JP5487758B2 - camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera having a communication function.

  A technique for transferring a captured image captured by an electronic camera to an external terminal using a communication line is known (for example, Patent Document 1). This electronic camera has an external wireless adapter, and records a captured image on a portable recording medium and transmits the captured image to the wireless adapter each time shooting is performed. The wireless adapter records the captured image in a communication buffer memory, and transmits the captured image in the buffer memory to an external management device. When the capacity of the buffer memory is insufficient, the oldest photographed image among the photographed images in the buffer memory is deleted.

JP 2009-38615 A

  In the electronic camera described in Patent Document 1, when shooting is performed in a state where recording cannot be performed on the recording medium, for example, when the capacity of the recording medium is used up or the recording medium is removed from the electronic camera to replace the recording medium, a communication buffer is used. A captured image is recorded only in the memory. Whether the captured image in the buffer memory is deleted or not is discriminated whether the captured image is recorded on the recording medium or the captured image recorded only in the buffer memory. I can't.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging unit that images a subject and outputs an image signal, a recording unit that can record the image signal, and a communication that transmits the image signal recorded in the recording unit to an external device. Means for detachably attaching the recording medium, determination means for determining whether the image signal output from the imaging means can be recorded on the recording medium, and the determination means being capable of recording If determined, the image signal output by the imaging unit is recorded on both the recording unit and the recording medium, and if the determination unit determines that the recording is impossible, the image output by the imaging unit First recording control means for recording a signal on the recording means and not recording on the recording medium; and an image signal output from the imaging means is recorded by the first recording control means by the recording means and the recording A second recording control means for recording the backup absence information indicating whether or not recorded to both the body, based on said backup existence information, the same image signal in the image signal recorded on said recording means A camera comprising: deletion means for transmitting an image signal recorded on the recording medium to the external device via the communication means, and deleting the transmitted image signal from the recording means. It is.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to know whether or not a duplicate exists in the recording medium for each captured image recorded in the recording means.

It is a figure which shows the camera by 1st Embodiment, and the management apparatus which operate | moves in cooperation with a camera. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the camera 1 by 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the management apparatus 2 by 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of a backup presence / absence information file. It is a figure which shows the file list which the communication part 17c transmits to the management apparatus 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on the display device 37. 4 is a flowchart of a photographing process in a communication mode of the camera 1.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a camera according to the first embodiment and a management apparatus that operates in cooperation with the camera. One or more cameras 1 are connected to one management apparatus 2 via a wireless LAN network 3. An image file including photographed image data and thumbnail image data thereof are transferred from each camera 1 to the management apparatus 2 to the management apparatus 2. The management device 2 displays the captured image data and thumbnail image data received from the camera 1 on a display device described later.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the camera 1 according to the first embodiment. The camera 1 includes a photographing lens 11, an image sensor 12, a focus adjustment device 13, an input device 14, a communication circuit 15, a wireless antenna 16, a control circuit 17, a DRAM 18, a flash memory 19, an LCD drive circuit 20, a liquid crystal monitor 21, and a first. A memory card interface (I / F) 22 and a second memory card I / F 24 are provided. A first recording medium 23 is attached to the first memory card I / F 22, and a second recording medium 25 is attached to the second memory card I / F 24.

  The photographing lens 11 is an optical system including a focus lens, and forms a subject image on the imaging surface of the imaging element 12. The image sensor 12 is configured by a CCD or CMOS image sensor including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to pixels. The image sensor 12 captures a subject image formed on the imaging surface and outputs a photoelectric conversion signal (image signal) corresponding to the brightness of the subject image to the control circuit 17. R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color filters are provided on the imaging surface of the imaging device 12 so as to correspond to the pixel positions, respectively. Since the image pickup device 12 picks up a subject image through the color filter, the image signal output from each image pickup device has RGB color system color information.

  The focus adjustment device 13 moves the photographic lens 11 to a position where the focus evaluation value is maximized based on the focus evaluation value output from the control circuit 17. The focus evaluation value is a calculation result of a known focus evaluation value calculation performed by the control circuit 17 based on the imaging signal output from the imaging element 12.

  The input device 14 includes various operation buttons such as a release button (not shown), and outputs an operation signal of each operation button by the operator to the control circuit 17. The communication circuit 15 is a circuit for the control circuit 17 to perform wireless communication with the management apparatus 2 and is connected to the wireless antenna 16.

  The DRAM 18 is used to temporarily store data during or after image processing, image compression processing, and display image data creation processing. The display image data is generated by the control circuit 17 based on the image data generated by the control circuit 17 based on the output from the image sensor 12 or the image data recorded in the storage medium. The generated display image data is stored in the DRAM 18 by the control circuit 17. The flash memory 19 is a nonvolatile memory in which a control program executed by the control circuit 17 described above is recorded.

  The LCD drive circuit 20 drives the liquid crystal monitor 21 based on a command from the control circuit 17, and the liquid crystal monitor 21 displays an image based on the display image data stored in the DRAM 18. The liquid crystal monitor 21 displays various setting menu screens of the camera 1. The first memory card I / F 22 is an interface circuit for reading and writing the first recording medium 23, and the second memory card I / F 24 is an interface circuit for reading and writing the second recording medium 25.

  The control circuit 17 is a circuit configured by RISC, for example, and controls each unit shown in FIG. 2 by reading a predetermined control program from the flash memory 19 and executing it. The control circuit 17 includes an imaging control unit 17a, an image recording unit 17b, a communication unit 17c, a recording availability determination unit 17d, a backup information recording unit 17e, and an image deletion unit 17f in software form. These units are realized in software by the control circuit 17 executing a predetermined control program recorded in the flash memory 19.

  The imaging control unit 17 a creates image data and stores it in the DRAM 18. When the operator presses the release button, an input signal is output from the input device 14 to the control circuit 17. In response to the input signal, the imaging control unit 17a causes the imaging device 12 to perform imaging, and performs various image processing on the image signal output from the imaging device 12 to generate image data.

  The image recording unit 17b performs compression processing on the image data created by the imaging control unit 17a by a predetermined method such as JPEG, and the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25 as image files of a format such as EXIF. To record. The image file recorded at this time includes thumbnail image data obtained by reducing the image data created by the imaging control unit 17a to a predetermined size. The communication unit 17 c performs communication with the management device 2 via the communication circuit 15.

  The recordability determination unit 17d checks the state of the first recording medium 23 via the first memory card I / F 22, and determines whether an image file can be recorded on the first recording medium 23 or not. For example, when the first recording medium 23 is not attached to the first memory card I / F 22 and when there is not enough free space in the first recording medium 23 attached to the first memory card I / F 22 In addition, the recordability determination unit 17d determines that the image file cannot be recorded.

  The backup information recording unit 17 e records backup presence / absence information on the second recording medium 25. The backup presence / absence information will be described in detail later. The image deletion unit 17f deletes at least one image file satisfying a predetermined condition from among the image files recorded on the second recording medium 25, and secures a free space on the second recording medium 25. This predetermined condition will be described in detail later.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the management apparatus 2 according to the first embodiment. The management device 2 includes an input device 31, a communication circuit 32, a wireless antenna 33, a control circuit 34, a DRAM 35, a flash memory 36, a display device 37, and an HDD 38.

  The input device 31 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The communication circuit 32 is a circuit for the control circuit 34 to perform wireless communication with the camera 1, and a wireless antenna 33 is connected to the communication circuit 32. The DRAM 35 is a storage device used as a work area for a control program executed by the control circuit 34. The flash memory 36 is a nonvolatile memory in which a control program executed by the control circuit 34 described above is recorded. The display device 37 is a display device such as a liquid crystal monitor, for example, and various images and messages are displayed by the control circuit 34. The HDD 38 is a recording device that records a control program executed by the control circuit 34, an image file, and the like.

  The control circuit 34 is, for example, a circuit constituted by RISC or the like, and controls each unit shown in FIG. 3 by reading and executing a predetermined control program from the flash memory 36 and the HDD 38. The control circuit 34 includes a communication unit 34a and a thumbnail display unit 34b in a software form. Each of these units is realized in software by the control circuit 34 executing a predetermined control program. The communication unit 34 a communicates with the camera 1 via the communication circuit 32. The thumbnail display unit 34 b displays the thumbnail image data received by the communication unit 34 a on the display device 37.

  Next, the operation mode of the camera 1 will be described. The camera 1 has a normal mode and a communication mode as operation modes, and operates in one of the operation modes. The operator of the camera 1 can change the operation mode of the camera 1 using the input device 14. When the operation mode of the camera 1 is set to the communication mode by the operator of the camera 1, the camera 1 starts a communication operation described later. If the second recording medium 25 is not attached, the camera 1 cannot be set to the communication mode. Further, it is prohibited to remove the second recording medium 25 from the camera 1 while the communication mode is set.

  When the camera 1 is set to the communication mode, when shooting using the camera 1 is performed, the recording availability determination unit 17d can record the image file storing the captured image data on the first recording medium 23. A determination is made as to whether or not it is possible. For example, when the first recording medium 23 is not attached to the first memory card I / F 22 or when the free capacity of the first recording medium 23 is smaller than the size of the image file to be recorded, the recording possibility determination is performed. The part 17d determines that recording is impossible. The image recording unit 17b records the image file storing the captured image data on both the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25 when the recording possibility determination unit 17d determines that recording is possible. On the other hand, when the record enable / disable determining unit 17d determines that recording is impossible, the record enable / disable determining unit 17d records the image file only on the second recording medium 25.

  When the camera 1 is set to the communication mode, the backup information recording unit 17e creates a backup presence / absence information file on the second recording medium 25. In this file, a list of image files recorded in the first recording medium 23 by the image recording unit 17b among the image files stored in the second recording medium 25 is stored. The backup presence / absence information file is initially an empty file. Each time an image file is recorded on the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25 by the image recording unit 17b, the backup presence / absence information file is updated by the backup information recording unit 17e.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the backup presence / absence information file. The backup presence / absence information file 40 stores file names of image files recorded on both the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25. For example, the top row 41 of FIG. 4 shows that an image file having a file name “DSC — 0004.JPG” is recorded on both the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25.

  When photographing is repeated with the camera 1 set to the communication mode, image files are successively created on the second recording medium 25, and the free space of the second recording medium 25 decreases. At the time of shooting, when the free space of the second recording medium 25 is insufficient and an image file cannot be recorded as it is, the image deletion unit 17f deletes the image file recorded on the second recording medium 25 and tries to record it from now on. Secure enough free space for existing image files. When the image deletion unit 17f deletes the image file, the backup information recording unit 17e deletes the file name of the deleted image file from the backup presence / absence information file 40 recorded on the second recording medium.

  The image deletion unit 17f refers to the backup presence / absence information file 40 recorded on the second recording medium 25 in order to determine an image file to be deleted. Of the image files recorded on the second recording medium 25, only the image files included in the backup presence / absence information file 40 are targeted for deletion. That is, an image file that is not recorded on the first recording medium 23 but is recorded only on the second recording medium 25 is not a deletion target. The image deletion unit 17f sequentially deletes the image files that have the oldest shooting date and time from the image files to be deleted until a sufficient free space is secured.

  Next, communication between the camera 1 and the management apparatus 2 will be described. The camera 1 set to the communication mode first transmits a “file list update notification” to the management apparatus 2. The management apparatus 2 that has received the “file list update notification” transmits a “file list acquisition request” to the camera 1 that has transmitted the notification. In response to the “file list acquisition request”, the camera 1 creates a file list of image files recorded in the second recording medium 25 and transmits the file list to the management device 2.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a file list transmitted to the management apparatus 2 by the communication unit 17c. As shown in FIG. 5, the file list 50 is a list including a list of file names 51 of image files recorded on the second recording medium 25 and shooting dates and times 52 of the respective image files. For example, in the top line 53 of the file list 50 shown in FIG. 5, the image file “DSC_0001.JPG” is recorded on the second recording medium 25, and the shooting date and time of this image file is “2007/06 / 06 13:24:35 ".

  The management apparatus 2 that has received the file list 50 transmits a “thumbnail image acquisition request” to the camera 1 for each image file included in the file list 50. In response to this, the camera 1 extracts thumbnail image data from the image file corresponding to each “thumbnail image acquisition request” and transmits the thumbnail image data to the management apparatus 2. The management device 2 displays the thumbnail image on the display device 37 based on the received thumbnail image data.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on the display device 37. The screen 60 includes an upper thumbnail display portion 60a and a lower file information display portion 60b. A plurality of thumbnail images 62 based on the thumbnail image data received from the camera 1 are displayed on the thumbnail display portion 60a. The operator of the management device 2 can select any one of the image files corresponding to each of the thumbnail images 62. A rectangular cursor 61 is displayed around the thumbnail image 62 corresponding to the selected image file.

  Information on the currently selected image file and a file acquisition button 64 are displayed on the file information display section 60b. In FIG. 6, the device name of the camera 1 that created the image file, the file name of the image file, and the shooting date and time of the image file are displayed as image file information.

  When the operator of the management apparatus 2 presses the file acquisition button 64 using the input device 31, the management apparatus 2 transmits a “file acquisition request” for the currently selected image file to the camera 1. In response to this, the camera 1 transmits to the management device 2 an image file corresponding to the “file acquisition request” recorded in the second recording medium 25. The management device 2 stores the received image file in the HDD 38 and displays a file acquisition mark 63 in the upper left corner of the thumbnail image 62 corresponding to this image file. The image file stored in the HDD 38 can be displayed and edited on the management device 2.

  The camera 1 is recorded on the second recording medium 25, such as recording a new image file on the second recording medium 25 by the image recording unit 17b and deleting an image file from the second recording medium 25 by the image deleting unit 17f. Each time an image file changes, a “file list update notification” is transmitted to the management apparatus 2. When receiving the “file list update notification”, the management device 2 acquires the file list and the thumbnail image in the same manner as described above, and updates the screen of the display device 37. Specifically, a thumbnail image corresponding to a newly created image file is additionally displayed on the screen, or a thumbnail image corresponding to the deleted image file is deleted from the screen.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the photographing process in the communication mode of the camera 1. First, in step S11, the record availability determination unit 17d determines whether or not the first recording medium 23 has been attached. If the first recording medium 23 is not attached, the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the first recording medium 23 is attached, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the recordability determination unit 17d determines whether or not the first recording medium 23 has sufficient free space for the image file to be recorded. If there is not enough free space, the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if there is sufficient free space, the process proceeds to step S13, and the image recording unit 17b records the image file on the first recording medium 23.

  In step S <b> 14, the image recording unit 17 b determines whether there is sufficient free space in the second recording medium 25 for the image file to be recorded. If there is not enough free space, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, the image deletion unit 17f refers to the backup presence / absence information file recorded on the second recording medium 25, and deletes one of the files with the oldest shooting date / time among the files included in the backup presence / absence information file. . In step S16, the image deletion unit 17f deletes the file name of the image file deleted in step S15 from the backup presence / absence information file recorded on the second recording medium 25, and the process returns to step S14. The processes from step S14 to step S16 are repeated until a sufficient free space is secured in the second recording medium 25.

  On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S14, the process proceeds to step S17. In step S <b> 17, the image recording unit 17 b records a new image file on the second recording medium 25. In step S18, the backup information recording unit 17e deletes the file name of the deleted image file from the backup presence / absence information file 40 recorded on the second recording medium 25. According to the flow described above, the photographing process of the camera 1 in the communication mode is executed.

According to the camera according to the first embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(1) The backup information recording unit 17e stores the backup presence / absence information file 40 in which the list of image files recorded on both the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25 by the image recording unit 17b is stored in the second recording medium. 25. Thereby, it is possible to know whether or not there is a copy in the first recording medium 23 for each image file recorded in the second recording medium 25.

(2) The image recording unit 17b records the image data created by the imaging control unit 17a on both the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25 if possible. Thereby, even after the image file on the second recording medium 25 is deleted, the image file can be acquired from the first recording medium 23.

(3) The image recording unit 17b records only the second recording medium 25 when the image data created by the imaging control unit 17a cannot be recorded on the first recording medium 23. Thereby, it is possible to continue shooting regardless of the state of the first recording medium 23.

(4) The image deletion unit 17f records the same image file among the image files recorded on the second recording medium 25 based on the backup presence / absence information file 40 recorded on the second recording medium 25 in the first recording. At least one image file recorded on the medium 23 is deleted, and the free space of the second recording medium 25 is secured. Thereby, the image file recorded only on the second recording medium 25 is not deleted.

(5) When the image recording unit 17b records the image data created by the imaging control unit 17a on the second recording medium 25, if the free space of the second recording medium 25 is insufficient, the image deleting unit 17f To secure the free space of the second recording medium 25. Thereby, a state where an image file can be recorded on the second recording medium 25 is always maintained.

  The following modifications are also within the scope of the present invention, and one or a plurality of modifications can be combined with the above-described embodiment.

(Modification 1)
The second recording medium 25 may not be removable. For example, the flash memory 19 built in the camera 1 instead of the second recording medium 25 may be used for recording the image file and the backup presence / absence information file.

(Modification 2)
The information that the image file is recorded in both the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25 may be recorded in a place other than the backup presence / absence information file. For example, information indicating that the image file is recorded on both recording media may be added to the header portion of the image file, or may be recorded in the flash memory 19 of the camera 1.

(Modification 3)
It is not necessary to delete the image file by the image deletion unit 17f based only on the backup presence / absence information file. For example, among image files recorded on both the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25, image files that have been transmitted to the management apparatus 2 may be deleted preferentially.

(Modification 4)
The image file deletion by the image deletion unit 17f may be performed except when the second recording medium 25 has insufficient free space. For example, when an image file is transmitted to the management apparatus 2, the image file may be deleted from the second recording medium 25.

(Modification 5)
The purpose of using the backup presence / absence information file is not limited to deletion of an image file by the image deletion unit 17f. For example, when the operator of the camera 1 manually deletes an image file from the second recording medium 25, a warning may be displayed if the image file is not recorded on the first recording medium 23. The backup presence / absence information file may be transmitted to the management apparatus 2 by the communication unit 17c, and the management apparatus 2 may highlight the image file that is not recorded on the first recording medium 23. Alternatively, when the operation mode of the camera 1 is changed from the communication mode to the normal mode, all the image files included in the backup presence / absence information file may be deleted from the second recording medium 25.

(Modification 6)
When the operator of the camera 1 manually deletes the image file from the first recording medium 23, the same image file may be deleted from the second recording medium 25. This is because the image file that the operator intends to delete is an unnecessary file such as an image file that is clearly unsuccessful in photographing, and is considered to be meaningless to leave in the second recording medium 25. Alternatively, in consideration of the case where the operator deletes the file due to an erroneous operation, even if the operator deletes the image from the first recording medium 23, the image file is not deleted from the second recording medium 25. Good. In this case, the image file deleted by the operator is deleted from the backup presence / absence information file recorded on the second recording medium 25, and the image file recorded on the second recording medium 25 is not deleted by the image deleting unit 17f. It is desirable to do so.

(Modification 7)
The recording method of the backup presence / absence information file may be other than “list of file names of image files recorded on both the first recording medium 23 and the second recording medium 25” as in the first embodiment. . For example, a list of file names of image files recorded only on the second recording medium 25 may be used. Information other than the file name may be used to specify the image file. For example, the file creation date and time and the file size may be recorded together with the file name, or the hash value of the image file may be recorded.

(Modification 8)
The communication circuit 15, the wireless antenna 16, and the second recording medium 25 may not be built in the camera 1. For example, an external transmitter such as an electronic camera described in Patent Document 1 may be used.

  As long as the characteristics of the present invention are not impaired, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and other forms conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera 2 Management apparatus 17a Imaging control part 17b Image recording part 17c Communication part 17d Recording availability determination part 17e Backup information recording part 17f Image deletion part

Claims (5)

Imaging means for imaging a subject and outputting an image signal;
Recording means capable of recording the image signal;
Communication means for transmitting an image signal recorded in the recording means to an external device ;
A mounting means for detachably mounting the recording medium;
A determination unit that determines whether the image signal output by the imaging unit is recordable or not recordable on the recording medium;
When the determination means determines that the recording is possible, the image signal output by the imaging means is recorded on both the recording means and the recording medium, and when the determination means determines that the recording is impossible First recording control means for recording the image signal output by the imaging means on the recording means and not recording on the recording medium;
A second recording control means for recording the backup absence information indicating whether or not recorded to both the recording unit and the recording medium by the output image signal is the first recording control means of said imaging means,
Based on the backup presence / absence information, an image signal in which the same image signal among the image signals recorded in the recording unit is recorded in the recording medium is transmitted to the external device via the communication unit. Deleting means for deleting the transmitted image signal from the recording means;
A camera comprising: The camera of claim 1,
The camera according to claim 1, wherein the external device is a management device for managing the image signal . The camera according to claim 1 or 2,
The second recording control means, in response to the deletion of the image signal by the deleting means, a camera and deletes the backup existence information corresponding to the deleted image signal. The camera according to claim 3.
The first recording control means, when recording the image signal output from the imaging means to the recording means, if the recording means has insufficient free space, A camera characterized by ensuring capacity. The camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the image signal in which the same image signal is recorded in the recording medium among the image signals recorded in the recording unit is transmitted to the external device via the communication unit, the backup presence / absence information is A camera that is transmitted to an external device .

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