JP2006311340A - Image display device and digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and quickly search the best shot among a series of images obtained by consecutive photographing. <P>SOLUTION: An image processing part 30 sequentially reads stored image data, performs the prescribed image processing of the image data in response to a user operation of an image selection operating part 10, determines the success or failure of the image data on the basis of the result of the image processing, displays image data determined as a success on an image display part 20 and does not display image data determined as a failure on the image display part 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device for processing and reproducing and displaying captured images, and a digital camera equipped with the image display device, and more particularly to an image display device having an image search function and the image display device. Relates to a digital camera equipped with.

  In recent years, some cameras have a single shooting mode in which a single frame is shot by operating the shutter button, and a continuous shooting mode in which multiple shots are taken continuously by repeating the shooting operation while operating the shutter button. Many.

  Further, the continuous shooting speed in this continuous shooting mode tends to increase particularly in a single-lens reflex camera, and not only a film camera but also a digital camera will soon perform continuous shooting of several tens to several tens of frames per second. It is expected to be possible.

  By the way, the biggest reason for photographing in the continuous shooting mode is to surely obtain the best shot. Therefore, after continuous shooting, it is important to be able to easily and quickly find the best shot image from a series of images obtained by continuous shooting. As a technique for searching for such a best shot image, a technique is generally known in which a button for image selection is operated and images are displayed one by one on a liquid crystal monitor or the like. However, with such a method, the confirmation work becomes complicated as the number of images taken by continuous shooting increases. In addition, when a large number of images are captured by high-speed continuous shooting, the number of images that are camera shake, out-of-focus, and underexposed / overexposed increases. In view of such circumstances, the following techniques have been proposed as conventional techniques for automatically selecting and holding only so-called successful images.

  First, in the electronic camera disclosed in Patent Document 1, continuously captured image data is evaluated based on a spatial frequency component or the like, and both the evaluation result and the image data are displayed on a monitor screen or the like. Then, only desired image data can be stored by a user's selection operation with reference to the display.

  In the electronic cameras disclosed in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, continuously captured image data is evaluated based on spatial frequency components and the like, and only image data with high evaluation (for example, low blur) is selected. Saved.

Furthermore, in the image determination method, apparatus, and computer-readable recording medium disclosed in Patent Document 4, the image data is evaluated by a pass / fail determination unit in the lab server and has a high evaluation (blur, blur, whiteout, blackout). Image data with a low evaluation) and image data with a low evaluation are stored separately, and only image data with a high evaluation is printed.
JP 2000-209468 A JP 2000-209476 A JP 2000-209383 A JP 2001-256498 A

  However, the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4 are used to select image data such as storing only highly evaluated image data or printing only highly evaluated image data out of image data acquired in continuous shooting. It remains in the technology with emphasis. Accordingly, the display of the low-evaluated frame (failed image data) is automatically excluded from the held many frames, and only the high-evaluated image data is liquid crystal in the camera that has taken the image easily and quickly after shooting. You can't check on a monitor. In other words, the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4 cannot perform “best shot confirmation by simple and quick display after shooting” which is desired in high-speed continuous shooting.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. For example, an image display device that can easily and quickly find a best shot from a series of images obtained by high-speed continuous shooting, and the image display An object is to provide a digital camera equipped with the apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image display apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores image data, an operation unit that is operated by a user, a display unit that displays image data, By operating the operation unit, the image data stored in the storage means is sequentially read out, predetermined image processing is performed on the image data, and the pass / fail of the image data is determined based on the result of the image processing. Image data acceptance / rejection determination processing means and image data that has been determined to be acceptable by the image data acceptance / rejection determination processing means are displayed on the display means, and image data that has been rejected by the image data acceptance / rejection determination processing means is Control means for performing control not to be displayed on the display means.

  To achieve the above object, a digital camera according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores image data, an operation unit that is operated by a user, a display unit that displays image data, When the user operates the operation unit, the image data stored in the storage means is sequentially read out and predetermined image processing is performed on the image data, and the pass / fail of the image data is determined based on the result of the image processing. Image data pass / fail judgment processing means and the image data for which pass judgment is made by the image data pass / fail judgment processing means are displayed on the display means, and the image data pass / fail judgment processing means makes a fail judgment. Control means for performing control to prevent the displayed image data from being displayed on the display means.

  In order to achieve the above object, a digital camera according to a third aspect of the present invention is operated by a continuous shooting means for performing continuous shooting, a storage means for storing shot image data, and a user. By operating the operation unit, display means for displaying image data, and the operation unit, image data in a series of continuous shooting by the continuous shooting unit stored in the storage unit is sequentially read out. Then, predetermined image processing is performed on the image data, and the image data pass / fail determination processing means for determining pass / fail of the image data based on the result of the image processing and the image data pass / fail determination processing means make a pass determination. Control means for controlling the display means to display the displayed image data on the display means and not to display on the display means the image data determined to be incompatible by the image data acceptance / rejection determination processing means , Characterized by including the.

  According to the present invention, for example, an image display device that can easily and quickly find a best shot from a series of images obtained by high-speed continuous shooting, and a digital camera equipped with the image display device are provided. be able to.

[First Embodiment]
First, the concept of control flow in the image display apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 which is a block diagram showing the concept of control flow in the image display apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  The image selection operation unit 10 is operated by a user in order to select image data to be displayed on the image display unit 20. As the image selection operation unit 10, for example, a cross button which is a button formed in a cross shape of a digital camera equipped with the image display device can be used. The image data is selected and updated in the up direction (the order in which the images were taken) each time the button in the image up direction (the order in which the images were taken) in the image selection operation unit 10 is pressed, and the image down direction (the order in which the images were taken). Each time the button of the reverse order is pressed, the selection is updated in the down direction (the order opposite to the order of shooting).

  In this way, the image processing unit 30 performs image processing on the image data selected by operating the image selection operation unit 10. The image processing unit 30 includes a blur / blur determination unit 32 that determines the degree of blur and camera shake in the image data, and an exposure amount determination unit 34 that determines the degree of exposure (overexposed or underexposed) in the image. And have.

  Then, according to the determination results of the blur / blur determination unit 32 and the exposure amount determination unit 34 in the image processing unit 30, only image data that has passed this determination is displayed on the image display unit 20.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing an internal configuration by cutting a part of the digital camera body in order to show the configuration of the digital camera (hereinafter simply referred to as a camera) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. Here, as shown in the figure, in this embodiment, a single-lens reflex camera will be described as an example of the camera 1, but this embodiment is not limited to such a single-lens reflex camera. Of course you can.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the camera 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  That is, the camera 1 includes a lens barrel 100 and a camera body 200. In the lens barrel 100, a photographing optical system 102 composed of a plurality of optical lenses is disposed. The photographing optical system 102 is configured to be movable in the optical axis direction by a lens driving mechanism, which will be described later, and transmits a light beam from a subject (not shown) toward the inside of the camera body 200.

  An exposure opening having a predetermined aperture for guiding the light beam transmitted through the photographing optical system 102 to the inside of the camera body 200 is formed at a substantially central portion on the front side of the camera body 200. A photographing optical system mounting portion 200a is formed at the peripheral edge of the exposure opening. The lens barrel 100 is detachably attached to the camera body 200 through the photographing optical system mounting part 200a. Therefore, various lens barrels 100 can be attached to the camera body 200 according to the purpose at the time of shooting. An operation member for operating the camera body 200, for example, an instruction signal for starting a shooting operation is generated on the outer surface of the camera body 200 at a predetermined position such as an upper surface portion or a back surface portion. The release button 302 is provided.

  Furthermore, various constituent members such as a viewfinder device 202, a shutter unit 208, an imaging unit 211, and a circuit board 200b are disposed at predetermined positions inside the camera body 200.

  The viewfinder device 202 includes a quick return mirror (hereinafter referred to as a main mirror) 202a, a pentaprism 202c, and an eyepiece lens 202d.

  The main mirror 202a has a light incident surface that is a half mirror, and a position on the optical axis of the imaging optical system 102 (the position shown in FIG. 1, hereinafter referred to as a down position) and a position that is retracted from the optical axis (hereinafter, referred to as the following) (Referred to as an up position). In the normal state, the main mirror 202a is arranged with a predetermined angle from the optical axis of the photographing optical system 102, for example, an angle of 45 degrees. With such a configuration, when the camera 1 is in a normal state, a part of the light beam transmitted through the photographing optical system 102 is reflected by the main mirror 202a and a part of the light beam is transmitted through the main mirror 202a. Here, the light beam transmitted through the main mirror 202a enters an AF sensor unit described later.

  The light beam reflected by the main mirror 202a is inverted by the pentaprism 202c to become an erect image. The image formed by the pentaprism 202c is magnified by the eyepiece lens 202d. With such a configuration, the user can visually check the image of the subject.

  On the other hand, when the camera 1 is in the photographing operation state, the main mirror 202a is moved to a predetermined up position, which is a position retracted from the optical axis of the photographing optical system 102. At this time, a light beam from a subject (not shown) that has passed through the photographing optical system 102 enters the imaging unit 211 via the shutter unit 208. The shutter unit 208 is composed of, for example, a focal plane type shutter mechanism. The shutter unit 208 is configured to be opened and closed by a shutter control circuit described later. By controlling the opening and closing time of the shutter unit 208, the exposure time and the like of the image pickup unit 211 disposed behind the shutter unit 208 are controlled.

  The imaging unit 211 includes an imaging element 212, a dustproof filter (also referred to as dustproof glass) 213, and a piezoelectric element described later.

  The image sensor 212 includes a large number of photoelectric conversion elements (for example, photodiodes) that form a photoelectric conversion surface, and a light beam incident on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor 212 is converted into an electrical signal.

  The dust filter 213 is disposed on the front side of the image sensor 212. The dust filter 213 can prevent dust from adhering to the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor 212. Further, the dustproof filter 213 is configured to be vibrated by a piezoelectric element to be described later, and dust attached to the dustproof filter 213 is removed by vibrating the dustproof filter 213. The dust filter 213 is made of a transparent member such as glass.

  Various electric circuits of the camera 1 are mounted on the circuit board 200b shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, the system configuration of the camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 which is a block diagram showing in detail the circuit configuration inside the camera according to the present embodiment.

  The correspondence between the members shown in FIG. 1 and the members shown in FIG. 3 is as follows. The image display unit 20 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to, for example, the liquid crystal monitor 222 in FIG. The image processing unit 30 illustrated in FIG. 1 corresponds to, for example, the Bucom 201 and the image processing controller 218 in FIG.

  Control of each part of the lens barrel 100 is performed by a lens control microcomputer 101 (hereinafter referred to as “Lucom”). On the other hand, each part of the camera body 200 is controlled by a body control microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as Bucom) 201. Here, when the lens barrel 100 is attached to the camera body 200, the Lucom 101 and the Bucom 201 are communicably connected via the communication connector 101a. In this case, as a camera system, the Lucom 101 is operated so as to be subordinate to the Bucom 201.

  Further, as described above, the photographing optical system 102 is disposed inside the lens barrel 100. Here, in FIG. 3, a plurality of optical lenses constituting the photographing optical system 102 are representatively illustrated as one optical lens. The photographing optical system 102 is driven in the optical axis direction by a DC motor (not shown) existing in the lens driving mechanism 103.

  A diaphragm 104 is provided behind the photographic optical system 102. The diaphragm 104 is driven to open and close by a stepping motor (not shown) existing in the diaphragm drive mechanism 105. By controlling the opening and closing of the diaphragm 104, the amount of light flux from the subject incident on the camera body 200 via the photographing optical system 102 is controlled.

  Here, the control of the DC motor in the lens driving mechanism 103 and the control of the stepping motor in the aperture driving mechanism 105 are performed by the Lucom 101 that has received a command from the Bucom 201.

  In addition, a finder device including a main mirror 202a, a pentaprism 202c, and an eyepiece 202d is provided inside the camera body 200. When the camera is in the normal state, as described above, a part of the light beam from the subject incident through the photographing optical system 102 is reflected by the main mirror 202a. Thereby, an image for observation is formed through the pentaprism 202c and the eyepiece lens 202d.

  Here, a photometric circuit 204 is provided in the vicinity of the pentaprism 202c, and a part of the light beam that has passed through the pentaprism 202c enters a photosensor (not shown) in the photometric circuit 204. In the photometry circuit 204, a well-known photometry process is performed based on the light amount of the light beam detected by the photosensor. The result processed by the photometry circuit 204 is transmitted to the Bucom 201. In the Bucom 201, the exposure amount at the time of photographing is calculated based on the result input from the photometry circuit 204. This result is transmitted from Bucom 201 to Lucom 101. In the Lucom 101, drive control of the diaphragm 104 is performed based on the exposure amount notified from the Bucom 201.

  Further, the light beam transmitted through the main mirror 202a and reflected by the sub mirror 203 is guided to an AF sensor unit 205 for performing an automatic focus adjustment process (AF process). An area sensor (not shown) is provided inside the AF sensor unit 205, and a light beam incident on the area sensor is converted into an electric signal. The output from the area sensor is transmitted to the Bucom 201 via the AF sensor driving circuit 206. Then, ranging processing is performed in the Bucom 201, and the focus state (defocus amount) of the photographing optical system 102 necessary for focus adjustment is calculated. This result is transmitted from Bucom 201 to Lucom 101. In the Lucom 101, drive control of the photographing optical system 102 is performed based on the drive amount notified from the Bucom 201.

  Further, as described above, when the camera is in the photographing operation state, the main mirror 202a is moved to a predetermined up position where it is retracted from the optical axis of the photographing optical system 102. Such driving of the main mirror 202 a is performed by the mirror driving mechanism 207. The mirror drive mechanism 207 is controlled by the Bucom 201. Here, when the main mirror 202a is moved to the up position, the sub mirror 203 is folded accordingly.

  When the main mirror 202a is moved to the up position, the light beam from the subject that has passed through the photographing optical system 102 enters the direction of the shutter unit 208. The spring force for driving the front curtain and rear curtain constituting the focal plane type shutter unit 208 is charged by the shutter charge mechanism 209. The front curtain and the rear curtain are driven by the shutter control circuit 210. The shutter charge mechanism 209 and the shutter control circuit 210 are controlled by the Bucom 201.

  The light beam that has passed through the shutter unit 208 is incident on the image sensor 212 inside the imaging unit 211 disposed behind the shutter unit 208. As described above, the image sensor 212 is protected by the dust filter 213 disposed between the image sensor 212 and the photographing optical system 102.

  In addition, a piezoelectric element 214 for vibrating the dustproof filter 213 at a predetermined vibration frequency is attached to the periphery of the dustproof filter 213. The piezoelectric element 214 has two electrodes and is driven by a dustproof filter driving circuit 215. The dust filter driving circuit 215 is controlled by Bucom 201. The dust filter 213 vibrates by vibrating the piezoelectric element 214 by the dust filter driving circuit 215. As a result, dust adhering to the surface of the dustproof filter 213 is removed.

  Here, the image sensor 212 and the piezoelectric element 214 are integrally stored in a case having the dust filter 213 as one surface. Thereby, adhesion of dust to the image sensor 212 can be reliably prevented.

  A temperature measurement circuit 216 is provided in the vicinity of the imaging unit 211. Usually, the temperature affects the elastic modulus of a glass material. That is, since the change in temperature becomes one of the factors that change the natural frequency of the dust filter 213, the ambient temperature is always measured when the dust filter 213 is vibrated. Note that the temperature measurement point of the temperature measurement circuit 216 is preferably set in the vicinity of the vibration surface of the dust filter 213. In this way, by controlling the vibration of the dustproof filter 213 in consideration of changes in temperature, the dustproof filter 213 can always be vibrated under optimum conditions.

  The electrical signal (image signal) obtained by the image sensor 212 is read out and digitized via the image interface circuit 217 at every predetermined timing. Image data obtained by digitization by the imaging interface circuit 217 is stored in a buffer memory 219 configured by SDRAM or the like via an image processing controller 218. Here, the buffer memory 219 is a memory for temporarily storing data such as image data, and is used as a work area when various processes are performed on the image data.

  When electronic viewfinder (EVF) display is performed, the image processing controller 218 reads image data read out via the imaging interface circuit 217 and stored in the buffer memory 219. The image data read by the image processing controller 218 is subjected to image processing such as white balance correction for EVF display, and then stored in a buffer memory 219 made up of SDRAM. Thereafter, the image data stored in the buffer memory 219 is read out by the image processing controller 218 in units of frames and converted into video signals. This video signal is resized to a predetermined size for display and then displayed on a liquid crystal monitor 222 as a display means.

  Further, after the photographing is finished, the image processing controller 218 reads out the image data read out via the imaging interface circuit 217 and stored in the buffer memory 219. The image data read by the image processing controller 218 is stored in the buffer memory 219 after being subjected to known image processing such as white balance correction, gradation correction, and color correction. Thereafter, the image data stored in the buffer memory 219 is read by the image processing controller 218, converted into a video signal, resized to a predetermined size for display, and then output and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. The user can confirm the photographed image with the image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222.

  At the time of image recording, the image data processed by the image processing controller 218 is compressed by a known compression method such as the JPEG method. JPEG data obtained by JPEG compression is stored in the buffer memory 219 and then recorded on the FlashRom 220 or the recording medium 221 as a JPEG file to which predetermined header information is added. Here, the FlashRom 220 is assumed to be a memory built in the camera, and the recording medium 221 is assumed to be mounted outside the camera. As the recording medium 221, for example, a memory card or a hard disk drive configured to be detachable from the camera is used.

  Further, when an image is reproduced from the JPEG file recorded on the FlashRom 220 or the recording medium 221, the JPEG data recorded on the FlashRom 220 or the recording medium 221 is read and decompressed by the image processing controller 218. Thereafter, the decompressed data is converted into a video signal, resized to a predetermined size for display, and output and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222.

  The Bucom 201 is connected to a nonvolatile memory 223 that stores predetermined control parameters necessary for camera control. The non-volatile memory 223 is composed of, for example, a rewritable EEPROM.

  Further, a battery 225 as a power source is connected to the Bucom 201 via a power circuit 224. In the power supply circuit 224, the voltage of the battery 225 is converted into a voltage required by each part of the camera system and supplied to each part of the camera system.

  Further, the Bucom 201 includes an operation display LCD 226 for notifying the user of the operation state of the camera by display output, and a camera operation SW (camera operation switch) 227 for detecting operation states of various operation members of the camera. And are connected.

  Hereinafter, various operation members of the camera according to the present embodiment will be described. 4 to 7 are external views of the camera body 200 for explaining the operation members of the camera according to the present embodiment. 4 shows a top view of the camera body 200, FIG. 5 shows a front view of the camera body 200, FIG. 6 shows a side view of the camera body 200, and FIG. 7 shows a rear view of the camera body 200.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, on the upper surface of the camera body 200, a power switch lever 301, a release button 302, a mode dial 303, a sub dial 304, an ISO button 305, an exposure correction button 306, a white button A balance (WB) button 307, an image quality mode button 308, a flash mode button 309, and a LIGHT button 310 are provided.

  The power switch lever 301 is an operation member for turning on / off the power of the camera 1. By turning the power switch lever 301, the main power supply of the camera 1 is switched on / off.

  The release button 302 is a button for executing a shooting preparation operation and an exposure operation. This release button is a two-stage push-down button. When the release button 302 is pressed halfway (first stage), the first release switch in the camera operation SW 227 is turned on, and photometry processing and distance measurement processing are performed. Shooting preparation operations such as are performed. Further, when the release button 302 is fully pressed (second stage), the second release switch in the camera operation SW 227 is turned on to perform the exposure operation.

  A mode dial 303 is an operation member for setting a shooting mode at the time of shooting. By rotating the mode dial 303, a shooting mode at the time of shooting is set. In the example of FIG. 4, for example, five modes of a program AE mode (P), an aperture priority AE mode (A), a shutter priority AE mode (S), a manual mode (M), and a scene mode (SCN) can be set. .

  The program AE mode is a mode in which an exposure operation is performed according to the exposure conditions (aperture value and shutter speed) calculated by the camera 1. The aperture priority AE mode is a mode in which exposure is performed with the shutter speed set according to the aperture value set by the user. The shutter priority AE mode is a mode in which exposure is performed with an aperture value set according to the shutter speed set by the user. The manual mode is a mode in which exposure is performed with an aperture value and a shutter speed set by the user. The scene mode is a mode in which shooting is performed under conditions suitable for various shooting scenes. In the scene mode, it is necessary to set the desired scene on the menu screen displayed on the operation display LCD 226 with the mode dial 303 set to SCN.

  The sub dial 304 is an operation member that is operated in a state where another operation member is pressed. By rotating the sub dial 304, it is possible to change the setting of the function related to the operation member currently operated by the user. Here, when the setting using the sub dial 304 is performed, the operation state of the camera 1 at that time is displayed on the operation display LCD 226. The user can change the setting while viewing this display.

  The ISO button 305 is a button for setting the imaging device sensitivity (corresponding to the ISO sensitivity of the film) during the exposure operation. When the ISO button 305 is pressed, a dial operation of the sub dial 304 or a main dial 316 described later is performed to change the setting of the image sensor sensitivity during the exposure operation.

  The exposure correction button 306 is a button for setting an exposure correction value for correcting the exposure amount during the exposure operation. When the exposure correction button 306 is pressed, a dial operation of the sub dial 304 or the main dial 316 is performed to change the setting of the exposure correction value. By setting the exposure correction value, for example, even when the exposure amount automatically calculated by the camera 1 in the program AE mode or the like is not appropriate, it is possible to perform shooting while correcting this.

  The WB button 307 is a button for setting how white balance is performed. When the sub dial 304 or the main dial 316 is operated while the WB button 307 is pressed, the white balance setting is changed to auto white balance or preset white balance.

  In auto white balance, white balance correction is automatically performed by the camera 1. Further, in the preset light source white balance, white balance correction is performed under conditions set in advance according to various light sources such as sunlight in fine weather, fluorescent lamps, and light bulbs.

  The image quality mode button 308 is a button for setting an image quality mode (image size and compression rate) at the time of image recording. When the image quality mode button 308 is pressed, the image quality mode is changed by operating the sub dial 304 or the main dial 316.

  The flash mode button 309 is a button for setting the light emission mode of the external flash device when an external flash device (not shown) is attached to the camera 1. When the sub dial 304 or the main dial 316 is dialed while the flash mode button 309 is pressed, the flash modes are, for example, auto flash mode, red-eye reduction flash mode, slow sync mode, forced flash mode. It is changed in the order.

  The auto light emission mode is a mode in which conditions such as the light emission amount of the external flash device are automatically set by the camera 1. The red-eye reduction flash mode is a mode in which pre-flash for red-eye reduction is performed prior to shooting. The slow sync mode is a mode in which flash emission is performed using a low-speed shutter together, and is an effective mode for night scene shooting and the like. The forced light emission mode is a mode in which the flash is emitted regardless of shooting conditions.

  The LIGHT button 310 is a button for turning on or off the backlight of the operation display LCD 226.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a one-touch white balance (WB) button 311 is provided on the front of the camera 1. The one-touch WB button 311 is a button for registering white balance conditions that cannot be handled by auto white balance or preset white balance.

  As shown in FIG. 6, an auto bracket (BKT) button 312, a photometry mode button 313, a DRIVE mode button 314, and a focus mode lever 315 are provided on the side surface of the camera 1.

  The BKT button 312 is a button for setting the number of shots, exposure correction amount, and white balance gain during bracket shooting. In bracket shooting, a plurality of images with different exposure amounts and white balance gains are shot. When the sub dial 304 or the main dial 316 is operated while the BKT button 312 is pressed, the number of shots, exposure correction amount, and white balance gain are changed.

  The photometry mode button 313 is a button for setting a photometry mode at the time of photometry processing. When the sub dial 304 or the main dial 316 is operated while the metering mode button 313 is pressed, the metering modes are, for example, in the order of spot metering mode, center-weighted average metering mode, and evaluation metering mode. Will be changed.

  The spot photometry mode is a mode in which photometry processing is performed based on the amount of light within an extremely narrow range on the screen. Further, the center-weighted average metering mode is a mode in which metering processing is focused on the center portion in the screen. Further, the evaluation photometry mode is a mode in which the final photometry result is obtained by dividing the inside of the screen into a plurality of areas and performing photometry processing and evaluating the result obtained for each divided area.

  The DRIVE mode button 314 is a button for setting the operation mode of the camera 1. By operating the sub dial 304 or the main dial 316 while the DRIVE mode button 314 is pressed, the operation modes are, for example, a single shooting mode, a continuous shooting (continuous shooting) mode, a self mode, It is changed in the order of remote control mode.

  The single shooting mode is a mode in which a single frame image is shot in response to a full pressing operation of the release button 302 by the user. Further, the continuous shooting mode is a mode in which the shooting operation is repeated while the user fully presses the release button 302, thereby shooting a plurality of frames. The self mode is a mode in which a so-called self-timer photographing is performed in which an exposure operation is performed after a predetermined time after the release button 302 is fully pressed. The remote control mode is a mode for enabling the camera 1 to be operated by a remote controller (not shown).

  The focus mode lever 315 is an operation member for setting an AF mode at the time of shooting. By switching the focus mode lever 315, the AF mode is changed in the order of, for example, a single AF mode, a continuous AF mode, and a power focus (PF) mode.

  The single AF mode is a mode in which the focus state of the photographing optical system 102 is fixed until the half-press of the release button 302 is released after the focus control of the photographing optical system 102 is once performed. The continuous AF mode is a mode in which focus control of the photographing optical system 102 is performed following the movement of the subject. The PF mode is a mode in which the user can manually adjust the focus of the photographing optical system 102.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 7, on the back of the camera 1, there are a main dial 316, an AF frame button 317, an AE lock button 318, a playback mode button 319, a delete button 320, a protect button 321 and information. A display button 322, a menu button 323, a cross button 324, and an OK button 325 are provided.

  Note that the image selection operation unit 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a group of operation switches operated by a user when performing image reproduction display, and specifically corresponds to the cross button 324 shown in FIG. 7, for example.

  The main dial 316 is an operation member having the same function as that of the sub-dial 304. When the main dial 316 is rotated, the setting of the function related to the operation member currently pressed by the user can be changed. Is possible.

  The AF frame button 317 is a button for selecting an AF method at the time of shooting. When the sub dial 304 or the main dial 316 is operated while the AF frame button 317 is being pressed, the AF method is changed to, for example, multi AF or spot AF.

  In multi AF, the focus state of a plurality of ranging points in the screen is detected. On the other hand, in the spot AF, the focus state of one point (can be selected from a plurality of candidates) in the screen is detected.

  The AE lock button 318 is a button for fixing exposure conditions. While the AE lock button 318 is being pressed, the exposure amount calculated at that time is fixed.

  The playback mode button 319 is a button for switching the operation mode of the camera 1 to a playback mode in which an image can be played back and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 from a JPEG file recorded on the FlashRom 220 or the recording medium 221.

  The delete button 320 is a button for deleting the image data (JPEG file) from the FlashRom 220 and the recording medium 221 during the playback mode.

  The protect button 321 is a button for protecting the image data so that the image data is not accidentally erased during the reproduction mode.

  The information display button 322 is a button for causing the liquid crystal monitor 222 to display image information based on additional information (for example, Exif information) of image data.

  The menu button 323 is a button for displaying a menu screen on the liquid crystal monitor 222. This menu screen is composed of menu items having a plurality of hierarchical structures. The user can select a desired menu item with the cross button 324 and can determine the item selected with the OK button 325. Here, the menu items include, for example, a setup menu for the FlashRom 220 and the recording medium 221, a shooting menu capable of setting image data quality, image processing, scene mode, and the like, playback conditions during image playback, and settings during image printing. There are a playback menu that allows the user to perform various operations, a custom menu that allows various fine settings according to the photographer's preference, and a setup menu that sets the operating state of the camera such as the type of warning sound.

  For example, when setting the scene mode, a desired scene can be selected on the menu screen while the mode dial 303 is set to the scene mode (SCN). Examples of this scene include portrait, sports, commemorative photo, landscape, night view, and the like. In accordance with the selected scene, shooting conditions such as exposure conditions, flash emission conditions, photometry mode, AF method, and continuous shooting interval are set.

  The contents set by the operation of each operation member are stored in the buffer memory 219 or a memory (not shown) in the Bucom 201.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, operation control in the Bucom 201 at the time of shooting by the camera according to the present embodiment will be described. The processing in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is started when the release button 302 is half-pressed by the user.

  First, when the release button 302 is half-pressed by the user, the first release switch of the camera operation SW 227 is turned on. In response to this, the Bucom 201 causes the photometry circuit 204 to perform photometry processing to generate luminance data, and calculates the exposure amount using the result (step S1). Next, the AF sensor driving circuit 206 drives the AF sensor unit 205, and a signal detected by the AF sensor unit 205 is received via the AF sensor driving circuit 206. Based on this, distance measurement processing is performed to calculate the focus state of the photographing optical system 102, and this focus state is transmitted to the Lucom 101. Thereby, the driving amount of the photographing optical system 102 necessary for focus adjustment is calculated in the Lucom 101, and the photographing optical system 102 is driven based on the calculated driving amount (step S2).

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the second release switch has been turned on by the user, that is, whether or not the release button 302 of the camera operation SW 227 has been fully pressed (step S3). If it is determined in step S3 that the second release switch is not turned on, it is determined whether or not the first release switch remains on (step S19). If it is determined in step S19 that the first release switch remains ON, the process returns to step S3. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S19 that the first release switch has been turned off, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is terminated and the process returns to the main process of the camera 1 (not shown).

  If it is determined in step S3 that the second release switch of the camera operation SW 227 is turned on, the mirror drive mechanism 207 moves the main mirror 202a to the up position (step S4).

  Subsequently, based on the exposure amount calculated in step S1, the Lucom 101 causes the diaphragm 104 to narrow down through the diaphragm driving mechanism 105 (step S5). Next, the imaging operation of the imaging device 212 is started via the interface circuit 217 and the image processing controller 218 (step S6). After that, based on the exposure amount calculated in step S1, the shutter unit 208 is opened and closed via the shutter charge mechanism 209 and the shutter control circuit 210 (step S7). After the shutter unit 208 is closed, the imaging operation of the imaging device 212 is stopped via the imaging interface circuit 217 and the image processing controller 218 (step S8).

  Since the electrical signal (image signal) obtained by the imaging element 212 is read and digitized via the imaging interface circuit 217 at every predetermined timing, the Bucom 201 is digitized by the image processing controller 218. The image data obtained in this manner is subjected to known image processing such as white balance correction, gradation correction, and color correction (step S9).

  Thereafter, the image processing controller 218 stores the image data subjected to the image processing in the buffer memory 219 (step S10). The buffer memory 219 has a capacity sufficient to temporarily store a large number of image data shot by high-speed continuous shooting.

  Next, the diaphragm drive mechanism 105 opens the diaphragm 104 (step S11), and the mirror drive mechanism 207 moves the main mirror 202a to the down position (step S12).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the operation mode of the camera 1 is set to the continuous shooting mode based on information held in the buffer memory 219 or a memory (not shown) inside the Bucom 201 (step S13). If it is determined that the continuous shooting mode is selected, it is determined whether or not the second release switch of the camera operation SW 227 remains ON (step S20).

  If it is determined in step S20 that the second release switch of the camera operation SW 227 remains ON, the next image is captured. That is, the photometric circuit 204 performs the photometric process again to calculate the exposure amount (step S21). Further, the AF sensor unit 205 is driven via the AF sensor driving circuit 206 to perform the distance measuring process, which is necessary for focus adjustment. The defocus amount of the photographing optical system 102 is calculated. Based on the defocus amount calculated here, the Lucom 101 drives the photographing optical system 102 via the lens driving mechanism 103 (step S22). Then, it returns to step S4 mentioned above and repeats the process mentioned above.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20 that the second release switch of the camera operation SW 227 has been turned off, continuous shooting is terminated. That is, in this case, the image processing controller 218 is made to read the image data of the above-described number of frames stored in the buffer memory 219 and perform a predetermined compression process so that an image file of the number of frames is stored. Is created (step S23). That is, an image file corresponding to each frame shot by continuous shooting is created. Here, in the present embodiment, the focus data generated in steps S2 and S22 and the luminance data generated in steps S1 and S21 are recorded in the header information of the image file created for each frame. Like that.

  If it is determined in step S13 that the mode is not the continuous shooting mode, the image processing controller 218 is caused to create an image file of image data by single shooting (step S14).

  Then, the image file created in step S14 and step S23 is recorded on the recording medium 221 (or FlashRom 220) by the image processing controller 218.

  Thereafter, in step S16, it is determined whether or not the first release switch of the camera operation SW 227 remains ON (step S16). If it is determined that the first release switch remains ON, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S16 that the first release switch has been turned off, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is terminated, and the process returns to the main process of the camera 1 (not shown).

  Hereinafter, the playback operation sequence of the camera according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a playback operation sequence by the Bucom 201 of the camera according to the first embodiment. When the playback mode button 319 is pressed by the user and the operation mode of the camera 1 is switched to the playback mode, the processing of this flowchart is started.

  First, the Bucom 201 causes the image processing controller 218 to read out the image data of the final display image in the previous image reproduction operation from among a plurality of image data (files) recorded on the recording medium 221 (or FlashRom 220). The current image data is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 (step S31). That is, in the current playback operation sequence, the image data of the final display image in the previous image playback operation is the current top image.

  Note that information indicating which image data of the final display image in the previous image reproduction operation is stored in the buffer memory 219, an internal memory (not shown) of the Bucom 201, or the like, so that the final image in the previous image reproduction operation is stored. The display image can be read out. Alternatively, a flag indicating that the image is the final display image in the previous image reproduction operation may be written in the header of the image data, and the determination may be made by searching for the flag. If the current playback operation sequence is when the playback mode button 319 is pressed for the first time after the camera 1 is turned on, the first image data recorded on the recording medium 221 is read in step S31. It is.

  Subsequently, image search processing is executed in cooperation with the image processing controller 218 (step S32). This is to determine the degree of blurring and blurring of the image data read from the plurality of image data recorded on the recording medium 221 in the above step S31 or step S35 described later, and the exposure amount. Determine the degree. If it is determined that the image data has a small degree of blurring and blurring and an appropriate exposure amount, the image data is determined to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. On the other hand, when it is determined that the degree of blur and blur is not small and the exposure amount is not appropriate, the image data is not displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 because it is highly likely that the image data is a failed photo. Judge. In this way, an image to be displayed is searched.

  Note that step S32 will be described in detail later with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  Next, with respect to the image data of all the images recorded on the recording medium 221, it is determined whether or not the image search process in the above step S32 is performed and the last image subjected to the image search process is a failed photo. (Step S33).

  When step S33 is branched N times, it is determined based on the determination in step S32 whether the current image data is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 based on the determination result in step S32. S34).

  If it is determined in step S34 that the current image data is not to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 based on the current determination result in step S32, the next image data of the image data is subjected to image processing. The controller 218 is made to read (step S35). Thereafter, the steps after step S32 are followed again.

  On the other hand, when step S33 is branched into Y, the image data recorded on the recording medium 221 does not include image data determined to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 in step S32 (in other words, all images The data is likely to be a failed photo). Therefore, the fact is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 (step S36).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether the playback mode button 319 has been pressed again or the release button 302 has been pressed (step S37). In the camera according to the present embodiment, the playback operation sequence is canceled when the playback mode button 319 is pressed again or the release button 302 is pressed. That is, this step S37 is a step in which the present playback operation sequence is exited after waiting for the playback mode button 319 to be pressed again or the release button 302 to be pressed.

  If it is determined in step S34 that the current image data is to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 based on the current determination result in step S32, the image data is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 (step S38).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether the playback mode button 319 has been pressed again or the release button 302 has been pressed (step S39). If it is determined in step S39 that the playback mode button 319 has been pressed again or the release button 302 has been pressed, the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. Return.

  If it is determined in step S39 that the playback mode button 319 or the release button 302 has not been pressed, it is next determined whether any of the buttons constituting the cross button 324 has been pressed. (Step S40). If it is determined in step S40 that none of the buttons constituting the cross button 324 is pressed, the process returns to step S39.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that any one of the buttons constituting the cross button 324 is pressed, first, the right button (<< R of the four buttons in the cross button 324 is selected. It is determined whether or not (>> button) is pressed (step S41).

  If it is determined in S41 that the << R >> button has been pressed, and if S45 described later is branched N times, the image processing controller 218 displays the next image data currently displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. Image data (next image data) is read (step S42), and the image search processing similar to step S32 is executed for the read image data (step S43).

  Next, the image search process in step S43 is performed up to the last image data from the image data recorded on the recording medium 221, and it is determined whether or not the image subjected to the last image search process is a failed photo. Judgment is made (step S44). When this step S44 is branched to Y, the process proceeds to step S51 described later.

  On the other hand, when step S44 is branched N times, it is determined whether or not the current image data is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 based on the current determination result in step S43 (step S45). If it is determined in step S45 that the current image data is to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222, the process returns to step S38 and the steps after step S38 are followed again. On the other hand, if it is determined that the current image data is not displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222, the process returns to step S42 and the steps after step S42 are followed again.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S41 that the << R >> button on the cross button 324 has not been pressed, it is next determined whether or not the left button (<< L >> button) on the cross button 324 has been pressed. (Step S46).

  If it is determined in S46 that the << L >> button has been pressed, or if S50 described later is branched N times, the image processing controller 218 will display the previous image data displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. The image data is read (step S47), and the image search process similar to step S32 is executed for the read image data (step S48).

  Next, whether or not the image search process in step S43 is performed up to the first image data from the image data recorded on the recording medium 221 and the last image subjected to the image search process is a failed photo is determined. Judgment is made (step S49). When this step S49 is branched to Y, the process proceeds to step S51 described later.

  On the other hand, when step S49 is branched N times, it is determined based on the determination in step S48 whether the current image data is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 based on the determination result in step S48. (Step S50). If it is determined in step S50 that the current image data is to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222, the process returns to step S38, and the steps after step S38 are followed again. On the other hand, when it is determined that the current image data is not displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222, the process returns to step S47 and the steps after step S47 are followed again.

  If it is determined in step S44 that image search processing has been performed up to the last image data, and the image data that has been subjected to image search processing last is a failed photo, and in step S49, images up to the first image data are also displayed. If it is determined that the image data that has undergone the search process and the image search process that was last performed is a failed photo, the fact is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 (step S51). Then, the process returns to step S39 and waits until the release button 302 or the playback mode button 319 is pressed, and the steps after step S39 are followed again.

  After that, when the << R >> button is pressed next in step S41, the image processing controller 218 is made to read the first image data in step S42. Similarly, when the << L >> button is pressed next in step S46, the image processing controller 218 is made to read the last image data in step S47.

  If it is determined in step S46 that the << L >> button has not been pressed, it is next determined whether or not the upper button (<< U >> button) in the cross button 324 has been pressed (step S52). ). If it is determined that the << U >> button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S54 described later.

  If it is determined in step S52 that the << U >> button has not been pressed, it is next determined whether or not the lower button (<< D >> button) on the cross button 324 has been pressed (step S53). ). If it is determined that the << D >> button has not been pressed, the process returns to step S39. If it is determined that the << D >> button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S54 described later.

  Step S54 is a step of causing the image processing controller 218 to perform processing when it is determined that the << U >> button has been pressed in Step S52 and when the << D >> button has been pressed in Step S53. It is. In the present embodiment, when the “U” button or the “D” button is pressed once, the image is searched in the up direction (the processing in the above steps S42 to S45), and again, “U” When the “>>” button or the “D” button is pressed, the search in the down direction is performed (the processing in steps S47 to S50). Thereafter, the process returns to step S39.

  Note that the processing performed by pressing the << U >> button and the << D >> button in step S54 is not limited to the above-described processing, and it is needless to say that processing other than that described above may be performed.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, the subroutine of the image search process in step S32, step S43, and step S48 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 will be described.

  First, an area for determining the degree of blur or blur in image data is determined (step S71). Here, for example, when there are a plurality of areas where focus detection is performed, the area where focus detection is finally selected in step S2 or step S22 in the flowchart shown in FIG. It is set as an area to be determined.

  Next, the image processing controller 218 is made to read the image data of the area selected in step S71 (step S72).

  Subsequently, as preprocessing for extracting high-frequency components of the image data, the image data read out by the image processing controller 218 is subjected to, for example, DCT transform (discrete cosine transform) to convert the image data into a spatial frequency spectrum. (Step S73). Then, HPF (High Pass Filter) processing is applied to the converted spatial frequency spectrum, and a high frequency component is extracted from the spatial frequency spectrum (step S74). In general, the higher the focus or the less blur, the higher the high frequency components included in the image data. Therefore, by determining the high frequency components, the degree of blur or blur in the image data can be determined. It can be performed.

  Thereafter, an integrated value of the high frequency components extracted in step S74 is obtained, and the value is set as an evaluation value (step S75).

  Next, the degree of blurring or blurring of the image data is determined based on the evaluation value acquired in step S75 (step S76). In step S76, the pass / fail of the image data is determined by comparing the evaluation value with a threshold value which is a predetermined value.

  The level of the threshold value can be arbitrarily set by the user. For example, when a menu button 323 shown in FIG. 7 is pressed, a series of menus are displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. As one item, the user can set the level of the threshold value. It ’s fine. As described above, since the user can arbitrarily set the level of the threshold value, the determination of the degree of blur and blur can be set according to the user's intention, such as making it sensitive or insensitive.

  If it is determined in step S76 that the degree of blurring or blurring is high, the image data is determined to be unsuitable for display (high possibility of failed photo) (step S77). Thereafter, the process returns to the flowchart shown in FIG. Then, this determination result is used for the determination in step S33, step S44, and step S49 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S76 that the degree of blurring or blurring is low, an area for determining the exposure level (overexposure / underexposure) is determined (step S78). Here, for example, when there are a plurality of photometric areas, a photometric area set by the user (such as partial photometry or SPOT photometry) or an area where focus detection has been performed is set as an area for determining the exposure amount. Of course, the entire screen may be used as an area for determining the exposure amount.

  Next, the image data of the area determined in step S78 is read by the image processing controller 218 (step S79), luminance data is extracted from the image data read by the image processing controller 218, and the luminance is determined. Is obtained (step S80). Then, by comparing the acquired luminance evaluation value with a predetermined luminance threshold value, it is determined whether or not the image data has an overexposure tendency (step S81). If it is determined that the overexposure tendency is high, the process proceeds to step S77.

  The level of the brightness threshold value can be set by the user. This luminance threshold value can be set as one item in a series of menus displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 in response to pressing of the menu button 323 shown in FIG. As a result, the user can make the reference for determining the exposure amount of the image data sensitive or insensitive. For example, when the exposure judgment is considerably insensitive, the so-called “blackout” where the entire photographed image becomes black or the so-called “whiteout” where the part exposed to light diverges in a very bright color is detected. can do.

  If it is determined in step S81 that the overexposure tendency is low, the luminance evaluation value obtained in step S80 is compared with a predetermined luminance threshold value, so that the image data tends to be underexposed. It is determined whether or not there is (step S82). If it is determined that the underexposure tendency is high, the process proceeds to step S77.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S82 that the underexposure tendency is low, it is determined that the currently selected image data is suitable for display (step S83). Thereafter, the process returns to the flowchart shown in FIG. The determination result here is used for the determination in step S33, step S44, and step S49 of the flowchart shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, image display using the image display device or the digital camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Note that FIG. 11 is a table in the case where the playback display of an image captured by continuous shooting (an image obtained by shooting five continuous trains approaching the photographer) is displayed without any modification. It is the figure which showed the example. On the other hand, FIG. 12 shows image data captured by continuous shooting using the image search process described above, which is a feature of the image display apparatus and digital camera according to the present embodiment (a train approaching the photographer direction). It is the figure which showed the example of a display at the time of performing the image display of the image of the 5 continuous shooting imaging | photography.

First, each of the images 401 to 405 shown in FIG. 11 will be described.
The image 401 is the first image taken by continuous shooting and is overexposed (failure photo).
The image 402 is the second image taken by continuous shooting, the exposure is appropriate, and there is no blur or camera shake (success photo).
The image 403 is the third image taken by continuous shooting, and is underexposed (failure photo).
The image 404 is the fourth image taken by continuous shooting, and is out of focus (failure photo).
The image 405 is the fifth photographed image obtained by continuous shooting, the exposure is appropriate, and there is no blur or camera shake (success photograph).

  Here, when these captured images obtained by continuous shooting are reproduced and displayed without any ingenuity, images 401 to 405 shown in FIG. 11 are sequentially reproduced and displayed. Therefore, since the failed photos are also displayed one by one, the reproduction display is very inefficient.

  On the other hand, when the captured image by continuous shooting is reproduced and displayed by the image display apparatus or the digital camera according to the present embodiment, it is as shown in FIG. That is, the failed photograph is not reproduced and displayed, and only the successful photograph (image 402, image 405) is sequentially displayed.

  Note that such playback display is performed in accordance with the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 when the << R >> button is pressed when the image 402 which is a successful photograph is first played back on the LCD monitor 222. Thus, an image 405 that is the next successful photograph is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 next.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, for example, an image display device that can easily and quickly find a best shot from a series of images obtained by continuous shooting, and the image display device are mounted. A digital camera can be provided.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to sequentially reproduce and display only image data that is free from blurring and blurring, and has an appropriate exposure amount, that is, a successful photograph, so that highly efficient image search processing can be performed. it can.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an image display device and a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The main difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment relates to the playback operation sequence. Therefore, description of items common to the first embodiment will be omitted below, and items specific to the present embodiment such as a playback operation sequence will be mainly described.

  First, with reference to FIG. 13, a playback operation sequence by the Bucom 201 of the image display apparatus and camera according to the second embodiment will be described.

  When the playback mode button 319 is pressed by the user and the operation mode of the camera 1 is switched to the playback mode, the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 13 is started. In the flowchart of FIG. 13, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts in the flowchart of FIG. 9 of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

  That is, if it is determined in step S141 that the << R >> button has been pressed, the image processing controller 218 reads the next image data (the next image data) of the image data currently displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. The image search process is executed (step S43). In the present embodiment, it is determined here whether or not the image search processing in step S43 has been performed up to the last image data in the “series of continuous shot images” (step S61). It should be noted that “a series of continuous shot images” are continuously shot by turning on the second release switch once (in other words, S4 to S13 → step S20 → step S21 → step S22 → step S4 shown in FIG. 8). This refers to a group of image data (sequentially photographed in the process). For determining whether the image data is the last image data in continuous shooting, for example, when image data is recorded on the recording medium 221 (in step S15 in FIG. 8), a predetermined flag is set in the header of the file at the same time. Just write it down.

  If it is determined in step S61 that the image search processing in step S143 has not been performed up to the last image data in the “series of continuous shot images”, the process proceeds to step S44 and is the same as in the first embodiment. We will continue processing.

  Thus, if it is determined in step S61 that the image search processing has been performed up to the last image data in the “series of continuous shot images”, the determination result in step S43 of those “series of continuous shot images”. Is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 via the image processing controller 218 (step S62), and the process proceeds to step S44. As the display here, for example, “XX sheets succeeded XX sheets failed” is displayed during the continuous shooting of XX sheets. Note that display in other formats is not limited to the display format as long as it represents the determination result in step S43 of the “series of continuous shot images”.

  Similarly, when it is determined that the << L >> button has been pressed, after the image search process is executed (step S48), the image search in step S48 is performed up to the first image data in the “series of continuous shot images”. It is determined whether or not processing has been performed (step S63). If it is determined in step S63 that image search processing has not been performed up to the first image data in the “series of continuous shot images”, the process proceeds to step S49. If it is determined in step S63 that the image search processing has been performed up to the last image data in the “series of continuous shot images”, the determination result in step S48 of the “series of continuous shot images” is as follows. After displaying on the liquid crystal monitor 222 via the image processing controller 218 (step S64), the process proceeds to step S49.

  In the present embodiment, the processing performed by pressing the << U >> button or the << D >> button in step S54 is different from that in the first embodiment, and this will be described below. .

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the concept of the image search process in the playback operation sequence of the image display device and the camera according to the present embodiment based on a specific example.

  In FIGS. 5A and 5B, a total of 60 pieces of image data including 20 pieces of continuous shot image data + 14 pieces of continuous shot image data + 26 pieces of continuous shot image data are recorded. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of image search processing in a playback operation sequence when recorded on a medium 221.

  First, processing by operating the << R >> and << U >> buttons will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the << R >> button is pressed, the image data recorded on the recording medium 221 is searched in order from the top. As a result, as described above, only successful photographs that are free of blurring and blurring and have an appropriate exposure amount are displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. When the search of the image data by the series of continuous shooting of the first 20 images is completed, for example, an image search such as “20 images continuously shot, 15 images succeeded, 5 images failed” shown in FIG. The result of the processing is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 (step S62 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 13).

  As a display of the result of the image search process, information on the number of shots, the number of successful photos, and the number of failed photos in image data acquired by a series of continuous shootings may be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. Of course, a display format other than the display format shown in FIG.

  In addition, as shown in the figure, when the << U >> button is pressed, all the rest of the image data obtained by a series of continuous shootings to which the image data displayed at that time belongs is skipped, and the next Shifts to the head of the image data obtained by a series of continuous shooting (processing in step S54 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 13). Note that the processing when the << U >> button is pressed is not limited to such processing, and there is no problem even if other processing is performed.

  Next, processing by operating the << L >> and << D >> buttons will be described with reference to FIG.

  By pressing the << L >> button, the image data recorded on the recording medium 221 is searched in order from the end. As a result, as described above, only successful photographs that are free of blurring and blurring and have an appropriate exposure amount are displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. When the retrieval of the image data by the continuous shooting of the 26 images is completed, information on the image data by the continuous shooting is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222 in the same manner as the processing by the operation of the << R >> button. The (Step S64 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 13).

  In addition, as shown in the figure, when the << D >> button is pressed, the rest of the image data obtained by a series of continuous shootings to which the image data displayed at that time belongs is skipped, and the next The process proceeds to the last image data in the image data obtained by a series of (previous) continuous shooting (processing in step S54 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 13). The processing when the << D >> button is pressed is not limited to such processing, and there is no problem even if other processing is performed.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, an image display device that provides the following effects and a digital camera equipped with the image display device are provided. be able to.

  In this embodiment, regarding the image search processing of image data acquired by continuous shooting, the number of image data, the number of successful photos, and the number of failed photos acquired by continuous shooting for each series of continuous shootings are as follows. The number of each is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. Thus, it is possible to provide an image display device that can more efficiently find the image data of the best shot from image data acquired by continuous shooting and a digital camera equipped with the image display device.

  The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. .

  For example, in the image search process in the playback operation sequence of each embodiment described above, only successful photographs that are free from blurring and blurring and that have an appropriate exposure amount are displayed as image data to be played back and displayed. However, as a criterion for determining whether or not to reproduce and display image data, at least one of out-of-focus, blurring, and exposure amount may be used as the criterion. In other words, the determination criteria can be freely set, and it is of course possible that the user can make a decision according to the taste.

  The above-described embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent requirements are deleted from all the constituent requirements shown in the embodiment, the problem described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved, and the effect described in the column of the effect of the invention Can be extracted as an invention.

The block diagram which shows the concept of the flow of control in the image display apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing an internal configuration by cutting a part of the digital camera body in order to show the configuration of the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing in detail a circuit configuration inside a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a top view of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a rear view of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating operation control during shooting of the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a playback operation sequence of the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of image search processing in the first embodiment of the present invention. The figure which showed the example of a display when the reproduction | regeneration display of the image image | photographed by the continuous shooting imaging | photography (the image which carried out the continuous shooting imaging | photography of 5 trains approaching to a photographer direction) is made as it is without reproducing | recovering anything. The figure which shows the example of a display at the time of performing the image display of the image data image | photographed by continuous shooting using the image search process which is the characteristics of the image display apparatus and digital camera which concern on 1st Embodiment of this invention. 9 is a flowchart showing a playback operation sequence of the digital camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The figure which showed the concept of the image search process in the reproduction | regeneration operation | movement sequence of the digital camera which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention based on a specific example.

Explanation of symbols

    DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Camera, 10 ... Image selection operation part, 20 ... Image display part, 30 ... Image processing part, 32 ... Blur and blur determination part, 34 ... Exposure amount determination part, 100 ... Lens barrel, 101 ... Micro for lens control Computer 101a ... Communication connector 102 ... Shooting optical system 103 ... Lens drive mechanism 105 ... Aperture drive mechanism 200 ... Camera body 200a ... Shooting optical system mounting part 200b ... Circuit board 201 ... Microcomputer for body control 202 ... Viewfinder device, 202c ... Pentaprism, 202d ... Eyepiece, 202a ... Main mirror, 203 ... Submirror, 204 ... Photometry circuit, 205 ... AF sensor unit, 206 ... AF sensor drive circuit, 207 ... Mirror drive mechanism, 208 ... Shutter part 209 ... Shutter -Charge mechanism, 210 ... shutter control circuit, 211 ... imaging unit, 212 ... imaging element, 213 ... dust filter, 214 ... piezoelectric element, 215 ... dust filter driving circuit, 216 ... temperature measurement circuit, 217 ... imaging interface circuit, 218 ... Image processing controller 219: Buffer memory, 220: FlashRom, 221: Recording medium, 222 ... Liquid crystal monitor, 223 ... Non-volatile memory, 224 ... Power supply circuit, 225 ... Battery, 226 ... LCD for operation display, 227 ... Camera operation SW 301 ... Power switch lever 302 ... Release button 302 ... Release button 303 ... Mode dial 304 ... Sub-dial 305 ... ISO button 306 ... Exposure compensation button 307 ... White balance 308 ... Image quality mode button 309 ... Flash mode button 310 ... LIGHT button 311 ... One-touch white balance button 312 ... Auto bracket button 313 ... Metering mode button 314 ... DRIVE mode button 315 ... Focus mode lever 316 ... Main dial, 317 ... AF frame button, 318 ... AE lock button, 319 ... Playback mode button, 320 ... Delete button, 321 ... Protect button, 322 ... Information display button, 323 ... Menu button, 324 ... Cross button, 325 ... OK button.

Claims (10)

Storage means for storing image data;
An operation unit operated by the user;
Display means for displaying image data;
When the user operates the operation unit, the image data stored in the storage unit is sequentially read out and predetermined image processing is performed on the image data, and the pass / fail of the image data is determined based on the result of the image processing. Image data pass / fail determination processing means for determining
Control for causing the display means to display the image data that has been determined to be accepted by the image data acceptance / rejection processing means, and to control the display means not to display the image data that has been determined to be unacceptable by the image data acceptance / rejection processing means. Means,
An image display device comprising:   The image data pass / fail determination processing means performs a process of determining at least one of a focus degree and a blur degree in the image data as the predetermined image process, and determines pass / fail based on the determination result. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the determination is performed.   2. The image according to claim 1, wherein the image data pass / fail determination processing unit performs a process of determining a degree of exposure in the image data as the predetermined image processing, and determines pass / fail based on the determination result. Display device. Storage means for storing image data;
An operation unit operated by a user;
Display means for displaying image data;
When the user operates the operation unit, the image data stored in the storage means is sequentially read out and predetermined image processing is performed on the image data, and the pass / fail of the image data is determined based on the result of the image processing. Image data pass / fail determination processing means for determining
Control that causes the display means to display the image data that has been accepted by the image data acceptance / rejection processing means, and does not cause the display means to display the image data that has been judged to be unacceptable by the image data acceptance / rejection processing means. Control means for performing
A digital camera comprising:   The image data pass / fail determination processing means performs a process of determining at least one of a focus degree and a blur degree in the image data as the predetermined image process, and determines pass / fail based on the determination result. The digital camera according to claim 4, wherein:   5. The digital image according to claim 4, wherein the image data pass / fail determination processing unit performs a process of determining a degree of exposure in the image data as the predetermined image processing, and determines pass / fail based on the determination result. camera. Continuous shooting means for continuous shooting;
Storage means for storing captured image data;
An operation unit operated by a user;
Display means for displaying image data;
When the operation unit is operated, image data in a series of continuous shooting by the continuous shooting unit stored in the storage unit is sequentially read out, and predetermined image processing is performed on the image data. Image data pass / fail determination processing means for determining pass / fail of the image data based on the processing result;
Control is performed so that the image data that has been determined to be acceptable by the image data acceptance / rejection processing means is displayed on the display means, and the image data that has been judged to be unacceptable by the image data acceptance / rejection processing means is not displayed on the display means. Control means;
A digital camera comprising:   The image data pass / fail determination processing means performs a process of determining at least one of a focus degree and a blur degree in the image data as the predetermined image process, and determines pass / fail based on the determination result. The digital camera according to claim 7.   The digital image according to claim 7, wherein the image data pass / fail determination processing unit performs a process of determining a degree of exposure in the image data as the predetermined image processing, and determines pass / fail based on the determination result. camera.   8. The digital camera according to claim 7, further comprising determination result display means for displaying a determination result of the photographed image pass / fail determination means.

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