JPS63194242A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable even a person unaccustomed to a camera to correctly operate the camera by expressing the outside shape of the camera and operation members to be operated with typical patterns and lighting or flickering them in accordance with the camera operation. CONSTITUTION:An outline shaft 20a where the outside shape of the camera is expressed with a typical pattern and a square outline shape 20b are fixedly displayed on a liquid crystal panel 5 by printing, and electrodes of indicating patterns related to respective operation members belonging to the camera are provided. The display device of the liquid crystal panel 5 which has a function to indicate the display and the operation of operation members id driven by the control of a microcomputer to which input terminals of the display device are connected. That is, the microcomputer judges the sequence in accordance with process information of photographing operation of completion of photographing preparation, light measurement, distance measurement, and exposure and information of the focal length switching operation of a bifocal lens 7 or the like and displays the operation to be next performed and prompts the user to perform it and displays various set photographing conditions also. Since principal points of handling and operation of the camera are visually displayed to warn the user of them in this manner, he can accurately operate the camera.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a camera equipped with a display device that externally displays instructions or warnings for various operations when handling the camera.

[Background of the invention]

In recent years, small cameras have become more sophisticated in their mechanisms and have diversified controls by being equipped with microcomputers, etc., so that complex photographing process sequences can be executed safely and reliably through simple operations by the user.

In cameras with such advanced functions, the camera is
If the power supply capacity is insufficient, or if the film is not fully loaded, the subsequent sequence will be automatically stopped. However, in order to continue the sequence again, the user must perform operations such as replacing the power supply or reloading.

For this reason, such cameras are equipped with a warning device at a suitable location on the outside of the camera, in order to issue a warning to the user and take appropriate measures in the event of deficiencies in the conditions or inappropriate handling as mentioned above. However, for beginners, it can be confusing to determine what kind of treatment the warning specifically means, so it is desirable to go one step further and clearly display the method of treatment visually in addition to the warning. It is rare.

Further, it is not preferable to arrange such warnings and displays in a scattered manner outside the camera, but it is convenient for handling to display them in a concentrated manner at a specified location.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In response to such demands, the present invention installs a display section using a liquid crystal panel or the like in a specific part of the outside of the force/vessel,
The camera is capable of visually displaying the various warnings, operations, and measures described above on the display panel by controlling the camera, as well as the number of shots, the distance range in which strobe photography is possible, etc. The object of the present invention is to provide a camera which allows even a person who is not accustomed to operating a camera to operate it correctly by following the display.

[Means for solving problems]

The above purpose is to reduce the external shape of the camera and the plurality of operating members that require operation by the operator to the external shape of the camera!
This is achieved by a camera having an operation section instruction display device which is shown as a schematic pattern provided in series and configured so that each of the operation members lights up or flashes in accordance with camera operation.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 13.

The camera of this embodiment is a bifocal camera that can switch the focal length in two steps, 381 and 701, and has automatic exposure, automatic focus, and automatic film winding and rewinding functions, a strobe light emitting device, and a self-timer. It is a compact camera equipped with

Figure 1 shows its appearance. The left side of the main body when viewed from the front of the camera is the grip 1 that also serves as the battery compartment.
The shutter release button 2 is on the top, and the battery compartment cover 3 is on the bottom.
has been placed.

A display section 4 is provided on the upper surface of the main body in contact with the grip 1, and a liquid crystal panel 5 and a self-timer button 6 are arranged on the display section 4.

There is a bifocal lens 7 for photographing in the center of the main body, a focusing lens 8 for distance measurement and field of view is placed above it, and a strobe light emitting unit 9 is arranged at the right end of the main body. A copper 10 for switching focus and α distances, a lens cover (shell) rl/i jump button 11, a copper 12 for opening the back cover on the right side of the main body, and a film rewind button 13 on the bottom are disposed W1.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the liquid crystal panel 5, a contour shape 20a representing the external shape of the camera in a schematic pattern and a rectangular contour shape 20b are fixedly displayed by printing.
Further, each operating member associated with each contour shape and each electrode of an indicating pattern related thereto are provided.

The figure shows a case where all the electrodes are visualized at the same time by energizing. 21 is a pattern showing the amount of batteries stored, 21a is a pattern of the lid 3 of the battery compartment opened, and the battery This is a display instructing you to replace the Similarly, 22 is the shutter release button 22, 22m is each pattern for instructing its operation, and 23 is the pattern 2.
2 with the back cover opening copper to open the back cover to the state shown in 4.
3m is each pattern for instructing the operation of the back cover opening copper 23.

25 and 26 are liquid crystal patterns that are segmented so that the focal length of the bifocal lens 7 and the number of film shots can be displayed in two-digit numbers, respectively. When the shooting mode is switched to the self-shooting mode, a pattern 27 is displayed, and the display of the pattern 26 is switched from displaying the number of shots to displaying the seconds until the self-timer operates, and together with pattern 28 of the seconds symbol. The pattern 629.30 shown indicates that film winding and rewinding are in progress, and indicates that the film is being fed in the direction of the arrow. do.

Further, numeral 31 is a pattern for displaying repeated film rewind operations after a predetermined number of shots have been taken, and 31a is a pattern for instructing the operation of the film rewind button 12.

Further, 32 is a pattern indicating a strobe photography mode, 33
is a pattern indicating the reach distance of the strobe light corresponding to the distance scale 40 marked on the display section 4,
In cases other than strobe photography mode, the pattern 32
is not displayed, and at the same time, the pattern 33 displays the measured shooting distance.

The display of the liquid crystal panel 5, which has the function of displaying each operating member and instructing four operations, is driven by the control of a microcomputer connected to each input terminal as shown in FIG.

In other words, the main switch SM sends a signal to the microcontroller indicating whether the lens cover is open and ready for shooting.
In addition, the process information of photometry, distance measurement, and exposure by the stroke of shutter release button 2 is input by switches SI and S2, and the focal length switching operation of bifocal lens 7 is input by switch SS.
R, the set focal length value is input by switch SL, switching to self-timer mode is input by switch ST, film presence or absence is input by switch SF, and back cover opening operation is input by switch SB. Based on this information, the microcontroller determines the sequence, displays the next action to take, and instructs you to do so, as well as displays the various shooting conditions that have been set, such as focal length, number of shots, etc. There is. .

Note that when the motor is rotating and the film is being fed, or when the 216-point lens 7 is moving to change the focal length, the switch SSP%SE can be input to change the settings unrelated to the above operation. Microcomputer 8! The function is stopped and other input information is blocked to prevent inappropriate photography.

Next, the contents of the display by the liquid crystal panel 5 will be specifically explained.

Figure 4 shows the display when the main switch SM is turned on with no film loaded in the camera.
Either r35amJ or "701" is displayed, and the number of shots is naturally "0". In this case, the power battery is located in the battery compartment and its capacity is maintained at the specified voltage, which is indicated by the fact that both halves of the pattern indicating the battery capacity are lit.

When loading film into the camera in the state shown in Figure 4 (&), #
S5 As shown in Fig. 5 (a) (the pattern 22 of the shutter release button 2 lights up, and the pattern 22a instructing its operation starts blinking. Then, when the shutter release button 2 is pressed, the pattern 22 as shown in Fig. 5 (b) starts flashing. 22° and 22a both disappear and film winding starts for the film feed operation.
Pattern 2 showing film feeding as shown in FIG. 5(c)
・9 is displayed, and each time it is sent one screen, Figure 5 (C),
After the cycle in which the display flashes as shown in (d) is repeated three times, the pattern 26 displays the number of shots "1" as shown in Fig. 5 (e), winding stops, and film loading ends. .

If there is a problem with loading during this process, see Figure 5 (f).
As shown in , the pattern 26 displays an error mark rEJ instead of the number of shots, and at the same time a pattern 23 of the back cover release copper 12, a pattern 23a instructing its repetition, and a pattern representing the back cover in the released state. 24 flashes for 10 seconds to prompt you to reload, then the screen appears in Figure 5 (g).
As shown in , only the patterns 23 and 23a continue to be lit to indicate that loading is incomplete. During this time, the shutter release button is locked and photography is prohibited.

Further, when the capacity of the battery is, for example, 2.6 V or more with respect to the rated voltage of 3 V, both of the battery capacity pattern 21 divided into two parts are displayed as lighting, as shown in FIG. 6(a). In the case of 6V or less, only one of the patterns 21 is displayed with the α light as shown in FIG. 6(b), and 2.
If the voltage is less than 4V, the voltage C disappears and a pattern 21a indicating the battery compartment lid 3 is displayed to instruct battery replacement.

On the other hand, for example, if you press the shutter release button 2 (SION) in the state shown in Figure 7 (,) after the film has been loaded and the seventh shot has been taken, appropriate exposure control can be performed without using a strobe light based on the exposure result. If possible, as shown in FIG. 7(b), a pattern 32 indicating the strobe mode is left in place, and the photographing distance controlled by the distance measurement result is displayed by the number of spots in the pattern 33. In this case, exposure will be performed by the subsequent operation of shutter release button 2 (S2ON), but if the measured distance is K k'J
If the distance is closer than the closest distance of the lens and focus adjustment control is impossible, the distance measurement is not displayed and the subsequent operation of the shutter release button 2 (32ON) is locked, as shown in FIG. 7(e).

In any case, release the shutter release button 2 (S
IOFF) Sushi Ir The displays in FIGS. 7(b) and 7(C) return to the original display in FIG. 7(a).

Further, from the state where the bifocal lens 7 is controlled to the distance measurement distance shown in Fig. 8 (,), the shutter release button 2 is pressed (8
2ON), the film winding starts and a pattern 29 indicating film feeding is displayed as shown in FIG. 8(b). When winding up for one screen is completed, the above-mentioned patterns 32 and 33 indicating the strobe mode are displayed again as shown in FIG. will be stopped.

When such film winding is repeated and the final number of sheets <r26J is displayed as shown in FIG. 8(d), the pattern 31 indicating the film rewind operation and the rewind button 1
The display of the pattern 31a instructing the user to press 3 continues for 10 seconds, after which the display continues to light up continuously to prompt the player to rewind.

On the other hand, when the self-timer button 6 is pressed, the display in FIG. 9(,) will display pattern 2 of the self-timer mode as shown in FIG.
7, shutter release button 2 pattern 22, and pattern 22m for instructing how to press shutter release button 2 are displayed, and at the same time, pattern 26 for displaying the number of shots is switched to displaying the seconds until the self-timer operates. It is designed to be indicated along with a pattern 28 of seconds symbols.

When the shutter release Ia2 is pressed in this state, the patterns 22 and 22m described above disappear, the measured distance is displayed as shown in Figure 9(e), and the number in pattern 26, which displays seconds, is subtracted to indicate the passage of time. When the indicated rOJ is reached, the shank is activated and exposure is performed.

In addition, from the state where the above-mentioned rewind operation is instructed, press the rewind button 13.
When you press , the display shows the operation instruction pattern 31m as shown in Figures 10(a) to 10(b), and the pattern 30 indicating that the rewinding operation is in progress changes to the direction in which the film is fed. The blinking 1 of the pattern 30
The number of shots taken is displayed in cycles.

As shown in Figure (e), fjS10
As shown in FIG. 10(e), the back cover release button 12, the patterns 23 and 123a instructing its operation, and the pattern 24 indicating the opened back cover continue to blink for 10 seconds, and then the button 12 in FIG. ), only the patterns 23 and 23a are displayed, and the continuation indicates that rewinding has been completed.

From this stage, open the back cover, take out the film and again
When the lid is opened, the display returns to the original state shown in FIG. 4(a) or (b).

The focal length of the bifocal lens 7 can be changed by operating the focal length switching button 10 as shown in FIG. 11(a).
"38" is displayed, then the display disappears, and then "70" is displayed.
The display will now change to . Therefore, when the display is off, no focal length is set, so the shutter release fa2 is locked.

As a power source for driving the display of such a liquid crystal panel, in addition to the regular battery shown in the pattern 21, there is also a backup battery such as a lithium battery.
By incorporating L'm, it is possible to display and instruct each operation according to the above-mentioned patterns even when the voltage of the displayed battery has decreased and replacement is instructed. The camera functions described will always be realized.

The pattern 25 for displaying the focal length can be replaced with a pattern for displaying the closed lens power button 10 and a pattern for instructing its operation, as shown in FIG. 12. Additionally, in addition to the above explanation, the lens opening/closing button 10 is also used as a power switch, and when the lens cover is idle, each of these patterns is displayed, and all other patterns mentioned above disappear. When the lens cover is opened from this state by operating the lens cover opening/closing button 10, the display shown in FIG. 4 is displayed to notify that the camera is ready for use. It is also possible to display it as

In addition, when a zoom lens R9 is attached instead of the bifocal lens 7, the pattern 25 is composed of 7 segments of 2 digits, and the focal length number that changes continuously during zooming is shown in FIG. 13(a). Figure 13(b),(e)
It can also be displayed continuously or intermittently as shown in FIG.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention is configured to visually display and warn the user of the main points of handling and operation of the camera according to the camera sequence so that the operation can be performed appropriately. Even if the camera is equipped with a camera, there is now a camera that has an operation section instruction device that allows a person who is not accustomed to operating the camera to operate it correctly and fully utilize its functions. ′

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

ptS1 is an external view of the camera of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a pattern diagram of the liquid crystal panel included in the camera, FIG. 3 is a driving circuit diagram of the liquid crystal panel, and FIGS. 4 to 13 are the liquid crystal panels. An explanatory diagram of each display. 1...Grip 2...Shutter release button 3...Battery cover 4...Display section 5...LCD panel 6...Self-timer etc. 7...Bifocal lens 8...Finging 9 ...Enter tropo light emitting unit 10...Focal length switching button 11...Lens cover opening/closing button 12...Back 1irjl! Release button 13...Film rewind button

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) The external shape of the camera and a plurality of operation members that require operation by an operator are shown in a schematic pattern provided in association with the external shape of the camera, and each of the external shapes shown in the schematic pattern is A camera having an operation section instruction display device configured to turn on or blink an operation member according to camera operation. (2) The camera according to claim 1, wherein the patterns corresponding to the plurality of operating members are made of liquid crystal. (3) The camera further includes a number of instruction display means corresponding to the pattern indicating the plurality of operation members, and the instruction display means are controlled to light up or blink together with each corresponding operation member. A camera according to claim 1, characterized in that: (4) The camera according to claim 1, wherein the pattern corresponding to the plurality of operating members includes a shutter button, a back cover opening/closing button, and a battery storage chamber cover.