JP4653904B2 - Camera with audio playback function - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera with an audio playback function, and in particular, an electronic device having a function of playing back a music file stored in a recording medium on the camera body and a shooting function of recording an image captured by an image sensor mounted on the camera body. Regarding the camera.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A data recording / reproducing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-175716 has a rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and has a function of recording music data in the memory or reproducing the recorded music data. . Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-342388 discloses a method of managing files by constructing a single independent information file by collecting representative portions (highlight scenes) of various information files such as video, music, and character strings. Has been.
[0003]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-23551 discloses a communication karaoke system in which music data is distributed through a public line, and the music data can be supplied from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-232840 discloses a method of recording a large number of music data in a large-capacity storage device, and automatically searching for and deleting unnecessary music data.
[0004]
Also, in recent years, music data recording / playback machines based on the MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-III) system are also known, and a playback-only machine having only a function of playing back music files recorded on recording media, In addition to reproduction, a recording / reproducing apparatus that can be connected to a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) to register or delete a music file on a recording medium has been proposed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Against the background of such audio technology, the present inventor has developed a new camera equipped with an audio playback function in a camera body such as a digital camera, and has focused on the following issues in realizing such a camera. did. That is, the user saves not only the image file but also the music file on the recording medium. In that case, the recording amount of the image file is reduced by the capacity of the stored music file.
[0006]
For example, when a user tries to record (photograph) an image on the go, there may be a case where there is little free space on the medium and other image files cannot be erased. In such a case, it suffices if the music file can be erased using a personal computer, but if there is no personal computer, a necessary image cannot be recorded.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a camera with an audio playback function that can delete music files without using a personal computer. In addition, in order to improve the convenience of the user, the present invention provides a camera with an audio playback function that can confirm not only the song name and artist name relating to the music file being played or selected, but also the song names before and after the song name. The purpose is to provide.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to achieve the above object, a camera with an audio playback function according to the present invention comprises:An imaging device that converts light incident through the imaging lens into an electrical signal, a signal processing unit that processes a signal output from the imaging device, and imaging that gives an instruction to start imaging to acquire a recording image An instruction input operation unit; and a recording unit that records an image captured in response to an operation of the shooting instruction input operation unit on a recording medium;On the recording mediumStored,Music that includes music that can be played using the audio playback function and is not associated with an imageAudio playback means for playing back downloaded music downloaded from a distribution device; download music deletion means for deleting all downloaded music stored in the recording medium or a specified part of downloaded music from the recording medium; An erasure instruction input means for giving an instruction of a file erasure operation by the downloaded music erasure means;It is characterized by having.
[0009]
According to the present invention, when a recording medium storing a music file is attached to a camera, the music file can be played back and listened to by the camera, and can be used not only for shooting but also as a portable audio playback device. In addition, since the camera of the present invention can delete music files without connecting to a personal computer or other devices, unnecessary files can be erased at any time, and free space on the recording medium can be secured.
[0011]
The present invention is applied to an electronic camera that converts an optical image into an electrical signal and records it as image data on a recording medium. The recording medium is used as a medium for recording image data, and is shared as a medium for recording music data (music file). In such a case, if a music file is recorded, the recordable capacity (number of shootable images) of image data is reduced accordingly. The camera of the present invention can delete only music files and increase the capacity for shooting by a predetermined operation by the user. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation where a shooting opportunity is missed.
[0013]
These elements constituting the camera are incorporated in the camera body, and music files can be deleted only by operating the camera body. As a specific example of this camera, a flash device capable of emitting light in response to an operation of the shooting instruction input operation unit is provided, a grip body is formed on the camera body, and the shooting instruction input operation unit is There is a mode in which it is provided at a position where it can be operated by a finger of a hand holding the part.
[0014]
In addition, an audio mode in which audio operation is possible and a mode selection means for selecting a camera mode in which camera operation is possible are added, and in the state where the camera mode is selected by the mode selection means, the deletion instruction input means It is also preferable that the erasure instruction is received and the file deletion by the music file deletion means is executed in response to the erasure instruction.
[0015]
  As yet another aspect, the erasure instruction input means can designate an operation of deleting all songs to delete all music files stored in the recording medium at the same time.DeleteThe means may be configured to collectively delete all music files in the recording medium in response to the instruction to delete all songs.Further, in a state where the audio mode is selected by the mode selection means, the camera body switch does not function, and only the remote control switch connected to the remote control terminal is accepted.
[0016]
In the camera with an audio playback function described above, music information including at least one information among a music name, an artist name, and a music time relating to a plurality of music files stored in the recording medium and display means capable of displaying a photographed image. It is preferable to add a music information display control unit to be displayed simultaneously on the screen of the display unit.
[0017]
By displaying a list of information (music information) such as the music titles of music files in the recording medium on the display means, music confirmation and selection operations are facilitated, and convenience is improved.
[0018]
In this case, the display means input means for inputting an instruction to display the music information on the music file stored in the recording medium on the display means, and according to the operation of the display instruction input means, There exists an aspect which performs control which displays the said music information regarding a some music file on a screen. According to this aspect, the user can check the music information at any time by operating the display instruction input unit as necessary.
[0019]
In addition, an aspect including a selection unit that selects a desired music file from a plurality of pieces of music information displayed on the display unit, and a music reproduction control unit that reproduces the music file selected by the selection unit is also preferable. . This facilitates the selection operation of the reproduction target file.
[0020]
As one aspect of the present invention, a deletion mode selection capable of selecting an all song deletion mode for deleting all music files stored on the recording medium at once and a one song deletion mode for deleting a specified part of music files. And the music information on a plurality of music files in the recording medium is displayed on the display means when the all song deletion mode or the one song deletion mode is selected. .
[0021]
Further, a deletion target selection means for selecting a music file to be deleted from a plurality of pieces of music information displayed on the display means, and a control for deleting the music file selected by the deletion target selection means from the recording medium And a file deletion control means for performing
[0022]
  In the present invention, it is preferable that an operation restriction unit is provided that performs control to prohibit the selection operation by the deletion mode selection unit when a music file does not exist in the recording medium.According to another aspect of the present invention, a display unit capable of displaying a photographed image, and a menu including file erasure at the lower end of the screen of the display unit when the playback mode is selected by the mode selection unit. Display control means for controlling the display means so that a command for deleting a music file and a command for deleting an image file are displayed in a balloon when a screen is displayed and the delete menu is selected. Furthermore, it is preferable that the command for deleting the music file includes deletion of all songs and deletion of one song. Furthermore, it is preferable that when a command for deleting the music file is selected, additional information including the file name of the music file to be deleted, the song name, the player name, and the performance time is displayed. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided mode selection means for selecting an audio mode in which audio operation is possible and a camera mode in which camera operation is possible, and the display means includes a liquid crystal monitor, and the mode In a state in which the audio mode is selected by the selection unit, the display unit includes a display control unit that controls the display unit to turn off the backlight of the liquid crystal monitor. Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, the backlight of the liquid crystal monitor is turned on when the operation key is pressed while the backlight of the liquid crystal monitor is off. In addition, the music file includes an aspect including music downloaded from a music distribution device, an aspect including music stored according to the MP3 format, and an aspect including music registered from a personal computer. The music file is preferably recorded and deleted regardless of the image, and the music file is preferably stored in a dedicated directory different from the directory in which the image file is stored. Also, it is preferable that the music file is given a dedicated file name. Further, it is preferable that the music file has additional information including any of a song title, a player name, and a performance time.
[0023]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of a camera with an audio playback function according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0024]
1 to 5 are a front view, a rear view, a plan view, a bottom view, and a right side view showing the appearance of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively. This camera is a digital camera 10 with an audio playback function, and has a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped appearance as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 and is sized to fit into a clothing pocket.
[0025]
A retractable photographing lens 12, a finder window 14, a strobe 16, a strobe light control sensor 18, a microphone 19, and a self-timer lamp 20 are provided on the front surface of the digital camera 10 shown in FIG. Further, a lens cover (not shown in FIG. 1, described as reference numeral 22 in FIG. 6) that is opened and closed at the retracted position of the taking lens 12 is provided on the front surface of the digital camera 10. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the lens cover 22 is opened. Reference numeral 23 denotes a portion corresponding to the grip portion of the camera.
[0026]
2, the viewfinder 24, the mode dial 26, the right key 28, the left key 30, the up / down lever 32, the menu / execute key 34, the cancel / return key 36, the display key 38, In addition, a liquid crystal monitor 40 and the like are provided. The mode dial 26 changes the function of the camera in the camera mode. By rotating the mode dial 26, a shooting mode for taking still pictures, a playback mode for playing back shot pictures, or a movie for taking moving pictures. Set the mode.
[0027]
The right key 28, the left key 30 and the up / down lever 32 can input instructions in the corresponding four directions (right, left, up, down). The right key 28 and the left key 30 are for playback. In the mode, each functions as a forward frame advance button and a reverse frame advance button, and the up / down lever 32 functions as a zoom lever for adjusting the magnification of the electronic zoom in the camera mode. When the menu mode is set by the menu / execution key 34, the right key 28, the left key 30, and the up / down lever 32 are used to select a menu from a list of menus and various setting items in each menu. Functions as an operation button for instructing selection.
[0028]
The menu / execution key 34 is used when a transition is made from the normal screen to the menu screen in each mode, or when the selection content is confirmed and a process execution (confirmation) instruction is given. The cancel / return key 36 is used to cancel (cancel) an item selected from the menu or to return to the previous operation state.
[0029]
The liquid crystal monitor 40 can be used as an electronic viewfinder for checking the angle of view, and can display captured images, reproduced images read from a memory card (denoted by reference numeral 72 in FIG. 6) loaded in the camera, and the like. The menu selection using the right key 28, the left key 30 and the up / down lever 32 and the setting of various setting items in each menu are also performed using the display screen of the liquid crystal monitor 40. Further, the liquid crystal monitor 40 displays information such as the number of shootable images (number of frames) and playback frame number, presence / absence of strobe light emission, macro mode display, recording image quality (quality) display, and pixel number display.
[0030]
On the top surface of the digital camera 10 shown in FIG. 3, a shutter button 42, a mode setting switch 44 that also serves as a power switch, and a strobe button 46 are provided. The shutter button 42 is also used as a recording button (recording start / stop button) in the case of moving image recording.
[0031]
The mode setting switch 44 is a slide switch that is locked when the knob moves to the right (audio mode position) in FIG. 3 and is not locked when the knob moves to the left. When the knob moves to the right and is locked, the audio mode is set, and each time the knob moves to the left, the camera mode and the OFF mode for turning off the power in the camera are alternately set.
[0032]
When the audio mode is set by the mode setting switch 44, various switches of the camera body do not function, and a remote controller with earphones (headphones) connected to a remote control terminal (described as 56 in FIG. 5) described later. Only switches (not shown) are accepted. If the remote control terminal 56 is not connected to the remote control terminal 56 even if the audio mode is set by the mode setting switch 44, the camera power supply is maintained in the OFF state. When is operated, the power in the camera is turned on.
[0033]
A battery cover 48 that also serves as a slot cover for a memory card (in this example, smart media) and a tripod screw hole 50 are provided on the bottom surface of the digital camera 10 shown in FIG. On the side surface of the digital camera 10 shown in FIG. 5 (side surface opposite to the grip portion 23) is a speaker 52, an audio / video output (VIDEO OUT) terminal 54, a remote control terminal 56 including an audio output terminal, and a digital (USB) terminal. 58 and a power input terminal 60 are provided.
[0034]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the digital camera 10. In the figure, a central processing unit (CPU) 70 controls each circuit in the digital camera 10 based on inputs from a mode setting switch 44, a mode dial 26, a shutter button 42, other operation units 61, a remote controller (not shown), and the like. Take overall control. The operation unit 61 is a block including input operation means such as the right key 28, the left key 30, the up / down lever 32, the menu / execution key 34, the cancel / return key 36, and the display key 38 described above. Reference numeral 71 denotes an internal bus.
[0035]
When the mode setting switch 44 is set from the OFF mode to the camera mode, the CPU 70 detects this, turns on the power in the camera, performs control for opening the lens cover 22, and the like. In addition, when the mode setting switch 44 is set from the camera mode to the OFF mode or the audio mode, the CPU 70 detects this and performs control for closing the lens cover 22 and the like.
[0036]
Here, when opening the lens cover 22, the CPU 70 sends a signal for rotating the motor 64 forward via the driver 62, and when closing the lens cover 22, a signal for rotating the motor 64 reversely via the driver 62. Output. Further, when the lens cover 22 is closed, the photographing lens 12 is controlled in advance to move to the retracted position.
[0037]
When the camera mode is set by the mode setting switch 44, the shooting mode is set by the mode dial 26, and the shutter button 42 is pressed, the CPU 70 detects this and causes the still shooting to be performed. Minute image data is recorded in the memory card 72. That is, the CPU 70 performs focus control and exposure control, and forms an image of subject light on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor (CCD) 74 via the photographing lens 12.
[0038]
The CCD 74 converts the subject light imaged on the light receiving surface into a signal charge in an amount corresponding to the light amount. The signal charges accumulated in this manner are sequentially read out as voltage signals corresponding to the signal charges. The voltage signal sequentially read from the CCD 74 is applied to a correlated double sampling circuit (CDS circuit) 76, where the R, G and B signals for each pixel are sampled and held and amplified for A / D conversion. Added to vessel 78. The A / D converter 78 converts the R, G, and B signals sequentially added from the CDS circuit 76 into 10-bit (0 to 1023) digital R, G, and B signals and outputs them to the image signal processing circuit 80. .
[0039]
The image signal processing circuit 80 is a predetermined image such as a synchronization process for converting the dot-sequential R, G, and B signals applied from the A / D converter 78 into a simultaneous expression, white balance adjustment, gamma correction, YC signal processing, and the like. Process. The luminance signal Y and chroma signals Cr and Cb (YC signal) created by the YC signal processing of the image signal processing circuit 80 are compressed into a predetermined format (for example, JPEG format) by the compression / decompression circuit 82, and then The data is recorded on the memory card 72 via the media control circuit 84.
[0040]
The form of the recording medium is not limited to smart media, and may be a PC card, a compact flash, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory stick, etc., according to a system based on electronic, magnetic, optical, or a combination thereof. Various readable / writable media can be used. A signal processing means and an interface corresponding to the medium to be used are applied. A configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of recording media can be mounted on the camera body regardless of different types or the same type of recording media. The means for storing image data and music data is not limited to a removable medium that can be attached to and detached from the camera body, but may be a recording medium (internal memory) built in the camera.
[0041]
When the camera mode is set by the mode setting switch 44 and the movie mode is set by the mode dial 26, the moving image recording is possible, the recording operation starts when the shutter button 42 is pressed, and the recording operation starts when the shutter button 42 is pressed again. Stops. The recording operation may be performed while the shutter button 42 is kept pressed, and the recording may be stopped by releasing the press. The moving image data is recorded on the memory card 72 in the motion JPEG format, for example.
[0042]
On the other hand, when the camera mode is set by the mode setting switch 44 and the playback mode is set by the mode dial 26, the image file of the last frame recorded on the memory card 72 is read via the media control circuit 84. The compressed data of the read image file is expanded into an uncompressed YC signal via the compression / expansion circuit 82.
[0043]
The expanded YC signal is converted into an NTSC color composite video signal via an image reproduction processing circuit 86 and a video encoding circuit 88, and is output to the liquid crystal monitor 40 and an audio / video output terminal 54 (see FIG. 5). ) Is output. As a result, the frame image of the last frame recorded on the memory card 72 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 40, and when a television receiver (not shown) is connected to the audio / video output terminal 54, The last frame image is displayed on the television receiver.
[0044]
Thereafter, when the right key 28 is pressed, the frame is advanced in the forward direction, and when the left key 30 is pressed, the frame is advanced in the reverse direction. Then, the frame-positioned image file at the frame position is read from the memory card 72, and the frame image is reproduced on the liquid crystal monitor 40 in the same manner as described above. When the last frame image is displayed and the frame is advanced in the forward direction, the first frame image file recorded on the memory card 72 is read and the first frame image is read. The image is reproduced on a liquid crystal monitor 40, a television receiver or other image display device.
[0045]
When the reproduction target file is a moving image file, the first frame of the moving image is displayed as a representative image, and a screen for accepting an instruction to start moving image reproduction is displayed.
[0046]
Next, the audio playback function of the digital camera 10 will be described. This audio playback function plays back music files such as MP3 format recorded on the memory card 72, the audio mode is set by the mode setting switch 44, and a remote control with earphones is connected to the remote control terminal 56. Then, the power in the camera is turned on, and audio playback is possible. In the audio mode, the CPU 70 accepts only a remote control signal from the remote controller, and does not accept any switch input other than the mode setting switch 44 which also serves as a power switch of the camera body.
[0047]
When the playback button on the remote control is pressed while the digital camera 10 is set to the audio mode, the music file is read from the memory card 72 via the media control circuit 84. Of course, it is assumed that the music file is downloaded to the memory card 72 directly from the personal computer or via the digital (USB) terminal 58 of the digital camera 10 (see FIG. 4).
[0048]
The compressed data of the music file read from the memory card 72 is expanded into uncompressed music data via the compression / decompression circuit 82. The expanded music data is subjected to processing such as D / A conversion by the audio processing circuit 90 and converted into an analog audio signal. The converted audio signal is amplified by the audio reproduction circuit 92 and output as audio via an audio output terminal in the remote control terminal 56 and an earphone (not shown).
[0049]
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a directory structure of the memory card 72. The directory names and file names shown in the figure are examples and can be changed as appropriate. An image file storage directory (DCIM), a DPOF file storage directory (MISC), and a music file storage directory (dsam) are formed under the root directory. A plurality of subdirectories “100_fuji”, “101_fuji”,... Are formed below the image file storage directory (DCIM), and image files can be stored classified by directory.
[0050]
For example, a still image file saved in JPEG format by the digital camera 10 has a file name “DSCF ****. Jpg” (where “****” is a four-digit number string). The recorded moving image file saved in the motion JPEG format is recorded with the file name “DSCF ****. Avi”. The file name is automatically given by the CPU 70 at the time of recording.
[0051]
A DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) file is a print information file in which print information referred to when printing an image recorded on the memory card 72 is described. For example, information on the number of prints, trimming, In addition, information on the presence / absence of printing can be recorded, and the print information of each frame is described in one DPOF file (in this example, the file name “autprint.mrk”) in a text file format.
[0052]
The music file is stored in accordance with the MP3 format, and each file is given a file name “****. Svq”. The music file is stored in the memory card 72 by being registered from a personal computer (not shown) or downloaded from a dedicated music distribution terminal. Thus, the music file is not associated with an image, and can be recorded / deleted independently of the image (independently).
[0053]
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an erase menu in the digital camera 10. When the power mode setting switch 44 is turned on, the digital camera 10 starts up in the camera mode. If the mode dial 26 is used to set the shooting mode or the movie mode, the digital camera 10 is ready for shooting. At this time, when the display key 38 is pressed, a real-time image captured by the CCD 74 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 40. When the mode dial 26 is set to the reproduction mode, image data is read from the memory card 72 and the latest recorded image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 40 as one frame.
[0054]
When the menu / execution key 34 is pressed under each of the shooting mode, movie mode, and playback mode, a menu screen corresponding to each mode is displayed. For example, when the menu / execution key 34 is pressed on the single-frame playback screen in the playback mode, a menu screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed. The menu includes five items “Erase”, “Auto Play”, “Resize”, “Protect”, and “DPOF”, and a menu in which icons 94 indicating these items are arranged in a line at the bottom of the screen of the LCD monitor 40. A bar is displayed.
[0055]
When an item is selected with the right key 28 or the left key 30, a menu balloon 96 of a submenu corresponding to each item is displayed. The display position of the menu balloon 96 is moved in accordance with the arrangement order of icons 94 indicating menu items at the bottom of the screen. A desired setting content is selected from the submenu with the up / down lever 32, and the selection content is confirmed by pressing the menu / execution key 34.
[0056]
The “erase” menu balloon 96 includes four types of commands: “format”, “all songs ♪”, “all frames”, and “one frame”. “Format” is a command for performing an optimal format in accordance with the logical format of the recording medium. “All songs ♪” deletes all music files under the music file storage directory (dsam) described in FIG. “All frames” erases all image frames except protected files (read-only files). “One frame” is for the image file under the image file storage directory (DSIM) described in FIG. 7, and the user selects the target image one by one and deletes the specified image one by one. Go.
[0057]
When the sub / menu item is selected with the up / down lever 32 and the menu / execution key 34 is pressed, a confirmation screen for executing the deletion is displayed. By further pressing the menu / execution key 34 on the confirmation screen, the processing is executed. Is done. An image that is image-protected (read-only file) is not erased even if single-frame erase or all-frame erase processing is executed. In this case, after the image protection is canceled, the single frame erasure process or the all frame erasure process is executed.
[0058]
The menu items other than “erase” will be briefly described. “Auto play” is a mode in which image files in the memory card 72 are automatically reproduced one by one in order. However, in the case of a moving image file, the first frame image is reproduced as a representative image. In the “auto play” item, a wipe pattern at the time of screen switching can be set, and “no wipe”, “wipe 1”, “wipe 2”, or “wipe 3” can be selected. A predetermined wipe pattern is defined for each of the wipes 1 to 3. In the “Resize” item, the number of pixels can be changed, and “2400 → 1280”, “2400 → 640”, and “1280 → 640” can be selected.
[0059]
The “protect” submenu includes three selection items of “all frame cancel”, “all frame protect”, and “single frame setting”. When a desired item is selected with the up / down lever 32 and the menu / execution key 34 is pressed, a confirmation screen for executing the protection processing is displayed. By further pressing the menu / execution key 34 on the confirmation screen, the protection processing is performed. It is executed and becomes read-only (read-only) data.
[0060]
The submenu of “DPOF” includes selection items of “all frame designation / cancellation”, “confirmation / cancellation”, “one frame designation”, and “with date”. By creating the DPOF file in advance with the digital camera 10 or a personal computer and recording the DPOF file with the image on the memory card 72, it is not necessary to specify the contents of the print when placing a lab order or printing with the printing apparatus.
[0061]
When the menu / execution key 34 is pressed in the shooting mode or movie mode, a menu screen for various shooting-related settings (ISO sensitivity, white balance, brightness, etc.) is displayed. As shown in FIG. A mode in which an item of “erase” is added to the menu is also conceivable.
[0062]
Next, the file deletion function of the digital camera 10 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure for erasing one frame. When the single frame erasing process is started (step S100), it is determined whether or not the target image is a protected frame (step S110). When the target image is a protected frame (YES determination), this sequence ends without executing erasure (step S120).
[0063]
If it is determined in step S110 that the frame is not a protected frame (NO determination), the process branches to step S112 to determine whether or not the DPOF file is a print designation target.
[0064]
When the designated frame is a DPOF (when YES is determined), the process proceeds to step S114, a confirmation message as to whether or not erasure can be performed is presented on the liquid crystal monitor 40, and a confirmation input from the user is awaited. . At this time, if the user selects to cancel the erasure instruction, the determination in step S114 is NO, and this sequence ends without executing erasure (step S120).
[0065]
On the other hand, when the user selects confirmation of the erasure instruction in step S114 and obtains a confirmation OK (YES determination), the process proceeds to step S116. In step S116, the job (JOB) relating to the image in the DPOF file is deleted. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S118, and the target image (* .jpg or * .avi) file is deleted. When the file deletion of the target image is completed, this sequence ends (step S120).
[0066]
If it is determined in step S112 that the designated frame is not a DPOF (NO determination), the process jumps to step S118 to delete the file of the target image (* .jpg or * .avi). This sequence ends (step S120).
[0067]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for erasing all frames. When the all frame erasing process is started (step S200), it is first determined whether or not there is a frame for which print designation is made in the DPOF file (step S210). When the designated frame for DPOF exists (when YES is determined), the process proceeds to step S212, and a confirmation message is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 40 as to whether or not the DPOF file can be erased. Wait for input. At this time, if the user selects to cancel the erasure instruction, the determination in step S212 is NO, and this sequence is terminated without executing erasure (step S230).
[0068]
On the other hand, when the user selects confirmation of the erasure instruction in step S212 and obtains a confirmation OK (YES determination), the process proceeds to step S214. In step S214, the unprotected scene job in the DPOF file is deleted. Next, the process proceeds to step S216, and it is determined whether or not the target image is a protected frame for each image file. If it is determined that the target image is not a protected frame (NO determination), the process proceeds to step S218, and the file of the target image (* .jpg or * .avi) is deleted. Then, after erasing the file, the process proceeds to step S220.
[0069]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S216 that the target image is a protected frame (YES determination), the process proceeds to step S220 without executing erasure. In step S220, it is determined whether or not all the frames except the protected frame have been erased. In this determination, when the determination is NO (when an unerased image other than the protected frame remains), the process returns to step S216, the target image is changed, and the processes of steps S216 to S220 are repeated.
[0070]
If it is confirmed in step S220 that all frame erasure processing has been completed, this sequence is terminated (step S230).
[0071]
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure for erasing all songs. When the all song erasing process is started (step S300), all music files under the target music directory (dsam) are erased (step S310), and this process is terminated (step S320).
[0072]
An MP3 format music file, for example, is a file with a performance time of 3 minutes and has a capacity of about 2.88 MB. Therefore, when two music files are recorded on the recording medium, 5.76MB capacity is free. At this time, when the image quality mode to be photographed is set to the highest image quality mode, the file size is 1.7 MB, so that it is possible to photograph three still images. If the image quality setting of the image quality mode is lowered and the image quality mode is set so that the file size is 87 KB, it is possible to shoot 66 still images.
[0073]
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which all music files in the memory card 72 are deleted all at once has been described. However, it is also possible to delete one song at a time while designating a target file. That is, the item “one song ♪” is added to the menu balloon 96 described in FIG. 8, or the item “one song ♪” is provided instead of “all songs ♪”. When deleting a music file in the camera mode, as shown in FIG. 12A, the file name of the music file is displayed on the LCD monitor 40 (the extension may be omitted), and the up / down lever. The cursor 98 is moved by 32 and the target file is selected.
[0074]
For example, when “0001” is selected and the menu / execution key 34 is pressed, a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 12B is displayed, and a confirmation message “Do you want to delete 0001?” Is displayed. When the menu / execution key 34 is pressed in accordance with the operation guide at the bottom of the screen, erasure is executed. If the cancel / return key 36 is pressed, the file selection screen shown in FIG.
[0075]
Note that the music file has attached information (data) regarding the contents of the music file, such as the song name and performer name (artist name). Displaying the attached information on the liquid crystal monitor 40 makes it easier for the user to select a file.
[0076]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the procedure for deleting one song. When the process of erasing one song is started (step S400), it is determined whether or not an instruction to stop the erasing of one song is given in step S410. If this determination is NO (continuation of erasure work), the process branches to step S412. In step S412, it is determined whether one music file to be erased is designated. If the target file is not designated (NO determination), the process branches to step S416, and the selection of the music (music file) to be erased is accepted by the method described with reference to FIG. If the user selects a song, the process returns to step S410.
[0077]
In this way, the erasure target song is designated, and if YES is determined in step S412, the process proceeds to step S414. In step S414, a confirmation message as to whether or not erasure can be performed is presented on the liquid crystal monitor 40, and a confirmation input from the user is awaited. At this time, if the user selects to cancel the deletion instruction, the determination in step S414 is NO, and the process proceeds to step S416 to select another song to be deleted.
[0078]
On the other hand, when the user selects confirmation of the erasure instruction in step S414 and obtains a confirmation OK (YES determination), the process proceeds to step S418. In step S418, the target music file is deleted, and then the process returns to step S410.
[0079]
When erasing one song is continued, the processes in steps S410 to S418 are repeated. When the user presses the cancel / return key 36 on the file selection screen described with reference to FIG. 12A, a YES determination is made in step S410, and the one-song deletion sequence ends (step S420).
[0080]
In the above embodiment, the example in which still image data is recorded in the JPEG format, moving image data is recorded in the motion JPEG format, and music data is recorded in the MP3 format has been described. However, the file format is not limited to these in implementing the present invention. .
[0081]
In the above embodiment, the case where only the remote control signal is accepted during the audio mode and the switch input is not accepted for the operation unit of the digital camera 10 except for the mode setting switch 44 has been described. It is not limited to this example. For example, in order to further enhance the display function related to the music file name and the music file deletion function, the switch input of the display key 38 is accepted during the audio mode, and the music name etc. are displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 66 according to the operation of the display key 38. There is also a mode of displaying.
[0082]
Hereinafter, another embodiment relating to a function for facilitating file operations of music files will be described.
[0083]
As shown in FIG. 14, a remote control 132 with headphones 130 can be connected to the remote control terminal 56 of the digital camera 10. The remote control 132 has a switch unit such as a play / stop button 134, a forward / return button 135, a volume adjustment button 136, a display button 137, and an LCD panel 138. When these switch units are operated, a command corresponding to the operation is given. A signal is sent to the main body side of the digital camera 10 and processing corresponding to the instruction is performed.
[0084]
The LCD panel 138 of the remote controller 132 displays information such as the name of the currently played song and the name of the artist. When a song is fed, information such as the name of the song and artist to be played is displayed. The LCD panel 138 displays only information for one song.
[0085]
Normally, the backlight of the liquid crystal monitor 40 is turned off (turned off) during the audio mode, but when the display key 38 of the digital camera 10 main body or the display button 137 of the remote control 132 is pressed, it responds accordingly. The backlight of the liquid crystal monitor 40 is turned on (lit), and as shown in FIG. 15, the music information (song name, artist name, and time) related to the music file in the memory card 72 is displayed together with the song order number.
[0086]
Information on these files is written in the tag of the MP3 file, and the tag information of the file is referred to at the time of display. If necessary information is not written in the tag of the MP3 file, the information cannot be displayed. When the song name and artist name are unknown as in the first song file shown in FIG. 15, the song name and artist name display fields are blank (blank) or underscore.
[0087]
In the music file list display screen, information of a plurality of music files (four songs in the case of this example) is displayed simultaneously on one screen, but a large number of music files are stored in the memory card 72 and the LCD monitor. If all of the 40 screens cannot be displayed, the number of songs that can be displayed is displayed, and the remaining pages are displayed separately or scrolled. In order to display a plurality of pieces of music information in an easy-to-see manner, the background color of the display column with the odd number of the music order number and the background color of the even display column are color-coded (or shaded). Then, the display field where the cursor is positioned is controlled so as to change to another background color (or reverse color).
[0088]
In the list display screen immediately after the display key 38 or the display button 137 of the remote controller 132 is pressed while the audio is stopped (non-playback state), the music information is displayed in descending order from the first music according to the order recorded in the memory card 72. At this time, the information display portion of the first song is displayed as a cursor. On the other hand, on the list display screen immediately after the display key 38 or the display button 137 of the remote controller 132 is pressed during audio playback, information on a plurality of files including the file being played and the songs before and after that is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 40. Then, the information display part of the file being played is displayed as a cursor.
[0089]
By operating the up / down lever 32 or the forward / back button 135 of the remote controller 132 on the list display screen, the cursor indicating the selection target moves. At this time, the display of the song name, artist name, etc. on the LCD panel 138 of the remote controller 132 is changed in conjunction with the movement of the cursor display on the liquid crystal monitor 40. When the cursor position is placed on a desired music piece from the list display screen shown in FIG. 15 and a predetermined instruction button such as the menu / execution key 34 or the play button 135 is pressed, reproduction of the music piece related to the selection is started.
[0090]
After the list display screen is displayed, the backlight of the liquid crystal monitor 40 is automatically turned off when a non-operation state has elapsed for a certain period of time. In place of or in combination with such automatic control, a mode in which the liquid crystal monitor 40 is turned off in response to a predetermined operation such as a re-pressing operation of the display key 38 or the display button 137 is also possible.
[0091]
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an erase menu in the digital camera 10 shown in FIG. The digital camera 10 is set to the camera mode by the power mode setting switch 44, and the playback mode is set by selecting the playback mode by the mode dial 26. When the menu / execution key 34 is pressed in the reproduction mode, a menu screen as shown in FIG. 16 is displayed.
[0092]
The menu has five items, “Erase”, “Auto Play”, “Protect”, “DPOF”, and “Set”, and a menu in which icons 154 indicating these items are arranged in a line at the bottom of the screen of the LCD monitor 40. A bar is displayed. “Set” is a menu for performing various settings. Although not shown in the figure, when “Set” is selected in the playback mode, sub-menus for “Monitor Brightness”, “Playback Volume”, and “Setup” are displayed. A menu is displayed. After that, when “Setup” is selected, the setup screen is displayed. On this screen, the setting of the function (ON / OFF / preview) for displaying the captured image on the LCD monitor 40 immediately after shooting and the operating time of auto power save (2 Minutes / 5 minutes / OFF) setting, USB operation mode (card reader / PC camera) setting, presence / absence of opening screen display, date setting, frame number memory (ON / OFF) setting, beep volume (HIGH / LOW / OFF) setting, display (ON / OFF) setting of the liquid crystal monitor 66 when the still image shooting mode is selected, and the like.
[0093]
As shown in FIG. 16, the “erase” menu balloon 156 includes four types of commands: “format”, “audio”, “all frames”, and “one frame”. When the item “audio” is selected and the menu / execution key 34 is pressed, a screen for selecting an erasing method is displayed as shown in FIG. On this selection screen, two types of erasing methods of “erasing all songs” / “erasing one song” are presented, and operation guidance is displayed at the bottom of the screen. “Erase all songs” is a mode in which all music files in the memory card 72 are erased collectively. “Erase 1 song” is a mode in which the user designates a file to be erased and erases only the designated music file.
[0094]
The user can designate a desired erasing method by selecting a desired erasing method with the up / down lever 32 and pressing the menu / execution key 34. When the cancel / return key 36 is pressed on the screen of FIG. 17, the screen returns to the screen of FIG.
[0095]
When “Erase 1 song” is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 17, as shown in FIG. This selection screen displays a list of song names, artist names, and times of music files stored in the memory card 72, and in the lower part of the screen, a message “Erase this song is OK?” Is entered to indicate whether or not to erase. Is displayed.
[0096]
In the figure, an example in which music information for three songs is simultaneously displayed on one screen is shown, but the number of pieces of information that can be displayed is not limited to this. By simultaneously displaying information on a plurality of music pieces (more preferably, three or more music pieces), the user can easily grasp the previous and next music pieces and easily select a file to be deleted.
[0097]
By operating the up / down lever 32 or the forward / back button 135 of the remote controller 132 on the selection screen shown in FIG. When the cursor position is placed on the music to be deleted and the menu / execution key 34 is pressed, the music file related to the selection is deleted. When the cancel / return key 36 is pressed on the screen of FIG. 18, the selection operation of the erasure target is canceled and the screen returns to the screen shown in FIG.
[0098]
On the other hand, when “Erase all songs” is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 17, a transition is made to an erase confirmation screen as shown in FIG. This erase confirmation screen displays a list of music file names, artist names, and times of music files stored in the memory card 72, and a message “Erase all songs OK?” Is entered at the bottom of the screen to indicate whether or not to erase. An operation guide is displayed. In the case of “single song deletion” described above, only the information portion of the file selected as the deletion target is displayed with a different color. In the case of “all deletion”, the color of the information on all files to be deleted is displayed. Changed and displayed.
[0099]
By operating the up / down lever 32 on the screen shown in FIG. 19, the page of the list display is switched or scrolled, and the user can easily confirm the music file in the memory card 72. When the menu / execution key 34 is pressed on the deletion confirmation screen shown in FIG. 19, all music files are deleted at once. If the cancel / return key 36 is pressed on the screen shown in FIG. 19, the preparation for erasing all songs is canceled and the screen returns to the screen shown in FIG.
[0100]
When no music file is stored in the memory card 72, the operation system is limited so that the music file erasure operation cannot proceed. For example, when it is detected that a music file does not exist in the memory card 72, the “audio” item is not displayed on the screen of FIG. 16 (or grayed out to indicate that it cannot be selected), or FIG. The operation of selecting “Erase all songs” / “Erase all songs” is prohibited by displaying a message such as “Music file does not exist” on the screen. By performing control that does not accept useless operations in this way, operability is improved.
[0101]
In the above embodiment, the example in which the erase menu is displayed from the playback mode has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the erase menu is displayed from other operation modes such as the shooting mode, movie mode, and audio mode. It is also possible to accept a music file erasing operation. When the erase menu is displayed from the audio mode, there is a high possibility that the music file is erased. Therefore, instead of the submenu shown in FIG. 16, “format”, “all songs”, “ A mode in which selection items of “one song” and “image” are presented and the screen transition of FIG. 17 is omitted is preferable. Then, when the “image” item is selected, the screen is shifted to the “delete all frames” / “delete one frame” selection screen.
[0102]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the camera with an audio playback function according to the present invention, when a recording medium has a small free space and it is not desired to delete an already recorded image, a music file is stored on the recording medium. In the case of registration, by selectively deleting only the music file, it is possible to shoot (image recording) for the capacity freed by the deletion.
[0103]
Even if a music file is once deleted, there is a high possibility that a file having the same contents can be reacquired by copying it later from a personal computer at home or re-downloading it from a music distribution device. On the other hand, the image to be photographed has a special feature that if the shutter chance (recording chance in the case of a moving image) is missed, the same image cannot be recorded again. Therefore, the significance of the present invention of giving priority to shooting is great even if a music file with reacquisition performance is sacrificed.
[0104]
In addition, since the display means attached to the camera is used to display a plurality of pieces of music information such as song names and artist names within a displayable range, it is possible to easily check the music being played and the songs before and after that. In the music file deletion operation, the erasure target can be easily confirmed, and the feeling of operation when the music is selected can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the digital camera shown in FIG.
3 is a plan view of the digital camera shown in FIG.
4 is a bottom view of the digital camera shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
5 is a side view of the digital camera shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the digital camera of this example.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a directory structure of a memory card
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an erase menu screen
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for single-frame erasure processing;
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for all-frame erasure processing;
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the all song erasing process;
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a mode in which music files are deleted by designating files one by one
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a single song erasing process;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for displaying music information such as a music file song name and artist name;
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an erase menu screen
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for selecting an erasing method for erasing all songs / erasing one song;
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an erasure target selection screen when the erasure mode for erasing one song is selected.
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen when an erasing mode for erasing all songs is selected.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Digital camera, 12 ... Shooting lens, 16 ... Strobe (flash device), 23 ... Grip part, 32 ... Up / down lever (Erase instruction input means, selection means, deletion mode selection means, erasure target selection means), 34 ... Menu / execution key (erase instruction input means, selection means, deletion mode selection means, erasure target selection means), 38 ... display key (display instruction input means), 40 ... liquid crystal monitor (display means), 42 ... shutter button ( Shooting instruction input operation unit), 44 ... mode setting switch (mode selection means), 70 ... CPU (music file deletion means, music information display control means, music playback control means, file deletion control means, operation restriction means), 72 ... Memory card (recording medium), 74... CCD (imaging device), 84... Media control circuit (recording means), 90. Audio reproducing means), 92 ... sound reproducing circuit (audio playback means), 132 ... remote control, 137 ... display button (display instruction input means)

Claims (1)

A taking lens,
An image sensor that converts light incident through the photographing lens into an electrical signal;
A signal processing unit for processing a signal output from the image sensor;
A shooting instruction input operation unit that gives an instruction to start shooting to obtain a recording image;
A recording unit that records an image captured in response to an operation of the shooting instruction input operation unit on a recording medium;
Audio playback means for playing back downloaded music downloaded from a music distribution device that is stored in the recording medium and can be played back by an audio playback function and is not associated with an image;
Download music deletion means for deleting all the download music stored in the recording medium or a specified part of the download music from the recording medium;
An erasure instruction input means for giving an instruction of a file erasure operation by the downloaded music erasure means;
A camera with an audio playback function.

Images