JP2011101275A - Image capturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image capturing apparatus that has a GPS module and prevents a photographer from covering a GPS antenna by a hand during photographing. <P>SOLUTION: The image capturing apparatus includes: a casing; a holding part that is provided on either right or left end on an top surface of the casing and on which the photographer places fingers when holding the casing; and a receiving part that receives information for calculating positioning information, that is arranged on a position nearer to a central part neighboring to the holding part on the top surface of the casing, and that has a stepped part so that the stepped part is one step higher than the holding part in the end of a side of the holding part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus including a GPS module capable of acquiring position information, and more particularly to an arrangement of a GPS antenna for receiving position information in the image pickup apparatus.

  The GPS (Global Positioning System) is a satellite positioning system for checking the current position on the earth, and performs positioning using a GPS artificial satellite. Signals from these GPS satellites include time data from atomic clocks mounted on the satellites, satellite orbit information, and the like. The GPS receiver (GPS module) calculates the distance between each satellite and the GPS receiver from these pieces of information sent from the three satellites, and determines the position of the GPS module on the earth based on the calculated distance.

  In recent years, there has been proposed an imaging apparatus that records position information obtained from a signal from the GPS satellite together with image data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The conventional imaging device described in Patent Document 1 has a GPS antenna that can easily receive a signal from a GPS satellite, regardless of whether the imaging device body is used in a horizontal position or a vertical position. It is arrange | positioned so that the upper surface and side surface of may be covered.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-17908

  However, the conventional imaging device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the GPS sensitivity may be covered with a hand when a photographer holds the imaging device, and reception sensitivity may be lowered.

  In a conventional imaging device, a GPS antenna is disposed so as to cover the upper surface and side surfaces of the imaging device body. Therefore, in the horizontal shooting, which is the most commonly used shooting mode, the photographer places the finger of the hand (especially the second finger, that is, the forefinger) on the GPS antenna portion and holds the camera. Sometimes position information cannot be acquired, and image data cannot be recorded together with position information.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus with a GPS module in which a photographer does not manually cover a GPS antenna during photographing.

  In order to solve the above problems, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention is an imaging apparatus that outputs captured image data together with position information, and is provided at the housing of the imaging apparatus and at the left or right end of the upper surface of the housing A holding unit for placing a finger when the photographer holds the casing, and a holding unit disposed on the upper surface of the casing from the center adjacent to the holding unit, at the end on the holding unit side And a receiving unit that receives information for calculating position information.

  According to the image pickup apparatus of the present invention, the GPS antenna is not covered with a hand even when the photographer holds the image pickup apparatus naturally, and the position information can be reliably acquired.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front. 1 is a schematic perspective view seen from the rear of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view of main parts of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic view of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the rear. The figure which shows a mode when a photographer hold | maintains the imaging device by one Embodiment of this invention.

[1: Overview of digital camera]
A digital camera 1 with a GPS module as an example of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 1 and 2 are schematic perspective views of the digital camera 1. FIG.

  The digital camera 1 is a camera for acquiring an image of a subject, and outputs captured image data together with position information obtained by a GPS module. The digital camera 1 has a substantially rectangular camera body. The camera body includes a front panel 2, a rear panel 3, an upper panel 4, and a lower panel (not shown), and constitutes a housing that houses each component of the digital camera. A lens barrel 12 having an imaging optical system is mounted on the front panel 2.

  In the following description, the six surfaces of the digital camera 1 are defined as follows.

  The surface facing the subject when photographing with the digital camera 1 (the surface having the lens barrel 12) is the front surface of the camera body, and the opposite surface is the back surface. Vertical and vertical direction of the subject and rectangular image captured by the digital camera 1 (generally, the aspect ratio (ratio of long side to short side) is 3: 2, 4: 3, 16: 9, etc.) When photographing is performed so as to coincide with each other, a surface facing upward in the vertical direction is an upper surface, and a surface on the opposite side is a lower surface. Further, when shooting is performed so that the vertical direction of the subject and the vertical direction of the rectangular image captured by the digital camera 1 coincide with each other, the left side when viewed from the subject side is the left side, and vice versa. The side surface is the right side surface. The above definition does not limit the usage posture of the digital camera 1. According to the above definition, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the front surface, the top surface, and the right side surface.

  Note that not only the six surfaces of the digital camera 1 but also the six surfaces of each component arranged in the digital camera 1 are defined in the same manner. In other words, the above definition is applied to the six surfaces of each component member arranged in the digital camera 1.

[2: Appearance structure of digital camera]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a release button 5, a power switch 8, a zoom adjustment lever 6, a mode dial 7, and the like are provided on the upper surface of the camera body so that a photographer can perform operations such as an imaging operation. , Is provided. The release button 5 is a button for the photographer to input the exposure timing. The power switch 8 is a switch for the photographer to turn on and off the digital camera 1. The zoom adjustment lever 6 is a lever for the photographer to adjust the zoom magnification of the image pickup optical system, and is rotatable within a predetermined angle range around the release button 5. The mode dial 7 is a dial for switching the operation mode or the like of the digital camera 1. The photographer rotates the mode dial 7 to switch operation modes such as still image shooting, moving image shooting, and playback.

  Operation keys 14 are provided on the back of the camera body. The operation key 14 is provided on the right side of the back and includes a plurality of buttons, sticks, and the like. The photographer performs various settings regarding the photographing operation by operating the operation key 14 with the first finger (thumb) of the right hand.

  The release button 5, the operation key 14, the power switch 8, the zoom adjustment lever 6, and the mode dial 7 are examples of operation members. These may have any form such as a push button, a slide switch, a lever, a dial, and a touch panel.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the digital camera 1. A speaker unit 9, microphone units 11L and 11R, and a GPS unit 10 are further provided on the upper surface of the camera body. The speaker unit 9 includes a speaker hole 9a provided on the upper surface and a speaker 9b provided at a position facing the speaker hole 9a inside the camera body. The speaker unit 9 outputs sound when the digital camera 1 reproduces sound data. The microphone portions 11L and 11R include microphone hole portions 11La and 11Ra provided on the upper surface, and microphones 11Lb and 11Rb provided at positions facing the microphone hole portions 11La and 11Ra inside the camera body. The microphone unit 11L and the microphone unit 11R are paired to form a stereo microphone, and accepts external audio input when the digital camera 1 records audio data.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the digital camera 1 as viewed from the rear. As shown in FIG. 4, the GPS unit 10 includes a convex portion 10 a that slightly protrudes upward with respect to a substantially flat upper surface. The convex part 10a has a substantially trapezoidal cross section.

  A GPS module 10b integrated with a GPS antenna is provided at a position facing the convex portion 10a in the camera body. The GPS unit 10 receives a signal from a GPS satellite by a GPS antenna provided in the GPS module 10b, calculates position information of the digital camera 1 based on information of the received signal, and outputs the position information.

  A top substrate 20 is disposed in the vicinity of the back side of the top surface of the camera body. Speaker 9b, GPS module 10b, and microphones 11Lb and 11Rb are mounted on top substrate 20.

  On the upper surface of the camera body, a speaker unit 9, a GPS unit 10, a microphone unit 11L, a microphone unit 11R, a mode dial 7, a release button 5, a zoom adjustment lever 6, and a power switch 8 are arranged in this order from the right side. The The release button 5 and the zoom adjustment lever 6 are arranged offset to the front side so that the photographer can easily operate the zoom adjustment lever 6 with the index finger of the right hand when holding the digital camera 1. Similarly, the mode dial 7 is arranged offset on the back side so that it can be easily rotated with the thumb of the right hand.

  A liquid crystal monitor 13 that displays an image acquired by an image sensor (not shown) is provided on the back of the camera body. Inside the camera body, various control of the camera, for example, a control unit (not shown) composed of a microcomputer, and a detachable storage element (not shown) for storing image data acquired by the image sensor. ) And are arranged. The control unit controls the whole so that the position information obtained from the GPS module 10b is stored in the storage element together with the image data. The digital camera 1 may not be provided with a storage element, and the acquired image data and position information may be output in association with each other.

[3: Location of GPS unit]
As described above, the speaker unit 9, the GPS unit 10, and the microphone units 11 </ b> L and 11 </ b> R are sequentially arranged on the upper surface of the digital camera 1 from the right side. The speaker unit 9 is arranged at the end portion on the right side of the upper surface, and the GPS unit 10 is arranged on the left side thereof, so that the GPS unit 10 takes a predetermined distance from the end portion on the right side of the upper surface. Will be placed in position. Further, the GPS unit 10 includes a convex portion 10a, so that a step portion with respect to a flat portion on the upper surface is formed on the outer peripheral portion thereof.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state when the photographer holds the digital camera 1. In the drawing, only the thumb and index finger of the photographer's left hand are shown for explanation, but the method of holding the digital camera 1 of the photographer is not limited to this.

  When the photographer holds the digital camera 1 in the horizontal position, the right hand performs various operations while holding the digital camera 1, so that the thumb is placed around the operation key 14 on the back and the index finger is placed on the release button 5 on the top. Hold with each attached. On the other hand, since the left hand mainly holds the digital camera 1, as shown in FIG. 5, the index finger is attached to the end of the right side of the upper surface and the thumb is attached to the end of the right side of the lower surface so as to be held vertically. Hold as you do. By holding in this way, the left hand does not block light incident on the imaging optical system from the front, and does not block the photographer from viewing the liquid crystal monitor 13.

  The GPS unit 10 is not arranged at the end of the upper surface by being arranged on the left side of the speaker unit 9 arranged at the right end. Therefore, the GPS unit 10 is located in a place that is not covered with the index finger of the left hand of the photographer. Furthermore, since the GPS unit 10 includes the convex portion 10a, the GPS unit 10 is configured to be one step higher than the flat portion at the right end of the upper surface. As a result of the speaker unit 9 being arranged on the upper right end of the upper surface, a sufficient space is secured for the photographer to attach the index finger of the left hand, and at the position immediately adjacent to the left side, that is, from the center adjacent to the speaker unit 9. Has a stepped portion of the convex portion 10 a of the GPS unit 10. For this reason, the photographer puts his / her index finger (the part of the finger's belly ahead of the first joint) only on the flat part at the right end of the upper surface so that the tactile feeling when held is good. The speaker unit 9 at the right upper end of the upper surface also serves as a holding unit for placing the belly of the finger when the photographer holds the digital camera 1 (in other words, the holding unit includes the speaker unit). Therefore, even if the photographer places an index finger on the flat portion at the right end of the upper surface, the photographer does not place a finger on the GPS unit 10 including the convex portion 10a, and as a result, covers the GPS antenna included in the GPS unit 10. Absent.

  On the upper surface of the camera body of the digital camera 1, a number of components including the GPS unit 10 are arranged. Here, the operation member is concentrated on the left side of the upper surface so as to be easily operated with the right hand. Moreover, it is desirable to arrange the microphones 11L and 11R as close to the center of the upper surface as possible so that stereo sound collection is easy. Further, the speaker unit 9 can be effectively used in the space on the upper surface of the camera body by being arranged at the right end of the upper surface held by the user with the left index finger. It is advantageous in terms of reception sensitivity that the GPS unit 10 is directed upward when the user holds the digital camera 1 in the horizontal position (that is, disposed on the upper surface). Further, by arranging the speaker unit 9, the GPS unit 10 and the microphone units 11L and 11R on the upper surface, the speaker 9b, the GPS module 10b and the microphones 11Lb and 11Rb can be easily mounted on the upper surface substrate 20 disposed immediately below the upper surface. be able to. Therefore, it is desirable for the digital camera 1 as a whole to arrange the GPS unit 10 between the microphone units 11L and 11R arranged on the upper surface as described above and the speaker unit 9. Note that when the photographer holds the digital camera 1 with the left hand, the photographer holds the speaker unit 9 with the index finger of the left hand, and closes the speaker hole 9a. In particular, as described with reference to FIG. This is not a problem because it is not necessary to use a speaker during shooting.

[4: Other embodiments]
The imaging device with a GPS module according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

(1)
In the digital camera 1, the arrangement of the camera body, particularly the arrangement on the upper surface has been described as the arrangement in which the speaker unit 9 and the GPS unit 10 are arranged from the right end as described above. Similar effects can be obtained.

(2)
The GPS unit 10 is provided with a convex portion 10a with respect to the periphery of the upper surface, but a step portion is configured to be one step higher than the speaker unit 9 at the end of the speaker unit 9 side where the GPS unit 10 is adjacent. It only has to be. For example, the entire other upper surface including the GPS unit 10 may be one step higher than the speaker unit 9 (in other words, the speaker unit 9 (holding unit) may be one step lower than the flat portion of the upper surface).

(3)
You may make it arrange | position all or one part of the GPS module 10b inside the convex part 10a of the GPS part 10. FIG. The GPS module 10b may have a dimension in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface substrate 20 larger than other components mounted on the upper surface substrate 20. Even in such a case, the height of the flat portion on the upper surface of the digital camera 1 can be kept low by arranging the convex portion 10a so that the whole or a part of the convex portion 10a is accommodated, and the appearance can be made smaller. It becomes possible.

(4)
The liquid crystal monitor 13 is an example of display means. Other examples of the display means include organic EL.

[5: Features of the embodiment]
Characteristic parts in the above embodiment are listed below. In addition, the invention included in the said embodiment is not limited to the following. In addition, what was described in parentheses after each configuration is a specific example of each configuration described to help understanding of the features. Each configuration is not limited to these specific examples.

[C1]
An imaging device (digital camera 1) that outputs captured image data together with position information,
A housing (camera body) of the imaging device;
A holding part (speaker part 9) for placing a finger when a photographer holds the casing, provided on either the left or right end of the upper surface of the casing;
The upper surface of the housing is disposed at a position from the center adjacent to the holding portion, and has a step portion that is one step higher than the holding portion at the end portion on the holding portion side, and the position information is A receiving unit (GPS unit 10) for receiving information for calculation;
Equipped with.

[C2]
The holding unit is provided with an audio output unit (speaker unit 9) for outputting audio.

[C3]
Provided with an audio input unit (microphone unit 11L and microphone unit 11R) that accepts external audio input,
The audio output unit, the receiving unit, and the audio input unit are arranged in order from the end of the upper surface.

  The imaging device with a GPS module according to the present invention can reliably acquire position information without covering the GPS antenna with a hand even when the photographer holds the imaging device naturally. Therefore, it is useful in a digital camera or the like that records captured image data together with position information.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital camera 2 Front panel 3 Back panel 4 Top panel 5 Release button 6 Zoom adjustment lever 7 Mode dial 8 Power switch 9 Speaker part 9a Speaker hole part 9b Speaker 10 GPS part 10a Convex part 10b GPS module 11L, 11R Microphone part 11La, 11Ra Microphone hole 11Lb, 11Rb Microphone 12 Lens barrel 13 Liquid crystal monitor 14 Operation key 20 Top substrate

Claims (3)

An imaging device that outputs captured image data together with position information,
A housing of the imaging device;
A holding part for placing a finger when a photographer holds the casing, provided at either the left or right end of the upper surface of the casing;
The upper surface of the housing is disposed at a position from the center adjacent to the holding portion, and has a step portion that is one step higher than the holding portion at the end portion on the holding portion side, and the position information is A receiving unit for receiving information for calculation;
An imaging apparatus comprising: The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an audio output unit for outputting audio is disposed in the holding unit. It has a voice input unit that accepts voice input from the outside,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the audio output unit, the receiving unit, and the audio input unit are arranged in order from an end of the upper surface.

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