Image capturing apparatus and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus and method in which the image recording time is reduced and the memory capacity required for compression is also reduced. A number-of-bytes calculation unit 302 determines the number of bytes after compression based on an integrated value of high-frequency integrated data supplied from a high-frequency integration processor. Based on the determined number of bytes, a Q-scale calculation unit 303 determines a Q-scale based on which the image data can be compressed one time to a predetermined data size. A Q-table generation unit 304 generates a Q-table based on the Q-scale. A DCT unit 321 performs a discrete cosine transform on the input image data. A quantization processor 322 adjusts the compression ratio of the image data based on the up-to-date Q-table supplied from the Q-table generation unit 304 . A variable-length coding processor 323 encodes the image data with variable length coding such as Huffman coding, and outputs the resulting compressed image data. The present invention is applicable to digital cameras.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
   
   
       8 . An image capturing apparatus having a standby state in which image data obtained by capturing an object image is monitored on a display but not recorded, and a photographic image data recording mode in which image data corresponding to a still image, which a user wishes to record, is recorded as photographic image data, said image capturing apparatus comprising:
 high-frequency integration means for integrating only a high-frequency component of the obtained image data during the standby state to obtain an integrated value; and   compression processing means for compressing the photographic image data to be recorded during the photographic image data recording mode based on an integrated value obtained only during the standby state by integration of the high-frequency component.   
   
   
       9 . An image capturing apparatus having a standby state in which image data obtained by capturing an object image is monitored on a display but not recorded, and a photographic image data recording mode in which image data corresponding to a still image, which a user wishes to record, is recorded as photographic image data, said image capturing apparatus comprising:
 a high-frequency integrator for integrating only a high-frequency component of the obtained image data during the standby state to obtain an integrated value; and   a compression processor for compressing the photographic image data to be recorded during the photographic image data recording mode based on an integrated value obtained only during the standby state by integration of the high-frequency component.   
   
   
       10 . A method for capturing an image by image capturing apparatus having a standby state in which image data obtained by capturing an object image is monitored on a display but not recorded, and a photographic image data recording mode in which image data corresponding to a still image, which a user wishes to record, is recorded as photographic image data, said method comprising the steps of:
 integrating only a high-frequency component of the obtained image data during the standby state to obtain an integrated value; and   compressing the photographic image data to be recorded during the photographic image data recording mode based on an integrated value obtained only during the standby state by integration of the high-frequency component.   
   
   
       11 . A computer readable medium storing a computer program for controlling image capturing apparatus having a standby state in which image data obtained by capturing an object image is monitored on a display but not recorded, and an image data recording mode in which image data corresponding to a still image, which a user wishes to record, is recorded as photographic image data, said program implementing a method comprising the steps of:
 integrating only a high-frequency component of the obtained image data during the standby state to obtain an integrated value; and   compressing the photographic image data to be recorded during the photographic image data recording mode based on an integrated value obtained only during the standby state by integration of the high-frequency component.   
   
   
       12 . A program embodied in a computer readable medium to control a processor to implement a method for controlling image capturing apparatus having a standby state in which image data obtained by capturing an object image is monitored on a display but not recorded, and an image data recording mode in which image data corresponding to a still image, which a user wishes to record, is recorded as photographic image data, said method comprising the steps of:
 integrating only a high-frequency component of the obtained image data during the standby state to obtain an integrated value; and   compressing the photographic image data to be recorded during the photographic image data recording mode based on an integrated value obtained only during the standby state by integration of the high-frequency component.