JP2005295418A - Imaging apparatus and imaging display method - Google Patents

Abstract

An imaging apparatus and an imaging display method for displaying a more focused point of a captured image to a user.
A subject and a distance measuring frame are superimposed on an LCD and displayed when the subject is photographed. The color of the focused distance measuring frame is changed, and the position information of the focused frame is stored in, for example, the RAM 17. By preferentially enlarging and displaying on the LCD 31 the image having the near-joining focus area when shooting the focus frame of the shot image, the more focused area can be displayed to the user. Furthermore, in-focus frames that are close to each other can be displayed together on the LCD 31 in an enlarged manner, thereby reducing the number of image steps to be enlarged and displayed on the user even when there are a plurality of in-focus frames, thereby improving operability. Can do.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and an imaging display method.

  In recent years, imaging devices called digital cameras and camcorders (abbreviations for camera and recorder) have been widely used. Such an image pickup apparatus is often provided with, for example, a liquid crystal monitor for displaying a shot image in order to focus at the time of shooting or to adjust a camera angle at the time of shooting.

  In addition, recently, a range-finding frame is displayed on the LCD monitor so that the user can more easily focus on the image to be shot, and the color of the focused range-finding frame is changed, or the focused range-finding frame is displayed. It has been made to display only. In addition, in order to make it easier to confirm the in-focus area (in-focus area) of the subject, the in-focus area is enlarged and displayed at the time of playback. Can be displayed.

The following contents are mainly described in Patent Document 1 below.
・ Displays the image near the focus after shooting on the entire screen.
-When the AF (Auto Focus) multi-frame function is used, the image near the focus is enlarged and displayed.
・ Perform gaze discrimination.
-You can check the enlarged display result and delete the shot image.
-The enlarged image and the main image can be recorded in association with the recording medium.
-Enlarges when the shutter is half-pressed, and records when pressed deep.

JP 2000-125178 A

Patent Document 2 below mainly describes the following contents.
-It is possible to switch between a mode for enlarging the focused portion and a mode for displaying the main image.
There are a plurality of enlarged displays of the focused part, and there is means for switching by the user's operation.

JP 2002-44493 A

The following contents are mainly described in Patent Document 3 below.
-Zoom in on the focused frame range.
-Enlarge and display the focused frame range based on the focus information during playback.
-The area to be enlarged can be set by the user.
-It is possible to set the enlargement ratio and display position.
-User settings can be changed during enlarged display.
There is display mode instruction means for instructing to switch between full image display and partially enlarged image.

JP 2003-143444 A

  However, in recent years, in order to focus the captured image more finely, the distance measurement frame has been increased, the arrangement has been complicated, and the distance measurement frame has been downsized. In some cases, the number of frames is referred to as a focal frame. In the conventional method of displaying a focusing frame, the number of images to be enlarged increases as the number of focusing frames increases, and switching of images becomes complicated due to an increase in the number of steps. For example, when there are 10 in-focus frames, it is a considerable burden on the user to enlarge and display 10 in-focus frames and switch to check each image.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus and an imaging display method that preferentially enlarge and display a focusing frame having a high focusing evaluation value when there are a plurality of focusing frames.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus and an imaging display method capable of preventing an increase in the number of steps by reducing the burden on the user by collecting them according to a ratio set by the user even when there are many in-focus frames. That is.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus and an imaging display method capable of quickly and easily confirming the focus of an image even when there are many focusing frames.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to an imaging apparatus including a display unit that captures a subject and displays image data of the subject. In this imaging apparatus, a display frame indicating the in-focus area is superimposed and displayed, and a display frame having a larger number of near-joining focus areas is preferentially enlarged and displayed when image data is reproduced.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus including a display unit that captures a subject and displays image data of the subject, the display unit includes a display frame that indicates a focus area between the subject and the subject when the subject is captured. When the image data is reproduced, it is determined whether or not the display frames indicating the in-focus area are close to each other, and if they are close, all of the plurality of display frames that are close to each other are included. This is an imaging apparatus in which an area is set and the set area is preferentially enlarged and displayed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in an imaging display method for photographing a subject and displaying image data of the subject on a display unit, a display frame indicating a subject and a focusing area of the subject is superimposed on the display unit when the subject is photographed. And a step of preferentially displaying a display frame having a larger number of near-joining focal regions when reproducing the image data.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the imaging display method for photographing a subject and displaying image data of the subject on a display unit, a display frame indicating a subject and a focus area of the subject is superimposed on the display unit when the subject is photographed. The display step, the step of determining whether or not the display frames indicating the in-focus area are close to each other when the image data is reproduced, and a plurality of display frames that are close to each other when close to each other. This is an imaging display method including a step of setting an area including all and a step of preferentially enlarging and displaying the set area.

  According to the present invention, the user can easily recognize the in-focus point of the subject by automatically changing the display method for the user depending on whether the focus frame is one or more. Even when there are a plurality of focusing frames, an image with a high focusing evaluation value is preferentially enlarged and displayed, so that the user's consciousness can be guided to a more focused area.

  According to the present invention, even when there are a plurality of adjacent focusing frames, by setting a plurality of focusing frames and setting a region, and further automatically controlling a magnification and a center for enlarging the set region, It is possible to reduce the number of steps on the screen to be enlarged and displayed for the user, and to improve operability.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the image pickup apparatus is described as a digital electronic still camera (hereinafter referred to as a digital camera as appropriate), but the present invention is not limited to a digital camera, and the present invention is applied to other image pickup apparatuses such as a camcorder. Can be applied.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a digital camera according to this embodiment. Overall control of the digital camera is performed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11. In addition, the exchange of instruction signals from the CPU 11 and data of each peripheral device is performed via the system bus 12. The system bus 12 includes an address bus and a data bus. Various data are developed in a RAM (Random Access Memory) 17 and processed. A control program for the digital camera is stored in a ROM (Reed Only Memory) 18.

  Reference numeral 13 denotes a lens. The lens 13 is controlled by the lens driving unit 14 and performs a focusing operation. When the subject is dark, the flash 21 emits light. The subject light captured from the lens 13 is supplied to an image sensor, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 15. The light supplied to the CCD 15 is exposed and supplied to an AGC (Automatic Gain Control) circuit (not shown). An output signal of the AGC circuit is converted into digital image data by an A / D (Analog to Digital) converter 16, and the converted digital image data is stored in the RAM 17 via the system bus 12.

  The digital image data stored in the RAM 17 is subjected to signal processing such as gamma correction and contour compensation by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 19. The DSP 19 also performs compression processing such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) on the digital image data captured as a still image. The compressed digital image data is once taken into the RAM 17 as needed and stored in the recording medium 22 that is a non-volatile device. The recording medium 22 is a recording medium that can be attached to and detached from a digital camera such as a memory card.

  A monitoring image for framing a subject at the time of shooting and digital image data read from the recording medium 22 at the time of reproducing the shot image are displayed on a liquid crystal panel 24 (LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)) via a video output circuit 23. Is done. Since the output of the video output circuit 23 is also supplied to the video output terminal 25, digital image data can be displayed on an external monitor connected to the video output terminal 25. Reference numeral 20 denotes an external interface, which is connected to an external device such as a notebook personal computer.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the operation of the imaging apparatus according to this embodiment. The flowchart of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. In step S1, the summary process is set to ON or OFF by the user. The summary processing is turned on / off using, for example, a changeover switch provided in the digital camera. Details of the summarization process will be described later. After the summarization process is set, the operation proceeds to step S2, and the subject is photographed.

  An example of the photographing process in step S2 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, at the time of shooting, a subject and a distance measuring frame 32 as a display frame are superimposed on the LCD 31 and displayed. FIG. 5 shows an example of the distance measurement frame 32. In this embodiment, the distance measurement frame 32 is a distance measurement frame 32 composed of a total of nine frames of 3 frames × 3 frames, and the reference symbols a1 to a1 in FIG. It shows with a9.

  After the subject desired by the user is displayed on the LCD 31, focusing is automatically performed when the shutter of the digital camera is half-pressed (so-called AF (Auto Focus) function). There are various autofocus methods. For example, there is a method in which the high frequency component of the digital output signal of the A / D converter 16 is integrated by one field and fed back so that the integrated value becomes maximum. The CPU 11 processes the fed back information, controls the lens driving unit 14, and controls the position of the lens 13 to focus.

  When AF is performed, as shown in FIG. 3B, a distance measuring frame with thick sides is displayed. A focusing frame with each side displayed thick is a focusing frame. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the distance measurement frame a4, the distance measurement frame a6, the distance measurement frame a7, and the distance measurement frame a8 are the focusing frames.

  After confirming the in-focus point by displaying the in-focus frame, the user performs shooting by fully pressing the shutter in the half-pressed state (step S2). When shooting is finished, the operation proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the focus information is stored in a temporary storage area such as the RAM 17, for example. Here, the focus information means position information of the focusing frame indicating which focusing frame out of the nine ranging frames is in focus.

  In step S4, auto review or reproduction is performed to confirm the in-focus point of the image captured in step S2, and the image of the in-focus frame is enlarged and displayed on the LCD 31. Auto review is a process of automatically enlarging and displaying an image of a focusing frame of a captured image on the LCD 31. The enlarged display of the focused frame image may be displayed by a manual operation by the user. When the image of the in-focus frame is enlarged and displayed on the LCD 31 for the user, the processing after step S5 is performed.

  In step S5, it is determined whether or not the number of focusing frames is one. If there is one in-focus frame, the operation proceeds to step S12, the image of the in-focus frame is enlarged at a predetermined rate and displayed on the LCD 31, and the operation ends. If there are a plurality of focusing frames, the operation proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, it is determined whether the summary process is ON or OFF. Processing performed when it is determined in step S6 that the summary processing is OFF (steps S10 to S12) will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, as in FIG. 3, the distance measurement frame a4, the distance measurement frame a6, the distance measurement frame a7, and the distance measurement frame a8 out of the nine distance measurement frames will be described.

  In step S10, the order in which the images of the four focusing frames are enlarged and displayed is determined. When there are a plurality of in-focus frames, the in-focus frame having the near joint focus area is preferentially displayed. The reason why the focus frame having the near-joining focus area is preferentially displayed is that it is determined that the focus point is denser and the focus evaluation value is higher than the other focus frames.

  Here, the near-joining focal region will be described. Proximity means that the focusing frames share sides. More specifically, for example, the focusing frame a4 is in contact with the focusing frame a7 at the side b1 and shares the side b1 with each other. That is, the focusing frame a4 is close to the focusing frame a7. Further, since the focusing frame a7 shares the side b1 with the focusing frame a4 and also shares the side b2 with the focusing frame a8, the focusing frame a7 is close to the focusing frame a4 and the focusing frame a8. The number of focusing frames to be performed (hereinafter referred to as a near-joining focal region as appropriate) is two. Similarly, the focusing frame a8 shares the side b2 with the focusing frame a7 and is close to it. However, the focusing frame a6 does not have a near-joining focal region. This is because the focusing frame a6 has no other focusing frame sharing the side. Note that the focusing frame a6 is in contact with the focusing frame a8 at the apex b3, but is not adjacent to the focusing frame a8 because the side is not shared.

  In step S10, the order is determined so that the focusing frame a4, the focusing frame a7, and the focusing frame a8 having the near-joining focus area are displayed with priority. As shown in the broken line in FIG. 4, on the LCD 31, for example, images of the respective focusing frames are enlarged and displayed on the LCD 31 in the order of the focusing frame a4 → the focusing frame a7 → the focusing frame a8 → the focusing frame a6. The screen can be switched by a user operation. In addition, since there are a plurality of focusing frames, the user can know which focusing frame is enlarged and displayed on the LCD 31. For example, as indicated by reference numeral 33, it may be displayed as ¼ or the like in the sense of the first of the four sheets. Further, the position in the original image of the focusing frame that is displayed in an enlarged manner may be confirmed by the icon 34.

  Although the focusing frame a4, the focusing frame a7, and the focusing frame a8 having the near-joining focus area may be displayed from any of them, in the present invention, an image having more close-joining focus areas is preferentially enlarged and displayed. You may make it. Since the focusing frame a7 has two near-joining focal regions compared to the focusing frame a4 and the focusing frame a8, it can be determined that the evaluation value of focusing is higher. Therefore, in the step of determining the display order in step S10, an enlarged image of the focusing frame a7 having more near-joining focal regions may be displayed first.

  In step S11, the user selects four displayed enlarged images. The selected image is enlarged and displayed on the LCD 31 in step S12, and the operation ends.

  Next, the operation when the summarization process is turned on in step S6 will be described. If it is determined in step S6 that the summarization process is ON, the operation proceeds to S7, where the summarization process is performed. The summarization process refers to a process of displaying a plurality of focusing frames collectively in order to reduce the number of steps to be switched by the user when the number of focusing frames is large. In step S7, a summary determination is made, and the operation proceeds to step S8 where the enlargement ratio and center coordinates are determined.

  The summary process in step S7 and step S8 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2B. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the focusing frame a4, the focusing frame a7, and the focusing frame a8 each having a near joint focusing area are processed together. In step S21, it is determined whether or not the figure formed by the focusing frame to be processed collectively is a rectangle. If it is a rectangle, the operation proceeds to step S23, and the center of the rectangle is determined. When the center is determined, the operation proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the enlargement ratio to be enlarged and displayed on the LCD 31 is automatically determined based on the number of focusing frames constituting the rectangle.

  If it is determined in step S21 that the object is not rectangular, the operation proceeds to step S22. In this embodiment, since the figure constituted by the three focusing frames (the focusing frame a4, the focusing frame a7, and the focusing frame a8) that are collectively processed is L-shaped and not rectangular, the operation proceeds to step S22. move on. The operation of step S22 and step S24 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S22, as shown in FIG. 6, first, a rectangle including all three focusing frames (a focusing frame a4, a focusing frame a7, and a focusing frame a8) is created and an area in the original image for enlarged display. Is set to C1 (hereinafter referred to as region C1). The maximum area of the area C1 may be arbitrarily set, for example, up to four frames.

  The area C1 can be enlarged and displayed on the LCD 31, but the center coordinates of the area C1 can also be moved. For example, if the center coordinate of the area C1 is D1, the center D1 is moved to the center D2 of the focusing frame a7 or its periphery. The reason why D1 is moved near the center D2 of the focusing frame a7 is determined that the focusing frame a7 has two near-joining focal regions as described above and has a higher focus evaluation value than the other focusing frames. Therefore, the enlarged display is performed on the LCD 31 with the focusing frame a7 as the center.

  If any of the three in-focus frames deviates from the area C1 due to the movement of the center coordinate from D1 to D2, an area including the three in-focus frames is set around D2. After the center coordinates are determined, the operation proceeds to step S24. In step S24, an enlargement ratio for display on the LCD 31 is determined, and the operation ends.

  After step S7 and step S8 described above, the operation proceeds to step S9. In step S9, it is determined whether the summarization process is still necessary. In this embodiment, the summarization process is performed only once. However, depending on the position of the focusing frame, the enlargement display step may be further reduced by performing the summarization process several times. For example, when the in-focus frames are a3, a4, a6, and a7, it is also possible to perform a collective process on each of the in-focus frames a3 and a6 and the in-focus frames a4 and a7. is there. If it is determined in step S9 that the summarization process is necessary, the operations in steps S7 and S8 are repeated.

  If it is determined in step S9 that the summarization process is unnecessary, the operation proceeds to step S10. In step S10, the order of images to be displayed is determined. As shown in the broken line in FIG. 7, the enlarged image of the area C1 in which the three focusing frames are processed together is displayed first because the focusing evaluation value is high. Subsequently, the focusing frame a6 is enlarged and displayed. In step S11, the user selects an enlarged image, and in step S12, the selected image is enlarged and displayed on the LCD 31.

  The present invention can be variously modified and applied without departing from the gist of the present invention, and is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, if the photographed main image is very large, the enlarged image also becomes large. Therefore, the enlarged image may be reduced to such an extent that the focus can be confirmed, and stored in, for example, a RAM or a recording medium.

  Further, a mode for calling a stored image may be provided so that the stored images can be viewed sequentially. At that time, a function to be deleted may be provided to the user so that the related main image can be deleted. In addition, if the line-of-sight detection device is used during reproduction, it is possible to switch to a mode in which an image is enlarged and displayed by looking at the in-focus point of the image.

  Further, an image can be taken into an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer from a built-in memory built in the digital electronic still camera by communication means. Alternatively, when moving the image to the personal computer, only the main image may be moved and at the same time the enlarged image may be deleted.

  In the case of a camera that has two cameras and can be photographed at one time, there is one that synthesizes the image of the sub camera at a position farthest from the focus point of the main camera. If the present invention is applied to such a camera, the in-focus position and the in-focus evaluation of the main camera can be easily determined, so that the sub-camera image can be synthesized while avoiding the in-focus point. .

It is a figure which shows the structure of the digital camera in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the digital camera in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows the operation | movement at the time of imaging | photography of the digital camera in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows the display state of the image image | photographed with the imaging device in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows an example of the ranging frame in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram for demonstrating the summarizing process in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows the display state of the image which performed the summarization process in one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 CPU
12 System bus 19 DSP
31 LCD
32 Distance measurement frame

Claims (8)

In an imaging device including a display unit that captures a subject and displays image data of the subject,
When the subject is photographed, the display unit displays a display frame indicating the subject and the focus area of the subject in an overlapping manner,
An image pickup apparatus that preferentially enlarges and displays a display frame having a larger number of near-joining focal regions when reproducing the image data.   The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein an icon related to information on a display frame to be enlarged is displayed on the display unit. In an imaging device including a display unit that captures a subject and displays image data of the subject,
When the subject is photographed, the display unit displays a display frame indicating the subject and the focus area of the subject in an overlapping manner,
When reproducing the image data, it is determined whether or not the display frames indicating the in-focus area are close to each other. If they are close to each other, an area including all of the plurality of display frames close to each other is set. An image pickup apparatus that preferentially enlarges and displays the set area.   The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein an icon related to information on a region to be enlarged and a display frame is displayed on the display unit.   The imaging according to claim 3, wherein the area is set and enlarged so that the center is set close to the approximate center of the display frame having the largest number of near-joining focal areas among the plurality of display frames close to each other. apparatus. In an imaging display method for photographing a subject and displaying image data of the subject on a display unit,
A step of displaying a display frame indicating the subject and a focusing area of the subject superimposed on the display unit when the subject is photographed;
An imaging display method including a step of preferentially displaying a display frame having a larger number of near-joining focal regions when reproducing the image data. In an imaging display method for photographing a subject and displaying image data of the subject on a display unit,
A step of superimposing and displaying a display frame indicating the subject and a focusing area of the subject on the display unit when photographing the subject;
Determining whether or not display frames indicating the in-focus area are close to each other during reproduction of the image data;
A step of setting an area including all of a plurality of display frames that are close to each other when close to each other;
An imaging display method including a step of preferentially enlarging and displaying the set area. The imaging display method according to claim 7, wherein the area is set so that a center is brought close to an approximate center of a display frame having the largest number of near-joining focal areas among the plurality of display frames close to each other.

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