JP5336773B2 - Remote control apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device to be remote-controlled which can be flexibly remote-controlled without using a dedicated application, and to provide a control method thereof. <P>SOLUTION: The device to be remote-controlled which can act as a storage device accessible from an external device relates a function object with a corresponding operation and stores them. When an operation to the function object stored as a virtual object in the storage device is performed from the external device, the corresponding operation related with the function object and stored is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remotely controlled device and a control method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, digital still cameras and digital video cameras are widely known as imaging devices having a function of outputting digitally recorded image and audio data to an external device such as a personal computer or a television. When outputting image data and audio data from an imaging device to an external device, there is a method of connecting the two using a digital interface represented by USB (Universal Serial Bus) or IEEE1394. In addition, when image data or audio data is recorded on a removable recording medium, a method of mounting the recording medium on a reading device (for example, a memory card reader) connected to the external device (or incorporated in the external device) There is also.

  When transferring data by connecting devices to each other, the external device can be normally used, such as a method of operating dedicated software for supporting the original communication standard of the imaging device on the external device and a standard that is normally supported by the OS, for example. There is a method using a general-purpose standard. Specific examples of the latter include a method of communicating with an imaging apparatus using PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol), and a method of handling the imaging apparatus as a mass storage device. Many of the imaging devices currently on the market support these general-purpose standards.

  On the other hand, there is also known a system that can change setting information (internal parameters) of a digital still camera or perform remote operation from a computer. Furthermore, a remote photographing system that can remotely control from photographing to transfer of a photographed image to a computer is also known.

  As a method of remotely operating a digital still camera from a computer, a method of installing a dedicated application and driver on the computer side and transmitting a dedicated control command from the dedicated application to the digital still camera is common.

  As a method for remotely operating a digital still camera from a computer without installing a dedicated application and driver, there is a method in which the digital still camera corresponds to a control command defined by the above-mentioned PTP.

  Further, Patent Document 1 proposes that a digital still camera as a USB mass storage device is remotely operated from a computer by extending a data transmission / reception method with the USB mass storage.

JP 2002-222158 A

  Conventionally, when a remote control device is remotely operated from an external device, if a unique communication standard or command is used, it is necessary to install a dedicated application or driver for the remote control device in the external device, which is troublesome. In addition, it cannot be remotely operated from an external device in which a dedicated application or driver is not installed. In addition, when a new function is added to the remote control apparatus, it is necessary to deal with a dedicated application or driver in order to use the function by remote operation.

  In addition, when a remote control device is controlled using a general-purpose technology such as a communication standard with PTP or mass storage, only commands defined in the standard can be used. Functions that require non-standard commands cannot be used. In general, the external device is hardly provided with an application corresponding to a control command dedicated to the remote control device. Therefore, it is necessary for the manufacturer of the remote control apparatus to provide such an application.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a remote control apparatus capable of flexible remote operation and a control method thereof without using a dedicated application. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device that can behave as a device that can be accessed from an external device, in which a storage unit that stores a function object and a corresponding operation in association with each other, and remote control from the external device Control means for executing a corresponding action stored in the storage means in association with the function object in response to an operation on the function object stored in the apparatus , the operation including acquisition of the function object, the control means Is achieved by a remote control device that, when receiving an acquisition request for a plurality of functional objects having a hierarchical structure from an external device, sequentially executes functions corresponding to higher-order functional objects in the hierarchical structure. .

In addition, the above-described object is a control method for a remote control device that has a storage unit that stores a function object and a corresponding operation in association with each other, and can behave as a device that can be accessed from an external device. means has an external device, a control step of executing an operation in response to an operation on the stored function objects in the remote control device, the corresponding stored in the storage means in association with the feature objects, operations Includes acquisition of a functional object, and when the control means receives an acquisition request for a plurality of functional objects having a hierarchical structure from an external device in the control step, the control means executes in order from the function corresponding to the upper functional object in the hierarchical structure. This can also be achieved by a method of controlling a remote control device characterized by the above.

  With such a configuration, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a remotely controlled device and a control method thereof that can be flexibly operated remotely without using a dedicated application.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, preferred and exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to an imaging apparatus will be described as an example. However, the present invention is applicable to an arbitrary apparatus that can operate as a recording medium that an external apparatus can access using a general-purpose communication protocol. Can be provided. In this specification, a general-purpose communication protocol refers to a communication protocol other than the one whose specification is not disclosed, and specifically, is used as at least a de facto standard or standardized (standardized). Means a communication protocol.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an imaging apparatus 2 as an example of a remote control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The control unit 11 is a microprocessor such as a CPU, for example. By executing a program stored in advance in the program storage unit 12, the operation of the entire image pickup apparatus 2 including the operation of the image pickup apparatus described in the present embodiment is performed. Control.

  The light beam L from the subject is received by the image sensor 15 through the photographing lens 13 and the diaphragm 14. The imaging element 15 is a solid-state imaging element using a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor. The preprocessing circuit 16 includes a CDS (correlated double sampling) circuit for removing noise from the output signal of the image sensor 15 and a circuit for nonlinearly amplifying the analog image signal before A / D conversion. The A / D converter 17 converts the analog image signal output from the preprocessing circuit 16 into a digital image signal. The digital image signal is subjected to image processing (so-called development processing) such as contour compensation, gamma correction, and white balance correction in the image processing circuit 18 and then output to the memory control circuit 19.

  The codec 49 encodes the RAW data developed by the image processing circuit 18 into a JPEG format or the like as necessary (or according to settings). Further, the image data file in the JPEG format read from the external recording medium 21 is decoded and converted into a format that can be displayed on the third external display unit 30.

The memory control circuit 19 uses the image signal processed by the image processing circuit 18 (and possibly further processed by the codec 49) as an image data file via the external recording medium I / F circuit 20 to external recording such as a memory card. It is stored in the medium 21. Further, the internal storage device 22 stores white balance correction coefficients, temporary internal processing data, and the like.
The ISO sensitivity control unit 23 performs sensitivity control of the image sensor 15 according to the set ISO sensitivity.

  The diaphragm 14 is controlled by the control unit 11 based on an output from the photometric sensor 25 that measures the luminance of the subject. It is also possible to set an arbitrary aperture value by a user operation. The distance measuring sensor 26 is constituted by a known line sensor used in a so-called phase difference AF method, and outputs a distance measuring point deviation signal corresponding to the distance to the subject to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 performs focusing control by driving a focusing lens included in the photographing lens 13 in accordance with the distance measurement point deviation signal.

  The shutter device 27 controls the exposure time of the image sensor 15 (time for opening the shutter). The control unit 11 determines the shutter speed and aperture value for obtaining proper exposure based on the output from the photometric sensor 25 and the set values of ISO sensitivity, aperture value, and shutter speed, and controls the aperture 14 and shutter device 27 according to the determination. Control.

The AF mode control unit 24 controls the focusing control mode of the imaging apparatus 2, for example, manual focus, continuous auto focus, one shot auto focus, and the like.
The strobe controller 37 controls the built-in strobe and the external strobe. When the determined shutter speed is slower than a predetermined value or when it is determined that the amount of light is insufficient, the control unit 11 automatically emits the strobe or controls the strobe according to the user operation.

  The first external display unit 28 mainly displays various settings relating to shooting such as exposure control and the number of images that can be shot. The second external display unit 29 mainly displays various setting information related to image processing. The third external display unit 30 displays the reproduction of the photographed image, information on the photographed image obtained from the photographing element, detailed various setting states of the imaging device 2, and the like. In general, the third external display unit 30 is the largest and capable of color display, and the remaining external display unit is often a small monochrome display device.

  Reference numeral 31a is a shooting preparation switch (SW1), and 31b is a shooting switch (SW2). The first information input unit 32 is used to input various shooting setting information and to input an instruction to move the image in the horizontal direction during image reproduction. The second information input unit 33 is used to input various shooting setting information and to input an instruction to move the image in the vertical direction during image reproduction. The shooting mode selection button 34, the AF mode selection button 35, and the photometry mode selection button 36 are buttons for setting various shooting setting modes. These are collectively called a mode setting button.

  The communication unit 38 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving image data files and audio data files, and receiving various control commands and responses with external devices. The communication unit 38 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface.

  The communication unit 38 also supports a communication protocol for making the imaging device 2 behave as a storage device accessible from the external device 1 when the imaging device 2 is connected to the external device 1. As a result, the imaging device 2 is displayed as an external storage device, for example, as an icon on the display device of the external device 1, and the files and folders of the imaging device 2 can be operated like files and folders in the storage device, or can be displayed on the imaging device 2. Files and folders can be transferred.

  The menu button 39 is a button for displaying the setting menu of the imaging device 2 on the third external display unit 30. The select button 40 is a button for instructing selection of a menu item displayed on the third external display unit 30. The cancel button 41 is a button for returning an undetermined setting on the menu screen or the like to the original state. The Info button 42 is a button for instructing detailed information display of the data file.

  The file deletion button 43 is a button for instructing deletion of the image file being displayed on the third external display unit 30, for example. The image reproduction button 44 is a button for giving an instruction to read an image data file from the external recording medium 21 and display it on the third external display unit 30. The rotation button 45 is a button for instructing to rotate the image being displayed on the third external display unit 30 by 90 degrees clockwise, for example. When the rotation button 45 is operated, the image processing circuit 18 performs rotation processing, updates the display of the third external display unit 30 and stores it in the external recording medium 21.

The communication mode switching unit 46 is an input unit for a user to input an instruction to switch a communication mode with an external device connected through the communication unit 38.
The control file management unit 47 manages control items that can be remotely operated from an external device in the form of virtual files and folders.

The storage function control unit 48 performs control related to input / output communication data of files and folders with external devices.
Note that the control of the imaging apparatus 2 may be executed by a single piece of hardware, or the control of the entire apparatus may be realized by a plurality of pieces of hardware that function as a single control unit while sharing processing. .

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which the imaging device 2 of the present embodiment and the external device 1 that remotely controls the imaging device 2 are connected.
In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the external device 1 is a personal computer (PC). The external device 1 and the imaging device 2 are communicably connected by connecting the communication units 10 and 38 that are USB interfaces in this embodiment with a USB cable 3.

  In the present embodiment, the external device 1 and the imaging device 2 can perform communication according to a general-purpose communication protocol (for example, PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol)). As a result, the external device 1 can acquire various information such as the hierarchical relationship between folders and files and the number of files for the data file recorded in the external recording medium 21 of the imaging device 2. Further, the external device 1 can acquire a desired data file by designating it based on information about the data file. The external device 1 can also add files and folders to a desired folder in the external recording medium 21 of the imaging device 2.

  In FIG. 2, the USB cable 3 is illustrated as a communication medium for connecting the imaging device 2 and the external device 1. However, other wired interface cables such as an IEEE1394 cable, and wireless connection such as IEEE802.11x and wireless USB are also possible. Is possible.

Next, a data transmission / reception operation between the imaging device 2 and the external device 1 will be described.
Here, it is assumed that files and folders exist in the external recording medium 21 of the imaging apparatus 2 in a hierarchical structure as shown in FIG.

  In this state, a procedure for performing data input / output between the imaging device 2 and the external device 1 by communication according to PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) which is an example of a general-purpose communication protocol will be described. Unless otherwise specified, the operation of the imaging apparatus 2 in the following processing is realized by the control unit 11 controlling the components necessary for the processing as described above. Similarly, it is assumed that the operation of the external device 1 is realized by controlling necessary components by a CPU included in the external device 1.

(Object information acquisition process)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for describing processing in which the external device 1 acquires data related to the data file that the imaging device 2 has.
In FIG. 4, a list request (GetObjectHandles) of files and folders (hereinafter referred to as objects) existing in the external recording medium 21 is made from the external device 1 to the imaging device 2 in S101. In PTP, identification information called an object handle (hereinafter simply referred to as a handle) is assigned to each object, and the handle of each object is included in the object list.

  The external device 1 can request an object list for all objects existing in the external recording medium 21, or can request an object list for only objects in a specified folder or a specified file format.

When the object list request is received, the imaging apparatus 2 creates an object list according to the request (S102). The object list creation processing in S102 will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
Then, the imaging device 2 transfers the object list generated in S102 to the external device 1 (S103).

(Object list generation process)
Next, the object list generation process performed by the imaging apparatus 2 in S102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
Here, it is assumed that an object list request in which a folder and a file format are specified is made from the external device 1. Therefore, the imaging device 2 generates a list of objects corresponding to the designated file format among all the objects (including all objects in the lower hierarchy) included in the designated folder.

  From S201 to S205, the imaging apparatus 2 repeatedly executes processing for the specified folder and all entries existing in the lower hierarchy. First, the control unit 11 reads an object from the external recording medium 21 via the external recording medium I / F circuit 20, and whether the read object corresponds to a file format (for example, a still image file) designated by the external device 1. It is determined whether or not (S202).

  If not, the process proceeds to the next entry information analysis process. If applicable, the handle of the object is generated by the storage function control unit 48 (S203). Then, the control unit 11 adds the generated handle to the object list (S204), and analyzes the next object.

  For example, when there is a request for an object list specifying all folders and all file formats from the external apparatus 1, the object list corresponding to the file system (hierarchical structure of objects) shown in FIG. It will be something.

  In FIG. 6, an object handle 0x11000011 indicates an IMG_0001.JPG file, and when the external apparatus 1 requests information or data of IMG_0001.JPG, a request specifying the handle 0x11000011 is made.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when the imaging apparatus 2 receives an acquisition request for detailed object information from the external apparatus 1.
The external device 1 reads the handle of the object for which detailed information is to be acquired from the object list, specifies the handle, and transmits an object information acquisition request (GetObjectInfo) to the imaging device 2.

  Upon receiving the object information acquisition request (S301), the imaging apparatus 2 reads the object corresponding to the designated handle through the external recording medium 21, and generates object information by the storage function control unit 48 (S302). FIG. 8 shows an example of object information. In the present embodiment, the object information includes a file name, an attribute, a file size, an object handle indicating an upper layer of a layer to which an object for indicating a hierarchical structure in the recording medium belongs, a file format, and the like.

The control unit 11 of the imaging device 2 transmits the object information generated by the storage function control unit 48 to the external device 1 through the communication unit 38 (S303).
Based on the object information obtained here, the information of the object existing in the external recording medium 21 attached to the imaging device 2 can be presented in the external device 1 using a file name, an icon, and the like.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the imaging apparatus 2 when acquiring an object existing on the external recording medium 21 of the imaging apparatus 2 from the external apparatus 1.
For example, in the external device 1, it is assumed that an object in the external recording medium 21 is displayed as an icon in a window corresponding to the external recording medium 21 (or the imaging device 2). In this state, it is assumed that the user drags and drops an icon corresponding to a desired object to a window (for example, desktop) corresponding to the external device 1 using an operation unit of the external device 1 such as a mouse.

  The external device 1 interprets this drag and drop as a file (object) copy as a file operation normally supported by the GUI-based OS. Then, an acquisition request (GetObject) of an object corresponding to the operated icon is transmitted to the imaging device 2 together with the handle of the object.

The imaging apparatus 2 receives this acquisition request (S401).
Upon receiving the object acquisition request, the imaging apparatus 2 reads the object corresponding to the handle specified in the acquisition request from the external recording medium 21 through the external recording medium I / F circuit 20 (S402). Then, the imaging device 2 transmits the read object to the external device 1 via the communication unit 38 (S403).
The external device 1 stores the received object in a recording device such as a hard disk drive that the external device 1 has.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the imaging apparatus 2 when transferring an object from the external apparatus 1 to the imaging apparatus 2.
When an icon indicating an object in the external device 1 is dragged and dropped in a window corresponding to the imaging device 2 or the external recording medium 21, the CPU (specifically, OS) of the external device 1 corresponds to the icon. This is interpreted as an instruction to transfer the object to be transferred.

  The external device 1 generates object information for the object to be transferred. The external device 1 creates an object file name, file size, and the like as object information. Then, the transfer destination folder of the object in the imaging device 2 is designated as the object handle of the upper hierarchy, and the object information is transmitted to the imaging device 2 (SendObjectInfo).

The imaging device 2 receives this object information (S501).
The imaging apparatus 2 analyzes the received object information by the storage function control unit 48 and determines whether or not the object can be accepted (S502). Here, for example, when the file size is larger than the free space or when the file format cannot be supported, the imaging device 2 returns an error code to the external device 1 (S506).

On the other hand, if it is acceptable, an object handle having the handle of the designated folder as the handle of the upper hierarchy is generated and returned to the external device 1 (S503).
When the external device 1 receives the object handle, the external device 1 transmits the object to the imaging device 2 (SendObject). The imaging apparatus 2 receives this object (S504) and stores it in the transfer destination folder designated by the object information received immediately before (S505).

Next, a characteristic operation of the present embodiment will be described.
In the present embodiment, remote operation of the imaging device 2 by the external device 1 is realized by using the input / output procedure of the objects (file and folder data) between the imaging device 2 and the external device 1 described above.

  The imaging device 2 uses the control file management unit 47 to generate a virtual object (hereinafter referred to as “functional object”) corresponding to an operation that can be remotely operated in the internal storage device 22. In the present embodiment, the function object can be generated as a file object or a folder object.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a function object. In the present embodiment, the function object can be generated as a file object having an extension of “.ctl”. In FIG. 11, a function object “RemoteRelease.ctl” is an object corresponding to the shooting operation of the imaging apparatus 2. The function object “SetISO100.ctl” is an object corresponding to an operation for setting the ISO sensitivity of the imaging apparatus 2 to ISO100. Here, both function objects in FIG. 11 are both file objects.

  In the present embodiment, since the functional object is a virtual object, it does not exist in the external recording medium 21 of the imaging device 2, and data in the memory is stored in the internal storage device 22 in the imaging device 2 as necessary. It was decided to be generated as That is, the imaging device 2 has only information on what kind of functional object is generated in the internal storage device 22 and does not store an actual file or an actual folder corresponding to the functional object. Of course, it is not necessarily limited to this form, and may be provided as a real object, that is, an actual file or folder in a recording medium in the imaging apparatus 2.

In this embodiment, the communication mode switching unit 46
A mode for returning object data in the external recording medium 21 of the imaging apparatus 2;
A mode for returning only functional objects existing in the internal storage device 22 (or the external recording medium 21);
Can be switched. Here, it is assumed that the mode is set to return only the function object.

  In this mode, it is assumed that an object list request (GetObjectHandles) necessary for designating objects held by the imaging device 2 is generated from the external device 1 (S101 in FIG. 4). In this case, the processing (S102 in FIG. 4) in which the imaging device 2 generates the object list will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

Since the imaging apparatus 2 is set to a mode in which only functional objects are returned, even if normal objects such as JPEG files and RAW files exist in the external recording medium 21, they are not included in the object list. The imaging device 2 generates an object list that includes only functional objects.

  If not, the process proceeds to the next entry information analysis process. If applicable, the handle of the object is generated by the storage function control unit 48 (S602). Then, the control unit 11 adds the generated handle to the object list (S603), and analyzes the next object.

  In the case of the example in FIG. 11, first, an object handle of the functional object “RemoteRelease.ctl” corresponding to the shooting operation is created. Next, an object handle of the function object “SetISO100.ctl” corresponding to the operation of setting the ISO sensitivity to ISO100 is created.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an object list generated in the example of FIG.
For example, the object handle 0xFF000001 indicates a function object “RemoteRelease.ctl”. As will be described later, when the imaging device 2 is caused to perform a shooting operation by remote operation from the external device 1, this object handle is designated and a request for acquiring the function object “RemoteRelease.ctl” is made.

  The control file management unit 47 manages the object handle, object name, and corresponding function generated by the storage function control unit 48 in association with each other. For example, the control file management unit 47 may perform management by holding a management table having a format as shown in FIG. 14 on a memory in the imaging apparatus 2.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when the imaging apparatus 2 receives a request for acquiring detailed information of a function object from the external apparatus 1.
The external device 1 reads the handle of the functional object for which detailed information is to be acquired from the functional object list, designates the handle, and transmits an object information acquisition request (GetObjectInfo) to the imaging device 2.

  When the imaging device 2 receives the object information acquisition request (S701), the storage function control unit 48 generates object information for the functional object corresponding to the designated handle (S302). As described above, in the present embodiment, the object information includes a file name, an attribute, a file size, an object handle indicating an upper hierarchy of a hierarchy to which an object for indicating a hierarchical structure in the recording medium belongs, a file format, and the like. . However, since a functional object is different from a normal object, object information in which predetermined information is set is generated.

  In this embodiment, the object name is set to a name indicating a function. Thereby, when the functional object existing in the imaging device 2 is displayed on the external device 1, the user can easily understand what kind of operation each functional object corresponds to. FIG. 16 shows an example of object information for a functional object.

The control unit 11 of the imaging device 2 transmits the object information generated by the storage function control unit 48 to the external device 1 through the communication unit 38 (S703).
Based on the object information obtained here, the information of the object existing in the external recording medium 21 attached to the imaging device 2 can be presented in the external device 1 using a file name, an icon, and the like.

  FIG. 17 shows an example of a screen displayed on the external device 1. An area 2002 for displaying data stored in the imaging apparatus 2 is displayed on the desktop area 2001 of the external apparatus 1. In the area 2002, “RemoteRelease.ctl” and “SetISO100.ctl”, which are files corresponding to the function object, are displayed.

  Here, when the user of the external apparatus 1 performs an operation of copying “RemoteRelease.ctl” to the desktop area 2001 using the drag-and-drop function of the mouse, for example, as indicated by a dotted arrow in FIG. Can be instructed to shoot. Further, when an operation of copying “SetISO100.ctl” to the desktop area 2001 is performed, the imaging apparatus 2 can be instructed to set the ISO value to 100. Hereinafter, detailed processing of these operations will be described.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the imaging apparatus 2 when a request for acquiring a functional object existing in the external recording medium 21 of the imaging apparatus 2 is received from the external apparatus 1.
As described with reference to FIG. 9, for example, it is assumed that an instruction to acquire a certain function object is given by an icon operation representing the function object in the external recording medium 21 displayed on the external device 1. In the example of FIG. 17, a function object acquisition instruction is made by performing an operation of copying “RemoteRelease.ctl” or “SetISO100.ctl” to the desktop area 2001 by a drag-and-drop operation.

In response to this instruction, the external device 1 transmits an object acquisition request (GetObject) corresponding to the operated icon to the imaging device 2 together with the handle of the object.
The imaging device 2 receives this acquisition request (S801).

  When receiving the object acquisition request, the control unit 11 of the imaging apparatus 2 refers to the management table managed by the control file management unit 47 using the handle specified in the acquisition request. Then, the motion corresponding to the designated object is analyzed (S802).

  Next, the control unit 11 executes the analyzed operation (S803). The method for performing the operation corresponding to the object is arbitrary. For example, a command script for realizing an operation corresponding to the function object may be stored in the internal storage device 22 in association with the function object, and the command script corresponding to the specified function object may be executed.

  For example, assume that the imaging apparatus 2 receives an object acquisition request in which the object handle (0xFF000002) of the functional object “SetISO100.ctl” is specified. In this case, the control unit 11 uses the ISO sensitivity control unit 23 to set the ISO sensitivity setting of the imaging apparatus 2 to ISO100. When the object acquisition request specifying the object handle (0x000001) of the functional object “RemoteRelease.ctl” is received, the control unit 11 executes photographing. In this case, the control unit 11 controls the shutter device 27, the photometric sensor 25, the distance measuring sensor 26, the aperture 14 and the like based on the set value at that time stored in the internal storage device 22 and executes photographing. .

  Since the object acquisition request is received from the external device 1, the imaging device 2 returns data (dummy data) for the size indicated by the object information of the designated functional object to the external device 1. (S804). There is no particular restriction on the data to be returned at this time.

  The external device 1 may store the received dummy data. However, if the external device 1 can identify the dummy data, it is desirable that the dummy data be discarded as if there was no object acquisition request.

  Therefore, the imaging apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment returns, for example, a character string indicating dummy data included in the dummy data. This allows the user to recognize the received data as dummy data and delete it as necessary.

  In this embodiment, a unique extension of “.ctl” is used to identify the functional object from other (normal) objects. However, if the functional object can be identified, the same extension as that of the normal object is used. It may be a form having For example, the function object may be provided as a JPEG file or other general file format. In this case, if the object name exists in the management table, it can be determined that the object is a function object.

As an application example of the present embodiment, it is also possible to notify the function device to the external device 1 in a hierarchical structure that is easy for the user to understand.
FIG. 19 shows an example of a function object. “ISO” and “Tv” are folder objects. “RemoteRelease.ctl”, “SetISO100.ctl”, “SetISO200.ctl”, “SetISO400.ctl”, “Set125.ctl”, “Set0” 5.ctl ”,“ Set15 ”.ctl” are file objects.

  “SetISO100.ctl”, “SetISO200.ctl”, and “SetISO400.ctl” are function objects for setting the ISO value of the imaging apparatus 2 to 100, 200, and 400, respectively. “Set125.ctl”, “Set0” 5.ctl ”, and“ Set15 ”.ctl” are function objects for setting the shutter speed of the imaging apparatus 2 to 1 / 125th, 0.5 second, and 15 seconds, respectively. It is.

  FIG. 20A shows a screen displayed on the external device 1 when function objects are generated in such a hierarchical structure. When the imaging apparatus 2 is accessed, the file “RemoteRelease.ctl”, the folder “ISO”, and the folder “Tv” are displayed first.

  FIG. 20B shows a screen when the folder “ISO” is selected by a user operation. In this screen, the files “SetISO100.ctl”, “SetISO200.ctl”, and “SetISO400.ctl” in the lower hierarchy of the folder “ISO” are displayed. As described above, a function object acquisition instruction is made by performing an operation of copying these files to the desktop area.

  As shown in FIG. 19, among the functional objects, an item to be set in the imaging device 2 is generated as a folder object, and a file object indicating a value that can be set in the item is generated in a lower hierarchy of the folder object. It was. Therefore, the user can easily find and set a value to be set by following the hierarchy. In particular, when there are a large number of items to be set, the user operability can be further improved.

  In the present embodiment, the imaging device 2 as an example of a device that can be remotely operated from an external device has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to apparatuses other than the imaging apparatus. In the present invention, a remotely operated device (remotely controlled device) prepares a function object in a storage device or storage medium in advance, and responds to the function object operation by an external device (operation device). It is characterized by performing attached actions. Therefore, the present invention can be applied not only to an imaging apparatus but also to any apparatus that can have an object that can be operated from an external apparatus.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a remotely controlled device is remotely operated, a general-purpose communication method is used, so that dedicated software need not be provided on the operating device side. Further, since remote operation according to the functional object prepared by the remote control device is possible, the operation that can be remotely operated is not limited by the communication method. Therefore, in order to add an operation that can be remotely operated, it is only necessary to prepare a corresponding functional object in the remote control device, and there is no need to change the operation device.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the first embodiment, the operation of the remotely controlled device is remotely controlled from the operating device. On the other hand, this embodiment is characterized in that the function of the remote control device is used from the operation device.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the remote control device is the imaging device 2 and the operation device is the external device 1, and the description of the items described in the first embodiment is omitted. .

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional objects provided in the internal storage device 22 of the imaging device 2 in the present embodiment.
In FIG. 21, the function object “development” is a folder, and the function object “development” is associated with an operation for developing a RAW data file. When a RAW data file is stored in the “development” folder, development processing is performed on the RAW data file, and a processing result data file, for example, a JPEG data file is returned to the external device 1.
The procedure when the external device 1 acquires information related to the functional object included in the imaging device 2 is as described in the first embodiment with reference to FIGS. 4 and 12.

An example of an object list generated corresponding to the example of FIG. 21 is shown in FIG.
In FIG. 22, an object handle 0xFE000001 indicates a “development” folder, and this folder indicates a function for developing a RAW data file in the imaging apparatus 2.

  Further, the external apparatus 1 that has acquired the object list shown in FIG. 22 requests detailed information of the “development” folder, and the imaging apparatus 2 generates and returns object information in response thereto as described with reference to FIG. .

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of object information of the “development” folder.
On the basis of the information obtained here, the external device 1 can present information on functional objects existing in the imaging device 2 using file names, icons, and the like.

  FIG. 25 shows an example of a screen displayed on the external device 1. In the desktop area 3001, an area 3002 for displaying data in the imaging apparatus 2 and an area 3003 for displaying data in the external apparatus 1 are displayed. The user can select which area is displayed as the area 3003. Here, as an example, the contents of the “My Pictures” folder are displayed.

  In an area 3002, a “development” folder is displayed. In an area 3003, data “001.JPG”, “002.JPG”, and “003.RAW” are displayed. Here, “.JPG” is an extension indicating a JPEG data file, and “.RAW” is an extension indicating a RAW data file.

  Here, when a drag and drop operation is performed in which “003.RAW” is copied to the “development” folder based on the operation of the user of the external device 1, the external device 1 transmits “003.RAW” to the imaging device 2. To do. Then, the imaging apparatus 2 executes development processing for the received “003.RAW”. Hereinafter, detailed processing of these operations will be described.

Next, an operation of converting a RAW data file existing in the external apparatus 1 into a JPEG data file using the developing function of the imaging apparatus 2 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.
In FIG. 24, operation steps similar to those in FIG. 10 described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  Assume that the user drags and drops an icon indicating a RAW data file in the external device 1 into the “development” folder displayed in the window corresponding to the imaging device 2 or the external recording medium 21 using, for example, a mouse. . This operation is interpreted by the CPU (specifically, the OS) of the external device 1 as an instruction to transfer the object corresponding to the icon to the imaging device 2 as an external storage device.

  The external device 1 generates object information for the object to be transferred. The external device 1 creates an object file name, file size, and the like as object information. Then, the transfer destination folder (that is, the “development” folder) of the object in the image pickup apparatus 2 is designated as the object handle in the upper hierarchy, and the object information is transmitted to the image pickup apparatus 2 (SendObjectInfo).

The imaging device 2 receives this object information (S501).
The imaging apparatus 2 analyzes the received object information by the storage function control unit 48 and determines whether or not the object can be accepted (S502). Here, for example, when the file format is not RAW and cannot be accepted, the imaging apparatus 2 returns an error code to the external apparatus 1 (S506). The file format can be determined, for example, by checking whether the object format code of the object information.
On the other hand, if it is acceptable, an object handle having the handle of the designated folder as the handle of the upper hierarchy is generated and returned to the external device 1 (S503).

When the external device 1 receives the object handle, it transmits an object (RAW data file) to the imaging device 2 (SendObject).
The imaging device 2 receives this object (S504). Since the transfer destination folder specified by the object information received immediately before is the functional object “development” folder, development processing is executed on the received object (RAW data file) (S905).

In the case of this embodiment, the received RAW data file is developed on the memory of the internal storage device 22 by the image processing circuit 18 and subjected to development processing such as color interpolation processing, white balance processing, and gamma correction processing. Is called. Further, after an encoding process is performed on the image file in the JPEG format, a file number and an object handle are assigned and stored in the external recording medium 21.
When the external device 1 wants to acquire a JPEG file of the development processing result, it can be acquired by the object acquisition processing described above.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to cause the remote control apparatus to execute processing on an object by an operation of adding the object to the functional object. Therefore, in this embodiment as well, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to remotely use the functions of the remotely controlled device by a general-purpose communication method. Further, since remote operation according to the functional object prepared by the remote control device is possible, functions that can be used remotely are not limited by the communication method. Therefore, in order to add a function that can be used remotely, it is only necessary to prepare a corresponding function object in the remote control device, and there is no need to change the operation device.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which one operation of the remote control device is controlled or used from the operation device has been described.
On the other hand, the remote control device of the present embodiment is characterized in that a plurality of operations of the remote control device are sequentially executed from the operation device by using hierarchically arranged functional objects.

  In the present embodiment, another feature is that the remote operation is performed by supplying the functional object from the operation device to the remote control device. That is, in this embodiment, the remote control device stores the function object and the corresponding operation in the management table, but the function object stored in the management table exists in either the remote control device or the operation device. May be.

  FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional objects prepared in the external device 1. In the example of FIG. 26, functional objects are prepared as a folder group having a hierarchical structure in which a “Remote Release” folder exists in a hierarchy below the “Set ISO 100” folder. By transferring this functional object to the imaging apparatus 2, the imaging apparatus 2 first sets the ISO sensitivity to 100 and then performs imaging.

The operation of the imaging apparatus 2 in the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.
When the imaging device 2 is connected to the external device 1 via the communication unit 38 via USB, for example, the imaging device 2 is recognized by the external device 1 and an icon indicating the imaging device 2 is displayed on the display device of the external device 1. As described above, the imaging device 2 can behave as a storage device accessible from the external device 1.

  When the user selects an icon corresponding to the above-described functional object existing in the external device 1 using a file browser provided by the OS, for example, and drags and drops the icon on the icon of the imaging device 2, the OS detects the functional object imaging device 2. Recognized as a transfer instruction to

  Accordingly, the functional objects (folder group) are sequentially transferred from the upper layer to the lowermost layer to the external recording medium 21 of the imaging device 2 (S1001 to S1007). First, the external device 1 transmits the object information of the folder in the highest hierarchy of the folder group to be transmitted to the imaging device 2 (SendObjectInfo). The imaging device 2 receives this object information (S1002).

  The control file management unit 47 of the imaging apparatus 2 determines that the object is a function object from the object name of the received object information, and refers to the management table. Then, the control file management unit 47 performs an object information analysis process for determining whether a corresponding function exists (S1003). If there is no corresponding function, the control file management unit 47 returns an error code to the external device 1 (S1008), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when the corresponding function exists, the imaging device 2 generates and returns an object handle for accepting the folder object (S1004). On the other hand, the folder object transmitted (SendObject) from the external apparatus 1 is received (S1005).

  Next, the imaging device 2 executes a function corresponding to the received folder (S1006). In the present embodiment, first, when the “SetISO100” folder, which is the highest layer, is received, the ISO sensitivity control unit 23 sets the ISO sensitivity to 100 as a corresponding function.

  Next, the processing returns to S1001, and the processing from S1001 to S1007 is repeated up to the lowest layer folder to be transferred. In the case of the present embodiment, transfer of the “Remote Release” folder, which is a lower layer of “Set ISO 100”, is executed from S1002 to S1005. Then, when “Remote Release” is received, the control unit 11 controls the shutter device 27, the photometric sensor 25, the distance measuring sensor 26, the aperture 14 and the like based on the current set values stored in the internal storage device 22. Shooting is performed (S1006).

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of another functional object according to the present embodiment.
The functional object shown in FIG. 28 has a five-layer structure in which a “Wait10S” folder and a “RemoteRelease” folder exist in a lower layer below the “RemoteRelease” folder. Therefore, five operations are executed by the imaging device 2 by sequentially transferring the functional objects.

  Here, assuming that the “Wait10S” folder corresponds to the function of stopping the control of the imaging apparatus 2 for 10 seconds, the function objects in FIG. It is possible to execute the photographing of 10 times at an interval of 10 seconds.

(Other embodiments)
The above-described embodiments are specific examples for carrying out the present invention, and it is possible to appropriately combine the respective examples.
The above-described embodiment can also be realized in software by a computer of a system or apparatus (or CPU, MPU, etc.).
Therefore, the computer program itself supplied to the computer in order to implement the above-described embodiment by the computer also realizes the present invention. That is, the computer program itself for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is also one aspect of the present invention.

  The computer program for realizing the above-described embodiment may be in any form as long as it can be read by a computer. For example, it can be composed of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, but is not limited thereto.

  A computer program for realizing the above-described embodiment is supplied to a computer via a storage medium or wired / wireless communication. Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program include a magnetic storage medium such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, and a magnetic tape, an optical / magneto-optical storage medium such as an MO, CD, and DVD, and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory.

  As a computer program supply method using wired / wireless communication, there is a method of using a server on a computer network. In this case, a data file (program file) that can be a computer program forming the present invention is stored in the server. The program file may be an executable format or a source code.

Then, the program file is supplied by downloading to a client computer that has accessed the server. In this case, the program file can be divided into a plurality of segment files, and the segment files can be distributed and arranged on different servers.
That is, a server apparatus that provides a client computer with a program file for realizing the above-described embodiment is also one aspect of the present invention.

  In addition, a storage medium in which the computer program for realizing the above-described embodiment is encrypted and distributed is distributed, and key information for decrypting is supplied to a user who satisfies a predetermined condition, and the user's computer Installation may be allowed. The key information can be supplied by being downloaded from a homepage via the Internet, for example.

Further, the computer program for realizing the above-described embodiment may use an OS function already running on the computer.
Further, a part of the computer program for realizing the above-described embodiment may be configured by firmware such as an expansion board attached to the computer, or may be executed by a CPU provided in the expansion board. Good.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the imaging device 2 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the state to which the imaging device 2 which concerns on embodiment of this invention and the external device 1 which controls the imaging device 2 remotely are connected. It is a figure which shows the example of the hierarchical structure of the file and folder which exist in the external recording medium 21 of the imaging device 2 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the process in which the external device 1 acquires the data regarding the data file which the imaging device 2 which concerns on embodiment of this invention has. It is a flowchart explaining the production | generation process of the object list which the imaging device 2 which concerns on embodiment of this invention performs. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an object list corresponding to files and folders having the hierarchical structure illustrated in FIG. 4. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the imaging device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention receives an acquisition request for detailed object information from the external device 1. It is a figure which shows the example of the object information in embodiment of this invention. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the imaging apparatus 2 when acquiring an object present on the external recording medium 21 of the imaging apparatus 2 from the external apparatus 1 in the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in the imaging apparatus 2 when an object is transferred from the external apparatus 1 to the imaging apparatus 2 in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the functional object provided in the internal storage device 22 of the imaging device 2 in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the process which the imaging device 2 which concerns on embodiment of this invention produces | generates an object list. It is a figure which shows the example of the object list produced | generated corresponding to the example of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the management table in embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the imaging device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention receives a request for acquiring detailed information of a functional object from the external device 1. It is a figure which shows the example of the object information with respect to the functional object in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the external device 1 in the first embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the imaging apparatus 2 when receiving an acquisition request for a functional object existing in the external recording medium 21 of the imaging apparatus 2 from the external apparatus 1 in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional object in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 19A shows an example of a screen displayed on the external device 1 when the hierarchical structure functional object shown in FIG. 19 is generated, and FIG. 19B shows a screen when the folder “ISO” is selected by a user operation. It is a figure which shows the example of. It is a figure which shows the example of the functional object provided in the internal storage device 22 of the imaging device 2 in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the object list produced | generated corresponding to the example of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the object information of the "development" folder in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 10 is a flowchart for describing an operation of converting a RAW data file existing in the external device 1 into a JPEG data file using the developing function of the imaging device 2 in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the external device 1 in the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the functional object prepared for the external apparatus 1 in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the imaging device 2 in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. In the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows another example of the functional object prepared for the external apparatus.

Claims (11)

A remotely controlled device capable of acting as a device accessible from an external device,
Storage means for storing the function object and the corresponding action in association with each other;
From an external device, wherein in response to an operation on the stored function objects in the remote control unit, and a control means for executing the corresponding operation are stored in the storage means in association with the functional objects,
The operation includes obtaining the functional object;
The control means, when receiving an acquisition request for a plurality of functional objects having a hierarchical structure from the external device, executes in order from functions corresponding to higher-order functional objects in the hierarchical structure. Control device.   The functional object includes a predetermined folder object, and when the operation is a transfer of a data file to the predetermined folder object, the control unit stores an operation stored in the storage unit in association with the predetermined folder object. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is applied to the data file.   The remote control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined folder object is associated with an operation of developing the data file. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the functional object includes a file object, and the operation includes acquisition of the file object. The remote control device is an imaging device;
The remote control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the functional objects is associated with an imaging operation by the imaging apparatus.   The remote control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the functional objects is associated with an operation for setting an imaging parameter by the imaging apparatus.   A function object associated with an operation for setting an imaging parameter by the imaging device and a function object associated with an imaging operation by the imaging device are associated with an operation for setting an imaging parameter by the imaging device The remote control device according to claim 6, wherein when the object is in a hierarchical relationship, the control unit executes the imaging after executing the operation of setting the imaging parameter.   The remote control device according to claim 6, wherein the imaging parameter associated with the functional object is an ISO of the imaging device or a shutter speed of the imaging device. A first mode that allows the external device to operate an object corresponding to an image file stored in the remote control device , and the external device stored in the remote control device . The remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second mode that enables an operation on the function object. A control method of a remote control device having storage means for storing a function object and a corresponding operation in association with each other, and capable of acting as a device accessible from an external device,
Control means, from an external device, wherein in response to an operation on functional objects stored in the remote control device, a control step of performing a corresponding operation stored in said storage means in association with the feature objects Have
The operation includes obtaining the functional object;
In the control step, when the control unit receives an acquisition request for a plurality of functional objects having a hierarchical structure from the external device, the control means executes in order from functions corresponding to higher-order functional objects in the hierarchical structure. A method for controlling a remote control device.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the remote control apparatus of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 9.