JP2001100304A - Photograph vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photograph vending machine which allows photographing at a wide variety of camera angles. SOLUTION: The photograph vending machine for taking the photographs of an object 2 and vending these photographs is disposed with plural camera 6A, 6B and 6C taking the photographs of the object 2 can has a camera changeover means 41 which allows a subject to select by which camera among the plural cameras 6A, 6B and 6C the subject is to be photographed, by which the photographing at various angles having a wide variety is made possible and the users' diversified needs may be met. The user is able to make photographing by changing over the cameras to the camera of a desired angle from the cameras photographing at various angles.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine which is installed in a game center or the like, takes a coin or the like, shoots an object, and prints out the image on a sticker, card, paper, film or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, many game vending machines have been installed in game centers and the like to take pictures and make sticker prints. As such a photo vending machine, a photo vending machine as shown in FIG. 8 is generally used. In this device, a half mirror 53 is provided inside a main body 52 at an angle of approximately 45 °. A camera 55 for photographing a subject is provided behind the half mirror 53, and a monitor 56 for displaying an image photographed by the camera 55 is provided below the half mirror 53. In the figure, 51 is a controller, and 57 is a printer for printing a photographic print 58.

In the photo vending machine, an image taken by a camera 55 through a half mirror 53 is displayed on a monitor 56, and the image displayed on the monitor 56 is reflected by the half mirror 53 and can be confirmed by the subject 54. It has become. Then, the subject takes a desired pose while checking his / her own appearance on the monitor 56, and operates the controller 51 at a desired position to take a still image. This still image is combined with an appropriate frame or foreground image and printed as a photo print 58.

[0004]

However, the above-described conventional vending machine can take only a photograph of the face of a subject or a photograph of at most bust-up. Especially recently, the needs of photography vending machines have diversified with the increase in users,
Many elaborate frames and foregrounds that are synthesized with an image of a subject have been provided, but they are no longer satisfied with a uniform one simply taking a face photograph or the like.

Therefore, not only the face photograph of the subject 54,
As a device capable of photographing the whole body, a photo vending machine as shown in FIG. 9 has been invented and implemented. This camera is basically the same as the camera shown in FIG. 16 except that a camera 55 is mounted above and behind the half mirror 53. By doing so, it is possible to photograph the entire body of the subject 54 so as to look down on the subject 54 from obliquely above.

However, even in the above-mentioned photo vending machine, there is no difference from the one shown in FIG. 8 in that one camera 55 is fixed. Therefore, the camera angle is fixed and cannot be taken at a variety of angles, and in fact, it does not sufficiently meet the need to take a variety of photographs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a vending machine capable of photographing with a variety of camera angles.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a photo vending machine according to the present invention is a photo vending machine for taking and selling a photograph of a subject, wherein a plurality of cameras for photographing the subject are provided. The gist of the present invention is to provide a camera selecting means for the subject to select which one of the plurality of cameras to shoot.

That is, the photo vending machine of the present invention is provided with a plurality of cameras for photographing a subject, and is provided with a camera selecting means for the subject to select which of the plurality of cameras to photograph. For this reason, by photographing the subject with the plurality of cameras, it is possible to photograph at various camera angles that are rich in changes, and it is possible to meet the diversified needs of the user. In addition, a camera having a desired angle can be selected from among cameras that shoot from various angles, and shooting can be performed.

In the vending machine of the present invention, a half mirror is provided between the camera and the subject, and when the size of the half mirror is set to be substantially the same as the photographing range of the camera, the subject is The user can take a desired pose while checking the shooting range with the half mirror, and can shoot while checking the finished state.

In the photographic vending machine according to the present invention, when at least one of the cameras is rotated up and down and / or left and right together with a half mirror, the camera is continuously rotated by rotating the camera. Can be changed for shooting. In addition, since the half mirror rotates together with the camera, the photographing range can be always checked even during the rotation, and a desired camera angle can be easily set.

A photo vending machine according to the present invention includes a first camera for taking a bird's-eye view of a subject, a second camera for taking a picture of the subject from an approximate height, and a third camera for looking up at the subject. In this case, the user can enjoy various kinds of photographs such as an eye-level photograph, a bird's-eye view photograph, and a look-up from below. In addition, in the shooting with the third camera, it is possible to shoot a good-looking photograph with long legs.

In the vending machine of the present invention, an image display means for displaying an image A taken by the camera, an image input means for inputting an image B to be combined with the photographed image, and a combination of the image A and the image B And a printing unit that prints the composite image synthesized by the image synthesizing unit, a photographed image A displayed on the image display unit is displayed, and then a desired image B is displayed. You can input and combine them, and the fun will be even bigger.

In the photographic vending machine of the present invention, if any one of the cameras shoots the whole body of a subject, the subject in various poses using the whole body can be shot at various camera angles. , You can take more variety of photos.

In the photographic vending machine of the present invention, when the image display means is capable of confirming the image taken by the camera by the subject itself, the subject can enjoy the image while viewing his own image reflected on the image display means. You can pose for

[0016]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a photo vending machine according to the present invention. In this vending machine, various devices are provided inside and on the surface of the housing 1. Here, for convenience of explanation, a user (subject)
The side facing left (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is the front side of the housing 1, and the opposite side (right side in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is the rear side of the housing 1.

In the internal space of the housing 1, three cameras 6A, 6B and 6C for photographing the subject 2 and the cameras 6
A control unit 7 for receiving image signals from A, 6B, 6C and synthesizing an image, and a display 8 for receiving an image signal such as a synthesized image transmitted from the control unit 7 and displaying an image are provided. I have.

The three cameras 6A, 6B, 6C are
A first camera 6A for taking a bird's-eye view of the subject is arranged at the top, and a subject 2 is arranged below the first camera 6A.
A second camera 6B for photographing from the approximate height is provided,
At the bottom, a third camera 6 that looks up at the subject 2 from below the feet
C is provided.

In front of the first to third cameras 6A, 6B, 6C, half mirrors 10A, 10B, 10C are provided, respectively.
Are arranged. Then, each half mirror 10
The size and shape of the portions A, 10B, and 10C that can be seen from the subject 2 are the half mirrors 10A, 10B, and 10C, respectively.
The shooting range of the cameras 6A, 6B, and 6C arranged behind C is set substantially the same as the shooting range. By doing so, the subject 2 is placed in each half mirror 10A, 10B, 10B.
Take your favorite pose while checking the shooting range reflected in C,
You can shoot while checking the finished condition.

The first camera 6A can rotate up and down together with the half mirror 10A disposed in front thereof. By rotating the first camera 6A, it is possible to continuously change the camera angle to shoot. Further, since the half mirror 10A rotates together with the first camera 6A, the photographing range can be always checked even during the rotation, and the desired camera angle can be easily set.

A printer 9 for receiving a signal of a composite image transmitted from the control unit 7 and printing the composite image on a recording medium 15 is provided in the internal space of the housing 1. The recording medium 15 printed by the printer 9 is sent out from an outlet 19 formed on the front surface of the housing 1.

Further, an operation unit 1 is provided on the front surface of the housing 1.
6 are provided. The operation unit 16 has buttons and levers for the user 2 to perform various operations, and transmits an operation signal to the control unit 7.

A touch pen 12 is provided near the display 8. By touching the tip of the touch pen 12 with the surface of the display 8 and drawing and inputting characters and figures, image data such as characters and figures input by handwriting is displayed on the display 8 and printed on the recording medium 15. It is supposed to be.

In this example, the composite image viewed by the user 2 from the display 8 and the composite image printed by the printer 9 include a photographed image A of the subject 2 and a stored image C (a desired image) stored in the control unit 7 in advance. A frame, a foreground, etc.) and an input image B input with the touch pen 12 are synthesized.

A coin slot 1 is provided on the front of the housing 1.
A coin detection unit 17 (see FIG. 3) for detecting a inserted coin and transmitting a detection signal to the control unit 7 is provided at a position adjacent to the coin insertion slot inside the housing 1.
Also, a speaker 18 for receiving a sound signal from the control unit 7 and outputting a sound, a subject 2
Is provided.

Behind the subject 2, a curtain (not shown) for blocking external light is provided. The curtain is supported by a support frame (not shown) protruding from upper and lower portions of the front surface of the housing 1. The inner surface of the curtain is given a color according to a method of combining images. For example, for chromakey synthesis,
The entire inner surface of the curtain is colored in a color suitable for chromakey synthesis such as green and blue.

Next, the system configuration of the control unit 7 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control section 7 has a computer 30 for executing various controls. The computer 30 receives an operation signal based on the operation of the user 2 from the operation unit 16 and receives a detection signal from the coin detection unit 17.

The computer 30 has a storage device 31 for storing a plurality of image data and sound data.
have. The computer 30 reads out the specified image data from the storage device 31 and
While transferring to the F (interface) circuit 32,
The designated sound data is read from the storage device 31 and transferred to the sound I / F circuit 33.

The graphic I / F circuit 32 converts the stored image data received from the computer 30 into a predetermined stored image signal and transmits the signal to the image synthesizing device 34 and the display selecting circuit 35. On the other hand, the sound I / F circuit 33
Converts the sound data received from the computer 30 into a predetermined sound signal and transmits it to the speaker 18,
The sound is output from the speaker 18.

Further, the control section 7 is provided with a camera switching means 41 for the subject 2 to select which one of the first to third cameras 6A, 6B, 6C for photographing the subject 2 to photograph. I have. The selection of a camera by the camera switching unit 41 is performed by the user 2 operating the operation unit 16. Note that one or more cameras may be selected.

The controller 7 is provided with a controller 40 for controlling the rotation of the first camera 6A. The rotation of the camera 6 by the controller 40 is performed by the user 2 operating the operation unit 16, and the first camera 6A is rotated to an angle desired by the user 2.

Further, the control unit 7 includes a touch pen 1
2. An image generating apparatus 3 that receives a signal such as a character or graphic input in 2 and generates image data of a drawn character or graphic.
9 are provided.

The image signal of the subject 2 photographed by the camera selected by the camera selecting means 41 is transmitted to the image synthesizing device 3.
4 is sent. The image synthesizing device 34 includes the above cameras 6
A, 6B, and 6C convert the image signals of subject 2 into image signals A
And receives the image signal of the stored image from the graphic I / F circuit 32 as the image signal C, and synthesizes the image A and the image C in real time. Then, the subject 2
The composite image is fixed by the operation of the operation unit 16 according to.

The input image data such as handwriting input by the touch pen 12 and generated by the image generating device 39 is transmitted to the image synthesizing device 34. Then, the image synthesizing device 34 receives the touch pen 1 from the image generating device 39.
2 is received as an image signal B, and further combined with the fixed combined image of the image A and the image C.

The composite image signal is transmitted to the display selection circuit 35 and the printer 9. The display selection circuit 35 receives the synthesized image signal from the image synthesis device 34 and the graphic I
An image is displayed on the display 8 by receiving the stored image signal from the / F circuit 32, selecting one of the image signals based on the control signal from the computer 30, and transmitting it to the display 8.

The control unit 7 includes a printer controller 36 for controlling the printer 9 based on a control signal from the computer 30. The printer 9 receives the combined image signal from the image combining device 34 under the control of the printer controller 36, stores the combined image data in the storage device 37 built in the printer 9, and generates a print image based on the combined image data. Then, the print image is printed on the recording medium 15 having a predetermined size. Further, the control unit 7 is provided with various counters 38 for counting and displaying the number of inserted coins and the like.

Next, the operation of the print vending machine will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the figure, "S" means a step.

First, until the user 2 inserts a coin, the display selection circuit 35 selects the graphic I / F circuit 32 side according to an instruction from the computer 30. The data of the demonstration image (hereinafter, referred to as “demo image”) stored in advance is read out and the graphic I / F circuit 32 is read out.
Transfer to As a result, a demonstration screen is displayed on the display 8. The BGM (background music) data stored in advance in the storage device 31 is read and transferred to the sound I / F circuit 33, so that the BGM is played from the speaker 18.

Next, when the user 2 inserts a coin and the computer 30 receives a detection signal from the coin detecting section 17, the computer 30 starts the operation at an appropriate timing.
The image data and the sound data stored in the storage device 31 are read in advance, and the read image data is transmitted to the display 8 via the graphic I / F circuit 32 and the display selection circuit 35. The data is transmitted to the speaker 18 via the I / F circuit 33, and the user 2 is appropriately instructed by the image on the display 8 and the sound from the speaker 18.

Next, a plurality of stored image data stored in the storage device 31 are sequentially read out, and the display 8 is displayed via the graphic I / F circuit 32 and the display selection circuit 35.
, And instruct the user 2 to select a desired storage image by operating the operation unit 16 (S1). Then, the stored image data selected by the user 2 is transferred to the graphic I / F.
The transfer to the circuit 32 is continued.

Next, the computer 30 instructs the image synthesizing device 34 to synthesize the image A of the subject 2 and the stored image C taken by each of the cameras 6A, 6B, 6C in real time, 35 is switched to the image synthesizing device 34 side, and the synthesized image from the image synthesizing device 34 is displayed on the display 8 in real time (S2).

At this time, the camera for photographing the subject 2
The user 2 operates the operation unit 16 to sequentially switch by the camera switching unit 41, and the images of the subject 2 taken at three different camera angles are switched each time (S3).
For example, with the first camera 6A, as shown in FIG.
In B, as shown in FIG. 6, an image at the eye level is captured, and as shown in FIG. 7, the third camera 6C captures an image looking up from under the feet of the subject. At this time, the subjects are the half mirrors 10A, 10B, 10C.
You can take your favorite pose while checking the shooting range reflected in the camera, and shoot while checking the finished state.

Then, the user 2 determines a desired camera from among the first to third cameras 6A, 6B and 6C for photographing at three different angles (S4). Next, if the selected camera is the first camera 6A, the operation unit 16 is operated to
The user 2 is instructed to rotate the camera 6A to a desired angle (S6). On the other hand, the second or third camera 6B,
When 6C is selected, the process proceeds to step 7.

After the first camera 6A is set at a desired angle, the position adjustment of the subject 2 is completed while viewing the display image on the display 8, and the adjustment completion button of the operation unit 16 is pressed. It instructs the user 2 to take a pose, and then instructs the image synthesizing device 34 to stop synthesizing the stored image C and the captured image A to fix the synthesized image (S7). At this time, the display 8
The composite image at that time is displayed as a still image.

Further, the user 2 touches the tip of the touch pen 12 with the surface of the display 8 to input images such as desired characters and figures (S8). The signal input here is sent to the image generation device 39, converted into image data B such as drawn characters and figures, and further synthesized in real time with a composite image of the storage image C and the captured image A, Is displayed on the display 8.

Next, the user 2 judges whether or not to print the composite image (S9). When re-taking without printing, the user 2 presses the re-taking button of the operation unit 16 to print. , The print button of the operation unit 16 is pressed. When the retake button is pressed, the computer 30 returns to step 2 and repeats the above operation. When the print button is pressed, the computer 30 generates a print image and instructs the printer controller 36 to print the print image on the recording medium 15 (S10). Until the next coin is inserted, the BGM is played in the same manner as before the coin is inserted,
Display a demo image.

As described above, according to the above-mentioned print vending machine, it is possible to take a picture with various camera angles that are rich in changes, and it is possible to meet various needs of users. In addition, the user 2 can switch between the three cameras 6A, 6B, and 6C to a desired camera for printing, and photograph the subject 2 in various poses using the whole body at various camera angles. Can be. In particular, when the subject 2 is photographed to look up from obliquely below,
You can take good-looking whole body photos with long legs. further,
The subject 2 can take a desired pose while watching his / her image on the display 8 in real time.

In the above-described embodiment, a print image is generated based on an original image including a photographed image of a subject.
Although an example in which the print image is applied to an electrophotographic vending machine that prints the print image on printing paper of a predetermined size has been described, the present invention can also be applied to a silver halide photographing device.

As each of the cameras 6A, 6B, and 6C, a digital camera or a video camera can be used, and there is no particular limitation. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which three cameras are used has been described. However, two cameras may be used, or four or more cameras may be used. Also. An example is shown in which three cameras are arranged vertically.
The present invention is not limited to this, and may be arranged side by side.

In the above embodiment, the first camera 6
Although only A is rotated up and down, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to rotate the second camera 6B and the third camera 6C up and down, and to move the cameras 6A, 6B and 6C right and left and right and left. It can also be turned up, down, left and right.

In the above embodiment, the recording medium 15 is not particularly limited. For example, various types of recording media such as papers, stickers, plastic films, cards, cloths, nonwoven fabrics, glass plates, resin plates and the like can be used. Can be used.

[0054]

As described above, according to the photo vending machine of the present invention, by photographing a subject with a plurality of cameras, it is possible to photograph at a variety of camera angles that vary, and We can meet your needs. In addition, a camera having a desired angle can be selected from among cameras that shoot from various angles, and shooting can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a photo vending machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the photo vending machine;

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram showing a control unit of the photo vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the photo vending machine.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by a first camera.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by a second camera.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by a third camera.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a conventional photo vending machine.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 subject 6A, 6B, 6C camera 41 camera switching means

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission Date] June 19, 2000 (2006.1.
9)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine for photographing and selling a photograph of a subject, wherein a plurality of cameras for photographing the subject are provided, and the subject selects which of the plurality of cameras to photograph. A vending machine for photographing, comprising: a camera selecting means. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a half mirror is provided between the camera and the subject, and a size of the half mirror is set to be substantially the same as a photographing range of the camera. 3. The photographic vending machine according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the cameras rotates up and down and / or left and right together with the half mirror. 4. A first camera for taking a bird's-eye view of a subject,
4. A camera according to claim 1, further comprising a second camera for photographing the subject from an approximate height, and a third camera for looking up at the subject.
A vending machine according to any one of the preceding claims. 5. An image display means for displaying an image A shot by the camera, an image input means for inputting an image B to be synthesized with the shot image, and an image synthesis means for synthesizing the image A and the image B. The photo vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: printing means for printing a synthesized image synthesized by the image synthesizing means.