JP2007288626A - Portable terminal device with camera, method and program of controlling operation thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable terminal device with a camera which corrects backlight by determining the degree of the backlight. <P>SOLUTION: A CPU control unit 106 finds the direction of the sun based on the present position and the present time of its own terminal detected by a GPS 111. Then, the backlight is corrected in the case of determining photographing in the state of the backlight, based on the direction of the sun and the imaging direction of the camera 109 detected using a direction detection part 112. Since the degree of the backlight is increased with directing of the imaging direction of the camera to the direction of the sun in this case, the degree of the correction of backlight is varied according to the difference between the imaging direction of the camera and the direction of the sun. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera-equipped mobile terminal device, an operation control method thereof, and a program, and more particularly, to a camera-equipped mobile terminal device that automatically detects a scene of backlighting in a camera and shifts to a backlight correction mode.

  In recent mobile terminal devices such as mobile phones, terminals equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) function are becoming more and more diverse. The camera is mounted on the terminal almost as standard. However, in general, there are few users who shoot using specialized knowledge for shooting with a camera, and depending on conditions, it is difficult to perform shooting as the user thinks.

  In outdoor shooting, since the brightness of sunlight is high, the degree of influence on shooting is high. In particular, in backlight shooting, the subject image is darkened. Although some terminals are provided with a backlight correction mode corresponding to backlight for backlight shooting, a user has to perform a manual operation in order to shift to the backlight correction mode.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 includes means for obtaining the current position of the terminal by the GPS function, means for detecting the direction of the photographing lens, and information on the current position of the terminal and at least the month, date, hour, and minute. A means for determining the direction of the sun based on the current time information, and determining whether or not the shooting is in the backlight state based on the direction of the taking lens and the direction of the sun. A camera device is described that automatically performs backlight correction when it is determined that there is.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 08-095146

  However, in the camera device described in Patent Document 1, the backlight correction is performed with a predetermined correction amount when the backlight is simply determined without determining the backlight level. There is a problem that fine correction cannot be performed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal device with a camera, an operation control method thereof, and a program capable of performing backlight correction by determining the degree of backlight during camera shooting.

  The camera-equipped mobile terminal device according to the present invention is determined to be shooting in the backlight state based on the camera, the sun direction determined based on the current position and current time of the terminal, and the imaging direction of the camera. A camera-equipped portable terminal device having a control means for performing backlight correction, wherein the control means varies the degree of backlight correction according to the difference between the sun direction and the imaging direction of the camera. Features.

  An operation control method according to the present invention is an operation control method for a mobile terminal device with a camera provided with a camera, and is based on the direction of the sun determined based on the current position and current time of the terminal itself and the imaging direction of the camera. Including a step of performing backlight correction when it is determined that the photographing is performed in a backlight state, the step varying the degree of the backlight correction according to a difference between the sun direction and the imaging direction of the camera. It is characterized by having.

  A program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute an operation control method of a camera-equipped mobile terminal device provided with a camera, the sun direction obtained based on the current position and current time of the terminal itself, and the camera Including a process of performing backlight correction when it is determined that the shooting is performed in a backlight state based on the imaging direction of the camera, and the process is performed according to a difference between the sun direction and the imaging direction of the camera. It has the process which changes the degree of.

  As described above, in the present invention, the degree of backlighting increases as the camera imaging direction faces the sun, so the degree of backlight correction is varied according to the difference between the camera imaging direction and the sun direction. Thus, appropriate correction according to the degree of backlight can be performed.

  According to the present invention, by adopting the configuration and operation as described below, it is possible to obtain an effect that it is possible to perform backlight correction by determining the degree of backlight during camera shooting.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a digital camera function, and includes an antenna 101, a transmission / reception unit 102, a GPS unit 111, an orientation detection unit 112, a camera 109, and the like. The camera control unit 110, the image processing unit 108, the display unit 103, the central control unit 106, the key operation unit 107, the data memory unit 105, and the clock unit 104.

  The transmission / reception unit 102 demodulates a signal received via the antenna 101 and outputs the demodulated signal to the central control unit 106. The transmission / reception unit 102 modulates the signal output from the central control unit 106, and then converts the signal to a radio frequency to convert the antenna 101. Send through. The GPS unit 111 receives positioning radio waves from GPS satellites and calculates the current position of the mobile phone. The direction detection unit 112 detects geomagnetism to detect an absolute direction. The key operation unit 107 includes function keys such as numeric keys and symbols, and is used by the user to perform incoming / outgoing call operations, telephone number registration operations, and the like. In addition, a signal generated by the operation is output to the central control unit 106.

  The camera control unit 110 controls the operation of the camera 109 when receiving a command signal for enabling the camera imaging function from the central control unit 106 by a signal generated by the key operation unit 107. The camera 109 generates a captured subject image as image data by photoelectric conversion. The image processing unit 108 performs color processing or the like on the image data from the camera 109 and processes the data into image recognition data or the like. The central control unit 106 collectively controls each unit according to various input operations from the key operation unit 107, and performs control according to a programmed operation procedure.

  The display unit 103 displays image data, a telephone number, text data, or the like stored in the data memory unit 105 in accordance with a display command from the central control unit 106. The data memory unit 105 stores telephone number, name of the telephone number, name, text data such as characters, image data, and measurement data. The clock unit 104 has a time measuring function.

  The central control unit 106 detects the imaging direction of the camera 109 based on the absolute azimuth detected by the azimuth detection unit 112, and is carried using the sun direction database for each clock in the data memory unit 105. The direction of the sun is determined from the current position of the telephone, the calendar, and the time. The calendar and time use the clock section 104 information.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mobile phone shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, first, the camera control unit 110 operates the camera 109 in accordance with an instruction from the central control unit 106 to start shooting (step S1). Next, the central control unit 106 detects the absolute azimuth by the azimuth detection unit 112 and calculates an imaging direction by mounting the camera 109 (step S2).

  Then, the central control unit 106 detects the current position by the GPS unit 111 and calculates the direction of the sun by combining the calendar and time from the clock unit 104 (step S3). Next, the central control unit 106 determines whether the camera shooting is a backlight based on the imaging direction of the camera 109 and the sun direction (step S4).

  If it is not backlit, the process proceeds to step S1 to continue camera shooting. On the other hand, in the case of backlight, the central control unit 106 calculates the difference between the imaging direction of the camera 109 and the sun direction to calculate the degree of backlight (step S5). In step S6, the central control unit 106 performs backlight correction control on the image processing unit 108 and the camera control unit 110. The degree of backlighting increases as the angle between the camera imaging direction and the sun direction decreases. Therefore, control is performed so that the degree of backlight correction is increased as the angle is narrower. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1, and the camera photographing is continued.

  For example, as an effective method for backlighting, one screen is divided into a plurality of areas, weighted for each area, and in particular, by increasing the weight of the central part of the screen, the signal level matched to the sample image in the central part It is possible to prevent the sample in the center from becoming dark by correcting the above. Therefore, as the backlight intensity increases, the weight of the center portion of the screen is set higher, and the intensity of photometry is concentrated and strengthened in the center, thereby making it possible to perform image adjustment with more emphasis on the center portion. Correction according to the degree of backlight can be performed.

  Alternatively, a correction value for the exposure amount may be prepared in advance according to the degree of backlighting, and exposure may be performed by adding a value corresponding to the calculated degree of backlighting to the standard exposure amount.

  The azimuth detecting unit 112 may be configured by a sensor that can detect not only the horizontal direction but also all vertical angles. In addition, the processing operation of the mobile phone according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is executed by causing a computer serving as a CPU (control unit) to read a program stored in a storage medium such as a ROM in advance in the terminal. Of course, this can be realized.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system including a mobile phone according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration of the mobile phone according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 is the same as that of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. Thus, the point of obtaining information from the server via the communication network is different from the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, the present system includes a mobile phone 100, a server 301, a communication network 302 such as the Internet, and a base station 303. The base station 303 connects communication of radio signals transmitted and received from the antenna 101 of the mobile phone 100 to the communication network 302, and the mobile phone 100 communicates with the server 301 via the base station 303 and the communication network 302. Send and receive information.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the direction of the sun is calculated in the mobile phone 100 based on the current position of the mobile phone 100 and the current time, but in the second embodiment of the present invention, this calculation is performed on the mobile phone. It is assumed that the server 301 performs the operation in place of the telephone 100. That is, the mobile phone 100 uses the base station 303 and the communication network 302 to obtain the current position information detected by the GPS unit 111 instead of calculating the direction of the sun in step S3 of FIG. To the server 301.

  Then, the server 301 calculates the direction of the sun based on the received current position information of the mobile phone 100 and current time information obtained from a clock unit (not shown) of the mobile phone 100, and uses the communication network 302 and the base station The data is transmitted to the mobile phone 100 via 303. When receiving information on the direction of the sun from the server 301, the cellular phone 100 proceeds to step S4 in FIG. 2 and determines whether the camera shooting is backlit. Note that the current time information may be transmitted from the mobile phone 100 to the server 301 together with the current position information.

  Thus, by calculating the direction of the sun using the server 301, it is not necessary to calculate the direction of the sun with the mobile phone 100, and thus the conditions necessary for the calculation can be deleted from the data memory unit 105. .

  Note that the server 301 may hold the weather information of each region for each region. In this case, when the server 301 transmits the calculated sun direction information to the mobile phone 100, the server 301 also transmits the weather information of the area corresponding to the current position of the mobile phone 100 to the mobile phone 100. When the backlight correction is performed in step S6 of FIG. 2, the degree of backlight correction is varied according to the difference between the camera 109 imaging direction and the sun direction and the weather information received from the server 301. .

  For example, even when the angle between the camera imaging direction and the sun direction is the same, when the weather in the area where the mobile phone 100 is present is cloudy, it is considered that the degree of backlighting is lower than that when it is sunny. Reduce the degree of correction and control. In this way, by taking the weather information into account, it is possible to determine the degree of backlight more correctly, and therefore it is possible to perform more optimal correction.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the mobile telephone by the 1st Example of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mobile phone of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the system containing the mobile telephone by the 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Mobile phone 101 Antenna 102 Transmission / reception part 103 Display part 104 Clock part 105 Data memory part 106 Central control part 107 Key operation part 108 Image processing part 109 Camera 110 Camera control part 111 GPS part 112 Direction detection part 301 Server 302 Communication network 303 Base Station

Claims (7)

A camera and control means for performing backlight correction when it is determined that shooting is performed in a backlight state based on the direction of the sun determined based on the current position and the current time of the terminal and the imaging direction of the camera. A mobile terminal device with a camera,
The mobile terminal device with a camera, wherein the control means varies a degree of the backlight correction according to a difference between the sun direction and an imaging direction of the camera.   At least information on the current position is transmitted via the communication network to a server device that is connected to a communication network and obtains the sun direction based on the current position and the current time, and the information on the sun direction is transmitted from the server device. The camera-equipped mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal device is received via the communication network.   The control means receives the weather information of the area corresponding to the current position together with the information of the sun direction from the server device, and according to the difference between the sun direction and the imaging direction of the camera and the weather information The camera-equipped mobile terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the degree of backlight correction is variable. An operation control method for a camera-equipped mobile terminal device including a camera,
Including a step of performing backlight correction when it is determined that shooting is performed in a backlight state based on the direction of the sun determined based on the current position and current time of the terminal and the imaging direction of the camera
The step includes the step of varying the degree of backlight correction according to the difference between the sun direction and the imaging direction of the camera.   Transmitting at least information on the current position to the server device that is connected to a communication network and determines the direction of the sun based on the current position and the current time; and from the server device to the direction of the sun 5. The operation control method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of receiving the information via the communication network.   The step of receiving the information on the sun direction receives the weather information of the area corresponding to the current position together with the information on the sun direction from the server device, and the step of varying the degree of backlight correction includes 6. The operation control method according to claim 5, wherein a degree of the backlight correction is varied in accordance with a difference between the camera direction and the imaging direction of the camera and the weather information. A program for causing a computer to execute an operation control method of a camera-equipped mobile terminal device including a camera,
Including a process of performing backlight correction when it is determined that shooting is performed in a backlight state based on the direction of the sun determined based on the current position and current time of the terminal and the imaging direction of the camera
The program includes a process of varying a degree of the backlight correction in accordance with a difference between the sun direction and an imaging direction of the camera.

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