JP2007173985A - Imaging apparatus, imaging method, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the time required for photographing without degrading a red-eye reduction effect, relating to a camera-shake correcting technology which synthesizes after photographing and alignment of a plurality of images. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging method acquires an image of a target exposure by composition using a set of a plurality of shots of images continuously photographed with the exposure time shorter than that for obtaining a target exposure. It includes a lighting process for turning on an illumination lamp for emitting light toward a subject for making pupils of a subject to be a small aperture during an image processing time at photographing an image, except for a last shot among a plurality of shots; and a light emitting process for turning on a flashing unit for emitting light toward a subject for illumination during photographing of the image of last shot among a plurality of shots of images. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for reducing red eyes while correcting camera shake in an imaging apparatus.

  As a camera shake correction technology suitable for electronic still cameras, multiple images are shot continuously at a shutter speed that does not cause camera shake, and the images are combined while being aligned with each other in the post-shooting process. Therefore, a technique for obtaining an image free from camera shake has been proposed.

  Patent Document 1 filed by the applicant of the present application discloses a technique for synthesizing a plurality of sequentially captured images after performing coordinate conversion corresponding to positional shifts over time.

  Further, according to Patent Document 2, a technique is disclosed in which a plurality of images are similarly photographed, and an image without blurring is obtained by combining the images while correcting the shift.

Also, Patent Documents 3 and 4 disclose a technique for irradiating a subject with light prior to photographing at the time of flash photographing and reducing the pupil of a human eye as a subject by light irradiation to reduce the occurrence of red eyes. Yes. In general, this red-eye reduction is performed by irradiating light with a lamp or a light emitting diode, or by pre-emission of a small amount of light with a flash device. In a lamp or a light emitting diode having a relatively low luminance, the light irradiation time to the pupil required to reduce the pupil is about 1 second. On the other hand, in red-eye relaxation using a flash device with a high light source luminance, a strong light impact with high luminance is given by pre-emission, and therefore the required flash time is about several tens of microseconds. However, since it is a biological reaction to this light impact that closes the pupil, it takes a little less than 1 second before the pupil becomes smaller in diameter.
Japanese Patent No. 3110797 JP-A-9-261526 Japanese Patent Publication No.58-48088 JP 58-9130 A

  When such a red-eye mitigation technique is applied to a technique for obtaining a blur-free image by photographing a plurality of images and combining them while correcting the amount of camera shake, there are the following problems.

  First, when red-eye reduction is performed with a lamp or a light emitting diode during flash photography, the red-eye lamp is irradiated on the first frame of a plurality of images, and the first frame is taken after a predetermined time when the pupil closes. It takes time to shoot. In addition, since a plurality of images are captured after waiting for the pupil to close, a processing time for a plurality of images is required for image processing and the like, resulting in an inconvenience that the imaging time lag increases.

  In red-eye reduction using a flash device, the same problem arises because imaging is performed after a predetermined time from the pre-emission irradiation until the pupil closes.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to capture a plurality of images without losing the red-eye mitigation effect in a camera shake correction technique in which the images are combined and aligned. It is to be able to shorten the time taken for.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention is based on a set of images of a plurality of frames taken continuously with an exposure time shorter than an exposure time for obtaining a target exposure. An imaging device for obtaining an image of the target exposure by combining, lighting instruction means for turning on an illumination lamp for irradiating light toward the subject in order to reduce the pupil diameter of the subject, and illuminating the subject In order to do so, a light emission instructing means for emitting light from a flash device that emits light toward a subject, and causing the flash device to emit light when taking an image of the last frame of the images of the plurality of frames, Control means for controlling the light emission instructing means and the lighting instructing means so that the illumination lamp is turned on during an image processing time when an image other than the last frame is taken. .

  In addition, the imaging apparatus according to the present invention obtains an image of the target exposure by compositing from a set of a plurality of frames taken continuously with an exposure time shorter than the exposure time for obtaining the target exposure. A light emission instructing unit that emits a flash device that emits light toward the subject to illuminate the subject, and before photographing the first image of the plurality of images, In order to make the subject's pupil small in diameter, the flash device performs first light emission, and after the time required for the subject's pupil to become small in diameter has elapsed since the first light emission, Control means for controlling the light emission instructing means to cause the flash device to perform second light emission for illuminating the subject and to take an image of the last frame of the plurality of images. To be characterized by That.

  In addition, the imaging method according to the present invention obtains an image of the target exposure by combining from a set of images of a plurality of frames continuously shot with an exposure time shorter than the exposure time for obtaining the target exposure. An illumination lamp that irradiates light toward the subject in order to reduce the diameter of the pupil of the subject during an image processing time when taking an image other than the last of the plurality of frames. A lighting step, and a light emitting step of emitting a flash device that emits light toward the subject to illuminate the subject at the time of photographing the final frame image of the plurality of frames. To do.

  In addition, the imaging method according to the present invention obtains an image of the target exposure by combining from a set of images of a plurality of frames continuously shot with an exposure time shorter than the exposure time for obtaining the target exposure. In order to reduce the diameter of the pupil of the subject before taking the first frame image of the plurality of frames, the first light emission to the flash device that irradiates the subject with light And a second light emission for illuminating the flash device after the time required for the pupil of the subject to have a small diameter has elapsed since the first light emission. And a second light emitting step of photographing the last frame image of the plurality of frame images.

  A program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute the above imaging method.

  A storage medium according to the present invention stores the above program.

  According to the present invention, in the camera shake correction technique in which a plurality of images are shot and combined after alignment, it is possible to reduce the time required for shooting without impairing the red-eye reduction effect.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes an imaging device. Reference numeral 10 denotes a photographing lens, 12 denotes a shutter having a diaphragm function, 14 denotes an image sensor that converts an optical image into an electrical signal, and 16 denotes an A / D converter that converts an analog output signal of the image sensor 14 into a digital signal.

  A timing generation circuit 18 supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, and the D / A converter 26, and is controlled by the memory control circuit 22 and the system control circuit 50.

  An image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 16 or the data from the memory control circuit 22. Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs a predetermined calculation process using the captured image data. Then, based on the calculation result, the system control circuit 50 controls the exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42, TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE ( Automatic exposure) processing and EF (flash pre-emission) processing are performed. Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic result.

  The memory control circuit 22 controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation circuit 18, the image processing circuit 20, the image display memory 24, the D / A converter 26, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression circuit 32.

  The output data of the A / D converter 16 is sent to the image display memory 24 or the memory 30 via the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22 or the output data of the A / D converter 16 is sent directly to the memory control circuit 22. Is written to.

  Reference numeral 28 denotes an image display unit composed of a TFT LCD or the like. Display image data written in the image display memory 24 is displayed by the image display unit 28 via the D / A converter 26. If the image data captured using the image display unit 28 is sequentially displayed, the electronic viewfinder function can be realized. Further, the image display unit 28 can arbitrarily turn on / off the display according to an instruction from the system control circuit 50. When the display is turned off, the power consumption of the imaging apparatus 100 can be significantly reduced. I can do it.

  The memory 30 is for storing captured still images and moving images, and has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images and a predetermined time of moving images. This makes it possible to write a large amount of images to the memory 30 at high speed even in continuous shooting or panoramic shooting in which a plurality of still images are continuously shot. The memory 30 can also be used as a work area for the system control circuit 50.

  Reference numeral 32 denotes a compression / decompression circuit that compresses and decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like, reads an image stored in the memory 30, performs compression processing or decompression processing, and stores the processed data in the memory 30. Write to.

  Reference numeral 40 denotes an exposure control unit that controls the shutter 12 having an aperture function, and has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48.

  Reference numeral 42 denotes a distance measurement control unit that controls focusing of the photographing lens 10, reference numeral 44 denotes a zoom control unit that controls zooming of the photographing lens 10, and reference numeral 46 denotes a barrier control unit that controls the operation of the protective device 102 serving as a barrier.

  Reference numeral 47 denotes a red-eye mitigation device for reducing the occurrence of red-eye by irradiating the subject with light for a predetermined time prior to flash photography to narrow the pupil of the subject. Reference numeral 48 denotes a flash which is an auxiliary light flashing device at low luminance, and also has an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash dimming function.

  The exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 are controlled using the TTL method. Based on the calculation result obtained by calculating the captured image data by the image processing circuit 20, the system control circuit 50 performs the exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement. The control unit 42 is controlled.

  Reference numeral 50 denotes a system control circuit that controls the entire imaging apparatus 100, and 52 denotes a memory that stores constants, variables, programs, and the like for operation of the system control circuit 50.

  Reference numeral 54 denotes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display device or a speaker that displays an operation state, a message, and the like using characters, images, sounds, and the like in accordance with execution of a program in the system control circuit 50. These display units are installed in a single or a plurality of positions near the operation unit of the imaging apparatus 100 so as to be easily visible, and are configured by, for example, a combination of an LCD, an LED, a sound generation element, and the like.

  In addition, the display unit 54 is partially installed in the optical viewfinder 104.

  Among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed on the LCD or the like includes single shot / continuous shooting display, self-timer display, compression rate display, number of recorded pixels, number of recorded pixels, number of remaining images that can be captured, shutter There are speed display, aperture value display, exposure compensation display, and so on. In addition, flash display, red-eye reduction display, macro shooting display, buzzer setting display, clock battery remaining amount display, battery remaining amount display, error display, information display with multiple digits, display / removal state display of recording media 150 and 160, There are also communication I / F operation display, date / time display, and image stabilization function display.

  Further, among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed in the optical viewfinder 104 includes in-focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, exposure correction display, and the like.

  Reference numeral 56 denotes an electrically erasable / recordable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM.

  Reference numerals 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, and 70 denote operation units for inputting various operation instructions of the system control circuit 50. A single unit such as a switch, a dial, a touch panel, pointing by eye-gaze detection, a voice recognition device, or the like Consists of multiple combinations.

  Here, a specific description of these operation units will be given.

  Reference numeral 60 denotes a mode dial switch, which can switch and set various function modes such as power-off, automatic shooting mode, shooting mode, panoramic shooting mode, playback mode, multi-screen playback / erase mode, and PC connection mode.

  Reference numeral 62 denotes a shutter switch SW1, which is turned ON during the operation of a shutter button (not shown), and performs AF (auto focus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and the like. Instruct to start operation.

  Reference numeral 64 denotes a shutter switch SW2, which is turned on when an operation of a shutter button (not shown) is completed, and starts an exposure process for writing a signal read from the image sensor 14 to the memory 30 via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22. Instruct. Further, a series of recording processes such as a development process using computations in the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22, a recording process in which image data is read from the memory 30, compressed by the compression / decompression circuit 32, and written to the recording medium 150 or 160. It also instructs the start of processing operations.

  Reference numeral 66 denotes an image display ON / OFF switch that can set ON / OFF of the image display unit 28. With this function, when photographing is performed using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to save power by cutting off the current supply to the image display unit 28 including a TFT LCD or the like.

  Reference numeral 68 denotes an anti-vibration function ON / OFF switch which can set the operation / non-operation of the anti-vibration function. In this embodiment, normal shooting is performed when the image stabilization function is not activated, and when the image stabilization function is activated, the shutter speed is increased with respect to the exposure during normal shooting to perform a predetermined number of continuous shooting. It becomes. Details of the anti-vibration function will be described later. Further, the process of creating a corrected image by combining a plurality of shot images is performed on the image processing apparatus side described later.

  An operation unit 70 includes various buttons and a touch panel, and includes a menu button, a set button, a macro button, a multi-screen playback page break button, a flash setting button, a single shooting / continuous shooting / self-timer switching button, and the like. Menu move + (plus) button, menu move-(minus) button, playback image move + (plus) button, playback image move-(minus) button, shooting image quality selection button, exposure compensation button, date / time setting button Etc.

  A power control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches a block to be energized, and the like. Then, the presence / absence of a battery, the type of battery, the remaining battery level are detected, the DC-DC converter is controlled based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control circuit 50, and the necessary voltage is recorded for a necessary period. To each part including

  82 is a connector, 84 is a connector, 86 is a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, NiMH battery or Li ion battery, an AC adapter, or the like.

  Reference numerals 90 and 94 denote interfaces with recording media such as a memory card and a hard disk, and reference numerals 92 and 96 denote connectors for connecting to recording media such as a memory card and a hard disk. Reference numeral 98 denotes a recording medium attachment / detachment detection unit that detects whether or not the recording medium 150 or 160 is attached to the connectors 92 and / or 96.

  Although the present embodiment has been described as having two systems of interfaces and connectors for attaching a recording medium, of course, a single interface or connector for attaching a recording medium may be used, or any number of two or more systems may be used. good. Moreover, it is good also as a structure provided with combining the interface and connector of a different standard.

  The interface and the connector may be configured using a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, or other devices that comply with various storage medium standards.

  Further, when the interfaces 90 and 94 and the connectors 92 and 96 are configured using a standard conforming to a PCMCIA card, a CF (compact flash (registered trademark)) card, or the like, the following becomes possible. That is, various communication cards such as a LAN card, a modem card, a USB card, an IEEE 1394 card, a P1284 card, a SCSI card, and a communication card such as a PHS can be connected. Thereby, image data and management information attached to the image data can be transferred to and from other computers and peripheral devices such as a printer.

  Reference numeral 102 denotes a protective device that is a barrier that prevents the imaging unit from being soiled or damaged by covering the imaging unit including the lens 10 of the imaging device 100.

  Reference numeral 104 denotes an optical viewfinder, which can take an image using only the optical viewfinder without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28. In the optical viewfinder 104, some functions of the display unit 54, for example, a focus display, a camera shake warning display, a flash charge display, a shutter speed display, an aperture value display, an exposure correction display, and the like are installed.

  A communication unit 110 has various communication functions such as RS232C, USB, IEEE1394, P1284, SCSI, modem, LAN, and wireless communication.

  Reference numeral 112 denotes a connector for connecting the imaging apparatus 100 to another device by the communication unit 110 or an antenna in the case of wireless communication.

  Reference numeral 150 denotes a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk.

  The recording medium 150 includes a recording unit 152 composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like, an interface 154 with the imaging device 100, and a connector 156 for connecting to the imaging device 100.

  Reference numeral 160 denotes a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk.

  The recording medium 160 includes a recording unit 162 composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like, an interface 164 with the imaging device 100, and a connector 166 that connects to the imaging device 100.

  Next, the operation of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  2 and 3 are flowcharts of a main routine of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. The operation of the imaging apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Upon power-on such as battery replacement, the system control circuit 50 initializes flags, control variables, and the like (step S101), and initializes the image display of the image display unit 28 to an OFF state (step S102).

  The system control circuit 50 determines the set position of the mode dial 60, and if the mode dial 60 is set to power OFF (step S103), the display of each display unit is changed to the end state, and the protection device 102 Close the barrier to protect the imaging unit. In addition, necessary parameters, setting values, and setting modes including flags, control variables, and the like are recorded in the nonvolatile memory 56, and an unnecessary power source of each part of the imaging apparatus 100 including the image display unit 28 is shut off by the power control unit 80. The predetermined end process is performed (step S105). Thereafter, the process returns to step S103.

  If the mode dial 60 is set to the photographing mode (step S103), the process proceeds to step S106.

  If the mode dial 60 has been set to another mode (step S103), the system control circuit 50 executes processing corresponding to the selected mode (step S104), and returns to step S103 when the processing is completed. .

  The system control circuit 50 determines whether there is a problem with the operation of the imaging apparatus 100 in terms of the remaining capacity and operation status of the power supply 86 configured by a battery or the like by the power supply control unit 80 (step S106). If there is a problem, the display unit 54 is used to display a predetermined warning by image or sound (step S108), and then the process returns to step S103.

  If there is no problem with the power supply 86 (step S106), the system control circuit 50 determines whether the operation state of the recording medium 150 or 160 has a problem with the operation of the imaging apparatus 100, particularly with respect to the recording / reproducing operation of image data on the recording medium. Is determined (step S107). If there is a problem, the display unit 54 is used to display a predetermined warning by image or sound (step S108), and then the process returns to step S103.

  If there is no problem in the operation state of the recording medium 150 or 160 (step S107), the display unit 54 is used to display various setting states of the image pickup apparatus 100 using images and sounds (step S109). Note that if the image display of the image display unit 28 is ON, the image display unit 28 is also used to display various setting states of the imaging apparatus 100 using images and sounds.

  The system control circuit 50 checks the setting state of the image stabilization function ON / OFF switch 68 (step S110). Then, if the image stabilization function is set to ON, the image stabilization function flag is set (step S111). If the image stabilization function is set to OFF, the image stabilization function flag is canceled (step S112).

  The state of the image stabilization function flag is stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52.

  Subsequently, the system control circuit 50 checks the setting state of the image display ON / OFF switch 66 (step S113). If the image display is set to ON, the image display flag is set (step S114), and the image display of the image display unit 28 is set to the ON state (step S115). Furthermore, it sets to the through display state which displays the imaged image data sequentially (step S116), and proceeds to step S119.

  In the through display state, the data sequentially written in the image display memory 24 via the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, the image processing circuit 20, and the memory control circuit 22 are transferred to the memory control circuit 22 and the D / A. The images are sequentially displayed by the image display unit 28 via the converter 26. This realizes an electronic viewfinder function.

  If the image display ON / OFF switch 66 is set to image display OFF (step S113), the image display flag is canceled (step S117), and the image display of the image display unit 28 is set to the OFF state (step S113). S118). Then, the process proceeds to step S119 shown in FIG.

  When the image display is OFF, shooting is performed using the optical viewfinder 104 without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28. In this case, it is possible to reduce power consumption of the image display unit 28, the D / A converter 26, and the like that consume a large amount of power.

  The state of the image display flag is stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52.

  Next, if the shutter switch SW1 is not pressed (step S119), the process returns to step S103.

  If the shutter switch SW1 is pressed (step S119), the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S120). If the image display flag has been set, the display state of the image display unit 28 is set to the freeze display state (step S121), and the process proceeds to step S122.

  In the freeze display state, rewriting of image data in the image display memory 24 via the image sensor 14, A / D converter 16, image processing circuit 20, and memory control circuit 22 is prohibited. The image data written last is displayed by the image display unit 28 via the memory control circuit 22 and the D / A converter 26, whereby the frozen video is displayed on the electronic viewfinder.

  If the image display flag has been canceled (step S120), the process proceeds to step S122.

  The system control circuit 50 performs a distance measurement process to focus the photographing lens 10 on the subject, performs a photometry process, and determines an aperture value and a shutter speed (step S122). In the photometric process, the flash is set if necessary.

  Details of the distance measurement / photometry processing step S122 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  After completing the distance measurement / photometry processing step S122, the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S123). If the image display flag is set, the display state of the image display unit 28 is set to the through display state (step S124), and the process proceeds to step S125. Note that the through display state in step S124 is the same operating state as the through display state in step S116.

  If the shutter switch SW2 is not pressed (step S125) and the shutter switch SW1 is also released (step S126), the process returns to step S103.

  If the shutter switch SW2 is pressed (step S125), the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S127). If the image display flag has been set, the display state of the image display unit 28 is set to a fixed color display state (step S128), and the process proceeds to step S129.

  In the fixed color display state, a fixed color image is displayed instead of the captured image data written in the image display memory 24 via the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, the image processing circuit 20, and the memory control circuit 22. To do. That is, the fixed color image data to be replaced is displayed by the image display unit 28 via the memory control circuit 22 and the D / A converter 26, thereby displaying the fixed color image on the electronic viewfinder.

  If the image display flag has been canceled (step S127), the process proceeds to step S129.

  The system control circuit 50 captures an image in the memory 30 via the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, the image processing circuit 20, the memory control circuit 22, or directly from the A / D converter via the memory control circuit 22. An exposure process for writing the image data is performed. Further, by using the memory control circuit 22 and, if necessary, the image processing circuit 20, the image data written in the memory 30 is read and development processing for performing various processes is performed (step S129). The exposure process and the development process are collectively referred to as a photographing process.

  Details of the photographing process step S129 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image display flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S130), and displays the image if the image display flag is set (step S131). ).

  If the image display flag has been canceled (step S130), the process proceeds to the next step S132 without displaying an image.

  The system control circuit 50 reads the captured image data written in the memory 30 and performs various image processing using the memory control circuit 22 and, if necessary, the image processing circuit 20. In addition, image compression processing corresponding to the mode set using the compression / decompression circuit 32 is performed. Thereafter, a recording process for writing image data to the recording medium 150 or 160 is executed (step S132).

  Details of the recording processing step S132 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  If the shutter switch SW2 has been pressed when the recording process is completed (step S133), the system control circuit 50 indicates the state of the continuous shooting flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52. Is determined (step S134). If the continuous shooting flag has been set, the process returns to step S129 to perform continuous shooting, and the next shooting is performed.

  If the continuous shooting flag is not set (step S134), the current process is repeated until the shutter switch SW2 is released (step S133).

  If the shutter switch SW1 has been pressed (step S135), the system control circuit 50 returns to step S125 to prepare for the next shooting.

  If the shutter switch SW1 has been released (step S135), the system control circuit 50 ends the series of shooting operations and returns to step S103.

  FIG. 4 is a detailed flowchart of the distance measurement / photometry process in step S122 of FIG.

  The system control circuit 50 reads the charge signal from the image sensor 14 and sequentially reads the captured image data into the image processing circuit 20 via the A / D converter 16 (step S201). Using the sequentially read image data, the image processing circuit 20 is a predetermined used for TTL (through-the-lens) AE (automatic exposure) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and AF (autofocus) processing. The operation is performed.

  In each processing here, a specific portion of the total number of photographed pixels is extracted by extracting a necessary portion according to necessity and used for calculation. This makes it possible to perform optimal calculations for different modes such as the center-weighted mode, the average mode, and the evaluation mode in the TTL AE, EF, AWB (auto white balance), and AF processes. Become.

  Using the calculation result in the image processing circuit 20, the system control circuit 50 performs AE control using the exposure control unit 40 until it is determined that the exposure (AE) is appropriate (step S202).

  During the AE control, the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image stabilization function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S203). If the image stabilization function is ON, AE control during image stabilization is performed (step S204), and if the image stabilization function is OFF, normal AE control is performed (step S205).

  When the image stabilization function is ON, a plurality of images are taken, and thereafter, as will be described later, addition synthesis is performed while correcting the positional deviation of the image by the image processing apparatus. The shutter speed at this time must be a speed at which camera shake is unlikely to occur. Such a shutter speed can be obtained as follows. Conventionally, in a camera using a 35 mm film, if the focal length of the photographing lens is fmm, it is said that camera shake is hardly affected if the shutter speed is 1 / f (sec). Generally, an image sensor having a smaller screen size than that of a 35 mm film is used for the image sensor 14 of the image capturing apparatus 100. Therefore, a focal length equivalent to a 35 mm film camera is obtained from the ratio of the size of the image sensor to the 35 mm film and the actual focal length of the photographing lens, and this is defined as f ′. If the reciprocal number (1 / f ′ (sec)) is used as the shutter speed, it is possible to take a picture at a shutter speed at which camera shake is difficult. Alternatively, a higher shutter speed may be used in consideration of magnifying and observing on a PC monitor or the like.

  From the shutter speed thus obtained, the appropriate exposure amount determined by AE control, the aperture value and sensitivity value set on the camera side, etc., the ratio between the exposure amount and the appropriate exposure amount when one image is taken can be obtained. I can do it. From this ratio, it is possible to determine how many shot images should be added in order to obtain appropriate exposure. For example, if the exposure amount per sheet is 1/4 of the appropriate exposure amount, the number of shots is 4, and an image with appropriate exposure can be obtained by adding four images.

  As for the number of shots at the time of image stabilization, if the number is small, the image stabilization effect is small and the difference from when shooting without using the image stabilization function is small. On the other hand, if the amount is too large, the amount of exposure per sheet becomes too small, which makes it difficult to perform motion vector detection processing in post-processing, and takes time. Therefore, about 4 to 8 sheets are appropriate.

  In the following description of the embodiment, the case where the number of shots at the time of image stabilization is four will be described. However, even when the number of shots is arbitrary, the same operation can be achieved by slightly modifying the contents described below. Needless to say.

  Next, using the measurement data obtained by the AE control, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not it is necessary to use the flash 48 (step S206). If flash is necessary, the flash flag is set and the flash 48 is turned off. Charge (step S207).

  If it is determined that the exposure (AE) is appropriate (step S202), the measurement data and / or setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control circuit 50.

  Using the calculation result in the image processing circuit 20 and the measurement data obtained by the AE control, the system control circuit 50 uses the image processing circuit 20 until the white balance (AWB) is determined to be appropriate (step S208). Color processing parameters are adjusted (step S209). This is AWB control.

  If it is determined that the white balance (AWB) is appropriate (step S208), the measurement data and / or setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control circuit 50.

  Using the measurement data obtained by the AE control and the AWB control, the system control circuit 50 performs the AF control using the distance measurement control unit 42 until the distance measurement (AF) is determined to be in focus (step S210). (Step S211).

  If distance measurement (AF) is determined to be in focus (step S210), the measurement data and / or setting parameters are stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52, and the distance measurement / photometry processing routine S122 is terminated. To do.

  5A and 5B are detailed flowcharts of the photographing process in step S129 of FIG.

  The system control circuit 50 determines whether or not flashing is necessary based on the flash flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S301), and if not necessary, proceeds to step S307. If flash is necessary, the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the red-eye mitigation function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S302). If the red-eye reduction mode is selected, the process proceeds to step S303, and if not the red-eye reduction mode, the process proceeds to step S307.

  In step S <b> 303, the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image stabilization function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52. If the image stabilization mode is not selected by the image stabilization function flag, the red-eye lamp is turned on for a predetermined time necessary for red-eye reduction (step S306). This predetermined time is the time until the pupil is closed by the irradiation of the red-eye lamp, and is approximately 1 to 1.5 seconds.

  Next, when the image stabilization function is selected, it is determined how many frames of image stabilization continuous shooting are performed (step S304). If it is not the last frame of image stabilization, the process proceeds to step S307. If it is the last frame, the accumulated red-eye lighting time described later is subtracted from a predetermined time required for red-eye reduction, and the red-eye lamp is lit for the remaining time. (Step S305).

  Next, the system control circuit 50 starts exposure control by the exposure control unit 40 in accordance with the photometric data stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52. Specifically, first, the shutter 12 having an aperture function is opened according to the aperture value, and exposure to the image sensor 14 is started (steps S307 and S308).

  The system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image stabilization function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S309). If the image stabilization function is selected, it is determined how many frames of image stabilization continuous shooting are to be performed (step S310), and if it is the last frame, the process proceeds to determination of using the flash (step S311). Proceed to the determination (step S313). If the anti-vibration function is not selected in step S309, the process proceeds to the flash use determination (step S311).

  In step S311, it is determined whether or not the flash 48 is necessary based on the flash flag, and if necessary, the flash is emitted (step S312).

  Next, the system control circuit 50 waits for the end of exposure of the image sensor 14 according to the photometric data (step S313), and closes the shutter 12 (step S314).

  The system control circuit 50 determines whether or not flashing is necessary based on the flash flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S315). If not necessary, the system control circuit 50 proceeds to step S321. If the flash is necessary, the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the red-eye mitigation function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S316). If the red-eye reduction mode is selected, the process proceeds to step S317, and if not the red-eye reduction mode, the process proceeds to step S321.

  In step S317, the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image stabilization function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52. If the image stabilization mode is selected by the image stabilization function flag, it is determined what frame of image stabilization continuous shooting is performed (step S318). If it is not the final frame of image stabilization continuous shooting, the process proceeds to step S319, where the red-eye reduction lamp is turned on, and the counter for counting the lighting time is started (steps S319, S320). If it is the last frame, the process proceeds to step S321.

  Next, a charge signal is read out from the image sensor 14, and the memory 30 is connected via the A / D converter 16, the image processing circuit 20, the memory control circuit 22, or directly from the A / D converter 16 via the memory control circuit 22. The photographed image data is written and stored in (Step S321).

  If it is necessary to perform frame processing according to the set shooting mode (step S322), the system control circuit 50 performs frame processing. Specifically, using the memory control circuit 22 and, if necessary, the image processing circuit 20, the image data written in the memory 30 is read, and vertical addition processing (step S323) and color processing (step S324) are sequentially performed. Do. Thereafter, the processed image data is written in the memory 30. When writing is completed, if the red-eye lamp is lit (step S325), it is reset and turned off, and the contents of the counter counting the lighting time are integrated (steps S326 and S327). If the red-eye lamp is not lit, the process proceeds to step S328 (step S325).

  Next, when the image stabilization function flag is set (step S328), it is determined whether image stabilization continuous shooting has been completed (step S329), and when it has not been completed, the process returns to step S301. In this way, the above steps are repeated until the image stabilization continuous shooting is completed.

  When the image stabilization continuous shooting is completed, display image data is generated for image display after shooting is completed, and thumbnail images for index display and playback display are generated. However, in the present embodiment, since the image composition processing is performed by post-processing on a PC or the like, there is only an image before composition at this point. In addition, each image obtained by continuous shooting for image stabilization is shot in seconds without camera shake, and is underexposed rather than proper exposure. Therefore, it is not suitable as a display image or a thumbnail image as it is. Therefore, the image used as the main image is gained up by approximately the number of shots to generate display image data and thumbnail images (step S330). Specifically, the luminance information of the main image data is multiplied by the number of shots. For example, when combining four images, the luminance information of the main image is multiplied by four. Although the gradation is lost by multiplying in this way, the gradation is lost because an image considerably reduced with respect to the original image is displayed on the liquid crystal used in the image display unit 28. However, it is sufficient for applications such as composition confirmation of captured images. In addition, when the image information here is not already linear with respect to the luminance, it is desirable to convert the data into data linear with respect to the luminance and then multiply the integer.

  On the other hand, if the image stabilization function flag is not set in step S328, display image data and thumbnail images are generated from the captured image without performing gain-up processing (step S331).

  Then, the system control circuit 50 reads the image data from the memory 30, and transfers the display image data to the image display memory 24 via the memory control circuit 22 (step S332). Thus, the photographing process routine S129 is completed.

  Here, the lighting method of the red-eye lamp in the present embodiment will be described more easily. As already described, the time until the pupil is closed by the irradiation of the red-eye lamp is about 1 to 1.5 seconds. If irradiation of this red-eye lamp for 1 second to 1.5 seconds is performed all at once, it is necessary to take time only for lighting of the red-eye lamp, and the time required for image stabilization continuous shooting becomes long. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the lighting time of the red-eye lamp is distributed over the time during which image processing is performed in each image stabilization continuous shooting.

  Specifically, for example, image stabilization continuous shooting is performed for four frames, and the images for the four frames are combined to obtain one image with appropriate exposure. In this case, flash irradiation is performed at the time of photographing the last frame, and the red-eye lamp is turned on as follows. First, the first red-eye lamp is turned on during the time when the first frame is shot and the image is processed, and the red-eye lamp is turned off when the image processing is completed. Similarly, the second red-eye lamp is turned on during the time when the shooting of the second frame is completed and image processing is being performed on the image. Further, the third red-eye lamp is turned on during the time when the shooting of the third frame is completed and image processing of the image is performed. Further, the fourth red-eye lamp is turned on before photographing the fourth frame, which is the last frame. Then, the total of the red-eye lamp lighting times from the first time to the fourth time is set to 1 to 1.5 seconds as described above. In this way, it is possible to turn on the red-eye lamp during the time required for image processing, which is always required during each vibration-proof continuous shooting, and only for the lighting of the red-eye lamp. There is no need to take time. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the time of continuous shooting during vibration isolation.

  In other words, the red-eye lamp irradiation time in the last frame can be shortened by the amount of lighting before this last frame. Therefore, the photographing time can be shortened as compared with the case where photographing is performed by turning on the red-eye mitigation lamp for a predetermined time necessary for closing the pupil at the first frame.

  Next, the image data recording format of this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the recording format of the image data to be recorded conforms to the image file format standard Exif2.2 and the camera file system standard DCF1.0 of the imaging apparatus.

  FIG. 7 shows a directory structure and a file structure on the image data recording medium of the present embodiment.

  First, a DCIM directory that is a DCF image root directory is created immediately below the root directory. The name DCIM is fixed based on DCF. A plurality of DCF directories are created under the DCIM directory. The DCF directory naming convention is that the directory name consists of 8 characters, the first 3 characters represent the directory number, the numbers from "100" to "999", the next 5 characters are free characters, and any character string It is. In FIG. 7, the DCF directory names are assumed to be “100CANOC”, “101CANOC”, and “102CANOC”.

  Image data is recorded under the DCF directory. FIG. 7 shows the state of the image data recorded under the 100CANOC directory.

  In DCF, the file name of image data is given by a file name of 8 characters and an extension of 3 characters. The first 4 characters are arbitrary free character strings, and the next 4 characters are 4 digits representing the file number. Take the range from “0001” to “9999”. In this embodiment, the free character is “IMG_”.

  Furthermore, it is specified that a file group having the same file number is a DCF object so that related file groups can be handled collectively. In the DCF object, as long as the file numbers are the same, free characters and extensions may be different. Among these, regarding the extension, it is specified that an extension “.JPG” is given to image data recorded in the JPEG format as a DCF basic file. Further, it is defined that only one DCF basic file can exist in the same object.

  Based on the above DCF rules, in this embodiment, in the continuous shot image when the image stabilization function is ON, the first frame is the main image data, and the extension “.JPG” is given according to the DCF basic file format. . That is, the file name “IMG_nnnn.JPG” (nnnn is an arbitrary 4-digit number in the range from “0001” to “9999”, and nnnn is assumed to be 1234 in FIG. 7) is recorded. Then, the second and subsequent images are used as dependent image data, and the file number is the same as that of the first frame, and the extension is increased to “.Smm” (where mm is “01”, “02”, “03” 2 Digit number). In other words, “IMG_nnnn.S01”, “IMG_nnnn.S02”, and “IMG_nnnn.S03” are recorded as file names, and these are handled as the same object. By doing this, it is possible to determine a series of related images photographed with the image stabilization function without performing special processing or data addition in the image processing process in the image processing apparatus that performs the image stabilization correction processing. Becomes easier.

  Next, the operation of the recording process will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a detailed flowchart of the recording process in step S132 of FIG.

  In FIG. 6, the system control circuit 50 uses the memory control circuit 22 and, if necessary, the image processing circuit 20 to read the captured image data written in the memory 30 and set the vertical / horizontal pixel ratio of the image sensor to 1: 1. Interpolation pixel square processing is performed (step S401). Thereafter, the processed image data is written in the memory 30. Then, the image data written in the memory 30 is read out, and image compression processing corresponding to the set mode is performed by the compression / decompression circuit 32 (step S402).

  Next, the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image stabilization function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S403). When the image stabilization function is OFF, since normal shooting is performed, the file number recorded previously is incremented by 1 (step S404), and the extension is set to “.JPG” (step S405). Then, the compressed image data is written to the recording medium 150 or 160 such as a memory card or a compact flash (registered trademark) card via the interface 90 or 94 and the connector 92 or 96 (step S406). At this time, an index thumbnail image is also written.

  When the writing to the recording medium is finished, the recording processing routine S132 is ended.

  If the anti-vibration function is ON in step S403, it is determined whether or not the first frame recorded in the image stabilization series is recorded (step S407). In the case of the first frame of image stabilization continuous shooting, the variable mm stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 for determining the extension name after the second frame of continuous shooting is initialized to zero. (Step S408). Next, the file number recorded last time is incremented by 1 (step S409), and the extension is set to “.JPG” (step S410). Then, the compressed image data is written to the recording medium 150 or 160 such as a memory card or a compact flash (registered trademark) card via the interface 90 or 94 and the connector 92 or 96 (step S413). At this time, an index thumbnail image (an image obtained by increasing the gain from the main image as described in step S330 in FIG. 5) is also written.

  Then, it is determined whether or not it is the last frame of image stabilization continuous shooting (step S414). If it is the last frame, the recording processing routine S132 is terminated. Otherwise, the process returns to step S401.

  In step S407, the variable mm is incremented by 1 in cases other than the first frame in which image stabilization continuous shooting is performed (step S411). The file number is set to be the same as that in the first frame of the image stabilization, and the extension is set assuming that S is added before the variable mm (step S412).

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the number of image stabilization continuous shots is set to 4 frames. Accordingly, for the second to fourth frames of image stabilization continuous shooting, “.S01”, “.S02”, “. The extension “S03” will be set. Then, the compressed image data is written to the recording medium 150 or 160 such as a memory card or a compact flash (registered trademark) card via the interface 90 or 94 and the connector 92 or 96 (step S413). Then, it is determined whether or not it is the final frame of image stabilization continuous shooting (step S414). If it is the last frame, the recording processing routine S132 ends. Otherwise, the process returns to step S401.

  Next, processing on the image processing apparatus side of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a connection state between the imaging apparatus 100 and the image processing apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment.

  The image pickup apparatus 100 and the image processing apparatus 200 are connected by a connection cable 201, and image data in the image pickup apparatus 100 is transferred to the image processing apparatus 200, where alignment and addition / combination processing of images taken continuously for image stabilization are performed. Done. The connection is performed by various communication cards such as a LAN card, a modem card, a USB card, an IEEE 1394 card, a P1284 card, a SCSI card and the like connected to the interfaces 90 and 94 in the imaging apparatus 100. Further, instead of the wired connection as described above, an infrared connection using IrDA or a wireless connection using a wireless LAN card such as IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g may be used.

  Further, the image data may be transferred via a memory medium such as a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card.

  The image processing apparatus 200 may be a general PC (personal computer) as a form, a graphic work station (GWS) dedicated to image processing, or hardware dedicated to image processing. Further, it may be in the form of a printer that can be directly connected to the imaging apparatus 100 to perform printing like the direct print function.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of image processing in the image processing apparatus 200. Only images that require image stabilization processing for image stabilization are automatically determined and processed. It is a flow.

  First, it is determined whether there is unprocessed image data (step S501). If there is no image data, the image processing is terminated.

  If there is unprocessed image data, it is read into the memory in the image processing apparatus 200 (step S502). Here, first, main image data is read, and data with an extension “.JPG” is read. Next, it is determined whether the image needs image processing for image stabilization (step S503). If the image processing for image stabilization is not necessary, the process returns to step S501 and the next image data is read. Whether or not image stabilization processing for image stabilization is necessary can be determined by the presence or absence of subordinate data having the same file number as the read main image data and the extension “.Snn”.

  When image stabilization processing for image stabilization is necessary, first, the read image data is converted into a luminance linear format for addition synthesis processing (step S504). The read image data is originally in JPEG format and has been subjected to gamma processing and tone correction specific to the imaging device, so if addition processing is performed as it is, color tone, brightness, contrast, etc. will be affected by gamma. Will change. For this reason, it is necessary to change to a luminance linear format.

  Next, one piece of subordinate image data with the extension “.Snn” is read for image synthesis (step S505). As described in the flow of the image pickup apparatus, since the extension is different but the format is the JPEG format, the data is converted into the luminance linear format in the same manner as the main image data (step S506). Then, the main image data and the subordinate image data are aligned (step S507). The alignment is performed by obtaining a motion vector between two images. Many known methods have been proposed for motion vector detection. As an example, an image is divided into small blocks, a two-dimensional correlation is obtained between corresponding blocks, and motion vectors of all corresponding blocks are obtained. In this method, the motion vectors of the respective areas thus obtained are taken in a histogram, and the mode value of the motion vector is used as the motion vector between the images.

  If the alignment is completed, it is checked whether there is next dependent data (step S508). If it still remains, the process returns to step S505, where the subordinate image data is read (step S505), converted into a luminance linear format (step S506), and alignment by detecting the motion vector amount with the main image (step S507). Is repeated.

  When reading, conversion, and alignment of all subordinate data are completed, all the aligned image data are added and combined (step S509).

  Since the image obtained at the end of the composition is a luminance linear format, conversion to the JPEG format is performed again here (step S510).

  Since the thumbnail image up to this point is an image obtained by gaining up only the main image, a thumbnail image is generated again from the combined image when the combining is completed (step S511).

  Finally, the synthesized image and thumbnail image are stored (step S512), and the process returns to step S501 to proceed to the next image data processing.

  With the configuration described above, the image processing apparatus 200 can easily determine whether or not image stabilization continuous shooting has been performed, and a series of image data of image stabilization continuous shooting constitutes the same object. Therefore, camera shake correction processing on the image processing apparatus side can be facilitated.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the data that the imaging apparatus 100 uses as the main image is the first image in the continuous shooting for image stabilization is shown. However, any image data in continuously shot images may be used as the main image. The image taken at the end of the continuous shooting may be used as the main image. By making the first image or the last frame the main image, the user can easily understand which image is the main image.

  In this embodiment, the determination as to whether or not the image composition processing for image stabilization in step S503 is necessary is based on the presence or absence of dependent image data. However, the image processing apparatus 200 may record whether or not the image is captured by the image stabilization in the tag information of the main image data, and the image processing apparatus 200 may determine the tag information.

  The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the image stabilization function is ON and the flash is used, the flash is emitted only for the last frame of continuous shooting by the image stabilization function. The reason why only one frame is emitted is that, with regard to the flash, an appropriate exposure can be obtained with a single emission for a subject within the flash light reach range. Also, if the flash is made to emit multiple frames, it takes time to charge after light emission, so the amount of blur (image movement) between exposures becomes excessive, making it difficult to perform image composition processing in an image processing device as post-processing. Because it becomes. Furthermore, because of the flash charging time, it takes a long time to shoot the entire image, and subject blurring increases when the subject is a person.

  Note that only the last frame is emitted in the image composition anti-vibration.If the flash is emitted in the first frame, the first image is taken after a predetermined time for closing the pupil required for red-eye reduction has elapsed. This is because time is lost.

  In this embodiment, since the lighting time of the red-eye lamp is distributed over the image processing time of each frame at the time of image stabilization continuous shooting, the time required only for the lighting of the red-eye lamp can be shortened. The shooting time for image stabilization continuous shooting can be shortened.

  By configuring as in this embodiment, in the case of shooting a person with a night view in the background, a proper exposure can be obtained with a single flash shooting for the person in the foreground, and the image stabilization function is used for the background. It is possible to take a small number of pictures, which is very useful as time lag is reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, red-eye mitigation is achieved by turning on a low-luminance light source such as a lamp or a light-emitting diode, but in the second embodiment, a flash that is a flash device is used as a high-luminance light source. An example of red-eye reduction is shown.

  In the second embodiment, only the shooting routine will be described to simplify the description. Note that the same symbols as those in the first embodiment are used for the steps for performing the same operations as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are detailed flowcharts showing the shooting process of the second embodiment corresponding to the shooting process in step S129 of FIG.

  10A and 10B, first, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not flashing is necessary based on a flash flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S301). If the flash is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S307, and if necessary, the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the red-eye mitigation function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S302). If the red-eye reduction mode is selected, the process proceeds to step S303, and if not the red-eye reduction mode, the process proceeds to step S307.

  In step S303, the system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image stabilization function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S303). If the image stabilization mode is not selected by the image stabilization function flag, the flash xenon lamp is caused to emit red-eye pre-light with a light amount necessary for red-eye reduction (step S601). Next, after a time of about 1 second, which is a time required for closing the pupil, elapses (step S602), the process proceeds to step S307.

  Also, if the image stabilization mode is selected by the image stabilization function flag in step S303, it is determined what frame for image stabilization continuous shooting (step S304), and if it is not the final image, the process proceeds to step S604. In step S604, it is determined whether or not the first frame is shot. If it is not the first frame, the process proceeds to step S307. If it is the first frame, red-eye pre-emission is performed with a xenon lamp that is a red-eye reduction lamp (step S605). ). Then, the counter for counting the elapsed time is started (step S606). If it is the last frame, the process proceeds to step S307 if the predetermined time necessary for red-eye reduction has elapsed, and proceeds to step S307 until the predetermined time elapses if not (step S603).

  Next, the system control circuit 50 opens the shutter 12 having an aperture function according to the aperture value by the exposure control unit 40 in accordance with the photometric data stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52. Thereby, exposure to the image sensor 14 is started (steps S307 and S308).

  The system control circuit 50 determines the state of the image stabilization function flag stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52 (step S309). It is determined whether it is a frame (step S310). If it is the last frame, the process proceeds to the flash use determination (step S311). If it is not the last frame, the process proceeds to the exposure end determination (step S313). If the anti-vibration function is not selected in step S309, the process proceeds to the flash use determination (step S311).

  In step S311, it is determined whether or not the flash 48 is necessary based on the flash flag, and if necessary, the flash is emitted (step S312).

  Next, the system control circuit 50 waits for the end of exposure of the image sensor 14 according to the photometric data (step S313), and closes the shutter 12 (step S314).

  Next, if it is necessary to perform frame processing according to the set shooting mode (step S322), the system control circuit 50 uses the memory control circuit 22 and, if necessary, frame processing using the image processing circuit 20. I do. That is, after the image data written in the memory 30 is read out and subjected to vertical addition processing (step S323) and color processing (step S324) in sequence, the processed image data is written into the memory 30. When the writing is completed, the process proceeds to step S328.

  Next, when the image stabilization function flag is set (step S328), it is determined whether image stabilization continuous shooting has been completed (step S329), and when it has not been completed, the process returns to step S301. In this way, the above steps are repeated until image stabilization continuous shooting is completed. When the image stabilization continuous shooting is completed, display image data is generated for image display after shooting is completed, and thumbnail images for index display and playback display are generated.

  However, in the present embodiment, the image composition process is performed by post-processing on a PC or the like, and therefore there is only an image before composition at this point. In addition, each image obtained by continuous shooting for image stabilization is taken in seconds without camera shake, and is underexposed rather than proper exposure. Therefore, it is not suitable as a display image or a thumbnail image as it is. Therefore, the image used as the main image is gained up by approximately the number of shots to generate display image data and thumbnail images (step S330). Specifically, the luminance information of the main image data is multiplied by the number of shots. For example, when combining four images, the luminance information of the main image is multiplied by four. Although the gradation is lost by multiplying in this way, the gradation is lost because an image considerably reduced with respect to the original image is displayed on the liquid crystal used in the image display unit 28. However, it is sufficient for applications such as composition confirmation of captured images. In addition, when the image information here is not already linear with respect to the luminance, it is desirable to convert the data into data linear with respect to the luminance and then multiply the integer. If the image stabilization function flag is not set in step S328, the display image data and the thumbnail image are generated from the captured image without performing the gain-up process (step S331).

  Then, the system control circuit 50 reads the image data from the memory 30, and transfers the display image data to the image display memory 24 via the memory control circuit 22 (step S332). Thus, the photographing process routine S129 is completed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, during normal shooting, red-eye pre-emission is performed and shooting is performed after a predetermined time. When the image stabilization function is ON and the flash is used, red-eye pre-emission is performed on the first frame, and thereafter, shooting without pre-emission is performed. In the last frame shooting, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed until the pupil is closed in the previous shooting, and flash shooting is performed after the predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, the elapsed time is also included in the elapsed time, and the elapsed time of the predetermined time for red-eye reduction is counted, so that the time lag can be reduced without increasing the extra shutter time lag.

  Of course, it is also possible to divide the amount of pre-emission light in the first frame and perform pre-emission every time the shutter is closed like a lamp or light emitting diode.

(Other embodiments)
The object of each embodiment is also achieved by the following method. That is, a storage medium (or recording medium) in which a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded is supplied to the system or apparatus. Then, the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but the present invention includes the following cases. That is, based on the instruction of the program code, an operating system (OS) running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  Furthermore, the following cases are also included in the present invention. That is, the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Thereafter, based on the instruction of the program code, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion card or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  When the present invention is applied to the above storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the procedure described above.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the main routine of the imaging device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the main routine of the imaging device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the distance measurement and photometry routine of the imaging device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the imaging | photography routine of the imaging device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the imaging | photography routine of the imaging device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the recording routine of the imaging device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the recording directory of the imaging device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the connection of the imaging device and image processing apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the image processing routine of the image processing apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the imaging | photography routine of the imaging device of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the imaging | photography routine of the imaging device of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Shooting lens 12 Shutter 14 Image pick-up element 16 A / D converter 18 Timing generation circuit 20 Image processing circuit 22 Memory control circuit 24 Image display memory 26 D / A converter 28 Image display part 30 Memory 32 Image compression / decompression circuit 40 Exposure Control unit 42 Distance control unit 44 Zoom control unit 46 Barrier control unit
47 Red-eye relief device 48 Flash
50 System Control Circuit 52 Memory 54 Display Unit 56 Non-Volatile Memory 60 Mode Dial Switch 62 Shutter Switch SW1
64 Shutter switch SW2
66 Image display ON / OFF switch 68 Anti-vibration function ON / OFF switch 70 Operation unit 80 Power supply control unit 82 Connector 84 Connector 86 Power supply 90 Interface 92 Connector 94 Interface 96 Connector 98 Recording medium attachment / detachment detection unit 100 Imaging device 102 Protection device 104 Optical Finder 110 Communication unit 112 Connector (or antenna)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 150 Recording medium 152 Recording part 154 Interface 156 Connector 160 Recording medium 162 Recording part 164 Interface 166 Connector 180 Shake detection sensor 200 Image processing apparatus 201 Connection cable

Claims (8)

An imaging device for obtaining an image of a target exposure by synthesis from a set of images of a plurality of frames continuously shot with an exposure time shorter than an exposure time for obtaining a target exposure,
A lighting instruction means for turning on an illumination lamp that emits light toward the subject in order to make the pupil of the subject have a small diameter;
A light emission instructing means for emitting a flash device that emits light toward the subject to illuminate the subject;
The flash device is caused to emit light when the last frame image of the plurality of frames is captured, and the illumination lamp is turned on during an image processing time when capturing an image other than the last frame of the plurality of frames. Control means for controlling the light emission instruction means and the lighting instruction means;
An imaging apparatus comprising:   The control means includes a lighting time of the illumination lamp that is turned on during an image processing time when shooting an image other than the last frame, and a lighting time of the illumination lamp that is turned on immediately before shooting the image of the last frame. 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lighting instruction unit is controlled so that the total of the two times corresponds to a lighting time of the illumination lamp required for making the pupil of the subject small in diameter. An imaging device for obtaining an image of a target exposure by synthesis from a set of images of a plurality of frames continuously shot with an exposure time shorter than an exposure time for obtaining a target exposure,
A light emission instructing means for emitting a flash device that emits light toward the subject to illuminate the subject;
Before photographing the first frame image of the plurality of frames, the flash device is caused to emit a first light so as to make the pupil of the subject have a small diameter, and from the first light emission to the subject. After the time required for the pupil to have a small diameter has elapsed, the flash device is caused to emit a second light for illuminating the subject, and an image of the last frame of the plurality of images is captured. Control means for controlling the light emission instructing means,
An imaging apparatus comprising: An imaging method for obtaining an image of a target exposure by synthesis from a set of images of a plurality of frames continuously shot with an exposure time shorter than an exposure time for obtaining a target exposure,
A lighting step of turning on an illumination lamp that emits light toward the subject in order to make the pupil of the subject have a small diameter during image processing time at the time of photographing an image other than the last frame of the plurality of frames,
A light emitting step of emitting a flash device that emits light toward the subject in order to illuminate the subject at the time of shooting the image of the last frame of the plurality of images;
An imaging method comprising:   In the lighting step, the lighting time of the illumination lamp lit during the image processing time at the time of shooting an image other than the last frame, and the lighting time of the lighting lamp lit immediately before the shooting of the image of the last frame, 5. The imaging method according to claim 4, wherein the illumination lamp is turned on so that the sum of the times corresponds to a lighting time of the illumination lamp required to make the pupil of the subject small in diameter. An imaging method for obtaining an image of a target exposure by synthesis from a set of images of a plurality of frames continuously shot with an exposure time shorter than an exposure time for obtaining a target exposure,
A first light emitting step of causing the flash device that irradiates light to the subject to perform first light emission in order to reduce the diameter of the pupil of the subject before taking the first image of the plurality of images. When,
After the time required for the subject's pupil to have a small diameter has elapsed since the first light emission, the flash device is caused to perform a second light emission for illuminating the subject, and the image of the plurality of frames A second light emitting step for taking an image of the last frame of
An imaging method comprising:   A program that causes a computer to execute the imaging method according to any one of claims 4 to 6.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 7.

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