JP2007020038A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera capable of suppressing wasteful battery consumption in transmitting and receiving radio waves, which transfers picked-up image data to a computer or a printer connected via a radio network. <P>SOLUTION: When a liquid crystal display 21 displays a radio LAN menu screen, or the transfer of corresponding picked-up image data has completed in photographing date transfer or selected image transfer, the operation of a radio LAN module 24 is stopped during not transmitting radio waves, thereby turning on a power saving mode. When the picked-up image data are transferred, the radio LAN module 24 is caused to operate in a standby state during transmitting no radio waves, thereby turning off the power saving mode. Thus, the on-off state of the power saving mode is switched. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera that transfers captured image data to a computer or printer connected via a wireless network.

  There is known a digital camera that is connected to a computer via a wireless LAN and transfers a captured image to the computer using a communication protocol called FTP (File Transfer Protocol) (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-20442

  In the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 1, radio waves are transmitted and received in order to transfer a captured image to a computer connected via a wireless LAN. Therefore, the power consumption is larger than that of a normal digital camera. However, since there is a limit to the capacity of the battery that can be mounted on the digital camera, it is necessary to suppress wasteful battery consumption when transmitting and receiving radio waves.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera for transferring captured image data to a computer or printer connected via a wireless network, in accordance with wireless communication means for performing wireless communication with the computer or printer, and in accordance with the operating state of the electronic camera. Power save mode switching means for switching the power save mode to either on or off, and the wireless communication means transmits radio waves when the power save mode is switched on by the power save mode switching means. When the operation is not performed and the power save mode is switched off, the operation is performed in a standby state when the radio wave is not transmitted.
The invention of claim 2 further comprises image display means for displaying various images including a menu screen for selecting a transfer method of captured image data in the electronic camera of claim 1, wherein the power save mode switching means comprises: When the menu screen is displayed by the image display means, the power save mode is switched on.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the first or second aspect, the power save mode switching means switches the power save mode off when transferring the captured image data.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera of the third aspect, the power save mode switching means switches the power save mode on when the transfer of the captured image data is completed.

  According to the present invention, when wireless communication is performed between an electronic camera and a computer or a printer via a wireless network, it is possible to suppress useless battery consumption when transmitting and receiving radio waves in the electronic camera.

1. Configuration FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic still camera with wireless LAN connection function (hereinafter referred to as an electronic camera) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic camera 1 is connected to a PC (personal computer) 32 or 33 via an access point 31 via a wireless LAN. The connection form of the wireless LAN at this time is called an infrastructure mode. The PCs 32 and 33 acquire image data picked up by the electronic camera 1, and store the image data and perform various image processing. A printer 34 is connected to the PC 33, and image data acquired by the PC 33 can be printed by the printer 34.

  The electronic camera 1 can also be connected to the printer 42 via a printer dongle 41 via a wireless LAN. The printer dongle 41 is a wireless LAN print server that is attached to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port of the printer 42 and used. Image data received from the electronic camera 1 by the printer dongle 41 is output to the printer 42. As a result, the printer 42 prints image data without using a PC. The connection form of the wireless LAN at this time is called an ad hoc mode.

  The electronic camera 1 includes a battery 4, a battery voltage detector 5, a variable optical system 3, an optical component 7, an image sensor 8, an analog signal processor 12, an A / D converter 13, a timing controller 14, an image processor 15, An operation unit 16, a control unit 17, a memory 18, a compression / decompression unit 19, a display image generation unit 20, a liquid crystal display 21, a memory card interface unit 22, an external interface unit 23, and a wireless LAN module unit 24 are provided.

  The battery 4 supplies power necessary for the operation to each part of the electronic camera 1. The power supply from the battery 4 to each unit is permitted or prohibited according to the operating state of the electronic camera 1. The control of the power supply state is performed by the control unit 17. The output voltage (battery voltage) of the battery 4 is detected by the battery voltage detector 5. The detection result of the battery voltage is output from the battery voltage detection unit 5 to the control unit 17.

  The variable optical system 3 includes a photographic lens including a plurality of optical lens groups, an aperture, a shutter, and the like. The optical component 7 is configured by an optical filter, a cover glass, or the like. A subject image is formed on the image sensor 8 by the light flux from the subject passing through the variable optical system 3 and the optical component 7.

  The image sensor 8 captures a subject image formed by the variable optical system 3 and outputs an image signal (imaging signal) corresponding to the captured subject image. The imaging element 8 has a rectangular imaging region composed of a plurality of pixels, and sequentially outputs image signals, which are analog signals corresponding to the charges accumulated in the pixels, to the analog signal processing unit 12 in units of pixels. Output. The image sensor 8 is composed of, for example, a single-plate color CCD. The analog signal processing unit 12 includes a CDS (correlated double sampling) circuit, an AGC (auto gain control) circuit, and the like, and performs predetermined analog processing on the input image signal. The A / D conversion unit 13 converts the analog signal processed by the analog signal processing unit 12 into a digital signal. The timing control unit 14 is controlled by the control unit 17 and controls the timing of each operation of the image sensor 8, the analog signal processing unit 12, the A / D conversion unit 13, and the image processing unit 15.

  The memory card interface unit 22 interfaces with a memory card (card-like removable memory) 30 set in the electronic camera 1. The external interface unit 23 interfaces with an external device via a predetermined cable in accordance with a signal standard such as USB. The wireless LAN module unit 24 performs processing such as data format conversion, encryption, modulation / demodulation, and frequency conversion, and transmits / receives wireless LAN radio waves to / from the access point 31 and the printer dongle 41.

  The operation unit 16 has various operation buttons and switches. For this purpose, a release button, a selection dial for switching the camera mode (mode dial), a button for displaying a playback image on the liquid crystal display 21 (playback button), and a selection position on the operation screen displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 are moved. Buttons (operation buttons) for performing operations. The liquid crystal display 21 displays various operation screens according to the operation state of the electronic camera 1 or displays a reproduced image based on a subject image captured by the image sensor 8 or image data stored in a memory card. The output of the operation unit 16 is input to the control unit 17, and the output of the display image generation unit 20 is input to the liquid crystal display 21. The image processing unit 15 is composed of, for example, a one-chip microprocessor dedicated to image processing. A flash memory is used as the memory 18 and records control software for the electronic camera 1 and data such as a profile described later.

  The A / D conversion unit 13, the image processing unit 15, the control unit 17, the memory 18, the compression / decompression unit 19, the display image generation unit 20, the memory card interface unit 22, the external interface unit 23, and the wireless LAN module unit 24 are They are connected to each other via a bus 25.

  In the electronic camera 1 configured as shown in FIG. 1, when the user selects a shooting mode and presses the release button by operating the operation unit 16, the control unit 17 controls the variable optical system 3 to adjust the focus. At the same time, timing control is performed on the image sensor 8, the analog signal processing unit 12, and the A / D conversion unit 13 via the timing control unit 14 to capture an image of the subject. Note that a plurality of shooting modes may be selected depending on the type of subject, and the timing control may be changed according to the shooting mode.

  The imaging element 8 generates an image signal corresponding to the subject image formed in the imaging area by the variable optical system 3. The image signal is subjected to predetermined analog signal processing in the analog signal processing unit 12 and is output to the A / D conversion unit 13 as an image signal after analog processing. The A / D conversion unit 13 digitizes the analog-processed image signal and supplies it to the image processing unit 15 as image data.

  In the electronic camera 1 of the present embodiment, the image sensor 8 has a case where the most representative R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color filters of a single-plate color image sensor are arranged in a Bayer array. For example, it is assumed that the image data supplied to the image processing unit 15 is represented in the RGB color system. Each pixel constituting the image data has color information of any one of RGB color components. Here, one photoelectric conversion element constituting the image sensor 8 is referred to as a pixel, and one unit of image data corresponding to this pixel is also referred to as a pixel. An image is also a concept composed of a plurality of pixels.

  The image processing unit 15 performs image processing such as interpolation, gradation conversion, and contour enhancement on such image data. The image data that has undergone such image processing is subjected to predetermined compression processing by the compression / decompression unit 19 as necessary, and is recorded in the memory card 30 via the memory card interface unit 22. Note that it is assumed that the image data that has undergone the image processing has undergone interpolation processing, and color information of all RGB color components exists in each pixel.

  The image data recorded on the memory card 30 is wirelessly transmitted to the access point 31 and the printer dongle 41 via the wireless LAN module unit 24. This wireless transmission is performed in accordance with a general wireless LAN signal standard such as IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11g. Furthermore, it may correspond to WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) authentication which is an international standard for compensating compatibility between various wireless LAN devices. The access point 31 relays the image data transmitted from the wireless LAN module unit 24 of the electronic camera 1 and transfers it to the PC 32 or PC 33. The printer dongle 41 outputs the image data transmitted from the wireless LAN module unit 24 to the printer 42.

  As described above, the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32, PC 33, or printer 42 are connected via the wireless LAN, so that the captured image data is transmitted from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32, PC 33, or printer 42. The transmission of image data from the electronic camera 1 is performed according to a known communication protocol called PTPIP (Picture Transfer Protocol over Internet Protocol). The printer 42 is compatible with the PictBridge standard.

2. Wireless LAN Setting Next, a wireless LAN setting method will be described. As described above, in order to connect the electronic camera 1 and the PCs 32 and 33 or the printer 42 via a wireless LAN and transmit image data, information necessary for the wireless LAN connection is registered in the electronic camera 1 in advance. It is necessary to keep. Registration of this connection information must be performed for each device (PCs 32 and 33, printers 34 and 42) connected to the electronic camera 1, and the registration method is different when the connected device is a PC and a printer. Different. Hereinafter, the connection information registration method of the PC 32 will be described first, and then the connection information registration method of the printer 42 will be described.

  Registration of connection information of the PC 32 is performed in a state where the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 are connected by a cable. The electronic camera 1 is connected to a cable via the external interface 23. In this state, the mode dial which is a part of the operation unit 16 is operated on the electronic camera 1, the mode dial is set to the “SETUP” position, and a preinstalled software program for setting the wireless LAN is executed on the PC 32. . As a result, various types of information including network information related to wireless LAN settings are transmitted from the PC 32 to the electronic camera 1 connected by cable.

  The electronic camera 1 receives and acquires various information as described above transmitted from the PC 32 by the processing of the control unit 17, and records information for connecting to the PC 32 via the wireless LAN based on the contents. Created data called a profile. Then, the created profile is written in the memory 18 and stored and saved, whereby the profile is registered in the electronic camera 1. By registering the profile in this way, the connection information of the PC 32 is registered in the electronic camera 1. Based on the contents of this profile, the wireless LAN module unit 24 performs connection processing when the electronic camera 1 is connected to the PC 32 by wireless LAN.

  A processing sequence for registering the profile of the PC 32 in the electronic camera 1 is shown in FIG. This processing sequence is performed according to a communication protocol called PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol). First, the PC 32 requests the connected electronic camera 1 to transmit information (camera information) about the camera by the InfoTransferReq command of (1). In response to this, the electronic camera 1 transmits data called GUID (Global Unique ID) and Friendly Name to the PC 32 as its camera information by the Information command of (2). When the transmission of these camera information is completed, the PC 32 is informed that the transmission is completed by a Response command (3). The camera information of the electronic camera 1 received by the PC 32 is registered in the PC 32 and used for determining whether or not to permit connection with the electronic camera 1 as will be described later.

  The GUID is created based on a MAC (Media Access Control) address preset in the wireless LAN module unit 24. For example, a 16-byte GUID is created by repeating a 6-byte MAC address three times and truncating the last two bytes. The MAC address is unique for each camera and does not overlap with other cameras. Therefore, a unique GUID is set. The friendly name is set in advance in the electronic camera 1 according to its model.

  When the PC 32 receives a transmission end notification from the electronic camera 1 using the Response command (3), the PC 32 requests the electronic camera 1 to receive data transmitted from the PC 32 using the InfoRecieveReq command (4). After that, the wireless LAN network information recorded in the PC 32 is transmitted to the electronic camera 1 by the Information command (5). At this time, the device information related to the PC 32, the management information of the profile, and the like are transmitted together with the network information. Specific contents of each piece of information will be described later in the contents of the profile.

  When the electronic camera 1 receives various kinds of information including network information from the PC 32 by the Information command (5), the electronic camera 1 creates a profile of the PC 32 based on the contents. The created profile is written into the memory 18. When the profile of the PC 32 is written in the memory 18, the connection command registration result is notified from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32 by the Response command (6). At this time, if the profile can be correctly created, a notification is made that the registration result is OK. If the profile could not be created, for example, if an encryption format such as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) that is not supported by the electronic camera 1 is indicated in the network information from the PC 32, the registration result is NG. Notice. The registration result is displayed on the screen of the PC 32 to notify the user. The profile of the PC 32 is registered in the electronic camera 1 by the processing sequence as described above.

  The contents of the profile created for the PC 32 are shown in the table of FIG. This table shows the item name, data size, data contents, and initial value of each data item included in the profile. The “setting” column indicates whether the value of each data item is set in the PC 32 or the electronic camera 1. Data items having “PC” in this column are set in the PC 32 and transmitted to the electronic camera 1. A data item having “camera” in this column is set in the electronic camera 1. Hereinafter, each data item will be described.

  “Version” represents the version of the profile, and is set by profile management information transmitted from the PC 32. When the software program for setting the wireless LAN of the PC 32 is upgraded, the value of this version changes. “Number of Profiles” represents the total number of profiles that can be registered in the electronic camera 1. The value is fixed at 9, assuming that up to a total of nine profiles can be registered.

  The “Profile number” represents a number assigned to the profile and takes any value from 1 to 9. This “Profile number” is automatically assigned according to the registration order when a profile is registered in the electronic camera 1. The electronic camera 1 can register up to nine profiles in total by changing the value of the “Profile number” for each profile. That is, connection information of up to nine PCs and printers can be registered in the electronic camera 1.

  “Profile valid / invalid” indicates whether or not the profile is valid. If this value is 0, the profile is invalid and 1 is valid. A profile set as invalid cannot be used and cannot be connected to a device represented by the profile. The newly registered profile is set to be valid, and is set to be invalid when the profile is deleted. That is, even the profile once deleted is stored in the electronic camera 1. If an operation for clearing the setting information of the electronic camera 1 is performed, all profiles are deleted and set to invalid. In order to completely delete the profile from the electronic camera 1, it is necessary to perform an operation to return the camera information to the factory default.

  The “Profile name”, “icon number”, and “Profile creation date” described below are all set by profile management information transmitted from the PC 32. “Profile name” represents a name for identifying the profile. The user can arbitrarily set the name of the profile on the PC 32. The set profile name is transmitted from the PC 32 to the electronic camera 1 as the management information of the profile together with the network information as described above when the profile is registered in the electronic camera 1. As a result, the content of the Profile name, that is, the text value is determined.

  The “icon number” represents the type of icon set for the profile, and takes any value from 1 to 9. The user can arbitrarily select various types of icons on the PC 32, for example, whether it is a PC, a printer, a home use, or a business use. “Profile creation date and time” represents the date and time when the profile was created, and the date and time measured by the PC 32 is set.

  The name of each profile represented by the “Profile name” and the icon of each profile represented by the “icon number” are displayed as a profile list screen when selecting a connection destination device in the electronic camera 1. It is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. The user can select a connection destination device from the name and icon of each displayed profile.

  The “last date and time when profile is accessed” and “display order in profile list” described below are both set in the electronic camera 1. “Last date and time when profile was accessed” represents the last date and time when the profile was selected in electronic camera 1. This value is automatically updated when any profile is selected in the electronic camera 1 and connection to the wireless LAN is made based on the wireless LAN setting information represented by the profile.

  “Display order in profile list” represents the display order when the name and icon of each profile are displayed on the profile list screen. The smaller this value is, the higher is displayed. 1 is set for a profile selected by the user as a connection destination of the electronic camera 1 or a newly registered profile, and the values of other profiles are lowered accordingly. As a result, the next time the profile list screen is displayed, the previously selected profile or the registered profile is displayed at the top.

  The “connected device” indicates whether the setting information of the wireless LAN connection recorded in the profile is for a PC or a printer. If this value is 0, it indicates a PC profile, and if it is 1, it indicates a printer profile. That is, 0 is set in the profile of the PC 32. This “connected device” is determined by the management information of the profile transmitted from the PC 32.

  The “IP address” to “encryption key number” described below are set by network information transmitted from the PC 32. “IP address” represents the IP address assigned to the electronic camera 1 (wireless LAN module unit 24) in the profile, and “subnet mask bit length” represents the bit length of the subnet mask for the IP address. Yes. Note that these values are set to an initial value of 0 when DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) or AutoIP is enabled in “TCP / IP settings” described later. “Gateway IP address” represents the IP address of the gateway when the gateway is enabled in “TCP / IP setting” described later.

  “TCP / IP setting” represents an IP address acquisition method in the profile, and indicates whether each of DHCP, AutoIP, and gateway is valid or invalid. If DHCP is valid, the IP address of the electronic camera 1 is automatically assigned by the access point 31 or the PC 32. If AutoIP is valid, the electronic camera 1 itself automatically assigns the IP address of the electronic camera 1. If the gateway is valid, a fixed IP address set to the above IP address is used.

  The “access method” indicates whether the wireless LAN connection method in the profile is an infrastructure mode or an ad hoc mode. In the profile of the PC 32, 0 representing the infrastructure mode is set here. “Channel” represents a transmission channel number of the wireless LAN. “SSID” represents the SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the wireless LAN to which the PC 32 belongs. These contents are determined according to wireless LAN setting conditions in the PC 32.

  The “authentication method”, “encryption mode”, “encryption key”, and “encryption key number” described below represent information related to security settings when the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 are connected by wireless LAN. These contents are determined according to wireless LAN setting conditions in the PC 32. The “authentication method” indicates any one of open system (OpenSystem), shared key (SharedKey), and WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key) authentication methods. The “encryption mode” indicates an encryption method of “none”, WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) 64, WEP128, or TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol). “Encryption key” and “encryption key number” represent the contents of the encryption key set in the wireless LAN and the encryption key number. In accordance with these contents, authentication at the time of wireless LAN connection and encryption of transmission data are performed.

  The “PC GUID” and “PC name” described below are determined by device information transmitted from the PC 32. “PC GUID” represents the GUID of the PC 32. This content is created in the PC 32 based on the MAC (Media Access Control) address of the PC 32, like the GUID of the electronic camera 1 described above. “PC name” represents the friendly name of the PC 32, and is set in advance in the PC 32 in the same manner as the friendly name of the electronic camera 1 described above.

  The connection information of the PC 32 is registered in the electronic camera 1 by creating and registering the profile constituted by each data item as described above by the electronic camera 1. Similarly, connection information is registered for the PC 33 by connecting the electronic camera 1 and the PC 33 with a cable and registering the created profile.

  Next, a method for registering connection information of the printer 42 will be described. Registration of the connection information of the printer 42 is performed by wirelessly connecting the electronic camera 1 and the printer dongle 41 instead of cable connection as performed by the PC 32. This wireless connection is performed by wireless LAN connection using the network information shown in the table of FIG. The network information in FIG. 4 is stored in advance in the wireless LAN module unit 24 as network information dedicated to printer connection.

  In the network information of FIG. 4, the value of “TCP / IP setting” is set to 2. That is, AutoIP is set to be effective, and the IP address of the electronic camera 1 is automatically assigned by the electronic camera 1 itself. Since the value of “access method” is set to 1, the wireless LAN module unit 24 and the printer dongle 41 are connected in the ad hoc mode. The value of “Channel” is 10, and “Song” is set to “Dongle”. Since the values of “authentication method” and “encryption mode” are both set to 0, the wireless LAN module unit 24 and the printer dongle 41 are connected without performing wireless LAN authentication and without encrypting data. Is done.

  When the wireless LAN module unit 24 and the printer dongle 41 are connected by wireless LAN based on the network information, a message “Please press the dongle button” is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. In response to this, when the user presses a switch installed in the printer dongle 41, the GUID and Friendly Name of the printer dongle 41 are transmitted from the printer dongle 41 to the electronic camera 1 as device information regarding the printer 42. The At this time, unlike the PC 32, network information and profile management information are not transmitted. The electronic camera 1 creates a profile of the printer 42 based on the device information and the network information for printer connection described above, writes it in the memory 18 and stores it in the memory 18. In this way, the connection information of the printer 42 is registered in the electronic camera 1.

  The contents of the profile created for the printer 42 are shown in the table of FIG. Each data item of this profile is common to the profile of the PC 32 in FIG. However, since network information and profile management information are not transmitted from the printer dongle 41, some data items have different setting methods from the profile of the PC 32 described in FIG. In the following, description of parts common to FIG. 3 will be omitted, and differences will be described.

  The contents of “version”, “Profile name”, “icon number”, “Profile creation date” and “connected device” are set in the electronic camera 1 unlike the profile of the PC 32 in FIG. The version value is determined according to the firmware version of the electronic camera 1. As the Profile name, a predetermined name “Printer N” is set. N is automatically set to any value from 1 to 9 in the order of profile creation. A value representing a printer icon is automatically set in the icon number. In the Profile creation date and time, the creation date and time obtained from the clock information of the electronic camera 1 is set as the profile creation date and time. The connected device is set to 1 which is a value representing a printer.

  Among the items from “IP address” to “encryption key number” representing network information, the same contents as those in FIG. 4 are set by the electronic camera 1 from “TCP / IP setting” to “encryption mode”. For other items, respective initial values are set by the electronic camera 1. In “Printer GUID” and “Printer name”, values transmitted from the printer dongle 41 are set.

  The connection information of the printer 42 is registered in the electronic camera 1 by creating and registering the profile constituted by each data item as described above by the electronic camera 1.

  For the printer 34 connected to the PC 33, a profile can be created in the same manner as the PC 33 by connecting the electronic camera 1 and the PC 33 with a cable. In this profile, items relating to network information (from “IP address” to “encryption key number”) are set with the same contents as the PC 33, and contents corresponding to the printer 34 are set for the other items. When wireless LAN connection is performed using the profile of the printer 34, the electronic camera 1 and the PC 33 are connected, so that a communication line is virtually established between the electronic camera 1 and the printer 34.

  The profile described above can be displayed on the PC 32 and corrected as necessary by connecting the electronic camera 1 and one of the PCs (described here as the PC 32) with a cable. At this time, not only the profile of the PC 32 itself but all the profile contents registered in the electronic camera 1 can be displayed. Such display of the profile contents is performed by transmitting profile data from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32.

  However, in the display of profile contents as described above, not all data items in the profile can be displayed. Data items that are not appropriate to be displayed except for the PC registered in the profile are not displayed on the PC 32 by not being transmitted from the electronic camera 1. For example, data items such as an authentication method, an encryption mode, an encryption key, and an encryption key number related to network security settings are not transmitted from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32. In this way, the user can easily confirm and edit the profile contents while ensuring the necessary security.

3. Wireless LAN connection Next, based on the wireless LAN connection information registered as described above, until the wireless camera is connected to the electronic camera 1 and any one of the PC 32, PC 33, or printer 42 Will be described. The flow of operation at this time is shown in FIG.

  First, in the electronic camera 1, the user operates a mode dial that is a part of the operation unit 16 to adjust the mode dial to the position of “wireless LAN”. Then, the operation mode of the electronic camera 1 is switched to the wireless LAN mode, and a profile list screen for allowing the user to select a connection destination is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. In this profile list screen, a list of profile names and icons for each registered profile is displayed. Note that the display order of each profile is determined according to the value set in the data item “display order in profile list” in the profile as described above.

  When a profile corresponding to any of PC32, PC33, or printer 42 is selected on the profile list screen, connection processing with the selected device starts based on wireless LAN connection information recorded in the profile. Is done. At this time, the operation of the electronic camera 1 differs depending on whether the connected device is a PC or a printer. In the following, the operation contents when the wireless LAN connection with the PC 32 is described first, and then the operation contents when the wireless connection with the printer 42 is established.

  When the profile of the PC 32 is selected by the user, the control unit 17 permits power supply from the battery 4 to the wireless LAN module unit 24, and radio waves are transmitted and received between the wireless LAN module unit 24 and the access point 31. . Up to this point, the power supply to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is prohibited by the control unit 17. Then, based on the wireless LAN connection information recorded in the selected profile, network connection such as wireless LAN authentication and IP address acquisition is performed by wireless communication between the wireless LAN module unit 24 and the access point 31. The processing is executed, and the electronic camera 1 is connected to the wireless LAN to which the PC 32 belongs. At this point, the electronic camera 1 is only connected to the wireless LAN and is not yet connected to the PC 32.

  When the electronic camera 1 is connected to the wireless LAN as described above, the function of the electronic camera 1 is next selected. Specifically, a wireless LAN menu screen for causing the user to select one of various image data transfer methods described later is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. When one of the transfer methods is selected by the user, wireless communication performed between the wireless LAN module unit 24 and the access point 31 is performed based on the wireless LAN setting information recorded in the already selected profile. Then, processing for connecting the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 via the wireless LAN is started.

  In the process for connecting the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 via the wireless LAN, first, camera information of the electronic camera 1 is transmitted to the PC 32. The PC 32 determines whether or not to permit connection with the electronic camera 1 based on whether or not this camera information is registered in advance. If the transmitted camera information is registered in advance, the connection is permitted and a communication line is established with the electronic camera 1. When a communication line via the wireless LAN is established between the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 in this manner, image data recorded in the electronic camera 1 is thereafter transferred to the electronic camera 1 according to the transfer method selected on the wireless LAN menu screen. To PC 32.

  On the other hand, when the profile of the printer 42 is selected by the user, the electronic camera is connected by wireless communication performed between the wireless LAN module unit 24 and the printer 42 based on the wireless LAN connection information recorded in the profile. 1 and a process for establishing a wireless LAN connection between the printer 42 are started. At this time, the connection process to the wireless LAN of the electronic camera 1 and the connection process to the printer 42 are continuously performed, and the wireless LAN menu screen is not displayed on the way. When a communication line via the wireless LAN is established between the electronic camera 1 and the printer 42, the image data recorded in the electronic camera 1 is output from the electronic camera 1 to the printer 42, thereby printing the image data. I do.

  As described above, the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 or the printer 42 are connected by wireless LAN. Wireless LAN connection between the electronic camera 1 and the PC 33 is also performed by the same method as that for the PC 32.

  When the profile of the printer 34 connected to the PC 33 is selected, a wireless LAN connection process is performed in the same procedure as in the case of the printer 42, and a communication line is established between the electronic camera 1 and the PC 33. Is done. After the communication line via the wireless LAN is established between the electronic camera 1 and the PC 33, the image data recorded on the electronic camera 1 is output to the printer 34 via the PC 33, thereby printing the image data. Do. In this way, even if the printer 34 is not compatible with the PictBridge standard, printing can be executed from the electronic camera 1 side by the same operation as the PictBridge standard compatible printer.

4). Image Data Transfer Next, a method for transferring image data after the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 are connected by wireless LAN will be described. On the above wireless LAN menu screen, select one of “Update transfer”, “Shooting date transfer”, “Transfer mark image transfer”, “Selected image transfer” or “Shooting transfer” as the image data transfer method. can do.

  In update transfer, each image file of the image data recorded in the electronic camera 1 is compared with each image file of the image data recorded in the PC 32, and only the image file not recorded in the PC 32 is transferred to the PC 32. Forward. As a result, only the image file that has not yet been transferred to the PC 32 is transferred. In update transfer, the difference between the image file of the electronic camera 1 and the image file of the PC 32 is determined in the PC 32 by transmitting a list of image files recorded in the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32 before transfer. The PC 32 requests the electronic camera 1 to transmit the difference between the image files.

  In the shooting date transfer, only the image file created on the shooting date selected by the user among the image files of the image data recorded in the electronic camera 1 is transferred to the PC 32. At this time, regardless of whether the image file of the selected shooting date is already recorded in the PC 32, all the corresponding image files are transferred. When the shooting date transfer is selected, when the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 are connected by wireless LAN, a shooting date selection screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 and an image file of the shooting date selected on the screen is transferred.

  In the transfer mark image transfer, only the image file in which the transfer mark is set in advance among the image files of the image data recorded in the electronic camera 1 is transferred to the PC 32. At this time, regardless of whether or not an image file with a transfer mark set is already recorded in the PC 32, all corresponding image files are transferred. The transfer mark can be arbitrarily set by the user before the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 are connected by wireless LAN.

  In the selected image transfer, the user selects an image file to be transferred from each image file of the image data recorded in the electronic camera 1, and only the image file is transferred to the PC 32. At this time, regardless of whether or not the selected image file has already been recorded on the PC 32, all the corresponding image files are transferred. When the selected image transfer is selected, when the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 are connected to the wireless LAN, a selection screen for a photographed image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, and the image file selected on the screen is transferred.

  In shooting transfer, an image file shot by the electronic camera 1 is transferred to the PC 32 immediately after shooting. In this photographing transmission, when photographing is performed, the photographed image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, and an inquiry is made as to whether or not to transmit. On the other hand, when the user responds to the transmission, the captured image file is transferred to the PC 32. Note that whether or not the image file transferred at this time is recorded in the memory card 30 can be set in advance.

  When image data is transferred by any one of the transfer methods described above, a command file named “ADVTRANS.MRK” is created in the electronic camera 1 and transmitted to the PC 32. In this command file, information necessary for transferring the image data to the PC 32 according to the selected transfer method is recorded using various predetermined parameters. The command file is created using a vendor extension area part of a standard called DPOF (Digital Print Order Format).

  FIG. 7 summarizes the contents of the parameters used in the command file “ADVTRANS.MRK” in a table. This table shows the name, meaning, and possible value of each parameter used.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a command file created using the parameters shown in FIG. (1) shows an example of a command file when the electronic camera 1 does not create a list of image files. When update transfer or the like is selected as the image data transfer method, a command file having such contents is created. (2) shows an example of a command file when the electronic camera 1 creates a list of image files. When transfer mark image transfer, selected image transfer, or the like is selected as the image data transfer method, a command file having such contents is created. In the command file of (2), the number of corresponding image files and path names are listed in order using the parameters “IMG QTY” and “IMG SRC”.

  FIG. 9 shows a processing sequence when update transfer is selected as the image data transfer method as an example of a processing sequence when image data is transferred from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32. After creating the command file “ADVTRANS.MRK” according to the selected image data transfer method, the electronic camera 1 notifies the PC 32 that the command file has been created by the AdvancedTransfer Event command of (1). . The PC 32 that has received the request requests the electronic camera 1 for a command file by the GetObject command of (2). In response to this request, the electronic camera 1 transmits the created command file “ADVTRANS.MRK” to the PC 32 as shown in (3). In this way, the command file is acquired in the PC 32.

  The PC 32 creates a list of image files to be transferred based on the acquired command file. When the list of image files to be transferred is created, the number of the image files is transmitted to the electronic camera 1 by the AdvancedTransferCtrl Operation command (4). At this time, on the liquid crystal display 21 of the electronic camera 1, “Transferring” is displayed, the number of image files to be transferred, the number of transferred image files, and the transfer rate are displayed. The transfer rate is calculated every second as an average value of the transfer rates of the immediately preceding 10 seconds.

  Thereafter, the PC 32 requests the first image file from the electronic camera 1 by the GetObject command (5). In response to the request, the electronic camera 1 returns a response to the PC 32 together with the corresponding image file by the Data & Response command (6). Next, the next image file is requested from the electronic camera 1 by the GetObject command (7) from the PC 32. In response to the request, the electronic camera 1 returns a response to the PC 32 together with the corresponding image file by the Data & Response command (8). By repeating this, the designated image file is sequentially transferred from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32. Meanwhile, on the liquid crystal display 21 of the electronic camera 1, the display content of the number of transferred image files is incremented according to the number of image files transferred to the PC 32.

  When the transfer of all the image files is completed, the fact is notified from the PC 32 to the electronic camera 1 by the AdvancedTransferCtrl Operation command (9). In response to this, the electronic camera 1 deletes the created command file “ADVTRANS.MRK” and displays a “transfer end” message on the screen of the liquid crystal display 21. Note that the transfer can be canceled halfway by a user operation before the “transfer end” message is displayed. Image data is transferred from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32 by the processing sequence as described above.

  FIG. 10 shows a processing sequence when shooting transfer is selected as the image data transfer method in a state where the transferred image file is set not to be recorded in the memory card 30. In this case, when shooting is performed in the electronic camera 1, the electronic camera 1 notifies the PC 32 by the (1) ObjectAddedInSDRAM Event command. Upon receiving this notification, the PC 32 requests the electronic camera 1 to transmit information about the captured image file by using the GetObjectInfo Operation with particular ObjectHandle command of (2). In response to this request, the electronic camera 1 transmits information regarding the captured image file to the PC 32 by the ObjectInfo Dataset / Response command (3).

  When the information of the photographed image file is received, the PC 32 requests the electronic camera 1 for the image file by the GetObject Operation with particular ObjectHandle command (4). In response to the request, the electronic camera 1 returns the captured image file and the response to the PC 32 by the Object Data / Response command (5). This image file is not recorded on the memory card 30. Image data is transferred from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32 by the processing sequence as described above.

  FIG. 11 shows a processing sequence when the transferred image file is set to be recorded in the memory card 30 and photographing transfer is selected as the image data transfer method. In this case, when shooting is performed with the electronic camera 1, the electronic camera 1 notifies the PC 32 by the (1) ObjectAdded Event command. Upon receiving this notification, the PC 32 requests the electronic camera 1 to transmit information about the captured image file by the GetObjectInfo Operation command (2). In response to this request, the electronic camera 1 transmits information on the captured image file to the PC 32 by the ObjectInfo Dataset / Response command (3) as in the case of FIG.

  When the information of the captured image file is received, the PC 32 requests the electronic camera 1 for the image file by the GetObject Operation command (4). In response to the request, the electronic camera 1 returns the captured image file and the response to the PC 32 in the same manner as in FIG. This image file is recorded in the memory card 30 after being transferred to the PC 32. Image data is transferred from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32 by the processing sequence as described above.

  As described above, the image data is transferred from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32 connected via the wireless LAN. Note that image data is transferred from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 33 in the same manner as the PC 32.

  In update transfer or transfer mark image transfer, when all the corresponding image files have been transferred to the PC 32, the control unit 17 prohibits the power supply from the battery 4 to the wireless LAN module unit 24 and returns to the profile selection screen. Thereby, useless battery consumption can be prevented. In shooting date transfer or selected image transfer, when all the image files selected by the user have been transferred to the PC 32, the screen returns to the shooting date or image selection screen. When another shooting date or image is selected on this selection screen, transfer of the corresponding image file is started. In shooting transfer, when transfer of the shot image file is completed, the shooting screen is displayed again. In the shooting date transfer, selected image transfer, and shooting transfer, the power supply from the battery 4 to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is continued until the cancel operation from the user is performed even after the transfer of the image file is completed.

  If the wireless LAN communication is interrupted due to a problem on the wireless transmission path, a message “transfer error” is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 of the electronic camera 1 and the transfer of the image data is interrupted. In this case, the user is allowed to select whether or not to continue the transfer. When continuation is selected, error recovery is started by performing reconnection to the wireless LAN and transfer restart processing, and transfer of the interrupted image data is restarted.

  In addition, when the battery voltage of the battery 4 drops below a predetermined value during the transfer of image data, a message “Battery is exhausted / transfer has been interrupted” is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 of the electronic camera 1. The transfer of the image data is interrupted, and the electronic camera 1 is turned off after a predetermined time from there. In this case, after the required operating power is secured by replacing the battery 4 or connecting the AC adapter, the electronic camera 1 is turned on and the mode dial is set to the “wireless LAN” position. The user is allowed to select whether or not to continue transferring the image data. When continuation is selected, error recovery is started by performing reconnection to the wireless LAN and transfer restart processing in the same manner as described above, and transfer of the interrupted image data is restarted.

  When the transfer of image data is interrupted as described above, as the transfer interrupt information, the profile number selected at that time and the number of image files that have been transferred before the interrupt are stored in the memory 18 of the electronic camera 1. Keep a record. Based on this transfer interruption information, error recovery is performed by reconnecting to the wireless LAN and restarting transfer of image data. The transfer interruption information is cleared when a profile is set or when the memory card 30 is inserted or removed.

  When the mode dial is set to “wireless LAN” in the electronic camera 1, it is determined whether or not the command file “ADVTRANS.MRK” exists. As described above, when all corresponding image files are transferred, the command file “ADVTRANS.MRK” is deleted. Therefore, when the command file exists, it can be determined that the transfer of the image data is interrupted. Thereby, the occurrence of interruption due to the battery voltage of the battery 4 decreasing and the power supply of the electronic camera 1 being turned off can be detected the next time the power supply of the electronic camera 1 is turned on.

5. Wireless LAN Sleep Mode Next, the operation of the wireless LAN sleep mode executed in the electronic camera 1 will be described. When the operation input from the user is not performed for a predetermined time, for example, 3 minutes or more, the electronic camera 1 shifts to the sleep mode in which a part of the operation is stopped and wasteful battery consumption is suppressed by the control of the control unit 17. To do. There are two types of sleep modes. One is a sleep mode that shifts when power supply from the battery 4 to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is prohibited, and is called a normal sleep mode. In the normal sleep mode, the operation state at that time is memorized, and the operation input detection part, for example, the control unit 17 is left, and other parts such as the liquid crystal display 21, the image sensor 8, the image processing The power supply to the unit 15 or the like is stopped to stop its operation. In this normal sleep mode, power is not supplied to the wireless LAN module unit 24.

  If the operation input from the user is not performed for a predetermined time, for example, for 3 minutes in the normal sleep mode, the auto power off function is activated to automatically turn off the power of the entire electronic camera 1. This auto power off function is realized by the control of the control unit 17. When an operation input from the user is detected in the normal sleep mode, power supply to each part that has stopped operating is resumed, and the operating state before sleep is restored.

  Another sleep mode is executed when power supply to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is permitted, and is called a wireless LAN sleep mode. In this wireless LAN sleep mode, while the power supply to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is continuously operated, for example, the power supply of the liquid crystal display 21 or the like is stopped and the operation is stopped as in the normal sleep mode. In this wireless LAN sleep mode, power is supplied to the wireless LAN module unit 24.

  As described above, when the power supply from the battery 4 to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is prohibited, the operation of the part including the wireless LAN module unit 24 is stopped by setting the normal sleep mode. On the contrary, when the power supply from the battery 4 to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is permitted, the wireless LAN sleep mode is set to stop the operation of the part other than the wireless LAN module unit 24. That is, in any sleep mode, a part of the operation of the electronic camera 1 is stopped while the power supply state from the battery 4 to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is maintained. In this way, even when the captured image data is being transferred by the wireless LAN module unit 24, it is possible to stop the power supply to unnecessary portions and suppress unnecessary battery consumption.

  In the wireless LAN sleep mode, the auto power off function is prohibited in order to prevent the electronic camera 1 from being automatically turned off even if a predetermined time elapses without any user input. . As a result, the auto power off function is activated during the transfer of the image data to automatically turn off the electronic camera 1, thereby preventing the transfer of the image data from being interrupted.

  When the transfer of the image data is finished during the operation in the wireless LAN sleep mode, the power supply to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is stopped as described above. If no operation input is made by the user for a certain period from that point, the wireless LAN sleep mode is shifted to the normal sleep mode. When a predetermined time elapses without any user operation input, the auto power off function operates as described above, and the power source of the entire electronic camera 1 is automatically turned off. When any switch input is detected in the wireless LAN sleep mode, power supply to each part is resumed as in the normal sleep mode, and the operation state before the sleep is restored.

  By the way, when the transfer of the image data is finished during the operation in the wireless LAN sleep mode and the power of the electronic camera 1 is automatically turned off after shifting to the normal sleep mode, the screen of the liquid crystal display 21 is as described above. Since there is no opportunity to display the “transfer end” message, the user cannot confirm that the transfer of the image data has ended. Therefore, when the electronic camera 1 is turned on next time, a message indicating that the image transfer in the wireless LAN sleep mode has been completed is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display 21 to notify the user. Such display may be performed when the wireless LAN mode is selected instead of immediately after the electronic camera 1 is turned on.

  A specific method for displaying the above message will be described. When the transfer of image data is completed in the electronic camera 1, flag information called a transmission end display flag is set internally. This transmission end display flag is stored even when the power of the electronic camera 1 is turned off. Next, when the operation mode of the electronic camera 1 is switched to the wireless LAN mode and the transmission end display flag is set, a message “Transfer has ended” is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display 21 in a predetermined manner. Display time, for example 2 seconds. When this message is displayed or when the “transfer end” message is displayed without shifting to the wireless LAN sleep mode, the set transmission end display flag is canceled. In this way, even when the wireless LAN sleep mode is shifted to the normal sleep mode and the electronic camera 1 is automatically turned off, the transfer of image data is completed when the wireless LAN mode is set again. The user can confirm that

  Note that whether the power supply state from the battery 4 to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is permitted or prohibited depends on the operating state of the electronic camera 1, that is, which menu item is selected in the wireless LAN mode. As described above, the transfer of the specified image data is completed or interrupted when the user selects the image data transfer method (when connected to a PC) or profile (when connected to a printer). In the meantime, power supply to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is permitted. Therefore, the wireless LAN sleep mode is executed during that time, and the normal sleep mode is executed in other states. The specific switching timing between the wireless LAN sleep mode and the normal sleep mode is shown in the menu transition diagrams of the wireless LAN mode of FIGS.

6). Power Save Mode Next, switching of the power save mode in the electronic camera 1 will be described. When power supply to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is permitted, a function called a power save mode is automatically turned on or off in the electronic camera 1. Battery consumption can be reduced while the power save mode is on. The on / off switching of the power save mode is performed under the control of the control unit 17. The operation of the wireless LAN module unit 24 differs depending on whether the power save mode is on or off as described below.

  While the electronic camera 1 and the PCs 32 and 33 or the printer 42 are connected via the wireless LAN, communication data between the wireless LAN module unit 24 and the access point 31 or the printer dongle 41 is determined according to the input / output state of communication data. Radio waves are sent and received at the same timing. The transmission / reception timing of this radio wave is not constant. Therefore, in order to allow the wireless LAN module unit 24 to receive radio waves transmitted from the access point 31 or the printer dongle 41 at any time, the wireless LAN module unit 24 is operated in a standby state when radio waves are not transmitted. There is a need. This operation is performed when the power save mode is off.

  On the other hand, when the power save mode is switched on, communication data to the wireless LAN module unit 24 is temporarily stocked in the access point 31 or the printer dongle 41. Then, the wireless LAN module unit 24 makes an inquiry (polling) for the presence / absence of communication data from the wireless LAN module unit 24 to the access point 31 or the printer dongle 41 at predetermined intervals. If the communication data is stocked, it is received. If not, it waits until the next polling. Other than this polling, the wireless LAN module unit 24 is not placed in a standby state. In this manner, when the power save mode is on, battery consumption can be suppressed by stopping the operation of the wireless LAN module unit 24 when radio wave transmission is not performed.

  However, when the power save mode is turned on, wireless LAN communication is performed at a polling interval, and wireless LAN communication is not performed at other timings, so the communication throughput is lower than when the power save mode is off. . Therefore, when high throughput is required as in the case of transferring captured image data, the power save mode is switched off. Otherwise, for example, when the wireless LAN menu screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, or when the transfer of the image file selected by the user in the shooting date transfer or the selected image transfer is completed, the power save mode is turned on. To reduce wasteful battery consumption. Such on / off switching of the power save mode is performed according to the operating state of the electronic camera 1, that is, which menu item is selected in the wireless LAN mode. Specific on / off timings of the power saving mode are shown in the menu transition diagrams of the wireless LAN mode of FIGS.

  In addition to the power save mode as described above, various methods can be used to suppress battery consumption of the electronic camera 1. For example, when the electronic camera 1 is normally turned on and the taking lens is extended, when the power is turned on while the mode dial is set to the position of the wireless LAN, the taking lens is not extended. To do. Further, when the mode dial is set to the position of the wireless LAN while the power of the electronic camera 1 is on, driving of the photographing lens after that is prohibited. In this way, useless battery consumption due to unnecessary driving of the photographing lens during the wireless LAN mode can be avoided. Even when the wireless LAN mode is in effect, when the above-described photographing transfer is selected as the image data transfer method, the photographing lens is driven so that the electronic camera 1 can be photographed.

  As another method, when operating in the wireless LAN mode, the operation input by the playback button of the operation unit 16 is not accepted, and the display of the playback image is prohibited. In this way, unnecessary radio waves can be transmitted and received by the wireless LAN module unit 24 during display of a reproduced image, thereby avoiding unnecessary battery consumption.

7). Battery Check Next, a battery check method in the electronic camera 1 will be described. The electronic camera 1 has a battery check function for checking the remaining battery level of the battery 4. This battery check function is performed by detecting the output voltage (battery voltage) of the battery 4 by the battery voltage detector 5. When the battery voltage falls below a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the remaining battery level is low, and a mark (half mark) indicating that the remaining battery level has been reduced is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, thereby allowing the user to To that effect, a warning is given. At this time, part of the operation of the electronic camera 1 is prohibited as necessary.

  Further, when the electronic camera 1 is operating in the wireless LAN mode, the battery check is performed by a method different from other operation modes (shooting mode, playback mode, etc.). The specific method will be described below.

  When the electronic camera 1 is operating in the wireless LAN mode, when data is wirelessly transmitted from the wireless LAN module unit 24, the battery voltage temporarily decreases during transmission due to a load caused by the wireless transmission. The voltage drop at this time is larger than when other operations are performed in the electronic camera 1. Therefore, even if the remaining battery level is still sufficient, the half-mark may be displayed erroneously because the battery voltage that has dropped during wireless transmission temporarily falls below the battery check threshold. There is. Therefore, in order to prevent such an erroneous display of the half mark, when operating in the wireless LAN mode, a battery check is performed by setting a threshold value lower than in other operation modes.

  FIG. 12 shows how the battery check threshold value is changed in the wireless LAN mode. The upper graph shows the wireless transmission timing from the wireless LAN module unit 24, and the lower graph shows the change in battery voltage. Note that the wireless transmission timing in the upper stage shows a timing when the power save mode is ON as described above and polling transmission is performed from the wireless LAN module unit 24 at a cycle T interval. As can be seen from this figure, during wireless transmission from the wireless LAN module unit 24, the battery voltage decreases from V1 to V2. Voltage values V1 and V2 represent battery voltages detected when battery 4 is fully charged.

  In FIG. 12, a threshold value Vth1 indicates a battery check threshold value in an operation mode other than the wireless LAN mode. The threshold value Vth1 is set to a predetermined ratio with respect to the above-described voltage value V1, for example, 70%. In operation modes other than the wireless LAN mode, a half mark is displayed when the detected value of the battery voltage falls below the threshold value Vth1.

  The threshold value Vth2 indicates a battery check threshold value in the wireless LAN mode. The value of threshold value Vth2 is set so that the ratio of threshold value Vth2 to voltage value V2 is the same as the ratio of threshold value Vth1 to voltage value V1. That is, if the threshold value Vth1 is set to 70% of V1 as described above, the threshold value Vth2 is set to 70% of V2. In the wireless LAN mode, a half mark is displayed when the detected value of the battery voltage falls below the threshold value Vth2. By using such a threshold value Vth2 in the battery check in the wireless LAN mode, it is possible to change the battery check threshold value smaller than in the case other than the wireless LAN mode. Thereby, the erroneous display of the half mark in the wireless LAN mode can be prevented.

  In the wireless LAN mode, when the battery voltage falls below the threshold value Vth2 and a half mark is displayed, image data transfer thereafter is prohibited. This prevents the battery from running out during transfer of image data. If the battery voltage falls below the threshold value Vth2 while image data is being transferred from the electronic camera 1, the process proceeds to disconnection processing after transmitting the currently transmitted packet, and the image transfer is interrupted.

  The above threshold value Vth1 and Vth2 setting methods are merely examples, and the threshold values may be set by other methods. As long as the threshold value Vth2 in the wireless LAN mode is smaller than the threshold value Vth1 in the case where the wireless LAN mode is not set, the battery check threshold value may be changed by any method.

8). Menu Transition Menu transition diagrams in the wireless LAN mode in the electronic camera 1 are shown in FIGS. FIG. 13 is a menu transition diagram from when the wireless LAN mode is switched to when any image data transfer method is selected on the wireless LAN menu screen. 14 to 18 are menu transition diagrams after any image data transfer method is selected on the wireless LAN menu screen. 14 is an update transfer, FIG. 15 is a shooting date transfer, FIG. 16 is a transfer mark image transfer, FIG. 17 is a selected image transfer, and FIG. 18 is a menu transition diagram when shooting transfer is selected. Various processes as described above are performed by operating the electronic camera 1 in accordance with these menu transition diagrams.

  The menu transition diagrams of FIGS. 13 to 18 show the switching timing between the wireless LAN sleep mode and the normal sleep mode described above, and the ON / OFF timing of the power save mode. When the frame of the menu item is indicated by a solid line, the wireless LAN sleep mode is set, and when the frame is indicated by a broken line, the normal sleep mode is set. In the menu items indicated by solid lines, if “PS ON” is written on the menu item, the power save mode is turned ON, and if “PS OFF” is written, the power save mode is turned OFF. To do.

  19 to 24 show examples of screens displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 when the electronic camera 1 operates according to the menu transition diagrams of FIGS. FIG. 19 is a screen example corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. FIG. 20 is a screen example corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. FIG. 21 is a screen example corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. FIG. 22 is a screen example corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. FIG. 23 is a screen example corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. FIG. 24 is a screen example corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG.

  19-24, the numbers written on the screens indicate the correspondence with the menu items in the menu transition diagrams of FIGS. For example, the screen written “1” in FIG. 19 shows an example of the menu item similarly written “1” in FIG. 13, that is, a wireless LAN opening screen. Note that the screen examples shown in FIGS. 19 to 24 are merely examples, and different screen designs may be used.

  Among the screens shown in FIGS. 19 to 24, the screen indicated by reference numeral 6 in FIG. 19 shows the received electric field strength of the wireless LAN radio wave detected by the wireless LAN module unit 24 by five-stage antenna display. If no wireless LAN radio wave is detected, “out of service area” is displayed. In addition, the transfer rate calculated as described above is displayed on a screen during transfer of image data, such as the screen indicated by number 22 in FIG.

According to the embodiment described above, the following operational effects are obtained.
(1) The power save mode is switched to either on or off according to the operating state of the electronic camera 1, and when the power save mode is switched on, the wireless LAN when no radio wave is transmitted When the operation of the module unit 24 is stopped and the power save mode is switched off, the wireless LAN module unit 24 is operated in a standby state when radio waves are not transmitted. Since it did in this way, useless battery consumption at the time of radio wave transmission / reception can be suppressed.

(2) The power save mode is switched on when the wireless LAN menu screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 or when the transfer of the captured image data corresponding to the transfer of the shooting date or the transfer of the selected image is completed. Since it did in this way, when high throughput is not requested | required, a power save mode can be switched on.

(3) Since the power save mode is switched off when the captured image data is transferred, the power save mode can be switched off when the high throughput is required so that the throughput does not decrease.

  The embodiment and various modifications described above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these contents as long as the features of the invention are not impaired.

  In the above embodiment, the power save mode switching means is realized by the processing of the control section 17, the wireless connection means is realized by the wireless LAN module section 24, and the image display means is realized by the liquid crystal display 21. However, this is merely an example, and when interpreting the invention, there is no limitation or restriction on the correspondence between the items described in the above embodiment and the items described in the claims.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic still camera (electronic camera) with a wireless LAN connection function according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows the process sequence when registering a profile. It is a figure which shows the profile content of PC. It is a figure which shows the network information for printer connection. It is a figure which shows the profile content of a printer. It is a figure which shows the flow of operation | movement when connecting an electronic camera and either apparatus by wireless LAN. It is the table | surface which summarized the content of the parameter used in command file "ADVTRANS.MRK". It is a figure which shows the example of the produced command file. It is a figure which shows a process sequence when update transfer is selected as the transfer method of image data. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing sequence when image transfer is selected as the image data transfer method with the setting not to record a transferred image file on a memory card. It is a figure which shows a processing sequence when imaging | photography transfer is selected as a transfer method of image data by the setting which records the transferred image file on a memory card. It is a figure which shows a mode that the threshold value of a battery check is changed at the time of wireless LAN mode. FIG. 10 is a menu transition diagram from when the mode is switched to the wireless LAN mode to when any image data transfer method is selected on the wireless LAN menu screen. It is a menu transition diagram when update transfer is selected. It is a menu transition diagram when shooting date transfer is selected. FIG. 11 is a menu transition diagram when transfer mark image transfer is selected. It is a menu transition diagram when the selected image transfer is selected. FIG. 10 is a menu transition diagram when shooting transfer is selected. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen corresponding to the menu transition diagram of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1: Electronic camera 4: Battery 5: Battery voltage detection unit 16: Operation unit 17: Control unit 18: Memory 21: Liquid crystal display 24: Wireless LAN module unit 30: Memory card 31: Access point 32, 33: PC 34, 42 : Printer 41: Printer dongle

Claims (4)

In an electronic camera that transfers captured image data to a computer or printer connected via a wireless network,
Wireless communication means for performing wireless communication with the computer or printer;
Power save mode switching means for switching the power save mode to either the on or off state according to the operating state of the electronic camera,
The wireless communication means, when the power save mode is switched on by the power save mode switching means, stops the operation when the radio wave is not transmitted, and when the power save mode is switched off, An electronic camera that operates in a standby state when it does not transmit radio waves. The electronic camera according to claim 1.
Image display means for displaying various images including a menu screen for selecting a transfer method of captured image data;
The power saving mode switching means switches on the power saving mode when a menu screen is displayed by the image display means. The electronic camera according to claim 1 or 2,
The power saving mode switching means switches the power saving mode to OFF when transferring captured image data. The electronic camera according to claim 3.
The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the power save mode switching means switches on the power save mode when the transfer of the captured image data is completed.

Images