Electronic apparatus

• US 20030048481A1
• Filed: 08/23/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Takashi, Ito, Masamichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/302
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/531 being rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic apparatus wherein, when a video camera is employed as a TV telephone or a portable telephone is employed as a TV telephone and when the direction the display face of an LCD panel is directed (the display direction) is the opposite of that of a lens (the photographing direction), the image of an object photographed through the lens is displayed as the main picture on the LCD panel, and wherein, when the direction the display face of the LCD panel is directed (the display direction) is the same as that of the lens (the photographing direction), an image transmitted by a communication partner is displayed as the main picture on the LCD panel.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

photographing means for photographing an object;

display means for displaying an image obtained by said photographing means and an external image obtained from the outside;

movement means for moving at least one of said photographing means and said display means; and

display control means for, when said photographing means is obtaining an image and said external image is being received, switching images to be displayed on said display means, in accordance with the positional relationship between said photographing means and said display means.

2. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said movable means includes, at the least, a pivoting mechanism as one part of a configuration thereof.

3. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when it is ascertained that the photographing direction of said photographing means matches the display direction of said display means, said display control means displays said external image on said display means.

4. An electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when it is ascertained that said photographing direction of said photographing means matches said display direction of said display means, said display control means displays as a main picture said external image on said display means, and displays as a sub-picture said image obtained by said photographing means.

5. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when it is ascertained that said photographing direction of said photographing means does not match said display direction of said display mans, said display control means displays, on said display means, said image obtained by said photographing means.

6. An electronic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when it is ascertained that said photographing direction of said photographing means does not match said display direction of said display means, said display control means displays, as a main picture on said display means, said image obtained by said photographing means, and displays as a sub-picture said external image that is received.

7. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

photographing means for photographing an object;

reception means for receiving an external image signal;

display means for displaying an image obtained by said photographing means and an image received by said reception means, and for changing the direction of the display, while pivoting, at the least, is included in part of an operation that is performed; and

display control means for, when said photographing means is obtaining an image and when said reception means is receiving said image, switching images to be displayed on said display means in accordance with the display direction of said display means.

8. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, by using a hinge mounted, at the least, in one part of a main body, said display means can be pivoted to change a display direction.

9. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when it is ascertained that the display direction of said display means matches the photographing direction of said photographing means, said display control means displays said received image on said display means.

10. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when it is ascertained that said display direction of said display means matches said photographing direction of said photographing means, said display control means displays, as a main picture on said display means, said image that is received, and displays as a sub-picture said image obtained by said photographing means.

11. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when it is ascertained that said display direction of said display means does not match said photographing direction of said photographing means, said display control means displays, on said display means, said image obtained by said photographing means.

12. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, when it is ascertained that said display direction of said display means does not match said photographing direction of said photographing means, said display control means displays, as a main picture on said display means, said image obtained by said photographing means, and displays as a sub-picture said image that is received.

13. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

transmission means for externally transmitting a image signal obtained by said photographing means,

wherein said photographing means, said reception means and said transmission means are operated at the same time in a predetermined operating mode.

14. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

image processing means for providing image effects for said photographed image,

wherein the image obtained by said image processing means is capable of being displayed on said display means, or of being transmitted by said transmission means.

15. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

audio transmission/reception means for exchanging an audio signal with an external device,

wherein said predetermined operating mode is a TV telephone mode, and while in said TV telephone mode, said image signal and said audio signal can be transmitted in real time to an external device.

16. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a microphone; and

a loudspeaker,

wherein an audio signal collected at said microphone is transmitted by said audio transmission/reception means, and an audio signal received by said audio transmission/reception means is output by said loudspeaker.

17. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a remote controller, used for entering a command from the outside, that includes means for outputting or receiving said audio signal.

18. A portable communication apparatus comprising:

photographing means for photographing an object and for changing a photographing direction, while pivoting, at the least, is included in part of an operation that is performed;

transmission/reception means for exchanging a image signal and an audio signal with the outside;

display means for displaying an image obtained by said photographing means and an image received by said transmission/reception means; and

display control means for, when said photographing means is obtaining a photograph and said reception means is exchanging said image signal and said audio signal with the outside, switching images to be displayed on said display means in accordance with the photographing direction of said photographing means.

19. A portable communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, by using a hinge mounted, at the least, in one part of a main body, said display means can be pivoted to change a display direction.

20. A portable communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, when it is ascertained that the display direction of said display means matches the photographing direction of said photographing means, said display control means displays said received image on said display means.

21. A portable communication apparatus according to claim 20, wherein, when it is ascertained that said display direction of said display means matches said photographing direction of said photographing means, said display control means displays, as a main picture on said display means, said image that is received, and displays as a sub-picture said image obtained by said photographing means.

22. A portable communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, when it is ascertained that said display direction of said display means does not match said photographing direction of said photographing means, said display control means displays, on said display means, said image obtained by said photographing means.

23. A portable communication apparatus according to claim 22, wherein, when it is ascertained that said display direction of said display means does not match said photographing direction of said photographing means, said display control means displays, as a main picture on said display means, said image obtained by said photographing means, and displays as a sub-picture said image that is received.

24. A portable communication apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:

character entry means for entering arbitrary characters,

wherein said characters entered by said character entry means are capable of being displayed on said display means, and of also being transmitted as character data by said transmission means.

25. An image display control method comprising:

a photographing step of photographing an object by using an image pickup apparatus;

a reception step of receiving an external image signal;

a display step of displaying, on a display device, an image obtained at said photographing step and an external image that is received from the outside; and

a control step of, when photographing is being performed at said photographing step and said external image is being received at said reception step, switching images to be displayed at said display step in accordance with the positional relationship between the photographing direction of said image pickup apparatus and the display direction of said display device.

26. An image display control method according to claim 25, wherein, at the least, either the photographing direction of said image pickup apparatus or the display direction of said display device is capable of being changed.

27. An image display control method according to claim 26, wherein, when it is ascertained that said photographing direction matches said display direction, a process is performed at said control step so that said external image is displayed at said display step.

28. An image display control method according to claim 27, wherein, when it is ascertained that said photographing direction matches said display direction, a process is performed at said control step so that, at said display step, said external image is displayed as a main picture and said image obtained at said photographing step is displayed as a sub-picture.

29. An image display control method according to claim 26, wherein, when it is ascertained that said photographing direction does not match said display direction, a process is performed at said control step, so that said image obtained at said photographing step is displayed at said display step.

30. An image display control method according to claim 29, wherein, when it is ascertained that said photographing direction does not match said display direction, a process is performed at said control step, so that, at said display step, said image obtained at said photographing step is displayed as a main picture, and said external image that is received is displayed as a sub-picture.

31. An image display control program comprising:

a photographing step of photographing an object using an image pickup apparatus;

a reception step of receiving an external image signal;

a display step of displaying, on a display device, an image obtained at said photographing step and an external image received from the outside; and

a control step of, when photographing is being performed at said photographing step and said external image is being received at said reception step, switching images to be displayed at said display step, in accordance with the positional relationship between the photographing direction of said image pickup apparatus and the display direction of said display device.

32. An image display control program according to claim 31, wherein, when it is ascertained that said photographing direction matches said display direction, a process is performed at said control step, so that said external image is displayed as a main picture at said display step.

33. An image display control program according to claim 31, wherein, when it is ascertained that said photographing direction does not match said display direction, a process is performed at said control step, so that said image obtained at said photographing step is displayed as a main picture at said display step.