JP2005136727A - Electronic camera device, method for controlling the same, computer program and computer-readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily execute the setting of a blurring region which is difficult for a beginner. <P>SOLUTION: As for an image picked-up picture, the area of a region whose focusing status is at a predetermined level or lower is detected, and when the detected area is a predetermined area or larger, it is judged as a blurring region, and predetermined processing is executed to the region which is judged as the blurring region. At the time of executing such micro-photographing that a primary object is in a focusing status, and that the blurring region occupies a fixed region or larger, or at the time of photographing a portrait picture by manually opening a diaphragm, and making the depth of field shallow, even through an electronic view finder whose surface area is small is used for photographing, it is automatically judged by an electronic circuit, and the blurring region part which is out of focus is clearly discriminated from a color display part which is in focus to some extents or more so as to be easily judged by a photographer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera device, a control method for the electronic camera device, a computer program, and a computer-readable recording medium, and in particular, an improvement of an electronic camera device having an electronic viewfinder for displaying a captured image captured from an image sensor. It is about.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electronic camera device uses a CCD as an image sensor. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, an input captured image is displayed on a viewfinder, and the image displayed on the viewfinder is viewed and captured. Checking the image, determining the composition, and focusing were performed.

  By the way, recent electronic camera devices have a built-in strobe mechanism, AE mechanism, AWB mechanism (AWB Auto White Balance: Cameras and video, automatically determine the difference in light source during shooting, and the color tone based on white In addition to the function of performing correction, focusing is also automated using an autofocus mechanism.

  Furthermore, with the introduction of the line-of-sight input mechanism, it has become possible to focus on an arbitrary position in the viewfinder. With the introduction of these new mechanisms, even beginners and non-functional cameras can easily take high-quality photos with few failures.

JP 2001-251540 A

  However, the captured image displayed on the viewfinder is considerably smaller than the image that is actually developed on the photographic paper. Therefore, even if the image is out of focus on the photographic paper, it looks as if it is in focus on the viewfinder. It often ends up.

  As described above, in the recent electronic camera device, the focusing is automatically performed by the autofocus mechanism. However, the blur area is set by manually setting the aperture value in anticipation of the finish on the photographic paper. Part that relied on intuition, such as adjusting, was also large.

  As described above, the operation of manually adjusting the aperture value and setting the blur area can be performed relatively easily with a high-function camera such as a single-lens reflex camera, but an inexpensive viewfinder. In addition, it is a very difficult operation for beginners to perform with a small camera device of a small fixed lens type.

  For this reason, confirmation and setting of a blur area at the time of macro photography or portrait photography has been a highly difficult photographic technique among photographic techniques. Of course, the display image can be confirmed by partially magnifying the display image. However, with such a configuration, there is a problem in that the mechanism and operation of the camera device become complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily set a blur region that is difficult for beginners in view of the above-described problems.

The electronic camera device of the present invention detects an area of a captured image in which the in-focus state is a predetermined level or less, and determines that the area is a blurred area if the detected area is a predetermined area or more. It is characterized in that predetermined image processing is performed on an area determined to be a blurred area and displayed on an electronic viewfinder.
Another feature of the present invention is an electronic camera device including an electronic viewfinder that displays an image being captured and a focus state detection unit that detects a focus state of the captured image. A blur region determining unit that determines a region in which an in-focus state in the image being captured is equal to or less than a predetermined focus level and equal to or greater than a predetermined area value as a blur region, and is determined to be a blur region by the blur region determining unit. And image processing means for applying predetermined image processing to the region.
Another feature of the present invention is that the predetermined image processing performed by the image processing means is a process of erasing the blurred area or a process of converting the blurred area into a monotone. .
Another feature of the present invention is that an image subjected to predetermined image processing by the image processing means is displayed on the electronic viewfinder.

The control method of the electronic camera device of the present invention detects the area of a region where the in-focus state is a predetermined level or less in a captured image, and determines that it is a blurred region if the detected area is a predetermined area or more. In addition, the image processing apparatus is characterized in that predetermined image processing is performed on the area determined to be the blur area and displayed on the electronic viewfinder.
Another feature of the present invention is that the electronic camera apparatus includes an electronic viewfinder that displays an image being captured and a focus state detection step that detects a focus state of the captured image. In the method, a blur region determining step of determining a region in which an in-focus state in the image being captured is equal to or less than a predetermined focus level and equal to or greater than a predetermined area value as a blur region, and a blur region by the blur region determining step And an image processing step of applying predetermined image processing to the determined area.
Another feature of the present invention is that the predetermined image processing performed in the image processing step is a process of erasing the blurred area or a process of converting the blurred area into a monotone. .
Another feature of the present invention is that an image that has been subjected to predetermined image processing in the image processing step is displayed on the electronic viewfinder.

  A computer program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute a control method of an electronic camera device including an electronic viewfinder that displays an image being captured and a focus state detection step that detects a focus state of the captured image. In the program, a blur region determining step for determining a region where a focus state in the image being captured is equal to or lower than a predetermined focus level and equal to or greater than a predetermined area value as a blur region, and a blur region by the blur region determining step The computer is caused to execute an image processing step of applying predetermined image processing to the area determined to be.

  The recording medium of the present invention is characterized by recording the computer program described above.

  According to the present invention, in a captured image, the area of a region whose in-focus state is a predetermined level or less is detected, and if the detected area is a predetermined area or more, it is determined as a blurred region, and the blurred region Because the image processing is applied to the determined area, the aperture is manually opened during macro shooting when the main subject is in focus and the out-of-focus area occupies a certain area or more. When you want to take a portrait image with a shallow depth of field, even when using an electronic viewfinder with a small display area, the electronic circuit will automatically determine the out-of-focus area. It can be clearly distinguished from a color display portion that is in focus to a certain extent and clearly, for example, erased or monotonously displayed. As a result, even a small digital camera equipped with only a small display can easily take high-quality close-up photos and portrait photos.

Hereinafter, an electronic camera device, a control method for the electronic camera device, a computer program, and a computer-readable recording medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electrical configuration of the electronic camera device of the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a control unit for a CPU having a RAM and a ROM to control the entire electronic camera device in accordance with program steps stored in the ROM. 2 is an operation panel for setting the operation of the camera device such as a power switch and a shutter button, 3 is an AF mechanism including a lens and a motor for moving in the optical axis direction, 4 is an aperture mechanism, 5 is an image sensor such as a CCD, and 6 is An amplifier 7 is an AD converter.

  8 is a buffer memory capable of storing at least one screen, 9 is an AWB processing circuit for performing white balance processing on the signal from the AD converter 7, and 10 is an automatic exposure control using the signal from the AD converter 7. AE processing circuit 11 for performing autofocus control based on detection information from the in-focus state detection circuit 17, 12 for controlling the aperture of the aperture mechanism 5, and 13 for driving the image sensor 5. This is an element control circuit.

  14 is an image processing circuit that executes image functions such as various filtering processes and compression / decompression processes, 15 is a storage processing circuit for storing captured images in the storage medium 16, and 16 is a removable card such as a CF card or SD card. A possible storage medium 17 is a focus state detection circuit for detecting the focus state of the image from the luminance signal Y separated from the amplifier 6.

  Reference numeral 18 denotes an area determination circuit for determining whether or not a range determined as a blur area of a certain level or more in the in-focus state detection circuit 17 is a predetermined area or more, and 19 is a blur area where the area determination circuit 18 is equal to or less than a certain level. A blur region signal generation circuit for generating a signal designating the blur region when the image area exceeds a predetermined area, 20 synthesizes the captured image from the image processing circuit 14 and the blur region signal generation circuit 19 to prepare a display signal. A display processing circuit 21 is a display using liquid crystal.

An operation that enables the blur area to be easily recognized in the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When a power switch (not shown) provided on the operation panel 2 is turned on, an imaging scene imaged on the imaging element 5 is displayed on the display 21. The flow chart of FIG. 2 is a simplified explanation of the processing operation of a captured image of dozens of frames per second displayed on the display 21.

  When the processing operation is started in the first step ST1, the luminance signal Y is separated from the color still image for one field at the current lens position in the next step ST2, and is subdivided through bandpass filter processing and contour extraction processing. The contrast ratio of each area is calculated.

  Next, in step ST3, it is compared with the contrast ratio data of each corresponding area stored at the previous lens position, and stored as new collation data. As a result of the comparison in step ST3, if the contrast ratio of the maximum value is changing in a single tone, the process proceeds to step ST4, and the AF lens is further moved by a minute distance. In this way, the processes of step ST2, step ST3, and step ST4 are repeated until the highest contrast ratio is found. Then, the movement of the AF lens is stopped at the lens position where the highest contrast ratio is obtained, and the process proceeds to step ST5 to exit from the closed loop processing.

  In step ST5, it is determined whether or not a region having a contrast ratio of a certain level or less is equal to or smaller than a predetermined area in the color still image at the AF lens position where the highest contrast ratio is obtained. If the result of this determination is that the blur area with a contrast ratio of a certain level or less is less than or equal to a predetermined area, the process ends and waits until the shutter button is pressed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that a blurred area below a certain level is in a focused state and occupies a predetermined area or more, the process proceeds to step ST6, where a blurred area signal p indicating the area is generated and displayed. After sending to the circuit 20, the process is terminated and a standby state is entered.

  The blur area signal is output as a blanking signal when the blur area is erased and specified, and is output as a luminance signal only for the blur area when the blur area is specified as a monochrome process.

  Next, holding the camera, as shown in FIG. 3A, the main subject B is at the center on the display 21, the second subject A is at the middle back on the left side, and the second subject A is at the deep side on the right side. An example in which an imaging scene in which three subjects C exist will be described.

  When an image is formed on the image sensor 5 via the main lens, the autofocus mechanism works so as to focus on the subject B in the center. In order to activate the autofocus mechanism, it is necessary to first detect the in-focus state of the subject B to be processed. A typical method for detecting the in-focus state is a passive method that uses the information data of the light entering the main lens as it is for the in-focus state detection data, and information data that is returned by emitting a signal from the camera side. An active method that uses the method is known.

  A method using a triangulation method is often used for the passive method and the active method, but recently, an imaging device is also highly sensitive, and a contrast detection method using an image signal as a passive method is also widely used. In this method, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), when displayed on the display 21 of the camera, the subject B is focused, and the image of the subject B is automatically displayed through a predetermined filtering process so that the contour of the image is the clearest. Activate the focus mechanism.

  The video signal on the horizontal scanning line indicated by the dotted line in the scanning image of FIG. 3A has the highest contrast ratio and the frequency component as shown by the signal B shown in FIG. On the other hand, the video signal of the subject C that is not in focus utilizes the principle that the contrast ratio is small and the frequency component is low, as in the signal C shown in FIG.

  In this way, the control signal based on the output signal f of the focus state detection circuit 17 is supplied to the AF control circuit 11 so that the contrast ratio of the subject B located at the center of the display 21 is the highest, and the zoom is performed. An AF mechanism for moving the focus lens in the lens minutely is driven.

  In a lens setting where the depth of field is not so deep, when the subject B is in focus, the contrast ratio between the subject A and the subject B is as shown in FIG. The contrast ratio of the position and the medium frequency component. On the other hand, the subject C has a low contrast ratio like the signal C and the lowest frequency component.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the blur region excluding the A region having the middle contrast ratio and the B region having the highest contrast ratio shown in FIG. 3 (c) excluding the range where the contrast ratio is higher than a certain level. A signal p is generated. Note that the value of the contrast ratio serving as a threshold is preset as a standard value. This blur area signal p is input to the display processing circuit 20 as a blanking signal if the blur area is to be erased, or as a partial luminance signal if it is to be monotone.

  With such a method, it is possible to distinguish and display clearly from other parts that are displayed in color by erasing a blur area that is not in focus to a certain extent or making it monotone.

  In addition to this example, the in-focus state is detected by a complete digital image processing in which a contour image is extracted from the digital image AD-converted by the AD converter 7 by a filtering process and is judged based on a change in luminance. Is also possible. Of course, the focus state of each area may be directly detected by active multi-point ranging. In order to prevent malfunction, not only the area of the out-of-focus area that is out of focus but also whether it is continuous around the main subject or at the edge may be added to the determination material.

(Other embodiments of the present invention)
A program code of software for realizing the functions of the embodiment is provided to an apparatus or a computer in the system connected to the various devices so as to operate various devices to realize the functions of the embodiment. What is implemented by operating the various devices according to a program supplied and stored in a computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus is also included in the scope of the present invention.

  In this case, the program code of the software itself realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code itself and means for supplying the program code to the computer, for example, the program code are stored. The recorded medium constitutes the present invention. As a recording medium for recording the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  Further, by executing the program code supplied by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the OS (operating system) or other application software in which the program code is running on the computer, etc. The program code is also included in the embodiment of the present invention even when the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized in cooperation with the above.

  Further, after the supplied program code is stored in the memory provided in the function expansion board of the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the CPU provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit based on the instruction of the program code The present invention also includes a case where the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized by performing part or all of the actual processing.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the electrical structure in the electronic camera apparatus of embodiment. It is the flowchart which simplified and demonstrated the processing operation of the captured image projected on a display. It is a figure explaining the detection principle of contrast.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control part 2 Operation panel 3 AF mechanism 4 Aperture mechanism 5 Image pick-up element 6 Amplifier 7 AD converter 8 Buffer memory 9 AWB processing circuit 10 AE processing circuit 11 AF control circuit 12 Aperture control circuit 13 Element control circuit 14 Image processing circuit 15 Memory Processing circuit 16 Removable storage medium 17 Focus state detection circuit 18 Area determination circuit 19 Blur region signal generation circuit 20 Display processing circuit 21 Display

Claims (10)

  In the captured image, the area is detected for a region where the in-focus state is a predetermined level or lower, and if the detected area is equal to or larger than the predetermined area, it is determined as a blurred region, and a predetermined region is determined as the blurred region. An electronic camera device characterized in that the image processing is performed and displayed on an electronic viewfinder. In an electronic camera device including an electronic viewfinder that displays an image being captured, and a focus state detection unit that detects a focus state of the captured image,
A blur region determination unit that determines a region in which an in-focus state in the image being captured is a predetermined focus level or less and a predetermined area value or more as a blur region;
An electronic camera apparatus comprising: an image processing unit that performs predetermined image processing on an area determined to be a blurred area by the blurred area determination unit.   3. The electronic camera apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined image processing performed by the image processing unit is a process of deleting the blur area or a process of converting the blur area into a monotone.   4. The electronic camera device according to claim 2, wherein an image that has been subjected to predetermined image processing by the image processing means is displayed on the electronic viewfinder.   In the captured image, the area is detected for a region where the in-focus state is a predetermined level or lower, and if the detected area is equal to or larger than the predetermined area, it is determined as a blurred region, and a predetermined region is determined as the blurred region. A method of controlling an electronic camera device, wherein the image processing is performed and displayed on an electronic viewfinder. In a control method of an electronic camera device comprising: an electronic viewfinder that displays an image being captured; and a focus state detection step that detects a focus state of the captured image.
A blur region determination step of determining, as a blur region, a region in which an in-focus state in the image being captured is equal to or lower than a predetermined focus level and equal to or greater than a predetermined area value;
A control method for an electronic camera device, comprising: an image processing step of performing predetermined image processing on a region determined to be a blur region by the blur region determination step.   7. The method of controlling an electronic camera device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined image processing performed in the image processing step is processing for deleting the blurred area or processing for converting the blurred area into a monotone.   8. The method for controlling an electronic camera device according to claim 6, wherein an image that has been subjected to predetermined image processing in the image processing step is displayed on the electronic viewfinder. In a program for causing a computer to execute a control method of an electronic camera device including an electronic viewfinder that displays an image being captured and a focus state detection step that detects a focus state of the captured image.
A blur region determination step of determining, as a blur region, a region in which an in-focus state in the image being captured is equal to or lower than a predetermined focus level and equal to or greater than a predetermined area value;
A computer program causing a computer to execute an image processing step of performing predetermined image processing on a region determined to be a blur region by the blur region determination step.   A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon the computer program according to claim 9.