JP2001230959A - Electronic camera apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera apparatus, in which consecutively photographed images can be confirmed on a screen, immediately after photographing especially during continuous photographing. SOLUTION: Concerning the electronic camera apparatus provided with a consecutive photographing function and a consecutive photographing multi- display function, a system controller 50 performs display processing for storing consecutively photographed image data provided by continuous photographing in a buffer memory 25 and displaying a consecutively photographed multiple screen on an LCD 30 during continuous photographing. On the consecutively photographed multiple screen, (N×M pieces of) multi-image data synthesized from the reduced images of respective photographed images provided from consecutively photographed image data which are stored in the buffer memory 25 by continuous photographing are displayed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic camera apparatus having a continuous shooting function and a function of displaying a continuously shot multi-image on a screen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electronic cameras that convert a subject into image data by an electronic imaging function and record the image data on a recording medium have become widespread. The electronic camera includes a digital video camera whose main function is moving image shooting, in addition to an electronic still camera also called a digital camera.

[0003] A recent electronic camera is provided with a continuous shooting function capable of continuous shooting. With the continuous shooting function, a plurality of (multiple frames) image data obtained by continuous shooting are continuously stored in the buffer memory during the release ON / OFF period, and are recorded at once from the buffer memory after the continuous shooting is completed. The operation of recording on the medium has been executed.

In an electronic camera, a captured image is displayed on a screen of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) as a through image (moving image). Therefore, the user (photographer) can check the photographed image at that time.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an electronic camera, LC
On the screen of D, the captured image can be confirmed at that time.
However, during continuous shooting, since a plurality of images are continuously shot in a short time, the user cannot confirm each image in live view display. Specifically, the number of shots in continuous shooting, the image shot immediately before, and the like cannot be confirmed, and only depends on the memory of the user. Finally, after continuous shooting, the only option is to play back the captured continuous image from the recording medium on the LCD screen and check it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera device which enables a user to confirm a continuous photographing image on a screen, particularly during continuous photographing, and to confirm a photographing result by continuous photographing immediately after photographing. .

[0007]

According to the present invention, in an electronic camera apparatus having a continuous shooting function (continuous shooting mode), continuous shooting is performed from continuous shooting image data stored in a storage means during continuous shooting. Camera for generating a reduced image of each captured image, and for creating multi-display image data obtained by combining the reduced images, and a display unit for displaying a continuous shooting multi-screen using the multi-display image data Device. Specifically, the creation unit is configured to display the number of images (N × N) according to the number of images of the continuous shot image data stored in the storage unit.
Create multi-display image data consisting of

[0008] With this configuration, when the user performs a continuous shooting operation, that is, during continuous shooting, the continuous shooting image data (image data for the number of continuous shootings) stored in the buffer memory, which is a built-in memory, is transferred. It can be displayed on the LCD as a continuous shooting multi screen. Therefore, the user can immediately confirm the number of captured images and the image captured immediately before. This allows the user to check the continuous shooting state during shooting, thereby improving operability in the continuous shooting mode.

[0009]

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

(Configuration of Electronic Camera) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of an electronic camera according to the embodiment.
The electronic camera according to the embodiment is assumed to be an electronic still camera (digital camera) having a continuous shooting function (continuous shooting mode) in addition to a normal still image shooting function.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic camera of the embodiment is roughly composed of a photographing system 10, a storage system, a display system, a control / operation system, and a power supply system 60.

The photographing system 10 includes an optical lens unit (including a zoom lens, a diaphragm, an autofocus lens, etc.) 11, an image pickup device 12, an image pickup circuit 13, an A / D
And a converter 14. Note that the mechanical shutter is omitted. The mechanical shutter is normally open, and closes in response to the ON operation of a release button of the operation unit 55 described later to control the exposure time.

The image sensor 12 normally has a C of several million pixels.
It has a CD (charge coupled device), and photoelectrically converts a subject image incident via the optical lens unit 11.
The imaging circuit 13 receives an imaging signal from the imaging device 12 and performs various signal processing such as gamma correction and white balance adjustment. The A / D converter 14 includes the imaging circuit 13
Signal (analog signal corresponding to the number of pixels) obtained from
Is converted into a digital signal (image data).

The storage system has a recording medium unit 20 for storing image data, in addition to a built-in memory (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a buffer memory) 25 functioning as a buffer memory. The recording medium unit 20 has a slot and an interface 21 in which a recording medium can be mounted. The recording medium of the embodiment is a flash E
A memory card (for example, smart media specification) 22 composed of an EPROM is assumed.

The display system includes an image LCD (liquid crystal display) 30 for displaying a captured image, an LCD control circuit 31, and an LCD 54 for displaying operation information (mode). The image LCD 30 is a display monitor arranged on the back of the camera body, and in the present embodiment, displays not only a captured image in units of one frame but also a multi-image by continuous shooting. LCD control circuit 31 includes a VRAM (video RAM) for storing display data.

The control and operation system includes a system controller 5
0 and the operation unit 55. System controller 50
Is composed of a control CPU (microprocessor) and a memory storing the control program. The system controller 50 controls the photographing system 10 described above,
An image processing unit 51 that performs various types of image processing such as image compression processing (eg, motion JPEG compression) and image expansion processing of image data stored in the buffer memory 25, and recording processing for controlling the recording operation of the recording medium unit 20 A multi-image processing unit 53 in a continuous shooting multi-display mode, which will be described later. Further, the system controller 50 receives control of the strobe 70, various inputs from the operation unit 55, and input of a detection signal from the battery remaining capacity detection circuit 63.

The operation unit 55 has a release (shutter) button, a cross key for selection, a dial for setting a mode (playback, photographing, power off, etc.), an OK switch, and the like.

A power supply system 60 includes a battery 61, a power supply circuit 62,
And a battery remaining capacity detection circuit 63. Power supply circuit 62
Has a DC / DC converter and the like, and supplies power from the battery 61 to various elements. Battery remaining capacity detection circuit 63
Monitors the remaining capacity of the battery 61 and outputs the monitoring result to the system controller 50.

The apparatus has an external interface 40 and an external output terminal 41 for outputting image data to the outside, and can transmit image data to, for example, a television or a personal computer.

The operation relating to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 to 4 and FIGS. 5 and 6 together with FIG.

(Continuous Shooting Operation) First, when the continuous shooting mode of the photographing mode is set by a dial operation of the operation unit 55,
The system controller 50 displays a menu screen for operation on the image LCD 30 (YES in step S1).
On the menu screen, the number of frames per second (N = 5, 10,
The setting item of the continuous shooting speed described in 15 frames / s) is displayed. The setting of the continuous shooting speed is performed using the cross key of the operation unit 55 (step S2).

Further, in this embodiment, the selection of the continuous shooting display mode is executed from the menu screen by the cross key of the operation unit 55 (YES in step S3). If the mode is not the continuous shooting display mode, the normal single-frame display mode (FIG. 5)
(Refer to (F)), and the photographed image for each frame is displayed on the image LCD 30 (step S5).

In the continuous shooting display mode, the system controller 50 sets the multi-display mode and executes a display process (see FIG. 4) described later (step S4).

Next, the release button of the operation unit 55 is turned on.
Then, the system controller 50 starts the continuous shooting mode (YES in step S6). That is, in the photographing system 10, AE processing (automatic exposure adjustment), AF processing (autofocus processing), photographing processing (exposure processing), and imaging processing (including A / D conversion processing by the A / D converter 14).
Is executed (steps S7 to S9). A plurality of frames of image data obtained by the A / D conversion process are stored in the buffer memory 25 in a time-series manner (step S10).
Here, the system controller 50 starts display processing in the above-described multi-display mode (step S1).
1).

Such a continuous shooting operation is continued until the release button of the operation unit 55 is turned off (step S1).
2 NO). The system controller 50 stops the continuous shooting operation by turning off the release button, and shifts to a medium recording operation of recording the image data of a plurality of frames stored in the buffer memory 25 on the mounted memory card 22 (step S12). YES).

The continuous shooting operation as described above is shown in FIGS.
It is executed at the timing shown in FIG. FIG. 7B shows a shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode. In this embodiment, it is assumed that 14 frames (14 images) are continuously photographed. FIG. 3C shows the timing at which the image data of each frame is stored in the buffer memory 25. FIG. 9E shows a process of a multi-image creation process. FIG. 2F shows a display screen (0) of a through image before shooting in a normal one-frame display mode, a display screen of a first frame (1), and a display screen of a second frame (2). .

(Medium Recording Operation) In the recording operation, the system controller 50 reads out the image data of each frame stored in the buffer memory 25 as shown in FIG.
The image processing section 51 executes image processing such as image compression processing. Then, the image data after the image processing is performed by the recording processing unit 52 is transferred to the memory card 22 as a mounted recording medium.
(Step S20).

Here, in the case of the normal single-frame display mode instead of the multi-display mode, the system controller 50 reads out the image data of each frame from the buffer memory 25 and records it on the memory card 22 to store all the image data. The medium recording operation is continued until all (14 frames) image data is recorded (steps S25 and S24).

On the other hand, when the multi-display mode is set, the system controller 50 displays the frame for which the recording processing has been completed among the multi-images displayed on the multi-screen of the image LCD 30 by the display processing described later. A display color conversion process is performed for discrimination (Y in step S21).
ES, S23).

As shown in FIG. 6A, in addition to the display color conversion mode on the multi-screen, a display mode for discriminating between a frame where recording has been completed and a frame where recording has not yet been completed is shown in FIG. (60) may be inserted. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, a display mode in which a hatched display (61) may be applied to an image of a frame for which recording has been completed. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, a display mode may be adopted in which a frame image for which recording has not been completed is displayed in color (63), and an image of a frame for which recording has been completed is displayed in monochrome (62).

(Multi image creation processing and multi display processing)
Hereinafter, the continuous shooting multi-display mode of the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 and FIG.

In the embodiment, the system controller 5
0 indicates that the multi-display processing is executed from the continuous shot image data stored in the buffer memory 25 during continuous shooting (that is, before execution of the medium recording processing) (step S11 in FIG. 2).
See). Here, in the case of the normal single-frame display mode, the system controller 50
, The image data for each frame is read out, the image data for display is executed, and then output to the LCD control circuit 31 (steps S30, S41, S42). The LCD control circuit 31
The display data subjected to the display image processing is stored in the VRAM,
It is displayed on the screen of the image LCD 30 (step S39,
S40). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5 (F), the image LCD 30 displays, for example, the screen of the first frame image (1) and the screen of the second frame image (2) stored in the buffer memory 25. You.

On the other hand, in the multi-display mode, the system controller 50 reads out all the image data for each frame from the buffer memory 25 and
To create multi-display image data (continuous shooting multi-screen) (YES in step S30, S31, S32). After executing the multi-image processing in which the reduction ratio is changed according to the number of frames (N) stored in the buffer memory 25, the system controller 50, as shown in FIG. Image processing for display is executed so as to create E2 to E4) (steps S33 to S38).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5E, when the first frame image (1) and the second frame image (2) are stored in the buffer memory 25, 2 × Display data for displaying the continuous shooting multi-screen (E2) having two configurations is created. Similarly, when up to the fifth frame of images (1 to 5) are stored in the buffer memory 25, display data for displaying a 3 × 3 continuous shooting multi-screen (E3) is created. . Further, when all the continuous shot images (1 to 14) up to the 14th frame are stored in the buffer memory 25, display data for displaying a continuous shooting multi-screen (E4) having a 4 × 4 configuration is created. Is done.

The LCD control circuit 31 stores the display data corresponding to the continuous shooting multi-screen created by the system controller 50 in the VRAM and displays it on the screen of the image LCD 30 (steps S39 and S40). Further, the system controller 50 executes the process (see FIG. 6) of distinguishing and displaying the images recorded on the memory card 22 from the buffer memory 25 (see FIG. 6).
E7) is created. Thereby, the LCD control circuit 31
Indicates a continuous multi-screen (E5 to E5) on the screen of the image LCD 30.
E7) is displayed. That is, in the continuous shooting multi-screen of the 4 × 4 configuration, the continuous shooting multi-screen (E5) in which the image of the first frame for which recording has been completed is displayed in a distinguished manner is displayed. Similarly, a continuous shooting multi-screen (E6) is displayed in which the images of the first and second frames for which recording has been completed are displayed in a distinguished manner. Further, the buffer memory 2
When the recording of all the continuous shot images stored in the memory card 5 is completed on the memory card, a continuous shooting multi-screen (E7) indicating the completion is displayed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, during continuous shooting, the image LCD 30 displays a continuous shooting multi-screen that reduces and displays the shot continuous shot image (step S11 in FIG. 2). reference). Therefore, during continuous shooting, the user uses the continuous shooting multi-screen to set the continuous shooting result (buffer memory 2).
5 can be confirmed. Therefore, the user can easily check the number of images (the number of frames) taken at the present time, the image taken immediately before, and the like. Accordingly, the user can confirm the continuous shooting state at the time of shooting, and thus can easily perform an operation such as redoing the continuous shooting.

[0037]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, particularly during continuous photographing, a photographed continuous image can be confirmed on the screen immediately after photographing. Therefore, the user can immediately confirm the number of captured images and the image captured immediately before. Thus, the user can check the continuous shooting state during shooting, and can immediately repeat the continuous shooting, thereby improving operability in the continuous shooting mode.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of an electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart showing a procedure of a continuous shooting process related to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a procedure of a recording process related to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary flowchart showing the procedure of a multi-image display process related to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing the timing of processing related to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary view showing an example of a display mode indicating the end of recording related to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Photographing system 11 ... Optical lens unit 13 ... Imaging circuit 14 ... A / D converter 20 ... Recording medium unit 21 ... Memory interface 22 ... Memory card (recording medium) 25 ... Built-in memory (buffer memory) 30 ... Image LCD 31 ... LCD control circuit 40 ... External interface 41 ... External output terminal 50 ... System controller 51 ... Image processing unit 52 ... Record processing unit 53 ... Multi image processing unit 55 ... Operation unit 54 ... LCD 60 ... Power supply system 61 ... Battery 62 ... Power supply Circuit 63: Battery remaining capacity detection circuit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme coat ゛ (reference) H04N 7/13 Z F term (reference) 5C022 AA13 AC01 AC69 5C052 GA02 GA03 GA07 GA09 GB06 GC03 GC04 GD01 GE04 GE08 5C053 FA09 FA14 FA27 GA11 GB05 GB36 HA21 HA33 KA04 KA24 KA25 KA26 LA02 5C059 KK37 KK38 LA01 MA00 PP01 SS15 UA37 UA38

Claims (2)

[Claims] An electronic imaging unit having a continuous shooting function; a storage unit for temporarily storing continuous shot image data including a plurality of image data obtained by the continuous shooting; Recording means for recording continuous shot image data on a storage medium for storage; and generating, during continuous shooting, reduced images of each shot image obtained by continuous shooting from the continuous shot image data stored in the storage means. An electronic camera apparatus comprising: a creation unit that creates multi-display image data obtained by combining reduced images; and a display unit that displays a continuous shooting multi-screen using the multi-display image data. 2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the creating unit creates multi-display image data including a number of display images corresponding to the number of continuous shot image data stored in the storage unit. Camera device.