JP4469246B2 - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic camera that includes an imaging unit that images a subject and outputs image data, and a recording unit that records the image data in a storage medium, and has a clock function, and in particular, position detection that detects an imaging position. The present invention relates to an electronic camera with means .

  An imaging unit that images a subject and outputs image data, an image data encoding unit that encodes the image data, and a recording unit that records the encoded image data on a storage medium, and has a clock function Conventionally, an electronic camera has been proposed. In the conventional electronic camera, when the image is taken, the date and time are stored at the same time because the clock function is provided as described above, but the name and position information of the taken place are automatically recorded. There was no electronic camera with means.

  Here, in Patent Document 1 (first conventional example), calendar means for measuring the date and time, geographic information input means for inputting geographic information, and geographic information input by the geographic information input means are included. Based on the time difference correction means for correcting the date and time of the calendar means based on the input geographic information and the date and time measured by the calendar means. There has been proposed a camera exposure control device having exposure correction means for correcting the exposure calculation of the camera based on the season.

Further, in Patent Document 2 (second conventional example) according to the prior application of the present applicant, the current position is calculated and determined by the position determination calculation unit based on the signal related to the position from the satellite received by the position detection means. The date and time data previously determined by the clock correction control unit is corrected based on the determined zone data, and the message group control unit, the imprint LED control unit, etc. A data imprinting device has been proposed in which the date and time are imprinted on the film by controlling the embedding LED.
On the other hand, a technique for navigating a car based on position information obtained by GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like is generally well known (for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-19173).

JP-A-3-215838 JP-A-7-77737

  However, in the first conventional example, the time difference correction zone data of the current position is manually input, and the imprint date data and exposure data are corrected based on the information, and the zone data itself is recorded. It is not a thing. Similarly, in the second conventional example, the position information obtained by GPS is only used for correcting the date and the clock.

  After all, since the position information is not recorded in the conventional electronic camera as described above, the photographed data is searched by the date and time when the photograph was taken and the file name, and the search by other factors is performed by the photographer's memory or photographing. Relying on the record memos I wrote at times was great. For this reason, when the number of captured images increases, it takes a lot of time and effort to organize and search images.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera that can easily classify or search for photos based on the date and time of shooting, the name of the place, and position information.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 performs imaging of an image of an object and outputs image data, recording means for recording the image data as an image file on a recording medium, and imaging of the image. when the, position detecting means for detecting the imaging position, a place name detecting means for detecting a plurality of place names corresponding to the position information detected by said position detecting means, from a plurality of places where the place name detecting means detects comprising selecting means for selecting the place name to be recorded together with the image file, and when performing the shooting image, records the location name selected by said selecting means in the header part of the image file that is based on image data of which an image is captured Is.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic camera according to the first aspect, the electronic camera includes display means for displaying an imaging position, and by specifying the place name, an image in which the place name is recorded in the header portion is displayed . is there.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, an imaging unit that images a subject and outputs image data, a recording unit that records the image data as an image file on a recording medium, and an imaging position when the image is captured. A position detection means for detecting; a place name map information storage means for storing a map and a plurality of place names corresponding to the position information detected by the position detection means; and a plurality of place names stored in the place name map information storage means and a selection means for selecting a place name to be recorded together with the image file in the, when performing the shooting image, the image file that is based on image data the imaging of the selected place name by the selection unit header To record.
The invention according to claim 4 is the electronic camera according to claim 3, further comprising display means for displaying an imaging position and a map, displaying a map of an area including the position where the image is taken, and determining the area. Thus, an image captured in the area is displayed.

In the present invention , in addition to the date and time, the image pickup position detected by the position detection unit is automatically recorded together with the image data, so that the image data can be easily searched and organized.

In the present invention , by adding place name storage means, it is possible to easily search and organize not only information such as latitude and longitude but also image data picked up by place names.

In the present invention, when displaying a by map divided into several areas in the display unit, if there is an image data photographed at any point on that map, simply on the map screen by specifying the map It is possible to search for image data.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic camera showing an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic camera body 1 includes an image capturing unit 2, a data recording unit 3, and a place name map information storage unit 4. Further, the position detection unit 5 is connected to a microcomputer of the image capturing unit 2 described later.

  The image pickup unit 2 includes a shutter 10, a lens 11, a motor driver 12, a strobe 13, a CCD 14, a CDS (correlated double sampling) circuit 15, an A / D converter 16, a timing signal generator 17, a frame memory 18, and a display device. 19, a digital signal processing circuit 20, a microcomputer 21, an image compression / decompression circuit 22, a code character conversion circuit 23, and a camera operation unit 24.

  The motor driver 12 drives the shutter 10 and the lens 11. The timing signal generator 17 outputs a timing signal to the CCD 14, CDS 15, and A / D converter 16.

  The digital signal processing circuit 20 inputs the digital signal after A / D conversion from the A / D converter 16. The digital signal processing circuit 20 exchanges signals with the frame memory 18, the display device 19, and the image compression / decompression circuit 22.

  The microcomputer 21 outputs command signals to the motor driver 12, the strobe 13, the timing signal generator 17, and the code character conversion circuit 23, and exchanges signals with the camera operation unit 24. The microcomputer 21 is connected to the digital signal processing circuit 20, the image compression / decompression circuit 22, and a data storage memory, which will be described later, via data bus lines. The microcomputer 21 also exchanges signals with a map information storage device and a place name dictionary, which will be described later, and an external antenna for position detection.

  The image compression / decompression circuit 22 exchanges signals between the digital signal processing circuit 20 and a data storage memory described later. The data recording unit 3 includes a data storage memory 31. The place name map information storage unit 4 includes a map information storage device 41 and a place name dictionary 42. The position detection unit 5 connected to the electronic camera body 1 includes a position detection external antenna 51. The function of each unit will be described in the following operation description.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart of still image recording in which shooting place names are combined, showing an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic camera has a recording mode and a playback mode, and the recording mode includes a still image mode, a still image + audio mode, an audio mode, a moving image mode, a still image continuous shooting mode, and the like. There is a mode for adding position information to each of them.

  First, a recording mode (Y in S1) in which position information is added to a still image will be described. If it is not in this mode, the operation proceeds to another mode (S2). A series of operations executed below is controlled by the microcomputer 21, and a control program is written in a ROM in the microcomputer 21.

  First, take an image. The subject image is input from the lens 11 to an image sensor such as a CCD 14 and converted into an electrical signal. The image sensor output signal is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 16 through the CDS circuit 15 at an appropriate sampling frequency (for example, an integer multiple of the subcarrier frequency of the NTSC signal).

  The CDS output signal converted into a digital signal is generated by Y (luminance), Cb, Cr (color difference) signals and R, G, B signals by normal camera signal processing such as gamma correction in the digital signal processing circuit 20. Is done. This image signal is taken into a frame memory 18 such as a DRAM (Y in S3, S4) and displayed on a display device 19 such as a liquid crystal monitor (S5).

  When the recording mode is a mode for adding position information to the captured image (Y in S6), position detection is started after the capture of the image data is completed (S7). The position information is detected by an externally connected antenna 51 as shown in FIG. 1 or a built-in antenna by a GPS method using a radio wave from a known artificial satellite or a Loran method using a ground wave. Latitude and longitude data is generated by the microcomputer 21 from a signal taken in from the antenna 51.

  Then, for example, a place name corresponding to the generated data is selected from the place name dictionary 42 encoded by the JIS code, and several place names are displayed on the display device 19 via the code character conversion circuit 23 (S8). . The place name dictionary 42 is stored in a format corresponding to position information of latitude and longitude.

  Here, the place name includes a place name, a building, a mountain, a lake, a station, etc. in addition to a normal place name such as a municipality name or a prefecture name, and a place name corresponding to location information detected from this place name. Are selected and displayed. Then, a place name to be recorded together with the image is selected from the place name by using a selection button (not shown), and confirmed by a confirmation button such as a release (S9).

  Next, the recording method is selected. Here, whether or not the selected place name is combined with the image is selected (S10). When the recording method to be combined with the image is selected (Y in S10), the image data is read again from the frame memory 18 into the digital signal processing circuit 20 (S11) and combined with the place name character sent from the code character conversion circuit 23. The data is compressed and encoded by the image compression / decompression circuit 22 (S12), and is recorded in the data storage memory 31 such as a flash memory (S13). Separately, the latitude and longitude position information and the encoded place name information are recorded in the header portion of the image file together with the shooting date and time data.

  If not combined with the image (N in S10), only the image data is compressed and encoded by the image compression / decompression circuit 22, and the position information and place name information are recorded in the data storage memory 31 together with the shooting date / time data in the header portion. Similarly, in the other shooting modes (S2) of the recording mode, position detection is performed after image data or audio data is captured.

  There are three search methods in the playback mode. As in the prior art, first, there are a method of displaying a photographed image on the display device 19 and displaying the images one by one by using a forward or return button, a search method using a place name, and a search method on a map.

  Here, a search method using place names will be described. When search by place name is selected in the playback mode, the header portion of each image or audio data in the data storage memory 31 is searched, and the order of taking all the data and the search result of the place name are stored in the RAM in the microcomputer 21. It is done. From this search result, the place names are arranged in the order of the data captured with the same place name, and are displayed on the display device 19 via the code character conversion device 23.

  When one place name is selected by the selection button and the confirm button, if there is only one data photographed with the selected place name, the image is immediately displayed on the display device 19. If there is a plurality of image data corresponding to the place name, the playback order is rearranged in the order of taking the shot only with the data shot with the selected place name, and the last shot image is changed to 1 by the forward button or the return button. Display one by one.

  Next, a search method on the map will be described. When search by map is selected in the reproduction mode, the header portion of each image data in the data storage memory 31 is searched, and the search result of the shooting order, latitude, and longitude of all the data is stored in the RAM in the microcomputer 21. It is done. The map is a map of Japan divided into several regions, such as prefectures. The number of data contained in each region is counted, and the order of regions is determined in the order of the largest number of data. The map is displayed first.

  On this map, a symbol indicating at which point in the map the image was taken, for example, a blinking point is displayed. When the confirm button is pressed here, only the image data whose shooting point is included in this area is selected, and one image is displayed one by one from the last shot image among them by the feed button or the return button.

  Further, by pressing the send button or the return button in the map display state, the maps ordered in the order of the data are sequentially displayed, and by pressing the confirmation button, the area is selected and the image data is displayed. In the display of the image data, the place name data and the latitude and longitude data can be called on the screen at any time by the data display button, like the date and time data recorded conventionally.

  Thus, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the electronic camera body 1 includes the place name map information storage unit 4 having the map information storage device 41 and the place name dictionary 42, and the image capturing unit of the electronic camera body 1. By including the position detection unit 5 connected to the microcomputer 21 included in 2, it is possible to easily classify or search for photos based on the date and time of shooting, the name of the place, and the position information.

It is a block diagram of the electronic camera which shows one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of still picture recording which combined the photographic place name which shows one embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic camera main body 2 Image pick-up part 3 Data recording part 4 Place name map information storage part 5 Position detection part 19 Display apparatus 21 Microcomputer 31 Data storage memory 41 Map information storage apparatus 42 Place name dictionary 51 External antenna for position detection

Claims (4)

Imaging means for imaging a subject and outputting image data;
Recording means for recording the image data as an image file on a recording medium;
Position detecting means for detecting an imaging position when taking an image;
A place name detecting means for detecting a plurality of place names corresponding to the position information detected by the position detecting means ;
Selecting means for selecting a place name to be recorded together with an image file from a plurality of place names detected by the place name detecting means;
With
When performing the shooting image, electronic camera, characterized in that to record the place name selected by the selection means in the header part of the image file that is based on image data of which an image is captured. The electronic camera according to claim 1.
Comprising display means for displaying the imaging position;
An electronic camera that displays an image in which a place name is recorded in a header portion by specifying the place name. Imaging means for imaging a subject and outputting image data;
Recording means for recording the image data as an image file on a recording medium;
Position detecting means for detecting an imaging position when taking an image;
A place name map information storage means for storing a map and a plurality of place names corresponding to the position information detected by the position detection means ;
Selecting means for selecting a place name to be recorded together with an image file from a plurality of place names stored in the place name map information storage means;
With
When performing the shooting image, electronic camera, characterized in that to record the place name selected by the selection means in the header part of the image file that is based on image data of which an image is captured. The electronic camera according to claim 3,
Comprising a display means for displaying an imaging position and a map;
An electronic camera that displays a map of a region including a position where an image is captured, and displays the image captured in that region by determining the region.

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