JP2005130392A - Image processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a time from the activation to the completion of photographing preparation. <P>SOLUTION: In the image processing apparatus for recording a picked-up still picture or motion picture on a recording medium, reproducing and displaying the picture, the image processing apparatus includes a photographing means for photographing an object; a recording means for converting the photographed object image into image data and recording them on the recording medium; and a detecting means for detecting a status of the recording medium and after photographing using the photographing means and before recording using the recording means, the status of the recording medium is detected using the detecting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that captures, records, and reproduces still images and moving images, and an image processing apparatus control method.

Conventionally, an image processing apparatus such as an electronic camera that records and reproduces still images and moving images using a memory card having a solid-state memory element as a recording medium is already commercially available. Some electronic cameras use a removable recording medium as a recording medium for recording a photographed image. Examples of removable recording media include CompactFlash (registered trademark), SD card, micro drive, xD picture card, smart media, and multimedia card.
The electronic camera first checks these recording media when the power is turned on. The contents of the check include whether a detachable recording medium is loaded, whether the recording medium can be read and written correctly, and the like.
JP 2001-008165 A

  In such a conventional image processing apparatus such as an electronic camera, there is a problem that it takes a long time to start photographing after starting. There was a request to start shooting immediately after startup.

  In the image processing apparatus according to the present invention, first, an image processing apparatus for recording and reproducing and displaying a captured still image and / or moving image on a recording medium, the photographing means for photographing a subject, and the photographing A recording means for converting the subject image into image data and recording it on a recording medium, and a detecting means for detecting the state of the recording medium, and recording after the photographing by the photographing means and by the recording means Before performing recording, the detection unit is used to detect the state of the recording medium.

  Secondly, it has a discriminating unit for discriminating the setting of a shooting mode for performing a shooting operation or a mode other than the shooting mode, and when a mode other than the shooting mode is set, the recording unit uses the detection unit at the time of startup. The state is detected.

  Third, the mode other than shooting is a playback mode in which playback display is performed.

  Fourthly, the mode other than shooting is a connection mode for connecting to an external device.

  Fifth, when a specific operation member is not pressed when the camera is activated in the shooting mode, the state of the recording medium is detected using the detection means at the time of activation.

  Sixth, the specific operation member is a shutter switch.

  Seventh, the specific operation member is a menu button.

  Eighth, the specific operation member is an image display switch.

  Ninth, the specific operation member is a set button.

  Tenth, the specific operation member is a macro button.

  Eleventh, the specific operation member is a button for changing specific information.

  Twelfth, the specific operation member is a flash button.

  With the above-described means, it is possible to provide an image processing apparatus that can shorten the time from the start-up to the shooting operation.

  According to the present invention, since the recording medium is not checked at the time of activation in the photographing mode, the time for checking the recording medium is not required, and the activation time is shortened.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes an image processing apparatus. Reference numeral 10 denotes a photographing lens, 12 denotes a shutter having a diaphragm function, 14 denotes an image sensor that converts an optical image into an electrical signal, and 16 denotes an A / D converter that converts an analog signal output from the image sensor 14 into a digital signal.

  A timing generation circuit 18 supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, and the D / A converter 26, and is controlled by the memory control circuit 22 and the system control circuit 50.

  An image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 16 or the data from the memory control circuit 22. Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and the system control circuit 50 controls the exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement control means 42 based on the obtained calculation result. TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing are performed.

  Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic result.

  A memory control circuit 22 controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation circuit 18, the image processing circuit 20, the image display memory 24, the D / A converter 26, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression circuit 32.

  The data of the A / D converter 16 is written into the image display memory 24 or the memory 30 via the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22 or the data of the A / D converter 16 is directly passed through the memory control circuit 22. It is.

  Reference numeral 24 denotes an image display memory, 26 denotes a D / A converter, and 28 denotes an image display unit including a TFT-LCD. The image data for display written in the image display memory 24 passes through the D / A converter 26. Are displayed by the image display unit 28.

  If the image data captured using the image display unit 28 is sequentially displayed, the electronic viewfinder function can be realized.

  The image display unit 28 can arbitrarily turn on / off the display according to an instruction from the system control circuit 50. When the display is turned off, the power consumption of the image processing apparatus 100 can be greatly reduced. I can do it.

  Reference numeral 30 denotes a memory for storing captured still images and moving images, and has a sufficient storage capacity to store a predetermined number of still images and a predetermined time of moving images.

  Thereby, even in the case of continuous shooting or panoramic shooting in which a plurality of still images are continuously shot, it is possible to write a large amount of images to the memory 30 at high speed. The memory 30 can also be used as a work area for the system control circuit 50.

  A compression / decompression circuit 32 compresses and decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like, reads an image stored in the memory 30, performs compression processing or decompression processing, and stores the processed data in the memory 30. Write to.

  Reference numeral 40 denotes an exposure control means for controlling the shutter 12 having a diaphragm function, and has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48.

  Reference numeral 42 denotes a distance measuring control means for controlling the focusing of the photographing lens 10, reference numeral 44 denotes a zoom control means for controlling zooming of the photographing lens 10, and reference numeral 46 denotes a barrier control means for controlling the operation of the protection means 102 as a barrier.

  A flash 48 has an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function.

  The exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement control means 42 are controlled using the TTL method. Based on the calculation result obtained by calculating the captured image data by the image processing circuit 20, the system control circuit 50 performs the exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement. Control is performed on the control means 42.

  Reference numeral 50 denotes a system control circuit that controls the entire image processing apparatus 100, and reference numeral 52 denotes a memory that stores constants, variables, programs, and the like for operation of the system control circuit 50.

  Reference numeral 54 denotes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display device or a speaker that displays an operation state or a message using characters, images, sounds, or the like in accordance with execution of a program in the system control circuit 50. A single or a plurality of locations are provided near the portion where they are easily visible, and are configured by a combination of, for example, an LCD, an LED, and a sounding element.

  In addition, the display unit 54 is partially installed in the optical viewfinder 104. Among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed on the LCD or the like includes single shot / continuous shooting display, self-timer display, compression rate display, number of recorded pixels, number of recorded pixels, number of remaining images that can be captured, shutter Speed display, Aperture value display, Exposure compensation display, Flash display, Red-eye reduction display, Macro shooting display, Buzzer setting display, Clock battery level display, Battery level display, Error display, Multi-digit number information display and recording There are display of the attachment / detachment status of the media 200 and 210, communication I / F operation display, date / time display, and the like.

  Further, among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed in the optical viewfinder 104 includes in-focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, exposure correction display, and the like.

  Reference numeral 56 denotes an electrically erasable / recordable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM. Reference numerals 60, 61, 62, 64, 66, 68, and 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions of the system control circuit 50, such as switches, dials, touch panels, pointing by line-of-sight detection, voice recognition devices, and the like. Consists of a single or a plurality of combinations.

  Here, a specific description of these operating means will be given.

  Reference numeral 60 denotes a mode dial switch which can switch and set various function modes such as an automatic shooting mode, a shooting mode, a panoramic shooting mode, a playback mode, a multi-screen playback / erase mode, and a connection mode with an external device.

  Reference numeral 61 denotes a power switch that instructs activation and termination of the image processing apparatus 100.

  Reference numeral 62 denotes a shutter switch SW1, which is turned ON during the operation of a shutter button (not shown), and performs AF (auto focus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and the like. Instruct to start operation.

  Reference numeral 64 denotes a shutter switch SW2, which is turned on when the operation of a shutter button (not shown) is completed, and an exposure process for writing a signal read from the image sensor 12 to the memory 30 via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22. Development processing using operations in the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22, recording processing for reading image data from the memory 30, compression in the compression / decompression circuit 32, and writing the image data to the recording medium 200 or 210. Instructs the start of a series of processing operations.

  Reference numeral 66 denotes an image display ON / OFF switch that can set ON / OFF of the image display unit 28. With this function, when photographing is performed using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to save power by cutting off the current supply to the image display unit including a TFT-LCD or the like.

  Reference numeral 68 denotes a quick review ON / OFF switch, which sets a quick review function for automatically reproducing image data taken immediately after photographing. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a function for setting the quick review function when the image display unit 28 is turned off is provided.

  Reference numeral 70 denotes an operation unit composed of various buttons, a touch panel, and the like. A menu button, a set button, a macro button, a multi-screen playback page break button, a flash setting button, a single shooting / continuous shooting / self-timer switching button, menu movement + (plus) Button, menu shift- (minus) button, playback image shift + (plus) button, playback image- (minus) button, shooting image quality selection button, exposure correction button, date / time setting button, and the like.

  Reference numeral 80 denotes a power control means, which is composed of a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching a block to be energized, and the like, and detects the presence / absence of a battery, the type of battery, the remaining battery level, In addition, the DC-DC converter is controlled based on an instruction from the system control circuit 50, and a necessary voltage is supplied to each unit including the recording medium for a necessary period.

  Reference numeral 82 denotes a connector, 84 denotes a connector, and 86 denotes a power source means including a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, or an AC adapter.

  90 and 94 are interfaces with a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk, 92 and 96 are connectors for connecting to a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk, and 98 is a recording medium 200 or 210 attached to the connector 92 or 96. Recording medium attachment / detachment detecting means for detecting whether or not the recording medium is present.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that there are two interfaces and connectors for attaching the recording medium. Of course, the interface and the connector for attaching the recording medium may have a single or a plurality of systems and any number of systems. Moreover, it is good also as a structure provided with combining the interface and connector of a different standard.

  The interface and connector may be configured using a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, or the like that conforms to a standard.

  Further, when the interfaces 90 and 94 and the connectors 92 and 96 are configured using a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, or the like, a LAN card, a modem card, a USB card, IEEE1394. Image data and management information attached to image data are transferred to and from peripheral devices such as other computers and printers by connecting various communication cards such as cards, P1284 cards, SCSI cards, and PHS communication cards. I can meet each other.

  Reference numeral 102 denotes protection means that is a barrier that prevents the imaging unit from being soiled or damaged by covering the imaging unit including the lens 10 of the image processing apparatus 100.

  Reference numeral 104 denotes an optical viewfinder, which can take an image using only the optical viewfinder without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28. In the optical viewfinder 104, some functions of the display unit 54, for example, a focus display, a camera shake warning display, a flash charge display, a shutter speed display, an aperture value display, an exposure correction display, and the like are installed.

  A communication unit 110 has various communication functions such as RS232C, USB, IEEE1394, P1284, SCSI, modem, LAN, and wireless communication.

  Reference numeral 112 denotes a connector for connecting the image processing apparatus 100 to another device by the communication unit 110 or an antenna in the case of wireless communication.

  Reference numeral 200 denotes a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 200 includes a recording unit 202 composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like, an interface 204 with the image processing apparatus 100, and a connector 206 for connecting to the image processing apparatus 100.

  Reference numeral 210 denotes a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 210 includes a recording unit 212 composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and the like, an interface 214 with the image processing apparatus 100, and a connector 216 that connects to the image processing apparatus 100.

  The operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the recording medium check process at the start-up of the image processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. It is a processing flow of a recording medium check process performed when power is turned on.
The system control circuit 50 turns off the recording medium check flag when the power is turned on (S101). The state of the recording medium check flag is stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52.

  The system control circuit 50 determines the setting position of the mode dial 60 (S102), and if the mode dial 60 is set to the photographing mode, does nothing and ends the process. On the other hand, if the mode dial 60 is set to a mode other than the shooting mode, it is checked whether the recording medium is normal (S103), and the recording medium check process at the time of activation is terminated. The recording medium check process in S103 will be described later with reference to FIG. As modes other than the shooting mode, for example, there are a playback mode in which a captured image is played back and displayed, and a connection mode in which an external device such as a PC is connected.

  FIG. 3 is a processing flow of photographing / recording processing of the image processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. When the shutter switch SW2 is pressed, photographing / recording processing is performed.

  The system control circuit 50 performs a recording medium check process after shooting (S201). Details of the photographing process (S201) will be described later with reference to FIG. Details of the recording medium check process will be described later with reference to FIG. After performing the recording medium check process (S202), if there is no problem with the recording medium (S203), the process proceeds to the recording process (S204). Details of the recording process (S204) will be described later with reference to FIG.

  As described above, in the shooting mode, by checking the recording medium at the time of recording, it is not necessary to check the recording medium at the time of activation, and the image processing apparatus 100 can be started up earlier.

  FIG. 4 shows a processing flow in the recording medium check processing in S103 of FIG. 2 and S202 of FIG.

  The system control circuit 50 determines a recording medium check flag stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control circuit 50 in order to determine whether the recording medium has already been checked (S301). If the recording medium check flag is ON, since the recording medium has already been checked, the process is terminated without doing anything. On the other hand, if the recording medium check flag is OFF, the process proceeds to S302 to check the recording medium. The system control circuit 50 determines whether or not a recording medium is loaded (S302). If the recording medium is not loaded, the system control circuit 50 displays a warning message on the display unit 54 (S306), and proceeds to S307. On the other hand, if a recording medium is loaded, the process proceeds to S303. In S303, it is determined whether the recording medium is normal. For example, an empty file “PS.ck” is created on the recording medium, and if the file can be created, it is determined that the recording medium is normal. After creating an empty file “PS.ck”, the empty file “PS.ck” is deleted.

  Next, the system control circuit 50 acquires management information of the recording medium (S304). The recording medium information includes a format, a free capacity, a cluster size, a recording medium type, a directory configuration, and the like. After acquiring the recording medium management information (S304), the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the free space is sufficient (S305). If the free space is not enough, a warning message is displayed (S306), and the process proceeds to S307. On the other hand, if the free space is sufficient in S305, the recording medium check flag is turned ON (S307) and the process is terminated.

  By turning on the recording medium check flag in S307, it is not necessary to acquire management information of the recording medium during the second and subsequent photographing operations, and the photographing / recording process ends earlier than the first sheet.

  FIG. 5 shows a detailed flowchart of the photographing process in S201 of FIG.

  The system control circuit 50 exposes the image sensor 10 by opening the shutter 12 having an aperture function according to the aperture value by the exposure control means 40 in accordance with the photometric data stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52. (S401, S402).

  It is determined whether or not the flash 48 is necessary based on the flash flag (S403), and if necessary, the flash is emitted (S404).

  The system control circuit 50 waits for the end of exposure of the image sensor 12 according to the photometric data (S405), closes the shutter 12 (S406), reads out the charge signal from the image sensor 14, and reads the A / D converter 16 and the image processing circuit 20. Then, the photographed image data is written into the memory 30 via the memory control circuit 22 or directly from the A / D converter 16 via the memory control circuit 22 (S407).

If it is necessary to perform frame processing according to the set shooting mode (S408), the system control circuit 50 writes the data into the memory 30 using the memory control circuit 22 and, if necessary, the image processing circuit 20. After the image data is read and the vertical addition process (S409) and the color process (S410) are sequentially performed, the processed image data is written in the memory 30.
The system control circuit 50 reads the image data from the memory 30 and transfers the display image data to the image display memory 24 via the memory control circuit 22 (S411).

  When the series of processing is finished, the photographing processing routine S201 is finished.

  FIG. 6 shows a detailed flowchart of the recording process in S204 of FIG.

  The system control circuit 50 uses the memory control circuit 22 and, if necessary, the image processing circuit 20 to read out the captured image data written in the memory 30 and to interpolate the image sensor in a vertical / horizontal pixel ratio of 1: 1. After performing the conversion processing (S501), the processed image data is written in the memory 30.

  Then, the image data written in the memory 30 is read and the image compression processing corresponding to the set mode is performed by the compression / decompression circuit 32 (S502), and then via the interface 90 or 94 and the connector 92 or 96. The compressed image data is written into the recording medium 200 or 210 such as a memory card or a compact flash (registered trademark) card (S503). When the writing to the recording medium is finished, the recording processing routine S204 is ended.

  With reference to FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, a state in which the time until photographing is shortened in the photographing processing immediately after startup is shown.

  FIG. 7A shows a sequence when the recording medium is checked at the time of activation, which is a conventional example. When the shutter switches SW1 and SW2 for instructing photographing are pressed simultaneously with the power ON, the system control circuit 50 performs processing in the order of activation processing, recording medium check processing, distance measurement / photometry processing, photographing, and recording. Details of the activation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 8, and details of the distance measurement / photometry process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7B shows a sequence according to the present invention. When the shutter SW1 and SW2 for instructing photographing are pressed simultaneously with the power ON, the system control circuit 50 performs processing in the order of activation processing, distance measurement / photometry processing, photographing, recording medium check processing, and recording. By performing the recording medium check process after performing the image capturing process, the image capturing process can be performed more quickly.

  As is clear from comparison between FIGS. 7A and 7B, the recording operation can be performed earlier by the recording medium check processing time by performing the recording medium check processing after the imaging.

  FIG. 8 is a detailed process flow of the activation process of FIG.

  When the power SW of S61 is pressed or the power is turned on such as battery replacement, the system control circuit 50 initializes flags and control variables (S601), and initializes the image display of the image display unit 28 to the OFF state ( S602). The system control circuit 50 determines whether or not there is a problem in the operation of the image processing apparatus 100 with respect to the remaining capacity or operation status of the power supply 86 configured by a battery or the like by the power supply control means 80 (S603). For example, a predetermined warning is displayed by image or sound using the display unit 54 (S604), and the process is terminated.

  If there is no problem with the power supply 86 (S603), the state of the image display flag stored in the nonvolatile memory 56 is determined (S605). If the image display flag is ON, the image display unit 28 displays the image. It is set to ON (S606), and further, a through display state in which captured image data is sequentially displayed is set (S607), and the process proceeds to S608. On the other hand, if the image display flag is OFF (S605), the process proceeds to S608 without doing anything.

  The image display ON / OFF switch 66 can be used to switch the image display ON / OFF. Each time the image display ON / OFF is switched, the ON / OFF state of the image display flag stored in the nonvolatile memory 56 is changed. By saving the image display ON / OFF state in the nonvolatile memory 56, when the image processing apparatus 100 is used with the image display turned on last time, the image display is turned on when the image display is turned on. If the image processing apparatus 100 was used last time with the image display turned off, the image display device is activated with the image display turned off.

  Next, the system control circuit 50 displays various setting states of the image processing apparatus 100 using images and sounds using the display unit 54 (S604). If the image display of the image display unit 28 is ON, the image display unit 28 is also used to display various setting states of the image processing apparatus 100 using images and sounds.

  FIG. 4 shows a detailed flowchart of the distance measurement / photometry process of FIG. When the shutter switch SW1 is pressed, distance measurement / photometry processing is performed.

  The system control circuit 50 reads the charge signal from the image sensor 14 and sequentially reads the captured image data into the image processing circuit 20 via the A / D converter 16 (S701). Using this sequentially read image data, the image processing circuit 20 is a predetermined one used for TTL (through the lens) type AE (automatic exposure) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and AF (autofocus) processing. The operation is performed.

  In each processing here, a specific portion of the total number of photographed pixels is extracted by extracting a necessary portion according to necessity and used for calculation. As a result, in the TTL method AE, EF, AWB, and AF processes, it is possible to perform optimum calculations for different modes such as the center-weighted mode, the average mode, and the evaluation mode.

  Using the calculation result in the image processing circuit 20, the system control circuit 50 performs AE control using the exposure control means 40 (S703) until it is determined that the exposure (AE) is appropriate (S702).

  Using the measurement data obtained by the AE control, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the flash is necessary (S704). If the flash is necessary, the flash flag is set and the flash 48 is charged (S705).

  If it is determined that the exposure (AE) is appropriate (S702), the measurement data and / or the setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control circuit 50.

  Using the calculation result in the image processing circuit 20 and the measurement data obtained by the AE control, the system control circuit 50 uses the image processing circuit 20 to determine the color until the white balance (AWB) is determined to be appropriate (S706). AWB control is performed by adjusting processing parameters (S707).

  If it is determined that the white balance (AWB) is appropriate (S706), the measurement data and / or the setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control circuit 50.

  Using the measurement data obtained by the AE control and the AWB control, the system control circuit 50 performs the AF control using the distance measurement control unit 42 until the distance measurement (AF) is determined to be in focus (S708) (S708). S709).

  If it is determined that the distance measurement (AF) is in focus (S708), the measurement data and / or setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control circuit 50, and the distance measurement / photometry processing routine is terminated.

  The operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the recording medium check process at the start-up of the image processing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment. It is a processing flow of a recording medium check process performed when power is turned on. The processes of S101, S102, and S103 are the same as S101, S102, and S103 of FIG.

  The system control circuit 50 turns off the recording medium check flag when the power is turned on (S101). The state of the recording medium check flag is stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52.

  The system control circuit 50 determines the setting position of the mode dial 60 (S102). If the mode dial 60 is set to the shooting mode, it determines whether the shutter SW is pressed (S801), and the shutter switch. If SW1 has been pressed, the process is terminated without doing anything. On the other hand, if the shutter switch is not pressed, it is checked whether the recording medium is normal (S103).

  If the mode dial 60 is set to a mode other than the shooting mode in S102, the system control circuit 50 checks whether the recording medium is normal (S103), and ends the recording medium check process at the time of activation.

  Except for the recording medium check process at the time of startup, the process is the same as that of the first embodiment, and is not specifically described here. In the second embodiment, when the shutter switch SW1 is pressed when the power is turned on, the recording medium check process is not performed at the time of activation. By turning on the power while the shutter switch SW1 is pressed only when the user of the image processing apparatus 100 wants to shoot quickly, the time until shooting can be shortened only when the user wants to shoot quickly. .

  Further, in the second embodiment, when the power is turned on while the shutter switch SW1 is pressed, the recording medium check process is not performed at the start-up so that the time until shooting is shortened. Such a button may be used. For example, the recording medium check process may not be performed when the power is turned on while pressing the menu button. Of course, buttons other than the menu button, set button, macro button, + button, − button, flash button, image display ON / OFF switch, and the like may be used.

It is a block diagram of a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the recording medium check process at the time of starting by Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart of the imaging | photography / recording process of a present Example. It is a flowchart of the recording medium check process of a present Example. It is a flowchart of the imaging | photography routine of a present Example. It is a flowchart of the recording routine of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the imaging | photography operation | movement immediately after starting of a present Example. It is a flowchart of the starting process of a present Example. It is a flowchart of the distance measurement and photometry routine of a present Example. It is a flowchart of the recording medium check process at the time of starting by Example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Shooting lens 12: Shutter 14: Image pick-up element 16: A / D converter 18: Timing generation circuit 20: Image processing circuit 22: Memory control circuit 24: Image display memory 26: D / A converter 28: Image display part 30: Memory 32: Image compression / decompression circuit 40: Exposure control means 42: Distance measurement control means 44: Zoom control means 46: Barrier control means 48: Flash 50: System control circuit 52: Memory 54: Display unit 56: Non-volatile Memory 60: Mode dial switch 61: Power switch 62: Shutter switch SW1
64: Shutter switch SW2 66: Image display ON / OFF switch 68: Quick review ON / OFF switch 70: Operation unit 80: Power supply control means 82: Connector 84: Connector 86: Power supply means 90: Interface 92: Connector 94: Interface 96 : Connector 98: Recording medium attachment / detachment detection means 100: Image processing apparatus 102: Protection means 104: Optical finder 110: Communication means 112: Connector (or antenna)
200: Recording medium 202: Recording unit 204: Interface 206: Connector 210: Recording medium 212: Recording unit 214: Interface 216: Connector

Claims (12)

An image processing apparatus for recording and reproducing and displaying captured still images and / or moving images on a recording medium,
Photographing means for photographing a subject, recording means for converting the photographed subject image into image data and recording it on a recording medium, and detection means for detecting the state of the recording medium,
An image processing apparatus for detecting a state of a recording medium using the detection unit after shooting by the shooting unit and before recording by the recording unit. A discriminating means for discriminating the setting of a shooting mode for performing a shooting operation or a mode other than shooting,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a mode other than the shooting mode is set, the state of the recording medium is detected using the detection unit at the time of activation.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mode other than photographing is a reproduction mode for performing reproduction display.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mode other than shooting is a connection mode for connecting to an external device.   The state of the recording medium is detected by using the detection unit at the time of activation when a specific operation member is not pressed when the image pickup mode is activated. An image processing apparatus according to 1.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific operation member is a shutter switch.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific operation member is a menu button.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific operation member is an image display switch.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific operation member is a set button.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific operation member is a macro button.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific operation member is a button for changing specific information. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific operation member is a flash button.

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