Digital camera

• US 20050179790A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Tsuji, Shuji, Nakajima, Yasumasa, Shirakawa, Masanobu
• Application Number:
  US11/045,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20050179790A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.300
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/325 Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• 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

Background data to be synthesized with the subject data in which the subject area to which an image represented by the subject data is allocated is previously set in an image represented by the background data, and partial background data associated with the background data, showing at least a part of the area of the image represented by the background data that includes the subject area and having the number of pixels accommodated in a display are stored in a nonvolatile memory. The subject data is synthesized with the partial background data and the synthesized image data is displayed on the display (S230) The subject data is associated with the background data associated with the partial background data and the associated image data is stored in the nonvolatile memory (S260 and S270).

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

a photographing unit for creating subject data in accordance with an output of an image sensor;

a display;

a nonvolatile memory that stores background data to be synthesized with the subject data in which a subject area to which an image represented by the subject data is allocated is previously set in an image represented by the background data, and partial background data that is associated with the background data, shows at least a part of an area of the image represented by the background data including the subject area and has a number of pixels accommodated in the display area of the display;

a display control unit for synthesizing the subject data with the partial background data and displaying the synthesized image data on the display; and

a subject data storing unit for storing the subject data in the nonvolatile memory while the subject data is associated with the background data that is associated with the partial background data.

2. The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising a cutting unit for creating the partial background data on the basis of the background data, and storing the partial background data in the nonvolatile memory while the partial background data is associated with the background data.

3. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the cutting unit further performs a subtractive color process in the partial background data.

4. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory further stores reduced background data associated with the background data and having pixels of the background data thinned to the number of pixels that is accommodated in the display, and the display control unit synthesizes the subject data with the partial background data and displays the synthesized image data on the display or displays the reduced background data on the display in accordance with an input switch instruction.

5. A digital camera according to claim 4, further including a background data reducing unit for creating the reduced background data on the basis of the background data, and storing the reduced background data in the nonvolatile memory while the reduced background data is associated with the background data.