JPH02149832A - Normal marker display device in video camera or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To correctly match horizontal and perpendicular normals and to realize photographing by selecting a normal marker display signal in response to a signal detected by an inclination detecting means and superposing it on a video signal photographed by a camera and displaying it on a view finder. CONSTITUTION:A signal detected by an inclination detector 7 is inputted to a character generator 8 as a display signal generating means. In the character generator 8, for example signals which display a normal marker (a) in a cross shape are generated. Many signals whose cross inclinations are a little different from each other are formed in advance, and out of them the normal marker display signal is selected by the signal detected by the inclination detector 7. The normal marker display signal which responds to the signal detected by the inclination detector 7, is superposed with the video signal photographed by a video camera 1 and inputted to the view finder 2. Thus the normal marker (a) which is superposed with a photographed image and responds to the inclination of the camera is displayed on a CRT 6. Thus the horizontal and perpendicular normals can be correctly matched.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a display device for horizontal and vertical reference markers in a video camera or the like.

[Summary of the invention]

For example, in a video camera, the present invention includes a tilt detection means built into the camera body, and according to a signal detected by the tilt detection means, a reference marker display signal created in advance in the display signal generation means is selected, and this is photographed with the camera. By superimposing it on the captured video signal and displaying it on the viewfinder, it is possible to accurately adjust the horizontal and vertical standards while viewing the viewfinder to perform possession.

[Conventional technology]

For example, when photographing various subjects with a video camera, it is necessary to accurately set the horizontal and vertical standards of the camera body relative to the ground or the subject in order to obtain easy-to-see images.

Conventionally, as a device for aligning the horizontal and vertical standards of the camera body, for example, "Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-144494"
There is a tripod equipped with a spirit level as disclosed in No. J, and by attaching a camera to this tripod, the absolute level of the camera can be adjusted accurately using the spirit level. However, this requires the camera to be always mounted on a tripod, which is very inconvenient for video cameras that require great mobility.

As a solution to this problem, there is a video camera proposed by the applicant of the present invention and disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 164460/1983. That is, this video camera has a level gauge attached to the camera body facing the outer surface, so that the absolute level of the camera can be accurately adjusted while looking at the level gauge.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in this conventional video camera, since a level is provided on the outer surface of the camera body, it is not possible to adjust the absolute level while taking a picture while holding the camera in the hand. In other words, since hand-held shooting with a video camera is usually done while looking through the camera's viewfinder, the photographer cannot see a spirit level during the shooting operation. This is a disadvantage for video cameras.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a device that can accurately and easily adjust the horizontal and vertical standards of a camera even during photographing.

[Means to solve the problem]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a camera equipped with an electronic viewfinder, which includes tilt detection means for detecting the tilt of the camera body, and display signal generation means for generating a predetermined reference marker display signal. , a reference marker display signal generated in advance by a display signal generating means in accordance with the signal detected by the tilt detecting means is superimposed on the video signal taken by the camera body and displayed on the viewfinder. It is.

[Effect]

With this configuration, the photographer can accurately adjust the horizontal and vertical standards while looking through the viewfinder, that is, while shooting, and this allows for handheld shooting without tilting the subject. You can take pictures.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of the present invention. In the figure, (1) is the video camera body, and (2) is an electronic viewfinder (hereinafter simply a viewfinder) attached to the video camera body (1). ). The video signal output from the imaging unit (3) of the video camera body (1) is input to the viewfinder (2), and is passed through the video signal processing circuit (4) and deflection circuit (5) to the CRT (
6) The image is displayed.

A tilt detector (7) for detecting the tilt is built into a part of the video camera body (1), and a so-called rotary encoder as described later is used as the tilt detector (7). The signal detected by the tilt detector (7) is input to a character generator (8) as display signal generating means.

The second character generator (8) generates a signal for displaying a cross-shaped reference marker a as shown in FIG. A large number of signals for displaying this standard marker a have been created in advance with slightly different inclinations of the cross.
Among them, a reference marker display signal corresponding to the signal detected by the above-mentioned tilt detector (7) is selected, and this signal is superimposed on the video signal captured by the video camera body (1) for viewing. It is input into the finder (2).

As a result, the reference marker a corresponding to the tilt of the camera is displayed on the CRT (6) of the viewfinder (2), overlapping with the image taken by the video camera body (1).

Note that the display of the reference marker by the character generator (8) can be turned on and off as desired by a display switch (9).

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a tilt detector (a rotary encoder as an example of force. In other words, a disc-shaped encode plate (11) is rotatably supported on a fixed part (10) on the video camera body side. On the encode plate (11), a plurality of pieces of different angle information (12) are recorded at predetermined intervals over almost the entire circumference, while on the opposite side, on the fixed part (10), angle information is recorded. A pickup (13) is provided for reading the encoder plate (12).
) at a predetermined position on the outer periphery of the weight body (14) as a weight.
is fixed, and the weight of this weight body (14) keeps the encoder plate (11) in a rotational position always pointing in a fixed direction with respect to the ground even if the video camera body (1) is tilted. has been done. Therefore, the encode plate (11) rotates relatively according to the tilt of the video camera body (1), and the pickup (13) reads the corresponding angle information (12), thereby adjusting the tilt of the video camera. An angle signal is detected.

Then, as described above, the standard marker display signal generated in advance by the character generator (8) is selected in accordance with the signal detected by the tilt detector (7), and this signal is attached to the video camera body (1). It is displayed on the viewfinder (2) superimposed on the shadowed video signal.

According to this example device configured as described above, the reference marker a indicating the tilt of the camera is displayed on the viewfinder (2), so the photographer can check the horizontal and vertical reference points of the camera relative to the ground while looking through the viewfinder. In other words, the absolute level can be adjusted accurately, and therefore, when taking pictures while holding the camera in hand, it is possible to take good pictures without tilting the subject, without using a tripod with a level as in the past. can.

In addition, by turning the display switch (9) on and off, you can display the reference marker only when necessary and turn it off when it is not needed, so the reference marker does not get in the way when shooting. .

In addition, in this example device, a character generator (8
) can also display reference markers that indicate horizontal and vertical orientation in the viewfinder.

That is, in the configuration of this example, the character generator (8
) generates a signal that displays a cross-shaped reference marker b as shown in FIG. 4A, or a grid-like reference marker b as shown in FIG. This is superimposed on the video signal from the video camera body (1) and displayed on the viewfinder (2). The vertical and horizontal lines of these reference markers b, b, are set to be displayed parallel to the left and right sides and the top and bottom sides of the viewfinder display screen, respectively, and are set to be displayed parallel to the left and right sides and the top and bottom sides of the display screen of the viewfinder. display on the viewfinder (2) as necessary. Further, the display position of the vertical and horizontal lines of the reference marker may be moved and selected as shown in FIG. 4A.

By displaying the reference markers in the viewfinder in this way, if you are trying to take a picture of a building, for example, you can align the vertical and horizontal lines of the reference marker with the vertical and horizontal edges of the building, making it easier to see from a suitable angle. You can get the picture. If this is not necessary, the display switch (9) may be turned off to erase the reference marker from the viewfinder (2).

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is of course applicable not only to video cameras but also to, for example, electronic still cameras.

Furthermore, the camera tilt detection means is not limited to the rotary encoder shown in the embodiment, but any device that can electrically detect the camera tilt may be used.

In addition, in this example, a cross-shaped marker is displayed as a standard marker representing the absolute level of the camera, but characters are generated by the character generator (8) and the tilt direction of the camera and its angle are displayed numerically. You can do it like this.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention superimposes a reference marker display signal generated by a display signal generation means on a video signal photographed by the camera body in accordance with a signal detected by a tilt detection means provided in the camera body. Since it is displayed in the viewfinder, the photographer can accurately adjust the horizontal and vertical standards while taking a picture while looking through the viewfinder, which is extremely effective when taking pictures while holding the camera in hand. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the inclination detection means, and FIGS. 3 and 4 A and B are explanatory diagrams of display examples of reference markers. In the figure, (1) is the video camera body, (2) is the viewfinder, (force is the tilt detector, and (8) is the character generator as a display signal generation means. Agent Sadado Matsukuma Hidenori Ito)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A video camera or the like equipped with an electronic viewfinder includes a tilt detection means for detecting the tilt of the camera body, and a display signal generation means for generating a predetermined standard marker display signal, and a signal detected by the tilt detection means. A reference marker display in a video camera or the like, characterized in that a reference marker display signal generated by the display signal generating means in accordance with the above is superimposed on a video signal taken by the camera body and displayed on the viewfinder. Device.