KR20050045206A - Digital camera and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital camera employing a separate shutter operation switch which is separated from a shooting preparation shutter operation switch and a capture shutter operation switch, and a control method thereof. A digital camera according to the present invention includes a first shutter operating switch for starting a shooting preparation operation by a user's operation, and a second shutter operating switch for starting shooting of an image to be taken by the user's operation. The first shutter operation switch and the second shutter operation switch are separated from each other and installed at a predetermined interval apart from the housing.

Description

Digital camera and controlling method

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital camera, and more particularly, to a digital camera employing a separate shutter operation switch that separates a shooting ready shutter operation switch and a capture shutter operation switch, and a control method thereof.

1 is a view schematically showing the appearance of a conventional digital camera and a two-stage shutter operation switch.

Referring to the drawings, the appearance of the digital camera 1 includes various user input devices, mainly the front of the microphone, a self-timer lamp, a flash, a shutter operation switch 10, a mode dial, a function-selection button, a shooting-information. Display unit, view finder, function-block button, flash-light sensor, lens unit, external interface unit and the like.

Also, there is a representative-voice button, speaker, power button, monitor button, auto-focus lamp, viewfinder, flash standby lamp, color LCD panel, OK / Delete button, enter / playback button, menu button, wide angle ) -Zoom button, telephoto-zoom button, up-move button, right-move button, down-move button, and left-move button.

Typically, the shutter operation switch 10 is composed of a first shutter operation switch 11 and a second shutter operation switch 12, as shown in the figure, and performs a shooting preparation function by the first shutter operation switch 11. In addition, the second shutter operation switch 12 performs an image capturing function.

At this time, the conventional shutter operation switch is designed such that the first shutter operation switch 11 and the second shutter operation switch 12 are arranged in two steps in one button. That is, the first shutter operation switch 11 and the second shutter operation switch 12 are disposed in order in the inside of one button, and after the first shutter operation switch 11 is mechanically pressed, the second shutter operation switch ( 12) is arranged to be pressed.

When the user presses the first shutter operation switch 11, the camera performs a shooting preparation operation. Next, when the user presses the second shutter operation switch 12, the camera performs a photographing procedure.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a shooting control algorithm by operating a shutter operation switch of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the photographing control algorithm 100 by the shutter operation switch operation is mainly performed in the microcontroller inside the digital camera, the photographing control algorithm of the microcontroller will be described as follows. Here, the shutter operation switch 10 included in the user input unit has a two-stage structure. In other words, after the user operates the wide-zoom button and the tele-zoom button, the S1 signal from the shutter operation switch is turned ON by pressing the shutter operation switch 10 only once and the shutter operation switch ( The S2 signal from 10) is ON.

Thus, the shooting control algorithm of FIG. 2 starts when the user presses the shutter operation switch 10 in one step (step 101). Here, the current position of the zoom lens is already set.

First, the remaining amount of the memory card is examined (step 102), and it is checked whether or not the capacity of the digital video signal can be recorded (step 103). If it is not a recordable capacity, it is indicated that the capacity of the memory card is insufficient (step 104). In the case of a recordable capacity, the following steps are performed.

First, an Automatic White Balance (AWB) mode is performed to set relevant parameters (step 105). Next, an automatic exposure (AE) mode is performed, whereby the exposure amount for incident luminance is calculated, and the aperture driving motor is driven in accordance with the calculated exposure amount (step 106). Next, an automatic focusing (AF) mode is performed to set the current position of the focus lens (step 107).

Next, it is checked whether the S1 signal, which is the first stage signal from the shutter operation switch 10, is ON (step 108). If the S1 signal is not in an ON state, the execution-program is terminated because there is no user's intention of shooting. If the S1 signal is ON, the following steps are continued.

First, it is checked whether the S2 signal is ON (step 109). If the S2 signal is not ON, the user has not pressed the second stage of the shutter operation switch 10 for shooting, so the execution-program is moved to step 106 above.

If the S2 signal is ON, since the user has pressed the second stage of the shutter operation switch 10 for shooting, the shooting operation is performed (step 110). That is, the digital signal processor (DSP) operates by the microcontroller, and the photoelectric conversion unit and the CDS-ADS operate by the timing circuit. Next, the image data is compressed (step 111) to generate a compressed image file (step 112). Then, after the generated image file is stored in the user's memory card from the digital signal processor DSP through the memory card interface (step 113), the execution of the algorithm is terminated.

However, when the general user uses the camera, most of them do not detect the fact that the shutter operation switch is two-stage, especially the elderly who do not have a fine hand sense. Therefore, it is often not recognized that the process of controlling the focus is necessary in the photographing of the camera.

In addition, when the shutter operation switch has two stages and the first shutter operation switch S1 and the second shutter operation switch S2 are to be pressed in turn, a hand shake may occur during the pressing of the shutter operation switch. The image of the picture may be shaken.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera and a method of controlling the same, which improves the recognition of the shutter operation switch and prevents the occurrence of hand shake during the pressing of the shutter operation switch. .

The digital camera according to the present invention for achieving the above object, the first shutter operation switch to start the shooting preparation operation by the user's operation, and the second to start the shooting of the image to be taken by the user's operation In a digital camera having a shutter operation switch, the first shutter operation switch and the second shutter operation switch are separated from each other and are installed at a predetermined interval apart from the housing.

Preferably, the first shutter operation switch is installed at one edge of the camera upper surface, and the second shutter operation switch is installed at the other edge of the camera upper surface.

It is preferable that the first shutter operation switch and the second shutter operation switch are arranged side by side on one edge of the camera upper surface so that the user can operate the first shutter operation switch and the second shutter operation switch with one hand.

It is preferable that the first shutter operation switch and the second shutter operation switch consist of a soft touch switch.

The second shutter operation switch starts capturing an image to be photographed only when the first shutter operation switch is pressed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method of a digital camera includes: a first shutter operation switch for starting a shooting preparation operation by an operation of a user, and a second shutter operation for starting photographing an image to be photographed by an operation of a user; A control method of a digital camera having a switch, the control method comprising: (a) detecting the first shutter operation switch is pressed and generating a first shutter signal; (b) detecting that the second shutter operation switch is pressed to generate a second shutter signal; (c) detecting whether the first shutter operation switch is on from the first shutter signal; (d) performing a shooting preparation operation according to the first shutter signal detected in the step (c); (e) detecting whether the second shutter operation switch is on from the second shutter signal; (f) determining whether shooting is possible without performing the shooting preparation operation according to the second shutter signal detected in step (e); And (g) photographing the image according to the second shutter signal.

In the step (g), it is preferable to take an image when the first shutter signal is on and the second shutter signal is on.

In the step (g), if the first shutter signal is in the off state and the second shutter signal is in the on state, as a result of the determination in the step (f), the image is photographed in the case where the photographing mode is possible without performing the preparation preparation operation. .

A control apparatus of a digital camera according to another aspect of the present invention includes a first shutter operation switch for starting a shooting preparation operation by a user's operation, and a second shutter operation for starting shooting of an image to be taken by the user's operation. A control apparatus of a digital camera having a switch, comprising: a first shutter signal generator for detecting a first shutter operation switch being pressed and generating a first shutter signal; A second shutter signal generator which detects that the second shutter operation switch is pressed and generates a second shutter signal; A first shutter signal detector for detecting whether the first shutter operation switch is on from the first shutter signal; A shooting preparation operation unit configured to perform a shooting preparation operation by the first shutter signal detected by the first shutter signal detecting unit; A second shutter signal detector for detecting whether the second shutter operation switch is on from the second shutter signal; A photographing mode determination unit configured to determine whether photographing is possible without performing a photographing preparation operation by the second shutter signal detected by the second shutter signal detecting unit; And a shooting start unit for shooting an image according to the second shutter signal.

According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the recognition of the shutter operation switch in the digital camera, and to prevent the image blur of the photo due to the shaking of the hand during the pressing of the shutter operation switch.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a digital camera showing the appearance of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a digital camera showing the appearance of a digital camera according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the digital cameras 2 and 3 start capturing an image to be photographed by the first shutter operation switches 21 and 31 which start the shooting preparation operation by the user's operation. And second shutter operation switches 22 and 32, wherein the first shutter operation switches 21 and 31 and the second shutter operation switches 22 and 32 are separated from each other and are spaced apart from the housing by a predetermined interval. do.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the first shutter operation switch 21 is preferably installed at one edge of the camera upper surface, and the second shutter operation switch 31 is preferably installed at the other edge of the camera upper surface. That is, in the illustrated example, the rear side of the exterior of the camera is illustrated, and the first shutter operating switch 21 is installed on the upper left side of the outside of the camera, and the second shutter operating switch 22 is installed on the upper right side of the outside of the camera. Is installed.

In this case, the first shutter operation switch 21 and the second shutter operation switch 22 may be installed by changing their positions. That is, the first shutter operation switch 21 may be installed on the upper right side of the outside of the camera, and the second shutter operation switch 22 may be installed on the upper left side of the outside of the camera.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the first shutter operation switch 21, 31 allows the user to operate the first shutter operation switch 21, 31 and the second shutter operation switch 22, 32 with one hand. ) And the second shutter operation switches 22 and 32 may be arranged side by side at one edge of the upper surface of the camera.

That is, in the illustrated example, the first shutter operation switch 31 and the second shutter operation switch 32 are installed side by side on the upper right side of the outside of the camera, among which the first shutter operation switch 31 is located on the right side, The first shutter operating switch 31 and the second shutter operating switch 32 may be arranged such that the second shutter operating switch 32 is located on the left side.

In this case, the first shutter operation switch 31 and the second shutter operation switch 32 may be installed by changing their positions. That is, the first shutter operation switch 31 and the second shutter operation switch 32 may be disposed such that the first shutter operation switch 31 is located on the left side and the second shutter operation switch 32 is located on the right side. will be. In addition, the first shutter operation switch 31 and the second shutter operation switch 32 may be installed side by side on the upper left side of the outside of the camera.

In the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the first shutter operation switch 21 and the second shutter operation switch 22 are separated in both directions as shown in the drawings, inducing a user to use both hands together to prevent camera shake. You can prevent it.

In particular, although a conventional pressure button may be used as the shutter operation switch, in the case of the pressure button, shaking may occur when applying pressure to press. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent camera shake by using a soft touch button that does not need to apply additional pressure to press the button.

In addition, when the user recognizes that there is a separate button for focusing and a button for capturing an image by installing a button, the user presses the first shutter operation switch (21, 31) in order to adjust the focus. In this case, the second shutter operation switches 22 and 32 can be pressed to improve the recognition of each shutter operation switch for the user.

In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the first shutter operation switch 21 and the second shutter operation switch 22 are separated and installed, and as shown in side by side close to each other on one side of the upper surface of the outside of the camera Preferably, the user can naturally press the second shutter operation switch 32 while pressing the first shutter operation switch 31. In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, it is preferable to prevent camera shake by using a soft touch button that does not need to apply a separate pressure to press the button.

In the case of the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 shows that the shutter operation switch is mainly installed to be located on the upper surface of the outside of the camera case, according to the design side of the camera or other design needs, such as the front, back, or side It may be installed in another location.

In addition, the second shutter operation switches 22 and 32 start capturing images to be photographed only when the first shutter operation switches 21 and 31 are pressed so that the photographing can be performed only when the focus is automatically adjusted. You can do that.

5 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a control method of the digital camera of FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring to the drawings, the control method 200 of the digital camera includes a first shutter operation switch (21, 31) to start the shooting preparation operation by the user's operation, and the shooting of the image to be captured by the user's operation; A control method of a digital camera having a second shutter operation switch (22, 32) to start, comprising the steps of: (a) detecting the first shutter operation switch is pressed to generate a first shutter signal; (b) detecting that the second shutter operation switch is pressed to generate a second shutter signal; (c) detecting from the first shutter signal whether the first shutter operation switch is in an on state (201); (d) performing a shooting preparation operation according to the first shutter signal detected in step (c) (201); (e) detecting (203, 204) from the second shutter signal whether the second shutter operation switch is on; (f) determining, by the second shutter signal detected in step (204), whether or not photographing is possible without performing the photographing preparation operation (205); And (g) photographing the image according to the second shutter signal (206).

Steps (a) and (b) are steps of detecting that the first shutter operation switch or the second shutter operation switch is pressed when the shutter operation switch is operated by the user from the outside while the camera is in the standby state. The first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are sensed by sensing each shutter operation switch.

In this case, when the first shutter signal or the second shutter signal is generated, first, in step (c) 201, it is detected whether the first shutter operation switch is on from the first shutter signal. Whether to perform step (202) or step (204) is determined according to whether it is ON or OFF.

In (d) step 202, a shooting preparation operation is performed according to the first shutter signal detected in step (c) 201, and the shooting preparation operation includes automatic exposure (AE) setting and automatic color temperature. Refers to an operation necessary for shooting before a shooting operation for capturing image data including correction (AWB, Automatic White Balance), and automatic focusing (AF, Automatic Focus). In this case, the details of the auto focus operation, which is one of operations performed in the shooting preparation operation, are according to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

Step (e) (203) and (204) detects whether the second shutter operation switch is in an ON state from the second shutter signal, and the detection result and the determination result of step (c) Different steps may be performed depending on whether the shutter signal is in an ON state or an OFF state.

That is, in the case where the second shutter signal is ON, if the first shutter signal is OFF, it is determined in step (f) 205 that it is immediately possible to shoot, and the first shutter signal is ON ( ON), photographing is performed in step (206).

In the step (f), in step 205, whether or not the shooting preparation operation is performed without performing the preparation for shooting is determined according to the second shutter signal detected in the step (e), in step 205, if the shooting mode is immediately The photographing start operation is performed in the next step (g) 206 with only the second shutter signal without the first shutter signal.

In step (g), when the first shutter signal is ON, if the second shutter signal is ON, the photographing start operation is performed in step (206), and the first shutter If the signal is OFF (f), if the photographing mode is immediately taken as a result of step (205), the photographing is performed in step (206) as the second shutter signal is turned on.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an auto focus adjusting step as an example of a preparation method for photographing a control method of the digital camera of FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawing, the focus lens is moved to the start position by driving the focus motor MF (301). Next, while the focus motor MF is driven in units of a first step number, for example, eight steps, until the current position of the focus lens becomes the end position, the high frequency content of the focus value, that is, the image signal is read (302, 303).

Next, the position of the maximum focus value among the read focus values is checked (304). That is, the number of final position steps with the highest high frequency content around the position of the maximum focus value is found and set. Next, the focus lens is moved to the position of the maximum focus value by driving the focus motor MF (305).

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration for controlling the digital camera of FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring to the drawing, an optical system OPS including a lens unit and a filter unit optically processes light from a subject. The lens unit of the optical system OPS includes a zoom lens, a focus lens, and a compensation lens.

When the wide-angle zoom button or the telephoto-zoom button included in the user input unit INP is pressed, a corresponding signal is input to the microcontroller 512. Accordingly, as the microcontroller 512 controls the lens driver 510, the zoom motor MZ is driven to move the zoom lens.

A photoelectric conversion unit (OEC) of a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) converts light from an optical system (OPS) into an electrical analog signal. Here, the digital signal processor 507 controls the timing circuit 502 to control the operation of the photoelectric converter OEC and the Correlation Double Sampler and Analog-to-Digital Converter (CDS-ADC) element 501. The CDS-ADC element 501 as an analog-to-digital converter processes the analog signal from the photoelectric converter (OEC), removes the high frequency noise, adjusts the amplitude, and converts the analog signal into a digital signal. The digital signal processor 507 processes the digital signal from the CDS-ADC element 501 to generate a digital image signal classified into luminance and chroma signals.

The light emitting portion LAMP driven by the microcontroller 512 includes a self-timer lamp, an auto-focus lamp and a flash standby lamp. The INP includes a shutter operation switch, a mode dial, a function-selection button, a function-block button, a monitor button, an OK / delete button, an enter / playback button, a menu button, a wide-angle zoom button, a telephoto-zoom button, Up-move button, right-move button, down-move button, and left-move button.

In this case, the shutter operation switch includes a first shutter operation switch and a second operation switch, and when each operation switch is pressed by a user, generates a first shutter signal and a second shutter signal, respectively, Allow the controller to process it.

The digital video signal from the digital signal processor 507 is temporarily stored in the DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 504. The EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) 505 stores algorithms and setting data necessary for the operation of the digital signal processor 507. The memory card of the user is attached to or detached from the memory card interface 506. The digital image signal from the digital signal processor 507 is input to the LCD driver 514, whereby the image is displayed on the color LCD panel 55.

On the other hand, the digital video signal from the digital signal processor 507 can be transmitted by serial communication via the USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection 61a or the RS232C interface 508 and its connection 61b, and the video filter ( 509 and video output 61c may be transmitted as a video signal.

The audio processor 513 outputs the audio signal from the microphone MIC to the digital signal processor 507 or the speaker SP, and outputs the audio signal from the digital signal processor 507 to the speaker SP. On the other hand, the microcontroller 512 drives the flash by controlling the operation of the flash controller 511 according to the signal from the flash-light amount sensor.

8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a digital camera control apparatus for implementing the digital camera control method of FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings, the control device 4 of the digital camera includes a first shutter operation switch for starting a shooting preparation operation by a user's operation, and a second shutter for starting to capture an image to be photographed by the user's operation. A control apparatus of a digital camera having an operation switch, comprising: a first shutter signal generator (41); A second shutter signal generator 45; A first shutter signal detector 42; A shooting preparation operation unit 43; Second shutter signal detectors 44 and 46; A ready-to-shoot mode determination unit 47; And a photographing start section 48.

The first shutter signal generator 41 detects that the first shutter operation switch is pressed and generates a first shutter signal. The first shutter signal detector 42 detects whether the first shutter operation switch is in an on state from the first shutter signal. The photographing preparation operation unit 43 performs a photographing preparation operation according to the first shutter signal detected by the first shutter signal detecting unit. The second shutter signal detector 44 detects whether the second shutter operation switch is on from the second shutter signal. The photographing starter 48 photographs an image according to the second shutter signal.

The second shutter signal generator 45 detects that the second shutter operation switch is pressed and generates a second shutter signal. The second shutter signal detector 46 detects whether the second shutter operation switch is on from the second shutter signal. The immediate photographing mode determiner 47 determines whether photographing is possible without performing a photographing preparation operation by the second shutter signal detected by the second shutter signal detecting unit. The photographing starter 48 photographs an image according to the second shutter signal.

According to the digital camera and the control method thereof according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the recognition of the shutter operation switch in the digital camera and to prevent the image shaking of the photo due to the hand shake during the pressing of the shutter operation switch.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is merely an example, and those skilled in the art may realize various modifications and equivalent other embodiments therefrom. I can understand. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the invention should be defined only by the appended claims.

1 is a view schematically showing the appearance of a conventional digital camera and a two-stage shutter operation switch.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a shooting control algorithm by operating a shutter operation switch of FIG. 1.

3 is a digital camera showing the appearance of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a digital camera showing the appearance of a digital camera according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a control method of the digital camera of FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an auto focus adjusting step as an example of a preparation method for photographing a control method of the digital camera of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration for controlling the digital camera of FIGS. 3 and 4.

8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a digital camera control apparatus for implementing the digital camera control method of FIG. 6.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

2, 3: digital camera, 21, 31: first shutter operation switch,

22, 32: Second shutter operation switch.

Claims (9)

A digital camera having a first shutter operation switch for starting a shooting preparation operation by a user's operation and a second shutter operation switch for starting shooting of an image to be taken by the user's operation, And the first shutter operation switch and the second shutter operation switch are separated from each other and installed at a predetermined interval apart from the housing. The method of claim 1, And the first shutter operation switch is installed at one edge of the camera upper surface, and the second shutter operation switch is installed at the other edge of the camera upper surface. The method of claim 1, The digital camera, in which the first shutter operation switch and the second shutter operation switch are arranged side by side at one edge of the camera upper surface so that a user can operate the first shutter operation switch and the second shutter operation switch with one hand. . The method of claim 1, And the first shutter operation switch and the second shutter operation switch are soft touch switches. The method of claim 1, And the second shutter operation switch starts capturing the image to be photographed only when the first shutter operation switch is pressed. In the control method of the digital camera comprising a first shutter operation switch for starting the shooting preparation operation by the user operation and a second shutter operation switch for starting the shooting of the image to be photographed by the user operation, (a) detecting the first shutter operation switch being pressed and generating a first shutter signal; (b) detecting that the second shutter operation switch is pressed to generate a second shutter signal; (c) detecting whether the first shutter operation switch is on from the first shutter signal; (d) performing a shooting preparation operation according to the first shutter signal detected in the step (c); (e) detecting whether the second shutter operation switch is on from the second shutter signal; (f) determining whether shooting is possible without performing the shooting preparation operation according to the second shutter signal detected in step (e); And and (g) photographing the image according to the second shutter signal. The method of claim 6, In the step (g), And controlling the digital camera to capture the image when the first shutter signal is in an on state and the second shutter signal is in an on state. The method of claim 6, In the step (g), When the first shutter signal is in the off state and the second shutter signal is in the on state, as a result of the determination in step (f), the digital camera photographing the image when the photographing mode is performed without performing the preparation for photographing operation. Control method. In the control device of the digital camera having a first shutter operation switch for starting the shooting preparation operation by the user's operation, and a second shutter operation switch for starting the shooting of the image to be taken by the user's operation, A first shutter signal generator which detects that the first shutter operation switch is pressed and generates a first shutter signal; A second shutter signal generator which detects that the second shutter operation switch is pressed and generates a second shutter signal; A first shutter signal detector for detecting whether the first shutter operation switch is in an on state from the first shutter signal; A shooting preparation operation unit configured to perform a shooting preparation operation according to the first shutter signal detected by the first shutter signal detecting unit; A second shutter signal detecting unit detecting whether the second shutter operating switch is in an on state from the second shutter signal; An immediate photographing mode determination unit determining whether photographing is possible without performing the preparation for photographing by the second shutter signal detected by the second shutter signal detecting unit; And And a photographing start unit configured to photograph the image according to the second shutter signal.