JPH0654252A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a camera which is suitably applied to the continuous shooting actions by performing a compressing action during the exposure time if the exposure time is longer than the compression processing time and therefore increasing the record processing speed. CONSTITUTION:A record processing procedure is shown in a diagram when the exposure time is longer than the compression processing time. That is, an exposure action is started in response to the next vertical sychronizing signal VD after the input of the first sheet trigger. When the exposure is through, the data are read out of a CCD and compressed. The exposure action of the second sheet is started in response to the next signal VD after the trigger of the second sheet is inputted. The data on the first sheet read out of the CCD are compressed during the exposure period of the second sheet. When the exposure of the second sheet is complete, the data on the second sheet are read out of the CCD and then compressed. In other words, the trigger input of the second sheet is permitted immedaitely after the data on the first data are read out of the CCD. Thus the record processing speed is increased.

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly to a camera that shortens the recording processing time and is suitable for continuous shooting. 2. Description of the Related Art In an electronic camera, a DOS system used in a personal computer or the like is about to be used as a recording format in order to ensure data compatibility and manageability with other devices such as a personal computer. In a conventional electronic camera using an IC memory card as a recording medium, a video signal obtained from a CCD is converted into a digital signal and then temporarily stored in a frame memory. The image data read from the frame memory is subjected to compression processing including orthogonal transformation processing and encoding processing and recorded in the IC memory card as compressed image data. FIG. 4 shows an example of the recording operation timing of a conventional camera of this type. The recording operation will be described with reference to FIG. 4. When a recording start signal (trigger 2) is input from the operation unit, exposure is started at the next falling timing of the vertical synchronizing signal VD. After the exposure for a predetermined time is completed, the image data of the CCD is read and written in the frame memory in the period from the next rise to the fall of VD. After the completion of reading the image data from the CCD, the compression operation process is performed and the data is recorded in the IC memory card.
Thus, the compression and recording of the image data is completed. CPU
The header information of the image data that was just recorded (shooting date,
Imaging data (number of pixels, fields / frames, etc.) is written, and when writing of all data is completed, the file allocation table of the last recorded data is written. The data recorded in this way is one D
It is recognized by the system as an OS file. The recording sequence in the conventional camera as described above is processed in time series. Therefore, the time during exposure is an obstacle to improving the recording processing speed. For example, when the exposure time is longer than the compression time, the exposure time becomes useless time, which significantly slows down the data recording speed, resulting in continuous shooting. (Sequential shooting)
It becomes difficult to improve speed performance. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a camera suitable for continuous shooting, by which the recording processing speed is remarkably increased. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a camera according to the present invention reads an image signal generated in accordance with an exposure operation for an image pickup device from the image pickup device and forms an image as image information. First to temporarily store in memory means
Means and the image information stored in the image memory means by the first means is subjected to predetermined information compression processing and stored in the applied information recording medium as each image information file in a predetermined format. Second means, a third means for recognizing each exposure time relating to the continuous shooting, and an exposure time recognized by the third means for information compression on one image information in the second means. When it is longer than the time required for the processing, the exposure operation is performed during the information compression processing in the second means of the image information generated according to the preceding exposure operation and temporarily stored in the image memory means. And a fourth means for permitting the start of. According to the present invention, when the exposure time is longer than the compression processing time, the recording processing time is greatly shortened by simultaneously performing the compression operation during the exposure time. The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram showing an embodiment of a camera according to the present invention. In this embodiment, at the time of recording, the subject image formed on the image pickup system 2 such as a CCD via the optical system 1 is converted into an image signal. This image signal is processed by the clamp circuit 3 so as to keep the DC level constant,
After being converted into digital image data by the D conversion circuit 4, it is written in the frame memory 6 under the control of the memory control circuit 5. The image data read from the frame memory 6 is subjected to orthogonal transform processing such as DCT (discrete cosine transform) in the DCT / IDCT circuit 7 to perform data conversion necessary for data compression, and the coder / decoder circuit 8 In, data compression processing is performed. This data compression process is performed based on information such as the encoding table read from the auxiliary memory 9 via the data bus 20, and the compressed data is written in the IC memory card 10. On the other hand, at the time of reproduction, the IC memory card 10
The image data read from the coder / decoder circuit 8
In the DCT / IDCT 7, the decompression processing is performed, and in the DCT / IDCT 7, inverse orthogonal transformation processing such as IDCT (Inverse Discrete Cosine Transform) is performed and the data is written in the frame memory 6. After the expansion processing of all image data is completed, the frame memory 6
Image data is read out from the device, digital processing circuit 11 performs digital processing suitable for the NTSC image signal, and D / A conversion circuit 12 converts the image data into an analog image signal. This analog image signal is a 75Ω driver 1
An image is reproduced by an EVF (electronic viewfinder) 14 through 3 and is supplied to an external output terminal 15. From the character generator 16, character data for performing on-screen display such as date and time on the display screen is supplied to the digital process circuit 11. The system controller 19 controls each unit based on various instruction signals from the operation unit 18. Display 1
At 7, the operating state of the electronic camera is displayed. In the above configuration, in response to the input of the trigger 2 signal from the operation unit 18, the system controller 19 causes the exposure and CCD
Controls such as reading, data compression described below, and writing to an IC memory card are performed. FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing a recording processing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment shows the operation when it is determined that the exposure time is longer than the compression time, and the exposure operation is started in response to the next vertical synchronizing signal VD after the trigger input for the first sheet. After the exposure is completed, the data stored in the CCD is read out. Next, the compression operation starts, but when the second trigger is input,
The exposure operation of the second sheet is started in response to the next vertical synchronizing signal VD. During the exposure operation period of the second sheet, the compression operation of the data of the first sheet read from the CCD is performed. When the exposure of the second sheet is completed, the data of the second sheet is read from the CCD and the compression operation is performed in the same manner. That is, in this embodiment, when it is determined that the exposure time is longer than the compression processing time, immediately after the data reading from the CCD of the first image is completed, the trigger input of the second image (next photographing) is permitted. ing. In the conventional camera, since the data being compressed is stored in the frame memory while the data is being compressed, the next shooting cannot be performed. In this embodiment, when the shutter speed (exposure time) is longer than the compression time,
When the next exposure is started during the compression process and the data is read from the CCD, the compression process is completed, so that writing the next data in the frame memory causes no problem. The operation processing procedure of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
Is input (step S1), the AF operation is performed (step S2), and the input of the trigger 2 is waited (step S).
3). When the trigger 2 is input, photometry and WB operation are performed (step S4), and after exposure operation is performed (step S5), CCD data reading and photometry for the next photographing are performed (step S6). Next, it is determined whether or not the exposure time is longer than the compression processing time. If it is determined that the exposure time is longer than the compression processing time, the compression processing is started, and the second (second shot) exposure is permitted (step S8). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S7 that the exposure time is not longer than the compression time, the compression operation is started (step S9), the end of the compression process is awaited (step S10), and the second exposure is permitted (step S10). Step S11). As described above, in the camera according to the present invention, when the exposure time is longer than the compression processing time, the compression operation is simultaneously performed during the exposure time. Is significantly shortened, and the number of recorded images per unit time during continuous shooting increases. FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of an embodiment of a camera according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a timing chart of a recording operation in the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a recording operation processing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a timing chart of a recording operation in a conventional camera. [Explanation of Codes] 1 Optical system 2 Imaging system 3 Clamp circuit 4 A / D
Conversion circuit 5 Memory control circuit 6 Frame memory 7 DCT
/ IDCT circuit 8 Coder / decoder circuit 9 Auxiliary memory 10 IC memory card 11 Digital process circuit 12 D / A
Conversion circuit 13 Driver 14 EVF 15 External output terminal 16 Character generator 17 Display section 18 Operation section 19 System controller

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[Procedure Amendment] [Date of submission] April 15, 1993 [Procedure Amendment 1] [Document name for amendment] Specification [Item name for amendment] 0012 [Correction method] Change [Correction content] [0012] [Invention As described above, in the camera according to the present invention, when the exposure time is longer than the compression processing time, the compression operation is simultaneously performed during the exposure time, so that the recording processing time is significantly shortened. , The number of recorded images per unit time during continuous shooting increases. [Procedure Amendment 2] [Name of Document to Amend] Specification [Name of Item to Amend] Brief Description of Drawing [Correction Method] Change [Details of Correction] [Simple Description of Drawing] [FIG. 1] One of the cameras according to the present invention It is a basic block diagram of an Example. FIG. 2 is a timing chart of a recording operation in the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a recording operation processing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a timing chart of a recording operation in a conventional camera. [Explanation of Codes] 1 Optical system 2 Imaging system 3 Clamp circuit 4 A / D
Conversion circuit 5 Memory control circuit 6 Frame memory 7 DCT
/ IDCT circuit 8 Coder / decoder circuit 9 Auxiliary memory 10 IC memory card 11 Digital process circuit 12 D / A
Conversion circuit 13 Driver 14 EVF 15 External output terminal 16 Character generator 17 Display section 18 Operation section 19 System controller

Claims (1)

Claims: A first means for reading an image signal generated in response to an exposure operation for an image sensor from the image sensor and temporarily storing the image signal as image information in an image memory means; and the image memory by the first means. A second means for performing a predetermined information compression process on the image information stored in the means and storing it as each image information file in a predetermined format in the applied information recording medium, and the continuous shooting. A third means for recognizing the exposure time each time, and an exposure time for the second time recognized by the third means.
When the time required for the information compression processing for one image information in the above means is longer than the time required for the information compression processing in the second means for the image information generated according to the preceding exposure operation and temporarily stored in the image memory means. A fourth means for permitting the start of the exposure operation during a period of execution, and a camera.