JPH10341394A - Image-pickup device, image-pickup method and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To continue photographing in spite of empty recording capacity. SOLUTION: Photographed images are fetched and stored (S2-S4) in a buffer. When the capacity of memory device is sufficient, the images in the buffer are compressed and stored (S5-S7) in the memory device, and the next photographing is prepared (S2). If the capacity of memory device is insufficient, stored images are read out, compressed with compressibility which is higher than the previous compressibility and replaced (S8-S10) with source images in the memory device. If an empty area sufficient for storing images can be secured in the memory device (YES in S11), images in the buffer are compressed and stored in the memory device (S6 and S7). When sufficient empty area cannot be secured (NO in S11), the next image is read out of the memory device and compressed again (S12 and S9-S11).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, an image pickup method, and a method for recording an image signal photographed by an image pickup means on a recording medium.
It relates to a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional electronic still camera. In this device, an image formed by the photographing lens device 21 is temporally controlled by a shutter device 22 (the shutter device 22 may not be necessary), and is converted into an electric signal by a solid-state imaging device 23. A / A
After the D conversion, the image is processed, compressed by the image compression device 27, and then recorded in the memory device.

[0003]

Conventionally, in such a type of electronic still camera, if the number of recorded images is increased and the memory device 28 is fully used, it is impossible to take a picture there.

[0004] In such an electronic still camera, it is conceivable to increase the number of shots in order to make such a phenomenon unlikely to occur. For this purpose, it is necessary to mount a large number of memories. If installed, the camera would be expensive, so there was a limit. In addition, if the memory device is fully used, shooting becomes impossible.

[0005] Some memory devices use a removable memory device. However, when the memory is fully used, photographing is impossible.

The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus, an imaging method, and a storage medium that can continue shooting regardless of the free space of a recording medium. Is what you do.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an image pickup apparatus is stored as described in (1) and (2) below, and an image pickup method is stored as described in (3) below. The medium is configured as in the following (4).

(1) An image pickup apparatus comprising: an image pickup means; an image compression means for compressing a signal of an image taken by the image pickup means; and a recording medium for recording a plurality of image signals compressed by the image compression means. A free space detecting means for detecting a free capacity of the recording medium, and reading a signal of a required number of images from the recording medium when the free capacity detected by the free capacity detecting means does not reach a predetermined value. A control unit for performing re-compression by the image compression unit at a compression ratio larger than that of the previous compression, and replacing the original image signal on the recording medium to secure a free area.

(2) The imaging apparatus according to (1), wherein the predetermined value of the free space is a value capable of recording a signal of one image obtained by the previous compression by the image compression means.

(3) An image pickup method for an image pickup apparatus for compressing a photographed image and recording the image on a recording medium, wherein the step of detecting the free space of the recording medium, and the step of detecting the free space of the next image When recording is insufficient to re-compress the image from the recording medium at a compression ratio greater than the compression of the readout destination and replace the original image of the recording medium to secure a free area; and Recording the next image.

(4) A storage medium storing a program for realizing the imaging method according to (3).

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to examples of an "electronic still camera". The present invention is not limited to an electronic still camera, but can be implemented in the form of an appropriate imaging device capable of capturing a still image and in the form of an imaging method. Further, the present invention can be implemented in the form of a storage medium which stores a program for realizing this imaging method and which can be read by a CPU in the imaging apparatus.

[0013]

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of an "electronic still camera" according to an embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a lens device for forming an image of a subject on a solid-state image pickup device 3 such as a CCD, and 2 denotes a lens device.
This is a shutter device that limits the amount of light from the camera, and is unnecessary depending on the type of solid-state imaging device used. Reference numeral 3 denotes a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD that converts a subject image formed by the lens device 1 into an electric signal. Reference numeral 4 denotes an A / D conversion device that performs A / D conversion of an electric signal of an image generated by the solid-state imaging device 3. ,
Reference numeral 5 denotes an image processing device for performing image processing on the A / D-converted image signal, reference numeral 6 denotes a buffer memory device for temporarily storing the image processed image signal, and reference numeral 7 denotes a compression of the image signal stored in the buffer memory device 6. An image signal compression device 8 is a memory device for storing the image signal compressed by the image signal compression device 6, and 9 is a buffer memory device for recompression for temporarily storing an image for recompression.

The operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the power is turned on (S1), the electronic still camera waits for a release signal from the photographer (S2). When a release signal is issued from the photographer, the shutter device 2 travels, a subject image is formed on the solid-state imaging device 3 by the lens device 1, and an image signal is converted into an electric signal. The image signal converted into the electric signal is A / D-converted by the A / D converter 4 and image-processed by the image processor 5 (S3). The image signal subjected to the image processing is stored in the buffer memory device 6 (S4). Here, it is determined whether or not sufficient capacity remains in the memory device 8 (S5). When the memory device 8 has a sufficient capacity, the image signal stored in the buffer memory device 6 is transferred to the image signal compression device 7, and the image signal is compressed at a predetermined compression ratio (S6). It is stored (S7).

If it is determined in S5 that the remaining capacity of the memory device 8 is insufficient for the current recording,
The already stored images are read out one by one into the buffer memory device 9 for recompression (S8), and the image signals read out by the buffer memory device 9 are compressed again at a higher compression ratio than when they were last recorded. Work is performed (S9). The image signal compressed again at the high compression rate is stored in the memory device 8 and the previous recording is deleted (S1).
0). When the recompression of one sheet is completed, it is determined whether or not the free space of the memory device 8 is sufficient to record one image (S11). If the free space is insufficient for recording one image, the recorded image is read from the memory device 8 to the buffer memory device 9 for recompression to increase the compression ratio of another image (S12), and the process returns to S9. Continue the recompression work. If it is determined in S11 that a sufficient amount of memory has been secured in the memory device 8 for recording one image, the captured image stored in the image buffer memory device 6 is transferred to the image signal compression device 7 and the image is compressed. Compress (S
6).

The compressed image signal is recorded in the memory device 8, and the recording of the image ends (S7).

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the memory device 8
Even if there is not enough free space, the recorded area can be secured by recompressing the recorded image, and new shooting can be performed.

In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not a free area is secured every time one image is recompressed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. After recompressing continuously, or after recompressing a predetermined number of sheets, it is also possible to determine whether a free area is secured.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Shooting can be continued regardless of the free space of the recording medium.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 solid-state imaging device 7 image signal compression device 8 memory device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup apparatus comprising: an image pickup means; an image compression means for compressing a signal of an image taken by the image pickup means; and a recording medium for recording a plurality of image signals compressed by the image compression means. And a free space detecting means for detecting the free space of the recording medium, and when the free space detected by the free space detecting means does not reach a predetermined value, read out a signal of a required number of images from the recording medium, An image pickup apparatus comprising: control means for performing re-compression by the image compression means at a compression ratio larger than that of the previous compression, and replacing the original image signal on the recording medium with a free area to secure a free area. 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value of the free space is a value capable of recording a signal of one image obtained by the previous compression by the image compression unit. 3. An imaging method in an imaging apparatus for compressing a captured image and recording the compressed image on a recording medium, comprising: detecting a free space of the recording medium; When there is not enough to record,
Re-compressing an image from the recording medium at a compression ratio greater than the compression of the readout destination, replacing the original image on the recording medium to secure a free area, and recording the next image in the free area. An imaging method characterized in that: 4. A storage medium storing a program for realizing the imaging method according to claim 3.