JP2019134203A - Imaging apparatus and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve display delay in the whole of a photographic screen.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus comprises: imaging means; means for generating a first image without developing input data acquired by the imaging means; development means for developing the input data acquired by the imaging means and generating image data; means for generating a second image with a delay time different from that of the first image from the imaging means, on the basis of the developed image data; means for generating a third image for display and a control signal for display on the basis of the first image and the second image; and means for displaying the third image. This improves the display delay of the entire of the display screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

    The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus including a display unit that displays a captured image.

  Unlike single-lens reflex cameras, compact digital cameras and mirrorless cameras check the subject to be photographed with a small electronic viewfinder (EVF) or display. Employing EVF eliminates the need for a mirror box and reduces the size and weight, but requires image processing for display on the EVF. Since the image processing takes time, there is a time difference between the displayed image and the actually photographed subject, and it is difficult to photograph the subject at the moment intended by the photographer.

  Since many users of compact digital cameras were not professional photographers, display delay was not a major issue, but in recent years, high-end amateur and professional products such as high-end compact cameras and mirrorless cameras have increased, causing display delay issues. Can no longer be ignored.

  As a countermeasure, there is a method in which the image reading order from the image sensor starts from the subject area (gazing area) where the photographer gazes, and the EVF is also sequentially displayed from the gaze area, and the image processing other than the gaze area is omitted. It is proposed in Document 1.

JP 2006-060496 A

  However, although the conventional technique can shorten the display delay time of the gaze area, a dedicated image sensor capable of special reading and a dedicated EVF capable of displaying in a special order are required. Further, by omitting image processing for areas other than the gaze area, there may be noticeable differences in image quality inside and outside the gaze area of the EVF display image.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an imaging unit, a unit for generating a first image without developing the input data acquired by the imaging unit, and the input data acquired by the imaging unit. Development processing means for developing and generating image data, means for generating a second image having a delay time from the imaging means different from the first image from the developed image data, and the first Means for generating a third image for display and a display control signal from the image and the second image, and means for displaying the third image are provided.

  According to the present invention, although it is monochrome display, it is possible to improve the display delay of the entire photographing screen.

It is a functional configuration block diagram of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a basic configuration and configuration examples of the first and second embodiments. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pixel array and an example of a display image of an image sensor and a display device according to the present invention. FIG. 3A is a pixel array example of the image sensor, and FIG. 3B is a stripe array display device. 3 (3) shows a display image example of a stripe arrangement display device, FIG. 3 (4) shows a pixel arrangement example of a delta arrangement display device, and FIG. 3 (5) shows a delta arrangement display. An example of a display image of the apparatus is shown. FIGS. 2A and 2B show an example of a flowchart of the present invention. FIG. 2A shows an example in which display without delay improvement is set as a normal display setting, and FIG. An example of the case is shown.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same members in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[Example 1]
The first embodiment will be described with reference to an example in which an image with a display delay is normally displayed and the display is switched to a black and white image with an improved display delay when improvement in display delay is required.

  First, each block operation of FIG. 1 which is a functional configuration block diagram of the first embodiment will be described. The image sensor unit 101 is an image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS. The lens group 100 adjusts the amount of incident light and focus, photoelectrically converts the image formed, and further converts the analog signal into a digital signal. Output. Each pixel of the image sensor has one of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color filters arranged in a predetermined arrangement, for example, in a mosaic pattern for each pixel as shown in FIG. It has a structure in which one red pixel, one blue pixel, and two green pixels are regularly arranged as a set every four pixels. Such an arrangement of pixels is generally called a Bayer array.

  The electrical signal converted by the imaging sensor unit 101 is transmitted to the image processing unit A 102 and the development processing unit 103 as Bayer image information. The image processing unit A102 receives the Bayer image signal and performs a process of changing the size of the image without distinguishing each color of RGB. The size of the image is changed by a band limiting filter process, a linear conversion process, a bicubic conversion process, or the like using a combination of G and B or R and G pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions, and is transmitted to the display processing unit 110. The first image to be output for processing without distinguishing each color of RGB is a black and white image, but the delay amount due to the filter processing and conversion processing is the number of pixels, and the display delay amount is almost “0”. It can be processed.

  The development processing unit 103 receives the Bayer image signal, and first performs RGB offset adjustment, gain adjustment, and gamma correction processing. Adjust white balance by offset adjustment and gain adjustment. The gamma correction is processed with characteristics for generating a recorded image desired by the user of the imaging apparatus in consideration of characteristics of the imaging sensor unit 101, the lens group 100, and the like. By changing the gamma correction value, it is possible to generate a recorded image that reproduces the texture and gradation of a motion picture film and a recorded image for display on a TV monitor. Next, an image obtained by converting the RGB image signal into a luminance signal (Y) and a color difference signal (Cb, Cr) is generated and stored in the storage unit B104.

  The image processing unit B105, the image processing unit C107, and the image processing unit D109 are image processes sequentially performed on the image stored in the storage unit B104. For example, the image processing unit B105 is a lens distortion correction process, and the image processing unit C107 is an image processing unit C107. The noise removal processing and image processing unit D109 is color adjustment processing. The output image of the image processing unit B105 is stored in the storage unit C106, the output image of the image processing unit C107 is stored in the storage unit D108, and the output image of the image processing unit D109 is set as the second image. When the output images of the development processing unit 103 and the image processing unit A102 are set to the reference “0” of the delay amount, the storage unit B104 and the image processing unit B105 have the delay amount “+1”, and the storage unit C106 and the image processing unit C107 have the delay amount “ +2 ”, the storage unit D108 and the image processing unit D109 have a delay difference of“ +3 ”, and the unit of the delay amount is, for example, a frame delay. In the first embodiment, the delay difference between the first image and the second image is 3 frame times.

  The display processing unit 110 selects one of the first image output from the image processing unit A102 and the second image output from the image processing unit D109, and outputs a third image. When the first image is selected, any one of the RGB elements for each pixel of the first image is applied to the RGB three elements for each pixel of the third image. In addition, a synchronization signal for outputting the third image is generated and output together with the third image. The synchronization signal is generally an image horizontal direction synchronization signal, an image vertical direction synchronization signal, an effective image position synchronization signal, or the like.

  The display device 111 is an EVF or a display that displays a third image generated by the display processing unit 110 with a control signal generated by the display processing unit 110. The EVF pixel array includes a stripe array shown in FIG. 2 (2) and a delta array shown in FIG. 2 (4). When the first image is displayed, as shown in FIGS. 2 (3) and 2 (5), one of RGB image signals is displayed for a set of three EVF RGB pixel arrays.

  Each storage unit uses a memory such as a DRAM, and may have a configuration in which one storage unit is used by address control or a configuration in which a plurality of storage units are used.

  Although not mentioned in this patent, it is desirable that the imaging element drive cycle, each storage unit drive cycle, and EVF drive cycle can be controlled in synchronization. For example, the delay amount of the synchronization signal between the image sensor and the EVF is measured, and the delay amount of the synchronization signal of each storage unit drive cycle and EVF drive cycle is adjusted within a predetermined range with reference to the image sensor drive cycle. . The imaging element driving cycle and the EVF driving cycle are easily controlled when they are the same cycle, but are not limited to the same cycle.

  An imaging apparatus is configured by the above processing units.

  Next, the operation flow will be described with reference to FIG. 3 (1) showing the flowchart of this embodiment. Shooting is started in step S100. In step S101, the second image output from the image processing unit D109 is displayed on the display device 111. If recording start is selected in step S102, recording is started in step S105. If recording is not started and delay improvement display is selected in step S103, the first image is displayed on the display device 111 in step S104. The delay improvement display can be selected by a method automatically selected when the photographer presses the shutter button, a method selected by an instruction from the outside, or the like. In step S105, recording is started in accordance with the photo opportunity.

[Example 2]
In the second embodiment, when a display delay improvement image is normally displayed and it is desired to check the color, a case where the display delay is increased but the display is switched to a colored image to be photographed will be described as an example.

  First, the functional configuration block diagram of the second embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 1, and description of each block operation is omitted.

  Next, the operation flow will be described with reference to FIG. 3 (2) showing the flowchart of this embodiment. In step S200, shooting is started. In step S201, the monochrome first image output from the image processing unit A102 is displayed on the display device 111. If recording start is selected in step S202, recording is started in step S207. If recording is not started and a colored image is selected in step S203, the second image is displayed on the display device 111 in step S204. If the start of recording is selected in step S205, shooting is started in step S207 while displaying the second colored image.

  If delay improvement display is selected in step S206, the process returns to step S201 to display the first monochrome image. When shooting with the second image displayed, the process returns to step S205, and recording is started in accordance with the photo opportunity in step S207.

100 Lens Group 101 Image Sensor Unit 102 Development Processing Unit 103 Image Processing Unit A
104 Storage unit B
105 Image processing unit B
106 Storage unit C
107 Image processing unit C
108 Storage part D
109 Image processing unit D
110 Display processing unit 111 Display device

Claims (4)

Imaging means; means for generating a first image without developing the input data acquired by the imaging means; development processing means for generating image data by developing the input data acquired by the imaging means; , Means for generating a second image having a delay time from the imaging means different from the first image from the developed image data, and a third for display from the first image and the second image. An image pickup apparatus comprising: means for generating an image and a display control signal; and means for displaying the third image. The means for generating a first image according to claim 1 has means for performing a process of changing the size of an image as single-color image data without distinguishing the color of pixel data. Imaging device. When the means for generating the third image according to claim 1 is generated from the first image, any one of RGB for each pixel of the first image is selected as one of RGB three elements for each pixel of the third image. An imaging apparatus comprising means for fitting an element. The means for generating a second image according to claim 1 further comprises means for performing either or both of a lens distortion correction process and a noise removal process on the developed image data. An imaging device.