JP2013093826A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve imaging performance.SOLUTION: When a first imaging instruction issued from a smart phone is received by communication I/F 42, a camera CPU 32 acquires still image data in a YUV system on the basis of raw image data outputted from an imaging device 18 in response to the imaging instruction. The camera CPU 32 receives the imaging instruction issued from the other smart phone 50 in a period from reception of the first imaging instruction to completion of acquisition of the still image data. The camera CPU 32 performs one or two or more transfer processing corresponding to one or two or more imaging instructions which are thus received on the still image data acquired by such a manner.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera, and more particularly to an electronic camera that acquires an electronic image corresponding to an optical image captured on an imaging surface from an imaging apparatus in response to an imaging instruction.

  An example of this type of electronic camera is disclosed in Patent Document 1. According to this background art, the photographing instruction signal transmitted from the mobile phone is received by the digital camera. The ID included in the received imaging instruction signal is collated with each of a plurality of IDs registered in the ID registration unit. If a matching ID exists in the ID registration unit, a photographing operation is executed. The still image data generated by the shooting operation is written to the memory card with the matching ID added. When a plurality of shooting instruction signals each including an ID that matches any registered ID is received within a predetermined period, the number of shooting operations corresponding to the received shooting instruction signal is executed.

JP 2006-270263 A

  However, in the background art, when a plurality of shooting instruction signals are received almost simultaneously, there is a possibility that an imaging operation corresponding to a part of the shooting instruction signals may be delayed due to the limit of the processing capability of the digital camera. That is, in a situation where a plurality of imaging instruction signals are received almost simultaneously, not only the load on the digital camera increases, but also the quality of still image data created for some operators may be reduced. The background art is limited in imaging performance in this respect.

  Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera that can improve imaging performance.

  An electronic camera according to the present invention (10: reference numeral corresponding to the embodiment; the same applies hereinafter) is issued from an imaging unit (18) that outputs an electronic image representing an optical image captured on an imaging surface, and an external device (50). First receiving means (S95, S301) for receiving the imaging instruction, acquisition means (S303, S331, S11 to S15) for acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to the imaging instruction received by the first receiving means, By the second receiving means (S305 to S309) for receiving an imaging instruction issued from another external device during the period from the reception of the one receiving means to the completion of the processing of the acquiring means, and the first receiving means and the second receiving means Transfer means (S311 to S315, S321 to S325) for executing one or more transfer processes corresponding to one or more accepted imaging instructions on the electronic image acquired by the acquisition means is provided.

  Preferably, notification means (S317 to S319) for transferring notification to an issuer of the imaging instruction received by the second reception means is further provided.

  Preferably, zoom processing means (S7 to S9) for executing zoom processing according to a zoom instruction received during a period from reception of the first reception means to completion of processing of the acquisition means after completion of processing of the acquisition means is further provided. It is done.

  Preferably, the imaging instruction received by each of the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit includes transfer destination information, and the transfer unit performs transfer processing with reference to the transfer destination information.

  Preferably, connection means (S51 to S59) for connecting to the external device based on a connection request from the external device is further provided, and each of the first receiving means and the second receiving means performs imaging in connection with processing of the connecting means. Accept instructions.

  Preferably, a transfer means (S83) for transferring an electronic image output from the imaging means to an external device during a period prior to reception by the first reception means is further provided.

  An imaging control program according to the present invention is issued from an external device (50) to a processor (32) of an electronic camera (10) including an imaging means (18) that outputs an electronic image representing an optical image captured on an imaging surface. A first receiving step (S95, S301) for receiving an imaging instruction, an acquisition step (S303, S331, S11 to S15) for acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to the imaging instruction received in the first receiving step, A second reception step (S305 to S309) for receiving an imaging instruction issued from another external device during a period from the reception of one reception step to the completion of the processing of the acquisition step, and the first reception step and the second reception step One or more transfer processes corresponding to one or more accepted imaging instructions are performed on the electronic image acquired by the acquisition step. To execute the transfer steps (S311 ~ S315, S321 ~ S325) that is an imaging control program.

  An imaging control method according to the present invention is an imaging control method executed by an electronic camera (10) including an imaging means (18) that outputs an electronic image representing an optical image captured on an imaging surface, and includes an external device (50 The first receiving step (S95, S301) for receiving the imaging instruction issued from (1)), and the acquiring step (S303, S331, S11 ~) for acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to the imaging instruction received by the first receiving step. S15), a second accepting step (S305 to S309) for accepting an imaging instruction issued from another external device during a period from the acceptance of the first accepting step to the completion of the process of the obtaining step, and the first accepting step and the first accepting step 2 Electronic data acquired by the acquisition step for 1 or 2 or more transfer processes respectively corresponding to 1 or 2 or more imaging instructions received by the reception step Transfer steps (S311 to S315, S321 to S325) to be executed on the image are provided.

  An external control program according to the present invention includes an imaging means (18) for outputting an electronic image representing an optical image captured on an imaging surface, and a processor (32) for executing processing according to an internal control program stored in a memory (40). An external control program supplied to the electronic camera (10) including the first receiving step (S95, S301) for receiving an imaging instruction issued from the external device (50), and the imaging received by the first receiving step An acquisition step (S303, S331, S11 to S15) for acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to the instruction, issued from another external device during the period from the reception of the first reception step to the completion of the processing of the acquisition step A second receiving step (S305 to S309) for receiving the imaging instruction, and one or more received by the first receiving step and the second receiving step. The transfer step (S311 to S315, S321 to S325) for executing one or more transfer processes corresponding to the image instructions on the electronic image acquired by the acquisition step is executed by the processor in cooperation with the internal control program. This is an external control program.

  An electronic camera (10) according to the present invention includes an imaging means (18) for outputting an electronic image representing an optical image captured on an imaging surface, an importing means (42) for capturing an external control program, and an external image captured by the capturing means. An electronic camera comprising a processor (32) that executes processing according to a control program and an internal control program stored in a memory (40), wherein the external control program accepts an imaging instruction issued from an external device (50) First reception step (S95, S301), acquisition step (S303, S331, S11 to S15) for acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to the imaging instruction received in the first reception step, reception of the first reception step A second accepting step (S305 to S309) for accepting an imaging instruction issued from another external device during the period from when the acquisition step is completed to A transfer step (S311 to S315) of executing one or more transfer processes corresponding to one or more imaging instructions received in the first receiving step and the second receiving step on the electronic image acquired in the acquiring step (S311 to S315) , S321 to S325) correspond to a program that executes in cooperation with the internal control program.

  According to the present invention, the process of acquiring the electronic image is executed in response to the first imaging instruction. In addition, the acquired electronic image is not only transferred to the issuer of the first imaging instruction, but is also transferred to other issuers of the imaging instruction received until the acquisition process is completed.

  Limiting the number of electronic image acquisitions for one or more imaging instructions received almost simultaneously to one reduces the load on the electronic image acquisition process. Moreover, the response characteristic with respect to an imaging instruction | indication is improved by acquiring an electronic image in response to the first imaging instruction | indication. In addition, by transferring the acquired electronic image to the issuer of one or more imaging instructions accepted almost simultaneously, the issuer of any imaging instruction obtains an electronic image of a desired quality or equivalent quality. be able to. Thus, the imaging performance is improved.

  The above object, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the digital camera which forms the camera system of this Example. It is a block diagram which shows another example of a structure of the digital camera which forms the camera system of this Example. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the smart phone which forms the camera system of this Example. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the connection aspect of the digital camera shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 and the smart phone shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing one example of a configuration of a register applied to the digital camera shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. (A) is an illustration figure which shows an example of a structure of the search register applied to the smart phone shown in FIG. 3, (B) is an illustration figure which shows an example of a structure of the connection register applied to the smart phone shown in FIG. is there. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the structure of the imaging instruction | indication issued from a smart phone. It is an illustration figure which shows a part of communication process between a single digital camera and a single smart phone. It is an illustration figure which shows a part of communication process between a single digital camera and a some smart phone. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the camera CPU shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of camera CPU shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of camera CPU shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing still another part of the operation of the camera CPU shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of camera CPU shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of camera CPU shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing still another part of the operation of the camera CPU shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation | movement of smart phone CPU shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows another part of operation | movement of smart phone CPU shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of smart phone CPU shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing yet another portion of the operation of the smartphone CPU shown in FIG. 3. It is a flowchart which shows another part of operation | movement of smart phone CPU shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the part of operation | movement of smart phone CPU shown in FIG. It is an illustration figure which shows a part of communication process between the single digital camera applied to another Example, and several smart phones. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation | movement of camera CPU applied to the digital camera of another Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of camera CPU applied to the digital camera of another Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of camera CPU applied to the digital camera of another Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation | movement of smart phone CPU applied to the smart phone of another Example. It is a block diagram which shows the basic composition of one Example of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[Basic configuration]

  Referring to FIG. 28, the electronic camera of this embodiment is basically configured as follows. The imaging unit 1 outputs an electronic image representing an optical image captured on the imaging surface. The first accepting unit 2 accepts an imaging instruction issued from an external device. The acquisition unit 3 acquires an electronic image from the imaging unit 1 in response to the imaging instruction received by the first reception unit 2. The second accepting unit 4 accepts an imaging instruction issued from another external device during a period from the acceptance of the first accepting unit 2 to the completion of the processing of the obtaining unit 3. The transfer unit 5 performs one or more transfer processes corresponding to one or more imaging instructions received by the first receiving unit 2 and the second receiving unit 4 on the electronic image acquired by the acquiring unit 3. And execute.

  The process of acquiring an electronic image is executed in response to the first imaging instruction. In addition, the acquired electronic image is not only transferred to the issuer of the first imaging instruction, but is also transferred to other issuers of the imaging instruction received until the acquisition process is completed.

Limiting the number of electronic image acquisitions for one or more imaging instructions received almost simultaneously to one reduces the load on the electronic image acquisition process. Moreover, the response characteristic with respect to an imaging instruction | indication is improved by acquiring an electronic image in response to the first imaging instruction | indication. In addition, by transferring the acquired electronic image to the issuer of one or more imaging instructions accepted almost simultaneously, the issuer of any imaging instruction obtains an electronic image of a desired quality or equivalent quality. be able to. Thus, the imaging performance is improved.
[Example]

  The camera system of this embodiment includes one or more digital cameras 10 each configured as shown in FIG. 1 or 2 and one or more smartphones 50 each configured as shown in FIG. And formed by. Each of the digital camera 10 and the smartphone 50 has a short-range wireless communication function according to the AdHoc method or the Wi-FiDirect method. Note that the short-range wireless communication is executed by the communication I / F 42 shown in FIG. 1 or 2 and the communication I / F 64 shown in FIG.

  When the digital camera 10 and the smartphone 50 are turned on, the camera operation function of the smartphone 50 is activated, and the smartphone 50 is moved to the vicinity of the digital camera 10, live image data representing a scene photographed by the digital camera 10 is obtained. It is transferred to the smartphone 50 by short-range wireless communication (see FIG. 4). When a zoom operation is performed on the smartphone 50, a zoom instruction is given to the digital camera 10 by short-range wireless communication, and the zoom magnification is changed in response thereto. Further, when an imaging operation is performed on the smartphone 50, an imaging instruction is given to the digital camera 10 by short-range wireless communication. Still image data representing a scene at the time when an imaging instruction is given is transferred from the digital camera 10 to the smartphone 50 by short-range wireless communication.

  The digital camera 10 shown in FIG. 1 is assumed to be taken by a general consumer and photograph a desired scene at home or travel destination. In contrast, the digital camera 10 shown in FIG. 2 is assumed to be installed at a plurality of positions in a tourist spot such as a theme park and observe fixed points. Therefore, in comparison with the digital camera 10 shown in FIG. 1, the key input device 34, the LCD driver 28, and the LCD monitor 30 are omitted in the digital camera 10 shown in FIG.

  The digital camera 10 shown in FIG. 2 is mounted on a radio controlled car, a radio controlled airplane, a rock climber's helmet or an animal, or embedded in a ball for ball games in order to shoot an unusual scene. Also good. The digital camera 10 shown in FIG. 2 may also be installed in a refrigerator for managing cold objects, or attached to a security guard's flashlight for photographing the security area.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or 2, digital camera 10 includes a zoom lens 12, a focus lens 14, and a diaphragm mechanism 16 that are driven by drivers 20a, 20b, and 20c, respectively. The optical image that has passed through these members is irradiated onto the imaging surface of the imaging device 18 and subjected to photoelectric conversion. As a result, a charge representing the scene captured on the imaging surface is generated.

  The camera CPU 32 executes a plurality of tasks including a camera-side imaging control task, a camera-side display control task, a response processing task, a camera-side connection control task, and a camera-side communication control task in parallel on the multitask OS. It is. Control programs corresponding to these tasks are stored in the flash memory 40. The camera side display control task is omitted in the digital camera 10 shown in FIG.

  When the power is turned on, the camera side imaging control task instructs the driver 20d to repeat the exposure operation and the charge readout operation in order to start the moving image capturing process. In response to a vertical synchronization signal Vsync periodically generated from an SG (Signal Generator) (not shown), the driver 20d exposes the imaging surface and reads out the charges generated on the imaging surface in a raster scanning manner. From the imaging device 18, raw image data based on the read charges is periodically output.

  The camera processing circuit 22 performs processing such as color separation, white balance adjustment, and YUV conversion on the raw image data output from the imaging device 18, and the YUV format image data generated thereby is stored in the SDRAM 26 through the memory control circuit 24. Write in the YUV image area 26a.

  In the digital camera 10 shown in FIG. 1, the camera side display control task instructs the LCD driver 28 to start the moving image display process. The LCD driver 28 repeatedly reads out the image data stored in the YUV image area 26a through the memory control circuit 24, and drives the LCD monitor 30 based on the read image data. As a result, a live image representing a scene captured on the imaging surface is displayed on the monitor screen.

  The image data created by the camera processing circuit 22 is also given to the camera CPU 32. The camera-side imaging control task performs simple AE processing on the given image data to calculate an appropriate EV value, and sets the aperture amount and the exposure time that define the calculated appropriate EV value in the drivers 20c and 20d, respectively. As a result, the brightness of the image data is adjusted appropriately.

  When the zoom button 34z provided in the key input device 34 illustrated in FIG. 1 is operated, the camera side imaging control task instructs the driver 20a to execute the zoom process. The zoom lens 12 is moved in the zoom-in direction or the zoom-out direction by the driver 20a, thereby changing the magnification of the image data.

  When the shutter button 34 sh provided in the key input device 34 shown in FIG. 1 is operated, the camera side display control task instructs the LCD driver 28 to interrupt the moving image display process. As a result, the display on the LCD monitor 30 is updated from the live image to the black image.

  On the other hand, the camera-side imaging control task performs strict AE processing on the image data output from the camera processing circuit 22 to calculate the optimum EV value, and sets the aperture amount and exposure time defining the calculated optimum EV value to the driver 20c. And 20d, respectively. The brightness of the image data is adjusted to an optimum value. Subsequently, the camera-side imaging control task executes AF processing with reference to the high-frequency component of the image data output from the camera processing circuit 22. The focus lens 14 is placed at the focal point by the driver 20b, and thereby the sharpness of the image data is improved.

  When the AF process is completed, the camera-side imaging control task executes the still image capturing process and commands the memory I / F 36 to execute the recording process. One frame of image data representing the scene at the time when the AF process is completed is saved in the still image area 26b of the SDRAM 26 by the still image capturing process. The memory I / F 36 instructed to execute the recording process reads the image data saved in the still image area 26 b through the memory control circuit 24 and records an image file containing the read image data on the recording medium 38. .

  The camera-side display control task instructs the LCD driver 28 to resume the moving image display process after the recording process is completed. The LCD driver 28 resumes reading the image data stored in the YUV image area 26a, and as a result, the display on the LCD monitor 30 is returned to the live image.

  With reference to FIG. 3, smartphone 50 includes an antenna 52 for mobile communication and a wireless communication module. If the transmitted / received data is call voice data, the received voice is output from the speaker 56 and the transmitted voice is captured by the microphone 58. If the transmission / reception data is image data, this data is processed under the control of the smartphone CPU 60.

  The target image data is written into the SDRAM 68 through the memory control circuit 66. The LCD driver 70 reads the image data stored in the SDRAM 68 through the memory control circuit 66, and drives the LCD monitor 72 based on the read image data. As a result, a corresponding image is displayed on the monitor screen. A touch operation on the monitor screen is detected by a touch sensor 78. The detection result is given to the smartphone CPU 60, and different processes are executed under the control of the smartphone 60 according to the mode of the touch operation.

  The smartphone CPU 60 is also a processor that executes a plurality of tasks in parallel on the multitask OS. As tasks to be executed, a search processing task, a phone side connection control task, a phone side communication control task, a phone side display control task, and a phone side imaging control task are prepared. Control programs corresponding to these tasks are stored in the flash memory 62.

  In the smartphone 50, the search processing task executes a process for initializing the search register RGSTs and a process for issuing a response request shown in FIG. 6A every time a search cycle (= 10 seconds) arrives. The issued response request describes its own phone ID, and the response request is issued from the communication I / F 64 by the broadcast method.

  When the response request is received by the communication I / F 42 of the digital camera 10, the response processing task returns an ACK through the communication I / F 42. The returned ACK describes the camera ID for identifying itself and the requesting phone ID. The digital camera 10 belongs to one of a plurality of predefined groups, and a group ID for identifying the group to which the digital camera 10 belongs is assigned to the digital camera 10. This group ID is added to the camera ID described in ACK in an expanded manner.

  When the ACK describing its own phone ID is received by the communication I / F 64 of the smartphone 50, the search processing task extracts the camera ID described in the received ACK, and uses the extracted camera ID as the search register RGSTs. Register with. The group ID added to the camera ID in an expanded manner is registered in the search register RGSTs corresponding to the camera ID.

  When at least one camera ID is registered in the search register RGSTs in this way, the phone side connection control task instructs the LCD driver 70 to display the group menu. The LCD driver 70 detects one or more group IDs from the search register RGSTs, and displays the detected group IDs on the LCD monitor 72 as a group menu.

  When a touch operation (= group selection operation) for selecting one of the displayed group IDs is detected by the touch sensor 78, the phone side connection control task initializes the connection register RGSTc shown in FIG. And issues a connection request through the communication I / F 64. The issued connection request describes its own phone ID and specification information, and further describes one or more camera IDs described in the search register RGSTs corresponding to the selected group ID. As the specification information, for example, the resolution of the LCD monitor 72 is assumed.

  When the connection request issued from the smartphone 50 is received by the communication I / F 42 of the digital camera 10, the camera side connection control task executes an authentication process on the received connection request. If the connection with the requesting smartphone 50 is approved as a result of the authentication processing, the camera side connection control task transmits an ACK in which the camera ID of the camera and the requesting phone ID are described through the communication I / F 42. .

  Subsequently, the camera-side connection control task extracts the request source phone ID and specification information from the connection request, and registers the extracted phone ID and specification information in the register RGST1 shown in FIG. Furthermore, when the number of phone IDs registered in the register RGST1 is updated from “0” to “1”, the camera-side connection control task notifies other tasks of establishment of the connection with the smartphone 50.

  Upon receiving this notification, the camera-side display control task interrupts the display of the live image on the LCD monitor 30. The display on the LCD monitor 30 is updated from a live image to a black image in response to the connection with the smartphone 50.

  The camera side connection control task also issues a response request through the communication I / F 42 every time the confirmation cycle (= 5 seconds) arrives. The issued response request describes its own camera ID and one or more phone IDs registered in the register RGST1.

  When this response request is received by the communication I / F 64 of the smartphone 50, the phone side connection control task determines that the phone ID that matches its own phone ID and the camera that matches any camera ID registered in the connection register RGSTc. An ACK is returned only when the ID is described in the response request. The returned ACK describes its own phone ID and the requesting camera ID.

  In the digital camera 10, the camera-side connection control task refers to the reception status of the ACK returned in this way, and specifies the smartphone 50 that can no longer maintain the connection. The identified phone ID and specification information of the smartphone 50 are deleted from the register RGST1.

  As a result of the deletion, when the number of phone IDs registered in the register RGST1 is updated from “1” to “0”, the camera side connection control task notifies the other task of the release of the connection with the smartphone 50. Upon receiving this notification, the camera-side display control task resumes displaying the live image on the LCD monitor 30. The display on the LCD monitor 30 is updated from a black image to a live image in response to the release of the connection with the smartphone 50.

  A live image representing a scene captured by the digital camera 10 is displayed on the LCD monitor 72 of the connected smartphone 50 (details will be described later). When a disconnection operation specifying the displayed live image is performed, the phone side connection control task issues a disconnection request in which the camera ID for identifying the transmission source of the specified live image and its own phone ID are described. It transmits through communication I / F64. The camera ID that identifies the transmission source of the designated live image is then deleted from the connection register RGSTc.

  When the non-connection request issued from the smartphone 50 is received by the communication I / F 42 of the digital camera 10, the camera-side connection control task deletes the request source phone ID and specification information from the register RGST1. When the number of phone IDs registered in the register RGST1 is updated from “1” to “0”, the display of the live image on the LCD monitor 30 is resumed as described above.

  When at least one phone ID is registered in the register RGST1, the camera side communication control task instructs the communication I / F 42 to start the moving image transfer process. The camera-side communication control task also selects a specification representing the minimum quality from one or more specifications registered in the register RGST1, and sets the transfer image quality conforming to the selected specification in the communication I / F 42. The transfer quality set in the communication I / F 42 is updated every time the description of the register RGST1 is updated in the range where the number of registered camera IDs is “1” or more.

  The communication I / F 42 periodically reads the image data stored in the YUV image area 26a through the memory control circuit 24, and adjusts the quality of the read image data with reference to the transfer image quality set as described above. Then, the image data having the adjusted quality is transferred to the smartphone 50 as live image data. Note that the broadcast method is adopted as the transfer method. Further, one or more camera IDs registered in the register RGST1 are embedded in the live image data to be transferred. When the description of the register RGST1 is updated, the camera ID embedded in the live image data is also updated.

  Therefore, when the single digital camera 10 and the single smartphone 50 are connected to each other, the live image data is transferred from the digital camera 10 to the smartphone 50 in the manner shown in FIG. When the single digital camera 10 and each of the plurality of smartphones 50, 50,... Are connected to each other, the live image data is transferred from the digital camera 10 to the smartphone 50 in the manner shown in FIG.

  When at least one camera ID is registered in the connection register RGSTc, the phone side communication control task starts reception of live image data in which a camera ID matching the camera ID described in the connection register RGSTc is embedded. A corresponding command is given to the communication I / F 64. The phone side communication control task also measures the reception intensity of the live image data received by the communication I / F 64 (strictly, the intensity of the radio wave corresponding to the live image data) for each transmission source (= for each camera ID), The arrangement of the received live image data is determined for each transmission source (= each camera ID). According to the determined arrangement, the live image data is arranged in descending order of the measured reception intensity.

  The live image data received by the communication I / F 64 is given to the memory control circuit 66. The memory control circuit 66 writes the given live image data in the SDRAM 68 with reference to the arrangement determined in the above manner.

  The phone-side communication control task also detects the transmission source of live image data (= live image data that cannot be received) whose reception intensity is equal to or less than the reference every time the confirmation cycle (= 3 seconds) arrives. The camera ID that identifies the detected transmission source is deleted from the connection register RGSTc. The reception mode of the live image data by the communication I / F 64 reflects the description of the connection register RGSTs after the deletion process. The reception of live image data is stopped when the number of camera IDs registered in the connection register RGSTc is updated from “1” to “0”.

  When the reception of live image data is started by the phone side communication control task, the phone side display control task instructs the LCD driver 70 to start displaying the live image. The LCD driver 70 reads the live image data stored in the SDRAM 68 through the memory control circuit 66 and drives the LCD monitor 72 based on the read live image data. As a result, one or more live images are displayed on the monitor screen in the order according to the reception intensity.

  When an operation for selecting any one of the live images displayed on the LCD monitor 72 (= image selection operation) is performed, the phone side display control task instructs the LCD driver 70 to enlarge the selected live image. The LCD driver 70 executes processing according to the command, and as a result, the selected live image is enlarged. When the selection canceling operation is performed in the enlarged display state, the phone side display control task instructs the LCD driver 70 to end the enlarged display. The LCD driver 70 executes processing according to the command, and as a result, the size of the enlarged live image is returned to the original size.

  When the display of the live image is started by the phone-side display control task, the phone-side imaging control task starts accepting a zoom operation and an imaging operation. Here, the zoom operation corresponds to an operation of pinching in or out of a desired live image, and the imaging operation corresponds to an operation of touching the desired live image twice in succession.

  When a zoom operation is performed on a desired live image displayed on the LCD monitor 72, the phone side imaging control task issues a zoom instruction through the communication I / F 64. In the issued zoom instruction, zoom magnification information according to the pinch-in operation or pinch-out operation, the camera ID of the source of the desired live image, and the own phone ID are described.

  When the zoom instruction issued from the smartphone 50 is received by the communication I / F 42, the camera-side imaging control task determines that the camera ID described in the zoom instruction matches the own camera ID and the phone described in the zoom instruction. The zoom process is executed on the condition that the ID matches any phone ID registered in the register RGST1. The zoom lens 12 is moved in the zoom-in direction or the zoom-out direction by the driver 20a. As a result, the magnification of the desired live image displayed on the LCD monitor 72 of the smartphone 50 changes.

  When an imaging operation is performed on a desired live image displayed on the LCD monitor 72, the phone-side imaging control task issues an imaging instruction through the communication I / F 64. The issued imaging instruction describes the camera ID of the transmission source of the desired live image and the own phone ID (see FIG. 7). Further, the imaging instruction is transmitted to the digital camera 10 in the manner shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. The phone side imaging control task also instructs the LCD driver 70 to interrupt the display of a desired live image after issuing the imaging instruction. As a result, the desired live image is updated to a black image.

  By updating the display image from the live image to the black image, the user of the smartphone 50 can visually recognize that the imaging instruction has been issued. When the still image acquired from the digital camera 10 is displayed on the LCD monitor 70 for preview, if the display of the black image is omitted, the display on the LCD monitor 70 is updated from the live image to the still image, This may confuse the user of the smartphone 50. The display of the black image also brings an advantage of avoiding confusion of the user of the smartphone 50 when displaying a still image as a preview.

  When the imaging instruction issued from the smartphone 50 is received by the communication I / F 42, the camera-side imaging control task causes the camera ID described in the imaging instruction to match the own camera ID and the phone described in the imaging instruction. A series of processes including a strict AE process, an AF process, and a still image capturing process is executed on condition that the ID matches one of the phone IDs registered in the register RGST1.

  When the still image capturing process is completed, the camera side communication control task instructs the communication I / F 42 to transfer the still image data acquired thereby. The communication I / F 42 reads the still image data saved in the still image area 26b through the memory control circuit 24, and transfers the read still image data to the issuer of the imaging instruction. Here, the unicast method is adopted as the transfer method, and the phone ID of the issuer of the imaging instruction is embedded in the transferred still image data.

  When the still image data from the issue destination of the imaging instruction is received by the communication I / F 64, the phone side imaging control task instructs the memory I / F 74 to record the received still image data. The received still image data is recorded in the flash memory 74 in a file format by the memory I / F 74. When the recording is completed, the phone side imaging control task gives the LCD driver 70 resumption of display of the interrupted live image. As a result, display of a desired live image is resumed.

  When the shutter button 34sh is operated in a state where the digital camera 10 and the smartphone 50 are connected, the still image data acquired by the still image capturing process is recorded on the recording medium 38 by the memory I / F 42 ( (See FIG. 8).

  In relation to the processing of the camera CPU 32, the camera side imaging control task is configured as shown in FIG. 10, the camera side display control task is configured as shown in FIG. 11, and the response processing task is configured as shown in FIG. The camera side connection control task is configured as shown in FIGS. 13 to 14, and the camera side communication control task is configured as shown in FIGS. Here, the task priority decreases in the order of camera-side imaging control task → camera-side communication control task → camera-side display control task → response processing task → camera-side connection control task. As described above, the camera-side display control task shown in FIG. 11 is omitted in the digital camera 10 shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 10, in step S1, the moving image capturing process is started. As a result, raw image data representing a scene captured on the imaging surface is periodically output from the imaging device 18, and corresponding YUV format image data is periodically output from the camera processing circuit 22.

  In step S3, an imaging instruction (a camera ID that matches the camera ID of the camera and a phone ID that matches any phone ID registered in the register RGST1 is issued by operating the shutter button 34sh or from the smartphone 50). It is determined whether or not a logical sum condition that the communication I / F 42 is received) is satisfied. If a determination result is NO, it will progress to step S5 and will perform a simple AE process. As a result, the brightness of the image data output from the camera processing circuit 22 is adjusted appropriately.

  In step S7, the zoom button 34z is operated or a zoom instruction issued from the smartphone 50 (a camera ID that matches the own camera ID and a phone ID that matches any phone ID registered in the register RGST1). It is determined whether or not a logical OR condition that the communication I / F 42 is received) is satisfied. If the determination result is NO, the process directly returns to step S3, whereas if the determination result is YES, the zoom process is performed in step S9, and then the process returns to step S3. As a result of the zoom process, the zoom lens 12 moves in the zoom-in direction or the zoom-out direction, and the magnification of the image data output from the camera processing circuit 22 changes.

  If the decision result in the step S3 is YES, a strict AE process is executed in a step S11, and an AF process is executed in a step S13. The brightness of the image data is adjusted to an optimum value by the strict AE process, and the sharpness of the image data is improved by the AF process. When the process of step S13 is completed, a still image capturing process is executed in step S15. One frame of image data representing a scene at the time when AF processing is completed is saved as still image data from the YUV image area 26a to the still image area 26b.

  In step S17, it is determined whether or not the trigger for updating the determination result in step S3 from NO to YES is an operation of the shutter button 34sh. If the determination result is NO, that is, if the trigger is an imaging instruction from the smartphone 50, the process directly returns to step S3. On the other hand, if the determination result is YES, that is, if the trigger is an operation of the shutter button 34sh, the memory I / F 36 is commanded to execute the recording process in step S19.

  The memory I / F 36 reads the still image data saved in the still image area 26b through the memory control circuit 24 and records an image file containing the read still image data on the recording medium 38. When the recording process is completed, the process returns to step S3.

  Referring to FIG. 11, in step S21, the moving image display process is started. As a result, a live image representing a scene captured on the imaging surface is displayed on the LCD monitor 30. In step S23, it is determined whether or not the shutter button 34sh has been operated. In step S25, it is determined whether or not a connection with at least one smartphone 50 has been established. The determination process in step S25 is executed based on the notification issued in step S63 described later.

  When the determination result in step S23 is updated from NO to YES, the moving image display process is interrupted in step S27. The display on the LCD monitor 30 is updated from a live image to a black image. In step S29, it is determined whether or not the recording process in step S19 shown in FIG. 10 has been completed. When the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the moving image display process is restarted in step S31, and then the process returns to step S23.

  When the determination result in step S25 is updated from NO to YES, the moving image display process is interrupted in step S23. The display on the LCD monitor 30 is updated from a live image to a black image, as described above. In step S35, it is determined whether or not the connection with all the smartphones 50, 50,. This determination processing is executed based on the notification issued in step S77 described later. When the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the process returns to step S23 through the process of step S31.

  With reference to FIG. 12, it is discriminate | determined by step S41 whether the response request | requirement was received by communication I / F42. When the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the process proceeds to step S43, and ACK is returned through the communication I / F 42. The received response request describes the phone ID that identifies the requesting smartphone 50, and the ACK returned in step S43 describes the camera ID that identifies itself and the requesting phone ID. When the return process is completed, the process returns to step S41.

  The digital camera 10 belongs to one of a plurality of predefined groups, and a group ID for identifying the group to which the digital camera 10 belongs is assigned to the digital camera 10. This group ID is added to the camera ID described in ACK in step S43 in an expanded manner.

  Referring to FIG. 13, in step S <b> 51, it is determined whether or not a connection request issued from a neighboring smartphone 50 has been received by the communication I / F 42. In the connection request, specification information indicating the specification of the requesting smartphone 50 is described in addition to the requested camera ID and the requesting phone ID. If the decision result in the step S51 is YES, an authentication process is executed in a step S53. In step S55, it is determined whether or not the connection with the requesting smartphone 50 has been approved based on the result of the authentication process. If the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S51, whereas if the determination result is YES, step S57. Proceed to

  In step S57, an ACK describing its own camera ID and the requesting phone ID is transmitted through the communication I / F 42. In step S59, the request source phone ID and specification information are extracted from the connection request, and the extracted phone ID and specification information are registered in the register RGST1. In step S61, it is determined whether or not the number of phone IDs registered in the register RGST1 is “1”. If the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S51, whereas if the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S63. . In step S63, the establishment of the connection with the smartphone 50 is notified to other tasks. When the notification is completed, the process returns to step S51.

  If the decision result in the step S51 is NO, it is judged in a step S65 whether or not at least one phone ID is registered in the register RGST1. If a determination result is NO, it will return to Step S51, and if a determination result is YES, it will progress to Step S67.

  In step S <b> 67, it is determined whether or not a non-connection request issued from the connected smartphone 50 is received by the communication I / F 42. In the non-connection request, the request source phone ID and the request destination camera ID are described. Whether or not the requesting smartphone 50 is connected to itself is determined based on the description in the register RGST1 and the phone ID described in the non-connection request.

  If a determination result is YES, it will progress to step S69 and will delete phone ID and specification information of a request origin from register | resistor RGST1. In step S71, it is determined whether or not the number of phone IDs registered in the register RGST1 is “0”. If a determination result is NO, it will return to step S51 as it is. On the other hand, if a determination result is YES, it will progress to step S73 and will notify cancellation | release of the connection with the smart phone 50 to another task. When the notification is completed, the process returns to step S51.

  If the determination result in step S67 is NO, it is determined in step S75 whether or not a confirmation cycle (= 5 seconds) has come. If a determination result is YES, it will progress to step S77 and will issue a response request through communication I / F42. The issued response request describes its own camera ID and one or more phone IDs registered in the register RGST1.

  The smartphone 50 having the same phone ID as the phone ID described in the response request returns an ACK by the process of step S165 described later. In the returned ACK, the return source phone ID and the return destination camera ID are described. In step S79, referring to the reception status of the ACK returned in this manner, the smartphone 50 that cannot maintain the connection is specified. The identified phone ID and specification information of the smartphone 50 are deleted from the register RGST1 in step S69.

  With reference to FIG. 15, it is discriminate | determined by step S81 whether the connection with the at least 1 smart phone 50 was established. This determination process is executed based on the notification issued in step S63 described above. When the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the process proceeds to step S83 to command the communication I / F 42 to start the moving image transfer process. In step S85, a specification representing the minimum quality is selected from one or more specifications registered in the register RGTS1, and in step S87, a transfer image quality that conforms to the specification selected in step S85 is set in the communication I / F 42. To do.

  The communication I / F 42 periodically reads the image data stored in the YUV image area 26a through the memory control circuit 24, and adjusts the quality of the read image data with reference to the transfer image quality set in step S87. Then, the image data having the adjusted quality is transferred to the smartphone 50 as live image data. Note that the broadcast method is adopted as the transfer method. Further, one or more camera IDs registered in the register RGST1 are embedded in the live image data to be transferred. When the description of the register RGST1 is updated, the camera ID embedded in the live image data is also updated.

  In step S89, it is determined whether or not the description of the register RGST1 has been updated. In step S95, it is determined whether or not an imaging instruction has been given. Note that the imaging instruction to be noticed in step S95 is an instruction in which a camera ID that matches its own camera ID and a phone ID that matches any phone ID registered in the register RGST1 are described.

  If the determination result of step S89 is YES, it will be discriminate | determined based on the notification issued by the above-mentioned step S77 whether the connection with the smart phone 50 was cancelled | released. If a determination result is NO, it will return to Step S85, and if a determination result is YES, it will progress to Step S93. In step S93, the communication I / F 42 is commanded to stop moving image transfer processing, and then the process returns to step S81. As a result of the processing in step S93, the communication I / F 42 stops the broadcast transfer of live image data.

  When the determination result in step S95 is updated from NO to YES, it is determined in step S97 whether or not the above-described still image capturing process in step S15 is completed. When the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the process proceeds to step S99, and the communication I / F 42 is commanded to transfer the still image data to the issuer of the imaging instruction. The communication I / F 42 reads the still image data saved in the still image area 26b through the memory control circuit 24, and transfers the read still image data to the issuer of the imaging instruction. Here, the unicast method is adopted as the transfer method, and the phone ID that issued the imaging instruction is described in the transferred still image data. In step S101, it is determined whether or not the transfer of the still image data is completed. If the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the process returns to step S89.

  In relation to the processing of the smartphone CPU 60, the search processing task is configured as shown in FIG. 17, the phone side connection control task is configured as shown in FIGS. 18 to 19, and the phone side communication control task is shown in FIG. The phone-side display control task is configured as shown in FIG. 21, and the phone-side imaging control task is configured as shown in FIG.

  With reference to FIG. 17, it is discriminate | determined by step S111 whether the search period (= 10 second) came. When the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the search register RGSTs is initialized in step S113, and a response request describing its own phone ID is issued in step S115. The response request is issued in a broadcast manner through the communication I / F 64.

  In step S117, it is determined whether or not an ACK describing its own phone ID has been received by the communication I / F 64. In step S119, it is determined whether or not a timeout has occurred. If the determination result of step S119 is NO, it will return to step S117, and if the determination result of step S119 is YES, it will return to step S111.

  If the determination result in step S117 is YES, the return source ID described in the received ACK is extracted in step S121, and it is determined in step S123 whether or not the extracted return source ID is a camera ID. If a determination result is NO, it will return to step S117, and if a determination result is YES, it will progress to step S125. In step S125, the extracted camera ID is registered in the search register RGSTs. The group ID added to the camera ID in an expanded manner is registered in the register RGST2 corresponding to the camera ID. When registration is completed, the process returns to step S111.

  Referring to FIG. 18, in step S131, it is determined whether or not at least one camera ID is registered in search register RGSTs. If the determination result is YES, the LCD driver 70 is commanded to display a group menu in step S133. The LCD driver 70 detects one or more group IDs from the search register RGSTs, and displays the detected group IDs on the LCD monitor 72 as a group menu.

  In step S137, it is determined whether or not a touch operation (= group selection operation) for selecting any one of the displayed group IDs has been performed based on the output of the touch sensor 78. If the determination result is YES, step S137 is performed. While the process proceeds to S139, if the determination result is NO, the process returns to Step S131. If the determination result in step S131 is NO, the process advances to step S135 to instruct the LCD driver 70 to hide the group menu. As a result, the currently displayed group menu is hidden. When the process of step S135 is completed, the process returns to step S131.

  In step S139, the connection register RGSTc is initialized. In step S141, a connection request is issued through the communication I / F 64. The issued connection request describes its own phone ID and specification information, and further describes one or more camera IDs described in the search register RGSTs corresponding to the selected group ID. In step S143, it is determined whether or not an ACK describing its own phone ID has been received by the communication I / F 64. In step S145, it is determined whether or not a timeout has occurred. Note that the ACK noted in step S143 is an ACK returned in response to the connection request issued in step S141, and is distinguished from the ACK noted in step S117.

  If the determination result of step S145 is NO, it will return to step S143, and if the determination result of step S143 is YES, it will progress to step S147. In step S147, the camera ID described in the returned ACK is registered in the connection register RGSTc. Therefore, when a plurality of ACKs are returned in the period until timeout occurs, a plurality of camera IDs are registered in the connection register RGSTc.

  When the determination result in step S145 is updated from NO to YES, it is determined in step S149 whether or not at least one camera ID is registered in the connection register RGStc. If a determination result is NO, it will return to Step S131, and if a determination result is YES, it will progress to Step S151.

  In step S151, it is determined whether or not a disconnection operation has been performed. In step S159, it is determined whether or not the response request issued in step S77 described above has been received by the communication I / F 64. The non-connection operation is executed by designating one of one or two or more live images displayed on the LCD monitor 72 by processing in step S193 described later.

  If the determination result of step S151 is YES, it will progress to step S153 and will designate the digital camera 10 corresponding to the transmission source of the live image designated by the non-connection operation. In step S155, a non-connection request in which the camera ID of the designated digital camera 10 and its own phone ID are described is transmitted through the communication I / F 64. In step S157, the camera ID of the designated digital camera 10 is deleted from the connection register RGSTc. When the deletion is completed, the process returns to step S149.

  If the determination result in step S159 is YES, the camera ID described in the response request is detected in step S161. In step S163, it is determined whether or not the same camera ID as the detected camera ID is registered in the connection register RGSTc. If the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S149. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S165. move on. In step S165, an ACK describing its own phone ID and requesting camera ID is transmitted through the communication I / F 64. When the transmission is completed, the process returns to step S149.

  Referring to FIG. 20, in step S171, it is determined whether or not at least one camera ID is registered in connection register RGSTc. If the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the process proceeds to step S173. One or more digital cameras 10 registered in the connection register RGSTc start transmitting live image data through the process of step S83 described above. The transmitted camera ID is described in the transmitted live image data. In step S173, a corresponding command is sent to the communication I / F 64 in order to start receiving the live image data thus transmitted (live image data in which the camera ID matching the camera ID described in the connection register RGSTc is embedded). give.

  In step S175, the reception intensity of the live image data received by the communication I / F 64 (strictly, the intensity of the radio wave corresponding to the live image data) is measured for each transmission source (= each camera ID). In step S177, the arrangement of the received live image data is determined for each transmission source (= each camera ID). According to the determined arrangement, the live image data are arranged in descending order of the reception intensity measured in step S175.

  The live image data received by the communication I / F 64 is given to the memory control circuit 66. The memory control circuit 66 writes the given live image data in the SDRAM 68 with reference to the arrangement determined in step S177.

  In step S179, it is determined whether or not a confirmation cycle (= 3 seconds) has come. If the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S175, whereas if the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S181. In step S181, the digital camera 10 that transmits live image data whose reception intensity is equal to or lower than the reference (= live image data that cannot be received) is detected based on the measurement result in step S175. In step S183, the detected digital camera 10 camera is detected. The ID is deleted from the connection register RGSTc. The reception mode of the live image data by the communication I / F 64 reflects the description of the connection register RGSTs after the deletion process. In step S185, it is determined whether or not the number of camera IDs registered in the connection register RGSTc is “0”. If the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S175. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S187. move on. In step S187, the communication I / F 64 is instructed to stop receiving live image data, and then the process returns to step S171.

  Referring to FIG. 21, in step S191, it is determined whether or not reception of live image data is started by the process in step S173, and if the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the process proceeds to step S193. In step S193, a corresponding command is given to the LCD driver 70 to start displaying a live image. The LCD driver 70 reads the live image data stored in the SDRAM 68 through the memory control circuit 66 and drives the LCD monitor 72 based on the read live image data. As a result, one or more live images are displayed on the monitor screen in the order according to the reception intensity.

  In step S195, it is determined whether or not an image selection operation for selecting any one of the live images displayed on the monitor screen has been performed. If the determination result is NO, the process proceeds to step S203, and if the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S197. In step S197, the LCD driver 70 is instructed to enlarge the selected live image. The LCD driver 70 executes processing according to the command, and as a result, the selected live image is enlarged.

  In step S199, it is determined whether or not a selection canceling operation has been performed. If the determination result is NO, the process proceeds directly to step S203. If the determination result is YES, the LCD driver 70 is instructed to end enlargement display in step S201. To do. As a result of the processing in step S201, the size of the enlarged live image is returned to the original size. When the process of step S201 is completed, the process proceeds to step S203.

  In step S203, it is determined whether or not reception of live image data is stopped by the process of step S187. When the determination result is updated from NO to YES, the LCD driver 70 is commanded to stop displaying the live image in step S205, and then the process returns to step S191.

  Referring to FIG. 22, in step S <b> 211, it is determined whether or not live image display is started by the process of step S <b> 193. When the determination result is updated from NO to YES, it is determined whether or not an imaging operation has been performed in step S213, and whether or not a zoom operation has been performed is determined in step S215. Here, the imaging operation corresponds to an operation of touching a desired live image twice in succession. The zoom operation corresponds to an operation for pinching in or pinching out a desired live image.

  When the determination result in step S215 is updated from NO to YES, the process proceeds to step S217, and a zoom instruction is issued to the transmission source of the desired live image. The zoom instruction is issued through the communication I / F 64. The issued zoom instruction describes zoom magnification information corresponding to the pinch-in operation or pinch-out operation, the camera ID of the issue destination, and the own phone ID. When the process of step S217 is completed, the process returns to step S211.

  If the determination result in step S213 is YES, an imaging instruction is issued to a desired live image transmission source. The imaging instruction is issued through the communication I / F 64, and the issued camera ID and the own phone ID are described in the issued imaging instruction. In step S221, a command corresponding to the LCD driver 70 is given to interrupt the display of a desired live image.

  In step S223, it is determined whether or not still image data from the issue destination of the imaging instruction has been received by the communication I / F 64. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S225 to instruct the memory I / F 74 to record the received still image data. The received still image data is recorded in the flash memory 74 in a file format by the memory I / F 74. When the recording is completed, the process proceeds to step S227. In step S227, a corresponding command is given to the LCD driver 70 in order to resume the display of the live image interrupted by the process of step S221. When the process of step S227 is completed, the process returns to step S211.

  As can be understood from the above description, the imaging device 18 of the digital camera 10 outputs image data representing an optical image captured on the imaging surface. The shutter button 34sh is provided in the camera housing for accepting an imaging operation, and the communication I / F 42 is built in the digital camera 10 for accepting an imaging instruction from the smartphone 50 connected ad hoc. The camera CPU 32 acquires still image data in response to an operation of the shutter button 34sh or in response to an imaging instruction received by the communication I / F 42 (S3, S15). The camera CPU 32 also records the still image data acquired in response to the operation of the shutter button 34sh on the recording medium 38 (S19), and the still image acquired in response to the imaging instruction received by the communication I / F 42. Data is transferred to the outside (S97 to S99). As described above, the operability can be improved by executing different processes according to the trigger for acquiring the still image data.

  The camera CPU 32 also uniformly transmits (by broadcast method) live image data based on the raw image data output from the imaging device 18 to a plurality of smartphones 50, 50,... Existing around the digital camera 10. (S83). When still image data is acquired in response to an imaging instruction from any of the smartphones 50, the camera CPU 32 transmits the acquired still image data to the issuer of the imaging instruction in a special manner (unicast method) ( S97 ~ S99). By selecting different transmission methods according to the properties of the image data, the efficiency of communication processing can be improved.

  Note that, according to the processing in steps S75 to S79 and S69 shown in FIG. 14, the phone ID is deleted from the register RGST1 when communication between the digital camera 10 and the smartphone 50 becomes poor due to temporary deterioration of the communication environment. Will be. Such a situation can be avoided by repeatedly issuing a response request and deleting the phone ID from the register RGST1 when no ACK is returned for any response request.

  In this embodiment, still image data acquired in response to an imaging instruction issued from the smartphone 50 is transmitted to the issuer of the imaging instruction. You may make it transmit to the different smart phone 50. FIG. In this case, preferably, a camera ID indicating a transmission destination of still image data is described in the imaging instruction.

  Further, in this embodiment, the multitask OS and control programs corresponding to a plurality of tasks executed thereby are stored in advance in the flash memories 40 and 62, respectively. However, a part of the control program may be prepared as an internal control program in each of the flash memories 40 and 62 from the beginning, while another part of the control program may be acquired from the external server as an external control program. In this case, the external control program is acquired through each of the communication I / Fs 42 and 64. Further, the above-described operation is realized by cooperation of the internal control program and the external control program.

  In this embodiment, the process executed by each of the camera CPU 32 and the smartphone CPU 60 is divided into a plurality of tasks as described above. However, each task may be further divided into a plurality of small tasks, and a part of the divided plurality of small tasks may be integrated with other tasks. Further, when each task is divided into a plurality of small tasks, all or part of the tasks may be acquired from an external server.

Furthermore, the camera system of this embodiment can be modified as follows. Further, the following twenty-four modifications and the above-described embodiments may be integrated into one modification within a consistent range. In other words, a modification in which the following 24 modifications and the above-described embodiment are integrated within a consistent range corresponds to the 25th modification.
[Modification 1]

A plurality of digital cameras 10, 10,... Are installed in a sightseeing spot, and the smartphone 50 is carried by a traveler who has visited this sightseeing spot. Each digital camera 10 is provided with an LED. The LCD monitor 72 of the smartphone 50 displays one or more camera IDs that identify each connectable digital camera 10 at a stage before connection. When one of the displayed camera IDs is selected by a traveler's operation, the LED of the digital camera 10 corresponding to the selected camera ID emits light. The digital camera 10 to be connected can be confirmed before connection, and the operability is improved.
[Modification 2]

The plurality of digital cameras 10, 10,... Have different specifications (imaging mode, live image data frame rate, still image data resolution, optical zoom magnification, electronic zoom capability, ISO sensitivity, white balance type, camera shake function, etc. And is present in a state where it can be connected to the smartphone 10. When initially connected to the smartphone 50, each digital camera 10 transmits its specification information to the smartphone 50. The smartphone 50 identifies the highest quality setting that can be set by any of the plurality of connected digital cameras 10, 10,..., And requests the plurality of digital cameras 10, 10,. As a result, common and high-quality live image data can be received from the plurality of digital cameras 10, 10,.
[Modification 3]

A single digital camera 10 is connected to a plurality of smart phones 50, 50,. The digital camera 10 is provided with an LED. The LED emission mode (= flashing period and / or emission color) is adjusted to be different depending on the number of smartphones 50, 50... Connected to the digital camera 10. The connection status (= congestion degree) of the smartphone 50 can be grasped using the LED light emission mode as a clue.
[Modification 4]

  When an imaging operation is performed toward the smartphone 50 connected to the digital camera 10, time information, position information, and altitude information at the time of the operation are detected by the smartphone 50. The detected time information, position information, and altitude information are described in an imaging instruction issued in response to the imaging operation. The digital camera 10 that has received the imaging instruction assigns time information, position information, and altitude information described in the imaging instruction to still image data created in response to the imaging instruction. There is no need to provide a clock circuit, a GPS device, and an altimeter in the digital camera 10.

Further, even when shooting environment information such as the orientation of the smartphone 50 at the time when the imaging operation is performed and the weather at the shooting location is detected using the function of the smartphone 50, the detected shooting environment information is described in the imaging instruction. Good. In this case, the shooting environment information described in this way is additionally allocated to the still image data.
[Modification 5]

The digital camera 10 is provided with a clock circuit that measures the local time. The local time measured by the clock circuit is assigned to the still image data created in response to the operation of the shutter button 34sh. When the digital camera 10 is connected to the smartphone 50, the standard time detected by the smartphone 50 is notified to the digital camera 10. The digital camera 10 calculates a difference between the notified local time and the notified standard time, and corrects the local time assigned to the still image data based on the calculated difference. As a result, a standard time is assigned to the still image data.
[Modification 6]

The smartphone 10 is connected to a plurality of digital cameras 10, 10,... Having different optical system specifications (aperture setting range, focus adjustment range, zoom magnification variable range). Each digital camera 10 notifies the smartphone 10 of optical system specifications and optical settings (aperture amount, number of focus steps, and number of zoom steps). The notification of the optical setting is executed every time the optical setting is changed. The smartphone 10 displays the notified specifications and optical settings on the LCD monitor 72 in a manner that allows comparison between cameras. The operability when adjusting the optical settings of the connected digital camera 10 is improved. As for the diaphragm, more preferably, the structure of the diaphragm mechanism such as the number of diaphragm blades and the shape of the diaphragm is additionally notified to the smartphone 50 as part of the specifications of the optical system.
[Modification 7]

As a zoom operation on the smartphone 50, an operation of defining a desired rectangular frame on the live image displayed on the LCD monitor 72 by a touch operation is assumed. If the rectangular frame defined by the touch operation has a distortion, the distortion is corrected to define an accurate rectangular frame. The zoom instruction issued to the digital camera 10 describes zoom magnification information for enlarging a part of the live image belonging to the rectangular frame thus defined. This improves the operability related to zooming.
[Modification 8]

Assume that a plurality of smartphones 50, 50,... Are connected to a single digital camera 10. The digital camera 10 assigns an identification number according to the connection order to each connected smartphone 50. The identification number assigned to the destination smartphone 50 is added to the live image data transferred from the digital camera 10 to each smartphone 50. In the live image displayed on the LCD monitor 72 of the smartphone 50, outer frame characters having different colors are multiplexed according to the identification numbers added in this way.
[Modification 9]

Assuming that a plurality of live images respectively transmitted from the plurality of digital cameras 10 are displayed on the LCD monitor 72, when any one of the live images is touched, the display of the touched live image is interrupted. Other live images are enlarged using the space secured by the interruption. As a result, it is possible to suppress the load applied to live image communication and to effectively use the LCD monitor 72.
[Modification 10]

  Assume that a plurality of smartphones 50, 50,... Are connected to a single digital camera 10. Each smartphone 50 notifies the digital camera 10 of imaging conditions (white balance, image finishing, image size, etc.) of the digital camera 10.

The digital camera 10 manages the notified imaging conditions for each smartphone 50. For example, for a certain smartphone 50, white balance: auto / image finishing: vivid / compressed image size: 16 MB, and for other smartphones 50, white balance: sunlight / image finishing: landscape / compressed image size: 2M Management that uses bytes is considered. When an imaging instruction is issued from any of the smartphones 50, the digital camera 10 acquires still image data with quality according to the imaging conditions notified from the issuing smartphone 50. Thereby, the quality of still image data can be adjusted adaptively.
[Modification 11]

When the digital camera 10 is connected to the smartphone 50, the battery consumption of the digital camera 10 increases as compared to when the digital camera 10 is not connected. Based on this, the digital camera 10 periodically transmits the remaining battery level to the connected smartphone 50, and further releases the connection with the smartphone 50 when the remaining battery level falls below the reference. Note that when the remaining amount of the battery increases due to charging, the digital camera 10 tries to connect to the smartphone 50 or accepts a connection request from the smartphone 50. On the other hand, the smartphone 50 connected to the digital camera 10 displays the remaining battery level transmitted from the digital camera 10 on the LCD monitor 72, and the smartphone 50 is operated to release the connection with the digital camera 10 according to the remaining battery level. Encourage people.
[Modification 12]

In response to detection of anomalies in the vicinity of the digital camera 10 (input of an alarm from an alarm device, detection of movement in the visual field of the digital camera 10, change in surrounding sounds, detection of a specific subject such as a suspicious person or animal) Alternatively, the quality (frame rate and resolution) of live image data transferred from the digital camera 10 to the smartphone 50 is adjusted according to the time zone. The quality of the live image can be controlled adaptively.
[Modification 13]

It is assumed that a plurality of live images respectively transmitted from a plurality of digital cameras 10 are multi-displayed on the LCD monitor 72 of a single smartphone 50. When a touch operation or a pinch-in / out operation is simultaneously performed on at least two displayed live images, an imaging instruction or a zoom instruction is simultaneously issued to the transmission sources of the operated at least two live images. This improves operability.
[Modification 14]

  It is assumed that the live image transmitted from the digital camera 10 is displayed on the LCD monitor 72 of the smartphone 50, and the imaging operation is received in two stages on the displayed live image. Here, the first stage operation corresponds to an operation for instructing execution of the strict AE process and the AF process, and the second stage operation corresponds to an operation for instructing execution of a still image capturing process.

The digital camera 10 increases the quality (frame rate and resolution) of the live image data when receiving an instruction in response to the first-stage operation, and based on the quality of the live image data after the acquisition of the still image data is completed. return. This improves the visibility of the subject during the period from the first stage operation to the second stage operation.
[Modification 15]

Assume that one or more smartphones 50 are connected to the digital camera 10. At this time, the connectable smartphone 50 is limited to the smartphone 50 of the user who is within the field of view of the digital camera 10. Thereby, the operation of the digital camera 10 can be opened to only some users. The limitation is performed by the following method.
(Method 1)
Procedure 1: The smart phone 50 registers a user's face image.
Procedure 2: The smartphone 50 adds the registered face image to the connection request transmitted to the digital camera 10.
Procedure 3: The digital camera 10 searches a face part that matches the face image added to the connection request from the visual field, and establishes a connection with the requesting smartphone 50 when the matching face part is detected.
(Method 2)
Procedure 1: The smartphone 10 issues a connection request to the digital camera 50.
Procedure 2: The digital camera 10 transmits an authentication code such as a QR code (registered trademark) or a light emission pattern code to the smartphone 50.
Procedure 3: The smartphone 50 outputs the received authentication code. If the authentication code is a QR code (registered trademark), a QR code (registered trademark) image is displayed on the LCD monitor 72. If the authentication code is a light emission pattern code, the LED is blinked with a specific light emission pattern.
Procedure 4: The digital camera 10 establishes a connection with the smartphone 50 when the authentication code is detected from the visual field (when a QR code (registered trademark) image or a specific light emission pattern appears in the visual field).
[Modification 16]

  Assume that a plurality of digital cameras 10,... Are connected to a single smartphone 50. When the batch zoom-in operation or the batch zoom-out operation is continuously performed on the smartphone 50, the smartphone 50 continuously issues a zoom-in instruction or a zoom-out instruction to each digital camera 10.

  However, the zoom magnification may be different between cameras before the batch zoom-in operation or the batch zoom-out operation is accepted (for example, the zoom magnification of a certain digital camera 10 is set to 3.0 times, and other zoom magnification is different). (When the zoom magnification of the digital camera 10 is set to 2.0). Based on this, a zoom-in instruction or a zoom-out instruction is issued as follows.

  If the accepted operation is a batch zoom-in operation, the zoom-in instruction is issued in advance to the digital camera 10 set to a low zoom magnification. If the accepted operation is a batch zoom-out operation, a zoom-out instruction is issued in advance to the digital camera 10 set to a high zoom magnification. Thus, when the difference in zoom magnification is resolved, a zoom-in instruction or a zoom-out instruction is issued to all the digital cameras 10 simultaneously.

When the zoom specifications are different between cameras, the zoom-in instruction or zoom-out instruction issuance period is adjusted so that the zoom magnification fluctuation amount per unit time is the same between the cameras.
[Modification 17]

  A plurality of smartphones 50, 50,... Are connected to the digital camera 10. The digital camera 10 acquires still image data in response to an imaging instruction issued from any of the smartphones 50, and creates screen nail image data based on the acquired still image data. At this time, the digital camera 10 adjusts the resolution of the screen nail image data with reference to the specification of the smartphone 50 that issued the imaging instruction. As a result, the resolution of the screen nail image data increases as the resolution of the LCD monitor 72 provided in the smartphone 50 increases, and decreases as the resolution of the LCD monitor 72 provided in the smartphone 50 decreases.

Note that the live image data may be transmitted to each smartphone 50 by the unicast method, and the resolution of the transmitted live image data may be adjusted according to the specification of the destination smartphone 50.
[Modification 18]

A plurality of smartphones 50, 50,... Are connected to the digital camera 10. When an imaging instruction is given from any one of the smartphones 50 to the digital camera 10, the digital camera 10 accepts an imaging instruction from another smartphone 50 for a predetermined time (= for example, 1 second) thereafter. The digital camera 10 transmits the still image data acquired in response to the first imaging instruction to the other smartphones 50 that issued the imaging instruction at a predetermined time after that in addition to the smartphone 50 that issued the first imaging instruction. To do.
[Modification 19]

As an imaging mode set in the digital camera 10, a manual mode and an auto mode are prepared. The manual mode corresponds to a mode in which the imaging conditions are adjusted according to a user operation on the smartphone 50, and the auto mode corresponds to a mode in which the imaging conditions are adjusted uniformly. When a single smartphone 50 is connected to the digital camera 10, the digital camera 10 permits the smartphone 50 to switch the imaging mode between the manual mode and the auto mode. On the other hand, when a plurality of smartphones 50, 50,... Are connected to the digital camera 10, the digital camera 10 prohibits switching of the imaging mode and selects the auto mode fixedly.
[Modification 20]

It is assumed that a plurality of digital cameras 10 capture a common scene, or a single digital camera 10 and a smartphone 50 having a camera function capture a common scene. At this time, imaging settings such as resolution are adjusted between the digital camera 10 and / or the smartphone 50 capturing a common scene. Three-dimensional image data representing a common scene is created based on image data output from the digital camera 10 and / or the smartphone 50 after such adjustment processing.
[Modification 21]

A plurality of digital cameras 10 are installed in a sightseeing spot, and a smartphone 50 is carried by a traveler who has visited the sightseeing spot. When the smartphone 50 is connected to at least one digital camera 10, each digital camera 10 takes an image at an optimal timing and / or angle of view, and the still image data acquired thereby is sent to the traveler's smartphone 50. Send. The optimal timing and / or angle of view also includes the timing and / or angle of view at which the traveler is captured.
[Modification 22]

A single digital camera 10 and a single smartphone 50 are connected to each other. When the shutter button 34sh of the digital camera 10 is operated and at the same time an imaging operation is performed on the smartphone 50, on condition that the digital camera 10 is moving (someone has the digital camera 10 in hand), The operation of the shutter button 34sh is accepted with priority. The digital camera 10 notifies the smartphone 50 that the imaging operation is prohibited or restricted.
[Modification 23]

  A single digital camera 10 and each of the plurality of smartphones 50, 50,... Are connected to each other. In an imaging instruction issued from a certain smartphone 50, a desired URL or address is described as transmission destination information. Still image data acquired by the digital camera 10 in response to the imaging instruction is captured by relaying any one of a plurality of smartphones 50, 50,... Connected to the digital camera 10 or other communication devices. It is sent to the desired URL or address described in the instruction.

More preferably, in the imaging instruction, the smartphone 50 or the communication device to be relayed is described as relay device information. Still image data acquired by the digital camera 10 in response to an imaging instruction is transmitted to a desired URL or address via a relay device described in the imaging instruction.
[Modification 24]

  When an imaging instruction is issued almost simultaneously from each of the plurality of smartphones 50, 50,..., The digital camera 10 executes a strict AE process, an AF process, and a still image capturing process in response to the first imaging instruction. The still image data acquired in this way is transferred to the issuer of other imaging instructions received until the completion of the still image acquisition process in addition to the issuer of the first imaging instruction.

  In addition to the still image data, the notification is transferred to the issuer of the second and subsequent imaging instructions. The smartphone 50 that has received the notification notifies the operator that the still image data created in accordance with the imaging instruction issued from the other smartphone 50 has been received.

  Further, when a zoom instruction is issued from any smartphone 50 between the issuance of the first imaging instruction and the completion of the still image capturing process, the zoom process according to the zoom instruction is performed after the still image capturing process is completed. Executed.

  That is, when a plurality of imaging instructions and a single zoom instruction (zoom instruction: an example of instructions with different imaging instructions) are issued almost simultaneously, the processing according to the imaging instruction other than the first imaging instruction is omitted, while zooming The process according to the instruction is executed with a lower priority than the process according to the imaging instruction.

  At this time, a series of processing from when the first imaging instruction is received until the transfer of the still image data is completed is executed as shown in FIG.

  In order to realize such processing, the flowchart shown in FIG. 16 is partially modified as shown in FIGS. 24 to 25, and the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 is partially modified as shown in FIG. The flow diagram shown in FIG. 22 is partially modified as shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 24, in step S301, the issuer of the first imaging instruction (detected in step S95 shown in FIG. 15) is identified with reference to the phone ID described in the imaging instruction, and in step S303, a still image is captured. Issue instructions to the imaging control task. In step S305, it is determined whether still image data has been acquired under the imaging control task. In step S307, it is determined whether an imaging instruction issued from another smartphone 50 has been received by the communication I / F 42.

  If the determination result in step S305 is NO and the determination result in step S307 is YES, the process proceeds to step S309, and the issuer of the imaging instruction detected in step S307 is referred to the phone ID described in the imaging instruction. Identify. When the issuer is specified, the process returns to step S305. If the determination result of step S305 is updated to YES, it will progress to step S311.

  In step S311, the total number of imaging instructions detected in steps S95 and S307 is set to the maximum value Kmax, and in step S313, the variable K is set to “1”. In step S315, the communication I / F 42 is commanded to transfer still image data to the issuer of the Kth imaging instruction. The communication I / F 42 reads the still image data saved in the still image area 26b through the memory control circuit 24, and transfers the read still image data to the issuer of the K-th imaging instruction by the unicast method.

  In step S317, it is determined whether or not the variable K is “2” or more. If the determination result is NO, the process proceeds directly to step S321. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S321 through step S319. . In step S319, the communication I / F 42 is commanded to transfer notification to the issuer of the K-th imaging instruction. The notification is transferred to the issuer of the K-th imaging instruction by the unicast method.

  In step S321, it is determined whether or not the transfer of the still image data (and notification) has been completed. When the determination result is updated from NO to YES, it is determined in step S323 whether or not the variable K has reached the maximum value Kmax. If the variable K is less than the maximum value Kmax, NO is determined in step S323, the variable K is incremented in step S325, and the process returns to step S315. On the other hand, if the variable K corresponds to the maximum value Kmax, the process returns from step S323 to step S89.

  Referring to FIG. 26, in step S331 following step S1, it is determined whether or not the OR condition that the shutter button 34sh is operated or the still image capturing instruction is issued in step S303 described above is satisfied. . If the determination result is NO, the process proceeds to step S5, whereas if the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S11.

  Referring to FIG. 27, when the process of step S225 is completed, it is determined in step S341 whether a notification is received by communication I / F 64, and whether a timeout has occurred is determined in step S343. If the determination result of step S343 is YES, it will progress to step S227 as it is. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S341 is YES, a notification that still image data created according to the imaging instruction issued from the other smartphone 50 has been received is output in step S345, and then step The process proceeds to S227.

  As described above, when the first imaging instruction issued from the smartphone 50 is received (S95, S301), the camera CPU 32 responds to the imaging instruction in the YUV format based on the raw image data output from the imaging device 18. Still image data is acquired (S303, S331, S11 to S15). The camera CPU 32 also accepts an imaging instruction issued from another smartphone 50 during a period from reception of the first imaging instruction to completion of acquisition of still image data (S305 to S309). The camera CPU 32 executes one or more transfer processes corresponding to the one or more imaging instructions received in this way for the still image data acquired as described above (S311 to S315, S321 to S325). ).

  Limiting the number of acquisitions of still image data for one or more imaging instructions received substantially simultaneously to one reduces the load on the acquisition process of still image data. In addition, by acquiring still image data in response to the first imaging instruction, response characteristics to the imaging instruction are improved. Also, by transferring the acquired still image data to one or two or more imaging instruction issuers that are accepted almost simultaneously, still image data of the quality desired by or equivalent to the issuer of any imaging instruction is issued. Can be obtained. Thus, the imaging performance is improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Digital camera 18 ... Imaging device 22 ... Camera processing circuit 30, 72 ... LCD monitor 32 ... Camera CPU
38, 76 ... recording medium 40, 62 ... flash memory 42, 64 ... communication I / F
50 ... Smartphone 60 ... Smartphone CPU

Claims (10)

An imaging means for outputting an electronic image representing an optical image captured on the imaging surface;
First receiving means for receiving an imaging instruction issued from an external device;
An acquisition means for acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to an imaging instruction received by the first receiving means;
A second receiving unit that receives an imaging instruction issued from another external device during a period from reception of the first receiving unit to completion of the processing of the acquiring unit; and the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit An electronic camera comprising transfer means for executing one or more transfer processes corresponding to one or more accepted imaging instructions with respect to the electronic image acquired by the acquisition means.   The electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising notification means for transferring notification to an issuer of an imaging instruction received by the second reception means.   2. The zoom processing unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a zoom processing unit that executes zoom processing according to a zoom instruction received during a period from reception of the first reception unit to completion of processing of the acquisition unit after completion of processing of the acquisition unit. 2. The electronic camera according to 2. The imaging instruction received by each of the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit includes transfer destination information,
The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit executes the transfer process with reference to the transfer destination information. Further comprising connection means for connecting to the external device based on a connection request from the external device;
5. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein each of the first reception unit and the second reception unit receives the imaging instruction in connection with processing of the connection unit.   The electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer unit that transfers an electronic image output from the imaging unit to the external device during a period prior to reception by the first reception unit. In a processor of an electronic camera including an imaging unit that outputs an electronic image representing an optical image captured on an imaging surface,
A first receiving step for receiving an imaging instruction issued from an external device;
An acquisition step of acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to the imaging instruction received by the first receiving step;
A second accepting step for accepting an imaging instruction issued from another external device during a period from the acceptance of the first accepting step to the completion of the process of the obtaining step, and the first accepting step and the second accepting step An imaging control program for executing a transfer step of executing one or more transfer processes corresponding to one or more accepted imaging instructions with respect to the electronic image acquired by the acquisition step. An imaging control method executed by an electronic camera including an imaging unit that outputs an electronic image representing an optical image captured on an imaging surface,
A first receiving step for receiving an imaging instruction issued from an external device;
An acquisition step of acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to the imaging instruction received by the first receiving step;
A second accepting step for accepting an imaging instruction issued from another external device during a period from the acceptance of the first accepting step to the completion of the process of the obtaining step, and the first accepting step and the second accepting step An imaging control method, comprising: a transfer step of executing one or more transfer processes corresponding to one or more accepted imaging instructions with respect to the electronic image acquired by the acquiring step. An external control program supplied to an electronic camera comprising an imaging means for outputting an electronic image representing an optical image captured on an imaging surface, and a processor for executing processing according to an internal control program stored in a memory,
A first receiving step for receiving an imaging instruction issued from an external device;
An acquisition step of acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to the imaging instruction received by the first receiving step;
A second accepting step for accepting an imaging instruction issued from another external device during a period from the acceptance of the first accepting step to the completion of the process of the obtaining step, and the first accepting step and the second accepting step The processor, in cooperation with the internal control program, performs a transfer step of executing one or more transfer processes corresponding to one or more accepted imaging instructions on the electronic image acquired by the acquiring step. An external control program to be executed. An imaging means for outputting an electronic image representing an optical image captured on the imaging surface;
An electronic camera comprising a capturing unit that captures an external control program, and a processor that executes processing according to the external control program captured by the capturing unit and the internal control program stored in a memory,
The external control program is
A first receiving step for receiving an imaging instruction issued from an external device;
An acquisition step of acquiring an electronic image from the imaging means in response to the imaging instruction received by the first receiving step;
A second accepting step for accepting an imaging instruction issued from another external device during a period from the acceptance of the first accepting step to the completion of the process of the obtaining step, and the first accepting step and the second accepting step A transfer step is executed in cooperation with the internal control program to execute one or two or more transfer processes corresponding to the accepted one or two or more imaging instructions for the electronic image acquired by the acquisition step. An electronic camera equivalent to a program.

Images