JP2007110314A - Imaging system and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging system comprising a lens unit and a main body unit, wherein the electric power saving is attained. <P>SOLUTION: The lens unit 12 is freely removably fitted to the camera body and configures the camera system (imaging system) together with the camera body. The lens unit 12 is provided with a CCD 14 for imaging an object light formed by a photographing lens13 to acquire image data corresponding to the object light. A memory card 65 records the image data acquired by the CCD 14. Further, a pixel interleaving circuit 60 receives the image data. The pixel interleaving circuit 60 interleaves pixels of the received image data to produce interleaved image data having a prescribed data amount reduced from that of the received image data. The produced interleaved image data are transferred to the camera body via a control serial driver 61. The camera body displays the received interleaved image data on an LCD as a photographing result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging system including a lens unit including a photographic lens and an imaging element, and a main unit that detachably holds the lens unit.

  In recent years, digital cameras that convert subject light captured by an image sensor such as a CCD image sensor into digital image data and store it in a storage medium such as a built-in memory or a memory card have become widespread. Among these digital cameras, there is also known a digital camera (so-called single-lens reflex type) that can easily obtain different lens characteristics by making a photographic lens detachable from a camera body equipped with an image sensor. It has been.

However, in a digital camera in which the photographic lens can be attached and detached, there is a problem in that the image pickup device is exposed when the photographic lens is replaced, so that dust adheres to the image pickup surface and its surroundings and deteriorates the image quality. . For this reason, the photographing lens and the image pickup device are unitized (hereinafter referred to as a lens unit), and the lens unit can be detachably attached to the camera body, so that the photographing lens can be replaced without exposing the image pickup device. Such a camera system has been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707. In this camera system, a lens unit and a camera body are electrically connected via a connector, and subject light is imaged by sending and receiving various control signals to each other.
JP 2000-106640 A

  However, in the above camera system, the captured image is displayed on the display unit or recorded on the memory card. Therefore, the image data acquired by the image sensor must be transferred from the lens unit to the camera body. There was a problem that the power consumption required for the transfer of was large. In a camera system that is a portable electronic device, since a battery or the like is used as a power source, power saving has been desired for extending the driving time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to save power in an imaging system including a lens unit and a main body unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging system of the present invention includes a lens unit provided with an imaging device that captures subject light imaged by a photographing lens and acquires first image data corresponding to the subject light; The lens unit includes a main body unit that detachably holds the first unit. The first storage unit that records the first image data in the lens unit, and the first image data pixel is thinned out to reduce the data amount. A thinned image creating means for creating two image data; and a first communication means for transferring the second image data to the main body unit; and the second image data transferred from the first communication means to the main body unit. A second communication means for receiving image data and a display means for displaying the received second image data as a photographing result are provided.

  The main body unit includes second storage means for recording the first image data. The acquired first image data is recorded in the first storage means, and the second image is recorded from the first image data. A lens-side recording mode in which image data is created and transferred to the main unit, and the second image data is displayed on the display means, and the acquired first image data is transferred to the main unit and the second It is preferable to provide a main body side recording mode for recording in the storage means and displaying the first image data on the display means.

  The lens unit includes a first remaining capacity detecting unit that detects a remaining capacity of the first storage unit, and a first unit that determines whether or not the detected remaining capacity is more than a data amount of the first image data. The main body unit has warning means for warning that there is no remaining capacity in the first storage means in response to the first determination means determining that the amount of data is less than or equal to the data amount. It is preferable.

  Further, the main body unit has a second remaining capacity detecting means for detecting a remaining capacity of the second storage means, and a first judgment for determining whether or not the detected remaining capacity is more than a data amount of the first image data. Preferably, the warning means warns that there is no remaining capacity in the second storage means when the second determination means determines that the amount of data is less than or equal to the data amount.

  The first determination unit and the second determination unit determine whether the remaining capacity of each of the first storage unit and the second storage unit is more than the data amount of the first image data. In addition to determining, it is also determined whether or not the set value set above the data amount is vacant, and the warning means determines that the first determining means is less than the set value and greater than the data amount. In response, a warning is given that the remaining capacity of the first storage means is small, and in response to the second determination means determining that it is less than the set value and greater than the data amount, It is preferable to warn that the remaining capacity is low.

  Further, the first determination unit determines that the remaining capacity of the first storage unit is more than the data amount, and the second determination unit determines that the remaining capacity of the second storage unit is less than the data amount. When the determination is made, the lens-side recording mode is set, the first determination unit determines that the remaining capacity of the first storage unit is less than or equal to the data amount, and the second determination unit stores the second storage. When it is determined that the remaining capacity of the means is more than the data amount, a recording mode control means for setting the main body side recording mode may be provided on one of the lens unit and the main body unit.

  Further, the recording mode control means determines that the remaining capacity of both the first storage means and the second storage means is less than or equal to the data amount by the first determination means and the second determination means. The image pickup by the image pickup device, the transfer of the first image data or the second image data by the communication means, and the recording of the first image data to the first storage means or the second storage means. It is preferable to prohibit any of the operations.

  The first communication unit and the second communication unit include a control communication line that transmits and receives various control signals between the lens unit and the main unit, and the first communication unit and the main unit. Preferably, the second image data is transferred from the control communication line to the main unit.

  Further, the control means of the present invention includes a lens unit provided with an imaging element that captures the subject light imaged by the photographing lens and acquires the first image data corresponding to the subject light, and the lens unit is attached and detached. In an imaging system comprising a main body unit that is freely held, the first image data acquired by the imaging element is recorded in a storage unit provided in the lens unit, and pixels are obtained from the first image data. Creating second image data with a reduced amount of data by thinning, transferring the created second image data to the main unit, and displaying the result as a photographing result on a display means provided in the main unit; To do.

  According to the present invention, the first image data having a large data amount is recorded in the first storage means provided in the lens unit, and the second image data in which the data amount is reduced by thinning out the pixels is transferred to the main unit. As a result, the power consumption of the imaging system can be reduced by suppressing the power consumption for data transfer.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a camera system (imaging system) 10. The camera system 10 includes a camera body (main body unit) 11 and a lens unit 12. The lens unit 12 includes a photographing lens 13 exposed on the front surface and a CCD (imaging device) 14 that photoelectrically converts subject light formed by the photographing lens 13. The camera body 11 holds the lens unit 12 in a detachable manner, sends and receives various control signals, and drives the CCD 14 to acquire digital image data corresponding to the subject light.

  Also, a plurality of types of lens units 12 are prepared in advance, for example, those with different focal lengths of the taking lens 13, those with different numbers of pixels of the CCD 14, those capable of monochrome photography, and those capable of infrared photography. The The camera system 10 can easily obtain image data corresponding to the shooting situation by selectively mounting each lens unit 12 to the camera body 11.

  On the back surface of the lens unit 12, a mount portion 15 in which a bayonet claw 16 is formed is provided. On the other hand, a mount 18 having a bayonet groove 19 is provided on the front surface of the camera body 11 facing the mount 15. The mount portions 15 and 18 are fitted to each other by pushing the bayonet pawl 16 into alignment with the bayonet groove 19 and rotating it clockwise. Further, the bayonet claw 16 and the bayonet groove 19 are provided with a plurality of contacts 16a and 19a (see FIG. 4), respectively. The contact points 16a and 19a are positioned so as to contact each other when the bayonet claw 16 and the bayonet groove 19 are fitted. That is, the mount portions 15 and 18 mechanically connect the camera body 11 and the lens unit 12 by the bayonet claws 16 and the bayonet grooves 19 and are also electrically connected by the contacts 16a and 19a.

  The mount portion 18 is provided with a lock pin 20 and a mount lid 21. When the lens unit 12 is mounted on the camera body 11, the lock pin 20 engages with a pin hole (not shown) formed in the mount portion 15 to restrict the rotation of the lens unit 12. Is prevented from falling off the camera body 11. The mount lid 21 is spring-biased toward the front surface, and closes the opening into which the bayonet claw 16 enters when the lens unit 12 is not attached, thereby preventing dust and the like from entering the camera body 11. .

  On the front surface of the camera body 11, in addition to the mount portion 18, a lock release button 22 for releasing the engagement of the lock pin 20 and a strobe light emitting portion 24 for irradiating a subject according to the shutter release are provided. When the lock release button 22 is pressed, the lock pin 20 is retracted into the camera body 11 in conjunction with this operation, and the engagement between the lock pin 20 and the pin hole is released. Thereby, the rotation of the lens unit 12 is permitted again, and the lens unit 12 can be detached from the camera body 11.

  On the upper surface of the camera body 11, a release button 25 for giving a shutter release instruction to the camera system 10 and a mode switching dial 26 for switching between a shooting mode for taking a still image and a playback mode for reproducing and displaying the shot image. And are provided. The release button 25 is a two-stage push switch. When the release button 25 is lightly pressed (half-pressed), various shooting preparation processes such as automatic exposure adjustment (AE) and automatic focus adjustment (AF) are performed. In this state, when the release button 25 is strongly pressed once again (fully pressed), the imaging signal for one screen subjected to the imaging preparation process is converted into image data.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view of the camera body 11 viewed from the back. On the rear surface of the camera body 11, a power switch 28 for switching on / off the power of the camera system 10, an LCD (display means) 30 for displaying captured images, through images, various menu screens, and the like, and a camera system An operation unit 32 for inputting various instructions to 10 is provided. The operation unit 32 includes, for example, a zoom operation button 33 for changing the zoom of the photographing lens 13 to the wide side and the tele side, and a menu operated when displaying a menu screen on the LCD 30 or determining a selection content. A button 34 and a cross key 35 for moving the cursor in the menu screen are arranged.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the lens unit 12. The photographing lens 13 includes a zoom lens 40, a diaphragm 41, and a focus lens 42 arranged along the optical axis. A lens motor 43 is connected to the zoom lens 40. The lens motor 43 moves the zoom lens 40 to the wide side or the tele side in conjunction with the operation of the zoom operation button 33. An iris motor 44 is connected to the diaphragm 41. The iris motor 44 adjusts the amount of light incident from the zoom lens 40 by changing the aperture area (aperture value) of the diaphragm 41 during the shooting preparation process when the release button 25 is half-pressed. A lens motor 45 is connected to the focus lens 42. The lens motor 45 moves the focus lens 42 to the near side or the infinity side in response to zooming of the zoom lens 40 or half-pressing of the release button 25.

  Each motor 43, 44, 45 is connected to a motor driver 46. The motor driver 46 is connected to a lens CPU 48 that controls the lens unit 12 through a system bus 47, and transmits drive pulses to the motors 43, 44, 45 based on control signals from the lens CPU 48. To do. Each of the motors 43, 44, and 45 rotates the rotation shaft according to the drive pulse. In addition, as each motor 43,44,45, a stepping motor etc. are used, for example.

  Behind the photographic lens 13 is a CCD 14 that captures the subject light transmitted through the photographic lens 13. A timing generator (TG) 49 controlled by the lens CPU 48 is connected to the CCD 14, and the shutter speed of the electronic shutter is determined by a timing signal (clock pulse) input from the TG 49.

  The imaging signal output from the CCD 14 is input to a correlated double sampling circuit (CDS) 50. The CDS 50 removes noise from the imaging signal by performing correlated double sampling. The amplifier (AMP) 51 receives the imaging signal from which noise has been removed from the CDS 50, and amplifies the imaging signal with a gain corresponding to the imaging sensitivity set by the lens CPU 48. The A / D converter (A / D) 52 receives the amplified imaging signal from the AMP 51, digitally converts it, and outputs it as image data.

  The image signal processing circuit 53 temporarily records the processed image data in the system memory 54 for the image data input from the A / D 52 for various image processing such as gradation conversion, white balance correction, and gamma correction. To do. The system memory 54 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and is used as a working memory for recording various control programs, setting information, and the like and developing these programs. The YC conversion processing circuit 55 reads out the image data subjected to various processes by the image signal processing circuit 53 from the system memory 54, converts the RGB image data into the luminance signal Y and the color difference signals Cr and Cb, and again converts them into the system memory. 54. The compression / decompression processing circuit 56 compresses the image data YC converted by the YC conversion processing circuit 55 in a predetermined compression format such as TIFF or JPEG.

  The AF detection circuit 57 is for performing a so-called contrast type AF process, and at the time of shooting preparation process when the release button 25 is half-pressed, the contrast of the image is obtained from the image data digitized by the A / D 52. The focus evaluation value to be expressed is calculated, and the calculation result is transmitted to the lens CPU 48. The focus evaluation value is obtained by performing contour extraction processing with a high-pass filter or the like on a specific area of the image, for example, image data of the central portion of the shooting angle of view, and extracting the contour signal and the central portion of the image data. It is obtained by integrating the luminance value. Note that the larger the focus evaluation value is, the more high-frequency components are in the portion, and the portion is in focus. The lens CPU 48 acquires focus evaluation values at a plurality of positions while moving the focus lens 42 by a predetermined amount, and performs AF processing by moving the focus lens 42 to a position where the focus evaluation value is highest.

  The AE / AWB detection circuit 58 obtains an integrated value of the luminance signal Y of the image data YC converted by the YC conversion processing circuit 55 and the color difference signals Cr and Cb at the time of shooting preparation processing when the release button 25 is half-pressed. Based on this, the exposure amount and suitability of the white balance are detected, and the detection result is transmitted to the lens CPU 48. The lens CPU 48 controls the operations of the diaphragm 41 and the CCD 14 based on the detection result transmitted from the AE / AWB detection circuit 58.

  A pixel thinning circuit (thinned image creating means) 60 thins out the pixels in the vertical direction and the pixels in the horizontal direction of the input image data at an arbitrary interval, and reduces the data amount of the image data. The image data thinned out by the pixel thinning circuit 60 may be RGB image data output from the image signal processing circuit 53 or YC image data output from the YC conversion processing circuit 55. Further, when thinning out YC image data, the thinning intervals may be different between Y, Cr, and Cb.

  The system bus 47 is connected to a control serial driver 61, an image serial driver 62, a media controller 63, and a remaining capacity detection circuit (first remaining capacity detection means) 64. The control serial driver 61 is connected to the camera body 11 via a contact 16 a provided on the bayonet claw 16 of the mount unit 15. The control serial driver 61 is configured to be capable of bidirectional communication, and is used when, for example, various control signals such as a zoom signal of the zoom lens 40 are transmitted to and received from the camera body 11. For example, a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) is used as the control serial driver 61.

  The image serial driver 62 is connected to the camera body 11 via the contact 16a. The image serial driver 62 is configured only in one direction from the lens unit 12 toward the camera body 11 and is used when image data acquired by the CCD 14 is transferred to the camera body 11. As the image serial driver 62, for example, LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) is used, and the transfer speed is higher than that of the control serial driver 61.

  The media controller 63 reads and writes image data and the like with respect to a memory card (first storage means) 65 that is detachably loaded in the lens unit 12. Further, the remaining capacity detection circuit 64 accesses the memory card 65 via the media controller 63 and detects the remaining capacity of the memory card 65.

  The lens unit 12 has a battery storage chamber (not shown), and a battery 66 is detachably held in the battery storage chamber. The battery 66 is connected to a DC / DC converter (DC / DC) 67 and a power supply control circuit 68 through electrodes provided in the battery storage chamber. The DC / DC 67 steps down or boosts the voltage of the battery 66 to a predetermined voltage to be supplied to each part of the lens unit 12. The power control circuit 68 controls ON / OFF of the output of the DC / DC 67 based on a power control signal transmitted from the camera body 11. Thereby, the electric power transformed by the DC / DC 67 is supplied to each part of the lens unit 12, and the lens unit 12 is activated.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the camera body 11. Each part of the camera main body 11 is controlled centrally by the main body CPU 70. The main body CPU 70 is connected to a system memory 72 in which various control programs and setting information are recorded via a system bus 71, and controls each part of the camera main body 11 by reading each program from the system memory 72. .

  The system bus 71 includes a control serial driver 73 and an image serial driver 74 for communicating with the lens unit 12, a strobe control circuit 75, an LCD driver 76, a media controller 77, a remaining capacity detection circuit (second remaining capacity detection circuit). Means) 78 and the like are connected.

  The control serial driver 73 is connected to the control serial driver 61 of the lens unit 12 through the contacts 16a and 19a. Each control serial driver 61, 73 converts a parallel signal from each CPU 48, 70 into a serial signal and transmits it, converts the received signal back to a parallel signal, and inputs it to each CPU 48, 70. As a result, various control signals are transmitted and received between the camera body 11 and the lens unit 12. Similarly, the image serial driver 74 is connected to the image serial driver 62 of the lens unit 12 via the contacts 16a and 19a, and receives image data transferred from the lens unit 12.

  The strobe control circuit 75 causes the strobe light emitting unit 24 to emit light according to a strobe light emission signal transmitted from the main body CPU 70 or the lens CPU 48. For example, the LCD driver 76 converts the input image data into an analog composite signal and displays it on the LCD 30. The media controller 77 reads and writes image data and the like with respect to a memory card (second storage means) 79 detachably loaded in the camera body 11. Further, the remaining capacity detection circuit 78 accesses the memory card 79 via the media controller 77 and detects the remaining capacity of the memory card 79.

  The camera body 11 has a battery storage chamber (not shown), and a battery 80 is detachably held in the battery storage chamber. The battery 80 is connected to a DC / DC converter (DC / DC) 81 and a power supply control circuit 82 through electrodes provided in the battery storage chamber. The DC / DC 81 steps down or boosts the voltage of the battery 80 to a predetermined voltage to be supplied to each part of the camera body 11. A power switch 28 is connected to the power control circuit 82. The power control circuit 82 controls ON / OFF of the output of the DC / DC 81 according to the operation of the power switch 28. Thereby, the electric power transformed by the DC / DC 67 is supplied to each part of the camera body 11 and the camera body 11 is activated. The battery 80 is connected to the DC / DC 67 of the lens unit 12 and the power supply control circuit 68 via the contacts 16a and 19a, and can drive the lens unit 12 even when the battery 66 of the lens unit 12 is exhausted. It is configured as follows.

  One of the input / output ports of the main body CPU 70 is connected to the power supply control circuit 68 of the lens unit 12 through the contacts 16a and 19a. The main body CPU 70 is activated with power supplied from the DC / DC 81, and then transmits a power control signal from the input / output port to the power control circuit 68 to activate the lens unit 12. An operation unit 32 is connected to an input / output port of the main body CPU 70. As a result, an operation such as the menu button 34 is input to the main body CPU 70.

  The release button 25 is connected to the input / output port of the lens CPU 48 via the contacts 16a and 19a. Accordingly, a shutter release signal corresponding to the pressing operation of the release button 25 is input to the lens CPU 48. As described above, the release button 25 is a two-stage push switch, and the shutter release signal is also divided into two stages, half-press and full-press. The lens CPU 48 controls the AF detection circuit 57 and the AE / AWB detection circuit 58 in response to half-pressing of the release button 25 to perform shooting preparation processing, and also captures subject light in response to full-pressing of the release button 25. To implement.

  The camera system 10 includes a memory card 79 loaded in the camera body 11 and a memory card 65 loaded in the lens unit 12, and a body-side recording mode for recording captured image data on the memory card 79; Two recording modes including a lens-side recording mode for recording in the memory card 65 are provided. The setting of each recording mode is set from a list on the menu screen by operating the menu button 34 and the cross key 35, for example. The system memories 54 and 72 are provided with recording mode setting flags 54a and 72a indicating which recording mode is set. Each of the recording mode setting flags 54a and 72a is, for example, a 1-bit flag, and is set to “0” when the main body side recording mode is set, and “1” when the lens side recording mode is set. "Is set.

  When each recording mode is set by the operation of the operation unit 32, the main body CPU 70 changes the state of the recording mode setting flag 72a in accordance with the setting, and notifies the lens CPU 48 via the control serial drivers 61 and 73. Send flag setting information. The lens CPU 48 that has received the setting information changes the state of the recording mode setting flag 54a in accordance with the setting. In this way, the recording mode setting flags 54a and 72a are controlled so as to always be in the same state. Thereby, the lens CPU 48 can know the state of each recording mode without accessing the camera body 11 one by one.

  When the main body side recording mode is set, the lens CPU 48 captures image data captured by the CCD 14 and compressed into a predetermined compression format by the compression / decompression processing circuit 56 via the image serial drivers 62 and 74. Transmit to the main body 11. Receiving the image data from the lens unit 12, the main body CPU 70 displays the image data on the LCD 30 as a photographing result and records it on the memory card 79.

  On the other hand, when the lens-side recording mode is set, the lens CPU 48 records image data captured by the CCD 14 and compressed into a predetermined compression format by the compression / decompression processing circuit 56 in the memory card 65. At the same time, the same image data is sent to the pixel thinning circuit 60 to create thinned image data reduced to a predetermined data amount, and the created thinned image data is transmitted to the camera body 11. The thinned image data is transmitted from the control serial drivers 61 and 73 instead of from the image serial drivers 62 and 74 because the data amount is small. Further, hereinafter, in order to distinguish from the thinned image data, the image data before thinning recorded on each of the memory cards 65 and 79 is referred to as “recorded image data”.

  The main body CPU 70 that has received the thinned image data from the lens unit 12 displays the thinned image data on the LCD 30 as a photographing result. The thinned image data may be deleted after being displayed on the LCD 30 or may be recorded on the memory card 79 for reproduction display. When recording on the memory card 79, for example, a common serial number is assigned to the recorded image data and the thinned image data recorded on the memory card 65 so that the image data is associated with each other. Also good.

  The CPUs 48 and 70 control the remaining capacity detection circuits 64 and 78 to detect the remaining capacity of the memory cards 65 and 79 before imaging, and the remaining capacity of the memory cards 65 and 79 is recorded. It is determined whether or not the data amount is free. The determination results of the CPUs 48 and 70 are stored in capacity determination result flags 54b and 72b provided in the system memories 54 and 72, respectively. Each capacity determination result flag 54b, 72b is, for example, a 2-bit flag, and is set to “00” when the remaining capacity of each of the memory cards 65, 79 is empty, and only the remaining capacity of the memory card 79 is stored. Is set to “01” when there is no free space, is set to “10” when only the remaining capacity of the memory card 65 is not free, and is set to “11” when both free spaces are not free. . As with the recording mode setting flags 54a and 72a, the capacity determination result flags 54b and 72b are controlled so as to always be in the same state.

  Next, the operation of the camera system 10 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. In order to perform shooting with the camera system 10, first, the lens unit 12 is attached to the camera body 11, and the power switch 28 provided in the camera body 11 is turned on. When the power switch 28 is turned on, the power control circuit 82 causes the DC / DC 81 to output the transformed power in accordance with the operation. The DC / DC 81 supplies power to each part of the camera body 11 and activates the camera body 11. The activated main body CPU 70 of the camera body 11 transmits a power control signal to the power control circuit 68 of the lens unit 12. The power supply control circuit 68 that has received the power supply control signal causes the DC / DC 67 to output the transformed power, supplies power to each part of the lens unit 12, and activates the lens unit 12. As a result, the camera system 10 is activated and becomes ready for photographing.

  The activated CPUs 48 and 70 respectively control the remaining capacity detection circuits 64 and 78 in accordance with the selection of the shooting mode from the operation of the mode switching dial 26, and detect the remaining capacity of the memory cards 65 and 79. Do. The lens CPU 48 that has detected the remaining capacity of the memory card 65 determines whether or not the remaining capacity is more than the data amount of the recorded image data, and the determination result is sent to the camera body 11 via the control serial drivers 61 and 73. Send to. The main body CPU 70 that has detected the remaining capacity of the memory card 79 determines whether or not the remaining capacity is more than the data amount of the recorded image data, and combines the determination result and the determination result sent from the lens CPU 48. The capacity determination result flag 72b is set in a state corresponding to each determination result. The main body CPU 70 that has set the capacity determination result flag 72 b transmits the setting information to the lens unit 12. The lens CPU 48 sets the capacity determination result flag 54b in accordance with the received setting information.

  When it is determined that the remaining capacity of each of the memory cards 65 and 79 is more than the amount of recording image data, each recording mode can be arbitrarily set by operating the operation unit 32. . The CPUs 48 and 70 change the states of the recording mode setting flags 54a and 72a in accordance with the set recording mode.

  When the setting of each recording mode is completed, the lens CPU 48 transmits the image data for the through image via the image serial drivers 62 and 74. As the image data for the through image, for example, the image data YC converted by the YC conversion processing circuit 55 is reduced to a predetermined data amount by the pixel thinning circuit 60. Receiving the image data for the through image, the main body CPU 70 inputs the image data to the LCD driver 76 and causes the LCD 30 to display the through image.

  When the release button 25 is half-pressed while the through image is displayed, the lens CPU 48 controls each part such as the AF detection circuit 57 and the AE / AWB detection circuit 58, and the photographing preparation process is performed. When the set recording mode is the lens-side recording mode, when the shutter release is instructed to the lens CPU 48 by fully pressing the release button 25, the image data at that time is compressed by the compression / decompression processing circuit 56, and the media controller The recorded image data is recorded on the memory card 65 via 63. The lens CPU 48 inputs the same image data to the pixel thinning circuit 60 and creates thinned image data corresponding to the recorded image data.

  The lens CPU 48 that has created the thinned image data transmits the thinned image data to the camera body 11 via the control serial drivers 61 and 73. The main body CPU 70 inputs the received thinned image data to the LCD driver 76 and causes the LCD 30 to display it as a photographing result. As described above, in the lens-side recording mode, only the thinned image data having a small data amount is transmitted from the lens unit 12 to the camera body 11, so that compared with the conventional method in which the recorded image data itself is transferred, Power consumption for transfer can be suppressed. Further, since the time required for transfer is shortened by reducing the data amount, the number of continuous shots per unit time can be increased. Furthermore, since the thinned image data is transferred through the control serial drivers 61 and 73, it is not necessary to use the image serial drivers 62 and 74, so that power consumption can be further suppressed. However, the thinned image data may of course be transferred by the image serial drivers 62 and 74.

  On the other hand, in the case where the set recording mode is the main body side recording mode, when the shutter release is instructed to the lens CPU 48 by fully pressing the release button 25, the recorded image data compressed by the compression / decompression processing circuit 56 is The image data is transmitted to the camera body 11 via the image serial drivers 62 and 74. The main body CPU 70 inputs the received recorded image data to the LCD driver 76, displays it on the LCD 30 as a photographing result, and records it on the memory card 79. Thus, if a memory card is provided in both the camera body 11 and the lens unit 12, even if the remaining capacity of one memory card is exhausted, it is possible to continue shooting with the other memory card.

  If it is determined that only the remaining capacity of the memory card 65 is more than the amount of recorded image data and the remaining capacity of the memory card 79 is not empty, the main body CPU 70 displays a warning on the LCD 30 and displays the memory card. The user is informed that there is no remaining capacity of 79. The main body CPU 70 displaying the warning on the LCD 30 does not accept the setting of each recording mode by the operation unit 32, for example, and sets the recording mode only to the lens side recording mode.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that only the remaining capacity of the memory card 79 is more than the data amount of the recorded image data and the remaining capacity of the memory card 65 is not empty, the main body CPU 70 displays a warning on the LCD 30 and the memory While notifying the user that there is no remaining capacity of the card 65, the recording mode is set only to the main body side recording mode. As described above, when it is determined that there is no remaining capacity in each of the memory cards 65 and 79, the warning display is performed, so that the user can be prompted to replace each of the memory cards 65 and 79. Further, since each recording mode is set so that writing to a memory card having no remaining capacity is not performed, it is possible to prevent image data from being leaked due to a setting error in each recording mode. The warning display may be an overlay display of a dedicated icon or the like, or may be switched to a warning screen. Further, the warning is not limited to the LCD 30, and a warning may be given by turning on a lamp or the like, or a warning may be given by voice.

  When it is determined that the remaining capacity of both the memory cards 65 and 79 is not more than the amount of recorded image data, the main body CPU 70 displays a warning on the LCD 30 and the remaining capacity of each memory card 65 and 79. Inform the user that there is not. At this time, the lens CPU 48 does not accept the shutter release signal from the release button 25 and prohibits the imaging operation by the CCD 14. Thereby, unnecessary power consumption due to useless shooting can be prevented. However, the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, the imaging operation may be prohibited by preventing the release button 25 from being pressed so that the shutter release signal is not transmitted. Further, after the shutter release is performed, unnecessary power consumption may be suppressed by preventing transfer of the acquired recorded image data or thinned image data to the camera body 11, or the recorded image data Unnecessary power consumption may be suppressed by preventing recording on each of the memory cards 65 and 79.

  In the above embodiment, the remaining capacity of each of the memory cards 65 and 79 is detected and it is determined only whether or not the remaining capacity is larger than the data amount of the recorded image data. However, as shown in FIG. In addition, it may be determined whether or not the remaining capacity of each of the memory cards 65 and 79 is more than a predetermined set value. For example, the set value may be determined to such an extent that the recording image data can be recorded for several more sheets (for example, 4 to 5 sheets). In FIG. 7, before determining whether or not the remaining capacity of each memory card 65 and 79 is more than the data amount of the recording image data, whether or not the remaining capacity of each memory card 65 and 79 is more than the set value. When the remaining capacity is equal to or smaller than the set value and equal to or larger than the data amount of the recorded image data, the fact that the remaining capacity of each memory card 65, 79 is small is displayed on the LCD 30. Thereby, it is possible to notify the user in advance of the replacement time of each memory card 65, 79 and to prompt the user to set each recording mode in consideration of the remaining capacity of each memory card 65, 79.

  In the above embodiment, the removable memory cards 65 and 79 are shown as the first and second storage means, respectively. However, each storage means is not limited to this, and is mounted on a substrate, for example. It may be a non-volatile memory.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the camera main body 11 comprised only for imaging | photography is used as a main body unit, and the camera system 10 which consists of this camera main body 11 and the lens unit 12 is used as an imaging system, it is not restricted to this, For example, An electronic device such as a PDA or a notebook personal computer may be used as a main unit, and a lens unit may be attached to the main unit to construct an imaging system.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a camera system roughly. It is the top view which looked at the camera main body from the back. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the internal structure of a lens unit. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the internal structure of a camera main body. It is a flowchart which shows the imaging | photography procedure of a camera system. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of each recording mode. It is a flowchart which shows the example which determines whether the remaining capacity of each memory card is vacant more than the predetermined setting value.

Explanation of symbols

10 Camera system (imaging system)
11 Camera body (main unit)
12 Lens unit 13 Shooting lens 14 CCD (Image sensor)
15 Mount part 18 Mount part 30 LCD (display means, warning means)
48 lens CPU (first determination means)
60 pixel thinning circuit (thinning image creation means)
61 Control serial driver (first communication means)
62 Image serial driver (first communication means)
64 Remaining capacity detection circuit (first remaining capacity detection means)
65 Memory card (first storage means)
70 Main body CPU (second determination means, recording mode control means)
73 Control serial driver (second communication means)
74 Image serial driver (second communication means)
78 Remaining capacity detecting circuit (second remaining capacity detecting means)
79 Memory card (second storage means)

Claims (9)

It comprises a lens unit provided with an image sensor that captures the subject light imaged by the photographic lens and obtains first image data corresponding to the subject light, and a body unit that detachably holds the lens unit. In the imaging system,
The lens unit includes first storage means for recording the first image data, thinned image creation means for creating second image data in which the amount of data is reduced by thinning pixels of the first image data, and the second First communication means for transferring image data to the main unit,
The main unit includes second communication means for receiving the second image data transferred from the first communication means, and display means for displaying the received second image data as a photographing result. Imaging system. The main body unit includes second storage means for recording the first image data,
The acquired first image data is recorded in the first storage means, the second image data is created from the first image data and transferred to the main unit, and the second image data is transferred to the display means. The lens-side recording mode to be displayed on the
The acquired first image data is transferred to the main body unit and recorded in the second storage means, and a main body side recording mode for displaying the first image data on the display means is provided. The imaging system according to claim 1. The lens unit includes a first remaining capacity detection unit that detects a remaining capacity of the first storage unit, and a first determination that determines whether or not the detected remaining capacity is more than a data amount of the first image data. Means,
2. The main unit includes warning means for warning that there is no remaining capacity in the first storage means when the first determination means determines that the amount of data is less than or equal to the data amount. Or the imaging system of 2. The main unit includes a second remaining capacity detecting unit that detects a remaining capacity of the second storage unit, and a second determination that determines whether or not the detected remaining capacity is more than a data amount of the first image data. Means,
4. The imaging system according to claim 3, wherein the warning means warns that there is no remaining capacity in the second storage means in response to the fact that the second determination means determines that the amount of data is less than or equal to the data amount. . The first determination unit and the second determination unit determine whether or not each remaining capacity of the first storage unit and the second storage unit is more than a data amount of the first image data. At the same time, it is also determined whether or not the set amount set above the data amount is empty,
The warning means warns that the remaining capacity of the first storage means is small in response to the fact that the first determination means determines that the set value is less than or equal to the data amount, and the second determination means 5. The imaging system according to claim 4, wherein a warning is given that the remaining capacity of the second storage means is small in response to determining that the amount is less than the set value and greater than the data amount.   The first determination means determines that the remaining capacity of the first storage means is more than the data amount, and the second determination means determines that the remaining capacity of the second storage means is less than or equal to the data amount. The lens-side recording mode is set, the first determination unit determines that the remaining capacity of the first storage unit is less than or equal to the data amount, and the second determination unit stores the second storage unit. The recording mode control means for setting the main body side recording mode when it is determined that the remaining capacity is more than the data amount is provided on one of the lens unit and the main body unit. The imaging system according to 4 or 5.   The recording mode control means, when the first determination means and the second determination means determine that the remaining capacity of both the first storage means and the second storage means is equal to or less than the data amount. In addition, imaging by the imaging device, transfer of the first image data or the second image data by the communication unit, and recording of the first image data to the first storage unit or the second storage unit The imaging system according to claim 6, wherein any operation is prohibited.   The first communication unit and the second communication unit include a control communication line for transmitting and receiving various control signals between the lens unit and the main unit, and the first image from the lens unit to the main unit. 8. The image communication line for transferring data, wherein the second image data is transferred from the control communication line to the main unit. The imaging system according to item. It comprises a lens unit provided with an image sensor that captures the subject light imaged by the photographic lens and obtains first image data corresponding to the subject light, and a body unit that detachably holds the lens unit. In a control method of an imaging system,
Recording the first image data acquired by the imaging device in a storage means provided in the lens unit;
Creating second image data by reducing the amount of data by thinning pixels from the first image data;
A control method, wherein the created second image data is transferred to the main unit and displayed as a photographing result on a display unit provided in the main unit.

Images