JP4262534B2 - Digital equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a digital device such as a digital camera, and in particular, an adaptive power saving technique for a digital device when the connection is lost after communication between the digital device and an external electronic device. It is about.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, so-called digital cameras have been widely used in which a subject image is converted into an electrical signal by a semiconductor image pickup device such as a CCD, converted into a digital signal, and then recorded on a recording medium such as a flash memory, a fixed disk, or an optical disk. This digital camera is generally provided with digital signal input / output means for transferring image data recorded on a recording medium in the digital camera to a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) or a printer. ing. As digital signal input / output means, a connection terminal conforming to a communication standard such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) or IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.) 1394, or a wireless communication means conforming to a wireless communication standard. Is often used. Using the connection means and the wireless communication means, the user exchanges image data and the like with an external device represented by a personal computer.
[0003]
If you connect a digital camera to a computer and try to send and receive image data, but the communication is not successful due to communication problems, you cannot transfer the image data, so do not use the digital camera. However, if the user does not turn off the power, the power remains on. For this reason, if the user forgets to turn off the power, the battery of the digital camera is wasted.
[0004]
As a conventional method to prevent wasted battery consumption by forgetting to turn off the digital camera when communication with external devices such as personal computers is not possible, the connection with the personal computer has been disconnected. After that, or when communication with the personal computer is not performed normally, the digital camera is automatically turned off to save power, and the user is notified that the communication has been interrupted. A method is considered. Furthermore, it has been proposed to turn off the power or switch to another mode depending on the mode of the digital camera when communication is interrupted. That is, for example, when communication is interrupted in the playback mode, the power is turned off, but when communication is interrupted in the recording mode, the power is not turned off, but the mode is switched to another mode. The technique made into this is known (for example, refer patent document 1).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-262172 A [0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, as a processing operation when a digital camera is connected to a computer,
(1) Transfer (send) image data from the digital camera to the computer.
(2) Transfer (send) image data processed on a personal computer to a digital camera.
(3) Change the digital camera settings from the computer.
There are processing operations. Although various processing operations are performed in this way, even if the operation mode of the digital camera is the same, the image data transmission / reception mode may be different (the case where the digital camera transmits and receives the image data). Therefore, depending on the type of processing operation, it may be better not to turn off the power of the digital camera even when the communication cable is disconnected and the connection is cut off after the transfer of the image data.
[0007]
For example, in the case of the process of transferring an image from the digital camera (1) to a personal computer, after the image data is transferred to the personal computer, the user processes or prints the transferred image data on the personal computer. However, it is not conscious of turning off the power of the digital camera even though the digital camera is not used, so forgetting to turn off the power of the digital camera and leaving it on, wasting the battery In this case, it is desirable that the power supply is automatically turned off.
[0008]
Also, in the case of transferring the image data processed by the personal computer (2) to the digital camera, after receiving the image data from the personal computer, to confirm whether the image data has been correctly transferred from the personal computer to the digital camera. In addition, since the user often reproduces the image data transferred by the digital camera, in this case, a configuration in which the power of the digital camera is not automatically turned off is preferable.
[0009]
In other words, even when the digital camera is in the same recording mode, the image data received from the personal computer is recorded as in the case (1) in which the image data is transferred to the personal computer while recording the image from the photographing unit (camera unit). In the case of (2) above, when the connection is cut off after data transmission / reception (when the other party is recognized and communication is interrupted at any time), the same recording mode is used. However, it is desirable to change the power control after disconnection depending on the type of image data transmission / reception.
[0010]
Further, even in the process of changing the setting of the digital camera from the personal computer (3), it is general that the user confirms whether or not the setting is correctly performed after receiving the setting data from the personal computer. In this case, a configuration in which the power of the digital camera is not automatically turned off is preferable.
[0011]
As described above, after the data is exchanged with the external device, the power control of the digital camera after the connection is disconnected, such as by disconnecting the connection cable, is performed between the external device and the digital camera before the connection is disconnected. It is desirable to perform the communication adaptively in consideration of the type of communication between the two (data transmission from a digital camera or data transmission from a personal computer).
[0012]
However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the power control after communication is disabled is switched based on the operation mode of the camera when communication is disabled, and the last communication type between the external device and the digital camera is determined. In consideration, no consideration has been given to power control. For this reason, in the case of (1) described above in which image data is transferred to a personal computer while recording an image from a digital camera, the technique described in Patent Document 1 disconnects the connection by disconnecting a connection cable or the like. After that, the digital camera could not be turned off automatically. In such a case, as described above, since the power of the digital camera is kept on, the battery is wasted.
[0013]
The object of the present invention is to determine the content of work (processing operation) performed by a user connecting a digital device such as a digital camera to an external device, that is, the type of communication, and then disconnecting the connection. The purpose is to enable appropriate (adaptive) control of the power state of the digital device.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device, and is communicated by the communication unit in a digital device that is connected to the external device and can transmit and receive various data. Communication type determining means for determining the type of communication, communication type holding means for holding the communication type determined by the communication type determining means, and connection detection for detecting a connection state with the external device Means and power control means for controlling the power supply state of the digital device,
When the connection detection unit detects that the connection with the external device is broken, based on the communication type held in the communication type holding unit, the power control unit supplies power to the digital device. Configured to control.
In this way, the state of the power supply of the digital device after the disconnection can be adaptively controlled based on the communication type before the disconnection (that is, based on the contents of the work performed by the user). Since the power can be automatically turned off at a necessary scene without impairing the usability, it is possible to avoid the consumption of the battery due to the user forgetting to turn off the power of the digital device using the battery. Therefore, power saving of a digital device such as a battery-driven digital camera can be achieved, and driving for a long time can be performed by one charge.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 101 is a camera unit, 102 is an A / D converter, 103 is a CPU (Central Process Unit), 104 is a work memory, 105 is a CODEC (Corder / Decorder), and 106 is a work. Memory, 107 is a sub CPU, 108 is an operation key group, 109 is a memory card, 110 is a PHY section (Physical Layer section; interface circuit section), 111 is a personal computer connection terminal, 112 is a D / A converter, 113 is an output circuit, 114 is a liquid crystal monitor, and 115 is a power supply circuit. In the CPU 103, 103a is a communication type determination unit, 103b is a communication type holding unit, 103c is a connection detection unit, and 103d is a power control unit.
[0017]
In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, a subject is captured by the camera unit 101 and input to the A / D converter 102 as an analog video signal composed of an analog electrical signal. On the other hand, the analog video signal from the camera unit 101 is also input to the output circuit 113 and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 114. The video displayed here is a preview image used for the user to determine the shooting angle.
[0018]
First, operations during shooting and recording will be described. The analog video signal input to the A / D converter 102 is converted into a digital video signal and input to the CPU 103. On the other hand, the operation signal input from the operation key group 108 is subjected to processing such as chattering prevention by the sub CPU 107, and the result of the key operation is input to the CPU 103. When the input from the operation key group 108 is “shutter button press”, the CPU 103 transfers the digital video signal input from the A / D converter 102 to the CODEC 105 and the D / A converter 112. The CODEC 105 compresses and encodes the input digital video signal by a method compliant with a still image or video compression standard such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group). Is transferred to the CPU 103. The compressed digital video signal input from the CODEC 105 to the CPU 103 is converted and output as a video file to the memory card 109 by the CPU 103 and recorded. The work memory 106 is a work memory used when the CODEC 105 performs digital video compression processing.
[0019]
On the other hand, the digital video signal input to the D / A converter 112 is converted into an analog video signal and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 114 via the output circuit 113. This display is a confirmation image for the user to confirm what image was captured when the shutter was pressed.
[0020]
Next, the operation during reproduction will be described. The video file stored in the memory card 109 is read out by the CPU 103, decoded by the CODEC 105, and returned to the CPU 103 as a decoded digital video signal. The decoded digital video signal is then converted into an analog video signal by the D / A converter 112 and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 114 via the output circuit 113. Such a series of operations is executed by a video reproduction instruction operation from the user performed using the operation key group 108. The user can reproduce an arbitrary video on the liquid crystal monitor 114 by selecting an arbitrary image file in the memory card 109 using the operation key group 108 and performing a reproduction instruction operation.
[0021]
The PHY unit 110 is an interface circuit for connecting the digital camera of the present embodiment to a personal computer and communicating various data (image data and setting data) and / or various information such as header information. A terminal 111 is a connector portion of the digital camera according to the present embodiment for connection to a personal computer, and a connection cable is connected thereto. The PHY unit 110 converts the compressed digital video signal handled by the CPU 103 into a signal conforming to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard or the like. In this embodiment, a general USB standard in connection with a personal computer in recent years has been taken as an example, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to the USB standard. Furthermore, in addition to wired communication, a configuration may be used in which communication is performed wirelessly with an external device such as a personal computer using wireless communication means compliant with the short-range wireless communication standard.
[0022]
Next, regarding the power control of the digital camera when the connection between the digital camera and the computer is interrupted after image data and setting data are sent and received between the digital camera of this embodiment and the computer. explain. When transmitting image data and setting data, various information is transmitted and received between the digital camera and the personal computer before and after transmission of the data body. In the present invention, including these, image data and setting data are transmitted and received. This is collectively referred to as data transmission. In the present invention, “connection is disconnected” means that when communication between the digital camera and the personal computer is performed by wire, the connection cable is physically disconnected or the connection cable is physically disconnected. Although connected, it means that the connection has been broken in terms of software (logically), and when the communication between the digital camera and the personal computer is performed wirelessly using the short-range wireless communication method, the digital camera is connected to the personal computer. This means that the digital camera is out of an area where wireless communication is possible, or the digital camera is in an area where wireless communication with a personal computer is possible, but the connection has been disconnected in terms of software (logically). In addition, the side that is disconnected in terms of software may be a digital camera or a personal computer. For example, when a partner machine is recognized and can communicate at any time (communication standby state) When the timer is started and a predetermined time elapses, the connection is cut off by software.
[0023]
Here, in the following description, in order to simplify the description, it is described that the connection cable is (physically) disconnected on behalf of “connection is broken”.
[0024]
In the digital camera of this embodiment, all data input / output through the personal computer connection terminal 111 is processed by the CPU 103. For example, when image data captured with a digital camera and stored in the memory card 109 is transferred (transmitted) to a personal computer, the CPU 103 reads the requested video file in the memory card 109 and passes through the PHY 110 and the personal computer connection terminal 111. And send it to the computer. When image data is transferred from the personal computer to the digital camera, the CPU 103 receives the image data via the personal computer connection terminal 111 and the PHY 110, and the image data (video file) received to the memory card 109 is received. Write. Furthermore, when changing the settings of the digital camera from the personal computer, the CPU 103 receives data for predetermined settings from the personal computer via the personal computer connection terminal 111 and the PHY 110, and various setting information stored in the CPU 103. To change.
[0025]
Here, it supplements about the change of the setting of a digital camera. Digital cameras generally have a small number of keys for operation, and operations for changing settings on the digital camera side require a large number of operations and time, and are troublesome for the user. Therefore, recent digital cameras can change the camera settings on the personal computer side. For example, the shutter sound type, self-timer sound type, standby image at startup, camera It is possible to set a shortening operation by pressing a specific key. The predetermined setting data from the personal computer is data for performing such setting.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 1, in the CPU 103, a determination is made by a communication type determining unit 103a for determining a type such as whether the communication being communicated is transmission or reception of image data, and a communication type determining unit 103a. A communication type holding means (holding area) 103b for rewriting and holding the latest communication type, a connection detecting means 103c for detecting whether or not the connection state with the personal computer, ie, the connection is broken, and a power source Power supply control means 103d for controlling the power supply state from the circuit 115 is provided. When communicating image data or the like, the CPU 103 determines the communication type by the communication type determination unit 103a, and stores and holds the latest identified communication type in the communication type holding unit 103b. Then, when the connection cable is disconnected after the communication is completed, the connection detection means detects that the connection between the computer 103c and the personal computer has been cut off, and the power supply control means 103d has communicated immediately before the communication type. Is read from the communication type holding means 103b, and the power supply circuit 115 is adaptively controlled based on the communication type.
[0027]
In this embodiment, for example, when the connection cable is disconnected after image data is transmitted from the digital camera to the personal computer, the communication type that the image data is transmitted from the digital camera is stored in the communication type holding unit 103b. Based on this, control to turn off the power supply circuit 115 is performed. As a result, after the image data is sent to the computer and the connection is cut off, the digital camera is automatically turned off. Consumption can be avoided. In the present embodiment, such processing operations are controlled by the CPU 103 using a communication type monitoring program. This communication type monitoring program is used when a digital camera and a personal computer are connected by a connection cable. Start operation. A specific operation flow in the communication type monitoring program will be described later.
[0028]
Next, the flow of the power control process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows the flow of processing of the communication type monitoring program in the digital camera of this embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 2 is a part of the process executed by the CPU 103, and is a process of the communication type monitoring program part related to the power supply control process. In this embodiment, in addition to this, there is communication processing with a personal computer (processing to accept input / output of images and change of settings) and the like to perform transmission / reception processing of image data, etc., but the processing shown in FIG. This is a process for monitoring the communication process. Although not shown, communication processing such as data transmission / reception with a personal computer is executed at an arbitrary timing by processing of another program while steps 201 to 202 in FIG. 2 are operating. FIG. 3 is a table showing the contents of the communication type, which is information for power control according to the present embodiment.
[0029]
First, when the digital camera of this embodiment is connected to a personal computer with a connection cable, the digital camera detects that it has been connected, and the digital camera mode is switched to the communication mode. In step 2011, the process branches depending on the communication type based on the table of FIG.
[0030]
In the present embodiment, A. B. Send image data from digital camera to personal computer. C. reception of image data transmitted from a personal computer to a digital camera; D. Receiving setting data sent from a personal computer to a digital camera; There are four types of communication for confirming that communication is maintained, the communication type of A is the “1” group, the communication types of B and C are the “2” group, and the communication type of D is the “3” group , Each comes to be classified. The communication types of the “1” group and the “2” group are to be stored and stored in the communication type holding unit 103b.
[0031]
If it is determined in step 2011 that the communication type is A, B, or C indicating that the data communication is actually performed, that is, the “1” group or the “2” group in FIG. In step 2012, communication type information is held in the communication type holding unit 103b, and the process proceeds to step 202. If it is determined in step 2011 that the communication type is D, that is, the group “3” in FIG. 3, the communication type is not stored and the process proceeds to step 202.
[0032]
Next, in step 202, it is determined whether or not the connection is broken, that is, whether or not the connection cable is disconnected. If NO is determined, the process returns to step 201. Here, what is held is the type of communication performed last, and is the value of either the “1” group or the “2” group. For example, after communication of “1” group is performed, communication of “2” group is performed, and then communication of “3” group is performed, communication of “2” group is transmitted from “1” group. Since the “3” group is not an object to be retained, the value retained in the CPU 103 is “2” indicating the “2” group.
[0033]
On the other hand, if YES is determined in step 202 (when it is determined that the connection between the digital camera and the personal computer is disconnected, that is, when the connection cable is disconnected), the process proceeds to step 203. In step 203, the process is branched based on the content held in step 2012, that is, the hold value indicating the classification.
[0034]
If the content held in the determination in step 203 belongs to the “1” group, the power supply circuit 115 is controlled in step 204 to turn off the power. Thereby, after the image data is transferred to the personal computer and the connection is cut off, the power is automatically turned off, so that power can be saved, and in particular, battery consumption due to forgetting to turn off the power can be avoided. In step 204, the power is immediately turned off. However, the power may be turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed.
[0035]
If the content held in the determination in step 203 belongs to the “2” group, in step 205, the state before the switching to the communication mode (shooting mode or playback mode) is entered. For example, in the case where the personal computer is connected in the playback mode before communication, the mode is changed to the playback mode after the connection is disconnected. Thus, for example, in the case of processing for transferring image data processed on a personal computer to a digital camera, the power of the digital camera is not turned off after the connection is cut off. Playback and confirmation of image data transferred by a digital camera can be performed immediately, and usability is not impaired.
[0036]
In the above-described embodiment, data when image data is sent from the digital camera to the personal computer is read from the memory card 109. However, without saving the image captured by the digital camera to the memory card 109, Alternatively, 109 may be stored in the memory card and transferred to the personal computer at the same time. Alternatively, the photographed image may be directly transferred to the personal computer without mounting the image data memory card 109 in the digital camera.
[0037]
In the above-described embodiment, a digital camera is taken as an example of a digital device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the digital device may be any digital device that can transmit and receive data by communication, such as an AV device, a personal computer, a mobile terminal, and a mobile phone.
[0038]
In the embodiment described above, a personal computer is taken as an example of the external device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the external device may be a device that can transmit and receive data by communication, such as a printer, a portable terminal, a mobile phone, an AV device, and a server.
[0039]
Furthermore, it goes without saying that the communication type and the sorting process according to the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the connection is disconnected by determining the content of the work (processing operation) performed by the user connecting the digital device such as a digital camera to the external device, that is, the type of communication. Since the power status of the digital device can be controlled appropriately (adaptively) after becoming a battery, it is possible to automatically turn off the power when it is necessary without losing the usability. It is possible to avoid the consumption of the battery due to the user forgetting to turn off the power of the digital device using the power source.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing flow in a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of classification of communication types in a table in the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 Camera unit 102 A / D converter 103 CPU
103a Communication type determining means 103b Communication type holding means 103c Connection detecting means 103d Power control means 104 Work memory 105 CODEC
106 Working memory 107 Sub CPU
108 Operation key group 109 Memory card 110 PHY part (interface circuit part)
111 PC connection terminal 112 D / A converter 113 Output circuit 114 LCD monitor 115 Power supply circuit

Claims (5)

In a digital device comprising a communication means for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device and capable of transmitting / receiving various data by connecting to the external device,
A connection between the communication type determination unit for determining the type of communication being communicated by the communication unit, the communication type holding unit for holding the communication type determined by the communication type determination unit, and the external device A connection detection means for detecting the state, and a power supply control means for controlling the power supply state of the digital device,
When the connection detection unit detects that the connection with the external device is broken, based on the communication type held in the communication type holding unit, the power control unit supplies power to the digital device. A digital device characterized by controlling. The digital device according to claim 1,
Communication with the external device is performed by wire, and the connection detection unit detects that the connection cable is physically disconnected, or the connection cable is physically connected but disconnected in software. A digital device characterized in that when it is detected, the connection with the external device is considered broken. The digital device according to claim 1,
Communication with the external device is performed wirelessly using a short-range wireless communication method, and the connection detection unit detects that the digital device has come out of an area where wireless communication with the external device is possible, or Even if the digital device is in an area where wireless communication with the external device is possible, it is considered that the connection with the external device is disconnected when it is detected that the connection has been cut off by software. Digital equipment. The digital device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the communication type indicates transmission of data from the digital device to the external device, if it is detected that the connection with the external device is disconnected, the power control means A digital device characterized by turning off the power of the device. The digital device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The digital device is a digital camera powered by a battery.

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