JP4331552B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera.

Conventionally, the shooting lens barrel is moved from the retracted position in the camera body to the shooting preparation position that protrudes from the front of the camera body during shooting, and retracted from the shooting preparation position to the retracted position in the camera body when not shooting. There are known digital cameras with improved image quality. Such a digital camera is of a type in which the collapsing of the taking lens barrel is controlled by turning on and off the power switch, and the taking lens barrel collapsing is taken in a closed position where the barrier provided on the front of the camera body covers the taking lens. There are known types that control by moving the lens to an open position that exposes the lens, and those that control the retraction of the photographic lens barrel by attaching and detaching a power supply for imaging to the camera body. As a type that controls the camera by attaching and detaching the camera power supply to the camera body, for example, when the camera power supply is attached to a memory card with a camera function that can be attached to an external control device, the lens moves to the camera preparation position. In addition, there is known a digital camera in which a lens is retracted when a photographing power supply is removed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-125962

  In recent years, a system (PictBridge system) has been realized in which a digital camera and a printer device are directly connected by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable, and desired image data is directly transferred from the digital camera to the printer device for printing. . In this system, the user selects an image to be printed while looking at the liquid crystal screen of the digital camera, and the selected image is supplied from the digital camera to the printer device via a USB cable and printed.

  Here, when a user prints out a captured image using the PictBridge system, conventionally, the digital camera is connected to the printer device with a USB cable, and the main power source of the digital camera is turned on (this automatically causes the digital camera to automatically turn on). Image printing is performed by the PictBridge system according to four procedures, such as switching to the playback mode from the operation mode of the digital camera and performing a print output operation with the digital camera.

  In the above-described conventional digital camera, when the digital camera is directly connected to the printer device via the USB cable and mutual recognition is completed and the printer is set in a printable state, the digital camera can communicate with the printer from the playback mode. If the USB cable is inadvertently disconnected from the digital camera side or printer device side, or if it is intentionally disconnected, mutual recognition will not be possible by disconnecting the USB cable. Usually, the digital camera shifts to a playback mode. However, if the user wants to take a picture immediately after disconnecting the USB cable from the digital camera, the user must set the shooting mode again, which is troublesome and sometimes misses a photo opportunity.

  In addition, in the conventional digital camera, even if the connection with the printer device is completed in the shooting mode state, that is, in a state where the shooting lens barrel protrudes from the camera body, the shooting lens barrel does not move. The projecting from the front of the camera body remained. Therefore, there is a possibility that the photographing lens barrel comes into contact with an obstacle when the digital camera is operated. In particular, when the user is operating while looking at the liquid crystal screen, it is difficult to notice the obstacle, and there is a higher possibility that the lens barrel will be damaged due to contact with the obstacle.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and the purpose of the present invention is when the communication mode state is canceled in an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera that is connected to an external apparatus and is in communication mode. An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can smoothly cope with the next operation.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes: a receiving unit that receives a signal from the external apparatus; and a receiver that receives the signal from the external apparatus in an imaging apparatus that supplies an image file to a communication-connected external apparatus. Recognizing means for recognizing that a communication connection with the external device has been established based on the received signal, and confirmation means for confirming whether the main power supply is on or off when the recognizing means recognizes the communication connection with the external device. And when the confirmation means confirms that the main power supply is in the off state, the first setting means for turning on the main power supply, and the main power supply in the on state by the first setting means. Storage means for storing that the main power source is in an off state when the main power source is set to ON, and a communication mode capable of communicating with the external device when the main power source is set to on. A second setting means for setting to prohibit a change from the communication mode to another operating mode as well as a constant, provided with,
When the recognition unit confirms that the communication connection with the external device has not been established, the second setting unit cancels the setting for prohibiting the change from the communication mode to another operation mode. The first setting means switches the main power source to an off state which is the content stored in the storage means.
According to this configuration, after shifting to the communication mode by communication connection with the external device, when the communication mode state is canceled, the mode can be automatically switched to the confirmed mode, and the next operation can be smoothly performed. Can be executed.

According to the present invention, when the communication mode state is canceled, the change of the operation mode is automatically canceled, and the main power off state immediately before the transition to the communication mode can be restored, so that the next operation is executed smoothly. it can.
In addition, when the main power supply is connected to an external device in the off state, the main power supply is automatically switched from the off state to the on state, so that the user can save the trouble of turning on the main power source.
Furthermore, since the change of the operation mode is prohibited when the mode is shifted to the communication mode, it is possible to prevent the mode from being inadvertently shifted to a mode other than the communication mode by a user operation in the communication mode state.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be sequentially described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external view showing a configuration of a direct printing system (hereinafter referred to as a PictBridge system) in which a digital camera (imaging device) and a printer device according to the present embodiment are directly connected via a USB cable. . The PictBridge system shown in FIG. 1 includes a digital camera 1 and a printer device 10 connected to the digital camera 1 via a USB cable 9. The digital camera 1 and the printer device 10 can transmit and receive data to and from each other through a USB connection.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a release switch button 4 and the like are disposed on the upper surface of the camera body of the digital camera 1. On the back of the camera body, there are a viewfinder eyepiece window 3, an LCD display 2, a dial switch 5 that also functions as a power switch and a mode selection switch, a cross key switch 7 that also functions as a cursor operation switch for the LCD display 2, and a menu selection A switch unit 6, a USB connector 8, and the like are arranged. Then, one end of a USB cable 9 is connected to the USB connector 8 as shown.

  In addition to the above, a photographing lens, a finder window, a strobe window, and the like (not shown) are disposed on the front surface of the camera body. Although not shown, a card connector for loading a memory card, which is a recording medium for captured image data, a battery storage chamber for storing a battery, and the like are arranged on the side surface or bottom surface of the camera body.

Next, the configuration of the digital camera 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the digital camera 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the digital camera 1 has a built-in CPU 21 as a camera controller that controls each of the control elements described later to control the entire camera. The CPU 21 manages the operation mode of the digital camera 1. The main operation modes include a shooting mode for shooting a subject, a playback mode for expanding and reproducing image data stored in the memory card 39 on the LCD display unit 2, and a digital camera and a printer device using a USB. There is a communication mode that enables communication with a printer device and transmission of image data when directly connected via a cable. Although details will be described later, when the communication mode is switched, the image data is decompressed and reproduced and displayed on the LCD display unit 2, the image to be printed is selected and transmitted to the printer device. it can. The CPU 21 manages on / off of the main power supply.

  In the digital camera 1, a subject image is taken in via the photographing lens 22 and the diaphragm 23, and the subject image is converted into an electric signal by an image pickup device 29 such as a CCD. The photographing lens 22 is driven forward and backward through a lens driving unit 24. The diaphragm 23 is driven by a diaphragm via a diaphragm driver 25. These driving units 24 and 25 are controlled by the CPU 21.

  The photographic lens 22 is built in the photographic lens barrel 22a as shown in FIG. The photographing lens barrel 22a has a two-stage structure, and is folded into the main body of the digital camera 1 when not photographing and retracts from the retracted position to the photographing preparation position on the front surface of the camera body when photographing. Be able to. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the digital camera 1 when the photographing lens protrudes, and FIG. 3B is a plan view of the digital camera 1 when the photographing lens is retracted.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, the photographing lens barrel 22a is projected forward from the main body of the digital camera 1 to the photographing preparation position on the front surface of the camera body by the advance driving by the lens driving unit 24. Further, the photographing lens barrel 22a that has protruded to the photographing preparation position on the front surface of the camera body is retracted to the retracted position in the body as shown in FIG. The projection of the photographing lens barrel 22a is performed at the time of shifting to the photographing mode. For example, when the main power is turned on, the mode automatically shifts to the shooting mode, and the shooting lens barrel 22a is projected at this timing. On the other hand, the retracting of the taking lens barrel 22a is normally performed when the main power is turned off. The retracting timing of the taking lens barrel 22a when the main power is off will be described later.

The image pickup device 29 is driven via the image pickup device driver 28 in synchronization with the CPU 21 by the timing circuit 27. The imaging output of the imaging device 29 is taken into the digital processing circuit 32 as digital image data by the pro-process circuit 30 and the A / D conversion circuit 31. Digital image data output from the digital processing circuit 32 is stored in the frame memory 34 through the bus line under the control of the memory controller 33. Further, the image data stored in the frame memory 34 is recorded for each photographing frame on the memory card 39 attached to the card connector via the card I / F 38 through the bus line. The header information of the image data is also recorded corresponding to the image data for each shooting frame. Image data subjected to digital image processing by the digital processing circuit 32, image data recorded on the memory card 39, image data printed by the printer device 10 to be described later, etc., and an image when the printer device 10 prints Printer information such as a selection screen and the number of prints is displayed on the LCD display unit 2. In this case, the image data is supplied to the LCD display unit 2 via the bus line and the LCD driver 42, and the printer information is supplied to the LCD display unit 2 by the LCD driver 42 based on a program stored in the ROM 37 described later. The
A ROM 37 and a RAM 36 are connected to the bus line. In the ROM 37, the CPU 21 as a camera controller controls the entire photographing and playback operations of the camera, and firmware for transmitting image data to the printer device 10, and the LCD driver 42 displays a print designation screen on the LCD display unit 2. A program to be executed is stored. The RAM 36 temporarily stores data for distance measurement and photometry that are taken in at the time of shooting.
The frame memory 34 also temporarily stores image data supplied to the LCD display unit 2.

  In addition to the above, the CPU 21 includes a release switch button 4, a cross key switch unit 7 for various settings, a dial switch 5 for power on and mode setting, a switch input circuit 41 for the menu selection switch unit 6, and the USB connector 8. A connected USB controller 35, strobe light emitting unit 26, and the like are connected. The USB controller 35 transmits and receives data according to the USB protocol via the USB cable 9 connected to the USB connector 8. Thus, the CPU 21 can perform PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) communication via the USB as the physical communication layer, and can detect the printer device 10 connected via the USB cable 9. The detection of the printer 10 is performed when the USB controller 35 detects the voltage 5V for power supply by USB.

Next, the configuration of the printer apparatus 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer apparatus 10 which is an example of an external device connected to the digital camera 1 via USB.
As shown in FIG. 4, the printer device 10 is a frame sequential sublimation thermal transfer printer device that uses ink ribbons of Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan), and is stored in the ROM 53. A CPU 51 is incorporated as a printer controller that controls each control element to be described later according to a print control program. In the printer device 10, image data and header information recorded in the digital camera 1 are connected to the CPU 51 and the frame via the USB controller 50 and the bus line via the USB connector 50 connected via the USB cable 9. It is captured in the memory 52.

  Image data stored in the frame memory 52 is subjected to color conversion from RGB to CMY, dot / inch size conversion, γ conversion, color correction, thumbnail conversion, frame composition, and the like based on correction parameters in the image processing circuit 54. Processing is performed. The conversion output data of the image processing circuit 54 is output to the print head (thermal print head) 64 via the head driver 63 under the control of the CPU 51.

  On the other hand, in synchronization with the printing operation of the print head 64, the ribbon feed motor (M) 56 and the paper feed motor (M) 60 are driven via the motor drivers 55 and 59 to feed the ink ribbon and paper to the paper. Is printed.

  The ink ribbon feeding state is detected by the ribbon sensor 57, and ink ribbon remaining amount data is taken into the CPU 51. Further, the remaining number-of-sheets data stored in the sheet cassette for storing the sheets is detected by the sheet feeding sensor 58 and taken into the CPU 51. The printer device 10 includes an LED 13 for displaying a warning or the like during the operation state of the printer or a printing operation, a PCV (piezoelectric buzzer) 68 serving as a warning means for generating a warning sound during the printing operation, the printer power switch unit 11 and the printing. Switch contacts 11 a and 12 a that are turned on by the start switch unit 12 are arranged and connected to the CPU 51, respectively.

  A ROM 53 is connected to the bus line. The ROM 53 stores a program for communicating with the digital camera 1 and operating the entire printer.

Next, the operation at the time of image printing according to the above configuration will be described.
First, when the USB connector 8 of the digital camera 1 is connected to the USB connector 50 of the printer device 10 via the USB cable 9, the CPU 21 of the digital camera 1 is supplied from the printer device 10 via the USB connector 50. The voltage (5V) is detected. In response to this detection, the CPU 21 of the digital camera 1 controls the LCD driver 42, reads a program for displaying a print control screen from the ROM 37, and displays a print designation screen on the LCD display unit 2. By operating the cross key switch unit 7 and the like while referring to the print designation screen, a desired print designation can be performed. When the CPU 21 of the digital camera 1 receives the signal related to the print designation, it reads the corresponding image data from the removable memory card 39 and transmits it to the printer device 10 via the USB controller 35, USB connector 8, and USB cable 9. To do. Next, the CPU 51 of the printer device 10 starts printing out the image file acquired from the digital camera 1. Thereby, the print output of the image file is executed.

  Here, a confirmation procedure when the USB cable 9 is connected will be described. The USB cable 9 includes a total of four wires of two signal lines such as a 5V power line called VBUS, a GND line, D + and D−, and is attached and detached with a dedicated connector. The digital camera 1 monitors the voltage level of VBUS in order to confirm the connection with the printer device 10 which is an external device. When the voltage VBUS is detected, the CPU 21 of the digital camera 1 determines that the USB cable 9 is connected. Further, when detecting the voltage interruption of VBUS, the CPU 21 of the digital camera 1 determines that the connection of the USB cable 9 is released.

  On the other hand, an external device such as a PC or the printer device 10 monitors the pull-up of the signal line D + or D− in order to detect the connection with the digital camera 1. When the digital camera 1 is connected to the printer device 10 which is an external device, the digital camera 1 detects the voltage of VBUS and detects that the USB cable 9 is connected. However, for example, the digital camera 1 does not pull up D + and D−. The communication is not established immediately. Therefore, the printer device 10 which is an external device does not recognize the connection with the digital camera 1.

  During this time, the digital camera 1 causes the UI (user interface) screen to select the USB class (printer or PC) in accordance with the change in the VBUS voltage value given from the printer device 10 which is an external device (see FIG. 5 screen) is automatically displayed. The user can select the printer device 10 that is a desired external device on the UI screen. The UI screen is displayed on the LCD display unit 2. In the screen example of FIG. 5, PC is selected as the USB class.

  The digital camera 1 automatically generates a USB class descriptor according to the user's selection and pulls up D + or D− to notify that the connection with the printer device 10 which is an external device has been confirmed. Accordingly, the printer device 10 recognizes the connection with the digital camera 1 and performs predetermined communication necessary for establishing the USB protocol.

  When communication is established in this way, what kind of external device is connected, including confirmation to the user, is displayed on the UI screen of the digital camera 1. Thereafter, the user can start the operation and perform a favorite work.

Next, a procedure for reaching a print executable state in the PictBridge system will be described.
In the PictBridge system, PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) is adopted as a communication protocol for data transfer between devices connected via the USB cable 9, and this PTP is used as a communication protocol for the transport layer. USB is used for the physical communication layer. Then, a DSP layer as a conversion layer is provided between the PTP transport layer and the DPS application layer, and mapping with the PTP is performed. The DSP layer is provided with a DPS discovery function for recognizing whether or not both devices connected via USB have a DPS function.

  First, after the USB cable is connected, when the USB protocol is established between devices connected via the USB cable 9, PTP communication establishment processing is executed next. Next, after establishing communication connection by PTP between both devices, DPS discovery is executed. Then, when this DPS discovery is established, control of both devices shifts to the DPS application. As a result, image printing by the PictBridge system can be executed.

Next, the operation control method of the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.
First, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing the flow of the first example of the operation control process when the USB cable 9 is connected according to the present embodiment.

  When the CPU 21 of the digital camera 1 detects that the USB cable 9 is connected by detecting the voltage of VBUS, it starts the processing of FIG. First, in step S101, the CPU 21 confirms the current main power on / off. If the main power is turned off as a result of this confirmation, the main power is turned on and the main power is set in a predetermined storage area (hereinafter referred to as a pre-connection state recording area) in the RAM 36 for recording the operation state before the cable connection. "OFF" is written (steps S102 and S103).

  On the other hand, if the main power supply is on, in step S104, the CPU 21 confirms the current operation mode. As a result of the confirmation, if the shooting mode is set, the CPU 21 writes “shooting mode” in the pre-connection state recording area (step S105). Further, the lens driving unit 24 is controlled to retract the photographing lens barrel 22a into the main body of the digital camera 1 (step S106). As a result of the confirmation in step S104, if the reproduction mode is set, the CPU 21 writes “reproduction mode” in the pre-connection state recording area (step S107).

  Next, in step S108, the CPU 21 executes DPS discovery. As a result, when DPS discovery is not established (NO in step S109), the CPU 21 displays on the LCD 2 screen that the printer cannot be recognized (step S110).

  On the other hand, if DPS discovery is established (YES in step S109), the CPU 21 sets the operation mode to the communication mode (step S111). Further, prohibition of changing the operation mode is set to fix the operation mode to the communication mode (step S112). As a result, the operation mode changing operation is invalidated. As a result, the user can fully perform an operation for image printing by the PictBridge system without worrying about an erroneous operation of changing the operation mode.

  Next, in step S113 of FIG. 7, the CPU 21 monitors the release of the USB cable connection. When the release of the USB cable connection is detected (YES in step S114), the prohibition of changing the operation mode is canceled (step S115). Next, in step S <b> 116, the CPU 21 reads the operation state before cable connection recorded in the pre-connection state recording area in the RAM 36. And the process which returns to the operation state before a cable connection is performed. Specifically, if the operating state before the cable connection is “main power off”, the main power is turned off (step S117). If the operation state before the cable connection is “shooting mode”, the operation mode is set to the shooting mode (step S118). Further, the lens driving unit 24 is controlled to extend the photographing lens barrel 22a from the main body of the digital camera 1 (step S119). By this extension, the photographing lens barrel 22a protrudes from the inside of the digital camera 1 and is ready for photographing. If the operation state before the cable connection is “reproduction mode”, the operation mode is set to the reproduction mode (step S120).

  According to the first embodiment described above, the change of the operation mode is prohibited after shifting to the communication mode by the communication connection with the printer device 10 which is an external device. It is possible to prevent the mode from being shifted to a mode other than the communication mode. As a result, communication processing with the printer device 10 can be performed stably.

  In addition, after shifting to the communication mode by communication connection with the printer device 10 which is an external device, when the communication mode state is canceled, the mode immediately before shifting to the communication mode can be automatically restored, and the next operation is performed. It can be executed smoothly. Thereby, a digital camera with good operability can be provided.

  Further, since the protruding photographing lens barrel 22a is automatically retracted into the digital camera body by connecting the USB cable, there is an unexpected accident such as collision between the photographing lens and an obstacle during printing operation. Prevented in advance.

  Further, when DPS discovery is established, the mode automatically shifts to the communication mode, so that the user can save time and effort to change the operation mode to the communication mode. Further, when printing is not possible even when the USB cable is connected, the communication mode is not shifted, so that unnecessary change of the operation mode is prevented.

  In addition, since the main power supply is automatically turned on when the USB cable is connected, the user can save the trouble of turning on the main power supply.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing the flow of the second example of the operation control processing when the USB cable 9 is connected according to the present embodiment.
When the CPU 21 of the digital camera 1 detects that the USB cable 9 is connected by detecting the voltage of VBUS, the CPU 21 starts the process of FIG. 8 and confirms the current main power on / off (step S201). If the main power is off as a result of this confirmation, the main power is set to on (step S202).

  On the other hand, if the main power supply is on, the CPU 21 confirms the current operation mode (step S203). If the main power supply is in the photographing mode, the lens driving unit 24 is controlled to control the photographing lens barrel 22a. The body is retracted (step S204). If it is determined in step S203 that the playback mode is set, the process directly proceeds to step S205.

  Next, in step S205, the CPU 21 executes DPS discovery. As a result, when DPS discovery is not established (NO in step S206), the CPU 21 displays on the LCD 2 screen that the printer cannot be recognized (step S207).

  On the other hand, if DPS discovery is established (YES in step S206), the CPU 21 sets the operation mode to the communication mode (step S208), and further sets the operation mode change prohibition to fix the operation mode to the communication mode. (Step S209).

  Next, in step S210 of FIG. 9, the CPU 21 monitors the release of the USB cable connection. When the release of the USB cable connection is detected (YES in step S211), the prohibition of changing the operation mode is canceled (step S212). Next, in step S <b> 213, the CPU 21 confirms the open / close state of the lens barrier provided on the front surface of the main body of the digital camera 1.

  FIG. 10 is an external view showing an open / close state of the lens barrier 101 provided on the front surface of the main body of the digital camera 1. FIG. 10A shows a state where the lens barrier 101 is in a closed position covering the photographing lens. FIG. 10B shows a state where the lens barrier 101 is in an open position where the photographing lens is exposed. FIG. 10B shows a state in which the taking lens barrel 22a is retracted in the main body of the digital camera 1 in step S204. When the lens barrier 101 is open, the flash 102, the finder 103, the distance measuring / photometric window 104, and the like are exposed. The lens barrier 101 is movable between a closed position in FIG. 10A and an open position in FIG.

  Next, when the lens barrier 101 is in the open state, the CPU 21 sets the operation mode to the photographing mode (step S214), and further controls the lens driving unit 24 to attach the photographing lens barrel 22a to the main body of the digital camera 1. It pays out from the inside (step S215). On the other hand, when the lens barrier 101 is in the closed state, the camera function operation stop mode is entered and the main power supply is set to the off state (steps S216 and S217).

  According to the second embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment, the change of the operation mode is prohibited after shifting to the communication mode by the communication connection with the printer device 10 which is an external device. It is possible to prevent a mode other than the communication mode from being inadvertently shifted by a user operation in the communication mode state. Furthermore, when the communication mode state is canceled, it is possible to shift to an appropriate operation mode according to the position of the lens barrier. Thereby, the following operation can be executed smoothly and a digital camera with good operability can be provided. In the second embodiment, the lens barrier 101 corresponds to a mode setting member.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts showing the flow of the third example of the operation control processing when the USB cable 9 is connected according to the present embodiment.
11 and 12, the processing from step S301 to S312 corresponds to the processing from step S201 to S212 in FIGS. 8 and 9 described above, respectively, and the description thereof is omitted. In step S313 in FIG. 12, the CPU 21 has a dial switch unit (hereinafter referred to as a mode dial, commonly referred to as a mode switch) 5 provided on the back of the main body of the digital camera 1 (hereinafter referred to as a mode dial) 5 (see FIG. 1). Check the setting status of.

  Next, when the mode dial 5 is set to the shooting mode position, the CPU 21 sets the operation mode to the shooting mode (step S314), and further controls the lens driving unit 24 to move the shooting lens barrel 22a. The digital camera 1 is fed out from the main body (step S315). When the mode dial 5 is set to the playback mode position, the CPU 21 sets the operation mode to the playback mode (step S316). When the mode dial 5 is set to the main power supply off position, the CPU 21 shifts to the camera function operation stop mode and sets the main power supply to the off state (steps S317 and S318).

  According to the above-described third embodiment, as in the above-described embodiment, the change of the operation mode is prohibited after shifting to the communication mode by the communication connection with the printer device 10 which is an external device. At this time, it is possible to prevent a user operation from inadvertently shifting to a mode other than the communication mode. Furthermore, when the communication mode state is canceled, the operation mode can be matched with the setting of the mode dial 5. Thereby, the following operation can be executed smoothly and a digital camera with good operability can be provided. In the third embodiment, the dial switch unit (mode dial) 5 corresponds to a mode setting member.

  In the above-described embodiment, the communication mode is set on the condition that the communication connection with the external apparatus is established. However, the communication mode may be set on the condition that the USB cable is connected.

  In the above-described embodiment, the USB controller 35, the CPU 21, and the like correspond to a receiving unit and a recognition unit. The CPU 21 and the like correspond to mode setting means, mode state confirmation means, and mode state return means.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the USB connection method is used as one of the wired communication connection methods, but other methods may be used. For example, a wired communication connection method such as IEEE1394 or RS-232C may be used. Further, a wireless communication connection method such as infrared communication may be used.

  The imaging apparatus of the present invention includes devices that have an imaging function as a main function, such as a digital camera, as well as devices that do not have an imaging function, such as a mobile phone having an electronic imaging function.

1 is an external view showing a configuration of a PictBridge system using a digital camera (digital camera 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a digital camera 1. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a digital camera 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer device 10 connected to a digital camera 1 via USB. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a USB communication system selection screen. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the 1st Example of the operation control process at the time of the USB cable 9 connection by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the 1st Example of the operation control process at the time of the USB cable 9 connection by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the 2nd Example of the operation control process at the time of the USB cable 9 connection by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the 2nd Example of the operation control process at the time of the USB cable 9 connection by this embodiment. 2 is an external view showing an open / close state of a lens barrier 101 provided on the front surface of the main body of the digital camera 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the 3rd Example of the operation control process at the time of the USB cable 9 connection by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the 3rd Example of the operation control process at the time of the USB cable 9 connection by this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera (imaging device), 5 ... Dial switch part, 9 ... USB cable, 10 ... Printer apparatus (external device), 21 ... Camera controller (CPU), 24 ... Lens drive part, 35 ... USB controller, 101 ... Lens barrier.

Claims (1)

In an imaging device that supplies an image file to a communication-connected external device,
Receiving means for receiving a signal from the external device;
Recognition means for recognizing that a communication connection with the external device has been established based on a signal received from the external device;
Confirmation means for confirming on / off of the main power supply when the recognition means recognizes the communication connection with the external device;
First confirmation means for turning on the main power supply when the confirmation means confirms that the main power supply is in an off state;
Storage means for storing that the main power supply is in an off state when the main power supply is set in an on state by the first setting means;
Second setting means for setting the operation mode to a communication mode communicable with the external device and prohibiting the change from the communication mode to another operation mode when the main power source is set to ON. and,
With
When the recognition unit confirms that the communication connection with the external device has not been established, the second setting unit cancels the setting for prohibiting the change from the communication mode to another operation mode. The first setting unit switches the main power source to an off state which is the content stored in the storage unit.

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