JP6593515B2 - IMAGING DEVICE, DEVICE CONTROL PROGRAM, AND IMAGING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus capable of associating and managing captured image data, a control program for the apparatus, and an imaging method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an apparatus that records two images, for example, different main images and sub-images recorded in separate image files in association with each other, and displays the main image and sub-image in association with each other when displaying the images. A technique for managing image files so that when one image is updated is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, it is inconvenient to separate two different image data into separate image files and manage them in association with each other.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. One of the two different images is used as additional image data, and the other of the two different image data is used as main image data. An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of adding additional image data to a file and managing it as a single image file.

  The imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an additional image shooting mode in which one of the shot images is added image data, a main image shooting mode in which the other of the shot images is main image data, a switching unit for switching modes, and the additional image. Determining means for determining the presence or absence of data, and adding the additional image data to an image file of the main image data according to a result of the determination means, and recording the added image data on a recording medium.

  According to the present invention, one of the different captured images is used as additional image data, the other of the different captured images is used as main image data, and the additional image data is added to the image file of the main image data as one image file on the recording medium. Since the recording is configured, the additional image can be reliably associated with the main image, and when the main image data is reproduced, the additional image can also be reproduced, which is convenient.

It is an external view of the digital still camera which concerns on the Example of the imaging device of this invention, Comprising: It is explanatory drawing of a back surface structure. It is a block circuit diagram for demonstrating the outline | summary of the digital still camera shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram illustrating a main configuration of an image processing unit illustrated in FIG. 2. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the display state of the monitor screen of the digital still camera shown in FIG. 1, Comprising: (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state by which the passenger car is monitored and displayed as a through image as a main image in the main image imaging | photography mode. (B) is an explanatory view showing a state in which a license plate as an additional image is monitored and displayed in the additional image shooting mode, and (C) is a through image of a passenger car as the main image in the main image shooting mode. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the icon which means presence of the image | photographed additional image is simultaneously displayed on the monitor screen currently displayed by monitoring, (D) is a self-timer when the additional image has been image | photographed in imaging | photography mode. When the license plate as an additional image is played back and displayed by key operation It is to illustration. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the file structure of the image data which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the usage method of the digital still camera which concerns on the Example of this invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of screen transition by the operation of the display button shown in FIG. 1 when the playback mode is switched by the operation of the shooting / playback switching button shown in FIG. (B) shows the monitor screen on which the additional image is displayed, and (C) shows the monitor screen on which the main image is displayed together with the image size.

Embodiments of a digital still camera (digital camera) as an imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(Outline explanation of external structure of digital still camera)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rear structure of a digital still camera according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a digital still camera. The digital still camera 1 has a monitor screen 2 as a display screen, a photographing / playback switching button 3, a display button (Disp) 4, a self-timer key 5, and other various operation members on the back.

The digital still camera 1 has a power button 6, a mode setting dial 7, a shutter button 8, and other various operation members on the upper part thereof.
The monitor screen 2, the shooting / playback switching button 3, the display button 4, the self-timer key 5, the power button 6, and the shutter button 8 will be described sequentially while explaining the functions of the present invention. Since the operation member is not directly related to the present invention, its description is omitted.

  When the power button 6 is turned on, the digital still camera 1 enters a monitoring state in which a through image is displayed on the monitor screen 2 by a computer (CPU) described later.

(Outline of the circuit block diagram of the digital still camera 1)
Inside the digital still camera 1, a solid-state imaging device (CCD) 10 is provided as shown in FIG.
Light from the subject is imaged on a solid-state imaging device (CCD) 10 through a lens (not shown). A solid-state imaging device (CCD) 10 photoelectrically converts subject light and outputs a video signal to a sampling / analog / digital conversion unit (CDS / A / D conversion unit) 11.

  A sampling / analog / digital conversion unit (CDS / A / D conversion unit) 11 sequentially performs A / D conversion to 10-bit image data and performs image processing while removing the noise signal by performing correlated double sampling on the video signal. Output to the unit (DSP) 12.

  The image processing unit (DSP) 12 is a known series of processes such as interpolation processing, aperture enhancement, and white balance processing of 10-bit image data transmitted from the sampling / analog / digital conversion unit (CDS / A / D conversion unit) 11. Process.

  The image processing unit (DSP) 12 converts the 10-bit image data transmitted from the sampling / analog / digital conversion unit (CDS) 11 into a luminance signal Y, color difference signals Cb, Cr, and temporarily stores them in the frame buffer memory 13. Store and store in

  These processes are repeated during monitoring of the digital still camera 1, that is, while a through image is displayed on the monitor screen 2. The image processing unit (DSP) 12 has a video encoder 14.

  The image data temporarily stored and accumulated in the frame buffer memory 13 is sequentially read out by the video encoder 14, converted into a video signal, and directed to the display device 15 of the external television receiver (external TV or the like). Is output.

  The solid-state imaging device (CCD) 10 is driven and scanned by a horizontal drive pulse output from a timing generator (TG) 16, a vertical drive pulse output from a vertical driver (VDr) 17, and an electronic shutter pulse.

The digital still camera 1 is comprehensively controlled by a computer (CPU) 18.
Connected to the computer (CPU) 18 are a shooting / playback switching button 3, a display button 4, a self-timer key 5, other operation members, a recording medium 19, and a display control circuit 20.

  The computer (CPU) 18 controls the timing generator (TG) 16, the clock generator 21, and the sampling / analog / digital conversion unit (CDS / A / D conversion unit) 11 based on the electronic shutter pulse.

  The timing generator (TG) 16 outputs a vertical drive pulse to the vertical driver (VDr) 17 and outputs a predetermined clock to the sampling / analog / digital conversion unit (CDS / A / D conversion unit) 11. .

The clock generator 21 is connected to a crystal oscillator 22 for driving a CCD. The clock generator 21 has a built-in frequency dividing circuit (not shown) that divides the clock having the oscillation frequency of the crystal oscillator 22.
The clock generator 21 outputs a driving pulse for driving a solid-state imaging device (CCD) to a timing generator (TG) 16.

  The timing generator 16 has a frequency dividing circuit 23. The frequency dividing circuit 23 selectively divides the driving pulse for driving the solid-state imaging device (CCD) by 1 or 2 times.

  The frequency dividing circuit 23 outputs a frequency-divided clock to the image processing unit (DSP) 12. The image processing unit (DSP) 12 has a built-in counter (not shown). Since the role and effect of the frequency divider circuit 23 are not directly related to the present invention, further explanation is omitted.

  The image processing unit (DSP) 12 outputs a horizontal reset signal and a vertical reset signal to the timing generator 16 when the number of drive pulses by the counter reaches a predetermined count number.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image processing unit (DSP) 12 includes a color separation unit 25, a signal interpolation unit 26, a pedestal adjustment unit 27, a white balance adjustment unit 28, a digital gain adjustment unit 29, a gamma conversion unit 30, and a matrix unit. 31 and a video signal processing unit 32.

  The color separation unit 25 separates the 10-bit image data output from the sampling / analog / digital conversion unit (CDS / A / D conversion unit) 11 into R, G, and B color components. The signal interpolation unit 26 performs a known interpolation process on the R, G, and B image data separated into the color components.

  The pedestal adjustment unit 27 adjusts the black level of the image data of each of R, G, and B color components. The white balance adjustment unit 28 adjusts the white level of the R, G, and B image data. The digital gain adjustment unit 29 adjusts the digital count value of each of the R, G, and B image data according to the gain set by the computer (CPU) 18.

  The gamma conversion unit 30 performs R / G / B γ conversion. The matrix unit 31 separates the R, G, and B image data into color difference signals Cb and Cr and a luminance signal Y. The video signal processing unit 32 creates a video signal based on the color difference signals Cb and Cr and the luminance signal Y and outputs the video signal to the video encoder 14 and the display control circuit 20.

  The image processing unit (DSP) 12 further includes a Y operation unit 33, a bypass filter (BPF) 34, an AF evaluation value circuit 35, an AE evaluation value circuit 36, a Y operation unit 37, and an AWB evaluation value circuit 38. And a computer interface (CPU I / F) 39.

  The Y calculation unit 33 has a function of detecting luminance data of image data after pedestal adjustment. The bypass filter (BPF) 34 has a function of passing only the luminance data of a predetermined frequency component among the luminance data detected by the Y calculation unit 33.

The AF evaluation value circuit 35 has a function of outputting an integrated value of luminance data that has passed through the bypass filter (BPF) 34 as an AF evaluation value toward the computer (CPU) 18.
The Y calculation unit 37 has a function of outputting a digital count value corresponding to the luminance data detected by the Y calculation unit 33 toward the computer (CPU) 18 as an AWB evaluation value.

  The in-focus position is detected using the solid-state imaging device (CCD) 10, and the computer (CPU) 18 samples a focus evaluation value (AF evaluation value) that means the contrast of the subject, and uses a so-called hill-climbing servo system. The peak position of the AF evaluation value is detected. Since these automatic focusing processing and exposure evaluation processing are known, their detailed description is omitted.

Details of the embodiments according to the present invention will be described below.
When the digital still camera 1 is turned on and a shooting mode is selected, the computer (CPU) 18 enters a processing state for executing a shooting mode for monitoring and displaying a through image on the monitor screen 2 shown in FIG. .
FIG. 4A shows a state in which the passenger car 2A is displayed as a subject by monitoring.

  The digital still camera 1 has, as shooting modes, an additional image shooting mode in which a shot image to be shot in advance is one additional image data, and a main image shooting mode in which the other of the shot images to be shot later is main image data. Have.

The additional image shooting mode (also referred to as clip shooting mode) is set on an initial menu setting screen (not shown) of the monitor screen 2.
In the initial menu setting screen, an item “additional image ON / OFF” is displayed in parallel with various items. When “ON” is selected in this item “additional image ON / OFF”, the computer (CPU) 18 sets additional image shooting (clip image shooting) to an effective mode.

  In this embodiment, the self-timer key 5 is used for switching between the main image shooting mode and the additional image shooting mode. That is, the self-timer key 5 functions as a switching key for switching between the additional image shooting mode and the main image shooting mode. In this case, in the main image shooting mode, the self-timer key 5 cannot be used to take a picture with the shutter turned on after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  In the additional image shooting mode, the computer (CPU) 18 sets the shooting mode to the macro shooting mode in which the additional image shown in FIG. That is, the computer (CPU) 18 is in a mode in which the subject image is enlarged and photographed. FIG. 4B shows a state where a license plate 2B of a passenger car is monitored and displayed as a through image as an additional image.

The computer (CPU) 18 has a determination unit that determines the presence or absence of the additional image data. When there is an additional image in the main image shooting mode, the computer (CPU) 18 displays an icon 2C indicating the presence of the additional image together with the passenger car 2A as a through image shown in FIG. 2 is displayed.
As will be described later, the additional image data is temporarily stored in the frame buffer memory 13 by depressing the self-timer key 5 under a predetermined condition before shooting the main image.

  When the computer (CPU) 18 operates the self-timer key 5 while the icon 2C shown in FIG. 4C is displayed on the monitor screen 2, as shown in FIG. 4D, an additional image is displayed. The license plate 2B is reproduced and displayed on the monitor screen 2. Thus, the user can check the appearance of the additional image added to the main image before shooting the main image.

  The display button 4 is used as a cancel button in the shooting mode. When the display button 4 is operated in the additional image shooting mode in which the license plate 2B shown in FIG. 4B is displayed on the monitor screen 2 as a monitoring image, the passenger car 2A shown in FIG. ) To return to the state of being projected.

  In addition, when the display button 4 is pressed on the monitor screen 2 on which the license plate 2B shown in FIG. 4D is reproduced and displayed, the main image 2A shown in FIG. 4C is displayed as a through image. Return to shooting mode.

  When the additional image shown in FIG. 4D is reproduced and displayed on the monitor screen 2, the computer (CPU) 18 reproduces and displays the additional image on the monitor screen 2 by operating the self-timer key 5 as a switching key. A function of shifting from the current state to the additional image shooting mode.

  That is, when the self-timer key 5 is pressed on the monitor screen 2 where the license plate 2B shown in FIG. 4D is displayed as an additional image, the license plate 2B shown in FIG. 4D is reproduced and displayed as an additional image. From this state, the mode shifts to an additional image shooting mode in which the additional image shown in FIG. 4B is displayed as a monitoring image.

  Here, if the subject as an additional image is photographed by changing from a license plate 2B to, for example, a door mirror of a passenger car, the door mirror of the passenger car can also be acquired as an additional image. Therefore, in this embodiment, the additional image added to the main image is added. Multiple images can be acquired.

The computer (CPU) 18 also has a function of directly shifting from the main image shooting mode to the additional image shooting mode by operating the self-timer key 5 when there is no additional image.
The computer (CPU) 18 determines the presence / absence of an additional image and selects the file structure of the compressed data when the main image is captured. FIG. 5 shows an example of the file structure of the compressed data.

  The file structure of the compressed data is composed of main image data and additional image data. The main image data includes SOI (compressed data start), APP1 (application marker segment 1 (Exif attached information)), DQT (quantization table), SOF (frame header), DHT (Huffman table), SOS (scan header). ), Compressed data, and EOI (compressed data end).

  The additional image data also includes SOI (compressed data start), APP1 (application marker segment 1 (Exif attached information)), DQT (quantization table), SOF (frame header), DHT (Huffman table), SOS (scan header). ), Compressed data, and EOI (compressed data end).

  The structure of APP1 (application marker segment 1 (Exif attached information)) of main image data is composed of APP1Marker, APP1Length, Exif identification code, TIFFHeader, 0thIFD, 0thIFDValue, 1stIFDValue, 1stIFDValue, and 1stIFD image data.

  The structure of APP1 (application marker segment 1 (Exif attached information)) of the additional image data includes APP1Marker, APP1Length, Exif identification code, TIFFHeader, 0thIFD, and 0thIFDValue. In addition, since each item of these compressed data is well-known, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  When there is an additional image, the computer (CPU) 18 creates compressed data of the additional image by adding it to the compressed data of the main image after the main image is captured. When there is no additional image, the computer (CPU) 18 Only the compressed data of the main image is created according to the image-only file structure.

  FIG. 5 shows the file structure of compressed data for adding one additional image to one main image, but compression for adding a plurality of additional images to one main image. With the data file structure, a plurality of additional images can be associated with one main image in one image file.

The details of the photographing mode according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
When the power button 6 is turned on, the digital still camera 1 enters a main image shooting mode in which the through image shown in FIG. 4A is monitored and displayed (S.1).

  Next, the computer (CPU) 18 determines whether or not the self-timer key 5 is pressed (S.2). Here, when the self-timer key 5 is pressed, the digital still camera 1 changes from the main image shooting mode to the additional image shooting mode, and the computer (CPU) 18 performs a process of determining the presence or absence of the additional image (S.3). ). When the self-timer key 5 is not depressed, the main image shooting mode is maintained (S.2, S.4) until the shutter button 8 is depressed (S.4).

  In S.3, when there is an additional image taken in advance before photographing the main image, the computer (CPU) 18 displays the icon 2C on the monitor screen 2 for monitoring and displaying the main image shown in FIG.

  When the self-timer key 5 is pressed while the icon 2C is displayed (S.2, S.3), the additional image shown in FIG. 4D is reproduced and displayed on the monitor screen 2 (see FIG. 4D). S.5). Thereby, it is possible to reconfirm the content of the additional image and the photographing quality before photographing the main image.

  When the self-timer key 5 is pressed on the monitor screen 2 on which the additional image shown in FIG. 4D is reproduced and displayed (S.6), the monitor screen that displays the additional image shown in FIG. Return to 2. That is, the computer (CPU) 18 switches the mode from the reproduction display mode in which the additional image is reproduced and displayed to the additional image photographing mode for photographing the additional image (S.7), and then whether or not the shutter button 8 is pressed. Is determined (S.8).

  When the display button 4 is operated in a state where the additional image shown in FIG. 4D is reproduced and displayed on the monitor screen 2, the display returns to the monitor screen 2 for monitoring the main image shown in FIG. That is, when the display button 4 is pressed in the additional image reproduction display state shown in FIG. 4D, the process jumps to S.2 and returns to the state of determining whether or not the self-timer key 5 is pressed.

If there is no additional image data in S.3, the process jumps from S.4 to S.8. In S.8, the state of S.8 is repeated until the shutter button 8 is pressed.
In S.8, when the shutter button 8 is pressed, the computer (CPU) 18 performs exposure processing, acquires image data after completion of exposure as additional image data (S.9), and acquires the additional image data. The primary accumulation is stored in the frame buffer memory 13 (S.10).

  Next, the computer (CPU) 18 returns to the through image display process of S.1. Next, the computer (CPU) 18 proceeds to S.2 and determines whether or not the self-timer key 5 is pressed.

  In S.2, the computer (CPU) 10 shifts to the main image photographing mode when the self-timer key 5 is not depressed (S.4). When the additional image is acquired, the icon 2C is displayed as shown in FIG. 4C, so that it is possible to prevent the additional image from being forgotten.

  In the main image shooting mode (S.4), it is determined whether or not the shutter button 8 is pressed. If the shutter button 8 is not pressed, the process returns to S.2 and the self-timer key 5 is pressed or not. Judging.

  In S.4, when the pressing operation of the shutter button 8 is performed, the computer (CPU) 18 performs an exposure process and acquires image data after completion of exposure as main image data (S.11). Next, the computer (CPU) 10 determines whether or not there is additional image data (S.12).

When there is no additional image data, the computer (CPU) 18 compresses the main image data, creates an Exif type image file, and records it on the recording medium 19 (S.13).
When there is additional image data, the computer (CPU) 18 compresses the main image data to create an Exif type image file, and adds the additional image data to create one image file. Then, it is recorded and stored in the recording medium 19 (S.14).

  When the recording / playback switching button 3 is pressed after shooting, the shooting mode is switched to the playback mode. The computer (CPU) 18 reads an image file from the recording medium 19 when the reproduction mode is set. In the reproduction mode, first, the main image is reproduced and displayed on the monitor screen 2 as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the passenger car 2A is displayed as the main image.

  In the state where the main image is reproduced and displayed on the monitor screen 2, when the camera memo is turned on, the camera memo and the main image are reproduced and displayed on the monitor screen 2 by operating the display button 4 as the reproduction means. It becomes a state. That is, the display state is such that the text information is added to the main image (not shown).

  When the display button 4 is pressed again while the camera memo and the main image are reproduced and displayed on the monitor screen 2, the additional image can be displayed on the monitor screen 2. In this state, when there is additional image data, the additional image is reproduced and displayed as shown in FIG. 7B, and when there is no additional image, the additional image is not reproduced and displayed on the monitor screen 2. In this embodiment, the license plate 2B is displayed as an additional image in FIG. 7B.

  When the display button 4 is pressed again while the additional image is displayed on the monitor screen 2, the size information 2D of the image file is simultaneously displayed on the monitor screen 2 together with the main image, as shown in FIG. It will be in a state to be.

  Then, in this state, when the display button 4 is pressed, a histogram is added and the main image is displayed on the monitor screen 2 (not shown). If the display button 4 is further operated in this state, the screen returns to the first monitor screen 2 shown in FIG.

  By repeatedly pressing the display button 4, the main image, the main image with camera memo, the additional image, the main image with image size information, and the main image with histogram information are sequentially toggle-displayed on the monitor screen 2. Although the camera memo can be set on the initial menu setting screen on the monitor screen 2, the details thereof are publicly known, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

According to this embodiment, when an entire image and a state of details are required by presenting the entire image and an image obtained by enlarging the portion, a plurality of images are created at the time of image creation and image reproduction. Since it is possible to manage the additional images together with the main image in a single file, image management becomes easy.
For example, the digital still camera 1 is useful when creating an entire image of a passenger car and a detailed image in a used car auction or the like.

1. Digital still camera (imaging device)
2. Monitor screen (display screen)
4. Display button (sequential playback means)
5 ... Self-timer key (switching key)
6 ... Power button 13 ... Frame buffer memory 18 ... Computer (determination unit)
19. Recording medium

Japanese Patent No. 5141447

Claims (10)

An additional image shooting mode in which one of the captured images is used as additional image data;
A main image shooting mode in which the other of the shot images is the main image data;
Switching means for switching modes;
Determination means for determining the presence or absence of the additional image data,
According to a result of the determination unit, the additional image data is added to an image file of the main image data and recorded on a recording medium.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additional image shooting mode is set to a macro shooting mode for performing macro shooting of the additional image data. The image captured in the additional image shooting mode is the additional image data,
The image captured in the main image capturing mode is the main image data,
3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the image is recorded on the recording medium, the additional image data is added and recorded in an image file of the main image data. 4. If there is the additional image data, an icon indicating the presence of the additional image data is displayed on the display screen,
The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the switching unit is operated while the icon is displayed, the additional image data is displayed on the display screen.   When the additional image data is being displayed on the display screen, the determination means shifts from the state in which the additional image data is displayed on the display screen to the additional image shooting mode by operating the switching means. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein   6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines that there is no additional image data, the switching unit shifts the main image shooting mode to the additional image shooting mode by operating the switching unit. The imaging device according to one item.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more additional image data are associated with one main image data.   The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a sequential reproduction unit that sequentially reproduces the additional image data and the main image data. A program for controlling a device,
An additional image shooting mode in which one of the captured images is used as additional image data;
A main image shooting mode in which the other of the shot images is the main image data;
A switching unit for accepting mode switching;
A determination unit for determining the presence or absence of the additional image data,
According to a result of the determination unit, the additional image data is added to an image file of the main image data and recorded on a recording medium. An imaging method performed by the imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
An additional image shooting mode in which one of the captured images is used as additional image data;
A main image shooting mode in which the other of the shot images is the main image data;
A switching process for switching modes;
A determination step of determining the presence or absence of the additional image data,
According to the result of the determination step, the additional image data is added to an image file of the main image data and recorded on a recording medium.