Imaging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10136068-B2
Application number	US-201515300091-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2015
Priority date	May 8, 2014
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes: a main body provided with an imaging section; a viewfinder that makes a state transition between a housed state in which the viewfinder is housed in the main body and a usage state in which the viewfinder is projected from the main body; and a control section that turns on or turns off power in response to the state transition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:
a main body provided with an imaging section;
a viewfinder that makes a state transition between a housed state in which the viewfinder is housed in the main body and a usage state in which the viewfinder is projected from the main body; and
a control section that turns on or turns off power of the imaging apparatus in response to the state transition.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section turns on power in the state transition from the housed state to the usage state.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section turns off power in the state transition from the usage state to the housed state.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the viewfinder moves in two or more directions in the state transition.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the viewfinder includes a main body part and a movable part that is movable with respect to the main body part, and makes a transition to the usage state when the main body part makes a transition from the housed state to a popup state in which the main body part is projected above the main body and the movable part then advances from the popup state to rear side of the main body part.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control section turns on power in the transition from the housed state to the popup state.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control section turns on power at a time of start or completion of the transition from the housed state to the popup state.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control section turns on power at a time of start or completion of the transition from the popup state to the usage state.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control section turns off power in the transition from the popup state to the housed state.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the control section turns off power at a time of start or completion of the transition from the usage state to the popup state.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the control section turns off power at a time of start or completion of the transition from the popup state to the housed state.

12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display section that displays an image that is captured by the imaging section, wherein
the control section starts or terminates display operation of the display section in response to the state transition.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the viewfinder is an electronic viewfinder, and
the control section displays a plurality of pieces of information on the display section, and displays a part of the plurality of pieces of information on the electronic viewfinder.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the viewfinder is an electronic viewfinder, and
the control section activates operation of the electronic viewfinder in the state transition from the housed state to the usage state.

15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the viewfinder is an electronic viewfinder, and
the control section stops operation of the electronic viewfinder in the state transition from the usage state to the housed state.

16. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display section and a power button through which power is turned on, wherein
the viewfinder is an electronic viewfinder, and
upon turning on the power through the power button, the control section causes only the display section to perform display operation when the electronic viewfinder is in the housed state, and causes both the display section and the electronic viewfinder to perform display operation when the electronic viewfinder is in the usage state.

17. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory section, wherein
the viewfinder includes a main body part, a movable part movable with respect to the main body part, and a visibility adjustment section that adjusts visibility corresponding to a user, and
visibility adjustment data corresponding to the user by the visibility adjustment section is stored in the memory section.

18. The imaging apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising an operation button, wherein
the visibility adjustment data corresponding to the user is stored in the memory section through operation of the operation button.

19. The imaging apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the operation button is a release button through which photographing operation is performed.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Sato Mayuko
• Hatanaka Fumikazu
• Kaimi Toshiyuki

Classifications

• H04N23/651 Primary

  for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/633

  for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/531

  being rotatable or detachable · CPC title

• G03B13/02

  Viewfinders · CPC title