Patent ID: 7969464
Filing Date: 2011-06-28
Classification: G02B,G03B

Abstract:
1. A microscope-use digital camera equipped with a sleep function, comprising: an image pickup unit for picking up images; a timer unit for measuring a time of an absence of an input operation to an operation unit for operating at least one of the image pickup unit and a display unit; a judgment unit for judging whether a change has occurred between a first image picked up by the image pickup unit at a first clock time and a second image picked up by the image pickup unit at a second clock time which is after the first clock time; a selection unit for selecting one of a shift to a sleep state, no shift to the sleep state, and an extension of time to shifting to the sleep state, according to an input instruction if the time measured by the timer unit is equal to or greater than a preset time until shifting to the sleep state and if the judgment unit judges that no change has occurred between the first image picked up by the image pickup unit at the first clock time and the second image picked up by the image pickup unit at the second clock time, wherein all three of the shift to the sleep state, no shift to the sleep state, and the extension of time to shifting to the sleep state are available as selections which are selectable by the selection unit; and a control unit for controlling the microscope-use digital camera to one of shift to the sleep state, not shift to the sleep state, and extend the time to shifting to the sleep state, based on the time measured by the timer unit, an output of the judgment unit, and the selection by the selection unit; wherein the control unit controls the microscope-use digital camera to: (i) one of shift to the sleep state, not shift to the sleep state, and extend the time to shifting to the sleep state, according to the selection by the selection unit, when the time measured by the timer unit is greater than or equal to the preset time and the judgment unit judges that no change has occurred between the first image picked up by the image pickup unit at the first clock time and the second image picked up by the image pickup unit at the second clock time, and (ii) not shift to the sleep state when the time measured by the timer unit is greater than or equal to the preset time and the judgment unit judges that a change has occurred between the first image picked up by the image pickup unit at the first clock time and the second image picked up by the image pickup unit at the second clock time.