JPH0530457A - Electronic still camera device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the data volume on demand to effectively use the capacity of a semiconductor memory. CONSTITUTION:The electronic still camera device where the optical image of a photographed subject is converted to digital picture data and is recorded in a semiconductor memory is provided with a picture frame selecting means 18 which selects plural picture frames preliminarily prepared for setting of the form and the size of a photographable picture area, a pattern selecting means 19 which selects plural patterns preliminarily prepared for setting of the pattern or the color of the outside of the picture frame selected by the picture frame selecting means 18, and a control means 14 which converts only the optical image picked up in the picture frame selected by the picture frame selecting means 18 to digital picture data and records this data in the semiconductor memory together with code data indicating selected picture frame and pattern.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of an electronic still camera device for converting an optical image of a photographed subject into digital image data and recording it in a semiconductor memory.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, an electronic still which converts an optical image of a photographed object into an electric image signal by using a solid-state image pickup device, converts the image signal into digital image data, and records the digital image data in a semiconductor memory. Camera devices have been developed.
In this type of electronic still camera device, a memory card in which a semiconductor memory is built in a card-shaped case is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the camera main body, so that it can be used as a film in a normal camera. Equivalent handling can be done.

However, in the conventional electronic still camera device as described above, since all the captured optical images are simply converted into digital image data and recorded in the semiconductor memory, the capacity of the semiconductor memory is sufficient. The problem is that it is not being used effectively.

[0004]

As described above, the conventional electronic still camera device has a problem that the capacity of the semiconductor memory is not effectively utilized.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an extremely good electronic still camera device in which the amount of data can be reduced and the capacity of the semiconductor memory can be effectively used if necessary. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

An electronic still camera device according to the present invention is intended for converting an optical image of a photographed subject into digital image data and recording it in a semiconductor memory. An image frame selecting unit that selects a plurality of image frames prepared in advance for setting the shape or size of the image area that can be photographed, and a pattern outside the image frame selected by the image frame selecting unit or A pattern selecting means for selecting a plurality of patterns prepared in advance for setting the color,
And a control means for converting only the optical image captured in the image frame selected by the image frame selection means into digital image data and recording it in the semiconductor memory together with the code data indicating the selected image frame and the picture. It was done.

[0007]

According to the above construction, the amount of digital image data is reduced by appropriately setting the image frame and limiting the image area that can be photographed, so that the capacity of the semiconductor memory is reduced. Can be used effectively. Further, since the image frame and the pattern are recorded in the semiconductor memory as code data, the capacity of the semiconductor memory can be effectively used in this respect as well.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, the optical image of the subject incident through the lens unit 11 is the solid-state image sensor 12
And is converted into an image signal by the data processing circuit 13
Sent to. The data processing circuit 13 converts an input image signal into digital image data under the control of a control circuit 14 including a microcomputer (not shown) and performs data compression processing, error correction code addition processing, and the like. It is a thing.

The digital image data processed by the data processing circuit 13 is sent to the memory card 15 and recorded in a semiconductor memory (not shown). In this case, the control circuit 14 generates and outputs various control signals for causing the data processing circuit 13 to perform the above-described data processing by the user operating the shutter 17 by capturing the subject with the finder 16. To do.

An image frame selection switch 18 and a picture selection switch 19 are connected to the control circuit 14. This image frame selection switch 18 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
3 prepared in advance as shown in (a), (b), and (c)
This is a switch for the user to select the type of image frame. The pattern selection switch 19 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
This is a switch for the user to select four types of patterns prepared in advance as shown in (a), (b), (c), and (d).

When the image frame and the picture are selected,
The control circuit 14 displays the selected image frame on the finder 16 and also displays the selected pattern outside the displayed image frame. For example, when the image frame shown in FIG. 2A and the pattern shown in FIG. 3B are selected, the finder 16
The display inside is as shown in FIG. 4, and the subject can be seen only in the image frame.

Further, the control circuit 14 has a remaining amount display portion 20 for displaying the remaining capacity of the semiconductor memory in the memory card 15, and a digital image of an optical image of an object present in the selected image frame. A data amount display unit 21 that displays the data amount when converted into data is connected.
The data amount displayed on the data amount display unit 21 is uniquely determined according to the image frame selected by the image frame selection switch 18.

Here, when photographing is performed, first, the image frame selection switch 18 and the picture selection switch 19 are selected.
Is operated to select an image frame and a pattern, and the data amount displayed in the data amount display section 21 in this state is the remaining amount display section 20.
Confirm that you can record with the remaining capacity displayed in. Then, a desired subject is captured in the image frame displayed in the viewfinder 16 and the shutter 17 is operated.

Then, the optical image of the subject incident through the lens unit 11 is converted into an image signal by the solid-state image pickup device and supplied to the data processing circuit 13. In the data processing circuit 13, the control circuit 14 operates. By the control, only the image signal corresponding to the optical image of the subject existing in the image frame is converted into digital image data, and the data compression process and the error correction code addition process are performed.

The digital image data processed by the data processing circuit 13 is sent to the memory card 15 and recorded in the semiconductor memory. In this case, the control circuit 14 sends the code data of the selected image frame and pattern to the memory card 15 and records the code data in the semiconductor memory together with the digital image data.

Therefore, according to the configuration of the above embodiment, the image frame that can be photographed is limited by appropriately setting the image frame to reduce the amount of digital image data. The capacity of the semiconductor memory can be effectively used. Moreover, since the image frame and the pattern are recorded in the semiconductor memory as code data, the capacity of the semiconductor memory can be effectively used in this respect as well. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0017]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide an extremely good electronic still camera device in which the amount of data can be reduced as necessary to effectively use the capacity of the semiconductor memory.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic still camera device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an image frame in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a design in the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view showing display contents of a finder in the same embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Lens part, 12 ... Solid-state image sensor, 13 ... Data processing circuit, 14 ... Control circuit, 15 ... Memory card, 16 ...
Finder, 17 ... Shutter, 18 ... Image frame selection switch, 19 ... Picture selection switch, 20 ... Remaining amount display section, 21
... Data volume display.

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. In an electronic still camera device for converting an optical image of a photographed subject into digital image data and recording it in a semiconductor memory, the shape or size of a photographable image area is set. An image frame selecting means for selecting a plurality of image frames prepared in advance, and a plurality of patterns prepared in advance for setting a pattern or color outside the image frame selected by the image frame selecting means And the optical image captured in the image frame selected by the image frame selection unit is converted into digital image data and recorded in the semiconductor memory together with code data indicating the selected image frame and pattern. An electronic still camera device comprising: a control unit for controlling the electronic still camera device.