JP7630966B2 - Imaging device, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device capable of recording moving images, a control method thereof, and a program.

Imaging devices such as digital cameras with a video recording function are known. In these devices, when a video is recorded, the video information is stored in a temporary storage area and then written to a recording medium such as a memory card or hard disk. However, in recent years, the bit rate of the recording quality of video recording has improved, and depending on the recording medium, the speed at which the video information is written to the temporary storage area may be faster than the recording speed (writing speed), and the temporary storage area may become full. In such cases, video recording may stop after it has started. In response to this, a technology has been proposed that prevents recording itself from starting when a recording medium with a slow recording speed is set to record at a high bit rate.

On the other hand, imaging devices are also known that can accommodate multiple recording media and have a simultaneous recording mode in which video information can be recorded simultaneously on multiple recording media. In this simultaneous recording mode, if the multiple recording media loaded include ones with slow recording speeds, it becomes impossible to shoot video using video shooting settings that require a high bit rate.

JP 2006-313978 A JP 2014-33354 A

As mentioned above, if there are circumstances that make it impossible to record to any of the recording media due to a combination of recording conditions such as bit rate and recording speed, you can change the settings so that the recording destination is limited to recording media that can be recorded on, making action shooting possible. However, changing the settings is time-consuming and inconvenient.

Meanwhile, Patent Document 1 proposes a method for recording only to one recording medium when simultaneous video recording is possible because the temperature is below a certain level and only one recording medium can record. Patent Document 2 proposes a method for recording only to one recording medium when simultaneous video recording is possible because the free space on one recording medium is exhausted. Patent Documents 1 and 2 provide a solution to situations where motion recording is not possible due to temperature or free space on the recording medium. However, they do not provide a solution for situations where simultaneous video recording is not possible due to a problem with the combination of recording conditions and recording speed.

The present invention aims to improve convenience by enabling action photography without the need for cumbersome setting changes.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the imaging device of the present invention has two mounting sections into which recording media can be attached , a setting means for setting image recording conditions, a determination means for determining whether or not image recording is possible for the two recording media attached to each of the two mounting sections based on the recording conditions set by the setting means, and a control means for controlling to prohibit simultaneous recording of images on the two recording media when the determination means determines that image recording is not possible for at least one of the two recording media in a simultaneous recording mode in which images are recorded on the two recording media attached to each of the two mounting sections, and when the determination means determines that image recording is not possible for at least one of the two recording media in the simultaneous recording mode, the control means controls to allow single recording of an image on one of the recording media in response to the other recording medium being unattached to the mounting sections.

The present invention makes it possible to capture motion images without the need for cumbersome setting changes, improving convenience.

FIG. 1 is an external view of an imaging device. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital camera. 13 is a flowchart showing a main process. 13 is a flowchart showing a single recording process. 13 is a flowchart showing a simultaneous recording process. 13 is a flowchart showing a simultaneous recording process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1(a) and (b) are external views of an imaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This imaging device is configured as a digital camera 100. In particular, Figure 1(a) is a front perspective view of the digital camera 100, and Figure 1(b) is a rear perspective view of the digital camera 100. Note that the present invention is applicable to imaging devices with a video recording function.

The display unit 28 is provided on the rear surface of the digital camera 100 and displays images and various information. The touch panel 70a can detect touch operations on the display surface (touch operation surface) of the display unit 28. The outside-finder display unit 43 is provided on the top surface of the digital camera 100 and displays various settings of the digital camera 100, including the shutter speed and aperture. The shutter button 61 is an operating member for issuing shooting instructions. The mode change switch 60 is an operating member for switching between various modes. The terminal cover 40 is a cover that protects a connector (not shown) for connecting a connection cable or the like that connects the digital camera 100 to an external device.

The main electronic dial 71 is a rotary operation member. By turning the main electronic dial 71, the user can change settings such as the shutter speed and aperture. The power switch 72 is an operation member that switches the power of the digital camera 100 between ON and OFF. The sub electronic dial 73 is a rotary operation member. By turning the sub electronic dial 73, the user can move the selection frame (cursor) and advance images. The four-way key 74 is configured so that the up, down, left, and right parts can each be pressed, and a process corresponding to the part of the four-way key 74 that is pressed is executed. The SET button 75 is a push button, and is mainly used to confirm a selection item, etc.

The video button 76 is used to start and stop video shooting (recording). The AE lock button 77 is a push button, and when the user presses the AE lock button 77 in shooting standby mode, the exposure state can be fixed. The enlarge button 78 is an operation button for switching the enlargement mode ON and OFF in the live view display (LV display) in shooting mode. The user can enlarge or reduce the live view image (LV image) by turning the enlargement mode ON and then operating the main electronic dial 71. In playback mode, the enlargement button 78 functions as an operation button for enlarging the playback image and increasing the magnification ratio.

The playback button 79 is an operation button for switching between shooting mode and playback mode. By pressing the playback button 79 during shooting mode, the user can switch to playback mode and display the most recent image of the images recorded on the recording medium 200 (Figure 2) on the display unit 28. The menu button 81 is a push button used to perform an instruction operation to display a menu screen, and when the menu button 81 is pressed, a menu screen on which various settings can be made is displayed on the display unit 28. The user can intuitively make various settings using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28, the four-way key 74, and the SET button 75.

The touch bar 82 (multifunction bar: M-Fn bar) is a line-shaped touch operation member (line touch sensor) that can receive touch operations. The touch bar 82 is positioned so that it can be touched by the thumb of the right hand when the grip unit 90 is held in the right hand, so that the shutter button 61 can be pressed by the index finger of the right hand. The touch bar 82 can receive tap operations (operations in which the user touches and then releases the touch bar without moving within a predetermined period of time) and slide operations to the left and right (operations in which the user touches and then moves the touched position while still touching), etc. The touch bar 82 is an operation member that is different from the touch panel 70a, and does not have a display function.

The communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens unit 150 (FIG. 2). The eyepiece 16 is the part of the eyepiece finder 17 that the user places his/her eye on. The user can view the image displayed on the internal EVF (Electronic View Finder) 29 (FIG. 2) through the eyepiece 16. The eyepiece detection unit 57 is an eyepiece detection sensor that detects whether the user (photographer) places his/her eye on the eyepiece 16. The lid 202 is a lid for a slot that stores the recording medium 200 (FIG. 2). The grip unit 90 is a holding unit that is shaped so that the user can easily hold it with the right hand when holding the digital camera 100. The shutter button 61 and the main electronic dial 71 are located at a position that can be operated with the index finger of the right hand when the digital camera 100 is held by holding the grip unit 90 with the little finger, ring finger, and middle finger of the right hand. In the same state, the sub electronic dial 73 and touch bar 82 are located in a position that can be operated with the thumb of the right hand. The thumb rest section 91 (thumb standby position) is a grip member provided on the rear side of the digital camera 100 in a position where it is easy to place the thumb of the right hand that is holding the grip section 90 when none of the operating members are being operated. The thumb rest section 91 is made of a rubber member or the like to increase the holding power (grip feeling).

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the digital camera 100. The lens unit 150 can be attached to and detached from the digital camera 100. In other words, the digital camera 100 is an imaging device body that allows lens replacement. Note that the present invention may also be applied to imaging devices with an integrated lens.

Lens unit 150 is a lens unit that mounts a photographing lens. Lens 103 is usually composed of multiple lenses, but is shown in FIG. 2 as a single lens for simplicity. Communication terminal 6 is a communication terminal that allows lens unit 150 to communicate with digital camera 100, and communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal that allows digital camera 100 to communicate with lens unit 150. Lens unit 150 communicates with system control unit 50 via these communication terminals 6 and 10. Lens unit 150 controls aperture 1 via aperture drive unit 2 by the internal lens system control unit 4. Lens unit 150 also adjusts the focus by displacing the position of lens 103 via AF drive unit 3 by the lens system control unit 4.

The shutter 101 is a focal plane shutter that can freely control the exposure time of the imaging unit 22 under the control of the system control unit 50. The imaging unit 22 is an imaging element (image sensor) composed of a CCD or CMOS element that converts an optical image into an electrical signal. The imaging unit 22 may have an imaging surface phase difference sensor that outputs defocus amount information to the system control unit 50. The A/D converter 23 converts the analog signal output from the imaging unit 22 into a digital signal.

The image processing unit 24 performs predetermined processing (pixel interpolation, resizing such as reduction, color conversion, etc.) on the data from the A/D converter 23 or the data from the memory control unit 15. The image processing unit 24 also performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and the system control unit 50 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the calculation results obtained by the image processing unit 24. This allows TTL (through-the-lens) type AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, etc. to be performed. The image processing unit 24 further performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and performs TTL type AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained calculation results.

The output data from the A/D converter 23 is written to the memory 32 via the image processing unit 24 and the memory control unit 15. Alternatively, the output data from the A/D converter 23 is written to the memory 32 via the memory control unit 15 without passing through the image processing unit 24. The memory 32 stores image data obtained by the imaging unit 22 and converted into digital data by the A/D converter 23, and image data to be displayed on the display unit 28 and EVF 29. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images and a predetermined period of moving images and audio.

The memory 32 also serves as a memory (video memory) for image display. The D/A converter 19 converts the image display data stored in the memory 32 into an analog signal and supplies it to the display unit 28 or EVF 29. In this way, the image data for display written in the memory 32 is displayed by the display unit 28 or EVF 29 via the D/A converter 19. The display unit 28 and EVF 29 are displays such as LCDs and organic EL displays, and perform display according to the analog signal from the D/A converter 19. The digital signal that has been A/D converted by the A/D converter 23 and stored in the memory 32 is converted into an analog signal by the D/A converter 19, and the analog signal is sequentially transferred to and displayed on the display unit 28 or EVF 29, thereby enabling live view display (LV).

The system control unit 50 is a control unit consisting of at least one processor and/or at least one circuit, and controls the entire digital camera 100. The system control unit 50 realizes each process described below by executing a program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56. The system control unit 50 also performs display control by controlling the memory 32, the D/A converter 19, the display unit 28, the EVF 29, etc.

The system memory 52 is, for example, a RAM, and the system control unit 50 loads constants and variables for the operation of the system control unit 50, as well as programs and the like read from the non-volatile memory 56, into the system memory 52. The non-volatile memory 56 is an electrically erasable and recordable memory, for example, an EEPROM. The non-volatile memory 56 records constants and programs for the operation of the system control unit 50. The programs referred to here include programs for executing various flowcharts described below.

The system timer 53 is a timing unit that measures the time used for various controls and the time of a built-in clock. The communication unit 54 transmits and receives video signals and audio signals to and from external devices connected wirelessly or via a wired cable. The communication unit 54 can also connect to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. The communication unit 54 can also communicate with external devices via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Bluetooth Low Energy. The communication unit 54 can transmit images (including LV images) captured by the imaging unit 22 and images recorded on the recording medium 200, and can receive image data and various other information from external devices.

The attitude detection unit 55 detects the attitude of the digital camera 100 with respect to the direction of gravity. Based on the attitude detected by the attitude detection unit 55, it is possible to determine whether the image captured by the imaging unit 22 was captured with the digital camera 100 held horizontally or vertically. The system control unit 50 can add orientation information corresponding to the attitude detected by the attitude detection unit 55 to the image file of the image captured by the imaging unit 22, or rotate and record the image. An acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like can be used as the attitude detection unit 55. It is also possible to detect the movement of the digital camera 100 (panning, tilting, lifting, whether it is stationary, etc.) using the acceleration sensor or gyro sensor that is the attitude detection unit 55.

The eyepiece detection unit 57 is an eyepiece detection sensor that detects the approach (eyepiece) and departure (eyepiece) of the eye (object) to the eyepiece unit 16 of the eyepiece finder 17. The system control unit 50 switches the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 between display and non-display depending on the state detected by the eyepiece detection unit 57. More specifically, at least in the standby state for shooting and when the display destination switching setting is automatic switching, when the eye is not in contact with the camera, the display destination is set to the display unit 28 and the display is turned on, and the EVF 29 is turned off. Also, when the eye is in contact with the camera, the display destination is set to the EVF 29 and the display is turned on, and the display unit 28 is turned off. For example, an infrared proximity sensor can be used as the eyepiece detection unit 57, and it can detect the approach of some object to the eyepiece unit 16 of the eyepiece finder 17 that has the EVF 29 built in. Various settings of the camera, including the shutter speed and aperture, are displayed on the outside-viewfinder display unit 43 via the outside-viewfinder display unit drive unit 44.

The power supply control unit 80 is composed of a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches between blocks to which electricity is applied, and other components, and detects whether a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery power. The power supply control unit 80 also controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection results and instructions from the system control unit 50, and supplies the necessary voltage for the necessary period to each component, including the recording medium 200. The power supply unit 30 is composed of primary batteries such as alkaline batteries or lithium batteries, secondary batteries such as NiCd batteries, NiMH batteries, or Li batteries, an AC adapter, etc.

The recording medium I/F 18 is an interface with multiple recording media 200. The recording media 200 are recording media such as memory cards and hard disks for recording captured images, and are composed of semiconductor memory, magnetic disks, etc. The mounting unit 190 has a first mounting unit 190A and a second mounting unit 190B, and can simultaneously mount two recording media 200. The recording media 200 mounted in the first mounting unit 190A and the second mounting unit 190B are referred to as recording media 200A and recording media 200B, respectively.

In this embodiment, the mounting units 190A and 190B take the form of card slots as an example. Therefore, hereinafter, the "mounted state" of the recording media 200A and 200B is used synonymously with the "inserted state," and the recording media 200A and 200B may be referred to as card 1 and card 2, respectively. The system control unit 50 determines whether the recording media 200A and 200B are mounted in the mounting units 190A and 190B based on a signal from the recording medium I/F 18. A physical mounting/removal sensor may be provided, and the system control unit 50 may determine whether the recording media are mounted based on a signal from the mounting/removal sensor. The number of recording media 200 that can be mounted simultaneously in the mounting unit 190 may be three or more.

The operation unit 70 is an input unit that accepts operations from the user (user operations) and is used to input various operational instructions to the system control unit 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 70 includes a shutter button 61, a mode change switch 60, a power switch 72, a touch panel 70a, and other operation members 70b. The other operation members 70b include a main electronic dial 71, a sub electronic dial 73, a four-way key 74, a SET button 75, a movie button 76, an AE lock button 77, a magnify button 78, a playback button 79, a menu button 81, and a touch bar 82 (FIG. 1).

The shutter button 61 has a first shutter switch 62 and a second shutter switch 64. When the shutter button 61 is pressed halfway (instruction to prepare for shooting) during operation, the first shutter switch 62 is turned ON and generates a first shutter switch signal SW1. In response to the first shutter switch signal SW1, the system control unit 50 starts preparation operations for shooting, such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (pre-flash) processing.

The second shutter switch 64 is turned ON when the shutter button 61 is fully pressed (photographing instruction) and generates a second shutter switch signal SW2. The second shutter switch signal SW2 causes the system control unit 50 to start a series of shooting processing operations, from reading out the signal from the imaging unit 22 to writing the captured image to the recording medium 200 as an image file.

The mode changeover switch 60 changes the operation mode of the system control unit 50 to one of still image shooting mode, video shooting mode, playback mode, etc. Modes included in the still image shooting mode include auto shooting mode, auto scene determination mode, manual mode, aperture priority mode (Av mode), shutter speed priority mode (Tv mode), and program AE mode (P mode). In addition, there are various scene modes and custom modes that are shooting settings for each shooting scene. The mode changeover switch 60 allows the user to directly switch to one of these modes. Alternatively, after switching to a list screen of shooting modes with the mode changeover switch 60, the user may selectively switch to one of the multiple displayed modes using other operating members. Similarly, the video shooting mode may also include multiple modes. In particular, in this embodiment, the video shooting mode includes a single recording mode in which video information is recorded on one recording medium 200 and a simultaneous recording mode in which video information is recorded on multiple recording media 200 simultaneously. The system control unit 50 can alternatively select these modes according to user operation.

The touch panel 70a is a touch sensor that detects various touch operations on the display surface of the display unit 28 (the operation surface of the touch panel 70a). The touch panel 70a and the display unit 28 can be configured as one unit. For example, the touch panel 70a is configured so that the light transmittance does not interfere with the display of the display unit 28, and is attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the display unit 28. Then, input coordinates on the touch panel 70a are associated with display coordinates on the display surface of the display unit 28. This makes it possible to provide a GUI (graphical user interface) that makes it seem as if the user can directly operate the screen displayed on the display unit 28.

The system control unit 50 can detect operations and states such as touch down, touch on, touch move, touch up, and touch off on the touch panel 70a. These operations and states, as well as the position coordinates of the finger or pen touching the touch panel 70a, are notified to the system control unit 50 via the internal bus. Then, the system control unit 50 determines what kind of operation was performed on the touch panel 70a based on the notified information.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the main processing. This processing is realized by the system control unit 50 expanding a program stored in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing it. This processing starts when the power switch 72 is turned on and the video mode is set.

In step S301, the system control unit 50 determines whether an instruction to set the simultaneous recording mode, i.e., a simultaneous recording setting instruction, has been issued. If a simultaneous recording setting instruction has been issued, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S302, and if not, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S308.

In step S302, the system control unit 50 stores in the memory 32 the simultaneous recording setting, i.e., the fact that the simultaneous recording mode has been set. In step S303, the system control unit 50 sets the recording destination settings to card 1 (recording medium 200A) and card 2 (recording medium 200B), and this setting is stored in the memory 32. This setting means that video information is recorded in parallel on cards 1 and 2.

In step S304, the system control unit 50 determines whether an instruction has been given to set the recording quality of the video to be recorded on card 1. The setting of the recording quality of the video includes setting the bit rate when recording the video. If an instruction has been given to set the recording quality of the video to be recorded on card 1, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S305, otherwise the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S306. In step S305, the system control unit 50 stores the recording quality setting of the video to be recorded on card 1 in memory 32, and proceeds to step S306.

In step S306, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not an instruction has been given to set the recording quality of the video to be recorded on card 2. If an instruction has been given to set the recording quality of the video to be recorded on card 2, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S307; if not, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S314. In step S307, the system control unit 50 stores the recording quality setting of the video to be recorded on card 2 in memory 32, and proceeds to step S314.

In step S308, the system control unit 50 stores in the memory 32 that a single recording setting, i.e., a single recording mode, has been set. In step S309, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not an instruction has been given to set card 1 as the recording destination. If an instruction has been given to set card 1 as the recording destination, the system control unit 50 sets card 1 (recording medium 200A) as the recording destination setting in step S310 and stores this setting in the memory 32. This setting means that video information is recorded only on card 1. On the other hand, if an instruction has not been given to set card 1 as the recording destination, the system control unit 50 sets card 2 (recording medium 200B) as the recording destination setting in step S311 and stores this setting in the memory 32. This setting means that video information is recorded only on card 2.

After steps S310 and S311, in step S312, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not an instruction to set the video recording quality has been given. If an instruction to set the video recording quality has been given, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S313, and if an instruction to set the video recording quality has not been given, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S314. In step S313, the system control unit 50 stores the video recording quality setting in memory 32, and proceeds to step S314.

When instructing the setting of the video recording quality, the user does not need to be aware of whether the video recording destination is card 1 or card 2. For example, when starting video recording, if the recording destination setting is card 1, the video will be recorded in the video recording quality set for card 1, and if the recording destination setting is card 2, the video will be recorded in the video recording quality set for card 2.

In step S314, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not a simultaneous recording setting is stored in the memory 32. If a simultaneous recording setting is not stored, the system control unit 50 executes a single recording process (described later in FIG. 4) in step S315, and proceeds to step S317. On the other hand, if a simultaneous recording setting is stored, the system control unit 50 executes a simultaneous recording process (described later in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) in step S316, and proceeds to step S317.

In step S317, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not an instruction to turn off the power switch 72 has been given. If an instruction to turn off the power switch 72 has not been given, the system control unit 50 returns to step S301, and if an instruction to turn off the power switch 72 has been given, the system control unit 50 ends the process shown in FIG. 3.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the single recording process executed in step S315 of Figure 3. Figures 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the simultaneous recording process executed in step S316 of Figure 3. Figures 7(a) and (b), 8(a) and (b), and 9 are diagrams showing examples of notification screens displayed on the display unit 28.

First, the single recording process in the single recording mode will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In step S401, the system control unit 50 determines whether the card set as the recording destination is determined to be in an inserted state (attached state).

If the result of the determination in step S401 is that the card set as the recording destination is not determined to be inserted, the system control unit 50 displays on the display unit 28 in step S402 that the recording destination card is not inserted. For example, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the system control unit 50 notifies the user by displaying on the screen 701 that the recording destination card is not inserted. The system control unit 50 then proceeds to step S409.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the card set as the recording destination is in an inserted state, the system control unit 50 acquires the recording speed (writing speed) of the recording destination card in step S403. At that time, the system control unit 50 may acquire the recording speed from the speed class (transfer speed information) or from the card standard (standard information) such as an SD card, CFexpress card, or CFast card.

In step S404, the system control unit 50 acquires the video recording quality setting of the recording destination card set in memory 32. In step S405, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not shooting (recording) is possible using the recording destination card based on the bit rate indicated by the acquired video recording quality setting and the recording speed of the recording destination card. In other words, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not shooting can be continued while recording the shot video information on the recording destination card. Therefore, if video recording is possible with a combination of recording conditions such as bit rate and recording speed, it is determined that shooting is possible, and if video recording is not possible with the above combination, it is determined that shooting is not possible.

There are two states of the recording destination card, a "recording possible state" and a "recording impossible state". If the result of the determination in step S405 is that recording is possible using the recording destination card, the system control unit 50 sets the recording possible state of the recording destination card to a "recording possible state" in step S406 and records this setting in the memory 32. However, if recording is not possible using the recording destination card, the system control unit 50 displays on the display unit 28 in step S407 that the recording destination card is a recording medium that cannot be recorded. For example, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the system control unit 50 notifies the user by displaying on the screen 601 that video information cannot be recorded on the recording destination card due to a combination of recording conditions and recording speed. The screen 601 displays medium information (for example, that it is an SD card) of the recording medium that is determined to be unable to record video information. The medium information may include a speed class (transfer speed information) and a card standard (standard information). In step S408, the system control unit 50 sets the recording destination card's status indicating whether recording is possible or not to "recording not possible" and records this setting in memory 32.

After steps S406 and S408, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S409. In step S409, the system control unit 50 refers to the status of the recording destination card recorded in memory 32 indicating whether recording is possible or not, and determines whether the recording destination card is in a recording possible state. If the recording destination card is not in a recording possible state, video recording is not possible, so the system control unit 50 returns the process to step S401. If the recording destination card is in a recording possible state, the system control unit 50 determines in step S410 whether a video recording start instruction has been issued. The presence or absence of a video recording start instruction is determined by whether the video button 76 has been pressed.

If a video recording start instruction is not given, the system control unit 50 returns the process to step S401. If a video recording start instruction is given, the system control unit 50 executes video shooting start processing, such as starting signal reading from the imaging unit 22, in step S411. In step S412, the system control unit 50 executes a series of image recording operations to store the shot video data in a buffer and then write it to the recording destination card. Note that at this time, the amount of video data stored in the buffer changes depending on the bit rate of the video being shot, and the amount of video data written from the buffer to the card changes depending on the writing speed of the recording destination card.

In step S413, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not a video recording stop instruction has been issued by pressing the video button 76. If a video recording stop instruction has not been issued, the system control unit 50 returns to step S412. If a video recording stop instruction has been issued, the system control unit 50 executes video shooting end processing, such as stopping signal readout from the imaging unit 22, in step S414. The system control unit 50 then ends the processing shown in FIG. 4. Note that if an abnormal operation, such as operating the mode dial, is performed during the processing shown in FIG. 4, the processing shown in FIG. 4 may be interrupted or ended midway.

The operation procedure of the simultaneous recording process will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. In step S501, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the card 1 is determined to be in an inserted state.

Here, the results of the system control unit 50's determination as to whether or not a card is attached to the mounting unit 190 include an "inserted state determination" and a "non-inserted state determination." An "inserted state determination" indicates a state in which the card set as the recording destination is physically attached (inserted) to the mounting unit 190 and is not virtually set to a non-inserted state. A "non-inserted state determination" indicates a state in which the card set as the recording destination is not physically attached (inserted) to the mounting unit 190, or is physically attached (inserted) to the mounting unit 190 but is virtually set to a non-inserted state.

Switching between the inserted state and the non-inserted state will be described with reference to FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, touch buttons 801 and 802 are displayed on the display unit 28. Touch button 801 is a touch button that toggles the card attached to the first mounting unit 190A between a virtually inserted state and a non-inserted state while the card remains physically attached. Touch button 802 is a touch button that toggles the card attached to the second mounting unit 190B between a virtually inserted state and a non-inserted state. Note that toggle switching operations using the touch button cannot be performed on cards that are not physically inserted in the mounting unit. Therefore, a card that is not attached to the mounting unit 190 will not be determined to be in the inserted state.

For example, assume that touch button 801 is touched when card 1 attached to first attachment section 190A is determined to be in an inserted state. In this case, for example, by stopping the power supply to the card from recording medium I/F 18, the state of card 1 attached to first attachment section 190A switches from an inserted state to a non-inserted state. Furthermore, if touch button 801 is touched once more in this state, power supply to card 1 attached to first attachment section 190A starts, and the state of card 1 switches again from a non-inserted state to an inserted state. Note that the determination also switches to a non-inserted state when a card determined to be in an inserted state is removed from attachment section 190.

If it is determined in step S501 that card 1 is not inserted, in step S502, the system control unit 50 notifies the user by displaying on the display unit 28 that card 1 is not inserted. In the simultaneous recording mode in this embodiment, even if one of card 1 or card 2 set as the recording destination is not inserted, simultaneous recording is not possible, but recording to the other card is not prohibited and recording is permitted. For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, the system control unit 50 displays on the screen 702 that card 1 is not inserted. In addition to this, the screen 702 also displays that when video recording is started, simultaneous writing is not possible, but recording will only be performed on the other inserted card. This notification means that even if video recording is started, single recording is performed, and it is possible to avoid the misunderstanding that simultaneous recording has been achieved. After step S502, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S509.

If it is determined in step S501 that card 1 is inserted, card 1 may be available as a recording destination, so in step S503, the system control unit 50 acquires the recording speed of card 1, similar to step S403. In step S504, the system control unit 50 acquires the video recording quality setting for card 1, which is set in memory 32, similar to step S404.

In step S505, the system control unit 50, similar to step S405, determines whether or not shooting is possible using card 1 based on the bit rate and recording speed indicated by the acquired video recording quality setting. If the result of this determination is that shooting is possible using card 1, in step S506, the system control unit 50 sets the state of card 1 indicating whether shooting is possible or not to "shooting possible state" as in step S406, and records this setting in memory 32.

However, if shooting is not possible using card 1, the system control unit 50 displays on the display unit 28 in step S507 that card 1 is a recording medium that cannot be shot. For example, the system control unit 50 notifies the user by displaying on the screen 602 shown in FIG. 7B that video information cannot be recorded on card 1 (recording is not possible) due to a combination of recording conditions and recording speed, and therefore recording to cards 1 and 2 is not possible. In addition to this, the system control unit 50 notifies the user by displaying on the screen 602 that shooting and recording will be possible by removing card 1, which has a problem with the recording speed. Note that only when it is determined that shooting is possible on card 2, it may be possible to display that shooting and recording will be possible by removing card 1. In response to this notification, the user can remove card 1 or operate the touch button 801 to switch card 1 to a non-inserted state (described later in S520). In step S508, the system control unit 50 sets the state of card 1 indicating whether photography is possible or not to "photography not possible state," similar to step S408, and records this setting in memory 32.

After steps S506 and S508, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S509. In step S509, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not it is determined that card 2 is inserted. If it is determined that card 2 is not inserted as a result of the determination in step S509, the system control unit 50 notifies the user in step S510 by displaying on the display unit 28 that card 2 is not inserted. For example, the system control unit 50 displays that card 2 is not inserted on a screen similar to screen 702 (FIG. 8(b)) that card 2 is not inserted. In addition to this, screen 702 also displays that when video recording is started, simultaneous writing is not possible, but recording will only be performed on the other inserted card.

If it is determined in step S509 that card 2 is inserted, card 2 may be available as a recording destination, so in step S511 the system control unit 50 acquires the recording speed of card 2. In step S512, the system control unit 50 acquires the video recording quality setting for card 2 that is set in memory 32.

In step S513, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not shooting is possible using card 2 based on the bit rate and recording speed indicated by the acquired video recording quality setting. If the result of this determination is that shooting is possible using card 2, the system control unit 50 sets the status indicating whether shooting is possible or not for card 2 to "shooting possible state" in step S514, and records this setting in memory 32.

However, if shooting is not possible using card 2, the system control unit 50 displays on the display unit 28 in step S515 that card 2 is a recording medium that cannot be recorded. For example, the system control unit 50 notifies the user by displaying on the screen 602 shown in FIG. 7B that video information cannot be recorded on card 2 due to a combination of the recording conditions and the recording speed, and therefore recording to cards 1 and 2 is not possible. In addition to this, the system control unit 50 notifies the user by displaying on the screen 602 that shooting and recording will be possible by removing card 2, which has a problem with the recording speed. Note that only when it is determined that shooting is possible on card 1, it may be possible to display that shooting and recording will be possible by removing card 2. In response to this notification, the user can either remove card 2 or switch card 2 to a non-inserted state by operating the touch button 802 (described later in S521). In step S516, the system control unit 50 sets the state indicating whether shooting is possible/not possible on card 2 to a "shooting not possible state" and records this setting in the memory 32.

After steps S510, S514, and S516, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S517 (FIG. 6). In step S517, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a card that is determined to be in an inserted state and set to a state in which photography is not possible. If there is no card that is determined to be in an inserted state and set to a state in which photography is not possible, the system control unit 50 advances to step S522. If there is a card that is determined to be in an inserted state and set to a state in which photography is not possible, the system control unit 50 determines in step S518 whether or not an instruction has been given to change the card determined to be in an inserted state to a non-inserted state.

Here, the instruction to change to the non-inserted state is given by removing the card from the mounting section 190 or by operating the touch buttons 801, 802. For example, if the card that is determined to be inserted and set to a non-photographing state is card 1, the user can issue an instruction to change card 1 to the non-inserted state by removing card 1 from the first mounting section 190A. Alternatively, the user can issue an instruction to change card 1 to the non-inserted state by touching the touch button 801. The user can select and execute one of the above two methods to input an instruction to change to the non-inserted state.

If the result of the determination in step S518 is that the system control unit 50 has not received an instruction to change the card determined to be in an inserted state to a non-inserted state, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S528. If an instruction to change the card determined to be in an inserted state to a non-inserted state has been received, the system control unit 50 determines in step S519 whether the card instructed to be changed to a non-inserted state is card 1. If the card instructed to be changed to a non-inserted state is card 1, the system control unit 50 switches the determination result regarding whether card 1 is inserted to "non-inserted state determination" in step S520 and proceeds to step S528. On the other hand, if the card instructed to be changed to a non-inserted state is card 2, the system control unit 50 switches the determination result regarding whether card 2 is inserted to "non-inserted state determination" in step S521 and proceeds to step S528.

In step S522, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not all of the cards determined to be in an inserted state are set to a state in which recording is possible. If the result of this determination is that even one of the cards determined to be in an inserted state is not set to a state in which recording is possible, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S528. Furthermore, if there is no card determined to be in an inserted state, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S528. By proceeding from step S522 to step S528, recording of video information is essentially prohibited.

However, if all of the cards determined to be inserted are set to a state in which photography is possible, photography and recording are possible, and the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S523. For example, if only card 1 is determined to be inserted and card 1 is set to a state in which photography is possible, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S523. However, if cards 1 and 2 are determined to be inserted and card 1 or card 2 is set to a state in which photography is not possible, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S528.

Even if step S522 initially returns No, the result of the determination as to whether or not the card is inserted may change to "inserted" in step S528. In this case, when the process proceeds from step S522 to step S523, the prohibition on recording video information is essentially lifted.

In step S528, the system control unit 50 switches between the inserted state and the non-inserted state according to the conditions. Here, the processing equivalent to steps S518 to S521 is executed. For example, when a toggle switching operation is performed using a touch button corresponding to a card determined to be inserted/non-inserted, the system control unit 50 switches the determination result regarding the presence or absence of the card to a non-inserted state determination/inserted state. In addition, when a removal/insertion operation is performed for a card determined to be inserted/non-inserted, the system control unit 50 switches the determination result regarding the presence or absence of the card to a non-inserted state determination/inserted state. Note that in step S528, if there is no touch button operation or insertion/removal operation, the system control unit 50 does not perform any processing. After step S528, the system control unit 50 returns to step S501.

In step S523, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not a video recording start instruction has been issued. The presence or absence of a video recording start instruction is determined by whether or not the video button 76 has been pressed. If a video recording start instruction has not been issued, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S528. If a video recording start instruction has been issued, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S524.

In steps S524 to S527, the system control unit 50 executes the same processes as steps S411 to S414 in FIG. 4. However, if both cards 1 and 2 are inserted, video information is recorded in parallel on these cards 1 and 2. However, if only one of cards 1 and 2 is inserted, video information is recorded only on the inserted card. After step S527, the system control unit 50 ends the process shown in FIG. 6.

Note that even in the single recording mode (Figure 4), the function of switching between the inserted state and the non-inserted state using touch buttons 801 and 802 may be enabled.

According to this embodiment, recording conditions can be set for each recording medium 200 (S305, S307, S313), and the attached/unattached state of the recording medium 200 for each of the multiple mounting units 190 is determined (S520, S521, S528). In addition, for each recording medium determined to be in an attached state, a recording-enabled/unattached state is determined based on the recording speed and recording conditions (S406, S408, S506, S508, S514, S516). In the simultaneous recording mode, if even one of the recording media determined to be in an attached state is in an unattached state, simultaneous recording of video information is prohibited (S522). In addition, when the determination result of one recording medium is switched from an attached state to an unattached state while simultaneous recording is prohibited, single recording of video information is permitted for the recording medium that is attached and in an enabled state (S522). In particular, the user can physically remove the recording medium in an unattached state or switch it to an unattached state with a touch button to enable single recording. This eliminates the need to change settings to limit the recording destination to recordable recording media in order to ensure recording operations, which saves time and effort. This makes it possible to shoot moving images without the need for complicated setting changes, improving convenience.

In addition, a function has been provided that allows the user to switch between attached and unattached states with a touch button while the recording medium remains physically attached to the mounting section (Figure 9), which makes it possible to switch between attached and unattached states without having to insert or remove the recording medium, making it highly convenient.

In addition, when simultaneous recording is prohibited, if the recording medium in the non-captureable state is unmounted, a notification is made that single recording is possible (S507, S515, FIG. 7(b)). Therefore, when simultaneous recording is prohibited, the system does not automatically switch to single recording. Moreover, when only one recording medium is determined to be mounted in the simultaneous recording mode, a notification is given that video information will be recorded only on the recording medium determined to be mounted by instructing to start recording (S502, S510, FIG. 8(b)). Therefore, when only one recording medium is mounted, it is possible to inform the user that single recording is possible, although simultaneous recording is not possible. From these, the user is unlikely to misunderstand that simultaneous recording is being performed when in fact single recording is being performed. Suppose that a method of automatically determining recordable recording media and permitting recording is adopted as another method. With this method, there is a possibility that the user will start recording while misunderstanding that simultaneous recording and shooting are possible. In this embodiment, such misunderstanding can be avoided.

In addition, if video information cannot be recorded on the recording destination card due to a combination of recording conditions and recording speed, the medium information of the recording medium on which it has been determined that video information cannot be recorded is notified (S407, S507, S515, FIG. 7(b)). This makes it possible to inform the user that there is a possibility that video information can be recorded if the recording medium causing the video information to be unavailable is replaced.

Other Examples
The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

The present invention has been described in detail above based on preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms that do not deviate from the gist of the invention are also included in the present invention.

50 System control unit 100 Digital camera 190A First mounting unit 190B Second mounting unit 200A, 200B Recording medium

Claims (12)

Two mounting sections into which recording media can be mounted;
A setting means for setting image recording conditions;
a determination unit that determines whether or not an image can be recorded on each of the two recording media mounted in the two mounting units based on the recording conditions set by the setting unit;
a control means for controlling the recording apparatus so as to prohibit simultaneous recording of images onto the two recording media when the determination means determines that recording of an image is not possible for at least one of the two recording media in a simultaneous recording mode in which images are recorded onto the two recording media respectively mounted on the two mounting portions,
The control means controls the imaging device to permit single recording of an image onto one of the two recording media in the simultaneous recording mode when it is determined that one of the two recording media is capable of recording an image, but the other recording media is determined not to be capable of recording an image, thereby prohibiting simultaneous recording of images onto the two recording media, in response to the other recording media being unmounted in the mounting section. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a first notification means for notifying a user that, when the determination means determines that the image cannot be recorded on one of the two recording media mounted in each of the two mounting sections in the simultaneous recording mode, the image cannot be simultaneously recorded on the two recording media because the one recording medium is not recordable. 3. The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising a second notification means for notifying a user that, in the simultaneous recording mode, when the determination means determines that recording of the image is not possible for one of the two recording media attached to each of the two mounting portions and the determination means determines that recording of the image is possible for the other of the two recording media, by unattaching the one of the recording media, single recording of the image on the other recording medium is possible. 4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an insertion state determination unit that determines whether or not a recording medium is inserted in each of the two mounting portions. a switching unit for switching the recording media mounted in each of the two mounting units to an unmounted state in response to a user operation,
5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the insertion state determination means handles the recording medium switched to the unattached state by the switching means as being in the unattached state. The imaging device according to claim 5, further comprising an accepting means for accepting a user operation to switch one of the two recording media mounted in each of the two mounting sections to a non-mounted state by the switching means when the determining means determines that the image cannot be recorded on the one of the two recording media mounted in each of the two mounting sections in the simultaneous recording mode. 7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit is capable of setting the recording conditions of an image for each recording medium mounted in each of the two mounting portions. 8. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein recording media conforming to different standards can be mounted in the two mounting sections. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not it is possible to record an image on each of the mounted recording media, depending on the recording speed on the recording media mounted in each of the two mounting sections and the recording conditions of the image set by the setting means. 10. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the recording condition for the image is a recording condition related to a bit rate of a moving image. A method for controlling an imaging device having two mounting sections into which recording media can be mounted, comprising the steps of:
Set the image recording conditions,
determining whether or not an image can be recorded on each of the two recording media mounted in the two mounting portions based on the set recording conditions;
in a simultaneous recording mode in which images are recorded on two recording media respectively mounted in the two mounting portions, when it is determined that recording of an image is not possible on at least one of the two recording media, control is performed so as to prohibit simultaneous recording of images on the two recording media;
A control method for an imaging device, characterized in that in the simultaneous recording mode, when one of the two recording media is determined to be capable of recording images, but the other recording media is determined to be unable to record images, and therefore simultaneous recording of images to the two recording media is prohibited, when the other recording media is not attached to the mounting section, control is performed to allow single recording of an image to one of the recording media. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10 .

Images