Image pickup device and image pickup method

• US 9,443,476 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishihara, Takashi, Yamamoto, Kazutaka, Ito, Katsuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pasiewicz, Daniel M
• Application Number:
  US14/642,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/20 visible in viewfinder
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts 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 23/73 : by influencing the exposure time

Abstract

An image pickup device includes: a camera; a display; a touch panel that overlaps the display, and a vertical sensor that detects a vertical direction. When a flick operation from down to up along the vertical direction is performed, a brightness of the display is changed from a first brightness to a second brightness that is brighter than the first brightness.

Claims

1. An image pickup device comprising:

a camera;

a display configured to display an image captured by the camera;

a touch panel that overlaps the display; and

a vertical sensor configured to detect an orientation of a vertical direction in the image pickup device,

wherein, when a single touch operation moving on the touch panel upwardly along the orientation of the vertical direction in the image pickup device detected by the vertical sensor is performed while the display is displaying the image, a brightness of the display is changed from a first brightness to a second brightness that is brighter than the first brightness while the display is displaying the image.

2. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein

the display has a rectangular shape, and

the single touch operation moving on the touch panel upwardly along the orientation of the vertical direction in the image pickup device detected by the vertical sensor corresponds to a single touch operation along a short direction of the rectangular shape.

3. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein

the single touch operation moving along the surface of the touch panel upwardly along the orientation of the vertical direction in the image pickup device detected by the vertical sensor is defined as a first touch operation, and

when a second touch operation moving on the touch panel downwardly along the orientation of the vertical direction in the image pickup device detected by the vertical sensor is performed, and the brightness of the display is the second brightness, the brightness of the display is changed from the second brightness to the first brightness.

4. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the image displayed on the display is a video image.

5. The image pickup device according to according to claim 1, wherein

the display is a liquid crystal display with a backlight, and

the brightness of the display is changed by changing the brightness of the backlight.

6. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein

the display is a display in which each pixel emits self-luminous light, and

the brightness of the display is changed by changing the brightness of the self-luminous light.

7. The image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface,

wherein the camera is provided on the first surface, and

the display and the touch panel are provided on the second surface.

8. The image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface,

wherein the camera, the display and the touch panel are provided on the first surface.

9. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein, when the single touch operation is performed in a direction transverse to the orientation of the vertical direction in the image pickup device detected by the vertical sensor, the brightness of the display remains the first brightness.

10. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical sensor is distinct from the touch panel.

11. An image pickup method used in an image pickup device comprising a camera, a display configured to display an image captured by the camera, a touch panel that overlaps the display, and a vertical sensor configured to detect an orientation of a vertical direction in the image pickup device, the image pickup method comprising:

changing a brightness of the display from a first brightness to a second brightness that is brighter than the first brightness while the display is displaying the image, when a single touch operation moving on the touch panel upwardly along the orientation of the vertical direction in the image pickup device detected by the vertical sensor is performed while the display is displaying the image.

12. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing an image pickup program used in an image pickup device including a camera, a display configured to display an image captured by the camera, a touch panel that overlaps the display, and a vertical sensor configured to detect an orientation of a vertical direction in the image pickup device, the image pickup program causes a processor to perform:

changing a brightness of the display from a first brightness to a second brightness brighter than the first brightness while the display is displaying the image, when a single touch operation moving on the touch panel upwardly along the orientation of the vertical direction in the image pickup device detected by the vertical sensor is performed while the display is displaying the image.

13. A server comprising the non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the image pickup program is stored in the server to be downloadable from the server.