1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a technique of enhancing operability when a focal length or an angle of view of a captured image is changed in an imaging apparatus having a zoom function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-68507 discusses that conventional imaging apparatuses having a zoom lens include the one in which a zoom mode continuously changes the focal length and the other in which a zoom mode stepwisely changes a predetermined focal length, when a focal length of the zoom lens is changed.
However, when a user intends to take a photo with the specific focal length such as 28 mm, 35 mm, or 50 mm, which is generally used for a short focal lens of a camera, the problem described below arises according to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-68507. Namely, correctly adjusting the focal length to the desired one is not easy in the zoom mode that continuously changes the focal length. Further, in the zoom mode that stepwisely changes the focal length, the user has to keep depressing a zoom operation switch or to depress the same switch a plurality of times until the user sets the focal length to the desired one. Further, when the focal length, that is stepwisely changed, does not have a desired angle of view, and a user intends to perform fine adjustment, the user has to change the mode to the zoom mode that continuously changes the focal length, and then, the user has to perform again the zoom operation.
The present invention includes the first zoom control mode and the second zoom control mode. Therefore, the zoom position can be changed designating the specific focal length and angle of view, and further, the angle of view can easily and finely be adjusted to a desired one. Accordingly, operability when changing a focal length or an angle of view of the imaging apparatus, can be enhanced.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a lens control apparatus having a zoom lens includes first and second operation members that give a zoom instruction for moving the zoom lens, and a controller that changes a zoom stop position to a first pattern according to the operation of the first operation member, and changes the zoom stop position to a second pattern, which has an interval wider than that in the first pattern, according to the operation of the second operation member.
Further features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
The present invention will now be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments thereof.
An important point of the present invention is that the present invention includes the above first and second zoom control modes. Typically, the control mode can be changed to the first zoom control mode according to the operation of the first operation member, and the control mode can be changed to the second zoom control mode according to the operation of the second operation member. When the zooming is executed by the optical zooming in the zoom control mode, it can be determined from the viewpoint of the control position of the zoom lens that by the operation member, the zoom position can be changed in a first pattern or in a designated manner. When the zooming is executed by an electronic zooming in the zoom control mode, it can be determined from the viewpoint of the angle of view of a captured image on a display unit that by the operation member, the angle of view of the captured image can be changed according to the first pattern or in a directly designated manner.
Based on such a thought, the basic form of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes the above configuration. The exemplary embodiments described below are possible based on the basic form. For example, the zoom position is continuously or stepwisely arranged in the first pattern (refer to a first exemplary embodiment described below). A control unit can change the zoom speed depending on the member being operated of the first and second operation members (refer to a second exemplary embodiment described below). In this case, the control unit typically increases the zoom speed in the second zoom control mode compared with the zoom speed in the first zoom control mode. When the second operation member is operated during the electronic zooming, the control unit cancels the electronic zooming, and can change the zoom position only by the optical zooming (refer to a third exemplary embodiment described below).
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
A configuration and operation of an imaging apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
A display unit or a notification unit 110 includes a liquid crystal display device, speakers, and the like. The display unit or the notification unit 110 displays or notifies an operation state or a message using a character, an image, voice, etc. based on the execution of a program at the system control unit 101 or a signal output from the signal processing unit 109. An operation unit 111 includes various buttons, and inputs an instruction of various operations to the system control unit 101. A storage unit 112 is a memory that stores various pieces of data such as a constant, variable, a program, or video information for operating the system control unit 101. A recording unit 113 is a non-volatile memory that can electrically erase or record photographing data. A power source unit 114 supplies power source to the whole imaging apparatus 100 according to its purpose.
Next, an operation of the imaging apparatus thus configured will be described. The operation unit 111 has a shutter release button configured such that a first switch (hereinafter referred to as SW1) and a second switch (hereinafter referred to as SW2) are successively turned on according to the depression amount. When the shutter release button is half depressed, the SW1 is turned on, while the SW2 is turned on when the shutter release button is fully depressed. When the SW1 on the operation unit 111 is turned on, the system control unit 101 drives the focus lens 106 by the focus control unit 107 carrying out an AF (autofocus) function to perform focus adjustment. Simultaneously, the system control unit 101 drives the shutter/diaphragm unit 104 by the shutter/diaphragm control unit 105 carrying out an AE function to set an exposure amount to an appropriate amount. When the SW2 is turned on, the system control unit 101 converts the electric signal, which is obtained from the image sensor 108 that is exposed to the optical image, into an image signal at the signal processing unit 109 to perform an image process, and then, stores the resultant signal in the storage unit 112. Simultaneously, the system control unit 101 records image data onto a recording medium at the recording unit 113.
The operation unit 111 includes a zoom wide button 200 and a zoom telephoto button 201, which are first operation members, illustrated in
The operation unit 111 further includes a zoom ring 202 that is a second operation member illustrated in
When driving the zoom lens, the system control unit 101 drives the focus lens 106 by the focus control unit 107 based on the image information, which is sent from the image sensor 108 and processed at the signal processing unit 109, to perform the focus adjustment. The focus adjustment is performed here according to a so-called hill climbing method, for example. On the other hand, the focus adjustment when the SW1 is turned on, is performed such that scan is performed with the focus lens within a constant range to obtain an AF evaluation value, and then, the focus lens is moved to the maximum AF evaluation value.
The zoom operation of the imaging apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to
The normal zoom drive process will be described with reference to
Next, in step S604, the system control unit 101 determines whether the zooming is executed. If the zooming is not executed (NO in step S604), the system control unit 101 starts the zooming in the direction toward the set target position in step S605, and then, ends the normal drive process. On the other hand, if the zooming is executed (YES in step S604), the system control unit 101 executes a process of changing the target position in step S606, and then, ends the normal drive process. The detail of the process of changing the target position will be described below with reference to
Returning to
The zoom drive process with the focal length designated will be described with reference to
Next, in step S702, the system control unit 101 sets the zoom target position to the focal length acquired in step S701. The zoom target position is stored in the storage unit 112. Then, in step S703, the system control unit 101 determines whether the zooming is executed. If the zooming is not executed (NO in step S703), the system control unit 101 starts the zooming in the direction toward the set target position in step S704, and then, ends the drive process with the designated focal length. On the other hand, when the zooming is executed (YES instep S703), the system control unit 101 executes the process of changing the target position in step S705, and then, ends the drive process with the focal length designated. The process of changing the target position will be described below with reference to
Returning again to
The zoom stop process will be described with reference to
In step S803, the system control unit 101 sets the zoom target position to be the stop position determined instep S802. The zoom target position is stored in the storage unit 112. Then, in step S805, the system control unit 101 determines whether the zooming has reached the target position stored in the storage unit 112 based on the current zoom position acquired in step S800. When the zooming has not reached the target position (NO in step S800), the system control unit 101 ends the process of stopping the zooming. On the other hand, when the zooming has reached the target position (YES instep S800), the system control unit 101 stops the drive of the zoom in step S806, and then, ends the process of stopping the zooming. The process of stopping the zooming has been described above.
Finally, the process of changing the target zoom position will be described with reference to
As described above, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the specific focal length is directly designated by the zoom operation using the zoom ring, which is the second operation member, whereby the focal length of the zooming can be changed. With this, an angle of view can be adjusted to the desired one by the zoom operation using the zoom button that is the first operation member. Accordingly, the zoom operation according to a photographing scene or a subject can be comfortably carried out, whereby operability in changing the focal length of the imaging apparatus can be enhanced.
In the first exemplary embodiment, the zoom speed may be changed according to the operation member. The second exemplary embodiment is an example of executing the changeover as described above. In the second exemplary embodiment, in the case of the zooming by the zoom button (first zoom control mode), the zoom drive speed is set to be low when the zooming is started toward the target position in step S605 in
In the first exemplary embodiment, the electronic zooming may be canceled when the zoom ring is operated during the electronic zooming. A third exemplary embodiment illustrates this example. A zoom operation of an imaging apparatus according to the third exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to
As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, when the zoom ring, which is the second operation member, is operated during the electronic zooming, the electronic zooming is canceled, whereby the focal length can easily be set to the desired one.
As illustrated in the third exemplary embodiment, the zoom function can be executed by the electronic zooming. As one example, the zoom lens is moved to execute an optical zooming up to a predetermined focal length, and the zoom function afterward is executed by the electronic zooming. Specifically, the zoom function can be executed by at least one of the optical zooming and the electronic zooming.
The preferable exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific exemplary embodiments described above, and includes various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention. Some of the above exemplary embodiments may appropriately be combined. The present invention also includes the case in which a software program that realizes the function of the above exemplary embodiments is directly supplied from a recording medium, or is supplied through wired communication/wireless communication, to a system or a device, which has a computer that can execute the program, to execute the program. Therefore, a program code that can be supplied and installed in the computer to realize the functional process (the function executed by the above control unit) of the present invention realizes the present invention. Specifically, the present invention also includes the computer program that realizes the functional process of the present invention. In this case, any program form can be selected, such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to OS, as long as it has a function of the program. Examples of usable recording medium for supplying the program include a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk or a magnetic tape, an optical/magneto-optical recording medium, or non-volatile semiconductor memory. As the method for supplying the program, a server on a computer network may store the computer program constituting the present invention, and a client computer connected to the computer network downloads the computer program to code the program.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all modifications, equivalent structures, and functions.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-188821 | Aug 2009 | JP | national |
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/894,195 filed May 14, 2013 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,749,895 B2, which claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/852,255 filed Aug. 6, 2010 which has issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,462,445, which claims the priority benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-188821 filed Aug. 18, 2009. The disclosures of the above-named applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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7986469 | Yumiki et al. | Jul 2011 | B2 |
8749894 | Santo et al. | Jun 2014 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
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H02-068507 | Mar 1990 | JP |
H09-243899 | Sep 1997 | JP |
H11-183778 | Jul 1999 | JP |
2005-151349 | Jun 2005 | JP |
2009-122340 | Jun 2009 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20140240850 A1 | Aug 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13894195 | May 2013 | US |
Child | 14267640 | US | |
Parent | 12852255 | Aug 2010 | US |
Child | 13894195 | US |