not become overexposed (a state that is too bright and becomes completely white). Although the control is determined by (CPU), the exposure control processing unit 14 also generates ambient brightness information a based on the accumulated incident light quantity.

  The ambient brightness information a is supplied to the brightness adjusting unit 16 to adjust the brightness of the display 17 (step A304 in FIG. 3). At this time, for example, information input from the operation unit 18 or a menu screen is supplied to the display 17 via a predetermined display processing unit (not shown) and displayed.

  The brightness adjustment unit 16 improves the visibility of the image displayed on the display 17 by adjusting the brightness of the key backlight so that the brightness of the surrounding brightness information a becomes brighter during the brightness adjustment. Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the ambient brightness has changed significantly (step A305 in FIG. 3). When the ambient brightness has changed significantly, the ambient brightness information a from the exposure control processing unit 14 in the signal processing unit 13 is obtained. The information is obtained again (step A303 in FIG. 3), and the brightness of the display 17 is adjusted again (step A304 in FIG. 3).

  When it is determined in step A305 that the ambient brightness has not changed significantly, the control unit 19 monitors whether or not the power saving mode is instructed from the operation unit 18 (step A306 in FIG. 3). In this case, the display 17 is not displayed by the control signal from the control unit 19 and it is not necessary to reflect the ambient brightness information a, so that the light control unit 11b also stops its operation (step of FIG. 3). A307).

  As described above, the TG 12 that supplies the drive signal to the image sensor supplies the drive signal only to the light control unit 11b, and the data output from the light control unit 11b is used only for obtaining the ambient brightness information a. The When the operation of the imaging unit 11a is stopped, the amount of data to be handled is small, and the signal processing unit 13 omits the processing of the image data in the other processing unit 15 after the exposure control, thereby operating as a camera. Compared to power saving. When the display 17 is restarted by a key operation or the like (step A301 in FIG. 3), the operations in steps A302 to A304 in FIG. 3 are performed again.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment during the operation of the imaging unit 11a will be described. At this time, the display 17 is activated by the control signal from the control unit 19 based on the control operation for activating the image sensor from the operation unit 18, and the TG 12 transmits the drive signal only to the imaging unit 11a as shown in FIG. Supply is started and only the imaging unit 11a is activated independently. At this time, since the drive signal is not supplied from the TG 12 to the dimming unit 11b, the dimming unit 11b stops operating.

  As a result, the electrical signal obtained by photoelectrically converting the incident light from the subject by the imaging unit 11a is supplied to the signal processing unit 13 as shown in FIG. 2, and the exposure control processing unit 14 responds to the signal level. The ambient brightness information b is generated and supplied to the luminance adjustment unit 16, while the other processing unit 15 in the signal processing unit 13 performs normal imaging processing such as A / D conversion and white balance control. Image output signal.

  The brightness adjusting unit 16 adjusts the brightness of the display 17 based on the input brightness information b around the input. At this time, the display 17 displays a subject image based on the image output signal output from the signal processing unit 13. The brightness adjustment unit 16 improves the visibility of the image displayed on the display 17 by adjusting the brightness of the key backlight so that the brightness of the surrounding brightness information b becomes brighter during the brightness adjustment.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, during the operation of the imaging unit 11a, the TG 12 that supplies a driving signal to the imaging device supplies a driving signal only to the imaging unit 11a, and an output electric signal (imaging signal) of the imaging unit 11a. Since the ambient brightness information b corresponding to the incident light quantity of the image pickup unit 11a is generated and the ambient brightness information b is supplied to the brightness adjusting unit 16, the brightness of the display 17 is set to the ambient brightness. Therefore, the visibility can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, since an imaging region that is not used for image output of one imaging device is used as the dimming unit 11b, a dedicated optical sensor for detecting ambient brightness can be eliminated. The number of mounted components can be reduced, which is advantageous for downsizing and thinning of portable terminals. In other words, this means that an imaging function can be added by using this camera module in a camera-equipped mobile terminal equipped with an optical sensor. However, in this case, the mounting area is expanded compared to when the optical sensor is used alone.

  In addition, in this embodiment mode, the power of an illumination such as a display can be optimized by having an optical sensor function, and the use time can be extended by reducing power consumption, and a portable terminal with a camera with high visibility is provided. Things will be possible. Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, there is a feature that the degree of freedom of design of the portable terminal is not impaired. This is because it is not necessary to open a window for an optical sensor other than an existing camera window.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, It can apply also to the existing portable terminal with a camera which does not have a light control part. In this case, the camera-equipped mobile terminal is activated at the timing of step A301 in FIG. 3, the ambient illuminance information is acquired based on the imaging signal obtained thereby, and the brightness of the display is optimized according to the illuminance information. be able to. However, in this case, since a change in brightness can be detected only at a certain set timing, it is not possible to have a follow-up ability to an environmental change as in the mobile terminal of the above embodiment, but at the time of acquiring brightness information By temporarily suspending the processing of the other processing unit 15, a slight power consumption reduction effect can be obtained compared to when the existing camera-equipped mobile terminal is activated.

  When the present invention is applied to a foldable mobile phone with a camera, the camera (imaging device) uses a TV phone camera provided on the same inner surface of the casing as the display unit (display), so that the periphery of the display Brightness information can be acquired. In the above embodiment, the display brightness is adjusted according to the surrounding brightness information. However, the brightness of the backlight of the key is adjusted together with the display brightness or the display according to the surrounding brightness information. It is also possible to adjust the brightness instead of the brightness.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a portable terminal. For example, a light control unit is provided in a camera such as a security camera, and an illumination device that illuminates a subject according to the surrounding brightness (in the case of a security camera, outdoor monitoring). Can be applied to a camera device that changes the brightness of an outside light or an indoor light in the case of indoor monitoring.

It is the block diagram (the 1) of the principal part of one Embodiment of the portable terminal with a camera of this invention. It is a block diagram (the 2) of the principal part of one Embodiment of the portable terminal with a camera of this invention. It is a flowchart for operation | movement description of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

11a Imaging unit 11b Dimming unit 12 Timing generator (TG)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Signal processing part 14 Exposure control processing part 15 Other processing part 16 Brightness adjustment part 17 Display 18 Operation part 19 Control part

Claims (9)

In a mobile terminal with a camera that performs image display on a display using a photoelectrically converted signal from a mounted image sensor,
An imaging unit configured by a first imaging region that outputs an imaging signal used for image display among the photoelectrically converted signals output from the imaging region of the imaging element;
A dimming unit configured by a second imaging region that outputs the photoelectrically converted signal that is not used for image display in the imaging region of the imaging element;
Based on an instruction from the operation unit, a driving signal is supplied only to the imaging unit during imaging to function as a camera, and a driving signal is supplied only to the dimming unit when imaging is not performed. Driving means that operate independently of each other;
Brightness that generates ambient brightness information according to the amount of incident light of the imaging unit or the dimming unit based on the photoelectrically converted signal output from the imaging unit or the dimming unit in an operating state Information generation means;
A camera-equipped mobile terminal, comprising: brightness adjusting means for adjusting one or both of the brightness of the display and the brightness of the backlight of the key of the operation unit in accordance with the ambient brightness information.   The photoelectric conversion signal output from the dimming unit during non-imaging operation is the operation of the circuit unit that performs a predetermined imaging process on the photoelectrically converted signal output from the imaging unit during imaging. The camera-equipped mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is stopped with respect to the received signal.   When the display is activated, the drive unit is controlled to supply the drive signal only to the light control unit, and in the power saving mode in which the display of the display is stopped, the drive unit is controlled to control the imaging unit and the dimming unit. 2. The camera-equipped mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising control means for stopping supply of the drive signal to the optical unit.   After the brightness adjustment by the brightness adjustment means, the ambient brightness generated by the brightness information generation means when the ambient brightness information generated by the brightness information generation means changes greatly to a predetermined value or more. The mobile terminal with camera according to claim 1, wherein the brightness is adjusted again by the brightness adjusting means based on the depth information. In a portable terminal with a camera that has an operation unit for performing an operation and performs image display on a display using a photoelectrically converted signal from a mounted image sensor,
Brightness information generating means for generating ambient brightness information according to the amount of incident light of the image sensor based on the photoelectrically converted signal output from the image sensor at the time of startup of the display;
A camera-equipped mobile terminal comprising: a brightness adjusting unit that adjusts one or both of the brightness of the display and the brightness of the backlight of the key of the operation unit in accordance with the ambient brightness information.   When the display is configured by a liquid crystal display element, the brightness adjusting unit adjusts a driving current for a backlight that emits light to the liquid crystal display element, and the display is configured by an organic EL. 6. The camera-equipped mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the driving current of the organic EL is adjusted. In a camera device that performs image display on a display using a photoelectrically converted signal from an image sensor that images a subject illuminated by an illumination device,
An imaging unit configured by a first imaging region that outputs an imaging signal used for image display among the photoelectrically converted signals output from the imaging region of the imaging element;
A dimmer configured by a second imaging region that outputs the photoelectrically converted signal that is not used for image display in the imaging region of the imaging element;
Based on an instruction from the operation unit, a driving signal is supplied only to the imaging unit during imaging to function as a camera, and a driving signal is supplied only to the dimming unit when imaging is not performed. Driving means that operate independently of each other;
Brightness that generates ambient brightness information according to the amount of incident light of the imaging unit or the dimming unit based on the photoelectrically converted signal output from the imaging unit or the dimming unit in an operating state Information generation means;
And a luminance adjusting unit that adjusts the illumination luminance of the illuminating device in accordance with the ambient brightness information.   The photoelectric conversion signal output from the dimming unit during non-imaging operation is the operation of the circuit unit that performs a predetermined imaging process on the photoelectrically converted signal output from the imaging unit during imaging. The camera apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the camera apparatus is stopped with respect to the received signal. In a camera device that performs image display on a display using a photoelectrically converted signal from an image sensor that images a subject illuminated by an illumination device,
Brightness information generating means for generating ambient brightness information according to the amount of incident light of the image sensor based on the photoelectrically converted signal output from the image sensor at the time of startup of the display;
A camera apparatus, comprising: a brightness adjusting unit that adjusts the brightness of the illumination device according to the ambient brightness information.

Images