Photographic apparatus

• US 7,532,235 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2004
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Shouwei
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Nhan T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cowan; Euel K
• Application Number:
  US10/972,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20050088546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 382/295, 382/296, 382/297, 382/289, 348/207.99, 348/208.2
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

The photographic apparatus according to the present invention comprises a posture detecting device which detects the posture of a body of the photographic apparatus, a store instructing device which instructs storing of a posture detected by the posture detecting device, a posture storing device for storing the posture detected by the posture detecting device in accordance with an instruction from the store instructing device, a discrepancy extent computing device which compares the posture stored by the posture storing device and the current posture detected by the detecting device, and computes the extent of any discrepancy of the current posture from the posture stored by the posture storing device, and a correction information generating device for generating correction information for correcting the current posture to the posture stored by the posture storing device on the basis of the extent of the discrepancy computed by the discrepancy extent computing device.

Claims

1. A photographic apparatus comprising:

a posture detecting device which detects the posture of a body of the photographic apparatus wherein the posture is related to an inclination angle of body of the photographic apparatus as a first posture,

a store instructing device which instructs storing of a first posture detected by said posture detecting device wherein a first inclination angle of the body of the photographic apparatus is stored,

a posture storing device for storing a secondary posture detected by said posture detecting device as a second inclination angle of the body of the photographic apparatus in accordance with an instruction from said store instructing device,

a discrepancy extent computing device which compares the first posture stored by said posture storing device and the secondary posture detected by said posture detecting device, and computes the extent of any discrepancy between the first posture and the secondary posture; and

a correction information generating device for generating correction information for correcting the secondary posture to the first posture previously stored by said posture storing device based on the extent of the discrepancy computed by said discrepancy extent computing device.

2. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shutter release button composed of a two-step stroke switch made up of half press and full press, wherein, if the shutter release button is pressed halfway, the discrepancy extent computing device computes the extent of the discrepancy and the correction information generating device generates the correction information based on the computed extent of the discrepancy.

3. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said correction information generating device causes the correcting direction for the posture of the body of said photographic apparatus to be displayed on a display device as directional icons positioned on or adjacent to the edge of a display device, the directional icons corresponding to the direction of movement of the body of the photographic apparatus based on the extent of any discrepancy computed by said discrepancy extent computing device.

4. The photographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said correction information generating device causes the correcting direction for the posture of the body of said photographic apparatus to be displayed on a display device on the basis of the extent of any discrepancy computed by said discrepancy extent computing device, and correction information to be generated.

5. The photographic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said photographic apparatus is an electronic camera which takes a picture with an image pickup element and records the picture so taken on a recording medium as picture data, a real-time picture taken by said image pickup element is displayed on said display device, and said correcting direction is superposed over the real-time picture in the display.

6. The photographic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said photographic apparatus is an electronic camera which takes a picture with an image pickup element and records the picture so taken on a recording medium as picture data, a real-time picture taken by said image pickup element is displayed on said display device, and said correcting direction is superposed over the real-time picture in the display.

13. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclination angle is to be determined from the change in orientation of the body of the photographic apparatus.

14. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the posture detected by the posture detecting device is stored by the posture storing device, a zoom lock flag is turned on to prevent inadvertent zooming during the acquisition of the current posture.

15. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the posture detecting device is an acceleration sensor.

7. A posture correction information generating method in a photographic apparatus, comprising steps of:

detecting a secondary posture of a body of the photographic apparatus;

comparing the detected secondary posture of the body of the photographic apparatus with a first posture thereof acquired in advance and computing the extent of the discrepancy of the secondary posture from the first posture; and

generating correction information intended to match the secondary posture of the body of the photographic apparatus with the first posture based on the computed extent of the discrepancy.

8. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the secondary posture of the body of the photographic apparatus is detected in response to half press of a shutter release button.

9. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the correction information is generated by displaying a correcting direction of the posture of the body of the photographic apparatus on a display device in the step of generating the correction information.

10. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the correction information is generated by displaying a correcting direction of the posture of the body of the photographic apparatus on a display device in the step of generating the correction information.

11. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the photographic apparatus is an electronic camera which takes a picture with an image pickup element and records the picture so taken on a recording medium as electronic picture data, a real-time picture taken by the image pickup element is displayed on the display device, and the correcting direction is superposed over the real-time picture in the display.

12. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the photographic apparatus is an electronic camera which takes a picture with an image pickup element and records the picture so taken on a recording medium as electronic picture data, a real-time picture taken by the image pickup element is displayed on the display device, and the correcting direction is superposed over the real-time picture in the display.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein an acceleration sensor detects the posture of the body of the photographic apparatus.

17. A photographic apparatus comprising:

a posture detecting device that acquires and stores first and second orientations of the body of the photographic apparatus as a basic posture and a current posture, wherein a discrepancy between the first and second orientations is computed;

a generating device for generating correction information to correct the discrepancy; and

a display device for displaying the correction information wherein the correction information are directional icons positioned on or adjacent to the edge of the display device, the directional icons corresponding to the direction of movement of the photographic apparatus based on the extent of the discrepancy computed by the computing device.

18. The photographic apparatus according to claim 17, wherein no directional icons are displayed on the display device if the basic posture and the current posture are identical.

19. A posture correction information generating method in a photographic apparatus, comprising steps of:

detecting a posture of the body of the photographic apparatus using a posture detecting device wherein the posture is related to an inclination angle of body of the photographic apparatus,

storing a first posture detected by said posture detecting device wherein a first inclination angle of the body of the photographic apparatus is stored using a posture storing device,

storing a secondary posture detected by said posture detecting device as a second inclination angle of the body of the photographic apparatus,

comparing the first posture stored by said posture storing device and the secondary posture detected by said posture detecting device, and computing the extent of any discrepancy between the first posture and the secondary posture; and

generating correction information for correcting the secondary posture to the first posture previously stored by said posture storing device based on the extent of the discrepancy computed by said discrepancy extent computing device.

20. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the secondary posture of the body of the photographic apparatus is detected in response to half-press of a shutter release button.

21. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the correction information is generated by displaying a correcting direction of the posture of the body of the photographic apparatus on a display device in the step of generating the correction information.

22. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the correction information is generated by displaying a correcting direction of the posture of the body of the photographic apparatus on a display device in the step of generating the correction information.

23. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the photographic apparatus is an electronic camera which takes a picture with an image pickup element and records the picture so taken on a recording medium as electronic picture data, a real-time picture taken by the image pickup element is displayed on the display device, and the correcting direction is superposed over the real-time picture in the display.

24. The posture correction information generating method of a photographic apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the photographic apparatus is an electronic camera which takes a picture with an image pickup element and records the picture so taken on a recording medium as electronic picture data, a real-time picture taken by the image pickup element is displayed on the display device, and the correcting direction is superposed over the real-time picture in the display.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein an acceleration sensor detects the posture of the body of the photographic apparatus.

26. A photographic apparatus comprising:

a posture detecting device which detects a first orientation of the body of the photographic apparatus as a basic posture,

a store instructing device which instructs storing of said first orientation detected by said posture detecting device,

a posture storing device for storing a second orientation of the body of the photographic apparatus detected by said posture detecting device as a current posture in accordance with an instruction from said store instructing device,

a discrepancy extent computing device which compares the first orientation stored by said posture storing device and the second orientation detected by said posture detecting device, and computes the extent of any discrepancy between the first orientation and the secondary orientation;

a correction information generating device for generating correction information for correcting the secondary orientation to the first orientation previously stored by said posture storing device based on the extent of the discrepancy computed by said discrepancy extent computing device; and

a display device for displaying the correction information wherein the correction information are directional icons positioned on or adjacent to the edge of the display device, the directional icons corresponding to the direction of movement of the photographic apparatus based on the extent of the discrepancy computed by the computing device.

27. The photographic apparatus according to claim 26, wherein no directional icons are displayed on the display device if the basic posture and the current posture are identical.