JP2004343421A - Camera with communication function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera with a communication function capable of transmitting image data rapidly and surely by performing appropriate communication according to communication conditions. <P>SOLUTION: Prior to making a server memory 104a independently provided on the outside of a camera store image data imaged using an image pickup element from a camera memory 101a, a state of radio wave conditions of an environment around the camera is detected. As this result, if the radio wave conditions are not stable, the image data are transmitted after changing the compression rate of the image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera with a communication function, and particularly to a camera with a communication function that can efficiently transmit captured image data to an external storage unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in digital cameras, it has become possible not only to enjoy photographed images personally but also to show it to many people by uploading image data on a homepage via the Internet, for example. When the image data is uploaded on the homepage as described above, the image data stored in the digital camera or the like is transmitted using, for example, wireless communication or wired communication. At this time, since the image data generally has a large data capacity, the communication time becomes long.
[0003]
In view of this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-163873 proposes measuring the data transmission time before transferring image data to check the line congestion state, and changing the compression ratio of the image data according to the measured data transmission time.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-36655 A
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the proposal in Patent Document 1 does not consider image transmission using wireless communication such as a mobile phone. That is, at the time of capturing an image, the user is highly likely to be stopped, but may be moving when transmitting image data. Therefore, if the line is suddenly interrupted while moving, the data being transmitted may be damaged. In addition, even if the image data transmission fails in this way, a call charge is required until the middle of the communication, which causes a great deal of trouble for the user.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a camera with a communication function that can quickly and reliably transmit image data by performing appropriate communication according to a communication state. Aim.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a camera with a communication function according to a first aspect of the present invention detects a communication state of a surrounding environment of a camera and a storage unit that stores image data captured via a shooting lens, and A compression transmission unit that changes the compression ratio of the image data stored in the storage unit and transmits the image data according to a change in the communication state.
Further, in order to achieve the above object, in a camera with a communication function according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the compression transmission means may determine the communication state by determining the strength of radio waves around the camera. When the detected change in the intensity of the radio wave is large, the compression rate of the image data is set higher than the current compression rate.
According to these first and second aspects, the communication state around the camera, for example, the radio wave state is detected, and the compression ratio is changed according to the detected state and transmitted. Appropriate communication can be performed, and image data can be transmitted quickly and reliably.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera with a communication function according to the first aspect, wherein the compression transmitting unit is configured to determine whether it is necessary to urgently transmit image data. Is determined, and when it is determined that image data needs to be transmitted urgently, the compression ratio of the image data is set higher than the current compression ratio.
According to the third aspect, when image data needs to be transmitted urgently, the image data is transmitted with a higher compression rate, so that communication can be performed more quickly.
[0009]
In order to achieve the above object, a camera with a communication function according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores image data captured via a shooting lens, and a communication state around the camera, An extracting and transmitting unit that extracts and transmits a part of the image data stored in the storage unit according to the change in the communication state.
According to the fourth aspect, the communication state of the environment around the camera is detected, and a part of the image data is extracted and transmitted according to the detected state, so that appropriate communication according to the communication state is performed. Image data can be transmitted quickly and reliably.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conceptual configuration of a communication system including a camera with a communication function according to a first embodiment of the present invention. That is, this communication system includes a camera with a communication function (hereinafter, referred to as a camera) 101, base stations 102a, 102b, and 102c with which the camera 101 communicates, and a communication line network 103 connecting these base stations. It is composed of
[0011]
In FIG. 1, the camera 101 is provided with a camera memory 101a corresponding to the storage means described in the claims. The camera memory 101a is for storing image data captured by the camera 101. In general, there are two types of memories provided in the camera: one built in the camera and one removable from the camera. In the first embodiment, any memory can be applied. FIG. 1 illustrates a built-in camera type memory.
[0012]
The image data stored in the camera memory 101a is communicated via a communication unit (not shown) inside the camera. Note that the communication of the camera 101 here is assumed to be wireless communication. That is, the image data transmitted from the camera 101 is first received by the base station 102a closest to the camera 101. The image data received by the base station 102a is transferred to, for example, an external memory 104a provided in the server 104 via the communication network 103 according to the destination information. Further, image data can be transferred from the camera 101 to a personal computer (PC) 105, and images can be browsed on a monitor of the PC 105.
[0013]
The camera 101 shown in FIG. 1 is used, for example, in a form as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 2A shows a scene in which the user 100 is shooting using the camera 101. In addition, in the digital camera, after the photographing is performed, the photographed image can be confirmed on a display unit provided on the back of the camera, for example, as shown in FIG. 2B. As a result of this confirmation, when the image data is stored in the external memory 104a of the server 104 or uploaded on a homepage, the image data is transmitted. At this time, the communication state of the camera surrounding environment, for example, Depending on the state of radio waves, transmission of image data may be difficult.
[0014]
If the radio wave condition is constant, the communication time can be predicted from the data capacity of the image data and the line condition of the communication line used at that time. However, the radio wave condition changes due to various factors. Therefore, the radio wave condition is often unstable. When the state of the radio wave is not stable, it is not known when the transmission is interrupted due to the line disconnection or how much communication time is required at the time of transmission.
[0015]
Further, as cameras having a communication function become widespread, for example, image data communication may be used to notify a situation such as a disaster or an accident. In such a case, it is preferable that the image data be transmitted quickly and reliably even if the quality of the image data is deteriorated.
[0016]
Therefore, in the first embodiment, image data is transmitted quickly and reliably by appropriately changing the compression ratio of image data to be transmitted in accordance with the radio wave condition of the environment around the camera. Such control is performed according to the flowchart of FIG.
[0017]
That is, first, before transmitting image data, the surrounding radio wave state is detected (step S1). The detection of the radio wave state is to detect the intensity of the radio wave received by the camera 101. This radio wave state is performed by the camera 101 communicating with the base station 102. Next, the control unit determines whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) has elapsed based on a count value of a timer built in the camera (Step S2). If it is determined in step S2 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process returns to step S1 to detect a radio wave state.
[0018]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the control unit determines whether image data has been transmitted (step S3). If it is determined in step S3 that image data has not been transmitted, the control unit determines whether the user has issued a shooting start instruction (step S4). When it is determined that the user has issued a shooting start instruction, the control unit starts a predetermined shooting sequence (step S5), and stores the shot image in the camera memory 101a (step S6). On the other hand, when it is determined that the photographing start instruction has not been issued, the process returns to step S2.
[0019]
If it is determined in step S3 that the image data has not been transmitted yet, the control unit determines whether the radio wave state detected in step S1 has changed significantly from the state detected one time ago. Is determined (step S7). If it is determined that the radio wave state has not changed so much since the previous detection, the control unit starts transmitting image data (step S8). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S7 that the radio wave condition has changed significantly, the control unit determines whether the image data to be transmitted at present is set to be transmitted urgently (step S9). . The determination as to whether or not the setting is urgent may be made by determining whether or not an emergency transmission switch (not shown) has been operated by the user. If it is determined in step S9 that the image data is set to be transmitted urgently, the image data is transmitted even if the radio wave condition is poor. In this case, the compression ratio of the image data is made higher than the current compression ratio to reduce the data capacity, and transmission is performed ignoring some image deterioration (step S10). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S9 that the image data is not set to be transmitted urgently, the control unit displays a warning on a display unit or the like on the back of the camera or sounds a warning sound or the like. To warn the user (step S11). In this case, the image data is not transmitted because the possibility of failure is high even if the image data is transmitted.
[0020]
Although omitted in the flowchart of FIG. 3, after transmitting the image data, the image data stored in the camera memory 101a may be automatically deleted.
[0021]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the image data is transmitted with the compression ratio changed according to the radio wave condition, the image data can be transmitted quickly and reliably.
[0022]
In particular, in the event of a disaster or accident, when it is necessary to urgently transmit image data to notify the user of the situation, it is necessary to transmit the image data reliably and immediately. However, according to the first embodiment, For example, even if the radio wave condition is bad, the image data is transmitted with a high compression ratio, thereby shortening the communication time and increasing the probability of successful communication.
[0023]
[Second embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4A illustrates a scene in which a user 21 is photographing a subject 20 at a travel destination or the like as an example of using the camera with a communication function according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 4A, the user 21 determines a composition while looking at the display unit 8 of the camera 101, and waits for a photo opportunity. The camera 101 in FIG. 4A is assumed to be a camera having a call function, and has a microphone 12 below the camera and a speaker 14 above the camera. Note that the camera 101 does not need to have a call function.
[0024]
That is, the voice of the user 21 is converted into an electric signal through the microphone 12 and transmitted as a radio wave via the antenna 11 at the time of a telephone call as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when receiving a radio wave, the radio wave received via the antenna 11 is converted into an audio signal and can be heard as audio via the speaker 14.
[0025]
Further, the taking lens 2 of the camera 101 is arranged on the back side of the display unit 8 as shown in FIG. 4C, for example.
[0026]
It is important for the camera 101 having such a calling function and a camera function to be compact and lightweight. For this reason, the camera 101 does not use a large-sized battery and does not use a large-sized and large-capacity storage unit for storing captured image data. In this case, it is preferable that the data of the taken image is not always stored in a storage unit (not shown) in the camera, but is stored in an external storage unit using communication.
[0027]
What is important when transferring the image data to the external storage unit in this way is whether or not the image data is correctly transferred. In particular, when wireless communication as shown in FIG. 4A is assumed, the user 21 can move, and the image transfer is not always performed in a good communication state. If it takes a long time to transfer the image data, the call may be hindered and the telephone may not be connected in an important situation. Generally, when transferring a moving image, a bit rate of 64 kilobits / second or more is required, but the current mobile communication has a bit rate of less than half of that. In recent years, megapixels have also been adopted in still image shooting. For example, in a camera having 1 million pixels, when an image having 8-bit gradation data is transmitted at a bit rate of mobile communication, even if the data is transmitted at a bit rate of mobile communication, for example, Even if it is compressed, it takes time in minutes. If no other communication can be performed during this time, the camera 101 cannot serve as a telephone. During this time, it is also difficult to always maintain good communication. If the communication is poor during the call, the conversation is only interrupted, but if the communication is poor during the transfer of the image data, the data may be damaged. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when transferring image data, the data is divided to shorten the communication time required for one communication.
[0028]
FIG. 5 shows a configuration diagram of a communication system including a camera with a communication function according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the configurations also illustrated in FIG. That is, this communication system includes a camera 101, a base station 102, a server 104, a PC 105, and an indoor stationary terminal 106, a connection device 107, a switching device 108, a control device 109, and a server computer (hereinafter, referred to as a provider). , A provider) 110 and the Internet 111.
[0029]
First, the configuration and operation of the camera 101 will be described. That is, the camera 101 includes a control unit 1, a photographing lens 2, a lens driving unit 3, a distance measuring unit 4, an image sensor 5, an analog / digital (A / D) conversion unit 6, a digital signal processing Unit 7, camera memory 101a, display unit 8, data division unit 9, modulation / demodulation unit 10, communication unit 11, audio input unit (microphone) 12, digital / analog (D / A) conversion It comprises a unit 13, an audio output unit (speaker) 14, and an operation unit 15.
[0030]
The control unit 1 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer or the like, and controls each operation of the camera 101. An operation unit 15 is connected to the control unit 1, and the control unit 1 determines the ON / OFF state of each switch of the operation unit 15 according to a user operation, and performs control corresponding to the determined operation of the switch. I do. In addition, the control unit 1 performs communication with the base station 102 and the indoor stationary terminal 106 via the communication unit 11 to determine a communication state.
[0031]
The taking lens 2 is composed of at least one lens. The control unit 1 controls the driving of the lens driving unit 3 to control the focusing of the photographing lens 2. The lens driving unit 3 includes a lens driving mechanism (not shown), a lens position detecting circuit, and the like. At the time of such focusing control of the photographing lens 2, the distance to the subject 20 is detected by the distance measuring unit 4. The distance measuring section 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (c).
[0032]
FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the distance measuring unit 4. That is, the distance measuring unit 4 includes a pair of light receiving lenses 41a and 41b, a pair of sensor arrays 42a and 42b, and an A / D converter (not shown) that receives outputs from the sensor arrays 42a and 42b.
[0033]
The light receiving lenses 41a and 41b guide the image of the subject 20 to the sensor arrays 42a and 42b, respectively. At this time, assuming that the distance between the principal points of the light receiving lenses 41a and 41b is B and the distance between the light receiving lenses 41a and 41b and the sensor arrays 42a and 42b is f, the image of the subject 20 located at a distance L is Based on the parallax of the light receiving lenses 41a and 41b, an image is formed with a relative position difference of x based on the optical axis of each light receiving lens. The relationship at this time is
x = B · f / L
It can be expressed as a principle formula of triangulation. Further, if an image formed at a position shifted by θ from the optical axis of the light receiving lens 41a is used, the distance of a subject existing at a position shifted from the optical axis of the light receiving lens 41a can also be obtained.
[0034]
Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, by arranging the sensor arrays side by side in the vertical direction in the drawing, the distance measuring unit 4 can provide a plurality of distance measuring areas (distance measuring areas 43 to 45) in the vertical direction in the drawing. By using the distance measurement areas 43 to 45, a plurality of areas in the screen can be measured as shown in FIG. 6C. If a plurality of areas can be measured in this way, for example, it is possible to divide the screen as shown in FIG. 7 and measure the distance in each area.
[0035]
The control unit 1 controls the driving of the lens driving unit 3 based on the subject distance detected by the distance measuring unit 4 in this manner. As a result, an image of the subject 20 in focus is formed on the image sensor 5.
[0036]
The image pickup device 5 includes an image pickup device such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor and an image pickup circuit (not shown) that drives the image pickup device. The image pickup device 5 converts an image of the formed subject 20 into an electric signal (image signal). I do. After that, the image signal is subjected to analog processing such as noise removal in the image pickup circuit, and then output to the A / D converter 6 in the next stage. The A / D converter 6 converts the image signal input from the image sensor 5 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the digital signal processor 7. The digital signal processing unit 7 is controlled by the control unit 1 to perform image processing such as gamma conversion processing, color balance adjustment, and edge enhancement processing on the input digital image signal to adjust the image output, and to perform predetermined image processing. After digital processing such as digital compression processing using an encoding format is performed, the data is recorded in a camera memory 101a including a built-in semiconductor memory or a detachable semiconductor memory.
[0037]
In addition, the control unit 1 displays the image signal processed by the digital signal processing unit 7 on a display unit 8 including, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD).
[0038]
In the second embodiment, the camera memory 101a has a small size and a small capacity because of the portability required for the camera. Therefore, the camera 101 transfers the image data stored in the camera memory 101a to the server memory 104a, and stores the image data in the server memory 104a. At this time, if all the image data is transferred by one communication, the above-described problem occurs. In the second embodiment, first, the image data stored in the camera memory 101a is first divided by the data dividing unit. At 9, the packet is divided into packets, and the packets are modulated at the modulation / demodulation unit 10 and transmitted as radio waves via the communication unit 11. Conversely, when radio waves are received via the communication unit 11, the modulation / demodulation unit 10 extracts the packet, and then the digital signal processing unit 7 restores the image data.
[0039]
Here, the packet is data obtained by dividing original data into a plurality of pieces and adding header information indicating destination information and source information. When such a packet is communicated, the packet is transmitted to the same location according to the destination information written in the header portion. On the receiving side, the data of the transmitted packets are combined, and the original image data is restored. At the end of the packet to be transmitted, information indicating how and how the original divided data was divided is sent, so that if the packets are arranged in any order, the original data can be restored. Can be determined.
[0040]
When the camera 101 is used as a telephone, the sound input by the user is converted into an electric signal by the sound input unit (microphone) 12 and then converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion unit 6. The audio signal thus converted into a digital signal is compressed in a predetermined encoding format in the digital signal processing unit 7, and then divided into packets in the data division unit 9 as described above. This packet is modulated by the modulation / demodulation unit 10 and then transmitted from the communication unit 11 as a radio wave. Conversely, when a radio wave is received via the communication unit 11, the modulation / demodulation unit 10 extracts the packet and then restores the audio data in the digital signal processing unit 7. Thereafter, the audio data is converted into an analog audio signal by the D / A converter 13 and reproduced as audio via the audio output unit (speaker) 14.
[0041]
Next, the operation of the system after the image data is transmitted from the communication unit 11 will be described.
[0042]
The data transmitted from the communication unit 11 in FIG. 5 is received by the base station 102, the PC 105, or the indoor stationary telephone (indoor stationary terminal) 106 generally called a master unit. The indoor stationary terminal 106 is connected to an exchange 108 via a dedicated line, and the exchange 108 is controlled by a control device 109 to switch the line.
[0043]
On the other hand, the base station 102 is connected to the connection device 107 via a line such as ISDN, for example, and further connected to the exchange 108 via the connection device 107.
[0044]
The control device 109 controls the exchange 108. The control device 109 periodically communicates with the camera 101 via the base station 102 in order to grasp the position of the user, and registers and updates the position information of the camera 101. By controlling the exchange 108 based on the registered position information, the control device 109 can grasp the position of the camera 101 even if the user moves, and can correctly control the line switching.
[0045]
Further, the exchange 108 can be connected to the Internet 111 via a provider 110. From the Internet 111, the server 104 can be accessed.
[0046]
The main computer of the server 104 restores the original image data by extracting and combining the data portions from all the transmitted packets, and restores the restored image data according to the source information written in the header portion of the packet. It is stored in the server memory 104a.
[0047]
The data to be transferred from the camera 101 via the exchange 108 is stored in advance in a storage unit external to the camera managed by a provider or server desired by the user according to the destination information written in the header. .
[0048]
Further, another service can be received from the server 104. For example, the album creating unit 104b can request to create an electronic album based on the transmitted image data. In the photo printing unit 104c, the transmitted image is printed out as a photo, and the user 21 can request that the photo be delivered. In addition, the mail attachment distribution unit 104d can transmit, for example, an electronic mail with an image file attached to a personal computer or the like owned by the sender.
[0049]
Next, control of the control unit 1 in the camera with a communication function according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, the image data compression ratio is changed in a case where image data is transmitted quickly and reliably to a specific party, instead of transmitting with a high compression ratio in an emergency, An example in which compressed image data is divided and transmitted will be described. Here, it is assumed that the camera has a photographing mode for photographing an image and a telephone mode for talking. First, control in the shooting mode will be described with reference to FIG.
[0050]
In this shooting mode, the control unit 1 measures the subject distance using the distance measuring unit 4 (Step S21). Next, the control unit 1 controls the lens driving unit 3 based on the measurement result of the subject distance to focus the photographing lens 2 (step S22). Thereafter, exposure control is performed (step S23).
[0051]
Next, the control unit 1 determines whether or not it has been set to transmit the captured image data to the specific partner (step S24), and determines that the setting has been set to transmit the captured image data to the specific partner. In this case, data indicating transmission to the specific partner is added (step S25), and the process proceeds to step S26. On the other hand, when it is determined that the photographed image data is not to be transmitted to the specific partner, the process proceeds to step S26.
[0052]
Then, after the photographed image data is stored in the camera memory 101a (step S26), the control of the photographing mode is ended.
[0053]
Next, control in the telephone mode will be described with reference to FIGS. In the telephone mode, the control unit 1 determines whether a call is currently being made or a call start operation has been performed (step S31). This determination is made periodically during the subsequent processing.
[0054]
When it is determined in step S31 that no call is currently being made, the control unit 1 communicates with the base station 102, the PC 105, and the indoor stationary terminal 106 to detect the current communication state (step S31). S32). This is an operation of transmitting a signal from the camera 101 to the base station 102, the PC 105, and the indoor stationary terminal 106, and receiving a response signal. Thus, even when the camera 101 receives data from the outside, the line is connected via the base station closest to the camera 101, and the data can be received.
[0055]
When the indoor stationary terminal 106 receives a signal from the camera 101, the indoor terminal 106 transmits a signal notifying that the signal has been received to the camera 101. The camera 101 determines from the content of the received signal whether or not the indoor stationary terminal 106 is nearby (step S33). If it is determined in step S33 that the indoor stationary terminal 106 is present nearby, the control unit 1 determines whether the image data stored in the camera memory 101a is to be installed indoors without dividing the image data into packets. It transmits to the type terminal 106 (step S34), and after the transmission is completed, the process proceeds to step S50. That is, the indoor stationary terminal 106 generally has a short communicable distance. Therefore, when the indoor stationary terminal 106 can communicate with the indoor stationary terminal 106, the user 21 is located near the indoor stationary terminal 106 as shown in FIG. It is considered that communication will not be interrupted on the way. In such a situation where stable communication can be performed, image data is transmitted by continuous communication without being divided into packets. The image data transmitted to the indoor stationary terminal 106 in this manner is stored in the server memory 104a in the server 104 via the Internet 111. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S33 that the indoor stationary terminal 106 is not nearby, basically, continuous data transmission is not performed.
[0056]
If it is determined in step S31 that a call is in progress or that a call is started, the control unit 1 detects a radio wave state (step S35). Next, it is determined whether or not the image data is for transmission of a specific party, that is, whether or not data indicating that it is for transmission of a specific party is added to the image data (step S36). As a result of the determination in step S36, when it is determined that the transmission is not for the transmission of the specific partner, the process proceeds to step S40. On the other hand, when it is determined that the signal is for specific-party transmission, the control unit 1 performs the second detection of the radio wave state (step S37), and performs the detection between the first radio wave state detection and the second radio wave state detection. Then, it is determined whether or not the radio wave state has changed significantly (step S38). As a result of the determination in step S38, when it is determined that there is almost no change in the radio wave state, the process proceeds to step S40. On the other hand, when determining that the change in the radio wave state is large, the control unit 1 sets the compression ratio of the image data higher than the current compression ratio (step S39). That is, if the radio wave condition is not stable, the communication may fail unless the communication is terminated as soon as possible. Therefore, the compression rate of the image data is increased to shorten the communication time.
[0057]
Next, the control unit 1 detects a communication state (step S40) and determines whether or not the current communication state is good (step S41). If it is determined in step S41 that the communication state is good, the control unit 1 causes the display unit 8 to display a character display or the like indicating that the communication state is good (step S42). Then, the operation enters a standby state for inputting a telephone number, a mail address, a mail text, and the like (step S43). In this operation standby state, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the line is being connected (step S44). If it is determined in step S44 that the line is not connected, the control unit 1 determines whether the communication state is good for a predetermined time (step S45). For example, at the time of inputting an e-mail message, communication is not performed for a predetermined time, and the camera simply functions as an input device. During this time, if the communication state is good for a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S47. That is, in this case, it is determined that the moving speed of the user is low and the possibility of communication interruption is small, and the image data is transmitted. However, if data is transmitted for a long time during a call, the connection to the line may be affected, or the user may suddenly move to a place where radio waves cannot reach. Send.
[0058]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S44 that the line is being connected, it is unlikely that the user will dare go to a place where the communication state is poor, so the image data is transmitted by packet communication in this case as well. That is, when it is determined in step S44 that the line is being connected, it is determined whether data is currently being received (step S46). Here, "during reception of data" means the timing at which the other party of the telephone is talking. If it is determined in step S46 that data is not being received, the process returns to step S43. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S46 that data is being received, the process proceeds to step S47.
[0059]
That is, if it is determined in step S45 that the communication state is good for a predetermined time or if it is determined in step S46 that data is being received, the control unit 1 divides the image data into packets. It transmits to base station 102 (step S47). Next, the control unit 1 determines whether the transmission of the image data has been completed (step S48). If it is determined that the transmission of the image data has been completed, the process proceeds to step S50. On the other hand, if it is determined that the transmission of the image data has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S43.
[0060]
If it is determined in step S41 that the communication state is poor, the control unit 1 issues a warning to the user (step S49), and ends the control of this flowchart.
[0061]
After the transmission of the image data is completed, the control unit 1 determines whether or not a notification of the completion of the image data storage has been received from the server 104 (step S50). If it is determined in step S50 that the notification of the completion of the storage of the image data has not been received, for example, it is determined that there is a request for the missing packet from the server 104, the process proceeds to step S31. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S50 that the notification of the completion of the image data storage has been received from the server 104, the control unit 1 displays the fact on the display unit 8 (step S51). Note that this display need not be performed during a call or the like. Next, the control unit 1 determines whether or not an erasing operation of the image data has been performed by the user (step S52). The data is erased (step S53). Thereafter, the control of this flowchart ends.
[0062]
Next, the image data transmission in step S47 will be described with reference to FIGS. That is, in the image data transmission in step S47, the priority at the time of image data transmission is determined for each of the divided areas as shown in FIG. 7, and the image data is divided and transmitted according to the determined priority. I do.
[0063]
First, with reference to FIG. 11, the control when determining the priority of image data transmission will be described. After capturing the image, the control unit 1 determines whether the area currently being determined is an area without contrast (step S61). If it is determined in step S61 that the region is a region having no contrast, the control unit 1 determines that the subject distance L in the region is equal to the predetermined distance L ₀ It is determined whether or not it is farther (step S62). As a result of this determination, the subject distance L becomes the predetermined distance L ₀ If it is determined that the priority is lower, the control unit determines that the priority of the image data transmission corresponding to the area is low (step 63).
[0064]
On the other hand, in the determination in step S62, when it is determined that the area has a contrast, or when the subject distance L is equal to the predetermined distance L ₀ If it is determined that the area is closer than the threshold, the control unit determines that the priority at the time of transmission of the area is high (step 64).
[0065]
After determining the priority of the area, the control unit determines whether the determination has been completed for all areas (step S65). In this determination, if it is determined that the determination has not been completed for all areas, another area is selected (step S66), and the process returns to step S61.
[0066]
Here, there are various image data transmission methods. For example, as shown in FIG. 12A, when transmission is sequentially performed from the upper left of the screen, the line is disconnected during transmission. Then, there is a possibility that the image data of the area where the person 20 exists cannot be transmitted. Therefore, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12B, first, the area 51 where the person exists is transmitted, and then the other areas 52 and 53 are transmitted. By doing so, it is possible to reliably transmit image data in a high priority area where the main subject is present in a good communication state, and reduce damage even if the line is disconnected halfway. . Of course, the number of divisions may be increased (here, nine divisions) as shown in FIG. The control of image data transmission as described above is performed as shown in FIG.
[0067]
That is, for the area divided as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit first determines whether the priority of the area 43L (upper left area) is high (step S71). If it is determined in step S71 that the priority of the area 43L is low, the area 43L is added to the "remaining area" to be transmitted at once (step S72). On the other hand, when it is determined that the priority of the area 43L is high, the transmission is performed (step S73).
[0068]
Thereafter, the same processing is performed for all areas (steps S74 to S88). After transmission is performed for each area in this manner, finally, image data of the remaining area is transmitted (step S89). Since the image data in the remaining area has low priority, even if the communication fails, the damage is not so large.
[0069]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, the screen is divided into a plurality of regions, the priority at the time of transmitting image data is determined based on the distance and the contrast, and the image data is transmitted in descending order of priority. . That is, image data in a high priority area can be transmitted reliably, and safe data transfer is possible.
[0070]
Here, the high priority area is defined as a high contrast area or a short distance area.However, for example, as the area is closer to the center area of the screen, the transmission priority becomes higher or the brightness in the screen becomes higher. The priority may be changed according to the degree. Further, the number of areas to be divided is not limited to nine. Further, the contour of a person may be detected, and the priority may be changed between inside and outside of the contour.
[0071]
[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The third embodiment is an example in which the image data is transmitted by switching the compression method when transmitting the image data. When performing compression in order to reduce the data size, a method of selecting only a specific region of image data and discarding the remaining region, a method of thinning out a part of an image captured by an image sensor, There is a method of storing low-frequency components finely in an image and storing high-frequency components roughly according to the sensitivity of the human eye, such as the JPEG method. In the third embodiment, compression is performed by appropriately selecting these compression methods.
[0072]
FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of a camera with a communication function according to the third embodiment. The other configuration is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 14, the camera memory 101a includes a shooting memory (camera memory a) 1010a, a transmission memory (camera memory b) 1010b, and a selection unit 1010c for selecting any of these memories. Have been. The selection in the selection unit 1010c is controlled by the control unit 1.
[0073]
The digital signal processing unit 7 includes a compression unit 7a that changes the compression ratio of image data by a method such as JPEG and a cutout unit 7b that changes the compression ratio by cutting out (extracting) a part of the image data. Is provided. The determination as to which of these is selected to perform image compression is made by the scene determination unit 1a inside the control unit 1. The scene determination unit 1a determines a main subject by making a determination using an image distribution or a distance distribution of the subject incident on the image sensor 5.
[0074]
Next, with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 15, control of the camera with the communication function at the time of compression will be described. First, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the main subject can be determined by the scene determination unit 1a (step S91). As a result of this determination, when it is determined that the main subject can be determined, the control unit 1 cuts out only the region where the main subject exists by the cutout unit 7b, and transmits image data of the cutout region ( Step S92), the control of this flowchart ends. This is to reduce the communication time.
[0075]
On the other hand, when it is determined that the main subject cannot be determined as a result of the determination in step S91, the control unit 1 transmits the image data with the compression ratio of the entire area of the image data increased by the compression unit 7a (step S93). The control ends.
[0076]
After the image data transmission in step S92, if the radio wave state has not changed so much and the communication state is good, the image data of the remaining area may be transmitted.
[0077]
As described above, according to the third embodiment, the image compression method can be switched according to the presence or absence of the main subject, and the image data of the area where the main subject exists can be transmitted more reliably. Can be.
[0078]
Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the present invention. is there.
[0079]
Further, the embodiments described above include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent features. For example, even if some components are deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments, the problems described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved and the effects described in the column of the effect of the invention can be solved. When the effect is obtained, a configuration from which this configuration requirement is deleted can be extracted as an invention.
[0080]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera with a communication function that can quickly and reliably transmit image data by performing appropriate communication according to a communication state.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conceptual configuration of a communication system including a camera with a communication function according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for describing a usage mode of the camera with a communication function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating main control of the camera with a communication function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a usage pattern of a camera with a communication function according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a conceptual configuration of a communication system including a camera with a communication function according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a distance measuring device.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a distance measurement area of the distance measurement device.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating control in a shooting mode of a camera with a communication function according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a first half of a flowchart illustrating control in a telephone mode of the camera with a communication function according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a latter half of a flowchart showing control in a telephone mode of the camera with a communication function according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating control of priority determination.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating transmission of image data according to priority.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating transmission control of image data according to priority.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a camera with a communication function according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating control when transmitting image data.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating control of the camera with a communication function at the time of compressing image data according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
[Description of Signs] 1 ... Control unit, 1a ... Scene judgment unit, 2 ... Shooting lens, 3 ... Lens drive unit, 4 ... Distance measurement unit, 5 ... Imaging element, 6 ... Analog / digital (A / D) conversion unit , 7 ... digital signal processing unit, 7a ... compression unit, 7b ... cutout unit, 8 ... display unit, 9 ... data division unit, 10 ... modulation / demodulation unit, 11 ... communication unit, 12 ... audio input unit, 13 ... digital / Analog (D / A) conversion unit, 14 audio output unit, 15 operation unit, 100 camera (camera) with communication function, 101a camera memory, 102 base station, 104 server, 104a server memory, 104b: album creation unit, 104c: photo printing unit, 104d: mail attachment distribution unit, 105: personal computer (PC), 106: indoor stationary terminal, 107: connecting device, 108: exchange, 109: control device, 1 0 ... provider, 111 ... Internet, 1010a ... camera memory a, 1010b ... camera memory b, 1010c ... selector

Claims (4)

Storage means for storing image data taken via the taking lens,
A compression transmitting unit that detects a communication state of a camera surrounding environment, and changes and transmits a compression ratio of image data stored in the storage unit according to a change in the communication state;
A camera with a communication function, comprising: The compression transmitting unit detects the communication state by detecting the intensity of radio waves around the camera, and when the detected change in the intensity of the radio waves is large, reduces the compression rate of the image data to the current compression rate. 2. The camera with a communication function according to claim 1, wherein the ratio is set higher than the ratio. The compression transmission unit further includes a determination unit that determines whether it is necessary to transmit the image data urgently. When it is determined that the image data needs to be transmitted urgently, the compression of the image data is performed. The camera with a communication function according to claim 1, wherein the compression ratio is set higher than a current compression ratio. Storage means for storing image data taken via the taking lens,
Extracting transmission means for detecting a communication state around the camera, and extracting and transmitting a part of the image data stored in the storage means in accordance with a change in the communication state;
A camera with a communication function, comprising:

Images