JP2019184898A - Imaging apparatus, and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an imaging apparatus capable of review display with trouble-free operation only when a photographer wants to check the review screen.SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus includes: imaging means for generating an image from a subject image in response to an imaging instruction; display means capable of displaying the image; first detection means for detecting changes in posture of the imaging apparatus; and control means configured to switch the display of the display means when a change in posture is detected by the first detection means according to the imaging instruction or within a predetermined time from the imaging instruction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and a control method thereof, and particularly relates to an imaging apparatus having a display device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some imaging devices such as a digital camera equipped with a display device have a review screen display function for displaying an image captured immediately before shooting on the display device.

  Regarding the display of the review screen, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a change in the posture of the imaging device is detected during display of the review screen and the time for displaying the review screen is changed. In addition, in some imaging devices including an eyepiece device and an eyepiece detection sensor around the eyepiece, the review screen display is switched depending on whether or not the photographer is in the eyepiece state.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-1000085

  However, the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document relates to the display time after displaying the review screen, and is not mentioned in determining whether to display the review screen. For this reason, when it is desired to continue shooting without confirming the review screen after shooting, the display device switches to the review screen for each shooting, which hinders shooting and is troublesome.

  In an imaging apparatus including an eyepiece detection sensor, it is possible to perform control so that a review screen is not displayed when a photographer is determined to be in an eyepiece state. However, at the time of shooting without an eyepiece such as live view shooting, the display device similarly switches to a review screen for each shooting, which is bothersome and troublesome.

  When the review screen is always hidden by the setting of the imaging device, it is necessary to switch the screen by pressing the playback button or the like when confirming the image captured immediately before, and it takes time to display. In some cases, the grip state of the camera must be broken.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a means capable of displaying a review with a troublesome operation only when a photographer wants to check a review screen.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an imaging apparatus,
Imaging means for generating an image from a subject image in response to an imaging instruction;
Display means capable of displaying the image;
First detecting means for detecting a change in posture of the imaging device;
Control means for switching the display of the display means when a change in posture is detected by the first detection means within a predetermined time from the imaging instruction or generation of the image;
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to display a review with a troublesome operation only when the photographer wants to check the review screen.

External perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. The figure which shows the attitude | position change of the imaging device which concerns on this embodiment Operation flowchart when a review screen is displayed after shooting according to the present embodiment The figure which shows a mode that the imaging device which concerns on this embodiment was held upwards The figure which shows a mode that the imaging device which concerns on this embodiment was prepared for vertical position imaging | photography.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. (A), (b) shows the external view of the digital camera as an example of the imaging device of this invention. FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of the digital camera 100, and FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the digital camera 100. In the present embodiment, the X, Y, and Z directions are defined as shown in FIG. That is, the X direction is the horizontal direction of the digital camera 100, the Y direction is the height direction of the digital camera 100, and the Z direction is the optical axis direction of the digital camera 100. In FIG. 1, a display unit 28 includes an LCD panel and a touch panel 51 (not shown) configured integrally therewith, and is a display unit that displays images and various types of information. The shutter button 61 is an operation unit for issuing a shooting instruction. The shutter button 61 corresponds to an imaging instruction unit described in the claims.

  The mode switch 60 is an operation unit for switching various modes. The terminal cover 40 is a cover for protecting a connector (not shown) such as a connection cable for connecting a connection cable with an external device and the digital camera 100. The main electronic dial 71 is a rotation operation member. By turning the main electronic dial 71, various setting values such as a shutter speed and an aperture can be changed.

  The power switch 72 is an operation member that switches the power of the digital camera 100 on and off. The sub electronic dial 73 is a rotation operation member, and can perform movement of a selection frame, image feed, and the like. The SET button 75 is a push button and is mainly used for determining a selection item. The multi-controller 76 can be tilted up, down, left, and right, and can be operated in each direction.

  The enlargement button 77 is an operation button for turning on / off the enlargement mode and changing the enlargement ratio during the enlargement mode in the live view display in the photographing mode. In the reproduction mode, it functions as an enlargement button for enlarging the reproduction image and increasing the enlargement ratio. The playback button 78 is an operation button for switching between the shooting mode and the playback mode. When the playback button 78 is pressed during the shooting mode, the mode is switched to the playback mode, and the latest image among the images recorded on the recording medium can be displayed on the display unit 28.

  The quick return mirror 12 is instructed by the system control unit 50 (not shown) and rotated by an actuator (not shown). The communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with a photographing lens (not shown) (not shown). The eyepiece finder 16 is a peeping type finder for observing the focusing screen 13 (not shown) to confirm the focus and composition of the optical image of the subject obtained through the lens unit 150 (not shown). A lid 202 is a slot lid that allows the recording medium to be attached and detached. The grip part 90 is a holding part having a shape that is easy for the photographer to hold with the right hand when holding the digital camera 100.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, a lens unit 150 is a lens unit on which a replaceable photographic lens is mounted.

  The lens 103 is usually composed of a plurality of lenses, but here, only a single lens is shown for simplicity. The communication terminal 6 is a communication terminal for the lens unit 150 to communicate with the digital camera 100 side, and the communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens unit 150 side. The lens unit 150 communicates with the system control unit 50 through the communication terminals 6 and 10, and controls the diaphragm 102 through the diaphragm driving circuit 2 by the internal lens system control circuit 4. Further, focusing is performed by displacing the position of the lens 103 via the lens driving circuit 3. The position of the lens 103 is read by the lens position information acquisition unit 5.

  The quick return mirror 12 (hereinafter, mirror 12) is rotated by an actuator (not shown) in response to an instruction from the system control unit 50 during exposure, live view shooting, and moving image shooting. In the case of shooting or live view display, the mirror 12 is rotated to retract outside the imaging optical path that does not block the luminous flux, and all of the subject luminous flux enters the imaging element unit 22.

  The mirror 12 is a half mirror so that a part of the light can be transmitted, and reflects a part of the light beam so as to guide it to the finder 16 at the time of shooting standby. 22 so as to be incident on 22.

  The light beam reflected by the mirror 12 during shooting standby is irradiated on the focusing screen 13. The photographer can check the focus and composition of the optical image of the subject obtained through the lens unit 150 by observing the focusing screen 13 via the pentaprism 14 and the finder 16.

  The image sensor unit 22 is an image sensor composed of a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like that converts an optical image into an electrical signal. Photometry of the luminance of the subject is performed using the light beam incident on the image sensor unit 22. In addition, the imaging element unit 22 has a phase difference detection pixel in a part thereof, and has a phase difference detection type automatic focus adjustment (so-called imaging surface AF) function using the pixel.

  The shutter 101 is a focal plane shutter that can freely control the exposure time of the image sensor unit 22 under the control of the system control unit 50.

  The A / D converter 23 is used to convert an analog signal output from the imaging element unit 22 into a digital signal.

  The image processing unit 24 performs resizing processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation and reduction and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 23 or the data from the memory control unit 15. The image processing unit 24 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and the system control unit 50 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the obtained calculation result. Thereby, AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing of the TTL (through-the-lens) method are performed. The image processing unit 24 further performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained calculation result.

  Output data from the A / D converter 23 is directly written into the memory 32 via the image processing unit 24 and the memory control unit 15 or via the memory control unit 15. The memory 32 stores image data obtained by the image sensor unit 22 and converted into digital data by the A / D converter 23 and image data to be displayed on the display unit 28. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, a moving image and sound for a predetermined time.

  The memory 32 also serves as an image display memory (video memory). The D / A converter 13 converts the image display data stored in the memory 32 into an analog signal and supplies the analog signal to the display unit 28. Thus, the display image data written in the memory 32 is displayed on the display unit 28 via the D / A converter 13. The display unit 28 performs display according to the analog signal from the D / A converter 13 on a display such as an LCD. A digital signal once A / D converted by the A / D converter 23 and stored in the memory 32 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 13 and sequentially transferred to the display unit 28 for display as an electronic viewfinder. It functions and can perform live view display (live view display).

  The nonvolatile memory 56 is an electrically erasable / recordable memory, and for example, an EEPROM or the like is used. The nonvolatile memory 56 stores constants, programs, and the like for operating the system control unit 50.

  The system control unit 50 controls the entire digital camera 100. By executing the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 described above, each process of the present embodiment to be described later is realized. A system memory 52 is a RAM. In the system memory 52, constants and variables for operation of the system control unit 50, programs read from the nonvolatile memory 56, and the like are expanded. The system control unit also performs display control by controlling the memory 32, the D / A converter 13, the display unit 28, and the like.

  The system timer 53 is a time measuring unit that measures the time used for various controls and the time of a built-in clock.

  The mode switch 60, the first shutter switch 62, the second shutter switch 64, and the operation unit 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions to the system control unit 50.

  The mode switch 60 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 50 to any one of a still image recording mode, a moving image recording mode, a reproduction mode, and the like. The first shutter switch 62 is turned on when the shutter button 61 provided in the digital camera 100 is being operated, so-called half-press (shooting preparation instruction), and generates a first shutter switch signal SW1. In response to the first shutter switch signal SW1, operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing are started.

  The second shutter switch 64 is turned ON when the operation of the shutter button 61 is completed, that is, when it is fully pressed (shooting instruction), and generates a second shutter switch signal SW2. In response to the second shutter switch signal SW2, the system control unit 50 starts a series of photographing processing operations from reading a signal from the image sensor unit 22 to writing image data on the recording medium 200.

  Each operation member of the operation unit 70 is appropriately assigned a function for each scene by selecting and operating various function icons displayed on the display unit 28, and functions as various function buttons. Examples of the function buttons include an end button, a return button, an image advance button, a jump button, a narrowing button, and an attribute change button. For example, when a menu button is pressed, various setting menu screens are displayed on the display unit 28. The user can make various settings intuitively using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28 and the multi-controller and the SET button.

  The operation unit 70 is various operation members as an input unit that receives an operation from a photographer. The operation unit 70 includes at least the following operation units. A shutter button 61, a main electronic dial 71, a power switch 72, a sub electronic dial 73, a SET button 75, a multi-controller 76, an enlarge button 77, and a play button 78.

  The touch panel 51 is an input device that is configured to be two-dimensionally superimposed on the LCD panel of the display unit 28 and that outputs coordinate information corresponding to the touched position.

  The angular acceleration sensor 65 is a capacitance detection type sensor for detecting angular acceleration. A change in posture of the digital camera 100 is detected by detecting an angular acceleration component in the rotation direction of the digital camera 100. The angular acceleration sensor 65 corresponds to the posture change detection means described in the claims.

  The power control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Further, the power control unit 80 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and an instruction from the system control unit 50, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 200 for a necessary period.

  The power supply unit 30 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like. The recording medium I / F 18 is an interface with the recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 200 is a recording medium such as a memory card for recording a captured image, and includes a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the digital camera 100 at the time of shooting. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the posture change of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3A is a diagram in which the digital camera 100 is held in an eyepiece state. FIG. 3B is a view in which the photographer is looking at the display unit 28 in order to confirm the review screen. The arrows in the figure indicate the movement of the digital camera 100 when shifting from the state of FIG. 3A to the state of FIG. 3B, and the center of rotation is also described. FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a state in which the digital camera 100 is tilted downward from the state of FIG. The arrows in the figure indicate the movement of the digital camera 100 when shifting from the state of FIG. 3A to the state of FIG. 3C, and the center of rotation is also described.

  FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart when the review screen is displayed after shooting according to the present embodiment. An operation flow when the review screen is displayed after the photographer performs photographing in the eyepiece state as shown in FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 4 illustrates a processing procedure executed by the system control unit 50 controlling each processing block. This is realized by developing a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 56 of the system control unit 50 in the system memory 52 and executing it by the CPU.

  First, in S100, it is determined whether the shutter button 61 is pressed and the second shutter switch 64 is turned on. If it is determined that the shutter button 61 is turned on, the process proceeds to S101. If it is determined that it is not ON, the process returns to S100.

  In S101, it is determined whether the digital camera 100 has rotated around the X axis by the angular acceleration sensor 65 within a predetermined time t1 seconds after the second shutter switch 64 is turned on, and it is determined that the digital camera 100 has rotated. Advances to S102. If it is determined not to rotate, the process is terminated without displaying the review. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the review display from being performed at an unnecessary timing.

  In S102, the angular acceleration sensor 65 determines whether the angular velocity of rotation of the digital camera 100 is equal to or less than a predetermined angular velocity ω. If it is determined that the angular velocity is equal to or less than ω, the process proceeds to S103. If it is determined that the angular velocity is faster than ω, the process is terminated without displaying the review. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the review display from being performed at an unnecessary timing.

  In S103, it is determined by the angular acceleration sensor 65 whether or not the digital camera 100 continues to move for a predetermined time t2 seconds after the rotation operation about the X-axis is started. Proceed to If it is determined that the rotation has been completed for less than t2 seconds, the display is terminated without performing the review display. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the review display from being performed at an unnecessary timing.

  In S104, it is determined by the angular acceleration sensor 65 whether the rotation is completed within a predetermined time t3 seconds after the rotation of the digital camera 100 about the X axis is started. If it is determined that the rotation is completed, the process proceeds to S105. The process proceeds to display the previous photographed image on the display unit 28 as a review. If it is determined that the rotation has continued for longer than t3 seconds, the process is terminated without displaying the review. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the review display from being performed at an unnecessary timing.

  In the above operation flowchart, when the determination of S101 is made, the photographer is in the state of FIG. 3 (a) to the state of FIG. 3 (b), or in the confirmation of the review screen as shown in FIG. 3 (c), for example. It is not possible to determine which state is going to be transferred. Therefore, the determination is made in S102, S103, and S104. That is, in S102, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, an operation for confirming the review screen based on the difference in angular velocity caused by the difference in the rotation center position of the digital camera 100 during each rotation. Carry out whether or not. In S103 and S104, it is determined whether or not the operation is for confirming the review screen by determining whether the time during which the digital camera 100 is rotating is extremely short or long.

  Thus, the photographer can display the review screen only when he / she wants to check the review screen by giving a predetermined rotation to the digital camera 100 after capturing the image. Also, by setting the predetermined times t1, t2, t3 and the predetermined angular velocity ω, it is possible to separate the review screen confirmation operation from other operations, and it is possible to suppress the review screen from being erroneously detected. Note that the values of the predetermined times t1, t2, t3 and the predetermined angular velocity ω may be appropriately changed depending on the shooting situation or the like.

  Here, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment is held upward. For example, the above-mentioned values relating to the determination to display the review screen when the posture of the digital camera 100 at the time of shooting is detected by an unillustrated camera level as shown in FIG. It may be changed from the case of subject shooting in a substantially horizontal direction as in 3 (a). Further, when shooting is performed in a state where live view display is performed by the display unit 28, it is conceivable that the state shown in FIG.

  Even in this case, the above-mentioned value relating to the determination to display the review screen may be changed from the case of shooting in the eyepiece state as shown in FIG. This makes it possible to set a threshold value that is more suitable for each shooting situation, and to make the operation more suitable for the photographer to perform a review screen check operation.

  Further, the direction in which the rotation of the digital camera 100 is detected by the angular acceleration sensor 65 may be appropriately changed depending on the shooting situation. Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment is held for vertical position shooting. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case where the grip portion 90 is held upward in order to perform vertical position shooting, the value of the predetermined angular velocity ω may be changed so as to be applied to rotation around the Y axis. . As a result, even in the case of vertical position shooting, it is possible to make the operation suitable for the photographer to perform the review screen check operation.

  Further, it may be determined whether the digital camera 100 is attached to a tripod and whether or not to proceed to the operation flow shown in FIG. To determine whether the camera is attached to a tripod, a tripod attachment sensor (not shown) may be used, or may be determined from the vibration state of the digital camera 100 immediately before photographing detected by the angular acceleration sensor 65. When it is determined that the digital camera 100 is attached to a tripod, it is unlikely that the digital camera 100 is rotated in the direction of the present embodiment immediately after shooting, so the operation flow of FIG. The review display may be performed according to the review screen display setting.

  As a result, the digital camera 100 is attached to a tripod and the review display can be performed even when the digital camera 100 is not rotated.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary. The present invention should be adapted by being changed as appropriate according to the target circuit form within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, the camera described as the imaging device in the above-described embodiment can be applied to a digital still camera or a digital video camera.

  Each unit of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment and each step of the control method of the image processing apparatus can also be realized by operating a program stored in a memory of a computer. The computer program and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded are included in the present invention.

100: Digital camera 22: Image sensor unit 28: Display unit 61: Shutter button 65: Angular acceleration sensor

Claims (10)

An imaging device,
Imaging means for generating an image from a subject image in response to an imaging instruction;
Display means capable of displaying the image;
First detecting means for detecting a change in posture of the imaging device;
Control means for switching the display of the display means when a change in posture is detected by the first detection means within a predetermined time from the imaging instruction or generation of the image;
It is characterized by having. The first detection means further includes timer means for measuring a time from the start to the end of the posture change,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches the display of the display unit when the timer unit determines that it is within a predetermined time range. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit is an angular acceleration sensor capable of detecting angular acceleration. A second detection means for detecting the posture or state of the imaging means when the imaging instruction is given;
The said 1st detection means changes the direction of the rotation which the said 1st detection means detects based on the detection result of the said 2nd detection means, The any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The imaging device described in 1. The first detection unit determines a threshold value in a predetermined time range from the start to the end of posture change and a threshold value of the angular velocity output from the angular acceleration sensor based on the detection result of the second detection unit. The imaging device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein 6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second detection unit detects whether the imaging apparatus is horizontal. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second detection unit detects whether or not the display unit performs live view display. And further comprising third detection means for detecting whether or not the imaging device is attached to a tripod,
The said control means switches the display of the said display means to the display set separately beforehand, when it is judged that it is attached to the tripod. Imaging device. The imaging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the third detection unit uses a detection value of the angular acceleration sensor. Imaging means for generating an image from the subject image;
A display unit capable of displaying the image, and a control method of the imaging apparatus,
Generating an image from the subject image in response to the imaging instruction;
A first step of detecting a change in posture of the imaging device;
Switching the display of the display means when a change in posture is detected by the first detection means during a predetermined time from the imaging instruction or generation of the image;
A control method for an imaging apparatus, comprising: