JP4724511B2 - Imaging apparatus, recording control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, a recording control method thereof, and a program, and more particularly, to an imaging apparatus that records a still image and a moving image captured on an external storage medium that is wirelessly connected, a recording control method thereof, and a program thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an imaging device such as an electronic camera that records and reproduces still images and moving images using a memory card having a solid-state memory element as a storage medium is known. Some of these imaging devices not only record an image on a storage medium but also record an image on an external storage device such as a personal computer. Such an imaging apparatus can reliably record a captured image without being limited by the capacity of the memory card (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-326891 A

  However, when a conventional imaging device is connected to an external storage device by wireless communication, communication with the external storage device may be disconnected against the user's intention. In this case, unlike the case of wired communication, the external storage device and the imaging device are not physically disconnected, so the user often does not notice that the communication with the external storage device has been disconnected.

  In other words, even if the conventional imaging device is set to record the captured image in the external storage device, the captured image can be captured even if the user performs a shooting operation when communication with the external storage device is disconnected as described above. Disappears without being recorded in the external storage device. For this reason, there has been a problem that the user's shooting operation is wasted.

  This problem can be solved by recording a captured image on a storage medium such as a memory card attached to the imaging device when communication with the external storage device is disconnected. However, since the capacity of the memory card is generally smaller than that of the external storage device, a large amount of images may be taken without knowing the fact that the recording destination of the photographed image currently taken by the user has been switched to the memory card. In such a case, a captured image that cannot be stored in the memory card is lost without being recorded, and there is a problem that a user's shooting operation is wasted.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus, a recording control method therefor, and a program that can prevent a user's photographing operation from being wasted when communication with an external storage device connected wirelessly is cut off. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to claim 1 is wirelessly connected to an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject by a user operation, a wireless connection unit that wirelessly connects to an external storage device, and the external storage device. An image recording means for recording the image in the external storage device when the image pickup device has another storage device therein, and the wireless connection with the external storage device has been disconnected Determining means for determining whether or not recording by the other storage device is possible; and when recording by the other storage device is possible and the shooting is being performed, And another image recording means for storing in the other storage device, and a photographing prohibiting means for prohibiting photographing by the user operation when recording by the other storage device is not possible.

  In order to achieve the above object, a recording control method according to claim 11 includes a photographing step for photographing an image of a subject by a user operation, a wireless connection step for wireless connection with an external storage device, and a wireless connection with the external storage device. An image recording step of recording the image in the external storage device when the image pickup device is being recorded, the image pickup device has another storage device therein, and When the wireless connection is disconnected, the determination step for determining whether or not recording by the other storage device is possible, and when recording by the other storage device is possible and during the shooting, Another image recording step for storing the image taken by the photographing in the other storage device, and when the recording by the other storage device is not possible, the photographing by the user operation is prohibited. And having an imaging prohibition step.

  In order to achieve the above object, the program according to claim 21 is a radiographing step of capturing an image of a subject by a user operation, a wireless connection step of wirelessly connecting to an external storage device, and a wireless connection of the external storage device. A program for causing a computer to execute a recording control method of an imaging apparatus having an image recording step of recording the image in the external storage device when the image capturing apparatus has another storage device therein, and the external storage device A determination step of determining whether or not recording by the other storage device is possible when wireless connection with the storage device is cut off; and recording by the other storage device is possible and during the shooting In some cases, another image recording step for storing the image taken by the photographing in the other storage device and recording by the other storage device are not possible. It can is characterized by having an imaging prohibition step of prohibiting photography by the user operation.

  According to this process, when the wireless connection with the external storage device is disconnected, it is determined whether or not recording by another storage device inside the imaging device is possible. As a result of the determination, the above recording is possible. When the image is being photographed, the photographed image is stored in another storage device, and when the recording is not possible, photographing by a user operation is prohibited, so communication with an external storage device connected wirelessly When the camera is disconnected, it is possible to prevent the user's shooting operation from being wasted.

  Preferably, as a result of the determination, when the recording is possible and the shooting is completed, the recording capacity of another storage device is smaller than that of the external storage device by prohibiting the shooting by the next user operation. It is possible to prevent the user's shooting operation from being wasted when an image obtained by shooting a plurality of times cannot be stored in another storage device.

  Preferably, as a result of the determination, when the recording is possible, and the camera is reconnected to the external storage device before the shooting is finished, the shooting by the next user operation is permitted to allow When the period is short, shooting by user operation is not prohibited in the next shooting, and the operability can be improved.

  Preferably, when shooting by the user operation is prohibited, the user is notified that the wireless connection with the external storage device has been disconnected, thereby preventing the shooting operation from being performed after the user operation is prohibited. It is possible to reliably prevent the user's photographing operation from being wasted.

  Preferably, when the user confirmation of the notification is detected, the notification is terminated, and the prohibition of shooting by the user operation is canceled, so that the next shooting can be performed promptly.

  Preferably, when reconnecting to an external storage device before detecting the user confirmation of the notification, the notification is terminated, and the prohibition of photographing by the user operation is canceled, so that the disconnection period is short. The next shooting can be performed more quickly.

  Preferably, during image recording to another storage device, by notifying the user that the wireless connection with the external storage device has been disconnected, so that it cannot be stored in another storage device in continuous shooting mode. Since the shooting can be terminated before the number of images is shot, it is possible to prevent the user's shooting operation from being wasted.

  Preferably, during image recording to another storage device, the current user's shooting operation is hindered by displaying the disconnection notice superimposed on the image displayed during shooting. In addition, the user can be notified that the connection with the external storage device is disconnected.

  Preferably, a notification that wireless connection with the external storage device is established is displayed over the image displayed during the shooting, and when image recording to another storage device is started, By switching from the notification that the wireless connection is established to the notification that the connection is disconnected, the user can surely grasp the current connection state of the external storage device.

  Preferably, either the external storage device is set as the recording destination when wirelessly connected to the external storage device, only the internal storage device that is wired to the imaging device, or the external storage device and the internal storage device is set. Of these, the setting selected by the user is used, and when the recording destination changes from the setting of only the external storage device to the setting other than that, the determination when the wireless connection with the external storage device is disconnected is recorded by another storage device. The user operability can be further improved by determining whether or not recording by the internal storage device is possible instead of whether or not recording is possible.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an imaging system including an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, an imaging system 300 includes a digital camera 301 that is an example of an imaging apparatus and a personal computer (PC) 302 that is an example of an external storage device. The digital camera 301 and the PC 302 can communicate with each other via a wireless communication line 303. Note that the imaging apparatus in the present embodiment is not limited to the digital camera 301, and may be an apparatus that operates as a digital camera. Devices that operate as digital cameras include digital video cameras and mobile phones with digital cameras. Further, the external storage device in the present embodiment is not limited to a personal computer. For example, a device having a function of storing image data transmitted from the digital camera 301 serving as an imaging device in a storage medium such as a hard disk or a nonvolatile memory may be used as the external storage device.

  As the wireless communication line 303, for example, a wireless LAN such as IEEE802.11a, IEEE802.11b, IEEE802.11g, or the like can be used. The digital camera 301 transfers the image data of the photographed image to the PC 302 via the wireless communication line 303.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the digital camera 301 in FIG.

  The digital camera 301 includes the lens unit 10 and the image sensor 14 that converts an optical image into an electrical signal. An image sensor such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor can be used for the image sensor 14. In addition, the digital camera 301 includes a protection unit 102 that is a barrier that covers the imaging unit including the lens unit 10 to prevent the imaging element 14 from being stained or damaged, and a shutter 12 that has a diaphragm function using a mechanical shutter and an electronic shutter. Have. The digital camera 301 includes an A / D converter 16 that converts an analog signal output of the image sensor 14 into a digital signal, and a D / A converter 26 that converts the digital signal output into an analog signal.

  The digital camera 301 includes the timing generation unit 18 that supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, and the D / A converter 26. The timing generator 18 is controlled by the memory controller 22 and the system controller 50. The digital camera 301 includes an image processing unit 20 that performs pixel interpolation processing, color conversion processing, and the like on the image data from the A / D converter 16. The digital camera 301 includes a memory control unit 22 that controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation unit 18, the image processing unit 20, the image display memory 24, the D / A converter 26, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression unit 32. And have.

  In addition, the digital camera 301 includes an image display unit 28 having a reproduction display function for reproducing and displaying the display image data written in the image display memory 24 via the D / A converter 26, and a captured still image or moving image. And a memory 30 for storing an image. The memory 30 is composed of a nonvolatile memory and functions as a built-in RAM described later.

  The digital camera 301 also includes a compression / expansion unit 32 and an exposure control unit 40 that controls the shutter 12 having a diaphragm function. The compression / decompression unit 32 reads the image data stored in the memory 30, compresses the image data according to a predetermined image compression method, and writes the compressed image data to the memory 30. The compression / decompression unit 32 can also read compressed image data from the memory 30, decompress the image data, and write the decompressed image data into the memory 30. The predetermined image compression method may be an image compression method defined by JPEG, JPEG 2000, Motion JPEG, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, etc., or may be an adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT), An image compression method using wavelet transform or the like can also be used.

  The digital camera 301 includes a distance measurement control unit 42 that controls the focusing of the lens unit 10, a zoom control unit 44 that controls zooming of the lens unit 10, and a barrier control unit that controls the operation of the protection unit 102 that is a barrier. 46. Further, the digital camera 301 includes an accessory shoe 48 having both an electrical contact with the flash device 400 and mechanical fixing means, and a system control unit 50 that controls the entire digital camera 301.

  In addition, the digital camera 301 displays a memory 52 that stores constants, variables, control programs, and the like for operation of the system control unit 50, and displays an operation state, a message, and the like according to the execution of the control program in the system control unit 50. And a display unit 54. The control program stored in the memory 52 is for controlling the operation of the digital camera 301. 3 to 13 and 15 are controlled by the system control unit 50 according to a control program stored in the memory 52.

  In addition, the digital camera 301 includes an electrically erasable / recordable nonvolatile memory 56, an operation unit 70 for inputting various operation instructions of the system control unit 50, a necessary voltage for a necessary period, and a storage medium. And a power supply control unit 80 that supplies power to each unit. As the nonvolatile memory 56, an EEPROM or the like is used.

  The digital camera 301 also includes a card detection unit that detects whether any of the card interfaces (I / F) 90 and 94, the connectors 92 and 96, and the memory cards 200 and 210 is attached to the digital camera 301. 98.

  In addition, the digital camera 301 includes an optical viewfinder 104 that enables photographing without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28. Furthermore, the digital camera 301 includes an open / close detection unit 106 that detects whether the display portion of the image display unit 28 is in an “open” state or a “closed” state. Here, the image display unit 28 can store the contents of the display unit facing the digital camera 301 as well as being arranged outward so as to be displayed to the user. Therefore, the open / close detection unit 106 detects that the image display unit 28 is in the “closed” state when the image display unit 28 is in the storage state as described above, and the “open” state when the display portion is in the display state as described above. It detects that it is.

  In addition, the digital camera 301 includes a wired communication unit 111 that communicates with an external storage device such as a PC 302 via a wired communication line such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) or IEEE 1394, and an external storage such as a PC 302 via a wireless communication line 303. And a wireless communication unit 113 that communicates with the apparatus. The wireless communication unit 113 may be built in the digital camera 301 or removable.

  Further, the system control unit 50 performs various processes on the image data from the A / D converter 16 based on the result of the arithmetic processing performed by the image processing unit 20, and performs exposure control according to these processing results. The unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 are controlled. Specifically, the system control unit 50 performs AE (automatic exposure) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing based on the calculation result. Do.

  Further, the image processing unit 20 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image data, and performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic result.

  The image display memory 24 and the memory 30 are stored in the A / D converter 16 when the data of the A / D converter 16 is transmitted through the image processing unit 20 and the memory control unit 22 or through the memory control unit 22. When data is transmitted directly, the transmitted data is written.

  The image display unit 28 includes a TFT-LCD liquid crystal display or the like, and has various display functions such as an electronic viewfinder function for sequentially displaying captured image data as well as the above-described reproduction display function. The image display unit 28 performs display ON / OFF switching according to an instruction from the system control unit 50. Thus, when the system control unit 50 determines that the display by the image display unit 28 is unnecessary, the display is turned off, so that the power consumption of the digital camera 301 can be significantly reduced.

  Furthermore, the image display unit 28 is coupled to the main body of the digital camera 301 by a hinge unit (not shown) that can rotate, and the user can set the image display unit 28 in any orientation and angle.

  When the open / close detection unit 106 detects that the display portion of the image display unit 28 is in the “closed” state, the system control unit 50 stops the display operation of the image display unit 28.

  The memory 30 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images and a moving image for a predetermined time. Thus, a large amount of images can be written to the memory 30 at high speed even during continuous shooting or panoramic shooting in which a plurality of still images are continuously shot.

  The memory 30 can also be used as a work area for the system control unit 50.

  The compression / decompression unit 32 reads an image stored in the memory 30, performs compression processing or decompression processing, and writes the processed data to the memory 30.

  The exposure control unit 40 also has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48.

  The display unit 54 is configured by a liquid crystal display, which is an LCD on which a single character or a plurality of characters and images are displayed at an easily visible position near the operation unit 70 of the digital camera 301, and an LED that blinks a lamp. The display unit 54 has a part of its function installed in the optical viewfinder 104.

  Specifically, among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed in the liquid crystal display is a single shot / continuous shooting display, a self-timer display, a compression rate display, a recording pixel number display, and a recording number display. , Number of remaining shots display, Shutter speed display, Aperture value display, Exposure compensation display, Flash display, Red-eye reduction display, Macro shooting display, Buzzer setting display, Clock battery level display, Battery level display, Error display, Multiple There are information display with digits, memory card 200 and 210 removal status display, communication I / F operation display, date / time display, and the like.

  Among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed in the optical viewfinder 104 includes in-focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, exposure correction display, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the display unit 54 is configured by a liquid crystal display or an LED, but is not limited to this as long as it can notify the user of an operation state, a message, and the like. Therefore, for example, a device in which a speaker having a sound generating element for notifying the user by voice may be combined with the liquid crystal display or the LED.

  The digital camera 301 includes a mode dial switch 60, a first shutter switch (SW1) 62, a second shutter switch (SW2) 64, an image display ON / OFF switch 66, a single shooting / continuous shooting switch 68, and a recording. A first selection switch 115. Further, the digital camera 301 includes a connection / disconnection switch 116 and an operation unit 70, and includes a switch, a dial, a touch panel, a pointing by visual line detection, and a voice recognition device. Each of these components is composed of one or a plurality of combinations.

  The mode dial switch 60 switches each function mode such as power-off, automatic shooting mode, shooting mode, panoramic shooting mode, playback mode, multi-screen playback / erase mode, PC connection mode, etc. according to the dial setting by the user operation.

  The first shutter switch 62 is turned on during the operation of a shutter button (not shown), and performs AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and the like. Instruct to start operation.

  The second shutter switch 64 is turned ON when the operation of a shutter button (not shown) is completed, and thereby, a series of photographing processing operations including exposure processing, development processing, reading processing, compression processing, and recording processing is started. Here, the exposure process is a process of writing image data into the memory 30 via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control unit 22 from the signal read from the image sensor 14. In addition, the development process is a process using calculation in the image processing unit 20 or the memory control unit 22, the reading process is a process of reading image data from the memory 30, and the compression process is the image data. Is a process in which the compression / decompression unit 32 performs compression. The recording process is a process for writing image data into one of the memory cards 200 and 210.

  The image display ON / OFF switch 66 sets ON / OFF of the image display unit 28 by a user operation. As a result, when photographing is performed using the optical viewfinder 104, the current supply to the image display unit 28 can be cut off, and power can be saved.

  The single shooting / continuous shooting switch 68 sets the shooting mode when the second shutter switch 64 is pressed to either the single shooting mode or the continuous shooting mode in accordance with switch switching by a user operation. Here, in the single shooting mode, one frame is shot when the shutter switch is pressed to enter a standby state, and in the continuous shooting mode, shooting is continuously performed while the second shutter switch 64 is pressed.

  The recording destination selection switch 115 is a switch for selecting one of “external storage device”, “internal storage medium”, and “internal storage medium and external storage device” as a recording destination of an image captured by the user. The digital camera 301 determines a recording destination for storing an actually captured image in accordance with the selected recording destination by the processing of FIG. 10 described later.

  The connection / disconnection switch 116 is a switch that allows the user to select either “connect” or “disconnect”. In response to this switch selection, the digital camera 301 communicates with the PC 302 with respect to the communication control unit 113. Instructs connection / disconnection of communication.

  The operation unit 70 includes various buttons, a touch panel, etc., and includes a menu button, a set button, a macro button, a multi-screen playback page break button, a flash setting button, a single shooting / continuous shooting / self-timer switching button, and menu movement + (plus). Button, menu shift-(minus) button, playback image shift + (plus) button, playback image-(minus) button, shooting quality selection button, exposure compensation button, date / time setting button, panorama mode shooting and playback Select / switch button for setting selection and switching of various functions when executing, Determination / execution button for setting determination and execution of various functions when performing shooting and playback in panorama mode, etc., ON of image display unit 28 Image display ON / OFF switch to set / OFF automatically, image data taken immediately after shooting Quick review ON / OFF switch for setting a quick review function to be generated, compression for selecting a compression rate for JPEG compression, or a switch for selecting a CCD RAW mode in which an image sensor signal is digitized and recorded on a storage medium A mode switch, a playback mode, a multi-screen playback / erase mode, a playback mode switch that can set various function modes such as a PC connection mode, and the captured image is read out from the memory 30 or the memory card 200 or 210 in the shooting mode state. A playback switch for instructing the start of the playback operation displayed by the image display unit 28.

  The power control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches a block to be energized, and the like, detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. The DC-DC converter is controlled based on an instruction from the system control unit 50.

  The power supply unit 86 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, and a connector 84 for connection to the connector 82.

  The memory cards 200 and 210 are removable storage media. The memory cards 200 and 210 may be the same type of storage medium or different types of storage media. In the present embodiment, a still image or a moving image captured by the digital camera 100 is recorded on the memory card selected by the user, but may be recorded on the memory cards 200 and 210. As the memory cards 200 and 210, an SD memory card, a compact flash (registered trademark), a removable HDD, or the like can be used. The memory card 200 includes a memory 202, a camera interface (I / F) 204, and a connector 206. The memory card 210 includes a memory 212, a camera interface (I / F) 214, and a connector 216. The memories 202 and 212 are randomly accessible non-volatile memories. The camera interface 204 can communicate with the card interface 90 on the digital camera 100 side, and the camera interface 214 can communicate with the card interface 94 on the digital camera 100 side. The connector 206 can be connected to the camera-side connector 92, and the connector 216 can be connected to the camera-side connector 98. Note that the card detector 98 detects whether the memory cards 200 and 210 are attached and removed. Both of the memory cards 200 and 210 are “internal storage media” to be described later. In this embodiment, the storage medium on the digital camera 301 side is referred to as an “internal storage medium” in comparison with an external storage device.

  The optical finder 104 is provided with some functions of the display unit 54, such as in-focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, and exposure correction display.

  The flash device 400 includes a connector 402 for connecting to the accessory shoe 48 of the digital camera 301, and a flash 404 having an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function.

  3 to 5 are flowcharts showing a procedure of recording control processing executed by the system control unit 50 of the digital camera 301 in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, first, when the connector 84 of the power supply unit 86 is connected to the connector 82 and the digital camera 301 is turned on, the system control unit 50 initializes flags, control variables, and the like (step S101). Thereafter, the image display of the image display unit 28 is turned off (step S102).

  Next, the system control unit 50 determines in which mode the mode dial 60 is dialed by a user operation (step S103).

  As a result of the determination in step S103, when the mode dial 60 is set to the power-off mode, the display of each display unit is terminated, the barrier of the protection unit 102 is closed, and the image sensor 14 is protected. Next, necessary parameters, setting values, and setting modes including flags and control variables are recorded in the nonvolatile memory 56, and an unnecessary power source for each part of the digital camera 301 including the image display unit 28 is shut off by the power control unit 80. A predetermined termination process such as the above is performed (step S105). Then, the process from step S103 is performed.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S103, when the mode dial 60 is set to the shooting mode, the process proceeds to step S106. As a result of the determination in step S103, when the mode dial 60 is set to a mode other than the power-off mode or the shooting mode, the system control unit 50 executes processing according to the selected mode (step S104). The process from S103 is performed.

  In step S <b> 106, the system control unit 50 determines whether there is a problem in the operation of the digital camera 301 with respect to the remaining capacity and operation status of the power source 86 configured by a battery or the like by the power source control unit 80. If there is a problem as a result of this determination (NO in step S106), a predetermined warning is given using the display unit 54 (step S108), and the processing from step S103 is performed. On the other hand, when there is no problem (YES in step S106), the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the single / continuous shooting switch 68 is set to the single shooting mode (step S109).

  If the result of determination in step S109 is that single shooting mode is set, single shooting / continuous shooting flag is set to single shooting (step S110), and continuous shooting mode is set instead of single shooting mode. Sets the single / continuous shooting flag to continuous shooting (step S111). Thereafter, when the flag setting is completed, the process proceeds to step S112. At this time, the state of the set single shooting / continuous shooting flag is stored in the internal memory of the system control unit 50 or the memory 52.

  In step S <b> 112, the system control unit 50 displays various setting states of the digital camera 301 using the display unit 54. At this time, if the image display of the image display unit 28 is ON, the image display unit 28 also displays various setting states of the digital camera 301.

  Subsequently, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the image display ON / OFF switch 66 is set to image display ON (step S113).

  As a result of the determination in step S113, when the image display is set to OFF instead of the image display ON, the process proceeds to step S118. On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S113 is that image display is set to ON, the system control unit 50 determines whether the image display unit 28 is in the “open” state by the open / close detection unit 106 (step S113). S114).

  If the result of determination in step S114 is “open”, the image display flag is set to ON (step S115), and the image display on the image display unit 28 is set to ON (step S116). Further, the captured image data is set to a through display state in which the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28 sequentially displays (step S117), and the process proceeds to step S120. On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S114 is not “open” but “closed”, the process proceeds to step S118.

  In step S118, the image display flag is set to OFF. Thereafter, the image display of the image display unit 28 is set to the OFF state (step S119), and the process proceeds to step S120. Here, when the image display of the image display unit 28 is set to the OFF state, the optical viewfinder 104 is used for shooting without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28. Thereby, the power consumption of the image display unit 28, the D / A converter 26, and the like that consume a large amount of power can be reduced.

  Further, the state of the image display flag set in step S115 and canceled in step S118 is stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control unit 50.

  In step S120, it is determined whether or not the user of “Connect” has been selected in the connection / disconnection switch 116. As a result of this determination, when the user selection of “connection” is made, it is determined whether or not the connection flag is ON (step S121).

  If the result of determination in step S121 is that the connection flag is ON, processing proceeds directly to step S129. On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S121 is that the connection flag is OFF, communication with the PC 302 is established (step S122), the connection flag is turned ON (step S123), and the communication state monitoring process of FIG. Is started (step S124), and the process proceeds to step S129.

  On the other hand, when the result of determination in step S120 is that the user has selected “disconnected” instead of “connected”, it is determined whether or not the connection flag is ON (step S125).

  As a result of the determination in step S125, when the connection flag is not ON but OFF, the process directly proceeds to step S129. On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S125 is that the connection flag is ON, communication state monitoring processing in FIG. 12 described later is stopped (step S126), the connection flag is turned OFF (step S127), and The communication is disconnected (step S128), and the process proceeds to step S129.

  Here, the communication state monitoring process which starts in step S124 and stops in step S126 is performed in parallel with the recording control process.

  In step S129, the recording destination of the captured image is set based on the setting of the connection flag in the recording destination setting process of FIG. Thereafter, a shooting prohibition flag is set in a shooting possibility determination process of FIG. 12 described later (step S130), and the process proceeds to step S131 of FIG. At this time, the set photographing prohibition flag is stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control unit 50.

  In step S131, it is periodically determined whether or not the first shutter switch 62 has been pressed. If the result of this determination is that the button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S144; otherwise, the process from step S103 is performed.

  In step S144, it is periodically determined whether or not the photographing prohibition flag set in step S130 is ON. If the result of this determination is that the shooting prohibition flag is ON, processing from step S103 is performed. If the shooting prohibition flag is OFF, the shooting flag is set to ON (step S145), and processing in step S132 is performed. Proceed to

  Next, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 is being set (step S132). As a result of this determination, if the state of the image display flag is not set and is canceled, the process proceeds directly to the process of step S134, and if it is being set, the display state of the image display unit 28 is set to the freeze display state. (Step S133), the process proceeds to step S134.

  When the freeze display state is set, rewriting of image data in the image display memory 24 via the image sensor 12, the A / D converter 16, the image processing unit 20, and the memory control unit 22 is prohibited. As a result, the image data written last becomes a frozen image, and the image display unit 28 as an electronic finder displays the frozen image via the memory control unit 22 and the D / A converter 26.

  Next, the system control unit 50 controls the distance measurement control unit 42 in the distance measurement / exposure control process of FIG. 6 described later to focus the lens unit 10 on the subject, and controls the exposure control unit 40 to adjust the aperture value. Then, the shutter time is determined (step S134). In this exposure control process, the flash is set if necessary.

  Thereafter, the system control unit 50 sets the shutter speed to be set from the shooting operation mode set by the user with the mode dial switch 60 and the aperture value and shutter time determined in the distance measurement / exposure control processing in step S134. It is determined whether or not the shutter time settable by the mechanical shutter has been exceeded (step S135). If the result of this determination is that the settable shutter time has not been exceeded, the shutter time at the mechanical shutter of the shutter 12 is set (step S136), and processing proceeds to step S138.

  On the other hand, if the result of this determination is that the settable shutter time is exceeded, the shutter time setting using both the mechanical shutter and the electronic shutter is performed (step S137), and the process proceeds to step S138. Thus, smearing can be prevented by the mechanical shutter, and a high shutter speed can be achieved by the electronic shutter.

  In step S138, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 is being set. As a result of this determination, when the state of the image display flag is being set, the display state of the image display unit 28 is set to the through display state (step S139), and the process proceeds to step S140. On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S138 is that the state of the image display flag is not being set but has been canceled, the process proceeds directly to step S140.

  In step S140, it is determined whether the second shutter switch 64 has been pressed. If the result of this determination is that the second shutter switch 64 has not been pressed and the first shutter switch 62 detected in step S131 has been released (NO in step S141), the shooting flag is set to OFF. (Step S146), the processing from step S103 is performed.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S140, when the second shutter switch 64 is pressed, the system control unit 50 determines whether the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 is being set. Determination is made (step S142). As a result of this determination, when the state of the image display flag is not set but is canceled, the process directly proceeds to the process of step S161 in FIG. On the other hand, when the state of the image display flag is being set, the display state of the image display unit 28 is set to the fixed color display state (step S143), and the process proceeds to step S161 in FIG.

  In the fixed color display state set in step S143, instead of the captured image data written in the image display memory 24 via the image sensor 12, the A / D converter 16, the image processing unit 20, and the memory control unit 22. The replaced fixed color image data is displayed by the image display unit 28 via the memory control unit 22 and the D / A converter 26. As a result, a fixed-color image is displayed on the image display unit 28 as an electronic viewfinder.

  In step S161, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the single shooting / continuous shooting flag stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 is set to the single shooting mode. If the result of this determination is that single shooting mode has been set, processing proceeds to step S162.

  In step S <b> 162, the system control unit 50 performs single shooting in the shooting process of FIG. 7, which will be described later, and performs exposure processing for writing one piece of image data shot in the memory 30, or the above-described image data written in the memory 30. Perform development processing.

  Thereafter, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 is being set (step S163). If the result of this determination is that the state of the image display flag is being set, quick review 1 display processing is performed (step S164), and processing proceeds to step S165. The quick review 1 display process specifically refers to the following process. First, image data processed in accordance with the display format of the image display unit 28 is read from the memory 30. Next, the display image data is transferred to the image display memory 24 via the memory control unit 22. Finally, the display image data read from the image display memory 24 is displayed on the image display unit 28.

  Since this quick review 1 display process is executed before the dark capture process of step S165 described later is performed, display image data is created using the image data before the dark correction calculation is performed, and this is displayed on the image display unit. 28. In addition, a character display such as busy indicating that the dark capturing process is being performed is superimposed on the generated display image data.

  As described above, in the single shooting mode, the shutter release time lag is shortened by performing the photographing process before the dark capturing process and using the image data before dark correction for the quick review display. Thereby, a quick review display can be performed immediately after shooting.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S163, when the state of the image display flag is not being set and is canceled, the process proceeds to step S165 while the image display unit 28 is in an OFF state. In this case, the image display unit 28 remains off even after shooting, and no quick review display is performed. As a result, when it is not necessary to check the photographed image immediately after photographing, as in the case of continuing photographing using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to save power without using the electronic finder function of the image display unit 28. it can.

  In step S165, in the dark capturing process of FIG. 8 to be described later, the system control unit 50 accumulates a noise component such as a dark current in the image sensor 14 with the shutter 12 closed for the same time as the main photographing, and finishes the accumulation. Read the noise image signal. By performing the correction calculation process using the dark image data captured in the dark capturing process, the captured image data is related to image quality degradation such as dark current noise generated by the image sensor 14 and pixel defects due to scratches unique to the image sensor 14. Can be corrected.

  Next, the system control unit 50 performs integration calculation / development processing of FIG. 9 described later (step S166).

  Here, the integral calculation process in step S166 is a process necessary to read a part of the image data written in the predetermined area of the memory 30 through the memory control unit 22 and perform the development process. Specifically, it refers to processing such as WB (white balance) integration calculation processing and OB (optical black) integration calculation processing. This calculation result is stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control unit 50.

  The development process in step S166 is a process that uses the calculation result that is obtained by reading the photographed image data written in a predetermined area of the memory 30 and storing it in the internal memory of the system control unit 50 or the memory 52. Specifically, it refers to processing such as AWB (auto white balance) processing, gamma conversion processing, and color conversion processing.

  Further, in the development processing, dark correction calculation processing for canceling dark current noise and the like of the image sensor 14 is also performed by performing subtraction processing using the dark image data captured in the dark capturing processing.

  Next, the system control unit 50 reads the image data written in the predetermined area of the memory 30 and performs image compression processing according to the set mode by the compression / decompression unit 32 (step S167). At this time, image data that has been photographed and completed a series of processing is written in the empty image portion of the image storage buffer area of the memory 30.

  After that, the system control unit 50 writes the image data to the memory cards 200 and 210 or transfers the image data to the PC 302 in the recording / transfer process of FIG. 13 described later (step S168). Specifically, this recording process is a process of reading the image data stored in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 and writing it to the memory cards 200 and 210 via the interfaces 90 and 94 and the connectors 92 and 96. is there. In addition, the transfer process specifically reads out the image data stored in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 and passes through the communication control unit 111 and the connector 112 or via the communication control unit 113 and the antenna 114. , Processing to transfer to the PC 302.

  The transfer process is not limited to the above-described form as long as the image data stored in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 is transferred to the PC 302. Therefore, for example, the data may be transferred to the PC 302 via a LAN card or USB card attached to the interfaces 90 and 94 and the connectors 92 and 96.

  Further, in order to clearly indicate that the writing operation is being performed during the process of step S168, for example, the LED may blink on the display unit 54.

  Thereafter, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 is being set (step S169). If the result of this determination is that the state of the image display flag is being set, quick review 2 display processing is performed (step S170). The quick review 2 display process specifically refers to the following process. First, image data processed in accordance with the display format of the image display unit 28 is read from the memory 30. Next, the display image data is transferred to the image display memory 24 via the memory control unit 22. Finally, the display image data read from the image display memory 24 is displayed on the image display unit 28.

  Since this quick review 2 display process is executed after the dark capture process of step S165, the display image data is created using the image data after the dark correction calculation is performed in the development process of step S166, It is displayed on the image display unit 28. In addition, in the created display image data, a character display such as busy is deleted to indicate that the dark capturing process has been completed.

  As described above, in the single shooting mode, first, the photographing process is performed before the dark capturing process and the quick review 1 is displayed using the image data before dark correction. After the dark capturing process is performed, the dark correction process is performed. The quick review 2 is displayed using the image data. As a result, the shutter release time lag can be shortened, and quick review display can be performed immediately after shooting.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S169, when the state of the image display flag is not set and is canceled, the process proceeds to step S171 while the image display unit 28 is in an OFF state. In this case, the image display unit 28 remains off even after shooting, and no quick review display is performed. As a result, when it is not necessary to check the photographed image immediately after photographing, as in the case of continuing photographing using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to save power without using the electronic finder function of the image display unit 28. it can.

  Next, when the pressing of the first shutter switch 62 started from step S131 is released (YES in step S171), the process proceeds to step S172.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S161 that the continuous shooting mode is set instead of the single shooting mode, the process proceeds to step S181.

  In step S181, the system control unit 50 accumulates noise components such as dark current of the image sensor 14 in the dark capturing process in FIG. Read the noise image signal. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S182.

  By performing the correction calculation process using the dark image data captured in the dark capturing process, the captured image data is related to image quality degradation such as dark current noise generated by the image sensor 14 and pixel defects due to scratches unique to the image sensor 14. Can be corrected.

  In step S182, when it is detected that the second shutter switch 64 is pressed, the same photographing process as in step S162 described above is performed. Here, since the single shooting / continuous shooting flag is continuous shooting, continuous shooting is performed until the user depresses the second shutter switch 64 in step S189 to be described later. In addition, each image data obtained by continuous shooting is subjected to an exposure process written in the memory 30, a developing process for performing various processes on the written image data, and the like (step S183). At this time, dark correction calculation processing is also performed in the same manner as the processing in step S167 described above.

  Thereafter, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 is being set (step S184). If the result of this determination is that the state of the image display flag is being set, quick review 3 display processing, which is the same processing as the quick review 2 display processing in step S170 described above, is performed (step S185), and the processing in step S186 is performed. Proceed to

  This quick review 3 display process is after the dark capture process is performed in step S181. Accordingly, display image data is created using the image data after the dark correction calculation is performed in the integration / development process in step S183, and displayed on the image display unit 28, as in the process in step S170 described above.

  As described above, in the continuous shooting mode, the quick review 3 display process is performed using the image data after the dark correction, so that the interval between the continuous shooting frames of the first image and the second image and the subsequent images is made substantially constant and the shooting is performed. Quick review display can be performed immediately.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S184 is that the state of the image display flag is not being set and is released, the process proceeds to step S186 while the image display unit 28 is in an OFF state. In this case, the image display unit 28 remains off even after shooting, and no quick review display is performed. As a result, when it is not necessary to check the photographed image immediately after photographing, as in the case of continuing photographing using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to save power without using the electronic finder function of the image display unit 28. it can.

  Next, in step S186, the system control unit 50 reads one piece of image data captured in continuous shooting in the memory 30, and performs image compression processing according to the mode set by the user using the mode dial switch 60. 32 (step S186).

  Thereafter, when there is a free space in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 (YES in step S187), the compressed image data is written in the image storage buffer area, and the process directly proceeds to step S189. On the other hand, when there is no free space in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 (NO in step S187), the recording / transfer processing of the compressed image data is performed in the same manner as in step S168 described above, and then the processing proceeds to step S189. .

  According to the processing of steps S187 and S188, when a predetermined number of continuous shootings are performed and the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 is insufficient, not only the image data in the memory 30 is compressed but also the compressed image is compressed. Records / transfers data. As a result, a space can be created in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30, and continuous shooting can be reliably performed.

  When performing the transfer / recording process in step S188, the user may be warned by using the image display unit 28 or the display unit 54 to notify the user that the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 is insufficient.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the pressing of the second shutter switch 64 has been released (step S189). If the result of this determination is that release of the second shutter switch 64 has not been released, processing from step S182 is performed. On the other hand, when the pressing of the second shutter switch 64 is released, the photographing prohibition flag is turned on, and the process proceeds to step S194.

  Next, in step S194, the processing from step S186 is performed until the compression processing of all the image data in the memory 30 is completed. Thereafter, when the first shutter switch 62 is also released (YES in step S190), the same recording / transfer processing as in step S168 is performed on the compressed image data recorded in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 ( The process proceeds to step S191) and step S172.

  In order to clarify that the writing operation is being performed during the process of step S191, for example, the LED may blink on the display unit 54.

  In step S172, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 is being set. If the result of this determination is that the state of the image display flag is being set, the display state of the image display unit 28 is set to the through display state (step S173), the shooting flag is turned OFF (step S192), The process from step S103 is performed. Thereby, after confirming the captured image on the image display unit 28 by performing the quick review display process (steps S164, S170, S185), a through display state in which image data captured for the next imaging is sequentially displayed is set. be able to.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S172 is that the state of the image display flag is not being set, but has been canceled, the process proceeds directly to step S192 to turn off the shooting flag and then perform the processing from step S103. .

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the distance measurement / exposure control process of step S134 of FIG. 4 executed by the system control unit 50.

  In FIG. 6, first, when a charge signal is read from the image sensor 14 and photographed image data is transmitted to the image processing unit 20 via the A / D converter 16 (YES in step S200), the transmitted image is transmitted. Using the data, the image processing unit 20 performs predetermined calculations used for TTL (through-the-lens) AE (automatic exposure) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and AF (autofocus) processing (step) S201).

  Further, the above calculation is performed by cutting out and extracting a specific portion of the total number of photographed pixels as necessary. Thereby, in each process of TTL system AE, EF, AWB, and AF, it is possible to perform an optimal calculation for each different mode such as the center-weighted mode, the average mode, and the evaluation mode.

  Next, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the exposure (AE) is appropriate using the calculation result in the image processing unit 20 (step S202). If the result of this determination is that the exposure is not appropriate, AE control is performed using the exposure control unit 40 (step S203), and then whether or not flashing is necessary is determined using the measurement data obtained by the AE control. Determination is made (step S204).

  If the result of determination in step S204 is that flash is not required, processing from step S200 is performed. If flash is required, the flash flag is set, the flash 404 is charged (step S205), and processing from step S200 is performed. I do.

  On the other hand, when the exposure (AE) is appropriate as a result of the determination in step S202, the measurement data and / or setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control unit 50, and then the calculation result in the image processing unit 20 and It is determined whether or not the white balance (AWB) is appropriate using the measurement data obtained by the AE control (step S206).

  If the result of determination in step S206 is that the white balance (AWB) is not appropriate, AWB control is performed by adjusting the color processing parameters using the image processing unit 20 (step S207), and the processing from step S200 is performed. . On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S206 is that the white balance (AWB) is appropriate, the measurement data and / or setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control unit 50. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the distance measurement (AF) is in focus using the measurement data obtained by the AE control and the AWB control (step S208).

  If the result of determination in step S208 is that focus detection (AF) is not in focus, AF control is performed using the distance measurement control unit 42 (step S209), and processing from step S200 is performed. On the other hand, if the distance measurement (AF) is in focus as a result of the determination in step S208, the measurement data and / or the setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control unit 50, and then this process ends.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the photographing process in steps S162 and S182 of FIG. 5 executed by the system control unit 50.

  In FIG. 7, first, the charge clear operation of the image sensor 14 is performed (step S301). Thereafter, when charge accumulation in the image sensor 14 is started (step S302), the shutter 12 is opened by the exposure control unit 40 (step S303), and exposure of the image sensor 14 is started (step S304).

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not a flash is required for shooting (step S305). Specifically, in this determination process, it is determined that the flash is necessary when the flash flag is set in step S205 of FIG.

  As a result of the determination in step S305, if the flash is not necessary, the flash is emitted directly when the flash is necessary (step S306), and then the process proceeds to step S307.

  In step S307, when the image sensor 14 finishes exposure according to the photometric data (YES in step S307), the exposure controller 40 closes the shutter 12 (step S308), and the exposure of the image sensor 14 ends.

  Thereafter, when the set charge accumulation time has elapsed (YES in step S309), the charge accumulation of the image sensor 14 is terminated (step S310), the charge signal is read from the image sensor 14 (step S311), and this process is terminated. To do. The read charge signal is sent from the A / D converter 16, the image processing unit 20, the memory control unit 22, or directly from the A / D converter 16 through the memory control unit 22 to the predetermined memory 30. The captured image data is written in the area.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the dark capturing process in steps S165 and S181 of FIG. 5 executed by the system control unit 50.

  In FIG. 8, first, the charge clear operation of the image sensor 14 is performed (step S401). Thereafter, after the charge accumulation of the image sensor 14 is started (step S402), when the set charge accumulation time has elapsed (YES in step S403), the charge accumulation of the image sensor 14 is terminated (step S404), and the image sensor 14 The dark signal is read out from (Step S405), and this process is terminated. The read dark signal is stored in the predetermined memory 30 via the A / D converter 16, the image processing unit 20, the memory control unit 22, or directly from the A / D converter 16 via the memory control unit 22. The area is written as image data (dark image data).

  By performing development processing using this dark capture data, the image data obtained in the next imaging process is corrected with respect to image quality degradation such as dark current noise generated by the image sensor 14 and pixel defects due to scratches inherent to the image sensor 14. can do.

  The dark image data is held in a predetermined area of the memory 30 until a new dark capturing process is performed or the power of the digital camera 301 is turned off.

  In this embodiment, the memory 30 is composed of a volatile memory whose stored contents are lost when the power is turned off. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a part or all of the memory 30 may be an EEPROM, a hard disk or the like. The non-volatile memory may be used. In this case, the dark image data is held in a predetermined area of the nonvolatile memory until a new dark capturing process is performed.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the integration calculation / development processing in steps S166 and S183 of FIG.

  In FIG. 9, first, the captured image data and its dark image data written in the memory 30 are read out, and luminance signal processing (step S501), color processing (step S502), and thumbnail image processing (step S503) are performed. The processed image data is written in 30, and this process is terminated.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the recording destination setting process in step S129 of FIG. 3 executed by the system control unit 50. This process is also executed in steps S703 and S713 of FIG.

  In FIG. 10, first, it is determined whether the recording destination selection switch 115 selects “external storage device”, “internal storage medium”, or “internal storage medium and external storage device” (step S601).

  As a result of the determination in step S601, when the state of the recording destination selection switch 115 is selecting “external storage device”, it is determined whether or not communication with the PC 302 is being established (step S602). Specifically, when the connection flag stored in the internal memory of the system control unit 50 or the memory 52 is ON, it is determined that it is being established, and when it is OFF, it is determined that it is being disconnected.

  If the result of determination in step S602 is that communication with the PC 302 is not established, processing proceeds directly to step S603. On the other hand, when communication with the PC 302 is being established, it is determined whether or not the recording capacity of the PC 302 is sufficient (step S607). If the result of this determination is that the recording capacity of the PC 302 is sufficient, “external storage device” is set as the recording destination (step S608), and this processing is terminated. On the other hand, when the recording capacity of the PC 302 is not sufficient, the process proceeds to step S603.

  In step S603, it is determined whether the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 is free. If the result of this determination is that the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 is free, “Built-in RAM” is set as the recording destination (step S606), and this processing is terminated. That is, the recording destination of the image data that has been subjected to compression processing after shooting is determined in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30.

  As a result, even if the user sets the recording destination selection switch 115 to “external storage device”, communication with the PC 302 is not established (NO in step S602), and image data cannot be recorded by the PC 302. If the image storage buffer area is empty (YES in step S603), the recording destination is set to “built-in RAM” so as to temporarily record the image data in the memory 30 (step S606). Disappearance can be prevented. Even if the connection with the PC 302 has been established (YES in step S602), if the recording capacity of the PC 302 is not sufficient (NO in step S607), if there is an empty image storage buffer area in the memory 30 (step S603). Since the recording destination is set to “built-in RAM” so that the image data is temporarily recorded in the memory 30 (step S606), it is possible to prevent the loss of the captured image data.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S603 is that there is no space in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30, the recording destination setting is cleared (step S604), and this process ends.

  In this process, when it is determined in step S607 that recording to the PC 302 is not possible, it is determined whether or not there is an empty image storage buffer area in the memory 30 (step S603). The prohibition flag may be turned on to end this process.

  As a result of the determination in step S601, when the state of the recording destination selection switch 115 is selecting “internal storage medium and external storage device”, it is determined whether or not communication with the PC 302 is being established as in step S602. (Step S609).

  If the result of determination in step S609 is that communication with the PC 302 has not been established, processing proceeds to step S614. On the other hand, when communication with the PC 302 is being established, it is determined whether or not the storage capacity of the memory cards 200 and 210 is sufficient (step S610). If the result of this determination is that the memory capacity of the memory cards 200 and 210 is sufficient and the PC 302 has sufficient recording capacity (YES in step S611), “internal storage medium and external storage device” is set as the recording destination. (Step S612), and this process is terminated. Further, when the storage capacity of the memory cards 200 and 210 is sufficient (YES in step S610), but the PC 302 does not have sufficient recording capacity (NO in step S611), “internal storage medium” is set as the recording destination ( Step S615), the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S610 is that the storage capacity of the memory cards 200 and 210 is not sufficient (NO in step S610), processing from step S607 is performed.

  As a result of the determination in step S601, when the state of the recording destination selection switch 115 is selecting “internal storage medium”, it is determined whether or not the storage capacity of the memory cards 200 and 210 is sufficient (step S614). As a result of the determination, when the storage capacity of the memory cards 200 and 210 is sufficient, “internal storage medium” is set as the recording destination (step S615), and this process is terminated. On the other hand, when the memory capacity of the memory cards 200 and 210 is not sufficient, the recording destination setting is cleared and the present process is terminated.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the photographing capability determination process in step S130 of FIG. 3 executed by the system control unit 50. This process is also executed in steps S704 and S714 of FIG.

  In FIG. 11, first, when the recording destination setting is cleared in the recording destination setting process of FIG. 10 described above (YES in step S801), the photographing prohibition flag is turned ON (step S802), and this process ends. On the other hand, if the recording destination setting has not been cleared (NO in step S801), the photographing prohibition flag is turned OFF (step S803), and this process ends.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the communication state monitoring process that is executed by the system control unit 50 and starts in step S124 of FIG. 3 and stops in step S126.

  As described above, this processing is performed in parallel with the processing from steps S124 to S126 in FIG.

  In FIG. 12, first, when the communication state with the PC 302 acquired from the communication control unit 113 is disconnected (YES in step S701), the connection flag is set to OFF (step S702), and the recording destination in FIG. Setting processing is performed (step S703). In the recording destination setting process at this time, the connection flag is set to OFF in step S702. Accordingly, when the recording destination selection switch 115 is set to “external storage device” (NO in step S602 in FIG. 10) and there is no space in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 (NO in step S603), the recording destination setting is performed. Is cleared (step S604). On the other hand, when the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 is empty (YES in step S603), the recording destination is set to “built-in RAM” (step S606).

  When the recording destination selection switch 115 is set to either “internal storage medium and external storage device” or “internal storage medium”, the following setting is made. First, when the recording capacity of the memory cards 200 and 210 is not sufficient (NO in step S614), the recording destination setting is cleared (step S616), and when the recording capacity of the memory cards 200 and 210 is sufficient, recording is performed. The destination is set to “internal storage medium” (step S615).

  As described above, the recording destination selection switch 115 allows the user to set one of “external storage device”, “internal storage medium and external storage device”, and “internal storage medium” as a recording destination of the captured image data. Since the recording destination setting when communication is disconnected is set according to the setting destination selected by the user, user operability can be further improved.

  Next, a shooting prohibition flag is set by the above-described shooting enable determination process of FIG. 11 (step S704). Here, in this process, as described above, the recording destination setting is clear, “built-in RAM”, or “internal storage medium”, and when the recording destination setting is clear, shooting is prohibited. When the flag is set to ON and the recording destination setting is “internal RAM” or “internal storage medium”, the photographing prohibition flag is set to OFF.

  Thereafter, when the shooting prohibition flag set in step S704 is ON (YES in step S705), the process directly proceeds to step S710, and the “disconnected” display is displayed on the display unit 54 as shown in FIG. (Step S706).

  As described above, when the communication with the PC 302 is disconnected and there is no recording destination for recording the captured image data instead of the PC 302, the shooting prohibition flag is turned ON, and the user cannot immediately perform the shooting operation. , Loss of captured images can be prevented. Further, when the photographing prohibition flag is set to ON, a “disconnected” display is displayed on the display unit 54 to notify the user that communication with the PC 302 has been disconnected. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the shooting operation from being performed after the shooting is prohibited, and to reliably prevent the user's shooting operation from being wasted.

  On the other hand, when the photographing prohibition flag set in step S704 is OFF (NO in step S705), the cutting icon is displayed at a position that does not interfere with the viewfinder field of the display unit 54 (step S706).

  Thereby, in the continuous shooting mode, it is possible to prevent the number of images that cannot be stored in the memory 30 and the memory cards 200 and 210 from being shot, and it is possible to prevent the user's shooting operation from being wasted. . In addition, the user can be notified that the connection with the PC 302 has been disconnected without interfering with the current user's shooting operation.

  In this embodiment, the disconnection icon is displayed in step S706. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this mode as long as the above contents can be notified without disturbing the user's shooting operation.

  Therefore, for example, the LED may blink on the display unit 54 instead of the disconnection icon. Further, a connection icon may be displayed while a communication state with the PC 302 is established, and the connection icon may be switched to a disconnection icon and displayed in the process of step S706. Thereby, the user can surely grasp the current communication connection state of the PC 302.

  Thereafter, when the user who has visually recognized the display releases the pressing of the shutter switch 64, the shooting flag is turned OFF (YES in step S707). At this time, the image data captured by pressing the shutter switch 64 is stored in the recording destination set in step S703, specifically, the memory 30 or the memory cards 200 and 210.

  Thereafter, the display of the disconnection icon displayed in step S706 is canceled (step S708), the photographing prohibition flag is set to ON, and photographing by the next user operation is prohibited (step S709). Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the user's shooting operation from being wasted when the recording capacity of the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 is smaller than the recording capacity of the PC 302 and the memory 30 cannot store an image obtained by shooting a plurality of times. it can.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S710, and a “cut off” display is displayed on the display unit 54 as shown in FIG.

  Next, when the user performs a confirmation operation on the “disconnected” display on the operation unit 70 (YES in step S711), the “disconnected” display is hidden (step S712), and shooting is performed. The prohibition flag is turned OFF (step S712a). Thereby, the screen of the display device 54 can be easily returned to the viewfinder, and the next shooting can be performed quickly.

  Thereafter, after the recording destination setting process in FIG. 10 is performed and the recording destination is reset (step S713), whether the shooting can be continued after the recording destination is reset in the shooting possibility determination process in FIG. After determining whether or not (step S714), this process is terminated.

  According to the processing of FIG. 12, when the communication state with the PC 302 is being disconnected (YES in step S701), if there is a free space in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30, this is set as the recording destination (step S703). When the image is being photographed, the image obtained by the photographing is stored in the memory 30 that is the set recording destination (step S707), and when there is no space in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30, the recording destination setting is cleared. (Step S703) Since the photographing prohibition flag is turned ON to prohibit photographing by the user operation (Step S704), the user's photographing operation is prevented from being wasted when communication with the wirelessly connected PC 302 is disconnected. can do.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the procedure of recording / transfer processing in steps S168, S188, and S191 of FIG. 5 executed by the system control unit 50.

  In FIG. 13, first, when “internal storage medium” is not included in the recording destination set in the recording destination setting process of FIG. 10 described above (NO in step S901), “internal storage medium” is directly added to the recording destination. Is included (YES in step S901), the image data is recorded on the memory cards 200 and 210 which are “internal storage media” (step S902), and then the process proceeds to step S903.

  Thereby, not only when “internal storage medium” is set as the recording destination (step S615 in FIG. 10), but also when “internal storage medium and external storage device” is set (step S612), in step S902 Image data can be recorded in the memory cards 200 and 210.

  Next, when “external storage device” is not included in the recording destination set in the recording destination setting process of FIG. 10 described above (NO in step S903), the process directly proceeds to step S905. On the other hand, when “external storage device” is included in the recording destination (YES in step S901), the image data is recorded in the PC 302 as the external storage device (step S904), and then the process proceeds to step S905.

  Thus, not only when “external storage device” is set as the recording destination (step S608 in FIG. 10), but also when “internal storage medium and external storage device” is set (step S612), in step S904 Image data can be recorded on the PC 302.

  Next, when the recording destination set in the recording destination setting process of FIG. 10 described above is not “built-in RAM” (NO in step S905), the present process is ended as it is. On the other hand, when the recording destination is “built-in RAM” (YES in step S905), the image data is recorded in the image storage buffer area of the memory 30 that is “built-in RAM” (step S904), and this process is terminated. .

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a modified example of the communication state monitoring process of FIG.

  The processing in FIG. 15 is basically the same as the processing in FIG. 12, and the same steps as those in FIG. 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description is omitted, and the following differences from the processing in FIG. Only will be described.

  The process in FIG. 15 differs from that in FIG. 12 only in that steps S1014 to S1022 are arranged between steps S706 and S708, and steps S1007 to S1012 are arranged between steps S710 and S712.

  In FIG. 15, first, in the processing of steps S701 to S704, after the recording destination is set to clear, “built-in RAM”, or “internal storage medium”, whether or not the photographing prohibition flag is ON in step S705. The determination process is performed.

  If the result of determination in step S705 is that the shooting prohibition flag is ON, processing proceeds directly to step S1007. On the other hand, when the shooting prohibition flag is not ON but is OFF, the disconnection icon in FIG. 14 is displayed (step S706), and thereafter it is determined periodically whether the shooting flag is ON (step S706). Step S1014). As a result of this determination, when the shooting flag is turned OFF, the processing of steps S708 to S710 is performed, the shooting operation by the user cannot be performed, and the “disconnected” display is displayed on the display unit 54. The process proceeds to step S1007.

  Thereby, when the period during which the communication of the PC 302 is disconnected is short, the next shooting can be performed more quickly.

  If the result of determination in step S1014 is that the shooting flag remains ON, reconnection processing with the PC 302 is performed (step S1017).

  Thereafter, it is periodically determined whether or not reconnection is possible by the process of step S1017 (step S1018).

  Before the reconnection can be performed (NO in step S1018), when the user's shooting operation is completed and the shooting flag is turned off (NO in step S1014), the processing in steps S708 to S710 is performed, and step S1007 is performed. Proceed to the determination process.

  On the other hand, before the user's shooting operation is completed and the shooting flag is turned OFF (YES in step S1014), if the reconnection is completed (YES in step S1018), the disconnect icon is hidden (step S1018). S1019). After that, the connection flag is set to ON (step S1020), the recording destination setting process shown in FIG. 10 is performed (step S1021), and based on the result of the recording destination setting process, the photographing possibility determination process shown in FIG. 11 is performed. (Step S1022), the processing from Step S1001 is performed.

  Thereby, when the period during which the communication of the PC 302 is disconnected is short, shooting by the user operation is not prohibited in the next shooting, and operability can be improved.

  Thereafter, in step S1007, it is periodically determined whether or not the user has performed a confirmation operation on the “cut” display on the operation unit 70. When this confirmation operation is performed, the processing of steps S712 to S714 is performed so that the communication state of the PC 302 can be monitored in the next photographing processing, and then this processing is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the confirmation operation is not performed (NO in step S1007), reconnection processing with the PC 302 is performed (step S1010).

  Thereafter, it is periodically determined whether or not reconnection is possible by the process of step S1010 (step S1011).

  If the user performs the confirmation operation before the reconnection is possible (NO in step S1011) (YES in step S1007), the process ends after performing the processes in steps S712 to S714.

  On the other hand, before the user performs the confirmation operation (NO in step S1007), when the reconnection is possible (YES in step S1011), a “disconnected” display is displayed on the display unit 54 (step S1012). ), The processing from step S1020 is performed.

  In the present embodiment, the digital camera 301 and the PC 302 as an external storage device are in a one-to-one relationship, but there may be a plurality of external storage devices. Furthermore, the external storage device may be an imaging device.

  In the present embodiment, the memory cards 200 and 210 are removable storage media from the digital camera 301, but either or both of them may be fixed to the digital camera 301.

  In the present embodiment, there are two memory cards 200 and 210 as internal storage media, but the number is not limited to two. Therefore, for example, the digital camera 301 may be configured to be connected to one or more storage media.

<Other embodiments>
The above embodiment can also be realized by a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) in a system or apparatus reading and executing a computer program stored in a storage medium.

  As a storage medium for supplying such a computer program, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD + RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, and the like can be used. Or you may download a computer program via a network.

  Further, by executing the computer program read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) running on the computer based on the instructions of the computer program. A case where part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of an imaging system including an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of the digital camera in FIG. 1. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of recording control processing executed by a system control unit of the digital camera in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a continuation of the flowchart showing the procedure of the recording control process of FIG. FIG. 4 is a continuation of the flowchart showing the procedure of the recording control process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the ranging / exposure control processing of FIG.4 S134 performed by a system control part. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the imaging | photography process of FIG.5 S162, S182 performed by a system control part. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the dark taking-in process of step S165 of FIG. 5, and S181 performed by a system control part. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the integral calculation and development processing of step S166, S183 of FIG. 5 which are performed by a system control part. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a recording destination setting process in step S129 of FIG. 3 executed by a system control unit. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the imaging | photography possible determination process of FIG.3 S130 performed by a system control part. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the communication status monitoring process which starts by step S124 of FIG. 3 performed by a system control part, and stops by step S126. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of recording / transfer processing in steps S168, S188, and S191 of FIG. 5 executed by a system control unit. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a “disconnected” display displayed in step S706 of FIG. 7 by the display unit. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the modification of the communication status monitoring process of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

300 Imaging System 301 Digital Camera 302 Personal Computer

Claims (21)

Image capturing means for capturing an image of a subject by user operation, wireless connection means for wirelessly connecting to an external storage device, and image recording means for recording the image in the external storage device when wirelessly connected to the external storage device In an imaging apparatus having
The imaging device has another storage device therein,
Determining means for determining whether or not recording by the other storage device is possible when wireless connection with the external storage device is disconnected;
When the recording by the other storage device is possible and the image is being shot, other image recording means for storing the image by the shooting in the other storage device;
An imaging apparatus comprising: an imaging prohibiting unit that prohibits imaging by the user operation when recording by the other storage device is not possible.   2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising another photographing prohibiting unit that prohibits photographing by the user operation next time when recording by the other storage device is possible and the photographing is finished. .   2. The recording by the next user operation is permitted when reconnection to the external storage device is possible before recording by the other storage device and before the shooting is finished. Or the imaging device of 2.   4. A disconnect notification means for notifying a user that a wireless connection with the external storage device has been disconnected when photographing by the user operation is prohibited. The imaging device described in 1.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the user confirmation of the notification is detected, the notification is terminated and the prohibition of photographing by the user operation is canceled.   6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the connection with the external storage device is reconnected before detecting the user confirmation of the notification, the notification is terminated and the prohibition of photographing by the user operation is canceled. .   7. Another disconnect notification means for notifying a user that a wireless connection with the external storage device has been disconnected during recording by the other image recording means. The imaging device described in 1. Display means for displaying the image being photographed;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the other disconnection notification unit displays the notification superimposed on the displayed image. A connection notification means for notifying a user that a wireless connection with the external storage device is established during connection with the external storage device;
The connection notification means displays the notification superimposed on the displayed image, and when recording by the other image recording means is started, from the notification by the connection notification means to the other disconnect notification means. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the imaging apparatus is switched to notification. The imaging device has an internal storage device connected by wire,
The recording destination by the image recording unit is set to a user-selected setting from among the setting of only the external storage device, the setting of only the internal storage device, or the setting of the external storage device and the internal storage device Setting means;
When the recording destination is changed from the setting of only the external storage device to another setting, the determination unit performs recording by the internal storage device, whether or not recording by the other storage device is possible. 10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not it is possible. A photographing step for photographing an image of a subject by a user operation, a wireless connection step for wirelessly connecting to an external storage device, and an image recording step for recording the image in the external storage device when wirelessly connected to the external storage device In the recording control method of the imaging apparatus having
The imaging device has another storage device therein,
A determination step of determining whether recording by the other storage device is possible when the wireless connection with the external storage device is disconnected;
When recording by the other storage device is possible and the image is being shot, another image recording step of storing an image of the shooting in the other storage device;
And a shooting prohibiting step for prohibiting shooting by the user operation when recording by the other storage device is not possible.   12. The recording control according to claim 11, further comprising another photographing prohibiting step for prohibiting photographing by the next user operation when recording by the other storage device is possible and the photographing is finished. Method.   12. The recording by the next user operation is permitted when recording with the other storage device is possible and reconnecting to the external storage device before the shooting is completed. Or the recording control method of 12.   The disconnection notification step of notifying the user that the wireless connection with the external storage device has been disconnected when shooting by the user operation is prohibited. The recording control method described in 1.   15. The recording control method according to claim 14, wherein when the user confirmation of the notification is detected, the notification is terminated and the prohibition of photographing by the user operation is canceled.   16. The recording control according to claim 15, wherein when the user reconnects to the external storage device before detecting the user confirmation of the notification, the notification is terminated and the prohibition of photographing by the user operation is canceled. Method.   17. The disconnection notification step of notifying the user that the wireless connection with the external storage device has been disconnected during the recording by the other image recording step. The recording control method described in 1. A display step for displaying the image being shot;
18. The recording control method according to claim 17, wherein in the other disconnect notification step, the notification is superimposed on the displayed image. A connection notification step of notifying the user that a wireless connection with the external storage device is established during connection with the external storage device;
In the connection notification step, the notification is superimposed on the displayed image, and when the recording by the other image recording step is started, from the notification by the connection notification step to the other disconnect notification step 19. The recording control method according to claim 17, wherein the recording control method is switched to notification. The imaging device has an internal storage device connected by wire,
A recording destination in which the recording destination in the image recording step is a setting selected only by the user among the setting of only the external storage device, the setting of only the internal storage device, or the setting of the external storage device and the internal storage device Configuration steps;
When the recording destination is changed from the setting of only the external storage device to another setting, the determination step determines whether recording by the internal storage device is possible, whether or not recording by the other storage device is possible. 20. The recording control method according to claim 11, wherein it is determined whether or not it is possible. A photographing step for photographing an image of a subject by a user operation, a wireless connection step for wirelessly connecting to an external storage device, and an image recording step for recording the image in the external storage device when wirelessly connected to the external storage device In a program for causing a computer to execute a recording control method of an imaging apparatus having
The imaging device has another storage device therein,
A determination step of determining whether recording by the other storage device is possible when the wireless connection with the external storage device is disconnected;
When recording by the other storage device is possible and the image is being shot, another image recording step of storing an image of the shooting in the other storage device;
And a photographing prohibiting step for prohibiting photographing by the user operation when recording by the other storage device is not possible.

Images