JPH03236685A - Electronic still camera with display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce power consumption with a small size inexpensively by providing a liquid crystal display device around a focal face of an optical finder in making a taking-in and out possible. CONSTITUTION:Since an LCD 16 is arranged at a position of a 2nd focal face B in an optical path, a picture displayed on the LCD 16 is observed with magnification by an eyepiece lens 15. Moreover, a luminous flux made incident in an objective lens 12 is diffused by a white diffusion plate 17 provided on a rear side of the LCD 16 and acts effectively like a back light of the LCD 16, then power consumption is suppressed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an electronic still camera, and more particularly to an electronic still camera equipped with both an optical finder and a liquid crystal display device.

(Background of the Invention) Recently, in place of conventional silver halide cameras, an image signal is obtained by photoelectrically converting an optical image that has passed through an optical system using an image sensor, which is recorded on a recording means equivalent to film, and then used with a reproducing device or the like. So-called electronic still cameras that reproduce images and check the reproduced images on a monitor device, and integrated recording/reproducing electronic still cameras that also have a built-in reproduction function have also been developed and provided. Also, JP-A-59-1
The "electronic still camera" described in Japanese Patent No. 83579 proposes an electronic still camera equipped with an electronic display device that displays an image signal from an image sensor before or after photographing.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Electronic still cameras that display reproduced images have been proposed as described above, but they are simply installed so that they can go in and out of the optical path of an optical viewfinder, and there are no specific examples. is not.

Further, in video cameras, there is an electronic viewfinder as a finder that uses a CRT, but since the configuration and system are different from electronic still cameras, miniaturization, energy saving, etc. are not sufficiently considered. In other words, a video camera is configured to record video;
All you have to do is display this video directly on the electronic viewfinder.

On the other hand, electronic still cameras are configured to take still images, and the electronic viewfinder of a video camera cannot be directly applied to them. Furthermore, electronic still cameras are generally smaller than video cameras, which is another reason why electronic viewfinders of video cameras cannot be applied to electronic still cameras.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to take advantage of the characteristics of electronic still cameras to enable immediate playback confirmation of images taken before or after shooting. The object of the present invention is to obtain an electronic still camera with a display device configured while taking into consideration miniaturization, low power consumption, etc. of the camera.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, includes an optical viewfinder having a focal plane in the optical path, and a liquid crystal display device that is removably provided near the focal plane of the optical finder. It is characterized by the fact that it is equipped with

(Function) In the electronic still camera with a display device of the present invention, before photographing, the subject is confirmed using a light image that has passed through the optical finder. After photographing, the photographed image is confirmed on a liquid crystal display device placed on the focal plane within the optical viewfinder.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a finder 11 in which an embodiment of the present invention is implemented, in which an LCD (liquid crystal display) 16 is arranged near the second focal plane, and a switching knob (not shown) is arranged in the vicinity of the second focal plane. The lens is configured to move in and out of the field of view of the finder 11 by rotation by the operation.

In a normal state, the LCD 16 is stored at a predetermined position outside the optical path. Therefore, the light rays from the object pass through the objective lens 12 in the finder 11, the relay lenses 13, 14, and the eyepiece lens 15. To explain in more detail, the object image is formed by the objective lens 12 on the first focal plane A as an inverted real image whose top, bottom, right and left sides are reversed. This inverted real image is made into an erect normal image by the relay lenses 13 and 14, and is focused on the second focal point B. And this second focal plane B
The eyepiece lens 15 is configured to magnify and view the erect normal image formed by the eyepiece lens 15.

Next, a case will be described in which the LCD 16 is released from the predetermined storage position and placed in the optical path. In this case, LCD1
6 is placed at the second focal plane B in the optical path. Therefore, the image displayed on the LCD 16 is transferred to the eyepiece lens 15.
You can enlarge it and see it. Further, the light flux incident from the objective lens 12 is scattered by a white diffuser plate 17 provided on the back surface of the LCD 16, and effectively acts as a backlight for the LCD 16. Therefore, an optical system such as an eyepiece lens can be effectively utilized, and a backlight provided by a light emitting member is not required, so power consumption can also be suppressed.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment in which the LCD 16
is configured to move in and out of the field of view of the finder 11. In this embodiment, the LCD 16 is placed near the second focal plane, but the same effect can be obtained even near the first focal plane.

Further, in the embodiment, only the LCD 16 is movable, but a part of the finder 11 may also be movable.

Further, this figure shows a case where the eyepiece lens is enlarged to match the viewing angle of the LCD 16. By doing so, visibility when using the LCD 16 is improved. Further, a diffusion lens 18 having a roughened surface 18A
In addition, a condenser lens 19 is employed to effectively utilize the luminous flux near the second focal point in accordance with the size of the LCD 16.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the Albada type finder 20, in which the movable mirror 24 is moved in and out of the finder 20 by rotating the reflective optical system by operating a switching knob (not shown). Thereby, the display image of the LCD 23 installed outside the optical path is visually recognized by the movable mirror 24 and the eyepiece lens 22.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of an LCD with a backlight, in which a cathode tube 26 and a reflecting mirror 27 are used. FIG. 5 shows a case where an EL (electroluminescence) element 30 is used. 1, 2, and 3 are examples using the light passing through the finder, but FIGS. 4 and 5
The backlit LCD shown in the figure may also be used.

FIG. 6 shows the external configuration of an electronic still camera employing the above-described embodiment, with a remote control 48 attached. 40 is a release button, 41 is a photographic lens, 4
2 is a finder lens window, 43 is a photometry window, 44 is a remote control light receiving window, 45 is a self-timer operation display window, 4
Reference numeral 6 designates a strobe light control window, 47 a strobe light, 49 an LCD display section for displaying shooting mode, track number, etc., and 50 a recording medium, a video floppy disk, which is used by being inserted into the camera.

FIG. 7 is a system block diagram of the electronic still camera. The explanation will be given below according to the drawings.

The light that has passed through the photographic lens 41 passes through the aperture 51 and the optical filter 52, enters the CCD 5B, is converted into an electrical signal, and then passes through the sample hold circuit 54 for gamma correction and Y/C.
Signal processing such as separation and white balance adjustment is performed. After the signal processed signal is FM modulated by the modulation circuit 56,
Magnetic recording is performed on a 5° video floppy by a recording amplifier 57 and a recording/reproducing head 62.

Here, the timing generation circuit 59 is the CCD drive circuit 58.
It outputs pulses necessary for the signal processing circuit 55, modulation circuit 56, and recording amplifier 57.

The aperture is controlled by an aperture drive circuit 51A controlled by the main CPU 60. Further, the video floppy 50 is rotated at a constant speed of 3600 revolutions per minute by a spindle motor 64 and a servo circuit 63.

The main CPU 60 controls the entire system and the power supply to each part, and the sub CPU 73 controls the LCD.
The human power status of the display 49 and various switches 75 is detected.

The distance measuring circuit 68 measures the distance to the subject using an infrared LED and a light receiving element such as a PSD. The photometry circuit 69 is
A photodiode measures the brightness of the subject.

The light control circuit 7o integrates the reflected light of the strobe light 48 from the subject and notifies the main CPU 60 of the appropriate exposure. As is well known, the strobe circuit 71 includes a booster circuit and a capacitor, and its charging and light emission are controlled by the main CPU 60.

The remote control signal receiving circuit 72 detects the modulated optical signal and sends it to the main CPU 60 as a digital signal.

For playback, the signal recorded on the floppy disk 5o is electromagnetically converted by the recording/playback head 62,
After being amplified in step 6, subjected to FM demodulation and signal processing, an encoder circuit 85 outputs a video signal. Further, the output of the signal processing circuit 84 is supplied to the LCD drive circuit 83, and the LCD
A driving signal is created, and the LCD 16 arranged in the finder is driven as described in the previous embodiment.

Note that the recording/reproducing head 62 can be moved to any desired track by the main CPU 60.

The entire camera is powered by a battery 77 or an AC adapter 78. Here, the power supply changeover switch 79 shown in the figure is configured to be switchable by eye movements or manually.

When the remote control transmitter 48 built into the camera is removed from the camera,
A detection switch 74 on the main body allows the sub CPU 73 to detect that the remote control 48 has been removed.

The embodiments explained in FIGS. 1 to 3 are similar to those in FIGS. 6 and 7.
Of course, it can be used in other types of electronic still cameras than those shown in the figure.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by providing a liquid crystal display (LCD) near the focal plane of the optical finder, space can be used effectively and the eyepiece lens can be shared. Furthermore, by using the light passing through the optical viewfinder as a backlight, the storage space can be reduced and the size of the electronic still camera can be reduced. Furthermore, since a backlight made of a light-emitting member is not used, current consumption can be reduced, and it is extremely effective to provide an electronic still camera with a display device that is inexpensive, compact, and considers low power consumption.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, according to the present invention, space can be used effectively by providing a product display device near the focal plane of an optical finder, and an eyepiece lens can be shared. Furthermore, by using the light passing through the optical viewfinder as a backlight, the storage space can be reduced and the electronic still camera can be made smaller. Furthermore, since a backlight made of a light-emitting member is not used, power consumption can be reduced, and it is possible to provide an electronic still camera with a display device that is inexpensive, compact, and considers low power consumption.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of another embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of yet another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the main part of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing another example of the main part of the invention, and FIG. 6 is an electronic still to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of an electronic still camera. 11...Finder 12...Objective lens 13
．． 14... Relay lens 15... Eyepiece lens

Claims (1)

[Claims] An optical finder (11) having a focal plane in the optical path, and a liquid crystal display device (16) provided near the focal plane of the optical finder (11) so as to be removable. An electronic still camera with a distinctive display device.