JP5324684B2 - Imaging apparatus and imaging method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable face detection based various functions to be controlled individually according to scene recognition results. <P>SOLUTION: Information on a photographing scene is acquired as scenes are recognized, and detection is made of the photographing scene at the same time to see if it contains a face. Then various controls are exerted based on a scene recognition result and a face detection result. When various controls making use of face detection, such as face frame display, face AE, face AF, face AWB, face gradation correction, etc., are exerted, those are made individually controllable according to the scene recognition result so that they will suit the need, thus making it possible to realize excellent photographing and image processing according to the scene concerned. Furthermore, if the scene changes, scene recognition is performed based on information about scenes acquired every prescribed cycle. Out of scenes recognized 5 times, the one with highest frequency is recognized as a current scene, in which way scene recognition results are obtained stably. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and an imaging method, and more particularly to a technique for changing a method of using face detection based on a scene recognition result.

  Patent Document 1 discloses that in a digital still camera, whether or not a set shooting mode is appropriate for a scene is determined based on a digital image signal or an EV value.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses an imaging mode automatic setting camera that sets the imaging mode of the camera based on output information from the face recognition unit and the state detection unit. The camera described in Patent Document 2 automatically sets a camera shooting mode based on output information of subject movement, imaging magnification, or subject distance. Patent Document 2 describes not only detecting a human face but also distinguishing a portrait mode, a multiple-person mode, and a group photo mode as shooting modes according to the number of people and shooting magnification.

JP 2003-244530 A JP 2003-344891 A

  The invention described in Patent Document 1 determines whether or not a set shooting mode is appropriate for a shooting scene, and does not recognize a scene.

  The invention described in Patent Document 2 performs scene recognition based on output information from the face recognition means and the state detection means, and automatically sets various shooting modes including a person mode. 2 does not describe how to control various functions using the scene recognition result and the face detection result.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can control various functions using face detection individually according to the recognition result of the scene, thereby realizing better imaging and image processing. It is an object to provide an imaging apparatus and an imaging method that can be used.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an imaging apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information about a shooting scene, a scene recognition unit that recognizes a scene from the acquired information, and a face in the shooting scene. A face detection means for detecting whether or not, and a control means for performing various controls based on the scene recognition result and the face detection result. The scene recognition means uses information corresponding to the recognized scene as a reference. Storage means for storing information, scene change determination means for determining whether or not the scene has changed from the reference information stored in the storage means and the information acquired by the information acquisition means, and a predetermined cycle for performing scene recognition. And a period setting means for setting, and when it is determined that the scene has changed, a plurality of predefined scenes and any of the scenes are detected based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means. Recognize the scene based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means for each predetermined period set by the period setting means, and n times (n: 3 or more) (Integer) The scene with the highest frequency among the recognized scenes is recognized as the current scene, information corresponding to the recognized current scene is used as reference information, and the reference information stored in the storage means is updated.

  In other words, since various types of control are performed based on the scene recognition result and the face detection result, when performing various types of control using face detection, how is the control performed according to the scene recognition result? Whether it should be performed (including whether to perform control) or the like can be individually controlled, and better imaging and image processing can be realized according to the scene.

  Further, when it is determined that the scene has changed, the scene is recognized based on the scene information acquired every predetermined period, and the maximum frequency of the scenes recognized n times (n: integer of 3 or more). Since this scene is recognized as the current scene, the scene recognition result can be obtained stably.

  In the imaging apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the information acquisition means includes at least one of information indicating whether or not there is a face in the shooting scene, information corresponding to the subject distance, and information corresponding to the brightness of the subject. It is preferable to acquire one piece of information. Information indicating whether or not there is a face can be acquired from the face detection means.

  In the imaging apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention, the control means includes a display control means for explicitly displaying the position of the detected face on the screen of the display means for displaying the live view image, and the detected face. Exposure control means for controlling the exposure based on the brightness of the area, automatic focus adjustment means for adjusting the focus so that the detected face is in focus, and white balance based on the color information of the detected face area It includes two or more means of white balance adjustment means for adjustment and face gradation correction means for performing gradation correction based on the brightness of the detected face area. That is, the control means explicitly displays the position of the detected face in the live view image according to the face detection result by a face frame or the like, and controls the exposure based on the brightness of the detected face area. Adjust the focus so that the detected face is in focus, adjust the white balance based on the color information of the detected face area, or correct the gradation based on the brightness of the detected face area However, these various controls can be individually controlled according to the recognition result of the scene.

  In the imaging apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention, the control unit corresponds to the type of scene and the various types of control, and indicates whether or not the control is performed for each type of control or the strength of control. Is stored, and the corresponding information is read from the table based on the scene recognition result and the face detection result, and various controls are performed.

  In the imaging apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the imaging apparatus includes a custom setting unit that allows the user to freely set information stored in the table. In other words, when performing various controls using face detection, the user can freely set how to perform the control according to the recognition result of the scene, and control according to the user's preference Is possible.

  In the imaging apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention, the scene recognizing unit may include a scene to which the latest scene in the history of scene recognition belongs when there are a plurality of scenes with the highest frequency among the n recognized scenes. Is recognized as the current scene.

  An imaging method according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a step of acquiring shooting scene information at predetermined intervals, a step of recognizing a scene from the acquired shooting scene information, and information corresponding to the recognized scene. Storing in the storage means as reference information, detecting whether or not there is a face in the shooting scene, and performing various controls based on the recognition result of the scene and the detection result of the face, The step of recognizing the scene determines whether or not the scene has changed from the reference information stored in the storage means and the acquired scene information every predetermined period, and if it is determined that the scene has changed. Based on the scene information acquired every predetermined period, recognize any scene among a plurality of predefined scenes and scenes that do not apply to any scene, and n times n: 3 or more integer) the maximum frequency of the scene of the recognized scene recognized as the current scene, updates the reference information stored information corresponding to the recognized current scene in the storage means as the reference information.

  In the imaging method according to still another aspect of the present invention, the step of acquiring shooting scene information includes information indicating whether or not there is a face in the shooting scene, information corresponding to a subject distance, and brightness of the subject. It is preferable that at least one piece of information to be acquired is acquired.

  In the imaging method according to still another aspect of the present invention, the step of performing various controls includes display control and detection for explicitly displaying the position of the detected face on the screen of the display means for displaying the live view image. Exposure control to control the exposure based on the brightness of the detected face area, automatic focus adjustment to adjust the focus so that the detected face is in focus, white balance based on the color information of the detected face area Control of two or more of the white balance adjustment for adjusting the face and the face gradation correction for performing the gradation correction based on the detected brightness of the face area.

  In the imaging method according to still another aspect of the present invention, the step of performing various controls includes information indicating whether to perform control for each type of control corresponding to the type of scene and the various types of control. Alternatively, a table in which information indicating the strength of control is stored is used, and various types of control are performed by reading the corresponding information from the table based on the scene recognition result and the face detection result.

  In the imaging method according to still another aspect of the present invention, the information stored in the table is set by custom setting means that is freely set by the user.

  In the imaging method according to still another aspect of the present invention, the step of recognizing a scene includes the step of recognizing the newest scene in the history of scene recognition when there are a plurality of scenes with the highest frequency among the n recognized scenes. The scene to which it belongs is recognized as the current scene.

  According to the present invention, when various types of control using face detection are performed, how the control should be performed according to the recognition result of the scene (including whether or not to perform control) is individually determined. Therefore, it is possible to realize better imaging and image processing according to the scene, and it is possible to stably obtain a scene recognition result when the scene changes.

Schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the digital camera The flowchart which shows the outline | summary of the imaging method which concerns on this invention The figure which shows an example of the result display of a scene determination Chart showing an example of the relationship between scene recognition results and various functions using face detection Flow chart of main scene recognition process Flow chart of frame fluctuation check Photometric value variation check flowchart Flow chart of focus position fluctuation check Flow chart of face presence / absence variation check Flowchart showing scene recognition details The figure which showed scene recognition result SR notionally Flow chart of scene determination subroutine (person determination) Flow chart of scene determination subroutine (landscape determination) Flowchart of scene determination subroutine (night scene determination) Another example of flowchart of scene determination subroutine (night scene determination) Flowchart of scene determination subroutine (close-up determination) Flowchart showing a setting method for controlling various functions by using face detection The figure which shows an example of a face shape function setting screen

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an imaging apparatus and an imaging method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Configuration of imaging device]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of an imaging apparatus (digital camera) according to the present invention.

  This imaging device (hereinafter referred to as a digital camera 1) converts image data acquired by photographing into an image file in Exif format and records it in a recording unit 70 such as an external recording medium that can be attached to and detached from the main body. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera 1 includes an operation unit 11 and a control circuit 74 that interprets the operation content of the user on the operation unit 11 and controls each unit.

  The operation unit 11 is an operation mode switch, a menu / OK button, a zoom that switches an operation mode between a shooting mode for shooting an image and a playback mode for reading an image recorded in the recording unit 70 and displaying it on the display unit 71. / Includes an up / down arrow lever, a left / right arrow button, a Back button, a display switching button, a shutter button, and a power switch.

  The control circuit 74 includes a CPU 75 that performs information processing, a program that defines information processing such as scene recognition according to the present invention, firmware, a ROM 68 that records threshold values and other constants used for various determinations in the program, and is necessary for information processing. A RAM 69 for storing variables and data is provided.

  The CPU 75 controls each part of the main body of the digital camera 1 in accordance with signals from various processing units such as the operation unit 11 and the AF processing unit 62. The ROM 68 stores various constants set in the digital camera 1, programs executed by the CPU 75, and the like. The RAM 69 temporarily stores data necessary for the CPU 75 to execute the program.

  The lens 20 has a focus lens and a zoom lens. The lens 20 can be moved in the optical axis direction by the lens driving unit 51. The lens driving unit 51 controls the position of the focus lens based on the focus drive amount data output from the CPU 75. Further, the lens driving unit 51 controls the position of the zoom lens based on the operation amount data of the zoom / up / down arrow lever of the operation unit 11.

  The diaphragm 54 is driven by a diaphragm driving unit 55 including a motor and a motor driver. The aperture driver 55 adjusts the aperture diameter based on aperture value data output from the CPU 75.

  An imaging element (CCD) 58 is disposed behind the imaging optical system including the lens 20 and the diaphragm 54. As the image sensor 58, a CMOS image sensor can be used instead of the CCD.

The image sensor 58 has a photocathode on which a large number of light receiving elements are two-dimensionally arranged. The subject light that has passed through the imaging optical system forms an image on this photocathode and undergoes photoelectric conversion. In front of the photocathode, a microlens array for condensing light on each pixel and a color filter array in which filters of R, G, and B colors are regularly arranged are arranged. The image sensor 58 outputs the charge accumulated for each pixel as a serial analog image signal for each line in synchronization with the vertical transfer clock and the horizontal transfer clock supplied from the image sensor control unit 59. The time for accumulating charges in each pixel, that is, the exposure time is determined by an electronic shutter drive signal provided from the image sensor control unit 59. Further, the gain of the image sensor 58 is adjusted by the image sensor control unit 59 so that an analog image signal having a predetermined size can be obtained.

  The analog photographing signal captured from the image sensor 58 is input to the analog signal processing unit 60. The analog signal processing unit 60 includes a correlated double sampling circuit (CDS) that removes noise from the analog signal, and an auto gain controller (AGC) that adjusts the gain of the analog signal. The amplification gains of the R, G, and B signals in the analog signal processing unit 60 correspond to shooting sensitivity (ISO sensitivity). The CPU 75 sets the photographing sensitivity by adjusting the amplification gain.

  The A / D conversion unit 61 converts the analog image signal processed by the analog signal processing unit 60 into digital image data. The image data converted into the digital signal is CCD-RAW data having R, G, and B density values for each pixel.

  The control circuit 74 multiplies or divides an oscillation signal supplied from an oscillator (not shown) to generate a timing signal and input it to the image sensor control unit 59, thereby operating the shutter button of the operation unit 11. The timing of taking in the charge from the image sensor 58 and the processing of the analog signal processing unit 60 is adjusted.

  The control circuit 74 performs photometry by detecting the luminance of the image signal generated by the image sensor 58. When the field brightness is low, the control circuit 74 instructs the auxiliary light control unit 25 during automatic focus adjustment (AF) (when the shutter button is half-pressed) to provide auxiliary light from the auxiliary light emitting unit 26 (for example, LED). Is irradiated.

  The R, G, B image data (CCD-RAW data) output from the A / D converter 61 is subjected to white balance (WB) adjustment, gamma correction, and YC processing by the digital signal processor 65. The The processed image data is written into the memory 66.

  The memory 66 is a working memory used when various digital image processing (signal processing) described later is performed on the image data. For example, an SDRAM (Synchronous) that performs data transfer in synchronization with a bus clock signal having a fixed period. Dynamic Random Access Memory) is used.

  The display unit 71 includes, for example, a liquid crystal monitor, and displays the image data sequentially stored in the memory 66 from the setting of the shooting mode until the main shooting instruction is given on the liquid crystal monitor as a live view image (through image). Or the image data stored in the recording unit 70 in the playback mode is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor. The through image is captured by the image sensor 58 at a predetermined time interval while the shooting mode is selected.

  When the operation mode is set to the shooting mode, the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment starts image capturing, and a live view image (through image) is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor of the display unit 71. At the time of displaying a through image, the CPU 75 executes continuous AE (CAE) and continuous AF (CAF) based on calculation results by an AF processing unit 62 and an AE / AWB processing unit 63 described later. Here, the continuous AE is a function of repeatedly calculating an exposure value while continuing through image shooting and continuously controlling the electronic shutter function and / or the aperture 54 of the image sensor (CCD) 58. . Continuous AF is a function for continuously controlling the focus lens position by repeatedly calculating an AF evaluation value while continuing through image shooting. When the shutter button is half-pressed in the shooting mode (S1 on), the digital camera 1 executes AE processing (S1AE) and AF processing (S1AF), and executes AE lock and AF lock.

  Hereinafter, the AE process and the AF process will be described. The image signal output from the image sensor 58 is input to the AF processing unit 62 and the AE / AWB processing unit 63 via a buffer memory (not shown) after A / D conversion.

  The AE / AWB processing unit 63 divides one screen into a plurality of divided areas (for example, 8 × 8 or 16 × 16), integrates R, G, and B signals for each divided area, and calculates the integrated value as a CPU 75. To provide. The CPU 75 detects the brightness of the subject (subject brightness) based on the integrated value obtained from the AE / AWB processing unit 63, and calculates an exposure value (shooting EV value) suitable for shooting. The CPU 75 determines an aperture value and a shutter speed according to the exposure value and a predetermined program diagram, and controls the electronic shutter function and the aperture 54 of the image sensor 58 according to this to obtain an appropriate exposure amount.

  Further, the CPU 75 sends a command to the flash control unit 73 to operate when the flash emission mode is set to ON. The flash control unit 73 includes a main capacitor for supplying a current for causing the flash light emitting unit (discharge tube) 24 to emit light. In accordance with a flash light emission command from the CPU 75, charging control of the main capacitor and the flash light emitting unit 24 The discharge (light emission) timing and discharge time are controlled. As the flash light emitting means, a light emitting diode (LED) can be used instead of the discharge tube.

  Further, the AE / AWB processing unit 63 calculates an average integrated value for each color of the R, G, and B signals for each divided area during automatic white balance adjustment, and provides the calculation result to the CPU 75. The CPU 75 obtains an integrated value of R, an integrated value of B, and an integrated value of G, obtains a ratio of R / G and B / G for each divided area, and calculates R / G and R / G of the values of B / G. The light source type is determined based on the distribution in the color space of the G and B / G axis coordinates, and the gain value (white balance gain) for the R, G, and B signals of the white balance adjustment circuit is determined according to the determined light source type. Control and correct the signal of each color channel.

  For the AF control in the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, contrast AF that moves the focus lens so that the high-frequency component of the G signal of the image signal is maximized is applied. That is, the AF processing unit 62 cuts out a signal in a focus target area set in advance in a high-pass filter that passes only high-frequency components of the G signal, an absolute value processing unit, and a screen (for example, the center of the screen). An area extraction unit and an integration unit that integrates absolute value data in the AF area are configured.

  The accumulated value data obtained by the AF processing unit 62 is notified to the CPU 75. The CPU 75 calculates a focus evaluation value (AF evaluation value) at a plurality of AF detection points while controlling the lens driving unit 51 to move the focus lens, and focuses the lens position where the calculated focus evaluation value is maximized. Determine as position. Then, the CPU 75 controls the lens driving unit 51 to move the focus lens to the in-focus position. In continuous AF (CAF), the focus position search range (focus lens movement range during AF search) is narrower and the number of AF detection points is smaller than in S1AF. Further, the calculation of the AF evaluation value is not limited to the mode using the G signal, and a luminance signal (Y signal) may be used.

  The exposure and white balance can be set manually by the user of the digital camera 1 when the shooting mode is set to the manual mode. Even when the exposure and white balance are automatically set, the user can manually adjust the exposure and white balance by giving an instruction from the operation unit 11 such as a menu / OK button.

  When the shutter button is pressed halfway (S1 on) and then fully pressed (S2 on), the main image data for recording is captured from the image sensor 58. This main image data is captured from the image sensor 58 during the main photographing executed when the shutter button is fully pressed, and is stored in the memory 66 via the analog signal processing unit 60, the A / D conversion unit 61, and the digital signal processing unit 65. Is stored in the image data. The digital signal processing unit 65 performs image quality correction processing such as gamma correction, sharpness correction, and contrast correction on the image data of the main image, CCD-RAW data as Y data that is a luminance signal, and Cb data that is a blue color difference signal. And YC conversion processing for converting into YC data composed of Cr data which is a red color difference signal. The upper limit of the number of pixels of the main image is determined by the number of pixels of the image sensor 58. For example, the number of recorded pixels can be changed by setting fine, normal, and the like. On the other hand, the number of images of the through image and the pre-image when the shutter button is half-pressed is captured with, for example, a smaller number of pixels than the main image, for example, about 1/16 of the main image.

  The digital signal processing unit 65 obtains the luminance of the face area in the main image when the light emission amount of the flash light emitting unit 24 is smaller than that during normal photographing, and the luminance is higher than a predetermined threshold Th1. If it is smaller, a process of adjusting the brightness of the face area to the threshold value Th1 is performed.

  The compression / decompression processing unit 67 performs a compression process on the image data of the main image that has been subjected to the correction / conversion process, for example, in a predetermined compression format, and generates an image file. This image file is recorded in the recording unit 70. For example, based on the Exif format or the like, a tag that stores additional information such as the shooting date and time is added to the image file. The compression / decompression processing unit 67 performs expansion processing on the image file read from the recording unit 70 in the reproduction mode. The expanded image data is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor of the display unit 71.

  The face detection processing unit 80 includes an image matching unit and a face image template, detects a human face from a through image, a pre-image, or a main image, and outputs information on the position and size of the face to the control circuit 74. .

  Specifically, the image collation unit of the face detection processing unit 80 collates the image of the target area with the face image template while moving the position of the target area in a screen such as a through image, and correlates the two. Investigate. When the correlation score exceeds a preset threshold, the target area is recognized as a face area. If no face is detected, the above process is repeated while changing the size of the target area. In addition, as a face detection method, the area | region which has the feature of the face included in a face (For example, it has a skin color area | region, a black color area | region (eyes) is included in a skin color area | region, a skin color area | region has a face shape, etc.) It is possible to use a known method such as a method for detecting a face region.

<Shooting control>
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of the imaging method according to the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment performs face detection processing (step S200) and scene recognition processing (step S202) until the shutter button is half-pressed (S1 is turned on) (step S204). ), Repeatedly. Details of the face detection process and the scene recognition process will be described later.

  Scene recognition is a technique for recognizing what kind of scene a user is going to take or has taken. Several scenes are defined in advance, and the recognized results are displayed on the display unit 71. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a scene recognition result such as “person”, “landscape”, “night view”, or “close-up” is notified to the user in an easy-to-understand manner by text or icon display. The recognition result when it does not apply to any of the defined scenes is “AUTO”, and nothing is displayed when the automatic scene recognition is “OFF”.

  It should be noted that the face detection result is used for scene recognition, but the face detection result update timing does not always match the scene recognition result update timing. That is, the face detection process and the scene recognition process move independently of each other, and the scene recognition does not move unless the face detection result is updated. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, it is also possible to detect a face at a timing completely different from scene recognition. For example, scene recognition is determined before the main exposure (step S220), but face detection can be performed after the main exposure (see step S222).

  As described above, the same relationship is not always established between the result of face detection and the result of scene recognition. ("Face is detected" = "Portrait mode" does not always hold).

  For this reason, as described later, according to the result of scene recognition, the control method of various functions using face detection is individually controlled, so that a higher-performance camera can be obtained.

  In S204, it is determined whether the shutter button is half-pressed (S1 on). If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S206, and if “No”, the process returns to the start.

  In S206, AE processing (S1AE) is performed, and in S208, AF processing (S1AF) is performed, and AE lock and AF lock are performed, respectively.

  In S210, scene recognition is performed in the same manner as in S202, except that S202 uses the results of CAE and CAF, but uses the results of S1AE and S1AF.

  In S212, a program diagram suitable for the scene is selected according to the scene recognition result in S210, and based on the selected program diagram and the S1AE photometry result (EV value) in S206, the aperture value and shutter speed are determined. To decide.

  In S214, it is determined whether the shutter button is fully pressed (S2 is on). If “Yes”, the flow proceeds to S220, and if “No”, the flow proceeds to S216.

  In S216, it is determined whether the shutter button is half-pressed (S1 is on). If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S218, where face detection processing is performed, whereas if “No”, the process returns to the start.

  In S220, the main exposure is performed based on the aperture value and the shutter speed determined in S212, and the main image is captured.

  In S222, face detection processing is performed on the main image. In S224, signal processing such as white balance adjustment and gradation correction such as gamma correction is performed on the main image.

  In S226, the main image after the signal processing is compressed in a predetermined format, an image file is generated and recorded in the recording unit 70.

  Next, an embodiment in which various functions are controlled based on a scene recognition result and a face detection result will be described.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the relationship between various recognition functions using scene recognition results and face detection.

  In the example shown in the figure, the relationship between five scene recognition results and control using five types of face detection is shown.

  First, control using five types of face detections of “face frame display”, “face AE”, “face AF”, “face AWB”, and “face gradation correction” will be briefly described.

  In the “face frame display” control, when a face is detected by the face detection process during the display of the live view image (through image) (S200 in FIG. 2), the through image is based on the detected position and size of the face. This is control for displaying a face frame surrounding the face area. Thereby, the user can determine whether the face is correctly detected. An arrow or other mark may be displayed instead of the face frame.

  “Face AE” control performs exposure control in CAE and S1AE based on the detection result of the face, determines a photometric value (EV value) based on the brightness of the detected face area, and sets the exposure. Control.

  “Face AF” control performs automatic focus adjustment in CAF and S1AF based on the detection result of the face. The detected face area is set as an AF area, and the AF area (face area) is focused. Adjust the focus.

  “Face AWB” control performs white balance adjustment based on the detection result of the face, and performs white balance adjustment so that, for example, the skin color is clean based on the color information of the detected face area.

  “Face Tone Correction” control is to perform image tone correction based on the face detection result, and to adjust the brightness of the detected face area to the appropriate brightness. Make corrections.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, a circle mark indicates that control is performed, and a cross mark indicates that control is performed. Controls of “face frame display”, “face AE”, and “face AF” are “AUTO”, “ Regardless of the five scene recognition results of “person”, “landscape”, “night view”, and “close-up”, control is always performed.

  On the other hand, the control of “face AWB” and “face gradation correction” is performed only in the “AUTO”, “person”, and “close-up” scenes, and is not performed in the “landscape” and “night scene” scenes. I am doing so.

  The control of various functions based on the scene recognition result and the face detection result is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 4, and the type of scene recognition and the type of control using face detection are also shown in FIG. It is not limited to an example, Various things can be considered.

  In addition, the various functions are controlled at the ON / OFF level, but the strength of the various functions may be divided into several levels and the level may be set (“strong, medium, weak”). , “Levels 1-5”, etc.).

  As described above, scene recognition and face detection are not necessarily performed at the same timing. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the step of scene recognition after the main exposure is not described. It is not limited.

  In this way, by individually controlling the control method of various functions using face detection according to the result of scene recognition, it can be made a higher performance camera (capturing and creating a beautiful image, displaying Make it easier to see and search for images).

[Scene recognition processing]
Next, “scene recognition” (including “face detection” in S200, S218, and S222) in S200 and S210 shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the scene recognition main process. The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68. This process starts when the shooting mode is set from the operation unit 11 and “automatic scene recognition ON” is set from the operation unit 11 at that time. If “automatic scene recognition OFF” is set from the operation unit 11, the process does not start.

  In S1, it is determined whether or not this process is executed for the first time. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S2. If “No”, the process proceeds to S3.

  In S2, the frame variation reference information in the RAM 69 is initialized. The frame variation reference information includes the divided photometric value, the position of the focus lens, the type of the focus AF area (whether the AF area in the focused state is a face area detected by the face detection processing unit 80, or Whether or not it is the default area near the center of the screen), a focusing AF filter (for example, a low pass filter or a high pass filter disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-145964), and whether or not a face is detected by the face detection processing unit 80. Further, the status of the RAM 69 is set to the search state, the check counter is set to 0, and the scene recognition history holding flag is set to OFF.

  In S3, it is determined whether or not status of the RAM 69 is in a final state. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 4. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 7.

  In S4, a frame variation check is performed. This process will be described later.

  In S5, it is determined whether or not there is a frame variation as a result of the frame variation check. If “Yes”, the process returns to S6. If “No”, the process returns to S1.

  In S6, it is determined that the scene has changed, and the status of the RAM 69 is set to the search state.

  In S7, it is determined whether or not the scene recognition history retention flag in the RAM 69 is set to ON. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S9. If “No”, the process proceeds to S8.

  In S8, the scene recognition counter in the RAM 69 is set to zero. Also, the scene recognition history in the RAM 69 is cleared.

  In S9, the recognition unit performs a scene recognition operation. This process will be described later. As a result of this processing, the scene recognition result SR is stored in the RAM 69. The scene recognition result SR includes landscape, AUTO, person, night view, close-up, and the like. Details of the recognition processing of each scene will be described later.

  In S10, the scene recognition counter in the RAM 69 is incremented by 1.

  In S11, the scene recognition counter of the RAM 69 and a predetermined scene recognition history number threshold value (E_AUTOSR_SR_HISTORY_BEFORE_S1) of the ROM 68 are compared to determine whether or not the scene recognition counter ≧ the scene recognition history number threshold value. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 12. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 17.

In S12, the scene recognition history in the RAM 69 is checked. The scene recognition history is composed of a plurality of scene recognition results SR that are individually stored in S9 that is repeated until status becomes a definite state.

  In S13, the scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is updated to the one having the maximum appearance frequency among the scene recognition histories constituted by the plurality of scene recognition results SR stored at different times in S9. Further, the frame variation information in the RAM 69 is updated to the frame variation information acquired at the same time as the scene recognition result SR having the maximum appearance frequency.

  In S14, it is determined whether or not the scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is different from “AUTO”. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 16. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 15.

  In S15, the status of the RAM 69 is set to the search state, and the process returns to S1.

  In S16, the status of the RAM 69 is set to a confirmed state, and the process returns to S1.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the detailed processing flow of the frame variation check (S4). The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68.

  In S21, change which is a parameter of the RAM 69 is set to OFF, and change_measure is set to 0.

  In S22, a first frame variation check is performed. Here, the frame variation check is one of a photometric value variation check, a focus position variation check, and a face presence / absence variation check, but may include other types. These processes will be described later. The result of the first frame variation check is stored as E_AUTOSP_FRAME_CHECK1, which is a parameter of the RAM 69.

  In S23, it is determined whether or not there is a frame variation as a result of the first frame variation check in S22. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 24. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 26.

  In S24, the change_measure in the RAM 69 is incremented by 1.

  In S25, the change_measure in the RAM 69 and the predetermined threshold value E_AUTOSP_FRAME_CHANGE_MEASURE in the ROM 68 are compared to determine whether or not change_measure ≧ E_AUTOSP_FRAME_CHANGE_MEASURE. If “No”, the process proceeds to S26, and if “Yes”, the process proceeds to S35.

  In S26, a second frame variation check is performed. Here, the frame variation check is any one of the photometry value variation check, the focus position variation check, and the face presence / absence variation check different from the first time. The result of the second frame fluctuation check is stored as E_AUTOSP_FRAME_CHECK2 which is a parameter of the RAM 69.

  In S27, it is determined whether or not there is a frame variation as a result of the second frame variation check in S26. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 28. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 30.

  In S28, the change_measure in the RAM 69 is incremented by 1.

  In S29, the change_measure in the RAM 69 is compared with the threshold value E_AUTOSP_FRAME_CHANGE_MEASURE stored in the ROM 68, and it is determined whether or not change_measure ≧ E_AUTOSP_FRAME_CHANGE_MEASURE. If “No”, the process proceeds to S30, and if “Yes”, the process proceeds to S35.

  In S30, a third frame variation check is performed. Here, the frame variation check is different from the first time and the second time among the photometric value variation check, the focus position variation check, and the face presence / absence variation check. The result of the third frame variation check is stored as E_AUTOSP_FRAME_CHECK3, which is a parameter of the RAM 69.

  In S31, it is determined whether or not there is a frame variation as a result of the third frame variation check in S30. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 32. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 34.

  In S32, change_measure in the RAM 69 is incremented by 1.

  In S33, the change_measure in the RAM 69 is compared with the threshold value E_AUTOSP_FRAME_CHANGE_MEASURE stored in the ROM 68, and it is determined whether or not change_measure ≧ E_AUTOSP_FRAME_CHANGE_MEASURE. If “No”, the process proceeds to S34, and if “Yes”, the process proceeds to S35.

  In S34, it is determined that there is no frame variation. A flag indicating the determination may be stored in the RAM 69. Then, the process returns to S5 of the scene recognition main process.

  In S35, it is determined that there is a frame fluctuation. The flag “change in frame” is set to change = ON and stored in the RAM 69. Then, the process returns to S5 of the scene recognition main process.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the photometric value fluctuation check. The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68.

  In S41, the parameter change_ev in the RAM 69 is set to OFF. The parameter ev [i] of the RAM 69 is set to a photometric value obtained from the photometric unit 46 for the current frame image. i is a subscript corresponding to each of N blocks obtained by dividing an image by a predetermined unit. Here, i = 0 to N-1. ). Further, the parameter ev_base [i] of the RAM 69 is set as the divided photometric value of the frame variation reference information, and the value is secured in the RAM 69. Note that ev_base [i] is initialized in S2 of the main process and updated in S13. Also, the weight w [i] corresponding to each block is read from the ROM 68.

  In S42, delta_ev is set in the RAM 69 by the following equation. The summation is performed for i = 0 to N-1. delta_ev may be the difference between the brightness of the entire screen.

delta_ev = ΣW [i] * | ev [i] -ev_base [i] | / ΣW [i]
The sum of the absolute values of the differences for each region is as follows. If the absolute value is not taken, it is to prevent the change for each region from being canceled out by the sum, even though a large change actually occurs for each region, and to prevent the change from being lost as a whole.

In S43, the delta_ev in the RAM 69 is compared with the threshold value E_AUTOSP_FRAME_DELTA_EV stored in the ROM 68 to determine whether or not delta_ev ≧ E_AUTOSP_FRAME_DELTA_EV. “
If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 44. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 45.

  In S44, it is determined that the photometric value has changed. Then, the flag change_ev indicating that the photometric value has changed is set to ON and stored in the RAM 69.

  In S45, it is determined that there is no change in the photometric value. You may memorize | store in flag RAM69 which shows that there was no fluctuation | variation of a photometric value.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the focus position variation check. The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68.

  In S51, the parameter change_focal_point of the RAM 69 is set to OFF, the focal_point is set to the focus lens position (number of drive pulses) set by the lens driving unit 51 when the current frame image is acquired, and focal_point_base is set to the focus lens of the frame variation reference information. The position (initialized in S2 or updated in S13) is set, and the storage area is secured in the RAM 69.

  In S52, delta_focal_point is set in the RAM 69 by the following equation.

delta_focal_point = | focal_point- focal_point_base |
In S53, delta_focal_point in the RAM 69 is compared with a predetermined focus position fluctuation threshold stored in the ROM 68, and it is determined whether or not delta_focal_point> focus position fluctuation threshold. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 54. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 55.

  In S54, it is determined that the focus position has changed. Then, the flag change_focal_point indicating that the focus position has changed is set to ON and stored in the RAM 69.

  In S55, it is determined that the focus position has not changed. You may memorize | store in flag RAM69 which shows that there was no fluctuation | variation of a focus position.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the face presence / absence variation check. The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68.

  In S61, the parameter change_face_result of the RAM 69 is set to OFF.

  In S62, the presence or absence of face detection output by the face detection processing unit 80 when the current frame image is acquired matches the presence or absence of face detection (initialized in S2 or updated in S13) in the frame variation reference information. Judge whether to do. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 64. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 63.

  In S63, it is determined that there has been a change in the presence or absence of face detection. Then, a flag change_face_result indicating that there has been a change in the presence or absence of face detection is set to ON and stored in the RAM 69.

  In S64, it is determined that there is no change in the presence or absence of face detection. You may memorize | store in the flag RAM69 which shows that there was no change of the presence or absence of face detection.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the scene recognition operation (S9) of the recognition unit. The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68.

  In S71, it is determined whether or not the flag (E_AUTOSR_SEARCH_TYPE) for executing the scene-dependent search stored in the RAM 69 is zero. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 80. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 72. Note that the value of E_AUTOSR_SEARCH_TYPE can be arbitrarily set from the operation unit 11.

  In S72, AUTO is set in the scene recognition result SR of the RAM 69.

  In S73, E_AUTOSR_MODULE1 stored in advance in the ROM 68 is substituted for the parameter i of the RAM 69. E_AUTOSR_MODULE1 is an integer from 0 to 4. Then, a scene determination subroutine corresponding to module [i] is executed. module [0] does nothing. module [1] performs person determination described later. module [2] performs the landscape determination described later. module [3] performs night view judgment described later. module [4] performs the close-up judgment described later.

  In S74, it is determined whether or not the scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is AUTO as a result of the execution of module [i] in S73. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S75. If “No”, the process returns to S10 of the main process.

  In S75, E_AUTOSR_MODULE2 stored in advance in the ROM 68 is substituted for the parameter i of the RAM 69. E_AUTOSR_MODULE2 is an integer from 0 to 4, and is different from E_AUTOSR_MODULE1. Then, a scene determination subroutine corresponding to module [i] is executed.

In S76, it is determined whether or not the scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is AUTO as a result of the execution of module [i] in S75. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S77, and if “No”, the process returns to S10 of the main process.

  In S77, E_AUTOSR_MODULE3 stored in the ROM 68 in advance is substituted for the parameter i of the RAM 69. E_AUTOSR_MODULE3 is an integer from 0 to 4, and is different from E_AUTOSR_MODULE1 and E_AUTOSR_MODULE2. Then, a scene determination subroutine corresponding to module [i] is executed.

  In S78, it is determined whether or not the scene recognition result SR of the RAM 69 is AUTO as a result of the execution of module [i] in S77. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S79. If “No”, the process returns to S10 of the main process.

  In S79, E_AUTOSR_MODULE4 stored in advance in the ROM 68 is substituted for the parameter i of the RAM 69. E_AUTOSR_MODULE3 is an integer from 0 to 4, and is different from E_AUTOSR_MODULE1, E_AUTOSR_MODULE2, and E_AUTOSR_MODULE3. Then, a scene determination subroutine corresponding to module [i] is executed. The values of E_AUTOSR_MODULE1, E_AUTOSR_MODULE2, E_AUTOSR_MODULE3, and E_AUTOSR_MODULE4 may be set in any way, but it is better to assign a young number to the type for which scene determination is to be performed preferentially. For example, to perform scene determination in the order of person determination> landscape determination> night scene determination> close-up determination, E_AUTOSR_MODULE1 = 1, E_AUTOSR_MODULE2 = 2, E_AUTOSR_MODULE3 = 3, E_AUTOSR_MODULE4 = 4. These values may be arbitrarily set from the operation unit 11.

  In S80, it is determined whether or not the current scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is AUTO. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 72. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 81.

  In S81, the current scene recognition result SR of the RAM 69 is set in the parameter SR_old of the RAM 69. That is, SR_old = 0 if the current scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is AUTO, SR_old = 1 if the scene recognition result SR in the current RAM 69 is a person, and SR_old if the scene recognition result SR in the current RAM 69 is a landscape. = 2, SR_old = 3 if the current scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is a night view, and SR_old = 4 if the current scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is a close-up.

  In S82, SR_old is substituted for the parameter i of the RAM 69. Then, a scene determination subroutine corresponding to module [i] is executed.

  In S83, it is determined whether or not the scene recognition result SR of the RAM 69 is AUTO as a result of the execution of module [i] in S82. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S84. If “No”, the process returns to S10 of the main process.

  In S84, it is determined whether SR_old = E_AUTOSR_MODULE1. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S87. If “No”, the process proceeds to S85.

  In S85, E_AUTOSR_MODULE1 stored in advance in the ROM 68 is substituted for the parameter i of the RAM 69. Then, a scene determination subroutine corresponding to module [i] is executed.

  In S86, it is determined whether or not the scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is AUTO as a result of the execution of module [i] in S85. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S87. If “No”, the process returns to S10 of the main process.

  In S87, it is determined whether SR_old = E_AUTOSR_MODULE2. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S90, and if “No”, the process proceeds to S88.

  In S88, E_AUTOSR_MODULE2 stored in advance in the ROM 68 is substituted for the parameter i of the RAM 69. Then, a scene determination subroutine corresponding to module [i] is executed.

  In S89, it is determined whether or not the scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is AUTO as a result of the execution of module [i] in S88. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S90, and if “No”, the process returns to S10 of the main process.

  In S90, it is determined whether SR_old = E_AUTOSR_MODULE3. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S93. If “No”, the process proceeds to S91.

  In S91, E_AUTOSR_MODULE3 stored in the ROM 68 in advance is substituted for the parameter i of the RAM 69. Then, a scene determination subroutine corresponding to module [i] is executed.

  In S92, it is determined whether or not the scene recognition result SR in the RAM 69 is AUTO as a result of the execution of module [i] in S91. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S93. If “No”, the process returns to S10 of the main process.

  In S93, it is determined whether SR_old = E_AUTOSR_MODULE4. If “Yes”, the process returns to S10 of the main process, and if “No”, the process proceeds to S94.

  In S94, E_AUTOSR_MODULE4 stored in advance in the ROM 68 is substituted for the parameter i of the RAM 69. Then, a scene determination subroutine corresponding to module [i] is executed. Thereafter, the process returns to S10 of the main process.

  FIG. 11 conceptually shows the scene recognition result SR determined by the above process (S9) and S13.

  Five scene recognition results SR are stored successively from old to new. Subscripts j = 0 to 4 are added to the history SR, and the smaller the number, the newer the history. The accumulated number of histories = 5 is an example, and any number may be used as long as it is an integer of 3 or more.

  Each time module [i] is executed in S73, S75, S77, S79 or S85, S88, S91, S94, a new scene recognition result SR is acquired. As a result, 1 is incremented to the subscript of the past scene recognition result SR accumulated so far, and the history becomes one generation old. A new scene recognition result SR is given a subscript of 0 and becomes the current scene recognition result.

  In FIG. 11, SR [0] = 3, SR [1] = 3, SR [2] = 3, SR [3] = 0, SR [4] = 1 are replaced with a new history SR [0 ] = 2 is added, SR [1] = 3, SR [2] = 3, SR [3] = 3, SR [4] = 0. Prior to the addition of a new history SR [0], the history SR [4] = 1 of the oldest generation may be deleted from the RAM 69 or stored together with the addition of a new history.

  In S13, when a new history is added, the most frequently occurring history is identified from SR [0], SR [1], SR [2], SR [3], SR [4] Is a scene recognition result SR. In FIG. 8, since the appearance frequency of 3 is the maximum, SR = 3.

  Although illustration is omitted, when there are a plurality of maximum frequency histories, the scene recognition result SR is the one that includes the latest generation history. For example, if SR [0] = 2, SR [1] = 3, SR [2] = 3, SR [3] = 2, SR [4] = 0, SR [0] = SR [3] = 2 SR [1] = SR [2] = 3 and 2 and 3 have the same appearance frequency. In this case, 2 including the latest generation history SR [0] is the scene recognition result SR.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing details of the scene determination subroutine (person determination, module [1]). The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68.

  In S101, the face detection processing unit 80 determines whether a face is detected. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S102. If “No”, the process proceeds to S105.

  In S102, it is determined whether or not the face restriction flag in the RAM 69 is on. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 103. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 104.

  In S103, for the face area set as the AF evaluation value calculation area, the face size is within a predetermined range, the face inclination is within the predetermined range, the face orientation is within the predetermined range, and the face probability score Is determined within a predetermined range and whether the face position is within the predetermined range. If “No”, the process proceeds to S103, and if “Yes”, the process proceeds to S104.

  In S104, the scene recognition result SR = person is set. Then, the process proceeds after module [1], that is, the next process of any one of S73, S75, S77, and S79, or the next process of any one of S85, S88, S91, and S94.

  In S105, the scene recognition result SR is set to AUTO.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the scene determination subroutine (landscape determination, module [2]). The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68.

  In S111, it is determined whether or not the half-press (S1) of the release button is locked. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 124. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 112.

  In S <b> 112, it is determined whether execution of continuous AF (hereinafter referred to as “CAF”) is set in advance via the setting menu or the operation unit 11. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S113. If “No”, the process proceeds to S129.

  In S113, it is determined whether the AF evaluation value calculated by the pre-imaging AF processing unit 81 is higher than a predetermined threshold stored in the ROM 68. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S114. If “No”, the process proceeds to S119. Note that step S113 may be omitted. In this case, if “Yes” in S112, the process proceeds to S114, and the processes (S119, S120, S121, S122, and S123) that follow when “No” is determined in S113 are also omitted.

  In S114, it is determined whether or not E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_HIGH = 0 stored in the ROM 68. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 115. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 116.

  In S115, it is determined whether the in-focus position determined as a result of the CAF is on the infinity side (INF) side from the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, whether the in-focus subject is farther than the predetermined distance. To do. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 125. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 129.

  In S116, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_HIGH = 1. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S117, and if “No”, the operation proceeds to S118.

  In S117, as a result of the CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected, and the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined by the maximum point is infinity (INF) than the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68. ) Side, that is, whether it is farther than a predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 125. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 129.

  In S118, as a result of CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected or the AF evaluation value is in the vicinity of the maximum point (for example, “fine adjustment” in paragraph 0041 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-348426 by the present applicant). And the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined at the local maximum point is on the infinity side (INF) side of the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, from the predetermined distance. Judge whether the distance is too far. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 125. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 129.

  In S119, it is determined whether or not E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_LOW = 0 stored in the ROM 68. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S120. If “No”, the process proceeds to S121.

  In S120, it is determined whether the in-focus position determined as a result of CAF is on the infinity side (INF) side of the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, whether it is farther than the predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 125. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 129.

  In S121, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_LOW = 1. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S122. If “No”, the process proceeds to S123.

  In S122, as a result of the CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected, and the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined by the maximum point is infinity (INF) than the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68. ) Side, that is, whether it is farther than a predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 125. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 129.

In S123, as a result of CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected or the AF evaluation value is in the vicinity of the maximum point (for example, “fine adjustment” in paragraph 0041 of JP-A-2003-348426 by the present applicant). And the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined at the local maximum point is on the infinity side (INF) side of the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, from the predetermined distance. Judge whether the distance is too far. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 125. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 129.

  In S124, the in-focus position is determined by the AF processing of the AF processing unit 62, and the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position is on the infinity (INF) side of the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68. That is, it is determined whether or not the distance is longer than a predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 125. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 129.

  In S125, it is determined whether or not the field luminance measured by the control circuit 74 is lower than a predetermined threshold stored in the ROM 68. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 126. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 129.

  In S126, it is determined whether or not the landscape zoom information flag is set in advance as a setting parameter of the ROM 68 or from the operation unit 11. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 126. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 129.

  In S127, it is determined whether or not the zoom lens position is within a predetermined range, for example, on the wide side of the predetermined position. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S128. If “No”, the process proceeds to S129. The zoom position is not within the predetermined range when, for example, the zoom lens position is at or near the tele end. In this case, since the entire view cannot be included in the angle of view and is not suitable for landscape photography, the photographing scene is determined to be AUTO.

  In S128, SR = landscape is set. Then, the process proceeds after module [2].

  In S129, SR = AUTO is set. Then, the process proceeds after module [2].

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of the scene determination subroutine (night scene determination, module [3]). The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68.

  In S 131, it is determined whether or not the field luminance measured by the control circuit 74 is lower than a predetermined threshold stored in the ROM 68. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 132. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 152.

  In S132, it is determined whether or not the release button half-press (S1) is locked. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 147. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 133.

  In S133, it is determined whether or not the night scene determination flag stored in the RAM 69 before half-pressing (S1) is set to ON. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 134. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 152.

  In S134, it is determined whether the distance information is to be used in the night scene determination based on the input from the operation unit 11 or the parameter stored in the ROM 68. If the setting for using distance information is set for night scene determination, the process proceeds to S135, and if the setting for using distance information is not set for night scene determination, the process proceeds to S149.

  In S135, it is determined whether or not CAF execution is set in advance via the setting menu or the operation unit 11. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S136. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S152.

  In S 136, it is determined whether or not the AF evaluation value calculated by the pre-imaging AF processing unit 81 is higher than a predetermined threshold stored in the ROM 68. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 137. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 142. Note that step S136 may be omitted. In this case, if “Yes” in S135, the process proceeds to S137, and various processes subsequent to “No” in S136 are also omitted.

  In S137, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_HIGH = 0. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 138. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 139.

  In S138, it is determined whether the in-focus position determined as a result of CAF is on the infinity side (INF) side of the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, whether it is farther than the predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 149. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 152.

  In S139, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_HIGH = 1. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S140. If “No”, the process proceeds to S141.

  In S140, as a result of CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected, and the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined by the maximum point is infinity (INF) than the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68. ) Side, that is, whether it is farther than a predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 149. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 152.

  In S141, as a result of CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected or the AF evaluation value is in the vicinity of the maximum point (for example, “fine adjustment” in paragraph 0041 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-348426 by the present applicant). And the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined at the local maximum point is on the infinity side (INF) side of the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, from the predetermined distance. Judge whether the distance is too far. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 149. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 152.

  In S142, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_LOW = 0. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S143. If “No”, the process proceeds to S144.

  In S143, it is determined whether the in-focus position determined as a result of the CAF is on the infinity side (INF) side of the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, whether it is farther than the predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 149. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 152.

  In S144, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_LOW = 1. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S145. If “No”, the process proceeds to S146.

  In S145, as a result of CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected, and the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined by the maximum point is infinity (INF) than the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68. ) Side, that is, whether it is farther than a predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 149. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 152.

  In S146, as a result of CAF, a maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected or the AF evaluation value is in the vicinity of the maximum point (for example, “fine adjustment” in paragraph 0041 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-348426 by the present applicant). And the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined at the local maximum point is on the infinity side (INF) side of the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, from the predetermined distance. Judge whether the distance is too far. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 149. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 152.

  In S147, it is determined whether the distance information is to be used in the night scene determination based on an input from the operation unit 11 or a parameter stored in the ROM 68. If the setting for using distance information is set for night scene determination, the process proceeds to S148, and if the setting for using distance information is not set for night scene determination, the process proceeds to S149.

  In S148, the in-focus position is determined by the AF processing of the AF processing unit 62, and the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position is on the infinity (INF) side of the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68. That is, it is determined whether or not the distance is longer than a predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 149. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 152.

  In S149, it is determined whether the night view zoom information flag is set to ON in advance as a setting parameter of the ROM 68 or from the operation unit 11. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S150. If “No”, the process proceeds to S151.

  In S150, it is determined whether or not the zoom lens position is within a predetermined range, for example, on the wide side of the predetermined position. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 151. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 152. The zoom position is not within the predetermined range when, for example, the zoom lens position is at or near the tele end. In this case, the back distant view with a small amount of incident light cannot be included in the angle of view, and is not suitable for night view photography, so it is determined as AUTO.

  In S151, SR = night view is set. Then, the process proceeds after module [3].

  In S152, SR = AUTO is set. Then, the process proceeds after module [3].

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the scene determination subroutine (night scene determination, module [3]). The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68. For night view determination, either of FIGS. 11 and 12 is sufficient. Either one may be selectively executed.

  In S 161, it is determined whether or not the field luminance measured by the control circuit 74 is lower than a predetermined threshold stored in the ROM 68. If “Yes”, the operation proceeds to S 162. If “No”, the operation proceeds to S 168. This threshold value may be the same as or different from the threshold value for determining whether to instruct the auxiliary light control unit 25 to emit light.

  In S162, it is determined whether or not the release button half-press (S1) is locked. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 163. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 168.

  In S163, it is determined whether or not the auxiliary light control unit 25 is instructed to emit light from the auxiliary light emitting unit 26. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 164. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 168.

  In S164, whether or not the difference in the field luminance measured by the control circuit 74 immediately before and after the auxiliary light control unit 25 causes the auxiliary light emitting unit 26 to emit light exceeds a predetermined threshold stored in the ROM 68. Judging. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S168. If “No”, the process proceeds to S165. Note that if the difference does not exceed the threshold and is very small, it can be said that there is almost no contribution to the increase in subject brightness due to irradiation of auxiliary light, and the subject is not close.

  In S165, it is determined whether the night view zoom information flag is set to ON in advance as a setting parameter of the ROM 68 or from the operation unit 11. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 166. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 167.

  In S166, it is determined whether or not the zoom lens position is within a predetermined range, for example, on the wide side of the predetermined position. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 167. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 168. The zoom position is not within the predetermined range when, for example, the zoom lens position is at or near the tele end. In this case, the back distant view cannot be included in the angle of view and is not suitable for night view photography.

  In S167, SR = night scene is set. Then, the process proceeds after module [3].

  In S168, SR = AUTO is set. Then, the process proceeds after module [3].

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of the scene determination subroutine (close-up determination, module [4]). The execution of this process is controlled by the CPU 75 of the camera 1. A program for defining this processing is stored in the ROM 68.

  In S171, it is determined whether or not the release button half-press (S1) is locked. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 184. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 172.

  In S172, it is determined whether or not CAF execution is set in advance via the setting menu or the operation unit 11. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 173. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 188.

  In S 173, it is determined whether or not the AF evaluation value calculated by the pre-imaging AF processing unit 81 is higher than a predetermined threshold stored in the ROM 68. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 174. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 179. Note that step S173 may be omitted. In this case, if “Yes” in S 172, the process proceeds to S 174, and various processes subsequent to “No” in S 173 are also omitted.

  In S174, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_HIGH = 0. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S175. If “No”, the process proceeds to S176.

  In S175, it is determined whether the in-focus position determined as a result of CAF is closer to the near (NEAR) side than the predetermined focal distance threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, whether it is closer than the predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 185. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 188.

  In S176, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_HIGH = 1. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 177. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 178.

  In S177, as a result of CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected, and the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined by the maximum point is closer than the predetermined focal length threshold value stored in the ROM 68 (NEAR). It is determined whether it is on the side, that is, whether it is closer than a predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 185. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 188.

  In S178, as a result of CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected or the AF evaluation value is in the vicinity of the maximum point (for example, “fine adjustment” in paragraph 0041 of JP-A-2003-348426 by the present applicant). And the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined by the local maximum point is closer to the near (NEAR) side than the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, more than the predetermined distance. Judge whether it is close or not. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 185. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 188.

  In S179, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_LOW = 0. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S180. If “No”, the process proceeds to S181.

  In S180, it is determined whether the in-focus position determined as a result of CAF is closer to the nearer (NEAR) side than the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, whether it is closer than the predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 185. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 188.

  In S181, it is determined whether E_AUTOSR_CHECK_CAFSTATUS_LOW = 1. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 182. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 183.

  In S182, as a result of CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected, and the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined by the maximum point is closer than the predetermined focal length threshold value stored in the ROM 68 (NEAR). It is determined whether it is on the side, that is, whether it is closer than a predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 185. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 188.

  In S183, as a result of CAF, the maximum point of the AF evaluation value is detected or the AF evaluation value is in the vicinity of the maximum point (for example, “fine adjustment” in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-348426, paragraph 0041 by the present applicant). And the focal length corresponding to the in-focus position determined by the local maximum point is closer to the near (NEAR) side than the predetermined focal length threshold stored in the ROM 68, that is, more than the predetermined distance. Judge whether it is close or not. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 185. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 188.

  In S184, the focus position is determined by the AF process of the AF processing unit 62, and the focal length corresponding to the focus position is closer to the near (NEAR) side than the predetermined focal distance threshold stored in the ROM 68. That is, it is determined whether or not it is closer than a predetermined distance. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 185. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 188.

  In S185, it is determined whether the close-up zoom information flag is set to ON in advance as a setting parameter of the ROM 68 or from the operation unit 11. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S186. If “No”, the process proceeds to S187.

  In S186, it is determined whether or not the zoom lens position is within a predetermined range stored in the ROM 68, for example, on the wide side of the predetermined position. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S 187. If “No”, the process proceeds to S 188. Note that the zoom position is not within the predetermined range, for example, except when the zoom lens position is at or near the wide end. In this case, the close subject cannot be focused and is not suitable for close-up photography.

  In S187, SR = close-up is set. Then, the process proceeds after module [4].

  In S188, SR = AUTO is set. Then, the process proceeds after module [4].

  The CPU 75 controls the display unit 71 to display the scene determination results of FIGS.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, characters such as “landscape”, “AUTO”, “person”, “night view”, and “close-up”, which are the results of the scene determination, are recorded on the through image or after the release button is fully pressed. The image is displayed on the display unit 71 in a superimposed manner. Character strings, icons, symbols, and other information indicating the result of scene determination are generated by an OSD circuit (not shown). If the camera 1 is provided with an audio processing circuit and a speaker, the CPU 75 may control to output a notification sound corresponding to the result of the scene determination. If “automatic scene recognition OFF” is set, the scene determination result is not displayed.

  Through the above processing, it is possible to recognize what kind of scene the user is going to take or has taken.

In the main process of FIG. 5, scene recognition is performed when the scene changes. The state of the frame when the previous scene recognition result is confirmed and the change in the state of the current frame are monitored (S4, FIG. 6). If it is determined that there is a scene change when there is a change (S5), status = search state (S6), and the recognition unit operates at the scene change timing (S9).

  In the frame variation check of FIG. 6, it is possible to have a plurality of factors for detecting variation, and the order can be changed by setting E_AUTOSR_FRAME_CHECK1 to 3. When a change is detected, the value of change_measure that is an index of the frame change is incremented (S24, S28, S32). If the value of change_measure is greater than or equal to E_AUTOSR_FRAME_CHANGE_MEASURE (“Yes” in S25, S29, and S33), it is determined that there is a frame variation (S35).

  Here, as specific processing for detecting frame fluctuation, a photometric value fluctuation check (FIG. 7), a focus position fluctuation check (FIG. 8), and a face presence / absence fluctuation check (FIG. 9) are shown. Although illustration is omitted, frame variation may be detected according to whether or not the pre-imaging AF processing unit 81 has detected focus.

In the photometric value fluctuation check in FIG. 7, delta_ev, which is an index of the photometric value fluctuation amount, is calculated by calculating the photometric value fluctuation amount for each of the N-divided areas and summing them by applying a weight corresponding to each area. It is. If the value of delta_ev is equal to or greater than E_AUTOSP_FRAME_DELTA_EV, it is determined that there is a change in the photometric value.

  In the focus position variation check of FIG. 8, delta_focal_point, which is an index of the variation amount of the focus position, is calculated from the difference between the focus position of the reference information and the current focus position. When the value of delta_focal_point is equal to or greater than the focus position fluctuation threshold, it is determined that there is a focus position fluctuation. Note that the threshold used here is set in the ROM 68 for each zoom position.

  In the face presence / absence variation check in FIG. 9, it is determined that there is a face presence / absence variation when the face presence / absence result of the reference information is different from the current face presence / absence result.

  The scene recognition history used for the difference in the recognition unit operation is cleared after obtaining the SR to be adopted as a result of the automatic scene recognition (S8). This is because the recognizing unit is not assumed to always operate and does not refer to information at a distant time.

  Here, since the scene recognition history is cleared, after the search state is entered (S6), until the recognition unit operates for the number of scene recognition histories to be referred to (until “Y” in S11), The SR is not updated.

  In addition, when the SR is determined, the information on which the adopted SR has the maximum frequency (latest side) is stored as reference information for checking the frame variation (S13).

  If the determined SR is other than AUTO, the state becomes “determined” (S16), and the recognition unit does not operate until the scene changes. On the other hand, when the determined SR is AUTO, the “search state” is set (S15), and the recognition unit is continuously operated. This is because there is a possibility that the scene change cannot be detected correctly by setting the result recognized in the middle of the scene change to the “determined state”.

  If, after registering the state in the middle of a scene change as reference information, if you go to see the frame change, even if you want the recognizer to operate with the scene change completed, the reference information Since the difference between and is small, the recognition unit does not operate. Therefore, in order to avoid this, a process of updating the reference information with information corresponding to the scene determined as described above is performed (S13).

  If the result of scene recognition is not stable, the output result causes user confusion. Therefore, the process (S7 to S16) for determining what kind of scene it is and the process (S4 to S6) for monitoring whether or not there is a change from the recognized scene are mixed and operated accurately. It is possible to perform stable scene recognition.

<Other embodiments>
Next, another embodiment for controlling various functions based on the scene recognition result and the face detection result will be described.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a setting method for controlling various functions using face detection.

  In S300, it is determined whether “custom setting” or “default setting” is performed by the user. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to S310, and if “No”, the process proceeds to S320.

  FIG. 18 shows an example of a setting screen of the digital camera 1 for selecting the “custom setting” and “default setting”.

  For example, by operating the menu / OK button or the like of the digital camera 1 to display the face detection usage setting menu shown in FIG. 18A on the display unit 71 and operating the up and down arrow levers, Alternatively, “default setting” can be arbitrarily selected.

  Here, when “custom setting” is selected and the menu / OK button is pressed, the screen changes to a “custom setting” detail screen as shown in FIG. The user can arbitrarily set a control method for various functions using face detection on this screen.

  In the example shown in FIG. 18B, in the case of “landscape”, “night view”, and “close-up” scenes, the control of “face AF”, “face AWB”, and “face gradation correction” is not performed. I have to.

  In S310 of FIG. 17, “custom setting” is set, and various function settings set by the user are applied as a method for controlling various functions by using face detection.

  On the other hand, in S320, “default setting” is set, and various function settings set in advance before shipment of the digital camera 1 are applied as a method for controlling various functions by using face detection.

  That is, the digital camera 1 has a table for “default setting” and a table for “custom setting”, and the user can select which table to apply. Further, the contents of the “custom setting” table (control ON / OFF, etc.) can be rewritten by an instruction input from the user.

  In the example shown in FIG. 18B, as in the example shown in FIG. 4, various functions are controlled at the ON / OFF level, but the strength of the various functions is divided into several levels. Alternatively, a mechanism for setting the level may be used.

  The present invention is not limited to the above examples, and it goes without saying that various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera, 11 ... Operation part, 20 ... Lens, 24 ... Flash light emission part, 25 ... Auxiliary light control part, 26 ... Auxiliary light emission part, 51 ... Lens drive part, 54 ... Aperture, 55 ... Aperture drive part, 58 ... Image sensor (CCD), 59 ... Image sensor controller, 60 ... Analog signal processor, 61 ... A / D converter, 62 ... AF processor, 63 ... AE / AWB processor, 65 ... Digital signal processor , 66 ... Memory, 67 ... Compression / decompression processing unit, 68 ... ROM, 69 ... RAM, 70 ... Recording unit, 71 ... Display unit, 73 ... Flash control unit, 74 ... Control circuit, 75 ... CPU, 80 ... Face detection processing Part

Claims (12)

Information acquisition means for acquiring information of a shooting scene;
Scene recognition means for recognizing a scene from the acquired information;
Face detection means for detecting whether or not there is a face in the shooting scene;
Control means for performing various controls based on the recognition result of the scene and the detection result of the face,
The scene recognition means includes
Storage means for storing information corresponding to the recognized scene as reference information;
Scene variation determining means for determining whether or not the scene has changed from the reference information stored in the storage means and the information acquired by the information acquiring means;
Cycle setting means for setting a predetermined cycle for performing scene recognition,
When it is determined that the scene has changed, based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means, any one of a plurality of predefined scenes and a scene that does not apply to any scene, A scene is recognized on the basis of information acquired by the information acquisition means for each predetermined period set by the period setting means, and a scene having the highest frequency among the scenes recognized n times (n: an integer of 3 or more). An imaging apparatus that recognizes a current scene, uses information corresponding to the recognized current scene as reference information, and updates the reference information stored in the storage unit.   The information acquisition unit acquires at least one of information indicating whether or not there is a face in a shooting scene, information corresponding to a subject distance, and information corresponding to the brightness of the subject. Imaging device.   The control means controls the exposure based on the brightness of the detected face area, the display control means for explicitly displaying the position of the detected face on the screen of the display means for displaying the live view image. Exposure control means, automatic focus adjustment means for adjusting focus so that the detected face is in focus, white balance adjustment means for adjusting white balance based on color information of the detected face area, and detected face The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, comprising two or more means of face gradation correction means for performing gradation correction based on the brightness of the area.   The control means has a table in which information indicating whether to perform control for each type of control or information indicating the strength of control corresponding to the type of scene and various types of control is stored, The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein various controls are performed by reading corresponding information from the table based on a scene recognition result and a face detection result.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising custom setting means for allowing a user to freely set information stored in the table.   The scene recognition means recognizes, as a current scene, a scene to which a newest scene in a history of scene recognition belongs when there are a plurality of scenes having the highest frequency among n recognized scenes. The imaging device according to any one of the above. Acquiring information of a shooting scene at predetermined intervals;
A step of recognizing the scene from the acquired shooting scene information;
Storing information corresponding to the recognized scene in the storage means as reference information;
Detecting whether or not there is a face in the shooting scene;
Performing various controls based on a scene recognition result and a face detection result,
The step of recognizing the scene includes
It is determined whether or not the scene has fluctuated from the reference information stored in the storage means for each predetermined period and the acquired scene information,
When it is determined that the scene has changed, one of a plurality of predefined scenes and a scene that does not apply to any of the scenes is recognized based on the scene information acquired every predetermined period. And
Reference information in which the scene with the highest frequency among the scenes recognized n times (n: an integer of 3 or more) is recognized as the current scene, and information corresponding to the recognized current scene is stored in the storage means as reference information An imaging method for updating.   The step of acquiring information on the shooting scene acquires at least one of information indicating whether or not there is a face in the shooting scene, information corresponding to the subject distance, and information corresponding to the brightness of the subject. The imaging method according to claim 7.   The various control steps include display control for explicitly displaying the position of the detected face on the screen of the display means for displaying the live view image, and exposure based on the brightness of the detected face area. Exposure control to control the focus, automatic focus adjustment to adjust the focus to the detected face, white balance adjustment to adjust the white balance based on the color information of the detected face area, and the detected face The imaging method according to claim 7 or 8, comprising two or more controls of face gradation correction for performing gradation correction based on the brightness of the area.   In the step of performing the various controls, a table storing information indicating whether to perform control for each type of control or information indicating the strength of control corresponding to the type of scene and the various types of control. The imaging method according to claim 7, wherein various types of control are performed by reading out corresponding information from the table based on a scene recognition result and a face detection result.   The imaging method according to claim 10, wherein the information stored in the table is set by custom setting means that is freely set by a user.   8. The step of recognizing a scene recognizes, as a current scene, a scene to which a newest scene in a history of scene recognition belongs when a plurality of scenes having the highest frequency among n recognized scenes exist. The imaging method according to any one of 11 to 11.

Images