JP2006197055A - Digital camera and display method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera in which a zoom portion can be confirmed for the entire image at the time of electronic zoom by employing a monitor of wide screen and utilizing the region of the wide screen effectively, and to provide a display method. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid crystal monitor 17 of a digital camera has a wide aspect screen where the aspect ratio of 640×360 pixels is 16:9, and imaging elements form an image of normal aspect ratio 4:3. The image is normally displayed in a region of normal aspect ratio 4:3 (480×360 pixels) of the liquid crystal monitor 17. At the time of electronic zoom, a zoom image is displayed in the region of normal aspect ratio 4:3 (480×360 pixels), and the entire image of 160×120 pixels is displayed in the remaining region along with a frame indicating the zoom region. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera and a camera-equipped mobile phone, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus having a wide screen such as a horizontally long liquid crystal and a display method utilizing the wide screen.

  In digital cameras and camera-equipped mobile phones, the number of pixels of the image sensor is expanding to 1 million pixels, 2 million pixels,..., 5 million pixels, and so on. Increasing in size, such as inches, 2 inches, 2.5 inches, and so on. A so-called wide screen with an aspect ratio of 16: 9 is popular in television receivers, but an aspect ratio of 4: 3 is mainstream in digital cameras and camera-equipped mobile phones. This is because the image pickup device does not support a wide screen, so it is meaningless to enlarge only the display.

  There is a prior art in which a wide screen can be taken and a wide screen monitor is provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, there is a display provided with a wide screen monitor for panoramic display (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

The present applicant has applied for a technique in which a wide screen monitor is provided to display an image and other information in parallel (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-384434) (unpublished patent document).
On the other hand, a digital camera has a zoom function, but when performing electronic zoom, there is an electronic camera that allows you to see at a glance where the currently expanded range is relative to the entire original image. Yes (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-4398 JP 2003-189153 A JP 2004-72207 A

  The technology described in Patent Document 1 can automatically combine one frame image at a time in real time. From a wide viewing angle image obtained by a user's camera operation, a wide and high-definition still image can be obtained. However, in order to display an image on the entire screen of a wide screen, no device has been devised to effectively use the wide screen area.

  The technique described in Patent Document 2 provides an imaging apparatus that can capture panoramic images and can observe panoramic images on a wide-screen display, and can capture images while confirming a stereoscopic effect. In order to display an image on the entire screen of a wide screen, no effort has been made to effectively use the wide screen area.

  The technology of the unpublished patent document is a mobile phone equipped with a liquid crystal compatible with a wide screen and a display driver with an aspect ratio of 16: 9, and the video is reproduced in full screen at an aspect ratio of 16: 9 and is being displayed. When an e-mail is received, the e-mail is displayed by switching to a display driver with an aspect ratio of 4: 3, and a wide screen area is displayed in which an image with an aspect ratio of 4: 3 and e-mail are displayed simultaneously on a wide screen. Ingenuity to use is made. However, what is displayed in the empty area where an image with an aspect ratio of 4: 3 is displayed on the wide screen is e-mail information, and no special contrivance has been made for the digital camera.

  The technique described in Patent Document 3 has an electronic zoom function, and an image acquired via the imaging unit is displayed on the screen of the image display unit. When the photographer operates the magnification changing operation unit to perform a zoom operation, the electronic zoom unit operates in accordance with the operation instruction, and an enlarged image of the image related to imaging is displayed on the screen of the image display unit. At this time, enlarged range information indicating which region range the enlarged image currently displayed is cut out and enlarged with respect to the display range of the image at the time of shooting at the maximum angle of view (that is, the image without zooming) is the enlarged image. There is no contrivance to effectively use the wide screen area.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. By adopting a wide screen monitor for a digital camera and effectively utilizing the wide screen area, the zoom portion of the entire image can be confirmed when the entire display image is zoomed. It is what I did.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a display method of a digital camera having an electronic zoom function and capable of photographing, recording and reproducing an image with a predetermined aspect ratio, It has a monitor with a large wide aspect ratio, and in shooting mode, usually displays a captured image as a through image in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio on the wide aspect ratio monitor. A captured image optically zoomed as a through image is displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio on the monitor, and the electronic zoomed image is displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio in accordance with the electronic zoom operation during electronic zoom shooting. And displays the entire image of the optically zoomed captured image together with a frame as the through image. By displaying the remaining area, there is provided a display method for a digital camera, characterized in that to be able to verify the zoom part of the whole image during zooming.
As a result, a normal aspect ratio image is displayed on a wide aspect ratio monitor, and the zoom portion of the entire image can be confirmed during zoom shooting while effectively utilizing the display area.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 2 is a digital camera having an electronic zoom function and capable of shooting, recording and reproducing an image having a predetermined aspect ratio, which is larger than the predetermined aspect ratio. A monitor having a wide aspect ratio, and means for displaying a captured image as a through image in an area of the predetermined aspect ratio on the wide aspect ratio monitor, usually in the shooting mode, and at the time of optical zoom, the wide aspect ratio Means for displaying a captured image optically zoomed as a through image in a region of the predetermined aspect ratio on a ratio monitor, and at the time of electronic zooming, the electronic zoomed image is converted into the predetermined aspect ratio according to the electronic zoom operation. And displaying the entire image of the optically zoomed captured image together with a frame. There is provided a digital camera, characterized in that it comprises means for displaying the remaining area of the monitor, the.
Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a digital camera that displays a normal aspect ratio image on a wide aspect ratio monitor and can check the zoom portion of the entire image during zoom shooting while effectively utilizing the display area.

In order to solve the above problems, in the invention described in claim 3, in a digital camera capable of photographing, recording and reproducing an image having a predetermined aspect ratio, a monitor having a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio is provided. Means for displaying a reproduced image in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio on the monitor having the wide aspect ratio at the time of reproduction, and at the time of zoom reproduction, the reproduced image zoomed in accordance with a zoom operation is displayed at the predetermined aspect. And a means for displaying the entire reproduced image in a remaining area of the monitor together with a frame indicating a zoom area, while providing reproduction and display in the ratio area. .
Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a digital camera capable of displaying a normal aspect ratio image on a wide aspect ratio monitor and checking the zoom portion of the entire image during zoom reproduction while effectively utilizing the display area.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the invention according to claim 4, a digital image having a monitor with a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio can be captured, recorded and reproduced. In the camera, the photographed main image and the reduced image thereof are recorded, and at the time of reproduction, the means for reproducing and displaying the reduced image in the predetermined aspect ratio area on the wide aspect ratio monitor, and at the time of zoom reproduction, The reproduction image obtained by reducing the main image in accordance with the zoom operation is reproduced and displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio, and the entire image of the reproduction image is displayed together with a frame indicating the zoom area and the remaining area of the monitor. And a means for displaying on the digital camera.
As a result, it is possible to obtain a digital camera that displays a normal aspect ratio image on a wide aspect ratio monitor and can check the zoom portion of the entire image during zoom playback while effectively utilizing the display area. Since the image is obtained by reducing it, a digital camera with a clean image can be obtained even if the image is enlarged on the monitor.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 5, in the digital camera according to claim 4, the reproduced image obtained by reducing the main image in accordance with the zoom operation exceeds the size of the main image. In some cases, the present invention provides a digital camera that reproduces and displays a reproduction image obtained by enlarging the main image in the region having the predetermined aspect ratio.
As a result, an image for displaying the enlarged display image on the monitor is obtained by reducing the main image, and as the enlargement ratio increases, the reduction ratio of the main image is decreased. Since the main image is enlarged and a reproduced image is obtained this time, the image quality is not substantially lowered until the size of the display image exceeds the size of the main image.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the invention described in claim 6, a digital image having a monitor with a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio can be captured, recorded and reproduced. In the camera, the photographed main image and the reduced image thereof are recorded, and at the time of reproduction, the means for reproducing and displaying the reduced image in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio on the wide aspect ratio monitor, and at the time of zoom reproduction, The reproduced image obtained by enlarging the reduced image in accordance with the zoom operation is reproduced and displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio, and the entire image of the reproduced image is displayed together with the frame indicating the zoom area and the remaining area of the monitor. And a means for displaying on the digital camera.
Thus, during zoom reproduction, the enlarged display process is performed using the reduced image stored in advance, so that the processing speed can be improved.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 7, in the digital camera according to claim 6, the reproduced image obtained by reducing the main image in accordance with the zoom operation has reached the size of the main image. In some cases, the present invention provides a digital camera that reproduces and displays a reproduction image obtained by enlarging the main image in the region having the predetermined aspect ratio.
As a result, while the processing speed is improved in the invention described in claim 6 above, when the display image is determined, it is replaced with the image created from the main image, so that a beautiful reproduced image can be obtained.

In order to solve the above problems, according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in a display method of a digital camera capable of photographing, recording and reproducing an image having a predetermined aspect ratio, a wide aspect larger than the predetermined aspect ratio is provided. A playback image is displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio on the monitor having the wide aspect ratio during playback, and the zoomed playback image is displayed in the predetermined operation according to the zoom operation during zoom playback. In addition to playing back and displaying in the area of the aspect ratio, the entire image of the playback image is displayed in the remaining area of the monitor together with a frame indicating the zoom area, so that the zoom portion of the entire image can be confirmed during zoom playback. The present invention provides a display method for a digital camera.
As a result, it is possible to display a normal aspect ratio image on a wide aspect ratio monitor and to check the zoom portion of the entire image during zoom reproduction while effectively utilizing the display area.

In order to solve the above problems, in the invention according to claim 9, in a digital camera having a monitor having a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio, it is possible to capture, record and reproduce an image having a predetermined aspect ratio. A means for recording the photographed main image and a thumbnail that is a reduced image thereof; a means for reproducing and displaying the main image in an area having a predetermined aspect ratio on the monitor during reproduction; and a zoom operation during zoom reproduction. Means for reproducing and displaying a reproduction image made from the main image according to a zoom rate in the area having the predetermined aspect ratio, and means for displaying the thumbnail together with a frame indicating the zoom area in the remaining area of the monitor. And providing a digital camera characterized by comprising:
As a result, a thumbnail image stored in advance is used to display the entire image, so that a digital camera with improved processing speed can be obtained.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the invention described in claim 10, an image of a digital camera having a monitor with a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio can be captured, recorded and reproduced. In the display method, a photographed main image and a thumbnail that is a reduced image thereof are recorded, and the main image is reproduced and displayed in an area of a predetermined aspect ratio on the monitor at the time of reproduction. Replaying and displaying a reproduction image made from the main image according to the zoom ratio in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio, and displaying the thumbnail in the remaining area of the monitor together with a frame indicating the zoom area. A characteristic display method is provided.
Thus, since the thumbnails stored in advance are displayed as the entire image, the processing speed can be improved.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 11 provides the digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the frame is movable.
As a result, it is possible to display a normal aspect ratio image on a wide aspect ratio monitor and to select which part of the entire image is enlarged while effectively utilizing the display area.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 12 provides the display method according to claim 1, 8, or 10, wherein the frame is movable.
As a result, it is possible to display a normal aspect ratio image on a wide aspect ratio monitor and to select which part of the entire image is enlarged while effectively utilizing the display area.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 13 provides a program for causing a computer of a digital camera to execute the display method according to claim 1, 8 or 10.
Thus, it is possible to control the digital camera so that a normal aspect ratio image is displayed on a wide aspect ratio monitor and the zoom portion of the entire image can be confirmed during zoom shooting while effectively utilizing the display area.

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the electronic zoom can be performed while confirming the whole by effectively utilizing the area of the wide screen during photographing.
According to the fourth to eighth aspects of the present invention, the display image can be enlarged and reproduced while confirming the whole by effectively utilizing the area of the wide screen during reproduction.
According to the ninth or tenth aspect of the present invention, a photographed main image and a thumbnail that is a reduced image thereof are recorded, and at the time of zoom reproduction, reproduction according to the zoom rate created from the main image is accompanied by a zoom operation. At the same time that the image is played back and displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio, the thumbnail is displayed in the remaining area of the monitor together with the frame indicating the zoom area, so that processing can be performed by using the thumbnail without creating the entire image. As the speed increases, the zoom area can be determined while checking the entire image by effectively utilizing the wide screen area.
According to the eleventh or twelfth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine the zoom area while confirming the entire image by effectively utilizing the wide screen area during zoom processing during photographing or reproduction.
According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to control the digital camera so that the zoom can be performed while confirming the whole by effectively utilizing the area of the wide screen at the time of shooting or reproduction.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is an external view of the digital camera 1, FIGS. 1A and 1B are a front view and a rear view of the digital camera 1, and FIG. 1C is a bottom perspective view of the digital camera 1. .
In these drawings, the digital camera 1 has a collapsible lens barrel 3, a strobe light emission window 4, a finder front window 5, a sound collection hole 6, and the like on the front surface of a box-shaped main body 2, and an upper surface of the main body 2. A power switch 7 and a shutter button 8 are arranged on the back of the main body 2, and a finder rear window 9, a shooting mode / playback mode switch 10, a zoom key 11, a MENU button 12, and a cursor key (up / down / left / right movement buttons) 13, a SET button 14, a DISP button 15, a loudspeaker hole 16, a liquid crystal monitor 17 (monitor screen), and the like. In addition, a lid 18 is provided on the bottom surface of the main body 2, and the inside of the main body 2 is opened by opening the lid 18. A battery 19 or a large-capacity storage medium 20 (for example, a card flash memory (CF) (Compact Flash) or a card And to be able to attach and detach the disks (HDD) (Hard Disk Drive), etc.).

The liquid crystal monitor 17 is composed of a wide screen having an aspect ratio of 16: 9, for example. Since an image sensor described later creates an image with an aspect ratio of 4: 3, a surplus area is formed during normal image display. During normal image display, the image may be enlarged and displayed on the entire surface, or information such as the date and the number of pixels may be displayed in the remaining area.
In FIG. 1B, a MENU button 12 is used to display various menus. When operated in the shooting mode, setting of the number of shooting pixels, shooting image quality (from a lower compression rate (higher image quality) to fine, normal , Economy) settings, still image / video / audio recording switching, self-timer, flash, white balance, and other shooting conditions. When operated in the playback mode, settings such as automatic screen advance (slide show), protection setting, print number setting (DPOF) (Digital Print Order Format), image rotation, trimming, resizing, etc. can be performed.
In the figure, a DISP button 15 is used to display various information on the monitor screen. The number of pixels, image quality, still image / video / audio distinction, date, time, remaining battery capacity, remaining memory capacity, etc. Is displayed. When the DISP button is pressed again, the information display disappears and only the image display is displayed.

  FIG. 2 is an internal block diagram of the digital camera 1. In this figure, the digital camera 1 can be classified according to function into an audio input system 21, an imaging system 22, a control system 23, an audio output system 24, an image file storage system 25, a display system 26, an operation system 27, and the like. .

  Explaining each of these systems, the audio input system 21 is amplified by a microphone 28 disposed near the sound collection hole 6 on the front surface of the main body, an amplifier 29 for amplifying the sound picked up by the microphone 28, and the amplifier 29. A / D converter 30 for converting the analog audio signal into a digital signal, and an audio memory 31 for temporarily storing the digitally converted audio signal.

  The imaging system 22 includes a photographic lens group 32 with a zoom function and an autofocus function housed in a lens barrel 3 on the front surface of the main body, and a CCD that converts a subject image that has passed through the photographic lens group 32 into a two-dimensional image signal. (Charge Coupled Devices), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and the like, a video processing unit 34 for performing a required image processing on an image signal from the electronic imaging unit 33, and a post-image processing An image memory 35 for temporarily storing image signals, a focus drive unit 36 for driving a focus mechanism (not shown) of the lens barrel 3, a zoom drive unit 37 for driving the zoom mechanism, and a front surface of the main body A strobe light emission unit 38 provided in the strobe light emission window 4, a strobe drive unit 39 for driving the strobe light emission unit 38, and each of these units (electronic imaging unit) 33, a video processing unit 34, a focus driving unit 36, a zoom driving unit 37, and a strobe driving unit 39).

  The control system 23 controls each of the above systems to control the operation of the digital camera 1 intensively, and a program for storing various programs and data necessary for the operation of the CPU 41 in a nonvolatile manner. A memory 42 and a built-in flash memory (data memory) 43 for storing image data are provided.

  The audio output system 24 converts the audio data appropriately output from the CPU 41 into an analog audio signal, an amplifier 45 that amplifies the audio signal, and amplifies the amplified audio signal. And a speaker 46 provided near the loudspeaker hole 16 on the back of the main body.

  The image file storage system 25 includes an interface unit 47 and a storage medium 20 that is detachably connected to the interface unit 47.

  The display system 26 includes a display control unit 49 including a video memory (VRAM) 48 that temporarily stores display data that is appropriately output from the CPU 41, and a liquid crystal monitor 17 that displays an output signal of the display control unit 49. .

  The operation system 27 includes various operation buttons provided on each part of the main body 2, that is, a shutter button 8, a shooting mode / playback mode switch 10, a zoom key 11, a MENU button 12, and cursor keys (up / down / left / right movement buttons). 13, an operation input unit 50 including a SET button 14 and a DISP button 15, and an input circuit 51 for inputting an operation signal from the operation input unit 50 to the CPU 41.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the flow of data from the image sensor to the display monitor. An image pickup device such as a CCD or CMOS of the electronic image pickup unit 33 obtains a color by providing a filter in front of many photodiodes. There are two types of filters: “primary color filter” and “complementary color filter”. Primary color filters are R (Red), G (Green), B (Blue), complementary color filters are C (Cyan), M (Magenta), Y (Yellow). The number of pixels generally called 3 million pixels, 5 million pixels,... Is the number of photodiodes.

  The charge charged by the photodiode is A / D converted by the video signal processing unit 34, temporarily held in the form of Bayer data corresponding to the pixels of the image sensor, and the luminance and chrominance multiplexed signals (Y, Cb, Cr) by signal processing. Data, also referred to as Y, U, V). The Y, U, V data (hereinafter referred to as image data) is stored in the image memory 35.

  As the number of pixels of the image, 2560 × 1920, 2048 × 1536, 1600 × 1200, 1024 × 786, 800 × 600, 640 × 480 and the like are generally known. In the present embodiment, the image data stored in the image memory 35 includes, for example, luminance (Y) data composed of 1600 × 1200 pixels, and color difference (U, V) data composed of 800 × 600 pixels. This is because the amount of information of the color difference signal is reduced because the luminance signal is more easily perceived by the human eye. In order to display the image data configured as described above on the liquid crystal monitor 17, RGB data matching the number of display pixels of the liquid crystal monitor 17 is created by calculation and written into the VRAM 48. Therefore, there is no direct correspondence between the number of pixels of the image sensor and the number of display pixels of the liquid crystal monitor.

  The liquid crystal monitor 17 is provided with an RGB color filter for each display pixel, and a delta arrangement as shown in FIG. 4A and a stripe arrangement shown in FIG. 4B are common.

  The liquid crystal monitor 17 has a wide screen. If the number of pixels is 640 × 360 pixels, in the case of a stripe arrangement, 640 × 3 (R, G, B) pixels are arranged in the horizontal direction and 360 pixels in the vertical direction. Are arranged. In the case of the delta arrangement, 640 pixels are arranged in the horizontal direction and 360 pixels are arranged in the vertical direction. In the delta arrangement, the number of display pixels is 1/3, but the color reproducibility is high.

The liquid crystal monitor 17 has a 16: 9 wide screen, but the image data created by shooting is an aspect ratio of 1: 600 × 1200 pixels and 4: 3, so the image memory 35 is configured to store an image of 4: 3. Has been.
The memory configuration of the image memory 35 of FIG. 3 is a case of a delta arrangement, but in the case of a stripe arrangement, as shown in FIG. 5A, each of R, G, and B has an image memory of 1600 × 1200 pixels. If the liquid crystal monitor has 1600 × 3 × 1200 pixels, it may be supplied as it is. If the liquid crystal monitor 17 has 640 × 360 pixels as in this embodiment, it is appropriately thinned as shown in FIG. Supply. In the case of a delta arrangement, image data is stored in the form of Y, U, and V data, and RGB data is created by calculation at the time of display and sent directly to the display control unit 49.

  A 640 × 360 pixel VRAM (display buffer) 48 is provided in the display controller 34, and display data is created in the VRAM 48. That is, the liquid crystal monitor 17 displays the data in the VRAM 48 as it is. Therefore, even if the image data is only 4: 3, the VRAM 48 has the number of pixels corresponding to the liquid crystal monitor 17, and black, for example, is written in the non-display area.

  The CPU 41 performs JPEG (Joint Photographic Coding Experts Group) compression. Each of the image data Y, U, and V in the image memory 35 is subjected to JPEG compression, and the compressed JPEG-Y, JPEG-U, and JPEG-V are temporarily stored in the data memory 43, and then transferred to the CF or HDD 20 for storage.

  Further, a reduced image of 480 × 360 pixels and a thumbnail of 160 × 120 pixels are both JPEG-compressed and temporarily stored in the data memory 43, then transferred and stored in the CF or HDD 20, and stored in association with the main image. .

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the state of image data stored in the CF or HDD 20. Reference numeral 100 denotes a folder of JPEG-compressed images, which includes a main image 101, a reduced image 102 obtained by reducing the image, and a thumbnail 103 (FIG. 6A). The thumbnail 103 is a reduced image defined by a common standard in order to maintain compatibility with other digital cameras, and the reduced image 102 is an image obtained by reducing the main image at an arbitrary reduction ratio. Is large, for example, approximately the size of the display screen of the monitor. In addition, the thumbnail is often almost the same size as when a plurality of images are displayed on a multi-screen by dividing the screen. The header 104 stores information such as the file name, the number of pixels, the shooting date and time, and shooting conditions.

A reduced image 102 is usually displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 17. Since the reduced image 102 is a reduced version of the main image 101, there is no degradation in image quality because basically no interpolation processing is performed. However, since the amount of information is reduced by performing thinning or the like for reduction, the image quality of the main image cannot be expressed.
When there is an enlargement instruction at the time of reproduction, there are a case where the reduced image 102 is enlarged and a case where the main image 101 is reduced, and a case where the main image 101 is reduced will be described as an example.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, it is assumed that the main image 101 is 1600 × 1200 pixels, the display size of the monitor screen 17 is 480 × 360 pixels, and the size of the reduced image 102 is 480 × 360 pixels. Assume that the size is 160 × 120 pixels. The reduced image 102 may be displayed as it is to be displayed on the monitor screen 17, and the thumbnails may be displayed as they are to perform 3 × 3 9-divided multi-screen display. Note that the configuration of the monitor screen 17 may not match the number of pixels of the image stored, for example, 330 × 220 pixels. In such a case, processing such as interpolation is appropriately performed to match the number of pixels.
The enlargement instruction enlarges / reduces the image being reproduced and displayed when the zoom key 11 is operated in the reproduction mode.

  7A and 7B are diagrams showing a display state of the monitor screen in the photographing mode of the digital camera 1, FIG. 7A is a state where a through image is displayed, and FIG. FIG. 7C shows a state in which a zoom frame surrounding the zoom target is displayed, and FIG. 7D shows a state in which the zoom image and the entire image are shown. FIG. 7E shows a conventional zoom image display method.

When zooming in is performed at the time of shooting, an enlarged image is initially obtained as main image data by optical zooming. In the electronic zoom, image data is determined and an enlarged image is obtained by electronic interpolation processing.
When the through image (FIG. 7A) is zoomed in by the zoom function, a frame W is displayed on the screen when the optical zoom (FIG. 7B) is switched to the electronic zoom (FIG. 7C). ). When the enlargement ratio in the electronic zoom is 1, the display area and the area of the frame W coincide with each other. However, as the enlargement ratio is increased, the size of the frame W with respect to the entire image becomes smaller. The entire image is displayed in the region R3, and the enlarged image is displayed in the 4: 3 region R1. That is, the enlarged image is displayed in the 480 × 360 pixel 4: 3 region R1 of the 640 × 360 pixel liquid crystal monitor 17, and the entire image of 160 × 120 pixels is displayed in the remaining region R3 (FIG. 7D). ).

  The frame W is movable. For example, the position can be moved by a cursor key (up / down / left / right movement button) 13. This realization means can use a known technique for moving and changing the trimming frame during trimming.

  In the conventional zoom image display method, as shown in FIG. 7E, only the image to be zoomed is displayed, so the positioning of the image to be zoomed in the entire image was not well understood in composition. According to the display method of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7D, the zoomed target image and the reduced overall image can be displayed, so that the position of the zoom target image in the overall image is composed. Easy to grasp above.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the zoom operation in the photographing mode. This flowchart is basically executed by the CPU 41.
When the photographing mode is set, the image captured by the electronic imaging unit 33 is displayed as a through image in the area R1 (see FIG. 7D) having an aspect ratio of 4: 3 on the liquid crystal monitor 17 (step S1).

  Here, the CPU 41 checks whether or not a key operation has been performed. When a key operation other than the zoom key is performed, the process proceeds to another process. However, when an enlargement operation is performed with the zoom key 11 (step S2), is it within the optical zoom range? If it is within the optical zoom range, the process proceeds to step S4, and if not, the process proceeds to step S5 (step S3).

  If it is within the range of the optical zoom, the CPU 41 sends a control signal to the photographing control unit 40 to drive and control the zoom drive unit 37 to move the zoom lens 3 and perform an optical zoom process. In this case, since the optical enlargement is performed, there is no deterioration in image quality, and an enlarged image is obtained as the main image (step S4).

On the other hand, if the range of the optical zoom is exceeded, optical enlargement by the zoom lens 3 cannot be performed, the main image is fixed, and electronic zoom processing by interpolation enlargement is started (step S5).
At this stage, the same image is included in the 4: 3 aspect ratio area (160 × 120 pixels) R3 in the aspect ratio 4: 3 area (480 × 360 pixels) R1 and the remaining area (160 × 360 pixels) R2. Is displayed, and a frame W indicating the zoom region is displayed on the image in the region R3, and the size of the frame W matches the size of the screen (step S6).

  If the enlargement direction of the zoom key 11 is further pressed here, the frame W in the region R3 becomes smaller. That is, the image displayed in the region R1 is enlarged. In this state, the position of the frame W can be moved. The CPU 41 checks the signal from the operation input unit 50 to check whether or not the movement operation of the frame W by the cursor key 13 is performed. If the movement of the frame W by the cursor key 13 is detected, the process proceeds to step S8. Advances to step S9 (step S7).

  When the movement of the frame W by the cursor key 13 is detected, the movement process of the frame W is performed. That is, the display position of the frame W is changed, the position of the screen cut out from the main image is changed, electronic zoom processing is performed (step S8), the frame W and the enlarged image are displayed in the region R1, and the process returns to step S2 (step S2). S9).

  At the time of reproduction, JPEG-Y, JPEG-U, and JPEG-V stored in the CF or HDD 20 are temporarily stored in the data memory 43, and then JPEG decompression processing is performed by the CPU 41 so that an image composed of Y, U, and V is obtained. Restore data. You may reproduce | regenerate to the image data of a R, G, B structure.

  Also, step S9 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 is a step in which the display image created in step S5, S6 or S8 is transferred to the VRAM 48 and displayed. In general, display image creation processing is performed using a work area in the data memory 43, but it may be directly written in the VRAM 48.

  8A and 8B are diagrams showing the display state of the monitor screen in the playback mode of the digital camera 1. FIG. 8A shows a state where a playback image is displayed, FIG. 8B shows a state where the zoom key is operated, and FIG. 8 (c) shows a playback image and a playback image that have been zoomed in.

  When the playback mode is set, the entire playback image is displayed in a 480 × 360 pixel 4: 3 region R1 of the 640 × 360 pixel liquid crystal monitor 17, and when the zoom key 11 is operated, a frame W is displayed on the screen. When the display enlargement ratio is 1, the display area and the area of the frame W coincide with each other. However, as the enlargement ratio is increased, the size of the frame W with respect to the entire image becomes smaller. The entire image is reduced and displayed in the region R3, and the enlarged image is displayed in the 4: 3 region R1. That is, the enlarged image is displayed in the 480 × 360 pixel 4: 3 region R1 of the 640 × 360 pixel liquid crystal monitor 17, and the entire image of 160 × 120 pixels is displayed in the remaining region R3.

  The frame W is movable. For example, the position can be moved by a cursor key (up / down / left / right movement button) 13. This realization means can use a known technique for moving and changing the trimming frame during trimming.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a reproduction screen enlargement operation in the reproduction mode. This flowchart is basically executed by the CPU 41.
An image is appropriately selected from the images stored in the reproduction mode (step T1) and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 17. At this time, the reduced image 102 is actually displayed in the region R1 of the liquid crystal monitor. The reduced image 102 is used instead of the main image because the processing is simpler and the number of display pixels on the liquid crystal monitor 17 is sufficient for the reduced image 102 (step T2).

  When an enlargement instruction is given by the zoom key 11 (step T3), the reduced image 102 is first enlarged and displayed in the area R1, and the main image is displayed as an entire image together with the frame W in the area R3. While the enlargement ratio is 1, the size of the frame W and the size of the entire image are the same (steps T4 and T6).

  Prior to the enlarged display process, it is determined whether or not the enlarged image exceeds the size of the main image 101 when enlarged (step T5). The reduced image 102 is enlarged and displayed until the size of the enlarged image exceeds the size of the main image (step T6). However, when the size of the main image 101 is exceeded, the main image 101 is enlarged and displayed (step T6). Step T7).

  When a reduction operation is performed with the zoom key 11, the display image is reduced. This means that the enlargement ratio of an already enlarged image is reduced, and the image is not reduced below the first reproduced image (enlargement ratio of 1). However, it is technically possible to reduce the size or switch to thumbnail list display. When displaying the thumbnail list, if the thumbnails are displayed not only on the normal aspect ratio region R1 but on the entire screen, the liquid crystal monitor 17 having a wider aspect ratio can be used (step T9).

  In step T10, the display image created in step T6, T7 or T8 is transferred to the VRAM 48 and displayed. In general, display image creation processing is performed using a work area in the data memory 43, but it may be directly written in the VRAM 48. Further, when it is determined in the key determination step T3 that the operation of the zoom key has been released (a predetermined time has elapsed since the release), the display image displayed by enlarging the reduced image 102 is directly displayed on the main image 101. Replace with a reduced or enlarged image. This makes it possible to improve the quality of the image to be finally displayed while speeding up the process in the middle.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, when the display image is enlarged during reproduction, the reduced image 102 is enlarged. However, as another embodiment, the main image 101 can be reduced and displayed. That is, the main image of 1600 × 1200 pixels is reduced and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 17 of 480 × 360 pixels, and the reduction ratio is lowered in accordance with an instruction to enlarge the display. When there is a further enlargement instruction exceeding the same size as the main image, the main image is enlarged and displayed.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 11 is an external view corresponding to a front view of the camera-equipped mobile phone 200 to which the present invention is applied with the lid opened.
As shown in the figure, the lid portion 202 is arranged to be openable and closable with respect to the main body portion 203 with the first hinge portion 201 as a rotation axis, and the second hinge portion 212 as an axis (not shown) as a rotation axis and an arrow β. As shown, it is rotatable. Reference numeral 206 denotes a display unit.
Reference numeral 209 is a shutter key, reference numeral 285 is a playback mode key, reference numeral 283 is a shooting mode key, reference numeral 281 is a cursor key (up / down / left / right movement button), reference numeral 282 is an enter key, and reference numeral 284 is provided on the side of the main body. Indicates the zoom key.

Since the internal circuit and operation related to the camera portion of the camera-equipped mobile phone 200 are the same as those in the above embodiment, a description thereof is omitted.
Accordingly, the display unit 206 includes a 428 × 240 dot liquid crystal monitor capable of displaying an image having an aspect ratio of 16: 9. When displaying an image having an aspect ratio of 4: 3, a display area of 320 × 240 dots is used.
A zoom image is displayed in a 4: 3 aspect ratio area of 320 × 240 pixels, and the entire image is displayed in a 144 × 108 pixel 4: 3 aspect ratio area with a frame indicating the zoom area in the remaining area. be able to.

  In addition, although the term “frame” is used in each of the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to a quadrangle surrounded by a line, as long as the inside and the outside can be distinguished. For example, the display quality includes a display image quality, display color, display mode, and the like that are different from each other.

1A and 1B are external views of the digital camera. FIGS. 1A and 1B are a front view and a rear view of the digital camera, and FIG. 1C is a bottom perspective view of the digital camera. It is an internal block diagram of a digital camera. It is a figure which shows the flow of data from an image pick-up element to a display monitor. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a pixel arrangement of a liquid crystal monitor, in which FIG. 4A shows an example of a delta arrangement, and FIG. 4B shows an example of a stripe arrangement. FIG. 5A shows an example of the image memory, and FIG. 5B shows an example of the display buffer. It is a figure which shows the state of the image data preserve | saved at CF or HDD. It is a figure which shows the display state of the monitor screen in the imaging | photography mode of a digital camera. It is a figure which shows the display state of the monitor screen in the reproduction mode of a digital camera. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the zoom operation | movement in imaging | photography mode. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation | movement of expansion reproduction in reproduction | regeneration mode. It is a figure which shows the aspect at the time of applying this invention to the mobile telephone with a camera.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital Camera 3 Zoom Lens 11 Zoom Key (Enlargement / Reduction Key)
13 Cursor keys (up / down / left / right movement buttons)
17 LCD monitor (
20 Storage media (CF or HDD)
21 Audio Input System 22 Imaging System 23 Control System 24 Audio Output System 25 Image File Storage System 26 Display System 27 Operation System 32 Shooting Lens Group 33 Electronic Imaging Unit 34 Video Processing Unit 35 Image Memory 40 Shooting Control Unit 41 CPU
43 Data memory 48 VRAM (video memory)
100 Image folder 101 Main image 102 Reduced image 103 Thumbnail 200 Mobile phone with camera 206 Display unit 281 Cursor key 284 Zoom key

Claims (13)

In a display method of a digital camera having an electronic zoom function and capable of shooting, recording and reproducing an image of a predetermined aspect ratio,
A monitor having a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio;
In the shooting mode, the captured image is normally displayed as a through image in the predetermined aspect ratio area on the wide aspect ratio monitor.
At the time of optical zoom, a captured image optically zoomed as a through image is displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio on the wide aspect ratio monitor,
At the time of electronic zoom shooting, the electronic zoomed image is displayed as a through image in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio in accordance with the electronic zoom operation, and the entire image of the optically zoomed captured image is displayed together with the frame and the remaining image of the monitor. A display method of a digital camera, characterized in that a zoom portion of an entire image can be confirmed during zoom shooting by displaying in an area. In a digital camera that has an electronic zoom function and can capture, record, and play back images with a predetermined aspect ratio.
A monitor having a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio;
Means for displaying a captured image as a through image in the region of the predetermined aspect ratio, usually on the monitor of the wide aspect ratio, in the shooting mode;
Means for displaying a captured image optically zoomed as a through image in the region of the predetermined aspect ratio on the wide aspect ratio monitor during optical zoom;
During electronic zooming, the electronically zoomed image is displayed as a through image in the predetermined aspect ratio area as a result of the electronic zoom operation, and the entire image of the optically zoomed captured image is displayed together with the frame and the remaining area of the monitor Means for displaying on
A digital camera characterized by comprising In a digital camera that can capture, record and play back images with a predetermined aspect ratio,
A monitor having a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio;
Means for displaying a reproduced image in the predetermined aspect ratio area on the wide aspect ratio monitor during reproduction;
During zoom playback, the zoomed playback image is played back and displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio in accordance with the zoom operation, and the entire playback image is displayed in the remaining area of the monitor together with a frame indicating the zoom area. Means,
A digital camera characterized by comprising In a digital camera having a monitor with a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio, capable of shooting, recording and reproducing an image with a predetermined aspect ratio,
Record the actual image taken and its reduced image,
Means for reproducing and displaying the reduced image in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio on the monitor of the wide aspect ratio during reproduction;
During zoom playback, the playback image obtained by reducing the main image in accordance with the zoom operation is played back and displayed in the area having the predetermined aspect ratio, and the entire playback image is displayed on the monitor together with a frame indicating the zoom area. Means to display in the remaining area of
A digital camera characterized by comprising   5. The digital camera according to claim 4, wherein when the reproduction image obtained by reducing the main image exceeds the size of the main image due to a zoom operation, the reproduction image obtained by enlarging the main image is displayed as the reproduction image. A digital camera characterized by being reproduced and displayed in an area having a predetermined aspect ratio. In a digital camera having a monitor with a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio, capable of shooting, recording and reproducing an image with a predetermined aspect ratio,
Record the actual image taken and its reduced image,
Means for reproducing and displaying the reduced image in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio on the monitor of the wide aspect ratio during reproduction;
During zoom playback, the playback image obtained by enlarging the reduced image in accordance with the zoom operation is played back and displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio, and the entire playback image is displayed together with a frame indicating the zoom area on the monitor. Means to display in the remaining area of
A digital camera characterized by comprising   7. The digital camera according to claim 6, wherein when a reproduction image obtained by reducing the main image in accordance with a zoom operation reaches a size of the main image, the reproduction image obtained by enlarging the main image is displayed as the reproduction image. A digital camera characterized by being reproduced and displayed in an area having a predetermined aspect ratio. In a display method of a digital camera capable of shooting, recording and playing back an image with a predetermined aspect ratio,
A monitor having a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio;
During playback, the playback image is displayed in the predetermined aspect ratio area on the wide aspect ratio monitor,
During zoom playback, the zoomed playback image is played back and displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio in accordance with the zoom operation, and the entire playback image is displayed in the remaining area of the monitor together with a frame indicating the zoom area. Thus, a digital camera display method characterized in that the zoom portion of the entire image can be confirmed during zoom reproduction. In a digital camera having a monitor with a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio, capable of shooting, recording and reproducing an image with a predetermined aspect ratio,
Means for recording the photographed main image and a thumbnail that is a reduced image thereof;
Means for reproducing and displaying the main image in an area of a predetermined aspect ratio on the monitor during reproduction;
Means for reproducing and displaying a reproduction image corresponding to a zoom ratio made from the main image in a region of the predetermined aspect ratio in accordance with a zoom operation during zoom reproduction;
Means for displaying the thumbnail in a remaining area of the monitor together with a frame indicating a zoom area;
A digital camera characterized by comprising In a display method of a digital camera that can capture, record, and reproduce an image with a predetermined aspect ratio, and has a monitor with a wide aspect ratio larger than the predetermined aspect ratio,
Record the actual image taken and the thumbnail that is a reduced image,
During reproduction, the main image is reproduced and displayed in an area of a predetermined aspect ratio on the monitor,
During zoom playback, a playback image corresponding to the zoom ratio created from the main image is played back and displayed in the area of the predetermined aspect ratio according to the zoom operation, and the thumbnail is displayed on the monitor together with a frame indicating the zoom area. Display in the remaining area,
A display method of a digital camera characterized by the above.   The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the frame is movable.   The display method according to claim 1, wherein the frame is movable.   A program for causing a computer of a digital camera to execute the display method according to claim 1, 8 or 10.

Images