JP2012163631A - Image pickup device and control method for the same, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To present a guidance display suitable for a given display form of setting items.SOLUTION: A first screen displaying a plurality of setting items superposed over an image is displayed while the image is being displayed, or a second screen displaying a plurality of setting items is displayed in a state of not displaying an image. Out of the plurality of setting items, at least one setting item is selected, and a guidance display of the at least one setting item that has been selected is displayed superposed over a prescribed length of time over the displayed screen. An image pickup device is so controlled as to make the prescribed length of time for giving the guidance display of the same setting item shorter in the case of displaying the guidance display superposed over the second screen than in the case of displaying the guidance display superposed over the first screen.

Description

  The present invention relates to a guidance display for setting items of an imaging apparatus.

  Some imaging devices such as a digital single-lens reflex camera have a so-called manual shooting mode in which setting items relating to shooting can be set manually, and the user sets a desired setting before shooting and takes a desired image. can do. In addition, some imaging devices are multi-functional, such as having a function that enables capturing images with various shooting effects, and the items and functions that can be set by the user are increasing. ing.

  In order for the user to use a large number of functions and setting items in this way, it is desirable that the user read the manual of the imaging apparatus and understand the functions and setting items. It is not realistic considering the spread to the layer. For this reason, some imaging devices present simple explanatory texts as guidance displays to the user when selecting functions or setting items prepared by the imaging device.

  However, since a display device such as a small LCD provided in the imaging device has a limited display area size, a part of the display area is covered by the display of the guidance display, and an image desired by the user such as when viewing an image is displayed. And the display area where information is displayed may be obstructed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867 discloses a technique for controlling the guidance display not to be performed in the image reproduction mode and displaying the guidance display for a certain period of time or until the user performs an operation in other modes such as the shooting mode. Is disclosed.

JP 2010-187200 A

  However, some imaging apparatuses have different GUI display methods and arrangements of setting items to be displayed to the user depending on whether an image is displayed on a display device included in the imaging apparatus, such as a live view screen. In such an imaging device, even if the setting items are the same, depending on the display form of the setting items to be displayed to the user, the degree of shielding is different by performing the guidance display. It is preferable to vary the size or display time.

  In Patent Document 1 described above, the presence / absence of the guidance display superimposed on the image in different modes is changed, but the presence / absence of the guidance display depends on whether the image is displayed for the same setting item, Or it was not considered about changing display time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to present a suitable guidance display according to the display mode of setting items.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration.
Display means for displaying a first screen for displaying a plurality of setting items superimposed on the image during image display, or a second screen for displaying a plurality of setting items in a state in which the image is not displayed; When either the first screen or the second screen is displayed on the display means, a selection means for selecting at least one setting item among the plurality of setting items, and at least one selected by the selection means A display control unit that controls the display unit so that a guidance display related to the setting item is superimposed on the screen displayed on the display unit for a predetermined time, and the display control unit includes: The predetermined display of the guidance display related to the same setting item is displayed when the guidance display is displayed superimposed on the second screen than when the guidance display is displayed superimposed on the first screen. Time and controlling the display means to be shorter.

  With such a configuration, according to the present invention, it is possible to present a suitable guidance display according to the display mode of setting items.

1 is an external view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which showed the example of a display of the setting item and guidance display which concern on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart of the setting screen display control process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart of the guidance display control process which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that an embodiment described below is an example of an imaging apparatus in which the present invention is applied to a digital camera in which a setting item of shooting settings and a GUI display form of a guidance display differ depending on whether or not a live view screen is displayed. An applied example will be described. However, the present invention can be applied to any device in which the setting items and the GUI display form of the guidance display differ depending on whether or not an image is displayed on the display unit. Further, in this specification, the “live view screen” is a screen display method when a captured through image to be described later is displayed on a display device, and the display device is displayed on the electronic viewfinder of the digital camera by the live view screen. Can function as. The “setting screen” is a menu screen for setting the digital camera without displaying the live view screen, and a plurality of setting items are arranged so that the user can select each setting item. It shall be possible to perform detailed setting of setting items.

  In the digital camera according to the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user can perform shooting settings by selecting a setting item displayed superimposed on the live view screen or by selecting a setting item after transitioning to the setting screen. To do. In addition, the display forms such as the arrangement of GUIs indicating setting items are different on each screen, and the display position and area size of the guidance display for presenting the description of each setting item to the user are also different.

(Appearance of digital camera)
FIG. 1 shows an external view of a digital camera 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the digital camera 100 includes an optical viewfinder 121, a display unit 113, a shutter switch 115, a mode switch 116, a power switch 117, and a controller wheel 118. Various operation members such as a determination switch are shown as an integrated operation unit 114. At the bottom of the digital camera 100, there is a recording medium I / F 120 that is a slot for storing the recording medium 200. When the recording medium 200 is inserted, captured still images and moving images are stored in the recording medium 200. To be recorded.

(Functional configuration of digital camera)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the digital camera 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The system control unit 101 is a CPU, for example, and controls the operation of each block included in the digital camera 100. Specifically, the system control unit 101 reads out a program for setting item display control processing, which will be described later, stored in the nonvolatile memory 102, for example, and develops and executes the program on the system memory 103, whereby each digital camera 100 includes Control block behavior. The nonvolatile memory 102 is an electrically erasable / recordable memory such as an EEPROM, for example, and stores parameters necessary for the operation of each block in addition to the operation program of each block provided in the digital camera 100. The system memory 103 is a RAM, for example, and is used not only as a development area for the operation program of each block included in the digital camera 100 but also as an area for temporarily storing intermediate data output in the operation of each block. It is done.

  In the present embodiment, the description will be made assuming that each process is realized in each block of the digital camera 100 as hardware. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the process of each block is the same as that of each block. It may be realized by a program that performs processing.

  The photographing lens 105 is a group of photographing lenses provided in the digital camera 100 including a focus lens, and forms an optical image on the imaging unit 107 via a shutter 106 having a diaphragm and an ND filter function. The imaging unit 107 is an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS sensor, for example, and converts an optical image formed through the photographing lens 105 into an analog image signal and outputs the analog image signal to the A / D conversion unit 108. The A / D conversion unit 108 converts the analog image signal input from the imaging unit 107 into a digital image signal (image) by applying A / D conversion processing. The barrier 104 covers the imaging system including the photographic lens 105, the shutter 106, and the imaging unit 107, thereby preventing the imaging system from being dirty or damaged.

  The image processing unit 109 performs resizing processing or color conversion processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation and reduction on the image output from the A / D conversion unit 108 or the image read from the memory 111 by the memory control unit 110 described later. Is a block that executes In addition, the image processing unit 109 performs arithmetic processing related to exposure control and distance measurement control using an image input from the A / D conversion unit 108 by imaging, and outputs the calculation result to the system control unit 101. Based on the calculation result, the system control unit 101 operates the photographing lens 105 and the shutter 106 by a driving system (not shown) to perform exposure control and distance measurement control.

  It is assumed that the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment employs TTL (through the lens) AF (autofocus) processing and AE (automatic exposure) processing. In the AE process, the shutter speed, aperture, ND filter control, and gain control applied to the digital image signal in the image processing unit 109 are performed. The image processing unit 109 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and also executes TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained calculation result.

  In the digital camera 100, it is assumed that AF processing, AE processing, and AWB processing are executed in real time when used in a mode for capturing a normal moving image. However, when the automatic execution setting of each process is canceled, the parameters of each process can be set manually.

  The memory control unit 110 is a block that controls reading of information from the memory 111 and writing of information to the memory 111. The memory control unit 110 writes the digital image signal input from the A / D conversion unit 108 or the image signal output by applying various processes by the image processing unit 109 to the memory 111. The memory 111 is designed to have a sufficient storage capacity for storing the information because the information of the sound being captured is also written in addition to the image group related to the frame of the moving image being captured. It shall be.

  In addition to the image obtained by imaging, a display image displayed on the display unit 113 described later is written in the memory 111. When the display image is displayed on the display unit 113, the display image is read by the memory 111 and output to the D / A conversion unit 112 described later for display on the display unit 113.

  The D / A conversion unit 112 applies the D / A conversion process to the input digital image signal, thereby outputting the obtained analog image signal to the display unit 113 for display. The display unit 113 is a display device such as a small LCD, for example, and displays an analog image signal output from the D / A conversion unit 112. Note that the display unit 113 receives the digital image signal sequentially output by the A / D conversion unit 108 by imaging, is input to the D / A conversion unit 112, is converted again to an analog image signal (through image), and is displayed on the display unit 113. As a result, it functions as an electronic viewfinder. Although the display on the display unit 113 is described below as being controlled by the system control unit 101, a display control circuit or the like may be separately provided.

  The system timer 119 is a timer built in the digital camera 100, and is used for measuring elapsed time in each program executed by the system control unit 101, processing, time stamping, and the like.

  The operation unit 114, the shutter switch 115, the mode switch 116, the power switch 117, and the controller wheel 118 are user interfaces provided in the digital camera 100. The user interface analyzes an operation signal input by the user operating each operation member, and transmits the input operation content to the system control unit 101.

  The shutter switch 115 is an operation member for giving the digital camera 100 two types of instructions, a shooting preparation instruction, and a shooting instruction according to the stroke that is pressed. Specifically, the shutter switch 115 outputs a SW1 signal that is a shooting preparation instruction when the shutter switch 115 is pressed halfway, and outputs a SW2 signal that is a shooting instruction when the shutter switch 115 is fully pressed. When receiving the SW1 signal, the system control unit 101 starts operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing. When the system control unit 101 receives the SW2 signal, the system control unit 101 starts a series of shooting processing operations from reading a signal from the imaging unit 107 to writing image data on the recording medium 200.

  The mode switch 116 switches the operation mode of the digital camera 100 to one of a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, a playback mode, and the like. The still image shooting mode includes an auto shooting mode, an auto scene discrimination mode, a manual mode, various scene modes that are shooting settings for each shooting scene, a program AE mode, a custom mode, and the like. The mode changeover switch 116 can directly switch to one of these modes included in the still image shooting mode. Alternatively, the mode changeover switch 116 may be used to temporarily switch to the still image shooting mode and then switch to any of these modes included in the still image shooting mode using another operation member. Similarly, the moving image shooting mode may include a plurality of modes.

  The power switch 117 is an operation member for instructing activation or termination of the digital camera 100. When the user operates the power switch 117 to turn on the power of the digital camera 100, the system control unit 101 executes a preparation process at startup, and when the power is turned off, the system control unit 101 Performs termination processing.

  The controller wheel 118 is an operation member that can be rotated and used together with a direction switch included in the operation unit 114 to indicate a selection item. When the controller wheel 118 is rotated, an electrical pulse signal is generated according to the operation amount, and the system control unit 101 controls each part of the digital camera 100 based on the pulse signal. Based on this pulse signal, it is possible to determine the angle at which the controller wheel 118 is rotated, how many rotations, and the like. The controller wheel 118 may be any operation member that can detect a rotation operation. For example, a dial operation member that generates a pulse signal by rotating the controller wheel 118 itself in accordance with a user's rotation operation may be used. Further, an operation member made of a touch sensor may be used to detect a rotation operation of a user's finger on the controller wheel 118 without rotating the controller wheel 118 itself (so-called touch wheel).

  Other operation members are shown as an integrated operation unit 114. Each operation member is appropriately assigned a function for each scene, such as a selection operation of various function icons displayed on the display unit 113, and functions as various function switches. Examples of the function switch include an end switch, a return switch, an image feed switch, a jump switch, a narrowing switch, and an attribute change switch. For example, when a menu switch is pressed, various settable menu screens are displayed on the display unit 113. The user can make various settings intuitively using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 113, and the four-way switch and the SET switch.

  The recording medium I / F 120 is an interface for connecting the digital camera 100 and a recording medium 200 that is a recording device that is detachably connected to the digital camera 100, such as a memory card or HDD. The recording medium 200 records, for example, a moving image image and sound encoded by the image processing unit 109 according to a predetermined encoding format via the recording medium I / F 120.

(Display form of setting items and guidance display)
Here, the display form of the GUI displayed on the display unit 113 in the shooting mode in the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment has different GUI display forms of setting items that can be set by the user depending on whether or not the live view screen is displayed.

  Note that in the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment, whether or not the live view screen is displayed on the display unit 113 is switched by, for example, a user operating a live view display changeover switch (not shown) provided in the operation unit 114. Further, when the digital camera 100 is in the shooting mode, for example, when the user operates a setting switch (not shown) provided in the operation unit 114, a setting item for changing the shooting setting is displayed. Specifically, when the live view screen is displayed on the display unit 113, the setting item is displayed superimposed on the live view screen, and when the live view screen is not displayed, the screen transitions to the setting screen.

  FIG. 3 shows the normal state when the live view screen is displayed or when the setting screen is displayed, the setting item is displayed, and one of the setting items is selected, and the setting item. The state where the guidance display is made is shown.

  When the live view screen is displayed on the display unit 113 as shown in FIG. 3A, the current shooting settings, the remaining battery level, and the like are simply displayed on the screen using icons (301). For example, when the user operates a setting switch included in the operation unit 114, the display on the display unit 113 is displayed in a state where the setting item icons 302 as illustrated in FIG. 3B are arranged along the left end of the display area (first display). 1 screen). When the setting item 302 is displayed in a superimposed manner on the live view screen 300, it is considered preferable for the user that the shooting settings can be changed while checking the live view screen 300. That is, the setting item 302 is displayed in a simplified manner using small icons so as to minimize the area that blocks the image (through image) 300 on the live view screen. The user can change various shooting settings by, for example, operating the up / down key switch provided in the operation unit 114 to select the setting item. The selected setting item is displayed so as to be identifiable by reverse display such as 303 or coloring. In the example of FIG. 3B, a state in which the setting item “image characteristic setting” is selected is shown.

  When the live view screen as shown in FIG. 3A is not displayed on the display unit 113 and, for example, an operation input to the setting switch is made by the user, the setting screen 310 (second display) as shown in FIG. 2 screen) is displayed. Unlike the case where the live view screen is displayed, there is no need to present the image 300 of the live view screen on the setting screen 310. Therefore, a plurality of setting items are arranged using the entire display area, and the visibility is higher. Selection items can be presented. When one of the setting items (311) is selected on the setting screen, it is displayed so as to be identifiable by being highlighted or colored as shown in FIG. 3 (e) as in FIG. 3 (b). . In the example of FIG. 3 (e), the setting item “image characteristic setting” is selected as in FIG. 3 (b).

  Further, in the digital camera 100 of this embodiment, when the setting item 303 is selected and the user does not perform an operation for a predetermined time, a guidance display 304 that is an explanation of the selected setting item is displayed in addition to the setting item. Furthermore, it is superimposed and displayed on the display unit 113.

  When the live view screen is displayed, the guidance display 304 is preferably displayed so as to minimize the area that blocks the image 300 on the live view screen as described above. In particular, since it is assumed that a subject as a main subject exists at the center of the display area of the display unit 113, the guidance display 304 is displayed in the upper right corner of the display area as shown in FIG. It should be noted that the position of the main subject in the image of the live view screen may be detected, and the position where the guidance display 304 is superimposed may be changed so as not to block the area. In order to reduce the amount of information blocked by the guidance display 304 on the live view screen image 300, the setting item 302 and the guidance display 304 may be in a semi-transparent state.

  When the setting screen 310 is displayed, since the plurality of setting items are arranged using the entire display area of the display unit 113 for the purpose of improving visibility, the guidance display 312 as shown in FIG. Is displayed while blocking some setting items (304). In addition, since the guidance display 312 presents the user with an explanation regarding the selected setting item 311, the selected setting item 311 is displayed so as not to be blocked.

  As can be seen from the figure, the display mode of the setting item guidance display 304 on the live view screen and the setting item guidance display 312 on the setting screen are different. When the shooting setting is changed on the live view screen, it is assumed that the live view screen is presented to the user. Therefore, the setting items and guidance display 304 are set so as not to block the image 300 on the live view screen. Is displayed. On the other hand, since the setting screen 310 is mainly intended to present setting items to the user, when the shooting setting is changed on the setting screen 310, the setting items are displayed in the entire display area of the display unit 113. The guidance display 312 is superimposed on it.

  That is, the ratio of the area where the guidance display 304 is displayed and the area where the setting item 302 is displayed to the display area of the display unit 113 on the live view screen is smaller than the ratio on the setting screen 310. In other words, the guidance display 304 and the setting item 302 can be arranged so that the guidance display 304 and the setting item 302 are displayed on the live view screen without overlapping each other. On the other hand, there is a low possibility of blocking information to be presented. On the other hand, in the setting screen 310, when the setting items are arranged so as to be aligned in the entire display area of the display unit 113 in order to improve the visibility of the setting items, at least one setting item is displayed when the guidance display is superimposed. Will be shielded.

  For this reason, regarding the guidance display 312 displayed on the setting screen 310, since the setting items are shielded by being displayed in a superimposed manner, the visibility of the setting items is low, and there is a possibility that the user may be confused or have trouble in setting. is there. That is, it is considered that the display time of the guidance display 312 displayed on the setting screen 310 is preferably set shorter than the display time of the guidance display 304 on the live view screen.

  On the other hand, since the guidance display 304 on the live view screen is displayed so as not to block the image 300 on the live view screen as much as possible, it is considered to be displayed in a small character size or in a semi-transparent state. That is, the display time of the guidance display 304 displayed on the live view screen is set longer than the display time of the guidance display 312 on the setting screen 310 so that the guidance display 304 can be easily viewed by the user. Is considered suitable.

(Setting item display control processing)
A specific process of the setting item display control process related to the change of the shooting setting of the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the system control unit 101 reading out a corresponding processing program stored in, for example, the non-volatile memory 102, developing the program in the system memory 103, and executing the program. This setting item display control process will be described as being started when, for example, the user inputs an operation to the setting switch of the operation unit 114 while the digital camera 100 is activated in the shooting mode.

The setting item display control process will be described using the following variables and constants.
・ Variables 1. Setting item display start time Ts
2. Guidance display standby start time Tgw
3. Guidance display start time Tgs
4). Flag indicating whether the guidance display is in standby state Fgw
5. Flag indicating whether to display the guidance display Fgp
・ Constant Waiting time to display guidance display T0
2. Display time of guidance display on setting screen T1
3. Display time of guidance display on live view screen T2
4). Setting item display time T3

  In the following description, the current time read from the system timer 119 is substituted for the time-related variable. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, when the digital camera 100 is activated. Information such as the time from the start and the number of processing frames may be used. Further, for example, the constants described above are described as being stored in the nonvolatile memory 102 and the variables are stored in the system memory 103 and used by appropriately reading, writing, or updating by the system control unit 101. Of the variables, the initial value of the flag Fgw at the start of processing is set to ON, and the initial value of the flag Fgp is set to OFF.

  The constants T1 and T2 are set as T1 <T2 based on the point that a suitable display time for guidance display varies depending on whether or not the live view screen is displayed as described above. That is, in this embodiment, the display time of the guidance display is set longer when the image of the live view screen is displayed than when the image is not displayed.

  When the process starts, first, in step S401, the system control unit 101 acquires information on the current time acquired from the system timer 119 at the setting item display start time Ts and guidance display standby start time Tgw stored in the system memory 103. Is assigned.

  In step S <b> 402, for example, the system control unit 101 reads the setting item GUI stored in the nonvolatile memory 102 or the setting view GUI when the live view screen is not displayed, and transmits the GUI to the memory control unit 110. . Under the control of the system control unit 101, the memory control unit 110 generates a display screen in which a plurality of setting items are arranged in the memory 111, and the display unit 113 through D / A conversion in the D / A conversion unit 112. Display the display screen. Thereby, a live view screen on which setting items are superimposed or a setting screen is displayed on the display unit 113.

  In the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment, one setting item is selected in advance when a setting item is displayed on the display unit 113, regardless of whether or not the live view screen is displayed. The setting item selected in advance may be fixed each time, or the setting item selected last by the user may be selected. Information about the selected setting item is stored in the system memory 103, for example.

  In this step, if the flag Fgp indicating whether or not to display the guidance display is ON, the system control unit 101 reads the guidance display GUI of the selected setting item from the nonvolatile memory 102, The data is transmitted to the control unit 110. Similarly, the system control unit 101 controls the memory control unit 110 so that the GUI for displaying the guidance is superimposed on the display screen.

  In step S403, the system control unit 101 determines whether the controller wheel 118 has been operated by the user. Specifically, the system control unit 101 determines whether or not there is an operation based on whether or not an operation signal output from the controller wheel 118 is received when the user operates the controller wheel 118. If the system control unit 101 determines that the controller wheel 118 has been operated by the user, the process proceeds to S404. If the system control unit 101 determines that the controller wheel 118 has not been operated, the process proceeds to S408.

  In the present embodiment, the setting item displayed on the display unit 113 is selected by a four-way key switch provided in the operation unit 114, and the setting change of the selected setting item is performed by the controller wheel 118. To do.

  In step S <b> 404, the system control unit 101 changes the setting content (for example, setting value) of the selected setting item according to a signal input by operating the controller wheel 118 by the user. Specifically, the setting content of the setting item is managed in the nonvolatile memory 102 with a setting value configured in, for example, an enumeration type, and the system control unit 101 changes the setting value of the selected setting item according to the input signal, Just remember again.

  In step S <b> 405, the system control unit 101 ends the display when the guidance display is displayed on the display unit 113. Specifically, the system control unit 101 updates the flag Fgp indicating whether to display the guidance display stored in the system memory 103 to OFF. In this embodiment, only when the flag Fgp is ON, the system control unit 101 reads the guidance display GUI from the nonvolatile memory 102 and transmits it to the memory control unit 110 to superimpose the guidance display on the display image. To process. That is, by forcibly updating the flag Fgp indicating whether or not to display the guidance display in this step to OFF, the system control unit 101 can end the guidance display superimposed display.

  In step S406, the system control unit 101 sets a flag Fgw indicating whether or not the guidance display is in a standby state stored in the system memory 103 so that the guidance display is not displayed for the currently selected setting item. Update to OFF. This is because it can be determined that the user already understands the contents of the setting item for which the setting has been changed, and the guidance display is displayed while the setting item is selected. The system control unit 101 cancels the standby state as not being performed.

  In step S <b> 407, the system control unit 101 updates the time serving as a reference for measuring the timeout time for deleting the display of the setting item on the display unit 113 because the user has performed an operation. Specifically, the system control unit 101 acquires the current time from the system timer 119 and updates the value of the display start time Ts of the setting item stored in the system memory 103 with the acquired current time. In the present embodiment, the setting item displayed on the display unit 113 is automatically deleted when the display time T3 of the setting item has passed without any user operation.

  If it is determined in step S403 that the controller wheel 118 has not been operated by the user, the system control unit 101 determines in step S408 whether or not the user has operated a four-way key included in the operation unit 114. Specifically, the system control unit 101 determines whether or not there is an operation based on whether or not an operation signal output from the operation unit 114 is received by the user operating a four-way key. If the system control unit 101 determines that the user has operated the four-way key included in the operation unit 114, the system control unit 101 moves the process to S409, and if the user determines that the user has not operated the four-way key, moves the process to S413.

  In step S <b> 409, the system control unit 101 changes the setting item to be selected according to the signal input by the user operating the four-way key provided in the operation unit 114. The system control unit 101 identifies the newly selected setting item in accordance with the signal input from the operation unit 114, and the selected information stored in the nonvolatile memory 102 is the information on the newly selected setting item. Update the information of the setting item.

  In S410, the system control unit 101 ends the display when the guidance display is displayed on the display unit 113 as in S405. Specifically, the system control unit 101 updates the flag Fgp indicating whether to display the guidance display stored in the system memory 103 to OFF.

  In step S411, the system control unit 101 is in a guidance display standby state stored in the system memory 103 in order to display a guidance display when no operation has been performed for a predetermined time for the newly selected setting item. The flag Fgw indicating whether or not is updated to ON. Further, the system control unit 101 updates the flag Fgw indicating whether or not the guidance display is in a standby state to ON, and substitutes the current time value acquired from the system timer 119 into the guidance display standby start time Tgw. As a result, the system control unit 101 can set the newly selected setting item as a guidance display standby state from the time Tgw.

  In step S <b> 412, the system control unit 101 updates the time used as a reference for measuring the timeout time for deleting the display of the setting item on the display unit 113 because the user has performed an operation in the same manner as in step S <b> 407. Specifically, the system control unit 101 acquires the current time from the system timer 119 and updates the value of the display start time Ts of the setting item stored in the system memory 103 with the acquired current time.

  If it is determined in step S408 that the user has not operated the four-way key included in the operation unit 114, that is, if an operation input related to selection of a setting item or change in shooting setting is not performed, the system control unit 101 performs step S413. The guidance display control process is executed with.

(Guidance display control processing)
Here, the guidance display control process will be described more specifically with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 501, the system control unit 101 determines whether a guidance display is currently displayed on the display unit 113. Specifically, the system control unit 101 reads a flag Fgp indicating whether or not to display a guidance display stored in the system memory 103, and determines whether or not the flag is ON. If the system control unit 101 determines that the guidance display is displayed, the process proceeds to S506. If the system control unit 101 determines that the guidance display is not displayed, the process proceeds to S502.

  In step S <b> 502, the system control unit 101 determines whether the current state of the digital camera 100 is a standby state for guidance display. Specifically, the system control unit 101 reads a flag Fgw indicating whether or not the guidance display standby state is stored in the system memory 103, and determines whether or not the flag is ON. If the system control unit 101 determines that it is in a standby state for guidance display, it moves the process to S503, and if it is determined that it is not in a standby state, completes this guidance display control processing.

  In step S <b> 503, the system control unit 101 determines whether the time during which the guidance display is in the standby state has reached the standby time T <b> 0 until the guidance display is displayed. Specifically, the system control unit 101 obtains information on the current time from the system timer 119, and subtracts the guidance display standby start time Tgw stored in the system memory 103, whereby the time in the standby state is obtained. Is calculated. Then, the system control unit 101 determines whether or not the calculated guidance display standby time has reached a standby time T0 until the guidance display stored in the nonvolatile memory 102 is displayed. The system control unit 101 moves the process to S504 when determining that the time of the guidance display standby state has reached T0, and completes the guidance display control process when determining that the time has not reached.

  In step S504, the system control unit 101 updates the flag Fgp indicating whether or not to display the guidance display stored in the system memory 103 to ON in order to display the guidance display on the display unit 113. By doing in this way, when the process reaches S402 of the setting item display control process next, the guidance display of the selected setting item can be displayed on the display unit 113. Further, since the guidance display standby state has ended, the system control unit 101 updates the flag Fgw indicating whether the guidance display standby state stored in the system memory 103 is OFF or not.

  In step S <b> 505, the system control unit 101 acquires the current time from the system timer 119, substitutes it for the display start time Tgs of guidance display stored in the system memory 103, and completes this guidance display control processing.

  If it is determined in S501 that the guidance display is displayed, the system control unit 101 determines in S506 whether the current display setting of the display unit 113 is live view screen display. Specifically, the system control unit 101 reads the current display setting information stored in the system memory 103, and determines whether the information is the display setting of the live view screen on which a plurality of setting items are superimposed. to decide. If the system control unit 101 determines that the current display setting of the display unit 113 is live view screen display, the system control unit 101 moves the process to step S507. If the system control unit 101 determines that the display setting is not live view screen display, that is, the setting screen, the processing is performed. Move to S508.

  In step S507, the system control unit 101 determines whether the time for which the guidance display is displayed on the display unit 113 has reached the display time T1 for guidance display on the setting screen. Specifically, the system control unit 101 acquires information on the current time from the system timer 119 and subtracts the display start time Tgs of the guidance display stored in the system memory 103 to display the guidance display on the display unit 113. The time displayed in is calculated. Then, the system control unit 101 determines whether or not the calculated time for displaying the guidance display on the display unit 113 has reached the display time T1 for guidance display on the setting screen stored in the nonvolatile memory 102. . The system control unit 101 moves the process to S509 when determining that the time for which the guidance message is displayed on the display unit 113 has reached T1, and completes the guidance display control process when determining that the time has not been reached. .

  In step S508, the system control unit 101 determines whether the time for which the guidance display is displayed on the display unit 113 has reached the display time T2 for guidance display on the live view screen. Specifically, the system control unit 101 acquires information on the current time from the system timer 119 and subtracts the display start time Tgs of the guidance display stored in the system memory 103 to display the guidance display on the display unit 113. The time displayed in is calculated. Then, the system control unit 101 determines whether or not the calculated time when the guidance display is displayed on the display unit 113 has reached T2 stored in the nonvolatile memory 102. If the system control unit 101 determines that the time for which the guidance display is displayed on the display unit 113 has reached T2, the system control unit 101 moves the process to S509, and if it has determined that the time has not been reached, completes this guidance display control processing. .

  In step S509, the system control unit 101 updates the flag Fgp indicating whether or not to display the guidance display stored in the system memory 103 to OFF in order to end the display of the guidance display on the display unit 113. Complete the guidance display control process.

  By executing the guidance display control process in this way, the system control unit 101 can control whether or not the guidance display is displayed and the display time.

  In step S414, the system control unit 101 determines whether the time during which the setting item is displayed on the display unit 113 without any user operation has reached the setting item display time T3. Specifically, the system control unit 101 acquires information on the current time from the system timer 119, and subtracts the display start time Ts of the setting item stored in the system memory 103, so that no user operation is performed. The time when the setting item is displayed is calculated. Then, the system control unit 101 determines whether or not the calculated time when the setting item is displayed without any user operation has reached the display time T3 of the setting item stored in the nonvolatile memory 102. . The system control unit 101 completes the setting item display control process when it is determined that the time during which the setting item is displayed on the display unit 113 without any operation by the user has reached T3. If so, the process returns to S402.

  By doing in this way, it is possible to realize the control of the display unit 113 so as to display the guidance display with a suitable display time in each case depending on whether or not the live view screen is displayed.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the display time of the guidance display for the selected setting item is changed depending on whether or not the live view screen is displayed has been described, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention changes the display time of the guidance display for the selected setting item depending on whether the setting item is superimposed on the image, and is not limited to the live view screen through image. Is possible. Moreover, when the configuration is such that a plurality of selection items can be selected and changed at the same time, guidance displays of the plurality of selection items may be displayed together. That is, according to the present invention, when displaying at least one setting item without superimposing the at least one setting item on, for example, an image recorded on the recording medium 200, the guidance is more effective than displaying the at least one setting item superimposed on the image. This shortens the display time of the display.

  In addition, as described above, for one setting item, the display time of the guidance time when the setting item is displayed without being superimposed on the image is shorter than the display time when the setting item is superimposed and displayed on the image. If the configuration is such that the display time is controlled, the display time may be controlled as follows.

  For example, if the time from when the guidance is displayed until the display is turned off by the user is long, or when the number of times that the guidance display for one setting item is displayed is large, the user thinks that the user is paying attention to the guidance display Can do. For this reason, you may control so that the display time of the said setting item becomes long.

  Further, for example, when the shutter speed set by the user is short, it can be considered that the user desires to shoot a fast-moving subject, so the display time of the setting items and the guidance display is short overall. You may control so that it may become.

  Furthermore, for example, on a screen that displays setting items without being superimposed on the image, there is a possibility that the setting items may be blocked by the display of the guidance display. It may be so long that it takes a long time to be displayed.

(Summary)
As described above, the imaging apparatus of the present invention can present a suitable guidance display according to the display mode of setting items. Specifically, the imaging apparatus displays a first screen that displays a plurality of setting items superimposed on the image during image display, or a second screen that displays a plurality of setting items while the image is not displayed. Is displayed. Then, at least one setting item is selected from the plurality of setting items, and the guidance display of the selected at least one setting item is superimposed on the screen displayed for a predetermined time and displayed. At this time, the imaging apparatus displays the guidance display of the same setting item when displaying the guidance display superimposed on the second screen rather than displaying the guidance display superimposed on the first screen. The predetermined time is controlled so as to be shortened.

  In this way, even when the setting items are displayed in the entire display area without being superimposed on the image, the time during which the setting items are shielded by the guidance display can be shortened. Operability can be improved.

  Note that the control of the system control unit 101 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire apparatus may be controlled by a plurality of pieces of hardware sharing the processing.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Furthermore, each embodiment mentioned above shows only one embodiment of this invention, and it is also possible to combine each embodiment suitably.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and can be applied to any imaging apparatus that performs guidance display. That is, the present invention is applicable to a digital single lens reflex camera, a digital video camera, a PDA with a camera, a mobile phone terminal with a camera, a music player with a camera, a game machine with a camera, an electronic book reader with a camera, and the like.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program code. It is a process to be executed. In this case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

Claims (8)

Display means for displaying a first screen for displaying a plurality of setting items superimposed on the image during image display or a second screen for displaying the plurality of setting items in a state in which the image is not displayed; ,
A selection means for selecting at least one setting item from among the plurality of setting items when either the first screen or the second screen is displayed on the display means;
A display for controlling the display means so that a guidance display related to the setting item is superimposed on the screen displayed on the display means for a predetermined time with respect to at least one setting item selected by the selection means. Control means,
The display control means relates to the same setting item when the guidance display is displayed superimposed on the second screen, rather than when the guidance display is displayed superimposed on the first screen. An image pickup apparatus that controls the display means so that the predetermined time for displaying a guidance display is shortened.   When displaying the guidance display superimposed on the second screen, the display control means excludes the selected at least one setting item from the plurality of setting items constituting the second screen. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is controlled so that at least one setting item is shielded and the guidance display is superimposed.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image is an image recorded on a recording medium. It further comprises an imaging means for imaging the subject,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image is a through image captured by the imaging unit. Further comprising detection means for detecting a region of the main subject in the image,
When displaying the guidance display superimposed on the first screen, the display control means superimposes the guidance display without blocking the main subject area of the image detected by the detection means. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display unit is controlled. The display means displays a first screen that displays a plurality of setting items superimposed on the image during image display, or a second screen that displays the plurality of setting items while the image is not displayed. Display process to
A selection step of selecting at least one setting item among the plurality of setting items when the acquisition unit displays either the first screen or the second screen in the display step;
The display control means displays the guidance display relating to the setting item for at least one setting item selected in the selection step so as to be superimposed on the screen displayed in the display step for a predetermined time. A display control process for controlling the process,
In the display control step, the display control means displays the guidance display superimposed on the second screen rather than displaying the guidance display superimposed on the first screen. A control method for an imaging apparatus, wherein the display step is controlled so that the predetermined time for displaying a guidance display relating to the same setting item is shortened.   A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method of the imaging apparatus according to claim 6.   A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method of the imaging apparatus according to claim 6 is recorded.

Images