JP2013021548A - Image pickup device, image reproduction device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image pickup device and an image reproduction device equipped with a touch panel based user interface technique which allows display for which image visibility is fully taken into consideration and user-friendly input operation.SOLUTION: A UI control unit displays a setting icon 20a for setting photographing conditions and a setting menu 30a for identifying the kind of photographing condition to be set. According to a user operation of the setting icon, the kind of photographing condition displayed is switched over on the setting menu, and, by a first flick operation 24a on the setting icon, a setting condition 40 is displayed which corresponds to the kind of photographing condition identified on the setting menu. The setting condition 40 is altered by an operation to alter the setting condition from an operation unit and, after the setting condition is altered, the setting which has been made is confirmed by a click operation on a setting icon 20b. Then, by a second flick operation on the setting icon 20b after the setting is confirmed, the confirmed setting condition is restored to a default value.

Description

  The present invention relates to a user interface technique in an imaging apparatus, an image reproduction apparatus, and the like.

  In recent years, digital cameras with a touch panel type display monitor in which an operation unit and a display unit are integrated have become widespread. For example, in order to register a shooting genre for organizing / searching images, a camera has been proposed in which an icon corresponding to the shooting genre is displayed on the edge of the screen and the genre is selected by touching the icon. (Patent Document 1).

  In addition, with the miniaturization of the camera body, the space for operation buttons and the like has become narrower, and there are cameras that save space for operation members by assigning multiple functions to the same button, but on the touch panel Has the advantage that the screen size can be increased without the need for a space for operation buttons or the like and without increasing the body size. As an example, there has also been proposed a camera that employs a pull-down menu format as a touch input menu in order to set a wide variety of shooting conditions (Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-146317 JP 2010-187042 A

  In an apparatus equipped with a touch panel, not only the operation buttons can be deleted but also the operability can be improved by displaying the contents of the buttons as an image. As described above, the touch panel operation is highly convenient. However, in an image device such as a digital camera, there are many scenes in which an icon is displayed overlapping an image. Therefore, the icon must be displayed so as not to disturb the image display as much as possible. . In portable devices such as cameras, it is also important to limit the size of the touch panel.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus and an image reproducing apparatus equipped with a user interface technology of a touch panel capable of a display with sufficient consideration for image visibility and an easy-to-use input operation. .

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging device according to a first aspect of the present invention displays an imaging unit for capturing a subject image, an operation unit including a touch panel, and UI information for setting shooting conditions on a live view screen. A UI control unit that detects an input to the operation unit and controls display of the UI information, and the UI control unit includes a setting icon for setting the shooting condition as the UI information, and A setting menu for specifying the type of shooting condition to be set is displayed. In response to an operation instruction to the setting icon, the type of shooting condition is switched and displayed in the setting menu. When a flick operation is detected, a setting condition corresponding to the type of shooting condition specified in the setting menu is displayed, and an operation for changing the setting condition from the operation unit is supported. If the click operation on the setting icon is detected after the setting condition is changed, the setting is confirmed. After the setting is confirmed, the first flick operation on the setting icon is performed. When a second flick operation performed in a direction intersecting with is detected, control is performed to return the determined setting condition to a default value.

  An image reproduction device according to a second aspect of the present invention displays an operation unit including a touch panel and UI information for setting an image search condition on the screen, detects an input to the operation unit with respect to the UI information, A UI control unit that controls the display of the UI information and the image search. The UI control unit displays a search icon on an index screen that is a set of small images, and searches for an image at a position different from the search icon. A search menu indicating the conditions of the search menu, switching the image search conditions of the search menu in response to a click operation on the search icon, detecting a flick operation on the search icon, and detecting the search menu. The execution of the search corresponding to the image search condition shown in FIG. 6 is instructed, and the searched image is displayed on the index screen.

A program according to a third invention displays UI information for setting shooting conditions on a live view screen on a computer of an imaging apparatus including an imaging unit that captures a subject image and an operation unit including a touch panel. In the program for detecting the input to the unit and executing the display of the UI information, as the UI information, a setting icon for setting the shooting condition and a setting menu for specifying the type of shooting condition to be set are provided. A step of displaying, a step of switching and displaying the type of the shooting condition in the setting menu according to an operation instruction to the setting icon, and a setting when the first flick operation on the setting icon is detected. Displays the setting conditions corresponding to the type of shooting conditions specified in the menu, and changes the setting conditions from the operation unit. A step of changing the setting condition in response to an operation to be performed, and a step of confirming the setting when a click operation to the setting icon is detected after the change of the setting condition,
A step of returning the determined setting condition to a default value when a second flick operation made in a direction intersecting the first flick operation on the setting icon is detected after the setting is confirmed; including.

  The present invention can provide a camera and an image playback device equipped with a user interface technology of a touch panel capable of a display with sufficient consideration for image visibility and an easy-to-use input operation.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a camera to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing “brightness” which is one of the photographing conditions. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing “color tone” which is one of the photographing conditions. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing the “picture mode” which is one of the photographing conditions. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing the “aspect ratio” which is one of the photographing conditions. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing “sensitivity” which is one of the photographing conditions. FIG. 7 is a screen showing an operation for collectively returning the setting menu conditions to the default. FIG. 8 is a table showing each item of the setting menu in the shooting mode. FIG. 9 shows an operation screen when a still image search is performed as a search menu in the single frame playback mode. FIG. 10 is a table showing each item of the search menu in the playback mode. FIG. 11 shows an operation screen when a moving image search is performed as a search menu on the single-frame playback screen. FIG. 12 shows an operation screen when a still image search is performed as a search menu on the index playback screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a transition operation from the single frame playback screen to the index playback screen during the search. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a transition operation between the single frame playback screen and the index playback screen during the search. FIG. 15 is a first flowchart for explaining processing relating to the change of the setting menu in the photographing mode. FIG. 16 is a second flowchart for explaining processing related to the change of the setting menu in the shooting mode. FIG. 17 is a first flowchart illustrating search processing in the playback mode. FIG. 18 is a second flowchart illustrating the search process in the playback mode.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As this embodiment, a camera provided with an imaging apparatus and an image reproduction apparatus of the present invention will be described as an example. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a camera to which the present invention is applied.

  The digital camera 100 includes a control unit 107, a lens 101, an imaging device 102, an imaging circuit 103, an A / D conversion unit 104, an image processing unit 105, a JPEG processing unit 106, an SDRAM 108, a memory I / F 109, a display driver 110, and a recording medium. 115, a display unit 116, and a bus 120.

  The control unit 107 controls the entire digital camera 100. A memory 114 and an operation unit 113 are connected to the control unit 107. The memory 114 is a non-volatile memory in which a camera control program is recorded, for example, a flash memory. The operation unit 113 is for an operator to input various instructions to the camera. The operation unit 113 includes operation buttons and switches provided on the external appearance of the camera body, and a touch panel 113a disposed on the display unit 116 on the back surface of the camera body. The operation buttons include a release button for shooting instructions or other buttons. Then, the control unit 107 reads the control program, detects an operation instruction from the operation unit 113, and performs processing according to the operation instruction.

  Also, as one of the processing functions, the control unit 107 displays information related to camera operation instructions on the screen of the display unit 116, and has a UI (User Interface) function for controlling the information in association with the operation from the user. For convenience, this is expressed as a UI control unit 107a. In the shooting mode, the UI control unit 107a displays UI information for setting shooting conditions on the live view screen, and displays UI information related to the shooting conditions in accordance with an instruction input to the operation unit 113. Control the setting of the shooting conditions. In the playback mode, the UI control unit 107a displays UI information for setting image search conditions on the screen, detects an input to the operation unit with respect to the UI information, and displays UI information related to the search. And the image search is controlled.

  The lens 101 includes a plurality of lenses and forms a subject image on the image sensor 102. The lens driving unit 111 includes a motor and a transmission system, and drives the motor to adjust the lens 101 to move to a predetermined focus position or an instructed zoom position. A lens drive control circuit 112 that controls the lens drive unit 111 is connected to the control unit 107. The lens drive control circuit 112 drives a motor or the like constituting the lens drive unit 111 in accordance with an instruction from the operation unit 113 or an instruction from the control unit 107 according to a control program.

  The image sensor 102 is composed of a CCD or a CMOS and converts a subject image into an electrical signal. An image signal photoelectrically converted by the imaging element 102 is input to the imaging circuit 103. The imaging circuit 103 amplifies the image signal with an appropriate gain. The A / D conversion unit 104 converts the analog image signal output from the imaging circuit 103 into digital image data. An imaging unit 118 includes the lens unit 101, the imaging device 102, the imaging circuit 103, the A / D conversion unit 104, and the like.

  The image processing unit 105 performs processing such as white balance and gamma correction on the digitized image data, and further performs processing for display on the live view image and playback image displayed on the display unit 116, and various types of processing. A process of superimposing information and icons on the live view image and the playback image is displayed. The image processing unit 105 is also provided with a circuit for performing a special filter (image processing) designated at the time of shooting. As a result, it is possible to obtain an image shot with a special effect that is clearly different from the normal shooting.

  The JPEG processing unit 106 is for recording image data that has been shot and subjected to various types of image processing by the image processing unit 105 to the recording medium 115 or for reproducing the image data recorded on the recording medium 115. . The JPEG processing unit 106 performs JPEG compression processing for recording on the recording medium 115 during recording, and performs decompression processing on the compressed image data read from the recording medium 115 during reproduction. The JPEG processing unit 106 includes a moving image processing function such as MPEG as necessary.

  An SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) 108 is a memory for temporarily storing digital image signals. The SDRAM 108 is a buffer area for temporarily storing image data during various processes of the A / D conversion unit 104, the image processing unit 105, the JPEG processing unit 106, the memory I / F 109, and the display driver 110.

  The memory I / F 109 is an interface unit that controls the recording medium 115 to record image data on the recording medium 115 or read image data from the recording medium 115. The recording medium 115 is a memory for storing image data, and includes a flash memory and a hard disk.

  The display driver 110 drives the display unit 116 so that the live view image at the time of shooting and the image at the time of reproduction are displayed on the display unit 116. The display unit 116 includes a display element such as an LCD or an EL. As described above, the touch panel 113 a is provided on the surface of the display unit 116.

  A bus 199 connects the control unit 107 and various processing units, and is connected to the control unit 107, the image processing unit 105, the JPEG processing unit 106, the SDRAM 108, the memory I / F 109, the display driver 110, and the like.

  Hereinafter, in the camera configured as described above, it is described that a set icon and a set menu are displayed on the screen during shooting and playback, and various processes are performed according to operation instructions for the set icon and the set menu.

  In the shooting mode, a setting icon for setting shooting conditions is displayed as a set icon, and a setting menu that is an item of shooting conditions is displayed as a set menu. In the playback mode, a search icon for setting shooting conditions is displayed as a set icon, and a search menu is displayed as a set menu. These set icons, set menus, setting conditions described later, and the like are collectively referred to as UI information.

  A specific example of setting shooting conditions by operating a setting icon, a setting menu, and the like in the shooting mode will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing “brightness” which is one of the photographing conditions. FIG. 2A shows a screen in a state where all shooting conditions are default (also referred to as ALL reset). A live view image for confirming a subject, a shooting angle of view, and the like is displayed on the screen 10 of the display unit 116, and a setting icon 20a is displayed on the upper right corner of the screen 10 so as to be superimposed on the live view image. In FIG. 2A, the setting icon is displayed as a white setting icon 20a in order to show that the shooting conditions are all in the default state.

  In FIG. 2A, when the setting icon 20a is clicked (touched) once by the photographer's finger 80, this click operation is detected by the touch panel. Then, as shown in FIG. 2B, the screen is switched to a screen in which the setting menu 30a is displayed in landscape orientation on the left side of the setting icon 20a. The setting menu 30a indicates menu items to be set. FIG. 8 is a table showing the types of setting menu items in this example. The item name that appears first is “ALL Reset” at the top of the item name.

  Each time the setting icon 20a is clicked, the items of the setting menu are switched one by one in the order of the number N shown in the table of FIG. When the setting icon 20a is clicked once in FIG. 2B, the setting menu is switched to “brightness” in which N = 2 as shown in FIG. Here, since the condition of the item displayed as the setting menu has not yet been changed, that is, is a default value, the setting menu is displayed as a white setting menu 30a. Here, since the current item “brightness” of the setting menu is a default value, it is displayed in a white setting menu 30a.

  Then, when the flick operation 24a is performed from the setting icon 20a toward the left direction along the setting menu 30a or in the vicinity of the setting menu 30a in FIG. 2C, as shown in FIG. A setting condition 40 is displayed at a position to the right of the center of the screen 10. The flick operation is an operation of sliding on the screen with a finger. The setting condition 40 is a display for setting and operating a specific condition of the setting menu item. The specific display contents of the setting condition 40 differ depending on the type of setting menu item. Here, since the setting menu is “brightness”, specific conditions of brightness (luminance) are displayed. The “brightness” setting condition 40 includes a line 40a indicating the entire adjustable range, a slider 40b that is movable along the line 40a to determine the adjustment position, and arranged at both ends of the line 40a. It consists of a name (bright, dark) 40c to be shown. In FIG. 2D, since “brightness” is the default state, the slider 40b is displayed at the center of the line 40a.

  As shown in FIG. 2D, when the slider 40b is slid up and down 26 with a finger, “brightness” which is the current setting menu is adjusted according to the position. In conjunction with the adjustment of the slider 40b, the brightness of the displayed live view image also changes. Therefore, an appropriate brightness position can be set while viewing the screen.

  FIG. 2E shows a screen after the “brightness” is adjusted in the bright direction. In this state, as shown in FIG. 2E, when the setting menu 30a is clicked, the setting is confirmed. FIG. 2F shows a screen after confirmation, and the display of the setting condition 40 is deleted. Further, as shown in FIG. 2F, since the condition different from the default condition is set, the black character setting menu 30b is displayed, and the setting icon is also displayed as the black character setting icon 20b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2F, when the flick operation 24b is performed in the vertical direction with the setting icon 20b as a base point, the items displayed on the setting menu 30a are returned to the default state. As shown in FIG. 2G, “brightness” is returned to the default value (center value). Since “brightness” has been returned to the default, “brightness” is displayed in the black setting menu 30a. In addition, since “brightness” is returned to the default value and other conditions are also default values at present, all of them are reset (ALL reset) after all, so the setting icon is also displayed with the black setting icon 20a. The The flick operation 24a is also called a first flick operation, and the flick operation 24b is also called a second flick operation.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing “color tone” which is one of the photographing conditions. In the table of FIG. 8, N = 3. FIG. 3A is a screen in the same state as FIG. When the setting icon 20a is clicked in FIG. 3A, “Tint” is displayed as the setting menu 30a as shown in FIG. 3B. Here, the current item “color tone” of the setting menu is set as a default value, and is displayed in the white setting menu 30a as in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the flick operation 24a is performed in the left direction along the setting menu 30a or in the vicinity of the setting menu 30a, the screen shown in FIG. Switch.

  In FIG. 3C, a setting condition 41 for specifically setting “hue” is displayed on the screen 10. Here, the “tone” setting condition 41 is in the same format as “brightness” and includes a line indicating the entire adjustable range, a slider indicating the set position, and a name indicating the increase / decrease direction of the line (warm, cool ).

  When the slider is slid up and down 26 with a finger, “color tone”, which is the current setting menu, is adjusted according to the position. In conjunction with the slider adjustment, the color of the displayed live view image also changes.

  FIG. 3D shows a screen after the “color tone” is adjusted in the warm direction. When the setting menu 30a is further clicked on the screen of FIG. 3D, the setting is confirmed. FIG. 3E shows a screen on which the setting has been confirmed. The setting condition 41 is deleted. The setting icon and setting menu are displayed as a black character setting icon 20b and a black character setting menu 30b.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing “Picture” which is one of the photographing conditions. “Picture” means the color tone of an image. Specifically, the image processing unit 105 performs fine adjustment of white balance, contrast, sharpness, and the like. In the table of FIG. 8, the item is N = 4. FIG. 4A shows a screen in the same state as FIG. In FIG. 4A, when the setting icon 20a is clicked, as shown in FIG. 4B, the setting menu 30a is switched from “brightness” to “picture” and displayed. Here, “Picture” is currently the default value, and is therefore displayed in the white setting menu 30a.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, when the flick operation 24a similar to that described in FIG. 2C is performed, the screen is switched to FIG. A setting condition 42 for setting is displayed.

  Here, the setting condition 42 of “Picture” is displayed in the form of a table in which specific picture names are arranged vertically. Among the presented picture names, the name clicked by the photographer is set as “Picture”. Here, the default of “Picture” is “NATURAL”, and “NATURAL” is displayed in black characters in the setting condition 42. “NATURAL” is a standard color image. The bottom item (down arrow) in the setting condition 42 is a display indicating that there is a new page in the setting condition 42. When the arrow field 42a is clicked, the screen is switched from FIG. 4C to FIG. 4E, and a new page is displayed as the setting condition 42.

  On the screen of FIG. 4C, when any picture name other than “NATURAL” in the setting condition 42 is selected by a click operation, a live view image corresponding to the selected picture is displayed. Then, when the setting icon 20b is clicked, the change is confirmed. The screen of FIG. 4 (D) is a screen after it has been confirmed, and the setting condition 42 has been deleted, and the setting icon and setting menu have been changed from “Picture” to the default (“NATURAL”). The setting icon 20b and the black character setting menu 30b are displayed.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing the “aspect ratio” which is one of the photographing conditions. In the table of FIG. 8, the item is N = 5. For example, in FIG. When the setting icon 20a is clicked, the screen is switched from FIG. 4 (A) to FIG. 5 (A), and the “aspect ratio” for setting the shooting aspect ratio is displayed as the setting menu 30a. Here, since the “aspect ratio” is the current default value (16: 9), it is displayed in the white setting menu 30a.

  Next, in FIG. 5A, when the flick operation 24a is performed from the setting icon 20a as described in FIG. 2C in the left direction, the screen is switched to FIG. A setting condition 43 for concretely setting the “aspect ratio” is displayed.

  Here, the “aspect ratio” setting condition 43 is displayed in the form of a table in which specific aspect ratios are arranged vertically. From the presented aspect ratio, the aspect ratio selected by the photographer by clicking is set. Since the “aspect ratio” is the default value, the item “16: 9” 43a is displayed in black characters. As shown in FIG. 5C, when the item 43b “6: 6” is selected in the setting condition 43, the live view image is changed to an image “6: 6” and displayed.

  In FIG. 5C, when the setting menu 30a is further clicked, the change is confirmed and the screen is switched to the screen of FIG. In the screen of FIG. 5D, the setting condition 43 is deleted, and the setting icon and setting menu are displayed as a black character setting icon 20b and a black character setting menu 30b.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation screen for changing “sensitivity” which is one of the photographing conditions. In the table of FIG. 8, the item is N = 6. For example, when the setting icon 20a is clicked in FIG. 5A, the screen changes from FIG. 5A to FIG. 6A, and “sensitivity” is displayed as the setting menu 30a. Here, since “sensitivity” is currently the default value, it is displayed in the white setting menu 30a.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, when a flick operation 24a similar to that described in FIG. 2C is performed, the screen is switched from FIG. 6A to FIG. A setting condition 44 for specifically setting “sensitivity” is displayed in FIG.

  The “sensitivity” setting condition 44 is displayed in the form of a table in which specific sensitivities (ISO values) are arranged vertically. Sensitivity clicked by the photographer is set from the presented sensitivities. Here, the default of “sensitivity” is “AUTO”, and the item “AUTO” 44a is displayed in black characters. FIG. 6C is a screen on which the item 44b of sensitivity 1600 is selected in the setting condition 45 and the live view image is displayed according to the sensitivity. In FIG. 6C, when the setting icon 20a is further clicked, the change is confirmed and the screen is switched to the screen of FIG. In the screen of FIG. 6D, the setting condition 44 is deleted, and the setting icon and setting menu are displayed as a black character setting icon 20b and a black character setting menu 30b.

  FIG. 7 is a screen showing an operation for collectively resetting the conditions (imaging conditions) of the setting menu from N = 2 to 6 in FIG. 8 to the default (ALL reset). For example, FIG. 6D shows a screen in which the setting icon 20b is further clicked to change the items displayed on the setting menu.

  In the screen of FIG. 7A, the setting icon is indicated by a black setting icon 20b, the setting menu is indicated by a black setting menu 30b, and one or more of the setting menu conditions (shooting conditions) is set from the default. Indicates that the status has been changed.

  When the flick operation 24a is performed in the left direction from the setting icon 20a as described in FIG. 2C on the screen in FIG. 7A, the screen is changed from FIG. 7A to FIG. 7B. As a setting condition 45 for concrete setting on the screen 10, items “cancel” and “execution” are displayed. In the screen of FIG. 7B, when “execute” is selected and the setting icon 20b is clicked, ALL reset is executed. The setting menu conditions are reset to the default. FIG. 7C shows a screen after ALL reset is executed. On the screen of FIG. 7C, a black character setting icon 20b and a black character setting menu 30b are displayed.

  As described above, in the shooting mode, the settings menu is switched and displayed by clicking the setting icon, and the specific setting conditions for the setting menu are displayed by flicking the setting menu. I tried to make it. As a result, the setting menu and the setting conditions are usually displayed stepwise by displaying only the setting icon, thereby reducing the chance that the viewing of the live view image is hindered by the UI information for setting the shooting conditions. You can Also, by using two operations, a click operation and a flick operation, an operation error can be easily prevented. In addition, information that is no longer needed can be quickly erased to minimize image obstruction.

  In addition, the position and shape of the icon shown in the above figure, or the display content of the setting menu is an example, and is not limited to this.

  2 to 7, the “flick operation 24a (first flick operation) from the setting icon 20a to the left” as the “operation for displaying the setting condition (40, etc.)” is associated with the “setting condition”. In the above description, the “reset flick operation 24b to the setting icon (second flick operation)” is described as the “reset (reset) operation to the default”, but the present invention is not limited to this. The horizontal direction or the vertical direction may be reversed, and the first and second directions may be reversed. That is, it is only necessary that the angles of the two flick operations are different so that they can be distinguished from each other.

  In addition, “an operation for displaying the setting condition” is associated with “an operation for clicking one setting menu”, and “an operation for returning the contents of the setting condition to default (reset)” is a “flick operation (left / right / up / down / left / right)” Any may be possible) ".

  Further, if there is no operation for a certain period of time after the setting menu and setting conditions are displayed, it may be considered that there is no intention to change and the display may be deleted.

  Next, an image search procedure in the reproduction mode will be described with reference to FIGS. In the playback mode, a search icon is applied as a set icon, and a search menu is applied as a setting menu to perform a search operation for a captured image.

  FIG. 9 shows an operation screen when a still image search is performed as a search menu in the single frame playback mode. FIG. 9A shows a screen in the single frame playback mode. In the lower left corner of the screen 50, “P” is displayed as a mode display 52 indicating the current playback mode. “10” is displayed as the image number 54 in the upper left corner of the screen 50. The image number 54 is a number assigned to each image in the shooting order regardless of the type of captured image (still image, moving image, etc.). A frame return icon 56 is displayed at a position on the right side of the middle stage of the screen 50. The frame advance / return icon 56 is an icon for switching the displayed one frame image to the image of the previous or next image number. When the left arrow of the frame advance / return icon 56 is clicked, the image number returns to the previous image, and conversely, when the right arrow is clicked, the image after the image number is displayed.

  A search icon 60 and a search menu 70a are displayed on the upper right of the screen. FIG. 10 is a table showing a specific example of the search menu 70a. The search menu is a search condition used when searching for an image from a recording medium. In this example, six types of items of search menu, ALL, still image, moving image, filtered image, 3D image, and date are prepared.

  The number of each menu item is N = 1, 2,... 6 in order from the top. “ALL” in the search menu instructs to search all images recorded on the recording medium. “Still image” in the search menu instructs to search for a still image from the recording medium. “Movie” in the search menu instructs to search for a moving image from the recording medium. “Filtered image” in the search menu instructs to search for a still image / moving image shot in the special filter (image processing) mode at the time of shooting. “3D” in the search menu instructs to search for a still image / moving image shot in 3D (stereoscopic) shooting mode at the time of shooting. “Date” in the search menu instructs to search for an image (whether a moving image or a still image) having the same shooting date as the reference image. Note that a search for a still image / moving image from a recording medium is processed by the control unit 107 based on tag information attached to the image file.

  It is assumed that “ALL” is set as the default of the search menu at the start of the playback mode. The screen in FIG. 9A is a screen at the start of the playback mode, and “ALL” is set and displayed as the search menu 70a. Here, the search menu 70a is displayed in white. A white outline indicates that the search has been completed, and a black character indicates that the search has not been performed. In the playback mode, all search icons 60 are displayed in black characters.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, when the search icon 60 is clicked once, the screen changes from FIG. 9A to FIG. 9B, and the search menu 70a is switched to “still image”. Here, the search menu 70b is displayed in black characters. At this point, since the search has not started, it is displayed as the black character search menu 70b. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the flick operation 24a (first flick operation) is performed from the search icon 60 toward the left along the search menu 70b or in the vicinity of the search menu 70b, The image search is started. On the screen of FIG. 9B, the frame advance icon 56 is deleted.

  When the search is completed, the display is replaced with FIG. FIG. 9C shows the first screen after the search is completed. As an image to be displayed first after the search, an image having the same or larger image number than the display image immediately before the start of search is selected. In this example, since the display image (No10) immediately before the start of the search is also a still image, the image displayed first after the search process is also the No10 image. The frame return icon 56 is displayed again. Since the search menu has been searched, it is displayed as a blank search menu 70a. When the right side of the frame advance back icon 56 is clicked on the screen of FIG. 9C, the screen is switched to the next still image No. 11 (FIG. 9D).

  FIG. 11 shows an operation screen when a moving image search is performed as a search menu on the single-frame playback screen. FIG. 11A is the same as FIG. 9C. As shown in FIG. 11A, when the search icon 60 is clicked once, the screen changes to FIG. 11B, and the search menu 70b is switched to “moving image”. Here, the search menu 70b (moving image) is displayed in black characters. Next, as shown in FIG. 10C, when a flick operation 24a similar to that in FIG. 9B is performed, a still image search is started. During the search, the frame advance / return icon 56 is deleted. When the search is completed, as shown in FIG. 11D, the first moving image in the searched moving image is displayed as a still image. The first moving image to be displayed is an image having the same or larger image number than the image No10 immediately before the search. For example, the moving image is No12. In the center of the screen 50, a reproduction icon 58 for starting moving image reproduction is displayed. When the reproduction icon 58 is clicked, the reproduction of the No. 12 moving image is started. In FIG. 11D, when the right arrow of the frame advance / return icon 56 is clicked, the screen is switched to FIG. 11E, and the next moving image No. 16 is displayed as a still image.

  FIG. 12 shows an operation screen when moving image search is performed as a search menu on the index reproduction screen. FIG. 12A shows an index playback mode screen under the default state (ALL). In the index reproduction, as in the case of single frame reproduction, the default search menu is “ALL”. An index image 62 is displayed at the center of the screen 50. Here, as an index image, an image composed of 9 small images in 3 rows and 3 columns is shown, but the number of images is changed by a user instruction.

  For convenience of explanation, for each small image constituting the index image 62, an image type is displayed in the upper row and an image number is displayed in the lower row. “Still” means that the image type is a still image, “Movie” means that the image is a moving image, “No. 12” “F still” means a filtered still image, No. 16 “F moving image” means a filtered moving image. In addition, perforation marks are attached to the left and right of the small image of the moving image to emphasize that it is a moving image. These image types and image numbers may not be displayed on an actual index image.

  In addition, a search icon 60 is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen 50, and a search menu 70 a is displayed horizontally on the left side of the search icon 60. A page return icon 57 is displayed at the right end of the screen 50.

  Each time the search icon 60 is clicked, the search menu is sequentially switched. As shown in FIG. 12B, when the search icon 60 is clicked once, the screen is switched to FIG. 12C, and the display content of the search menu is switched from “ALL” to “still image”. As the search menu, a black character search menu 70b is displayed. Here, the page feed back icon 57 is deleted. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12C, when a flick operation 24a is performed, a still image search is started. FIG. 12D shows a screen on which an index image of only still images is displayed after the still image search is completed. Similarly to the case of single-frame playback, the first screen of the index image after the search is an image having the same or larger image number as this image with reference to the top image of the index image 62 immediately before the search, The closest image is displayed as the first image. Further, the page feed back icon 57 is displayed again.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation for shifting from the one-frame playback screen to the index playback screen when searching. FIG. 13A shows the same screen as FIG. In FIG. 9B, a process of searching for a still image is performed by a flick operation performed in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 13A, when a flick operation 24b (second flick operation) is performed in the vertical direction, a still image search is executed, and the result is an index as shown in FIG. 13B. Displayed on the playback screen. In addition, when one of the small images of the still image is clicked in FIG. 13B, the screen is switched to the single frame display screen. If, for example, the still image No. 15 is clicked in FIG. 13B, the still image No. 15 is displayed on the one-frame playback screen as shown in FIG. 13C. In FIG. 13C, when the frame advance / return icon 56 is operated, still images before and after NO15 are displayed in order.

  FIG. 14 shows another example of the operation for shifting between the single frame playback screen and the index playback screen during the search. FIG. 14A shows a screen in which “3D” is selected as the search menu. As shown in FIG. 14A, when the vertical flick operation 24b is performed from the search icon 60, a 3D image search is executed as described with reference to FIG. When the search is completed, the searched 3D image is displayed as an index image 62 as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 14A, when the search icon 60 is clicked once, the search menu is switched from “3D” to “date” (FIG. 14C). Then, as shown in FIG. 14C, when “date” is displayed as the search menu, when the flick operation 24a is performed in the horizontal direction, an image having the same shooting date as the image immediately before the search is searched. Be started. When the search is completed, as shown in FIG. 14D, the first image of the searched still image (here, No. 10) is displayed. FIG. 14E shows a screen in which the flick operation 24a is performed in the vertical direction when “date” is displayed as the search menu. By the flick operation 24b in the vertical direction, a search for an image having the same shooting date as the image immediately before the search is started. When the search is completed, the index image screen as shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the playback mode, a search icon for setting a search condition is displayed as a set icon, and a search menu is switched by a click operation on the search icon. Thereby, the display size of the information for selecting the search menu can be reduced and can be displayed only when necessary, so that the adverse effect on the image viewing due to the display of the UI information for image search can be reduced. Furthermore, since it is possible to select whether to display the search results as single-frame playback or index playback depending on the direction of the flick operation during the search, it is possible to easily select the display mode of the search results.

  In addition, the position and shape of the icon shown in the above figure, or the display content of the search menu is an example, and is not limited to this. Although described in the photographing mode, the first flick operation and the second flick operation may be reversed in the left-right or up-down direction, or the first and second may be reversed. That is, it is only necessary that the angles of the two flick operations are different so that they can be distinguished from each other.

  Next, the processing of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. These flowcharts are realized mainly by the control unit 107a reading and executing a program stored in the memory 114.

  FIGS. 15 and 16 are flowcharts for explaining processing relating to the change of the setting menu in the shooting mode. First, it is determined whether the camera mode is a shooting mode (S11). When the camera mode is not the shooting mode (S11 NO), the playback mode is processed (S12). The processing in the reproduction mode will be described later (FIGS. 17 and 18).

  If it is determined that the camera is in the shooting mode (YES at S11), the setting menu item number N is initialized (N → 0) (S21), and a setting icon is displayed on the screen (S22). When all the setting menus are defaults, a white setting icon 20a is displayed as shown in FIG. 2A. When any of the setting menus is changed from the default, black characters are displayed. The setting icon 20b is displayed. At the same time, the image processing conditions for live view image display are adjusted according to all the currently set conditions, and the live view image is displayed (S23). Then, in the state where the live view image is displayed, the photographing instruction of the photographer is determined (S24). The shooting instruction is determined by detecting whether or not the release button of the operation unit 113 is operated. If it is determined that there has been a shooting instruction (YES in S24), shooting is performed under the shooting conditions of the determined setting (S26). After shooting is completed, the process returns to S22.

  Next, if it is determined that there is no shooting instruction (NO in S24), it is then determined whether or not there is a click operation on the setting icon (S25). If it is determined that there is no click operation on the setting icon (NO in S25), the process returns to S23. If it is determined that there has been a click operation on the setting icon (S25 YES), it is determined whether the item number N is less than Nmax (S27). Nmax indicates the maximum item number, that is, the total number of items in the setting menu. In this example, Nmax = 6 as shown in the table of FIG. N = 0 if N remains in the state initialized in S21.

  If it is determined that N is less than Nmax (S27 YES), N is incremented by 1 (S28). If it is immediately after initialization, N = 1 in S28. If it is determined that N is greater than or equal to Nmax (S27 NO), N = 1 is set (S29). This is because when the setting menu is N = 6 (“sensitivity”) and the setting icon is clicked, the setting menu is returned to “ALL reset” with N = 1. After S28 and S29, the process proceeds to S32.

Next, it is determined whether the current setting menu is “ALL reset” (S32). If it is “ALL reset” (S32 YES), a menu for setting ALL reset is displayed (S33).
For example, the screen shown in FIG. If it is not “ALL reset” (NO in S32), the setting menu item (contents) corresponding to N is displayed (S34). For example, if S25 is a click operation after "ALL reset", "brightness" is displayed as a setting menu when N = 2. If the specific condition of the item is a default value, the setting menu is displayed in white (FIG. 2C).

  Subsequent to S33 and S34, after the setting menu display is started, timer measurement is started (S35). This is because the setting menu is deleted when the setting icon is not flicked for a certain period of time. It is determined whether or not the flick operation as described with reference to FIG. It is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed without a flick operation (S36 NO) (S37). The predetermined time is, for example, 5 seconds. If the predetermined time has not elapsed (S37 NO), the process returns to S36. If the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in S37), the setting menu display is deleted (S38), and the process returns to S22.

If it is determined that the flick operation has been performed within the predetermined time (YES in S36), the process proceeds to S41 in FIG.
In S41, setting conditions are displayed according to the setting menu items (for example, FIG. 2D, FIG. 3C, FIG. 4C, FIG. 5B, FIG. 6B, FIG. 7). (B)). Subsequently, when the user's change operation is performed such as sliding the slider 40b via the touch panel in FIG. 2D with respect to the displayed setting condition, information set by the user (slider (Position) is acquired (S42). The image processing condition of the live view image is changed according to the user setting, and the live view image reflecting the user setting is displayed (S43).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the setting icon has been clicked (S44). If it is determined that the setting icon is clicked (S44 YES), the setting is confirmed (S45) and the setting menu is deleted (S46). This is the example shown in FIGS. 2 (E) and 2 (F). Change the setting menu to black text to indicate that it has been changed. On the other hand, if the setting icon is not clicked (S44 NO), the process returns to S42.

  Subsequent to S46, on the screen after the setting is confirmed, it is determined whether or not a vertical flick operation has been performed on the setting icon (S47). If it is determined that a vertical flick operation has been performed on the setting icon (YES in S47), the content of the current item in the setting menu is returned to the default (S48). This is an example shown in FIG. 2 (F) to FIG. 2 (G). If it is determined that the setting icon is not flicked (NO at S47), the process returns to S23 of FIG.

  Next, the search processing mode in the playback mode will be described. 17 and 18 are flowcharts for explaining search processing in the playback mode. The process related to the screen shown in FIGS. 9 to 14 is the process of the reproduction mode shown in S12 of FIG.

  First, in FIG. 17, it is determined whether single-frame playback is set (S61). In the camera of this example, either one frame playback or index playback can be selected as the playback mode, and the setting is switched by an instruction from the operation unit 113 by the user.

  If it is determined that the single frame playback is not set, that is, the index playback is set (NO in S61), the process proceeds to S63. Details of the index reproduction will be described later.

  It is determined that the single-frame playback screen has been set (YES in S61), and immediately after the camera power is turned on, an image searched according to the initial search condition (default search condition) is displayed (S62). The initial search condition is “ALL” of item N = 1 among the search menu items described in FIG. That is, all images are to be searched, and are displayed from the image with the smallest image number. Thereafter, the screen after the frame has been advanced an appropriate number of times is, for example, the screen of FIG. It is determined whether or not the search icon is clicked on this screen (S64). If it is determined that it has been clicked (S64 YES), the contents (items) of the search menu are switched and displayed (S65). In addition, the frame advance / return icon is hidden (S66).

  It is determined whether a flick operation has been performed to the left from the search icon (S67). If it is determined that the left flick operation is not performed (NO in S67), it is determined whether the search icon is flicked downward (S71). If it is determined that the flick operation has been performed downward (YES in S71), the process jumps to S85 in FIG. This will be described later. If it is determined that the downward flick operation has not been performed (NO in S71), the process returns to S64.

  If it is determined in S67 that the flick operation has been performed to the left from the search icon (YES in S67), the search is executed based on the conditions of the displayed search menu (S68). For example, on the screen of FIG. 9B, a still image is searched. The search is performed from the recording medium based on the tag information or extension of the image file. Of the retrieved images, the first image is displayed as a single frame (S72). The first image to be displayed is an image number equal to or greater than the image displayed immediately before the search, and the image number closest to the image displayed immediately before the search. Of course, regardless of the image immediately before the search, the image with the smallest or largest image number in the search image may be the first image to be displayed.

  When the search image is displayed, the frame advance / return icon is also displayed again (S73). It is determined whether the frame advance / return icon has been clicked (S74). If it is determined that the frame advance / return icon has been clicked (YES at S74), one frame of the image with the image number before or after is reproduced from the searched images according to the direction of the clicked arrow (S75). If it is determined that the frame advance / return icon has not been clicked (NO at S74), the process returns to S64.

  If it is determined in S64 that the search icon has not been clicked (S64 NO), the process proceeds to S74. Since S74 and S75 have already been described, they are omitted.

  Next, the process returns to S63. In S63, an index reproduction screen is displayed with all image files as search targets and the image with the smallest image number as the head (S63). A page forward / back icon 57 is displayed on the screen. The number of images (9 in this example) to be collectively reproduced by index reproduction is set by an instruction from the operation unit. Then, it progresses to S81.

  It is determined whether the search icon is clicked on the index reproduction screen (for example, FIG. 12A) (S81). If it is determined that the search icon has been clicked on the index reproduction screen (S81 YES), the search menu is switched and displayed in the order according to the table of FIG. 10 (S82). Then, the page advance / return icon 57 is hidden (S83).

  It is determined whether a flick operation has been performed to the left from the search icon (S84). If it is determined that the left flick operation is not performed (NO in S84), the process returns to S81. For example, as shown in FIG. 12B to FIG. 12C, if it is determined that the flick operation has been performed in the left direction (YES in S84), the search is executed according to the search menu condition (S85). The retrieved image is index-reproduced (S86). In the index reproduction, the searched images are arranged in the order of image numbers. The first image on the first index reproduction screen has an image number equal to or larger than the image displayed immediately before the search, and is the image closest to the image displayed immediately before the search.

  The page forward / backward icon is also displayed again (S87). It is determined whether or not this page forward / backward icon has been clicked (S88). If it is determined that the frame advance / return icon has been clicked (S88 YES), the index reproduction screen of the next or previous page is displayed in the searched image (S89). Thereafter, the process returns to S81. If it is determined that the page feed / return icon has not been clicked (S88 NO), the process returns to S81.

  If it is determined in S81 that the search icon has not been clicked (NO in S81), the process proceeds to S88. Since S88 and S89 have already been described, they are omitted.

  In the above embodiment, the UI control unit 107a reads out and executes the UI control program stored in the memory 114, so that the flowchart is processed. Therefore, the control program is also the present invention. In addition, a recording medium in which such a control program is recorded is also the present invention. The recording medium for storing the program is not limited to a flash memory, but an optical recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, a magnetic recording medium such as an MD, a tape medium, or a semiconductor memory such as an IC card. May be. Such processing is not limited to software processing, and may be realized by a combination of software processing and hardware processing.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined. It goes without saying that various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

10 ... Screen, 20a, 20b ... Setting icon, 24a, 24b ... Flick operation, 30a, 30b ... Setting menu, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 ... Setting Condition, 40a ... Line, 40b ... Slider, 40c ... Name, 42a ... Arrow column, 45a, 45b ... Item, 50 ... Screen, 52 ... Mode display, 54. ..Image number, 56... Frame advance / return icon, 57... Page forward / return icon, 58... Play icon, 60 .. Search icon 62 .. Index image, 70a, 70b Search menu, 100 ... digital camera, 101 ... lens, 102 ... imaging device, 103 ... imaging circuit, 104 ... A / D conversion circuit, 105 ... image processing unit, 106 ..JPEG processing unit 107 ... control unit 107a ... UI control unit 108 ... SDRAM 109 ... memory I / F 110 ... display driver 111 ... lens drive unit 112 ... Lens drive control circuit, 113 ... Operation unit, 113a ... Touch panel, 114 ... Memory, 115 ... Recording medium, 116 ... Display unit

Claims (8)

An imaging unit for capturing a subject image;
An operation unit including a touch panel;
A UI control unit that displays UI information for setting shooting conditions on a live view screen, detects an input to the operation unit, and controls display of the UI information;
The UI control unit displays, as the UI information, a setting icon for setting the shooting condition and a setting menu for specifying the type of shooting condition to be set.
In response to the operation instruction to the setting icon, the shooting condition type is switched and displayed in the setting menu,
When the first flick operation on the setting icon is detected, a setting condition corresponding to the type of shooting condition specified in the setting menu is displayed, and an operation for changing the setting condition from the operation unit is displayed. Change the setting conditions,
If a click operation on the setting icon is detected after the setting condition has been changed, the setting is confirmed,
After the setting is confirmed, when a second flick operation performed in a direction crossing the first flick operation on the setting icon is detected, control is performed to return the determined setting condition to a default value. An imaging apparatus characterized by that. An image processing unit for processing an image obtained by the imaging unit;
The image processing unit performs image processing of the live view image corresponding to the changed setting condition,
When the setting menu corresponding to the setting condition is displayed, the UI control unit performs control so that a display mode of the setting menu differs depending on whether the setting condition is default or changed from the default. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein An imaging unit for capturing a subject image;
An operation unit including a touch panel;
A UI control unit that displays UI information for setting shooting conditions on a live view screen, detects an input to the operation unit, and controls display of the UI information;
The UI control unit displays, as the UI information, a setting icon for setting the shooting condition and a setting menu for specifying the type of shooting condition to be set.
In response to the operation instruction to the setting icon, the shooting condition type is switched and displayed in the setting menu,
When a click operation on the setting icon is detected, the setting condition corresponding to the type of shooting condition specified in the setting menu is displayed, and the setting condition corresponding to the operation for changing the setting condition from the operation unit is displayed. change,
If a click operation on the setting icon is detected after the setting condition has been changed, the setting is confirmed,
An imaging apparatus characterized by performing control to return the determined setting condition to a default value when a flick operation on the setting icon is detected after the setting is confirmed. An operation unit including a touch panel;
UI information for setting an image search condition is displayed on the screen, an input to the operation unit for the UI information is detected, and a UI control unit for controlling the display of the UI information and the image search Prepared,
The UI control unit displays a search icon on an index screen that is a set of small images,
A search menu indicating image search conditions is displayed at a position different from the search icon, and the image search conditions of the search menu are switched according to a click operation on the search icon.
An image characterized by detecting a flick operation on the search icon, instructing execution of a search corresponding to an image search condition shown in the search menu, and displaying the searched image on the index screen. Playback device. An operation unit including a touch panel;
UI information for setting an image search condition is displayed on the screen, an input to the operation unit for the UI information is detected, and a UI control unit for controlling the display of the UI information and the image search Prepared,
The UI control means displays a search icon on the single frame playback screen,
A search menu indicating image search conditions is displayed at a position different from the search icon, and the image search conditions of the search menu are switched according to a click operation on the search icon.
When the first flick operation to the search icon is detected, execution of search corresponding to the image search condition shown in the search menu is instructed, and the searched image is displayed as the single frame playback screen. And
If a second flick operation that is an operation in a direction different from the first flick direction to the search icon is detected, execution of a search corresponding to the image search condition indicated in the search menu is instructed. An image reproduction apparatus that controls to display a searched image as an index reproduction screen that is a set of small images. One of the image search conditions included in the search menu includes a condition of searching for images having a common shooting date,
When the search is instructed on the condition that the image having the same shooting date is searched, the UI control unit issues an instruction to search for an image having the same shooting date as the image selected immediately before the search is performed. The image reproducing device according to claim 4, wherein: When displaying the searched image as the one-frame playback screen, the UI control unit uses an image number equal to or greater than the image number of the image displayed one frame immediately before the search is executed. 6. The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image closest to the image number of the image displayed immediately before the frame is displayed first. UI information for setting shooting conditions is displayed on a live view screen on a computer of an imaging apparatus including an imaging unit that captures a subject image and an operation unit including a touch panel, and an input to the operation unit is detected. In a program for executing display of the UI information,
Displaying, as the UI information, a setting icon for setting the shooting condition and a setting menu for specifying the type of shooting condition to be set;
In response to an operation instruction to the setting icon, a step of switching and displaying the type of the shooting condition in the setting menu;
When the first flick operation on the setting icon is detected, a setting condition corresponding to the type of shooting condition specified in the setting menu is displayed, and an operation for changing the setting condition from the operation unit is displayed. Changing the setting conditions by
If a click operation on the setting icon is detected after the setting condition is changed, a step of confirming the setting;
A step of returning the determined setting condition to a default value when a second flick operation made in a direction intersecting the first flick operation on the setting icon is detected after the setting is confirmed; The program characterized by including.