JP2007093967A - Photographing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a photographing apparatus which is low in cost and can unnecessitate a release switch. <P>SOLUTION: The photographing apparatus includes: at least an LCD (liquid crystal display) 38 for displaying a photographed image on a display screen; and a touch panel 60 for detecting the position coordinate of the touched area of the display screen when the display screen is touched with finger. The touched area is derived by a CPU 40 based on the position coordinate detected by the touch panel 60, and when the derived touched area is equal to or exceeding a prescribed first threshold, but, below a prescribed second threshold larger than the first threshold, it is judged that the apparatus is in a first instruction state instructing to prepare for photographing, on the other hand, when the touched area is equal to or exceeding the second threshold, it is judged that the apparatus is in a second instruction state instructing to photograph, and when it is judged that the apparatus is the first instruction state, preparation for photographing is carried out, on the other hand, when it is judged that the apparatus is in the second instruction state, a photographing operation is carried out. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus, and in particular, a display unit that displays at least an image obtained by photographing on a display screen, and when the display screen is touched by a fingertip, detects position coordinates of the touched region. It is related with the imaging device which has a touch panel to perform.

  In recent years, with the increase in resolution of image sensors such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) area sensors and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensors, digital cameras, mobile phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants, personal digital assistants), etc. Demand for information equipment having a photographing function (hereinafter referred to as “photographing device”) is rapidly increasing.

  In addition, this type of imaging device is often equipped with a display device for displaying images such as captured images, menu screens for setting various functions, operation switches, and the like. In some cases, a touch panel is provided on the display screen of the display device which can be specified by touching a desired one of the menus and operation switches displayed on the menu screen with a fingertip on the display screen of the display device.

  By the way, a photographing apparatus is usually provided with a release switch (so-called shutter), and a photographing operation is executed by pressing the release switch. Most of the current photographing apparatuses are pressed to an intermediate position with respect to the release switch (so-called half-pressed state) and pressed to a final pressed position beyond the intermediate position (so-called fully pressed state). The two-stage pressing operation can be detected, and preparations for shooting such as automatic exposure control and automatic focusing control are executed at the timing when the half-pressed state is detected, and then the transition to the fully-pressed state continues. The photographing operation is executed at the detected timing.

  However, since portability is important for photographing apparatuses, and there is a tendency that small and lightweight and low-priced ones are preferred, it is preferable that the number of components is small.

  Therefore, as a technique that can be applied to reduce the number of parts, Patent Document 1 discloses a CRT display unit that displays characters and figures on a display screen, and the touch position of the CRT display unit when the touch screen is touched. A touch panel for detecting coordinates and touch strength, an input means in which a plurality of function keys each assigned a predetermined processing function are arranged, coordinates detected by the touch panel, touch strength, and key input by the input means A digital data output function that selects a digital data output location from the digital data output screen and outputs digital data when an output request is made. Display on the digital data output screen. Touch intensity discriminating means for discriminating the touch intensity to the output location in two stages (strength 1 and strength 2), and the selection of the output location of the digital data based on the discrimination result by the touch strength discriminating unit or the digital There has been disclosed a technique including a digital data remote operation unit including a determination unit that determines whether a data output request is made.

The role of the release switch is obtained by applying this technique to an imaging device and making the two-stage discrimination target by the touch intensity discrimination means into two stages, a stage in which shooting preparation is instructed and a stage in which shooting operation is instructed. Can be performed on the touch panel, and as a result, there is no need to provide a release switch.
JP-A-6-282378

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to use a touch panel that can detect the touch intensity in addition to the coordinates of the touch position, an expensive touch panel is required, and the price is not necessarily reduced. There was a problem that it could not always contribute.

  This problem is not limited to a photographing apparatus that performs digital photographing, but may also occur with a silver salt camera.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a photographing apparatus that is inexpensive and can dispense with a release switch.

  In order to achieve the above object, the imaging device of the present invention includes a display unit that displays at least an image obtained by imaging on a display screen, and a region of the contacted area when the display screen is contacted by a fingertip. A touch panel for detecting position coordinates; area deriving means for deriving a contact area based on the position coordinates detected by the touch panel; and the contact area derived by the area deriving means is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold. And when it is less than a predetermined second threshold value that is larger than the first threshold value, it is determined that the first instruction state is instructed to prepare for photographing, and the contact area is greater than or equal to the second threshold value. A determination unit that determines that the shooting is in the second instruction state instructed to shoot, and preparation for shooting when the determination unit determines that the shooting state is in the first instruction state. And rows, and a, and execution means for executing a photographing operation when it is determined that the second indicating state by said determining means.

  In the photographing apparatus of the present invention, at least an image obtained by photographing is displayed on the display screen of the display means, and when the display screen is touched by a fingertip, the position coordinates of the touched area Is detected by the touch panel. The display means includes various displays such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, and a CRT display. The touch panel includes a touch panel that can detect the position coordinates of a contacted region such as an electromagnetic induction method, an electrostatic coupling method, a resistance film method, and a capacitance method.

  Here, in the present invention, the contact area is derived based on the position coordinates detected by the touch panel by the area deriving means, and the contact area derived by the determining means is a predetermined first threshold value or more, In addition, when it is less than a predetermined second threshold value that is larger than the first threshold value, it is determined that the first instruction state is instructed to prepare for photographing, while the contact area is greater than or equal to the second threshold value. In some cases, it is determined that the camera is in the second instruction state in which shooting is instructed. The first instruction state is a state corresponding to a state where the release switch is half-pressed, and the second instruction state is a state corresponding to a state where the release switch is fully pressed. is there. Accordingly, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are for the contact person with respect to the display screen to consciously perform the transition to the half-pressed state and the fully-pressed state as the contact state of the fingertip to the display screen. It is preferable to apply a value that can be

  In the present invention, when the execution unit determines that the first instruction state is determined by the determination unit, the preparation for shooting is executed, and when the determination unit determines that the second instruction state is set. A shooting operation is performed.

  As described above, according to the photographing apparatus of the present invention, when the display unit that touches at least the image obtained by photographing on the display screen and the display screen is touched by the fingertip, the position coordinates of the contacted region. A contact area is derived based on the position coordinates detected by the touch panel, and the derived contact area is greater than or equal to a predetermined first threshold value and greater than the first threshold value. When it is less than the predetermined second threshold value, it is determined that the first instruction state is instructed to prepare for photographing. On the other hand, when the contact area is equal to or larger than the second threshold value, second photographing is instructed. When it is determined that it is in the instruction state and when it is determined that it is in the first instruction state, the preparation for shooting is executed, while when it is determined that it is in the second instruction state, the shooting operation is executed Since it has, instead of the release switch, only the position coordinates of the area being contacted can use an inexpensive touch panel that can be detected, as a result, it is possible to lower prices, and the release switch unnecessary.

  The area deriving means of the present invention may derive the contact area only for a predetermined partial region of the display screen. In this case, an image showing the partial region of the display screen is used. You may further provide the display control means which controls the said display means so that it may display.

  The determination means of the present invention is instructed to cancel the first instruction state when the center of gravity of the position coordinates detected by the touch panel is shifted by a predetermined amount or more in the first instruction state. It may be determined that

  According to the present invention, a speed deriving unit for deriving a change speed of the contact area, and a shutter speed is set to be higher than normal when the change speed derived by the speed deriving unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed. And a shutter speed adjusting means.

  Further, the determination means of the present invention determines that the second instruction state is in a case where the period during which the contact area is equal to or greater than the second threshold is equal to or greater than a predetermined first period, Period adjustment means may be further provided that sets the first period to be longer by a predetermined period when the period determined to be in the first instruction state is equal to or longer than the predetermined second period.

  Further, the present invention adjusts the first threshold value and the second threshold value based on a detection unit that detects a vibration direction and a vibration amount of the apparatus main body, and the vibration direction and the vibration amount detected by the detection unit. And a threshold adjustment unit. The detection means includes a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.

  In addition, the present invention provides a storage unit that stores the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to a plurality of predetermined contact persons in advance in association with contact person information indicating the corresponding contact person, and the touch panel. Specifying means for identifying a contact person based on a fingerprint of a fingertip touching the display screen indicated by the position coordinates detected by the display screen, wherein the determining means is the contact specified by the specifying means The determination may be performed using the first threshold and the second threshold corresponding to the person. The storage means includes a RAM (Random Access Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), a semiconductor storage element such as a flash EEPROM (Flash EEPROM), a smart media (SmartMedia (registered trademark)), a flexible Various types of storage means such as a portable recording medium such as a disk, a fixed recording medium such as a hard disk, or an external storage device provided in a server computer connected to a network are included.

  Further, the present invention provides the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to the contact person specified by the specifying means as the contact area derived by the area deriving means according to the contact by the contact person. You may further provide the optimization means which optimizes according to it.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a display means for displaying at least an image obtained by photographing on a display screen, and a touch panel for detecting the position coordinates of the contacted area when the display screen is touched by a fingertip. A contact area is derived based on the position coordinates detected by the touch panel, and the derived contact area is a predetermined second threshold value that is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value and greater than the first threshold value. If the contact area is equal to or larger than the second threshold value, it is determined that the shooting is instructed in the second instruction state. When it is determined that the state is the first instruction state, shooting preparation is executed, while when it is determined that the state is the second instruction state, a shooting operation is executed. Instead of the switch, it is possible to use an inexpensive touch panel that can detect only the position coordinates of the contacted region. As a result, it is possible to obtain an effect of being inexpensive and eliminating the need for a release switch. .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a case where the present invention is applied to a digital electronic still camera (hereinafter referred to as “digital camera”) that captures a still image will be described.

[First Embodiment]
First, an external configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In front of the digital camera 10, a lens 21 for forming a subject image, a strobe 44 that emits light to irradiate the subject when necessary, and a viewfinder used to determine the composition of the subject to be photographed. 20 is provided. In addition, a power switch 56B and a mode switch 56C are provided on the upper surface of the digital camera 10.

  The mode changeover switch 56C is rotated when setting to any one of a shooting mode that is a mode for shooting and a playback mode that is a mode for playing back a subject image on the LCD 38 described later.

  On the other hand, on the back of the digital camera 10, the eyepiece of the above-described finder 20, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as “LCD”) 38 that displays a photographed subject image, a menu screen, and the like, and a display screen of the LCD 38 A pressure-sensitive touch panel 60 installed above and a cross cursor switch 56D are provided. The cross-cursor switch 56D includes four arrow keys that indicate four moving directions of up, down, left, and right in the display area of the LCD 38. Further, the touch panel 60 detects the position coordinates of the area touched by the fingertip on the display screen of the LCD 38, and coordinates information (hereinafter referred to as “contact coordinate information”) indicating the position coordinates with a predetermined resolution (here, The resolution is 1000 dots in the horizontal direction and 1000 dots in the vertical direction).

  In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, an area on the surface of the touch panel 60 corresponding to a predetermined partial area of the display screen of the LCD 38 (hereinafter referred to as “release operation area”) is shot. It is also used as a release switch that is pressed when it is pressed.

  In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 as an example, the contact area M of the fingertip Y with respect to the release operation region is equal to or larger than a predetermined first threshold value and larger than the first threshold value. If it is less than the predetermined second threshold value (the state shown in FIG. 2A), it is determined that it is the first instruction state (hereinafter referred to as “S1 state”) instructed to prepare for photographing. When the contact area M is equal to or larger than the second threshold (the state shown in FIG. 2B), it is determined that the second instruction state (hereinafter referred to as “S2 state”) in which photographing is instructed.

  When the digital camera 10 determines that it is in the S1 state, an AE (Automatic Exposure) function is activated to set the exposure state (shutter speed, aperture state), and then AF (Auto Focus, The automatic focusing function is activated to control the focus (corresponding to “photographing preparation” in the present invention), and then exposure (corresponding to “photographing operation” in the present invention) is determined to be in the S2 state. Is done.

  Furthermore, on the back of the digital camera 10, a menu switch that is pressed when displaying the menu screen on the LCD 38, a determination switch that is pressed when confirming the operation content up to that point, and the previous operation content are displayed. And a cancel switch that is pressed when canceling.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the configuration of the main part of the electrical system of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  The digital camera 10 includes an optical unit 22 including the lens 21 described above, a charge coupled device (hereinafter referred to as “CCD”) 24 disposed behind the optical axis of the lens 21, and an input analog. And an analog signal processing unit 26 that performs various analog signal processing on the signal.

  The digital camera 10 also performs an analog / digital converter (hereinafter referred to as “ADC”) 28 that converts an input analog signal into digital data, and performs various digital signal processing on the input digital data. And a digital signal processing unit 30.

  The digital signal processing unit 30 has a built-in line buffer having a predetermined capacity, and also performs control to directly store the input digital data in a predetermined area of the memory 48 described later.

  The output terminal of the CCD 24 is connected to the input terminal of the analog signal processing unit 26, the output terminal of the analog signal processing unit 26 is connected to the input terminal of the ADC 28, and the output terminal of the ADC 28 is connected to the input terminal of the digital signal processing unit 30. . Accordingly, the analog signal indicating the subject image output from the CCD 24 is subjected to predetermined analog signal processing by the analog signal processing unit 26, converted into digital image data by the ADC 28, and then input to the digital signal processing unit 30.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 generates a signal for displaying a subject image, a menu screen or the like on the LCD 38 and supplies the signal to the LCD 38, a touch panel interface 62 for controlling the operation of the touch panel 60, and the digital camera 10. A CPU (central processing unit) 40 that controls the overall operation, a memory 48 that temporarily stores digital image data obtained by photographing, and a memory interface 46 that controls access to the memory 48 are configured. Has been.

  Further, the digital camera 10 includes an external memory interface 50 for enabling the portable memory card 52 to be accessed by the digital camera 10, and a compression / decompression processing circuit 54 for performing compression processing and decompression processing on the digital image data. It is configured to include.

  In the digital camera 10 of the present embodiment, a flash memory is used as the memory 48, and a smart media (Smart Media (registered trademark)) is used as the memory card 52.

  The digital signal processing unit 30, the LCD interface 36, the touch panel interface 62, the CPU 40, the memory interface 46, the external memory interface 50, and the compression / decompression processing circuit 54 are connected to each other via a system bus BUS. Therefore, the CPU 40 controls the operation of the digital signal processing unit 30 and the compression / decompression processing circuit 54, displays various information via the LCD interface 36 on the LCD 38, controls the operation of the touch panel 60 via the touch panel interface 62, and the touch panel 60. Acquisition of contact coordinate information from the memory and access to the memory 48 and the memory card 52 via the memory interface 46 or the external memory interface 50, respectively.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 includes a timing generator 32 that mainly generates a timing signal for driving the CCD 24 and supplies the timing signal to the CCD 24, and the driving of the CCD 24 is controlled by the CPU 40 via the timing generator 32.

  Further, the digital camera 10 is provided with a motor drive unit 34, and driving of a focus adjustment motor, a zoom motor, and an aperture drive motor (not shown) provided in the optical unit 22 is also controlled by the CPU 40 via the motor drive unit 34. The

  In other words, the lens 21 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of lenses, is configured as a zoom lens that can change (magnify) the focal length, and includes a lens driving mechanism (not shown). The lens drive mechanism includes the focus adjustment motor, the zoom motor, and the aperture drive motor, and these motors are each driven by a drive signal supplied from the motor drive unit 34 under the control of the CPU 40.

  Further, various switches such as the power switch 56B, the mode switch 56C, the cross cursor switch 56D, and the menu switch (generally referred to as “operation unit 56” in the figure) are connected to the CPU 40. The operation state of the operation unit 56 can be always grasped.

  In addition, the digital camera 10 includes a charging unit 42 that is interposed between the strobe 44 and the CPU 40 and charges power for causing the strobe 44 to emit light under the control of the CPU 40. Further, the strobe 44 is also connected to the CPU 40, and the light emission of the strobe 44 is controlled by the CPU 40.

  Next, an overall operation at the time of shooting of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be briefly described.

  First, the CCD 24 performs imaging through the optical unit 22 and sequentially outputs analog signals for R (red), G (green), and B (blue) indicating the subject image to the analog signal processing unit 26. The analog signal processing unit 26 performs analog signal processing such as correlated double sampling processing on the analog signal input from the CCD 24 and sequentially outputs the analog signal to the ADC 28.

  The ADC 28 converts the R, G, and B analog signals input from the analog signal processing unit 26 into 12-bit R, G, and B signals (digital image data) and sequentially outputs them to the digital signal processing unit 30. To do. The digital signal processing unit 30 accumulates digital image data sequentially input from the ADC 28 in a built-in line buffer and temporarily stores the digital image data directly in a predetermined area of the memory 48.

  The digital image data stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48 is read out by the digital signal processing unit 30 according to the control by the CPU 40, and is subjected to white gain by applying a digital gain for each of R, G, and B according to a predetermined physical quantity. In addition to performing balance adjustment, gamma processing and sharpness processing are performed to generate 8-bit digital image data.

  The digital signal processing unit 30 performs YC signal processing on the generated 8-bit digital image data to generate a luminance signal Y and chroma signals Cr and Cb (hereinafter referred to as “YC signal”), and the YC signal. Are stored in an area different from the predetermined area of the memory 48.

  The LCD 38 is configured to display a moving image (through image) obtained by continuous imaging by the CCD 24 and can be used as a finder. When the LCD 38 is used as a finder, the LCD 38 is generated. The YC signals thus output are sequentially output to the LCD 38 via the LCD interface 36. As a result, a through image is displayed on the LCD 38.

  On the other hand, as described above, in the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, the release operation area on the surface of the touch panel 60 is also used as a release switch that is pressed when performing shooting. When it is determined that the state is the S1 state according to the contact area of the fingertip, after the exposure state is set by operating the AE function, the focus function is controlled by the AF function, and then the S2 state continues. At the determined timing, the YC signal stored in the memory 48 at that time is compressed in a predetermined compression format (in this embodiment, JPEG format) by the compression / decompression processing circuit 54, and then the external memory interface 50 is connected. To the memory card 52 as an electronic file (image file).

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, processing related to the release operation at the time of shooting by the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of a release related processing program executed by the CPU 40 of the digital camera 10 for the processing, and the program is stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48 in advance.

  First, in step 100, the LCD 38 is controlled via the LCD interface 36 so as to display an image indicating the release operation area (hereinafter referred to as “release operation area mark”).

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a display state of the release operation area mark M displayed on the display screen 38A of the LCD 38 by the process of step 100 described above. As shown in the figure, in the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, a rectangular image is applied as the release operation area mark M, and is superimposed on the through image in the vicinity of the upper right corner point of the display screen 38A of the LCD 38. Displayed together. When the release operation area mark M as shown in the figure is displayed, when the user instructs execution of preparation for shooting within the display range of the release operation area mark M, the contact area is the first threshold value. The pressure applied by the fingertip so that the contact area becomes equal to or greater than the second threshold when the fingertip is touched so as to be less than the second threshold value and the execution of the photographing operation is instructed from that state. To change.

  Therefore, in the next step 102, input of contact coordinate information indicating the position within the display range of the release operation area mark M from the touch panel 60 is waited for, and in the next step 104, the contact coordinate information input from the touch panel 60 is displayed. Based on this, a contact area M indicating the contact area of the fingertip with respect to the surface of the touch panel 60 and a contact gravity center position P1 indicating the gravity center position in the contact area are derived.

  In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, the contact area M is the number of position coordinates located within the display range of the release operation area mark M included in the contact coordinate information input from the touch panel 60. This is derived by adding up (the number of dots with which the fingertip is in contact), but is not limited to this. For example, the display of the release operation area mark M included in the contact coordinate information input from the touch panel 60 It is also possible to detect the outline of the dot group indicated by the position coordinates positioned within the range and derive the area of the outline as the contact area M by calculation.

  Further, in the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, the contact gravity center position P1 is indicated by position coordinates positioned within the display range of the release operation area mark M in the contact coordinate information input from the touch panel 60. The outline of the dot group is detected, and the position of the intersection of the horizontal centerline and the vertical centerline of the outline is derived. It is also possible to adopt a form for deriving.

  In the next step 106, the contact barycenter position P1 derived in step 104 is stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48. In the next step 108, the contact area M derived in step 104 becomes equal to or greater than the first threshold value. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step 102. If an affirmative determination is made, it is considered that the transition to the S1 state has been instructed, and the process proceeds to step 110.

  In step 110, after the exposure state is set by the AE function as described above, focusing control is performed by the AF function. In the next step 112, based on the contact coordinate information input from the touch panel 60 at this time, The contact barycenter position P2 is derived by the same method as in step 104 above.

  In the next step 114, the contact gravity center position P1 stored by the processing in step 106 is read from the memory 48, and the absolute value of the difference between the contact gravity center position P1 and the contact gravity center position P2 derived in step 112 is a predetermined amount. If the result is affirmative, the position of the user's fingertip is shifted by a predetermined amount or more between the time when the transition to the S1 state is instructed and the current time, and the user cancels the S1 state ( The process returns to the above step 102 on the assumption that “cancel” is instructed. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 116.

  That is, in the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, the contact gravity center position P1 of the fingertip when instructed to shift to the S1 state as shown in FIG. 6A is shown in FIG. 6B as an example. As described above, it is possible to instruct the cancellation of the S1 state by moving to the contact gravity center position P2.

  Note that the fingertip may be separated from the touch panel 60 at the time of execution of the process of step 112. In this case, the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment sets a predetermined value as the contact gravity center position P2. By doing so, an affirmative determination is made in step 114. Accordingly, the S1 state can be canceled also when the user's fingertip is separated from the touch panel 60.

  In step 116, based on the contact coordinate information input from the touch panel 60 at this time, the contact area M is derived in the same manner as in step 104. In the next step 118, the contact area derived in step 116 is obtained. It is determined whether or not M is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step 110. If an affirmative determination is made, transition to the S2 state is instructed. Therefore, the process proceeds to step 120.

  In step 120, as described above, the YC signal stored in the memory 48 at this time is compressed by the compression / expansion processing circuit 54 and then recorded as an electronic file on the memory card 52, thereby performing a photographing operation. Thereafter, the process returns to step 102.

  As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, when the display unit (here, the LCD 38) displays at least an image obtained by photographing and the display screen is touched by a fingertip, the contact is performed. A touch panel (here, touch panel 60) for detecting the position coordinates of the region that is being used, and a contact area is derived based on the position coordinates detected by the touch panel, and the derived contact area is a predetermined first While it is greater than or equal to the threshold and less than a predetermined second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, it is determined that the camera is in the first instruction state (here, the S1 state) instructed to prepare for photographing. When the contact area is equal to or larger than the second threshold, it is determined that the second instruction state (herein, the S2 state) in which photographing is instructed, and the first finger When it is determined that the camera is in the state, the preparation for shooting is performed, while when the camera is determined to be in the second instruction state, the shooting operation is performed. An inexpensive touch panel that can only be detected can be used. As a result, a low-priced and no release switch can be used.

  In the present embodiment, since the contact area is derived only for a predetermined partial area (here, the release operation area) of the display screen, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of the release operation. it can.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, since the display means is controlled to display an image showing the partial area of the display screen (here, the release operation area mark M), an erroneous operation of the release operation is prevented. can do.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the first instruction state, when the center of gravity of the position coordinates detected by the touch panel is shifted by a predetermined amount or more, the cancellation of the first instruction state is instructed. Therefore, convenience can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the transition to the S1 state and the transition to the S2 state are performed according to the size of the contact area of the fingertip by the user has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it can also be set as the form which transfers to each state of S1 and S2 according to the crushing state of the fingerprint shape of a fingertip at the time of the touch to the touch panel 60. That is, when the fingerprint shape at the time of instructing the transition to the S1 state is as shown in FIG. 7A, when the instruction to transition to the S2 state is instructed, the pressing by the fingertip is compared with the time of instructing the transition to the S1 state. Since the pressure increases, as shown in FIG. 7B as an example, the fingerprint shape is crushed (expanded) as a whole although it is slightly. Therefore, it is possible to detect the timing of transition to each of the S1 and S2 states according to the degree of collapse of the fingerprint shape.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, an example in which the shutter speed is adjusted according to the changing speed of the contact area M will be described. The configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the second embodiment is the same as that according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8, a process related to a release operation at the time of shooting by the digital camera 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. Steps that perform the same processing as in FIG. 4 in FIG. 8 are assigned the same step numbers as in FIG.

  In step 109, timing by a timer (not shown) built in the CPU 40 is started.

  In step 119A, it is determined whether or not the time measured by the timer started in step 109 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 119B and is set at this time. The shutter speed is increased by a predetermined speed (here, a speed corresponding to 30% of the set shutter speed), and then the process proceeds to step 120. If the determination is negative, the process of step 119B is performed. The process proceeds to step 120 without executing.

  That is, in the digital camera 10 according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A as an example, when the speed of transition from the S1 state to the S2 state is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed. In this case, it is assumed that the moving speed of the subject is fast, and the shutter speed is made faster than the normal set value, thereby preventing occurrence of blurring of the captured image. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9B as an example, if the speed of transition from the S1 state to the S2 state is slower than the above-described predetermined speed, the blur of the captured image can be achieved even at a normal shutter speed. It is assumed that the image does not occur and shooting is performed at the normal shutter speed.

  As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, the contact area change rate is derived, and the derived change rate is equal to or higher than a predetermined rate. In this case, since the shutter speed is set to be higher than usual, even when the moving speed of the subject is high, it is possible to prevent occurrence of blurring of the captured image.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the amount of increase in the shutter speed when the speed of transition from the S1 state to the S2 state is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed has been described as a fixed value. For example, the amount of increase in the shutter speed can be increased as the speed of transition from the S1 state to the S2 state increases. In this case, since a more appropriate shutter speed can be set, the image quality of the captured image can be further improved.

[Third Embodiment]
In the third embodiment, when it is determined that the transition to the S2 state has been instructed when the period during which the contact area is equal to or greater than the second threshold is equal to or greater than the predetermined first period, An example in which the first period is set to be longer by a predetermined period when the determined period is equal to or longer than the predetermined second period will be described. Since the configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the third embodiment is the same as that according to the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted here.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 10, processing related to the release operation at the time of shooting by the digital camera 10 according to the third embodiment will be described. Steps that perform the same processing as in FIG. 4 in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same step numbers as in FIG.

  In step 109, timing by a timer (not shown) built in the CPU 40 is started, and in the next step 109A, whether or not the time counted by the timer started by the processing of step 109 is equal to or longer than a predetermined second period. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 109B. After a predetermined long period (here, 0.3 seconds) is set as the first period, the process proceeds to step 110. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 109A, the process proceeds to step 109C, and at least a short period (here, 0.1 seconds) predetermined as a period shorter than the long period is set as the first period. After setting, the process proceeds to step 110.

  If a negative determination is made in step 118, the process returns to step 109A. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step 119C.

  In step 119C, the time counting by the timer (not shown) is started again, and in the next step 119D, the time measured by the timer started by the processing in step 119C is equal to or longer than the first period set in step 109B or 109C. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 120. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 119E.

  In step 119E, based on the contact coordinate information input from the touch panel 60 at this time, the contact area M is derived by the same method as in step 104. In the next step 119F, the contact area derived in step 119E. It is determined whether M is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. If the determination is affirmative, the process returns to step 119D. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 102.

  That is, in the digital camera 10 according to the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11 as an example, when the period of being in the S1 state is equal to or longer than the second period, the user's fatigue is caused. As a result, the contact area of the fingertip is considered to be in an unstable state, and the maintenance period of the state of the contact area that is determined to be instructed to shift to the S2 state is set to be longer than in other cases. Thus, erroneous transition to the S2 state due to user fatigue is prevented.

  As described above in detail, the present embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment, and the period during which the contact area is equal to or greater than the second threshold is a predetermined first period. When it is above, it is determined that the state is the second instruction state, while the period during which it is determined that the state is the first instruction state (S1 state) is equal to or longer than a predetermined second period. In addition, since the first period is set to be longer by a predetermined period, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of the release operation due to user fatigue.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the set value of the first period when the period of the S1 state is equal to or longer than the second period is a fixed value has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, for example, the set value of the first period can be increased as the period of the S1 state is equal to or longer than the second period and becomes longer. In this case, since the first period can be set more appropriately, erroneous detection due to user fatigue can be prevented more appropriately.

[Fourth Embodiment]
In the fourth embodiment, an example in which the first threshold value and the second threshold value are adjusted based on the detection result of the vibration direction and vibration amount of the apparatus main body will be described.

  First, with reference to FIG. 12, the configuration of the main part of the electrical system of the digital camera 10 'according to the fourth embodiment will be described. The same constituent elements as those in FIG. 3 in FIG. 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the digital camera 10 ′ according to the fourth embodiment is a gyro sensor 58 that is electrically connected to the CPU 40 as compared with the digital camera 10 according to the first embodiment. However, the CPU 40 of the digital camera 10 ′ according to the present embodiment grasps the vibration direction and vibration amount of the apparatus body according to the signal input from the gyro sensor 58. can do.

  Note that the release-related processing program (see FIG. 4) similar to that of the digital camera 10 according to the first embodiment is also executed in the digital camera 10 'according to the present embodiment.

  By the way, in the digital camera 10 ′ according to the present embodiment, the first threshold value and the second threshold value used in the release related processing program are adjusted based on the vibration direction and vibration amount of the apparatus main body detected by the gyro sensor 58. A threshold adjustment function is installed.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 13, the operation of the digital camera 10 'according to the present embodiment when executing the threshold adjustment function will be described. FIG. 13 shows the flow of the threshold adjustment processing program (interrupt program) executed by the CPU 40 of the digital camera 10 ′ when the vibration amount of the apparatus main body detected by the gyro sensor 58 exceeds a predetermined amount. The program is also stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48 in advance.

  In step 200 in the figure, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are adjusted as follows based on the vibration direction and vibration amount of the apparatus body input from the gyro sensor 58.

  That is, when the vibration direction includes a component in the direction of pressing the touch panel 60, each value of the first threshold value and the second threshold value is reduced by a value corresponding to the vibration amount. On the other hand, when the vibration direction includes a component in the direction opposite to the direction in which the touch panel 60 is pressed, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are increased by a value corresponding to the vibration amount.

  Note that when the adjustment of the first threshold value and the second threshold value is completed, the present threshold value adjustment processing program ends.

  As described above in detail, the present embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment, and also can detect the vibration direction and vibration amount of the apparatus main body (here, a gyroscope). Since the first threshold value and the second threshold value are adjusted on the basis of the vibration direction and the vibration amount detected by the detection means, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are set in the device. The value can be adjusted to an appropriate value according to the vibration state of the main body, and as a result, erroneous detection of the release operation can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the gyro sensor 58 is applied as the detection means of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, an acceleration sensor may be applied. it can. Also in this case, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

[Fifth Embodiment]
In the fifth embodiment, the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to a plurality of predetermined contact persons (users) are stored in advance in association with contact person information indicating corresponding contact persons. The contact person is specified based on the fingerprint of the fingertip touching the display screen of the LCD 38 indicated by the position coordinates detected by the touch panel 60, and the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to the specified contact person are specified. An example of a case in which the threshold value is applied will be described. The configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the fifth embodiment is the same as that according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here.

  In the digital camera 10 according to the fifth embodiment, as described above, the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to a plurality of predetermined users are associated with the information indicating the corresponding user and stored in the memory. 48 predetermined areas are stored in advance as a threshold database.

  FIG. 14 schematically shows an example of the data structure of the threshold value database DB. As shown in the figure, in the threshold database DB according to the present embodiment, the fingerprint feature information indicating the characteristics of the fingerprint of the corresponding user, and the first threshold and the second threshold suitable for the corresponding user are the user. Each is stored and configured. In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, information indicating the two-dimensional shape of the fingerprint of a finger (here, the thumb of the right hand) predetermined as a finger performing the release operation is applied as the fingerprint feature information. ing.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 15, processing related to the release operation at the time of shooting by the digital camera 10 according to the fifth embodiment will be described. Steps that perform the same processing as in FIG. 4 in FIG. 15 are assigned the same step numbers as in FIG.

  If the determination in step 102 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 103 to execute a threshold setting process routine program. Hereinafter, the threshold value setting process routine program will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step 300 in the figure, based on the contact coordinate information input from the touch panel 60 at this time, fingerprint feature information of the same format as the fingerprint feature information stored in the threshold database DB corresponding to the user's fingerprint is obtained. To derive.

  In the next step 302, the fingerprint feature information derived in step 300 is searched from the threshold database DB. In the next step 304, there is fingerprint feature information that can be regarded as the same person as the user in the threshold database DB. If it is determined whether or not to make an affirmative determination, the process proceeds to step 306.

  In step 306, the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to the fingerprint feature information that can be regarded as the same person in step 304 are read from the memory 48, and in the next step 308, the read first threshold value and After setting the second threshold value to be a threshold value used in the subsequent processing, this threshold value setting processing routine program is terminated.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 304, the process proceeds to step 310, where predetermined default values are set as the first threshold value and the second threshold value used in the subsequent processing, and then this threshold value setting process is performed. End the routine program. When this threshold value setting process routine program ends, the process proceeds to step 104 of the release related process program (see FIG. 15).

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 108 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 109D, and after finely adjusting the first threshold set to be applied in the threshold setting processing routine program, the first threshold after fine adjustment The first threshold value of the corresponding user in the threshold value database DB is updated, and then the process proceeds to step 110.

  In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, as the fine adjustment of the first threshold value, the first threshold value and the second threshold value that are set so that the contact area M derived by the process of the immediately preceding step 104 is applied. This is done by deriving the first threshold value so as to be the center value of the threshold value.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 118 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 119D, and after finely adjusting the second threshold value set to be applied in the threshold value setting processing routine program, the second threshold value after fine adjustment The second threshold value of the corresponding user in the threshold value database DB is updated, and then the process proceeds to step 120.

  In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, as the fine adjustment of the second threshold value, the contact area M derived by the process of the immediately preceding step 116 is a predetermined value from the second threshold value set to be applied. In this case, the second threshold value is derived so as to be larger by (a value half the difference between the first threshold value and the second threshold value set to be applied).

  As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to a plurality of predetermined contact persons (users) are set as contact information (here). Then, it is stored in advance by the storage means (here, the memory 48) in association with the fingerprint feature information), and the fingerprint of the fingertip touching the display screen indicated by the position coordinates detected by the touch panel is used. Since the contact person is specified based on the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to the specified contact person, a suitable threshold value corresponding to the actual user can be applied. As a result, erroneous detection of the release operation can be prevented.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to the specified contact person are optimized according to the contact area derived according to the contact by the contact person. The first threshold value and the second threshold value can be sequentially updated to appropriate values, and as a result, subsequent erroneous detection of the release operation can be prevented.

  The configurations of the digital cameras 10 and 10 'according to the above-described embodiments (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 12) are examples, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Needless to say.

  In addition, the flow of processing of the various processing programs described in the above embodiments (see FIGS. 4, 8, 10, 13, 15, and 16) is an example, and does not depart from the gist of the present invention. It goes without saying that the processing order of each step can be changed, unnecessary steps can be deleted, new steps can be added, and the like within the scope.

  Further, the display state (see FIG. 5) of the release operation area mark M shown in each of the above embodiments is also an example, and it is needless to say that it can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  Further, although cases have been described with the above embodiments where the present invention is applied to a digital camera, the present invention is arranged on a display means such as a PDA, a mobile phone, a personal computer, and the display surface of the display means. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to any photographing apparatus having a touch panel.

It is an external view which shows the external appearance of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic side view with which it uses for description of the relationship between the contact area which concerns on embodiment, and a 1st threshold value and a 2nd threshold value. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the electric system of the digital camera which concerns on the 1st-3rd, 5th embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the release related processing program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the example of a display state of the release operation area | region mark M which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic side view with which it uses for description of the change of the contact gravity center position which concerns on embodiment. It is the schematic where it uses for description of the example in the case of changing to each state of S1 and S2 according to the crushing state of the fingerprint shape of a fingertip at the time of the touch to a touch panel. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the release related processing program which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a graph with which it uses for description of the process of the release related processing program which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the release related processing program which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a graph with which it uses for description of the process of the release related processing program which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the electric system of the digital camera which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the threshold value adjustment process program which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the data structure of the threshold value database which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the release related processing program which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the threshold value setting process routine program which concerns on 5th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10 'digital camera 24 CCD
38 LCD (display means)
40 CPU (Area derivation means, determination means, execution means, display control means, speed derivation means, shutter speed adjustment means, period adjustment means, threshold adjustment means, identification means, optimization means)
48 memory (memory means)
58 Gyro sensor (detection means)
60 Touch panel

Claims (9)

Display means for displaying at least an image obtained by photographing on a display screen;
When the display screen is touched by a fingertip, a touch panel that detects position coordinates of the touched area;
Area deriving means for deriving a contact area based on the position coordinates detected by the touch panel;
When the contact area derived by the area deriving means is greater than or equal to a predetermined first threshold and less than a predetermined second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, the first image preparation is instructed. Determining means for determining that the current state is an instruction state, and determining that the second instruction state is an instruction for photographing when the contact area is equal to or greater than the second threshold;
Execution means for performing shooting preparation when the determination means determines that the first instruction state is set; and executing means for performing a shooting operation when the determination means determines that the second instruction state is set;
An imaging device with The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the area deriving unit derives the contact area only for a predetermined partial region of the display screen. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising display control means for controlling the display means so as to display an image showing the partial area of the display screen. The determination means determines that the release of the first instruction state is instructed when the center of gravity of the position coordinates detected by the touch panel is shifted by a predetermined amount or more in the first instruction state. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Speed deriving means for deriving the change speed of the contact area;
Shutter speed adjusting means for setting the shutter speed to be higher than normal when the change speed derived by the speed deriving means is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed;
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: The determination means determines that the second instruction state is in a case where a period during which the contact area is equal to or greater than the second threshold is equal to or greater than a predetermined first period;
Period adjustment means for setting the first period to be longer by a predetermined period when the period determined by the determination means to be in the first instruction state exceeds a predetermined second period. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Detecting means for detecting the vibration direction and vibration amount of the apparatus body;
Threshold adjusting means for adjusting the first threshold and the second threshold based on the vibration direction and the vibration amount detected by the detecting means;
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: Storage means for storing the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to a plurality of predetermined contacts in advance in association with contact information indicating the corresponding contact person;
A specifying means for specifying a contact person based on a fingerprint of a fingertip touching the display screen, which is indicated by the position coordinates detected by the touch panel;
Further comprising
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination using the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to the contact person specified by the specifying unit. Appropriateness to optimize the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to the contact person specified by the specifying means according to the contact area derived by the area deriving means according to the contact by the contact person The photographing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

Images