JP5082948B2 - Mobile device with camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera-equipped mobile device such as a small personal computer equipped with a camera.

  In recent years, notebook computers (hereinafter abbreviated as “PC”) and mobile PCs and other small portable PCs (hereinafter also referred to as “portable devices”) are widely used on users' laps, on desks, It has come to be used in various forms such as outdoor use. In addition, a PC having a structure in which a notebook type and a tablet type can be switched is also widespread.

  In particular, in the case of a portable device such as a notebook PC or an ultra mobile PC (tentative name: a PC smaller than a notebook PC and larger than a palmtop PC), for example, a user possesses the PC for business use and works indoors and outdoors. As a result, the demand for incorporating a camera in a PC is increasing. In this case, there is a need for a technique that can capture and display an image captured by the camera on an operation screen based on an OS (Operation System) such as Windows (registered trademark), process it, and use it.

  Regarding the display technology of captured images in a mobile device equipped with a camera, when shooting with a mobile device tilted on a mobile phone or the like, there is a method of rotating the screen display according to the tilt angle of the mobile device to make it easier to see. In general, there is a problem that a captured image displayed on the screen of the mobile device rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the mobile device. For this reason, rotation correction technology related to the display of captured images is an important requirement that determines the superiority and inferiority of the functions and convenience of a portable device equipped with a camera.

On the other hand, in recent years, with regard to a camera-equipped mobile phone, a technique has been disclosed in which the orientation of a camera is detected by a direction detection unit and a display layout or a photographed image is rotated (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
JP 2006-31224 A JP 2005-229490 A

  However, the conventional technique for rotating the entire screen is effective in displaying a captured image on a full screen, but is generally displayed in a multi-window like a PC, and the captured image is displayed in one window on the operation screen. In the case of displaying in, there are the following problems. When a mobile device with a camera is rotated (for example, rotated 90 degrees) during shooting and the captured image is displayed in the portrait or landscape orientation, the captured image in the window is always upright. However, since the operation screen rotates according to the rotation of the mobile device body, it is difficult for the user to operate. At this time, the orientation of the captured image in the operation screen and the window is shifted by the rotation angle. Therefore, when the operation screen is rotated back in the forward direction, the captured image in the window is rotated in the reverse direction, and the captured image is always tilted with respect to the operation screen and the photographed object (target).

  The present invention solves the above-described problem. When a captured image being captured by a camera-equipped portable device is displayed in an operation screen window of an OS such as Windows (registered trademark), the portable device body is rotated. Even in this case, by keeping the direction of the operation screen and the direction of the captured image in the window always constant, the angle of the captured object (target) and the captured image screen is always equal (upright state), and the screen is easy to see. An object of the present invention is to provide a camera-equipped mobile device that is easy for a user to operate.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a camera-equipped mobile device of the present invention is a camera-equipped mobile device including a display device and a camera device, and an operation screen generating unit that generates an operation screen based on an OS, a photographic image rotation means for rotating, and the screen synthesizing means for synthesizing the captured image on the operation screen, the screen the operation screen and the captured image by combining means combining photographed image of the camera device relative to said display device A synthesized screen rotating means for rotating the synthesized screen with respect to the display device, a rotating operation means for instructing a rotation direction and a rotation angle of the synthesized screen, and a photographed image on the synthesized screen after the instruction of the rotating operation means. if they contain, the synthetic to rotate by an equal angle of rotation in the opposite direction to each other the combined screen and the captured image based on an instruction from the rotation operating means Controls plane rotation means and the photographed image rotation means, after an instruction of the rotation operating means, when the composite screen does not include the captured image, rotating the composite screen based on an instruction from the rotation operating means And a rotation control means for controlling the composite screen rotation means .

  With such a configuration, it is possible to control the rotation of the operation screen and the captured image in opposite directions with respect to the display device. Therefore, by rotating the operation screen in the reverse direction according to the rotation angle of the display device of the camera-equipped mobile device and rotating the captured image in the direction opposite to the rotation of the operation screen, the operation screen and the captured image are displayed on the display device. The relative rotation angles of each other can be controlled. As a result, when the user rotates the display device, the direction of the operation screen and the direction of the captured image are always kept in a fixed relationship, so that the angle between the captured object (target) and the captured image screen is always maintained. It is possible to provide a camera-equipped mobile device that is equally (upright), easy to see the screen, and easy for the user to operate.

  In the camera-equipped mobile device of the present invention, the rotation operation unit may instruct the rotation control unit to rotate the composite screen at an angle that is an integral multiple of 90 degrees with respect to the display device.

  With such a configuration, even when the user rotates the camera-equipped mobile device by 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees, the operation screen can be automatically and easily controlled by pressing the screen rotation button or the inclination angle of the mobile device. And by rotating the captured image in a predetermined direction to maintain the relationship between the display directions of the two, the angle between the captured object (target) and the captured image screen can always be equal (upright state), so the camera can be used at the most convenient angle. A portable device can be used.

  The camera-equipped mobile device according to the present invention further includes means for displaying a captured image in a predetermined display area and performing partial deletion, reduction, or enlargement of the captured image as the captured image is rotated with respect to the display device. It is desirable.

  With such a configuration, when the camera-equipped mobile device is rotated, the captured image can be matched to the size of the display area regardless of the aspect ratio of the display area. Can be made easier to see.

  The camera-equipped mobile device of the present invention may have a square display area for captured images. With such a configuration, even when the photographed image is rotated by 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees, the relationship between the display area and the photographed image does not change, and it is not necessary to partially delete, reduce, or enlarge the photographed image. The rotation of the captured image can be smoothly performed in the display area of the apparatus, and the deterioration of the quality of the display image can be prevented.

  Moreover, the mobile device with a camera according to the present invention may rotate the shape of the display area for displaying the photographed image as it is.

  In addition, the camera-equipped mobile device of the present invention has a notebook mode and a tablet mode as usage forms of the camera-equipped portable device, and when switching between the notebook mode and the tablet mode, the captured image may be automatically reversed. Good.

  With such a configuration, even when the notebook mode and the tablet mode are frequently switched and used, it is not necessary to press the screen rotation button each time, so that the usability is improved.

  According to the present invention, even when the mobile device main body is rotated when the captured image being captured by the camera-equipped mobile device is displayed in the window of the OS operation screen such as Windows (registered trademark), the operation screen is displayed. By keeping the direction and the direction of the captured image in the window in a constant relationship, the angle of the captured object (target) and the captured image screen is always equal (upright), the screen is easy to see, and the user can operate A camera-equipped mobile device can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Embodiment)
A camera-equipped mobile device (hereinafter abbreviated as “device”) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

  First, the outline of the structure of the apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing the appearance of the device 1 when the device 1 is used in two ways of use.

  FIG. 1 shows a case where the device 1 is used as a notebook PC in a normal usage method (hereinafter abbreviated as “note mode”). The device 1 includes a main body 10 and a display device 20, and the display device 20 includes: The display device 20 is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the main body 10 by being engaged by the support portion 16 provided on the main body 10 and the support portion 23 provided on the display device 20. The display device 20 includes a display element such as an LCD. Further, an input unit 14 and an operation unit (touch pad) 15 using a keyboard are provided on the operation surface 11 of the main body 10, a shutter button 41 as an operation button when the device 1 is used as a camera, and an auxiliary light source lighting button on the side surface 12. 42 and a screen rotation button 43 are provided, respectively, and a display unit 22 using a touch panel is provided on the display surface 21 of the display device 20. The camera operation buttons will be described later.

  As the housing structure of the device 1, the display device 20 is configured to be rotatable about the XX axis by a rotation mechanism (not shown) disposed on the support portion 23, and when the device 1 is used in the note mode. The operation surface 11 of the main body 10 and the display surface 21 of the display device 20 can be opened and closed while facing each other. The display device 20 is further configured to be rotatable about the YY axis by a rotation mechanism (not shown) disposed on the support portion 16 of the main body 10. The display device 20 is operated by the support portion 16 and the support portion 23. By rotating 20 in two directions, the display unit 22 of the display device 20 can be closed with respect to the main body 10. Accordingly, the device 1 can be used in a compact form by inputting from the display unit (touch panel) 22 of the display device 20 (hereinafter abbreviated as “tablet mode”).

  2 shows the appearance of the device 1 in the tablet mode, FIG. 2 (a) shows the display surface (front surface) 21 side of the device 1, and FIG. 2 (b) shows the back surface 13 side of the device 1, respectively. It is a perspective view shown.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the camera device 30 is mounted on the device 1, and a camera 31 and auxiliary light sources 32, 33, 34, and 35 such as LEDs for dark place photography are arranged on the back surface 13. Has been.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the display surface 21 of the apparatus 1 is set to the front, the side surface 12 of the main body 10 becomes the top surface, and when used in the notebook mode, the front side surface 12 of the main body 10 is In the tablet mode, the shutter button 41, the auxiliary light source lighting button 42, and the screen rotation button 43 arranged on the left part are arranged on the upper part of the camera device 30 on the right side of the top surface. The screen rotation button 43 will be described later.

  Next, the display screen rotation function, which is a structural feature of the apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the use conditions of the apparatus 1 and the display screen, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are explanatory diagrams relating to the display screen when the apparatus 1 is rotated.

  FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show display screens of the display device 20 when the device 1 is used in the note mode. On the display unit (touch panel) 22, an operation screen 51 such as Windows (registered trademark) is displayed as a display screen based on the OS, and the display direction is set to the normal position (upright display). On the Windows (registered trademark) operation screen 51, a captured image (camera image) 52 that is being photographed through the lens of the camera device 30 is displayed as a separate window superimposed (combined). FIG. 3A shows a case where the camera 31 (not shown) of the camera device 30 is directed toward the object to be imaged, and FIG. 3B is a view in which the display device 20 is reversed and the camera 31 is directed to itself. The display screens for shooting yourself are shown. An arrow 53 in the drawing indicates the vertical direction of the display device 20. In the case of an LCD display element, directivity, luminance, chromaticity, and the like vary depending on the viewing direction (for example, the vertical direction) of the user. In particular, when the device 1 is used in the tablet mode, since the input from the user is performed with a touch pen or the like, it is important to keep the directivity in the same state in order to indicate an accurate position with the touch pen. For this reason, when the LCD display element is used upside down, calibration work is required again. Also, it may be difficult to use in a specific direction due to the connection with peripheral devices and the arrangement of operation buttons. FIG.3 (c) shows the change of a display screen at the time of changing a usage type from the note mode of Fig.3 (a) to tablet mode. In the tablet mode shown in FIG. 3C, the display device 20 a is upside down with respect to the display device 20 in FIG. 3A, and the operation screen 51 a based on the OS is also displayed upside down with respect to the operation screen 51. Become. The same applies to the captured image 52, and the captured image 52a is upside down. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3D, when the composite screen in which the operation screen 51a and the captured image 52a are combined is reversed by image processing, the operation screen 51 and the captured image 52 return to normal directions. However, in FIG. 3D, the display device 20a is inverted from the original vertical direction, and it is not preferable to use it in this state for the reason described above. Therefore, FIG. 3E shows a case where the device 1 is inverted to return to the original direction. In this case, both the display device 20a and the operation screen 51a are inverted and returned to the display device 20 and the operation screen 51. However, only the captured image 52a is not inverted due to the imaging characteristics of the camera device 30, and upside down. Maintained. Therefore, when only the captured image 52a is inverted by image processing, the display device 20, the operation screen 51, and the captured image 52 all return to the same relationship as in FIG. 3A as shown in FIG. .

  In the above, a method has been described in which all directions of the captured image 52, the operation screen 51, and the display device 20 are correctly maintained when the device 1 is switched between the notebook mode and the tablet mode.

  Next, a correction method for keeping the relationship between the operation screen 51 based on the rotation of the apparatus 1 and the captured image 52 being captured when the apparatus 1 is used in the tablet mode will be described with reference to FIGS. explain. Here, for the sake of simplification of explanation, it is assumed that the upside down correction of the display device 20 itself is not performed.

  FIG. 4 shows changes in the display screen when the display device 20 is rotated 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees to the right. In this case, as the display device 420a rotates, the display devices 420b, 420c, and 420d change their directions, and the operation screen 451a also rotates together with the display device 420a to become operation screens 451b, 451c, and 451d. The direction of the operation screen changes. On the other hand, the captured image 452 is not related to the rotation of the display device 420a, the display orientation does not change, and the initial orientation is maintained. As a result, when the display device 420a is rotated, the display screen (operation screen) based on the OS is rotated, which is inconvenient in use.

  Next, examples and effects of a method for correcting the rotation of the operation screen accompanying the rotation of the display device will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the operation screen is corrected so that the operation screen is maintained in the forward direction by rotating the screen (composite screen) obtained by superimposing the captured image on the operation screen by the same angle in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the display device. Shows the screen display. Even if the display device 420a rotates 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees in the right direction, the operation screen 451 is maintained in the positive direction due to the correction effect. However, since the composite screen is rotated, the captured image 452a is rotated to the captured images 452b, 452c, and 452d.

  In order to improve this, the apparatus 1 in the embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration and functions. FIG. 6 shows the correction method, function and effect provided in the apparatus 1. In this case, in addition to the correction measures shown in FIG. 5, the captured image is further corrected. As shown in FIG. 6, when the display device 420a is rotated 90 degrees to the right, the composite screen 451 is rotated 90 degrees to the left and the captured image 452 on the composite screen 451 is rotated 90 degrees to the right. . As a result, even if the display device 420a rotates 90 degrees in the right direction, neither the operation screen 451 nor the display screen of the captured image 452 is maintained in the forward direction without rotating. The same applies when the display device 420a is rotated 180 degrees and 270 degrees.

  By the way, as described above, when the display device 20, the operation screen 451, and the captured image 452 are relatively rotated, areas that cannot be displayed at both ends and above and below the captured image 452 due to the aspect ratio of the window that displays the captured image 452. May occur. As measures against this, for example, it is possible to make the captured image easier to see by deleting, complementing, or enlarging a part of the captured image 452 overlapped in the operation screen 451 (such as a protruding region). . Further, the above problem is caused by the fact that the window for displaying the captured image 451 is rectangular, and this problem can be solved by making the window square instead of rectangular.

  Next, a configuration related to the correction function in the apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 100 including main components related to the correction function in the apparatus 1.

  The apparatus 100 includes components of a display unit 110, a camera device 120, a rotation operation unit 130, and a display processing unit 140. The display processing unit 140 includes an operation screen processing unit 150, a captured image processing unit 160, and a rotation control unit 170. I have. The operation screen processing unit 150 includes an operation screen generation unit 151, a screen composition unit 152, and a composite screen rotation processing unit 153, and the captured image processing unit 160 includes a captured image generation unit 161 and a captured image rotation processing unit 162. Yes.

  The operation screen generation unit 151 generates a PC operation screen including a Windows (registered trademark) screen and various application screens based on an instruction from the OS. The screen composition unit 152 composes the operation screen generated by the operation screen generation unit 151 and a captured image captured by the camera device 120 described later on one screen. That is, the photographed image is displayed in a window for displaying the photographed image, and the photographed image display window is synthesized and displayed on the operation screen. The combined screen rotation processing unit 153 rotates the screen combined by the screen combining unit 152 based on an instruction from the rotation control unit 170 that has received a command from the rotation operation unit 130, and outputs it to the display unit 110.

  The captured image generation unit 161 receives the output from the camera device 120, converts the image size, aspect ratio, and the like into a format suitable for PC display, and generates a captured image. The captured image rotation processing unit 162 performs a rotation process on the captured image to be combined with the operation screen based on an instruction from the rotation control unit 170.

  The rotation operation unit 130 receives instruction information related to screen rotation of the display device 20 from the screen rotation button 43 (FIG. 2), performs necessary data processing, and outputs the instruction information to the rotation control unit 170. The rotation operation unit 130 may automatically output instruction information to the rotation control unit 170 according to the tilt of the apparatus main body.

  The auxiliary light source lighting button 42 for dark place photography has a function of turning on / off (lighting and extinguishing) auxiliary light sources 32, 33, 34, and 35 such as LEDs, and the screen rotation button 43 is a display device 20. The display angle can be switched, and for example, rotation angles such as 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees can be set.

  As described above, according to the device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the screen display is rotated according to the rotation angle related to the operation direction, such as shooting with the device body tilted, and only the camera shot image is displayed on the screen. The rotation angle can be corrected by rotating in the opposite direction. Therefore, the operation screen of Windows (registered trademark) or the like and the display direction of the captured image of the camera can always be maintained in the positive direction, and the display angle of the captured image on the display device is effectively corrected for various usage conditions. And can be adjusted. As a result, it is possible to realize a highly functional and highly convenient device, particularly a small PC with a camera.

  Further, the device 1 can be used as a normal notebook PC by opening the display device 20, and can also be used as a tablet PC by rotating and closing the display device 20.

  In addition, by setting the device 1 in the tablet mode and displaying a camera image on the display device 20, it is possible to perform camera shooting using the display device 20 as a viewfinder.

  Further, since the display device 20 is used in the same direction, calibration of the touch panel 22 with respect to the viewing angle, brightness, color, and the like is unnecessary.

  Further, when the user presses the screen rotation button 43, the display screen can be easily rotated. In the tablet mode, a shutter button 41 is arranged on the top surface of the apparatus 1 and a shutter operation can be easily performed.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the camera device 30 is disposed on the opposite side (back surface 13) to the display device 20 when used in the tablet mode. The effect of can be demonstrated.

  The camera-equipped mobile device according to the present invention can provide an appropriate display angle of the operation screen and the captured image by controlling the display angle of the operation screen and the captured image when the display device is rotated and used. . Therefore, it is useful as a portable device with a camera that requires a high-quality display function for various applications.

The front perspective view which shows the external appearance of the portable apparatus with a camera in embodiment of this invention Front and back perspective views showing the external appearance of the device Explanatory drawing showing the relationship between usage conditions and display screen of the device Explanatory drawing about the display screen when using the same device Explanatory drawing about the display screen when using the same device Explanatory drawing about the display screen when using the same device Block diagram showing the main components related to the correction function of the device

Explanation of symbols

1,100 Mobile device with camera (device)
10 Main body 11 Operation surface 12 Side surface 13 Back surface (bottom surface)
14 Input unit 15 Operation unit (touch pad)
16, 23 Support part 20, 20a, 420a, 420b, 420c, 420d Display device 21 Display surface (front surface)
22,110 Display unit (touch panel)
30, 120 Camera device 31 Camera 32, 33, 34, 35 Auxiliary light source (LED)
41 Shutter button 42 Auxiliary light source lighting button 43 Screen rotation button 51, 51a, 451, 451a, 451b, 451c, 451d Operation screen (composite screen)
52, 52a, 452, 452a, 452b, 452c, 452d Photographed image (camera image)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 130 Rotation operation part 140 Display processing part 150 Operation screen process part 151 Operation screen production | generation part 152 Screen composition part 153 Synthesis | combination screen rotation process part 160 Captured image process part 161 Captured image generation part 162 Captured image rotation process part 170 Rotation control part

Claims (6)

A portable device with a camera comprising a display device and a camera device,
An operation screen generating means for generating an operation screen based on the OS;
A photographed image rotating means for rotating a photographed image of the camera device with respect to the display device;
And the screen synthesizing means for synthesizing the captured image on the operation screen,
A combined screen rotation unit that rotates a combined screen in which the captured image and the operation screen are combined by the screen combining unit with respect to the display device;
Rotation operation means for instructing the rotation direction and rotation angle of the composite screen;
After the instruction from the rotation operation means, when the composite screen includes a photographed image, the composite screen and the photographed image are rotated by the same rotation angle in opposite directions based on the instruction from the rotation operation means. If the composite screen rotation means and the photographed image rotation means are controlled and the photographed image is not included in the composite screen after the instruction of the rotation operation means, the composite screen is based on the instruction from the rotation operation means. A camera-equipped mobile device comprising: rotation control means for controlling the synthetic screen rotation means so as to rotate the camera. 2. The camera-equipped mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation operation unit instructs the rotation control unit to rotate the composite screen at an angle that is an integral multiple of 90 degrees with respect to the display device. The photographed image is displayed in a predetermined display area, and further includes means for partially deleting, reducing, or enlarging the photographed image as the photographed image is rotated with respect to the display device. 2. A portable device with a camera according to 2. The camera-equipped mobile device according to claim 1, wherein a display area of the captured image is a square. The camera-equipped mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the shape of a display area for displaying the captured image is rotated as it is. As a usage form of the camera-equipped mobile device, it has a notebook mode and a tablet mode,
The camera-equipped mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the captured image is automatically reversed when switching between the note mode and the tablet mode.

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