JP4564410B2 - Image playback device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reproduction apparatus having a calendar reproduction function for displaying a representative image on a calendar displayed in a predetermined unit.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an image reproducing apparatus having a calendar reproducing function for displaying a representative image on a calendar displayed in a predetermined unit. As such an image reproducing device, for example, in Patent Document 1, when displaying a calendar, a digital image that displays an image taken on the day or month for each day or month on the calendar is disclosed. A camera is described. Further, in Patent Document 2, when displaying a calendar, a digital still camera that displays a representative image selected from images taken within that day for each day on the calendar. Is described.
JP 11-215457 A JP 2004-260710 A

  However, in an image playback device having such a calendar playback function, only an image file was shot with its attribute information (for example, a still image, a moving image set to be write protected, or the same scene mode set). Display on the basis of the image or the like, or only the image file in which the attribute information is set can be traced to reproduce the calendar. For example, only the still images with write protection set in the specified display month are displayed, or when the designated display month is switched from January to February, only the still image with February write protection set is displayed. It was not possible to display.

  When searching for an image that satisfies the attribute information, for example, every time the display month is switched, a search is performed to determine whether there is an image that satisfies the attribute information that is the specific condition for all image files on the recording medium. The search time was long, and the calendar could not be switched quickly and smoothly.

In view of the above circumstances, the attribute information is a specific condition searching fast and smoothly, to display the image files that satisfy the search attribute information in the calendar, the attribute information is the specific condition An object of the present invention is to provide an image reproducing apparatus capable of reproducing a calendar by tracing only an image file satisfying the above condition.

To achieve the above object, an image reproducing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention switches an annual calendar display to a monthly calendar display in an image reproducing apparatus that displays an image file stored in a recording medium as a calendar. The first operation member for selecting the image file related to the day unit constituting the display target of the monthly calendar display switched by the first operation member is selected for each day unit, and the representative image is displayed in the calendar Display means for performing, attribute designation means for designating attribute information set in the representative image, a second operation member for selecting an area displayed in units of days in the monthly calendar display, The calendar display object was updated by the second operation member in a state where the representative image is displayed on the monthly calendar. Expediently, each time the second operating member is operated, have rows calendar display by tracing only representative images corresponding to the attribute information specified by said attribute specification means, updating of the calendar display target, It is performed by the control file related to the calendar display target, and the control file describes the path information of the representative image related to the day unit constituting the calendar display target, and the attribute information corresponding to the representative image . It is characterized by that.

Also, the image reproducing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the above-mentioned control file, a calendar displayed after addition before the calendar displayed in the control file A list of control files in which attribute information is described in the past and latest month, and / or attribute information in the future and the oldest month than the month related to the control file. And a list of control files in which are described.

The image reproduction apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention further includes a control file creation means for updating the calendar display target in the first aspect, wherein the control file creation means is a calendar. The control file is created for each display target, and the list of representative images and the attribute information are updated or created for each day constituting the calendar display target .
Also, the image reproducing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the in the first aspect, in the above month calendar display, the representative image attribute information specified by said attribute specification means is configured color And a representative image in which the attribute information designated by the attribute designation means is not set is displayed in monochrome.

According to the present invention, the attribute information is a specific condition searching fast and smoothly, to display the image files that satisfy the search attribute information in the calendar, meeting the attribute information is the specific condition image You can trace the file and play the calendar.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a main configuration of a digital camera which is an image reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that the digital camera according to the present embodiment is configured in conformity with DCF (Design Rule for Camera File system).

  In this figure, in this digital camera, after photographing, a subject image formed by the photographing lens system 1 is photoelectrically converted into an electric signal by the image pickup device 2 and further subjected to predetermined image pickup processing by the image pickup circuit 3. The digital data (image data) is A / D converted by the A / D unit 4 and temporarily stored in the built-in RAM (DRAM) 13. The temporarily stored image data is subjected to predetermined image processing by a system controller (hereinafter simply referred to as “syscon”) 5, and further subjected to predetermined compression processing by an image processing unit 6, via an I / F 7. The image file is recorded in the removable memory 9 attached to the card slot 8.

  Further, at the time of reproduction, the image data recorded in the removable memory 9 is read through the card slot 8 and the I / F 7 and subjected to a predetermined decompression process by the image processing unit 6, and then the predetermined data is processed by the syscon 5. Image processing is performed and stored in the VRAM 10, and the image is displayed on the built-in LCD 12 by the LCD driver 11.

  In the figure, the built-in RAM 13 is used not only for temporarily storing image data after A / D conversion by the A / D unit 4, but also for temporarily storing image data being processed by the image processing unit 6, and It is also used as a work area for execution of control processing by the system controller 5 including processing such as creation and update of a calendar control file (hereinafter simply referred to as “control file”).

  The syscon 5 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls the overall operation of the digital camera by reading and executing the camera program stored in the built-in ROM 14.

  The operation unit 15 includes various buttons and switches for performing predetermined instructions such as a zoom button (zoom wide button, zoom tele button), a cross button (left, right, up, down button), and a protect button. It is configured and notifies the received instruction to the system controller 5. Here, the zoom button indicates a zoom wide instruction or a zoom tele instruction, a mode switching instruction between the single frame playback mode and the monthly calendar playback mode, and a monthly calendar playback mode and a yearly calendar playback mode. This is a button for instructing mode switching. The cross button is a button for performing a display frame switching instruction, a cursor frame movement instruction, and the like. The protect button is a button for instructing mode switching between the calendar reproduction mode and the protected image reproduction mode in addition to a write protection setting instruction or a write protection cancellation instruction for the image file.

  The external I / F 16 enables data transmission / reception to / from an external device such as a PC (personal computer) via a USB cable, for example, and is recorded on the external device via the external I / F 16. The image file being recorded can be moved or copied to the removable memory 9.

Next, the operation of the digital camera having the above configuration will be described.
When displaying a monthly or yearly calendar on the built-in LCD 12, this digital camera is photographed in the daily area on the monthly calendar based on the control file recorded in the removable memory 9. Calendar playback such as monthly calendar playback that displays a single representative image, and yearly calendar playback that displays a single representative image taken in that month in the monthly area on that yearly calendar Can be performed at high speed and smoothly even when the display month or display year is switched.

  In addition, based on the control file, only the image file that satisfies a specific condition (for example, an image, a moving image, or an image shot with the same scene mode set) that is set to the write protection mode is traced. Calendar playback can also be performed. Also in this case, such calendar reproduction can be performed at high speed and smoothly, including when the display month or year is switched. The specific condition can be instructed by operating the operation unit 15.

  In the following description, an example in which calendar reproduction is performed by tracing only an image file that satisfies the condition that the image is a write-protected setting as a specific condition will be described. The description is also omitted in the case where the calendar reproduction is performed by tracing only the image file that satisfies the condition that it is, or the image file that satisfies the condition that the image is captured by setting the same scene mode. The calendar reproduction is performed in the same manner.

Hereinafter, details of such a calendar reproduction operation will be described.
First, the control file used in this operation will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a file configuration example of the removable memory 9 in which a control file is recorded.

  As shown in the figure, in the removable memory 9, a “DCIM” folder and a “CALENDAR” folder are provided under the root folder, and an image file (* .JPG) is recorded below the “DCIM” folder. Thus, a control file (year_month.CAL) is recorded in a hierarchy below the “CALENDAR” folder.

  The image files under the “DCIM” folder include information such as the shooting date (shooting date) in addition to the image data. The shooting date / time information is described in, for example, an Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format) tag of the image file. In the same figure, information on the shooting date and time is also shown together with the image file (for example, “P1010001.jpg 2004/1/1 10:00”).

  In this embodiment, the shooting date / time information included in the image file is used as the shooting date / time information. However, the date / time information (year / month) by DosTimeStamp described in the directory entry of the removable memory 9 is also used. It is also possible to use (date information) as shooting date information.

  Also, in this embodiment, write protection can be set and canceled for image files under the “DCIM” folder. When write protection is set for image files, the corresponding directory entry is read-only. When the attribute becomes valid and the write protect setting is cancelled, the read-only attribute of the corresponding directory entry is invalidated. In the figure, an image file indicated as “Protect” is shown as an image file for which write protection is set, and an image file not indicated as “Protect” is not set for write protection (write protection setting). It is shown as an image file. For example, an image file “P201101.JPG” under the folder “101OLYMP” indicates that write protection is not set, and “P201202.JPG” indicates that write protection is set.

  On the other hand, the control file under the “CALENDER” folder is recorded in units of months including the shooting date and time of the image file recorded in the removable memory 9. Specifically, the image file is recorded in the removable memory 9. The control file is created and recorded only when the control file related to the month including the shooting date and time of the image file is not recorded in the removable memory 9. In the example of the figure, since the shooting date and time of the image file recorded in the removable memory 9 is included in January, February, 2004, and June and November 2005, January 2004, Four control files related to February, June, and November 2005 are recorded.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the description contents of each control file.
As shown in the figure, in the control file, the year and month (“Year”, “Month”) for specifying the year and month of the control file are included in the month. A list of image files including shooting dates is described one by one for each day. However, when there are a plurality of image files whose shooting dates are the same, a list of image files whose shooting dates are the earliest date is described as the list of image files related to that date. Alternatively, in this case, it is also possible to describe a list of image files whose shooting date and time is, for example, the latest. Note that the list of image files described one by one in this manner is also referred to as a list of representative image files.

  For example, in the control file “2004 — 01.CAL” in the figure, “1” month of “2004” is described as the month related to the control file, and the shooting date is described in units of days within January 2004. As the list of image files, a list “/DCIM/100OLYMP/P1010001.JPG” of the oldest image file whose shooting date is “1”, and a list “/ of the oldest image file whose shooting date is“ 5 ”. DCIM / 100OLYMP / P1050003.JPG "is described.

  In addition, in the case where a control file related to a month in the past or future than the month related to the control file exists in the control file, the control file is in the past, the latest or the future, and the latest in the month related to the control file. A list of control files related to the old month is also described.

  For example, the control file “2004 — 01.CAL” contains a list of control files “/ CALENDAR / 2004 — 02 related to February 2004 as a list of control files related to the oldest month that is later than the month related to the control file. .CAL "is described. However, since “2004 — 01.CAL” does not include a control file related to a month that is earlier than the month related to the control file, a list of control files related to the month that is earlier than the month related to the control file. Is not described.

  For example, “2004 — 02.CAL” includes a list of control files “/ CALENDAR / 2004 — 01.CAL” of January 2004 as a list of control files related to the latest and latest months before the month related to the control file. The list of control files “/ CALENDAR / 2004 — 06.CAL” for June 2004 is described as a list of control files related to the oldest month that is in the future than the month related to the control file.

  In addition, the list of control files related to the past month and the latest month is also referred to as “Prev” parameter, and is related to the future month and the oldest month than the month related to the control file. The list of control files is also referred to as “Next” parameter.

  In addition, the control file includes, as protection information (which is also information indicating the existence of an image file that satisfies a specific condition), an image file that has a write protection setting that includes a shooting date and time within the month of the control file. The number is also described for each shooting date.

  For example, in the control file “2004 — 01.CAL”, there are two image files that are set to be write-protected on the shooting date “5”. Therefore, together with the list of representative image files on the “5” date, “5” “Protect: 2” indicating that the number of image files for which write protection is set is 2 is described as the protection information for “day”. However, since there is no image file in which write protection is set for the shooting date “1”, the protection information for “1” is not described.

  In addition, in order to be able to perform calendar playback by tracing only the image file that satisfies the condition that it is a write protected image, the control file is older than the month related to the control file and is the latest one. A list of control files in which protection information related to the month is described, or a list of control files in which protection information is described in the future and the oldest month than the month related to the control file is also described. It has come to be.

  For example, the control file “2004 — 01.CAL” includes a list of control files in which protect information related to the oldest month that is later than the month related to the control file is described. A file list “/ CALENDAR / 2004 — 06.CAL” is described. However, in “2004 — 01.CAL”, there is no control file in which protection information relating to the latest month is older than the month relating to the control file, so the list of control files that do not exist is described. Not.

  Further, for example, “2004 — 06.CAL” includes a list of control files for January 2004 as a list of control files in which protection information related to the latest month and earlier than the month related to the control file is described. The control file for November 2005 is described as a list of control files in which protection information is described in the month that is the future and the earliest month than the month related to the control file, in which “/ CALENDAR / 2004 — 01.CAL” is described. The list “/ CALENDAR / 2005 — 11.CAL” is described.

  In addition, the list of control files in which the protection information related to the latest and the latest month is described as the “Protect_Prev” parameter, and the future than the month related to the control file. In addition, a list of control files in which protect information relating to the oldest month is described is also referred to as a “Protect_Next” parameter.

  Next, as an overview of the calendar playback operation performed based on the control file, an overview of the normal calendar playback operation, and an overview of the operation when performing calendar playback by tracing only the image file for which write protection is set, Will be explained.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a normal calendar reproduction operation.
For example, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 15 to instruct a single frame playback mode in which an image is displayed for each frame, the display frame is set as the last frame, and the image data of the display frame is transferred from the removable memory 9. The image is read out and an image based on the image data is displayed on the built-in LCD 12.

  Thereafter, in this single frame playback mode, display frames are switched every time the user operates the cross button. Specifically, when the left button is pressed, the displayed frame is moved forward by one frame, when the right button is pressed, the displayed frame is moved forward by one frame, when the upper button is pressed, the displayed frame is moved forward by ten frames, and when the lower button is pressed, the displayed frame is displayed. Each time after 10 frames, the image data of the display frame is read from the removable memory 9 and an image based on the image data is displayed on the built-in LCD 12. However, when there is no frame one frame before or 10 frames before, the display frame is the last frame, and when there is no frame after 1 frame or 10 frames after, the display frame is 1.

  In this single-frame playback mode, when the user presses the zoom wide button, the mode is switched to the monthly calendar playback mode in which the calendar is displayed on a monthly basis such as January, February, etc., and is finally displayed in the single-frame playback mode. Based on the control file relating to the month including the shooting date of the image of the displayed frame, the monthly calendar display for that month is performed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the image 17 of the last displayed frame in the single frame playback mode is “100OLYMP / P1010001.JPG”, the shooting date of this image 17 is January 1, 2004. Therefore, the control file “2004 — 01.CAL” related to January 2004 is read from the removable memory 9, and the monthly calendar display for January 2004 is performed based on the control file.

  In this monthly calendar display, for each list of representative image files described in units of days in the control file related to the month to be displayed, the image of the representative image file is based on the list of representative image files. Data is read from the removable memory 9, and an image based on the image data is displayed in the area related to the list of representative image files, that is, the shooting date area of the image.

  In the example shown in the figure, “/DCIM/100OLYMP/P100001.JPG”, which is a list of representative image files described in units of days in the control file “2004 — 01.CAL” related to January 2004, and 5 Based on the date “/DCIM/100OLYMP/P1050003.JPG”, “/100OLYMP/P1010001.JPG” and “/100OLYMP/P1050003.JPG” are read from the removable memory 9 and “/100OLYMP/P1010001.JPG”. An image 18 based on “/100OLYMP/P1050003.JPG” is displayed in an area on the 5th day on the monthly calendar.

  When the single-frame playback mode is switched to the monthly calendar playback mode and the monthly calendar for the month including the shooting date of the image of the last displayed frame in the single-frame playback mode is displayed, that single frame is displayed. A cursor frame is displayed in the shooting date area of the image of the last displayed frame in the playback mode.

In the example shown in the figure, since the shooting date of the image 17 of the last displayed frame in the single frame playback mode is January 1, 2004, the cursor frame 20 is displayed in the one day area.
In the figure, the reference numerals 21 and 22 are enlarged one-day and five-day areas including the cursor frame 20 on the January 2004 monthly calendar.

  Thereafter, in this monthly calendar reproduction mode, the cursor frame is moved every time the user operates the cross button. Specifically, when the left button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting date area of the latest image file whose shooting date and time is earlier than the date when the cursor frame was displayed. When the right button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting date area of the oldest image file whose shooting date and time is later than the date when the cursor frame was displayed. When the up button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting date area of the latest image file whose shooting date and time is earlier than the month including the date on which the cursor frame was displayed. When the down button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting date area of the oldest image file whose shooting date and time is later than the month including the day on which the cursor frame was displayed.

  However, if the corresponding image file does not exist when the operation of the cross button is performed in this way, the cursor frame is not moved. In this case, when the left button or the upper button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting date area of the image file with the latest shooting date and time, and when the right button or the lower button is pressed. It is also possible to move the cursor frame to the shooting date area of the oldest image file.

  As will be described in detail later, the operation performed by operating the cross button is performed based on a list of representative image files and a list of control files described in the control file.

  Also, in this monthly calendar playback mode, when the user presses the zoom Tele button, the mode is switched again to the single frame playback mode, and the representative image file of the day on which the cursor frame was last displayed in the monthly calendar playback mode is displayed. The image is displayed as an image of the display frame.

  On the other hand, when the user presses the zoom Wide button in the monthly calendar playback mode, the mode is switched to the yearly calendar playback mode for displaying the calendar in units of years such as 2004, 2005, etc., and finally in the monthly calendar playback mode. Based on the control file relating to the month included in the year including the day on which the cursor frame was displayed, the yearly calendar display for that year is performed.

  In the example shown in the figure, since the date when the cursor frame was last displayed in the monthly calendar playback mode is January 1, 2004, the control file related to the month included in 2004 is “2004 — 01.CAL. ”,“ 2004 — 02.CAL ”, and“ 2004 — 06.CAL ”are read from the removable memory 9, and the yearly calendar display for 2004 is performed based on these control files.

  In this annual calendar display, for each read control file, the image data of the representative image file is attached / detached based on the list of representative image files having the oldest shooting date described in the control file. An image read from the memory 9 and based on the image data is displayed in the month related to the control file, that is, in the area of the shooting month of the image.

  In the example shown in the drawing, “/100OLYMP/P1010001.JPG” is based on “/DCIM/100OLYMP/P1010001.JPG” which is a list of representative image files whose shooting date is the oldest described in “2004 — 01.CAL”. "Is read from the removable memory 9, and an image 23 based on the" /100OLYMP/P1010001.JPG "is displayed in the January region on the yearly calendar. Similarly, based on “/DCIM/101OLYMP/P201101.JPG”, which is a list of representative image files with the oldest shooting date described in “2004 — 02.CAL”, the image 24 is displayed in the area of February. Then, based on “/DCIM/101OLYMP/P6220002.JPG”, which is a list of representative image files with the oldest shooting date described in “2004 — 06.CAL”, the image 25 is displayed in the June area. .

  In this embodiment, the image displayed in the region of the moon is the image of the oldest image file with the shooting date / time of the month. It is also possible to do.

  Also, when the monthly calendar playback mode is switched to the yearly calendar playback mode, and the yearly calendar including the day on which the cursor frame was last displayed in the monthly calendar playback mode, the monthly calendar is displayed. The cursor frame is displayed in the area of the month including the day on which the cursor frame was last displayed in the playback mode.

In the example shown in the figure, since the date when the cursor frame was last displayed in the monthly calendar reproduction mode is January 1, 2004, the cursor frame 20 is displayed in the January region.
In the figure, what is denoted by reference numeral 26 is an enlargement of the January region including the cursor frame 20 on the 2004 yearly calendar.

  Thereafter, in this annual calendar reproduction mode, the cursor frame is moved every time the user operates the cross button. Specifically, when the left button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the region of the shooting month of the latest image file whose shooting date and time is earlier than the month in which the cursor frame was displayed. When the right button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the area of the shooting month of the oldest image file whose shooting date and time is later than the month in which the cursor frame was displayed. When the upper button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting month area of the latest image file whose shooting date and time is earlier than the year including the month in which the cursor frame was displayed. When the down button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting month area of the oldest image file whose shooting date and time is later than the year including the month in which the cursor frame was displayed.

  However, if the corresponding image file does not exist when such a cross button operation is performed, the cursor frame is not moved. In this case, when the left button or the upper button is pressed, the cursor frame is moved to the shooting month area of the latest image file, and when the right button or the lower button is pressed. It is also possible to move the cursor frame to the shooting month area of the image file with the oldest shooting date.

  The operation performed by the operation of the cross button is also performed based on a list of representative image files or a list of control files described in the control file, as will be described in detail later.

  Also, in this yearly calendar playback mode, when the user presses the zoom Tele button, it switches to the monthly calendar playback mode again, and the control file related to the month in which the cursor frame was last displayed in the yearly calendar playback mode. The monthly calendar display of the month is performed based on the above, and the cursor frame is displayed in the shooting date area of the oldest image of the month in which the cursor frame was last displayed in the yearly calendar reproduction mode.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the operation when the calendar reproduction is performed by tracing only the image file for which write protection is set. It should be noted that the operation in the case of performing calendar reproduction by tracing only the image file having such write protection setting can be performed in the protected image reproduction mode. Further, in the same figure, each display in the upper stage is as described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the single-frame playback mode, it is possible to set and release write protection for an image file by pressing the protect button. In other words, in the single-frame playback mode, if the protect button is pressed while an image that is not set to write protection is displayed, the write protection is set for the image (image file) and the displayed image is displayed. A mark 31 indicating that write protection is set is also displayed above. On the other hand, if the protect button is pressed while an image with write protection set is displayed, the write protection setting for the image (image file) is canceled and the image displayed The mark 31 indicating that the write protection is set is deleted.

  In the single-frame playback mode, even when an image for which write protection is set is displayed, if the zoom Wide button is pressed, the above-mentioned single-frame playback mode is switched to the monthly calendar playback mode. A monthly calendar is displayed in the procedure.

  Also, as shown in the figure, switching from the calendar playback mode to the protected image playback mode and switching from the protected image playback mode to the calendar playback mode can be performed by pressing the protect button. .

  When the calendar playback mode is switched to the protected image playback mode by pressing the protect button, the character “protect” (the part surrounded by the dotted line 32) indicating that the current mode is the protected image playback mode is also displayed in the displayed calendar. The representative image displayed in the day or month area including the shooting date and time of the image (image file) for which write protection is set is displayed in color based on the protection information described in the control file. The other representative image, that is, the representative image displayed in the day or month area including the shooting date and time of the image (image file) for which the write protection is not set is displayed in monochrome.

  For example, as shown in the figure, when the calendar for January 2004 is played in the monthly calendar playback mode and the protect button is pressed to switch to the protected image playback mode, the calendar for January 2004 is displayed. , And the date including the shooting date and time of the image (image file) for which write protection is set based on the protection information described in the control file for January 2004. The representative image displayed in the “5” day area is displayed in color, and “1”, which is the date including the shooting date and time of another representative image, that is, an image (image file) for which no write protection is set. The representative image displayed in the day area is displayed in monochrome.

  Also, for example, as shown in the figure, when the 2004 calendar is being played back in the yearly calendar playback mode and the protect button is pressed to switch to the protected image playback mode, The character “Protect” is also displayed, and includes the shooting date and time of an image (image file) for which write protection is set based on the protection information described in the control file for the month included in 2004 The representative images displayed in the areas of the “1” and “6” months, which are the months, are displayed in color, and the shooting date and time of the other representative images, that is, images (image files) that are not set to write protection are displayed. The representative image displayed in the region of “2” month, which is the month that includes it, is displayed in monochrome.

  Note that the display position of the cursor frame when the mode is switched between the calendar reproduction mode and the protected image reproduction mode is not changed before and after the switching. Therefore, for example, when the calendar playback mode is switched to the protected image playback mode, the cursor frame may be displayed in the day or month area including the shooting date and time of the image file that is not set to write protection.

  Thereafter, in this protected image playback mode, each time the user operates the cross button, the cursor frame moves to the area of the day or month including the shooting date of the image file for which write protection is set. Calendar playback can be performed by tracing only the set image files.

  Specifically, when the monthly calendar is being played back in protected image playback mode, pressing the left button will cause the shooting date and time to be older than the date on which the cursor frame was displayed and the latest write protection setting. The cursor frame moves to the shooting date area of the current image file. Further, when the right button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting date area of the image file in which the shooting date and time is in the future and the oldest write protection is set than the date when the cursor frame was displayed. When the up button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting date area of the image file whose shooting date and time is earlier than the month including the day when the cursor frame was displayed and the latest write protection setting is set. Also, when the down button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting date area of the image file whose shooting date and time is in the future and is the oldest than the month that includes the day the cursor frame was displayed. To do.

  However, if the corresponding image file does not exist when the operation of the cross button is performed in this way, the cursor frame is not moved. In this case, if the left button or the upper button is pressed, the cursor frame is moved to the shooting date area of the image file with the latest write protection setting, and the right button or the lower button is pressed. When the button is pressed, the cursor frame can be moved to the shooting date area of the image file having the oldest write protection setting.

  In addition, when a yearly calendar is being played back in protected image playback mode, if the left button is pressed, the shooting date and time is older than the month in which the cursor frame was displayed and the latest write protection is set. The cursor frame moves to the shooting month area of the image file. When the right button is pressed, the cursor frame is moved to the shooting month area of the image file that has a shooting date and time that is in the future and the oldest write protection setting than the month in which the cursor frame was displayed. When the up button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting month area of the image file whose shooting date and time is earlier than the month in which the cursor frame was displayed and the latest write protection setting is set. In addition, when the down button is pressed, the cursor frame moves to the shooting month area of the image file that has a shooting date and time that is later than the year of the month in which the cursor frame was displayed and has the oldest write protection setting. .

  However, if the corresponding image file does not exist when such a cross button operation is performed, the cursor frame is not moved. In this case, when the left button or the upper button is pressed, the cursor frame is moved to the shooting month area of the image file with the latest write protection setting for the shooting date and time, and the right button or the lower button is pressed. When the button is pressed, the cursor frame can be moved to the shooting month area of the image file with the oldest shooting date and time set to write protection.

  As described above, the operation performed by the operation of the cross button in the protected image playback mode will be described in detail later. Based on the list of representative image files, the protection information, and the list of control files described in the control file. Done.

  In the protected image playback mode, if the zoom Wide button is pressed while the monthly calendar is displayed, the calendar display is switched to the yearly calendar. In this case, the yearly calendar is displayed according to the procedure when the monthly calendar playback mode is switched to the yearly calendar playback mode, and the protected mode playback mode is switched from the yearly calendar playback mode. In the yearly calendar, the character “Protect” is also displayed in the yearly calendar, and the representative image of the month including the shooting date and time of the image file for which write protection is set is in color, and the other representative images are It will be displayed in black and white.

  In the protected image playback mode, if the zoom Tele button is pressed while the monthly calendar is displayed, the mode is switched to the single frame playback mode. In this case, a single frame image is displayed according to the procedure when the monthly calendar reproduction mode is switched to the single frame reproduction mode. However, if the displayed image is set to be write-protected, a mark 31 indicating that the image is an image that has been set to write-protect is also displayed.

  In the protected image playback mode, when the zoom Wide button is pressed while the yearly calendar is displayed, the calendar display is switched to the monthly calendar. In this case, the monthly calendar is displayed according to the procedure when the above-mentioned yearly calendar playback mode is switched to the monthly calendar playback mode, and further, the above-mentioned monthly calendar playback mode is switched to the protected image playback mode. At that time, in the monthly calendar, the character “Protect” is displayed together, and the representative image of the day including the shooting date and time of the image file for which write protection is set is in color, and the other representative images are It will be displayed in black and white.

  Next, only the operation related to the registration of the control file, the normal calendar reproduction operation, the operation when setting and releasing the write protection for the image file, and the image file for which the write protection setting is set are traced. The operation when performing calendar reproduction will be described in more detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, operations related to control file registration will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation related to control file registration performed when an image file is recorded in the removable memory 9 by shooting.

  As shown in the figure, in this operation, in the shooting mode, when shooting is instructed by the user, a shooting operation is performed (step (hereinafter simply referred to as “S”) 1), and the image data is converted into an image file. Record in the removable memory (S2).

  Subsequently, Y is set as the year of the shooting date and time (datetime) of the image file recorded at S2, M is set as the day, and D is set as D (S3). Then, it is determined whether or not the control file exists (S5).

  If the determination in S5 is No, then it is described that the control file related to Y year M month, that is, the control file relates to Y year M month ("Year" = Y, "Month" = M) The control file is created (S6), and the file name (filename) including the path of the image file recorded in S2 is described in the control file as a list of representative image files related to the D day (S7). Subsequently, a control file related to the latest month from the year M month is searched in the removable memory 9 (S8), and it is determined whether or not the control file exists (S9).

If the determination in S9, Yes, the subsequently years according to the determined control file to be present in the S9 Y _2, and the month and M ₂ (S10), the control file according to its Y ₂ years M ₂ months, The file name of the control file related to year M and month Y is added as a list of control files related to the oldest month (“Next” parameter) that is later than the month related to the control file (S11). Subsequently, in the control file related to Y year M month, the control file list related to Y ₂ year M _{February is set} as a list of control files related to the latest month ("Prev" parameter) before the month related to the control file. The file name of the file is described (S12). Then, the control file related to the year M month is recorded in the removable memory 9 (S13), and this flow ends. On the other hand, if the determination in S9 is No, the control file relating to year M month is recorded in the removable memory 9 as it is (S13), and this flow ends.

On the other hand, if the determination in S5 is Yes, it is subsequently determined whether or not the list of representative image files related to the D day is described in the control file related to the year M month (S14).
If the determination in S14 is No, subsequently, a file name (filename) including the path of the image file recorded in S2 as a list of representative image files related to D day in the control file related to year Y, month M Is added (S15), and this flow ends. On the other hand, if the determination in S14 is Yes, this flow ends.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation related to control file registration performed when an image file from an external device is recorded in the removable memory 9.
As shown in the figure, in this operation, first, when an image file is recorded in the removable memory 9 from an external device such as a PC connected via a USB cable or the like via the external I / F 16 (S21). ), The processing after S22 is started.

  The subsequent processing after S22 is substantially the same as the processing after S3 shown in FIG. 6 described above, but in the operation shown in FIG. 6, the processing of S13 is performed after S12 or after S9 is No. In addition, while the flow is finished as it is after S14 is Yes, in this operation, after S31 corresponding to S12 or after S28 corresponding to S9 is No, further processing of S91 to S95 is performed. The difference is that the processing of S32 corresponding to S13 is performed, and the processing of S35 to S38 is further performed after S33 corresponding to S14 is Yes.

  That is, in this flow, after S31 or after S28 is No, the removable memory 9 is searched for a control file related to the oldest month that is later than the month M in year Y (S91), and the control is performed. It is determined whether or not the file exists (S92).

If the determination in S92 is Yes, then the year related to the control file determined to exist in S92 is Y ₃ , the month is M ₃ (S93), and the control file related to the Y ₃ year M _March is The file name of the control file related to the year M month is added as a list of control files related to the latest month (“Prev” parameter) before the month related to the control file (S94). Subsequently, the control file related to Y year M month is related to Y ₃ year M _March as a list (“Next” parameter) of the control file related to the oldest month in the future than the month related to the control file. The file name of the control file is described (S95). Then, the control file related to the year M month is recorded in the removable memory 9 (S32), and this flow is finished. On the other hand, if the determination in S92 is No, the control file relating to year M and month Y is recorded in the removable memory 9 as it is (S32), and this flow ends.

  As described above, the reason why the processing after S91 is performed after S31 or after S28 is No is that when the image file is recorded from the external device to the removable memory 9, the shooting date and time of the image file from the external device This is because there are cases where the date and time of the image file that has already been recorded in the removable memory 9 is past.

  In this flow, after S33 is Yes, a list of representative image files (file name including path: filename2) related to D day described in the control file related to year Y, month M is acquired. (S35) The representative image file list is searched in the removable memory 9, and the shooting date and time (datetime2) of the representative image file is acquired (S36). Then, it is determined whether or not the shooting date and time (datetime) of the image file recorded in the removable memory 9 in S21 is earlier than the shooting date and time (datetime2) of the representative image file acquired in S36 (S37).

  If the determination in S37 is Yes, then the file name (filename2) including the path of the image file described as the list of representative image files related to D day is recorded in S21 in the control file related to year Y, month M, in step S21. The file name is changed to the file name (filename) including the path of the image file that has been processed (S38), and this flow ends. On the other hand, when S37 is No, this flow is finished as it is.

  As described above, when S33 is Yes, the processing after S35 is performed. When an image file is recorded from the external device to the removable memory 9, the shooting date and time of the image file from the external device and the removable memory already exist. Even if the shooting date and time of the image file recorded in 9 is the same date, the shooting date and time of the image file from the external device is earlier than the shooting date and time of the image file already recorded in the removable memory 9. It is because it may become.

  In this embodiment, when there are a plurality of image files having the same shooting date, if the list of representative image files related to that date is a list of image files having the latest shooting date / time, It is also possible to configure the flow so that the process of S38 is performed when the determination of S37 is No, and the process ends as it is when the determination is Yes.

  Next, when the single-frame playback mode is switched to the monthly calendar playback mode by pressing the zoom Wide button, or when the yearly calendar playback mode is switched to the monthly calendar playback mode by pressing the zoom Tele button. A normal calendar reproduction operation performed will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a normal calendar reproduction operation performed in such a case.
As shown in the figure, in this operation, when the zoom Wide button is pressed while an image with a shooting date of Y / M / D is displayed in the single-frame playback mode, first, the image is shot. The ruled line of the monthly calendar for Y year M month including the date and time and the numerical value of the date are drawn on the VRAM 10 (S41). Alternatively, in the yearly calendar playback mode, the cursor frame is in the Y year M month area in which an image with a shooting date of Y month M month D day (where D day is the oldest shooting date in Y year M month) is displayed. When the zoom tele button is pressed while a yearly calendar for a year Y is displayed, Y including the shooting date and time of the image displayed in the Y year M month area where the cursor frame was located The ruled lines and date numbers of the monthly calendar for year M month are drawn on the VRAM 10 (S41). As a result, the monthly calendar for year Y month M is displayed on the built-in LCD 12. However, at this time, an image is not yet displayed on the monthly calendar.

  Subsequently, in the removable memory 9, the control file related to the year Y, month M is searched (S42), d is set to 1 (1 → d) (S43), and the control file related to the year Y, month M is set to d day. It is determined whether or not a list of representative image files related to is described (S44).

  If S44 is Yes, the representative image file list (file name including path: filename) relating to the d day is acquired (S45), the image data of the representative image file relating to the d day is read, and the d day The reduced image based on the image data of the representative image file is displayed in the area of day d on the monthly calendar of year M month (S46), and then d is incremented (d + 1 → d) (S47). . On the other hand, if S44 is No, the process proceeds to S47 as it is, and d is incremented (d + 1 → d).

  After S47, subsequently, it is determined whether or not d has exceeded the total number of days in month Y (S48). If the determination result is No, the process returns to S44. In this way, when the above-described processing is repeated from a value of d to a value of the total number of days in month Y, the representative image file for that day for each day area on the month calendar in month Y The reduced image is displayed only when there is a list.

  When S48 becomes Yes, a cursor frame is drawn in the area on the VRAM 10 corresponding to the area of the D day on the month calendar of year Y, month M (S49), and this flow ends. With this drawing of the cursor frame, the cursor frame is displayed in the D day region on the monthly calendar of year M month.

  As described above, according to this flow, when the mode is changed to the monthly calendar reproduction mode, the control file related to the month to be displayed is searched, and based on the list of representative image files described in the control file. Since the image data of the representative image file is read out, the process of searching for the representative image file from all the image files recorded in the removable memory 9 at this time becomes unnecessary, and as a result, the representative image The time required to search for a file is greatly shortened, and a monthly calendar that displays a representative image on a daily basis can be displayed quickly and smoothly.

Subsequently, in this monthly calendar reproduction mode, a normal calendar reproduction operation when an instruction to move the cursor frame with the down button is performed will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a normal calendar reproduction operation in such a case.

  As shown in the figure, in this operation, when the monthly calendar for year M month is displayed, when the down button is pressed, the control file for year Y month is searched ( S51) Whether or not the “Next” parameter is described in the control file related to the year M month (S52), that is, a list of control files related to the oldest month in the future than the year M month is obtained. It is determined whether it is described.

  If S52 is Yes, then, based on the list of control files described as the “Next” parameter, the control file is read from the removable memory 9, and the year and month related to the control file are obtained to determine the year. Y and month are set to M (S53), and the ruled lines and date numbers of the monthly calendar for month Y are drawn on the VRAM 10 (S54). As a result, a monthly calendar related to year M month is displayed on the built-in LCD 12 (S54). However, at this time, an image is not yet displayed on the monthly calendar.

In the subsequent processes of S55 to S60, the same processes as the processes of S43 to 48 shown in FIG. 8 are performed.
In this way, when the above-described processing is repeated from a value of d to a value of the total number of days in month Y, the representative image file for that day for each day area on the month calendar in month Y The reduced image is displayed only when there is a list.

  Then, when S60 becomes Yes, a cursor frame is drawn in an area on the VRAM 10 corresponding to the area of the date related to the list of representative image files with the oldest shooting date described in the control file related to month Y, month Y. , (S61), this flow ends. By drawing the cursor frame, the cursor frame is displayed in the area of the oldest day among the days on which the representative image is displayed on the month calendar of year Y month.

  On the other hand, when S52 is No, this flow is finished as it is. In this case, based on the control file related to the oldest month recorded in the removable memory 9, the above-described processing of S54 to S61 is performed, and the monthly calendar of the oldest month is displayed. It is also possible.

  As described above, according to this flow, when an instruction to move the cursor frame with the down button is given in the monthly calendar reproduction mode, the “Next” parameter described in the control file related to the month displayed before the instruction is given. Based on the control file, the control file related to the oldest month that is later than the month related to the control file is read, and the monthly calendar of the month after the instruction is displayed based on the control file. Even when the display month is changed by an instruction to move the frame, the monthly calendar for displaying the representative image on a daily basis can be displayed at high speed and smoothly.

  In this flow, the operation when the cursor frame movement instruction is performed by the down button has been described, but the operation when the cursor frame movement instruction is performed by the up button is performed in the same manner. However, in this case, the process is performed using the “Prev” parameter instead of the “Next” parameter described above, and in S61, the shooting date described in the control file for year Y, month M is the latest. A cursor frame is drawn in an area on the VRAM 10 corresponding to the day area related to the list of representative image files.

  In addition, when an instruction to move the cursor frame with the left button is issued, the control file related to the month displayed before the instruction has a shooting date that is a past representative image file from the date when the cursor frame was present. The following processing is performed depending on whether or not the list is described. That is, when it is described, the cursor frame is displayed in the shooting date area of the image file related to the list of the latest representative image files whose shooting date is earlier than the date when the cursor frame was present. Alternatively, if it is not described, the control file is further included only when a list of control files is described as a “Prev” parameter in the control file related to the month displayed before the instruction. The cursor frame is displayed in the area of the shooting date of the image file related to the list of representative image files having the latest shooting date described in the control file. However, in this case, since the display month also needs to be changed, the cursor related to the month related to the control file described as the “Prev” parameter after performing the processing of S41 to S48 described above with reference to FIG. Display a frame.

  Similarly, when an instruction to move the cursor frame using the right button is given, a representative image file whose shooting date is in the future than the day the cursor frame was in the control file related to the month displayed before the instruction is displayed. The following processing is performed depending on whether or not the list is described. That is, if it is described, the cursor frame is displayed in the shooting date area of the image file related to the list of the oldest representative image files whose shooting date is in the future than the date when the cursor frame was present. . Alternatively, if it is not described, the control file is further included only when a control file list is described as a “Next” parameter in the control file related to the month displayed before the instruction. The cursor frame is displayed in the shooting date area of the image file related to the list of the representative image files with the oldest shooting date described in the control file. However, in this case, since the display month also needs to be changed, the cursor related to the month related to the control file described as the “Next” parameter after performing the processing of S41 to S48 described above with reference to FIG. Display a frame.

  Next, a normal calendar playback operation performed when the monthly calendar playback mode is switched to the yearly calendar playback mode by pressing the Zoom Wide button will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a normal calendar reproduction operation performed in such a case.
As shown in the figure, in this operation, in the monthly calendar playback mode, when the month calendar of Y year M month with the cursor frame in the area of Y year M month D is displayed, the zoom Wide button is When the button is pressed, first, the rule line of the yearly calendar of Y year including the shooting date and time of the image displayed in the area of the year M month D where the cursor frame was located is drawn in the VRAM 10. (S71). As a result, a yearly calendar for year Y is displayed on the built-in LCD 12. However, at this time, no image is displayed on the yearly calendar.

  Subsequently, m is set to 1 (1 → m) (S72), the control file relating to the month Y is searched in the removable memory 9 (S73), and it is determined whether or not the control file exists (S74). ).

If the determination in S74 is No, m is incremented (m + 1 → m) (S81), the process returns to S73, and the control file for the next month is searched.
On the other hand, if the determination in S74 is Yes, a list of representative image files (file name including path: filename) with the oldest shooting date described in the control file related to the year Y month is acquired (S75). Then, the image data of the representative image file with the oldest shooting date is read, and the reduced image based on the image data is displayed in the m month region on the yearly calendar of Y year (S76). Subsequently, whether or not the “Next” parameter is described in the control file related to the year Y month (S77), that is, the list of control files related to the oldest month in the future than the year Y month. Whether or not is described is determined.

  If S77 is Yes, then, based on the list of control files described as the “Next” parameter, the control file is read, the year and month related to the control file are obtained, and the year is set to y and month. m is set (S78), and it is determined whether Y = y (S79).

When S79 is Yes, the process returns to S75, and the above-described processes after S75 are repeated for the control file related to Y year m month.
On the other hand, if S79 is No, or if S77 is No, the process proceeds to S80, where a cursor frame is drawn in the area on the VRAM 10 corresponding to the M month area on the yearly calendar of Y year. finish. By drawing the cursor frame, the cursor frame is displayed in the M month area on the yearly calendar for year Y.

  As described above, according to this flow, when the mode is changed to the yearly calendar playback mode, the control file related to the month included in the year to be displayed is searched, and each control file is described in the control file. Since the image data of the representative image file is read out based on the list of the representative image files with the oldest shooting date, from among all the image files recorded in the removable memory 9 at this time Processing such as searching for a representative image file becomes unnecessary, and as a result, the time required for searching for the representative image file is greatly reduced, and the yearly calendar display for displaying the representative image on a monthly basis can be performed quickly and smoothly. it can.

  In this yearly calendar playback mode, when the cursor button is instructed to move with the up button, the oldest control file in the month included in the year displayed before the instruction is displayed. Only when the control file related to the month has a list of control files described as the “Prev” parameter, the processes including S71 to S79 described above with reference to FIG. 10 are performed for the year including the month related to the control file. The cursor frame is displayed in the month area related to the control file.

  Similarly, in the operation when the cursor frame is instructed by the down button, the “Next” is added to the control file related to the latest month in the control file related to the month included in the year displayed before the instruction. Only when there is a list of control files described as parameters, for the year including the month related to the control file, the processes of S71 to S79 described in FIG. A cursor frame is displayed in the area.

  In addition, in this yearly calendar playback mode, in the case where an instruction for moving the cursor frame by the left button is performed, the control file related to the month in which the cursor frame was located before the instruction is set as a “Prev” parameter in the control file. Only when the list is described, the cursor frame is displayed in the month area related to the control file. However, when the year displayed before the instruction is different from the year displayed after the instruction, the year displayed after the instruction is subjected to the processing of S71 to S79 described above with reference to FIG. The cursor frame is displayed.

  Similarly, in the operation when the cursor frame is instructed by the right button, when the control file list is described as the “Next” parameter in the control file related to the month where the cursor frame was located before the instruction. In this case, a cursor frame is displayed in the month area related to the control file. However, when the year displayed before the instruction is different from the year displayed after the instruction, the year displayed after the instruction is subjected to the processing of S71 to S79 described above with reference to FIG. The cursor frame is displayed.

  As described above, according to the normal calendar reproduction operation, the list of representative image files for each day described in the control file recorded in the removable memory 9 is described as the “Prev” parameter and the “Next” parameter. Based on the control file list, the display can be switched between a monthly calendar display that displays a representative image for each day and a yearly calendar display that displays a representative image for each month. It can be performed smoothly at high speed, including when

Next, the operation in the case of setting the write protection for the image file and releasing it will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation when the write protect setting is performed on the image file. This flow starts when the protect button is pressed while an image that is not set to write protect is displayed in the single-frame playback mode.

  In this figure, when this flow starts, first, the read-only attribute of the directory entry of the file name of the image (: name of the protection setting target image file (path)) is validated (S101).

  Subsequently, the shooting date and time (datetime) of the filename is acquired, and the year, month, and day of the shooting date and time are set to Y, M, and D (S102), and a control file related to Y year and M month is searched (S103). ), It is determined whether or not the protection information for the D day (the above-mentioned “Protect: *”) is described in the control file related to the year M month (S104).

  If S104 is Yes, the protection information for D day is updated to the protection information obtained by increasing the number of image files for which write protection is set by 1 (S105), and this flow ends.

  On the other hand, if S104 is No, the protection information (“Protect: 1 ") is added (S106).

Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the protection information other than the D day is described in the control file related to year Y, month M (S107). If the determination result is Yes, this flow ends.
On the other hand, if S107 is No, a search is performed for a control file in which protect information relating to the latest month before Y month M is described (S108), and the control file exists. It is determined whether or not (S109).

S109 when is Yes, subsequently, the year and month according to the determined control file to be present in the S109 and Y ₂ and M ₂ (S110), the control file of the Y ₂ years M ₂ months, the The file name of the control file related to year M and month Y is added as a list of control files ("Protect_Next" parameter) in which protection information is described in the future and the oldest month than the month related to the control file. (S111). Subsequently, as a list of control files (“Protect_Prev” parameter) in which protection information related to the latest month and earlier than the month related to the control file is described in the control file related to year M, month Y, to append the file name of the control file according to _two years M ₂ May (S112).

  On the other hand, when S109 is No or when S112 ends, a control file in which protect information relating to the oldest month after Y month M is described is searched (S113). It is determined whether or not the control file exists (S114).

S114 when is Yes, subsequently, the year and month according to the determined control file to be present in the S114 and Y ₃ and M ₃ (S115), the control file according to a Y ₃ years M _March, the The file name of the control file related to the year M month is added as a list of control files (“Protect_Prev” parameter) in which the protection information related to the previous month and the latest month is described. S116). Subsequently, as a list of control files (“Protect_Next” parameter) in which protection information is described in the control file related to year Y, month M, which is future and older than the month related to the control file, The file name of the control file related to Y ₃ years M _March is added (S117).

On the other hand, when S114 is No or when S117 ends, this flow ends.
Thus, according to this flow, when the protect button is pressed in the single-frame playback mode in which an image that has not been set for write protection is displayed, this image is set for write protection and this image is displayed. The protection information is added to the control file related to the month including the shooting date or time, or the protection information described in the control file is updated. In addition, a “Protect_Prev” parameter or a “Protect_Next” parameter is added to the control file as necessary.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation when canceling the write protect setting for an image file. This flow starts when the protect button is pressed while an image for which write protection is set is displayed in the single frame playback mode.

  In this figure, when this flow is started, first, the read-only attribute of the directory entry of the image filename (: name of the image file to be protected (path)) is invalidated (S121).

  Subsequently, the shooting date and time (datetime) of filename is acquired, and the year, month, and day of the shooting date and time are set to Y, M, and D (S122), and a control file related to Y year and M month is searched (S123). ), It is determined whether or not the protection information for the D day when the number of image files for which write protection is set is greater than 1 is described in the control file related to the year M month (S124).

  If S124 is Yes, the D-day protection information is updated to the protection information obtained by reducing the number of image files for which write protection is set by 1 (S125), and this flow ends.

  On the other hand, if S124 is No, then if D-day protection information is described in the control file for year Y, month M, the D-day protection information is deleted (S126).

Subsequently, it is determined whether or not protect information other than the D day is described in the control file related to year Y and month M (S127). If the determination result is Yes, this flow ends.
On the other hand, if S127 is No, then whether or not the “Protect_Prev” parameter is described in the control file related to year Y and month M (S128), that is, the past and the latest from year Y and month M. It is determined whether or not a list of control files in which protect information is described for the month is described.

If S128 is Yes, then, based on the list of control files described as the “Protect_Prev” parameter, the control file is read from the removable memory 9, and the year and month related to the control file are obtained to obtain the year. Y _Prev and the month as M _Prev (S129).

  On the other hand, when S128 is No or when S129 ends, whether or not the “Protect_Next” parameter is described in the control file related to Y / M / S (S130), that is, from Y / M / M It is also determined whether a list of control files in which protect information relating to the oldest and oldest month is described is described.

If S130 is Yes, then, based on the list of control files described as the “Protect_Next” parameter, the control file is read from the removable memory 9, and the year and month related to the control file are obtained to obtain the year. Y _Next and month as M _Next (S131).

  On the other hand, when S130 is No or when S131 ends, whether or not only the “Protect_Prev” parameter is described in the control file related to Y / M, or only the “Protect_Next” parameter is described. It is determined whether or not both parameters are described or both parameters are described (S132).

If it is determined in the determination in S132 that only the “Protect_Prev” parameter is described, then the “Protect_Next” parameter is deleted from the control file related to Y _Prev year M _Prev month (S133). Then, the “Protect_Prev” parameter is deleted from the control file related to year Y, month M (S134), and this flow ends.

Or, in the determination of S132, if both parameters are determined is described subsequently, Y _Prev years M _Prev in the control file of the moon, and the oldest in the future than a month according to the control file The file name of the control file related to Y _Next year M _Next month is added to the list of control files (“Protect_Next” parameter) in which the protection information is described for the current month (S135). Subsequently, a list of control files ("Protect_Prev" parameter) in which protection information related to the latest month is earlier than the month related to the control file is included in the control file related to Y _Next year M _Next month. , Y _Prev year M _Prev The file name of the control file according to month is added (S136). Subsequently, the “Protect_Prev” parameter and the “Protect_Next” parameter are deleted from the control file related to year Y, month M (S137), and this flow ends.

Alternatively, in the determination of S132, if it is determined that only the “Protect_Next” parameter is described, then the “Protect_Prev” parameter is deleted from the control file for Y _Next year M _Next month (S138). Subsequently, the “Protect_Next” parameter is deleted from the control file related to year Y, month M (S139), and this flow ends.

Alternatively, in the determination of S132, when it is determined that both parameters are not described, this flow ends.
Thus, according to this flow, when the protect button is pressed in the single-frame playback mode in which an image for which write protection is set is displayed, the write protection setting is canceled for this image, and this The related protection information is deleted or the protection information described in the control file is updated from the control file related to the month including the image shooting date and time. Further, as necessary, the “Protect_Prev” parameter and the “Protect_Next” parameter are deleted from the control file.

  Next, as an example of the operation when the calendar reproduction is performed by tracing only the image file having the above write protection setting, the down button is pressed when the monthly calendar is displayed in the protected image reproduction mode. The calendar reproduction operation at the time and the calendar reproduction operation when the down button is pressed when the yearly calendar is displayed in the protected image reproduction mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the calendar reproduction operation when the down button is pressed while the monthly calendar for year M month is displayed in the protected image reproduction mode.

  As shown in the figure, in this operation, first, a control file related to year Y, month M is searched (S141), and whether or not the “Protect_Next” parameter is described in the control file related to year Y, month M. (S142) That is, it is determined whether or not a list of control files in which the protection information relating to the oldest month after M month Y is described is described.

  If S142 is Yes, then, based on the list of control files described as the “Protect_Next” parameter, the control file is read from the removable memory 9, and the year and month related to the control file are obtained. The year is Y and the month is M (S143).

  On the other hand, if S142 is No, then whether or not the “Next” parameter is described in the control file related to Y / M / S (S144), that is, the future and the oldest than Y / M / M. It is determined whether or not a list of control files related to the month is described. Note that the case where S142 is No is, for example, a case where the protection information is not described in the control file related to the year M and the month like the control file related to February 2004 shown in FIG.

If S144 is No, this flow ends. That is, in this case, since there is no control file relating to a future month than the month M in year Y, this flow ends.
On the other hand, if S144 is Yes, then, based on the list of control files described as the “Next” parameter, the control file is read from the removable memory 9 and the year and month related to the control file are obtained. Then, the year is set to Y, and the month is set to M (S145). Then, it is determined whether or not the protect information is described in the control file related to the year Y and month M (S146).

  When S146 is No, it returns to S144 and repeats the above-mentioned process. In this way, the protection information relating to the earliest month in the future and earlier than the month of the monthly calendar displayed at the start of this flow is described by following the “Next” parameter by the processing of S144 to S146. A control file search is performed.

  After S143 or when S146 is Yes, the same processes as S54 to S60 shown in FIG. 9 are performed in subsequent S147 to S153. However, here, based on the protection information described in the control file, the image files for which write protection is set and the representative images related to the representative image file with the same shooting date are displayed in color, and the other representative images are Displayed in monochrome.

  Then, when S153 becomes Yes, in the control file related to the year M month, on the VRAM 10 corresponding to the area of the earliest day of the day in which the protection information is described together with the list of representative image files. A cursor frame is drawn in the area (S154), and this flow ends. By drawing the cursor frame, the cursor frame is displayed in the area of the oldest day among the days on which the representative image is displayed on the month calendar of year Y month.

  Thus, according to this flow, when an instruction to move the cursor frame with the down button is issued in the protected image playback mode in which the monthly calendar is displayed, the control file related to the month displayed before the instruction is displayed. Based on the described “Protect_Next” parameter or “Next” parameter, the control file in which the protection information related to the oldest month in the future and the month related to the control file is read and the control is performed. Since the monthly calendar of the month after the instruction is displayed based on the file, it is possible to display the monthly calendar by tracing only the image file for which write protection is set and the cursor frame is moved. Even if the display month is changed according to the instructions, And it can be carried out smoothly.

  In this flow, the calendar reproduction operation when the down button is pressed while the monthly calendar of Y / M month is displayed in the protected image playback mode has been described, but when the up button is pressed, The calendar operation is performed in the same manner. In this case, the “Protect_Next” parameter in S142 is replaced with the “Protect_Prev” parameter, and the “Next” parameter in S144 and S145 is replaced with the “Prev” parameter.

  Further, when the right button is pressed while the monthly calendar of Y year M month is displayed in the protected image reproduction mode, the day of the protection information described in the control file related to Y year M month, The cursor frame is displayed in the area of the earliest date that is in the future than the day on which the cursor frame on the calendar is displayed. However, when such a day does not exist, the same operation as that performed when the lower button is pressed is performed.

  Similarly, if the left button is pressed when the monthly calendar for Y year M month is displayed in the protected image playback mode, it is described in the list of representative image files in the control file for Y year M month. Of the protected information days, the cursor frame is displayed in the area of the latest date that is earlier than the date on which the cursor frame on the calendar is displayed. However, when such a day does not exist, the same operation as that performed when the above upper button is pressed is performed.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the calendar reproduction operation when the down button is pressed while the year-by-year calendar is displayed in the protected image reproduction mode. It is assumed that the cursor frame is displayed in the M month area on the calendar when the lower button is pressed.

  As shown in the figure, in this operation, first, a control file related to Y year M month is searched (S161), and whether or not the “Protect_Next” parameter is described in the control file related to Y year M month. (S162) That is, it is determined whether or not a list of control files in which the protection information relating to the oldest month after the year M month is described is described.

If S162 is Yes, then based on the list of control files described as the “Protect_Next” parameter, the control file is read from the removable memory 9, and the year and month related to the control file are obtained. The year is Y ₂ and the month is M ₂ (S163).

On the other hand, if S162 is No, then the value of M is M ₂ and the value of Y is Y ₂ (S164), and the “Next” parameter is described in the control file for Y ₂ M ₂ It is determined whether or not there is a list of control files related to the oldest month that is later than Y ₂ year M _February (S165). The case where S162 is No is, for example, the case where the protection information is not described in the control file related to year Y, month M, as in the control file related to February 2004 shown in FIG.

If S165 is No, this flow ends. That is, in this case, it means there is no control file according to the month of the future than Y ₂ years M ₂ months, the flow ends.
On the other hand, when S165 is Yes, based on the list of control files described as the “Next” parameter, the control file is read from the removable memory 9 and the year and month related to the control file are obtained. Then, the year is set to Y ₂ and the month is set to M ₂ (S166). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the protect information is described in the control file relating to the Y ₂ year M ₂ month (S167).

  If S167 is No, the process returns to S165 and the above-described processing is repeated. As described above, the control in which the protection information related to the oldest month in the future is earlier than the month in which the cursor frame is displayed at the start of this flow while following the “Next” parameter by the processing of S165 to 167. A file search is performed.

After S163 or when S167 is Yes, it is subsequently determined whether or not Y = Y ₂ (S168).
If S168 is Yes, then whether or not the “Protect_Next” parameter is described in the control file related to Y ₂ year M _February (S 169), that is, in the future than Y ₂ M M _February and It is determined whether a list of control files in which the protection information related to the oldest month is described is described. If the determination result is Yes, the process proceeds to S163. If the determination result is No, the flow ends. To do. If S169 is No, there is no control file in which protect information is described in a year later than Y ₂ , so this flow ends.

On the other hand, when S168 is No, the value of Y ₂ is set to Y and the value of M ₂ is set to M (S170). In the subsequent S170 to 181 the same processing as the processing of S71 to 81 shown in FIG. . However, here, based on the protection information described in the control file, the image file for which write protection is set and the representative image related to the representative image file whose shooting month is the same month are displayed in color, and the other representative images are Displayed in monochrome.

  As described above, according to this flow, when an instruction to move the cursor frame with the down button is issued in the protected image playback mode in which the yearly calendar is displayed, it relates to the month in which the cursor frame was displayed before the instruction. Based on the “Protect_Next” parameter or “Next” parameter described in the control file, the control file in which the protection information related to the oldest month is written in the future of the control file is read. Since the monthly calendar of the month after the instruction is displayed based on the control file, the yearly calendar is displayed by tracing only the image file for which the write protection is set and the cursor is displayed. Even if the display year is changed by a frame move instruction, the yearly calendar It can be displayed, quickly and smoothly.

  In this flow, the calendar playback operation when the down button is pressed when the yearly calendar for Y year is displayed in the protected image playback mode has been described, but the calendar playback when the up button is pressed is described. The operation is performed in the same manner. In this case, the “Protect_Next” parameter in S162, S163, and S169 is replaced with the “Protect_Prev” parameter, and the “Next” parameter in S165, S166, S177, and S178 is replaced with the “Prev” parameter. Done.

  In addition, when the right button is pressed while the yearly calendar for Y year is displayed in the protected image playback mode, the “Protect_Next” parameter is set in the control file for month M in which the cursor frame on the calendar is displayed. The year and month related to the control file are acquired based on the list of control files described. If the acquired year is the same as the Y year, a cursor frame is displayed in the acquired month area, and the acquired year is displayed. If Y is different from Y, the same operation as that when the lower button is pressed is performed. However, if the “Protect_Next” parameter is not described in the control file for month M, but the “Next” parameter is described, the control file in which the protection information is described by tracing the “Next” parameter. If the control file is found, the above processing is performed based on the control file.

  Similarly, when the yearly calendar for year Y is displayed in the protected image playback mode, when the left button is pressed, the “Protect_Prev” parameter is added to the control file for month M in which the cursor frame on the calendar is displayed. The year and month related to the control file are acquired based on the list of control files described as, and if the acquired year is the same as the Y year, the cursor frame is displayed in the acquired month area and acquired. When the year is different from the Y year, the same operation as that when the upper button is pressed is performed. However, when the “Protect_Prev” parameter is not described in the control file for month M, and the “Prev” parameter is described, the control file in which the protection information is described by tracing the “Prev” parameter. If the control file is found, the above processing is performed based on the control file.

  As described above, according to the calendar reproduction operation performed by tracing only the image file for which write protection is set, the daily protection information and the “Protect_Prev” parameter described in the control file recorded in the removable memory 9 are used. , “Prev” parameter, “Protect_Next” parameter, or a monthly calendar display or yearly calendar displayed by tracing only such an image file based on the control file list described as the “Next” parameter. The display can be performed smoothly at high speed even when the display is switched.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various improvements and changes may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

(Appendix 1)
A shooting date and time acquisition means for acquiring the shooting date and time of the image file;
Control file creation means for creating a control file for each shooting month of an image file recorded on a recording medium;
First description means for describing, in the control file, a list of representative image files of the shooting date for each shooting date of an image file including the shooting date and time in the shooting month;
A second description unit that describes information indicating the presence of an image file that satisfies the specific condition for each shooting date of an image file that satisfies a specific condition that includes a shooting date and time included in the shooting month in the control file;
A first deletion unit that deletes information indicating the presence of an image file that satisfies the specific condition from the control file;
When displaying a calendar, based on the control file, calendar display means for displaying a representative image related to the representative image file in an area on the calendar corresponding to the shooting date and time of the representative image file;
An image reproducing apparatus comprising:

(Appendix 2)
When the information is described in a control file in which the information is not described, the information related to the latest shooting month that is earlier than the shooting month related to the control file in which the information is described is described. When a control file exists, the control file in which the information is described is listed as a list of control files in which the information is described in the past and latest shooting month related to the control file. A list of the existing control files, and the control file in which the information related to the shooting month that is in the future and the oldest shooting month of the control file is described in the existing control file. Third description means for describing a list of control files in which the information is described as a list,
Further comprising
Based on the control file, calendar playback while tracing an image file that satisfies the specific condition,
The image reproducing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein

(Appendix 3)
When the information is described in a control file in which the information is not described, the information related to the shooting month that is in the future and the earliest than the shooting month related to the control file in which the information is described is described. The control file in which the information is described is included in the control file in which the information is described, the control file in which the information is described in the future and the earliest shooting month. As a list, a list of the existing control files is described, and the control file in which the information related to the latest shooting month that is earlier than the shooting month related to the control file is described in the existing control file. A fourth description means for describing a list of control files in which the information is described,
The image reproducing device according to appendix 1 or 2, further comprising:

(Appendix 4)
When all of the information is deleted from the control file in which the information is described, the control file from which all the information has been deleted has a past and latest shooting month related to the control file. A list of control files in which the information is described, which describes a list of control files in which the information is described, and in the shooting month that is in the future and the oldest shooting month. If is not described,
From the control file from which all the information has been deleted, a list of control files in which the information is described, which is related to the latest shooting month in the past than the shooting month related to the control file, is deleted.
From the control file in which the information is described in the past and latest shooting month related to the control file from which all the information has been deleted, in the future and the oldest from the shooting month related to the control file. A second deletion means for deleting a list of control files in which the information is described according to the shooting month of
The image reproducing device according to appendix 3, further comprising:

(Appendix 5)
When all of the information is deleted from the control file in which the information is described, the control file from which all the information has been deleted has a past and latest shooting month related to the control file. A list of control files in which the list of control files in which the information is described is not described, and the information is in the future and the earliest shooting month relative to the shooting month in the control file Is described,
From the control file from which all the information has been deleted, delete the list of control files in which the information is described in the future and the oldest shooting month relative to the shooting month related to the control file,
From the control file in which the information is described in the future and the earliest shooting month related to the control file in which all the information is deleted, the past and latest from the shooting month related to the control file A second deletion means for deleting a list of control files in which the information is described according to the shooting month of
The image reproducing device according to appendix 3, further comprising:

(Appendix 6)
When all of the information is deleted from the control file in which the information is described, the control file from which all the information has been deleted has a past and latest shooting month related to the control file. A list of control files in which the information is described, which describes a list of control files in which the information is described, and in the shooting month that is in the future and the oldest shooting month. Is described,
The control file in which the information is described in the control file in which the information is described in the past and the latest shooting month related to the control file from which all the information has been deleted is in the future and the oldest than the shooting month related to the control file. As the list of control files in which the above information is described, the information related to the shooting month in the future and the oldest shooting month is described as the list of the control file from which all the information has been deleted. A list of control files
The control file in which the information is described in the future and the oldest shooting month related to the control file in which all the information is deleted is older than the shooting month related to the control file. As a list of control files in which the information is described relating to the shooting month, the information relating to the latest shooting month that is earlier than the shooting month relating to the control file from which all the information has been deleted is described. A list of control files
Furthermore, from the control file from which all the information has been deleted, a list of control files in which the information is described, which relates to the latest shooting month that is earlier than the shooting month related to the control file, and the control file A description deleting means for deleting a list of control files in which the information is described, relating to the shooting month that is later than the shooting month and the oldest shooting month;
The image reproducing device according to appendix 3, further comprising:

(Appendix 7)
When the control file is created, if there is a control file related to the latest shooting month that is earlier than the shooting month related to the control file in the created control file,
In the created control file, a list of the existing control files is described as a list of control files related to the latest shooting month that is earlier than the shooting month related to the control file, and
A fifth description means for describing, in the existing control file, a list of the created control file as a list of control files related to the oldest shooting month, which is later than the shooting month related to the control file;
The image reproducing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 6, further comprising:

(Appendix 8)
When the control file is created, and the created control file has a control file related to the oldest shooting month that is in the future than the shooting month related to the control file,
In the created control file, a list of the existing control files is described as a list of control files related to the shooting month that is in the future and the earliest than the shooting month related to the control file,
A sixth description means for describing, in the existing control file, a list of the created control file as a list of control files related to the latest shooting month that is earlier than the shooting month related to the control file;
The image reproducing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, further comprising:

(Appendix 9)
When performing calendar reproduction by tracing an image file that satisfies the specific condition based on the control file, the calendar display unit is configured to represent a representative image file that has the same shooting date as the image file that satisfies the specific condition. The image is displayed in color, and other representative images are displayed in monochrome.
The image reproducing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 8, wherein

(Appendix 10)
The specific condition is at least a condition that the image file is set to be write protected, a moving image file, or an image file shot with the same scene mode set.
10. The image reproducing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 9, wherein

(Appendix 11)
On the computer,
A shooting date and time acquisition function that acquires the shooting date and time of an image file;
A control file creation function for creating a control file for each shooting month of an image file recorded on a recording medium;
A first description function that describes, in the control file, a list of representative image files of the shooting date for each shooting date of an image file including the shooting date and time in the shooting month;
A second description function that describes, in the control file, information indicating the presence of an image file that satisfies the specific condition for each shooting date of an image file that satisfies a specific condition that includes a shooting date and time in the shooting month;
A deletion function for deleting information representing the presence of an image file that satisfies the specific condition from the control file;
When displaying a calendar, based on the control file, a calendar display function for displaying a representative image related to the representative image file in an area on the calendar corresponding to a shooting date and time of the representative image file;
An image reproduction program for realizing

(Appendix 12)
When the information is described in a control file in which the information is not described, the information related to the latest shooting month that is earlier than the shooting month related to the control file in which the information is described is described. When a control file exists, the control file in which the information is described is listed as a list of control files in which the information is described in the past and latest shooting month related to the control file. A list of the existing control files, and the control file in which the information related to the shooting month that is in the future and the oldest shooting month of the control file is described in the existing control file. A third description function for describing a list of control files in which the information is described as a list;
The image reproduction program according to appendix 11, for further realizing the above.

(Appendix 13)
When the information is described in a control file in which the information is not described, the information related to the shooting month that is in the future and the earliest than the shooting month related to the control file in which the information is described is described. The control file in which the information is described is included in the control file in which the information is described, the control file in which the information is described in the future and the earliest shooting month. As a list, a list of the existing control files is described, and the control file in which the information related to the latest shooting month that is earlier than the shooting month related to the control file is described in the existing control file. A fourth description function for describing a list of control files in which the information is described,
The image reproduction program according to appendix 11 or 12, for further realizing the above.

It is a figure which shows the main structures of the digital camera which is an image reproduction apparatus which concerns on one Example. It is a figure which shows the file structural example of the detachable memory where the control file was recorded. It is a figure which shows the description content of each control file. It is a figure explaining the outline | summary of normal calendar reproduction | regeneration operation | movement. It is a figure explaining the outline | summary of operation | movement in the case of performing calendar reproduction | regeneration by tracing only the image file to which the write protection setting is carried out. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement which concerns on registration of a control file performed when an image file is recorded on attachment / detachment memory by imaging | photography. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement which concerns on registration of a control file performed when the image file from an external device is recorded on attachment / detachment memory. Usually performed when the single-frame playback mode is switched to the monthly calendar playback mode by pressing the zoom Wide button, or when the yearly calendar playback mode is switched to the monthly calendar playback mode by pressing the zoom Tele button. It is a flowchart which shows the calendar reproduction operation | movement of. It is a flowchart which shows normal calendar reproduction operation | movement when the movement instruction | indication of the cursor frame by a down button is performed in monthly calendar reproduction mode. It is a flowchart which shows the normal calendar reproduction operation performed when the monthly calendar reproduction mode is switched to the yearly calendar reproduction mode by pressing the zoom Wide button. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement in the case of performing write protection setting with respect to an image file. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when canceling the write protect setting for an image file. It is a flowchart which shows a calendar reproduction | regeneration operation | movement when a down button is pressed when the monthly calendar of Y year M month is displayed in protected image reproduction | regeneration mode. It is a flowchart which shows a calendar reproduction | regeneration operation | movement when a down button is pressed when the annual calendar of Y year is displayed in protected image reproduction | regeneration mode.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shooting lens system 2 Image sensor 3 Imaging circuit 4 A / D part 5 Syscon 6 Image processing part 7 I / F
8 Card slot 9 Removable memory 10 VRAM
11 LCD driver 12 Built-in LCD
13 Built-in RAM
14 Internal ROM
15 Operation unit 16 External I / F
17, 18, 19 Image 20 Cursor frame 21 Day area 22 Day area including cursor frame 23, 24, 25 Image 26 Moon area including cursor frame 31 Mark 32 Dotted line

Claims (4)

In an image playback device that displays a calendar of image files stored in a recording medium,
A first operating member for switching the yearly calendar display to the monthly calendar display;
Display means for selecting an image file related to a daily unit constituting a display target of the monthly calendar display switched by the first operation member for each day unit, and displaying the representative image in a calendar;
Attribute designation means for designating attribute information set in the representative image;
A second operation member for selecting an area displayed in units of days in the monthly calendar display;
Comprising
In a state where the representative image is displayed in the monthly calendar, when the calendar display target is updated by the second operation member, the attribute is displayed every time the second operation member is operated. Only the representative image corresponding to the attribute information specified by the specifying means is traced to display the calendar,
The update of the calendar display target is performed by a control file related to the calendar display target, and the control file corresponds to the path information of the representative image related to the day constituting the calendar display target and the representative image. Attribute information is described,
Images reproducing apparatus you wherein a. In the control file, a list of control files in which attribute information related to a calendar display target before or after the calendar display target is described in the past and latest of the month related to the control file. And / or a list of control files in which attribute information relating to the oldest month that is later than the month relating to the control file is described.
The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: It further has a control file creation means for updating the calendar display target,
The control file creation means is
Create a control file for each calendar display target,
Updating or creating a list of representative images and the above attribute information for each day constituting the calendar display target,
The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: In the monthly calendar display, the representative image in which the attribute information designated by the attribute designation unit is set is displayed in color, and the representative image in which the attribute information designated by the attribute designation unit is not set is monochrome. Is displayed,
The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: