Camera capable of displaying brightness distribution

• US 5,862,419 A
• Filed: 01/05/1996
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Narisawa, Tsutomu, Goto, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): PERKEY, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US08/583,485
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 354/402, 354/409, 354/429, 354/432, 354/471, 354/474, 354/475, 354/430, 356/222, 356/226, 356/227, 348/233, 348/211
• US Class Current: 396/121
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30

Abstract

The camera capable of displaying brightness distribution of the present invention is equipped with a photometric sensor which has a plurality of photoelectric conversion sub-elements which perform photometry on a plurality of regions into which the subject is divided, and a display device, having a plurality of display elements, which displays the brightness distribution over the subject as detected by the photometric sensor.

Claims

1. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution comprising:

a photometric sensor which comprises a plurality of photoelectric conversion sub-elements which perform photometry on a plurality of regions into which the subject is divided;

an image processing circuit which processes an output from said photometric sensor to output an image signal regarding the brightness distribution over the subject;

a display device connected to said image processing circuit, said display device displaying the brightness distribution over the subject based upon said image signal output by said image processing circuit, said display device displaying said brightness distribution as an exemplary pattern of the subject;

a designating device which designates any one of a plurality of positions within display regions of said display device; and

;

a flashing device which flashes the designated portion on said display device.

2. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 1, wherein said display device comprises K×

L display elements arranged in the form of a matrix which measures K elements in the vertical direction by L elements in the horizontal direction.

3. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 1, wherein said display device is provided on the rear surface of a rear lid of said camera.

4. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation device that calculates exposure data that achieves an appropriate exposure for the designated region based upon the output of the photometric sensor and upon the position designated by said designating device.

5. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 1, wherein said display device comprises liquid crystal display elements which are capable of being set to any one of a plurality of intensity levels.

6. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 1, wherein said photometric sensor comprises M×

N of said photometric conversion sub-elements arranged in the form of a matrix which measures M elements in the vertical direction by N elements in the horizontal direction.

7. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 6, wherein said display device comprises K×

L display elements arranged in the form of a matrix which measures K elements in the vertical direction by L elements in the horizontal direction.

8. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 7, wherein K is approximately equal to M and L is approximately equal to N.

9. A camera capable of designating a principal object to be photographed comprising:

a photometric sensor which comprises a plurality of photoelectric conversion sub-elements which perform photometry on a plurality of regions into which the subject is divided;

a display device which displays the brightness distribution over the subject as detected by said photometric sensor, said display device displaying said brightness distribution as an exemplary pattern of the subject;

a designating device which designates any one of a plurality of positions within display regions of said display device; and

;

a flashing device which flashes the designated portion on said display device.

10. A camera capable of designating a principal object to be photographed according to claim 9, further comprising a calculation device which calculates exposure data which attains an appropriate exposure for said designated region, based upon the output from said photometric sensor and upon the position designated by said designating device.

11. A camera capable of designating a principal object to be photographed according to claim 9, further comprising a focus detecting device which performs a focus detecting operation on the object designated by said designating device.

12. A camera capable of designating a principal object to be photographed according to claim 9, wherein said designating device comprises a touch panel switch provided on the surface of said display device.

13. A camera capable of designating a principal object to be photographed according to claim 9, wherein said designating device comprises a horizontal direction key for moving the position which is desired to be designated in the horizontal direction, a vertical direction key for moving the position which is desired to be designated in the vertical direction, and a setting switch which determines the position designated by the use of said horizontal and vertical direction keys as a final designated position.

14. A camera capable of designating a principal object to be photographed according to claim 13, wherein said horizontal designation key comprises a leftward key for moving the position which is desired to be designated in the leftward direction and a rightward key for moving the position which is desired to be designated in the rightward direction, and said vertical designation key comprises an upward key for moving the position which is desired to be designated in the upward direction and a downward key for moving the position which is desired to be designated in the downward direction.

15. A camera capable of designating a principal object to be photographed according to claim 9, wherein said designating device comprises a trackball by the rotation of which the position which is desired to be designated can be moved in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction.

16. A camera capable of designating a principal object to be photographed according to claim 9, wherein said display device comprises designation sections which designate the position corresponding to the horizontal and vertical directions of said designated portion on said display device and arranged along a vertical side and a horizontal side of said display device.

17. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution comprising:

a photometric sensor comprising M×

N photometric conversion sub-elements arranged in the form of a matrix which measures M elements in the vertical direction by N elements in the horizontal direction, and which performs photometry on M×

N regions into which the subject is divided;

a display device which comprises K×

L liquid crystal display elements arranged in the form of a matrix which measures K elements in the vertical direction by L elements in the horizontal direction and each of which is capable of being set to any one of a plurality of intensity levels, and which displays the brightness distribution over the subject as detected by said photometric sensor, said display device displaying said brightness distribution as an exemplary pattern of the subject;

a designating device which designates at least any one of a plurality of positions within the K×

L regions of said display device; and

a flashing device which flashes the designated portion on said display device.

18. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 17, further comprising a designating device which designates any one of a plurality of positions within the display regions of said display device.

19. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 17, wherein K is approximately equal to M and L is approximately equal to N.

20. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 17, further comprising a calculation device that calculates exposure data that achieves an appropriate exposure for the designated region based upon the output of the photometric sensor and upon the position designated by said designating device.

21. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution comprising:

a photometric sensor which comprises a plurality of photoelectric conversion sub-elements which perform photometry on a plurality of regions into which the subject is divided;

an image processing circuit which processes an output from said photometric sensor to output an image signal regarding the brightness distribution over the subject;

a display device connected to said image processing circuit, said display device displaying the brightness distribution over the subject based upon said image signal output by said image processing circuit, said display device displaying said brightness distribution as an exemplary pattern of the subject;

a designating device which designates any one of a plurality of positions within display regions of said display device; and

;

wherein said display device comprises designation sections which designate the position corresponding to the horizontal and vertical positions of the designated portion on said display device, said designation sections being arranged along a vertical side and a horizontal side of said display device.

22. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 21, further comprising a calculation device that calculates exposure data that achieves an appropriate exposure for the designated region based upon the output of the photometric sensor and upon the position designated by said designating device.

23. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution comprising:

a photometric sensor comprising M×

N photometric conversion sub-elements arranged in the form of a matrix which measures M elements in the vertical direction by N elements in the horizontal direction, and which performs photometry on M×

N regions into which the subject is divided;

a display device which comprises K×

L liquid crystal display elements arranged in the form of a matrix which measures K elements in the vertical direction by L elements in the horizontal direction and each of which is capable of being set to any one of a plurality of intensity levels, and which displays the brightness distribution over the subject as detected by said photometric sensor, said display device displaying said brightness distribution as an exemplary pattern of the subject;

a designating device which designates any one of a plurality of positions within the K×

L regions of said display device; and

wherein said display device comprises designation sections which designate the position corresponding to the horizontal and vertical positions of said designated portion on said display device, said designation sections being arranged along a vertical side and a horizontal side of said display device.

24. A camera capable of displaying brightness distribution according to claim 23, further comprising a calculation device that calculates exposure data that achieves an appropriate exposure for the designated region based upon the output of the photometric sensor and upon the position designated by said designating device.

25. A camera comprising:

an image taking-up device that takes up an image on a subject field;

a display device that is located on a rear surface of said camera and displays information in the form of a matrix, said information being output from said image taking-up device; and

;

a data input device arranged onto said display device so as to be overlapped with said display device, said data input device inputting data.

26. A camera according to claim 25, wherein said data input device comprises an information obtaining device which designates any position of said image displayed on said display device so as to read in information regarding the designated position.

27. A camera according to claim 25, wherein said data input device includes a touch panel type data input device having a touch panel switch on the surface of the data input device.

28. A camera comprising:

an image taking-up device that takes up an image on a subject field;

a display device that displays the image on the subject field;

a touch panel that is arranged onto said display device so as to be overlapped with said display device and designates any one of a plurality of positions within a display area of said display device by being touched; and

a controller that controls image acquisition based upon brightness of an image corresponding to a position that is designated by said touch panel.

29. A camera according to claim 28, wherein said controller controls image acquisition so that the image corresponding to the position that is designated by said touch panel is recorded with an appropriate exposure.

30. A camera comprising:

a lens that collects an image on a subject field;

an image taking-up device that takes up the image on the subject field;

a display device that is located on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of said lens and displays the image on the subject field; and

a data input device arranged onto said display device so as to be overlapped with said display device, said data input device inputting data.