JP4073225B2 - Electronic album device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic album apparatus capable of storing image files obtained by, for example, photographing using a digital camera.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a digital camera, in order to record image data obtained by shooting, a compact flash (Compact Flash (registered trademark); hereinafter referred to as a CF card) or a smart media (Smart Media (registered trademark); A small memory card with a capacity of about several tens of megabytes (such as an SM card) is used, and a plurality of still images are inserted into the memory card with the memory card inserted into the memory card connector provided on the camera body. It is possible to record image data of images and moving images.
[0003]
However, the number of images that can be recorded on a single memory card is limited, and in order to store a large amount of images, a large number of memory cards are required, which not only makes the management of the memory card complicated. When searching for a desired image from a large number of images, it is necessary to frequently replace the memory card, and there is a problem that the operation is complicated.
[0004]
Therefore, the applicant can mount the memory card, and in response to the operation of the save button by the user, reads out all the image data recorded on the memory card and loads the built-in CD-R (Compact Disc). -Recordable) has been developed (see JP 2000-311106 [G06F12 / 00]).
In the electronic album device, it is possible to set two types of memory cards, a CF card and an SM card, in consideration of the case where the recording medium of the digital camera is a CF card and the case of an SM card. Data can be copied between any one of the memory cards and the CD-R.
According to the electronic album device, for example, still images for about 10 memory cards can be written to a CD-R having a capacity of 640 MB, so that it is possible to collectively manage a large number of still images. Become.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the electronic album device can be operated with a battery as a power source in order to be portable. If a command to copy a large number of still images to the other medium is issued, copying may be interrupted in the middle due to insufficient battery power.
Therefore, the remaining capacity of the battery is level-displayed in a plurality of stages as shown in FIG. 6 to alert the user to the remaining capacity of the battery.
Further, in a state where the remaining power amount is small, the copy instruction is not accepted regardless of the amount of data to be copied, and the copying is prevented from being interrupted midway.
[0006]
However, whether or not copying of data from one medium to the other is completed without interruption, depends not only on the remaining capacity of the battery, but also on the amount of data in the copy. If the remaining capacity is simply displayed as shown in FIG. 6, there is a problem that the user may make a mistake and the data copy is unexpectedly interrupted.
[0007]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the possibility that the user will make a misjudgment about the possibility of copying being interrupted due to battery exhaustion when copying data from one medium to the other medium. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic album device that is less likely to be interrupted unexpectedly.
[0008]
[Means for solving the problems]
The electronic album device according to the present invention can be mounted with a data recording medium, reads out an image file stored in the data recording medium using a built-in battery as a power source, and writes it in the data storage medium. Alternatively, the image file stored in the data storage medium can be read out and written to the data recording medium, and the display means for displaying the remaining power amount of the battery in a plurality of levels, and the display means Control means for controlling the level display operation.
Here, the control means is
Means for calculating the amount of data to be copied when copying image file data between media;
Means for detecting a battery state value (e.g., battery output voltage) according to the amount of remaining battery power;
Means for deriving a level value for the level display by comparing the detected battery state value with a plurality of predetermined threshold values;
Means for changing the plurality of thresholds according to the calculated data amount;
Means for controlling a level display operation in accordance with the derived level value.
Specifically, the threshold value changing means sets a larger threshold value corresponding to each level value as the calculated data amount increases.
[0009]
In the electronic album apparatus of the present invention, for example, when the amount of copy data is large, the threshold value for deriving the level value is set large, and conversely when the amount of copy data is small, the threshold value is set small. As a result, even if the battery status value is the same, the level displayed on the display means is a lower value when the amount of copy data is large than when the amount of data is small, and the level is displayed. Will be.
In this way, the level display of the remaining capacity of the battery takes into account the amount of data to be copied and alerts the user, so that the user can interrupt copying due to battery consumption when copying data. Mistakes in judgment about sex
[0013]
【The invention's effect】
According to the electronic album device according to the present invention, the possibility of the user making a mistake in the judgment about the possibility of the copy being interrupted due to battery exhaustion when copying data from one medium to the other medium is reduced, or There is less risk of data copying being unexpectedly interrupted.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic album apparatus according to the present invention has a small portable case (1), and a CF card insertion slot (12) and an SM card are inserted in the front of the case (1). A mouth (13) is opened, and a CF card (2) and an SM card (3) can be inserted respectively. When the CF card (2) is inserted into the CF card insertion slot (12), the entire card is accommodated in the housing (1) and set at a predetermined data write / read position (not shown). When the SM card (3) is inserted into the SM card insertion slot (13), a part of the SM card (3) protrudes from the housing (1) to the outside, and is set at a predetermined data write / read position (not shown). Is done.
[0015]
In addition, the housing (1) is provided with a kangaroo pocket type lid (11) which is opened as shown by a chain line by operating the disk take-out lever (20) shown in FIG. 1, and the lid (11) is opened. After the magneto-optical disk (4) is mounted on a holder (not shown) provided on the back side of the lid (11), the lid (11) is closed to place the magneto-optical disk (4) in a predetermined recording / reproducing position. Can be set.
[0016]
At the center of the surface of the housing (1) is a display (14) for displaying various information, and a save button (15) to be operated when copying data between the card media and the disk media. The set button (16) to be operated when setting one operation from a plurality of operations displayed on the display (14), and to be operated when selecting one operation from the plurality of operations A selection button (19) and a cancel button (17) to be operated when canceling the selected operation are provided.
On both sides of the save button (15), data is copied from the CF card (2) or SM card (3) to the magneto-optical disk (4), or from the magneto-optical disk (4). A first LED (8) and a second LED (81) of a pair of arrow marks are provided to indicate whether data copying to the CF card (2) or the SM card (3) is executed.
Furthermore, a power switch (18) is provided on the side surface of the housing (1).
[0017]
In the electronic album apparatus, still image data and moving image image data previously captured by a digital camera are written in the CF card (2) and SM card (3). These image data are stored in the magneto-optical disk (4). Can be copied and stored.
It is also possible to write back the image data recorded on the magneto-optical disk (4) to the CF card (2) or the SM card (3).
[0018]
FIG. 2 shows a device configuration of the electronic album apparatus. As a main circuit, a microcomputer (5) that executes a predetermined control operation and a predetermined signal while communicating between the microcomputer (5). It is equipped with an ASIC (51) that executes processing.
The ASIC (51) includes a disk drive device (62) for driving the magneto-optical disk (4), a CF card connector (6) into which the CF card (2) is inserted, and an SM card into which the SM card (3) is inserted. A connector (61) is connected, and a USB connector (63) and an IEEE1394 connector (64) for connecting an external device such as a personal computer are connected.
The ASIC (51) is connected to a memory (52) used for various data processing.
[0019]
The microcomputer (5) is connected to a card detector (7) for detecting the CF card (2) and a card detector (71) for detecting the SM card (3). A key input device (10) including various operation buttons, the display (14), the first LED (8), and the second LED (81) are connected.
Further, a power supply circuit (53) for supplying the power of the battery (54) as a power supply to each circuit block is provided, and the power supply operation is controlled by the microcomputer (5).
[0020]
In the electronic album device, the user inserts the CF card (2) in which image data is written into the housing (1) while the magneto-optical disk (4) is set in the housing (1). When the card is inserted into the CF card insertion slot (12) and the save button (15) is operated, data is copied from the CF card (2) to the magneto-optical disk (4). When the SM card (3) in which the image data is written is inserted into the SM card insertion slot (13) of the housing (1) and the save button (15) is operated, the magneto-optical disk is removed from the SM card (3). Data is copied to (4).
When data is copied from the magneto-optical disk (4) to the CF card (2) or SM card (3), the setting is switched by mode selection.
[0021]
FIG. 3 shows a control procedure at the time of data copying.
First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not a medium is loaded. If it is determined as YES, it is determined in step S2 whether or not a folder to be copied is designated. If the folder is specified and the determination is YES, the process proceeds to step S3, and the amount of data to be copied is calculated. After that, in step S4, the voltage threshold required for level display of the remaining power amount of the battery is changed according to the data amount.
[0022]
FIG. 4 shows a procedure for changing the voltage threshold according to the amount of data. First, in step S41, it is determined whether or not the amount of data is less than 100 MB. If it is determined YES, the voltage threshold is changed in step S42. For example, when the remaining battery power level is displayed in eight levels as shown in FIG. 6, the output voltage of the battery is detected as an index of the remaining battery power, and the eight threshold values to be compared with the voltage values are low as shown in the figure. Set to value.
If the data amount is 100 MB or more, it is determined in step S43 in FIG. 4 whether the data amount is smaller than 512 MB. If the determination is yes, the voltage threshold is changed in step S44. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, eight threshold values to be compared with the voltage value of the battery are set to intermediate values larger than the threshold value in step S42.
If the data amount is 512 MB or more, it is determined in step S45 in FIG. 4 whether the data amount is less than 1024 MB. If the determination is YES, the voltage threshold is changed in step S46. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, eight threshold values to be compared with the voltage value of the battery are set to values larger than the threshold value in step S44.
[0023]
In step S5 of FIG. 3, the remaining power amount is checked based on the voltage value of the battery, the voltage value is compared with the set eight threshold values, and a level value of 0 to 7 is determined. The determined level value is displayed.
Next, in step S6 ', it is determined whether or not the save button has been pressed. If it is determined as YES, it is determined in step S7 whether or not the battery level is zero, and if it is determined NO, step S8 is determined. The data storage operation is started at, and when the answer is yes, the procedure is terminated. In step S9 after the start of the saving operation, it is determined whether or not the saving has been completed. When it is determined as YES, the procedure is ended.
[0024]
According to the control procedure shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the voltage threshold is set large when the copy data amount is large, and conversely, the voltage threshold is set small when the data amount is small. Even if the output voltage of the battery is the same, when the amount of copy data is large, the value is lower than when the amount of data is small. Therefore, the user is less likely to make a mistake about the possibility of copying being interrupted due to battery consumption.
Even if the remaining battery power is small, as long as the battery level is not zero, copying can be executed by operating the save button. Therefore, when the data amount of copying is small, copying can be performed to the end. .
[0025]
FIG. 5 shows a procedure for controlling data copying according to the battery level and the data amount. First, in step S11, it is determined whether or not a medium is loaded. If it is determined as YES, it is determined in step S12 whether or not a folder to be copied is designated. If the folder is specified and the determination is YES, the process proceeds to step S13, and the amount A of data to be copied is calculated. Thereafter, in step S14, the remaining electric energy is checked based on the voltage value of the battery, and the level value L of 0 to 7 is determined by comparing the voltage value with the set eight threshold values, and then in step S15. The determined level value L is displayed.
[0026]
Next, in step S15 ′, it is determined whether or not the save button has been pressed. If it is determined as YES, it is further determined in step S16 whether or not the battery level L is 0, and it is determined as YES. When the procedure ends. If NO is determined, the process proceeds to step S17 to determine whether the battery level is 1 or 2. If YES is determined, the process proceeds to step S18, and the data amount A is 100 MB or more. Determine if there are few. When it is determined NO, the procedure is terminated. When it is determined YES, the process proceeds to step S24, and the data storing operation is started.
When it is determined NO in step S17, the process proceeds to step S19, where it is determined whether the battery level is 3 or 4, and when it is determined YES, the process proceeds to step S20, and the data amount is determined. Determine whether A is less than 512 MB. When it is determined NO, the procedure is terminated. When it is determined YES, the process proceeds to step S24, and the data storing operation is started.
[0027]
When it is determined NO in step S19, the process proceeds to step S21, where it is determined whether the battery level is 5 or 6, and when it is determined YES, the process proceeds to step S22, and the data amount is determined. Determine whether A is less than 1024 MB. When it is determined NO, the procedure is terminated. When it is determined YES, the process proceeds to step S24, and the data storing operation is started.
When it is determined NO in step S21, the process proceeds to step S23 to determine whether or not the battery level is 7. When it is determined NO, the procedure is terminated. When it is determined YES, the process proceeds to step S24 to start the data storage operation.
After the saving operation is started, in step S25, it is determined whether or not the saving is completed. When it is determined as YES, the procedure is ended.
[0028]
According to the control procedure shown in FIG. 5, if there is a high possibility that copying will be performed to the end according to the level value L of the remaining battery power amount and the data amount A of copying, data copying is permitted and copying is permitted. If there is a high possibility that the data will be interrupted, the data copy is rejected, so that there is less possibility that the data copy is unexpectedly interrupted.
For example, even when the amount of remaining battery power is small, if the amount of data to be copied is small, all data can be copied.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an electronic album apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the electronic album apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control procedure at the time of data copying.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for changing a battery threshold value.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another control procedure at the time of data copying.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a level display example according to the remaining electric energy of the battery.
[Explanation of symbols]
(1) Case
(11) Lid
(12) CF card insertion slot
(13) SM card slot
(14) Display
(15) Save button
(4) Magneto-optical disk
(2) CF card
(3) SM card
(5) Microcomputer
(51) ASIC
(7) Card detector
(71) Card detector

Claims (3)

The data recording medium can be installed, and the built-in battery is used as a power source to read the image file stored in the data recording medium and write it to the data storage medium or store it in the data storage medium. In an electronic album apparatus that can read an image file that has been read and write it to a data recording medium, the display means for displaying the remaining power level of the battery in a plurality of levels and the level display operation of the display means are controlled Control means, the control means comprising:
Means for calculating the amount of data to be copied when copying image file data between media;
Means for detecting a battery state value according to the remaining amount of power of the battery;
Means for deriving a level value for the level display by comparing the detected battery state value with a plurality of predetermined threshold values;
Means for changing the plurality of thresholds according to the calculated data amount;
An electronic album apparatus comprising: means for controlling a level display operation in accordance with the derived level value.   The electronic album apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value changing unit sets a larger threshold value corresponding to each level value as the calculated data amount increases. Battery status value, album device according to claim 1 or claim 2 which is the output voltage of the battery.

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