JP7451255B2 - Electronic equipment and its control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention particularly relates to an electronic device including an operating member, a method of controlling the electronic device, a program, and a storage medium.

In recent years, the number of electronic devices equipped with joysticks (hereinafter referred to as multi-controllers or MCs) has been increasing. The MC can be pushed down in any of eight directions (up, down, left, right, and diagonally) (hereinafter referred to as 8-direction operation), and pressed in the center (hereinafter referred to as center push). In many cases, two operations are possible: By installing this MC in electronic equipment, user operability can be improved.

In digital cameras such as mirrorless cameras, MC allows users to quickly operate the camera, so it is expected that there will be an increase in photographic opportunities. For example, when using MC to specify the position for AF (autofocus), you can move the AF frame in 8 directions by operating in 8 directions, and return the AF frame to the center of the screen by pressing the center. is possible.

Further, Patent Document 1 discloses that the AF frame is moved to a specific position by pressing the center of the MC, and the AF frame is moved from the specific position by performing an eight-direction operation. It is said that this type of MC makes it possible to quickly move the AF frame.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-22208

When operating the MC, accurate operations may be required, such as simultaneously performing an eight-direction push operation and a center push operation depending on the timing, but erroneous operations are likely to occur because the operating portion is small.

In the method described in Patent Document 1, from the viewpoint of giving priority to operability, after the center press operation, eight-direction operations are allowed while the center press is held down, thereby making it easier to move the AF frame from a specific position. However, for example, if you want to position the AF frame strictly in the center as described above, if you accidentally operate in eight directions, the AF frame will shift from the desired position.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide convenience while reducing erroneous operations when operating using an operating member that can perform multiple types of operations simultaneously.

An electronic device according to the present invention includes a switching means for switching at which magnification an image is to be displayed among a plurality of magnifications including a first magnification and a second magnification different from the first magnification; an operation means capable of accepting a first type of operation that specifies one of a plurality of directions and a second type of operation that does not specify a direction; , controls to move the AF position in the displayed image based on the first type of operation, and when the image is displayed at the second magnification, the first type of operation is performed on the operation means. control means for controlling movement of a display area of the displayed image of the entire image based on a type of operation, and the control means displays the image at the first magnification. when the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation is performed, the AF position is moved in the direction based on the first type of operation. When the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation is performed while the image is displayed at the second magnification and the image is displayed at the second magnification. The display area is controlled to be moved in a direction based on a first type of operation.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce erroneous operations while providing convenience when operating using an operating member that can perform multiple types of operations simultaneously.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the external configuration of a digital camera according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a digital camera according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in shooting mode. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a display unit or EVF.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show external views of a digital camera 100 (imaging device) as an example of a device (electronic 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.

In FIG. 1, the display section 28 is a display section provided on the back of the camera that displays images and various information. The touch panel 70a can detect a touch operation on the display surface (operation surface) of the display unit 28. The outside viewfinder display section 43 is a display section provided on the top surface of the camera, and displays various setting values of the camera, including shutter speed and aperture. The shutter button 61 is an operation unit for instructing photography. The mode changeover switch 60 is an operation unit for switching between various modes.

The terminal cover 40 is a cover that protects a connector (not shown) that connects a connection cable with an external device and the digital camera 100. The main electronic dial 71 is a rotary operation member, and by rotating the main electronic dial 71, settings such as shutter speed and aperture can be changed. The power switch 72 is an operation member that turns the power of the digital camera 100 on and off. The sub-electronic dial 73 is a rotary operation member that can move the selection frame, advance images, etc.

The four-direction key 74 is a cross key that has push buttons that can be pushed in four directions, such as up, down, left, and right parts, respectively. An operation corresponding to the pressed part of the four-direction key 74 can be performed in the pressed direction. The SET button 75 is a push button, and is mainly used for determining selection items. The video button 76 is used to instruct the start and stop of video shooting (recording). The AE lock button 77 can be pressed in the shooting standby state to fix the exposure state.

The enlargement button 78 is an operation button for turning on and off the enlargement mode in live view display in the shooting mode. By operating the main electronic dial 71 after turning on the enlargement mode, the live view image can be enlarged or reduced. Further, the enlarge button 78 functions as an enlarge button for enlarging the reproduced image and increasing the enlargement ratio in the reproduction mode.

The playback button 79 is an operation button for switching between shooting mode and playback mode. By pressing the playback button 79 during the shooting mode, the mode shifts to the playback mode, and the latest image among the images recorded on the recording medium 200 can be displayed on the display unit 28. When the menu button 81 is pressed, various setting menu screens are displayed on the display unit 28. The user can intuitively make various settings using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28, the four-direction key 74, the SET button 75, or the multi-controller (hereinafter referred to as MC) 65. The MC65 can be operated by pushing down in any of the eight directions (up, upper right, right, lower right, lower, lower left, left, upper left) to indicate direction (hereinafter referred to as 8-direction operation), and by pressing the center part (hereinafter referred to as 8-direction operation). , center press operation).

The communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with a lens unit 150 (removable) shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later. The eyepiece section 16 is an eyepiece section of an eyepiece finder (a peering type finder), and the user can see through the eyepiece section 16 the image displayed on an internal EVF (Electric View Finder) 29 in FIG. 2, which will be described later. Images can be viewed visually. The eyepiece detection section 57 is an eyepiece detection sensor that detects whether or not the user's eye is placed on the eyepiece section 16 .

A lid 202 is a lid for a slot that stores a recording medium. The grip section 90 is a holding section shaped so that it can be easily grasped with the right hand when the user holds the digital camera 100. The shutter button 61 and the main electronic dial 71 are arranged at positions that can be operated with the index finger of the right hand while holding the digital camera 100 by gripping the grip part 90 with the little finger, ring finger, and middle finger of the right hand. Further, in the same state, a sub-electronic dial 73 is arranged at a position that can be operated with the thumb of the right hand.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the digital camera 100.
In FIG. 2, a lens unit 150 is a lens unit equipped with an exchangeable photographic lens. The lens 103 is usually composed of a plurality of lenses, but in FIG. 2, only one lens is shown for simplicity. 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. Lens unit 150 communicates with system control section 50 via these communication terminals 6 and 10. The lens unit 150 controls the aperture 1 by the internal lens system control circuit 4 via the aperture drive circuit 2. Further, the lens unit 150 focuses by displacing the position of the lens 103 by the lens system control circuit 4 via the AF drive circuit 3.

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 imaging unit 22 is an imaging device (image sensor) made up of a CCD, CMOS device, or the like that converts an optical image into an electrical signal. The imaging unit 22 may include an imaging plane 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 imaging section 22 into a digital signal.

The image processing section 24 performs predetermined processing (pixel interpolation, resizing processing such as reduction, color conversion processing, etc.) on the data from the A/D converter 23 or the data from the memory control section 15. Further, the image processing section 24 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and the system control section 50 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the calculation results obtained by the image processing section 24. As a result, TTL (through-the-lens) type AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, EF (flash pre-emission) processing, etc. are performed. The image processing unit 24 further performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image data, and performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic results.

Output data from the A/D converter 23 is written into the memory 32 via the image processing section 24 and the memory control section 15. Alternatively, the output data from the A/D converter 23 is written into the memory 32 via the memory control unit 15 without passing through the image processing unit 24. The memory 32 stores image data obtained by the imaging section 22 and converted into digital data by the A/D converter 23, and image data to be displayed on the display section 28 and EVF 29. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, a predetermined period of moving images, and audio.

Furthermore, the memory 32 also serves as an image display memory (video memory). 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 section 28 and the EVF 29. In this way, the image data for display written in the memory 32 is displayed on the display section 28 and the EVF 29 via the D/A converter 19. Each of the display section 28 and the EVF 29 is a display such as an LCD or an organic EL, and performs display according to an analog signal from the D/A converter 19. The digital signal 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 EVF 29 for display. View display (LV) can be performed. Hereinafter, the image displayed in the live view display will be referred to as a live view image (LV image).

The system control unit 50 is a control unit including at least one processor and/or at least one circuit, and controls the entire digital camera 100. The system control unit 50 is both a processor and a circuit. The system control unit 50 executes programs recorded in the nonvolatile memory 56 to realize each process of the present embodiment, which will be described later. The system control unit 50 also performs display control by controlling the memory 32, D/A converter 19, display unit 28, EVF 29, and the like.

The system memory 52 is, for example, a RAM, and the system control unit 50 expands constants and variables for operation of the system control unit 50, programs read from the nonvolatile memory 56, etc. into the system memory 52.
The nonvolatile memory 56 is an electrically erasable/recordable memory, such as an EEPROM. Constants, programs, etc. for operation of the system control unit 50 are recorded in the nonvolatile memory 56. The program here refers to a program for executing various flowcharts described later in this embodiment.
The system timer 53 is a timer that measures the time used for various controls and the time of a built-in clock.

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

The attitude detection unit 55 detects the attitude of the digital camera 100 with respect to the direction of gravity. Based on the posture detected by the posture detection section 55, it is determined whether the image taken by the imaging section 22 is an image taken with the digital camera 100 held horizontally or an image taken with the digital camera 100 held vertically. It is possible to determine the The system control unit 50 can add orientation information according to the orientation detected by the orientation detection unit 55 to the image file of the image captured by the imaging unit 22, or rotate and record the image. be. As the posture detection section 55, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like can be used. It is also possible to detect the movement of the digital camera 100 (panning, tilting, lifting, whether it is stationary, etc.) using an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor that is the posture detection unit 55.

The eyepiece detection unit 57 detects (approach detection) when the eye (object) approaches (eyepiece) and moves away from (eye separation) the eyepiece 16 of the eyepiece finder (hereinafter simply referred to as "finder"). It's a sensor. The system control unit 50 switches the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 between display (display state) and non-display (non-display state) according to the state detected by the eye proximity detection unit 57. More specifically, at least in the shooting standby state and when the display destination switching setting is automatic switching, the display destination is turned on and the EVF 29 is not displayed while the eye is not close. Further, while the eye is being viewed, the EVF 29 is set as the display destination and the display is turned on, and the display section 28 is not displayed. As the eyepiece detecting section 57, for example, an infrared proximity sensor can be used, and it is possible to detect the approach of any object to the eyepiece section 16 of the finder incorporating the EVF 29. When an object approaches, infrared light emitted from a light projecting section (not shown) of the eye proximity detection section 57 is reflected by the object and is received by a light receiving section (not shown) of an infrared proximity sensor. Depending on the amount of infrared rays received, it is also possible to determine how close the object is from the eyepiece 16 (eyepiece distance). In this way, the eyepiece detection section 57 performs eyepiece detection to detect the proximity distance of an object to the eyepiece section 16. When an object is detected that approaches the eyepiece unit 16 within a predetermined distance from the non-eye-closed state (non-approaching state), it is determined that the object is close to the eyepiece 16 . When the object whose approach was detected moves away from the eye-closed state (approach state) by a predetermined distance or more, it is determined that the eye has left the eye. The threshold value for detecting close eye contact and the threshold value for detecting eye separation may be different by providing hysteresis, for example. Furthermore, after detecting eye contact, it is assumed that the eye remains in close contact until eye separation is detected. After eye separation is detected, it is assumed that the eye is not in eye contact until eye contact is detected. Note that the infrared proximity sensor is just one example, and other sensors may be used as the eye proximity detection section 57 as long as they can detect a state that can be considered as eye proximity.

Various setting values of the camera, including the shutter speed and aperture, are displayed on the outside-finder display section 43 via the outside-finder display section drive circuit 44.
The power supply control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching the blocks to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is attached, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Further, the power supply control section 80 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction from the system control section 50, and supplies the necessary voltage to each section 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/F 18 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 photographed images, and is composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

The operation unit 70 is an input unit that receives operations from the user (user operations), 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 shutter button 61, a mode changeover switch 60, a power switch 72, a touch panel 70a, other operation members 70b, an MC 65, and the like. Other operating members 70b include a main electronic dial 71, a sub electronic dial 73, a four-way key 74, a SET button 75, a video button 76, an AE lock button 77, an enlarge button 78, a playback button 79, a menu button 81, etc. It can be done.

The shutter button 61 includes a first shutter switch 62 and a second shutter switch 64. The first shutter switch 62 is turned on when the shutter button 61 is pressed halfway (instruction for photographing preparation) during operation of the shutter button 61, and generates a first shutter switch signal SW1. The system control unit 50 starts photographing preparation operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing in response to 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 (photographing instruction), and generates a second shutter switch signal SW2. In response to the second shutter switch signal SW2, the system control unit 50 starts a series of photographic processing operations from reading out the signal from the imaging unit 22 to writing the photographed image into the recording medium 200 as an image file.

The mode changeover switch 60 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 50 to one of a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, a playback mode, and the like. Modes included in the still image shooting mode include an automatic shooting mode, an automatic 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). Additionally, there are various scene modes, custom modes, etc., which are shooting settings for each shooting scene. The mode selector switch 60 allows the user to directly switch to any of these modes. Alternatively, after once switching to the shooting mode list screen using the mode changeover switch 60, the user may selectively switch to any of the displayed plurality of modes using another operating member. Similarly, the video shooting mode may include a plurality of modes.

The touch panel 70a is a touch sensor that detects various touch operations on the display surface of the display unit 28 (the operation surface of the touch panel 70a). The touch panel 70a and the display section 28 can be configured integrally. For example, the touch panel 70a is configured such that its light transmittance does not interfere with the display on the display section 28, and is attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the display section 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. Thereby, it is possible to provide a GUI (graphical user interface) as if the user could 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 a pen that has not touched the touch panel 70a newly touches the touch panel 70a, that is, the start of a touch (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Down).
- 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 touch is finished (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-ons typically continue to be detected unless a touch-up is detected. When a touch move is detected, a touch-on is also detected at the same time. Even if a touch-on is detected, if the touch position does not move, a touch move will not be detected. After all touching fingers and pens are detected to have touched up, touch-off occurs.

These operations/states and the coordinates of the position where the finger or 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 touch moves, the direction of movement of a finger or pen on the touch panel 70a can also be determined for each vertical component and horizontal component on the touch panel 70a based on changes in position coordinates. If it is detected that a touch move has been made over a predetermined distance, it is determined that a slide operation has been performed. An operation in which a finger is touched on the touch panel 70a, quickly moved by a certain distance, and then released is called a flick. In other words, a flick is an operation in which a finger is quickly traced on the touch panel 70a as if flicking. If a touch move over a predetermined distance and at a predetermined speed or higher is detected, and a touch-up is detected as is, it can be determined that a flick has been performed (it can be determined that a flick has occurred following a slide operation). Further, a touch operation in which a plurality of points (for example, two points) are touched together (multi-touch) and the touch positions are brought closer to each other is referred to as a pinch-in, and a touch operation in which the touch positions are moved away from each other is referred to as a pinch-out. Pinch out and pinch in are collectively referred to as a pinch operation (or simply pinch). The touch panel 70a may be any one of various types of touch panels such as a resistive film type, a capacitive type, a surface acoustic wave type, an infrared type, an electromagnetic induction type, an image recognition type, a light sensor type, etc. good. There are two methods: one detects that a touch has been made when the touch panel is touched, and the other detects that there is a touch when a finger or pen approaches the touch panel. Either method may be used.

The line-of-sight detection block 160 is a block for detecting the line-of-sight of whether the user who has put his/her eyes on the eyepiece unit 16 is looking at the EVF 29, and if so, which position the user is looking at. The line of sight detection block 160 includes a dichroic mirror 162, an imaging lens 163, a line of sight detection sensor 164, an infrared light emitting diode 166, and a line of sight detection circuit 165.

The infrared light emitting diode 166 is a light emitting element, and irradiates the eyeball (eye) 161 of the user who looks into the eyepiece section 16 with infrared light. Infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting diode 166 is reflected by the eyeball (eye) 161, and the infrared reflected light reaches the dichroic mirror 162. Dichroic mirror 162 reflects only infrared light and transmits visible light. The infrared reflected light whose optical path has been changed forms an image on the imaging surface of the line-of-sight detection sensor 164 via the imaging lens 163. The imaging lens 163 is an optical member that constitutes a line of sight detection optical system. The line of sight detection sensor 164 is composed of an imaging device such as a CCD type image sensor. The line of sight detection sensor 164 photoelectrically converts the incident infrared reflected light into an electrical signal and outputs it to the line of sight detection circuit 165 . The line of sight detection circuit 165 includes at least one processor, detects the user's line of sight position from the image or movement of the user's eyeball (eye) 161 based on the output signal of the line of sight detection sensor 164, and sends the detected information to the system control unit 50. Output.

In this embodiment, the line of sight detection block 160 is used to detect the line of sight using a method called corneal reflection method. The corneal reflection method is based on the positional relationship between the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting diode 166 reflected by the cornea of the eyeball (eye) 161 and the pupil of the eyeball (eye) 161 to determine the direction of the line of sight. This method detects the position. In addition, there are various methods for detecting the direction and position of the line of sight, such as the scleral reflection method, which utilizes the difference in light reflectivity between the black eye and the white of the eye. It should be noted that any other method of line-of-sight detecting means than the above may be used as long as it is capable of detecting the direction and position of the line-of-sight. In this embodiment, the light emitting section and the light receiving section of the eye proximity detection section 57 have been described as being separate devices from the above-mentioned infrared light emitting diode 166 and line of sight detection sensor 164. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the infrared light emitting diode 166 may also serve as the light emitting part of the eye proximity detection part 57, and the line of sight detection sensor 164 may serve as the light receiving part.

The system control unit 50 can detect the following operations or states based on information related to the user's line of sight from the line of sight detection block 160.
- The line of sight of the user who has looked at the eyepiece unit 16 has been newly input (detected). In other words, the start of gaze input.
- There is a state in which there is a line-of-sight input from a user who has placed his/her eye on the eyepiece unit 16.
- The user who has placed his/her eye on the eyepiece section 16 is in a state of gazing.
- The user who looked at the eyepiece unit 16 removed the line of sight that was being input. In other words, the end of gaze input.
- A state in which the user who has looked at the eyepiece unit 16 is not inputting any line of sight.

The gaze mentioned here means that the user continued to look at approximately the same position for a certain amount of time. To determine whether or not the user is gazing, for example, it is determined that the user is gazing when the position of the user's line of sight does not exceed a predetermined amount of movement for a predetermined period of time (for example, about 0.5 seconds). Note that the predetermined time may be a time that can be set by the user, may be a fixed time that is determined in advance, or may be changed depending on the distance relationship between the immediately previous line-of-sight position and the current line-of-sight position. For example, the system control unit 50 determines, based on the detection information received from the line-of-sight detection circuit 165, that the duration of a state in which the user's line of sight is detected at approximately the same position (state of no line-of-sight movement) is a predetermined period (threshold period). If the value exceeds , it is determined that the user is gazing. In addition, the system control unit 50 also determines that, for example, the average position of the detected position of the line of sight in a short period of time (≦the threshold period described above) including the latest detection timing is within a predetermined range, and the dispersion (dispersion) is less than a predetermined value. If the number of eyes is small, it is determined that the line of sight is not moving.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the shooting mode of the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment. Note that each process shown in FIG. 3 is realized by the system control unit 50 loading a program recorded in the nonvolatile memory 56 or the recording medium 200 into the system memory 52, and executing the program by the system control unit 50.
When the power switch 72 is operated and the power is turned on, the system control unit 50 starts the main photography mode processing.

In S301, the system control unit 50 initializes flags, control variables, and the like.
In S302, the system control unit 50 causes the display unit 28 to display a live view.
In S303, the system control unit 50 causes the display unit 28 to display an information icon indicating the camera setting value superimposed on the live view based on the camera setting value. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of a live view screen of the entire image in the shooting mode. As shown in FIG. 4A, a subject 402 and a single-point AF frame 403 are displayed superimposed on a live view 401.

In S304, the system control unit 50 determines whether an operation necessary to change various setting values, such as the menu button 81 of the operation unit 70, has been performed. If the operation has been performed, the process advances to S305; otherwise, the process advances to S306.

In S305, the system control unit 50 changes various setting values based on the operation in S305. For example, settings to enable/disable various operating members such as the MC65, settings to assign functions to those operating members, settings to change the sensitivity of those operating members, settings to enable/disable the line of sight detection block 160, etc. Can be mentioned. Other examples include settings to switch the AF method, which will be described later, and settings to switch the AF operation to one shot/servo/manual focus. In this embodiment, the line-of-sight detection block 160 is set to be enabled, that is, the line-of-sight input function is enabled when the eye is detected, and the line-of-sight input function is disabled when the eye is not detected. This explanation assumes that there is.

The sensitivity of the operating member can be set, for example, in three stages: sensitive, standard, and insensitive. In the case of the sensitivity of MC65, sensitivity settings are mainly made for eight-direction operation. Note that the sensitivity of the MC 65 can be set differently depending on whether live view is displayed at the same size and when the image is displayed in enlarged size.

Further, the AF method is a setting value for switching the area setting and position specification method of the AF frame. When setting the size of the AF frame area, it is also possible to set the AF frame to have a somewhat wide range (zone AF). In this embodiment, it is further assumed that it is possible to switch between single point AF and area AF. Single-point AF is a mode in which the AF frame is fixed at a position specified by the user. Further, the whole area AF is a mode in which the system control unit 50 detects a subject included in the entire live view and sets an AF frame for the subject.

Functions that can be assigned to the center press operation of the MC 65 include a function to return the AF frame to the center of the screen and a function to move it to a specific position (home position) registered in advance by the user. Other assignable functions include a function to change the live view magnification, a function to move the AF frame to the position of the detection result of the line of sight, and the like. In this embodiment, by pressing the center of the MC65, a function is assigned to return to the center of the screen when the gaze input function is disabled, such as when the eye is not in close contact, and to move to the gaze detection result position when the gaze input function is enabled. The explanation will be given assuming that the function is assigned.

In S306, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the live view magnification is changed using the main electronic dial 71 of the operation unit 70 while the enlargement mode is ON. If the operation has been performed, the process advances to S307; otherwise, the process advances to S308.

In S307, the system control unit 50 changes the magnification of the live view display on the display unit 28 based on the changing operation detected in S306. Here, the user can appropriately switch the live view magnification between the same magnification and the enlarged magnification depending on the shooting scene. FIG. 4(d) is a diagram showing an example of a screen of enlarged live view in shooting mode. As shown in FIG. 4D, an enlargement indicator 412 indicating the enlargement position and a center AF frame 413 indicating the center position of the screen are displayed superimposed on the enlarged live view 411.

In S308, the system control unit 50 determines whether a center push operation has been performed on the MC 65. If the operation has been performed, the process advances to S309; otherwise, the process advances to S323.
In S309, the system control unit 50 determines whether the live view display is being expanded. If the image is being enlarged, the process advances to S313; otherwise, the process advances to S310.

In S310, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the close eye detection unit 57 detects close eye contact and whether or not the line of sight input function is enabled. If eye contact is detected and the line-of-sight input function is enabled, the process advances to S312; otherwise (if the line-of-sight input function is set to be disabled, or if the line-of-sight input function is set to be enabled), the process proceeds to S312. If no eye contact is detected), the process advances to S311. Whether the line of sight input function is enabled or disabled can be set in advance from a settings menu or the like.
In S311, the system control unit 50 moves the AF frame to the center on the display unit 28 or EVF 29 and displays it. FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing an example of the live view screen in shooting mode, which is basically the same as the example shown in FIG. 4(a), but with the single-point AF frame 403 moved to the center of the screen. It is. Note that it may be moved to a pre-registered position (home position) instead of the center.

In S312, the system control unit 50 moves the AF frame to the line-of-sight detection position in the EVF 29 and displays it. FIG. 4(g) is a diagram illustrating an example of a live view screen in a state where line-of-sight input in shooting mode is enabled. As shown in FIG. 4(g), a live view 421 including subjects 422a to 422c is displayed, and superimposed thereon, an AF frame 423 and a line-of-sight pointer 424 indicating the line-of-sight detection position are displayed on the EVF 29. There is. In this state, when a center press operation of the MC 65 is detected in S308, the AF frame 423 is moved and displayed at the position where the line-of-sight pointer 424 was, as shown in FIG. 4(h).

On the other hand, in S313, similarly to S310, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the eye contact is detected by the eye contact detection unit 57 and the line of sight input function is enabled. If eye contact is detected and the line of sight input function is enabled, the process advances to S315; otherwise, the process advances to S314.
In S314, the system control unit 50 moves the enlarged position to the center on the display unit 28 or EVF 29 and displays the image. Note that the enlarged position may be moved to a pre-registered position (home position) instead of the center. Further, at this time, the AF frame may be moved in conjunction with the enlarged position, or a setting may be provided for the user to switch whether or not to move in conjunction with the enlarged position. FIG. 4E shows a state in which the enlarged position has been moved to the center from the display state shown in FIG. 4D.

In S315, the system control unit 50 moves the enlarged position of the EVF 29 to a position based on the line-of-sight detection position. For example, the live view display is changed to be enlarged around the line-of-sight detection position. At this time, the AF frame may also be moved in conjunction with the enlarged position.

In S316, the system control unit 50 determines whether an eight-direction operation has been performed on the MC 65 while the center push operation has been performed. If the operation has been performed, the process advances to S317; otherwise, the process advances to S323.
In S317, the system control unit 50 determines whether the live view display is being expanded. If the image is being enlarged, the process advances to S318; otherwise, the process advances to S320.

In S318, similarly to S310, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the eye contact is detected by the eye contact detection unit 57 and the line of sight input function is enabled. If eye contact has been detected and the line of sight input function is valid, the process advances to S319; otherwise, the process advances to S321, and the function corresponding to the 8-direction operation of the MC 65 is not executed. In other words, when the line-of-sight input function is disabled, the eight-direction operation is disabled while the center pressing operation of the MC 65 continues. Note that the processing in S318 and S319 may be omitted and the process may proceed to S321 if the determination is No in S317. That is, regardless of whether the line-of-sight input function is enabled or disabled, the eight-direction operation may be disabled while the center pressing operation of the MC 65 continues.
In S319, the system control unit 50 moves and displays the AF frame in the EVF 29 based on the direction of the eight-direction operation detected in S316. In FIG. 4(i), the AF frame 423 is moved from the position of the AF frame 423 shown in FIG. 4(h) to the selected position of the subject 422c based on the direction of the eight-direction operation detected in S316. An example is shown.

In S320, the system control unit 50 moves and displays the enlarged position on the display unit 28 or EVF 29 based on the operation in S316. FIG. 4(f) shows an example in which the enlarged position is shifted to the right from the state shown in FIG. 4(e) based on the direction of the eight-direction operation detected in S316. Note that in the example shown in Figure 4(f), the AF frame remains at the center position and the enlarged position shifts to the right, but even if the AF frame is also shifted to the right in conjunction with the enlarged position. good.

In S321, the system control unit 50 determines whether the eight-direction operation of the MC 65 has been released. If it has been released, the process advances to S322; otherwise, the process advances to S317.
In S322, the system control unit 50 determines whether the center push operation for the MC 65 has been released. If it has been released, the process advances to S323; otherwise, the process advances to S316.

In S323, the system control unit 50 determines whether an eight-direction operation has been performed on the MC 65 without a center push operation being performed. If the operation has been performed, the process advances to S324; otherwise, the process advances to S328.
In S324, the system control unit 50 determines whether the live view display is being expanded. If the image is being enlarged, the process advances to S326; otherwise, the process advances to S325.

In S325, the system control unit 50 moves and displays the AF frame on the display unit 28 or EVF 29 based on the direction of the eight-direction operation detected in S323. FIG. 4(c) is a diagram showing an example of a live view screen in the shooting mode. From the state shown in FIG. 4(a) or FIG. This indicates that the object has moved based on the direction of .

In S326, the system control unit 50 moves and displays the enlarged position on the display unit 28 or EVF 29 based on the direction of the eight-direction operation detected in S323.
In S327, the system control unit 50 determines whether the eight-direction operation of the MC 65 has been released. If it has been released, the process advances to S328; otherwise, the process advances to S324.

In S328, the system control unit 50 determines whether any other operation has been performed on the operation unit 70. If so, the process advances to S329; otherwise, the process advances to S330. Other operations include shooting operations and changing shooting parameters such as shutter speed and aperture value.
In S329, the system control unit 50 performs other processing. Other processing includes photographing and changing photographing parameters such as shutter speed and aperture value.

In S330, the system control unit 50 determines whether a termination operation has been performed on the operation unit 70. Here, the termination operation includes an operation in which the power switch 72 is pressed, an operation in which the playback button 79 is pressed, and the like. If the end operation has been performed, the process ends; otherwise, the process advances to S304.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the line of sight input function is disabled, live view is displayed at the same magnification on the display unit 28 or EVF 29, and eight-direction operations are performed while pressing the center of the MC 65. In this case, 8-way operation is now disabled. This makes it possible to prevent inconveniences such as, for example, the AF frame being erroneously shifted from the center position. On the other hand, when the display is enlarged, even if the line-of-sight input function is disabled, if the 8-direction operation is performed while pressing the center of the MC65, the 8-direction operation will be enabled. I decided to do so. When the display is enlarged in this way, the enlarged position can be finely adjusted by operating in eight directions. As mentioned above, regardless of whether the line-of-sight input function is enabled or disabled, if the LV display is performed without enlarging, the 8-direction operation while pressing the center of the MC65 is disabled, and the LV display is enlarged. If so, the 8-direction operation may be enabled while the center of the MC 65 is being pressed.

In addition, when the line of sight input function is enabled, the 8-direction operation is enabled even if the 8-direction operation is performed while pressing the center of the MC 65 (S319). When the line of sight input function is enabled, it is highly necessary to move the AF frame to a position according to the line of sight by pressing the center, and then fine-tune the position of the AF frame using 8-direction operation. The ease of fine adjustment is given priority over the reduction of erroneous operations. As a result, the position of the AF frame, which has been roughly determined based on the line of sight, can be easily fine-tuned by operating in eight directions, ensuring convenience.

Note that in the example shown in FIG. 3, the MC 65 moves the AF frame at one point, but the AF frame may be applied to the entire area AF. FIGS. 4(j) to 4(l) are diagrams showing examples of screens when applied to whole area AF, and FIG. 4(j) is a diagram showing an example of a screen of live view in shooting mode in whole area AF. It is.

As shown in FIG. 4(j), a live view 421 including subjects 422a to 422c is displayed on the EVF 29, and a detection AF frame 425 and a line-of-sight pointer 424 indicating the line-of-sight detection position are displayed superimposed on it. There is. In S308, if it is determined that the center press operation of the MC 65 has been performed, in S312, as shown in FIG. let

In addition, in FIG. 4(k), a tracking AF frame 426 and a left/right arrow 427 indicating that the selected subject can be switched by operating the MC 65 in the left/right direction are displayed for the selected subject 422b. . In this state, if it is determined in S316 that the MC 65 has been operated in eight directions, another subject 422c is selected and displayed on the EVF 29 in S319, as shown in FIG. 4(l). In this way, by continuing to enable the MC65's 8-direction operation after moving the AF frame to the line-of-sight detection position, even if you select an unintended subject, you can immediately make fine adjustments. Become.

Furthermore, if you operate the MC65 in 8 directions while pressing the center and then return to the state of only pressing the center (S321/Yes → S322/No), the process will return to S316. The operation is enabled or disabled. Further, although the line-of-sight input function is said to be effective only with the EVF 29, it is not limited thereto. Even when the live view is displayed on the display unit 28, the configuration may be such that line of sight detection can be performed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the MC 65 can be operated in eight directions, but the number of operable directions is not limited to eight directions, and the number of operable directions may be larger or smaller. Further, the MC 65 is not limited to a joystick-shaped member as shown in FIG. 1(b). It may be a touch operation member that can detect a press, or an operation member that can detect a touch operation on the surface of a push-down button.

Note that the sensitivity of the MC 65 may be changed in conjunction with the control shown in FIG. For example, when the live view at the same size is displayed on the display unit 28, instead of disabling the 8-direction operation from the center press operation, the AF frame is moved when only the 8-direction operation is performed (S325). may be made sensitive. On the other hand, in the live view enlarged state in which eight-direction operations starting from the center press operation are enabled, the movement of the enlarged position (S320) may be made insensitive.

In addition, if the sensitivity of the MC65 is set to be less sensitive for the live view display at the same size than for the enlarged display, when the live view at the same size is displayed on the display unit 28, pressing the center button 8-direction operation may be enabled. That is, in the case of S318/No, the system control unit 50 moves and displays the AF frame on the display unit 28 based on the direction of the eight-direction operation detected in S316, similarly to S319. After that, the process advances to S321. On the contrary, only when the sensitivity of the MC65 is set to be more sensitive for the live view display at the same size than for the enlarged display, the live view at the same size is displayed on the display unit 28 as shown in FIG. The 8-direction operation from the center push operation may be disabled in the displayed state. In some cases, it may not be necessary to have both convenience and prevention of erroneous operations, and in cases where only convenience is desired, convenience can be ensured by changing the sensitivity setting.

Furthermore, the control may be changed depending on the setting of the AF operation: one shot, servo, or manual focus. For example, in the case of a one-shot setting, the 8-direction operation from the center press operation is disabled, but the servo setting is basically used in scenes where moving subjects are photographed, so operability is emphasized. Good too. That is, when the AF operation is set to servo, the eight-direction operation from the center press operation may be enabled while the live view at the same size is displayed on the display unit 28.

Further, the control may be changed during the photographing operation. For example, when the shutter button 61 is in the SW1 state (half-pressed state), the 8-direction operation from the center press operation is enabled while the live view at the same size is displayed on the display unit 28. You can also use it as Furthermore, control may be changed depending on the AF method. For example, if an AF frame (zone AF) with a wide range greater than a predetermined value is set, the scene often does not require a strict central composition. Therefore, while the live view at the same size is displayed on the display unit 28, the eight-direction operation from the center press operation may be enabled. This makes it possible to create a specification that places more emphasis on convenience than on erroneous operations.

Further, in this embodiment, a function of moving the AF frame or enlarged position to a predetermined position is assigned by pressing the center of the MC 65. Specifically, when the line-of-sight input function is disabled, a function is assigned to return the AF frame or enlarged position to the center of the screen or the home position, and when the line-of-sight input function is enabled, the AF frame or enlarged position is returned to the line-of-sight detection result position. Assigned the function to move. Additionally, a function has been assigned to move the AF frame or enlarged position in the 8-direction direction of the MC65. On the other hand, it is also possible to operate the menu button 81 and assign the functions of the center push operation and eight-direction operation of the MC 65 to different functions from the menu screen. The process shown in FIG. 3 is based on the assumption that the above-mentioned functions are assigned to the center push operation and 8-direction operation of the MC65, so if different functions are assigned, the control shown in FIG. 3 will not be performed. Do it like this. In this case, when the MC 65 is operated, processing is performed in accordance with the different functions.

(Other embodiments)
Note that the various controls described above as being performed by the system control unit 50 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or multiple pieces of hardware (for example, multiple processors or circuits) may share the processing to It is also possible to perform overall control. Further, although the present invention has been described in detail based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and the present invention may be applied to various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. included. Furthermore, each of the embodiments described above is merely one embodiment of the present invention, and it is also possible to combine the embodiments as appropriate.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the present invention has been described as an example in which the present invention is applied to a digital camera, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and can be applied to any device equipped with an MC. That is, the present invention is applicable to personal computers, PDAs, mobile phone terminals, portable image viewers, printer devices with displays, digital photo frames, music players, game machines, electronic book readers, and the like. Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to the imaging device itself but also to a control device that communicates with the imaging device (including a network camera) via wired or wireless communication and remotely controls the imaging device. Examples of devices that remotely control the imaging device include devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and desktop PCs. The imaging device can be controlled remotely by notifying the imaging device of commands to perform various operations and settings from the control device, based on operations performed on the control device and processing performed on the control device. be. Furthermore, a live view image taken by the imaging device may be received via wired or wireless communication and displayed on the control device side.

The present invention is also realized by performing the following processing. That is, the software (program) that realizes the functions of the embodiments described above is supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads the program code. This is the process to be executed. In this case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

50 System control unit, 65 MC

Claims (20)

A switching means for switching which magnification to display the image at among a plurality of magnifications including a first magnification and a second magnification different from the first magnification;
an operation means capable of accepting a first type of operation that instructs one of a plurality of directions and a second type of operation that does not specify a direction;
While displaying the image at the first magnification, control is performed to move the AF position in the displayed image based on the first type of operation , and the image is displayed at the second magnification. A control means for controlling movement of a display area of the displayed image of the entire image based on the first type of operation on the operation means during display;
has
The control means includes:
When the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation is being performed while the image is displayed at the first magnification, the first type of operation is performed. controlling the AF position not to move in the direction based on the
When the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation is being performed while the image is displayed at the second magnification, the first type of operation is performed. An electronic device, characterized in that the display area is controlled to move in a direction based on the direction. The control means includes:
controlling the AF position to move to a predetermined position in response to the second type of operation being performed while displaying the image at the first magnification;
A claim characterized in that the display area is controlled to be moved to a predetermined position in response to the second type of operation being performed when the image is displayed at the second magnification. The electronic device according to item 1. further comprising an input means for inputting information related to the user's line of sight detected by the line of sight detection means,
The control means controls a state in which the second type of operation is performed when information related to the line of sight is input by the input means while displaying the image at the first magnification. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the AF position is controlled to be moved based on the first type of operation even if the first type of operation is performed in . device. further comprising an allocation means for allocating functions of the first type and the second type of operation,
A function of moving the AF position in a direction based on the first type of operation by the assignment means in response to the first type of operation, and a function of moving the AF position in a predetermined direction for the second type of operation. When the function of moving the image to a certain position is assigned, the control means may control the control means to display the first type of image in a state where the second type of operation is performed while displaying the image at the first magnification. 4. The AF position is controlled not to be moved in the direction based on the first type of operation when an operation of the first type is performed. Electronics. 5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the second magnification is larger than the first magnification. 6. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the first magnification is a magnification at which the entire image is displayed. further comprising area setting means for setting the size of the area of the AF position for detecting the focus ,
When the size of the area at the position where the focus is detected by the area setting unit is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the control unit controls the second magnification while displaying the image at the first magnification. Even if the first type of operation is performed while another type of operation is being performed, the AF position may be controlled to move in the direction based on the first type of operation. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . an operation means capable of accepting a first type of operation that instructs one of a plurality of directions and a second type of operation that does not specify a direction;
an input means for inputting information related to the user's line of sight detected by the line of sight detection means;
a control means for controlling movement of an AF position in a displayed image based on an operation on the operation means;
has
The control means includes:
If the information related to the line of sight is not input by the input means and the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation has been performed, the first type of operation is performed. controlling the AF position not to move in a direction based on the operation;
If the information related to the line of sight has been input by the input means and the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation has been performed, the first type of operation is performed. An electronic device characterized by controlling the AF position to be moved in a direction based on . 9. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the line of sight detection means is a means for detecting the line of sight of the user's eyes when the user looks at the finder. When information related to the line of sight is input by the input means, the control means controls to move the AF position to a position based on the user's line of sight in response to the second type of operation. The electronic device according to claim 3, 8 or 9, characterized in that: When information related to the line of sight is not input by the input means, the control means changes the AF position to a central position of the image or a pre-registered position according to the second type of operation. 11. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the electronic device is controlled to move. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the displayed image is a live view image captured by an imaging device. The electronic device according to claim 12 , further comprising the imaging means. 14. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first type of operation is an operation of pushing down the operating means in one of the plurality of directions. The electronic device according to claim 14 , wherein the plurality of directions are eight directions. 16. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the second type of operation is an operation of pushing the operation means. A method for controlling an electronic device having an operation means capable of accepting a first type of operation that instructs one of a plurality of directions and a second type of operation that does not instruct a direction, the method comprising:
a switching step of switching at which magnification the image is to be displayed among a plurality of magnifications including a first magnification and a second magnification different from the first magnification;
While displaying the image at the first magnification, control is performed to move the AF position in the displayed image based on the first type of operation , and the image is displayed at the second magnification. a control step of performing control to move a display area of the displayed image of the entire image based on the first type of operation on the operation means during display;
has
In the control step,
When the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation is being performed while the image is displayed at the first magnification, the first type of operation is performed. controlling the AF position not to move in the direction based on the
When the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation is being performed while the image is displayed at the second magnification, the first type of operation is performed. A method for controlling an electronic device, characterized in that the display area is controlled to be moved in a direction based on the direction. A method for controlling an electronic device having an operation means capable of accepting a first type of operation that instructs one of a plurality of directions and a second type of operation that does not instruct a direction, the method comprising:
an input step of inputting information related to the user's line of sight detected by the line of sight detection means;
a control step of controlling movement of an AF position in a displayed image based on an operation on the operation means;
has
In the control step,
If the information related to the line of sight has not been input in the input step and the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation has been performed, the first type of operation is performed. controlling the AF position not to move in a direction based on the operation;
If the information related to the line of sight has been input in the input step and the first type of operation is performed while the second type of operation has been performed, the first type of operation is performed. A method of controlling an electronic device, comprising: controlling the AF position to move in a direction based on . A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 . A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 .

Images