JP2000098456A - Camera provided with automatic composing function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera capable of automatically setting composition at the time of photographing. SOLUTION: An image pickup unit 20 can switch its photographing direction. In the camera 10, range-finding is performed to respective unit range-finding areas obtained by dividing a subject area S, the area showing a short distance is regarded as a main subject area, and the photographing direction of the unit 20 is controlled so that the main subject area may come to the center of an image plane, and zooming is controlled so that the size of a subject may equal to or above fixed size.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly, to a camera having an automatic composition function for automatically setting a composition at the time of photographing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional camera, a good photograph of a subject in a well-balanced state cannot be taken unless the composition is determined exactly and then released.

For this reason, if it takes time to set the composition, a photo opportunity may be missed during that time. In addition, beginners do not know how to set the composition. Furthermore, when the self-timer is used, the photographer himself does not exist in the finder screen when the composition is determined, so that it is difficult to set the composition. Also, when shooting at a high angle or a low angle, it is difficult to see through the viewfinder, and it is difficult to set the composition.

[0004]

Accordingly, a technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a camera whose composition is automatically set at the time of photographing.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a camera having the following configuration to solve the above technical problems.

[0006] The camera has an image pickup unit capable of switching the photographing direction. A camera, a subject situation detecting unit that detects a situation of the subject, a photographing direction determining unit that decides a photographing direction according to the detected situation, and a control unit that directs the image capturing unit to the decided photographing direction and captures an image. Having.

In the above arrangement, the subject is detected by the subject situation detecting means and the photographing direction determining means, and the direction of the image pickup section is determined so as to obtain an appropriate composition according to the subject. The image capturing unit can be aimed at the camera.

Accordingly, the composition is automatically set at the time of photographing.

Preferably, the situation of the subject detected by the subject situation detecting means is a distance distribution.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the subject is usually at a distance close to the camera, so that the situation such as the position and size of the subject can be easily detected from the distance distribution.

Preferably, the situation of the subject detected by the subject situation detecting means is a movement.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily detect the situation such as the position and size of a moving subject.

[0013] Preferably, the imaging unit further has a zoom function. The control unit includes a zoom control unit that performs zooming of the imaging unit in accordance with a situation detected by the subject situation detection unit.

According to the above configuration, a better composition can be automatically set by appropriately performing zooming so that the subject has an appropriate size.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, the basic configuration of the camera 10 will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. 1 and the perspective view of the main part of FIG.

The camera 10, as shown in FIG.
An imaging unit 20 and a scanning drive unit imitating an eye, a distance sensor 14, and a shooting start button 12 are provided.
The switch S1 is turned on when the shooting start button is pressed in one step, and the switch S2 is turned on when pressed in two steps.

The imaging unit 20 includes a zoom lens 16
A zoom motor 17 for driving a zoom lens 16;
An image sensor 18 is provided, and is integrally formed in a substantially spherical shape. The zoom lens 16 changes the photographing magnification of the subject image to form an image on the image sensor 18. Zoom lens 1
Reference numeral 6 indicates that the photographing magnification changes when the zoom motor 17 is driven. The imaging sensor 18 is a CCD area sensor, and converts an optical signal of a subject image into an electric signal.

The scanning drive unit is, as shown in FIG.
U-shaped guide 23 and U-shaped guide 2 extending in the up-down direction
A rotating shaft 21 rotatably supporting a lower portion of the imaging unit 3; a rotating shaft 25 extending horizontally and rotatably supported by an upper portion of a U-shaped guide 23; and rotatably supporting the imaging unit 20; Motors and angle sensors 22 and 24 respectively coupled to the rotating shafts 21 and 25;
By the rotation of 1, 25, the imaging direction of the imaging unit 20 can be arbitrarily controlled in the X and Y directions.

As will be described later, the distance sensor 14 measures the distance to the subject located substantially at the center of each unit area obtained by equally dividing the object area, and is similar to a known multipoint distance measuring mechanism. Be composed. Specifically, the distance sensor 14
Includes a light emitting unit that irradiates a spot light such as a laser, a deflecting unit that changes the irradiation angle of the spot light, and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light from a subject. The light receiving unit includes a lens and a position sensor, and measures the distance to the subject by detecting the reflection position of the spot light using the principle of triangulation. The deflecting unit changes the irradiation angle of the spot light, scans each unit area in order,
Measure the dimensional distance distribution.

The shooting start button 12 is used for a shooting start operation.

Further, the camera 10 has a
A zoom button, a liquid crystal monitor, and a mode setting unit (not shown) are provided. The liquid crystal monitor is capable of displaying a photographed range, that is, a photographed image of a subject area. The mode setting unit is for setting a shooting mode such as an auto composition mode and a self-timer mode.

Next, an outline of the operation of the camera 10 in the auto composition mode will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram of FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the camera 10 measures the distance of each unit ranging area U obtained by dividing the subject area S into 7 × 7 areas. Usually, since the subject M to be photographed is at the closest distance, an area indicating a short distance (area indicated by oblique lines) in the unit ranging area U is regarded as the main subject area.

The distance measurement range is set to coincide with the image pickup range when the zoom lens 16 is at the wide end with the image pickup direction of the image pickup unit 20 at the center. Then, in S101, S102, and S102 in FIG. 4 described later, an image in the imaging range is first displayed on the liquid crystal monitor. this is,
This is because the range in which the automatic zoom is performed (which subject is to be subjected to the automatic zoom) can be confirmed on the liquid crystal monitor.

Next, as shown in FIG.
0 automatically controls the direction of the imaging unit 20 so that the main subject area is located at the center of the screen. Further, FIG.
As shown in (c), the size of the subject M is automatically adjusted by zooming. This adjustment is performed so that the main subject area occupies, for example, 50% or more of the entire screen, and the direction of the imaging unit 20 is appropriately adjusted so that the upper portion of the subject M does not protrude from the screen. For convenience of explanation,
Although it has been described that the screen is controlled to (c) via (b), in practice, the direction control and the zoom control are simultaneously performed.

When two main subject areas are detected as shown in FIG. 3D, an intermediate point A (for example, the center of gravity) between them is located at the center of the screen as shown in FIG. 3E. Is adjusted as follows.

Next, the operation of this camera will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, in step S101, the zoom lens 16 of the imaging unit 20 is set to the wide end, and in step S102, the direction of the zoom lens 16 is set to the center. Thereby, the imaging range matches the ranging range. Next, in step S103, the imaging unit 20 captures an image and displays the captured image of the entire imaging range on the liquid crystal monitor (that is, without performing trimming described later). Since the imaging range coincides with the distance measurement range in steps S101 and S102, it is possible to confirm the distance measurement range (that is, the reference area for performing the automatic composition).

Next, in steps S104 and S105, if the auto composition mode key is operated, the auto composition mode is switched on and off. Next, step S1
In 06 and S107, if the self-timer key is operated, the self-timer setting is switched on and off.

Next, in step S108, it is determined whether or not the switch S1 is on.

If the switch S1 is not on, it is determined in step S118 whether or not the power is off. If the power is off, the operation ends, and if not, the process returns to step S103. Since “shooting” is not performed, the direction and zoom of the imaging unit 20 are not changed at all. Therefore, the process may return to step S103 instead of step 101.

When the shooting start button 12 is depressed by one step and the Sl switch is turned on, in step S120, the "self-timer mode and auto composition mode"
Is determined.

If it is not the "self-timer mode and the automatic composition mode", it is determined in step S109 whether the switch S1 has been turned on before or has changed from off to on this time.

If the switch has been on before, step S1
At 14, if the zoom button has been pressed, the focal length value is updated. In the case of the auto composition mode, the set focal length value is updated. Just updating the focal length value does not actually perform the zoom. Since the focal length value is changed or the direction of the camera is changed, the image is captured and the display is updated in step S119. This display is a trimming display. Then, step S1
Go to step 15 and wait for the start of shooting.

If the switch has been turned on for a long time, the composition has already been set, and the automatic setting of the composition is not performed again. This is because if the composition is updated frequently, the display becomes complicated. Also, in order to allow the operator to change the automatically set composition, after the composition is automatically set once, zooming is performed in step S114,
This is because the composition can be changed by shaking the camera.

On the other hand, if the current time changes from off to on,
In step S110, it is determined whether the mode is the auto composition mode. If not in the automatic composition mode, the process proceeds to step S114.

If the mode is the automatic composition mode, step S1
At 11, a main subject area in which the distance is short and a main subject is considered to exist in the unit ranging area U is detected. Specifically, as shown in the detailed flow of FIG.
At 11-1, the distance distribution is measured by the distance sensor 14. Next, in step S111-2, area division is performed for each distance range based on the distance distribution. Next, in step S11-3, a main subject area is determined from those areas. For example, the closest area is set as the main subject area.

Next, as shown in FIG.
2, the orientation of the imaging unit 20 and the zoom lens 1
With the zooming of 6, the composition is set so that the main subject area comes to the center of the screen and has an appropriate size. Specifically, as shown in the detailed flow of FIG. 6, in step S112-1, the center of gravity of the main subject area determined in step S111 is obtained. Even if the main subject area is divided into a plurality of areas, the center of gravity of the whole is obtained. Next, step S112-2
In, the direction of the imaging unit 20 so that the center of gravity becomes the center is calculated and stored as direction data. next,
In step S112-3, the ratio of the main subject area to the screen is calculated, and in step S112-4,
The focal length of the imaging unit is calculated so that the ratio of the main subject area to the screen becomes a certain percentage (for example, 50% or more), and stored as focal length data. In addition,
If the upper part of the main subject area protrudes from the shooting range when zooming up, the orientation of the imaging unit 20 may be corrected.

At this time, it is possible to change the direction of the image pickup unit 20 by actually operating the drive unit to perform zooming of the zoom lens 16, but this increases power consumption. Therefore, in the next step S113, the trimming corresponding to the set composition is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor. Thereby, it can be displayed for confirmation of the composition.

In the case of "the self-timer mode and the auto composition mode", setting the auto composition (steps S111 to S113) at this point is meaningless because the subject is not in the screen, so step S110
The process proceeds to step S119 without performing the processes of S113.

Step S113 or step S119
Next, in step S115, it is determined whether the switch S2 is on. After the operator confirms the composition, the photographing start button 12 is further depressed to switch S
When 2 is turned on, shooting is performed in step S116. In “Shooting” here, composition setting (shooting direction, zoom)
Is performed after the imaging unit 20 is actually driven in accordance with, and the shooting range is adjusted. More specifically, as shown in the detailed flow of FIG. 7, in step S116-1, it is determined whether the mode is the self-timer mode. If not in the self-timer mode, the process proceeds to step S116-6 described below. If the mode is the self-timer mode, step S116
At -2, the elapse of a predetermined time (timer time) is waited, and at step S116-3, it is determined whether or not the automatic composition mode is set. If not in the automatic composition mode, the process proceeds to step S116-6 described later. If the mode is the auto composition mode, the object is detected in step S116-4, and the process proceeds to step S116-6 described later. In step S116-6, the direction and zoom of the imaging unit are controlled according to the set direction data and focal length data.

Next, as shown in FIG.
At 7, the data of the captured image is written to the storage medium. Then, the process returns to step S101. If the switch S2 is off, the process returns to step S108.

Next, a modification of the composition setting will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8 and the explanatory diagram of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, in step S201, the shape of the main subject area is compared with the template.
Select the best matching template. For example, there is a template as shown in FIG. 9 (II), and the position and size on the screen are stored in advance as composition data for each template. In step S202, the composition data of the matched template is read out, and in step S203, the shooting direction of the imaging unit 20 and the zoom lens 1 are determined based on the composition data.
The focal length of No. 6 is set.

For example, in FIG. 9 (I) (a), (II)
Matches the template T. Template T
Is read out from the composition data as shown in (b) to be arranged on the screen in an enlarged manner, and the composition and data of the position and size of the main subject area shown in FIG. And the focal length are calculated.

Further, another modified example will be described.

In the above-described embodiment, the range (distance measurement range) referred to in the auto composition is set as the imaging range at the wide end. However, before the switch Sl is turned on, the zoom (actual zooming is performed, but the zooming is not performed). The operation for setting the focal length) may be made possible, and the distance measurement range (the range used for auto zoom) may be changed in accordance with the imaging range at the focal length.

Although the display before photographing is the trimming display, it is also possible to actually change the direction of the image pickup unit 20 and display an image picked up by actual zooming.

The detection of the main subject area is not limited to the distance distribution, but may be detected by a color distribution. In addition, a moving area (moving object area) from an image captured repeatedly may be set as the main subject area.

In this embodiment, both the direction and the focal length are controlled, but only the direction may be controlled.

As explained above, the camera of the present invention
The composition can be set automatically during shooting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a scanning drive unit of the camera of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a photographing operation of the camera of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a main flowchart of the operation of the camera in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of step S111 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detailed flowchart of step S112 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a detailed flowchart of step S116 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a modified example.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 camera 12 shooting start button 14 distance sensor 16 zoom lens 17 zoom motor 18 imaging sensor 20 imaging unit 21 rotation axis 22 motor and angle sensor 23 U-shaped guide 24 motor and angle sensor 25 rotation axis A center of gravity M main subject S subject Area T Template U Unit area

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Takashi Matsuo 2-13-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinya Matsuda Azuchi-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 2-3-13, Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Minoru Kuwana 2-3-13, Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Tetsuro Kamihara, Osaka Inventor Osaka International Building Minolta, Inc. 2-3-1-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka (72) Inventor Masayuki Ueyama 2-3-1-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Osaka International Building Minolta F-term ( Reference) 2H044 AC00 BA09 DA00 DC00

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A camera having an image pickup unit capable of switching a photographing direction, comprising: a subject situation detecting means for detecting a situation of a subject; and a photographing direction determining means for determining a photographing direction according to the detected situation. And a control unit for directing the image capturing unit in the determined image capturing direction and capturing an image. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the situation of the subject detected by the subject situation detecting means is a distance distribution. 3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the situation of the subject detected by the subject situation detecting means is a motion. 4. The imaging unit further includes a zoom function, and the control unit includes a zoom control unit that performs zooming of the imaging unit in accordance with a situation detected by the subject situation detection unit. The camera according to claim 1, characterized in that it is characterized by: