Digital still camera and user instruction input method

• US 20040046887A1
• Filed: 09/10/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagaoka, Shiro, Abe, Tatsuro, Ikehata, Tatsuhiko, Ambiru, Yasuhito
• Granted Patent: US 7,355,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00352 Input means H04N1/00411 takes precedence; input arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00392 Other manual input means, e.g. digitisers or writing tablets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding

Abstract

There is disclosed a digital still camera in which a direction and speed of a tracing operation by user'"'"'s fingertips on a touch panel are judged and a dynamic image reproduction process is executed in accordance with the direction and speed. For example, fast forward/rewind reproduction of a dynamic image is executed in response to a long and fast tracing operation to the right from the left or to the left from the right.

Claims

1. A digital still camera comprising:

a photographing section which converts an optical image into an electric signal;

a recording section which records a dynamic image obtained by the photographing section as a dynamic image file in a storage medium;

a reproduction section which reproduces the dynamic image recorded by the recording section;

a display section which displays the dynamic image reproduced by the reproduction section;

a touch panel which is disposed to cover a display surface of the display section and by which a user'"'"'s instruction is inputted;

a first pattern display section which displays a first pattern corresponding to the dynamic image file recorded in the storage medium in the display section;

a second pattern display section which displays a second pattern indicating the present dynamic image display position in the dynamic image file on the first pattern; and

a control section which detects a user'"'"'s touch operation on the first pattern and which controls dynamic image reproduction by the reproduction section in response to the touch operation.

2. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein the control section starts dynamic image reproduction from an image frame corresponding to a contact position in the dynamic image file, when detecting a touch operation in an arbitrary position on the first pattern at the time of standard reproduction of the dynamic image.

3. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein the control section executes one of fast forward and fast return reproduction of the dynamic image in accordance with a direction of a tracing operation, when detecting the tracing operation by a user on the second pattern at the time of standard reproduction of the dynamic image.

4. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein the control section reproduces an image frame corresponding to a contact position in the dynamic image file as a still image, when detecting a touch operation in an arbitrary position on the first pattern at the time of temporary stop of the dynamic image.

5. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein the control section stops the display of the first and second patterns, when a touch operation on the touch panel is not detected for a predetermined period in the first and second display sections, and thereafter the control section restarts the display in response to the touch operation.

6. A digital still camera comprising:

a photographing section which converts an optical image into an electric signal;

a recording section which records a dynamic image obtained by the photographing section as a dynamic image file in a storage medium;

a reproduction section which reproduces the dynamic image recorded by the recording section;

a display section which displays the dynamic image reproduced by the reproduction section;

a touch panel which is disposed to cover a display surface of the display section and by which a user'"'"'s instruction is inputted;

a detection section which detects a tracing operation by a user on the touch panel; and

a control section which judges a direction and speed of the tracing operation detected by the detection section and which determines a reproduction process in accordance with the direction and speed to control dynamic image reproduction by the reproduction section.

7. The digital still camera according to claim 6, wherein the control section executes one of fast forward and rewind reproduction of the dynamic image in response to a long and fast tracing operation in a horizontal direction on the touch panel.

8. The digital still camera according to claim 6, wherein the control section executes one of slow reproduction and slow reverse reproduction of the dynamic image in response to a long and slow tracing operation in a horizontal direction on the touch panel.

9. The digital still camera according to claim 6, wherein the control section executes one of double-speed reproduction and double-speed reverse reproduction of the dynamic image in response to a short and fast tracing operation in a horizontal direction on the touch panel.

10. The digital still camera according to claim 6, wherein the control section executes one of frame feed reproduction and reverse frame feed reproduction of the dynamic image in response to a short and slow tracing operation in a horizontal direction on the touch panel.

11. The digital still camera according to claim 6, wherein the control section cancels the process being executed in accordance with the direction and speed to execute standard dynamic image reproduction in response to touch input in one arbitrary point on the touch panel for a short time.

12. The digital still camera according to claim 6, wherein with detection of a touch operation in which the position does not change following the tracing operation detected by the detection section, the control section continues to execute the reproduction process in accordance with the direction and speed while detecting the touch operation, and cancels the reproduction process in accordance with the direction and speed, when the touch operation is not detected.

13. The digital still camera according to claim 12, wherein the control section controls the reproduction section so as to continuously execute the reproduction process in accordance with the direction and speed, after the reproduction process in accordance with the direction and speed is started by the reproduction section and while the touch operation in the arbitrary position on the touch panel is detected by the detection section.

14. The digital still camera according to claim 6, wherein at the time of standard dynamic image reproduction, the control section temporarily stops the standard dynamic image reproduction being executed in response to touch input in one arbitrary point on the touch panel for a short time, and reproduces a still image corresponding to a temporary stop position on the dynamic image file.

15. A user instruction input method of inputting a user'"'"'s instruction in a digital still camera including:

a photographing section which converts an optical image into an electric signal;

a recording section which records a dynamic image obtained by the photographing section as a dynamic image file in a storage medium;

a reproduction section which reproduces the dynamic image recorded by the recording section;

a display section which displays the dynamic image reproduced by the reproduction section; and

a touch panel which is disposed to cover a display surface of the display section and by which the user'"'"'s instruction is inputted, the method comprising;

displaying a first pattern corresponding to the dynamic image file recorded in the storage medium in the display section;

displaying a second pattern indicating the present dynamic image display position in the dynamic image file on the first pattern; and

detecting a user'"'"'s touch operation on the first pattern to control dynamic image reproduction by the reproduction section in response to the touch operation.

16. A user instruction input method of inputting a user'"'"'s instruction in a digital still camera including:

a photographing section which converts an optical image into an electric signal;

a recording section which records a dynamic image obtained by the photographing section as a dynamic image file in a storage medium;

a reproduction section which reproduces the dynamic image recorded by the recording section;

a display section which displays the dynamic image reproduced by the reproduction section; and

a touch panel which is disposed to cover a display surface of the display section and by which the user'"'"'s instruction is inputted, the reproduction section including at least one reproduction function of fast forward/rewind reproduction, slow reproduction/slow reverse reproduction, double-speed reproduction/double-speed reverse reproduction, and frame feed reproduction/reverse frame feed reproduction of the dynamic image, the method comprising;

detecting a tracing operation by a user on the touch panel; and

judging a direction and speed of the detected tracing operation and determining the reproduction function in accordance with the direction and speed to control the dynamic image reproduction by the reproduction section.

17. The user instruction input method according to claim 16, wherein the controlling comprises:

continuing to execute a reproduction process in accordance with the direction and speed, while a touch operation is detected; and

canceling the reproduction process in accordance with the direction and speed, when the touch operation is not detected in a case where the touch operation in which the position does not change is detected following the detected tracing operation.