CONTROL SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, EXTERNAL DEVICE, AND CONTROL METHOD

Abstract

To reduce a load on the development of an application for remotely controlling an electronic apparatus.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus having a photographing function has a storage unit that stores display control information for displaying a control screen for controlling the electronic apparatus with an external device and photographing control information for controlling a photographing operation of the electronic apparatus, and a first transmission unit that transmits the display control information and the photographing control information to the external device. The external device has a display that displays the control screen based on the received display control information and selectively displays setting values included in the photographing control information on the control screen, an operation unit that receives a user's operation to select between the setting values on the control screen, a generation unit that generates designation information for designating the setting value according to the operation, and a second transmission unit that transmits the generated designation information to the electronic apparatus. The electronic apparatus has a changing unit that changes the setting value of the electronic apparatus according to the received designation information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system, an electronic device, an external device, and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a control system that remotely controls an electronic device such as a digital camera using an external device such as a PC (Personal Computer). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a specific configuration of the control system.

[0003] In the control system described in Patent Document 1, while a control command from an external device is being executed, information to that effect is displayed on the display unit of the electronic device. A user can know that the electronic device is being controlled by an external device just by looking at the display unit of the electronic device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3991054 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the conventional control system exemplified in Patent Document 1, an application for remotely controlling an electronic device by an external device needs to be developed for each model of electronic device, which poses a problem of a large burden in developing the application.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a control system that reduces the burden of developing applications for remotely controlling electronic devices, electronic devices and external devices that constitute this control system, and a control method executed by this control system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A control system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system including an electronic device and an external device capable of two-way communication. The electronic device is a device having a photographing function, and includes a storage unit that stores display control information for displaying a control screen for controlling the electronic device in the external device and photographing control information for controlling a photographing operation of the electronic device on the control screen; Based on a request from an external device, The external device has a display unit that displays a control screen based on the display control information received from the electronic device and selectably displays setting values ​​included in the shooting control information on the control screen, an operation unit that receives a user's operation to select a setting value on the control screen, a generation unit that generates designation information that designates the setting value in response to the operation, and a second transmission unit that transmits the generated designation information to the electronic device. The electronic device has a change unit that changes the setting value of the electronic device according to the designation information received from the external device. The display control information and shooting control information transmitted by the first transmission unit are included in a file written in a predetermined markup language. The language used to describe the display control information and shooting control information in the file is the language specified by the request. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control system that reduces the development burden of applications for remotely controlling electronic devices, electronic devices and external devices that constitute this control system, and a control method executed by this control system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 4 shows an example of a control screen displayed on a display unit of an external device in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A control system according to an embodiment of the present invention and a control method executed by this control system will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the control system 1 includes an electronic device 10 and an external device 20. The electronic device 10 and the external device 20 are connected by wire (for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus)) or wirelessly (for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) and are capable of communicating with each other.

[0012] The electronic device 10 is a device having a photographing function, specifically a digital camera. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 includes a control unit 101, a communication interface unit 102, an operation unit 103, a display unit 104, an imaging unit 105, and an external storage device 106.

[0013] The control unit 101 controls the entire electronic device 10 and is a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 101b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 101c, an input / output port 101d, and bus lines connecting these ports.

[0014] The communication interface unit 102 is an interface that handles communication processing with the external device 20 .

[0015] The operation unit 103 includes various buttons and dials, such as a power button, a release button, and a shooting mode button, that are necessary for the user to operate the electronic device 10. When the user operates the power button, power is supplied from a battery (not shown) through a power line to various circuits of the electronic device 10, and the system of the electronic device 10 starts up.

[0016] The display unit 104 has, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and an LCD driver, and displays live view images, captured images, and a menu screen.

[0017] The imaging unit 105 includes a photographing lens, an image sensor (for example, a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor), an AD converter, etc., and is a device that captures an image of a subject and outputs the captured image data.

[0018] The external storage device 106 is a storage medium such as a flash memory detachable from the electronic device 10, and can store image data captured by the imaging unit 105. The external storage device 106 also stores display control information D1 for displaying a control screen CS for controlling the electronic device 10 on the external device 20, and shooting control information D2 for controlling the shooting operation of the electronic device 10 on the control screen CS. That is, the external storage device 106 operates as a storage unit that stores the display control information D1 and the shooting control information D2.

[0019] The control screen CS, the display control information D1, and the shooting control information D2 will be described in detail later.

[0020] The electronic device 10 is not limited to a digital camera. The electronic device 10 may be a device other than a digital camera that has a shooting function, such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, a video camera, or a portable game machine.

[0021] The external device 20 is a PC (a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a tablet PC, etc.) As shown in FIG.

[0022] The control unit 201 controls the entire external device 20, and is a microcomputer including a CPU 201a, a ROM 201b, a RAM 201c, an input / output port 201d, and a bus line connecting these ports.

[0023] The communication interface unit 202 is an interface that handles communication processing with the electronic device 10 .

[0024] The operation unit 203 is an operation member such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a touch panel that allows the user to operate the external device 20.

[0025] The display unit 204 has, for example, an LCD and an LCD driver, and displays a control screen CS for controlling the electronic device 10.

[0026] The storage device 205 is a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). An operating system (OS) 205a and an application 205b are installed in the storage device 205. The storage device 205 can also store captured image data transferred from the electronic device 10.

[0027] The CPU 201a accesses the storage device 205, reads the OS 205a, and loads it into the RAM 201c, which is the main memory, to start it. After that, the CPU 201a and the OS 205a cooperate with each other to execute various processes. For example, the application 205b runs under the management of resources and processes by the OS 204a executed by the CPU 201a.

[0028] The external device 20 is not limited to a PC, and may be a device other than a PC, such as a smartphone or a tablet PC.

[0029] Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure of the control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. When communication is established between the electronic device 10 and the external device 20, the processing procedure shown in the sequence diagram of Fig. 2 is started. As an example, when the electronic device 10 and the external device 20 are connected via USB, this processing procedure is started.

[0030] In this processing procedure, the communication interface unit 102 cooperates with the CPU 101a to operate as a first transmission unit that transmits the display control information D1 and the shooting control information D2 to the external device 20 (see step S102).

[0031] In this processing procedure, the display unit 204 cooperates with the CPU 201a to display the control screen CS based on the display control information D1 received from the electronic device 10 and operates as a display unit that selectably displays the setting values ​​included in the shooting control information D2 on the control screen CS (see step S103).

[0032] In this processing procedure, the operation unit 203 cooperates with the CPU 201a to operate as an operation unit that receives a user's operation to select a setting value on the control screen CS (see step S104).

[0033] In this processing procedure, the CPU 201a operates as a generating unit that generates designation information D3 that designates a setting value in response to the above-mentioned operation (see step S105).

[0034] In this processing procedure, the communication interface unit 202 operates as a second transmission unit that transmits the designation information D3 generated by the generation unit to the electronic device 10 (see step S106).

[0035] In this processing procedure, the CPU 101a operates as a change unit that changes the setting value of the electronic device 10 in accordance with the designation information D3 received from the external device 20 (see step S107).

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, when a connection is established between the external device 20 and the electronic device 10, a request for a main control file MF is issued by the CPU 201a and transmitted to the electronic device 10 via the communication interface unit 202 (step S101).

[0037] The main control file MF is a file including display control information D1 and shooting control information D2 written in a predetermined markup language. The main control file MF created according to the model of the electronic device 10 is stored in the external storage device 106 of the electronic device 10.

[0038] The contents of the main control file MF differ depending on the model of the electronic device 10. In addition, the contents of the main control file MF differ depending on the performance and functions of the electronic device 10. The manufacturer of the electronic device 10 creates a separate main control file MF for each model of the electronic device 10.

[0039] The main control file MF is an XML file written in XML. An example of the main control file MF is shown below. For convenience, only a part of the main control file MF (element <f>The following is an excerpt from the description of the

[0040] (Excerpt from the main control file MF) ... <f> <Screen coordinate X>10< / Screen coordinate X> <Screen coordinate Y>800< / Screen coordinate Y> <Icon size W>200< / Icon size W> <Icon size H>40< / Icon size H> <title>F< / title> <Options> F9.0 F8.0 F7.1 F6.3 F5.6 F5.0 F4.5 < / Options> <Selected>F4.5< / Selected> < / f> ...

[0041] The element <screen coordinate X> specifies the X coordinate. The element <screen coordinate Y> specifies the Y coordinate. The element <icon size W> specifies the width of the icon. The element <icon size H> specifies the height of the icon. The element <title> defines the item name of the shooting control information D2.< / title> <title> The elements <screen coordinate X>, <screen coordinate Y>, <icon size W>, <icon size H>,< / title> <title> , <selected> and the contents of these elements are part of the display control information D1 for displaying the control screen CS for controlling the electronic device 10 in the external device 20.< / title>

[0042] The element <choice> is an element <title> This defines selectable setting values ​​for the item names of the shooting control information D2 defined in . The element <option> and the content of this element are setting values ​​included in part of the shooting control information D2 for controlling the shooting operation of the electronic device 10 on the control screen CS.< / title>

[0043] The shooting control information D2 includes, for example, a shooting mode, a white balance mode, an image file format, an image size, an image quality, a Tv value, an Av value, an F value, an ISO sensitivity, an exposure compensation value, and the like.

[0044] The main control file MF is not limited to an XML file, but may be a file written in another markup language, such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).

[0045] In the electronic device 10, the CPU 101a accepts a request from the external device 20, and in response to this request transmits the main control file MF to the external device 20 via the communication interface unit 102 (step S102).

[0046] When the main control file MF is received in the external device 20, the CPU 201a uses the application 205b to display the control screen CS on the display unit 204 (step S103).

[0047] The application 205b is an application that includes, for example, an XML parser, an XSLT (XSL Transformations) processor, etc., and is capable of interpreting XML, HTML, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), JavaScript (registered trademark), etc., and their related specifications. The application 205b may be, for example, a general-purpose web browser, or may be a dedicated application.

[0048] The application 205b interprets the main control file MF, which is an XML content, and generates a DOM (Document Object Model) tree, a layout tree, etc. The application 205b sequentially renders each element of the control screen CS, whose layout has been determined, in an image buffer in the RAM 201c. The contents rendered in the image buffer are transferred to a VRAM (Video Random Access Memory), not shown. The control screen CS is displayed on the display unit 204 by transferring the rendering result to the VRAM.

[0049] 3 shows an example of a control screen CS displayed on the display unit 204. On the control screen CS, a live view image, a captured image, etc. are displayed in an image area IR laid out in the right area of ​​the screen. Control icons and various setting values ​​for controlling the electronic device 10 are displayed in areas other than the image area IR.

[0050] 3, the display unit 204 displays a control screen CS according to the contents of the main control file MF. For example, an icon I having a width and height specified by the elements <icon size W> and <icon size H> is displayed at the coordinates specified by the elements <screen coordinate X> and <screen coordinate Y>. The icon I displays the content of the element <selected>, i.e., the F value currently set in the electronic device 10.

[0051] When the user operates the operation unit 203 to select the icon I, the setting value defined in the element <option> and the element selectable in the electronic device 10 are displayed. <f>In other words, the F-numbers that can be set in the electronic device 10 are displayed.

[0052] In this manner, the control screen CS is displayed on the display unit 204 based on the display control information D1 received from the electronic device 10, and the setting values ​​included in the shooting control information D2 are displayed in a selectable manner on the control screen CS.

[0053] When the user selects a setting value displayed in a pull-down menu on the control screen CS (step S104), the application 205b generates a control file CF including specification information D3 that specifies the setting value selected by this operation (step S105).

[0054] The control file CF is also an XML file written in XML. An example of a control file CF is shown below. For convenience, the XML declaration and DTD (Document Type Definition) are omitted, and only the XML body is shown below.

[0055] (Excerpt from the control file CF) <f> <Selected value>F9.0< / Selected value> < / f>

[0056] The element <selected value> is the element <f>This indicates the setting value selected by the user.

[0057] When the control file CF is generated, the control file CF is transmitted by the application 205b to the electronic device 10 via the communication interface unit 202 (step S106).

[0058] When the control file CF is received by the electronic device 10, the CPU 101a reads and interprets the control file CF. <f>For the content of the element <selected value>, that is, the element <f>This is interpreted as F9.0 being selected as the setting value for the F-stop defined in

[0059] Next, the CPU 101a changes the F-number to F9.0 specified in the control file CF (step S107). That is, the CPU 101a changes the setting value of the electronic device 10 according to the specification information D3 received from the external device 20. This changes the aperture of the variable diaphragm mounted on the photographing lens.

[0060] When the CPU 101a changes the setting values ​​of the electronic device 10, it generates a change result file RF including information on the changed setting values ​​(step S108).

[0061] The change result file RF is also an XML file written in XML. An example of a change result file RF is shown below. Again, for convenience, the XML declaration and DTD are omitted, and only the XML body is shown.

[0062] (Excerpt from the RF file) <f> <Selected>F9.0< / Selected> < / f>

[0063] The CPU 101a transmits the change result file RF to the external device 20 via the communication interface unit 102 (step S109).

[0064] When the external device 20 receives the change result file RF, the application 205b updates the display contents of the control screen CS (step S110).

[0065] Specifically, the application 205b changes the elements described in the change result file RF. <f>Regarding the content of the element <selected>, that is, the element set in the electronic device 10 <f>In other words, the display unit 204, in cooperation with the CPU 201a executing the application 205b, displays the setting value information (F9.0) received from the electronic device 10 as the current setting value information of the electronic device 10.

[0066] Thus, in this embodiment, the application 205b interprets and executes the main control file MF including the display control information D1 and the shooting control information D2, so that a control screen CS for controlling the electronic device 10 is displayed on the external device 20, and the setting values ​​included in the shooting control information D2 are displayed in a selectable manner on this control screen CS.

[0067] By creating a main control file MF for each model of electronic device 10 (i.e., creating a main control file MF with different functions and setting values ​​registered for each model of electronic device 10), it becomes possible to display the control screen CS, select setting values ​​on the control screen CS, and change the setting values ​​of the electronic device 10 with the same application 205b for any model. Since there is no need to develop an application 205b for each model of electronic device 10, the development load of the application 205b is reduced.

[0068] The above is a description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. For example, the embodiments of the present application also include appropriate combinations of the embodiments, etc., which are exemplified in the specification, or obvious embodiments, etc.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the main control file MF is a document written in Japanese for a user who speaks Japanese, but the language used to write the main control file MF is not limited to Japanese and may be another language, such as English.

[0070] Further, the external storage device 106 of the electronic device 10 may store a plurality of main control files MF written in various languages, such as a main control file MF written in Japanese and a main control file MF written in English. In this case, in step S101 of FIG. 2, a request issued from the external device 20 to the electronic device 10 includes a description specifying a language, such as Japanese or English. Here, the specified language is, for example, the language used by the external device 20. Note that this language may be specified by a user operation. In step S102, the electronic device 10 selects a main control file MF in the language specified in the request from among the plurality of main control files MF, and transmits the selected main control file MF to the external device 20. As a result, a control screen CS in the language specified in the request is displayed on the display unit 204 of the external device 20.

[0071] In step S102, the electronic device 10 may transmit to the external device 20 a main control file MF in a language set as a language used in the electronic device 10. In this case, a control screen CS in the language used in the electronic device 10 is displayed on the display unit 204 of the external device 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1: Control system 10:Electronic equipment 20: External equipment 101: Control unit 102: Communication interface unit 103:Operation unit 104: Display section 105: Imaging unit 106 :External storage device 201: Control section 202: Communication interface unit 203:Operation unit 204: Display section 205: Storage device 205b :Application< / f> < / f> < / f> < / f> < / f> < / f> < / f>

Claims

1. A control system including an electronic device and an external device capable of two-way communication, the electronic device is a device having a photographing function, a storage unit configured to store display control information for displaying a control screen for controlling the electronic device in the external device and shooting control information for controlling a shooting operation of the electronic device on the control screen; a first transmission unit that transmits the display control information and the shooting control information to the external device based on a request from the external device; having The external device is a display unit that displays the control screen based on the display control information received from the electronic device and selectably displays setting values ​​included in the shooting control information on the control screen; an operation unit that receives a user's operation for selecting the setting value on the control screen; a generating unit that generates designation information that designates a setting value in response to the operation; a second transmission unit that transmits the generated designation information to the electronic device; having The electronic device includes: A change unit that changes the setting value of the electronic device according to the designation information received from the external device. having the display control information and the shooting control information transmitted by the first transmission unit are included in a file written in a predetermined markup language, the language used to describe the display control information and the shooting control information in the file is the language specified by the request; Control system.

2. A control system including an electronic device and an external device capable of two-way communication, the electronic device is a device having a photographing function, a storage unit configured to store display control information for displaying a control screen for controlling the electronic device in the external device and shooting control information for controlling a shooting operation of the electronic device on the control screen; a first transmission unit that transmits the display control information and the shooting control information to the external device; having The external device is a display unit that displays the control screen based on the display control information received from the electronic device and selectably displays setting values ​​included in the shooting control information on the control screen; an operation unit that receives a user's operation for selecting the setting value on the control screen; a generating unit that generates designation information that designates a setting value in response to the operation; a second transmission unit that transmits the generated designation information to the electronic device; having The electronic device includes: A change unit that changes the setting value of the electronic device according to the designation information received from the external device. having the display control information and the shooting control information transmitted by the first transmission unit are included in a file written in a predetermined markup language, a language used to describe the display control information and the shooting control information in the file is a language set as a language used in the electronic device; Control system.

3. The first transmission unit is transmitting information about the setting value changed by the change unit to the external device; The display unit is displaying the setting value information received from the electronic device as current setting value information of the electronic device; A control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The file written in the markup language is an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The photographing control information includes at least one of a photographing mode, a white balance mode, an image file format, an image size, an image quality, a Tv value, an Av value, an F value, an ISO sensitivity, and an exposure compensation value. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. In an electronic device having a photographing function and capable of two-way communication with an external device, a storage unit configured to store display control information for displaying a control screen for controlling the electronic device in the external device and shooting control information for controlling a shooting operation of the electronic device on the control screen; a first transmission unit that transmits the display control information and the shooting control information to the external device based on a request from the external device; a change unit that changes a setting value of the electronic device in accordance with designation information received when designation information that designates a setting value included in the shooting control information and that is selected by a user's operation on the control screen displayed on the external device is received from the external device; Equipped with the display control information and the shooting control information transmitted by the first transmission unit are included in a file written in a predetermined markup language, the language used to describe the display control information and the shooting control information in the file is the language specified by the request; electronic equipment.

7. In an electronic device having a photographing function and capable of two-way communication with an external device, a storage unit configured to store display control information for displaying a control screen for controlling the electronic device in the external device and shooting control information for controlling a shooting operation of the electronic device on the control screen; a first transmission unit that transmits the display control information and the shooting control information to the external device; a change unit that changes a setting value of the electronic device in accordance with designation information received when designation information that designates a setting value included in the shooting control information and that is selected by a user's operation on the control screen displayed on the external device is received from the external device; Equipped with the display control information and the shooting control information transmitted by the first transmission unit are included in a file written in a predetermined markup language, a language used to describe the display control information and the shooting control information in the file is a language set as a language used in the electronic device; electronic equipment.

8. In an external device capable of two-way communication with an electronic device, a control unit that requests, from the electronic device, display control information for displaying a control screen for controlling the electronic device in the external device and shooting control information for controlling a shooting operation of the electronic device on the control screen; a display unit that, when receiving the display control information and the shooting control information from the electronic device in response to the request, displays the control screen based on the received display control information and selectably displays setting values ​​included in the shooting control information on the control screen; an operation unit that receives a user's operation for selecting the setting value on the control screen; a generating unit that generates designation information that designates a setting value in response to the operation; a second transmission unit that transmits the generated designation information to the electronic device; Equipped with the display control information and the shooting control information received from the electronic device are included in a file written in a predetermined markup language, the language used to describe the display control information and the shooting control information in the file is the language specified by the request; External equipment.

9. A control method executed by an electronic device capable of two-way communication and an external device, comprising: The electronic device has a photographing function, a request step executed by the external device, for requesting, from the electronic device, display control information for displaying a control screen for controlling the electronic device on the external device and shooting control information for controlling a shooting operation of the electronic device on the control screen; a first transmission step, which is executed by the electronic device, of transmitting the display control information and the shooting control information to the external device based on the request; a display step executed by the external device, which displays the control screen based on the display control information received from the electronic device and selectably displays setting values ​​included in the shooting control information on the control screen; an operation step executed by the external device, the operation step receiving a user's operation for selecting the setting value on the control screen; a generating step executed by the external device to generate designation information for designating a setting value in response to the operation; a second transmission step executed by the external device, the second transmission step being for transmitting the generated specification information to the electronic device; A step executed by the electronic device, in which a setting value of the electronic device is changed in accordance with the designation information received from the external device. Including, the display control information and the shooting control information transmitted in the first transmission step are included in a file written in a predetermined markup language, the language used to describe the display control information and the shooting control information in the file is the language specified by the request; Control methods.

10. A control method executed by an electronic device capable of two-way communication and an external device, comprising: The electronic device has a photographing function, a first transmission step, which is executed by an electronic device that stores display control information for displaying a control screen for controlling the electronic device in the external device and shooting control information for controlling a shooting operation of the electronic device on the control screen, of transmitting the display control information and the shooting control information to the external device; a display step executed by the external device, which displays the control screen based on the display control information received from the electronic device and selectably displays setting values ​​included in the shooting control information on the control screen; an operation step executed by the external device, the operation step receiving a user's operation for selecting the setting value on the control screen; a generating step executed by the external device to generate designation information for designating a setting value in response to the operation; a second transmission step executed by the external device, the second transmission step being for transmitting the generated specification information to the electronic device; A step executed by the electronic device, in which a setting value of the electronic device is changed in accordance with the designation information received from the external device. Including, the display control information and the shooting control information transmitted in the first transmission step are included in a file written in a predetermined markup language, a language used to describe the display control information and the shooting control information in the file is a language set as a language used in the electronic device; Control methods.

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