JPH0698247A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To reduce the amount of recorded data during high-sensitivity shooting. [Structure] In the auto mode, when shooting with the sensitivity of the image sensor 14 increased, the amount of captured image data is reduced and recorded in the hard disk device 24 by thinning out, and the image sensor 14 is operated at the standard sensitivity. When shooting is performed, all the shot image data is recorded in the hard disk device 24 as it is.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus having an image pickup element for converting an optical image into an electric signal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image pickup device for converting an optical image into an electric signal has been improved, but generally has low sensitivity, and therefore, a sufficiently clear image pickup signal can be obtained in photographing under low illuminance without auxiliary illumination. It is difficult to do Therefore, the sensitivity of the imaging system (imaging element and its output amplifier) can be freely changed,
A configuration has been proposed in which the sensitivity of the image pickup system is increased to perform shooting under low illuminance.

[0003]

However, the normal image quality is deteriorated by increasing the photographing sensitivity. In the conventional example, such an image with deteriorated image quality is also recorded on the recording medium in the same manner as a normal image with good image quality. That is, regardless of the image quality
It occupies a certain amount of the recording medium and wastes the recording capacity.

It is an object of the present invention to present an image pickup apparatus which eliminates such inconvenience.

[0005]

An image pickup apparatus according to the present invention is an image pickup apparatus in which the sensitivity of an image pickup system can be freely changed, and a processing means in which the output information amount of a photographed image can be changed and a sensitivity of the image pickup system. And control means for interlocking control of the amount of information in the processing means.

[0006]

By the above means, for example, when the sensitivity of the image pickup system is increased and the image is taken, the taken image is output with a small amount of output information according to the low image quality. As a result, an image signal having an information amount corresponding to the image quality can be obtained, so that it is possible to prevent the recording medium from being unnecessarily occupied even when recording on the recording medium. That is, the recording medium can be effectively used.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention applied to a still video camera. 10
Is a photographing lens, 12 is a light amount control member such as a diaphragm and shutter, 14 is an image pickup device for converting an optical image into an electric signal, 1
6 is a sample and hold (S / H) circuit that samples and holds the output of the image sensor 14, and 18 is the S / H circuit 1.
An A / D conversion circuit for converting the output of 6 into a digital signal,
Reference numeral 20 denotes a memory control circuit that writes the output data of the A / D conversion circuit 18 into the image memory 22 and reads the storage data of the image memory 22 in accordance with the processing speed of the subsequent circuit.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a hardware, which is a final recording medium.
The disk device 26 is an interface circuit for writing the image data output from the memory control circuit 20 into the hard disk device 24. As the final recording medium, in addition to the hard disk device, a flexible magnetic disk drive device, an optical disk drive device, a magneto-optical disk drive device, a flash memory, and an EEP.
It may be a solid-state memory device including a ROM or a battery-backed DRAM. A memory card formed into a card shape is known as a solid-state memory device.

28 is a system control circuit for controlling the entire system,
Reference numeral 30 denotes the image sensor 14, the S / H circuit 16, and the A / D converter 1.
8, a clock generation circuit for supplying a timing clock to the memory control circuit 20 and the system control circuit 28.

Numerals 32 to 44 are a switch group for inputting a predetermined instruction to the system control circuit 28. The photographing preparation switch 32 instructs photographing preparation (exposure control and focusing control), and the photographing switch 34 operates shutter operation ( (Exposure and reading of the image sensor 14). The normal switch 36 instructs to operate the image sensor 14 at the standard sensitivity, and the gain-up switch 38 instructs to increase the sensitivity of the image sensor 14. The normal switch 36 and the gain-up switch 38 are interlocked with each other such that when one is open, the other is closed.

The fine switch 40 indicates a fine mode in which the photographed image data is recorded on the hard disk 24 without thinning out the photographed image data, and the economy switch 42 thins out a part of the photographed image to reduce the data amount. Indicates the economy mode to be recorded on the hard disk 24, and the auto switch 44 indicates automatic selection between the fine mode and the economy mode. The fine switch 40, the economy switch 42, and the auto switch 44 are interlocked with each other such that when any one of them is closed, the rest is opened.

In the present embodiment, the memory control circuit 20 operates in accordance with a control signal from the system control circuit 28,
In the mode, all the image data stored in the image memory 22 is transferred to the interface 26.
In the mode, the image data stored in the image memory 22 is partially thinned and transferred to the interface 26.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When the photographing preparation switch 32 is turned on, the system control circuit 28 first checks the auto switch 44.

When the auto switch 44 is on (S2), the auto mode is set, and depending on the state of the normal switch 36 (S3), the sensitivity of the image pickup device 14 and the amount of data to be recorded in the hard disk device 24. Determine the combination of. That is, when the normal switch 36 is on (S3), a mode for recording all image data with standard sensitivity is selected (S7), and when the normal switch 36 is off (S3), a part of the image with high sensitivity is selected. A mode for recording data is selected (S8).

When the auto switch 44 is off (S2), the sensitivities (standard and high sensitivity) are set according to the selected states of the switches 36, 38, 40 and 42 (S4,5, 6).
The recording data amount (fine and economy) is selected in combination (S7, 8, 9, 10).

That is, when both the fine switch 40 and the normal switch 36 are on (S4, 5),
A mode for recording all image data with standard sensitivity is selected (S7). Fine switch 40 is on (S4),
When the normal switch 36 is off (S5), a mode for recording all image data with high sensitivity is selected (S5).
9). When both the fine switch 40 and the normal switch 36 are off (S4, 5), the mode for recording a part of the image data with high sensitivity is selected (S8).
Fine switch 40 is off (S4), normal
When the switch 36 is on (S5), the mode for recording a part of the image data at the standard sensitivity is selected (S1).
0).

Until the photographing switch 34 is turned on (S
11), the mode can be freely changed, and the photographing switch 3
When the signal No. 4 is turned on, the image pickup device 14 is exposed, its charge signal is read out, and recorded in the hard disk 24. That is, the S / H circuit 16 outputs the output of the image sensor 14
Hold, and the A / D converter 18 digitizes the output of the S / H circuit 16. The memory control circuit 20 writes the output data of the A / D converter 18 in the image memory 22, and reads the image data stored in the image memory 22 in accordance with the writing speed of the hard disk device 24. that time,
In the fine mode, predetermined thinning is performed to reduce the amount of recorded data.

The interface 26 is the memory control circuit 2
The image data from 0 is transferred to the hard disk device 24. As a result, the captured image data is recorded in the hard disk device 24.

In the above embodiment, the hard disk device 2
Although the thinning-out is used as the means for adjusting the amount of data recorded in No. 4, it goes without saying that the compression rate of the compression coding may be used.

In the above embodiment, in the case of the auto mode, the recording mode is selected according to the sensitivity setting of the user. However, the photometric value and the exposure time at the stage of preparation for photographing, the temperature of the image pickup device 14 and the The recording mode may be selected according to the amount of noise.

The case of still image shooting has been described as an example, but it is obvious that the present invention can also be applied to moving image shooting.

[0023]

As can be easily understood from the above description, according to the present invention, the amount of output information can be reduced when the photographed image is deteriorated. Therefore, the amount of information recorded on the recording medium is reduced, and the recording medium can be effectively used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of this embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Photographing lens 12: Light quantity control member 14: Image sensor 16: Sample and hold circuit 18: A / D conversion circuit 20: Memory control circuit 22: Image memory 24: Hard disk device 26: Interface circuit 28: System control circuit 30: Clock generation circuit 32: Shooting preparation switch 34: Shooting switch 3
6: Normal switch 38: Gain up switch 40: Fine switch 42: Economy switch 44: Auto switch

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup apparatus capable of changing the sensitivity of an image pickup system, the processing means capable of changing the output information amount of a photographed image.
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a control unit that interlocks and controls the sensitivity of the image pickup system and the amount of information in the processing unit. 2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the processing unit to reduce the output information amount of the captured image with respect to the relatively high sensitivity of the image pickup system. 3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recording medium for recording the image information processed by the processing means.