JP4677378B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device, and more particularly to an imaging device having a movable display unit.

  Imaging devices such as video cameras and digital cameras tend to be miniaturized in order to improve portability. On the other hand, multi-functionalization of imaging devices is also progressing, and the number of switches and buttons used for operation tends to increase.

In order to arrange a large number of switches and buttons in a small casing, in Patent Document 1, in addition to the back of the movable monitor provided on the side of the main body, switches and buttons are also provided on the side of the main body that appears when the movable monitor is opened. A configuration in which is arranged is disclosed.
However, in this configuration, when a switch or button on the side of the main body is operated with the movable monitor open, the monitor may be blocked by the operating hand, making it difficult to check the image.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses an imaging device in which a display unit is arranged on a handle unit attached to an upper part of a main body. According to this configuration, since the display unit is located above the main body, the hand of the photographer who operates buttons and switches provided on the main body does not block the display unit.

JP-A-5-153448 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-210677

  However, the image pickup apparatus of Patent Document 2 has a display unit protruding from the handle unit because the display unit is disposed on the handle unit at the top of the main body. Accordingly, the storage property is impaired. Furthermore, when carrying the display unit, the display unit tends to be inadvertently bumped into the surroundings, so that care must be taken when carrying it. Furthermore, in the imaging device of Patent Document 2, the display unit is located above the lens and is separated from switches and buttons provided on the main body. Therefore, when performing an operation that needs to be performed while looking at the display unit, the amount of line-of-sight movement when viewing the hand of the switch or button and the display unit alternately is large, and the operability is not good.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to achieve both storability and operability in an imaging apparatus having a movable display unit.

An object of the present invention is an imaging apparatus including a main body including an imaging unit, a handle unit, a display unit, and a hinge unit that rotatably supports the display unit with respect to the main unit. The storage unit is connected to the upper part of the main body so as to form a space, the hinge part is located in the space formed between the display part and the handle part between the upper part of the main body, and the use state is located outside the space. It is achieved by an imaging apparatus characterized by supporting against pre SL body such can take.

  With such a configuration, according to the present invention, in an imaging apparatus having a movable display unit, it is possible to achieve both storage and operability.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a video camera as an example of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 10, the imaging unit 1 includes a lens, an imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS sensor, an autofocus mechanism, a zoom mechanism, and the like. The imaging unit 1 adjusts the focal point, the light amount, and the like with respect to the subject in accordance with an instruction from the camera system control unit 3, converts the optical image of the subject imaged on the imaging element through the lens into a video signal, and the camera signal processing unit Send to 2. The camera signal processing unit 2 performs predetermined signal processing on the video signal in accordance with an instruction from the camera system control unit 3 and sends it to the recording / reproducing unit 6.

  The camera system operation unit 4 includes various switches and dials for inputting settings and instructions related to imaging. The camera system operation unit 4 includes, for example, switches for setting AF settings (on / off) and AE settings (auto / lock, program AE, etc.). An instruction input from the photographer via the camera system operation unit 4 is notified to the camera system control unit 3 via the system control unit 5.

  The camera system control unit 3 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits (RAM, ROM, etc.). Based on instructions from the system control unit 5 and the camera system operation unit 4, the camera system (imaging unit 1, camera signal processing) Part 2). The recording / reproducing unit 6 includes a mechanical unit (not shown), a mechanical driving unit, a mechanical / servo control unit centered on a microcomputer, a video / audio signal processing unit, and the like. The recording / playback unit 6 performs video signal recording / playback operations in accordance with instructions from the system control unit 5. The video signal is transmitted to the display unit 12 and also output from the input / output terminal unit 16.

  The recording / reproducing system operation unit 7 includes various switches, and sends an instruction from the photographer to the system control unit 5. The switches of the recording / playback operation unit 7 include [ONSCREEN], [BACKLIGHT], [WIDE SCREEN], [Execute], [MENU], [FF / REW], [STOP], [START / STOP], etc. There is. The power switch 8 is a switch for turning on / off the power of the video camera. The state of the power switch 8 is notified to the system control unit 5. The system control unit 5 controls the above-described units of the video camera to realize various functions of the video camera. The system control unit 5 includes, for example, a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits (RAM, ROM, etc.).

  The main display unit 12 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, a surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED), or the like. The main display unit 12 is used to display various information such as through video and playback video from the recording / playback block 6, various information such as setting values and device states, a graphical user interface such as a menu screen, and guidance.

  The viewfinder display unit 13 also has the same configuration and functions as the main display unit 12. However, in the present embodiment, the main display unit 12 is configured to have a relatively large screen size, whereas the viewfinder display unit 13 has a relatively small screen size so as to be observed through an eyepiece. It is different. The main display unit 12 has a size of, for example, 1.0 inch or more.

  The finder display unit 13 is fixed and built in the camera body, but the main display unit 12 is movably connected to the camera body. The connection structure of the main display unit 12 will be described in detail later. The user can use the main display unit 12 and the finder display unit 13 properly according to the purpose and situation.

The detection unit 14 detects the state of the main display unit 12 with respect to the camera body and notifies the system control unit 5 of the detection result.
The microphone unit 15 has a microphone and supplies an audio signal to the recording / reproducing unit 6.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the video camera of the present embodiment.
The main body 106 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has components other than the main display unit 12 in FIG. An arrow 111 indicates the direction of gravity (vertically downward direction).

  The imaging unit 1 is provided on one end surface of the main body 106. The imaging unit 109 is attached to the surface of the main body 106 that is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the main body 106 so that the optical axis 103 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the main body 106. For the following description, the surface of the main body 106 on which the imaging unit 109 is arranged is defined as the front portion of the main body 106.

  Before explaining the handle portion 107, the upper portion 110, the lower portion, the left portion, and the right portion of the main body 106 are defined as follows. When an arbitrary surface substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the main body 106 is set in a posture substantially perpendicular to the gravity direction 111, the surface on the gravity direction 111 side is defined as the lower portion of the main body 106. A surface facing the lower portion of the main body 106 is defined as an upper portion 110 of the main body 106. A posture in which the lower portion of the main body 106 is directed in the direction of gravity is defined, and the right side surface of the main body 106 is defined as the right portion of the main body 106 toward the front portion of the main body 106. The left part of the main body 106 is defined as the facing surface of the right part of the main body 106. An operation unit 114 corresponding to the camera system operation unit 4 and the recording / reproduction unit system operation unit 7 in FIG. 10 is provided on the right side of the main body. Further, a grip portion (not shown) is provided on the left side of the main body which is hidden in FIG.

  The handle portion 107 is attached to the upper portion of the main body 106 and has a length substantially equal to the length of the main body 106 in the longitudinal direction. The handle portion 107 has a substantially rod shape and a substantially rectangular cross section that can be gripped. However, the cross-sectional shape of the handle portion 107 is not limited to a substantially rectangular shape, and may be any shape as long as it is easy to hold, such as a substantially circular shape or a substantially hexagonal shape. As shown in FIG. 1 when viewed from the right or left portion of the main body 106, the handle portion 107 is substantially straddled across the main display portion 102 in the housed state by the two pillar portions 1071 and 1072 with respect to the upper portion of the main body 106. It is attached to form an arch shape. Alternatively, the handle portion 107 can be expressed as connected to the upper portion of the main body 106 so as to have a space 112. Further, when viewed from above the main body 106 (the direction opposite to the gravity direction 111 in FIG. 1), the longitudinal direction of the handle portion 107 and the longitudinal direction of the main body 106 are arranged substantially parallel to each other.

  The microphone unit 15 is attached to the end of the handle unit 107 on the front side of the main body 106 so as to be substantially parallel to the optical axis 103.

  The main display unit 12 has a flat and substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the appearance of the video camera according to the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side of the main body. FIG. 3 shows a mode in which the main display unit 12 is moved from the housed state shown in FIG. 1 to a use state where the photographer observes the display image.

  In FIG. 3, the display screen 302 of the main display unit 12 that is hidden in the storage state shown in FIG. 1 can be observed. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the main display unit 12 includes a 2.5 inch size LCD. As will be described later, the main display unit 12 can rotate around the first shaft 101 and the second shaft 102 of the hinge unit 104. In FIG. 3, the display screen 302 shows a state orthogonal to the optical axis 103, but if the photographer can observe the display screen 302, it is called a use state regardless of the angle of the display screen 302. To.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the finder display unit 13 is attached to the end of the handle unit 107 facing the microphone unit 15 so as to be substantially parallel to the optical axis 103. Usually, the finder display unit 13 is called a finder unit.

  The hinge portion 104 is a connecting member that rotatably connects the main display portion 12 to the main body 106. The hinge unit 104 includes a first rotation shaft 101 (hereinafter referred to as a first shaft) and a second rotation shaft 102 (hereinafter referred to as a second rotation shaft 102). The first shaft 101 supports the hinge portion 104 (and the main display portion 12) so as to be rotatable substantially parallel to the surface of the upper portion 110 of the main body 106. The second axis 102 is an axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis 101 and supports the main display unit 12 so as to be rotatable around the second axis. The hinge unit 104 is connected to the main body 106 so as to be supported so that the display screen 302 of the main display unit 12 is positioned above the operation unit 114 in a state where the display screen 302 faces the rear part of the main body 106. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 114 is connected to the upper end of the right part of the main body. However, as long as the main display unit 12 can be stored in the upper part of the main body and can be supported so that the display screen is positioned above the operation unit 114, the main display unit 12 may be connected to the main body 106 at any place.

The hinge unit 104 is provided with the detection unit 14 described with reference to FIG. 10 and detects whether or not the main display unit 12 is in the state of being housed in the main body 106 (the state shown in FIG. 1).
In this embodiment, when the detection unit 14 detects that the main display unit 12 is housed in the main body 106, the recording / reproducing unit 6 outputs a display output to the finder display unit 13 and does not output it to the main display unit 12. . When the detection unit 14 detects that the main display unit 12 is not stored in the main body 106, the recording / reproducing unit 6 outputs a display output to the main display unit 12 and does not output it to the finder display unit 13.

The arrangement and rotation operation of the main display unit 12 will be described.
The main display portion 12 is housed in a space 112 formed between the handle portion 107 and the main body 106. FIG. 1 shows the stored state of the main display unit 12. In the stored state, the main display unit 12 is stored in the upper part 110 of the main body 106 so that the longitudinal direction of the main display unit 12 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the main body 106. When stored, the display screen 302 of the main display unit 12 faces the surface of the upper part 110 of the main body 106 and has a substantially parallel posture.

  As described above, the handle portion 107 is provided so as to straddle the main display portion 12 in a state where the main display portion 12 is housed in the upper portion 110 of the main body 106. In other words, the main display unit 12 is stored in the space 112 between the upper part 110 of the main body 106 and the handle unit 107. Therefore, even if there is an unexpected impact from above during transportation, the main display unit 12 can be protected by the handle 107.

  In addition, since the main display unit 12 is stored in the space 112 between the upper part 110 of the main body 106 and the handle portion 107 without protruding from the main body 106, the image pickup apparatus is also excellent in storage performance. When using the main display unit 12 (observing the display screen 302), the photographer first rotates the main display unit 12 about the first axis 101 of the hinge unit 104 toward the right side of the main body. Specifically, the second shaft 102 of the hinge unit 104 rotates about 90 ° clockwise about the first shaft 101 until the second shaft 102 is in a posture substantially perpendicular to the right surface of the main body 106 or the optical axis 103. Let A perspective view of this state as seen from the front side of the main body 106 is shown in FIG. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3, the main display unit 12 is rotated counterclockwise about the second axis 102 of the hinge unit 104 by a desired angle (approximately 90 ° in FIG. 3), and the main display unit 12 is rotated. The display screen 302 is directed to the rear side of the main body 106.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, when the main display unit 12 is rotated counterclockwise about the second shaft 102, the display screen 302 is always more than the operation unit 114 provided on the right side of the main body 106. Located above. Therefore, even when the operation unit 114 is operated while viewing the display screen 302, in a normal shooting operation for shooting with the main body 106 supported from below, the hand of the photographer who operates the operation unit 114 is the main display unit. 12 display screens 302 are not obstructed. Furthermore, by supporting the main display unit 12 on the side of the main body 106 where the operation unit 114 is provided, the distance between the operation unit 114 and the display screen 302 can be shortened. Thereby, even when the display screen 302 and the operation unit 114 are viewed alternately, the moving distance of the viewpoint is short, and the photographer's fatigue can be reduced.

  Note that the amount of rotation around the second axis 102 can be appropriately adjusted according to the direction in which the display screen 302 is directed, and need not be approximately 90 °.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the imaging apparatus including the movable display unit, the display unit is configured to be stored in the upper part of the apparatus, and the handle unit used when the imaging apparatus is transported is provided on the upper part of the main body. Are connected so as to form a space, and the display portion is accommodated in this space. Therefore, also when it collides with another object at the time of conveyance, a display part is protected by a handle part and it can suppress that an impact is directly applied to a display part.

  In addition, by providing a hinge portion that supports the display screen so that the display screen is positioned above the operation portion of the main body while the display portion is in use, the display screen is not obstructed by the hand operating the operation portion. I'm sorry. Further, since the display screen is supported on the side of the main body where the operation unit is provided, the photographer can see the operation unit and the display screen with a small amount of line of sight movement, and fatigue can be reduced.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an appearance example of a video camera as an example of an imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the video camera according to the first embodiment, and a duplicate description will be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the arrangement of the display screen 302 in the display unit 12 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that the arrangement of the display screen 302 is opposite to that of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state corresponding to the state of FIG. 3 in the first embodiment of the video camera of the present embodiment. However, in the video camera of the present embodiment, the display screen 302 of the main display unit 12 is provided on the opposite surface to that of the first embodiment. Therefore, when the main display unit 12 is rotated counterclockwise about the second shaft 102, the display screen 302 is in a state of facing the front portion of the main body 106.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the main display unit 12 is housed in the main body 106 in the video camera of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the main display unit 12 is housed in the upper part of the main body 106 with the display screen 302 visible. The handle portion 107 is positioned above the main display portion 12 in the storage state and functions as a protective member that protects the main display portion 12 from an unexpected impact. It can be configured.

  Also in the present embodiment, the hinge unit 104 supports the display screen 302 so as to be positioned above the operation unit 114 in a state where the display screen 302 is directed to the front part of the main body 106.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a video camera as an example of an imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
The present embodiment is characterized in that an operation unit such as a switch or a button that can be operated even when the main display unit 12 is stored is provided on the upper surface of the video camera body.

  In the above-described first and second embodiments, the main display unit 12 is formed in a fan shape with the end not connected to the hinge unit 104 centered on the first axis. However, the main display portion 12 ′ in this embodiment has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and does not have a fan-shaped portion (α region in FIG. 8 described later) in the first and second embodiments.

  FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the main display portion 12 ′ is rotated around the first axis in the video camera of the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the main display portion 12 ′ is stored in the video camera of the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, it is an upper area of the main body 106 and is an area for enabling the main display portion 12 ′ to be rotated around the first axis 101, and the main display in the stored state of the main display portion 12 ′. An operation unit 602 such as a switch or a button is provided in an area that is not hidden by the unit 12 ′.

  That is, in order to make the main display portion 12 ′ rotatable about the first axis 101, a space for moving the point P farthest from the first axis 101 that forms the rotation center is required. This space is indicated by reference numeral 603 in FIG. 7 and is referred to as a rotation space in this specification.

  In the present embodiment, an operation unit 602 is provided in an area corresponding to the rotation space 603 in the upper part of the main body 106. The operation unit 602 may be a switch, a button, or the like, but is provided so as not to collide when the main display unit 12 'rotates. The operation unit 602 may be a part of the camera system operation unit 4 in FIG. 10 or a part of the recording / playback unit system operation unit 7.

In the first and second embodiments, the display unit 12 has a shape that hides the rotation space in the housed state. However, in the present embodiment, since the display unit 12 ′ has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, the rotation space is not hidden by the display unit 12 ′ even in the housed state as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the operation unit 602 can be operated not only when the display unit 12 ′ is not present on the upper portion of the main body 106 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, but also when the display unit 12 ′ is in the stored state as shown in FIG.
Thus, according to this embodiment, the upper space of the main body 106 can be used effectively.

<Fourth Embodiment>
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a video camera as an example of an imaging apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The video camera according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the video camera according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 except that an operation unit is provided at the outer edge of the display screen of the display unit 12. Is omitted.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the display unit 12 has an outer shape that closes the rotation space 603 described in the third embodiment when the display unit 12 is in the housed state, as in the first and second embodiments. In FIG. 8, the part delimited by the arrow α is a part provided to close the rotation space 603 in the housed state, and is called an α region.

  FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing an example of the internal structure of the display unit 12. Inside the display unit 12, the circuit board 901 controls the LCD constituting the display screen 302. The backlight unit 904 is a light source disposed on the back surface of the LCD. The insulating sheet 902 insulates the backlight unit 904 and the electronic substrate 901. Reference numeral 903 denotes an exterior housing of the display unit 12. Thus, the α region shown in FIG. 8 is provided to close the rotation space 603, and the inside thereof is not particularly used. For this reason, in this embodiment, the operation unit 702 is provided in the α region, and the α region is effectively used.

As a method of using the α region, in addition to providing the operation unit, a projection, a grip, and the like for facilitating the rotation operation of the display unit 12 by the photographer may be arranged.
Further, the position where the operation unit is provided on the display unit 12 may be an arbitrary position other than the α region according to the configuration of the display unit.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance example of a video camera as an example of an imaging apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the appearance of the video camera concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention from the main part front side. It is the perspective view which looked at the appearance of the video camera concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention from the main part rear side. It is a perspective view which shows the example of an external appearance of the video camera as an example of the imaging device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a main display unit 12 is housed in a main body 106 in a video camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of an external appearance of the video camera as an example of the imaging device which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the state which accommodated main display part 12 'in the video camera which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of an external appearance of the video camera as an example of the imaging device which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is the external appearance perspective view which showed the example of the internal structure of the display part 12 of the video camera which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the video camera as an example of the imaging device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Claims (6)

An imaging apparatus comprising: a main body provided with an imaging unit; a handle unit; a display unit; and a hinge unit that rotatably supports the display unit with respect to the main body.
The grip portion is connected to the upper portion of the main body so as to form a space;
The hinge portion, the display portion, a storage state in which the grip portion is positioned in a space formed between the upper body, over the previous SL body so can take and use state located outside the space An imaging device characterized by being supported . The body has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape;
Further comprising a first operating portion provided in a substantially perpendicular one side to the surface constituting the upper body of the body,
The hinge unit supports the display unit so that the display screen of the display unit is positioned near the one side surface and above the first operation unit in the use state of the display unit. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1. The hinge portion has a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis that are substantially orthogonal to each other;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotation shaft is disposed substantially perpendicular to a surface constituting the upper portion of the main body. The second rotating shaft is the display section imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a is substantially parallel to the optical axis of the imaging unit when in said retract and state. The display unit has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape;
A region of the upper body for the display unit moves to the use state from the stored state rotated by the hinge portion, when the display unit is in the accommodated state, not hidden on the display unit the 5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second operation unit provided in an upper region of the main body. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit further includes a third operation unit provided at a peripheral portion of the display screen.