Digital Camera Live View Imager Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Single-lens reflex digital cameras with live view capabilities are prone to damaging their imager when framing, especially when bright lenses or telephoto lenses are used, as the imager remains exposed during framing.
Innovation Solution
The camera initializes the aperture mechanism based on photographing lens-specific information, such as focal length and maximum aperture value, to control the amount of incident light from the sun, reducing the risk of imager damage during live view mode by adjusting the aperture accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the imager is continuously exposed during live view mode for framing, then the photographer can compose and adjust the shot in real-time, but the imager is at risk of damage from excessive light exposure especially when using bright lenses or telephoto lenses
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by initializing the aperture mechanism to a predetermined safe aperture value before live view mode begins. This preliminary setting ensures that even if the lens has a wide maximum aperture, the actual aperture during live view will be limited to a safe level that prevents imager damage while still allowing real-time framing composition
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the aperture parameter from the lens's maximum aperture to a predetermined safe aperture value specifically for live view mode. This parameter change reduces the light intensity reaching the imager during framing, preventing damage while maintaining the live view functionality. The aperture value is determined based on lens-specific information stored in memory
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the aperture is initialized based on lens-specific information, then the light exposure can be controlled to prevent imager damage, but additional memory storage and computation are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-storing aperture initialization values in memory during manufacturing or lens registration. These predetermined values are calculated in advance based on each lens's characteristics, so that during live view mode, the camera only needs to retrieve and apply the stored value rather than performing complex real-time calculations, thus minimizing additional computational burden
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses self-service by automatically retrieving the appropriate aperture initialization value from stored lens-specific information and applying it without requiring manual intervention or complex real-time analysis. The pre-stored data serves the system's needs directly, reducing the computational load during operation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces the likelihood of imager damage during framing by ensuring consistent light exposure, regardless of the lens type, thereby protecting the camera's imager.
Implementation Method 1
an aperture mechanism for adjusting the amount of incident light from a subject
Implementation Method 2
the computation part reads the photographing lens-specific information from the memory part to initialize the aperture mechanism based on the photographing lens-specific information
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a digital camera having a live view mode for continuously capturing and displaying a series of subject images, in which when the live view mode is selected, a computation part initializes an aperture mechanism based on photographing lens-specific information. Since the aperture mechanism is controlled based on the photographing lens-specific information in a live-view initialization process, the possibility of damaging an imager while a photographer is framing a picture can be reduced. The photographing lens-specific information includes, for example, focal length information and maximum aperture value information. The computation part can be configured, for example, to initialize the aperture mechanism in such a manner that the amount of light from the sun per unit area, or the total amount of light from the sun, will always become almost equal regardless of the kind of photographing lens.