JPH07118797B2 - Continuous still image recorder - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a continuous still image recording apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional continuous still image recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a conventional continuous still image recording apparatus. In FIG. 5, 501 is a shutter for obtaining a still image, 502 is a shutter control circuit, 503 is an image sensor for exchanging a still image with an electric signal, 504 is an image sensor drive circuit, and 505 is a signal output from the image sensor. A signal processing circuit that processes even a possible signal, 506 is a recording medium, and 507 is a recording control circuit that controls the above circuits.

In the conventional continuous still image recording apparatus configured as described above, the still image obtained by the shutter circuit 501 is converted into an electric signal by the image pickup device 503, and converted into a signal which can be recorded by the signal processing circuit 505, and the recording control circuit 507. It is controlled by and recorded on the recording medium 506. At this time, the signal processing circuit 505 performs processing such as FM modulation when recording a still image signal as an analog signal, and processing such as A / D conversion when recording a still image signal as a digital signal.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, as a method of using a continuous still image recording apparatus such as a camera device, there are cases in which still images are continuously recorded in a high-speed continuous shooting mode and a large number of still images are recorded for monitoring. In addition, in these cases, a still image that is not always necessary may be recorded, so that there is a problem in that a recording medium having a large recording capacity must be used more and more.

In view of the above point, the present invention has an object to provide a continuous still image recording apparatus capable of inexpensively recording a large number of still images by recording only a required still image signal.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image sensor, setting means for setting a single-shot / continuous-shot mode for shooting, and a position of a comparison target in a still image of a subject. When the comparison position information input means for inputting the information and the setting means are in the continuous photographing mode, the comparison position information input means can obtain the arbitrary two images among the continuous images which are the image sensor output signals. The comparing means for comparing a predetermined portion of the image based on the position information, and the information of the temporally newer image based on the temporally older one of the two images is output from the comparing means. A series of units including a compression unit that compresses by a signal, a first recording unit that records a first image of continuous images, an output signal from the compression unit, and information indicating a compression method of the compressed signal. It is a continuous still image recording device.

With the above-described configuration, the present invention compares the signals of a portion of any two images among the continuous still images that are the output signals of the image sensor according to the photographer's shooting intention, and uses the comparison signal to compare the two signals. Information of a temporally newer image is compressed based on the temporally older one of the two images, and the first image of consecutive images, the compressed still image signal, and the compressed signal compression method. Since only necessary still image information is recorded by recording the information indicating the image, continuous still images according to the photographer's intention to shoot are efficiently and inexpensively, and images that are not affected by the deterioration of image quality due to compression. Can be recorded.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a continuous still image recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1
101 is a shutter for obtaining a still image, 102 is a shutter control circuit that controls the shutter, 103 is an image sensor that converts a still image into an electrical signal, 104 is a drive circuit that drives the image sensor, and 105 is an output signal of the image sensor , A signal processing circuit for processing into a signal capable of recording data, 106 is an A / D circuit for converting the output signal of the signal processing circuit into a digital signal, and 107 is a comparison for comparing the first still image signal and the second still image signal. A circuit, 108 is a recording circuit for recording still image signals and data, 109 is a recording control circuit for controlling the recording circuit, 110 is a circuit for creating recording data, and 111 is a system control circuit for comprehensively controlling the above circuits. , 112 are data input circuits for giving data such as a recording mode.

The operation of the continuous still image recording apparatus of this embodiment configured as described above will be described below.

The still image obtained by the shutter 101 is converted into a still image signal by the image sensor 103, and processed by the signal processing circuit 105 to a recordable signal. This signal is further converted into a digital signal by the A / D circuit 106.

By the way, the continuous image recording apparatus such as the electronic still camera shown in FIG. 1 may perform continuous shooting in a continuous shooting mode as a shooting method. As for this instruction, data such as shutter speed, continuous shooting speed, and number of continuous shots is input to the system control circuit 111 by the data input device 112, and the shutter control circuit 1
02, controls the recording control circuit 109 and the like. In the continuous shooting mode, still images are continuously recorded, but these still images have a very high correlation. Especially when digital signals are used, the signals between these still images are often the same. Therefore, in the recording in the continuous shooting mode, the same signal is often recorded, which is a wasteful recording.

Therefore, in FIG. 1, when performing continuous recording, the first still image A, which is the output signal of the A / D circuit, is recorded in the recording circuit 108. Next, the second still image B is recorded in the recording circuit 108 and, at the same time, is recorded in the recording circuit by the comparison circuit 107.
Of the second still image B recorded on the recording circuit at the same time as the third still image C is recorded on the recording circuit. Only the different signal is extracted and replaced with the still image B recorded in the recording circuit. In this state, the recording circuit records the still image A, the difference signal between the still images A and B, and the difference signal between the still images B and C. The same applies to the fourth and fifth still images, and the difference signal between the still image A and two still images in the following consecutive still images is recorded in the recording circuit. Then, at the time of this continuous recording, data indicating from what area to what type of compression method is used is recorded in the recording circuit from the data creating circuit 110.

In the continuous image recording apparatus of the first embodiment configured as described above, when recording a continuous still image signal, among the continuous still images, among the continuous still images, the first continuous image signal and the following continuous still images are Since only the difference signal between the two still image signals and the data indicating the compression method are recorded, it is possible to significantly reduce the recording capacity required for recording continuous still images.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a continuous still image recording apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Since 201 to 206 are the same as 101 to 106 in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. Less than
207 is a buffer memory that records the output signal of the A / D circuit for an arbitrary period, and 208 is a signal from the buffer memory 207 that is compared with an output signal of the A / D circuit that is a signal delayed by the arbitrary period from the signal. A comparator, 209 is a recording circuit, 210 is a recording control circuit for controlling the recording circuit, 211 is a data creation circuit for creating data to be written, 212 is a system control circuit for comprehensively controlling the above circuits, and 213 is a system control circuit. Reference numeral 214 is a data input circuit for inputting data to the input terminal, and 214 is a comparison position information input circuit for inputting position information to be compared in a still image of the subject. FIG. 3 is a viewfinder view of the camera device.

The operation of the continuous still image recording apparatus of the second embodiment configured as described above will be described below focusing on the points different from the first embodiment.

When shooting is performed using the camera device, the shutter speed, aperture value, etc. are determined using the information in the viewfinder shown in FIG. 3, and the data is input to the camera device. In addition to continuous shooting mode, continuous shooting speed,
Enter information such as the number of consecutive shots, but if you want to take continuous shots using the continuous shot mode, you often want to take continuous shots of changes in some of the subject images in the viewfinder, and other subject images In many cases, it is not necessary to take a picture.
Therefore, it is only necessary to input the data of the subject image to be captured, compare the still image signals corresponding to the subject image, and record the data only when they are not equal. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

First, assuming that the subject image to be photographed is mostly located in the center of the viewfinder, the comparison position information input circuit 214 causes the system control circuit 212 to use it as data for comparing the still image signal at the position of the focusing screen 304 in FIG. When input, the system control circuit issues a command to each circuit according to the input data. In accordance with this command, the first still image signal is first recorded in the recording circuit and simultaneously converted into a digital signal by the A / D circuit and recorded in the buffer memory 207. Next, the first still image signal recorded in the buffer memory 207 is input to the comparator 208 together with the second still image signal from the A / D circuit, and the signal at the position corresponding to the comparison position information is compared.
When the signals are equal, the recording control circuit 210 is activated by the signal from the comparator 208 so that the second still image signal is not recorded in the recording circuit 209. Then, instead, information indicating that the data is not recorded is created and recorded using the data creation circuit 211. Furthermore, the third still image signal is sent from the A / D circuit to the comparator 2
The second recorded in the buffer memory when input to 08
Of the still image signal and the signal at the position corresponding to the position information are compared, and when they are not equal, the third still image signal is recorded in the recording circuit by the signal from the comparator 208. The same applies to the fourth and fifth still image signals below.

In the still image continuous recording apparatus of the second embodiment configured as described above, when recording a continuous still image signal, of the continuous still images, the first still image signal and the following continuous still image signals are recorded. Of these, paying attention to the signal at the position corresponding to the comparison position information, and recording the still image signal only when the signal at that position is different, so data and recording indicating continuous recording among continuous still images Only the data indicating the compression method such as the data indicating that the operation is not performed and the required still image are recorded, and the required recording capacity can be significantly reduced.

In the present embodiment, the case where the comparison information in the subject for determining whether or not to record is the still image signal at the position of the focusing screen in the center of the viewfinder has been described, but other (x,
y) Specify the position information using coordinates, consider that all still images that are the subject, not a part of the still image, are to be compared, and judge whether the two still images are the same. There are other methods for obtaining the information, but they are omitted here. Further, in this embodiment, the case of analog recording is shown, but it goes without saying that digital recording may be used.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a continuous still image recording apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention, which is a combination of the first embodiment and the second embodiment. The description is omitted. The continuous still image recording apparatus of the third embodiment configured as shown in FIG. 4 operates as follows.

The first still image signal A, which is the output signal of the A / D circuit 406, is
The data is recorded in the recording circuit 408. Next, the second still image signal B is recorded in the recording circuit and, at the same time, is compared with the first still image A recorded in the recording circuit by the comparison circuit 407. This comparison circuit 407 compares two still image signals and
Since the still image signals corresponding to the position designated by the comparison position information input circuit 413 are compared to determine whether or not to record, the still image A and the still image B are the still image signals corresponding to the designated positions. By comparison, when the signals are not equal, the unequal signal between the still images A and B, that is, the difference signal (AB) between the still images A and B is recorded. Next, the third still image C is recorded in the recording circuit, and the comparison circuit 407 compares it with the still image B recorded in the recording circuit to determine whether or not to record the still image B and C. The difference signal (B-C) is replaced with the still image B, and the still image B is erased when not recorded. The same thing is done for the 4th and 5th still images, and the difference signal between the still image A and the still image that is judged to be necessary for recording in the recording circuit, and the data indicating that the recording is not performed when it is not recorded. Data indicating the compression method is recorded.

In the still image continuous recording apparatus according to the third embodiment configured as described above, when a continuous still image signal is recorded, among the continuous still images, the first still image signal and the following continuous still image signals are recorded. Of these, only the difference signals of still images that have been determined to be recorded and the data indicating continuous shooting and the data indicating not recording, such as data indicating the compression method, are recorded, so continuous still images are recorded. It is possible to significantly reduce the recording capacity required for this.

Although the still image is recorded in the above-mentioned embodiment, the still image can be reproduced from the recording medium by the following processing in the reproducing system. First, in the second embodiment, when the data indicating continuous shooting is read, the still image that needs to be recorded after that and the data indicating that it is not recorded are recorded, so that it can be reproduced from that. In the first embodiment, assuming that the continuous still image signals are A, B, C, D ..., The difference signal (A
-B), (BC) ... are recorded, so when the data indicating continuous shooting is read, the still image A and the still image B from the difference signal (AB) are recorded. A still image C is obtained from B and the difference signal (BC). Further, in the third embodiment, if the continuous still image signals are A, B, C, D, E, and F, and the still images that need to be recorded are A, B, D, and F, still images are recorded in the recording circuit. A and difference signals (A-B), (B-
Since D) and (DF) are recorded, in reproduction, data indicating that continuous shooting is performed and data indicating that recording is not performed are read in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and still images A, B, D, and F
Can be obtained.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the camera device having the shutter circuit is used is shown as the method for obtaining the still image, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the camera device such as the electronic still camera has been described, but it is easily conceivable that the camera device can be applied to the surveillance camera and the like, and therefore, the description will not be given here.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, for recording and shooting continuous still images,
Since a still image of successive still images is compared by having an image comparing unit that reflects the photographing intention of the photographer, and the difference signal and the data indicating the compression method are recorded, a large number of consecutive still images are recorded. Even when recording, it is possible to significantly reduce the recording capacity, and it is possible to record an image that is less affected by image quality deterioration due to compression, which is a great practical effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a still image continuous recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a still image continuous recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a viewfinder diagram. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a still image continuous recording apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a conventional still image recording apparatus. 101 ... Shutter circuit, 102 ... Shutter control circuit,
103: image sensor, 104: drive circuit, 105: signal processing circuit, 106: A / D circuit, 107: comparison circuit, 108: recording circuit, 109: recording control circuit, 110: data Making circuit,
111 ... System control circuit, 112 ... Data input circuit.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup device, setting means for setting a single-shot / continuous-shooting mode for shooting, comparison position information input means for inputting position information of a comparison target in a still image of a subject, and the setting means. Is in the continuous shooting mode, a predetermined portion of the image based on the position information obtained by the comparison position information input means for any two images among the continuous images which are the image sensor output signals. Of the two images, a compression unit that compresses information of a temporally new image based on the temporally older image of the two images by an output signal of the comparison unit, and A continuous still image recording apparatus comprising first recording means for recording a first image, an output signal from the compression means, and information indicating a compression method of the compressed signal. 2. A second means in which the comparing means records the image for an arbitrary period of time.
The continuous still image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: