WO2000048393A1

WO2000048393A1 - Display for electronic still camera

Info

Publication number: WO2000048393A1
Application number: PCT/JP2000/000527
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hiromasa Mizuki; Masaaki Yamashita; Sayumi Ochi
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 1999-02-15
Filing date: 2000-01-31
Publication date: 2000-08-17
Also published as: ID26311A; JP2000236474A; CN1294815A; KR20010042696A

Abstract

A display for an electronic still camera having a function of allowing ascertainment of the focusing of the displayed image. The resolution of the image displayed on a liquid crystal display is different from that of the image recorded or reproduced and handled inside the camera. Therefore, a thinning process for displaying the entire image on the liquid crystal display is performed at step S3. To record an image, immediately after the depression of the shutter button, part of the image is magnified at step S8, and the magnified image is displayed on the liquid crystal display for several seconds to allow ascertainment of the focusing of the recorded or reproduced image.

Description

Specification

Display device for electronic still camera

The present invention relates to a display device of an electronic still camera that records a still image. Background art

An electronic still camera usually has a liquid crystal display device for displaying an input image or a recorded image, and the number of displayable pixels of the liquid crystal display device is very small compared to the number of pixels of the recorded image. . For example, if the solid-state image sensor, which is an image input device of an electronic still camera, has about 1.3 million pixels, the number of pixels of the recorded image is generally 128 pixels in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction. If the number of displayable pixels of the liquid crystal display device is about 80,000 pixels, whereas the number of pixels is 124, the number of pixels is 320 in the horizontal direction and 240 in the vertical direction.

In addition, since the electronic still camera displays the entire image when displaying the input image or the recorded image, it must display the input image after performing the decimation process. It will be thinned out by a factor of four and a factor of 4.27 in the vertical direction.

Since the number of pixels of the solid-state imaging device for image input and the number of pixels displayed on the liquid crystal are different, the devices that display the input image after decimating it are not limited to electronic still cameras. There is equipment ο

This is a device for capturing an image of a patient's eye as an input image in ophthalmology and displaying the image on a liquid crystal display device. This device allows the doctor to It has a function that allows you to zoom in on a part of the image when you decide, and then move the enlarged part with the move switch at hand to change the display area.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a conventional electronic still camera.

Reference numeral 9 denotes an optical system that forms an image of a subject on the surface of a solid-state image sensor, and 10 denotes a solid-state image sensor with a color separation filter (CCD) that converts the formed subject image (optical image) into an image signal (electric signal). ), 11 is an A / D converter that converts an analog signal obtained from the solid-state imaging device 10 into a digital signal, and 12 is a correction and luminance / color difference or RGB of the image signal obtained from the A / D converter 11. 13 is an image control memory (RAM) used for temporary storage of input images and for compressing and decompressing images. 14 is an external command. A control switch group 15 for transmitting the information is an interface unit (I / F) which transmits a signal from the control switch group 14 to a CPU 16 which performs various controls inside the electronic still camera. 17 is a display image control unit for thinning out input images or recorded images, 18 is a display image control memory (RAM) for storing thinned images, and 19 is a display image control RAM 18 , An image compression unit for compressing the input image or decompressing the recorded image, 21 for an internal bus that transfers image signals and other control data between blocks, and 22 for The interface section (I / F) transfers data between the image recording section 23 for storing image signals and the internal bus 21.

When recording an input image, a subject image is formed on the solid-state imaging device 10 through the optical system 9, processed by the A / D converter 11 and the input signal processing unit 12, and then converted into an RGB signal or a luminance signal. It becomes a color difference signal, The data is temporarily stored in the RAM 13 through the internal bus 21.

The image data stored in the RAM 13 is sent again to the display image controller 17 via the internal bus 21, thinned out, transferred to the RAM 18, and displayed on the liquid crystal display 19. Is done.

Further, the image data stored in the RAM 13 passes through the internal bus 21, performs image compression calculation in the image compression unit 20 to reduce the data amount, and then passes through the internal bus 21 again to the interface unit. The image is sent to 22 and added with the image attached information, and is recorded on a recording medium by the image recording unit 23.

This series of operations is realized by the CPU 16 responding to the command sent from the switch group 14 performing all the controls. This flow of CPU operation instruction, as represented in the flow diagram of FIG. 9, the operation description insignificant force ⁵ on, begins to adjust the focus of the optical system in step S 1, sweep rate at Sutetsu Bed S 5 Tutsi The operation of the shutter switch of the group 14 is detected, and continues until the operation is recorded on the recording medium in step S8.

The flow of the CPU operation command when confirming the playback of a recorded image is represented by the flow in FIG. In step S1, the image data recorded on the recording medium is read from the image recording unit 23, sent to the image compression unit 20 via the interface unit 22, and the internal bus 21, and compressed in step S2. After the data decompression calculation is performed, it is temporarily stored in RAM 13 again via internal bus 21. The image data stored in the RAM I 3 is sent again to the display image controller 1 Ί through the internal bus 21 in step S 3, and after the thinning process is performed in step S 4, the RAM 18 Is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 19 in step S5.

This playback confirmation operation confirms the image data already recorded In step S6, it is possible to determine whether or not to delete the recorded data. If an instruction not to save is detected, the image data is deleted in step S7 and the process returns to step S1. .

In this way, all displays on the electronic still camera are thinned to display the entire image.For example, if thinning is performed to a quarter in both the vertical and horizontal directions, this thinning process generally involves four pixels in the vertical direction. However, the method of taking the average value of 16 pixels in the horizontal direction and assigning one pixel is used.

FIG. 11 shows a conventional ophthalmologic photographing apparatus.

24 is an optical system that forms an object on the surface of the solid-state image sensor, 25 is a solid-state image sensor with a color separation filter that converts the formed object image (optical image) into an image signal (electric signal), 26 is a liquid crystal display section for displaying images, 27 is a display image generation section for controlling input images and display images or controlling each block according to commands from an external switch, and 28 is a switch for switching display images. Switch 29 is a switch for changing the display area of the switched image.

In FIG. 11, an image of a patient's eye becomes a subject, is imaged on a solid-state imaging device 25 through an optical system 24, and is captured by a RAM inside a display image generation unit 27. The fetched image is subjected to a thinning-out process in the display image generation unit 27, and the entire image is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 26.

Here, when the command from the switch 28 is transmitted, a part of the image data stored in the display image generation unit 27 is processed and the display is enlarged and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 26. I do. Further, when a command from the switch 29 is transmitted, the command is stored in the display image generation unit 27. Change the part that handles image data and process it, and move the display area of the enlarged image.

When the entire image is displayed by this ophthalmic imaging apparatus, thinning processing is performed as in the electronic still camera, and in the case of enlarged display, there is no thinning processing corresponding to one-to-one pixels. Processing such as displaying or increasing the number of pixels by interpolation is performed.

However, in the conventional electronic still camera, when displaying an image, a method for confirming whether the image is in focus is not considered, and the liquid crystal display is supposed to display the entire image, and a thinning process is performed. For this reason, there is a problem that it is not possible to confirm from the image displayed on the liquid crystal whether the image is in focus due to the deterioration of the high frequency component due to the thinning process.

Also, with conventional ophthalmologic imaging devices, it is possible to check if the image displayed on the liquid crystal is in focus by enlarging the display, and it is sufficient to add a recording device to this. If you use it as an image, if you keep displaying the enlarged screen forever during recording, you will not be able to see the whole image of the recorded image, or if you always switch with the switch, the operation at the time of recording will be complicated, The problem is that both the large screen and the reduced screen for grasping the whole image cannot be seen at the same time. Disclosure of the invention

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a display device for an electronic still camera according to the present invention includes a process of changing an image to be displayed for a fixed time during recording, a process of switching and displaying a display screen with a two-stage switch, or a process of re-recording. It is characterized in that it is configured to perform a process of dividing the screen at the time of birth and displaying two types of images. That is, an electronic still camera in an electronic still camera that displays an input image obtained from an optical system on a display unit having a smaller number of pixels than the input image, detects a recording command, and records the input image on a recording medium. The present invention has the following features.

The display device for an electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein the control means for managing the image signal supplied to the display unit includes at least a specific period of time from when the recording command is detected to when the lapse of the specified time is detected. Is characterized in that a part of the input image is displayed on the display unit, and the whole of the input image is displayed on the display unit after the end of a specific period or after a lapse of a prescribed time. Since a part of the image to be recorded is displayed in large size within a certain elapsed time from, the focus of the recorded image can be confirmed.

The display device for an electronic still camera according to claim 2, wherein the control means for managing an image signal to be supplied to a display unit detects the first command before detecting a recording command as a second command and performs the input. It is characterized in that a part of the image is displayed on the display unit, the recording command is detected, and the entire input image is displayed on the display unit, until the focus adjustment command is activated and the recording command is activated. Within a certain period of time, a part of the image to be recorded is displayed in a large size, so that the focus of the recorded image can be confirmed, and the time for focus confirmation can be set freely.

The display device for an electronic still camera according to claim 3, wherein the control means for managing an image signal to be supplied to the display unit at the time of reproduction displays the entire reproduced image until it is detected that a display change command has been input. When the display unit detects that a display change command has been input, a part of the playback image is displayed. The display is configured to be displayed on the display unit, and a part of the image recorded by the display change instruction is displayed in a large size, so that the focus of the recorded image can be confirmed.

The display device for an electronic still camera according to claim 4, wherein the control means for managing an image signal to be supplied to the display unit at the time of reproduction displays the entire reproduced image until it is detected that a display change command is input. When the display section detects that a display change command has been input, the display screen is divided into two areas, and one area displays the input image or the entire recorded image, and the other area displays the input image or the entire recorded image. It is configured to display a part of the recorded image.In order to display the input image or the whole and part of the recorded image in large size by the display change instruction, check the focal point of the recorded image and confirm the whole image Can be.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the display device for an electronic still camera according to the fourth aspect, one of the screens divided by the display change instruction is a window-shaped small screen, and the control means is controlled by the small screen moving instruction. It is characterized by controlling the position and the image displayed inside and outside of the sub-screen.In order to display the whole or part of the input image or recorded image in the sub-screen in large size by the display change command, The focus can be checked and the whole image can be checked, and the focus check position can be set freely.

The display device for an electronic still camera according to claim 6, further comprising: means for measuring a strength of a force for pressing a switch for issuing a small-screen movement command or a length of time for pressing the switch. The feature is that the moving speed of the sub-screen is changed depending on the strength or time of the sub-screen to control the position of the sub-screen and the images displayed inside and outside the sub-screen. As described above, the present invention includes a process of changing an image to be displayed for a fixed time during recording, a process of switching and displaying a display screen with a two-stage switch, and a process of displaying two types of images by dividing the screen. By doing so, it is possible to confirm whether the recorded image is in focus, and to confirm the overall image while confirming the focus of the recorded image, or to confirm the focal point of the recorded image without complicated operations. It is possible to realize an excellent display device for an electronic still camera. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

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

FIG. 2 is a control flow diagram in the electronic still camera according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a first explanatory view and a second explanatory view of an image displayed on the liquid crystal display section of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a control flow chart in the electronic still camera according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a control port in the electronic still camera according to the third and fourth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a control flow chart in the electronic still camera according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a control port diagram in the electronic still camera according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a detailed block diagram of the electronic still camera.

FIG. 9 is a control flow chart during recording in a conventional electronic still camera. FIG. 10 is a control flowchart at the time of reproduction in a conventional electronic still camera.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a conventional ophthalmologic photographing apparatus. Embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Embodiment 1)

FIG. 1 shows an electronic still camera according to (Embodiment 1), an optical system 1 composed of a lens and a focus control mechanism, a solid-state imaging device 2, a liquid crystal display unit 3, and an image control unit 4. , An image memory 5, a shutter switch 6, an enlargement switch 7, and a movement switch 8.

The detailed blocks of the electronic still camera (embodiment 1) composed of a microcomputer as the main part are the same as those in FIG. 8 described above as a conventional example, but the program for controlling the CPU 16 Are changed as follows, which is different from the conventional electronic still camera.

FIG. 2 shows a control flow of (Embodiment 1).

In FIG. 1, a command is received from the shirt evening switch 6, a subject is formed on the surface of the solid-state imaging device 2 through the optical system 1, and the formed subject image (optical image) is processed by the image processing unit 4. After processing in, write it to image memory 5. Further, after the image data written in the image memory 5 is processed again by the image processing unit 4, the image data is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 3, and the image data written in the image memory is subjected to a compression process. To record. This series of operations is performed in a normal electronic still camera. This is the recording operation.

In this (Embodiment 1), the control flow is configured so that the liquid crystal display operation at this time can be switched to two stages. Specifically, the first stage is a mode in which a part of an image is displayed in a large size, and the second stage is a mode in which a normal entire image is displayed.

The execution of the first mode is a period from when the shirt evening switch 6 is pressed to when a certain time elapses, and this elapse time is measured by another timer provided.

The operation of the electronic still camera when recording an image will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8, 2, and 3.

When the electronic still camera is turned on and enters the recording mode, the entire image of the image input from the lens is normally displayed on the liquid crystal display section 19. At this time, the shutter switch 14 has not been pressed yet, and as a control, the focus is adjusted by operating the optical system 9 by the instruction of the CPU 16 in step S1 shown in FIG. Will be

This focus adjustment may be performed after detecting that the shutter switch 6 has been pressed in step S5, in which case the input image is blurred until the shirt switch 6 is pressed. Can only be seen at

Next, the image data stored in the solid-state imaging device 1 ° through the optical system 9 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 11 in step S2, and then the image is corrected by the input processing unit 12 The image data is transferred to the display image controller 17 via the internal bus 21.

The image data transferred at this time is proportional to the number of pixels of the solid-state imaging device 10. For example, with a solid-state image sensor with 1280 × 960 pixels If so, the image data will be transferred as 128 x 960 RGB 8-bit data. On the other hand, when the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal display section 19 is a 32 × 240 pixel display, it is necessary to perform a process of thinning out the image data by 1/4 in both the vertical and horizontal directions. A sampling process is performed for each pixel or a thinning-out process such as setting the average value of 4 × 4 pixels to 1 pixel is performed to obtain 320 × 240 pixels and written to the RAM 18 in step S3. Then, the written image data is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19 in step S4, and the liquid crystal display is performed.

At this time, the image displayed on the liquid crystal display section 19 is the entire image input through the lens. These series of operations will be repeated until the shirt evening switch 6 is pressed.

Then, in step S5, it is detected that the shutter switch 6 has been pressed, and when a recording command is issued, the image data stored in the solid-state imaging device 10 at that time is described above in step S6. The data is transferred from the internal bus 21 to the RAM 13 through the same route. In addition, the CPU 16 starts the measurement of time lapse by means of counting the clock by a recording instruction.

Next, in step S7, a part of the image data stored in the RAMI 3 is transferred to the display image control unit 17 through the internal bus 21 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 16, and in step S8, the display image After being converted to an image, it is transferred to RAM 18.

Then, the written image data is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19 in step S9, and the liquid crystal display is performed.

At this time, as shown in Fig. 3 (b), the image is captured by the solid-state image sensor. The image area to be transferred is defined as area A, and a part of the image area to be transferred to RAM I 8 in step S3 is defined as area B. If the captured image of the display image control unit 17 is 640 x 480 pixels, a half-thinning process is performed in step S3 in both the vertical and horizontal directions, and the area B covers the entire screen of the liquid crystal display unit 19 in step S3. Will be displayed o

Therefore, the display on the liquid crystal display section 19 shows the entire recording screen until the shutter switch 6 is pressed, and when the shutter switch 6 is pressed, a part of the image is enlarged in step S9. Will be displayed.

This enlarged display is continued unless it is determined in step S10 that the predetermined time has passed by the above-mentioned timer. If it is determined in step S10 that the enlarged display time has expired, the image data recorded in the RAM 13 passes through the internal bus 21 in step S11, and the display image control unit 1 is again activated. Transferred to 7. At this time, the image data to be transferred is all recorded data. In step S12, the display image control unit 17 performs a thinning process on the image data that is to be thinned out to 1/4 in both the vertical and horizontal directions in the above example, and then transfers the image data to the RAM I8.

In step S13, the written image data is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display unit 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed. At this time, the image displayed on the liquid crystal becomes the whole image input through the lens.

Further, in step S14, the image data recorded on the RAM 13 is transferred to the image A compression calculation process is performed to reduce the amount of data. Finally, the compressed and reduced data is transferred to the image recording unit 23 through the internal bus 21 and the interface 22 in step S15, and the recording medium provided in the image recording unit 23 Will be recorded. The operation from when the shutter switch 6 is pressed to issue a recording command to when recording is performed on the recording medium ends, and the electronic still camera waits for a new recording command. Return to the operating environment.

The routine of steps S7 to S13 and the routine of steps S14 to S15 shown in FIG. 2 may be interchanged, and the routine of steps S14 to S15 may be replaced with steps S7 to S15. It can also be realized as a form included in the routine of 13.

By the above operation, a part of the image captured from the lens is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 19 until the recording command is detected on the liquid crystal display unit 19 within a predetermined period of time after the detection of the recording command. It is automatically enlarged and displayed, and the user can confirm whether the image is in focus by checking the display image on the liquid crystal display unit 19 during the enlarged display period.

When displaying the entire image, it is necessary to confirm whether the image is in focus because the size of the image captured by the solid-state image sensor is different from the size of the image that can be displayed on the liquid crystal. The thinning process must be performed in part 17 and the thinning process becomes a one-time passfill to reduce the original resolution of the image.

Punru.

In the present embodiment, the size of the image to be enlarged and displayed is set to 640 × 480, and the size of the liquid crystal display pixels is set to 320 × 240. If the control to make the size of the image to be displayed large equal to the size of the image that can be displayed on the liquid crystal is performed, the focus can be confirmed more reliably.

In this embodiment, it has been described that a part of the specified time is displayed after the shutter is operated, and the whole is switched after the specified time. However, as another example, a specific period within the specified time after the operation of the shutter is performed. There is an example in which a part is displayed and the whole is switched after a specific period, and an example in which a part is displayed during a specific period within a specified time after operating the shutter and the whole is switched after a specified time. .

(Embodiment 2)

The hardware configuration is the same as in (Embodiment 1) and can be represented in FIGS. 1 and 8, and the control flow is different from that in (Embodiment 1). FIG. 4 shows a control flow of (Embodiment 2).

In this (Embodiment 2), there are two steps of the shirt display switch and the liquid crystal display operation that issue a recording command, and the first step is to display a part of the image large by touching or pressing lightly on the shutter switch. The second mode is the second mode in which the normal image is displayed by pressing down the shutter switch. Then, the focus is adjusted simultaneously with the execution of the first mode, and the image is recorded simultaneously with the execution of the second mode.

Specifically, it is controlled by the following procedure.

When the electronic still camera is turned on and enters the recording mode, the entire image of the image input from the lens is normally displayed on the liquid crystal display section 19. In other words, steps S1 to S3 are repeatedly executed until it is detected that the shutter switch 6 is lightly pressed in step S4 shown in FIG. The image data stored in the solid-state imaging device 10 through the optical system 9 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 11, and then subjected to image correction by the input image processing unit 12, and the internal bus 21 is connected. The image data is transferred to the display image control unit 17 through the controller.

The image data transferred at this time is proportional to the number of pixels of the solid-state imaging device 10.For example, if the solid-state imaging device has a pixel count of 128 × 960, the image data is 8 bits for each RGB. In this case, if the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal display section 19 is a 320 x 240 pixel display, the image data is 1/4 in both the vertical and horizontal directions. Since a thinning process is required, the thinning process is performed in the display image control unit 17 and written into the RAM I 8 with a resolution of 320 × 240 pixels. Then, the written image data is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed.

The image displayed at this time is the entire image input through the lens.

If it is detected in step S4 that the shutter switch 6 has been touched or lightly pressed, a first focus adjustment command is issued.In step S5, the optical system 9 is operated to adjust the focus. Will be Next, in step S6, the image data stored in the solid-state imaging device 10 is transferred from the internal bus 21 to the RAM 13 through the same path as described above. In step S7, a part of the image data stored in the RAM I3 is transferred to the display image controller 1 1 through the internal bus 21 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 16 and the display image is displayed in step S8. After that, it is transferred to RAM18.

Then, the written image data is stored in the liquid crystal display section 19 in step S9. And transfer it to the LCD. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the image area captured by the solid-state imaging device is defined as area A, as in (Embodiment 1), and a part of the image transferred to the display image control unit 17 is displayed. The image area is area B. For example, the image captured by the solid-state image sensor is 128 x 960 pixels, the liquid crystal display is 320 x 240 pixels, and the image captured by the display image control unit is 640 X Assuming 480 pixels, the display image control unit 17 performs a half-thinning process both vertically and horizontally, and the area B is displayed on the entire liquid crystal screen.

Then, as a second stage operation, when it is detected in step S10 that the shutter switch 6 has been pressed, a second recording command is issued, and is recorded in RAM 13 in step S11. The displayed image data is transferred to the display image control unit 17 again through the internal bus 21. The image data transferred at this time is all the recorded data.

Next, in step S12, in this example, the display image controller 1 # performs the thinning process on the image data that is thinned out to 1/4 in both the vertical and horizontal directions, and then transfers the image data to the RAM 18.

In step S13, the image data written in the RAM 18 is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19 and displayed on the liquid crystal. At this time, the image displayed on the liquid crystal is the entire image input through the lens.

Further, in step S14, the image data recorded in RAM 13 is transferred to the image compression section 20 according to the instruction of the CPU 16 and subjected to image compression calculation processing, thereby reducing the data amount. You.

In step S15, the compressed and reduced data is transferred to the image recording unit 23 via the internal bus 21 and the interface 22. It is recorded on the recording medium provided in the image recording unit 23, and returns to the operation environment of the first step S1.

The routine of steps S11 to S13 and the routine of steps S14 to S15 shown in FIG. 4 may be interchanged, and the routine of steps S14 to S15 may be replaced by a step. It can also be realized as a form included in the routines of S11 to S13.

With the above operation, a part of the image captured from the lens is enlarged on the LCD display unit 19 during the time from the issuance of the first-stage focus adjustment command to the issuance of the second-stage recording command. The user can confirm whether the focus is within the enlarged display period.

Also, unlike (Embodiment 1), in (Embodiment 2), the user can freely set the time for checking whether or not the subject is in focus by operating the shutter switch 6. Is also improved.

In the present embodiment, the size of the image to be enlarged and displayed is set to 64 × X480, and the liquid crystal display pixel is set to 320 × 240. If the control is performed so that the size of the image can be made equal, the focus can be confirmed more reliably.

(Embodiment 3)

The hardware configuration is the same as in (Embodiment 1) and can be represented in FIGS. 1 and 8, and the control flow is different from that in (Embodiment 1). FIG. 5 shows a control flow of (Embodiment 3).

In this (Embodiment 3), when the electronic still camera is turned on and enters the playback mode, normally, nothing is displayed on the liquid crystal display section 19 or data is already recorded. Image data One of them is displayed. The purpose of reproducing the recorded image is to confirm that the recorded image is beautifully taken and to determine whether to save or delete the recorded image. In this (Embodiment 3), the following operations will be described on the assumption that the user of the electronic still camera has finished selecting an image to be judged.

When an already recorded image to be reproduced in the reproduction mode is selected, in step S1 shown in FIG. 5, the image data from the recording medium provided in the image recording unit 23 is transmitted by the instruction of the CPU 16 in step S1. It is called and transferred to the image compression unit 20 through the interface 22 and the internal bus 21. In the image compression unit 20, since the transmitted image data is data subjected to image compression processing, the image data is subjected to decompression processing to return the data to a reproducible format, and the internal bus 21 is connected in step S2. Then, the decompressed data is transferred to RAMI3.

The image data stored in the RAM 13 is transferred to the display image controller 17 via the internal bus 21 in step S3. The image data transferred at this time has the size of the recorded image. For example, if the recorded image has a pixel count of 128 × 960 pixels, the image data is composed of 8 bits of RGB data. 1280 x 960 pixels are transferred, whereas if the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal display section 19 is a 32 x 240 pixel display, the image is the same as in the recording mode. In the step S4, the display image control unit 17 performs the thinning process on the data, and in the step S4, the data is thinned out to 320 × 240 pixels and written into the RAM 18.

In step S5, the image data written in the RAM 18 is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed. Displayed at this time The recorded image becomes the whole image of the recorded image, and the selected image is reproduced.

Here, when the user of the electronic still camera attempts to enlarge the image, it is detected in step S6 that the enlargement switch 7 has been operated, and an instruction to enlarge the image passes through the interface 15 to the CPU. Conveyed to 16. Next, in step S7, a part of the image data stored in the RAM 13 is transferred to the display image controller 17 via the internal bus 21 in accordance with the instruction from the CPU 16 in step S7, and is displayed in step S8. After being converted to an image, it is transferred to RAM18.

In step S9, the image data written in the RAM 8 is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the recorded image area is defined as an area A, and a part of the image area to be transferred to the display image control unit 17 is defined as an area B. If the pixel size is 1280 x 960 pixels, the liquid crystal display is 3200 x 240 pixels, and the image captured by the display image control unit is 640 x 480 pixels, then the display image control unit 17 will be vertical and horizontal. In both cases, the half-thinning process is performed, and the area B is displayed on the entire LCD screen. Thus, the focus of the recorded image can be confirmed by a series of operations from when the display change command is issued to when the enlarged image is displayed.

Next, a decision is made as to whether to save or delete the recording of the currently reproduced image whose focus has been confirmed. If it is determined in step S10 that the recording is to be saved, no action is taken, and the deletion is performed. If it is determined, the instruction of the CPU 16 is transmitted to the image recording unit 23, and the recorded image data is deleted in step S11. When the above operation is completed, the process returns to the beginning of the image playback mode again.

In this embodiment, the size of the image to be magnified and displayed is 640 × 480, the liquid crystal display pixel is set to 320 × 240, and the size of the image to be magnified and the size of the liquid crystal display If control is performed so that the size of the image can be made equal, the focus can be confirmed more reliably.

Also, in this embodiment, the recording data is determined to be stored immediately after the image enlargement process. However, after the image enlargement process, a process of canceling the enlargement switch may be performed. The flow for determining the cancellation of the image enlargement processing and the routines of steps S3 and S4 in Fig. 5 are inserted after the image enlargement processing.

In FIG. 5, after all the operations are completed, the operation returns to the operation of transferring the image data of the image recording unit 23 to the compression unit, but it is more natural to return to the operation of selecting a new image. Playback mode.

(Embodiment 4)

This (Embodiment 4) is different from the above (Embodiment 3) in that the data transferred from the display image control unit 17 is written to the RAM 18 at step S8 in FIG. The other points are the same as in (Embodiment 3) except for the area.

Here, as in (Embodiment 3), assuming that the user of the electronic still camera has finished selecting an image to be judged, the following operation will be described. Steps S1 to S9 are as follows. When the already recorded image to be reproduced in the reproduction mode is selected, the image data called from the recording medium provided in the image recording unit 23 by the instruction of the CPU 16 is transferred to the interface 2. 2, internal bus The data is transferred to the image compression unit 20 through the bus 21 and is returned to data in a format that can be reproduced by performing decompression processing in the image compression unit 20. Written. Next, the image data stored in the RAM I 3 is transferred to the display image controller 17 via the internal bus 21. The image data transferred at this time has the size of the recorded image, the display image control unit 17 performs the thinning process, and writes the data to the RAM 8. Then, the written image data is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed. At this time, the image displayed on the liquid crystal becomes the whole image of the recorded image, and the selected image is reproduced. Here, when the user of the electronic still camera attempts to enlarge the image, a command to enlarge the image is transmitted from the enlargement switch 7 to the CPU 16 through the interface 15. Next, according to an instruction from the CPU 16, a part of the image data stored in the RAM 3 was transferred to the display image controller 17 via the internal bus 21 and converted to a display image. Later, it is transferred to RAM I8. Then, the written image data is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed.

In this (Embodiment 4), a write area for writing data transferred from the display image control unit 17 to the RAM 18 in step S8 is recorded as shown in FIG. The area of the image which is transferred from the display image controller 17 to the area A is defined as area A, and the image area transferred from the display image controller 17 is defined as area C. The write area when writing to the area is area B shown in Fig. 3 (b). For example, the recorded image is 128 × 960 pixels, the liquid crystal display is 320 × 240 pixels, and the display image controller 17 from RAM 13 is displayed. If a part of the image to be transferred is 160 x 120 pixels and the image transferred from the display image controller 17 and written to the RAM 18 is 160 x 120 pixels, the display image controller In 17, the size of the image transferred from the RAM 13 to the display image control unit 17 is equal to the size of the image transferred from the display image control unit 1 液晶 on the liquid crystal screen and written to the RAM 18. No thinning process is required. Also, since new data overwrites a part of the image data written in advance in the initial stage, the screen displayed on the LCD is in the area A except for the area B in Fig. 3 (a). Indicates the entire image of the recorded image, and the image of the area C is displayed enlarged in the area B therein. In other words, as shown in Fig. 3 (b), a window-shaped area B that displays an enlarged screen exists in area A that represents the entire liquid crystal screen, area A has the entire image, and area B has The enlarged image will be displayed.

This makes it possible to check the focus of the recorded image by looking at the area B, which is an enlarged screen, and to check the overview of the whole image of the recorded image by looking at the area A, which is the entire screen. Both image confirmations can be performed simultaneously.

Next, for the currently reproduced image whose focus has been confirmed, a decision is made as to whether to save or delete the record. If it is determined to be saved, nothing is performed, and if it is determined to be deleted, it is determined. The instruction of the CPU 16 is transmitted to the image recording unit 23, and the recorded image data is deleted.

When the above operation is completed, the process returns to the beginning of the image playback mode again.

In this embodiment, the size of the image to be enlarged and displayed is The pixel of the area B, which is the liquid crystal display area, was set to 160 x 120, and the pixels of the area B to be the liquid crystal display area were set to 160 x 120. , Focus confirmation is possible.

Also, in this embodiment, the storage data determination process is performed immediately after the image enlargement process. However, after the image enlargement process, a process for canceling the enlargement switch may be inserted. A flow for determining whether to cancel the enlargement processing and a routine for steps S3 and S4 in FIG. 5 are inserted.

In Fig. 5, the force that returns to the operation of transferring the image data of the recording unit to the compression unit after all the operations are completed.It is more natural to return to the operation of selecting a new image. Becomes

The shape of the area B in Fig. 3 (a) and Fig. 3 (b) and the shape of the area C of the image displayed in the area B do not need to be in the same proportion as the LCD screen. The ratio can of course be set to any shape other than square. Alternatively, in the present embodiment, the window-shaped child screen is displayed when the screen is divided, but it may be vertically or horizontally divided into two.

Further, in this embodiment, the screen is divided in the image reproduction mode to display the entire image and the enlarged image. However, if this display method is executed on the liquid crystal display in the image recording mode, the image is enlarged. By looking at the area, it is possible to confirm the focus of the recorded image, and by looking at the area that is the entire screen, it is possible to confirm the entire image of the recorded image. It can be provided when recording images.

(Embodiment 5) This (Embodiment 5) is different from the above (Embodiment 3) and (Embodiment 4) in that, after detecting an instruction to enlarge an image from the enlargement switch 7, it is transferred from the display image controller 17 The write area for writing the data to be written to the RAM I8 is different from those of the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment.

In this (Embodiment 5), as in (Embodiment 3), assuming that the user of the electronic still camera has finished selecting an image to be judged, the following operation will be described. FIG. 6 shows the flow of (Embodiment 5), and steps S1 to S6 are the same as steps S1 to S6 of (Embodiment 3) shown in FIG.

In other words, when an already recorded image to be reproduced in the reproduction mode is selected, the image data called from the recording medium provided in the image recording unit 23 by the instruction of the CPU 16 is transferred to the interface. 22, transferred to the image compression unit 20 through the internal bus 21, decompressed by the image compression unit 20, returned to data in a format that can be reproduced, and passed through the internal bus 21 to the RAM Written to I3. Next, the image data stored in the RAM 13 is transferred to the display image controller 17 via the internal bus 21. The image data transferred at this time has the size of the recorded image, and the display image control unit 17 performs a thinning-out process and writes it to the RAM 18. Then, the written image data is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed. At this time, the image displayed on the liquid crystal becomes the whole image of the recorded image, and the selected image is reproduced.

Here, when the user of the electronic still camera tries to enlarge the image. When the user enlarges the image, a command to enlarge the image is sent from the interface 1 to the interface 1. After a part of the image data transmitted to CPU 16 through RAM 5 and stored in RAM I 3 is transferred to display image control unit 1 内部 through internal bus 21, and converted to display image Transferred to RAM I8.

Then, the written image data is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed. The above-described series of operations are the same as those in (Embodiment 3) and (Embodiment 4), but in this embodiment, as in (Embodiment 4), they are transferred from the display image control unit. The writing area when writing data to RAM 18 is different, and new data is overwritten on a part of the image data that was previously written in the initial stage, so that the screen displayed on the LCD is 3 As shown in (b), within the area A that represents the entire LCD screen, there is a window-shaped area B that displays an enlarged screen, the entire image is displayed in area A, and the enlarged image is displayed in area B. Shall be done. This makes it possible to check the focus of the recorded image by looking at the area B, which is an enlarged screen, and also to check the overview of the entire recorded image by looking at the area A, which is the entire screen. Both images can be checked at the same time.

Further, in a state where the area B in FIG. 3 (b), which is a window-shaped child screen for displaying an enlarged image, is opened in the above-mentioned liquid crystal display screen, the movement switch 8 for moving the child screen is moved right and left. If the button is pressed in any of the upper and lower directions, this is detected in step S8, and in step S9, the CPU 16 detects the position where the small screen is open.

In steps S 10 and S 11, the image data written in the RAM 13 is transferred to the display image controller 17. The data transferred at this time may be all recorded data of the entire screen, and the entire display image may be reconstructed. However, the data to be transferred is By moving the child screen further, a blank area formed on the opposite side of the moving direction, that is, data for reconstructing the area where there was a child screen before moving and which was not a child screen after moving, and a new movement The process is lighter if the data of the image area to be enlarged and displayed in the inset screen area is overwritten with the image created based on the data. The display image control unit 17 performs a thinning process outside the small screen to display the entire image, a thinning process inside the small screen to display the enlarged image, or a process to display the image without any processing. Overnight is overwritten to RAM 18.

In step S12, the image data of the RAM 18 is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display unit 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed.

The processing from the pressing of the switch 8 for moving the small screen to the display of the liquid crystal image may be considered that the movement of the small screen may not be completed only once, so the above series of processing is repeatedly performed.

In this way, by moving the sub-screen for confirming the focus of the recorded image, the focus can be confirmed at an arbitrary position.

Next, the sub-screen is no longer moved, and a decision is made as to whether to save or delete the record of the currently reproduced image whose focus has been confirmed. If it is determined that the image data is to be deleted without any particular operation, the instruction of the CPU 16 is transmitted to the image recording unit 23, and the image data recorded in step S14 is deleted.

Here, the judgment that the sub-screen has not been moved is determined by measuring the time with a timer by the CPU 16 and switching the operation mode according to the elapsed time since the move switch 8 is no longer pressed. Operation mode with a switch that issues a delete command without performing any special processing. May be switched.

When the above operation is completed, the process returns to the beginning of the image reproduction mode.

(Embodiment 6)

FIG. 7 shows a routine inserted in place of the routine of steps S8 to S12 in FIG.

In this embodiment, as in the operation flow of (Embodiment 5) shown in FIG. 6, the user of the electronic still camera selects an image to be judged, and the entire recorded image is displayed on a liquid crystal display. The following operation will be described below, assuming that the sub-screen has been displayed by the enlargement switch from the state shown in FIG.

In the state in which the area B in FIG. 3 (b), which is a window-shaped child screen for displaying an enlarged image, is open in the liquid crystal display screen, the moving switch 8 for moving the child screen in step S8 is moved right and left. If it is detected that the switch has been pressed in any of the upper and lower directions, steps S9a, S9b, and 39 (: PU16 starts the timer, and the time during which the user keeps pressing switch 8) Is measured, the position where the sub-screen is open is detected, and the moving distance of the sub-screen is calculated based on the time detected by the timer. If the time during which is pressed is longer than the specified time, set to move more than when it is short.

In steps S10 and S11, the image data in which the RAM 13 is written is transferred to the display image controller 17. The data transferred at this time is, as in (Embodiment 5), data for reconstructing a blank portion formed on the opposite side to the moving direction by moving the sub-screen by the moving switch 8. Should be enlarged to the newly moved sub-screen area. Image data, and overwrite the image created based on that data. The display image control unit 17 performs thinning processing outside the inset screen to display the entire image, and thinning processing inside the small screen that can display an enlarged image or processing to display the image without any processing. Overwrite data in RAM 18 The image data in the RAM 18 is repeatedly transferred to the liquid crystal display section 19, and the liquid crystal display is performed. The process from when the switch for moving the sub-screen is pressed until the LCD image is displayed may be such that the sub-screen cannot be moved only once, so the above-mentioned series of processes is repeatedly performed. By moving the sub-screen for confirming the focus of the recorded image, it is possible to confirm the focus at an arbitrary position, and the sub-screen can be quickly moved to the position where the focus is to be confirmed. With.

Here, it is assumed that the moving speed when moving the inset screen changes in two steps depending on the length of time when the moving switch 8 is pressed, but the moving speed may be changed in more steps or the moving switch may be changed. By making the switch a two-stage switch or by using a pressure sensor, etc., it responds not only to the length of time the switch is pressed but also to the strength of the switch. Longer control may be performed.

In addition, the sub-screen is no longer moved, and the operation flow after determining whether to save or delete the record of the currently reproduced image whose focus has been confirmed is the same as that in (Embodiment 5). One of the deletions is performed and the display returns to the beginning of the image playback mode again.

Note that the control flows of the above embodiments may be used not only alone but also in combination. In other words, display or move a sub-screen during image recording, or The same effect can be obtained by automatically moving to the mode and entering the mode for checking the focus.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. The input image obtained from the optical system (1, 9) is displayed on the display section (3, 19) having a smaller number of pixels than the input image, and the input image is detected by detecting a recording command. In an electronic still camera that records on a recording medium (23),

Control means for managing image signals supplied to the display unit (3, 19);

At least a part of the input image is displayed on the display unit (3, 19) for at least a part of a specific period from when the recording command is detected to when the specified time has elapsed. The whole input image is configured to be displayed on the display unit (3, 19) after the end or after the lapse of the specified time.

Display device for electronic still camera.

2. The input image obtained from the optical system (1, 9) is displayed on the display unit (3, 19) having a smaller number of pixels than the input image, and the input image is detected by detecting a recording command. In an electronic still camera that records (23) on a recording medium,

Control means for managing image signals supplied to the display unit (3, 19);

A first command before detecting the recording command as a second command is detected, a part of the input image is displayed on the display unit (3, 19), and the recording command is detected and the input image is detected. Is configured to be displayed on the display section (3, 19). Display device for electronic still camera.

3. The input image obtained from the optical system (1, 9) is displayed on the display unit (3, 19) having a smaller number of pixels than the input image, and the input image is detected by detecting a recording command. In an electronic still camera that records on a recording medium (23),

A control means for managing an image signal supplied to the display unit (3, 19) when reproducing is provided,

The entire reproduced image is displayed on the display unit (3, 19) until it is detected that the display change command has been input. When it is detected that the display change command has been input, a part of the reproduced image is displayed. Displayed on the display section (3, 19)

Display device for electronic still camera.

4. The input image obtained from the optical system (1, 9) is displayed on the display unit (3, 19) having a smaller number of pixels than the input image, and the input image is detected by detecting a recording command. In an electronic still camera that records on a recording medium (23),

The entire playback image is displayed on the display unit (3, 19) until it is detected that the display change command has been input. When the display change command is detected, the display screen is displayed in two areas. The input image or the entire recorded image is displayed in one area and the input image or a part of the recorded image is displayed in the other area. Display device for electronic still camera.

5. One of the screens divided by the display change instruction is a window-shaped child screen, and the control means is configured to control the position of the child screen and images displayed inside and outside the child screen by the child screen movement instruction.

The display device for an electronic still camera according to claim 4.

6. A means for measuring the strength of pressing the switch (8) for issuing a small screen movement command or the length of time for pressing the switch is provided.

The moving speed of the child screen is changed according to the strength of the force or the length of time, and the position of the child screen and the image displayed inside and outside the child screen are controlled.

A display device for an electronic still camera according to claim 5.