JP3097250B2 - Camera display device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device for a camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In photographing, it is important to check the exposure and focus state of a subject. For this reason, in the viewfinder of the camera, a display member made of liquid crystal or the like capable of displaying information necessary for photographing outside the screen is provided, so that the photographer can confirm such information while photographing. .

FIG. 11 is a view showing an exposure state when looking through a finder of a conventional camera. Viewfinder-field frame
A screen frame 32 is provided in 31, and a main subject 34 is captured in the screen frame 32. The display 33 indicating the amount of exposure deviation is displayed outside the screen frame. The display 33 indicating the amount of exposure deviation is constituted by a bar graph representing the exposure deviation of 1/3 EV, and the display in the figure indicates that the exposure is 1 EV over the proper exposure value. ing.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a focused state when looking through a finder of a conventional camera. Viewfinder-field frame
A screen frame 32 is provided in 31, and a main subject 34 is captured in the screen frame 32. The display 36 indicating the defocus direction is displayed outside the screen frame. The display 37 indicating the defocus direction is
It is composed of a left triangle indicating a front focus, a middle triangle indicating focus, and a right triangle indicating a rear focus. The display in the figure indicates that the camera is in focus.

[0005]

For example, as in the case of taking a sports photograph, a photographer keeps following a moving subject with his / her eyes while looking through a viewfinder and releases the subject when necessary. In order to avoid a shutter chance, it is necessary to always keep an eye on the subject. However, as described above, in the conventional finder,
If the photographer tries to check the display such as the exposure and focus state outside the screen frame while following the main subject with his eyes, he / she must once take his / her eyes off the subject, and there is a possibility that a shutter chance may be missed. there were.

[0006] Conventionally, there has been known a camera that recognizes the position of a main subject based on line-of-sight information, and determines the exposure, focus position, and the like of the main subject while tracking. In the case of such a camera, as described above, in the conventional viewfinder, when information such as the exposure and the in-focus state is to be checked on a display unit outside the screen frame, the line of sight changes greatly because the line of sight largely deviates from the main subject. As a result, there is a problem that the main subject is erroneously recognized, and information such as the exposure and focus state of the original main subject cannot be accurately confirmed.

Therefore, in the present invention, in order to be able to confirm information necessary for photographing without greatly distracting the line of sight from the subject in the viewfinder, the main subject position is detected, and the main subject position is tracked. It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device of a camera that displays important information near a main subject.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an in-screen tracking means for tracking the movement of the main subject in a finder screen;
By subjecting the output of the inner tracking means to comparison operation as needed,
The moving direction determination means for determining a moving direction of the information related to the shooting of the main object, based on an output of the intra tracking means, transfer of the main object in the screen
The display device of the camera is configured to have display means for displaying a position shifted by a predetermined amount in the moving direction . In addition, the present invention
Now, the main subject in the viewfinder screen
An in-screen tracking means for tracking the movement;
Information related to the shadow is obtained based on the output of the in-screen tracking means.
And displayed near the main subject in the screen.
Display means for occupying the main subject in the screen.
Table of information related to shooting of the main subject according to the ratio
Display selection means for determining a display position
Was constructed.

[0009]

According to the present invention, it is difficult to miss a shutter chance when photographing a moving subject while looking through the viewfinder while observing the subject with the eyes. In the camera for determining the position and the like, no inconvenience occurs when the display such as the exposure and the focus state is confirmed.

[0010]

According to the present invention as described above, according to the present invention, a screen to track the movement of the main subject in the screen of the viewfinder
The output of the tracking means and the output of the tracking means in the screen are compared at any time.
The moving direction that determines the moving direction of the subject by calculating
Determining means for shifting information relating to shooting of the main subject by a predetermined amount in the moving direction of the main subject in the screen.
By displaying the information at the designated position , it is possible to confirm information related to shooting without greatly distracting the line of sight while following the subject in the viewfinder. This makes it possible to visually grasp the moving direction of the subject when shooting a moving subject while looking through the viewfinder .
Therefore, it is difficult to miss a photo opportunity, and in a camera that determines the exposure and focus state of a main subject based on line-of-sight information, to provide a display device that can accurately confirm information such as exposure and focus state of the main subject. Can be.

At the time of finder observation, the photographing lens 15,
The light flux transmitted through 16 is reflected by the main mirror 3 having the anti-transmission portion, passes through the screen 7, the display device 6 (for example, a guest-host type liquid crystal display panel), and the pentaprism 8, and a part of the eyepiece 9. The other part passes through the condenser lens 10 and is guided to the photometric / colorimetric device 11. The photometric / colorimetric device 11 has a horizontal photometric / colorimetric element.
Two-dimensional CCD consisting of 216 pixels in 8 columns x 12 columns
Since each pixel is further divided into three so that three colors of RGB can be detected, both photometry and colorimetry can be performed.

The line-of-sight detecting device 13 detects the point of gaze of the observer's eye through the lens 12 and the semi-transparent portion 9a. Incidentally, a method of detecting a line of sight is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-210613, and as a technology applied to a camera, a subject is tracked using a line of sight tracking method to control exposure and focus. There is a known technique for performing the following.

In the eye tracking method, for example, an infrared LED or the like is installed so that a parallel light beam is incident on the eyeball of the photographer.
When the photographer's eyeball is pointed at any place in the viewfinder, utilizing the fact that only the LED corresponding to this place strongly reflects light, the reflection is captured by a two-dimensional photoelectric conversion element, etc. The position of the line of sight is determined by calculating the position, and tracking is performed.

The light beam having passed through the main mirror 3 having the semi-transmissive portion is reflected by the sub-mirror 18, and is focused on by the focus detecting device.
Reach 14 In addition, 17 is aperture, 4 is shutter, 5
Is a film. Next, a block diagram of the system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A line-of-sight detecting device 13 for detecting a line of sight (point of interest) in a finder and a photometric / colorimetric device
The output from 11 is input to the tracking method selection device 24. The tracking method selection device 24 is a device for manually selecting one of the above-described line-of-sight tracking method and color difference tracking method. The output of the tracking method selection device 24 is input to a CPU 21 described later.

The above color difference tracking method is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-253887 and the like, and a technique is known in which a subject is tracked by using a color difference detection device to perform exposure control and focus detection. For example, the feature of the main subject is extracted and stored as a color difference signal by a colorimetric element such as a CCD, and the relative movement of the main subject is detected and tracked based on the stored color difference signal.

The photographing screen is divided into 54 areas of 9 rows × 6 columns, and a focus detection device 14 for performing focus detection for each area.
The outputs from the photometric / colorimetric device 11 and the outputs from the main subject specifying device 22 and the display selecting device 23 are input to the CPU 21. At the time of color difference tracking, the main subject can be initially specified by operating the main subject specifying device 22 with the tracking target subject on the screen positioned at the center of the screen (within a predetermined area ). In addition, when displaying the display indicating the amount of exposure deviation and the direction of defocus in the vicinity of the main subject, the display selection device 23 performs “overlap display” in which the display is superimposed on the main subject, and “display that is separated by a predetermined distance from the main subject”. This is a device for selecting one of “shift display”.

An output from the CPU 21 is a display device for displaying a display showing the amount of exposure deviation and the direction of defocus near the main subject.
6 and a focus control device 26 that guides the focusing lens of the photographing lens to the in-focus position, and an exposure control device 25. In the automatic exposure mode, the exposure control device 25 controls the shutter speed and the aperture value to the shutter speed and the aperture value calculated by the CPU 21 based on the value measured by the photometric / colorimetric device 11, and controls the manual operation. In the mode, the control unit controls the shutter and the aperture at the set shutter speed and aperture value.

Next, the algorithm of the CPU 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. In step S1, it is determined whether the color difference tracking method or the eye tracking method has been selected by the tracking method selection device 24.If the color difference tracking method has been selected, the process proceeds to step S2.If the eye tracking method has been selected, the process proceeds to step S2. Proceed to S7.
When an output signal from the main subject specifying device 22 is input in step S2, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, a color difference signal output from the photometric / colorimetric device 11 for measuring the color of each area of the screen is input, and the data is output to step S4.

In step S4, the characteristics of the main subject are extracted from the input color difference signal data, and the flow advances to step S5.
In step S5, a color difference signal output from the photometric / colorimetric device 11 is input and stored. In step S6, the data of the previous color difference signal and the data input this time in step S5 are
The comparison is performed based on the feature data of the main subject extracted in step S4, and the process proceeds to step S10. Here, the data of the previous color difference signal referred to here is the same as the data of step S5
If it arrives at, it refers to the data entered in step S3,
When the shutter is not released in step S19 to be described later and returns to step S5 via step S20, the previously stored data is pointed out in step S5.

On the other hand, in step S7, the sight line signal output from the sight line detection device 13 is input, and the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, a line-of-sight signal is input again from the line-of-sight detection device 13, and data is stored. In step S9, the data of the previous line-of-sight signal is compared with the data input this time in step S8, and the process proceeds to step S10. Here, the data of the previous line-of-sight signal referred to here refers to the data input in step S7 when the process proceeds to step S8 via step S7, and the shutter is not released in step S19 to be described later. If you return to step S8 via
In S8, the data stored last time is indicated.

In step S10, based on the comparison result from step S6 or step S9, data of the position of the main subject is obtained.
Data in the moving direction is calculated and output to step S11, and both data are stored in step S11. The stored data is output to steps S17 and S18. In step S12, the divided photometric data output from the photometric / colorimetric device 11 is input and output to step S13.

In step S13, based on the data of the position of the main subject stored in step S11, the process proceeds to step S1.
Calculate the appropriate exposure value from the divided photometry data of 2. More specifically, the position of the recognized main subject is detected in which part of the divided photometry area, and based on the result, the divided photometry is performed with emphasis on the area where the main subject is present.

In step S14, the amount of deviation between the proper exposure value obtained in step S13 and the set exposure value is calculated, and the calculated data is stored. The stored data is output to step S16. The set exposure value is generally the same as the proper exposure value when the exposure control mode of the camera is set to the program mode. Depending on the setting, it is set independently of the proper exposure value.

In step S15, an output signal is inputted from the focus detecting device 14, and based on the data of the position of the main subject stored in step S11, data of the defocus amount of the actual lens position is calculated. . Specifically, a plurality of ranging areas are provided so that ranging can be performed at a plurality of locations on the screen, and focus information of the main subject is selected by selecting a signal from the ranging area corresponding to the recognized main subject position. To detect.

The data calculated in step S15 is output to step S16. The actual focus position of the lens is equal to the focus position of the main subject when the camera is used in auto focus, but depends on the setting of the photographer when used in manual focus. Thus, it is set independently of the focus position of the main subject. In step S16,
An output signal from the display selection device 23 is input, and if “shift display” is selected, the process proceeds to step S17. If “overlay display” is selected, step S1 is performed.
Proceed to 8. Details will be described later with reference to FIGS. The “shifted display” has an effect that it is possible to prevent the main subject from being buried in the display when the main subject is small.

In step S17, based on the position data and moving direction data of the main subject calculated in step S11, a display indicating the amount of exposure shift stored in steps S14 and S15 and a defocus direction are indicated. The display is output to the display device 6 so as to be displayed at a position separated by a predetermined amount in the moving direction of the main subject from the main subject position on the screen. In step S18, based on the position data of the main subject calculated in step S11, the exposure shift amount and the focus shift direction stored in steps S14 and S15 are displayed so as to overlap the main subject position in the screen. To the display device 6 as described above.

If the camera has been released in step S19, the flow advances to step S21 to shoot and end. If the camera is not released, the process proceeds to step S20 to determine the tracking method. If the camera is the color difference tracking method, the process proceeds to step S5. If the camera is the line-of-sight tracking method, the process proceeds to step S8, and the above-described operation is repeated.

Next, a detection area and a display area when the visual line detection is used will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. The detection area 13a in FIG. 5 is inside the visual line detection device 13, and is configured by a two-dimensional CCD. These are 9 rows x vertical
The groups are grouped into 54 areas of 6 rows, and the display in the figure indicates that the gazing point 13b of the line of sight is in the area (3, 5).

The solid arrow 13c indicates that the gazing point is in the area (2, 2).
5) to (3, 5).
From this result, it can be expected that the main subject moves from the area (3, 5) to (4, 5) as indicated by the broken arrow.
Incidentally, 13b and 13c are shown only for convenience of explanation and are not actually displayed. The display device 6 of FIG. 6 has a display area of 9 rows × 6 columns as in the line-of-sight detection area of FIG.
The line is divided into 54 areas. In this embodiment, the display device 6 is formed of a guest-host type liquid crystal display panel, and displays 6a and 6b such as areas (4, 5) can be displayed in all 54 areas. A guest-host type liquid crystal display panel is a device in which a dichroic dye (guest) is dissolved in a liquid crystal (host) as a solvent, and the orientation of the dye molecules is simultaneously changed by controlling the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules by an electric field. In addition, display is performed using a change in absorption coefficient due to dichroism. The main subject area (3, 5) is selected when "overlay display" is selected by the display selection device 23, and the main subject area (3, 5) is selected when "shift display" is selected. The display (4, 5) indicating the position (4, 5) shifted by one area in the movement direction (display 6b indicating the amount of exposure shift and display 6a indicating the direction of focus shift) lights up.

Next, a colorimetric area and a display area when color difference detection is used will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 7
The colorimetry area 11a is composed of 54 areas in which the photometry / colorimetry elements of the photometry / colorimetry device 11 are grouped into 9 rows and 6 rows, and the display 11b in the figure is the area (3, 5). This indicates that there is a main subject.

The solid arrow 11c indicates that the main subject has moved from the area (2, 5) to the area (3, 5). From this result, the main subject is indicated by the area indicated by the broken arrow. We can expect to move from (3,5) to (4,5). Incidentally, 11b and 11c are shown only for convenience of explanation, and are not actually displayed. When "overlay display" is selected by the display selection device 23, the main subject area (3, 5) is selected. When "shift display" is selected, the main subject area (3, 5) is selected from the main subject area (3, 5). Display of positions (4, 5) shifted by one area in the movement direction (display 6b indicating the amount of exposure deviation and display 6 indicating the direction of defocus)
a) lights up.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show the state of the finder when the display device 6 is actually installed in the finder and in use. However, a state in which “shift display” is selected by the display selection device 23 is shown. FIG. 9 shows the exposure shift amount. There is a screen frame 32 in the viewfinder
A main subject 34 is captured in 32. When looking through the viewfinder, the display device 6 appears to overlap the screen frame 32, and is transparent except for the lit area. Near the main subject,
A display 35 representing the amount of exposure deviation is displayed at a predetermined distance in the moving direction, and the photographer can display the amount of exposure deviation with little movement of the line of sight from the main subject 34 moving around.
35 can be confirmed. Display showing the amount of exposure deviation
Reference numeral 35 denotes a bar graph representing the deviation of the exposure amount of 1/3 EV, and the display in the figure indicates that the exposure is 1 EV over the proper exposure value.

FIG. 10 shows the amount of defocus. A screen frame 32 is provided in the viewfinder frame 31, and a main subject 34 is captured in the screen frame 32. When looking through the finder, the display device 6 appears to overlap the screen frame 32 and is transparent except for the area where the display is turned on. In the vicinity of the main subject, a display 37 indicating the defocus direction is displayed at a predetermined distance from the moving direction, and the photographer can display the defocus direction from the moving main subject 34 with almost no movement of the line of sight. Can be confirmed. The display 37 indicating the out-of-focus direction includes a left triangle indicating a front focus, a middle circle indicating focus, and a right triangle indicating a rear focus. The display in the figure is in focus. It represents that.

The display selecting device 23 automatically selects "overlay display" when the ratio is large, and "shift display" when the ratio is small, according to the ratio of the main subject occupying the screen. Is also good. Further, the display device 6 is not limited to using the guest-host type liquid crystal plate of this embodiment. For example, a method using holography or a method using a laser is also possible.

Further, the display content is not limited to the display indicating the amount of exposure deviation and the direction of defocus, but may be the number of film frames, the recommended use of strobe light, the name of the exposure control mode, or the like. Further, the display unit is not limited to the inside of the viewfinder, but may be a liquid crystal screen or the like installed on the back cover of the camera.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, fine
Tracking the movement of the main subject within the
Information related to shooting the main subject on the screen.
By displaying the information in the vicinity of the main subject, it is possible to check information related to shooting without greatly distracting the line of sight while following the subject in the viewfinder. This makes it harder to miss a photo opportunity when shooting a moving subject while looking through the viewfinder. A display device capable of accurately confirming information such as a state can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an algorithm of a CPU used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an algorithm of a CPU used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram relating to a line-of-sight detection area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram related to a colorimetric area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a viewfinder of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 10 is a viewfinder of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 11 is a view inside a viewfinder of a conventional camera.

FIG. 12 is a view inside a viewfinder of a conventional camera.

[Description of Signs of Main Parts]

 6 --- Display device 11 --- Photometry / colorimetry device 13 --- Eye gaze detection device 14 --- Focus detection device 21 --- CPU 22 --- Main subject designation device 23 --- Display device 24- -Tracking method selection device 25 --- Exposure control device 26 --- Focus control device

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. An in-screen tracking means for tracking the movement of the main subject in a viewfinder screen, and an output of the in-screen tracking means being compared and calculated as needed.
Moving direction determining means for determining the moving direction of the main subject, and information relating to the photographing of the main subject being shifted by a predetermined amount in the moving direction of the main subject in the screen based on the output of the in-screen tracking means. And a display means for displaying at a different position . 2. The camera display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a main subject designating unit for designating the main subject by an external operation; and a main subject recognizing unit for recognizing the main subject. A camera display device for recognizing a feature of the main subject captured in a predetermined area set on the screen by a photographer operating the main subject designating means. 3. The display device of the camera according to claim 1, further comprising a line-of-sight detecting unit configured to detect information on a line of sight of a photographer in the screen, wherein the in-screen tracking unit is configured to perform the operation based on the information on the line of sight. A camera display device for tracking a main subject. 4. The display device of the camera according to claim 2, wherein the main subject recognizing unit detects and recognizes information relating to a color difference as a feature of the main subject, and the intra-screen tracking unit converts the information relating to the color difference into information relating to the color difference. A camera display device for tracking the main subject based on the image data. 5. The camera display device according to claim 1, wherein said display means superimposes and displays information related to photographing of said main subject on said main subject. 6. The display device of the camera according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the photographing includes information relating to an exposure state, information relating to a focus adjustment state, information relating to the number of photographed frames, information relating to a strobe, information relating to an exposure control mode, A display device for a camera, which is at least one of the following. 7. The main view in a viewfinder screen.
An intra-screen tracking means for tracking the movement of the subject; and information relating to the photographing of the main subject.
Based on the output of the tail means,
Characterized by comprising display means for displaying the vicinity of the object, and a display selecting means for determining the display position information that are related to the shooting of the main subject in accordance with the percentage of the screen of the main subject Camera display device.