JPH11249221A - Finder device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To commonly use an operating means for switching display contents and for switching a display state. SOLUTION: This finder device is provided with a display means 11 capable of displaying plural kinds of display on a finder image plane; a display contents switching means 62 for switching the display made by the display means 11; a display state switching means 14 for switching each display in a dark state or in a bright state; a single operating means SW2; and a control means 61 for controlling the display state switching means 14 to switch over to the other state when the operating means SW2 is operated at the time of being displayed in either one of the dark state and bright state and controlling the display contens switching means 62 to switch the display when the operating means SW2 is operated at the time of being displayed in the other state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a finder device capable of displaying a plurality of images on a finder screen and switching each display between a dark state and a bright state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a display device in a finder of a camera having a display element made of a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal, those disclosed in, for example, JP-A-8-166634 and JP-A-8-313973 are known. . These devices have a light source for irradiating the display element with light, turn on the light source when the object scene is dark, and illuminate the display by guiding the scattered light from the display element to the eyepiece side (the bright state and the bright state). Do). As a result, the display appears brightly raised on a dark background, and the visibility can be improved. On the other hand, when the object scene is bright, the display is displayed in a blackout state (dark state) by turning off the light source. Turning on / off the light source
It is conceivable to switch the operation by operating a manual switch.

[0003]

When any one of a plurality of finder displays is selected for display, a switch for switching the display is required. When the above-described function of switching between the dark state and the bright state is added to this type of apparatus, both a display changeover switch and a light source on / off changeover switch are required, which increases the number of components and complicates the operation.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a finder device which serves both as an operation member for switching display contents and an operation member for switching display states.

[0005]

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
According to the present invention, a display unit 11 capable of displaying a plurality of types of images on a finder screen;
, A display state switching unit 14 for switching between displaying each display in a dark state and a bright state, a single operation unit SW2, and any one of a dark state and a bright state. If the operation means SW2 is operated while the display is being performed on one side, the display state switching means 14 is controlled to switch to the other state, and the operation is performed while the display is being performed in one of the other states. Means S
A control means 61 for controlling the display content switching means 62 to switch the display when W2 is operated, thereby solving the above problem. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a field frame display means 1 for displaying a plurality of types of field frames on a finder screen.
1 is used. The invention according to claim 3 uses the illuminating means 14 which illuminates the display portion with light to bring the display into a bright state and cuts off the light irradiation to bring the display into a dark state. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device, wherein the display means 11 scatters light from the irradiation means 14 and guides the light to the eyepiece side.
1a to 11d. The invention of claim 5 is
When a predetermined time has elapsed after switching from one of the dark state and the bright state to the other state, the display state switching means 14 is controlled to return to one of the states. .

[0006] In the section of the means for solving the above-mentioned problems, which explains the configuration of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments are used to make the present invention easier to understand. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a camera according to the present embodiment. A photographing lens barrel 1 is provided on the front of the camera, and a release button 2 and a finder eyepiece 3 are provided on the top. A changeover switch SW2 described later is provided on the side of the camera.

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing a finder device of the camera. The finder device includes lenses 21 and 2
An objective optical system 20 comprising a prism 4 and a prism 25; an eyepiece optical system 30 comprising a prism 31 and a lens 32;
Display unit 10 arranged between both optical systems 20 and 30
And

The display unit 10 is for forming three types of visual fields described later in the viewfinder screen. As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 10 includes a display element 11 made of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (to be described in detail later). , Two transparent glass plates 12 and 13 sandwiching the display element 11 therebetween, and an LED 14 provided on the side of the glass plates 12 and 13. Display unit 1
The field frame member 4 is disposed on the object side of 0 so as to cover the surface of the glass plate 12, and only light passing through the central opening of the field frame member 4 is guided to the eyepiece side. The aspect ratio of the central aperture is the largest H size field of view among the three types of fields (standard field of view)
It corresponds to.

FIG. 3 shows a viewfinder screen viewed from the eyepiece side. The three fields of view are defined by the field frame member 4 and the display element 11 of the display unit 10. The display element 11 is an element 11a for defining an H size field of view.
And an element 11b for shielding the upper and lower portions of the H-size field of view
An element 11c for shielding the right and left portions from light, and elements 11b and 1
An element 11d that shields a corner portion (four places) between the element 11c and the element 11d, and an inner portion of the outermost element 11a overlaps a central opening of the field frame member 4.

Each of the elements 11b to 11d except the element 11a
When the driving signal is not applied, the light-shielding state is maintained, and when the driving signal is applied, the light-transmitting state (transparent) is obtained. No drive signal is applied to the element 11a, and the element 11a always maintains a light-shielded state. A gap S is provided at the lower left of the element 11a in the figure, and a wiring member (not shown) for applying a drive signal to the elements 11b to 11d is connected to each element through the gap S. FIG. 3 shows a state where the drive signals to all the elements are cut off, and this state is established when the main switch SW1 (FIG. 4) of the camera is off.

When the LED 14 is turned on, the light is guided to the elements 11 a to 11 d via the glass plates 12 and 13.
Since the elements 11a to 11d are made of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal, when the LED light is irradiated in a light-shielded state, the light is scattered and guided to the eyepiece side. I can see In the center of the screen, a mark MK indicating the distance measurement area is always displayed. FIG. 4 shows a configuration of a control system. The CPU 61 includes a liquid crystal drive circuit 62 for applying a drive signal to the display element 11 and a lighting circuit 63 for the LED 14.
, The main switch SW1 and the changeover switch SW2 are connected. The changeover switch SW2 is used for turning on the LED 14 and switching the visual field, and switches from off to on every time the operation is performed.

The operation will be described with reference to FIGS. C
When the main switch SW1 is turned on, the PU 61 enables the camera to take a picture. At this time, the PU 61 applies a drive signal to the elements 11b to 11d constituting the display element 11 via the liquid crystal drive circuit 62, Through LE
D14 is turned on. Since the elements 11b to 11d provided inside the H-size field of view by the application of the drive signal are all in a light transmitting state, the field of view becomes the H-size field defined by the field frame member 4 (FIG. 5). When the LED 14 is turned on, the light is transmitted through the glass plates 12 and 13 to the element 1.
Light guided to 1a and scattered by the element 11a is guided to the eyepiece side. Therefore, the portion of the field frame where the element 11a is provided (the portion in contact with the field of view) appears brightly lit, and the field of view can be clearly recognized when the object scene is dark.

On the other hand, when the field is bright, the field of view cannot be clearly recognized if the field frame portion is illuminated. In this case, however, the user may wait for a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds).
When a state in which no operation is performed from the lighting of the LED 14 continues for a predetermined time, the CPU 61 turns off the LED 14,
When the LED 14 is turned off, the element 11a does not emit light, so that the field frame portion is in a blackout state. Therefore, when the object scene is bright, the visual field range can be clearly recognized. To turn on the LED 14 again, the changeover switch SW2 may be operated.

When the changeover switch SW2 is operated while the LED 14 is lit, the field of view is switched. For example, when the view switch SW2 is turned on once in the state of FIG. 5, the CPU 61 cuts off the drive signals for the elements 11c and 11d, and keeps only the element 11b in the applied state.
As a result, the elements 11c and 11d enter a light-shielding state, and FIG.
As shown in the figure, C in which the left and right portions of the H size field of view are shielded from light
The size field of view is set. Also in this case, when the LED is turned off, the field frame, that is, the elements 11a, 11c, and 11d are displayed in a blackout state, and when the LED 14 is turned on, the elements 11a, 11c, and 11d appear brightly lit. Can clearly recognize the visual field range.

A field of view of C size is set, and LED 1
When the change-over switch SW2 is turned on while 4 is lit, the CPU 61 sets a state in which the drive signal is applied only to the element 11c. As a result, the element 11c is in a light transmitting state, so that a P-size field of view in which the upper and lower portions of the H-size field are shielded from light is set as shown in FIG. In this case as well, the field frame portion can be blacked out or glowed by turning off / on the LED 14 as described above.

As described above, in this embodiment, the LED 14
Is turned off, that is, when the changeover switch SW2 is operated when the field frame portion is in the blackout state,
The LED 14 is turned on and the field of view is brightly displayed.
When the changeover switch SW2 is operated when the ED 14 is lit, that is, when the field frame portion is displayed brightly, the field of view (field frame) is switched. Can be shared by one switch SW2, thereby reducing the number of parts and improving operability. In particular, if a state in which no operation is performed after the LED is turned on continues for a predetermined time, the LED 14 is automatically turned off, so that the operation of turning off the LED 14 does not need to be performed.

FIGS. 9 to 11 are flow charts for realizing the above-mentioned operation. This program is executed by the CPU 61
The main processing of FIG. 9 is started when the main switch SW1 is turned on. First, an H size field of view is set as described above, the LED 14 is turned on, and a timer is started (steps S1 to S3). In the timing process of step S4, it is determined whether or not the LED 14 is turned on as shown in detail in FIG. 10. If the LED 14 is turned off, the process returns as it is. I do. If 5 seconds have not elapsed, the routine returns. If it has elapsed, the timer is stopped, and the LED 14 is turned off.

In step S5, it is determined whether or not the changeover switch SW2 has been switched from off to on. If not, the process proceeds to step S8, and if affirmative, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, it is determined whether or not the LED 14 is turned on.
If it is turned on, step S7 is performed to switch the field of view.
Proceed to. In step S7, the visual field is switched as shown in detail in FIG. That is, if the field of view of the H size is currently set, the size is switched to the C size, if the C size is set, the size is switched to the P size, and if the P size is set, the size is switched to the H size. The switching method is as described above. Thereafter, the timer is reset and started again to return.

If it is determined in step S8 that the main switch SW1 is ON, it is determined in step S9 whether another operation has been performed. Other operations include switches SW1 and S
An operation of an operation member other than W2, for example, a release operation or a zooming operation. If no other operation has been performed, the process returns to step S4. If another operation has been performed, the timer is reset and restarted in step S10, and the process returns to step S4. If it is determined in step S8 that the main switch SW1 is off, the process ends. At that time, the LED 14 is turned off and the timer is stopped.

In the above embodiment, the display element 11
Are the display means and the field frame display means.
Is display content switching means, LED 14 is display state switching means and irradiation means, changeover switch SW2 is operation means,
The CPU 61 constitutes control means.

In the above description, when the switch SW2 is operated when the LED is turned off (the field frame is blacked out), the LED 14 is turned on, and when the LED is turned on (the field frame is bright), the switch SW2 is operated. To switch the field of view.
The field of view may be switched when W2 is operated, and the LED 14 may be turned off when the switch SW2 is operated when the LED is turned on. In this case, the LED may be automatically turned on when no operation is performed after the LED is turned off for a predetermined time.

In the above, the display state is switched by irradiating the display element made of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal with LED light, but the display state switching method is not limited to this.
Further, an example in which a plurality of types of visual fields (field frames) are displayed has been described. Alternatively, for example, the present invention can be applied to a case where a camera mode or the like is superimposed on a screen. For example, when the shooting mode is switched by operation and the mode display (mark etc.) in the viewfinder field is switched accordingly, the mode display can be switched between a blackout state and a bright state, and the display state is switched and displayed. Can be switched by a single switch as described above. Further, the present invention is applicable to a finder device of an electronic still camera, a video camera, and other optical devices in addition to a finder device of a silver halide camera.

[0024]

According to the present invention, when a plurality of types of display (for example, a field frame display) can be displayed on the finder screen, the operating means is provided when either the dark state or the bright state is displayed. When the operation is performed, the display is switched to one of the other states, and when the operation means is operated while the display is being performed in the other state, the display is switched. Therefore, the operation means for switching the display state. And one operating means for switching the display itself can be shared by one operating means. Therefore, the number of components can be reduced, the operability is improved, and the chance of missing a shutter chance due to an operation delay is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing a finder device of a camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of a display unit and a field frame member.

FIG. 3 is a view of the finder screen viewed from the eyepiece side, showing a state when a main switch is turned off.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing a state where an H-size field of view is set.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing a state where a C-size field of view is set.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing a state where a P-size field of view is set.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a camera.

FIG. 9 is a main flowchart for explaining the operation of the camera.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating details of a timing process.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating details of a field frame switching process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 4 view frame member 10 display unit 11 display element 11a to 11d view frame element 12, 13 glass plate 14 LED 20 objective optical system 30 eyepiece optical system 61 CPU 62 liquid crystal drive circuit 63 lighting circuit SW1 main switch SW2 switch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A display device capable of displaying a plurality of types of images on a finder screen, a display content switching device for switching the display by the display device, and switching between displaying each of the displays in a dark state or a bright state. Display state switching means, a single operation means, and when the operation means is operated while one of the dark state and the light state is being displayed, the display is switched to one of the other states. Control means for controlling the state switching means, and controlling the display content switching means to switch the display when the operation means is operated while the display is being performed in one of the other states. A finder device characterized by the following. 2. The finder device according to claim 1, wherein said display means is a view frame display means for displaying a plurality of kinds of view frames on said finder screen. 3. The display state switching unit is an irradiation unit that irradiates a display portion with light to change the display to the bright state, and cuts off the light to change the display to the dark state. The finder device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The finder device according to claim 3, wherein said display means has a display element which scatters light from said irradiating means and guides the light to an eyepiece side. 5. The control means according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined time elapses after switching from one of the dark state and the bright state to the other state, a predetermined time elapses. 5. The finder device according to claim 1, wherein the finder device controls a display state switching unit.