JP2002077686A - Electronic camera device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera device which can handle photographing collectively by only simple operation without a photographer specially being consciously about distinguishing different photographing modes. SOLUTION: A system controller 30 refers to a table for an image quality mode setting stored in a control memory 33 based upon the set image quality mode for a single shot mode and a consecutive shot mode when a photographing operation in the consecutive shot mode is instructed by an operation unit 34. The system controller 30 automatically set the image quality mode from the table corresponding to the photographing conditions under the consecutive shot mode and execute the photographing operation under the consecutive mode.

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 for performing continuous shooting or moving image shooting and a function for automatically setting image quality during continuous shooting.

[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 is also called a digital camera, and usually has a still image photographing function as a main function. Recently, an electronic camera having a still image shooting function in a continuous shooting mode and a moving image shooting function in addition to a still image shooting function in a single shooting (single shooting) mode has been developed. Here, the shooting functions in the continuous shooting mode and the moving image mode may be collectively referred to as a continuous shooting function.

In an electronic camera having a plurality of photographing functions as described above, the photographer selects and sets any one of single photographing, continuous photographing, and moving image photographing modes from an operation section of the camera body. . Since the operation of switching the shooting mode is cumbersome, an electronic camera has been proposed in which the shooting start operation for moving image shooting and still image shooting is shared to improve operability (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-177915).
Reference).

[0004]

As described above, in a normal electronic camera, a single shooting mode and a continuous shooting mode (including a moving image mode) are different shooting modes. It is necessary to set shooting conditions such as image quality corresponding to. As described above, a method in which the operation at the start of photographing is shared has been proposed, but since the setting operation of the image quality condition needs to be performed for each photographing mode, the photographer is required to perform a troublesome operation.

Further, since it is easy for an electronic camera to erase photographed image data and to repeatedly use the same, image data photographed in a single shooting mode and a continuous shooting mode can be used interchangeably. desirable.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera device which can collectively handle photographing in different photographing modes with a simple operation without special consideration of the photographer. It is in.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A first aspect of the present invention is as follows.
A function that automatically sets the image quality based on the image quality in single shooting mode and the shooting speed in continuous shooting (equivalent to the number of frames per unit time) during continuous shooting (continuous shooting or movie shooting) And an electronic camera device having the same.

That is, the present electronic camera apparatus has a single image quality setting means for setting the image quality in a single shooting operation in response to an instruction input, and a shooting speed in a continuous imaging operation in response to the instruction input. There are provided a speed setting means for setting, and an image quality setting means for continuous shooting, which automatically sets the shooting image quality in the continuous shooting operation based on the set shooting image quality and shooting speed.

With this configuration, when switching from the single shooting mode to the continuous shooting mode, the image quality condition, which is the shooting condition corresponding to the mode, can be automatically set. Operability can be improved. In this case, since the image quality condition set at the time of photographing in the single shooting mode, which is the main function, is used, there is an effect that setting operation can be omitted and a setting error can be prevented.

A second aspect of the present invention is that a photographer can distinguish between a single shooting mode and a continuous shooting mode in accordance with the operation time of an operation means (release button) for instructing a shooting operation. The present invention relates to an electronic camera device capable of executing continuous shooting mode photographing without performing the above operation.

More specifically, this electronic camera apparatus performs a single photographing operation together with the above-described image quality setting means for continuous photographing when the instruction operation (depressing the release button) by the operation means is within a predetermined time. There is a photographing control means for executing the instruction operation and controlling to shift from the single photographing operation to the continuous photographing operation when the instruction operation continues for a predetermined time or more.

With this configuration, the shooting operation in the single shooting mode and the continuous shooting mode are shared, and the shooting mode is switched only by the operation time. It is possible to do.

[0013]

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

(Structure of Electronic Camera) FIG.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of an electronic camera related to the second embodiment. The electronic camera is assumed to be a digital camera having a continuous shooting function in a continuous shooting mode and a moving image mode in addition to a still image shooting function in a normal single shooting (single shooting) mode.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic camera is roughly composed of a photographing system 1, a recording system 2, a control / operation system 3, and a display / output system 4.

The photographing system 1 includes an optical lens unit (including a zoom lens, a diaphragm, an autofocus lens, and the like).
10, an imaging element 11, an imaging circuit 12, and an A / D converter 13. 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 34 described later to control the exposure time.

The image sensor 11 has, for example, a 3 million pixel C
It has a CD (charge coupled device) and photoelectrically converts a subject image incident through the optical lens unit 10.
The image pickup circuit 12 receives an image pickup signal from the image pickup device 11 and performs various kinds of signal processing such as AGC (automatic gain adjustment) processing and CDS (correlated double sampling) processing. A / D
The converter 13 converts the imaging signal processed by the imaging circuit 12 into a digital signal and outputs image data.

The recording system 2 has a recording medium 20 for storing image data, and a memory interface 21 including a slot for mounting the recording medium 20. The recording medium 20 is, for example, a memory card including a flash EEPROM. The recording medium 20 may be a removable magneto-optical disk (MO) or an ultra-compact card-type hard disk drive other than the memory card.

The control / operation system 3 includes a system controller 30, a buffer memory 31, an imaging adjustment circuit 32,
It has a control memory 33 and an operation unit 34. The system controller 30 includes a control CPU (microprocessor) and a memory that stores a control program for the CPU. The control CPU usually comprises a main CPU and a sub CPU. The main CPU is an image processing unit 3
00, recording processing unit 301, and continuous shooting / moving image shooting control unit 3
02 and the like, and controls the entire camera including the photographing system 1. The sub CPU receives an operation instruction input from an operation unit 34 described later and transmits it to the main CPU, and transmits mode information and the like necessary for operating the camera to a control L.
The control for displaying on the CD (control panel) 40 is executed. In addition, the sub CPU operates a lens drive system (not shown) and a strobe 5 in response to an operation instruction from the operation unit 34.
0 operation is controlled.

The image processing unit 300 includes a buffer memory 31
Image compression processing of image data stored in
Various image processes such as a G-system still image compression process and a motion JPEG-type moving image compression process), an image decompression process, and a display data generation process are executed. Recording processing unit 301
Controls the recording operation of the recording system 2. The continuous shooting / moving image shooting control unit 302 shoots in a normal single shooting mode (single shooting)
In addition, it controls the shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode or the moving image mode.

The image pickup adjustment circuit 32 roughly includes an AE (automatic exposure) function, an AF (automatic focus) function, and an AWB (automatic white balance) function. The control memory 33 is
This is a flash EEPROM that stores various control information necessary for the control operation of the system controller 30, and stores an image quality mode setting table (see FIGS. 3 and 4) related to the embodiment.

An operation unit 34 is a release button (shutter button for instructing start of a photographing operation) required for a photographing operation.
4A, selection cross button 34B, menu button 34C
And an OK switch 34D for inputting commands and information necessary for a shooting operation.

The display / output system 4 includes a control LCD (liquid crystal).
In addition to a crystal display 40, the image display device includes an image LCD 41 for displaying a captured image, an LCD control circuit 42, an external output terminal 43, and an external interface 44. The image LCD 41 is usually a display monitor arranged on the back of the camera body, and includes a shot image (including a through image) in a single shooting mode, a multi-image in a continuous shooting mode, and a moving image ( (Through image). L
The CD control circuit 42 has a VR for storing the display data.
AM (video RAM). The external output terminal 43 and the external interface 44 output image data to an external device such as a television or a personal computer.

(First Embodiment) The photographing operation according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 and the flowcharts of FIGS. 2, 3 and 7.

First, it is assumed that an image quality mode setting process is performed as a photographing condition at the time of photographing in the single photographing mode (step S1). The system controller 30 displays a menu screen for setting an image quality mode on the image LCD 41 by operating the menu button 34C of the operation unit 34.
The system controller 30 stores, in the control memory 33, the image quality mode selected from the menu screen in response to the operation of the selection cross button 34B of the operation unit 34.

As shown in FIG. 2, there are five image quality modes (six inclusive of uncompressed TIFF) corresponding to a combination of the number of pixels (the number of recording pixels) and the compression ratio (determined by the system). )) Image quality. Here, “QVGA”, which is the lowest image quality mode, is an image quality applied to the moving image mode, and has about 150,000 pixels (or 320 × 24 pixels).
0 pixel) and the standard compression rate of Motion JPEG as the compression rate. Here, the image quality mode “SHQ” in the still image shooting mode (single shooting mode and continuous shooting mode) is the highest image quality excluding “uncompressed TIFF”. In addition, the image quality becomes higher in the order of the image quality modes “SQ2”, “SQ1”, and “HQ”.

When neither the continuous shooting mode nor the moving image mode is set, the system controller 30 executes the shooting operation in the single shooting mode (normal single shooting) in response to the operation of the release button 34A of the operation unit 34. Then, the captured image data is recorded on the recording medium 20 in the selected image quality mode (NO in step S2, NO in S3, S4).

On the other hand, when performing continuous shooting in the continuous shooting mode or the moving image mode after the image quality mode setting process,
As described above, the menu button 3 on the operation unit 34
4C and the selection cross button 34B are set (YES in step S2 or YES in S3).

When the continuous shooting mode is set, the system controller 30 displays a menu screen for setting a continuous shooting speed (corresponding to the number of frames taken per second), and executes a continuous shooting speed setting process. Yes (YE in step S2)
S, S5). The setting of the continuous shooting speed is performed by operating the selection cross button 34B of the operation unit 34.

The system controller 30 performs a process of automatically setting the image quality mode during the shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode based on the set continuous shooting speed and the image quality mode in the single shooting mode that has already been set. Execute (Step S
6). The system controller 30 includes a control memory 33
The image quality mode in the continuous shooting mode is automatically set by referring to the image quality mode setting table stored in advance in the image processing mode.

As shown in FIG. 3, the image quality mode setting table is a table for selecting an image quality mode from the correspondence between a predetermined image quality mode in the single shooting mode and a continuous shooting speed (including a moving image mode). . Note that, in the table shown in FIG. 3, the arrows indicate the same as the default image quality mode in the single shooting mode.

It is now assumed that the default image quality mode in the single shooting mode is "SHQ" and the speed of, for example, "10 frames / sec" is set as the continuous shooting speed in the continuous shooting mode. In this case, the system controller 30 refers to the image quality mode setting table, automatically sets the image quality mode “HQ”, and executes the continuous shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode according to the operation time of the release button 34A. (Step S7).

In the continuous shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode and the moving image mode, the shooting speed and the capacity of the recording medium 20 (in other words, the recording time) are generally lower than the shooting image quality in the single shooting mode. Is more important).
For this reason, in the continuous shooting operation, an image quality mode equal to or lower than the image quality mode in the single shooting mode is automatically set.

When the moving image mode is set, the system controller 30 refers to the image quality mode setting table in the control memory 33 and automatically sets the image quality mode at the time of moving image shooting, as in the case of the continuous shooting mode. It is set (YES in step S3, S8).

In the case of the moving image mode, a fixed minimum image quality mode "QVGA" is automatically set as shown in FIG. The system controller 30 includes a release button 34
A continuous shooting operation in the moving image mode according to the operation time of A is executed (step S9). In the moving image mode, the image processing unit 300 of the system controller 30
EG type image compression processing is executed.

As described above, according to the embodiment, the image quality mode and the continuous shooting speed set in the single shooting mode can be set during the continuous shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode or the moving image mode by referring to the image quality mode setting table. The image quality mode included in the shooting conditions can be automatically set based on (a fixed speed is set in the moving image mode). Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the troublesome operation of setting the image quality mode again during the continuous shooting operation,
As a result, operability in continuous shooting can be improved. Further, the image quality mode at the time of continuous shooting in the continuous shooting mode or the moving image mode is automatically set using an image quality mode setting table configured so that an appropriate value can be selected in advance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation where an incorrect value is set by the setting operation of the photographer.

(Modification) FIG. 4 shows an image quality mode setting table according to a modification of the first embodiment. In this modification, the system controller 30 controls the photographing operation in the same procedure as the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 and automatically sets the image quality mode in the continuous shooting mode or the moving image mode with reference to the table shown in FIG. Execute the process. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, in the present modified example, the same image quality mode as that set in the single shooting mode is automatically set regardless of the continuous shooting speed in the continuous shooting mode. In the moving image mode, a fixed minimum image quality mode “QVGA” is automatically set as in the first embodiment.

(Second Embodiment) Next, the photographing operation according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5, 6, and 8 together with FIG.

The present embodiment relates to a function of discriminating between the single shooting mode and the continuous shooting mode according to the operation time of the release button 34A operated by the photographer. That is, as described above,
The present invention relates to a function capable of shifting from a shooting operation in a single shooting mode to a shooting operation in a continuous shooting mode without requiring a special setting operation. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given.

First, in the same manner as described above, in accordance with an instruction operation from the operation unit 34, a setting process of an image quality mode, which is a photographing condition in photographing in the single photographing mode, is executed (step S)
21). Here, in response to an instruction operation from the operation unit 34,
The processing for setting the continuous shooting speed in the continuous shooting mode is executed, or a standard continuous shooting speed is set in advance (step S22).

Next, the release button 34A of the operation unit 34
Is pressed (ON), the system controller 30 starts a shooting operation. In the shooting operation, the system controller 30 executes a shooting preparation operation such as an AE process or an AF process in response to an operation of the release button 34A at the initial stage (hereinafter, referred to as a first release pressing) (Step S).
23 (YES, S24).

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, at a predetermined time T1 of the first release pressing, the system controller 30 executes a photographing preparation operation. And the next release button 3
In response to the 4A deep pressing operation (hereinafter, referred to as a second release pressing), the system controller 30 shifts to a shooting operation in the single shooting mode (YE in step S25).
S). That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the exposure operation in the photographing system 1, the storage of the image data in the buffer memory 31 (buffer storage), and the recording of the image data (compressed data) in the memory card 20 (card recording). A series of photographing operations are performed (Step S27).

Here, the system controller 30 monitors the operation time of the second release pressing, and determines whether or not the operation time has continued beyond the predetermined time T2 (step S26). That is, the system controller 3
0 determines the switching from the single shooting mode to the continuous shooting mode based on the operation time of the second release pressing, and shifts to the shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode when the operation time exceeds a predetermined time T2 (step YES at S26, S2
9). In the shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of frames (number of frames corresponding to the set continuous shooting speed) are set within the operation time (here, 1.0 second) of pressing the second release. ) (Image data D1 to D1)
Dn) are continuously photographed and recorded on the memory card 20 (card recording).

On the other hand, the system controller 30
When the release pressing operation is completed within the predetermined time T2, a shooting operation in the single shooting mode is executed. Here, while monitoring the operation time of the second release pressing, the system controller 30 does not end the discrimination between the single shooting mode and the continuous shooting mode until the operation time exceeds a predetermined time T2. The photographing operation in the photographing mode is being continued (NO in step S28).

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation time of the second release pressing is 0.4 seconds which is within the range of the predetermined time T2, and the shooting operation in the so-called single shooting mode is continuously executed at the end. For example, two frames of captured images (image data D1 and D2) are stored in the buffer memory 31. Then, the system controller 30 determines that the single-shot mode is set when the operation of pressing the second release ends within the range of the predetermined time T2 (N in step S26).
O, S27). Thereby, the system controller 30
Ends the shooting operation in the single shooting mode, deletes the image data D2 of the second frame stored in the buffer memory 31, and records only the image data D1 of the first frame on the memory card 20.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the photographer can shift from the single-shot mode to the shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode only by adjusting the operation time of the release button. In other words, the shooting operation in the single shooting mode and the continuous shooting mode can be shared, and the shooting mode can be switched only by the operation time. Therefore, the photographer can perform shooting in the continuous shooting mode without performing any special setting operation.

[0047]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, first, it is possible to realize automatic setting of the image quality mode in the continuous shooting mode. Second, it is possible to standardize shooting operations in the single shooting mode and the continuous shooting mode. Therefore, as a result, an electronic device that can collectively handle photographing in different photographing modes such as a single photographing mode and a continuous photographing mode with a simple operation without a photographer's special consciousness and distinction. A camera device can be provided.

[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 view showing a specific example of an image quality mode according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an image quality mode setting table according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing an image quality mode setting table according to a modification of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart for explaining a method of determining a single shooting mode and a continuous shooting mode according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining a shooting operation in a continuous shooting mode according to the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a shooting operation according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a shooting operation according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Imaging system 2 ... Recording system 3 ... Control / operation system 4 ... Display / output system 10 ... Optical lens unit 11 ... Image sensor 12 ... Imaging circuit 13 ... A / D converter 20 ... Recording medium (memory card) 21 ... Memory Interface 30 ... System controller 31 ... Buffer memory 32 ... Imaging adjustment circuit 33 ... Control memory 34 ... Operation unit 41 ... Image LCD 42 ... LCD control circuit 43 ... External output terminal 44 ... External interface 50 ... Strobe

Claims (5)

[Claims] An electronic camera device capable of selecting a single shooting function or a continuous shooting function, a single image quality setting means for setting a shooting image quality in a single shooting operation in response to an instruction input, and Speed setting means for setting a shooting speed during continuous shooting operation; and image quality setting means for continuous shooting based on the set shooting image quality and the shooting speed, automatically setting shooting image quality during continuous shooting operation. An electronic camera device comprising: 2. An electronic camera device capable of selecting a single photographing function or a continuous photographing function, wherein: a single image quality setting means for setting a photographing image quality in a single photographing operation in accordance with an instruction input; An electronic camera apparatus comprising: a continuous shooting image quality setting unit that automatically sets a shooting image quality during a continuous shooting operation based on the shooting image quality set by the image quality setting unit. 3. The image quality setting means for continuous photographing sets, as a photographing image quality in a continuous photographing operation, image quality equal to or lower than the photographing image quality in the single photographing operation. Or the electronic camera device according to claim 2. 4. The image quality setting means for continuous shooting, when the shooting speed is set to a predetermined speed or higher, sets a constant image quality lower than the shooting image quality in the single shooting operation. Claim 1 or Claim 2
An electronic camera device according to claim 1. 5. An operation means for instructing a photographing operation, wherein the single photographing operation is executed when the instruction operation by the operation means is within a predetermined time, and the instruction operation is continued for a predetermined time or more. And a photographing control means for controlling a transition from the single photographing operation to the continuous photographing operation.
The electronic camera device according to claim 4.