Information display control in image sensing apparatus

• US 20020054232A1
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inagaki, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,030,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/372
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2125 Display of information relating to the still picture recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/215 Recording a sequence of still pictures, e.g. burst mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/214 Checking or indicating the storage space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/634 Warning indications
• 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

Abstract

To display information about an image sensing apparatus on a display when the display is OFF, the display is turned ON for only a predetermined time and displays the information in the image sensing apparatus having an image sensor and the display for displaying an image obtained by the image sensor and information about the status of the image sensing apparatus.

Claims

1. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

an image sensor;

a display for displaying an image obtained by said image sensor and information about a status of the image sensing apparatus, the information is different from the image;

a power supply unit for supplying power to processing circuits including said image sensor and said display; and

a controller for controlling operating statuses of said display and said power supply unit,

wherein said controller controls supply of power to said display so as to set said display ON for a predetermined period and only display the information which is different from the image when said display is OFF and the information is to be displayed on said display.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller controls to change the predetermined period in accordance with power supply level of said power supply unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said controller shortens the predetermined period when the power supply level of said power supply unit is lower than a predetermined value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information about the status of the image sensing apparatus includes information representing a status in which an operation of the image sensing apparatus is interfered.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information representing the status in which the operation of the image sensing apparatus is interfered includes information representing that any of operations of a power source, a recording medium for storing an image, and an image sensing lens is interfered.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information about the status of the image sensing apparatus includes information about a remaining number of sensible images and an image size.

7. A display method in an image sensing apparatus having an image sensor and a display for displaying an image obtained by the image sensor and information about a status of the image sensing apparatus, the information is different from the image, said method comprising:

a display step of turning ON the display device and displaying only the information which is different from the image when the display device is OFF; and

a monitoring step of monitoring a display period in said display step so as not to exceed a predetermined period.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a determination step of determining power supply level of a power supply unit supplied to the image sensing apparatus; and

a change step of controlling to change the predetermined period in accordance with the power supply level determined in said determination step.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, in said determination step, the power supply level of the power supply unit is compared with a predetermined value, and in said change step the predetermined period is shortened when the power supply level of the power supply unit is lower than the predetermined value.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the information about the status of the image sensing apparatus includes information representing a status in which an operation of the image sensing apparatus is interfered.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the information representing the status in which the operation of the image sensing apparatus is interfered includes information representing that any of operations of a power source, a recording medium for storing an image, and an image sensing lens is interfered.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the information about the status of the image sensing apparatus includes information about a remaining number of sensible images and an image size.

14. The program according to claim 13, further comprising:

third computer readable program code means for determining power supply level of a power supply unit supplied to the image sensing apparatus; and

fourth computer readable program code means for changing and controlling the predetermined period in accordance with the determined power supply level.

15. The program according to claim 14, wherein said third computer readable program code means compares the power supply level of the power supply unit with a predetermined value, and said fourth computer readable program code means shortens the predetermined time when the power supply level of the power supply unit is lower than the predetermined value.

13. A computer program having computer readable program code means for a display method in an image sensing apparatus having an image sensor and a display for displaying an image obtained by the image sensor and information about a status of the image sensing apparatus, the information is different from the image, said program including:

first computer readable program code means for turning ON the display device and displaying only the information when the display device is OFF; and

second computer readable program code means for monitoring a display period of the information which is different from the image so as not to exceed a predetermined period.