Imaging apparatus, control method, and program

Abstract

To achieve a technique to, when receiving a photographing preparation instruction before photographing, immediately switch a display destination without waiting for a result of detection of an eye contact state.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus has: a first display that is visible when a user peeps into it; a second display that is visible without requiring the user to peep into it; eye contact detection means that detects an eye contact state or an eye separation state relative to the first display; and control means that performs control to switch a display destination to the first display or the second display according to a result of detection performed by the eye contact detection means. When receiving a first instruction to perform photographing preparation before photographing, the control means performs control to switch the display destination to the first display without waiting for the result of detection performed by the eye contact detection means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control technique for switching display destinations in an imaging device equipped with a plurality of display units. [Background technology]

[0002] Some imaging devices, such as digital cameras (single-lens reflex or mirrorless), are equipped with multiple displays: an eyepiece display that can be viewed by the user looking into it, and a rear display that can be viewed without the user looking into it. In such imaging devices, when the photographer is in the eyepiece state looking into the eyepiece display, the rear display is hidden and the eyepiece display is in a displayed state, and when the photographer is in the eye-away state looking away from the eyepiece display, the eyepiece display is hidden and the rear display is in a displayed state.

[0003] When controlling the display by switching it in this way, there is a problem in that it takes time to complete the switching of the display because of the startup process and display process of the display unit. In particular, photographers who take pictures while looking into the eyepiece display unit must wait until the display unit switches from the rear display unit to the eyepiece display unit in response to placing their eye on the eyepiece display unit, and there is a possibility that they will miss a shooting opportunity while waiting for the eyepiece display unit to appear.

[0004] Furthermore, since the rear display unit allows the user to view the settings screen and images without looking into the eyepiece display unit, if the display destination is fixed to the eyepiece display unit, operability will be reduced when setting up the camera or playing back images.

[0005] Against this background, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which an imaging device equipped with an eyepiece display unit and a rear display unit detects the eyepiece state when a shooting preparation instruction is received before shooting (when the shutter is half-pressed), and when the eyepiece state is detected, switches the display destination from the rear display unit to the eyepiece display unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-103790 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the above Patent Document 1, the eyepiece state is detected when a shooting preparation instruction is received before shooting, so when shooting while looking through the eyepiece display unit, the display destination may not have been switched completely, and there is a possibility that the shooting opportunity will be missed.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to realize a technology that instantly switches the display destination when a shooting preparation instruction is received before shooting, without waiting for the results of eyepiece state detection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the imaging device of the present invention has a first display unit that can be seen by the user by looking into it, a second display unit that can be seen without the user looking into it, an eye-contact detection means that detects whether the user's eye is in close proximity to the first display unit or not, and a control means that controls switching the display destination between the first display unit and the second display unit depending on the detection result by the eye-contact detection means, and when the control means receives a first instruction to make preparations for shooting before shooting, it controls to switch the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for the detection result by the eye-contact detection means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, when a shooting preparation instruction is received before shooting, the display destination can be switched immediately without waiting for the result of the eyepiece state detection. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]4 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of the imaging apparatus of the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of the imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of the imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment. [Figure 5] 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining control processing of the imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of the imaging apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an imaging device of the present invention is applied to a digital camera (single-lens reflex or mirrorless type) capable of taking still images and recording moving images will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a digital camera has multiple display units, including an eyepiece-type display unit and a non-eyepiece-type display unit, and the display destination of the live view is switched between the eyepiece-type display unit and the non-eyepiece-type display unit depending on whether the user is holding their eye close to the eyepiece-type display unit or not.

[0015] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a shooting preparation instruction is received before shooting, an example is described in which the display destination of the live view is switched to the eyepiece type display unit regardless of whether the user's eye position on the eyepiece type display unit is detected.

[0016] The imaging device of this embodiment is not limited to a digital camera, but can be applied to home appliances, medical equipment, electronic binoculars, eyeglass-type terminals, goggle-type terminals, etc. as a display control device that has multiple display units including an eyepiece-type display unit and switches the display destination of the live view depending on whether the user's eye is close to or far from the eyepiece-type display unit.

[0017] <Device Configuration> First, the configuration and functions of an image capture device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an image capturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment.

[0019] The control unit 101 includes at least one processor and controls the entire imaging device 100. The control unit 101 loads a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 106 into the system memory 108 and executes it to implement each process in the flowcharts described below. Note that instead of the control unit 101 controlling the entire device, the entire device may be controlled by a plurality of hardware components sharing the processing load.

[0020] The control unit 101 includes a system timer that measures the time used for various controls and the time of an internal clock.

[0021] The power supply control unit 102 is composed of a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching between powered blocks, etc., and detects whether a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery power. Furthermore, the power supply control unit 102 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection results and instructions from the control unit 101, and supplies the required voltage for the required period to each unit, including the recording medium 107.

[0022] The power supply unit 103 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as an NiCd battery, an NiMH battery, or a lithium ion battery, an AC adapter, or the like.

[0023] The operation unit 104 is an operation member that receives various operations from the user and notifies the control unit 101, and is made up of one or a combination of switches, buttons, dials, a touch panel, a voice recognition device, and the like.

[0024] The operation unit 104 includes at least a touch panel 113, a video shooting button, a mode dial, and a power switch.

[0025] The touch panel 113 is configured integrally with the rear display unit 109 so as to be able to detect touch operations on the rear display unit 109. The video capture button is an operating member for instructing the control unit 101 to perform video capture processing. The mode dial is a rotary operating member for switching the operation mode of the imaging device 100. The mode dial can switch the operation mode of the imaging device 100 between still image capture mode, video capture mode, and playback mode. The power switch is a rotary operating member for switching the power of the imaging device 100 on and off.

[0026] The shutter switch 114 is a push button type operating member for notifying the control unit 101 of a shooting preparation instruction and a shooting instruction before an image is shot.

[0027] When the shutter switch 114 is half-pressed during operation, it notifies the control unit 101 of a first instruction to perform shooting preparation processing before shooting. Upon receiving the first instruction, the control unit 101 switches the operation mode of the imaging device 100 to a still image shooting mode and starts shooting preparation processing (AE processing and AF processing). Furthermore, when the shutter switch 114 is fully pressed after operation is completed, it notifies the control unit 101 of a second instruction to perform shooting processing. Upon receiving the second instruction, the control unit 101 executes shooting processing to record image data captured by the imaging unit 105 on the recording medium 107.

[0028] A touch shutter can be set on the touch panel 113. The touch shutter is a function that allows the same operation as the second instruction by the shutter switch 114 to be performed when the user, who is the photographer, touches the touch panel 113 while the rear display unit 109 is in a display state.

[0029] When the operation unit 104 is operated in the shutdown state or the standby state, the control unit 101 starts startup from the shutdown state or restarts from the standby state. Also, when the shutter switch 114 is operated in the shutdown state or the standby state, the control unit 101 switches the operation mode of the imaging device 100 to the still image shooting mode and starts startup from the shutdown state or restarts from the standby state.

[0030] The imaging unit 105 includes an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS that converts an optical image of a subject formed by the lens unit 120 into an electrical signal. The imaging unit 105 also includes an A / D conversion unit that generates still image data or video data composed of digital signals from still image data and video data composed of analog signals.

[0031] The control unit 101 performs various types of image processing on image data generated by the imaging unit 105. The control unit 101 generates image files by compressing and encoding the processed still image data in a format such as JPEG, or by encoding the moving image data in a moving image compression format such as MP4, and records the generated image files on the recording medium 107. The control unit 101 also decodes still image files read from the recording medium 107, or decodes moving image files read from the recording medium 107.

[0032] Furthermore, the control unit 101 performs automatic exposure (AE) processing and autofocus (AF) processing by controlling the lens unit 120 based on the results of predetermined calculation processing using the image data that has been subjected to image processing.

[0033] The nonvolatile memory 106 is an electrically erasable and recordable memory, and may be, for example, a flash ROM. The nonvolatile memory 106 stores constants, programs, etc. for the operation of the control unit 101. The programs referred to here are programs for executing the flowcharts described below.

[0034] The recording medium 107 is detachable from the image capturing device 100 and is made up of a semiconductor memory such as a memory card or a magnetic disk such as a hard disk for recording captured images.

[0035] The system memory 108 is a volatile memory, such as a RAM. The system memory 108 is also used as a work memory for storing constants and variables for the operation of the control unit 101, and programs read from the nonvolatile memory 106. The system memory 108 also stores image data captured by the imaging unit 105 and image display data to be displayed on the rear display unit 109 and the eyepiece display unit 110.

[0036] The rear display unit 109 is a non-eyepiece type display unit that can be viewed by the user without looking directly into it. The rear display unit 109 is a display device such as a liquid crystal or organic EL provided on the rear surface of the device body. The rear display unit 109 displays still images and videos recorded on the recording medium 107, live views of still images being captured and videos being recorded, various configurable menu screens, and the like.

[0037] The eyepiece display unit 110 is an eyepiece-type display unit known as an electronic viewfinder that can be viewed by the user by peering into it. The eyepiece display unit 110 is a display device such as a liquid crystal or organic EL provided in the eyepiece on the back of the device body. The eyepiece display unit 110 displays still images and videos recorded on the recording medium 107, live views of still images being captured and videos being recorded, various configurable menu screens, and the like. The user can view the image displayed on the eyepiece display unit 110 and check the focus and composition of the subject image captured through the lens unit 120.

[0038] The eyepiece detection unit 111 is disposed near the eyepiece display unit 110 and is capable of detecting the approach of an object to the eyepiece display unit 110. The eyepiece detection unit 111 is, for example, an infrared proximity sensor.

[0039] The eye proximity detection unit 111 detects whether the eye (object) is approaching (eye proximity state) or moving away (eye distance state) from the eyepiece display unit 110. The control unit 101 switches between displaying (display state) and hiding (hidden state) the rear display unit 109 and the eyepiece display unit 110 according to the state detected by the eye proximity detection unit 111. At least in the still image shooting mode, the control unit 101 switches the display destination to the rear display unit 109 when the eye distance is reached and hides the eyepiece display unit 110. Also, in the eye proximity state, the display destination to the eyepiece display unit 110 and hides the rear display unit 109.

[0040] The communication unit 112 is communicably connected to an external device via a wireless antenna or a wired cable, and transmits and receives images and audio. The communication unit 112 can also be connected to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. The communication unit 112 can transmit image data (including live view images) captured by the imaging unit 105 and image files recorded on the recording medium 107 to an external device, and can also receive image data and various other information from an external device. Note that the communication unit 112 is not limited to wireless LAN, and may also use a wireless communication module such as infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or Wireless USB.

[0041] The lens connection section 115 includes an attachment / detachment mechanism that mechanically and electrically connects the lens unit 120 to the image capture device 100, electrical contacts, communication terminals, and the like.

[0042] The lens unit 120 includes a focus lens, a zoom lens, an aperture, and drive mechanisms and drive circuits for these lenses, and is detachable from the imaging device 100.

[0043] [Embodiment 1] Next, the control process of the image capture device 100 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0044] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of the image capturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0045] The processing in FIG. 2 is realized by the control unit 101 loading a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 106 into the system memory 108, executing the program, and controlling each component of the imaging device 100.

[0046] 2 is started when the control unit 101 detects that the operation unit 104 or the shutter switch 114 has been operated and starts startup from a shutdown state or restart from a standby state. The same applies to FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, which will be described later.

[0047] In step S201, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a shooting preparation instruction has been detected by the shutter switch 114. If the control unit 101 detects a shooting preparation instruction by the shutter switch 114, the process proceeds to step S202; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S210.

[0048] In step S202, the control unit 101 determines whether or not processing has been performed to set the display destination to the rear display unit 109. If processing to set the display destination to the rear display unit 109 has been performed, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S203, and if not, the control unit 101 skips the processing of step S203 and proceeds to step S204. The control unit 101 determines that processing to set the display destination to the rear display unit 109 has not been performed, for example, immediately after startup.

[0049] In step S203, the control unit 101 performs a process of hiding (turning off) the rear display unit 109. In this case, the control unit 101 not only hides the rear display unit 109, but also performs various processes such as displaying the entire screen in black so that the user cannot see information through the screen.

[0050] In step S204, the control unit 101 performs startup processing and display processing to put the eyepiece display unit 110 into a display state (display on). In this case, if a shooting preparation instruction is detected by the shutter switch 114 when the imaging device 100 starts to start up from a shutdown state or starts to restart from a standby state, the display destination can be switched to the eyepiece display unit 110 without waiting for the result of eyepiece state detection by the eyepiece detection unit 111, or a live view image can be displayed immediately. Furthermore, even if the rear display unit 109 is in a display state after startup or restart of the imaging device 100 is complete, the display destination can be switched to the eyepiece display unit 110 without waiting for the result of eyepiece state detection by the eyepiece detection unit 111. Furthermore, when the eyepiece display unit 110 is in a display state, it is also possible to display a setting screen or a playback screen on the eyepiece display unit 110 in response to an operation by the operation unit 104, and it is also possible to display an image captured by the imaging unit 105 in response to a second instruction from the shutter switch 114.

[0051] In step S205, the control unit 101 starts measurement by the system timer, and measures the time during which the eyepiece display unit 110 is switched to the display state in step S204 and the eyepiece detection unit 111 does not detect the eyepiece state.

[0052] In step S206, the control unit 101 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the system timer started measuring in step S205 without the eyepiece detection unit 111 detecting an eyepiece state. If the control unit 101 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed without the eyepiece detection unit 111 detecting an eyepiece state, it determines that the photographer does not intend to take a picture with his / her eye placed on the eyepiece display unit 110, and proceeds to step S207. If the predetermined time has not elapsed without the eyepiece detection unit 111 detecting an eyepiece state, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S208. This makes it possible to return the display destination to the rear display unit 109 if the photographer has not placed his / her eye on the eyepiece display unit 110 for a predetermined time period, even if the photographer half-presses the shutter switch 114 to perform a shooting preparation process.

[0053] In step S207, the control unit 101 stops the measurement by the system timer that started in step S205, and clears the time during which the eyepiece state has not been detected by the eyepiece detection unit 111 since the eyepiece display unit 110 was switched to the display state in step S204.

[0054] In step S208, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the eyepiece detection unit 111 has detected an eyepiece state for the eyepiece display unit 110. If the control unit 101 determines that an eyepiece state for the eyepiece display unit 110 has been detected, it determines that the photographer intends to take a picture with their eye placed close to the eyepiece display unit 110, and proceeds to step S209. If the control unit 101 determines that an eyepiece state for the eyepiece display unit 110 has not been detected, it returns the process to step S205.

[0055] In step S209, the control unit 101 stops the measurement by the system timer that started in step S205, and clears the time during which the eyepiece display unit 110 has not detected an eyepiece state since switching it to the display state in step S204.

[0056] In step S210, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the eyepiece detection unit 111 has detected an eyepiece state for the eyepiece display unit 110. If the control unit 101 determines that an eyepiece state for the eyepiece display unit 110 has been detected, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S211. If the control unit 101 determines that an eyepiece state for the eyepiece display unit 110 has not been detected, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S215.

[0057] In step S211, the control unit 101 performs processing to hide (turn off) the rear display unit 109. In this case, the control unit 101 not only hides the rear display unit 109, but also performs various processing to prevent the user from viewing information through the screen, such as displaying the entire screen in black.

[0058] In step S212, the control unit 101 performs a start-up process and a display process to set the eyepiece display unit 110 to a display state (display on).

[0059] In step S213, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the eyepiece detection unit 111 has detected an eye-away state for the eyepiece display unit 110. The control unit 101 waits until an eye-away state for the eyepiece display unit 110 is detected, continues the display state of the eyepiece display unit 110, and if it determines that an eye-away state for the eyepiece display unit 110 has been detected, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S215.

[0060] In step S214, the control unit 101 performs processing to hide (turn off) the eyepiece display unit 110. In this case, the control unit 101 not only hides the eyepiece display unit 110, but also performs various other processing to prevent the user from viewing information through the screen, such as displaying the entire screen in black.

[0061] In step S215, the control unit 101 performs a start-up process and a display process to set the rear display unit 109 to a display state (display on).

[0062] In step S216, the control unit 101 determines whether to transition the imaging device 100 to a standby state or a shutdown state in response to an operation of the operation unit 104. The control unit 101 transitions the imaging device 100 to the standby state if no operation is performed on the imaging device 100 for a predetermined time period, and determines to transition the imaging device 100 to the shutdown state in response to a shutdown operation performed by the operation unit 104. If the control unit 101 does not determine to transition the imaging device 100 to the standby state or the shutdown state, that is, if the control unit 101 has not detected a shutdown operation or if the user operation is still ongoing, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S201. Furthermore, if the control unit 101 determines to transition the imaging device 100 to the standby state or the shutdown state in response to an operation of the operation unit 104, that is, if the control unit 101 detects a shutdown operation, the control unit 101 turns off the power of the imaging device 100, and if no operation is performed for a predetermined time period, the control unit 101 places the imaging device 100 in the standby state.

[0063] As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the imaging device 100 starts to start up from a shutdown state or restart from a standby state, if a shooting preparation instruction is received from the shutter switch 114, the display destination can be switched to the eyepiece display unit 110 without waiting for the detection result from the eyepiece detection unit 111, thereby enabling the display destination to be immediately switched to the eyepiece display unit 110. Furthermore, when the imaging device 100 starts to start up from a shutdown state or restart from a standby state, if an operation other than a shooting preparation instruction from the shutter switch 114 is received from the operation unit 104, it is also possible to display a settings screen or a playback screen by switching the display destination to the eyepiece display unit 110, and deterioration in operability of the imaging device 100 is also suppressed.

[0064] Furthermore, after the eyepiece display unit 110 is set to the display state, the display destination can be switched between the rear display unit 109 or the eyepiece display unit 110 according to the photographer's intentions, based on whether the eyepiece state is detected by the eyepiece detection unit 111.

[0065] [Embodiment 2] Next, the control process of the image capture device 100 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0066] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of the image capturing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0067] In step S301, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a shooting preparation instruction has been detected by the shutter switch 114. If the control unit 101 detects a shooting preparation instruction by the shutter switch 114, the process proceeds to step S302; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S313.

[0068] In step S302, the control unit 101 determines whether the touch shutter setting is valid. If the control unit 101 determines that the touch shutter setting is invalid, the process proceeds to step S303; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S313.

[0069] In step S303, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the device is connected to an external device via the communication unit 112, such as when transferring and displaying a live view image on an external display device. If the control unit 101 determines that the device is connected to an external device, the process proceeds to step S313; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S304.

[0070] In step S304, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a setting is enabled to prioritize display of live view images on the eyepiece display unit 110. If the eyepiece display unit 110 is prioritized as the display destination of live view images, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S305; otherwise, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S313. Note that the user can set the priority setting for the display destination of live view images in advance on a settings screen or on the live view screen.

[0071] The processing from steps S305 to S319 is the same as steps S202 to S216 in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

[0072] As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the embodiments, even when a shooting preparation instruction is received by the shutter switch 114, if the touch shutter function is enabled or if a live view image is to be displayed on an external display device, the display destination is switched according to the detection result by the eyepiece detection unit 111, and if the eyepiece display unit 110 is set as the priority display destination for the live view image, the live view image is displayed on the eyepiece display unit 110 according to the shooting preparation instruction by the shutter switch 114, thereby making it possible to switch the display destination according to the photographer's intentions.

[0073] [Embodiment 3] Next, the control process of the image capture device 100 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0074] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of the image capturing apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment.

[0075] In step S401, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a shooting preparation instruction has been detected by the shutter switch 114. If the control unit 101 detects a shooting preparation instruction by the shutter switch 114, the process proceeds to step S402; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S411.

[0076] In step S402, the control unit 101 determines, from the shooting history saved in step S416 or S422 (described later), whether the photographer tends to take pictures while looking through the eyepiece display unit 110. If the control unit 101 determines that the photographer tends to take pictures while looking through the eyepiece display unit 110, the process proceeds to step S403; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S411. The determination method in step S402 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0077] Steps S403 to S413 are the same as steps S202 to S212 in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

[0078] In step S414, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a second instruction has been detected by the shutter switch 114. If the control unit 101 has detected a second instruction by the shutter switch 114, the process proceeds to step S415; otherwise, the process skips steps S415 to S416 and proceeds to step S417.

[0079] In step S415, the control unit 101 performs a photographing process by controlling the imaging unit 105. The control unit 101 temporarily stores image data captured by the imaging unit 105 in the system memory 108, performs a development process to generate an image file, and stores the image file in the recording medium 107.

[0080] In step S416, the control unit 101 increments and stores in the nonvolatile memory 106 the total number of times images have been taken and the number of times images have been taken while looking through the eyepiece display unit 110. The total number of times images have been taken corresponds to the number of times the second instruction from the shutter switch 114 has been detected.

[0081] In step S417, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the eyepiece detection unit 111 has detected an eye-away state for the eyepiece display unit 110. If the control unit 101 determines that an eye-away state has not been detected for the eyepiece display unit 110, it returns the process to step S414 and continues the display state of the eyepiece display unit 110, but if it determines that an eye-away state for the eyepiece display unit 110 has been detected, it proceeds to step S418.

[0082] Steps S418 to S419 are the same as steps S214 to S215 in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

[0083] In step S420, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a second instruction has been detected by the shutter switch 114. If the control unit 101 has detected a second instruction by the shutter switch 114, the process proceeds to step S421; otherwise, the process skips steps S421 to S422 and proceeds to step S423.

[0084] In step S421, the control unit 101 performs a photographing process by controlling the imaging unit 105. The control unit 101 temporarily stores image data captured by the imaging unit 105 in the system memory 108, performs a development process to generate an image file, and stores the image file in the recording medium 107.

[0085] In step S422, the control unit 101 increments and stores in the nonvolatile memory 106 the total number of times photographs have been taken and the number of times photographs have been taken while looking at the rear display unit 109.

[0086] Step S423 is the same as step S216 in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

[0087] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining whether the photographer tends to look into the eyepiece display unit 110 when taking pictures, in step S402 of FIG.

[0088] The dotted line portion 501 is a threshold value used to determine whether the photographer tends to look into the eyepiece display unit 110 when taking pictures.

[0089] In steps S416 and S422, the control unit 101 uses the total number of photographs taken and the number of photographs taken while looking through the eyepiece display unit 110 to calculate the ratio of photographs taken while looking through the eyepiece display unit 110 during photography as the photographer's tendency.

[0090] In the initial state, the number of times photographs have been taken while looking through the eyepiece display unit 110 is zero, and the proportion of photographs taken while looking through the eyepiece display unit 110 changes each time photographs are taken.

[0091] If the ratio exceeds a predetermined threshold value 501 as in FIG. 5( a ), it is determined that the photographer tends to look into the eyepiece display unit 110 when taking pictures, and the determination result is stored in the nonvolatile memory 106 .

[0092] If the ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value 501 as shown in FIG. 5B, it is determined that the user tends to take pictures while looking at the rear display unit 109, and the determination result is stored in the nonvolatile memory .

[0093] This allows the determination result stored in the nonvolatile memory 106 to be reflected in step S402 every time a shooting preparation instruction by the shutter switch 114 is detected.

[0094] The method for calculating the ratio is not limited to the above example, and can be any method such as the ratio to the total number of times photographed, the ratio to a predetermined number of photographs immediately before the photographing, etc. The timing for calculating the ratio is also not limited to the above example, and can be calculated at any timing such as every photographing, every predetermined number of photographs (for example, 10 times a day), etc.

[0095] The threshold value 501 can be arbitrarily changed, for example by adding hysteresis, when determining from the initial state that the photographer tends to look into the eyepiece display unit 110 when taking pictures, and then changing to determining that the photographer tends to look into the rear display unit 109 when taking pictures.

[0096] As described above, according to the third embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, it is possible to switch the display destination to reflect the photographer's intentions by determining whether the photographer tends to look into the eyepiece display unit 110 when taking pictures.

[0097] [Embodiment 4] Next, the control process of the image capturing apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0098] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of the image capturing apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment.

[0099] In step S601, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a shooting preparation instruction has been detected by the shutter switch 114. If the control unit 101 detects a shooting preparation instruction by the shutter switch 114, the process proceeds to step S602; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S611.

[0100] In step S602, the control unit 101 determines whether the setting related to driving the eyepiece display unit 110 is set to drive at a higher frame rate than the rear display unit 109. The standard setting is to drive the rear display unit 109 and the eyepiece display unit 110 at the same frame rate (for example, 60 fps). If the setting is such that the eyepiece display unit 110 is set to drive at a higher frame rate than the rear display unit 109 (for example, 120 fps), the control unit 101 proceeds to step S603; otherwise, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S611.

[0101] Steps S603 to S617 are the same as steps S202 to S216 in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

[0102] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, when the eyepiece display unit 110 is driven at a frame rate higher than that of the rear display unit 109, the display destination can be switched according to the photographer's intention to improve the visibility of the eyepiece display unit 110 compared to the rear display unit 109.

[0103] [Other embodiments] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0104] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention.

[0105] The disclosure of this specification includes the following imaging device, control method, and program. [Configuration 1] a first display unit that can be viewed by a user looking into it; a second display unit that can be viewed by a user without looking into it; an eye proximity detection means for detecting whether the first display unit is in eye proximity or not; a control unit that controls switching of the display destination between the first display unit and the second display unit in accordance with a detection result by the eye proximity detection unit, an imaging device characterized in that the control means, when receiving a first instruction to perform shooting preparation before shooting, controls to switch the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for the detection result by the eyepiece detection means. [Configuration 2] The imaging device according to configuration 1, characterized in that when the control means receives the first instruction, the control means switches the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for a detection result from the eyepiece detection means, and controls the first display unit to display a live view image. [Configuration 3] The imaging device described in Configuration 1, characterized in that when the control means receives the first instruction, if the first display unit is set as the display destination of a live view image, the control means switches the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for a detection result from the eyepiece detection means, and controls so that the live view image is displayed on the first display unit. [Configuration 4] The imaging device according to configuration 3, wherein the control means, when a shooting instruction can be given by a touch operation on the second display unit, controls the display destination to be switched to the second display unit even when the first instruction has been received, and controls the second display unit to display a live view image. [Configuration 5] 5. The imaging device according to configuration 3 or 4, wherein, when the control means is connected to an external device so as to be able to communicate with the external device, when the control means receives the first instruction, the control means switches the display destination to the second display unit and controls the second display unit to display a live view image. [Configuration 6] The imaging device described in configuration 1, characterized in that, when the control means receives the first instruction, it determines whether or not the photographer tends to look into the first display unit while taking pictures, and if it determines that the photographer tends to look into the first display unit while taking pictures, it switches the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for the detection result by the eyepiece detection means, and controls so that a live view image is displayed on the first display unit. [Configuration 7] The imaging device described in configuration 6, wherein the control means determines whether or not the photographer tends to take pictures by looking at the first display unit based on the total number of times photographs were taken, the number of times photographs were taken while looking at the first display unit, and the number of times photographs were taken while looking at the second display unit. [Configuration 8] the control means calculates a ratio of the number of times photographing was performed while looking into the first display unit to the total number of times photographing was performed, The imaging device described in configuration 7 is characterized in that, if the ratio exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the photographer tends to take pictures by looking at the first display unit, and if the ratio is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the photographer tends to take pictures by looking at the second display unit, and the determination result is stored. [Configuration 9] The imaging device described in Configuration 1, characterized in that, when the control means receives the first instruction, if the first display unit is set to operate at a frame rate higher than that of the second display unit, the control means switches the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for a detection result from the eyepiece detection means, and controls so that a live view image is displayed on the first display unit. [Configuration 10] 10. The imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, further comprising an operation unit that accepts a first user operation for issuing the first instruction and a second user operation for performing the image capturing. [Configuration 11] 11. The imaging device according to configuration 10, wherein the first user operation is a half-press operation of a shutter switch, and the second user operation is a full-press operation of the shutter switch. [Configuration 12] The imaging device described in any one of configurations 1 to 11, characterized in that when the control means receives the first instruction when the imaging device starts to start up from a shutdown state or starts to restart from a standby state, the control means controls to switch the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for the detection result by the eyepiece detection means. [Configuration 13] The imaging device described in any one of configurations 1 to 12, characterized in that if the control means does not receive the first instruction when the imaging device starts to start up from a shutdown state or starts to restart from a standby state, the control means controls the display destination to switch to the first display unit when the eye-close state is detected by the eye-close detection means, and controls the display destination to switch to the second display unit when the eye-away state is detected. [Configuration 14] The imaging device described in any one of configurations 1 to 13, characterized in that the control means controls the display to be switched to the second display unit when a predetermined time has elapsed since the display was switched to the first display unit and the eye proximity detection means has not detected the eye proximity state. [Configuration 15] The imaging device described in any one of configurations 1 to 14, characterized in that the control means controls the display destination not to be switched if the eye-closed state is detected by the eye-close detection means before a predetermined time has elapsed since the display destination was switched to the first display unit, and controls the display destination to be switched to the second display unit if the eye-away state is detected. [Configuration 16] A control method for an imaging device, comprising: The imaging device is a first display unit that can be viewed by a user looking into it; a second display unit that can be viewed by a user without looking into it; an eye-contact detection unit that detects whether the first display unit is in eye contact with the eye or not, The control method includes: a step of controlling switching of a display destination between the first display unit and the second display unit in accordance with a detection result by the eye proximity detection means; a control method characterized in that, in the step, when a first instruction to perform shooting preparation before shooting is received, the display destination is controlled to be switched to the first display unit without waiting for the detection result by the eyepiece detection means. [Configuration 17] A program for causing a computer to function as a control means for the imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 15. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 100...imaging device, 101...controller, 109...rear display, 110...eyepiece display, 111...eyepiece detector, 114...shutter switch

Claims

1. a first display unit that can be viewed by a user looking into it; a second display unit that can be viewed by a user without looking into it; an eye-contact detection means for detecting whether the first display unit is in eye-contact with the eye or not; a control unit that controls switching of the display destination between the first display unit and the second display unit in accordance with a detection result by the eye proximity detection unit, an imaging device characterized in that the control means controls the display destination to be switched to the first display unit without waiting for the detection result by the eyepiece detection means when a first instruction to perform shooting preparations before shooting is received.

2. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the control means, when receiving the first instruction, switches the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for a detection result from the eyepiece detection means, and controls the first display unit to display a live view image.

3. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein, when the control unit receives the first instruction, if the first display unit is set as the display destination of the live view image, the control unit switches the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for a detection result from the eyepiece detection unit, and controls so that the live view image is displayed on the first display unit.

4. 4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein, when a shooting instruction can be given by a touch operation on the second display unit, the control unit switches the display destination to the second display unit even when the first instruction is received, and controls the second display unit to display a live view image.

5. 4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein, when the control unit is connected to an external device so as to be able to communicate with the external device, when the control unit receives the first instruction, the control unit switches the display destination to the second display unit and controls the second display unit to display a live view image.

6. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein, when the control means receives the first instruction, it determines whether or not the photographer tends to look into the first display unit while taking pictures, and if it determines that the photographer tends to look into the first display unit while taking pictures, it switches the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for a detection result from the eyepiece detection means, and controls so that a live view image is displayed on the first display unit.

7. The imaging device according to claim 6, characterized in that the control means determines whether the photographer tends to take pictures while looking at the first display unit based on the total number of times photographs were taken, the number of times photographs were taken while looking at the first display unit, and the number of times photographs were taken while looking at the second display unit.

8. the control means calculates a ratio of the number of times photographing was performed while looking into the first display unit to the total number of times photographing was performed, The imaging device according to claim 7, characterized in that if the ratio exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the photographer tends to take pictures by looking at the first display unit, and if the ratio is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the photographer tends to take pictures by looking at the second display unit, and the determination result is stored.

9. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein, when the control means receives the first instruction, if the first display unit is set to operate at a frame rate higher than that of the second display unit, the control means switches the display destination to the first display unit without waiting for a detection result from the eyepiece detection means, and controls the first display unit to display a live view image.

10. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit that accepts a first user operation for issuing the first instruction and a second user operation for performing the photographing.

11. 11. The imaging device according to claim 10, wherein the first user operation is a half-press operation of a shutter switch, and the second user operation is a full-press operation of the shutter switch.

12. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the control means receives the first instruction when the imaging device starts to start up from a shutdown state or starts to restart from a standby state, the control means controls the display destination to be switched to the first display unit without waiting for the detection result by the eyepiece detection means.

13. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, if the control means does not receive the first instruction when the imaging device starts to start up from a shutdown state or starts to restart from a standby state, the control means controls the display destination to switch to the first display unit when the eye-closed state is detected by the eye-close detection means, and controls the display destination to switch to the second display unit when the eye-away state is detected.

14. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the display to be switched to the second display unit if a predetermined time has elapsed since the display was switched to the first display unit while the eye proximity detection means has not detected the eye proximity state.

15. The imaging device described in claim 1, characterized in that the control means controls the display destination not to be switched if the eye-closed state is detected by the eye-close detection means before a predetermined time has elapsed since the display destination was switched to the first display unit, and controls the display destination to be switched to the second display unit if the eye-away state is detected.

16. A control method for an imaging device, comprising: The imaging device is a first display unit that can be viewed by a user looking into it; a second display unit that can be viewed by a user without looking into it; an eye-contact detection unit that detects whether the first display unit is in eye contact with the eye or not, The control method includes: a step of controlling switching of a display destination between the first display unit and the second display unit in accordance with a detection result by the eye proximity detection means; a control method characterized in that, in the step, when a first instruction to perform photographing preparation before photographing is received, the display destination is controlled to be switched to the first display unit without waiting for the detection result by the eyepiece detection means.

17. A program for causing a computer to function as a control unit of the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

Images