JPH10215397A - Digital electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently transmit images by confirming a part of image information inside a storage means where electric signals for which object images on a transmission side are converted by a solid-state image pickup element are processed and stored as the image information by a data communication circuit on a reception side. SOLUTION: In this digital electronic camera provided with a function as a portable telephone or a PHS, in the case that a receiver selects images at the time of the communication of the images, only a thumb-nail image which is a small screen for which the original images of the image information recorded in an image memory 15 inside the external storage medium of a transmitter is thinned is transmitted to the receiver. The receiver selects the image to be transmitted corresponding to a multi-display screen and the transmission side turns only the selected image to a full-size image, encodes it by a codec circuit 12 and transmits it to the reception side by a communication circuit 13. At the time, by performing screen display for indicating the screen during transmission at present, a user confirms the progress degree of transmission.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a digital electronic camera, and more particularly, to a digital electronic camera having a function as a portable telephone or a PHS.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, digital electronic cameras for recording photographed images on semiconductor memory devices have been marketed by various companies, and these digital electronic cameras are easier to import recorded images into personal computers than conventional silver halide cameras. In recent years, mobile phones and PHS have rapidly spread, and in particular, PHS has been attracting attention as a multimedia device capable of high-speed data communication in addition to communication purposes. In fact, devices in which a mobile phone or a PHS is integrated with a digital electronic camera have been proposed in various forms.

Here, the general operation method of the above-mentioned digital electronic camera having the functions of the mobile phone and the PHS is such that the sender selects one or a plurality of images to be transmitted according to the shooting conditions of the images. Then, an operation for transmission is performed by switches, and image transmission is started.

[0004]

In the case described above, the sender selects all the images to be transmitted, and the receiver waits unilaterally until the transmission is completed. That is, the receiver checks the image only after the transmission is completed. After the transmission is completed, the receiver realizes that the desired image is not an image, and transmitting and receiving the image again causes a great time loss.

[0005] In addition, since the image transmission itself is an operability not provided in the conventional portable electronic device, if the sender is not accustomed to the operation, the transmission becomes more troublesome and efficient. There has been a problem that images cannot be transmitted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital electronic camera having a function as a portable telephone or a PHS so that a receiver can select an image to be transmitted, thereby enabling efficient image transmission. Is to provide.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image pickup means for converting a subject image into an electric signal by a solid-state image pickup device, and processing the electric signal to store it as image information in a storage medium. In a digital electronic camera having storage means for performing communication, a communication circuit for performing data communication, and a codec circuit for performing encoding and decoding of various kinds of information, a receiving side checks a part of image information in the storage means on a transmitting side. Provided is a digital electronic camera characterized by the possibility.

In the above digital electronic camera,
A digital electronic camera is provided in which a receiving side can select image information to be communicated.

According to the above configuration, in a digital electronic camera having a function of a portable telephone or a PHS, an image can be transmitted efficiently by enabling a receiver to select an image to be transmitted.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a digital electronic camera according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view for explaining a system in an embodiment of a digital electronic camera of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital electronic camera body of the present invention.

1, reference numeral 1 denotes a lens, 2 denotes an image sensor such as a CCD, 3 denotes a signal processing circuit for generating image information, 4 denotes an image memory for storing at least one image information, 5
Is a compression / expansion circuit for compressing and expanding image information, 6 is a microcomputer for system management, 7 is an operation switch operated by a user, 8 is a display circuit for displaying information on a liquid crystal monitor, 9 is image information and text information. , A microphone, 11 a speaker, 12 a codec circuit for encoding / decoding information, 13 a communication circuit for communication, 14 an antenna, and 15 a plurality of external storage media. This is an image memory for storing image information of a sheet.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the electronic camera on the receiving side in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a display example when the receiver selects an image to be transmitted. 1, 3, 8
Indicates that the image is selected. (B) is a display example during transmission, and NO. 3 indicates that the image is being transmitted.

In the digital electronic camera of the present invention configured as described above, specific operations at the time of photographing and transmitting an image will be described with reference to FIGS.
When taking an image, the subject formed by the lens 1 is CC
It is converted into an electric signal by the imaging device 2 such as D. The signal processing circuit 3 creates image information from the electric signal and writes the image information in the image memory 4. Here, in the shooting standby state, the image information is output to the display circuit 8. The display circuit 8 inputs image information and displays it on the liquid crystal monitor 9. The user is the LCD monitor 9
The photographing is performed while confirming the image by the display of. When photographing is performed, the image information recorded in the image memory 4 is data-compressed by the compression / expansion circuit 5 and written into the image memory 15 in the external storage medium.

At the time of image communication, when the receiver selects an image, only the thumbnail image which is a small screen obtained by thinning out the original image of the image information recorded in the image memory 15 of the sender is transmitted to the receiver. Transmitted. The recipient is, for example, FIG.
An image to be transmitted is selected in accordance with a multi-screen displayed as shown in FIG. Here, it is shown that screens 1, 3, and 8 have been selected. Then, only the selected image is transmitted from the transmission side to the reception side as a full size image. here,
The selected image is encoded by the sender's codec circuit 12, and data is transmitted by the communication circuit 13.

At this time, for example, by displaying a screen as shown in FIG. 3B, the progress of the transmission can be confirmed by the user. Here, it is indicated that the screen 3 is currently being transmitted.

[0016]

As described above, the digital electronic camera having the functions of the portable telephone and the PHS of the present invention allows the recipient to select the image to be transmitted, thereby efficiently and surely transmitting the image. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view illustrating a system in a digital electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital electronic camera body of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation display state of the receiving electronic camera in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 lens 2 CCD 3 signal processing circuit 4 memory 5 compression / expansion circuit 6 microcomputer 7 operation switch 8 display circuit 9 liquid crystal monitor 10 microphone 11 speaker 12 codec circuit 13 communication circuit 14 antenna 15 image memory

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup means for converting a subject image into an electric signal by a solid-state image pickup device, a storage means for processing the electric signal and storing it as image information in a storage medium; a communication circuit for performing data communication; A digital electronic camera having a codec circuit for performing encoding and decoding of a digital electronic camera, wherein a receiving side can confirm a part of image information in the storage means on a transmitting side. 2. The digital electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the receiving side can select image information to be communicated.