JP2000295568A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an electronic camera by which still pictures with high quality can reliably be obtained without losing shutter chances and only required still pictures can surely be stored through a simple operation. SOLUTION: The electronic camera has still picture release switches 31, 32 that instruct photographing of a still picture, a moving picture release switch 33 that instructs photographing start and stop of a moving picture. A recording medium 28 records the still picture photographed by an instruction of the still picture release switches 31, 32 or the moving picture photographed by an instruction of the moving picture release switch 33 under the control of a system controller 29. In the case that the still picture release switches 31, 32 instruct photographing of a still picture while a moving picture is being photographed, a flag is set to the still picture corresponding to the moving picture recorded in the recording medium 28 and only the still picture to which the flag is set is reproduced in the case of reproducing the moving picture.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic camera for photographing using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD two-dimensional image sensor, and more particularly to an electronic camera capable of photographing not only a still image but also a moving image. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image of a subject is formed on a solid-state image sensor, for example, a CCD two-dimensional image sensor by an imaging optical system, and converted into an electric signal. A so-called electronic camera that records on a recording medium such as the one described above is becoming widespread.

Further, with the increase in the capacity of a memory used as a recording medium and the improvement in image processing speed, a so-called continuous shooting function for shooting not only still images but also a plurality of still images that are substantially continuous in time is provided. An electronic camera having the same has been developed. With such a continuous shooting function, a still image can be shot without missing a photo opportunity.

[0004]

However, even if the capacity of the recording medium can be increased, when the continuous shooting is performed in the electronic camera, the capacity required for the recording medium becomes enormous or the continuous shooting is possible. Time is limited, it is necessary to reduce the amount of data per still image, and it is difficult to ensure high image quality.

Further, when a desired image is selected from a large number of still images obtained by continuous shooting, it is necessary to delete unnecessary still images which are not selected in order to effectively use the capacity of a recording medium. However, for that purpose, the operation of deleting unnecessary still images one by one must be repeatedly performed. Such an individual erasing operation of a still image is not only very complicated, but also involves a risk of inadvertently erasing a necessary still image.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an electronic camera capable of reliably obtaining a high-quality still image without missing a shutter chance, and capable of reliably leaving only a required still image with a simple operation. The purpose is to:

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a method of adding identification information to a desired still image in a moving image at the time of shooting the moving image. The main point is that a desired still image can be obtained at the same time.

That is, an electronic camera according to the present invention comprises a first release means for instructing the photographing of a still image and a second release means for instructing the start and stop of the photographing of a moving image composed of a plurality of temporally continuous still images. Release means and the first
Recording means for recording, on a predetermined recording medium, a still image photographed according to an instruction from the release means and a moving image photographed according to an instruction from the second release means, and photographing of a moving image according to the instruction from the second release means. In the case where the shooting of the still image is instructed by the first release means in a state where the shooting is being performed, the identification information is added to the still image at the moment when the shooting of the still image in the moving image recorded on the recording medium is instructed. It is characterized by comprising recording control means for adding, and reproduction control means for controlling to sequentially reproduce only still images to which identification information is added when reproducing a moving image recorded on a recording medium.

With such a configuration, a desired still image can be obtained at the same time when a moving image is shot, and only the still image can be selectively displayed.

In the present invention, at the time of reproduction under the control of the reproduction control means, the change setting of the addition position of the identification information to the still image in the moving image recorded on the recording medium, that is, the change of the position added to the recording information, The image processing apparatus may further include an editing unit configured to change the identification information added to the still image in the moving image to the identification information added to another still image in the moving image.

The moving image is composed of a plurality of independent still images. By changing the position where the identification information is added in this manner, a more desirable still image can be selected again, so that a shutter chance is missed. Possibility is reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, a still image to which no identification information is added is collectively deleted from a moving image recorded on a recording medium, and a still image to which the remaining identification information is added is converted to an independent still image. The recording apparatus may further include an organizing means for updating and recording the information on a recording medium. In this case, the identification information may be deleted from the still image to which the remaining identification information is added.

As described above, by leaving only necessary still images and deleting unnecessary still images collectively, a recording medium having a limited capacity can be used effectively while simplifying the operation. The possibility of erroneously erasing an image can be reduced.

Further, it is preferable that the first release means and the second release means in the present invention are arranged at positions separated from each other so as to be operated by different fingers. By doing so, you can prevent erroneous operations, you can accidentally take a moving image when you want to take a normal still image,
Conversely, the possibility of shooting a still image when shooting a moving image is reduced.

More preferably, for example, the first release means is set at a position operated by an index finger, and the second release means is set at a position operated by a thumb. The operability of a still camera and a video camera can be inherited, and the possibility of operating both cameras by mistake can be eliminated.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of an electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. This electronic camera mainly comprises a camera body 1 and a lens barrel 2. The camera body 1 is provided with a still image release button 4, a moving image release button 5, a play button 6, a plus / minus key 7, and a delete button 8 as operation units in addition to the optical viewfinder 3. A color liquid crystal display (LCD) 23, a still image recording / display LED 24, and a moving image recording / display LED 25, which will be described later, are provided.

Next, a detailed internal structure of the electronic camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG.
After the subject light passes through the imaging lens 11 provided in the lens barrel 2, the light amount is controlled by the aperture 12. The imaging lens 11 is driven by an AF motor 13, and the aperture 12 is driven by an aperture motor 15. The subject light that has passed through the imaging lens 11 and the aperture 12 is guided into the camera body 1 and enters a CCD two-dimensional color image sensor (hereinafter simply referred to as a CCD) 15 that is a color solid-state imaging device. As a result, a subject image is formed on the imaging surface of the CCD 15.

The CCD 15 has a plurality of pixels for performing photoelectric conversion arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form an image pickup surface, and further has a color filter disposed on the image pickup surface.
By being driven and controlled by the CD driver 16,
The signal charges corresponding to the subject image formed on the imaging surface are accumulated. The signal charges accumulated on the imaging surface are read out from the CCD 15 as electric signals called pixel signals.

The pixel signal read from the CCD 15 is
After being converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 17, the digital signal is input to an AE (automatic exposure) processing unit 18, an AF (automatic focus adjustment) processing unit 19 and an image processing unit 20.

The AE processing section 18 receives the digitized pixel signal output from the A / D converter 17 and performs an arithmetic processing mainly on the cumulative addition of the pixel signals from each pixel. A according to the brightness of the subject based on
Find the E evaluation value.

The AF processing section 12 receives the digitized pixel signal output from the A / D converter 17 and extracts, for example, a high-frequency component of the pixel signal for one screen by a high-pass filter. An AF evaluation value corresponding to the contour component amount on the high frequency side is calculated by performing arithmetic processing such as cumulative addition.

The image processing section 20 performs auto white balance, color signal separation, CDS (correlated double sampling) and other processing on the pixel signal,
A color image signal of a predetermined format is generated.

The color image signal generated by the image processing section 20 is temporarily stored in a buffer memory 21 composed of, for example, a D-RAM. The color image signal read from the buffer memory 21 is guided to the display processing unit 22,
Here, after being converted into a form suitable for display output, it is supplied to a color liquid crystal display (LCD) 23 of a TFT system or the like, and is displayed as an image. The display processing unit 22 is also connected with a still image recording display LED 24 and a moving image recording display LED 25.

A compression / decompression processing unit 26 is further connected to the buffer memory 21, and a recording / reproduction processing unit 27 is connected to the compression / decompression processing unit 26. The recording / reproducing processing unit 27 performs processing for recording image data and accompanying data on the recording medium 28 and reproducing image data and accompanying data from the recording medium 28. As the recording medium 28, for example, a memory card formed of a semiconductor memory such as a card type flash memory is generally used. However, the recording medium 28 is not limited to the memory card, and may be a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk or a floppy disk. And various forms can be used.

The compression / expansion processing section 26 reads out the image signal stored in the buffer memory 21 and compresses (encodes) the image signal.
By performing the processing, a compression processing unit for forming a form suitable for recording on the recording medium 28 and a decompression processing unit for reading out image data recorded on the recording medium 28 and performing decompression (decoding) processing Become. As a compression processing method, for example, a motion JPEG method is used, but it is not limited to this. The decompressed image signal is temporarily stored in a buffer memory 21, and is appropriately displayed on a color liquid crystal display 23 via a display processing unit 22.

The system controller 29 controls each unit based on the processing results of the AE processing unit 18 and the AF processing unit 19 and commands from the operation unit 30, and is configured using a CPU. Specifically, the system controller 29 includes an image processing unit 20, a buffer memory 21, a display processing unit 22, a compression / decompression processing unit 26, and a recording / reproduction processing unit 2.
7. Control the motor drivers 41 and 42 that drive the AF motor 13 and the aperture motor 14.

That is, the system controller 29
The motor driver 42 is controlled based on the AE evaluation value obtained by the E processing unit 18, and the aperture 12 is controlled via the aperture motor 14.
The automatic exposure (AE) process is performed by controlling the amount of light by controlling the amount of light, or by controlling the charge accumulation time of the CCD 15 via the CCD driver 16. Further, the system controller 29 controls the motor driver 41 based on the AF evaluation value obtained by the AF
The imaging lens 11 is moved in the optical axis direction via the F motor 13 to perform an automatic focus adjustment (AF) process.

The operation unit 30 generates a command signal for performing various operations based on the operation of the camera user and transmits the command signal to the system controller 29. Specifically, the operation unit 30 has a switch for instructing photography,
A first-stage release switch 31, a second-stage release switch 32, and a moving image release switch 33 are provided.

The first-stage release switch 31 generates a command signal for starting AE processing and AF processing, which are preliminary operations performed prior to a still image capturing operation. The second-stage release switch 32 is a first-stage release switch 32.
And generates a command signal to start the actual image pickup operation of the still image. The moving image release switch 33 is for instructing start and stop of shooting of a moving image.

Further, the operation unit 30 has a reproduction switch 34 for instructing reproduction of a still image or a moving image, a plus / minus key 35 for instructing a reproduction direction at the time of reproduction, and recorded on a recording medium 28. An erasure switch 36 for instructing erasure of a still image or a moving image is also provided.

The correspondence with FIG. 1 will be described. The first-stage release switch 31, which is a still image release switch, and the second-stage release switch 31
The stage release switch 32 is a switch that is turned on when the still image release button 4 is pressed. When the still image release button 4 is half-pressed, only the first stage release switch 31 is turned on and the still image release switch 4 is turned on. , And the AE process and the AF process, which are preliminary operations prior to the shooting operation, are started under the control of the system controller 29.

When the still image release button 4 is fully pressed, the second-stage release switch 32 is also turned on,
Recording of a still image is instructed under the control of the system controller 29, and the compressed still image data is recorded on the recording medium 28. At this time, the still image recording / display LED 24 is turned on by the control of the display processing unit 22 by the system controller 29, so that the user can confirm that the still image is being captured and recorded.

The moving image release switch 33 is turned on when the moving image release button 5 is operated. When the moving image release switch 33 is turned on, a plurality of temporally continuous still image images are displayed. An instruction to start and stop capturing image data of a moving image including data is issued. Based on this instruction, the system controller 2
The image data of the moving image photographed under the control of 9 is compressed in the same manner as the image data of the still image, and then recorded on the recording medium 28. At this time, the moving image recording / display LED 25 is turned on by the control of the display processing unit 22 by the system controller 29, whereby the user can confirm that shooting and recording of the moving image are being performed.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the still image release button 4 and the moving image release button 5 are arranged at separate positions so as to be operated by different fingers. 4 and 5 can be prevented from being erroneously operated. In particular, the still image release button 4
Is provided at a position operated by the index finger, and the moving image release button 5 is provided at a position operated by the thumb, so that the operability of a still camera and a video camera, which have been widely and more widely used than before, is inherited. Thus, the possibility of erroneous operation can be more reliably eliminated.

The reproduction switch 34 is turned on when the reproduction button 6 is pressed. When the reproduction switch 34 is turned on, the image data recorded on the recording medium 28 is reproduced under the control of the system controller 29. After the reproduction data is decompressed, it is displayed as an image on the color liquid crystal display 23. The plus / minus switch 35 is a switch that is operated by operating the plus / minus key 7, and can change the reproduction direction at the time of reproduction between a forward direction and a reverse direction.

The erase switch 35 is a switch which is turned on when the erase button 8 is pressed. When the erase switch 35 is turned on, selective erasure of still images and batch erasure of moving images can be performed.

The system controller 29 includes, in addition to the various controls described above, (a) recording control for adding identification information to a still image, and (b) reproduction control for reproducing only a still image to which identification information is added. , (C) editing for changing the identification information, and (d) organizing for updating and recording the still image on the recording medium 28. Hereinafter, these (a), (b), and (c)
Each control of (d) will be briefly described.

First, in the recording control of (a), a still image is instructed by operating the still image release button 5 while a moving image is being shot by an instruction by operating the moving image release button 4. In this case, the recording / reproducing processing unit 27 controls the addition of the identification information to the corresponding still image in the moving image recorded on the recording medium 28, that is, the still image shot at the moment when the still image release button 5 is operated.
Do for In the present embodiment, the above-described addition of the identification information is performed by setting a predetermined flag for the corresponding still image.

In the reproduction control (b), the control for sequentially reproducing only the still images to which the identification information is added when the moving image recorded on the recording medium 28 is added, that is, the flag is set, is performed by the recording / reproduction processing unit. 27.

In the editing of (c), at the time of reproduction under the reproduction control of (b), the recording medium 2 is reproduced based on an instruction from the user.
The identification information added to the still image in the moving image recorded in 8 is changed and set to the identification information added to another still image in the moving image. That is, the process of appropriately rewriting the flag set in the still image in the moving image to another still image is performed via the recording / reproducing processing unit 27.

In the arrangement of (d), from the moving images recorded on the recording medium 28, still images to which identification information is not added, that is, still images for which no flag is set are erased collectively, and the remaining flag is set. The recording / playback processing unit 27 is controlled to update and record the current still image as a new still image. At this time, the still image to which the flag is set may be updated and recorded in the recording medium 28 by deleting the flag set to the still image.

Next, a procedure of a shooting (recording) operation of a still image and a moving image in the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. The control of these operations is performed by the system controller 29.

First, after the initial setting in step A1, it is checked whether the still image release switches 31, 32 are on (step A2).
If both are ON, it is checked at this time whether or not a moving image is being captured by an instruction by operating the moving image release button 5 (step A3). Here, if a moving image is being shot, that is, if a plurality of temporally continuous still images are being shot, a flag is set for the corresponding still image in the moving image (step A4). The still images are photographed one by one (step A5).

That is, in step A4, when the still image release switches 31, 32 are turned on, that is, at the moment when the still image release button 4 is fully pressed, a desired still image is captured as a moving image. A flag that is identification information indicating a still image is set. This flag is added to the data of the corresponding still image in the moving image data (moving image file) obtained by compressing the moving image under the control of the system controller 29 and recorded on the recording medium 28.

On the other hand, if the still image release switches 31, 32 are not on in step A2, it is checked whether the moving image release switch 33 is on (step A6).
If the moving image release switch 33 is on, it is further checked whether or not a moving image is being captured (step A).
7). Here, if the moving image is not being shot, it is determined that the user has instructed the start of the moving image shooting, and the shooting of the moving image is started (step A8). It is determined that an instruction to stop capturing an image has been issued, and the capturing of a moving image is stopped (step A9).

Then, steps A4, A5, A8, A9
Each time the process is completed, the process returns to step A2 and the above process is repeated. In this way, at the time of capturing a moving image, FIG.
As shown in <, the still image desired by the user was obtained.
By pressing the still image release button 4 at the timings of 1>, <2>, and <3>, a flag is set for the still image, so that a desired still image can be shot.

Next, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the procedure of the reproduction operation of the image photographed and recorded as described above will be described. The control of these operations is performed by the system controller 29.

First, an index based on thumbnail images is displayed (step B1), and it is determined whether or not a selection operation has been performed by the user based on the index (step B2). If the result of this determination is that a selection operation has been performed, it is checked whether or not the reproduced image is a moving image (step B3). If it is not a moving image, the image is displayed as a still image (step B4). During the display of each of the still images, it is checked whether or not the erase key 8 has been operated within a predetermined time (step B5). If the erase key 8 has been operated, the displayed still image is erased (step B6). .

On the other hand, if the image reproduced in step B3 is a moving image, it is checked whether the continuous reproduction mode is set (step B7). If the image is reproduced in the continuous reproduction mode, reproduction processing of the moving image is performed. (Step B
8). In this moving image reproduction processing, the reproduction speed may be lower than the actual speed. After this moving image playback processing, it is checked whether or not the erase key has been operated (step B).
9). If the erase key 8 is not operated, it is checked whether or not the reproduction is completed (step B10), and the moving image reproduction processing of step B8 is continued until the reproduction is completed. When the erase key 8 is operated in step B9, the moving image subjected to the reproduction process is erased in a batch in step B8 (step B11). If it is determined in step B7 that the mode is not the continuous playback mode, the following skip playback process is performed (step B12).

Next, the skip reproduction process in step B12 in FIG. 5 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the skip reproduction process, first, a still image with a flag set is searched from the moving image files recorded on the recording medium 28 (step C1), and only those still images are skipped and reproduced (step C1).
2). During this skip playback, the plus / minus keys 7
It is checked whether has been operated (step C3).

Here, when the plus / minus key 7 is operated, the image is switched and displayed according to the operation result (step C4), and the flag is rewritten (step C5).

That is, in step C4, if the plus / minus key 7 is operated n times in the plus direction, the process proceeds to step C2 of the still images with the flag set.
If the image n times later than the image displayed is switched and displayed, and if the plus / minus key 7 is operated m times in the minus direction, among the still images for which the flag is set, step C2 The image which is m times earlier than the image displayed by is switched and displayed. Then, in step C5, the flag of the still image for which the flag has already been set at the time of capturing the moving image is released.
A new flag is set for the image switched and displayed in step 4.

By changing the flag set for the still image in this manner, the user can select a desired still image again, and the chance of shutter chances is substantially reduced.

If the plus / minus key 7 has not been operated in step C3, it is checked whether the erase key 8 has been operated (step C6). If the erase key 8 has been operated, it is reproduced and displayed in step C2. The flag set for the still image that has been set is released (step C
7).

If the erase key 8 has not been operated in step C6, it is determined that the reproduction and display of the last image of the still images with the flag of the moving image file recorded in the recording medium 28 ended in step C8. Until it is determined, the processes of steps C2 to C7 are repeated.

When the reproduction and display of the final image of the flag-set still image is completed, a deletion menu for inquiring the user whether to delete the flag-set still image is displayed on the color liquid crystal display 23. (Step C9). It is checked whether the user has instructed the deletion menu to delete (step C10).
If the user has instructed to delete, it is further checked whether or not the user has instructed whether to delete the entire moving image file stored in the recording medium 28 (step C11).

Here, if deletion of the entire moving image file is instructed in step C11, the entire moving image file is collectively deleted (step C12). Otherwise, the flag in the moving image file is not set. Only the still images are collectively erased, and the remaining still images for which the flag is set are updated and set as final still images (step C13). In step C13, the flag set for the final still image may be released.

As described above, from the moving image file recorded on the recording medium 28, the still images without the flag set are collectively erased, and the remaining still images with the flag set are recorded as independent still images. By updating and recording on the medium 28, the recording medium 28 can be effectively used without requiring a complicated operation. Further, a required still image is not accidentally erased as in the related art.

[0059]

As described above, according to the electronic camera of the present invention, by adding identification information to a desired still image in a moving image at the time of capturing the moving image, a shutter chance can be prevented. A high-quality still image can be reliably captured, and only the necessary still image can be reliably left by a simple operation using this identification information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the electronic camera according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a procedure of a shooting (recording) operation of the electronic camera according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view for explaining timings of a moving image release and a still image release of the electronic camera according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a playback (display) operation of the electronic camera according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart showing a processing procedure at the time of skip reproduction of the electronic camera according to the embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 camera body 2 lens barrel 3 optical viewfinder 4 still image release button 5 moving image release button 6 playback button 7 plus / minus key 8 delete button 11 imaging lens 12 aperture 13 AF motor DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Aperture motor 15 ... CCD (solid-state image sensor) 16 ... CCD driver 17 ... A / D converter 18 ... Automatic exposure processing unit 19 ... Automatic focus adjustment processing unit 20 ... Image processing unit 21 ... Buffer memory 22 ... Display processing unit 23 ... Color liquid crystal display 24 ... Still image recording / display LED 25 ... Moving image recording / display LED 26 ... Compression / decompression processing unit 27 ... Recording / reproduction processing unit 28 ... Recording medium 29 ... System controller 30 ... Display unit 31,32 ... Still image release switch 33 ... Video release switch 34 ... Reproduction switch 35 ... Plus / Minus key 36: Erase switch 41, 42 ... Motor driver

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 5/781 H04N 5/781 510F 5/93 510L 5/91 Z 5/93 Z F term (Reference) 2H054 AA01 5C022 AA00 AA13 AB02 AB12 AB29 AC03 AC14 AC32 AC42 AC55 AC74 5C053 FA08 FA14 GB21 HA21 HA29 JA21 JA30 KA01 KA24 KA25 KA25 LA01

Claims (4)

[Claims] A first release means for instructing the photographing of a still image; a second release means for instructing a start and stop of photographing of a moving image composed of a plurality of temporally continuous still images; Recording means for recording, on a predetermined recording medium, a still image photographed according to an instruction from the first release means and a moving image photographed according to the instruction from the second release means, and a moving image according to the instruction from the second release means When shooting of a still image by the first release means is instructed in the state where shooting is being performed, the still image at the moment when the shooting of the still image in the moving image recorded on the recording medium is instructed is Recording control means for adding identification information to an image, and reproduction for controlling to sequentially reproduce only still images to which the identification information is added when reproducing a moving image recorded on the recording medium. An electronic camera, comprising: a control unit. 2. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reproduction control means adds identification information added to a still image in the moving image recorded on said recording medium to another still image in said moving image during reproduction. 2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising editing means for changing and setting the identification information to be changed. 3. A still image to which the identification information is not added is collectively erased from a moving image recorded on the recording medium, and the still images to which the remaining identification information is added are set as independent still images. 3. The electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising an organizing unit configured to update and record the data on the recording medium by the recording unit. 4. An electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein said first release means and said second release means are arranged at positions separated from each other so as to be operated by different fingers.