JP2003264729A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera enabling a photographer to concentrate on a photographing operation without minding the residual capacity of a recording medium inside the camera or the state of radio communication. <P>SOLUTION: This electronic camera 10 tentatively records photographed images in a memory card 18 and then automatically transmits an image file inside the memory card 18 from a radio communication interface part 28 to a file server 50. File transmission by radio communication is performed when photographing is not performed. When image transfer to the file server 50 succeeds, the pertinent images inside the memory card 18 are erased. In image reproduction, the images are retrieved from the image file inside the file server 50 and the image file inside the memory card 18 and displayed on a display part 16. Here, information indicating the preservation place of the images relating to reproduction is displayed as well. Further, an embodiment of changing the file size of the images to be transmitted and received corresponding to the bit rate of communication which changes depending on a radio wave state is also preferable. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic camera,
In particular, the present invention relates to an electronic camera having a function of wirelessly communicating with another device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-37129 discloses an electronic still camera having a mobile phone function. This camera can transmit image information by wireless communication, and has a display means for displaying the image information and an information display for facilitating a user's operation, and an operating means used for camera operation and mobile phone operation. The product structure is integrated to make effective use of space.

Further, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 25671707 also discloses a system for transmitting image information captured by a camera by wireless communication.

[0004]

However, the techniques disclosed in the above publications are related to the combined use of a camera and wireless communication, and are not described in terms of image file transmission procedures, handling methods, re-reception after transfer, and the like. Absent.

With the increase in the number of pixels of digital still cameras in recent years, the size of image files has significantly increased. For this reason, the time required for transmitting and receiving an image with a digital camera that can be connected to a wireless network such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth becomes long, and the convenience is deteriorated.

Further, since the transfer time per file becomes long, there is a high possibility that the file will be lost due to disconnection of the wireless connection during the transfer.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera capable of devoting itself to a photographing operation without worrying about the remaining capacity of a recording medium or the state of wireless communication. And

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic camera according to a first aspect of the invention has an image pickup means for converting an optical image of an object into an electric signal, and an image is taken through the image pickup means. Recording means for recording an image on a recording medium,
Wireless communication means for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external file storage device by wireless communication, shooting start instruction input means for performing an operation to input a shooting start instruction, and instructions from the shooting start instruction input means According to the above, the photographing operation is performed by the image pickup means, the image acquired by the photographing operation is recorded in the recording medium, and then the processing of automatically transferring the photographed image to the file storage device via the wireless communication means is performed. And a control unit that controls the communication by the wireless communication unit during the photographing operation and restarts the communication after the photographing is finished.

According to the present invention, when a photographing start instruction is inputted from the photographing start instruction input means, the image pickup means picks up an image, and the obtained image pickup signal is recorded on a recording medium through necessary signal processing. It When wireless communication becomes possible between the external file storage device and the electronic camera, the image recorded on the recording medium is automatically transferred to the file storage device. An instruction to start shooting can be input even during file transfer by wireless communication, and when a new instruction to start shooting is received, wireless communication is interrupted and the shooting operation is preferentially executed.
Then, the wireless communication is restarted after the photographing is completed.

As described above, the photographed image is once recorded in the recording medium in the camera, and the electronic file of the image is automatically transferred from the recording medium to the file storage device by wireless communication. You can continue shooting without worrying about the remaining capacity. Further, according to the present invention, the processing of the shooting operation is prioritized over the processing of the wireless communication, the wireless communication is prohibited during the shooting operation, and the wireless communication is performed only during the period when the shooting processing is not performed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the processing load on the control means, and it is possible to perform shooting even during file transfer, so that it is possible to concentrate on shooting operations without worrying about the state of wireless communication.

In the electronic camera of the present invention, it is preferable to add an image erasing means for automatically erasing the corresponding image in the recording medium when the transmission of the image file is completed. Also,
When the recording medium is full (image space cannot be recorded due to insufficient free space), the files in the recording medium are deleted after the file transfer and shooting operation is prohibited until a new shooting is possible. It Then, during the period when the photographing operation is prohibited, it is preferable that the information indicating that the photographing is impossible is displayed on the display unit of the electronic camera to notify the user.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the above electronic camera of the present invention, a detachable recording medium is used, and a storage means for temporarily storing a photographed image is provided, and the recording medium If is not attached, or the recording medium is in the Full state, the captured image is temporarily stored in the storage means, the necessary signal processing is performed to generate the image file, and the image of the captured image is displayed. The file is directly transmitted to the external file storage device by wireless communication.

When only one image can be stored in the storage means, the next photographing is prohibited until the transmission of the image file is completed. When a plurality of images can be recorded in the storage means, shooting can be continuously performed within the capacity of the storage means. When a predetermined number of images are stored in the storage means and a new captured image cannot be stored, the next capturing operation is prohibited until the transmission of the file is completed. It is preferable that during the photographing prohibition period, information indicating that photographing is impossible is displayed on the display unit of the electronic camera to notify the user.

Further, in the electronic camera of the above aspect,
A mode in which a communication state determining unit for determining a communication state by the wireless communication unit is added, and control (power off of image capturing system or main body power off) for prohibiting the image capturing operation by the image capturing unit when communication is determined to be impossible There is also.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic camera,
Transmission and reception of data by wireless communication between an image pickup means for converting an optical image of a subject into an electric signal, a recording means for recording an image photographed through the image pickup means on a recording medium, and an external file storage device. Wireless communication means, and reception request means for requesting the file storage device for an image file converted into a file size different from that of the image file at the time of transmission when receiving the image file from the external communication device. It is characterized by that.

The file storage device has means for converting the file size by changing at least one of the pixel size and the compression rate of the stored image file, and in response to a request from the electronic camera. Send the image file converted to an appropriate file size to the electronic camera.

As a result, the electronic camera can receive an image file having a file size different from that of the image file at the time of transmission. For example, according to the electronic camera of one aspect of the present invention, the recording pixel size and the compression rate are set so that a relatively high-quality image is recorded at the time of shooting, and an image file is generated according to the settings. . At the time of image transmission, this high-quality (large file size) image is transferred to the file storage device. On the other hand, when the electronic camera receives an image file from the file storage device during image reproduction, it requests an image having a small file size suitable for the reproduction performance of the display unit mounted in the electronic camera. As a result, the amount of communication can be reduced and the communication time can be shortened.

In the electronic camera of the present invention, it is also preferable that a communication state determining means is added and the file size of the image to be transmitted / received is changed according to the communication state (bit rate) of the wireless communication. In this case, it is preferable that the electronic camera is also equipped with means for changing the file size by changing at least one of the pixel size and the compression rate.

An electronic camera according to a third aspect of the invention is
Transmission and reception of data by wireless communication between an image pickup means for converting an optical image of a subject into an electric signal, a recording means for recording an image photographed through the image pickup means on a recording medium, and an external file storage device. Wireless communication means, display means capable of reproducing and displaying an image recorded in the recording medium or an image recorded in the file storage device, and information indicating the storage location of the image being reproduced and displayed. And an information display control means to be displayed on the means.

According to the electronic camera of the present invention, since the information indicating the storage location of the image being reproduced is specified at the time of image reproduction, is the image stored in the recording medium in the camera reproduced? The user can easily determine whether the image recorded in the file storage device is being reproduced.

In an electronic camera using a detachable recording medium, if the recording medium is not attached,
Only the image saved in the file storage device and the image waiting for transmission stored in the storage means in the electronic camera can be reproduced.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. The main configuration of the electronic camera 10 will be described. The electronic camera 10 converts an optical image of a subject into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal, and an image signal output from the image capturing unit 12 to process an image file. An image creating unit 14 for generating, a display unit 16 for displaying image contents, a card interface unit 20 for performing data conversion for reading / writing a memory card 18, a CPU 22 functioning as a control unit, and temporary storage of image data. A memory 24 used as a (buffer) area and a calculation work area for signal processing by the image creation unit 14, an operation unit 26 for a user to input various instructions, a wireless communication interface unit 28 connectable to a wireless network, and the like. Composed of.

The operation unit 26 is a means for a user to input various instructions to the electronic camera 10, and a mode selection switch for selecting an operation mode of the electronic camera 10 and a menu for instructing display of a menu screen. Key, cross key for inputting menu item selection operation (cursor movement operation), frame advance / reverse instruction of playback image, execution key for confirming (registering) selection item or instructing operation,
It includes various operation means such as a key switch such as a cancel key for erasing a desired object such as a selected item or canceling the instruction content, a power switch, a zoom switch, a release switch.

The CPU 22 functions as a control unit that controls the present camera system in accordance with a predetermined program, and also as a calculation unit that performs various calculation processes, and the electronic camera 1 based on an instruction signal from the operation unit 26.
The operation of each circuit within 0 is controlled. The CPU 22 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) (not shown) in which control programs and various data are stored, and a RAM (Random Accum) (not shown) used as a work area for performing various arithmetic processes.
ess Memory).

That is, the CPU 22 controls the taking lens 30.
Drive control, CCD solid-state image sensor (hereinafter referred to as CCD) 32 exposure and read control, image processing control, image data recording control, memory card 18 read / write control, file management in memory card 18, wireless communication control. Display control of the display unit 16 is performed.

The image pickup section 12 includes a taking lens 30 and a CCD 32.
The optical image of the subject formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD 32 through the taking lens 30 is photoelectrically converted by the CCD 32. A large number of photosensors are arranged in a plane on the light receiving surface of the CCD 32, and a predetermined color filter arrangement structure such as a honeycomb arrangement, a Bayer arrangement, or the like is provided. Further, the CCD 32 has an electronic shutter function for controlling the charge storage time (shutter speed) of each photo sensor. A CMOS image sensor or other image pickup device may be used instead of the CCD 32.

The image signal output from the CCD 32 is sent to the analog processing section 34 and subjected to correlated double sampling (CD
After S) processing, color separation, gain adjustment, and other necessary processing, the signals are converted into digital signals by the A / D converter 36 and sent to the image processing section 38 of the image creating section 14.

The image processing section 38 is an image signal processing means including a luminance / color difference signal generation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a contour correction circuit, a white balance correction circuit, etc.
The image signal is processed according to the command given from the.
The image data input to the image processing unit 38 is converted into a luminance signal (Y signal) and a color difference signal (Cr, Cb signal) and subjected to a predetermined process such as gamma correction and then temporarily stored in the memory 24. Memorized in.

When outputting the image on the monitor, the image data is read from the memory 24 and sent to the display control unit 42 via the bus 40. Then, the image data is displayed by the display control unit 4.
2 a signal of a predetermined system for display (for example, NTSC
System color composite video signal) and output to the display unit 16. The image data in the memory 24 is periodically rewritten by the image signal output from the CCD 32,
By supplying the video signal generated from the image data to the display unit 16, the video being captured is displayed in real time. The photographer can confirm the shooting angle of view by the real-time video (through image) displayed on the display unit 16.

The display unit 16 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). In addition to the through image described above, the display unit 16 also displays a preview image before recording, a reproduced image of a recorded image, and a currently set mode. Information, image compression rate information, date and time information, frame number, information indicating the storage location of the image file, and the like can be displayed. In addition, the display unit 1
6 is also used as a display screen for a user interface when the user performs various setting operations and the like, and menu information such as setting items is also displayed as necessary.

When the electronic camera 10 is set to the photographing mode,
When the release switch is pressed, a shooting start instruction (release ON) signal is issued. The release switch is composed of a two-stage switch having a switch S1 which is turned on when half-pressed and a switch S2 which is turned on when fully pressed. The CPU 22 causes the release switch to be half-pressed (S1 =
When ON) is detected, automatic focus adjustment (AF) control and automatic exposure (AE) control are performed, and when full-pressing of the release switch (S2 = ON) is detected, CCD exposure and readout control for capturing an image for recording is performed. Start.

The image processing section 38 uses an automatic focus adjustment (AF).
It includes a unit that functions as an automatic calculation unit that performs a calculation required for control and automatic exposure (AE) control, performs focus evaluation value calculation and AE calculation based on an input image signal, and transmits the calculation result to the CPU 22. .

The CPU 22 controls the driving means including a motor (not shown) based on the calculation result received from the automatic calculation section to move the focus adjusting lens of the photographing optical system to the in-focus position and adjust the aperture appropriately. The aperture value is set and the mechanical shutter and the charge accumulation time (electronic shutter) of the CCD 32 are controlled. Further, the CPU 22
Strobe emission control is performed if necessary.

Full release of the release switch (S2 = ON)
The image data captured in response to the
At the time, it is stored in the memory 24 through YC processing and other predetermined signal processing. The CPU 22 sends a command to the compression / decompression unit 44 of the image creating unit 14, whereby the compression / decompression unit 44 formats the image data (luminance signal Y and chroma signals Cr, Cb) held in the memory 24 into a predetermined format. (For example, the JPEG method) is used for compression, and an image file for recording is generated.

The generated compressed image file is transferred to the card interface unit 20 and recorded in the memory card 18 via the card interface unit 20. The number of pixels (pixel size) and the compression rate at the time of image recording can be appropriately set by the photographer. For example, you can select any of 2832 × 2128 pixels, 2048 × 1536 pixels, 1280 × 960 pixels, 640 × 480 pixels for the number of recording pixels, and 1/4 JPEG (FINE), 1/1 for the compression rate. 8 JPEG (NORMA
L) or 1/16 JPEG (BASIC) can be selected. The compression format of the image data is not limited to the JPEG method, and MPEG or other method may be used.

The means for recording and storing image data is not limited to a memory card using a semiconductor memory, but may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, etc., electronically, magnetically or optically, or a combination thereof. Various types of readable and writable media can be used according to the above method. A signal processing unit and a media interface unit according to the medium used are applied. Regardless of recording media of different types or the same type, a plurality of media may be mountable. Also, not limited to removable media,
It may be a recording medium (internal memory) built in the electronic camera 10.

Further, the electronic camera 10 is provided with a wireless communication interface section 28 as means for performing bidirectional communication with the file server 50 and other external devices.
The communication system of the wireless communication interface unit 28 is not particularly limited, and an appropriate system such as a wireless LAN system, a Bluetooth system, and an infrared system can be applied. The electronic camera 10 and the file server 50 may be connected via a communication network such as the Internet.

The image file recorded by the electronic camera 10 is converted into data of a signal format according to a predetermined communication method in the wireless communication interface section 28, and then sent to the file server 50.

The file server 50 is a computer equipped with a mass storage device for storing the image files sent from the electronic camera 10 and a wireless communication means,
The image file is received and transmitted in response to a request from the electronic camera 10.

When the electronic camera 10 is set to the reproduction mode, the latest image file (the last recorded image file) is searched from the memory card 18 and the file server 50, and the latest image file is read. The read image file is expanded into a non-compressed YC signal via the compression / expansion unit 44. The expanded YC signal is converted into a display signal and output to the display unit 16. As a result, the reproduced image is displayed on the display unit 16. The file to be reproduced can be switched by operating the right key or the left key of the cross key during the single frame reproduction.

Next, the electronic camera 1 configured as described above
The operation of 0 will be described.

<Operation Procedure During Shooting> The operation control during shooting by the electronic camera 10 with the memory card 18 mounted is performed in the following procedure.

[Procedure 1] Photographing is executed in the photographing mode, and the signal obtained from the image pickup section 12 is converted into an image file by the image forming section 14.

[Procedure 2] While the image contents of the image file obtained by photographing are displayed on the display unit 16, the image file is recorded in the memory card 18.

[Procedure 3] A wireless communication connection is established with the file server 50, and when the communication becomes possible, the image file in the memory card 18 is transmitted to the file server 50 by wireless communication. The file transfer process is automatically executed by the electronic camera 10 according to the shooting sequence, but may be executed in response to an input of a file transfer instruction from the user.

[Procedure 4] When the file transfer to the file server 50 is successful, the corresponding image file stored in the memory card 18 is deleted.

If a command input for instructing the start of the next photographing is made during the file transfer according to the above [Procedure 3], the file transfer process is interrupted and the photographing operation is preferentially executed. Then, the file transfer process is carried out during the period when the shooting process is not executed. When the image capturing is finished and the file transfer process is restarted, the transmission may be restarted in the middle of the interrupted transfer process, or the interrupted transfer process may be discarded and retransmitted.

As for the determination of "imaging end", for example, it may be determined that "imaging end" at the time when the image signal acquired from the imaging unit 12 is loaded into the memory 24, or the image acquired from the imaging unit 12 is determined. The time when the recording of the compressed file of the signal in the memory card 18 is finished may be set as “shooting end”.
It is designed appropriately on the control program.

In this way, the image file of the image taken by the electronic camera of this example is once recorded in the memory card 18, and then transferred from the memory card 18 to the file server 50 to confirm the success of the file transfer. And is automatically deleted from the memory card 18.

If the memory card 18 is in the "FULL" state, the photographing operation is prohibited until the wireless file transfer is completed and the image in the memory card 18 is erased. During this time, the CPU 22 does not accept an instruction input for starting the shooting from the release switch, and displays information indicating that shooting is not possible on the display unit 16.

After that, when the wireless file transfer is completed and the free space of the memory card 18 is secured, and the image pickup becomes possible, the information display indicating that the image pickup is not possible is erased on the display unit 16, and the instruction to start the image pickup is given. It will be in a standby state for input.

The electronic camera 10 according to the present embodiment described above
According to the above, the data of the image files acquired by photographing are sequentially transferred from the memory card 18 in the camera to the file server 5.
Since the image data can be saved to 0, it is possible to continue shooting without worrying about the remaining capacity of the memory card 18.

<Operation Procedure During Reproduction> Operation control during reproduction by the electronic camera 10 in which the memory card 18 is mounted is performed in the following procedure.

[Procedure 1] When the electronic camera 10 is set to the reproduction mode, the CPU 22 of the electronic camera 10 selects from the image files saved in the file server 50 and the image files saved in the memory card 18. The latest image is searched, the latest image file is read out, reproduction processing is performed, and the image content is displayed on the display unit 16. At this time,
When receiving an image from the file server 50, the image converted into a file of low image quality (for example, 640 × 480 pixels, compression rate: BASIC) is received.

[Procedure 2] When the user performs an operation of changing the file to be reproduced (“forward-forward” or “reverse-forward” operation),
Next, the image file to be reproduced is searched from the file server 50 and the memory card 18, a predetermined reproducing process is performed, and the image file is displayed on the display unit 16.

If wireless communication is impossible, information indicating that the file server 50 is inaccessible is displayed on the display unit 16 and only the image in the memory card 18 is reproduced.

Further, in the electronic camera 10 of this example, the user can easily determine whether the reproduced and displayed image is the image stored in the memory card 18 or the image stored in the file server 50. The information about the storage location of the image file is displayed on the display unit 16 so as to be identified.

2 and 3 show display examples of the reproduction screen.
FIG. 2 is a display example when an image file stored in the memory card 18 is reproduced, and character information “CARD” indicating the file storage location is displayed in an overlay on the upper left part of the screen. The frame number ("01-0123") of the image file is displayed in the upper right of the screen, the shooting date is displayed in the lower left of the screen, and the shooting time is displayed in the lower right of the screen.

FIG. 3 shows a display example when an image file stored in the file server is reproduced, and character information "SERVER" indicating the file storage location is displayed in an overlay on the upper left part of the screen.

According to the electronic camera 10 of this embodiment, not only the image files stored in the memory card 18 but also the image files stored in the past on the file server 50 can be easily reproduced. The storage location of the reproduced image can also be easily confirmed.

<Image File Transfer Control Method> When an image file is transmitted and received between the electronic camera 10 and the file server 50, the following control is performed.

That is, when transmitting an image file from the electronic camera 10 to the file server 50 at the time of shooting, an image file of high image quality (an image file generated by the number of pixels and compression rate set at the time of image recording) is transmitted. However, when the image file is received from the file server during reproduction, the recorded image file has a smaller pixel size and / or a size converted to high compression (the optimum size for reproduction display on the display unit 16 of the electronic camera 10). Receive image files.

When the electronic camera 10 issues a transfer request for an image file to the file server 50, the electronic camera 10 provides the file server 50 side with information regarding the display performance (resolution) of the display section 16. The file server 50 is
Resize processing and / or compression processing is performed based on the information received from the electronic camera 10, an image file of a size suitable for display is generated, and this is provided to the electronic camera 10 side.

Further, the electronic camera 10 has means for detecting the communication state, and adjusts the size of the image file according to the bit rate which changes depending on the radio wave state of the communication to transmit and receive the file. When the communication bit rate is high, a high quality image file is transmitted and received. When the bit rate of communication is low, a high compression and / or low pixel size image file is transmitted and received.

For example, the CPU 22 determines the radio wave condition of wireless communication, and when the communication condition is good, the image file at the time of recording is transmitted as it is, and when the communication condition is deteriorated, the file is better than the image file at the time of recording. The process of reducing the size is performed, and the small size image is stored in the file server 5.
Send to 0. Also, if the radio wave condition is poor during playback, a normal display image (640 x 480 pixels (BASIC))
A smaller image file of 320 x 240 pixels (BASIC) is received. In this case, it is preferable that the user can select a mode in which the file size is changed and transmitted / received according to the radio wave state, and a mode in which the file is transmitted / received without changing the file size.

As described above, by changing the file size according to the communication state, it is possible to send and receive the image file in a proper transfer time.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In FIG. 1, the memory card 1 is attached to the electronic camera 10.
Although the case where the memory card 8 is mounted has been described, FIG. 4 shows the electronic camera 10 in which the memory card is not mounted. 4, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals,
The description is omitted.

When the memory 24 for storing image data has an image storage area for one frame, it is possible to take pictures one by one within the capacity range of the image storage area of the memory 24. The operation procedure will be described below.

<Operation Procedure During Shooting> The operation control during shooting by the electronic camera 10 without a memory card is performed according to the following procedure.

[Procedure 1] Imaging is performed in the imaging mode, and the signal obtained from the imaging section 12 is converted into an image file by the image creating section 14.

[Procedure 2] While the image pickup signal is being processed, information indicating that the image pickup is impossible is displayed on the display unit 16 (display indicating that image pickup is impossible), and the next image pickup is prohibited. The image file generated by the image creating unit 14 is stored in the memory 24, and the file server 5
When the wireless communication with 0 is enabled, the image file in the memory 24 is transmitted from the wireless communication interface unit 28 to the file server 50.

[Procedure 3] If the image transmission to the file server 50 is successful, the non-photographable display is changed to the photocapable display and the next photographing is permitted.

In the above [Procedure 2], when the operator executes the discard operation of the corresponding image even while waiting for the connection with the file server 50 or during the transfer, the image file is discarded. Move to the shooting enabled state.

Further, there is also a mode in which, when it is detected that the wireless connection with the file server 50 is impossible before the photographing or after the image capturing, the camera power is automatically turned off.

On the other hand, when the memory 24 for recording image data has an image storage area for a plurality of frames, continuous shooting is possible within the capacity range of the memory 24. It is assumed that the non-shooting display is displayed only on.

The operation control during reproduction by the electronic camera 10 without a memory card always reproduces the image on the file server 50, and the control method has already been described <Operation procedure during reproduction>. Is the same as.

[0079]

As described above, according to the electronic camera of the present invention, after the captured image is recorded on the recording medium in the camera, the image is automatically transferred to the file storage device by wireless communication. Therefore, it is possible to continue shooting without worrying about the remaining capacity of the recording medium. Also,
According to the present invention, the wireless communication is prohibited during the image capturing operation, and the wireless communication is performed only during the period when the image capturing process is not performed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the processing load on the control unit. You can concentrate on shooting operations without worrying about the state of wireless communication.

According to the electronic camera of the present invention,
By requesting the image file having a file size different from that of the image file at the time of transmission to the file storage device at the time of reproduction, it is possible to receive an image having an image quality suitable for reproduction. This makes it possible to reduce the communication time. Furthermore, according to the present invention, in an electronic camera having a function of reproducing an image recorded in a recording medium in the camera and an external file storage device, Since the information indicating the storage location of the image being reproduced is displayed on the display means, the user can easily determine whether the image to be reproduced is the image in the camera or the image on the file storage device. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a screen example when an image in a memory card is reproduced.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when an image in a file server is reproduced.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electronic camera without a memory card installed.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Electronic camera, 12 ... Imaging unit, 14 ... Image creating unit,
16 ... Display unit, 18 ... Memory card, 20 ... Card interface unit, 22 ... CPU, 26 ... Operation unit, 28 ...
Wireless communication interface section, 32 ... CCD, 38 ... Image processing section, 42 ... Display control section, 44 ... Compression / expansion section, 50
…file server

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 5/91 H04N 5/91 J // H04N 101: 00 H04B 7/26 MF term (reference) 2H102 AA00 AA71 AB00 5C022 AA13 AC01 AC12 AC69 CA00 5C052 AA17 AB04 AC08 GA02 GA07 GA08 GB01 GB09 GC05 GE08 5C053 FA09 FA23 FA27 GA11 GB05 GB21 HA29 JA16 KA03 KA24 LA01 LA14 5K067 AA21 BB21 DD52 EE02 FF01 HH23

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A wireless communication is provided between an image pickup means for converting an optical image of an object into an electric signal, a recording means for recording an image photographed through the image pickup means on a recording medium, and an external file storage device. Wireless communication means for transmitting and receiving data, photographing start instruction input means for performing an operation of inputting a photographing start instruction, and photographing operation by the photographing means according to the instruction from the photographing start instruction input means, After the image acquired by the photographing operation is recorded in the recording medium, a process of automatically transferring the photographed image to the file storage device via the wireless communication unit is performed, while communication by the wireless communication unit is performed during the photographing operation. An electronic camera, comprising: a control unit that interrupts the communication and restarts communication after the end of shooting. 2. An image pickup means for converting an optical image of a subject into an electric signal, a recording means for recording an image photographed through the image pickup means on a recording medium, and an external file storage device by wireless communication. Wireless communication means for transmitting and receiving data, and when receiving an image file from the external communication device,
An electronic camera, comprising: reception requesting means for requesting the file storage device to obtain an image file converted into a file size different from that of the image file at the time of transmission. 3. An image pickup means for converting an optical image of a subject into an electric signal, a recording means for recording an image photographed through the image pickup means on a recording medium, and an external file storage device by wireless communication. A wireless communication unit for transmitting and receiving data, a display unit capable of reproducing and displaying an image recorded in the recording medium or an image recorded in the file storage device, and a storage location of the image reproduced and displayed. An electronic camera comprising: an information display control means for displaying the information to be displayed on the display means.