JP2014236267A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing device capable of reducing a time and effort for adjusting the posture of a monitor.SOLUTION: An imaging device 1 comprises: a display unit 13 that is provided so that its posture can be changed with respect to a device body 10; a driving unit 42 that changes the posture of the display unit 13 with respect to the device body 10; and a control unit 30 that instructs the driving unit 42 to change the posture of the display unit 13.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus.

  In recent years, there have been an increasing number of imaging devices including a liquid crystal monitor or the like, which include a so-called movable monitor that can be opened and closed and rotated (changed in angle) with respect to the imaging device body (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

JP-A-11-177860

  In an image pickup apparatus including a movable monitor, the photographer (photographer) is used by adjusting the posture (position and angle) so that the monitor can be easily seen. However, if the photographing angle is changed during photographing, the monitor and the photographer The positional relationship changes. At that time, in order to readjust the monitor posture (position and angle), it is necessary to adjust the monitor posture with the other hand while holding the camera with one hand, which is troublesome.

  The subject of this invention is providing the imaging device which can reduce the effort of the attitude | position adjustment of a monitor.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display unit provided so as to be capable of changing a posture with respect to the apparatus main body, a drive unit that changes the posture of the display unit with respect to the device main body, and the display with respect to the drive unit An imaging device comprising: a control unit that instructs to change the posture of the unit.
Invention of Claim 2 is an imaging device of Claim 1, Comprising: The display part attitude | position detection part which detects the attitude | position with respect to the said apparatus main body of the said display part, and the said display part attitude | position detection part detected A storage unit that stores the attitude of the display unit; and a main body attitude detection unit that detects a change in the attitude of the apparatus main body. The control unit detects a change in the attitude of the apparatus main body by the main body attitude detection unit. If it is, the change information of the posture of the apparatus main body by the main body attitude detection unit and the information of the first attitude of the display unit before the change of the posture of the apparatus main body stored in the storage unit Based on the above, the drive unit is controlled to keep the display unit in the first posture.
Invention of Claim 3 is an imaging device of Claim 2, Comprising: The said display part can move between the accommodation state with respect to the said apparatus main body, and a use state, The said control part is the said display. When moving the storage unit from the storage state to the use state, the control unit controls the posture stored in the storage unit, and when moving from the use state to the storage state, the display unit posture detection unit The image pickup apparatus is characterized in that the posture of the display unit is grasped based on the detected information and controlled to the storage state.
Invention of Claim 4 is an imaging device of any one of Claim 1 to 3, Comprising: The photographer detection part which detects the relative positional relationship of the said display part and a photographer, The said, The control unit controls the driving unit so as to keep the positional relationship between the display unit and the photographer constant based on the relative positional relationship detected by the photographer detection unit. It is an imaging device.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the photographer is notified that the change in the posture of the main body of the apparatus has exceeded the movable range of the display unit. It is an imaging device characterized by including a warning part.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the imaging device which can reduce the effort of the attitude | position adjustment of a monitor can be provided.

It is an appearance perspective view of a camera provided with one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block block diagram of the camera in 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the rotation range of a movable monitor, Comprising: (a) is a top view of a camera, (b) is a side view. It is action explanatory drawing in the pitch angle of a drive mechanism. It is action explanatory drawing in the yaw angle of a drive mechanism. It is a control flowchart of the drive mechanism by a control part. It is a block block diagram of the camera in 2nd Embodiment. It is a block block diagram of the camera in 3rd Embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a camera 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of the camera 1 according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 1 and FIGS. 3 to 5 described later, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is provided for ease of explanation and understanding.
In this coordinate system, when the photographer shoots a horizontally long image with the optical axis OA being horizontal, the direction toward the left as viewed from the photographer at the position of the camera (hereinafter referred to as the positive position) is the X plus direction and the positive position. The direction toward the upper side is the Y plus direction, and the direction toward the subject at the normal position is the Z plus direction.
In the following description, rotation around the X axis is referred to as pitch, and rotation around the Y axis is referred to as yaw. Furthermore, the Z plus direction toward the subject is also referred to as the front side, and the opposite Z minus side is also referred to as the back side.

  The camera 1 is a so-called single-lens reflex digital camera that includes a camera body 10 and an imaging lens 20 that can be attached to and detached from the camera body 10 and outputs image data obtained by converting a subject image into an electrical signal. Although the details are not shown, the imaging lens 20 includes an imaging optical system including a focusing lens.

  The camera body 10 includes an image sensor 11, an operation unit 12, and a movable monitor 13. In addition, the camera body 10 includes a control unit 30, a signal processing circuit 31, a buffer memory 32, and a memory 33. Furthermore, the camera body 10 includes a drive mechanism 40 that changes and drives the movable monitor 13 as a characteristic configuration in the present embodiment.

  The imaging element 11 is a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD or a CMOS, for example, in which the light receiving elements are two-dimensionally arranged on the light receiving surface. The image sensor 11 photoelectrically converts a subject image from the imaging lens 20 to form an analog image signal, and outputs the analog image signal to a signal processing circuit described later.

Although the detailed description is omitted in addition to the release switch 12R, the operation unit 12 includes a mode dial, a cross key, a determination button, and the like, and sends an operation signal corresponding to each operation to the control unit 30 described later.
The release switch 12R is configured to press a two-stage press switch. Focusing and photometry are performed by the first-stage pressing operation (half press), and shooting is performed by the second-stage pressing operation (full press). The control unit 30 is configured to give a command.

  The movable monitor 13 is configured by a liquid crystal panel or the like, and displays a menu related to settings of the camera 1, a through image captured by the image sensor 11, a captured image, and the like. The movable monitor 13 is provided on the camera body 10 via a drive mechanism 40. The drive mechanism 40 will be described in detail later.

  The control unit 30 includes a CPU, a ROM that stores and holds a control program, and the like. The control unit 30 receives operation information from the operation unit 12, control information from a photometric sensor (not shown), and the like. The control unit 30 performs overall control of the operation of the camera 1 by executing a control program based on the input control information. Further, the control unit 30 controls the drive mechanism 40 of the movable monitor 13 described later.

The signal processing circuit 31 receives the output from the image sensor 11 and performs noise processing, A / D conversion, and the like.
The buffer memory 32 temporarily records image data in the pre-process and post-process of image processing.
The memory 33 stores control information and the like.

  When the release switch 12R is pressed by the photographer, the camera 1 converts the subject image light imaged on the image pickup surface of the image pickup element 11 by the image pickup lens 20 into an electric signal and a signal signal. The signal is processed by the processing circuit 101, and the image information of the subject subjected to the signal processing is recorded (photographed) on a recording medium such as an SD card or a CF card (not shown). All the operation control in the camera 1 including the photographing is performed by the control unit 30.

(First embodiment)
Next, the movable monitor 13 and the drive mechanism 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 in addition to FIGS. 1 and 2 described above.
3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams of the rotation range of the movable monitor 13, wherein FIG. 3A is a plan view of the camera and FIG. 3B is a side view. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the drive mechanism 40 at the pitch angle. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the drive mechanism 40 at the yaw angle. FIG. 6 is a control flowchart of the drive mechanism 40 by the control unit 30.

The movable monitor 13 is connected to the camera body 10 via a hinge member 15 (shown in FIG. 1).
The hinge member 15 is mounted to be rotatable about a pitch angle rotation shaft 41P parallel to the Y axis with respect to the camera body 10 (270 ° in the present embodiment) and orthogonal to the pitch angle rotation shaft 41P. The movable monitor 13 is supported so as to be rotatable (360 ° in the present embodiment) about the yaw angle rotation shaft 41Y.

  Accordingly, the movable monitor 13 opens outward from the state stored in the monitor storage portion 10A formed on the back surface of the camera body 10 to the yaw angle 270 ° around the pitch angle rotation shaft 41P (FIG. In addition, the display surface can be directed in any direction from the front side to the back side by rotating the pitch angle 360 ° about the yaw angle rotation shaft 41Y (FIG. 3B). )).

  The drive mechanism 40 includes a drive unit 42, a display unit attitude detection unit 44, a main body attitude detection unit 45, a memory switch 46, an open / close switch 47, and a warning LED lamp 48.

The drive unit 42 includes a pitch angle rotation axis drive system 42P, a yaw angle rotation axis drive system 42Y, and a motor driver 43 that drive the pitch angle rotation axis 41P and the yaw angle rotation axis 41Y. Note that the pitch angle rotation shaft drive system 42P and the yaw angle rotation shaft drive system 42Y include a motor and a gear for rotating the shaft.
The pitch angle rotation shaft drive system 42 </ b> P rotates the pitch angle rotation shaft 41 </ b> P with electric power supplied from the motor driver 43. The yaw angle rotation shaft drive system 42 </ b> Y rotates the yaw angle rotation shaft 41 </ b> Y with electric power supplied from the motor driver 43. The motor driver 43 supplies drive power to the motors of the pitch angle rotation axis drive system 42P and the yaw angle rotation axis drive system 42Y based on the control signal from the control unit 30.

The display unit attitude detection unit 44 includes encoders (pitch angle detection encoder 44P and yaw angle detection encoder 44Y) that detect the rotation angles of the pitch angle rotation shaft 41P and the yaw angle rotation shaft 41Y.
The pitch angle detection encoder 44P detects the rotation angle of the pitch angle rotation shaft 41P and outputs it to the control unit 30 as control information. The yaw angle detection encoder 44Y detects the rotation angle of the yaw angle rotation shaft 41Y and outputs it to the control unit 30 as control information.

The main body detection unit 45 includes a pair of posture sensors (a yaw angle detection sensor 45Y and a pitch angle detection sensor 45P).
The yaw angle detection sensor 45Y and the pitch angle detection sensor 45P are disposed inside the camera body 10. The yaw angle detection sensor 45Y detects the rotational posture and posture change of the camera body 10 around the Y axis and outputs the detected information to the control unit 30 as control information.
The pitch angle detection sensor 45P detects the rotation posture and posture change around the X axis of the camera body 10 and outputs the detected rotation information to the control unit 30 as control information.

  The memory switch 46 is detected by the control unit 30 by the posture information of the camera body 10 detected by the yaw angle detection sensor 45Y and the pitch angle detection sensor 45P, and detected by the pitch angle detection encoder 44P and the yaw angle detection encoder 44Y. Based on the rotation angle information of the pitch angle rotation shaft 41P and the yaw angle rotation shaft 41Y, the posture information of the movable monitor 13 (not the relative posture information with respect to the camera body 10, but the absolute posture with respect to the inertial system) It is a switch for instructing the calculation of (information) and for storing the calculation result in the memory 33 via the control unit 30. The memory switch 46 is disposed at a predetermined position on the back side of the camera body 10.

  The open / close switch 47 detects whether the movable monitor 13 is stored in the monitor storage unit 10 </ b> A on the back of the camera body 10. That is, the open / close switch 47 outputs a signal to the control unit 30 that is ON if the movable monitor 13 is stored in the monitor storage unit 10 </ b> A, and that is OFF if it is not stored.

  The warning LED lamp 48 is disposed on the back surface of the camera body 10. The warning LED lamp 48 is turned on when the movement of the movable monitor 13 is hindered during the control of the drive mechanism 40 by the control unit 30 to be described later to notify the photographer to that effect. For example, when the posture change of the camera body 10 exceeds the movable range of the movable monitor 13 and cannot be followed, the light is turned on.

  The drive mechanism 40 is controlled by the control unit 30 and functions to maintain the posture regardless of the posture change of the camera 1 (camera body 10) when the posture of the movable monitor 13 is set by operating the memory switch 46. To do.

  That is, when the photographer adjusts the movable monitor 13 to an optimal angle and direction in which the monitor display can be confirmed and presses the memory switch 46, the control unit 30 causes the yaw angle detection sensor 45Y and the pitch angle detection sensor 45P to Based on the detected attitude information of the camera body 10 and the rotation angle information of the pitch angle rotation shaft 41P and the yaw angle rotation shaft 41Y detected by the pitch angle detection encoder 44P and the yaw angle detection encoder 44Y, the movable body is movable. The attitude information (angle and orientation) of the expression monitor 13 is calculated, and the calculation result is stored in the memory 33.

  For example, when the photographer rotates the camera 1 in the pitch direction as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) to 4 (b), the yaw angle detection sensor 45Y detects the inclination θ1. The control unit 30 drives the yaw angle rotation axis drive system 42Y via the motor driver 43 to move the angle of the movable monitor 13 by −θ1 to restore the position of the movable monitor 13 as shown in FIG. Return to the angle state.

  Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5B, even when the camera 10 rotates in the yaw direction, the pitch angle detection sensor 45P detects the rotation angle ψ1, and the pitch angle rotation axis drive system. 42P is driven and moved by an angle −ψ1.

  In this way, the yaw angle rotation axis drive system 42Y and the pitch angle rotation axis drive system 42P are driven to correct the attitude of the movable monitor 13 to the set attitude. This eliminates the need for the photographer to adjust the position of the movable monitor 13 in line with the line of sight.

  Next, operation steps of the camera 1 and control of the drive mechanism 40 by the control unit 30 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, step is abbreviated as “S”.

[Step 01]
The camera 1 is turned on.
[Step 02]
It is determined whether the open / close switch 47 for opening / closing the movable monitor 13 is pressed. If it is determined that the open / close switch 47 is pressed (Yes), the process proceeds to step 03. If the open / close switch 47 is not pressed (No), the process proceeds to Step 06.
[Step 03]
It is determined whether or not a default position of the movable monitor 13 is set by the photographer (whether or not stored in the memory 33). If it is set (Yes), the process proceeds to Step 4. If it is not set (No), the process proceeds to Step 05.

[Step 04]
The movable monitor 13 is moved to the default position (stored in the memory 33) set by the photographer by the pitch angle rotation axis drive system 42P and the yaw angle rotation axis drive system 42Y.
[Step 05]
The movable monitor 13 is moved to a default position preset on the camera 1 side by the pitch angle rotation axis drive system 42P and the yaw angle rotation axis drive system 42Y.
[Step 06]
On the other hand, if the open / close switch 47 is not pressed in step S02 (No), the photographer manually opens the movable monitor 13.

[Step 07]
The photographer manually adjusts the position of the movable monitor 13.
The position adjustment of the movable monitor 13 can be changed manually by the photographer or by using the pitch angle rotation axis drive system 42P and the yaw angle rotation axis drive system 42Y by a key operation of the photographer. Either is fine.

[Step 08]
The photographer presses the memory switch 46 for setting the position of the movable monitor 13.
[Step 09]
The attitude information of the movable monitor 13 is calculated and stored in the memory 33.
[Step 10]
The inclination (rotation) of the camera 1 is determined. If the inclination is not determined (No), the process proceeds to step 11. When the inclination is determined (Yes), the process proceeds to Step 12.

[Step 11]
When the inclination is not determined (No), the posture of the movable monitor 13 is maintained.
[Step 12]
When the inclination is determined (Yes), the amount of inclination of the camera 1 is detected by the yaw angle detection sensor 45Y and the pitch angle detection sensor 45P.
[Step 13]
It is determined whether the tilt amount of the camera 1 is within the movable range of the movable monitor 13. If the movable range of the movable monitor 13 is exceeded (Yes), the process proceeds to Step 14. If it is within the movable range of the movable monitor 13 (No), the process proceeds to Step 15.

[Step 14]
When the movable range of the movable monitor 13 is exceeded (Yes), the warning LED lamp 48 is turned on to display a warning to the photographer that the tilt amount of the camera 1 exceeds the movable range of the movable monitor 13.
[Step 15]
When within the movable range of the movable monitor 13 (No), the change amount θ of the state of the camera 1 is detected by the yaw angle detection sensor 45Y and the pitch angle detection sensor 45P based on the stored posture information of the movable monitor 13. To do.

[Step 16]
Using the pitch angle rotation axis drive system 42P and the yaw angle rotation axis drive system 42Y, the movable monitor 13 is moved by the change amounts θ and ψ, and the attitude of the movable monitor 13 is corrected.
[Step 17]
It is determined whether the open / close switch 47 for opening / closing the movable monitor 13 is pressed. If it is determined that the open / close switch 47 is pressed (Yes), the process proceeds to Step 18. If the open / close switch 47 has not been pressed (No), the process returns to Step 10.

[Step 18]
While detecting the position by the pitch angle detection encoder 44P and the yaw angle detection encoder 44Y, the pitch angle rotation shaft drive system 42P and the yaw angle rotation shaft drive system 42Y are driven to close the movable monitor 13.
The movable monitor 13 may be manually closed.
[Step 19]
The camera 1 is turned off.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
In the camera 1 according to the first embodiment, the control unit 30 uses the pitch angle rotation axis drive system 42P and the yaw angle rotation axis based on the posture information of the camera body 10 detected by the yaw angle detection sensor 45Y and the pitch angle detection sensor 45P. The drive system 42Y is driven, and the movable monitor 13 is changed in posture so as to maintain a preset posture. This eliminates the need to adjust the position of the movable monitor 13 in line with the line of sight, reduces the time and effort of adjusting the position and angle of the movable monitor 13, and prevents other operation failures caused by the adjustment operation. Can do.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a block diagram of the camera 100 is shown in FIG. 7, will be described. In the figure, components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
The camera 100 of the second embodiment includes a face recognition camera 49 on the movable monitor 13.

  The face recognition camera 49 is a small image pickup device including a lens and an image pickup device, and is arranged near the display unit of the movable monitor 13 toward the photographer. The face recognition camera 49 captures a photographer who views the movable monitor 13 and outputs the captured image information to the control unit 30.

The control unit 30 performs face recognition based on imaging information from the face recognition camera 49 to obtain control information.
That is, in the drive mechanism 40 of the second embodiment, the control unit 30 performs face recognition based on the imaging information from the face recognition camera 49, and drives the pitch angle rotation axis drive system 42P and the yaw angle rotation axis drive system 42Y. The posture of the movable monitor 13 is changed so as to always recognize the face of the photographer.

This makes it possible to change the posture of the movable monitor 13 so as to face the photographer's face without requiring position setting in advance, and it is necessary for the photographer to sequentially adjust the position of the movable monitor 13 according to the line of sight. Disappears.
In the face recognition by the control unit 30, when a plurality of faces are reflected, the largest face that is considered to be closest is set as the tracking target. In addition, in order to make the face recognition accurate, the photographer's face information may be registered so that misrecognition of the face does not occur on the face recognition camera system. Further, the face recognition camera 49 may be provided on the camera body 10 side.

As described above, according to this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects are obtained.
The camera 100 according to the second embodiment changes the posture of the movable monitor 13 so that the control unit 30 performs face recognition based on imaging information from the face recognition camera 49 and always recognizes the photographer's face. . This makes it possible to change the posture of the movable monitor 13 so as to face the photographer's face without requiring position setting in advance, and it is necessary for the photographer to sequentially adjust the position of the movable monitor 13 according to the line of sight. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the trouble of adjusting the position and angle of the movable monitor 13 and to prevent other operation failures caused by the adjustment operation.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the block diagram of the camera 200 is shown in FIG. 8, will be described. In the figure, components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
The camera 200 according to the third embodiment includes the face recognition camera 49 in the movable monitor 13 according to the second embodiment in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment described above.

When the attitude of the movable monitor 13 is set by the operation of the memory switch 46, the control unit 30 is based on detection information by the yaw angle detection sensor 45Y and the pitch angle detection sensor 45P and imaging information of the face recognition camera 49. And control its posture.
For example, as shown in the second embodiment, the posture of the movable monitor 13 is changed so that the face of the photographer is always recognized by performing face recognition based on the imaging information from the face recognition camera 49, and the face is recognized. If not, control is performed so that the posture is set as in the first embodiment. Using the information of the pitch angle detection encoder 44P and the yaw angle detection encoder 44Y, the posture of the movable monitor 13 may be changed in the direction in which the face is off the screen.
Furthermore, it may be configured such that the photographer can select posture control based on face recognition and posture control for maintaining the set posture according to the situation.

  As mentioned above, according to this embodiment, it has the same effect as 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment.

(Deformation)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes as described below are possible, and these are also within the scope of the present invention.
(1) In the present embodiment, the posture of the monitor is changed in accordance with the posture change of the pitch angle and yaw angle of the camera. However, the camera posture change is not limited to this direction, and the monitor may be configured to change its posture in accordance with the camera posture change in the rotation direction or translational direction.
In addition, although embodiment and a deformation | transformation form can also be used in combination suitably, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.

  1, 100, 200: camera, 10: camera body, 13: movable monitor, 20: imaging lens, 30: control unit, 33: memory, 40: drive mechanism, 42P: pitch angle rotation axis drive system, 42Y: yaw Angular rotating shaft drive system, 44P: pitch angle detection encoder, 44Y: yaw angle detection encoder, 45Y: yaw angle detection sensor, 45P: pitch angle detection sensor, 48: warning LED lamp, 49: face recognition camera

Claims (5)

A display unit that can be changed in posture with respect to the apparatus main body;
A drive unit for changing the posture of the display unit with respect to the apparatus main body;
A control unit that instructs the drive unit to change the attitude of the display unit;
Providing
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
A display unit attitude detection unit that detects an attitude of the display unit with respect to the apparatus main body;
A storage unit for storing the posture of the display unit detected by the display unit posture detection unit;
A main body posture detection unit for detecting a posture change of the device main body;
With
The control unit, when a change in the posture of the apparatus main body is detected by the main body posture detection unit,
Change information of the posture of the apparatus main body by the main body posture detection unit;
Based on the first posture information of the display unit, which is stored in the storage unit, before the posture of the apparatus main body is changed,
Controlling the drive unit to keep the display unit in the first posture;
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2,
The display unit is movable between a storage state and a use state with respect to the apparatus main body,
The control unit displays the display unit,
When moving from the stored state to the use state, control to the posture stored in the storage unit,
When moving from the use state to the storage state, grasping the posture of the display unit based on detection information of the display unit posture detection unit, and controlling to the storage state;
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A photographer detection unit for detecting a relative positional relationship between the display unit and the photographer;
The control unit controls the driving unit so as to keep the positional relationship between the display unit and the photographer constant based on the relative positional relationship detected by the photographer detection unit;
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:
A warning unit that informs the photographer that the posture change of the apparatus main body has exceeded the movable range of the display unit;
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above.

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