JPH11275527A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] After photographing, it is impossible to confirm whether or not the photographed image can be synthesized on a computer. An image pickup means for picking up an image to obtain image data, a recording medium for recording the image data, an image display means for reproducing and displaying the image recorded on the recording medium, a normal photographing and a panorama An image recording apparatus comprising: a photographing mode switching unit for switching between photographing and a photographing mode when a series of images photographed in the panoramic photographing mode are reproduced by the photographing mode switching unit and frame-by-frame advance is performed. Frame-by-frame advance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, and more particularly, to a reproducing means of a digital camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a digital camera, an image display device represented by a liquid crystal monitor is built in or detachable from a main body.
In many cases, a photographed image is immediately reproduced and checked, used for adjusting the angle of view at the time of photographing, and various kinds of information such as camera settings and dates are displayed. The captured images are in a file format that can be handled by a computer, and can be copied to a computer via a communication cable or directly by a memory card, and text can be copied by image processing application software installed on the computer. And various processing such as changing the facial expression can be performed.

In recent years, with the improvement of software technology, for example, a 360-degree panoramic photograph can be easily created by a seamless synthesizing process of extracting an overlapping portion of two images on a computer and synthesizing the images. .

[0004] Under such circumstances, especially digital cameras are assumed to be seamlessly synthesized on a computer.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-142682 discloses a proposal in which an edge portion of a previously captured image is displayed on a liquid crystal monitor, and when the next image is captured, the image is captured so that the edge portion matches. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-91407 proposes that a panorama ID is set for a series of images photographed in the panorama photography mode, and a computer performs a synthesizing process on the same panorama ID.

[0005]

However, such proposals are limited to various measures at the time of photographing, and no proposal has been made for reproduction on a display device of a camera. The problem of not being able to confirm whether or not it can be synthesized on a computer has not been solved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to reproduce a series of images taken in a panoramic shooting mode while scrolling the images in a horizontal direction so that it is possible to check whether or not the images can be easily synthesized and taken. Provide a means that can also be used as mode playback.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image pickup means for picking up an image and obtaining image data, a recording medium for recording the image data,
An image recording apparatus comprising: an image display unit for reproducing and displaying an image recorded on the recording medium; and a photographing mode switching unit for switching between normal photographing and panoramic photographing, wherein a panoramic photographing mode is set by the photographing mode switching unit. When a series of shot images are reproduced and frame-by-frame advance is performed, frame advance is performed while shifting the image in the horizontal direction.

[0008]

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a photographing lens optical system and an imaging circuit, 2 is an ADC (analog-to-digital converter), 3 is a TG (timing generator) that gives various timings to the imaging circuit 1, and 4 is a RAM that temporarily stores image data. 5, a signal processor for performing image processing; 6, a liquid crystal monitor for displaying an image during photographing or reproduction; 7, a liquid crystal driver circuit and a backlight for driving the liquid crystal monitor 6; VRAM for storing image data,
9 is a recording medium for recording image data, 10 is a recording medium attachment detection circuit for detecting attachment of the recording medium 9,
11 is an MPU (microprocessor unit) for controlling the operation of the entire camera, 12 is a camera mode switch for selecting whether the state of the camera is a shooting mode, a playback mode or power off, and 13 is a shooting mode Is a panorama mode switch for switching between a normal shooting mode and a panorama shooting mode, and 15 is a feed switch. FIG.
FIG. 3 is an image diagram of an image file after photographing a plurality of images according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an image composition image diagram in the panorama reproduction mode. FIG. 5 is an image diagram of a scroll image displayed on the monitor when a command for the reproduction output processing of the next image comes in the panorama reproduction mode.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described.

When the camera mode switch 12 changes the power mode from the power-off mode to the photographing mode, the MPU 11 detects that the recording medium 9 has been mounted and detects that the recording medium 9 has been mounted.
The signal is detected by a signal output from 0, the free space of the recording medium 9 is checked through the signal processor 5, and if recording is possible from the free space, the MPU 11 activates the TG3. When the TG 3 is activated, the TG 3 activates the photographing lens optical system and the imaging circuit 1 to output a subject image as an analog signal. The analog signal is converted into a digital signal by the ADC 2 and stored in the RAM 4. Then, MPU
Numeral 11 instructs the signal processor 5 to output the liquid crystal monitor 6. The signal processor 5 performs signal processing, and stores image data in the VRAM 8. VRAM
The image data stored in 8 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 6 as a visible image when the MPU 11 activates the liquid crystal driver circuit and the backlight 7. The signal processor 5 performs signal processing on the sequentially updated data in the RAM 4 and repeats the operation of storing the image data in the VRAM 8 so that the image to be shot is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 6 in real time. Thereafter, when the release switch 13 is turned on, the MPU 11 instructs the signal processor 5 to perform recording. The signal processor 5 that has received the recording instruction performs signal processing, compression, and the like on the image data stored in the RAM 4, and records the image data on the recording medium 9. The MPU 11 monitors the state of the panorama mode switch 14 during the shooting mode. When the panorama mode switch 14 is turned on, the MPU 11 creates a panorama ID number and sets the sub-panorama ID number to [1]. Also,
When the panorama mode switch 14 is turned off, the MPU 11 sets the panorama ID number and the sub-panorama ID number to [0]. The sub-panorama ID number is incremented by [1] every time a picture is taken until the panorama mode switch 14 is turned off. The panorama ID number and the sub-panorama ID number are included as information in the recording instruction to the signal processor 5, and the signal processor 5 records the image data together with the image data on the recording medium 9 as an image file. For example, 1
From the first frame to the fourth frame, the panorama mode switch 14 is turned off for shooting. The fifth and sixth frames are shot with the panorama mode switch 14 turned on, and the seventh and eighth frames are turned on. FIG. 2 shows an image of the image file when the image is taken with the camera turned off.

Next, the means for reproducing images shot in such an order will be described. When the mode is changed to the playback mode by the camera mode switch 12, the MPU 1
Numeral 1 instructs the signal processor 5 to reproduce and output the image 1. The signal processor 5 reads the image file of the image 1 from the recording medium 9 and recognizes the panorama ID. Here, it is determined whether or not the image is a panorama mode image according to the flowchart of FIG. Panorama I
If D is 0, the image is not a panorama mode image, so that expansion processing and signal processing for one image data are performed,
The image data is transferred to 8. The image data stored in the VRAM 8 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 6 when the MPU 11 activates the liquid crystal driver and the backlight 7. By operating the feed switch 15, the MPU 11 instructs the signal processor 5 to issue a command for a reproduction output process of the image 2. The signal processor 5 performs the same processing as that for the image 1 and stores the image data in the VRAM 8. In this manner, the playback image is changed by the feed switch 15. From MPU11, image 3,
The same applies to the case where the signal processor 5 receives a command for the reproduction output processing of the images 4, 7, and 8. Changing the playback display of an image that has not been panorama shot in this way is a VR
Since the image data of AM8 is completely rewritten with the image data to be reproduced and output next, the image is instantaneously switched.

However, when the signal processor 5 receives a command for the reproduction output process of the image 5, the image 6 having the same panorama ID but one more sub-panorama ID exists instead of the panorama reproduction mode according to the flowchart of FIG. Therefore, the mode is set to the panorama reproduction mode, in which the image 5 is expanded first, and then the image 6 is expanded. Image 5
And image 6 as one image, perform signal processing, and store it in RAM 4. At this time, the image of the image data stored in the RAM 4 is a horizontally long panoramic image in which the image 5 and the image 6 are connected in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. Image data corresponding to image 5 is stored in RAM 4 from V
The image is stored in the RAM 8 and the image 5 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 6.
Next, when the signal processing processor 5 receives the instruction of the reproduction output processing of the image 6, the panorama ID is not 0 but in the panorama reproduction mode according to the flowchart of FIG.
RAM in which image 5 and image 6 are one image data
VRAM while shifting the data of No. 4 every 100 msec
8 sequentially. FIG. 5 shows an image of an image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 6 at this time.

In FIG. 5, a horizontally long image is displayed while being shifted to the left each time i in the flowchart of FIG. 3 changes. By doing so, the image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 6 as if the panoramic image was reproduced while being scrolled in the horizontal direction. Thereafter, the panorama reproduction mode is temporarily released, and the process proceeds to determine whether there is an image file having one more sub-panorama ID. If there is an image file having one more sub-panorama ID, the same processing as in the case of the image 5 is performed.

[0015]

As described above, according to the configuration and the method of the present invention, when a series of images shot in the panoramic shooting mode is played back, the images are easily scrolled and played back by scrolling in the horizontal direction. You can check whether you can do it, and you can use it as a simple panorama mode playback.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an image diagram of an image file after photographing a plurality of images according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing each judgment at the time of reproduction.

FIG. 4 is an image combining image diagram in a panoramic reproduction mode.

FIG. 5 is an image diagram of a scroll image displayed on a monitor when a command for a reproduction output process of a next image comes in a panorama reproduction mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 photographing lens optical system and image pickup circuit 2 ADC 3 TG 4 RAM 5 signal processor 6 liquid crystal monitor 7 liquid crystal driver circuit 8 VRAM 9 recording medium 10 recording medium attachment detection circuit 11 MPU 12 camera mode switch 13 release switch 14 panorama switch 15 feed switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] An image pickup means for picking up an image to obtain image data; a recording medium for recording the image data; an image display means for reproducing and displaying the image recorded on the recording medium; An image recording apparatus comprising: a photographing mode switching unit for switching between panoramic photographing; and a case in which a series of images photographed in the panoramic photographing mode set by the photographing mode switching unit are reproduced and frame-by-frame advance is performed. An image recording apparatus characterized in that frame advance is performed while shifting images.