JPH06161350A - Optical equipment for bird watching - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically display and record various data by providing a means which compares the chirping of a bird detected by a microphone with chirping data stored previously in a storage means and decides the kind of the bird. CONSTITUTION:Binoculars 1 are provided with a high-sensitivity microphone at a nearly center part between the two objectives 7 and a display device 3 and a memory switch 4 are provided on the top surface of the main body. An insertion slot 5 for an IC memory card is formed in the flank and an earphone for informing an observer of information by vocalization is provided. Transparent display elements 9 and 10 are provided on the focus surfaces of the oculars 8 respectively. Frequency characteristics of chirping of a bird picked up by the microphone 2 are found on the basis of the chirping and chirping data having the same frequency characteristics is detected in an information storage circuit to decide the kind of the bird being observed. Once the kind of the bird is decided, the name and habit of the bird are displayed on the display elements 9 and 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical device for bird watching, and more particularly to binoculars and cameras.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an observer uses a binocular or a camera to observe or record a bird, and then checks a bird's-eye view to check the type and habit of the bird. The observer collects the data by writing down the type of bird, the place of observation, the date and time on a notebook or the like.

[0003]

However, it is very difficult for a beginner to know the type and habit of a bird, especially for beginners, and it is troublesome to memorize and note them by looking at a picture book. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical device for bird watching that can automatically display or record various data in order to reduce such annoyance.

[0004]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical device for bird watching, which stores a microphone, processing means for processing the voice of a bird detected from the microphone, and information for a plurality of birds. One storage means and a determination means for comparing the voice processed by the processing means with the voice stored in the storage means to determine the type of the bird.

The bird-watching optical apparatus of the present invention includes a photographing lens capable of changing the focal length, a microphone capable of changing the directivity, a processing means for processing a bird sound detected from the microphone, and a plurality of processing means. It is provided with a first storage means for pre-storing information on the voice of the bird, and a determination means for comparing the voice processed by the processing means with the voice stored in the storage means to determine the type of the bird. ing.

[0006]

【Example】

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 and will be described with reference to these drawings. Figure 1 (A)
Shows an external view of the bird-watching binoculars, and FIG.
FIG. 2B shows a simplified optical system sectional view of the binoculars.
Shows a block diagram of the binoculars, FIG. 3 (A) shows an explanatory view showing an observation visual field of the binoculars, and FIG. 3 (B) shows an explanatory view showing a display device provided on an upper surface of a main body of the binoculars. ,
4 to 6 are flowcharts of the microcomputer of the binoculars.

In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the binoculars 1 are provided with a high-sensitivity microphone 2 substantially in the center of two objective lenses 7, and a display device 3 and a memory switch 4 are provided on the upper surface of the main body of the binoculars 1. Is provided, an insertion port 5 for an IC memory card is provided on the side surface of the binoculars 1, and earphones 6 for providing an observer with voice information are provided. Transparent display elements 9 and 10 are provided on the focal plane of the eyepiece lens 8, respectively. The display elements 9 and 10 are composed of, for example, electrochromic elements.

The high-sensitivity microphone 2 is a microphone that has a directivity at substantially the same angle as the field of view corresponding to the magnification of the binoculars 1 and is adjusted to have a sensitivity suitable for picking up a bark of a bird. As shown in FIG. 3B, the display device 3 displays "bird name", "bird habit information, etc.", and "externally input observation site information, etc.". Further, the display device 3 displays "date and time" in the portion where "bird name" was displayed when the above display was not made.

The external display device 3 is composed of a liquid crystal display device. The memory switch 4 is an operation switch for storing various information displayed on the display device 3.
The memory switch 4 is arranged on the upper surface of the binoculars 1 toward the eyepiece portion 8 and is arranged at a position where an observer can easily operate the index finger when holding the binoculars 1.

The display elements 9 and 10 are used to superimpose information in the field of view of the binoculars 1 and are arranged in two optical paths of the binoculars 1, respectively. I try to align the characteristics. Then, the display element 9 is configured to display the "bird's name" in the display portion 31a in the visual field as shown in FIG. 3A, and the display element 10 is configured to display the display portion 31b in the visual field. The portion is configured to display "information such as bird habits".

Next, the electronic circuit of the binoculars 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The microcomputer 21 includes a microphone adjustment circuit 22 connected to the high-sensitivity microphone 2, a memory switch 4, a display drive circuit 24 for driving the in-field display elements 9 and 10 and the external display device 3, and an insertion opening of the binoculars 1. 5, an IC memory card drive circuit 25 that can be loaded from the device 5, an audio output circuit 26 that outputs audio to the earphones 6, and an information storage circuit 2 in which information about birds (name, habit, etc.) is stored in advance
7 and 7 are controlled respectively.

The IC memory card 25 stores information at the time of observation such as "name of bird", "date and time of observation" and "observation place" observed by the binoculars 1 according to the operation of the memory switch 4. Can be loaded into an external computer. As a result, the external computer can process the observation information of various birds. The information storage circuit 27 is a memory in which information such as “bird's name” and “bird's habit” is stored in advance, and is composed of a ROM incorporated in the binoculars 1. The circuit 27 need not be the ROM, but may be an IC memory card that can be loaded into the binoculars 1 from the outside, for example. With such an IC memory card, various dedicated cards can be prepared, and for example, a dedicated card having information about limited birds classified by region, season, etc. can be used.

The earphone 6 is for transmitting the information of the bird observed by the binoculars 1 to the observer in real time. Next, the control operation of the microcomputer 21 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 4 is a main flow of the microcomputer 21, which starts operation when a power switch (not shown) is turned on.

In step S41, the type of bird being observed is determined based on the bark of the bird picked up by the microphone 2. Details will be described with reference to FIG. Step S42
At step S41, the observer is notified of the bird type determined in step S41 by display and / or voice. Details will be described with reference to FIG. In step S43, it is determined whether the memory switch 4 is turned on, and if it is turned on, the process proceeds to step S44.

In step S44, bird information (name, place, date and time) at the time of observation is stored in the IC memory card. Step S41 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
In step S51, the information about the bird is read from the information storage circuit 27 into the memory unit in the CPU 1.

In step S52, a bird squeal is detected via the microphone 2 and the microphone adjusting circuit 22, and the bird's voice signal from which noise is removed is input into the CPU 1. In step S53, the frequency characteristic of the voice is obtained based on the voice signal input in step S52. In step S54, the frequency characteristic of the sound obtained in step S53 is compared with the frequency characteristic of the bark of various birds read in step S51, and the frequency characteristic obtained in step S53 is detected. Determine the type of bird you are observing.

Step S42 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In step S61, when the type of bird is determined in steps S51 to S54, the bird information is sent to the display drive circuit 24. The display drive circuit 24 causes the display elements 9 and 10 to display "bird's name" and "bird's habit". In step S62, the character information regarding the "habit of the bird" displayed on the display element 10 is scrolled from the right to the left in the visual field. The characters describing the "habit of birds" are displayed on the display unit 31b in FIG. 3, but cannot be displayed uniformly in the frame of the display unit 31b, so the display element 10 displays this character information on the display unit 31b. It is configured to scroll within 31b to convey all information. The information scroll may be performed in response to a switch operation.

In step S63, the bird information is displayed on the external display device 3 by the display drive circuit 24 as in step S61. In step S64, the information on the observed bird name and bird habit is output to the audio output circuit 26. The observer can confirm the information of the bird from the earphone 6 by voice. (Second Embodiment) A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 7 to 11 and will be described with reference to these drawings. FIG. 7 shows an external view of a bird watching video camera, FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the camera, and FIGS. 9 to 11 show flowcharts of the microcomputer of the camera.

In FIG. 7, a bird-watching video camera 71 includes a high-sensitivity microphone 72 and a liquid crystal display device 73.
A memory switch 74, a zoom lens 75, and an electronic viewfinder 76 are provided, and a subject image obtained through the zoom lens 75 is detected by an image sensor such as a CCD and recorded on a video tape or a floppy desk. .

The high-sensitivity microphone 72 can change the directivity,
The directivity is changed in association with the zoom ratio of the zoom lens 75, and the sensitivity is adjusted to be suitable for picking up the bark of a bird. The display device 73 performs a display similar to the display shown in FIG. 3B, and displays “bird name”, “bird habit information, etc.”, and “externally input observation location information, etc.”. . Further, the display device 73 displays "date and time" in the portion where "bird name" was displayed when the above display was not made.

The memory switch 74 is an operation switch for storing various information displayed on the display device 73. The electronic viewfinder 76 displays the shooting screen of the camera 71 by an electronic image, and superimposes bird information on the screen. And
A display similar to the display shown in FIG. 3A is performed, and the two display portions on the screen are configured to display a "bird's name" and "information such as bird's habit", respectively.

Next, the electronic circuit of the camera 71 will be described with reference to FIG. The microcomputer 81 includes a microphone adjustment circuit 82 connected to the high-sensitivity microphone 72, a memory switch 74, a display drive circuit 84 for driving the electronic viewfinder 76 and the external display device 73, and an image recording medium such as a cassette tape. Writing circuit 85 for storing information
And an audio output circuit 86 for outputting audio to the earphone 77.
And an information storage circuit 87 in which information about birds (name, habit, etc.) is stored in advance.

The writing circuit 85 stores information on observation such as "name of bird", "date and time of observation", and "observation place" observed by the camera 71 on an image of a cassette tape or the like according to the operation of the memory switch 74. It is to be written on a recording medium. This image recording medium can be loaded into an external computer, which allows the external computer to process information during observation of various birds.

The information storage circuit 87 is a memory in which information regarding birds such as "bird types" and "bird habits" is stored in advance, and is composed of a ROM incorporated in the camera 71. It should be noted that the circuit 87 need not be the ROM, but may be an IC memory card that can be externally loaded into the camera 71, for example. With such an IC memory card, various dedicated cards can be prepared, and for example, a dedicated card having information about limited birds classified by region, season, etc. can be used.

The earphone 77 is for transmitting the information of the bird observed by the camera 1 to the observer in real time. Next, the control operation of the microcomputer 81 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 9 is a main flow of the microcomputer 81, which starts its operation when a power switch (not shown) is turned on.

In step S91, the type of bird being observed is determined based on the bark of the bird picked up by the microphone 72. Details will be described with reference to FIG. Step S
At 92, the type of bird determined at step S91 is displayed and / or voiced to the observer. Details will be described with reference to FIG. After that, step S in FIG.
43 and S44.

Step S91 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In step S101, the information regarding the bird is read from the information storage circuit 87 into the memory unit in the CPU 81. In step S102, a bark of a bird is detected through the microphone 72 and the microphone adjusting circuit 82, and the bird voice signal from which noise is removed is input into the CPU 1.

In step S103, step S102
The frequency characteristic of the voice is obtained based on the voice signal input at. In step S104, the frequency characteristics of the sound obtained in step S103 and the frequency characteristics of the barks of various birds read in step S101 are compared, and the frequency characteristics obtained in step S103 are detected to match, Determine the type of bird you are observing.

In step S105, step S104
If the type of bird cannot be identified at, microphone 7 is automatically used.
Adjust the microphone to increase the directivity of 2. Note that this adjustment may be performed by an observer using an external operation switch. Step S92 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In step S111, when the bird type is determined in steps S101 to S104, the bird information is sent to the display drive circuit 84. Display drive circuit 84
Causes the electronic viewfinder 76 to display "bird name" and "bird habit".

In step S112, the displayed character information relating to "bird's habit" is scrolled from right to left on the screen. Since the characters describing the "habit of birds" cannot be displayed uniformly in the display frame, the character information is scrolled in the display frame to transmit all the information. The information scroll may be performed in response to an external switch operation.

In step S113, step S111
Similarly, the display drive circuit 84 displays the bird information on the external display device 73. In step S114, the name of the observed bird and the information on the habit of the bird are output to the audio output circuit 86. The observer can confirm the information of the bird by voice from the earphone 77.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, even a beginner can easily know the types and habits of birds, and the annoyance of knowing the information of birds by a pictorial book is reduced. Since the user does not carry memos and the like, the mobility of the observer is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A is an external view of binoculars for bird watching of a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a simplified optical system sectional view of the binoculars.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the binoculars of FIG.

3 (A) is an explanatory view showing an observation visual field of the binoculars of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 (B) is an explanatory view showing a display device provided on an upper surface of the main body of the binoculars.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart diagram for the microcomputer of the binoculars of FIG.

5 is a flowchart of the microcomputer of the binoculars shown in FIG.

6 shows a flow chart diagram for the microcomputer of the binoculars of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an external view of a video camera for bird watching according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the camera of FIG.

9 shows a flow chart diagram for the microcomputer of the camera of FIG.

10 shows a flow chart diagram for the microcomputer of the camera of FIG.

FIG. 11 shows a flow chart diagram for the microcomputer of the camera of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Binoculars for bird watching 2; 72 ... High sensitivity microphone 3; 73 ... External display device 9,10 ... Display element 71 ... Video camera for bird watching 76 ... Electronic viewfinder

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A microphone, a processing means for processing the sound of a bird detected from the microphone, a first storage means for storing in advance information on sound of a plurality of birds, and a sound processed by the processing means. An optical device for birdwatching, comprising: a discriminating unit that discriminates the type of the bird by comparing the voice stored in the storage unit. 2. The bird-watching optical device according to claim 1, further comprising a second storage unit that stores the type of the bird determined by the determination unit and the date and time when the bird was stored. Optical equipment for bird watching. 3. The bird-watching optical device according to claim 1, further comprising an external display unit for externally displaying the type of the bird discriminated by the discriminating unit. 4. The bird watching optical device according to claim 1, wherein the external display means that can be confirmed from the outside, the internal display means that can be confirmed from an eyepiece, and the type of the bird discriminated by the discriminating means are the external ones. An optical device for bird watching, comprising display means and display control means for displaying on the internal display means. 5. The bird watching optical device according to claim 1, further comprising a voice output unit that outputs a voice of the bird type discriminated by the discriminating unit. 6. The bird-watching optical device according to claim 1, wherein the first storage means is a pre-stored storage element or a removable storage element. 7. The bird-watching optical device according to claim 2, wherein the second storage means is a pre-stored storage element or a removable storage element. 8. A photographing lens whose focal length can be changed, a microphone whose directivity can be changed, processing means for processing the sound of a bird detected from said microphone, and information for preliminarily storing sound information of a plurality of birds. A birdwatching camera comprising: one storage means; and a determination means for determining the type of the bird by comparing the voice processed by the processing means and the voice stored in the storage means. 9. The bird watching optical apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising directivity control means for interlocking the directivity of the microphone with a change in the focal length of the taking lens. machine.