IMAGING DEVICE, DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20090027539A1
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kunou, Katsutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,520,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.10
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus, a display control method, and a program enabling a user to intuitively understand all set values selectable as setting about shooting and an operation to select a desired set value.

Upon press of a toggle button, an image 51 representing “macro mode” (set value), which is a closeup shooting mode, an image 52 representing “magnifying glass mode” (set value), and an image 53 representing OFF (set value) of the closeup shooting mode are displayed while being arranged in the order of being highlighted by each press of the toggle button. An outline arrow indicating the order of being highlighted by each press of the toggle button is displayed between the respective images 51 to 53. If the toggle button is pressed once by a user, display positions of all the images are changed, and the highlighted image is changed accordingly. The present invention can be applied to an apparatus having an image capturing function.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus provided with a button operated to perform setting about shooting, the image capturing apparatus comprising:

display control means for displaying a menu upon press of the button, the menu listing images representing all selectable set values in the order of being able to be selected by each press of the button, and changing a highlighted one of the images by changing display positions of all the images listed in the menu every time the button is pressed.

2. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means further displays an explanation of the set value represented by the highlighted image in the form of sentence on the menu.

3. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display control means displays the sentence serving as the explanation of the set value after predetermined time has elapsed from a press of the button.

4. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means further displays an arrow indicating the order of being highlighted by each press of the button between the listed images.

5. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means further displays different images as images representing selectable set values on the menu in accordance with a mode selected by a user.

6. A display control method of an image capturing apparatus provided with a button capable of changing setting about shooting, the display control method comprising:

a step of displaying a menu upon press of the button, the menu listing images representing all selectable set values in the order of being able to be selected by each press of the button, and changing a highlighted one of the images by changing display positions of all the images listed in the menu every time the button is pressed.

7. A program allowing a computer to execute a display control process of an image capturing apparatus provided with a button capable of changing setting about shooting, the program comprising:

a step of displaying a menu upon press of the button, the menu listing images representing all selectable set values in the order of being able to be selected by each press of the button, and changing a highlighted one of the images by changing display positions of all the images listed in the menu every time the button is pressed.