JP2003299028A - Image display device and image managing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display device which can retrieve an image desired to observe from a plurality of images recorded by a digital camera or the like in a short period of time and display the image, and to provide an image managing program. <P>SOLUTION: When the image is recorded with the digital camera, an imaging data and time are added to the image data, and recorded. At image retrieving, the time interval of each frame from one previous frame is obtained, the predetermined number (e.g. top three) of relatively long imaging intervals are extracted, and the image of the first frame and thumb-nail image of the extracted images are simultaneously displayed on a liquid crystal monitor 16 in the recorded order. The information 84 of the imaging date is displayed as well together with the image. Thus, image block is further selected in a state in which the head image of the image block partitioned based on the length of the imaging interval is simultaneously displayed, a similar block partitioning process is repeated, and thereby the image desired to be observed can be quickly searched. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image display device and an image management program, and in particular, a user (user) can quickly search for and display a desired image from a plurality of images recorded by a digital camera or the like. Image display device and computer software for viewing images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Image data taken by a digital camera is recorded in a memory built in the camera or a removable recording medium (removable medium). Many digital cameras have a liquid crystal monitor and can display recorded images. Further, it is common practice to browse an image recorded by a digital camera or the like on a screen of a personal computer or the like.

The invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-06194 relates to the technical field of computer systems, and in order to make it possible to easily understand the contents of files such as images, the related information of data files is displayed on the display unit. It is characterized by being displayed on. JP 2000-342A
Japanese Patent No. 576 relates to an image server device and an image display system that handle medical images (images recorded by a device such as CT or MRI), and proposes a method of pre-marking images that will be viewed later. Has been done.

[0004]

However, none of the above publications has a function for automatically searching for an image based on the recording time (shooting time) of the image. In recent years, a recording medium (or a built-in memory) of a digital camera has a large capacity, and it is possible to record hundreds or more of image data. Along with this, when displaying an image taken by a digital camera on a liquid crystal monitor, it takes time to search for an image to be viewed.

Further, the screen size of the liquid crystal monitor attached to the digital camera is generally small (usually,
When displaying a plurality of image contents at once, each image becomes too small and difficult to see, and thus only about 4 to 9 images can be displayed at a time.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an image display device and an image display device capable of searching and displaying an image to be viewed in a short time from a large number of images recorded by a digital camera or the like. It is intended to provide a management program.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image display device for reproducing image data recorded in an image data storage unit and displaying the image content on the display unit. Recording interval detecting means for detecting a recording interval indicating at what time interval each image is recorded from the image related to the immediately preceding recording according to the recording order of the images stored in the image data storage unit, and the recording. An image extracting means for extracting a predetermined number of images having a relatively long recording interval detected by the interval detecting means, and a plurality of images including the images extracted by the image extracting means, in accordance with the order of recording order, the screen of the display section. And a display control unit arranged on the upper side to control the display of the contents of the plurality of images at one time.

Generally, an image recorded by a digital camera or the like is stored in an image data storage unit, and at the time of image reproduction, the image data is read from the image data storage unit and converted into a signal for display by a signal conversion means. Then, it is output to the display unit. The image display apparatus according to the present invention has an image search function devised so that the user can quickly find the desired image from a large number of images.

When a large number of images are recorded in the image data storage unit, they are usually considered to be divided into several image groups (blocks). For example, it can be divided into blocks such as "party photo", "athletic photo", and "travel photo". Relevant images are often recorded intensively within a relatively short time (period), and conversely, images recorded after several days have passed are
It is considered that the relationship with the image related to the immediately preceding recording is low.

Therefore, the image display apparatus of the present invention predicts the relationship between the images based on the recording intervals of the images recorded in time series, and sets the image having a relatively long recording interval as the leading image of the block. A function of displaying a list of these top images on the display section is realized.

That is, the recording order of the images recorded in the image data storage unit is managed, and the recording interval of each image (the recording date and time from the immediately preceding image) is grasped. The recording interval of each image is detected, a predetermined number (for example, three from the top) of the recording intervals that are relatively long are extracted, and these images are arranged in the recording order and simultaneously displayed on the display unit. At this time, the first image in the recording order is
It is preferable that the block is displayed as the first image.

By displaying the first image of the image blocks divided based on the length of the recording interval at one time on the display unit, the user can easily find a desired image from the image divided into blocks. it can.

It should be noted that, in the screen displaying the top images of the blocks, the file number (frame number) of each top image is displayed.
It is preferable to display the recording date and time together with the image.

"Recording date and time" corresponds to "shooting date and time" in the case of an electronic camera such as a digital camera. To detect the recording interval, the shooting interval (recording interval) may be calculated by using the data of the shooting date and time or the time stamp recorded as the additional information of the image, or at the time of recording each image, It is also possible to check the elapsed time from the recording date and time of the image to be recorded, add the information of the elapsed time (information corresponding to the recording interval) to the image data, or record it as a separate file.

The "image data storage unit" is connected to a removable medium typified by a memory card, a memory (internal memory) built in a digital camera or a mobile phone, a hard disk of a personal computer, the Internet or other communication networks. There may be various means capable of storing the image data, such as an existing server. As the “display unit”, various display means such as a liquid crystal display, a CRT, an organic EL can be applied.

An image display device according to another aspect of the present invention is
In addition to the above configuration, the image processing apparatus further includes a selection unit that selects at least one image block from among the plurality of image blocks each of which has the plurality of images displayed at the same time as the leading images, and at least one selected by the selection unit. An image group included in one image block is further subjected to the extraction processing by the image extracting means, and a plurality of images including the extracted image are displayed in an order of recording order. I am trying.

By repeating the process of dividing the image into blocks based on the recording interval to subdivide the blocks, the user can search for the desired image in a short time. The present invention becomes more effective as the population of images to be extracted becomes larger.

Still another aspect of the present invention provides a program for realizing the above-mentioned image display device by a computer. That is, the image management program according to the present invention is an image management program for causing a computer to realize a function of reproducing image data stored in the image data storage unit and displaying the image content on the display unit, A recording interval detection function for detecting a recording interval indicating at what time interval each image is recorded from the image related to the previous recording according to the recording order of the images stored in the image data storage unit; An image extracting function for extracting a predetermined number of images having a relatively long recording interval detected by the recording interval detecting function, and a plurality of images including the images extracted by the image extracting function are displayed on the display unit according to the order of recording. A display control function that controls the display of the contents of a plurality of images at a time by arranging them on the screen is realized by the computer. It is set to.

The image management program of the present invention may be configured as a single application software, or may be incorporated as a part of an application such as browser software or file management software.
Further, the image management program of the present invention is not limited to being applied to a computer system such as a personal computer, but may be applied as an operation program of a central processing unit (CPU) incorporated in an information device such as a digital camera or a mobile phone. Is possible.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of an image display device and an image management program according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a digital camera incorporating an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the digital camera 10 includes a release switch 12, a viewfinder 14, and a liquid crystal monitor 1.
6, a mode selection dial 18, a cross button 20, a menu / OK button 22, a BACK button 24, and a display button 26 are provided. Reference numeral 28 is a grip portion.

The liquid crystal monitor 16 can display a real-time image (through image) being picked up, and the photographer can use the through image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 16 or the optical viewfinder 14 to compose a composition (angle of view). You can check.

Photographing is executed by pressing the release switch 12. The recorded image is displayed on the LCD monitor 16
Can be displayed (played). On the liquid crystal monitor 16, in addition to the through image and the reproduced image described above, information on the currently set mode, the image compression rate, the number of recorded pixels, the shooting date and time,
Various information such as frame numbers are also displayed. The liquid crystal monitor 16 is also used as a user interface display screen when the user performs various setting operations and the like, and menu information such as setting items is also displayed. Instead of the liquid crystal monitor 16, another display device such as an organic EL can be used.

The mode selection dial 18 is a means for selecting the operation mode of the digital camera 10. By turning this dial, the "self-timer photographing mode", "setup mode", "automatic photographing mode", "manual photographing mode" are selected. Mode ”,“ playback mode ”,
It can be set to various modes such as "data communication mode".

The "setup mode" is the number of recording pixels,
This mode allows you to set the compression rate (image quality), sharpness, date and time, etc. The “automatic shooting mode” is a shooting mode in which the digital camera 10 automatically controls exposure (combination of shutter speed and aperture value) and focus according to the shooting situation. The "manual shooting mode" is a shooting mode in which the user can manually set conditions such as white balance setting, exposure compensation, strobe brightness setting, and focus adjustment. The "playback mode" is a mode in which a recorded image file is played back. "Data communication mode" is a mode in which data communication is performed with an external device such as a personal computer.

The cross button 20 is a multifunctional operation button capable of inputting up / down / left / right instructions, and performs menu item selection operation (cursor movement operation) and playback image frame advance (forward direction) / frame return (reverse direction). It is a means for inputting an instruction etc. The menu / OK button 22 functions as a menu button for instructing the display of a menu screen, and O for instructing the confirmation (registration) of selected items and the execution of operations.
It is an operation unit having a function as a K button.
The BACK button 24 is an operation means for erasing a desired object such as a selection item, canceling (instructing) the content of the instruction, or for instructing to return to the previous operation screen. The display button 26 is an operating means for turning on / off the liquid crystal monitor 16 and switching the display mode.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the digital camera 10. A central processing unit (CPU) shown by reference numeral 32 in FIG. 2 functions as a control unit that controls the camera system in accordance with a predetermined program, and also performs automatic exposure (AE) calculation and automatic focus adjustment (A).
F) Functions as calculation means for performing various calculations such as calculation and shooting interval calculation.

That is, the CPU 32 controls the operation of each circuit in the digital camera 10 on the basis of the instruction signal from the operation unit 34, and the lens drive control, the photographing operation control, the image processing control, the image data necessary for the camera operation. Recording control, file management, read / write control of the memory card 72, data communication control, display control of the liquid crystal monitor 16, image search control during reproduction, and the like. The operation unit 34 is a block including the mode selection dial 18, the cross button 20, and various other operation means described in FIG.

The ROM 36 connected to the CPU 32 stores programs executed by the CPU 32 and various data necessary for control, and the RAM 38 is stored in the RAM 38.
It is used as a second work area. The ROM 36, which is a non-volatile storage unit, may be a non-rewritable one or a rewritable one such as an EEPROM. Further, the digital camera 10 has a built-in calendar clock 39 for marking the date and time, and the CPU 32 can acquire date and time information from the calendar clock 39.

Explaining the photographing function of the digital camera 10, the CCD is taken in through the photographing lens 40 and the diaphragm 42.
The optical image of the subject formed on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor (hereinafter referred to as CCD) 44 is photoelectrically converted by the CCD 44. A large number of photodiodes are arranged in a plane on the light receiving surface of the CCD 44, and a predetermined color filter arrangement structure such as a honeycomb arrangement, a Bayer arrangement or the like is provided.
The CCD 44 also has an electronic shutter function for controlling the charge storage time (shutter speed) of each photodiode. A CMOS image sensor or other image pickup device may be used instead of the CCD 44.

The signal charge accumulated in each photodiode of the CCD 44 is a voltage signal (imaging signal) corresponding to the signal charge based on the pulse given from the CCD driver 45.
Are sequentially read. The signal output from the CCD 44 is sent to the analog processing unit 46, and is subjected to required processing such as correlated double sampling (CDS) processing, color separation, and gain adjustment, and then converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 47. It is converted and sent to the image processing unit 48. The timing generator (TG) 50 is responsive to a command from the CPU 32, the CCD driver 45, the analog processing unit 46, and the A /
A timing signal for synchronous driving is given to the D converter 47, and each circuit is synchronized by this timing signal.

The image processing section 48 is a signal processing means including a luminance / color difference signal generation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a contour correction circuit, a white balance correction circuit, etc., and processes an image signal in accordance with a command from the CPU 32. Image processing unit 4
The image data input to 8 is converted into a luminance signal (Y signal) and a color difference signal (Cr, Cb signal), subjected to a predetermined process such as gamma correction, and then stored in the memory 52.

When the photographed image is output to the monitor, the memory 5
The image data is read from No. 2 and sent to the display circuit 56 via the bus 54. The display circuit 56 converts the input image data into a signal of a predetermined system for display (for example, a color composite video signal of NTSC system) and outputs it to the liquid crystal monitor 16.

The image data in the memory 52 is periodically rewritten by the image signal output from the CCD 44,
The video signal generated from the image data is the liquid crystal monitor 1.
By being supplied to 6, the video being captured is displayed in real time.

The release switch 12 of the operation section 34 is a two-stage switch having an S1 switch which is turned on when half-pressed and an S2 switch which is turned on when fully pressed. The CPU 32 presses the release switch 12 halfway (S
When 1 = ON) is detected, AE control and AF control are performed,
When it is detected that the release switch 12 is fully pressed (S2 = ON), CCD exposure and reading control for capturing a recording image are started.

The automatic calculator 58 is a means for performing calculations required for AE and AF control, and calculates a focus evaluation value based on an image signal taken in response to half-pressing of the release switch 12 (S1 = ON). And AE calculation are performed, and the calculation result is transmitted to the CPU 32.

Full release of the release switch 12 (S2 = O
N) is detected, the CPU 32 controls the lens driving unit 60 based on the result of the focus evaluation value calculation, and the photographing lens 4
0 is moved to the in-focus position, and the diaphragm 42 and CCD
Exposure control is performed by controlling the electronic shutter 44 (charge accumulation time). Further, the CPU 32 sends a command to the strobe control circuit 64 as necessary to control the light emission of the light emitting unit 65.

In this way, the captured image data is subjected to YC processing and other predetermined signal processing in the image processing section 48, and then compressed in the compression / expansion section 68 in accordance with a predetermined compression format (for example, JPEG system). The compressed image data is recorded in the memory card 72 via the card interface unit 70. The compression format is JP
The method is not limited to EG, and other methods such as MPEG may be adopted. The means for storing the image data is not limited to the semiconductor memory represented by the memory card 72, and various media such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk and a magneto-optical disk can be used. The recording medium (internal memory) included in the digital camera 10 is not limited to the removable medium.

Image files generated by the digital camera 10 of the present example are automatically given file numbers by serial numbers in accordance with the recording order, and information indicating the shooting date (date and time) of the main image is added information. Will be recorded. For example, in the case of an image file generated according to the Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format) file format,
File name "DSCF ****. JPG" (however, "****"
Is a file number consisting of a 4-digit number string. ) Is automatically generated, and information on the shooting date and time is recorded in the Exif tag. The file number can be used as a frame number indicating the recording order.

Data of reduced images (thumbnails) generated from the main image by thinning processing is also recorded in the image file, and a display mode for displaying a plurality of image contents on the liquid crystal monitor 16 at one time ( (Multi playback mode)
In the case of, a signal for display is generated using the thumbnail data.

The CPU 32 can grasp the shooting date and time of the image by reading the additional information recorded in each image file. It is also possible to grasp the shooting date and time by using a time stamp that is automatically recorded when the image file is created.

When the reproduction mode is selected by the mode selection switch 18, the image file recorded in the memory card 72 is read out, expanded by the compression / expansion unit 68, and then displayed on the liquid crystal monitor via the display circuit 56. 16
Is output to. The OSD signal generator 74 includes a character generator and can generate a signal for displaying character and symbol information such as a shooting date and time, a title, a warning message, and the like. The signal output from the OSD signal generator 74 is mixed with an image signal as necessary and supplied to the liquid crystal monitor 16. Use the cross button 2 during single-frame playback.
By operating the right key or the left key of 0, the file to be reproduced can be switched (forward frame feed / reverse frame feed).

Further, the digital camera 10 has a data communication interface section 76 as means for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device such as a personal computer (PC) not shown. The communication method is not particularly limited, and for example, USB, IEEE1394, Bluetooth, etc. can be applied.

Next, the image search function of the digital camera 10 configured as described above will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the digital camera 10 of this embodiment is assumed to be capable of displaying the image contents of four sheets by dividing the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 16 into four. However, the number of images to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 16 at one time is not limited to “4”, and two or more suitable images may be taken into consideration in view of the display capability (screen size) and legibility (visibility) of the liquid crystal monitor 16. Is designed to a large number.

In the thumbnail display state (during 4-image multi-playback) shown in FIG.
Images are arranged and displayed in the order of upper left → upper right → lower left → lower right on the drawing.

The digital camera 10 has a memory card 72.
For a large number of images recorded in, the shooting interval (time difference between shooting dates and times) is calculated, which is the time interval at which each frame was shot from the previous image, and thumbnails with long time intervals are displayed in thumbnail order. It has a display function.

When a large number of images are taken by the digital camera 10 in several steps, they are usually considered to be divided into some related image groups (blocks). For example, regarding the recorded images with a total of 60 images, the first to 11th pictures of "party", the 12th to 22nd pictures of "pet (cat)", the 23rd to 60th pictures of "travel" (The 23rd to 44th photos are the photos taken on the first day of travel, the 45th to 52nd photos are on the 2nd day, and the 53rd to 60th photos are on the 3rd day.) is there.

At this time, if the first, twelfth, and twenty-third images corresponding to the first image of the image block can be quickly found, the trouble of searching for the desired image can be greatly reduced. Further, even in the 23 to 60th "travel" blocks, if the 23rd, 45th, and 53rd images can be quickly found, it is possible to save the trouble of searching for an image to be further viewed.

Therefore, the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment has a function of automatically extracting the top frames of such an image block and displaying them in a list by thumbnails. The first image, which is the first image of the first block, can naturally be selected without any special calculation. The determination of the "top frame of the image block" after the second block is made based on the length of time (shooting interval) that has elapsed from shooting the previous frame to shooting the frame.

That is, in the image which is the delimiter of the image block (the leading image of the image block), the shooting interval from the immediately preceding frame is usually relatively long, and the relationship between the images having the shooting interval length is long. It is considered that this reflects the sex (group of image blocks). Therefore, the “top frame of the image block” can be extracted by searching for a frame having a long shooting interval. In addition, when the clock is reset, the calendar clock 39 is set to a preset value (for example, January 1, 2000).
If the user performs shooting without performing the clock adjustment operation after the initialization, the shooting date and time that is different from the actual shooting date and time will be recorded, and the shooting interval will be a negative value. Becomes In such a case, it is determined that the frame should be treated as a "large time difference", and the frame is detected as the first frame of the image block.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the control procedure at the time of image retrieval. In the reproduction mode, when the user performs an operation to instruct execution of image search, the control flow shown in FIG. 4 starts. The operation method includes, for example, a mode of selecting a "image search" command from the menu screen and a mode of selecting a "thumbnail display mode" with the display button 26.

When the image search control is started (step S100), the CPU 32 obtains information on the shooting date and time for all the image files recorded in the memory card 72 (step S110), and the previous image information for each frame is obtained. A time difference is calculated as to how long a time interval has elapsed after shooting the frames (step S11).
2). However, since there is no previous frame for the first frame (first frame), the time difference cannot be calculated, and since it is not necessary to calculate it, the time difference is calculated for the second and subsequent frames.

Next, the three with the largest time difference are extracted from the top (step S114). For example, if the total number of images recorded on the memory card 72 is 60,
As a result of calculating the shooting interval (time difference) from the previous frame for the second and subsequent frames, “23” and “1
It is assumed that the frame numbers "2" and "45" are selected. With respect to the three images thus selected and the four images including the image of the first frame, thumbnails are arranged in ascending order of frame numbers and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 16 (step S1).
16).

As a result, as shown in FIG.
Thumbnail images with frame numbers "1", "12", "23", and "45" are simultaneously displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 16, and four image blocks each having these four images as heads are presented. At this time, the information 82 of the frame number (file name) and the information 84 of the shooting date and time are displayed together with each thumbnail image.

Further, each thumbnail image is graphically displayed to visually indicate the number of images included in the image block having the image as a head (in the example of FIG. 3, a state in which a plurality of photographs are superposed is shown. A three-dimensional line drawing) 86 is added. By displaying the frame number information 82 for each thumbnail image, the user can grasp how many images are included in each image block.
By performing such a graphical display 86 that is visually implied, the user can intuitively grasp the amount of the plurality of images included in each image block. Note that the number of images included in an image block may be displayed as a numerical value instead of or in combination with the three-dimensional line drawing shown in FIG.

In this thumbnail display state, an operation input from the user is waited for (step S118 in FIG. 4). The user
It is possible to input an instruction to independently reproduce and display any one of the four frames displayed as thumbnails. If there is an image that the user is looking for (an image that the user wants to see) among the four displayed thumbnail images, the work of searching for an image is completed. Even if the displayed four thumbnail images do not include an image to be viewed, if they are close to the displayed image (for example, within a range of several frames before and after), the close thumbnail image is displayed. After selecting and displaying independently, a step of searching for a desired image by a frame advance or frame return operation is performed.

As an operation method for instructing the single-frame single reproduction, for example, a mode in which the corresponding image is selected by the cross button 20 on the screen of FIG. 3 and then “one-frame display” is selected from the processing menu, After selecting the relevant image with the cross button 20 on the screen of FIG. 3, a mode of pressing the display button 26 to switch to the “single frame display mode”, or after selecting the relevant image with the cross button 20 on the screen of FIG. , There is a mode in which the menu / OK button 22 is double-clicked (quickly pressed and released twice).

On the other hand, in the thumbnail display, it is known that the image to be viewed is included in a specific block among the divided image blocks, but the desired image is found by the frame advancing operation. When it seems to be difficult, the block division process can be performed again for the image block. That is, the user can select any one image block from the four image blocks presented in the thumbnail display, and input an instruction to further display the image block in the same block division display.

As an operation method for instructing block division, for example, in the screen of FIG. 3, the top frame of a desired image block is selected by the cross button 20, and "block division display" is selected from the processing menu. Mode, or
After selecting the corresponding image with the cross button 20 on the screen of FIG. 3,
Single-click the menu / OK button 22 (1
There is a mode in which the button is pushed and released.

The CPU 32 controls the processing according to the instruction input by the user. Step S12 shown in FIG.
At 0, it is determined whether or not an instruction to independently play one of the thumbnail-displayed images has been input. When a YES determination is obtained in step S120, the process proceeds to step S122.

In step S122, a process of independently reproducing and displaying the selected image (one frame display) is performed. The image file of the selected frame is read out from the memory card 72, subjected to expansion and other necessary signal processing, and then the liquid crystal monitor 16
The image content is displayed on.

In this one-frame display state, the user can perform forward / reverse operation (step S1).
24). The CPU 32 determines the input instruction of the forward / reverse feed (step S126), and in the case of the YES determination, changes the reproduction target according to the instruction and reproduces and displays the image of the next frame or the previous frame. Yes (step S12
8). In this way, the display image is switched, and the process returns to step S124.

When it is known that there is an image to be viewed near the top image of each image block displayed as a thumbnail, the desired image can be found by the frame advance operation as described above. It should be noted that the target image can be more easily searched for by a mode in which a plurality of frames near the selected frame (for example, several frames before and after or several frames behind) are displayed in a list.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S126 that the forward feed / reverse feed operation has not been performed, step S126 is performed.
At 130, it is determined whether or not an operation for ending the reproduction mode has been performed. When the operation for ending the reproduction mode is performed by a predetermined operation such as operation of the mode selection dial 18, the reproduction mode control sequence is ended (step S140).

If the operation of ending the reproduction mode is not performed in step S130, the process returns to step S124 to accept the user operation, and the process according to the instruction is executed. Although only the frame advance operation is shown in FIG. 4,
The content of the user operation is not limited to this. Playback zoom operation (enlargement display by image signal processing and operation of moving display range), resizing (pixel number conversion), accidental erasure prevention (protection) setting / cancellation, image erasing, etc. It is possible to perform the operation of, and the processing according to the input instruction is performed.

If NO is determined in step S120, the process proceeds to step S150. Step S
At 150, it is determined whether or not one block is selected from the four image blocks displayed as thumbnails. If no image block is selected, the process returns to step S118, and while maintaining the thumbnail display state,
Wait for user operation. On the other hand, when the image block is selected in step S150, the process proceeds to step S152.

In step S152, for the image block relating to the selection, the third and subsequent frames within the block are selected.
The difference in shooting time from the immediately preceding frame is calculated. For example, if an image group starting with the image with the frame number "23" is selected on the screen of FIG. 3, the time difference from the previous frame is calculated for the 25th frame and thereafter. Note that step S1
It is also possible to shorten the calculation time by storing the data of the time difference obtained in 12 and using it.

Next, three frame numbers having a large time difference (three upper layers) are extracted (step S154). As a result of the calculation, for example, “36”, “30”, and “27” are extracted.

Since the "23rd frame" image is not the image the user is looking for, the first image of the first block when the image block is divided into blocks is the "24th frame" image. preferable. Therefore, "24th frame"
Since the image is always displayed, the time difference from the previous frame is calculated for the 25th and subsequent frames.

Thumbnail images of four images including the three images thus selected and the second frame (“24th frame”) of the image block related to selection are arranged in ascending order of frame numbers. It is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 16 (step S156). As a result, for example, "24", "2
Thumbnail images with frame numbers “7”, “30”, and “36” are simultaneously displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 16.

When thumbnail display is performed in step S156, the process returns to step S118. By repeating the above-described processing (steps S118 to S156), the top frame automatically divided into blocks can be searched for, and the user can search for the desired image in a short time. When the number of images in the image group to be divided into blocks is four or less, all the images are displayed as thumbnails.

In the above description, a still image file has been described as an example. However, by applying the same processing as above to a representative image of a moving image file (for example, an image of the first frame or an image arbitrarily designated by the user), It is also possible to search for a desired moving image file from a large number of moving image files.

Further, in the control example of FIG. 4, one block is selected from the four image blocks and the block division process is performed again for the block, but two or more consecutive blocks are selected. Then, the block division processing may be performed again for all the plurality of blocks related to the selection.

<Modification of the Embodiment> In FIG. 4, the shooting time is detected for all the images recorded in the memory card 72, and the time difference from the previous frame is calculated. It is not limited to this example. For example, 2
For the images to be recorded after the first one, check the shooting date and time of the previous image to find out how long the images were taken and the time interval information is also recorded in a part of the image data. There is a mode to keep. As a result, the time difference calculation process can be omitted during the grouping process, and the calculation time during image display can be saved.

Further, by storing the date and time of last photographing (recording) inside the camera, the photographing date and time information of the previous image can be obtained without accessing the image file. It is possible to save the time of “inspecting the shooting date and time of the immediately preceding image” and shorten the time required from shooting to completion of recording.

In the above description, an example in which the present invention is applied to a digital camera has been described, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this, and a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, an image browsing device, etc. The present invention can be applied to various devices having an image display function.

Further, a computer program for realizing the above-mentioned image display function is recorded in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk or the like, and the program is provided to a third party through the recording medium or communication such as the Internet is performed. It is also possible to provide a download service for the program through the line.

[0079]

As described above, according to the present invention, the recording interval is detected according to the recording order for a plurality of images stored in the image data storage unit, and the image block having a relatively long recording interval is determined as the image block. Since the first image is arranged in the order of recording and displayed at the same time, the user can search for an image desired to be viewed in a short time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a digital camera incorporating an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the digital camera according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of thumbnail display.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure at the time of image retrieval in the digital camera of this example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Digital camera, 16 ... Liquid crystal monitor, 20 ... Cross button, 22 ... Menu / OK button, 26 ... Display button, 32 ... CPU, 36 ... ROM, 56 ... Display circuit, 7
2 ... Memory card

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G11B 27/00 H04N 5/93 ZF term (reference) 5B075 ND08 PQ46 PR08 UU40 5C053 FA08 FA14 GB36 HA29 JA16 JA22 KA01 KA24 KA25 LA01 5D044 AB08 BC01 CC04 DE24 GK12 HL04 5D110 AA13 AA17 AA29 BB25 BB27 DA17 DA20 DE01 EA08 EA17 FA08 FA09

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image display device that reproduces image data recorded in an image data storage unit and displays the image content on a display unit, in accordance with a recording order of the images stored in the image data storage unit, For each image, a recording interval detection unit that detects a recording interval that indicates at what time interval was recorded from the image related to the immediately preceding recording, and an image that has a relatively long recording interval detected by the recording interval detection unit. Image extracting means for extracting a predetermined number, and a plurality of images including the images extracted by the image extracting means are arranged on the screen of the display unit in the order of the recording order, and the contents of the plurality of images are displayed at one time. An image display device comprising: a display control unit that performs a control for controlling the display. 2. A selection unit for selecting at least one image block among a plurality of image blocks each having the plurality of images displayed at the same time as the leading images, and at least one selected by the selection unit. An image group included in one image block is further subjected to the extraction processing by the image extraction means, and a plurality of images including the extracted image are displayed in an order of recording order. The image display device according to claim 1. 3. An image management program for causing a computer to realize a function of reproducing image data stored in the image data storage unit and displaying the image content on the display unit, the image management program being stored in the image data storage unit. According to the recording order of the stored images, a recording interval detection function that detects a recording interval that indicates at what time interval each image was recorded from the image related to the previous recording, and a recording interval detection function that detects the recording interval. An image extraction function for extracting a predetermined number of images having a relatively long recording interval, and arranging a plurality of images including the images extracted by the image extraction function on the screen of the display unit according to the order of recording, An image management program for causing the computer to realize a display control function for controlling the contents of a plurality of images to be displayed at one time.