JP2002010188A - Automatic image transmitting digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic image transmitting digital camera which takes the suitable timing for data transmission into account in addition to the available capacity of a memory when the camera automatically transmits images. SOLUTION: This digital camera which can transmit a photographic image to a prescribed location by means of a radio communication means automatically transmits the image to the location when prescribed transmitting timing which is set to the timing at which the camera becomes a suitable state for image transmission comes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a digital camera. In particular, the present invention relates to digital cameras capable of transmitting photographic images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, in order to print a photograph taken by a digital camera with a personal computer or edit an album, a user has first connected the digital camera to the personal computer through a predetermined interface. Thereafter, the user transfers each photograph to the personal computer. Instead of such complicated data transfer, data transfer to a predetermined place using a mobile phone or the like has recently been devised. JP-A-10-336574
The gazette discloses an invention in which image data is transmitted to a large-capacity DB server by using a data modem or a mobile phone when the free memory capacity of the digital camera becomes smaller than a set amount.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned invention, timing suitable for data transfer is not taken into consideration other than the free memory space. Therefore, even when the digital camera is at an unfavorable timing for image data transfer, image data transfer processing is performed. For example, in a case where continuous shooting is to be performed, if the free space in the memory reaches a set amount due to continuous shooting, the image transfer process starts even during shooting. Normally, photographing and data transfer cannot be performed at the same time, so photographing is interrupted by data transfer.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic image transmission digital camera that can solve the above-mentioned problems. This object is achieved by a combination of features described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous embodiments of the present invention.

[0005]

That is, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital camera capable of transmitting a photographic image to a predetermined place by wireless communication means, wherein the digital camera is suitable for image transmission. The photographic image is automatically transmitted when a predetermined transmission timing set to the timing in the state comes.

The transmission timing is when the number of untransmitted photographic images reaches a predetermined number, and the untransmitted photographic images may be automatically transmitted together.

[0007] The transmission timing may be a point in time when a predetermined time has elapsed after the photographing is completed. The transmission timing is
When there is an operation to turn off the power of the digital camera, and there are still untransmitted photographic images, the untransmitted photographic images may be collectively and automatically transmitted and then turned off.

The transmission timing is when the power of the digital camera is turned on. If there are still untransmitted photographic images, the untransmitted photographic images may be automatically transmitted together.

The digital camera of the present invention has a memory for temporarily storing photographic images in sequence, and the timing is when the capacity or the number of photographic images stored in the memory has reached a certain amount or more. The previously stored photographic image may be automatically transmitted.

The digital camera of the present invention may automatically transmit a photographic image when wireless communication means can communicate.

In the digital camera according to the present invention, when the photographing operation is started during the transmission of the photographic image, the transmission may be interrupted, and the interrupted transmission may be resumed after the photographing operation is stopped.

The digital camera of the present invention may have a plurality of transmission timings, and the transmission timings may be selectable.

The above summary of the present invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention, and sub-combinations of these features may also constitute the present invention.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the present invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the claimed invention and have the features described in the embodiments. Not all combinations are essential to the solution of the invention.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a system configuration in which an embodiment of an automatic image transmission digital camera 10 according to the present invention is used. Automatic image transmission digital camera 10
Can perform data communication with the image receiving terminal 14 by wireless communication means. The image receiving terminal 14 is, for example, a personal computer owned by a user or a server that can receive data from a plurality of users. This allows
A photographic image taken by the automatic image transmission digital camera 10 can be transmitted to the image receiving terminal 14. The photographic image received by the image receiving terminal 14 can be used for editing a photo album and the like.

The wireless communication means may include a short-range wireless communication technology such as Bluetooth. In FIG. 1, communication between the digital camera 10 for automatically transmitting images and the image receiving terminal 14 is performed via the mobile phone 12. In this case, the communication between the automatic image transmission digital camera 10 and the mobile phone 12 uses Bluetooth. However, the image automatic transmission digital camera 10 and the image receiving terminal 14 may communicate without using the mobile phone 12.

First, the basic configuration of the automatic image transmission digital camera 10 will be described, and then the details of the automatic image transmission which is a feature of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 2 shows a digital camera 10 for automatically transmitting images.
The outline of the configuration of FIG. The automatic image transmission digital camera 10 of the present embodiment can record and reproduce moving images and sounds in addition to capturing still images. The automatic image transmission digital camera 10 mainly includes an imaging unit 20, an audio acquisition unit 130, a control unit 40, a processing unit 60, a display unit 100, and an operation unit 110.

The image pickup unit 20 includes a mechanism member and an electric member related to photographing and image formation. Imaging unit 20
First, a photographing lens 22 for capturing and processing images,
Aperture 24, shutter 26, optical LPF (low-pass filter) 28, CCD 30, and

An image pickup signal processing section 32 is included. Shooting lens 2
Reference numeral 2 includes a focus lens, a zoom lens, and the like. With this configuration, a subject image is formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD 30. Charges are accumulated in each sensor element (not shown) of the CCD 30 according to the amount of light of the formed subject image (hereinafter, the charges are referred to as “accumulated charges”). The accumulated charge is read out to a shift register (not shown) by a read gate pulse, and is sequentially read out as a voltage signal by a register transfer pulse.

Since the automatic image transmission digital camera 10 generally has an electronic shutter function, a mechanical shutter such as the shutter 26 is not essential. In order to realize the electronic shutter function, the CCD 30 is provided with a shutter drain via a shutter gate. When the shutter gate is driven, accumulated charges are swept out to the shutter drain. By controlling the shutter gate, the time for accumulating the electric charges in each sensor element, that is, the shutter speed can be controlled.

A voltage signal output from the CCD 30, that is, an analog signal is color-separated into R, G, and B components by an image signal processing unit 32, and a white balance is adjusted first.
Subsequently, the imaging signal processing unit 32 performs gamma correction, sequentially A / D converts the R, G, and B signals at necessary timing, and obtains digital image data (hereinafter, simply referred to as “digital image data”) obtained as a result. ) Is output to the processing unit 60.

The imaging unit 20 further includes a finder 3
4 and a strobe 36. The finder 34 may be equipped with an LCD (not shown). In this case, various information from the main CPU 62 and the like described later can be displayed in the finder 34. The strobe 36 functions by emitting light when energy stored in a capacitor (not shown) is supplied to the discharge tube 36a.

The sound acquisition unit 130 includes a mechanical member and an electric member for acquiring external sound. The voice acquisition unit 130 includes a microphone 132 for capturing and processing voice and a voice signal processing unit 134. The audio signal processing unit 134 sequentially A / D converts the audio signal captured by the microphone 132 at a necessary timing, and outputs the resulting audio data (hereinafter, simply referred to as “digital audio data”) to the processing unit 60. I do. The audio signal processing unit 134 may perform a process for reducing noise and a process for adjusting the audio level.

The control unit 40 includes a zoom drive unit 42,
It has a focus drive unit 44, an aperture drive unit 46, a shutter drive unit 48, a control system CPU 50 that controls them, a distance measurement sensor 52, and a photometry sensor 54. Zoom drive unit 4
The drive units such as 2 each have a drive unit such as a stepping motor. When a release switch 114 described later is pressed, the distance measurement sensor 52 measures the distance to the subject,
The photometric sensor 54 measures the brightness of the subject. The measured distance data (hereinafter simply referred to as “distance measurement data”) and the subject luminance data (hereinafter simply referred to as “photometry data”) are sent to the control system CPU 50. The control system CPU 50 is configured to perform the following operations based on shooting information such as a zoom magnification designated by the user.
The zoom drive unit 42 and the focus drive unit 44 are controlled to adjust the zoom magnification and focus of the taking lens 22.

The control system CPU 50 controls the R of one image frame.
The aperture value and the shutter speed are determined based on the integrated value of the digital signal of GB, that is, the AE information. According to the determined values, the aperture driving unit 46 and the shutter driving unit 48 adjust the aperture amount and open and close the shutter 26, respectively.

The control system CPU 50 also controls the emission of the strobe light 36 based on the photometric data, and at the same time adjusts the aperture of the aperture 24. When the user instructs the capture of an image, the CCD 30 starts to accumulate electric charges, and the accumulated electric charges are output to the imaging signal processing unit 32 after a lapse of a shutter time calculated from the photometric data.

The processing unit 60 includes a main CPU 62 for controlling the entire automatic image transmission digital camera 10, in particular, the processing unit 60 itself, a memory control unit 64, a YC processing unit 70, an optional device control unit 74, It has a decompression processing unit 78, a communication I / F unit 80, and an audio output unit 94. The main CPU 62 exchanges necessary information with the control CPU 50 by serial communication or the like. The operation clock of the main CPU 62 is provided from a clock generator 88. Clock generator 88
Provides clocks of different frequencies to the control CPU 50 and the display unit 100, respectively.

The main CPU 62 is provided with a character generator 84 and a timer 86. The timer 86 is backed up by a battery and always counts the date and time.
From this count value, information about the shooting date and time and other time information are given to the main CPU 62. The character generation unit 84 generates character information such as a shooting date and time and a title, and the character information is appropriately combined with the captured image.

The memory control unit 64 includes a nonvolatile memory 66
And the main memory 68. Non-volatile memory 66
Is composed of an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) and a FLASH memory. Data to be retained even when the power of the digital camera 10 for automatic image transmission is off, such as setting information by a user and adjustment values at the time of shipment. Is stored. In some cases, the nonvolatile memory 66 may store a boot program, a system program, and the like for the main CPU 62. On the other hand, the main memory 6
Reference numeral 8 generally comprises a relatively inexpensive and large-capacity volatile memory such as a DRAM. The main memory 68 has a function as a frame memory for storing data output from the imaging unit 20 and the sound acquisition unit 130, a function as a system memory for loading various programs, and a function as a work area. The nonvolatile memory 66 and the main memory 68 exchange data with each unit inside and outside the processing unit 60 via the main bus 82.

The YC processing unit 70 performs YC conversion on the digital image data, and outputs a luminance signal Y and a color difference (chroma) signal B-
Generate Y, RY. The luminance signal and the color difference signal are temporarily stored in the main memory 68 by the memory control unit 64.
The compression / decompression processing unit 78 sequentially reads out the luminance signal and the color difference signal from the main memory 68 and compresses them. The data thus compressed (hereinafter simply referred to as “compressed data”) is written to a memory card, which is a type of the optional device 76, via the optional device control section 74.

The processing unit 60 further includes an encoder 72
With. The encoder 72 receives a luminance signal and a color difference signal, converts them into a video signal (NTSC or PAL signal), and outputs the video signal from a video output terminal 90. When a video signal is generated from data recorded in the optional device 76, the data is first supplied to the compression / decompression processing unit 78 via the optional device control unit 74. Subsequently, the data subjected to the necessary expansion processing by the compression / expansion processing unit 78 is converted into a video signal by the encoder 72.

The optional device control unit 74 generates a necessary signal between the main bus 82 and the optional device 76, performs logical conversion, or converts voltage according to the signal specifications recognized by the optional device 76 and the bus specifications of the main bus 82. And so on. When an external storage device such as a memory card is connected as the optional device 76, writing and reading of data may be performed via the same data bus. At this time, the optional device control unit 74
An external storage device control unit as an example performs control for writing and reading data via the same data bus. The automatic image transmission digital camera 10 has an optional device 76 in addition to the memory card described above.
For example, a standard I / O card compliant with PCMCIA may be supported. In that case, the optional device control unit 74
May be configured by a bus control LSI for PCMCIA or the like.

The communication I / F section 80 has a communication specification supported by the automatic image transmission digital camera 10, for example, US
B, RS-232C, Ethernet (registered trademark), and the like, and control such as protocol conversion according to specifications. Communication I /
The F unit 80 includes a driver IC as necessary, and communicates with an external device including a network via a connector 92. In addition to these standard specifications, for example, printers,
Original I / O with external devices such as karaoke machines and game machines
A configuration for transmitting and receiving data by F may be adopted. further,
The communication I / F unit 80 can exchange data with a model corresponding to Bluetooth, such as a mobile phone, by using a short-range wireless communication technology such as Bluetooth.

The audio output unit 94 outputs the audio data read from the main memory 68 or the optional device 76,
A process for outputting to an external device such as a headphone via the speaker 98 or the headphone connection terminal 96 is performed. Specifically, D / A conversion processing, expansion processing, amplification processing, and the like are performed. Some or all of these processes may be performed by the main CPU 62.

The display unit 100 includes an LCD monitor 10
2 and an LCD panel 104. These are the LCD driver monitor driver 106, panel driver 10
8 respectively. LCD monitor 102
Is provided on the back of the camera with a size of, for example, about 2 inches, and displays a current shooting and playback mode, a zoom ratio for shooting and playback, a remaining battery level, a date and time, a screen for mode setting, a subject image, and the like. . The LCD panel 104 is, for example, a small black-and-white LCD provided on the upper surface of the camera and has an image quality (FINE).
/ NORMAL / BASIC etc.), information such as strobe light emission / non-light emission, standard number of recordable images, number of pixels, battery capacity, etc. are simply displayed.

The operation unit 110 includes mechanisms and electrical members necessary for the user to set or instruct the operation and the mode of the digital camera 10 for automatically transmitting images. The power switch 112 determines whether the power of the digital camera 10 is automatically turned on or off. The release switch 114 has a two-stage push-in structure, and includes two switches that operate in two states, a halfway pressed state and a final pressed state, respectively. As an example, in the halfway depressed state, recording quality adjustment processing such as automatic focus and automatic exposure is performed. Subsequently, information such as an image and a sound is captured in the last pressed state. After necessary signal processing, data compression, etc., the main memory 68 and the optional device 7
6 mag. The operation unit 110 may receive a setting using a rotary mode dial, a cross key, or the like in addition to these switches, and these are collectively referred to as a function setting unit 116 in FIG. Zoom switch 118
Determines the zoom magnification. Examples of operations or functions that can be specified by the operation unit 110 include “file format”, “special effects”, “printing”, “determine / save”, and “display switching”. The audio operation unit 120
Includes operation keys for reproducing audio information. The moving image reproduction operation unit 122 includes operation keys for reproducing moving image information. The audio operation unit 120 and the video playback operation unit 122 include, for example, keys such as “play”, “stop”, “fast forward”, “rewind”, “reverse”, and “pause”.

The main operation of the above configuration is as follows.

First, the power switch 112 of the automatic image transmission digital camera 10 is turned on, and power is supplied to each part of the camera. The main CPU 62 reads the state of the function setting unit 116, and thereby, the automatic image transmission digital camera 10
Is in any one of the still image shooting mode, still image playback mode, moving image shooting mode, moving image playback mode, music playback mode, function setting mode, and data transfer mode.

When the automatic image transmission digital camera 10 is in the still image shooting mode, the main CPU 62 monitors the half-pressed state of the release switch 114. When the half-pressed state is detected, the main CPU 62 obtains photometry data and distance measurement data from the photometry sensor 54 and the distance measurement sensor 52, respectively. The control unit 40 operates based on the obtained data, and the focus, the aperture, and the like of the photographing lens 22 are adjusted. When the adjustment is completed, characters such as “Standby” are displayed on the LCD monitor 102 to inform the user of the completion, and then the release switch 114 is monitored for a fully pressed state. When the release switch 114 is fully pressed, the shutter 26 is closed after a predetermined shutter time, and
The charge stored on the CD 30 is swept out to the imaging signal processing unit 32. The digital image data generated as a result of the processing by the imaging signal processing unit 32 is output to the main bus 82. The digital image data is temporarily stored in the main memory 68, thereafter processed by the YC processing unit 70 and the compression / decompression processing unit 78, and recorded in the optional device 76 via the optional device control unit 74. The recorded image is displayed on the LCD monitor 102 for a while in a frozen state, so that the user can know the captured image. Thus, a series of photographing operations is completed.

When the automatic image transmission digital camera 10 is in the still image reproduction mode, the main CPU 62 reads the last photographed image from the main memory 68 via the memory control unit 64 and sends it to the LCD monitor 102 of the display unit 100. indicate. In this state, the user sets the function setting unit 1
When "forward" or "reverse" is instructed at 16, images taken before and after the currently displayed image are read out,
Displayed on LCD monitor 102.

When the automatic image transmission digital camera 10 is in the moving image shooting mode, the main CPU 62 monitors whether the release switch 114 is pressed halfway. When the halfway depressed state is detected, the main CPU 62 performs the recording quality adjustment processing as in the above-described still image shooting mode. At this time, the audio level adjustment processing is performed at the same time. Subsequently, the main CPU 62 monitors the final depression state of the release switch 114. When the release switch 114 is fully pressed, the charge stored in the CCD 30 is swept out to the imaging signal processing unit 32 based on a predetermined synchronization signal. Thereafter, digital image data is sequentially recorded in the optional device 76 through the same processing as in the still image shooting mode. At this time, the audio data acquired by the audio acquisition unit 130 is sequentially recorded in the option device 76 at the same time. While recording a moving image, the main CPU 62 monitors the halfway pressed state of the release switch 114. When the halfway pressed state is detected, the main CPU 62 stops recording the moving image and the sound.

When the automatic image transmission digital camera 10 is in the moving image reproduction mode or the audio reproduction mode, the main CPU 6
2 reads out moving image data or audio data from the optional device 76 via the optional device control unit 74 based on a user's instruction transmitted from the operation unit 110. In the case of moving image data, after the compression / decompression processing unit 78, the YC processing unit 70, and the audio output unit 94 perform necessary processing according to the data format, the image is displayed on the LCD monitor 102 of the display unit 100, The sound is output to the headphone connection terminal 96 or the speaker 98. In the case of audio data, after processing necessary for audio output is performed by the audio output unit 94, audio is output to the headphones via the headphone connection terminal 96. Sound may be output to the speaker 98. The user sets the function setting unit 11
6. Instructions such as “play”, “stop”, “fast forward”, “rewind”, “reverse”, “pause”, etc. are transmitted via the audio operation unit 120 or the video playback operation unit 122, and Information can be reproduced.

The above is a description of the digital camera 10 for automatically transmitting images.
Is a basic configuration. The following is a description of automatic image transmission, which is a feature of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the transmission control unit 150.
The configuration of the transmission control unit 150 mainly includes the processing unit 60.
It is realized by. The main CPU 62 and the programs stored or loaded in the main memory 68 or the non-volatile memory 60 suitably function. The transmission control unit 150 controls a process of automatically transmitting an image held in the nonvolatile memory 66 or the main memory 68 to the outside of the image automatic transmission digital camera 10 via the communication I / F unit 80.

The transmission control unit 150 can automatically start image transmission when a suitable timing for image transmission comes. The transmission timing determining unit 170 determines the timing, and determines the transmission processing unit 1 at a predetermined timing.
A transmission process is instructed to 80. Transmission timing determination unit 17
0 is the number-of-images acquisition unit 152 and the non-operation time acquisition unit 16
0, power supply status acquisition unit 162, and memory status acquisition unit 1
64, and obtains information necessary for timing determination. The timing suitable for image transmission is described below.

The image number acquisition section 152 acquires the number of untransmitted photographic images stored in the memory. When this number reaches a predetermined number, the transmission timing determination unit 170 instructs the transmission processing unit 180 to transmit an image. The setting of the predetermined number can be changed by the user as desired. As a result, since images to be transmitted can be sent together, transmission processing can be performed efficiently.

The non-operation time acquiring section 160 acquires the time during which no other operation has been performed since the photographing operation such as the shutter operation was performed. When the non-operation time reaches a predetermined time, the transmission timing determining unit 170 instructs the transmission processing unit 180 to transmit an image. For example, if the image transmission is commanded when the non-operation time reaches 10 seconds, the image transmission is not commanded while the shutter operation or the like is continuously performed within 10 seconds. Can be performed without interruption by image transmission.

The power supply status acquisition unit 162 acquires the power supply status of the automatic image transmission digital camera 10. At the time when the power is turned off, if the untransmitted photographic image is still stored in the memory, the transmission timing determination unit 1
70 instructs the transmission processing unit 180 to transmit an image. The transmission processing unit 180 collectively transmits untransmitted photographic images. The transmission control unit 150 performs a process of turning off the power after the transmission is completed. As a result, when the power is turned off, all untransmitted photographic images become transmitted, so that the user does not forget to transmit the images.

Further, another transmission timing related to power on / off will be described.

At the time when the power is turned on, if the untransmitted photographic image is held in the non-volatile memory 66, the transmission timing determining unit 170 may instruct the transmission processing unit 180 to transmit the image. . As a result, the untransmitted photographic image is reliably transmitted when the next camera is started.

The memory state acquisition unit 164 acquires the data amount and the number of images of the photographic images held in the main memory 68. When the data amount and the number of images reach the predetermined amounts, the transmission timing determination unit 170 instructs the transmission processing unit 180 to transmit an image. Here, when the transmission processing is performed, the image held first in the main memory 68 has priority. As a result, a fixed amount of free space in the main memory 68 can always be ensured, and images captured later are stored in the main memory 68 so that they can be referred to.

The following conditions can be added to the above transmission timing.

Communication state obtaining section 250 obtains information on whether or not communication is possible with portable telephone 12. When the mobile phone 12 can communicate, the transmission processing unit 18
0 performs transmission automatically. For example, when communication is not possible in a tunnel or the like, the transmission process is not performed, so that the photographing operation or the like is not interrupted due to the transmission process being in a waiting state.

The operation state acquisition unit 260 monitors a photographing operation and the like in the digital camera 10 for automatically transmitting images. When the operation state acquisition unit 260 detects a shooting operation during image transmission, image transmission is temporarily interrupted. The operation state acquisition unit 260 continuously monitors the photographing operation, and when it is confirmed that there is no operation for a predetermined time, restarts the interrupted image transmission. Thus, the necessary photographing operation can be executed without waiting for the completion of the image transmission.

Note that the user can arbitrarily select the transmission timing described above according to usability. For example, if no image transmission processing needs to be considered when operating the camera, the image may be transmitted when the power is turned off.

As described above, by automatically transmitting an image photographed by the digital camera 10 based on predetermined transmission conditions or transmission timing, the image can be automatically transmitted at a suitable timing that does not disturb the user's camera operation. Images can be transmitted quickly.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiment. Various changes or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. It should be noted that such modified or improved embodiments may be included in the technical scope of the present invention.
It is clear from the description of the claims.

[0059]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a photographic image taken by a digital camera can be automatically transmitted under suitable transmission conditions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a digital camera 1 for automatic image transmission according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a system configuration in which an embodiment of the present invention is used.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the digital camera 10 for automatically transmitting images.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a transmission control unit 150.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image transmission digital camera 12 Mobile telephone 14 Image reception terminal 150 Transmission control part 170 Transmission timing judgment part

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Jun Nakamura 2-26-30 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo Fujisha Shin Film Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H054 AA01 5C022 AA13 AB40 AC31 AC69 5C052 AA17 AB02 DD02 DD10 EE03 EE08 GA02 GB01 GB07 GE08 5C054 CC02 DA07 EA01 FF03 GD09

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A digital camera capable of transmitting a photographic image to a predetermined place by a wireless communication means, wherein a predetermined transmission timing is set at a timing at which the digital camera is in a state suitable for image transmission. An automatic image transmission digital camera, wherein the photograph image is automatically transmitted. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission timing is a time when the number of untransmitted photographic images reaches a predetermined number, and the untransmitted photographic images are automatically transmitted collectively. Automatic image transmission digital camera as described. 3. The transmission timing is set after the end of shooting.
The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time has elapsed. 4. The transmission timing is a point in time when an operation of turning off the power of the digital camera is performed. If there is an untransmitted photographic image, the untransmitted photographic image is automatically transmitted together. 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the power is turned off after the power is turned off. 5. The transmission timing is when the power of the digital camera is turned on, and when there is an untransmitted photographic image, the untransmitted photographic image is automatically transmitted collectively. The digital camera for automatic image transmission according to claim 1. 6. A memory for temporarily storing the photographic images sequentially, wherein the transmission timing is a time when the capacity or the number of the photographic images stored in the memory becomes a certain amount or more, 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the previously stored photographic image is automatically transmitted. 7. The automatic image transmission digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said photographic image is automatically transmitted when said wireless communication means can communicate. 8. The transmission according to claim 1, wherein when a photographing operation is started during transmission of the photographic image, the transmission is interrupted, and the suspended transmission is resumed after the photographing operation is stopped. Image automatic transmission digital camera. 9. The automatic image transmission digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the digital camera has a plurality of the transmission timings, and the transmission timing can be selected.