KR19990056675A - High speed image retrieval device and method of digital still camera - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a high speed image retrieval apparatus and method thereof of a digital still camera, comprising: a memory card unit for storing compressed image data; A restoration key input unit for searching an image stored in the memory card unit; Connected to the retrieval key input unit, when the operation of the retrieval key input unit continues to operate for a predetermined time or more, the images stored in the memory card unit are sequentially searched in ascending or descending order, An operation controller for outputting a control signal for reading and restoring an image stored in the memory card unit; It includes an image compression / restore unit for reading and restoring the corresponding image data stored in the memory card unit in accordance with the control signal output from the operation control unit, when reconstructing the captured compressed image, the repeated key operation is eliminated In addition, the user's discomfort is reduced, and a high-speed search operation is performed to increase convenience and to prevent frequent failures due to repetitive switching operations, thereby improving the durability of the device. .

Description

High speed image retrieval device and method of digital still camera

This invention relates to a camera and, more particularly, to a digital still camera.

A digital still camera converts an image of a photographed subject incident through a lens into an electrical video signal using an imaging device such as a charge coupled device, and compresses and reproduces the digitally processed video signal. Store them on a memory device, such as a floppy disk or memory card, without using film.

Therefore, by connecting the memory device to a computer, the stored image can be output through a computer monitor, so that the captured image can be checked easily and quickly, and editing as well as enlargement and reduction, like other data, can be corrected. In addition, since it can be easily made, it is possible to correct defects, etc. occurring during shooting to a desired state.

In addition, depending on the model, after taking a picture through a display device such as a liquid crystal display device attached to the camera, it is also possible to check the picture taken by the user by using an operation of a separate operation switch.

Because of the many conveniences described above, digital still cameras, which are developed as next-generation cameras and are becoming more and more popular, allow two to three compression ratios for compressing images, and then allow the user to freely select a compression ratio.

Therefore, the degree of video compression varies according to the compression rate set by the user, and the number of shots stored in the connected memory card is determined.

In other words, the more the number of shots can be stored in the memory card as the compression rate is increased, the more images are stored. And since the capacity of the memory card continues to increase, the number of images that can be taken gradually increases.

In general, there are hardware and software methods for reconstructing a captured image by using a digital still camera or outputting the captured image.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a hardware method and a software method for compressing and restoring an image which are generally used will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a structure for compressing or reconstructing an image by a hardware method includes a key input unit 1 including various control switches operated by a user connected to the central processing unit 2, and a subject. The CD module 3, which converts an image of an image into a photoelectric signal, is also connected to the central processing unit 2, and the CD module 3 is connected to the RAM 5 to transmit the photoelectrically converted image signal to the RAM 5; Save temporarily.

The central processing unit 2 is connected to the image compression / restoration unit 4 to compress an image signal stored in the RAM 5, and the image compression / restoration unit 4 is connected to the memory card 6. . Therefore, the compressed video signal is stored in the memory card 6, the compressed video signal stored in the memory card 6 is read out, and restored to the original video by the control operation of the central processing unit 2. In addition, the central processing unit 2 is connected to the image signal processing unit 7 configured as software or hardware, so that the video signal input from the CD module 3 can be output in real time.

If the structure is as described above, the compression or decompression operation of the image using a hardware method will be described.

When converted into an electrical video signal corresponding to an image through the CD module 3, the field is temporarily stored in the RAM 5 frame by frame, and the image signal stored in the RAM 5 by the image signal processing unit 7. It is processed by separating the color signal and the luminance signal and output to the outside so that the image input through the CD module 3 in real time can be viewed from the outside.

In such a state, when the subject is photographed by the photographing operation using the key input unit 1, the corresponding image signal stored in the RAM 5 is controlled for image compression / restore by the control operation of the central processing unit 2. It outputs to the image compression / restoration unit 4 which is a dedicated IC and the compression operation of the corresponding image is performed according to the set compression ratio. In this case, JPEG or WAVELET conversion is used as the image compression technique.

Therefore, the image compressed by the image compression / restoration unit 4 is sequentially stored in the memory card 6.

On the contrary, when restoring the captured image stored in the memory card 6, first, the central processing unit 2 stores the memory card 6 in the memory card 6 by the image restoration signal inputted through the key input unit 1. The corresponding compressed image from among the compressed images, which can be read, can be read by the image compression / restore unit 4.

Therefore, the image compressed by the operation of the image compression / recovery unit 4 is restored to the original image and output to the image output device connected through the RAM 5.

As described above, when compressing or restoring an image using a hardware method, the input / output operation of the image is performed quickly, so that the processing time can be shortened, but the structure is complicated because a separate dedicated IC must be used. Increases.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1B, image compression / restore using a software method will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1B, a key input unit 10 including various control switches operated by a user is connected to the central processing unit 20, and the CD module 30 converting an image of a subject into a photoelectric signal. Also connected to the central processing unit 20, the CD module 30 is also connected to the RAM 40 to temporarily store the photoelectrically converted video signal in the RAM (40).

The central processing unit 20 is connected to the RAM 40, compresses an image stored in the RAM 40, stores the image in the memory card 50, and compresses the image stored in the memory card 50 in the memory card 50. The image is restored and output through the RAM 40. In addition, the central processing unit 20 is connected to the image signal processing unit 60 configured as software or hardware, so that the video signal input from the CD module 30 can be output in real time.

If the structure is as described above, the compression or decompression operation of the image using a software method will be described.

When the image is photoelectrically converted by the CD module 30, the image signal is stored in the RAM 40 for each frame or field, and the image signal processor 60 converts the image signal stored in the RAM 40 into a color signal and a luminance signal. Since it is separated and processed to output to the outside so that the image input through the CD module 30 in real time can be viewed from the outside.

At this time, when the photographing operation is performed by the key input unit 10, the corresponding video signal stored in the RAM 40 is compressed at a compression rate set by the control operation of the central processing unit 20 and sequentially stored in the memory card 50. do.

In order to restore the image compressed and stored in the memory card 50, when a reconstruction signal is input from the key input unit 10, the CPU 20 receives a corresponding image among the compressed images stored in the memory card 50. After selecting and reading, after performing the restoration operation of the image, and outputs to the device through the RAM (40).

Therefore, the compression or decompression operation of the image is performed.

When the image compression or restoration operation is performed in the control operation of the central processing unit 20 as described above, the overall structure can be simplified, but the processing operation by the central processing unit 20 takes a lot of processing time and input / output of data. Time-consuming problems also arise.

When the photographing operation of the subject is performed by using a digital still camera and the images photographed using the hardware method or the software method are sequentially stored in the memory cards 6 and 50, the key input unit 1 is used to restore the stored images. , 10) key operation.

That is, the image information photographed sequentially is sequentially passed through the operations of the key input units 1 and 10, and then the desired image information is searched for.

In the case where the number of images stored in the memory card is small, the operation time of the key input units 1 and 10 does not take much time, but in the case of several tens or more, many operation time takes.

In addition, since each image information stored in the memory cards 6 and 50 is moved to the next image information by operating the key input units 1 and 10, the key input unit 1, every sheet is searched until the desired image information is retrieved. 10) operation is required.

In particular, in the case of using a software method that takes a long time for data input and output, it takes more time to search for a desired image for restoration, and inconvenience to a user by repeatedly operating the key input units 1 and 10. Will occur.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to perform a search for video information stored in a digital still camera at a high speed.

1A is a block diagram of a general video compression system in hardware,

1B is a block diagram of a general image compression system in software,

2A is a block diagram of a fast image retrieval apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

2B is an operation flowchart of a fast image retrieval method according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

3A is a block diagram of a fast image retrieval apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

3B is an operation flowchart of a fast image retrieval method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In order to solve this problem, in the present invention,

A memory card unit for storing compressed image data;

A restoration key input unit for searching an image stored in the memory card unit;

Connected to the retrieval key input unit, when the operation of the retrieval key input unit continues to operate for a predetermined time or more, the images stored in the memory card unit are sequentially searched in ascending or descending order, An operation controller for outputting a control signal for reading and restoring an image stored in the memory card unit;

And an image compression / recovery unit configured to read and restore the corresponding image data stored in the memory card unit according to the control signal output from the operation controller.

In addition, in order to solve this problem, in the present invention,

A memory card unit for storing compressed image data;

A restoration key input unit for searching an image stored in the memory card unit;

When the operation of the recovery key input unit continues to operate for more than a predetermined time, the number of shots is sequentially increased or decreased so that an image corresponding to the number of shots when the operation of the recovery key input unit is stopped is stored in the memory card. And an operation control unit for reading out and restoring the unit.

Then, a high-speed image retrieval apparatus and method for a digital still camera according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings can be easily implemented by those of ordinary skill in the art. Please explain in detail.

2A is a block diagram of a fast image retrieval apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2B is an operation flowchart of the fast image retrieval method according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3A is a second flowchart of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram of a fast image retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a flowchart of an operation of the fast image retrieval method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention for retrieving and reconstructing a compressed image at high speed using a hardware method will be described. A reconstruction signal for restoring the compressed image is output to the central processing unit 200, and the central processing unit 200 is input to the memory card 500 according to a signal applied from the reconstruction key input unit 100. After retrieving the corresponding image from the compressed image, the image compression / restore unit 300 restores the original image and outputs the original image. In addition, the central processing unit 200 is connected to the liquid crystal display 300 for temporarily outputting a searched image, and is connected to the image signal processing unit 600 configured by software or hardware to output a real-time image signal. To be able.

The reconstruction key input unit 100 increases the address value at the current position of the memory card 500, and increases the reconstruction key 101 for retrieving the compressed image at the next address, and decreases the address value to compress the image at the previous address. And a down reconstruction key 102 for retrieving.

2B, the operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

When power required for the operation of each device is supplied and the operation of the central processing unit 200 is started (S10), the central processing unit 200 is the rising restore key 101 or the falling restore key ( In operation S11, a key input is performed for a reconstruction operation of the compressed image through the input of the corresponding signal.

When the restoration signal is input to the key input, the central processing unit 200 increases or decreases the current address of the memory card 500 by "1" according to the signal state of the restoration key input unit 100, and then, at the corresponding address. The corresponding image is output to the liquid crystal display 300 (S12).

That is, when the rising restoration key 101 is operated, the image corresponding to the next address increased by "1" to the current address is searched and output to the liquid crystal display 400, and the falling restoration key 102 is operated. In this case, the image corresponding to the previous address reduced by "1" is searched and output to the liquid crystal display 400 so that the user can check the image to be restored.

Then, it is determined whether the restoration key input time input from the restoration key input unit 100 exceeds the set time (S13). When the set time is exceeded, the central processing unit 20 may determine that the memory card 500 stores the image according to the operation of the recovery key input unit 100 while a signal having a corresponding state is input from the recovery key input unit 100. By sequentially increasing or decreasing the address number, the compressed image stored in the memory card 500 is searched at high speed while the restoration signal is input from the restoration key input unit 100 (S14, S15), and the image is displayed on the liquid crystal display. Output to device 400. When the input of the reconstruction signal is stopped, a reconstruction signal for reconstructing the image signal corresponding to the corresponding address number is output to the image compression / reconstruction unit 300 so that a normal reconstruction operation may be performed (S16).

As a result, an operation of a separate restoration key input unit 100 for increasing or decreasing the address number of the memory card 500 is unnecessary.

In this case, the fast search operation may vary according to the video signal processing speed of the system.

That is, when the image input / output speed from the memory card 500 is very high, all the compressed images corresponding to the increased or decreased address are output to the liquid crystal display 400 so that the user can check them. However, if the image input / output speed is not so fast, only a portion of the image data of the corresponding address, that is, an image corresponding to a certain part of the front line or an odd or even line, is extracted to the liquid crystal display device 400. You can print

That is, the state of the screen output to the liquid crystal display device 400 may be variously changed according to the image input / output speed of the system so that the user can check the searched image.

However, if the input of the rising restoring key 101 or the falling restoring key 102 does not exceed the set time in step S13, the compression corresponding to the corresponding address is increased or decreased as described in step S12. After outputting only the image to the liquid crystal display device 400, a restoration signal for restoring the image signal corresponding to the corresponding address number is output to the image compression / restore unit 300 so that a normal restoration operation may be performed (S16). ).

At this time, the setting time is set to about 2 to 3 seconds which is somewhat longer than about 0.1 to 1 second used when the restoration key switch 100 is operated once.

As such, when the operation time of the reconstruction key input unit 100 for retrieving the compressed image is within a predetermined time, the address number of the memory card 500 is sequentially increased every time the reconstruction key input unit 100 operates. After reducing or decreasing, all of the compressed images stored at the corresponding address are output to the liquid crystal display 300, and the image searching operation is executed until the desired image to be restored is output.

On the other hand, when the operation time of the recovery key input unit 100 exceeds the set time, while the operation of the recovery key input unit 100 is performed, the address number of the memory card 500 is sequentially increased or decreased. Afterwards, only all or a portion of the compressed image corresponding to the corresponding address is output to the liquid crystal display device 300, so that a high speed image retrieval operation can be made and the restoration key input unit 100 must be operated every time. Make sure you get rid of it.

Next, referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the structure and operation of the second embodiment of the present invention, which can execute a high speed image retrieval operation when the image compression or reconstruction operation is performed in software, will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3A, in the structure according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a reconstruction signal for reconstructing a compressed image from a reconstruction key input unit 1000 operated by a user is output, thereby providing a central processing unit 2000. The central processing unit 2000 retrieves the corresponding image from the image compressed in the memory card 4000 according to a signal applied from the retrieval key input unit 1000, and restores the image. In addition, the central processing unit 2000 is connected to the liquid crystal display device 3000 for temporarily outputting the searched image, and is connected to the image signal processing unit 5000 configured by software or hardware to output an image signal in real time. To be able.

The retrieval key input unit 1000 increases the address value at the current position of the memory card 4000, and increases the reconstruction key 1001 for retrieving the compressed image at the next address, and decreases the address value to compress the image at the previous address. And a descending restoration key 1002 for searching for the data.

3B, the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

When the operation of the central processing unit 2000 starts, the central processing unit 2000 determines whether a signal for restoring the compressed image is restored by the restoration key input unit 1000 (S21).

When the restoration signal is input from the restoration key input unit 1000, the central processing unit 2000 determines whether the signal of the restoration key input unit 1000 is output from the rising restoration key 1001 or the falling restoration key 1002, and stores the memory. The corresponding address of the card 4000 is increased or decreased by "1", and the compressed image corresponding to the increased or decreased address number is read and output to the liquid crystal display device 3000 (S22). Therefore, the user can determine the image to be searched.

That is, when the rising restoration key 1001 is operated, the image corresponding to the next address increased by "1" from the current address is searched and output to the liquid crystal display device 3000, and the falling restoration key 1002 is operated. In this case, the image corresponding to the previous address reduced by "1" is searched and output to the liquid crystal display device 3000, so that the user can check the image to be restored.

Then, the corresponding number of shots of the image corresponding to the address number increased or decreased by "1", that is, the data corresponding to the shooting order is output to the liquid crystal display device 3000 (S23), and the restoration key input unit 1000 is output. ) Allows the user to check the number of shots corresponding to the searched image.

Next, the central processing unit 2000 determines whether the restoration signal output from the restoration key input unit 1000 is input for a predetermined time or longer (S24). When the restoration key input unit 1000 operates for a predetermined time or more, and the restoration signal is input, the central processing unit 2000 according to the operation of the rising restoration key 1001 or the falling restoration key 1002 of the restoration key input unit 1000. Only the number of shots is sequentially reduced or increased and output to the liquid crystal display device 3000 (S25 and S26). The operation of sequentially increasing or decreasing the number of shots continues until the operation of the corresponding rising restoration key 1001 or falling restoration key 1002 of the restoration key input unit 1000 ends.

Therefore, when the restoration signal is stopped from the restoration key input unit 1000 (S27), the central processing unit 2000 may take an image corresponding to the photographed order displayed on the liquid crystal display device 3000 according to a sequential decrease or increase operation. Is read from the memory card 4000, and a restoration operation is executed (S28).

However, if the operation time of the recovery key input unit 1000 determined in step S24 does not exceed the set time, the number of images output in step S23, that is, the captured images corresponding to the photographed order, is stored in the memory card ( In step S28, the read operation is performed (S28).

In this case, the setting time is set to about 2 to 3 seconds which is somewhat longer than about 0.1 to 1 second, which is used when the restoration key switch 1000 is operated once.

Therefore, when compressing or restoring image data by a software method, the input / output time of the image signal takes a long time. Therefore, only the number of shots is sequentially changed, and when the number of shots close to the image that the user wants to restore is reached, By operating the restoration key input unit 1000 sequentially, it is possible to accurately search for the desired image, thereby reducing the search time.

Reconstructing the captured compressed image eliminates repetitive key operation, thereby reducing inconvenience of the user and speeding up the search, thereby increasing convenience.

In addition, frequent failures due to repetitive switching operations can be prevented, improving the durability of the device.

Claims (8)

A memory card unit for storing compressed image data; A restoration key input unit for searching an image stored in the memory card unit; Connected to the retrieval key input unit, when the operation of the retrieval key input unit continues to operate for a predetermined time or more, the images stored in the memory card unit are sequentially searched in ascending or descending order, An operation controller for outputting a control signal for reading and restoring an image stored in the memory card unit; And an image compression / recovery unit configured to read and restore the corresponding image data stored in the memory card unit according to the control signal output from the operation control unit. The method of claim 1, wherein the recovery key input unit, An upward recovery key for increasing the address of the memory card; And a down reconstruction key for reducing the address of the memory card unit. The method of claim 1, And a liquid crystal display for outputting the image read by the image compression / recovery unit according to a control operation of the operation control unit. A memory card unit for storing compressed image data; A restoration key input unit for searching an image stored in the memory card unit; When the operation of the recovery key input unit continues to operate for more than a predetermined time, the number of shots is sequentially increased or decreased so that an image corresponding to the number of shots when the operation of the recovery key input unit is stopped is stored in the memory card. And an operation control unit for reading out and restoring the data, wherein the high speed image retrieval apparatus of the digital still camera is provided. The method of claim 4, wherein the recovery key input unit, An upward recovery key for increasing the address of the memory card; And a down reconstruction key for reducing the address of the memory card unit. The method of claim 4, wherein And a liquid crystal display for outputting the number of shots converted by operating in accordance with a control operation of the operation control unit. Determining whether a restoration signal is input from a restoration key input unit; If it is determined that the restoration signal is input, outputting an image corresponding to an address number of the memory card unit which is increased or decreased according to the state of the restoration signal to the display device; Determining whether a restoration signal has been input from the restoration key input unit for a preset time; If the restoration signal is input for more than a predetermined time, sequentially increasing or decreasing the address number of the memory card in accordance with the state of the restoration signal, and outputting an image corresponding to the address number to the display device; And when the input of the restoration signal is stopped, reading out an image corresponding to the corresponding address of the memory card unit and outputting a control signal which can be restored according to the operation of the image compression / restore unit. High speed video retrieval method of camera. Determining whether a restoration signal is input from a restoration key input unit; If it is determined that the restoration signal is input, outputting the image corresponding to the address of the address of the memory card unit and the number of photographing shots to the display device according to the state of the restoration signal; Determining whether a restoration signal has been input from the restoration key input unit for a preset time; If the restoration signal is input for more than a predetermined time, sequentially increasing or decreasing the number of shots according to the state of the restoration signal and outputting the number to the display device; And retrieving an image corresponding to the number of shots from the memory card when the input of the reconstruction signal is stopped, thereby recovering the high speed image retrieval method of the digital still camera.