JPH03268583A - Electronic still camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to rewrite program data stored in a storage part and to execute various function operation by rewritably forming program data for controlling the functional operation of an electronic still camera and attachably/detachably connecting a recording medium to/from an interface part. CONSTITUTION:The program data for controlling the functions of the electronic still camera which are to be stored in the EEPROM 27c of a CPU 27 are stored in a memory card 5 for storing image signals. The above program data are read out by an interface driver 4 and supplied to a parallel interface control circuit 27f in the CPU 27. A core part 27d in the CPU 27 stores the above program data in the EEPROM 27c of the CPU 27 in accordance with a program read out from a ROM 27a. Thereby, the functional operation of the inside of the camera can be executed in accordance with control set up by a user through the memory card 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an electronic still camera that uses an image sensor to create still images.

[Prior art and its problems] An image sensor such as a charge-coupled device (hereinafter referred to as COD) is used, and an image signal output from the image sensor is processed and converted into a digital signal, and the converted digital signal is processed. For electronic still cameras that store image signals in semiconductor memory, there are various functions that are performed within the electronic still camera, such as controlling the operation of all components within the electronic still camera, automatic exposure control and automatic focus control when taking pictures, etc. The user could not freely change operations such as automatic white balance control and image processing performed by software.

Therefore, after purchasing the electronic still camera, there is a problem in that the user cannot freely add or change new functions desired by the user to the electronic still camera.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic still camera that allows a user to freely add or change new functions.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a method in which a captured image converted into an electrical signal is recorded as a digital signal on a recording medium that is removable from an interface section of a still camera body, and that the captured image is recorded on the recording medium as a digital signal. The electronic still camera is capable of reproducing photographed images via the interface section, the electronic still camera having a writable and erasable storage section for storing program data for controlling the operation of functions within the electronic still camera; an arithmetic processing unit having a control unit that performs operation control and controls the operation of functions of the electronic still camera using program data stored in the storage unit; and program data that is written to the storage unit of the arithmetic processing unit. and a recording medium for recording photographed images in the form of digital signals, and a removable recording medium for reading out the program data recorded on the recording medium and for reading and writing signals of photographed images. The present invention is characterized by comprising an interface section for performing the following operations.

[Operation: Program data for controlling the functional operations of the electronic still camera is stored in the recording medium, and the interface section reads this data. The control section of the arithmetic processing section writes the program data supplied from the interface section into the storage section within the arithmetic processing section. The control section of the arithmetic processing section executes the operations of each function within the electronic still camera according to the program data written in the storage section. Further, the recording medium is removably attachable to the interface section, and recording media having different program data can be attached to the interface section. Therefore,
The recording medium, arithmetic processing unit, and interface unit add and operate the functions of the electronic still camera as desired by the user.
It works so that it can be changed.

[Embodiment] In FIGS. 1 and 2 showing an embodiment of the electronic still camera of the present invention, a CCD 20 that converts subject information that has passed through a photographic lens, an aperture, etc. into an electrical signal is connected to an amplifier 21 via an amplifier 21. It is connected to a signal processing circuit 1 that converts the supplied object information into a luminance signal Y and color difference signals RY and BY, and converts the converted luminance signal and color difference signal into digital signals.

Such a signal processing circuit I is connected to the internal data bus z3 after passing through the plexer 22.

The internal data bus 23 includes an image signal processing circuit 3 to be described later.
An external display device (not shown) is also connected via a D/A (digital/analog) converter 6, a matrix 7, or an encoder 8. The image signal processing circuit 3 is connected to an external data bus 24, and a memory card 5 made of a semiconductor memory is connected to the external data bus 24 via an interface driver 4. memory card 5
is removable from the electronic still camera, and stores image signals sent from the image signal processing circuit 3.
The program data stored in the memory card 5 for controlling operations within the electronic still camera is sent out. The interface driver 4 is a circuit that writes and reads information to and from the memory card 5.

Also, connected to the external data bus 24 is a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 27 consisting of a chip. C
Digital signals supplied from a read/write memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM) 27a for storing a control program for controlling the internal operations of the PU 27, a read/write memory for working area (hereinafter referred to as RAM) 27b, and the memory card 5. EEPROM 27c, which is an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory that stores program data consisting of; A serial data interface control circuit 27e that controls interconnection with the CPU 28 and 29, an interface driver control circuit that controls the operation of the interface driver 4, and a parallel interface control circuit 27f that controls interconnection with the image signal processing circuit 3. It is composed of etc.

The CPU 27 is connected to the image signal processing circuit 3 described above via the serial data interface control circuit 27e and the 5IPI10 bus 30, and also serves as a CPU 28 that controls the operation of various functions such as automatic focus control and automatic exposure control in this apparatus. via a 5IPI10 bus 30. Further, the CPU 28 is also connected to the image signal processing circuit 3 via a 5IPI10 bus 30.

Further, the CPUs 27 and 28 are connected to a CPU 29 and a CPU 28 that control operating modes such as shooting mode and playback mode in this device.
It is connected via a PU interface SIO bus 31.

The image signal processing circuit 3 has a configuration shown in FIG. That is, the buffer memory 15, which is used for signal processing within the image signal processing circuit 3 and which normally has a FIFO (first-in, first-read) configuration, is connected to the buffer interface data bus 25.
It is connected to each component inside the circuit via. This component consists of a filter group l for automatic focus adjustment of photographed images.
O1 automatic exposure control adder 11, image quality correction two-dimensional spatial filter 12, known adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADC)
T) is a data compression circuit 13 that performs data compression. Further, these constituent parts 10 to 13, etc. are connected to each other via a data bus 26. Further, each component 10 to 13 is provided with registers 10a to 13a for storing data necessary for image processing performed by each component. For example, in the register 10a provided in the automatic focus adjustment filter group 10,
Coefficients of the digital filter are stored, and the frequency characteristics of the filter are determined by the stored coefficients. Therefore, by changing the data stored in each register 10a to 13a, etc., it is possible to change the image processing of the image signal. The data stored in such registers 10a to 13a is selected by a selection signal sent from a decoder 33 connected to a buffer 32 connected to the above-mentioned 5IPI10/(s) 30. This is data for image processing that is selected from the data or sent from the buffer 32.
is connected to an I10 data bus 26 to which each component 10-13 is connected.

The operation of the electronic still camera configured in this manner will be described below.

The memory card 5 that stores image signals stores program data for controlling the functions of the electronic still camera, which is stored in the EEPROM 27c in the CPU 27.

When such a memory card 5 is attached to the interface driver 4 of the present electronic still camera, the above program data is read out by the interface driver 4, and the read program data is sent to the CPU 27 via the external data bus 24. The signal is supplied to the parallel interface control circuit 27f. The core section 27d of the CPU 27 stores the program data in the EEPROM 27c within the CPU 27 according to the program read from the ROM 27a. Furthermore, the core part 27d is an EEPROM 27
When it is detected that writing of the above program data to c is completed, each function control in this electronic still camera is
The operation of each component is controlled to be executed by the program in the PROM 27c.

In this way, in this electronic still camera, the functional operations inside the camera can be executed under the control set by the user on the memory card 5, which is convenient for the user.

For example, if an electronic still camera has two switches on the left and right that perform the same function, the still camera is normally programmed to operate with the right switch, but if a left-handed person When in use, the still camera can be operated using the left switch by attaching a memory card 5 storing program data for operation using the left switch to the still camera. Furthermore, it is also possible to change the algorithms for each control such as control related to automatic focus, control related to automatic exposure, and control related to automatic white balance.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, the program data for controlling the functions of the electronic still camera can be rewritten, so that the functional operations of the electronic still camera can be controlled as desired by the user. It can be added and changed as follows. or,
The above-mentioned recording medium is removable from the interface section, so that different program data is stored in the trF. By attaching the recording medium, the program data held in the storage section can be rewritten, and various functional operations can be performed. I can do it.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the electronic still camera of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image signal processing circuit shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is the same as shown in FIG. 1. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a CPU 27. FIG. 4...Interface driver, 5...Memory card, 27...CPU. 27cmEEPROM, 27cl=core part, 28.29
...CPU0

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) The captured image converted into an electrical signal is recorded as a digital signal on a recording medium that is removable from the interface section of the still camera body, and the captured image recorded on the recording medium is transmitted via the interface section of the still camera body. A reproducible electronic still camera, comprising a writable and erasable storage section for storing program data for controlling the operation of functions within the electronic still camera, and a memory section for controlling the operation of the storage section and for storing program data for controlling the operation of functions within the electronic still camera. an arithmetic processing section having a control section that controls the operation of the functions of the electronic still camera using stored program data; a recording medium for recording a photographed image, and an interface section for reading out the program data recorded on the recording medium and for reading and writing signals of the photographed image, the recording medium being removable. An electronic still camera featuring