JP2006135587A - Photographing system, photographing apparatus, and auxiliary apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing system, a photographing apparatus, and an auxiliary apparatus that enable a photographer to take a picture after confirming an angle of photographic view at photography. <P>SOLUTION: The photographing system is constituted of: the photographing apparatus that acquires and displays through image data representing a through image being a current subject image within an angle of view and acquires and records photographic image data representing a photographic image being a subject image within the angle of view on receiving a photography trigger; and the auxiliary apparatus which has a display screen for displaying an image and is a different body from the photographing apparatus. When the photographing apparatus transmits the through image data to the auxiliary apparatus, the auxiliary apparatus displays the through image based upon the sent through image on the display screen and then the photographer can confirm the angle of photographic view by viewing the through image displayed on the display screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing system that shoots a subject and generates photographed image data representing a photographed image, a photographing device, and an auxiliary device that displays an image based on the image data on a display screen.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, digital cameras that photograph a subject and generate photographed image data representing a photographed image have been widely used. By generating a digitized photographed image, it is possible to perform desired image processing on the photographed image using a personal computer or the like to obtain a high-quality photographed image, and to capture the photographed image on a CD-ROM or the like. Since it can be recorded, the photographed image can be stored while maintaining the image quality over a long period of time. In recent years, a high-pixel CCD (Charge Couple Device) or the like is mounted on a digital camera, and a captured image itself captured by the digital camera is also improved in image quality.

  In addition, it is considered that a digital camera is also provided with a data communication function using wireless or infrared rays, so that a photographed image can be easily transmitted and received to a printer or the like. Patent Document 1 describes a recording apparatus that identifies a data source in which image data is stored, acquires image data via a communication interface corresponding to the data source, and records the acquired image data on a recording medium. Has been. By providing this recording device in a personal computer or printer, it is possible to receive a captured image stored in a digital camera and record the captured image in a memory in the personal computer or printer. You can attach it to an e-mail and send it to a friend or print it out on the spot with a home printer.

  As described above, in the field of digital cameras, in addition to improving the image quality of shot images, the overall shooting system including external devices such as improvement of the user interface between personal computers and printers and digital cameras is also included. Functional improvements are being made.

By the way, when photographing a subject, not only the image quality of a photographed image and a user interface with an external device, but also the usability of the camera itself is an important factor. Usually, a digital camera is equipped with a display screen, and the photographer does not have to look into the viewfinder by displaying a live view of the subject currently located within the shooting angle of view. Also, it is possible to shoot by checking the composition within the shooting angle of view. In recent years, a remote controller has been provided that transmits a shooting instruction to a digital camera, and a digital camera that can send a shooting instruction at hand using a remote controller even when the photographer is away from the digital camera is also used. It is coming.
JP 2003-127472 A

  However, for example, when you ask someone else to shoot yourself, you cannot use the digital camera to check the composition within the field of view, so the captured image is the desired composition. There are things that are not. Even if you send a shooting instruction to the digital camera using the remote controller after checking the composition within the shooting angle of view and aligning the orientation of the digital camera, Since it was not confirmed, there is a possibility that the same problem as described above may occur.

  In view of the circumstances described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging system, an imaging device, and an auxiliary device that can perform imaging after confirming a composition within an imaging angle of view at the time of imaging.

The imaging system of the present invention that achieves the above object repeatedly acquires through image data representing a through image that is a current subject image within an angle of view, displays the through image, receives an imaging trigger, and receives an imaging trigger. An imaging device that acquires and records captured image data representing a captured image that is a subject image within the angle of view at the time;
An auxiliary device that is separate from the photographing device and has a display screen for displaying an image;
The imaging device includes an image transmission unit that transmits through image data toward the auxiliary device,
The auxiliary device includes an image receiving unit that receives through image data transmitted from the imaging device, and an image display unit that displays a through image based on the through image data received by the image receiving unit on a display screen. It is characterized by that.

  According to the photographing system of the present invention, the through image data acquired by the photographing apparatus is transmitted to the auxiliary device, and the through image based on the through image data is displayed by the auxiliary device. For example, when you ask someone else to take a picture of you, you can give the person a picture taking device, and you can hold the auxiliary device and see the through image displayed on the display screen of the auxiliary device. The composition within the angle of view can be confirmed at any time, and a person with a photographing device can be instructed or requested to photograph. In recent years, mobile phones equipped with a communication function using infrared rays or the like have been widely used. By applying this mobile phone as an auxiliary device, the present invention can be carried out without having to carry a new auxiliary device. Can be realized.

Further, in the photographing system of the present invention, the auxiliary device includes a trigger transmission unit that transmits a photographing trigger toward the photographing device according to an operation,
The imaging device includes a trigger receiver that receives an imaging trigger transmitted from the auxiliary device,
It is preferable that the photographing apparatus is configured to acquire and record the photographed image data upon receiving a photographing trigger in the trigger receiving unit.

  In the imaging device, the captured image data is acquired in response to the imaging trigger transmitted from the auxiliary device. For example, when the imaging device is placed, the user moves to a place away from the imaging device and is displayed on the auxiliary device. After confirming the composition within the photographing angle of view using the through image, the photographing trigger is transmitted to the photographing apparatus using the auxiliary device, so that photographing can be performed with the desired composition even at a location away from the photographing apparatus. be able to.

Further, in the photographing system of the present invention, the photographing device is a through image that is the same as the through image represented by the through image data, based on the through image data for displaying the through image on the photographing device. Has a size conversion unit that generates reduced through-image data with a small data size,
The image transmission unit preferably transmits the reduced through-image data generated by the size conversion unit.

  By transmitting the reduced through image data having a data size smaller than that of the through image data to the auxiliary device, the data communication speed is improved.

In addition, the imaging device of the present invention that achieves the above object repeatedly acquires through image data representing a through image, which is a current subject image within an angle of view, displays the through image, receives the shooting trigger, and sets the shooting trigger. In a photographing apparatus for acquiring and recording photographed image data representing a photographed image that is a subject image within an angle of view at the time of receiving
An image transmission unit that has a display screen for displaying an image and that transmits through image data to an auxiliary device separate from the imaging device is provided.

  According to the photographing apparatus of the present invention, since the through image data is transmitted to the auxiliary device, the composition of the current photographing angle of view can be transmitted to the operator having the auxiliary device.

  In addition, although only the basic form is shown here about the imaging | photography apparatus said to this invention, this is only in order to avoid duplication, and not only the above-mentioned basic form is included in the imaging | photography apparatus said to this invention. Various forms corresponding to the respective forms of the photographing system described above are included.

In addition, the auxiliary device of the present invention that achieves the above object repeatedly acquires through image data representing a through image that is a current subject image within an angle of view, displays the through image, and receives a shooting trigger to generate a shooting trigger. An image receiving unit that receives through image data transmitted from a photographing apparatus that acquires and records photographed image data representing a photographed image that is a subject image within the angle of view at the time of reception;
An image display unit for displaying a through image based on the through image data received by the image receiving unit is provided on a display screen for displaying an image.

  According to the auxiliary device of the present invention, it is possible to confirm a subject image that is currently within the shooting angle of view in the imaging device.

  Note that only the basic form of the auxiliary device according to the present invention is shown here, but this is only for avoiding duplication, and the auxiliary device according to the present invention is not limited to the above basic form. Various forms corresponding to the respective forms of the photographing system described above are included.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the imaging | photography system, imaging | photography apparatus, and auxiliary | assistant apparatus which can image | photograph after confirming the composition within an imaging | photography angle of view at the time of imaging | photography can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of a digital camera that constitutes a photographing system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is an external view of a mobile phone that constitutes the photographing system.

  A front view of the digital camera 100 is shown in FIG. The digital camera 100 is an embodiment of a photographing apparatus according to the present invention. In terms of appearance, a photographing lens 101 including a zoom lens that changes a photographing angle of view and a focus lens that focuses on a subject, Finder 102 for peeping to determine the position of the subject, shutter button 105 pressed at the time of photographing, flash light emitting device 103 that emits light in synchronization with the pressing of the shutter button 105, slide-type power button 104, and data between the external device Is provided with an antenna 121a.

  FIG. 1B shows a rear view of the digital camera 100. On the back of the digital camera 100, the finder 102 shown in FIG. 1A, an OK button 106 used to confirm the designated content, a cancel button 107 that designates the cancellation of the operation, and the image display by the liquid crystal panel 108 are turned on / off. A liquid crystal activation button 108a for turning off, a “photographing / recording function” for photographing a subject, and a playback function for displaying a photographed image recorded on the recording medium 140 on the liquid crystal panel 108, which are provided in the digital camera 100 A function selection lever 109 that is operated when selecting one of 'and a cross key 110 that is operated when selecting various functions are shown. In this embodiment, the cross key 110 can be used to select a zoom number, presence / absence of flash emission, image data size, shooting mode (portrait mode, landscape mode, night view mode), and the like. The smaller the zoom number, the longer the focal length, which is selected when performing telephoto shooting. Conversely, the larger the zoom number, the shorter the focal length, which is selected when performing wide-angle shooting. In the present embodiment, as a shooting mode, a 'person mode' that focuses on a subject at a short distance, a 'landscape mode' that focuses on the entire field of view, and a subject in a dark place. One of the “night scene modes” for photographing can be selected.

  A mobile phone 200 shown in FIG. 2 is an embodiment of an auxiliary device according to the present invention, and a liquid crystal panel 201 on which a menu screen, a telephone number input by pressing a push button 205 by a user, and the like are displayed. A speaker (see FIG. 4) is provided inside, a mouthpiece 202 for emitting sound emitted from the speaker, a first antenna 203 for transmitting and receiving data such as voice and mail via a telephone station, and various functions. A four-way button 204 that can be pressed in four directions, up / down / left / right, a push button 205 for inputting a telephone number, and a microphone (see FIG. 4) are arranged inside to operate the selection and transmit a voice to the microphone. Without using the earpiece 206, the confirmation button 207 for confirming the telephone number entered by the user, the power button 208, and the telephone office, Second antenna 217a for transmitting and receiving data such as image by the wireless communication for distance is provided.

  First, the digital camera 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the digital camera 100.

  The digital camera 100 includes a zoom lens 111, a zoom motor driver 111a, a focus lens 112, a focus motor driver 112a, an iris 113, an iris motor driver 113a, a CCD 114, an A / D (Analog / Digital) converter 115, an image. Input controller 116, image signal processing unit 117, video encoder 118, CPU 119, communication controller 120, data transmission / reception unit 121, compression processing unit 122, size conversion unit 123, memory 124, media controller 125, shutter switch 126, transmission / reception switch 127, Image display device 130, shutter switch 151, image display switch 152, OK switch 153, cancel switch 156, power switch 157, function switch 1 4, has been provided that the selection dial 155, and further, the recording medium 140 is connected. In addition to these, the digital camera 100 is provided with the flash light emitting device 103 and the shutter of FIG. 1, but these are not shown in the figure because they are irrelevant to the subject matter of the present invention.

  First, each switch, dial, and key will be described.

  The shutter switch 151 is a switch for releasing the shutter. When the shutter button 105 in FIG. 1A is pressed, the shutter switch 151 is turned on. Further, when the power button 104 in FIG. 1A is slid, the power switch 157 is turned on to turn on / off the power of the digital camera 100, and when the liquid crystal start button 108a in FIG. When the display switch 152 is turned on and the menu screen or image is displayed / stopped on the liquid crystal panel 108 and the OK button 106 is pressed, the OK switch 153 is entered to confirm the specified content specified by the user and the cancel button 107 is pressed. Then, the cancel switch 156 is entered to cancel the designated content. The function changeover switch 154 is a switch for switching between the photographing / recording function and the reproduction function according to the selection result by the function selection lever 109. The selection dial 155 is used to set the zoom number, presence / absence of flash emission, image data size, shooting mode, etc., selected using the cross key 110. The smaller the zoom number, the longer the focal length is adjusted for telephoto shooting, and the larger the zoom number, the shorter the focal length is adjusted for wide-angle shooting. Also, when the portrait mode is set as the shooting mode, shooting is performed at the shutter speed and aperture value according to the standard program diagram, and when the landscape mode is set, the iris 113 is narrowed and the subject depth is deep. When shooting is performed and the night view mode is set, the iris 113 is opened and shooting is performed.

  Setting contents set by these various switches are transmitted to the CPU 119.

  Next, a portion that receives subject light and acquires captured image data representing a captured image will be described.

  Originally, a plurality of lenses are provided in the photographing apparatus, and at least one of the plurality of lenses is largely involved in the focus adjustment, and the relative position of each lens is involved in the focal length. Among the plurality of lenses, a lens related to the adjustment of the focal length is schematically shown as a zoom lens 111, and a lens related to the adjustment of the focus is also shown schematically as a focus lens 112. A motor is attached to the zoom lens 111, and the motor is driven by a zoom motor driver 111a. The focus lens 112 is also attached with a motor driven by a focus motor driver 112a.

  The iris 113 is an aperture that adjusts the amount of subject light received by the CCD 114 by changing the aperture diameter. When the iris motor driver 113a drives the motor attached to the iris 113 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 119, the iris diameter of the iris 113 is set to a size corresponding to the iris value.

  The CCD 114 receives subject light that has passed through the photographing lens 101 in FIG. 1A, and reads a subject image based on the subject light as a subject signal that is an analog signal. In this digital camera 100, the resolution is reduced for focus detection processing for detecting the focus position of the focus lens 112 and through image display even before the subject is photographed by pressing the shutter button 105. Low temporary image data (hereinafter, temporary image data having a low resolution is referred to as low resolution data) is generated. The subject signal generated by the CCD 114 is output to the A / D converter 115 as it is when the shutter button 105 in FIG. 1A is pressed, and the low resolution is obtained at every predetermined timing before shooting. The data is thinned out and output to the A / D converter 115.

  The A / D conversion unit 115 converts the subject signal into image data that is digital data. The image input controller 116 controls the output destination of the image data.

  As described above, the CCD 114 generates a subject signal that is thinned at each predetermined timing, and thus the A / D converter 115 continues to generate low resolution data at each predetermined timing. The low resolution data is sent to the CPU 119, the image signal processing unit 117, and the size conversion unit 123 via the image input controller 116. The low resolution data sent to the image signal processing unit 117 is sent to the video encoder 118 after being subjected to predetermined image processing (described later), sent to the image display device 130 after the data format is converted, It is displayed as a through image on the liquid crystal panel 108 shown in FIG. Further, image data generated at the time of photographing (hereinafter, image data generated at the time of photographing is referred to as photographed image data) is once sent to the memory 124 via the image input controller 116.

  The memory 124 stores a program to be executed in the digital camera 100, a high-speed SDRAM used as an intermediate buffer, data for various menu screens, data stored by a user, and the like. An SRAM that is a storage memory and a VRAM that stores compressed image data are included. The VRAM is divided into a plurality of areas, and image data is stored in the plurality of areas in order, and the stored image data is sequentially read out to the video encoder 118 and the media controller 125.

  The CPU 119 controls various elements of the digital camera 100 shown in FIG. Further, the CPU 119 determines the shutter speed and the aperture value based on the low resolution data sent via the image input controller 116, and repeatedly acquires the low resolution data while moving the focus lens 112 in the optical axis direction. Based on the above, the focus position of the focus lens 112 is determined.

  The antenna 121a transmits / receives radio waves to / from an external device, and the data transmission / reception unit 121 picks up radio waves received by the antenna 121a and extracts signals, or conversely converts various data into radio waves. To the antenna 121a. When a request for transmitting a through image is received from an external device, low resolution data is sent to the size converter 123 via the image input controller 116, and the size converter 124 is the same as the through image represented by the low resolution data. Reduced through image data representing an image and having a data size smaller than that of the low resolution data is generated. The generated reduced through image data is sent to the data transmitting / receiving unit 121 via the communication controller 120, converted into a radio wave, and then transmitted from the antenna 121a to the external device. A combination of the data transmission / reception unit 121 and the antenna 121a is an example of an image transmission unit according to the present invention, and the size conversion unit 123 corresponds to an example of a size conversion unit according to the present invention.

  Captured image data generated at the time of shooting and stored in the memory 124 is acquired by the image signal processing unit 117 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 119. The image signal processing unit 117 performs RGB level adjustment, gamma adjustment, and the like on the captured image data. The captured image data that has undergone image processing is sent to the compression processing unit 122. The compression processing unit 122 performs compression processing on the captured image data that has been subjected to image processing, and sends the compressed captured image data to the memory 124. In accordance with an instruction from the CPU 119, the video encoder 118 acquires the captured image data after compression from the memory 124, and converts the compressed captured image data into a data format that can be displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108. The converted photographic image data is sent to the image display device 130, and the photographic image represented by the photographic image data is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108 by the image display device 130. The media controller 125 is for recording the compressed photographed image data stored in the memory 124 on the recording medium 140 and for reading the photographed image data recorded on the recording medium 140.

  Next, the mobile phone 200 shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the mobile phone 200.

  The mobile phone 200 includes a microphone 241, a speaker 242, an interface unit 240, a first transmission / reception unit 211, a first antenna 211a, an input controller 212, an image signal processing unit 213, a video encoder 214, a CPU 215, a communication controller 216, and a second transmission / reception. A unit 217, a second antenna 217a, a memory 218, an image display device 220, a dial switch 231, a confirmation switch 232, a power switch 233, and a four-way switch 234.

  Similarly to the memory 124 of the digital camera 100 shown in FIG. 3, the memory 218 also stores SDRAM for storing programs to be executed in the mobile phone 200, data for various menu screens, telephone book data, and the like. An SRAM and a VRAM for storing compressed image data are included.

  When the power button 208 shown in FIG. 2 is pressed, the power switch 233 is turned on and the mobile phone 200 is turned on. When a telephone number is input using the push button 205 and the confirmation button 207 is pressed, the telephone number is set by the dial switch 231 and the confirmation switch 232 is entered to start communication with the partner apparatus. At this time, communication information such as the telephone number of the mobile phone 200 and the input telephone number is transmitted from the CPU 215 to the first transmission / reception unit 211, and the first transmission / reception unit 211 converts the communication information into a radio wave and transmits it to the antenna 211a. The radio wave is emitted from the antenna 211a. A radio wave emitted from the antenna 211a is transmitted to a telephone station via a common antenna (not shown), and the telephone station establishes a connection with a partner apparatus to which a designated telephone number is assigned.

  When the connection with the counterpart device is established, a voice uttered by the user toward the mobile phone 200 is collected by the microphone 241 shown in FIG. 1B, and the collected voice is a radio wave representing voice data by the interface unit 240. Is transmitted to the counterpart device by the first antenna 211a. In addition, the radio wave received via the first antenna 211a is converted into audio data by the interface unit 240 and emitted from the speaker 242 as audio. The first transmission / reception unit 211 and the first antenna 211a transmit / receive not only voice data but also mail data representing mail using a mail address instead of a telephone number. The mail data received by the first antenna 211 a and digitized by the first transmission / reception unit 211 is stored in the memory 218 by the input controller 212.

  In addition to the communication interface (the first transmission / reception unit 211 and the antenna 211a) for communicating with the counterpart device via the telephone station, the mobile phone 200 is used for short distance communication without using the telephone station. Wireless communication interfaces (second transmitter / receiver 217, second antenna 217a) are also provided. When a radio wave directly transmitted from an external device is received by the second antenna 217a without going through the telephone office, the received radio wave is picked up by the second transmitting / receiving unit 217 and converted into digital data. . Conversely, when transmitting data to an external device, the data is transmitted to the second transmitting / receiving unit 217 via the communication controller 216, and the data is converted into radio waves by the second transmitting / receiving unit 217 and transmitted from the second antenna 217a. It is done. A combination of the second transmission / reception unit 217 and the second antenna 217a corresponds to an example of an image reception unit according to the present invention.

  When a radio wave representing an image is received by the second antenna 217a, the second transceiver 217 converts the radio wave into digital image data. The converted image data is sent to the image signal processing unit 213 via the input controller 212, and the image signal processing unit 213 performs RGB level adjustment, gamma adjustment, and the like. Further, the image data is sent to the video encoder 214, converted into a data format that can be displayed on the liquid crystal panel 201 by the video encoder 214, and then sent to the image display device 220. The image display device 220 displays an image represented by the image data on the liquid crystal panel 201. A combination of the image display device 220 and the liquid crystal panel 201 shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to an example of an image display unit according to the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, a communication interface for short-range wireless communication is used as the data transmission / reception unit 121 and the antenna 121a of the digital camera 100 and the second transmission / reception unit 217 and the second antenna 217a of the mobile phone 200. As a communication interface for short-range wireless communication, Bluetooth or the like can be applied.

  The digital camera 100 and the mobile phone 200 of this embodiment are basically configured as described above.

  Here, a feature of the present invention in an imaging system including the digital camera 100 and the mobile phone 200 is that a user who is away from the digital camera 100 uses the mobile phone 200 within the shooting angle of view before shooting. It is in a series of processes for confirming the composition.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for transmitting reduced through image data in the digital camera 100. FIG. 6 shows a series of processes in which the mobile phone 200 receives the reduced through image data and displays the reduced through image. It is a flowchart which shows the process of.

  Here, a case will be described in which the user holds the mobile phone 200 by himself (hereinafter referred to as a mobile user) and entrusts the digital camera 100 to another person (hereinafter referred to as a camera user) to request photographing.

  When the power button 104 of the digital camera 100 shown in FIG. 1A is slid by the camera user, the power switch 157 shown in FIG. 3 is turned on inside the digital camera 100 to turn on the digital camera 100. The

  When the power is turned on, the CCD 114 reads the subject light roughly every predetermined timing and generates a subject signal. The generated subject signal is sent to the A / D converter 115, and the A / D converter 115 generates low resolution data.

  When the camera user presses the liquid crystal activation button 108a in FIG. 1B, the CPU 119 is informed that the image display switch 152 has been turned on inside the digital camera 100. When the switch state is transmitted to the CPU 119, the low resolution data generated by the A / D conversion unit 115 is sent to the image signal processing unit 117 via the image input controller 116. The low resolution data sent to the image signal processing unit 117 is subjected to image processing, sent to the video encoder 118, and converted into a data format that can be displayed on the liquid crystal panel. The converted low resolution data is sent to the image display device 130, and the image display device 130 displays a through image on the liquid crystal panel 108 based on the low resolution data.

  Furthermore, the camera user presses the cross key 110 to designate display of a transmission mode setting screen for displaying a through image on the mobile phone 200. At this time, in the digital camera 100, data for a transmission mode setting screen stored in advance in the memory 124 is acquired by the video encoder 118. Data acquired by the video encoder 118 is sent to the image display device 130, and a transmission mode setting screen is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating display screens of the digital camera 100 and the mobile phone 200.

  A transmission mode setting screen 100_1 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108 of the digital camera 100. When the camera user selects the ON button on the transmission mode setting screen 100_1, a transmission mode for transmitting the reduced through image data to the mobile phone 200 is set (step S11 in FIG. 5: Yes).

  At this time, in the digital camera 100, data for communication negotiation is transmitted from the CPU 119 to the data transmission / reception unit 121 via the communication controller 120. The data transmitter / receiver 121 converts the data for communication negotiation into a radio wave, and emits the radio wave for communication negotiation from the antenna 121a (step S12 in FIG. 5). At this time, in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 119, the video encoder 118 acquires data for a communication screen stored in the memory 124 in advance, and the data is sent to the image display device 130 to the communication screen 100_2 to the liquid crystal panel 108. Is displayed.

  On the other hand, the mobile user who has the mobile phone 200 also operates the four-way button 204 of the mobile phone 200 to designate display of a reception mode setting screen for receiving the reduced through image data.

  At this time, in the mobile phone 200, the video encoder 214 acquires data for a reception mode setting screen stored in advance in the memory 218 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 215. The acquired data is sent to the image display device 220, and the reception mode setting screen 200_1 shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, when the portable user selects the ON button on the reception mode setting screen 200_1, a reception mode for receiving the reduced through image data is set (step S21 in FIG. 6: Yes).

  At this time, in the mobile phone 200, the second transmitter / receiver 217 monitors reception of radio waves by the second antenna 217a (step S22 in FIG. 6). At this time, in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 215, the video encoder 214 acquires data for the screen during communication stored in advance in the memory 218, and the data is sent to the image display device 220 to the liquid crystal panel 201 of the mobile phone 200. The in-communication screen 200_2 similar to that of the digital camera 100 is displayed.

  When a radio wave for communication negotiation is received by the second antenna 217a, communication between the digital camera 100 and the mobile phone 200 is established (step S12 in FIG. 5: Yes, step S22 in FIG. 6: Yes).

  When communication between the digital camera 100 and the mobile phone 200 is established, the through image 100_3 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108 in the digital camera 100 in the same manner as before communication with the mobile phone 200.

  Further, in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 119, low resolution data is sent to the size conversion unit 123 via the image input controller 116, and the size conversion unit 123 performs data size conversion processing on the low resolution data (step of FIG. 5). S13). As a result, reduced through image data representing the same image as the through image and having a data size smaller than that of the low resolution data is generated.

  The generated reduced through image data is sent to the data transmitting / receiving unit 121. The data transmitter / receiver 121 converts the reduced through image data into radio waves and emits radio waves from the antenna 121a toward the mobile phone 200 (step S14 in FIG. 5).

  At this time, in the mobile phone 200, the second antenna 217a receives the radio wave representing the reduced through image data sent from the digital camera 100. The received radio wave is converted into reduced through image data by the second transmission / reception unit 217 and sent to the video encoder 214 via the input controller 212. The video encoder 214 sends the reduced through image data to the image display device 220. The image display device 220 displays the reduced through image represented by the reduced through image data on the liquid crystal panel 201 of the mobile phone 200 (step S23 in FIG. 6).

  In the digital camera 100, low resolution data is repeatedly generated at predetermined timings, and the reduced through image data generated based on the low resolution data is sequentially transmitted to the mobile phone 200, and the reduced through images are sequentially generated. Are displayed on the liquid crystal panel 201 of the mobile phone 200. The through image 100_3 displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108 of the digital camera 100 and the reduced through image 200_3 displayed on the liquid crystal panel 201 of the mobile phone 200 are the same image, but have different display sizes. By transmitting the reduced through image data instead of the low resolution data to the mobile phone 200, the data communication speed can be increased.

  A mobile user holding the mobile phone 200 visually checks the reduced through image 200_3 displayed on the liquid crystal panel 201 of the mobile phone 200, confirms the composition of the subject located within the shooting angle of view of the digital camera 100, and the digital camera. The camera user who holds 100 is requested to press the shooting button 105.

  As described above, according to the imaging system of the present embodiment, since the composition within the imaging angle of view at the time of imaging can be confirmed, the composition of the captured image differs from the desired composition when, for example, another person is requested to shoot. It is possible to avoid problems that may occur. In addition, since an auxiliary device that displays a through image does not need to record the through image in a memory, a mobile phone that does not have a large-capacity memory can be used as the auxiliary device.

  Above, description of 1st Embodiment in this invention is complete | finished, Next, 2nd Embodiment in this invention is demonstrated. The shooting system of the second embodiment is different from the shooting system of the first embodiment in that a shooting button is provided on a mobile phone and a shooting trigger can be transmitted from the mobile phone. 1, 2 and 3 used in the description of the first embodiment are also used in the description of the second embodiment, and only the differences between the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described. In the imaging system of the present embodiment, the series of processes for the user to confirm the composition within the shooting angle of view before shooting and the screen displayed on the digital camera and the mobile phone are the same as those in the imaging system of the first embodiment. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the same reference numerals and the same screens are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the imaging system of the present embodiment, the confirmation button 207 of the mobile phone 200 shown in FIG. 2 also functions as a shutter button that instructs the digital camera 100 to perform shooting. A function of receiving a shooting instruction and shooting is provided.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for transmitting the reduced through image data to the mobile phone 200 in the digital camera 100 of the second embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the mobile phone 200 of the second embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for receiving reduced through image data from the digital camera 100 and displaying the reduced through image.

  Here, a case will be described in which the digital camera 100 is placed, a user moves to a place away from the digital camera 100 with the mobile phone 200, and photographs itself.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating display screens of the digital camera 100 and the mobile phone 200, respectively.

  The user slides the power button 104 of the digital camera 100 to turn on the power, and presses the cross key 110 to designate display of the transmission mode setting screen. At this time, the transmission mode setting screen 100_1 shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108 of the digital camera 100 in the same manner as in step S11 of FIG. Further, the user selects the ON button on the transmission mode setting screen 100_1 and sets the transmission mode (step S11: Yes in FIG. 8). At this time, the communication screen 100_2 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108, as in the first embodiment.

  In addition, the user moves to a place away from the digital camera 100 with the mobile phone 200 and operates the four-direction button 204 of the mobile phone 200 to display a through image on the mobile phone 200. Specifies the display of. At this time, the reception mode setting screen 200_1 shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 201 of the mobile phone 200 in the same manner as in step S21 of FIG. The user selects the ON button on the reception mode setting screen 200_1 to set the reception mode (step S21 in FIG. 9: Yes). At this time, the communication screen 200_2 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 201 of the mobile phone 200 as in the first embodiment.

  Similarly to step S12 in FIG. 5 and step S22 in FIG. 6, when communication is established between the digital camera 100 and the mobile phone 200 (step S12 in FIG. 8: Yes, step S22 in FIG. 9: Yes), In the digital camera 100, similarly to step S13 in FIG. 5, the low resolution data generated at every predetermined timing is converted into reduced through image data (step S13 in FIG. 8). The generated reduced through image data is transmitted to the mobile phone 200 in the same manner as in step S14 in FIG. 5 (step S14 in FIG. 8). At this time, in the present embodiment, the video encoder 118 acquires data stored in advance in the memory 124 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 119, and the data is sent to the image display device 130 and is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108. A through image 100_3 ′ indicated as “waiting” is displayed.

  Further, the cellular phone 200 receives the reduced through image data sent from the digital camera 100 and displays the reduced through image 200_3 ′ on the liquid crystal panel 201 in the same manner as in step S23 of FIG. 6 (FIG. 9). Step S23). In the present embodiment, based on the reduced through image data, the reduced through image 200_3 ′ having the same display size as the through image 100_3 but having a smaller number of pixels than the through image 100_3 is displayed.

  As described above, when the reduced through image 200_3 ′ is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 201 of the mobile phone 200, the user views the reduced through image 200_3 ′ and checks whether he / she is within the shooting angle of view of the digital camera 100. And confirm button 207 of mobile phone 200 is pressed.

  When the user presses the confirmation button 207, the CPU 215 is informed that the confirmation switch 232 has been entered inside the mobile phone 200. The CPU 215 sends instruction data for instructing photographing to the second transmission / reception unit 217 via the communication controller 216. The second transmission / reception unit 217 converts the instruction data into a radio wave and transmits it from the second antenna 217a (step S24 in FIG. 9: Yes). The instruction data corresponds to an example of a shooting trigger according to the present invention, and the second transmission / reception unit 217 corresponds to an example of a trigger transmission unit according to the present invention. At this time, in this embodiment, in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 215, the video encoder 214 acquires data for the shooting end standby screen stored in advance in the memory 218, and the data is sent to the image display device 220 to display the liquid crystal. A photographing end standby screen 200_4 is displayed on the panel 201.

  The radio wave representing the instruction data transmitted from the mobile phone 200 is received by the antenna 121a of the digital camera 100 and digitized by the data transmitter / receiver 121 (step S15 in FIG. 8: Yes). A combination of the antenna 121a and the data transmission / reception unit 121 corresponds to an example of a trigger reception unit according to the present invention.

  When the instruction data is received, the CPU 119 turns on the shutter switch 151 of the digital camera 100. When the shutter switch 151 is turned on, actual photographing is performed (step S16 in FIG. 8). In actual photographing, photographed image data with high resolution is acquired based on subject light received by the CCD 114. The high-resolution captured image data is once sent to the memory 124 and acquired from the memory 124 by the image signal processing unit 117 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 119. The image signal processing unit 117 performs image processing on the captured image data, and sends the captured image data after the image processing to the compression processing unit 122. The compression processing unit 122 performs compression processing on the captured image data that has been subjected to image processing, and sends the compressed captured image data to the memory 124 again. The video encoder 118 acquires data stored in advance in the memory 124 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 119 until the captured image data is subjected to compression processing, and the data is stored in the image display device. 130, and the in-photographing screen 100_4 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 108. The media controller 124 acquires the compressed photographed image data stored in the memory 124 and records the photographed image data on the recording medium 140. The video encoder 118 also acquires the captured image data after compression stored in the memory 124, converts the data format for the liquid crystal panel 108, and sends it to the image display device 130. The image display device 130 displays the captured image 100_5 on the liquid crystal panel 108 based on the captured image data. The photographed image 100_5 is marked with a mark indicating that this image is a photographed image.

  When shooting is completed, the CPU 119 sends shooting end data indicating the end of shooting to the data transmission / reception unit 121. The data transmitter / receiver 121 converts the shooting end data into radio waves and emits radio waves from the antenna 121a (step S17 in FIG. 8). Subsequently, the compressed captured image data is sent to the data transmission / reception unit 121 via the communication controller 120, and the captured image data is converted into radio waves and transmitted from the antenna 121a to the mobile phone 200 (FIG. 8 step S18).

  In the mobile phone 200, the second antenna 217a receives the radio wave representing the shooting end data (step S25 in FIG. 9: Yes), and then receives the radio wave representing the compressed shot image data (FIG. 9). Step S26). The radio waves representing the compressed captured image data are converted into compressed captured image data by the second transmission / reception unit 217 and sent to the image signal processing unit 213 via the communication controller 216. The compressed photographed image data is decompressed by the image signal processing unit 213 and sent to the video encoder 214. After the data format is converted for the liquid crystal panel 201, the photographed image data is sent to the image display device 220. The liquid crystal panel 201 displays a captured image 200_5 with a mark indicating that this image is a captured image (step S27 in FIG. 9).

  In this way, by transmitting a shooting trigger from the mobile phone 200, it is possible to perform shooting with a desired composition without asking someone else to press the shooting button.

  Here, an example in which a digital camera that shoots a still image is applied as the photographic device according to the present invention has been described. However, the photographic device according to the present invention may be a digital camera that shoots a moving image.

  In the above description, the digital camera that generates the captured image data based on the subject image read by the CCD has been described. However, the imaging apparatus according to the present invention may acquire through image data and transmit it to the auxiliary device. For example, it may be a mobile phone with a camera or a multi-function device of a digital camera and a silver salt camera.

In the above description, an example in which a mobile phone is applied as an auxiliary device according to the present invention has been described. However, an auxiliary device according to the present invention is provided with a photographing device as long as it has a display screen for displaying a through image. It may be a remote controller or the like.
In the above description, an example in which Bluetooth is applied as a communication interface between the photographing apparatus and the auxiliary apparatus has been described. However, the communication interface between the photographing apparatus and the auxiliary apparatus may be infrared rays or the like. It may be a wired communication interface such as USB.

1 is an external view of a digital camera constituting an imaging system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. 1 is an external view of a mobile phone constituting a photographing system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. 1 is a block diagram of a digital camera 100. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a mobile phone 200. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for transmitting through image data to the mobile phone 200 in the digital camera 100. 6 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for receiving through image data from the digital camera 100 and displaying a through image in the mobile phone 200. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the digital camera 100 and the mobile telephone 200, respectively. 5 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for transmitting reduced through image data to the mobile phone 200 in the digital camera 100. 6 is a flowchart showing a series of processing for receiving reduced through image data from the digital camera 100 and displaying the reduced through image in the mobile phone 200. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the digital camera 100 and the mobile telephone 200, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Digital camera 101 Shooting lens 102 Finder 103 Flash light-emitting device 104 Power button 105 Shutter button 111 Zoom lens 111a Zoom motor driver 112 Focus lens 112a Focus motor driver 113 Iris 113a Iris motor driver 114 CCD
115 A / D converter 116 Image input controller 117 Image signal processor 118 Video encoder 119 CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 120 Communication controller 121 Data transmission / reception part 122 Compression processing part 123 Size conversion part 124 Memory 125 Media controller 140 Recording medium 200 Mobile phone 201 Display screen 202 Push button 203 Microphone 211 1st transmission / reception part 211a 1st antenna 212 Input controller 213 Image signal processing Unit 214 Video encoder 215 CPU
216 Communication controller 217 Second transceiver 217a Second antenna 218 Memory 220 Image display device

Claims (5)

This is a subject image within the angle of view at the time when the through image data representing the through image that is the current subject image within the angle of view is repeatedly acquired and the through image is displayed and the imaging trigger is received. An imaging device for acquiring and recording captured image data representing the captured image;
An auxiliary device separate from the photographing device, having a display screen for displaying an image;
The imaging device includes an image transmission unit that transmits the through image data toward the auxiliary device,
An image receiving unit that receives the through image data transmitted from the imaging device, and an image display unit that displays a through image based on the through image data received by the image receiving unit on the display screen. An imaging system characterized by comprising: The auxiliary device includes a trigger transmission unit that transmits an imaging trigger toward the imaging device according to an operation,
The photographing apparatus includes a trigger receiving unit that receives a photographing trigger transmitted from the auxiliary device,
The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus is configured to acquire and record the captured image data upon reception of an imaging trigger in the trigger receiving unit. Based on the through image data for displaying the through image on the imaging device, the imaging device is a through image that is the same as the through image represented by the through image data and has a smaller data size than the through image data. It has a size converter that generates through image data,
The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the image transmission unit transmits the reduced through image data generated by the size conversion unit. This is a subject image within the angle of view at the time when the through image data representing the through image that is the current subject image within the angle of view is repeatedly acquired and the through image is displayed and the imaging trigger is received. In a photographing apparatus for acquiring and recording photographed image data representing a photographed image,
An imaging apparatus comprising an image transmission unit that transmits a through image data to an auxiliary device that is separate from the imaging apparatus and that has a display screen for displaying an image. This is a subject image within the angle of view at the time when the through image data representing the through image, which is the current subject image within the angle of view, is repeatedly acquired to display the through image and when the imaging trigger is received and the imaging trigger is received. An image receiving unit for receiving through image data transmitted from a photographing apparatus that acquires and records photographed image data representing a photographed image;
An auxiliary apparatus comprising: an image display unit that displays a through image based on through image data received by the image receiving unit on a display screen that displays an image.

Images