JP4253405B2 - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic camera, particularly to a REC view display. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
There has been proposed an electronic camera that can easily adjust the focus even when an electronic viewfinder having a small number of pixels is used (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-244471). This electronic camera is intended to facilitate focus adjustment by designating a part of a display image and enlarging the designated part. However, in this method, since it is necessary to adjust the focal position while viewing the enlarged display image before shooting, the operation becomes complicated and there is a possibility that a photo opportunity will be missed.
[0003]
In another electronic camera, a first video processing circuit that performs normal processing and a second video processing circuit that performs zoom processing are provided, and an output of one of the video processing circuits is output according to a focus position. It is displayed on a liquid crystal display device (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-55560). Since this electronic camera is also configured to check and adjust the focus while viewing the enlarged display image before shooting, there is a risk of missing a photo opportunity.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in conventional electronic cameras, it is necessary to perform complicated operations to focus on the subject before shooting, or to check the in-focus state by enlarging the display. There is.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera that can easily check a captured image, in particular, whether it is in focus.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has taken the following measures.
[0007]
The essence of the present invention is that an image after photographing is desired even when an electronic viewfinder having a small number of pixels is used by enlarging and displaying a predetermined portion (particularly, a focus area) within a REC view display period. It is possible to easily check whether the image is captured as an image. Specifically, it is as follows.
[0008]
The electronic camera of the present invention includes an image display means for displaying an imaging unit for obtaining electronic image data by photoelectrically converting an object image, an image based on image data obtained by the preprocessing SL imaging means, Yes and recording means for recording image data obtained by the preprocessing Symbol image pickup means on a recording medium, shooting a reproduction mode for reproducing the image data recorded in the shooting mode and the recording medium for performing shadow and, and a control means for controlling said each means depending on the mode, before Symbol control means, in the imaging mode, the image that is set at a position including a focus area at a predetermined time after the shooting an electronic camera for controlling to display a partial area of the image based on the data on the entire display screen of the image display means, wherein the recording medium is an external memory mounted on the card slot Detachable removable memory, erasing means for erasing image data recorded on the recording medium, and stopping recording of image data on the recording medium or erasing image data recorded on the recording medium Operating means for performing an operation such that when the operation means is operated during image data recording on the recording medium during enlarged display in the photographing mode, the control means Controlling the recording means to stop recording data on the recording medium, and erasing the image data recorded on the recording medium when the operation means is operated after the image data recording to the recording medium is completed. it shall be the said to control the erasing unit to.
[0009]
Another electronic camera of the present invention, image display means for displaying an imaging unit for obtaining electronic image data by photoelectrically converting an object image, an image based on image data obtained by the preprocessing SL imaging means When a recording means for recording image data obtained by the preprocessing Symbol image pickup means on a recording medium, Taking a reproduction mode for reproducing the image data recorded in the shooting mode and the recording medium for performing shadow the a, for performing a control means for controlling said each means in accordance with this mode, the operation to enlarge a part area before Symbol image display means on the displayed image on the entire display screen includes an enlarged operating means, a pre-SL control means, wherein in the shooting mode, an image based on the image data is controlled so as to display a predetermined time on the image display unit after photographing, the enlargement display within the predetermined time When the operation stage is performed, a partial region of the set the image position including the focus area in an electronic camera that controls to display on the entire display screen of the image display means, wherein the recording medium is card A detachable removable memory which is an external memory mounted in a slot, and an erasing means for erasing image data recorded on the recording medium, and recording of image data on the recording medium is stopped or recorded on the recording medium Operating means for performing an operation for erasing the recorded image data, and the control means during the enlarged display in the shooting mode and during the recording of the image data on the recording medium When the operation is performed, the recording unit is controlled to stop recording data on the recording medium, and after the image data recording on the recording medium is completed When the operation of the serial operation means is performed shall be the controls said erasing means to erase the image data recorded on the recording medium.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a schematic configuration of an electronic camera according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
[0015]
The image of the subject that has passed through the lens unit 11 is converted into an electrical signal by the image sensor 12. The electrical signal converted by the image sensor 12 is converted to an analog image signal that has been imaged by the imaging circuit 13, and then converted to a digital image signal by the A / D converter 14. Then, this digital image signal is subjected to a predetermined process, for example, an interface (I / F) to a removable memory 21 (for example, a compact flash memory, smart media, etc.) that is an external memory mounted in the card slot 20. ) 22. The electronic camera also has a high-speed built-in memory 30 (for example, a random access memory (hereinafter also referred to as “DRAM”)), and is used as a working memory for image compression / decompression or as a temporary image storage. Used as a high-speed buffer as a means.
[0016]
The electronic camera is equipped with a normal image display LCD 50 (liquid crystal display device). The image display LCD 50 confirms an image recorded in the removable memory 21 and displays an image to be taken. An image to be displayed is once taken into an image display memory (VRAM) 51, converted into a video signal by a video conversion circuit 52, sent to the image display LCD 50, and an image is displayed on the image display LCD 50. The video signal from the video conversion circuit 52 is also output to the video output terminal 53 so that an image can be output to a display device (not shown) connected to the video output terminal 53 (for example, an external monitor). .
[0017]
The external interface (I / F) 60 transmits and receives data to and from an external device (not shown), and is connected to the external device via an external input / output terminal 61.
[0018]
The power supply unit 65 is a power supply for the electronic camera and is controlled by the syscon 70. In addition, the battery 67 is connected to an external power supply through the external power supply terminal 66 to charge the battery 67, for example.
[0019]
The syscon 70 performs overall control of each device of the electronic camera, and includes an image processing circuit 71 and a compression / decompression circuit 72. The image processing circuit 71 performs image processing of a captured image described later in detail. The compression / decompression circuit 72 is for compressing the digital image signal and expanding (decompressing) the compressed image signal.
[0020]
In addition, the system controller 70 receives an input from the release 81 of the operation unit 80 and performs imaging, or selects a shooting mode, a playback mode, or the like by an input from the mode selection switch 85. The selected shooting mode is displayed on the mode display LCD 74. Further, the syscon 70 performs control so that the strobe 73 is turned on when the amount of light at the time of imaging of the subject is insufficient. In addition, the operation unit 80 includes an erase / cancel switch 82, an enlargement switch 83, a movement switch 84, and a rec view changeover switch 86, which will be described later in detail for the configuration of the present invention.
[0021]
FIG. 2 shows processing in the normal photographing mode. FIG. 3 shows processing in the reproduction mode.
[0022]
First, when the shooting mode is selected by the mode selection switch 85, the shooting mode is set. In FIG. 2, when the release 81 is turned on (step A1), an imaging process is performed (step A2), and an electronic image signal is stored in the DRAM 30 (step A3). Here, when the REC view function is turned on by the REC view switch 86 (step A4), the recording is started (step A5), and the REC view is displayed for a predetermined time (step A7). (Step A1). When the REC view function is OFF (step A4), after the image is recorded in the removable memory 21 (step A6), the next shooting is waited (step A1).
[0023]
Next, when the playback mode is selected by the mode selection switch 85, the playback mode is set. In FIG. 3, first, image data is read from the removable memory 21 (step B1), and the image data is temporarily stored in the DRAM 30 (step B2). Then, the image data is decompressed by the compression / decompression circuit 72 (step B3), the thinning process is performed by the image processing circuit 71 in order to display the image on the image display LCD 50, and the result is stored in the VRAM (step B4, step B5). ) After video processing by the video conversion circuit 52 (step B6), an LCD image is displayed (step B7). Then, whether or not to display another image is input (step B8), the image display is continued as it is (step B7), or other image data is newly read from the removable memory 21 (step B1).
[0024]
Up to this point, the operation is conventional. In the present invention, a part of the area is displayed on the entire screen of the image display LCD 50 automatically or by a user operation during the REC view display in the above-described shooting mode. The operation according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Since operations other than the REC view display are the same as described above, the description thereof is omitted.
[0025]
FIG. 4 shows an operation example in which a part of the image displayed in the REC view is automatically displayed on the entire screen in the REC view processing (step A7) in FIG. 2, and the user manually selects a part of the image displayed in the REC view. FIG. 5 shows an example of operation when displaying on the entire screen. In the following description, the expression “enlarged display (or enlargement process)” is used, but it is a matter of course that a part of the image displayed in the REC view is enlarged and displayed (or enlarged process) as a matter of course. Since the original image of the displayed image is usually recorded with a resolution higher than that of the displayed image, image data corresponding to a part of the image displayed in the REC view is read from, for example, the DRAM 30 and displayed. It is assumed that image processing is performed so that the image is displayed on the entire screen of the LCD 50 and an image is displayed on the image display LCD 50.
[0026]
In FIG. 4, first, in the REC view display, a part of the photographed image is enlarged (step C1) and stored in the VRAM 51 (step C2). Then, in order to display an image on the image display LCD 50, the image data is converted into a video signal by the video conversion circuit 52 (step C3), and an enlarged display in which a part of the image is enlarged is performed (step C4). Then, after the enlarged display is performed for a predetermined time, the display ends (step C5).
[0027]
As described above, in FIG. 4, the enlargement process is automatically performed on all the captured images. However, when it is not necessary to enlarge all the images, the entire display is displayed and the desired image is displayed. Only the image may be enlarged and displayed. FIG. 5 shows the operation in that case.
[0028]
5, first, in the REC view display, since the image data stored in the DRAM 30 usually has a higher resolution than the image display LCD 50, the image processing circuit 71 thins out the image data so that it can be displayed on the image display LCD 50. (Step D1). The image data after the thinning process is stored in the VRAM 51 (step D2), and the image data is converted into a video signal by the video conversion circuit 52 in order to display the image on the image display LCD 50 (step D3). Display is performed (step D4). The video conversion circuit 52 superimposes an enlarged frame (enlarged area) as shown in FIG. 6A on the entire image. Then, the entire display is performed for a predetermined time, and if there is no operation from the user within the predetermined time, the process is terminated as it is (step D5).
[0029]
If the user gives an instruction for enlargement display using the enlargement switch 83 or an instruction for moving the enlargement area using the movement switch 84 within a predetermined time (step D6), a part of the displayed image (enlargement area) is enlarged. (Step D7) and stored in the VRAM 51 (Step D8). Then, in order to display an image on the image display LCD 50, the image data is converted into a video signal by the video conversion circuit 52 (step D9), and an enlarged display in which a part of the image is enlarged is performed (step D10). Then, after the enlarged display is performed for a predetermined time, the display ends (step D11).
[0030]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example when a partial area (enlarged area) is enlarged by the above-described enlargement process. This enlargement area is set at the center with respect to the display area, and is set at a position including a focus area set within the shooting angle of view. Note that the focus area is provided for convenience of explanation, and is not displayed during the REC view display. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the enlargement switch 83 is operated during the entire display with the enlarged frame displayed, the enlarged region is enlarged, and the enlarged region becomes the entire screen as shown in FIG. 6 (b). It is displayed and it can be easily confirmed whether or not the image is normally recorded.
[0031]
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example when the enlarged region is moved to a place other than the center of the display image, and is important when the main image is located outside the center. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the enlargement frame (region) is moved by the movement switch 84, and FIG. 7B shows that the enlargement switch 83 is operated in the state shown in FIG. 7A. The enlarged area is displayed on the entire screen. In the above-described embodiment, the desired area is designated by moving the enlargement frame in the entire display. However, the entire screen may be moved by the movement switch 84 in the enlarged display state. .
[0032]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an erasing process when an image confirmed during REC view display is not normal or not desired. If the image confirmed by the enlargement process is not desired during the REC view display, the image data recording is canceled or the recorded image data is erased by turning on the erase / cancel switch 82. be able to.
[0033]
First, when the image confirmed by the enlargement process is not desired during the REC view display, the erase / cancel switch 82 is turned on (step E1), and the syscon 70 completes recording in the removable memory 21. It is determined whether or not (step E2). If the recording has been completed, the data recorded in the removable memory 21 is deleted (step E3). If the recording has not been completed, the recording to the removable memory 21 is stopped (step E4). ). By doing so, it is possible to prevent an unnecessary image or an abnormal image that is not in focus from being recorded in the removable memory.
[0034]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment of the invention described above, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
[0036]
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically or manually zoom in on a desired area when displaying a REC view immediately after shooting, so it is easy to check whether shooting has been performed satisfactorily. it can.
[0037]
Further, it is possible to prevent an unnecessary image or an image that is not in focus on the spot from being recorded in the removable memory after confirming the enlarged image.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic camera according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing in a normal shooting mode.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing in a reproduction mode.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example when a part of an image displayed in REC view is automatically displayed on the entire screen.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example when a user manually displays a part of an image displayed in REC view on the entire screen.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example when a partial area (enlarged area) is enlarged by an enlargement process;
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example when the enlarged region is moved to a place other than the center of the display image.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an erasing process when an image confirmed during REC view display is not normal or not desired.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 ... Lens part,
12: Image sensor,
13: Imaging circuit,
14 ... A / D converter,
20 ... card slot,
21 ... removable memory,
22 ... Interface (I / F),
30 ... Built-in memory,
50. Image display LCD,
51. Image display memory (VRAM),
52. Video conversion circuit,
53 ... Video output terminal,
60 ... External interface (I / F),
61: External input / output terminal,
65 ... power supply,
70 ... Syscon,
66 ... external power supply terminal,
67 ... Battery,
71: Image processing circuit,
72. Compression / decompression circuit,
80 ... operation unit,
81 ... Release,
85: Mode selection switch,
74. Mode display LCD,
73 ... Strobe,
82 ... Erase / Cancel switch,
83 ... Magnifying switch,
84: Move switch,
86: Rec view selector switch.

Claims (2)

Image display means for displaying an imaging unit for obtaining electronic image data by photoelectrically converting an object image, an image based on image data obtained by the preprocessing SL imaging device, obtained by the pre-Symbol imaging means It has been a recording means for recording on a recording medium the image data, shooting a reproduction mode for reproducing the image data recorded shooting mode and the recording medium for performing shadow, according to this mode and a control means for controlling said each means, before Symbol control means, wherein in the shooting mode, a part of the image based on the image data set in the position including the focus area in a predetermined time after the shooting In an electronic camera that controls to display an area on the entire display screen of the image display means ,
The recording medium is a removable memory that is an external memory mounted in a card slot,
Erasing means for erasing the image data recorded on the recording medium;
An operation means for performing an operation to stop recording the image data on the recording medium or to erase the image data recorded on the recording medium,
The control means is configured to stop recording data on the recording medium when the operation means is operated during image data recording on the recording medium during enlarged display in the photographing mode. And the erasing unit is controlled to erase the image data recorded on the recording medium when the operation unit is operated after the completion of the recording of the image data on the recording medium. camera. Image display means for displaying an imaging unit for obtaining electronic image data by photoelectrically converting an object image, an image based on image data obtained by the preprocessing SL imaging device, obtained by the pre-Symbol imaging means It has been a recording means for recording on a recording medium the image data, shooting a reproduction mode for reproducing the image data recorded shooting mode and the recording medium for performing shadow, according to this mode and an enlarging operation means for performing an operation to enlarge a control unit, the entire display screen a partial area of the pre-Symbol image display means on the displayed image for controlling said each means, before The control means controls to display an image based on the image data on the image display means for a predetermined time after shooting in the shooting mode, and when the enlarged display means is operated within the predetermined time. An electronic camera for controlling to display some area of the set the image position including the focus area to the entire display screen of the image display means,
The recording medium is a removable memory that is an external memory mounted in a card slot,
Erasing means for erasing the image data recorded on the recording medium;
An operation means for performing an operation to stop recording the image data on the recording medium or to erase the image data recorded on the recording medium,
The control means is configured to stop recording data on the recording medium when the operation means is operated during image data recording on the recording medium during enlarged display in the photographing mode. And the erasing unit is controlled to erase the image data recorded on the recording medium when the operation unit is operated after the completion of the recording of the image data on the recording medium. camera.

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