JP2010016669A - Image display device and imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display device and an imaging apparatus, changing a field angle corresponding to a request of a user without increasing costs. <P>SOLUTION: The image display device with a peeping type electronic viewfinder which observes an image to be displayed on a display element via an eyepiece optical system is provided with: a field angle setting part which sets a desired field angle; and an image generation part which generates the image based on the set field angle to display the generated image on the display element. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display apparatus, an imaging apparatus, and a display method including a peeping-type electronic viewfinder that observes an image through an eyepiece optical system.

  Conventionally, an electronic viewfinder (EVF) has been used for some models of imaging devices such as video cameras and digital cameras.

  The electronic viewfinder is configured to magnify a small display element provided therein via an eyepiece optical system such as a magnifying lens. The image magnified by the user looking into the eyepiece Can be observed. A display element is comprised by a liquid crystal panel, organic EL, etc., for example.

  In such an electronic viewfinder, an electronic viewfinder with a zoom function having a function of enlarging an image displayed in the finder is known for the purpose of making the image easy to see (see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, an optical viewfinder adapter is attached to a large LCD panel on the back to reduce the display screen, and the video signal recording is configured to make it easy to catch and view the subject by blocking the influence of external light. A reproducing apparatus is also known (see Patent Document 2).

  There is also known a digital imaging apparatus that stores in advance an image height versus distortion curve, which is a lens characteristic of an imaging lens, during image display, and corrects captured image data (see Patent Document 3).

Since such an electronic viewfinder observes a virtual image magnified by an eyepiece optical system, visibility is affected by characteristics of human eyes. Specifically, since it is directly viewed by the user, it is known that the human visual field has visual characteristics. This visual field characteristic is roughly classified into the following five.
(1) Discrimination field of view: Excellent visual functions such as visual acuity and color discrimination, and within a range that allows high-accuracy information reception (within several degrees)
(2) Effective visual field: A range in which specific information can be instantly received from within the noise (only about 15 ° on the left, about 8 ° on the upper side, about 12 ° on the lower side).
(3) Gaze stable visual field: A range in which head movement is generated in a state of assisting eye movement and can be glanced easily (left and right 30 to 45 °, upper 20 to 30 °, lower 25 to 40 °)
(4) Guidance field of view: A range that has a discriminating ability enough to determine the presence of the presented information, but affects the human spatial coordinate sense (horizontal 30-100 °, vertical 20-85 °)
(5) Auxiliary visual field: A range in which information reception is extremely lowered and an auxiliary function is performed to induce a gaze operation to a strong stimulus or the like (horizontal 100 to 200 °, vertical 85 to 135 °).

This field characteristic is taken into consideration when displaying an image on the electronic viewfinder.
JP-A-3-3480 JP 2004-48816 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-252431 T. T. Hatada et al, “SMPTEJ., August 89”, 1980, p. 560-569

  In recent years, the performance of display elements has been improved due to factors such as improvement of the manufacturing process, and in particular, the display resolution (number of pixels) of the display elements tends to be increased.

  When such a high-resolution display element is used in an electronic viewfinder having an eyepiece optical system, an eyepiece optical system capable of realizing a wide field of view is required in order to ensure a resolution higher than that of the human eye.

  Specifically, in order to set the pixel of the apparent display image magnified by the eyepiece optical system and the pixel pitch to a pitch corresponding to human visual acuity 1.0, the pixel pitch is expected to be 1 ′. It is necessary to set the eyepiece optical system so as to have an angle.

  Therefore, for example, when an 800-pixel display element corresponding to SVGA is used, a viewing angle of 13.3 ° is required to ensure the resolution of the human eye. In order to display an image of 1920 pixels (HD), a viewing angle of 32 ° is required.

  Thus, it can be seen that as the number of pixels increases, a larger viewing angle is required.

  On the other hand, as in the aforementioned non-patent literature, the range in which the human visual field can be effectively used is limited. When a wide viewing angle is displayed, it is difficult to recognize the peripheral information. In particular, when the viewing angle exceeds 30 ° (gaze stable visual field), it is difficult to gaze at the entire image without difficulty.

  Moreover, the above-mentioned discrimination visual field and effective visual field differ depending on the person. Therefore, the optimum viewing angle differs for each user who uses the electronic viewfinder. In order to cope with this, it is conceivable to add a mechanism (zoom) for changing the viewing angle to the eyepiece optical system, but the cost increases due to the addition of such a mechanism.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and a display state (for example, a viewing angle or a display position) corresponding to a use situation or according to a user without using a special additional mechanism. An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can easily change the above.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an image display device including a view-type electronic viewfinder for observing an image displayed on a display element through an eyepiece optical system, and a viewing angle for setting a desired viewing angle. The image processing apparatus includes: a setting unit; and an image generation unit that generates an image based on the set viewing angle and displays the generated image on a display element.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, since the viewing angle of the display image can be changed only by calculation in the image generation unit, the variable mechanism such as zoom is not added to the eyepiece optical system. Therefore, the viewing angle can be changed based on the user setting without increasing the cost.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, the imaging device includes the display device according to the one embodiment described above.

  In another embodiment of the present invention, with this configuration, the viewing angle can be changed based on the user's setting without increasing the cost of the image being shot.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image display device that can change the viewing angle based on the user setting without adding a variable mechanism to the eyepiece optical system.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a camera 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The camera 1 of the present embodiment will be described by taking a digital camera that is an imaging device as an example. The camera 1 is not limited to a digital camera, and can be applied to devices having an imaging function, such as a video camera, a mobile device having a camera function, and a head-mounted display (HMD).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the camera 1 includes an imaging lens system 101, an autofocus (AF) mechanism 102, an aperture mechanism 103, a shutter 104, an imaging element 105, an imaging circuit 106, and analog / digital (A / D) conversion circuit 107, image processing unit 108, finder image generation unit 109, electronic viewfinder (EVF) 110, buffer memory 115, display unit (LCD) 120, compression / decompression unit 124, interface (I / F) 125, a recording medium 126, a strobe control circuit 127, a strobe 128, an operation unit 130, and a system controller 100 are configured.

  The imaging lens system 101 includes various lenses such as a focus lens for adjusting the focal position and a zoom lens for adjusting the focal distance.

  The lens driving mechanism 102 drives the imaging lens system 101 to adjust the focus. When the imaging lens system 101 is a zoom lens system capable of power zooming, the lens driving mechanism 102 may perform zoom adjustment.

  The diaphragm mechanism 103 includes a diaphragm provided on the optical path of the imaging lens system 101 and a control mechanism for controlling the diaphragm.

  The shutter 104 controls the time during which the light beam incident from the imaging lens system 101 via the aperture mechanism 103 is incident on the imaging element 105.

  The imaging element 105 outputs the light beam from the imaging lens system 101 as an electrical signal by photoelectric conversion. The imaging circuit 106 outputs the electrical signal converted by the imaging element 105 as an analog image signal. Note that the image sensor 105 is configured by an image sensor using an image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS.

  The analog / digital (A / D) conversion circuit 107 converts the analog image signal output from the imaging circuit 106 into a digital image signal, and stores the converted digital image signal in the buffer memory 115.

  The image processing unit 108 performs various kinds of digital processing such as color information conversion processing and pixel number conversion processing on the digital image signal stored in the buffer memory 115.

  The buffer memory 115 is a storage device that temporarily stores digital image signals and the like, and is configured by, for example, an SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory). The buffer memory 115 is also used as a work area for processing by a program executed by the image processing unit 108, the finder image generation unit 109, the system controller 100, and the like.

  The viewfinder image generation unit 109 performs a process for displaying the digital image signal on the EVF 110 and the LCD 120. The viewfinder image generation unit 109 includes a viewing angle calculation unit 109a that calculates a viewing angle, which will be described later, and an optical performance correction calculation unit 109b that calculates optical performance correction.

  The electronic viewfinder (EVF) 110 is a peep-type electronic viewfinder that observes an image through the eyepiece optical system 113, and includes a display drive unit 111, a display element 112, an eyepiece optical system 113, and diopter adjustment detection. Part 114.

  The display element 112 is configured by a liquid crystal panel, for example. The display driving unit 111 drives the display element to display a digital image signal by the processing of the finder image generation unit 109.

  The eyepiece optical system 113 is a loupe, and is configured so that an image displayed on the display element 112 can be observed by an observer as a virtual image having a predetermined viewing angle.

  The diopter adjustment detection unit 114 detects a change in the eyepiece optical system 113 by a diopter adjustment mechanism (not shown) provided in the eyepiece optical system 113 and outputs the detected change to the system controller 100.

  A display unit (LCD) 120 is a so-called rear liquid crystal in which a user directly observes an image displayed on a display element without using an eyepiece optical system. The LCD 120 includes a display drive unit 121 and a display element 122.

  The display element 122 is configured by a liquid crystal panel, for example. The display driving unit 121 drives the display element to display a digital image signal by the processing of the finder image generation unit 109.

  In addition, although the display element 112 and the display element 122 with which EVF110 and LCD120 are provided illustrated the liquid crystal display, it is not restricted to this. For example, various configurations such as an organic EL, an LED array, and a PDP can be used. In addition, the display elements 112 and 122 are provided with backlights, and lighting control is performed as necessary by the display driving units 111 and 121.

  The compression / decompression unit 124 reversibly compresses the digital image signal temporarily stored in the buffer memory 115 using a technique such as JPG or MPEG. Further, the digital image signal stored in the recording medium 126 is expanded and stored in the buffer memory 115, for example.

  An interface (I / F) 125 transmits and receives data to and from the recording medium 126. The recording medium 126 includes a flash memory such as a smart media, an SD card, and an xD picture card. The recording medium 126 is configured to be detachable from the I / F 125.

  The strobe 128 is a light source for illuminating the subject. The strobe control circuit 127 includes a capacitor capable of storing a predetermined amount of electric charge, and controls the amount of light emitted from the strobe 128 by causing the arc tube provided in the strobe 128 to emit light by charging and discharging the capacitor.

  The operation unit 130 is an interface that receives user operations. The operation unit 130 includes, for example, a switch, a touch pad incorporated in the display unit 120, or the like. Specifically, operations such as release, camera mode switching, and selection of various menus are accepted and notified to the system controller 100.

  In addition, the operation unit 130 displays / not displays either or both of a screen position setting unit (viewing angle setting unit) 130a that accepts input of setting of a viewing angle and an image position in the EVF 110 by the user, and the EVF 110 and the LCD 120 by the user. An EVF / LCD switching unit 130b that accepts display setting input is provided.

  The system controller 100 comprehensively controls each unit in the camera 1. The system controller 100 includes, for example, a CPU and a flash memory. The basic control program of the camera 1 is read from the nonvolatile memory such as the flash memory, and the whole control is performed.

  In addition, the system controller 100 receives an input from the operation unit 130 and performs control according to the input.

  The system controller 100 controls the AF mechanism 102 to control the imaging lens system 101 to perform focus adjustment and zooming, adjust the aperture in the aperture mechanism 103, and drive the shutter 104 to control the shutter speed. To go.

  As described above, the camera 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the two display units (EVF 110 and LCD 120). One of them is a view-type electronic viewfinder 110 that observes an image through the eyepiece optical system 113. The other is a so-called rear liquid crystal that does not have an eyepiece optical system and can directly observe the display element 122.

  The system controller 100 controls the display of these two display units based on the input of the EVF / LCD switching unit 130b of the operation unit 130. For example, display control of the EVF 110 and the LCD 120 may be performed simultaneously. Alternatively, the EVF 110 and the LCD 120 may be controlled exclusively so that the LCD 120 is not displayed when the EVF 110 is displayed, and the EV 120 is not displayed and the LCD 120 is displayed.

  Further, the EVF 110 may be provided with a sensor or the like for detecting the user's eyepiece state, and the switching may be automatically performed when the system controller 100 detects the user's eyepiece.

  Next, the operation of the camera 1 configured as described above will be described.

  As described above, each part constituting the camera 1 is controlled by the system controller 100.

  The exposure of the light beam from the subject that has passed through the imaging lens system 101 is controlled by the diaphragm mechanism 103 and the shutter 104, and is converted into an electrical signal by the imaging device 105.

  The imaging circuit converts the electrical signal converted by the imaging element 105 into an analog image signal. The A / D conversion circuit 107 converts this analog image signal into a digital image signal. The converted digital image signal is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 115.

  At this time, the image processing unit 108 performs processing such as color information conversion processing and pixel number conversion on the digital image signal. The digital image signal subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 108 is subjected to compression processing such as JPEG in the compression / decompression unit 124 and is stored in the recording medium 126.

  In the present embodiment, the imaging lens system 101, AF mechanism 102, aperture mechanism 103, shutter 104, imaging element 105, imaging circuit 106, A / D conversion circuit 107, image processing unit 108, buffer memory 115, and the like. An image capturing unit that captures a light beam from a subject and generates image data is configured.

  In addition, as a display mode of the camera 1, an imaging live display mode (also referred to as a live view display or a live view display mode) in which an image captured by the image sensor 105 is displayed on the EVF 110 or the LCD 120 and an image recorded on the recording medium 126 are displayed. There are playback display modes that do not require real-time characteristics.

  The imaging live display mode can be used as a finder at the time of imaging because it can display the image information as it is captured.

  When there is an instruction from the user, the system controller 100 performs live shooting display for displaying an image displayed on the image sensor 105 in real time.

  In the shooting live display mode, the digital image signal converted by the A / D conversion circuit 107 is sent to the finder image generation unit 109 via the buffer memory 115, and an image corresponding to the number of pixels of the EVF 110 or the LCD 120 is generated. . The generated image is sent to the display driving unit 111 of the EVF 110 or the display driving unit 121 of the LCD 120 and displayed on the respective display elements 112 or 122.

  Further, the system controller 100 displays an image recorded on the recording medium 126 in response to a user instruction.

  The image stored in the recording medium 126 is expanded by the compression / decompression unit 124 via the I / F 125. Then, after performing predetermined image processing in the image processing unit 108, an image is displayed on the EVF 110 or the LCD 120 by the same processing as that of the live image display.

  Here, the shooting live display according to the embodiment of the present application will be described.

  In general, in a camera finder application, when framing is performed to follow a moving object, it is important to recognize the entire image rather than the definition of the image. That is, if the viewing angle becomes too large, it becomes difficult to recognize the whole.

  On the other hand, display with higher definition is required for accurate focusing. When a large viewing angle does not become an obstacle, the maximum viewing angle is secured and displayed.

  In such a viewfinder application, the viewfinder can be provided with an optical zoom mechanism to change the viewing angle of the display image. However, when optical zoom is used, the number of pixels displayed on the display element does not change. Furthermore, when the viewing angle is reduced beyond human resolution, even if a high-definition image is displayed, it cannot be recognized, so that high-definition display is wasted and zooming is performed. The cost of the mechanism is increased and the cost is increased.

  In addition, power consumption increases by processing a high-definition image, and more image processing time is required due to an increase in the amount of image information, and the time required to display an image increases. In addition, it is necessary to improve the performance of the signal processing unit, resulting in an increase in cost.

  In this way, it is particularly important in the viewfinder that the viewing angle can be easily changed according to the usage pattern of the user.

  In a viewfinder such as the EVF 110, it is desirable for the user to set a viewing angle and a line of sight to be displayed according to the type of subject. That is, as the characteristics of the human eye, the accuracy of information reception varies depending on the subject and the person corresponding to the viewing angle.

  For this reason, in the above-described imaging live display mode, it is desirable to facilitate the change according to the use conditions of the user.

  On the other hand, in a mode other than the imaging live display mode, for example, when displaying image information stored in a recording medium, the viewing angle and the line of sight are not changed.

  Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the view angle of the finder (EVF 110) can be easily changed by the following processing.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the display process of the EVF 110 in the camera 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  2, the EVF control unit 100b provided in the system controller 100 requests the EVF 110 to display an image (for example, an imaging live display instruction or display of an image stored in the recording medium 126). This is executed when there is an instruction.

  The display on the EVF 110 is performed when the system controller 100 detects switching to the EVF 110 side in the EVF / LCD switching unit 130b of the operation unit 130.

  First, the EVF control unit 100b determines whether there is a viewing angle setting instruction in the EVF 110 (S11).

  The viewing angle setting instruction and the display position setting instruction in step S13 are determined based on whether or not the system controller 100 has received an instruction from the user to the screen position setting unit 130a of the operation unit 130.

  When it is determined that there is a viewing angle setting instruction, the EVF control unit 100b detects the viewing angle input by the user in the screen position setting unit 130a of the operation unit 130 (S12).

  If it is determined that there is no instruction to set the viewing angle, the process proceeds to step S13 without executing the process of step S12.

  Next, the EVF control unit 100b determines whether there is a display position setting instruction in the EVF 110 (S13).

  When it is determined that there is a display position setting instruction, the EVF control unit 100b detects the display position input by the user in the screen position setting unit 130a of the operation unit 130 (S14).

  If it is determined that there is no display position setting instruction, the process proceeds to step S15 without executing the process of step S14.

  Next, the EVF control unit 100b calculates a viewing angle for the image to be displayed (S15).

  The viewing angle calculation process is executed by the viewing angle calculation unit 109a of the finder image generation unit 109. The details will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Next, the EVF control unit 100b calculates optical performance correction for the image to be displayed (S16).

  Optical performance correction is a process for correcting distortion and the like of the eyepiece optical system 113 of the EVF 110. This optical performance correction calculation process is executed by the optical performance correction calculation unit 109b of the finder image generation unit 109. The details will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Next, the EVF control unit 100b sets a display position and displays an image on the EVF 110 (S17).

  The display position setting process is executed by the screen position control unit 100a of the system controller 100. This process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  After the process of step S17, the EVF control unit 100b returns to step S11 and repeats the process.

  Through the processing described above, when an image is displayed on the EVF 110 such as in the imaging live display mode, the image is displayed at the user's desired viewing angle and display position.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a viewing angle setting process in the EVF 110.

  The EVF 110 enlarges the display element 112 with the eyepiece optical system 113. The user observes the virtual image.

  Here, as an example, a case where the display element 112 is SVGA (800 × 600 pixels) and the maximum viewing angle in the vertical direction is set to 30 ° will be described (see FIG. 3B). Note that this 30 ° is a viewing angle corresponding to the “gaze stable visual field” in Non-Patent Document 1 described above, and occurs in a state where the head movement assists the eye movement, and the visual field in a range where gaze can be reasonably performed. It is a horn.

  In the EVF 110, when the viewing angle is changed, the viewing angle is changed by displaying only a part of the display element 112.

  When the setting of the viewing angle is instructed by the user, the EVF control unit 100b of the system controller 100 displays the display image at the set viewing angle with respect to the viewing angle calculation unit 109a of the finder image generation unit 109. To instruct.

  The viewing angle calculation unit 109a obtains the number of pixels of the image displayed at the viewing angle by performing a calculation such as the following Expression 1.

  Specifically, when the viewing angle of all the pixels of the display element 112 is 30 ° (vertical number of pixels: 600 pixels) and the user's setting viewing angle is 20 °, according to the previous equation, 394.8. ≈395 pixels are obtained.

  The viewing angle of 20 ° is a viewing angle corresponding to the “effective viewing field” in Non-Patent Document 1 described above, and the user gazes at the information only by eye movement and instantly receives the specific information from within the noise. The viewing angle is within the possible range. In the EVF 110 having a viewing angle of 30 ° at normal times, when it is desired to list the entire image without difficulty, such as shooting of a moving object, the viewing angle of the EVF 110 is easily changed by changing the viewing angle to the effective field of view. Will improve.

  The viewfinder image generation unit 109 generates a display image as an image that becomes 395 pixels in the vertical direction obtained by calculation, and causes the EVF 110 to display the generated image (see FIG. 3B).

  Here, the vertical viewing angle has been described as an example, but a horizontal viewing angle may be set, or a diagonal viewing angle may be set.

  By such processing, an image having a resolution corresponding to the image at the viewing angle designated by the user is generated and displayed on the EVF 110.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing optical performance correction processing in the EVF 110.

  The eyepiece optical system 113 used for the EVF 110 has inherent optical performance. This inherent optical performance includes, for example, distortion, chromatic aberration, image height characteristics, shading, and the like. For this reason, in EVF110, especially the edge part has high sensitivity whether it is a straight line or not, and uncomfortable feeling occurs when it cannot be observed in a rectangular shape.

  Therefore, when processing for displaying an image on the EVF 110 is performed, processing for correcting distortion and the like is performed at the same time, thereby making it possible to perform display with good quality with little discomfort.

  FIG. 4A shows a display state with a barrel-shaped distortion which is an example of the distortion in the eyepiece optical system 113. FIG. 4B shows the relationship between the image height of the eyepiece optical system 113 and distortion.

  The viewfinder image generation unit 109 stores in advance these distortion and image height data unique to the eyepiece optical system 113.

  Then, when displaying an image on the EVF 110, in step S16 described above, the optical performance correction calculation unit 109b of the finder image generation unit 109 acquires information regarding the stored image height and distortion. Then, the optical performance correction calculation unit 109b corrects the display image based on the acquired information. An image created by correcting the display image is shown in FIG.

  As a result of displaying FIG. 4C on the display element 112, as shown in FIG. 4D, an image in which distortion and the like are corrected can be displayed on the EVF 110.

  The EVF 110 may be provided with a mechanism for adjusting the diopter, and the diopter adjustment detection unit 114 may perform calculation for each diopter position by detecting the diopter position of the diopter adjustment mechanism.

  Further, not only the eyepiece optical system 113 but also the optical performance data of the imaging lens system 101 is acquired, and the image is corrected by correction data of both the imaging lens system 101 and the eyepiece optical system 113 when displayed on the EVF 110. You may comprise.

  The optical performance data of the imaging lens system 101 can acquire information of the imaging lens system 101 by the system controller 100 communicating with the imaging lens system 101, for example, at the time of lens replacement.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a display position in the EVF 110.

  FIG. 5A shows a display on the full screen of the display element 112 in the display of the EVF 110. In this state, the image is displayed at a viewing angle determined by the eyepiece optical system 113. That is, an image with a viewing angle of 30 ° is displayed as shown in FIG.

  Here, when the user instructs to change the viewing angle and also instructs to set the display position (step S14 in FIG. 2), the screen position control unit 100a of the system controller 100 determines based on the instruction. Set the image display position.

  The display position is set by the user setting on the screen position setting unit 130a. For example, it may be set as an offset toward the top / bottom / left / right ends of the EVF 110, or may be input as a numerical value in the top / bottom / left / right direction from the screen stop position. In addition to the display position, the field of view rate can also be set.

  FIG. 5B shows a case where the viewing angle is set to 20 ° by the user setting in the display of the EVF 110.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 3, when the viewing angle is set to 20 °, an image with 395 pixels in the vertical direction is generated. Note that the portion where the image is not displayed is displayed in black so as not to disturb the observation.

  FIG. 5C shows a case where the viewing angle is set to 20 ° and the display position is set to “lower” in the display of the EVF 110 by the user's setting.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 3, when the viewing angle is set to 20 °, an image with 395 pixels in the vertical direction is generated. Here, when the display position is set, the screen position control unit 100a of the system controller 100 instructs the display position on the display element 112, and the finder image generation unit 109 displays the image at the corresponding position. To control. Specifically, the coordinates of the display start position on the display element 112 are set.

  Although there are individual differences, generally, eye strain may be reduced by setting the line of sight downward. Therefore, when the viewing angle is set to the reduction side, the display position can be set to the lower side at the same time.

  FIG. 5D shows a case where the viewing angle is set to 20 ° and the line of sight is set to the upper right in the display of the EVF 110 by the user's setting.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 3, when the viewing angle is set to 20 °, an image with 395 pixels in the vertical direction is generated. Further, the display position is set by the screen position control unit 100 a of the system controller 100.

  Depending on the camera 1, when looking into the EVF 110, the position of the user's nose interferes with the camera body, and it is necessary to look into the camera with the eyes shifted to the lower left. Therefore, when the viewing angle is set to the reduction side, the display can be observed more easily by setting the display position to the upper right.

  FIG. 5E shows an example in which the visual field ratio is set to 66% by the user setting in the display of the EVF 110.

  The field of view indicates the ratio of the area of the image that is actually displayed among the image areas that can be displayed, and is set as a percentage. A part of the display screen can be trimmed by setting the field of view rate.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5E, only 66% of the area that can be displayed is cut out from the center, and this cut out area is displayed as a viewing angle of 20 °. Further, the range exceeding the field of view is displayed as a translucent display through an image that can be actually displayed. In addition, information such as a field of view rate can be added to the semi-transmissive area for display.

  As shown in FIGS. 5B to 5E, the viewing angle, the display position, the viewing rate, and the like in the EVF 110 can be set in various modes based on the user settings. Further, the calculation of the viewing angle, the display position, and the viewing rate is not limited to the calculation method described above, and various known methods can be used.

  The background portion other than the area where the image is displayed when the viewing angle is changed is not limited to black display. For example, the display color may be selected by the user. In addition, information such as imaging conditions can be displayed in the background portion.

  Further, when performing the above-described computation processing such as the viewing angle, the optical performance correction computation unit 109b may perform processing for improving visibility such as edge enhancement and luminance enhancement in parallel. By performing such processing, it is possible to easily recognize the subject and to easily check the focus.

  In addition, the optical performance correction calculation unit 109b performs subject recognition processing such as face recognition, and simultaneously performs OSD (On Screen Display) display indicating the subject position and information, highlight display of the subject, and the like. May be.

  In addition, such image processing such as edge enhancement and OSD display can be pre-processing or post-processing of the arithmetic processing unit for changing the screen position performed in the present invention.

  In addition to such image processing, image processing (display of pseudo color, monochrome, sepia, zebra, etc.) generally performed in a digital camera, digital video, or the like may be performed.

  Further, as in the example shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, in the image display that is not centrally symmetric, distortion due to the optical performance is asymmetrical in the horizontal and vertical directions, and in particular, the rectangular shape at the edge of the screen Since it is easier for the user to visually recognize the distortion, there may be a case where the user feels more uncomfortable.

  Therefore, by performing the optical performance correction processing described with reference to FIG. 4 corresponding to these display positions, it is possible to perform image display with less discomfort and good quality.

  As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, in the view-type electronic viewfinder 110 that observes an image through the eyepiece optical system, the viewing angle is set based on the setting of the user, and the viewing angle corresponding to the viewing angle is set. An image is generated and displayed on the electronic viewfinder 110. With this configuration, there is no need to add a variable mechanism such as zoom to the eyepiece optical system 113, so that an image can be displayed at a desired viewing angle without increasing costs.

  Further, when the viewing angle is changed to the reduction side, the number of pixels is reduced and high-definition image processing is not required, so that power consumption can be reduced and the battery duration can be improved.

  In general, although the eye characteristics are different for each user, the viewing angle can be arbitrarily set by the user, so that the optimum viewing angle can be set for each user.

  In addition to the setting of the viewing angle, the display position in the EVF 110 can be set based on the setting of the user, so that the optimal display position can be set according to the viewing angle and the usage mode of the user.

  In particular, the electronic viewfinder 110 normally has a viewing angle (30 ° or more) corresponding to the gaze stable visual field, and when requested by the user, for example, a viewing angle (15 ° to 20 °) corresponding to the effective visual field. ), The entire image can be displayed in a reduced size so that the entire image can be displayed without difficulty when necessary.

  In addition, when changing the viewing angle, the optical characteristics (distortion, shading, chromatic aberration, image height) of the eyepiece optical system 113 are corrected at the same time. Can be done. At the same time, since the processing for enhancing the visibility, such as edge enhancement and luminance enhancement, is performed, the subject can be easily recognized and the focus can be easily confirmed.

  Furthermore, the embodiment of the present application includes an imaging unit that images the light flux from the imaging lens system 101 by the imaging element 105, and for the image captured by the imaging unit, the setting of the viewing angle and the display position described above, Since optical characteristics are corrected, even in an imaging live display mode (so-called live view) in which an image being captured is displayed in real time, optimal display based on a user's request can be performed without increasing costs.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the camera of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the image display process of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the setting process of the viewing angle of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the optical performance correction | amendment process of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of an example of the display position of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Camera (digital camera)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 System controller 100a Screen position control part 100b EVF control part 101 Imaging lens system 105 Imaging element 106 Imaging circuit 107 A / D conversion circuit 108 Image processing part 109 Finder image generation part 109a Viewing angle calculation part 109b Optical performance correction calculation part 110 Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 111 Display drive part 112 Display element 113 Eyepiece optical system 114 Diopter adjustment detection part 115 Buffer memory 120 Display part (LCD)
124 Compression / decompression unit 125 Interface (I / F)
126 Recording Medium 127 Strobe Control Circuit 128 Strobe 130 Operation Unit 130a Screen Position Setting Unit 130b EVF / LCD Switching Unit

Claims (8)

An image display device including a view-type electronic viewfinder for observing an image displayed on a display element through an eyepiece optical system,
A viewing angle setting section for setting a viewing angle;
An image generation unit that generates an image based on the set viewing angle, and displays the generated image on the display element;
An image display device comprising:   The image generation unit generates the image based on the set viewing angle so that the image is displayed in a part of the displayable range of the display element. Image display device. The viewing angle setting unit sets a display position of an image on the display element;
The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image generation unit displays the generated image at the set display position in a displayable range of the display element. The electronic viewfinder has a viewing angle that is equal to or greater than a gaze stable visual field that is a range in which the gaze of the image is possible in a state where the head movement assists eye movement.
The image generation unit generates an image having a viewing angle corresponding to an effective visual field that is a range in which an image can be watched only by eye movement based on the set viewing angle. The image display device described.   The image generation unit includes a correction calculation unit that stores optical performance information of the eyepiece optical system in advance and corrects the image based on the stored optical performance information when generating the image. The image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The image display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the optical performance information includes at least one of distortion, shading, and chromatic aberration of the eyepiece optical system.   The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction calculation unit performs enhancement correction on at least one of an edge and luminance of the image when generating the image. . An imaging unit that captures a light flux from a subject and generates an image,
8. An imaging apparatus comprising: the image display apparatus according to claim 1 that generates an image based on the set viewing angle based on an image captured by the imaging unit. .