JPH10327335A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera having an exclusive small sized display device that displays required setting items such as a residual frame number, a resolution, a strobo mode setting time and a timer setting time for image pickup. SOLUTION: A small sized liquid crystal display device 131 and setting buttons 132-135 are provided to an upper face of the digital camera 100. At first the residual frame number 131-1 is displayed on a screen of the liquid crystal display device 131, and a rank of the resolution 131-2 is indicated by the number of star marks when the button 132 is depressed. When the button 133 is depressed, an icon 131-3 set to the strobo mode is displayed. When the button 134 is depressed, the timer mode is set and a timer setting value 131-4 for an automatic shutter is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display device 131, and the setting value is counted down by one second each for each lapse of the time. When the button 135 is depressed, an icon 131-5 signifying a proximity image pickup mode is displayed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital camera, and more particularly, to a digital camera having a dedicated small display device for displaying setting items necessary for imaging, such as the number of remaining frames, resolution, strobe mode setting, and timer setting time. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital cameras (electronic still cameras) have been developed and sold and are becoming popular.

A digital camera is configured to photoelectrically convert image pickup light to obtain image data, record the image data on a recording medium, and output the image data to an external image processing device such as a personal computer (hereinafter, a personal computer). Performs print image data creation processing, outputs the created print image data to a printer, and prints / reproduces a captured image on paper.

Many digital cameras are equipped with a liquid crystal display for displaying an object to be imaged and for displaying a reproduced image from image data recorded on a recording medium. 640 × 480 pixels, 320 × 24 at standard resolution
Many are about 0 pixels.

[0005] In addition, the liquid crystal display is usually provided at the center of the back of the digital camera or has a double door, because of the demand for securing the largest screen as easy as possible on a digital camera of a limited size. It is provided on the back (in the case of a flat type).

[0006]

A liquid crystal display provided at the center of the back of a digital camera or behind a double door can display images and menus, but enhances the convenience of use by the user. For this purpose, it is desirable to display on the liquid crystal display, in addition to images and menus, setting items necessary for imaging, such as the number of remaining frames, resolution, and timer setting time.

However, when these setting items are displayed, they need to be displayed continuously at least during the image pickup time.
Since the liquid crystal display provided behind the facing door consumes more power per unit time than other components of the digital camera, there is a problem that if the display is continued for a long time, the battery will be consumed quickly. there were.

To solve such a problem, there is a method of displaying using an LED with low power consumption. However, the remaining frame number, resolution, strobe mode setting, timer setting time, and the like are displayed by using the LED. It is difficult.

The next alternative is to turn on the power by operating a specific button whenever necessary, to display the number of remaining frames, resolution, timer setting time, etc. on the liquid crystal display. Although it can be configured to be turned off, it is troublesome for the user because it is necessary to operate the button as needed and wait until the remaining frame number, resolution, flash mode setting, timer setting time, etc. are displayed. Dots remain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a dedicated small display for displaying setting items necessary for imaging, such as the number of remaining frames, resolution, and timer setting time, in addition to an image display device. It is intended to provide a digital camera having the device.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a digital camera according to the present invention is a digital camera that photoelectrically converts image pickup light and then records the image light on a recording medium as image data. A display device and a small-sized image display device for displaying setting information and frame number information necessary for imaging are provided.

In the embodiment, it is desirable that the digital camera is configured to include at least the resolution information, the flash setting information, and the timer setting information as the setting information. It is desirable to provide it on the upper surface of the camera.

[0013]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an internal circuit and an external mechanism of a digital camera according to the present invention.

The digital camera 100 has an internal circuit 110
(See FIG. 4 for details) and external mechanisms 120 to 170. The external mechanisms are an imaging system mechanism 120 including an optical lens, a viewfinder, a shutter button, and the like;
A set value display / input mechanism 130 for displaying or inputting a set value or the like at the time of image capturing; displaying an image at the time of image capture and a reproduced image or menu of recorded image data; selecting an image display method and menu; And a signal input / output mechanism 150 including input / output terminals for signals with external devices, and a medium including an input / output mechanism for an extended medium such as a CD-ROM or a memory card. It comprises a system mechanism 160 and a power system mechanism 170 including a battery and a power switch mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the upper surface of the digital camera 100. A shutter button 115 is provided on the upper surface. When the shutter button 115 is pressed, the liquid crystal display 141 on the rear surface at that time (FIG. 3B)
Is displayed as a still image,
It is recorded on a recording medium as compressed image data. When the power switch for the liquid crystal display 141 provided on the back is turned off as described later, the image taken through the lens 111 (FIG. 3A) is processed as a still image immediately before the shutter button 115 is pressed. It is recorded on a recording medium as compressed image data.

A small liquid crystal display 131 for displaying set values for imaging is provided on the upper left side of the center of the upper surface, and setting buttons 132 to 135 for display are provided on the left side.

The number of remaining frames 131-1 is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display 131. The number of remaining frames is counted down and displayed each time a user records an image (320 × 240 pixels) for one standard resolution. However, since the memory usage of the recording medium varies depending on the resolution of the recorded image, 1 is not always reduced, and 4 or 11 may be reduced (described later).

A resolution of 1 below the number of remaining frames 131-1.
32-2 is shown. In this embodiment, the resolution is ranked by the number of stars. Each time the user presses the button 132, the number increases by one, but returns to one when the number exceeds a certain number. Also,
The higher the number of displayed stars, the higher the resolution. Note that the resolution is not limited to the method indicated by a star, but may be configured to be displayed by other symbols, characters, numbers, or icons.

When the user presses the button 133, the flash mode is set, and an icon 131-3 indicating that is set on the screen of the liquid crystal display 131.

Further, when the button 134 is pressed, the timer mode is set, and the timer setting value 131-4 for the automatic shutter is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display 131, and the timer counts down by one second every time the time elapses.

When the timer setting value 131-4 becomes 0, the same state as when the shutter button 115 is pressed is automatically obtained. At this time, the image displayed on the rear liquid crystal display 141 as a moving image is processed as a still image. It is recorded on a recording medium as compressed image data. The liquid crystal display 141 provided on the back as described later
If the power switch is off, the timer set value 13
The image that has passed through the lens 111 (FIG. 3A) immediately before 1-4 becomes 0 is processed as a still image and recorded on the recording medium as compressed image data.

The timer set value 131-4 is counted up when the user keeps pressing the button 134, but returns to the initially displayed value when it exceeds a certain time. When the button 134 is not pressed, or after the timer set value becomes 0, the timer value is not displayed on the screen.

When the user presses the button 135, an icon indicating the close-up shooting mode (a tulip-shaped icon in the figure) is displayed.

In the example of FIG. 2, five types of the remaining frame number, the resolution, the strobe mode, the timer setting time, and the close-up photographing mode are shown. It can be configured to display information.

Since the liquid crystal display 131 is turned on / off by a main power switch (slide switch 171 (FIG. 3A)), the power switch 172 of the liquid crystal display 141 for image display (FIG. 3B) is turned on. Even when the power is turned off, setting values and the like can be displayed.

The size of the liquid crystal display 131 is less than 1/10 of the size of the image display liquid crystal display 141, so that the power consumption is small. Less wear is required.

Further, since it is provided in the easy-to-see portion near the center left of the upper surface, convenience for the user is improved.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are external configuration diagrams of the digital camera 100. FIG. 3A shows the configuration of the front side, and FIG.

The lens 111 is located on the right side of the front surface.
And an opening 182 as an incident optical path of the lens 111, and an opening 173 for the viewfinder 112 is provided at the upper part.

The slide switch 171 is a main power switch, and supplies power from a battery to an external mechanism and the internal circuit 110 except for an image display / input system. The slide switch 171 is configured to expose the opening 173 for the viewfinder 112 when turned on.

A viewfinder 112 is provided at the upper left part of the rear surface (the upper right part when viewed from the front (the position where the optical path of the gaze opening 113 coincides with the position of the opening 173)). An opening 113 and an LED 114 for notifying the user of the operation state of the digital camera at the time of imaging by a luminescent color are provided.

A power switch 172 for image display / input is provided on the upper right side of the rear surface. The power switch 172 is provided separately from the main power switch 171 in order to avoid battery consumption because the power consumption of the image display liquid crystal display 141 is large, so that the user can input the image when the image display / input is required. It is configured.
Further, in order to avoid forgetting to turn off the power switch, the power switch 172 is also turned off when the main power switch 171 is turned off.

Further, a liquid crystal display 141 for displaying an image being picked up or a reproduced image and a menu is provided on the right side of the rear surface, a zoom button 142 for the displayed image is provided on the left side, and an image display button is provided on the left side. Or a button 143 for performing menu selection or display operation
To 146 are provided.

FIG. 4 shows an internal circuit 1 of the digital camera 100.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the tenth embodiment.

In FIG. 4, the digital camera 100 converts the image pickup light from the image pickup system 120 into an electric signal, processes the electric signal, and outputs it to the frame memory 6 as multi-valued (R, G, B) raster data (image data). A signal processing unit 3, a set value display memory 6, a set value display input system 130 and an image display / input system 140, operation control of the signal processing unit 7 and the recording medium control unit 8, image processing and image compression processing, etc. A control unit 4 for controlling the execution, an image display frame memory 5,
5 ', a setting value display memory 6, a recording medium control unit 8 for controlling writing of image data to a recording medium or an extended recording medium and reading control of recorded image data, and an external device such as a personal computer or a printer. And a serial interface 12 used for transmitting and receiving data to and from the device.

The control unit 4 includes a CPU, a RAM and an R
It is composed of an MPU having an OM.

The frame memory 5 is normally used as an image display memory of the liquid crystal display 141, and the image data is developed as a bitmap image.
Also, the frame memory 5 'is a liquid crystal display 141.
Is used as a menu display memory. At the time of display on the liquid crystal display 141, the contents of the frame memories 5 and 5 'are superimposed and displayed.

The set value display memory 6 is used as a frame memory of the liquid crystal display 131, and includes the number of remaining frames, a resolution display symbol (or icon), a strobe mode display symbol (or icon), a timer set value,
A close-up shooting display symbol (or icon) or the like is written or deleted by a setting value display unit 50 described later.

Although a part of the RAM of the control unit 4 can be used as the set value display memory 6, the number of remaining frames cannot be stored in this case. In this case, it is necessary to save the number of remaining frames to the recording medium, or to provide a means for calculating the number of remaining frames by checking the number of frames recorded on the recording medium when the main power is turned on. Therefore, it is desirable to provide the control unit 4 with a rewritable ROM such as an EEPROM in order to save the remaining frame number even after the main power is turned off.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the set value display means 50 for displaying the set values and the like on the small liquid crystal display 131.

The set value display means 50 judges the display request signal f sent from the CPU and sends the data (code) corresponding to the meaning of the display request signal f to the remaining frame number writing means 52 or the set value writing means 53. And a remaining frame number writing unit that receives data from the signal determination unit 51, updates the remaining frame number counter, and writes the value as character data in a predetermined area of the setting value display memory 6. 52
And receives the data from the signal determination means 51 and writes the corresponding set value or the symbol (or icon) data corresponding to the data into a predetermined area of the set value display memory 6 and the numerical data h of the current value of the timer. Is provided to the CPU.

In the embodiment, the set value display means 50 is constituted by a program and stored in the ROM of the control section 4.

[0043]

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control unit 4 when displaying set values and the like on the small liquid crystal display 131.

Here, for the sake of explanation, as shown in FIG. 2, there are five types of setting values to be displayed, such as the number of remaining frames, a resolution, a strobe mode, a timer setting time, and a close-up photographing mode. The number of stars is one rank, one star, two stars, and three stars. The case of one star is standard resolution (320 × 240 pixels), and the case of two stars is fine resolution (640). × 480 pixels) and three asterisks are referred to as super-resolution (1024 × 768 pixels). Also, the upper limit of the timer setting value for automatic shutter is set to 1
0 seconds. In addition, a subtraction value for obtaining the number of remaining frames which differ in the used capacity of the recording medium due to a difference in resolution requires 1 (frame) in the standard display and four times as many pixels as the standard display in the fine display. From 4 (frames),
In super-precision display, pixels are required to be 10.24 times as large as those in the standard display.

In step S 1 of FIG. 6, when the main power is turned on, the CPU gives a display request signal f to the set value display means 50.

In step S2, the set value display means 50 checks the display request signal f by the signal determination means 51 to determine that the main power is on, and then passes control to the remaining frame number writing means 52. The remaining frame number writing means 52 takes out the stored remaining frame number and writes character data corresponding to the remaining frame number in a predetermined area of the set value display memory 6. As a result, the number of remaining frames is displayed on the small liquid crystal display 131.

In step S3, the CPU sets the buttons 132 to
When 135 is pressed or a write completion signal for one image data is received from the recording medium control unit 8, a display request signal f is given to the set value display means 50.

In step S4, the set value display means 50 checks the display request signal f by the signal determination means 51, and if it indicates a resolution display request (pressing down of the button 132), the process shifts to step S5 to display the strobe mode. If it means a request (pressing down the button 133), the process goes to step S6. If it means a request to display the timer setting time (pressing down the button 134), the process goes to step S7. ), The process proceeds to step S8, and if it is determined that it is based on the write signal e from the recording medium control unit 8, the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S 5, the setting value writing means 53 counts the number of resolution display requests (ie, the number of times the button 132 is pressed), and stores a number of star data corresponding to the count value in the predetermined value display memory 6. Then, the process returns to step S3. As a result, the resolution display symbol (star in this embodiment) is displayed on the small liquid crystal display 131. The count value is reset to 1 when it exceeds 3.

In step S6, the set value writing means 53 writes the data of the flash mode display icon into a predetermined area of the set value display memory 6, and returns to step S3. As a result, the strobe mode display icon is displayed on the small liquid crystal display 131.

At step S6, the set value writing means 53 sets the timer upper limit value (10 seconds) in the time counter.
The character data corresponding to the value is written in a predetermined area of the set value display memory 6. Thereby, the timer upper limit value is displayed on the small liquid crystal display 131. Next, the set value writing means 53 counts down the contents of the time counter every one second and writes character data corresponding to the value into a predetermined area of the set value display memory 6. Thereby, the timer value at that time is displayed on the small liquid crystal display 131. When the value of the time counter becomes zero, the set value writing means 53 gives an automatic shutter signal g to the CPU, clears a predetermined area of the set value display memory 6, and returns to step S3.

In step S8, the set value writing means 53 writes the data of the icon for displaying the close-up shooting mode into a predetermined area of the set value display memory 6, and returns to step S3. As a result, a close-up shooting mode display icon (tulip in the embodiment) is displayed on the small liquid crystal display 131.

In step S9, the remaining frame number writing means 52 subtracts 1 from the remaining frame number when the resolution is the standard resolution, subtracts 4 when the resolution is the fine resolution, and subtracts 4 when the resolution is the ultra-resolution. The number of remaining frames is updated by subtracting 11, and the character data corresponding to the number of remaining frames is written in a predetermined area of the set value display memory 6, and the process returns to step S3. As a result, the number of remaining frames is displayed on the small liquid crystal display 131.

In step S3, the CPU operates the button 13
When any of the push-down signals c of 2 to 135 is received, it is given to the corresponding system as a signal c ′.

When the CPU receives the automatic shutter signal g in step S7, it supplies it to the shutter switch circuit and a strobe light emitting section (not shown) as a shutter switch control signal and a strobe control signal, and performs the shutter operation and the strobe light. Emit light.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made.

[0057]

As described above, according to the present invention, the small liquid crystal display consumes less power, so that even when the set values are displayed during the imaging time, the battery is not consumed much.

By providing a small liquid crystal display in the center of the upper surface of the digital camera, it is easy to see the necessary setting values such as the number of remaining frames, the resolution, the strobe setting, and the timer setting time. Is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an internal circuit and an external mechanism of a digital camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an upper surface of a digital camera.

FIG. 3 is an external configuration diagram (a front view and a rear view) of the digital camera.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an internal circuit of the digital camera.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a setting value display unit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of a control unit when setting values and the like are displayed on a small liquid crystal display.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 Digital camera 131 Small liquid crystal display (small image display device) 141 Liquid crystal display (image display device)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04N 5/91

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A digital camera that photoelectrically converts imaging light and then records the imaged light on a recording medium as image data.
A digital camera, comprising: an image display device capable of displaying a moving image; and a small image display device that displays setting information and frame number information necessary for imaging. 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the setting information necessary for imaging includes resolution information, strobe setting information, and timer setting information. 3. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the small image display device is provided on an upper surface of the digital camera.