IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20070195192A1
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Miyanari, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,284,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/370
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• 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

Abstract

An imaging apparatus is provided which includes an image sensor including a plurality of photoelectric conversion units, an output unit configured to output a signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion units, and a reading unit configured to read the signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion units via the output unit, a display unit configured to display image data from the image sensor, and a control unit configured to control a first operation in which image data serially read from the image sensor is displayed by the display unit as a serial image and a second operation in which a still image is shot according to an instruction for picking up the still image while the first operation is being performed, and further configured to restrain/inhibit supplying power to the output unit at a predetermined timing during a time period in which the first operation is being performed.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an image sensor including a plurality of photoelectric conversion units, an output unit configured to output a signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion units, and a reading unit configured to read the signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion units via the output unit;

a display unit configured to display image data from the image sensor; and

a control unit configured to control a first operation in which image data serially read from the image sensor is displayed by the display unit as a serial image and a second operation in which a still image is shot according to an instruction for picking up the still image while the first operation is being performed, and further configured to restrain/inhibit supplying power to the output unit at a predetermined timing during a time period in which the first operation is being performed.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to restrain/inhibit supplying power to the output unit during a time period starting from a time at which reading of first image data from the image sensor is completed and ending at a time at which reading of second image data starts while the first operation is being performed.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the reading unit includes a scanning circuit, and

wherein the time period starting from a time at which reading of first image data from the image sensor is completed and ending at a time at which reading of second image data starts is a time period in which a dummy scanning in which the signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion units is not read is being performed.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to restrain/inhibit supplying power to the output unit during a time period in which first image data is to be read while the first operation is being performed and to display previously read second image data instead of the first image data on the display unit.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control so that a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation during a time period in which a focusing operation is being performed becomes higher than a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation during a time period in which the focusing operation is not being performed.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control so that a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation while an object luminance is lower than a predetermined level becomes higher than a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation while the object luminance is not lower than the predetermined level.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control so that a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation while an object movement is smaller than a predetermined level becomes higher than a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation while the object movement is not smaller than the predetermined level.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control so that a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation while a temperature inside the imaging apparatus is higher than a predetermined temperature becomes higher than a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation while the temperature inside the imaging apparatus is not higher than the predetermined temperature.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control so that a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained in the first operation while a temperature around the imaging apparatus is higher than a predetermined temperature becomes higher than a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation while the temperature around the imaging apparatus is not higher than the predetermined temperature.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control so that a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation while a time taken for performing the first operation has exceeded a predetermined length of time higher becomes than a ratio of a time period in which supplying power to the output unit is restrained/inhibited in the first operation while the time taken for performing the first operation has not yet reached the predetermined length of time.

12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control a third operation in which image data serially read from the image sensor is recorded on a recording medium as a moving image, and to perform control not to restrain/inhibit supplying power to the output unit while the third operation is being performed.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein restraining/inhibiting supplying power to the control unit includes stopping supplying power to the output unit.

2. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an image sensor including a plurality of photoelectric conversion units, an output unit configured to output a signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion units, and a reading unit configured to read the signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion units via the output unit;

a display unit configured to display image data from the image sensor;

an operation member configured to be operable by an operator; and

a control unit configured to control a first operation in which image data serially read from the image sensor is displayed by the display unit as a serial image and a second operation in which a still image is shot according to an operation performed on the operation member by the operator while the first operation is being performed, and further configured to restrain/inhibit supplying power to the output unit at a predetermined timing during a time period in which the first operation is being performed,

wherein the control unit performs control such that a focusing is performed according to a pressing of the operation member by the operator by a predetermined amount and that the second operation is performed according to an additional further pressing of the operation member by the operator.