Patent Publication Number: US-2009225216-A1

Title: Fl grid transmission camera device

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid, and more particularly to an image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid in which a photographing range is displayed on a real image of a subject so as to photograph the composition of the real image, without viewing a view finder or a LCD monitor. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In a conventional image pickup device, user can previously see the composition or screen of the subject to be photographed through the view finder or the LCD monitor during the photographing thereof. However, where the user views the conventional view finder or LCD monitor, there are restrictions in that the user must close one eye thereof or the LCD monitor must be separated from his eye in a predetermined distance. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     Technical Solution 
     Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid, in which an angle of view of a focal length designated by the user is displayed on the real image of the actual subject through a light-emitting unit, whereby the user can grasp the composition of the photograph in the actual frame and arrange the subject, without viewing the view finder or the LCD monitor. 
     Advantageous Effects 
     In the an image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid according to the present invention, an angle of view of a focal length designated by the user is displayed on the real image of the actual subject through a light-emitting unit and the user can grasp the composition of the photograph in the actual frame and arrange the subject, without viewing the view finder or the LCD monitor, thereby providing a convenience thereof. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above as well as the other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the AF point and the frame area of the FL grid displayed on a planar wall as the subject according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the AF point and the frame area of the FL grid of the subject at a low angle according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the light-irradiating control unit of the image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid according to the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the image pickup device capable of transmitting the focal length grid includes a lens assembly  115  for photographing an image of a subject, a lens drive  110  for controlling a focus of the lens assembly and a driving of a shutter, a light-emitting unit  120  for irradiating a light towards the subject, a light-irradiating control unit  125  for determining a shape of a frame irradiated directly to the subject and an irradiating range based on the variation of a photographing range, a light-irradiating button unit  130  for operating the light-emitting unit  120 , an operating panel unit  135  for inputting various control commands by means of a user, a zoom managing unit  140  for performing a zoom function of the operating panel unit  135 , and a main control unit  105  for controlling overall photographing operations of each unit. 
     More concretely, when the user presses the light-irradiating button unit  130  of the image pickup device according to the present invention, the light from the light-emitting unit  120  is irradiated to the real image of the subject so as to accurately grasp the position of the subject by using the central automatic focus (AF) point of the focus length (FL) grid mounted to the camera lens, thereby showing the frame to be photographed. Accordingly, it is unnecessary to check out the position and composition of the subject through the view finder or the LCD monitor. Here, the light-emitting unit  120  adjusts the focus of the subject through the AF point and the focus length (FL) grid shows the square frame together. 
     Meanwhile, in the illustrated case, the shape of the frame is only a square. However, the present invention is not limited to the frame having only a square. In accordance with the present invention, the shape of the frame may be a circle, an oval, a lozenge and so on. That is, the shape of a permeable window, as shown in  FIG. 2 , may be displayed on the real image in a various shape. 
     More concretely, when the user presses the light-irradiating button unit  130  of the image pickup device according to the present invention, the light is generated through the light-emitting unit  120  and is irradiated to the subject. Here, the irradiated central automatic focus (AF) point and area of the square frame show the range of the image formed in the image pickup device. 
     The light-irradiating control unit  125  serves to determine the shape of the frame irradiated directly to the subject and control the changed range of the photo irradiation in a case of changing the photographing range such as the zooming function and the change of a distance. More clearly, when the user manipulates the operating panel unit  135 , the light-irradiating control unit  125  controls the range of the photo irradiation through the main control unit  105  according to the inputted order and displays it on the real image through the light-emitting unit  120 . 
     According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the image pickup device capable of transmitting the focal length grid further includes an infrared transmission unit  165  irradiating the infrared light for checking out the existence and nonexistence of the subject and an infrared receiving unit  160  for receiving the reflected infrared light. 
     As described above, the infrared light is irradiated toward the subject through the infrared transmission unit  165  and the infrared light reflected from the subject is received by the infrared receiving unit  160  again, so that it can check out the existence and nonexistence of the subject. Here, where the subject does not exist, that is, when the region corresponding to the AF does not exist or the AF is infinity, the AF point and the square frame of the focal length grid are not displayed all together. 
     According to anther additional aspect of the present invention, the image pickup device capable of transmitting the focal length grid further includes a conversion unit  145  for converging the photographed image into a digital data and a memory unit  150  for storing the photographed images (the converged image data). 
     Accordingly, in case of applying the image pickup device of the present invention to the digital image pickup device, the pickup images of the subject are conversed into the digital data through the conversion unit  145  and the converged image data is stored in the memory unit  150 . 
     According to further anther additional aspect of the present invention, the image pickup device capable of transmitting the focal length grid further includes a mode setting unit  155  for setting the frame ratio that is, the frame ratio mode of the FL grid to 4:3 mode or 3:3 mode and so on. 
     Accordingly, it can set the frame ratio mode of the FL grid to the frame ratio of 4:3 mode or 3:3 mode and so on, which are used in the digital image pickup device. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a light-irradiating control unit of the image pickup device capable of transmitting the focal length grid includes a permeable window  220  for representing by a frame area in order to see the light irradiated toward the subject with the naked eye and a driving motor unit  210  for moving a light-emitting unit  120  during the changing of the photographing range according to the zooming function. 
     More concretely, when the user presses the light-irradiating button unit  130   a  of the image pickup device according to the present invention, the light from the permeable window  220  is irradiated to the real image of the subject so as to accurately grasp the position of the subject by using the central automatic focus (AF) point of the focus length (FL) grid mounted to the camera lens, thereby showing the frame to be photographed. 
     The light-emitting unit  120  is mechanically connected to the driving motor unit  210  and gets near to or away from the permeable window  220  according to the operation of the driving motor unit  210 , so that the area of the FL grid frame, which is displayed on the real image according to the zooming function of a zoom managing unit  140   a  is enlarged or reduced. 
     More clearly, when the user manipulates the operating panel unit  135   a , the operated signals are transmitted to each unit through the main control unit  105   a  to operate the zoom function, thereby performing the zoom function (enlargement or reduction) through the zoom managing unit  140   a . At this time, since the photographing frame area is also changed according to the changing of the photographing range, the light-emitting unit  120  is moved to right and left. 
     The light is generated through the light-emitting unit  120  and is irradiated to the subject. Here, the irradiated central automatic focus (AF) point and area of the square frame show the range of the image formed in the image pickup device. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the AF point and the frame area of the FL grid displayed on a planar wall as the subject according to the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , when the user presses the light-irradiating button unit  130  of the image pickup device according to the present invention, the AF point area and the frame area of the FL grid are transmitted at the same time, through the light-emitting unit  120 , for example, the position of the wall as the subject is accurately grasped and the final photograph area is represented by the composition of the real image. At this time, when the user presses the light-irradiating button unit  130  again, only a part, which is located in the square frame displayed on the frame area of the FL grid, is stored as a final product or the image is formed on the film. 
     The light-irradiating button unit  130  includes automatic and semiautomatic shutters by reconstructing the photographing buttons of the conventional image pickup device. However, separate buttons can be organized. Preferably, the photographing button of the image pickup device of the present invention may be a photo irradiation button. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the AF point and the frame area of the FL grid of the subject at a low angle according to the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , since the user can check out the photo image and the horizontal/vertical composition of the subject without viewing the view finder or the LCD monitor, the user can easily grasp the composition from the real image at low or high angles thereof by using the AF point and the frame area of the FL grid of the subject without lowering his body in order to check out the composition of the subject. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the light-irradiating control unit of the image pickup device capable of transmitting a focal length grid according to the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the light-irradiating control unit  125  serves to determine the shape of the frame irradiated directly to the subject and control the changed range of the photo irradiation in a case of changing the photographing range such as the zooming function and the change of a distance. More clearly, when the user manipulates the operating panel unit  135 , the light-irradiating control unit  125  controls the range of the photo irradiation through the main control unit  105  according to the inputted order and displays it on the real image through the light-emitting unit  120 . 
     Further more concretely, since the permeable window  220  according to the present invention is mounted on one side of the camera, where the user presses the light-irradiating button unit  130  of the image pickup device according to the present invention, the light is irradiated by the light-emitting unit  120  and the photographing range is represented by the composition of the real image according to the shape of the permeable window  220 . At this time, where the user photographs the subject, only a part, which is located in the square frame displayed on the frame area of the FL grid, is stored as the final product or the image is formed on the film. 
     Here, when the user manipulates the zoom function of the operating panel unit  135 , the operated signals are transmitted to each unit through the main control unit  105  to operate the zoom function, thereby performing the zoom function (enlargement or reduction) by moving the driving motor unit  210  connected to the main control unit  105  forward or backward. 
     While this invention has been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and the drawings, but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and variations within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.