JP4565909B2 - camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera optimal for reproducing a panoramic image obtained by combining images of a plurality of shooting frames, or a stereo image for obtaining a stereoscopic image using two shooting frames.

  In order to obtain an image with an angle of view or larger that can be shot with one shooting frame, a camera that combines panoramic images to obtain a panoramic image has been proposed. In a camera that shoots on a silver halide film, a portion that is a feature of two adjacent frames, for example, a contour or a feature portion of a subject, is extracted from a plurality of shot images, and these feature portions are filmed. A panoramic image is obtained by combining a plurality of continuous frame images by superimposing them on the top or on the print. Similarly, in the digital camera, panoramic images are obtained by combining these images by image processing so that the image data in which the characteristic portions of the adjacent two frames of the plurality of captured images coincide with each other. In Patent Document 1, feature points of a photographed image are detected and their coordinates are extracted, then the coordinates of the same feature points of the photographed adjacent images are extracted, and adjacent images so that these feature points coincide with each other. To obtain a panoramic image.

Also, in order to obtain two captured images constituting a stereo image with a single imaging optical system in a digital camera, the subject images taken from different directions with respect to the subject are combined so as to be arranged in one frame. To obtain stereo images. In this case, as described in Patent Document 2, for example, a left image first captured from the left side of the subject is displayed on the left half of the monitor, and the subject to be photographed is captured when the subject is captured from the right side. There is a camera that displays an image on the right half of the monitor to obtain a right image. The left and right images are combined in a single frame by shooting. At this time, the frame guide pattern for positioning each of the left image and the right through image is superposed so that the left and right images are imprinted at the same positions in the left half and the right half of one frame. ing.
JP-A-11-282100 JP 20003-244727 A

  The techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2 both extract feature points of an object and match the feature points with adjacent images to obtain a panoramic image, or position the feature points on a frame guide pattern to obtain a stereo image. Therefore, if it is difficult to find a feature point on the subject, in other words, if you are trying to obtain a panoramic image or a stereo image of the subject where it is difficult to uniquely determine the feature point, it is appropriate. There is a problem that it is difficult to obtain an image. That is, the technique for obtaining a panoramic image in Patent Document 1 extracts feature points of a photographed image, but in the case of a subject whose feature points are difficult to extract, such as when photographing a distant view, the feature points to be extracted are extracted. Becomes ambiguous, and it is difficult to obtain a panoramic image obtained by accurately synthesizing adjacent images. The same applies to the case of obtaining a stereo image of Patent Document 2. If the subject has a feature point, the subject can be positioned corresponding to the frame guide pattern, but it is difficult to find the feature point in the subject. However, it is difficult to position the subject corresponding to the frame guide pattern, and it is difficult to obtain a stereo image with the left and right images positioned accurately.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a camera that can obtain an appropriate panoramic image or stereo image even in the case of a subject in which it is difficult to uniquely determine the feature points of the subject.

The present invention is a camera that captures a plurality of images and obtains a panorama image or a stereo image from the captured images. and wherein the obtaining Bei a capable monitor device to display the photographing frame indicating the photographic range at the same time. Specifically, the camera of the present invention includes means for displaying an image to be photographed on the monitor device as a through image, means for detecting the photographing range to be photographed, and displaying the sensed photographing range on the monitor device as a photographing frame. Means for capturing the image data of the captured image and capturing and storing the data of the captured frame, and means for displaying on the monitor device as an already captured frame based on the stored captured frame data.

Here, the means for detecting the shooting range is a shooting based on information such as a vertical direction sensor for detecting the vertical direction of the camera, an orientation sensor for detecting the horizontal direction, the output of each sensor, and the focal length of the imaging optical system. And a means for calculating a range. In addition, the monitor device is configured to display a vertical line indicating the vertical direction detected by the vertical direction sensor and a horizontal line indicating the horizontal direction detected by the direction sensor on the monitor device.

According to the present invention, an already captured frame indicating the capturing range of the previously captured image and a captured frame indicating the capturing range of the image to be captured are displayed on the monitor device in a state of being overlapped. By positioning the frame so that the frame is used as a reference, the previous captured image and the next captured image can be captured adjacent to each other or at the same position. As a result, appropriate panoramic shooting and stereo shooting can be realized even in the case of a subject in which it is difficult to uniquely determine the feature point of the subject. In particular, as a means for detecting the shooting range, a vertical direction sensor, an orientation sensor, and means for calculating the shooting range based on information such as the output of these sensors and the focal length of the imaging optical system are provided. Even when the shooting direction changes, the absolute position with respect to the subject can be displayed on the monitor device as a fixed shooting frame.

  In the present invention, the already-captured frame and the captured frame are displayed in a discriminable form so that they can be easily superimposed and positioned. For example, the captured frame and the captured frame are displayed in different colors. Furthermore, it is preferable to display a range in which the range surrounded by the already-captured frames and the range surrounded by the captured frames overlap with each other in a distinguishable color.

  When the present invention is applied to a panoramic camera capable of arranging two or more images of a first image and a next image sequentially arranged in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction into one image, It is preferable that the frame number is displayed on the monitor device. In addition, when the present invention is applied to a stereo camera capable of arranging two images, a first image and a next image, in a horizontal direction to form one image, the captured image is a left image or a right image. It is preferable to be configured to display the fact on the monitor device.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The first embodiment is applied to a digital camera including a monitor device as an electronic viewfinder. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main part of a digital camera. A subject image formed by an imaging lens system 1 is imaged by an imaging element 2 such as a CCD or CMOS to obtain an image signal. The image signal is sampled by a CDS (correlated double sampling) circuit 3, converted to a digital image signal by an A / D converter 4, and input to the microcomputer 100. The microcomputer 100 performs predetermined signal processing such as color process processing and gamma correction on the input image signal, and then, for example, image data corresponding to a luminance signal and a color signal is generated. The generated image data is written in a memory 5 such as a DRAM and then written in a VRAM (video memory) 6. The image data written in the VRAM 6 is converted into an analog image signal by the D / A converter 7 and then converted into a video signal by the video encoder 8. The video signal converted by the video encoder 8 is input to a synthesizer 9 such as a mix-and-key, where it is synthesized with an on-screen signal from an OSD (on-screen display) circuit 10. The video signal combined with the on-screen signal is output to the monitor device 11 composed of an LCD or the like and displayed as a moving image or a still image. As will be described later, the on-screen signal is a signal for displaying a shooting frame that is a positioning reference for shooting when a panoramic image and a stereo image are obtained.

  The focus adjustment operation of the imaging lens system 1 is performed by a focusing lens driving mechanism 12, and the imaging device 2 is driven and controlled by an imaging device driver, here a CCD driver 13. The focusing lens driving mechanism 12 and the CCD driver 13 are controlled by the microcomputer 100. The image data written in the memory 5 can be recorded on a recording medium 15 such as a CF card by the microcomputer 100 via the interface circuit 14.

  Various switches are connected to the microcomputer 100, and predetermined control operations are executed based on on / off of these switches. For example, a main switch 21 for connecting the camera from a sleep state to an on state is connected. Further, a mode switching dial 22 for connecting the camera to a mode setting such as a recording mode, a reproduction mode, and an editing mode is connected. In the first embodiment, the panorama shooting mode and the stereo shooting mode can be selected with the mode switching dial 22. A selection switch 23 for selecting various menus in the monitor device 11 and a determination switch 24 for determining a menu selected by the selection switch 23 are connected. A release switch 25 that is operated by a release button (not shown) provided in a camera for recording an image, that is, an image pickup, and a photometry switch 26 that is operated by half-pressing a release button for performing photometry and autofocus operations. Is connected.

  Further, the microcomputer 100 is connected with a three-axis acceleration sensor 16 and a magnetic direction sensor 17 for generating an on-screen signal for displaying an imaging frame on the monitor device 11 described above. The triaxial acceleration sensor 16 can detect the gravitational acceleration direction, detects the gravitational direction of the camera, that is, the vertical direction, and outputs the detected vertical signal. The magnetic azimuth sensor 17 detects geomagnetism, detects the azimuth of 360 ° in the horizontal direction, and outputs the detected azimuth signal. These vertical signals and azimuth signals are taken into the microcomputer 100, and the microcomputer 100 generates an on-screen signal that becomes shooting frame data for displaying a shooting range shot by the imaging lens system 1, and the OSD circuit 10 is combined with the video signal, and a shooting frame is displayed together with a shot image to be displayed on the monitor device 11.

  Here, a photographing frame generated in the microcomputer 100 will be described. FIG. 2 shows a photographic frame displayed on the monitor device. Based on the vertical signal detected by the triaxial acceleration sensor 16, the vertical direction passing through the optical axis of the imaging lens system 1 is calculated as image data. The horizontal direction orthogonal to is calculated as image data. These calculated image data are displayed on the monitor device 11 as vertical lines VL and horizontal lines HL passing through the optical axis. Further, based on the azimuth signal detected by the magnetic azimuth sensor 17 and information on the focal length of the imaging lens system 1 at the time of photographing, in other words, information on the angle of view of photographing, the subject to be photographed in the imaging lens system 1 A rectangular frame-like photographic frame F set to a smaller angle of view up and down and left and right by an angle of view set in advance from the imaged angle of view is calculated as image data, and the obtained image data is displayed on the monitor device 11. Thereby, the monitor device 11 superimposes the vertical line VL, the horizontal line HL, and the shooting frame F on the through image of the subject to be shot. Therefore, if it is assumed that the shooting position of the camera is maintained at almost the same position, the image data of the shooting frame is detected by each sensor as the camera's optical axis direction, that is, the shooting direction is changed. Therefore, even when the shooting direction of the camera changes, the absolute position relative to the subject can be displayed on the monitor device 11 as a fixed shooting frame F.

  In this embodiment, as described above, the panorama shooting mode and the stereo shooting mode can be switched and set together with the other modes not described with the mode switching dial 22. Further, here, the monitor device 11 is composed of a color monitor device, and the lines and frames displayed on the monitor device 11 are displayed in color. Here, the vertical lines VL and the horizontal lines HL are displayed as blue lines. When the through image of the subject is displayed on the monitor device 11 on the monitor, the photographing frame F can be displayed with a red line or a yellow line as will be described later.

  The panoramic shooting with the camera having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 3 is a main flow. When the main switch 21 is turned on (S101), the mode switching dial 22 is determined, and when the mode switching dial 22 is set to the panorama shooting mode, the panorama shooting flow is entered (S102). When not in the panorama shooting mode, the process proceeds to a shooting flow other than panorama shooting. In the panorama shooting flow, the built-in counter is set to n = 1 (S103), and a panorama shooting monitoring flow described later is executed (S104). When the release switch 25 is turned on in the panoramic shooting monitoring state (S105), a panoramic image capture described later is executed, and the shooting of n = 1 frame is completed (S106). It is determined whether or not panoramic shooting is completed (S107). If not, the built-in counter is set to n = n + 1, and the process returns to the panoramic shooting monitoring flow (S108). Thereafter, the panorama shooting monitoring flow S104 or the panorama image capturing flow S106 is executed as in the case of n = 1 frame, and the panorama n + 1 frame image capturing is executed after the release switch 25 is turned on. When a predetermined number of frames are shot and the panorama shooting is finished, the panorama shooting flow is finished (S107).

  FIG. 4 shows the panorama shooting monitoring flow S104. First, the subject imaged by the imaging lens system 1 is imaged by the imaging device 2, and the obtained video signal is displayed on the monitor device 11 (S201). At this time, as shown in FIG. 6A, the monitor device 11 displays a through image of the subject to be photographed. At the same time, the rectangular frame-shaped imaging frame Fr obtained based on the vertical signal and the orientation signal detected by the three-axis acceleration sensor 16 and the magnetic orientation sensor 17 is indicated by a red line (hereinafter referred to as a red imaging frame). (S202). During the monitoring operation, the image data of the subject in the area surrounded by the red photographing frame Fr, that is, the video signal is detected (S203).

  Next, the number n of shooting frames is determined (S204). When n = 1, the vertical line VL and the horizontal line HL obtained based on the vertical signal detected by the three-axis acceleration sensor 16 are overlaid on the monitor device 11 with a blue line (S205). The photographer sets the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the subject with reference to the vertical line VL and the horizontal line HL displayed while viewing the monitor device 11, and sets the photographing range by the red photographing frame Fr also displayed. (S210). At this time, n = 1 is simultaneously displayed in the red photographing frame Fr. When the release switch 25 is turned on in this state as shown in the main flow, a panoramic image capturing flow S106 is performed.

  FIG. 5 is a panoramic image capture flow S106. When the release switch 25 is turned on, the video signal of the subject image displayed on the monitor device 11 is written in the memory 5 as image data (S301). A value of n, here, n = 1 is added to the captured image data as imaging information (S302). At the same time, information on the photographing range set by the red photographing frame is added (S303). Then, together with the added information, the image data is stored in the file as the nth frame of the panoramic image data (S304).

  At this time, information on the photographing range added together with the photographed image of the nth frame is data such as a vertical signal detected by the triaxial acceleration sensor 16, a photographing field angle of the imaging optical system 1 at that time, a photographing position of the camera, and the like The range of the captured image can be stored as absolute values in the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, it is possible to display the nth frame imaged range on the monitor device 11 after the image capture.

  In step S204 of the panorama shooting monitoring flow S104, when n = 1, that is, when shooting two frames or more, a through image of the subject is displayed on the monitor device 11 as in the first frame. At this time, the red photographing frame for setting the photographing range is displayed in an overlapping manner. Next, the panoramic shooting direction set in advance in the camera is determined, and it is determined whether panoramic shooting is set to be sequentially performed in the right direction or the left direction toward the subject (S207). At this time, if the panoramic shooting direction is not set, the shooting direction of the camera can be automatically determined by comparing the immediately preceding n-1 frame shooting optical axis information with the current nth frame optical axis information. It is also possible to configure as described above. When the panorama shooting direction is the right direction, the immediately preceding frame n-1 is set to the left and the current frame n is set to the right (S208). In the case of the left direction, the opposite is true (S209). In this case, it is assumed that the right direction is set. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the monitor device 11 displays the number of frames to be captured next time, that is, the value n = 2 indicating n frames, in red characters. However, in this case, instead of displaying the vertical line VL and the horizontal line HL shown in FIG. 6A, the monitor device 11 displays the shooting frame stored in the file together with the image data of the (n-1) th frame shot immediately before. Read out and display this on the monitor device with a yellow line. The yellow frame is an already captured frame Fy indicating the range of the previously captured image (hereinafter referred to as a yellow captured frame), and is surrounded by the yellow captured frame Fy displayed on the monitor device 11. The range indicates the range in which shooting is completed at the (n-1) th frame. The yellow already captured frame Fy is displayed in correspondence with a specific position of the through image of the subject displayed on the monitor device 11, and the absolute position with respect to the subject does not change. When the image is moved on the monitor device 11, the yellow already captured frame Fy is also moved together with the through image. At the same time as the yellow shot frame Fy, the number of shot frames of the yellow shot frame Fy, that is, the value n = 1 indicating n−1 frames is displayed in yellow characters. Further, a display may be made to indicate that the yellow already captured frame Fy is an image on the left side of the image to be captured next time.

  Accordingly, on the monitor device 11, the range of the previously captured subject is displayed in the yellow already captured frame Fy, and at the same time, the range in which the through image of the subject to be captured is captured is displayed in the red captured frame Fr. It will be. Therefore, when panoramic shooting is continuously performed in the horizontal direction in the right area of the previously shot subject, as shown in FIG. 6C, the red shooting frame Fr is displayed on the right vertical line of the yellow shooting frame Fy. By superimposing the left vertical line, an image in contact with the right side in the horizontal direction can be captured with the image captured at the (n-1) th frame. In this case, usually, the yellow photographing frame Fy and the red photographing frame line Fr are overlapped so as to completely coincide with each other, and the camera direction is changed so that the red photographing frame Fr moves in the horizontal right direction. However, since the red line and the yellow line of each frame superimposed at this time are displayed as a high-luminance line close to white by additive color mixing, it is possible to accurately overlap the frames. At this time, the overlapping state of these two frames is determined, and when the panorama shooting direction determined earlier and the overlapping direction of both frames do not coincide with each other, it is determined that the panorama shooting direction is shot in the opposite direction. It is also possible to display “NG” on the monitor device 11.

  In the next shooting of the (n + 1) th frame, the range of the subject image shot at the nth frame is displayed in the yellow already shot frame Fy, and the number of shooting frames is displayed in yellow characters. The range of shooting at the (n + 1) th time together with the through image of the subject is displayed in the red shooting frame Fr, and the current number of shooting frames is displayed in red characters. Therefore, as in the case of the n-th frame, it is possible to photograph a subject in contact with the right side in the horizontal direction by setting the photographing range while using the yellow photographed frame Fy and the red photographed frame Fr. The captured image is stored in the file as the (n + 1) th frame of the image data together with the additional information as described in the vanorama image capturing flow.

  When a predetermined number of frames have been photographed up to the (n + x) th frame as described above, the filed image data is arranged in the right direction in the order from the first frame to the (n + x) th frame, and these are combined in the horizontal direction. It becomes an image. Since these synthesized images are arranged with a yellow photographing frame as a reference and a red photographing frame superimposed on the yellow photographing frame, adjacent images become appropriately continuous images. In this way, the photographer uses the yellow and red shooting frames, and by simply overlapping a part of both frames, appropriate panoramic shooting can be performed even for subjects where it is difficult to uniquely determine the feature points of the subject. realizable.

  Although the above description has shown the case where panoramic shooting is sequentially performed in the right direction, the same applies to the case where sequential shooting is performed in the left direction. The same applies to panoramic shooting that uses the output of the gravitational acceleration sensor to sequentially shoot and synthesize in the vertical direction, that is, the vertical direction.

  Next, stereo shooting in the camera having the above configuration will be described. Referring again to the main flow of FIG. 3, when the mode switching dial 22 is determined in step S102 and it is determined that the mode switching dial 25 is set to the stereo shooting mode instead of the panoramic shooting mode, the stereo shooting flow is entered ( S110). When the stereo shooting mode is not selected, the flow proceeds to another shooting flow (S120). In the stereo shooting flow, the built-in counter is set to n = 1 (S111), and a stereo shooting monitoring flow described later is executed (S112). When the release switch 25 is turned on in the state of stereo shooting monitoring (S113), a stereo image capture described later is executed (S114). This completes the shooting of n = 1 frame. At this time, it is determined whether or not n = 2, and when n = 2, the stereo shooting is terminated (S115). If it is determined that n = 2, the built-in counter is set to n = n + 1, that is, n = 2 (S116), and the process returns to the stereo shooting monitoring flow S112. Waiting for the on state, the stereo n = 2 frame image capture is executed (S114).

  FIG. 7 shows the stereo photographing monitoring flow S112. The subject imaged by the imaging lens system 1 is imaged by the imaging device 2, and the obtained video signal is displayed on the monitor device 11 (S401). At this time, a through image of the subject to be photographed is displayed on the monitor device 11. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 9A, a rectangular frame-shaped imaging frame Fr obtained based on the vertical signal detected by the three-axis acceleration sensor 16 and the direction signal detected by the magnetic direction sensor 17 is represented by a red line ( Hereinafter, the image is displayed on the monitor device 11 in a superimposed manner (S402). During the monitoring operation, the image data of the subject in the area surrounded by the red photographing frame Fr, that is, the video signal is detected (S403). In stereo shooting, the red shooting frame Fr is set to a range of 1/2 that divides one image into two in the horizontal direction.

  Next, stereo shooting is first performed from the left position toward the subject, and then shooting is performed from the right position, that is, the left-end shooting method is set, or vice versa. It is determined whether it is set (S404). In the case of left-end shooting, the n value is determined (S405). When n = 1, it is recognized that the left image of the shot image is shot, and the subject through image displayed on the monitor device 11 is displayed in three axes. The vertical line VL and the horizontal line HL obtained based on the vertical signal detected by the acceleration sensor 16 are displayed on the monitor device 11 so as to overlap each other with a blue line (S406). The photographer refers to the vertical line VL and the horizontal line HL displayed while viewing the monitor device 11, and sets the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the subject. The photographing range of the through image is displayed by the red frame Fr also displayed. Set. At this time, the n value of the photographed image and the fact that the photographed image is the left image are displayed (S407). In this state, when the release switch 25 is turned on as shown in the main flow, an image capture flow is performed.

  FIG. 8 is a stereo image capturing flow S114. When the release switch 25 is turned on, the video signal of the subject image displayed on the monitor device 11 is written into the memory 5 as image data. An n value is added as imaging information to the captured image data (S502). At the same time, information on the photographing range set by the red photographing frame Fr is added (S503). Then, together with the added information, the image data is stored in the file as the first frame of stereo image data (S504). Needless to say, the stored image is a range of ½ of the horizontal direction of one image.

  At this time, information on the photographing range added together with the photographed first frame image includes vertical and horizontal lines obtained from the triaxial acceleration sensor 16, the photographing field angle of the imaging optical system 1 at that time, and the photographing position of the camera. Based on such data, it is possible to store the range of captured images as absolute values in the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, it is possible to display the range of the first frame shot on the monitor device 11 after shooting.

  In the stereo shooting monitoring flow S112, when n = 1 is not satisfied in step S405, that is, when shooting is performed when n = 2, the photographer moves the camera to the right by an appropriate distance (10 to several tens of centimeters). In the same manner as in the case of the first frame, the through image of the subject is displayed on the monitor device 11, and the red shooting frame Fr for setting the shooting range is displayed at the same time, and the shooting range is detected. (S401 to S403). However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 9B, instead of displaying the vertical line and the horizontal line on the monitor device 11, the captured frame stored in the file is read together with the image data of the first frame captured immediately before that. The photographing frame Fy is displayed with a yellow line on the monitor device 11 (S408). Since this yellow line shooting frame Fy (hereinafter referred to as a yellow already shot frame) corresponds to the image data of the first frame, the area displayed on the monitor device 11 and surrounded by the yellow already shot frame Fy is This is the range in which shooting is completed in the first frame. That is, the yellow already captured frame Fy is displayed corresponding to a specific position of the through image of the subject displayed on the monitor device 11, and the camera is moved so that the through image of the subject is displayed on the monitor device 11. When it is moved, the yellow already-captured frame Fy is also moved together with the through image.

  Accordingly, the monitor device 11 displays the range of the previously captured subject in the yellow already captured frame Fy, and simultaneously displays the range in which the through image of the subject to be captured is captured in the red captured frame Fr. Become. At the same time, it is displayed that the n value of the current captured image and the corresponding captured image are the right image (S409). Therefore, when stereo shooting is performed on the previously shot subject, the same range as the image shot at the first frame is shot at the second frame by superimposing the yellow shot frame Fy and the red shooting frame Fr. Can do. As described above, when the yellow photographed frame Fy and the red photographed frame Fr are overlapped, the overlapped frame lines are displayed as high-intensity lines close to white by additive color mixing, so that both frames are accurately overlapped. Is possible. Thereafter, the image data is stored in the file as the second frame as described in the stereo image capturing flow.

  When each shooting of the first frame and the second frame is completed as described above, the filed image data is arranged on the left and right of the first frame and the second frame, and the two images are synthesized by combining them. One unified stereo image is obtained. In this way, the photographer can shoot the exact same range from different positions even in the case of a subject where it is difficult to uniquely determine the feature point of the subject by simply overlapping the yellow and red frames. Stereo shooting is possible.

  If the right-handed shooting is set in step S404, the left-handed shooting flow is a flow in which the left and right of steps S405 to S409 surrounded by a broken line are reversed. Detailed illustration and description are omitted. In stereo shooting, it is possible to automatically determine that the second frame is the left image or the right image based on the change in the direction of the shooting optical axis as in panoramic shooting.

  Here, in both panoramic shooting and stereo shooting, the area where the yellow shooting frame Fy and the red shooting frame Fr overlap is displayed in a special color, so that the misalignment of both frames is clearly displayed. Thus, it is possible to easily align both frame lines. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, images in a range surrounded by a yellow captured frame Fy and a range surrounded by a red captured frame Fr are displayed in normal colors, but an image in a range where both captured frames overlap. By displaying the range Vx in a single red color, it is possible to easily confirm the overlap of the two shooting frames, and by setting the red image not to be displayed, it is possible to set the shooting range quickly.

It is a block block diagram which shows the structure of the principal part of the Example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the horizontal line, vertical line, and imaging | photography frame which are displayed on a monitor apparatus. It is a flowchart of a main flow. It is a flowchart of a panoramic photography monitoring flow. It is a flowchart of a panoramic image capture flow. It is a figure which shows the display of the monitor apparatus in panoramic imaging. It is a flowchart of a stereo imaging | photography monitoring flow. It is a flowchart of a stereo image capture flow. It is a figure which shows the display of the monitor apparatus in stereo imaging | photography. It is a figure which shows the other display form of a monitor apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 Imaging optical system 2 Imaging device (CCD)
5 Memory (DRAM)
6 VRAM
8 Video Encoder 11 Monitor 16 Triaxial Acceleration Sensor 17 Magnetic Direction Sensor 21 Main Switch 22 Mode Switch 25 Release Switch 100 Microcomputer VL Vertical Line HL Horizontal Line F Shooting Frame Fr Red Shooting Frame Fy Yellow Already Shooting Frame

Claims (10)

In a camera that captures a plurality of images and obtains a panorama image or a stereo image from the plurality of captured images, it indicates the already-captured frame indicating the capture range of the image captured first, and the capture range of the image to be captured in the future A monitor device capable of simultaneously displaying a shooting frame; a means for displaying an image to be shot on the monitor device as a through image; a means for detecting a shooting range to be shot; Means for displaying the photographing range on the monitor device as the photographing frame; means for capturing image data of the photographed image and capturing and storing the data of the photographing frame; and based on the stored photographing frame data. Means for displaying on the monitor device as a photographing frame, and means for detecting the photographing range, Comprise a vertical sensor for detecting a vertical camera, an azimuth sensor for detecting an horizontal orientation, and means for calculating the imaging range based on the focal length information output an imaging optical system of each sensor Camera characterized by. 2. The camera according to claim 1 , further comprising means for displaying a vertical line indicating a vertical direction detected by the vertical direction sensor and a horizontal line indicating a horizontal direction detected by the direction sensor on the monitor device. The camera according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that displaying the captured frame and the already captured frame in distinguishable forms. The camera according to claim 3 , wherein the captured frame and the captured frame are displayed in different colors. The camera according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein a range in which the range surrounded by the already-captured frames and the range surrounded by the captured frames overlap is displayed in a color distinguishable from the others. The camera is a panoramic camera capable of taking a single image by sequentially arranging two or more images of a first image and a next image in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. The camera according to any one of 1 to 5 . The camera according to claim 6 , further comprising means for displaying a frame number of the photographed image on the monitor device. The camera according to any one of claims 1 characterized in that it is a stereo camera capable of photographing of one image by arranging two images in the horizontal direction of the images captured in the image and the next taken in the previous 5 Camera. The camera according to claim 8 , further comprising means for displaying on the monitor device that the photographed image is a left image or a right image. It said camera is a digital camera, camera according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises means for combining two or more images captured in a single image.

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