JP2004078837A - Information processor, its control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide information processor for automatically transmitting an image that is photographed by an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera in a size suited for a reception terminal, and to provide the control method of the information processor and a program. <P>SOLUTION: The information processor has a transmission means for transmitting image data for transmission that is created based on specific image information via a communication line, determines the type of the reception terminal of a transmission destination (S706), and selects and transmits the image data for transmission of either main image data or thumbnail image data where the length and breadth sizes of the main image data are reduced according to the determination result (S707, S708). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an imaging apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program, and more particularly to a technique for transmitting image data obtained from a digital camera or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Nowadays, digital cameras have been remarkably improved in performance, reduced in size and reduced in weight, and fashion has been improved. Therefore, the style of carrying a digital camera in a pocket or hanging around has been established. Further, with the improvement of communication technology and the spread of the Internet, there has been an increasing demand for immediately transmitting a photographed still image or moving image by e-mail or uploading it to a homepage.
[0003]
When sending image data captured by a digital camera by e-mail, if the receiving terminal is a computer with a large capacity hard disk and the data transmission speed of the entire system including the receiving terminal is known to be high Even if the size of the still image data or the moving image data is large, the electronic mail can be transmitted without much concern about the data size. However, recently, while the size of image data has increased with the advancement of digital cameras, wireless communication terminals such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones have been often used as terminals for receiving electronic mail. These terminals generally have a smaller capacity of a built-in storage device and a lower transmission speed of a communication line than the above-mentioned computers. Furthermore, in the case of mobile phones, there are many cases where the maximum size of a file that can be attached to an e-mail is limited by the rules of a mobile phone service company or a terminal.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Normally, when transmitting image data captured by a digital camera to a mobile phone or the like, the captured image is loaded into a computer, and the image data is reduced to a small size for a mobile phone using dedicated image processing software or the like installed on the computer. After compression processing, it was necessary to connect a computer to a network and send an e-mail. Also, when transmitting the same image data to multiple address groups where computers and mobile phones are mixed as receiving terminals, the size of the image data is converted according to the receiving terminal and transmitted individually. Work is required. If you can't do this, or if it's time-consuming and cumbersome, send small-sized image data to everyone or vice versa. You have to put up with something that can't be displayed on your mobile phone, or choose one. In any case, it was very inconvenient for the user.
[0005]
Under such circumstances, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-200668 proposes an imaging device that automatically transmits only image information including a reduced image or the like as an electronic mail after creating an image file. However, in this method, when the user wants to view a large-sized main image on the receiving terminal such as a computer, the receiving terminal must make a request to transmit the image data again, which is inconvenient for the user and increases the traffic. It was connected.
[0006]
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-31446, a receiving terminal is a mobile phone or a mobile phone service company is specified from a domain name of an electronic mail or the like, and a file format or an image size is converted according to the corresponding capability. An information processing apparatus for transmitting has been proposed. However, also in this method, since the image data is captured and created, the capability of the other party is specified, and then the image size conversion processing is performed. Therefore, it takes time to perform processing from photographing to transmission. Further, there is a drawback that the image conversion means must be provided, the configuration is complicated and expensive, and the power consumption required for the reconversion processing increases.
[0007]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-9879 proposes a wearable network system for transmitting and receiving thumbnail images. However, in this case as well, it is necessary to specify which image is to be transmitted to which terminal and at what timing, and a thumbnail image is created after displaying a desired image and selecting transmission. Or a thumbnail is read from a stored image file and transmitted, so that it takes a long time to perform processing from photographing to transmission in the same manner as described above.
[0008]
Furthermore, if a mobile phone with a digital camera function is used, the operation of sending image data by e-mail is relatively easy. However, since only image data of a size that can be displayed on a mobile phone is originally created, Is small in size and generally inferior in image quality to the digital camera described above, so that the image data is not suitable for ornamental storage.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has as its object to provide an information processing apparatus and an imaging apparatus capable of automatically generating and transmitting a transmission image in a size suitable for a receiving terminal, a control method thereof, and a program. And
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an information processing apparatus provided with a transmission unit that transmits image data for transmission, a determination unit that determines at least a type of a receiving terminal of a transmission destination, and a determination result by the determination unit An information processing apparatus comprising: a selection unit that selects, as the transmission image data, first image data and / or second image data in which the vertical and horizontal sizes of the first image data are reduced in accordance with A control method and a program are provided.
An image pickup apparatus comprising a transmitting unit for transmitting image data for transmission, a determining unit for determining an attribute of a destination terminal, and a first image data as a transmission image according to the determination by the determining unit. And / or an image pickup apparatus including image processing control means for determining whether to generate second image data in which the vertical and horizontal sizes of the first image data are reduced, a control method thereof, and a program.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an imaging device as an information processing device according to the first embodiment. Each block in the figure shows a functional concept, and may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software where it can be realized by software.
[0013]
In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes an image pickup unit that includes an electronic sensor such as a CCD and converts an optical image into an electric signal. Reference numeral 102 denotes an image processing unit that performs various image processing on captured image information obtained by the image pickup unit 101.
[0014]
As illustrated, the image processing unit 102 stores the captured image information from the imaging unit 101 in the buffer memory 105 as main image data as first image data. A thumbnail image generation unit 104 that generates thumbnail image data as reduced second image data and stores the thumbnail image data in a buffer memory 105; and generates and stores main image data and image information about the main image data as one image file. An image file generation unit 106 for recording on the card 107 is included. A configuration may be adopted in which the portions that perform common processing in the respective processing units 103, 104, and 106 are shared.
[0015]
The buffer memory 105 is a memory for temporarily storing captured still images and moving images, and has a sufficient storage capacity for storing a predetermined number of still images or moving images for a predetermined time. The memory 107 is a removable storage medium, for example, a memory card using a flash memory or the like, and includes a recording unit including a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk, an interface, a connector, and the like. Of course, the storage medium 107 may be configured not as a memory card but as a built-in memory that cannot be removed. Although only one system is illustrated for both the buffer memory 105 and the memory card 107, a plurality of systems may be provided.
[0016]
The image file generating unit 106 stores the still image file in the memory card 107 in accordance with the DCF format, for example, which is currently widely used and stores the main image data and the reduced image data (thumbnail image data) together in one data file. Record. The still image file recorded in this way can be handled on many manufacturers' imaging devices and computers.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the DCF basic file. The header contains image information about the main image data, such as the structure of the image data, the recording position of the image, the characteristics of the image data, the name and model name of the image input device, the date and time when the image data and digital data were generated, the file format and image The size and the like are recorded. Then, as shown, the thumbnail image and the main image data can be recorded in a predetermined format (for example, JPEG).
[0018]
The image file generation unit 106 may create an image file including the main image data as a DCF extension file, separately create thumbnail image data as a DCF thumbnail file, and record each in the memory card 107. The same applies to a moving image file, and a single data file collectively accommodates main image data as a moving image main body and thumbnail image data as a still image extracted from a moving image by one frame to create an image file. The thumbnail file may be recorded on the card 107 or may be recorded on the memory card 107 separately from the image file containing the main image data. In order to reduce the image data capacity of the memory card 107, the thumbnail image data may not be included in the image file, or the thumbnail file may not be created. In the setting unit 108, which will be described later, the user transfers data from the outside via the input unit 109, the communication unit 115, or a computer connection interface (not shown), and transfers the data to the nonvolatile memory 111 or the like. Settings and setting changes may be made. Alternatively, setting data stored in the memory card 107 or the like may be used.
[0019]
The setting unit 108 in FIG. 1 includes an input unit 109 including various buttons, a dial, a touch panel, a visual detection and a voice recognition device, an output unit 110 including a liquid crystal display panel (LCD), a light emitting element (LED), a sound emitting element, and the like. The image pickup apparatus is constituted by a nonvolatile memory 111 such as an EEPROM capable of electrically recording / erasing data, and enables data relating to setting of each process in the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment to be changed by a user operation. The data to be set include, for example, still image / moving image mode / compression ratio / number of recording pixels / setting data relating to imaging means such as a self-timer, image data transmission method (e-mail / FTP, etc.) / Image data transmission destination setting / communication interface There are setting data relating to image data transmitting means such as setting, and general setting data such as date / time.
[0020]
The image data transmitting unit 112 selects a terminal attribute determining unit 113 that determines an attribute of the receiving terminal based on destination information when transmitting image data to the receiving terminal, and selects image data to be transmitted based on the terminal attribute. The image data selection unit 114 and a communication protocol for connecting to a public telephone line network or the Internet or a local network via a public wired / wireless communication network or a local wired / wireless communication network, and applications such as an e-mail and an FTP client. And a communication unit 115 provided.
[0021]
The terminal attribute determination unit 113 analyzes the destination information of the image data transmission destination setting set in the nonvolatile memory 111 or the buffer memory 105, and at least identifies the type of the receiving terminal (hereinafter, referred to as “receiving terminal attribute”). judge. The attribute of the receiving terminal is determined. The destination information is an e-mail address when the image data transmission method is an e-mail transmission according to SMTP, and an FTP server address and a transmission destination folder (directory) when the image data transmission method is an FTP transmission. This information may be input by the user from the input unit 109, but may be obtained from outside via the communication unit 115 or a computer connection interface (not shown), or may be stored in the memory card 107 or the like. May be obtained from there.
[0022]
Regarding the attributes classified by the terminal attribute determination unit 113, if the receiving terminal is a mobile phone, the maximum size of a file that can be attached to an e-mail or the maximum size of a file that can be displayed on a browser is limited by a mobile phone service company or terminal regulations. In this embodiment, two types of attributes, “terminal attribute 1” other than the mobile phone and “terminal attribute 2” for the mobile phone, are defined in many cases. In the present embodiment, two types are used for convenience of explanation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Three types are available according to the type of mobile phone service company, the type of receiving terminal, the type of software installed in the receiving terminal, and the like. It is also possible to define the above terminal attributes.
[0023]
Usually, in mobile phones, the domain name of an e-mail address is often set for each mobile phone service company. If the image data transmission method is e-mail transmission, the domain name of the specified e-mail address is used for the mobile phone service company. Can be specified. Therefore, for example, a “domain-attribute correspondence list” that describes a domain name corresponding to each attribute and has a structure as shown in FIG. 3 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 111 in advance. Then, the terminal attribute determining unit 113 refers to the domain-attribute correspondence list to determine whether the domain name in the e-mail address of the destination information belongs to “terminal attribute 2”. When referring to the correspondence list in FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not one of “dodomo.ne.jp”, “gzweb.ne.jp”, and “ip-t.ne.jp” is matched. . If any of the domains belonging to “terminal attribute 2” matches, the receiving terminal can be specified as a mobile phone. Conversely, if the domain name in the e-mail address of the destination information does not match any of the domains belonging to “terminal attribute 2”, it can be determined to be “terminal attribute 1” indicating a terminal other than a mobile phone. .
[0024]
If the attribute of the receiving terminal cannot be determined only by the domain name of the e-mail address, a destination information database such as an address book that can be rewritten based on user input is stored, and the attribute is determined based on this. You may do so. For example, an “e-mail address book” having at least an e-mail address and a corresponding terminal attribute having a structure as shown in FIG. 4 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 111 in advance. Then, the terminal attribute determining unit 113 refers to the electronic mail address book and determines a terminal attribute corresponding to the electronic mail address of the destination information.
[0025]
When the image data transmission method is FTP (File Transfer Protocol) transmission, the terminal attribute is determined as follows. First, an "FTP server address book" that describes the address of the FTP server, the transfer destination folder, and the corresponding terminal attributes, having a structure as shown in FIG. 5, is stored in the nonvolatile memory 111 in advance. Then, the terminal attribute determination unit 113 determines the terminal attribute corresponding to the FTP connection destination of the destination information with reference to the FTP server address book.
[0026]
Note that the address book as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 may be created by a user operation from the input unit 109, but the address book is externally transmitted via the communication unit 115 or a computer connection interface (not shown). Alternatively, the data may be obtained from the data stored in the memory card 107 or the like, and may be created based on the data. The same applies to destination designation from the address book.
[0027]
The image data selection unit 114 selects any one of image file / main image data / thumbnail image data as image data to be transmitted according to the terminal attribute determined by the terminal attribute determination unit 113. The selection is performed as follows, for example. First, an "attribute-transmission image data correspondence list" describing image data to be transmitted corresponding to each attribute as shown in FIG. 6 is stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 111, for example. Then, the image data selection unit 114 refers to this attribute-transmission image data correspondence list, and selects image data to be transmitted corresponding to the terminal attribute determined by the terminal attribute determination unit 113. For example, when the list in FIG. 6 is used, “main image data” is selected as image data to be transmitted if “terminal attribute 1”, and “thumbnail image data” is selected if it is “terminal attribute 2”. become.
[0028]
In this embodiment, two types of image data to be transmitted, “main image data” and “thumbnail image data”, are used for convenience of explanation. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and all image files or a part of image files can be transmitted. Alternatively, a type such as a part of a thumbnail image can be considered, and three or more types of image data types can be created.
[0029]
Further, the “attribute-transmission image data correspondence list” as shown in FIG. 6 may be stored in advance in an area that cannot be changed by the user, or may be changeable by a user operation from the input unit 109. Further, such a list may be obtained from the outside via the communication unit 115 or a computer connection interface (not shown), or a list stored in the memory card 107 or the like may be obtained.
[0030]
Next, the operation of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0031]
When the imaging operation is started based on an input from the input unit 109 or by some trigger such as a timer or an external sensor input (step S701), the main image generation unit 103 causes the imaging unit 101 to convert the optical image into an electric signal. Is stored in the buffer memory 105 as main image data (step S702), and then the thumbnail image generation unit 104 generates thumbnail image data and stores it in the buffer memory 105 (step S703). .
[0032]
Next, the image file generation unit 106 generates the main image data and the image information related to the main image data as one image file, and records the image file on the memory card 107 (Step S704). Next, the terminal attribute determination unit 113 determines the terminal attribute of the receiving terminal by using the database as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 according to the above-described method (step S705). Based on the terminal attributes determined by the attribute determining unit 113, image data to be transmitted is selected by the above-described method using a database as shown in FIG. 6 (step S706). Here, when “main image data” is selected as the image data to be transmitted, the communication unit 115 transmits the main image data in the buffer memory 105 to the destination information according to a designated transmission method such as e-mail transmission or FTP transmission. Are transmitted (step S707), and when "thumbnail image data" is selected as the image data to be transmitted, the thumbnail image data present in the buffer memory 105 is transmitted to the destination (step S708).
[0033]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the imaging apparatus according to another aspect. Here, steps common to the steps in the flowchart of FIG. 7 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals. That is, the same processing is performed in steps S701 to S706, and when “thumbnail image data” is selected as image data to be transmitted in step S706, the process proceeds to step S708, where the data is stored in the buffer memory 105. The process of transmitting the thumbnail image data to the transmission destination is performed in the same manner.
[0034]
However, in the flowchart of FIG. 8, if “thumbnail image data” is not selected as the image data to be transmitted in step S706, the process proceeds to step S801, and the image data transmission set in the nonvolatile memory 111 is performed. Analyze the method. The image data transmission method specifies a method of transmitting image data to a receiving terminal via a network, such as e-mail transmission / FTP transmission / HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) transmission. The input may be created, or data may be externally transferred via the communication unit 115 or a computer connection interface (not shown), or may be stored in the memory card 107 or the like.
[0035]
If the image data transmission method is the FTP transmission, the process proceeds to step S802, and the communication unit 115 causes the communication unit 115 to execute an image file including the main image data and the thumbnail image data recorded on the memory card 107 (existing in the buffer memory 105). May be transmitted to the destination indicated by the destination information. On the other hand, if the image data transmission method is an e-mail transmission according to the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), the process proceeds to step S803, and the main image data stored in the buffer memory 105 is transmitted to the transmission destination.
[0036]
As described above, according to the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment, at the time of transmitting captured image data using a communication line, at least a destination based on destination information is a mobile terminal such as a PDA or a mobile phone having a small reception capacity. Is determined (terminal attribute), and transmission control of transmitting the main image data / transmitting only the thumbnail image or transmitting both data is performed according to the determination result. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately perform a process of converting the size of image data after photographing according to the transmission destination, unlike the related art, and it is possible to transmit an image having a size corresponding to the transmission destination terminal without trouble. it can. Further, there is an advantage that the processing time from photographing to transmission of image data is reduced. Further, since unnecessary image processing calculation is not required, the effect of reducing power consumption can be obtained.
[0037]
Note that the terminal attribute determination step (S705) and the step of selecting image data to be transmitted (S706) are performed before the start of the imaging operation (S701) if the user sets destination information. Is also good. By doing so, there is an advantage that the time from the start of the imaging operation to the transmission of the image data is further reduced.
[0038]
(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an imaging device 1201 according to the second embodiment. Components that are the same as the components in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. The configuration shown in FIG. 9 is almost the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1, except that a destination information classification unit 116 is added to the image data transmission unit 112 in FIG.
[0039]
The destination information classifying section 116 groups a plurality of pieces of destination information when transmitting image data to the receiving terminal based on the terminal attribute determined by the terminal attribute determining section 113. For example, as the destination information of the image data transmission destination setting set in the nonvolatile memory 111 or the buffer memory 105, the destination information of the e-mail address book shown in FIG. It is assumed that three cases 1 to 3 are designated. The destination can be specified from the address book by the user through the input unit 109, but may be specified from outside via the communication unit 115 or a computer connection interface (not shown), or the memory card 107 or the like. The designated data may be stored in the.
[0040]
The terminal attribute determination unit 113 determines the attribute of each piece of destination information with reference to the address book of FIG. Upon receiving this, the destination information classification unit 116 classifies the destination information based on the terminal attributes. As a result, as shown in FIG. No. 1 is classified into “destination group 1”, and No. 1 of the terminal attribute 2 2 and 3 are classified into “destination group 2”. In the present embodiment, two types of terminal attributes are used for convenience of explanation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, three or more types of terminal attributes may be created according to a mobile phone service company, types of terminals, software, and the like. Is also possible.
[0041]
The image data selection unit 114 selects any one of image file / main image data / thumbnail image data as image data to be transmitted, depending on which destination group the transmission destination belongs to. That is, the image data selection unit 114 refers to the “attribute-transmission image data correspondence list” illustrated in FIG. 6, and sets “main image data” to the transmission destination in the destination group 1 related to the terminal attribute 1 and the terminal attribute 2 It is determined that “thumbnail image data” should be transmitted to the transmission destination in the destination group 2 according to.
[0042]
Next, the operation of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. Here, an operation when the image data transmission method set in the nonvolatile memory 111 is e-mail will be described.
[0043]
When the imaging operation is started based on an input from the input unit 109 or by some trigger such as a timer or an external sensor input (step S1101), the main image generation unit 103 causes the imaging unit 101 to convert the optical image into an electric signal. Is stored in the buffer memory 105 as main image data (step S1102), and subsequently, the thumbnail image generation unit 104 generates thumbnail image data and stores it in the buffer memory 105 (step S1103). .
[0044]
Next, the image file generation unit 106 generates the main image data and the image information related to the main image data as one image file, and records it on the memory card 107 (step S1104). Next, the terminal attribute determination unit 113 determines the terminal attribute of the receiving terminal by using the database as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 by the above-described method (step S1105). The destinations are classified into destination groups based on the terminal attributes by the method described above (step S1106).
[0045]
Subsequent steps are processing for each destination group, and step S1107 is a step of determining whether or not there are still destination groups to be processed. If it is determined that processing has been completed for all destination groups, the process proceeds to step S1107. The process ends.
[0046]
In step S1108, the image data selection unit 114 determines whether or not “thumbnail image data” should be transmitted to the destination in the currently processed destination group. As described above, in the case of the present embodiment, if the destination group to be currently processed is the destination group 1, it is determined that the “main image data” should be transmitted. The image is transmitted to destinations belonging to destination group 1. On the other hand, if the destination group to be processed is destination group 2, it is determined that “thumbnail image data” should be transmitted. In this case, the process proceeds to step S 1110, and the thumbnail image is transferred to the destination belonging to destination group 2. Send.
[0047]
Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 is merely an example, and the order of the operation steps is not limited to this. For example, the terminal attribute determination step (S1105) and the destination information classification step (S1106) may be performed immediately after the user sets the destination information before the start of the imaging operation (S1101). In steps S1109 and S1110, an e-mail may be created together with an image to be sent, and the e-mail may be sent collectively after all e-mails have been created for each destination group.
[0048]
An operation sequence is shown in FIG. 12 to describe in more detail how the communication unit 115 according to the present embodiment transmits an e-mail. FIG. 12 shows a state in which an electronic mail is transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1201 according to the present embodiment to a mail server (SMTP server) 1202 according to SMTP, which is generally known as an Internet mail transmission protocol. The command is based on RFC2821, etc., and a detailed description is omitted.
[0049]
As described above, the communication unit 115 of the imaging device 1201 sends the e-mail (1203) with the main image data attached to the destination belonging to the destination group 1 and the e-mail with the thumbnail image data attached to the destination belonging to the destination group 2 (1218) is created and transmitted. The e-mails (1203, 1218) may be created before entering the sequence of FIG.
[0050]
When a TCP / IP session with the SMTP server 1202 is started (1204), the communication unit 115 transmits the suzuki @ ganon. co. jp is requested (1212), and when permission is given from the SMTP server 1202 (1213), the mail header, mail text and main image data are transmitted (1216). Even if the e-mail transmission ends normally (1217), the TCP / IP session does not end, and the communication unit 115 continues to send the destination group 2 of “tanaka @ keitai. ne. jp and sato @ keitai. ne. jp is requested to be transmitted (1223, 1225). When permission is given from the SMTP server 1202 (1224, 1226), the mail header, the mail text and the thumbnail image data are transmitted (1229). When the e-mail transmission ends normally (1230), the communication unit 115 ends the TCP / IP session with the SMTP server 1202 (1233).
[0051]
According to the second embodiment described above, when collectively transmitting captured image data to a plurality of destinations using a communication line, the user simply designates the plurality of destinations at the same time. Even if the terminal attributes are different, an image having a size corresponding to the terminal attribute of each destination is transmitted. This greatly improves convenience.
[0052]
(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an imaging device 1301 according to the third embodiment. The same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. The configuration illustrated in FIG. 13 is substantially the same as the configuration illustrated in FIG. 9, but the imaging device 1301 illustrated in FIG. 9 includes an imaging control unit 117 connected to each of the imaging unit 101, the image processing unit 102, and the setting unit 108. It differs in that it is additionally provided.
[0053]
The operation of the image capturing apparatus 1301 according to the present embodiment at the time of shooting will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0054]
When the destination information of the image data transmission destination set in the non-volatile memory 111 or the buffer memory 105 is set based on the input from the input unit 109 (step S1401), the terminal attribute determination unit 113 executes the processing shown in FIGS. The terminal attribute of the receiving terminal is determined using one of the databases shown in FIG. 5 in the same manner as in the method described in the first or second embodiment (step S1402). The destination information is an e-mail address when the image data transmission method is an e-mail transmission, and an FTP server address or a transmission destination folder when the image data transmission method is an FTP transmission. This information may be input and set by the user through the input unit 109, but may be transferred from outside via the communication unit 115 or the computer connection interface, or may be stored in the memory card 107 or the like. .
[0055]
Here, for example, as the destination information of the image data transmission destination, the No. of the e-mail address book shown in FIG. It is assumed that three cases 1 to 3 are designated. The destination information classifying unit 116 classifies the destination information based on the terminal attribute determined in step S1402 (step S1403), and sets the destination group 1 as an attribute group other than the mobile phone shown in FIG. In this case, two types of destination groups, ie, a destination group 2 which is an attribute group of the destination group, are created.
[0056]
Thereafter, when the imaging operation is started based on an input from the input unit 109 or by a trigger such as a timer or an external sensor input (step S1404), the image processing control unit 117 is set in the nonvolatile memory 111. The recording setting on the memory card 107 is checked (step S1405). If the setting data is “recording required”, the main image creating unit 103 and the thumbnail image creating unit are described in detail in the first or second embodiment. Each of the processes of the image file 104 and the image file creating unit 106 is sequentially operated (steps S1406, S1407, S1408).
[0057]
On the other hand, when the recording setting for the memory card 107 set in the nonvolatile memory 111 is “recording unnecessary”, the image processing control unit 117 checks the terminal attributes of all the destination groups and, if necessary, The operation stop of the image creation unit 103, the thumbnail image creation unit 104, and the image file creation unit 106 is controlled. For example, an imaging operation control list as shown in FIG. 15 is set in the nonvolatile memory 111. This list may be stored in advance in an area that cannot be changed by the user, or may be created by the user through the input unit 109. Further, data may be transferred from the outside via the communication unit 115 or a computer connection interface (not shown), or may be stored in the memory card 107 or the like. When there are two types of destination groups as shown in FIG. 10, conditions 1502 and 1503 are satisfied from the list in FIG. 15, so that the operations (1412, 1413) of the main image creating unit 103 and the thumbnail image creating unit 104 are performed. is necessary. That is, in this case, the image processing control unit 117 stops the operation of the image file creation unit 106.
[0058]
Similarly, when only the destination group 1 exists, the condition 1502 in FIG. 15 is satisfied, so the image processing control unit 117 stops the operations of the thumbnail image creation unit 104 and the image file creation unit 106. Similarly, when only the destination group 2 exists, the condition 1503 in FIG. 15 is satisfied, so the image processing control unit 117 stops the operations of the main image creation unit 104 and the image file creation unit 106. In this case, the thumbnail image generation unit 104 generates thumbnail image data from the captured image information obtained by the imaging unit 101. It is impossible to change the image processing settings in the thumbnail image generation unit 104, and the user inputs and sets the image processing settings from the input unit 109 or transfers data from the outside via the communication unit 115 or a computer connection interface (not shown). The thumbnail image generation unit 104 creates a thumbnail image stipulated in the DCF format as shown in FIG. 2 regardless of the setting related to the image processing set in the nonvolatile memory 111. Has a different function from the main image generation unit 103. Here, the thumbnail image generation unit 104 is a functional concept block, and may be realized by hardware or software.
[0059]
The image data obtained by converting the optical image into an electric signal by the imaging unit 101 in this manner is stored in the main image generation unit 103 and / or the thumbnail image generation unit 104 and / or the image whose operation is controlled by the image processing control unit. The image data selection unit 114 processes the image data to be transmitted using the database as shown in FIG. 6 for each terminal attribute classified by the destination information classification unit 116 (steps S1410 to S1413). Is selected and transmitted (step S1414). The operation for transmitting an e-mail for each destination group is the same as that of the second embodiment, and therefore detailed description is omitted here. For example, the operation is performed for the destination group 2 in which the thumbnail image data is selected as the image data to be transmitted. When transmitting an e-mail to the destination to which it belongs, the communication unit 115 creates one e-mail attached with the thumbnail image data existing in the buffer memory 105 and transmits the e-mail to the e-mail address belonging to the destination group 2 ( Step S1414).
[0060]
The operation at the time of shooting in the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment has been described above with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 14. However, the flowchart of the operation illustrated in FIG. 14 is shown for convenience of description, and the order of operations in each unit is limited. It does not do. For example, in the image processing control unit 117, the user sets destination information before the start step (S1404) of the imaging operation in the inspection step (S1405) of the recording setting to the memory card 107 set in the nonvolatile memory 111. It may be performed after performing (Steps S1401 to S1403).
[0061]
As described above, according to the third embodiment, when it is not necessary to record the image data on the recording medium, the image processing operation other than the image processing operation required for the terminal attribute of the existing destination group is stopped. There is an advantage that the processing time from transmission to transmission of image data is reduced. Further, since unnecessary image processing calculation is not required, an effect of reducing power consumption can be obtained.
[0062]
(Other embodiments)
As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail. The feature of the present invention is that the type of the receiving terminal at the transmission destination is determined, and the main image data as the first image data and / or Alternatively, thumbnail image data as second image data in which the vertical and horizontal sizes of the main image data are reduced is selected as image data to be transmitted. Therefore, as long as such processing is realized, the present invention can be applied not only to the imaging apparatus as in the above-described embodiment, but also to any form of information processing apparatus.
[0063]
In addition, the present invention may be applied to an imaging device as one information processing device as described above, or may include a plurality of devices (for example, a digital camera exclusively for photographing, an image obtained by the digital camera). The present invention may be applied to a system including a personal computer, a mobile phone, or the like that performs necessary image processing on data and transmits image data by the method described above.
[0064]
According to the present invention, a software program (a program corresponding to at least one of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 11, and 14) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is directly transmitted to a system or an apparatus. Alternatively, the present invention includes a case in which the program is supplied from a remote place, and is achieved by a computer of the system or apparatus reading and executing the supplied program.
[0065]
Therefore, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. That is, the claims of the present invention also include the computer program itself for implementing the functional processing of the present invention.
[0066]
In this case, any form of the program, such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, and script data supplied to the OS, is applicable as long as the program has the function of the program.
[0067]
Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program include a flexible disk, an optical disk (CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, etc.), a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, a memory card, and the like.
[0068]
In addition, the method of supplying the program includes a mode in which the program of the present invention is obtained by file transfer via the Internet.
[0069]
Further, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed to users, and a user who clears predetermined conditions is caused to obtain key information for decrypting via the Internet, It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install the program on a computer to realize the program.
[0070]
The functions of the above-described embodiments are implemented when the computer executes the read program, and the OS or the like running on the computer executes a part or a part of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program. The entire process is performed, and the functions of the above-described embodiment can be realized by the processing.
[0071]
Furthermore, after the program read from the storage medium is written into the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or the The CPU or the like provided in the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing also realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.
[0072]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, for example, when transmitting an image captured by an imaging device such as a digital camera, the image can be automatically generated and transmitted in a size suitable for the receiving terminal.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an imaging apparatus according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a DCF basic file.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a domain-attribute correspondence list in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a structural example of an electronic mail address book according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an FTP server address book according to the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an attribute-transmission image data correspondence list in the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the imaging apparatus according to another embodiment in the first embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an imaging device according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing grouping of a plurality of destinations according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an operation sequence at the time of transmitting an e-mail according to the embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an imaging device according to a third embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an imaging operation control list according to the third embodiment.

Claims (15)

An information processing apparatus including a transmission unit that transmits transmission image data,
Determining means for determining at least the type of the receiving terminal of the transmission destination;
Selecting means for selecting, as the transmission image data, first image data and / or second image data obtained by reducing the vertical and horizontal sizes of the first image data in accordance with the determination by the determining means;
An information processing apparatus comprising: 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines whether the receiving terminal of the transmission destination is a portable terminal based on domain information of the transmission destination address. The determining means determines whether or not the receiving terminals of the destinations are portable terminals based on the domain information of the plurality of destination addresses, and groups the destination addresses according to the types of the terminals. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The transmission device according to claim 2, wherein the selection unit selects the second image data as the transmission image data when the determination unit determines that the receiving terminal of the transmission destination is a portable terminal. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The determining means, when determining that the receiving terminal of the transmission destination is not at least a portable terminal, further determines whether the transmitting means performs transmission according to FTP or performs transmission according to SMTP,
The selecting means selects the first and second image data as the image data for transmission when performing transmission according to FTP, and converts the first image data into the image data for transmission when performing transmission according to SMTP. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information is selected as image data. An imaging apparatus including the information processing apparatus according to claim 1. An imaging apparatus including a transmission unit that transmits transmission image data,
Determining means for determining the attribute of the destination terminal;
An image for determining whether to generate first image data and / or second image data in which the vertical and horizontal sizes of the first image data are reduced as the transmission image in accordance with the determination by the determination unit. Processing control means;
An imaging device comprising: A control method of an information processing apparatus including a transmission unit that transmits transmission image data,
A determining step of determining the type of the receiving terminal of the transmission destination;
A selecting step of selecting, as the transmission image data, first image data and / or second image data in which the vertical and horizontal sizes of the first image data are reduced in accordance with the result of the determination in the determining step;
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising: The control of the information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the determining step determines, based on domain information of the destination address, at least whether or not the receiving terminal of the destination is a portable terminal. Method. The determining step determines, based on domain information of a plurality of destination addresses, at least whether or not the receiving terminals of the destinations are mobile terminals, and groups the destination addresses according to the types of the terminals. The method according to claim 8, wherein the control is performed. 10. The selecting step selects the second image data as the transmission image data when it is determined in the determining step that the destination receiving terminal is a portable terminal. A control method for an information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The determining step, when determining that the receiving terminal of the transmission destination is not at least a portable terminal, further determines whether the transmitting unit performs transmission according to FTP or performs transmission according to SMTP,
The selecting step includes selecting the first and second image data as the image data for transmission when performing transmission according to FTP, and selecting the first image data for transmission when performing transmission according to SMTP. The method according to claim 11, wherein the image data is selected as image data. A control method of an imaging device including a transmission unit that transmits transmission image data,
A determining step of determining the attribute of the destination terminal;
According to the determination in the determining step, it is determined whether to generate first image data and / or second image data in which the vertical and horizontal sizes of the first image data are reduced as the transmission image. An image processing control step;
A method for controlling an imaging device, comprising: To transmit the image data for transmission,
A judging step of judging the type of the receiving terminal of the transmission destination,
A selection step of selecting, as the transmission image data, first image data and / or second image data obtained by reducing the vertical and horizontal sizes of the first image data in accordance with a result of the determination in the determination step;
A program that executes To transmit the image data for transmission,
A determining step of determining the attribute of the destination terminal;
According to the determination in the determining step, it is determined whether to generate first image data and / or second image data in which the vertical and horizontal sizes of the first image data are reduced as the transmission image. Image processing control step,
A program that executes

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