JP2006038690A - Photographing apparatus and time correction program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing apparatus and a time correction program which allow morning/afternoon decision easily and surely when performing the setting of a time for an internal timepiece through image recognition processing. <P>SOLUTION: First, when a time recognition image including current time information is inputted into a camera 10 (Step S10), a current time is recognized. Then, when information indicating the morning/afternoon of the current time is not included in the image recognition image, a morning/afternoon decision image is selected from a storage medium 18 (Step S16), and photographing time setting information of the morning/afternoon decision image and the time elapsed from the photographing time to the current time are read (Step S18). When brightness and color temperature information can be extracted from the morning/afternoon decision image, it is decided that whether the morning/afternoon decision image was photographed in the morning or afternoon, and the morning/afternoon of the current time is decided from the time elapsed from the photographing of the morning/afternoon decision image on the basis of the brightness and color temperature information (Step S24). The current time and the morning/afternoon information are then written onto the internal clock 28 (Step S14). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus and a time correction program, and more particularly to a photographing apparatus having a clock function and a time correction program used for a device having a clock function.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a photographing apparatus that has a clock function and records a photographed image by adding a photographing time and date / time has been put into practical use. In such a photographing apparatus, it is necessary to set the time in advance. Conventionally, a technique for simplifying the operation of setting the time in such an imaging apparatus has been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image input unit that inputs image information, an image recognition unit that performs image feature extraction based on the image information input to the image input unit, and performs pattern matching processing based on the feature extraction information. A clock means for measuring time and time setting means for adjusting the time of the clock means, and for the image information including the display of the time inputted by the image input means, the time is obtained by pattern matching processing by the image recognition means. A camera that recognizes and adjusts the time of the clock means by the time setting means is disclosed.

Patent Document 2 discloses a recognition unit that recognizes time information included in a subject image, and an imaging device that corrects the time information based on the time information recognized by the recognition unit.
JP 2000-75394 A JP 2001-197342 A

  However, the camera disclosed in Patent Document 1 captures an image of a clock or the like in the time adjustment mode, recognizes the time by pattern matching, and adjusts the camera's built-in clock to the recognized time. When a photographed clock or the like has no am / pm display function, there is a problem that am / pm cannot be identified.

  Further, Patent Document 2 describes a configuration in which AM / PM is automatically identified by detecting the brightness of the background in the image displayed on the display unit. / It is difficult to accurately identify the afternoon. For example, in the morning (around 6 am) and in the evening (around 6 pm), the background brightness is almost the same, so it is difficult to identify the morning / afternoon only with the background brightness.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an imaging apparatus and a time correction program capable of easily and reliably performing am / pm determination when setting the time of the built-in clock by image recognition processing. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to claim 1 records an imaging unit that captures an image, a timing unit that counts time, and the captured time counted by the timing unit. Image recording means, time information extraction means for extracting current time information of the time recognition image by image recognition processing when a time recognition image including current time information is taken, and the extracted current time information And a time correction unit that corrects the time indicated by the time measuring unit, when the current time information does not include am / pm information, an image recorded on the image recording unit is recorded. The morning / afternoon determination image was selected from among the images and analyzed to determine the morning / afternoon of the shooting time of the am / pm determination image. An elapsed time from when the am / pm determination image is taken to the present, and am / pm determination means for determining am / pm of the current time based on the current time information; and the time correction means, The time indicated by the time measuring means is corrected based on the am / pm information of the current time.

  According to the photographing apparatus of the first aspect, the current time of the built-in clock is set by performing recognition processing of an image obtained by photographing a clock or the like, and am / pm setting is easily performed from analysis of the recorded image. be able to.

  3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the am / pm determination image has the latest shooting time among the images recorded in the image recording means, and the am / pm determination. When the am / pm determination cannot be performed by the image analysis of the am / pm determination image, the means displays the am / pm determination image in order of the latest photographing time from the images recorded in the image recording means. It is characterized by selecting and making an am / pm decision.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the am / pm determination can be reliably performed by selecting an image suitable for am / pm determination and performing a recognition process.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the photographing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the am / pm determination means is based on auto white balance included in the am / pm determination image or information on shutter speed and aperture value. And am / pm determination.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the photographing apparatus according to the first to third aspects, the image recorded in the image recording means is recognized, an image including date information is selected, and the date information is extracted. Date information extracting means for controlling the date and time indicated by the time measuring means based on the extracted date information.

  According to the photographing apparatus of the fourth aspect, in addition to the above effect, the date of the built-in clock can be easily set.

  The time correction program according to claim 5 is a time recognition function including a time keeping function for measuring time, an image recording function for recording the photographed image together with a photographing time measured by the time keeping function, and a time recognition image including current time information. Is recorded, and the time information extraction function for extracting the current time information of the time recognition image by image recognition processing, and the current time information does not include am / pm information. The AM / PM determination image is selected from the images and analyzed to determine AM / PM of the shooting time of the AM / PM determination image, and the AM / PM timed by the timekeeping function The am / pm judgment function for judging the current time in the morning / afternoon based on the elapsed time from when the judgment image is taken to the present and the current time information, and the current time and the time AM / characterized thereby realizing the time correction function in the computer for correcting the time indicated by the timing function based on the afternoon information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily set the time and date including the am / pm information of the built-in clock by analyzing an image obtained by photographing a clock or the like.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a photographing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  An imaging apparatus (camera) 10 shown in FIG. 1 connects an imaging apparatus 12 including an optical system such as a lens and an aperture, and an imaging element such as a CCD, an operation input apparatus 14, a display apparatus 16, and a recording medium 18. An I / F 20, a CPU 22, a ROM 24, a RAM 26, and a built-in clock 28 for measuring time are provided.

  The operation input device 14 is a device for an operator to input an operation instruction, and includes a release button, various operation buttons, and the like.

  The display device 16 is a device that displays an image, an operation instruction, or the like acquired by the imaging device 12. As the display device 16, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL, or the like can be used.

  The recording medium 18 is a device that records an image acquired by the imaging device 12, and is, for example, an xD picture card or a compact flash (CF) card (registered trademark). In the present embodiment, the auto white balance, the shutter speed, the aperture value, and the shooting time at the time of shooting are recorded in the tag information of the image acquired by the imaging device 12.

  The CPU 22 is a control device that controls the operation of each device of the camera 10 in accordance with an input from the operation input device 14 or the like.

  A ROM (Read Only Memory) 24 is a device including a storage area in which programs processed by the CPU 22 and various data necessary for control are stored.

  A RAM (Random Access Memory) 26 is a device that includes a temporary storage area in which an image acquired by the imaging device 12 is stored, a work area in which the CPU 22 performs various arithmetic processes, and the like.

  Next, a method for setting the time indicated by the camera 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a time setting method of the camera 10.

  First, when the camera 10 is set to the time setting mode and a time recognition image including the current time information (for example, an image obtained by photographing a clock) is input (step S10), the contour extraction process of the time recognition image is performed. Then, the pattern matching process is performed to recognize the current time, and it is determined whether or not the time recognition image includes information indicating am / pm of the current time (step S12).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time recognition image. FIGS. 3A to 3C are images including a digital clock image, and FIG. 3D is an image including an analog clock image.

  In step S12, when AM / PM information is included in the image for time recognition (when AM / PM or the like is displayed as shown in FIG. 3A, or when shown in FIG. 3B). Thus, the current time and its morning / afternoon information are written in the built-in clock 28 of the camera 10 (step S14).

  On the other hand, in step S12, as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, when the time recognition image does not include AM / PM information, the image recorded on the recording medium 18 is displayed. The image at the latest shooting time (am / pm determination image) is selected from the inside (step S16). Then, the setting information (auto white balance (AWB), shutter speed and aperture value) of the am / pm determination image and the elapsed time from the photographing to the present are read (step S18).

  Then, it is determined whether luminance and color temperature information can be extracted from the morning / afternoon determination image selected in step S16 (step S20). If the luminance and color temperature information cannot be extracted in step S20, a new image next to the image selected in step S16 from the recording medium 18 is selected as an am / pm determination image (step S22), and step S18. Return to.

  On the other hand, if the luminance and color temperature information can be extracted in step S20, it is determined based on the luminance and color temperature information whether the morning / afternoon determination image is taken in the morning / afternoon. Thus, the current morning / afternoon is determined from the elapsed time since the morning / afternoon determination image was taken (step S24). Then, the current time and the morning / afternoon information are written in the built-in clock 28 (step S14). Thereby, the time of the internal clock 28 and the setting of am / pm information can be easily performed.

  In the above embodiment, the date may be set by the same method as the time control method. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a method for setting the date. As shown in the figure, the date of the built-in clock 28 of the camera 10 is set by photographing the subject 30 (paper or the like) in which the date information is entered with the camera 10.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method for setting the date. First, date information is entered on the subject 30 (paper or the like) (step S30). Next, the camera 10 is set to the year / month / day setting mode, and an image of the subject 30 is input (step S32).

  Next, the contour extraction process of the image input in step S34 is performed (step S34), and the pattern matching process is performed (step S36). If the date information of the image can be recognized (step S38), the built-in clock 28 is corrected to the recognized date information (step S40). On the other hand, when the date information of the image could not be recognized (step S38), the process returns to step S36 to perform the pattern matching process again. If the pattern matching process has not been recognized a predetermined number of times, an error is displayed and the process ends. Thereby, the date of the built-in clock 28 can be easily set.

1 is a block diagram showing a photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart which shows the time setting method of the camera 10 The figure which shows the example of the image for time recognition Diagram showing how to set the date Flow chart showing how to set the date

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Imaging device (camera), 12 ... Imaging device, 14 ... Operation input device, 16 ... Display device, 18 ... Recording medium, 20 ... I / F, 22 ... CPU, 24 ... ROM, 26 ... RAM, 28 ... Built-in clock

Claims (5)

Photographing means for photographing an image;
A time measuring means for measuring time;
Image recording means for recording the photographed image together with the photographing time counted by the timing means;
Time information extraction means for extracting current time information of the time recognition image by image recognition processing when a time recognition image including current time information is captured;
In a photographing apparatus comprising time correction means for correcting the time indicated by the time measuring means based on the extracted current time information,
When the current time information does not include am / pm information, the am / pm determination is performed by selecting and analyzing the am / pm determination image from the images recorded in the image recording means. The morning / afternoon of the shooting time of the image is determined, and the current time is determined based on the elapsed time from the shooting of the morning / afternoon determination image to the current time, which is timed by the timekeeping means, and the current time information. A morning / afternoon determination means for determining the morning / afternoon is provided.
The photographing apparatus, wherein the time correction means corrects the time indicated by the time measuring means based on the am / pm information of the current time. The morning / afternoon determination image has the latest shooting time among the images recorded in the image recording means,
The am / pm determination means determines whether the am / pm determination cannot be made by the image analysis of the am / pm determination image. 2. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an afternoon / determining image is selected and am / pm determination is performed.   3. The AM / PM determination unit performs AM / PM determination based on information on auto white balance or shutter speed and aperture value included in the AM / PM determination image. The imaging device described. Recognizing the image recorded in the image recording means, selecting an image including date information, and further comprising date information extracting means for extracting the date information;
4. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time correction unit controls a date indicated by the time measuring unit based on the extracted date information. 5. A timekeeping function to keep time,
An image recording function for recording the photographed image together with a photographing time measured by the time counting function;
A time information extraction function for extracting current time information of the time recognition image by image recognition processing when a time recognition image including current time information is captured;
When the current time information does not include am / pm information, the am / pm determination image is captured by selecting an am / pm determination image from the recorded images and performing image analysis. The am / pm of the current time is determined, and the current time am / pm based on the elapsed time from when the am / pm determination image was taken and the current time information, which is timed by the timekeeping function, is determined. Am / pm judgment function to make judgment,
A time correction function for correcting the time indicated by the timekeeping function based on the current time and the AM / PM information;
A time correction program for causing a computer to realize the above.

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