Digital camera

• US 20050219406A1
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.
• Original Assignee: Pentax Corporation (Hoya Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohsawa, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,542,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/372
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/634 Warning indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene

Abstract

A digital camera includes an image pickup device which converts incident light of an object image into an electrical signal during an exposure operation; a processor which captures the electrical signal, and thereafter generates a digital image from the electrical signal; a battery checking device which performs a battery check process for determining whether a battery voltage of the digital camera is lower than a predetermined voltage level; a controller which forcibly terminates the exposure operation when the battery checking device determines that the battery voltage drops below the predetermined voltage level during the exposure operation, and subsequently makes the processor start capturing the electrical signal in order to generate a backup digital image; and a warning device which warns a user that the exposure operation is forcibly terminated due to a shortage of the battery voltage and that the backup digital image is underexposed, in the case where the exposure is forcibly terminated.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

an image pickup device which converts incident light of an object image into an electrical signal during an exposure operation;

a processor which captures said electrical signal, and thereafter generates a digital image from said electrical signal;

a battery checking device which performs a battery check process for determining whether a battery voltage of said digital camera is lower than a predetermined voltage level;

a controller which forcibly terminates said exposure operation when said battery checking device determines that said battery voltage drops below said predetermined voltage level during said exposure operation, and subsequently makes said processor start capturing said electrical signal in order to generate a backup digital image; and

a warning device which warns a user that said exposure operation is forcibly terminated due to a shortage of said battery voltage and that said backup digital image is underexposed, in the case where said exposure is forcibly terminated.

2. The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator on which at least one of said digital image and a determined result of said battery checking device are indicated,

wherein said backup digital image and an underexposure warning indication are both indicated on said indicator in the case where said exposure is forcibly terminated.

3. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said battery checking device performs said battery check process during exposure at a shutter speed one of equal to and slower than a flash sync speed, and does not perform said battery check process during exposure at a shutter speed faster than said flash sync speed.

4. The digital camera according to claim 3, further comprising:

an inverse calculating device for calculating back an amount of underexposure with respect to a correct exposure from a timing of said forced termination of said exposure operation and a optimum shutter speed; and

a data storing device for storing said backup digital image and corresponding data of said amount of underexposure.

5. The digital camera according to claim 4, wherein said backup digital image is visually indicated on said indicator together with said corresponding data of said amount of underexposure.

6. The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising a release button which starts said exposure operation upon being depressed,

wherein said battery checking device performs said battery check process during said exposure operation when said digital camera is in a bulb mode, in which said exposure continues as long as said release button is held down.

7. The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising a remote-control signal receiver which receives a remote control signal transmitted from a remote controller provided independently of said digital camera,

wherein said battery checking device performs said battery check process during said exposure when said digital camera is in a remote-control bulb mode, in which said exposure continues as long as said remote-control signal receiver receives said remote control signal.

8. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined voltage level is determined by determining a battery type of said battery via a difference in voltage between said battery under a loaded state and said battery under a non-loaded state.

9. A digital camera comprising:

an image pickup device which converts incident light of an object image into an electrical signal during an exposure operation;

a processor which captures said electrical signal, and thereafter generates a digital image from said electrical signal;

a battery checking device which performs a battery check process for determining whether a battery voltage of said digital camera is lower than a predetermined voltage level; and

a controller which forcibly terminates said exposure operation when said battery checking device determines that said battery voltage drops below said predetermined voltage level during said exposure operation, and subsequently makes said processor start capturing said electrical signal in order to generate a backup digital image,

wherein said battery checking device performs said battery check process during exposure at a shutter speed one of equal to and slower than a flash sync speed, and does not perform said battery check process during exposure at a shutter speed faster than said flash sync speed.

10. The digital camera according to claim 9, further comprising a warning device which warns a user that said exposure operation is forcibly terminated due to a shortage of said battery voltage and that said backup digital image is underexposed, in the case where said exposure is forcibly terminated.

11. The digital camera according to claim 9, further comprising an indicator on which at least one of said digital image and a determined result of said battery checking device are indicated,

wherein said backup digital image and an underexposure warning indication are both indicated on said indicator in the case where said exposure is forcibly terminated.

12. The digital camera according to claim 9, further comprising:

an inverse calculating device for calculating back an amount of underexposure with respect to a correct exposure from a timing of said forced termination of said exposure operation and a optimum shutter speed; and

a data storing device for storing said backup digital image and corresponding data of said amount of underexposure.

13. The digital camera according to claim 12, wherein said backup digital image is visually indicated on said indicator together with said corresponding data of said amount of underexposure.

14. The digital camera according to claim 9, further comprising a release button which starts said exposure operation upon being depressed,

wherein said battery checking device performs said battery check process during said exposure operation when said digital camera is in a bulb mode, in which said exposure continues as long as said release button is held down.

15. The digital camera according to claim 9, further comprising a remote-control signal receiver which receives a remote control signal transmitted from a remote controller provided independently of said digital camera,

wherein said battery checking device performs said battery check process during said exposure when said digital camera is in a remote-control bulb mode, in which said exposure continues as long as said remote-control signal receiver receives said remote control signal.

16. The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein said predetermined voltage level is determined by determining a battery type of said battery via a difference in voltage between said battery under a loaded state and said battery under a non-loaded state.