JP2018106190A - Operation member of imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation member in which a two-way operation can be operated as intended by a user by arranging two annular operation members in a lens barrel.SOLUTION: An operation member of an imaging device comprises: a first rotating operation member 111 that is a ring-shape member rotatable centering around an optical axis of a lens with respect to a lens barrel 110 provided in an imaging device main body, and is provided at a location close to the imaging device main body; and a second rotating operation member 112 that is provided at a location farther than the first rotating operation member with respect to the imaging device main body. When an operation of the first rotating operation member is detected, an operation of the second rotating operation member is invalidated for a predetermined time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation member of an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera provided with an imaging device that photoelectrically converts a subject image into an electrical signal, or an electronic device equipped with a digital camera function.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a camera that can be operated in two ways by one or two annular operation members that are rotatably arranged with respect to a lens barrel.

  For example, as in Patent Document 1, two annular operation members of an interchangeable lens that can be attached to and detached from a single-lens reflex camera or a single-lens type digital camera are disposed so as to be rotatable about an optical axis with respect to a lens barrel. There is something that has been. It is widely known that one is an operation member (zoom ring) for changing the shooting angle of view and the other is an operation member (focus ring) for focus adjustment.

  Further, as in Patent Document 2, there is known a camera that uses one of two rings provided on the outer surface of a lens barrel for data input.

  In addition, as an operation member that enables two operations with one annular operation member, Patent Document 3 is disposed so as to be rotatable with respect to the lens barrel and slidable in the optical axis direction. An optical apparatus provided with a provided ring member is disclosed.

JP 2008-102207 A JP 2001-223927 A JP 2013-7837 A

  However, if two annular operation members are arranged in the lens barrel as in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 so that two operations can be performed, a space is required for the arrangement of the operation members. . In a relatively large interchangeable lens used for a single-lens type digital camera or the like, since the interchangeable lens itself is large, the two operation members can be configured to be sufficiently large, or the two operation members can be arranged sufficiently apart from each other in operation. There is no particular problem.

  However, when two annular operation members are arranged in the lens barrel of a lens-integrated camera that emphasizes downsizing and a small camera mounted on an electronic device such as a smartphone, there is not enough space, Each operation member must be made small. In addition, two operating members are arranged close to each other, and when one operating member is rotated, the other operating member is also rotated at the same time, which may cause an erroneous operation. was there.

  Moreover, if it is configured so that two kinds of operations can be performed with one annular operation member as in Patent Document 3, the operation becomes complicated and the user cannot perform the desired operation immediately. There was a problem that.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to arrange two annular operation members on the lens barrel and perform two kinds of operations. Even in a small configuration, the user can use the two annular operation members. An object of the present invention is to provide an operation member of an imaging device that can be operated as intended.

  In order to achieve the above object, the operation member of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention is a ring-shaped member that can rotate around the optical axis of the lens with respect to a lens barrel provided in the imaging apparatus body, A first rotation operation member provided at a position close to the imaging apparatus body; and a second rotation operation member provided at a position farther than the first rotation operation member with respect to the imaging apparatus body. When the operation of the first rotation operation member is detected, the operation of the second rotation operation member is invalidated for a predetermined time.

  An operation member of an imaging apparatus according to another invention is a ring-shaped member that is rotatable about the optical axis of a lens with respect to a lens barrel provided in the imaging apparatus body, and is provided on the imaging apparatus body. A first rotation operation member provided at a position close to the first rotation operation member; and a second rotation operation member provided at a position farther than the first rotation operation member with respect to the imaging apparatus main body. When the operation of the rotation operation member is detected, a predetermined number of pulses of the detection signal from the second rotation operation member is skipped.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, the operation member of the imaging apparatus has a smaller unit angle for detecting the rotation of the first rotation operation member than the unit angle for detecting the rotation of the second rotation operation member. It is a feature.

  According to the present invention, in an imaging apparatus that can be operated in two ways by disposing two annular operation members on a lens barrel, the two annular operation members are provided to the user's intention even in a small configuration. It is possible to provide an operation member of the imaging apparatus that can be operated as described above.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the digital camera carrying the operation member in this invention. It is a perspective view of the annular member for detecting rotation of a rotation operation member. It is a figure which shows the change of the output from two photo reflectors which detect rotation. It is a flowchart of the process at the time of detecting rotation of a rotation operation member.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific numerical values, configurations, operations, and the like are shown and described, but these can be changed as appropriate.

<First Embodiment>
FIGS. 1A and 1B are external perspective views of the digital camera 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention viewed from an angle at which the front and rear surfaces can be seen.

  In the present embodiment, a digital camera 101 will be described as an example of an electronic device. The digital camera 101 includes a release button 102 for instructing an imaging operation, a zoom key 103 for performing a zoom magnification operation, a mode dial 104 for setting various shooting modes, and an operation button 106a for performing various operations. To 106j. An operation button 106c can be operated in four directions, up, down, left, and right. Reference numeral 106g denotes a power button that is operated when the digital camera 101 is turned on or off.

  The digital camera 101 also has a lens barrel 110 that holds each photographing lens of a photographing lens group including a plurality of lenses including the photographing lens 105 illustrated in FIG. A display 108 for displaying various information is provided. The digital camera 101 further includes a member such as a terminal cover 109 that covers a terminal (not shown) that communicates with an external device.

  The digital camera 101 includes a first rotation operation member 111 and a second rotation operation member 112. The first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 are ring-shaped members that can rotate around the optical axis of the lens.

  The first rotation operation member 111 is held by the lens barrel 110 so as to be able to freely rotate in the P direction and Q direction (shown in FIG. 1A) around the optical axis of the photographing lens 105. . The first rotation operation member 111 is held at a position closer to the camera body 107 in the optical axis direction than the second rotation operation member 112, and the diameter thereof is larger than that of the second rotation operation member 112. Same or bigger. When the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated in the P direction, a signal indicating that the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated in the P direction is output each time the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated by a predetermined angle α, and is output to a control unit (not shown). Communicated.

  Further, when the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated in the Q direction, it is rotated in the Q direction every time it is rotated by a predetermined unit angle α (the same angle as in the P direction). A signal indicating this is output and transmitted to the control unit. That is, for example, when the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated in the P direction by an angle 3α, a signal indicating that the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated in the P direction is output three times and transmitted to the control unit. The control unit can determine the angle at which the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated in the P direction by counting the number of times that the signal indicating that it has been rotated in the P direction is output. Similarly, the control unit can determine the angle at which the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated in the Q direction by counting the number of times the signal indicating that the rotation is performed in the Q direction is output. And a control part performs a predetermined process according to the angle and the direction which the 1st rotation operation member 111 rotated. As an example of the processing, in the present embodiment, the lens barrel is moved by the control unit so that the photographing lens group moves to a position where the closer target is focused according to the angle at which the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated in the P direction. Driven. On the other hand, the lens barrel is driven by the control unit so that the photographic lens group moves to a position where the farther object is focused according to the angle at which the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated in the Q direction.

  On the other hand, like the first rotation operation member 111, the second rotation operation member 112 is held by the lens barrel so that it can rotate in the P direction and the Q direction without limitation about the optical axis of the photographing lens. . The second rotation operation member 112 is held at a position farther from the camera body 107 and the first rotation operation member 111 in the optical axis direction than the first rotation operation member 111, and the diameter thereof is the first. It is the same or smaller than the rotation operation member 111. The second rotation operation member 112 is provided in parallel with the camera main body 107 on the same side as the first rotation operation member 111 is provided. When the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated in the P direction, a signal indicating that the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated in the P direction is output and transmitted to the control unit every time the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated by a predetermined angle β.

  When the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated in the Q direction, a signal indicating that the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated in the Q direction is output and transmitted to the control unit every time the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated by a predetermined angle β. The The control unit can determine the angle at which the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated in the P direction by counting the number of times that the signal indicating that it has been rotated in the P direction is output. Similarly, the control unit can determine the angle at which the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated in the Q direction by counting the number of times the signal indicating that the rotation is performed in the Q direction is output. And a control part performs a predetermined | prescribed process according to the angle and the direction which the 2nd rotation operation member 112 rotated. As an example of processing, in the present embodiment, the setting of the digital camera is changed so that the brightness of the image recorded during the photographing operation becomes brighter according to the angle at which the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated in the P direction. On the other hand, the setting of the digital camera is changed so that the brightness of the image recorded during the photographing operation becomes darker according to the angle at which the rotation operation member 112 is rotated in the Q direction.

  Here, a method for detecting the rotation of the first rotation operation member 111 will be described. Two photo reflectors (not shown), which are detection elements, are used to detect the rotation direction and the rotation amount.

  FIG. 2 shows an annular member 113 provided for detecting the rotation of the rotation operation member 111. The annular member 113 is a member fixed to the rotation operation member 111 by a fixing means (not shown) so as to rotate integrally when the rotation operation member 111 rotates. The annular member 113 is composed of a member having a high reflectance such as an iron material. The annular member 113 is provided with a surface 114 perpendicular to the optical axis. On the surface 114, black portions 115 are periodically provided at regular intervals on a circle centered on the optical axis. . The two photo reflectors are arranged on a circle having the same center and substantially the same radius as the circle on which the black coating portion 115 is arranged, parallel to the surface 114 at a certain distance from the surface 114. The photo reflector is an element that receives the reflected light reflected by another object from the light beam emitted from itself, and generates a signal based on the intensity thereof. The photo reflector emits the light beam toward the surface 114 of the annular member 113. Has been placed.

  Since the reflected light is weak when the light beam emitted from the photoreflector hits the blackened portion 115, the output signal of the photoreflector becomes Low when the photoreflector faces the blackened portion 115. On the other hand, when the light beam emitted from the photoreflector hits a portion that is not the black coating portion 115 of the annular member 113, the annular member 113 is composed of a highly reflective member, so that the reflected light becomes strong. Therefore, when the photoreflector faces the portion of the annular member 113 that is not the black portion 115, the output signal of the photoreflector becomes High. A signal from the photo reflector is transmitted to the control unit by signal transmission means (not shown) such as a flexible substrate.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing changes in the outputs from the two photo reflectors (a, b) due to the movement of the black coating portion 115 as the annular member 113 rotates. In the figure, L represents Low and H represents High. In order to detect the direction of rotation, a photo reflector is arranged so that one output signal is shifted by ¼ period with respect to the other.

  In the digital camera 101, when the annular member 113, that is, the rotation operation member 111 is rotated by the unit angle α described above, outputs from the two photo interrupters are (L, L), (H, L), (H, H), (L , H) and (L, L) are provided with black portions. When the outputs from the two photo interrupters start at (L, L) and change to (H, L), (H, H), (L, H), (L, L), the annular member 113, that is, the unit angle α, It is determined that the rotation operation member 111 has rotated. On the other hand, if it makes a round with (L, H), (H, H), (H, L), (L, L), starting with (L, L), it is determined that the unit has rotated by a unit angle α in the reverse direction. Is done. With this configuration, the angle and direction of rotation can be detected.

  The rotation of the second rotation operation member 112 is detected in the same manner as the first rotation operation member 111. In the case of the rotation operation member 112, when the rotation operation member 112 rotates by the unit angle β described above, outputs from two photo interrupters (not shown) for detecting rotation of the rotation operation member 112 are (L, L), ( The black portions are provided so as to make a round with H, L), (H, H), (L, H), and (L, L). When the outputs from the two photo interrupters for detecting rotation of the rotation operation member 112 start with (L, L) and change to (H, L), (H, H), (L, H), (L, L) It is determined that the rotation operation member 112 has rotated by the unit angle β.

  The unit angles α and β can be changed as appropriate by changing the interval at which the black portions are provided. Further, unlike the present embodiment, the annular member 113 is not provided, and the inner surfaces of the rotation operation members 111 and 112 are separately painted with dark / bright by black paint or the like, and the photo reflector is disposed on the inner surface of the rotation operation members 111 and 112. Alternatively, a method of detecting reflected light by disposing it toward the surface may be used.

  Here, problems when the user of the digital camera 101 operates the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 configured as described above will be described.

  When the second rotation operation member 112 is operated first, the case where the first rotation operation member 111 is operated first will be described. When the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated, the distal end side of the lens barrel 110 of the second rotation operation member 112 is operated so as not to touch the first rotation operation member 111 as much as possible. The first rotating operation member 111 is not rotated unintentionally. On the other hand, when operating the first rotation operation member 111, an attempt is made to operate the base side of the lens barrel 110 of the first rotation operation member 111 so as not to touch the second rotation operation member 112 as much as possible. However, there is a limit because the camera body 107 becomes an obstacle. Therefore, only the first rotation operation member 111 can be rotated with careful operation, but in some cases, the finger touches the second rotation operation member 112. Then, although the first rotation operation member 111 is tried to rotate, the second rotation operation member 112 may also rotate together. Then, although the user of the digital camera 101 only wants to change the in-focus position, the brightness of the image recorded during the photographing operation may be changed unintentionally.

  This problem is that the user's finger is large, the width of the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 in the optical axis direction is narrow, or the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation. It becomes more prominent when the distance of the optical axis direction of the member 112 is short. However, in order to reduce the size of the digital camera 101, the width of the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 in the optical axis direction should be set narrow, and the first rotation operation member 111 and the first rotation operation member 111 There is a demand to place the second rotary operation member 112 close to each other.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention performs processing described below when rotation of the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 is detected.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing when a control unit (not shown) of the digital camera 101 detects the rotation of the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112.

  First, it is determined whether or not the first rotation operation member 111 is rotating (S101). If it is determined in S101 that the first rotation operation member 111 is rotating, a predetermined value N is set as the timer value T in Step S102. The timer value T is 0 at the start of the process for detecting the rotation of the rotary operation member. The value N is a value that defines how long the detection of the rotation of the second rotation operation member 112 is invalid after the rotation of the first rotation operation member 111 is detected, and is a positive integer. is there. The larger the value N, the longer the time for which the detection of the rotation of the second rotation operation member 112 is invalidated after the rotation of the first rotation operation member 111 is detected.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the rotation direction of the first rotation operation member 111 is the P direction (S103). If it is determined that the rotation direction is the P direction, the photographing lens group is moved to a position where a closer object is in focus according to the rotation angle of the first rotation operation member 111 (S104), and step S101. Return to. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that the rotation direction is not the P direction, the rotation direction of the first rotation operation member 111 is the Q direction. Accordingly, the photographing lens group is moved to a position where a farther object is focused (S105), and the process returns to step S101.

  If it is determined in step S101 that the first rotation operation member 111 is not rotating, a value (T-1) obtained by decrementing the timer value T in step S106 is set as a new timer value T. To do. Next, in step S107, it is determined whether the timer value T is 0 or less. If it is determined in step S107 that the timer value T is not less than or equal to 0 (N in S107), the process returns to step S101. If it is determined in step S107 that the timer value T is 0 or less (Y in S107), it is determined in step S108 whether or not the second rotation operation member 112 is rotating. If it is determined in step S108 that the second rotation operation member 112 is rotating, it is determined whether the rotation direction of the second rotation operation member 112 is the P direction (S109). If it is determined that the rotation direction is the P direction, the setting of the digital camera is changed so that the brightness of the image recorded during the shooting operation becomes brighter according to the rotation angle of the second rotation operation member 112 (S110), the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S109 that the rotation direction is not the P direction, the rotation direction of the second rotation operation member 112 is the Q direction. Accordingly, the setting of the digital camera is changed so that the brightness of the image recorded during the shooting operation becomes darker (S111), and the process returns to step S101. If it is determined in step S108 that the second rotation operation member 112 is not rotating, the process returns to step S101.

  The digital camera 101 according to the present invention performs the above-described processing when the rotation of the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 is detected. When the rotation of the first rotation operation member 111 is detected, the rotation detection determination (S108) of the second rotation operation member 112 is not performed for a certain period of time. Therefore, even if the second rotation operation member 112 rotates unintentionally when the user of the digital camera 101 rotates the first rotation operation member 111, the second rotation operation member 112 does not rotate. The digital camera 101 does not perform an operation based on the rotation. Therefore, the digital camera 101 does not perform an operation that is not intended by the user of the digital camera 101.

  In the above description, even if the rotation of the second rotation operation member 112 is detected, the predetermined time is invalid. However, instead of the time, the first pulse of the detection signal from the second rotation operation member 112 is skipped. Alternatively, the detection may be shifted by skipping a predetermined number of pulses.

  When the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated, a signal indicating that it is rotated is output and transmitted to the control unit every time the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated by a predetermined angle α. When the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated, a signal indicating that the second rotation operation member 112 has been rotated is output every time the second rotation operation member 112 is rotated by a predetermined angle β. The angle α and the angle β have a relationship of α <β. Because of this relationship, even if the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 are simultaneously rotated, the rotation of the first rotation operation member 111 is first. Thus, the detection of the rotation of the second rotation operation member 112 can be invalidated.

  In the present embodiment, the operation feeling when the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 are rotated is configured to be different. More specifically, when the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated, a click mechanism is provided so as to be pulled to an angle for each unit angle α when the hand is released, so that the second rotation operation is performed. The member 112 is not provided with a click mechanism. If comprised in this way, it can be judged also by tactile sense which rotation operation member the user is operating, and operativity improves. Further, if the click position where the first rotation operation member 111 is drawn is set to a position where the outputs from the two photo reflectors described above are the start combination of rotation detection (L, L), the first rotation operation is performed. If the member 111 is rotated by α, it is determined that the member 111 has been rotated by one unit angle. On the other hand, since the second rotation operation member 112 does not have a click mechanism, from which signal state of (L, L), (H, L), (H, H), (L, H) when rotated. Since rotation is indefinite, it is not determined that the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated by one unit angle unless the first rotation operation member 111 is rotated by β + γ. Here, 0 ≦ γ <β. Therefore, if the relationship of α <β is satisfied, even if the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 are simultaneously rotated, the rotation direction of the first rotation operation member 111 is not the same. Is detected first, and the detection of the rotation of the second rotation operation member 112 can be invalidated.

<Other embodiments>
Of course, the first unit angle rotation determination by the rotation of the second rotation operation member 112 may be treated as invalid. Then, even if the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 are simultaneously rotated, the rotation of the first rotation operation member 111 is detected first. .

  Further, when it is detected that the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 are rotated in the opposite directions, a predetermined process may be performed according to each rotation. This is because when the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 are respectively rotated in opposite directions, the user intentionally operates as such.

  In the first embodiment, the first rotation operation member 111 is an operation member for adjusting the focal position of the lens group, and the second rotation operation member 112 is a brightness of an image recorded during a shooting operation. The description has been given assuming that the operation member is for adjusting the thickness. However, the first rotation operation member 111 and the second rotation operation member 112 may be operation members for other adjustments, for example, ISO sensitivity adjustment, aperture value adjustment, and the like.

  When the user uses the rotary operation member with the click feeling when setting the items that change stepwise, and the rotation operation member without the click feeling when setting the items that change steplessly, A natural feeling of operation can be realized. Examples of the item that changes in a step shape include a step zoom setting that selects a specific focal length in a step shape. Examples of items that change steplessly include focusing.

  Also, when shooting a video with a digital camera, use the rotation operation member with the click feeling for setting the item to be changed before shooting, and change the rotation operation member without the click feeling during shooting. Use it to set items. As an item to be changed before shooting for moving image shooting, for example, the resolution of the moving image to be shot can be mentioned. As an item to be changed during shooting, for example, a change in focal length can be mentioned. This is because if the rotation operation member provided with the click mechanism is rotated during shooting of moving image shooting, a click sound is generated and the click sound is recorded in the moving image.

  In the above description, there is no click, but even if there is no click mechanism, for example, the rotation resistance of the first rotation operation member can be increased and the rotation resistance of the second rotation operation member can be decreased. good.

  When a configuration that does not matter whether there is a click feeling or not can be taken as in the first embodiment (such as disabling the second operation member for a predetermined time), both the two rotation operation members have a click feeling. You may comprise so that there may be no click feeling in both of two rotation operation members.

  In the first embodiment, the configuration in which the rotation is detected using the photo reflector has been described as an example. However, other detection means such as a photo interrupter may be used as a matter of course.

  The above-described embodiments are merely examples of implementation in carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea or the main features thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Digital camera 105 Lens 107 Camera main body part 110 Lens barrel 111 1st rotation operation member 112 2nd rotation operation member

Claims (3)

A ring-shaped member that can rotate around the optical axis of the lens with respect to the lens barrel provided in the imaging apparatus body,
A first rotation operation member provided at a position close to the imaging device body;
A second rotation operation member provided at a position farther than the first rotation operation member with respect to the imaging device body;
An operation member for an image pickup apparatus, wherein when the operation of the first rotation operation member is detected, the operation of the second rotation operation member is invalidated for a predetermined time. A ring-shaped member that can rotate around the optical axis of the lens with respect to the lens barrel provided in the imaging apparatus body,
A first rotation operation member provided at a position close to the imaging device body;
A second rotation operation member provided at a position farther than the first rotation operation member with respect to the imaging device body;
An operation member for an imaging apparatus, wherein when an operation of the first rotation operation member is detected, a predetermined number of pulses of a detection signal from the second rotation operation member is skipped.   3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a unit angle for detecting rotation of the first rotation operation member is smaller than a unit angle for detecting rotation of the second rotation operation member. Operation member.

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