Camera with the function of changing the transmittance of liquid-crystal display section to let user know photograph enable mode

• US 6,167,203 A
• Filed: 04/20/1999
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Hiroshi, Ishimaru, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): PERKEY, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US09/294,871
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 396/281, 396/287, 396/288, 396/289, 396/290, 396/291, 396/292, 396/296, 396/378, 396/380, 396/435, 396/436, 396/349, 396/284, 396/408, 396/407, 396/302
• US Class Current: 396/284
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/20 visible in viewfinder

Abstract

A camera comprises a liquid-crystal display device and a liquid-crystal control section. The liquid-crystal display device has a liquid crystal whose transmittance is variable. The liquid-crystal control section, in the photograph enable mode, brings the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device into the light-transmitting state and, in the photograph disable mode, brings the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device into a half light-transmitting state or the no-light-transmitting state.

Claims

1. A camera comprising:

a lens tube;

a liquid-crystal display device which includes a liquid crystal whose transmittance is variable;

a power switch for switching between a photograph enable mode and a photograph disable mode;

a liquid-crystal control section which controls the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device to be in one of a light-transmitting state and a no-light transmitting state; and

a lens control section which controls the lens tube so that the lens tube is collapsed when the photograph disable mode is selected by the power switch and after the liquid-crystal control section brings the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device into the no-light-transmitting state.

2. A camera comprising:

a liquid-crystal display device with a liquid crystal whose transmittance is variable; and

a liquid-crystal control section which, in a photograph enable mode, brings the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device into a light-transmitting state, and which, in a photograph disable mode, brings the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device into one of a half light-transmitting state and a no-light-transmitting state;

wherein the camera is capable of autoloading and, when the power switch is switched to the photograph enable mode and autoloading is in progress, a release signal is prevented from being accepted, and the liquid-crystal control section brings the liquid crystal from the light-transmitting state to the no-light-transmitting state.

3. A camera comprising:

a liquid-crystal display device which is provided in a finder and includes a liquid crystal which can be set to one of a first, a second, and a third transmittance in descending order of magnitude;

a power switch for switching between a photograph enable mode and a photograph disable mode; and

a liquid-crystal control section which, when the photograph enable mode is selected by the power switch, sets the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device to the first transmittance, and, when the photograph disable mode is selected by the power switch, sets the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device to the third transmittance, and, when the photograph enable mode is selected by the power switch and exposure is made, sets the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device to the second transmittance.

4. A camera according to claim 3, wherein the liquid crystal of the liquid-crystal display device comprises a negative macromolecular dispersion liquid crystal.

5. A camera according to claim 3, wherein the camera is capable of autoloading and, when the power switch is switched to the photograph enable mode and autoloading is in progress, a release signal is prevented from being accepted, and the liquid-crystal control section changes the transmittance to one of the second and the third transmittance.