JP2004215174A - Portable device provided with camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display image information close to a moving image without hindering information terminal processing. <P>SOLUTION: A portable device provided with a camera has a first control part 30 for controlling an information terminal processing system 10A, a second control part 50 for controlling an imaging camera processing system 10B, a first interface part 90 for exchanging data with the control part and a second interface part 80 for displaying an imaging signal on a display part 32. An imaging camera processing system is controlled via the first interface part based on an instruction from the information terminal processing system. In the case of imaging an object, the imaging signal (image data) is supplied to the display part to be used as an electronic view finder and an object image is displayed. Since processing burden is alleviated by dividing the control part, the image close to the moving image with 10 frames per second is displayed while maintaining a certain level image quality in the case of photographing the object. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information terminal device with a camera. For details, in addition to the information terminal processing system that downloads information from external peripheral devices such as personal computers and displays it on the display unit, the subject image captured by the built-in imaging system is displayed intermittently on the same display unit And a control unit for controlling each of the information terminal processing system and the imaging camera processing system, an interface unit for controlling the imaging camera processing system from the information terminal processing system, and an imaging camera By providing an interface unit for displaying image information obtained by the processing system on a display unit, intermittent display of a subject image is enabled while reducing the load on each control unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A terminal that can exchange information by sharing the functions possessed by each terminal device by connecting another portable terminal device to the portable terminal device or mounting it inside the portable terminal device Devices are known. For example, a digital camera is mounted on a mobile phone (for example, Patent Literature 1), or a digital camera is connected to a portable information terminal device (PDA (Personal Digital Assistants)), and an image taken by the camera is stored in the information terminal device. There is a known display (for example, Patent Document 2).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-176572 A [Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2002-141977
Patent Literature 2 is an example in which an external digital camera is connected to an information terminal device. To incorporate the digital camera into the information terminal device, a configuration as shown in FIG. 2 can be considered.
2, an information terminal device 10 with a built-in camera (hereinafter, referred to as an information terminal device with a camera) 10 has a control unit 12 having a CPU configuration for controlling the entire device. The control unit 12 performs processing as an information terminal, that is, e-mail processing, various types of information processing such as address book and schedule management, audio processing for recording and reproducing media such as music, and also processing for a digital camera. The processing of the digital camera includes an imaging process, a compression process of a captured imaging signal, a display process of an imaging signal, and the like.
[0005]
Therefore, the control unit 12 is connected to a display unit (for example, a liquid crystal display unit) 14 capable of input selection by a stylus with a pen (not shown) as an information processing function, and is connected to an external peripheral device such as a personal computer. There is provided a transmission / reception processing unit 16 for performing communication between and transmitting and receiving information. Further, an information processing unit 18 for processing various information stored in an internal memory means (RAM or the like) and displaying the processed information on the display unit 14 is provided.
[0006]
Further, an image pickup system 22 for picking up the subject image 20 is provided, and the obtained image pickup signal is subjected to, for example, compression processing in an image pickup signal processing system 24, and the compressed image pickup signal is stored in a memory means (RAM or the like) 26. Is displayed on the display unit 14.
A part of the imaging signal captured by the imaging system 22 is intermittently displayed as a still image on the display unit 14.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the case of the configuration as shown in FIG. 2, since one control unit 12 must perform not only the information processing but also the camera processing, the processing speed is inevitably reduced. In particular, although intermittent as an image displayed on the display unit 14, image information of about 10 frames per second is sent to the display unit 14 while maintaining a certain level of image quality, and a continuous image display process is performed as if it were an original process of the apparatus. If an attempt is made to execute the information in parallel with certain information processing, the load on the control unit 12 increases. The certain image quality is an image quality that is required for a normal digital camera and has a resolution of about (320 × 240 pixels) as the number of pixels after compression processing.
[0008]
When the imaging signal having such image quality is sent to the display unit 14 and the information terminal processing and the imaging camera processing are processed asynchronously, the load on the control unit (central processing unit CPU) 12 alone increases. Therefore, the image display processing speed also becomes slow. As a result, transmission processing and display processing of several frames per second are limited. In this case, the movement of the image displayed on the display unit 14 becomes unnatural. In addition, it is preferable that the display unit 14 functions as an electronic viewfinder when capturing a subject image. Therefore, when continuous image display cannot be performed, it is difficult to say that the display unit 14 functions sufficiently as an electronic viewfinder. is there.
[0009]
Even in the case of Patent Document 1, the image quality of the image displayed on the display unit is inferior to that of a normal digital camera, and since only a still image of about several frames per second is displayed, it is far from moving image display and is similar to FIG. Raise the problem.
[0010]
In view of the above, the present invention has solved such a conventional problem, and proposes an information terminal device with a camera capable of processing and displaying moving image-like imaging information without deteriorating the image quality. is there.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the information terminal device with camera according to the present invention described in claim 1, the displayed internal information is selected, and the external information performed with the external terminal is displayed on the display unit. A camera equipped with an information terminal processing system capable of displaying an image on a subject and an imaging camera processing system capable of converting an optical image obtained by imaging the subject image into an imaging signal and displaying the subject image on the display unit An information terminal device,
A first control unit that controls the information terminal processing system;
A second control unit that controls the imaging camera processing system;
A first interface unit that exchanges data with the first and second control units;
A second interface unit for displaying an imaging signal obtained by imaging with the imaging camera processing system on the display unit,
The imaging camera processing system is controlled via the first interface unit based on an instruction from the information terminal processing system,
The imaging signal is supplied to the display unit via the second interface unit, and the subject image is displayed on the display unit.
[0012]
According to the present invention, a control unit (central processing unit) that controls the entire apparatus includes a control unit (first control unit) that mainly performs terminal processing of information and a control unit (second control unit) that mainly performs camera imaging processing. Control unit) to reduce the processing load generated asynchronously.
[0013]
The first control unit performs normal information terminal processing, and specifically performs general information terminal processing such as input selection by a display unit, image display processing, information acquisition and display processing from an external device, and the like. Do. On the other hand, the second control unit performs camera control, in particular, optical system processing such as zoom processing and aperture processing, imaging processing, and camera control processing such as compression processing by a digital signal processor (DSP). . When camera imaging processing including optical system processing is required, the first control unit and the second control unit are connected by an interface, and zoom processing and imaging processing for the optical system, and further, DSP To the second control unit for the compression processing or the like by the first control unit. By doing so, the information terminal processing and the camera imaging processing can be processed independently and independently without affecting each other's processing speed.
[0014]
In addition, separately from these, the imaging signal acquired by the imaging camera processing system is supplied to the display unit via the second interface unit. The second interface unit performs an encoding process or the like as a pre-process to convert the image into a signal format required for displaying an image on the display unit. Supplied to the display unit. Since the first control unit only needs to execute the display processing, the processing load is not excessive.
[0015]
By newly providing such a display processing system, an imaging signal close to a moving image can be sent and displayed as a subject image. That is, for example, an image of about 10 frames per second can be displayed while maintaining an image quality (in the case of a compressed image) of about (320 × 240 pixels). Since this image display processing does not hinder the original information terminal processing and camera imaging processing, it is possible to display an intermittent but moving image of the subject on the display unit. Can function sufficiently as an electronic viewfinder.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of an information terminal device with a camera according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a main part of a portable information terminal device 10 with a camera according to the present invention. The information terminal device 10 with a camera includes an information terminal system 10A and an imaging camera processing system 10B.
[0017]
The information terminal system 10A has a function similar to that of a so-called portable terminal device (PDA), and has a control unit (first control unit) 30 including a CPU that controls the entire information terminal process. An operating system (OS) for performing information terminal processing, programs for applications (driver accessories), and the like are all stored in the ROM 31.
[0018]
A display unit 32 using a liquid crystal display element or the like is provided in association with the first control unit 30. The display unit 32 is configured as a display unit that also serves as an input, and can select a specific menu from a menu screen displayed on the display unit 32 and input specific characters, symbols, and the like. The stylus with pen 34 is used for menu selection, character input, and the like.
[0019]
A transmission / reception unit 38 for transmitting and receiving data is connected to an interface connector 36 having a USB configuration provided on the main body of the apparatus, and data downloaded from an external device such as a personal computer via the transmission / reception unit 38 and data read from the recording unit 44. Under the control of the first control unit 30, the processing is stored in the RAM 39 provided as a memory means provided inside, the image is displayed on the display unit 32, and the processing is performed while being displayed (addition, deletion, etc.). Correction processing). Therefore, a data processing unit 40 for processing is provided in association with the first control unit 30 as needed. The processed data is stored in the RAM 39 or recorded in the recording unit 44. The recording means 44 can be configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body. In this case, a memory card or the like can be used as the recording means 44.
[0020]
As described above, in order to implement a plurality of functions in the first control unit 30, control processing, input processing, and the like on the display unit 32 are executed on the above-described operating system.
[0021]
The imaging camera processing system 10B is also provided with a control unit (second control unit) 50 including a CPU. The second control unit 50 also performs various camera control processes such as image capture based on the operating system stored in the ROM 52 which is a memory unit. For example, in addition to signal processing such as compression from imaging of a subject and saving the signal-processed image information as a file, normal mechanical processing performed by a digital camera is performed.
[0022]
First, the subject image 20 is guided to the optical imaging system 60. The optical imaging system 60 is not of a so-called fixed focus type but of a variable focus type, and an optical lens system 62 and a diaphragm device 64 for that purpose are provided. The optical lens system 62 and the diaphragm device 64 are all controlled by a driving unit 66. The driving means 66 is composed of a motor and its driver.
[0023]
The subject image 20 whose size and brightness have been adjusted is formed on the CCD 68 in this example, which is an image sensor, and is converted into an image signal (image signal). A signal generator (signal generator) 69 for driving the CCD is provided to obtain an imaging signal. The control for the signal generator 69 and the control for the driving unit 66 are both output from the second control unit 50. Performed by command.
[0024]
The imaging signal is supplied to the signal processing circuit 70. The signal processing circuit 70 is provided with an analog signal processor 72, in which a correlated double sampling process is performed to perform noise processing, a gain adjustment process by a programmable gain amplifier for sensitivity adjustment, and a luminance signal A conversion process to an analog imaging signal composed of Y and color signal C is performed. The analog image signal subjected to the noise processing and the gain adjustment processing is converted by the A / D converter 74 into a digital image signal having a predetermined number of bits. The digitally converted image signal is subjected to a compression process or the like by using a working RAM 78 in a digital signal processor (DSP) 76 at the subsequent stage. In this example, a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) method is adopted as an example of compressing a high-definition image, and an image signal is compressed by the JPEG method. The compressed image signal is stored in a file format in the RAM 54 as a memory means. The various signal processes as described above, including the start timing of imaging, are all performed based on a command from the second control unit 50.
[0025]
The uncompressed digital imaging signal supplied to the DSP 76 or the digital imaging signal compressed by the DSP 76 is supplied to the information terminal system 10A via the second interface unit 80 and displayed on the display unit 32 thereof. Therefore, during imaging, the display unit 32 functions as an electronic viewfinder (EVF). During imaging, the display unit 32 can also be used as an electronic viewfinder, so there is no need to provide a dedicated viewfinder.
[0026]
Therefore, the second interface unit 80 has a video encoder 82. The digital image data is converted (encoded) by the video encoder 82 into a signal format (R, G, B primary color signals in this example) that can be displayed on the display unit 32. Thereafter, the digital image data is supplied to a bus converter 84. The bus converter 84 is provided with a buffer means provided at a subsequent stage, in this example, a FIFO (First In First Out) format buffer means 86, and the digital image data is supplied to the bus converter 84. Is converted into a bus format that can be received in frame units. The digital image data temporarily stored in the buffer unit 86 is supplied to the display unit 32 via the first control unit 30 on a frame basis. The image data supplied to the video encoder 82 may be analog data.
[0027]
Here, since the first control unit 30 and the second control unit 50 operate asynchronously, the timing at which the digital image data is received depends on the fetch timing at the first control unit 30 side. As described above, in this example, image data of about 10 frames per second is captured, so that the subject image is displayed on the display unit 32 in units of 10 frames per second. That is, the display unit 32 functions as an electronic viewfinder at the time of imaging, and specific display image data is loaded into the RAM 54 at an appropriate timing (corresponding to the timing at which the shutter is pressed) in the display image.
[0028]
The above-described first control unit 30 and second control unit 50 exchange commands and the like via the first interface unit 90. Therefore, the first interface unit 90 includes a first control unit-side interface 92 and a second control unit-side interface 94, and each is internally connected. In this example, they are connected by a USB (Universal Serial Bus), and commands and the like are transmitted and received via the USB. Therefore, in the embodiment, the first control unit side interface 92 functions as a USB host driver, and the second control unit side interface 94 functions as a USB device driver. Then, the USB host driver 92 is controlled by the first control unit 30, and the USB device driver 94 is controlled by the second control unit 50.
[0029]
By providing the first interface unit 90, the first control unit 30 becomes a master of the imaging camera processing system 10B, and although the imaging camera processing system 10B is asynchronous, it transmits a command from the information terminal system 10A to the USB. Will be received through. Accordingly, a command (command) for camera control (zoom and wide processing, subject capturing timing (shutter processing)) for the imaging camera processing system 10B is given to the second control unit 50 via the first interface unit 90. . In addition, when the capture timing for the subject is instructed, the second control unit 50 executes a compression process, a file storage process, and the like on the image pickup signal irrespective of the process of the information terminal system 10A.
When the file storing process is completed, the status information is transmitted to the first control unit 30 via the first interface unit 90. After checking the status information, the first control unit 30 issues an instruction to read the image file stored in the RAM 54 via the first interface unit 90. The designated image file is taken into the information terminal system 10A via the first interface unit 90, and stored in, for example, the RAM 39 or the recording unit 44, or displayed on the display unit 32 as an image. Since the image data is compressed, the data transfer speed is high. The stored image file can be transferred to an external device such as a personal computer via the transmission / reception unit 38. Alternatively, by connecting a mobile phone or a modem (both not shown) to the interface connector 36, the image file can be transmitted to the outside as mail attachment information.
[0030]
Here, the zooming, widening processing, shutter processing, and the like in the optical imaging system 60 described above are performed by designating a corresponding key from a group of operation keys (software display keys) displayed on the display unit 32 with the stylus with pen 34. Is The corresponding key input unit (not shown) may be provided in the apparatus main body in association with the first control unit 30, and the key input unit may be operated by operating the key input unit.
[0031]
In addition, if the outputs of the above-described video encoder 82 and the outputs of the USB host driver 92 and the USB device driver 94 can be directly displayed on the display unit 32 via the first control unit 30 as shown in FIG. , Can be stored in the RAM 39 or the recording unit 44 via the first control unit 30.
[0032]
The above processing is summarized as follows.
First, at the time of imaging a subject, the stylus with pen 34 is used to select the subject imaging mode. An instruction for the imaging mode is sent from the first control unit 30 side to the second control unit 50 via the first interface unit 90. When this imaging instruction or an instruction for imaging conditions such as zoom and wide is input, the second control unit 50 performs all processing for imaging processing based on the instruction from the second control unit 50. In the process of imaging the subject, control of the driver 66, control of the image sensor 68 by the signal generator 69, and control such as analog and digital processing frequently occur. All of these frequently occurring controls are performed only by the second control unit 50, and the processing is separated from the information terminal processing system 10A, so that the processing load on the second control unit 50 is increased. There is nothing.
[0033]
Further, the processing in the second interface unit 80 is also performed according to the instruction from the second control unit 50, and the image data is sequentially taken into the buffer unit 86 in frame units in accordance with the processing timing of the second control unit 50. Then, in accordance with the processing timing on the first control unit 30 side, the image data of the buffer unit 86 is read out in frame units, and the read image data is supplied to the display unit 32 and sequentially displayed as a subject image. . About 10 frames are read out and displayed every second.
The display period of the subject image, that is, the period in which the display unit 32 is used as an electronic viewfinder, is executed until there is a capture instruction for the subject image (a capture instruction to the RAM 54), as described later. It is displayed on the display unit 32 continuously for a predetermined time.
[0034]
When capturing (capturing) a subject image, the user sends a capturing instruction to the second control unit 50 via the first control unit 30 and the first interface unit 90. When there is a capture instruction, the second control unit 50 instructs the DSP 76 to perform image compression processing to generate image data. The generated image data is stored in the RAM 54 as a file. When the storage in the RAM 54 ends, the end status information is transferred to the first control unit 30 via the first interface unit 90.
[0035]
The image file stored in the RAM 54 is subjected to a transfer process based on an instruction from the first control unit 30 side. The first control unit 30 issues a file transfer instruction after confirming the end status information described above. The recording process of the image data transferred to the first control unit 30 to the recording unit 44 and the like and the transfer process to the outside are performed using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 32.
[0036]
In the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described mainly with respect to a configuration in which a digital camera is incorporated in an apparatus that performs information terminal processing. However, an information terminal is provided in a normal digital camera capable of performing zoom processing, wide processing, and the like. The present invention can be applied to a portable information terminal device equipped with a processing function. In this case, the first control unit is controlled via the second control unit.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, the first control unit for performing the information terminal process and the second control unit for performing the imaging process using the built-in imaging system are provided, and these are connected by the first interface unit. An instruction relating to an imaging process is provided to the second control unit via the first control unit, and an imaged imaging signal is provided in association with the first control unit via the second interface unit. The data is supplied to a display unit that also serves as input selection.
[0038]
According to this, although the instruction regarding the imaging process is given to the second control unit via the first control unit, the second control unit is not limited to the information terminal processing content in the first control unit. In addition, the imaging process can be executed, and the imaging signal can be transmitted to the display unit. As a result, the subject image can be captured while performing the same optical imaging processing as a normal handy video camera such as a zoom operation, and the image signal is intermittently displayed, but the image signal of the number of frames per second close to a moving image is reduced in image quality. It can be sent to the display unit without lowering, and has a feature that a more natural subject image can be reproduced on the display unit.
[0039]
Further, the image data transferred via the first interface unit is a compressed image data, so that it has the benefit of shortening the data transfer time. Since the finder information can be transmitted, it is possible to obtain an effect such that it is not necessary to provide a special view finder.
[0040]
Therefore, the present invention is extremely suitable for application to an information terminal device with a camera such as a PDA incorporating a digital camera.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a main part showing an embodiment of an information terminal device with a camera according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a conventional example of an information terminal device with a camera.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Information terminal device, 10A ... Information terminal processing system, 10B ... Imaging camera processing system, 30 ... 1st control part, 32 ... Display part, 50 ... 2nd Control unit, 60 optical system, 68 imaging unit (CCD), 76 DSP, 80 second interface unit, 82 encoder, 90 first interface , 92: USB host driver, 94: USB device driver

Claims (7)

An information terminal processing system for selecting displayed internal information and displaying external information exchanged with an external terminal on a display unit, and an optical signal obtained by imaging a subject image. An information terminal device with a camera, comprising: an imaging camera processing system capable of displaying the subject image on the display unit.
A first control unit that controls the information terminal processing system;
A second control unit that controls the imaging camera processing system;
A first interface unit that exchanges data with the first and second control units;
A second interface unit for displaying an imaging signal obtained by imaging with the imaging camera processing system on the display unit,
The imaging camera processing system is controlled via the first interface unit based on an instruction from the information terminal processing system,
An information terminal device with a camera, wherein the imaging signal is supplied to the display unit via the second interface unit, and the subject image is displayed on the display unit. 2. The information terminal device with a camera according to claim 1, wherein said first and second control units are constituted by a CPU. The information terminal device with a camera according to claim 1, wherein the first interface unit is configured by a USB interface. The first interface unit includes a USB driver provided in connection with the first control unit and a USB driver provided in connection with the second control unit. The information terminal device with a camera according to claim 1. The USB driver provided in the first control unit is a host driver,
The information terminal device with a camera according to claim 4, wherein the USB driver provided in the second control unit is a device driver. 2. The information terminal device with a camera according to claim 1, wherein the second interface unit includes an encoder for displaying a subject image related to the image signal using the display unit as an electronic viewfinder. 3. 2. The information terminal device with a camera according to claim 1, wherein the imaging camera processing system includes a digital signal processor that processes the imaging signal, in addition to the optical imaging system.

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