JP2004247899A - Image reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reproducing apparatus enabling a user to search a desired frame from moving image data, and to start the moving image at the designated frame position. <P>SOLUTION: When a moving image to be reproduced is selected from at least one item of moving image data recorded in a recording medium, a plurality of digest frames are automatically extracted for the moving image data at a predetermined interval, and the plurality of digest frames are arranged in order of time sequence and are displayed as a list on the display screen of a liquid crystal monitor. A user selects a desired digest frame from among the digest frames on the screen, and can further feed frames before and after the selected digest frame to search a desired frame image. If the user stops frame feeding operation when the desired frame is displayed and inputs a command of starting moving image reproduction, the display screen is switched from a multi-screen display to a single screen display, and moving image reproduction starts at the frame position of this display. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image reproduction apparatus, and more particularly to an image reproduction apparatus that performs reproduction display of moving image data.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the field of moving image playback devices, a digest display function is known in which one moving image sequence is divided into a plurality of blocks and the first frame (frame) of each block is displayed as a list on a display screen (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8- No. 18923). In addition, there is also known a function (referred to as “digest playback function”) in which when a user selects a desired frame on the digest display screen, a moving image is played back from the position of the frame.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-18923 (page 8, FIG. 13)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional digest playback function, one moving image sequence is automatically divided at equal intervals along the time axis to determine the digest frame, so only the image near the head of the automatically divided block is checked. I can't. Also, only the content of the moving image after that can be reproduced with the digest displayed as the top.
[0005]
When the time of one video sequence (recording time) is short, there is no inconvenience in use even with the above conventional method, but for a video with a long recording time, the time interval of the extracted digest frames is correspondingly increased. This makes it difficult to find the playback start frame desired by the user.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an image reproducing apparatus that allows a user to easily search for a desired frame from moving image data and reproduce a moving image from a specified frame position. The purpose is to provide.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention displays an image content according to an information reading means for reading information from a recording medium and a display signal generated based on image data read from the recording medium by the information reading means. And a display means for automatically extracting a plurality of digest frames from the moving image data recorded on the recording medium and time-sequentially extracting the images of the plurality of digest frames. Digest reproduction processing means arranged in order and displayed as a list on the screen of the display means, a selection operation means for performing an operation of selecting a desired digest frame from the list display, and selected by the selection operation means Starting from the digest frame, frame advance is performed in at least one of the reverse feed direction and forward feed direction. A feed operation means for inputting a command, and a display image of the display area of the digest frame related to the selection is updated on the screen of the list display according to the frame feed command input from the feed operation means, and the digest related to the selection Frame advance processing means for displaying an image of the frame before or behind the frame in the display area, and video playback for starting the video playback from the position of the frame displayed in the display area instead of the digest frame related to the selection And a control means.
[0008]
According to the present invention, moving image data is recorded on a recording medium in accordance with a predetermined signal format, and the image reproducing apparatus of the present invention reads image data from the recording medium by the information reading means and performs signal processing for display. The image content is displayed on the screen of the display means. When a movie to be played is selected from at least one movie data recorded on the recording medium, a plurality of digest frames are automatically extracted for the movie data, and the plurality of digest frames are predetermined in time series. A list display screen (digest screen) arranged in accordance with the arrangement form is displayed on the display means.
[0009]
When the user operates the selection operation means to select a desired digest frame from the list display screen, a frame advance operation is possible for the display area of the digest frame related to the selection in the list display screen. That is, when a frame advance command is input by the feed operation means, a frame advance operation is performed with the selected digest frame as a starting point, and the display image in the display area is updated. When the desired frame image is displayed, the frame advance operation is stopped, and if necessary, a moving image reproduction start command is input from the required operation means, the moving image reproduction starts from the position of the frame related to the display.
[0010]
In this way, on the digest display screen that is automatically generated from a video composed of a series of image data that changes in time series, a desired digest frame is selected, and the frame before and after the digest frame related to the selection is further advanced. Thus, the image search can be performed, so that a desired frame position can be easily specified. In addition, since the moving image reproduction can be started from the position of the frame thus designated, the moving image scene desired by the user can be reproduced without excess or deficiency.
[0011]
According to an aspect of the present invention, the feed processing means stops the frame feed operation at the frame position immediately before reaching the digest frame adjacent to the digest frame related to the selection.
[0012]
Set the digest frame next to the selected digest frame as the movement limit of the feed operation, and stop the feed operation in the same direction when the feed operation is performed up to the position immediately before reaching the next digest frame. By performing the control so as to be performed, there is an advantage that it is easy to recognize the break of the moving image block in the user operation.
[0013]
In addition to the above-described configuration, another aspect of the present invention is designated by a range designating unit for designating a moving image range for further digest playback from the plurality of digest frames displayed in the list, and the range designating unit. The digest playback screen is updated so that multiple digest frames are automatically extracted for the selected video range, and the images of the extracted digest frames are arranged in chronological order and displayed as a list on the display screen. And a digest display updating means.
[0014]
By further specifying the moving image range from the digest display screen and repeatedly creating the digest display screen while narrowing down the moving image range to be digested, it is possible to easily search for a desired frame.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an image reproducing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a front view of an electronic camera to which an image reproducing apparatus of the present invention is applied. The camera 10 is a digital camera that converts an optical image of a subject into digital image data and records it on a recording medium, and has a recording / playback function for still images and a recording / playback function for moving images with sound. A photographing lens 12, a finder window 14, a self-timer lamp 15 and a microphone 16 are provided on the front surface of the camera body 11, and a release button 17 is provided on the upper surface of the camera body 11. The taking lens 12 is composed of an electric zoom lens, and the lens barrel 18 has a retractable structure that can be accommodated in the camera body 11 when not taking a picture.
[0017]
Although not shown in the drawing, a battery cover is provided on the bottom surface of the camera so as to be freely opened and closed, and the battery 19 for power supply is installed in the camera body 11 in the vertical direction along the grip portion 11A from the bottom surface of the camera. It is structured to be loaded into the battery compartment.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the camera 10. A finder 20, a finder lamp 22, a liquid crystal monitor 24, a mode selection switch 26, a display button 28, a menu / OK button 30, a cancel button 32, a cross button 34, and a speaker 36 are provided on the back side of the camera.
[0019]
The viewfinder 20 is composed of a zoom viewfinder in which the viewfinder magnification is variable in conjunction with the focal length of the taking lens 12. The viewfinder lamp 22 is composed of a multicolor LED formed by combining a red light emitting diode (LED) and a green LED, and the lighting color and lighting state (lighting / flashing) are controlled according to the operating state of the camera 10. . The camera status such as “ready for shooting”, “working in AE / AF”, “camera shake warning”, “AF warning”, “writing media”, or “charging” is displayed by the display of the viewfinder lamp 22. Can do.
[0020]
The liquid crystal monitor 24 is composed of a transmissive liquid crystal display capable of color display, and an illumination backlight (not shown) is provided inside the camera 10. The liquid crystal monitor 24 can be used as an electronic viewfinder for checking the angle of view at the time of shooting, and is used as a means for reproducing and displaying recorded images. The liquid crystal monitor 24 is also used as a user interface display screen, and displays information such as menu information, selection items, and setting contents as necessary. Instead of the liquid crystal monitor 24, other types of display devices (display means) such as an organic EL can be used.
[0021]
The mode selection switch 26 illustrated in FIG. 2 is an operation unit that switches the operation mode of the camera 10. The mode selection switch 26 of this example is configured by a slide switch that can be stopped at three positions, and each stop position is associated with “still image shooting mode”, “playback mode”, and “moving image mode”, respectively. . That is, when the mode selection switch 26 is operated to stop at the “still image shooting mode position” (the left-side stop position in FIG. 2), the camera 10 is set to the “still image shooting mode” for recording a still image. The When the mode selection switch 26 is stopped at the “reproduction mode position” (the central stop position in FIG. 2), the camera 10 is set to the “reproduction mode” for reproducing the recorded image. When the mode selection switch 26 is stopped at the “moving image mode position” (the stop position on the right side in FIG. 2), the camera 10 is set to a moving image mode for recording a moving image.
[0022]
The display button 28 is an operation means for switching the liquid crystal monitor 24 ON / OFF, and also displays / hides an OSD (on-screen display) display such as a playback method (single-frame playback / multi-screen playback) and a frame number during playback. This is an operating means for switching the display.
[0023]
The menu / OK button 30 is an operation button that has both a function as a menu button for instructing display of a menu screen and a function as an OK button for instructing confirmation and execution of selection contents. The cancel button 32 is used to delete a desired object such as a selection item, cancel an instruction content, or return to the previous operation state.
[0024]
The cross button 34 is an operation unit for inputting instructions in four directions, up, down, left, and right. For example, as a button (cursor moving operation means) for selecting an item from a menu screen or instructing selection of various setting items from each menu. Function. The up / down key of the cross button 34 functions as a zoom switch at the time of shooting or a playback zoom switch at the time of playback, and the left / right key functions as a frame advance (reverse direction / forward direction) button in the playback mode. .
[0025]
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the camera 10. As shown in the figure, a power switch 38 is provided on the upper surface (top surface) of the camera 10 in addition to the release button 17. The release button 17 functions as an operation member that commands execution of shooting at the time of still image shooting, and is also used as a recording button that commands shooting start (start) / stop (stop) at the time of moving image shooting.
[0026]
FIG. 4 shows a side view of the camera 10 (viewed from the direction of the arrow 4 in FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 4, a media slot 41 and a power input terminal (DC_IN) 44 corresponding to a recording medium (not shown in FIG. 4, described as reference numeral 81 in FIG. 5) are provided on the side surface of the camera body 11. Is provided. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the camera body 11 is provided with a media cover that covers the opening of the media slot 41 so as to be freely opened and closed.
[0027]
In this example, the media mounting portion (media slot 41) is formed on the side surface of the camera (the same side as the grip portion 11A). However, the position where the media mounting portion is formed is not limited to this in the implementation of the present invention. An aspect formed on the side surface of the camera on the side or an aspect formed on the bottom surface of the camera is also possible. There is also an aspect in which a cover member that functions as a media cover and battery cover is used.
[0028]
The electric power necessary for the operation of the camera 10 is normally supplied from the battery 19 described in FIG. 1, but a mode in which a plug of an AC power adapter (not shown) is connected to the power input terminal 44 shown in FIG. Thus, it is possible to supply power from an external power source. As a result, shooting and playback can be performed without worrying about the consumption of the battery 19 in the camera 10, and the battery 19 can be charged.
[0029]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the camera 10. A central processing unit (CPU) 50 built in the camera 10 functions as a control unit that performs overall control of the camera system according to a predetermined program, and performs automatic exposure (AE) calculation, automatic focus adjustment (AF) calculation, and the like. It functions as a calculation means for performing various calculations. The CPU 50 is connected to a memory (RAM) 54 and a flash memory (EEPROM) 56 via a bus 52. The memory 54 is used as a work area for the CPU 50 and is also used as a temporary storage area for image data and audio data. The flash memory 56 stores a control program, various data necessary for control, information set by the user, and the like.
[0030]
The CPU 50 controls each circuit in the camera 10 based on a signal (operation signal) received from the operation unit 58 and detection signals from various sensors, for example, lens drive control, imaging control, image processing control, image / audio. Data recording control, file management, power control, display control of the liquid crystal monitor 24, and the like are performed.
[0031]
The operation unit 58 includes various operation means such as the power switch 38, the mode selection switch 26, the release button 17, the cross button 34, the menu / OK button 30, and the cancel button 32 described with reference to FIGS.
[0032]
The power of the camera 10 is supplied from an external power source (not shown) connected to the battery 19 or the power input terminal 44. In the camera 10, a charging circuit and a switch circuit 62 and a DC / DC converter 64 that operate in accordance with a command from the CPU 50 are provided. The charging circuit and switch circuit 62 includes a connection detection circuit that detects whether or not an external power source is connected to the power input terminal 44, and external CPU connection information is notified to the CPU 50.
[0033]
When an external power source is connected to the power input terminal 44 when the camera power source is in an off state, the charging circuit and switch circuit 62 starts charging the battery 19. When the battery 19 is fully charged, the charging operation is stopped. If an external power source is connected to the power input terminal 44 when the camera power source is on, the charging operation is not performed, and the charging circuit and the switch circuit 62 use the external power source in preference to the battery 19. Thus, the power input path is automatically switched.
[0034]
Electric power supplied from the battery 19 or an external power source connected to the power input terminal 44 is converted into a required voltage by the DC / DC converter 64 and then supplied to each circuit block in the camera 10.
[0035]
When the shooting mode (still image mode or moving image mode) is selected by the mode selection switch 26, power is supplied to an imaging unit including a CCD solid-state imaging device (hereinafter referred to as CCD) 66, and the camera is ready for shooting.
[0036]
The light that has passed through the photographing lens 12 forms an image on the light receiving surface of the CCD 66. A large number of photodiodes (light receiving elements) are two-dimensionally arranged on the light receiving surface of the CCD 66, and red (R), green (G), and blue (B) primary color filters corresponding to each photodiode. They are arranged in a predetermined arrangement structure (Bayer, G stripe, etc.). The CCD 66 has an electronic shutter function for controlling the charge accumulation time (shutter speed) of each photodiode. Instead of the CCD 66, another type of image sensor such as a MOS type may be used.
[0037]
The subject image formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD 66 is converted into a signal charge of an amount corresponding to the amount of incident light by each photodiode. The signal charge accumulated in each photodiode is sequentially read out as a voltage signal (image signal) corresponding to the signal charge based on a drive pulse supplied from a clock generation circuit (CG) (not shown).
[0038]
The signal output from the CCD 66 is subjected to necessary processing such as correlated double sampling (CDS) processing and gain adjustment, and is then applied to an A / D converter 68 where it is converted into a digital signal. The digitized image data is sent to the signal processing unit 70.
[0039]
The signal processing unit 70 is a synchronization circuit (a processing circuit that calculates the color of each point by interpolating a spatial shift of the color signal associated with the color filter array of the single-plate CCD), a luminance / color difference signal generation circuit, and a gamma correction. The image processing unit functions as an image processing unit including a circuit, a contour correction circuit, a white balance correction circuit, and the like and functions as an audio processing unit. The image signal and the audio signal are processed using the memory 54 in accordance with a command from the CPU 50.
[0040]
The image data sent from the A / D converter 68 to the signal processing unit 70 is converted into a luminance signal (Y signal) and a color difference signal (Cr, Cb signal) and subjected to predetermined processing such as gamma correction. And stored in the memory 54.
[0041]
When the captured image is output to the monitor, the image data is read from the memory 54 and sent to the display circuit 72 via the signal processing unit 70. The display circuit 72 converts the input image data into a predetermined display signal (for example, an NTSC color composite video signal) and outputs it to the liquid crystal monitor 24.
[0042]
The image data in the memory 54 is periodically rewritten by the image signal output from the CCD 66, and the video signal generated from the image data is supplied to the liquid crystal monitor 24, whereby the image being captured is displayed in real time. The The photographer can confirm the shooting angle of view (composition) from the video (through movie image) displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 24.
[0043]
The release button 17 is composed of a two-stage switch having an S1 switch that is turned on when half-pressed and an S2 switch that is turned on when fully pressed. In the still image shooting mode, when the CPU 50 detects that the release button 17 is half-pressed (S1 = ON), it performs AE control and AF control, and when it detects that the release button 17 is fully pressed (S2 = ON), it captures a recording image. CCD exposure and readout control is started.
[0044]
That is, the CPU 50 performs various calculations such as a focus evaluation calculation and an AE calculation from the image data captured in response to half-pressing of the release button 17 (S1 = ON), and a lens driving motor based on the calculation result. 74 is controlled to move the photographic lens 12 to the in-focus position, and a diaphragm mechanism (not shown) is controlled. Then, in response to S2 = ON, the charge accumulation time at the time of image acquisition is controlled.
[0045]
The captured image data is subjected to luminance / color difference signal conversion processing (YC processing) and other predetermined signal processing in the signal processing unit 70, and then sent to the compression / expansion unit 76, where a predetermined compression format (for example, , JPEG method). The compressed image data is recorded on the recording medium 81 via the media interface unit 78. Note that the media interface unit 78 corresponds to the media slot 41 described with reference to FIG.
[0046]
In this example, a semiconductor memory card represented by SmartMedia (trademark) is used as the recording medium 81, but the means for storing image data is not limited to this, and a small hard disk represented by Microdrive (trademark), Various storage devices that can be randomly accessed, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and a magneto-optical disk, can be used. Moreover, the recording medium (internal memory) built in the camera 10 is not limited to a removable medium, and a mode in which a plurality of recording media are used is possible regardless of different types / types.
[0047]
When the moving image mode is selected by the mode selection switch 26, the camera 10 can record a moving image with sound. When the release button 17 is pressed (S2 = ON), the recording operation starts. When the release button 17 is pressed again (S1 = ON), the moving image recording is stopped. Note that the recording operation may be performed while the release button 17 is continuously pressed, and the recording may be stopped by releasing the press.
[0048]
The sound at the time of moving image shooting is detected by the microphone 16 shown in FIG. 5, and the detection signal (audio signal) is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 84 and then sent to the signal processing unit 70. The signal processing unit 70 converts the input audio data into a predetermined signal format. The audio data generated in this way is compressed by the compression / decompression unit 76 together with the image data, and is recorded on the recording medium 81 via the media interface unit 78. The moving image data is recorded, for example, according to the motion JPEG format.
[0049]
In the motion JPEG method, the image data acquired from the CCD 66 is temporarily stored in the internal memory 54, and then converted into a luminance / color difference signal by the signal processing unit 70. Still images are continuously stored at a constant frame rate (a preset frame rate).
[0050]
The file format of the moving image is not limited to motion JPEG, and other file formats such as MPEG may be applied. In the case of the MPEG system, recording is continuously performed on the external recording medium 81 while performing intra-frame compression and inter-frame compression. During moving image shooting, the shot video (recorded video) is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 24.
[0051]
Further, the camera 10 includes a communication interface unit (for example, a USB controller and a USB terminal) 84 as means for transmitting and receiving data to and from a personal computer (not shown) and other external devices. The communication method is not limited to USB, and various communication interfaces such as IEEE 1394 and Bluetooth can be applied regardless of wired / wireless. The communication mode for communicating with an external device is automatically set over other modes (still image shooting mode / playback mode / movie mode) when the camera 10 is connected to the external device for communication. Is done.
[0052]
When the camera 10 of this example is connected to an external device, it can function as a device of two different device classes depending on the setting state of the camera 10. In other words, the camera 10 is a PC camera that functions as a PC camera that sends a video signal being shot in real time so that it can be used for a video conference and the like, and a storage mode that functions as a card reader that reads and writes the recording medium 81 in the camera 10. Mode. Whether the operation mode (communication operation mode) of the camera 10 at the time of USB connection is set to the storage mode or the PC camera mode is set in advance on the menu screen or the like by the user.
[0053]
Next, the image reproduction function of the camera 10 will be described.
[0054]
When the playback mode is selected by the mode selection switch 26, the compressed data of the last image file (last recorded file) recorded on the recording medium 81 is read. When the file related to the last recording is a still image file, the compressed data of the read image file is expanded to an uncompressed YC signal via the compression / expansion unit 76, and the signal processing unit 70 and the display circuit 72 are Then, the signal is converted into a display signal and then output to the liquid crystal monitor 24. Thereby, the image content of the file is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 24.
[0055]
When the reproduction target file is a moving image file, the first frame of the moving image is displayed as a representative image, and a screen for accepting an instruction to start moving image reproduction is displayed. When a predetermined operation is performed from the operation unit 58 in a state where the first frame of the moving image is displayed and the moving image reproduction is started, the reproduction process of the moving image file starts, the moving image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 24, and the audio data Is output to the speaker 36 via the D / A converter 88 and the amplifier 89, and the sound recorded simultaneously with the moving image is also reproduced.
[0056]
During single-frame playback of a still image (including the display of the first frame of a moving image), the file to be played can be switched (forward / reverse) by operating the right key or left key of the cross button 34. . The image file at the frame-advanced position is read from the recording medium 81, and still images and moving images are reproduced and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 24 in the same manner as described above.
[0057]
The camera 10 of this example has a function of creating a digest (index) of a moving image file. When a digest creation instruction is input for the selected video file according to a predetermined operation procedure (for example, when an operation for selecting a digest creation command is performed from the menu screen), a plurality of frame images (digest frames) are selected from the video file. ) Are extracted, and the extracted digest frames are arranged in chronological order and displayed in a list on the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 24.
[0058]
A procedure for creating a digest display will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of extracting nine digest frames from a moving image file with a recording time of T seconds. As shown in the figure, the first frame “F0” to the last frame “F10” for one moving image data are divided into 10 along the time axis at substantially equal intervals, and the boundary frames “F1” and “F2” of the divided blocks are divided. ... "F9" is extracted as a digest frame. In the case of a moving image in the MPEG format, it is preferable to use a frame of an I picture (intra-frame encoding) compressed by intra-frame encoding as a digest frame.
[0059]
As shown in FIG. 7, the extracted nine digest frame images are arranged on the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 24 in chronological order from the upper left (numbers 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 →... Are arranged in order) and are simultaneously displayed (list displayed) by a 3 × 3 9-divided multi-screen display method.
[0060]
A cursor frame (selection frame) 90 indicating the position of the currently selected digest frame is displayed on the video digest display screen. The cursor frame 90 is displayed by default at the display position of the digest frame (F0) at the upper left of the screen, but when the user operates the cross button 34, the cursor frame 90 moves according to the operation.
[0061]
When the user moves the cursor frame 90 and selects a desired digest frame, the moving image playback can be started from the position of the frame or the frame positions before and after the frame.
[0062]
In FIG. 6, the boundary frames (F1 to F9) of the divided blocks divided at approximately equal time intervals are extracted as the digest frames, but the first frame F0 or the last frame F10 of the moving image may be extracted as the digest frames. The moving image dividing method is not limited to the method of equally dividing along the time axis, and there is also an aspect in which moving image scene switching is automatically determined, and the frame of the switching is extracted as a digest frame.
[0063]
Next, a method for reproducing a moving image from a moving image digest display screen in the camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.
[0064]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control during moving image reproduction. As described with reference to FIG. 7, a moving image digest is displayed for one selected moving image file (step S110 in FIG. 8), and a frame selection input operation from the user is accepted on this digest display screen (step 120). The user operates the cross button 34 to move the cursor frame 90 and performs an operation of confirming the selection with the menu / OK button 30.
[0065]
The CPU 50 of the camera 10 determines whether or not a frame selection command (confirmation) has been input (step 122). If the selection is not yet confirmed, the process returns to step S120. If the digest frame selection operation is confirmed in step S122, the process proceeds to step S124.
[0066]
In step S124, an input of a frame advance operation (forward / reverse operation) starting from the selected digest frame or an instruction to start reproduction is accepted. An example of the user interface screen at this time is shown in FIG.
[0067]
FIG. 9 shows an example in which the digest frame “F5” at the center of the screen is selected. When a desired digest frame (“F5”) is selected on the video digest display screen, the function of the cross button 34 is switched, and operation guidance (navigation) is displayed at the lower center of the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 24 as shown in FIG. ) 92 is overlaid.
[0068]
That is, the left key of the cross button 34 functions as a reverse frame advance (reverse feed) command key, the right key functions as a forward frame advance (forward feed) command key, and the down key functions as a moving image playback start command key. . The display of the operation guide 92 includes graphic symbols (marks) representing the functions assigned to the keys of the cross button 34 so that the functions of the keys can be visually understood.
[0069]
Here, the frame advance operation assigned to the left key and the right key of the cross button 34 will be described with reference to FIG. The function of “reverse feed” is a frame (Fa next to the digest frame F4 on the time axis) from the digest frame related to selection (F5 in FIG. 10) to the immediately preceding digest frame (F4 in FIG. 10). ) Frame advance can be commanded in the range up to.
[0070]
If a frame advance instruction is input in a state where the image of the frame Fα is displayed instead of the digest frame F5, the image is not switched to the image of the digest frame F4, and the display is stopped in the display state of the frame Fα.
[0071]
Similarly, the function of “forward” assigned to the right key of the cross button 34 is the frame (time) before the digest frame (F5 in FIG. 10) to the next digest frame (F6 in FIG. 10). The movement of the frame can be commanded in a range up to the frame Fβ immediately preceding the digest frame F6 on the axis. If an instruction for frame advance is input while the image of the frame Fβ is displayed, the image is not switched to the image of the digest frame F6 but stops in the display state of the frame Fβ.
[0072]
When the left key or the right key of the cross button 34 is pressed and held (for example, continuously pressed for 1 second), the frame shifts to a frame return or frame advance continuous command and becomes a high-speed automatic feed command. When the key is released during high-speed automatic advance, the frame return or frame advance operation stops. Even when the feed limit frame (Fα or Fβ) is reached by high-speed automatic feed, the frame return or frame feed operation stops at that point. This prevents the user from inadvertently moving to the next digest frame area.
[0073]
In step S124 of FIG. 8, the camera 10 receives an instruction input for frame advance or moving image reproduction start from the user, and determines whether or not an instruction for frame advance is input from the user (step S126). When the frame advance command is input, the CPU 50 determines whether or not the frame advance command has reached the movement limit (the frame Fα or Fβ described with reference to FIG. 10) (step S128).
[0074]
If the feed command has not reached the movement limit, the frame feed operation is performed in accordance with the input feed command, the image data of the previous frame or the next frame is read, and a predetermined display area (number “5” in the example of FIG. 9) The display image in the divided screen area at the center of the screen shown is updated (step S130). In step S130, after changing the display of the corresponding display area, the process returns to step S124.
[0075]
On the other hand, if the frame advance command has reached the movement limit in step S128, the further frame advance operation is stopped and the display state of the movement limit frame Fα or Fβ is maintained (step S132). After step S132, the process returns to step S124. In this way, in the process of steps S124 to S132, the user can search for a desired frame from within the frame advanceable range before and after the selected digest frame F5.
[0076]
In step S126, if there is no frame advance instruction input, the process proceeds to step S134, and the CPU 50 determines whether or not a “playback” instruction is input. When the user finds a desired frame and inputs a “playback” instruction in step S124, “YES” is determined in step S134, and moving image playback is executed from the position of the designated frame related to the display (step S136).
[0077]
When a moving image playback start command is input, the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 24 is switched from the display mode of the multi-screen display to the display mode of the single screen display, and the video image is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 24 (full screen Is displayed.
[0078]
On the other hand, if there is no “reproduction” instruction input in step S134, the process proceeds to step S138, and the CPU 50 determines whether or not a “cancel” instruction is input. If the user does not press the cancel button 32 in step S134, the process returns to step S124, and the instruction input from the user is waited with the moving image digest displayed.
[0079]
If the user presses the cancel button 32 in step S134, a YES determination is made in step S138, and the process returns to step S120. That is, the screen returns to the screen for redoing the digest frame selection operation.
[0080]
According to the control example shown in FIG. 8, a desired digest frame is selected from a moving image digest display screen automatically generated from a single moving image file, and the frame before and after the digest frame related to the selection is further advanced to the image. Since it is configured to be able to search, it is possible to easily specify a desired frame position. In addition, since the moving image reproduction can be started from the position of the frame thus designated, the moving image scene desired by the user can be reproduced without excess or deficiency.
[0081]
In the control example of FIG. 8, when the forward or reverse feed command reaches the movement limit, the frame feed operation is stopped and the mode is returned to the digest frame selection screen by the cancel button. At this time, the present invention is not limited to such a control mode. For example, when the movement limit is reached, the frame advance operation is temporarily stopped, and when the same frame advance command is input again, it automatically moves to the next digest frame and the selected digest frame is automatically changed. There are also embodiments.
[0082]
In addition, in the case of a long-time video file, the frame interval of the extracted digest frames is relatively long, so the frame advanceable range (search range) is large when performing frame advance operations before and after the selected digest frame. It is thought that it becomes difficult to find a desired frame.
[0083]
Therefore, it is preferable to add control for repeating the moving image digest display a plurality of times while gradually narrowing the moving image search range.
[0084]
FIG. 11 shows a conceptual diagram thereof. For one moving image file, first, as described with reference to FIG. 6, the whole is divided into 10 at substantially equal time intervals, and a frame at the division boundary is extracted as a digest frame (FIG. 11A).
[0085]
The digest frames extracted in this way are arranged on the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 24 in chronological order and displayed simultaneously as described with reference to FIG. From such a moving image digest display screen, the user designates a moving image block range that is likely to contain the desired scene. For example, if the range of the digest frames “k” to “k + 1” is designated in FIG. 11A, the moving image range related to this designation is again approximately at equal time intervals as shown in FIG. And dividing the frame (“1” to “9”) at the division boundary as a digest frame (FIG. 11B). The moving image digest display is updated by the digest frames re-extracted in this way.
[0086]
As described with reference to FIG. 11, it is possible to easily search for a desired frame by repeatedly creating a moving picture digest while narrowing down the moving picture range. Such a range designation type (restriction type) video digest display function is particularly effective when a desired scene is specified from a long-time video file. In FIG. 11, the moving image range having two adjacent digest frames as both ends is specified. However, it is also possible to specify a plurality of continuous divided blocks and create a moving image digest for the specified moving image range. is there.
[0087]
FIG. 12 shows a control example for realizing the range designation type moving image digest display function described in FIG. In FIG. 12, the same steps (steps) as those in the flowchart described with reference to FIG.
[0088]
In the control example shown in FIG. 12, the processes of steps S112 to S116 shown in FIG. 12 are added between steps S110 to S120 in the flowchart of FIG. 8, and after the NO determination in step S122 of FIG. Step S123 shown in FIG. That is, according to FIG. 12, when the moving image digest display is performed from the entire moving image file in step S110, the process proceeds to step S112.
[0089]
In step S112, an operation for designating a moving image range for further digest processing is accepted. The user performs an operation of selecting one or a plurality of desired digest frames from the moving image digest display screen and designating a moving image range as a digest processing target. The CPU 50 of the camera 10 determines whether or not an input for specifying a moving image range has been performed (step S114), and switches processing according to the determination result. That is, when an input for designating a moving image range is performed, the process proceeds to step S116, where a digest frame is re-extracted from the moving image data in the designated range, and the moving image digest display is updated.
[0090]
After step S116, the process returns to step S112 to accept further digest processing range designation. In this way, the user can repeat the digest process while gradually narrowing down the moving image range.
[0091]
In step S114, if there is no input specifying the range of digest processing, the process proceeds to step S120, and selection of a desired digest frame is accepted from the currently displayed moving image digest display screen (step S120).
[0092]
If the digest frame is not selected in step S122 (NO in step S122), the process proceeds to step S123. In step S123, it is determined whether or not the cancel button has been pressed. If the cancel button 32 has not been pressed, the process returns to step S120 and waits for input of frame selection.
[0093]
On the other hand, if the cancel button 32 is pressed in step S123, the process returns to step S112, and a screen for re-specifying the range for performing the digest process again is displayed.
[0094]
As described with reference to FIG. 11 to FIG. 12, it is possible to easily search for a desired frame by repeatedly creating a moving picture digest while narrowing down the moving picture range.
[0095]
In the above-described embodiment, 3 × 3 9-division multi-screen display is exemplified as the display form of the video digest display. However, the display form of the video digest display is not limited to this, and 2 × 2 4-division multi-screen display Multi-screen display with various numbers of divisions such as 5 × 5 25-division multi-screen display is possible. Further, the division form and the screen arrangement pattern are not limited to the matrix form as described with reference to FIG. 7, and a mode in which the display areas of each image are arranged in time series along a spiral curve is also considered. It is done.
[0096]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the image playback device of the present invention is mounted on an electronic camera capable of moving image recording and used as means for reproducing and displaying the moving image recorded by the electronic camera has been described. The range is not limited to this example, such as a video camera, a mobile phone with a camera, a personal computer with a camera, etc., an electronic camera that converts an object image into an electrical signal using an image sensor and records the device, and an apparatus equipped with such an imaging means, Can be widely applied to an image reproducing apparatus or the like that does not have an image recording function.
[0097]
The image reproduction apparatus according to the present invention can be realized by a computer. The movie playback function of the present invention (digest display function, digest frame selection function, function of performing frame advance operation from the selected digest frame, and function of starting operation playback from the frame position searched by frame advance) A program to be realized may be recorded on a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, or other recording medium, and the program may be provided to a third party through the recording medium, or the program download service may be provided through a communication line such as the Internet. Is possible.
[0098]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, on a digest display screen automatically generated from a moving image recorded on a recording medium, a desired digest frame is selected, and an image is searched by further feeding the frame before and after the digest frame related to the selection. Since it is configured so as to be able to easily specify a desired frame position. In addition, since the moving image reproduction can be started from the position of the frame thus designated, the moving image scene desired by the user can be reproduced without excess or deficiency.
[0099]
In addition, the digest frame next to the selected digest frame is set as the movement limit of the feed operation, and when the feed operation is performed up to the position immediately before reaching the next digest frame, further forward feed in the same direction is performed. By performing the control to stop the operation, there is an advantage that it is easy to recognize the break of the moving image block in the user operation.
[0100]
According to another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further specify the moving image range from the digest display screen and to repeat the creation of the digest display screen while narrowing down the moving image range to be digested. It is possible to easily search for a desired frame from the moving images.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of an electronic camera showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the camera shown in FIG.
3 is a plan view of the camera shown in FIG.
4 is a side view of the camera shown in FIG. 1 (viewed from the direction of arrow 4 in FIG. 3).
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the camera according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of extracting a digest frame from one moving image file.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of a video digest
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a first control example during moving image reproduction;
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when a digest frame is selected
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a frame advance operation starting from a digest frame related to selection.
FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing a method of repeating a video digest display a plurality of times while gradually narrowing a video search range.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a second control example during moving image reproduction;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera, 12 ... Shooting lens, 17 ... Release button, 19 ... Battery, 24 ... Liquid crystal monitor, 26 ... Mode selection switch, 30 ... Menu / OK button, 34 ... Cross button, 50 ... CPU, 66 ... CCD, 70 ... Signal processing unit, 72 ... Display circuit, 78 ... Media interface unit, 81 ... Recording medium

Claims (3)

An image reproducing apparatus comprising: information reading means for reading information from a recording medium; and display means for displaying image contents in accordance with a display signal generated based on image data read from the recording medium by the information reading means. In
A plurality of digest frames are automatically extracted from the moving image data recorded on the recording medium, and images of the extracted plurality of digest frames are arranged in chronological order and displayed as a list on the display unit screen. Digest reproduction processing means for causing;
A selection operation means for performing an operation of selecting a desired digest frame from the list display;
Feed operation means for inputting a frame feed command for at least one of the reverse feed direction and the forward feed direction starting from the digest piece selected by the selection operation means;
The display image is updated for the display area of the digest frame related to the selection on the screen of the list display in accordance with the frame advance command input from the feed operation means, and the frame before or after the digest frame related to the selection is updated. Frame advance processing means for displaying an image in the display area;
Movie playback control means for starting movie playback from the position of the frame displayed in the display area instead of the digest frame related to the selection;
An image reproducing apparatus comprising: 2. The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feed processing means stops the frame feed operation at a frame position immediately before reaching a digest frame adjacent to the digest frame related to the selection. A range designating unit for designating a video range for further digest playback from the plurality of digest frames displayed in the list;
A plurality of digest frames are automatically extracted for the moving image range specified by the range specifying means, and the images of the extracted digest frames are arranged in chronological order and displayed in a list on the screen of the display means. Digest display update means for updating the digest playback screen,
The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

Images