JP2007049632A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera that enables a transmission-destination terminal side to receive a high-definition and large-size image even when a transmission system is used with limited transmission size. <P>SOLUTION: A high-definition and large-size picked-up image is divided into a plurality of transmitted images. For example, the image is divided into a plurality of images which do not exceed a maximum transmission size and the individual divided images are transmitted (S104). Further, information needed for restoration is included in the individual divided images, so that the original image can be restored on the transmission-destination terminal side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital cameras that record image data as digital data using an image sensor represented by a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor have made significant progress. As digital cameras become more sophisticated, digital cameras will be used not only in homes and hobbies (home use), but also in business use (professional use) in magazines and newspapers. It is becoming.
In addition, with the improvement of communication technology and the spread of the Internet, there has been an increasing demand to immediately send captured images.

  The data size of an image captured by a digital camera is increasing as the performance of the digital camera increases. However, there are many image transmission systems in which the size that can be transmitted is limited, and there are cases in which a captured image cannot be transmitted in its original size.

  Usually, when image data captured by a digital camera is transmitted using a transmission system that has a limit on the transmittable size, it is necessary to perform compression processing. Actually, it has been necessary to perform image compression processing so as to have a size that can be transmitted using image processing software installed on the computer, and then transmit the image data by connecting the computer to a network.

However, for users who are unfamiliar with image processing, changing the compression rate or changing the image resolution so as to satisfy the transmittable size is a troublesome task.
If the image is recompressed to reduce the image data size or the image resolution is reduced, the image quality deteriorates and the original beautiful image captured at high resolution is displayed on the destination terminal side. I can't.

  In view of this, there has been proposed an imaging apparatus that automatically transmits only image information including a reduced image or the like by e-mail without creating an original image after creating a captured image file (Patent Document 1).

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an image transmission system using a mobile phone and a digital camera. In this system, the frame number of the image and the compression processing command are sent from the mobile phone connected to the camera to the camera, the image data is compressed (resized) in the camera, and the resized image data is transferred from the camera via the mobile phone. Send.
Furthermore, an information processing apparatus that determines the type of a destination terminal and transmits image data in a size suitable for the destination terminal has also been proposed (Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-200668 JP 2001-45452 A JP 2004-78837 A

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, when a large-size original image is desired to be viewed on a computer that is a transmission destination terminal, an image transmission request must be issued again from the transmission destination terminal. Therefore, it is inconvenient for the user and causes an increase in traffic. In addition, since the original image data is not compressed, the problem that transmission cannot be performed due to size limitations in some transmission systems is not solved.

  The method described in Patent Document 2 is mainly intended to shorten the communication time by transmitting an image having a small data size. Therefore, even if there is a limitation on the transmission size, it is not suitable as a method for transmitting a large image for the purpose of enabling a high-definition image to be displayed on the destination terminal side.

  Furthermore, in the method described in Patent Document 3, a thumbnail image is transmitted to a destination terminal that is determined to have a slow communication line, and when a high-definition image is desired to be transmitted, the image is transmitted again from the destination terminal. A request must be made.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera that can receive a high-definition image on the transmission destination terminal side even when a transmission system with a transmission size restriction is used.

  The above-described object is a digital camera that transmits a captured image to a destination terminal via a predetermined transmission system, and a dividing unit that divides the captured image into a plurality of divided images according to a set division condition; And a transmission unit configured to transmit a plurality of divided images to a transmission destination terminal.

  According to the digital camera of the present invention, a high-definition image can be received on the destination terminal side even when a transmission system with a transmission size restriction is used.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital camera common to the first and second embodiments.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a digital camera. Reference numeral 10 denotes a photographing lens, 12 denotes a shutter having a diaphragm function, 14 denotes an image sensor that converts an optical image into an electrical signal, and 16 denotes an A / D converter that converts an analog signal output from the image sensor 14 into a digital signal. Note that a CCD, a CMOS image sensor, or the like can be used for the image sensor 14.

A timing generation circuit 18 supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, and the D / A converter 26, and is controlled by the memory control circuit 22 and the system control circuit 50.
An image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 16 or the data from the memory control circuit 22.

Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image data. Then, the system control circuit 50 controls the exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement control means 42 based on the obtained calculation result, TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (Automatic exposure) processing and EF (flash pre-emission) processing are performed.
Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic result.

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

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

Reference numeral 24 denotes an image display memory, 26 denotes a D / A converter, 28 denotes an image display unit including a TFT LCD, and the image data for display written in the image display memory 24 passes through the D / A converter 26. Displayed by the image display unit 28.
An electronic viewfinder function can be realized by sequentially displaying image data captured using the image display unit 28.

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

Reference numeral 30 denotes a memory for storing captured still images and moving images, and has a sufficient storage capacity to store a predetermined number of still images and a predetermined time of moving images. Thereby, even in the case of continuous shooting or panoramic shooting in which a plurality of still images are continuously shot, it is possible to write a large amount of images to the memory 30 at high speed.
The memory 30 can also be used as a work area for the system control circuit 50.

Reference numeral 32 denotes a compression / decompression circuit that compresses and decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like, reads an image stored in the memory 30, performs compression processing or decompression processing, and stores the processed data in the memory 30. Write to.
Reference numeral 40 denotes an exposure control means for controlling the shutter 12 having a diaphragm function, and has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48.

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

A flash 48 has an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function. The exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement control means 42 are controlled using the TTL method. Based on the calculation result obtained by calculating the captured image data by the image processing circuit 20, the system control circuit 50 performs the exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement. Control is performed on the control means 42.
A system control circuit 50 controls the entire digital camera 100, and a memory 52 stores constants, variables, programs, and the like for operation of the system control circuit 50.

  Reference numeral 54 denotes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display device or a speaker that displays an operation state, a message, and the like using characters, images, sounds, and the like in accordance with execution of a program in the system control circuit 50. The display unit 54 is installed at a single or a plurality of positions near the operation unit of the digital camera 100 so that the display unit 54 can be visually recognized. The display unit 54 includes, for example, a combination of an LCD, an LED, a sound generation element, and the like.

  The display unit 54 has a part of its function installed in the optical viewfinder 104. Among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed on the LCD or the like includes single shot / continuous shooting display, self-timer display, compression rate display, number of recorded pixels, number of recorded pixels, number of remaining images that can be captured, shutter There are speed display, aperture value display, and exposure compensation display. In addition, flash display, red-eye reduction display, macro shooting display, buzzer setting display, watch battery remaining amount display, battery remaining amount display, error display, information display with multiple digits, display / removal state display of recording media 200 and 210, There are also communication I / F operation display, date / time display, and the like.

Among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed in the optical viewfinder 104 includes in-focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, exposure correction display, and the like.
Reference numeral 56 denotes an electrically erasable / recordable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM.

  Reference numerals 60, 62, 64, 66, 68 and 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions of the system control circuit 50, and may be a single unit such as a switch, a dial, a touch panel, pointing by eye-gaze detection, a voice recognition device, or the like. Consists of multiple combinations.

  Here, a specific description of these operating means will be given. Reference numeral 60 denotes a mode dial switch, which can switch and set various function modes such as power-off, automatic shooting mode, shooting mode, panoramic shooting mode, playback mode, multi-screen playback / erase mode, and PC connection mode.

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

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

Reference numeral 66 denotes an image display ON / OFF switch that can set ON / OFF of the image display unit 28. With this function, when photographing using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to save power by cutting off the current supply to the image display unit including a TFT LCD or the like.
Reference numeral 68 denotes a quick review ON / OFF switch, which sets a quick review function for automatically reproducing image data taken immediately after photographing.

  An operation unit 70 includes various buttons and a touch panel. The operation unit 70 includes a menu button, a set button, a macro button, a multi-screen playback page break button, a flash setting button, a single shooting / continuous shooting / self-timer switching button, a menu movement + (plus) button, a menu movement− (minus). ) Button, menu item move + (plus) button, menu item move-(minus) button, playback image move + (plus) button, playback image move-(minus) button, shooting image quality selection button, exposure compensation button, date / time Includes time setting buttons.

  Reference numeral 80 denotes a power control means, which includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Then, the power control unit 80 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction from the system control circuit 50, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium for a necessary period.

Reference numeral 82 denotes a connector, 84 denotes a connector, and 86 denotes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like.
Reference numerals 90 and 94 denote interfaces with recording media such as memory cards and hard disks. Reference numerals 92 and 96 denote connectors for connecting a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk. A recording medium attachment / detachment detection unit 98 detects whether or not the recording medium 200 or 210 is attached to the connectors 92 and / or 96.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that there are two interfaces and connectors for attaching the recording medium. Of course, the interface and the connector for attaching the recording medium may have a single or a plurality of systems, any number of systems. Moreover, it is good also as a structure provided with combining the interface and connector of a different standard. Further, the interface and the connector may be configured using a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, or the like that conforms to a standard.

  Consider a case in which the interfaces 90 and 94 and the connectors 92 and 96 are configured using a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, or the like. In this case, various communication cards such as a LAN card, a modem card, a USB card, an IEEE 1394 card, a P1284 card, a SCSI card, and a communication card such as a PHS are connected. As a result, image data and management information attached to the image data can be transmitted to and from other computers and peripheral devices such as a printer.

Reference numeral 102 denotes protection means that is a barrier that prevents the imaging unit from being soiled or damaged by covering the imaging unit including the lens 10 of the digital camera 100.
Reference numeral 104 denotes an optical viewfinder, which can take an image using only the optical viewfinder without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28. In the optical viewfinder 104, some functions of the display unit 54, for example, a focus display, a camera shake warning display, a flash charge display, a shutter speed display, an aperture value display, an exposure correction display, and the like are installed.

A network interface 110 has a wired communication function compliant with USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, IEEE 1394 standard, LAN, or the like, or a wireless communication function compliant with IEEE 802.11a / b / g standard, Bluetooth standard, or the like. The digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to transmit image data to an image server or the like using a network interface 110 according to a procedure described later.
Reference numeral 112 denotes a connector when the network interface 110 has a wired communication function, and reference numeral 112 denotes an antenna when the network interface 110 has a wireless communication function.

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

  Reference numeral 210 denotes a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 210 includes a recording unit 212 composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and the like, an interface 214 with the digital camera 100, and a connector 216 for connecting with the digital camera 100.

(Image transmission processing)
Image transmission processing in the digital camera according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment can transmit high-definition image data using a system having a limited transmission data size by dividing one image data into a plurality of data and transmitting the data. It is characterized by. Such transmission of one image data divided into a plurality of data is hereinafter referred to as divided transmission.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an image data transmission setting menu screen in the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment.
The transmission setting menu is displayed on the display unit 54 in accordance with the operation of the operation unit 70 as in the other menu screens. In this menu, it is possible to specify an IP address as an example of information for specifying a transmission destination, and a wired LAN / wireless LAN as an example of transmission method or transmission type specification information. In addition, it is possible to specify the necessity of divided transmission and the divided file size when performing divided transmission. Here, it is assumed that the maximum size of each divided file can be specified as the divided file size. The user operates the operation unit 70 to designate a desired maximum transmission size (“1 MB” in FIG. 2) from the “division transmission” menu item. For example, when the maximum transmission size is designated as “0 MB” or “unlimited”, it is designated that the divided transmission is not performed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining image data division transmission processing.
Here, it is assumed that the captured image is automatically transmitted according to the transmission setting set in advance from the above-described menu screen, and the divided transmission is set. However, it is also possible to select the desired image data from the captured image data recorded on the recording medium and transmit it at an arbitrary timing, or not to automatically transmit at the time of imaging.

  When the shutter is released and imaging is instructed, known signal processing and image processing are performed to generate normal image data. Then, the head of the image data is set as a transmission start position (S101). Next, the maximum transmission size set in the transmission setting menu is compared with the size of the remaining transmission image data (S102).

  The comparison initially performed in S102 is a comparison between the entire image data and the maximum transmission size. Therefore, if the maximum transmission size is larger than the image size, it can be transmitted from the beginning to the end of the image data by wireless LAN transmission via the antenna 112, for example. (S103).

If the remaining transmission image data size is larger than the maximum transmission size in the comparison performed first in S102, divided transmission is necessary. In this case, the maximum transmission size is the actual transmission size. Therefore, image data for the maximum transmission size is transmitted (S104). Here, as will be described later, processing (including ID and position information) unique to the divided image data is also included in the transmission header.
When transmission is completed, preparation for the next transmission is performed. Here, since the transmission position needs to be updated, the transmission position is moved by the transmission size (S105).

The comparison performed in S102 after the second time is a comparison between the remaining image data size to be transmitted and the maximum transmission size when the divided transmission is performed. If the remaining image data size is still larger than the maximum transmission size, the process proceeds to S104 to transmit the maximum transmission size, and the transmission position is moved in S105.
Thereafter, the processes of S102, S104, and S105 are repeated until the remaining image data size becomes equal to or smaller than the maximum transmission size.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of image data transmitted by the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment.
The transmission image data is composed of a transmission header part and an image data part. In the image data portion, image data that has not been divided and transmitted, or one of the divided image data is arranged. The transmission header portion includes various information related to the image data including data necessary for returning the divided image data to the original image at the transmission destination terminal.

  In the transmission header portion of the transmission image data including the divided image data, a data ID (for example, a serial number given in the order of transmission) indicating that the image data stored in the image data portion is divided image data is stored. ing. In the transmission destination terminal, the image data is restored using a plurality of image data having the same file name included in the transmission header portion and having different data IDs. The file name is a file name when all the image data is collected at the transmission destination and returned to the original one image, and the total image size is used to determine whether all the divided image data are prepared.

  If the image data sizes of the individual divided image data are added, for example, in the order of the data ID, and the addition result is the total image size, it can be confirmed that all the divided image data have been received. On the other hand, if the sum of the image data sizes of the individual divided image data does not match the total image size, one or more divided image data may have been lost during transmission. It is.

  The image position is information peculiar to the divided image data, and is information indicating the position of each divided image data with respect to the entire original image data. The transmission destination terminal can return to the original image by arranging the divided image data based on the image position information.

  As described above, the digital camera according to the present embodiment can transmit captured image data by dividing it into a plurality of smaller image data. For this reason, even if a transmission system having a transmission size restriction is used, high-definition and large-size image data can be received on the transmission destination terminal side.

  In addition, since the division conditions can be specified from the operation members on the camera, it is suitable for the transmission system from the camera even if the transmission system to be used is changed or the system restrictions are changed. It is possible to perform division setting. Further, when there are many transmission errors, it is possible to change the maximum transmission size.

  In the present embodiment, only the case where the maximum size is designated as the split transmission condition has been described. However, other conditions such as the total number of divisions can be specified. By specifying the total number of divisions, it is possible to easily determine the number of remaining transmission images (the amount of remaining transmission data) from a comparison between the number of transmitted divided data and the total number of divisions.

  In addition, when the image is divided by the specified total number of divisions, the maximum communication size of the transmission system can be set as the division condition when the upper limit of the transmission system's transmittable size is exceeded. is there. There is no particular limitation on the method for determining whether the divided image data size exceeds the upper limit of the transmission system's transmittable size, but the upper limit may be stored in advance and compared with that value. The determination may be made based on the error message.

  Thus, even when the specified maximum number of divisions does not satisfy the maximum transmittable size of the transmission system to be used, the transmission size can be made up to the maximum transmittable size. Therefore, it is possible to transmit a high-definition image even using a system with a limited data size.

<Second Embodiment>
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The present embodiment is characterized in that divisional transmission is performed according to conditions specified by the image server 500 that is a transmission destination terminal. Also in this embodiment, since the digital camera 100 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be used, description of the configuration is omitted.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the image server 500 according to the present embodiment. Note that the image server 500 according to the present embodiment can be configured by a computer device such as a personal computer.
In FIG. 7, a display 701 displays information of data being processed by an application program, various message menus, and the like, and includes a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and the like. The display controller 702 performs screen display control on the display 701. The keyboard 703 and the pointing device 704 are used to input characters and the like and to indicate icons and buttons in a GUI (Graphical User Interface). A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 705 controls the entire image server 500.

  A ROM (Read Only Memory) 706 stores programs executed by the CPU 705, parameters, and the like. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 707 is used as a work area when the CPU 705 executes various programs, a temporary save area during error processing, and the like.

  A hard disk drive (HDD) 708 and a removable media drive (RMD) 709 function as external storage devices. The removable media drive is a device that reads / writes or reads a detachable recording medium, and may be a detachable HDD as well as a flexible disk drive, an optical disk drive, a magneto-optical disk drive, and a memory card reader.

  It should be noted that an application program, an error processing program, a program for realizing various functions of the image server 500 described in the present embodiment, an OS, an application program such as a browser, data, a library, and the like are used depending on the application. It is stored in one or more of ROM 706, HDD 708, and RMD 709 (recording medium).

  The expansion slot 710 is an expansion card mounting slot compliant with, for example, the PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus standard, and various expansion boards such as a video capture board, a sound board, and a GPIB board can be mounted.

  The network interface 711 has a wired communication function compliant with USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, IEEE 1394 standard, LAN, or the like, or a wireless communication function compliant with IEEE 802.11a / b / g standard, Bluetooth standard, or the like. The image server 500 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to communicate with the digital camera 100 using a network interface 711. The bus 712 includes an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus, and connects the above-described units.

  Such an image server 500 is connected via a router (including a dial-up router) or a serial interface connected as necessary via the network interface 711 by using an OS, necessary driver software, or the like. It is possible to communicate with other devices on a computer network or a public telephone network using a modem, TA, or the like.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram from connection of the image server 500 to completion of image transmission in the digital camera 100 of the second embodiment.
Here, it is assumed that the image selected from the image data already recorded on the recording medium is transmitted instead of being automatically transmitted at the time of shooting. Further, it is assumed that an image to be transmitted has already been selected and a transmission execution instruction is given in a state where the image server 500 is designated as a transmission destination.

  First, as a preparation stage for transmitting an image, the digital camera 100 performs connection to the image server 500 and acquisition of transmission conditions. First, through a wireless LAN connection via the antenna 112, a connection request is made from the digital camera 100 to the image server 500 in a procedure compliant with, for example, the IEEE 802.11a / b / g standard (S501).

  When the image server 500 confirms the connection with the digital camera 100, the image server 500 notifies the digital camera 100 of the connection completion (S502). In response to this, the digital camera 100 requests an image transmission condition (S503). The image server 500 sends image transmission conditions to the digital camera 100 according to the transmission conditions of the transmission system to be used (for example, according to the transmission speed of the wireless LAN and traffic conditions) (for example, whether or not divided transmission is necessary and its maximum transmission size). To the digital camera 100. Thereby, a transmission condition is set in the digital camera 100. Here, it is assumed that the image server 500 responds to the execution of divided transmission and the maximum transmission size.

  Next, the digital camera 100 transfers the captured image to the image server 500. At this time, the image is divided in accordance with the image division condition set from the image server 500 (S505 to S508). The divided transmission process itself is as described in the first embodiment. Each of the divided image data is transferred to the image server 500.

  The image server 500 receives the transferred divided image data, and when the reception of the data for all the images is completed, the image data is arranged in the order of the original images, and the image data is combined to reconstruct the image (S509).

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation from the time when the image server 500 receives the divided image data until the image server 500 reconstructs the image and saves it as one image file in S509 of FIG.

First, image data transmitted from the digital camera 100 is received (S201). At this time, image data may be deficient due to a communication error. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the received data is normal (S202). The determination at this time can be realized by comparing the image data size of the header portion shown in FIG. 4 with the actual size of the received image data portion.
If the compared sizes are different, a request for retransmission of the image data is made (S203), and the image data in which an abnormality has occurred is received again.

  If it is determined that the image data is correct, it is determined whether all the divided image data have been received (S204). This is because the received image data may not be data for all images, but may be part of the image data. Therefore, it is confirmed whether or not all divided image data has been received by comparing the total sum of the image data received so far with the total image size of the transmission header portion shown in FIG.

  If the total sum of the received image data does not reach the total image size, it waits for reception of the next divided image data (S201). When all the divided image data are received, the image data are arranged in order, and the data are combined (S205). At this time, the image data is combined based on the image position information in the transmission header portion. After the combination of the image data is completed, it is saved as a file (S206).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the transmission conditions are set from the image server 500 that is the image data transmission destination terminal for a digital camera that can divide and transmit an image. In other words, the digital camera 100 acquires transmission conditions from the transmission destination terminal and performs image transmission according to the conditions. Therefore, the user of the digital camera can transmit high-definition image data without being aware of the data size limitation of the transmission system to be used.

  Further, even when a problem occurs in the transmitted image data, it is possible to provide a digital camera that can suppress an increase in transmission time by requesting retransmission from the image server 500. This can be realized by a reception / image combination program operating on the image server 500 even when a communication protocol having no retransmission request is used.

<Other embodiments>
The above-described embodiment can also be realized by using a computer program that can be executed by a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus. In this case, the computer program is supplied via a storage medium to a system or apparatus that can execute the program. As a storage medium for supplying such a computer program, for example, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM Etc. can be used.

  Further, by executing the computer program read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) running on the computer based on the instructions of the computer program Includes a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing.

  Furthermore, after the computer program read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is based on the instructions of the computer program. This includes the case where the CPU of the expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  In addition, by distributing a computer program of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments via a network, it can be stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk or memory of a system or apparatus or a storage medium such as a CD-RW or CD-R. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by a computer (or CPU or MPU) stored in the system or apparatus reading and executing the computer program stored in the storage means or the storage medium.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the transmission setting menu screen in the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the image transmission process of the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the image file which the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment produces | generates. It is a sequence diagram explaining operation | movement of the digital camera and image server in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the image integration process in the image server which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the image server which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Claims (7)

A digital camera that transmits a captured image to a destination terminal via a predetermined transmission system,
Dividing means for dividing the captured image into a plurality of divided images according to a set division condition;
Transmitting means for transmitting the plurality of divided images to the destination terminal;
A digital camera comprising:   The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising information adding means for adding information necessary for obtaining the captured image from the plurality of divided images to each of the plurality of divided images.   The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the dividing unit divides the photographed image into the plurality of divided images so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum size.   The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the dividing unit divides the captured image into a number of the divided images equal to a predetermined total number of divisions.   The dividing means, when dividing the captured image by the predetermined total number of divisions, the size of each of the divided images exceeds the upper limit of the size of the image that can be transmitted by the predetermined transmission system. 5. The digital camera according to claim 4, wherein the captured image is divided so as not to exceed a size that can be transmitted by the predetermined transmission system.   The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising operation means for a user to set the division condition. Furthermore, it has an acquisition means for acquiring the division condition from a transmission destination terminal,
The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the dividing unit divides the photographed image in accordance with the division condition acquired by the acquiring unit.

Images