JP3035391B2 - Electronic still camera - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic still camera capable of recording auxiliary information such as audio information together with electronically captured still image information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Electronic still cameras capable of electronically capturing an image of a subject have been put into practical use, and are being used in various fields. In a conventional electronic still camera, captured still image information is stored in, for example, a card-type IC memory that is detachably attached to the camera main body. The IC
By reading the image information from the memory, the image can be reproduced even by a device other than the camera body.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-38168 proposes an electronic still camera capable of recording audio information as auxiliary information together with image information in the IC memory or the like.
In this conventional electronic still camera, a microphone for recording is provided in the camera body, and the microphone captures audio information after imaging. This audio information is recorded in the IC memory in association with the image information. Therefore, at the time of reproduction, the audio information recorded in association with the reproduction of the image can be reproduced as sound, and while watching the reproduced image,
For example, it is possible to enjoy listening to the surrounding sounds at the imaging location, the explanation by the photographer, and the like.

[0004]

However, in the conventional electronic still camera proposed in JP-A-3-38168, audio information as auxiliary information is recorded in association with one image as a whole. Since the information is reproduced, it has not been possible to associate auxiliary information for each object related to individual imaging within the image screen. That is,
Originally, it is desirable that auxiliary information be attached to each object such as a description of a person in a screen or a description of a specific scenery. However, the above-described conventional electronic still camera cannot meet such a request. Therefore, it is inconvenient for a user of the electronic still camera in some cases, and there has been a demand for a device that can more effectively utilize auxiliary information added to image information in order to improve the applicability of the electronic still camera.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to provide an electronic still camera that allows a user to add and record auxiliary information to each individual object on a screen. Is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a reproducing apparatus capable of reproducing image information and auxiliary information recorded by the electronic still camera.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an image pickup section for picking up an object, a memory for storing image information from the image pickup section, and input of auxiliary information. Auxiliary information inputting means, coordinate inputting means for specifying in-screen coordinates of an image captured by the imaging section, and associating the input auxiliary information with a specific area in the screen determined by the coordinate inputting. And an auxiliary information writing means for writing to the memory.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproducing apparatus for reproducing the image information and the auxiliary information stored in the memory by the electronic still camera according to the first aspect, wherein the reproduced image is displayed. A display unit, a coordinate input unit for specifying coordinates in the screen of the reproduced image, and an auxiliary for reading the auxiliary information stored in association with a specific area indicated by the coordinates input by the coordinate input unit from the memory. It is characterized by including information reading means and auxiliary information reproducing means for reproducing the read auxiliary information.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, one or a plurality of specific points or specific areas (hereinafter, referred to as nodes) in the screen are arbitrarily specified by the coordinate input means, and are input by the auxiliary information input means. The auxiliary information can be recorded in the memory in association with each node by the operation of the auxiliary information writing unit. Here, as the auxiliary information, audio information, character information, or the like can be adopted. For example, a comment or the like can be added by voice or character for each person or each building in the screen.

According to the second aspect of the invention, at the time of reproducing the image information, the coordinates designated by the coordinate input means are:
In other words, the auxiliary information recorded in association with the node indicated by the coordinates can be read from the memory by the operation of the auxiliary information reading means and reproduced by the auxiliary information reproducing means. And the reproduction of the auxiliary information is
This can be performed for each node, and the necessary auxiliary information can be appropriately reproduced. It should be noted that this reproducing apparatus can be incorporated in an electronic still camera, and in such a case, there is an advantage that the configuration such as coordinate input means can be shared.

As described above, since auxiliary information can be added to each object on the screen and reproduced, the electronic still camera can be used for various purposes.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a preferred embodiment of an electronic still camera according to the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an example of the captured image shown in FIG.
The relationship between the designation of the node and the auxiliary information associated therewith is shown.

First, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. In general, a captured still image includes a plurality of objects to be captured, such as a person and a scene. The example shown in FIG. 2 includes two persons and other backgrounds.

In the conventional electronic still camera, the audio information as the auxiliary information is recorded in association with one entire screen as described above, so that the application of the auxiliary information is limited. Thus, in the present embodiment, auxiliary information can be recorded for each of the arbitrary objects that compose the screen in association with them. Here, in this embodiment, one or both of voice information and character information can be recorded as the auxiliary information.

In FIG. 3, one or a plurality of nodes can be set at an arbitrary position and in an arbitrary size and shape on the image 10. Here, the node is a specific area used at the time of recording and reproducing the auxiliary information, and refers to a point or a surface on the screen for connecting the auxiliary information. Of course, one node can be set on the entire screen.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, audio data is associated with the node 1 set near the face of the person A,
The input character data is associated with the node 2 set near the face of one person B. The voice data and character data may include, for example, names, telephone numbers, addresses, and other comments on the persons A and B. Here, image data, audio data, and character data are stored in files A, B, and C, respectively, and each file is stored in a memory (not shown). And
Each node is converted into coordinate data indicating two-dimensional coordinates on the screen (for example, coordinates of two diagonal corners if the node is rectangular as shown in the figure), and the coordinate data is, as described later, It is stored in a predetermined area of the memory as linking information together with link information (information for specifying a file) for specifying auxiliary information linked to the node.

On the other hand, at the time of reproducing the image data, by designating any one of the set nodes on the screen of the reproduced image, the auxiliary information recorded in association with the designated node is recorded. Will be played. Note that the mutual link between the node and the auxiliary information is not limited to one-to-one, but may be many-to-one or the like.

Next, the configuration of the electronic still camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, a subject is imaged by a color image sensor 20 composed of a CCD.
The image data is processed through the image processing circuit 22 and the image compression circuit 24 and written into the IC memory card 26. As described above, by performing data compression, a finite storage capacity of the memory can be effectively used.

At this time, the captured image is displayed on the display unit 28.
For this purpose, an image expansion circuit 30 and an image reproduction circuit 32 are provided.

On the other hand, audio as auxiliary information is captured by a microphone 34, and the audio signal is processed into audio data via an audio processing circuit 36 and an audio compression circuit 38, and written into the IC memory card 26. Also,
The audio data can be monitored by the speaker 40, so that the audio decompression circuit 42 and the audio reproduction circuit 4
4 are provided.

The control CPU 46 controls each of the above circuits. In addition, the control CPU 46 controls image / audio switching switches 48a and 48b, and sends a node display signal and a character display signal to the image reproduction circuit 32. Supply and so on.

In this embodiment, a coordinate input section 50 and an operation button section 52 are connected to the control CPU 46. The coordinate input unit 50 including the cursor button 54 and the auxiliary information input button 56 is used for an operation related to auxiliary information such as setting of a node, and the imaging switch 58 and the like are provided for a normal camera operation. Operation button section 52
Is used. In this embodiment, the cursor button 54
The character data can be input by designating a symbol such as an alphabet displayed on the display unit 28 by using.

The IC memory card 26 has a size of about a business card and is removably mounted on a card holder of the camera body. For example, about 40 sheets are converted into compressed image data. Can be stored. The size of the electronic still camera according to the present embodiment is about the same as a conventional small optical camera.

As the display section 28, a display section having a so-called pressure-sensitive transparent touch panel on the surface of a liquid crystal panel is preferably used. According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily set a node area and input a handwritten character as auxiliary information.

Next, the configuration of the reproducing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 4, the reproducing apparatus reproduces image data recorded by the electronic still camera and audio data and character data as auxiliary information. In this embodiment, the reproducing apparatus is provided separately from the camera. Has become.
Of course, this playback device may be incorporated in a camera.

In the reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 4, the IC memory card 26 removed from the electronic still camera is
The control CPU 6 is attached to the card holder of the reproducing apparatus.
Under the control of 0, recorded image data and the like are read. This image data is sent to an external TV monitor 66 as an original image signal via an image expansion circuit 62 and an image reproduction circuit 64, and a reproduced image is displayed in color.

On the other hand, the audio data recorded on the IC memory card 26 is supplied to an audio decompression circuit 68 and an audio reproduction circuit 70.
Is transmitted to the speaker 72 as an audio signal via the. And the recorded sound is reproduced. The character data recorded on the IC memory card 26 is transmitted to the T
The image is sent to the V monitor 66 and displayed as an image. The reproduced character image as auxiliary information may be displayed together with the reproduced image on a part of the same screen, or may be temporarily displayed using the entire screen. Is also good.

An external storage device 74 such as an optical disk is connected to the reproducing device so that a large amount of image data and the like can be stored together.

A coordinate input device 76 is connected to the playback device by a cable. The coordinate input device 76 is provided with a cursor button 78 and an auxiliary information input / output button 80, and its output signal is used for controlling. The instruction is sent to the CPU 60, and an input / output operation instruction for auxiliary information is given.

Also in this reproducing apparatus, it is possible to add auxiliary information to the image data recorded on the IC memory card 26 in a post-processing manner. For this reason, the coordinate input device 76 is provided with a microphone 82. , Audio data can be captured. Here, the audio signal from the microphone 82 is written into the IC memory card 26 or a predetermined area of the external storage device 74 as auxiliary information of the image data via the audio processing circuit 84 and the audio compression circuit 86.
As described above, the character data is input by designating a symbol on the screen with the cursor button 78. In addition, it is also preferable to connect an external keyboard to input the character data. As described above, according to the reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment, new recording and editing of the auxiliary information can be performed, if necessary, together with the reproduction of the auxiliary information. The control CPU 60 controls each of the above-described components, and controls the switches 88a and 88b. FIG. 5 shows a structural concept of a file stored in the IC memory card 26 or the like. File 90 is
The storage area 90b roughly includes three storage areas 90a, 90b, and 90c. The storage area 90b stores image data, audio data, or character data. The storage area 90a stores a data type, a file size, and other information as a file header portion. Also, the storage area 9
0c stores association information. If the file is a file of image data, coordinate data indicating a node;
The link information (for example, file name and file address information) of the auxiliary information associated with the node is stored in the storage area 90c in a state where they are associated with each other.
Therefore, after capturing an image, if a node is set in the image and auxiliary information is taken in corresponding to the node, a file 90 of the auxiliary information is automatically created and a storage area of the image data file is stored. In 90c, coordinate data indicating the node and file information of auxiliary information are stored. Then, at the time of reproducing the image, if the node of the image is designated, the storage area 90c of the image data file is referred to, the file of the auxiliary information stored in association with the designated node is specified, The auxiliary information stored in the file is automatically reproduced.

Next, an operation procedure for recording and reproducing the auxiliary information will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 6 shows an operation procedure for capturing an image using the electronic still camera according to the present embodiment and recording auxiliary information. In step 101, it is determined whether this routine is to be ended.

In step 102, the image sensor 20
Is displayed on the display unit 28.
At the same time, the operator sets the shooting state, for example, sets the amount of light. In step 103, the operator presses the imaging switch 58 to execute the photographing of the subject. Then, in step 104, the photographed image data is recorded on the IC memory card 26 in a compressed state. At the same time, the photographed still image is displayed on the display unit 28. In step 105, it is determined whether or not to input auxiliary information. Specifically, the control C
By the action of the PU 46, a display to that effect is displayed on the display unit 28. When the operator presses the auxiliary information input button 56 provided on the coordinate input unit 50, a frame representing a node is displayed on the displayed image. Displayed next step 106
Is executed. In step 106, node setting is performed. That is, the operator operates the cursor button 54 provided on the coordinate input unit 50 to move the frame indicating the node displayed in step 105 to a desired position and further determine its size. Then, the coordinates of the node are stored in the association information storage area 9 provided in the image data file.
0c. In step 107, the type of the auxiliary information is determined. Specifically, auxiliary information is selected by inputting an auxiliary information selection button provided on the coordinate input unit 50, and if the selected auxiliary information is audio data, step 108 is executed. In that case, step 109 is executed. In addition, other captured image data can also be associated as auxiliary information.

In step 108, voice data is input by the microphone 34. The audio data is compressed and recorded on the IC memory card 26. On the other hand, in step 109, character data is input and recorded on the IC memory card 26. Specifically, in this embodiment, since a series of alphabets and symbols are displayed on the display unit 28, the input of character data is performed by sequentially specifying characters to be input by using the cursor buttons 54. Will be

The voice data and character data are stored in independent files as described above.
Association information storage area 90c provided in the file
Are related to each other by However, in this embodiment, since the creation of the association information and the creation of the file of the auxiliary information are all performed automatically, no special operation by the operator is required, and the auxiliary information can be taken in very easily.

FIG. 7 shows an operation procedure for reproducing image data and auxiliary information using a reproducing apparatus. In step 201, the image data designated by the operator is read from the IC memory card 26, and the reproduced image is displayed on the external TV monitor 66. In step 202, it is determined whether this routine is to be terminated.
In step 203, a node is specified at the time of reproduction. Specifically, the operator specifies a node by operating a cursor button provided on the coordinate input device 76 and specifying the node within any of the frames representing the node displayed together with the reproduced image. However, if the node does not exist, the operation returns from step 204 to step 202 again.
Is executed.

In step 205, the file of the auxiliary information associated with the node is specified by referring to the association information. Then, in step 206, the data type and the like are determined by referring to the file header 90a of the specified file. In step 207, steps 208 and 209 are executed according to the determined data type.

If it is determined in step 207 that the associated data is audio data, in step 208, the audio data is read from the IC memory card 26 and reproduced by the speaker 72. Step 20
If it is determined that the associated data is character data in step 7, in step 209, the IC memory card 2
6, character data is read out, and the character data is
It is displayed on the monitor 66. In this embodiment, the character data is displayed in a superimposed manner together with the reproduced image data.
If the auxiliary information associated with the node is image data of a captured image, step 201 is executed again, and the image displayed in the image data is switched. Therefore, by associating the captured image data with each other, it is possible to reproduce images in the order desired by the photographer, and to reproduce character data next to reproduction of audio data. It can respond to various uses such as making it work.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the storage area 90c for the association information is provided in the data file 90, the auxiliary information can be associated with the node, and the auxiliary information can be associated with each other. There are advantages. Therefore, it is possible to associate a plurality of pieces of auxiliary information with one node and sequentially read them out in a predetermined order.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Auxiliary information such as audio information is attached to each individual object in the image, and the auxiliary information can be reproduced for each object as needed when playing back the image. The still image data captured by the electronic still camera can be used not only as an image but also as an information medium that organically accompanies a plurality of pieces of related information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic still camera.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a captured image.

FIG. 3 Nodes and auxiliary information (voice data, character data)
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship with the above.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a playback device.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a file.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure at the time of recording.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure at the time of reproduction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 image sensor 26 IC memory card 28 display unit 46, 60 control CPU 50 coordinate input unit 76 coordinate input device

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An imaging unit configured to image a subject; a memory configured to store image information from the imaging unit; an auxiliary information input unit configured to input auxiliary information; and an on-screen coordinate of an image captured by the imaging unit. And an auxiliary information writing unit that writes the input auxiliary information into the memory in association with a specific area in the screen determined by the coordinate input. . 2. A playback device for playing back the image information and the auxiliary information stored in the memory by the electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein: a display unit for displaying a playback image; Coordinates input means for specifying coordinates; auxiliary information reading means for reading the auxiliary information stored in association with the specific area specified by the coordinate input means from the memory; and reading the read auxiliary information. A reproducing apparatus, comprising: auxiliary information reproducing means for reproducing.