JP3302648B2 - Storage medium for digital camera and digital camera - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital camera capable of converting light from an object to be photographed into a digital signal and storing the digital signal, and a storage medium such as a memory card detachable from the digital camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a digital camera which converts light from an object to be photographed into electric signals by an image pickup means such as a CCD, converts the electric signals into digital data, and stores the digital data in a storage medium such as a flash memory. ing. With a digital camera, you can easily store image data and perform various processing using a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer), etc., and print images without developing films by outputting image data to a printer. can do. With the improvement of the printing quality of printers, it has become possible to print high-quality photos that are almost indistinguishable from photos taken by conventional silver halide cameras.

Some of the above digital cameras can increase the number of shots by replacing a storage medium such as a memory card which is detachable with the digital camera like a film of a silver halide camera. There is something you can do.

[0004]

However, in a silver halide camera, the sensitivity and image quality can be changed by changing a film to be used according to the purpose, whereas in a digital camera, an image is converted into digital data. For recording, the image quality of the recorded image was exactly the same regardless of which memory card was used.

A digital camera capable of rewriting a control program stored in a flash memory built in a main body is also known. In this type of digital camera, an external device such as a personal computer is used to rewrite the program. There is a problem that rewriting cannot be performed easily because a device is required or the procedure is complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide a digital camera storage medium and a digital camera which can easily change the control by the digital camera.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium for a digital camera and a digital camera that can improve the quality of a captured image.

[0008]

According to the digital camera storage medium according to the first aspect of the present invention According to an aspect of the plurality of control programs executable, the storage device in the digital camera by the control unit of the digital camera Select the control program
Is-option by which the introduction program to be installed is recorded in the the control program, the image data obtained by photoelectric conversion of one by the imaging means, the image data by performing an enlargement process involving smooth process It includes steps to create a magnified image data having a number of pixels than the number of pixels. Therefore, when the digital camera executes the installation program in the storage medium, the control program can be installed in the digital camera, and control by the digital camera can be changed.

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

According to the digital camera of the second aspect of the present invention, the means for identifying whether or not the executable installation program is recorded on the attached storage medium and the means for executing the installation program are provided. Prepare. Therefore, since the control program can be installed in the digital camera, the control performed by the digital camera can be easily changed. According to the digital camera of the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for irreversibly compressing the enlarged image data and recording it on a storage medium. To the enlarged image data lossy compression (e.g., JPEG compression), it is relatively small size of the blocks per unit area, it is possible to reduce deterioration of image quality. That is, the image quality of the image recorded on the storage medium can be improved.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the structure of a digital camera 10 using a memory card 16 as a storage medium for a digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.
The digital camera 10 includes a control unit 11, a condenser lens 12,
CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 1 as imaging means
3. A / D converter 14, RAM (Random Access Memory) 15 for temporarily recording image data, built-in flash memory 17 as a storage device capable of recording compressed image data, and removable memory card 16. A card slot 20, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 21 for displaying an image,
It comprises a VRAM 18 in which data for an image displayed on the LCD 21 is stored, an interface 19 for outputting data in the built-in flash memory 17 or the memory card 16 to an external device, and the like.

The control section 11 includes a CPU and data input / output means, and performs various controls of the digital camera 10 by executing a control program stored in a partial area of the built-in flash memory 17. The condenser lens 12 is provided with a diaphragm 121 for adjusting the amount of light input to the condenser lens 12. As the CCD 13, C (Cya
n) A color image can be taken by using a CCD 13 in which a plurality of image pickup devices having complementary color filters of M (Magenta), Y (Yellow), and G (Green) are arranged in a matrix. Complementary color filters are C, M,
There may be three colors of Y. R (Red), G (Green), B
In some cases, a CCD having a (Blue) primary color filter is used. As the RAM 15, an S-DRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM) having a self-refresh function is used.

The memory card 16 has image data recorded in a rewritable storage medium, such as a flash memory, which can retain the recorded contents without power supply, and is removably inserted into a card slot 20 of the digital camera 10. Have been. As the memory card 16, for example, PCMCI
By using a memory card conforming to the A standard or a memory card attachable to a PCMCIA card adapter, the contents of the memory card 16 can be directly read and written by a personal computer having a PCMCIA card slot.

In a partial area of the memory card 16, a control program which can be executed by the control unit 11 by being additionally installed in the built-in flash memory 17;
An installer as an installation program for installing the control program from the memory card 16 to the built-in flash memory 17 of the digital camera 10 is recorded. Image data is recorded in a free area of the memory card 16.

In a partial area of the built-in flash memory 17, firmware as a control program executable by the control unit 11 to perform basic control of the digital camera 10 is stored. When the memory card 16 is not mounted on the digital camera 10, image data is recorded in a free area of the built-in flash memory 17.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a digital camera 1 according to this embodiment.
0 is a plan view and a rear view. Digital camera 1
In the case of 0, photographing is performed by pressing the shutter button 101. The control unit 11 can distinguish and recognize “half-press” in which the shutter button 101 is pressed halfway through the movable range and “full-press” in which the shutter button 101 is pressed to the limit of the movable range or near the limit. The user uses the mode switching dial 102 to select “View”, “On”, “Off”,
One of four modes of “Play” is selected. The “View” mode is a mode in which shooting is performed using the LCD 21 as a finder. The “On” mode is set to L in order to save power consumption of the digital camera 10.
In this mode, the CD 21 is not displayed, and shooting is performed by looking through the optical viewfinder 101. The “Play” mode is a mode for displaying an image based on image data that has already been shot and recorded on the memory card 16. When the mode switching dial 102 is in the “Off” mode position, the power of the digital camera 10 is turned off.

Next, the operation of the digital camera 10 of the present embodiment will be described.

When the mode switching dial 102 is set to "Pla
When y is set, an image based on the image data in the memory card 16 is displayed on the LCD 21. Pressing the first arrow key 104 displays the previous image, and pressing the second arrow key 105 displays the next image.

When the select key 106 is pressed, a menu display mode is set, and various settings such as date and image quality can be made. First arrow key 104 and second arrow key 10
By selecting an item to be set with 5 and pressing the select key 106 again, the setting can be changed. Here, conditions such as numerical values can be changed using the first arrow key 104 and the second arrow key 105. By pressing the ESC key 103, it is possible to return to the previous screen.

To change the control of the digital camera 10 using the memory card 16 of the present embodiment, insert the memory card 16 into the card slot 20 of the digital camera 10 and select "extended function" in the menu display mode. I do.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by the control unit 11 when “extended function” is selected in the menu display mode. FIG. 5 shows the internal flash memory 17, memory card 16 and RAM 15 in the processing shown in FIG.
It is a schematic diagram which shows the function of.

First, in step S 101, it is determined whether or not an installer executable by the control unit 11 is recorded in the memory card 16 by processing by firmware in the built-in flash memory 17.

When the presence of the installer is detected,
In step S102, the installer is installed from the memory card 16 to the RAM 15 by the processing of the firmware.

In S103, the installer in the RAM 15 is executed, and the characters "add / delete" are displayed on the LCD 21 as shown in FIG. "Add delete"
When the select key 106 is pressed in a state where the character is selected, either the addition or the deletion is performed by the first arrow key 104 and the second arrow key 105 as shown in FIG. A screen for selecting is displayed.

In step S104, a program to be added or deleted is selected. When “Add” is selected and the select key 106 is pressed, the name of the installable control program stored in the memory card 16 is displayed. When a plurality of control programs are recorded in the memory card 16, the names of the plurality of programs are displayed, and a program to be installed can be selected from the names. Select "Delete" and press select key 1.
When 06 is pressed, the name of the control program that can be deleted and stored in the built-in flash memory 17 is displayed on the menu screen of the LCD 21. Built-in flash memory 17
If a plurality of control programs are recorded in the list, the names of the plurality of programs are displayed, and a program to be deleted can be selected from the names.

In step S101, the memory card 1
If an installer is not detected in the internal flash memory 6, it is determined in step S105 whether or not there is a control program that can be deleted in the built-in flash memory 17. If there is a program in the built-in flash memory 17, the character "Delete" is displayed on the LCD 21 in step S106.
By pressing the select key 106, step S10
Proceeding to step 4, the program to be deleted can be selected.

When the control program is installed from the memory card 16, for example, a program for connecting a printer to the digital camera 10 and printing an image, that is, executing a so-called direct print, is installed. As shown in D), when "extended function" is selected in the menu display mode, the character "direct print" is additionally displayed. The printing program is executed by selecting “direct print” with the first arrow key 104 and the second arrow key 105 and pressing the select key 106.

In the digital camera 10 of the present embodiment, when "image quality" is selected in the menu display mode, "standard" and "high image quality" are displayed as shown in FIG.
Can be selected. When a program for shooting with higher image quality is installed from the memory card 16 into the built-in flash memory 17, "ultra high image quality" can be selected as shown in FIG. Can be.

When the mode switching dial 102 is set to "Vie
w ", the light condensed on the CCD 13 by the condensing lens 12 is converted into an electric signal every few seconds to several tenths of a second, and is converted into digital image data. The image is transferred to the VRAM 18 and the shooting target is displayed on the LCD 21 as a moving image.

The exposure at the time of photographing is changed by the control unit 11 controlling the aperture 121 and the shutter speed of the condenser lens 12, that is, the accumulation time of the CCD 13, based on the data output from the CCD 13. Control unit 11
Exposure automatically set by に よ っ て is referred to as automatic exposure. As the shutter of the digital camera 10, a shutter that physically blocks light, an electronic shutter of the CCD 13, or both can be used.

When the user half-presses the shutter button 101 of the digital camera 10, appropriate exposure and focus are set for the image recognized by the CCD 13, and the exposure and focus are fixed while the shutter button 101 is half-pressed.

When the user fully presses the shutter button 101, shooting is started and image data is created.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a procedure for creating image data by the digital camera 10 in which the added control program for photographing with ultra-high image quality is installed. Step S
In 201, all the charges accumulated in the CCD 13 are once discharged, and then the light collected by the condenser lens 12 is input to the CCD 13. In the CCD 13, the light is converted into electric charges according to the amount of light. The electric signal output from the CCD 13 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 14. The digital data output from the A / D converter 14 is transferred by direct addressing of the RAM 15 without directing the control unit 11 by DMA (Direct Memory Access) for speeding up.

Since the data transferred from the CCD 13 has only information corresponding to one color for one pixel, in step S202, color interpolation is performed on the data recorded in the RAM 15 based on the color information of surrounding pixels.
Image data having color information for each of the 960 pixels is created.

In step S203, it is determined whether or not "super high image quality" is selected as the image quality in the menu mode. If “ultra high image quality” is selected, S204
The process proceeds to step S205 if not selected.

In step S204, step S202
The enlarged data of 1600 × 1200 pixels is created from the image data of 1280 × 960 pixels created in step (1). At least the procedure of step S204 is executed by the program installed from the memory card 16 by the installer. When creating the enlarged data, a smoothing process is performed. For example, FIG.
When an image of 4 × 4 pixels as shown in FIG. 9 is enlarged to an image of 5 × 5 pixels, simply converting the coordinates by the ratio of the number of pixels, the image is enlarged to an unnatural shape as shown in FIG. In some cases. In the present embodiment, a smoothing process is performed in consideration of the influence of pixels around each pixel and the direction of a line in an image to enlarge the image, thereby achieving a natural shape as shown in FIG. Can be expanded to:

In step S205, the memory card 16
JPEG (Joint Photog)
The data is compressed by a lossy compression method according to the standards of the RPG (Raphic Experts Group) to generate compressed data having a small capacity. JP
EG is a commonly used color image compression method,
By changing the compression ratio, the stored image quality can be adjusted. The JPEG compression is performed by the control unit 11 using software, and a dedicated circuit can be used for speeding up.

JPEG compression is performed according to the following principle. In JPEG compression, first, each of R, G, and B data of an image is divided into 8 × 8 pixel blocks. Compression is performed for each block. Next, the relative relationship (spatial frequency) between the densities of the pixels is checked for each block, and divided into a low-frequency term and a high-frequency term by a DCT (diffusion cosine transform) method. Then, high-frequency terms are removed by quantization, and Huffman coding is performed at the end to compress data. The compression ratio can be changed by changing the ratio excluding the high frequency term. When the standard image quality is selected, the image data is reduced in capacity by increasing the compression rate by JPEG to increase the number of recordable images. When the high image quality is selected, the compression rate is reduced, Reduce image quality degradation.

The compressed data JPEG-compressed in step S205 is recorded on the memory card 16 in step S206. In the case of an image based on compressed data, especially when the compression ratio is increased, the shape of a block of 8 × 8 pixels is conspicuous, so-called block noise occurs, and the image quality is deteriorated. In this case, since the enlarged data is JPEG-compressed, the size of the block per unit area becomes relatively small, and the deterioration of the image quality can be reduced. That is, the image quality of the image recorded on the memory card 16 can be improved.

It may take several seconds to several tens of seconds from the start of the recording of the image data to the memory card 16 to the completion thereof. During that time, the LCD 21 keeps displaying the image based on the image data.

When the mode switching dial 102 is "On"
, The LCD 21 is not energized and LC
D21 is always in a non-display state. Normally, the CCD 13 is not energized, and the user presses the shutter button 1
The operation of the CCD 13 starts when 01 is half-pressed. Other operations are the same as those in the “View” mode. The user uses the optical viewfinder 108 to determine a shooting range.

As described above with the embodiments, according to the digital camera storage medium and digital camera of the present invention, the control executed by the digital camera can be easily changed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a procedure for introducing a program from a memory card to a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a built-in flash memory, a memory card, and a RAM of the digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an LC of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a figure showing the screen displayed on D.

FIG. 7 illustrates an LC of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a figure showing the screen displayed on D.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for recording image data by a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating enlargement of an image by a digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 digital camera 11 control unit 12 condenser lens 121 aperture 13 CCD (imaging means) 14 A / D converter 15 RAM 16 memory card (storage medium) 17 built-in flash memory (storage device) 18 VRAM 19 interface 20 card slot 21 liquid crystal Display (LCD) 101 Shutter button

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kazuhito Mogami 3-5-2-5 Yamato, Suwa-shi, Nagano Seiko Epson Corporation (56) References JP-A-10-224685 (JP, A) JP-A-9-93486 (JP, A) JP-A-9-83863 (JP, A) JP-A-4-349496 (JP, A)

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A storage medium detachable from a digital camera that photoelectrically converts light from an object to be photographed by an image pickup means and records the converted data as image data, wherein a plurality of controls executable by a control unit of the digital camera are provided. > and your program, before storage in the digital camera
Serial control program to select a to and is the installation program for installing is recorded, the control program, the image data obtained by photoelectric conversion of one by the imaging unit, performs enlargement processing with the smooth process It includes steps to create a magnified image data having a larger number of pixels than the image data Te is
Digital camera storage medium. 2. A digital camera to which the storage medium for a digital camera according to claim 1 can be attached, and means for identifying whether or not the executable installation program is recorded in the attached storage medium. And a means for executing the introduction program. 3. A digital camera to which the storage medium for a digital camera according to claim 1 can be mounted, comprising: means for irreversibly compressing the enlarged image data and recording the compressed image data on the storage medium.