JP2003309757A - Digital camera with remote control function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera at a low cost with a remote control function by using a simple one-key remote controller so as to properly utilize functions depending on operating modes. <P>SOLUTION: The digital camera has a digital signal processor 14 for processing image information in response to an optical image and a microcomputer section 17 for using a control signal from the one-key remote controller R to function as a shutter at photographing and the control signal to function as an image feed key at reproduction corresponding to an operating mode by an operation mode switch 19. Thus, even the inexpensive one-key remote controller R or the like can attain practical remote control functions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

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 receives a signal from a remote control and performs a photographing process and a reproducing process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, digital still cameras have been widely manufactured and popularized against the backdrop of the cost reduction of memory devices.
In such a digital still camera, generally, after the video signal from the solid-state image sensor is processed by the preprocessing unit,
It is converted into a digital signal by the D converter. The A / D-converted signal is processed by the processing unit and stored in the memory as image data. Then, the image data stored in the memory is written to a removable medium, or the LC
Images are displayed on a D (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like. Further, the image data written in the medium is displayed on the LCD. A microcomputer, which is a built-in control unit, controls these operations, and commands to the microcomputer are input from operation buttons.

In such a digital still camera, in terms of strobe setting, zoom shooting, other setting changes, and reproduction, image feeding, image enlargement / reduction, and other operations are arranged on the back or top of the camera body. It is performed from the operation button etc. Therefore, the user has to perform the operation without releasing the hand from the camera, which is often inconvenient depending on the situation.

On the other hand, when the camera receives the signal from the remote controller and operates it,
Operability is improved. For example, as a method of using a digital still camera, there is a case where a captured image is displayed on a TV screen and is viewed by many people at the same time. In many cases, a digital camera and a TV are connected with a cable. At this time, since the operation has to be performed by the switch on the camera body, the operation is performed next to the television. In this case, it is preferable to use a remote controller because a remote control can be performed at a certain distance from the television and operations such as image forwarding can be easily performed while simultaneously watching with many people.

However, in a digital camera, the remote control function is attached to a relatively expensive product, and in a low-priced digital camera, the cost increases, or the effective processing of the operation system becomes difficult, or The remote control function is often not attached due to multiple factors such as processing time.

[0006]

That is, the conventional digital still camera has a problem that it cannot be equipped with a remote control function because it is convenient but causes an increase in cost.

In view of the above problems, the present invention realizes and provides a digital camera having a remote control function at a low cost by using the simplest one-key remote controller and selectively using the key functions according to the operation mode. With the goal.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a digital camera for photographing a subject and recording image information of the subject in a storage area, wherein one of a plurality of operation modes of the digital camera is set. The operation mode setting means, the recording means for recording the image information according to the operation mode set by the operation mode setting means, and the recording means for recording the image information according to the operation mode set by the operation mode setting means Depending on the reproducing means for reading and reproducing the image information and the operation mode set by the operation mode setting means, the control signal received from the external remote control device is interpreted into different functions, and in accordance with this function, at least the above-mentioned A digital camera comprising: a recording unit and a control unit for controlling one of the processes of the reproducing unit.

According to the present invention, by using the one-key remote controller having the above-described structure, different functions are assigned to the respective operation modes. For example, in the recording mode, the shutter functions for photographing, and in the reproducing mode, the reproducing function is performed. It functions as a single-image feed key. As a result, it is possible to provide a practical product as a remote controller for a digital camera even if it is a one-key remote controller that can be realized at the lowest cost. In addition, the keys of the one-key remote controller can be freely set to correspond to the operation mode on the digital camera side, so that the remote controller function can be utilized more practically.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A digital still camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of an embodiment of a digital still camera according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external view showing a digital still camera and a remote control device, and FIG. 3 is a remote control device for a digital still camera. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing used, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the operation mode and the function of the remote control device.

<Digital Still Camera According to the Present Invention> A digital still camera C according to the present invention has a solid-state image sensor 11 for receiving an optical image of a subject through an imaging lens and a solid-state image sensor 11 in FIGS. 1 and 2. A preprocessing unit 12 that receives an image signal output from the device and performs preprocessing such as exposure calculation.
And A for digitally converting the image signal from the preprocessing unit 12.
And / D converter 13.

The image signal converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 13 is further processed by a DSP (Digital Signal Process).
ssor), signal processing is performed, and the result is stored in the memory 15 as image information. After that, the removable recording medium 16
This can be recorded on the LCD (Liquid Crystal Displa
y) An image corresponding to the image information is displayed on 18.

The photographing process, the recording process, and the reproducing process are performed according to the control process of the microcomputer unit 17 according to the user's operation of each switch 19 such as the shutter switch 22, the power switch 23, the lens opening / closing switch 24, and the mode switch 25. Is done.

Further, a light receiving portion 21 is provided, and IR (Infrar
ed Ray: Infrared) A light beam from a remote controller (650 to 700 nanometers) R is received and a detection signal is output in response to this. This detection signal is processed by the pre-processing / 1-bit A / D converter 20 as a digital control signal in the microcomputer unit 1.
7 is supplied.

Further, the remote controller R is of a type having only one switch, and includes a power source section 31, a trigger switch 32 to which power is supplied, and a trigger signal from the trigger switch 32 to which power is supplied and infrared rays are supplied. Light-emitting part 3 that emits light
3 and 3.

In the digital still camera C of the present invention having such a structure, after the power is turned on, in accordance with the operation mode determined by the mode switch 25, the shooting process, recording process, moving image shooting process, Performs communication processing and playback processing with external personal computers. Further, in terms of strobe setting, zoom photographing, and reproduction, image feeding, image enlargement / reduction, and the like are performed. Further, in the setup mode, various settings are made.

Here, the signal of the remote controller R is used as a shutter in the photographing mode, which is an embodiment of the present invention,
The case of using as an image feed switch in the image reproduction mode will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the power is turned on, the mode signal specified by the mode switch 25 is detected (S11), and if the shooting mode is set (S1).
2) Handle as a shutter function (S13). That is,
If the remote control signal is detected at the same time when the original shutter switch 22 starts shooting (S14), this is treated as the same as the shutter switch 22 signal (S15), the shooting process is performed, and the image signal from the light receiving unit 11 is detected. Preprocessing unit 12
Is stored in the memory 15 after being converted by the A / D converter 13 and processed by the DSP 14.

On the other hand, in the image reproduction mode (S1
2) The remote control signal is treated as an image feed signal (S
16). That is, at the time of reproduction, for example, when an image signal from the digital still camera C is supplied and displayed on the TV screen, by operating the remote controller from a position away from the TV screen (S17), the captured image is displayed. You can send them one by one (S18). With this, unlike the conventional device, the user does not have to operate the operation buttons on the back of the digital still camera while standing by the television,
An image can be viewed on the TV screen by the operator and a plurality of people viewing the screen together.

Even with the one-key remote controller R which can be realized at a low cost as described above, by assigning the shutter function as a typical function of the photographing mode and the image feeding function as a typical function of the reproduction mode, respectively. It is possible to establish a low cost but practical remote control system.

<Function Setting> Furthermore, the digital still camera according to the present invention has one function selected from a plurality of functions in each operation mode according to the operation mode specified by the mode switch 25. Can be set freely. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, in the auto mode, which is a shooting mode, for example, a self-timer shutter of 2 seconds is assigned from a plurality of functions. In the manual mode, for example, a shutter is assigned from a plurality of functions. In the moving image mode, for example, a function of turning off 30 seconds after starting is assigned from a plurality of functions. In the communication mode, for example, start of continuous transmission of image information to an external personal computer or the like is assigned from a plurality of functions. In the setup mode, for example, a function for switching the image quality is assigned from a plurality of functions. Alternatively, the option of not assigning any particular function here is also preferable. In the reproduction mode, as an example, one frame advance is assigned from a plurality of functions.

The functions listed here are examples.
It is possible to assign any function corresponding to each operation mode. It is also preferable to assign a different function to the microcomputer 17 by identifying the state in which the switch is continuously pressed for 1 second or more by the microcomputer 17.

Further, regardless of the operation mode, the power source of the digital still camera is divided into the main power source and the sub power source,
Even when the main power supply is turned off, the light receiving unit 21, the preprocessing unit 20, and the microcomputer unit 17 are made to function by turning on the auxiliary power supply that consumes less current. When a control signal from the remote controller R is received in this state, it is possible to have a function of turning on the main power at this timing.

As described above, even if the remote controller R is a low-cost one-key type, the digital still camera C
By assigning different functions in advance according to each operation mode, it is possible to realize a remote control system at a practical level.

The various embodiments described above enable a person skilled in the art to implement the present invention, and it is easy for those skilled in the art to come up with various modifications of these embodiments, and the inventive capability. It is possible to apply to various embodiments without having. Therefore, the present invention provides
The present invention covers a wide range that is consistent with the disclosed principle and novel features, and is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0025]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, even in a system using a remote controller having only one key having only one type of signal, the digital still camera can handle the operation mode. By assigning a plurality of different functions to each other, a digital still camera having a sufficiently practical remote control function can be realized at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of an embodiment of a digital still camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing a digital still camera and a remote control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing using the remote control device for a digital still camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the operation mode of the digital still camera according to the present invention and the function of the remote control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Solid-state image sensor, 12 ... Pre-processing unit, 13 ... A / D converter, 14 ... Digital signal processing unit, 15 ... Memory, 1
6 ... Recording medium, 17 ... Microcomputer unit, 18 ... Liquid crystal screen, 1
9 ... Mode switch / each switch, 20 ... Pre-processing unit / 1
Bit A / D converter, 21 ... Light receiving element, 31 ... Power supply section, 32 ... Trigger switch, 33 ... Light emitting section.

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Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A digital camera for photographing a subject and recording image information of the subject in a storage area, comprising: an operation mode setting means for setting one of a plurality of operation modes of the digital camera; Recording means for recording the image information according to the operation mode set by the mode setting means, and reading and reproducing the image information recorded by the recording means according to the operation mode set by the operation mode setting means Depending on the reproducing means and the operation mode set by the operation mode setting means, the control signal received from the external remote control device is interpreted as a different function, and at least one of the recording means and the reproducing means is selected according to this function. A digital camera, comprising: a control unit that controls to perform the process. 2. The control means corresponds to each of a plurality of operation modes set by the operation mode setting means,
The remote control device further includes setting means for setting respective functions of the control signal received from the external remote control device, and when receiving an instruction from the remote control device, the function set by the setting means according to the current operation mode. 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the digital camera is controlled to perform processing of the current operation mode in accordance with the above. 3. The control means turns on the main power of the digital camera when receiving a control signal from the remote control device when the main power of the digital camera is not turned on. 1. The digital camera according to 1. 4. A digital camera for photographing a subject and recording image information of the subject in a storage area, comprising: an operation mode setting means for setting an operation mode of the digital camera; and an operation set by the operation mode setting means. A recording means for recording the image information according to the mode, a reproducing means for reading and reproducing the image information recorded by the recording means according to the operation mode set by the operation mode setting means, and an operation key. When a control signal is received from an external remote control device having only one and the operation mode set by the operation mode setting means is a recording mode relating to the recording means,
When the control signal is interpreted as a shutter timing signal to perform the recording processing of the recording means, and when the operation mode is a reproduction mode related to the reproduction means, the control signal is interpreted as a sending signal of the image signal and A digital camera comprising: a control unit that controls the reproduction process of the reproduction unit.