JP2004208013A - Camera with music reproducing function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera having music reproducing function for photographing during reproducing of music, and acquiring both music information, such as musical piece names, and information necessary for taking photographs, at the same time. <P>SOLUTION: The camera body is equipped with a display unit 1 (sign 64A) for displaying an object image and a display unit 2 (sign 64B) for displaying music information. When the camera is switched to music reproduction mode, a music file recorded in a memory card becomes operable, and at the same time, CCD can be operated, and the object image is displayed on the display unit 1 and the music information is displayed on the display unit 2. When a release button is half depressed in operation during reproduction of the music, the photographing information, rather than the music information, is displayed on the display unit 2. While enjoying music during the reproduction of the music, a photographing person can take a picture and can surely acquire information on the object image and music, even when shooting during the reproduction of music, without any information loss. The display units 1, 2 may be used as divided screen of a single display unit or may be constituted as separate display units. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera with a music playback function, and more particularly to an information display technique suitable for a camera having an information display device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, a camera equipped with a music playback function has appeared and can be used not only as a camera function for shooting, but also as a music player for enjoying music. The music data is compressed to MP3 format and recorded on the memory card, the music data is taken from the memory card inserted in the card slot provided in the camera, restored to music inside the camera, and the speaker and headphones are external to the camera Is output.
[0003]
With the camera disclosed in Patent Document 1, image data captured during music playback and the music data being played back can be associated with each other and recorded on a recording medium. Further, when music data having a related image is reproduced, the related image can be displayed on a liquid crystal monitor or the like according to the music.
[0004]
In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, in order to prevent an image rotated by 90 ° during reproduction depending on how the camera is held at the time of shooting, posture detection means for detecting the imaging posture of the camera is provided. It has a function to generate and display images according to how the camera is held.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-350146 A
[0006]
[Patent Document 2]
JP2002-152568
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 has only one display device, during music playback, only one of music information and camera information such as a subject can be displayed. There is inconvenience that camera information cannot be known at the same time.
[0008]
Further, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 discloses a method for recording and displaying a photographed image, and does not disclose a relationship between a music playback function, a photographing function, and an image display.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a camera with a music playback function that can shoot during music playback and can obtain information necessary for shooting even during music playback. To do.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a camera with a music playback function according to the present invention is configured to capture an image of a subject and convert it into image data, and a first display for displaying a subject image acquired through the imaging unit. Means, music reproducing means for restoring and reproducing the music data in a format that can be listened to, second display means for displaying music information relating to the music data, and the first reproduction during music reproduction by the music reproducing means. And a display control unit configured to display the subject image on the display unit and perform control to display the music information on the second display unit.
[0011]
According to the present invention, since the first display means for displaying the subject image during the music reproduction and the second display means for displaying the music information are provided, the photographer can select either the subject image or the music information during the music reproduction. You can know both information at once without reducing the information.
[0012]
The music information includes at least one piece of information such as a music title, a performer (artist name), a performance time, a sound quality, and an equalizer display.
[0013]
The camera with a music playback function according to an aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the first display means and the second display means are configured by dividing a display screen of one display device.
The camera with a music playback function according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the first display means and the second display means are configured by separate display devices.
[0014]
Furthermore, the camera with a music playback function according to another aspect of the present invention can operate the image pickup unit and display the subject image in the first image when the camera is switched to a sound playback mode in which the music playback unit can play back music. It is characterized by being displayed on a display means.
[0015]
According to this aspect, when the camera is switched to the music playback mode, the imaging unit becomes operable and the subject image is displayed on the first display unit. Therefore, the photographer can check the subject image while enjoying music during music playback.
[0016]
In the camera with a music playback function according to another aspect of the present invention, the display control means includes the first display means and the second display means while the subject image is being displayed on the first display means. It is characterized in that control for displaying photographing information on at least one is performed.
[0017]
Shooting information includes shooting mode (auto / manual), sensitivity, shutter speed, number of recorded pixels (resolution), compression rate (image quality), macro mode on / off, flash mode (auto / manual), date, etc. , Including at least one piece of information.
[0018]
Furthermore, a camera with a music playback function according to another aspect displays the shooting information on either the first display means or the second display means when a shooting start operation is performed during music playback. It is characterized by that.
[0019]
According to this aspect, since shooting information is displayed instead of music information when a shooting start operation is performed during music playback, the photographer can obtain shooting information necessary for shooting even during shooting during music playback. .
[0020]
Whether the camera with a music playback function according to yet another aspect of the present invention displays a subject image on the first display means or the music information on the first display means in the music playback mode. And a display selection means for selecting any one of turning off the first display means.
[0021]
According to this aspect, since the display selection means for selecting the display contents of the first display means in the music playback mode is provided, necessary information can be selected and displayed on the first display means.
[0022]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of a camera with a music playback function according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0023]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a camera with a music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, on the front surface of the camera 10, a photographic lens 12, a finder window 14, a strobe light emitting unit 16, a strobe light control sensor 18, and a self-timer lamp 20 are provided. A CCD image sensor (not shown in FIG. 1) is arranged.
[0024]
On the upper surface of the camera, a power switch 22, a release button 24, and a photographing button 26 are disposed. On the side of the camera opposite to the grip portion 27, a remote control terminal 31 (hereinafter referred to as a remote control terminal) including an audio output terminal, a digital (USB) terminal 32, and a power input terminal 33 are provided.
[0025]
The power switch 22 is a slide switch, and ON / OFF of the main power supply of the camera 10 is alternately set every time the knob is moved in the left direction.
[0026]
The release button 24 is configured in a two-stage manner, and the automatic focusing (AF) and automatic exposure control (AE) are activated in a “half-pressed” state in which the release button 24 is lightly pressed and stopped to lock AF and AE. Shooting is performed in the state of “full press”, which is further pressed from “half press”. The release button 24 gives an instruction to start image recording.
[0027]
The shooting button 26 is an operation button that, when pressed in a state where the audio playback mode is selected, brings the camera 10 into a shooting ready state. Note that shooting in the audio playback mode and the audio playback mode will be described later.
[0028]
In the audio playback mode, remote operations such as playback / stop, feed / return, and volume adjustment can be performed by a command signal from a remote control (hereinafter referred to as a remote control) 36 with headphones (earphones) 35 connected to the remote control terminal 31. . Reference numeral 37 is a play / stop button, reference numeral 38 is a send / return button, reference numeral 39 is a volume adjustment button, and reference numeral 40 is an LCD panel. Reference numeral 42 denotes a hand strap.
[0029]
The digital (USB) terminal 32 is a terminal used when connecting the camera 10 to peripheral devices such as a personal computer and a printer.
[0030]
The power input terminal 33 is a terminal used when an external power source is connected to supply power to the camera 10 from the outside of the camera 10.
[0031]
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the camera 10. A battery cover 43 that also serves as a cover for the memory card slot is provided on the bottom surface of the camera 10, and a memory card slot 44, a memory card slot 45, and a battery storage chamber (not shown) are formed in the back of the battery cover 43. Yes. Reference numeral 46 denotes a tripod screw hole.
[0032]
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the camera 10. On the back of the camera, a finder 48, a mode dial 50, a left key 52, a right key 54 and an up / down lever 56, a menu / execution key 58, a cancel / return key 60, a display key 62, a liquid crystal monitor 64, and the like are provided. Yes. The mode dial 50 is a means for changing the function (mode) of the camera. By rotating the mode dial 50, a shooting mode for performing still shooting, an image playback mode for playing back captured images, or music playback is performed. The audio playback mode to be performed can be set.
[0033]
The left key 52, the right key 54, and the up / down lever 56 are operation units for inputting instructions in the corresponding four directions (left, right, up, down), respectively. The left key 52 and the right key 54 are played back respectively. In the mode, it functions as a one-frame reverse button and a one-frame forward button, and the up / down lever 56 is used as a zoom lever for adjusting the magnification in the playback zoom function or the electronic zoom function during shooting.
[0034]
Further, the left key 52, the right key 54, and the up / down lever 56 select a menu item from a menu screen displayed by pressing the menu / execution key 58, or instruct selection of various setting items in each menu. Functions as an operating means. The menu / execution key 58 is used when transitioning from the normal screen to the menu screen in each mode, or when confirming the selection contents or instructing execution (confirmation) of processing. The cancel / return key 60 is used for canceling (cancelling) an item selected from the menu or returning to the previous operation state. The display key 62 is an operation means for turning on / off the liquid crystal monitor 64 and switching between display / non-display of a reproduction method and a frame number being reproduced.
[0035]
The liquid crystal monitor 64 can be used as an electronic viewfinder for checking the angle of view at the time of shooting, and displays a preview image of the shot image, a playback image read from a memory card (not shown in FIG. 3) loaded in the camera 10, and the like. can do. The menu selection using the left key 52, the right key 54 and the up / down lever 56 and the setting of various setting items in each menu are also performed using the display screen of the liquid crystal monitor 64. Further, the liquid crystal monitor 64 displays information such as the number of frames that can be shot and the number of playback frames, the presence / absence of flash emission, the macro mode display, the recording image quality (quality) display, and the pixel number display.
[0036]
The liquid crystal monitor 64 can be divided into two screens for display. The one-dot broken line shown in FIG. 3 is a display area boundary line in the case of split display on the left and right. One display area divided into two screens is denoted by reference numeral 64A as the display section 1, and the other display area is denoted by display section 2 and denoted by reference numeral 64B.
[0037]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the camera 10. The photographing lens 12 is composed of one or a plurality of lenses, and may be a single focus lens or a variable focal length such as a zoom lens.
[0038]
The light that has passed through the photographic lens 12 is incident on a CCD image sensor (hereinafter referred to as CCD) 68 after the amount of light is adjusted by the diaphragm 66. Photosensors are arranged in a plane on the light receiving surface of the CCD 68, and a subject image formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD 68 via the photographing lens 12 has a signal charge corresponding to the amount of incident light by each photosensor. Is converted to The CCD 68 has a so-called electronic shutter function that controls the charge accumulation time (shutter speed) of each photosensor according to the timing of the shutter gate pulse.
[0039]
The signal charge accumulated in each photosensor is sequentially read out as a voltage signal (image signal) corresponding to the signal charge based on a pulse supplied from the CCD driver 70. The image signal output from the CCD 68 is sent to the analog processing unit 72. The analog processing unit 72 includes signal processing circuits such as a sampling hold circuit, a color separation circuit, and a gain adjustment circuit. In this analog processing unit 72, the correlated double sampling (CDS) processing and the R, G, B color signals are processed. Color separation processing is performed, and signal level adjustment (pre-white balance processing) of each color signal is performed.
[0040]
The signal output from the analog processing unit 72 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 74 and then temporarily stored in the RAM 75. The timing generator (TG) 78 provides timing signals to the CCD driver 70, the analog processing unit 72, and the A / D converter 74 in accordance with instructions from the CPU 80, and each circuit is synchronized by this timing signal. ing.
[0041]
The image signal processing circuit 76 performs predetermined signal processing. The image processing circuit 76 is an image processing means composed of a digital signal processor (DSP) including a luminance / color difference signal generation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a sharpness correction circuit, a contrast correction circuit, a white balance correction circuit, and the like. The image signal is processed according to the command. The temporarily stored image data is converted into a luminance signal (Y signal) and a color difference signal (Cr, Cb signal) by the image signal processing circuit 76 and subjected to predetermined processing such as gamma correction and then stored in the VRAM 82. Is done.
[0042]
When displaying and outputting a captured image, image data is read from the VRAM 82 and transferred to the video encoding circuit 86 via the bus 84. The data sent to the video encoding circuit 86 is converted into a predetermined display signal (for example, an NTSC color composite video signal) and then output to the liquid crystal monitor (LCD) 64 via the external interface 88. The In this way, the image content of the image data is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 64.
[0043]
The image data in the VRAM 82 is periodically rewritten by the image signal output from the CCD 68, and the image signal generated from the image data is supplied to the liquid crystal monitor 64, so that the image input via the CCD 68 is real-time. It is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64. The photographer can check the angle of view by using the image (through image) displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64 or the viewfinder 48.
[0044]
In addition, when performing overlay display in which character information is superimposed on an image and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64, character information data is generated by a character generator (CGEM) 89, and is combined with image data by a video encoding circuit 86. Information is displayed as an overlay.
[0045]
The VRAM 82 includes a VRAM 82A (hereinafter referred to as VRAM1) and a VRAM 82B (hereinafter referred to as VRAM2). VRAM1 and VRAM2 may be two devices, or the recording area of one device may be divided.
[0046]
When the shooting mode is set by the mode dial 50 and the release button 24 is pressed, a shooting start instruction (release ON) signal is issued. In response to the reception of the instruction signal, the CPU 80 starts taking in image data for recording. Further, the CPU 80 sends a command to the compression / decompression circuit 90, whereby the compression / decompression circuit 90 compresses the image data on the RAM 75 according to JPEG or another predetermined format.
[0047]
The compressed image data is recorded on a memory card 94 (hereinafter referred to as memory card 1) via a card interface (card I / F) 92. The camera 10 is a double slot type having two memory cards, and includes a card I / F 96 and a memory card 95 (hereinafter, memory card 2).
[0048]
In the camera 10 of this example, xD-PictureCard, for example, is applied as means for storing image data. The form of the recording medium is not limited to this, and may be a PC card, a compact flash, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory stick (registered trademark), etc., and is based on electronic, magnetic, optical, or a combination thereof Various media that can be read and written can be used in accordance with the system. A signal processing means and an interface corresponding to the medium to be used are applied. A configuration in which a plurality of media can be mounted regardless of different types or the same type of recording media may be adopted. The means for storing the image file is not limited to the removable medium that can be attached to and detached from the camera body, but may be a recording medium (internal memory) built in the camera 10.
[0049]
When the image reproduction mode is set by the mode dial 50, the image file is read from the memory card 1. The read image data is decompressed by the compression / decompression circuit 90 and output to the liquid crystal monitor 64 via the video encoding circuit 86.
[0050]
Next, the audio playback function will be described. In addition to the image recording memory card 1, the camera 10 includes a memory card 95 that reads music data during audio reproduction. The audio playback function of the camera 10 is to play back music files such as MP3 format recorded on the memory card 95. The music file recorded on the memory card 2 includes a part of music information.
[0051]
The music information stored in the memory card 2 includes a song number (management number in the memory card), a song name, a performer, and the like. Furthermore, the music information includes sound quality and equalizer display indicating user settings and operations. In addition, there is an operation status display indicating that the playback is in progress or paused.
[0052]
In the present embodiment, the double slot type is illustrated, but a form in which the card I / F and the card slot are one (single slot) is possible. In the case of a single slot, a mode in which image data can be recorded when the memory card on which the music data is recorded has a free space is conceivable. Furthermore, when the free space of the memory card is insufficient, a part of the music data may be erased, and the image data may be recorded after the free space of the memory card is secured.
[0053]
In the audio playback mode, music information can be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64. However, the music information to be displayed is not limited to the information described above, and a part of the music information described above may be displayed.
[0054]
When the audio playback mode is set by the mode dial 50, audio playback is possible. In the audio playback mode, the CPU 80 accepts a command signal from the shooting button 26 in the camera 10 body and a command signal from the remote control 36, and does not accept any switch input other than the shooting button 26 from the operation unit of the camera body. Yes.
[0055]
When the camera 10 is set to the audio playback mode and the remote control 36 is connected to the remote control terminal 31, and the play / stop button 37 of the remote control 36 is pressed, the music file is read from the memory card 2 via the card I / F2. It is. It is assumed that the music file is downloaded into the memory card 94 directly from a personal computer, a music distribution terminal or the like or via the digital (USB) terminal 32.
[0056]
The compressed data of the music file read from the memory card 2 is expanded to uncompressed music data via the compression / decompression circuit 90. The expanded music data is converted into an audio signal by the audio decoder circuit 97 and output as music via the headphones 35 (remote control 36) connected to the remote control terminal 31 via the external interface 88.
[0057]
The music reproduction output device may include not only the headphones (earphones) but also a speaker in the camera 10 body. When the camera 10 is provided with a speaker, a play / stop button (reference 37) provided with the left key 52, right key 54 and up / down lever 56 shown in FIG. 38), a form used as volume adjustment (reference numeral 39) is conceivable.
[0058]
The CPU 80 is a control unit that performs overall control of the camera system, and includes a camera function control unit 80A and a music function control unit 80B. The camera function control unit 80A controls camera functions such as shooting, image recording, and image playback, and the music function control unit 80B controls the audio playback function.
[0059]
Although one CPU is shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 80 may be composed of two or a plurality of CPUs.
[0060]
The CPU 80 controls the operation of the corresponding circuit based on input signals received from the power switch 22, the release button 24 and other operation units, and controls display on the liquid crystal monitor 64, strobe light emission control, and autofocus (AF) control. In addition, automatic exposure (AE) control and the like are performed. The CPU 80 performs various calculations such as a focus evaluation calculation and an AE calculation based on the image data input via the CCD 68, and controls the lens driving unit 104 based on the calculation result to bring the photographing lens 12 into the in-focus position. On the other hand, the iris drive unit (not shown) is controlled to set the aperture 66 to an appropriate aperture value and to control the charge accumulation time of the CCD 68.
[0061]
The ROM 106 stores programs to be processed by the CPU 80 and various data necessary for control. The RAM 75 has a work area in which the CPU 80 performs various arithmetic processes in addition to the image processing area. The EEPROM (nonvolatile memory) 108 stores various setting information.
[0062]
As the power source of the camera 10, an external power source (not shown) connected to the battery 120 or the power input terminal 33 can be used. The power supplied from the battery 120 or the like is converted into a required voltage by a power supply circuit 122 including a DC / DC converter, and then supplied to each circuit block.
[0063]
Next, a method for displaying two screens on the liquid crystal monitor 64 will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram extracted from FIG. 4 of a portion related to the two-screen display of the liquid crystal monitor 64. For convenience of explanation, some circuits are omitted. 5 that are the same as those in FIG.
[0064]
The liquid crystal monitor 64 includes a display unit 1 (reference numeral 64A) and a display unit 2 (reference numeral 64B). FIG. 5 shows an example in which a through image of a subject image (hereinafter referred to as a through image) and shooting information (overlay display) are displayed on the display unit 1, and music information is displayed on the other side.
[0065]
Shooting information includes shooting mode (auto / manual), sensitivity, shutter speed, number of recorded pixels (resolution), compression rate (image quality), macro mode ON / OFF, strobe lighting mode (auto / manual), date, etc. Of these, at least one piece of information is included.
[0066]
The display unit 1 can display a through image, shooting information, and music information, and the shooting information can be displayed in an overlay. Similarly, a through image, shooting information, and music information can be displayed on the display unit 2. Information data displayed on the display unit 1 may be stored in either the VRAM 1 or VRAM 2, and information data displayed on the display unit 2 may be stored in either the VRAM 1 or VRAM 2. Information data stored in the VRAM 1 and the VRAM 2 is synthesized by the video encoding circuit 86 shown in FIG.
[0067]
Which information is to be displayed on the display unit 1 and the display unit 2 is determined by the mode set by the mode dial 50 shown in FIG.
[0068]
According to the mode set by the mode dial 50, the CPU 80 determines information to be displayed on the display unit 1 and the display unit 2, and if the displayed information is the through image and the shooting information, the camera function unit 80A performs the through image and shooting. The information is stored in the VRAM 1, and if the displayed information is music information, the music information is stored in the VRAM 2 by the music function control unit 80B.
[0069]
Next, two-screen display control of the liquid crystal monitor 64 will be described. The camera 10 can display two screens on the liquid crystal monitor 64 in the shooting mode and the music playback mode.
[0070]
When the main power supply of the camera 10 is turned on while the shooting mode is selected by the mode dial 50, the two-screen display shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, a through image is displayed on the display unit 1, and shooting information is displayed on the display unit 2. Thereafter, the screen selection menu 200 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64.
[0071]
When one screen is selected in the screen selection menu 200, the through image is displayed on the full screen, and the shooting information is displayed on the overlay. On the other hand, when the two screens are selected, the two screen display shown in FIG. 6 is obtained.
[0072]
When the camera 10 is switched on from the image playback mode and the audio playback mode to the shooting mode with the main power turned on, the screen selection menu 200 shown in FIG. 7 is first displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64 and the screen selection menu 200 is displayed. Either one screen display or two screen display can be selected.
[0073]
When the main power supply of the camera 10 is turned on with the audio playback mode selected by the mode dial 50, the two-screen display shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, a part of the music information is displayed on the display unit 1 (equalizer display), and the music information (music number, performance time, song name, performer, sound quality) not displayed on the display unit 1 is displayed on the display unit 2. Is displayed. Thereafter, the screen selection menu 200 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64.
[0074]
When one screen is selected in the screen selection menu 200, the liquid crystal monitor 64 has the screen display shown in FIG. In the screen shown in FIG. 9, no information is displayed on the display unit 1, and music information is displayed on the display unit 2. On the other hand, when the two screens are selected, the two screen display shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. In addition, the screen which does not display information includes displaying a single color screen such as blue or black.
[0075]
Also, when the camera 10 is switched on from the image playback mode and the shooting playback mode to the audio playback mode with the main power turned on, the screen selection menu 200 shown in FIG. At 200, either one screen display or two screen display can be selected.
[0076]
The camera 10 has a function of shooting even in the audio playback mode. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of shooting control and screen display control in the audio playback mode.
[0077]
When the audio playback mode is selected by the mode dial 50 shown in FIG. 1, the audio playback mode starts (step S10).
[0078]
First, the screen selection menu 200 screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64, and either one screen display or two screen display is selected (step S12 in FIG. 10). When one screen is selected, nothing is displayed on the display unit 1 as shown in FIG. 9, and music information is displayed on the display unit 2 (step S14). When the shooting button 26 shown in FIG. 1 is pressed (step S16 in FIG. 10), the camera 10 is ready for shooting, and a through image is displayed on the display unit 1 and displayed on the display unit 2 as shown in FIG. Music information is displayed (step S18). When the release button 24 shown in FIG. 1 is pressed halfway in step S18 to turn S1 = ON (step S20 in FIG. 10), the camera 10 performs exposure control, focus control, white balance (WB) control, etc., as shown in FIG. As described above, shooting information (exposure, WB, histogram, etc.) is displayed instead of the music information displayed on the display unit 2 (step S22 in FIG. 10). When the release button 24 shown in FIG. 1 is fully pressed in step S22 to turn S2 = ON (step S24), the image data of the subject image is recorded in the memory card 1 shown in FIG. 4 (step S26), and the process returns to step S16. (Step S28). When the photographing button 26 shown in FIG. 1 is turned off in step S16 (cancel photographing state), the process proceeds to step S14, and the liquid crystal monitor 64 is switched to the screen display shown in FIG.
[0079]
When two screens are selected in step S12, as shown in FIG. 8, a part of music information (equalizer display) is displayed on the display unit 1, and music information (not displayed on the display unit 1) is displayed on the display unit 2. The music number, performance time, music name, performer, sound quality) are displayed (step S30). When the shooting button 26 shown in FIG. 1 is pressed (step S32), the camera 10 enters a shooting ready state, and a through image is displayed on the display unit 1 and music information is displayed on the display unit 2 as shown in FIG. It is displayed (step S34). Thereafter, the control of the camera 10 shifts to S1 = ON waiting (step S20). When the process up to step S28 is performed, the process proceeds to step S32. When the photographing button 26 shown in FIG. 1 is turned off (release of the photographing possible state) in step S32, the process proceeds to step S30, and the liquid crystal monitor. 64 switches to the screen display shown in FIG.
[0080]
Even if the shooting button 26 shown in FIG. 1 is turned on during music playback in the audio playback mode, the music playback is continued.
[0081]
Further, the screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64 in step S24 may be the screen shown in FIG. The screen shown in FIG. 12 is a screen for displaying shooting information displayed as a through image and an overlay on the display unit 1, and displaying music information on the display unit 2.
[0082]
In the present embodiment, the operation for setting the shooting enabled state in the audio playback mode is performed by the operation of the shooting button 26 shown in FIG. 1, but the menu screen is displayed after step S12 in FIG. A mode of selecting whether to shoot or not to shoot is also conceivable.
[0083]
In this embodiment, the liquid crystal monitor 64 is divided into left and right parts, but the method of dividing the liquid crystal monitor 64 is not limited to this. It may be divided into two vertically, or may be divided into multiple (multi-screen) such as 4 or 9 divisions. Moreover, you may divide | segment into which the magnitude | size of an area | region differs.
[0084]
In the present embodiment, the mode of only full screen display is illustrated in the image playback mode, but a mode of performing split display in the image playback mode is also possible. For example, a recorded image may be displayed on the display unit 1 and recorded information may be displayed on the display unit 2. The recording information is information related to the recording screen such as recording date, image quality, and recording amount.
[0085]
Since the camera 10 configured as described above enables the two-screen display of the liquid crystal monitor 64, a plurality of information can be displayed on one information display device. In addition, shooting can be performed in the audio playback mode (during music playback), and shooting can be enjoyed while listening to music. Furthermore, one of the two screens can display information related to shooting (through image and shooting information), and the other can display music information, so that the photographer can know both without reducing them. it can.
[0086]
At the time of shooting in the audio playback mode, information necessary for shooting is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 64 instead of music information, so that the photographer can obtain information necessary for shooting.
[0087]
Next, a camera with a music playback function according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a rear view of the camera 300. In the second embodiment, parts that are the same as or similar to those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 12 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.
[0088]
The camera 300 includes a liquid crystal monitor 64 (hereinafter referred to as LCD1) and a liquid crystal monitor 65 (hereinafter referred to as LCD2) as information display devices. LCD1 and LCD2 are color liquid crystal monitors. LCD1 and LCD2 are arranged side by side on the left and right. In the present embodiment, the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 are arranged side by side, but the arrangement method of the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 is not limited to this. The other may be arranged in front of the camera 10. In this case, a through image, shooting information, and a reproduction image are displayed on the LCD arranged on the back surface, and music information is displayed on the LCD arranged on the front surface.
[0089]
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the camera 300. 14 that are the same as or similar to those in FIG. 4 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.
[0090]
Similar to the camera 10, the camera 300 includes a VRAM 1 and a VRAM 2. Information data stored in the VRAM 1 is displayed on the LCD 1 via a video encoding circuit 86 (hereinafter referred to as a video encoding circuit 1) and an external interface 88, and information data stored in the VRAM 2 is displayed on a video encoding circuit 87 (hereinafter referred to as a video encoding circuit). 2) Displayed on the LCD 2 via the external interface 88.
[0091]
FIG. 15 is a block diagram excerpted from FIG. 14 for parts related to the display of LCD1 and LCD2. For convenience of explanation, some circuits are omitted. In FIG. 15, the same parts as those in FIG.
[0092]
Similar to the first embodiment, what information is displayed on the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 is determined by the setting of the mode dial 50 as in the first embodiment, and is controlled by the CPU 80.
[0093]
In the present embodiment, data of information displayed on the LCD 1 is stored in the VRAM 1, and data of information displayed on the LCD 2 is stored in the VRAM 2.
[0094]
In accordance with the mode set by the mode dial 50, the CPU 80 determines information to be displayed on the LCD1 and LCD2, and if the displayed information is a live view image and shooting information, either the VRAM1 or VRAM2 by the camera function unit 80A, or Through images and shooting information are stored in both VRAM 1 and VRAM 2. If the displayed information is music information, the music function control unit 80B stores the music information in at least one of VRAM1 and VRAM2.
[0095]
In the shooting mode, a through image is displayed on the LCD 1 and shooting information is displayed on the LCD 2. When S2 = ON when the release button is fully pressed, a recorded image is displayed on the LCD 1.
[0096]
In the image reproduction mode, the recorded image is displayed on the LCD 1 and the recorded information shown in the first embodiment is displayed on the LCD 2.
[0097]
In the audio playback mode, no information is displayed on the LCD 1 and the music information shown in the first embodiment is displayed on the LCD 2. Further, when the photographing button shown in FIG. 1 is operated in the audio reproduction mode and the photographing is possible, the screen display of the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.
[0098]
When a state in which nothing is displayed on the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 continues for a predetermined time, the camera 300 may be provided with a power saving function for turning off the backlight of the LCD. Further, even when information is displayed on the LCD 1 and the LCD 2, the backlight of the LCD may be turned off when the camera 300 is not operated for a predetermined time.
[0099]
Since the camera 300 configured as described above includes two information display devices (LCD), a plurality of information can be displayed simultaneously. In addition, the two LCDs can be controlled independently, and turning off the power of the LCD that does not display information is effective in power saving of the camera 300.
[0100]
FIG. 16 shows a camera with a music playback function according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a rear view of the camera 400. In the third embodiment, the same or similar parts as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 12 and the second embodiment shown in FIGS. Is omitted.
[0101]
The camera 400 includes a liquid crystal monitor 64 (hereinafter referred to as LCD1) and a liquid crystal monitor 65 (hereinafter referred to as LCD2) as information display devices. The LCD 1 is a color liquid crystal monitor, and the LCD 2 is a dot matrix liquid crystal monitor (hereinafter referred to as a dot matrix). In addition, the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 are arranged one above the other. In this embodiment, the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 are arranged one above the other. However, the arrangement method of the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 is not limited to this, and one of the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 is arranged on the back surface of the camera 10. The other may be arranged in front of the camera 10. In this case, a through image, shooting information, and a reproduction image are displayed on the LCD arranged on the back surface, and music information is displayed on the LCD arranged on the front surface.
[0102]
The information displayed on the LCD 1 is a through image at the time of shooting and a recorded image in the image playback mode. The shooting information shown in the first embodiment and the music information shown in the first embodiment at the time of shooting are displayed on the LCD 2. Can be displayed. In the audio playback mode, it is conceivable that shooting information is displayed as an overlay on a through image, and music information is always displayed on the LCD 2.
[0103]
The information displayed on the LCD 1 and the LCD 2 is not limited to the information described above, and the information that can be displayed on the LCD 1 may be information that can be displayed on the color liquid crystal monitor. The information that can be displayed on the LCD 2 may be information that can be displayed on the dot matrix.
[0104]
The LCD 2 is not limited to a dot matrix, and any display device such as an LED display device may be used as long as it can display shooting information and music information. The LCD 2 may be a power-saving display device as much as possible.
[0105]
If a display device having a display area as small as possible is used for the LCD 2, the display area of the LCD 1 for displaying a through image or a recorded image can be increased, and a limited display space can be used effectively.
[0106]
The camera 400 configured as described above includes two information display devices (LCD), one display device being a color liquid crystal monitor and the other display device being a dot matrix. If a dot matrix having a display area as small as possible is used, the space for arranging the color liquid crystal monitor can be increased. If the image is displayed on a color LCD monitor and shooting information and music information are displayed in a dot matrix, the display area can be used effectively, and as much information as possible can be displayed in a limited display area. be able to. Also, the two LCDs can be controlled independently, and turning off the power of the LCD that does not display information is effective in reducing the power consumption of the camera 400.
[0107]
Since one display device uses a dot matrix, it is more effective in reducing the power consumption of the camera 400 as compared with a mode in which two color liquid crystal monitors are provided.
[0108]
In the first to third embodiments, the digital still camera (DSC) for recording a still image is exemplified, but the application range of the present invention is not limited to the DSC. The present invention can be applied to a movie camera that records moving images and an electronic camera such as a digital video camera that can record both moving images and still images.
[0109]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, since the first display means for displaying the subject image and the second display means for displaying the music information are provided, the photographer can display either the subject image or the music information during the music reproduction. You can know without reducing. When the camera is switched to the music playback mode, the imaging unit becomes operable and the subject image is displayed on the first display unit. Further, the shooting information is displayed instead of the music information on the second display means for performing the shooting start operation during music reproduction. Therefore, the photographer can shoot while enjoying the music during the music reproduction, and the shooter can obtain photographing information necessary for the photographing even during the music reproduction, and the amount of information is not reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a camera with a music playback function according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the camera with a music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the camera with a music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the camera with a music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram excerpted from FIG. 4 relating to a two-screen display of a liquid crystal monitor.
FIG. 6 is a two-screen display example 1 of a camera with a music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a screen selection menu screen of the camera with a music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a two-screen display example 2 of the camera with a music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 shows a two-screen display example 3 of the camera with a music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of shooting control and screen display control in the audio playback mode.
FIG. 11 is a two-screen display example 4 of the camera with music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a two-screen display example 5 of the camera with music playback function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a rear view of a camera with a music playback function according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a camera with a music playback function according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram excerpted from FIG. 14 relating to a two-screen display of a liquid crystal monitor.
FIG. 16 is a rear view of a camera with a music playback function according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,300,400 ... Camera, 12 ... Shooting lens, 24 ... Release button, 35 ... Headphone, 36 ... Remote control, 50 ... Mode dial, 64, 64A, 64B, 65 ... Liquid crystal monitor, 68 ... CCD, 80 ... CPU, 86, 87 ... Video encoding circuit, 88 ... External interface, 89 ... CGEN, 90 ... Compression / decompression circuit, 97 ... Audio decoder circuit

Claims (8)

Imaging means for taking a subject image and converting it into image data;
First display means for displaying a subject image acquired via the imaging means;
Music playback means for restoring and playing music data in a readable format;
Second display means for displaying music information relating to the music data;
Display control means for controlling the display of the subject image on the first display means and the display of the music information on the second display means during music playback by the music playback means;
A camera with a music playback function. The camera with a music playback function according to claim 1, wherein the first display means and the second display means are configured by dividing a display screen of one display device. 2. The camera with a music playback function according to claim 1, wherein the first display unit and the second display unit are configured by separate display devices. 4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the camera is switched to a music playback mode in which music can be played back by the music playback means, the imaging means can be operated and a subject image is displayed on the first display means. Camera with music playback function. The display control means performs control to display photographing information on at least one of the first display means and the second display means while the subject image is displayed on the first display means. The camera with a music playback function according to claim 4. 5. The music reproduction function according to claim 4, wherein when a photographing start operation is performed during music reproduction, the photographing information is displayed on either the first display means or the second display means. camera. 5. The camera with a music playback function according to claim 4, wherein when a shooting start operation is performed during music playback, the shooting information is displayed instead of the music information. In the music playback mode, either one of displaying a subject image on the first display means, displaying the music information on the first display means, or turning off the first display means. The camera with a music playback function according to claim 5, further comprising a display selection unit that selects an item.

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