JP4457788B2 - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera, and more particularly to a recording method when there are a plurality of recording media.

Conventionally, electronic cameras capable of loading a plurality of recording media are known. For example, in the electronic camera of Patent Document 1, a slot cover that can be slid by manual operation is provided on two card slots. The slot cover is provided with an opening for exposing one of the card slots. Then, the position of the slot cover is detected to detect which card slot is exposed. As a result, the card type recording medium in the card slot covered with the slot cover can be recorded, and the card type recording medium in the card slot with the opening exposed cannot be accessed.
JP 2001-185874 A

  In the electronic camera of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to select which card type recording medium to record image data by moving the slot cover by a user's manual operation. That is, the conventional electronic camera has no concept of automatically assigning to which recording medium it should be recorded in consideration of the application of the image even if recording is possible on any of a plurality of recording media. For this reason, for example, when recording only a private image on one recording medium and recording an image for another use on the other, the user himself selects which recording medium to record each time recording is performed. There is a need to. Therefore, there has been a demand for the electronic camera to automatically assign the recording destinations according to the use of the image, and to reduce the operation burden on the user.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for automatically and appropriately sorting recording destinations according to the type or use of an image in an electronic camera capable of loading a plurality of recording media.

The electronic camera of the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and generates image data, and a recording unit that can select a recording destination of image data from a plurality of recording media.
The electronic camera according to claim 1 is characterized by the following points. First, an index indicating the relative merits of the imaging result when the image data is captured by the imaging unit, based on the evaluation index that includes the results of analyzing the at least the image data, the recording destination of the image data of the imaging result dominance And a sorting unit that automatically determines from a plurality of recording media so as to be distinguished from each other. Second, the recording unit records image data on the recording medium determined by the distribution unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera of the first aspect, the distribution unit uses information relating to the sharpness of the image indicated by the image data as an evaluation index.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera of the second aspect, the information relating to the sharpness is a contrast value of image data.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the first aspect, the sorting unit uses the position of the image on the imaging plane of the imaging unit at the time of imaging the subject as an evaluation index.

Invention 請 Motomeko 5, in the electronic camera according to claim 1, characterized in that part distributes the data amount after compressing the image data is used as the evaluation index.

In the present invention, it is an index indicating the superiority or inferiority of the imaging result when the image data is captured by the imaging unit , and the image data recording destination is imaged based on at least the evaluation index of the image data including the result of analyzing the image data It is automatically determined from a plurality of recording media so as to distinguish between superiority and inferiority of the result . Therefore, in an electronic camera in which a plurality of recording media can be loaded, recording destinations can be automatically and appropriately allocated according to the type of image or application.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electronic camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention . As shown in the figure, the electronic camera 8 includes a replaceable photographing lens 12, a quick return mirror 14, a shutter 16, an observation optical system 18, an image sensor 20, an analog signal processing unit 24, and a flash device 26. A / D conversion unit 28, timing generator 32, focus detection unit 34, photometry unit 36, color measurement unit 38, angular velocity detection unit 40, operation unit 42, CPU 44, and system bus 48 A memory 52, an image processing unit 56, a distribution recording unit 60, card-type recording media 70A and 70B loaded in two card slots (not shown), a monitor control unit 74, and a liquid crystal monitor 78, respectively. is doing.

The photographic lens 12 includes a focusing lens 88 for focusing, a zoom lens 90 for adjusting the angle of view, an encoder 92 for detecting the position of the moved lens, an aperture 94 for adjusting the amount of transmitted light, a lens and an aperture. A driving motor 96 for driving the motor 94 and a lens CPU 98 are provided.
The angular velocity detection unit 40 detects the shaking of the electronic camera 8 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction as angular velocity at the time of shooting, and transmits the detected angular velocity to the CPU 44. The CPU 44 adjusts a camera shake correction lens (not shown) in the photographic lens 12 based on the transmitted angular velocity to perform optical camera shake correction. Note that the electronic shake correction may be performed by omitting the angular velocity detection unit 40 and the shake correction lens. In the case of electronic camera shake correction, the position of the image on the imaging surface of the image sensor 20 is transmitted to the CPU 44 at the time of shooting. Then, the camera shake is corrected by changing the reading range from the image sensor 20 in accordance with the position of the image.

The operation unit 42 includes a group of operation buttons such as a power button, a shooting mode selection button, a sorting mode selection button, a shooting condition input button, and a release button (not shown).
The CPU 44 performs system control of the electronic camera 8.
In addition, the electronic camera 8 has a timer (not shown) that transmits information on the shooting date and time and the shooting time to the CPU.

The electronic camera 8 has a portrait mode, a fireworks mode, a landscape mode, a sports mode, a black and white copy mode, and a close-up mode as photographing modes.
In the portrait mode, a person placement frame is displayed superimposed on the observation image on the observation optical system 18, the diaphragm 94 is opened, and the white balance adjustment processing after imaging is set to emphasize skin color.

In the fireworks mode, the photographing lens 12 is driven so as to focus at infinity, the shutter speed is set slightly slower, and the flash device is set to forced light emission.
In landscape mode, the white balance is set to improve the appearance of the sky and green colors, so that the contribution ratio to the calculation of the exposure condition is not too biased toward the sky above the image (so that the bottom of the image is also properly exposed) ) Is set.

In the sport mode, the shutter speed is set fast, the release time lag is controlled to be short, continuous shooting is performed, and the flash device 26 does not emit light.
In the black-and-white copy mode, it is set so that characters in a white background are clearly seen, and only luminance components are generated from the image signals of the three primary colors red, blue, and green obtained from the image sensor 20.
In the close-up mode, the driving range of the focusing lens 88 is widened.

  The electronic camera 8 has a shutter speed priority mode, an aperture priority mode, an auto mode, and a manual mode as exposure setting modes. In the shutter speed priority mode, the CPU 44 appropriately sets exposure conditions other than the shutter speed based on the shutter speed (exposure time) set by the user. Note that the exposure conditions in this specification are shutter speed, imaging sensitivity (ISO value of the image sensor 20), aperture value, and presence / absence of light emission by the flash device 26 (including light emission amount when light is emitted). In the aperture priority mode, the CPU 44 appropriately sets exposure conditions other than the aperture value based on the aperture value set by the user. In the auto mode, the CPU 44 appropriately sets all exposure conditions. In the manual mode, shooting is performed based on the exposure conditions set by the user.

  Further, the electronic camera 8 has first to twenty-second sorting modes as means for determining the recording destination of image data. That is, the distribution recording unit 60 automatically and appropriately determines which of the card-type recording media 70A and 70B is to record the image data by different methods according to the set distribution mode. This is the main feature of the present embodiment, and the distribution mode can be selected by a distribution mode selection button on the operation unit 42.

In each distribution mode, the distribution recording unit 60 uses the “card-type recording” based on judgment criteria such as “setting state of the electronic camera 8 at the time of shooting”, “evaluation index of image data”, “information about the state of the subject at the time of shooting”, and the like. It is determined which of the media 70A and 70B the image data is recorded on.
“Setting state of the electronic camera 8 at the time of photographing” refers to the following three. One is time information or a day of the week indicated by a timer (not shown) in the electronic camera 8 at the time of shooting. One is an image processing method (not including an image size) for image data after imaging, and is set before the image sensor 20 is exposed for still image shooting. One is obtained by removing “information on the state of the subject at the time of photographing” from the photographing conditions.

  The shooting conditions in this specification are: the type of the shooting lens 12, the angle of view (zoom position of the shooting lens 12), the shooting distance (determinable from the position of the focusing lens 88), the AF area (in which area during shooting) The color temperature of the light source that illuminates the subject, subject brightness, exposure conditions, and the like. Among the shooting conditions, the color temperature and the subject brightness are “information on the state of the subject at the time of shooting”.

If any of the above-described six shooting modes is set, part of the shooting conditions and the image processing method are automatically set.
The “evaluation index of image data” includes the hue of the image indicated by the image data, the contrast value of the image indicated by the image data, the data amount after compression of the image data, the angular velocity detected by the angular velocity detection unit 40 at the time of shooting, and the like. The reason why the angular velocity indicating the degree of camera shake is used as the “image data evaluation index” is that the greater the camera shake, the greater the degree of blur. In the case of electronic camera shake correction instead of optical camera shake correction as in the present embodiment, the position of the image on the imaging plane at the moment of shooting corresponds to the evaluation index of the image data.

Further, the electronic camera 8 can store a combination of various setting information such as a shooting mode, a sorting mode, an exposure condition, a pixel processing method, and the like as a custom setting. That is, since there are various combinations of various setting information, each can be stored as the first, second, third,... Custom settings.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic camera 8 of the present embodiment. The operation of the electronic camera 8 will be described below according to the step numbers shown in the figure.

  [Step S1] When the power button of the electronic camera 8 is turned on, a power-on process is performed. The CPU 44 communicates with the lens CPU 98 to acquire the type of the photographing lens 12. In addition, the user can operate the button group of the operation unit 42 to set the shooting mode, the exposure condition, etc., and select any of the first to twenty-second distribution modes. In addition, the user can set the number of recording pixels for the image data after imaging and can select the compression rate when recording the image data after imaging. The compression rate is, for example, from low compression (data amount is compressed to about 1/4, for example), medium compression (data amount is compressed to about 1/8, for example), and high compression (data amount is compressed to about 1/16, for example). Selectable.

  [Step S2] The image pickup device 20 is exposed and repeatedly accumulates and discharges charges, and continuously outputs image signals for moving images at a predetermined frame rate. The analog signal processing unit 24 and the A / D conversion unit 28 perform clamping processing, A / D conversion, and the like on the image signal to generate image data for moving images. The image data for moving images is usually composed of pixel values of some of all effective pixels by thinning readout. The image data is subjected to color process processing by the image processing unit 56 and then displayed as a moving image on the liquid crystal monitor 78.

  [Step S3] After the release button is pressed halfway, the photometry unit 36 measures the subject brightness and transmits it to the CPU 44. The color measurement unit 38 measures the color temperature of the light source that illuminates the subject and transmits the measured color temperature to the CPU 44. The CPU 44 determines the exposure condition based on the subject brightness and the like. In the configuration without the color measuring unit 38, the color temperature may be obtained from image data obtained by photographing.

  [Step S4] In synchronism with the full depression of the release button, still image shooting is performed by a known operation under the set shooting conditions. That is, the shutter 16 is driven and the image sensor 20 is exposed at the set shutter speed. The pixel outputs of all effective pixels of the image sensor 20 are output as still image data from the A / D converter 28 after being subjected to clamp processing, A / D conversion, and the like. The generated image data is subjected to processing such as white balance adjustment, color interpolation, color correction, contour enhancement processing, gamma correction, and image compression. In this embodiment, an example in which JPEG compression is used for image compression will be described, but other compression methods may be used. Further, the CPU 44 stores “information about the setting state of the electronic camera 8 at the time of photographing” and “information about the state of the subject at the time of photographing” without being erased until step S7 described later.

  Here, the number of recording pixels can be set in step S1 before exposing the image sensor 20 for a still image. However, if they are not set in step S1, they may be set in this step S4 after exposure. . For example, after image processing necessary for display such as A / D conversion, white balance adjustment, and color interpolation is performed on the pixel output of the image sensor 20, this image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 78. Alternatively, a display prompting the user to select a compression rate may be output and selected.

When the sports mode is set, continuous shooting by thinning readout is performed instead of still image shooting using the pixel outputs of all effective pixels as described above.
[Step S5] The distribution recording unit 60 reads, from the CPU 44, information necessary for determining the recording destination, that is, information as to which recording destination is allocated. As described in step S6 below, the sort of recording destination is different depending on each sorting mode.

[Step S6] The distribution recording unit 60 determines which of the card-type recording media 70A and 70B is to record image data according to the read information and the set distribution mode. Hereinafter, a recording destination determination method by the distribution recording unit 60 will be described for each distribution mode.
(1) When the first distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines whether or not the day of the week at the time of shooting is a weekday based on the date indicated by the timer. If it is a weekday, recording on the card type recording medium 70A is determined, and if it is not a weekday, recording on the card type recording medium 70B is determined. It may be determined that recording is performed on the card type recording medium 70B if it is a weekday, and recording is performed on the card type recording medium 70A if it is not a weekday. If the determination result is affirmative, the user may select in advance in step S1 which is to be recorded by the button of the operation unit 42. Hereinafter, reference numerals 70A and 70B of the card type recording medium are omitted as appropriate (others). The same applies to the sort mode).

(2) When the second distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines whether or not the photographing time is included in the specific time zone based on the time indicated by the timer. When it is included in the specific time zone, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and when it is not included, recording on the other is determined. The specific time here may be selected by the user in step S1, for example.
(3) When the third distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines whether or not the photographing time is included in the sunshine hours based on the date and time indicated by the timer. When it is included in the sunshine hours, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and when it is not included, recording on the other is determined. Note that the daylight hours differ slightly depending on the shooting area. For example, a small GPS (Global Positioning System) is installed, and it is determined whether it is included in the daylight hours based on the shooting area, date and time. May be.

  (4) When the fourth distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines the recording destination according to the shooting mode. When photographing is performed in a specific photographing mode selected in advance, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and recording on the other is determined otherwise. For example, in step S1, the user can select at least one of a portrait mode, a fireworks mode, a landscape mode, a sports mode, a black and white copy mode, and a close-up mode (not included in all cases) as the specific shooting mode here. Just keep it.

  (5) When the fifth distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines the recording destination according to the exposure setting mode. When photographing is performed in a specific exposure setting mode selected in advance, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and recording on the other is determined otherwise. As the specific exposure setting mode, for example, the user may select at least one of shutter speed priority mode, aperture priority mode, auto mode, and manual mode (not included in all cases) in step S1.

  (6) When the sixth distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines whether or not the electronic camera 8 is in a state using the custom setting at the time of shooting. If the custom setting is used, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if not, recording on the other is determined. When shooting is performed with a specific custom setting selected by the user, recording to one card type recording medium is determined, and when shooting is performed with other custom settings, recording to the other is performed. May be determined. The specific custom setting here may be selected by the user in step S1, for example.

(7) When the seventh distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines the recording destination according to the type of the photographing lens 12. For example, if the photographing lens 12 is a specific one, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if it is not a specific one, recording on the other is determined. The specific photographing lens may be selected by the user in step S1, for example.
(8) When the eighth distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines the recording destination according to the zoom position of the photographing lens 12 at the time of photographing. For example, if the zoom position is on the wide angle side, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if the zoom position is on the telephoto side, recording on the other is determined.

(9) When the ninth distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines the recording destination based on the aperture value. For example, if the aperture 94 is opened, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if not, recording on the other is determined.
(10) When the tenth sorting mode is set, the sorting recording unit 60 determines to record on one card type recording medium if the aperture value is set to a specific value, and otherwise, the other Determine the record to. As the specific aperture value here, for example, a value that provides the best performance of the photographing lens 12 may be stored in advance in the CPU 44 in the form of table data for each type of the photographing lens 12. Or you may make a user select in step S1.

  (11) When the eleventh sorting mode is set, the sorting recording unit 60 determines the recording destination based on the actual shooting distance. The shooting distance here is the distance between the subject in focus and the electronic camera 8 and can be determined from the lens position output by the encoder 92 in the focused state. Note that another method such as triangulation may be used. If the shooting distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if not, recording on the other is determined.

  (12) When the twelfth sorting mode is set, the sorting recording unit 60 determines the recording destination based on the approximate shooting distance estimated from the shooting mode. In this embodiment, as an example, if the fireworks mode or landscape mode is set, it is estimated that the distance is long, so recording on one card type recording medium is determined, otherwise recording on the other is determined. . If the close-up mode or the black-and-white copy mode is set, it is estimated that the distance is short, so recording on one card type recording medium is determined, otherwise recording on the other is determined. Good.

  (13) When the thirteenth distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines the recording destination based on the AF area. For example, if the AF area is in the center, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if not, recording on the other is determined. Alternatively, if the AF area is automatically set by the CPU 44, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if the AF area is set by the user, recording on the other is determined.

  (14) When the fourteenth distribution mode is set, the distribution recording unit 60 determines the recording destination based on the ISO value of the image sensor 20. For example, if the ISO value is 100 or less, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if not, recording on the other is determined. Alternatively, if the ISO value is set by the CPU 44, recording on one card type recording medium may be determined, and if the ISO value is set by the user, recording on the other may be determined.

(15) When the fifteenth sorting mode is set, the sorting recording unit 60 determines whether or not the flash device 26 emits light during shooting. When the light is emitted, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and when not, recording on the other is determined.
(16) The sixteenth sorting mode is targeted when the exposure setting mode is set to a mode other than the manual mode, that is, when at least one of the exposure conditions is determined by the CPU 44. In the sixteenth sorting mode, the sorting recording unit 60 sorts according to whether or not the exposure condition determined by the CPU 44 has been corrected by the user. When the image is shot under the corrected exposure condition, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and when not, recording on the other is determined.

  (17) The seventeenth sorting mode is targeted for shooting the same subject under different conditions. If the shutter speed is faster than a predetermined value, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if not, recording on the other is determined. In addition, when the user corrects the shutter speed set by the CPU 44 and shoots, it may be recorded on one side, and if not, it may be recorded on the other side.

  (18) If the 18th sorting mode is set, the sorting recording unit 60 instructs the image processing unit 56 to determine the average hue of the image data generated in step S4. The hue here may be the average hue of the entire image, the average hue of only the center of the image, or the average hue of the area corresponding to the AF area. The distribution recording unit 60 determines a recording destination based on the hue determined by the image processing unit 56. For example, if the hue is close to blue, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if not, recording on the other is determined.

  (19) If the nineteenth sorting mode is set, the sorting recording unit 60 instructs the image processing unit 56 to obtain the contrast value of the image data generated in step S4. The contrast value here indicates the sharpness of the image represented by the image data, and may be an average contrast value of the entire image or a contrast value of an area corresponding to the AF area. If the contrast value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the distribution recording unit 60 determines that the photo is a success photo, and therefore determines the recording on one card type recording medium. Determine the record.

  (20) When the twentieth sorting mode is set, the sorting recording unit 60 determines the recording destination based on the angular velocity detected by the angular velocity detecting unit 40 during shooting. For example, if at least one of the vertical and horizontal angular velocities is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, it is estimated as a successful photo, so recording on one of the card-type recording media is determined. Otherwise, an out-of-focus photo is estimated. Therefore, the recording to the other is determined.

  In the case of electronic camera shake correction instead of optical camera shake correction as in the present embodiment, the distribution recording unit 60 may acquire the position of the image on the imaging surface of the image sensor 20 at the time of shooting from the CPU 44. Good. If the distance between this image position and the image position when there is no camera shake is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, recording on one card type recording medium is determined. Otherwise, recording on the other is determined. do it.

  (21) When the 21st sorting mode is set, the sorting recording unit 60 determines the recording destination according to the data amount (number of bytes) of the image data after the image compression. If the number of pixels is the same and the number of bytes is large, it can be determined as a successful photo, and if the number of bytes is small, it can be determined as a out-of-focus photo. This is because an image in focus has more high-frequency components, so that the amount of code generated in JPEG compression increases and the amount of data increases. Therefore, if the data amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if not, recording on the other is determined.

(22) When the 22nd sorting mode is set, the sorting recording unit 60 determines the recording destination based on the color temperature of the light source at the time of shooting. For example, if the color temperature is 4000 K (can be determined as indoor shooting), recording on one card type recording medium is determined, and if not, recording on the other is determined.
[Step S7] The distribution recording unit 60 records the image data on the card type recording medium determined in Step S6. Then, together with the image data, the information read in step S5 as a determination criterion for sorting is recorded as supplementary information in the header portion of the JPEG file of the image. For example, in the first distribution mode, the day of the week at the time of shooting is recorded, and in the thirteenth distribution mode, where the AF area is set is recorded. Note that the aperture value, imaging sensitivity, etc., are recorded in the header part of the JPEG file of the image even with current electronic cameras as shooting conditions. Record it. The above is the description of the operation of the electronic camera 8 of the present embodiment.

  As described above, in the first to seventeenth sorting modes, the twenty-second sorting mode is based on the setting of the electronic camera 8 at the time of shooting, and in the eighteenth to twenty-first sorting modes, based on the evaluation index of image data such as hue and contrast value. Then, based on the color temperature, the electronic camera 8 automatically assigns the recording destination of the image data. For this reason, it is not necessary for the user to select which card type recording medium to record on each recording.

  Therefore, the operation burden on the user is reduced. Also, it is possible to prevent a plurality of images having the same application from being distributed and recorded on a plurality of card type recording media. As a result, since the type of internal image data can be grasped for each card type recording medium, the user can easily recognize the contents of the image data on the card type recording medium. That is, the trouble of searching for which image is recorded on which card type recording medium is reduced, and the organization of the image is facilitated.

  In particular, in the first distribution mode, the recording destination is distributed depending on whether or not it is a weekday. Depending on the user, there are many work images recorded during work hours on weekdays, and there are many private images on Saturdays and holidays. Therefore, it is possible to connect a card-type recording medium on which a private image is recorded to a home computer, and use a card-type recording medium on which a work image is recorded for a company computer. As a result, even if there is only one electronic camera, if there are a plurality of card-type recording media, public / private separation becomes easy.

Even in the second distribution mode, the same effect as that in the first distribution mode can be obtained by inputting a work time zone (for example, 9:00 to 17:00) as a specific time zone. Further, for example, by inputting a time zone such as 18:00 to 21:00 which is considered to be a time zone where there are many banquets or the like as a specific time, only images relating to a specific event can be distinguished and recorded.
In the third distribution mode, it is possible to distinguish and record the image of the sunshine time zone after accurately determining whether or not it is the sunshine time zone based on the date and time indicated by the timer. It is considered that there are many relatively bright images in the daylight hours, and such images can be distinguished and recorded.

In the fourth sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted according to the shooting mode. Therefore, for example, when a family goes to fireworks, a photo of fireworks taken in the fireworks mode and a group photo of the family taken in modes other than the fireworks mode can be made separately.
In the fifth sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted according to the exposure setting mode.

In the sixth distribution mode, the recording destination can be automatically distributed depending on whether or not the custom setting is used or whether or not photographing is performed with a specific custom setting.
In the seventh sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted according to the type of the photographing lens 12.

In the eighth sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted according to the zoom position of the photographing lens 12 at the time of photographing.
In the ninth distribution mode, a case where the aperture 94 is opened is recorded separately. This is because there are many shootings that open the aperture to reduce the depth of field and emphasize the in-focus area to create an atmosphere. Therefore, it is possible to automatically distribute an image that intentionally produces an atmosphere as such and an image that does not.

In the tenth sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted depending on whether or not a picture is taken with a specific aperture value. Since the optical performance of the photographic lens 12 varies slightly depending on the aperture value, for example, a captured image at an aperture value at which the performance of the photographic lens 12 is considered to be the best can be recorded separately.
In the eleventh and twelfth sorting modes, the recording destination can be automatically sorted according to the shooting distance.

In the thirteenth sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted according to the AF area. In particular, when the user selects an AF area, it is considered that the main subject is often focused only, which is almost equivalent to sorting according to the position of the main subject in the image.
In the fourteenth sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted depending on whether the ISO value of the image sensor 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Alternatively, on the one hand, only the image data shot with the imaging sensitivity intended by the user is recorded, and on the other hand, the image data shot with the imaging sensitivity changed variously by the automatic exposure setting of the electronic camera is recorded. it can.

In the fifteenth sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted depending on whether or not the flash device 26 emits light during shooting. Especially when not using bounce shooting, the presence or absence of light emission can be a criterion for determining whether or not it is necessary to perform photo retouching after imaging. Therefore, the sorting based on the presence or absence of light emission may meet the conditions that the user wants to distinguish.
In the sixteenth sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted depending on whether or not the exposure condition determined by the CPU 44 is corrected by the user.

In the seventeenth sorting mode, a plurality of images shot with different conditions for the same subject can be distinguished and recorded. In this embodiment, the shutter speed is used as a criterion as an example. However, images with a shutter speed faster than a predetermined value are often preliminary images with reduced camera shake, and such images are different from regular images. Can be recorded separately.
In the eighteenth sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted according to the hue of the image.

  In the nineteenth to twenty-first distribution modes, it is determined whether the photograph is a successful photograph or a blurred photograph based on the contrast value, the angular velocity, and the data amount of the image data. Therefore, it is possible to objectively and accurately determine whether the photograph is a success photograph or a blurred photograph. Therefore, the user does not need to display the captured image to determine whether it is a success image or a defocused image. Further, only the out-of-focus image can be recorded in another recording destination. For this reason, the card-type recording medium on which the failure photo is recorded can be formatted in a lump if there is nothing roughly to obtain.

  In the 22nd sorting mode, the recording destination can be automatically sorted according to the color temperature of the light source. This is equivalent to automatically assigning recording destinations according to white balance adjustment conditions (a combination of white balance gains Wr, Wg, and Wb multiplied by red, green, and blue image signals, respectively). For example, if the color temperature is around 4000K, the recording destination can be assigned depending on whether indoor shooting or outdoor shooting is performed.

<Second Embodiment>
Next , a second embodiment will be described. The main difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is only the calculation function of the distribution recording unit 60 and the CPU 44 for determining the recording destination. Therefore, the configuration diagram is omitted, the same elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only the differences are described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the electronic camera 8 in the second embodiment. The operation of the electronic camera 8 will be described below according to the step numbers shown in the figure. Since steps S22, S23, S24, and S28 are the same as steps S2, S3, S4, and S7 of the first embodiment, only steps S21, S25, S26, and S27 will be described.
[Step S21] This embodiment is the same as Step S1 in the first embodiment, except that any one of the 23rd to 25th distribution modes can be selected.

[Step S25] The distribution recording unit 60 accesses the card-type recording media 70A and 70B according to the set distribution mode, and acquires necessary information.
In the twenty-third distribution mode, the distribution recording unit 60 acquires the free capacities of the card type recording media 70A and 70B, respectively.
In the 24th and 25th distribution modes, the distribution recording unit 60 acquires the types (models) of the card type recording media 70A and 70B, respectively. In the 24th sorting mode, the sorting recording unit 60 refers to the table data in which the model of the card stored in advance and the writing speed are associated with each other, and determines the writing speed for each. In the 25th distribution mode, the distribution recording unit 60 refers to the table data in which the model of the card is associated with the power consumption at the time of writing, and determines the power consumption for each.

  The table data may be stored in advance in the sorting recording unit 60 at the time of shipment or the like, but in the case of a new standard recording medium, the writing speed and power consumption are not known even if the table data is referred to. In such a case, it is only necessary to perform test writing and erase the data written by the test after determining the writing speed or the power consumption by measuring the time required for the test writing or the voltage drop of the battery. Also, test writing may be performed regardless of whether the type of card type recording medium can be acquired, and the writing speed and power consumption may be accurately determined.

  [Step S <b> 26] The distribution recording unit 60 reads information on the image size at the time of recording from the CPU 44. The information read as the image size may be the number of recorded pixels or the actual data amount after compression. In this embodiment, the image compression is performed in step S24. However, the image compression may be performed before recording in step S28, which will be described later, instead of in step S24. In this case, the image size may be determined by the amount of data after compression predicted from the number of recorded pixels and the compression rate. Since the amount of data after compression is substantially proportional to the value obtained by multiplying the number of recorded pixels by the compression rate, it can be predicted with a certain degree of accuracy even before compression.

[Step S27] The distribution recording unit 60 determines the recording destination of the image data according to the information on the card-type recording media 70A and 70B, the image size, and the set distribution mode.
In the 23rd sorting mode, if the image size is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, recording on the card type recording medium with the larger free space is determined, and if the image size is less than the predetermined value, recording on the other is determined.

In the 24th sorting mode, if the image size is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, recording on the card type recording medium having a higher writing speed is determined, and if the image size is less than the predetermined value, recording on the other is determined.
In the 25th sorting mode, if the image size is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, recording on the card type recording medium with the smaller power consumption is determined, and if the image size is less than the predetermined value, recording on the other is determined.

  In the twenty-third, twenty-fourth, and twenty-fifth sorting modes, the image size may be determined only by the compression rate. In other words, if the compression rate is set to low compression, the amount of data is considered to be large, so record the data with the more free space, the faster writing speed, or the lower power consumption. If it is not low compression, it may be recorded on the other side. The above is the description of the operation of the second embodiment.

  Thus, also in 2nd Embodiment, the effect similar to 1st Embodiment can be acquired. Furthermore, in the 23rd sorting mode, those with a large image size (or those with a low compression rate and a large amount of data) are recorded on a card type recording medium with a larger free space. Therefore, the possibility of a problem that the free area of the card type recording medium is exhausted after the writing is started and before the writing is completed is reduced.

In the 24th sorting mode, the one with a large image size (or one with a low compression rate) is recorded on the one with the higher writing speed. Accordingly, when a large number of image data are recorded, the time required for recording can be shortened as a whole, and the operation speed of the electronic camera 8 is increased accordingly.
In the twenty-fifth sorting mode, a large image size (or a low compression rate) is automatically recorded in a direction with less power consumption for writing. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced.

<Supplementary items of the present invention>
The image data recording destination sorting method according to the present invention is also applicable to electronic devices other than electronic cameras.
The first to twenty-second distribution modes of the first embodiment and the twenty-third to twenty-fifth distribution modes of the second embodiment may be selectable together.

Although an example in which one image data is recorded only on one card type recording medium has been described, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, in the 23rd sort mode, if the free space of both is almost the same and it is difficult to determine which should be recorded, it may be recorded on both card-type recording media, and a message to that effect is displayed. The user may be allowed to select.
In the first and second embodiments, the example of recording on two replaceable (loading type) card type recording media has been described, but the recording medium may not be a card type. Further, the recording may be performed on an internal storage medium and a single loading type recording medium. Alternatively, the data may be recorded on three or more loadable recording media.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the flash device 26 is a built-in type has been described, but it may be configured to communicate with an external electronic flash device. In that case, the recording destination may be assigned depending on whether or not bounce shooting is performed. Or you may distribute by the light emission mode (TTL photometry mode, external light control mode, manual light control mode) of an electronic flash device.
In the first and second embodiments, the example in which recording is performed every time shooting is performed, that is, every time image data is generated, is described. The present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. A plurality of captured image data is temporarily stored in the memory 52, and when another exchangeable recording medium (for example, a computer) is connected, the recording destination is appropriately determined and recorded as described above. May start.

The correspondence between the claims and the embodiments will be described below. In addition, the correspondence shown below is one interpretation shown for reference, and does not limit the present invention.
The imaging unit described in the claims includes a shutter 16, an image sensor 20, an analog signal processing unit 24, an A / D conversion unit 28, a timing generator 32, a focus control unit 34, and a control function of the CPU 44 that causes these to generate image data. Corresponding to Since details of the operation of generating image data by the imaging unit are known, detailed description thereof is omitted.

The recording unit described in the claims corresponds to the function of the distribution recording unit 60 that records image data in a recording destination determined according to each distribution mode.
The distribution unit described in the claims corresponds to the function of the distribution recording unit 60 that determines the recording destination of the image data.
The average hue determined in the eighteenth distribution mode, the contrast value determined in the nineteenth distribution mode, the angular velocity acquired in the twentyth distribution mode, and the data amount of image data determined in the twenty-first distribution mode are as follows: It is an example of an evaluation index.

The information about the state of the Utsushitai, subject brightness and the like are also contemplated for optical measuring unit 36 acquires. Although not mentioned in the first embodiment, the recording destination may be assigned depending on whether the subject brightness is a predetermined value or more .

  As described above in detail, the present invention can be used greatly in the field of electronic cameras.

It is a schematic block diagram of the electronic camera in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the electronic camera of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the electronic camera in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

8 Electronic Camera 12 Shooting Lens 14 Quick Return Mirror 16 Shutter 18 Observation Optical System 20 Image Sensor 24 Analog Signal Processing Unit 26 Flash Device 28 A / D Conversion Unit 32 Timing Generator 34 Focus Detection Unit 36 Photometry Unit 38 Colorimetry Unit 40 Angular Velocity Detection Unit 42 Operation unit 44 CPU
48 system bus 52 memory 56 image processing unit 60 sort recording unit 70A, 70B card type recording medium 74 monitor control unit 78 liquid crystal monitor 88 focusing lens 90 zoom lens 92 encoder 94 diaphragm 96 drive motor 98 lens CPU

Claims (5)

An imaging unit that images a subject and generates image data;
An electronic camera comprising: a recording unit capable of selecting a recording destination of the image data from a plurality of recording media;
It is an index indicating the relative merits of the imaging result of when the image data is captured by the imaging unit, based on the evaluation index that contains the results of analysis at least the image data, the recording destination of the image data of the imaging result A distribution unit that automatically determines from among the plurality of recording media so as to distinguish between superiority and inferiority ,
The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit records the image data on the recording medium determined by the distribution unit. The electronic camera according to claim 1.
The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the distribution unit uses, as the evaluation index, information related to an image sharpness indicated by the image data. The electronic camera according to claim 2,
The information related to the sharpness is a contrast value of the image data. The electronic camera according to claim 1.
The electronic camera characterized in that the sorting unit uses an image position on an imaging plane of the imaging unit at the time of imaging the subject as the evaluation index. The electronic camera according to claim 1.
The distribution unit uses an amount of data after compressing the image data as the evaluation index.

Images