JP2012019555A - Moving picture recording apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure free capacity of a recording medium required for shooting a moving picture by deleting unwanted data according to will of a user himself/herself who is shooting the moving picture.SOLUTION: A moving picture recording apparatus comprises: a shooting system including a shooting lens optical system 12 for shooting a moving picture and a CCD 13; a memory card 29 for recording data including moving picture data obtained by the shooting system; a display section 26 for displaying a moving picture in process of being shot by the shooting system and being recorded on the memory card 29; and a control section 22. When shooting the moving picture, the control section 22 determines that free capacity of the memory card 29 becomes less than or equal to a prescribed value, alternatively selects the data being recorded on the memory card 29 when determining that the free capacity becomes less than or equal to the prescribed value, displays the data as deletion candidates, while appropriately switching and displaying the data of the deletion candidates, and when a key operation is performed to indicate data of a deletion candidate by a key input section 27, deletes indicated data from the memory card 29.

Description

  The present invention relates to a moving image recording apparatus and a program suitable for various cameras that record a moving image file obtained by shooting on a recording medium with a limited capacity as needed.

  Conventionally, even when a moving image is being recorded, if the recording medium runs out of capacity, a new image is taken by automatically selecting and deleting an image with a low priority, for example, an image with an old time stamp. There was a technology that ensured the recording capacity of video. (For example, Patent Document 1)

JP 2006-146812 A

  However, the technique described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 automatically deletes an image with a low priority order, for example, by the device side judging from the age of the time stamp, so that the convenience of the user and the shooting There is a possibility that an image that is considered important for the user is sometimes mistakenly deleted without taking into consideration the contents that have been set.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to secure the free space of a recording medium necessary for moving image shooting by deleting unnecessary data reflecting the user's will. It is an object of the present invention to provide a moving image recording apparatus and a program that can perform the above operation.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided photographing means for photographing a moving image, recording control means for recording data including moving image data obtained by the photographing means on the recording means, and the data to the recording means by the recording control means. A recording means for selecting desired data recorded in the recording means, and a deleting means for deleting the data selected by the selection means from the recording means. And

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, it is determined that the free space of the recording means has become a predetermined value or less during the recording of the data to the recording means by the recording control means. And determining means for notifying the user of the fact when the determining means determines that the free space of the recording means is below a predetermined value.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the image is selected by the selection means during the recording of the data to the recording means by the recording control means. In order to do so, the display control means for displaying the data recorded in the recording means as deletion candidates on the display means, and switching means for switching the data displayed as deletion candidates on the display control means, The selection means is characterized in that the deletion candidate switched and displayed by the switching means is selected.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the third aspect, the display means can display a moving image of the process of photographing with the photographing means and recording in the recording means. In order for the selection means to select an image during recording of the data to the recording means by the recording control means, the data recorded in the recording means is displayed as a deletion candidate on the display means and recorded. The process image is displayed by the display means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the third or fourth aspect, the display control means displays, together with deletion candidate data, a remaining recordable time of moving image data that is extended when the data is deleted. It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the switching means switches data to be deleted candidates from a plurality of data recorded in the recording means according to a predetermined priority. And

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the third aspect, the switching means is a deletion candidate that is a recorded portion of the moving image data currently being recorded from among the plurality of data recorded in the recording means. It is characterized by switching the data to be.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 7, wherein the display control means displays individual still images constituting the moving image data from a recorded portion of the moving image data currently being recorded, The switching means switches data to be displayed in units of individual still images constituting the moving image data, and the selection means selects the still image data at the deletion range start position and the still image data at the deletion range end position, and The deletion means deletes the moving image data in the range indicated by the still image data at the deletion range start position and the deletion range end position selected by the selection means from the recorded portion of the moving image data currently being recorded. The moving image data before and after the deletion are connected and reset as one moving image data.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, the display control means can change a display form when the data recorded in the recording means is displayed as deletion candidates on the display means. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the switching means can change a switching order when the data recorded in the recording means are displayed as deletion candidates on the display means. It is characterized by that.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the tenth aspect, the switching means sets in advance a switching order for displaying data recorded in the recording means as deletion candidates on the display means. It can be changed by selecting from a plurality of switching orders.

  The invention described in claim 12 is the invention described in claim 3, characterized in that the selecting means can select a plurality of data recorded in the recording means as deletion candidates.

  The invention according to claim 13 is a program executed by a computer built in a moving image recording apparatus including a photographing unit for photographing a moving image and a recording unit for recording data including moving image data obtained by the photographing unit, During recording of the data, the computer executes a selection step for causing the user to select desired data recorded in the recording unit, and a deletion step for deleting the data selected in the selection step from the recording unit. It is characterized by making it.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to secure a free capacity of a recording medium necessary for moving image shooting by deleting unnecessary data reflecting the will of the user who is shooting the moving image.

1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an electronic circuit of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart showing processing details for securing a free capacity of a recording medium during moving image shooting as a first operation example according to the embodiment; The figure which illustrates the content of the monitor screen at the time of the video recording concerning the embodiment. The figure which illustrates the content of the monitor screen at the time of the video recording concerning the embodiment. The figure which illustrates the content of the monitor screen at the time of the video recording concerning the embodiment. 9 is a flowchart showing processing details for securing a free capacity of a recording medium during moving image shooting as a second operation example according to the embodiment;

Hereinafter, an embodiment when the present invention is applied to a digital camera will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a conceptual configuration of an electronic circuit of the entire digital camera 10 according to the embodiment.
In the drawing, in the monitoring state in the photographing mode, the position of a part of the lenses in the photographing lens optical system 12, specifically the zoom lens and the focus lens, is appropriately moved by driving the motor (M) 11. A CCD 13 that is a solid-state imaging device is disposed at an imaging position behind the photographing optical axis of the photographing lens optical system 12 via a mechanical shutter (not shown).

  The CCD 13 is scanned and driven by a timing generator (TG) 14 and a CCD driver 15 and outputs a photoelectric conversion output corresponding to a light image formed at fixed intervals for one screen.

  In the AGC / SH (Auto Gain Control / Sample Hold) circuit 16, this photoelectric conversion output is automatically gain-adjusted according to the ISO sensitivity set for each primary color component of RGB in the state of an analog value signal. After being sampled and held, it is sent to the A / D converter 17.

  The A / D converter 17 converts analog image data into digital data and outputs the digital data to the color process circuit 18.

  The color process circuit 18 performs color process processing including pixel interpolation processing and γ correction processing on digital image data, generates digital luminance luminance / chrominance image data YUV by matrix conversion, and then performs DMA (Direct Memory Access). ) Output to the controller 19.

  The DMA controller 19 once writes the image data YUV output from the color process circuit 18 into a buffer inside the DMA controller 19 using the composite synchronization signal, the memory write enable signal, and the clock signal from the color process circuit 18 as well. DMA transfer is performed to a DRAM 21 used as a buffer memory via an interface (I / F) 20.

  The control unit 22 is composed of a CPU and a main memory used as a work memory, and a necessary program from a non-volatile memory 23 in which an operation program including a reproduction operation, which will be described later, and data are fixedly stored. The control operation of the entire digital camera 10 is managed while the necessary programs and data are temporarily expanded and written in the main memory.

  Thus, after the DMA transfer of the image data to the DRAM 21 is completed, the control unit 22 reads the image data from the DRAM 21 via the DRAM interface 20 and writes it to the VRAM 25 via the display controller 24.

  The display controller 24 periodically reads the image data from the VRAM 25 and outputs it to the display unit 26.

  The display unit 26 includes a color liquid crystal panel with a backlight and a diagonal size of about 3 inches disposed on the rear surface of the housing of the digital camera 10 and a driving circuit thereof. The display unit 26 functions as an electronic viewfinder in the shooting mode, and performs display based on image data from the display controller 24, thereby displaying in real time an image captured from the display controller 24 in real time. To do. On the other hand, the display unit 26 reproduces and displays the selected image or the like in the reproduction mode.

  In this way, a part of the key input unit 27 is configured at a timing at which a still image is to be captured in a so-called through image display state in which the image of the subject at that time is displayed in real time on the display unit 26 as a monitor image. When a shutter key is operated, a trigger signal is generated from the key input unit 27.

  In response to the trigger signal, the control unit 22 cancels the DMA transfer of the luminance and color difference signals for one screen currently captured from the CCD 13 to the DRAM 21, and is not shown at a shutter speed according to the appropriate exposure conditions. The mechanical shutter and the CCD 13 are driven to obtain luminance and color difference signals for one screen and transfer them to the DRAM 21. Thereafter, this path is stopped and the recording state is changed.

  In this recording state, image data YUV for one frame written in the DRAM 21 by the control unit 22 is basically 8 pixels × 8 pixels for each Y, U, V component via the DRAM interface 20. The data is read out in units called blocks and written into the image processing unit 28. The image processing unit 28 converts image data into a predetermined image format, for example, ADCT (Adaptive Discrete Cosine Transform: Adaptive Discrete Cosine Transform) according to JPEG (Joint Photographic Coding Experts Group), Huffman coding or the like. The data is compressed by the data compression process.

  Then, the obtained code data is read out from the image processing unit 28 as a data file for one image, and written into a memory card 29 which is a recording medium that is detachably attached to the digital camera 10.

  Then, along with the compression processing of the luminance and color difference signals for one frame and the writing of all the compressed data to the memory card 29, the control unit 22 activates the path from the CCD 13 to the DRAM 21 again.

  The control unit 22 is further connected to the key input unit 27, the audio processing unit 30, the flash drive unit 31, and the USB interface 32 described above.

  The key input unit 27 includes a power key, a zoom key, a shooting mode key, a playback mode key, a cursor key, a set key, a menu key, a macro key, a flash key, and the like in addition to the shutter key. The key input signal associated with is transmitted directly to the control unit 22.

  The sound processing unit 30 includes a sound source circuit such as a PCM sound source, and at the time of recording sound, the sound processing unit 30 digitizes the sound signal input from the microphone unit 33 disposed on the front surface of the digital camera 10, and has a predetermined data file format. For example, the data is compressed according to MP3 (Moving Picture Coding Experts Group-1 audio layer 3) standard, and an audio data file is created and sent to the memory card 29.

  On the other hand, the audio processing unit 30 uncompresses and converts the audio data file read from the memory card 29 during audio reproduction into an analog signal, and a speaker unit 34 provided on the back side of the digital camera 10 as with the display unit 26. Drive to emit loud sounds.

  The flash drive unit 31 charges a flash driving large-capacitance capacitor (not shown) at the time of still image shooting, and uses the flash light emitting unit 35 formed of a xenon discharge tube or the like based on the control from the control unit 22 as shooting timing. Synchronously drive the flash.

  However, when shooting of a moving image instead of a still image is selected in the shooting mode, the above-described still image data is acquired and the image processing unit 28 compresses the data when the first shutter key is operated. Then, a series of operations of storing in the memory card 29 is started as a continuous execution at an appropriate frame rate, for example, 30 [frames / second], and image processing is performed at an appropriate time interval, for example, every 0.5 [seconds]. The unit 28 compresses and resets the plurality of still image data as a data file of MPEG-4 (Moving Picture coding Experts Group-4), re-records it on the memory card 29, and finally the shutter key 2 When the memory card 29 is used for the second time or when the memory card 29 runs out of space, the series of data Centrally set on the memory card 29 as one data file files.

  In the playback mode, the control unit 22 selectively reads out the image data recorded on the memory card 29, and the image data is compressed by a procedure that is completely opposite to the procedure in which the image processing unit 28 compresses the data in the shooting mode. The decompressed image data is held in the DRAM 21 via the DRAM interface 20, the contents held in the DRAM 21 are stored in the VRAM 25 via the display controller 24, and the image data is periodically read out from the VRAM 25. A video signal is generated and reproduced on the display unit 26.

  When the selected image data is not a still image but a moving image, the individual still image data constituting the selected moving image file is reproduced using the previous and next still image data as necessary, and the same as when recording. When the playback of the last still image data is finished, only the still image data located at the head is used for playback and display until the next playback is instructed.

  The USB interface 32 performs transmission and reception with various external devices such as a personal computer and a printer connected to the USB terminal 36 in accordance with the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
(First operation example)
It is assumed that a plurality of data files including moving image data are already recorded on the memory card 29 that is a recording medium of the digital camera 10.

  FIG. 3 illustrates a screen displayed on the display unit 26 in the moving image data shooting mode. This figure shows a state before moving image shooting is started by operating the shutter key of the key input unit 27. In the entire screen, the image incident on the CCD 13 via the photographing lens optical system 12 at that time is unchanged. Displayed as a through image.

  At the same time, a movie camera mark MC indicating that the shooting mode of the moving image data is set is displayed at the upper center of the screen, and the moving image shooting contents set at that time ( The recordable time T1 corresponding to the free capacity of the memory card 29 at the image size, image quality, and frame rate) and the elapsed recording time T2 of the moving image data used for photographing are displayed.

  At this time, the recordable time T1 is “0:03:53 (0 hour 3 minutes 53 seconds)” and the recording elapsed time T2 is “0:00: 00 (0 hours 00:00) ”.

Further, at the lower end of the screen of the display unit 26, “START: SHUTTER KEY” is used to prompt the operation of the shutter key of the key input unit 27 in order to start moving image shooting.
A guide message like this is displayed. By performing the first shutter key operation according to this display, shooting of moving image data is started.

  FIG. 2 shows the processing contents for securing the free space of the memory card 29, which is performed in parallel with the operation of acquiring image data continuously and recording it on the memory card 29 as described above when shooting moving image data. Therefore, all the operation control is executed by the control unit 22 by expanding the operation program stored in the nonvolatile memory 23 in the main storage memory in the same manner as the photographing operation.

  At the beginning of the processing, the control unit 22 determines whether or not the free capacity of the memory card 29 as a recording medium has decreased, for example, the free capacity is a predetermined amount, for example, 3 minutes or less for the moving image shooting content set at that time. Judgment is made based on whether or not (step A01).

  If it is determined that the free space has not yet decreased, then the mode shifts to a mode for deleting data recorded on the memory card 29 by a combination operation of a predetermined key, for example, a menu key, a cursor key, and a set key. It is determined whether or not an instruction has been given (step A02).

  If it is determined that the instruction to shift to the deletion mode has not been issued, the process returns to step A01. Thus, by repeatedly executing the processes of steps A01 and A02, the process waits until the free space of the memory card 29 is reduced or an instruction to shift to the data deletion mode is issued.

If it is determined in step A01 that the free space in the memory card 29 has decreased, the display unit 26 displays, for example, “The remaining memory capacity has decreased. Please delete the saved data to extend the shooting time. Do you want to select it?
Select data to delete: Set key "
By prompting the deletion of data by displaying a guide message such as (step A03), it is determined whether or not the deletion mode has been selected based on whether or not the key operation has been executed according to the message (step A03). A04).

  If the delete mode is not selected here, the process returns to step A01.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step A04 that the key operation for selecting the deletion mode has been performed, or if it is determined in step A02 that the user has issued an instruction to shift directly to the data deletion mode although the free space has not decreased. Then, in order to select data to be deleted with a predetermined display setting, data to be deleted is displayed together with the corresponding image and the shooting time in the moving image mode extended when the data is deleted (step A05). ).

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the display form displayed on the display unit 26 at this time. In the figure, a screen of a through image showing a moving image being captured is displayed in a slightly reduced size on the upper right side of the screen of the display unit 26, and a corresponding image of data that is a deletion candidate is displayed on the upper left side of the empty screen. Each triangle is displayed above and below the arrows for prompting selection of other deletion candidates.

In addition, as shown in the lower part of the screen of the display unit 26, “Which file will be deleted?
File name: CIMG0304. avi
Size: 10MB
Shooting time: +5: 10 "
By displaying such a guide message, the user is notified of the file name (and extension) and size of the data on which the image is displayed, and the shooting time that will be extended if the data is deleted.

  In FIG. 4, moving image data (AVI file) is selected as a deletion candidate, and a recorded image positioned at the beginning of a series of temporally continuous image data is displayed as representative of the data. It shows that.

  From such a display state, whether or not an instruction to change the display format has been made (step A06), whether or not an instruction to change the display order has been made (step A07), and an instruction to select another deletion candidate. It is sequentially determined whether or not an instruction for selecting deletion of deletion candidates displayed at that time (step A09) has been made (step A09). Returning to the process, the same process is repeated, and the process waits for any instruction.

  If it is determined in step A06 that an instruction to change the display format has been made, the process directly returns to step A05, and based on the predetermined display settings, for example, moving image shooting is performed from the display format as shown in FIG. The deletion candidate is selected after changing the display format so that the image corresponding to the deletion candidate data is inserted and displayed in a part of the through image so as to be in a so-called picture-in-picture state. Wait for instructions.

  In this way, by allowing the user to arbitrarily change the display format, it is possible to display data that is a candidate for deletion with a layout that matches the user's preference, and when deleting unnecessary data during movie shooting Workability can be improved.

  If it is determined in step A07 that an instruction to change the display order has been issued, the process directly returns to step A05, and based on the predetermined display settings, for example, deletion candidates are selected in the old order based on the data time stamp. If it is displayed as much as possible, change the display criteria to select deletion candidates, such as changing the display to select deletion candidates in the order in which the volume of data is large. Wait until the selection is instructed.

  Here, if data can be selected by displaying in order from the data with the oldest time stamp, there is a high possibility that the user will need less time to select the deletion candidate data, and the data will be deleted more quickly. The work of extending the video recording time can be executed efficiently.

  On the other hand, even when the data is displayed in order from the largest data volume, it is likely that the user will need less time to select the deletion candidate data, and the data will be deleted more quickly. This makes it possible to efficiently perform the work of extending the video recording time.

  In addition, combining the elements of both the oldest time stamp and the largest data capacity as described above, the older data and the larger amount of data are selected first as deletion candidates, and so on. Evaluation and weighting may be performed based on the two factors of age and size, and the display order of data that is candidates for deletion may be determined from the comprehensive evaluation value.

  In this way, it is highly likely that the user will have less time and effort to select the deletion candidate data, and the unnecessary data is deleted in a shorter time to extend the video recording time. Can be executed efficiently, and it becomes possible to concentrate on the shooting of the original moving image data.

  If it is determined in step A08 that an instruction for selecting another deletion candidate, specifically, the cursor key (“↑” key or “↓” key) operation of the key input unit 27 has been performed, the direct input is performed. Returning to the above step A05, based on a predetermined display setting, after setting to display an image corresponding to the data of the next deletion candidate according to the display order selected at that time according to the key operation, the deletion candidate Wait until the selection is instructed.

When it is determined in step A09 that an instruction for selecting deletion of the deletion candidate displayed at that time has been given, whether or not to continue deleting other data is displayed on the display unit 26, for example. Do you want to select data for? "
(Step A10), and a determination is made based on whether or not a key operation for deleting other data has been performed on the message (step A11).

  Here, when the corresponding key operation is performed in order to delete other data, the process returns to the process from step A05 again, and any one of the other data not yet selected as deletion candidates is targeted. The process for selecting is executed.

Further, after selecting one or a plurality of data as deletion candidates, a key operation is performed not to select further deletion candidates. When this is determined in step A11, it is confirmed that the deletion target is selected. Then, a list of the data selected at that time is displayed on the display unit 26, and it is further determined whether or not the deletion has been confirmed based on whether or not a key operation for executing the deletion is performed (step A13).
Here, when a key operation for canceling the deletion is performed, the deletion of the selected data is suspended, and the process returns to step A05.

  If it is determined in step A13 that the key operation for confirming the deletion of data has been performed, the deletion candidate data selected at that time is collectively deleted from the memory card 29 (step A14). Then, the process returns to step A01.

  FIG. 5 exemplifies a screen when the time that can be taken is extended during the taking of moving image data by deleting unnecessary data in this way.

  Here, by deleting the moving image data “CIMG0304.avi” displayed as the deletion candidate in FIG. 4 above, the time during which the moving image can be shot is extended by “5 minutes 10 seconds”, and the state of FIG. 14 shows a screen when the recording elapsed time T2 is “00:01:09 (0 hour 1 minute 09 seconds)” after 14 seconds have elapsed.

  At this time, the recordable time T1 is “00:07:54 (0 hour 7 minutes 54 seconds)” (= “2 minutes 58 seconds” + “5 minutes 10 seconds” − “14 seconds”), and is deleted. It can be seen that the recording elapsed time T2 is extended by the amount of moving image data.

  In this way, by selecting and deleting arbitrary unnecessary data reflecting the will of the user who is shooting the moving image, the memory card 29 as a recording medium can be deleted even during moving image shooting. It is possible to secure the necessary free space.

  In the above embodiment, not only the image and file name of the data to be deleted, but also the remaining recordable time of moving image data extended by deleting the data is displayed.

  As a result, it is possible to directly grasp the recordable time that can be extended by deleting the data, and the recorded data is deleted uselessly, or even if the recorded data is deleted, there is still free space on the recording medium. It is possible to prevent a situation such as a shortage from occurring, and to create a free capacity corresponding to the required capacity on the recording medium.

  Further, when selecting data to be deleted, data to be deleted is selected from a plurality of data recorded in the memory card 29 according to a predetermined priority order. The number of key operations required when deleting data can be reduced, and deletion can be performed immediately.

  In this case, a plurality of display orders are prepared in advance as a predetermined priority order for selecting data to be deleted from a plurality of data, and the user can change one of them and select it. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the effort required to select the deletion candidate data according to the user's preference is reduced, and it is possible to efficiently perform the work of deleting the data more quickly and extending the shooting time of the moving image.

  In the above embodiment, since a plurality of data recorded on the memory card 29 can be selected as deletion candidates, for example, the user's intention is reflected, such as selecting a plurality of data that are unnecessary but have a small capacity. Thus, it is possible to secure the free space necessary for shooting the video data.

(Second operation example)
It is assumed that a plurality of data files including moving image data are already recorded on the memory card 29 that is a recording medium of the digital camera 10.

  FIG. 3 illustrates a screen displayed on the display unit 26 in the moving image data shooting mode. This figure shows a state before moving image shooting is started by operating the shutter key of the key input unit 27. In the entire screen, the image incident on the CCD 13 via the photographing lens optical system 12 at that time is unchanged. Displayed as a through image.

  At the same time, a movie camera mark MC indicating that the shooting mode of the moving image data is set is displayed at the upper center of the screen, and the moving image shooting contents set at that time ( The recordable time T1 corresponding to the free capacity of the memory card 29 at the image size, image quality, and frame rate) and the elapsed recording time T2 of the moving image data used for photographing are displayed.

  At this time, the recordable time T1 is “0:03:53 (0 hour 3 minutes 53 seconds)” and the recording elapsed time T2 is “0:00: 00 (0 hours 00:00) ”.

Further, at the lower end of the screen of the display unit 26, “START: SHUTTER KEY” is used to prompt the operation of the shutter key of the key input unit 27 in order to start moving image shooting.
A guide message like this is displayed. By performing the first shutter key operation according to this display, shooting of moving image data is started.

  FIG. 6 shows the processing contents for securing the free space of the memory card 29, which is performed in parallel with the operation of acquiring the image data continuously as described above at the time of shooting the moving image data and recording it on the memory card 29. Therefore, all the operation control is executed by the control unit 22 by expanding the operation program stored in the nonvolatile memory 23 in the main storage memory in the same manner as the photographing operation.

  At the beginning of the processing, the control unit 22 determines whether or not the free capacity of the memory card 29 as a recording medium has decreased, for example, the free capacity is a predetermined amount, for example, 3 minutes or less for the moving image shooting content set at that time. Judgment is made based on whether or not (step B01).

  If it is determined that the free space has not yet decreased, then the mode shifts to a mode for deleting data recorded on the memory card 29 by a combination operation of a predetermined key, for example, a menu key, a cursor key, and a set key. It is determined whether an instruction has been given (step B02).

  If it is determined that an instruction to shift to the deletion mode has not been given, the process returns to step B01. Thus, by repeatedly executing the processes of steps B01 and B02, the process waits until the free space of the memory card 29 is reduced or an instruction to shift to the data deletion mode is issued.

If it is determined in step B01 that the free space in the memory card 29 has decreased, the display unit 26 displays, for example, “The remaining memory has decreased. Please delete the saved data to extend the shooting time. Do you want to select it?
Select data to delete: Set key "
By prompting the deletion of data by displaying a guide message such as (step B03), it is determined whether or not the deletion mode has been selected based on whether or not a key operation has been executed in accordance with the message (step B03). B04).

  If the delete mode is not selected here, the process returns to step B01.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step B04 that the key operation for selecting the deletion mode has been performed, or when it is determined in step B02 that the user has issued an instruction to directly shift to the data deletion mode although the free space has not decreased. Then, in order to select the range to be deleted from the already recorded part of the moving image data that is currently being recorded with the predetermined display setting, it is extended when the image of the part that is a candidate for deletion and its data are deleted. Is displayed together with the shooting time in the moving image mode (step B05).

  At this time, the display unit 26 displays a through image screen showing the moving image being shot in a slightly reduced size on the upper right side of the screen of the display unit 26, and becomes a deletion candidate on the upper left side of the empty screen. Display the corresponding image of the I (Intra: Intra coding) picture located at the head of GOP (Group Of Pictures) located at the head of a certain video data, and place the tip of the start position of the deletion range only below that A triangle “▽” is displayed in place of the prompting arrow.

In addition, at the bottom of the screen of the display unit 26, as shown in the figure, “from which position do you want to delete?”
By displaying such a guide message, the user is prompted to indicate the start position of the range to be deleted this time.

  From such a display state, whether or not an instruction to change the display format has been issued (step B06), the “frame” position of the image selected and displayed at that time (more specifically, a moving image file is configured) Whether or not an instruction to change the I picture located at the head of each GOP has been issued (step B07), whether or not a deletion range start position has been instructed (step B08), or an indication of the end position of the deletion range Whether or not (Step B09) is sequentially determined. If none of them is applicable, the process returns to Step B05 again, repeats the same process, and waits for any instruction.

  If it is determined in step B06 that an instruction to change the display format has been issued, the process directly returns to step B05, and based on a predetermined display setting, one of the through images in which a moving image is being taken from the display format as described above. The deletion candidate is instructed to be selected after the display format is changed and set so that the image corresponding to the deletion candidate data is inserted and displayed in the section, so as to be in a so-called picture-in-picture state. stand by.

  In this way, by allowing the user to arbitrarily change the display format, it is possible to display data that is a candidate for deletion with a layout that matches the user's preference, and when deleting unnecessary data during movie shooting Workability can be improved.

  If it is determined in step B07 that an instruction to change the frame position to be selected has been issued, the process directly returns to step B05, and based on a predetermined display setting, the frame position to be selected (more specifically, the top position of each GOP) I picture) is set to be changed (moved) in response to the cursor key (“↑” key or “↓” key) operation of the key input unit 27, and a new frame position is selected and instructed. stand by.

  If it is determined in step B08 that the deletion range start position has been instructed, specifically, the set key operation of the key input unit 27 has been performed, the process directly returns to step B05, and based on a predetermined display setting, In accordance with the key operation, the GOP in the moving image data selected at that time is set as the head of the deletion range, and it waits for the end position of the deletion range to be instructed.

  Thereafter, each time it is determined that an instruction to change the frame position to be selected is given in step B07, the frame position to be selected (more specifically, the I picture at the head of each GOP) is set to the cursor key (“ ↑ ”key or“ ↓ ”key) After setting to change (move) corresponding to the operation, it waits for a new frame position to be selected and instructed.

At this time, in the lower part of the display unit 26,
“How far do you want to delete?”
Size: 10MB
Shooting time: +5: 10 "
By displaying a guide message like this, the size of the deletion range when the GOP including the currently displayed image is deleted and the shooting time extended when the deletion range is deleted are displayed. Tell the user.

If it is determined in step B09 that an instruction to select the end position of the deletion range displayed at that time has been given, then as a confirmation of the deletion, for example, the display unit 26 may display “Even if the indicated range is deleted. Is it good?
Cancel: MENU / Delete: SET ”
Is displayed (step B10), and it is determined whether or not the corresponding key has been operated to confirm deletion of the message (step B11).

  Here, if a key operation for canceling the deletion is performed, the deletion of the selected data is suspended, and the process returns to step B05 again.

  If it is determined in step B11 that the key operation for confirming deletion of data has been performed, the deletion range data selected at that time is deleted from the memory card 29 in GOP units, and the deletion range is sandwiched. After setting the divided moving image data currently being shot as one data file (MPEG file) (step B12), the process returns to step B01 again.

  FIG. 5 exemplifies a screen when an unnecessary range is deleted from the moving image data in the middle of shooting in this way to extend the time that can be shot during shooting of the moving image data.

  Here, the deletion of the range-designated portion extends the time during which the moving image can be shot by “5 minutes and 10 seconds”, and “1 minute 09 seconds” has elapsed from the state of FIG. 3 above. The screen when T2 is “00:01:09 (0 hour, 1 minute, 09 seconds)” is shown.

  At this time, the recordable time T1 is “00:07:54 (0 hour 7 minutes 54 seconds)” (= “3 minutes 53 seconds” + “5 minutes 10 seconds” − “1 minute 09 seconds”). It can be seen that the elapsed recording time T2 is extended by an amount corresponding to the range portion of the deleted moving image data.

  In this way, after starting the shooting of a moving image for the time being, unnecessary portions in the moving image data can be appropriately designated and deleted even during shooting to secure the free space of the memory card 29. .

  Therefore, even when the memory card 29 having a limited capacity is used, it is possible to start shooting a moving image without any problem. In this case, it is performed in combination with a function that is generally called a past movie function or the like and that automatically starts recording from a predetermined time, for example, 5 seconds before instructing to start shooting in the moving image shooting mode. This makes it possible to shoot with certainty of the movement of a precious subject without "head breaks".

  In addition, unnecessary portions in the moving image can be deleted with a simple operation even during the shooting of the moving image, so that the recording capacity of the memory card 29 can be efficiently used to record more various data including moving image data. Can do.

  In the above operation example, it has been described that the recording format of the moving image data conforms to MPEG, and the designated range is deleted in units of GOP. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, continuous in time. In the case of an AVI (motion JPEG) file composed of a plurality of still image (JPEG) (Joint Photographing Experts Group) data, the designated range can be easily deleted in units of actual one frame (one still image).

  In addition, when deleting a range more efficiently, the start position and end position of the deletion range are skipped and changed in units of a preset time width, for example, 30 seconds, and then a detailed position instruction is given. It is also possible to instruct the position of the multi-stage such as to perform, and it is also conceivable that the position where the scene in the image changes greatly by the image recognition technique is automatically skipped.

  In the above-described embodiment, the deletion candidate is selected from the stored images. However, such a configuration is not necessary, and any type of data stored in the memory is selected and deleted. You may comprise.

  This is because the capacity of memory cards has recently increased, and an increasing number of people carry not only captured images but also data files reproduced by spreadsheet software or word processing software on the same memory card.

  At this time, for example, when this kind of data is selected in FIG. 4, an image indicating that the software data is displayed instead of the image data, or the software data is displayed as a document as it is. You may let them.

  In FIG. 4, the recorded images are displayed one by one together with the through image. However, this configuration is not necessary, and the recorded images are displayed in a list and an image is selected from the list. Alternatively, it may be displayed together with a through image. With this configuration, it is possible to further easily select a recorded image.

  The deletion described in the present invention is not limited to the direct deletion of data as a matter of course, and only the flag information of the data can be deleted, so that the storage area of the data can be overwritten. Shall be included.

  Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to a case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is not limited to this, and a digital video movie camera, a mobile phone terminal having a camera function, and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) The present invention can be applied to various electronic devices such as (portable information terminals) and portable electronic game terminals and operation programs that are installed in the electronic devices and control operations of the devices.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, the functions executed in the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate as possible. The above-described embodiment includes various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by an appropriate combination according to a plurality of disclosed structural requirements. For example, even if several constituent requirements are deleted from all the constituent requirements shown in the embodiment, if the effect can be obtained, a configuration from which the constituent requirements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Digital camera, 11 ... Motor (M), 12 ... Shooting lens optical system, 13 ... CCD, 14 ... Timing generator (TG), 15 ... CCD driver, 16 ... AGC / SH circuit, 17 ... A / D conversion 18 ... color process circuit, 19 ... DMA controller, 20 ... DRAM interface (I / F), 21 ... DRAM, 22 ... control unit, 23 ... non-volatile memory, 24 ... display controller, 25 ... VRAM, 26 ... display 27 ... Key input unit, 28 ... Image processing unit, 29 ... Memory card, 30 ... Audio processing unit, 31 ... Flash drive unit, 32 ... USB interface, 33 ... Microphone unit, 34 ... Speaker unit, 35 ... Flash emission 36, USB terminal, MC, movie camera mark, T1, recordable time, T2, recording elapsed time.

Invention of claim 1, wherein the imaging means for photographing a moving image, and a recording control means for recording the video data obtained by the photographing means to record means, according to the recording control means of the moving image data to said recording means During recording, the recording unit instructs the recording unit to indicate the recorded data of the moving image data currently being recorded as a deletion candidate, and the deletion unit deletes the moving image data instructed by the instruction unit from the recording unit. Means.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the instructing means provides the user with the start position and the end position of the deletion range as deletion candidates from the recorded data of the moving image data currently being recorded. It includes a selection means for selecting.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the deletion unit is configured to determine a start position and an end position of a deletion range selected by the selection unit from a recorded portion of the moving image data currently being recorded. The moving image data in the range is deleted, and the moving image data before and after the deletion are connected and reset as one moving image data.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, during the recording of the moving image data to the recording means by the recording control means, the free space of the recording means is a predetermined value. A determination means for determining that the following has been achieved; and a notification means for notifying the user of the fact when the determination means determines that the free space of the recording means is less than a predetermined value. It is characterized by.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the video data is recorded on the recording means by the display means for displaying an image and the recording control means by the recording control means. to select a deletion range in the selection means, and further comprising the recorded data of the moving image data is currently being recorded in the recording means and a display control means for displaying on the display means.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 5 , wherein the display control means can change a display form when the moving image data recorded in the recording means is displayed as deletion candidates on the display means. It is characterized by that.

The invention of claim 7, wherein the imaging unit for photographing a moving image, a program built-in computer video recording apparatus comprising a recording unit that records the video data obtained by the imaging unit is executed, the video during recording of data, and an instruction step of instructing the user of the recorded data of the moving image data is being currently recorded on the recording unit as a candidate for deletion, deleting the video data designated by the instruction step from the recording unit And a deletion step of causing the computer to execute.

Claims (13)

Shooting means for shooting videos,
Recording control means for causing the recording means to record data including moving image data obtained by the photographing means;
Selection means for allowing a user to select desired data recorded in the recording means during recording of the data in the recording means by the recording control means;
A moving picture recording apparatus comprising: deletion means for deleting data selected by the selection means from the recording means. Determining means for determining that the free capacity of the recording means has become a predetermined value or less during recording of the data to the recording means by the recording control means;
2. The moving picture recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying means for notifying a user of the fact when the determining means determines that the free capacity of the recording means has become a predetermined value or less. . Display means for displaying an image;
Display control means for displaying data recorded on the recording means as deletion candidates on the display means in order to select an image by the selection means during recording of the data on the recording means by the recording control means; ,
Switching means for switching data displayed as deletion candidates by the display control means,
3. The moving picture recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection means selects the deletion candidates that are switched and displayed by the switching means. The display means can display a moving image of the process of shooting with the shooting means and recording in the recording means,
The display control means sets the data recorded in the recording means as deletion candidates in the display means so that the selection means selects an image during recording of the data in the recording means by the recording control means. 4. The moving image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the moving image recording apparatus displays the image in the recording process on the display means.   5. The moving image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display control means displays, together with deletion candidate data, a remaining recordable time of moving image data that is extended when the data is deleted.   4. A moving picture recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said switching means switches data to be deleted candidates in accordance with a predetermined priority from a plurality of data recorded in said recording means.   4. The moving image recording according to claim 3, wherein the switching means switches data to be a deletion candidate which is a recorded portion of the moving image data currently recorded from among a plurality of data recorded in the recording means. apparatus. The display control means displays individual still images constituting the moving image data from the recorded portion of the moving image data currently being recorded,
The switching means switches the data displayed in units of individual still images constituting the moving image data,
The selection means selects the still image data at the deletion range start position and the still image data at the deletion range end position,
The deletion means deletes the moving image data in the range indicated by the still image data at the deletion range start position and the deletion range end position selected by the selection means from the recorded portion of the moving image data currently being recorded. 8. The moving image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the moving image data before and after the deletion are connected and reset as one moving image data.   4. The moving image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display control means is capable of changing a display form when displaying data recorded in the recording means as deletion candidates on the display means.   4. The moving picture recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the switching means is capable of changing a switching order when the data recorded in the recording means is displayed as deletion candidates on the display means.   The switching means can change the switching order when the data recorded in the recording means is displayed as a deletion candidate on the display means by selecting from a plurality of preset switching orders. 11. The moving image recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein   4. The moving image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the selection means can select a plurality of data recorded in the recording means as deletion candidates. A program executed by a computer built in a moving image recording apparatus provided with a shooting unit for shooting a moving image and a recording unit for recording data including moving image data obtained by the shooting unit,
A selection step for allowing a user to select desired data recorded in the recording unit during recording of the data;
A program for causing a computer to execute a deletion step of deleting data selected in the selection step from the recording unit.

Images