JP4782817B2 - Information management method and information management apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information management method and an information management apparatus for specifying output for image information stored in an information recording medium. For example, the present invention is applied to a digital camera or a printer device to print image information obtained by a camera. The present invention relates to an information management method and an information management apparatus for managing recording information in an information recording medium in which output designation information for designating output and image information thereof are stored.

  In recent years, it has become possible to obtain analog or digital image signals representing, for example, full-color photographic images and moving images, using image processing software installed in an imaging device such as a digital camera or a movie camera, and a computer processing device. . Such image information is accumulated in an information storage medium such as a memory card or a magnetic disk, for example, and is read from the storage medium and supplied to the printer when making a hard copy. On the printer side, a color image corresponding to the supplied image information is formed on the recording paper, and the user views the recorded image.

  As such a printer, a so-called video printer is known, and there are printers using various recording systems such as a thermal transfer system, an ink jet system, and a laser system. Recently, for example, video printers that insert a small memory card with digital image data into a thermo-autochrome (TA) printer and print a color image according to the recorded data have been released. Therefore, it has become possible to obtain a hard copy of a desired recorded image using a recording medium and a printer on which image data is recorded, without connecting a printer to a device that reproduces an image signal.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a system that prints image data recorded on a memory card in the number and order specified by a print job. The print job information in this system is operated on the printer side and stored in a print program information storage area, in which a job number, an image number, the number of sheets, and information on multi-printing are written. The printer executes printing with reference to the print job information.

  Also, print job information that indicates how many copies you want to print for image data shot with a digital camera is created in the camera, and the image information obtained by shooting and the print job information are stored in the same memory card. It is advantageous to record in

Recently, a digital photo output service has been started in which a storage medium on which image information is recorded is received from a customer and the recorded image is printed out. In this case, order information that indicates how many frames of the recorded image information you want to print is created on a recording medium using a high-performance personal computer, etc., and the image information and order information you want to print out Bring the storage medium that has been recorded to the window of the print output service. In a laboratory or the like that performs print output, a print having a designated photo quality is created and provided to a customer in accordance with order information recorded on a storage medium. Even in this case, it is advantageous if desired print output can be performed by the print job information created in the camera.
JP-A-6-8537

  However, when the automatic print designation based on the print job information as described above is performed by a digital camera or a printer device, there are problems that the processing load increases and the operation is troublesome. For example, if a print job is added to or deleted from the memory card each time print is specified or canceled one by one, the file contents will be moved as an address, and all subsequent jobs after the job where the change occurred Each must be moved for the job. If there is a print job (JOB1) to job (JOBN) for which print designation is to be made, and job (JOB3) and job (JOB5) are deleted from these, job (JOB4), job (JOB6) or job (JOBN) will be It had to be moved up and rearranged. In addition, when adding a job (JOB3) to this print designation, it is necessary to move down all the jobs after job (JOB4) and rearrange them.

  In addition, when automatic print designation can be performed on the digital camera and the printer device, several automatic print designations (jobs JOB1 to JOBN) are performed on the camera side, and a print job is added on the printer device. If an additional setting is to be made, the file size of an automatic print file in which print job information is recorded increases due to additional print jobs (JOBN + 1 to JOBM). At this time, if the image data is recorded up to the storage capacity of the memory card and the remaining capacity is low on the memory card, the print job cannot be additionally specified due to the increase in the file size of the print file. was there.

  Furthermore, it is troublesome for the user to create an automatic print information job for each image by instructing an operation with a limited operation button or the like disposed on a camera, a printer, or the like. For example, for image data recorded on a memory card by shooting and recording, the image of the frame is displayed, such as whether the image can be automatically printed, what the image size is, how many the image is, etc. Corresponding print jobs had to be set individually. This is because, for example, when a large number of images are recorded on a memory card, a simple operation must be repeated, and when the image data size is large, it takes a long time to display the image and the waiting time for that In addition, since a print job is set after the image is displayed, it is difficult to quickly set the job.

  The present invention eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art, enables job management when specifying jobs, reduces the processing load on the device side, and improves the usability when specifying jobs. An object of the present invention is to provide an information management method and an information management apparatus capable of managing information.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides job designation information indicating job designation for printing image information each time image information is recorded on an information recording medium, and job designation in relation to job designation information. Is generated as automatic print information, image information and automatic print information are recorded on an information recording medium, and the image information corresponds to image information when print designation is made. The job specification is added to the image information by rewriting the first information related to the job specification information with the second information indicating that the job specification is valid, thereby enabling the job specification. To do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention creates, in automatic print information, image recording means for recording image information on an information recording medium and job designation information representing job designation for printing out the image information. An image recording unit including: a first information generation unit; and a second information generation unit that generates, in the automatic print information, first information indicating that the job designation is invalid in relation to the job designation information. When recording the image information and the automatic print information on the information recording medium, the second information creating means adds the first information related to the image information to the automatic print information and the automatic print information is recorded on the information recording medium. When designating image information created and recorded on the information recording medium, the second information indicating that the job designation is valid is used as the first information related to the job designation information corresponding to the image information. By enabling job specified rewrite the information, characterized by adding a job specification for the image information.

  Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is recorded on an information recording medium for an information recording medium on which image information and automatic print information including designation information for designating image information are recorded. In this information management method for managing information, the method selects at least one piece of image information to be designated for printing, and designates information for designating image information related to the selected image information under a predetermined condition. And the designation information is recorded on the information recording medium.

  Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is recorded on an information recording medium with respect to an information recording medium on which image information and automatic print information including designation information for designating image information are recorded. In the information management apparatus for managing the information stored in the information management apparatus, the apparatus includes a selection unit that selects at least one of the image information to be printed, and print designation for image information related to the selected image information under a predetermined condition. And a recording means for recording the designation information on an information recording medium.

  According to the present invention, when managing image information and designation information, it is possible to add or delete print designations without changing the arrangement of print jobs or changing the size of the print file. As a result, the user-friendliness can be improved, and the processing load on the camera, printer, etc. can be reduced.

  In addition, when print designation is made for image information, print designation can be made for an image file group that matches a predetermined condition, so that image designation and number setting can be easily performed, and operation is easy. is there.

  Next, an embodiment of a digital camera to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to FIG. 2, an external view of the digital camera 10 in this embodiment is shown. When the power switch 11 is turned on, the camera 10 converts an object scene image that is incident on an imaging lens (not shown) and forms an image on the imaging device into an electrical signal in response to an operation on the release button 12. And image processing and coding processing of the converted imaging signal, coding image data, management data thereof, and an automatic print file including print job information for designating printing of the image data, Is recorded on a memory card 16 that is detachably attached to the card slot 14. The memory card 16 is a storage medium on which a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a flash ROM or an EEPROM element is mounted, and may store information in a battery-backed SRAM. Further, instead of the memory card 16, an information storage medium in which information is written and held by magnetism or light, such as a floppy (trademark) disk or an optical disk, may be used.

  The camera 10 has a playback function for reading and decoding the image information recorded on the memory card 16 and displaying the image on the display panel 18. The display panel (LCD) 18 further includes various types of information related to the recorded image. Is displayed. The camera 10 captures a scene and displays the captured image on the display panel 18. When the release button 12 is pressed, the camera 10 processes a captured image and records it in the memory card 16, and the memory card 16 Select and select the display mode for playing back the image recorded on the display panel 18 and displaying it on the display panel 18, the erase mode for erasing the image file recorded on the memory card 16 for each frame or all frames, and various operating conditions and functions. Each mode includes a setting mode and a communication mode in which the camera 10 is connected to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer to transfer information such as image data. Select a mode.

  When the camera 10 records image data in the “IMAGES” directory of the memory card 16 in the shooting mode, it creates print job information for setting print designation for the image, for example, in ASCII code, The file is recorded as a text file in the root directory (Root) of the memory card 16 as an automatic print file 300 with the name “PRT_INFO.TXT” (FIG. 3). At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the camera 10 starts with a curly brace “{” and ends with a curly brace “}” in order from the top to indicate that one unit of job designation is invalid. A semicolon “;” (3Bh) is added as a comment character indicating that the description is invalid at the beginning of each description content to make each line a comment line, and the job description content is commented out, that is, commented out. For example, the character string “REM” or “′” indicating the remark may be added to the beginning of each line instead of the comment character, and the comment character for commenting out may be the content of the print job description. May be a code representing another character or symbol that does not appear at the beginning of the line. Thus, in this embodiment, a candidate character string group for a print job is created as a whole including comment characters, and this is recorded in the automatic print file 300. When a print job for designating image data is added to the automatic print file 300 in the reproduction mode or the like, the comment character is deleted and the comment-out is canceled. In this embodiment, the comment character erasing process is performed by replacing the comment character “;” with another text character, for example, a space code (20h). In the present specification, these characters are described as so-called full-width characters for convenience, but the comment characters and job description characters in each embodiment use half-width characters. However, when multi-byte characters are supported on the device side so that, for example, kanji characters can be displayed, the information exchange kanji code consisting of 2 bytes or 4 bytes is also used for comment characters and job description characters. It may be used.

  In this way, print job candidates are created and recorded in advance during image recording and prepared in advance, and when adding a print job, comment characters are removed to enable the print job. With this configuration, the number of print jobs increases as images are added and the amount of data in the automatic print file 300 increases. However, when a print job is added or deleted, the target print It does not delete all job descriptions or write them all. By specifying valid or invalid for a print job in this way, you can specify whether to add or delete a print job, and the file size of the automatic print file 300 does not change depending on the addition or deletion of a print job, and is constant. can do. These can be easily designated and deleted using the setting button 22, forward button (+ button) 24 and reverse button (-button) 26. Thus, the automatic print file 300 is an image output designation file for automatically outputting the image file recorded together with the memory card 16. Therefore, in a printer apparatus or the like, a print is created according to a valid print job described in the automatic print file.

  Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of the camera 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit (CPU) 30 that creates and manages the automatic print file as described above and controls the operation of each unit of the camera 10 includes an imaging unit 32, a signal processing unit 34, a frame memory 36, and a compression / decompression process. The unit 38, the card slot 14, and the operation unit 40 are connected by connection lines 100 to 110, respectively. The control unit 30 controls these units, and controls shooting, recording, reproduction, and the like according to information supplied from these units. Further, a character generator (CG) 42 and a digital / analog (D / A) conversion circuit 44 are connected to the control unit 30 by connection lines 112 and 114, respectively. The reproduced image is displayed on a display panel 18 having a liquid crystal display panel, and information such as various characters and icons is displayed on the display screen. Further, the control unit 30 has a function of managing creation and updating of the automatic print file 300 and adding and deleting print job designation to each image file according to the operation.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the display panel 18 disposed on the back side of the camera 10 has a character string “Saisei mode” indicating that the current mode is the playback mode, for example, by the processing of the control unit 30. Also, the file name “IMG00003.JPG” of the image file being played and displayed, “Mode: Fine” indicating the image quality mode or the degree of compression of the image, etc. are combined with the playback image and displayed at the top of the display screen. The Further, at the bottom of the display screen, for example, “Chumon: 2 My” is displayed as print information indicating the print designation status for the reproduced image by the processing of the control unit 30. This indicates print designation when ordering two display images, for example, from a print service or printing with a corresponding printer owned by the operator. This display screen is displayed when the number of prints for an image displayed in the playback mode is changed or when the print designation is deleted. In the mode in which the image information itself is deleted from the memory card 16, for example, “1 frame show” is displayed. "Mode" and the operation state such as the mode at that time are displayed. On the lower right side of the display screen, the date and time when the image file was recorded on the memory card 16 is displayed under the control of the control unit 30, or the current date and time is displayed by the timekeeping function of the calendar clock included in the control unit 30. Displayed according to the display settings.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the memory card 16 storing such image information and attached information added to the image information stores image files in a hierarchically classified directory “IMAGES”, and automatically prints information. Is stored in the root directory (Root). The file name of the image data is represented by “IMGnnnnn.JPG”, and “nnnnn” in the file name indicates an integer value, for example, a continuous number in the photographing order, that is, an image frame number. The extension “JPG” indicates a file format of image data encoded by a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) compression method.

  In one image file, main image data representing one image and its image attached information are recorded, and the image attached information in this embodiment is recorded in a tag (TAG) format of Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format). . Each tag records, as detailed information about the main image data, an encoding method, a compression mode, information indicating the shooting date and time, information about a camera that has been recorded. Further, thumbnail image data obtained by reducing the image size of the main image data may be recorded.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the automatic print file 300 is a file in which automatic print information relating to print conditions and designation of an image file is described for each print job for performing automatic printing. The contents of the print file 300 shown in the figure are when the image data of IMG00001.JPG, IMGO0002.JPG, ... IMG00010.JPG are sequentially recorded and recorded on the memory card 16 in the memory card 16 having the above-mentioned directory and data structure. Shows the contents of commented out print job. In the example shown in the figure, a description for specifying print of image data to be printed in an individual job (JOB) is described in one unit enclosed in braces {}. Job IDs (JOB_ID) of 001, 002, 003,... Are assigned in order to each job (JOB) that designates printing of each frame image. In each print job, the path to the image file to be printed is specified as a full path, and further, the print type indicating the print quality and size, the number of sheets to be printed, and the like are specified. Each of these job specifications is described in curly braces {} that enclose multiple lines, and the characters to be specified are created as text codes and recorded on the memory card 16 as the file name “PRT_INFO.TXT” 300 Yes. In the example immediately after recording the image data, the comment character “;” is described at the beginning of each line describing the print job and commented out. A control code such as a line feed is given at the end of each line, but the illustration is omitted.

  Briefly describing each print job description example commented out here, the job of the image file IMG00001.JPG is specified as job ID (JOB_ID) = 001, and the print type is “STANDARD”. The number of prints (QUANTITY) is designated as “0”, and the image file path is designated as “FILE = \ IMAGES \ IMG00001.JPG”. Similarly, the job of the image file IMG00002.JPG is designated as job ID = 002, and the number of prints is designated as “0”. Similarly, the job of the image file IMG00003.JPG is designated as job ID = 003, and the number of prints is designated as “0”. In this example, after the image data and automatic print information are recorded, the contents of the automatic print file are not changed, so a comment character indicating that automatic printing is invalid is recorded at the beginning of each print job description. Thus, the commented job description, that is, the invalid job is formed in the automatic print file. The number of prints is 0. When the comment character of each job is rewritten with a space code, the job designation becomes valid. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when automatic printing is performed on image files IMG00001.JPG, IMG00003.JPG, IMG00004.JPG, the corresponding job ID = 001, ID = 003, ID = 004 The comment characters at the beginning of each line of the description content are deleted and a space code is written, and the desired number of prints is recorded. In the drawings, a space code is substituted with a square symbol “□” for explanation.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, the job ID = 003, ID = 004 to which the print job is added in the example of FIG. 5 is commented out by replacing the space code at the beginning of each line of these job descriptions with a comment character, An example in which these print jobs are deleted is shown. In this example, the number of prints is also corrected and changed to zero. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the description of the job candidate with job ID = 004 deleted in the example of FIG. 6 is validated, and the print job with job ID = 004 is added with one print set number. ing.

  Further, referring to FIG. 8, the automatic operation when the image files IMG00011.JPG to IMG00025.JPG are additionally recorded in the memory card 16 from the time when the job candidate (job ID = 10) for the image file IMG00010.JPG is created. The contents of the print file 300 are shown. In this example, the character strings of job candidates (job ID = 011 to ID = 025) are commented out with comment characters for the added image file.

  In this manner, an automatic print file 300 is formed on the memory card 16 so as to specify one image file to be printed for each print job, and to describe a plurality of print jobs. It is possible to print a plurality of image files, and it is designated by a comment character that each print job is invalid, and conversely, it is designated by a space code that it is valid. Each invalid job in the print file 300 is created every time a corresponding image file is recorded in the memory card 16 and recorded as an automatic print file 300. Then, when print designation for an image file is performed, a print job is added by replacing each line of the description of the job ID, which is a job candidate for the desired image file, with a space code. Conversely, when the space code is replaced with a comment character, the print job is deleted.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the imaging unit 32 includes a CCD imaging device that captures an object scene and outputs an imaging signal representing a color image, and continuously generates each frame of the captured image in a shooting preparation state. Then, the control unit 30 displays the moving image on the display panel 18 and causes the imaging unit 32 to perform automatic focus adjustment based on the image information of each frame. Then, the signal processing unit 34 is controlled to control the brightness, gradation, color balance and the like of the image. Further, when detecting the pressed state of the release button 12, the imaging unit 32 shifts to the still image recording mode and outputs an image signal representing one frame image in accordance with the control of the control unit 32. The signal processing unit 34 inputs this image signal, adjusts the brightness, gradation, color balance and the like of the image by digital arithmetic processing, and supplies the adjusted image data to the compression / decompression processing unit 38.

  The compression / decompression processing unit 38 compresses and encodes the image data for one frame stored in the frame memory 36 at a compression rate corresponding to the image quality mode specified by the control unit 30, and the code read from the memory card 16. This is a compression encoding / decoding processing unit that decodes the encoded data and supplies it to the frame memory 36. In this embodiment, each block obtained by dividing image data into 8 × 8 pixel blocks is orthogonally transformed, and the quantization coefficient is quantized and Huffman coded, for example, by adaptively selecting quantization characteristics. One frame of image data is compression-encoded by controlling the encoded data amount to be equal to or less than a predetermined length. The encoded data is sent to the card slot 14, and the encoded data and its associated information are written in a predetermined storage area of the memory card 16 detachably connected to the slot 14.

  The control unit 30 that controls each unit responds to the operation state of the mode setting dial 20 and the operation buttons 22, 24, 26, and 28 disposed in the operation unit 40, and performs imaging processing and signal processing in the imaging unit 32. Controls signal processing in the unit 34, reading and writing of information in the frame memory 36, and the like. The control unit 30 is advantageously constituted by a microcomputer system, and includes a ROM for storing firmware defining a control processing procedure of the microprocessor and various interfaces for connecting peripheral circuits. The control unit 30 includes a semiconductor memory such as a register and a RAM that temporarily stores various setting values and variables, and uses these as a working memory. For example, the print information of the automatic print file 300 recorded on the memory card 16 is read into the work memory, and the correction is changed once on the work memory, thereby speeding up the processing. When these correction changes are completed and, for example, the mode setting dial 12 is operated to shift to another mode, the control unit 30 writes the corrected and changed information back to the memory card 16 and updates it.

  The control unit 30 also has a function of performing storage management of the image file recorded on the memory card 16 in accordance with the operation state of the operation unit 40. Specifically, when the mode setting dial 12 is set to the position of the single frame display mode, an image file corresponding to the operation of the forward button 24 and the backward button 26 is accessed and desired image data is read. Of the image file read from the memory card 16, the main image data is decoded and then expanded in the frame memory 36, and is output to the display unit 18 through D / A conversion processing. At the same time, the control unit 30 inputs the read image attachment information via the interface circuit of the card slot 14 and stores and stores it, and is included in the image attachment information together with the character code indicating the current operation mode. A character code representing the information is sent to the character generator (CG) 42. The CG 42 stores a character set corresponding to the input character code so as to be readable, and outputs character image data corresponding to the character code at a timing corresponding to a desired position on the display panel of the display unit 18. This output is combined with image data repeatedly read from the frame memory 36 by a combining circuit (not shown), and a reproduced image or a character image is displayed around it. Such character information may be displayed in an area different from the image display portion on the monitor. Further, not only characters but also codes representing graphic data such as pictographs and images representing bitmap data may be synthesized and displayed on the display screen.

  In this way, the control unit 30 detects the operation state of the forward button 24 and the backward button 26 during the one-frame playback of the image, and displays the image according to the forward / backward operation of the frame. When the forward button 24 and the reverse button 26 are pressed together with the setting button 22, the control unit 30 increases or decreases the print setting number value in the print job corresponding to this image. When the print designation number is reduced and the value becomes 0, the print job description of the display image file is commented out. When increasing the number of sheets, the number of sheets specified in the print job of the display image file is increased according to the operation. Further, when the image data is recorded on the memory card 16 for which the automatic print file 300 has not been created, the control unit 30 creates the automatic print file 300 including a description regarding job candidates corresponding to the image data.

  In the display mode, when the setting button 22 and the delete button 28 are pressed simultaneously, the control unit 30 comments out the job description of the job ID corresponding to the display image and deletes the print job. In this way, the control unit 30 updates the automatic print file 300 by writing the changed print information to the memory card 16 when shifting to another mode, for example, every time image data is recorded. When a print job is added or deleted, the number of characters in the print job description including the number of space codes and comment characters does not change, and the amount of information in the automatic print file 300 does not increase or decrease.

  Further, when the mode setting dial 12 is set to the single-frame erasing mode, the control unit 30 reproduces and displays a desired image file corresponding to the operation of the forward button 24 and the backward button 26. When an operation on the delete button 28 is detected, the image file is deleted from the memory card 16. In this case, when printing is designated for the image file, the description about the print job is commented out to be invalidated, and the print job is deleted without deleting the entire description of the print job. When the image file is deleted, the control unit 30 determines whether or not the image file is designated as a valid print job, and if so, displays that the print is designated. After the confirmation operation, the image file may be deleted. The control unit 30 also deletes all image data and the automatic print file 300 when deleting all image files in the all-frame deletion mode set by the mode setting dial 12.

  Each function of the control unit that performs processing for the automatic print file 300 and each job is installed in the camera 10 in this embodiment, but may be installed in the printer device in the same manner. In this case, it is preferable that the printer device has a function of updating the stored contents of the memory card 16 by mounting the memory card 16 in which the automatic print file 300 is recorded, and the control unit provided in the printer device. The control unit also performs job addition processing and job deletion processing for designating prints on image data in the same manner as the camera 10. Further, when the image processing is performed on the image data in the printer, it is preferable to have a function of writing the processed image data to the memory card 16. In such a case, a job candidate, that is, a comment-out is provided. It is preferable to create or update a new automatic print file 300 describing the print job.

  Of course, such a printer device automatically reads out the image file designated by the job from the memory card 16 in accordance with a valid print job described in the automatic print file 300, forms a corresponding image on the recording paper, Print output according to the specified print contents. At this time, an invalid print job that has been commented out is skipped and the print is not created.

  Further, such a printer device may be built in the camera 10, and in this case, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of automatic print file management functions such as job addition and deletion.

  The operation of the digital camera 10 in the present embodiment with the above configuration will be described. First, when the mode setting dial 20 is operated to the set position of the shooting mode, the control unit 30 starts processing in the shooting mode. In step S900 shown in FIG. 9, the last frame number Dmax is acquired from the management information recorded in the memory card 16 in the register Dmax of the control unit 30. Next, the process proceeds to step S902, and the remaining capacity (C) indicating the free space where data can be recorded is acquired from the management information in the register C of the control unit 30. Next, in step S904, the image file size (I) when one frame is shot and compressed and encoded is calculated from information such as the shot image size and compression rate in the current shooting mode, and acquired in the register I. . In the subsequent step S906, the file size (A) of the automatic print file when the print job candidate for the image frame when the image was taken is added to the automatic print file is calculated, and the file size is acquired in the register A.

  In step S908, the image file size (I) stored in the register I is added to the file size (A) stored in the register A, and whether or not the calculation result is less than the remaining capacity (C). Is determined. Here, if the calculation result is not less than the remaining capacity (C), that is, the sum of the file size of the image data to be recorded on the memory card 16 and the size of the automatic print file to be updated is the remaining capacity of the memory card 16. If (C) is exceeded, the process proceeds to step S910, and the display panel 18 displays “Card is full”. Conversely, if the remaining capacity (C) exceeds the value of the calculation result in step S908, the process proceeds to step S912 shown in FIG.

  In step S912, shooting processing is started in response to an operation on the release button 12, and image data capture processing is performed. The image signal from the image pickup unit 32 is subjected to image processing by the signal processing unit 34, and the image data is stored in the frame memory 36. In step S914, when 1 is added to the value of the register Dmax, the process proceeds to step S916, and the image data stored in the frame memory 36 is sent to the compression / decompression processing unit 38 to perform compression encoding processing. The processed image data is written into an empty area of the memory card 16. At this time, the image file is recorded in the memory card 16 with the frame number determined as the value of the register Dmax.

  When the image file is recorded on the memory card 16, the process proceeds to step S918, and the print job of the current frame number corresponding to the value of the register Dmax is added at the end of the automatic print file read into the working memory area of the camera 10. Create a description for. At this time, a description that the print setting number is 0 is created, a comment character for invalidating the print job is added to the beginning of each description content, and the job is commented out. When the print job candidate is created by the camera 10 in this way, the process proceeds to step S920, and the changed automatic print file is overwritten on the memory card 16.

  If the automatic print file 300 is recorded on the memory card 16 in step S920 and if “Card is full” is displayed in step S910, the process proceeds to step S922, and whether or not a mode change operation has been performed. Is determined. If the mode setting dial has been changed to another mode, the operation mode is changed to the designated operation mode. If the mode setting dial has not been changed, the process returns to step S902 shown in FIG. Preparation processing is performed, and print job candidates, that is, commented out print jobs are created in the automatic print file 300 for each shooting.

  In this way, the automatic print file 300 is updated for each shooting and recording of image data in the shooting mode. At this time, the print job for print designation is commented out, and an invalid print job is created. This invalid print job can be subjected to additional processing for making it a valid print job in the single frame display mode described below. It is also possible to perform a deletion process for invalidating the added print job.

  Next, the operation in the single frame display mode will be described. The camera 10 can perform automatic print designation for creating one standard print from one image, and the process of adding a print job to each image file or deleting a print job is not possible. This is performed during the one-frame display mode. Specifically, when the mode setting dial is operated to the set position of the single frame playback mode, the single frame playback mode is set.

  In single-frame playback mode, it is determined in step S1100 shown in FIG. 11 whether or not an image file is recorded on the memory card 16, and if it is not recorded, “no image” is displayed in step S1102. After the message is displayed on the display panel 18, the mode shifts to another mode. If there is an image file in step S1100, the process proceeds to step S1104. In step S1104, the last frame number Dmax and the minimum frame number Dmin are acquired from the memory card 16, and the respective values are stored in the register Dmax and the register Dmin. In the subsequent step S1106, the display frame number register D stores the value held in the register Dmax.

  In step S1108, the image file having the frame number corresponding to the value stored in the register D is read from the memory card 16, decoded by the compression / decompression processor 38, and stored in the frame memory 36. The stored image data is D / A converted and then sent to the display panel 18 to display the image.

  In such a display state, the process proceeds to step S1110, and it is determined whether or not the forward button 24 or the reverse button 26 is pressed alone. If an operation on these buttons is detected, the process proceeds to step S1112. In step S1112, 1 is added to the register D when the forward button 24 is pressed, and 1 is subtracted from the value of the register D when the reverse button 26 is pressed. These additions and subtractions may be performed by adding or subtracting values corresponding to the number of times the buttons 24 and 26 are pressed. When the register value is changed according to the operation on these operation buttons, the process proceeds to step S1114. In step S1114, a register value replacement process is performed so that the register D is changed cyclically between the maximum frame number Dmax and the minimum frame number Dmin. That is, when the forward frame button 24 is further operated while the maximum frame number is stored in the register D, the minimum frame number is set in the register D, and conversely, when the minimum frame number is stored in the register D. When the reverse button 26 is further pressed, the maximum frame number is set in the register D.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1116, where it is determined whether or not the image data corresponding to the frame number set in the register D is stored in the memory card 16, and if it is not stored, the process returns to step S1112. If the image data of the set frame number is recorded on the memory card 16, the process returns to step S1108, and the main image data of the image file with the frame number is read from the memory card 16 and written to the frame memory 36. The image is displayed on the monitor.

  If it is not detected in step S1110 that the forward button 24 and the backward button 26 are pressed alone, the process proceeds to step S1118 shown in FIG. 12, and whether or not the setting button 22 and the backward button 26 are pressed simultaneously. Determined. Detection of simultaneous pressing includes a state in which the reverse button is pressed while the setting button is pressed. If it is detected that the setting button 22 and the reverse button 26 are simultaneously pressed, the process proceeds to step 1120 shown in FIG. 13 and from the job description contents of the automatic print file corresponding to the currently displayed frame number. The set number of prints S [D] is stored in the register S [D] of the control unit 30. In the subsequent step S1122, 1 is subtracted from the value held in the register S [D], and the print set number is decremented. Next, proceeding to step S1124, it is determined whether or not the current held value of the register S [D] is a value of zero. If the held value is 0, in step S1126, a process for commenting out the print job for which the display image is designated for printing is performed, and the head of each line of the print job is changed to the comment character “;”. Replaced. If the value held in the register S [D] is not 0 in step S1124 and the comment-out process is completed in step S1126, the process returns to step S1110 shown in FIG. 26 operation determinations are made.

  On the other hand, if the simultaneous pressing state of the setting button 22 and the backward button 26 is not detected in step S1118 shown in FIG. 12, the process proceeds to step S1128, and whether the setting button 22 and the forward button 24 are simultaneously pressed. It is determined whether or not. If it is detected that these buttons are simultaneously pressed, the process proceeds to step S1130 shown in FIG. In step S1130, the print setting number S [D] is stored in the register S [D] of the control unit 30 from the job description content of the automatic print file corresponding to the currently displayed frame number. Next, in step S1131, it is determined whether or not the job description has been commented out. If the job description has been commented out, the comment out is canceled in step S1132, and the process proceeds to step S1133. If it is determined in step S1131 that the comment has not been made, that is, if the job description is valid, the process proceeds to step S1133. In step S1133, the value 1 is added to the value held in the register S [D], and the print set number is incremented. Next, when proceeding to step S1134, if the held value of the register S [D] exceeds the maximum print number value Smax of the standard print that can be set, the value of the register S [D] is corrected to the value Smax. The upper limit for the number of copies is limited. Next, the process returns to step S1110 shown in FIG. 11, and the detection determination process of the forward button 24 or the reverse button 16 is performed.

  Returning to FIG. 12, if the simultaneous pressing is not detected in step S1128, the process proceeds to step S1136, and it is determined whether or not the setting button 22 and the erasing button 28 are simultaneously pressed. If the simultaneous pressing state is determined here, the process proceeds to step S1138, where the print setting number of the print job specifying the display image is corrected to 0, and the print job is commented out in the following step S1140. Then, the process returns to step S1110 shown in FIG. In step S1136, if the simultaneous pressing state is not detected and the process proceeds to step S1142, it is determined whether or not there is a mode change.If there is no mode change, the process returns to step S1110. Proceeding to step S1144, the automatic print file 300 in which the print job updated according to the situation is described is recorded in the memory card 16 and updated. When this update process is completed, the mode shifts to another mode according to the mode change.

  Next, the operation in the single frame erasing mode will be described. In the single frame erasing mode, in step S1500 shown in FIG. 15, the last frame number Dmax is stored in the register D, and the value stored in the register D corresponds to the stored value in step S1502. The image file having the frame number is read from the memory card 16 and stored in the frame memory 36 after being decoded by the compression / decompression processor 38. The stored image data is D / A converted and then supplied to the display panel 18 to display the still image.

  Next, the routine proceeds to step S1504, where it is determined whether or not the forward button 24 or the reverse button 26 has been pressed. If it is determined that any of these pressed states has been detected, the process advances to step S1506. When the forward button 24 is pressed, 1 is added to the register D, and when the reverse button 26 is pressed, 1 is subtracted from the value of the register D. As for these additions and subtractions, values corresponding to the number of times the buttons 24 and 26 are pressed may be added or subtracted. When the register value is changed in accordance with the operation of these operation buttons, the process proceeds to step S1508, and a register value replacement process for changing the register D cyclically between the maximum frame number Dmax or the minimum frame number Dmin is performed. That is, when the forward frame button 24 is further operated while the maximum frame number is stored in the register D, the minimum frame number is set in the register D, and conversely, when the minimum frame number is stored in the register D. When the reverse button 26 is further pressed, the maximum frame number is set in the register D.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1510, where it is determined whether or not the image data corresponding to the frame number set in the register D is stored in the memory card 16, and if it is not stored, the process returns to step S1506. If the image data of the set frame number is recorded in the memory card 16, the process returns to step S1502, and the main image data of the image file of that frame number is read from the memory card 16 and written to the frame memory 36. The image is displayed on the monitor.

  On the other hand, if the pressed state of the buttons 24 and 26 is not determined in step S1504 and the process proceeds to step S1512 shown in FIG. 16, it is determined whether or not the delete button 28 is pressed alone. If it is determined that the delete button 28 is pressed, the image file corresponding to the image being displayed is deleted from the memory card 16 and the process proceeds to step S1514, where the stored value of the register D is equal to the value of the register Dmax. It is determined whether or not. If they are not equal to each other, the process proceeds to step S1516, where the number of prints designated in the print job description of the currently displayed image is corrected to 0, and the print job is commented out in subsequent step S1518.

  If it is determined in step S1514 that the value stored in the register D is equal to the value in the register Dmax, the print job description of the job ID corresponding to the display image is deleted in step S1522. In this process, as described in steps S916 and S918 in FIG. 10, the last frame number is always given to a newly recorded image and recorded, so the image to be erased is the last frame. If there is, it is necessary to delete the job description itself. This prevents a plurality of print job descriptions having the same frame number from being created. Further, the value of the register Dmax is updated after the erasing process.

  After the processing in step S1518 and step S1522, and if the pressing of the delete button 28 is not detected in step S1512 and the mode change is not detected in step S1524, the process proceeds to step S1528 shown in FIG. 1 is added to the value. In the subsequent step S1530, when the value held in the register D exceeds Dmax as a result of the addition, the minimum frame number Dmin is stored in the register D. In step S1532, it is determined whether or not the image file having the frame number D exists in the memory card 16. If it does not exist, the process returns to step S1518. If it exists, the process returns to step S1502 shown in FIG. The next erasing process can be performed.

  If a mode change is detected in step S1524 shown in FIG. 16 through such processing, the process proceeds to step S1526, and the automatic print file 300 in which the print job updated according to the situation is described is stored in the memory card. Recorded in 16 and updated. When this update process is completed, the mode shifts to another mode according to the mode change.

  Next, the operation in the all-frame erasing mode will be described. In the single-frame erasing mode, it is determined in step S1800 shown in FIG. 18 whether or not the erasing button 28 is pressed alone, and when the pressing is detected, The image files of all frames recorded on the memory card 16 are erased, and it is determined whether or not the automatic print file 300 is recorded on the memory card 16 in step S1802. If there is no automatic print file 300, the mode is shifted to another mode. If there is an automatic print file 300, the mode is shifted to another mode after the automatic print file itself is erased from the memory card 16.

  In the conventional method, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, when job 3 and job 5 are deleted, an empty area is generated along with the deletion of the print job, and subsequent print jobs (job 4) are filled to reduce the empty area. , Job 6... Job N) had to be moved. In addition, when adding job 3, it is necessary to shift the print jobs after job 4 to be added. The processing load on the camera has increased due to this job movement process, and the file size of the automatic print file itself has changed. However, in the above embodiment, the size of the automatic print file 300 does not change depending on the print job addition processing and deletion processing, and the description move processing accompanying the job addition and deletion is not required. The processing load is reduced.

  In the conventional method shown in FIG. 22, jobs 1 to N for specifying print of recorded images are created by a camera, and a print job is sent to a memory card on which the automatic print file is recorded, for example, by a printer device. When additional setting is performed, the size of the automatic print file increases with the addition of a job. If image data is recorded to the full capacity of the memory card on the camera side and there is almost no free space in the storage area, the size of the automatic print file cannot be increased. Could not be reflected. However, in the above embodiment, print job candidates are described in advance at the time of image recording, and the file size is not changed by adding and deleting print jobs. Since it is determined whether or not the image file can be recorded on the memory card 16 based on the amount, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a print job for designating the image file recorded on the memory card 16 cannot be added. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the automatic print file may be recorded on the memory card 16 as a binary file. As shown in the figure, an automatic print file 1900 includes a job ID area 1904 that indicates a job ID in binary or hexadecimal, a flag area 1906 that indicates whether a print job is valid (01h) or invalid (00h), and an image file. A plurality of print jobs 1902 including an area 1908 in which the name is described in ASCII format, an area 1910 in which the print type is described by a code (01h; Standard Print), and an area 1912 in which the number of prints is expressed in binary or hexadecimal Is formed. In this example, the print job with job ID = 01h is valid, the print job with job ID = 02h is invalid, and the print job with job ID = 10h is valid.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 20, the automatic print file 2000 described in text code may be provided with a description line indicating the validity and invalidity of the print job in the job description enclosed in braces {}. . For example, as shown in the figure, the next line of the job ID indicates whether the validity (VALIDITY) of the job is valid (POSITIVE) or invalid (NEGATIVE) by the same number of character strings. In this example, print jobs with job ID = 001 and job ID = 010 are set to positive, and print jobs with job ID = 002 are set to negative. In this case as well, the data amount of the automatic print file 2000 does not change when there is a change from positive to negative and vice versa. For such an automatic print file 2000, job candidates describing invalid (VALIDITY = NEGATIVE) print jobs are created for each image recording, and the contents of the automatic print file in the memory card 16 are updated in the same manner as in the above embodiment. . Then, when adding a job that designates printing of an image file, the validity of the job is rewritten to be valid (VALIDITY = POSITIVE).

  Next, a second embodiment of the digital camera to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. The digital camera 50 in this embodiment is different from the camera 10 shown in FIG. 1 in that it has a batch print designation mode for batch designation of image files under desired conditions. Since the configuration similar to the configuration shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the camera 50 in this embodiment is provided with an execution button 60 for prompting the operator to confirm or confirming the operation in the vicinity of the forward feed button 24 and the reverse feed button 26. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 24, in the memory card 16 in the present embodiment, a plurality of folders for storing image files are formed for each category of captured images, and captured image data is recorded in one of these folders. Specifically, in the root directory (Root) of the memory card 16, there are a folder [01Vacation] for recording a vacation-related captured image and a folder [02Birthday] for recording a birthday-related captured image. And the image file is recorded in any one of these folders. The automatic print file 2400 is recorded in the root directory. The file name of the image data recorded in each folder is set for each folder, and image data from the first frame number IMG00001.JPG to the last frame number IMGnnnnn.JPG is recorded for each folder. In this embodiment, the first two digits of the folder name are the upper order, and the 5-digit number attached to the file name is the lower order. Represents a frame number. For example, the frame number of the image file IMG00001.JPG in the folder [01Vacation] shown in FIG. 23 is “0100001”, and the frame number of the image file IMG00002.JPG in the folder [02Birthday] is “0200002”. Further, the names of these folders can be arbitrarily registered by the user, assuming that the first two digits are given in the order of folder creation.

  FIG. 25 shows the configuration of one image file. In addition to the area in which the main image data is stored, an image attachment area is formed by tags, and image attachment information is stored in each tag. The image ancillary information is recorded by the function of the control unit 30 at the time of shooting recording. The shooting date information and the shooting time information recorded by the timekeeping value of the calendar clock at the time of shooting, and the manufacturer indicating the camera manufacturer It includes camera device information representing a code, a function of the camera itself, and user comment information input by an operator of the camera. Further, the image attached information includes information related to the camera, and information related to compression and thumbnail images may be recorded.

  A print job recording example in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 26 shows an example of the automatic print file 2400. In this example, as in the first embodiment described above, each print job is described in braces “{}” and a path indicating the storage location of the image file is described including its folder name. Yes. In this embodiment, a comment-out character indicating invalid job description and a space character indicating valid job description are not used. In the figure, for the print job with job ID = 01, the print type (TYPE) is “Standard (STANDARD)”, the print setting number (QUANTITY) is “2”, and the image file IMG00001.JPG for this print job Describes a path "FILE = \ 01VACATION \ IMG00001.JPG" indicating that is recorded in the folder "01VACATION". Similarly, for the job ID = 01,03,..., NN, the number of print settings is 2, and each print job including each pass is described in the automatic print file 2400. Yes. The automatic print file 2400 indicates a file created by the control unit 30 in the batch print designation mode of the camera 50.

  FIG. 27 shows a case where a print job having a print job ID of 02 is deleted from the automatic print file 2400 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in the print job deletion process in this embodiment, the job description itself including the curly braces “{}” is deleted, and all lines in which the print job is described are replaced with line feed codes (not shown). To do. In the example shown in FIG. 28, the print setting number of the print job having the job ID 03 in the automatic print file 2400 shown in FIG. 27 is changed from two to one by the individual number setting process. ing.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 30 of the camera 50 can select any designation method of all frame print designation, folder batch print designation, and date batch print designation in the batch print designation mode. The execution button 60 and the setting button 22 switch between these three menu displays to rotate the display. Further, the control unit 30 shifts to each designation mode with the execution button 60, and shifts to the next designation mode with the setting button 22.

  In this embodiment, it is possible to carry out the process of setting the individual number of prints at the end following the process of removing the unnecessary prints from the batch print designation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the function is omitted to further simplify the process. The processing may be completed in the unnecessary print frame removal process shifted from the batch print designation, or the process may be shifted from the batch print designation to the individual number setting process. In this case, by setting the print designation number to 0 in the individual number setting process, the print job removal process for the print unnecessary frames is performed.

  The operation of the camera 50 for creating and updating the automatic print file as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. When the mode is switched to the single frame display mode, the image file confirmation process (steps S2900 and S2904), the final frame number Dmax, the minimum frame is performed in the same manner as steps S1100 to S1118 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Number Dmin acquisition processing (steps S2902, S2906), image one-frame display processing, and display image selection processing (steps S2908 to S2916) are performed. In step S2900, whether or not the automatic print file 2400 is recorded on the memory card 16 is detected. If the automatic print file 2400 is recorded, the automatic print file 2400 is read from the memory card 16 to be read by the control unit 30. Stored in the working memory.

  Through these processes, if the simultaneous pressing detection of the setting button 22 and the reverse button 26 is determined in step S2918, the process proceeds to step S2920 shown in FIG. 30 to control whether or not the automatic print file 2400 exists. Determined by the unit 30. If it is determined here that the automatic print file 2400 does not exist, the process returns to step S2910. If there is an automatic print file 2400, the process proceeds to step S2922, and it is determined whether or not there is a description of a print job that designates printing of the currently displayed image in the automatic print file 2400 previously read into the working memory. Is done.

  If there is a print job that designates printing of the image file being displayed, the set number of prints is read from the print job, and the value of the number of copies is held in the register S [D]. In the subsequent step S2926, 1 is subtracted from the held value of the register S [D], and the held value of the set number of prints is decremented. In step S2928, it is determined whether or not the holding value of the register S [D] is 0. If the holding value is other than 0, the process returns to step S2910, and if the holding value is 0, the process proceeds to step S2930. In step S2930, the print job description that designates printing of the currently displayed image file is deleted from the working memory as shown in FIG. 27, the line described is changed to a blank line, and the process returns to step S2910. .

  On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S2918 that the forward button 24 and the backward button 26 are pressed, the process proceeds to step S2932 shown in FIG. 31 to determine whether or not the setting button 22 and the forward button 24 are simultaneously pressed. Is done. If it is determined that the buttons 22 and 24 are simultaneously pressed, the process proceeds to step S2934 shown in FIG. 32, and it is determined whether or not the automatic print file 2400 exists, and it is determined that it exists. In S2936, it is determined whether or not the automatic print file 2400 has a description of a print job for designating the currently displayed image. If there is a print job that designates printing of the image file being displayed, in step S2938, the set number of prints is read from the print job, and the value of the number of copies is held in the register S [D]. In the subsequent step S2940, 1 is added to the holding value of the register S [D], and the holding value of the set number of prints is incremented. In step S2942, it is determined whether or not the hold value of the register S [D] exceeds the maximum settable print number Smax. If the hold value exceeds the print number Smax, the hold value is the maximum print number. The value is corrected to the value of the number Smax, and the process returns to step 2910. If the hold value does not exceed the number Smax, the process returns to step S2910 without changing the hold value.

  If it is determined in step S2934 that there is no automatic print file, an automatic print file is created in the work memory in step S2944. After this creation and when it is determined in step S2936 that there is no print job for designating the display image, in step S2946, a description of the print job for designating the currently displayed image file is created in the automatic print file. Is done. In step S2948, the print set sheet number register is initialized to 0. Then, the process proceeds to step S2940, the set sheet number is incremented by 1, and the process returns to step S2910 via step S2942.

  If it is determined in step S2932 that simultaneous pressing has not been detected and processing has proceeded to step S2950, it is determined whether the setting button 22 and the erasing button 28 have been pressed simultaneously. If the simultaneous pressing state of these buttons 22 and 28 is detected, the process proceeds to step S2952, where it is determined whether or not there is an automatic print file. If not, the process returns to step S2910, and if there is, the process proceeds to step S2954. . In step S2954, it is determined whether or not the automatic print file 2400 that has been read into the working memory includes a description of a print job that designates printing of the currently displayed image. If there is no print job for designating the image file, the process returns to step S2910. If there is, the print job description for designating the currently displayed image file is deleted from the working memory in step S2956. After changing the described line to a blank line, the process returns to step S2910.

  When the button pressing state is not detected in steps S2910, S2918, S2932 and S2950, the process proceeds to step S2958, where it is determined whether or not there has been a mode change. If there is no mode change, the process returns to step S2910. The above-described print job addition and deletion processes are performed according to the operation. If the mode has been changed, the process proceeds to step S2960, the automatic print file stored in the working memory is written to the memory card 16, and the automatic print file 2400 recorded on the memory card 16 is updated. Or save a new one.

  Next, when the batch print designation mode is set, as shown in FIG. 33, in step S3300, it is determined whether or not an image file is recorded on the memory card 16, and if it is not recorded, step S3302 is performed. After the message “No image” is displayed on the display panel 18, the operation shifts to another mode. If it is determined in step S3300 that there is an image file, the process proceeds to step S3304, and the final frame number Dmax and the minimum frame number Dmin are acquired from the memory card 16 to the control unit 30, and the respective values are stored in the registers Dmax and Dmax. Stored in register Dmin. In the subsequent step S3306, the display frame number register D stores the value held in the register Dmax.

  Next, in step S3308, a message indicating “all frame print” is displayed on the display panel 18, and it is determined in step S3310 whether or not the execution button 60 has been pressed. If it is determined that the execution button 60 has been pressed, the preparation for the all-frame designation mode is entered in step S3312. If the operation state of the execution button 60 is not detected, the pressing state of the setting button 22 is determined in step S3344. If the pressing state is not detected, the process returns to step S3310 to detect the pressing state of the setting button 22. If YES in step S3346, the flow advances to step S3346 to display a message indicating “folder batch print” on the display panel 18 instead of the previous message. In this display state, when the process proceeds to step S3348 shown in FIG. 34, it is determined whether or not the execution button 60 has been pressed, and when the pressed state is detected, the ready state of the folder batch designation mode is set in step S3350. . If the operation of the execution button 60 is not determined in step S3348, the process proceeds to step S3344, and the pressing state of the setting button 22 is determined. If the pressing is not detected, the process returns to step S3348. If a pressing state of the setting button is detected here, the process proceeds to step S3368, and a message indicating “date batch print” is displayed on the display panel 18 instead of the previous message. In this display state, the process proceeds to step S3370, where it is determined whether or not the execution button 60 has been pressed, and when the pressed state is detected, the date batch designation mode is set in step S3372. If the operation of the execution button 60 is not determined in step S3370, the process proceeds to step S3374, and the pressing state of the setting button 22 is determined. If the pressing is not detected, the process returns to step S3370. If the setting button 22 is pressed here, the process proceeds from step S3374 to step S3376. If the mode is changed, the process proceeds to another mode. If not, the process returns to step S3308 shown in FIG.

  In the “all frame designation mode” prepared in step S3312, all the image files recorded on the memory card 16 are selected in step S3314. Thereafter, the process is common to each designated mode, but the process proceeds to step S3316 shown in FIG. The processing from step S3316 to step S3342 is processing for print designation of the selected image file.

  In step S3316, when the initial value 1 is stored and held in the print setting number register S of the control unit 30, the process proceeds to step S3318, and it is determined whether or not the setting button 22 and the reverse button 26 are simultaneously pressed. If the simultaneous pressing state is determined, 1 is added to the value held in the register S in step S3320, and the flow advances to step S3322. In step S3322, if the held value of the register S exceeds the maximum printable number Smax that can be set, the held value is corrected to the number Smax, and the process returns to step S3318 to clip the set number of sheets at the maximum number. Further, when proceeding to the next step S3324, it is determined whether or not the setting button 22 and the reverse feed button 26 are simultaneously pressed. When the simultaneous pressing state is determined, 1 is determined from the value held in the register S in step S3326. After subtraction, the process proceeds to step S3328. In step S3328, when the held value of the register S becomes less than 0, the held value is corrected to 0 and the process returns to step S3318. If simultaneous pressing of the setting button 22 and the forward button 24 or the backward button 26 is not detected, the process proceeds to step S3330, and it is determined whether or not the execution button 60 is pressed alone. Here, when pressing of the execution button 60 is not detected, the process returns to step S3318, and when detected, the process proceeds to step S3312.

  In step S3332, it is determined whether or not the holding value of the register S is 1 or more. If the holding value is not 0, the batch print designation is started, that is, the process returns to step S3300. If the holding value is 1 or more, it is determined in step S3334 whether or not the automatic print file 2400 exists in the memory card 16. If there is no automatic print file, an automatic print file 2400 is created on the working memory. If there is an automatic print file on the memory card 16, the process advances to step S3336 to delete all job descriptions in the automatic print file read in advance in the work memory.

  Next, in step S3340, for the selected image file, for example, as shown in FIG. 26, an individual print job is set and registered in the automatic print file in the working memory. When this registration is completed, the process proceeds to step S3342, and the automatic print file 2400 is stored in the memory card 16. When this storing process is completed, it is possible to shift to the unnecessary print frame removal process shown in FIG. 38 and FIG.

  On the other hand, in the “folder batch designation mode” prepared in step S3350, the process proceeds to step S3352 shown in FIG. 35, and the value of the last frame number Dmax is set in the display frame number register D. In the subsequent step S3354, the image file having the frame number corresponding to the value held in the register D is read from the memory card 16, and the image is displayed on the display panel 18. In this display state, it is determined in step S3356 whether or not the forward button 24 and the reverse button 26 are each pressed alone. If the single button is pressed, step S3358 is detected. Then, the value held in the register D is incremented or decremented according to the push button. In the subsequent step S3260, when the retained value of the register D exceeds the last frame number Dmax or less than the minimum frame number Dmin, the value Dmin and the value Dmax are respectively set in the register D, and the retained value is cyclically changed. Be changed. In the following step S3362, it is determined whether or not an image file having the same frame number and frame number D as the value held in the register D is recorded in the memory card 16, and if not, the processing in steps S3358 and S3360 is performed. Repeated, skipping the missing frame number. As a result, the next recorded image file can be displayed. If the image file with the frame number D is recorded in the memory card 16, the process returns to step S3354, the image file with the frame number is read, and the corresponding image is displayed.

  If it is determined in step S3356 that a single button press has not been detected and the process proceeds to step S3364, it is determined whether or not the setting button 22 has been pressed. If the pressing state of the setting button 22 has not been detected, the process returns to step S3354 to display an image. Selection becomes possible. If the setting button 22 is pressed, the process advances to step S3366 to select all image files recorded in the same folder as the currently displayed image file, including the display image file. When an image file in the same folder related to the display image file is selected in this way, an automatic print file 2400 that designates printing of the selected image file in the processing of step S3316 to step S3342 shown in FIG. Is created and recorded on the memory card 16.

  On the other hand, in the “date batch designation mode” prepared in step S3372, the process proceeds to step S3378 shown in FIG. The processing in step S3378 to step S3390 in this designation mode may be the same as the processing in step S3352 to step S3364 shown in FIG. 35 described above. When the pressed state of the setting button 22 is determined in step S3390, step S3392 Go to, and all the image files recorded on the memory card 16 including the currently displayed image file on the same date as the date recorded on the currently displayed image file are selected, as shown in FIG. Steps S3316 to S3342 are performed. The date information may be read from the tag of the image file, or a time stamp in which the image file is recorded may be used. Thus, when the automatic print file 2400 is stored in the memory card 16 in each designation mode, as shown in FIGS. 38 and 39, a print unnecessary frame removal process is performed. Note that the removal process may be performed by arbitrarily shifting from the menu display. An automatic print file 2400 that has been specified for printing in each specified mode has been created, but this unnecessary frame removal process selects an image file that does not require printing and removes the print specification from the automatic print file. It is processing to do. If this removal process is performed continuously from the batch print designation mode, the following process is performed on the automatic print file 2400 stored in the work memory, and the change is made when the removal process ends. The automatic print file 2400 thus written is overwritten on the memory card 16. When this removal process is performed at an arbitrary time, the description content of the automatic print file 2400 recorded on the memory card 16 is read and stored in the working memory.

  Specifically, in step S3800 shown in FIG. 38, the minimum value Jmin and the maximum value Jmax of the job ID described in the automatic print file 2400 are acquired by the control unit 30. In step S3802, when the minimum value Jmin is set in the job register J of the control unit 30, the image file designated by the held value is read from the memory card 16 in step S3804, and the image is displayed. Displayed on the display panel 18.

  In the subsequent step S3806, it is determined whether or not the forward button 24 or the reverse button 26 is pressed alone, and if any single pressed state is detected, the process proceeds to step S3708. Here, the holding value of the register J is incremented or decremented according to the pressed button, and in step S3810, the holding value of the register J is changed from Jmax to Jmin so as to cyclically change between Jmax and Jmin. Or, the holding value Jmin is changed to Jmax. In step S3812, it is determined whether or not a job ID corresponding to the value stored in the register J, that is, a print job with job ID = J is described in the automatic print file in the working memory. The If there is a print job having a job ID of value J, the process returns to step S3804 to display an image file corresponding to the job number. If the job is not described, the value held in the register J is further incremented or decremented and the same processing is performed.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds from step S3806 to step S3814, it is determined whether or not the setting button 22 and the delete button 28 are pressed simultaneously. If the simultaneous pressing state of these buttons is not detected, it is determined in step S3816 whether or not the execution button 60 has been pressed. When the execution button 60 is pressed, the process proceeds to the individual number setting process. If is not pressed, the process returns to step S3876 to select an image or delete a print job according to the operation.

  If the simultaneous pressing state of the setting button 22 and the erasing button 28 is detected in step S3814, the process proceeds to step S3818 shown in FIG. 39, and the description of the print job whose job ID is the value J is deleted from the work memory. Next, in step S3820, it is determined whether or not another job exists in the automatic print file. If it exists, the minimum value Jmin and the maximum value Jmax of the job ID are acquired in step 3824.

  In step S3826, if 1 is added to the held value in register J, if the held value exceeds Jmax in step S3830, the held value is set to the minimum job ID value Jmin acquired in step S3824. Then, the process proceeds to step S3832. In step S3832, it is determined whether or not there is a print job having a job ID of value J in the automatic print file. If there is, the process returns to step S3804 to display the image of the corresponding image file. If there is no print job having the job ID value J in the automatic print file, the process returns to step S3826, the register J is incremented by 1, and the subsequent processing is performed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3820 that there is no other print job in the automatic print file, it is determined in step S3822 whether or not there has been a mode change. Transition to another mode. Conversely, if there is no mode change, the batch print designation mode shown in FIG. 33 is started, and the process returns to step S3300. At this time, the changed automatic print file 2400 is written into the memory card 16 and updated.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 38, when the process shifts from the unnecessary print frame removal process to the individual number setting process, the process proceeds from step S3816 to step S4000 shown in FIG. This individual number setting process is a process for individually setting and changing the print setting number for a print job described in the automatic print file 2400. In this example, since the print job is deleted for an image file that does not need to be printed, processing for changing the designated number of prints for the image file for which printing is designated is performed. That is, it is not necessary to read out all the image files and set whether or not to print one image at a time for each of the images, and a process of changing the number of prints for the image file that is supposed to be printed is performed. In this embodiment, the number of prints can be reduced to 0 and the print job can be deleted.

  Specifically, in step S4000, the minimum value Jmin and the maximum value Jmax of the job ID described in the automatic print file 2400 are acquired by the control unit 30. In step S4002, when the minimum value Jmin is set in the job register J of the control unit 30, the image file specified by the held value is read from the memory card 16 in step S4004 and the image is displayed. Displayed on panel 18. In the following step S4006, it is determined whether or not the forward button 24 or the reverse button 26 is pressed alone, and if any single pressed state is detected, the process proceeds to step S4008. Here, the holding value of the register J is incremented or decremented according to the pressed button, and in step S4010, the holding value of the register J is changed from Jmax to Jmin so as to cyclically change between Jmax and Jmin. Or, the holding value Jmin is changed to Jmax. In step S4012, it is determined whether or not a print job with job ID = J corresponding to the value stored in the register J is described in the automatic print file 2400 in the working memory. If there is a print job having a job ID of value J, the process returns to step S4004 to display an image file corresponding to the job number. If the print job is not described, the value held in the register J is further incremented or decremented and the same processing is performed. In step S4006, it is not detected that the forward button 24 and the reverse button 26 are pressed alone. If the process proceeds to step S4014 shown in FIG. 41, it is determined whether or not the setting button 22 and the delete button 28 are pressed simultaneously. . If the simultaneous pressing state of these buttons 22 and 28 is not detected, the process proceeds to step S3816. If the simultaneous pressing state is detected, the process proceeds to step S4016.

  In step S4016, the set number of prints S [D] is read from the print job with job ID = J and the value of the number of prints is held in the register S [D]. In the subsequent step S4018, the hold value of the register S [D] Is incremented by 1 to increment the hold value of the set number of prints. In step S4020, it is determined whether or not the hold value of the register S [D] exceeds the maximum settable number of prints Smax. If the hold value exceeds the number of sheets Smax, the hold value is set. The value is corrected to the value of the maximum number of prints Smax, and the process returns to step S4016. If the hold value does not exceed the number of sheets Smax, the process returns to step S4016 without changing the hold value.

  Further, when the process proceeds from step S4014 to step S4022, it is determined whether or not the setting button 22 and the reverse button 26 are pressed simultaneously. If it is detected that the buttons 22 and 26 are simultaneously pressed, the process proceeds to step S4024, where the print set number S [D] is read from the print job with job ID = J, and the value of the number of sheets is stored in the register S [ In step S4026, 1 is subtracted from the held value of the register S [D], and the held value of the set number of prints is decremented. Thereafter, when the process proceeds to step S4028, it is determined whether or not the value held in the register S [D] is 0. If it is not 0, the process returns to step S4006, and if it is 0, the process proceeds to step S4034 shown in FIG. .

  In step S4034, the description of the print job with job ID = J is deleted from the automatic print file, the process proceeds to step S4036, and 1 is added to the value held in the register J. In the subsequent step S4038, when the held value of the register J exceeds the final frame number Jmax, the held value is changed to the minimum frame number Jmin. In step S4040, it is determined whether or not a print job with job ID = J exists in the automatic print file. If there is no print job, the process returns to step S4034 and the value of register J is incremented by one. In step S4040, if it is determined that there are no print jobs in the automatic print file, the automatic print file 2400 is deleted from the memory card 16 and the working memory. For example, the head of batch print designation (step S3300) Return to. In step S4040, if there is a print job with job ID = J, the process returns to step S4004 shown in FIG. 40, the corresponding image file is displayed, and the number of prints for the image file to be set is set. Settings can be made.

  Further, when the button is not simultaneously pressed in step S4030 shown in FIG. 41 and the process proceeds to step S4032, it is determined whether or not the execution button 60 has been pressed. Here, when the pressed state of the execution button 60 is detected, the process proceeds to another mode. If not detected, the process returns to step S4006 shown in FIG. 40 to select the image file to be set and the number setting process thereof. This is performed in the same manner as described above.

  In the single frame display mode of the present embodiment, the folder to be specified for printing and the image file for the date are selected based on the image file of the display image of the single frame displayed on the monitor. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A multi-frame display mode may be provided in which an image file group corresponding to the display images is displayed as a selection target. In this case, for example, a group of image files that match a plurality of date designations or dates and times of a certain period can be selected as print selection targets, and a plurality of folders can be selected as selection targets.

  Further, not only the folder batch designation mode and the date batch designation mode in the above embodiment, but also other information recorded in the attached information area, for example, image files having the same recorded contents of user comment information, and the contents thereof are similar. A mode for selecting other image files may be provided. Also, in the date mode, it is possible to specify prints for image files that match conditions such as time, day of the week, and holidays, as well as simple date. Further, instead of referring to the recorded contents of the image attached information, for example, the image files may be collectively designated with reference to the image file data itself. For example, if there is a characteristic selection criterion for the pattern of the image, it is possible to select images such as a pattern that matches these from information such as the color condition and brightness obtained from the image data. it can. In this case, conversely, if conditions other than unnecessary patterns are set and the remaining patterns are selected, the number of images to be selected increases, and this also saves the trouble of specifying one frame at a time. Can do. In addition to designating a folder or the like according to an image file selected and displayed, a folder name may be designated directly according to an operation, and an image file recorded in the designated folder may be designated as a print designation target. .

  Also in the present embodiment, the control unit 30 having a print job management function may be provided in the printer apparatus except for the imaging control function. In this case, the printer apparatus prints according to the recording contents of the print job. Create This print timing can be automatically performed according to the operation or automatically when the memory card 16 is set in the printer. Further, when the apparatus is configured so that the camera has a printer function, the camera with a printer may be configured so as to create a print for each shooting.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the processing of the digital camera and the printer device is reduced when adding or deleting a job in automatic printing. Therefore, the waiting time during processing is shortened, and usability is improved for the operator.

  Since the file size of the automatic print file does not increase when a print job is added, it is avoided that a print job cannot be added when the remaining capacity of the memory card is insufficient.

  Further, in the second embodiment, even when a large number of image files are recorded on the memory card, the operation and processing for designating the majority of the files are easily performed, and the number of prints is almost the same. Even in the case of sheets, the number of sheets can be easily specified.

It is a block diagram which shows one Example of the digital camera to which this invention was applied. It is an external view of the digital camera shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the directory structure of a memory card. It is a figure which shows an example of the automatic print file description content. It is a figure which shows an example of the automatic print file description content. It is a figure which shows an example of the automatic print file description content. It is a figure which shows an example of the automatic print file description content. It is a figure which shows an example of the automatic print file description content. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in imaging | photography mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in imaging | photography mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame erasing mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame erasing mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame erasing mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in all the frame deletion modes. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of an automatic print file. It is a figure which shows the further another structural example of an automatic print file. It is a figure which shows the conventional system of job addition and job deletion. It is a figure which shows the mode of the addition setting of the job by a conventional system. It is an external view which shows one Example of the digital camera to which this invention was applied. It is a figure which shows an example of the directory structure of the memory card in the Example shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the image file recorded on a memory card. It is a figure which shows an example of the automatic print file description content. It is a figure which shows an example of the automatic print file description content. It is a figure which shows an example of the automatic print file description content. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 1 frame display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in batch printing designation | designated mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in batch printing designation | designated mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in batch printing designation | designated mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in batch printing designation | designated mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in batch printing designation | designated mode. It is a flowchart which shows a printing unnecessary frame removal process. It is a flowchart which shows a printing unnecessary frame removal process. It is a flowchart which shows an individual number setting process. It is a flowchart which shows an individual number setting process. It is a flowchart which shows an individual number setting process.

Explanation of symbols

10 Digital camera
16 Memory card
18 Display panel (LCD)
30 Control unit (CPU)
32 Image sensor
36 frame memory
300 Automatic print file

Claims (18)

An information recording medium including an imaging unit that obtains image information and a display unit that displays the image information, on which automatic print information including the image information and designation information that designates printing of the image information is recorded. In an information management method for an imaging apparatus that manages information recorded in a recording medium, the method includes:
Selecting at least one of said image information from the image information displayed on the display unit to be specified print,
Creates the specified information to be printed specifying the image information associated with a predetermined condition to the selected image information,
Recording the designation information on the information recording medium;
The print designation content of the designation information recorded on the information recording medium can be changed,
While the sequential frame feed display one by one the images on the display unit, it is possible to perform printing specified for each displayed image,
In the print designation, has a batch print instruction mode of the display image print mode specified printing only one image which is the display, the image including collectively a print instruction associated with the displayed image,
In the batch print instruction mode, the with the increase or decrease instruction of the print quantity for the images displayed on the display unit, decrease the number of prints in the other image information attached information matches that related to the image information of the displayed image Is set, an information management method for an imaging apparatus.   2. The information management method according to claim 1, wherein the change of the print designation content deletes the print designation for the image information of unnecessary frames.   The information management method according to claim 1, wherein the change of the print designation content is a change of a print number designation for image information.   4. The information management method according to claim 3, wherein the method releases the print designation by setting the print number designation to 0.   2. The information management method according to claim 1, wherein the method designates the number of prints for the selected image information when creating the designation information.   2. The information management method according to claim 1, wherein the method creates designation information for designating printing of image information recorded in a folder in which the selected image information is recorded. Method.   2. The information management method according to claim 1, wherein said method creates designation information for designating printing of other image information in which the attached information related to the selected image information matches. .   8. The information management method according to claim 7, wherein the attached information is date information in which the image information is recorded on the information recording medium.   The information management method according to claim 1, wherein the method switches a menu display representing a plurality of selection modes for collectively selecting the image information, and in a selection mode corresponding to the selected menu, An information management method comprising performing print designation for the image information. An information recording medium including an imaging unit that obtains image information and a display unit that displays the image information, on which automatic print information including the image information and designation information that designates printing of the image information is recorded. In an imaging apparatus that manages information recorded on a recording medium, the apparatus includes:
Selection means for selecting at least one of image information to be specified print the image information displayed on the display unit,
And creation means for creating a specification information specifying print the image information associated with a predetermined condition to the selected image information,
Recording means for recording the designation information on the information recording medium;
Changing means for changing the print designation content of the designation information recorded on the information recording medium;
While the sequential frame feed display one by one the images on the display unit, and a print specifying means for printing specified for each displayed image,
The print specifying means, chromatic display image print mode for printing only specify one image that is the display, and a batch print instruction mode for an image, including collectively printed instructions associated with the displayed image And
Oite to the batch print instruction mode, the with the increase or decrease instruction of the print number on the display unit in the displayed images, printed in the other image information attached information matches that related to the image information of the displayed image imaging device comprising a Turkey increase or decrease in number of sheets is set.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the changing unit deletes a print designation for image information of unnecessary frames and changes the print designation content.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the changing unit changes designation of the number of prints for image information.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the changing unit cancels the print designation by setting the print number designation to 0.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the creation unit creates designation information that designates the number of prints for the selected image information.   11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the creating unit creates designation information for designating printing of image information recorded in a folder in which the selected image information is recorded. .   The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the creating unit creates designation information for designating printing of other image information in which attached information related to the selected image information matches.   17. The imaging apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the attached information is date information in which the image information is recorded on the information recording medium.   The imaging device according to claim 10, wherein the device switches a menu display representing a plurality of selection modes for collectively selecting the image information, and in the selection mode corresponding to the selected menu, An image pickup apparatus that performs print designation for image information.

Images