IMAGE SENSING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD

• US 20070103561A1
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kunieda, Shutaro
• Granted Patent: US 7,623,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/220.100
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• 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 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

The present invention allows still images to be recorded during moving image recording, and does not require frame data to be generated and written for all frames missed as a result of the still image recording. Thus, when the recording of a still image is instructed during moving image recording, the moving image recording is interrupted, and the number of moving image frames missed during the still image recording is counted. The still image obtained by an image sensing device is shot, and the shot still image data is stored on a memory card. Next, a pseudo moving image frame is generated from the still image data and appended to the interrupted moving image file. Moving image recording is then resumed. Offsets are adjusted at this time so that the counted missing frames point to the pseudo frame.

Claims

1. An image sensing apparatus for recording image data image-sensed by image sensing means onto a prescribed storage medium, comprising:

moving image recording means for generating, with each piece of image data obtained as a result of sequential image-sensing by the image sensing means in accordance with a prescribed frame rate as frame data of a moving image, a moving image file on the storage medium by writing each piece of frame data and an offset value showing a storage address of each frame to the storage medium;

judging means for judging whether still image recording has been instructed during the moving image recording by the moving image recording means;

still image recording means for interrupting the moving image recording by the moving image recording means if it is judged by the judging means that still image recording has been instructed, and storing onto the storage medium a still image file with image data obtained by the image sensing means as a still image;

adjusting means for generating a pseudo moving image frame from still image data obtained by the still image recording means and storing the generated pseudo moving image frame as part of the moving image file, and adjusting an offset of each missing frame that is not shot during a time period from when still image shooting by the still image recording means is started until when the still image file is stored onto the storage medium, so that the missing frame points to the pseudo moving image frame; and

resuming means for resuming the moving image recording by the moving image recording means after the adjustment by the adjusting means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each frame image recorded by the moving image recording means is generated by thinning pixels from an image extracted at a prescribed line interval by the image sensing means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting means stores the pseudo moving image frame in a preset offset location, and performs the adjustment so that each missing frame points to the preset offset location.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising audio input means, wherein

the moving image recording means stores onto the storage medium, with audio data for a preset unit time interval and a number of pieces of frame data to be image-sensed in the unit time interval as one set, each piece of data in the set together with an offset value showing a storage location of the piece of data, and

the adjusting means stores a preset blackout frame at a shooting timing of an initial moving image frame of each set included in a first time period from when the moving image recording by the moving image recording means is interrupted until when a pseudo frame is generated as a moving image frame by the adjusting means, and stores an offset value showing a storage address of the blackout frame at a shooting timing of another moving image frame in the first time period, and

stores the pseudo frame at a shooting timing of an initial moving image frame of each set included in a second time period from when the pseudo frame is generated until when the still image file is stored by the still image recording means, and stores an offset value showing a storage address of the pseudo frame at a shooting timing of another moving image frame in the second time period.

5. A control method for an image sensing apparatus that records image data image-sensed by image sensing means onto a prescribed storage medium, the method comprising:

a moving image recording step of generating, with each piece of image data obtained as a result of sequential image-sensing by the image sensing means in accordance with a prescribed frame rate as frame data of a moving image, a moving image file on the storage medium by writing each piece of frame data and an offset value showing a storage address of each frame to the storage medium;

a judging step of judging whether still image recording has been instructed during the moving image recording in the moving image recording step;

a still image recording step of interrupting the moving image recording in the moving image recording step if it is judged in the judging step that still image recording has been instructed, and storing onto the storage medium a still image file with image data obtained by the image sensing means as a still image;

an adjusting step of generating a pseudo moving image frame from still image data obtained in the still image recording step and storing the generated pseudo moving image frame as part of the moving image file, and adjusting an offset of each missing frame that is not shot during a time period from when still image shooting in the still image recording step is started until when the still image file is stored onto the storage medium, so that the missing frame points to the pseudo moving image frame; and

a resuming step of resuming the moving image recording in the moving image recording step after the adjustment in the adjusting step.

6. An image sensing apparatus for recording image data image-sensed by image sensing means onto a prescribed storage medium, comprising:

moving image recording means for generating, with each piece of image data obtained as a result of sequential image-sensing by the image sensing means in accordance with a prescribed frame rate as frame data of a moving image, a moving image file on the storage medium by writing each piece of frame data and an offset value showing a storage address of each frame to the storage medium;

judging means for judging whether still image recording has been instructed during the moving image recording by the moving image recording means;

still image recording means for interrupting the moving image recording by the moving image recording means if it is judged by the judging means that still image recording has been instructed, and storing onto the storage medium a still image file with image data obtained by the image sensing means as a still image;

adjusting means for adjusting an offset of each missing frame that is not shot during a time period from when still image shooting by the still image recording means is started until when the still image file is stored onto the storage medium, so that the missing frame points to a moving image frame immediately preceding input of the still image recording instruction; and

resuming means for resuming the moving image recording by the moving image recording means after the adjustment by the adjusting means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each frame image recorded by the moving image recording means is generated by thinning pixels from an image extracted at a prescribed line interval by the image sensing means.

8. A control method for an image sensing apparatus that records image data image-sensed by image sensing means onto a prescribed storage medium, the method comprising:

a moving image recording step of generating, with each piece of image data obtained as a result of sequential image-sensing by the image sensing means in accordance with a prescribed frame rate as frame data of a moving image, a moving image file on the storage medium by writing each piece of frame data and an offset value showing a storage address of each frame to the storage medium;

a judging step of judging whether still image recording has been instructed during the moving image recording in the moving image recording step;

a still image recording step of interrupting the moving image recording in the moving image recording step if it is judged in the judging step that still image recording has been instructed, and storing onto the storage medium a still image file with image data obtained by the image sensing means as a still image;

an adjusting step of adjusting an offset of each missing frame that is not shot during a time period from when still image shooting in the still image recording step is started until when the still image file is stored onto the storage medium, so that the missing frame points to a moving image frame immediately preceding input of the still image recording instruction; and

a resuming step of resuming the moving image recording in the moving image recording step after the adjustment in the adjusting step.

9. An image sensing apparatus for recording audio data input from audio input means and image data image-sensed by image sensing means onto a prescribed storage medium, comprising:

moving image recording means with sound for generating, with audio data for a preset unit time interval and a number of pieces of frame data to be image-sensed in the unit time interval as one set, a moving image file with sound on the storage medium by writing each piece of data in the set to the storage medium together with an offset value showing a storage address of the piece of data;

judging means for judging whether still image recording has been instructed during the moving image recording by the moving image recording means with sound;

still image recording means for interrupting the moving image recording by the moving image recording means with sound if it is judged by the judging means that still image recording has been instructed, and storing onto the storage medium a still image file with image data obtained by the image sensing means as a still image;

audio data storage means for continuing audio input during a time period from when still image shooting by the still image recording means is started until when the still image file is stored onto the storage medium, and storing the audio input onto the storage medium as audio data in each set;

adjusting means for adjusting an offset of a missing frame that results from moving image shooting being interrupted, by storing frame data obtained as a result of image-sensing performed immediately before input of the still image recording instruction, in relation to an initial moving image frame in each set in the time period, and by storing an offset of the moving image frame stored in the set, in relation to a frame in the set excluding the initial moving image frame; and

resuming means for resuming the moving image recording by the moving image recording means after the storage of audio data by the audio data storage means and the adjustment by the adjusting means.

10. A control method for an image sensing apparatus that records audio data input from audio input means and image data image-sensed by image sensing means onto a prescribed storage medium, the method comprising:

a moving image recording step with sound of generating, with audio data for a preset unit time interval and a number of pieces of frame data to be image-sensed in the unit time interval as one set, a moving image file with sound on the storage medium by writing each piece of data in the set to the storage medium together with an offset value showing a storage address of the piece of data;

a judging step of judging whether still image recording has been instructed during the moving image recording in the moving image recording step with sound;

a still image recording step of interrupting the moving image recording in the moving image recording step with sound if it is judged in the judging step that still image recording has been instructed, and storing onto the storage medium a still image file with image data obtained by the image sensing means as a still image;

an audio data storage step of continuing audio input during a time period from when still image shooting in the still image recording step is started until when the still image file is stored onto the storage medium, and storing the audio input onto the storage medium as audio data in each set;

an adjusting step of adjusting an offset of a missing frame that results from moving image shooting being interrupted, by storing frame data obtained as a result of image-sensing performed immediately before input of the still image recording instruction, in relation to an initial moving image frame in each set in the time period, and by storing an offset of the moving image frame stored in the set, in relation to a frame in the set excluding the initial moving image frame; and

a resuming step of resuming the moving image recording in the moving image recording step after the storage of audio data in the audio data storage step and the adjustment in the adjusting step.