JPH0690424A - Picture recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a picture recorder which improves the reliability for the transposition of picture data recorded on a recording medium by taking the power supplied to a device into consideration. CONSTITUTION:This recorder is provided with a memory 6 where picture data can be stored, a hard disk 8 where picture data stored in the memory 6 are recorded, and a power discriminating circuit 15 which discriminates the state of power supplied to the device and the device reads out picture data recorded on the hard disk 8 in accordance with the output of the power discriminating circuit 15 and stores these read picture data in the memory 6 and records these stored picture data in the prescribed recording area of the hard disk 8 again.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for rearranging recorded image data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this specification, an electronic still camera will be described as an example of an image recording apparatus.

In a conventional electronic still camera, image data taken is recorded in a recording medium, such as a magnetic disk, in the order in which the image is taken. Further, the recorded image data is selected and read, and the read image data is recorded on an area different from the area (corresponding to a track in the case of a magnetic disk) which was originally recorded. An electronic still camera that can be fixed, that is, that can rearrange image data has already been proposed.

[0004]

However, in the rearrangement of images in the conventional apparatus, the operator selects the image data to be rearranged from the image data recorded in the recording medium, and further rearranges it. Since it is necessary to select which track to re-record (when the recording medium is a magnetic disk), for example, some of the plurality of image data recorded on the recording medium are erased and an unrecorded area is generated. In such a case, when the image data after the unrecorded area is rerecorded in the unrecorded area and the justified operation of the sequentially recorded images is performed, the above-mentioned method takes a lot of time and effort.

Furthermore, no consideration is given to the power supply (battery) supplied to the apparatus when rearranging the images. Therefore, if the power is turned off while the images are being rearranged, or if the battery voltage is too low to operate the battery (low battery).
However, in the worst case, there is a problem that the image data at that time is destroyed.

Under such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus having improved reliability without an operator's hand when rearranging image data recorded on a recording medium. I am trying.

[0007]

Under the above-mentioned object, the invention of the present application is, as one of its inventions, a storage means capable of storing image data, a recording means for recording the image data stored in the storage means, and an apparatus. Power source determining means for determining the state of the power source being supplied to the image data, the image data recorded in the recording means is read according to the output of the power source determining means, and the read image data is read. The image data stored in the storage means can be recorded again in a predetermined recording area of the recording means.

[0008]

According to the above-mentioned invention, the reliability is improved in the rearrangement operation of the image data recorded on the recording medium without the operator's hand.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An electronic still camera according to the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic still camera of this embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an image pickup device 3 for capturing a subject image.
An optical system 2 for forming an image on the upper side, a shutter 2 that exposes the image of the subject that has passed through the optical system 1 to the image sensor 3 for a predetermined time, and a reference numeral 3 that converts the subject image exposed by the shutter 2 into an electric signal (image signal). An image sensor 4, a sample hold circuit (hereinafter referred to as an S / H circuit) for holding an image signal from the image sensor 3 for a predetermined time, and 5 an S / H circuit 4
An analog-digital conversion circuit (hereinafter, referred to as an A / D conversion circuit) that converts the image signal held by the digital signal into a digital signal, 6 is an image signal digitized by the A / D conversion circuit 5 (hereinafter, image data) Is a memory for temporarily storing the image data, and 7 is a memory controller for controlling input / output of image data to / from the memory 6.

Reference numeral 8 is a recording means for recording the image data stored in the memory 6. In this embodiment, a hard disk (hereinafter referred to as HDD) is used as the recording means.
The HDD 8 is a detachable unit in the camera body. Although the HDD is used in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and any of an optical recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, a semiconductor recording medium, or the like may be used.

Reference numeral 9 denotes an interface circuit (hereinafter referred to as an I / F circuit) for controlling the input / output of image data from the memory controller 7 to the HDD 8. Reference numeral 10 denotes an image sensor 3, an S / H unit 4, an A / D. Part 5, system controller 1
2, a pulse generation circuit for generating a pulse for taking the drive timing, 11 is an operation unit having a switch for instructing a mode selection of the camera and a recording operation of photographing, and 12 is a shutter according to a command input by the operation unit 11 or the like. 2, a system controller that controls the image sensor 3, the memory controller 7, and the I / F circuit 9.

Reference numeral 13 is a camera battery, and 14 is a battery 1.
An external power supply to power the camera instead of 3.
Reference numeral 15 is a power supply discriminating circuit which discriminates between a battery power source and an external power source and, in the case of a battery power source, detects the voltage of the battery.

Next, the photographing operation of the electronic camera configured as described above will be described.

First, in the electronic camera, when a release signal is sent from the operation unit 11 to the system controller 12, the system controller 12 operates the shutter 2 to expose the image of the subject on the image pickup device 3.

The image sensor 3 converts the exposed subject image into an electric signal (image signal) and outputs it to the S / H circuit 4.
The S / H circuit 4 holds the sent image signal for a predetermined time and then digitizes it by the A / D conversion circuit 5.

Digitized image signal (image data)
Is input to the memory controller 7 and is written and stored in the memory 6 according to an instruction from the system controller 12.

Next, the image data once stored in the memory 6 is read out by the memory controller 7 and output to the I / F circuit 9. The I / F circuit 9 outputs the image data to the HDD 8 according to a command from the system controller 12. Write and record.

Now, usually, the image data is recorded in the HDD 8 in the order of photographing by the method described above.

Here, when some of the plurality of pieces of image data recorded in the recording device are erased to become unrecorded areas, the image data are recorded in the area in the shooting order as shown in FIG. 2, for example. It is assumed that image data for one sheet is recorded on each of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... In FIG. 2, the image data in the area 3 is erased to be an unrecorded area, and the image data is recorded in the other areas 1, 2, 4, and 5.

Here, when there is an area in which image data is recorded after the unrecorded area, as in area 3 in FIG. 2,
The unrecorded area (area 3) is hereinafter referred to as a hollow area.

In this embodiment, the electronic still camera is provided with a front justification mode for filling the hollow area.

The processing operation of the justified mode will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the front-justification mode of image data is selected on the operation unit 11, the flow starts.

First, in step S1, it is determined whether the power source supplied to the camera body is an external power source.

If it is determined in step S1 that the power supplied to the camera is not the external power supply 14, step S8
Then, the process goes to and the voltage of the connected battery 13 is checked.

If the voltage of the battery 13 is lower than the predetermined value in step S8, the process proceeds to step S9, in which the operator is provided with a liquid crystal provided on the outer surface of the camera so as to replace or charge the battery 13 and then perform the forward filling operation. A warning is given by a display means such as. Further, a warning display or voice may be given in the viewfinder by an LED or the like. Alternatively, it may be instructed to switch to the external power supply 14 as a warning display.

When the battery voltage is equal to or higher than the predetermined value in step S8, the process proceeds to step S2 described later.

When it is determined in step S1 that the external power source is connected, the process proceeds to step S2, and a hollow area search is performed.

In this hollow area search, the area 1 is searched first. If the hollow area does not exist, the process proceeds to step S10, and the display means notifies the end of the front-justification operation, and the front-justification operation ends.

If a hollow area is found in step S2, the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the recorded image data immediately after the searched void area is input / output from the HDD 8 to the I / F.
The data is read out through the circuit and is temporarily stored in the memory 6 by the memory controller 7.

Then, the process proceeds to step S4, and the operation of writing the image data stored in the memory 6 into the searched hollow area of the HDD 8 again is started.

In step S6, it is determined whether the writing is completed. If the recording operation has not ended, the process returns to step S5.

If it is determined in step S6 that the recording operation has been completed, the process proceeds to step S7, the image data in the previous area recorded on the HDD 8 is erased, and the process returns to step S1 to perform the above-described operation. By repeating the above, the image data is sequentially moved forward.

Further, in step S5, it is judged whether or not a recording error has occurred during the forward sizing.

If an error occurs, step S11
In step S12, the number of times the recording operation error of the image data has occurred is counted, and if the number of times is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the image data stored in the memory 6 is erased in step S12, and the image is displayed on the camera. A warning is displayed using a means.

If the number of error occurrences is less than the predetermined value in step S11, the process returns to step S4 to start recording the image data stored in the memory 6 in the hollow area again.

Needless to say, the predetermined value in step S11 may be once. Further, even when an operation such as shooting is performed during the rearrangement, the rearrangement may be notified by the display means or the voice. Further, it is obvious that the forward-justification operation may be performed only when the external power source is used.

Further, the forward justification operation will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the HDD 8 can record image data for five sheets.

Assume that areas 1 and 4 on the HDD 8 are unrecorded areas (FIG. 4A).

First, the area 1 which is a hollow area is detected, and the image data of the area 2 immediately after the area 1 is stored in the memory 6.
, The image data stored in the area 1 is recorded in the area 1, and the image data in the area 2 is erased (FIG. 4B).

Next, the area 2 which is a hollow area is detected, the image data of the area 3 immediately after the area 2 is read out and stored in the memory 6, and the stored image data is recorded in the area 2. Then, the image data in area 3 is erased (see FIG. 4).
(C)).

Next, the hollow areas 3 and 4 are detected, the image data of the area 5 immediately after the areas 3 and 4 is read,
The image data stored in the memory 6 is recorded in the area 3, the image data in the area 5 is erased, and the left-justification operation is completed (FIG. 4D).

Now, the detection circuit for determining whether the power source is the external power source or the battery power source in step S1 of the flowchart of FIG. 3 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

In the detection method of FIG. 5A, if the external power supply is provided with a member (short-circuit member) that short-circuits the detection terminal on the camera side and the ground, and the battery is not provided with the short-circuit member, The detection terminal becomes Low only when the external power source is used, and becomes High when the battery power source is used.

Of course, conversely, the short-circuit member may be provided in the battery.

It is also possible to provide a plurality of such electric contacts and discriminate the type of the power source by the combination thereof.

Further, during the forward-justification operation, the power supply may be locked so as not to be removed from the camera.

The detection method shown in FIG. 5 (b) uses an LED as an external power source.
By providing a light emitter such as the above and a phototransistor or the like on the camera side, the light from the external power source is detected to distinguish the external power source from the battery.

In the detection method of FIG. 5C, a photo interrupter and a photo reflector are provided on the camera side, while a light shield plate and a reflector plate are provided on the external power supply side, and the output of the output is High.
There is also a method of determining the type of power source by / Low.

Further, the type of power supply may be determined by a combination of a plurality of phototransistors, a combination of photointerrupters, and a combination of photoreflectors.

The detection method of FIG. 5 (d) is to provide a switch on the camera side, and determine the type of power source by turning on the switch only when an external power source is attached.

In the detection method of FIG. 5 (f), an oscillator or a light emitter is provided on the power supply side, and a receiver thereof is provided on the camera side to receive oscillation or light emission of a specific cycle, thereby determining the type of power supply. What to determine.

As another detection method, a microcomputer may be mounted on the power supply side so that the camera and the power supply communicate with each other to determine the type of power supply. At this time, if the microcomputer on the battery side determines the remaining amount of battery and informs the camera of the remaining amount, the circuit for detecting the battery voltage is not required on the camera side.

As still another detection method, a change-over switch for changing over the power source between the battery and the external power source is provided in place of the power source determining means, and the determination is made by this.

As another embodiment of the above justification processing operation, the image data to be justified is selected by the operation unit 11 from the image data recorded in the HDD 8 and the selected image data is selected. The image data is read out via the interface circuit 9, and the image data is temporarily stored in the memory 6 by the memory controller 7.

Then, the image data stored in the memory 6 is rewritten in the hollow area of the HDD 8, and when the writing is completed, the image data in the original recording area is erased.

A method is conceivable in which the above process is repeated and the image data is sequentially moved forward.

Further, the above justification operation will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 6, it is assumed that the HDD 8 can record image data for five sheets.

Area 1 on the HDD 8 is an unrecorded area,
It is assumed that image data is recorded in the other area (FIG. 6A).

First, an area 1 which is a hollow area is detected, and the operator selects the area in which the image data to be recorded is recorded by the switch of the operation unit 11 or the like. For example, it is assumed here that the image data of the area 3 is selected.

The image data of the area 3 is stored in the memory 6,
The stored image data is recorded in the area 1 and the image data in the area 3 is erased (FIG. 6B).

Next, the area 3 which is a hollow area is detected, and the operator selects the area in which the image data to be recorded is recorded by the switch of the operation unit 11 or the like. In this case, the area to be selected is selected from the area after the area 3. Here, it is assumed that the image data of the area 5 is selected.

The image data in the area 5 is read out and stored in the memory 6, the stored image data is recorded in the area 3, the image data in the area 5 is erased, and the front-justification operation is completed (FIG. 6). (C)).

[0069]

As described above, according to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, the operation of rearranging the image data recorded on the recording medium is controlled according to the state of the power source supplied to the apparatus. Therefore, the failure of the sorting operation by the power supply can be prevented, and the reliability of the sorting operation can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a hollow area.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a left-justifying operation according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for specifically explaining the MSB justification operation according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a determination method for determining the type of power supply (external power supply or battery) supplied to the camera body of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for specifically explaining another embodiment of the justification operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6 memory 7 memory controller 8 hard disk device 9 interface circuit 11 operation unit 12 system controller 13 battery 14 external power supply

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A storage unit capable of storing image data, a recording unit for recording the image data stored in the storage unit, and a power supply determination unit for determining the state of the power supply supplied to the apparatus. The image data recorded in the recording unit is read in accordance with the output of the power source determining unit, the read image data is stored in the storage unit, and the stored image data is stored in the recording unit. An image recording apparatus, wherein recording is possible again in a predetermined recording area.