JP2015192227A - Imaging apparatus, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus capable of adding a time code in which there is no overlap in frames, to a moving image of a frame rate to add the same time code to a plurality of frames.SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus generates a time code that is peculiar for each frame of a moving image, and outputs image data of the frames and the time codes. The imaging apparatus generates a time code having a predetermined format and time codes having formats formed from identification information and for frames of the moving image having the same time code of the predetermined format, the imaging apparatus generates time codes with different identification information.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, a control method therefor, and a program, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus that records a moving image, a control method therefor, and a program.

  The performance of an imaging apparatus capable of recording a moving image such as a video camera is constantly improving, and the amount of information that can be recorded per unit time is increasing. Thereby, for example, an HD (High Definition) or 4K (4096 × 2160 pixel) resolution image is recorded, or recording at a frame rate higher than the reproduction frame rate is realized.

  The frame rate for viewing a moving image in normal playback (so-called 1 × speed playback) is 24 frames / second originating from a film movie, 29.97 frames / second based on the TV broadcasting standard, and recent digital televisions, etc. There are 60 frames / second, etc., for which the correspondence proceeds. On the other hand, a technique (overcrank shooting) that captures and records images at a higher frame rate than that during reproduction is known. For example, by recording a moving image at a high frame rate such as 240 frames / second and performing slow playback at a low frame rate, it is possible to easily recognize a phenomenon that occurs in a short time that is difficult for human eyes to see. .

  Hierarchical coding is known as a method for compressing a high frame rate moving image. In hierarchical encoding, a moving image having a high frame rate is encoded by being layered into basic hierarchical data, first hierarchical data, and second hierarchical data, for example. When decoding a moving image encoded by hierarchical encoding in this way, it is possible to obtain decoded moving images having different frame rates by controlling the decoding hierarchy. For example, when only the basic layer data is decoded, a decoded moving image with a low frame rate is obtained and when a basic layer data, the first layer data, and the second layer data are decoded, a high frame rate decoded moving image is obtained.

  By the way, in an imaging apparatus such as a video camera, a time code is added to a recorded moving image and recorded (Patent Document 1). Generally, the time code standardized by SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) is used. The time code is composed of hours, minutes, seconds, and frames, and a time code can be added up to a frame rate of 60 frames / second by using a frame stepped up to 30 frames and a field identification flag.

JP 2013-55590 A

  As described above, in the time code conforming to the SMPTE standard that is generally used at present, the upper limit of the frame rate at which an individual time code can be assigned to a frame is 60 frames / second. Therefore, there are a plurality of frames having the same time code in a moving image shot at a frame rate higher than 60 frames / second.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and is capable of adding a time code that does not overlap each frame to a moving image having a frame rate in which the same time code is added to a plurality of frames. An object is to provide an apparatus, a control method, and a program.

  In order to solve this problem, for example, an imaging apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, for each frame of a moving image, an imaging device having a generation unit that generates a unique time code, an output unit that outputs image data of each frame, and a time code, and the generation unit includes: A time code having a format composed of a time code in a predetermined format and identification information, and a frame having a same time code in a predetermined format unique to each frame of the moving image Is characterized in that it generates a time code with different identification information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to add a time code that does not overlap each frame to a moving image having a frame rate in which the same time code is added to a plurality of frames.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a digital video camera as an example of an imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows simply the structure of the standardized time code and the structure of the extended time code based on this invention The figure which shows the example of the time code added to each flame | frame of the moving image which performed hierarchical encoding, and each flame | frame 6 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for generating a time code according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for stepping a time code according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the container structure for recording a time code and image data The figure explaining the outline | summary of the process which displays a time code at the time of reproduction | regeneration which concerns on Embodiment 1 7 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for displaying a time code during reproduction according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a digital video camera as an example of an imaging apparatus according to a second embodiment. The flowchart which shows a series of processes which produce | generate the time code for transmission based on Embodiment 2, and the figure which shows the example of the extended information used for transmission

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is applied to a digital video camera as an example of an imaging apparatus will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to a digital video camera and can be applied to any device capable of recording or reproducing a moving image. These devices may include, for example, mobile phones, game machines, tablet terminals, personal computers, and the like.

(1 Configuration of digital video camera)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of a digital video camera 100 as an example of an imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. One or more of the functional blocks shown in FIG. 1 may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC or a programmable logic array (PLA), or may be realized by a programmable processor such as a CPU or MPU executing software. May be. Further, it may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. Therefore, in the following description, even when different functional blocks are described as the operation subject, the same hardware can be realized as the subject.

  Each functional block shown in FIG. 1 is connected to a control unit 101, and the control unit 101 controls the entire system of the digital video camera 100 by transmitting and receiving data to and from each other. The control unit 101 develops and executes the program recorded in the ROM 104 in the RAM 105, thereby controlling each component and executing processing related to generation of a time code for a moving image, which will be described later.

  The ROM 104 is a nonvolatile recording medium and stores a program executed by the control unit 101. The RAM 105 is a volatile recording medium used as a work memory for the control unit 101. The RAM 105 is also used for temporarily storing image data captured by the image capturing unit 102 and processed by the image processing unit 103 when the image data is displayed on the display unit 106.

  The imaging unit 102 includes a photographic lens (including a zoom lens and a focus lens) and an imaging element, images a subject based on control by the control unit 101, and outputs still image data or moving image data. The imaging element is an image sensor that has a configuration in which a plurality of pixels each having a photoelectric conversion element are two-dimensionally arranged and photoelectrically converts a subject optical image formed by a photographing lens by each pixel.

  The image processing unit 103 performs image processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation, correction processing, resizing processing, and color conversion processing on the image data output from the imaging unit 102. In addition, the image processing unit 103 performs a predetermined calculation process on the image data and outputs a calculation result to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 performs various controls (exposure control, auto white balance control, etc.) on the imaging unit 102 based on the obtained calculation result. Further, the image processing unit 103 outputs the image data subjected to the image processing to the image compression unit 108.

  The display unit 106 displays various setting states, images captured by the imaging unit 102 (live view images and moving images being recorded), or image data reproduced from the recording medium 110 based on control by the control unit 101. indicate. As will be described later, the display unit 106 can also display a time code when displaying the reproduced image data. The display unit 106 is configured as, for example, a display in a view-type finder, a vari-angle liquid crystal monitor, or the like.

  The operation unit 107 includes a power switch for supplying power to the digital video camera 100, a shooting start button, a mode switching button, and the like. For example, a menu screen is used for various operations related to imaging and recording such as a frame rate. Accept through etc. The operation unit 107 may include a touch panel. When the touch panel is included in the operation unit 107, the control unit 107 is configured to detect a known touch operation such as flicking and dragging. The touch panel may use any one of various methods such as a resistive film method, a capacitance method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, an image recognition method, and an optical sensor method.

  Based on the control by the control unit 101, the image compression unit 108 compresses the image data processed by the image processing unit 103 by a predetermined method, and outputs the compressed data to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 outputs the compressed image data to the recording medium connection unit 109 together with a time code generated by a method described later. The image compression unit 108 has a function of expanding compressed image data, and expands the compressed image data read from the recording medium 110 based on control by the control unit 101 and outputs the compressed image data to the control unit 101.

  Although description is omitted because it is not directly related to the present invention, in practice, sound is acquired and recorded in addition to images. The audio data can be acquired using, for example, a microphone, and the control unit 101 can perform compression encoding using a predetermined method.

  The recording medium connection unit 109 is a connection unit for mounting the removable recording medium 110. The recording medium connection unit 109 records the compressed image data and time code (and audio data as necessary) output from the control unit 107 on the recording medium 110 according to the control of the control unit 107. Further, the recording medium connection unit 109 outputs data read from the recording medium 110 to the control unit 107 according to the control of the control unit 107. The removable recording medium 110 may be, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory card.

(2 Overview of time code generation processing)
Next, an outline of a time code generation process executed by the control unit 107 in the present embodiment will be described. As an example of a time code format generally used at present, FIG. 2A shows a configuration of a VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code) standardized in, for example, SMPTE. The VITC includes an hour (HH) 200, a minute (MM) 201, a second (SS) 202, a frame (FF) 203, and a field identification (FI) flag (f) 204. The hour can be 0 to 24, the minute can be 0 to 59, the second can be 0 to 59, the frame can be 0 to 29, and the FI flag can be 0 to 1.

  As described above, when this time code is added to a moving image having a frame rate exceeding 60 frames / second, the same time code is assigned to a plurality of frames. In this embodiment, in order to prevent such duplication of time codes, the configuration of time codes is expanded.

  FIG. 2B shows an example in which the extended configuration of the time code in this embodiment is applied to VITC. In the present embodiment, an hour 300, a minute 201, a second 202, a frame 203, and an index 300 serving as identification information are added to the end of the FI flag. The index is a numerical value that circulates, for example, taking a value from 0 to 255, and is counted up from 0 when there are overlapping time codes in the configuration of FIG.

  The extended time code defined in the above format can be added to a moving image that can be played back at a plurality of frame rates, for example. For example, in the present embodiment, a time code is added to a moving image having a hierarchical structure based on, for example, the HEVC standard, including a frame rate higher than 60 frames / second. By changing the designation of the layer to be reproduced in the hierarchically encoded moving image, it is possible to dynamically change the reproduction frame rate when reproducing the hierarchically encoded moving image. For this reason, the time code needs to be added in a form that is not synchronized with the frame rate to be reproduced or transmitted. Therefore, the control unit 101 generates a time code unique to each frame by counting up the index value from 0 for a frame in a section to which an overlapping value is assigned as the frame 203.

  In order to describe the time code to be added more specifically, as an example of the structure of moving image data to which the time code can be added in the present embodiment, the moving image data subjected to hierarchical encoding based on the HEVC standard is described. The structure will be described. In FIG. 3A, 401 to 417 each indicate image data of one frame, and 420 to 424 indicate an encoding hierarchy (layer). Reference numerals 420 to 424 respectively denote layer 0 (temporal_id = 0) to layer 4 (temporal_id = 4). “temporal_id” is a name of a value that designates each layer in the HEVC standard. Layer 0 is the lowest layer and layer 4 is the highest layer.

  Image data 401 and 417 are image data belonging to temporal_id = 0, that is, layer 0 420. The image data 409 is image data belonging to temporal_id = 1, that is, layer 1 421. The image data 405 and 413 are image data belonging to temporal_id = 2, that is, layer 2 422. Image data 403, 407, 411, and 415 are image data belonging to temporal_id = 3, that is, layer 3 423. Image data 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412, 414, and 416 are image data belonging to temporal_id = 4, that is, layer 4 424. The image data belonging to each layer is compression-encoded by the image compression unit 108 at a compression rate corresponding to the layer. A moving image having such a hierarchical structure can dynamically change the playback frame rate by increasing the number of playback layers by sequentially adding the upper layer to the playback target from the playback of only the lowest layer.

  As in this embodiment, the moving image data having a five-layer structure from layer 0 to layer 4 can be designated with five stages of playback frame rates. For example, when the playback frame rate of layer 0 is 15 frames / second, if only layer 0 420 is designated as a playback target, only image data 401 and 417 are played back and played back at a frame rate of 15 frames / second. . When the layer 1 421 or lower is designated as the reproduction target, the image data 409 is the reproduction target in addition to the image data 401 and 417, and the reproduction frame rate is 30 frames / second. When layer 2 422 or lower is designated as a playback target, image data 405 and 413 are added to the playback target, and the playback frame rate is 60 frames / second. Similarly, when layer 3 423 or lower is designated as a playback target, the playback frame rate is 120 frames / second. When layer 4 424 or lower, that is, all layers 420 to 424 are designated as playback targets, all of the image data 401 to image data 417 are playback targets, and the playback frame rate is 240 frames / second.

  Next, an example of a time code added to the image data 401 to 417 (for each frame) in FIG. 3A will be described with reference to FIG. For example, it is assumed that layer 4 424 or lower is designated as a playback target and playback is performed at 240 frames / second. Since the image data of layer 2 422 and below is 60 frames / second, the control unit 101 assigns a time code corresponding to each frame to the image data 401, 405, 409, 413, 417 of the frame to be reproduced. . Here, 0 is set in the index 300 shown in FIG. For example, the control unit 101 sets the image data 401 to 00: 00: 00: 00.0.0, the image data 405 to 00: 00: 00: 00.1.0, and the image data 409 to 00:00: A time code of 00: 01.0.0 is generated. Furthermore, the control unit 101 generates a time code of 00: 00: 00: 01.1.0 for the image data 413 and 00: 00: 00: 02.0.0 for the image data 417.

  On the other hand, the image data of layer 3 and layer 4 correspond to playback frame rates of 120 frames / second and 240 frames / second, respectively. For this reason, the values of time 200, minute 201, second 202, frame 203, and FI 204 in the time code assigned to the image data of layer 2 and below overlap. For example, in the image data 402, the image data 403, and the image data 404, the portion of the image data 401 and 00: 00: 00: 00.0 overlaps. In this case, the control unit 101 counts up the value of the index 300. That is, the control unit 101 sets the image data 402 to 00: 00: 00: 00.0.1, the image data 403 to 00.00.00.00.0.2, and the image data 404 to 00:00:00: A time code of 00.0.3 is generated. Further, for example, when a time code is generated for image data of layer 2 or lower such as the image data 405, the control unit 101 resets the index and sets the FI flag to 00: 00: 00: 00.1.0. Generate different timecodes.

(3 Time code generation process)
The above-described time code generation processing of the control unit 101 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is executed when the operation unit 107 instructs the user to start recording.

  In step S <b> 100, the control unit 101 determines whether a new frame has been acquired from the image compression unit 108. If it is determined that a new frame has been acquired, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S101. On the other hand, if it is determined that the frame has not yet been acquired, the control unit 101 waits for processing until a new frame is acquired.

  In S101, the control unit 101 acquires a preset base frame rate (hereinafter referred to as Fb) from the ROM 104, for example. The base frame rate defines a frame rate at which the frame number of a time code frame (FF) is carried, and is generally 24 frames / second or 30 frames / second, but is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, the recording frame rate is an integral multiple of the base frame rate.

  In S102, the control unit 101 acquires a preset recording frame rate (hereinafter referred to as Fr) from the ROM 104, for example. Fb and Fr may be fixed values or may be set by the user through the operation unit 107. When acquiring the Fr, the control unit 101 advances the process to S103.

  In S103, the control unit 101 determines whether it is necessary to control the value of the index in the time code. Here, the determination is made based on whether or not the recording frame rate Fr is greater than twice the base frame rate Fb (Fb * 2 <Fr). If Fb * 2 <Fr, the control unit 101 advances the process to S104, and if Fb * 2 ≧ Fr, advances the process to S109.

  In S104, the control unit 101 divides Fr by Fb to obtain the maximum value Imax = Fr / Fb of the index count. In this flowchart, since index is a value starting from 0, Imax = (Fr / Fb) −1. The control unit 101 sets the obtained Imax and advances the process to S105. In S105, the control unit 101 increases the number of indexes by one. Further, in S106, the control unit 101 compares the index and Imax to determine whether the index is equal to or greater than Imax. When the control unit 101 determines that the value of the index is equal to or greater than Imax, the process proceeds to S107, the index is reset to 0, and then the time code is incremented in S108. The time code stepping process will be described later with reference to FIG. On the other hand, when determining that the index is smaller than Imax, the control unit 101 skips the time code stepping process and advances the process to step S111.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S103 that the index control is unnecessary, the control unit sets the index to 0 in S109, and then performs a time code step process similar to S108 in S110.

  After performing the time code stepping process in S108 or S110, the control unit 101 adds the FI flag and index to the time code (HH: MM: SS: FF) obtained by the stepping process in S111, and performs processing. Determine the time code to be set for the frame. The control unit 101 records the image data of the processing target frame and the determined time code on the recording medium 110 via the recording medium connection unit 109. This recording format will be described later.

  In S112, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the processing target frame is the last frame based on, for example, the header information of the image data, and if the processing target frame is determined to be the last frame, Finish the process. When the control unit 101 determines that the processing target frame is not the last frame, the control unit 101 returns the process to S100.

  Next, the time code stepping process performed in S105 and S110 of FIG. 4 will be further described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In S200, the control unit 101 determines whether it is necessary to control the FI flag in the time code based on whether the write frame rate Fr is twice or more the base frame rate Fb. When Fr is twice or more than Fb, the control unit 101 determines that control of the FI flag is necessary, and proceeds to S201. When Fr is less than twice Fb (when Fr = Fb), FI It is determined that the flag control is unnecessary, and the process proceeds to S203.

  In step S <b> 201, the control unit 101 determines whether the FI flag (Field indication flag) is 0. The control unit 101 confirms the current FI flag value, and if it is 0, the process proceeds to S202, and if not 0, the process proceeds to S203.

  In S202, the control unit 101 changes the FI flag to 1, and completes the time code stepping process.

  In S203, the control unit 101 sets the FI flag to 0 and advances the process to S204. In S204, the control unit 101 advances the time code. Specifically, the control unit 101 increases the value of the frame (FF) 203 by 1 in the time code shown in FIG. 2B, and ends the time code stepping process. If FF 203 is a value corresponding to Fb before the increase, a higher value (SS202) is incremented by one, and carry processing is performed to return FF 203 to the initial value (0).

  Next, a container structure used for recording the time code and frame image data generated in this way will be described. FIG. 6 shows a container structure of MXF (Material eXchange Format) as an example of a container structure usable in the present embodiment. Header Metadata 600, which is a header area, indicates the start of a file and records meta information about the file. In recording hierarchically encoded image data, the control unit 101 records information on the base frame rate (Fb), the maximum reproducible frame rate, and the reproduction frame rate corresponding to temporal_id in the header area. Frame 601 represents data of each frame, and is composed of System Metadata 603 for storing meta information of the frame, image data 604, and audio data 605. The control unit 101 records information indicating the end of the file in Footer Metadata 602 which is a footer area. The time code is recorded in the System Metadata 603 that stores the meta information of the frame, and the hour, minute, second, frame, and field identification flag are recorded in the time code recording area in accordance with SMPTE. The expanded index data may be recorded using a UserBit area defined by SMPTE, or may be recorded in another area of Reserved.

(4 Timecode display processing during playback)
Next, a process for displaying a time code when reproducing a recorded moving image will be described.

  A moving image that is hierarchically encoded as described above can be reproduced at a plurality of frame rates. As shown in FIG. 3B, since the time code is added in synchronization with the maximum frame rate at the time of recording, depending on the selected playback frame rate, the recorded time code may be discontinuous. It may be displayed. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the display of the time code is converted using a frame rate ratio corresponding to the frame rate at the time of reproduction. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, frames of layer 3 and below are reproduced (that is, 120 frames) of moving image data encoded in five layers of layers 0 to 4 and having a maximum reproduction frame rate of 240 frames / second. / Sec) is considered (FIG. 7A). In this case, since the frame of the layer 4 is not reproduced, when the time code recorded corresponding to the reproduction frame is displayed as it is, the time code becomes discontinuous. Therefore, the display time code is generated by changing the index value from the recorded value in accordance with the frame rate ratio. In the example of FIG. 7A, since the ratio of the maximum playback frame rate to the playback frame rate is 2, the control unit 101 calculates a value obtained by dividing the time code index recorded corresponding to each image data by 2. Display. For example, the time code recorded corresponding to the image data 701 is 00: 00: 00: 00.0.2, but the display time code is displayed as 00: 00: 00: 00.0.1. Similarly, when the playback frame rate is lower than the base frame rate, conversion using the frame rate ratio may be performed for frame display.

  Further, the display processing of the time code at the time of reproduction will be described using the flowchart of FIG. This process is started when the control unit 101 receives an operation instruction for a moving image file from the operation unit 107 by the user.

  In step S300, the control unit 101 determines whether the operation instruction from the user is an instruction to start playback of a moving image file. The control unit 101 refers to the data notified from the operation unit 107, and if the operation instruction instructs reproduction, the control unit 101 acquires information such as the storage location of the target file and advances the process to S301. On the other hand, if the operation instruction is not a reproduction start instruction, the control unit 101 returns the process to S300 and waits for the reproduction start instruction again.

  In step S <b> 301, the control unit 101 reads a file to be played and acquires the value of Fb described in the header of the file.

  In step S302, the control unit 101 determines whether a new frame has been read. If a new frame is read, the control unit 101 advances the process to S303. If the new frame is not read, the control unit 101 returns the process to S302 and waits for the frame to be read.

  In step S <b> 303, the control unit 101 acquires a preset playback frame rate (hereinafter, Fp) from the ROM 104, for example. Fp may acquire the corresponding playback frame rate from the temporal_id of the currently played layer from the header of the played file, or may be a fixed value or a value set by the user via the operation unit 107. When the control unit 101 acquires Fp, the control unit 101 advances the processing to S304.

  In step S304, the control unit 101 determines whether Fb is equal to or less than Fp in order to determine whether the display processing target is a frame (FF) or an index. The control unit 101 compares the acquired Fb and Fp. If Fb is equal to or less than Fp, the control unit 101 advances the process to S305 and performs display processing for the index. On the other hand, if Fb is larger than Fp, the process proceeds to S309 to display the frame.

  In step S305, the control unit 101 acquires the maximum playback frame rate (Fmax) from the area 600 that is the header of the played file. In step S306, the control unit 101 obtains a quotient Di obtained by dividing Fmax by Fp in order to obtain a ratio between the maximum reproduction frame rate Fmax and the reproduction frame rate Fp. Further, in step S307, the control unit 101 obtains Idiv by dividing the time code index by Di in order to change the index value from the recorded value in accordance with the frame rate ratio Di. The control unit 101 reads the time code from the meta information area 603 of the frame to be processed, and divides the acquired time code index by Di obtained in S305. In step S308, the control unit 101 causes the display unit 106 to display the calculated Idiv as a changed index, and advances the process to step S312.

  On the other hand, in S309, the control unit 101 obtains Df by dividing Fb by Fp in order to obtain a frame rate ratio for changing the frame (FF). When the control unit 101 obtains Df, the process proceeds to S310. In step S <b> 310, the control unit 101 divides the time code frame (FF) value read from the frame meta-information area 603 by the frame rate ratio Df to obtain the quotient Fdiv. In step S <b> 311, the control unit 101 changes the value of the frame (FF) from the recorded value to Fdiv, and displays the value on the display unit 106 as the value of the time code frame for displaying Fdiv. Thereafter, the control unit 101 advances the process to S312.

  In step S312, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the reproduction of the file to be reproduced is completed based on, for example, a stop instruction from the user or header information of the image data. If it is determined that the frame to be processed is not the last frame, the control unit 101 returns the process to S302, and ends the process when the reproduction is ended.

  FIG. 7B shows an example of a time code at the time of reproduction displayed on the display unit 106 by the control unit 101. The time code 800 displayed on the playback screen is displayed in synchronization with the displayed image data. The display unit 106 displays the current playback frame rate and the maximum playback frame rate together. The displayed time code 800 is not limited to the time code generated for reproduction, and the recorded time code may be switched according to the user's selection, or both may be displayed simultaneously. When specifying the time code recorded for video editing and other purposes, the time code for recording can be changed by switching both time codes or displaying them at the same time. Can be identified.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a time code is generated by adding an index (identification information) to a time code that can display up to FI. Therefore, even with a frame rate moving image that cannot be handled by a time code that can display up to FI (there is a frame to which the same time code is assigned), a unique time code that does not overlap in each frame. Can be generated. In addition, by controlling the maximum value of the index according to the recording frame rate, even if the selection is made step by step within the range of the recording frame rate that cannot be handled by the time code that can display up to FI, A unique time code without duplication can be generated. Furthermore, since the standardized time code is extended with identification information, a device that cannot recognize the identification information can use the time code portion that can display up to FI as usual.

  Also, when playing back a variable frame rate moving image to which a time code including identification information is added, the playback frame rate is changed by converting and displaying the value of the identification information according to the playback frame rate. Can also display a continuous time code.

(Embodiment 2)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The digital video camera of the present embodiment has a configuration capable of transmitting a moving image to an external device in addition to the first embodiment, and when transmitting a moving image to the external device, the external device is generated in the present embodiment. The difference is that information (extended information) for using the time code is generated. Specifically, the digital video camera 9000 newly has an image transmission unit and an external I / F, converts the generated time code into a format for outputting, and transmits a moving image. In the description of the present embodiment, since the points other than the above are the same as those in the first embodiment, overlapping description will be omitted, and differences will be described mainly.

  An example of the functional configuration of a digital video camera 9000 is shown in FIG. 9 as an example of the imaging apparatus in the present embodiment. In FIG. 9, the same components as those of FIG. The digital video camera 9000 of the present embodiment includes an image transmission unit 9001 and an external I / F 9002 in addition to the components of the digital video camera 100 of the first embodiment. The image transmission unit 9001 converts the moving image on which the extended time code generated by the control unit 101 is recorded into a predetermined format necessary for transmission. For example, when SDI (Serial Digital Interface) which is a moving image transmission standard is used, the image transmission unit 9001 converts a moving image to be transmitted so as to conform to a predetermined format defined by SMPTE, and external I / F 9002 Output to.

  The external I / F 9002 is an interface for connecting to an external device. The external I / F 9002 transmits the moving image acquired from the image transmission unit 9001 to an external device based on control by the control unit 101.

  Next, processing when transmitting a moving image to an external device will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S400, the control unit 101 generates an extended time code in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and advances the processing to step S401. The time code generation process performed in S400 corresponds to S100 to S111 in the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 401, the control unit 101 generates extended information for the transmission destination external device to use the extended time code.

  An example of the extended information and its configuration is shown in FIG. Here, the extended information is 32-bit data. A 0 to 7-bit area 905 is an index area, and stores an index value that extends the time code of the image data to which the extension information is added. The 8- to 15-bit area 904 is an area for storing the ratio (Fp / Fb) of the playback frame rate Fp of the external device to the base frame rate Fb. An area 903 of 16 to 23 bits is an area for storing a ratio (Fmax / Fb) of the maximum frame rate Fmax set in advance for imaging with respect to Fb. A 24- to 25-bit area 902 is an area in which Fb is stored. A 26-bit area 901 is an area in which a flag indicating whether the ratio stored in the areas 903 and 904 is a ratio with Fb as a denominator or a ratio with a numerator is stored. The 27 to 31 bit region is reserved. By transmitting the ratio of Fmax to Fb and the ratio of Fp to Fb, when the external device corresponding to the extended time code described in the first embodiment records moving image data Imax, Di at the time of reproduction, and the like can be calculated. The above-described extended information is an example, and the bit length and data allocation may be different. The control unit 101 can generate such extended information based on preset information or information acquired from an external device. The control unit 101 outputs the generated extended information to the image transmission unit 9001.

  In step S <b> 402, the image transmission unit 9001 adds the time code acquired from the control unit 101 and the extended information to the image data of the frame to be transmitted in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 101, and transmits the image data to the external device. In the SDI example, the extension information can be transmitted by being superimposed on the area of the Binary Group (User Bit).

  In step S403, the control unit 101 determines whether the transmitted image data is the image data of the last frame. If the transmitted image data is not the last frame, the process returns to step S400. Exit.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the time is generated for an external device that uses a time code that does not overlap each frame generated for a moving image in which the same time code is added to a plurality of frames. Generate and transmit extended information to use the code. For this reason, even when a moving image in which the same time code is added to a plurality of frames is recorded and reproduced in an external device, a time code having no overlap in each frame can be used.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Control part, 102 ... Imaging part, 103 ... Image processing part, 106 ... Display part, 108 ... Image compression part

Claims (11)

Generating means for generating a unique time code for each frame of the moving image;
Output means for outputting the image data of each frame and the time code;
An imaging device having
The generation means is a time code having a format composed of a time code in a predetermined format and identification information, and the time code in the predetermined format unique to each frame of the moving image is An image pickup apparatus that generates time codes with different identification information for the same frames.   The generating means determines the predetermined value when a ratio of a frame rate of the moving image to a predetermined frame rate that defines a carry of a frame number in the time code of the predetermined format is larger than a predetermined ratio. 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that the time codes in the same format may be the same, and a time code having different identification information is generated.   The generation means generates a time code in which the identification information is different using a number of the identification information determined based on a ratio of a frame rate of the moving image to the predetermined frame rate. Item 3. The imaging device according to Item 2. Encoding means for encoding each frame in a format in which the moving image composed of each frame can be reproduced at a different frame rate;
The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates a time code in which the identification information is different for each encoded frame.   5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the encoding unit encodes the moving image into a moving image having a hierarchical structure based on the HEVC standard. Obtaining means for obtaining the image data and the time code of each frame output by the output means;
Conversion means for converting the acquired time code for display;
Display means for displaying the converted time code and the image data;
Further comprising
When the maximum frame rate at which the moving image can be reproduced is higher than the reproduction frame rate of the image data, the conversion means uses the identification information included in the time code of the image data to be reproduced as the reproduction frame rate. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein conversion is performed in accordance with. The generating means uses a circulating numerical value as the identification information,
When the maximum frame rate at which the moving image can be reproduced is higher than the reproduction frame rate, the conversion means uses the ratio of the maximum reproducible frame rate to the frame rate to reproduce the identification information. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the acquired time code is converted into a continuous time code of the identification information by dividing.   The imaging device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the display unit switches or simultaneously displays the converted time code and the acquired time code. The image data and the time code further have a transmission means for transmitting to an external device,
The transmission means is extended information for the external device to reproduce or record the image data using the time code having the identification information, and further includes extended information based on a reproduction frame rate of the external device. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus transmits to an external device. A generating step for generating a unique time code for each frame of the moving image;
An output unit that outputs the image data of each frame and the time code;
A method for controlling an imaging apparatus having:
The generating means is a time code having a format composed of a time code of a predetermined format in the generating step and identification information, and the predetermined format unique to each frame of the moving image A method of controlling an image pickup apparatus, comprising: generating time codes with different identification information for frames having the same time code.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the imaging device of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 9.

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