JPH10186964A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor capable of automatically selecting a proper display means according to an operation mode and easily altering the display means as needed. SOLUTION: In a camera-integrated type video having the plurality of display means for displaying images, an image pickup part 2 used as a video camera, a camera signal processing block 3, a recording system 4, and the reproduction system 5 of VTR, an electronic view finder(EVF) 8 or liquid crystal panel 10 is automatically selected as a default display means according to camera/ VTR mode selected by a power source switch 11 at the time of the start of the device. A means for arbitrarily setting the default display means is provided, and also the display means is allowed to be switched to the EVF 8 or liquid crystal panel 10 by means of a switch 12 during the operation of the device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having a plurality of display means for displaying an image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A so-called camera-integrated VTR has been known as an image processing apparatus for performing image processing such as recording or reproduction of an image provided with at least two monitors such as a viewfinder and a liquid crystal screen.

[0003] In the past, a camera-integrated VTR equipped with a so-called electronic viewfinder (hereinafter referred to as an EVF) as a monitor of the recorded contents, especially at the time of shooting, has been the mainstream. The photographer shoots while watching the image projected on the EVF, and can confirm the recorded image on the EVF even during reproduction.

[0004] However, recently, a camera-integrated VTR that has a large-sized liquid crystal panel mounted thereon in place of the EVF and is capable of taking and reproducing images even when the user is slightly away has appeared. Such a device has an advantage that it can be easily watched without being connected to a TV monitor, particularly at the time of reproduction, and that a large screen can be watched simultaneously by many people.

However, when such a liquid crystal panel is used, since the power consumption is larger than the EVF, the photographing time is shortened when the battery is driven, and the liquid crystal screen becomes difficult to see especially when photographing in sunlight. There was a problem.

Then, in order to solve this problem, EVF
And a camera-integrated VTR with two LCD panels. In this device, when the liquid crystal panel can be opened and closed and the liquid crystal panel is closed, the EVF is turned on and the liquid crystal panel is turned off. Conversely, when the liquid crystal panel is opened, the EVF is turned off and the liquid crystal panel is turned on and each is turned on. The other display device displays an image and other information.

As a result, during photographing, power is turned on only to the EVF by closing the liquid crystal panel, so that the photographing time is lengthened and the influence of external light is small. Conversely, during reproduction, since it is often supplied from an AC power supply, the user can easily view the image by opening the liquid crystal panel. This method has an advantage that the display means can be easily selected by an intuitive operation of opening and closing the liquid crystal panel.

[0008]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional camera-integrated VTR, a power switch which can be operated in a camera mode when photographing a camera, in a VTR mode when reproducing, and in a power-off mode when not in use is provided. It is installed. That is, the user explicitly selects the operation mode at the time of starting the apparatus by using the power switch.

However, if such a power switch is used in combination with the above-mentioned configuration for automatically selecting a display means by opening and closing the liquid crystal panel, if the liquid crystal panel is open when the camera mode is turned on, the EVF When shooting while checking the screen, the panel must be closed once. When the power is turned on and the VTR mode is set and the liquid crystal panel is closed, the panel must be opened when you want to watch on the panel. There was a problem that is.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus with excellent operability which can automatically select an appropriate display means according to an operation mode and can easily change the display means as required. It is in.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided, in accordance with the present invention, a plurality of display means for displaying an image, a plurality of image processing modes, and an image selected at device startup. A configuration in which one of the display units is selected as a default display unit according to a processing mode and used for image processing, or a configuration further including a setting unit for arbitrarily setting a default display unit in each image processing mode in advance; Alternatively, further, after the apparatus is started, regardless of the default display means selected according to the image processing mode,
A configuration having a switching unit for arbitrarily switching a display unit used for image display from a plurality of display units is adopted.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a camera-integrated VTR according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a lens, 2 denotes an imaging unit such as a CCD, and an image captured by the lens 1 and the CCD 2 undergoes known image processing in a camera signal processing block 3, and is also a known VTR recording control circuit. Recording system 4 composed of
Sent to and recorded.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a reproducing system which shares the same VTR hardware as the recording system 4. A recorded image signal sent from the camera signal processing block 3 to the recording system 4 or a reproducing system 5.
Can be output to a display system including both the EVF 8 and the liquid crystal panel 10 via the switch 13. The switch 13 is controlled by the microcomputer 6 as described later.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a microcomputer for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus, and determines which of these display devices is used for display via the display system EVF 8 and the respective power supply units 7 and 9 of the liquid crystal panel 10.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a power switch, which is of a slide type, and includes a camera, OFF, and VTR as described above.
The output is connected to the microcomputer 6.

The switch 12 is connected to an EV as described later.
This is for manually selecting which of F8 and the liquid crystal panel 10 is used for display. In this embodiment,
The switch 12 is composed of a tact type switch.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.

The microcomputer 6 determines the camera mode when the power switch 11 is operated to the camera side, and determines the VTR mode when the power switch 11 is operated to the VTR side. When the power switch 11 is in the OFF position, it is determined that the power supply is in the power-off mode, and almost all power supplies except for the timer and other minimum necessary members are turned off.

First, the operation in the camera mode will be described.
Light from the lens 1 is converted into an electric signal by the CCD 2 and input to the camera signal processing block 3. The processed video signal is recorded on a recording system 4 to be recorded on a recording medium (not shown).
In the camera mode, the switch 13 is switched to the camera side in FIG.
It is sent to the VF 8 and the display system of the liquid crystal panel 10.

On the other hand, in the VTR mode, the switch 13 is switched to the VTR side in the figure, and the image signal reproduced from the recording medium in the reproducing system 5 is sent to the EVF 8 and the display system of the liquid crystal panel 10.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer 6 according to the present embodiment when the power is turned on by operating the power switch 11 from the power off state. The illustrated procedure is stored as a program of the microcomputer 6 in a ROM (not shown) or the like. When the power is turned off, the power supply 7 for the EVF and the power supply 9 for the liquid crystal are both off.

First, in step S1, the camera mode or the VTR is set.
Mode, and if the mode is the camera mode, step S2
The power supply 7 supplied to the EVF 8 is turned on. Thereby, the video signal of the camera is displayed on the EVF 8. Since the power supply 9 for the liquid crystal panel remains off, nothing is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 10.

That is, when the camera mode is turned on (initial state), an image is displayed only on the EVF (default).

Here, when the user wants to view on the liquid crystal panel, he or she presses the EVF / liquid crystal panel selection switch 12. Then, the process proceeds from step S3 to S4 in FIG. 2, in which the power supply 7 of the EVF is turned off and the power supply 9 of the liquid crystal is turned on.

That is, an image is displayed only on the liquid crystal panel 10. When the switch 12 is pressed again to return to the display of only the EVF, which is the default state when the camera mode is turned on, the process proceeds from step S5 to S6 in FIG. 2 to return to the state immediately after the camera mode is turned on. Thereafter, each time the switch 12 is pressed, the state sequentially transitions to the above state.

On the other hand, when the power supply of the VTR mode is turned on, the process proceeds to step S7, where only the power supply 9 of the liquid crystal is turned on. The display by the liquid crystal panel 10 alone is the default in the VTR mode.

Steps S8 to S also in the VTR mode
At 11, the control of the switch 12 is accepted, and the user can select whether to use the EVF 8 or the liquid crystal panel 10 by operating the switch 12, as in the case of the camera mode.

According to the above embodiment, the power switch 1
2, the EVF 8 or the liquid crystal panel 10 can be automatically selected as the display means according to the operation mode selected by the user. At this time, the EVF 8 in the camera mode and the liquid crystal panel 10 in the VTR mode are respectively selected as appropriate default modes immediately after startup, so that the user does not need any troublesome operation and can use the device immediately. it can.

Further, even if the liquid crystal panel 1
0 is open, the liquid crystal panel 10 is turned on, and when the liquid crystal panel 10 is closed, the control of FIG. By doing so, there is no need for any troublesome operation of opening and closing the liquid crystal panel 10 as in the related art.

The switch 12 allows the display means to be easily changed to any one of the EVF 8 and the liquid crystal panel 10 as necessary, regardless of the default mode immediately after the start-up. Arbitrary display means can be selected according to it, which is convenient. For example, the switch 12 can easily perform shooting while monitoring an image using the liquid crystal panel 10 and playback of an image using the EVF 8.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, assuming a general operation, the EV mode is set when the camera mode is turned on.
The F8 is automatically selected, and the liquid crystal panel 10 is automatically selected when the power is turned on in the VTR mode. However, in consideration of the user's preference, the initial (default) state when the power is turned on according to each mode is set in the menu. For example, the user may be able to select it. FIG. 3 shows an example of this menu screen. In this example, the user can select a combination that suits his or her preference from the four combinations 1-4.

For example, the combination 1 in FIG. 3 is a combination of the above-mentioned most common display means. The following combinations 2 to 4 are all conceivable combinations of the two display means, and the user can move the cursor (triangle mark in the figure) to an appropriate operation key (not shown) (cursor movement key or
The initial (default) state when the power is turned on can be selected for each mode by performing a predetermined selection operation by moving the key by an input operation obtained by shifting another key).

Such a menu display may generally be performed by the liquid crystal panel 10, but may be performed by the EVF 8 as a matter of course. Further, when the number of display lines is limited, the default selection of the camera mode and the VTR mode may be controlled by different menus, respectively. May be used.

Further, in the first embodiment, the switch 12 used for switching between the EVF and the liquid crystal panel is of a tact type. However, it may be constituted by an alternate switch, or may be a condition such as a mounting space. Therefore, when such a switch is not provided, the EVF / liquid crystal panel may be manually switched by an operation using the same menu as in FIG.

In this manner, the default display means at power-on can be set freely, and a camera-integrated VTR tailored to the user's preference can be provided.

[0037]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a plurality of display means for displaying an image and a plurality of image processing modes are provided, and the image processing mode selected at the time of starting the apparatus. Accordingly, one of the display units is selected as a default display unit and used for image processing, so that an optimal display unit can be automatically selected according to a mode at the time of power-on, and additional There is an excellent effect that image processing can be started immediately without the need for a simple operation.

Alternatively, by providing setting means for arbitrarily setting the default display means in each image processing mode in advance, the default display means at power-on can be freely set, and the apparatus can be set according to the user's preference. By providing switching means for arbitrarily switching the display means used for image display from among the plurality of display means regardless of the default display means selected according to the image processing mode after the apparatus is started up. There is an excellent effect that the display means can be easily changed during the use of the device by a simple operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a camera-integrated VTR employing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing control of display means according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a menu screen of a default display unit at power-on according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 lens 2 imaging unit 3 camera signal processing block 4 recording system 5 reproduction system 6 microcomputer 7 power supply 8 EVF 9 power supply 10 liquid crystal panel 11 power switch 12 EVF / liquid crystal panel selection switch 13 switch

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of display means for displaying an image, and a plurality of image processing modes, wherein one of the display means is used as a default display means according to an image processing mode selected at the time of starting the apparatus. An image processing apparatus, which is selected and used for image processing. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image photographing unit and an image reproducing unit, wherein the plurality of image processing modes are an image photographing mode and an image reproducing mode. Image processing device. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit for arbitrarily setting a default display unit in each of the image processing modes in advance. 4. A switching means for arbitrarily switching a display means used for image display from among a plurality of display means regardless of a default display means selected according to an image processing mode after the apparatus is started. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.