JP4338456B2 - Digital camera - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a digital camera that captures a still image or a moving image based on an image signal from an image sensor, and more particularly to an improvement in an image display device that displays a subject image during framing or image playback.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An image display device typified by a liquid crystal panel is provided in a digital camera that takes a still image or a moving image based on an image signal obtained by a CCD or MOS type image sensor. The image display device is used for observing a subject to be photographed or a recorded subject image at the time of photographing or reproduction, and also for displaying a menu under various setting modes. Liquid crystal panels are often used in image display devices. In digital cameras that mainly shoot still images, the liquid crystal panel is fixed and incorporated on the back of the camera body, and in the case of moving pictures, it is pivotally mounted on the side of the camera body. It is normal.
[0003]
In the digital camera for still images described in Patent Document 1, a liquid crystal panel is slidably incorporated in the front surface of the camera body, and when not in use, the liquid crystal panel is housed so as to cover the photographing lens with the image display surface facing the inner surface. This protects the photographic lens and the display surface of the liquid crystal panel. In addition, even when a digital camera for moving images is not used, the liquid crystal panel is folded with the display surface facing the inner surface to protect the display surface.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-217033
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the conventional digital camera is effective in protecting the display surface of the image display device when not in use, but when in use, the image display device is slid to a predetermined use position where the entire display surface can be visually recognized, or You have to stand up. However, in such a use position, the image display device greatly protrudes from the camera body, and is likely to interfere with surrounding people when photographing in crowds, for example. In order to avoid this, if the slide amount of the image display device of Patent Document 1 is kept small, a part of the display surface is hidden by the camera body and the entire subject image cannot be viewed. Also, especially in the case of liquid crystal panels, the display surface is observed from an oblique direction even if it is used upright in order to suppress the amount of protrusion from the camera body. It becomes extremely low and the subject image cannot be observed correctly.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an image display device incorporated in a digital camera is protected by covering the display surface with the camera body when not in use, and does not protrude greatly from the camera body when in use. It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital camera which can be used for the above-mentioned purposes and can always observe the entire subject image correctly.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, in the digital camera of the present invention, a digital camera that processes image signals from an image sensor to acquire image data includes a photographing lens on the front surface and an object imaged by the photographing lens. A camera body incorporating an image sensor that captures an image and obtains an image signal, a vertically long slot formed on one side of the camera body, and a camera body that is freely accessible from the upper end of the slot. A winding shaft that is movable between a position stored in the camera body and a protruding position that is pulled out from the camera body in the axial direction, and is wound around the winding shaft so as to be freely unwound and based on the image signal A flexible image display sheet for displaying a subject image, first detection means for detecting a protruding length of the winding shaft from the one side surface, and the image display sheet from the winding shaft. Based on detection signals from the second detection means for detecting the unwinding amount of the camera and the first detection means and the second detection means, the image display sheet is projected from the one side surface of the camera body and is unfolded. And a control means for displaying the subject image by adjusting the display size .
[0008]
A camera body including a photographic lens on the front surface, and a built-in image sensor that captures a subject image formed by the photographic lens to obtain an image signal; a vertically long slot formed on one side of the camera body; A winding shaft that is incorporated in the camera body so as to be freely accessible from the upper end of the slot, and is movable between a position stored in the camera body and a protruding position drawn in the axial direction from the camera body; A flexible image display sheet that is wound around a shaft so as to be freely unwound and displays a subject image based on the image signal, first detection means for detecting a protruding length of the winding shaft from the one side surface, and An unrolling control unit for controlling an unwinding amount of the image display sheet from the winding shaft based on a detection signal from the first detection unit; and the camera based on a detection signal from the first detection unit. Characterized by comprising a control means for adjusting the display size to fit an image display sheet that is expanded and projects from one side of the body to view an object image, a.
[0009]
The image display sheet is image display means used for electronic paper .
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is implemented will be described. FIG. 1A shows the appearance of the digital camera of the present invention. On the front surface of the camera body 3, a photographing lens 5 held by a lens barrel 4 is exposed, and a strobe light emitting unit 7 for projecting strobe light and a finder objective window 8 facing the subject are provided. A shutter button 10 is provided on the upper surface of the digital camera 2, and when the shutter button 10 is pressed, a recording operation of the subject image data is started. The camera body 3 is provided with a storage space for storing a display device, in which the liquid crystal panel 13 is stored.
[0012]
The rear surface of the digital camera 2 is shown in FIG. A finder eyepiece 15 is provided on the upper surface of the camera body 3. On the back side of the camera body 3, there is a switch 17 for switching the mode of the digital camera 2 to any one of a still image shooting mode, a replay mode, and a moving image shooting mode, and an operation lever 20 for performing zooming and the like. Is provided. Below the operation lever 20, a selection / execution button 22 for selecting and executing a menu displayed on the liquid crystal screen of the display device and a cancel button 24 for canceling the execution of the menu are provided.
[0013]
The liquid crystal panel 13 is provided with a display surface 30, and the liquid crystal panel 13 is drawn out by sliding from the camera body 3. The bottom of the liquid crystal panel 13 is provided with a click groove for click locking by the camera body 3. The liquid crystal panel 13 has a storage position where the entire display surface 30 is covered by the camera body 3, and the display surface 30. Click locking is possible at three locations: a short position where two-thirds of the whole is exposed to the outside and a pull-out position where all of the display surface 30 is exposed.
[0014]
FIG. 2 shows an explanatory view of the liquid crystal panel observed from below. A rack gear 33 is provided on the bottom 13 a of the liquid crystal panel 13 along the sliding direction of the liquid crystal panel 13 . A potentiometer 35 that is a detecting means for detecting the position of the liquid crystal panel 13 is fixed to the camera body 3, and a pinion gear 37 is assembled to the potentiometer 35. The liquid crystal panel 13 has a click claw provided on the camera body side with respect to a click groove 38 provided along the slide direction, so that a storage position, a short position which is a midway position, and a pulling position which is a reference use position. Click and lock at 3 locations. The pinion gear 37 meshes with a rack gear 33 provided on the liquid crystal panel 13. The liquid crystal panel 13 is pulled out by the user and the pinion gear 37 rotates, and the potentiometer 35 detects the position of the liquid crystal panel 13.
[0015]
When the liquid crystal panel 13 is located at the storage position, the display surface 30 is turned off. When the liquid crystal panel 13 is located at the short position, the display surface 30 is turned on and an image is displayed on the exposed portion of the display surface 30. When the liquid crystal panel 13 is located at the drawing position, an image is displayed on the entire display surface 30.
[0016]
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the digital camera. The lens barrel 4 incorporates a zoom motor for zooming and a focus motor for focus adjustment, and these motors are driven and controlled by a motor controller 39. A subject is imaged on the CCD image sensor 40 through the photographing lens 5, the subject image formed on the CCD image sensor is photoelectrically converted into an image signal, and this image signal is input to the analog processing circuit 43.
[0017]
The analog processing circuit 43 includes a correlated double sampling circuit, an amplifier circuit, and an A / D conversion circuit. The correlated double sampling circuit converts an image signal into an RGB analog signal for each cell of the CCD image sensor. The RGB analog signal is amplified by an amplifier circuit and digitally converted into image data by an A / D conversion circuit to generate image data of the subject. This series of operations is controlled by the CPU 47, and the CPU 47 also controls the overall operation of the digital camera.
[0018]
When the shutter button 10 is pressed in the still image shooting mode, image data is accumulated in the buffer memory 45, and the image data accumulated in the buffer memory 45 is input to the image processing circuit 50, where white balance, gamma correction, Various corrections such as contour correction are performed, and the corrected image data is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 45.
[0019]
The image data stored in the buffer memory 45 is input to the compression processing circuit 55 and compressed in a predetermined image quality mode. The compressed image data is input to the media controller 58 and recorded on the recording medium 60 attached to the digital camera.
[0020]
When the liquid crystal panel 13 is turned on in the still image shooting mode or the moving image shooting mode, image data is input from the analog processing circuit 43 to the display control circuit 65. In the reproduction mode, the image data recorded on the recording medium 60 is input to the display control circuit 65 via the media controller 58.
[0021]
When the liquid crystal panel 13 is pulled out from the camera body 3, the potentiometer 35 detects the position of the liquid crystal panel 13, and a position signal is input from the potentiometer 35 to the display control circuit 65, which is a display control means. When the liquid crystal panel 13 is in the short position, the image data is reduced by the reduction processing circuit 62 included in the display control circuit 65 in accordance with the size of the exposed display surface 30. The reduced image data is input to the display surface, and the entire image is displayed on the exposed portion of the display surface 30.
[0022]
FIG. 4 shows a plan view in which the liquid crystal panel 13 is pulled out from the camera body and an image is displayed on the exposed display surface. As shown in FIG. 4A, when all the liquid crystal panel 13 is pulled out, the position of the liquid crystal panel 13 is detected by the potentiometer 35. Based on the detected position, normal image data is input to the display surface 30, the white LED for backlight is turned on, and a normal size image is displayed on the entire display surface 30.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 4A, when the liquid crystal panel 13 is pulled out to the short position, the position of the liquid crystal panel 13 is detected by the potentiometer 35, the display surface 30 is turned on, and the display surface 30 is reduced. Is input, the white LED is turned on, and an image with a reduced horizontal size is displayed on the exposed portion of the display surface 30. When a plurality of white LEDs are arranged in the sliding direction below the display surface 30, a reduction in power consumption can be expected by lighting the white LEDs so as to brighten the portion exposed to the outside of the liquid crystal screen 30.
[0024]
The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The liquid crystal panel 13 is pulled out from the camera body and is locked at a position desired by either one of the short position and the pull position. When the liquid crystal panel 13 is pulled out from the camera body 3, the position of the liquid crystal panel 13 is detected by the potentiometer 35.
[0025]
Hereinafter, a case where the liquid crystal panel 13 is locked at the short position will be described. Based on the detected position of the liquid crystal panel 13, the reduction processing circuit 62 reduces the horizontal size of the image data. The reduced image data is input to the display surface 30, and an image is displayed on the exposed portion of the display surface 30.
[0026]
In the first embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 13 is click-locked at the three positions of the storage position, the short position, and the drawer position. However, the position at which the liquid crystal panel is locked is not limited to this. More than this, the holding method may not be locking by a click mechanism. For example, a material having a strong frictional force may be brought into contact with the bottom of the liquid crystal panel, thereby holding the liquid crystal panel at a position desired by the user. It is also possible to detect the position of the liquid crystal panel with a potentiometer, reduce the image data so as to fit in the exposed part of the display surface from the detected position, and display the entire image on the exposed part of the display surface.
[0027]
In the first embodiment, a single image is displayed at each position where the liquid crystal panel 13 is locked. However, a plurality of types of images are displayed on the exposed portion of the display surface according to the position of the liquid crystal panel. May be displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when all the liquid crystal panels 13 are pulled out, a menu image may be displayed in addition to the subject image.
[0028]
Further, the present invention may be implemented in a digital camera having a panoramic shooting function that acquires panoramic image data that is long horizontally. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the entire liquid crystal panel 13 is pulled out and the entire display surface is exposed, a panoramic image is displayed. It can also be displayed in the part that has been.
[0029]
Next, a second embodiment in which the present invention is implemented will be described. In addition, about the thing which has the same function, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.
[0030]
As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, a camera body 68 that includes a photographic lens and captures image data by photographing a subject has a vertically long slot 69 formed on a side surface, and electronic paper. 70 is provided. The electronic paper 70 includes a winding shaft 72 and an image display sheet 75 as image display means. The image display sheet 75 is wound around the winding shaft 72, the winding shaft 72 is stored in the camera main body 68 , the storage position where the entire display surface 76 is covered by the camera main body 68 , and the winding shaft 72 is pulled out from the camera main body 68 through the slot 69. Then, the image display sheet 75 is unwound from the winding shaft 72 and moved between the unfolded position where the entire display surface 76 is exposed. When unwinding the image display sheet 75, the user pulls down on the image display sheet 75 by pinching the edge of the image display sheet 75. When the image display sheet 75 is pulled down while the winding shaft 72 is at the position shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the image display sheet 75 is unwound from the winding shaft 72 while entering the slot 69. The electronic paper uses an E-ink system manufactured by E-ink Inc., USA.
[0031]
FIG. 9 illustrates the structure of the electronic paper 70. A telescopic rod 78 is fixed to a pull-out knob 77 positioned at the outer end of the winding shaft 72, and the telescopic rod 78 is covered with a storage cover 80 that protects the image display sheet 75. One end of an image display sheet 75 is connected to the telescopic rod 78 and is wound around the telescopic rod 78. A gear 82 is assembled to the end of the telescopic rod 78 on the camera body side, and an engagement gear 84 that engages with the gear 82 is attached to a first potentiometer 85 that is a detection means. The camera body 68 is provided with a roller 86 that rotates in contact with the storage cover 80, and the roller 86 is attached to a second potentiometer 88 that is a detection means.
[0032]
The storage cover 80 and the drawer knob 77 are assembled, and the storage cover moves in the drawer direction together with the drawer knob, but is supported by the camera body so that the storage cover 80 does not rotate even if the drawer knob 77 rotates. ing. When the user pulls the pull-out knob 77 and pulls it out of the camera body, the telescopic rod 78 extends and the storage cover 80 also moves outward. At this time, the roller 86 rotates and the second potentiometer 88 detects the position of the winding shaft 72. When the image display sheet 75 is pulled, the telescopic rod 78 rotates, and the engagement gear 84 rotates accordingly, and the first potentiometer 85 detects the unwinding amount of the image display sheet 75.
[0033]
FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the image display sheet. The image display sheet 75 displays images using electrophoresis, and electrodes 92 are provided in a matrix between a pair of base sheet 90, and an electrophoretic layer 94 is provided between the electrodes. Yes. The electrophoretic layer 94 includes a large number of capsules 97 in which white electrophoretic particles 95 are movably dispersed in a black solvent 96, and an electric field is applied to the electrophoretic layer 94 in a matrix form so that the electrophoretic particles 95 are formed. Moved to show white or black. The electrode is connected to the camera body 68 via the telescopic rod 78, and an electric field generating current is input to the electrode 92 from a display control circuit 98 which is a display control means provided in the camera body 68.
[0034]
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a digital camera provided with the electronic paper 70. The camera body 68 is provided with a first potentiometer 85 that detects the amount of unwinding of the image display sheet 75 and a second potentiometer 88 that detects the position of the winding shaft 72. The first potentiometer 85, is reduction processing in the reduction processing circuit 62 to which the display size of the image data is included in the display control circuit 98 in accordance with a signal output from the second potentiometer 88..
[0035]
An electric field is formed between the electrodes of the display sheet 75 based on the reduced image data, and the entire image is reduced and displayed on the exposed portion of the display surface 76.
[0036]
In the above embodiment, the display sheet 75 is unwound from the winding shaft 72 and the display surface 76 is exposed. However, the display surface is exposed when the image display sheet formed in advance in a flat shape is pulled out from the camera body. You may make it do.
[0037]
In the above-described embodiment, the position of the image display sheet is detected using the first potentiometer that detects the rotation of the winding shaft 72 and the second potentiometer that detects the position of the winding shaft. The position of the image display sheet may be detected.
[0038]
In the electronic paper 70 described above, the display surface 76 is exposed when the image display sheet 75 is pulled out from the winding shaft 72 by the user. However, when the winding shaft is pulled out from the camera body, the image is automatically displayed accordingly. The display sheet may be unwound from the winding shaft, and the unwinding amount of the image display sheet may be determined by the position of the winding shaft. This can reduce the number of potentiometers. Further, it is possible to provide a more convenient image display device without the user having to pinch and unwind the image display sheet.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the digital camera of the present invention, by providing the detection means and the display control means, the entire image can be displayed on the exposed portion of the display surface. Further, by using the image display sheet as the image display device, the image display device becomes compact, and the storage space of the image display device provided in the camera body can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a digital camera embodying the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of the bottom of the liquid crystal panel.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a digital camera.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a display surface when the liquid crystal panel is located at a short position and a display surface when the liquid crystal panel is located at a pull-out position.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing until an image is displayed on the display surface.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining that a plurality of images are displayed on the display surface at the drawing position.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining that a panoramic image is displayed on the display surface at a pull-out position.
FIG. 8 is an external view of a digital camera provided with an image display sheet.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a structure of an image display sheet.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an image display sheet.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a digital camera provided with an image display sheet.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 Camera body 13 Liquid crystal panel 30 Display surface 35 Potentiometer 62 Reduction processing circuit 65 Display control circuit 70 Electronic paper 72 Roll axis 75 Image display sheet 85 First potentiometer 88 Second potentiometer 98 Display control circuit

Claims (3)

A camera body that includes a photographing lens on the front surface, and that includes an image sensor that captures a subject image formed by the photographing lens and obtains an image signal;
A vertically long slot formed on one side of the camera body;
A winding shaft that is built in the camera body so as to be freely accessible from the upper end of the slot, and is movable between a position stored in the camera body and a protruding position drawn in the axial direction from the camera body;
A flexible image display sheet wound around the winding shaft so as to be freely unwound and displaying a subject image based on the image signal;
First detection means for detecting a protruding length of the winding shaft from the one side surface;
Second detection means for detecting the amount of unwinding of the image display sheet from the winding shaft;
Control means for adjusting the display size to display the subject image so as to fit in an image display sheet that protrudes from one side of the camera body and is developed based on detection signals from the first detection means and the second detection means; ,
A digital camera characterized by comprising A camera body that includes a photographing lens on the front surface, and that includes an image sensor that captures a subject image formed by the photographing lens and obtains an image signal;
A vertically long slot formed on one side of the camera body;
A winding shaft that is built in the camera body so as to be freely accessible from the upper end of the slot, and is movable between a position stored in the camera body and a protruding position drawn in the axial direction from the camera body;
A flexible image display sheet wound around the winding shaft so as to be freely unwound and displaying a subject image based on the image signal;
First detection means for detecting a protruding length of the winding shaft from the one side surface;
Unwinding control means for controlling an unwinding amount of the image display sheet from the winding shaft based on a detection signal from the first detection means;
Control means for displaying a subject image by adjusting the display size based on a detection signal from the first detection means so as to be accommodated in an image display sheet that is projected from the one side surface of the camera body, and
A digital camera characterized by comprising 3. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the image display sheet is an image display means used for electronic paper .

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