JP2012178823A - Imaging apparatus, control method of the same and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To deal with a series of position information which are logged based on relevance with prescribed attribute information, to give the attribute information given to an image to a log file and to facilitate association of the image and the log file.SOLUTION: A recording medium holds image data by adding the attribute information on an apparatus generating the image data so as to hold data, and holds the log file including the attribute information and the position information acquired by the apparatus generating the image data. An imaging apparatus adds new position information in the log file when the log file generated at the same date as an acquisition date of the new position information is held in the recording medium and when the attribute information of the imaging apparatus is matched with the attribute information included in the log file.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, an imaging apparatus control method, and a computer program.

  There has been proposed an imaging apparatus or the like that acquires position information from a position detection unit such as a GPS and divides and records it as a file on a recording medium (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-020078

  In Patent Document 1, when the log file listing the position information reaches a certain capacity for the purpose of preventing the log file from becoming enlarged, or when the position information from the position detection unit such as GPS cannot be acquired, the log file is recorded. Divide and compress. However, in such division / compression processing, the relevance between the log file and attribute information such as setting values of the imaging apparatus and subject information is not considered. Therefore, when there is a relationship between the position information listed in the log file and the attribute information, the position information related to a plurality of different attribute information is mixed in a single log file, which is inconvenient to handle.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to handle a series of logged position information based on relevance with predetermined attribute information.

The present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
Imaging means for imaging a subject and generating image data;
Position detecting means for acquiring position information of the own device;
An image pickup apparatus comprising: control means for periodically controlling generation and update of a log file to be held in a recording medium based on the position information detected by the position detection means;
The recording medium holds image data with the attribute information of the device that generated the image data added, and also holds a log file that includes the attribute information and position information acquired by the device that generated the image data It is possible to
The control means includes
When the recording medium holds a log file generated on the same day as the acquisition date of the new position information acquired by the position detection means, attribute information of the imaging device and attribute information included in the log file are It is determined whether or not they match, and if they match, the new location information is added to the log file,
When the attribute information does not match or when the recording medium does not hold the log file generated on the same day, a new log file including the new position information is generated.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to handle a series of logged position information based on relevance with predetermined attribute information.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the imaging device corresponding to 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a file structure which the imaging device corresponding to 1st Embodiment produces | generates. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the log file which the imaging device corresponding to 1st Embodiment produces | generates. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the image file which the imaging device corresponding to 1st Embodiment produces | generates. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. The embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for explaining the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

<First Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, a digital camera which is an imaging apparatus capable of recording moving images and still images will be described as an apparatus to which the invention can be applied. This imaging apparatus has a position detection unit such as a GPS, and has a configuration capable of recording the acquired position information in each file. An apparatus to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to a digital camera, and any apparatus having the above-described functions may be used. For example, it may be a device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a notebook computer, or a PDA.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, a main configuration of the imaging apparatus 100 corresponding to the embodiment of the invention will be described. In FIG. 1, the control unit 101 includes, for example, a CPU (MPU), an internal memory (DRAM, SRAM), and the like, and executes various processes (programs) to control each block of the imaging apparatus 100 or between blocks. To control data transfer in the network. Further, the control unit 101 controls each block of the imaging apparatus 100 in accordance with an operation signal from the operation unit 102 that receives an operation from the user. Further, the control unit 101 analyzes an image obtained by an image processing unit 111 described later, and controls each block of the imaging device 100 according to the analysis result. Note that, as described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4A, the control unit 101 controls each block in order to execute processing relating to generation and update of log files.

  The operation unit 102 includes switches for inputting various operations related to shooting such as a power button, a still image recording button, a moving image recording start button, a zoom adjustment button, and an autofocus button. Further, it includes a menu display button, a determination button, other cursor keys, a pointing device, a touch panel, and the like. When these keys and buttons are operated by the user, an operation signal is transmitted to the control unit 101.

  The bus 103 is a general-purpose bus for sending various data, control signals, instruction signals, and the like to each block of the imaging apparatus 100. The imaging unit 110 controls the light amount of the optical image of the subject captured by the lens using an aperture, converts the optical image into an image signal using an imaging element such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor, performs analog-digital conversion, and performs an image processing unit. 111. The image processing unit 111 performs image quality adjustment processing for adjusting white balance, color, brightness, and the like on the input digital image signal based on setting values. The image signal processed by the image processing unit 111 is transmitted by the control unit 101 to the memory 104, the video output unit 150, which will be described later, and the display control unit 131.

  In the present embodiment, for example, the imaging unit 110 has an “optical zoom” function and an “optical image stabilization” function, and the image processing unit 111 has an “electronic zoom” function and an “electronic image stabilization” function. ing. Here, the “optical zoom” function and the “electronic zoom” function are functions for enlarging an obtained image in accordance with a user operation. In addition, the “optical image stabilization” function and the “electronic image stabilization” function are functions that prevent image shake due to vibration of the imaging apparatus 100 main body. These functions are used simultaneously, alternately, or independently under the control of the control unit 101.

  Here, the “optical zoom” function is a function for enlarging / reducing the optical image of the captured subject by moving the lens of the imaging unit 110 in response to the user operating the zoom key of the operation unit 102. . In addition, the “electronic zoom” function refers to an enlargement of an image obtained by cutting out a part of the image generated by the imaging unit 110 by the image processing unit 111 in response to the user operating the zoom key of the operation unit 102. This is a process for generating the processed image signal. The “optical image stabilization” function calculates the amount of lens movement based on the value of an acceleration signal from a vibration detection unit (not shown), and prevents the image from being shaken by moving the lens. It is a function to do. Further, the “electronic image stabilization” function prevents image shaking by adjusting the position of the image signal acquired by the imaging unit 110 based on the value of an acceleration signal from a vibration detection unit (not shown). It is a function. The “electronic image stabilization” function can also be realized by shifting the readout position of the image sensor of the imaging unit 110 based on the value of an acceleration signal from a vibration detection unit (not shown). Since these functions are well-known techniques, detailed description is omitted.

  The audio input unit 120 collects (collects) audio around the imaging apparatus 100 using, for example, a built-in omnidirectional microphone or an external microphone connected via an audio input terminal, and analog It performs digital conversion and transmits it to the audio processing unit 121. The sound processing unit 121 performs sound-related processing such as level optimization processing of the input digital sound signal. The audio signal processed by the audio processing unit 121 is transmitted to the memory 104 by the control unit 101.

  The memory 104 temporarily stores the image signal and the audio signal obtained by the image processing unit 111 and the audio processing unit 121. Further, it may be used as a work area of the control unit 101. In that case, a log file created and updated by the control unit 101 may be temporarily stored. The image processing unit 111 and the audio processing unit 121 read out the image signal and the audio signal temporarily stored in the memory 104 and perform the encoding of the image signal, the encoding of the audio signal, and the like, and the compressed image signal and the compressed audio signal And so on. The control unit 101 transmits the compressed image signal and the compressed audio signal to the recording / reproducing unit 140.

  The recording / reproducing unit 140 records the compressed image signal generated by the image processing unit 111 and the audio processing unit 121, the compressed audio signal, and other control data related to shooting on the recording medium 141. When the audio signal is not compression-encoded, the control unit 101 transmits the audio signal generated by the audio processing unit 121 and the compressed image signal generated by the image processing unit 111 to the recording / reproducing unit 140. Recording is performed on the recording medium 141.

  The control unit 101 acquires a corresponding log file from the recording medium 141 via the recording / playback unit 140 when performing processing related to the log file. Also, the newly created or updated log file is transmitted to the recording / playback unit 140 to update the contents stored in the recording medium 141. Here, the recording medium 141 may be a recording medium built in the imaging apparatus or a detachable recording medium, and records a compressed image signal, a compressed audio signal, an audio signal, various data, etc. generated by the imaging apparatus 100. If you can. For example, the recording medium 141 includes all types of recording media such as a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-R, a DVD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and a flash memory.

  The recording / reproducing unit 140 reads (reproduces) the compressed image signal, the compressed audio signal, the audio signal, the log file, various data, and the program recorded on the recording medium 141. The control unit 101 transmits the read compressed image signal and compressed audio signal to the image processing unit 111 and the audio processing unit 121. The image processing unit 111 and the audio processing unit 121 temporarily store the compressed image signal and the compressed audio signal in the memory 104, decode them in a predetermined procedure, and decode the decoded audio signal to the audio output unit 151. Is transmitted to the video output unit 150 and the display control unit 131. When the audio signal is recorded in the recording medium 141 in a non-compressed manner, the control unit 101 transmits the audio signal directly to the audio output unit 151.

  The audio output unit 151 includes an audio output terminal, for example, and transmits an audio signal in order to output audio from a connected earphone or speaker. In addition, the audio output unit 151 may be a speaker that is built in the imaging apparatus 100 and outputs audio related to an audio signal. The video output unit 150 includes, for example, a video output terminal, and transmits an image signal to display a video on a connected external display or the like. In addition, the audio output unit 151 and the video output unit 150 may be a single integrated terminal such as a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) (registered trademark) terminal.

  In addition, the display control unit 131 causes the display unit 130 to display a video based on the image signal transmitted from the image processing unit 111, an operation screen (menu screen) for operating the imaging apparatus 100, and the like. The display unit 130 may be any display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and electronic paper.

  The communication unit 152 performs communication between the imaging device 100 and an external device. For example, the communication unit 152 transmits or receives data such as an audio signal, an image signal, a compressed audio signal, and a compressed image signal. Also, it transmits and receives control signals related to shooting, such as shooting start and end commands, and other information. The communication unit 152 may be, for example, an infrared communication module, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication module, a wireless LAN communication module, or a wireless communication module such as WirelessUSB. Note that the communication unit 152 may have a communication program of a plurality of standards in one piece of hardware, or may use different hardware for each standard. For example, hardware that performs wireless LAN communication may be different from hardware that receives a GPS signal described later. Further, the communication unit 152 may be built in the imaging device 100 or may be configured as a device that can be attached to and detached from the imaging device.

  In the present embodiment, the communication unit 152 particularly includes a position detection unit 153. The position detection unit 153 is, for example, a GPS signal reception module, and acquires position information including latitude, longitude, altitude, and the like related to the current position of the imaging device 100. Moreover, the time information etc. which were acquired from GPS may be included. The acquired position information including latitude, longitude, altitude and the like is once stored in the memory 104 and then added to a log file for each predetermined unit on the recording medium 141 through the recording / playback unit 140. The position information is not necessarily limited to the GPS signal. For example, when the imaging apparatus 100 has a wireless communication function, it is also possible to acquire position information given to the device from a nearby wireless base station or hot spot. And you may use this in order to pinpoint the positional information on the present location of the imaging device 100. FIG.

  Next, a normal operation of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, when the user operates the power button of the operation unit 102, a start instruction is issued from the operation unit 102 to the control unit 101. Upon receiving this instruction, the control unit 101 controls a power supply unit (not shown) to supply power to each block of the imaging apparatus 100.

  When the power is supplied, the control unit 101 operates, for example, which mode the mode selector switch of the operation unit 102 is in, for example, a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, a playback mode, a logging mode, or the like. This is confirmed by an instruction signal from the unit 102.

  In the still image shooting mode, the imaging apparatus 100 captures an image when the user operates a still image recording button of the operation unit 102 in a shooting standby state, and a compressed image signal is recorded on the recording medium 141. And it will be in a photography standby state again.

  In the moving image shooting mode, the imaging apparatus 100 starts shooting when the user operates the moving image recording start button of the operation unit 102 in a shooting standby state. During that time, the compressed image signal and the compressed audio signal or audio signal are transferred to the recording medium 141. To be recorded. Then, when the user operates the moving image recording end button of the operation unit 102, the photographing is finished, and the photographing standby state is entered again.

  In the reproduction mode, a compressed image signal, a compressed audio signal, or an audio signal related to a file selected by the user is reproduced from the recording medium 141, an audio signal is output from the audio output unit 151, and an image is displayed on the display unit 130. In addition, the user can enter the imaging device setting change menu by operating the operation unit 102, and can perform an item selection operation and a setting value change operation for the selected item. This includes, for example, date and time information, time difference information, area setting, user information, shooting mode, image format, and the like held by the imaging apparatus 100.

  First, the still image shooting mode will be described. When the still image shooting mode is set by the operation unit 102, first, as described above, the control unit 101 sets each block of the imaging device 100 to the shooting standby state. In the shooting standby state, the image processing unit 111 transmits an image signal to the display control unit 131 and causes the display unit 130 to display a video related to the image signal. The user prepares for shooting while viewing the screen displayed in this way. When the shooting instruction signal is transmitted by the user operating the still image recording button of the operation unit 102 in the shooting standby state, the control unit 101 transmits the shooting control signal to each block of the imaging apparatus 100, as follows. To control the operation.

  The imaging unit 110 converts the optical image of the subject captured by the lens into an image signal by the imaging element, performs A / D conversion, and transmits the image signal to the image processing unit 111. The image processing unit 111 analyzes subject information of the input digital image signal and performs image quality adjustment processing (white balance, color, brightness, etc.) based on the set value and subject information. Here, the subject information includes subject brightness distribution, face distribution, distance distribution, and the like. The image signal processed by the image processing unit 111 is transmitted to the display control unit 131, the video output unit 150, and the memory 104 by the control unit 101. Here, by viewing the video displayed on the display unit 130, the user can check the captured still image.

  Then, the image processing unit 111 reads the image signal temporarily stored in the memory 104, performs predetermined encoding, generates a compressed image signal, and outputs the compressed image signal to the recording / reproducing unit 140. The recording / playback unit 140 writes the compressed image signal to the recording medium 141 together with the attribute information as a still image file under file system management such as UDF or FAT. The attribute information here includes setting information of the imaging apparatus 100 in addition to information related to the imaging apparatus, geodetic system, time difference information, external information (position information, MAC address, etc.) acquired from the communication unit 152, and the like. . An example of the data structure of the still image file generated here is as shown in FIG. 4B described later.

  When the encoding operation by the image processing unit 111 ends, the control unit 101 transmits a control signal to each block of the imaging apparatus 100 so as to shift to the shooting standby state, and returns to the shooting standby state.

  Next, the moving image shooting mode will be described. When the moving image shooting mode is set by the operation unit 102, the control unit 101 first sets each block of the imaging apparatus 100 to the shooting standby state as described above. In the shooting standby state, the image processing unit 111 transmits an image signal to the display control unit 131 and causes the display unit 130 to display a video related to the image signal. The user prepares for shooting while viewing the screen displayed in this way. When a shooting start instruction signal is transmitted by the user operating the moving image recording start button of the operation unit 102 in the shooting standby state, the control unit 101 transmits a shooting start control signal to each block of the imaging apparatus 100. Then, control is performed so as to perform the following operation.

  The imaging unit 110 converts the optical image of the subject captured by the lens into an image signal by the imaging element, performs A / D conversion, and transmits the image signal to the image processing unit 111. The image processing unit 111 performs image quality adjustment processing (white balance, color, brightness, etc.) of the input digital image signal based on the set value. The image signal processed by the image processing unit 111 is transmitted to the display control unit 131, the video output unit 150, and the memory 104 by the control unit 101. The display control unit 131 causes the display unit 130 to display a video related to the received image signal. On the other hand, the audio input unit 120 digitally converts an analog audio signal obtained by the microphone, and transmits the obtained digital audio signal to the audio processing unit 121. The sound processing unit 121 performs a process for optimizing the level of the input digital sound signal and outputs a sound signal. The control unit 101 transmits the audio signal processed by the audio processing unit 121 to the memory 104.

  Then, the image processing unit 111 and the audio processing unit 121 read out the image signal and the audio signal temporarily stored in the memory 104, perform predetermined encoding, and generate a compressed image signal, a compressed audio signal, and the like. Then, the control unit 101 synthesizes the compressed image signal and the compressed audio signal to form a data stream, and outputs the data stream to the recording / reproducing unit 140. The recording / playback unit 140 writes the data stream to the recording medium 141 as one moving image file under file system management such as UDF or FAT. When the audio is not compressed, the control unit 101 outputs the audio signal generated by the audio processing unit 121 to the recording / reproducing unit 140 together with the compressed image signal generated by the image processing unit 111. Then, as described above, the recording / playback unit 140 writes the data stream to the recording medium 141 together with the attribute information as one moving image file under the file system management such as UDF or FAT. The attribute information here includes setting information of the imaging apparatus 100 in addition to information related to the imaging apparatus, geodetic system, time difference information, external information (position information, MAC address, etc.) acquired from the communication unit 152, and the like. . An example of the data structure of the moving image file generated here is as shown in FIG. 4B described later.

  The above operation is continued during shooting. In addition, during the shooting, the control unit 101 performs the imaging unit 110, the image processing unit 111, and the sound according to the operation of the operation unit 102 by the user or the analysis result of the image signal generated by the image processing unit 111. Various control signals are transmitted to the processing unit 121 and the like. For example, a control signal for adjusting the lens movement or aperture adjustment is transmitted to the imaging unit 110, and a control signal for adjusting an image or sound is transmitted to the image processing unit 111 and the sound processing unit 121.

  Similarly, during shooting, the user operates the zoom key of the operation unit 102 to cause the control unit 101 to operate the “optical zoom” function of the imaging unit 110 and the “electronic zoom” function of the image processing unit 111. be able to. Further, based on an acceleration signal detected by a vibration detection unit (not shown), the control unit 101 operates the “optical image stabilization” function of the imaging unit 110 and the “electronic image stabilization” function of the image processing unit 111. Yes.

  Then, when a shooting end instruction signal is transmitted to the control unit 101 by a user operating the moving image recording end button of the operation unit 102, the control unit 101 sends a shooting end control signal to each block of the imaging apparatus 100. Transmit and control to operate as follows. The image processing unit 111 and the audio processing unit 121 stop transmitting the image signal and the audio signal to the memory 104, respectively. Then, the remaining image signal and audio signal stored in the memory 104 are read out and subjected to predetermined encoding to generate a compressed image signal, a compressed audio signal, and the like. The control unit 101 synthesizes these last compressed image signal and compressed audio signal to form a data stream and outputs it to the recording / reproducing unit 140. When the audio is not compressed, the control unit 101 outputs the audio signal generated by the audio processing unit 121 and the compressed image signal to the recording / reproducing unit 140.

  The recording / playback unit 140 writes the data stream to the recording medium 141 as one moving image file under file system management such as UDF or FAT. When the supply of the data stream is stopped, the control unit 101 performs control so as to perform the following operation in order to generate a thumbnail. The recording / playback unit 140 reads the compressed image signal of the first frame of the moving image file recorded on the recording medium 141 and transmits the compressed image signal to the image processing unit 111. The image processing unit 111 temporarily stores the compressed image signal in the memory 104 and decodes it according to a predetermined procedure.

  Next, the image processing unit 111 performs predetermined encoding for thumbnails on the obtained image signal to generate a compressed image signal for thumbnail. Then, the control unit 101 outputs the thumbnail compressed image signal to the recording / reproducing unit 140. The recording / playback unit 140 writes the thumbnail compressed image together with the attribute information described above to the recording medium 141 so that the thumbnail compressed image is combined with the underlying moving image file under management of a file system such as UDF or FAT. Complete and stop the recording operation. When the recording operation stops, the control unit 101 transmits a control signal to each block of the imaging apparatus 100 so as to shift to the shooting standby state, and returns to the shooting standby state.

  Next, the playback mode will be described. When the reproduction mode is set by the operation unit 102, the control unit 101 transmits a control signal to each block of the imaging apparatus 100 so as to shift to the reproduction state, and performs the following operation. The recording / playback unit 140 reads a still image file composed of a compressed image signal recorded on the recording medium 141 or a moving image file composed of a compressed image signal and a compressed audio signal or audio signal. The control unit 101 sends the read compressed image signal and compressed audio signal to the image processing unit 111 and the audio processing unit 121. If the audio signal is not compressed, the control unit 101 transmits the audio signal to the audio output unit 151.

  The image processing unit 111 and the sound processing unit 121 temporarily store the compressed image signal and the compressed sound in the memory 104 and decode them according to a predetermined procedure. Then, the control unit 101 transmits the decoded audio signal to the audio output unit 151, and transmits the decoded image signal to the video output unit 150 and the display control unit 131. The display control unit 131 displays the video related to the input image signal on the display unit 130, and the audio output unit 151 from the built-in speaker or the connected earphone or speaker. Output.

  Next, the logging mode will be described. First, the logging mode is a mode for recording position information of the imaging apparatus 100 in time series. When the logging mode is set by the operation unit 102, the control unit 101 transmits a control signal to each block of the imaging apparatus 100 so as to shift to the logging state, and performs the following operation. A position detection unit 153 included in the communication unit 152 periodically acquires position information of the imaging device 100. The acquired position information including latitude, longitude, altitude and the like is once stored in the memory 104 and then added to a log file for each predetermined unit on the recording medium 141 through the recording / playback unit 140.

  As described above, the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment records and reproduces still images and moving images, and records log files.

  The operation in the logging mode corresponding to the embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of processing for creating a log file in the logging mode. FIG. 3 shows an example of the file structure in the recording medium 141. FIG. 4A shows an example of the data structure of the log file and the image file.

  When the logging mode is set by the operation unit 102, the control unit 101 transmits a control signal to each block of the imaging apparatus 100 in order to shift to the logging state, and the process illustrated in FIG. 2 is started. The flowchart corresponding to FIG. 2 is realized by the CPU (MPU) configuring the control unit 101 executing a corresponding program stored in the internal memory (DRAM, SRAM) or the memory 104.

  First, the control unit 101 initializes a timer in S201. This timer is a timer for setting an interval for acquiring position information at regular intervals, and the control unit 101 performs a counting process using an internal clock or the like. In subsequent S202, the control unit 101 determines whether the timer has reached a predetermined time, that is, whether the time has expired. If it is determined that the time is not up, that is, the timing for performing the next logging has not yet been reached (“NO” in S202), the process proceeds to S218. In S218, the control unit 101 determines whether or not to end the logging mode. If it is determined that the logging mode is to be ended (“YES” in S218), the process ends. On the other hand, if it is not determined to end (“NO” in S218), the process returns to S201 and continues. If it is determined in step S218 that the process is to be ended, a playback mode, a transition to a shooting mode, a press of a power button, and the like by the user operation unit 102 are included. If it is determined in S202 that the time is up ("YES" in S202), the process proceeds to S203 to acquire position information.

  In S203, the position detection unit 153 included in the communication unit 152 acquires position information, and the process proceeds to S204. In S204, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the position information has been acquired based on the information stored in the internal memory. If the position information has not been acquired (“NO” in S204), the process returns to S201 and continues. Here, the case where the position information cannot be acquired is because the position detection unit 153 cannot receive a signal sufficient to determine the position information. If it is determined in S204 that the position information has been successfully acquired ("YES" in S204), the process proceeds to S205. In S205, the control unit 101 confirms whether there is a log file having the same date as the acquisition date of the position information. In the present embodiment, since a file name that can specify the date is set in the log file, the presence / absence of a file having a log file name indicating the same date in the recording medium 141 is determined. Specifically, the control unit 101 reads the file name information of the log file from the recording medium 141 via the recording / playback unit 140 to the internal memory, and the file name of the read log file is the same date as the current date. Is determined.

  Here, the log file name will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, a directory 301 is a DCF root directory defined by a DCF (Design rule for Camera File System) standard generally used in digital cameras. Similarly, the directories 302 and 303 are DCF directories created according to the DCF standard. Similarly, files 305 to 307 are still image files created in accordance with the DCF standard. Similarly, the file 308 is a moving image file created in accordance with the DCF standard. The directory 304 is a directory for storing files specific to the imaging apparatus. The directory 309 is a directory for storing log files. Files 310 to 312 are log files. The log file has a seven-character file name “YYMMMDDN” and an extension “LOG”. The log file name represents the date and serial number of the log file, and represents YY: last two digits, MM: month, DD: day, N: serial number. Therefore, the file 310 indicates that it is the 0th file on October 25, 2010.

  If it is determined in S205 that there is a log file having the same date ("YES" in S205), the process proceeds to S206, and the maximum serial number of the log file on the same day is specified. In the case of FIG. 3, for example, among the log files 310 and 311 of October 25, 2010, “0” and “1” are compared with the lowest characters of the file name to identify “1”. Next, in step S207, the control unit 101 reads out the corresponding log file from the recording medium 141 to the memory 104, and performs analysis processing on the description content of the log file in subsequent steps S208 to S210.

  Here, the description content of the log file will be described with reference to FIG. 4A. FIG. 4A shows the structure of a log file including position information. A header portion 401 is a header portion of the log file and describes the attributes of the log file. A manufacturer name 402 indicates the name of the manufacturer of the imaging apparatus that recorded the log file. A model name 403 indicates the model name of the imaging apparatus that records this log file. The device unique ID 404 indicates identification information (such as a serial number) for uniquely identifying the imaging apparatus that has recorded the log file. A geodetic system 405 indicates a geodetic system of position information recorded in the log file. The time difference information 406 indicates the time difference setting of the imaging apparatus that has recorded this log file. The time difference setting indicates a time difference from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC: Universal Time, Coordinated). Other 407 indicates other settings of the imaging apparatus that records the log file, such as user information. Further, it can include subject information of an image captured by the image capturing apparatus 100 and information of an image capturing time when the image is captured. The position information 408 is a position information storage area, and the position information periodically acquired by the position detection unit 153 is sequentially added as 408-1 to 408-n.

  Returning to FIG. 2, in S <b> 208, the control unit 101 determines whether the value of the device unique ID 404 included in the header portion 401 of the log file acquired in S <b> 207 matches the value given to the imaging apparatus 100. This assumes a case where the same recording medium 141 is shared by a plurality of imaging devices. In order to prevent confusion of the user in the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment, position information measured by different imaging apparatuses is described in different log files. Therefore, only one ID is always described in the device unique ID 4040. If they are the same (“YES” in S208), the process proceeds to S209, and if they are not the same (“NO” in S208), the process proceeds to S213.

  In step S <b> 209, the control unit 101 determines whether the time difference setting in the log file time difference information 406 is the same as the time difference setting set in the imaging apparatus 100. The determination of the time difference setting is based on the assumption that even if the place where the apparatus is used is different, the same day occurs due to the time difference. Further, when the time difference setting is changed, the local time may be traced back, and this is recorded in the same log file because the relationship between the time and the movement route is broken. If they are the same (“YES” in S209), the process proceeds to S210, and if they are not the same (“NO” in S209), the process proceeds to S213.

  In subsequent S210, the control unit 101 determines whether other determination conditions are satisfied. Other determination conditions include whether or not the user information and geodetic system information included in other 407 match, whether the log file is smaller than a predetermined size, whether the log file is broken, or the like.

  If it is determined that all the above conditions from S208 to S210 are positive, the process proceeds to S211. In S211, the control unit 101 determines whether to add to the log file, and proceeds to S211 to add the position information acquired in S203 by the control unit 101 to the log file read into the internal memory. The original log file stored in the recording medium 141 is periodically updated with the log file added by the control unit 101.

  If it is determined in S205 that there is no log file having the same date ("NO" in S205), the process proceeds to S217. In step S217, the control unit 101 newly creates a log file having a file name that matches the current date. In this case, since it is newly created, as shown in FIG. 4A, the header portion 401 is created based on the setting value of the imaging device 100. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S212, and the position information acquired in S203 is written in the position information 408 of the newly created log file. The new log file generated in this way is newly written in the recording medium 141 under the GPS directory 309 in FIG.

  If a negative determination is received from S208 to S210, in S213, the control unit 101 determines whether the serial number of the log file acquired in S207 is the smallest serial number among log files of the same date on the recording medium 141. Determine. If it is not the minimum, that is, if there is a log file with the same date that has not been analyzed yet ("NO" in S213), the process proceeds to S214. In S214, the serial number for specifying the log file to be acquired by the control unit 101 is decremented by one, and the process returns to S207 to acquire the corresponding log file. That is, when the log file with the serial number “1” is processed, the log file with the serial number “0” is acquired.

  If the serial number is the smallest in S213, that is, if all log files with the same date have been inspected (“YES” in S213), the process proceeds to S215. In S215, the control unit 101 determines whether there is a serial number available on the same date. In addition, when the numbers that can be used as serial numbers are changed from 0 to 9, when all of these numbers are used, it is determined that there is no space. However, the number of numbers that can be used as serial numbers is not limited to this, and can be arbitrarily set. If it is determined that there is no space (“NO” in S215), the process returns to S201 without writing position information. If it is determined in S215 that there is an empty serial number (“YES” in S215), the process proceeds to S216. In S216, the control unit 101 creates a log file with a new serial number. The new serial number is, for example, one added to the maximum serial number of log files with the same date. In step S212, the position information acquired in step S203 is written in the position information 408. The new log file generated here is newly written in the recording medium 141 under the GPS directory 309 in FIG.

  As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to create a complete log file for each piece of attribute information by adding a log file naming and new creation. In the above processing, it is described that a log file is added when all the conditions from S208 to S210 are satisfied. However, the determination conditions in each step are not limited to the above contents. For example, instead of the determination of the time difference setting in S209, when other area 407 includes area setting information, the determination may be performed based on the value.

  Further, the process in S210 may be skipped, or the determination condition in S210 may be changed from the above contents. For example, when the subject information and the imaging time information of the image from which the subject information is acquired are included in the other 407 in FIG. 4A, the time difference between the time at which the position information is acquired in S203 and the imaging time is within a predetermined time. It may be determined. In this case, the position information acquired within a predetermined time from the imaging time is managed by one log file. The predetermined time can be arbitrarily set, for example, 1 hour. In the log file management based on the subject information, the determination processing in S208 and S209 may be skipped.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4B, the association between the log file generated as described above and image data obtained by imaging by the imaging apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 4B shows an example of the data structure of an image shot in the shooting mode of the imaging apparatus 100 corresponding to the embodiment of the invention. The image data may be either a still image or a moving image.

  The header 411 is a header portion that describes image attribute information. A manufacturer name 412 indicates the name of the manufacturer of the imaging apparatus that recorded the image. A model name 413 indicates the model name of the imaging apparatus that records this image. The device unique ID 414 indicates an ID (such as a serial number) that is uniquely given to the imaging apparatus that has recorded the image. A geodetic system 415 indicates a geodetic system of position information described in this image. The time difference information 416 indicates the time difference setting of the imaging apparatus that records this image. The position information 417 indicates the position information of the imaging device when this image is recorded. Other 418 includes other setting information. This can include user information, date / time information (imaging date / time), area setting, shooting mode, image format, subject information, and the like. The compressed image data 419 indicates the image data body. The compressed image data may be either still image data or moving image data.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is easy to handle a series of position information logged for each predetermined attribute information by giving the same attribute information to the log file and the captured image. Further, since attribute information is added to the captured image and the log file, it becomes easy to associate an image having the same attribute information with the log file.

<Second Embodiment>
Another embodiment of the operation in the logging mode will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the log file is temporarily stored in the memory 104 and written to the recording medium 141 at a specific timing. Note that description of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and description will be made centering on parts unique to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of processing for storing position information in the logging mode. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of writing the position information stored in FIG. 5 as a log file. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the log file writing process called from FIG.

  Since the processing of S241 to S244 is the same as S201 to S204 of FIG. 2, the description thereof is omitted here. In step S245, the control unit 101 confirms whether the memory 104 has a free capacity for temporarily storing the acquired position information. If it is determined that there is no free space, the logging mode is exited and the process is terminated. If it is determined that there is free space, the process proceeds to S246.

In step S246, the control unit 101 writes the acquired position information in the position information buffer in the memory 104, and the process returns to step S241. Here, position information includes altitude, time information acquired from GPS, and the like in addition to latitude and longitude. As described above, the position information is secured in the memory 104 in the process shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of writing the log file secured in the memory 104 to the recording medium 141. First, in S271, the control unit 101 determines whether there is a log file write request. If it is determined that there is no request, the process is terminated. Here, the log file write request is a request to write the log file secured in the memory 104 to the recording medium 141. This is performed, for example, when the power button of the imaging apparatus 100 is pressed to turn on the power, or when the power button is pressed to turn off the power. In addition, when the log file write-out unit is every local time taking into account the time difference set in the imaging apparatus 100, a write request is made when the time difference setting of the imaging apparatus 100 is changed or when the possibility is high. . Further, when the local time is calculated based on the time set in the camera, a write request is made at a timing when the camera clock setting is changed or the possibility is high.

  If it is determined in S271 that there is a write request (“YES” in S271), the process proceeds to S272. If there is no write request (“NO” in S271), the process is terminated. In step S272, the control unit 101 determines whether position information is stored in the position information buffer. If it is determined that the position information is not stored (“NO” in S272), the process ends. If it is determined that the position information is stored (“YES” in S272), the process proceeds to S273.

  In step S273, the control unit 101 clears the write buffer secured in the memory 104 and proceeds to step S274.

  In step S274, the control unit 101 extracts position information from the oldest one from the position information buffer. In step S275, the control unit 101 adds the time difference setting of the imaging apparatus 100 to the GPS time information included in the extracted position information.

  In step S276, the control unit 101 determines whether there is a date change. This is a determination as to whether or not the previous GPS time information and the time information calculated in S275 are data of another day. If it is determined that there is a date change (“YES” in S276), the process proceeds to S277. If it is determined that the date has not changed (“NO” in S276), the process proceeds to S280, and the extracted position information and time information obtained by adding the time difference are stored in the write buffer.

  In subsequent S281, the control unit 101 determines whether the extracted position information is the last data in the position information buffer. If it is determined that the data is the last data (“YES” in S281), the process proceeds to S282, where the writing process is performed and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is still position information in the position information buffer (“NO” in S281), the process returns to S274.

  After determining that there is a date change in S276, the control unit 101 determines whether there is data in the write buffer in S277. When it is determined that there is no data (“NO” in S277), the process proceeds to S280 described above. If it is determined that there is data (“YES” in S277), the process proceeds to S278.

When the process proceeds to S278, it is determined that the data on the buffer is the same day. Accordingly, the process proceeds to S278, and the data for the same day are collectively written in the recording medium 141. In step S279, the control unit 101 clears the write buffer, and then advances to step S280.

  Next, details of the writing process in S278 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S <b> 255, the control unit 101 confirms whether there is a log file with a date corresponding to the date of the position information written to the recording medium 141. In this embodiment, it is confirmed whether there is a log file of the same day. In the present embodiment, a file name that can specify the date is set in the log file. Therefore, in S255, it is determined whether or not there is a file having a log file name indicating the corresponding date in the recording medium 141. If it is determined in S255 that there is a log file with the corresponding date, the process proceeds to S256. If it is determined that there is a log file with the corresponding date, the process proceeds to S267.

  The processing from S256 to S267 is the same as S206 to S217 in FIG.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the position information is once secured in the memory 104 and written to the recording medium 141 at a predetermined timing. The reason for this is as follows. For example, when it is possible to write the position information to the recording medium 141 during the shooting mode, there is a conflict between the process of writing the image data obtained by shooting to the recording medium 141 and the process of writing the position information to the recording medium 141. There is a possibility that. Therefore, in the present embodiment, position information is kept in the memory 104 until a predetermined timing. For the above reason, it is desirable that the predetermined timing does not conflict with the shooting timing. For example, as described in the present embodiment, the timing when the power button is pressed, the timing when the shooting mode is exited, the timing when the mode is changed to the playback mode, and the like can be considered. In addition, the writing process may be instructed by a user operation. In this case, operations such as photographing may be prohibited until writing is completed.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (6)

Imaging means for imaging a subject and generating image data;
Position detecting means for acquiring position information of the own device;
An image pickup apparatus comprising: control means for periodically controlling generation and update of a log file to be held in a recording medium based on the position information detected by the position detection means;
The recording medium holds image data with the attribute information of the device that generated the image data added, and also holds a log file that includes the attribute information and position information acquired by the device that generated the image data It is possible to
The control means includes
When the recording medium holds a log file generated on the same day as the acquisition date of the new position information acquired by the position detection means, attribute information of the imaging device and attribute information included in the log file are It is determined whether or not they match, and if they match, the new location information is added to the log file,
An image pickup apparatus that generates a new log file including the new position information when the attribute information does not match or when the recording medium does not hold the log file generated on the same day.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information includes identification information for uniquely identifying the apparatus that generated the image data, and time difference setting or area setting in the apparatus.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attribute information further includes information for identifying a user of the apparatus that generated the image data, or information related to a geodetic system. In the case where the attribute information includes subject information obtained by analyzing image data and imaging time information of the image data,
The control means further includes
When the recording medium holds a log file that includes information on an imaging time whose time difference from the time at which the position detection unit acquires the new position information is within a predetermined time, the new position is stored in the log file. Add information,
The new log file including the new position information is generated when the recording medium does not hold the log file including the imaging time information within the predetermined time difference. The imaging device according to any one of the above. Imaging means for imaging a subject and generating image data;
Position detecting means for acquiring position information of the own device;
A control method for an imaging apparatus comprising: control means for periodically controlling generation and update of a log file to be held in a recording medium based on the position information detected by the position detection means,
The recording medium holds image data with the attribute information of the device that generated the image data added, and also holds a log file that includes the attribute information and position information acquired by the device that generated the image data It is possible to
The position detecting means acquiring new position information;
When the control unit holds the log file generated on the same day as the acquisition date of the new position information, the attribute information of the imaging device matches the attribute information included in the log file. Determining whether or not to do;
The control means adding the new position information to the log file when the attribute information matches; and
The control means generating a new log file including the new location information when the attribute information does not match or the recording medium does not hold the log file generated on the same day; An image pickup apparatus control method comprising: Imaging means for imaging a subject and generating image data;
Position detecting means for acquiring position information of the own device;
5. The computer according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that periodically controls generation and update of a log file to be held in a recording medium based on the position information detected by the position detection unit. A program for functioning as the control means according to item 1.

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