JPH11298840A - Image pickup method, device therefor and method for reproducing image for the device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reproduce and display each frame according to time information stored in the case of reproduction by measuring a time interval of photographing frames and storing image data of a plurality of frames to a storage medium together with the time information. SOLUTION: A timer 115 counts a time interval of each frame to be photographed and stores the count to a data storage section 104 in cross reference with image data corresponding to the frame. In the case of reproducing the image stored in the data storage section 104, the count stored in cross reference with the image data of each frame is read and each frame in the data storage section 104 is read sequentially at a time interval in response to the count, reproduced and displayed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup method and apparatus for storing a picked-up image in a storage medium, reading out the stored image, reproducing and displaying the image, and an image pickup and reproducing method in the apparatus. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional digital camera, when image data of a plurality of frames is stored in a built-in disc or the like, when the image data of a plurality of frames are continuously reproduced and displayed, an operator's operation is required. According to a key operation or the like, the stored image data of each frame is sequentially read out and displayed, or the image data of each frame is automatically read out and reproduced at a preset time interval. Was composed.

[0003]

As described above, in the conventional digital camera, since the image of each frame is reproduced as described above, for example, during one event or work,
In the case where image data of a plurality of frames captured with the lapse of time is reproduced, there is a problem that the lapse of time between the reproduced and displayed frame images is not known.

For example, immediately after photographing, the operator can insert the elapsed time information into the image data or associate the elapsed time information with the elapsed time so that the elapsed time between frames can be read at the time of reproduction. In addition, a method of performing such processing and displaying the assigned time information together with the image when the frame image is reproduced is also conceivable. However, such input of time information by the operator is extremely troublesome, and there is a problem that it is difficult to intuitively grasp the time lapse by simply displaying the time information during reproduction of each frame.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and provides an imaging method and apparatus which measures a time interval at which each frame is imaged and stores a plurality of frames of image data together with the time information in a storage medium. The purpose is to:

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an imaging apparatus capable of reproducing and displaying each frame in accordance with a time interval when an image is reproduced from a storage medium, and an imaging and reproducing method in the apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup apparatus capable of storing a frame image together with time information indicating a time interval at which each frame is imaged and reproducing and displaying each frame according to the time interval during reproduction. An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging and reproducing method.

Another object of the present invention is to read out each frame image from a storage medium in which the frame image is stored together with time information indicating a time interval at which each frame was imaged, and to read each frame image at a time interval corresponding to the frame. It is an object of the present invention to provide an imaging device capable of displaying and reproducing an image and an imaging and reproducing method in the device.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, an image pickup apparatus according to the present invention has the following arrangement. That is, an image pickup apparatus that records a captured image on a recording medium, a timer that measures a time interval of each frame to be imaged, and time information measured by the timer that corresponds to image data corresponding to the frame. Storage means for attaching and storing.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the imaging and reproducing method of the present invention comprises the following steps. That is, an image capturing / reproducing method of an image capturing apparatus that records a captured image on a recording medium, wherein a time measuring step of measuring a time interval of each frame to be imaged and time information measured in the time measuring step correspond to the frame. A storage step of storing the image data corresponding to each frame in the storage medium in association with the image data, a reproduction step of reading and reproducing and displaying the image data corresponding to each frame, and a time corresponding to the image data reproduced and displayed in the reproduction step Controlling a reproduction display time interval of each frame based on the information.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, a digital camera that captures and stores a video and reproduces the video will be described. For example, such a video is captured and stored, or video data is stored. It is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to an imaging device in which a storage medium is set and reproduced.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and the operation of the digital camera of the present embodiment is as follows.
This is controlled by the CPU 101. The CPU 101 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 storing a control program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a data storage unit 104 such as an optical disk or a magnetic disk, an image processing unit 108, a tablet control unit 109, An LCD control unit 111, a shutter switch 114, a timer 115, and a DC / DC converter 117 for supplying power are connected, respectively.
Further, the image processing unit 108 includes a CCD control unit 10.
7. The CCD 106 is connected. The tablet control unit 109 has a handwritten tablet 110, L
A display drive section 112 and a display section (TFT color liquid crystal) 113 are connected to the CD control section 111. The DC / DC converter 117 has a battery 116.
Is supplied with a DC voltage.

The CPU 101 performs various controls based on a control program stored in the ROM 102. These controls include a process of reading a captured image signal output from the image processing unit 108 and performing DMA transfer to the RAM 103, a process of similarly transferring image data from the RAM 103 to the LCD control unit 111, Data storage unit 1 in JPEG compressed data file format
04, and the handwriting tablet 110
Execution of various applications according to the information input from the user, an instruction of a photographing operation in response to an operation of the shutter switch 114, a timer 115 for processing a photographing operation interval, and an image switching at the time of reproduction according to the time setting of the timer 115. Processing such as processing, and further, a control signal for controlling power supply to these units is provided by DC / DC.
The processing for outputting to the converter 117 is included.

The RAM 103 has an image development area 103a for developing captured image data, a work area 103b used for temporarily storing various data when the CPU 101 executes various processing, a VRAM 103c, a temporary save area 103d, and the like. I have. Here, the image development area 103a is used as a temporary buffer for temporarily storing a captured image (YUV digital signal) sent from the image processing unit 108 and JPEG compressed image data read from the data storage unit 104. It is also used as a dedicated image work area for image compression processing and decompression processing. The work area 103b is a work area for various programs. VRAM 103c
Is a VRA for storing display data to be displayed on the display unit 113.
Used as M. The temporary save area 103d is an area for temporarily saving various data.

The data storage unit 104 is a memory for storing photographed image data JPEG-compressed by the CPU 101 or various ancillary data referred to by applications in a file format. In this embodiment, for example, It is composed of flash memory.

The lens group 105 optically converts the subject image into C
It is composed of a plurality of lenses for projecting onto a CD 105, and a CCD (photoelectric conversion element) 106
5 is an element for converting the captured image condensed and projected by 5 into an analog electric signal. The CCD control unit 107 includes a timing generator for supplying a transfer clock signal and a shutter signal to the CCD 106,
The circuit includes a circuit for performing noise removal and gain processing of the D output signal, and an A / D conversion circuit for converting an analog signal into a 10-bit digital signal. Further, the image processing unit 108 includes a CCD control unit 107.
The output 10-bit digital image signal is subjected to image processing such as gamma conversion, color space conversion, white balance, AE, and flash correction, and is output as an 8-bit digital signal in YUV (4: 2: 2) format. The lens group 105, the CCD 106, the CCD control unit 107, and the image processing unit 108 are collectively referred to as a camera module below.

The tablet control unit 109 controls driving of the handwriting tablet 110 and the handwriting tablet 1.
The control for converting various information input by touching the pen on the digital camera 10 into digital signals and transferring the digital signals to the CPU 101 is performed.

The LCD control unit 111 receives the YUV digital image data supplied from the image processing unit 108 or the YUV digital image data obtained by performing JPEG decompression on the image file from the data storage unit 104, and converts the image data into RGB digital signals. After the conversion, the display driver 1
12 is performed. The display drive unit 112 is an LC
The control for driving the display unit 113 is performed based on the display signal input from the D control unit 111. Display 1
Reference numeral 13 denotes a display for displaying an image, for example, VG
This is a TFT liquid crystal display device of A standard (640 × 480 dots).

A shutter switch 114 is a shutter for instructing the start of a photographing operation. The shutter switch 114 has two stages of switch positions depending on the pressing pressure of the switch, and detects a first-stage position (a weak pressing pressure, hereinafter referred to as a “half-pressed position”) and detects a camera such as a white balance or an AE. The setting lock operation is performed, and the second stage position (strong pressing pressure;
Upon detection of the “on position”, an operation of capturing a video signal captured by the CCD 106 is performed.

The timer 115 starts counting for timing according to an instruction from the CPU 101.
In response to a request from the CPU 101, the timer counts up to that point is transmitted to the CPU 101, and the timer starts counting according to the instruction of the CPU 101, and when the timer count value (count value) specified in advance is reached, the CPU 101 times out. Is performed.

The battery 116 is a rechargeable secondary battery or a dry battery. Further, the DC / DC converter 117 receives a voltage supply from the battery 116, generates a plurality of power supply voltages by boosting and regulating, and supplies necessary voltages to the CPU 101 and other elements. This DC / DC converter 117 is a CPU
By the control signal 118 from 101, the supply of voltage to each unit can be started and the supply of voltage can be stopped.

Hereinafter, the processing procedure in the digital camera according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2, 3A, 3B and 4.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the viewfinder function processing in the photographing operation mode in the digital camera according to the first embodiment.

First, in step S201, when the power of the digital camera is turned on or the mode is switched to the photographing operation mode, the process proceeds to step S202, where the CCD 10
6. The CCD module including the CCD control unit 107 is made operable (enabled), and the process proceeds to step S203 to start a display operation on the display unit 113, which is an electronic viewfinder for confirming a subject at the time of shooting. .

Next, with reference to the steps after step S204, a continuous process until the image captured from the camera module is displayed on the display unit 113 will be described.

In step S204, the camera lens group 1
A process of converting the optical information of the object captured from the camera 05 into an electric signal by the CCD 106 is performed. This CCD 106
The output signal from is a non-interlace analog signal,
Here, in order to increase the processing speed, the total pixels of 640 × 480 dots are used instead of the total pixels of 640 × 480 dots.
Outputs data of reduced dot size. The signal fetched in this step S204 is then used in step S205.
After the noise removal processing and the gain processing are performed by the CCD control unit 107, the signal is A / D converted into a 10-bit digital signal. The digital signal thus converted is sent to the image processing unit 108. Image processing unit 10
8, in step S206, processing such as auto white balance, AE, and correction during flash photography,
Alternatively, processing such as signal conversion into a YUV (4: 2: 2) format is performed.

The signal subjected to the YUV conversion by the image processing unit 108 is written by the CPU 101 into the VRAM 103c for storing the display image data, and is constantly output to the LCD control unit 111 using DMA. In step S207, the LCD control unit 111
After converting the received YUV signals into RGB digital signals, these RGB signals are output to the display drive unit 112 in step S208. Then, in step S209, the subject image is displayed on the display unit 113 in response to the output signal from the display drive unit 112.

As described above, steps S204 to S2
By continuously looping the processing up to 09 in a cycle of 1/30 (1/30) second, the image captured by the CCD 106 is always displayed on the display unit 113.

When a key operation by the photographer is detected during the processing loop displaying this video, an interrupt signal accompanying the key operation is output to the CPU 101 to generate an interrupt event. The processing shifts to interrupt processing A shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show the above-mentioned step S204.
10 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of an interrupt process generated by a key operation during display of a captured image performed in steps S209 to S209.

When this key operation occurs, it is internally in one of two modes. 1
One is a normal mode, in which the display operation on the viewfinder (display unit 113) described with reference to FIG. 2 is performed. The other is the above-mentioned “half-press mode”, in which the shutter switch 114 is once set to a half-press state and various camera settings are locked, and the display on the display unit 113 is performed. 3A and 3B, the start position of the process is shown separately in two cases, that is, the process from the normal mode and the process from the “half-press mode”.

First, step S301 is a key status reading process for checking which key operation has been performed in the interrupt process from the normal mode. Next, in step S302, when it is detected that the shutter switch 114 has been pressed, step S3 is performed.
In step 03, various camera settings controlled in the image processing unit 108, such as auto white balance, AE, and strobe correction in the case of strobe shooting, are locked with current setting values.
Then, the process proceeds to step S316, where the display driving unit 112 and the display unit 1
Operation 13 is stopped.

Now, as shown in the description of the flowchart of FIG. 2, in the viewfinder display processing, in order to increase the processing speed, only the signal of the number of pixels of the thinned image obtained by thinning out the original number of pixels of the CCD 106 is taken. An image to be actually photographed requires image signals from all pixels of the CCD 106 of the VGA standard (640 × 480 dots). Therefore, in step S317, a capture signal of the number of VGA pixels is captured, and the image processing unit 108
After the predetermined processing in, digital data as a YUV signal is written to the image development area 103a in the RAM 103. Next, the process advances to step S318 to perform image compression processing based on the JPEG standard on the digital image data, and then advances to step S319 to write the compressed data to the data storage unit 104 (flash memory) as an image file. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S320, and the operation of the display driving of the display unit 113, which has been stopped, is restarted. Then, in step S321, an image is displayed on the display unit 113 for a certain period of time so that the captured frame image can be confirmed. Then, in step S322, the interrupt processing ends, and the process returns to the loop of steps S204 to S209 in FIG. Then, the above-described viewfinder processing is restarted.

On the other hand, by reading the key status in step S301, it is detected that the shutter is not turned on and the shutter half-press switch is pressed (step S30).
If 4), the process proceeds to step S305, and first, the state setting inside the digital camera is set to “half-press mode”.
Next, in step S306, various camera settings in the image processing unit 106, such as auto white balance, AE, and flash correction in the case of flash shooting, are locked with the current setting values, as in step S303. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S307, ends the interrupt processing, and returns to the loop of steps S204 to S209 in FIG.

If it is determined in step S304 that the shutter has not been half-pressed, the flow advances to step S308 to check whether a setting key for changing the photographing conditions has been pressed. In accordance with the type of key, the image processing unit 108 performs, for example, auto white balance, AE, or strobe correction in the case of strobe shooting.
After the various camera settings controlled by are corrected according to the key operation, the flow proceeds to the return processing of step S307.

If the key status read in step S301 indicates that the off key (power off) has been pressed, the flow advances to step S311 to end the display driving operation, and then to terminate the operation of the camera module. Termination (step S312) is performed, and finally step S313
In, after performing other end processing of the photographing operation, the system power-off processing is executed. Step S
If the off key is not detected in 310, the process proceeds to step S307, and since no valid key or switch is detected, no processing is performed and the return processing is executed.

Next, the flow of interrupt processing in the "half-press mode" will be described with reference to step S314 and subsequent steps.

Step S314 is key status reading processing for checking which key has been pressed in the interrupt processing in the "half-press mode". If it is determined in step S315 that the shutter switch 114 has been pressed, the flow advances to step S316 to set various cameras in the image processing unit 108 locked by the detection of the previous half-press key (step S304) (step S306). The processing proceeds to the photographing processing (described above) in step S316 and subsequent steps, while keeping ()) effective.

On the other hand, if the key status is not the shutter key ON, the flow advances to step S323 to check whether the half-press is released. If so, the flow advances to step S324 to set the state of the digital camera to the "half-press mode".
And the process proceeds to the return process of step S322.
If half-press release is not detected in step S323, no processing is performed because no valid key or switch is detected, and the process proceeds to the return processing in step S322.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a process in a reproduction operation mode for reading out and reproducing image data stored in the data storage unit 104 and displaying the image data on the display unit 113.

First, in step S401, when the power of the camera is turned on or the switch is switched to the reproducing operation mode, the process proceeds to step S402, in which the display unit 113, which is an electronic viewfinder for confirming a subject at the time of shooting, is displayed. Start the display operation. Next, step S4
03, for example, the compressed image data written in step S319 (shooting operation) in FIG.
4 (flash memory) and writes it to the image development area 103a of the RAM 103. Next, step S4
04, the image is decompressed, that is, the compressed data conforming to the JPEG standard is converted to the original frame image data (YU
(V data), and then proceeds to step S405 to expand the decompressed frame image data into the VRAM 103c for storing display image data. Thereafter, similarly to the processing from step S207 to step S209 in FIG. 2, first, in step S406, the YUV signal received from the
After the conversion into the B digital signal, the process proceeds to step S407,
An RGB signal is output to the display drive unit 112. In step S408, the read frame image is reproduced and displayed on the display unit 113 in response to the output signal from the display drive unit 112.

Next, the overall operation of the digital camera according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, first, in step S501,
When the power of the digital camera is turned on, step S502
To check the operation mode. Step S50
In step 2, if the timer shooting mode, which is a feature of the present embodiment, is selected, the process proceeds to the timer shooting operation process from step S503. On the other hand, if the timer shooting mode has not been set, the process advances to step S510 to check whether the timer playback mode has been set. If the timer reproduction mode has been selected, the process proceeds to the timer reproduction operation processing after step S511. If neither mode is set, the flow advances to step S520 to execute a camera operation for performing normal shooting and playback.

Hereinafter, the processing of the timer photographing operation is described in step S.
This will be described with reference to 503 to S509.

If the timer shooting mode has been selected, the flow advances to step S503 to wait for the operator to input a timer shooting start instruction. For example, when this instruction is performed using the handwriting tablet 110 or the like, step S5
Then, the process proceeds to step S 505, where the count value of the timer 115 is initialized, and then the process proceeds to step S 505, where the timer 115 starts counting. Next, step S5
In step S507, the photographing process described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3A and 3B is performed, and when photographing of one frame image is completed, that is, when generation of photographed frame image data is completed, the process proceeds to step S507. The count value counted by the timer 115 is read from the timer 115 and added to the generated frame image data. Next, in step S508, if the end of the timer shooting operation is instructed by the operator, the end processing of step S509 is executed, and if the end instruction is not issued,
That is, when the photographing is continued, the process returns to the initialization of the count value of the timer 115 in step S504 again, and the above-described photographing operation is repeated.

By the above processing, the timer 1 is used as time interval information required from the immediately preceding photographing operation (previous frame) to the current photographing operation (current photographing frame).
Control is performed to add the 15 count values to each frame image data automatically shot during the shooting operation.

Next, the processing of the timer reproduction operation will be described.

First, if the "timer playback mode" is selected in step S510, the flow advances to step S511 to read the pointer to the first frame image of the selected image group, that is, the first frame image data captured by the timer. set. In step S512, the count value of the timer added to or associated with the frame image data at the pointer position where the read pointer is set is read, and the count value is set in the timer 115. In this case, the timer 115 is used as a subtraction timer, and the set value is sequentially subtracted from the set value with the lapse of time. Output a time-up signal. Step S514 is a state of waiting for input of a time-up signal from the timer 115,
When the time-up is detected, the process proceeds to step S515,
The frame playback operation process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
3 is displayed.

Thereafter, the flow advances to step S516 to wait while the reproduced frame image is displayed until a confirmation instruction is given. If a confirmation instruction by the operator is detected, the process proceeds to step S517, where it is checked whether there is a next frame image to be reproduced. If there is no next frame image to be reproduced, a timer of step S519 is determined. End processing of the reproduction function is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S517 that there is still a next frame image to be reproduced, the process proceeds to step S518. After performing a process of advancing the read pointer to the position of the frame image data to be reproduced next, the process returns to step S512 again. The setting of the timer value in the timer 115 and the image reproduction processing are repeatedly executed.
In step S517, it is determined whether there is a next frame. When there are a plurality of frames having the same information regarding the application (602 and 702 in FIGS. 6 and 7 described later), all of the frames are reproduced. It is determined whether or not it has been performed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the data structure of one frame of image data captured by the digital camera according to the first embodiment and stored in the data storage unit 104.
This image data is stored in a data structure conforming to the JPEG standard, and the count value counted by the timer 115 is embedded in the image data as a “timer value”.

In the figure, reference numeral 601 denotes a header storing information of the frame image data, and 602 denotes an area storing various information defined by the application. Reference numeral 603 denotes an area in which the count value (timer value) of the timer 115 is stored. When each frame image is reproduced, the “timer value” in this area is read, and a subtraction value is set in the timer 115. And
An area 604 stores JPEG-compressed frame image data.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a case where the count value “timer value” of the timer 115 is stored in the data storage unit 104 in still another mode.

Here, different from FIG. 6, the timer values corresponding to each frame image data by the timer 115 are stored together in an area 705 different from the image data. Accordingly, in each frame image data, as indicated by reference numeral 703, related information (pointer or the like) indicating an address or a state where the timer value of the corresponding timer 115 is stored.
Is stored.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 701 denotes a header portion similar to 601 in FIG. 6, reference numeral 702 denotes an application information storage portion similar to 602 in FIG. 6, and reference numeral 703 denotes a count value "timer value" for the frame "image 1". It shows an area where information to be read is stored. Further, the other frames “image 2” and frame “image n” are stored in the same data structure.

Reference numeral 705 denotes an area in which the "timer value" is actually stored, and 705a denotes a frame "image 1".
705b indicates an area in which the “timer value 2” for the frame “image 2” is stored, and 705c indicates an area in which the “timer value n” for the frame “image n” is stored.

It is also conceivable to file each of the frame image data and the timer value and associate them by file names. For example, each frame image data file is referred to as “image 1.JPG” and “image 2.JPG”.
JPG ", the timer value data files are" Image 1. TMR "," Image 2. TMR ", etc., and the same file names with different extensions are assigned, and they are treated as the same group. Is also good.

Next, FIG. 8 shows an example of an application according to the first embodiment.

The application described with reference to FIG. 8 is an application example in which, in the course of cooking, images of the progress of each are taken together with the information of the time lapse, and the same food is cooked again at a later time while reproducing it. FIG. 8 shows a display example of the reproduced image. Note that this application information is stored in the information 602 and 702 regarding the application shown in FIGS.

In the figure, reference numeral 801 denotes an image displayed on the display unit 113 immediately after selecting the timer reproduction.
On this screen, comments such as the content of the dish and ingredients are displayed. It is assumed that these comments have been input by the photographer in advance by character input using the handwriting tablet 110 during shooting. Here, when the operator touches an “OK” area 801a on the screen with a finger or the like, timer reproduction for explaining a cooking procedure is started. Reference numeral 802 denotes a display screen immediately after the start of timer reproduction, in which the first captured video is displayed. Here, when the “confirmation” area 802a is touched, the counting operation according to the timer value added to the image data of the next frame (S513, S51 in FIG. 5)
4) is started, and then, as indicated by 803, the time set in the timer 115 and the time counted up to the present by the timer 115 in the state where the same image as the first screen display (802) is displayed. Information 803a is displayed at the upper right of the screen. When the time set in the timer 115 has elapsed in this way, the display switches to the next screen, that is, the reproduction display of the second captured frame image, as indicated by reference numeral 804. Further, by touching “confirmation” 804 a, as in the case of 803, the elapsed time is displayed, and when the time measurement by the timer 115 ends, the display of the next frame is continuously performed, such as the display of the next frame image. . Then, as shown on the screen 805, the last frame image is displayed, and the timer reproduction operation ends when the “end” area 805a is touched.

As described above, the timer shooting of the first embodiment
By performing the timer reproduction, each frame image can be reproduced and displayed with the same lapse of time as when cooking is actually made. With this, it is possible to check the finished condition of the dish at each point in time while viewing the reproduced image. When such a digital camera is used, for example, in a cooking class or the like, when reviewing the cooking process at a later date, the same cooking method can be surely learned without causing an error in the procedure.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, an example of application to an application such as timer shooting and timer playback of a cooking process is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Absent.

In the second embodiment, the directions to a certain destination are recorded as images and comments of important points such as junctions, intersections, and landmarks, and the time required to reach the destination is recorded as image data obtained by timer photographing. A description will be given of an example of application to a navigation function in which a route can be automatically guided by timer playback. In this case as well, information about applications 602 and 702
Is stored as navigation information.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of a reproduced image according to the second embodiment.

In the figure, reference numeral 901 denotes a display immediately after the timer reproduction is selected, in which a comment such as a destination and means of transportation until reaching the destination is displayed. It is assumed that these comments have been input by the photographer in advance by character input using the handwriting tablet 110 during shooting. Here, when the operator touches the “OK” area 901 a of the screen 901 with a finger or the like, the navigation function is started, and timer playback is started.

Reference numeral 902 denotes a display screen immediately after the start, in which the first captured image, in this embodiment 2, the image of the nearest station is displayed. In the comment displayed below the image, guidance such as the direction to go first from the station is shown. Here, when the “confirmation” area 903 is touched, the counting operation (S513, S514 in FIG. 5) starts according to the timer value added to this image data, and
As shown in FIG. 03, while the same image as 902 is displayed, information 903a of the time set in the timer 115 and the time counted up to the present is engraved on the upper right portion of the screen. When the time set in the timer 115 elapses in this manner, the next screen, that is, 2
The video taken the second time is displayed. Here, the image is switched to the image of the intersection that first branches. This screen 90
The comment of No. 4 indicates the description of the mark, the direction in which to proceed, and the like. Subsequently, when the “confirmation” area 904 a is touched, the elapsed time display and the timer 11
When the time measurement by 5 is completed, the display switches to the next screen display.
Then, display of the last video as shown on the screen 905,
That is, the video of the destination is displayed, and the “end” area 905a
When is touched, the timer playback operation ends.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, an image is reproduced with the same lapse of time as actually walking, and an incomprehensible intersection, a route, and the like are displayed as a video with the lapse of time. Thereby, the route to the destination can be easily grasped, and the destination can be reliably reached without getting lost.

It goes without saying that this application example can also be used for car navigation. In the case of a car, a slight time error may occur depending on the timing of the signal, the degree of road congestion, and the like. However, such a time lag can be sufficiently corrected by the operation of instructing the “confirmation” region by the operator. Things.

[Third Embodiment] In the above-described first and second embodiments, the timer reproduction operation is also performed after the image confirmation operation by the operator is completed, that is, while the timer 115 is performing the counting process. Although the display of the displayed image has been continued, the present invention is not limited to this.

In the case of a battery-powered portable camera, power consumption is large while an image is displayed on a display unit. Will also be intense.

Therefore, in the third embodiment, after the operator performs the operation of checking the timer playback image, the power of the device is automatically turned off until the next playback image is displayed after the time-up. An example in which power saving is performed will be described.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the timer playback operation in the digital camera according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Note that the configuration of the digital camera according to the third embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 1 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, when the power of the camera is turned on (step S1001), steps S502 and S502 in FIG.
As in 510, the operation mode is checked in steps S1002 and S1004. If the timer shooting mode is selected here, the process proceeds from step S1002 to step S1003, and the timer shooting process, that is, the same process as described with reference to steps S503 to S508 in FIG. 5 described above is performed.

If it is determined in step S1004 that the timer reproduction operation has not been selected, step S101 is performed.
Then, the process proceeds to step S7, where the normal camera operation process similar to step S520 in FIG. 5 is executed.

If it is determined in step S1004 that the timer reproduction operation has been selected, the wave step S1005
And waits until the operator issues a timer reproduction start instruction. Here, when an instruction to start timer playback is input by the operator using the handwriting tablet 110 or the like, the process proceeds to step S1006, and a pointer is set at the position of the first frame image to be played back, as in step S511 in FIG. . Then, steps S1007 and S1008
In the same manner as in steps S512 and S513 in FIG. 5 described above, the timer value read from the frame image data pointed to by the pointer is set in the timer 115,
The timer 115 starts counting. After that, the process advances to step S1009 to perform power-off processing of the digital camera to reduce power consumption. Here, the power-off means that the timer 115 maintains the operating state for the counting process, and the CPU 101 waits for an interrupt so that the CPU 101 can immediately start up upon detecting a time-up signal from the timer 115. Halted. In addition, since the camera module, the display unit 113, and the like consume large power, the operation and the power supply are completely stopped.

As described with reference to FIG. 1, the control of the supply of these powers is performed by giving the DC / DC converter 117 a control signal 118 for the CPU 101 to control each output power.
When the end of the count of the timer value by the timer 115 (time-up) is detected in step S1010 during the power-off state, the process proceeds to step S1011. First, power-on processing, that is, power supply to each unit is performed. Performs return and necessary initialization processing. Next, the process proceeds to step S1012, where the reproduction operation process described above with reference to FIG. 4 is performed, and the frame image currently designated by the read pointer is displayed. Then, step S10
13, S1014, S1015, and S1016 correspond to steps S516, S517, and S51 in FIG.
8, the same as in S519. That is, the apparatus waits while displaying the reproduced image until a confirmation instruction is issued. When the confirmation instruction is detected, it is checked whether there is a next frame image to be reproduced. If there is no frame image to be played, end processing is performed, and if there is a next frame image to be played,
Processing for advancing the read pointer to the position of the next frame image is performed. Then, the process returns to step S1007, and repeats the setting of the timer value to the timer 115 and the reproduction processing of the frame image.

As described above, one frame image is reproduced and displayed, and after the operation of confirming the image is completed, the timer 115 is kept in the power-off state (with the display turned off).
, The power is turned on again by the detection of the time-up by the counter 115, and the reproduction of the next frame image is performed, whereby the power consumption can be reduced, and the consumption of the battery can be moderated.

During the counting operation of the timer 115,
It is needless to say that it is effective not to turn off the power of the entire system, but also to perform control to turn off only the operation of the camera module and the display unit 113 that consume particularly large power.

The present invention can be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), but can be applied to a single device (for example, a copier, a facsimile). Device).

An object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (or CPU) of the system or apparatus.
And MPU) read and execute the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) May perform some or all of the actual processing, and the processing may realize the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instructions of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the photographing operation of one frame (generating photographed image data)
A timer for measuring the elapsed time from the shooting operation of the next frame to the next frame is provided, and the elapsed time data measured from the shooting operation of the immediately preceding frame is added to the image data of the original frame at the time of the shooting operation, or associated with the storage medium, Can be memorized.

Further, when each frame stored in the storage medium is reproduced, each frame can be automatically reproduced and displayed at intervals according to time information indicating each frame interval measured and stored at the time of photographing.

Thus, in the case of imaging and playback display in which the elapsed time occupies an important element such as an event or a series of operations, particularly cooking or directions, for example, a plurality of captured frames are set at the time intervals. Since the image is reproduced and displayed in response, there is an advantage that the content is easily understood by a person who views the reproduced image and the reproduced image.

In addition, when the image is reproduced, the power of the device is automatically turned off or the mode is set to the low power consumption mode until the next frame is displayed, so that the power consumption can be reduced. .

[0089]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to measure a time interval at which each frame is imaged, and to store the image data of a plurality of frames together with the time information in a storage medium.

Further, according to the present invention, each frame can be reproduced and displayed in accordance with the time interval when the image on the storage medium is reproduced.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to store a frame image together with time information indicating a time interval at which each frame is imaged, and to reproduce and display each frame at the time of reproduction.

According to the present invention, each frame image is read out from a storage medium storing the frame image together with time information indicating the time interval at which each frame was imaged, and each frame image is read at a time interval corresponding to the frame. There is an effect that the display can be reproduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a shooting operation by a CPU according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a shooting operation by a CPU according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a shooting operation by a CPU according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a reproduction operation by a CPU according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of timer shooting and playback operations according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a frame image according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of the data structure of a captured frame image according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an application example according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an application example according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of timer shooting and playback operations according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 CPU 102 ROM 103 RAM 104 Data storage unit 106 CCD 107 CCD control unit 108 Image processing unit 110 Handwritten tablet 113 Display unit 114 Shutter switch 115 Timer 117 DC / DC converter

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup apparatus for recording a photographed image on a recording medium, comprising: a time measuring means for measuring a time interval of each frame to be imaged; and an image corresponding to the frame corresponding to the time information measured by the time measuring means. A storage unit that stores the data in a storage medium in association with data. 2. A reproducing unit that reads out image data corresponding to each frame stored in the storage medium and reproduces and displays the image data, and corresponds to image data reproduced and displayed by the reproducing unit stored in the storage medium. Based on time information,
2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling a reproduction display time interval of each frame in said reproduction means. 3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium is a storage medium that is detachable from the imaging device. 4. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium stores compressed image data of a plurality of frames. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the power consumption of the image pickup apparatus during image reproduction and display by the reproduction unit until reproduction and display of a next frame. An imaging device according to claim 1. 6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a time period until the next frame is reproduced and displayed when the reproducing unit displays and reproduces an image.
The imaging device according to claim 5, wherein image display is prohibited. 7. An imaging method of an imaging apparatus for recording a captured image on a recording medium, comprising: a time measuring step of measuring a time interval of each frame to be imaged; and time information measured in the time measuring step is recorded in the frame. A storage step of storing the image data in a storage medium in association with the corresponding image data. 8. The imaging method according to claim 7, wherein in the storage step, the image data is stored in a storage medium that is detachable from the imaging device. 9. The imaging method according to claim 7, wherein in the storing step, compressed image data of a plurality of frames is stored in the storage medium. 10. A reproducing step of reading image data corresponding to each frame from a storage medium storing image data corresponding to each frame together with time information indicating an imaging time interval of each frame, and reproducing and displaying the image data. Controlling a reproduction / display time interval of each frame based on time information corresponding to image data to be captured. 11. The imaging and reproducing method according to claim 10, wherein the storage medium is a storage medium that is removable from the imaging device. 12. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium stores compressed image data of a plurality of frames.
12. The imaging / reproduction method according to 0 or 11. 13. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising, during reproduction and display of a frame image, until the reproduction and display of the next frame, so as to suppress power consumption in the imaging device. Imaging reproduction method. 14. The imaging and reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein in the control step, when displaying and displaying a frame image, displaying the image is prohibited for a time until the next frame is reproduced and displayed. 15. An imaging and reproducing method of an imaging apparatus for recording a captured image on a recording medium, comprising: a time measuring step of measuring a time interval of each frame to be imaged; A storage step of storing the image data corresponding to each frame from the storage medium and reproducing and displaying the image data corresponding to each frame; and a reproducing step of reading and displaying the image data corresponding to each frame from the storage medium. A control step of controlling a reproduction display time interval of each frame based on corresponding time information. 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the storage medium is a storage medium detachable from the imaging device. 17. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium stores compressed image data of a plurality of frames.
17. The imaging and reproducing method according to 5 or 16. 18. The control method according to claim 15, further comprising controlling the power consumption of the image pickup device during reproduction and display of a frame image until reproduction and display of a next frame. Imaging reproduction method.