Optical apparatus with recording of selected hierarchal information with respect to a region

• US 6,292,633 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1998
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, David M
• Application Number:
  US09/217,001
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 396/310, 396/311, 396/315, 396/317, 396/318, 396/319, 396/320
• US Class Current: 396/311
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/245 Optical means

Abstract

An optical apparatus includes a detecting device for detecting position information, and a recording device for recording the detected position information on an image recording medium, wherein the recording device also records hierarchy information relative to the position information on the image recording medium.

Claims

1. An optical apparatus comprising:

a detecting device which detects position information;

a selecting device which selects hierarchal level information from among a plurality of hierarchal level information which indicates to what degree of detail the position information detected by the detecting device should be displayed,

a recording device which records the detected position information and the selected hierarchal level information on an image recording medium, and

a display device which displays the selected hierarchal level information.

2. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information is detected during image taking.

3. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording medium is a film and the selected hierarchal level information is recorded for each frame of the film.

4. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a hierarchal level resetting circuit, wherein if a time period which elapses after a previous selection of said selecting device is performed is longer than a predetermined time, hierarchal level information selected by the previous selection is reset by said heirarchal level resetting circuit.

5. An optical apparatus according to claim 4, said display device displaying a default hierarchal level if the hierarchal level information is reset.

6. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a hierarchal level resetting circuit, wherein if a position indicated by a new position information detected by said detecting device is a predetermined distance away from a position indicated by previous position information, the selected hierarchal level information is reset by said hierarchal level resetting circuit.

7. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the position information is recorded on the image recording medium, the selected individual hierarchal level information of said plural hierarchal level information is recorded on the image recording medium.

8. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information is absolute-position information indicative of latitude and longitude.