IMAGE CAPTURING DEVICE AND OPERATION DEVICE

• US 20120262619A1
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ito, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,767,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/38 Releasing-devices separate from shutter integral with shutter G03B9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/48 using buckling of disc springs
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2003/0293 with an integrated touch switch
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/046 Camera

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an operation device which has a pushbutton function and a touch switch function, and which offers excellent ease of operation. A hole is provided in a transparent substrate (12) of a touch screen provided on a rear surface of an image capturing device, and a pushbutton (16) serving as a shutter release button is provided. Transparent electrodes (14) are formed around the pushbutton (16) to form a touch switch, and an electrode (20) is formed below the pushbutton (16) to form a pushbutton switch. Metering is performed when the touch switch is turned ON in response to a touch operation of the pushbutton (16), and an image is captured when the pushbutton switch is turned ON in response to a push-down operation of the pushbutton (16).

Claims

1. An operation device of an image capturing device, the operation device comprising:

a substrate;

a pushbutton inserted into a hole provided in the substrate;

a touch switch for detecting a touch operation of the pushbutton, the touch switch having a plurality of electrodes provided on a surface of the substrate and around the pushbutton; and

a pushbutton switch which is closed in response to a push-down operation of the pushbutton,

wherein the substrate is identical to a substrate which forms a touch screen included in the image capturing device, and the electrodes are formed on the same surface as a surface on which electrodes for forming the touch screen are formed on the substrate.

2. The operation device of the image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein a film is formed between the substrate and the electrodes so that it covers the pushbutton.

3. The operation device of the image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein

the pushbutton is a shutter release button;

and

metering and focusing of the image capturing device are performed when the touch switch is turned ON, and an image of a subject is captured when the pushbutton switch is turned ON.

4. An image capturing device, comprising:

a touch screen having a substrate and a first electrode;

a shutter release button inserted into a hole provided in the substrate;

a touch switch for detecting a touch operation of the shutter release button, the touch switch having a plurality of second electrodes formed around the shutter release button on a surface of the substrate, the surface being a surface on which the first electrode is formed; and

a pushbutton switch which is closed in response to a push-down operation of the shutter release button,

wherein metering and focusing of the image capturing device are performed when the touch switch is turned ON, and an image of a subject is captured when the pushbutton switch is turned ON.