IMAGING APPARATUS AND CONTINUOUS SHOOTING IMAGING METHODS USING A CONTINUOUS TOUCH USER INPUT

• US 20130194215A1
• Filed: 01/24/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Kensei, Toida, Maki, Sakuma, Izumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,280,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/672 based on the phase difference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging part for capturing a subject image, a touch panel for acquiring a touch position input by a user, and a control part for controlling an imaging operation performed by the imaging part. The control part acquires the touch position to cause the imaging part to perform the imaging operation each time the touch position is displaced on the touch panel by a predetermined amount repeatedly during a continuous touch user input.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an imaging part for capturing a subject image;

a touch panel for acquiring a touch position input by a user; and

a control part for controlling an imaging operation performed by the imaging part,

wherein, responsive to receiving a continuous touch user input from the touch panel, the control part causes the imaging part to perform an imaging operation each time the touch position is displaced on the touch panel by a predetermined amount during the continuous touch user input.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display part arranged corresponding to the touch panel to display an image,

wherein in the imaging operation, the display part displays, as a thumbnail, a captured image obtained by this imaging operation in a position associated with the touch position.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a storage part for storing images captured by the imaging part,

wherein the control part causes the storage part to store a plurality of images, captured by the imaging part, sequentially, and

wherein, responsive to receiving a touch position from the touch panel at a position corresponding to the captured image previously displayed as the thumbnail, the control part causing the captured image most recently stored to be deleted.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display part arranged corresponding to the touch panel to display an image,

wherein the display part displays a line of marks at intervals spaced by the predetermined amount.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the mark includes a frame, and

the display part displays, as a thumbnail, an image captured by the imaging operation in a frame closest to the touch position during the imaging operation that captured the image displayed at the thumbnail.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control part records, as a group of images on a recording medium, a plurality of images captured by the imaging operation while the touch panel is continuously being touched.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control part records, as a group of images on a recording medium, a plurality of images captured by the imaging operation while the touch panel is continuously being touched until a temporary stop operation signal is input, and a plurality of images captured by the imaging operation while the touch panel is continuously being touched after a predetermined restart operation signal is input.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control part causes the imaging part to perform the imaging operation while the touch panel is continuously being touched along one side of this touch panel.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a release button,

wherein the control part causes the imaging part to perform the imaging operation while the release button is being pressed and the touch panel is continuously being touched.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a focusing optical system for focusing on the subject image incident on the imaging part; and

a display part arranged corresponding to the touch panel to display an image, wherein

the display part displays a live view acquired by the imaging part, and

responsive to the touch panel being touched, the control part operates the focusing optical system to focus on the subject corresponding to this touched position in the live view displayed on the display part, then causes the imaging part to perform imaging, and after that, causes the imaging part to perform the imaging operation while the touch panel is continuously being touched.

11. A sequential imaging method comprising:

acquiring positions of a continuous touch user input through a touch panel; and

performing an imaging operation each time the acquired continuous touch user input position is displaced on the touch panel by a predetermined amount.