JP3404839B2 - camera - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

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

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent cameras, control contents have been actively displayed on an LCD. With ergonomic considerations, the operation section is arranged as easily as possible and the display section is arranged as easily as possible. In order to give priority to usability of each element in this way, as a result, in many cases, the operation section and the display section are arranged in a separated portion.

In recent years, the specifications of cameras have been increasing in order to satisfy the demands of customers, and therefore the number of operation buttons arranged on the operation section is increasing significantly. Therefore, when the operation unit and the display unit are separated from each other, it becomes difficult to associate the control content operated by the operation unit with that displayed on the display unit. As a countermeasure, for example, a camera in which the operation section is arranged in the vicinity of the display section, the operation buttons of the operation section are colored, and the area of the display section operated by the operation button has the same color as the operation button is used. Proposed.

[0004]

In the prior art as described above, as a result of prioritizing the operability of the operation unit, the display unit is arranged apart from the operation unit, so that the display is displayed on the display unit. When changing the control contents, in order to eliminate operation mistakes, the position of the operation button must be checked each time the operation is performed, but this is not in a state in which operability can be said to be good. There was a problem, for example, that you missed a photo opportunity while checking.

Further, it is ergonomically limited to dispose the operation button of the operation section in the vicinity of the display section, and further, the operation button of the operation section is colored so that the operation button is colored. There is a problem that the color-blind operator does not have any meaning in the case where the areas of the display section operated by the same color are the same. The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera in which anyone can instantly operate the display content when the LCD display is to be changed by the operation unit. .

[0006]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a camera for displaying a plurality of control contents on an LCD display device.
The display device according to the plurality of control contents
And a divided display section formed by dividing into a plurality of areas,
The operation unit for changing the control content is the division of the division display unit.
It has the same shape as or a similar shape, and
Are placed at different positions so that they can be viewed at the same time as the divided display section.
It is a means for solving the problem that the operation unit has a selected operation content, and the operation unit has a selection function of selecting a desired control content from the plurality of control content.

Further, the operation member is an operation button, the shape of the upper surface of the operation button has the same shape and the divided display unit corresponding or
Or a similar shape is used as a means for solving the second problem,
A third means for solving the problem is that at least one of the divided display portions of the LCD display device has a subdivided region which is further subdivided, and the LCD display device includes the subdivision region.
The control contents corresponding to the area are different from those of the subdivision area.
Minute display is used as a means for solving the fourth problem, and the subdivision area is made to blink when the function in charge of the subdivision area is set as the means for solving the fifth problem. An area is a means for solving the sixth problem that an index is presented in the subdivision area when the function in charge of the subdivision area is set. Further, the operation member is capable of selecting at least one of the plurality of control contents, and the division display unit shows the control contents selected by the operation unit as a seventh means for solving the problem. Is.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the divided display portion of the LCD display device is divided and formed in the area corresponding to the control content of the operating member, and the divided display portion has the same shape as the divided display portion at a position different from the divided display portion. A control unit with a shape or similar shape is provided on the control member so that desired control contents can be selected by the control unit, so that when the split display unit is displayed or changed, its correspondence is clear. Therefore, the operation can be performed instantly. In addition, as long as there is not much, an operation error does not occur, so that a reliable camera operation can be performed.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a camera for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a normal lighting state of a split display section shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a figure showing the state where all the displays at the time of function selection were lit up. Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

In the figure, an operation button 1, an operation button 2, an operation button 3, and an operation button 4 are divided areas 5, divided areas 6, divided areas 7, divided areas 8, which are formed in a divided display section 10 made of an LCD. Various operation buttons forming an operation section corresponding to
Corresponds to the divided area 5, the operation button 2 corresponds to the divided area 6, the operation button 3 corresponds to the divided area 7, and the operation button 4 corresponds to the divided area 8. Therefore, for example, when the operation button 1 is pressed, the display content displayed in the divided area 5 can be changed, and the change is performed by the electronic dial 9. Further, the upper surface (the surface visually recognized during operation) and the divided area of the corresponding pair of operation buttons are formed in the same shape.

The operation buttons of the operation member may be selected from molds (plastics), metals, sheet keys, etc., which have appropriate materials and configurations in terms of design. In order to correspond
Each of the divided areas of the divided display unit 10 is an individual operation button that is an operation button. The operation button 1 is a user custom set button for sequentially calling a menu selected according to a user's desire from a menu (functions arbitrarily combined) stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown). Is the start button. Further, it is set to have 10 menus of 0 to 9, and the menu of 0 is a numerical value indicating cancellation of the user custom set. In the figure, two menus are displayed in the divided area 5, and the content thereof shows a state in which two of the selection menus 0 to 9 are selected.

The operation button 2 is an AF switching button, which is activated to switch between two functions, that is, spot AF (AF with a narrow range) and wide AF (AF with a wide range). . As shown in the figure, the wide area AF is selected in the divided area 6. The operation button 3 is a function selection button, and the user custom menu (plural combinations) selected by activating the operation button 1 which is the user custom set button is subdivided in the divided area 7 of the display unit. It is activated to select and change the desired function for each menu for the items distributed to the area. The divided area 7 is subdivided into eight,
In the present embodiment, since the 2 menus are selected as described above, 6 functions are shown as shown in the figure. The subdivided area 7a is a flash control display, and has three setting function contents: red eye prevention, slow sync (slow shutter speed is synchronized with strobe), and rear curtain sync. Is set.
The subdivided area 7b is a switching display of the photometry mode, and three function contents of spot photometry, center-weighted photometry, and multi-pattern photometry are prepared, and in FIG. 2, multi-pattern photometry is set. The subdivided area 7c is an exposure mode display, and five function contents of P, S, A, M, and P ^* are prepared, and P (program) is set in the drawing. The subdivided area 7d is the focus mode display, and the shutter is released after the AF focusing is completed.
S, three modes of function are prepared: the mode AFC in which the shutter is released when the shutter is released regardless of the completion of AF focusing, and the manual focus MF.
Is set. The subdivided area 7e is a feed mode display, and has four function contents of single shooting, high-speed continuous shooting, low-speed continuous shooting, and silent feeding (silent mode), and single shooting is set in the figure. . The subdivided area 7f is an ISO setting display, and ISO sensitivity automatic reading DX, 6 to 6400
There are two function contents of ISO, which is manually set in 31 steps, and DX is displayed in the figure.

The operation button 4 is a set value function content selection button.
It is a button for setting the set value and the function content of the selected function. In the divided area 8 in the figure, 24, which is the number of frames displayed after the setting value selection and the function content selection are completed, is displayed. Although not directly operated by the operation member of the present invention, the upper divided portion 11 shows the exposure information (shutter speed, aperture value) of the camera and the film loading state, and the shutter speed of 1/250 is shown in the figure. , F5.
The aperture value of 6 and the like are displayed.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described. When the start switch of the camera is turned on, the above-mentioned display is turned on as shown in FIG. Normally, the operation is not frequently performed, but if necessary, the operation button 1 which is a user custom set button is pushed and the electronic dial 9 is operated to store 0 to 0 stored in advance in a storage means (not shown). The user sequentially calls 9 menus, and a desired menu is displayed and set in the divided area 5 from among them.

Similarly, the operation button 2 which is an AF switching button
By pressing down and operating the electronic dial 9, the spot AF (AF with a narrow range) and wide A
Either one of the two function contents of F (AF for widening the distance measuring range) is displayed in the divided area 6 and set. Next, the operation button 3, which is a function selection button, is pressed. When the selection button 3 is pressed, all the function displays of the respective subdivided areas 7a to 7f are lit in the divided area 7, as shown in FIG. Further, the subdivided area of the currently selected function, which is the function selected and left as it is at the end of the previous operation or the function determined by the default, blinks and is indicated by the arrow 12.

When changing the subdivision area of the function, operating the electronic dial 9 in this state causes the blinking portion and the arrow to move sequentially in the subdivision area. This operation is configured so as to be possible while the operation button 3 is being pressed. When the subdivided region of the function is selected, the pressing of the operation button 3 is released. As a result, the previous blinking portion is changed to lighting and other functions other than the lighting portion are turned off, and the function of the lighting portion can be set.

When the operation button 4, which is a set value selection button, is pressed after the setting of the function of the lighting portion becomes possible, the function of the subdivided area in the lighting state can be set. Therefore, when the operation button 4 is pushed in this state and the electronic dial 9 is operated, the selected function, the set value of the function, and the content of the function are cyclically displayed in the illuminated subdivision area and the division area 8, respectively. change. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the ISO setting display is selected as a function, and its 400 is displayed in the divided area 8. This operation is
It is configured to be possible while the operation button 4 is being pressed. The display of the divided area 8 corresponds to the arrow indicating the subdivided area of the divided area 7, and the set value or the function content set for the function of the subdivided area designated by the arrow is always displayed. Therefore, when the subdivided area indicated by the arrow is changed, the display of the divided area 8 is also changed accordingly.

When the operation button 4 is released, the setting values and setting contents displayed in the subdivided area of the divided area 7 and the divided area 8 are set, and the display section returns to the normal lighting state. Further, the display of the divided area 8 is changed to the frame number display as shown in FIG. The divided area 8 of the display unit used in the first embodiment of the present invention is composed of a liquid crystal (dot matrix liquid crystal) having a fine pattern, and the set values and the function contents in each function are enlarged. It is supposed to be displayed. Further, while the operation button 4 is being pushed in, the divided area is kept in the usable state, and when the operation button 4 is released, the set value and setting contents displayed in the divided area 8 are changed to the subdivided area. return,
The frame number display returns to that. The reason why the setting value and the setting content are returned and displayed in the subdivided area is to confirm the setting status of the function in the normal lighting state.

Further, in the drawing of the first embodiment, eight subdivided areas are provided and six of them are used. However, there is no special meaning to the use of six subareas, and 8 may be used if necessary. It doesn't matter what you use. FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the LCD display section arranged on the upper surface of the camera body is divided into a display area a, a display area b, and a display area c. A concave slide groove D is formed on the operation portion, which is also arranged on the upper surface of the camera body, corresponding to the same arrangement as the divided display area, and the slide groove D can be slid. Slide lever A,
A slide lever B and a slide lever C are arranged. Also in the second embodiment, what is set and displayed using the slide lever A is displayed in the display area a, and what is set and displayed using the slide lever B is displayed in the display area b, and the slide lever C is used. What is set and displayed is displayed in the display area c.

Although the concave slide groove is used in this embodiment, it may be replaced with a convex slide guide.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a camera for displaying a plurality of control contents such as set values on an LCD display device by means of an operating member, the operation member is divided into areas corresponding to the control contents of the operating member. Since the divided display portion of the LCD display device is provided and the operation portion of the operation member is arranged in the same or similar shape as the divided shape of the divided display portion, it is very easy to associate the display portion with the operation member. Not only does it have the effect of being able to perform operations in an instant. Further, since the user's line of sight can be smoothly moved from the display unit to the operation member and from the operation member to the display unit, a comfortable operation feeling can be obtained, and the user is not tired. Furthermore, LC
At least one of the divided display portions of the D display device is further divided into subdivided regions, and at least one of the divided display portions of the LCD display device is arranged to display the function of the subdivided regions in an enlarged manner. When the function in charge of the subdivision area is set, it blinks and the index is displayed in the subdivision area, so even though there are various functions, it is easy to perform that function. There is also an effect that can be organized into. In addition, there is also an effect that a reliable camera operation can be performed because an operation error does not occur unless it is too much.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a camera for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a normal lighting state of the split display unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which all of the displays when a function is selected are turned on.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the camera for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Operation button (user custom set button) 2 Operation button (AF switching button) 3 operation buttons (function selection buttons) 4 Operation buttons (set value function content selection buttons) 5, 6, 7, 8 divided areas 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, 7f, subdivision area 9 Electronic dial A, B, C, slide lever D concave groove a, b, c, display area

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A camera for displaying a plurality of control contents on an LCD display device, wherein the display device has a divided display section divided into a plurality of regions according to the plurality of control contents, and the control contents. The operation unit that changes the shape has an operation member that has the same shape or a similar shape as the divided shape of the divided display unit and that is arranged at a position different from that of the divided display unit so as to be visible simultaneously with the divided display unit. The operation unit has a selection function of selecting desired control contents from the plurality of control contents. 2. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the operation member is an operation button, and an upper surface shape of the operation button is the same shape or a similar shape as the corresponding divided display section. Wherein said at least one of the divided display portion of the LCD display, camera according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it has a further subdivision subdivided regions. 4. The camera according to claim 3 , wherein the LCD display device displays the control content corresponding to the subdivision area in a portion different from the subdivision area. 5. The camera according to claim 3 , wherein the subdivision area blinks when a function assigned to the subdivision area is set. 6. The camera according to claim 3 , wherein an index is presented in the subdivision area when the function in charge of the subdivision area is set. Wherein said operating member is selectable at least one of said plurality of control content, the divided display unit according to claim 1, characterized in that indicating the selected control contents by the operation unit Camera.