JP5077172B2 - Imaging recording apparatus and imaging recording control program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging / recording apparatus and an imaging / recording control program capable of performing still image shooting while continuing moving image shooting.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an imaging recording apparatus capable of executing still image shooting while continuing moving image shooting has been proposed. This imaging / recording apparatus includes a movie CCD and a signal processing circuit, and a still CCD and a signal processing circuit. Accordingly, the movie CCD and the signal processing circuit are continuously operated to perform moving image shooting, and thereby the moving image data acquired can be recorded on the recording medium, and according to the shutter operation during the moving image shooting, By driving a still CCD and a signal processing circuit, still image data can be acquired and recorded on a recording medium. Therefore, still image shooting at an appropriate time can be performed while moving image shooting is continued (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-4-324789

  However, if still image shooting is performed at an appropriate time while moving image shooting is continued in this way, if this still image shooting is accompanied by strobe light emission, the moving image data acquired by ongoing movie shooting will not be That is, the moving image data in which the flash was photographed is included. Therefore, when this moving image data is reproduced, an instantaneous flash screen is generated, and the brightness and darkness of the moving image changes unnaturally, or an image that cannot be clearly seen due to the flash instantaneously occurs. You cannot play movies that are not affected by the flash when shooting still images.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and is capable of recording moving image data so that a moving image that is not affected by strobe light emission at the time of still image shooting performed during moving image shooting can be reproduced. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus and an imaging recording control program.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the invention according to claim 1, still image shooting can be executed in parallel with moving image shooting, and moving image data acquired by moving image shooting and still image acquired by still image shooting The image capturing and recording apparatus for recording data includes a light emission control unit that starts prohibition of strobe light emission at the time of still image shooting at the start of moving image shooting and releases the prohibition of strobe light emission at the end of moving image shooting .

Therefore, there is no recorded movie data that has been shot with flash, and when this recorded movie data is played back, an instantaneous flash screen appears and the brightness of the movie changes unnaturally. or, an image can not be clearly visible is not the problem, such as occurs instantaneously to or generated by the flash. In addition, since there is no time missing portion in the moving image data, it is possible to reproduce the moving image with a smooth operation. Furthermore, the flash can be emitted immediately after the photographing is completed.

In the imaging / recording control program according to the second aspect of the present invention, still image shooting can be performed in parallel with moving image shooting, and moving image data acquired by moving image shooting and a still image acquired by still image shooting. A computer having an image recording and recording apparatus for recording data, and a light emission control means for starting prohibition of strobe light emission at the time of shooting the still image at the start of the moving image shooting and releasing prohibition of the strobe light emission at the end of the video shooting Make it work. Therefore, when the computer executes processing according to this program, the same effects as those of the first aspect of the invention can be obtained.

As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, there is no recorded moving image data in which strobe light emission is captured, and when the recorded moving image data is reproduced, flash screen or brightness changes unnatural video occurs, such an image can not be clearly visible is not the problem, such as occurs instantaneously to or generated by the flash. In addition, since there is no part of the moving image data that is missing in time, it is possible to reproduce the moving image with a smooth operation. Furthermore, the flash can be emitted immediately after the photographing is completed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital camera 1 which is an image recording apparatus common to the embodiments of the present invention. The digital camera 1 can perform still image shooting while continuing moving image shooting, and includes a movie CCD 2, a still CCD 22, and a DSP / CPU 3. The DSP / CPU 3 is a one-chip microcomputer that has various digital signal processing functions including image data compression / decompression and audio data processing and controls each part of the digital camera 1. The movie CCD 2 has a high sensitivity even if the number of pixels is small (suitable for movie shooting (through image display)), and the still CCD 22 has a large number of pixels even if the sensitivity is low. It is desirable to use a camera suitable for still photography.

  Connected to the DSP / CPU 3 are a TG (Timing Generator) 4 for driving the movie CCD 2 and a TG 24 for driving the still CCD 22. These TGs 4 and 24 are connected to unit circuits 5 and 25, respectively, to which analog imaging signals corresponding to the optical images of the subjects output from the CCDs 2 and 22 are input. Each of the unit circuits 5 and 25 includes a CDS that holds an input image signal, a gain adjustment amplifier (AGC) that amplifies the image signal, and an A / D converter (A / D converter) that converts the amplified image signal into a digital image signal. AD), and the output signals of the CCDs 2 and 22 are sent to the DSP / CPU 3 as digital signals through the unit circuits 5 and 25, respectively.

  The DSP / CPU 3 is connected with a display device 6, a key input unit 7, a clock unit 8, an audio processing unit 9, and a strobe circuit 14, and has a buffer memory (DRAM) 11 built in via an address / data bus 10. A flash memory 12 and a storage memory 13 are connected. The buffer memory 11 is a buffer for temporarily storing image data of a subject that has been captured by both the CCDs 2 and 22 and digitized, and is also used as a working memory for the DSP / CPU 3. The image data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 11 is compressed (encoded) by the DSP / CPU 3 and finally stored as still image data or moving image data having a predetermined format (JPEG method or the like). To be recorded. The built-in flash memory 12 stores an operation program for the DSP / CPU 3 and various data used for control of each unit. The DSP / CPU 3 operates according to the operation program, thereby determining, photographing control means, interpolation. It functions as data generation means, specific information recording means, reproduction control means, deletion means, image processing means, light emission control means, and the like.

  The display device 6 includes a color LCD and its driving circuit, and displays the subject image captured by the still CCD 22 as a through image when in a shooting standby state, and is read out from the storage memory 13 and decompressed when the recorded image is reproduced. Displayed moving image or still image. The key input unit 7 includes a plurality of operation keys such as a shutter button, a strobe mode setting key, a recording start button and a recording end button, a playback key, a power key, a MENU key, a cross key, and the like according to the key operation by the user. A key input signal is output to the DSP / CPU 3. The clock unit 8 has a calendar function that counts the date and time and a clock function, and sends date data and time data to the DSP / CPU 3 as necessary during a shooting operation or the like.

  The sound processing unit 9 includes a built-in microphone, an amplifier, an A / D converter, a built-in speaker, a D / A converter, and the like, and converts sound input to the built-in microphone into a digital signal when shooting in the shooting mode with sound. Send to DSP / CPU3. The audio data sent to the DSP / CPU 3 is recorded in the storage memory 13 together with the moving image data in a predetermined format. The audio data is reproduced together with the moving image data, converted into an analog signal, and output from the built-in speaker. The strobe circuit 14 includes a strobe tube as a light emitting means, and causes the strobe tube to emit light based on an instruction signal from the DSP / CPU 3 in response to an operation of a shutter key. Both CCDs 2 and 22 form subject images by the same optical system (not shown). However, an optical system for the CCD 2 and an optical system for the CCD 22 may be provided.

  Next, the operation of the present invention in the digital camera 1 having the above configuration will be described. When the shooting mode is set, the DSP / CPU 3 executes processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 based on the program. That is, the subject image captured by the movie CCD 2 is displayed as a through image on the display device 6 (step S101). Next, the process waits until either the recording start button or the shutter button is pressed (steps S102 and S103). .

  If the shutter key is pressed without operating the recording start button, it is determined whether or not the flash mode is set (step S104). If the strobe flash mode is set, the strobe circuit 14 is instructed to emit strobe light, and still image shooting with strobe light emission is executed using the still CCD 22, and still image data of the subject is buffered. 11 is temporarily stored, necessary processing is performed, and finally still image data is recorded and stored in the storage memory 13 in a predetermined format (step S105). If the result of determination in step S104 is that the strobe flash mode has not been set, still image shooting is performed using the still CCD 22 without firing the strobe light, and still image data of the subject is similarly acquired. Record in the storage memory 13 (step S106).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the recording start button has been turned on, moving image shooting is started using the movie CCD 2, and the sound input to the built-in microphone by instructing the sound processing unit 9 is converted into a digital signal. Is started, the moving image data and the audio data are temporarily stored in the buffer memory 11, the necessary processing is performed, and the processing for recording and storing in the storage memory 13 is started (step S 107).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the shutter button has been operated (step S108). If not, the process proceeds to step S114 described later. When the shutter button is operated, it is determined whether or not the flash mode is set (step S109). If the strobe mode is not set, still image shooting is performed using the still CCD 22 as it is, and the still image data of the subject is recorded in the storage memory 13 (step S110). At this time, the moving image shooting is ongoing, but at the time of the still image shooting in this step S110, since the flash is not emitted, the moving image data recorded and saved in the storage memory 13 by the ongoing moving image shooting is stored in the flash memory. It does not include moving image data in which a flash was photographed.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S109 is that the strobe mode has been set, the moving image shooting process is paused and switched to a recording process that repeatedly uses the immediately preceding frame data (step S111). That is, the data input from the movie CCD 2 side is temporarily stopped to stop the moving image shooting process, and the frame data immediately before the pause that is left in the buffer memory 11 is repeatedly used in the buffer memory 11. Interpolated moving image data is generated and recorded in the storage memory 13 together with the audio data acquired by the audio processing unit 9.

  Subsequently, the strobe circuit 14 is instructed to emit strobe light, and still image shooting with strobe light emission is executed using the still CCD 22, and still image data of the subject is recorded and stored in the storage memory 13 (step S112). When the still image shooting / recording process is completed in this way, the movie shooting / recording process is resumed, and the process of recording and saving the movie data acquired from the movie CCD 2 side in the storage memory 13 is resumed. (Step S113).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the recording end button has been operated (step S114), and the loop of steps S108 to S114 is repeated until the recording end button is operated. If the recording end button is operated, the moving image shooting / recording process and the audio recording process are stopped (step S115), and the recording and storing of the moving image data and the audio data in the storage memory 13 are stopped.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, there is no moving image data from the start of still image shooting with strobe emission until the end of the still image shooting in the moving image data recorded in the storage memory 13. Therefore, when this recorded moving image data is played back, there is a problem that an instantaneous flash screen is generated and the brightness of the moving image changes unnaturally, or an image that cannot be clearly seen due to the flash is generated instantaneously. In other words, it is possible to reproduce a moving image that is not affected by the flash emission during still image shooting. In addition, since the moving image data that is missing in time from the start of still image shooting to the end of the still image shooting is interpolated by the processing in step S111, smooth operation is performed even for the moving image portion that is missing in time. Accompanying video playback becomes possible.

  In this embodiment, the interpolated moving image data is generated by repeatedly using the frame data immediately before the moving image shooting is temporarily stopped by the processing in step S111. However, the interpolated video data is generated using only the frame data immediately after resuming the video recording, or the frame data immediately before the resumption of the video recording and the frame data immediately after the resumption of the video recording. The interpolated moving image data may be inserted.

  In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the strobe mode is set in step S109, that is, whether or not the forced flash mode of the strobe is set. In step S109, the movie CCD 2 side is determined. The ambient brightness is determined based on the moving image data acquired from the above (the photosensor output may be used), and if it is determined to be dark, the process proceeds to step S111. If it is determined to be bright, the process proceeds to step S110. Also good. Further, when it is determined in step S109 that forced flash is set as the strobe mode, or when it is determined that auto is set as the strobe mode and the surrounding is dark, the process may proceed to step S111.

(Modification 1 of the first embodiment)
3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure in the first modification of the first embodiment of the present invention. That is, when the shooting mode is set, the DSP / CPU 3 executes processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 based on the program. In this flowchart, the process from step S201 to S210 is the same as the process from step S101 to S110 in the flowchart of FIG.

  Then, in step S211 following step S209, the strobe circuit 14 is instructed to emit strobe light while moving image shooting is continued, and still image photographing with strobe light emission is executed using the still CCD 22, and the subject is stopped. The image data is recorded and stored in the storage memory 13. In addition, when moving image data obtained by moving image shooting at the time of still image shooting with strobe light emission is recorded and stored in the storage memory 13, flag information is added to the moving image data and recorded (step S212). That is, flag information is added to each frame of moving image data that is shot and saved in the storage memory 13 from the start to the end of still image shooting with strobe flashing, or from the strobe immediately before flash firing. Flag information is added to each frame of the moving image data that has been shot and stored in the storage memory 13 until the point when the light disappears.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the recording end button has been operated (step S213), and the loop of steps S208 to S213 is repeated until the recording end button is operated. When the recording end button is operated, the moving image shooting / recording process and the voice recording process are stopped (step S214), and the recording and saving of the moving picture data and the voice data in the storage memory 13 are stopped.

  When the reproduction mode is set, the DSP / CPU 3 executes processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 based on the program. That is, when the user performs an operation for selecting any moving image recorded and stored in the storage memory 13 with the key input unit 7, a moving image corresponding to this operation is selected (step S301). Further, the moving image data of the selected moving image is sequentially read and reproduction is started (step S302), whereby the moving image based on the sequentially read moving image data is displayed on the display device 6.

  During the moving image reproduction, the DSP / CPU 3 always checks whether or not flag information is added to the moving image data read from the storage memory 13 (step S303). If the flag information is not added, it is determined whether or not a moving image reproduction end instruction is given by an operation on the key input unit 7 (step S305), and the processing of steps S303 to S305 is performed until the moving image reproduction end instruction is issued. Repeat and continue video playback.

  Then, when flag information is added to the moving image data read from the storage memory 13 in a state where the moving image reproduction is continued in this manner (step S303; YES), the flag information is added to the frame. Image reproduction is prohibited, and images of the previous and subsequent frames to which the flag information is added are reproduced (step S304). Therefore, even if the moving image data includes a frame recorded at the time of still image shooting with strobe light emission by the processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 described above, this is not reproduced and the instantaneous flash screen is displayed. Thus, there is no problem that the brightness and darkness of the moving image changes unnaturally or that an image that cannot be clearly seen due to flash is instantaneously generated.

  Note that instead of the processing in step S304, the image reproduction may be performed after performing image processing for reducing the brightness of the reproduced image, so that the brightness is the same as that of the preceding and subsequent reproduced images. In this case, the reproduced image with the flag information added is compared with the reproduced image without the flag information before and after the image to obtain a luminance difference, and the brightness of the reproduced image is adjusted based on the luminance difference. It is desirable to adjust or obtain the luminance value of the reproduced image before and after the reproduced image to which the flag information is added, and adjust the brightness of the reproduced image so as to be this luminance value. With this configuration, it is not necessary to interpolate moving image data, and moving image reproduction with a smoother operation becomes possible.

(Modification 2 of the first embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the second modification of the first embodiment of the present invention. That is, when the shooting mode is set, the DSP / CPU 3 executes processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 based on the program. In this flowchart, the processes in steps S401 to S414 are the same as the processes in steps S201 to S214 in the flowchart of FIG. 3 described above.

  In step S415 subsequent to step S414, an image (frame) to which flag information is added by the processing in step S412 is searched from the moving image data recorded in the storage memory 13 by the current moving image shooting. Further, the searched image (frame) is deleted from the storage memory 13 (step S416). Next, an interpolated image is created from the images (frames) before and after the deleted image, and the image data is inserted into the moving image data deleted in step S416 (step S417).

  Therefore, the moving image data recorded in the storage memory 13 by the deletion process in step S416 does not include moving image data from the start of still image shooting with strobe emission to the end of the still image shooting. Therefore, when this recorded moving image data is played back, there is a problem that an instantaneous flash screen is generated and the brightness of the moving image changes unnaturally, or an image that cannot be clearly seen due to the flash is generated instantaneously. There is nothing. In addition, by the processing in step S417, the moving image data that is temporally lost by the deletion processing is also interpolated, and the moving image reproduction with smooth operation becomes possible.

  It should be noted that an image that is significantly brighter than the previous and subsequent images may be detected in step S415 without performing the process of step S412.

  Further, instead of the processing in steps S416 and S417, image processing for reducing the brightness on the searched image may be executed so that the brightness is equivalent to that of the images before and after the searched image. . In this case, the retrieved image is compared with the images before and after the image to obtain a luminance difference, and the brightness of the retrieved image is adjusted based on the luminance difference, or the images before and after the retrieved image are adjusted. It is desirable to obtain a brightness value and adjust the brightness of the retrieved image so that this brightness value is obtained. With this configuration, it is not necessary to interpolate moving image data, and moving image reproduction with a smoother operation becomes possible.

  In addition, after the movie shooting is completed, the movie data in which the flash of the strobe was shot is searched, and the image processing for reducing the brightness is not performed on the searched image. By changing and controlling the exposure values (aperture value, shutter speed value, gain value, etc.) related to the moving image shooting process, the brightness of the moving image at this shooting timing is made equal to the moving image at the other shooting timing. Good. In this case, it is desirable to determine the exposure value to be changed based on the flash emission amount, the subject distance, and the like.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the second embodiment of the present invention. That is, when the shooting mode is set, the DSP / CPU 3 executes processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 based on the program. In this flowchart, the processing from step S501 to S506 is the same as the processing from step S101 to S106 in the flowchart of FIG.

  If it is determined in step S502 that the recording start button has been turned on, a strobe light emission prohibition mode is set in which the strobe circuit 14 is not operated even if the shutter button is operated under any conditions (step S507). Subsequently, moving image shooting is started using the movie CCD 2 and processing for instructing the audio processing unit 9 to convert audio input to the built-in microphone into a digital signal is started, and the moving image data and audio data are converted into the buffer memory 11. Is temporarily stored, and necessary processing is performed to start recording and storing in the storage memory 13 (step S508).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the shutter button has been operated (step S509). If not, the process proceeds to step S511 described later. If the shutter button is operated, still image shooting is executed using the still CCD 22 and the still image data of the subject is recorded in the storage memory 13 (step S510). At this time, the moving image shooting is continuing, but at the time of still image shooting in step S510, even if the shutter button is operated, the flash is not emitted, and the recording is saved in the storage memory 13 by the moving image shooting being continued. The moving image data in which the flash of the strobe is photographed is not included in the moving image data. In addition, the moving image data recorded and stored in the storage memory 13 does not have a portion that is missing in time.

Further, it is determined whether or not the recording end button has been operated (step S511), and the processing of steps S509 to S511 is repeated until the recording end button is operated. If the recording end button is operated, the moving image shooting / recording process and the audio recording process are stopped (step S512), and the recording and storing of the moving image data and the audio data in the storage memory 13 are stopped. Further, the strobe light emission inhibition mode is canceled (step S513) , and when the shutter button is operated, the strobe circuit 14 is returned to a state in which the operation is permitted according to the light emission conditions.

  In the first and second embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera provided with a still image sensor and a movie image sensor has been described. The present invention may be applied to a digital camera provided with only one image sensor.

  In the first and second embodiments, the case where shooting is performed without illumination in moving image shooting has been described. However, a light device for moving image shooting is provided and the light device is lit. The present invention can also be applied to a case where still image shooting with strobe light emission is performed during movie shooting.

  In the first and second embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other camera-equipped mobile phones. It can be easily applied to terminals, PDAs with cameras (Personal Digital Assistants), personal computers with cameras, and so on. Is also applicable.

It is a block diagram of the electronic still camera common to each embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of the imaging | photography mode in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of imaging | photography mode in the modification 1 of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of the reproduction | regeneration mode in the modification. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of the imaging | photography mode in the modification 2 of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of the imaging | photography mode in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital camera 2 Movie CCD
3 DSP / CPU
4 TG
5 Unit Circuit 6 Display Device 7 Key Input Unit 8 Clock Unit 9 Audio Processing Unit 10 Data Bus 11 Buffer Memory 12 Built-in Flash Memory 13 Storage Memory 14 Strobe Circuit 22 Still CCD
24 TG
25 unit circuit

Claims (2)

In an imaging recording apparatus that can execute still image shooting in parallel with moving image shooting and records moving image data acquired by moving image shooting and still image data acquired by still image shooting,
An imaging and recording apparatus comprising: a light emission control unit that starts prohibiting strobe light emission at the time of shooting a still image at the start of moving image shooting and releases the prohibition of strobe light emission at the end of moving image shooting . A computer having an imaging recording apparatus that can execute still image shooting in parallel with moving image shooting and records moving image data acquired by moving image shooting and still image data acquired by still image shooting,
An imaging recording control program that functions as a light emission control unit that starts prohibiting strobe light emission at the time of shooting a still image at the start of moving image shooting and cancels the prohibition of strobe light emission at the end of moving image shooting .

Images