Image forming apparatus and image forming method

• US 6,614,996 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2002
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Minato, Shoichi, Minakuti, Jun, Itoh, Ayumi, Nakanishi, Motohiro, Okisu, Noriyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W. B.
• Application Number:
  US10/187,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20030026607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 396/67, 396/63, 396/65, 396/287, 396/296, 396/291, 396/374, 396/429, 396/238, 396/239, 396/243, 396/153, 348/333.02, 348/333.11, 348/64, 348/362
• US Class Current: 396/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

An image forming apparatus automatically determines the photographing mode and displays on a display a kind of the photographing mode with the image of the subject.

The image forming apparatus comprises an image pickup part for forming an image of the subject, a photographing mode automatically setting part for automatically selecting one photographing mode from among a plurality of photographing modes based on a photographing condition when the subject is photographed, and setting the selected photographing mode, a display part for displaying the image of the subject; and a display control part for displaying on the display part a kind of the photographing mode set by the photographing mode automatically setting part together with the image of the subject.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image pickup part for forming an image of the subject,

a photographing mode automatically setting part for automatically selecting one photographing mode from among a plurality of photographing modes based on a photographing condition when the subject is photographed, and setting the selected photographing mode,

a display part for displaying the image of the subject; and

a display control part for displaying on the display part a kind of the photographing mode set by the photographing mode automatically setting part together with the image of the subject.

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

a focusing part for bringing the image of the subject to in-focus state, and

wherein the photographing mode automatically setting part automatically selects the photographing mode when the focusing part performs focusing.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the focusing is continuously performed after power is turned on.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an operation member for a user to input an instruction, and

wherein the focusing is performed when the operation member is operated.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the operation member is a release button for instructing the image pickup part to perform image formation.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the display control part displays, after photographing for photographing the image of the subject is performed by the image forming part, on the display part the image obtained by the photographing and the kind of the photographing mode set by the photographing mode automatically setting part at the time of the photographing.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a storage part for storing image data obtained by photographing by the image pickup part;

a photographing mode changing part for changing the photographing mode set by the photographing mode automatically setting part based on an instruction; and

a image processing part for obtaining the image data stored in the storage part and performing an image processing suitable for the changed photographing mode.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the photographing condition is at least one of the photographing magnification, the focal length, the luminance, the light source and the movement of the subject.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the photographing mode setting part sets a photographing control parameter at least one of the exposure control, whether to use flash or not, the gamma correction value, the sharpness processing and the color correction value in accordance with the selected photographing mode.

10. A method of forming an image of a subject comprising:

(a) a step of automatically selecting one photographing mode from among a plurality of photographing modes based on a photographing condition when the subject is photographed, and setting the selected photographing mode;

(b) a step of displaying the photographing mode together with an image of the subject on a predetermined display part; and

(c) a step of, when a photographing instruction is provided, performing photographing by applying the photographing mode, and generating a image of the subject.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image pickup part for forming an image of the subject,

a selecting part for automatically selecting a photographing mode at the time of photographing;

a display part for displaying the image of the subject; and

a display control part for displaying a kind of the photographing mode selected by the selecting part and the image of the subject on the display part.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the photographing mode is displayed by the display control part so as to be superimposed on the image of the subject.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the selecting part selects one photographing mode from among a plurality of photographing condition when the subject is photographed.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the photographing condition is at least one of the photographing magnification, the focal length, the luminance, the light source and the movement of the subject.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the selecting part sets a photographing control parameter at least one of the exposure control, whether to use flash or not, the gamma correction value, the sharpness processing and the color correction value in accordance with the selected photographing mode.