JPH11146224A - Digital still camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital still camera with which an important area in an image can be speedily transmitted. SOLUTION: In a digital still, camera having a function for transmitting images to an external device 10, this camera is provided with a display image information area dividing part 7 for dividing a photographed image into plural areas, a display image information area priority setting part 8 for determining the transmission order of respective images provided by the division at the display image information area dividing part 7, and a communication data control part 6 for transmitting the respective images to the external device 8 in the order determined by the display image information area priority setting part 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital still camera having a function of transmitting image data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A digital still camera having a function of transmitting an image to the outside is known.

[0003]

However, in a conventional digital still camera, for example, when transmitting a photographed image or the like, as shown in FIG. Are sequentially scanned, and FIG.
As shown in (a), the image data of one line to n lines is transmitted in the order of scanning. For this reason, an important area in an image is not always transmitted first, and it may take time to obtain information on an important area on the receiving side, especially when the communication rate is low. There's a problem.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital still camera capable of quickly transmitting an important area in an image.

[0005]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
The invention according to claim 1 is applied to a digital still camera having a function of transmitting an image to an external device 10. A dividing unit 7 for dividing the captured image into a plurality of regions, an order setting unit 8 for determining the transmission order of each image obtained by the division by the dividing unit 7, and an order determined for each image by the order setting unit 8 The above-mentioned object is achieved by providing the transmitting unit 6 for transmitting the data to the external device 10. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the digital still camera according to the first aspect, the order setting means 8 automatically determines a transmission order according to a predetermined order. The third aspect of the present invention is the first aspect.
In the digital still camera described in (1), the order setting means 8 includes input means 12a to 12f for the user to input the transmission order of each image, and determines the transmission order according to the input from the input means 12a to 12f. Claim 4
In the digital still camera according to the present invention, the dividing means 7 divides the photographed image according to a predetermined dividing pattern. The invention described in claim 5 is applied to a digital camera having a function of transmitting an image to an external device 10. The above-described object is achieved by providing an area specifying unit that specifies a partial area of the captured image and a transmitting unit that transmits only an image of the area specified by the area specifying unit to an external device. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the digital still camera according to the fifth aspect, the area designating means designates an area for a plurality of photographed images, and the transmitting means designates a plurality of areas designated by the area designating means. This is for transmitting a thumbnail image formed by arranging the areas of the photographed image.

[0006] In the section of the means for solving the above-mentioned problems, which explains the configuration of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention are used to make the present invention easy to understand. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment A first embodiment of a digital still camera according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an imaging unit having an optical sensor such as a CCD. A subject image formed via a photographing lens (not shown) is photoelectrically converted in the imaging unit 1, and
It is output as an electric signal. An image processing unit 2 converts an electric signal output from the imaging unit 1 into a digital signal and performs image signal processing such as color correction. Reference numeral 3 denotes an image information recording unit which is composed of a flash memory or the like and records image information. Reference numeral 4 denotes an image display monitor for displaying image data subjected to image processing and a recorded image, 5 denotes an image display monitor control unit for controlling the image display monitor 4, and 6 denotes a communication data control unit for controlling transmission and reception of image data. . FIG. 1 shows a state in which communication with the personal computer 10 is performed.

FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the camera of the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 11 denotes a release button;
Reference numerals a to 12f denote operation switch groups. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation switch groups 12a to 12f are connected to the display image information area dividing unit 7 and the display image information area priority order setting unit 8, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an image display monitor 4 is provided alongside the operation switch groups 12a to 12f. Note that a photographing lens (not shown) is provided on the back side (the back side in FIG. 2) of the display surface of the image display monitor 4.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 7 denotes a display image information area division unit for setting a method of dividing an image displayed on the image display monitor 4, and the division method is set in accordance with an operation of a user of the digital camera. Reference numeral 8 denotes a display image information area priority setting section that sets the transmission priority for the divided images set by the display image information area division section 7. The priority is set according to the operation of the user of the digital camera. Operation switches 12a to 12f are used for these operations. For image segmentation and segmented image priority,
It will be described next.

FIG. 3 shows the division of an image and the priority order of the divided images. In the camera according to the first embodiment, when transmitting image data, one image can be divided into a plurality of regions, and the transmission order of the plurality of divided images can be arbitrarily set. FIG. 3 (b)
5 shows a state in which a captured image is divided into five regions a to e. FIG. 3A shows an example of the priority order of transmitting image data for the five divided areas a to e. In FIG. 3A, the area e corresponding to the center of the entire image is transmitted first. , And sequentially transmitted in the order of the areas a, b, c, and d. In the camera according to the present invention, various division methods can be selected without being limited to the division method as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the digital still camera according to the first embodiment when transferring image data will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 shows a main routine. In step S1 of FIG. 4, an image to be transmitted is displayed on the image display monitor 4, and the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, an area designation process for setting a division method for the image displayed on the image display monitor 4 is performed. In step S3, a priority order specifying process for setting the priority order of the divided areas is performed, and the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, a transmission process for sequentially transmitting the divided images according to the priority set in step S3 is performed, and the sequence ends.

FIG. 5 shows the operation of the area designation process in step S2. In step S21, the number of divisions N of the image is set. The user can input the number of areas to be divided while viewing the image displayed in step S1. Here, for example, the number of areas changed using the operation switch groups 12a to 12d is displayed on the monitor 4, and the operation switches 12a to 12d are displayed.
The number of regions can be determined by f. When the input of the division number N is detected in step S21, the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, the value of n indicating the area is set to "1". In step S23, the size of the area n is set according to the operation of the user. When the size of the area n is input in step S23, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the position of the area n is set according to the operation of the user. Here, for example, the operation switch group 12
The area n to be changed using a to 12d can be displayed on the monitor 4, and the position of the area n can be determined by the operation switch 12f. When the position of the area n is input in step S24, the process proceeds to step S25.

In the following step S25, "1" is added to n, and the flow advances to step S26. In step S26, the value of n is compared with the value of "N + 1", and if it is determined that the two values do not match, the process returns to step S23 and shifts to the setting operation for the next area. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S26 that the value of n is equal to the value of “N + 1”, it is determined that the positions have been set for all the divided regions, and the region designation processing ends. To return. Region n (1 ≦ n ≦ N) by the above region designation processing
Is set for. In the first embodiment, the size of each area is determined in advance, and each area is set just by inputting the position of each area.

As described above, various methods can be employed for dividing an image, and a configuration may be adopted in which various division methods can be selected according to a user operation. Alternatively, the dividing method may be limited to some extent in advance. According to the former, various division methods can be arbitrarily selected according to the user's intention, but the operation may be complicated. According to the latter, the division method cannot be freely selected, but the operation can be prevented from becoming complicated.

FIG. 6 shows the operation of the priority designation process in step S3. In step S31, the value of n indicating the area is set to "1", and the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, transmission priorities are set for the area n in accordance with the operation of the user. In step S32, the priority order k
When (1 ≦ k ≦ N) is input, the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, "1" is added to n, and the flow advances to step S34. In step S34, the value of n and "N + 1"
And if it is determined that the two values do not match, the process returns to step S32, and shifts to an operation of setting a priority order for the next area. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S34 that the value of n is equal to the value of "N + 1", it is determined that the transmission priorities have been set for all of the divided areas, and the priority specification processing ends. And return. Through the above-described priority order designation processing, the transmission priority order k (1 ≦ n ≦ N) is assigned to all the areas n (1 ≦ n ≦ N).

FIG. 7 shows the operation of the transmission process in step S4. In step S41, the value of n is set to "1", and the process proceeds to step S42. In step S42, the value of k indicating the priority is set to "1", and the process proceeds to step S43. In step S43, it is determined whether or not the value of the priority assigned to the area n matches the value of k. If it is determined that the two values do not match, the process proceeds to step S44. In the step S44, the value of the area n is updated, and the process returns to the step S43. That is, if n <N, n is set to “1”.
And if n = N, replace with n = 1.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S43 that the priority of the area n matches the value of k, the process proceeds to step S45. In step S45, the image data of the area n is transmitted, and the process proceeds to step S46. In step S46, "1" is added to k, and the flow advances to step S47. In step S47, the value of k is compared with the value of “N + 1”, and if it is determined that the two values do not match, the process returns to step S43 to shift to the transmission operation for the next priority area n. On the other hand, in step S47, the value of k and “N + 1”
Is determined to be the same as that of all areas n
It is determined that the transmission has been completed for (1 ≦ n ≦ N), and the process returns. Through the above transmission processing, images in all areas are sequentially transmitted according to the priority order.

As described above, the camera according to the first embodiment divides an image into a plurality of regions, sets priorities, and transmits the divided images according to the priorities. For this reason, since an important part in one frame of an image can be extracted and transmitted first, image data can be transmitted efficiently. Since the important information is received in order from the earliest point, it is effective particularly when the transmission rate is low.

The division of the images and the setting of the priority may be performed separately for each image, or the division and the same priority of a plurality of images, for example, all or a part of the photographed frames, may be performed in the same manner. May be set collectively.

In the first embodiment, the operation switch group 1
Although the division and priority of the image are input (manually set) using 2a to 12d, the division method and the priority of the image may be determined in advance, and the input operation of the user may be unnecessary. . Alternatively, an image division pattern (for example, the above-described division pattern for dividing into five regions) and priorities may be determined in advance, and only the size of the image may be set by an input operation.
Conversely, the method of dividing the image may be fixed (for example, a fixed five-part area), and only the priority may be set by an input operation.

In the first embodiment, all the images obtained by the division are transmitted. However, only the image having the higher priority is transmitted, and the remaining images are not transmitted. Good. The transmission time is reduced by transmitting only some of the images. Further, it is possible to shorten the entire transmission time when continuously transmitting a plurality of captured images. In this case, only the area with the highest priority may be transmitted, or only a plurality of higher-order areas may be transmitted in the order of the priority. Priority 1
When transmitting only the area of the priority, it is not always necessary to set the priority order (the second and subsequent ranks), and only the area to be transmitted may be set. As described above, even when only some of the images are transmitted, both the division method and the priority may be determined in advance, and the input operation may not be required at all, or one of the division method and the priority may be used. Only the other may be determined in advance, and the other may be set by an input operation.

Second Embodiment A digital still camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, an example in which the image division method is a predetermined two division pattern will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, in the second embodiment, an image of one frame is divided into an area A at a central portion,
The area A is divided into the other area B, and the area A is automatically prioritized for transmission without manually setting the transmission order.

In the second embodiment, the area designation processing in step S2 and the step S2 in the first embodiment are performed.
Instead of the priority designation processing of No. 3, the area designation processing shown in FIG. 9 is performed. In step S61 of FIG. 9, the center position of the rectangular area A with respect to the captured image shown in FIG. 8 is set. Here, for example, a configuration is possible in which a rectangular area A to be changed using the operation switch groups 12a to 12d is displayed on the monitor 4, and the position of the area A is determined by the operation switch 12f. When the center position of the area A is input by the user, the process proceeds to step S62. In step S62, it is determined whether or not the user has performed an operation of confirming the position of the region A. If it is determined that the position of the region A with respect to the captured image has been confirmed, the process returns. If not, the process returns to step S61.

FIG. 10 shows the operation of the transmission processing in the second embodiment. This corresponds to the operation of step S4 in the first embodiment. In step S71 of FIG. 10, the image of the region A set in the region designation processing is transmitted, and the process proceeds to step S72. Step S72
Then, the image of the remaining area B is transmitted, and the process returns.

As described above, in the second embodiment, an image of one frame is divided into two regions A and B, and the region A is automatically transmitted with priority. Although the area A is arranged at the center of the entire image in FIG. 8, the area A can be set at an arbitrary position. Region A
(The length of each side) can be freely determined.

In the second embodiment, the number of divisions of an image is limited to "2" and the division method is limited. Therefore, the division method cannot be freely selected. There is an advantage that the operation is simplified.

A configuration in which a plurality of predetermined division patterns are prepared in accordance with the number of divisions, and the division patterns may be read out in accordance with the designation of the number of divisions. For example, when the number of divisions is 5, the pattern shown in FIG. 3B may be set in advance.

Third Embodiment In the first and second embodiments, transmission of one frame of image data has been described. However, in the third embodiment,
A case where a thumbnail image in which a plurality of captured images are arranged is transmitted will be described.

FIG. 11 shows a thumbnail image in which transmission images 20A to 20D of four captured frames are arranged in one frame. In the third embodiment, the thumbnail images are transmitted as one image. Image. The thumbnail images 20A to 20D to be transmitted may be set to only the image at the center of each image, for example, as in the area A shown in FIG. In the third embodiment, transmission images 20A to 20A
An important part of each image is designated as D, and a thumbnail image in which only important parts of each image are arranged is transmitted at the time of transmission. Therefore, important parts of the image can be transmitted quickly. In addition, since the compression width of the transmission images 20A to 20D is smaller than that of a normal thumbnail image in which data is compressed and arranged by thinning out each image, in the third embodiment, when the image is converted into a thumbnail image, A decrease in the resolution of the image is suppressed. Note that, in FIG. 11, the area of each of the captured images is 1/4
If it is assumed to be と し 20D and each image uses an area (data) of フ レ ー ム of one frame, the photographed image need not be compressed at all.

The transmission area of each image constituting the thumbnail image (the area A in FIG. 8 in this example) may be set for each image, or the transmission area of each image may be collectively set to the same area. Is also good. The transmission area is not limited to the central part of each image, but can be set to any area. Also, the size of the transmission area is not limited. Further, the number of photographed images constituting the thumbnail images and the method of arranging the thumbnails are not limited to those shown in FIG.

The digital still camera according to the present invention can be applied to various communication methods such as one using a connection cable or infrared communication, or remote communication using various communication networks.

[0034]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a dividing means for dividing a photographed image into a plurality of areas, an order setting means for determining a transmission order of each image obtained by the division by the dividing means, Since there is provided a transmission unit for transmitting images to an external device in the order determined by the order setting unit, it is possible to preferentially transmit an important area in a captured image. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the order setting means automatically determines the transmission order according to the predetermined order, so that the user does not need to specify the transmission order. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the transmission order is determined according to the input by the input means, the transmission order can be set according to the user's intention. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the dividing means divides the captured image according to a predetermined dividing pattern, a complicated operation is not required for setting the dividing method. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an area designating means for designating a partial area of the captured image, and a transmitting means for transmitting only the image of the area designated by the area designating means to an external device. In addition, important areas in a captured image can be transmitted quickly. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the area specifying means specifies an area for a plurality of captured images, and the transmitting means is configured by arranging the respective areas for the plurality of captured images specified by the area specifying means. Since the thumbnail image is transmitted, an important area in the captured image can be transmitted quickly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a digital still camera according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary perspective view showing the appearance of the digital still camera according to the first embodiment;

3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an image transmission order in the digital still camera according to the first embodiment, wherein FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a communication order, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an image dividing method.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of an image transmission operation in the digital still camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of an area designation process in the digital still camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a priority order specifying process in the digital still camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a transmission process in the digital still camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a method of dividing an image in the digital still camera according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an area designation process in the digital still camera according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of transmission processing in the digital still camera according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a thumbnail image in the digital still camera according to the third embodiment.

12A and 12B are diagrams illustrating a method of transmitting an image in a conventional digital still camera, wherein FIG. 12A is a diagram illustrating an order of transmission, and FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating an image scanning state.

[Description of Signs] 6 Communication data control unit 7 Display image information area division unit 8 Display image information area priority order setting unit 10 Personal computer

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A digital still camera having a function of transmitting an image to an external device, comprising: a dividing unit that divides a captured image into a plurality of regions; and a transmission order of each image obtained by the division by the dividing unit. A digital still camera, comprising: an order setting unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits the images to an external device in an order determined by the order setting unit. 2. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein the order setting means automatically determines the transmission order according to a predetermined order. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said order setting means includes input means for allowing a user to input a transmission order of each image, and determines the transmission order in accordance with an input from said input means. The described digital still camera. 4. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein said dividing means divides the photographed image according to a predetermined dividing pattern. 5. A digital camera having a function of transmitting an image to an external device, comprising: an area designating unit for designating a partial area of a photographed image; A digital still camera, comprising: transmitting means for transmitting to a device. 6. The area specifying means for specifying an area for a plurality of captured images, and the transmitting means is configured by arranging respective areas for the plurality of captured images specified by the area specifying means. The digital still camera according to claim 5, wherein the digital still camera transmits the thumbnail image.