Digital camera and dial thereof

Abstract

To provide a digital camera and a dial thereof that enable an image to be forwarded by a simple operation when the captured image is to be checked.SOLUTION: A digital camera 10 includes a grip portion 11A provided on a camera body 11, a lever 17 provided at the end of the grip portion 11A, a display 22 that displays a captured image of a subject, and a processor. By operating the lever 17, the processor hides at least a portion of a first captured image displayed on the display 22 and causes the display 22 to display a second captured image different from the first captured image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a digital camera for displaying captured images and a dial thereof.

Background Art

[0002] In the digital camera described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of images are continuously captured by a single release operation, and the plurality of images obtained by the continuous capture are stored in one image file with tag data added. The plurality of images stored in the image file are displayed in a list on the display device of the digital camera based on the tag data. In this digital camera, by operating a switching button or an operation dial, the image displayed on the display device is advanced frame by frame to display an image captured in the past.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the digital camera of Patent Document 1 above, when the user wants to view a past image, the user has to release their hand from the grip of the camera body to operate the switching button or the operation dial, which is troublesome. Also, when advancing the image using a touch panel or the like provided on the display device, it is very cumbersome because the hand leaves the grip.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera and a dial thereof that can advance images with a simple operation when checking captured images.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The digital camera of the present invention includes a camera body having a front surface and a back surface, an imaging element that captures a subject image, a grip portion provided at either the left or right end when the camera body is viewed from the front side, a first member provided in the vicinity of the grip portion and on the upper surface side of the camera body, a display display disposed on the back surface of the camera body and displaying a captured image obtained by capturing a subject image with the imaging element, and a processor. The processor, by operating the first member, makes at least a part of a first captured image displayed on the display display non-displayed, and causes the display display to display a second captured image different from the first captured image.

[0007] The second captured image is an image captured before the first captured image is captured. When the camera body is viewed from above and the first member is rotated, the processor preferably changes the first captured image displayed on the display display to the second captured image.

[0008] The digital camera has a power source. When the power source is in the off state, the first member is in a first position that does not protrude from the outer shape of the camera body when the camera body is viewed from above. When the power source changes from the off state to the on state, it preferably changes to a second position that protrudes from the outer shape of the camera body when the camera body is viewed from above.

[0009] It preferably has an engagement mechanism for locking the first member. In the first position, the first member is locked by the engagement mechanism, and in the second position, the locking of the first member is preferably released.

[0010] A second member that interlocks with the first member, a third member that engages with the second member, a fourth member related to the operation of the power supply, and a biasing member that biases the second member. The first member, the second member, and the fourth member are rotatable about a first axis, the third member is rotatable about a second axis. When the fourth member is in the power-off position, the first member is locked in the first position by the fitting of the convex portion of the second member and the concave portion of the third member. When the fourth member is in the power-on position, the third member rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the fourth member in the first direction, and the first member rotates to the second position along the first direction due to the separation of the convex portion of the second member and the concave portion of the third member, and it is preferable that the separation is held by the biasing member.

[0011] The biasing member preferably biases the first member in a direction intersecting the optical axis. When changing the fourth member from the power-on position to the power-off position, the third member rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the fourth member in the second direction, and it is preferable that the first member is locked in the first position by the fitting of the convex portion of the second member and the concave portion of the third member.

[0012] The second captured image is an image captured before the first captured image. When viewed from above the camera body and the first member is rotated clockwise, the processor preferably changes the second captured image displayed on the display to the first captured image.

[0013] A plurality of captured images are displayed on the display. When the first member is operated once, the processor makes the captured image arranged at one end among the plurality of captured images displayed on the display non-displayed, and makes the captured image arranged immediately before the captured image arranged at the other end among the plurality of captured images displayed on the display be displayed on the display.

[0014] It is preferable that the display shows a plurality of captured images, and when the first member is operated once, the processor hides all of the captured images displayed on the display and displays on the display from the captured image arranged immediately before the captured image arranged at the other end to the previously captured image arranged several images ahead.

[0015] The processor preferably changes the amount of replacement of captured images displayed on the display in accordance with the amount of operation of the first member. The processor preferably changes the speed at which captured images displayed on the display are replaced in accordance with the amount of operation of the first member. The processor preferably sets an image forwarding operation to be assigned to the operation of the first member in accordance with the input operation. The image sensor preferably has a vertical length longer than a horizontal length when the top surface of the camera body is facing vertically upward.

[0016] It is preferable that the camera has a fifth member for performing a shooting instruction operation, the first member being rotatable around a first axis, the fifth member being arranged along the first axis, and the restriction on the shooting instruction operation being released when the first member is rotated to a third position protruding from the outer shape of the camera body when viewed from above.It is preferable that the camera has a second member that rotates in conjunction with the first member around the first axis, and a contact sensor that detects the third position is arranged on the second member.It is preferable that the camera has a sixth member arranged along the first axis, and the first member is arranged between the camera body and the sixth member.

[0017] The dial of the digital camera of the present invention has a first member, a second member interlocking with the first member, a third member engaging with the second member, a fourth member related to the operation of the power supply, and a biasing member for biasing the second member. The first member, the second member, and the fourth member are rotatable around a first axis, the third member is rotatable around a second axis. When the fourth member is in the power-off position, the convex portion of the second member and the concave portion of the third member are fitted together, whereby the first member is locked in the first position. When the fourth member is in the power-on position, the third member rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the fourth member in the first direction, and the convex portion and the concave portion are disengaged, whereby the first member rotates along the first direction to the second position, and the disengagement is held by the biasing member.

[0018] The biasing member preferably biases the first member in a direction intersecting the optical axis. When the fourth member is changed from the power-on position to the power-off position, the third member rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the fourth member in the second direction, and the convex portion and the concave portion are fitted together, whereby the first member is preferably locked in the first position.

[0019] It has a fifth member for performing a shooting instruction operation. The fifth member is arranged along the first axis. When the first member rotates along the first direction to the third position, it is preferable that the restriction of the shooting instruction operation is released. A contact sensor for detecting the third position is preferably arranged on the second member. It has a sixth member arranged along the first axis, and the first member is preferably arranged between the camera body and the sixth member.

[0020] Members related to the operation of the power supply, members related to the operation of image display, members related to the setting of the camera, and members related to the shooting instruction operation are preferably arranged along the first axis.

Advantages of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, when checking a photographed image, image feeding can be performed by a simple operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] [First Embodiment] [Overview of the Camera] As shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera 10 includes a camera body 11 and a lens barrel 12. The digital camera 10 is an example of the camera according to the present invention. The camera body 11 has a horizontally long box shape with a horizontal dimension longer than the vertical dimension in a front view.

[0024] The camera body 11 is provided with a grip portion 11A. The lens barrel 12 is fixed to the camera body 11 and is provided with an imaging optical system 13. The imaging optical system 13 forms an image of subject light on the imaging element 21. Hereinafter, when photographing a subject located in the horizontal direction, the surface on the subject side in the optical axis direction Z of the camera body 11 is the front surface 11B, the surface on the photographer side in the optical axis direction Z is the rear surface 11C, the upper surface in the vertical direction Y is the upper surface 11D, and the lower surface in the vertical direction Y is the lower surface 11E. The optical axis direction Z is a direction parallel to the optical axis OA of the imaging optical system 13. The vertical direction Y is a direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction X and the optical axis direction Z.

[0025] In this specification, "parallel" includes not only perfect parallelism but also approximately parallelism in the sense of an error that is generally acceptable in the technical field to which the technology of the present disclosure belongs and that is permissible within a range that does not deviate from the technology of the present disclosure. In addition, in this specification, "orthogonal" includes not only perfect perpendicularity but also approximately orthogonal in the sense of an error that is generally acceptable in the technical field to which the technology of the present disclosure belongs and that is permissible within a range that does not deviate from the technology of the present disclosure.

[0026] Grip portion 11A is provided at the left end when viewing camera body 11 from the front face 11B side. However, this is not a limitation, and grip portion 11A may be provided at the right end when viewing camera body 11 from the front face 11B side. Grip portion 11A is semi-cylindrical and connects to the front face 11B and rear face 11C of camera body 11, and has a shape that is easy for a photographer to hold. Grip portion 11A is not limited to a semi-cylindrical shape, and may have any shape that is easy for a photographer to hold.

[0027] A mode dial 14, a release switch 15, a power switch 16, a lever 17 (first member), and the like are provided on the top surface 11D of the camera body 11. The digital camera 10 has a still image shooting mode and a video shooting mode, which can be switched using, for example, the mode dial 14. Note that the lever 17 (first member) is one example, and any other form of member that can be rotated may be used, including a rotating member such as a dial.

[0028] In addition to the lens barrel 12, a flash unit 18 and an illumination unit 19 are provided on the front of the camera body 11. When the digital camera 10 is in still image shooting mode, the flash unit 18 illuminates the subject with illumination light in conjunction with a shutter release if the exposure value of the subject is below a certain level, or forcibly. On the other hand, when the digital camera 10 is in video shooting mode, the illumination unit 19 constantly illuminates the subject with illumination light. Note that with respect to shooting operation instructions issued by the release switch 15, restrictions may normally be placed on shooting operation instructions, and the restrictions on shooting operation instructions may be released when the user performs a release operation.

[0029] [Lever area configuration] As shown in Fig. 2, lever 17 is provided near grip portion 11A and on the top surface 11D side of the camera body. Lever 17 is provided stacked with mode dial 14 and release switch 15. Mode dial 14 is formed in a disk shape. Release switch 15 is formed in a disk shape that is slightly smaller than mode dial 14, and is disposed along central axis CL1 that is coaxial with mode dial 14. Note that release switch 15 is provided with spring 15a (see Fig. 19), and pressing operation is possible due to the biasing force of this spring 15a.

[0030] Lever 17 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of mode dial 14 and is attached so as to be rotatable around center axis CL1 of mode dial 14. Lever 17 is located in a position where the photographer can place his / her finger on it to rotate it when holding grip portion 11A. Lever 17 is used for image scrolling, which will be described later, when a captured image is displayed on display 22.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the camera body 11 is provided with a spring member 24, a control unit 31 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, and a locking mechanism 43 (see FIG. 5). The locking mechanism 43 is composed of, for example, a locking member (not shown) that locks the lever 17 (first member), an actuator (not shown) that operates the locking member, and the like. The locking mechanism 43 is for locking the lever 17, and when the power of the digital camera 10 is in the off state, the locking member locks the lever 17. This restricts the rotation of the lever 17 about the central axis CL1 of the mode dial 14. The spring member 24 biases the lever 17.

[0032] The power switch 16 is a push-type switch and is arranged near the mode dial 14 and the lever 17. The digital camera 10 has a power source (not shown). When the power switch 16 is pressed, the power of the digital camera 10 is turned on. When the power switch 16 is pressed again, the power of the digital camera 10 is turned off. Similarly hereinafter, the on / off state of the digital camera 10 alternates in response to the pressing of the power switch 16.

[0033] The locking mechanism 43 is controlled by the control unit 31 to switch between the locked state and the unlocked state. When the power of the digital camera 10 is turned on in response to the pressing of the power switch 16, the control unit 31 controls the locking mechanism 43 to be in an unlocked state where the locking of the lever 17 by the locking member of the locking mechanism 43 is released. On the other hand, when the power of the digital camera 10 is switched from the off state to the on state in response to the pressing of the power switch 16, the control unit 31 controls the locking mechanism 43 to be in a locked state where the lever 17 is locked by the locking member of the locking mechanism 43.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4(A), when the locking mechanism 43 is in the locked state, that is, when the power of the digital camera 10 is in the off state, the lever 17 is in a posture along the camera body 11. The posture along the camera body 11 specifically means that, in a state viewed from above the camera body 11 and at a position where the lever 17 does not protrude from the outer shape of the camera body 11 (the first position). At the first position, the lever 17 is locked by the locking mechanism 43.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4B, when the locking mechanism 43 is in the unlocked state, i.e., when the digital camera 10 is switched from the OFF state to the ON state, the lever 17 is released from the rotation restriction imposed by the locking member. With its rotation restriction imposed by the locking member released, the lever 17 is biased by the spring member 24 and rotates a fixed amount (fixed rotation angle) counterclockwise about the central axis CL1. Therefore, the lever 17 changes its position so that it moves a fixed distance away from the camera body 11. Moving a fixed distance away from the camera body 11 specifically means that the lever 17 is in a position (second position) where it protrudes from the outer shape of the camera body 11 when viewed from above the camera body 11. In the second position, the lever 17 is unlocked.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4(C), when the digital camera 10 is powered on, the restriction on the rotation of the lever 17 is released, and the lever 17 is separated from the camera body 11. Therefore, a photographer holding the grip portion 11A can easily place his / her finger on the lever 17 and rotate the lever 17 counterclockwise about the central axis CL1 to the third position. When the lever 17 rotates counterclockwise about the central axis CL1 by more than a certain amount (a certain rotation angle), the spring member 24 biases the lever 17 clockwise about the central axis CL1. That is, when the photographer releases his / her finger from the state shown in FIG. 4(C), the bias of the spring member 24 rotates the lever 17 clockwise. This returns the lever 17 to the position shown in FIG. 4(B). Note that, if a mode is set in which the release switch 15 restricts the shooting instruction operation, the restriction on the shooting instruction operation may be lifted when the lever 17 is rotated to the third position.

[0037] An imaging element 21 (see FIG. 5) is built into the camera body 11. The imaging element 21 is held by a holder (not shown) and fixed to the image plane side (photographer side) of the lens barrel 12. The imaging element 21 is, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, or an organic thin-film imaging element.

[0038] The imaging element 21 is an imaging element that is placed horizontally, i.e., when the top surface 11D of the camera body 11 faces vertically upward, the length in the vertical direction Y is shorter than the length in the horizontal direction X. However, the imaging element 21 is not limited to this, and may be an imaging element that is placed vertically, i.e., when the top surface 11D of the camera body 11 faces vertically upward, the length in the vertical direction Y is longer than the length in the horizontal direction X.

[0039] The camera body 11 is provided with a display 22 and an electronic viewfinder 23. The display 22 is located on the rear surface 11C of the camera body 11 and is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an OLED (Organic Electroluminescent Display), etc. The display 22 is used for live view display, captured image display, setting menu display, etc. In live view display, captured images of a subject captured by the imaging element 21 are displayed in real time on the display 22. Displaying captured images on the display 22 will be described later.

[0040] The electronic viewfinder 23 is provided at the top of the rear surface 11C of the camera body 11. The electronic viewfinder 23 displays a live view, and displays in real time a captured image of a subject captured by the imaging element 21. The electronic viewfinder 23 can be turned on or off as needed, and can be switched to display on the display 22. The following mainly describes the case where a captured image is displayed on the display 22.

[0041] [Camera electrical configuration] As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 31 is composed of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs and parameters used by the CPU, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is used as a work memory for the CPU (none of which are shown), and controls each part of the digital camera 10.

[0042] Lever 17 is provided with, for example, a contact sensor that detects the amount of rotation, and when it rotates around central axis CL1, it sends a signal detecting the amount of rotation to control unit 31. In addition, control unit 31 receives a mode switching signal from mode dial 14, a release signal from release switch 15, and a power on / off signal from power switch 16.

[0043] The shutter unit 32 is, for example, a focal plane shutter, and is disposed between the imaging optical system 13 and the imaging element 21. The shutter unit 32 is provided so as to be able to block the optical path between the imaging optical system 13 and the imaging element 21, and is changeable between an open state and a closed state. The shutter unit 32 is in the open state when capturing live view images and videos. The shutter unit 32 is changed from the open state to a closed state when capturing still images. The shutter unit 32 is driven by a shutter motor 33. A motor driver 34 controls the driving of the shutter motor 33.

[0044] The imaging element 21 is driven and controlled by the control unit 31. The imaging element 21 has a light receiving surface made up of a plurality of pixels (not shown) arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. Each pixel includes a photoelectric conversion element, and photoelectrically converts the subject image formed on the light receiving surface by the imaging optical system 13 to generate an imaging signal.

[0045] The image sensor 21 also includes signal processing circuits (none of which are shown), such as a noise reduction circuit, an auto-gain controller, and an A / D conversion circuit. The noise reduction circuit performs noise reduction processing on the image signal. The auto-gain controller amplifies the level of the image signal to an optimum value. The A / D conversion circuit converts the image signal into a digital signal and outputs it from the image sensor 21 to the bus line 36. The output signal of the image sensor 21 is image data (so-called RAW data) having one color signal for each pixel.

[0046] The image memory 35 stores one frame of image data output to the bus line 36. The image data processing unit 37 reads one frame of image data from the image memory 35 and performs known image processing such as matrix calculation, demosaic processing, gamma correction, luminance / color difference conversion, and resizing.

[0047] The display driver 38 sequentially inputs one frame of image data that has been image-processed by the image data processing unit 37 to the display 22 or the electronic viewfinder 23. The display 22 sequentially displays live view images at regular intervals, for example. Displaying captured images on the display 22 will be described later.

[0048] The card I / F (Interface) 41 is incorporated in a card slot (not shown) provided in the camera body 11, and is electrically connected to a memory card 42 inserted into the card slot. The card I / F 41 stores image data that has been image-processed by the image data processing unit 37 into the memory card 42. When the image data stored in the memory card 42 is to be played back and displayed, the card I / F 41 reads the image data from the memory card 42.

[0049] [Viewing captured images] As shown in Fig. 6, the display 22 displays a captured image of a subject captured by the imaging element 21. The captured image is displayed on the display 22, for example, after shooting in still image shooting mode or video shooting mode, and when playing back an image in playback mode. The captured images shown in Fig. 6 and subsequent figures have a portrait aspect ratio (the height is longer than the width), but the present invention is not limited to this, and images with a landscape aspect ratio (the height is shorter than the width) may also be used.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 7(A), first, a first captured image 51 is displayed on the display 22 (the portion inside the hatched frame). In this embodiment and a first modified example described later, the first captured image 51 is the last captured image captured by the image sensor 21. The second captured image 52 is an image captured before the first captured image 51, the third captured image 53 is an image captured before the second captured image 52, and the fourth captured image 54 is an image captured before the third captured image 53. These captured images are recorded in the image memory 35 or the memory card 42.

[0051] 7(B), when the user (photographer) operates the lever 17, the control unit 31 detects a signal indicating the rotation angle and controls the display driver 38 to hide the first captured image 51 displayed on the display 22 and display a second captured image 52, different from the first captured image 51, on the display 22. Specifically, when the lever 17 is rotated counterclockwise about the central axis CL1 while the camera body 11 is viewed from above, the control unit 31 changes the first captured image 51 displayed on the display 22 to the second captured image 52. Note that the change from the first captured image 51 displayed on the display 22 to the second captured image 52 may be effected by changing the rotation direction depending on the configuration of the lever 17.

[0052] After the first captured image 51 displayed on the display 22 has been changed to the second captured image 52, when the photographer releases his / her finger from the lever 17, the lever 17 rotates clockwise due to the bias of the spring member 24, as described above. This causes the lever 17 to return to the position shown in Figure 7(A). Then, when the photographer again operates the lever 17 counterclockwise, the control unit 31 hides the second captured image 52 displayed on the display 22 and displays a third captured image 53, which is different from the second captured image 52, on the display 22.

[0053] After the second captured image 52 displayed on the display 22 has been changed to the third captured image 53, when the photographer releases his / her finger from the lever 17, the lever 17 returns to the position shown in Fig. 7(A) as described above. Thereafter, the captured images displayed on the display 22 change as the photographer repeatedly operates the lever 17. In this embodiment, by repeatedly operating the lever 17, the photographer can change to a previous captured image, going back in time from the last captured image.

[0054] As described above, when the photographer wants to check images that have been taken with the digital camera 10 according to the present invention, the photographer can easily switch between the images that have been taken and are displayed on the display 22 by operating the lever 17 while holding the grip portion 11A.

[0055] [First Modification] In the above embodiment, an example is given in which the first captured image 51 displayed on the display 22 is changed to the second captured image 52 captured before the first captured image 51 was captured by operating the lever 17, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in Figures 8(A) and (B), the control unit 31 may change the second captured image 52 displayed on the display 22 to the first captured image 51 by operating the lever 17.

[0056] In this modified example, as shown in Fig. 8(A), first, the second captured image 52 is displayed on the display 22. Fig. 8(A) shows the case where the power of the digital camera 10 is changed from an off state to an on state, and the lever 17 is biased by the spring member 24 and rotates a certain amount (a certain rotation angle) counterclockwise about the central axis CL1. As a result, the lever 17 is positioned at a certain distance from the camera body 11.

[0057] 8(B), the control unit 31 detects a signal indicating the rotation angle when the user operates the lever 17, and controls the display driver 38 to hide the second captured image 52 displayed on the display 22 and display the first captured image 51 on the display 22. Specifically, when the camera body 11 is viewed from above and the lever 17 is rotated clockwise about the central axis CL1, the control unit 31 changes the second captured image 52 displayed on the display 22 to the first captured image 51. When the user releases his / her finger from the lever 17, the lever 17 rotates counterclockwise by a certain amount due to the bias of the spring member 24. That is, the lever 17 returns to the position shown in FIG. 8(A).

[0058] In this modified example, the user can sequentially advance from previously captured images to more recent captured images by repeatedly operating lever 17. As described above, when a user wants to check a captured image, the user can advance through the captured images displayed on display 22 with the very simple operation of operating lever 17 while holding grip portion 11A, as in the first embodiment.

[0059] [Second embodiment] In the above first embodiment, when displaying a captured image on a display, a digital camera that displays one captured image is given as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to a digital camera that displays multiple captured images on a display.

[0060] 9, a digital camera 60 according to this embodiment displays two captured images on a display 61. Captured images are displayed on the display 61, for example, after capture in a still image capture mode or a video capture mode, and when playing back images in a playback mode. The digital camera 60 has the same configuration as the digital camera 10 according to the first embodiment, except for the display 61 and the content of the captured images displayed on the display 61, and the same reference numerals are used and a description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 10(A), first, in the display display 61 (the inner part of the hatched frame), a plurality of photographed images, a first photographed image 71 and a second photographed image 72, are displayed. The first to fourth photographed images 71 to 74 are the same as the first to fourth photographed images 51 to 54 of the first embodiment. The first photographed image 71 is the photographed image last photographed by the imaging device 21, and the second to fourth photographed images 72 to 74 are photographed images arranged in order of newness in sequence from the first photographed image 71.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 10(B), when the lever 17 is operated counterclockwise once, the control unit 31 of the digital camera 60 controls the display driver 38, and among the plurality of photographed images displayed on the display display 61, the photographed image arranged at one end (right end) is made non-display, and among the plurality of photographed images displayed on the display display 61, the photographed image arranged immediately before the photographed image arranged at the other end (left end) is displayed on the display display 61. That is, the control unit 31 makes the first photographed image 71 arranged at one end (right end) among the first photographed image 71 and the second photographed image 72 displayed on the display display 61 non-display, and makes the third photographed image 73 arranged immediately before the second photographed image 72 arranged at the other end (left end) displayed on the display display 61.

[0063] After the first photographed image 71 is made non-display and the third photographed image 73 is displayed on the display display 61, when the user releases the finger from the lever 17, as described above, the lever 17 rotates clockwise by the biasing force of the spring member 24. As a result, the lever 17 returns to the position shown in FIG. 10(A).

[0064] Then, when the user operates the lever 17 counterclockwise again, the control unit 31 hides the second photographed image 72 displayed on the display 61 and displays the fourth photographed image 74, which was photographed immediately before the third photographed image 73, on the display 61. In other words, the control unit 31 of the digital camera 60 advances through the photographed images one by one each time the lever 17 is operated.

[0065] As described above, the user changes the captured image displayed on the display 61 by repeatedly operating the lever 17. Thus, in the digital camera 60 of this embodiment, as in the digital camera 10 of the first embodiment, when the user wants to check a captured image, the user can change the captured image displayed on the display 61 with the very simple operation of operating the lever 17 while holding the grip portion 11A.

[0066] In the second embodiment, when the lever 17 is operated once, the control unit 31 controls the display so that, among the multiple captured images displayed on the display, the captured image arranged at one end is hidden and the captured image arranged immediately before the captured image arranged at the other end is displayed on the display. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The first captured image among the multiple captured images displayed on the display may be hidden and the captured image immediately before the first captured image may be displayed. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 10A above, when the lever 17 is operated once counterclockwise, the control unit 31 of the digital camera 60 may control the display driver 38 to hide the second captured image 72, which was the first captured image among the first and second captured images 71 and 72 displayed on the display 61, and to display the third captured image 73, which was captured immediately before the second captured image 72, on the display 61.

[0067] [Second Modification] In the second embodiment described above, an example is given in which when the lever is operated once, one of the multiple captured images displayed on the display is advanced one by one. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the lever is operated once, all of the multiple captured images displayed on the display may be advanced, as in the modified example shown in Figures 11(A) and 11(B).

[0068] As shown in FIG. 11(A), similarly to the second embodiment, a first captured image 71 and a second captured image 72, which are a plurality of captured images, are displayed on the display 61.

[0069] 11(B), when the lever 17 is operated counterclockwise once, the control unit 31 of the digital camera 60 controls the display driver 38 to hide the first photographed image 71 and the second photographed image 72, which are all of the multiple photographed images displayed on the display 61, and to display, on the display 61, the photographed images arranged immediately before the photographed image arranged at the other end (left end) of the multiple photographed images displayed on the display 61. Specifically, the display 61 displays, from the third photographed image taken immediately before the second photographed image 72 to the fourth photographed image 74, which was taken two (multiple) images in the past.

[0070] After the first photographed image 71 and the second photographed image 72 are hidden and the third photographed image 73 and the fourth photographed image 74 are displayed on the display 61, when the user releases his / her finger from the lever 17, as described above, the lever 17 rotates clockwise due to the bias of the spring member 24. This causes the lever 17 to return to the position shown in FIG.

[0071] Then, when the user operates the lever 17 counterclockwise again, the control unit 31 makes the third captured image 73 and the fourth captured image 74 displayed on the display 61 non-displayed, and causes the display 61 to display the captured images taken two images back from the captured image taken immediately before the fourth captured image 74. That is, each time the lever 17 is operated once, the control unit 31 of the digital camera 60 scrolls all of the plurality of captured images displayed on the display 61.

[0072] As described above, by the user repeating the operation of the lever 17, the captured images displayed on the display 61 are changed. Thus, also in the digital camera 60 of the present embodiment, similar to the digital camera 10 of the first embodiment, when the user wants to check the captured images, the user can scroll the captured images displayed on the display 61 with a very simple operation of operating the lever 17 while gripping the grip portion 11A. Further, since all of the plurality of captured images displayed on the display 61 can be scrolled, the scrolling operation can be performed quickly.

[0073] [Third Modification Example] In each of the above embodiments and each modification example, an example is given in which each time the lever 17 is operated once, the scrolling of one or a plurality of captured images is completed regardless of the operation amount of the lever. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and by operating the lever 17, at least a part of the first captured image displayed on the display 22 may be made non-displayed, and the second captured image may be displayed on the display 22. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 12(A) and 12(B), the replacement amount of the captured images displayed on the display is changed according to the operation amount of the lever.

[0074] 12(A), first, a first captured image 51 is displayed on the display 22 (the portion inside the hatched frame). Fig. 12(A) shows the case where the power of the digital camera 10 is changed from an off state to an on state, and the lever 17 is biased by the spring member 24 and rotates a certain amount (a certain rotation angle) counterclockwise about the central axis CL1.

[0075] As shown in Fig. 12(B), when the lever 17 is operated counterclockwise, the control unit 31 changes the replacement amount of the captured images displayed on the display 22 in accordance with the amount of operation of the lever 17. The example shown in Fig. 12(B) is a case where the operation amount D of the lever 17 is 50%, and the replacement amount from the first captured image 51 to the second captured image is 50% in accordance with the operation amount D of the lever 17. In this way, as the operation amount of the lever 17 increases from 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, and so on, the image replacement amount also increases from 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, and so on. When the operation amount D of the lever 17 reaches 100% (the maximum rotation angle of the lever 17), the replacement of the captured images is completed, i.e., the first captured image 51 is completely replaced with the second captured image 52.

[0076] [Fourth Modification] However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the speed at which captured images displayed on the display are replaced may be changed according to the amount of operation of the lever. That is, as the amount of operation D of the lever 17 increases from 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, and so on, the image replacement speed also becomes 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, and so on, and when the amount of operation D of the lever 17 reaches 100% (the maximum rotation angle of the lever 17), the replacement speed of the captured images also becomes maximum.

[0077] In each of the above-described embodiments and each modification, the number of captured images that can be scrolled by one lever operation is predetermined. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and according to an input operation, it may be possible to set a scroll operation of the captured images assigned to the lever operation. In this case, for example, the number of captured images to be scrolled may be changed by an input operation such as an operation button or a touch panel provided on the digital camera. That is, as in the second embodiment, for each captured image among a plurality of captured images displayed on the display, a setting for scrolling the captured image one by one by one lever operation, and as in the second modification, it may be possible to change between a setting for scrolling all of the plurality of captured images displayed on the display.

[0078] The setting of the scroll operation of the captured images assigned to the lever operation according to the input operation is not limited to the above, and as in the fourth modification, when changing the speed at which the captured images displayed on the display are switched according to the operation amount of the lever, it may be possible to set the speed at which the captured images are switched by an input operation.

[0079] Also, in each of the above-described embodiments and each modification, when the lever is rotated counterclockwise, the captured image rewinds and is changed to a past captured image, and when the lever is rotated clockwise, the captured image advances and is changed to a new captured image. However, it may be possible to set the image feed direction to be reversed by an input operation. That is, when the lever is rotated clockwise, the captured image may rewind and be changed to a past captured image, and when the lever is rotated counterclockwise, the captured image may advance and be changed to a new captured image.

[0080] Furthermore, when the replacement amount of captured images displayed on the display is changed according to the amount of lever operation, as in the third modified example, a setting may be specified by input operation such that when the lever operation is stopped midway, image forwarding stops at the state where the lever operation is stopped. If this setting is specified, for example, when the operation of the lever 17 is stopped at the amount of operation D, the amount of image replacement also stops at a rate according to the amount of operation D.

[0081] In the above embodiment, when the power is off, the lever 17 is locked to the first position (see FIG. 4A), and when the power is on, the lever 17 is released to the second position (see FIG. 4B). However, the lever 17 may be locked and released in other ways. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the lever 17 is locked and released by a dial 100 of the digital camera provided on the digital camera 10. The dial 100 includes the lever 17 (first member), a rotating ring 101 (second member) that moves in conjunction with the lever 17, a latch 102 (third member) that engages with the rotating ring, an on / off lever 103 (fourth member) related to the power operation, and a spring member 104 (biasing member) that biases the rotating ring 101. The on / off lever 103 has substantially the same shape as the power switch 16 and is used to turn the power on and off like the power switch 16, but the method of operation for turning the power on and off is different from that of the power switch 16.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 14, the lever 17, the rotating ring 101, and the on / off lever 103 are rotatable around a central axis CL1 (first axis), and the latch 102 is rotatable around a central axis CL2 (second axis). As in the above embodiment, the lever 17 is rotatable in a counterclockwise direction R1 (first direction) and a clockwise direction R2 (second direction). The rotating ring 101 is engaged with an attachment portion of the lever 17 (see FIG. 19), and is rotatable in a counterclockwise direction R1 and a clockwise direction R2 in conjunction with the movement of the lever 17. The rotating ring 101 is biased in a direction P intersecting the optical axis OA by a spring member 104 (see FIG. 15). The direction P may be the same as the horizontal direction X.

[0083] When turning the power lever 103 from the power-off position to the power-on position, it is rotated in the counterclockwise direction R1. As the power lever 103 rotates in the counterclockwise direction R1, the actuating piece 103a provided on the power lever 103 also rotates in the counterclockwise direction R1. The actuating piece 103a is provided along the outer periphery of the rotating ring 101 and is for actuating the latch 102. On the other hand, when turning the power lever 103 from the power-on position to the off position, it is rotated in the clockwise direction R2. As the power lever 103 rotates in the clockwise direction R2, the actuating piece 103a also rotates in the clockwise direction R2. The latch 102 rotates in the clockwise direction R2 when the actuating piece 103a abuts against the abutting portion 102a. The latch 102 is biased in the direction Q toward the rotating ring 101 by a spring member 105 (see FIG. 15). Therefore, when the actuating piece 103a separates from the abutting portion 102a, it rotates in the counterclockwise direction R1 due to the biasing force of the spring member 105.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 15, when the power lever 103 is in the power-off position, the lever 17 is locked in the first position by the fitting of the convex portion 101a of the rotating ring 101 and the concave portion 102b of the latch 102. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16, when the power lever 103 is in the power-on position, the latch 102 rotates in the clockwise direction R2 in conjunction with the counterclockwise rotation of the power lever 103 in the direction R1, and the lever 17 rotates to the second position along the counterclockwise direction R1 due to the separation of the convex portion 101a and the concave portion 102b. The separation and engagement of the convex portion 101a and the concave portion 102b are held by a spring member 104. The spring member 104 biases the rotating ring 101 in the direction P intersecting the optical axis OA to hold the separation and engagement of the convex portion 101a and the concave portion 102b.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 17, when turning the power lever 103 from the power-on position to the power-off position, the latch 102 rotates in conjunction with the clockwise rotation of the power lever 103, and the lever 17 is locked in the first position by the fitting of the convex portion 101a and the concave portion 102b. The clockwise rotation of the latch 102 is caused by the biasing force of the spring member 105.

[0086] When the release switch 15 (fifth member) is restricting the shooting instruction operation, it is preferable to release the restriction on the shooting instruction operation when the lever 17, which is in the second position shown in FIG. 18A, is rotated clockwise in the R2 direction to the third position shown in FIG. 18B. To detect rotation to the third position, a contact sensor 107 that detects the third position is disposed on the rotating ring 101. The lever 17 is operated from the second position to the third position by the photographer, as in the above embodiment. When the photographer rotates the lever 17 to the third position and then releases his / her hand, the lever 17 returns to the second position due to the biasing force of the spring member 104.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 19 , the contact sensor 107 is disposed on the opposite side of the rotating ring 101 from the location where the lever 17 is installed. The contact sensor 107 includes a brush 107a. The brush 107a is in electrical contact with a circuit board 108 provided below the contact sensor 107. The brush 107a detects a pattern at a predetermined position on the circuit board 108, thereby detecting that the third position has been reached. The circuit board 108 is also used to detect the shooting instruction operation of the release switch 15. When the release switch 15 is pressed, the release switch 15 and a switch detection unit on the circuit board 108 come into electrical contact, and the shooting instruction operation by the release switch 15 is detected.

[0088] 19, the lever 17 is preferably disposed between the camera body 11 and a spacer 109 (sixth member), and the spacer 109 is preferably disposed along the central axis CL1. When rotating the lever 17, the photographer tends to apply force in the direction of gravity. When force in the direction of gravity is applied to the lever 17, the lever 17 tilts, and interference with a member on the outer periphery of the lever 17, for example, the mode dial 14 (area surrounded by a dotted line), can make the rotation of the lever 17 stiff.

[0089] On the other hand, by disposing the lever 17 between the spacer 109 of the camera body 11, when a force is applied to the lever 17 in the gravitational direction, the lever 17 and the spacer 109 come into contact first, thereby eliminating interference with the mode dial 14. Note that the spacer 109 is preferably of a flange type and is preferably provided on the inner peripheral side of the lever 17.

[0090] Note that as shown in FIG. 19, the dial 100 preferably has a power lever 103 (a member related to power operation), a lever 17 (a member related to image display operation), a mode dial 14 (a member related to camera setting operation), and a release switch 15 (a member related to shooting instruction operation) arranged along the central axis CL1. By arranging these four members in this way, operations related to the four functions can be performed without taking up space in the camera body 11.

[0091] In each of the above embodiments, the hardware structure of a processing unit that executes various processes such as the control unit 31 is various processors as shown below. The various processors include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is a general-purpose processor that executes software (program) and functions as various processing units, a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit), a programmable logic device (Programmable Logic Device: PLD), which is a processor whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and a dedicated electric circuit, which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed specifically for executing various processes.

[0092] One processing unit may be composed of one of these various processors, or may be composed of a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a combination of multiple FPGAs, a combination of a CPU and an FPGA, or a combination of a CPU and a GPU, etc.). Also, a plurality of processing units may be composed of one processor. As an example of configuring a plurality of processing units with one processor, first, as represented by a computer such as a client or a server, one processor is configured by a combination of one or more CPUs and software, and this processor functions as a plurality of processing units. Second, as represented by a System On Chip (SoC), there is a form in which a processor that realizes the functions of the entire system including a plurality of processing units with one IC (Integrated Circuit) chip is used. Thus, various processing units are configured by using one or more of the above various processors as a hardware structure.

[0093] Furthermore, the hardware structure of these various processors is more specifically an electric circuit (circuitry) in a form that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0094] In the above embodiments, a digital camera in which the imaging optical system 13 is fixed to the camera body 11 is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be applied to a lens-exchangeable digital camera in which the imaging optical system is exchangeable with respect to the camera body. In addition, in the above embodiments, a lens barrel 12 without a zoom lens is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the imaging optical system 13 may be configured to include a zoom lens. Further, the present invention is applicable to cameras such as smartphones and video cameras in addition to digital cameras.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0095] 10 Digital camera 11 Camera body 11A Grip 11B Front surface 11C Rear surface 11D Upper surface 11E Bottom side 12 Lens barrel 13 Imaging optical system 14 Mode dial 15 Release switch 15a Spring 16 Power switch 17 Lever 18 Flash equipment 19 Lighting equipment 21 Image sensor 22 Display 23 Electronic viewfinder 24 Spring member 31 Control Unit 32 shutter unit 33 Shutter motor 34 Motor driver 35 Image Memory 36 Bus Line 37 Image data processing section 38 Display Driver 41 Card I / F (Interface) 42 Memory Card 43 Locking mechanism 51 First captured image 52 Second captured image 53 Third captured image 54 Fourth captured image 60 Digital Camera 61 Display 71 First captured image 72 Second captured image 73 Third captured image 74 Fourth captured image 100 Digital Camera Dial 101 Rotating Ring 101a Convex part 102 Latch 102a Contact part 102b recess 103 Power Lever 103a Actuation piece 104, 105 Spring members 107 Contact Sensor 107a Brush 108 Circuit Board 109 Spacer CL1, CL2 center axis D Manipulated amount P, Q directions

Claims

1. A camera body having a front and a back, An imaging element for imaging a subject image, A grip portion provided at either the left or right end when the camera body is viewed from the front side, A first member provided near the grip portion and on the upper surface side of the camera body, A display disposed on the back of the camera body for displaying a captured image obtained by imaging a subject image with the imaging element, A camera comprising a processor, The processor is a digital camera that makes at least a part of a first captured image displayed on the display non-display by operating the first member, and causes a second captured image different from the first captured image to be displayed on the display.

2. The second captured image is an image captured before the first captured image is captured, The processor, The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein when the camera body is viewed from above and the first member is rotated, the first captured image displayed on the display is changed to the second captured image.

3. The digital camera has a power source, The first member is in a first position that does not protrude from the outer shape of the camera body when viewed from above the camera body and when the power source is off, and changes to a second position that protrudes from the outer shape of the camera body when viewed from above the camera body and when the power source changes from off to on. The digital camera according to claim 1.

4. It has an engagement mechanism for locking the first member, The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein at the first position, the first member is locked by the engagement mechanism, and at the second position, the locking of the first member is released.

5. A second member interlocked with the first member, A third member engaged with the second member, A fourth member related to the operation of the power source, It has a biasing member for biasing the second member, The first member, the second member, and the fourth member are rotatable about a first axis, The third member is rotatable about a second axis, When the fourth member is in the power-off position, the convex portion of the second member and the concave portion of the third member are fitted together, whereby the first member is locked in the first position, When the fourth member is in the power-on position, the third member rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the fourth member in the first direction, and the convex portion of the second member and the concave portion of the third member are disengaged, whereby the first member rotates to the second position along the first direction, and the disengagement is held by the biasing member. The digital camera according to claim 3.

6. The digital camera according to claim 5, wherein the biasing member biases the first member in a direction intersecting the optical axis.

7. When the fourth member is changed from the power-on position to the power-off position, the third member rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the fourth member in the second direction, and the convex portion of the second member and the concave portion of the third member are engaged, whereby the first member is locked in the first position. The digital camera according to claim 5.

8. The second captured image is an image captured before the first captured image is captured. The processor When the camera body is viewed from above and the first member is rotated clockwise, the processor causes the second captured image displayed on the display to be changed to the first captured image. The digital camera according to claim 1.

9. A plurality of captured images are displayed on the display. The processor When the first member is operated once, among the plurality of captured images displayed on the display, the captured image arranged at one end is made non-displayed, and among the plurality of captured images displayed on the display, the captured image arranged immediately before the captured image arranged at the other end is displayed on the display. The digital camera according to claim 1.

10. A plurality of captured images are displayed on the display. The processor When the first member is operated once, all of the plurality of captured images displayed on the display are made non-displayed, and among the plurality of captured images displayed on the display, the captured images arranged from the captured image arranged immediately before the captured image arranged at the other end to the captured images arranged a plurality of images ahead are displayed on the display. The digital camera according to claim 1.

11. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the processor changes the replacement amount of the captured image displayed on the display according to the operation amount of the first member.

12. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the processor changes the speed at which the captured image displayed on the display is replaced according to the operation amount of the first member.

13. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the processor sets the image feed operation assigned to the operation of the first member according to an input operation.

14. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the vertical length of the image pickup device when the upper surface of the camera body is vertically upward is longer than the horizontal length.

15. having a fifth member for performing a shooting instruction operation, the first member is rotatable about a first axis, the fifth member is arranged along the first axis, The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein when the first member is rotated to a third position protruding from the outer shape of the camera body in a state where the camera body is viewed from above, the restriction on the shooting instruction operation is released.

16. having a second member that rotates in conjunction with the first member about the first axis, The digital camera according to claim 15, wherein a contact sensor for detecting the third position is arranged on the second member.

17. having a sixth member arranged along the first axis, The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the first member is arranged between the camera body and the sixth member.

18. a first member, a second member interlocking with the first member, a third member engaging with the second member, a fourth member related to the operation of the power supply, and a biasing member for biasing the second member, the first member, the second member, and the fourth member are rotatable about a first axis, the third member is rotatable about a second axis, When the fourth member is in the power-off position, the convex portion of the second member and the concave portion of the third member are fitted together, whereby the first member is locked in the first position, When the fourth member is in the power-on position, the third member rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the fourth member in the first direction, and the convex portion and the concave portion are disengaged, whereby the first member rotates along the first direction to the second position, and the disengagement is held by the biasing member. The dial of the digital camera.

19. The biasing member biases the first member in a direction intersecting the optical axis. The dial of the digital camera according to claim 18.

20. When the fourth member is moved from the power-on position to the power-off position, the third member rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the fourth member in the second direction, and the convex portion and the concave portion are fitted together, whereby the first member is locked in the first position. The dial of the digital camera according to claim 18.

21. It has a fifth member for performing a shooting instruction operation. The fifth member is arranged along the first axis. When the first member is rotated along the first direction to the third position, the restriction on the shooting instruction operation is released. The dial of the digital camera according to claim 18.

22. A contact sensor for detecting the third position is arranged on the second member. The dial of the digital camera according to claim 21.

23. It has a sixth member arranged along the first axis. The first member is arranged between the camera body and the sixth member. The dial of the digital camera according to claim 18.

24. Members related to power operation, members related to image display operation, members related to camera settings operation, and members related to shooting instruction operation are arranged along the first axis. The dial of the digital camera.

Images