JP2003060959A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera with excellent user-friendliness, when making communication with peripheral devices by simplifying network connection, while suppressing power consumption. SOLUTION: The digital camera, for making network connection to a wireless communication device so as to exchange mutual information, is provided with a retrieval means 3 that retrieves a communication available wireless communication device, and the retrieval means 3 retrieves a communication available wireless communication device at the application of power to the digital camera.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital camera, and more particularly to a digital camera which is easy to use even when communicating with peripheral devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in addition to conventional silver halide cameras, digital cameras using digital technology have become widespread.
Digital cameras are capable of capturing captured images and the like into a personal computer or the like via a cable and exchanging data with various peripheral devices, which is accelerating their popularity.

However, the portability of the digital camera is emphasized, and connecting it to a peripheral device such as a personal computer with a cable or the like has a problem that the portability is inferior.

Further, in recent years, in the fields of computers and various electric appliances, there is a trend that wireless communication technology using waves such as radio waves, ultrasonic waves, and infrared rays is replaced by conventional wire communication technology.

As such a wireless communication technique, in addition to a technique using infrared rays like a remote controller of a conventional home electric appliance, "Bluetooth" and "IEEE" are used.
Techniques using electromagnetic waves (radio waves, etc.) of various standards such as “802.11b” have attracted attention. This is because electromagnetic waves are more permeable than infrared rays and are therefore superior in that communication is possible even with obstacles.

Therefore, in order to improve the usability, it is possible to use such a wireless technology to communicate between the digital camera and various peripheral devices, but the timing of the communication has been a problem. Depending on the timing, there is a problem that the power consumption of the camera is too high and the power of the camera is consumed quickly, resulting in poor usability.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera which is easy to use even when communicating with peripheral devices by making it possible to easily connect to a network while suppressing power consumption. Especially.

Other objects of the present invention will be clarified by the following description.

[0009]

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 exchanges information with each other by establishing a network connection with a wireless communication device. The enabled digital camera has a searching means for searching a communicable wireless communication device, and the searching means searches for a communicable wireless communication device when the power of the camera is turned on. It is a digital camera.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a digital camera capable of exchanging information with each other by making a network connection with a wireless communication device, the digital camera has search means for searching for a wireless communication device with which communication is possible. The search means is a digital camera characterized in that it searches for a wireless communication device with which communication is possible at the start of network connection.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized by further comprising display means for displaying a list of the wireless communication devices that can communicate with each other when there is a wireless communication device that can be searched for by the search device and can communicate with the wireless communication device. The digital camera according to claim 1 or 2.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the search means searches for a usable function of the searched communicable wireless communication device, and the display means searches the usable function searched by the searching means. 4. The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein is displayed as a list.

The invention according to claim 5 is the digital camera according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the display means displays a photographed image.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

The digital camera of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a digital camera according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a camera power switch for controlling power supply of the digital camera, and 2 is a network connection. Network connection switching means preferably provided for switching whether or not, 3 is search means for searching for wireless communication equipment, and 4 is display means preferably provided for displaying a list of the results searched by the search means 3. And 5 is a communication means for communicating with the wireless communication device.

In the present invention, the wireless communication device is a device capable of wirelessly exchanging information, and examples thereof include peripheral devices such as a printer, a mobile phone, a PDA (personal digital assistant) and a PC (personal computer).

The camera power switch 1 is a switch for the user to switch between supplying and not supplying power to the digital camera of the present invention.

The network switching means 2 starts a network connection by making a network connection or terminates a network connection by cutting a network connection according to a user's input as to whether or not to make a network connection with various peripheral devices. Various switching is performed.

In the present invention, the network connection means a connection in the narrow sense in which each device is an interconnection form, that is, a form in which it is not distinguished which device is a host, but in a broad sense, from another device. This includes a connection in which only the request is received but no request is made to other devices.

The search means 3 searches for a wireless communication device capable of communicating with the digital camera. Preferably, a function available for the searched communicable wireless communication device is searched.

In the present invention, "communicable" means a mode in which they have the same physical interface and the same protocol for exchanging information with each other.

A protocol is a rule for communication.

The search by the search means 3 is performed when the camera power is turned on by the camera power switch 1.
By doing this, when the camera is turned on and there is a possibility of making a network connection, it is possible to recognize a wireless communication device with which communication is possible, so if there is no possibility of making a network connection. Does not consume power for searching and can connect to the network while suppressing power consumption.

If the network switching means 2 is provided, the search means 3 performs a search when the network connection is started. By doing this, since it is possible to recognize the wireless communication device that can communicate after making the network connection, the power for the search is not consumed when there is no possibility of performing the communication by the network. Network connection is possible while suppressing power consumption.

The display means 4 displays a list of the results retrieved by the retrieval means 3 so that the user can visually confirm them.

The list display on the display means 4 displays a list of functions available for the communicable wireless communication devices searched by the searching means 3, preferably the searched communicable wireless communication devices.

In the present invention, the list display may display an identifier for identifying each wireless communication device by using a display device capable of displaying an image such as a liquid crystal, and the type of wireless communication device available in advance and its type. Display the function,
The corresponding LED or the like may be turned on when it is available.

When the display means 4 is provided, the search means 3
It is preferable because the user can easily check the communicable wireless communication device searched for in (1) and the available functions.

When a display device such as a liquid crystal capable of displaying an image is used as the display means 4, if the display means 4 can display a photographed image, the display means 4 can communicate with a wireless communication device. Also, since the photographed image can be confirmed by the means for displaying the function, it is not necessary to separately provide a display device for confirming the photographed image, and the space for that and the power consumption can be saved.

The communication means 5 communicates with the retrieved wireless communication device capable of communication. The communication means 5 can perform communication using waves such as radio waves (also called electromagnetic waves), electromagnetic waves, ultrasonic waves, and infrared rays. At this time, it is preferable to perform communication using radio waves because communication can be performed even if there is an obstacle. As a communication means using such radio waves, for example,
"Bluetooth" and "IEEE802.11B"
Communication radio waves complying with standards such as

Next, the processing flow of the digital camera of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the digital camera of the present invention.

First, when the camera power switch 1 is turned on, or when the network switching means 2 exists, network connection is started (S1), and the search means 3 searches for a wireless communication device with which communication is possible ( S
2).

As described above, the digital camera of the present invention uses the wireless communication device because the wireless communication device that can communicate with the digital camera is automatically searched when the power of the camera is turned on or when the network connection is started. There is no need to search when there is no possibility to do so, and no wasted power is consumed.

After the processing of S2, the search means 3 determines whether there is a communicable device based on the result of the search of S2 (S3). If there is a communicable device, A list of communicable devices is displayed on the display unit 4 (S4).

When a list of communicable wireless communication devices is displayed in S1 to S4, the user can visually confirm the communicable devices, and therefore useless power consumption of communicating by trying to use the devices that cannot communicate. Is preferable because it can be eliminated.

Further, after the list is displayed in S4, the user selects whether or not the function display is performed by the selecting means (not shown) (S5). When the function display is selected, it is determined that communication is possible. The search means 3 searches the available functions of the wireless communication device (S6), and the display means 4 displays a list of the searched available functions (S7).

In this way, by displaying the available functions of the communicable wireless communication devices in a list, the user can visually confirm the available functions, so that the user tries to use the unusable functions to communicate. This is preferable because it is possible to eliminate unnecessary power consumption.

In the present invention, the mode in which the display means 4 is provided so that the communicable device and its function can be visually confirmed has been described as an example, but the user can search by the search means. There is no particular limitation as long as the obtained result can be recognized, and instead of the display unit, a unit that can be recognized by the user and that can transmit the search result by, for example, voice guidance may be used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a digital camera of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the digital camera of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Camera power switch 2: Network connection switching means 3: Search method 4: Display means 5: Communication means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A digital camera capable of exchanging information with each other by making a network connection with a wireless communication device, having search means for searching a communicable wireless communication device, wherein the searching means is a camera power source. A digital camera that searches for a wireless communication device with which communication is possible when is turned on. 2. A digital camera capable of exchanging information with each other by making a network connection with a wireless communication device, comprising search means for searching a communicable wireless communication device, wherein the search means is a network connection. A digital camera that searches for a wireless communication device with which communication is possible at the start of. 3. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying a list of wireless communication devices that can be communicated with when there is a wireless communication device that can be searched by the search device and can communicate with the wireless communication device. Digital camera. 4. The search means searches for available functions for the searched wireless communicable equipment, and the display means displays a list of available functions searched by the searching means. The digital camera according to claim 3. 5. The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein the display means displays a photographed image.