JP2004194083A - Camera and cellular phone with auxiliary light - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera and a cellular phone having an auxiliary light, capable of automatically adjusting the light emission quantity of the auxiliary light for illuminating an object, during photographing of the object under a low luminance environment. <P>SOLUTION: An optical sensor (not shown) detects luminance of an image displayed on an LCD set for use and inputs it to a control unit 101. The control unit 101 sets the light emission quantity from an auxiliary light 106, based on the detected luminance. Then, the control unit 101 receives image input from a camera 105 and displays the image on the LCD set for use. Upon receipt of a request for photographing from a keyboard 104, the control unit 101 lights the auxiliary light 106 by the setup light emission quantity, and conducts photographing, and puts off the auxiliary light 106, after photographing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile phone equipped with a camera, and more particularly, to a mobile phone with an auxiliary light for shooting.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a mobile phone provided with a camera and a mobile phone further provided with a lighting mechanism have been disclosed. A conventional mobile phone will be described with reference to a patent document.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-320454 A [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-232544
In the camera-equipped mobile phone according to the invention described in Patent Literature 1, when photographing the user himself, the photographing button is pressed while looking at the liquid crystal screen, and when photographing a person or landscape other than the user, the optical viewfinder is used. There is disclosed a technique for pressing a shooting button while watching.
[0005]
In the portable wireless telephone according to the invention described in Patent Document 2, the strobe unit is integrally formed with the antenna, and the strobe unit is configured to be movable away from the photographing optical system member. A technique for preventing the occurrence of the red-eye phenomenon in the above is disclosed.
[0006]
The camera-equipped mobile phone described in Patent Literature 1 has a built-in camera on the front side and a liquid crystal display having a function as a camera finder on the front side of the mobile phone. In addition, an optical viewfinder is installed on the back side to view images from the camera from the back side.
[0007]
The portable wireless telephone according to the invention described in Patent Literature 2 has a built-in strobe for illuminating a subject for photographing in a low-luminance environment of the subject. There is no particular description on the setting of the amount of light emitted from the strobe, and a liquid crystal display for checking an image viewed from one side is provided.
[0008]
There are two types of camera-equipped mobile phones: one in which the camera faces the user of the mobile phone, and one in which the camera faces the back of the user.
[0009]
First, consider a case where the camera is arranged to face the user of the mobile phone. When photographing the user himself, a liquid crystal display on the front side of the mobile phone is used as a camera finder. In addition, when photographing a person or landscape that is not the user, an optical viewfinder that looks from the back of the mobile phone to the front is used as a camera finder.
[0010]
However, the distance of the subject from the mobile phone differs between when the user himself is photographed and when a person or landscape that is not the user is photographed. Therefore, when the subject is in a low-brightness environment, in a mobile phone with an auxiliary light, the light emission amount of the auxiliary light also needs to be adjusted depending on the distance from the mobile phone. However, there is a problem that cannot be taken.
[0011]
That is, when the light emission amount of the auxiliary light set in advance is set when using the front liquid crystal display of the mobile phone as the camera finder, in which the distance to the subject is small, that is, the user may take the user himself as the subject. In this case, it is assumed that the light emission amount of the auxiliary light is set. In this case, when photographing using the optical viewfinder viewed from the back side of the mobile phone where the distance to the subject becomes large, that is, when taking a scenery or a person other than the user himself as a subject, the amount of light emitted from the auxiliary light is insufficient. And does not function as an auxiliary light.
[0012]
In addition, when the preset light emission amount of the auxiliary light is adjusted when photographing using the optical viewfinder viewed from the back side of the mobile phone when the distance to the subject is large, the distance to the subject is reduced. When the front side liquid crystal display is used as a camera finder, the auxiliary light emits light, which consumes more power than necessary, and shortens the usage time of the mobile phone.
[0013]
Furthermore, even if the user of the mobile phone can change the light emission of the auxiliary light, the user of the mobile phone must change the setting of the light emission of the auxiliary light according to the liquid crystal display or optical viewfinder used as the camera finder. There is a problem that must be.
[0014]
The reason is that there is no means for automatically switching the light emission amount setting of the auxiliary light by detecting whether the front view liquid crystal display or the optical viewfinder viewed from the back side is used as a camera finder. .
[0015]
In the above description, the case where the camera faces the user of the mobile phone is described. However, even when the camera faces the back side of the user of the mobile phone, the difference in the distance from the camera to the subject is different. Accordingly, a similar problem occurs in the light emission amount of the auxiliary light.
[0016]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and can be used for photographing a user of a mobile phone in a low-luminance environment, even when photographing a person or landscape that is not the user. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera and a mobile phone with an auxiliary light capable of automatically adjusting the light emission amount of an auxiliary light for illuminating a subject.
[0017]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a camera and a mobile phone with an auxiliary light according to the invention according to claim 1 are mobile phones having a wireless communication function using a wireless communication network, and a camera for taking a picture of a subject. And when the subject is photographed using the camera, when the subject luminance emitted from the subject is small, an auxiliary light that emits light of a necessary light emission amount according to the subject luminance and illuminates the subject is provided. It is characterized by.
[0018]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the subject luminance emitted from the subject is measured by an optical sensor.
[0019]
The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1, further comprising a front display and a rear display for displaying the subject, wherein the camera is provided with the rear liquid crystal display. An image of the subject, which is installed on the same surface as the rear surface of the telephone and captured by the camera, is displayed on the front liquid crystal display or the rear liquid crystal display.
[0020]
The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 1, further comprising a front display and a rear display for displaying the subject, wherein the camera is provided with the front liquid crystal display. An image of the subject, which is installed on the same surface as the front of the telephone and captured by the camera, is displayed on the front liquid crystal display or the rear liquid crystal display.
[0021]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect of the present invention, the user of the mobile phone displays the image of the subject captured by the camera on either the front liquid crystal display or the rear liquid crystal display. It is characterized in that whether or not to be displayed is set.
[0022]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary light is installed on the same surface as the surface on which the camera is installed, and is configured by a light emitting diode. When the light emission amount is small, the current flowing through the light emitting diode is controlled, the light emission amount from the light emitting diode is automatically determined to be a necessary light emission amount, and the auxiliary light emits light.
[0023]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary light is installed on the same surface as the surface on which the camera is installed, is constituted by a light emitting diode, and is used for setting of a user of the mobile phone. Accordingly, a current flowing through the light emitting diode is controlled, a light emission amount from the light emitting diode is determined, and the auxiliary light emits light.
[0024]
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the number of the cameras is one, and lenses of the camera are provided on both front and back sides of the mobile phone to display the subject. Further comprising a front-side display and a back-side display, wherein the auxiliary light is provided on both the front side and the rear side of the mobile phone, and the auxiliary light on the front side is the front-side lens of the camera. The auxiliary light on the back side corresponds to the back side lens of the camera, and the user of the mobile phone selects the front side or the back side of the lens, and further displays the subject image. When the front side display or the back side display is selected and a picture of the subject is taken using the selected lens, the corresponding auxiliary light corresponds to the subject brightness. There has been characterized by the emission.
[0025]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0026]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a camera and a mobile phone with an auxiliary light according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a foldable mobile phone, in which only functions related to the present invention among various functions of the mobile phone are displayed. FIG. 1A shows the open state of the foldable mobile phone, that is, the front side, and FIG. 1B shows the closed state of the foldable mobile phone, that is, the rear side.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 1, the camera 105 and the auxiliary light 106 are arranged on the back side where the back side display 103 is arranged. The antenna 108 is also arranged on the back side. The front display 102 and the keyboard 104 are arranged on the front side. The shooting button 109 is arranged on the side of the mobile phone so that the user can shoot both the front side image and the back side image.
[0028]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rear display 103 is used as a camera finder when photographing the user himself, and the front display 102 is used as a camera finder when photographing a person or landscape that is not the user. . That is, in this embodiment, the rear display 103 displaying the date and time is usually used as a camera finder without using the optical finder.
[0029]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing control of the embodiment of the camera and the mobile phone with an auxiliary light according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a camera and a mobile phone with an auxiliary light according to the present invention include a wireless unit 107 and an antenna 108 for performing wireless communication with a mobile phone network, a camera 105 for photographing, An auxiliary light 106 for illuminating the mobile phone, a keyboard 104 for operating the mobile phone, a front liquid crystal display 102 and a rear liquid crystal display 103 as a display device having a camera finder function, and a control unit 101 for performing various controls of the mobile phone. It is configured.
[0030]
The antenna 108 is connected to the wireless unit 107, and the wireless unit 107, the front liquid crystal display 102, the rear liquid crystal display 103, the keyboard 104, the camera 105, and the auxiliary light 106 are connected to the control unit 101.
[0031]
At the time of photographing, a received image from the camera 105 is displayed on the front liquid crystal display 102 or the rear liquid crystal display 103 selected as a camera finder by the control unit 101. In the present invention, in addition to the front liquid crystal display 102, a rear liquid crystal display 103 is used as a camera finder. That is, when photographing the user himself, the image from the camera 105 is viewed on the rear liquid crystal display 103, and when photographing a person or landscape where the user is not the user, the user is required to photograph the front liquid crystal display. The photographed image is confirmed by looking at 102.
[0032]
An optical viewfinder can be provided as in a conventional example to view an image on the back side or the front side. However, in a mobile phone having a liquid crystal display on both sides on the back side or the front side, these liquid crystal displays are not used. By effectively utilizing, the optical finder can be eliminated and the cost can be reduced.
[0033]
The auxiliary light 106 is constituted by a light emitting diode. The amount of light emitted from the light emitting diode (illuminance) increases or decreases depending on the magnitude of the current supplied to the light emitting diode. In response to an input of a captured image from the camera 105, the brightness (brightness) of the environment of the captured image is detected by an optical sensor (not shown) or the like, and the detection result is input to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 determines the amount of light emitted from the auxiliary light 106 based on the detection result, and causes the auxiliary light 106 to emit light.
[0034]
Therefore, when the user looks at the rear side liquid crystal display 103 and shoots, for example, the user himself, the distance from the camera 105 to the subject is generally short, so that the amount of light emitted from the auxiliary light 106 automatically becomes small. . In addition, when photographing a person or a landscape that is not the user while looking at the front side liquid crystal display 102, the distance from the camera 105 to the subject is generally long. Illuminance) increases.
[0035]
Here, as described above, since a plurality of light emission amounts can be set from the auxiliary light 106, several types are set when the front side liquid crystal display 102 is used, and several types are set when the rear side liquid crystal display 103 is used. it can.
[0036]
In the above description, the brightness (brightness) of the environment of the image to be captured is detected by the optical sensor and the like, and the illuminance from the auxiliary light 106 is automatically determined. To set the light emission amount (illuminance), the user inputs the illuminance setting from the keyboard 104. The control unit 101 emits light of the illuminance set from the auxiliary light 106 at the time of shooting in response to an input from the keyboard 104.
[0037]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment of the camera and the mobile phone with auxiliary light of the present invention. With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the operation of the embodiment of the camera and the mobile phone with the auxiliary light of the present invention will be described in detail. The flowchart of FIG. 3 shows the operation of the subject in a low-luminance environment.
[0038]
At the time of taking a picture, the user of the mobile phone operates the keyboard 104 and inputs a picture. The control unit 101 activates the camera 105 in response to this photographing input (step S1). Further, the user operates the keyboard 104 to set a liquid crystal display to be used as a camera finder on the front liquid crystal display 102 or the rear liquid crystal display 103, and the control unit 101 controls the front liquid crystal display 102 or the rear liquid crystal display. 103 is started (step S2). An optical sensor (not shown) detects the brightness (brightness) of an image displayed on the set liquid crystal display, and inputs the detected brightness to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 sets the amount of light emitted from the auxiliary light 106 based on the detected luminance (step S3).
[0039]
Next, the control unit 101 receives an image input from the camera 105 (step S4), and displays an image on the liquid crystal display set in step S2 (step S5).
[0040]
Upon receiving the photographing request from the keyboard 104 (Yes in step S6), the control unit 101 turns on the auxiliary light 106 with the light emission amount set in step S3 at the same time as the photographing button 109 is pressed (step S7). Photographing is performed (step S8), and after photographing, the auxiliary light is turned off (step S9).
[0041]
Here, in an environment where the emission of the auxiliary light is not particularly necessary, the light emission amount setting in step 3 is zero, and the light emission of the auxiliary light 106 in steps S7 and S9 is not turned on / off.
[0042]
As described above, the light emission amount of the auxiliary light 106 is automatically set by the control unit 101 depending on whether the selected camera finder is the front liquid crystal display 102 or the rear liquid crystal display 103 in a low luminance environment of the subject. Is done. However, when the user of the mobile phone wants to set the light emission amount of the auxiliary light 106 regardless of the brightness (brightness) of the subject, the user of the mobile phone must manually set the light amount separately from the keyboard 104. You can also.
[0043]
Although the case where the liquid crystal display is provided on the front side and the back side has been described, the present invention is also applicable to a mobile phone including the liquid crystal display on only one side and having a mirror or the like for reflecting the subject on one side. , Can be applied.
[0044]
In the embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary light in the foldable mobile phone has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a non-foldable mobile phone as described above.
[0045]
In the above description, one camera is used. However, the camera lens is provided on both the front side and the back side, a plane mirror is provided inside, and the screen for the front side or the back side is selected. Is also possible. In this case, the auxiliary lights are provided on both the front side and the back side.
[0046]
As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail. However, the above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not limited thereto. Modifications are possible.
[0047]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. First, it is possible to improve the photographic image quality in photographing a subject in a low-luminance environment. The reason is that depending on the case where the front LCD of the mobile phone is used as the camera finder and the case where the rear LCD of the mobile phone is used, and according to the brightness of the environment of the photographing target at that time, This is because it is possible to set a suitable light emission amount of the auxiliary light.
[0048]
Second, the operation of the user of the mobile phone at the time of photographing can be reduced. The reason for this depends on whether you are using the front LCD of the mobile phone or the rear LCD of the mobile phone as the camera finder, and depending on the brightness of the environment to be photographed at that time. This is because the light emission amount of the auxiliary light is automatically set accordingly.
[0049]
Furthermore, since an optical viewfinder is not used as the camera viewfinder and the front or rear liquid crystal display is used, it is possible to contribute to cost reduction.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a camera and a mobile phone with an auxiliary light according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating control of an embodiment of the camera and the mobile phone with an auxiliary light according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the embodiment of the camera and the mobile phone with an auxiliary light according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 control unit 102 front liquid crystal display 103 rear liquid crystal display 104 keyboard 105 camera 106 auxiliary light 107 radio unit 108 antenna 109 shooting button

Claims (8)

A mobile phone having a wireless communication function using a wireless communication network,
A camera for taking pictures of the subject,
When photographing the subject using the camera, when the subject luminance emitted from the subject is low, the subject emits light having a necessary light emission amount according to the subject luminance, and has an auxiliary light that illuminates the subject. Mobile phone with camera and auxiliary light. The mobile phone with a camera and an auxiliary light according to claim 1, wherein the brightness of the subject emitted from the subject is measured by an optical sensor. Further comprising a front display and a rear display for displaying the subject,
The camera is installed on the same surface as the rear surface of the mobile phone on which the rear liquid crystal display is installed,
2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the image of the subject captured by the camera is displayed on the front liquid crystal display or the rear liquid crystal display. Further comprising a front display and a rear display for displaying the subject,
The camera is installed on the same surface as the front of the mobile phone on which the front liquid crystal display is installed,
2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the image of the subject captured by the camera is displayed on the front liquid crystal display or the rear liquid crystal display. The user of a mobile phone sets whether to display an image of the subject captured by the camera on either the front liquid crystal display or the rear liquid crystal display. 4. The mobile phone with the camera and the auxiliary light according to 4. The auxiliary light is installed on the same surface as the surface on which the camera is installed, and is configured by a light emitting diode.
When the brightness of the subject emitted from the subject is small, the current flowing through the light emitting diode is controlled, the amount of light emitted from the light emitting diode is automatically determined to a required amount of light, and the auxiliary light emits light. The mobile phone with the camera and the auxiliary light according to claim 1. The auxiliary light is installed on the same surface as the surface on which the camera is installed, and is configured by a light emitting diode.
The camera according to claim 1, wherein a current flowing through the light emitting diode is controlled in accordance with a setting of a user of the mobile phone, a light emission amount from the light emitting diode is determined, and the auxiliary light emits light. Mobile phone with auxiliary light. The camera is one, and the lens of the camera has on both the front side and the back side of the mobile phone,
Further comprising a front display and a rear display for displaying the subject,
The auxiliary light has on both the front side and the back side of the mobile phone,
The auxiliary light on the front side corresponds to the front lens of the camera,
The auxiliary light on the rear side corresponds to the rear lens of the camera,
The user of the mobile phone selects the front side or the back side of the lens, and further selects the front side display or the back side display that displays the subject image,
2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein, when taking a picture of the subject using the selected lens, the corresponding auxiliary light is emitted according to the brightness of the subject.

Images