JP2014062973A - Finder device and imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a finder device in which an OVF and an EVF can be switched and further a finder can be miniaturized, with a simple configuration and to provide an imaging apparatus.SOLUTION: A finder device 19 in which the OVF and the EVF can be switched includes an objective optical system capturing subject light, a first prism 79 emitting the subject light introduced from the objective optical system from a light-emitting surface, a second prism 81 arranged so that a light incident surface faces the light-emitting surface of the first prism, an image display panel 89 arranged so as to be freely inserted and removed between the light-emitting surface of the first prism and the light incident surface of the second prism, and a drive part moving the image display panel to one of a first position where the image display panel is inserted into an optical path and a second position where the image display panel is out of the optical path. The image display panel includes a display part facing the light incident surface of the second prism, to display the display image of an electronic view finder, in the first position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a finder device and an imaging device.

  As a camera finder device such as a digital still camera or a digital video camera, an optical view finder (OVF) for observing an optical image of a subject, and a captured image obtained by photographing the subject are displayed on a liquid crystal display. There is an electronic view finder (EVF) for observing this. A so-called hybrid type finder device having both OVF and EVF is known.

  In the hybrid type finder apparatus, OVF and EVF are switched, and an image from either one is selectively observed. FIG. 12 shows an optical system in a hybrid type finder apparatus. The viewfinder having this configuration includes an OVF optical path 203 introduced into the half mirror 201 and an EVF optical path 205 similarly introduced into the half mirror 201. A shutter 207 and an objective lens 209 are disposed in the optical path 203 of the OVF, and a target lens 213 for focusing on the liquid crystal display section 211 is disposed in the optical path 205 of the EVF. An eyepiece lens 215 is disposed on the optical path on the light exit side of the half mirror 201.

  In the finder apparatus configured as described above, for example, when it is desired to accurately check the shooting angle of view, switching to OVF is performed, and when confirming a delicate subject image, switching to EVF is performed to compensate for the disadvantages of OVF and EVF. In addition, the viewfinders disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a configuration in which a liquid crystal display unit serving as an EVF is disposed so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the optical path in the middle of the optical path between the OVF objective lens and the eyepiece. .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-146235 JP 2010-263538 A

  The viewfinder shown in FIG. 12 has a configuration in which the OVF and EVF are switched and displayed by the cube-type half mirror 201, so that the volume of the half mirror 201 itself is large, which hinders downsizing of the camera body on which the viewfinder is mounted. . Moreover, since the display is switched by the half mirror 201, the viewfinder becomes relatively dark.

  On the other hand, the viewfinders of Patent Documents 1 and 2 enable switching between OVF and EVF without using a half mirror. However, when switching between OVF and EVF, since the optical component and the liquid crystal display unit are moved together, there is a disadvantage that the weight of the movable part increases and switching responsiveness decreases. In addition, since the number of parts of the movable part is large, the mechanism for switching is complicated, which is disadvantageous for downsizing.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a finder apparatus and an imaging apparatus that can switch between OVF and EVF with a simple configuration and that can reduce the size of the finder.

The present invention has the following configuration.
(1) A finder device capable of switching between an optical viewfinder for optically observing a subject and an electronic viewfinder for observing a display image displaying image information of a subject image,
An objective optical system that captures subject light;
A first prism for emitting the subject light introduced from the objective optical system from a light exit surface;
A second prism disposed with the light incident surface facing the light exit surface of the first prism;
An image display panel that is detachably disposed between the light exit surface of the first prism and the light entrance surface of the second prism;
The image display panel is inserted into the optical path between the light exit surface of the first prism and the light entrance surface of the second prism, and the second position is out of the optical path. A drive unit that is moved to any position,
The image display panel includes a display unit that displays a display image of the electronic viewfinder facing the light incident surface of the second prism at the first position.
(2) an imaging lens;
An image sensor for imaging an optical image formed by the imaging lens;
The finder device according to (1) that displays image information output from the image sensor on the display unit;
An imaging apparatus comprising:

  According to the present invention, switching between OVF and EVF is possible with a simple configuration, and the finder can be miniaturized. Thereby, the image pickup apparatus can be further downsized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure for describing embodiment of this invention, and is a schematic external appearance perspective view of the digital camera as an imaging device. It is an internal block block diagram of the digital camera shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the schematic principal part structure of a finder apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the layer structure of an image display part. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of a finder switching mechanism. (A) is a schematic layout diagram showing a state in which the finder switching mechanism allows the finder device to function as an OVF, and (B) is a schematic layout diagram showing a status in which the finder device functions as an EVF. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of an arm member and a plunger stopper. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the finder apparatus of a digital camera. It is sectional drawing which shows the layer structure in the other structural example of an image display part. It is an external view which shows the smart phone provided with the finder apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the smart phone shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the optical system in the conventional hybrid type finder apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic external perspective view of a digital camera as an imaging apparatus. The digital camera 100 includes a rectangular housing 11 and a retractable lens barrel 13 provided in the center of the front of the housing 11. In the lens barrel 13, a photographic lens (a focus alignment lens, a zoom lens, etc.) 15 is housed.

  A shutter release button 17 is provided on one side of the upper surface of the casing 11, and a hybrid finder device 19, which will be described in detail later, is provided in the casing 11 on the opposite side of the shutter release button 17. . A subject-side finder window 21 of the finder device 19 is provided at a corner on the front surface of the housing 11, and a photographer-side viewing window 23 is provided on the back side of the subject-side finder window 21 of the housing 11. In addition, a finder switching operation unit 25 described later is provided on the front side of the housing 11.

  FIG. 2 is an internal block diagram of the digital camera 100 shown in FIG. The digital camera 100 includes a solid-state imaging device 31 for capturing a single-plate color image, a photographing lens 15 (a zoom lens is 15a and a focusing lens is 15b) placed in front of the solid-state imaging device 31, and a diaphragm (iris). ) 33, a CDSAMP (correlated double sampling (CDS), gain control amplifier (AMP)) 35 that performs analog signal processing on the output signal (captured image signal) of the solid-state imaging device 31, and the output signal of the CDSAMP 35 is converted into a digital signal. And an analog / digital (A / D) converter 37. The solid-state image sensor 31 is a CCD type in this configuration example, but may be a solid-state image sensor of another type such as a CMOS type.

  The digital camera 100 further includes an image input controller 41 that captures a captured image signal that is a digital signal output from the A / D converter 37, and an arithmetic processing unit (CPU) 43 that performs overall control of the entire digital camera 100. The image signal processing circuit 45 that processes the captured image signal, the AF detection circuit 47 that detects the focus position from the image data output from the solid-state image sensor 31, and the AE & AWB detection circuit 49 that automatically detects the exposure amount and the white balance. And comprising. The digital camera 100 also includes an SDRAM 51 as storage means used as a work memory, a compression processing circuit 53 that compresses captured image data after image processing into a JPEG image or an MPEG image, and a display unit provided on the back of the camera. 55 and an image display unit (EVF) 57 in the finder device 19, a video encoder 59 that displays a captured image and a through image, and various information described later, a media controller 63 that stores captured image data in a recording medium 61, and And an interconnecting bus 65.

  Further, the digital camera 100 includes a motor driver 67 that supplies a drive pulse to the drive motor of the zoom lens 15 a, a motor driver 69 that supplies a drive pulse to the motor that drives the position of the focus lens 15 b, and the aperture position of the aperture 33. A motor driver 71 that supplies a drive pulse to a drive motor that performs control, and a timing generator 73 that supplies a drive timing pulse (electronic shutter pulse, readout pulse, transfer pulse, etc.) to the solid-state imaging device 31 are provided. These operate | move based on the instruction | command from CPU43. The CDSAMP 35 also operates based on a command from the CPU 43.

  The viewfinder device 19 includes a Pechan prism 83 having an objective lens 77, an auxiliary prism (first prism) 79, and a roof prism (second prism) 81 between the subject-side finder window 21 and the photographer-side viewing window 23. And an image display unit (EVF) 57 including an OVF shutter, a finder switching mechanism 85 that operates in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 43, and an eyepiece 87 are housed. The finder switching mechanism 85 switches OVF / EVF described later in the finder device 19.

  The Pechan prism 83 is an erecting prism for obtaining an erect image by combining the auxiliary prism 79 and the roof prism 81.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic main configuration of the finder device 19. In the finder device 19, the subject side finder window 21, the field mask 75, the objective lens 77, and the roof prism 83 are arranged in this order.

  The roof prism 81 has a shape equivalent to that formed so that the roof surfaces 81a and 81b protrude outward from one side surface of the triangular prism and the ridge line 81c where the roof surfaces 81a and 81b intersect is parallel to the bottom surface of the triangular prism. The auxiliary prism 79 has a quadrangular prism shape, and is disposed such that one side surface 79a thereof is close to and parallel to one side surface 81d of the roof prism 81 other than the roof surfaces 81a and 81b.

  That is, the auxiliary prism 79 takes in the subject light introduced from the objective optical system, and emits the subject light from the light exit surface 79a that is one of the aforementioned side surfaces.

  An image display panel 89 is detachably disposed between the light exit surface 79a of the auxiliary prism 79 disposed opposite to each other in parallel and the light incident surface 81d, which is the aforementioned one side surface of the roof prism 81.

  The image display panel 89 is inserted into the optical path between the light emitting surface 79a of the auxiliary prism 79 and the light incident surface 81d of the roof prism 81 by a finder switching mechanism 85 as a driving unit shown in FIG. The position is moved to one of the second position out of the optical path.

  As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 4, the image display unit 57 fixed to the image display panel 89 includes a liquid crystal display element 91 having a backlight (not shown) and a back side opposite to the image display side of the liquid crystal display element 91. And a light-shielding portion 93 provided on the surface. The backlight connected to the liquid crystal display element 91 may be either an edge light type or a direct type. Instead of the liquid crystal display element 91, other display devices such as an organic EL can be used.

  The light shielding portion 93 is disposed so as to cover the entire back surface of the liquid crystal display element 91, and blocks the subject light introduced through the objective lens 77 at the first position where the image display panel 89 is inserted into the optical path of the finder device 19. To do. Accordingly, when the image display panel 89 is disposed at the first position, only the output light from the image display unit 57 of the image display panel 89 is supplied to the eyepiece 87. In this case, the finder device 19 functions as an EVF.

  When the image display panel 89 is disposed at the second position, the subject light introduced through the objective lens 77 is supplied to the eyepiece lens 87. Thereby, the finder device 19 functions as an OVF.

Next, a specific configuration of the finder switching mechanism 85 of the finder device 19 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of the finder switching mechanism 85. The finder switching mechanism 85 of this configuration has a panel frame portion 95 that supports three sides (a lower side and sides on both sides) of the rectangular flat plate-shaped image display unit 57, and a panel frame portion 95. Are provided with guide shafts 97 and 97, and arm members 99 and 99 for moving the panel frame portion 95 along the guide shafts 97 and 97.

  The panel frame portion 95 includes support portions 111 and 111 that project from the intermediate height positions of the side portions 95a and 95a toward the sides orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the side portions 95a and 95b. Insertion holes 113 are formed in the support portions 111 and 111, and the guide shafts 97 and 97 are inserted through the insertion holes 113 and 113, respectively. Each of the support portions 111 and 111 is provided with a cam shaft 115 that receives the driving force from the arm member 99 and moves along the guide shaft 97.

  The guide shaft 97 is fixed to a unit block 117 that accommodates each optical system of the finder device 19, and extends in the vertical direction when the digital camera 100 is placed horizontally. In other words, the moving direction of the image display panel 89 is the height direction of the digital camera 100, the movement of the digital camera 100 toward the bottom of the casing, and the movement in the opposite direction.

  The arm member 99 is formed in an L shape, and one end 99a is pivotally supported on the unit block 117 by a stepped screw 119 having a small rotational resistance. A rod-shaped lever 121 is attached to the other end 99 b of the arm member 99. The lever 121 is connected to the finder switching operation unit 25 shown in FIG. 1, and the lever 121 is driven in accordance with an operation from the finder switching operation unit 25. A long hole 123 is formed in the bent portion 99 c of the arm member 99, and the cam shaft 115 of the panel frame portion 95 is inserted into the long hole 123.

  As a result, the image display panel 89 has the cam shaft 115 inserted into the elongated hole 123 of the arm member 99 and the guide shaft 97 inserted through the insertion hole 113, so that the rotational displacement of the arm member 99 causes the cam shaft 115 to move along the guide shaft 97. Translation is possible.

  Also, a plunger stopper 125 serving as a fixing mechanism for the arm member 99 is fixed to the unit block 117. The plunger stopper 125 is provided with a ball that is elastically biased in the longitudinal axis direction at the tip portion, and the tip portion is disposed toward the arm member 99.

Next, the OVF / EVF switching operation by the finder switching mechanism 85 having the above configuration will be described.
6A is a schematic arrangement diagram showing a state in which the finder switching mechanism causes the finder device 19 to function as an OVF, and FIG. 6B shows a schematic arrangement diagram showing a state in which the finder device 19 functions as an EVF. In the figure, the unit block 117 is not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the image display panel 89 of the finder switching mechanism 85 is out of the optical path between the light emitting surface of the auxiliary prism 79 and the light incident surface of the roof prism 81 arranged in parallel with each other. When in position, the subject light emitted from the auxiliary prism 79 is directly introduced into the roof prism 81. The subject light emitted from the roof prism 81 is output to the photographer-side viewing window 23 shown in FIG. 1, and the finder device 19 functions as an OVF.

  When the lever 121 is lifted upward in the figure by a manual operation to the finder switching operation unit 25 shown in FIG. 1 or an actuator such as a motor (not shown) from the state of FIG. The arm members 99 and 99 are rotated about the stepped screw 119 as a rotation center. Then, the image display panel 89 translates upward along the guide shaft 97 while the cam shaft 115 of the panel frame portion 95 moves in the long hole 123 of the arm member 99.

  At this time, the upper side of the image display panel 89 is a side where the panel frame portion 95 does not exist. When the image display panel 89 is inserted into the gap between the auxiliary prism 79 and the roof prism 81, the optical function areas of both prism surfaces are provided. Will not come into contact with the panel frame portion 95 and be damaged.

  Further, when the image display panel 89 is inserted into the gap between the auxiliary prism 79 and the roof prism 81, the side portion 95a of the panel frame portion 95 is in sliding contact with the outside of the optical function area on both prism surfaces. The image display panel 89 is maintained parallel to the light exit surface 79 a of the auxiliary prism 79 and the light incident surface 81 d of the roof prism 81. Thereby, the display information from the image display part 57 can be observed over the entire image without distortion.

  That is, since the insertion position of the image display panel 89 is the focal position of the subject light, the image display panel 89 needs to be positioned with high accuracy. In the case of this configuration, the image display panel 89 is sandwiched between the light emitting surface 79a and the light incident surface 81d of each prism, so that positioning can be performed with a simple mechanism with high accuracy.

  Further, when the image display panel 89 is inserted into the optical path between the light emitting surface of the auxiliary prism 79 and the light incident surface of the roof prism 81, the plunger stopper 125 stops the arm member 99 at a specified rotational position. . As shown in FIG. 7, the plunger stopper 125 includes a sphere 127 disposed at the tip portion and a spring 129 disposed behind the sphere 127. The sphere 127 is pressed outward by a spring 129 that is compressed and urged and accommodated in the plunger stopper 125, and is supported at the tip of the plunger stopper 125 so as to freely protrude and project at a distance d.

  The plunger stopper 125 is configured so that the spherical member 127 is fitted in a recess 131 formed on the side surface of the arm member 99, so that the plunger stopper 125 can move at the specified rotational position around the rotational axis A of the stepped screw 119 of the arm member 99 described above. The member 99 is locked.

  The plunger stopper 125 is supported by the unit block 117 as shown in FIG. When the arm member 99 is moved from the rotation position shown in FIG. 6A to the rotation position shown in FIG. 6B, the sphere 127 fits into the recess 131 of the arm member 99. The relative position is locked. Since the sphere 127 and the recess 131 are elastically engaged by the spring 129, the lever 121 of the arm member 99 is engaged / disengaged with a click feeling.

  Therefore, according to this configuration, the image display panel 89 can be switched between a state in which the image display panel 89 is inserted into the optical path between the light emitting surface of the auxiliary prism 79 and the light incident surface of the roof prism 81 and a state in which the image display panel 89 is removed from the optical path. This ensures that the image display panel 89 is not unexpectedly removed from the optical path when the image display panel 89 is inserted into the optical path.

  In addition, since the arm member 99 is supported by the stepped screw 119, the fitting accuracy of the arm member 99 with respect to the support portion is improved, and the pair of arm members 99 and 99 can be smoothly rotated without rattling.

  FIG. 8 is a top view showing a main part of the finder device 19 of the digital camera 100. The viewfinder device 19 has an incident optical axis from a subject in which the surface direction M of the light emitting surface 79a that is one side surface of the auxiliary prism 79 and the light incident surface 81d that is one side surface of the roof prism 81 is the optical axis of the objective optical system. It is inclined at an angle φ with respect to L (an optical axis parallel to the optical axis La of the photographer viewing window 23).

  For this reason, when the moving direction of the image display panel 89 is set to the direction along the surface direction M, the thickness of the housing 11 is increased. If the vertical direction of the paper is 8, the thickness of the housing 11 can be maintained as it is. Therefore, the optical system of the finder device 19 can be miniaturized, and since the configuration does not use a half mirror, the light utilization efficiency is improved, a bright finder can be obtained, and further, there is no need to provide a plurality of optical paths. The score can be reduced. Thereby, the digital camera 100 can be configured to be compact and easy to use. In addition, the said effect becomes remarkable when angle (phi) is 35 degrees or more and 55 degrees or less.

Next, another configuration example of the finder device will be described.
The image display unit 57 may have a configuration in which the liquid crystal display element 91 and the light-shielding optical element 133 are combined as shown in FIG. The light shielding optical element 133 of the image display unit 57A is a liquid crystal optical element, a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS), or the like that can selectively transmit and block light according to a command from the CPU 43 (see FIG. 2). Optical element.

  In the case of this configuration example, the CPU 43 outputs a light transmission signal to the light shielding optical element 133 during OVF, puts the light shielding optical element 133 into a light transmission state, and outputs a light shielding signal to the light shielding optical element 133 during EVF. Then, the light-shielding optical element 133 is put in a light-shielding state.

  By switching the light shielding optical element 133 between the light transmission state and the light shielding state, the subject light is transmitted through the light shielding optical element 133 and the liquid crystal display element 91 and guided to the eyepiece side during OVF. In EVF, subject light is blocked by the light blocking optical element 133, and output image information from the liquid crystal display element 91 is guided to the eyepiece side.

  As described above, the liquid crystal display element 91 and the light-shielding portion 93 (light-shielding optical element 133) move together to switch between OVF and EVF with a simple mechanism.

  Further, in the image display panel 89, the image display unit 57 can be a single layer of the liquid crystal display element 91. In that case, an optical shutter that can selectively transmit and block light according to a command from the CPU 43 may be provided in the middle of the optical path between the objective lens 77 and the auxiliary prism 79 shown in FIG. In this case, the responsiveness of the switching operation between OVF and EVF is improved by reducing the weight of the image display panel 89.

  As described above, the digital camera has been described as an example of the imaging apparatus, but the configuration of the imaging apparatus is not limited to this. Examples of the other imaging device include a PC (Personal Computer) built-in type or an external type PC camera, or a portable terminal device having a photographing function as described below.

  Examples of the portable terminal device that is an example of the imaging device include a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), and a portable game machine. Hereinafter, a smartphone will be described as an example, and will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 10 is an external view showing a smartphone 300 provided with a viewfinder device. The smartphone 300 includes a flat housing 301 and includes a display input unit 304 in which a display panel 302 as a display unit and an operation panel 303 as an input unit are integrated on one surface of the housing 301. ing. The housing 301 includes a speaker 305, a microphone 306, an operation unit 307, and a camera unit 308. Note that the bottom surface of the housing 301 is a surface on which the operation unit 307 is arranged in the drawing.

  As a photographing lens mounted on the camera unit 308 of the smartphone 300, the photographing lens for self-portrait (for videophone) is shown in the illustrated example, but the photographing lens of the main camera is on the back side of the smartphone 300 (in the drawing). (On the lower surface side). When shooting a subject with this main camera, the subject image may be displayed on the display panel 302 to check the subject composition, but the viewfinder device 19 described with reference to FIGS. It is also possible to make it possible to confirm the composition of the subject through the above-described sight-side viewing window 23. Since the finder device 19 having this configuration can be formed thin, it can be easily mounted on a portable terminal device. The function of the finder device 19 is as described above, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  Moreover, the structure of the housing | casing 301 is not limited to this, For example, the structure which a display part and the input part became independent can be employ | adopted, and the structure in which a housing | casing has a folding mechanism and a slide mechanism can also be employ | adopted.

  FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the smartphone 300 shown in FIG. The main component of the smartphone 300 is a wireless communication unit 310, a display input unit 304, a call unit 311, an operation unit 307, a camera unit 308, a storage unit 312, an external input / output unit 313, a GPS (Global Positioning System) A receiving unit 314, a motion sensor unit 315, a power supply unit 316, a main control unit 320, and an image display unit 57 for EVF are provided. As a main function of the smartphone 300, a wireless communication function for performing mobile wireless communication via a base station device (not shown) and a mobile communication network is provided.

  The radio communication unit 310 performs radio communication with a base station apparatus accommodated in the mobile communication network in accordance with an instruction from the main control unit 320. Using this wireless communication, transmission and reception of various file data such as audio data and image data, e-mail data, and reception of Web data, streaming data, and the like are performed.

  The display input unit 304 controls the main control unit 320 to display images (still images and moving images), character information, etc., visually transmit information to the user, and detect user operations on the displayed information. This is a so-called touch panel, and includes a display panel 302 and an operation panel 303.

  The display panel 302 uses an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OELD (Organic Electro-Luminescence Display), or the like as a display device. The operation panel 303 is a device that is placed so that an image displayed on the display surface of the display panel 302 can be viewed, and detects one or a plurality of coordinates operated by a user's finger or stylus. When this device is operated by a user's finger or stylus, a detection signal generated due to the operation is output to the main control unit 320. Next, the main control unit 320 detects an operation position (coordinates) on the display panel 302 based on the received detection signal.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the display panel 302 and the operation panel 303 of the smartphone 300 exemplified as the photographing apparatus integrally constitute a display input unit 304, and the operation panel 303 completely covers the display panel 302. It is arranged like this. In the case of this arrangement form, the operation panel 303 may have a function of detecting a user operation even in an area outside the display panel 302. In other words, the operation panel 303 includes a detection area (hereinafter referred to as a display area) for a portion overlapping with the display panel 302 and a detection area (hereinafter referred to as a non-display area) for an outer edge portion that does not overlap with the other display panel 302. May be included).

  Note that the size of the display area and the size of the display panel 302 may be completely matched, but it is not always necessary to match them. Further, the operation panel 303 may include two sensitive regions of an outer edge portion and an inner portion other than the outer edge portion. Furthermore, the width of the outer edge portion is appropriately designed according to the size of the housing 301 and the like. Furthermore, examples of the position detection method employed in the operation panel 303 include a matrix switch method, a resistance film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, a capacitance method, and the like. You can also

  The call unit 311 includes a speaker 305 and a microphone 306, converts the user's voice input through the microphone 306 into voice data that can be processed by the main control unit 320, and outputs the voice data to the main control unit 320. 310 or the audio data received by the external input / output unit 313 is decoded and output from the speaker 305. As shown in FIG. 10, for example, the speaker 305 can be mounted on the same surface as the display input unit 304 and the microphone 306 can be mounted on the side surface of the housing 301.

  The operation unit 307 is a hardware key using a key switch or the like, and receives an instruction from the user. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the operation unit 307 is mounted on the side surface of the housing 301 of the smartphone 300 and is turned on when pressed with a finger or the like, and is turned off by a restoring force such as a spring when the finger is released. It is a push button type switch.

  The storage unit 312 is a control program or control data of the main control unit 320, application software, address data that associates the name or telephone number of a communication partner, transmitted / received e-mail data, web data downloaded by web browsing, The downloaded content data is stored, and streaming data and the like are temporarily stored. The storage unit 312 includes an internal storage unit 317 built in the smartphone and an external storage unit 318 having a removable external memory slot. Each of the internal storage unit 317 and the external storage unit 318 constituting the storage unit 312 includes a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a multimedia card micro type, It is realized using a storage medium such as a card type memory (for example, MicroSD (registered trademark) memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or the like.

  The external input / output unit 313 serves as an interface with all external devices connected to the smartphone 300, and communicates with other external devices (for example, universal serial bus (USB), IEEE 1394, etc.) or a network. (For example, the Internet, wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), infrared communication (Infrared Data Association: IrDA (registered trademark)), UWB (Ultra Wideband) (registered trademark), ZigBee ( ZigBee) (registered trademark) etc.) for direct or indirect connection.

  External devices connected to the smartphone 300 include, for example, a wired / wireless headset, a wired / wireless external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card connected via a card socket, and a SIM (Subscriber). Identity Module Card) / UIM (User Identity Module Card) card, external audio / video equipment connected via audio / video I / O (Input / Output) terminal, external audio / video equipment connected wirelessly, yes / no There are wirelessly connected smart phones, wired / wireless connected personal computers, wired / wireless connected PDAs, wired / wireless connected personal computers, earphones, and the like. The external input / output unit 313 transmits data received from such an external device to each internal component of the smartphone 300, or causes the internal data of the smartphone 300 to be transmitted to the external device. Can do.

  The GPS receiving unit 314 receives GPS signals transmitted from the GPS satellites ST1, ST2,... STn in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 320, and executes positioning calculation processing based on the received plurality of GPS signals. A position including the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the smartphone 300 is detected. When the GPS receiving unit 314 can acquire position information from the wireless communication unit 310 or the external input / output unit 313 (for example, a wireless LAN), the GPS receiving unit 314 can also detect the position using the position information.

  The motion sensor unit 315 includes, for example, a triaxial acceleration sensor and the like, and detects a physical movement of the smartphone 300 in accordance with an instruction from the main control unit 320. By detecting the physical movement of the smartphone 300, the moving direction and acceleration of the smartphone 300 are detected. This detection result is output to the main control unit 320.

  The power supply unit 316 supplies power stored in a battery (not shown) to each unit of the smartphone 300 in accordance with an instruction from the main control unit 320.

  The main control unit 320 includes a microprocessor, operates according to a control program and control data stored in the storage unit 312, and controls each unit of the smartphone 300. The main control unit 320 includes a mobile communication control function for controlling each unit of the communication system and an application processing function in order to perform voice communication and data communication through the wireless communication unit 310.

  The application processing function is realized by the main control unit 320 operating according to application software stored in the storage unit 312. Application processing functions include, for example, an infrared communication function that controls the external input / output unit 313 to perform data communication with the opposite device, an e-mail function that transmits and receives e-mails, and a web browsing function that browses web pages. .

  The main control unit 320 has an image processing function such as displaying video on the display input unit 304 based on image data (still image or moving image data) such as received data or downloaded streaming data. The image processing function refers to a function in which the main control unit 320 decodes the image data, performs image processing on the decoding result, and displays an image on the display input unit 304.

  Further, the main control unit 320 executes display control for the display panel 302 and operation detection control for detecting a user operation through the operation unit 307 and the operation panel 303. By executing the display control, the main control unit 320 displays an icon for starting application software and a software key such as a scroll bar. Alternatively, a window for creating an e-mail is displayed. Note that the scroll bar refers to a software key for accepting an instruction to move a display portion of an image, such as a large image that does not fit in the display area of the display panel 302.

  In addition, by executing the operation detection control, the main control unit 320 detects a user operation through the operation unit 307 or accepts an operation on the icon or an input of a character string in the input field of the window through the operation panel 303. Or a display image scroll request through a scroll bar.

  Furthermore, by executing the operation detection control, the main control unit 320 causes the operation position with respect to the operation panel 303 to overlap with the display panel 302 (display area) or other outer edge part (non-display area) that does not overlap with the display panel 302. And a touch panel control function for controlling the sensitive area of the operation panel 303 and the display position of the software key.

  The main control unit 320 can also detect a gesture operation on the operation panel 303 and execute a preset function in accordance with the detected gesture operation. Gesture operation is not a conventional simple touch operation, but an operation of drawing a trajectory with at least one of a plurality of positions by drawing a trajectory with a finger or the like, or simultaneously specifying a plurality of positions. means.

  The camera unit 308 is a digital camera that performs electronic photography using an imaging device such as a CMOS image sensor or a CCD image sensor. Further, the camera unit 308 converts image data obtained by imaging into compressed image data such as JPEG (Joint Photographic coding Experts Group) under the control of the main control unit 320, and records the data in the storage unit 312 or externally. The data can be output through the input / output unit 313 or the wireless communication unit 310.

  The camera unit 308 can be used for various functions of the smartphone 300. For example, an image acquired by the camera unit 308 can be displayed on the display panel 302, or the image of the camera unit 308 can be used as one of operation inputs of the operation panel 303. Further, when the GPS receiving unit 314 detects the position, the position can also be detected with reference to an image from the camera unit 308. Furthermore, referring to the image from the camera unit 308, the optical axis direction of the camera unit 308 of the smartphone 300 can be determined without using the triaxial acceleration sensor or in combination with the triaxial acceleration sensor. It is also possible to determine the current usage environment. Of course, the image from the camera unit 308 can also be used in the application software.

  In addition, the position information acquired by the GPS receiving unit 314 to the image data of the still image or the moving image, the voice information acquired by the microphone 306 (the text information may be converted into voice information by the main control unit or the like), Posture information and the like acquired by the motion sensor unit 315 can be added and stored in the storage unit 312, or can be output through the external input / output unit 313 or the wireless communication unit 310.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the configurations of the embodiments may be combined with each other, or may be modified or applied by those skilled in the art based on the description of the specification and well-known techniques. The invention is intended and is within the scope of seeking protection. For example, in this configuration, a Pechan prism composed of an auxiliary prism and a roof prism is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an optical element having an equivalent function may be used.

As described above, the following items are disclosed in this specification.
(1) A finder device capable of switching between an optical viewfinder for optically observing a subject and an electronic viewfinder for observing a display image displaying image information of a subject image,
An objective optical system that captures subject light;
A first prism for emitting the subject light introduced from the objective optical system from a light exit surface;
A second prism disposed with the light incident surface facing the light exit surface of the first prism;
An image display panel that is detachably disposed between the light exit surface of the first prism and the light entrance surface of the second prism;
The image display panel is inserted into the optical path between the light exit surface of the first prism and the light entrance surface of the second prism, and the second position is out of the optical path. A drive unit that is moved to any position,
The image display panel includes a display unit that displays a display image of the electronic viewfinder facing the light incident surface of the second prism at the first position.
(2) The finder device according to (1),
A finder device comprising a light shielding part that is disposed on the opposite side of the display unit from the image display surface and shields light emitted from the first prism.
(3) A finder device according to (2),
The image display panel is a finder device in which the display unit and the light shielding unit are integrally moved by the driving unit.
(4) The finder device according to any one of (1) to (3),
The finder device having a slide mechanism for moving the image display panel in parallel with respect to the light emitting surface of the first prism and the light incident surface of the second prism arranged in parallel to each other.
(5) The finder device according to (4),
The drive unit is a finder device that moves the image display panel perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the objective optical system.
(6) The finder device according to any one of (1) to (5),
The drive unit is a finder device having a fixing mechanism for fixing the image display unit at the first position.
(7) The finder device according to any one of (1) to (6),
The first prism and the second prism are a finder device that functions as an erecting prism that can obtain an erecting image by combining both.
(8) The finder device according to any one of (1) to (7),
The said display part is a finder apparatus comprised including a liquid crystal display element.
(9) an imaging lens;
An image sensor for imaging an optical image formed by the imaging lens;
Any one of the finder devices (1) to (8) for displaying the image information output from the image sensor on the display unit;
An imaging apparatus comprising:
(10) The imaging apparatus according to (9),
The drive unit is an image pickup apparatus that moves the image display panel from the first position to the second position toward the bottom surface of the housing of the image pickup apparatus.

  The finder device according to the present invention can be switched between OVF and EVF with a simple configuration, and the finder can be miniaturized. Therefore, the finder device is useful when applied to a digital camera, a camera-equipped mobile phone, or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Case 19 Finder apparatus 21 Subject side finder window 23 Photographer side view window 31 Solid-state image sensor 43 CPU
57 Image display (EVF)
77 Objective lens 79 Auxiliary prism 79a One side surface (light exit surface)
81 Dach prism 81d One side (light incident surface)
83 Peshan prism 85 Finder switching mechanism 87 Eyepiece 89 Image display panel 91 Liquid crystal display element 93 Light-shielding part 95 Panel frame part 97 Guide shaft 99 Arm member 100 Digital camera (imaging device)
133 Optical element for light shielding

Claims (10)

A finder device capable of switching between an optical viewfinder for optically observing a subject and an electronic viewfinder for observing a display image displaying image information of a subject image,
An objective optical system that captures subject light;
A first prism for emitting the subject light introduced from the objective optical system from a light exit surface;
A second prism disposed with a light incident surface facing the light exit surface of the first prism;
An image display panel that is detachably disposed between a light exit surface of the first prism and a light incident surface of the second prism;
The image display panel is inserted into an optical path between the light emitting surface of the first prism and the light incident surface of the second prism, and at a second position off the optical path. A drive unit that is moved to any position,
The image display panel includes a display unit that displays a display image of the electronic viewfinder facing the light incident surface of the second prism at the first position. The finder device according to claim 1,
A finder device comprising a light shielding part that is disposed on the opposite side of the display unit from the image display surface and shields light emitted from the first prism. The finder device according to claim 2,
The image display panel is a finder device in which the display unit and the light shielding unit are moved together by the driving unit. A finder device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The drive unit includes a slide mechanism that moves the image display panel in parallel with respect to the light exit surface of the first prism and the light entrance surface of the second prism that are arranged in parallel to each other. The finder device according to claim 4,
The drive unit is a finder device that moves the image display panel perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the objective optical system. A finder device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The driving unit is a finder device having a fixing mechanism for fixing the image display unit at the first position. A finder device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A finder device that functions as an erecting prism in which an erect image is obtained by combining the first prism and the second prism. A finder device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The display unit is a finder device configured to include a liquid crystal display element. An imaging lens;
An imaging device for imaging an optical image formed by the imaging lens;
The viewfinder device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein image information output from the image sensor is displayed on the display unit.
An imaging apparatus comprising: The imaging device according to claim 9,
The drive unit is an imaging apparatus that moves the image display panel from the first position to the second position toward the bottom surface of the casing of the imaging apparatus.

Images