JP3631226B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a video camera.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A joystick that is often used as an operation device for an electronic device can consolidate the operations of a plurality of functions into a single operation member, so that the operation members of the device can be concisely contributed to miniaturization of the device. In addition, since two or more switches can be assigned to one operation member, the operator can perform two or more operations without releasing the keys by selecting the operation direction of the joystick. It is possible to eliminate the inconvenience in use that the operation member must be searched by hand or the position must be visually confirmed as compared with the operation member to which the conventional switches are assigned one-to-one.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since a joystick has multiple selection functions assigned to a single operating member, if these functions are completely independent of each other, in order to perform an operation with a blind touch, there is no function in each operation direction. Need to remember what is assigned. For example, when a joystick is attached to a video camera as an operation device for camera operation or recorder operation, the operation result is confirmed by viewing the image displayed on the EVF (electronic viewfinder). The person operates the joystick while looking into the EVF, and the operability is poor unless the correspondence between the operation direction and the function is remembered. In particular, if an operation is mistaken during shooting, the picture as desired by the photographer may not be obtained, and the shot contents may be lost in some cases. In addition, the fact that various operation members including a joystick are scattered in various parts of the apparatus main body is disadvantageous in terms of usability and ease of operation.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that allows an operator to operate an operation member intuitively and select and execute a desired function.
[0005]
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic device that can confirm the function assigned to each operation direction of the operation member for each operation mode together with an image before the operator operates the operation member. .
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve such an object, a first aspect of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures a subject image and outputs a video signal, and a display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging unit. An operation member that is movably provided in a plurality of operation directions, a plurality of switches that operate selectively according to the operation direction of the operation member, and each have a different function, and mode switching that switches the operation mode of the device And assigning independent functions to each operation direction of the operation member and changing the function assigned to each operation direction of the operation member according to the operation mode switched by the mode switching means, Control means for causing the display means to display a guidance display of functions assigned to each operation direction of the operation member, the imaging means, the display means, and the When the working member is incorporated in the same casing and the operator holds the casing and captures the subject image, the thumb of the holding hand holds the casing while holding the casing. The operation member is arranged at a position on the housing where the operation member can be operated.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the electronic apparatus of the present invention, an imaging unit that captures a subject image and outputs a video signal, and records the video captured by the imaging unit on a recording medium and the recording medium. Recording / reproducing means for reproducing the recorded video, display means for displaying the video imaged by the imaging means or the video reproduced by the recording / reproducing means, and an operation member provided movably in a plurality of operation directions; A plurality of switches that are selectively operated according to the operation direction of the operation member, each having a different function; and an operation mode of the device that captures the subject image by the imaging unit and records and reproduces the captured image Mode switching to one of an imaging mode for recording on a recording medium with a recording mode and a playback mode for reproducing video recorded on the recording medium with the recording / reproducing means. In the photographing mode, the function necessary for photographing is assigned to each operation direction of the operation member, and the guidance display of the function assigned to each operation direction is arranged in correspondence with the operation direction. Displayed on the display unit together with the video imaged by the imaging unit, and in the playback mode, functions necessary for playback are assigned to the operation directions, and guidance of the functions assigned to the operation directions is assigned. Control means for displaying on the display means together with the video reproduced from the recording medium by the recording / reproducing means in an arrangement corresponding to the operation direction, and the control means has an operation mode set by the mode switching means. When switched, an image captured by the imaging means or a guidance display of the function regardless of the operation of the operation member or Together with the video played back by the serial recording and reproduction means, characterized in that to be displayed on the display means.
[0008]
With the above configuration, according to the present invention, it is possible to display the guidance display of the function assigned to each operation direction of the operation member for each operation mode on the display means.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
3A and 3B show an embodiment of the joystick 10, wherein FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view and FIG. 3B is a side sectional view.
In FIG. 3, the operating lever 1 is provided with a push plate 2 for pressing a switch, and a support member 3 made of a sphere is provided at the lower end. The base 4 is provided with a hole 5, and the support member 3 is rotatably fitted in the hole 5. As a result, the operation lever 1 is held so as to be inclined at a constant angle in any direction. Further, a donut-shaped switch plate 7 on which four tact switches 6 are arranged is placed on the base 4, and the operation lever 1 passes through the center thereof. The upper portion of the operation lever 1 protrudes from a hole 9 provided in a case 8 of a device such as a video camera, and can be operated by an operator.
[0010]
According to the above configuration, the operation lever 1 can be tilted in the 360 ° direction within a certain angle range with the support member 3 as a fulcrum. When the operator tilts the operation lever 1 in a certain direction, the push plate 2 is also tilted, and one of the tact switches 6 provided in that direction is pressed to turn on the switch. Therefore, one of the four tact switches 6 can be selectively turned ON by selecting the direction in which the operation lever 1 is tilted (operation direction).
It is assumed that different switch functions are assigned to the four tact switches 6.
[0011]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a video camera 100 using the joystick 10 according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 1, a subject image is incident on an imaging unit 11, passes through a zoom lens 12 and a focus lens 13, and is photoelectrically converted by an imaging device 14 such as a CCD to become a video signal. This video signal is processed by the camera signal processing unit 15 and converted into a video signal of a predetermined format, and then sent to the recording / reproducing device 16, and recorded in a magnetic head or the like in the signal recording / reproducing unit 16 a, Also sent to the synthesis circuit 17.
[0012]
The microcomputer 18 outputs various control signals, controls the zoom lens 12 and the focus lens 13 via the servo mechanisms 21a and 21b, and controls the camera signal processing circuit 15, the recording / reproducing device 16, and the character generator 20. Further, it receives an output signal based on the operation of the manual switch group 19 including the camera operation switch, the recorder operation switch, the mode changeover switch and the like and the joystick 10, and performs control corresponding to each. Further, the microcomputer 18 controls the character generator 20 according to the mode of the video camera 100, and the character generator 20 sends a character signal to the synthesis circuit 17. The synthesizing circuit 17 sends the video signal obtained by synthesizing the video signal from the camera signal processing circuit 15 and the character signal to the EVF display unit 22 for display.
[0013]
FIG. 2 shows a display example of the EVF display unit 22.
When the video camera 100 is in the shooting mode, characters TITLE, C / RESET, FADE, and DATE generated by the character generator 20 are vertically and horizontally guided as shown in FIG. It is displayed. The relative display positions of these characters coincide with the X′Y ′ direction, which is the operation direction of the joystick 10 in FIG.
[0014]
In the present embodiment, among the operating directions of the joystick 10, the X ′ axis in FIG. 2D is made to coincide with the vertical direction of the video camera 10 as shown in FIG. For this reason, the operator remembers that the function displayed above the screen of the EVF display unit 22 corresponds to the upward operation with respect to the video camera 100 of the joystick 10. With respect to the other functions, the correspondence with the operation direction of the joystick 10 can be understood at a glance. In FIG. 4, 19a is a mode switch.
[0015]
When the mode changeover switch 19a is operated to shift to the VTR operation mode, the microcomputer 18 sends a control signal indicating that it is in the VTR operation mode to the character generator 20, and the character generator 20 as shown in FIG. PLAY, STOP, REW, and FF characters 27 to 30 corresponding to the VTR operation mode are guided and displayed in an arrangement corresponding to the operation direction of the joystick 10 in FIG.
[0016]
In addition, the position of each guidance display should just have the relative positional relationship corresponded with the positional relationship of each operation direction, for example, it is effective also in a display like FIG.2 (C). Further, since the relationship between the operation direction and the function when operated in that direction may be known, a display method as shown in FIG.
[0017]
FIG. 5 is an external view showing a second embodiment of the video camera 100. Here, a state where the EVF display unit is removed is shown.
In FIG. 5, the joystick 10 is provided on the left side of the shooting start / stop switch 19 b, and the mode changeover switch 19 a is also arranged immediately next to the joystick 10.
[0018]
In the joystick 10, when the video camera 100 is in the shooting mode, the switches of the TITLE 23, C / RESET 24, FADE 25, and DATE 26 functions as shown in FIG. 2D, as in the case of the first embodiment. Y ′ is assigned to both operation directions. Further, each guidance display of the function assigned to each operation direction of the joystick 10 is displayed on the EVF display unit 22 (not shown in FIG. 5) in an arrangement corresponding to the relative positional relationship of the operation direction.
The direction of the Y ′ axis of the joystick 10 in FIG. 2 coincides with the horizontal direction (Y axis) of the EVF display unit 22 and is assigned to each operation direction of the joystick 10 by looking at the position of each guide display. Can know the function.
[0019]
According to the arrangement of each operation member as described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, when shooting is performed while holding the video camera 100 with the right hand, the joystick 10, the shooting start / stop switch 19b, and the mode switch 19a are all provided. Each operation member can be operated by moving the position of the right thumb. Further, the zoom lever 19c is in a position where it can be operated with the right index finger, and therefore, most of the operation members used at the time of photographing can be operated only with the right hand.
[0020]
Note that the structure of the joystick 10 in this embodiment, the system configuration of the video camera 100, and the system for guiding and displaying the functions of the joystick 10 are the same as those in the first embodiment.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, since the guidance display of the function assigned to each operation direction of the operation member for each operation mode is displayed on the display means, the operator can check the displayed guidance display while holding the operation member. It is possible to operate intuitively and select and execute a desired function.
Further, according to the present invention, since the operation member can be operated with the thumb of the hand holding the casing while photographing while holding the casing, the operability of the device is improved.
[0022]
In addition, according to the present invention, the display means regardless of the operation of the operation member together with the imaged image or the image reproduced from the recording medium of the function guidance display assigned to each operation direction of the operation member for each operation mode Since it is displayed above, the operator can confirm the function assigned to each operation mode together with the video before operating the operation member.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a video camera to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a display example according to the present invention.
3A is an exploded perspective view and FIG. 3B is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a joystick to which the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 4 is an external view of a video camera according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an external view of a video camera according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a state in which the video camera according to the second embodiment is held by hand.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Operation lever 6 Tact switch 10 Joystick 18 Microcomputer 19 Manual switch group 19a Mode changeover switch 19b Shooting start / stop switch 19c Zoom lever 20 Character generator 22 EVF display section 23 TITLE (title display) function guide display characters 24 C / RESET (counter reset) function information display character 25 FADE (fade) function information display character 26 DATE (date display) function information display character 27 PLAY (playback) function information display character 28 STOP (stop) Character for the function display 29 Character for the REW (rewind) function 30 Character for the FF (fast forward) function

Claims (11)

Imaging means for capturing a subject image and outputting a video signal;
Display means for displaying the video imaged by the imaging means;
An operation member provided movably in a plurality of operation directions;
A plurality of switches that selectively operate according to the operation direction of the operation member, each having a different function;
Mode switching means for switching the operation mode of the device;
A function that is assigned to each operation direction of the operation member is assigned to each operation direction, and a function that is assigned to each operation direction of the operation member is changed according to the operation mode switched by the mode switching means, and the operation member Control means for causing the display means to display a guidance display of the function assigned to each operation direction;
With
When the imaging unit, the display unit, and the operation member are incorporated in the same casing, and an operator captures the subject image while holding the casing, An electronic apparatus, wherein the operation member is arranged at a position on the housing where the operation member can be operated with a thumb of a holding hand. Recording and reproducing means for recording the video imaged by the imaging means on a recording medium and reproducing the video image recorded on the recording medium;
The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a video image captured by the imaging unit or a video image reproduced by the recording / reproducing unit. The mode switching unit includes an imaging mode in which the image of the subject is captured by the imaging unit and the captured image is recorded on a recording medium by the recording / reproducing unit. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the electronic device is switched to any one of a reproduction mode for reproducing the recorded video. In the photographing mode, the control unit assigns a function necessary for photographing to each operation direction of the operation member, and corresponds to a guidance display of the function assigned to each operation direction. Displayed on the display unit together with the video imaged by the imaging unit in the arrangement, and in the playback mode, functions necessary for playback are assigned to the respective operation directions, and functions assigned to the respective operation directions 4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the guidance display is displayed on the display unit together with the video reproduced from the recording medium by the recording / reproducing unit in an arrangement corresponding to the operation direction. 5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display a guidance display of the function in a peripheral area in a display screen. 6. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a guidance display of a function assigned to each operation direction of the operation member in an arrangement corresponding to the operation direction. Item 1. An electronic device according to item 1. 7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further changes contents displayed by the display unit in accordance with an operation mode of a device switched by the mode switching unit. machine. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein another operation member is disposed in the vicinity of the operation member. 9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the other operation member includes an imaging start / stop switch or a mode changeover switch. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the other operation member is disposed at a position where the operation member can be operated with a thumb of a hand holding the casing. Imaging means for capturing a subject image and outputting a video signal;
Recording and reproducing means for recording the video imaged by the imaging means on a recording medium and reproducing the video image recorded on the recording medium;
Display means for displaying the video imaged by the imaging means or the video image reproduced by the recording / reproducing means;
An operation member provided movably in a plurality of operation directions;
A plurality of switches that selectively operate according to the operation direction of the operation member, each having a different function;
The operation mode of the device is an imaging mode in which the subject image is captured by the imaging unit and the captured video is recorded on a recording medium by the recording / reproducing unit, and the video recorded on the recording medium is reproduced by the recording / reproducing unit. Mode switching means for switching to one of the playback modes;
In the photographing mode, a function necessary for photographing is assigned to each operation direction of the operation member, and a guide display of the function assigned to each operation direction is arranged in correspondence with the operation direction. In the playback mode, a function necessary for playback is assigned to each operation direction, and a guidance display of the function assigned to each operation direction is displayed in the playback mode. Control means for causing the display means to display the video reproduced from the recording medium by the recording / reproducing means in an arrangement corresponding to the operation direction;
With
When the operation mode is switched by the mode switching unit, the control unit reproduces the guidance display of the function regardless of the operation of the operation member by the image captured by the imaging unit or the recording / reproducing unit. An electronic apparatus characterized by being displayed on the display means together with an image.

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