JP2007251749A - Camera with radio communication function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve usability of a camera to be connected to a network by radio communication. <P>SOLUTION: In this camera, the operation mode of the electronic camera 1 is switched into a web image viewing mode, a photographing mode or a photographed image viewing mode. When it is switched to the web image viewing mode, the camera is connected to the Internet via an access point 31 by radio communication between a radio LAN communication 24 and the access point 31. Then, a web image provided from a WWW server 33 is downloaded to display the image on a liquid crystal display 21. Also, an interface 22 for memory card interfaces between the camera and a memory card 30 set in the inside of the electronic camera 1. An external interface 23 performs interface processing with an external device to be connected via a USB cable in conformity with USB signal standards. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera with a wireless communication function having a function of connecting to a public network such as the Internet by wireless communication.

  Conventionally, a camera having a function of connecting to a network such as the Internet is known. For example, the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 1 deletes additional information such as Exif (Exchange image file format) information added to the photographed image data when the photographed image is transferred via the network by connecting to the network. By doing so, it is possible to prevent information other than the photographed image from being leaked.

JP 2004-343627 A

  An object of the present invention is to improve the usability of a camera connected to a network by wireless communication.

A camera with a wireless communication function according to a first aspect of the present invention displays a photographing unit for photographing a subject and obtaining a photographed image, a recording unit for recording the photographed image obtained by the photographing unit on a recording medium, and various images. Image display means, wireless communication means for connecting to a public network by wireless communication, and operation mode switching means for switching a plurality of operation modes, and the plurality of operation modes switched by the operation mode switching means are wireless communication means A web image browsing mode for displaying on the image display means a web image provided from a web server existing on a public network connected by the above, a photographing mode for photographing a subject by the photographing means, and a recording medium. Including at least a captured image browsing mode for displaying the captured image on the image display means. .
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the camera with a wireless communication function according to the first aspect, when the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, no specific information is displayed on the image display means, and the operation mode is the shooting mode. In the case of switching to, specific information display is performed in the image display means.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the camera with a wireless communication function according to the second aspect, the specific information display includes at least either a display of the number of photographed images recordable on a recording medium or a battery remaining amount display.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the camera with a wireless communication function according to the first aspect, when the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the remaining recording capacity of the recording medium is displayed on the image display means, and the operation mode is When the mode is switched to the shooting mode, the number of shot images that can be recorded on the recording medium is displayed on the image display means.
The invention according to claim 5 is the camera with wireless communication function according to claim 4, further comprising a cache area setting means for setting a cache area for temporarily storing a web image in a part of the recording area of the recording medium. The number of captured images that can be recorded is calculated based on the recording capacity obtained by removing the cache area from the remaining recording capacity of the recording medium.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the camera with a wireless communication function according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, when the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the wireless communication connection setting is performed by the wireless communication means. If not, a connection setting screen is displayed on the image display means.
The invention according to claim 7 is the camera with wireless communication function according to any one of claims 1 to 6, storing connection information to the update site provided by the web server, and connecting to the update site based on the connection information As a result, the contents of the stored software are updated.
The invention according to claim 8 is a camera with a wireless communication function according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a part of the function being executed is performed when no operation input from the user is continued for a predetermined stop time or longer. Auto power-off means for stopping the operation, and when the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the stop time is longer than when switching to the shooting mode or switching to the captured image browsing mode. Is to lengthen.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the camera with a wireless communication function according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, when the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the web image is not displayed even when the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode. Display is prohibited.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the camera with a wireless communication function according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, a bookmark registration unit that registers a web image address designated by a user in a bookmark, and the bookmark registration unit registers the bookmark in the bookmark. Bookmark display means for displaying a list of the contents of the web image corresponding to the registered address, and the bookmark display means uses a thumbnail image obtained by reducing the web image corresponding to the address registered in the bookmark, and The contents are displayed in a list.

  According to the present invention, usability of a camera connected to a network by wireless communication can be improved.

  A block diagram of a digital electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The electronic camera 1 can be connected to the Internet via the access point 31 by making a wireless LAN connection with the access point 31. The access point 31 is installed in a place used by the public, such as an airport, a station, a hotel, a restaurant, or the like, and is installed in a place used personally, such as a user's home. There is.

  The electronic camera 1 is connected to the Internet via an access point 31 to download various data stored in a WWW (World Wide Web) server 33 and display various web images, or to display captured images on a WWW server. 33 can be uploaded. In addition to the WWW server 33, many servers and computers are connected to the Internet, and various types of websites and web contents are provided by them.

  The electronic camera 1 can also be connected to a PC (personal computer) 32 having a wireless LAN communication function by wireless LAN. By connecting the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32, the setting information of the electronic camera 1 and the access point 31 set in the PC 32 can be transmitted to the electronic camera 1, and the captured image of the electronic camera 1 can be transmitted to the PC 32. it can. The electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 can be connected via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable instead of a wireless LAN connection.

  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 communication unit 24 are provided.

  The battery 4 supplies power necessary for the operation to each part of the electronic camera 1. 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 performs interface processing with an external device connected via a USB cable in accordance with the USB signal standard. The electronic camera 1 can be connected to the PC 32 by interface processing performed by the external interface unit 23. A signal standard other than USB may be used.

  The wireless LAN communication unit 24 performs predetermined communication processing such as data format conversion, encryption, modulation / demodulation, and frequency conversion, and transmits and receives radio LAN communication radio waves to and from the access point 31 or the PC 32. At this time, an encryption method, a use frequency, and the like are determined based on the wireless LAN setting information recorded in the memory 18. When the wireless LAN communication unit 24 performs wireless LAN communication with the access point 31, the electronic camera 1 is connected to the Internet via the access point 31.

  The operation unit 16 has various operation buttons and switches. Specific contents of the operation unit 16 will be described later. 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. Furthermore, various web images can be displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 based on data downloaded from the WWW server 33. 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 software for controlling the electronic camera 1 is recorded. In addition, setting information when the electronic camera 1 is connected to the access point 31 or the PC 32 via a wireless LAN, page information and cookie information of a web image generated based on data downloaded from the WWW server 33 are also recorded in the memory 18. The

  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 communication unit 24 They are connected to each other via a bus 25.

  In the electronic camera 1 configured as shown in FIG. 1, when a shutter operation is performed in a shootable state, the control unit 17 controls the variable optical system 3 to adjust the focus, and via the timing control unit 14, Timing control is performed on the image sensor 8, the analog signal processing unit 12, and the A / D conversion unit 13 to photograph 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 the image data supplied as described above. 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 then taken as image data to the memory card 30 via the memory card interface unit 22. To be recorded. It is assumed that the captured image data for which image processing has been completed has undergone interpolation processing, and color information of all the RGB color components is present in each pixel. At this time, the captured image data is recorded in the Exif format, so that various shooting information such as shooting conditions, shooting date / time, model information of the electronic camera 1, thumbnail data, and the like are also recorded together as Exif information. The captured image is acquired as described above, and the captured image is recorded in the memory card 30.

  The captured image data recorded in the memory card 30 is wirelessly transmitted to the access point 31 or the PC 32 via the wireless LAN communication unit 24 under the control of the control unit 17. This wireless transmission is performed in accordance with a general wireless LAN signal standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), 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.

  When the access point 31 receives the captured image data transmitted from the wireless LAN communication unit 24 of the electronic camera 1, the access point 31 relays the captured image data and transfers it to the WWW server 33 via the Internet. In this way, the captured image is uploaded. Further, when receiving the captured image data transmitted from the wireless LAN communication unit 24 of the electronic camera, the PC 32 records the captured image data on a built-in hard disk or the like. The captured image data recorded on the PC 32 can be uploaded from the PC 32 to the WWW server 33 in accordance with a user operation.

  As described above, when the electronic camera 1 is connected to the Internet via a wireless LAN, the captured image is uploaded to the WWW server 33. Also, various web images can be displayed on the electronic camera 1 based on the data downloaded from the WWW server 33.

  FIG. 2 is an example of an external view when the electronic camera 1 is viewed from the back side. A liquid crystal display 21 is disposed on the back of the electronic camera 1. On the right side of the liquid crystal display 21, a shutter button 161, a zoom button 162, a menu button 163, a direction button 164, a move / decision button 165, a play button 166, and a delete button 167 are arranged. These operation buttons constitute the operation unit 16 shown in FIG.

  The shutter button 161 is used for performing a shutter operation during shooting. When the user presses the shutter button 161 when the electronic camera 1 is set to the shooting mode, shooting is performed. The zoom button 162 is used to adjust the zoom amount of the variable optical system 3. When the user presses the left side marked “W” in the shooting mode, the zoom amount is adjusted in the wide direction, and the subject is reduced in the shot image. Conversely, when the right side marked “T” is pressed, the zoom amount is adjusted to the telephoto side, and the subject is enlarged in the captured image.

  The menu button 163 is used to display a menu screen for selecting various menu items. When the menu button 163 is pressed, a menu screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. Further, the Internet connection and disconnection can be performed by an operation of pressing the menu button 163 for a predetermined time or longer, that is, a long press operation. When the menu button 163 is pressed and held while the electronic camera 1 is not connected to the Internet, the web browser is activated and a web image is displayed. When the menu button 163 is pressed for a long time while the electronic camera 1 is connected to the Internet and a web image is displayed, the web browser is terminated and the web image is erased. In order to make it easy for the user to understand that the menu button 163 is compatible with such an operation, a character “BROWSER” is written in addition to the characters “MENU” on the side of the menu button 163. . Any notation may be used as long as the user knows that the menu button 163 corresponds to the Internet connection operation.

  The direction button 164 has a structure that can be pressed in each of the up, down, left, and right directions, and is used to move a selection cursor. For example, a recorded photographed image is displayed as a thumbnail, and a selection cursor is displayed on one of the thumbnails. When the direction button 164 is pressed in any direction, the selection cursor moves to another thumbnail according to the pressed direction. Further, the selection cursor moves between a plurality of menu items on the menu screen according to the direction in which the direction button 164 is pressed.

  The move / decision button 165 is configured to allow an arbitrary direction input operation and a pressing operation. For example, if the movement / decision button 165 is a projecting operation part that can be pressed, and the user tilts the operation part in an arbitrary direction, the direction input operation is detected based on the tilted direction. Further, when the user presses the operation part from above, a pressing operation is detected. Alternatively, a trackball-like operation part may be used instead of the protrusion-like operation part. In the example of FIG. 2, the position of the movement / decision button 165 is inside the direction button 164, but it is not always necessary to do so. The movement / decision button 165 may be a touch sensor that can detect a direction input operation and a pressing operation by a finger touch operation, or may be a touch panel integrated with the liquid crystal display 21. By pressing the move / decision button 165, the thumbnail or menu item designated by the selection cursor is selected.

  The playback button 166 is used for playing back a captured image. When the user presses the play button 166 while displaying the thumbnails of the captured images recorded on the memory card 30, the captured image corresponding to the thumbnail designated by the cursor is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, whereby the thumbnail images are displayed. Is enlarged. If the captured image is a moving image, the moving image is reproduced. The delete button 167 is used for deleting a captured image. When the user presses the delete button 167 while displaying a thumbnail or a captured image, the selected captured image is deleted and deleted from the record in the memory card 30.

  Note that when the electronic camera 1 is connected to the Internet and a web image is displayed, each operation button corresponds to an operation content different from the above. For example, the zoom button 162 is used to change the display magnification of the web image. When the “W” side is pressed, the displayed web image is reduced, and when the “T” side is pressed, the displayed web image is enlarged. The direction button 164 is used for scrolling the web image. That is, when the web image cannot be displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, the web image being displayed is scrolled in the direction indicated by the direction button 164. The move / decision button 165 is used to move the pointer on the web image. That is, the position of the pointer displayed on the web image moves according to the direction input operation as described above by the move / decision button 165. Further, when the move / decision button 165 is pressed, the position designated by the pointer is clicked. When the delete button 167 is pressed, the previously displayed web image is restored.

  When the reproducible moving image is included in the web image, the moving image is reproduced by pressing the reproduction button 166. The moving image being reproduced can be fast-forwarded or rewound by operating the direction button 164. For example, when the right direction is input by the direction button 164, fast forward is performed, and when the left direction is pressed, the rewind is performed.

  The operation buttons may be as shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an example of an external view of the electronic camera 1 when the operation unit 16 is configured with operation buttons different from those described above. In this example, a rotary dial 168 and a determination button 169 are provided instead of the direction button 164 and the movement / decision button 165 of FIG.

  The rotating dial 168 has a structure that can be rotated in the left-right direction and pressed in the up-down, left-right directions. By the direction input operation of the rotary dial 168, the selection cursor is moved and the web image is scrolled similarly to the direction button 164 of FIG. The designated position on the web image is moved by the rotation operation of the rotary dial 168. That is, by rotating the rotary dial 168 in the right direction, the positions of the link destinations and character input fields that can be selected on the web image are sequentially moved in the lower right direction. Conversely, by rotating the rotary dial 168 in the left direction, the designated position on the web image moves sequentially in the upper left direction. In addition, you may replace the above operation inputs. That is, the designated position on the web image may be moved by the direction input operation of the rotary dial 168, and the scroll operation of the web image may be performed by the rotation operation.

  The decision button 169 corresponds only to the pressing operation among the operations by the movement / decision button 165 in FIG. That is, by pressing the enter button 169, the thumbnail or menu item designated by the selection cursor is selected. While the web screen web image is being displayed, the designated position on the web image designated as described above by the rotary dial 168 is clicked by pressing the enter button 169.

  When the electronic camera 1 is operated by the user using each operation button as described above, various operations such as shooting and connection to the Internet are performed in the electronic camera 1. Hereinafter, description will be made according to the example of FIG.

  An example in which a web image is displayed in the electronic camera 1 is shown in FIG. Such a web image is displayed by long-pressing the menu button 163 as described above. When the menu button 163 is pressed for a long time, a web browser is activated in the electronic camera 1, and a wireless LAN connection request is made to the access point 31 by the wireless LAN communication unit 24. In response to this connection request, the access point 31 is connected to the electronic camera 1 via a wireless LAN, whereby the electronic camera 1 is connected to the Internet via the access point 31. Thereafter, when the user designates a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or address assigned to the homepage of the corporation A stored in the WWW server 33, a web image as shown in FIG.

  The web image shown in FIG. 4 displayed on the electronic camera 1 is a web image created for a normal personal computer, and is a simplified type created for display on a low-resolution display such as a mobile phone. This is different from the web image. A web browser capable of displaying such a web image is called a full browser. However, depending on the size and resolution of the liquid crystal display 21, it may be difficult to view a web image for a personal computer as it is. In that case, the web image may be converted into an appropriate display size and displayed. Furthermore, when the web image has a frame structure in which a plurality of frames are combined, only the main frame may be displayed.

  The web image in FIG. 4 is written with “title A homepage” in the title bar 41 so that it can be seen that it is the homepage of corporation A. In this web image, a pointer 40, a character input field 42, a search button 43, and links 44 to 47 are displayed. The character input field 42 is a part for inputting search characters, and the search button 43 is a button for starting a search. When the user moves the pointer 40 over the character input field 42 and clicks, the character string to be searched can be input to the character input field 42. Thereafter, when the pointer 40 is moved and the search button 43 is clicked, items related to the input character string are searched in the homepage of the corporation A.

  When the links 44 to 47 are clicked, the designated link destination web images are displayed. When the link 44 is clicked, a web image relating to the latest information of the corporation A is displayed. When the link 45 is clicked, a web image related to product information sold by A Co., Ltd. is displayed. When the link 46 is clicked, a web image relating to company information of the corporation A is displayed. When the link 47 is clicked, a web image for inputting the questionnaire is displayed.

  Note that the electronic camera 1 can also display a web image vertically. An example is shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, by displaying the web image vertically, the link 48 that was not displayed in FIG. 4 is displayed. When the link 48 is clicked, an English version homepage is displayed. Whether the web image is displayed vertically or horizontally in the electronic camera 1 can be set on a setting screen described later.

  As described above, the web image can be enlarged and displayed by operating the zoom button 162. FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the web image of FIG. When the “T” side of the zoom button 162 is pressed, the web image of FIG. 4 is gradually enlarged and a screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed. When the screen is scrolled downward by operating the direction button 164 in this state, a screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. When an enlarged screen as shown in FIG. 6 or 7 is displayed, if the side of the zoom button 162 labeled “W” is pressed, the screen is gradually reduced to return to the web image of FIG. At this time, instead of enlarging or reducing the entire web image, only the font of characters may be enlarged. In this way, even if the web image display is small and difficult to see as it is, it can be displayed in an easy-to-view manner. As a result, even if the size of the liquid crystal display 21 is small, the web image can be displayed in an easy-to-view manner.

  The web image as described above is displayed based on the web display data downloaded from the WWW server 33. This web display data is temporarily stored in the memory 18. The temporary storage of the web display data in the electronic camera 1 in this way is called a cache, and the storage area of the memory 18 used at the time of caching is called a cache area. A part of the storage area of the memory 18 is allocated to the cache area. The cached web display data is called cache data. By caching the web display data in this way, the web image is temporarily stored.

  When the web image already displayed is displayed again later, the cache data is used. By doing in this way, since it is not necessary to download the web display data from the WWW server 33, the display time of the web image can be shortened. Instead of the memory 18, a cache area may be secured in the memory card 30 used for storing captured image data. When the cache data becomes full in the cache area, the displayed date is erased in order from the cache data of the old web image.

  When the power of the electronic camera 1 is turned off, all cache data stored in the memory 18 or the memory card 30 is erased. Further, even when the operation mode of the electronic camera 1 is switched from the web image browsing mode to another operation mode by the user's operation and the display of the web image is terminated, all the cache data is deleted. In this way, unnecessary cache data is deleted. Among the operation modes that can be switched in the electronic camera 1, a liquid crystal display 21 displays a web image browsing mode for browsing a web image, a shooting mode for shooting, and a shot image recorded in the memory card 30. A captured image browsing mode for displaying on the screen is included. Such switching of the operation mode can be performed by operating a mode switching switch (not shown).

  The cache area is secured in the memory 18 or the memory card 30 by performing wireless LAN connection settings in the electronic camera 1. As will be described later, the wireless LAN connection setting is performed in the PC 32 after the electronic camera 1 is connected to the PC 32. Alternatively, when the electronic camera 1 is switched to the web image browsing mode for the first time and the web image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, the cache area may be secured. Alternatively, when the wireless LAN communication unit 24 has a detachable structure, a cache area may be secured when the wireless LAN communication unit 24 is attached to the electronic camera 1. In this way, when it is not necessary to secure a cache area, it is not necessary to consume useless memory capacity.

  Alternatively, the cache area is set when the electronic camera 1 is switched to the web image browsing mode, and the cache area setting is canceled when the web image browsing mode is ended, and the recording area of the memory 18 or the memory card 30 is released. You may make it do. In this way, the memory capacity can be fully utilized. Note that when a cache area is secured in the memory card 30, the memory capacity of the memory card 30 is consumed by the captured image data, and a necessary cache area may not be secured. In such a case, the cache area may be secured as much as possible, or the user may be instructed to delete unnecessary captured image data so that the cache area can be secured. .

  When a web image is displayed in the web image browsing mode as described above, it is more automatic than when shooting in the shooting mode or when browsing a recorded image recorded in the captured image browsing mode. It is preferable to lengthen the stop time in power off. The term “auto power off” as used herein refers to a part of functions that are automatically executed in order to reduce battery consumption when a state in which no operation input from the user is continued in the electronic camera 1 for a predetermined stop time or longer. For example, this is a function for stopping the display of the liquid crystal display 21. The electronic camera 1 has such an auto power off function. In this way, by setting the stop time for auto power off longer than during other operations while the web image is displayed, the auto power off function unexpectedly works while the user is browsing the web image. It is possible to prevent the image from being browsed.

  Note that the auto power-off setting time in the web image viewing mode may be set separately from the shooting mode and the captured image viewing mode. Even in this case, it is possible to prevent the power from being unexpectedly turned off while the user is browsing the web image.

  When the remaining battery level is less than a predetermined value and the remaining battery level is insufficient, the operation mode of the electronic camera 1 is switched to the web image browsing mode by a long press operation of the menu button 163. However, the display of the web image may be prohibited without starting the web browser. In this way, battery consumption can be suppressed by not performing wireless LAN communication when the remaining battery level is insufficient. Note that only the cached web image can be displayed, so that the wireless LAN communication is not performed and the battery consumption can be suppressed.

  Note that when the wireless LAN connection setting is not performed in the electronic camera 1, the wireless LAN connection cannot be established with the access point 31, and therefore it is not possible to connect to the Internet and display a web image. Therefore, when the menu button 163 is pressed and switched to the web image browsing mode in such a state, instead of displaying that the electronic camera 1 cannot connect to the wireless LAN or the Internet, the wireless LAN connection is not displayed. It is preferable to display a screen for setting on the liquid crystal display 21. In this way, it is possible to prompt the user to perform wireless LAN connection settings. The contents of the wireless LAN connection settings will be described later.

  Next, an operation method at the time of shooting will be described. An example of a screen displayed at the time of shooting in the electronic camera 1 is shown in FIG. Such a shooting screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 when the operation mode of the electronic camera 1 is switched to the shooting mode. On the shooting screen of FIG. 8, a remaining battery level mark 51, a shot number counter 52, and a subject 53 are displayed. Note that the battery remaining amount mark 51 and the number-of-shoots counter 52 are not displayed on the web image as shown in FIG. 4 because they interfere with the user when viewing the web image. That is, these information displays are performed when the operation mode of the electronic camera 1 is switched to the shooting mode, but are not performed when the operation mode of the electronic camera 1 is switched to the web image browsing mode. However, when the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than a predetermined ratio, it is preferable to display a warning even while the web image is being browsed.

  The remaining battery level mark 51 is a mark for representing the remaining battery level. As described above, the battery voltage in the battery 4 is detected by the voltage detection unit 5, and the remaining battery level is calculated by the control unit 17 based on the detected battery voltage, thereby determining the display content of the remaining battery level mark 51. Is done.

  The photographing number counter 52 represents the number of images that can be photographed by the electronic camera 1. The value displayed on the number-of-shooting counter 52 is calculated by the control unit 17 based on the remaining recording capacity of the memory card 30. If a cache area is secured in the memory card 30, the amount of the cache area is taken into account, and based on the recording capacity obtained by removing the cache area from the remaining recording capacity of the memory card 30, A value is calculated. In the example of the shooting screen in FIG. 8, the shooting number counter 52 indicates that 250 more images can be shot.

  If the shutter button 161 is pressed halfway while the shooting screen of FIG. 8 is displayed, focus adjustment is performed in accordance with the subject 53. When the shutter button 161 is pressed after focus adjustment, a photographed image of the subject 53 is photographed and the photographed image data is recorded in the memory card 30.

  Note that switching from the browsing mode of the web image to the shooting mode is performed as follows. When the shutter button 161 is half-pressed by the user in the web image browsing mode, the web image being displayed is cached and the mode is shifted to the shooting mode. In this way, it is possible to quickly shift from the web image browsing mode to the shooting mode. Further, when the mode is switched again to the web image browsing mode after the photographing is finished, the cached web image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. By doing in this way, a web image can be quickly displayed when it switches to the browsing mode of a web image again.

  Next, a menu screen when a web image is displayed will be described. When the menu button 163 is pressed in the web image browsing mode, a web menu screen as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. The user moves the selection cursor 60 by operating the direction button 164 on this web menu screen, and further presses the move / decision button 165, thereby “bookmark registration”, “bookmark list”, “barcode (QR)”. Code (registered trademark) ”,“ save ”,“ update screen ”,“ setting ”, or“ upload image ”can be selected and executed by the electronic camera 1. The contents of each menu item will be described below.

  “Bookmark registration” is a menu item for registering a web image address designated by the user in a bookmark. When the web image whose address is to be registered in the bookmark is displayed, the user can register the address of the web image in the bookmark by selecting “Register Bookmark” from the web menu screen of FIG. When the address is registered in the bookmark, the title of the web image and the reduced image (thumbnail image) corresponding to the address are stored in the memory 18 as bookmark information.

  The “bookmark list” is a menu item for displaying a list of web image contents corresponding to addresses registered in the bookmark. When the user wants to select an address for displaying a web image from among the addresses registered in the bookmark as described above, the user selects “bookmark list” from the web menu screen of FIG. Then, the contents of the web image corresponding to the address registered in the bookmark are displayed in a list on the liquid crystal display 21.

  In the case of a bookmark list, either title list display or thumbnail display can be selected. In the title list display, the contents of the web image corresponding to the address registered in the bookmark are listed by the title list. In the thumbnail display, the contents of the web images corresponding to the addresses registered in the bookmark are displayed as a list using the thumbnail images of the web images. The display order of the title list and thumbnail can be arbitrarily changed by the user. Further, the sorting may be performed according to the set sorting condition. For example, the sorting condition can be set in the order of the initial letters of the title, the order of access frequency, the order of recent viewing, the order of bookmarked date and time, and the like.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of a screen when title list display is selected. In this example, a total of six types of web image addresses, “Portal site Y”, “A homepage, Inc.”, “News”, “Today's weather”, “Map” and “Schedule”, are bookmarked. Is shown. By moving the selection cursor 60 by operating the direction button 164 and pressing the move / decision button 165, one of the titles is selected and the corresponding web image is displayed. For example, when the title “Co., Ltd. A homepage” is selected, the web image shown in FIG. 4 is displayed.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of a screen when thumbnail display is selected. Here, an example is shown in which, among the thumbnail images of the web image corresponding to the bookmark-registered address, the thumbnail image of the web image of “A homepage, Inc.” is displayed at the center. Also in this screen, as in FIG. 10, by moving the selection cursor 60 by operating the direction button 164 and pressing the move / decision button 165, one of the thumbnail images is selected and the corresponding web image is displayed. . For example, when a thumbnail image of “A website” is selected, the web image shown in FIG. 4 is displayed.

  When the delete button 167 is operated on the screen of FIG. 11, the address of the web image corresponding to the thumbnail image selected by the selection cursor 60 is deleted from the bookmark. At this time, the bookmark information is deleted from the electronic camera 1 by deleting the title and thumbnail image of the web image stored as the bookmark information from the memory 18.

  Note that the thumbnail image stored as the bookmark information may be generated by the electronic camera 1 itself based on the downloaded web image, or a thumbnail image previously generated by the creator of the home page on which the web image is posted. It may be used. When using a thumbnail image generated by the creator of the home page, the thumbnail image may be embedded in the page data so that the electronic camera 1 can download the web image and the thumbnail image at the same time. Furthermore, in this case, it is preferable to standardize the size and file format of the embedded thumbnail image. In this way, any device that complies with the standard downloads and stores the thumbnail image embedded in the page data regardless of the type or content of the homepage, and bookmarks. The list can be displayed as a thumbnail.

  In the case of thumbnail display as shown in FIG. 11, the entire screen can be enlarged or reduced by operating the zoom button 162. FIG. 12 shows an example of a screen when the thumbnail display screen shown in FIG. 11 is reduced. When the “W” side of the zoom button 162 is pressed, the entire screen is reduced and a screen as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed. In this way, many thumbnail images of web images registered in the bookmark can be displayed on the screen. In the screen of FIG. 12, when the “T” side of the zoom button 162 is pressed, the entire screen is enlarged and the screen as shown in FIG. 11 is restored.

  Note that when browsing the captured image on the electronic camera 1, thumbnail images of the captured images are displayed in a list on the liquid crystal display 21 according to the same screen layout as in FIG. 11. Then, the selection cursor 60 is moved by the operation of the direction button 164 and the move / decision button 165 or the delete button 167 is pressed to select a captured image to be displayed or to be displayed by the same operation method as that for selecting or deleting a bookmark Perform deletion. In this way, by displaying a list of bookmarks using the same screen layout as when viewing captured images, and by selecting and deleting bookmarks using the same operation method, the user can browse the captured images. You can easily select and delete bookmarks with the same operation feeling.

  “Bar code (QR code)” in the web menu screen of FIG. 9 is a menu item for reading in the electronic camera 1 a QR code (registered trademark) which is a kind of two-dimensional barcode. When this menu item is selected, the electronic camera 1 is automatically switched to the photographing mode, so that the user photographs the QR code printed on a magazine or the like with the electronic camera 1. Then, the URL information represented by the QR code is decrypted by the electronic camera 1, and after returning to the web image browsing mode, the URL information is automatically connected to the web page indicated by the decrypted URL. Thus, the QR code is read, and a web image based on the read QR code is displayed. Note that a similar method may be used to read a one-dimensional barcode and display a web image.

  “Save” is a menu item for saving a web image being displayed or a selected image portion of the web image as a file. When this menu item is selected, the entire web image or a part of the image selected in the web image is downloaded and recorded in the memory 18 or the memory card 30. Thereby, an image can be downloaded from the WWW server 33 via the Internet and recorded. Files other than images can also be downloaded. The downloaded image is recorded in the Exif format in the same manner as the captured image data, so that the thumbnail image of the downloaded image is also recorded. Thereby, the download image can be displayed as a thumbnail.

  Note that when the download image is recorded as described above, it is preferable to display the remaining recording capacity in the memory 18 or the memory card 30 as the recording destination on the liquid crystal display 21. That is, the remaining recording capacity is displayed as the number of recordable photographic images as in the photographic number counter 52 of FIG. 8 at the time of shooting, but the remaining recording capacity is displayed as it is at the time of image download. In this way, the remaining recording capacity can be displayed by an appropriate display method according to the usage state of the electronic camera 1.

  “Update screen” is a menu item for updating the displayed web image to the latest state. When this menu item is selected, the web display data is downloaded from the WWW server 33, and the contents of the cache data are overwritten with the web display data. As a result, the web image being displayed is updated to the latest state.

  “Setting” is a menu item for changing a setting relating to a web browser used for browsing a web image. When this menu item is selected, a setting screen shown in FIG. 13 is displayed. The user moves the selection cursor 60 by operating the direction button 164 on this setting screen, and further presses the move / decision button 165 to thereby select “screen setting”, “security”, “update”, “time zone”. "Or" clear page information "can be selected and executed by the electronic camera 1. The contents of each setting item will be described below.

  In the “screen setting” in the setting screen of FIG. 13, various display settings of the web image can be performed. For example, the web image display direction, character size, scroll amount, and the like can be set. In the setting of the display direction, the display direction of the web image can be switched to either vertical or horizontal. When the display direction of the web image is switched vertically, a web image as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. In the setting of the character size, the size of characters displayed on the web image can be designated. For example, the character size can be selected from three types of large / medium / small, and is set to 11 points for the large character size, 9 points for the character size, and 7 points for the small character size. In the scroll amount setting, the scroll amount of the web image can be set. For example, one of three scroll amounts can be selected, such as scrolling line by line, scrolling by 1/3 of the screen, or scrolling the entire range of the screen.

  In “Security”, the security level of the web browser can be set. For example, the security level can be selected from three types of high / medium / low, and the high security level restricts connection to a website including web content that may cause a problem. During the security level, the user is warned before connecting to a website containing web content that may cause problems. At low security levels, connections to all websites are allowed.

  In “Update”, the web browser, the control software for the electronic camera 1 or the anti-virus software can be updated. FIG. 14 shows an example of the update screen displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 when “Update” is selected. When the move / decision button 165 is pressed while the update screen is displayed, a connection is automatically made to an update site, which is a maintenance website, based on connection information stored in advance in the electronic camera 1. In the following description, it is assumed that the update site is provided by the WWW server 33.

  When connecting to the update site, the electronic camera 1 transmits unique information of the electronic camera 1, such as model information, version information, encrypted user information, and the like to the WWW server 33. The version information includes version information of the web browser, control software, and anti-virus software.

  When receiving the unique information of the electronic camera 1 as described above, the WWW server 33 that provides the update site searches for update data necessary for the electronic camera 1 based on the unique information. When necessary update data is retrieved, the update data is transmitted to the electronic camera 1. If the versions of the web browser, control software, and anti-virus software of the electronic camera 1 are all the latest versions, the fact that there is no update data is transmitted to the electronic camera 1.

  When the electronic camera 1 receives the update data transmitted from the WWW server 33, the electronic camera 1 displays on the update screen in FIG. 14 that the web browser, control software, or anti-virus software is updated. When the user confirms this and presses the move / decision button 165, the contents of the web browser, control software, or anti-virus software are updated using the update data. If there is no update data, it is displayed that the web browser, control software, and anti-virus software are all up-to-date. When the update is completed in this way, it automatically returns to the web image that was displayed until immediately before connecting to the update site.

  In the “time zone”, a time to be displayed can be set by a clock function of the electronic camera 1. FIG. 15 shows an example of a time zone selection screen displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 when “time zone” is selected. In this time zone selection screen, the user can set the time according to the selected time zone by pressing the move / decision button 165 after selecting the time zone by operating the direction button 164. By doing in this way, the time adjustment required when moving to a land with a different time zone, such as when traveling abroad, or when the electronic camera 1 is initialized can be easily and accurately performed.

  In “clear page information”, the cache data can be cleared. When this setting item is selected, the cache data is cleared by erasing all the cache data recorded in the cache area of the memory 18 or the memory card 30. Settings related to the web browser are performed on the setting screen as described above.

  “Upload image” in the web menu screen of FIG. 9 is a menu item for uploading an image taken by the electronic camera 1 to a website that accepts upload of an image such as a web album. Hereinafter, a case where an image is uploaded to a website provided by the WWW server 33 will be described as an example.

  When “Upload image” is selected from the web menu screen of FIG. 9, the electronic camera 1 is automatically switched to the shooting mode. In response to this, the user takes an image to be uploaded. When shooting is completed, a selection screen for whether or not to upload the shot image is displayed on the electronic camera 1. When upload is selected, the captured image data is transmitted from the electronic camera 1 to the WWW server 33, and the captured image is uploaded.

  When uploading a captured image as described above, if an image size is specified for an image uploaded from the website, the electronic camera 1 automatically adjusts the image size at the time of shooting to the specified image size. After the adjustment, the uploaded image is shot. The photographed image of the designated image size photographed in this way is uploaded. Alternatively, after editing the photographed image in accordance with the designated image size, the edited photographed image of the designated image size may be uploaded. In this way, the captured image adjusted to an appropriate image size is uploaded without the user setting the image size. The image size designation from the website side is performed by transmitting image size designation information from the WWW server 33 to the electronic camera 1. At this time, it is also possible to confirm in the WWW server 33 that the electronic camera 1 supports the automatic image size adjustment function by transmitting model information and the like from the electronic camera 1 to the WWW server 33 in advance. Good.

  However, even when the image size is specified for the image uploaded from the website side, if the image size information is not transmitted to the electronic camera 1, the electronic camera 1 automatically performs the image size as described above. Adjustment cannot be made. In such a case, the user may manually specify the image size with respect to the electronic camera 1 so that the image size at the time of shooting or the image size after editing matches the specified image size. In this way, even if the website does not support the automatic image size adjustment function of the electronic camera 1, it is possible to upload a captured image with an appropriate image size.

  Note that when uploading a captured image as described above, the Exif information added to the captured image data recorded in the Exif format is deleted, and then the captured image data is transmitted to the WWW server 33. Since the Exif information includes information relating to the individual user such as shooting conditions, shooting date and time, and model information of the electronic camera 1, such information is unexpectedly deleted by deleting the Exif information when uploading a shot image. It can be prevented from flowing out.

  The photographed image uploaded as described above is stored by the WWW server 33 and published on the website. On the other hand, in the electronic camera 1, information for specifying the upload destination of the captured image is recorded. When browsing the uploaded captured image on the electronic camera 1, the electronic camera 1 specifies an upload destination based on this information, and then starts up a web browser and accesses the WWW server 33. Thereby, the uploaded captured image can be browsed on the web image in the electronic camera 1. In this way, when browsing uploaded uploaded images, the upload destination can be easily specified.

  Note that, depending on the website accessed by the electronic camera 1, in order to confirm whether or not the user has a legitimate access authority for the website, the web server providing the website may contact the electronic camera 1. A user authentication request may be made. When such an authentication request is made, personal information necessary for user authentication can be transmitted from the electronic camera 1 to the web server using the same procedure as that for uploading a captured image described above. The specific method will be described below by taking as an example a case where an authentication request is made from the WWW server 33.

  The electronic camera 1 that has received the authentication request from the WWW server 33 is automatically switched from the web image browsing mode to the shooting mode. In response to this, the user takes a personal information image used for user authentication as a subject. As this personal information image, an image unique to each person and difficult to forge is used. For example, photographed images such as handwriting, face, fingerprint, hand vein, and iris can be used as personal information images. When such shooting of the personal information image is completed, the shot image data is uploaded from the electronic camera 1 to the WWW server 33. In this way, the personal information image is transmitted from the electronic camera 1 to the WWW server 33.

  When receiving the personal information image transmitted from the electronic camera 1, the WWW server 33 performs user authentication based on the personal information image. This user authentication is performed by collating the personal information image received from the electronic camera 1 with the personal information image of a user who has a valid access authority registered in advance. As a result, when it is confirmed that the user has a legitimate access authority, browsing of the website by the electronic camera 1 is permitted.

  After transmitting the personal information image captured at the time of user authentication to the WWW server 33, the electronic camera 1 deletes the personal information image without recording it. Thus, by prohibiting the recording of the personal information image in the electronic camera 1, the personal information is prevented from being leaked when the user loses the electronic camera 1, and the electronic camera 1 is lent to another person. Also, user authentication can be performed properly.

  Next, a method for performing wireless LAN connection setting in the electronic camera 1 will be described. As described above, the access point 31 to which the electronic camera 1 is connected by wireless LAN is installed in a place used by the public, such as an airport, a station, a hotel, a restaurant, or the like, or a user's home or the like. It may be installed in a place for personal use. Hereinafter, the wireless LAN connection setting method in the electronic camera 1 will be described with the former case being referred to as a public access point and the latter case being referred to as a personal access point.

  Wireless LAN connection setting in the electronic camera 1 is performed by setting a preset SSID (Service Set Identifier) and encryption key for the access point 31. The SSID represents the name of the wireless LAN that the access point 31 configures. The encryption key is used for restricting wireless LAN connection by non-authorized users. As the encryption key, for example, a key defined in accordance with an encryption method called WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is used. The electronic camera 1 can perform such wireless LAN connection settings for each of the public access point and the personal access point, and record the contents in the memory 18 as wireless LAN setting information. Note that the contents of the SSID and encryption key set in advance for the access point 31 are determined by the service provider in the case of a public access point, and determined by the user in the case of a personal access point.

  The wireless LAN connection setting as described above can be performed by operating the electronic camera 1 or can be performed in the PC 32 to which the electronic camera 1 is connected. When the wireless LAN connection setting is performed by operating the electronic camera 1, the user operates the direction button 164 or the movement / decision button 65 in accordance with the setting screen displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, thereby the SSID corresponding to the access point 31. And an encryption key are input to the electronic camera 1.

  On the other hand, when the wireless LAN connection setting is performed on the PC 32, the user inputs the SSID and encryption key corresponding to the access point 31 to the PC 32 by operating the keyboard and mouse of the PC 32. At that time, dedicated software for setting the connection of the wireless LAN is used. By connecting the electronic camera 1 to the PC 23 and starting dedicated software on the PC 23 to display a connection setting screen, the wireless LAN connection setting can be performed. This dedicated software may be attached when the electronic camera 1 is sold, or may be downloadable via the Internet. When the input of the SSID and encryption key is completed on the PC 32, the information is transferred from the PC 32 to the electronic camera 1. At this time, bookmark information for connecting to a recommended website such as a website of the manufacturer of the electronic camera 1 may be transmitted together.

  When the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 are connected by a wireless LAN, a common SSID and encryption key are set between the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 in advance, and a connection process is performed by performing a process called pairing. It is necessary to permit it. Such a form in which the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32 are directly connected by a wireless LAN without using an access point is called an ad hoc mode. On the other hand, a form of connection via an access point is called an infrastructure mode.

  When the electronic camera 1 is connected to the PC 23 in the state where the wireless LAN connection setting has not yet been made in the electronic camera 1, dedicated software for wireless LAN connection setting is automatically started in the PC 23 and the connection setting is made. A special screen may be displayed on the PC 32. In this way, the user can be surely recognized that the wireless LAN connection has not been set, and the setting can be prompted. At this time, if the wireless LAN connection setting is made for only one of the public access point and the personal access point, the dedicated software is started on the PC 23 so that the setting is made for the one not set. It's okay. Alternatively, if either one is set, the dedicated software may not be activated.

  By connecting the electronic camera 1 and the PC 23, operations other than the wireless LAN connection setting can be performed on the PC 23. For example, a captured image recorded in the electronic camera 1 can be transferred from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32. Also, by comparing the cache data and cookie information stored respectively in the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32, the contents are updated to the latest state in both the electronic camera 1 and the PC 32, and the bookmark information of both is exchanged. You can also do it.

  When transferring a captured image from the electronic camera 1 to the PC 32, image data other than the captured image data, that is, image data downloaded from the WWW server 33 or image data of a web image stored as cache data, Do not forward. In this way, useless transfer of image data can be prevented.

According to the embodiment described above, the following operational effects are obtained.
(1) When the operation mode of the electronic camera 1 is switched to the web image browsing mode, the shooting mode, or the captured image browsing mode, and when the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the wireless LAN communication unit 24 wirelessly connects to the Internet. The web image provided from the existing WWW server 33 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. Since it did in this way, the usability of the electronic camera 1 connected to a network by wireless communication can be improved.

(2) When the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, specific information is not displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, and when the operation mode is switched to the shooting mode, specific information is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. It was decided to display. The specific information display here is a display of the number of captured images that can be recorded in the memory card 30 and a battery remaining amount display. Since it did in this way, when seeing a web image, it can make it easy to see a web image, without performing the display which becomes an obstacle for a user.

(3) When the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the remaining recording capacity of the memory card 30 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 when downloading, and when the operation mode is switched to the shooting mode, The number of photographed images that can be recorded on the memory card 30 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. Since it did in this way, according to the use condition of the electronic camera 1, the remaining recording capacity can be displayed with an appropriate display method.

(4) Since the number of captured images that can be recorded in the memory card 30 is calculated based on the recording capacity obtained by removing the cache area from the remaining recording capacity of the memory card 30, an accurate calculation result can be obtained.

(5) When the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, if the connection setting for wireless communication by the wireless LAN communication unit 24 is not set, a connection setting screen can be displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. In this way, the user can be made aware that the wireless LAN connection setting has not been performed, and can be prompted to perform the connection setting.

(6) When an update item is selected from the setting screen of FIG. 13, the contents of software such as a web browser stored in the electronic camera 1 are obtained by connecting to an update site based on connection information stored in advance. I decided to update it. Since it did in this way, the content of software can be reliably kept up-to-date by simple operation.

(7) When the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the auto power-off stop time is made longer than when the shooting mode is switched or when the shooting image browsing mode is switched. Can do. If it does in this way, it can prevent that an auto power-off function works in the middle of a user browsing a web image, and cannot browse a web image.

(8) When the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, even when the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the display of the web image can be prohibited. In this way, when the remaining battery level is insufficient, wireless LAN communication by the wireless LAN communication unit 24 is not performed, and battery consumption can be suppressed.

(9) When the menu item of the bookmark list is selected from the web menu screen of FIG. 9, the contents of the web image are displayed in a list using thumbnail images obtained by reducing the web image corresponding to the address registered in the bookmark. It was decided. Since it did in this way, it is possible to display a list of bookmarks using a screen layout similar to that when viewing a captured image, and to select a bookmark using a similar operation method. Therefore, the user can easily select a bookmark with the same operation feeling as browsing a captured image.

  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 photographing means is realized by the variable optical system 2, the optical component 7, the imaging element 8, and the like, the recording medium is realized by the memory card 30, and the wireless communication means is realized by the wireless LAN communication unit 24. The image display means is realized by the liquid crystal display 21. The operation mode switching means, bookmark registration means, and bookmark display means are realized by the processing of the control unit 17, respectively. 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 camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of the external view when an electronic camera is seen from the back direction. It is an example of the external view of an electronic camera when an operation part is comprised by another operation button. It is a figure which shows the example which displayed the web image in the electronic camera. It is a figure which shows the example which displayed the web image vertically in the electronic camera. It is a figure which shows a mode that the web image was expanded and displayed. It is a figure which shows a mode that the screen was scrolled downward in the web image expandedly displayed. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen displayed at the time of imaging | photography. It is a figure which shows the example of a web menu screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen at the time of selecting title list display in a bookmark list. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen at the time of selecting thumbnail display in a bookmark list. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen at the time of reducing the thumbnail display screen of a bookmark list. It is a figure which shows the example of a setting screen. It is a figure which shows the example of an update screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a time zone selection screen.

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 communication unit 30: Memory card 31: Access point 32: PC 33: WWW server

Claims (10)

Photographing means for photographing a subject and obtaining a photographed image;
Recording means for recording a captured image acquired by the imaging means on a recording medium;
Image display means for displaying various images;
Wireless communication means for connecting to a public network by wireless communication;
An operation mode switching means for switching between a plurality of operation modes,
The plurality of operation modes that are switched by the operation mode switching means include a web image browsing mode for displaying a web image provided from a web server existing on a public network connected by the wireless communication means on the image display means. A wireless communication function including at least a photographing mode for photographing a subject by the photographing means and a photographed image browsing mode for displaying a photographed image recorded on the recording medium on the image display means camera. The camera with a wireless communication function according to claim 1,
When the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the image display means does not display specific information,
When the operation mode is switched to the photographing mode, the specific information display is performed on the image display means. The camera with a wireless communication function according to claim 2,
The camera with a wireless communication function, wherein the specific information display includes at least either a display of the number of captured images recordable on the recording medium or a battery remaining amount display. The camera with a wireless communication function according to claim 1,
When the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the remaining recording capacity of the recording medium is displayed on the image display means,
When the operation mode is switched to the photographing mode, the camera with a wireless communication function displays the number of photographed images that can be recorded on the recording medium on the image display means. The camera with a wireless communication function according to claim 4,
A cache area setting means for setting a cache area for temporarily storing the web image in a part of the recording area of the recording medium;
The camera with a wireless communication function, wherein the number of photographed images recordable on the recording medium is calculated based on a recording capacity obtained by removing the cache area from a remaining recording capacity of the recording medium. In the camera with a wireless communication function according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, if the wireless communication connection setting is not performed by the wireless communication unit, a connection setting screen is displayed on the image display unit. Camera with function. In the camera with a wireless communication function according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A camera with wireless communication function for storing connection information to an update site provided by the web server and updating the content of the stored software by connecting to the update site based on the connection information . In the camera with a wireless communication function according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An auto power off means for stopping a part of the function being executed when a state in which there is no operation input from the user is continued for a predetermined stop time or more;
When the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode, the wireless communication is characterized in that the stop time is longer than when the mode is switched to the shooting mode or when the mode is switched to the captured image browsing mode. Camera with function. In the camera with a wireless communication function according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A camera with a wireless communication function that prohibits display of a web image even when the operation mode is switched to the web image browsing mode when the remaining battery level is equal to or less than a predetermined value. In the camera with a wireless communication function according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Bookmark registration means for registering a web image address designated by the user in a bookmark;
Bookmark display means for displaying a list of contents of web images corresponding to addresses registered in the bookmark by the bookmark registration means;
The camera with a wireless communication function, wherein the bookmark display means displays a list of contents of web images using thumbnail images obtained by reducing web images corresponding to addresses registered in the bookmark.

Images