JP3223136B2 - Digital still camera - Google Patents

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, and more particularly to a digital still camera for recording, for example, photographed image data in an external memory.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional digital still camera of this type, when one image is photographed, photographed image data (original image data), thumbnail image data, and image information data are sequentially generated. It was recorded in the non-volatile memory in that order.

[0003]

However, when the recorded contents are reproduced by a personal computer or the like using a removable memory card as a non-volatile memory, if each data is recorded in the above-described order, necessary information is obtained. There was a problem that it took a long time to obtain the information. That is, the operator does not always view all the original images, and may select a desired original image by referring to the thumbnail images.
Further, some operators may want to know only the shooting date and time included in the image information data. Nevertheless,
If each data is recorded on the memory card in the order of the original image data, the thumbnail image data and the image information data, the data must be reproduced in order from the original image data in any case, and it takes time to access necessary information. Will take.

[0004] Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a digital still camera capable of acquiring necessary information in a short time.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a plurality of image-related data output to an external memory in a first order is stored in a second order.
A digital still camera that records data in an external memory so as to be arranged in the following order: A digital still camera.

[0006]

The data output to the memory card in the first order, ie, the order of the original image data, the thumbnail image data, and the image information data, is replaced by the second order, ie, the image information data, the thumbnail image data, and the original image data. When recording on the memory card in such a manner that the image information data and the thumbnail image data are arranged in the second order, the image information data and the thumbnail image data precede the original image data. A data recording area is secured in the external memory. After the recording of the original image data is completed, the respective data are recorded in the recording area in the order of the thumbnail image data and the image information data. For example, when the recording area is secured, the head position of the recording area is detected, and when recording the thumbnail image data and the image information data, the recording start position of each data is detected based on the head position, and each data is stored in the second position. The data is recorded in the recording area in the order of 2.

[0007]

According to the present invention, since the image-related data is recorded in the desired order (second order) in the external memory, desired information can be acquired in a short time during reproduction. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0008]

Referring to FIG. 1, a digital still camera 10 according to this embodiment includes a lens 12,
The light image incident from the camera is converted by the CCD imager 14 into an electric signal. The CCD imager 14 has, for example, a color filter of a primary color Bayer array and outputs an electric signal (progressive scan signal) for each pixel according to progressive scan (pixel sequential scan).

[0009] The progressive scan signal from the CCD imager 14 is applied to a CDS / AGC circuit 16. The CDS / AGC circuit 16 includes the CCD imager 14
A known noise elimination and level adjustment are applied to the progressive scan signal from the CDS / AGC circuit 16.
The progressive scan signal processed by
The data is converted into digital data by the / D converter 18. The digital data of the progressive scan signal output from the A / D converter 18 is supplied to the signal processing circuit 20. The signal processing circuit 20 performs well-known white balance adjustment and gamma correction on digital data (image data) output from the A / D converter 18.

When the shutter button 40 is pressed by the operator, the system controller 38 provides a control signal to the CPU 28 via the interrupt terminal 28a. As a result, the CPU 28 sets C after the shutter button 40 is pressed.
When the CD imager 14 outputs the progressive scan signal for one frame, the CCD imager 14 is disabled. Therefore, one frame of photographed image data (original image data) is output from the signal processing circuit 20 and supplied to the DRAM 24 via the bus 22. Then, the original image data is stored in the DMA (Dir
ect Memory Access).

The system controller 38 also controls the mode set by the mode switching button 44 and the clock circuit 4.
2. The shooting date and time detected by step 2 and the protection information set by the write protection setting button 36 are provided to the CPU 28 from the interrupt terminal 28a. The CPU 28
These information are written in the work area 24b of the DRAM 24 as image information data. The mode switching button 44 is a button for switching the resolution of the photographed image. The operator operates the mode switching button 44 so that the operator can operate the mode switching button 44 to select the XGA mode with the resolution of 1024 × 768 or the VGA mode with the resolution of 640 × 480. Can be set. In addition, if the operator operates the write protection setting button 36, the captured image can be write protected.

When the original image data and the image information data are written into the DRAM 24 in this manner, C
First, the PU 28 secures a recording area for recording the image information data and the thumbnail image data in the memory card 34. That is, FIG.
When files 0 to 2 are recorded as shown in FIG. 19, the addresses are "072", "073" and "0".
77 "are reserved as recording areas for image information data, and addresses" 078 "," 07A ",
Five empty clusters “07D” to “07F” are secured as thumbnail image data recording areas, and original image data is recorded after address “080”.

That is, from the DRAM 24 to the memory card 3
4, the respective data are output in the order of the original image data, the thumbnail image data, and the image information data. However, the respective data are arranged in the order of the image information data, the thumbnail image data, and the original image data. Then, a recording area for the image information data and the thumbnail image data is secured in the memory card 34 before the output of the original image data. Therefore,
When the writing of the original image data is completed,
The memory card 34 is in a recording state as shown in FIG.

Subsequently, the recording of the thumbnail image data is started from the address "078", and after the recording of the thumbnail image data is completed, the recording of the image information data is started from the address "072". Therefore, after the recording state shown in FIG. 4, each data is finally recorded on the memory card 34 as shown in FIG. That is, each data is arranged in the memory card 34 in the order of the image information data, the thumbnail image data, and the original image data.

Therefore, when the memory card 34 on which the photographed image is recorded is set on a personal computer (not shown) to reproduce the thumbnail image or to detect the photographing date and time, the access time to the data is shortened. The CPU 28
Specifically, the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 are processed. That is, the CPU 28 first determines whether or not the shutter button 40 has been pressed in step S1, and if "YES", sets the flag 28b in step S3. Then, in step S5, the original image data obtained from the signal processing circuit 20 is stored in the memory area 24 of the DRAM 24.
The image quality mode information, the shooting date and time information, and the write protection information obtained from the interrupt terminal 28a are stored in the work area 24b of the DRAM 24 as image information data. Subsequently, in step S7, the first empty cluster in the memory card 34 is detected, and in step S9, it is determined whether the flag 28b is set. As can be seen from FIGS. 2 to 5, each cluster and each data area of the FAT table have a 1: 1 ratio.
Therefore, whether the cluster of interest is an empty cluster is determined by the FA corresponding to that cluster.
This is performed depending on whether the data in the T table is “000”.

In the first routine after the shutter button 40 is pressed, the flag 28b is in the set state, so the CPU 28 determines "YES" in step S9,
In step S13, the address of the FAT table corresponding to the empty cluster detected in step S7 is held, and in step S15, the flag 28b is reset. That is, the flag 28b is set to the F corresponding to the initially detected empty cluster.
It is used to hold only the address of the A table. In this embodiment, since the address of the first empty cluster is “072”, the retained address is “042”.
0 ".

Thereafter, in step S17, it is determined whether or not the capacity of the empty cluster is equal to the sum of the image information data and the thumbnail image data. If "NO", the process returns to step S7. As described above, since eight clusters are required for recording the image information data and the thumbnail image data, “NO” is determined in the step S17 until the step S7 is processed eight times. After the second empty cluster is detected by resetting the flag 28b in step S15, "NO" in step S9.
Therefore, in step S11, the CPU 28 creates a chain connecting the currently detected empty cluster and the previously detected empty cluster.

More specifically, a chain is created by writing the address of the data area corresponding to the currently detected empty cluster into the data area of the FAT table corresponding to the previously detected empty cluster. In this way, as shown in FIG. 3, a recording area for image information data and thumbnail image data to be arranged prior to the original image data is secured.

If "YES" is determined in the step S17, the CPU 28 detects a next empty cluster in a step S19, performs YUV conversion and JPEG compression on the original image data for one cluster in a step S21, and then proceeds to a step S23. Then, the compressed data is stored in the empty cluster detected this time. Subsequently, a chain is created in step S25, and it is determined in step S27 whether the recording of the original image data has been completed. If "NO" here,
Returning to step S19, the same processing as described above is repeated,
If “YES”, the FAT corresponding to the last cluster in which the original image data was written in step S29
Write "FFF" to the data area of the table. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the original image data is recorded in the empty cluster after the address “080”.

In step S31, the CPU 28 detects the address held in step S11 and proceeds to step S33.
To jump three clusters from that address. That is, although the image data and the thumbnail image data are arranged in the recording area reserved in advance, the CPU 28 creates the thumbnail image data next to the original image data.
28 is a step S33 to jump three clusters corresponding to the capacity of the image information data. Therefore, the recording start address of the thumbnail image data is “078”.

Then, in step S35, original image data is read from the memory area 24a of the DRAM 24, unnecessary pixel data is thinned out in step S37, and the thinned image data, that is, thumbnail image data is stored in the work area 24b in step S39. afterwards,
In step S41, the thumbnail image data is subjected to YUV conversion, and the YUV-converted thumbnail image data is compressed at the same compression ratio as that of the original image data.

Next, the CPU 28 determines whether or not the compressed thumbnail image data fits in a predetermined size in step S43. If "NO", the CPU 28 changes the compression ratio in step S45 and performs the processing in step S41 again. If "YES" in the step S43, in a step S47,
The thumbnail image data is stored in the fourth and subsequent clusters of the previously secured recording area, that is, empty clusters after “078”. Then, in step S49, it is determined whether or not the recording of the thumbnail image data is completed. If “NO”, the process returns to step S47, but if “YES”, the process proceeds to step S51. At this point, as shown in FIG. 4, the memory card 34 records the respective data in the order of the thumbnail image data and the original image data.

The CPU 28 then detects the address "040" again in step S51, and stores the image information data in an empty cluster following the detected address in step S53. Then, it is determined whether or not the recording of the image information data has been completed in step S55. If "NO", the process returns to step S53, but if "YES", the process ends.

According to this embodiment, the recording area of the image information data and the thumbnail image data to be arranged prior to the original image data is formed in the memory card 34 prior to the recording of the original image data. Since the thumbnail image data and the image information data are recorded after the data recording is completed, desired information can be obtained in a short time during reproduction.

Note that the memory card 34 has an S
Various memory cards such as a SFDC (Solid State Floppy Disk Card) and a mini disk can be used. Further, in this embodiment, each data is arranged on the memory card in the order of image information data, thumbnail image data, and original image data. However, as long as the original image data is arranged last, the image information data and the thumbnail image data are arranged. The arrangement of the image data may be reversed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative view showing a memory card;

FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing a memory card;

FIG. 4 is an illustrative view showing a memory card;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative view showing a memory card;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another portion of the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing another part of the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Digital still camera 24 ... DRAM 28 ... CPU 34 ... Memory card 36 ... Write protection setting circuit 40 ... Shutter button 42 ... Clock circuit 44 ... Mode switching button

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A digital still camera for recording a plurality of image-related data output to an external memory in a first order in said external memory so as to be arranged in a second order, said digital still camera comprising: 2. A digital still camera according to claim 1, further comprising a securing unit for securing a recording area of the preceding image related data preceding the current image related data in the external memory in advance. 2. The digital still camera according to claim 1, further comprising recording means for recording the preceding image-related data in the recording area after the recording of the current image-related data is completed. 3. The preceding image-related data includes a plurality of the image-related data, the securing means includes a head position detecting means for detecting a head position of the recording area, and the recording means includes: The digital still camera according to claim 2, further comprising: a recording start position detecting unit that detects a recording start position of the preceding image-related data based on the data, and a data recording unit that records the preceding image-related data in the second order. 4. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of image-related data includes original image data, thumbnail image data, and image information data. 5. The first order is the order of the original image data, the thumbnail image data and the image information data, and the second order is the image information data, the thumbnail image data and the original image data. The digital still camera according to claim 4, wherein: