GB2269292A

GB2269292A - Electronic camera having a display

Info

Publication number: GB2269292A
Application number: GB9216036A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Isao Suzuki; Hatsuo Aruga; Hideya Shinohara; Susumu Kubota; Tetsushi Ueda; Toyofumi Hieda
Original assignee: Rhythm Watch Co Ltd
Current assignee: Rhythm Watch Co Ltd
Priority date: 1992-07-28
Filing date: 1992-07-28
Publication date: 1994-02-02
Also published as: GB9216036D0; DE4225612A1

Abstract

An electronic camera has a camera pickup device 4, a memory for storing input data, and a display 6 for displaying data and a picture of a camera subject. An external memory card is set in the camera, with identification data on information stored in the set memory card being written in a directory of the set memory card e.g date of photographing. The directory can be displayed so as to select a required image from the memory. <IMAGE>

Description

0dc.

7269292.

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

ELECTRONIC CAMERA HAVING A DISPLAY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electronic still camera having a display, such as liquid crystal display (LCD), and having a TV camera where image data taken by the camera are recorded on a recording medium such as an IC memory card which is detachably set in the camera, and more particularly to an electronic camera Which can display character data stored in the memory card and the displayed data can be transferred to another memory card.

There has been provided an electronic still camera in which a display unit for displaying image data is combined with a finder of the camera. It is possible to immediately find out the situation of an image of a recorded object through the display.

On the other hand, in accordance with a personal computer communication system, data stored in a storage such as electronic notebooks and laptop computers can be transferred to a personal computer, so that it is possible to effectively use the data in the storage. There are provided various memory cards such as IC memory cards, optical memory cards, and magnetic memory cards. The capacity of the memory card and utilizing fields of the card are increased. Therefore, it is possible to keep a plurality of data in the memory card and display the data at any time if necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera having a display which can display not only image data stored in a memory in the camera but also other data such as character information, and programs transferred from other information devices.

Another object of the invention is to provided an electronic camera where the stored data can be corrected, thereby effectively using recording media.

According to the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera having a camera pickup device, a memory for storing input data, setting means for setting an external memory medium, reading and writing means for reading data stored in the set memory medium and for writing read data in the memory medium, and a display for displaying data and a picture of a camera subject. The electronic camera comprises the memory medium having a directory for storing data, first writing means for writing identification data on information stored in the set memory medium in the directory of the set memory medium, second writing means for writing a date at photographing in the directory of the set memory medium.

In a aspect of the present invention, the camera has displaying means responsive to identification data of characters for converting the information stored in the set memory medium into characters and for displaying the inverted character on the display.

There is further provided third writing means for writing data stored in the memory of the camera into a set memory medium, and correcting means for correcting data stored in the set memory medium.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an electronic camera having a display according to the present invention; 15 Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the camera; and Figs. 3a to 5 are flowcharts showing operations of the camera of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 20 Referring to Fig. 1 showing an electronic still camera having a display according to the present invention, a still camera 2 has a camera pickup device 4 with a CCD, a display screen 6 made of LCD (Liquid crystal display), an operating portion 8 comprising an execution key 3, a reset key 5, a shifting key 7 and a power switch 12, and an elongated inlet 10 from which an IC memory card (not shown) is inserted in the camera 2.

The shifting key 7 has four pushbutton switches to shift a cursor or to scroll an image displayed on the display screen 6 in the vertical directions (up and down) and in the horizontal directions (right and left).

Referring to Fig. 2 showing an electronic control system of the camera 2, the control system comprises a camera section 20, a memory controller 30, a display section 40, and a controller 60.

The camera section 20 has a pickup tube 22 with a CCD for introducing image data, and a video signal processing unit 24 comprising an A/D converter for converting the image data into a video signal.

The memory controller 30 comprises a memory control circuit 26 connected to the video signal processing circuit 24 of the camera section 20 for receiving the video signal, and memories 28 each having 8 tones. In the memory 28, the video signal and the data stored in an external IC memory card can be stored.

The display section 40 comprises an LCD controller 32 connected to the memory control circuit 26 of the controller 30, an LCD driver 34, and an LCD 36. The LCD controller 32 receives the output signal from the memory control circuit.26 and produces a timing signal for the display which is supplied to the LCD driver 34. The driver 34 performs arrangement of the data to be displayed on the LCD 36. The system is arranged to display a picture of a camera subject on the LCD.

Thus, the display screen 6 serves as a finder of the camera.

A key switching section 42 includes a transparent touch panel (not shown) mounted on the display screen 6 and keys of the operating portion 8 and is connected to the video signal processing unit 24 and the LCD controller 32.

The system further has a memory card reader/writer 44 and a Chinese character font ROM 46 in cooperation with an IC memory card 43 inserted in the camera 2 through the inlet 10. The memory card reader/writer 44 performs the reading of information data stored in the card 43 and the writing of the data displayed on the LCD 36 in another IC memory card. The Chinese character font ROM 46 converts the data into a character code.

The controller 60 comprises a CPU 52 and a main memory 50 having a program ROM and a program RAM. The CPU 52 is connected to the key switching section 42, memory card readerlwriter 44, Chinese character font ROM 46 through an input/output (I/0) interface 48, and the memory control circuit 26. In accordance with instruction signals from the key switching section 42, the CPU 52 controls the camera section 20, display section 40, memory controller 30, memory card readerlwriter 44, and Chinese character font ROM 46 based on programs stored in the program ROM and RAM in the memory 50.

The operation of the control system will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figs. 3a to 5.

Referring to Fig. 3a, the power switch 12 is depressed to start the operation. It is determined whether the IC memory cars 43 is set in the camera 2 or not. If the card is set, a present capacity of a memory in the IC memory card is detected, and the residual capacity is displayed on the display screen 6.

The IC memory card has a directory of 32 bytes in which management information such as a file name, identification data as extension data of the file name, file attribute, recording time and date, starting cluster, and file size can be written.

When the execution key 3 is depressed, an initial menu is displayed in the display screen 6. The initial menu includes a plurality of items, for example (1) IC memory card reading, (2) IC memory card writing, (3) photographing, and (4) auxiliary function as shown in Figs. 3b and 3c.

If the IC memory card is not set or the capacity of the card is insufficient at the previous steps, the program also proceeds to the step of the initial menu displaying.

Thereafter, a desired item is selected from the displayed menu. In order to select the item of the menu, the cursor is moved on the items by operating each pushbutton switch of the shifting key 7, and the execution key 3 is depressed when the cursor is positioned on the desired item. If the menu is not selected, the program returns to the first step.

The operation of the IC memory card reading program upon the selection of the item (1) will be described.

Referring to Fig. 3b, if the IC memory card 43 is set, the file names and the identification data as an index of the IC memory card are displayed on the screen 6. The identification data are represented by letters G, P and T. The identification data G represents a graphic data, identification data P represents a program data, and identification data T represents a text character data.

The cursor is moved along the file names and the execution key 3 is depressed so that a desired file name is selected.

If the identification data G is further selected, the CPU 52 operates the reader/writer 44 to read the graphic data stored in the IC memory card 43, and the data are supplied to the memory 28 through the I/0 interface 48 and the memory control circuit 26 and stored therein. Then, the circuit 26 produces the information data based on the data stored in the memory 28 which are supplied to the display section 40. Thus, an imaging dependent on a set of image data is displayed on the screen 6.

Thereafter, when the execution key 3 is depressed, a correction menu is displayed on the screen, the operation of which will be described hereinafter. If the reset key 5 is depressed, the program returns to display the index of the card.

When the text character data is selected, the text character data are converted into character representation data by the Chinese character font ROM 46. The character representation data are stored in the memory 28 and supplied to the display section 40 through the memory control circuit 26 to display the characters on the screen 6. The screen is scrolled by operating the shifting key 7 to read the characters in order. By depressing the execution key 3 or the reset key 5, the display on the screen 6 changes in the same manners as aforementioned.

When the program data P is selected, a program such as a game program, a data processing program, or a learning program is displayed on the screen 6. The execution key 3 is depressed to execute the selected program. If the reset key 5 is depressed, the index of the card is displayed.

Describing the operation of the IC memory card writing program upon the selection of the item (2) of the initial menu as shown in Fig. 3c, it is determined whether the IC memory card is set and whether the capacity of the set memory card is sufficient. If not, a massage such as "Memory is full. Card cannot be used." or "Unable to use the card." is displayed. The program returns to the first step. If yes, the file name of the data in the card is detected. If the file name is not given to the data, the date and time of the operation are given to the data as the file name. The file name and the identification data as well as the data stored in the memory 28 are displayed on the screen 6 and written in the set IC memory card. Thereafter, the initial menu is displayed again.

It is possible to transfer the data read from a first IC memory card and stored in the memory 28 in accordance with the memory card reading program of the item (1) to a second IC memory card by the program of the item (2).

Describing the operation of the photographing program of the item (3), a TV mode is displayed on the screen 6 when the item (3) is selected. In the mode, the execution key 3 is used as a shutter button and the screen 6 is served as a finder of the camera. A picture data stored in the memory 28 is displayed on the screen. The shifting key 7 is operated to magnify or reduce the size of the picture. When the execution key 3 is depressed, the picture on the screen is stored in the memory 28 as an image data and the image data is displayed on the screen as a still picture. If the reset key 5 is depressed, the TV mode is displayed.

When the execution key 3 is depressed, the identification data G for the still picture, and a date and time at the photographing are stored in the IC memory card. Thereafter, the program proceeds to the correction menu which will be described hereinafter.

The operation of the auxiliary function program of the item (4) will be described with reference to the flowchart of Figs. 3c and 4.

When the item (4) is selected, an auxiliary function menu including (A) time and date correction, (B) file deletion, and (C) initialization is displayed on the screen 6. A desired item is selected from the menu in the same manner as aforementioned by the shifting key 7 and the execution key 3. If the reset key 5 is depressed, the initial menu is displayed.

When the item (A) is selected, the date and the time are displayed. The shifting key 7 is used as a correction key. If the pushbutton switches having horizontal arrows are operated, the cursor is horizontally moved along the figures of the date or the time to select the location of the digit. If the pushbutton switches having vertical arrows are depressed, the digit of the selected location changes in order. When the desired digits of the date or the time are selected, the execution key 3 is depressed to correct the date or the time. The correction mode is terminated and the auxiliary function menu is displayed again. If the reset key 5 is depressed, the correction is not executed and the program returns to the step for selecting the location of digit.

When the item (B) is selected, a list of the file names and the identification data as the index of the IC memory card is displayed. A desired file name is selected by scrolling and moving the cursor. The execution key 3 is depressed to delete the selected file name.

Thus, it is possible to provide an area for writing other data in the memory of the card. By depressing the reset key 5, the auxiliary menu is displayed.

When the item (C) is selected, the initialization is reconfirmed. When the execution key 3 is depressed, the IC memory card is initialized to a predetermined format. Thereafter, the program returns to the auxiliary menu displaying step.

The operation when the correction menu is selected will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. As hereinbefore described, the correction menu is selected during the operations of the item (1) and (3) in the initial menu. The correction menu includes (a) initial menu display, (b) lightness adjusting, (c) masking correction, (d) line writing, and (e) line deletion. 20 Each item is selected in the same manner as the hereinbefore described manner. When the item (a) is selected, the initial menu is displayed. The item (b) is provided for correcting the picture by variably adjusting the lightness of the picture on the screen. When the item (b) is selected, the picture is displayed, and tone samples are displayed on the screen. A desired tone is selected and the lightness of the picture is corrected to the selected tone. The execution key 3 is depressed so that the picture is corrected so as to be clearly viewed. If the reset key 5 is depressed, the tone samples are displayed again.

In the corrections of the items (c) to (e), the transparent touch panel on the screen and a suitable pen are used for correcting the picture.

The item (c) is provided for masking an area so that the area is not displayed on the screen. In order to mask a confidential area or an area information in which the user intends to memorize, the area on the screen is enclosed by a line traced by the pen on the touch panel of the screen. The coordinate of the line is read, so that the area is designated. The area is displayed and masked by an exclusive control. When the execution key 3 is depressed, the designated area is masked. When the reset key 5 is depressed, the picture before the correction is displayed. 20 The items (d) and (e) are provided for correcting the picture by adding or deleting desir ed lines. In the Procram of the item (d), coordinates of a line traced by the pen on the picture are read and the adjacent coordinates are connected by a line. When the execution key 3 is depressed, a line is displayed on the screen, superimposed on the picture of the screen.

If a map taken by the camera and stored in the memory 28 is displayed on the screen 6 by the photographing program, a driving route for an automobile can be written on the map on the screen by tracing the driving route with the pen through the touch panel.

If the reset key 5 is depressed, the picture before the correction is displayed.

When the item (e) is selected, a line traced on the picture with the pen is read in the same manner as the line writing program of the item (d). When the execution key 3 is depressed, the line is deleted.

In accordance with the present invention, file names and identification data are recorded in the detachable card memory for the information of stored data and are displayed. Therefore, it is easily possible to watch data stored in the card memory through the display screen.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with preferred specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that this description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims.

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Claims

What is claimed is

1. An electronic camera having a camera pickup device, a memory for storing input data, setting means for setting an external memory medium, reading and writing means for reading data stored in the set memory medium and for writing read data in the memory medium, and a display for displaying data and a picture of a camera subject, the electronic camera comprising:

the memory medium having a directory for storing data; first writing means for writing identification data on information stored in the set memory medium in the directory of the set memory medium; second writing means for writing a date at photographing in the directory of the set memory medium.

2. An electronic camera according to claim 1 further comprising displaying means responsive to identification data of characters for converting the information stored in the set memory medium into characters and for displaying the inverted character on the display.

3. An electronic camera according to claim 1 further comprising third writing means for writing data stored in the memory of the camera into a set memory medium.

4. An electronic camera according to claim 1 further comprising correcting means for correcting data stored in the set memory medium.

5. An electronic camera according to claim 1 further comprising selecting means for selecting one of data from displayed data on the display.

6. An electronic camera according to claim 4 wherein correcting means includes sensing means for sensing a contact point of a pen on the display and for determining the coordinate of the contact point for performing correction operation.

7. An electronic camera substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.