JPH11243518A - Electronic still camera and continuous photographed image reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide an electronic still camera capable of expanding the field of use of continuous shot images by enabling selection of various playback methods during continuous shot image playback. SOLUTION: At the time of reproducing a continuous shot image, a display time is set, the size of an image to be displayed and the color of the image are changed, and the continuous shot image is reproduced based on the set or changed condition value. indicate. When the plus button 34 is pressed, the continuously shot image is reproduced / displayed by one frame in the forward direction. In FIG. 10, (a)
→ (b), (b) → (c) are diagrams showing an example of manual reproduction by one frame in the forward direction. When the minus button 35 is further pressed, the continuous shot image is reproduced / displayed by one frame in the reverse direction.
In the figure, 9 (c) → (b) and (b) → (a) are diagrams showing an example in which manual reproduction is performed one frame at a time in the forward direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for assisting continuous image display of an electronic still camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many digital cameras are provided with a continuous photographing (hereinafter referred to as "continuous photographing") mode for photographing a plurality of images by one shutter operation. Continuous shooting is for moving subjects,
For example, this is performed when shooting a bird's flight, an animal's movement, a moving vehicle, a falling state of water droplets, and the like. Is displayed.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional continuous image display technology, automatic reproduction is possible only in the forward direction, and automatic reproduction in the reverse direction is not possible. In addition to inconveniences such as the necessity of starting over from the beginning, there is also a problem of improving the taste such that it is not possible to obtain the interest or the like by playing back a continuous image and viewing it. In addition, in the case of automatic reproduction, there is a disadvantage that a pause in a frame in the middle can be performed, but even if the pause is released, reproduction cannot be performed from the next frame. In addition, there is a disadvantage that a camera of a type capable of advancing one frame at a time can forward a frame but cannot return a frame.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital camera capable of solving the above-mentioned inconveniences and selecting various reproduction methods at the time of reproducing continuously shot images, thereby expanding the field of use of continuously shot images.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic still camera according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a continuously shot image storage means for storing a plurality of images continuously shot by one shutter operation, and A continuous image reproducing method selecting means for selecting a reproducing method of the continuous image stored in the continuous image storing means from a plurality of reproducing methods; and a reproducing method selected by the continuous image reproducing method selecting means. And a continuous image reproducing means for reproducing a continuous image stored in the continuous image storing means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the method for reproducing a plurality of continuous images of the electronic still camera according to the first aspect of the invention includes at least one of the following a to c. a: automatic continuous playback by reverse playback b: frame-by-frame playback and frame-by-frame playback by manual operation c: playback by mirror image display

[0007] Further, in a continuous photographed image reproducing method according to a third aspect of the present invention, a previously stored continuous image reproducing method is selected from a plurality of reproducing methods, and the continuous image is reproduced by the selected reproducing method. It is characterized by the following.

[0008]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a circuit configuration of a digital camera which is a kind of an electronic still camera according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the digital camera 100
Represents an optical system 11, a signal conversion unit 12, a signal processing unit 13, and D
RAM 14, control unit 20, operation unit 30, display unit 40, O
It has a ROM 45 for SD data, a recording unit 50, and a power supply 90.

The optical system 11 includes an image pickup lens 111, an automatic aperture mechanism 112, and the like. The optical system 11 converts the light flux of the subject image condensed through the image pickup lens 111 into a subsequent image pickup device (CCD).
Image on top.

The signal conversion unit 12 includes a CCD, a signal conversion circuit, and the like, converts an image formed on the CCD through the optical system 11 at the preceding stage into an electric signal, converts the image into digital data, and outputs the digital data at a constant period. I do.

The signal processing unit 13 processes the output from the signal conversion unit 12 to obtain signal components such as digital luminance and color difference multiplex signals (YUV data) and transfers the YUV data to a designated area of the DRAM 14. And expand. Further, the YU written in the DRAM 14 at the time of recording and saving is stored.
The V data is read out, subjected to JPEG compression processing, and at the time of reproduction, the image data stored and recorded in the recording medium (memory card) 51 is subjected to expansion processing to reproduce YUV data.

The control unit 20 has a microprocessor configuration having a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a timer, and the like. The CPU is connected to the above-described circuits and a power switch (not shown) via a bus line. The digital camera 1 is controlled by a control program stored in the ROM.
Control of the digital camera in response to a status signal from the operation unit 30, for example, a continuous shooting function for executing continuous shooting in a continuous shooting mode, or a continuous shooting image in a playback mode. Of a continuous shot image reproducing function of reproducing / displaying the image in a designated manner.

As shown in the external view of the back of the digital camera in FIG.
1. Function selection buttons 31 to 35, main switch 10
2, continuous shooting mode selection button 36, shutter button 3
7. Switches and buttons such as a confirmation button 38 and a recording / playback mode changeover switch 103 are constituent parts, and when these switches or buttons are operated, a state signal is sent to the control unit 20.

The display unit 40 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal display device. The display unit 40 displays a subject image at the time of imaging and a reproduced image at the time of reproduction, and also displays a selection menu and a guide (or icon) at the time of processing selection. Display etc. are performed.

The recording unit 50 records image data from the signal processing unit 13 on a recording medium (flash memory in the embodiment) 51. In addition, in the flash memory 51, in addition to an area for recording image data (an image buffer area for a continuous image taken by one shutter is secured as a buffer for continuous shot images), the image data is recorded when the image data is recorded. And a recording area for recording an image information registration list (not shown) for registering a shooting mode, a shooting condition, and the like.

<Continuous shooting condition setting means / continuous shot image reproducing means>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a module configuration of the continuous shooting condition setting means and the continuous shot image reproducing means for executing continuous shooting condition setting and continuous shot image reproduction according to the present invention.

When the continuous shooting mode is selected, the continuous shooting condition setting means 110 provides a continuous shooting condition designation guide 62 as shown in FIG.
The standard values are temporarily stored in the RAM of the control unit 20 by displaying 64 and the like. When the user sets a condition different from the standard condition, the standard value stored in the RAM is rewritten. The continuous shooting is performed based on the conditions stored in the RAM. In the embodiment, the photographing speed, the photographing time, and the image size are set as the condition values that can be changed. However, the present invention is not limited to these.

When the continuous shot image reproducing mode is selected, the continuous shot image reproducing means 120 can select various display methods of the continuous shot image, and realizes the selected display method (FIG. 7). Further, the continuous image reproducing means 120 is provided with the display time changing means 12.
1, screen display switching means 122, reproduction order changing means 12
3 and means for frame advance / return means 124 and the like. When a continuous shot image is reproduced, selection / selection as shown in FIG.
An input screen or a designation guide or menu is displayed to enable the user to make a selection. In the embodiment, the reproduction time is changed, the screen display is switched, the reproduction order is changed, and the frame advance /
However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various display methods of continuously shot images can be selected / executed (for example, as a program module).

The display time changing means 121 enables the display time to be changed by the user's selection when reproducing a series of continuously shot images (FIG. 8 (a)).

The screen display switching means 122 is composed of a group of image display changing submodules such as an image display changing means 1221 and a color changing means 1222, and switches the image display method such as the display size and the color of the reproduced image (FIG. 8 ( a)).

The reproduction order changing means 123 can change the reproduction order of a series of continuous images from the normal order to the reverse order according to the designation of the user. When the user selects the reproduction order "reverse order", the continuous shot images for one shutter are reproduced in reverse and displayed as a moving image (FIG. 9). In addition, a forward-order playback image and a reverse-order playback image can be simultaneously displayed (mirror image display (FIG. 9C)).

The frame feed / return means 124 sequentially displays frames one by one in the forward direction as shown in FIG. 10 (FIG. 10 (a) → (b) → (c)). Can be sent (Fig. 10 (a) ← (b) ←
(C)). In addition, it is possible to pause a frame in the middle and to resume frame advance from the paused frame.
In this case, the pause / frame advance can be resumed during the frame advance in either the forward or reverse direction. Further, the forward / backward frame advance can be repeated.

Although each of the above means may be constituted by a hardware circuit, in the present embodiment, it is constituted by a program and R
It is stored in the OM (or the flash memory 51).
Further, a part of each of the above means (modules) may be configured by a hardware circuit, and the other may be configured by a program.

<Operation Example in Continuous Shooting Mode> FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the digital camera 100 in the continuous shooting mode. The user sets the recording / playback mode switch 1
03 to the recording side, and press the continuous shooting mode selection button 3
When 6 is pressed, a continuous shooting mode is set, and 32 images can be continuously captured with one shutter.

In FIG. 4, when the continuous shooting mode is selected (S
0), continuous shooting conditions (condition names and standard condition values) 62 to 64 as shown in FIG. 5 are displayed on the screen of the display unit 40 together with the subject image (through image) 61 (S1). 62 (imaging speed) is flashed to prompt the user to operate (S2). When the user presses the confirmation button 38, the process proceeds to S5 (S3), and the plus button 34 or the minus button 3
When 5 is pressed, the condition value is increased or decreased at predetermined intervals (for example,
In the case of the shooting speed, every time the plus button 34 is pressed, 1/1
The photographing speed is increased to 300, 1/1400,..., And every time the minus button 34 is pressed, 1/1100,
The photographing speed is reduced to 1/1000,...), And the process returns to S3 for confirmation (S4).

When the confirmation button 38 is pressed in S3, the value at that time is temporarily stored in the RAM of the control unit 20. When only the confirmation button 38 is pressed without operating the plus button 34 or the minus button 35, a standard value (1/1200 in the example of FIG. 5) is stored (S5).

When the storage of the condition values is completed, the process returns to S2, the next condition (→ photographing time 63 → image size 64) is flashed, and steps S3 to S5 are repeated until all the continuous shooting conditions are confirmed or changed. Repeat (S6).

When the setting of the continuous shooting conditions is completed and the user operates the shutter button 37 (S7), continuous shooting is performed based on the set values, and subject images for 32 frames are sequentially captured at time intervals based on the set values. In rare cases, the DRAM 1 undergoes signal conversion by the signal conversion unit 12 and signal processing by the signal processing unit 13.
4 is temporarily stored in the image buffer (S8).

After the photographing of the images for 32 frames is completed (S9),
Images are taken out one frame at a time from the image buffer, subjected to compression processing by the signal processing unit 12, and stored in the flash memory 51.
Are sequentially recorded. In this case, the continuous shooting condition and the shooting condition are recorded in association with each frame image recorded in an image information registration list (not shown). If the image size is other than the standard value (magnification = 1), the image data that has been reduced (or enlarged) to the designated size is recorded (S10).

<Operation example in continuous shot image reproduction mode> FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the digital camera 100 in the continuous shot image reproduction mode. When the user slides the recording / reproduction mode switch 103 to the reproduction side, the reproduction mode is set, and the image recorded in the flash memory 51 is reproduced and displayed on the display unit 40 as shown in FIG. When the user presses the continuous shooting mode selection button 36, a continuous shooting image playback mode is set, and continuous shooting images as shown in FIG. 7B are played back, and 32 frames of images are displayed continuously. When the display of the continuously shot images is completed, the mode returns to the normal reproduction mode, and the normal image reproduction is performed as in the case of FIG. 7A, and the subsequent image is displayed.

When the continuous image playback mode is selected (T
0), the reproduction condition 7 of the continuous shot image as shown in FIG.
2, 73 and 74 are displayed on the screen of the display unit 40 together with the reproduced image (first frame of the continuous shot image) 71 (T
1) First, the first value of [display time] 72 (FIG. 8A)
In the example, the cursor is blinked at the position of 0.1 S) to urge the user to operate. The image 71 of the first frame to be displayed
Is the image size of the magnification registered in the image information registration list. When the user presses the plus button 34 or the minus button 35, the cursor moves back and forth (or up and down) and is positioned above the displayed value. When the confirmation button 38 is pressed, the state transits to T4 (T3). FIG. 8B,
FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram of a display time change, and FIG.
If the display time is 0.1S, it means that each frame is changed every 0.1 seconds as shown in (b), and if the display time is 0.2S, as shown in (b) '. Means that each page is changed every 0.2 seconds.

When the confirm button 38 is pressed at T3, the value at that time is temporarily stored in the RAM of the control unit 20 (T4). When the storage of the condition values is completed, the cursor is positioned at the position of the image size of [display switching] 73 which is the next condition. Here, when the confirmation button 38 is pressed, the image size is not changed, and this designation is skipped and the process transits to T10 (T5).

If the minus button 34 is kept pressed (T
6) The display image is reduced to 1/4 or 1/9 and displayed. The example in FIG. 8A is an example in which the display is reduced to 1/4 (T7). When the confirmation button 38 is pressed (T
8) The image magnification at that time is set as the display size of the continuously shot image to be displayed thereafter, and is temporarily stored in the RAM of the control unit 20 (T9).

Next, the cursor is positioned at the position of the "display switching" color. Here, when the confirmation button 38 is pressed, the switching of the tint is skipped and the process transits to T15 (T1).
0), pressing the plus button 34 or the minus button 35 changes the color scheme variable (color scheme ratio) of the YUV data,
Color conversion processing is performed based on the changed color scheme variables (T1
1) The color of the display image 71 is changed and displayed (T1)
2). When the confirmation button is pressed (T13), the color arrangement variables are temporarily stored in the RAM (T14), assuming that the hue has been determined.

Next, the cursor is positioned at the position of [reproduction order] 74, and when the user presses the minus button 35, the position is set to automatic reproduction, and when the user presses the plus button 34, manual reproduction (1) is performed.
The cursor is positioned at the position of (frame advance) (T1
5). If the confirmation button is pressed when the cursor is at the position of the automatic reproduction, the flow shifts to T17. In addition, when the confirmation button is pressed when the cursor is at the position of the manual reproduction, the process transits to T22 (T16).

In the case of the automatic reproduction, when the plus button 34 is pressed, the cursor is sequentially positioned in the direction of right arrow (→), left arrow (←), and mirror image → ← (T17). When the confirmation button 38 is pressed, the values stored in the above steps are taken out of the RAM, and the process goes to the corresponding step (one of T19, T20 and T21) (T18).

At T17, when the confirmation button is pressed with the cursor in the right arrow direction (→), the RAM
The continuous shot image is reproduced in the forward direction from the first frame with the display time, image size, color tone, etc. based on the values extracted from. FIGS. 9A to 9B are diagrams showing an example of automatic reproduction in the forward direction. When the confirmation button is pressed, the process returns to T0 (T19).

At T17, when the confirmation button is pressed with the cursor in the left arrow direction (←), the RAM
The continuous shot image is reproduced in the reverse direction from the last frame with the display time, image size, color tone, etc. based on the values extracted from. FIGS. 9B to 9A are views showing an example of automatic reproduction in reverse order. When the confirmation button is pressed, the process returns to T0 (T20).

At T17, when the confirmation button is pressed while the cursor is in the mirror image (→ ←) position, the continuous shot image is reversed left and right based on the display time, image size, color, etc. based on the values retrieved from the RAM. The images are reproduced in the normal order from the first frame together with the displayed image, and displayed as a mirror image. FIG. 9C illustrates an example of a mirror image display. The mirror image display is possible in any of automatic reproduction and manual reproduction. When the confirmation button is pressed, the process returns to T0 (T21).

The above steps T19, T20, T2
In any one of the processes (1) and (2), the shutter button 37
If is pressed, pause the auto play at that frame,
Automatic reproduction may be resumed when the shutter button is pressed again.

In the case of manual reproduction, the values stored in the RAM in steps T4 to T14 are taken out of the RAM, and when the plus button 34 is pressed (T22),
Continuously play back / display one frame at a time in the forward direction with the image size, color, etc. based on the values taken out from the RAM (T2
3). FIGS. 10 (a) → (b) and (b) → (c) are diagrams showing an example in which manual reproduction is performed one frame at a time in the forward direction. Next, when the minus button 35 is pressed (T24), the continuous shot image is reproduced / displayed by one frame in the reverse direction with the image size, color and the like based on the values taken out of the RAM (T25). FIG.
(C) → (b), (b) → (a) are diagrams showing examples in which manual reproduction is performed one frame at a time in the forward direction. When the confirmation button is pressed, the process returns to T0 (T26).
By pressing the plus button 35, the forward frame advance can be performed, and the forward / reverse frame advance can be repeated in this manner.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention, a continuous reproduction image can be reproduced by selecting a desired reproduction method, so that a continuous reproduction image can be displayed by various methods, and an expression effect more than a photographing effect can be obtained. It became possible to obtain.

As the above-mentioned reproduction method, automatic continuous reproduction by reverse reproduction, frame advance and frame return by manual operation, reproduction by mirror image display, and the like, which can not be conventionally performed, can be performed. It became easier.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a circuit configuration of a digital camera which is a kind of an electronic still camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the back of the digital camera of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a module configuration of a continuous shooting condition setting unit and a continuous shooting playback unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the digital camera in the continuous shooting mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a temporary example of a screen displaying a continuous shooting condition designation guide and the like.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the digital camera in the continuous shot image display mode.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a reproduced image.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for specifying a reproduction condition of a continuously shot image;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an embodiment of normal, reverse or mirror image reproduction of automatically reproduced continuous shot images.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of forward or reverse playback of continuously shot images manually played back frame by frame.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 digital camera 110 continuous shooting condition setting means 120 continuous shooting image reproducing means (continuous shooting image reproducing condition specifying means: continuous shooting image reproducing means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A continuously shot image storage means for storing a plurality of images continuously shot by one shutter operation, and a method for playing back the continuous images stored in the continuously shot image storage means, among a plurality of playback methods. A continuous shot image reproducing method selecting means for selecting, and a continuous shot image reproducing means for reproducing a continuous image stored in the continuous shot image storing means by a reproducing method selected by the continuous shot image reproducing method selecting means. An electronic still camera, comprising: 2. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of continuous image reproduction methods include at least one of the following a to c. a: automatic continuous playback by reverse playback b: frame-by-frame playback and frame-by-frame playback by manual operation c: playback by mirror image display 3. A continuous shot image reproducing method, wherein a method of reproducing a continuous image stored in advance is selected from a plurality of reproducing methods, and the continuous image is reproduced by the selected reproducing method.