State transitions of viewfinder in image pickup apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10241382-B2
Application number	US-201515307658-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2015
Priority date	May 8, 2014
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

There is provided an image pickup apparatus including: a main body provided with an image pickup section; a viewfinder capable of performing state transition between a housed state in which the viewfinder is housed in the main body and a usage state in which the viewfinder projects from the main body; a first detection section configured to detect use of the viewfinder unit by a user; and a control section configured to turn on or turn off the first detection section based on the state transition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:
a main body that comprises an image pickup section;
a viewfinder that comprises a main body part and a movable part, wherein the viewfinder is configured to:
transition from a housed state to a popup state, wherein the viewfinder is inside the main body of the image pickup apparatus in the housed state, and the viewfinder is projected outside the main body in the popup state based on a movement of the viewfinder in a first direction; and
transition from the popup state to a usage state based on a movement of the movable part in a second direction with respect to the main body part of the viewfinder, wherein the second direction is different from the first direction;

a first detection section configured to detect use of the viewfinder; and
a control section configured to one of turn on or turn off the first detection section based on a transition between the housed state and the usage state.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to turn on the first detection section at a time of the transition from the housed state to the popup state.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control section is further configured to turn on the first detection section at a time at which the transition from the housed state to the popup state is one of started or completed.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to turn on the first detection section at a time at which the transition from the popup state to the usage state is one of started or completed.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to turn off the first detection section at a time of transition from the popup state to the housed state.

6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control section is further configured to turn off the first detection section at a time at which the transition from the popup state to the housed state is one of started or completed.

7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to turn off the first detection section at a time at which transition from the usage state to the popup state is one started or completed.

8. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of mechanical keys, wherein the control section is further configured to change assignment of functions of the plurality of mechanical keys based on the detection of the use of the viewfinder.

9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display section is rotatable with respect to the main body; and
a second detection section configured to detect the rotation of the display section, wherein
the control section is further configured to select a mode to stop operation of the first detection section, based on the detection of the rotation of the display section.

10. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to one of turn on or turn off power based on the transition between the housed state and the usage state.

11. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display section, wherein the control section is further configured to one of start or end a display operation of the display section based on the transition between the housed state and the usage state.

12. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the viewfinder is an electronic viewfinder, and
the control section is further configured to:
display a plurality of pieces of information on the display section; and
display a part of the plurality of pieces of information on the electronic viewfinder.

13. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the viewfinder is an electronic viewfinder, and
the control section is further configured to activate operation of the electronic viewfinder at a time of the transition from the housed state to the usage state.

14. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the viewfinder is an electronic viewfinder, and
the control section is further configured to stop operation of the electronic viewfinder at a time of the transition from the usage state to the housed state.

15. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to turn on power at a time of the transition from the housed state to the usage state.

16. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to turn off power at a time of the transition from the usage state to the housed state.

17. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display section; and
a power button configured to turn on power, wherein
the viewfinder is an electronic viewfinder, and
the control section, based on the power turned on by the power button, is further configured to:
control the display section to display in a case where the electronic viewfinder is in the housed state; and
control both the display section and the electronic viewfinder to display in a case where the electronic viewfinder is in the usage state.

18. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory section, wherein
the viewfinder further includes a visibility adjustment section, and
the visibility adjustment section is configured to:
execute a visibility adjustment operation based on a user operation; and
store data of the visibility adjustment operation in the memory section.

19. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:
a memory section;
a main body that comprises an image pickup section;
a viewfinder that comprises a main body part, a movable part movable with respect to the main body part, and a visibility adjustment section, wherein
the viewfinder is configured to transition between a housed state in which the viewfinder is inside the main body and a usage state in which the viewfinder is projected outside of the main body, and
the visibility adjustment section is configured to:
execute a visibility adjustment operation based on a user operation; and
store data of the visibility adjustment operation in the memory section;

a detection section configured to detect use of the viewfinder; and
a control section configured to one of turn on or turn off the detection section based on the transition between the housed state and the usage state.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Sato Mayuko
• Hatanaka Fumikazu
• Kaimi Toshiyuki

Classifications

• H04N23/667

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/531

  being rotatable or detachable · CPC title

• H04N23/633

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

• H04N5/23245

  Electricity · mapped topic