JP2012222387A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus capable of easily attaining the indication of an intended imaging operation and allowing a user to easily use the apparatus.SOLUTION: A digital camera 100 includes: a CCD image sensor 120 for capturing the image of a subject and generating image information; a liquid crystal display 170 for displaying the image based on the generated image information; a touch panel 173 arranged in the liquid crystal display 170; a controller 150 for determining an area to be a cutout object within the whole image being displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 based on a position on the touch panel 173, which is operated by touching; and the controller 150 for performing control to allow an image cut out based on the determined cutout object area to be recorded in a memory card 192.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an imaging apparatus capable of instructing imaging by an intuitive operation.

  A position input device such as a touch panel that detects a touch with a finger or the like and specifies the position coordinate is attracting attention as an excellent user interface means, and various types of touch panels such as a resistance film type and a capacitance type are used. Are known. In recent years, digital cameras equipped with a touch panel have become widespread. The user can cause the digital camera to execute a predetermined operation by touching the touch panel.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a camera device that performs focus adjustment around an image of a pressed location based on position coordinate information from a pressure-sensitive sensor and records an imaging signal on a recording medium. Thereby, an object at an arbitrary position on the screen can be designated as a target to be focused.

JP 11-142719 A

  Thus, a digital camera that can easily instruct an intended photographing operation is desired. In addition, it is expected to realize a digital camera that is easier for the user to use by installing a user interface that enables a user's intuitive operation such as a touch panel.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can easily instruct an intended shooting operation and is easy for a user to use.

  In order to solve the above problems, an imaging apparatus of the present invention is provided in an imaging sensor that captures a subject image and generates image information, a display unit that displays an image based on the generated image information, and a display unit. A touch panel, a determination unit that determines a region to be cut out of the entire image displayed on the display unit based on a touch-operated position of the touch panel, and a cut portion that is cut based on the determined cut target region A recording control unit that controls to record the recorded image on a recording medium.

  According to the present invention, it is an object to provide an imaging apparatus that can easily instruct an intended shooting operation and is easy for a user to use.

1 is a configuration diagram of a digital camera 100 according to a first embodiment. 1 is a rear configuration diagram of the digital camera 100 according to the first embodiment. Flowchart of trimming operation according to the first embodiment Image of touch operation A diagram to explain when the face is larger than the size of the trimming area Diagram for explaining the adjustment of the size and position of the trimming area

[Embodiment 1]
A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a digital camera 100 will be described. The digital camera 100 includes a CCD image sensor 120 that captures a subject image and generates image information, a liquid crystal display 170 that displays an image based on the generated image information, a touch panel 173 provided on the liquid crystal display 170, and a touch panel. A controller 150 that determines a region to be cut out of the entire image displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 based on the touch-operated position of 173, and an image cut out based on the determined region to be cut out. And a controller 150 that controls recording on the memory card 192. Accordingly, it is possible to more easily instruct an intended shooting operation, and it is possible to provide the digital camera 100 that is easy for the user to use. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the digital camera 100 will be described in order.

[1-1. Constitution〕
First, the configuration of the digital camera 100 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the digital camera 100. The digital camera 100 captures a subject image formed via the optical system 110 with the CCD image sensor 120. The CCD image sensor 120 generates image data based on the captured subject image. The image data generated by the imaging is subjected to various processes in an AFE (AFE: Analog Front End) 121 and an image processing unit 130. The image data is stored in the flash memory 160 or the memory card 192. The image data stored in the flash memory 160 or the memory card 192 is reproduced and displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 in response to an operation of the operation unit 180 by the user. In addition, image data captured by the CCD image sensor 120 and output from the image processing unit 130 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 as a through image.

  The optical system 110 includes a focus lens 111, a zoom lens 112, a diaphragm 113, and a shutter 114. Although not shown, the optical system 110 may include an optical image stabilization lens OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer). The various lenses constituting the optical system 110 may be composed of any number of lenses or any number of groups.

  The focus lens 111 is used for adjusting the focal length. The zoom lens 112 is used to adjust the enlargement / reduction ratio. The diaphragm 113 is used to adjust the amount of light incident on the CCD image sensor. The shutter 114 adjusts the exposure time of light incident on the CCD image sensor. The focus lens 111, the zoom lens 112, the diaphragm 113, and the shutter 114 are driven in accordance with control signals notified from the controller 150 by driving means (not shown) such as a DC motor and a stepping motor corresponding to each.

  The CCD image sensor 120 captures a subject image formed through the optical system 110 and generates image data. The CCD image sensor 120 generates image data of a new frame at a predetermined frame rate (for example, 30 frames / second). The image data generation timing and the electronic shutter operation of the CCD image sensor 120 are controlled by the controller 150. By displaying the image data as a through image on the liquid crystal display 170 one by one, the user can check the state of the subject on the liquid crystal display 170 in real time. In the present invention, instead of the CCD image sensor 120, another image pickup device such as a CMOS image sensor or an NMOS image sensor may be used.

  The AFE 121 executes processes such as correlated double sampling and gain adjustment on the image data generated by the CCD image sensor 120. In gain adjustment, a gain corresponding to ISO sensitivity is set. Also, conversion from analog image data to digital image data is performed. Thereafter, the AFE 121 outputs the image data to the image processing unit 130.

  The image processing unit 130 performs various processes on the image data. Examples of various processing include, but are not limited to, gamma correction, white balance correction, YC conversion processing, electronic zoom processing, compression processing, expansion processing, and the like. Further, the image processing unit 130 can perform face detection based on the image data (through image) acquired from the CCD image sensor 120. For example, the image processing unit 130 detects the position of the face, the size of the face, the face orientation, and the like included in the image by looking at the luminance distribution of the image based on the image data that has been subjected to the YC conversion process. be able to. Hereinafter, an area surrounding the detected face is referred to as a face area. In addition, although the case where it is a person is shown, it may be an animal, such as a dog, or an object. The image processing unit 130 may be configured with a hard-wired electronic circuit, or may be configured with a microcomputer or the like that executes a program for performing these processes. Further, it may be configured as one integrated circuit together with the controller 150 or the like.

  A liquid crystal display 170 is provided on the back of the digital camera 100. The liquid crystal display 170 displays an image based on the image data processed by the image processing unit 130. The images displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 include a through image and a recorded image. The liquid crystal display 170 displays images generated by the CCD image sensor 120 at regular intervals as a through image in real time. The user can take a picture while confirming the composition of the subject by referring to the through image displayed on the liquid crystal display 170. The recorded image is an image recorded on the memory card 192 or the flash memory 160. The liquid crystal display 170 displays an image based on already recorded image data in accordance with a user operation. In addition, the liquid crystal display 170 can display various setting conditions of the digital camera 100.

  The touch panel 173 is provided on the surface of the liquid crystal display 170 and outputs information related to electrode positions on the touch panel touched by the user.

  The detection processing unit 177 calculates the position coordinates on the touch panel touched by the user based on the information on the electrode position output from the touch panel 173 and outputs the position coordinates to the controller 150. Thereby, the controller 150 can grasp | ascertain the position on the touch panel 173 which the user is touch-operating.

  The controller 150 controls the overall operation of the digital camera 100. The controller 150 notifies the control signal to the CCD image sensor 120, the image processing unit 130, and the like based on the vertical synchronization signal (VD). The controller 150 includes a ROM (not shown) that stores information such as a program, and a CPU (not shown) that processes information such as a program. The ROM stores a program for controlling the overall operation of the digital camera 100 in addition to programs related to autofocus control and auto exposure control. In addition, the ROM stores imaging initial data related to the aperture value and shutter speed when the imaging is first performed after the CCD image sensor 120 is activated, data related to the target luminance value for obtaining appropriate exposure, and the like.

  The controller 150 displays a menu on the liquid crystal display 170, makes the user perform various settings by operating the operation unit 180 and the touch panel 173 while viewing the menu, and acquires the setting contents. In particular, the controller 150 recognizes where the user touched in the photographing frame displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 from the position coordinate value output by the detection processing unit 177, and performs processing according to the operation.

  The controller 150 may be configured with a hard-wired electronic circuit or a microcomputer. Further, it may be configured as one integrated circuit together with the image processing unit 130 and the like. Further, the ROM does not have to be an internal configuration of the controller 150, and may be provided outside the controller 150.

  The buffer memory 140 is a storage unit that functions as a work memory for the image processing unit 130 and the controller 150. The buffer memory 140 can be realized by a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like.

  The flash memory 160 functions as an internal memory for storing image data and the like. The controller 150 stores the image data processed by the image processing unit 130 in the flash memory 160 or the memory card 192.

  The card slot 191 is a connection means to / from which the memory card 192 can be attached / detached. The card slot 191 can connect the memory card 192 electrically and mechanically. The card slot 191 may have a function of controlling the memory card 192.

  The memory card 192 is an external memory provided with a storage unit such as a flash memory. The memory card 192 can store data such as image data processed by the image processing unit 130. In this embodiment, the memory card 192 is shown as an example of the external memory, but a storage medium such as an optical disk or an HDD may be used as the external memory. Further, a communication interface (wireless or wired) with the outside may be connected to the controller 150 to transmit image data to the outside.

  The operation unit 180 is a general term for buttons, levers, dials, and the like provided on the exterior of the digital camera 100, and accepts operations by the user. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a release button 200, a zoom lever 201, a selection button 203, a determination button 204, a power button 202, and the like correspond to the operation unit 180. When the operation unit 180 accepts an operation by the user, the operation unit 180 notifies the controller 150 of various operation instruction signals.

  The release button 200 is a two-stage push button. When the release button 200 is pressed halfway by the user, the controller 150 executes autofocus control, auto exposure control, and the like. When the release button 200 is fully pressed by the user, the controller 150 records image data captured at the timing of the pressing operation as a recorded image in the memory card 192 or the like.

  The zoom lever 201 is a center position self-returning lever having a wide angle end and a telephoto end for adjusting the angle of view. When operated by the user, the zoom lever 201 notifies the controller 150 of an operation instruction signal for driving the zoom lens 112.

  The power button 202 is a push-down button for turning on / off the power supply to each part constituting the digital camera 100. When the power button 202 is pressed by the user when the power is turned off, the controller 150 supplies power to each unit constituting the digital camera 100 and activates it. When the power button 202 is pressed by the user when the power is turned on, the controller 150 stops supplying power to each unit.

  The selection button 203 is a push button provided in the up / down / left / right directions. The user can select various condition items displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 by pressing any direction of the selection button 203.

  The decision button 204 is a push button. When the determination button 204 is pressed by the user while the digital camera 100 is in the shooting mode or the playback mode, the controller 150 displays a menu screen on the liquid crystal display 170. The menu screen is a screen for setting various conditions for shooting / playback. When the determination button 204 is pressed when a setting item for various conditions is selected, the controller 150 determines the setting of the selected item.

  Here, the correspondence between the configuration of the digital camera 100 and the present invention is as follows. The CCD image sensor 120 is an example of an imaging sensor of the present invention. The liquid crystal display 170 is an example of the display unit of the present invention. The touch panel 173 is an example of the touch panel of the present invention. The controller 150 is an example of a determination unit and a recording control unit of the present invention. The image processing unit 130 is an example of a face detection unit. The digital camera 100 is an example of an imaging apparatus of the present invention.

[1-2. Operation)
Next, the operation of the digital camera 100 will be described. Conventionally, in order to record both the subject of interest and the angle of view that contains the entire atmosphere, it has been necessary to perform trimming as a playback function of the camera body after shooting. In spite of the designation by touching the subject of interest at the time of shooting, the area to be trimmed has to be designated manually when trimming again, and there is a problem that the usability is poor. On the other hand, according to the digital camera 100, by simply touching a subject to be photographed, a trimmed image centered on the target subject and an image with a normal angle of view containing the entire atmosphere can be recorded simultaneously.

  When the digital camera 100 is set to the shooting mode, the liquid crystal display 170 displays an image captured by the CCD image sensor 120 in real time. That is, the liquid crystal display 170 displays a through image. At this time, the controller 150 is waiting for the user to accept a touch operation on the touch panel 173 (S300). The controller 150 also monitors whether a face is included in the captured image.

  When the touch operation on the touch panel 173 by the user is received (Yes in S300), the controller 150 acquires the position coordinates of the touched location from the detection processing unit 177. The controller 150 reads the set size of the image area to be trimmed from the ROM. This set size may be selected and set from several candidates in advance by the user. The controller 150 temporarily sets a trimming area centered on the position information designated by touch according to the set size.

  Thereafter, the digital camera 100 determines whether or not a face exists in the trimming area centered on the position coordinates designated by the touch operation (S301). The controller 150 determines whether or not a face exists in the trimming area based on whether or not the trimming area overlaps the detected face area. When the face does not exist (No in S301), the controller 150 does not adjust the size or position of the trimming area. At this time, the controller 150 adjusts the focus so as to focus on the subject corresponding to the touch operation. In addition, the controller 150 extracts luminance information from the image data generated by the CCD image sensor 120, and controls the aperture 113, the shutter 114, and the image processing unit 130 so as to achieve appropriate exposure. The controller 150 generates a trimmed image according to the set size with the touched position coordinates as the center (S308). That is, the controller 150 sets the temporarily set trimming area as the main setting and generates a trimmed image.

  The controller 150 controls to record the generated trimmed image and the normal image displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 on the memory card 192 (S309). As described above, when there is no face area in the trimming area, both the image data of the angle of view cut out in the trimming area and the image data of the normal angle of view are recorded in the memory card 192.

  On the other hand, when a face exists in the trimming area (Yes in S301), the controller 150 first compares the size of the trimming area and the face area (S302). When the face area is larger than the trimming area (Yes in S302), the controller 150 corrects the size of the trimming area to be equal to or larger than the size of the face area. When the trimming area is larger than the face area (No in S302), the controller 150 does not change the size of the trimming area.

  Subsequently, the controller 150 checks whether or not the face area is within the trimming area (S304). If the face area does not fit in the trimming area (No in S304), the controller 150 moves the position of the trimming area so that the face area fits (S305). As a result, the face area comes within the trimming area. On the other hand, when the face area is within the trimming area (Yes in S304), the controller 150 does not change the position of the trimming area.

  As described above, the controller 150 determines whether or not the face area is within the trimming area, and adjusts the size and position of the trimming area so that the face area is within the trimming area. After adjusting the size and position of the trimming area, the controller 150 generates a trimmed image according to the corrected trimming area (S306). Then, the controller 150 records both the cut image data of the angle of view and the image data of the normal angle of view on the memory card 192 (S307).

[1-3. (Summary)
As described above, the digital camera 100 is provided in the CCD image sensor 120 that captures a subject image and generates image information, the liquid crystal display 170 that displays an image based on the generated image information, and the liquid crystal display 170. The touch panel 173, the controller 150 that determines a region to be cut out of the entire image displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 based on the touch-operated position of the touch panel 173, and the determined cut target region And a controller 150 that controls to record the image clipped on the basis of the memory card 192. Thus, the digital camera 100 can record a trimmed image (cut image) of the subject intended by the user simply by touching the subject to be photographed during photographing.

  Further, the digital camera 100 further includes an image processing unit 130 that detects a face included in an image based on the generated image information, and the controller 150 is based on the touch-operated position of the touch panel 173 and the face detection result. Then, a region to be cut out of the entire image displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 is determined. Thereby, the digital camera 100 can record a trimmed image based on the face detection result when the subject that the user wants to photograph is a face.

  Further, in the digital camera 100, when the set size of the cut-out area is smaller than the detected face area size, the controller 150 increases the set size until the face area is accommodated. Thereby, the digital camera 100 can adjust the setting size so that the face area can be accommodated even if the set size of the cut area is smaller than the size of the detected face area.

  In the digital camera 100, when the entire detected face area does not fit within the set size of the cut area, the controller 150 shifts the cut area to a position where the face area fits. As a result, the digital camera 100 can shift the position of the cutout area so that the face area can be accommodated even when the entire detected face area does not fit within the set size of the cutout area.

  In the digital camera 100, the controller 150 records the entire image displayed on the liquid crystal display 170 together with the cut image on the memory card 192. As a result, the digital camera 100 can record not only cut-out images but also normal angle-of-view images. Therefore, the user can also acquire an image around the cut image.

[2. Other embodiments]
The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to these. Therefore, other embodiments of the present invention will be described collectively in this section.

  In the above embodiment, the detection processing unit 177 is realized by a hard-wired circuit, but may have other configurations that can perform the same operation. For example, the detection processing unit 177 may include a microcomputer and a ROM that stores a detection processing program executed by the microcomputer, and the microcomputer may execute the program to calculate the touch position coordinates. Further, information regarding the touched electrode position output from the touch panel may be directly input to the controller 150, and the controller 150 may execute the detection processing program to calculate the touch position coordinates. That is, the controller 150 may also serve as the detection processing unit 177.

  In the first embodiment, the digital camera 100 adjusts the size and position of the trimming area based on the face area calculated from the face information. However, only one of the size or position of the trimming area can be used. It is. For example, when a face area is included in the trimming area and the size of the face area is larger than the size of the trimming area, the digital camera 100 adjusts only the size without shifting the position of the trimming area. You may do it.

  In the first embodiment, the digital camera 100 may set a threshold for a range of trimming area shift or size adjustment. At this time, if the adjustment range exceeds the threshold as a result of the comparison between the trimming area and the face area, the face area may not fit within the trimming area even if the size is adjusted. May be. Alternatively, as a result of the comparison between the trimming area and the face area, when the adjustment range exceeds the threshold value, the threshold value may be adjusted so that the face area fits in the trimming area as much as possible.

  In the first embodiment, the digital camera 100 has been described with respect to the case where only one face area is included in the trimming area. However, the present invention can be applied even when there are a plurality of face areas. For example, when there are three face areas in the trimming area, it is possible to correct the trimming area so that all the face areas fit. Alternatively, it is possible to give priority to the face area based on face information (position, size, face orientation, facial expression, etc.) and correct the trimming area so that only the face area with high priority is contained. Even in this case, it is possible to provide a threshold for adjusting the trimming area, as in the case where there is only one face area.

  The imaging device of the present invention is not limited to application to the digital camera 100. That is, the present invention can be applied to an imaging apparatus such as a movie camera, an information terminal with a camera, and a game system with a camera.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Digital camera 111 Focus lens 112 Zoom lens 113 Aperture 114 Shutter 120 CCD image sensor 121 AFE
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 130 Image processing part 140 Buffer memory 150 Controller 160 Flash memory 170 Liquid crystal display 173 Touch panel 177 Detection processing part 180 Operation part 191 Card slot 192 Memory card 200 Release button 201 Zoom lever 202 Power button 203 Selection button 204 Determination button

Claims (5)

An imaging sensor that captures a subject image and generates image information;
A display unit for displaying an image based on the generated image information;
A touch panel provided in the display unit;
A determination unit that determines a region to be cut out of the entire image displayed on the display unit based on a touch-operated position of the touch panel;
A recording control unit that controls to record an image cut out based on the determined area to be cut out on a recording medium;
An imaging apparatus comprising: A face detection unit for detecting a face included in the image based on the generated image information;
The determination unit determines a region to be cut out of the entire image displayed on the display unit based on a touch-operated position of the touch panel and a detection result of the face detection unit.
The imaging device according to claim 1. When the setting size of the cutout area is smaller than the size of the detected face area, the determination unit increases the setting size until the face area is accommodated.
The imaging device according to claim 2. The determining unit shifts the clipping area to a position where the face area can be accommodated when the entire detected face area does not fit within the set size of the clipping area.
The imaging device according to claim 2 or 3. The recording control unit records the entire image displayed on the display unit together with the clipped image on a recording medium.
The imaging device according to claim 1.

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