JP2005102106A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera which facilitates setting of an interval between continuous shooting in photographing consecutive shot images. <P>SOLUTION: The camera main body is provided with a piezoelectric element 74 having polarization disposed in a thickness direction and being deformable with softness in the thickness direction; means (75, 76) for comparing an electromotive voltage generated by pressing the piezoelectric element with n-pieces of thresholds (SL1, SL2), and taking a comparison result signal of each threshold as n-stages of operation signals (Sa, Sb); a conversion means for converting the optical image of a subject into periodic image data, and outputting the image data; a consecutive shot image generating means for sequentially recording the image data periodically outputted from the converting means to generate the consecutive shot images; and a control means for variably controlling the interval of the consecutive shot images corresponding to the n-stages of operation signals. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera, and more particularly to an electronic camera capable of recording continuous shot images in addition to still images.

  An electronic camera converts an optical image of a subject into electrical image data using an imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS, and records the image data as a still image in a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory. In recent years, in such an electronic camera, as the capacity of a storage device is increased and the image processing performance is improved, not only a still image but also a so-called continuous shot image (which includes a large number of still images continuous in time) It is also possible to record moving images or simple moving images). For example, in the electronic camera described in Patent Document 1, if the mode setting switch is switched from “still image mode” to “continuous shooting image mode”, a predetermined continuous shooting interval (for example, for example, while the release button is pressed) 4 images / second), and still images can be recorded.

  In addition, when playing back a recorded continuous shot image, this electronic camera is the one that seems to have the best shooting conditions (contrast, focus, exposure, etc.) among many still images constituting the continuous shot image. Still images can be selectively read out and reproduced and displayed on an electronic viewfinder, or externally output for printout or the like.

JP 2001-8135 ([0026]-[0034], [0059]-[0060], FIG. 2)

However, in the above prior art,
(1) The continuous shooting interval is a fixed value (for example, 4 shots / second), and there is no mention of changing the continuous shooting interval at all. According to this method, each of the above-mentioned prior art displays a system menu each time it is necessary to change the continuous shooting interval. Since it is necessary to select a desired item from the list and further select a desired continuous shooting interval value, it is troublesome and troublesome.
(2) Also, every time switching from still image shooting to continuous shooting or vice versa, you must release the release button and operate the mode setting switch. Troublesome and cumbersome,
(3) In addition, a specific still image in the continuous shot image can be selected, but since the intention of the photographer is not reflected at all in the selection condition, an unintended still image is selected. There are problems such as.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to facilitate the setting of the continuous shooting interval, and to switch between continuous shooting image recording and still image recording only by adjusting the strength of a predetermined button operation, Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera that can record an arbitrary still image at a desired time even during continuous image recording, by adjusting the strength.

The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera body has a piezoelectric element that is polarized in the thickness direction and is deformable with flexibility in the thickness direction, and n electromotive voltages generated by pressing the piezoelectric element. Means for extracting a comparison result signal with each threshold value as an n-stage operation signal, conversion means for converting an optical image of a subject into periodic image data, and the conversion Continuous-shot image generation means for sequentially recording image data periodically output from the means to generate a continuous-shot image, and variably controlling the continuous-shot interval of the continuous-shot image according to the n-stage operation signal And a control means for performing the above.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the first aspect, the piezoelectric element is formed by laminating a plurality of film- or sheet-shaped piezoelectric elements.
The electronic camera according to claim 3 is the electronic camera according to claim 2, wherein the film-like or sheet-like piezoelectric element is a piezo film.
The electronic camera according to claim 4 is the electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the continuous shooting interval becomes shorter as the electromotive force generated by pressing the piezoelectric element becomes larger, and the number of recorded images per time Is characterized by an increase.
The electronic camera according to claim 5 generates an electromotive voltage in the piezoelectric element by applying an operation force of a release button to the piezoelectric element on the camera body, and compares the electromotive voltage with n threshold values. A conversion unit that incorporates a release device configured to extract a comparison result signal with a threshold value as an n-stage operation signal, converts an optical image of a subject into periodic image data, and the conversion unit Still image recording means for recording a single image data output from as a still image, and a moving image recording means for recording a plurality of image data output from the conversion means as a moving image, the piezoelectric element When a moving image is recorded in response to a first operation signal corresponding to a relatively small electromotive force generated when the configured release device is lightly pressed, and the release device is further pushed Characterized by recording a still image in response to the second operation signal corresponding to a relatively large electromotive force generated.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the fifth aspect, the moving image is continuously recorded while the second operation signal is continuously output.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the fifth aspect, when the second operation signal is output Na times, recording of a moving image is started, and the second operation signal is output Nb times. Then, the moving image recording is ended.
The electronic camera according to claim 8, wherein an electromotive force is generated by the piezoelectric element by applying an operation force of a release button to the piezoelectric element on the camera body, and the electromotive voltage is compared with n threshold values. A conversion unit that incorporates a release device configured to extract a comparison result signal with a threshold value as an n-stage operation signal, converts an optical image of a subject into periodic image data, and the conversion unit Still image recording means for recording a single image data output from as a still image, and a moving image recording means for recording a plurality of image data output from the conversion means as a moving image, the piezoelectric element When a still image is recorded in response to a first operation signal corresponding to a relatively small electromotive force generated when the configured release device is lightly pressed, and the release device is further pushed In response to the second operation signal corresponding to a relatively large electromotive force generated to and recording the moving image.
The electronic camera according to claim 9 is the electronic camera according to claim 5 or 8, wherein the resolution of the still image recorded by the still image recording unit is recorded by the moving image recording unit. It is characterized by being higher than the resolution of the image.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera in which a release operation unit is thinned by using a piezoelectric element, and a moving image or continuous shooting mode and a still image shooting mode can be selected with a single release device. A piezoelectric element that is polarized in the thickness direction and has flexibility in the thickness direction and can be deformed on the camera body, and a release that extracts a plurality of operation signals according to an electromotive force generated by pressing the piezoelectric element. A first mode for capturing a moving image or a continuous shot image having a relatively low resolution, and a still image having a relatively high resolution, in accordance with the magnitude of the operation signal of the means, the imaging means, and the release means Control means for selectively executing the second mode; and processing image data photographed by the photographing means in response to a plurality of operation signals generated by the release means; Image processing means for performing recording processing as a moving image or continuous shooting with a relatively low resolution in the mode and recording processing for a still image with a relatively high resolution in the second mode. .
An electronic camera according to an eleventh aspect of the invention is the electronic camera according to the tenth aspect, further comprising means for recording sound, and the imaging means is configured to perform a first mode and a second mode in response to an operation of the release means. The audio data is continuously recorded even when the camera is switched during shooting.
The electronic camera according to claim 12 is the electronic camera according to claim 10, wherein the moving image or continuous shot image having a relatively low resolution and the still image having a relatively high resolution are stored in one file. Features.
The electronic camera according to claim 13 is the electronic camera according to claim 11, further comprising a moving image or continuous shot image having a relatively low resolution, the still image having a relatively high resolution, and audio data in one file. It is characterized by having been stored in.
The electronic camera according to claim 14 is the electronic camera according to claim 11, wherein the relatively high resolution still image is captured while the relatively low resolution moving image or continuous image is captured. Audio data is continuously recorded.

According to the electronic camera of the first aspect, the camera body is provided with a piezoelectric element that is polarized in the thickness direction and is deformable with flexibility in the thickness direction, and an electromotive voltage generated by pressing the piezoelectric element. Means for comparing with n threshold values and taking out a comparison result signal with each threshold value as an n-stage operation signal is provided, and an optical image of the subject is converted into periodic image data and output. A continuous-shot image generating unit that sequentially records image data periodically output from the conversion unit to generate a continuous-shot image; and the continuous-shot image corresponding to the n-stage operation signal. And control means for variably controlling the continuous shooting interval, so that an n-stage operation signal corresponding to the pressing force of the piezoelectric element is generated, and the continuous shooting interval of the continuous image is variable according to the magnitude of the operation signal. Can be controlled. Therefore, when the continuous shooting interval is widened, priority can be given to reducing the file size of continuous shot images, while when the continuous shooting interval is narrowed, priority can be given to motion. As a result, whether to give priority to “file size” or “movement” can be set very simply by simply adjusting the force of the fingertip (adjusting the pressing force).
According to the electronic camera of the second aspect, since a plurality of piezoelectric sheets are stacked, an electromotive voltage having a sufficient magnitude corresponding to the number of stacked layers can be obtained.
According to the electronic camera of claim 3, since a piezoelectric film is used for the piezoelectric sheet, superior flexibility, impact resistance, high voltage resistance, compared with a hard piezoelectric element (piezoceramic etc.), Water resistance and chemical stability can be obtained.
According to the electronic camera of claim 4, the continuous shooting interval decreases as the electromotive force generated by pressing the piezoelectric element increases, that is, as the fingertip force (pressing force) increases. Since the number of recorded images per hour is increased, it is possible to become familiar with the intuitive operation of the photographer. In other words, many photographers who are shooting continuous shot images pay attention to the point of unconsciously increasing the force (pressing force) of their fingertips when they become points of interest, and respond to such operational trends. In this way, continuous motion image capturing with “motion” priority is performed, so that it is possible to provide a continuous shooting interval variable characteristic that is extremely easy to use. .
According to the electronic camera of claim 5, an electromotive voltage is generated in the camera body by applying an operation force of a release button to the piezoelectric element, and the electromotive voltage is compared with n threshold values. A release unit configured to extract a comparison result signal with each threshold value as an n-stage operation signal, a conversion unit that converts an optical image of a subject into periodic image data, and outputs the converted image data; A still image recording unit that records a single image data output from the conversion unit as a still image, and a moving image recording unit that records a plurality of image data output from the conversion unit as a moving image, and A moving image is recorded in response to a first operation signal corresponding to a relatively small electromotive force generated when the release device composed of the piezoelectric element is lightly pressed, and the release device is further pressed. Since the still image is recorded in response to the second operation signal corresponding to the relatively large electromotive force generated when the release device is pressed, continuous shooting images are recorded when the release device is pressed one step. Furthermore, if the release device is pressed twice during the continuous shooting image recording, a still image can be recorded. Therefore, it is possible to arbitrarily select recording of continuous shot images and still images simply by changing the pressing force of the release device, and operability can be improved. Incidentally, in the present invention, continuous shooting images are recorded by pressing the release device one step, and still images are recorded by pressing two steps. This is because many photographers who are shooting continuous shot images pay attention to the point of unconsciously increasing the force (pressing force) of their fingertips when they become points to be noted.
According to the electronic camera of the sixth aspect, since the moving image is continuously recorded while the second operation signal is continuously output, the recording time of the continuous shot image is set to the photographer. Can be freely set according to the intuitive operation [the photographer who wishes to record the still image as a continuous shot image unconsciously increases the force (pressing force) of the fingertip].
According to the electronic camera of claim 7, recording of a moving image is started when the second operation signal is output Na times, and recording of the moving image is started when the second operation signal is output Nb times. Since the process is terminated, the convenience of operability when recording continuously shot images for a long time can be achieved. That is, maintaining a strong fingertip force (pressing force) over a long period of time is somewhat troublesome, but the determination of the timing of starting and ending the recording of continuous shot images is performed by the number of times of the second operation signal (Na , Nb), it is not necessary to maintain such force, and operability can be improved.
According to the electronic camera of claim 8, an electromotive force is generated by the piezoelectric element by applying an operation force of a release button to the piezoelectric element, and the electromotive voltage is compared with n threshold values. A release unit configured to extract a comparison result signal with each threshold value as an n-stage operation signal, a conversion unit that converts an optical image of a subject into periodic image data, and outputs the converted image data; Still image recording means for recording a single image data output from the conversion means as a still image, and a moving image recording means for recording a plurality of image data output from the conversion means as a moving image, the piezoelectric A still image is recorded in response to a first operation signal corresponding to a relatively small electromotive force generated when the release device composed of elements is lightly pressed, and the release device is further pushed in. Since the moving image is recorded in response to the second operation signal corresponding to the relatively large electromotive force generated at the time, the still image is recorded when the release device is pressed one step, and If the release device is pressed twice during the still image recording, continuous shot images can be recorded. Accordingly, recording of still images and continuous shot images can be arbitrarily selected by simply changing the pressing force of the release device, and operability can be improved. Incidentally, in the present invention, a still image is recorded by pressing the release device one step, and a continuous shot image is recorded by pressing the release device two steps. This is because a photographer who wishes to record the still image as a continuous shot image while taking a still image pays attention to increasing the fingertip force (pressing force) unconsciously.
According to the electronic camera of the ninth aspect, a high-resolution still image can be recorded as necessary during low-resolution moving image recording.
According to the electronic camera of the tenth aspect, in response to a plurality of operation signals generated by the release means, the image data photographed by the photographing means is converted into a moving image or continuous image having a relatively low resolution in the first mode. Since it is recorded as a copy and a still image with a relatively high resolution is recorded in the second mode, a still image with a relatively high resolution is recorded at an arbitrary timing during moving image or continuous shooting. Can do.
According to the electronic camera of the eleventh aspect, even when a still image is recorded during moving image or continuous shooting, sound can be recorded without interruption.
According to the electronic camera of the twelfth aspect, a moving image or continuous shot image and a still image recorded during the moving image or continuous shooting can be combined into one file.
According to the electronic camera of the thirteenth aspect, it is possible to combine a moving image or continuous shot image, a still image recorded during the moving image or continuous shooting, and a sound into one file.
According to the electronic camera of the fourteenth aspect, even when a still image is recorded during moving image or continuous shooting, the sound can be recorded without interruption.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the specific details or examples in the following description and the illustrations of numerical values, character strings, and other symbols are only for reference in order to clarify the idea of the present invention, and the present invention may be used in whole or in part. Obviously, the idea of the invention is not limited. In addition, a well-known technique, a well-known procedure, a well-known architecture, a well-known circuit configuration, and the like (hereinafter, “well-known matter”) are not described in detail, but this is also to simplify the description. Not all or part of the matter is intentionally excluded. Such well-known matters are known to those skilled in the art at the time of filing of the present invention, and are naturally included in the following description.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the embodiment. In this figure, 73 is a release button and 74 is a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element 74 is deformed (deflection or distortion) corresponding to the magnitude of the unidirectional operation force of the release button 73 (generally, an operation force in the push-down direction; hereinafter simply referred to as “operation force”) Pb. The electromotive voltage generated in the piezoelectric element 74 (electric signal E proportional to the magnitude of deformation) is n comparison circuits (not particularly limited, but here two comparison circuits (hereinafter referred to as first and second comparison circuits)). The second comparison circuits 75 and 76) are compared with the individual threshold values SL1 and SL2, respectively. Now, when SL1 <SL2, E, SL1 and SL2 can take one of the following three relationships. The threshold values SL1 and SL2 are arbitrary values that exceed Emin and less than Emax, where Emin is the minimum value of the electromotive voltage range of the piezoelectric element 74 and Emax is the maximum value.

"Relation 1": E <SL1 <SL2
“Relationship 2”: SL1 <E <SL2
“Relationship 3”: SL1 <SL2 <E

  “Relation 1” is when the piezoelectric element 74 is not deformed or when the amount of deformation is very small, that is, when the release button 73 is not depressed. In contrast, “Relation 2” and “Relation 3” are when the piezoelectric element 74 is deformed, and the degree of deformation is “Relation 2” <“Relation 3”. That is, “Relation 2” corresponds to half-pressing of the release button 73, and “Relation 3” corresponds to full-pressing of the release button 73. Therefore, by using the output signal Sa of the first comparison circuit 75 as a “half-press signal” and using the output signal Sb of the second comparison circuit 76 as a “full-press signal”, the signal Sa is made active. Pre-focus and automatic exposure can be performed in response, and an image can be captured in response to the activation of the signal Sb. Therefore, a multistage operation type release function in a general electronic camera can be realized.

  In addition, as described above, the half-press signal Sa and the full-press signal Sb are generated by comparing the electric signal E with the threshold values (SL1, SL2). If this is desired, the demand can be met very easily by simply changing the threshold values (SL1, SL2).

  In the illustrated example, the operation force Pb of the release button 73 is applied to the piezoelectric element 74, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 6B, an operation force (operation force Pb by the fingertip 77) may be directly applied to the piezoelectric element 74. When configured in this manner, the piezoelectric element 74 and the fingertip 77 may be in direct contact with each other, that is, the surface of the piezoelectric element 74 may be exposed, but the electrical insulation of the piezoelectric element 74 In consideration of prevention of damage and damage, it is desirable to protect the surface of the piezoelectric element 74 by covering it with a film-like insulating sheet or the like.

  FIG. 2A is a structural diagram of a camera release device 78 using the above principle. The camera release device 78 has a box-shaped case 79. The inside of the case 79 is divided into a wide opening width portion A and a lower half a narrow opening width portion B with a stepped portion 79a formed on the inner surface thereof as a boundary. The element 80 and the elastic body 81 are accommodated in the narrow opening width portion B, respectively. The role of the elastic body 81 is to give a deformation restoring force to the piezoelectric element 80. In this regard, when the piezoelectric element 80 itself has a deformation restoring force, it is not necessary to provide the elastic body 81. That is, the narrow opening width portion B may be left as a space. In this case, the narrow opening width portion B functions as a deformation allowable space of the piezoelectric element 80.

  Furthermore, a hole 79b is formed in the upper surface of the case 79 (upper and lower directions are the directions when facing the drawing). A release button 82 is inserted into the hole 79 b so as to be retractable, and a bottom surface 82 a of the release button 82 is in contact with an upper surface of the piezoelectric element 80. Here, when the height of the inside of the case 79 is H1, the thickness of the piezoelectric element 80 is H2, the thickness of the elastic body 81 is H3, and the thickness of the bottom surface 82a of the release button 82 is H4, H2, H3 and It is preferable that the added value of H4 is the same as H1 or slightly higher than H1. This is because rattling of the release button 82 is eliminated.

  2B and 2C are structural diagrams of the piezoelectric element 80. FIG. The piezoelectric element is an element having a piezoelectric effect (a voltage is generated when a deformation is applied) and a reverse piezoelectric effect (a deformation is applied when a voltage is applied). Piezoelectric is sometimes called electrostriction. In general, both (piezoelectric / electrostrictive) are strictly understood as heterogeneous properties. In terms of electrical characteristics, a material with a wide linear region with a large coercive electric field is a piezoelectric element, and the coercive electric field is very small, with a quadratic curve approximation. Although what is expressed is classified as an electrostrictive element, the present embodiment does not distinguish between the two (piezoelectric / electrostrictive). In this specification, “deformation”, “strain”, and “deflection (deflection)” are treated as synonyms.

  The piezoelectric element 80 is composed of a film-like piezoelectric sheet 80a, and is preferably a stack of n piezoelectric sheets 80a. The electromotive force can be increased by stacking a plurality of sheets. Of course, you can use just one. Examples of the piezoelectric sheet 80a are not particularly limited, but include the PDT series (see http://www.t-sensor.co.jp/PIEZO/FDT/) and DT series manufactured by MSI (Measurement Specialties. Inc), USA. (See http://www.t-sensor.co.jp/PIEZO/DT/) “Piezo film” can be used.

  The piezo film is made by printing metal thin films 80c and 80d on both sides of a plastic PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) film 80b. The polarization is in the thickness direction of the plastic PVDF film 80b. A voltage corresponding to the magnitude of strain in the polarization direction is generated between the metal thin films 80c and 80d on both sides by the piezoelectric effect. Piezo film is a piezoelectric element with good workability, large area, and easy thinning. Superior flexibility, impact resistance, and high voltage resistance compared to conventional hard piezoelectric elements (piezo ceramics, etc.). Has water resistance and chemical stability. In addition to the piezoelectric film, for example, a sheet-like ceramic piezoelectric element can be used.

  Lead electrodes 80e and 80f are attached to both short sides of the piezoelectric element 80, respectively, and one lead electrode 80e and one electrode of each piezoelectric sheet 80a (for example, the metal thin film 80c on the upper surface side) are connected. The other lead electrode 80f and the other electrode of the piezoelectric sheet 80a (for example, the metal thin film 80d on the lower surface side) are connected. Thereby, n piezoelectric sheets 80a are connected in parallel between the extraction electrodes 80e and 80f to increase the electromotive force. A wiring 83 is taken out from one of the extraction electrodes 80e and 80f, and a wiring 84 is taken out from the other of the extraction electrodes 80e and 80f, and is proportional to the amount of depression of the release button 82 from these wirings 83 and 84. The electric signal E having the magnitude as described above is output. Then, the electric signal E is input to two comparison circuits (first and second comparison circuits 85 and 86), and the first and second comparison circuits 85 and 86 respectively have individual threshold values (SL1 and SL2). ), The half-press signal Sa is activated when E> SL1, and the full-press signal Sb is activated when E> SL2.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the operation of the camera release device 78. Now, when a force Pb in the push-down direction is applied to the release button 82, the piezoelectric element 80 bends in the direction in which the force Pb is applied. The magnitude of the deflection is determined by the magnitude of the force Pb and the amount of compressive deformation of the elastic body 81. If the force Pb is small, the deflection of the piezoelectric element 80 is small, and if the force Pb is large, the deflection of the piezoelectric element 80 is large. However, it is natural that the amount of deflection of the piezoelectric element 80 reaches a peak near the limit point of compression deformation of the elastic body 81.

  As described above, since the piezoelectric element 80 generates a charge proportional to the stress when it is applied, the piezoelectric element 80 given the above-mentioned “deflection” has a voltage proportional to the magnitude of the deflection (E ) Is output via the wirings 83 and 84. The electric signal E changes linearly according to the magnitude of the force Pb as shown in FIG. 4B, and reaches a peak (limit level) near the limit point of compression deformation of the elastic body 81. Therefore, if the release button 82 is not pressed, the output signal E can be set to almost 0V, and if the release button 82 is pressed slightly, an output of 0V or more corresponding to the amount of pressing is obtained. The signal E can be obtained, and if pressed more strongly, the output signal E having a larger voltage value with the limit level as the maximum value can be generated.

  Thus, the camera release device 78 can generate an analog output voltage E that changes steplessly in accordance with the magnitude of the force Pb applied to the release button 82. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3B, by comparing the two threshold values (SL1, SL2; SL1 <SL2) having appropriate sizes with the output signal E, “Relation 1” → “ Three states of E <SL1 <SL2 ”,“ Relation 2 ”→“ SL1 <E <SL2 ”and“ Relation 3 ”→“ SL1 <SL2 <E ”can be taken.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation flowchart of the camera release device 78. In this flowchart, first, it is determined whether or not the comparison result of the first comparison circuit 85 of the camera release device 78 is “E> SL1” (step S201). If “E> SL1” is not satisfied, it is determined that the state of the above “relation 1”, that is, the release button 82 is not depressed or the amount of depression is very small, and the flowchart ends. If “> SL1”, it is next determined whether or not the comparison result of the second comparison circuit 86 is “E> SL2” (step S202). If “E> SL2” is not satisfied, it is determined that the state of “Relation 2”, that is, the release button 82 is in a half-pressed state, and the half-press signal Sa is activated (Step S203). If “E> SL2”, it is determined that the state of the above “relation 3”, that is, the release button 82 is fully pressed, the full press signal Sb is activated (step S204), and the flowchart is ended.

  As described above, the camera release device 78 causes the piezoelectric element 80 to be deformed by using the pressing operation force Pb of the release button 82 to generate the electric signal E, and the electric signal E and the threshold value (SL1, SL2). And the half-press signal Sa and the full-press signal Sb are generated, and the following effects are obtained. Now, when it is desired to change the half-press stroke amount of the release button 82 (the operation amount from the non-depressed state until the half-press signal Sa becomes active), it is easily requested only by changing the magnitude of one threshold value SL1. Similarly, when it is desired to change the full-press stroke amount of the release button 82 (the operation amount from the non-depressed state until the full-press signal Sb becomes active), the other threshold value SL2 is set. The demand can be easily met by changing the size. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform troublesome adjustment (adjustment of mechanical positional relationship) as in the conventional example, and only a simple electrical adjustment makes fine correction of the half-press stroke and full-press stroke of the release button 82. Is advantageous in that it can be performed very easily.

  In the above description, the two-step operation of the half-pressed state and the fully-pressed state is taken as an example, but the development to a multi-step operation of three steps or more can be easily realized. That is, when the number of operation stages is n, n different threshold values (SL1, SL2,..., SLn) and n values for individually comparing the threshold values and the electric signal E are used. The comparison circuit may be provided.

  In the above example, an application example to an electronic camera for still image shooting is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. You may apply to the electronic camera which can image | photograph a moving image in addition to a still image. Here, the video shooting means that an imaging device (CCD, CMOS, etc.) of an electronic camera can output several tens of frame images (for example, 10 to 40 frames / second) per second, Recording of moving images like a digital video camera by continuously storing frame images. Also, there are various moving image methods such as MOTION-JPEG (simple moving image) and MPEG-1, 2, 4, and 7 for fast-forwarding a plurality of still images. So-called continuous shooting may be included. In the following description, unless there are special circumstances, these names (moving image, simple moving image, and continuous shooting image) are not distinguished.

  FIG. 5 is an external view of the electronic camera 87. The electronic camera 87 can capture a moving image in addition to a still image. The electronic camera 87 has a thin main body 88 such as a card shape, and a photographing lens 89, a finder window 90, a strobe light emitting window 91, and the like are arranged at arbitrary positions on the front surface of the main body 88, and the rear surface of the main body 88. A flat display device for confirming an image at an arbitrary position, for example, a liquid crystal display panel 92 and a view window 93 for a finder is provided, and various operation buttons ( Switches). That is, in the illustrated example, a release button 94 for taking a still image is disposed on the upper right side of the main body 88, and a shooting / playback switch 95, a function button 96, a menu button 97, and a display button are provided on the rear right side of the main body 88. 98 and a start / stop button 99 for moving image shooting.

  The functions of these operation buttons (switches) are as follows. First, the release button 94 can be pressed in two steps, half-pressed and fully pressed. Press halfway to set the exposure, focus, and shutter speed of the photographic lens 89, and full press to shoot (record) a still image. Next, the shooting / playback switching switch 95 is for switching the operation mode of the electronic camera 87 between “shooting mode” and “playback mode”. When the photographing mode is set, the electronic camera 87 is in a state in which still images or moving images can be photographed, and in that state, the liquid crystal display panel 92 is in a state in which it can be used as a composition confirmation monitor screen (so-called electronic viewfinder). Become. The electronic viewfinder is turned on / off by a display button 98. Next, the function button 96 is used for selecting and determining various menu items displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 92, selecting a reproduction image, and the like. A push button and a determination push button arranged at the center of the ring-shaped push button are configured. Next, the menu button 97 is for displaying various menus on the liquid crystal display panel 92. The start / stop button 99 is used to instruct the start (start) and end (stop) of moving image shooting when the electronic camera 87 is in the shooting mode. For example, a moving image is shot while the start / stop button 99 is pressed.

  FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of the start / stop button 99. The start / stop button 99 has a box-shaped case 100. The inside of the case 100 is divided into a wide opening width portion A and a lower half a narrow opening width portion B with a stepped portion 100a formed on the inner surface as a boundary. The element 101 and the elastic body 102 are accommodated in the narrow opening width portion B, respectively. The role of the elastic body 102 is to give a deformation restoring force to the piezoelectric element 101. In this respect, when the piezoelectric element 101 itself has a deformation restoring force, it is not necessary to provide the elastic body 102. That is, the narrow opening width portion B may be left as a space. In this case, the narrow opening width portion B functions as a deformation allowable space of the piezoelectric element 101.

  Further, a hole 100b is formed in the upper surface of the case 100 (upper and lower are directions when facing the drawing). The push button 103 is inserted into the hole 100 b so as to be retractable, and the bottom surface 103 a of the push button 103 is in contact with the top surface of the piezoelectric element 101. Here, when the height of the inside of the case 100 is H1, the thickness of the piezoelectric element 101 is H2, the thickness of the elastic body 102 is H3, and the thickness of the bottom surface 103a of the push button 103 is H4, H2, H3 and It is preferable that the added value of H4 is the same as H1 or slightly higher than H1. This is because there is no backlash of the push button 103.

  Wirings 104 and 105 are drawn out from both ends of the piezoelectric element 101, respectively, and an electric signal (hereinafter referred to as “S signal”) having a magnitude proportional to the amount by which the push button 103 is pushed down is provided between the wirings 104 and 105. Output. For the structure of the piezoelectric element 101, refer to FIGS. 2B and 2C as appropriate. The mounting height of the start / stop button 99 having such a structure is a value obtained by adding the plate thickness α × 2 of the case 100 to the height H1 inside the case 100. This value (H1 + 2α) is desirably as small as possible. This is because the thickness of the main body 88 of the electronic camera 87 is influenced.

  In the structure diagram of the start / stop button 99 shown in FIG. 6, the dimensions in the height direction are deformed (substantially enlarged) for convenience of explanation, but the piezoelectric element 101 and the elastic body 102 (or The height of the space (the wide opening width portion A or the narrow opening width portion B) for mounting the deformation allowable space of the piezoelectric element 101 can be made much smaller than that shown in the figure. Therefore, the above value (H1 + 2α) can also be reduced (several mm) to such an extent that the thickness of the main body 88 of the electronic camera 87 can be expressed as “thin”. Thus, since the mounting height (H1 + 2α) of the start / stop button 99 having the above structure can be lowered, the thickness of the main body 88 is not increased even when the electronic camera 87 is incorporated, and the electronic camera 87 is thin. Can be achieved.

  FIG. 7 is an electrical internal block diagram of the electronic camera 87. In this figure, the electronic camera 87 is roughly divided into an imaging block 106 (imaging means), an image generation block 107, a control block 108 (control means, image processing means), a display control block 109, a display block 110, and a storage. Each block of the block 111 is composed of locks. In addition to this, there are power supply blocks including a battery, etc., which are omitted to avoid the congestion shown in the figure.

  The imaging block 106 includes a photographing lens 89, a diaphragm mechanism, and a zoom mechanism if necessary. An image generation block 107 generates and outputs a predetermined frame image signal (here, 30 frame image signals per second) from an imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS, a drive circuit of the device, and an output signal of the device. Including a generation circuit.

  The control block 108 is based on signals from various buttons (switches) such as a release button 94, a shooting / playback switch 95, a function button 96, a menu button 97, a display button 98, and a start / stop button 99, and the electronic camera 87. This is the overall control of the operation. For example, if the shooting / playback switch 95 is switched to the shooting side, the operation of the electronic camera 87 is set to “shooting mode”, and if switched to the playback side, the operation of the electronic camera 87 is set to “playback mode”. Set to "". When the menu button 97 is pressed, the “menu display mode” corresponding to the shooting or playback mode is set. For example, when the function button 96 is pressed during the menu display mode, the menu item is selected or determined. Execute. In addition, when the display button 98 is turned on / off during the shooting mode, the liquid crystal display panel 92 is used (turned on) as an electronic viewfinder or prohibited (turned off). Further, when the release button 94 is pressed during the shooting mode, still image shooting is executed, or when the start / stop button 99 is pressed, moving image shooting is executed.

  The display control block 109 controls display on the liquid crystal display panel 92 of the display block 110 in response to an instruction from the control block 108. For example, a menu is displayed, a captured still image or moving image recorded in the storage block 111 is reproduced and displayed, or a composition confirmation image for an electronic viewfinder (a raw frame output from the image generation block 107 is displayed). Image; so-called through image) is displayed. As described above, the storage block 111 is a part that records and saves electronic data of a shot still image or moving image. The storage block 111 only needs to be capable of storing electronic data in a non-volatile manner (so that the stored data is not lost even when the power is turned off). In general, a semiconductor storage device such as a flash memory is used in consideration of small size and light weight. Although used, other storage devices that store electronic data on the basis of magnetism, optics or other principles may be used. These storage devices are preferably of a type that can be removed from the electronic camera 87 and have a general-purpose shape (for example, an SD / MMC memory card). This is because cooperation with other image processing apparatuses such as a personal computer is possible.

  As described above, the electronic camera 87 can capture a moving image in addition to a still image. Some files 112 to 117 shown in simplified form in the storage block 111 show their electronic data. That is, each of the files 112 to 114 is still image electronic data, and each of the files 115 to 117 is moving image electronic data. Hereinafter, the files 112 to 114 are referred to as “still image files”, and the files 115 to 117 are referred to as “moving image files”.

  The still image files 112 to 114 represent one image (single image output when the release button 94 is fully pressed) out of the frame image signals output from the image generation block 107 as a predetermined general-purpose still image. A file converted into a compressed format (typically JPEG format). In addition, the moving image files 115 to 117 are continuous images within a predetermined time among the frame image signals output from the image generation block 107 (here, X images output while the start / stop button 99 is pressed). Are converted into a predetermined general-purpose moving image compression format (typically MPEG format). Note that the moving image files 115 to 117 are schematically drawn with a slight “thickness” relative to the still image files 112 to 114 in the figure, but this thickness is an image of including X images. It is.

  FIG. 8 is a conceptual structural diagram of the still image files 112 to 114 and the moving image files 115 to 117. Representatively, the still image file 112 includes a header portion 112a and an image portion 112b. The header portion 112a stores image information such as an image number, shooting date and time, shooting conditions, and thumbnails (indexed reduced images). The entity data of the image is stored in the image part 112b.

  As a representative, the moving image file 115 includes X still image planes 115a to 115f and one file information plane 115g. The file information plane 115g includes a file name, a representative index image, a shooting date, a shooting condition, and an image size. In addition to storing information such as the number of continuous shots and continuous shooting time, each of the X still image planes 115a to 115f includes a header portion 115a_1, a time information holding portion 115a_2, and an image portion 115a_3. Information such as a continuous shooting number is stored, time interval information from the previous continuous shooting image is stored in the time information holding unit 115a_2, and entity data of the image is stored in the image unit 115a_3.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the shooting mode processing program executed in the control block 108. In this flowchart, first, it is determined whether or not it is a photographing mode (step S301). When the shooting / playback changeover switch 95 is switched to the shooting side, it is “shooting mode”, and when it is switched to the playback side, it is “playback mode”. When the shooting mode is not set, that is, when the playback mode is set, playback mode processing is executed (step S302). This playback mode process is a process of displaying a captured still image or moving image on the liquid crystal display panel 92, but since it is not directly related to the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, if it is in the shooting mode, the initial value “1” is set in the moving image shooting counter (X) (step S303), and then the output signal (S signal) of the start / stop button 99 is captured (step S303). S304), determines whether the S signal exceeds a predetermined threshold value S ₀ (step S305). Here, the threshold value S ₀ is set to a value smaller than the magnitude of the S signal when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is intentionally pressed. Therefore, when the determination result in step S305 is affirmative (“YES”), this is a time when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is intentionally pressed, that is, the moving image shooting instruction is clearly indicated by the user. It is when it has been issued. On the other hand, when the determination result in step S305 is negative (“NO”), this is a time when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is not pressed, that is, a moving image shooting instruction is issued by the user. In this case, another shooting instruction (still image shooting instruction) is determined (step S306) and processing corresponding to that is executed (step S307). Here, the still image shooting instruction determination (step S306) is performed after the moving image shooting instruction determination (step S305) is performed, but the present invention is not limited to this. The order may be reversed. In other words, the moving image shooting instruction determination may be performed after the still image shooting instruction determination is performed.

  When the user has explicitly issued a moving image shooting instruction (when the determination result in step S305 is “YES”), next, the continuous shooting interval of the moving image is set in accordance with the magnitude of the S signal. (Step S308). Here, the start / stop button 99 outputs an electric signal (S signal) having a magnitude proportional to the amount of depression of the push button 103, as already described. In step S308, the larger the S signal is, the smaller the continuous shooting interval of the moving image is set. The continuous shooting interval refers to a frame image extraction interval extracted from a raw frame image. For example, in the case of 30 frame images per second, the minimum continuous shooting interval is 1/30 [seconds] ≈0.033 [seconds]. In this case, the number of frames to be extracted is maximized, and a good moving image that moves most smoothly is recorded, but there is a disadvantage that the file size of the moving image becomes large. On the other hand, for example, if the continuous shooting interval is set to 2/30 [seconds] ≈0.066 [seconds], a moving image with a slight jerky feeling is recorded, but the file size can be calculated simply. The advantage of halving is obtained.

  In this way, since the smoothness of the motion of the video and the file size are in conflict, if you want to set the continuous shooting interval appropriately depending on which one you want to prioritize, for example, if you do this setting by pressing the menu button 97 each time However, there is a problem in that the troublesomeness of setting cannot be denied, and the responsiveness of shooting is impaired.

  In view of the above points, the continuous shooting interval can be set freely and continuously by simply controlling the pressing of the button for instructing continuous shooting (the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99). . That is, as shown in the frame of step S308, the electronic camera 87 has a data table in which the vertical axis indicates the magnitude of the S signal and the horizontal axis indicates the continuous shooting interval. The continuous shooting interval value corresponding to the size is looked up from this table, and based on the looked-up continuous shooting interval value, the extraction timing of the X-th frame image from the frame image is determined and The recording of the frame image is executed (step S309), and then the process of counting up X (step S310) and then repeating step S304 and subsequent steps is executed again.

  Therefore, when the S signal is small, the continuous shooting interval can be increased to give priority to “file size (reduction)”, while when the S signal is large, the continuous shooting interval is reduced to give priority to “motion”. Moreover, since these continuous shooting intervals can be set simultaneously with the moving image shooting instruction operation (operation of the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99), there is no troublesome setting. A unique effect is obtained in that the responsiveness of shooting is not impaired.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the continuous shooting interval variable. F1 to F7 arranged in the upper row are frame images of raw frame signals. Assuming that the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is kept depressed weakly while F1 to F4 are being output, the S signal during this period becomes a “small value”. For this reason, the continuous shooting interval becomes wider, and frame images corresponding to the continuous shooting interval (for example, F1 and F3 every other frame in the figure) are recorded in the moving image file. Then, if the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is continuously pressed after a certain point in time, the S signal during this period becomes a “large value”. For this reason, the continuous shooting interval is narrowed, and frame images corresponding to the continuous shooting interval (for example, F5, F6, F7 with no frame dropping in the figure) are recorded in the moving image file.

  In this way, since the continuous shooting interval of the moving image can be set freely and steplessly by simply adjusting the operating force of the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99, it does not take time and effort. It is possible to obtain a beneficial effect that a moving image file having a desired continuous shooting interval can be recorded without impairing the responsiveness of moving image shooting.

  Further, in this example, when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is “weakly pressed”, the continuous shooting interval is widened (that is, file size reduction is prioritized), while the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is “strongly pressed”. Since the continuous shooting interval is narrowed (that is, motion motion priority), the variable characteristic of the continuous shooting interval can be adapted to the photographer's intuitive feeling. That is, for example, when shooting a golf swing in the example shown in the movie, many photographers are aware of points of interest (such as the moment of a shot) and precisely capture the movement of those points without dropping frames. In order to achieve this, it is possible to expect an unintentional operation of “strongly pressing” the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99. Therefore, the idea regarding the above-described continuous shooting interval setting in this example (weak press → wide interval, strong “Push → Narrow”) is familiar to the intuitive operation of the photographer, and it is possible to achieve the conflicting propositions of file size reduction priority and video motion priority without special explanation of the operation.

  In the above example, still image shooting and moving image shooting are performed exclusively in accordance with the determination result of step S305 in FIG. That is, only one of still image shooting and moving image shooting is performed. For example, still image shooting cannot be performed during moving image shooting. Such correspondence (exclusive execution of still image shooting and moving image shooting) is not particularly inconvenient when considering general shooting situations. However, for example, a request such as “I want to leave this scene as a high-quality still image” can be considered during movie shooting, but in the above example, such a request is required unless movie shooting is stopped. It is inconvenient in that it cannot respond to. In the example described below, such inconvenience is solved.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of a shooting mode processing program executed by the control block 108. In this flowchart, first, it takes in the S signal (step S401), determines whether the S signal exceeds a predetermined threshold value S ₀ (step S402). As in the above example, the threshold value S ₀ is set to a value smaller than the magnitude of the S signal when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is intentionally pushed. Therefore, when the determination result in step S402 is affirmative (“YES”), this is a time when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is intentionally pressed, that is, the moving image shooting instruction is clearly indicated by the user. It is when it has been issued. On the other hand, when the determination result in step S402 is negative (“NO”), it is a time when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is not pressed, that is, a video shooting instruction is issued by the user. In this case, the flowchart ends. In this case, before the end of the flowchart, continuous shooting flag ON determination processing (step S403), continuous shooting end processing (step S404), continuous shooting flag OFF setting processing (step S405), and the like are executed.

When the user has explicitly issued a moving image shooting instruction (when the determination result in step S402 is “YES”), the magnitude of the S signal and the two threshold values S ₁ and S ₂ are then set. Compare (step S406). The magnitude relationship between the threshold values S ₁ and S ₂ is S ₁ <S ₂ and S ₀ <S ₁ . FIG. 11B is a relationship diagram of these threshold values S ₀ , S ₁ , S ₂ .

The comparison result in step S406 is divided into the following three cases. The first case is when the S signal is greater than or equal to S ₁ and less than S ₂ (“S> S ₁ ”), and the second case is when the S signal is greater than or equal to S ₂ (“S> S ₂ ”). is there. The third case is when the S signal is S ₀ or more and less than S ₁ (“S ₀ <S <S ₁ ”).

The case where the comparison result in step S406 is the first case is when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is intentionally pushed by the user, and the push method of the push button 103 is S. _This is when it is “weakly pressed” to the extent that it does not exceed ₂ . Therefore, in this case, it is determined that this is a time when the user has explicitly issued a moving image shooting instruction, the continuous shooting flag is turned ON (step S407), and continuous shooting is executed (step S408).

When the comparison result in step S406 is the second case, as in the first case, the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is intentionally pressed by the user. This is when the push button 103 is pressed more strongly than in the first case (when the “strong press” is greater than or equal to S ₂ ). Therefore, in this case, it is determined that a still image shooting instruction has been issued explicitly by the user, that is, the user who is shooting a movie issues a request to “keep this scene as a high-quality still image”. The frame image corresponding to the frame signal output from the image generation block 107 at that time is recorded and stored as a high-quality still image. The technical support for “high image quality” still image recording will be described later.

The third case is additionally provided to determine when the user's moving image shooting instruction is “temporarily” disappeared (pause of moving image shooting; when entering a so-called pause state). If this is an explicit instruction to end moving image shooting, the user releases his / her hand from the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99, so that the magnitude of the S signal becomes equal to or less than S ₀ and is easily determined in step S402. Although it is possible, it is not possible to distinguish between “explicit movie shooting end instruction” and “moving pause of movie shooting (pause state)” only by the determination in step S402. By determining the third case, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of “pause of moving image shooting (pause state)” and pass the continuous shooting and still image shooting processing (step S408 and step S409). As a result, it is possible to avoid recording useless scenes particularly during long-time video shooting, and to prevent the storage capacity of the storage block 111 from being compressed.

  According to this example, continuous shooting can be performed while pressing the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 weakly, and the start / stop button 99 is pressed at a desired timing during continuous shooting. By simply pressing the button 103, the frame image at the timing can be recorded as a high-quality still image with one touch. Furthermore, if the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is lightly pressed, moving image shooting can be paused (paused) during that time.

FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory diagram when high-quality still image recording is performed during continuous shooting. F1 to F7 arranged in the upper row are frame images of raw frame signals. Now, if F1 to F4 and F6 and F7 are being output, if the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is kept depressed weakly (S ₂ >S> S ₁ ), these frame images (F 1 to F 1 are displayed). A moving image file including F4, F6, and F7) is generated and recorded. If the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is strongly pressed (S> S ₂ ) when an arbitrary frame image (F5 in the illustrated example) is generated, the image quality corresponding to the frame image F5 is high. A still image file is generated and recorded.

  As described above, in this example, a still image recording of a desired scene during moving image shooting can be performed without pressing the release button 94 each time, and therefore, an electronic camera 87 that is very easy to use is also provided. Can do.

In this example, continuous shooting (moving image shooting) is performed when the button is weakly pressed (S ₂ >S> S ₁ ), and when the button is pressed hard (S> S ₂ ) during the continuous shooting. Although still image shooting is performed, it may be reversed. That is, continuous shooting (moving image shooting) may be performed when pressed hard, and still image shooting may be performed when pressed weakly during continuous shooting. Alternatively, the comparison between the S signal and S ₁ (or S ₂ ) is performed only once in the determination of weak press or strong press. It is desirable to determine from the comparison result. For example, when the state of “S ₂ >S> S ₁ ” continues Na times, moving image shooting is performed, and when the state of “S> S ₂ ” continues Nb times during moving image shooting, still image shooting is performed. Good. Here, Na and Nb are integers of 1 or more, and Na = Nb or Na ≠ Nb.

This idea can also be applied to the above example. That is, whether or not the condition “S> S ₀ ” continues Na (or Nb) times as the determination condition in step S305 in FIG. It is good also as. Similarly, erroneous determination due to a touch mistake or the like can be avoided.

In this way, when the start and end timing of moving image shooting is determined by the number of comparisons between the S signal and S ₁ (or S ₂ ), it is strongly pressed during the moving image shooting (S> S _2). ), It is not necessary to continue the operation, so that it is possible to facilitate the operability particularly when taking a video for a long time. That is, the pressing force may be released after the strong pressing (S> S ₂ ) operation has been performed a predetermined number of times to start shooting a moving image, and it is not necessary to maintain the strong pressing operation.

  In the above example, it is assumed that “high-quality still images” can be recorded with a single touch during movie shooting. However, the resolution of the movie is considerably lower than that of still images, and the frame image during movie shooting is simply increased. Since it cannot be a still image of image quality, some device is necessary.

  Examples of known techniques for obtaining a still image during moving image shooting include the following. First, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-55617 (see [0010] and [0011], FIG. 2) shoots a moving image at a frame period of a moving image in response to a still image shooting operation performed during moving image shooting. Technology to capture and record still images before recording the next movie frame while performing the operation of storing in the buffer memory, that is, technology to perform the movie shooting processing and still image shooting processing in parallel It is shown.

  Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-111934 (see [0029] to [0032], FIGS. 1 and 4) captures and stores a moving image frame when a still image is shot during moving image shooting. A technology that suspends operation, captures and records still images during the interruption period, and resumes capturing and storing moving image frames, that is, still images are captured by interrupt processing (thus, high-quality still images Technologies that can be recorded are shown. In this technology, an interpolation frame corresponding to a video frame in the interruption period that could not be recorded during still image shooting is separately generated and stored, and the interpolation frame is displayed in the interruption period during video playback. As a result, still image shooting during moving image shooting is possible.

  By applying such a known technique, it is possible to record a “high-quality still image” with one touch during moving image shooting. That is, when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is pressed strongly at a desired timing during continuous shooting, a frame image at the timing can be recorded as a high-quality still image with one touch. If you are recording the sound at the same time, record the sound while shooting the video, take a still image with the video interrupted by the interruption, and the audio data will continue even when you return to the video again. And keep recording.

  FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of high-quality still image recording processing during moving image shooting. In this figure, the moving image file 120 stored in the storage block 111 is composed of a plurality of still images 120a to 120e of low resolution (for example, 320 × 240 pixels) that are temporally continuous, and this still image 120a. The number of .about.120e is proportional to the moving image shooting time. However, as described with reference to FIG. 10, this is not (proportional) in this case when the imaging interval is varied by the pressing force.

  The index image 120f of the moving image file 120 is a reduced image (for example, 160 × 120 pixels) created from the first still image 120a, and the reproduction processing of the moving image file 120 is performed by the plurality of still images 120a to 120e. Are sequentially displayed while being replaced in a time-series manner with a predetermined period. In addition, when recording the sound simultaneously with the recording of the moving image file 120, the sound file 121 corresponding to the moving image file 120 is recorded.

  When the moving image file 120 is being recorded, for example, when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is strongly pressed at the recording timing of the third still image 120c from the beginning, the still image 120c is not recorded. Instead, the still image file 122 with a higher resolution (for example, 640 × 480 pixels) is recorded. In this case, a part of the still image (here, the still image 120c) of the moving image file 120 is dropped out. However, as a countermeasure for this, the above-mentioned known technique, that is, the interruption that could not be recorded during moving image shooting. A frame for interpolation corresponding to the moving image frame of the period (here, the still image 120c) may be separately generated and stored, and the frame for interpolation may be displayed during the interruption period during reproduction of the moving image.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the push button 103 of the start / stop button 99 is intentionally strongly pressed by the user (when the “strong press” is greater than or equal to S ₂ ), Therefore, it is determined that a request “I want to leave this scene as a high-quality still image” is issued by the user who is shooting the video, and corresponds to the frame signal output from the image generation block 107 at that time. Frame images can be recorded and saved as “high-quality still images”.

  In the example of FIG. 13, the moving image file 120, the still image file 122, and the audio file 121 are drawn as independent files, but they may be combined into one file. For example, the moving image file 120 and the still image file 122 may be combined into one file, or the moving image file 120, the still image file 122, and the audio file 121 may be combined into one file.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, since the pressing force of the start / stop button 99 is detected using a piezoelectric element, continuous shooting or an operator's intention can be performed while reducing the thickness of the device. You can shoot movies.

It is a principle explanatory view of an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a camera release device 78 using the above principle. It is action | operation explanatory drawing of the release device 78 for cameras. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement flowchart of the release device 78 for cameras. 1 is an external view of an electronic camera 87. FIG. FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a start / stop button 99. 2 is an electrical internal block diagram of an electronic camera 87. FIG. It is a conceptual structure figure of still picture file 112-114 and animation file 115-117. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the imaging | photography mode processing program performed by the control block. It is an operation explanatory view of continuous shooting interval variable. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the imaging | photography mode processing program performed by the control block. It is an operation explanatory diagram in the case of performing high-quality still image recording during continuous shooting. It is a conceptual diagram of a high-quality still image recording process during moving image shooting.

Explanation of symbols

Sa half-press signal (operation signal)
Sb Full press signal (operation signal)
73 Release Button 74 Piezoelectric Element 75 Comparison Circuit 76 Comparison Circuit 78 Camera Release Device 80 Piezoelectric Element 85 Comparison Circuit 86 Comparison Circuit 87 Electronic Camera 88 Body (Camera Body)
94 Release button (first shooting switch, release means)
99 Start / Stop button (second shooting switch)
101 Piezoelectric element 106 Imaging block (imaging means)
108 Control block (control means, image processing means)

Claims (14)

On the camera body,
A piezoelectric element that has polarization in the thickness direction and is deformable with flexibility in the thickness direction;
Means for comparing an electromotive voltage generated by pressing the piezoelectric element with n threshold values, and extracting a comparison result signal with each threshold value as an n-stage operation signal;
Conversion means for converting an optical image of a subject into periodic image data and outputting the data;
Continuous-shot image generation means for sequentially recording image data periodically output from the conversion means to generate a continuous-shot image;
An electronic camera comprising: control means for variably controlling a continuous shooting interval of the continuous shot image in correspondence with the n-stage operation signal.   2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric element is formed by laminating a plurality of film-like or sheet-like piezoelectric elements.   3. The electronic camera according to claim 2, wherein the film-like or sheet-like piezoelectric element is a piezo film.   2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the continuous shooting interval is shortened as the electromotive force generated by pressing the piezoelectric element is increased, and the number of recorded images per time is increased. On the camera body,
An electromotive force is generated in the piezoelectric element by applying an operation force of a release button to the piezoelectric element, the electromotive voltage is compared with n threshold values, and a comparison result signal with each threshold value is operated in n stages. Built-in release device configured to take out as a signal,
Conversion means for converting an optical image of a subject into periodic image data and outputting the data;
Still image recording means for recording single image data output from the conversion means as a still image;
Moving image recording means for recording a plurality of image data output from the conversion means as a moving image;
When a moving image is recorded in response to a first operation signal corresponding to a relatively small electromotive force generated when the release device composed of the piezoelectric element is lightly pressed, and when the release device is further pressed An electronic camera that records a still image in response to a second operation signal corresponding to a relatively large electromotive force generated.   6. The electronic camera according to claim 5, wherein the moving image is continuously recorded while the second operation signal is continuously output.   6. The moving image recording is started when the second operation signal is output Na times, and the recording of the moving image is ended when the second operation signal is output Nb times. Electronic camera. On the camera body,
An electromotive force is generated in the piezoelectric element by applying an operation force of a release button to the piezoelectric element, the electromotive voltage is compared with n threshold values, and a comparison result signal with each threshold value is operated in n stages. Built-in release device configured to take out as a signal,
Conversion means for converting an optical image of a subject into periodic image data and outputting the data;
Still image recording means for recording single image data output from the conversion means as a still image;
Moving image recording means for recording a plurality of image data output from the conversion means as a moving image;
When a still image is recorded in response to a first operation signal corresponding to a relatively small electromotive force generated when the release device composed of the piezoelectric element is lightly pressed, and the release device is further pushed An electronic camera that records a moving image in response to a second operation signal corresponding to a relatively large electromotive force generated.   9. The electronic camera according to claim 5, wherein a resolution of a still image recorded by the still image recording unit is higher than a resolution of a moving image recorded by the moving image recording unit. . In an electronic camera that uses a piezoelectric element in the release operation unit to reduce the thickness and select a shooting mode for moving images or continuous shooting and a shooting mode for still images with one release device.
On the camera body,
A piezoelectric element that has polarization in the thickness direction and is deformable with flexibility in the thickness direction;
Release means for extracting operation signals in a plurality of stages in accordance with an electromotive voltage generated by pressing the piezoelectric element;
Photographing means;
According to the magnitude of the operation signal of the release means, a first mode for capturing a relatively low resolution moving image or continuous shot image and a second mode for capturing a relatively high resolution still image are selected. A control means to be executed unilaterally;
In response to a plurality of operation signals generated by the release means, the image data photographed by the photographing means is recorded as a relatively low-resolution moving image or continuous shot in the first mode, and the second Image processing means for recording a still image having a relatively high resolution in the mode;
An electronic camera comprising:   Furthermore, a voice recording unit is provided, and the voice data is continuously recorded even when the imaging unit switches between the first mode and the second mode in response to an operation of the release unit. The electronic camera according to claim 10.   11. The electronic camera according to claim 10, further comprising a moving image or continuous shot image having a relatively low resolution and the still image having a relatively high resolution stored in one file.   12. The electronic camera according to claim 11, further comprising a moving image or continuous shot image having a relatively low resolution, the still image having a relatively high resolution, and audio data stored in one file. 12. The audio data is continuously recorded when the relatively high-resolution still image is captured while the relatively low-resolution moving image or continuous shot image is captured. Electronic camera.

Images