JP4371977B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, and in particular, is applied to, for example, a digital camera, and records a plurality of scene images created by an intermittent shooting operation using an interval shooting function in an image file formed on a recording medium. The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus.

An example of a conventional device of this type is disclosed in Patent Document 1. According to this prior art, when the interval shooting mode is selected, a shooting operation is performed every time a predetermined period elapses. Image data obtained by each photographing is first stored in a temporary area of the magneto-optical disk. When the moving image conversion operation is performed after the desired number of shooting operations are completed, a moving image file including image data in the temporary area is created. The created moving image file is moved to the regular recording area of the magneto-optical disk. Thereby, it is possible to observe a slow movement such as the flowering situation of the plant. Also, by recording the image data on the magneto-optical disk, the main power supply can be turned off between shootings, and power consumption can be reduced.
JP 2001-298893 A [H04N 5/91, 5/225, 5/765, 5/781, 5/915]

    However, the conventional technique requires a moving image conversion operation for creating a moving image file, so that the operability is lowered. Here, if a moving image file is created from the beginning and the captured image data of each frame is stored in the moving image file, the moving image conversion operation becomes unnecessary.

  However, the header and footer formed in the moving image file describe the number of frames and position information of the recorded image data. For this reason, if image data is written in a moving image file each time shooting is performed, the header and footer also need to be updated. That is, it is necessary to read the header and footer from the moving image file, update the read header and footer, and write the updated header and footer to the moving image file.

  Here, the header position is fixed, while the footer position depends on the size of the image data stored in the moving image file. For this reason, when the footer is updated, processing for searching the position of the footer is required.

  However, the search process is more complicated than the read process and the write process. Further, the footer does not exist in the still image file created in the still image shooting mode, and search processing is not necessary in the process of writing one frame of the scene image in the still image file. For this reason, if the footer is searched in a series of recording processes, the procedure of the recording process is greatly different between the interval shooting mode and the still image shooting mode.

    SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that can reduce power consumption and can make recording processing as common as possible between photographing modes.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, an image recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention forms, on a recording medium, M field images created respectively by intermittent M times (M: an integer equal to or greater than 2) of photographing operations using an interval photographing function. In the image recording apparatus for recording in the image file, the image management information arranged at different positions according to the number of object scene images stored in the image file is set to N times (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M). ) Search means for searching from the recording medium for each shooting operation, update means for updating the image management information detected by the search means based on N times of shooting operations, and turning off the power after the update operation of the update means is completed. Power-off means, power-on means for turning on the power prior to the search operation of the search means, measurement means for measuring the time spent in the search operation of the search means, and power-on based on the measurement results of the measurement means An adjustment means for adjusting the operation timing means, search means and performing a search operation before the first photographing operation for forming the N times of imaging operations of interest.

  The object scene image is created by an intermittent shooting operation using the interval shooting function. M object scene images respectively created by M times (M: an integer of 2 or more) of photographing operations are recorded in an image file formed on a recording medium. Image management information is recorded on the recording medium. However, the position of the image management information varies depending on the number of object scene images stored in the image file.

  The retrieval means retrieves such image management information from the recording medium every N times (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M). Specifically, the search operation is performed before the first shooting operation that forms N shooting operations of interest. The image management information detected by the search means is updated by the update means based on N shooting operations.

  When the update operation is completed, the power is turned off by the power off means. The turned-off power supply is turned on prior to the next search operation by the search means. The measuring means measures the time spent for the search operation of the searching means, and the adjusting means adjusts the operation timing of the power-on means based on the measurement result of the measuring means.

  By performing the search operation prior to the first shooting operation that forms the N shooting operations of interest, the search operation is separated from a series of processes for recording the captured N object scene images. It will be. This improves the commonality of the recording process between the shooting modes.

  In addition, the time consumed for the search operation of the search means is measured, and the operation timing of the power-on means is adjusted based on the measurement result, thereby improving the power consumption reduction effect.

  An image recording apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is dependent on the first aspect, wherein the update means reads out the image management information detected by the search means from the recording medium, and reads out the image management information read by the read means. Update execution means for updating, and writing means for writing the image management information updated by the update execution means to the recording medium.

  An image recording apparatus according to a third aspect of the invention is dependent on the second aspect, wherein the writing means issues issuing means for instructing writing of the image management information, and writing according to the writing instruction issued by the issuing means. Write execution means to be executed is included.

  An image recording apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the invention is dependent on any one of the first to third aspects, and the image management information is arranged at the end of the image management information.

  An image recording apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is dependent on any one of the first to fourth aspects, and N is “1”. This improves the power consumption reduction effect.

  A digital camera according to a sixth aspect of the invention includes the image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a recording control program forms M field images respectively generated by intermittent M times (M: an integer of 2 or more) of photographing operations using an interval photographing function on a recording medium. In the recording control program executed by the processor of the image recording apparatus for recording in the image file, the image management information arranged at different positions according to the number of object scene images stored in the image file is N times (N Search step for searching from the recording medium for each shooting operation of 1 or more and less than M), an update step for updating the image management information detected by the search step based on N shooting operations, and an update of the update step Power-off step for turning off the power after the operation is completed, power-on step for turning on the power prior to the search operation in the search step, search for search means A measuring step for measuring the time spent on the operation, and an adjusting step for adjusting the operation timing of the power-on means based on the measurement result of the measuring step, and the search step is the first to form N imaging operations of interest A search operation is performed before the shooting operation. As in the first aspect, the power consumption can be reduced and the recording process can be shared.

  According to the present invention, the retrieval operation is performed prior to the first photographing operation that forms the N photographing operations of interest, so that the retrieval operation is a series for recording the N captured field images. It will be separated from the process. This improves the commonality of the recording process between the shooting modes. In addition, the time consumed for the search operation of the search means is measured, and the operation timing of the power-on means is adjusted based on the measurement result, thereby improving the power consumption reduction effect.

  The above object, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the digital camera 10 of this embodiment includes a battery 44. The power supply circuit 42 generates a plurality of drive voltages based on the output voltage of the battery 44. One of the generated drive voltages is directly supplied to the sub CPU 38, and the remaining drive voltage is supplied to the SW circuit 40. The sub CPU 38 is always backed up by the drive voltage from the power supply circuit 42.

  When the main power-on operation is performed by the key input device 36, the sub CPU 38 changes the connection of the SW circuit 40 from the off state to the on state. As a result, the drive voltage from the power supply circuit 42 is supplied to the entire system.

  When the interval photographing mode (time-lapse photographing mode) is selected by the key input device 36 with the main power turned on, photographing at every set interval time Tint (for example, 5 minutes) is shown in FIGS. It is executed in the way. The main CPU 34 executes a plurality of tasks including a main task and a BG (Back Ground) task in parallel under the control of the multitask OS.

  First, a shooting command is given from the sub CPU 38 to the main CPU 34. The main task of the main CPU 34 gives a drive command to the driver 16 and a compression command to the JPEG codec 28 in order to execute the photographing process.

  Upon receiving the drive command, the driver 16 first exposes the image sensor 14. The optical image of the object scene that has passed through the optical lens 12 is subjected to photoelectric conversion on the imaging surface, thereby generating a raw image signal (charge) representing the object scene. The driver 16 reads the raw image signal thus generated from the image sensor 14 in a raster scanning manner. The CDS / AGC / AD circuit 18 performs a series of processes of noise removal, level adjustment and A / D conversion on the raw image signal output from the image sensor 14 and outputs raw image data which is a digital signal. The output raw image data is subjected to processing such as color separation, white balance adjustment, and YUV conversion by the image processing circuit 20. The image data output from the image processing circuit 20 is written into the SDRAM 24 through the memory control circuit 22.

  Upon receiving the compression command, the JPEG codec 28 reads the image data stored in the SDRAM 24 through the memory control circuit 22, performs JPEG compression on the read image data, and passes the compressed image data, that is, JPEG data through the memory control circuit 22. Write to SDRAM 24.

  When one frame of JPEG data is secured in the SDRAM 24 by such shooting processing, the main task issues a file creation & open command to the BG task. In response to this, the BG task newly creates a moving image file in the recording medium 32 and opens the created moving image file.

  The recording medium 32 is formatted according to MS-DOS and has a root directory area 32a, a FAT area 32b, and a data area 32c as shown in FIG. The new moving image file is written in the data area 32c, the link information of a plurality of clusters related to the moving image file is written in the FAT area 32b, and the file name of the moving image file is written in the directory entry of the root directory area 32a. . The extension “MOV” is assigned to the file name of the moving image file.

  Next, the main task creates a header and a footer on the SDRAM 24, and issues a file write command and a file close command to the BG task. The file write command is a command for writing a header, one frame of JPEG data, and a footer reserved in the SDRAM 24. The BG task reads the header, JPEG data, and footer from the SDRAM 24 through the memory control circuit 22, and provides the read header, JPEG data, and footer to the recording medium 32 through the I / F 30. The header, JPEG data, and footer are written in the opened moving image file. The BG task further closes the open moving image file in response to the file close command.

  In this way, a moving image file having a file structure as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained. According to FIG. 6, a header and a footer are formed at the beginning and end of a file, respectively, and JPEG data forming a moving image is written between the header and the footer. The number of frames of JPEG data stored in the moving image file is described in the header, and offset information (distance from the beginning of the file to the beginning of the frame) of the JPEG data of each frame is described in the footer.

  At this time, the number of frames described in the header indicates “1”, and the offset information described in the footer indicates only the offset of the first frame of JPEG data. Only the first frame of JPEG data exists between the header and the footer. The recording medium 32 is a detachable memory card, and is connected to the I / F 30 when inserted in a slot (not shown).

  When the file close is completed, a file close notification is given from the BG task to the main task. When the main task receives a file close notification, the main task transmits a shooting completion notification to the sub CPU 38. The sub CPU 38 that has received the shooting completion notification transmits a power-off preparation command to the main CPU 34. In response to this, the main task stops a plurality of tasks including the BG task, and thereafter transmits a preparation completion notice to the sub CPU 38. Receiving the preparation completion notification, the sub CPU 38 changes the connection of the SW circuit 40 from the on state to the off state. As a result, the main power supply is turned off.

  When the time “Tint−Ts” obtained by subtracting the file search time Ts (= initial value) from the interval time Tint has elapsed, the sub CPU 38 switches the connection of the SW circuit 40 from the off state to the on state. . The main task of the main CPU 34 activated by this activates a plurality of tasks including the BG task. The main task also receives a file search command from the sub CPU 38, and executes a file search process in response thereto.

  In the file search process, first, the file name of the latest moving image file is detected from the directory entry. The detected file name is the file name having the largest identification number among the file names with the extension “MOV”. Next, a moving image file having the detected file name is opened, and the start position and size of the footer are specified. The opened moving image file is closed after the head position and size are specified.

  The time spent for the file search process is measured by the timer 34b. The file search time Ts is updated to a value obtained by adding 500 milliseconds (which is just an example and not limited to 500 milliseconds) to the measurement value of the timer 34b. The updated file search time Ts is transmitted to the sub CPU 38 by the main task. The sub CPU 38 that has received the file search time Ts issues a shooting command to the main CPU 34 when the interval time Tint has elapsed.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the main task executes a photographing process. As a result, one frame of JPEG data is secured in the SDRAM 24. After the shooting process, the main task issues a file open command and a file read command to the BG task. The file open command is a command for opening a moving image file detected by the file search process. The file read command is a command for reading the header and footer from the opened moving image file. The BG task opens the moving image file in response to the file open command, and reads the header and footer from the moving image file in response to the file read command. The read header and footer are written into the SDRAM 24 via the I / F 30 and the memory control circuit 22.

  The main task accesses the SDRAM 24 through the memory control circuit 22 and updates the header and footer. Specifically, the main task increments the number of frames described in the header and adds offset information of the JPEG data of the second frame to the footer. When the update of the header and footer is completed, the main task issues a file write command and a file close command to the BG task.

  The header, one frame of JPEG data, and footer stored in the SDRAM 24 are written into an open moving image file by executing a file write command. The header is written at the same position as the previous time, the JPEG data is written after the start position of the footer specified by the file search process, and the footer is written after the end of the JPEG data written this time. The file close command is executed after the writing is completed, whereby the moving image file is closed.

  When the moving image file is closed, a shooting completion notification is transmitted to the sub CPU 38 as described above. In response to the power-off preparation command from the sub CPU 38, the main task stops other tasks and sends a preparation completion notification to the sub CPU 38. Receiving the preparation completion notification, the sub CPU 38 immediately turns off the main power supply.

  The sub CPU 38 turns on the main power supply when the time “Tint-Ts” has elapsed since the main power supply was turned off. The main task of the main CPU 34 activates a plurality of tasks including a BG task, and executes a file search process in response to a file search command from the sub CPU 38. By the file search process, the head position of the footer that forms the moving image file of interest is specified. A time obtained by adding 500 milliseconds to the time spent for the file search process is transmitted to the sub CPU 38 as a new file search time Ts. The sub CPU 38 that has received the file search time Ts issues a shooting command to the main CPU 34 when the interval time Tint has elapsed.

  Referring to FIG. 4, sub CPU 38 and main CPU 34 repeatedly execute the same processing (shooting process to shooting completion notification) as described above until the number of shootings reaches a set value. The main task transmits a shooting completion notification to the sub CPU 38 and then transmits a mode end notification to the sub CPU 38. The main task 38 then stops all tasks other than itself. Also, the sub CPU 38 waits for the result of the time required for the task stop process and turns off the main power supply.

  As described above, since the main power supply is turned off (that is, the sleep mode is set) between shootings, the power consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, since the period for maintaining the sleep mode is determined based on the time spent in the file search process, the effect of reducing power consumption is maximized.

  Note that when a shooting operation is performed in a state in which the normal shooting mode is selected, a series of processing from the first shooting command issuance to the shooting completion notification shown in FIG. 2 is executed. However, the creation / writing of the footer is omitted.

  When the interval shooting mode is selected with the main power turned on, the sub CPU 38 executes processing according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and the main CPU 34 performs the main task shown in FIGS. A plurality of tasks including a BG (Back Ground) task shown in FIG. 12 are executed in parallel. The control program corresponding to these flowcharts is stored in the flash memory 26.

  First, referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in step S1, file search time Ts is set to an initial value, and interval time Tint is set to a desired value. The file search time Ts and the interval time Tint are stored in the register 38a. In step S3, a shooting command is issued to the main CPU 34. In step S5, the timer 38b is reset and started. In step S7, it is determined whether a shooting completion notification is returned from the main CPU 34.

  When the shooting completion notification is returned, it is determined in step S9 whether or not a mode end notification is given from the main CPU 34, and whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed is determined in step S11. If a mode end notification is given before the predetermined period elapses, the main power is turned off in step S19 through a standby process in step S17, and then the process ends. The waiting time in step S17 corresponds to a grace time until the main CPU 34 stops all tasks.

  If the mode end notification is not given before the predetermined time elapses, the process proceeds to step S13 to issue a power-off preparation command to the main CPU. On the other hand, when a preparation completion notification is returned from the main CPU 34, the process proceeds from step S15 to step S21, and the connection of the SW circuit 40 is switched to the OFF state in order to turn off the main power supply.

  In step S23, it is determined whether or not the measurement time of the timer 38b has reached "Tint-Ts". If YES is determined here, the main power supply is turned on in step S25, and a file search command is issued to the main CPU 34 in step S27.

  When the file search time Ts is received from the main CPU 34, the process proceeds from step S29 to step S31, and the file search time Ts set in the register 38a is updated by the received file search time Ts. In step S33, it is determined whether or not the measurement time of the timer 38b has reached the interval time Tint. If YES, the process returns to step S3.

  Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, in step S41, flag FLG is set to “0”, and in step S43, a plurality of tasks including a BG task are activated. In step S45, it is determined whether a shooting command has been issued, in step S79, it is determined whether a file search command has been issued, and in step S101, it is determined whether a power-off preparation command has been issued.

  When a shooting command is issued, YES is determined in step S45, and shooting processing is executed in step S47. Specifically, a drive command is given to the driver 16 and a compression command is given to the JPEG codec 28.

  When the drive command is issued, a raw image signal representing the object scene is output from the image sensor 14, and YUV format image data corresponding to the raw image signal is output from the image processing circuit 20. The output image data is written into the SDRAM 24 by the memory control circuit 22. Upon receiving the compression command, the JPEG codec 28 reads the image data stored in the SDRAM 24 through the memory control circuit 22, performs JPEG compression on the read image data, and writes the JPEG data into the SDRAM 24 through the memory control circuit 22. .

  In step S49, the state of the flag FLG is determined. If the flag FLG indicates “0”, it is considered that the moving image file has not yet been created, and a “file creation & open command” is issued to the BG task in step S59. As a result, a moving image file is newly created and opened. In steps S61 and S63, a header and a footer are created, respectively. The number K of frames described in the header indicates “1”. In the footer, offset information of JPEG data of the first frame is described.

  On the other hand, if the flag FLG indicates “1”, it is regarded that the moving image file has been created, and a file open command is issued to the BG task in step S51. In step S53, a file read command is issued to the BG task in order to read the header and footer from the opened moving image file. The read header and footer are transferred to the SDRAM 24. In steps S55 and S57, the header and footer on the SDRAM 24 are updated. By the process of step S55, the number K of frames described in the header is incremented. Also, the offset information of the newly created JPEG data is added to the footer by the process of step S57.

  Note that the moving image file to be opened in step S51 is specified by the process in step S97 described later. Further, the start position and size of the footer to be read in step S53 are specified in step S87 described later.

  When the process of step S63 or S57 is completed, the process proceeds to step S65, and a file write command is issued to the BG task. This file write command is a command for writing the header obtained by the process of step S61 or S55, the JPEG data obtained by the process of step S47, and the footer obtained by the process of step S63 or S57 to the moving image file. is there.

  In step S67, a file close command is issued to the BG task. As a result, the opened moving image file is closed. When a file close notification is given from the BG task, the process proceeds from step S69 to step S71, and a shooting completion notification is transmitted to the sub CPU 38.

  In step S73, based on the number K of frames updated in step S55, it is determined whether or not the number of shootings has reached a set value. If “NO” here, the process returns to the step S45. On the other hand, if YES, a mode end notification is transmitted to the sub CPU 38 in step S75, all tasks including the BG task are stopped in step S77, and then the process ends.

  If a file search command is issued, YES is determined in step S79, and the timer 34b is reset and started in step S81. In step S83, the directory entry described in the root directory area 32a of the recording medium 32 is referenced to detect the file name of the latest moving image file. In step S85, a moving image file having the detected file name is opened. In step S87, the footer head position and the footer size are specified from the opened moving image file. When the head position and size are specified, the moving image file is closed in step S89, and the measurement value of the timer 34b is detected in step S91.

  In step S93, 500 milliseconds is added to the detected measurement value, and the time obtained thereby is determined as the next file search time Ts. In step S95, the determined file search time Ts is transmitted to the sub CPU 38, and in step S97, the file name detected in step S83 is set in the register 34a. When the setting process to the register 34a is completed, the flag FLG is set to “1” in step S99, and the process returns to step S45.

  When a power-off preparation command is issued, YES is determined in step S101, and all tasks other than itself are stopped in step S103. When the task stop process is completed, a preparation completion notification is transmitted to the sub CPU 38 in step S105, and then the process returns to step S45.

  Referring to FIG. 12, in step S111, it is determined whether a file creation & open command has been issued. In step S115, it is determined whether a file open command has been issued. In step S119, it is determined whether a file close command has been issued. In step S125, it is determined whether a file read command has been issued. In step S129, it is determined whether a file write command has been issued. .

  When the file creation & open command is issued, the process proceeds from step S111 to step S113, where a new moving image file is created and opened. When the file open command is issued, the process proceeds from step S115 to step S117, and the designated moving image file is opened. When the file close command is issued, the process proceeds from step S119 to step S121, and the opened moving image file is closed.

  When a file read command is issued, the process proceeds from step S125 to step S127, and desired data is read from the opened moving image file. The read data is written to the recording medium 24 through the memory control circuit 22. When the file write command is issued, the process proceeds from step S129 to step S131, and the desired data is written to the opened moving image file. Data is read from the SDRAM 24 through the memory control circuit 22 and written to a moving image file on the recording medium 32 through the I / F 30.

  As can be seen from the above description, JPEG data representing an object scene image is created by an intermittent shooting operation using an interval shooting function. A plurality of frames of JPEG data created by a plurality of shooting operations are recorded in a moving image file formed on the recording medium 32. Here, the main CPU 34 searches for a footer (image management information) from the moving image file before the shooting operation is performed (S87), and updates the footer after the shooting operation is performed (S53, S57). The JPEG data of the current frame and the updated footer are written into the moving image file by the main CPU 34 (S65, S131).

  When the writing is completed, the main power is turned off by the sub CPU 38 (S21). The main power turned off is turned on by the sub CPU 38 prior to the next search operation (S25). The main CPU 34 measures the time spent searching for the footer (S91), and the sub CPU 38 adjusts the timing for turning on the main power based on the measurement result (S23).

  Thus, by performing the search process prior to the shooting operation, the search process is separated from the recording process. This improves the commonality of the recording process between the shooting modes (between the interval shooting mode and the normal shooting mode). In addition, the time consumed for the search process is measured, and the timing for turning on the main power supply is adjusted based on the measurement result, thereby improving the power consumption reduction effect.

  In this embodiment, a memory card is used as the recording medium, but an optical disk may be used instead. In this embodiment, the main power supply is turned off every time one photographing operation is completed. However, the main power supply may be turned off every time a plurality of photographing operations are completed.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Example of this invention. It is an illustration figure which shows a part of operation | movement of FIG. 1 Example. It is an illustration figure which shows a part of other operation | movement of FIG. 1 Example. It is an illustration figure which shows the other part of operation | movement of FIG. 1 Example. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the mapping state of the recording medium applied to FIG. 1 Example. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the structure of the moving image file produced by FIG. 1 Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation | movement of the sub CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of the sub CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation | movement of main CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing another portion of the behavior of the main CPU applied to the embodiment in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing still another portion of the behavior of the main CPU applied to the embodiment in FIG. 1. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing yet another portion of the behavior of the main CPU applied to the embodiment in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Digital camera 14 ... Image sensor 20 ... Image processing circuit 22 ... Memory control circuit 24 ... SDRAM
28 ... JPEG codec 32 ... Recording medium 34 ... Main CPU
38 ... Sub CPU
42 ... power supply circuit 44 ... battery

Claims (7)

In an image recording apparatus for recording M object scene images respectively created by intermittent M (M: an integer greater than or equal to 2) photographing operations using an interval photographing function in an image file formed on a recording medium ,
Image management information arranged at different positions according to the number of scene images stored in the image file is retrieved from the recording medium every N times (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M). Search means to
Updating means for updating the image management information detected by the search means based on the N imaging operations;
Power-off means for turning off the power after the updating operation of the updating means is completed;
Power-on means for turning on the power prior to the search operation of the search means;
Measuring means for measuring the time spent in the search operation of the search means, and adjusting means for adjusting the operation timing of the power-on means based on the measurement result of the measurement means,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search means performs a search operation before a first shooting operation that forms N noted shooting operations.   The update means is updated by a read means for reading the image management information detected by the search means from the recording medium, an update execution means for updating the image management information read by the read means, and the update execution means. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a writing unit that writes the image management information to the recording medium.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the writing unit includes an issuing unit that issues a writing instruction that instructs writing of the image management information, and an execution unit that executes writing according to the writing instruction issued by the issuing unit. .   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image management information is arranged at the end of the image management information.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein N is “1”.   A digital camera comprising the image recording apparatus according to claim 1. An image recording apparatus for recording M object scene images respectively created by intermittent M (M: integer greater than or equal to 2) photographing operations using an interval photographing function in an image file formed on a recording medium. In the recording control program executed by the processor,
Image management information arranged at different positions according to the number of object scene images stored in the image file is searched from the recording medium every N times (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M). Search step,
An update step of updating the image management information detected by the search step based on the N imaging operations;
A power-off step of turning off the power after the update operation of the update step is completed;
A power-on step of turning on the power prior to the search operation of the search step;
A measuring step for measuring a time spent for a search operation of the search means; and an adjusting step for adjusting an operation timing of the power-on means based on a measurement result of the measurement step,
The recording control program according to claim 1, wherein the search step performs a search operation before a first shooting operation that forms N noted shooting operations.

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