Image sensing apparatus and control method therefor

• US 7,486,315 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2004
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Naka, Yasutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsu; Amy
• Application Number:
  US10/833,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20050174459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 348/240.99, 348/240.3, 348/240.1, 348/333.05, 348/333.01, 396/72, 396/374, 345/173
• US Class Current: 348/240.99
• 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

Abstract

An image sensing apparatus having an image sensing mode for electrically sensing an object and storing an acquired image and a reproduction mode for reproducing and displaying the stored image includes a view angle changing unit for changing an angle of view of an image to be sensed in the image sensing mode and a magnification of an image to be displayed in the reproduction mode, a control unit that, in the reproduction mode, maintains the magnification of the image unchanged from before a start of operation of the view angle changing unit until an extent of operation of the view angle changing unit exceeds a preset first threshold value, and changes the magnification of the image depending on the extent of operation if the preset first threshold value is exceeded, and a display unit that displays a reproduction image at a magnification changed by the control unit.

Claims

1. An image sensing apparatus having an image sensing mode for electrically sensing an object and storing acquired image data on a storage medium and a reproduction mode for reproducing and displaying the stored image, the apparatus comprising:

a switch for selecting the image sensing mode or the reproduction mode;

a changing unit for designating an angle of view of an image to be sensed during the selected image sensing mode and a magnification of an image to be displayed during the selected reproduction mode;

a control unit that, during the selected reproduction mode, maintains the magnification of the image at a value that exists prior to a start of operation of said changing unit from the start of operation until an extent of operation of said changing unit exceeds a preset first threshold value, and changes the magnification of the image depending on the extent of operation if the first threshold value is exceeded, and during the selected image sensing mode, maintains the angle of view of an image at the value that exists prior to the start of operation of said changing unit from the start of operation until the extent of operation of said changing unit exceeds a preset second threshold value, and changes the angle of view of the image depending on the extent of operation if the second threshold value is exceeded; and

a display unit that displays a reproduction image at a magnification changed by said control unit during the selected reproduction mode and displays an object image acquired at an angle of view changed by said control unit during the selected image sensing mode,

wherein the first threshold value is greater than the second threshold value.

2. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit, if the extent of operation of said changing unit does not exceed the first threshold value within a preset period of time, maintains the magnification of the image at the value prior to the start of operation of said changing unit until the extent of operation exceeds a preset third threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value.

3. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit maintains the magnification of the image at the value that existed prior to the start of operation of said changing unit until either the extent of operation of said changing unit exceeds the first threshold value or a period of time through which said changing unit is continuously operated exceeds a preset period of time.

4. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit, during the selected image sensing mode, if the extent of operation of said changing unit does not exceed the second threshold value within a preset period of time, maintains the angle of view of the image that existed prior to the start of operation of said changing unit until the extent of operation of said changing unit exceeds a preset fourth threshold value that is greater than the second threshold value.

5. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit, during the selected image sensing mode, maintains the angle of view of the image that existed prior to the start of operation of said changing unit until either the extent of operation of said changing unit exceeds the second threshold value or a period of time through which said changing unit is continuously operated exceeds a preset period of time.

6. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a zoom lens,

wherein said changing unit includes a zoom ring for driving said zoom lens and a ring rotation detection unit for detecting an amount of rotation of the zoom ring,

the extent of operation of said changing unit being the amount of rotation of the zoom ring.

7. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said changing unit is an operation member adapted to detect an extent of operation from a center position,

the extent of operation of said changing unit being the extent of operation from the center position of said changing unit.

8. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

an enlargement designation unit for designating enlargement of an image displayed on said display unit during the selected reproduction mode; and

a reduction designation unit for designating reduction of an image displayed on said display unit during the selected reproduction mode,

wherein said display unit, during the selected reproduction mode, is adapted to display one image on a single display screen in a first display method and to display a plurality of images on the single display screen in a second display method,

said display unit switching to the first display method to display a reproduction image when said enlargement designation unit is operated while images are being displayed according to the second display method, and changing to a designated magnification to display a reproduction image with a maximum magnification as a limit at all other times,

said display unit switching to the second display method when said reduction designation unit is operated while an image is being displayed at full screen size magnification according to the first display method, and changing to a designated magnification to display a reproduction image with a full screen size magnification as a limit at all other times.

9. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said display unit, during the selected reproduction mode, is adapted to display one image on a single display screen in a first display method and to display a plurality of images on the single display screen in a second display method;

when magnification enlargement is designated by said changing unit and said display unit is displaying images according to the second display method during the selected reproduction mode, said control unit maintains to display images according to the second display method when the extent of operation of said changing unit is less than a preset fifth threshold value and changes to the first display method when the fifth threshold value is exceeded;

when magnification reduction is designated by said changing unit and said display unit is displaying an image at full screen size magnification according to the first display method during the selected reproduction mode, said control unit maintains the magnification of the image at the value that existed prior to the start of operation of said changing unit when the extent of operation of said changing unit is less than the fifth threshold value and changes to the second display method when the fifth threshold value is exceeded; and

the fifth threshold value being different from the first threshold value of the reproduction mode.

10. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control unit maintains the magnification of the image at the value prior to the start of operation of said changing unit until a preset sixth threshold value that is greater than the fifth threshold value is exceeded if the extent of operation of said changing unit does not exceed the fifth threshold value with a preset period of time.

11. The image sensing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control unit maintains the magnification of the image at the value that existed prior to the start of operation of said changing unit until either the extent of operation of said changing unit exceeds the fifth threshold value or the amount of time through which said changing unit is continuously operated exceeds a preset period of time.

12. A method of controlling an image sensing apparatus having a switch for selecting an image sensing mode for electrically sensing an object and storing acquired image data on a storage medium or a reproduction mode for reproducing and displaying the stored image, a view angle changing unit for setting an angle of view of an image to be sensed during the selected image sensing mode and for setting a magnification of an image to be displayed during the selected reproduction mode, and a display unit that displays a reproduction image, the control method comprising:

determining which of the image sensing mode and the image reproduction mode is selected;

detecting an operating state of the view angle changing unit;

during the selected reproduction mode, maintaining the magnification of the image at a value that existed prior to a start of operation of the changing unit from the start of operation until an extent of operation of the changing unit exceeds a preset first threshold value, and changing a magnification of the image depending on the extent of operation when the first threshold value is exceed;

displaying a reproduction image at the display unit at the controlled magnification during the selected image sensing mode, the angle of view of the image is maintained at the value that existed prior to the start of operation of the changing unit from the start of operation until the extent of operation of the changing unit exceeds a preset second threshold value, and the angle of view of the image is changed depending on the extent of operation if the second threshold value is exceeded; and

displaying an object image acquired at the controlled angle of view,

wherein the first threshold value used during the selected reproduction mode is greater than the second threshold value used during the selected image sensing mode.

13. The control method according to claim 12, wherein in said controlling, if the extent of operation of the changing unit does not exceed the first threshold value within a preset period of time, the magnification of the image is maintained at the value that existed prior to the start of operation of the changing unit until the extent of operation exceeds a preset third threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value.

14. The control method according to claim 12, wherein in said controlling, the magnification of the image is maintained at the value that existed prior to the start of operation of the changing unit until either the extent of operation the changing unit exceeds the first threshold value or a period of time through which the changing unit is continuously operated exceeds a preset period of time.

15. The control method according to claim 12, wherein in said controlling, during the selected image sensing mode, if the extent of operation of the changing unit does not exceed the second threshold value within a preset period of time, the angle of view of the image prior to the start of operation of the changing unit is maintained until the extent of operation exceeds a preset fourth threshold value that is greater than the second threshold value.

16. The control method according to claim 12, wherein in said controlling, during the image sensing mode, the angle of view of the image prior to the start of operation of the changing unit is maintained until either the extent of operation of the changing unit exceeds the second threshold value or a period of time through which the changing unit is continuously operated exceeds a preset period of time.

17. The control method according to claim 12, wherein the image sensing apparatus further comprises a zoom lens, and wherein the changing unit includes a zoom ring for driving the zoom lens and a ring rotation detection unit for detecting an amount of rotation of the zoom ring,

the extent of operation being the amount of rotation of the zoom ring.

18. The control method according to claim 12, wherein the changing unit of the image sensing apparatus is a control member adapted to detect an extent of operation from a center position, the extent of operation of the changing unit being the extent of operation from the center position of the changing unit.

19. The control method according to claim 12, wherein the image sensing apparatus further comprises:

an enlargement designation unit for designating enlargement of an image displayed in said displaying during the selected reproduction mode; and

a reduction designation unit for designating reduction of an image displayed in said displaying during the selected reproduction mode,

and wherein the display unit, during the selected reproduction mode, is adapted to display one image on a single display screen in a first display method and to display a plurality of images on the single display screen in a second display method,

the control method further comprising;

switching to the first display method to display a reproduction image when the enlargement designation unit is operated while images are being displayed according to the second display method, or changing to a designated magnification to display a reproduction image with a maximum magnification as a limit at all other times; and

switching to the second display method when the reduction designation unit is operated while an image is being displayed at full screen size magnification according to the first display method, and changing to a designated magnification to display a reproduction image with a full screen size magnification as a limit at all other times.

20. The control method according to claim 12, wherein the display unit, during the selected reproduction mode, is adapted to display one image on a single display screen in a first display method and to display a plurality of images on the single display screen in a second display method, the control method further comprising:

when magnification enlargement is designated by the changing unit and, in said displaying, images are displayed according to the second display method during the selected reproduction mode, the second display method is maintained when the extent of operation of the view angle changing unit is less than a preset fifth threshold value and changes to the first display method when the fifth threshold value is exceeded in said controlling; and

when magnification reduction is designated by the view angle changing unit and, in said displaying, an image is displayed at full screen size magnification according to the first display method during the selected reproduction mode, the magnification of the image is maintained at the value that existed prior to the start of operation of the changing unit when the extent of operation of the changing unit is less than the fifth threshold value and the first display method is changed to the second display method when the fifth threshold value is exceeded in said controlling,

the fifth threshold value being different from the first threshold value of the reproduction mode.

21. The control method according to claim 20, wherein in said controlling, the magnification of the image is maintained at the value that existed prior to the start of operation of the changing unit until a preset sixth threshold value that is greater than the fifth threshold value is exceeded if the extent of operation of the changing unit does not exceed the fifth threshold value with a preset period of time.

22. The control method according to claim 20, wherein in said controlling, the magnification of the image is maintained at the value that existed prior to the start of operation of the changing unit until either the extent of operation of the changing unit exceeds the fifth threshold value or the amount of time through which the changing unit is continuously operated exceeds a preset period of time.