JP2008206090A - Photographing apparatus and photographing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing system and photographing apparatus capable of performing photography in a state that linearity matches white balance. <P>SOLUTION: A camera system 10 is constituted of a master digital camera 11 and a slave digital camera 12. The master digital camera 11 writes, on a memory card 21, gains of a linearity correction value and for white balance correction and image data for adjustment at a time when R, G and B signals are corrected in a cooperative photographing mode. The slave digital camera 12 reads the data of the master digital camera 11 written on the memory card 21 in the cooperative photographing mode and adjusts the gains of the linearity correction value and for the white balance on the basis of these data, thereby photographing an image of linearity and white balance matched with the digital camera 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus and a photographing system.

  In a digital camera using an image sensor such as a CCD, it is common to perform so-called white balance correction in which white, which changes according to the color temperature of a light source, is matched with an achromatic white. In this white balance correction, white balance is generally achieved by making the ratios of RGB components of image data equal. However, even when white balance correction is performed with an arbitrary white color, there is a problem that the white balance is shifted when shooting with white light having a different brightness. Therefore, a function for correcting the linearity of the output of the image sensor is required.

On the other hand, a digital camera may be used for multipoint shooting, panoramic shooting, or the like in which a single subject is simultaneously shot from a plurality of shooting directions. When used for such purposes, a configuration for making the photographing conditions of a plurality of digital cameras the same is known (Patent Documents 1 and 2). Further, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration for making the white balance settings on the master side and the slave side the same in order to match the color tones of two digital cameras.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-235783 JP 2004-349951 A

  However, in the camera system described in the above-mentioned patent document, it is possible to perform shooting with a plurality of cameras with white balance tuned. When shooting another subject with different brightness, the white balance changed and the same shooting conditions could not be achieved.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a photographing system and a photographing device capable of photographing in a state in which linearity and white balance coincide when using a plurality of photographing devices. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a plurality of photographing devices each including at least one master and one slave photographing device, and the plurality of photographing devices photograph a subject to form image data. A linearity correction unit that linearizes the linearity of the image data, a white balance correction unit that corrects white balance of the image data, a writing unit that writes to a storage medium, and the linearity and white balance of the image data In a photographing system that includes a correction data forming unit that forms correction data used when performing correction and a control unit that controls the correction data, the master photographing device is configured to correct linearity of image data formed by photographing a subject. Correction data when white balance correction is performed, and these correction data The image data corrected by use is stored in a storage medium, and the slave photographing device reads the correction data and the image data from the storage medium, and performs linearity correction and white balance correction based on these data. It is characterized by.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographing apparatus for photographing a subject to form image data, a linearity correction unit for linearizing the linearity of the image data, and a white balance for correcting white balance of the image data. A correction unit; a writing unit that writes data to a storage medium; a correction data generation unit that generates correction data used when performing linearity correction and white balance correction of the image data; and a control unit that controls the correction data. In the photographing apparatus, the control unit forms correction data created by the correction data creation unit and image data that has been subjected to linearity and white balance correction using the correction data, and another electronic camera is formed by the writing unit. Can be used for linearity correction and white balance correction Characterized in that for writing the correction data and the image data in the storage medium in the form.

  The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, an imaging unit that images a subject to form image data, a linearity adjustment unit that linearizes a linearity of the image data, and a white balance correction unit that corrects a white balance of the image data. And a reading unit that reads the storage medium and a control unit that controls these, the linearity correction and the white balance correction were performed by another electronic camera from the storage medium connected to the reading unit. Correction data and image data corrected with these correction data are read, and linearity correction and white balance correction are performed based on these data.

  The photographing system according to claim 4 includes a plurality of photographing devices each including at least one master photographing device and a slave photographing device, and the plurality of photographing devices photograph a subject to form image data; When linearity correction unit for linearizing image data, white balance correction unit for correcting white balance of the image data, communication means for exchanging data with each other, and linearity and white balance correction of the image data In the imaging system each including a correction data forming unit for forming correction data used for the control and a control means for controlling the correction data, the master imaging device includes linearity correction and white balance correction of image data generated by imaging the subject. Correction data when performing and correction using these correction data The slave imaging device receives the correction data and the image data via the communication unit, and based on these data, linearity correction and white balance correction are transmitted. It is characterized by performing.

  The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, an imaging unit that images a subject to generate image data, a linearity correction unit that linearizes a linearity of the image data, and a white balance correction unit that corrects white balance of the image data. And a transmission unit that transmits data, a correction data generation unit that generates correction data used when performing linearity correction and white balance correction of the image data, and a control unit that controls these, The control means separates the correction data used when the linearity and white balance correction of the image data is performed by the linearity correction unit and the white balance correction unit and the image data corrected using these correction data. When performing linearity correction and white balance correction with an electronic camera It formed in a usable format, and transmits these correction data and the image data to another photographing device via the transmission means.

  7. The photographing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein photographing means for photographing a subject to generate image data, a linearity adjusting unit for linearizing the linearity of the image data, and a white balance correcting unit for correcting white balance of the image data. And a receiving unit that receives data, and a control unit that controls these, and the control unit uses the receiving unit to perform correction data when linearity correction and white balance correction are performed in another photographing apparatus, and Image data corrected with these correction data is received, and linearity correction and white balance correction are performed based on these data.

  According to the image capturing apparatus and the image capturing system of the present invention, the master image capturing apparatus performs correction using the correction data when the linearity correction and the white balance correction are performed on the image data formed by capturing the subject and the correction data. The recorded image data is stored in a storage medium or transmitted via communication means, and the slave imaging device reads the correction data and the image data from the storage medium or receives the data, and based on these data, the linearity Since the correction and the white balance correction are performed, when a plurality of photographing apparatuses are used, it is possible to photograph in a state in which the linearity and the white balance coincide.

  The camera system to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the camera system 10 includes digital cameras 11 and 12. The digital cameras 11 and 12 are used as a master and a slave, respectively, when the same subject 13 is simultaneously photographed. The digital cameras 11 and 12 to which the present embodiment is applied are linked photographing, that is, the same subject is simultaneously photographed. When shooting, the master digital camera 11 is adjusted, the slave digital camera 12 is adjusted in synchronization with the adjustment value, and then shooting is performed.

  The digital cameras 11 and 12 are provided with common parts. The camera body 15 and 16 have a lens barrel 18 and a strobe 19 on the front, a release button 21 on the top, and various operation buttons on the back. And an operation unit 39 (see FIG. 2). A photographing lens 22 is incorporated in the lens barrel 18.

  The digital cameras 11 and 12 have an electrical configuration shown in the block diagram of FIG. The digital camera 11 includes a photographing lens 22, a CCD 25, an A / D conversion circuit (A / D) 26, a linearity correction circuit 27, a white balance (WB) correction circuit 28, a color processing circuit 29, a photographed image frame memory 31, and a card I. / F32, lens drive unit 33, timing generator (TG) 34, linearity correction value calculation circuit 35, white balance (WB) gain calculation circuit 36, LCD driver 37, LCD 38, operation unit 39, release button 21 and control unit 40 Become. The control unit 40 comprehensively controls the digital camera 11 in response to an operation input from the operation unit 39.

  Subject light is incident on the CCD 25 through the taking lens 22. The control unit 40 controls the TG 34 in response to the pressing operation of the release button 21 to accumulate the incident light to the CCD 25 for a predetermined time. In the CCD 25, the accumulated incident light is converted into a signal charge, and an analog photographing signal is output. The analog photographing signal is converted into a digital RGB signal (image data) by the A / D 26 and transmitted to the linearity correction circuit 27, the linearity correction value calculation circuit 35, and the WB gain calculation circuit 36. In this embodiment, for example, a 14-bit A / D converter is used as the A / D 26. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an A / D converter such as a 12-bit or 10-bit can also be used.

  When a digital RGB signal is input, the linearity correction value calculation circuit 35 calculates a correction value for performing linearity correction (linearization) of the RGB signal. In the calculation of the linearity correction value, for example, the R, G, and B signals are independently integrated, and correction values corresponding to these integration values are read and determined from, for example, a preset lookup table. The correction value calculated by the linearity correction value calculation circuit 35 is transmitted to the linearity correction circuit 27 and the card I / F 32.

  The linearity correction circuit 27 linearizes the R, G, and B signal values of the image data by linearity correction based on the linearity correction value input from the linearity correction value calculation circuit 35. The linearity-corrected RGB signal is transmitted to the WB correction circuit 28.

  The WB gain calculation circuit 36 calculates each gain from the R, G, and B signals, and transmits the determined gains to the WB correction circuit 28 and the card I / F 32. In the gain calculation in the WB gain calculation circuit 36, for example, IR = IG = IB from the ratio of the R integral value IR, the G integral value IG, and the B integral value IB obtained by integrating the R, G, B signals for one frame, respectively. Each gain to be multiplied by the R, G, and B signals is obtained as follows. Alternatively, when linearity correction has already been performed, each gain is obtained so that the ratios of the output values to the input values of the R, G, and B signals are all equal. The WB correction circuit 28 multiplies the linearity-corrected RGB signal by each gain calculated by the WB gain calculation circuit 36 to correct white balance.

  The RGB signals that have undergone linearity correction and white balance correction are further subjected to color processing such as YC processing, and are temporarily stored in the captured image frame memory as image data that has undergone all correction processing.

  The digital camera 11 has a normal shooting mode and a linked shooting mode. When the linked shooting mode is selected, the control unit 40 controls the card I / F 32 to control the above-described linearity correction value, white. The balance correction gain and adjustment image data to be described later are stored in the correction data file of the memory card 21. Note that the main control unit 40 stores the data in a form that can be read by the digital camera 12 when writing the data. When the normal shooting mode is selected, the linearity correction value, the white balance correction gain, and the adjustment image data are not written, and normal shooting image data is stored.

  Next, the configuration of the digital camera 12 will be described. Components similar to those of the digital camera 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The digital camera 12 includes a linearity adjustment memory 51, a linearity adjustment unit 52, a white balance adjustment memory 53, and a white balance adjustment unit 54, and each unit is controlled by a control unit 55. The digital camera 12 has a normal shooting mode and a linked shooting mode. When the linked shooting mode is selected, the control unit 55 first operates the card I / F 32 and writes the data to the memory card 21. The linearity correction value and the adjustment image data using the linearity correction value are read and transmitted to the linearity adjustment memory 51. When the linked shooting mode is selected, the linearity adjustment unit 52 reads the linearity correction value and the corrected image data of the digital camera 11 temporarily stored in the linearity adjustment memory 51, and creates linearity adjustment data.

  When the linked shooting mode is selected, the white balance adjustment unit 54 reads each gain data and corrected image data temporarily stored in the white balance adjustment memory 53, and creates white balance adjustment data. Examples of the white balance adjustment data include numerical values of gains, ratios of output values to input values of RGB signals after white balance correction, and the like.

  In the normal shooting mode, the linearity correction value calculation circuit 56 calculates a linearity correction value based on a shooting signal (RGB signal) shot by the CCD, and transmits the result to the linearity correction circuit 28. Then, as will be described later, the linearity correction value when correction is performed by the digital camera 11 and the linearity correction value adjusted by the adjustment data based on the adjustment image using the correction value are transmitted. In the normal shooting mode, the white balance gains calculated by the WB gain calculation circuit 57 based on the shooting signals (RGB signals) are transmitted through the WB gain adjustment unit 54 to the white balance correction circuit 28 as they are. In the linked shooting mode, each gain adjusted by the WB gain adjusting unit 54 is transmitted to the white balance correction circuit 28 as described later.

  A sequence when performing linked shooting with the digital cameras 11 and 12 will be described below. First, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the master digital camera 11 selects and starts a shooting mode (st1). Further, when performing linked shooting, the linked shooting mode is selected (st2), and shooting condition adjustment is set. When shooting other than that, shooting is performed by selecting another shooting mode such as the normal shooting mode. (St3).

  In the digital camera 11, when the linked shooting mode is selected, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a setting screen 61 for inputting whether or not to execute linearity correction and whether or not to execute white balance correction is displayed. When execution of linearity correction is selected (st4), adjustment shooting is executed (st5). For example, a gray chart 62 as shown in FIG. 5 is used as a subject used for this adjustment shooting. In the gray chart 62 shown in FIG. 5, the fineness of the hatched eyes indicates the color density, and the color is actually filled with the color of each density.

  The photographing signal is acquired by the CCD 25, converted into a digital signal (RGB signal) by the A / D 26, and transmitted to the linearity correction value calculation circuit 35 and the linearity correction circuit 27. The linearity correction value calculation circuit 35 calculates a linearity correction value from the transmitted RGB signal (st6) and transmits it to the linearity correction circuit 27. The linearity correction circuit 27 performs linearity correction on the RGB signal based on the transmitted linearity correction value to form linearity adjustment image data (st7). Then, this linearity adjustment image data and the linearity correction value are transmitted to the card I / F 32.

  The state of the RGB signal when linearity correction is performed is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6A, the RGB signals before the linearity correction have different ratios of output values to the input values of the R, G, and B signals, and each linearity is not a straight line. . Therefore, when linearity correction is performed on the R, G, and B signals using the linearity correction value obtained by the above-described calculation, the R, G, and B signals are linearized as shown in FIG.

  Next, when execution of white balance correction is selected (st8), adjustment photographing is executed again (st9), and RGB signals are transmitted to the WB gain calculation circuit 36 and the linearity correction circuit 27. The WB gain calculation circuit 36 calculates each gain based on the RGB signals (st10), and transmits it to the WB correction circuit 28. The linearity correction circuit 27 performs linearity correction of the RGB signal using the linearity correction value calculated earlier, and transmits it to the WB correction circuit 28. The WB correction circuit 28 multiplies each gain transmitted from the WB gain calculation circuit 36 to perform white balance correction on the RGB signal to form white balance adjustment image data (st11). The control unit 40 causes the wide-balance adjustment image data and each gain for white balance correction when the image data is corrected to be written to the memory card 21 via the card I / F 32.

  FIG. 7 shows the RGB signal values when this white balance correction is performed. As shown in FIG. 7A, the RGB signal before the white balance correction is linearized by the linearity correction, but the ratio of the output value to the input value of each signal is different. As described above, when the white balance correction is performed on the RGB signal, the linearity of the output values of the signals is aligned to form one straight line as shown in FIG. 7B.

  After the adjustment of the linearity and white balance correction is performed in this way, the image data for linearity adjustment and the linearity correction value when this is corrected are written to the memory card 21 via the card I / F 32 (st12 13) Subsequently, the wide-balance adjustment image data and the respective white-balance correction gains when this is corrected are written to the memory card 21 via the card I / F 32 (st14, 15). When the data writing is completed, the photographing adjustment of the master digital camera 11 is terminated. At this time, the memory card to which data has been written is taken out from the digital camera 11 and another memory card for photographing is loaded. Further, the digital camera 11 remains in the linked shooting mode until the linked shooting is performed later. In the digital camera 11 in this linked shooting mode, linked shooting can be performed while maintaining the state in which the linearity correction value and each gain for white balance correction are adjusted as described above (st16).

  Also, the memory card for linked shooting is not taken out and a memory card for shooting is loaded instead, as in the present embodiment, and the memory card used for shooting and the memory used for saving and reading adjustment data A configuration may be adopted in which cards can be loaded separately, and card I / Fs corresponding to the respective cards can be loaded.

  After performing the linked shooting mode of the master digital camera 11 as described above, the user inserts the memory card taken out from the digital camera 11 into the digital camera 12 and starts the shooting adjustment mode of the slave digital camera 12. .

  In the slave digital camera 12, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, after the shooting mode is selected (st1) and started, the linked shooting mode (st2) or another shooting mode (st3) is selected. When the linked shooting mode is selected, first, a setting screen for determining whether to execute linearity adjustment and whether to execute white balance adjustment is displayed. When the execution of the linearity adjustment is selected (st4), the main control unit 12 operates the card I / F 32 and the linearity correction value created by the master digital camera 11 from the memory card 21, and the linearity correction value. The linearity adjustment image data corrected in the above is read out and temporarily stored in the linearity adjustment memory 51 (st5).

  Next, when execution of white balance adjustment is selected (st6), each gain value when white balance correction is performed with the master digital camera 11 from the memory card 21, and white balance corrected with each gain. The balance adjustment image data is read out and temporarily stored in the white balance adjustment memory 53 (st7).

  When the execution of linearity adjustment is selected after the data reading is completed (st8), a message prompting the execution of the linearity adjustment shooting is displayed. Note that the subject used for this adjustment shooting is the same as that previously shot by the digital camera 11 in the linked shooting mode (such as a gray chart). When the release button 21 is pressed and photographing is performed by the CCD 25 (st9), RGB signals (image data) are generated by the A / D 26 and transmitted to the linearity correction value calculation circuit 56 and the linearity correction circuit 27. The linearity correction value calculation circuit 56 calculates a linearity correction value from the transmitted RGB signal (st10), and further, the linearity adjustment unit 52 temporarily stores the linearity adjustment image data and the linearity correction value in the linearity adjustment memory 51. Is read and the data for linearity adjustment is created. Then, the linearity correction value calculation circuit 56 adjusts the above-described linearity correction value using this linearity adjustment data (st11).

  A process for calculating and adjusting the linearity correction value in the linked shooting mode of the digital camera 12 will be described with reference to FIG. The linearity correction value calculation circuit 56 reads from the linearity adjustment unit 52 the linearity correction value acquired from the digital camera 11 and the adjustment data based on the adjustment image using the correction value. Then, as shown in FIG. 9A, the linearity of the RGB signal of the digital camera 12 corrected with the linearity correction value before adjustment (value indicated by the solid line in FIG. 9A) is the RGB signal of the digital camera 11. Adjustment is made so as to match the linearity (value indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 9A). In this case, first, linearity correction is performed by multiplying the linearity correction value acquired from the digital camera 11 by the RGB signal of the digital camera 12. Further, when the linearity of the RGB signal of the digital camera 12 multiplied by the linearity correction value does not match the linearity of the digital camera 11, the value of the RGB signal before adjustment (the value indicated by the solid line in FIG. 9A) and the digital camera A coefficient is obtained from the ratio to the RGB signal value (value indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 9A) based on the adjustment image data obtained from 11, and this coefficient is multiplied to match the linearity (FIG. 9B). State shown).

  Next, when execution of white balance adjustment is selected on the selection screen (st12), the adjustment shooting is performed again (st13), and the RGB signals acquired by the shooting are transmitted to the WB gain calculation circuit 57 and the linearity correction circuit 27. The linearity correction circuit 27 performs linearity correction of the RGB signal using the linearity correction value matched with the digital camera 11 as described above, and transmits the result to the WB correction circuit 28. The WB gain calculation circuit 57 calculates each gain based on the RGB signals (st14), and transmits the result to the white balance adjustment unit 54. As shown in FIG. 10, the white balance adjustment unit 54 creates white balance adjustment data based on each gain value and adjustment image when white balance correction is performed by the digital camera 11 described above. Each gain is adjusted using the data (st15). In this case, first, the respective white balance gains acquired from the digital camera 11 are respectively corrected by multiplying the R, G, and B signals of the digital camera 12. Furthermore, if the linearity does not match in this correction, the RGB signal value before adjustment (value indicated by a solid line in FIG. 10A) and the RGB signal value of the digital camera 11 (dotted line in FIG. 10A) A coefficient is obtained from the ratio to the value shown, and the coefficient is multiplied to match the linearity (state shown in FIG. 10B). The white balance gain values adjusted by the white balance adjustment unit 54 are transmitted to the WB correction circuit 28. The WB correction circuit 28 performs white balance correction by multiplying each transmitted gain by the R, G, and B signals. Then, by correcting the white balance using each gain adjusted as described above, the value of the RGB signal of the digital camera 12 is a straight line that completely matches the value of the RGB signal of the master digital camera 11. become.

  When the adjustment shooting of the master and slave digital cameras 11 and 12 is completed in this way, thereafter, linked shooting is performed based on the linearity correction value and the white balance gain adjusted as described above. It becomes possible (st16). As a result, when the same subject is photographed by the digital cameras 11 and 12, it is possible to photograph images with the same linearity and white balance, and it is possible to obtain images with a sense of unity with a plurality of digital cameras. .

  In the above embodiment, data is exchanged between the master and slave digital cameras via the memory card. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other means may be used. As shown in FIG. 11, the imaging system described below includes a master digital camera 101 and a slave digital camera 102. The digital cameras 101 and 102 include a wireless I / F 103 as wireless communication means. 104 and antennas 106 and 107 connected to the wireless I / Fs 103 and 104, respectively, are used to exchange data using the wireless communication means. The wireless I / Fs 103 and 104 correspond to, for example, a wireless LAN (IEEE802.11b) standard, and the antennas 106 and 107 transmit and receive data in a 2.4 GHz frequency band.

  Note that the wireless communication means is not limited to those corresponding to the wireless LAN (IEEE802.11b) standard, for example, those compatible with the Bluetooth (IEEE802.15.1) standard, other wireless communication standards such as a laser method and an infrared method. A corresponding one may be used.

  In this embodiment, when the linked shooting mode is selected by the master digital camera 101, the linearity correction value calculated by the linearity correction value calculation circuit 35, the white balance gain calculated by the WB gain calculation circuit 36, and the The adjustment image data is transmitted by the wireless I / F 103 and the antenna 106. When the linked shooting mode is selected by the slave digital camera 102, the antenna 107 and the wireless I / F 104 receive linearity correction values, white balance gains, and adjustment image data transmitted from the digital camera 101. To do.

  A sequence when performing linked shooting with the camera system of the present embodiment will be described below. In the master digital camera 101, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12, when the shooting mode is selected, each unit is activated (st1), and the linked shooting mode (st2) or another shooting mode (st3) is started. The Note that immediately after the linked shooting mode of the digital camera 101 is started, the digital camera 102 also selects the linked shooting mode and activates each unit so that data can be received by the antenna 107 and the wireless I / F 104 (FIG. 13). reference). In the linked shooting mode of the digital camera 101, first, a setting screen for determining whether to perform linearity correction and white balance correction is displayed. As shown in FIG. 12, when execution of linearity correction is selected (st4), adjustment shooting is performed. (St5), creation of linearity correction values (st6), and linearity correction of image data using the linearity correction values are executed to form adjustment image data (st7).

  Further, when execution of white balance correction is selected (st8), shooting for adjustment (st9), calculation of each gain for white balance correction (st10), and white balance correction of image data are executed to perform an adjustment image. Data is formed (st11).

  Then, the linearity correction value and the adjustment image data are transmitted via the wireless communication I / F 103 and the antenna 106 (st12, 13), and then the white balance correction value and the adjustment image data are transmitted to the wireless communication I / F 103 and Transmission is performed via the antenna 106 (st14, 15). As a result, the digital camera 101 is ready for linked shooting (st16).

  On the other hand, in the slave digital camera 102, when the execution of the linearity correction is selected (st4) after starting the linked shooting mode (st1 to 3), as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The transmitted linearity correction value and adjustment image data are received by the antenna 107 and the wireless I / F 104 (st5), and temporarily stored in the linearity adjustment memory 51.

  Next, when execution of white balance adjustment is selected (st6), each gain for white balance correction and adjustment image data transmitted from the master digital camera 101 are received by the antenna 107 and the wireless I / F 104, and the white balance adjustment is performed. Temporarily stored in the balance adjustment memory 53 (st7).

  When the data reception is completed, when linearity correction is selected (st8), a message prompting execution of adjustment shooting is displayed. When shooting is performed (st9), the RGB signals acquired from the CCD 25 are transmitted to the linearity correction value calculation circuit 56 and the linearity correction circuit 27. The linearity correction value calculation circuit 56 calculates the linearity correction value as in the first embodiment (st10). On the other hand, the linearity adjustment unit 51 develops linearity adjustment image data and linearity correction values transmitted from the linearity adjustment memory 53 to create linearity adjustment data. The linearity correction value is adjusted using the linearity adjustment data (st11).

  Next, when execution of white balance adjustment is selected (st12), the adjustment shooting is performed again (st13), the WB gain calculation circuit 57 calculates each gain for the RGB signal (st14), and the result Is transmitted to the white balance adjustment unit 54. The white balance adjustment unit 54 adjusts each gain based on each gain value and adjustment image of the digital camera 101 transmitted from the white balance adjustment memory 53 (st15), and white balance correction is performed. The adjustment of the digital camera 102 is completed, and linked photography is possible (st106).

  In this way, the linearity of the digital cameras 101 and 102 and the output of the RGB signal subjected to white balance correction coincide with each other, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the first and second embodiments, when the linked shooting mode is selected, adjustment is performed so that the linearity and the output of the RGB signal subjected to white balance correction coincide with each other. Each adjustment is performed using the adjusted linearity correction value and each gain of white balance correction, and the captured image is acquired. However, in the factory default state, each digital camera is used during the assembly process. The linearity correction value and the white balance correction setting value originally set in step 1 are stored in the storage area (ROM, etc.) of the control unit, and when switching from linked shooting mode to another shooting mode, or linked shooting. In modes other than linked shooting mode, such as when the mode is canceled, the setting values are read from the storage area and used It may be performed each correction.

  In the first and second embodiments, each gain data is exchanged between digital cameras as correction value data used for white balance correction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it corresponds to each white balance gain. Any data may be used as long as it is used for white balance correction, such as related color temperature data.

  In the embodiment described above, a digital camera is taken as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and examples of the photographing apparatus to which the present invention is applied include a video camera and a camera-equipped mobile phone. But you can.

1 is an external perspective view of a photographing system to which the present invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the imaging | photography system to which 1st Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows a sequence when using the imaging device of a master in linkage imaging | photography mode. It is explanatory drawing which shows the question screen of linearity correction | amendment and white balance correction | amendment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a gray chart image. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the signal before and behind the linearity correction | amendment of the imaging device of a master. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the signal before and after white balance correction | amendment of the imaging device of a master. It is a flowchart which shows a sequence when using the imaging device of a slave in linkage imaging | photography mode. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the signal before and after linearity correction | amendment of the imaging device of a slave. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the signal before and after white balance correction | amendment of a slave imaging device. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the imaging | photography system to which 2nd Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows a sequence when using the imaging device of the master to which 2nd Embodiment is applied under linkage imaging | photography mode. It is a flowchart which shows a sequence when using the imaging device of the slave to which 2nd Embodiment is applied under linkage imaging | photography mode.

Explanation of symbols

10 Camera system (shooting system)
11 Digital camera (photographing device)
12 Digital camera (photographing device)
20 Memory Card 35 Linearity Correction Calculation Circuit 36 White Balance Gain Calculation Circuit 53 White Balance Adjustment Memory 54 White Balance Gain Adjustment Unit 56 Linearity Correction Value Calculation Circuit 57 White Balance Gain Calculation Circuit

Claims (6)

It comprises a plurality of photographing devices each including at least one master and a slave photographing device, and the plurality of photographing devices are photographing means for photographing a subject to form image data, and linearity for linearizing the linearity of the image data. A correction unit, a white balance correction unit that corrects the white balance of the image data, a writing unit that performs writing to a storage medium, and a correction that forms correction data used when performing linearity and white balance correction of the image data In an imaging system comprising a data forming unit and a control means for controlling these,
The master imaging device stores in a storage medium correction data obtained by performing linearity correction and white balance correction of image data formed by shooting a subject, and image data corrected using these correction data. The slave photographing apparatus reads the correction data and the image data from the storage medium, and performs linearity correction and white balance correction based on these data. Image capturing means for capturing an image of a subject to form image data, a linearity correction unit for linearizing the linearity of the image data, a white balance correction unit for correcting white balance of the image data, and writing to a storage medium In a photographing apparatus including a writing unit, a correction data generation unit that generates correction data used when performing linearity correction and white balance correction of the image data, and a control unit that controls these correction data,
The control unit forms correction data created by the correction data creation unit, and image data that has been subjected to linearity and white balance correction using the correction data, and the writing unit performs linearity correction and whitening using another electronic camera. A photographing apparatus, wherein the correction data and the image data are written in a storage medium in a format usable when performing balance correction. Image capturing means for capturing an image of a subject to form image data, a linearity adjusting unit for linearizing the linearity of the image data, a white balance correcting unit for correcting white balance of the image data, and reading for reading a storage medium In a photographing apparatus comprising means and a control means for controlling these,
The correction data when the linearity correction and the white balance correction are performed with another electronic camera and the image data corrected with these correction data are read from the storage medium connected to the reading means, and the linearity correction is performed based on these data. And a white balance correction. It comprises a plurality of photographing devices each including at least one master and a slave photographing device, and the plurality of photographing devices are photographing means for photographing a subject to form image data, and linearity for linearizing the linearity of the image data. A correction unit, a white balance correction unit that corrects the white balance of the image data, a communication unit that exchanges data with each other, and correction data that forms correction data used when performing linearity and white balance correction of the image data In an imaging system provided with a forming unit and a control means for controlling these,
The master imaging device receives, via the communication means, correction data obtained by performing linearity correction and white balance correction of image data generated by shooting a subject and image data corrected using these correction data. The slave photographing apparatus receives the correction data and the image data via the communication means, and performs linearity correction and white balance correction based on these data. Imaging means for imaging a subject to generate image data, a linearity correction unit for linearizing the linearity of the image data, a white balance correction unit for correcting white balance of the image data, and transmission means for transmitting data A correction data creation unit that creates correction data used when performing linearity correction and white balance correction of the image data, and a control device that controls these,
The control means uses the correction data used when the linearity and white balance correction of the image data is performed by the linearity correction unit and the white balance correction unit, and the image data corrected using these correction data, An imaging apparatus formed in a format that can be used when performing linearity correction and white balance correction with an electronic camera, and transmitting these correction data and image data to another imaging apparatus via the transmission means.   Image capturing means for capturing an image of a subject and generating image data, a linearity adjusting unit for linearizing the linearity of the image data, a white balance correcting unit for correcting white balance of the image data, and a receiving unit for receiving data And control means for controlling these, and the control means, when the receiving unit performs linearity correction and white balance correction with another photographing device, and the image corrected with these correction data. An imaging apparatus that receives data and performs linearity correction and white balance correction based on the data.

Images