JP2006025030A - Digital camera with communication function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera with a communication function that previously prepares a desired image parameter list for every plurality of images to be sent, performs image processing based upon the list for every plurality of images at the time of transmission, and then transmitting the images together. <P>SOLUTION: The digital camera equipped with a function of holding a recording medium 13 where photographed images are stored and transmitting images selected out of the images held on the recording medium 13 to an external device through a communication network prepares a transmitted image list showing image parameters of desired compression processing etc., to be implemented for every plurality of images in image information and image transmission prior to transmission of the plurality of images when the plurality of images on the recording medium 13 are selected to be sent, and stores the image parameter list in an internal memory 14; when the plurality of images are transmitted, a communication application reads the transmitted image list out of the internal memory 14, compresses the plurality of images respectively according to image parameters shown by the transmitted image list, and then transmits them together. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera with a communication function, and in particular, stores a captured image in a recording medium, reads an image to be transmitted from the recording medium at the time of transmission to an external device, and reads the read image to another device through a communication network. The present invention relates to a digital camera with a communication function that can be transmitted to an image device.

  Today, even if the digital camera is a popular model, the number of CCD pixels exceeds 4 million pixels, and even a mobile phone with a camera function has a CCD pixel number of about 2 million pixels. Many of them are on the market, and all of them have high-quality images.

  By the way, when a digital camera having a number of CCD pixels on the order of several million captures a still image, the image file capacity required to store the still image data exceeds 1 megabyte (Mbyte) per still image. If the number of CCD pixels of a digital camera increases in the future, the required image file capacity will increase as the number of CCD pixels increases.

  In addition, when a moving image is shot using this type of digital camera, the image file capacity required to store the moving image data increases in proportion to the moving image shooting time. Since the file capacity limit depends on the file system or the moving image format employed, it is considered that a file capacity of about a gigabyte (Gbyte) unit is required.

  Recently, digital cameras having a communication function, which have a communication function and can transmit image data taken to other image devices through a communication network, are becoming popular. However, when a digital camera with such a communication function wants to send captured image data to other image devices via a communication network by E (electronic) mail or FTP (file transfer protocol), the original image data is transferred. Since the image data is transmitted as it is, the total file capacity of the transmitted image data is extremely large.

  Also, depending on the communication service, there are many restrictions on the file capacity of image data that can be transmitted. For this reason, when a digital camera with a communication function transmits captured image data, it cannot transmit the image data stored in a large-capacity image file as it is by e-mail or FTP.

  In addition to this, when image data is transmitted through a communication network, if the communication network has low throughput, the image data of a large-capacity image file is transmitted using the communication network. Not only does the data transmission time become long, but the communication cost increases as the transmission time becomes long, and it is not practical to use such a transmission means.

  Therefore, several solutions have already been proposed for such various problems in digital cameras, as described below.

  The first solution relates to a digital camera device with a communication function disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-319326. This digital camera device with a communication function is used for an image shot in a communication shooting mode. The image file at the time of transmission is created by converting the image quality of the image into a communication image having a predetermined resolution and file size using the communication parameters and creating a communication file of the highly compressed image data. The capacity is suppressed.

  The second solution is related to the image communication system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-45452. This image communication system constitutes a transmission / reception system in which a digital camera is linked to a mobile phone. When an image to be transmitted is selected by the mobile phone, a resize processing command is transmitted from the mobile phone to the digital camera for the selected image, and when the digital camera resizes the image, the resized image is displayed on the digital camera. Is sent to the mobile phone.

Further, as a third solution, the digital camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-40601 relates to a digital camera that acquires an image condition capable of processing an image according to a transmission destination. When the transmission destination of the captured image is determined, the image condition corresponding to the transmission destination is read from the recording medium, and the image is read according to the read image condition. The processed image is processed, and the processed image is transmitted to the transmission destination.
JP 2003-319326 A JP 2001-045452 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-040601

  By the way, as in the digital camera device with communication function disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-319326, which is the first solving means, when shooting an image in the shooting mode for communication, it is obtained by shooting according to the high compression parameter. Although there is an advantage in that a large-capacity image file is not required, the original image of the image, that is, a high-quality image cannot be recorded and stored at the time of shooting.

  Further, as in the image communication system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-045452 which is the second solution, the image to be transmitted is selected, the selected image is subjected to compression processing, and the compressed image is transmitted. Although there is an advantage in that the file capacity of the image data at the time of transmission can be reduced, if there are multiple images to be transmitted, it is necessary to perform compression processing on each of the images to be transmitted. When these multiple images include images of different image formats such as still images and moving images, the compression parameters are different, so it is necessary to change the compression processing setting conditions each time an image is selected. In this case, it takes time for image processing.

  Furthermore, if the image data is transmitted according to the image condition corresponding to the transmission destination as in the digital camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-040601 as the third solution, it is suitable for the image file capacity of the transmission destination. Although there is an advantage in that image data can be transmitted, both the e-mail transmission and the FTP transmission communication application naturally have a limit on the image file capacity of the transmission destination, and all the image files to be transmitted The total file size of the image data to be transmitted is determined by the image file size of the transmission destination if the image data continues to be transmitted according to the image conditions corresponding to the transmission destination. May be exceeded.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a technical background. One object of the present invention is to pre-form a desired image parameter list for each of a plurality of images to be transmitted, and perform image processing according to the list at the time of transmission. An object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera with a communication function in which a plurality of images are transmitted after being performed at once.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera with a communication function that lists the file capacity and total capacity of each image data to be transmitted collectively in an image parameter list of a plurality of images to be transmitted. is there.

  In order to achieve the one object, a digital camera with a communication function according to the present invention holds a recording medium in which a photographed image is stored, and selects a selected image among the images held in the recording medium through a communication network. In a digital camera with a communication function having a function capable of being transmitted to an apparatus, when there are a plurality of selected images to be transmitted in a recording medium, the image information about each of the plurality of images prior to transmission of the plurality of images, and A transmission image list representing image parameters such as compression processing desired to be performed on the image at the time of image transmission is created, the created transmission image list is stored in the internal memory, and a plurality of images are transmitted by a communication application. The transmission image list is read from the internal memory, and the image parameters shown in the read transmission image list are read. According, after compressing each of the plurality of images comprises a main unit so that collectively transmit the plurality of images.

  In order to achieve the one and other objects, the digital camera with a communication function according to the present invention includes a file size after compression processing and a batch transmission image of the transmission image in the transmission image list in the main means. Additional means for listing the total estimated file capacity is provided.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the transmission image list in which the image parameters desired by the image are set in advance for each of the plurality of images to be transmitted is formed in advance. Image processing according to the transmission image list is individually performed on each image, and the plurality of images subjected to image processing are transmitted in a batch, so image processing suitable for that image is performed each time one image is transmitted. This eliminates the need to perform multiple image transmissions, eliminates the time and effort required for image processing, and enables efficient image transmission, as well as image processing for multiple images to be transmitted. Since it is stored as a high-quality image before the image processing is performed, it is possible to immediately provide the image when it is desired to obtain a high-quality image.

  According to the invention of claim 2, a transmission image list can be created in which a plurality of image parameters are set for a plurality of images, and a plurality of image parameters are set at the time of use. Since one desired image can be selected from among them, there is an effect that when the same image is transmitted to different transmission destinations, it can be immediately handled.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, since the total approximate value of the file capacity after compression processing and the file capacity of the batch transmission image for the transmission image is listed in the transmission image list, on the user side, There is an effect that it is possible to recognize the number of files that can be transmitted, the compression rate of transmission images that can be transmitted, and the like.

  FIG. 1 relates to an embodiment of a digital camera with a communication function according to the present invention, and shows a rear view of the digital camera.

  As shown in FIG. 1, this digital camera with a communication function is arranged to line up with a camera casing 1, a finder 2 disposed in an upper area on the back side of the camera casing 1, and the finder 2 in the upper area on the back side. The display lamp 3 is arranged in a wide area from the back side intermediate region to the lower region, and the liquid crystal display unit 3 is arranged from the back side intermediate region to the lower region in the liquid crystal display unit 3. It consists of operation keys 5.

  In this case, the finder 2 is for the user to see the subject when using the digital camera. The display lamp 3 indicates the operation mode state of the digital camera and various warnings according to the display state. The liquid crystal display unit 4 selectively displays captured images, setting items, and the like. The operation key 4 is used for various settings in the digital camera.

  Next, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection state inside the digital camera with a communication function shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the digital camera with a communication function is obtained from a lens 6 for photographing a subject, a CCD 7 for taking image information photographed by the lens 6 and converting it into an analog signal corresponding to the image information, and the CCD 7. An A / D conversion unit 8 that converts the analog signal into a digital signal, a timing generator 9, an image processing unit that performs gamma correction, white balance correction, AE correction, and the like, and a JPEG compression / decompression unit that performs JPEG compression and decompression The microcomputer 10 including the image processing LSI 10 (1), the key input unit (corresponding to the operation key 4 in FIG. 1) 11 in which key operation is performed, and the key operation state of the input unit 11 are detected and a detection signal is output A sub-microcomputer 12 for outputting, a removable memory card (corresponding to a recording medium in the claims) 13 for storing captured images, and A flash memory (FLASH MEMORY) 14 (corresponding to an internal memory in the claims) 14 that stores various setting items and the like, and an SDRAM 15 used as a temporary storage area for work data and image data of the image processing LSI 10 (1). And a liquid crystal display (LCD) 16 (corresponding to the liquid crystal display 4 in FIG. 1) 16 that displays captured images and setting items, a memory slot 17 that detachably holds the memory card 13, and wireless communication. A wireless LAN module 18 for connecting the digital camera and the communication network is provided, and these components 6 to 18 are connected to each other as shown in FIG.

  In the digital camera with a communication function shown in FIG. 2, when image information is applied to the CCD 7 from the camera subject through the lens 6, the CCD 7 converts the converted analog signal into an analog signal corresponding to the image information. / D converter 8 The A / D conversion unit 8 converts this analog signal into a digital signal corresponding to the analog signal, and supplies the obtained digital signal to the image processing LSI 10 (1). The image processing LSI 10 (1) performs image processing on the supplied digital signal, and then JPEG compresses the JPEG compression unit to form JPEG compressed image data. This JPEG compressed image data is transmitted to the memory card 13 under the control of the microcomputer 10 and stored therein.

  The JPEG compressed image data stored in the memory card 15 is read from the memory card 15 under the control of the microcomputer 10, and the read JPEG compressed image data is supplied to the JPEG decompression unit of the image processing LSI 10 (1). JPEG decompression is performed and converted into a display image signal. Thereafter, the display image signal is supplied to the liquid crystal display unit 16 to display an image.

  This digital camera with a communication function has a function of selecting an arbitrary image from captured images, that is, a function of selecting an arbitrary image from a plurality of images, such as a thumbnail list display of a general digital camera. Have. When the user selects an arbitrary image to be transmitted from the thumbnail list display content by the communication application, the user can set a compression parameter for compressing the image to be transmitted when the arbitrary image is transmitted. . If the selected image is a JPEG still image, the image size to be resized, the compression ratio, etc. can be set as compression parameters. If the selected image is a motion JPEG moving image, In addition, the frame rate can be set.

  The image file information selected by the user and the compression parameters thereof are set in a transmission image list and stored in a recording medium of a digital camera with a communication function, as shown in FIG. After that, by selecting another arbitrary image and setting the compression parameters for the image in the same manner, another transmission image can be additionally set in the existing transmission image list.

  The user selects an appropriate one from the transmission image list stored in the recording medium from the communication application of the digital camera with communication function. The communication application reads the transmission image list, analyzes the contents thereof, compresses each image with the compression parameters set in the transmission image list, and converts the image into a communication format corresponding to each application.

  In the case of an e-mail application, an image file is automatically attached to the outgoing mail, and the user inputs the destination address and sends it to set the image file set in the outgoing image list to the outgoing image list. It can be transmitted in a compressed state with the compression parameters.

  On the other hand, in the case of an FTP application, a transmission file is selected, and when the user sets a transmission destination server and transmits the image file, the image file set in the transmission image list is set in the transmission image list. It can be transmitted in a compressed state with the compression parameters.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a wireless communication system including this digital camera with a communication function.

  In FIG. 3, 20 is a digital camera with a communication function, 21 is a wireless LAN access point, 22 is a server, and 23 is an Internet communication network.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the digital camera 20 with a communication function includes a wireless LAN module 18 therein, and the digital camera 20 and a wireless LAN access point 21 are wirelessly connected by the wireless LAN module 18. The access point 21 has a function of connecting the digital camera 20 with a communication function to the Internet communication network 23, thereby allowing the digital camera 20 to access the designated server 22 through the Internet communication network 23. . The communication application installed in the digital camera 20 with a communication function enables access to the server 22 set by each application, and is stored in the memory card 15 as shown in FIG. The image data can be transmitted to the server 22 through this wireless communication system.

  Next, FIG. 4 shows an example of a format of the transmission image list 24 formed by the digital camera 20 with a communication function.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the transmission image list 24 of this example includes a compression parameter, a compressed file capacity, and the like as a file name for each sequentially listed file information number (No1 to No *). The compression parameters include the image size to be resized, the compression rate, and the frame rate (in the case of moving images) as items.

  Next, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for creating the transmission image list 24 formed by the digital camera 20 with a communication function.

  A procedure for creating a transmission image list will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The transmission image list is prepared and prepared so that it can be managed for each transmission destination image device or transmission destination server. In the following step S6, in the transmission image list selection processing, Selectable settings can be made for any list.

  First, in step S 1, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the key input unit 11, the microcomputer 10 reads a captured image stored in the memory card 15, supplies the read image to the liquid crystal display unit 16, and A list is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 16.

  Next, in step S2, when the user selects an arbitrary image in the list of images displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 16 by a predetermined operation of the key input unit 11, and then the user performs a predetermined operation of the key input unit 11, A menu for creating a transmission image list is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 16.

  Next, in step S3, for the menu displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 16, the parameters for compression are set for the image selected by the user by the predetermined operation of the key input unit 11, that is, the image size and the compression ratio to be resized. If the image is a moving image, the frame rate is set separately.

  In step S4, after the compression parameters are set, the compressed image file capacity of the image selected from the menu displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 16 by the user can be confirmed.

  Subsequently, in step S5, as a result of the user confirming the compressed image file capacity for the selected image, whether or not the selected image is compressed to a sufficient resize, that is, whether or not the compression state is appropriate. Determine. When it is determined that the selected image is compressed to a sufficient size (Y), the process proceeds to the next step S6, while it is determined that the selected image is not compressed to a sufficient size (N). At that time, the process proceeds to the previous step S3, and the processes after step S3 are repeated.

  Next, in step S6, the user selects a transmission image list in which the compression parameter settings are stored.

  Next, in step S7, the user saves the selected transmission image list.

  By performing the above operations, a transmission image list is created. By using this transmission image list, a plurality of image files listed in this transmission image list are compressed according to the specified compression parameters. Thus, these compressed images can be transmitted collectively.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a transmission procedure by E (electronic) mail using a transmission image list and via a mobile phone.

  Hereinafter, a transmission procedure by e-mail via a mobile phone will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step S11, the user activates the mail application by performing a predetermined operation on a key of the mobile phone.

  Next, in step S12, the user selects one transmission image suitable for the transmission destination from a plurality of transmission image lists stored in the digital camera with a communication function by a predetermined key operation based on the activated mail application. Select a list.

  Next, in step S13, the mail application analyzes the selected transmission image list.

  In step S14, the digital camera with a communication function compresses the image according to the compression parameter specified in the transmission image list by using the compression / decompression module in the image signal processing LSI 10 (1).

  Subsequently, in step S15, the mail application attaches the created compressed image to the transmission mail.

  Next, in step S16, the user sets a destination for the created mail.

  Next, in step S17, the image attached to the transmission mail is transmitted to the mail destination.

  By performing the above operation, the image file set in the transmission image list can be compressed with the compression parameters set in the transmission image list, and then attached to the mail for transmission.

The present invention relates to one embodiment of a digital camera with a communication function, and shows a rear view of the digital camera. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical connection state inside the digital camera with a communication function illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a schematic diagram showing the radio | wireless communication system | strain containing the digital camera with a communication function. It shows an example of a format of a transmission image list formed by a digital camera with a communication function. It is a flowchart which shows the preparation procedure of the transmission image list | wrist formed with a digital camera with a communication function. It is a flowchart which shows the transmission procedure by E-mail via a mobile telephone using a transmission image list.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera housing 2 Finder 3 Display lamp 4, 16 Liquid crystal display part (LCD)
5 Operation keys 6 Lens 7 CCD
8 A / D converter 9 Timing generator 10 Microcomputer 10 (1) Image processing LSI
11 Key input unit 12 Sub-microcomputer 13 Memory card 14 Flash memory (FLASH MEMORY)
15 SDRAM
17 Memory Slot 18 Wireless LAN Module 20 Digital Camera with Communication Function 21 Wireless LAN Access Point 22 Server 23 Internet Communication Network 24 Transmission Image List

Claims (3)

In a digital camera with a communication function that holds a recording medium in which a photographed image is stored and has a function of transmitting a selected image among the images held in the recording medium to an external device through a communication network, When there are a plurality of selected images to be transmitted, the image information about each of the plurality of images and the image parameters such as compression processing desired to be performed on the images at the time of image transmission are transmitted before the transmission of the plurality of images. A transmission image list is created, the created transmission image list is stored in the internal memory, and when the plurality of images are transmitted, the transmission image list is read from the internal memory by the communication application, and is displayed in the read transmission image list. After compressing each of the multiple images according to the image parameters Communication function mounted digital camera which is characterized in that so as to Shin. The transmission image list can create a plurality of types of image parameters for a plurality of images, and a desired one from among a plurality of types of image parameters when used. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the digital camera is selected. 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the transmission image list is a list of total approximate values of a file capacity after compression processing and a file capacity of a batch transmission image for the transmission image.

Images