JP6587553B2 - Imaging apparatus and display method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and a display method suitable for application to, for example, a still image or moving image imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a technique applied when icons are displayed on a screen.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an imaging apparatus such as a digital still camera, for example, various icon images that indicate an operation mode and an operation status of the imaging apparatus are displayed on a display unit that displays a captured image and a reproduced image. For example, the remaining battery level, shooting size, shooting mode, and the like are displayed as icon images.

  A user who uses a device on which such an icon image is displayed needs to remember the meaning of each icon image in advance. For the user, when the meaning of each icon image is known, it is convenient to immediately know the current state of the device from the displayed icon image. The meaning of the icon image is usually explained in the instruction manual of the device.

  In Patent Literature 1, when an icon image is displayed, if the next instruction input from the operator is not within a predetermined time, the name of the icon image is superimposed on the icon image and displayed in a translucent state. There is a description about the point.

JP 2006-323578 A

As described in Patent Document 1, what is the meaning of the displayed icon image by displaying the name of the icon image at the display location of the icon image when there is no operation for a certain time, The minimum function can be known from the displayed name.
However, for example, on the display of the imaging device, every time a state in which no operation is performed continues for a certain period of time, characters indicating the name are always displayed on the icon image, and for users who are concentrated on shooting with the imaging device Becomes a very troublesome display form.

  In particular, with the recent increase in the functionality of imaging devices, the types of icon images displayed on the display have increased, and the name of the icon is displayed as needed in each of a number of icon images displayed on one screen. It is not preferable to do so. For this reason, even if there is a function for displaying the name, the user is likely to be used in a mode in which the function for displaying the name is turned off, and such a name display function may not be utilized. Is expensive.

  As described above, various proposals have been made to improve the user so that the meaning of the icon image displayed on the screen can be understood by the user. However, there is a problem that is not necessarily easy-to-use guidance for the user. It was.

  In the description so far, the display display of the imaging apparatus has been described as an example. However, in various devices including a display unit that displays an icon image, there is a similar problem in any device.

  The present invention has been made in view of these points, and it is an object of the present invention to accurately provide guidance on the meaning of an icon image when it is displayed on a display unit when necessary. To do.

An imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures an image;
And a control unit that performs control for switching on / off of the explanation mode and control for displaying a plurality of first icons that are guide images for various types of guidance, each indicating a specific function state.
The control unit displays a plurality of first icons in a predetermined arrangement together with a real-time image captured by the imaging unit in the normal mode in which the imaging unit performs imaging , and the explanation mode is displayed during display in the normal mode. When activated , information about the plurality of first icons being displayed is stored in the storage unit.
When the explanation mode is turned on, an initial screen for explanation is displayed, and an icon selection screen is displayed when an icon guide is selected by a user operation on the initial screen for explanation.
In the icon selection screen, a plurality of first icons are displayed together with a background image of the still image captured by the imaging unit, and the plurality of first icons displayed on the background image of the still image are stored in the storage unit The plurality of first icons displayed at the time when the user operation to turn on the explanation mode is displayed on the same arrangement position as when the explanation mode is off based on the information stored in the information mode.
The plurality of first icons displayed on the icon selection screen includes a selected icon indicating a first function state corresponding to the first function.
The selected icon is displayed separately from the other plurality of first icons, and the control unit further shows a change in the first functional state by the user's selection operation on the icon selected on the icon selection screen. The second icon and the explanatory text display are displayed as an icon explanation screen.

According to the present invention, when the explanation mode is on, the selected icon is displayed together with the second icon indicating the second function state corresponding to the first function and the explanation display regarding the selected icon. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to aid the understanding of the user with respect to the operation of the equipment effectively, leading to results in improvement in operability of the apparatus.

It is a perspective view of the front (a) and back (b) which show the example of the imaging device by one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the imaging device by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process example at the time of description mode start by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the data for icon description by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of an icon table creation process by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the icon table by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of an icon display process at the time of the icon description by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display at the time of use by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display at the time of description mode button operation by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display at the time of the icon selection in the icon description mode by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display at the time of moving an icon selection position in the icon explanatory mode by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of description of the specific icon by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of description of another icon by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display at the time of transfering to the execution state from the icon description by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display when there is no description content by icon description by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display at the time of the icon selection in the icon description mode by the example (example of a touch panel) of other embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
1. Example of shape of imaging device according to one embodiment (FIG. 1)
2. Example of internal configuration of imaging apparatus of one embodiment (FIG. 2)
3. Processing at the time of starting the explanation mode in the example of the embodiment (FIGS. 3, 4)
4). Icon table creation processing of an example of one embodiment (FIGS. 5 and 6)
5. Display example (FIG. 16) of another embodiment (example of touch panel)
6). Modified example

[1. Example of shape of imaging device of one embodiment]
An imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the present embodiment, the image processing apparatus is applied to an imaging apparatus that is a camera that captures still images and moving images.
1A and 1B are perspective views illustrating the shape of an imaging apparatus according to an example of the present embodiment, in which FIG. 1A shows the front side and FIG. 1B shows the back side.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, an imaging lens 101 is arranged on the front side of a casing constituting the imaging apparatus 100 main body, a flash 104 is arranged on the side, a shutter button 102 and a power source on the upper surface. A button 103 is arranged. When the user operates the power button 103, the imaging apparatus 100 is activated, and a still image or a moving image is captured at the timing when the user operates the shutter button 102 at the timing for imaging.

As shown in FIG. 1B, a liquid crystal display panel 200 constituting a display unit and various operation buttons constituting an operation input receiving unit are arranged on the back side of the casing constituting the imaging device 100 main body. is there. As the arranged operation buttons, here, a reproduction button 105, an up / down / left / right key 106, an enter key 107, an explanation mode button 108, and a menu button 109 are arranged.
The playback button 105 is a button for instructing playback of a recorded still image or moving image. The up / down / left / right key 106 is a button for instructing four directions of up / down and left / right, and in combination with the enter key 107 for confirming the operation, when various guidance displays and display for operation are performed on the liquid crystal display panel 200. This is for inputting a display that requires user input.
The explanation mode button 108 is a button for setting the operation mode of the imaging apparatus 100 to the explanation mode. Details of processing in the explanation mode will be described later. The menu button is a button for displaying a menu screen for various operations on the liquid crystal display panel 200.
The operation input reception unit accepts operation input from another external device (such as a remote controller) in addition to the operation input reception unit having buttons and keys for directly receiving such operations. It is good also as a part. Further, as another example to be described later, a touch panel may be used as an operation input receiving unit.

  In addition, a lid 110 that can be freely opened and closed is disposed on a side surface of the casing that constitutes the main body of the imaging apparatus 100, and a battery housing portion 111, a memory card slot 112, and a connection terminal 113 are disposed inside the lid 110. It is arranged. The battery storage unit 111 is a place in which a battery that supplies power for driving the imaging apparatus 100 is stored. The memory card slot 112 is a slot for a memory card in which a flash memory in which image data captured by the imaging apparatus 100 is recorded (stored). The connection terminal 113 is a terminal for connecting to an external device such as a computer device or a video device.

[2. Example of internal configuration of imaging apparatus according to embodiment]
Next, an example of the internal configuration of the imaging apparatus 100 of the example of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
An imaging element 121 that is an imaging unit is disposed at a position where image light incident on the imaging lens 101 forms an image, and an imaging signal is obtained by the imaging element 121. The obtained imaging signal is supplied to the analog signal processing unit 122 and subjected to various analog signal processing, and then converted into a digital imaging signal by the analog / digital conversion unit 123. The converted digital imaging signal is supplied to the digital signal processing unit 124 to perform digital signal processing to obtain a digital image signal of a predetermined format.
The digital image signal obtained by the digital signal processing unit 124 is recorded in the flash memory 136 under the control of the central control unit (CPU) 133. The flash memory 136 may be a flash memory built in the imaging apparatus 100 or a flash memory in a memory card installed in the memory card slot 112 shown in FIG.

  In addition, the image signal processed by the digital signal processing unit 124 is supplied to the display image signal generation processing unit 137, and the display image signal generation processing unit 137 performs image signal processing to be displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 200. Therefore, an image captured by the image sensor 121 that is an imaging unit is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 200 that is a display unit. The display image signal generated by the display image signal generation processing unit 137 includes various guidance images in addition to the image obtained by imaging, and the superimposition processing and selection processing of these images are also for display. The image signal generation processing unit 137 performs this. Image signals for performing various types of guidance, explanation, setting, and the like are generated by the superimposed image generation unit 138 and supplied to the display image signal generation processing unit 137. Examples of images generated by the superimposed image generation unit 138 include various guidance icon images displayed during imaging in the normal mode and guidance display images in the explanation mode. Details of these images will be described later.

  Further, the image signal output from the digital signal processing unit 124 or the image signal recorded in the flash memory 136 can be output to the outside from the terminal 113 that outputs the image signal or the like under the control of the input / output control unit 125. is there.

  A central control unit 133 is provided as a control system of the imaging apparatus 100. The central control unit 133 is supplied with operation commands from the various buttons 102, 103, 105, 107, 108, and 109 shown in FIG. When the user's operation input is received with these buttons, the central control unit 133 sends an instruction to each unit via the bus line 131 to control operations such as imaging.

  Connected to the bus line 131 is a program RAM 134 that stores an operation program of the imaging device and a RAM 135 that stores data being processed. The central control unit 133 performs processing according to the program stored in the program RAM 134. Execute. An icon image display process in the normal mode, which will be described later, and a display process in the explanation mode for explaining the displayed icon image are also performed under the control of the central control unit 133 according to the program stored in the program RAM 134.

Here, with reference to FIG. 8, a display example on the liquid crystal display panel 200 in the normal mode, which is a mode in which imaging is performed, will be described.
FIG. 8 shows an example of a monitor image 201 displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 200 that is a display unit. As the monitor image 201, an image obtained by the imaging device 121 that is an imaging unit is displayed on almost the entire surface. Yes. Since the monitor image 201 is an image captured in real time, the monitor image 201 is usually a moving image, and when an imaging process is performed by pressing the shutter button 102, a still image of the temporarily captured image is displayed. May be.

Various icon images for guidance are superimposed on the monitor image 201. In the example of FIG. 8, a battery remaining amount icon image 211, a shooting mode icon image 212, a flash warning icon image 213, a recorded image size icon image 214, and a memory card attachment icon image 215 are displayed. . The respective icon images 211 to 215 are displayed by being superimposed on positions determined in advance for each icon image, such as the upper end and the left end of the monitor image 201.
In the example of FIG. 8, display is performed in the normal mode in the imaging state in which imaging is performed, but an icon image for guiding the playback is also displayed in other modes, for example, in the normal mode in the playback state in which playback is performed. Is displayed.
In the imaging apparatus 100 of the example of the present embodiment, when there is an operation input of the explanation mode button 108 shown in FIG. 1 during the display in the normal mode as shown in FIG. Processing is performed to display the image displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 200 in the explanation mode.

[3. Processing at the time of start of the explanation mode of the example of the embodiment]
The flowchart of FIG. 3 shows the entire process when the explanation mode is activated by the control process in the central control unit 133 by operating the explanation mode button 108, and FIG. 4 shows the icon image in the explanation mode. An example of data prepared for explanation will be shown. In the following description, a screen refers to a display screen of the liquid crystal display panel 200 that is a display unit.

  Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 3, first, while the normal mode display process is being performed, when the operation mode is activated by determining the operation input of the explanation mode button 108 (step S100), an icon table is created. Processing is performed (step S101). The icon table is a table that stores data about the icon image displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 200 when the explanation mode is activated, that is, when the explanation mode button 108 is operated by the user. Remembered. An icon table creation process and a detailed example of the table will be described later with reference to FIGS.

When the icon table creation process is performed, a guide initial screen display process is performed under the control of the central control unit 133 (step S102). In this guide initial screen display, an initial screen prepared in advance for explaining the operation of the imaging apparatus is displayed.
FIG. 9 shows a display example of the guide initial screen. On this initial guide screen, various buttons are displayed for selecting explanation items. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a shooting / viewing guide button 221, an icon guide button 222, a trouble button 223, a purpose-specific guide button 224, a term search button 225, and a guide history display button 225 are displayed. I'm allowed. An operation guide display 227 for guiding button selection is displayed at the lower end of the screen.

  In the example of FIG. 9, the icon guide button 222 is selected, and a selection frame 228 is displayed on the icon guide button 222. In this state, the selection of the icon guide button 222 is confirmed by the user operation of the enter key 107 (FIG. 1). Further, when moving to a selection state of another button, a user operation of the up / down / left / right key 106 is performed. When the explanation mode is activated from the normal mode, the selection frame 228 is displayed on the icon guide button 222 in the initial state as shown in FIG. You may do it.

  Returning to the description of the flowchart of FIG. 3, in this example, it is assumed that a user operation of the enter key 107 is performed and the display process is performed on the icon selection screen in a state where the guide initial screen is displayed (step S1). S103). In this icon selection screen display, all the icon images displayed immediately before are displayed on the screen based on the data stored in the icon table. When the operation input for selecting one icon image among the displayed icon images is the operation of the up / down / left / right key 106 and the enter key 107, the icon explanation display processing for the selected icon image is started. (Step S104). When the icon explanation display process is activated, an explanation screen is displayed (step S105).

  After displaying the explanation screen in step S105, the central control unit 133 determines whether or not there is an operation input (step S106), and moves to another display based on the determination. That is, for example, when there is a menu button operation, the display returns to the guide initial screen display in step S102. If there is an end operation, the normal screen display is resumed (step S107). Further, if there is an execution button display on the explanation screen and there is an operation to select and confirm the execution button, a function selection screen display for selecting the function being explained on the explanation screen is performed (step S108). .

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display processing example of the icon selection screen display in step S103 of the flowchart of FIG.
In the icon selection screen display, based on the data in the icon table, only the icon image displayed in the normal mode immediately before the explanation mode in step S100 is activated is displayed in the same display state as the display state in the normal mode. It is. Here, the same display state is displayed with the arrangement position and size in the screen as they are in the normal mode. That is, the battery remaining amount icon image 211, the shooting mode icon image 212, the flash warning icon image 213, the recording image size icon image 214, and the memory card attachment icon at the same arrangement position as in the example shown in FIG. The image 215 is displayed. However, in this example, an icon selection screen is displayed with a background image 231 that is a still image that is stored in advance in the program RAM 134 or the like. By displaying the still image as the background image 231, the user can easily understand that the display is different from the normal mode.

  In the icon selection screen display shown in FIG. 10, a selection frame display 233 indicating the selected icon is displayed, and a selection guidance display 232 for guiding the selection operation is performed. On the selection guidance display 232, the fact that the icon can be selected by operating the up / down / left / right key 106 and the enter key 107 is guided by a figure or the like. When there is an operation input of the up / down / left / right key 106, the display position of the selection frame display 233 moves in order, and a desired icon image can be selected. By operating the enter key 107, the icon of the selected position is confirmed.

  FIG. 11 shows an example in which the position of the selection frame display 233 ′ is moved on the icon selection screen display. In the example of FIG. 11, the recorded image size icon image 214 is selected by moving the selection frame display 233 of FIG. In this way, the position of the selection frame display can be made the position of the icon image desired by the user.

FIG. 12 shows a display example of the icon explanation screen in step S105 of the flowchart of FIG.
The icon explanation screen in the example of FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an explanation display example when the battery remaining amount icon image 211 is selected. This icon explanation screen is performed based on the icon explanation data shown in FIG. The icon explanation data is data for explaining each icon image prepared so as to be displayed on the display panel of the imaging apparatus 100. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the explanation ID 11, the title 12, the first explanation sentence 13, the second explanation sentence 14, the third explanation sentence 15, the guide content image 16, Corresponding image object ID 17 and the like are prepared in association with each icon image. However, the explanations 13, 14, and 15 are stored in three types when explanation on three screens is necessary, and there may be icon images in which only two types or only one type is stored. The corresponding image object ID 17 stores the image object IDs of all the icon images described in the explanations 13, 14, and 15. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, all icon images relating to the remaining battery level are shown as the image object ID 17 corresponding to the description ID 001. Therefore, the explanation of the explanation ID 001 (title 12, first explanation sentence 13, and guide content image 16) is displayed in any state where any icon image relating to the remaining battery level is displayed.

  The icon explanation screen in the example of FIG. 12 will be described. A title display 241, an icon image change example display 242, an explanatory note display 243, and an operation guidance display 244 are performed. The title display 241 displays the data of the title 12 of the icon explanation data in FIG. When there are a plurality of explanatory texts as shown in FIG. 4, the explanatory text display 243 is displayed one page at a time. The image change example display 242 displays an image prepared as the guide content image 16 of the icon explanation data in FIG. In this example, images indicating the remaining battery level in multiple stages (full charge image, image when remaining amount is reduced (No. 1), image when remaining amount is reduced (No. 2), image without remaining amount) are arranged side by side. In this example, the displayed image change example display 242 is displayed. The image change example display 242 in FIG. 12 is one display example, and an image for explaining each icon prepared as the guide content image 16 in FIG. 4 is displayed.

  FIG. 13 is a display example of another icon image explanation screen. This example is an explanatory text about an icon image (corresponding to the icon image 214 in FIG. 11) of the image size of a still image to be shot. A title display 251, an icon image change example display 252, an explanatory text display 253, an execution button display 254, and an operation guidance display 255 are performed. In the icon image change example display 252, a list of a plurality of image sizes to be displayed is displayed. The execution button display 254 is a display for determining the execution button operation in step S106 in the flowchart of FIG. 3 and moving to step S108. In the example of FIG. 13, the execution button display 254 displays “try using”.

  The example of FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a function selection screen display example for selecting a function being explained on the explanation screen in step S108 of the flowchart of FIG. In this example, it is an image size selection screen display 261 when the execution button display 254 of FIG. 13 is pressed. An image size display 262 to be selected from the list of selectable image sizes is displayed. In addition, operation guidance displays 263 and 264 are performed.

  A user operation based on the function selection screen display can set (change) the captured image size (the number of pixels and the aspect ratio of the image). Therefore, after the explanatory text about the icon image selected by the user is displayed, it is possible to set the described function.

[4. Icon table creation process of example of embodiment]
The flowchart in FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of icon table creation processing in step S101 of the flowchart in FIG. As described above, the icon table is stored data about the icon image being displayed in the normal mode when the icon explanation mode is activated, and is stored in the RAM 135 or the like.
Referring to FIG. 5, when the creation of an icon table is started (step S200), an icon table initialization process is performed (step S201). Thereafter, when the icon explanation mode is activated, an icon image being displayed on the display screen is searched (step S202). Then, the type (ID) of the image object of the searched icon image that is being searched for, and the display position and display size of the icon image are stored and stored in the icon table. When the data about all the icon images being displayed is stored, the creation of the icon table is completed.

FIG. 6 shows an example of icon table data.
As shown in FIG. 6, the icon table stores an icon display object name 21, a display ID 22, and an image object name 23. These data are stored with reference to data prepared for displaying the icon image. Further, a horizontal position (x) 24 in the screen, a vertical position (y) in the screen, a horizontal display width (w) 26, and a vertical display height (h) 27 are set. I remember it. These positions and widths are values of positions and widths where icon images are actually displayed. The position and width values indicate, for example, the resolution of the screen displaying the icon image as a unit. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the xy coordinates of the display object are expressed in dot units at a screen resolution of 640 × 480. When there is no data to be stored in each row or item, null data (indicated as NULL in the table) indicating that fact is stored.
By storing the icon table in this way, as described in the flowchart of FIG. 3, when displaying the icon selection image, the icon can be displayed at the position and size stored in the icon table. .

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for displaying an icon selection image based on the data of the icon table.
The process will be described with reference to FIG. 7. When the display process of the icon selection image is started (step S300), the background image drawing process is started first (step S301). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the first row of the icon table is null data (no data) (step S302). If null data is a place where no data is stored, a message indicating that is displayed (step S302). Step S303).

The display example of FIG. 15 shows an example of the display 271 in step S303.
In this example, “There is no icon that can be explained. Press [Menu]” is displayed.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 7, if it is determined in step S302 that the data is not null data, the icon image of the image ID of the first row on the icon table is drawn at the coordinate position and size indicated in the table, and the background The image is superimposed and displayed on the image (step S304). Then, the process moves to the next line of the icon table (step S305), and it is determined whether the moved line is null data (no data) (step S306). (Step S307).

  If the data is not null data in step S306, the process returns to step S304, and the icon image of the image ID in the row is drawn at the coordinate position and size specified in the table and superimposed on the background image. By repeating the processing in this way, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, all icon images displayed in the normal mode immediately before the same are displayed at the same position and size.

  Therefore, the icon selection screen has a display form that makes it easy to understand the relationship with the display in the immediately preceding operation mode, so that a desired icon can be easily selected, and an icon that has no meaning can be selected intuitively. Become. When an icon is selected and a determination operation is performed, the description is immediately displayed, which can help the operator to understand the imaging apparatus, and as a result, the operability of the imaging apparatus can be improved. In addition, on the icon selection screen, the background video is a still image, so that the icon can be easily identified and the display is different from the normal display (that is, the icon selection screen). You can make a selection.

[5. Display example of another embodiment (example of touch panel)]
In the example of the embodiment described so far, at the time of selection on the icon selection screen or the like, an operation using the up / down / left / right key 106 and the enter key 107 arranged separately from the display panel 200 is performed. On the other hand, when a touch panel for detecting the contact or proximity of an object such as a finger is provided as a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, buttons corresponding to up / down / left / right keys and a determination key are displayed on the screen. The same operation may be performed by touching the button.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an imaging apparatus 100 ′ in the case of this touch panel.
The imaging apparatus 100 ′ includes a display panel with a touch panel 300, and FIG. 16 illustrates an example in which an icon selection image is displayed.
A background image 301 based on a still image prepared in advance is displayed on the display panel 300, and icon images 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 are displayed so as to be superimposed on the background image 301. In FIG. 16, a display frame 321 indicating the selected icon is displayed so as to overlap the icon image 311.
Further, a button display 331 for performing a direction instruction and a determination operation, a return button 332, and an end button 333 are displayed.

In a state where such a display is performed, the user can touch an area where the button display 331 is performed with a finger or the like, so that it is possible to select an icon image similar to that of the imaging apparatus 100 of FIG.
In the example of FIG. 16, the button display 331 for performing the direction instruction and the determination operation is performed. In contrast, in the state where the icon selection image is displayed, the vicinity of the display location of each icon image 311, 312, 313, 314, 315 displayed on the display panel 300 is directly touched with the user's finger or the like. Thus, the icon image may be selected. When the icon selection image is displayed as described above, the icon image can be selected by directly touching the icon image, so that the explanation of the desired icon can be displayed more easily.

[6. Modified example]
In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 10, when the icon selection screen is displayed, a still image prepared in advance is displayed as the background image 231, and the display different from the normal mode is performed by the user. It can be easily distinguished from the display for selection. The background image prepared in advance is preferably an image that does not interfere with the display of the superimposed icon image. The background image itself may be any image, but an image of some kind of landscape is more preferable than a monotonous image such as a monochromatic image such as full-color black or full-color white. If a monochrome image such as full-color black is displayed in the background, the user may erroneously determine that it is a failure, which is not preferable. In the case of this embodiment, some background image is displayed. is there. However, in the case of an apparatus with a limited number of operators, such as a commercial imaging apparatus, the background image may be omitted and a backgroundless display with the same background color may be used. Alternatively, a mode for superimposing some background image and a display mode for no background may be selected by setting processing by a user operation.

For this background image, a prepared moving image may be used as a background video instead of a still image.
Alternatively, the background of a moving image or a still image based on an image signal obtained by imaging may be displayed in the same manner as in the normal mode display during shooting. When displaying the background of a moving image or still image based on the image signal obtained by imaging, for example, it is possible to easily distinguish it from the normal mode as a background image in which the luminance of the image is lower than that during normal display. good. A background image with reduced chromaticity may be used instead of luminance. Even when a background image such as a still image prepared in advance is used, it may be an image with lower brightness than that during normal display.
Further, display of these various background images may be selected by setting processing by a user operation.

In the example of the embodiment described above, when the explanation mode button is operated, the initial screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. For example, when there is an operation input of the explanation mode button, The icon selection screen shown in FIG. 11 or the like may be directly displayed.
Further, in the icon selection screen of FIG. 10 or the like, the display is performed with the same icon arrangement as the display screen in the operation mode, but other display forms such as a list display of icon images may be used.
In addition, in the display example of FIG. 10 and the like, the display state same as the display state in the normal mode is displayed in the same arrangement position and size as in the normal mode. Any other display state may be used as long as the display state can be understood to be the display state. For example, the icon image displayed at the corner of the screen in the normal mode may be displayed by moving it slightly to an easily viewable position on the inside. Alternatively, the display size of the icon image may be slightly larger than the normal mode to make it stand out.

Moreover, although the example of the embodiment described above is an example applied to an imaging apparatus, the present invention may be applied to the description of icon images in various electronic devices having functions as other image processing apparatuses.
For example, when an icon image is displayed on the display panel provided in the mobile phone terminal device and the mode is set to the explanation mode by a specific key operation or the like, the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 is performed, and an icon selection image is displayed. Then, the explanation image may be displayed in the subsequent operation.
In addition, the same icon explanation image is displayed by a key operation when an icon image is displayed on a display panel included in a tablet-type personal computer device, a portable information terminal, a music playback terminal, an electronic game terminal, an electronic book terminal, or the like. May be performed. In the case where these terminal devices are provided with a touch panel as a display panel, for example, the display example shown in FIG. 16 is applicable.
The display unit itself may be configured separately from the electronic device main body that performs the processing described in the embodiment. For example, in the case of an imaging apparatus, the present invention can also be applied to a case where a display device (finder) that displays an image captured by the imaging apparatus is configured separately from the imaging apparatus main body.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,100 '... Imaging device, 101 ... Imaging lens, 102 ... Shutter button, 103 ... Power button, 104 ... Flash, 105 ... Play button, 106 ... Up / down / left / right key, 107 ... Enter key, 108 ... Explanation mode button, 109 ... Menu button, 110 ... Lid, 111 ... Battery compartment, 112 ... Memory card slot, 113 ... Connection terminal, 121 ... Image sensor, 122 ... Analog signal processor, 123 ... Analog / digital converter, 124 ... Digital signal processing , 125 ... Input / output control unit, 131 ... Bus line, 132 ... Operation input unit, 133 ... Central control unit (CPU), 134 ... Program RAM, 135 ... RAM, 136 ... Flash memory, 137 ... Image signal generation for display , 138 ... superimposed image generation unit, 200 ... liquid crystal display panel, 300 ... touch panel With display panel

Claims (10)

An imaging unit that captures an image;
A control unit that performs a control for switching on / off of the explanation mode and a control for displaying a plurality of first icons that are guide images for various guides each indicating a specific function state,
Wherein, in the normal mode for imaging by the imaging unit, the plurality of first icons, are displayed in a predetermined arrangement with the real-time image the imaging unit has imaging, display in the normal mode When the explanation mode is activated during, the information about the plurality of first icons being displayed is stored in the storage unit,
When the explanation mode is turned on, an initial screen for explanation is displayed. When an icon guide is selected by the user operation on the initial screen for explanation, an icon selection screen is displayed.
In the icon selection screen, the plurality of first icons are displayed together with the background image of the still image captured by the imaging unit and displayed on the background image of the still image. Is based on the information stored in the storage unit, the plurality of first icons displayed at the time when there is a user operation to turn on the explanation mode, the same as when the explanation mode is off Display it at the location,
The plurality of first icons to be displayed on the icon selection screen includes a selected icon indicating a first function state corresponding to a first function,
The selected icon is displayed separately from the other first icons.
Furthermore, the control unit displays, as an icon explanation screen, a second icon indicating a change in the first function state and an explanatory text display by a user's selection operation on the selected icon on the icon selection screen. apparatus. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first icons include an icon indicating a battery remaining amount display and an icon indicating an image size. The plurality of first icons includes an icon indicating a currently set shooting mode,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first function is a shooting mode setting function. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first icons includes an icon indicating a current function setting state in a flash function. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the display of the icon explanation screen further includes a title related to the first function. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display of the icon explanation screen includes a description of the first function state. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first icon includes a character. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the selected icon is displayed separately from the plurality of other first icons by displaying a selection frame. Furthermore, it has a display part. The imaging device of any one of Claims 1-8. An imaging process for capturing an image;
A control process for switching on / off of the explanation mode, and a control for displaying a plurality of first icons, each of which is a guide image for various types of guidance indicating a specific function state,
In the normal mode in which imaging is performed in the imaging process by the control process, the plurality of first icons are displayed in a predetermined arrangement together with a real-time image captured in the imaging process, and displayed in the normal mode. When the explanation mode is activated during, the information about the plurality of first icons being displayed is stored in the storage unit,
When the explanation mode is turned on, an initial screen for explanation is displayed. When an icon guide is selected by the user operation on the initial screen for explanation, an icon selection screen is displayed.
In the icon selection screen, the plurality of first icons are displayed together with the background image of the still image captured by the imaging process, and displayed on the background image of the still image. Is based on the information stored in the storage unit, the plurality of first icons displayed at the time when there is a user operation to turn on the explanation mode, the same as when the explanation mode is off Display it at the location,
The plurality of first icons to be displayed on the icon selection screen includes a selected icon indicating a first function state corresponding to a first function,
The selected icon is displayed separately from the other first icons.
Further, by the control process, a second icon indicating a change in the first function state and an explanatory text display are displayed as an icon explanation screen by a user's selection operation on the selected icon on the icon selection screen. Method.

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