JP4273865B2 - Untransferred image notification method, cradle, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an untransferred image notification technique when an image captured by an imaging apparatus is transferred to an external image processing apparatus via a cradle.

  To connect the digital camera to a personal computer (computer), attach the digital camera, charge the digital camera, connect it to the computer with a USB cable, etc., and transfer the images stored in the digital camera to the computer A cradle as a kind of repeater is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a mobile device such as a digital camera and a cradle are integrated into a station system, and a power switch and a mode setting switch for turning the cradle on and off are arranged on the front of the cradle. The mode setting switch is at least a charging mode switch. , External device connection mode switch, surveillance camera mode switch, automatic shooting camera mode switch, each mode setting switch is also configured as a power-on switch, set the mode of the digital camera mounted on the cradle with the cradle There is what can be made (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  In addition, there is a cradle device configured to transmit a video signal together with a battery of the digital camera through the cradle device, transmit / receive an information signal by the same connector, and rewrite a control program (for example, Patent Document 3). reference).

  In addition, as a cradle system capable of simplifying operations such as imaging and image transfer and reproduction, an imaging unit that captures a subject image and acquires the image, and a transmission / reception unit that transmits the captured image to the cradle An electronic camera equipped with an electronic camera, a mounting unit for mounting the electronic camera, a camera detection unit for detecting that the electronic camera is mounted, and an electronic camera that automatically detects when the camera detection unit detects that the electronic camera is mounted. There is an apparatus configured to include a transmission / reception unit that receives an image from the cradle and a cradle that includes a unit that records an image received from an electronic camera on a recording medium (see, for example, Patent Document 4). In the cradle system disclosed in Patent Document 4, the electronic camera includes a recording unit that records a captured image. When the image recorded in the recording unit is transmitted to the cradle and the image transmission is completed, the recording is performed. The transferred image recorded in the means is erased.

JP 2000-232599 A

JP 2003-75907 A JP 2003-110899 A JP 2003-169243 A

  As described above, the cradle attaches a digital camera or the like to transfer image data recorded in the image recording unit inside the digital camera to the storage unit inside the personal computer, and the received image is stored in the storage unit on the personal computer side. Can be stored and saved. Here, when transmitting an image from a digital camera to a personal computer, it is efficient if only an image that has not been transmitted to the personal computer can be transmitted.

  However, since the cradle assembly described in Patent Document 1 only functions as a kind of relay machine, a desired image is transmitted without distinction between a transmitted image and an untransferred image, and a transferred image is received on the personal computer side. When doing so, there was a problem that it was necessary to overwrite or skip writing.

  In the integrated station system described in Patent Document 2, the operation mode of the digital camera such as the shooting mode can be set on the cradle side. However, when an image is transmitted from the digital camera to the personal computer side, it simply performs a relay function. However, there was a problem similar to the case of Patent Document 1.

  In the cradle device described in Patent Document 3, since data can be transferred during charging, the cradle can be miniaturized and user convenience can be improved. However, when transmitting an image from a digital camera to a personal computer, It merely performs the relay function, and has the same problem as in Patent Document 1.

  In addition, in the cradle and cradle system described in Patent Document 4, when the image transmission is completed, the transferred image recorded in the recording means can be deleted, so that an untransferred image is always transmitted to the personal computer. can do. However, when images taken with a digital camera are always transferred to the same computer, the images once sent may be deleted on the digital camera side. When the image is erased and retransfer is necessary, there is a problem that the image cannot be transferred because the image is also erased on the digital camera side.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems , and provides an untransferred image notification method, a cradle , and a notification for determining whether an image that has not been transferred to an external image recording apparatus such as a personal computer is on the camera side. And provide the program.

In order to solve the above-described problem, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the untransferred image notification method for a cradle having a data transfer function for transferring data from a mounted imaging device to an external image recording device, the cradle includes A storage means for storing image information of the transferred image transferred from the imaging apparatus to the external image recording apparatus, and stored in the storage means when the cradle is connected to the external image recording apparatus; The transferred image information is updated with the image information of the image stored in the external image recording device, and is stored in the storage means when the mounting of the imaging device to the cradle is detected. The transferred image information is compared with the image information of the image recorded in the imaging device to extract untransferred image information, and the extracted untransferred image information is extracted. Was transmitted to the imaging apparatus, it provides a non-transferred image informing wherein the this for notifying the presence of the non-transferred image on the imaging device based on the transmitted untransferred image information.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the non-transferred image notification method for a cradle having a data transfer function for transferring data from a mounted image pickup device to an external image recording device, the cradle includes the image pickup device from the image pickup device. Storage means for storing the image information of the transferred image transferred to the external image recording apparatus is provided, and when the cradle is connected to the external image recording apparatus, the transferred image information stored in the storage means is stored in the storage means. The image information of the image stored in the external image recording device is updated, and when the mounting of the imaging device to the cradle is detected, the transferred image information stored in the storage means and Untransferred image information is extracted by comparing image information of images recorded in the imaging device, and an untransferred image is based on the extracted untransferred image information. Providing untransferred image notifying method characterized by notifying the presence of.

The invention according to claim 3 is a cradle comprising a mounting portion for mounting an imaging device, and a data transfer means for transferring data from the imaging device mounted on the mounting portion to an external image recording device, Image information storage means for acquiring image information of a transferred image and storing it in a memory according to identification information of the imaging apparatus when the recorded image of the imaging apparatus is transferred to the external image recording apparatus by the data transfer means; A mounting detection unit that detects mounting of the imaging device to the mounting unit, and an identification that detects identification information of the mounted imaging device when the mounting detection unit detects mounting of the imaging device to the mounting unit Image information for acquiring image information of an image recorded in the imaging device when the information detection unit and the mounting detection unit detect that the imaging device is mounted on the mounting unit. Obtaining means; image information recorded in the memory in association with identification information identical to the identification information detected by the identification information detection means; and all image information obtained by the image information obtaining means. Untransferred image information extraction means for extracting untransferred image information based on the comparison; and untransferred image information transmission means for transmitting the untransferred image information extracted by the untransferred image information extraction means to the imaging device. A cradle comprising: an untransferred image whose presence has been notified by the imaging device and image information thereof are transferred to the external image recording device by the data transfer means.

The invention according to claim 4 is a cradle comprising a mounting portion for mounting an imaging device, and a data transfer means for transferring data from the imaging device mounted on the mounting portion to an external image recording device, Image information storage means for acquiring image information of a transferred image and storing it in a memory according to identification information of the imaging apparatus when the recorded image of the imaging apparatus is transferred to the external image recording apparatus by the data transfer means; A mounting detection unit that detects mounting of the imaging device to the mounting unit, and an identification that detects identification information of the mounted imaging device when the mounting detection unit detects mounting of the imaging device to the mounting unit Image information for acquiring image information of an image recorded in the imaging device when the information detection unit and the mounting detection unit detect that the imaging device is mounted on the mounting unit. Obtaining means; image information recorded in the memory in association with identification information identical to the identification information detected by the identification information detection means; and all image information obtained by the image information obtaining means. An untransferred image extracting means for extracting untransferred image information based on the comparison; an informing means for informing the presence of an untransferred image based on the untransferred image information extracted by the transferred image extracting means; and the informing means An untransferred image acquired by the image capturing apparatus and an untransferred image acquired by the untransferred image acquiring unit and the image information thereof. The cradle is transferred to the external image recording apparatus.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided connection detection means for detecting connection between the cradle and the external image recording apparatus, and stored image information acquisition for acquiring image information of an image stored in the external image recording apparatus. The image information update means for updating the image information of the transferred image stored in the cradle with the image information acquired by the stored image information acquisition means. A cradle according to 4 is provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program executable on a computer mounted on a cradle having a data transfer function for transferring data from a mounted imaging device to an external image recording device. A program step for detecting a connection of the external image recording device, a program step for acquiring image information of an image stored in the external image recording device when a connection with the external image recording device is detected, and a cradle And a program step for updating the image information of the transferred image stored in the image information with the image information acquired from the external image recording apparatus.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to know whether a digital camera has an image that has not been transferred from the digital camera to an external device such as a personal computer simply by mounting the digital camera on the cradle. Also, only untransferred images can be transferred to the external image recording apparatus via the cradle. It is also possible to transfer only a desired untransferred image to an external image recording apparatus via a cradle.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a front side external view of an embodiment of the cradle of the present invention. The cradle is sometimes called a station, a dock, a charging stand or the like. The cradle 1 has a camera mounting portion 1A that is open on the front side, and the camera mounting portion 1A is provided with a back camera support plate 1B and a recess 1C for fitting the camera. In addition, when the camera is mounted on the camera mounting portion 1A on the bottom surface of the recess 1C, the cradle-side input / output unit 3 that fits in the camera-side terminal fitting hole 93 (FIG. 5D) and the cradle 1 are connected. A mounting detection unit 4 for detecting the mounting of the camera is provided. The cradle side input / output terminal portion 3A is a male terminal formed so as to be fitted into the terminal fitting hole 93 on the camera side, and is electrically connected to the camera side when fitted into the terminal fitting hole 93 on the camera side. In addition, an input / output terminal and a charging power supply terminal for enabling data exchange and charging between the camera and the cradle 1 via a camera side input / output I / F (interface) are incorporated.

  Also, on the lower front side of the cradle 1, a button such as a charging button 6-1 for a user to instruct charging to the camera, an LED 8-1 for notifying an image transfer to a personal computer, and the like are provided. . In addition, you may provide LED (or audio | voice output apparatus) 8-2 which alert | reports that when there exists an untransferred image.

  The cradle 1 includes a USB cable 5A for connecting the personal computer side input / output unit 5 and the personal computer and a power cable 9A for connecting the external power source and the power source unit 9 to the side (or back) of the cradle 1. The charging function of the cradle 1 is not essential.

  When the cradle 1 is configured to notify the presence / absence of an untransferred image, the notification unit 8 may be an LED (light emitting diode) display, and can notify the presence / absence of an untransferred image like a sound output device such as a speaker. Equipment is provided. The notification content can be notified by a method according to the function of the device, for example, by outputting a short message indicating that an untransferred image is in the camera, for example, an LED display or an audio output device.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the circuit configuration of the cradle. The cradle 1 includes a control unit 2, a camera side input / output unit 3, a mounting detection unit 4, a personal computer side input / output unit 5, an operation unit 6, and a memory 7. , A notification unit 8, a power supply unit 9, and a charging unit 9B.

  Reference numeral 8-1 of the notification unit 8 indicates an image transfer notification LED, and the image transfer notification LED 8-1 may also be used as an untransferred image notification LED. Further, an LED for notifying an untransferred image or an audio output device may be provided as the notification unit 8. When the cradle 1 does not have a charging function, the charging unit 9B is omitted.

  The control unit 2 has a microprocessor configuration including a CPU, a RAM, and a program storage memory, and controls the overall operation of the cradle 1 and performs execution control such as image transfer processing by an operation program stored in the program storage memory. .

  When the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 1, the camera side input / output unit 3 captures image information received via the cradle side input / output terminal unit 3 </ b> A into the RAM (or the memory 7). The attachment detection unit 4 is configured by an optical sensor, a mechanical switch, or the like, and sends out an attachment detection signal when the camera is attached to the cradle 1.

  The personal computer side input / output unit 5 is connected to the USB cable 5 </ b> A, and when the digital camera 100 is attached to the cradle 1, image data is transferred from the digital camera 100 to the personal computer 200 (FIG. 3) via the cradle 1.

  The operation unit 6 includes switches and keys such as the charge button 6-1 shown in FIG. 1, and a corresponding signal is sent to the control unit 2 when these buttons are operated. Note that a reset button may be provided on the back of the cradle 1 so that the stored contents of the memory 7 can be erased.

  The memory 7 stores and stores image identification information of the digital camera 100. The notification unit 8 turns on the image transfer LED 8-1 during image transfer. As described above, a device 8-2 that can notify that there is an untransferred image, for example, an LED (light emitting diode) display may be provided, or an audio output device such as a speaker may be provided.

  When the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 1, the charging unit 9B automatically or when the user presses the charging button 6-1, the charging unit 9B is connected to the digital camera 100 via the charging power supply terminal of the cradle side input / output terminal unit 3A. Supply charging power to the battery.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an untransferred image notification system 250 equipped with a digital camera, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an image transfer and an untransferred image notification method by the untransferred image notification system 250, and FIG. FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram (flow chart) at the time of image transfer, and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a digital camera 100 as shown in FIG. 5 can be attached to the camera attachment portion 1 </ b> A of the cradle 1. The cradle 1 is connected to the personal computer 200 with the USB cable 5A.

<When transferring images>
In FIG. 4A, when the user attaches the digital camera 100 to the cradle 1 and connects to the personal computer 200 (step P1), an untransferred image from the digital camera 100, its image identification information (for example, the file name of the image) and file information. Is transferred to the personal computer 200 through the cradle 1 (step P2). The cradle 1 holds image identification information of the image transferred to the personal computer 200 (step P3).

  Note that the file information referred to in step P2 is information (date, image size, etc.) and thumbnail images related to the captured image recorded in a prescribed format.

<Check for untransferred images>
In FIG. 4B, when the user mounts the digital camera 100 on the cradle 1 (step Q1), the difference between the image identification information held in the cradle 1 and the image identification information of the image stored in the digital camera 100 is shown. The presence or absence is checked (step Q2), and if there is a difference, it is determined that there is an untransferred image (step Q3). When the digital camera 100 receives a signal indicating that there is an untransferred image from the cradle 1, an indication that there is an untransferred image (for example, “There is an image that has not been transferred. Message ") (step Q4).

  When the digital camera 100 is attached to the cradle 1 by the method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the presence / absence of an untransferred image is notified, so that the user operates the digital camera 100 to select an untransferred image and the cradle 1 Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to back up.

  In step Q4, the digital camera 100 notifies that there is an untransferred image. However, the LED 8-2 for notifying the untransferred image is provided in the cradle 1, and the untransferred image is displayed in step Q4. If there is, a message to that effect may be displayed, or the image transfer notification LED 8-1 may also be used. If there is an untransferred image, the LED 8-1 may be blinked in step Q4.

  If the digital camera 100 includes a built-in memory (flash memory 50) and a memory card, the presence or absence of untransferred images is checked for each in step Q3, and the presence or absence of untransferred images is notified for each in step Q4. It may be.

  When the personal computer 200 and the cradle 1 are connected, the file name of the image stored in the personal computer 200 and the file name of the transferred image stored in the cradle 1 are checked on the cradle 1 side. If they do not match, the file name stored in the cradle 1 may be updated (overwritten update) with the image file name of the image stored in the personal computer 200. With this configuration, when the image is deleted by mistake with the personal computer 200, it is possible to receive transfer of image data or the like deleted from the digital camera 100 again. In addition, when a reset button is provided on the back of the cradle 1 so that the stored contents of the memory 7 can be erased, even if the stored contents are erased accidentally, if they are connected to the personal computer 200, they are automatically recorded on the personal computer 200. The image identification information such as the image file name can be stored in the memory 7 of the cradle 1.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the appearance of an embodiment of a digital camera that can be mounted on the cradle 1. The digital camera 100 has an imaging lens 111 and a photometric sensor 113 on the front side (FIG. 5A), and An optical viewfinder 112 is provided. On the back of the digital camera 100 (FIG. 5B), there is a liquid crystal monitor screen 41, an optical viewfinder 112, a mode switch 31 for switching modes, a liquid crystal monitor switch 32, a zoom key 33, a menu key 34, a cursor key 35, and a photographing. Switches and keys such as a mode button 38 are provided. In addition, a shutter key 36, a strobe setting key 37, and a power button 91 are provided on the top surface (FIG. 5C), and a USB cable is connected to an external device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) or a modem on the side. A USB terminal connection unit 95 used for this is provided. Furthermore, an optical transmission / reception port for near field communication such as infrared communication or Bluetooth, a radio communication antenna, or a GPS reception antenna may be provided on the front surface or the like. Further, a mounting detection part 92 and a terminal fitting hole 93 are provided on the bottom surface (FIG. 5D).

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the digital camera shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, the digital camera 100 includes an optical system 11, a signal conversion unit 12, a signal processing unit 13, a DRAM 14, an input / output I / F (interface) 15, a mounting detection unit 16, a control unit 20, an operation unit 30, and a display unit. 40, a flash memory 50, and a power supply 90.

  The optical system 11 includes an imaging lens 111, a photometric sensor 113, an automatic focusing mechanism 114, an automatic aperture mechanism, and the like (not shown). The optical system 11 collects the luminous flux of the subject image collected through the imaging lens 111 at the subsequent imaging element. An image is formed on (CCD).

  The signal conversion unit 12 includes a signal conversion circuit such as an A / D converter, and also converts an image formed through the preceding optical system 11 into an electric signal by the CCD, and converts the electric signal into digital data. Convert and output at a fixed period.

  The signal processing unit 13 processes the output from the signal conversion unit 12 in the normal imaging mode to obtain signal components such as digital luminance and color difference multiplexed signals (Y, Cb, Cr data), and Y, Cb, Cr data (hereinafter referred to as image data) is transferred to the DRAM 14 and temporarily stored. Further, in order to display the through image, the captured image data is thinned out and sent to the display unit 40. When the shutter operation is performed, the image data at that time is sent to the display unit 40 to display a still image.

  Further, the signal processing unit 13 reads the image data written in the DRAM 14 at the time of recording and storage, performs JPEG compression processing, and applies the compressed image data stored and recorded in the flash memory (storage memory) 50 at the time of reproduction. A compression / decompression unit that performs decompression processing and reproduces image data is provided. Further, a high-speed expansion unit that expands the compressed image data at high speed may be provided.

  The DRAM 14 is used as a work memory, and an image buffer area for temporarily storing captured images, a work area for JPEG compression / expansion, and an image composition area are secured.

  The input / output I / F (interface) 15 is electrically connected to the terminal portion of the cradle 1 and is stored in the flash memory 50 when the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 1 as shown in FIG. In addition to transferring the existing image information data to the RAM of the cradle 1 and transferring untransferred image data to the personal computer 200, control data and programs between the digital camera 100 and the cradle 1 are transmitted.

  The mounting detection unit 16 includes an optical sensor, a mechanical switch, and the like, and sends a mounting detection signal to the control unit 20 when the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 1. Further, the detection of mounting of the digital camera 100 on the cradle 1 can be realized by software such as periodic access by the control unit 20 and detection of an interrupt signal.

  The control unit 20 has a microprocessor configuration having a timing mechanism such as a CPU, a RAM, a program storage ROM, and a timer. The CPU is connected to the above-described circuits and a power supply switch (not shown) via a bus line. The entire digital camera 100 is controlled by the control program stored in the program storage ROM, and each mode stored in the program storage ROM corresponding to the status signal from the operation unit 30 is supported. A processing program is taken out and execution control of each function of the digital camera 100 is performed. In addition, the image information and image data can be extracted from the flash memory 50 based on an operation detection program at the time of image transfer based on an installation detection signal from the installation detection unit 16 to the cradle 1 of the digital camera 100 or control data received from the cradle 1. The display control of the image on the display unit 40 is performed.

  The operation unit 30 includes buttons and switches such as a mode switch 31, a liquid crystal monitor switch 32, a zoom key 33, a menu key 34, a cursor key 35, a shutter key 36, a strobe setting key 37, and a shooting mode button 38. When these keys, buttons or switches are operated, status signals and set values are sent to the control unit 20.

  The display unit 40 is composed of a video encoder, a VRAM (not shown), a liquid crystal monitor screen (LCD) 41, and the like. Through display control of the control unit 20, a through image at the time of imaging, a reproduced image at the time of reproduction, and processing A menu for selection (or icon) at the time of selection is displayed.

  The flash memory 50 records image data (compressed image data). Also, image information including an image shooting mode, shooting date and time, and image identification information can be recorded. A removable storage medium such as a memory card may be used instead of the flash memory 50, or a removable storage medium such as a memory card may be used in addition to the flash memory 50. .

  The photometric sensor 113 measures the amount of light around the digital camera 100 and sends the measured value to the control unit 20. The automatic focusing mechanism moves the lens for focusing by so-called autofocus under the control of the control unit 20.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cradle and the digital camera during the image transfer operation via the cradle. FIG. 7A is activated on the cradle 1 side when the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 1. FIG. 7B shows the operation of the digital camera 100 based on the operation program activated on the digital camera 100 side when the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 1. The operation example by control of the part 20 is shown.

-Cradle operation when a digital camera is installed;
In FIG. 7A, the user attaches the digital camera 100 to the cradle, and connects the cradle 1 and the personal computer 200 with the USB cable 5A. When the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle, the process proceeds to Step R2 (Step R1).

  Next, when a file name is received from the digital camera 100, the received file name is fetched and held in the RAM (step R2), and the file name of the transferred image stored in the transferred image storage area of the memory 7 and the above-described file name are stored. In step R2, the file name stored in the RAM is compared, and a file name that does not match the file name stored in the memory 7 is extracted from the file names received in the RAM and stored in the RAM as the file name of the untransferred image. To do. At this time, the received file name held in step R2 is cleared (step R3).

  The presence / absence of an untransferred image, that is, the presence / absence of an untransferred file name held in the RAM in step R3 is checked. If there is no held untransferred file name, the process proceeds to step R5. (Step R4).

  If there is no retained untransferred file name, notification data including a code indicating that there is no untransferred image is transmitted to the digital camera 100, and the process is terminated (step R5).

  If there is an untransferred file name held, notification data including the untransferred file name held in the RAM in step R3 is transmitted to the digital camera 100. (Step R6).

  When an image file (= image data for one frame) is received from the digital camera 100, the received image file, file name, and file information are transferred to the personal computer 200 via the personal computer side input / output unit 5 and the USB cable 5A ( In step R7), the file name of the untransferred image held in the RAM is additionally stored in the transferred file name storage area of the memory 7 (step R8).

・ Operation of digital camera attached to cradle;
In FIG. 7B, when the user attaches the digital camera 100 to the cradle 1, an attachment detection signal is sent from the attachment detection unit 16 to the control unit 20, and the control unit 20 examines a signal from the attachment detection unit 16 ( When the mounting detection signal is received (step S1), the file name of the recorded image is taken out from the flash memory 50 and transmitted to the cradle 1 (step S2).

  When the notification data is received from the cradle 1, the notification data is examined. If the file name of the untransferred image is included, the process proceeds to step S4, and if the code indicating that there is no untransferred image is included. Proceed to step S9 (step S3).

  When there is an untransferred image, a message 71 as shown in FIG. 9A is displayed on the display unit 40. When the untransferred image selection button 73 is clicked, the process proceeds to step S5, where all untransferred images are transmitted. If the button 72 is clicked, the process proceeds to step S8 (step S4).

  When the untransferred image selection button 73 is clicked, the thumbnail image files of all untransferred images are taken out from the flash memory 50 based on the file name received from the cradle 1, and the display unit is displayed as shown in FIG. The thumbnail image 75 of the untransferred image is displayed in 40 to prompt the user to select an untransferred image to be transferred (step S5). When the user selects an untransferred image to be transmitted, the image file of the selected untransferred image and the image The file information of the file is taken out and transmitted to the cradle 1 (step S6). When the selection is completed, the process is terminated (step S7).

  When the all untransferred image transmission button 72 is clicked, the image file of the untransferred image and the file information of the image file are sequentially extracted from the flash memory 50 based on the file name received from the cradle 1 and transmitted to the cradle 1. When the image files and file information of all the untransferred images are transmitted, the process ends (step S8).

  When the untransferred image selection button 73 is clicked, the thumbnail image files of all untransferred images are taken out from the flash memory 50 based on the file name received from the cradle 1, and the display unit is displayed as shown in FIG. A thumbnail image of an untransferred image is displayed in 40 to prompt selection of an untransferred image to be transferred (step S6). When the user selects an untransferred image to be transmitted, an image file of the selected untransferred image and the image file are displayed. Is extracted and transmitted to the cradle 1 (step S7). When the selection is completed, the process is terminated (step S8).

  If there is no untransferred image in step S3, a message indicating that there is no untransferred image is displayed on the display unit 40, for example, a message such as “No transfer image, all transferred” is displayed. If there is a confirmation input, the process is terminated (step S9).

  With the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, when the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 1, the presence or absence of an untransferred image is notified on the digital camera 100, so that no backup leakage occurs. The user can also transfer only a desired untransferred image to the personal computer 200 via the cradle 1.

  In step R1, the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle, the cradle 1 is connected to the personal computer 200 with the USB cable 5A, and then the transferred file name storage area of the memory 7 is stored when the charge button 6-1 is pressed. The file name of the stored transferred file may be taken out and held in the RAM. When configured in this way, it is possible to check whether there is an untransferred image while charging the battery of the digital camera 100.

  In step R7, the transfer / untransferred image list is displayed. However, only the shooting date and time of the untransferred image and the file name of the image are edited, and the untransferred image list is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 8. It may be.

  If the untransferred image notification LED (or audio output device) 8-2 is provided in the cradle 1, step S5 is sent from the untransferred image notification LED (or audio output device) 8-2 to that effect. Message (for example, “if there is an untransferred image, the image file of the untransferred image and the file information of the image file are sequentially extracted from the flash memory 50 based on the file name received from the cradle 1 and sent to the cradle 1; The processing ends when all image files and file information of untransferred images are transmitted. ”), And step S6 and step S7 are omitted.

-Cradle operation when connected to a PC;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation by the control of the control unit 2 by an operation program activated on the cradle 1 side when the personal computer 200 is mounted on the cradle 1.
In FIG. 8, when the USB cable 5A of the cradle is connected to the personal computer 200 at any timing (step T1), the cradle 1 acquires all the file names of the images stored in the personal computer from the personal computer 200 (step S1). T2) In order to check whether or not there is a recorded image erased by the personal computer 200, the file name acquired from the personal computer 200 and all the file names of the transferred images stored in the memory 7 of the cradle 1, for example, personal computer The file names of all the transferred images stored in the folder managed by the camera link software executed in the above are compared. Alternatively, file names indicating that the extension is an image such as JPEG or BMP are compared. If all the file names match, the operation ends (step T3). If the file names do not match, all the file names of the transferred images stored in the memory 7 with all the file names acquired from the personal computer are stored. Is updated (overwritten) (step T4).

  If the digital camera 100 is attached to the cradle 1 when an image is accidentally erased by the personal computer 200 by the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. According to b), it is possible to transfer an image file or the like erased from the digital camera 100.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the digital camera side displays a message and an untransferred image. However, in the present invention, a liquid crystal display unit is provided as a notification unit so that the cradle side can select and transmit an untransferred image. It is configured. The appearance, configuration, and functions of the digital camera are the same as those of the digital camera 100 shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 10 is a front side external view of an embodiment of the cradle of the present invention. Among the parts shown in FIG. 10, a liquid crystal display screen as a notification unit provided on the front side of the cradle 300, an image transfer button 6 provided on the lower side of the front side for instructing image transfer to a personal computer. -2, and the arrangement and functions of the parts other than the image confirmation button 6-3 for instructing the presence / absence of an untransferred image are the same as the arrangement and functions of each part of the cradle 1 shown in FIG. Corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals.

  The image confirmation button 6-3 may not be provided. Further, the charging button 6-1 may also be used as the image confirmation button 6-3.

  Further, in order to selectively transfer an untransferred image, a means for selecting an image to be transferred among the untransferred images, for example, a designation / selection means such as a cursor key, a mouse, or a touch pen is provided. May be.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of transfer / untransferred image information displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 8 of the cradle 1. Reference numeral 81 is a display example of untransferred image information, and reference numeral 82 is a display example of transferred image information. Show. Note that only untransferred image information may be displayed in a list instead of transfer / untransferred image information.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the circuit configuration of the cradle. The cradle 300 includes a control unit 2, a camera side input / output unit 3, a mounting detection unit 4, a personal computer side input / output unit 5, an operation unit 6, and a memory 7. , A liquid crystal display unit (notification unit) 8, a power supply unit 9, and a charging unit 9B. In addition, when the cradle 300 does not have a charging function, the charging unit 9B is omitted. 2 other than the control unit 2 and the liquid crystal display unit 8 have the same configurations and functions as those of the cradle 1 shown in FIG.

  The control unit 2 has a microprocessor configuration including a CPU, a RAM, and a program storage memory. The control unit 2 controls the operation of the entire cradle 300 and controls the notification unit 8 using an image transfer program stored in the program storage memory. Whether or not the image recorded in the attached digital camera (see FIGS. 5, 6, and 14) is being transmitted to the personal computer is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 40 to notify the user.

  The personal computer side input / output unit 5 is connected to the USB cable 5A, and after the digital camera 100 is attached to the cradle 300, when the user presses the transfer button 6-2, an image is transferred from the digital camera 100 to the personal computer 200 via the cradle 300. The file is transferred.

  The operation unit 6 includes switches and keys such as a charge button 6-1, a transfer button 6-2, and an image confirmation button 6-3 as shown in FIG. 1, and corresponds to any of these buttons being operated. A signal is sent to the control unit 2. In order to selectively transfer an untransferred image to the operation unit 6, a means for selecting an image to be transferred among the untransferred images, for example, a cursor key or a mouse may be provided. In this case, when the cursor key or the mouse is operated, position information corresponding to the designated untransferred image is sent to the control unit 2.

  The memory 7 saves and stores file information of the digital camera 100 (information on captured images and thumbnail images). The liquid crystal display unit 8 displays transfer / untransferred image information, thumbnail images of untransferred images, and various messages as shown in FIG. The file information is stored and stored as, for example, Exif (Exchangeable File Format) information.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the structure of one embodiment of the image information management data in the cradle. The image information management data 310-1,... 310-n are personal computer identifications as shown in FIG. A personal computer identification information column 311 for storing information, a shooting date / time column 313 for storing shooting date / time, a file name column 314 for storing a file name for identifying an image, and a transmission date / time column 315 for storing a transmission date / time to a personal computer are included. It is out. Instead of the transmission date / time field 315, a transfer completed flag field for storing a code (for example, “1”) indicating that the data has been transferred may be provided when the data has been transferred.

  The image information management data 310-1,... 310-n are stored in the memory 7 as an image information management table 310, for example, sorted in the order of personal computer identification information and shooting date / time.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, a camera identification information column 312 for storing model identification information such as a model ID may be provided in order to identify a plurality of digital cameras. When configured in this manner, the mounting detection unit 4 is configured to detect camera identification information of the digital camera mounted when the digital camera is mounted, and stores the stored image information management data and the mounted digital camera. By comparing the image information, it can be configured to extract only untransferred information of the digital camera. For example, various fields (buildings, landscapes, persons,... ) Can be transferred to a plurality of personal computers provided for each shooting field.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an untransferred image notification system 350 equipped with a digital camera. A digital camera 100 as shown in FIG. When the digital camera 100 is attached to the cradle 300, image information is taken from the digital camera 100 into the cradle 300 and stored in the RAM of the cradle 300. When the user presses the image confirmation button 6-3, a list of transfer / untransferred image information (or only untransferred image information) as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 8. When the charge button 6-1 is also used as the image confirmation button 6-3, when the user presses the charge button 6-1, the transfer / untransfer image as shown in FIG. Information (or only untransferred image information) is displayed.

  When the user presses the transfer button 6-2, an untransferred image is transferred from the digital camera 100 to the personal computer 200 via the cradle 300. When the image confirmation button 6-3 is not provided, when the digital camera 100 is attached to the cradle 300, image information is taken from the digital camera 100 into the cradle 300, stored in the RAM of the cradle 300, and stored in the liquid crystal display unit 8. A transfer / untransferred image list (or only an untransferred image list) as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed. When the user presses the transfer button 6-2, an untransferred image is transferred from the digital camera 100 to the personal computer 200 via the cradle 300.

  In addition, in order to selectively transfer an untransferred image, a means for selecting an image to be transferred among the untransferred images, for example, a cursor key or a mouse when provided with a cursor key or a mouse, When a desired untransferred image is selected by selecting / selecting means such as a touch pen (a plurality of images can be selected) and then the transfer button 6-2 is pressed, the selected image is transferred from the digital camera 100 to the personal computer 200 via the cradle 300. Forwarded to

  When selecting an untransferred image, if the desired untransferred image information is specified by a designation / selection unit such as a cursor key, a mouse, or a touch pen, the untransferred image specified on the liquid crystal display unit 41 of the digital camera 100 is selected. Thumbnail images can be displayed.

  15 is a flowchart showing an image transfer and untransferred image notification method by the untransferred image notification system 350. FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram (flowchart) at the time of image transfer, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing (flowchart) at the time of presence confirmation.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the digital camera 100 can be mounted on the camera mounting portion 1 </ b> A of the cradle 300. The cradle 300 is connected to the personal computer 200 with the USB cable 5A.

<When transferring images>
In FIG. 15A, when the user attaches the digital camera 100 to the cradle 300 and connects to the personal computer 200 (step U1), an untransferred image from the digital camera 100, its image identification information (for example, the file name of the image), and file information. Is transferred to the personal computer 200 via the cradle 300 (step U2), and the cradle 300 holds image identification information and file information of the image transferred to the personal computer 200 (step U3).

<Check for untransferred images>
In FIG. 15B, when the user mounts the digital camera 1 on the cradle 300 (step V1), the cradle 300 is operated based on the image identification information and the file information stored in the memory 7 by the display operation of the user. The image identification information and thumbnail images stored in 100 can be displayed and browsed (step V2).

  When the digital camera 100 is attached to the cradle 300 by the method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 15 above, the cradle 300 notifies the presence / absence of an untransferred image and displays a thumbnail image or the like. It is possible to select an untransferred image by operating, and to capture the selected image file from the digital camera and transfer it to the personal computer 200. That is, it is not necessary to operate the buttons of the digital camera 100 having many operation buttons. Also, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to back up.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the cradle and the digital camera during the image transfer operation via the cradle of FIG. FIG. 16A shows an operation example by the control of the control unit 2 of the cradle 300 based on an image transfer program activated on the cradle 300 side when the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 300. FIG. Shows an operation example by the control of the control unit 20 of the digital camera 100 based on an image transfer program activated on the digital camera 100 side when the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 300.

  In the example of FIG. 16A, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that the cradle 300 is always connected to the same personal computer. That is, the personal computer identification information 311 of the image information management data in FIG. The operation of the cradle 300 when the personal computer 200 is mounted on the cradle 300 is the same as the operation of the cradle according to the operation program when the personal computer 200 is mounted on the cradle 1 shown in the flowchart of FIG.

-Cradle operation when a digital camera is installed;
In FIG. 16A, the user attaches the digital camera 100 to the cradle, and connects the cradle 300 and the personal computer 200 with the USB cable 5A. When the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 300, the process proceeds to Step W2 (Step W1).

  Next, when image information including a file name and file information is received from the digital camera 100, the image information is captured and held in the RAM (step W2). Whether or not the user has pressed the image confirmation button 6-3 to give an image confirmation instruction. (Step W3).

  When the user presses the image confirmation button 6-3, the file name of the transferred image stored in the image information management table 310 stored in the memory 7 is compared with the received file name, and the received file Among the names, the file name and file information that do not match the transferred file name held in the RAM are extracted and held in the RAM as image information of the untransferred image (step W4).

  Next, the presence / absence of an untransferred image, that is, the presence / absence of image information of the untransferred image held in the RAM in step W4 is checked. If the image information is not held, the process proceeds to step W6 to hold the image information. If yes, the process proceeds to Step W7 (Step W5).

  If there is no stored image information, a message indicating that there is no untransferred image (for example, “There is no untransferred image”) is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 8, and the process is terminated (step W6).

  If the image information of the untransferred image is held, it is included in the image information information data held in the RAM in step W2 and the image information extracted in step W4 and held in the RAM (= image information of the untransferred image). 11 is created and a transfer / untransferred image information list as shown in FIG. 11 is created and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 8 to transfer all untransferred images or selected transfer The user is prompted to select whether to display a selected image (a thumbnail image in the embodiment) in order to transmit the image (step W7).

  When the user presses the button 72 and selects transfer of all untransferred images, the file name of the untransferred images is held in the RAM, and the process proceeds to Step W11. If the button 73 is pressed to select the selected image display, the process proceeds to step W9 (step W8).

  The control unit 2 takes out the thumbnail image file from the image information held in the RAM in step W4 and reproduces it, and reproduces the thumbnail image reproduced on the selection screen 75 as shown in FIG. (Thumbnail images of untransferred images) are displayed, and the user is prompted to select an image to transfer (step W9).

  When the user selects an untransferred image to be transmitted, the file name of the selected untransferred image is extracted and held in the RAM (step W10), and it is checked whether the user has pressed the transfer button 6-2 (step W11). When the user presses the transfer button 6-2, an image transmission request including the file name of the image held in the RAM in step W9 is transmitted to the digital camera 100 (step W12).

  When the image file and the file information are received from the digital camera 100, they are transferred to the personal computer 200 via the personal computer side input / output unit 5 and the USB cable 5A (step W13), and the transferred image information from the file name held in the RAM. Data is generated and added to the image information management table 310 of the memory 7, and the thumbnail image is stored in the thumbnail image storage area of the memory 7 in association with the image information data (step W14).

・ Operation of digital camera attached to cradle;
In FIG. 16B, when the user mounts the digital camera 100 on the cradle 300, the mounting detection signal is sent from the mounting detection unit 16 to the control unit 20, so the control unit 20 checks the signal from the mounting detection unit 16 ( In step X1), when the mounting detection signal is received, the image information including the file names of all the image data recorded in the flash memory 50 and the corresponding file information is transmitted to the cradle 300 (step X2).

  When an image transmission request including the file name of the untransferred image is received from the cradle 300, the image file recorded in the flash memory 50 is examined, and the image file and file information that match the file name of the image are sequentially extracted (step X3). ) And transmitted to the cradle 300 (step X4).

  When the digital camera 100 is attached to the cradle 300 by the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 16, the presence / absence of an untransferred image is notified. To the personal computer 200.

  Note that, in step W3 of FIG. 16A, it is checked whether the user has pressed the image confirmation button 6-3, but this step may be omitted. In such a case, when the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle 300, a list of transferred / untransferred images is automatically displayed.

  Moreover, you may make it push the charge button 6-1 by the said step W3. When configured in this way, it is possible to check whether there is an untransferred image while charging the battery of the digital camera 100.

  In step W7, the transfer / untransferred image list is displayed. However, only the shooting date and time of the untransferred image and the file name of the image are edited, and the untransferred image list is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 8. It may be.

<Modification 1>
In the first and second embodiments, when the personal computer 200 and the cradle (referred to as the cradle 1 or the cradle 300 in the description of the first and second modifications) are connected, the image file stored in the personal computer 200 is stored. Means for checking the file name of the transferred image stored in the cradle on the cradle side, and if the file name does not match, the file stored in the cradle with the file name of the image stored in the personal computer 200 The name may be updated (overwritten update). With this configuration, when an image is accidentally erased by the personal computer 200, an image file or the like that has been erased from the digital camera 100 can be received.

  In this case, the control unit of the personal computer 200 transmits the image information of the image stored in the memory of the personal computer 200 to the cradle when the connection detection unit (not shown) detects the connection with the cradle according to the personal computer side operation program. Works to let you.

<Modification 2>
Further, in the second embodiment, in addition to the image information management table 310 described above, an area for storing the transfer history data 220 of the image data in the digital camera to the personal computer as shown in FIG. Provided, when transferring image data or the like from the digital camera 100, from the camera identification information 221, the personal computer identification information 222, the image file name 223, such as the model ID of the transfer source digital camera, and the thumbnail image Means for storing transfer history data including file information 224, transfer date 225, and the like may be provided. Further, when transferring the image data in the digital camera 100 to the personal computer 200, a means for referring to transfer history data stored in the memory 7 of the cradle may be provided.

  With this configuration, for example, it is easy to know what kind of image is sent to which personal computer for each model of the digital camera, so that it is easy to delete an erroneously transferred image and transfer it to the correct transfer destination.

(Embodiment 3)
In the first and second embodiments, the cradle is configured to check whether there is an untransferred image. However, the cradle is a known cradle having only an image transfer function or a charging function and an image transfer function, and the digital camera 100 The main body side (FIG. 6) manages transferred / untransferred images, and notifies the presence / absence of untransferred images when the digital camera 100 is mounted on the cradle or when the digital camera 100 is charged. May be. Alternatively, the presence / absence of an untransferred image may be notified when the digital camera 100 and the personal computer 200 are connected via a USB connection without a cradle. Hereinafter, the operation of the digital camera 100 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 17 and 18 to 20.

  FIG. 17 is an example of a transfer / untransfer image management table provided on the digital camera side when managing transfer / untransfer images with a digital camera. The transfer / untransfer image management table 170 stores file names. File name column 171 and a transfer date column 172 for storing a transfer date to the personal computer 200. Instead of the transfer date column 172, a transfer flag column for storing a code (for example, “1”) indicating that transfer has been performed when an image is transferred to the personal computer 200 may be provided. Note that an initial value in the transfer date column 172 is set to 0, and an image whose file name is stored in the image file name column 172 and whose content is 0 in the transfer date column 172 is an untransferred image.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an untransferred image management operation of a digital camera when the digital camera is mounted on a cradle having only an image transfer function.

  First, when the mounting detector 16 of the digital camera 100 detects the mounting of the digital camera 100 in the cradle (step Y1), the transfer is transferred to the transfer date column 172 of the transfer / untransferred image management table 170 stored in the flash memory 50. The contents (= file name) of the file name column 171 in which the date is stored are compared with the file names of the image files recorded in the flash memory 50, and among the file names of the image files recorded in the flash memory 50, A file name that does not match the contents of the file name column 171 in which the transfer date is stored in the transfer date column 172 of the transfer / untransferred image management table 170 and the transfer date are stored in the transfer date column 172 of the transfer / untransferred image management table 170. Unnamed file name, that is, file name of untransferred image is extracted and stored in RAM To lifting (step Y2).

  Next, it is checked whether or not the file name of the untransferred image is held in the RAM (step Y3). If the file name is held, a thumbnail image corresponding to the held file name is displayed on the display unit 40. When the user is prompted to select an untransferred image to be transferred (step Y4) and the user selects an image (multiple selection is possible) (step Y5), the corresponding image file and its image are selected from the flash memory 50 based on the selected file name. The file information is extracted and transmitted to the cradle (step Y6), and the selected file name is added to the transfer / untransferred image management table 170 together with the transmission date as the file name of the transferred image (step Y7).

  Further, the file name that has not been selected is added to the transfer / untransferred image management table 170. At this time, the corresponding transfer date column 172 remains 0 (that is, it means an untransferred image (step Y8)).

  The transfer / untransferred images can be managed on the digital camera 100 main body side by the operation of the flowchart of FIG. Further, when the digital camera is mounted on the cradle, it can be notified whether the digital camera 100 has an untransferred image. Further, only a desired untransferred image can be transferred to a personal computer through a cradle having only an image transfer function.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an untransferred image management operation of a digital camera when the digital camera is mounted on a cradle having a charging function and an image transfer function. First, a charging power source is supplied from the cradle to the power supply unit 90 of the digital camera 100. When the supply is started, a charge start signal is sent from the power supply unit 90 to the control unit 20, so that when the control unit 20 receives the charge start signal (step Z1), the same operation as step Y2 to step Y8 in FIG. In the digital camera 100 main body side, the transferred / untransferred images are managed, the digital camera 100 is notified whether there are any untransferred images, and only the desired untransferred images are sent to the personal computer via the cradle with only the image transfer function. Transfer (step Z2).

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the untransferred image management operation of the digital camera when the digital camera is attached to the USB cable. First, when the digital camera 100 is connected to the personal computer with the USB cable, the input / output interface 15 controls the control unit. Since the USB cable connection start signal is sent to 20, the control unit 20 receives the USB cable connection start signal (step K1) and transfers it on the digital camera 100 main body side in the same manner as in steps Y2 to Y8 in FIG. / The untransferred image is managed, the digital camera 100 is notified whether there is an untransferred image, and only the desired untransferred image is transferred to the personal computer via the USB cable (step K2).

(Embodiment 4)
In the first to third embodiments, the method for notifying an untransferred image of a digital camera has been described. However, the untransferred image is not limited to that of a digital camera. For example, the untransferred image notification method can also be applied to the present invention for images taken with a camera-equipped mobile phone.

  FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of an untransferred image notification method when the camera-equipped mobile phone is attached to the cradle.

  When the camera-equipped mobile phone 500 is attached to the cradle 400, image information is taken into the cradle 400 from the mobile phone and stored in the memory of the cradle 400 by the same operation as shown in the flowchart (FIG. 7) of the first embodiment. The untransferred image information is extracted, and the transfer / untransferred image information (or only the untransferred image information) as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed in a list on the liquid crystal display unit of the mobile phone.

  Further, when the liquid crystal display unit is provided in the cradle 400 as in the cradle 300 of the second embodiment, image information is taken into the cradle 400 from the mobile phone by the same operation as that shown in the flowchart (FIG. 16) of the first embodiment. Then, it is stored in the memory of the cradle 400, and untransferred image information is extracted, and transfer / untransferred image information (or only untransferred image information) is displayed in a list on the liquid crystal display unit.

  When the camera-equipped mobile phone 500 is mounted on the cradle by the same operation as that shown in the flowchart (FIG. 18) of the third embodiment, the transfer image information stored in the mobile phone and the recorded image information of the recorded image are stored. The untransferred image information can be displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the mobile phone.

  Further, when charging the camera-equipped cellular phone 500 using the cradle 400 by the same operation as that shown in the flowchart (FIG. 19) of the third embodiment, the transfer image information stored in the cellular phone and the recorded image are stored. By comparing the recorded image information, the untransferred image information can be displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the mobile phone.

  Further, when the camera-equipped cellular phone 500 and the personal computer 200 are connected by USB by the same operation as shown in the flowchart (FIG. 20) of the third embodiment, the transfer image information stored in the cellular phone and the recording of the recorded image are recorded. By comparing the image information, the untransferred image information can be displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the mobile phone.

  A recent camera-equipped mobile phone can take an image with a large number of pixels of 1 million pixels or more, but generally such a large image cannot be sent by e-mail attached to an image by telephone communication. Since the image is transferred to the personal computer via the cradle as in the present invention, it is suitable to apply the present invention, because it is connected to the personal computer with a cable or stored in a memory card.

  As mentioned above, although several Example of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to each said Example, and various deformation | transformation implementation is possible. For example, the terms “electronic camera” and “imaging device” can be applied to a mobile phone with a camera, an information device having an imaging unit, and the like, and can also be applied to a moving image camera as well as a still image camera. In addition to being applicable to transfer of still images in a moving image camera, the file name and file information of a moving image file can be replaced with the above embodiments.

It is a front side external view of one Example of a cradle. It is a figure which shows one Example of the circuit structure of a cradle. It is explanatory drawing of the untransferred image alerting | reporting system equipped with the digital camera. It is a flowchart which shows the image transfer by the untransferred image alerting | reporting system, and the untransferred image alerting | reporting method. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of one Example of the digital camera which can be mounted | worn with a cradle. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of the digital camera illustrated in FIG. 5. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of a cradle and a digital camera at the time of the image transfer operation | movement via a cradle. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the personal computer by the operation program started by the cradle side when a personal computer is mounted | worn with the cradle. It is a figure which shows one Example of an untransferred image alert message and an untransferred image selection screen. It is a front side external view of one Example of a cradle. It is a figure which shows one Example of the transfer / untransferred image information displayed on the liquid crystal display part of a cradle. It is a figure which shows one Example of the circuit structure of a cradle. It is a figure which shows the structure of one Example of the image information management data in a cradle. It is explanatory drawing of the untransferred image alerting | reporting system equipped with the digital camera. It is a flowchart which shows the image transfer by the untransferred image alerting | reporting system, and the untransferred image alerting | reporting method. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of a cradle and a digital camera during an image transfer operation via the cradle of FIG. 10. 7 is an example of a transfer / untransferred image management table provided on the digital camera side when managing transferred / untransferred images with a digital camera. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an untransferred image management operation of a digital camera when the digital camera is mounted on a cradle having only an image transfer function. 6 is a flowchart showing an untransferred image management operation of a digital camera when the digital camera is mounted on a cradle having a charging function and an image transfer function. 6 is a flowchart showing an untransferred image management operation of a digital camera when the digital camera is attached to a USB cable. It is explanatory drawing of the untransferred image alerting | reporting method when mounting a mobile phone with a camera to a cradle. It is explanatory drawing of the preservation | save area | region of the transfer history data to the personal computer of the image data in a digital camera.

Explanation of symbols

1, 300 Cradle 1A Mounting unit 2 Control unit (data transfer means, untransferred image extraction means)
3 Camera side input / output unit (data transfer means, image information acquisition means, untransferred image information transmission means)
4 Wearing detection unit (wearing detection means)
5 PC side input / output section (data transfer means)
7 Memory 8 Notifying part, liquid crystal display part (notifying means)
8-1, 8-2 LED (notification means)
100 Digital camera (imaging device)
200 PC (external image recording device)

Claims (6)

In the untransferred image notification method of the cradle having a data transfer function for transferring data from the mounted imaging device to the external image recording device,
The cradle is provided with storage means for storing image information of the transferred image transferred from the imaging device to the external image recording device, and when the cradle is connected to the external image recording device, the storage means The stored transferred image information is updated with the image information of the image stored in the external image recording device,
When detecting that the imaging device is mounted on the cradle, the transferred image information stored in the storage unit and the image information of the image recorded in the imaging device are compared to extract untransferred image information. the extracted untransferred image information transmitted to the imaging device, non-transferred image informing wherein that you be informed of the presence of non-transferred image on the imaging device based on the transmitted untransferred image information. In the untransferred image notification method of the cradle having a data transfer function for transferring data from the mounted imaging device to the external image recording device,
The cradle is provided with storage means for storing image information of the transferred image transferred from the imaging device to the external image recording device, and when the cradle is connected to the external image recording device, the storage means The stored transferred image information is updated with the image information of the image stored in the external image recording device,
When detecting that the imaging device is mounted on the cradle, the transferred image information stored in the storage unit and the image information of the image recorded in the imaging device are compared to extract untransferred image information. , untransferred image informing wherein that you notifying the presence of the non-transferred image on the basis of the extracted non-transferred image information. A cradle comprising a mounting portion for mounting an imaging device, and a data transfer means for transferring data from the imaging device mounted on the mounting portion to an external image recording device,
Image information storage means for acquiring image information of a transferred image and storing it in a memory according to identification information of the imaging apparatus when the recorded image of the imaging apparatus is transferred to the external image recording apparatus by the data transfer means;
Mounting detection means for detecting mounting of the imaging device on the mounting portion;
Identification information detection means for detecting identification information of the mounted imaging device when the mounting detection unit detects that the imaging device is mounted on the mounting unit;
Image information acquisition means for acquiring image information of an image recorded in the imaging device when the mounting detection unit detects that the imaging device is mounted on the mounting unit;
And image information recorded in association with the detected with the identification information by the identification information detecting means to said memory, and the total image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit, based on a comparison of Untransferred image information extracting means for extracting untransferred image information;
Untransferred image information transmitting means for transmitting untransferred image information extracted by the untransferred image information extracting means to the imaging device;
With
An untransferred image whose presence has been notified by the imaging device and image information thereof are transferred to the external image recording device by the data transfer means. A cradle comprising a mounting portion for mounting an imaging device, and a data transfer means for transferring data from the imaging device mounted on the mounting portion to an external image recording device,
Image information storage means for acquiring image information of a transferred image and storing it in a memory according to identification information of the imaging apparatus when the recorded image of the imaging apparatus is transferred to the external image recording apparatus by the data transfer means;
Mounting detection means for detecting mounting of the imaging device on the mounting portion;
Identification information detection means for detecting identification information of the mounted imaging device when the mounting detection unit detects that the imaging device is mounted on the mounting unit;
Image information acquisition means for acquiring image information of an image recorded in the imaging device when the mounting detection unit detects that the imaging device is mounted on the mounting unit;
And image information recorded in association with the detected with the identification information by the identification information detecting means to said memory, and the total image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit, based on a comparison of Untransferred image extraction means for extracting untransferred image information;
Informing means for informing the presence of an untransferred image based on the untransferred image information extracted by the transfer image extracting means;
An untransferred image that has been informed by the notifying means, and an untransferred image acquiring means for acquiring the image information from the imaging device;
A cradle comprising: an untransferred image acquired by the untransferred image acquiring unit and image information thereof is transferred to the external image recording apparatus by the data transfer unit. Connection detecting means for detecting connection between the cradle and the external image recording device;
Stored image information acquisition means for acquiring image information of an image stored in the external image recording device;
Image information update means for updating the image information of the transferred image stored in the cradle with the image information acquired by the stored image information acquisition means;
The cradle according to claim 3 or 4 , further comprising: A program executable in a computer mounted on a cradle having a data transfer function for transferring data from a mounted imaging device to an external image recording device,
In the computer,
A program step for detecting connection of an external image recording device;
A program step for acquiring image information of an image stored in the external image recording device when connection with the external image recording device is detected;
A program step for updating the image information of the transferred image stored in the cradle with the image information acquired from the external image recording device;
A program characterized by having executed .

Images