Image processing system for classifying reduced image data

• US 5,576,759 A
• Filed: 05/15/1995
• Issued: 11/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kawamura, Koichiro, Suzuki, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/441,012
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 348/220, 348/231, 348/232, 348/335, 348/906, 358/313, 360/71, 360/35.1, 360/72.1, 360/72.2
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2137 with temporary storage before final recording, e.g. in a frame buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/215 Recording a sequence of still pictures, e.g. burst mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3247 Data linking a set of images to one another, e.g. sequence, burst or continuous capture mode
• 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 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9206 the additional signal being a character code signal

Abstract

A system to form reduced data for indexing use classified according to specific groups. A digital still camera records image data corresponding to a photographed subject, in frame units on a recording medium, and includes a classification unit to classify the image data corresponding to the photographed subjects into specific groups and a recording control to record image data corresponding to plural frames of the specific groups classified by the classification unit.

Claims

1. An image processing system, comprising:

an image processing unit to produce digital image data corresponding to an imaged subject;

a memory card including plural regions to receive the digital image data and to store the digital image data in a respective one of the plural regions;

a reading unit to read the digital image data stored in the memory card automatically when the stored image data reaches a predetermined level;

a reducing unit to reduce the digital image data read by the reading unit and to produce a reduced digital image data; and

a recording unit to record the reduced digital image data in the memory card.

2. An image processing system, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a compression unit to compress the reduced digital image data; and

a recording unit to record the compressed reduced digital image data in the memory card.

3. An image processing unit, comprising:

an image processing device to generate digital image data representing a single frame image of an imaged subject;

a main buffer memory to receive and store the digital single frame image data;

a reducing unit to reduce the single frame image data;

an auxiliary buffer memory having plural storage regions to receive the reduced single frame image data and to store the reduced data in a respective region in the auxiliary buffer memory;

a compression and expansion unit to receive the digital image data from the main buffer memory and to compress the digital image data according to a first compression ratio, and to receive the reduced image data from the auxiliary buffer memory and compress the reduced image data according to a second compression ratio which is different from the first compression ratio; and

a memory card to store the compressed image data.

4. The image processing unit, as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

a playback and display unit the receive the image data stored in at least one of the auxiliary buffer memory and the main buffer memory and to display the image data.

5. An image processing system for a camera, comprising:

an image processing unit to produce digital data corresponding to a photographed subject;

a memory including plural regions to receive the digital image data and to store the digital image data in a respective one of the plural regions,

a reducing unit to produce reduced digital image data;

a classification unit to classify the reduced digital image data into a plurality of classes based upon predetermined classification criteria; and

a recording unit to record the reduced digital image data in a respective one of the plural regions of the memory according to a class classified by the classification unit.

6. An image processing system as recited in claim 5, wherein the classification unit includes an attitude detection sensor to detect an attitude of the camera, and the classification unit classifies the digital image data into a respective class based upon a detected attitude.

7. An image processing system as recited in claim 5, wherein the classification unit includes a continuous photography mode detection device, and the classification unit classifies the digital image data into a respective class based upon a state of the continuous photography mode detection device.

8. The image processing system as recited in claim 5, wherein the classification unit includes a time information detection unit to detect information concerning the time of photography, and the classification unit classifies the digital image data based upon the detected time information.

9. An image processing system, comprising:

an image processing unit to produce digital image data corresponding to an imaged subject;

a memory including plural regions to receive the digital image data and to store the digital image data in a respective one of the plural regions;

a reducing unit to produce reduced digital image data;

a classification unit to classify the reduced digital image data into a plurality of classes based upon predetermined classification criteria; and

a recording unit to record the reduced digital image data in a respective one of the plural regions of the memory according to a class classified by the classification unit.

10. The image processing unit, as recited in claim 9, wherein the memory includes a main buffer memory to store one frame of image data and an auxiliary buffer memory including a plurality of storage regions, and wherein a frame of image data is stored in the main buffer memory and is transferred to a respective region of the auxiliary buffer memory based upon the classification by the classification unit.

11. The image processing system, as recited in claim 9, wherein the memory includes at least one region to store plural frames of image data which have been reduced by the reducing unit.

12. The image processing system, as recited in claim 9, wherein the classification unit includes an attitude detection sensor to detect an attitude of the image processing system, and the classification unit classifies the digital image data into a respective class based upon a detected attitude.

13. The image processing system, as recited in claim 9, wherein the classification unit includes a continuous photography mode detection device, and the classification unit classifies the digital image data into a respective class based upon a state of the continuous photography mode detection device.

14. The image processing system, as recited in claim 9, wherein the classification unit includes a time information detection unit to detect information concerning the time of photography, and the classification unit classifies the digital image data based upon the detected time information.

15. An image processing system, comprising:

a image processing unit generating digital image data corresponding to an imaged subject;

a storage unit having plural regions to store the digital image data generated by the image processing unit;

a reducing unit to produce reduced digital image data;

a classification unit to classify the reduced digital image data into a plurality of classes based upon predetermined classification criteria;

a recording unit to record the reduced digital image data in a respective one of the plurality of regions of the memory according to the class classified by the classification unit; and

a display device to receive the digital image data stored in the plural regions of the storage unit and to display an image of the data stored.

16. The image processing system, as recited in claim 15, wherein the classification unit further comprises an attitude detection sensor to detect an attitude of the image processing system, and the classification unit classifies image data for storage based upon a detected attitude.

17. The image processing system, as recited in claim 15, wherein the classification unit further comprises a continuous photography mode detection device, and the classification unit classifies the digital image data based upon a state of the continuous photography mode detection device.

18. The image processing system, as recited in claim 15, wherein the classification unit includes a time information detection unit to detect information concerning the time of photography, and the classification unit clasifies the digital image data based upon the detected time information.

19. The image processing system, as recited in claim 15, further comprising a memory card and wherein the image data stored in a respective region of the storage unit is stored in the memory card when a number of frames stored in the region reaches a predetermined number.