JP4122210B2 - Digital camera drive control method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a drive control method for a digital camera, and is a method suitable for use in drive control of a camera equipped with a device that consumes a large amount of power, such as a microdrive.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In digital cameras, a recording medium such as a memory card is generally used for recording digitized images and sounds. Memory cards include DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), SRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), and the like. In the memory card, the recording capacity is determined depending on the recording capacity per chip and the number of mountable chips. With the current recording capacity, a memory of a size larger than a postage stamp called Compact Flash (registered trademark) has come to have a capacity of 256 Mbytes. However, further increase in capacity is considered difficult.
[0003]
In addition, the digital camera is equipped with a recording medium having a capacity larger than that of the memory card. There is a micro drive as such a recording medium. Currently, more than 500 Mbytes and 1 Gbyte class microdrives are available.
[0004]
Recently, in digital cameras, the number of recording pixels of an image sensor has been increased so that a high-quality still image can be obtained, and in the recording of moving images, the data size of files handled tends to increase according to the length of recording time. . It can be said that a micro drive is suitable for a recording medium that can cope with such a tendency.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-5-290493
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-5-56321.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the microdrive records and reproduces data by mechanically rotating a hard disk as a built-in recording medium. For this reason, in the macro drive, power is consumed with the rotational drive.
[0007]
On the other hand, since a digital camera is a portable device, power supply depends on a battery. When a digital camera is equipped with a microdrive, the number of recordings of this digital camera is limited by the capacity of the battery even though the recording capacity is sufficient. As a result, the digital camera reduces the number of recordings. In addition, the digital camera has not only a micro drive but also a drive that moves the camera lens, and thus a load is large in terms of power, and the system voltage is reduced due to an early decrease in power supply voltage. The system down is not only caused by battery consumption, but also occurs when the rush current flowing at the start of each operation is large and exceeds a threshold value in these drives.
[0008]
The information signal recording apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-290493 reduces the power consumption by controlling the start-up time and the power supply used during recording according to the type of the connected recording medium. . Specifically, this device optimizes the stop operation according to the magnitude of the rotational moment of the hard disk used. Further, the recording apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-56321 is a control device that controls the imaging unit, the temporary storage unit, the recording unit, and the power supply unit in accordance with a trigger signal from the trigger generation unit, and provides a fine-grained power supply. Supplying and suppressing the instantaneous value of power consumption extends the life of the battery. Here, the instantaneous value indicates the power consumed by fine power feeding.
[0009]
The former device is a rotational drive control according to the type of the hard disk device, and the latter device supplies power in the order of the imaging means, the temporary storage means, and the recording means in response to the trigger signal, and still images and continuous shooting. The procedure corresponding to is shown. This procedure extends the power consumption of the battery. However, both do not suggest any countermeasures against the above-mentioned camera system down.
[0010]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera drive control method that eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art and that can effectively use the recording capacity of a recording apparatus to be mounted and prevent system down.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a zooming mechanism that changes the field angle of the object scene, a focus adjustment mechanism that adjusts the focal length with the subject, and a plurality of records that store the obtained image data of the object scene. The plurality of recording media includes a first recording medium on which image data is temporarily stored, a second recording medium on which image data is stored while being detachably attached and rotating the recording medium, and an attachment / detachment In a drive control method of a digital camera equipped with a third recording medium in which the recording medium can be stored in a static state, at least one of a zooming mechanism and a focus adjustment mechanism in moving image recording of the object scene And simultaneous driving of the second recording medium and the second recording medium are prohibited, and image data obtained on the first or third recording medium is stored while the mechanism is being driven.
[0012]
According to the digital camera drive control method of the present invention, the drive of the second recording medium is prohibited while the second recording medium is being driven, at least during the driving of either the zooming mechanism or the focus adjustment mechanism. The current value that inhibits the driving of the zooming mechanism and the focus adjustment mechanism and causes the system to reduce the magnitude of the rush current flowing at the start of driving by individually driving these mechanisms and the second recording medium in the camera. It keeps it lower than the camera system and avoids it.
[0013]
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a plurality of recording media that store image data obtained by capturing an image of an object scene, and the image data is temporarily stored as the plurality of recording media. The first recording medium to be stored, the second recording medium that is detachable and that stores the image data while rotating the recording medium, and the third recording medium that is detachable and that the recording medium is stored in a static state In the method for controlling the drive of a digital camera equipped with a digital camera, the power supply voltage of the digital camera is monitored, and when the power supply voltage becomes lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, the drive of the second recording medium is stopped, and the first or The image data obtained on the second recording medium is recorded.
[0014]
According to the digital camera drive control method of the present invention, when the power supply voltage to be monitored becomes lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, the drive of the second recording medium is stopped to suppress the power consumption. The image data is recorded on a recording medium lower than the power consumption to reduce the burden on the battery and suppress a sudden voltage drop.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of a digital camera according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0016]
In this embodiment, the digital camera of the present invention is applied to the digital camera 10. The illustration and description of parts not directly related to the present invention are omitted. In the following description, the signal is indicated by the reference number of the connecting line in which it appears.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 5, the digital camera 10 includes an optical lens system 12, an aperture adjustment mechanism 14, an imaging unit 16, a preprocessing unit 18, a microcomputer 20, an operation unit 22, a driver 24, a compression / decompression processing unit 26, A monitor 28, an interface circuit 30, an internal memory 32, a micro drive 34, and a memory card 36 are included. Although not shown, the optical lens system 12 has a zoom mechanism that adjusts the field angle of the field of view, and an automatic focus adjustment that automatically adjusts the arrangement of multiple optical lenses to adjust the subject to a focused positional relationship. (AF: Automatic Focus) adjustment mechanism is included. Each of the mechanisms is provided with a motor for moving the optical lens to the position described above. These mechanisms operate in response to drive signals 24a supplied from the driver 24 to the motors.
[0018]
The aperture adjusting mechanism 14 is an AE (Automatic Exposure) adjusting mechanism that adjusts the amount of incident light, although not specifically shown, and rotates the ring portion in accordance with a drive signal 24b from the driver 24. The ring part partially overlaps the blades to form a round shape of the iris, and forms the iris so that the incident light beam passes therethrough. In this way, the aperture adjusting mechanism 14 changes the aperture of the iris. The aperture adjustment mechanism 14 may incorporate a mechanical shutter (not shown) in the optical lens system 12 as a lens shutter.
[0019]
When driving each adjusting mechanism and diaphragm adjusting mechanism 14 of the optical lens system 12, there is a concern that a large rush current flows with the start of driving. In order to avoid this, the microcomputer 20 described later controls the operation of the adjusting mechanism and the microdrive 34 described above.
[0020]
Although not shown, the imaging unit 16 includes an optical low-pass filter, a color filter, and a solid-state imaging device. The optical low-pass filter is a filter that makes the spatial frequency of incident light equal to or lower than the Nyquist frequency. The color filter is, for example, a filter in which color filter segments of three primary colors RGB are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship one-on-one with individual light-sensitive elements (photosensitive cells) of a solid-state image sensor. Therefore, the color filter depends on the arrangement of the light receiving elements of the solid-state imaging element.
[0021]
Solid-state imaging devices include charge coupled devices (CCD) and metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices. A drive signal 24c is also supplied from the driver 24 to the solid-state imaging device. The solid-state imaging device reads out signal charges generated by photoelectric conversion during exposure according to the drive signal 24c to a vertical transfer register through a gate, and a horizontal transfer register disposed in a direction orthogonal to the register, that is, in a horizontal direction. The signal charge transferred to is shifted and horizontally transferred. The transferred signal charge is Q / V converted into a voltage signal using a floating diffusion amplifier (FDA) as an output amplifier. The imaging unit 16 outputs the analog signal 16a subjected to Q / V conversion to the preprocessing unit 18.
[0022]
The preprocessing unit 18 includes a correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit, a gain control amplifier (GCA), and an analog-to-digital converter (A / D converter) for noise removal. It is. The preprocessing unit 18 outputs all of the imaging data obtained by performing noise removal, waveform shaping, and digitization to the supplied analog signal 16a to the microcomputer 20 as digital data 18a.
[0023]
The microcomputer 20 is a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) chip. This chip includes a signal generation circuit (SG), a memory, a gamma correction circuit, an evaluation value calculation circuit, a pixel interpolation processing circuit, a matrix processing circuit, a D / A conversion circuit, and a control circuit (not shown). . The signal generation circuit has a PLL (Phase Locked Loop) circuit that can generate a plurality of frequencies. The signal generation circuit may generate the clock signal by multiplying the source oscillation frequency by an integer multiple using the reference clock signal. A trigger signal 22a is supplied to the signal generation circuit in response to an operation of a power switch (not shown) of the operation unit 22. The signal generation circuit starts operation in response to the supply of the trigger signal 22a. The signal generation circuit outputs the generated clock signal to each processing unit of the camera.
[0024]
The memory receives the digital data 18a, temporarily stores it, and outputs it as image data to the gamma correction circuit. When the memory is repeatedly read, it is preferable to use a non-volatile memory. The gamma correction circuit includes a lookup table for gamma correction, for example. The gamma correction circuit performs gamma correction on the image data supplied as one of the pre-processes in the image processing using the table data. The gamma correction circuit supplies the gamma corrected image data to the evaluation value calculation circuit and the pixel interpolation processing circuit, respectively.
[0025]
The evaluation value calculation circuit includes a circuit that calculates an aperture value / shutter speed, a white balance (hereinafter referred to as WB) adjustment value, and a gradation correction value based on a photometric value obtained from a predetermined area. ing. The evaluation value calculation circuit sends the parameter of each item calculated by the arithmetic processing for the photometric value to the control circuit. The control circuit outputs a control signal 20a corresponding to these calculation results, that is, parameters, to the driver 24.
[0026]
The pixel interpolation processing circuit interpolates and generates pixel data and generates plain image data for each color. Since the imaging unit 16 uses a single-plate color filter, colors other than the color of the existing color filter segment cannot be obtained from the light receiving element. Therefore, the pixel interpolation processing circuit generates pixel data of the color that cannot be obtained by interpolation. Furthermore, high frequency processing, that is, broadband processing, may be performed using pixel data generated including the first obtained color. The pixel interpolation processing circuit supplies plain image data to the matrix processing circuit. The matrix processing circuit generates luminance and color difference data, respectively. The matrix processing circuit generates luminance data Y and color data Cb, Cr from the image data, and outputs the image data 20b to the compression / decompression processing unit 26.
[0027]
The D / A conversion circuit converts the pixel data obtained by the pixel interpolation processing circuit into image data in consideration of the color pattern of the monitor 28, and converts the image data into an analog signal. The analog signal 20c is output to the monitor 28.
[0028]
Further, the microcomputer 20 is provided with an A / D converter (not shown) for monitoring the power supply voltage. The microcomputer 20 compares the preset power supply voltage threshold value with the A / D converted voltage result, and stops the operation of the micro drive 34 when it is determined that the voltage result falls below the threshold value. Control to do. Here, the comparison is not limited to digital, but may be performed by analog voltage. A comparison voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage threshold is applied to one terminal of the comparator, and a voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage is applied to the other terminal. The comparator may compare these two input voltages and notify the microcomputer 20 of the comparison result at level H or L.
[0029]
The operation unit 22 has a function of selecting conditions displayed on the liquid crystal display panel in addition to a mode setting switch, a zoom selection switch, a cross button, and the like as switches for performing selection and setting like the power switch described above. Yes. The operation unit 22 not only outputs the trigger signal 22a but also supplies information such as setting conditions to the microcomputer 20.
[0030]
Although not shown, the driver 24 includes a timing signal generation circuit and a drive signal generation circuit. The driver 24 supplies the control signal 20a from the microcomputer 20 to the drive signal generation circuit. The drive signal generation circuit generates drive signals 24a and 24b according to the control signal 20a and outputs them to the optical lens system 12 and the aperture adjustment mechanism 14, respectively. The driver 24 supplies the control signal 20a described above to the timing signal generation circuit. The timing signal generation circuit generates a timing signal used for reading the signal charge according to the control signal 20a, and supplies this timing signal to the drive signal generation circuit. In this case, the drive signal generation circuit generates the drive signal 24c and outputs it to the imaging unit 16. It goes without saying that the timing signal differs depending on the still image or moving image capturing mode.
[0031]
The compression / decompression processing unit 26 performs compression processing on image data (Y / C) supplied in the main imaging (still image) mode according to a standard such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). The compression / decompression processing unit 26 supplies the compressed image data 26a after the main imaging to any of the internal memory 32, the micro drive 34, and the memory card 36. The compression / decompression processing unit 26 writes the image data 26 a in the internal memory 32 through the microcomputer 20. Further, the compression / decompression processing unit 26 sends the data to one of the microdrive 34 and the memory card 36 via the interface circuit 30 for recording.
[0032]
When decompressing, the compression / decompression processing unit 26 reads out image data from the microdrive 34 or the memory card 36, and takes in the image data 26a supplied via the interface circuit 30. The compression / decompression processor 26 performs an expansion process on the captured image data 26a. The decompression process is an inverse process of the compression process. The decompressed image data 20b (Y / C) is D / A converted by the microcomputer 20 as described above. The microcomputer 20 outputs the analog signal to the monitor 28 as a reproduced image signal 20c.
[0033]
In the moving image mode, the compression / decompression processing unit 26 performs compression / decompression processing according to standards such as MPEG (Moving Picture coding Experts Group) -2 and MPEG-4.
[0034]
The monitor 28 is a liquid crystal display monitor. The monitor 28 displays an image supplied from the microcomputer 20. The interface circuit 30 is a circuit that performs physical adjustment between the compression / decompression processing unit 26 and the recording medium (microdrive 34, memory card 36). The interface circuit 30 corresponds to, for example, one or more standards of GPIO (General Purpose Input / Output), Compact Flash (registered trademark) card, SmartMedia (registered trademark), and USB (Universal Serial Bus). The interface circuit 30 outputs the image data 34a / 36a / 26a having the output level of the standard conforming to the form.
[0035]
In addition, although not shown, an external I / F circuit may be provided. External I / F circuits include, for example, PIO (Programmed Input / Output), UART (Universal Asynchronous Receive-Transceiver), USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE1394 standards (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: Interfaces based on the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).
[0036]
PIO is an interface circuit whose input / output can be changed by a program. The UART is a device used for a serial interface. This device has a function of converting a supplied parallel signal into a serial signal and converting a serial signal sent from the serial device into a parallel signal. The IEEE1394 I / F supports data transfer up to 400 Mbps, for example. Thus, the camera 10 has a highly versatile input / output function.
[0037]
The internal memory 32 is a storage medium that temporarily stores a plurality of images. The memory in the microcomputer 20 described above may be reduced by using the internal memory 32. The internal memory 32 may be a memory having a storage capacity of several tens of MB to several hundreds of MB. In this case, the internal memory 32 performs control according to whether or not the recording threshold is reached by the microcomputer 20 in the moving image mode, and stores a plurality of images until the threshold is reached.
[0038]
The microdrive 34 is a rotary drive type hard disk having a larger capacity than the memory described above. The microdrive 34 transmits and receives the image data 26a and 34a via the interface circuit 30 arranged between the compression / decompression processing unit 26.
[0039]
By the way, it is known that in the microdrive 34, when the rotational drive system is driven, the system does not go down but the rush current that flows instantaneously is large. If both the AF and zoom mechanisms of the optical lens system 12 are driven simultaneously, the system may go down. Therefore, the microdrive 34 is responsive to control from the microcomputer 20 (not shown).
[0040]
The memory card 36 is, for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit) card called a compact flash (registered trademark) card or smart media (registered trademark). A slot for accommodating the memory card 36 is formed in the housing of the camera 10.
[0041]
With this configuration, the camera 10 equipped with the AF / zoom mechanism of the optical lens system 12 and the micro drive 34 is operated so as not to cause a system down, and an image captured in the moving image mode is appropriately recorded on the micro drive 34. I am letting. In addition, by controlling the operation of the microdrive 34 in accordance with the monitoring of the power supply voltage, more moving images can be recorded by effectively using the battery.
[0042]
Next, of the operations of the digital camera 10, the control of the camera 10 in response to moving image recording and power supply monitoring will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera 10 is activated by operating the power switch of the operation unit 22 to the ON state. As the digital camera 10 starts up, the digital camera 10 performs initial settings and user settings by the user. The user selects a moving image recording mode using the operation unit 22.
[0043]
Next, an imaging start timing signal 22a is supplied to the microcomputer 20 as an interrupt signal I10. In step S10, the microcomputer 20 determines whether the imaging mode is moving image recording in response to the interruption. In the moving image recording mode (YES), it is determined whether or not the switch of the operation unit 22 is operated so as to operate the AF / zoom mechanism and the timing signal 22a is generated as the interrupt signal I12 (step S12). If a mode other than video recording is set (NO), the process proceeds to the corresponding setting process.
[0044]
If the interrupt signal I12 is supplied (YES), the microcomputer 20 controls the drive stop of the microdrive 34 (step S14). In response to this control, power supply to the microdrive 34 is cut off. After confirming this disconnection, power supply to the AF / zoom mechanism is started in response to the interrupt signal I12. Thereby, the AF / zoom mechanism of the optical lens system 12 moves each of the plurality of lenses in accordance with the control signal 20a supplied from the microcomputer 20 (step S16).
[0045]
On the other hand, if the interrupt signal I12 is not supplied to the microcomputer 20 for a predetermined period (NO), it is determined that there is no request for driving the AF / zoom mechanism. The microcomputer 20 supplies a control signal to drive the micro drive 34 according to the determination result. The microdrive 34 is driven to rotate according to the control signal (step S18).
[0046]
After step S16 or step S18, the process proceeds to imaging / image processing (subroutine SUB). This process will be described later. Compressed moving image data is generated by imaging / image processing.
[0047]
Next, it is determined whether or not the microdrive 34 is being driven (step S20). In the case of driving (YES), since the microcomputer 20 can determine that the AF / zoom mechanism is not operating from the above-described determination conditions, the microcomputer 20 writes and records the compressed and generated moving image data in the microdrive 34 (step S22). At this time, the power supply to the AF / zoom mechanism is cut off.
[0048]
Here, although not shown, a switch is disposed on the power supply line to the motor that drives the AF / zoom mechanism and the microdrive 34. This switch is supplied with a selection signal from the microcomputer 20 and controls power feeding in response to the selection signal. The control signal 20a includes information indicating this selection.
[0049]
After the process of step S22, the process proceeds to the voltage determination process of FIG. If the microdrive 34 is not driven, the AF / zoom mechanism determines that the AF / zoom mechanism is driving and transfers the compressed and generated moving image data to a non-drive system memory such as the internal memory 32 or the memory card 36. Temporarily write and record (step S24). After the process of step S24, the process proceeds to the storage amount determination process of FIG.
[0050]
Although not shown in FIG. 2, the current voltage value is A / D converted sequentially from the power supply voltage as described above in the description of the configuration, and the obtained digital data is supplied to the microcomputer 20. In step S26, the microcomputer 20 compares the digital data with a preset voltage threshold value. When the current battery voltage is equal to or lower than the voltage threshold (YES), the microcomputer 20 outputs a control signal 20a for inhibiting the driving of the microdrive 34 to the microdrive 34 in order to avoid consuming large electric power of the microdrive 34. In accordance with this control, the microdrive 34 stops power supply by stopping power supply (step S28). After this processing, the operation proceeds to the operation determination processing of the AF / zoom mechanism of FIG. When the current battery voltage is higher than the voltage threshold (NO), the microcomputer 20 determines whether the microdrive 34 is driven via the connector D.
[0051]
Next, it is determined whether or not a switch for operating the AF / zoom mechanism of the operation unit 22 is in an ON state (step S30). The microcomputer 20 determines whether the trigger signal 22a indicating the ON state of the AF / zoom mechanism is supplied. When the switch is being operated (YES), since the operation of the micro drive 34 is stopped, the microcomputer 20 supplies the driver 24 with a control signal 20a for driving the AF / zoom mechanism. The AF / zoom mechanism of the optical lens system 12 displaces the lens in accordance with the supplied drive signal 24a (step S32). After the determination in step S30, it is determined whether or not to end the moving image recording (step S34). When the trigger signal 22a responsive to the operation of the switch for notifying the end by the operation unit 22 is supplied to the microcomputer 20 (YES), it is determined that the moving image recording is finished, and the operation is finished. When the remaining storable amount of the recording medium is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, it is displayed that the moving image recording is ended, and the moving image recording is ended. On the other hand, when the trigger signal 22a notifying the end of the moving image recording is not supplied (NO), the microcomputer 20 returns to the subroutine of FIG. 1 through the connector E and repeats the imaging / image processing.
[0052]
Incidentally, the microcomputer 20 selects and temporarily records a non-driving system memory, that is, either the internal memory 32 or the memory card 36 as in step S24. At this time, the microcomputer 20 drives and controls the AF / zoom mechanism (power supply state). The microcomputer 20 compares and determines the current storage amount of the internal memory 32 or the memory card 36 selected via the connector B and a preset storage threshold (step S38 in FIG. 2). This is performed in order to maintain the continuity of the compressed moving image to be recorded. When it is determined that the storage amount of the recording medium currently being written is equal to or greater than the storage threshold (YES), the microcomputer 20 performs control to turn off the power supply so as to immediately stop the driving of the AF / zoom mechanism ( Step S40). In response to this control, the microcomputer 20 performs control to supply power to and drive the microdrive 34 (step S42).
[0053]
Then, the microcomputer 20 transfers the moving image data from the recording medium that has reached the predetermined storage amount to the micro drive 34 and records it on the micro drive 34 (step S44). The microcomputer 20 determines whether or not the transfer from the recording medium described above has been completed (step S46). If the transfer has not yet been completed (NO), return to the transfer / recording process and repeat. When the transfer is completed (YES), the microcomputer 20 performs control to stop the operation of the micro drive 34 (step S48: power supply interruption). Thereafter, or when it is determined in step S38 that the storage capacity is still sufficient (NO), the process proceeds to the battery voltage determination process in step S26 described above.
[0054]
In the battery voltage determination process, if it is determined that the battery has a margin (step S26: NO), the microcomputer 20 determines whether or not the micro drive 34 is being driven through the connector D in step S50 of FIG. Judging. In the case of driving (YES), the microcomputer 20 prohibits driving of the AF / zoom mechanism (step S52). Further, when not being driven (NO), the microcomputer 20 may set the AF / zoom mechanism in a driving enable state and actually drive it (step S54). After going through either step S52 or S54, the process proceeds to step S30.
[0055]
Next, the procedure of the imaging / image processing subroutine will be briefly described (see FIG. 4). First, the imaging unit 16 performs exposure according to the drive signal 24c supplied from the driver 24 and accumulates signal charges in the light receiving element. The imaging unit 16 reads the signal charge accumulated in the light receiving element. The signal charge is read out in accordance with the setting of thinning out in the vertical and horizontal directions corresponding to the moving image (sub-step SS10). The imaging unit 16 supplies the analog signal 16a to the preprocessing unit 18. The preprocessing unit 18 supplies the digital data 18a from which noise has been removed to the microcomputer 20.
[0056]
The microcomputer 20 performs signal processing on the digital data 18a (substep SS12). The microcomputer 20 sequentially applies gamma correction, white balance adjustment, pixel interpolation, and matrix processing to the digital data 18a, and sends the image data 20b to the compression / decompression processing unit. In addition, the microcomputer 20 performs D / A conversion on the display image data and outputs the obtained image signal 20c (analog signal) to the monitor 28.
[0057]
The compression / decompression processing unit 26 compresses the supplied image data 20b based on a moving image compression processing procedure set such as MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 (substep SS14). The microcomputer 20 is configured to drive the AF / zoom mechanism of the optical lens system 12 and the driving state of the microdrive 34, the current power supply voltage, and the current storage amount for the static recording medium (internal memory 32, memory card 36). To control the supply destination of the compressed image data.
[0058]
Then, the microcomputer 20 outputs the obtained image signal 20c for display to the monitor 28. The monitor 28 displays the captured moving image on the liquid crystal display monitor (substep SS16). After completing this series of processing, the process proceeds to return, and the subroutine ends.
[0059]
With the configuration as described above, the microcomputer 32 is operated so that the driving of the AF / zoom mechanism of the optical lens system 12 and the driving of the microdrive 34 do not overlap with each other. Alternatively, by recording in the memory card 36, it is possible to avoid the possibility of system down due to simultaneous driving and to maintain the continuity of moving image recording. In addition, the microcomputer 20 determines whether the micro drive 34 is driven and controls the driving of the AF / zoom mechanism, so that even if the switch for driving the AF / zoom mechanism of the operation unit 22 is continuously operated, Since driving can be avoided, a user-friendly camera can be provided without making the operator aware of the burden.
[0060]
In addition, since the operation is performed in consideration of a decrease in the recordable amount when the voltage is reduced, the life of the battery can be extended and the moving image can be recorded effectively.
[0061]
The storage amount threshold value may be the maximum storage amount value, but it is preferable to empirically obtain a threshold value that can maintain the continuity of moving images while intermittently operating the microdrive 34 and use this value.
[0062]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the digital camera drive control method of the present invention, during the driving of at least one of the zooming mechanism and the focus adjustment mechanism, the second recording medium is prohibited from being driven, While the recording medium is being driven, the zooming mechanism and the focus adjustment mechanism are prohibited from being driven, and by driving these mechanisms and the second recording medium in the camera individually, the magnitude of the rush current flowing at the start of driving can be reduced. By keeping the current value lower than the system down and avoiding the system down of the camera, the recording continuity in the moving image can be maintained. A user-friendly camera can be provided without making the operator aware of the burden.
[0063]
According to the digital camera drive control method of the present invention, when the power supply voltage to be monitored is lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, the drive of the second recording medium is stopped to suppress the power consumption, and the second By recording image data on a recording medium that is lower than the power consumption of the recording medium and reducing the burden on the battery, the battery life can be extended, the sudden voltage drop can be suppressed, the system can be down, and the video recording period can be extended. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a main flowchart for explaining an operation procedure when a digital camera drive control method according to the present invention is applied to a moving image recording mode of a digital camera.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the continuation of the operation procedure of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the continuation of the operation procedure of FIG. 2;
4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of imaging / image processing illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital camera to which a digital camera drive control method according to the present invention is applied.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Digital camera
12 Optical lens system
14 Aperture adjustment mechanism
16 Imaging unit
18 Pretreatment section
20 Microcomputer
22 Operation unit
24 drivers
26 Compression / decompression processor
28 Monitor
30 Interface circuit
32 Internal memory
34 Microdrive
36 Memory card

Claims (6)

A zooming mechanism that changes the angle of view of the object scene, a focus adjustment mechanism that adjusts the focal length with the subject, and a plurality of recording media that store image data of the obtained object scene, A first recording medium in which the image data is temporarily stored; a second recording medium in which the image data is stored while the recording medium is rotationally driven while being removable; and a removable recording medium in a static state. In a drive control method for a digital camera having a third recording medium stored therein, the method includes:
In moving image recording of the object scene, simultaneous driving of at least one of the zooming mechanism and the focus adjustment mechanism and driving of the second recording medium is prohibited, and during the driving of the mechanism, A drive control method for a digital camera, wherein the obtained image data is stored in a third recording medium. The method of claim 1, the method, in the zooming mechanism and one of the storage amount is the first or third recording medium of the image data associated with the video during driving mechanism of the focus adjustment mechanism When the predetermined threshold value is reached, the drive of the driving mechanism is stopped, the second recording medium is driven, and the image data stored in the first or third recording medium is transferred and recorded on the second recording medium. A drive control method for a digital camera, comprising:   3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined threshold is a maximum value that can store a storage amount for the image data. 4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein when the predetermined threshold value is reached, the driving of the zooming mechanism is stopped, the zooming is switched to electronic zoom, and the image data is transferred to the second recording medium. A digital camera drive control method characterized by: 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method monitors a power supply voltage of the digital camera, and when the power supply voltage becomes lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, the second recording medium is used. The digital camera drive control method is characterized in that the driving of the digital camera is stopped and the obtained image data is recorded on the first or third recording medium.   5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method monitors a power supply voltage of the digital camera, and when the power supply voltage becomes lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, the second recording medium is used. A drive control method for a digital camera, characterized in that the rotational drive speed of the digital camera is controlled in response to the power supply voltage.

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