JP6016522B2 - Imaging apparatus, control method therefor, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for controlling a fan that cools an imaging apparatus.

  In the imaging apparatus, when the temperature inside the camera rises, noise is added to the image signal from the imaging element and the image quality deteriorates. For example, there is a possibility that stable operation may be hindered at high temperatures. In view of this, there is a fan equipped to dissipate heat generated inside the camera to the outside of the camera. Furthermore, in order to control the on / off operation of the fan operation by an operator, there is a camera having a control switch in the camera so that the operator can operate the switch. When shooting while recording with a microphone of the camera, such as when shooting a moving image, when the fan operates, the operation sound may be unnecessarily recorded by the microphone. Therefore, when the photographer does not want to record the fan operation sound, the photographer turns off the fan operation control switch at the time of shooting, and performs shooting while the fan operation is stopped. However, even in such a case, it is preferable to operate the fan when the temperature inside the camera rises for the stable operation of the camera.

  Patent Document 1 discloses that in a camera that automatically operates a fan when the temperature inside the camera reaches a predetermined temperature, an indicator is displayed before the fan is operated to notify the photographer of the start of the fan. Has been.

JP 2000-287111 A

  The fan mounted on the camera is used for the purpose of driving the motor to promote air convection and to moderate or cool the temperature rise inside the camera. However, with the operation of the fan, there is an influence on shooting and recording due to noise and vibration of the camera body. For example, there are problems such as reducing the performance of focus control and vibration control due to vibration, or recording unnecessary sound in a recorded video due to noise. Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, if the fan is automatically started just because the temperature inside the camera has risen, it may affect shooting and recording, which may not be preferable for the photographer.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to perform an operation that prioritizes heat dissipation by a fan or an operation that prioritizes continuation of shooting depending on the user's intention even when the temperature of the apparatus rises. An imaging device that can be selected is realized.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes a fan for cooling the inside of the apparatus, a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the apparatus, and a case where the temperature is not increased. Setting means for setting on or off of the fan operation, and in the shooting mode, the fan operation is set to off by the setting means, and the temperature detection means detects a temperature equal to or higher than the first threshold. In response, the display control means for controlling to display a selection screen for selecting whether or not to drive the fan, and the fan operation by the user operation when the selection screen is displayed. If it does not drive is selected without driving the fan, when if it is selected to drive the fan is controlled to drive the fan, a shooting mode, off by the setting means When the operation is set to ON, the fan is controlled to be driven regardless of the temperature detected by the temperature detection means, and in the regeneration mode, the fan operation is turned ON by the setting means. Fan control means for controlling the fan to be driven regardless of whether or not it is set .

  According to the present invention, even when the internal temperature of the apparatus rises, an operation that prioritizes heat dissipation by the fan or an operation that prioritizes continuation of photographing can be selected according to the user's intention.

1 is an external view of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment. The flowchart which shows the fan control of this embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of the icon in the fan control of this embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of the high temperature warning message in the fan control of this embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments in which the imaging apparatus of the present invention is applied to a digital video camera will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  <Apparatus Configuration> With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration and functions of the digital video camera of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows an external view of the digital video camera of this embodiment. The display unit 101 is a display unit that displays images and various types of information. The shooting button 102 is an operation unit for issuing a shooting instruction. The mode switch 103 is an operation unit for switching various modes. A connector 107 is a connector between the connection cable 108 and the digital video camera 100. The operation unit 104 is an operation unit including operation members such as various switches, buttons, and a touch panel that receive various operations from the user. The controller wheel 106 is a rotatable operation member included in the operation unit 104. A power switch 105 switches between power on and power off. The recording medium 109 is a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium slot 110 is a slot for storing the recording medium 109. The recording medium 109 stored in the recording medium slot 110 can communicate with the digital video camera 100. A lid 111 is a lid of the recording medium slot 110. A fan unit 112 is provided inside the digital video camera.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the digital video camera of this embodiment. The photographing lens 203 is a lens group including a zoom lens and a focus lens. The image pickup unit 205 is an image pickup element configured by a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like that converts an optical image into an electric signal. The A / D converter 206 converts the analog signal output from the imaging unit 205 into a digital signal. The barrier 202 covers the imaging system including the imaging lens 203 of the digital video camera 100, thereby preventing the imaging system including the imaging lens 203, the shutter 204, and the imaging unit 205 from being dirty or damaged.

  The image processing unit 207 performs resizing processing and color conversion processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation and reduction on the data from the A / D converter 206 or the data from the memory control unit 209. The image processing unit 207 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and the system control unit 201 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the obtained calculation result. The image processing unit 207 further performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained calculation result.

  Output data from the A / D converter 206 is directly written into the memory 210 via the image processing unit 207 and the memory control unit 209 or via the memory control unit 209. The memory 210 stores image data obtained by the imaging unit 205 and converted into digital data by the A / D converter 206 and image data to be displayed on the display unit 101. The memory 210 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, a moving image and audio for a predetermined time.

  The memory 210 also serves as an image display memory (video memory). The D / A converter 208 converts the image display data stored in the memory 210 into an analog signal and supplies the analog signal to the display unit 101. Thus, the display image data written in the memory 210 is displayed on the display unit 101 via the D / A converter 208. The display unit 101 performs display according to an analog signal from the D / A converter 208 on a display such as an LCD. A digital signal once A / D converted by the A / D converter 206 and stored in the memory 210 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 208 and sequentially transferred to the display unit 101 for display as an electronic viewfinder. It functions and can display through images.

  The nonvolatile memory 213 is an electrically erasable / recordable memory, and for example, an EEPROM or the like is used. The nonvolatile memory 213 stores constants, programs, and the like for operating the system control unit 201. Here, the program is a program for executing a flowchart described later in the present embodiment. The backup memory 218 is an electrically erasable / recordable memory, such as an EEPROM or SRAM. The backup memory 218 stores user setting information and the like.

  A system control unit 201 controls the entire digital video camera 100. By executing the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 213 described above, each process of the flowchart described later is realized. A system memory 212 uses a RAM. In the system memory 212, constants and variables for operation of the system control unit 201, programs read from the nonvolatile memory 213, and the like are expanded. The system control unit 201 also performs display control by controlling the memory 210, the D / A converter 208, the display unit 101, and the like.

  The system timer 211 is a time measuring unit that measures the time used for various controls and the time of a built-in clock.

  The shooting button 102, the mode switch 103, and the operation unit 104 are operation units for inputting various operation instructions to the system control unit 201.

  The mode switch 103 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 201 to any one of a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, a playback mode, and the like. Modes included in the still image shooting mode include an auto shooting mode, an auto scene discrimination mode, a manual mode, various scene modes for shooting settings for each shooting scene, a program AE mode, a custom mode, and the like. The mode changeover switch 103 can be directly switched to one of these modes included in the still image shooting mode. Alternatively, after switching to the still image shooting mode once with the mode switch 103, the mode may be switched to any of these modes included in the still image shooting mode using another operation member. Similarly, the moving image shooting mode may include a plurality of modes.

  The system control unit 201 starts a series of operations from reading a signal from the imaging unit 205 to writing image data to the recording medium 109 with the operation of the shooting button 102 as a trigger.

  Each operation member of the operation unit 104 is appropriately assigned a function for each scene by selecting and operating various function icons displayed on the display unit 101, and functions as various function buttons. Examples of the function buttons include an end button, a return button, an image advance button, a jump button, a narrowing button, an attribute change button, and a shortcut button. For example, when a menu button is pressed, various setting menu screens are displayed on the display unit 101. The user can make various settings intuitively using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 101 and the four-way buttons and the SET button.

  The controller wheel 106 is a rotatable operation member included in the operation unit 104, and is used when a selection item is designated together with a direction button. When the controller wheel 106 is rotated, an electrical pulse signal is generated according to the operation amount, and the system control unit 201 controls each unit of the digital video camera 100 based on the pulse signal. Based on this pulse signal, it is possible to determine the angle at which the controller wheel 106 is rotated, how many rotations, and the like. The controller wheel 106 may be any operation member that can detect a rotation operation. For example, a dial operation member that generates a pulse signal by rotating the controller wheel 106 in accordance with a user's rotation operation may be used. Further, an operation member made of a touch sensor may be used to detect a rotation operation of a user's finger on the controller wheel 106 without rotating the controller wheel 106 itself (so-called touch wheel).

  The power control unit 214 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is attached, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Further, the power control unit 214 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and an instruction from the system control unit 201, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 109 for a necessary period.

  The power supply unit 215 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like. A recording medium I / F 219 is an interface with a recording medium 109 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 109 is a recording medium such as a memory card for recording a captured image, and includes a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

  The fan unit 112 is a cooling mechanism for suppressing an increase in the internal temperature of the camera body due to heat generated in the digital video camera, and the rotation is controlled by the system control unit 201.

  The temperature sensor 216 is a temperature detection unit for monitoring the internal temperature of the camera body, particularly the temperature of a block that is assumed to be high, and a thermistor or the like is used.

  The microphone 217 is a microphone for converting sound into an electrical signal and recording it when performing moving image shooting or a voice recorder function.

  <Fan Control> Next, the fan control of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The digital video camera of the present embodiment has a fan ON mode in which the fan is always driven and a fan AUTO mode in which the fan drive is automatically controlled according to the internal temperature of the camera. In the present embodiment, the fan AUTO mode is used in a shooting mode in which noise and vibration of the fan may affect shooting and recording, and the fan is used in a playback mode that is not affected by fan vibration and noise compared to the shooting mode. Priority is given to cooling as the ON mode. Note that the user can select and set any mode. In addition, the user can set the operation mode of the fan to ON or OFF.

  In addition, the digital video camera according to the present embodiment displays a first icon and a second icon representing temperature information on the display unit 101 as shown in FIG. 4, and also displays an operation state associated with the start / stop of the fan operation. I do.

  The nonvolatile memory 213 stores threshold information that serves as a reference for displaying an icon or the like on the display unit 101 based on the temperature information acquired by the temperature sensor 216. The threshold information includes a first threshold value, a second threshold value, and a third threshold value. Based on a comparison between temperature information acquired by the temperature sensor 216 (internal temperature of the camera body) and each threshold value, the system control unit 201. Performs the control shown in FIG. It is assumed that the relationship between the threshold values is larger for the second threshold value than for the first threshold value and larger for the third threshold value than the second threshold value (first threshold value <second threshold value <third threshold value).

  The processing in FIG. 3 is realized by the system control unit 201 expanding and executing a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 213 in the system memory 212.

  Further, prior to the processing of FIG. 3, the user can set the operation mode of the fan to ON or OFF. The fan operation mode is stored in the backup memory 218 as menu setting information.

  When the digital video camera 100 is activated, the processing of FIG. 3 is started. In S301, the system control unit 201 determines whether or not the current operation mode is a shooting mode. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the shooting mode is selected, the process proceeds to S302, and if not, the process proceeds to S312.

  In step S302, the system control unit 201 determines whether a firmware upgrade screen is displayed in the shooting mode. The firmware upgrade screen is a screen that is displayed when the firmware program stored in the nonvolatile memory 213 is updated when the firmware upgrade screen is connected to an external device via wireless or wired communication. If it is determined that the firmware upgrade screen is displayed, the process proceeds to S312; otherwise, the process proceeds to S303.

  In step S303, the system control unit 201 acquires the menu setting information stored in the backup memory 218, and determines whether the fan operation mode is set to OFF. As a result of the determination, if the fan operation mode is set to OFF, the process proceeds to S304, and if it is set to ON, the process proceeds to S312.

  In step S304, the system control unit 201 determines whether the internal temperature of the camera is equal to or higher than the first threshold based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 216. As a result of the determination, if it is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the process proceeds to S305, and if not, the internal temperature of the camera is continuously monitored in S304.

  In step S <b> 305, the system control unit 201 determines whether a predetermined time (for example, 4 seconds) has elapsed without falling below the first threshold after the internal temperature of the camera becomes equal to or higher than the first threshold. As a result of the determination, if the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to S306, and if not, the process returns to S304. The reason for measuring the predetermined time here is to confirm that it is not temporary that the internal temperature of the camera is equal to or higher than the first threshold value. Therefore, the predetermined time may be set to any number of seconds as long as it can be confirmed that it is not temporary.

  In step S <b> 306, the system control unit 201 displays a first icon 401 as illustrated in FIG. 4A on the display unit 101. The first icon 401 is an icon for warning that the internal temperature of the camera has risen and is likely to reach a temperature that may affect the operation of the camera, and is displayed in yellow, for example.

  In S307, the system control unit 201 causes the display unit 101 to display a first high temperature warning message 501 as shown in FIG. 5A and a message 502 for notifying the user whether the fan operation can be started. Then, a selection screen including an OK button 503 and a Cancel button 504 for allowing the user to select whether or not to start the fan operation is displayed.

  In step S <b> 308, the system control unit 201 waits for a selection operation by the user for the message 502. Here, the selection operation of the OK button 503 or the Cancel button 504 by the user is accepted on the selection screen, and if there is a selection operation, the process proceeds to S309.

  In step S309, the system control unit 201 proceeds to step S310 when the selection operation accepted in step S308 is the OK button 503, and proceeds to step S311 when the selection operation is the cancel button 503.

  In step S310, the system control unit 201 outputs an operation start signal to the fan unit 112 to drive the fan.

  In S311, the system control unit 201 turns off the first high temperature warning message 501 displayed in S307 (below the first threshold value), and proceeds to S315.

  On the other hand, even if the mode is other than the shooting mode in S301, the firmware up screen is being displayed (YES in S302), or the fan operation mode is on (NO in S303), the mode automatically switches to the fan ON mode. The fan is always driven (S312).

  In step S313, the system control unit 201 determines whether the internal temperature of the camera is equal to or higher than the first threshold value. As a result of the determination, if it is not less than the first threshold value, the process proceeds to S314, and if not, the internal temperature of the camera is continuously monitored in S313. In this determination as well, for the same reason as in S305, it may be determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed without falling below the first threshold after the internal temperature becomes equal to or higher than the first threshold.

  In step S <b> 314, the system control unit 201 displays a first icon 401 as illustrated in FIG. 4A on the display unit 101.

  In step S315, the system control unit 201 determines whether the internal temperature of the camera is equal to or higher than the second threshold value. As a result of the determination, if it is not less than the second threshold value, the process proceeds to S316, and if not, the internal temperature of the camera is continuously monitored in S315. In this determination as well, for the same reason as in S305, it may be determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed without falling below the second threshold after the internal temperature has become equal to or higher than the second threshold.

  In step S316, the system control unit 201 displays the second icon 402 as illustrated in FIG. The second icon 402 is an icon for warning that the internal temperature of the camera has further increased and is likely to reach a temperature that may affect the operation of the camera, and is displayed in red, for example.

  In step S317, the system control unit 201 determines whether the internal temperature of the camera is equal to or higher than a third threshold value. As a result of the determination, if it is not less than the third threshold value, the process proceeds to S318, and if not, the internal temperature of the camera is continuously monitored in S317. In this determination as well, for the same reason as in S305, it may be determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the internal temperature of the camera has become equal to or higher than the third threshold without falling below the third threshold. .

  In step S318, the system control unit 201 displays a second high temperature warning message 511 as illustrated in FIG. The second high temperature warning message 511 is a message notifying that the internal temperature of the camera is still higher, and that the operation of the camera is stopped and the power is turned off. The user sees this message and can recognize that the temperature continues to rise and the digital video camera is forcibly shut down.

  In S319 and S320, the system control unit 201 controls the power supply control unit 214 to forcibly shut down the digital video camera 100 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the message was displayed. Note that after the power is turned off, if there is an operation of turning on the power by the power switch 105, the power can be turned on again. However, when the power is turned on again, if it is still in a high temperature state (third threshold or more), it is shut down again.

  According to S303 to S311 described above, the user can select whether or not to rotate the fan when the internal temperature of the camera rises to the first threshold value or more when the fan operation mode is off. As described above, even when the internal temperature of the camera rises, it is possible to select whether to give priority to cooling by the fan or to continue shooting without being affected by the operation of the fan, according to the user's intention. Therefore, shooting can be continued during the shooting mode without being affected by the operation of the fan. On the other hand, during the playback mode or firmware upgrade screen other than the shooting mode, the fan operation is not affected, so the stable operation of the digital video camera is given priority regardless of the fan operation mode setting. Is controlled to always rotate.

  Note that, when rotating the fan, the system control unit 201 changes the rotation speed of the fan based on the internal temperature of the camera and user setting information (the higher the internal temperature, the higher the rotation speed).

  In addition, setting of the fan operation mode (setting of the fan AUTO mode or fan ON mode, setting of turning on or off the fan operation mode) is performed by assign buttons (any function among a plurality of functions) included in the operation unit 104. Can be assigned to an operation unit that can be assigned based on a user's registration operation. When the fan operation setting is registered in the assign button, the fan operation mode can be switched on and off by a toggle operation (an operation that switches on and off each time the assign button is pressed).

  In addition, when the fan rotation cycle falls below a predetermined rotation cycle due to aging or the like, a function to increase the fan rotation rate uniformly by a predetermined ratio (for example, 10%) by looking at the fan rotation cycle when the power is turned on is provided. May be. By doing so, the inside of the digital video camera can be stably cooled even if the fan deteriorates over time.

  In the process of FIG. 3, a step of determining whether or not a moving image is being captured may be provided between S306 and S307. That is, if it is determined that the movie is being shot, the process proceeds to S306. If the movie is not being shot (such as in shooting standby), the message 521 as shown in FIG. Proceed to In this case, there is a possibility that the moving image recorded by the operation of the fan may be affected during the moving image shooting. However, the moving operation is not affected unless the moving image is being shot. For this reason, even when the internal temperature of the camera is equal to or higher than the first threshold value, the case where the fan is not turned on by a user operation is only during movie shooting even in the shooting mode, so that the digital video camera can be operated more stably. be able to. During pre-recording (a function that continuously records a video of several seconds in a built-in buffer and records a moving image on a recording medium 109 from a predetermined number of seconds before the moment when the shooting button 102 is pressed) You may make it determine with it. Also, during the timer timing in the self-timer shooting, the fan may not be operated by a user operation even when the internal temperature of the camera becomes equal to or higher than the first threshold as in the moving image shooting.

  The control of the system control unit 201 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire apparatus may be controlled by a plurality of pieces of hardware sharing the processing.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Furthermore, each embodiment mentioned above shows only one embodiment of this invention, and it is also possible to combine each embodiment suitably.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital video camera has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and may be a device having a fan for cooling the inside of the apparatus. If applicable.

  [Other Embodiments] The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program code. It is processing to do. In this case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

Claims (14)

A fan for cooling the inside of the device,
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the device;
Setting means for setting the operation of the fan on or off when the temperature is not rising;
Whether or not the fan is to be driven in response to the fact that the fan operation is set to OFF by the setting means and the temperature detection means detects a temperature equal to or higher than the first threshold in the shooting mode . Display control means for controlling to display a selection screen for selecting
Control is performed so that the fan is not driven when the fan is selected not to be driven by a user operation while the selection screen is displayed, and the fan is driven when the fan is selected to be driven. And
In the shooting mode, if the operation of the fan is set to ON by the setting means, the fan is controlled to drive regardless of the temperature detected by the temperature detection means,
An image pickup apparatus comprising: fan control means for controlling to drive the fan regardless of whether or not the operation of the fan is set to ON by the setting means in the reproduction mode .   2. The display control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the temperature detection unit detects a temperature equal to or higher than the first threshold, the display control unit controls to display a warning that the temperature is high. Imaging device.   The display control means controls to display a warning that the temperature is still higher when the temperature detection means detects a temperature equal to or higher than a second threshold value higher than the first threshold value. The imaging device according to claim 2.   When the temperature detecting means detects a temperature equal to or higher than the third threshold value that is higher than the second threshold value, the display control means warns that the temperature is still higher and notifies that the apparatus is shut down. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the imaging apparatus is controlled as follows. The fan control means, even in the photographing mode, if not during moving image shooting regardless of the setting of the operation of the fan by the setting means, when the temperature of more than the first threshold value by the temperature detecting means is detected the imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller controls to drive the fan. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the moving image shooting includes a pre-recording before starting to record a moving image.   The fan control means controls to drive the fan regardless of the setting of the fan operation by the setting means when the imaging apparatus is connected to an external device even in the shooting mode. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The fan control means, even in the shooting mode, when firmware update screen for updating firmware in the display, regardless of the setting of the operation of the fan by the setting means, and controls to drive the fan The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup apparatus is an image pickup apparatus.   The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fan control unit changes a rotation speed of the fan in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a function for performing setting by the setting unit is assigned to an assign button included in an operation unit.   11. The fan control unit according to claim 1, wherein the fan control unit uniformly increases the rotation speed of the fan by a predetermined ratio when the rotation period of the fan falls below a predetermined rotation period. The imaging device described. A fan for cooling the inside of the device,
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the device;
A setting means for setting on or off of the operation of the fan when the temperature is not rising, and a control method of the imaging apparatus,
Whether or not the fan is to be driven in response to the fact that the fan operation is set to OFF by the setting means and the temperature detection means detects a temperature equal to or higher than the first threshold in the shooting mode . A display control process for controlling to display a selection screen for selecting
Control is performed so that the fan is not driven when the fan is selected not to be driven by a user operation while the selection screen is displayed, and the fan is driven when the fan is selected to be driven. And
In the shooting mode, if the operation of the fan is set to ON by the setting means, the fan is controlled to drive regardless of the temperature detected by the temperature detection means,
And a fan control step for controlling the fan so that the fan is driven regardless of whether or not the operation of the fan is set to ON by the setting means in the reproduction mode. Method.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the imaging device described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 11.   A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

Images