Imaging device having a display to display images captured by a plurality of image sensors with different display regions

• US 7,724,297 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Yoshio, Ikeda, Makoto, Nakabe, Kauzuya, Komine, Hitoshi, Miura, Toshimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRABHAKHER, PRITHAM DAVID
• Application Number:
  US11/656,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20070188629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 348335-345
• US Class Current: 348/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• 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 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method

Abstract

An imaging device comprises a photographing lens, a first imaging sensor for taking a subject image formed by the photographing lens, a second image sensor for taking a subject image formed by the photographing lens, an optical path switching section for selectively switching subject light that has passed through the photographing lens to either one of the first image sensor or the second image sensor, a display section for displaying an image taken by the second image sensor, and a display region storage section for storing information representing a region for display on the display section from a region where imaging by the second image sensor is possible. The display section controls the display region based on the information stored in the display region storage section.

Claims

1. An imaging device, comprising:

a photographing lens;

a first imaging sensor for taking a subject image formed by the photographing lens;

a second imaging sensor for taking a subject image formed by the photographing lens;

an optical path switching section for selectively switching subject light that has passed through the photographing lens to either one of the first image sensor or the second image sensor;

a display section for displaying an image taken by the first and the second image sensor so that a display region for displaying an image taken by the first image sensor and a display region for displaying an image taken by the second image sensor match;

an image data storing section for storing an image data based on output of the first image sensor and the second image sensor; and

a display region storage section for storing information to selectively read out image data to display an image on the display section from image data stored based on output of the second image sensor, wherein

the display section controls the display region based on the information stored in the display region storage section.

2. The imaging device of claim 1, further comprising a screen for forming a subject image that has passed through the photographing lens, wherein the second image sensor takes the subject image that has been formed on the screen.

3. The imaging device of claim 2, further comprising an imaging lens for guiding a subject image displayed on the screen to a photographer'"'"'s eye.

4. The imaging device of claim 2, wherein the screen has a rectangular display section, information of a specified rectangular display region, having intersect points of two diagonal lines of a rectangular display section of the screen as a center, is stored in the display region information storage section, and a position of an image formed on the screen and a position of an image formed using the first image sensor are subjected to predetermined adjustment.