JP7094802B2 - Electronic devices and their control methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device, a control method for the electronic device, a program, and a recording medium, which can be set by selecting a menu item from a menu list.

There are known electronic devices that list various setting menu items related to electronic devices on the menu screen, display the setting screens related to the selected menu item, and make various settings related to the device. Further, there is also known an electronic device that can set a device by omitting the display of the menu screen by shortcutting to the setting screen of a specific menu item by a specific operation.

In Patent Document 1, the menu screen, the submenu screen, and the selection screen of the button to which the function is assigned are omitted according to the simultaneous pressing of the menu button and the operation member to which the function can be assigned, and the function setting screen of the operation member is directly omitted. A method of transitioning to is proposed. More specifically, the following are proposed. The top menu is displayed when the menu button is pressed. A lower-level menu (submenu) is displayed according to the selection of "OTHERS" from the plurality of menu items displayed on the top menu. A menu item for setting the assign button is selected from the submenu, and when the assign button whose setting is to be changed is selected from among multiple assign buttons, the setting screen for selecting the function that can be registered to the selected assign button is displayed. On the displayed setting screen, assign a function to the assign button according to the user operation. On the other hand, by pressing the menu button and the assign button at the same time, it is possible to shortcut to the setting screen of the pressed assign button and assign a function to the assign button without displaying the top menu and the menu of the lower hierarchy.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-192189

However, in the shortcut method of Patent Document 1, the display of the menu screen and the display of the submenu screen are omitted. Therefore, when going from the menu screen to the setting screen, how can the transition to the setting screen be made? The user cannot know whether or not. Therefore, the user may not notice that the setting screen can be transitioned to by selecting a menu item from the menu screen.

In view of the above problems, the present invention makes it possible for the user to recognize the normal procedure for transitioning to the setting screen even when the setting screen is transitioned by a procedure different from the normal procedure for displaying the menu screen. With the goal.

In order to solve the above problems, the electronic device of the present invention is used.
With a specific operating method
Instruction means for accepting instruction operations to display the menu screen,
A setting means for setting a specific setting item according to a user operation on a specific setting screen displayed by selecting a specific menu item on the menu screen, and
Other than the specific menu item, without operating the instruction means, due to an operation for the specific operation means, or in response to a specific operation when displaying a guide for the specific setting item. It is characterized by having a display control means for controlling to display the menu screen in a display state that is identifiablely emphasized as compared with the menu item of.

According to the present invention, the user can recognize the normal procedure for transitioning to the setting screen even when the setting screen is transitioned by a procedure different from the normal procedure for displaying the menu screen.

It is an external view of a digital camera 100. It is a block diagram of a digital camera 100. It is a figure which shows the detail of a touch bar 82. It is a flowchart of lock state processing. It is a flowchart of a valid state processing. It is a flowchart of the whole touch start determination process. This is a display example of the operation response display for the unlock operation and the lock operation. This is a display example of the operation response display for various touch operations in the enabled state. It is a figure which shows the detail of the all touch determination threshold value. It is a flowchart of the process when it is always available. It is a flowchart of Mn-Fn bar guide display determination processing. It is a flowchart of a shooting mode process. (A) This is a display example of the M-Fn bar guide screen. (B) This is a display example of the menu screen. (C) This is a display example of the menu screen. It is a flowchart of M-Fn bar customization setting process. (A) This is a display example of the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. (B) This is a display example of the full press setting screen. This is a list of functions that can be assigned as functions in the shooting mode. This is a list of functions that can be assigned as functions in playback mode. It is an external view of another electronic device equipped with a touch bar.

<External view of digital camera 100>
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 (a) and 1 (b) show an external view of a digital camera 100 as an example of a device to which the present invention can be applied. 1 (a) is a front perspective view of the digital camera 100, and FIG. 1 (b) is a rear perspective view of the digital camera 100.

The display unit 28 is a display unit provided on the back surface of the digital camera 100, and displays an image and various information. The touch panel 70a can detect a touch operation on the display surface (touch operation surface) of the display unit 28. The out-of-finder display unit 43 is a display unit provided on the upper surface of the digital camera 100, and displays various set values of the digital camera 100 such as a shutter speed and an aperture. The shutter button 61 is an operating member for giving a shooting instruction. The mode changeover switch 60 is an operation member for switching various modes. The terminal cover 40 is a cover that protects a connector (not shown) with a connection cable or the like that connects the digital camera 100 to an external device.

The main electronic dial 71 is a rotation operation member, and by turning the main electronic dial 71, setting values such as a shutter speed and an aperture can be changed. The power switch 72 is an operating member that switches the power of the digital camera 100 on and off. The sub-electronic dial 73 is a rotation operation member, and by turning the sub-electronic dial 73, the selection frame (cursor) can be moved, an image can be fed, and the like. The four-way key 74 is configured so that the up, down, left, and right portions can be pushed in, respectively, and processing can be performed according to the pressed portion of the four-way key 74. The SET button 75 is a push button and is mainly used for determining a selection item or the like.

The moving image button 76 is used to instruct the start and stop of moving image shooting (recording). The AE lock button 77 is a push button, and the exposure state can be fixed by pressing the AE lock button 77 in the shooting standby state. The enlargement button 78 is an operation button for switching ON / OFF of the enlargement mode in the live view display (LV display) of the shooting mode. By operating the main electronic dial 71 after turning on the enlargement mode, the live view image (LV image) can be enlarged or reduced. In the reproduction mode, the enlargement button 78 functions as an operation button for enlarging the reproduced image and increasing the enlargement ratio thereof. The play button 79 is an operation button for switching between a shooting mode and a play mode. By pressing the playback button 79 during the shooting mode, the playback mode can be entered, and the latest image among the images recorded on the recording medium 200 (described later) can be displayed on the display unit 28. The menu button 81 is a push button used for performing an instruction operation to display the menu screen, and when the menu button 81 is pressed, a menu screen on which various settings can be made is displayed on the display unit 28. The user can intuitively make various settings by using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28 and the four-way key 74 and the SET button 75.

The touch bar 82 (multi-function bar: M-Fn bar) is a line-shaped touch operation member (line touch sensor) capable of receiving a touch operation. The touch bar 82 is arranged at a position where it can be touch-operated (touchable) with the thumb of the right hand holding the grip portion 90 in a normal gripping method (manufacturer-recommended gripping method). The touch bar 82 can accept a tap operation on the touch bar 82 (an operation of touching and releasing without moving within a predetermined period), a slide operation to the left or right (an operation of touching and then moving the touch position while touching), and the like. The reception department. The touch bar 82 is an operation member different from the touch panel 70a, and does not have a display function.

The communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens unit 150 (described later; detachable) side. The eyepiece 16 is an eyepiece of the eyepiece finder 17 (a peeping-type finder), and the user can visually recognize the image displayed on the internal EVF 29 (described later) through the eyepiece 16. .. The eyepiece detection unit 57 is an eyepiece detection sensor that detects whether or not the user (photographer) is in contact with the eyepiece unit 16. The lid 202 is a lid for a slot that stores the recording medium 200 (described later). The grip portion 90 is a holding portion having a shape that makes it easy for the user to hold the digital camera 100 with his / her right hand. The shutter button 61 and the main electronic dial 71 are arranged at positions that can be operated by the index finger of the right hand while holding the digital camera 100 by holding the grip portion 90 with the little finger, ring finger, and middle finger of the right hand. Further, in the same state, the sub electronic dial 73 and the touch bar 82 are arranged at positions that can be operated by the thumb of the right hand. The thumb rest portion 91 (thumb standby position) is a grip member provided on the back side of the digital camera 100 at a position where the thumb of the right hand holding the grip portion 90 can be easily placed without operating any operation member. The thumb rest portion 91 is composed of a rubber member or the like for enhancing the holding force (grip feeling).

<Block diagram of the digital camera 100>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the digital camera 100. The lens unit 150 is a lens unit equipped with an interchangeable photographing lens. The lens 103 is usually composed of a plurality of lenses, but in FIG. 2, it is simply shown by only one lens. The communication terminal 6 is a communication terminal for the lens unit 150 to communicate with the digital camera 100 side, and the communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens unit 150 side. The lens unit 150 communicates with the system control unit 50 via these communication terminals 6 and 10. Then, the lens unit 150 controls the diaphragm 1 via the diaphragm drive circuit 2 by the internal lens system control circuit 4. Further, the lens unit 150 focuses by shifting the position of the lens 103 via the AF drive circuit 3 by the lens system control circuit 4.

The shutter 101 is a focal plane shutter that can freely control the exposure time of the imaging unit 22 under the control of the system control unit 50.

The image pickup unit 22 is an image pickup device composed of a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like that converts an optical image into an electric signal. The image pickup unit 22 may have an image pickup surface phase difference sensor that outputs defocus amount information to the system control unit 50. The A / D converter 23 converts the analog signal output from the image pickup unit 22 into a digital signal.

The image processing unit 24 performs predetermined processing (resizing processing such as pixel interpolation and reduction, color conversion processing, etc.) on the data from the A / D converter 23 or the data from the memory control unit 14. Further, the image processing unit 24 performs a predetermined calculation process using the captured image data, and the system control unit 50 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the calculation result obtained by the image processing unit 24. As a result, TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and the like are performed. The image processing unit 24 further performs a predetermined calculation process using the captured image data, and performs a TTL method AWB (auto white balance) process based on the obtained calculation result.

The output data from the A / D converter 23 is written to the memory 32 via the image processing unit 24 and the memory control unit 14. Alternatively, the output data from the A / D converter 23 is written to the memory 32 via the memory control unit 14 without going through the image processing unit 24. The memory 32 stores the image data obtained by the image pickup unit 22 and converted into digital data by the A / D converter 23, and the image data to be displayed on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, moving images for a predetermined time, and audio.

Further, the memory 32 also serves as a memory (video memory) for displaying an image. The D / A converter 19 converts the image display data stored in the memory 32 into an analog signal and supplies it to the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. In this way, the image data for display written in the memory 32 is displayed by the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 via the D / A converter 19. Each of the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 displays on a display device such as an LCD or an organic EL according to the analog signal from the D / A converter 19. The digital signal that has been A / D converted by the A / D converter 23 and stored in the memory 32 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 19, and is sequentially transferred to the display unit 28 or the EVF 29 for display. View display (LV) can be performed. Hereinafter, the image displayed in the live view display is referred to as a live view image (LV image).

The out-of-viewfinder display unit 43 displays various settings of the camera, such as the shutter speed and the aperture, via the out-of-viewfinder display unit drive circuit 44.

The non-volatile memory 56 is a memory that can be electrically erased and recorded, and is, for example, an EEPROM or the like. The non-volatile memory 56 records constants, programs, and the like for the operation of the system control unit 50. The program referred to here is a program for executing various flowcharts described later in this embodiment.

The system control unit 50 is a control unit including at least one processor or circuit, and controls the entire digital camera 100. The system control unit 50 realizes each process of the present embodiment described later by executing the program recorded in the above-mentioned non-volatile memory 56. The system memory 52 is, for example, a RAM, and the system control unit 50 expands the operating constants, variables, programs read from the non-volatile memory 56, and the like of the system control unit 50 into the system memory 52. The system control unit 50 also controls the display by controlling the memory 32, the D / A converter 19, the display unit 28, and the like.

The system timer 53 is a time measuring unit that measures the time used for various controls and the time of the built-in clock.

The power supply control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, the remaining battery level, and the like. Further, the power supply control unit 80 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control unit 50, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 200 for a necessary period. The power supply unit 30 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like.

The recording medium I / F18 is an interface with a recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 200 is a recording medium such as a memory card for recording a captured image, and is composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

The communication unit 54 transmits / receives video signals and audio signals to / from an external device connected by a wireless or wired cable. The communication unit 54 can also be connected to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. Further, the communication unit 54 can also communicate with an external device using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Bluetooth Low Energy. The communication unit 54 can transmit an image (including an LV image) captured by the image pickup unit 22 and an image recorded on the recording medium 200, and can receive image data and various other information from an external device.

The posture detection unit 55 detects the posture of the digital camera 100 with respect to the direction of gravity. Whether the image taken by the image pickup unit 22 based on the posture detected by the posture detection unit 55 is an image taken by holding the digital camera 100 horizontally or an image taken by holding the digital camera 100 vertically. Can be determined. The system control unit 50 can add orientation information according to the posture detected by the posture detection unit 55 to the image file of the image captured by the image pickup unit 22, or can rotate and record the image. be. As the posture detection unit 55, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like can be used. It is also possible to detect the movement (pan, tilt, lift, whether or not it is stationary, etc.) of the digital camera 100 by using the acceleration sensor or the gyro sensor which is the attitude detection unit 55.

The eyepiece detection unit 57 detects the approach (eyepiece) and separation (eyepiece) of the eye (object) to the eyepiece 16 of the eyepiece finder 17 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “finder”) (approach detection). It is a detection sensor. The system control unit 50 switches between display (display state) and non-display (non-display state) of the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 according to the state detected by the eyepiece detection unit 57. More specifically, at least in the shooting standby state and when the display destination is automatically switched, the display destination is set to the display unit 28 and the display is turned on and the EVF 29 is hidden during non-eye contact. Further, during eye contact, the display destination is set to EVF 29, the display is turned on, and the display unit 28 is hidden. As the eyepiece detection unit 57, for example, an infrared proximity sensor can be used, and it is possible to detect the approach of some object to the eyepiece unit 16 of the finder 17 having the EVF 29 built-in. When an object approaches, the infrared rays projected from the light projecting unit (not shown) of the eyepiece detection unit 57 are reflected by the object and received by the light receiving unit (not shown) of the infrared proximity sensor. From the amount of infrared rays received, it is possible to determine how close the object is from the eyepiece portion 16 (eyepiece distance). In this way, the eyepiece detection unit 57 performs eyepiece detection for detecting the close distance of the object to the eyepiece unit 16. When an object approaching the eyepiece portion 16 within a predetermined distance is detected from the non-eyepiece state (non-approaching state), it is assumed that the eyepiece is detected. When the object that has detected the approach is separated by a predetermined distance or more from the eyepiece state (approaching state), it is assumed that the eye has been removed. The threshold value for detecting the eyepiece and the threshold value for detecting the eyepiece may be different, for example, by providing a hysteresis. Further, after the eyepiece is detected, the eyepiece is assumed to be in the eyepiece state until the eyepiece is detected. After the eyepiece is detected, it shall be in a non-eyepiece state until the eyepiece is detected. The infrared proximity sensor is an example, and another sensor may be used for the eyepiece detection unit 57 as long as it can detect the approach of an eye or an object that can be regarded as an eyepiece.

The operation unit 70 is an input unit that receives an operation (user operation) from the user, and is used to input various operation instructions to the system control unit 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 70 includes a mode changeover switch 60, a shutter button 61, a power switch 72, a touch panel 70a, a touch bar 82, and the like. Further, the operation unit 70 includes a main electronic dial 71, a sub electronic dial 73, a four-way key 74, a SET button 75, a moving image button 76, an AE lock button 77, an enlargement button 78, and a play button 79 as other operation members 70b. Includes menu button 81, etc.

The mode changeover switch 60 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 50 to any one of a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, a playback mode, and the like. The modes included in the still image shooting mode include an auto shooting mode, an auto scene discrimination mode, a manual mode, an aperture priority mode (Av mode), a shutter speed priority mode (Tv mode), and a program AE mode (P mode). In addition, there are various scene modes, custom modes, etc. that are shooting settings for each shooting scene. From the mode changeover switch 60, the user can directly switch to any of these modes. Alternatively, after switching to the shooting mode list screen once with the mode changeover switch 60, it may be selectively switched to any of the displayed plurality of modes by using another operation member. Similarly, the moving image shooting mode may include a plurality of modes.

The shutter button 61 includes a first shutter switch 62 and a second shutter switch 64. The first shutter switch 62 is turned on by a so-called half-pressing (shooting preparation instruction) during the operation of the shutter button 61, and the first shutter switch signal SW1 is generated. The system control unit 50 starts shooting preparation operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing by the first shutter switch signal SW1. do.

The second shutter switch 64 is turned on when the operation of the shutter button 61 is completed, that is, when the shutter button 61 is fully pressed (shooting instruction), and the second shutter switch signal SW2 is generated. The system control unit 50 starts a series of shooting processes from reading the signal from the image pickup unit 22 to writing the captured image as an image file on the recording medium 200 by the second shutter switch signal SW2.

The touch panel 70a and the display unit 28 can be integrally configured. For example, the touch panel 70a is configured so that the light transmittance does not interfere with the display of the display unit 28, and is attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the display unit 28. Then, the input coordinates on the touch panel 70a are associated with the display coordinates on the display surface of the display unit 28. This makes it possible to provide a GUI (graphical user interface) as if the user can directly operate the screen displayed on the display unit 28. The system control unit 50 can detect the following operations or states on the touch panel 70a.

-A finger or pen that has not touched the touch panel 70a newly touches the touch panel 70a, that is, the start of touch (hereinafter referred to as touchdown).
-A state in which the touch panel 70a is touched with a finger or a pen (hereinafter referred to as touch-on).
-The finger or pen is moving while touching the touch panel 70a (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Move).
-The finger or pen that was touching the touch panel 70a is separated (released) from the touch panel 70a, that is, the end of the touch (hereinafter referred to as touch-up).
-A state in which nothing is touched on the touch panel 70a (hereinafter referred to as touch-off).

When a touchdown is detected, a touch-on is also detected at the same time. After touchdown, touch-on usually continues to be detected unless touch-up is detected. When a touch move is detected, touch-on is detected at the same time. Even if touch-on is detected, touch move is not detected unless the touch position is moved. After it is detected that all the fingers and pens that have been touched are touched up, the touch off is performed.

These operations / states and the position coordinates that the finger or the pen is touching on the touch panel 70a are notified to the system control unit 50 through the internal bus. Then, the system control unit 50 determines what kind of operation (touch operation) has been performed on the touch panel 70a based on the notified information. Regarding the touch move, the moving direction of the finger or pen moving on the touch panel 70a can also be determined for each vertical component / horizontal component on the touch panel 70a based on the change in the position coordinates. When it is detected that the touch move is performed for a predetermined distance or more, it is determined that the slide operation has been performed. An operation of quickly moving a finger on the touch panel 70a by a certain distance and then releasing the finger is called a flick. In other words, flicking is an operation of swiftly tracing on the touch panel 70a as if flicking with a finger. It can be determined that a flick has been performed when it is detected that the touch move is performed at a predetermined speed or more over a predetermined distance and the touch-up is detected as it is (it can be determined that there was a flick following the slide operation). Further, a touch operation in which a plurality of points (for example, two points) are touched together (multi-touch) to bring the touch positions closer to each other is referred to as a pinch-in, and a touch operation to move the touch positions away from each other is referred to as a pinch-out. Pinch out and pinch in are collectively called pinch operation (or simply pinch). The touch panel 70a may be any of various touch panels such as a resistance film method, a capacitance method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared ray method, an electromagnetic induction method, an image recognition method, and an optical sensor method. good. There are a method of detecting that there is a touch due to contact with the touch panel and a method of detecting that there is a touch due to the approach of a finger or a pen to the touch panel, but any method may be used.

Further, the system control unit 50 can detect the following operations or states on the touch bar 82.

-A finger that has not touched the touch bar 82 newly touches the touch bar 82, that is, the start of touch (hereinafter referred to as touchdown).
-A state in which the touch bar 82 is touched with a finger (hereinafter referred to as touch-on).
-The finger is moving while touching the touch bar 82 (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Move).
-The finger touching the touch bar 82 is separated (released) from the touch bar 82, that is, the end of the touch (hereinafter referred to as touch-up).
-A state in which nothing is touched on the touch bar 82 (hereinafter referred to as touch-off).

When a touchdown is detected, a touch-on is also detected at the same time. After touchdown, touch-on usually continues to be detected unless touch-up is detected. When a touch move is detected, touch-on is detected at the same time. Even if touch-on is detected, touch move is not detected unless the touch position is moved. After it is detected that all the fingers and pens that have been touched are touched up, the touch off is performed.

These operations / states and the position coordinates of the finger touching on the touch bar 82 are notified to the system control unit 50 through the internal bus, and the system control unit 50 what kind of information is on the touch bar 82 based on the notified information. Determine if an operation (touch operation) has been performed. For the touch move, the movement in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction) on the touch bar 82 is detected. When it is detected that the touch position has moved by a predetermined distance or more (moves by a predetermined amount or more), it is determined that the slide operation has been performed. It is determined that the tap operation has been performed when the finger is touched on the touch bar 82 and the touch is released within a predetermined time without performing the slide operation. In the present embodiment, the touch bar 82 is a capacitive touch sensor. However, a touch sensor of another method such as a resistance film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, an image recognition method, and an optical sensor method may be used.

<Arrangement and operation of touch bar 82>
FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the arrangement of the touch bar 82. As shown in FIG. 3A, the touch bar 82 is arranged adjacent to the finder 17 on the rear side of the digital camera 100. Further, the touch bar 82 is arranged adjacent to the sub electronic dial 73 and the thumb rest portion 91 which is the position of the thumb when the grip portion 90 is held by the right hand to hold the digital camera 100. The thumb rest portion 91 generally exists in the upper part of the region where the grip portion 90 on the front side of the digital camera 100 is projected on the back side. Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, the thumb rest portion 91 is often shown and the grip feeling is enhanced by attaching rubber or the like.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the touch bar 82 is provided so as to satisfy the following conditions 1 to 3.

Condition 1: A touch bar 82 is provided on the right side (first direction side) of the finder 17 on the back surface of the digital camera 100.

Condition 2: A touch bar 82 is provided on the left side (second direction side) of the grip portion 90 on the back surface of the digital camera 100.

Condition 3: The touch bar 82 is provided on the upper side of the digital camera 100 (the third direction side from the center toward the finder side in the direction perpendicular to the first direction) with respect to the center.

This makes it possible to easily operate the touch bar 82 while looking through the finder 17. Specifically, since the touch bar 82 is adjacent to the thumb rest portion 91, tap operation, left / right (X-axis direction) slide operation, etc. can be performed with the thumb of the right hand while holding the grip portion 90 with respect to the touch bar 82. It is easier to do. The touch bar 82 is a non-movable operating member, and as shown in FIG. 3A, is a single operating member covered with a single key top (cover). This is because if the capacitance type operating member has a movable mechanism or a split structure, the contact of the operating fingers may not be stable, and the operability and linearity during the slide operation may be impaired.

Further, the slide direction of the touch bar 82 is the same as the operation direction (rotation direction) when the sub electronic dial 73 is rotated so that it can be easily used in combination with other dial members. In other words, the sliding direction of the touch bar 82 is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the sub electronic dial 73. Further, in order to make it possible to intuitively understand the sliding direction (horizontal direction) of the touch bar 82 and to facilitate the sliding of the touch bar 82, the width of the touch bar 82 in the horizontal direction is the width in the vertical direction of the touch bar 82. Has been made longer than. Further, in order to prevent the touch bar 82 from being unintentionally touched, the touch bar 82 is provided on the uppermost side of the plurality of operating members provided on the back surface of the digital camera 100. Further, in order to prevent the touch bar 82 from being unintentionally touched, the touch bar 82 is provided on the back surface of the digital camera 100 except for the touch panel 70a, and is provided on the leftmost side of the plurality of operating members provided on the right side of the finder 17. It is provided in.

FIG. 3B is an enlarged view showing the inside of the touch bar 82 (lower layer of the key top). As shown in FIG. 3B, three touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, and 302c are arranged inside the touch bar 82. Each of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, and 302c is composed of copper foil wiring or the like of the printed circuit board 301, and has an electrode shape as shown in FIG. 3 (b). The system control unit 50 can read out the respective voltages (voltage output values) of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, and 302c. Then, the system control unit 50 can detect the voltage change amount, which is the voltage change amount from the base voltage (reference value adjusted or calibrated according to the environment), for each of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, 302c. be. The system control unit 50 weights and averages the voltage change amount (capacitance change amount) detected for each of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, and 302c, and sets the touch position in the X-axis direction (horizontal direction) from 0 to 255. The signal (touch coordinates) shown in the 256 steps of is acquired. 0 indicates the position on the leftmost side (finder 17 side), and 255 indicates the position on the rightmost side (thumb rest portion 91 side). Although the number of electrodes is three in FIG. 3B, the number of electrodes is not limited to three. Further, the electrode shape is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 3 (b). Further, the touch coordinates are not limited to the values in 256 steps.

FIG. 3C is an enlarged view showing the basic operation of the touch bar 82. Functions corresponding to the operation position and operation method can be assigned to the touch bar 82. Of the touch detection surface (key top) of the touch bar 82, tap operation (hereinafter, left tap) to the left side part 82L, which is a part of the left side, and to the right side part 82R, which is a part of the right side. Functions can be assigned individually to tap operations (hereinafter referred to as right taps). Further, it is possible to assign a function to the slide operation of the touch bar 82 to the left or right (direction indicated by the arrow 310) on the key top separately from the left tap and the right tap. That is, different functions can be registered for each operation location and operation method (for each operation type) of the touch bar 82. Left tap and right tap are classified as, for example, a left tap if the touch coordinate is 128 or less (left side from the center), and a right tap if the touch coordinate is 129 or more (right side from the center). It is possible to do. In addition, it is determined that the tap to the center is neither a left tap nor a right tap. For example, if the touch coordinate is 100 or less, the left tap is used, and if the touch coordinate is 155 or more, the right tap is used. You may judge.

An example of the function assigned to these operations will be described. The left tap is assigned a function to set the shooting ISO sensitivity of the digital camera 100 to 1/3 step low sensitivity, and the right tap is assigned a function to set the shooting ISO sensitivity to 1/3 step high sensitivity. Further, the slide (slide operation) is assigned a function of increasing / decreasing the shooting ISO sensitivity of the digital camera 100 by 1/3 step for each step of the slide (every time the touch coordinate moves a reference distance, for example, 43).

Furthermore, the functions assigned to these operations can be customized by the user. For example, the left tap can be assigned a function for automatically setting the shooting ISO sensitivity of the digital camera 100, and the right tap can be assigned a function for setting the shooting ISO sensitivity to the maximum ISO sensitivity. Various functions other than these can be assigned to the touch bar 82, and many functions can be executed by using the touch bar 82. Details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17.

Further, the system control unit 50 determines that the finger covers the entire surface of the touch bar 82 when the voltage change amount exceeds a certain threshold value in all of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, 302c of the touch bar 82. , This touch operation is determined as a full touch. As shown in FIG. 3D, the full-face touch is an operation method assuming that the touch bar 82 is touched by the entire abdomen of the thumb of the right hand that grips the grip portion 90. The functions assigned to slide, left tap, and right tap can be customized by the user, but unique functions are assigned to full touch, and the functions assigned to full touch cannot be changed. This makes it possible to immediately activate both the full touch function and the basic operation (slide and tap) functions. It should be noted that the enable / disable of the operation itself of touching the entire surface may be set.

The full touch has the following features.

-Characteristics that it is a special operation that touches the entire area up to the first joint with the thumb, which is the operating finger, pointing in the horizontal direction (X direction). Therefore, it is unlikely that a full-face touch will be performed by an unintended operation.-Since a fixed function (described later) is always set for the full-face touch, the user does not have to re-learn the set function. Features-The full touch function does not change regardless of what functions are assigned to the left tap, right tap, and slide, so the user can perform full touch with confidence.

The system control unit 50 determines a user operation on the touch bar 82, and executes an allocation function stored in advance in the non-volatile memory 56 according to the determined user operation. For example, the system control unit 50 changes the settings assigned to each touch operation by the user (changes in at least one of the exposure settings, the WB settings, and the AF settings). The touch bar 82 can be operated while looking through the finder 17. Therefore, the user may operate the touch bar 82 without visually recognizing it, but if the parameters of the above-mentioned shooting settings are erroneously changed, the shooting is adversely affected, and prevention of erroneous operation is required. Therefore, the following control for preventing erroneous operation is performed. The enabled state (unlocked state, unrestricted state) / disabled state (locked state, restricted state) of the touch operation to the touch bar 82 is switched. In the locked state, the left tap, right tap, and slide operation on the touch bar 82 are ignored, and even if these operations are performed, the function assigned to each operation is not executed. In the locked state, it is locked according to the fact that there was a resting 0.5 second touch (long touch) (there was an unlock operation) with respect to the left side 82L of the key top of the touch bar 82 without sliding. Is released and the status changes to the valid state. In addition, in the enabled state, the lock state is set according to the fact that there was a long touch for 2 seconds (there was a lock operation) for the left side 82L of the key top, or there was no operation for 10 seconds. Transition. Further, even if the touch bar 82 is in the enabled state, a long touch for a certain period of time (1 second in this embodiment) or longer is ignored regardless of the touch position, and left tap, right tap, and slide are performed by the touch operation. However, the functions assigned to them are not executed (touch cancel). The function assigned to the full touch is executed in response to the full touch regardless of whether it is in the enabled state or the locked state. Details of these controls will be described later using a flowchart.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation for switching between the effective state and the locked state is standardized by a long touch (touch continuation operation) which is relatively unlikely to occur during normal use of the digital camera 100. As a result, it is possible to make it difficult for an unintended switching between the locked state and the effective state to occur, and it becomes possible to switch between the locked state and the effective state with high accuracy. Since long touch, in which the touch is continued for a predetermined time or longer, is a relatively simple operation, it is easy to remember the operation method for switching between the enabled state and the locked state, and it is unlikely that the user forgets the operation method. Further, since the effective state and the locked state can be switched by operating the touch bar 82, it is not necessary to provide another operating member for switching between the effective state and the locked state, and the configuration is simple. Further, in the present embodiment, by making the touch duration for transitioning to the valid state shorter than the touch duration for transitioning to the locked state, the locked state can be released quickly, and the operation after the locked state can be performed. You will be able to do (shooting, etc.) quickly.

The reason why the left side portion 82L of the key top is used as an operation area (specific area) for switching between the effective state and the locked state will be described. When the user grips the grip portion 90 with the right hand and operates the touch bar 82 with the thumb of the right hand, the area relatively far from the grip portion 90 such as the left side portion 82L of the key top of the touch bar 82 is not intentionally touched. It is an area that is difficult to touch. Therefore, when there is a long touch on the left side portion 82L of the key top, it can be determined that there is an intention of locking or unlocking, so that the left side portion 82L of the key top is used as an operation area for switching between the locked state and the enabled state. Further, it can be said that the left side portion 82L of the key top is a region relatively close to the finder 17. An area relatively close to the protrusions protruding from the key top, such as the finder 17, is defined as an operation area for switching between the locked state and the enabled state. That is, the left side portion 82L, which is the region on the protrusion side (left side) of the touch detection surface of the touch bar 82, which is different from the other region (for example, the right side portion 82R) different from the left side portion 82L, is used as an operation area for switching the locked state / enabled state. There is. As a result, even if the abdomen and the back of the camera come into contact when the digital camera 100 is hung from the neck using the strap, the protrusions are stuck and the abdomen is on the left side 82L of the touch bar 82, which is relatively lower than the protrusions. It is unlikely to be touched and accidental unlocking is unlikely to occur. In addition, since the finger hits the protrusion (the protrusion in the direction perpendicular to the touch surface of the touch bar 82), the area close to the finder 17 (left side) of the area of the touch bar 82 is the most difficult to touch, and the intention of locking and unlocking is high. It can be pumped up with precision. It should be noted that the finder 17 cannot be exceeded at least when the rear side of the digital camera 100 is slid to the left with the thumb of the hand holding the grip portion 90 on the surface provided with the key top of the touch bar 82. It protrudes at the height. Further, the finder 17 is a protrusion that is closest to the touch bar 82 and protrudes from the operation surface.

A sub-electronic dial 73 is arranged on the right side of the touch bar 82 as a rotation operation member arranged closest to the touch bar 82. When the thumb of the hand holding the grip portion 90 is moved from right to left and the sub electronic dial 73 is turned, the thumb may accidentally touch the right side portion 82R of the key top of the touch bar 82. Even if the member is not a rotation operation member, the same erroneous contact occurs when a slide switch capable of receiving a slide operation for bringing the operating finger closer to the touch bar 82 is arranged near the touch bar 82 at the same position. Further, on the right side of the touch bar 82, no operation member is operated with the thumb at a position closer to the touch bar 82 than any operation member (a position on the right side of the touch bar 82 on the left side of any other operation member). There is a thumb rest portion 91 (finger rest portion) for placing the thumb in the case. Then, the right side portion 82R of the key top may be accidentally touched by moving a finger slightly from the thumb rest portion 91. Therefore, when the lock state is released by the touch operation on the right side portion 82R of the key top, the lock state is released by the user's unintended touch operation on the touch bar 82, and the setting change not intended by the user is performed. There is a risk. Therefore, the touch operation to the right side portion 82R of the key top is not used as the trigger operation for releasing the locked state. That is, even if there is a long touch of 0.5 seconds on the right side 82R, the lock state is not switched to the enabled state, and even if there is a long touch of 2 seconds on the right side 82R, the switch from the enabled state to the locked state is performed. Do not do.

As described above, it is important to provide an operation area for switching the locked state / enabled state on the left side of the touch surface of the touch bar 82.

<Lock state processing>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of the lock state processing performed by the digital camera 100. This process is realized by the system control unit 50 expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program. When the M-Fn bar (touch bar 82) erroneous operation prevention function is set to "enabled (temporarily available)" and the touch bar 82 is in the locked state, the process of FIG. 4 is started (M-Fn). The bar erroneous operation prevention function will be described later). When the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is set to "enabled (temporarily available)", the initial state after the power is turned on is the locked state. Therefore, when the digital camera 100 is started in the shooting mode when the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is set to "valid (temporarily usable)", the process of FIG. 4 is started. The factory default setting is "Valid (temporarily usable)". When the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is set to "invalid (always available)", the process of FIG. 10 is performed without the process of FIG. 4.

In S400, the system control unit 50 resets the full-face touch continuation timer Tc for measuring the duration of full-face touch to the touch bar 82. This is done to stop the full touch continuation timer Tc when the process is returned to S400 from S406, S409, S411, S432 and the like. Not only when the processing is returned from S406, S409, S411, S432 and the like to S400, but also when the entire touch to the touch bar 82 is completed, the entire touch continuation timer Tc may be stopped. The full touch continuation timer Tc is assumed to be 1 second in this embodiment.

In S401, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been a touchdown to the touch bar 82. If there is a touchdown, the process proceeds to S404, and if not, the process proceeds to S402.

In S402, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the item erasing timer Td (3 seconds in the present embodiment) until the bar indicator is hidden has expired. If the item erasure timer Td has expired, the process proceeds to S403, otherwise the process proceeds to S401. FIG. 7D shows a display example of the bar indicator 702. When the unlock operation is started in the locked state, the bar indicator 702 is superimposed on the LV image 700 to indicate various operation states. When the touch operation disappears in the locked state (without releasing the lock) and the state of no operation with respect to the touch bar 82 continues for a predetermined time (the period of the item erasing timer Td), the bar indicator 702 is hidden. That is, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the last touch on the touch bar 82, the bar indicator 702 is hidden. This indicates that the tap and slide operations on the touch bar 82 are in an unacceptable locked state.

In S403, the system control unit 50 hides the bar indicator 702 displayed on the shooting standby screen, and displays the shooting standby screen as shown in FIG. 7A on the display unit 28 or EVF 29. On the shooting standby screen, a setting display item 701 indicating a shooting setting status is displayed superimposed on the LV image 700. The setting display item 701 indicates that the currently set ISO value is 10000 in the example of FIG. 7A. Since the user sets the composition and shooting parameters while looking at the LV image 700, it is desirable not to display unnecessary items on the live view image as much as possible. Therefore, when the touch bar 82 is not operated for a while in the locked state, the bar indicator 702 is hidden to prevent the LV image 700 from being visually obstructed. Further, since the bar indicator 702 is not displayed, the user can be made to recognize that the touch bar 82 is not in the enabled state.

In S404, the system control unit 50 starts after resetting the time measurement of the full-face touch determination timer Ta. It is determined whether or not the full touch to the touch bar 82 is started only during the timing of the full touch determination timer Ta (during counting, that is, during the period from the start of touch to Ta). In addition, during the timekeeping of the full-face touch determination timer Ta, it is not determined whether or not there has been a slide to the touch bar 82. As a result, when the user intentionally touches the entire surface, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation that is determined to be a slide due to the shape of the user's finger or the habit of the contact operation. In the present embodiment, the function assigned to the full-face touch is the display of a fixed screen called the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. That is, the full touch is a shortcut operation for displaying the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. Therefore, it is determined whether or not there is a full touch only after the touch down to the touch bar 82. In this embodiment, the full touch determination timer Ta is 180 msec (0.18 seconds). If the full touch determination timer Ta is too long, even if there is a slide during that period, the process that responds to the slide is not performed, so that the user feels that the responsiveness to the slide operation is low. According to the experiment by the applicant of the present application, there was a user who felt that the response to the slide operation was low when the full touch determination timer Ta was 240 msec. On the contrary, if the full-face touch determination timer Ta is too short, depending on the shape of the finger, the full-face touch determination timer Ta tends to expire before the entire surface of the finger is pressed, making it difficult to detect the full-face touch. Alternatively, there is a high possibility that the slide will be erroneously determined in the operation process for touching the entire surface. According to the experiment by the applicant of the present application, there was a subject who felt that the response to the slide operation was low when the full-face touch determination timer Ta was 360 msec. In addition, there was a subject who felt that the full touch determination timer Ta could not be activated well even if the full touch operation was performed at 100 msec. The longer the full-face touch determination timer Ta is, the better the full-face touch operation can be activated. Therefore, the full-face touch determination timer Ta is preferably more than 100 msec and less than 240 msec (0.24 seconds).

In S405, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the touchdown position of S401 is the keytop left side portion 82L of the touch bar 82. In the case of the left side portion 82L of the key top, the touchdown of S401 may be an operation of switching the touch bar 82 from the locked state to the enabled state, so the process proceeds to S413. If this is not the case, the touchdown of S401 is not an operation of switching the touch bar 82 from the locked state to the enabled state, but since there is a possibility that it is a full touch, the process proceeds to S406.

In S406, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. If there is a touch-up, the process proceeds to S400, and if not (when the touch-on to the touch bar 82 continues), the process proceeds to S407.

In S407, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the full-face touch determination timer Ta has expired. If the full touch determination timer Ta has expired (when the period Ta has elapsed from the start of touch), the process proceeds to S409, and if not, the process proceeds to S408.

In S408, the system control unit 50 performs full-face touch start determination processing (determination processing of whether or not full-face touch to the touch bar 82 has been started). The details of the full touch start determination process will be described later with reference to FIG. A long touch is assumed as the full-face touch in order to prevent erroneous judgment of the full-face touch, and when it is determined in S408 that the full-face touch is started, the full-face touch continuation timer Tc (1 second in this embodiment) is started. .. When the touch to the touch bar 82 is continued, S406 to S407 are repeatedly executed until the full-face touch determination timer Ta expires. When the full touch determination timer Ta expires, the process proceeds from S407 to S409.

S409 to S412 are processes for waiting for the expiration of the full-face touch continuation timer Tc. If the full touch to the touch bar 82 is not continued until the full touch continuation timer Tc expires, it is considered that the user has no intention of continuing the full touch, and the process proceeds to S400. If the full touch continues until the full touch continuation timer Tc expires, it is considered that the user intends to continue the full touch, and the process proceeds to the M-Fn bar customization setting process. In the M-Fn bar customization setting process, the M-Fn bar customization setting screen is displayed on the display unit 28 or the EVF 29. The details of the M-Fn bar customization setting process will be described later with reference to FIG.

Specifically, in S409, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. If there is a touch-up, proceed to S400, otherwise proceed to S410. In S410, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been a slide to the touch bar 82. If there is a slide, the process proceeds to S411, and if not, the process proceeds to S412. In S411, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. If there is a touch-up, proceed to S400, otherwise proceed to S410. Once it is determined that there is a slide (yes is determined in S410), the touch operation by that touch is no longer a full-scale touch, so the process does not proceed to S412. In S412, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the full-face touch continuation timer Tc has expired. If the full touch continuation timer Tc has expired, the process proceeds to the M-Fn bar customization setting process, and if not, the process proceeds to S409. Even if it is not determined in S408 that the full-face touch is started and the time counting of the full-face touch determination timer Ta is not started, it is determined as No in S412 and the process proceeds to S409.

The M-Fn bar customization setting process (setting confirmation or setting change) can also be started by selecting an item on the menu screen, but it is not possible to select the M-Fn bar customization menu item from multiple menu items each time. It's a hassle. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a shortcut function for shifting to the M-Fn bar customization setting process is assigned to the entire touch. As a result, the user can confirm the M-Fn bar customization setting screen (confirmation screen of the allocation function) as shown in FIG. 15A by simply touching the entire surface, and any allocation function of the touch bar 82 ( You can check the functions assigned to taps and slides). In addition, the user can quickly customize the touch bar 82 by using the M-Fn bar customization setting screen.

Since the touch bar 82 is an operation member capable of customizing and setting various functions for various operation methods, it is important to provide an operation guide for informing a beginner of the usage method. Therefore, the screen that transitions by touching the entire surface may be used as an operation explanation screen for beginners regarding the touch bar 82. In that case, it is possible to move to S414 via the operation explanation screen for beginners. FIG. 13A shows an example of the M-Fn bar guide screen, which is an operation explanation screen for beginners. The M-Fn bar guide screen of FIG. 13A shows that the function can be assigned to the touch bar 82, and is a guide screen for the touch bar 82 and a guide screen for customizing the M-Fn bar. Further, the confirmation screen of the assignment function of the touch bar 82 does not have to be the M-Fn bar customization setting screen for customizing the touch bar 82. Instead of the setting screen used for customizing the touch bar 82, the screen may be changed to the confirmation-only screen used for confirming the allocation function of the touch bar 82 by touching the entire surface.

If the touchdown position of S401 is the left side portion 82L of the touch bar 82, is the system control unit 50 assigned some function to the touch operation (slide, tap) to the touch bar 82 by the user in S413? Judge whether or not. If the function has been assigned, the process proceeds to S420, and if not, the process proceeds to S414. Functions can be registered (assigned) for each type of touch operation, and in the present embodiment, functions can be assigned to each of a right tap, a left tap, and a slide. The function is assigned based on the operation of specifying the assignment function from the user, which is performed on the M-Fn bar customization screen described later. In the factory default state (default setting), functions are not assigned to any of the left tap, right tap, and slide. Therefore, when the digital camera 100 is used for the first time after purchase, it is determined as No in S413. Therefore, when a user who is not familiar with the touch bar 82 tries to touch the touch bar 82, if it is the left side portion 82L, the process proceeds to S414. Since the M-Fn bar guide screen is displayed by the process described later, even a user who is not familiar with the touch bar 82 can understand how to use the M-Fn bar (registering and using the allocation function). can.

In S414, the system control unit 50 performs the M-Fn bar guide display determination process. When the determination result to be displayed is obtained, the M-Fn bar guide screen (guide screen for prompting function assignment) as shown in FIG. 13A is displayed on the display unit 28 or the EVF 29. If the judgment result is not displayed, the M-Fn bar guide screen is not displayed. The M-Fn bar guide screen of FIG. 13A shows that the function can be assigned to the touch bar 82, and is a guide screen for the touch bar 82 and a guide screen for customizing the M-Fn bar. The details of the M-Fn bar guide display determination process will be described later with reference to FIG. Since the touch bar 82 is not assigned any function, the lock is not released, but since there is a possibility of full touch, the process proceeds to S406 after S414. As described above, in the present embodiment, the M-Fn bar guide screen is displayed only when the operation (touch down) to the touch bar 82 is detected and the function is not assigned to the touch bar 82. A user who already knows the function of the touch bar 82 is likely to assign the function to the touch bar 82. Therefore, by the above processing, the guide regarding the function of the touch bar 82 can be shown only to the user who does not know the function of the touch bar 82. That is, a guide regarding the function of the operating member can be shown with less annoyance. The M-Fn bar guide screen is not displayed even if the right side portion 82R of the touch surface of the touch bar 82 is touched, and the M-Fn bar guide screen is displayed according to the start of touching the left side portion 82L. The reason why the trigger area for displaying the M-Fn bar guide screen is limited to the left side 82L is that the touch bar 82 is not intentionally touched as in the operation area for switching between the locked state and the enabled state. This is to prevent erroneous activation of. That is, if the M-Fn bar guide screen is displayed even though the user does not intend to operate the touch bar 82, the display becomes annoying, but the possibility of such a situation is reduced. In this way, regarding the operation member to which the function can be assigned by the user, displaying the guide regarding the operation member according to the operation when the function is not assigned is not limited to the touch bar 82, but other devices. It is also suitable to be applied to various types of operating members. For example, when a function can be assigned to an operation member such as a push button, a rotary dial, a joystick, a pointing stick, a mouse, a touch pad, or a touch panel, a guide display for the operation member is performed according to the operation in the unassigned state. Is good.

In S420, the system control unit 50 starts after resetting the clock of the unlock timer Tr (0.5 seconds in this embodiment) for switching the touch bar 82 from the locked state to the enabled state. If the unlock timer Tr is short, the lock release timer Tr becomes effective with only a slight touch of the finger, so that there is a high possibility that an erroneous operation will occur. If the unlock timer Tr is long, it takes time to unlock, which delays the start of operation and leads to missed shooting opportunities. Therefore, in order to exclude touch operations that are not intentional unlock operations by the user and prevent erroneous operations, the unlock timer Tr should be 0.3 seconds or more even if the time is different from 0.5 seconds. Is preferable. Further, by making the lock release timer Tr shorter than the lock timer Tr (details will be described later) for switching the touch bar 82 from the enabled state to the locked state, the lock can be released quickly while reducing erroneous operations. If the lock timer Tl is short, the lock timer Tl is immediately locked, which is troublesome and makes it difficult to continuously operate the touch bar 82. Further, since it is not necessary to lock quickly, the lock timer Tl is preferably 2 seconds or more and 5 seconds or less. For example, when the lock timer Tr is 2 seconds, it is desirable that the unlock timer Tr is 0.3 seconds or more and less than 2 seconds.

In S421, the system control unit 50 displays the unlock progress. FIG. 7B shows a display example of the unlock progress display. When the shooting standby screen as shown in FIG. 7A is displayed, the bar indicator 702 is displayed superimposed on the LV image 700 as shown in FIG. 7B in response to the touchdown to the left side portion 82L. Then, the progress bar is displayed using the left half of the bar indicator 702. The rectangle 703 is a progress bar portion showing the progress until unlocking using the left half of the bar indicator 702, and is displayed so as to be distinguishable from the right half. By showing the left half of the bar indicator 702, the unlock operation is performed by touching the left side portion 82L of the touch bar 82, and it is shown that the unlock operation is correctly performed at the present time. The right side of the rectangle 703 is displayed in dark gray (gray close to black), and the left side is displayed in light gray (gray close to white). By displaying the rectangle 703 in gray in the area on the left side of the bar indicator 702, the position where the touch is performed is shown, and unlike the touch start display in the enabled state described later, the tap is supported even if the touch is released. Indicates a locked state in which the function is not executed. The light gray on the left side of the rectangle 703 shows the current progress rate from the user touching down to the left side 82L of the touch bar 82 until the Tr elapses, and sequentially from the left according to the duration of the touch. The display range expands to the right. In the example of FIG. 7B, it can be seen that the progress rate is about 50%. The dark gray on the right side indicates the remaining time until the unlock timer Tr expires. When the duration of the touch to the left side portion 82L reaches the unlock timer Tr (0.5 seconds), the light gray portion of the rectangle 703 reaches the center of the bar indicator 702, indicating that the Tr has expired. By displaying the rectangle 703 as a progress bar in this way, the user can understand that the touch must be continued for a while to unlock. Although the rectangle 703 is displayed as a progress bar in the present embodiment as the unlock progress display, the remaining time and the progress rate (percentage) may be displayed numerically. The icon 704 is displayed with the character string "ON" grayed out. This indicates that the currently accepted touch operation is for unlocking and enabling the state, and that it is not yet enabled (ON) because it is grayed out. ..

In S422, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the full-face touch determination timer Ta has expired. If the full touch determination timer Ta has expired, the process proceeds to S425, and if not, the process proceeds to S423.

In S423, the system control unit 50 performs the same full-face touch start determination process as in S408. When it is determined in S423 that the full touch is started, the time counting of the full touch continuation timer Tc is started.

In S424, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been a touch-up from the touch bar 82. If there is a touch-up, the process proceeds to S431, and if not, the process proceeds to S436.

In S425, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the unlock timer Tr has expired. If the unlock timer Tr has expired, that is, if the touch is touched down to the left side 82L of the touch bar 82 and then the touch continues for the period of Tr without being slid, the process proceeds to S426, and if not, the process proceeds to S430. ..

In S426, the system control unit 50 releases the locked state of the touch bar 82 and transitions it to the effective state. Since it is necessary to continue the touch-on to the touch bar 82 for the period of the unlock timer Tr for the transition to the valid state, the erroneous operation of unlocking is reduced.

In S427, the system control unit 50 displays the unlock confirmation on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. FIG. 7C shows a display example of the unlock confirmation display. The light gray portion of the rectangle 703 described in FIG. 7B reaches the center of the bar indicator 702, and the progress rate is 100% (touching the left side portion 82L continues for the Tr period). Shows. The icon 704 indicates that the character string "ON" is displayed in white (that is, the grayout is released), the locked state of the touch bar 82 is released, and the touch bar 82 is in the valid state (ON).

In S428, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. If there is a touch-up, the process proceeds to the valid state process, and if not, the process proceeds to S429. The details of the effective state processing will be described later with reference to FIG. In the touch operation for switching to the enabled state (touch of the unlock operation), the assignment function (function assigned to the tap or slide) assigned by the user to the touch bar 82 is not executed. After that, the allocation function is executed according to the tap or slide performed after it is determined in S428 that the touch is once released.

In S429, the system control unit 50 displays without operation on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. FIG. 7D shows a display example of a display example without operation. The bar indicator 702 is displayed superimposing on the LV image 700. Nothing is displayed inside the bar indicator 702, and no touch operation is currently performed on the touch bar 82 to trigger execution of the assignment function assigned to each operation of the touch bar 82. Is shown. As a result, the user can recognize that it is better to release the touch because no function is executed even if the touch bar 82 is continuously touched. In the locked state, the touch is released to display no operation, and after a while (when the item deletion timer Td expires), the bar indicator 702 is hidden and the screen returns to the display screen of FIG. 7A. By displaying such a display, the user can recognize that the left touch is interrupted (such as when the finger is released from the touch bar 82). Further, the bar indicator 702 is hidden after a while, so that it can be recognized that the touch bar 82 is still in the locked state.

In S430, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. If there is a touch-up, the process proceeds to S431, and if not, the process proceeds to S433.

In S431, the system control unit 50 performs a no-operation display as shown in FIG. 7D, similarly to S429. As a result, the user can recognize that the touch bar 82 has been touched by the previous touch operation, but has not performed an effective touch operation such that some assignment function is executed. .. In this case, since the locked state is not released and is maintained, the bar indicator 702 is hidden after a predetermined time (Td described later) has elapsed from the touch-up, so that the operation on the touch bar 82 cannot be accepted. Indicates that the lock state is high.

In S432, the system control unit 50 starts counting the item erasure timer Td until the bar indicator 702 is hidden. Then, since the unlock timer Tr has not expired, the locked state is maintained and the process proceeds to S400.

In S433, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been a slide to the touch bar 82. In the present embodiment, the movement amount M (| Pref (= Ptd) of the touch position on the touch bar 82 is obtained from the reference position Ref which is the touch position Ptd when executing S401 (touchdown) and the touch position Pc when executing S433. ) -Pc |) is calculated. Although the slide determination is not performed during the time measurement of the full-face touch determination timer Ta, the movement of the finger (the finger touching the touch bar 82) during the time measurement of the full-face touch determination timer Ta is included in the movement amount M. When the slide determination threshold value W <movement amount M, it is determined that there is a slide, and if not, it is determined that there is no slide. In the present embodiment, the slide determination threshold value W is the above-mentioned reference distance (= 43). If there is a slide, the process proceeds to S434, and if not, the process proceeds to S436.

In S434, since the unlock operation was interrupted by sliding to the touch bar 82, the system control unit 50 displays the same no-operation display as in S429 described above on the display unit 28 and EVF 29. The fact that there was a slide means that the touch operation is neither a full touch nor an unlock operation. Therefore, beyond S434, only the touch-up determination is performed until the touch is released.

In S435, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. Wait until there is a touch-up, and if there is a touch-up, proceed to S432. At this time, since the unlock timer Tr has not expired, the locked state is maintained.

In S436, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the unlock timer Tr is clocking. If the time is being measured (that is, if the touch to the left side portion 82L is continued), the process proceeds to S437, and if not (that is, if it is determined that the full touch is started), the process proceeds to S438. If it is determined that the entire touch has started at this point, the unlock timer Tr is stopped, so that it is determined as No in S436.

In S437, the system control unit 50 updates the unlock progress display displayed in S421 according to the duration of touching the left side unit 82L.

In S438, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the full-face touch continuation timer Tc has expired. When the full touch continuation timer Tc has expired, the process proceeds to the M-Fn bar customization setting process including the display of the M-Fn bar customization setting screen, and if not, the process proceeds to S422. The M-Fn bar customization setting process will be described later with reference to FIG.

<Valid state processing>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the details of the valid state processing. This process is realized by the system control unit 50 expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program.

In S501, the system control unit 50 resets the non-operation timer Tn (10 seconds in this embodiment) and starts the timing of the non-operation timer Tn. Further, the system control unit 50 resets the entire touch continuation timer Tc in the same manner as in S400.

In S502, the system control unit 50 displays the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 without any operation. A display example of the no-operation display is shown in FIG. 8 (a). This display is the same as the display described with reference to FIG. 7D, and the bar indicator 702 is displayed superimposed on the LV image 700. In the enabled state, the bar indicator 702 is displayed regardless of the presence or absence of a touch operation in order to indicate that the tap or slide for the touch bar 82 can be accepted. That is, in the locked state, the bar indicator 702 was hidden after the item erasing timer Td had elapsed after the touch-up. On the other hand, in the enabled state, the bar indicator 702 is not hidden even if the item erasing timer Td has elapsed after touching up. Nothing is displayed inside the bar indicator 702 in the no-operation display, and a touch operation that triggers the touch bar 82 to execute the assignment function currently assigned to various operations of the touch bar 82 is performed. Indicates that it has not been done. However, since the display continues even though the touch bar 82 has not been touched, the user can recognize that the tap or slide to the touch bar 82 is in the valid state. That is, it is possible to know whether or not the touch bar 82 can be operated depending on whether or not the bar indicator 702 is displayed without actually operating the touch bar 82. When the display without operation in the locked state (FIG. 7 (d)) is performed, the allocation function is not executed even if the tap or slide is performed, but the display without operation in the enabled state (FIG. 8 (a)) is performed. ) Is performed, the allocation function is executed if a tap or slide is performed. In order to make the user aware of the difference in this state, the bar indicator 702 is displayed between the display without operation in the locked state (FIG. 7 (d)) and the display without operation in the enabled state (FIG. 8 (a)). The form may be different (for example, the color of the outer frame may be changed).

In S503, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the non-operation timer Tn has expired. If the no-operation timer Tn has expired (if there is no valid touch operation on the touch bar 82 during the Tn period), the process proceeds to S504, and if not, the process proceeds to S506.

In S504, the system control unit 50 displays the lock confirmation on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. FIG. 7 (f) shows a display example of the lock confirmation display. The icon 714 indicates that the character string "OFF" is displayed in white (that is, the grayout is canceled), and the touch bar 82 has changed from the enabled state to the locked state (OFF). The transition from the valid state to the locked state is performed by at least two factors: the lock timer Tl (described later) by the lock operation and the non-operation during the period of the non-operation timer Tn. In the lock confirmation display at the time of transition to the lock state due to the expiration of the non-operation timer Tn, nothing is particularly displayed inside the bar indicator 702 as shown in FIG. 7 (f). In the lock confirmation display at the time of transition to the lock state due to the expiration of the lock timer Tl by the lock operation, the light gray part of the rectangle 713 described in FIG. 7 (e) described later is a bar, which is different from FIG. 7 (f). It may be a display form that reaches the center of the indicator 702.

In S505, the system control unit 50 shifts the touch bar 82 to the locked state. Then, the process proceeds to the lock state process of FIG. In this embodiment, the non-operation timer Tn is 10 seconds. If the non-operation timer Tn is too short, the user must unlock it frequently and the operability deteriorates. If the non-operation timer Tn is too long, the user accidentally uses the touch bar 82 without being aware of it. An erroneous operation of touching the 82 is likely to occur.

In S506, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been a touchdown to the touch bar 82. If there is a touchdown, the process proceeds to S507, and if not, the process proceeds to S503.

In S507, the system control unit 50 performs a touch start display on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. FIG. 8B shows a display example of the touch start display. FIG. 8B is a display example of the touch start display when the function is assigned to the left tap and the touch bar 82 is touched down to the left side portion 82L of the touch bar 82 in the enabled state. The rectangle 801 is displayed in the display area of the left half of the bar indicator 702 so that it can be seen that the left side portion 82L of the key top has been touched down. When the right side portion 82R of the key top of the touch bar 82 is touched down, a rectangle similar to the rectangle 706 is displayed on the right half of the bar indicator 702. The touch bar 82 is difficult to recognize where the left and right borders are apparently, and is particularly difficult to recognize when operating while looking through the finder 17. By displaying a rectangle so that the touched down part can be seen as shown in FIG. 8 (b), even if the left and right boundaries are not apparent from the appearance of the member, the user touches down the left side or touches the right side. It is possible to recognize whether it is down or not. The rectangle 801 is displayed in a light orange outer frame with a dark orange (brown) middle coat. Compared to the tap confirmation display described later, the display is inconspicuous due to the dark orange part. This indicates that the touch is currently in the stage of starting, the operation has not been confirmed yet, and the event has not been issued. The user can see the rectangle 801 in FIG. 8B and recognize that if the touch is released in this state, it becomes a left tap, and if it slides to the right, it is accepted as a slide from left to right.

In S508, the system control unit 50 resets the full-face touch determination timer Ta and the invalid timer Ti, and starts the timing of the full-face touch determination timer Ta and the timing of the invalid timer Ti. The invalid timer Ti is a timer for preventing an arbitrary assignment function (a function assigned to a tap or a slide) from being activated by touching the touch bar 82 for a long time. In order to measure the time from the touchdown to the touch bar 82, the full-face touch determination timer Ta and the invalid timer Ti are reset, and their timing is started. In the present embodiment, the invalid timer Ti is 1 second, and as soon as the invalid timer Ti is short, the touch is invalidated and the slide operation cannot be performed. On the contrary, if the invalid timer Ti is long, the allocation function is liable to be erroneously activated by a touch that is not intended to be operated, such as a touch by grasping when carrying the digital camera 100. Further, since the system control unit 50 is not non-operational, the non-operation timer Tn is temporarily stopped, and the count value Tcn of the non-operation timer Tn at the time of S508 is held. In the present embodiment, the non-operation timer Tn is used to measure the time in the non-operation state from the time when the last effective operation (touch operation in which an arbitrary allocation function is activated) is completed. The count value Tcn is used as a variable for determining the initial value of the no-operation timer Tn when the next no-operation state is detected without performing a valid operation.

Although the non-operation timer Tn is paused in order to effectively utilize the timer resource so that the timer can be used by other camera functions, it is not essential to pause the non-operation timer Tn at the time of touchdown. If the non-operation timer Tn is not paused at the time of touchdown, the invalid timer Ti is not locked when the non-operation timer Tn expires, and the non-operation timer Tn expires when the invalid timer Ti expires. You may lock it. As a result, an operation similar to the case where the non-operation timer Tn is temporarily stopped at the time of touchdown can be realized. The timer resource can also be effectively utilized by stopping the non-operation timer Tn at the time of sliding, which is an effective operation, and resetting and starting the non-operation timer Tn according to the touch-up after the slide. When a touch operation to which a function (a function corresponding to the current shooting mode) is performed is performed, the time counting of the non-operation timer Tn may be continued.

In S509, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the touchdown position of S508 is the key top left side portion 82L of the touch bar 82. In the case of the left side portion 82L of the key top, there is a possibility that the operation is to lock the touch bar 82. Therefore, proceed to S510, and if not, proceed to S511.

In S510, the system control unit 50 starts the clock of the lock timer Tl (2 seconds in this embodiment).

In S511, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the full-face touch determination timer Ta has expired. If the full touch determination timer Ta has expired, the process proceeds to S520, and if not, the process proceeds to S512.

In S512, the system control unit 50 performs full-face touch start determination processing (determination processing of whether or not full-face touch to the touch bar 82 has been started). The details of the full touch start determination process will be described later with reference to FIG. When it is determined in S512 that the full touch is started, the time counting of the full touch continuation timer Tc is started.

In S513, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been a touch-up from the touch bar 82 until the full-face touch determination timer Ta expires. If there is a touch-up, the process proceeds to S514, and if not, the process proceeds to S511. In S511 to S513, there is no determination as to whether or not there was a slide, and before it is determined in S513 that it is a touch-up or in S511 it is determined that Ta has expired, even if there is a slide operation, it is assigned to the slide. The specified function will not be executed. This is because the period from the start of touch to Ta is such that the slide is excluded as a period for determining whether or not the full touch is started. In the process of the user's operation to start the full touch, when dividing into minute units, the tip of the finger pad first touches to generate a touch with a small area, and then the entire finger pad is pressed. A large area of touch is generated. Since the touch area fluctuates during this period, the center of gravity of the touch may shift, and the detected touch position may move beyond the slide determination threshold value W. However, this occurs in the process of trying to make a full touch, and is not intended for the user to slide. Therefore, it is not determined whether or not there is a slide during the period of Ta from the start of touch so that the function assigned to the slide is not executed by such movement of the touch position.

That is, when the user intentionally touches the entire surface, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation that is determined to be a slide due to the shape of the user's finger or the habit of the contact operation.

In S514, the system control unit 50 performs a slide determination (determination of whether or not there has been a slide to the touch bar 82) that was not performed between S511 and S513. When the difference | Ptd-Pc | between the touch position Ptd at the time of executing S506 (touch down) and the touch position Pc at the time of executing S513 (touch up) exceeds the slide determination threshold value W, it is determined that there is a slide. do. If it is determined that there is a slide, the process proceeds to S515. If this is not the case, it is determined that there was a tap because the touch time is equal to or less than the full touch determination timer Ta (180 msec), that is, the invalid timer Ti (> Ta) has not expired, and the process proceeds to S517. In this way, the slide is not determined during the Ta period during which the touch is continued from the start of the touch, but if the touch is released without starting the full touch even within Ta from the start of the touch. , Determine if there was a slide. Then, the presence / absence of the slide and the determination of the moving distance at this time are determined retroactively to the touch position (Ptd) at the start of the touch. As a result, it is possible to perform a function after touching up a slide that is performed in a short time less than Ta, such as a quick trace (flick) operation of the touch bar 82, and the user feels that the operation responsiveness is low. The possibility of causing it is reduced. If it is determined that there is a slide, the slide amount is also calculated in the same manner as in S520 described later.

In S515, the system control unit 50 displays the slide response display on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. FIG. 8D shows a display example of the slide response display. FIG. 8D is a display example of the slide response display when the ISO sensitivity change is assigned to the slide and the touch bar 82 is slid from left to right while the touch bar 82 is enabled. The gradation 804 displayed on the bar indicator 702 is displayed so that the direction of the gradation is different according to the moving direction of the slide. In the example of FIG. 8D, the slide becomes brighter from the left side to the right side, indicating that the slide is performed from the left side to the right side. At this time, the ISO value gauge 803 displayed in association with the bar indicator 702 scrolls from the left side to the right side according to the slide from the left to the right. On the contrary, when the slide from right to left is performed, the slide from the right side to the left side is expressed by displaying the gradation that becomes brighter from the right side to the left side on the bar indicator 702. Then, the ISO value displayed in association with the bar indicator 702 scrolls from the right side to the left side according to the slide from the right to the left. By matching the slide direction of the touch bar 82 with the scroll direction of the display item (gauge 803) indicating the set value, the setting can be intuitively changed by sliding the touch bar 82. Further, the gradation 804 is displayed over the entire area including both the display area on the left side and the display area on the right side of the bar indicator 702. This indicates that the slide operation can be performed in a wide area including the left side portion 82L and the right side portion 82R of the touch bar 82. In the present embodiment, the slide direction is represented by the color (brightness) of the gradation, but the slide direction may be visually understood by another method. The gauge 803 is displayed to make it easier to understand how the ISO value is changed by the sliding operation of the touch bar 82. In the example of FIG. 8D, the screen when the slide operation for one slide is performed from the state where the ISO value is 10000 is shown, and the ISO value indicated by the gauge 803 is equivalent to 10000 to 1/3 step. It has increased to 12800. Similar to the gauge 803, the setting display item 701 also indicates that the ISO value has been changed to 12800 by the slide operation of the touch bar 82.

In S516, the system control unit 50 executes a slide event. This will perform the assigned function, if any, if the slide has a assigned function. For example, the ISO value is changed from 10000 to 12800 according to the slide for one step from left to right. It should be noted that S515 and S516 are performed substantially at the same time. Subsequently, the process returns to S501 and the process is repeated. When the touch bar 82 is enabled, even if the touch duration is short (for example, even if the touch duration is less than the unlock timer Tr time (less than 0.5 seconds)), a slide event or a tap event Is executed.

In S517, the system control unit 50 performs a tap confirmation display on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. FIG. 8C shows a display example of the tap confirmation display. In FIG. 8 (c), the IISO sensitivity "change the setting to the left" (FIG. 16) is assigned to the left tap, and when the touch bar 82 is enabled and tapped on the left side 82L of the touch bar 82. This is a display example of the tap confirmation display. The rectangle 802 is displayed on the left half of the bar indicator 702 so that the left tap of the touch bar 82 can be seen. When the touch bar 82 is tapped to the right, a rectangle similar to the rectangle 802 is displayed on the right half of the bar indicator 702. The rectangle 802 is middle-painted with bright orange, which is brighter than the middle-painted dark orange of the rectangle 801 of the touch start display. By displaying the display form in the bar indicator 702 in different modes in this way, it is possible to make the user recognize whether the bar indicator 702 has been touched down or touched up (tapped). FIG. 8 (c) shows a screen when the left tap is performed from the state where the ISO value shown in FIG. 8 (b) is 10000, and the ISO value of the setting display item 701'is set by the left tap of the touch bar 82. It means that it was changed to 8000. The setting display item 701'is displayed with an orange (highlighted color) background and a thick frame to indicate that the setting has been changed, and the setting display item 701 in FIG. 8A is displayed. It is highlighted compared to (the background is a semi-transparent black normal color of normal color).

FIG. 8 (f) shows another example of the tap confirmation display. Even if it is confirmed that the operation is a left tap, if the function corresponding to the operation cannot be activated under some conditions such as the function is not assigned to the left tap, FIG. 8 (f). It displays that the operation is invalid. Guidance 806 is a message display indicating that the function assigned to the performed operation cannot be activated. The rectangle 802 indicates that the touch bar 82 has been touched up (tapped). By confirming the guidance 806 and the rectangle 802, the user can recognize that the tap operation itself is possible but the function cannot be activated (there is no function to be executed). In the present embodiment, the wording (guidance) indicating that the function cannot be activated is displayed, but an icon indicating that the function cannot be activated is displayed, or a display indicating that the function cannot be activated is displayed by the bar indicator 702. May be good. Further, when the function is not assigned to the slide, a display indicating that the function cannot be activated is displayed when the slide response is displayed, as in the guidance 806.

In S518, the system control unit 50 executes a tap event. This will perform the assigned function if it has one assigned to the tap. For example, the ISO value is changed from 10000 to 8000. It should be noted that S517 and S518 are performed substantially at the same time. Subsequently, the process returns to S501 and the process is repeated.

In S520, the system control unit 50 slides to the touch bar 82 if the full touch continuation timer Tc is not timed, that is, if the start of full touch is not detected within the period of Ta from the start of touch. Determine if there was. In the first (first time) S520, the reference position Ref for the slide determination is the touch position Ptd at the time of executing S506 (touchdown). Then, the movement amount M (| Pref (= Ptd) -Pc |) of the touch position on the touch bar 82 is calculated from the reference position Ref and the touch position Pc at the time of executing S520. The slide judgment of S520 (and S525 and S546 described later) is not performed during the time measurement of the full touch judgment timer Ta, but the finger (the finger touching the touch bar 82) during the time measurement of the full touch judgment timer Ta is determined after the expiration of Ta. ) Will be included in the movement amount M. When the slide determination threshold value W <movement amount M, it is determined that there is a slide, and if not, it is determined that there is no slide. If there is a slide, the process proceeds to S521, and if not, the process proceeds to S526. As a result, if the movement amount M of the touch position exceeds the slide determination threshold value W during the time measurement of the entire touch determination timer Ta, the slide function is not executed during the time measurement of Ta. Then, when the entire touch is not started and Ta expires without releasing the touch, the slide function is executed at the time of Ta expiration. Further, when the start of the full-face touch is detected within the period of Ta from the start of the touch and the full-face touch continuation timer Tc is timed, the process proceeds to S526 without determining whether or not there is a slide. As a result, it is possible to prevent the slide from being determined as a slide due to the movement of the touch position that has changed before the start of the full touch. When the start of full touch is detected in Ta from the start of touch, the slide is not determined by S520, but the reference position Pref is updated at the touch position at the start of full touch or at the end of Ta instead of Ptd. The slide may be determined above. In that case, the process of S529 described later is not performed, and the process proceeds from S527 to S529.

In S520, when there is a slide, the system control unit 50 also performs the following processing. A slide in the direction from the finder 17 to the mode changeover switch 60 is defined as a + (plus) direction, and the reverse direction is defined as a- (minus) direction, and a slide satisfying the following equation 1 using the movement amount M and the slide determination threshold value W. The quantity n (number of slide steps, number of steps) is obtained.
n × W <M <(n + 1) × W ... (Equation 1)

The slide amount n is an integer part excluding the remainder of the quotient obtained by dividing M by W. After calculating the slide amount n, the system control unit 50 updates the reference position Pref using the following equation 2.
Pref = Pref + n × W ... (Equation 2)

In S521, the system control unit 50 resets the lock timer Tl. This is because the slide is detected in S520, so that the touch operation currently being performed is not a lock operation.

In S522, the system control unit 50 displays a slide response in the same manner as in S515.

In S523, the system control unit 50 executes a slide event (a function assigned to the slide) according to the slide amount n calculated in S520, similarly to S516. For example, if the ISO sensitivity change is assigned to the slide and the slide amount n is 2, the ISO sensitivity is increased by 2/3 steps from the ISO sensitivity value set before the slide.

S524 and S525 (particularly S525) are processes for detecting continuous slides. In S524, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. If there is a touch-up, the process proceeds to S501, and if not, the process proceeds to S525. Since the touch-up in S524 is a touch-up after sliding, the tap event (function assigned to the tap) is not executed. In S525, the system control unit 50 performs the same processing as S520 except for the determination of whether Tc is being measured (determination of whether or not there has been a slide to the touch bar 82, calculation of the slide amount n, update of the reference position Ref, etc.). I do. If there is a slide, the process proceeds to S521, and if not, the process proceeds to S524.

In S526, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. If there is a touch-up, it is determined that there was a tap because the invalid timer Ti has not expired, and the process proceeds to S527. If not, the process proceeds to S531.

Since the tap is detected, in S527, the system control unit 50 resets the lock timer Tl.

In S528, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the full-face touch continuation timer Tc is timing, that is, whether or not the start of full-face touch is detected within the period of Ta from the start of touch. If the full touch continuation timer Tc is clocking, the process proceeds to S514, otherwise the process proceeds to S529. When the full touch continuation timer Tc advances to S514 during timekeeping, the function assigned to the slide is executed when there is a slide from the touchdown position. That is, even if the touch position is moved after the full touch is started within the period of Ta from the start of the touch, the function corresponding to the slide is not executed while the touch is continued, but when the touch is released, from the touch start time. The slide function is executed by the amount that the touch position is moved.

In S529, the system control unit 50 displays the tap confirmation as in S517.

In S530, the system control unit 50 executes a tap event (a function assigned to the tap) in the same manner as in S518. Then, the process proceeds to S501.

In S531, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the full-face touch continuation timer Tc has expired. The full-face touch continuation timer Tc is a timer that is started when it is determined in S512 that there is a full-face touch. Here, when it is determined that the entire surface is touched at least once and the touch is not performed thereafter, the entire surface touch continuation timer Tc is in a state of measuring the duration of the entire surface touch. If the full touch continuation timer Tc has expired, the process proceeds to S532, and if not, the process proceeds to S533.

Since the full-face touch of the full-face touch continuation timer Tc or higher has been performed, the system control unit 50 resets the lock timer Tl in S532. After that, the process proceeds to the M-Fn bar customization setting process. The details of the M-Fn bar customization setting process will be described later with reference to FIG.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the slide event and the tap event are not executed during the time counting period of the full-face touch determination timer Ta. As a result, when the user intentionally touches the entire surface, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation that is determined to be a slide due to the shape of the user's finger or the habit of the contact operation. Then, when the full-face touch determination timer Ta expires without detecting the full-face touch (S511Yes), the M-Fn bar customization setting process is not executed even if the full-face touch is detected thereafter, and the slide or tap is detected. Will execute those events. On the other hand, when the full touch is detected and the full touch determination timer Ta expires, the M-Fn bar customization setting process is executed after the full touch continuation timer Tc expires (after the timing period of the full touch continuation timer Tc ends). .. As a result, it is possible to prevent the function corresponding to the touch operation such as slide, tap, and full touch from being accidentally (unintentionally) executed, and to preferably execute the function corresponding to the touch operation. .. Since the left side portion 82L of the key top of the touch bar 82 is an area that is difficult to touch unless it is intentionally touched, it is unlikely that the entire surface is touched when the touch down is detected on the left side portion 82L of the key top. Therefore, when the start position of the touch operation (touch down position) is 82L on the left side of the key top, those events are detected when a slide or tap is detected without starting the time measurement by the full-face touch determination timer Ta. May be executed. That is, when the start position (touch down position) of the touch operation is the left side portion 82L of the key top, the time counting by the full-face touch determination timer Ta is not started in S508, and after proceeding to S509 and S510, S511 You may proceed to S520 without making a judgment.

In S533, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the invalid timer Ti has expired. As described above, the invalid timer Ti is a timer for canceling a touch operation that has become a long touch, and prevents the allocation function of the touch bar 82 from being executed when the touch-on of the touch bar 82 continues for the invalid timer Ti seconds or longer. It is a timer for. If the invalid timer Ti expires, the process proceeds to S540, otherwise the process proceeds to S520.

In S540, the system control unit 50 issues a touch cancel event to invalidate the touch operation to the touch bar 82. When the touch cancel event is issued, it is stored in the system memory 52 that it is in the touch cancel state until there is a touch-up. The system control unit 50 inquires the user whether to execute the touch cancel event when the invalid timer Ti expires, and determines whether to execute the touch cancel event in response to the answer to the inquiry. You may.

In S541, the system control unit 50 displays the screen as shown in FIG. 8A on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 to clearly indicate to the user that the current touch operation has been disabled.

In S542, the system control unit 50 restarts the timing of the non-operation timer Tn. When the touch cancel is executed in S540, the touch operation up to that point is invalidated, so that it can be considered that the no-operation state continues. Therefore, the non-operation timer Tn does not start counting from the count value 0, but starts counting from the count value Tcn + Ti (counting is restarted from the count value obtained by adding Ti to the stopped non-operation timer Tn). That is, it is the timekeeping of the period since the last valid touch operation. As a result, the touch operation for the touch bar 82 other than the touch operation satisfying the condition of touch cancellation (other than the canceled touch) transitions to the locked state according to the continuation of the non-touch operation for the period of Tn length. become. In other words, depending on the period when there is no touch operation on the touch bar 82 other than the canceled touch operation reaches Tn, the locked state regardless of whether or not there was a canceled touch operation before reaching Tn. Will transition to. As a result, even if the touch bar 82 is unintentionally touched and the touch bar 82 is continuously touched, the lock state can be entered.

In S543, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not a left touch (touch of the touch bar 82 to the left side portion 82L of the key top) is performed in order to determine whether or not the lock state is entered. If the left touch is performed, the process proceeds to S544, and if not, the process proceeds to S546.

In S544, the system control unit 50 displays and updates the lock progress on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. FIG. 7 (e) shows a display example of the lock progress display. In the present embodiment, similarly to switching from the locked state to the enabled state, the touch bar 82 is switched from the enabled state to the locked state by performing a long touch on the left side portion 82L of the key top of the touch bar 82 for a period of Tl or more. Can be done. The lock progress display is the opposite of the unlock progress display, and indicates how long it is necessary to continue touching before switching from the enabled state to the locked state by the lock operation. As shown in FIG. 7 (e), the bar indicator 702 is superimposed on the LV image 700, and the progress bar is displayed using the left half of the bar indicator 702. The rectangle 713 is a progress bar portion showing the progress up to the lock using the left half of the bar indicator 702, and is displayed so as to be distinguishable from the right half. By showing the left half of the bar indicator 702, the lock operation is performed by touching the left side portion 82L of the touch bar 82, and it is shown that the lock operation is correctly performed at the present time. The right side of the rectangle 713 is displayed in dark gray (gray close to black), and the left side is displayed in light gray (gray close to white). The light gray on the left side shows the current progress rate from when the user touches down to the left side 82L of the touch bar 82 until Tl elapses, and the display range is sequentially from left to right according to the duration of the touch. Is spreading. In the example of FIG. 7 (e), it can be seen that the progress rate is about 50%. The dark gray on the right shows the time remaining until the lock timer Tl expires. When the duration of touch to the left side 82L reaches the lock timer Tl (2 seconds), the light gray part of the rectangle 713 reaches the center of the bar indicator 702, indicating that Tl has expired. By displaying the rectangle 713 as a progress bar in this way, the user can understand that the user must keep touching for a while to lock. Although the rectangle 713 is displayed as the progress bar in the present embodiment as the lock progress display, the remaining time and the progress rate (percentage) may be displayed numerically. The icon 714 is displayed with the character string "OFF" grayed out. This indicates that the currently accepted touch operation is for changing from the enabled state to the locked state (OFF), and that it is not yet locked (OFF) because it is grayed out. There is.

In S545, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the lock timer Tl has expired. When the lock timer Tl has expired, the process proceeds to S504 to display the lock confirmation and the state transitions to the locked state. If the lock timer Tl has not expired, the process proceeds to S546. As described above, in the present embodiment, the touch duration (Tl) for the left side 82L required for locking is longer than the touch duration (Tr) for the left side 82L required for unlocking. ing. In each case, the long touch is made for a predetermined time or longer so that the locked state and the enabled state are not switched by the user's unintentional function. If the duration (Tr) of the touch for releasing the locked state and switching to the enabled state is too long, the user cannot operate it quickly and may miss a shooting opportunity. Therefore, Tr is set to 0.3 seconds or more and less than 2 seconds so that the unlocking operation does not take too much time while preventing erroneous operation. On the other hand, in the enabled state, slide operation is also possible, so the user may be worried about whether to touch down and then slide the finger or tap without sliding, and the touch time may become longer. be. Alternatively, if you carefully try to slide with a small amount of slide, the touch move may be slow and the slide may not occur for a while after the touchdown. In this way, even if the touch operation is not intended to be locked, the touch time may be longer in the enabled state than in the locked state. In this case, if the lock state is entered against the intention of the user, the touch operation to be performed is not accepted, which is troublesome. Therefore, Tl, which is the time threshold of the lock operation, is set to 2 seconds or more and 5 seconds or less, which is longer than Tr, to reduce the possibility of unintentionally transitioning to the locked state. In this way, the restricted state (locked state) of the touch operation can be released and the touch operation can be started quickly, and the possibility that the touch operation cannot be performed due to the inadvertent transition to the restricted state (locked state) is reduced. ing.

In S546, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been a slide to the touch bar 82 in the same manner as in S520, except for the determination of whether or not Tc is being timed. If there is a slide, the process proceeds to S547, and if not, the process proceeds to S550. Even if there is a slide, since the touch cancel event has already been issued, the slide amount n is not calculated, the reference position Def is updated, the function assigned to the slide is executed, and the slide response is not displayed. That is, the slide determination here is performed to determine whether or not the lock operation has been interrupted, and the slide as the execution trigger of the allocation function is ignored.

In S547, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the lock progress display is being executed. If the lock progress display is being executed, the process proceeds to S548, and if not, the process proceeds to S549.

In S548, the system control unit 50 hides the lock progress display (display of the progress bar inside the bar indicator 702) displayed on the display unit 28 and EVF 29, and updates the display without operation in FIG. 8 (a). do. As a result, the user can recognize that the left touch of the lock operation is interrupted and the lock is not locked and the user returns to the active standby state.

In S549, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. Wait until there is a touch-up, and if there is a touch-up, proceed to S503. Here, since the touch cancel event has been executed, no event other than the lock by the left touch occurs. Further, since it is determined in S546 that there was a slide, it is not a lock operation by left touch. Therefore, we are only waiting for touch-up. When the process proceeds from the touch cancel state to S503, the process of S501 is not performed and Tn is not reset. This is because a touch cancel event occurred and it was not a lock operation by left touch, so this touch was not done by the user's intentional operation, and the state of virtually no operation continues from the end of the previous operation. This is because it can be regarded as doing.

In S550, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82. If there is a touch-up, the process proceeds to S551. If not, the process proceeds to S553.

In S551, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the lock progress display is being executed. If the lock progress display is being executed, the process proceeds to S552, and if not, the process proceeds to S503.

In S552, the system control unit 50 shifts the display screens of the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 from the screen of FIG. 7 (e) to the screen of FIG. 8 (a), so that the left touch for locking ends in the middle. Clarify that. Then, the process proceeds to S503.

In S553, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the non-operation timer Tn has expired. When the non-operation timer Tn expires, it is determined that the non-operation state has continued for the non-operation timer Tn, and the process proceeds to S504. If not, the process proceeds to S543. In this way, after the touch cancel event occurs, the lock state is entered when Tn expires even if the touch-up is not performed. As can be seen from FIG. 5, in the state where the invalid timer Ti has not expired (No in S533), the non-operation timer Tn is reset in response to the touch-up (Yes in S524 and S526) (S501). On the other hand, in the state where the invalid timer Ti has expired (Yes in S533), such control is not performed. Therefore, when the invalid timer Ti has expired and there is a previous valid operation of the touch bar 82, the non-operation timer Tn measures the time from the valid operation.

<Full touch start judgment process>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the details of the entire touch start determination process. This process is realized by the system control unit 50 expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program.

In S601, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the full-face touch continuation timer Tc is clocking. When the full touch continuation timer Tc is clocking, it can be considered that the full touch to the touch bar 82 has already started. Therefore, the full touch start determination process is terminated, and if not, the process proceeds to S602. ..

In S602, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the entire touch bar 82 has been touched. As described above, the respective voltages (voltage output values) of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, and 302c are read out. Then, when the amount of voltage change (the amount of change in voltage from the base voltage) exceeds the entire touch determination threshold in all of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, 302c, it is determined that the finger covers the entire surface of the touch bar 82. Then, this touch operation is determined as a full-scale touch. The details of the full-face touch determination threshold value will be described later with reference to FIGS. 9 (a) to 9 (c). If there is a full-face touch, the process proceeds to S603, and if not, the full-face touch start determination process is terminated. However, if the touch continues and the full-face touch determination timer Ta does not end, the full-face touch start determination process is performed. Will be repeated.

In S603, the system control unit 50 starts timing of the full-face touch continuation timer Tc with the start of full-face touch. Here, in the full-face touch start determination process after the timing of the full-face touch continuation timer Tc is started, the determination of S601 does not proceed to S602. With such a flow, even if the contact state of the finger changes after it is determined that there is a full-face touch and the voltage change amount falls below the full-face touch determination threshold value, it is determined that the full-face touch is completed. There is no. That is, if it is determined that the entire surface touch has been performed even once during the time measurement of the entire surface touch determination timer Ta, it is considered that the entire surface touch is continued even if the voltage change amount falls below the full surface touch determination threshold value.

In S604, the system control unit 50 resets the invalid timer Ti.

In S605, the system control unit 50 displays the full touch start on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 in order to visually inform the user that the touch bar 82 is being touched on the entire surface. FIG. 8 (e) shows a display example of the full touch start display. By displaying the rectangle 805 over the entire surface of the bar indicator 702, the user can be made to recognize that the entire surface is touched.

In S606, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the unlock timer Tr is clocking. If the lock release timer Tr is not during timing, the entire touch start determination process is terminated, and if not, the process proceeds to S607.

In S607, the system control unit 50 performs timing stop and initialization of the unlock timer Tr.

With reference to FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (f) and FIGS. 8 (a) to 8 (f), a response display corresponding to an operation on the touch bar 82 realized by the above-mentioned processes of FIGS. 4 and 5 is performed. The screen transition of is explained. Here, the left tap of the touch bar 82 has a function to reduce the ISO value by 1/3 step, the right tap has a function to increase the ISO value by 1/3 step, and the slide has an ISO value of 1 / for each step of the slide. It is assumed that the function of increasing / decreasing by 3 steps is assigned.

When activated in the shooting mode, the shooting standby screen of FIG. 7A is displayed and the bar indicator 702 is not displayed because it is in the locked state. When the left side portion 82L is touched from this state, the unlock progress display is performed as shown in FIG. 7 (b). When the touch to the left side portion 82L is continued and the lock is released, the unlock confirmation display is performed as shown in FIG. 7 (c). When the touch is released in the middle of the unlock progress display in FIG. 7 (b), the unlock progress display is stopped, the bar indicator 702 is displayed for a predetermined time as shown in FIG. 7 (d), and after a predetermined time (after Td has elapsed). The bar indicator 702 is hidden and the display state of FIG. 7A is restored. On the contrary, when the left side portion 82L is touched in the enabled state, the lock progress display is performed as shown in FIG. 7 (e). When the touch to the left side portion 82L is continued and locked, the lock confirmation display is performed as shown in FIG. 7 (f).

In the enabled state, the bar indicator 702 is always displayed even when it is not touched (that is, whether or not a touch operation is performed), as shown in FIG. 8 (a). When the left side portion 82L is touched from this state, the touch start display is performed as shown in FIG. 8 (b). If the touch is immediately released in this state, the tap confirmation display of FIG. 8 (c) or FIG. 8 (f) is performed. When the slide is performed from the state of FIG. 8 (b), the slide response display of FIG. 8 (d) is performed. When the entire surface touch is started from the state of FIG. 8 (a), the display of FIG. 8 (e) is performed. In this way, in order to display a response that can recognize what is being performed for each of the various operations on the touch bar 82, the user performs the operation while confirming what the operation is recognized by the device. be able to. In particular, when the finder 17 is operated by eyepieces, the touch bar 82 cannot be directly visually recognized, so that it is not possible to directly see and confirm where the touch bar 82 can be touched. However, since the operation can be performed while looking at these response displays displayed on the EVF 29, it is possible to comfortably operate without hesitation as to where and what kind of operation is detected even while looking at the finder 17. This makes it possible to quickly change the shooting settings using the touch bar 82 even while looking through the viewfinder, and it is possible to shoot with the shooting settings intended by the user without missing a photo opportunity.

<Whole touch judgment threshold>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 (a) to 9 (c), the entire touch determination threshold value in each touch sensor electrode of the touch bar 82 will be described. FIG. 9A shows an example of the entire surface touch determination threshold value 901. The entire surface touch determination threshold value 901 is set for each electrode, and the entire surface touch determination threshold value 901a, 901b, 901c is set for each of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, 302c. The full touch determination thresholds 901a, 901b, and 901c are collectively referred to as the full touch determination threshold 901. The full-face touch determination threshold 901b is larger than the full-face touch determination thresholds 901a and 901c. Further, although the full-face touch determination threshold values 901a and 901c are the same in the present embodiment, they may be different values according to the arrangement and shape of the touch bar 82. The full-face touch determination threshold values 901a, 901b, and 901c are all larger than the contact determination threshold value 902. As described above, when the amount of voltage change (the amount of change in voltage from the base voltage) in all of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, 302c is equal to or greater than the full-scale touch determination threshold corresponding to each electrode, the finger touches the touch bar. It is judged that the entire surface of 82 is covered. In this case, among the plurality of touch sensor electrodes, the detection value of the entire touch determination threshold value 901 or more is detected over the range (predetermined range or more) of the touch sensor electrodes 302a to 302c. Then, when a predetermined time (Tc) elapses without touch-up or slide after satisfying this condition, this touch operation is determined as a full-face touch. The amount of voltage change detected by each detection electrode is a detection value that increases as the finger, which is the operating body, approaches. FIG. 9A also shows a contact determination threshold value 902. When the voltage change amount of any of the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, and 302c exceeds the contact determination threshold value 902, it is determined that the finger is touching the touch bar 82 (touch-on).

As shown in FIG. 9A, the entire surface touch determination threshold value 901 is made larger than the contact determination threshold value 902. That is, the threshold value for determining the function activated by touching a touch with a large contact area larger than the predetermined value is larger than the threshold value for determining the function activated by touching a touch with a small contact area (contact size) less than a predetermined value. .. By doing so, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation that is determined to be a full-face touch. For example, when the user touches down to the left side of the touch bar 82 with his right hand, even if the pad of the user's finger approaches the right side of the touch bar 82, the entire touch determination threshold value 901 is larger than the contact determination threshold value 902, which is erroneous. It is rare that it is judged as a full touch. When the user intentionally touches the entire surface, the entire surface of the touch bar 82 is firmly covered. Therefore, the contact area of the finger at the key top portion on each electrode becomes large, and the voltage and the amount of voltage change of each touch sensor electrode become large as compared with a normal touchdown. Therefore, even if the full-face touch determination threshold value 901 is made larger than the contact determination threshold value 902, the intentional full-face touch can be detected without any problem.

When the user makes a full-scale touch, for example, in the case where the touch bar 82 starts to touch the touch bar 82 from the pad of the finger and finally touches the fingertip, the voltage rise of the touch sensor electrode 302a is the slowest. In this case, it is determined that the full-face touch has started when the voltage change amount of the touch sensor electrode 302a exceeds the full-face touch determination threshold value 901. On the contrary, in the case where the touch bar 82 is touched from the fingertip and finally the pad of the finger is touched, the full touch is started when the voltage change amount of the touch sensor electrode 302c exceeds the full touch determination threshold value 901. It is judged.

Further, the touch bar 82 is arranged so that the thumb of the right hand holding the grip portion 90 is extended diagonally to perform full-scale touch. Therefore, when touching the entire surface, the touch area of each of the touch sensor electrodes 302a and 302c is smaller than the touch area of the touch sensor electrode 302b, as shown in FIG. 9B, depending on the shape and habit of the finger. .. In this case, the voltage change amount of each of the touch sensor electrodes 302a and 302c is smaller than the voltage change amount of the touch sensor electrode 302b.

Further, when the entire surface is touched, the finger may float from the touch bar 82 at a portion close to the fingertip or a joint, as shown in FIG. 9C, depending on the shape and habit of the finger. Further, since the tip of the touch bar 82 has a finder 17 (projection), the fingertip hits the finder 17 in a state of touching the touch bar 82, and the finger easily floats from the touch bar 82 on the finder 17 side (fingertip side). Also with these, the touch area of each of the touch sensor electrodes 302a and 302c becomes smaller than that of the touch sensor electrode 302b, and the amount of voltage change of each of the touch sensor electrodes 302a and 302c becomes smaller than that of the touch sensor electrode 302b.

Therefore, if the full-face touch determination threshold value is common among the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, and 302c, it may take a long time until it is determined that the full-face touch has started, or the full-face touch cannot be determined with high accuracy. It ends up. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9A, the entire surface touch determination threshold value 901 is set so that the entire surface touch determination threshold value of each of the touch sensor electrodes 302a and 302c is smaller than the entire surface touch determination threshold value of the touch sensor electrode 302b. .. That is, the full-face touch determination threshold of the end-side electrode is made smaller than the full-face touch determination threshold of the central electrode of the touch bar 82. The end side electrodes are the ends in the first direction (for example, the right direction) parallel to the key top (detection surface) of the touch bar 82 and the ends in the opposite direction (for example, the left direction) among the plurality of detection electrodes. Placed electrodes. By doing so, it is possible to shorten the time required for it to be determined that the full-face touch has started, or to determine the full-face touch with high accuracy. Further, by shortening the time required for it to be determined that the full-face touch has started, the full-face touch determination timer Ta can be shortened. Since the slide determination is not performed during the full-face touch determination timer Ta, shortening the full-face touch determination timer Ta contributes to improving the operability of the slide.

In this way, by making the entire surface touch determination threshold value larger than the contact determination threshold value and making the entire surface touch determination threshold value of the electrode on the end side smaller than the entire surface touch determination threshold value of the central electrode, erroneous operation of the touch bar 82 is reduced and the touch bar is used. The operability of 82 can be improved. It should be noted that making the entire surface touch determination threshold value larger than the contact determination threshold value may be applied to a touch operation member that performs touch detection (touch detection) by another method. For example, when applied to a pressure-sensitive touch panel and the detection value increases as the touch pressure increases, the threshold value for determining that a large area is touched by applying pressure is greater than the threshold value for determining that a small area is touched. May be increased and the threshold at the edges may be smaller than the threshold at the center. In this embodiment, although it is referred to as a full-face touch, if it is a touch performed in a larger area than a touch having a normal area and is detected separately from a touch having a normal area, the touch detection surface can be used. It is not limited to touching everything.

<Processing when always available>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the details of the control process when the touch bar 82 is always available. This process is realized by the system control unit 50 expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program. When the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is set to "disabled (always available)", the process shown in FIG. 10 is performed instead of the processes shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (about the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function). Will be described later). When the erroneous operation prevention function is set to "disabled (always available)", the immediacy of the operation is prioritized over the erroneous operation prevention, and the operation can be performed quickly without performing the unlock operation or the like.

Since S1000 to S1003 are the same processes as S400 to S403 in FIG. 4, the description thereof will be omitted.

In S1004, the system control unit 50 starts the timing of the full-face touch determination timer Ta and the timing of the invalid timer Ti.

Since S1005 to S1012 are the same processes as S511 to S518 in FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted. However, after the processing of S1010 and S1012, the process proceeds to S1000.

In S1020, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the function has been assigned to the touch operation (slide or tap) to the touch bar 82, as in S413 in FIG. If the function has been assigned, the process proceeds to S1021, otherwise the process proceeds to S1040. Since the process of S413 described above is a process when the touch bar 82 is in the locked state, it is performed when there is a left touch of the touch bar 82. However, when the touch bar 82 is always operable, the determination as to whether or not the function has been assigned may be performed when there is another touch operation. Therefore, no matter where the touch bar 82 is touched down, the processing of S1020 is performed. In addition, in order to ignore unintentional touchdown, the determination of S1020 may be performed only when there is a left touch as in the locked state.

In S1021, the system control unit 50 performs the same processing as in S520 of FIG. 5 (determination of whether or not there has been a slide to the touch bar 82, calculation of the slide amount n, update of the reference position Def, etc.). If there is a slide, the process proceeds to S1022, and if not, the process proceeds to S1026. In S1021, similarly to S520, it is also determined whether or not Tc is during timekeeping, and if it is during timekeeping, even if there is a slide, it does not proceed to S1022 but proceeds to S1026. If Tc is not timed and there is a slide, the process proceeds to S1026.

In S1022, the system control unit 50 clearly indicates to the user that the slide determination has been made by displaying the screen as shown in FIG. 8D on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29, similarly to S522 in FIG. In FIG. 5 described above, when it is determined that there is a slide in S520, the lock timer Tl is reset in S521 and the screen of FIG. 8D is displayed in S522, but the touch bar 82 is always operable. The lock timer Tl does not work. Therefore, when it is determined in S1021 that there is a slide, the screen of FIG. 8D is displayed in S1022 without resetting the lock timer Tl.

S1023, S1024, and S1025 are the same as S523, S524, and S525 in FIG. 5, respectively.

In S1026, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a touch-up from the touch bar 82, as in S526 of FIG. If there is a touch-up, it is determined that there was a tap because the invalid timer Ti has not expired, and the process proceeds to S1027. If not, the process proceeds to S1029.

In S1027, the system control unit 50 displays on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 that the tap has been confirmed, as in S529 in FIG. In FIG. 5, when it is determined that there is a touch-up in S526, the lock timer Tl is reset in S527 and the tap confirmation display is performed in S529. However, if the touch bar 82 is always operable, the lock timer Tl is displayed. Does not work. Therefore, when it is determined that there is a touch-up in S1026, the tap confirmation display is performed in S1027 without resetting the lock timer Tl. When it is determined that there is a touch-up in S1026, the process of S1027 is not performed and the process proceeds to S1008 if Tc is during timekeeping, as in S528.

S1028, S1029, S1031, and S1032 are the same as S530, S531, S533, and S540 in FIG. 5, respectively. In FIG. 5, when it is determined in S531 that the full touch continuation timer Tc has expired, the lock timer Tl is reset in S532 and the process proceeds to the M-Fn bar customization setting process, but the touch bar 82 is always operable. Lock timer Tl does not work. Therefore, when it is determined in S1029 that the full touch continuation timer Tc has expired, the process proceeds to the M-Fn bar customization setting process without resetting the lock timer Tl.

In S1033, the system control unit 50 displays the screen as shown in FIG. 7D or FIG. 8A on the display unit 28 or the EVF 29.

In S1034, the system control unit 50 starts timing of the item erasure timer Td. Then, the process proceeds to S1001. In FIGS. 4 and 5, in order to indicate whether or not the touch bar 82 can be operated, the screen display (touching the touch bar 82) as shown in FIG. 7 (d) is performed according to the switching between the locked state and the enabled state of the touch bar 82. Switched whether to temporarily perform or maintain (indication of absence). However, when the touch bar 82 is always operable, it is not necessary to indicate whether or not the touch bar 82 is operable, and therefore it is not necessary to maintain the display that the touch bar 82 is not touched. And, as mentioned above, it is desirable not to display unnecessary items on the live view image as much as possible. Therefore, in FIG. 10, the time counting of the item erasure timer Td is started immediately after the screen of FIG. 7 (d) or FIG. 8 (a) is displayed.

S1040 and S1041 are the same as S414 and S406 in FIG. 4, respectively. However, in S1041, if there is a touch-up, the process proceeds to S1000, and if not, the process proceeds to S1042.

In S1042, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the full-face touch continuation timer Tc has expired. If the full touch continuation timer Tc has expired, the process proceeds to the M-Fn bar customization setting process, and if not, the process proceeds to S1041.

<M-Fn bar guide display determination process>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the details of the M-Fn bar guide display determination process of S414 of FIG. 4 and S1040 of FIG. 10 described above. This process is realized by the system control unit 50 expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program.

In S1101, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the M-Fn bar guide screen display setting is ON. If it is ON, the process proceeds to S1102, and if not, the M-Fn bar guide display determination process is terminated. The M-Fn bar guide screen display setting can be set by user operation in S1105 described later, and the setting content is recorded in the non-volatile memory 56.

In S1102, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the transition from the menu screen (setting menu screen) to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen can be performed. If the transition is possible, the process proceeds to S1103, and if not, the M-Fn bar guide display determination process is terminated. For example, there is a function called MyMenu that allows the user to register items on the menu screen. Further, when the menu screen is displayed by pressing the menu button 81, there is a setting item "display only MyMenu" that displays only MyMenu and does not display the normal menu screen consisting of predetermined menu items. .. When this "display only MyMenu" is set, the normal menu screen including the menu item "M-Fn bar customization setting screen" is not displayed. Therefore, it is determined that the transition from the menu screen to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen cannot be performed (S1102No).

In S1103, the system control unit 50 displays the M-Fn bar guide screen (guide screen for prompting function assignment) as shown in FIG. 13A on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29.

In S1104, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the INFORMATION button included in the operation unit 70 has been pressed. That is, it is a determination as to whether or not there is an ON / OFF switching operation of the M-Fn bar guide screen display setting. Also, when there is a touch operation on the INFO button icon 1301, it is determined that the INFO button is pressed. If the INFO button is pressed, the process proceeds to S1105, otherwise the process proceeds to S1106.

In S1105, the system control unit 50 switches ON / OFF of the M-Fn bar guide screen display setting and records it in the system memory 52 or the non-volatile memory 56. When the M-Fn bar guide screen display setting is ON, the check box 1302 on the M-Fn bar guide screen is checked, and when the M-Fn bar guide screen display setting is OFF, the check box 1302 is empty. ..

In S1106, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the SET button 75 is pressed with the "No" button 1303 for not performing the M-Fn bar customization selected. If the SET button 75 is pressed with the "No" button 1303 selected, the process proceeds to S1107, and if not, the process proceeds to S1108.

In S1107, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is set to "valid (temporarily usable)". If the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is set to "enabled (temporarily available)", the process proceeds to the lock state process shown in FIG. 4, and if not, it is set to "disabled (always available)". If), the process proceeds to the case of constant use in FIG.

In S1108, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the SET button 75 is pressed with the "Yes" button 1304 for customizing the M-Fn bar selected. If the SET button 75 is pressed with the "Yes" button 1304 selected, the process proceeds to S1109, otherwise the process proceeds to S1104.

In S1109, as shown in FIG. 13C, the system control unit 50 displays the menu screen in the state where the cursor 1310 is placed on the item 1323 of the M-Fn bar customization setting screen on the display unit 28 or the EVF 29. .. That is, the item 1323 of the M-Fn bar customization setting screen is highlighted in an identifiable manner as compared with other menu items to display the menu screen. Then, the process proceeds to S1212 in FIG. By displaying as shown in FIG. 13 (c), until the transition to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen is performed, the menu button 81 for displaying the menu screen is pressed, and the cursor is moved to select the item 1323. The operation of can be omitted. Further, instead of directly transitioning from the M-Fn bar guide screen to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen, the menu screen is displayed with the cursor 1310 once placed on the item 1323 of the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. This makes it possible for the user to easily understand that the menu screen displayed by pressing the menu button 81 can be changed to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. That is, even when transitioning to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen by a procedure different from the usual procedure, the normal procedure of pressing the menu button 81 to display the menu screen and then transitioning to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. Can be recognized by the user. As described above, the M-Fn bar guide screen is displayed only when the touch bar 82 is not assigned a function. Therefore, after the function is assigned from the M-Fn bar customization setting screen, it is not possible to transition from the M-Fn bar guide screen to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. However, when transitioning from the M-Fn bar guide screen to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen, by displaying the display as shown in FIG. 13 (c), the user can perform the normal procedure of pressing the menu button 81. I am making you aware. Therefore, even after the function is assigned, the user can press the menu button 81 to display the menu screen and then select item 1323 of the M-Fn bar customization setting screen without hesitation to move to the setting screen. You can change the settings.

In the present embodiment, when the M-Fn bar guide screen displayed due to the start of touching the left side portion 82L of the touch bar 82 is displayed, the "Yes" button 1304 is selected and the SET button 75 is pressed. An example of displaying the screen of FIG. 13C according to the pressing operation has been described. However, the trigger operation for displaying the screen as shown in FIG. 13C may be another operation as long as it is an operation for transitioning to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen without pressing the menu button 81. For example, depending on the operation on the touch bar 82, the screen may transition to the screen shown in FIG. 13 (c) without displaying the M-Fn bar guide screen.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example of proceeding to S1212 of FIG. 12 after displaying FIG. 13 (c) in S1109 has been described, but after a predetermined time (several seconds) has elapsed, the screen automatically advances to S1401 of FIG. 14 and the M-Fn bar is displayed. The customization setting screen may be displayed.

Further, although the case of transitioning to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen for assigning the function of the touch bar 82 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and other setting items can be applied. That is, for a specific setting item whose setting can be changed on a specific setting screen below the hierarchy in which the menu item is selected from the menu screen, the specific setting screen without pressing the menu button 81 from the state where the menu screen is not displayed. It is applicable when transitioning to. In this case, instead of directly transitioning to the specific setting screen, the menu screen is displayed and the menu item of the specific setting item is emphasized and displayed. This makes it possible for the user to recognize how to proceed to a specific setting screen when the menu screen is displayed by pressing the menu button 81 in a normal procedure.

<Shooting mode processing>
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the details of the shooting mode processing performed by the digital camera 100. This process is realized by the system control unit 50 expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program. When the shooting mode is set, the process shown in FIG. 12 is started. In parallel with this processing, it is assumed that the processing related to the touch bar 82 described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10 is also performed.

In S1201, the system control unit 50 starts the live view shooting by the imaging unit 22, and displays the shooting standby screen on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. The display example of the shooting standby screen is described with reference to FIG. 7A.

In S1202, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the menu button 81 has been pressed. If the menu button 81 is pressed, the process proceeds to S1209. If not, the process proceeds to S1203.

In S1203, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the shutter button 61 is half-pressed and the first shutter switch signal SW1 is generated. If the first shutter switch signal SW1 is generated, the process proceeds to S1204, and if not, the process proceeds to S1208.

In S1204, the system control unit 50 performs AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, etc. according to the first shutter switch signal SW1. Start the shooting preparation operation. When the set value such as the shutter speed value is changed by using the touch bar 82, the changed set value is reflected in the shooting preparation operation.

In S1205, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the shutter button 61 is fully pressed and the second shutter switch signal SW2 is generated. If the second shutter switch signal SW2 is generated, the process proceeds to S1206, and if not, the process proceeds to S1207.

In S1206, the system control unit 50 performs a series of still image shooting processes from reading a signal from the image pickup unit 22 to writing the captured image as an image file on the recording medium 200 based on various set shooting settings. Starts the operation of. When the setting value such as the ISO value is changed by using the touch bar 82, the changed setting value is reflected in the still image shooting process.

In S1207, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the shutter button 61 is half-pressed or not. If the shutter button 61 is released halfway, the process proceeds to S1208, otherwise the process proceeds to S1205.

In S1208, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not to end the shooting mode. If the shooting mode is terminated, the shooting mode processing is terminated, and if not, the process proceeds to S1202.

In S1209, the system control unit 50 displays the menu screen on the display unit 28 or the EVF 29 so that the cursor is displayed at the previous cursor position stored in the system memory 52. FIG. 13B shows an example of a menu screen in which the cursor is located at the previous cursor position. On the menu screen, multiple large tabs (top level / first level choices), multiple small tabs corresponding to the selected large tabs (first level choices), and selected small tabs are supported. As a menu screen, a plurality of menu items (third-level choices) are displayed. As the large tabs, the shooting setting tab, the playback setting tab, the device setting tab, and the MyMenu tab are displayed in order from the left, and in the example of FIG. 13B, the shooting setting tab is selected. Five small tabs 1 to 5 belong to the shooting setting tab, and a plurality of menu items are associated with each small tab. When you select a small tab, a list of menu items corresponding to the selected small tab is displayed. In the example of FIG. 13B, among the small tabs included in the shooting setting tab, the small tab of "1" is selected, and a plurality of corresponding menu items are displayed. The cursor 1310 is a selection frame for selecting any of a plurality of menu items, and in the example of FIG. 13B, the cursor 1310 is located in the menu item "Picture Style". When "Display only MyMenu tab" is set, the shooting setting tab, playback setting tab, and device setting tab are not displayed among the large tabs, and only the MyMenu tab is displayed. In the present embodiment, when the menu screen is displayed in S1209 in response to the pressing of the menu button 81, the menu screen is displayed at the previous cursor position (that is, with the last selected menu item selected last time). I explained an example of displaying, but it is not limited to this. You may display the menu screen by selecting a menu item that satisfies the condition that it is the menu item at the top of the menu screen, or you may display the menu screen without selecting any menu item.

In S1210, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not each operation member of the operation unit 70 is operated and the movement of the cursor 1310 is instructed. The cursor movement instruction can be performed by touch operation, rotation of the sub electronic dial 73, or operation of the four-way key 74. If the plurality of menu items currently displayed include a desired menu item, the user touches the desired menu item, rotates the sub electronic dial 73, or operates the up and down keys of the four-way keys 74 to obtain the desired menu. You can move the cursor 1310 to the item. If the multiple menu items currently displayed do not have the desired menu item, touch the large tab or small tab or operate the 4-way key 74 to display the menu item list in which the desired menu item is displayed. .. Then, the cursor 1310 is moved to a desired menu item. For example, in order to select the item 1323 of the "M-Fn bar customization setting screen" on the screen of FIG. 13 (c) from the state of FIG. 13 (b), the following operation is required. First, switch the large tab from the shooting setting tab to the device setting tab, select the small tab "4", and then move the cursor 1310 to the item 1323 of the "M-Fn bar customization setting screen". If the movement of the cursor 1310 is instructed, the process proceeds to S1211, otherwise the process proceeds to S1212.

In S1211, the system control unit 50 moves the cursor 1310 in response to the instruction of S1210, and records the position of the cursor 1310 after the movement in the system memory 52 or the non-volatile memory 56.

In S1212, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the cursor 1310 corresponds to the item 1323 on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. That is, it is determined whether or not the state of the menu screen is the state shown in FIG. 13 (c). If the cursor 1310 hits the item 1323 on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen, the process proceeds to S1213, otherwise the process proceeds to S1215.

In S1213, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the SET button 75 has been pressed. If the SET button 75 is pressed (with the cursor 1310 touching item 1323 on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen), the process proceeds to S1214, otherwise the process proceeds to S1215.

In S1214, the system control unit 50 performs the M-Fn bar customization setting process. The details of the M-Fn bar customization setting process will be described later with reference to FIG.

In S1215, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1310 is in contact with the item 1321 on the operation button customization setting screen. If the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1310 is in contact with the item 1321 on the operation button customization setting screen, the process proceeds to S1216, otherwise the process proceeds to S1217.

In S1216, the system control unit 50 sets the function of the customizable button included in the operation unit 70 (operation button customization setting process).

In S1217, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1310 is in contact with the item 1322 on the operation dial customization setting screen. If the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1310 is in contact with the item 1322 on the operation dial customization setting screen, the process proceeds to S1218. If not, the process proceeds to S1219.

In S1218, the system control unit 50 sets the function of the customizable rotary operation member included in the operation unit 70 (operation dial customization setting process).

In S1219, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1310 is in contact with the item 1324 for customization initialization. If the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1310 is in contact with the item 1324 for customization initialization, the process proceeds to S1220, otherwise the process proceeds to S1221.

In S1220, the system control unit 50 performs a customization initialization process for returning the settings of M-Fn bar customization, operation button customization, and operation dial customization to the state at the time of camera purchase (initial state at the time of factory shipment). Even if the check box 1302 in FIG. 13A is checked so that the M-Fn bar guide screen is not displayed, if the customization initialization process is performed, the check box 1302 becomes empty and the M-Fn bar guide screen is displayed. It will be displayed. In addition, the initialization process brings the M-Fn bar (touch bar 82) to the default state where no function is assigned to the slide, left tap, and right tap, and the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is "enabled (temporarily)". Can be used) ”.

In S1221, the system control unit 50 is in a state where the cursor 1310 is in contact with the item of "display only MyMenu" (not shown because it is an item of a tab different from the examples displayed in FIGS. 13 (b) and 13 (c)). Determines whether or not the SET button 75 has been pressed. If the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1310 is in contact with the item (not shown) of "Display only MyMenu", the process proceeds to S1222, otherwise the process proceeds to S1223.

In S1222, the system control unit 50 limits the items (menu items) displayed on the menu screen to only the items registered in MyMenu. When the items on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen are not registered in MyMenu, the items on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen are not displayed by limiting the menu items to only the items registered in MyMenu. Further, in S1102 of FIG. 11, it is determined that the transition from the menu screen to the M-Fn bar customization setting screen cannot be performed.

In S1223, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1310 is in contact with another item. If the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1310 is on another item, the process proceeds to S1224, otherwise the process proceeds to S1225.

In S1224, the system control unit 50 processes the item to which the cursor 1310 hits.

In S1225, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not an operation such as exiting the menu screen has been performed. If the operation is performed, the process proceeds to S1201, otherwise the process proceeds to S1210.

<M-Fn bar customization setting process>
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the details of the M-Fn bar customization setting process of S1214 of FIG. 12 described above. This process is realized by the system control unit 50 expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program.

In S1401, the system control unit 50 displays the M-Fn bar customization setting screen on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29.

FIG. 15A shows a display example of the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. The function in the shooting mode and the function in the playback mode can be individually assigned to the touch bar 82. Item 1501 shows a function group in the shooting mode, and item 1502 shows a function group in the playback mode. A function group is a group of assignment functions. A detailed description of the function group will be described later.

The radio button 1503 is a radio button for setting the above-mentioned M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function to "enabled (temporarily available)", and the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is "enabled (temporarily used)". Possible) ”indicates whether or not it is set. If the radio button 1503 is checked, the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is "effective (temporarily usable)". The radio button 1504 is a radio button for setting the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function to "disabled (always available)", and the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is set to "disabled (always available)". Indicates whether or not it is. If the radio button 1504 is checked, the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is "invalid (always available)".

The M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is a function for literally preventing erroneous operation of the M-Fn bar (touch bar 82), and for example, prevents unintentional operation of the touch bar 82 in an attempt to operate the digital camera 100. It is a function for. When the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is set to "Enabled (temporarily available)", the allocation function is performed by sliding or tapping the touch bar 82 only for a certain period after the unlock operation (specific operation) in the shooting mode. Can be executed. In other periods, the assignment function cannot be executed by sliding or tapping. In the playback mode, even if the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is "enabled (temporarily usable)", the assignment function can always be executed by sliding or tapping the touch bar 82. When the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is "valid (temporarily usable)", the execution of the allocation function may be restricted even in the reproduction mode as in the shooting mode. That is, in the playback mode, the allocation function can be executed by sliding or tapping the touch bar 82 only for a certain period after the unlock operation (the period until the expiration of Tn), and the allocation function cannot be executed by sliding or tapping in other periods. You may. When the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is set to "disabled (always available)", the process described with reference to FIG. 10 is performed, and the assignment function can always be executed by sliding or tapping the touch bar 82.

As described above, since the contact state of the full-face touch is a special contact state that is unlikely to occur in a normal operation, it is unlikely that the full-face touch is performed by an unintended operation. In addition, the full-touch allocation function does not change the shooting or playback settings, but is a transition function of the display screen. Therefore, even if the entire surface is touched unintentionally, the left tap, the right tap, and the setting values related to shooting and playback that can be assigned to the slide do not change directly. That is, there is no effect on the shooting result or the playback operation. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the full touch is maintained in the enabled state regardless of whether other operations that can be customized and set are enabled / disabled. That is, the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is "effective (temporarily usable)", and even when the touch bar 82 is in the locked state, the full-face touch is always effective. Then, a shortcut can be made to this M-Fn bar customization setting screen by touching the entire surface. As a result, the user can check various states including valid / invalid by touching the entire surface, and can easily set valid / invalid.

The INFO button icon 1505 is an operation guide for the full touch setting (full press setting) of the touch bar 82. When the INFO button included in the operation unit 70 is pressed, the screen transitions to the M-Fn bar full-face touch setting screen. Further, the INFO button icon 1505 is a touch button, and even if the portion of the touch panel 70a corresponding to the INFO button icon 1505 is touched, the screen transitions to the M-Fn bar full-face touch setting screen. Details of the full touch setting will be described later.

The cursor 1506 is a selection cursor for selecting one of a plurality of options on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen.

In S1402, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not each operation member of the operation unit 70 is operated and the movement of the cursor 1506 is instructed. The cursor movement operation can be performed by directly touching the option or by operating the four-way key 74. If the movement of the cursor 1506 is instructed, the process proceeds to S1403, and if not, the process proceeds to S1404.

In S1403, the system control unit 50 moves the cursor 1506 to select another option in response to the instruction of S1402.

In S1404, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not each operation member of the operation unit 70 is operated and the function group (item 1501) in the shooting mode is selected / confirmed on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. .. For example, when the SET button 75 is pressed while the cursor 1506 is in contact with the item 1501, it is determined that the function group in the shooting mode has been selected / confirmed. Even if there is a touch operation on the item 1501 while the cursor 1506 is on the item 1501, it is determined that the function group in the shooting mode has been selected / confirmed. If the function group in the shooting mode is selected / confirmed, the process proceeds to S1405. If not, the process proceeds to S1406.

In S1405, the system control unit 50 performs the M-Fn bar function assignment setting process corresponding to the shooting mode. In the M-Fn bar function assignment setting process corresponding to the shooting mode, the system control unit 50 assigns the function groove and the allocation function (slide, left tap, right tap) of the touch bar 82 in the shooting mode according to the user operation, respectively. Function) is set.

In S1406, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not each operation member of the operation unit 70 is operated and the function group (item 1502) in the playback mode is selected / confirmed on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. .. If the function group in the playback mode is selected / confirmed, the process proceeds to S1407. If not, the process proceeds to S1408.

In S1407, the system control unit 50 performs the M-Fn bar function allocation setting process corresponding to the reproduction mode. In the M-Fn bar function assignment setting process corresponding to the playback mode, the system control unit 50 responds to the user operation by setting the function groove and the allocation function (slide, left tap, right tap) of the touch bar 82 in the playback mode, respectively. Function to assign) is set.

In S1408, in the system control unit 50, each operation member of the operation unit 70 is operated, and the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is "enabled (temporarily available)" (radio button) on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen. It is determined whether or not 1503) has been selected / confirmed. If "valid (temporarily usable)" of the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is selected / confirmed, the process proceeds to S1409, otherwise the process proceeds to S1410.

In S1409, the system control unit 50 enables the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function to be "enabled (temporarily usable)", and records the setting in the system memory 52 or the non-volatile memory 56.

In S1410, the system control unit 50 operates each operation member of the operation unit 70, and on the M-Fn bar customization setting screen, the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is "disabled (always available)" (radio button 1504). Is selected / confirmed. If "disabled (always available)" of the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function is selected / confirmed, the process proceeds to S1411, otherwise the process proceeds to S1412.

In S1411, the system control unit 50 disables the M-Fn bar erroneous operation prevention function (always available), and records the setting in the system memory 52 or the non-volatile memory 56.

In S1412, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the INFORMATION button included in the operation unit 70 has been pressed. If the INFO button is pressed or the INFO button icon 1505 is touched, the process proceeds to S1413, otherwise the process proceeds to S1415.

In S1413, the system control unit 50 displays the M-Fn bar full-face touch setting screen on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29. FIG. 15B shows an example of the M-Fn bar full-face touch setting screen. As described above, touching the entire surface of the touch bar 82 is an operation of touching the touch bar 82 so as to cover the entire surface of the touch bar 82. The full-face touch setting performed using the M-Fn bar full-face touch setting screen is a setting for whether or not to enable the function of displaying the M-Fn bar customization setting screen when the full-face touch is continued for about 1 second. ..

In S1414, the system control unit 50 receives an operation for full-scale touch setting performed by using each operation member of the operation unit 70. For example, an operation for selecting and confirming OFF1508 or ON1509 is accepted by using the cursor 1507 of FIG. 15B. When OFF1508 is selected and confirmed, the system control unit 50 disables the full-face touch setting (a function that displays the M-Fn bar customization setting screen when the full-face touch is continued for about 1 second), and sets the setting in the system memory. It is recorded in 52 or the non-volatile memory 56. On the other hand, when ON1509 is selected and confirmed, the system control unit 50 enables the full touch setting and records the setting in the system memory 52 or the non-volatile memory 56. If the full touch setting is valid, as described above, the full touch is started within the period of the full touch determination timer Ta from the start of the touch, and then when the full touch continuation timer Tc expires, the M-Fn bar is assigned in advance as a function. Perform customization setting processing. If the full-face touch setting is invalid, the full-face touch determination timer Ta is not started even if the touch is started, and the full-face touch start determination process is not performed. In this case, even before the Ta period elapses from the touchdown, if the slide is performed, the function assigned to the slide is executed.

In S1415, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the menu button 81 has been pressed. If the menu button 81 is pressed, the process proceeds to S1416, otherwise the process proceeds to S1402.

In S1416, the system control unit 50 displays a menu screen one level above the M-Fn bar customization setting screen on the display unit 28 or EVF 29, ends the M-Fn bar customization process, and proceeds to S1215 in FIG.

As described above, the touch bar 82 allows the user to individually customize the functions executed when the slide, left tap, and right tap operations are performed according to the usage. However, the number of functions that can be assigned to each operation of slide, left tap, and right tap is very large. For this reason, if all assignable functions are selected, the selectable combinations of functions assigned to each operation become enormous, and it becomes difficult for the user to quickly and easily customize the functions according to the usage. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a plurality of assignable functions are classified into function groups for each usage, and the user first selects a function group according to the usage. Then, by limiting the functions that can be selected in the selected function group to those that match the function group, the choices of the functions to be assigned are reduced. These make function assignment quick and easy. Further, since all the functions executed in response to each of the slide, the left tap, and the right tap are the functions included in the selected group, the operability of the touch bar 82 is improved.

FIG. 16 shows an example of function assignment corresponding to the shooting mode. In FIG. 16, the function group marked with a circle is the default function group (default setting at the time of shipment from the factory), and the function marked with a circle is the default function when the corresponding function group is selected. Is. In the example of FIG. 16, the functions of "no assignment", "ISO sensitivity", "white balance", "focus / information display", "video shooting", "flexible AE", "AF", and "user customization" There is a group. The function group in the shooting mode is selected from these function groups, and the functions included in the selected function group are selected as the functions in the shooting mode. The default feature group is "no assignment". When the function group "No assignment" is selected, the slide, left tap, and right tap operations are disabled (full touch is enabled).

If you select the "white balance", "focus / information display", "video recording", "flexible AE", or "AF" function group, only the functions that match the selected function group can be selected and assigned. .. For example, if you select the function group "ISO sensitivity", by default, the slide will have the "ISO sensitivity change" function, the left tap will have the "change setting to one left" function, and the right tap will have the "change setting to one right" function. Is assigned. If you don't like this default assignment, you can assign another feature included in the feature group "ISO speed". Here, the function "change the setting to the left" is the same function as when the one-step slide operation to the left is performed, and the function "change the setting to the right" is the one-step slide operation to the right. It has the same function as when you did. As shown in FIG. 16, in the present embodiment, in each function group, the plurality of functions that can be assigned to the slide are different from the plurality of functions that can be assigned to the left tap and the right tap. This makes it possible to easily assign appropriate functions to each operation. The "flexible AE" is a function group in which the user can set any setting value or auto for each of the shutter speed, the aperture (F value), and the ISO sensitivity, which are the setting values related to the exposure. The shutter speed, aperture (F value), and ISO sensitivity setting values displayed on the display unit 28 or EVF 29 can be selected as options (selection items), and any of them can be selected. The selection operation can be performed by other than the operation for the touch bar 82, and can also be performed by the slide or left / right tap depending on the function assignment of the slide or tap. In addition, by sliding or tapping, any of the selected items (shutter speed, aperture (F value), ISO sensitivity) can be set to an arbitrary setting value, or set to auto (reset tail). You can also do it.

If you select the function group "User Customization", all functions that can be assigned in at least one of all function groups can be assigned. It can be said that the state in which the function group "User Customization" is selected means that the function group is not selected.

The allocation function of each function group is stored in the non-volatile memory 56 for each function group. For example, the slide, left tap, and right tap assignment functions set in the function group "ISO sensitivity" are stored even after the function group is set to a value other than "ISO sensitivity". Then, when the function group is set to "ISO sensitivity" again, the previously stored "ISO sensitivity" slide, left tap, and right tap assignment functions are assigned to the slide, left tap, and right tap.

FIG. 17 shows an example of function assignment corresponding to the reproduction mode. In FIG. 17, the function group marked with a circle is the default function group, and the function marked with a circle is the default function when the corresponding function group is selected. In the example of FIG. 17, there are function groups of "no assignment", "function shortcut", and "image feed". The function crepe in the playback mode is selected from these function groups, and the functions included in the selected function group are selected as the functions in the playback mode. The default feature group is "no assignment". When the function group "No assignment" is selected, the slide, left tap, and right tap operations are disabled. If you select the "Function Shortcut" or "Image Forward" function group, only the functions that match the selected function group can be selected and assigned. The function group "function shortcut" is a function group related to attribute settings such as rating and protection.

In the function assignment corresponding to the playback mode, unlike the shooting mode, there is no "user customization" in the function group. The reason is that it is very convenient to use a combination of functions of the same function group as a combination of assigned functions in the playback mode, but it may be inconvenient to use a combination of functions of different function groups. be. For example, when the function of the function group "image feed" is used in combination with other functions of the function group "image feed", the operability of the image feed is improved and the usability is improved. However, if the function of the function group "image feed" is used in combination with the function of the function group "function shortcut", the operability of the image feed may be deteriorated and the usability may be deteriorated.

Although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various embodiments within the range not deviating from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Further, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be appropriately combined.

Further, the above-mentioned various controls described as those performed by the system control unit 50 may be performed by one hardware, or by a plurality of hardware (for example, a plurality of processors and circuits) sharing the processing. The entire device may be controlled. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera (imaging device) has been described as an example, but this is not limited to this example and is applicable to any electronic device capable of accepting user operations. It is possible. For example, the present invention can be applied to a personal computer, a PDA, a mobile phone terminal, a portable image viewer, a printer device, a digital photo frame, a music player, a game machine, an electronic book reader, a video player, and the like. The present invention is also applicable to display devices (including projection devices), tablet terminals, smartphones, AI speakers, home appliances, in-vehicle devices, medical devices and the like.

Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the image pickup device main body but also to a control device that communicates with the image pickup device (including a network camera) via wired or wireless communication and remotely controls the image pickup device. As a device for remotely controlling the image pickup device, for example, there is a device such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, or a desktop PC. The image pickup device can be controlled remotely by notifying the image pickup device of commands for performing various operations and settings from the control device side based on the operations performed on the control device side and the processing performed on the control device side. be. Further, the live view image taken by the image pickup device may be received via wired or wireless communication and displayed on the control device side.

<Example of application to other electronic devices>
For example, the present invention may be applied to other touch operating members instead of the touch bar 82 described in the above-described embodiment. For example, a book regarding touch sensors provided at other positions of the digital camera 100 (such as an annular touch sensor around the lens barrel and a line-shaped touch sensor provided along the side of the display unit 28). The invention may be applied. Further, the present invention may be applied to the touch bar 2301, which is a line-shaped touch sensor provided on the side surface of the smartphone 2300 shown in FIG. 18 (a). Further, even if the touch sensor itself is not in a line shape, the present invention is applied to a display item 2303 which is a touch operation item displayed in a line shape on a part of the touch panel 2302 and can specify a one-dimensional position. May be good. Further, the present invention may be applied to the touch bar 2311 provided on the side surface of the smart watch 2310 (small wristwatch-type electronic device) shown in FIG. 18 (b) and the touch bar 2312 provided on the front surface. Further, the present invention may be applied to the touch bar 2321 provided in the ear hook portion of the eyeglass-type electronic device 2320 (wearable-type electronic device, smart glass) as shown in FIG. 18 (c). Further, a region (may or may not be a part of the touch pad) along one side of the touch pad provided in the notebook type personal computer (notebook PC) 2330 shown in FIG. 18 (d). ), The present invention may be applied to the touch bar 2331 provided.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

100 Digital camera 50 System control unit 82 Touch bar

Claims (14)

With a specific operating method
An instruction means that accepts instruction operations to display the menu screen,
A setting means for setting a specific setting item according to a user operation on a specific setting screen displayed by selecting a specific menu item on the menu screen, and
Other than the specific menu item, without operating the instruction means, due to an operation for the specific operation means, or in response to a specific operation when displaying a guide for the specific setting item. An electronic device comprising: a display control means for controlling to display the menu screen in a display state that is identifiablely emphasized as compared with the menu item of the above. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the emphasized display state is a state in which the specific menu item is selected. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the specific setting item is a setting item related to the specific operating means. Further having an allocation means for assigning a function executed in response to an operation to the specific operation means according to a user-designated operation.
The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the specific setting screen is a screen for assigning a function executed in response to an operation to the specific operating means according to the designated operation. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the assigning means can individually assign a function to a plurality of different operating methods to the specific operating means. When the function is assigned by the assigning means, the allocation function assigned to the first operation by the assigning means in response to the first operation for the specific operating means without displaying the guide. The electronic device according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a control means for controlling to execute the above. It also has an imaging means,
The assigning means is characterized in that it can assign a function of changing settings related to at least one of exposure, sensitivity, white balance, and autofocus as a function executed in response to an operation to the specific operating means. The electronic device according to any one of claims 4 to 6. The display control means controls to display the menu screen in response to the operation of the instruction means, and responds to the operation of selecting the specific menu item and the operation of determining the selection. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the specific setting screen is controlled to be displayed. The display control means is
When displaying the menu screen in response to the operation of the instruction means, whether to select a menu item that satisfies either the last selected menu item or the first menu item last time. , Display without selecting any menu item,
When the menu screen is displayed due to an operation for the specific operating means without operating the instructing means, or in response to the specific operation when the guide is displayed, the condition. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the specific menu item is controlled to be displayed in the emphasized display state regardless of the above. The display control means does not operate the instruction means, but causes the operation for the specific operation means as a factor, or responds to the specific operation when displaying the guide, and displays the specific menu item. One of claims 1 to 9, wherein the menu screen is displayed in the emphasized display state, and then the specific setting screen is automatically controlled to be displayed after a lapse of a predetermined time. Electronic devices listed in. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the specific operating means is a touch-operable operating means. A control method for an electronic device having a specific operation means and an instruction means for receiving an instruction operation for displaying a menu screen.
A setting step for setting a specific setting item according to a user operation on a specific setting screen displayed by selecting a specific menu item on the menu screen, and a setting step.
Other than the specific menu item, without operating the instruction means, due to an operation for the specific operation means, or in response to a specific operation when displaying a guide for the specific setting item. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising: a display control step for controlling to display the menu screen in a display state that is identifiablely emphasized as compared with the menu item of. A program for making a computer function as each means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program for causing the computer to function as each means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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