JP2002148700A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera constituted so that a user is intelligibly notified of the operating method of the camera. SOLUTION: This camera is equipped with a movable operating member (lens barrier 4), a display means (display LED 4a) provided in the movable operating member (lens barrier 4), and a display control means (CPU 102) informing the photographer of the movable operating member (lens barrier 4) which should be operated by the photographer by controlling the display means (display LED 4a).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly, to a camera having a function of easily telling a user how to operate the camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 5-216106 discloses a display unit and a display driving unit, a selection operation member for selecting one of a plurality of pieces of photographing information, and a display mode setting for setting a display mode. When the display mode is set by operating the display mode setting operation member, the display driving means displays an explanation regarding one piece of photographing information selected by operating the selection operation member. It discloses a camera that can display the functions of a plurality of pieces of photographing information and a changing method without displaying a camera instruction manual by displaying the information on the section.

[0003]

However, there is a problem that even if the photographing procedure is displayed in characters, for example, it is not straightforward, and the user cannot operate unless the user understands various contents.

Further, for example, with the recent development of molding technology and CAD technology, as shown in FIG.
There has been a tendency to design 0 into a more stylish shape, and it has become increasingly difficult for a user who uses a camera for the first time to understand the operation method.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera capable of more directly transmitting a camera operation to be performed by a user and displaying the camera operation visually appealing. Is to provide.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera, comprising: a movable operation member;
There is provided a display means provided on the movable operation member, and a display control means for controlling the display means and notifying the movable operation member to be operated by the photographer.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the camera according to the first aspect, further comprising a release means for releasing the notification function of the display control means.

According to a third aspect, in the camera according to the first aspect, the display means has a shape indicating a direction in which the movable operation member moves.

[0009]

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

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a camera according to the embodiment of FIG.
1A is a perspective view, FIG. 1B is a front view with a lens barrier closed, and FIG. 1C is a front view with a lens barrier open.

In FIG. 1A, a photographing lens 11 and a lens barrel 3 holding the photographing lens 11 are provided substantially at the center of the camera body 1. The photographing lens 11 is extended by sliding a lens barrier 4 provided on a front portion of the camera body 1 to an ON (ON) position.
By being slid to the OFF (OFF) position, it is brought into the retracted state. The photographing lens 11 has a function of changing the magnification (zoom), and the focal length is changed by a zoom operation member described later.

Above the lens barrel 3, a photometric window 12 provided for photoelectrically converting incident light, and an infrared light projecting window 13 and a light receiving window for a known active triangulation. 14, a finder window 15 is arranged.

In this embodiment, the barrier switch also functions as a main switch. When the lens barrier 4 is slid to the on position, the barrier switch is turned on in conjunction with this, and the lens barrier 4 is slid to the off position. When this is done, the barrier switch is turned off in conjunction with this.

When the lens barrier 4 is completely closed, as shown in FIG.
2. Finder window 15, floodlight windows 13 and 1 of distance measuring device
4. Further, on the lens barrier 4, a display LED 4a for instructing a photographer to open and close the lens barrier is arranged.

A release button 5, a zoom down switch 7 for zooming in the telephoto direction, and a zoom up switch 6 for zooming in the wide direction are provided on the upper surface of the camera body 1. Further, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 10 for displaying various information and a shooting state is provided. Around the LCD 10, a selection switch 23 for a strobe (flash) mode and a mode switch 22 for setting various shooting modes, a camera status mode, and a mode for displaying a shooting procedure are provided. This mode switch 2
Each time the button 2 is pressed, the mode 2 switches between various shooting modes and the like and a mode for displaying a shooting procedure. The mode set by the mode switch 22 is displayed on the LCD 10. Further, a film rewind switch and a flash (strobe) device are provided on the top surface of the camera.

On the side surface of the camera body 1, there is provided a rear cover 21 extending from the rear surface and having a display LED 21a.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of an operation necessary for a photographing procedure in the first embodiment. Battery 10
1 denotes a DC / DC converter 103 whose operation is permitted and prohibited by the CPU 102, a rectifier diode 104
And a CPU 102 via a smoothing capacitor 105. The CPU 102 is configured by a one-chip microcomputer, and performs various arithmetic controls and reads operation members and sensor units. Further, the LCD 10 can be directly driven.

The CPU 102 includes various operation members (lens barrier 4, release switch 5, rear cover 21) including various switches, and the above-described LCD 10
And a strobe circuit 106 including a charging and light emitting circuit, and display LEDs 4a, 5a incorporated in various operation members.
LED drive circuit 107 for driving 21a, distance measuring circuit 108, photometric circuit 109, temperature measuring circuit 110,
An EEPROM 111 which is a nonvolatile memory, a film detection sensor 114, and a motor drive circuit 113 for driving various motors 112 are connected.

The above-described lens barrier (movable operation member) 4
Has a display LED (display means) 4a and a switch 4b for opening / closing detection, and the rear cover (movable operating member) 21 is provided with a display LED (display means) 21a and a switch 21 for opening / closing detection.
b, a release switch (movable operation member) 5 includes a display LED (display means) 5a and a switch 5b for opening / closing detection.
And

The distance measuring circuit 108 measures the distance from the camera to the subject. Based on the output of the distance measuring circuit 108, the CPU 102 determines the focus of the photographing lens and the amount of light emitted from the strobe. Photometric circuit 10
Reference numeral 9 denotes an object for measuring the luminance of the subject, and the exposure amount of the film is determined based on the output of the photometric circuit 109. The film detection sensor 114 is a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a film (not shown).

Next, the photographing operation for one film will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 and FIG. Initially, it is assumed that the lens barrier 4 of the camera is closed (FIG. 5A). First, in step S402, the CPU 102 as a display control unit causes the display LED 21a provided on the rear cover 21 to blink (FIG. 5B). When the rear cover 21 is opened, the display LED 21a turns off. Next, a film is loaded (step S403). When the rear cover is closed (step S404), the battery is checked, and then the film is automatically loaded (step S404).
405).

When the automatic loading is completed, the display LED 4a provided on the lens barrier 4 is turned on and off (FIG. 5).
(C)), and instruct the photographer to open the lens barrier 4 (step S406). When the lens barrier 4 is opened, the display LED 4a provided on the lens barrier 4 is turned off, and the lens barrel shifts from the retracted state to the wide state (step S407), and a photographing state is set.
At this time, the release SW
The display LED 5a of No. 5 blinks (FIG. 5D).

As for the display LED 4a of the lens barrier 4, when switches (release switch, zoom-up or zoom-down SW) arranged at easy-to-see positions on the camera exterior as shown in FIG. In step S101, it is determined whether or not the lens barrier 4 is closed (step S102). When the lens barrier 4 is closed, the display LED 4a blinks for a predetermined time (step S103). By turning off the display LED 4a, energy consumption countermeasures are realized.

Steps S408 to S417 show a normal photographing operation. The photographer determines a shooting scene by looking through the viewfinder (step S408). Depending on the scene, the zoom down switch 7 or the zoom up switch 6 is operated (step S409). When the shooting scene is determined, press release SW5 (step S5).
410). According to the photographing sequence or the set photographing mode, distance measurement and photometry are performed, the photographing lens 11 is driven, and the shutter is controlled (step S411). Thereafter, the film is wound up by one frame (step S41).
2) Turn off the display LED 5a of the release SW5.

In step S413, it is determined whether or not shooting of all frames has been completed. If it is determined that all frames have been completed, the film is rewound (step S414). After the rewinding is completed, the display LED 21a of the rear cover 21 is blinked (FIG. 5E), and an instruction to open the rear cover 21 is issued. When the piglet 21 is opened (step S415), the display LED 21a turns off (FIG. 5F). The film is taken out and the piglet 21 is closed (step S416, S
417). Thus, a series of photographing operations ends.

In this embodiment, when the film is loaded, the display L
The blinking of the ED has been described. However, for a photographer who is accustomed to the operation of the camera, the blinking of the LED becomes troublesome, and there is also a disadvantage that the battery is quickly consumed. Therefore, the photographing procedure can be displayed only when necessary by operating the mode switch 22.

As described above, in the camera according to the first embodiment, the display LED for displaying the operation member is arranged on the operation member of the camera so that the display LED blinks according to the shooting procedure. Therefore, the user can be visually notified of the operation procedure of the camera.

In place of the LED display, FIG.
When the shape (arrow or the like) that specifically indicates the opening direction of the lens barrier 4 like the display LED 4b shown in (G), the operation procedure can be more easily understood.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention is almost the same as the configuration described in the first embodiment, except that, in addition to the display of the operation procedure for photographing, replacement of a battery and a film. An example is shown in which the present invention can be applied to operations other than the normal shooting operation.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are external perspective views of a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This configuration is almost the same as the first embodiment in FIG. The battery cover (movable operation member) 201 is provided with a display LED (display means) 201a for instructing battery replacement.
FIG. 6B shows a state where the display LED 201a is blinked.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of an operation necessary at the time of battery warning or locking in the second embodiment. Parts having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 have the same functions. The battery 101 includes a DC / DC converter 103, a rectifier diode 104, a smoothing capacitor 10 whose operation is permitted and prohibited by the CPU 102.
5 and the CPU via the battery check circuit 203
102. This CPU 102 is constituted by a one-chip microcomputer.
In addition to performing various arithmetic controls, it also reads operation members and sensor units.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation flow at the time of battery check. The battery check circuit 203
The battery voltage is monitored, and the CPU 102 detects the state of the battery voltage (step S201). Step S
In 202, the battery voltage detected in step S201 and
A comparison with a predetermined voltage Vlock is performed. If the detected battery voltage is lower than the predetermined voltage, the display LED 201a provided on the battery cover 201 blinks (step S2).
03).

As described above, in the second embodiment, not only the operation procedure of the normal photographing is shown, but also the blinking of the display LED only at the time of the battery warning can instruct the photographer to replace the battery. .

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The configuration of the third embodiment is almost the same as the configuration described in the first embodiment. However, in addition to displaying the operation procedure for photographing, if the photographer operates erroneously, a correct operation is performed. An example showing the operation procedure will be described.

The configuration of the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is an electrical configuration diagram of an operation necessary for a procedure of a zoom operation in the third embodiment. This is almost the same as in the first embodiment. In addition, the zoom-up switch (movable operating member) 6 and the zoom-down switch (movable operating member) 7 are provided with display LEDs (display means) 6a and 7a, respectively.
It can be turned on and off through the LED drive circuit 107 according to the command of U102. Further, a zoom position detecting circuit 301 is provided to detect a zoom position and
102.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the display of the zoom switch display LED.

Zoom up (or down) switch 6
When (or 7) is pressed, the CPU 102 detects the current zoom position by the zoom position detection circuit 301 (step S301). In step S302, it is determined whether or not the current zoom position is at the telephoto end. If it is determined that the zoom position is at the telephoto end, the process proceeds to step S303. If it is determined that it is not the telephoto end, the process proceeds to step S305 (determination of the wide end).

In step S303, it is determined whether the zoom-up switch 6 has been pressed. When it is determined that the zoom-up switch 6 has been pressed, the zoom-up switch 6 is being pressed even though the zoom position is at the telephoto end, so that the display LED 7a of the zoom-down switch 7 blinks as shown in FIG. (Step S3
04), returning to step S301.

If NO in step S302 or NO in step S303, the process proceeds to step S305. In step S305, it is determined whether the current zoom position is at the wide end. If it is determined that the current zoom position is at the wide end, the process proceeds to step S306. If it is determined that the zoom position is not the wide end, the zoom position is neither the tele end nor the wide end.
This flow is ended without turning on the display LEDs 6a and 7a (END).

In step S306, it is determined whether the zoom down switch 7 has been pressed. When it is determined that the zoom-down switch 7 is pressed, the zoom-down switch 7 is being pressed even though the zoom position is at the wide end, so that the display LED 6a of the zoom-up switch 6 blinks as shown in FIG. (Step S3
07), returning to step S301.

As described above, even when the photographer performs an erroneous operation, a correct operation procedure can be displayed.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the mode is set to the mode in which the photographing procedure is displayed by the mode switch 22. However, the mode switch 22 is not provided, and the mode has the function of displaying the photographing procedure before shipment from the factory. Is also good.
However, if the photographer becomes accustomed to the photographing procedure, the above function becomes cumbersome, and a means for canceling the function may be provided. Alternatively, the function may be started without providing the mode switch 22 in response to detection of film loading or detection of battery insertion.

(Supplementary Note) (1) A movable operation member, display means provided on the movable operation member, display control means for controlling the display means and notifying the movable operation member to be operated by the photographer; A camera comprising:

(2) In (1), there is provided a mode setting means capable of switching between a first mode for notifying a movable operation member to be operated by a photographer and a second mode for notifying the movable operation member. I do.

(3) In (2), the notification control by the display control means is started with the first mode setting by the mode setting means.

(4) In (1), the notification control by the display control means is started when the film is loaded.

(5) In (1), the notification control by the display control means is started when the battery is turned on.

[0050]

According to the present invention, there is provided a camera in which the camera gives an appropriate display to each operation section operated by the user, thereby instructing the next operation to be performed by the user according to the situation at that time. be able to. This makes it possible to provide a camera that is easy for anyone to use. Further, since the display is performed only when necessary, the design is made in consideration of energy saving.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of an operation necessary for a shooting procedure in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a shooting operation for one film.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a modification of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a display LED provided in each section of the camera is made to blink according to a shooting procedure.

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation flow at the time of a battery check.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of an operation necessary at the time of battery warning or lock in the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an electrical configuration diagram of an operation necessary for a zoom operation procedure in the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating display of a zoom switch display LED.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which a display LED 7a of a zoom-down SW 7 is blinked.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state in which a display LED 6a of a zoom-up SW 6 is blinked.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a conventional problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 camera body 3 lens barrel 4 lens barrier 4a display LED 4b display LED 5 release button 5a display LED 6 zoom up switch 6a display LED 7 zoom down switch 7a display LED 8 strobe window 9 LED display section 10 liquid crystal display section (LCD) DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Photographing lens 12 Photometry window 13 Light emission window 14 Light reception window 15 Viewfinder 21a Display LED 22 Mode switch 23 Selection switch 101 Battery 102 CPU 103 DC / DC converter 104 Rectifier diode 105 Smoothing capacitor 106 Strobe circuit 107 LED drive circuit 108 Distance measuring circuit 109 Light measuring circuit 110 Temperature measuring circuit 111 EEPROM 112 Motors 113 Motor driving circuit 114 Film detection sensor 201 Battery cover 201a Display ED 203 battery check circuit 301 zoom position detection circuit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A movable operation member, display means provided on the movable operation member, and display control means for controlling the display means and notifying the movable operation member to be operated by a photographer. A camera characterized in that: 2. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising release means for releasing the notification function of said display control means. 3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display means has a shape indicating a direction in which the movable operation member moves.
The camera according to.