JP2012257100A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the visual recognition of a visual field image in an external world.SOLUTION: A thin see-through display part 11 is rotatably supported between a standing position for standing on the upper surface of a camera body 13 and a falling position for falling thereby to allow a screen to be superimposed on a rear surface display part 21 arranged on the rear surface of the camera body 13. When the see-through display part 11 is at the falling position, a through image is displayed in the rear surface display part 21. The through image is visually recognized through the see-through display part 11. When the see-through display part 11 is rotated to the standing position, the through image is prohibited from being displayed in the rear surface display part 21 and a mark 12 expressing an imaging range is displayed in the see-through display part 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera including a see-through display unit.

  In an electronic camera that employs an electronic viewfinder (EVF), an observation field in the viewfinder is narrow, and thus, for example, a subject moving at high speed is often lost from the viewfinder. There are also many electronic cameras that perform framing by displaying a through image on a large liquid crystal display provided on the back of the camera body. However, even if the framing is performed while viewing the through image displayed on the large rear display unit, if the zoom operation is performed, the observation field of view is further narrowed, and thus the subject may be lost from the screen of the rear display unit. In this case, it becomes difficult to capture the subject again in the viewfinder. Therefore, it takes time and effort for the photographer to once remove the line of sight from the viewfinder and confirm the position of the subject with the naked eye.

  In addition, since the image displayed on the EVF or the liquid crystal display unit is displayed on the display unit after undergoing digital conversion, image processing, or the like, there is a slight deviation (time lag) between the actual movement of the subject and the screen display. Arise. For this reason, when shooting a moving subject in sports or the like, there is a possibility that the image will be taken with a slight delay even if the shutter release is performed at the best timing.

  In order to solve such a problem, a finder device for a video camera in which hologram technology is applied to a sports finder is known (Patent Document 1). In this finder device, a captured image is projected by a hologram onto a screen that transmits a subject image, and an external field image and a captured image captured by an image sensor are displayed in a superimposed manner.

JP-A-9-65183

  However, the finder apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a drawback that it is difficult to recognize the imaging range because the captured image is superimposed and displayed on the external field image. Further, since it is necessary to incorporate a projection means for projecting the imaging range onto the screen in addition to the transmission type screen, the size is increased and it is difficult to perform framing when a camera provided with a finder device is taken into consideration. Furthermore, the projection means is expensive because it has a complicated structure such as a light source for projecting three colors of laser light onto a color liquid crystal display.

  Moreover, since the finder apparatus described in Patent Document 1 always displays captured images, there is a drawback that the battery of the camera is easily consumed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first object thereof is to provide an electronic camera including a see-through display unit that is inexpensive and simple, and in which an imaging range is easily visible. Another object is to provide an electronic camera devised to minimize battery consumption.

  One aspect of an electronic camera exemplifying the present invention is an image pickup means for picking up an image of the outside world formed by a photographing optical system, and displays an image superimposed on the field image of the outside world when viewed from the back of the camera body. Position of the see-through display section, a support means for movably supporting the see-through display section between a framing position for visually recognizing a visual field image of the outside world and a non-framing position where the front is hidden by the camera body, and the position of the see-through display section And a display image control means for displaying an image of a mark indicating the imaging range of the imaging means on the see-through display section when the see-through display section is at the framing position.

  The mark indicating the imaging range is determined on the screen of the see-through display unit based on the distance between the see-through display unit and the photographer's eyes and the screen size of the see-through display unit.

  As a support means, you may make it support rotatably between a framing position and a non-framing position. In this case, the framing position is a standing position where the see-through display unit stands on the upper surface of the body, and the non-framing position is a lying position where the screen is overlaid so that the screen overlaps the rear display unit provided on the back surface of the body. .

  When the see-through display unit is in the lying position, the through image is displayed on the rear display unit. At this time, the through image can be viewed through the see-through display unit. In addition, when the see-through display unit is set to the upright position, it is prohibited to display the through image on the rear display unit. Thereby, the consumption of the battery of the camera can be prevented.

  The mark indicating the photographing range is preferably displayed enlarged or reduced according to the magnification of the photographing lens. In addition, an in-mark image display control unit may be provided that trims image data corresponding to the mark in the image data captured by the imaging unit and displays the trimmed image data on the rear display unit. Furthermore, a photographing information display control means for displaying information related to photographing on the see-through display unit or the rear display unit during photographing by the imaging unit may be provided.

  By the way, there are times when you want to know information (person information) about the person who is the subject, such as the profile of famous players and acquaintances. In this case, a storage unit that pre-records personal information including a face image, a face image detection unit that detects a face image based on image data captured by the imaging unit, and a storage unit that detects the detected face image. Human identification means for collating stored face images to identify a person with a high degree of similarity, and personal information display control means for acquiring information about the identified person from the storage means and displaying the information on the rear display unit Good. The similarity is obtained by obtaining a feature amount from the face image and comparing the feature amounts.

  The personal information to be displayed includes a name, age, birthday, friendship, etc. in addition to the face image. Note that image data that has been taken and recorded in the past may be displayed. In this case, the past image data is read to detect a face image, and the detected face image is collated to extract a face image having a similarity higher than a threshold value, or image data including the face image May be displayed.

  The face image detection means may detect a plurality of face images. In this case, the person information display control means displays a plurality of person information on the rear display unit. In this case, as the number increases, each information display becomes smaller and difficult to see. Therefore, the person information that is the highest in accordance with the size of the plurality of face image areas detected by the face image detection means, the subject distance, or the priority registered for each person information in the storage means is changed to other person information. It is preferable to display the image more conspicuously.

  In addition, it is preferable to display a reference image similar to the subject or background of the field image of the outside world on the rear display unit because it can be used as a reference when framing and determining the composition. In this case, a storage unit that records the reference image data and the feature amount in association with each other, a feature extraction unit that extracts a feature amount based on the image data captured by the imaging unit, and the extracted image data The reference image specifying means for specifying the reference image data having a high similarity by comparing the feature quantity with the feature quantity stored in the storage means, and the specified reference image data on the rear display unit or the see-through display And a reference image display control means for displaying on the screen.

  According to the electronic camera of the present invention, the see-through display unit that displays the image superimposed on the external field image is provided to be movable between the framing position and the non-framing position, and is superimposed on the external field image at the framing position. Since the mark indicating the imaging range is displayed, there is an effect that the imaging range is easy to visually recognize at low cost.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, when the see-through display unit is moved to the framing position, the display of the through image on the rear display unit is stopped, so that the battery consumption of the camera can be suppressed.

It is a front perspective view which shows the electronic camera of this embodiment, and has shown the state which rotated the see-through display part to the standing position. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the electronic camera described in FIG. 1, showing a state in which a see-through display unit is rotated to an upright position. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the electronic camera described in FIG. 1, showing a state in which a see-through display unit is rotated to a lying position. It is a right view which shows the electronic camera demonstrated in FIG. 1, and has shown the state which rotated the see-through display part to the fall position. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of an electrical structure of the electronic camera demonstrated in FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the electronic camera described in FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which displayed the mark which shows the imaging range at the time of a wide end on the see-through display part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which displayed the mark which shows the imaging range at the time of a tele end on the see-through display part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the electronic camera of embodiment which was made to display imaging | photography information on a see-through display part. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the electronic camera described in FIG. 9. It is explanatory drawing which shows the electronic camera of embodiment which made it display error information on a see-through display part as imaging | photography information. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the electronic camera described in FIG. 11. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the electrical constitution of the electronic camera of 3rd Embodiment which displayed the image in the mark displayed on a see-through display part on a back surface display part. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the electronic camera demonstrated in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which displayed the image in the mark displayed on a see-through display part on a back surface display part, and has shown the mark of the magnitude | size at the time of a wide end. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which displayed the image in the mark displayed on a see-through display part on a back surface display part, and has shown the mark of the magnitude | size at the time of a tele end. It is explanatory drawing which shows the electronic camera of embodiment which was made to display imaging | photography information on a back surface display part. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the electrical constitution of the electronic camera of embodiment which was made to display the information regarding the specified person on a back surface display part. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the electronic camera demonstrated in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which displayed the personal information on the back display part with the electronic camera demonstrated in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the electronic camera of embodiment in the case of displaying several person information on a back surface display part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the electronic camera of embodiment in the case of displaying the past image similar to person information on a back surface display part. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the electrical constitution of the electronic camera of embodiment which displayed the past image similar to the image data taken in from the image pick-up element on a back surface display part. 24 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the electronic camera described in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which displayed the past image similar to the image data taken in from the image pick-up element on the back surface display part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the electronic camera of embodiment which was made to display a sample image on a back surface display part and a see-through display part. 27 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the electronic camera described in FIG. 26. It is a perspective view which shows the electronic camera which selected the self-portrait mode and displayed his / her face image on the front of the see-through display unit. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the electrical structure of the electronic camera with a self-shooting mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the electronic camera demonstrated in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the electronic camera to which a see-through display part is attached detachably. It is a perspective view which shows the detachable cylindrical see-through display part.

[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an electronic camera 10 exemplifying one embodiment of the present invention places a see-through display unit 11 between a standing position (see FIGS. 1 and 2) and a lying position (see FIG. 3). A mark 12 representing the imaging range is displayed on the see-through display unit 11 so as to overlap the field image of the outside world when framing by looking from the back side of the camera body 13 at the standing position when the camera body 13 is in the standing position. Display of the through image on the rear display unit 21 provided on the rear surface is prohibited.

  The electronic camera 10 incorporates a lens barrel 15 that holds a photographing lens 14 on the front surface of a camera body 13. A release button 16 and a power switch 17 are provided on the upper surface, and a see-through display unit 11 is provided upright. On the right side surface of the camera body 13, a lid 18 is provided to cover a memory card slot into which a memory card is detachably loaded.

  The see-through display unit 11 is composed of a thin light-emitting organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel having translucency. Note that the see-through display unit 11 may be a transparent liquid crystal having translucency, and the type thereof can be changed as appropriate. The see-through display unit 11 is electrically connected to an electric board built in the camera body 13 through a flexible board (not shown) built in the hinge 19.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 2, a hinge 19, an operation unit 20, and a built-in rear display unit (LCD or organic EL) 21 are provided on the back surface of the electronic camera 10. The rear display unit 21 displays a menu screen for selecting a playback image, a through image, a shooting mode, and the like. The operation unit 20 includes a zoom operation unit 22, a menu button 23 for displaying a menu screen on the rear display unit, a cross key 24 for moving a cursor or the like in the menu screen, and the like. In the cross key 24, a determination key operated at the time of determining the selection content is arranged in the center.

  The hinge 19 has the see-through display unit 11 standing on the upper surface of the camera body 13 and a standing position (position shown in FIG. 2) where the photographer performs framing, and a lying position where the screen is superimposed on the rear display unit 21. (Position shown in FIG. 3) is supported so as to be rotatable, and constitutes the support means of the present invention.

  In the standing position, as shown in FIG. 4, the see-through display unit 11 protrudes from the camera body 13, and a visual field image of the outside world can be visually recognized when viewed from the back side. The field image of the photographer's external environment includes the photographing range of the photographing lens 14.

  A see-through display unit position detector 25 that detects the rotational position of the see-through display unit 11 is provided inside the hinge 19. The see-through display unit position detector 25 monitors the rotational position of the see-through display unit 11 and sends a standing signal when it rotates to the standing position. As the see-through display unit position detector 25, in addition to the standing position, a lying position may be detected, or both positions may be detected.

  In the lying position, the see-through display unit 11 rotates to a position where the front is hidden by the camera body 13, that is, a position where the screen overlaps the rear display unit 21. Here, it is preferable that the screen sizes of the see-through display unit 11 and the rear display unit 21 are substantially the same, or the screen of the see-through display unit is formed smaller than the screen of the rear display unit. When in the lying position, the through image displayed on the rear display unit 21 or the reproduced image can be viewed through the see-through display unit 11. The external field of view image that is viewed through the see-through display unit 11 in the standing position includes the imaging range.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic camera 10 includes a CPU 26. A non-volatile memory 27 and a buffer memory 28 are connected to the CPU 26, and the non-volatile memory 27 stores a control program that is referred to when the CPU 26 performs various controls. The CPU 26 controls each part (circuit) using the buffer memory 28 as a temporary storage work area according to a control program stored in the nonvolatile memory 27, and activates the function of each part (circuit) of the electronic camera 10. .

  Subject light incident from the photographic lens 14 forms an image on the imaging surface of an imaging element 29 such as a CCD or CMOS. The image sensor drive circuit 30 drives the image sensor 29 based on a control signal from the CPU 26. As a result, the subject image formed on the imaging surface of the imaging device 29 is converted into an analog imaging signal, and sequentially output to the CDS 31 and the AMP 21 that constitute an AFE (Analog Front End) circuit. The converted imaging signal is subjected to predetermined analog processing by an AFE circuit, and converted to a digital signal by an A / D (Analog / Digital converter) 33.

  An ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 34 constitutes an image processing circuit, which inputs an imaging signal converted into a digital signal by the A / D 33, and performs white balance processing, gamma correction, and the like on the imaging signal. Apply image processing. The image data that has undergone image processing is temporarily stored in the SDRAM 35. The image data stored in the SDRAM 35 is read out under the control of the CPU 26, converted into the luminance signal Y and the color difference signals Cr and Cb by the YC conversion processing circuit 36, and then compressed by the compression / decompression processing circuit 37. To the memory card 39 via the media controller 38. Reference numeral 46 denotes a bus that connects the CPU 30 and each unit (circuit).

  When displaying a through image on the rear display unit 21, the display control unit 44 converts the image data expanded in the VRAM into a predetermined signal for display (for example, an NTSC color composite video signal) and displays the rear image. To the unit 21.

  The AE / AF detection circuit 40 detects a light / dark difference (contrast) based on the image data taken into the SDRAM 35 and sends the detection result to the CPU 26. The CPU 26 controls the lens driving unit 41 so as to move the photographing lens 14 to an in-focus position where the contrast becomes large while confirming the contrast (contrast) obtained from the AE / AF detection circuit 40. Further, the CPU 26 calculates an aperture value and a shutter speed for the ISO sensitivity set at that time based on the subject luminance detected by the AE / AF detection circuit 40, and based on the calculated values, an electronic shutter and an electronic iris are calculated. To control. Note that a lens shutter also used as an aperture may be provided to mechanically control the shutter and aperture.

  The CPU 26 has a display unit switching unit 42 and a display information generating unit 43. The display unit switching unit 42 controls the display control unit 44 for the rear display unit so that a through image taken from the image sensor 29 is displayed on the rear display unit 21 at any time when the see-through display unit 11 is in the lying position. Further, in response to receiving the rising signal from the see-through display unit position detector 25, display of the through image on the rear display unit 21 is prohibited.

  In response to detecting the standing position of the see-through display unit 11, the display information generation unit 43 generates the mark 12 representing the imaging range of the image sensor 29 and displays the generated image data of the mark 12 for the see-through display unit. The data is sent to the controller 45. Further, the mark 12 whose range (size) is changed by enlarging or reducing the screen center of the see-through display unit 11 based on the imaging range in which the magnification changes in response to an operation on the zoom operation unit 22. Is generated.

  The display information generation unit 43 determines the range of the mark 12 on the screen of the see-through display unit 11 based on the distance between the see-through display unit 11 and the photographer's eyes (face) and the screen size of the see-through display unit 11. . In this embodiment, the screen size of the see-through display unit 11 is known, and the distance between the see-through display unit 11 and the photographer's eyes (face) is that the position of the photographer's eyes (face) is constant. Assuming that a predetermined value is used.

  As a photographer distance detecting means, a distance measuring means including a projector and a light receiver is provided on the back surface of the camera body 13, and the distance to the photographer's eyes (face) is detected by the distance measuring means, and the display information generating unit 43. May determine the range of the mark 12 according to the detected distance. Also, a sub camera is provided on the back of the camera body 13 as a photographer position detection means, and the coordinate position (up / down / left / right position) of the photographer's eyes (face) with respect to the center of the screen of the see-through display unit 11 is acquired from the sub camera. The display position of the mark 12 on the screen of the see-through display unit 11 may be determined based on the coordinate position detected by the display information generation unit 43. Of course, the display position and range of the mark 12 may be determined using both the photographer distance detection means and the photographer position detection means.

  The display control units 44 and 45 for the see-through display unit and the rear display unit are configured by a graphic controller, a VRAM, and the like. The VRAM is controlled by a graphic controller to write image data, and outputs the image data from the serial port to the display unit 11 or 21. An image of the mark 12 is displayed on the see-through display unit 11, and a through image is displayed on the rear display unit 21.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. When the electronic camera 10 is not used (stored), the see-through display unit 11 is in a lying position where it overlaps the screen of the rear display unit 21 as shown in FIG.

  When the power switch 17 is turned on (S-1), image signals are continuously captured through the photographing lens 14 and the image sensor 29. The captured image signal is converted into digital image data, and the converted image data is subjected to various image processing by the ASIC 34 and then displayed on the rear display unit 21 as a through image (S-2). The through image displayed on the rear display unit 21 can be seen through the see-through display unit 11.

  While displaying the through image, the CPU 26 controls each unit so that the photographing lens 14 is moved at a rough pitch according to the contrast detected by the AE / AF detection circuit 40 so that the subject in the center of the captured image is focused. In addition, the electronic shutter and the electronic iris are controlled so that the exposure value according to the subject luminance detected by the AE / AF detection circuit 40 is obtained.

  The see-through display unit position detector 25 monitors the rotational position of the see-through display unit 11 after the power switch 17 is turned on (S-3). When the see-through display unit 11 is rotated to the standing position, the see-through display unit position detector 25 detects this and sends a standing signal to the CPU 26. In response to receiving the rising signal, the display switching unit 42 of the CPU 26 prohibits the display of the through image on the rear display unit 21 (S-4).

  Further, in response to receiving the standing signal, the display information generation unit 43 generates the mark 12 representing the imaging range, and sends the generated image data of the mark 12 to the display control unit 45 for the see-through display unit. The display control unit 45 for the see-through display unit displays the image data of the mark 12 on the see-through display unit 11 (S-4). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the image of the mark 12 representing the imaging range is displayed on the see-through display unit 11 so as to be superimposed on the field image 50 of the outside world 49. Here, since nothing is displayed on the rear display unit 21, the battery of the electronic camera 10 can be prevented from being consumed.

  The mark 12 is preferably a rectangular frame or parenthesis. Further, a light color 48 may be displayed in a region outside the mark 12 so as to be translucent. Furthermore, it is preferable that the mark 12 is displayed while being shifted by correcting the parallax.

  When the zoom operation is performed by the zoom operation unit 22 (S-6), the display information generation unit 43 generates the mark 12 whose size is changed based on the imaging range in which the magnification changes in response to the zoom operation ( S-7). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8, the mark 12 is smaller in size at the tele end than the field image 50 of the photographer's external world 49 seen through the see-through display unit 11, as shown in FIG. 8. Is displayed.

[Second Embodiment]
The electronic camera 52 according to the second embodiment is an embodiment that displays information (shooting information) 53 relating to shooting on the see-through display unit 11. The display information generation unit 43 described with reference to FIG. 5 controls to generate a character image 54 based on the shooting information 53 and display it on the see-through display unit 11. The shooting information 53 includes values such as an exposure correction value, ISO sensitivity, aperture value, and shutter speed at the time of shooting, as shown in FIG. As a display timing, as shown in FIG. 10, the display is performed after the see-through display unit 11 is rotated to the upright position (S-8). The display of the shooting information 53 is stopped in response to the half-pressing operation of the release button 16 (S-9). It may be configured that the shooting information 53 is displayed in response to the half-pressing operation of the release button 16 and the display of the shooting information 53 is stopped in response to the full-pressing operation.

  As the shooting information, as shown in FIG. 11, error information related to shooting, for example, a focus error, a remaining battery warning (error), or the like may be displayed. The focus error is monitored by the CPU 26 (S-10), and when the CPU 26 detects the error, as shown in FIG. 11, an image of a character 55 such as “not in focus” on the see-through display unit 11 is displayed. Control to display. In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, the CPU 26 outputs an error display until no focus error is output after the shooting preparation operation (S-11). In the case of a battery remaining amount warning, the CPU 26 may monitor the remaining amount of the battery and control to display “battery replacement” or “battery charging” when the remaining amount falls below the threshold value. Note that the shooting information is not limited to characters, and images such as icons, pictograms, and symbols may be displayed. Further, in the case of displaying error information, it may be blinked.

[Third Embodiment]
The third embodiment is an embodiment in which an image in the mark 12 displayed on the see-through display unit 11 is displayed on the rear display unit 21 when the see-through display unit is set to the upright position. As shown in FIG. 13, the electronic camera 56 of this embodiment includes an in-mark image display control unit 57 in the CPU 26.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in response to the see-through display unit 11 being in the standing position (S-3), the display information generation unit 43 generates the mark 12 representing the imaging range, as described with reference to FIG. Then, the generated image data of the mark 12 is sent to the display control unit 45 for the see-through display unit. The display control unit 45 for the see-through display unit aligns the image of the mark 12 with the through image, combines them, and displays them on the see-through display unit 11 (S-5).

  The in-mark image display control unit 57 reads the digital image data captured from the image sensor 29 from the SDRAM 35, trims the image data corresponding to the mark 12 in the read image data, and trims the image data (trimmed image). Data) 58 is sent to the display controller 44 for the rear display unit, and as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the trimmed image 58 is controlled to be displayed on the rear display unit 21 so as to fill the screen (S-12). .

  Note that the mark 12 shown in FIG. 15 has a size at the wide end, and the mark 12 shown in FIG. 16 has a size at the tele end. In this embodiment, since the entire visual field image can be grasped by the see-through display unit 11, there is an effect that it is easy to capture a decisive moment of a moving subject such as a person who is playing sports.

[Fourth Embodiment]
In the electronic camera 59 of the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, when the see-through display unit 11 is in the upright position, information related to shooting (shooting information) 60 is displayed on the rear display unit 21. Compared to the second embodiment (example shown in FIG. 9), the fourth embodiment is different in that shooting information is displayed on the rear display unit 21. The shooting information 60 may be displayed so as to overlap the trimming image 58 (image described in FIG. 15 (third embodiment)) displayed on the rear display unit 21. In this case, it is desirable to display so that the shooting information 60 is on the top. As described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the shooting information 60 includes values such as an exposure correction value, ISO sensitivity, aperture value, and shutter speed at the time of shooting. In the case of error information, it may be blinked. Furthermore, it is desirable to stop the display of the shooting information 60 when the release button 16 is pressed halfway. Furthermore, the shooting information 60 may be displayed in response to a half-press operation of the release button 16 and the display of the shooting information 60 may be stopped in response to a full-press operation.

[Fifth Embodiment]
The electronic camera according to the fifth embodiment is an embodiment in which when the see-through display unit 11 is set to the upright position, the person who is taking an image is specified and information (person information) about the specified person is displayed on the rear display unit 21. is there. As shown in FIG. 18, the electronic camera 61 of this embodiment includes a face image detection unit 62, a person identification unit 63, and a display information generation unit 64. The memory card 65 stores a database (storage means) in advance. In the database, face images, feature amounts of face images, and information (person information) related to persons related to face images are registered in association with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the face image detection unit 62 responds to the movement of the see-through display unit 11 to the standing position (S-3), and based on the digital image data once taken into the SDRAM 35, A region is detected (S-13). When the face image is detected, the display information generation unit 64 generates a rectangular mark 66 (see FIG. 20) indicating the area of the face image, and displays the generated rectangular mark 66 superimposed on the screen of the see-through display unit 11. The display control unit 45 is controlled to do so (S-14). The rectangular mark 66 may be an AF frame that focuses on a face image within the range.

  Thereafter, the person identifying unit 63 extracts the feature amount of the detected face image, and collates the feature amount stored in the database based on the extracted feature amount to identify a person with a high degree of similarity (S-15).

  As the feature amount, the position of parts such as eyes, nose, mouth, etc. is set, and the feature amount between the detected face image and each face image registered in the database is compared with the position of the part and has a certain correlation. What is necessary is just to determine an image as an image with high similarity.

  When a person with high similarity is specified (S-16), the display information generation unit 64 reads the specified person information from the database, generates the read person information as a display image, and generates image data 67 of the generated person information. Is displayed on the rear display unit 21, the display control unit 44 for the rear display unit is controlled (S-17). Here, as the person information 68, as shown in FIG. 20, for example, front face image data, name, age, date of birth, relationship and the like are information.

  The database is composed of text files and image data. In the text file, the person name, the person's name, age, date of birth, relationship, etc., the address of the image data of the person's front face, the feature amount of the image data, etc. are described in association with each other. Front face image data is prepared for the number of addresses described in the text file. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20, the rear display unit 21 displays the face image of the identified person on the front side, name, age, birthday, relationship, and the like.

  Note that the database may be stored in advance in a memory built in the camera body 13 instead of the memory card 65. In addition, it is desirable to stop displaying the personal information in response to the half-pressing operation of the release button 16. Furthermore, the person information may be displayed in response to the half-press operation of the release button 16, and the display may be stopped in response to the full-press operation. Here, the display information generation unit 64 and the display control unit 44 described in the fifth embodiment constitute the personal information display control means of the present invention.

  By the way, in the electronic camera 61 described in the fifth embodiment, when a plurality of face image areas are detected, the person information is reduced on the rear display unit 21 and displayed in a row. In this case, as the number of face images increases, the person information is reduced and displayed, which may be difficult to see.

[Sixth Embodiment]
Therefore, in the electronic camera 69 of the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, when a plurality of face image regions are detected, the display information generation unit 64 (see FIG. 18) of the CPU 26 is replaced with the face image detection unit 62 ( It is desirable to display one person information specified based on the sizes of the plurality of face image areas detected in FIG. 18 so as to stand out from the other person information.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 21, the person information 70 corresponding to the face image of the rectangular mark 66 a having the largest size among the rectangular marks 66 a to 66 c indicating the plurality of face image areas detected by the face image detecting unit 62 is changed to other information. The person information 71, 72 is displayed so as to be conspicuous. Note that the larger the size of the rectangular mark 66 indicating the face image area is, the closer the subject distance becomes, so one face specified based on the subject distance detected by the AE / AF detection circuit 40 (see FIG. 5). The person information corresponding to the image may be displayed more conspicuously than other person information. Furthermore, a priority may be registered for each person in the database, and may be displayed prominently based on the priority of the specified person.

[Seventh Embodiment]
As the person information, as shown in FIG. 22, an image 74 related to the specified person 73, for example, a reference image in which the face of the specified person among the images taken in the past is shown on the rear display unit 21. You may make it display.

  In this case, the database is a past image group recorded in the memory card 65 (see FIG. 18), and the person specifying unit 63 (see FIG. 18) selects a face image having a high similarity based on the detected face image. A person is specified by collating face images detected from images recorded in the database. The display information generation unit 64 (see FIG. 18) reads out the face image or image of the specified person from the database, and if there are a plurality of images, the display information generation unit 64 combines or enlarges the images so that they can be displayed on the rear display unit 21 Alternatively, the image data is reduced to generate one image data, and the generated image data is sent to the display control unit 44 for the rear display unit (see FIG. 18). As a result, a past image of a person who is the same as or similar to the specified person is displayed on the rear display unit 21. Thereby, it is possible to determine the composition while referring to the past photographed image (reference image). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sample composition from being referred to or photographed with the same pose or composition.

[Eighth Embodiment]
In the electronic camera 75 of the eighth embodiment, in response to the rotation of the see-through display unit 11 to the upright position, an image similar to the through image is searched from a database such as an image group taken in the past, and the similar image The (reference image) is displayed on the rear display unit 21 to prevent taking an image with the same composition.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the CPU 26 of the electronic camera 75 of the eighth embodiment includes a feature extraction unit 76 and a reference image specifying unit 77. As shown in FIG. 24, the CPU 26 generates a through image based on digital image data (captured image data) captured from the image sensor 29 in response to rotating the see-through display unit 11 to the upright position. Control is performed so that the generated through image is displayed on the see-through display unit 11 (S-18). As a result, as shown in FIG. 25, a see-through image 80 is displayed on the see-through display unit 11.

  The feature extraction unit 76 extracts feature amounts based on the captured image data (S-19). The feature amount is a feature amount such as a color, a shape, a texture, and a feature point. The reference image specifying unit compares the extracted feature quantity with the feature quantity stored in the database, and specifies reference image data having a feature quantity with high similarity (S-20). As the database, for example, an image group recorded in the memory card 79 in the past may be used.

  When the reference image data is specified (S-21), the display control unit 78 controls the display control unit 44 for the rear display unit so as to display the reference image data on the rear display unit 21. (S-22). As a result, as shown in FIG. 25, a reference image 81 is displayed on the rear display unit 21. If the reference image data is not specified, a message such as “no image” is displayed on the rear display unit 21 (S-23). The display of the reference image 81 and the message is stopped in response to the half-pressing operation of the release button 16 (S-24). It is preferable to display the recorded image on the rear display unit 21 after the full pressing operation.

  In addition, you may display the image desired in the image image | photographed in the past on the back display part 21. FIG. In this case, a selection operation unit for selecting an arbitrary image from a database prepared in advance, for example, an image group recorded in the memory card in the past, is provided, and the image selected by the selection operation unit by the CPU 26 is reproduced on the rear display unit 21. The display control unit 44 may be controlled as described above. According to this, a desired reference image can be used as a reference for composition.

[Ninth Embodiment]
In the ninth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the reference image 82 is displayed on the see-through display unit 11 in addition to the rear display unit 21 (S-25). In this embodiment, the through image is not displayed on the see-through display unit 11. According to this, since the reference image 82 can be seen superimposed on the visual field image 84 of the external world 83, a model of composition can be referred to.

  The reference image 82 displayed on the see-through display unit 11 is an image obtained by performing image processing on a substantially translucent transmittance, an image obtained by performing image processing on only one color, and an image obtained by extracting an outer contour and displaying only an outer contour. Displaying the processed image or the like is preferable because the visual field image 84 of the external environment 83 is easily visible.

  Also in this embodiment, the display of the reference image 81 and the message is stopped in response to the half-pressing operation of the release button 16 (S-26). It is preferable to display the recorded image on the rear display unit 21 after the full pressing operation.

  Further, a desired image may be selected from a group of images taken in the past, and the selected image may be displayed on the see-through display unit 11 as a reference image. According to this, for example, in goal shooting at an athletic meet or railway photography, when the target person or train comes to the in-focus position, shooting is performed with the shutter turned off. At this time, there is no way of knowing in advance, for example, at what position in the shooting range and how large the moving subject will enter. At this time, if an image of a goal person or a train taken in the past is displayed on the see-through display unit 11, an effect that a rough composition can be obtained can be obtained.

[Tenth embodiment]
In the electronic camera 85 of the tenth embodiment, in response to the selection of the self-portrait mode from among the shooting modes, as shown in FIG. 28, shooting is performed on the front surface (subject side surface) 86a of the see-through display unit 86. A through image 87 that is a person's face image is displayed. Actually, the electronic camera 85 is supported using a tripod (not shown). The photographer may support the electronic camera 85 by holding it by hand.

  As shown in FIG. 29, the electronic camera 85 includes a see-through display unit 86 and a mode selection operation unit 88. The see-through display unit 86 is, for example, a double-sided display organic EL display, and has a configuration in which light-transmitting front and rear display units 89 and 90 are arranged to face each other. The display on the front display unit 89 is controlled by the display control unit 91 for the front display unit, and the display on the rear display unit 90 is controlled by the display control unit 92 for the rear display unit.

  In the double-sided display organic EL display, a first transparent electrode is formed on a transparent substrate such as glass, and a first organic EL layer, an intermediate electrode, a second organic EL layer, and a second transparent electrode are sequentially stacked. It is configured. Images displayed on the first organic EL and the second organic EL (rear display unit 90) are displayed through the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode, respectively. Each organic EL operates independently. Here, the first transparent electrode, the first organic EL layer, and the intermediate electrode are in the front display section 89, and the intermediate electrode, the second organic EL layer, and the second transparent electrode are in the rear display section 90. Respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 30, in response to selecting the self-portrait shooting mode with the mode selection operation unit 88 after rotating the see-through display unit 86 to the upright position (S-27), the CPU 26 is for the front display unit. The display control unit 91 is controlled to display the through image 87 on the front display unit 89 (S-28). Here, while the through image 87 is displayed on the front display unit 89, the CPU 26 prohibits display of the image on the rear display unit 90.

  By the way, in the self-shooting mode, there are two modes of automatic release by the self-timer and manual release by the release button 16, and one of them is selected. FIG. 30 illustrates a case where manual release is selected. Therefore, the photographer determines the composition while viewing his / her face image on the front display unit 89, and performs shutter release. When the automatic release is selected, the shutter release is automatically performed after a predetermined time.

  In the case of the normal shooting mode (S-29), the through image is displayed on the rear display unit 90 (S-30). Then, while displaying the through image on the rear display unit 90, the CPU 26 prohibits display of the image on the front display unit 89.

  By the way, as the see-through display unit 86, the front and rear display units may be controlled by a single display control unit (drive circuit). In this case, the same image is displayed on the front and rear display units. For this reason, the image displayed on the front display unit is displayed in a horizontally reversed manner as compared with the image displayed on the rear display unit. With this configuration, since the imaging range can be seen from either side during cell timer imaging using a tripod, composition adjustment can be easily performed.

  Furthermore, as the see-through display portion 86, an organic EL display in which a transparent material is used for both the anode and the cathode and light is emitted on both sides may be used. Also in this case, since the same image is displayed, an image that is horizontally reversed with respect to the image viewed from the rear side is viewed from the front side of the see-through display unit.

  Furthermore, as the see-through display unit 86, a transflective liquid crystal display panel may be used. Also in this case, since the same image is displayed, the image displayed on the front side is recognized as a horizontally reversed image compared to the image displayed on the rear side.

  As described above, in each of the above embodiments, the see-through display unit is provided so as to be freely movable between the standing position and the lying down position. The see-through display unit may be provided so as to be slidable vertically or horizontally. In this case, the standing position may be a position protruding laterally (left or right direction) or downward from the camera body 13.

[Eleventh embodiment]
The electronic camera 94 shown in FIG. 31 is provided with a display attachment portion 96 for detachably attaching the see-through display portion 95. The display mounting portion 96 is an accessory shoe for mounting an accessory device such as a strobe. Note that the display mounting portion 96 may be provided separately from the accessory shoe.

  In addition to the contact group 97 for making electrical connection with the accessory device, the display mounting portion 96 has a display for making electrical connection with the mounting portion 98 provided in the see-through display portion 95. A signal contact group 99 is provided. Although not shown, the attachment portion 98 of the see-through display portion 95 is provided with a contact group connected to the display signal contact group 99.

  The electronic camera 94 is provided with a rear display unit (not shown) on the rear surface of the camera body 13, and the see-through display unit 95 and the rear display unit display as described in the above embodiments. The

  As shown in FIG. 32, the detachable see-through display unit 100 may have a configuration in which a transparent display unit 102 is provided inside a holding frame 101 having a circular cross section.

10, 52, 56, 5961, 69, 75, 85, 94 Electronic camera 11, 86, 95, 100 See-through display section 12 Mark 21 Rear display section 19 Hinge 25 See-through display section position detector

Claims (14)

An image pickup means for picking up an image of the outside world formed by the photographing optical system;
A see-through display unit capable of displaying an image superimposed on the field of view of the outside world when viewed from the back of the camera body;
Support means for movably supporting the see-through display unit between a framing position for visually recognizing the field image of the outside world and a non-framing position where the front is hidden by the camera body;
See-through display part position detection means for detecting the position of the see-through display part;
Display image control means for displaying an image of a mark indicating the imaging range of the imaging means on the see-through display section when the see-through display section is at the framing position;
An electronic camera characterized by comprising: In the electronic camera according to claim 1,
The display image control means determines the range of the mark on the screen of the see-through display unit based on the distance between the see-through display unit and the photographer's eyes and the screen size of the see-through display unit. Electronic camera. The electronic camera according to claim 1 or 2,
The support means corresponds to the standing position corresponding to the framing position that stands on the upper surface of the camera body, and the non-framing position where the screen is overlaid on the rear display unit provided on the rear surface of the camera body. An electronic camera characterized in that the see-through display unit is rotatably supported between a lying position and a lying position. The electronic camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the see-through display unit is in the non-framing position or the lying down position, a through image generated based on the image data acquired from the imaging unit is displayed on the rear display unit provided on the rear surface of the camera body, An electronic camera comprising: a display unit switching unit that prohibits displaying the through image on the rear display unit when the see-through display unit is in the framing position or standing position. The electronic camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The display image control means enlarges or reduces and displays the image of the mark in response to changing the focal length of the photographing optical system. The electronic camera according to claim 5,
An electronic apparatus comprising: in-mark image display control means for trimming the image data captured by the imaging means into an image corresponding to the mark and displaying the trimmed image data as the through image on the rear display unit. camera. The electronic camera according to any one of claims 3 to 6,
An electronic camera comprising: a photographing information display control means for displaying information relating to photographing on the rear display unit or the see-through display unit at the framing position or standing position. The electronic camera according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Storage means for pre-recording information about a person including a face image;
Face image detection means for detecting a face image based on image data imaged by the imaging means;
A person specifying means for specifying a person having a high degree of similarity by comparing the detected face image with the face image stored in the storage means;
Person information display control means for acquiring information on the specified person from the storage means at the framing position or standing position, and displaying the acquired information on a rear display unit provided on the back of the camera body;
An electronic camera comprising: The electronic camera according to claim 8,
The electronic camera is characterized in that the information about the person includes recorded image data taken in the past. The electronic camera according to claim 8 or 9,
In the case where a plurality of pieces of information related to the person are displayed on the rear display unit, the person information display control means is the size of the areas of the plurality of face images detected by the face image detection means, the subject distance, or the person in the storage means. An electronic camera that displays information related to one person specified based on a priority registered for each piece of information more prominently than information related to another person. The electronic camera according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Storage means for pre-recording the image data for reference and its feature value in association with each other;
Feature extraction means for extracting feature amounts based on image data captured by the imaging means;
Reference image specifying means for specifying reference image data having a high degree of similarity by comparing the feature quantity of the reference image data stored in the storage means with respect to the extracted feature quantity;
Reference image display control means for displaying the specified reference image data on the back surface of the camera body at the framing position or standing position, or displaying on the see-through display section,
An electronic camera comprising: Imaging means for capturing the outside world and capturing a through image;
A see-through display unit capable of displaying an image superimposed on the field of view of the outside world when viewed from the back of the camera body;
Support means for movably supporting the see-through display unit between a framing position for visually recognizing the field image of the outside world and a non-framing position where the front is hidden by the camera body;
See-through display part position detection means for detecting the position of the see-through display part;
When the see-through display unit is in the non-framing position, the through image is displayed on a rear display unit provided on the back of the camera body, and when the see-through display unit is in the framing position, the through image is displayed on the rear display unit. Display unit switching means for prohibiting display on
An electronic camera characterized by comprising: The electronic camera according to claim 12,
The support means corresponds to the standing position corresponding to the framing position that stands on the upper surface of the camera body, and the non-framing position where the screen is overlaid on the rear display unit provided on the rear surface of the camera body. An electronic camera characterized in that the see-through display unit is rotatably supported between a lying position and a lying position. The electronic camera according to claim 12 or 13,
An electronic camera comprising a photographing information display control means for displaying information relating to photographing on the see-through display unit at the framing position or standing position.

Images