JP2007328694A - Image processing apparatus and digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that it is complicated to prepare a business card and a document with face portrait by a special operation. <P>SOLUTION: In this image processing apparatus provided with: a face detecting means; a trapezoid detecting means; a free area detecting means for detecting a free area with no character and pattern existing in a trapezoid detected by the trapezoid detecting means; a face image arranging means for arranging a face part detected by the face detecting means in an image; and a means for instructing the preparation of the document with face portrait, when the above instructing means is operated to one piece of image data including a face part and a trapezoid part, the face detecting means detects the face image part, the trapezoid detecting means detects the trapezoid part, and the free area detecting means detects a free area in the trapezoid part, and the face image arranging means arranges the face image part in the free area to create new image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to processing for image data including character information in an image processing apparatus such as a digital camera.

Among conventional image data, there is one that recognizes image data indicating characters and generates character data, and easily creates a business card with a face photo by superimposing other image data ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-11-85957 (second page, FIG. 1)

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when creating a business card with a face photograph, image data indicating characters and image data to be superimposed on the image data are required, respectively. Only reduction processing was performed, and it was necessary to photograph with an appropriate composition at the time of photographing.

A first configuration according to the present invention that solves the above-described problems is an image processing apparatus, which has no characters or patterns in a face detection means, a trapezoid detection means, and a trapezoid detected by the trapezoid detection means. An empty area detecting means for detecting an empty area, a face image arranging means for arranging the face portion detected by the face detecting means in an image, and a face photo-containing document creation instruction means for instructing creation of a face photo-containing document. In the image processing apparatus, when the face-photographed document creation instruction unit is operated for one image data including a face part and a trapezoid part, the face detection part is detected by the face detection part, and the trapezoid detection part is used. A trapezoidal part is detected, a free area of the trapezoidal part is detected by the empty area detecting means, and the face image part is arranged in the empty area by the face image arranging means to create new image data. It is characterized in. (Claim 1)
A second configuration according to the present invention includes a trapezoid correction unit that corrects the detected trapezoidal portion to a rectangle in the first configuration, and uses the trapezoid correction unit for the trapezoidal portion of the new image data. It is characterized by giving. (Claim 2)
A third configuration according to the present invention includes a distortion correction unit that corrects the distortion of the detected linear portion of the trapezoidal portion in the first configuration, and the distortion of the linear portion of the trapezoidal portion of the new image data is Distortion correction is performed using a distortion correction means. (Claim 3)
According to a fourth configuration of the present invention, the distortion correction means in the third configuration is determined to be distortion based on the linearity of the directly manufactured part constituting the trapezoidal part detected by the trapezoid detection means. It is characterized in that the portion is filled with the peripheral color in the trapezoidal portion. (Claim 4)
According to a fifth configuration of the present invention, the distortion correction means in the third configuration is characterized in that a certain region is cut off from the heel portion of the trapezoidal part detected by the trapezoid detection means. It is. (Claim 5)
According to a sixth configuration of the present invention, in the first configuration, based on the distance between feature points detected as a face, an appropriate region where the entire face enters is automatically selected and extracted as a face image. It is what. (Claim 6)
According to a seventh configuration of the present invention, in the first configuration, the free area detecting means detects a free area by a method for searching for a white area. (Claim 7)
An eighth configuration according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the first configuration, the vacant region detecting means detects a vacant region by a method of searching for a region having a low contrast. (Claim 8)
According to a ninth configuration of the present invention, the plurality of vacant areas detected by the vacant area detecting means in the first configuration are ranked according to which part in the trapezoidal part is located, The position to be arranged is determined. (Claim 9)
In a tenth configuration according to the present invention, the plurality of empty regions detected by the empty region detecting means in the first configuration are ranked according to the size of the empty regions, and the position where the face image is arranged is determined. It is characterized by this. (Claim 10)
In an eleventh configuration according to the present invention, the plurality of empty areas detected by the empty area detecting means in the first configuration are ranked according to the size and shape of the empty areas, and the positions where the face images are arranged are determined. It is characterized by determining. (Claim 11)
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a face to be embedded based on the size of the area where the face photograph determined from the empty area detected by the empty area detecting means in the first structure is arranged. The image is arranged after being resized to an appropriate size. (Claim 12)
A thirteenth configuration according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the first configuration, the low-contrast region of the trapezoidal portion of the new image data is painted in white. (Claim 13)
A fourteenth configuration according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the first configuration, the low-contrast region of the trapezoidal portion of the new image data is filled with a color that occupies the widest region of the trapezoidal portion. is there. (Claim 14)
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the character recognition means in the first structure, wherein the character recognition means recognizes a character in the trapezoidal portion, and an appropriate area is detected by the empty area detection means. If not, the recognized character is cut out, the empty area is detected again using the empty area detecting means, the cut character is arranged at an appropriate position 1 of the redetected empty area, and the remaining empty area The face image is arranged at an appropriate position 2 of the above. (Claim 15)
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera, the digital camera includes an image display device that displays a live image, an image shooting mode for creating a document containing a face image, and a selection unit for the mode. When the means is operated, the image capturing mode for creating a document containing a face image is set, and the area where the face is to be arranged and the area where the document is to be arranged are displayed in a graphic form on the image display device. (Claim 16)
According to a seventeenth configuration of the present invention, in the sixteenth configuration, in the image capturing mode for creating a face image-containing document, an area in which a face is to be placed and an area in which a document is to be placed are respectively appropriate white. The balance processing is performed. (Claim 17)
According to an eighteenth configuration of the present invention, in the sixteenth configuration, in the image capturing mode for creating a face image-containing document, shooting in which AF, AE, and AWB are combined in a region where a face is to be arranged; It is characterized in that AF, AE, and AWB are continuously photographed in a region where a document is to be arranged, and both images are connected to create a single document image containing a face image. . (Claim 18)

  According to the present invention, for example, business card data with a face photo can be generated only by manipulating the face photo-containing document creation instructing means for an image obtained by photographing a person in a posture holding a business card.

  Next, details of the present invention will be described in accordance with the description of the embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes an image processing apparatus. 10 is a photographic lens, 12 is a shutter having a diaphragm function, 14 is an image sensor that converts an optical image into an electrical signal, 120 is a gain amplifier that amplifies the analog signal output of the image sensor 14 and sets the sensitivity of the camera, 16 It is an A / D converter that converts an analog signal output 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. A signal 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, a predetermined calculation process is performed using the captured image data, and the system control circuit 50 controls the exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 based on the obtained calculation result. The lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing are performed.

  Further, the signal 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.

  A memory control circuit 22 controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation circuit 18, the signal processing circuit 20, the image display memory 24, the D / A converter 26, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression circuit 32. The data of the A / D converter 16 is written to the image display memory 24 or the memory 30 via the signal processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22 or the data of the A / D converter 16 is directly passed through the memory control circuit 22. It is.

  Reference numeral 51 denotes an image processing unit, which performs processing such as face detection, trapezoid area detection, keystone correction, and character recognition on image data read from the memory 30 in accordance with an operation instruction instructed by the operation unit 70, and certain image data Then, processing such as image composition for embedding another image data is performed.

  The system control circuit 50 includes an exposure control means 122, a brightness level calculation means 123, and a correction gain calculation means 124. 122 calculates an appropriate exposure value based on the brightness level measured by the TTL via the memory control circuit 22, and exposes it. Control means 40 is controlled. 123 calculates the luminance level from the image data captured through the memory control circuit 22, and 124 compares the luminance level measured by 122 with the luminance level calculated by 123, and calculates a correction value to obtain an appropriate level. Then, digital gain correction is applied by the signal processing circuit 20.

  Reference numeral 24 denotes an image display memory, 26 denotes a D / A converter, 28 denotes an image display unit including a TFT LCD, and the image data for display written in the image display memory 24 passes through the D / A converter 26. Displayed by the image display unit 28. 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. Reference numeral 30 denotes a memory for storing captured still images and moving images, and has a sufficient storage capacity 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 means for controlling the shutter 12 having a diaphragm function, and has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48.

  Reference numeral 42 denotes distance measurement control means for controlling the focusing of the photographing lens 10, and reference numeral 44 denotes zoom control means for controlling the zooming of the photographing lens 10.

  The exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement control means 42 are controlled using the TTL method. Based on the calculation result obtained by calculating the captured image data by the signal processing circuit 20, the system control circuit 50 performs the exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement. Control is performed on the control means 42. Reference numeral 50 denotes a system control circuit that controls the entire image processing apparatus 100, and reference numeral 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 or a message using characters, images, sounds, or the like in accordance with execution of a program in the system control circuit 50. One or a plurality of places are provided near the portion where they can be easily seen, and for example, a combination of an LCD, an LED, a sound generation element, and the like is used. The display unit 54 has a part of its function 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 Speed display, Aperture value display, Exposure compensation display, Flash display, Red-eye reduction display, Macro shooting display, Buzzer setting display, Clock battery level display, Battery level display, Error display, Multi-digit number information display and recording There are a display state of the media 200 and 210, a communication I / F operation display, a date / time display, and the like.

  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 62, 64, 66, 68 and 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions of the system control circuit 50, and include one or a plurality of switches, dials, touch panels, pointing by line-of-sight detection, voice recognition devices, and the like. Composed of a combination. Here, a specific description of these operating means will be given.

  Reference numeral 62 denotes a shutter switch SW1, which is turned ON during the operation of a shutter switch (not shown), and performs AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic 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 the operation of a shutter switch (not shown) is completed, and an exposure process for writing a signal read from the image sensor 12 to the memory 30 via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22. Development processing using computations in the signal processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22, recording processing for reading out image data from the memory 30, compression in the compression / decompression circuit 32, and writing the image data in the recording medium 200 or 210. Instructs the start of a series of processing operations.

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

  Reference numeral 68 denotes a quick review ON / OFF switch, which sets a quick review function for automatically reproducing image data taken immediately after photographing. In the present embodiment, in particular, a function for setting a quick review function when the image display unit 28 is turned off is provided. Reference numeral 121 denotes a timing unit that can measure the time from when the shutter switch 62 is pressed until the shutter switch 64 is pressed.

  Reference numeral 70 denotes an operation unit including various buttons, a touch panel, and the like. A menu button, a set button, a macro button, a flash setting button, a single shooting / continuous shooting / self-timer switching button, a menu movement + (plus) button, a menu movement − (minus). ) Button, playback image move + (plus) button, playback image-(minus) button, shooting image quality selection button, exposure correction button, date / time setting button, and the like.

  80 is a power control means, which is composed of a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching a block to be energized, etc., and detects the presence / absence of a battery, the type of battery, the remaining battery level, and the detection result In addition, the DC-DC converter is controlled based on an instruction from the system control circuit 50, and a necessary voltage is supplied to each part including the recording medium for a necessary period.

  Reference numeral 82 denotes a connector, 84 denotes a connector, and 86 denotes a power source means including a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, or an AC adapter.

  90 and 94 are interfaces with a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk, 92 and 96 are connectors for connecting to a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk, and 98 is a recording medium 200 or 210 attached to the connector 92 or 96. Recording medium attachment / detachment detecting means for detecting whether or not the recording medium is present.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that there are two interfaces and connectors for attaching the recording medium. Of course, the interface and the connector for attaching the recording medium may have a single or a plurality of systems, any number of systems. Moreover, it is good also as a structure provided with combining the interface and connector of a different standard. The interface and connector may be configured using a PCMCIA card compliant standard.

  Further, when the interfaces 90 and 94 and the connectors 92 and 96 are configured using a PCMCIA card or the like, LAN card, modem card, USB card, IEEE1394 card, P1284 card, SCSI card, PHS, etc. By connecting various communication cards such as a communication card, image data and management information attached to the image data can be transferred to and from peripheral devices such as other computers and printers.

  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 image processing apparatus 100 to another device by the communication unit 110 or an antenna in the case of wireless communication. Reference numeral 200 denotes a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk.

  The recording medium 200 includes a recording unit 202 composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like, an interface 204 with the image processing apparatus 100, and a connector 206 for connecting to the image processing apparatus 100. Reference numeral 210 denotes a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 210 includes a recording unit 212 composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and the like, an interface 214 with the image processing apparatus 100, and a connector 216 that connects to the image processing apparatus 100.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing performed by the image processing unit 51 in FIG. First, in S201, face detection processing for detecting a human face is performed on the image data 1 (FIG. 5) to be processed. If one face is detected in S201, the process proceeds to S202. In S202, based on the distance between feature points (eyes and mouth) detected as a face, an appropriate area where the entire face enters is automatically selected and cut out as image data 2 (FIG. 6). The size of the area automatically selected at this time with respect to the distance between the facial feature points can be set in advance by the user through a user interface (UI).

  If the number of faces detected in S201 is two or more, the process proceeds to S216 of the flow. In S216, the UI for selecting one of the detected faces is operated to prompt the user to select a face, and when one face is selected, the process proceeds to S202 of the flow. In S216, the user can select an arbitrary area other than selecting one of the detected faces. When one face is not selected from the plurality of faces in S216, and when no face is detected in S201, the process proceeds to S217. In S217, the user is prompted to select an area by operating a UI that allows the user to select an arbitrary area. If an arbitrary area is selected, the area is cut out as image data 2, and the process proceeds to S203.

  In S203, a trapezoidal area detection process is performed on the image data 1 (FIG. 7). If one trapezoid area is detected in S203, that area is set as the image area 1, and the process proceeds to S204 (FIG. 8). If two or more trapezoidal areas are detected in S203, the largest area is set as the image area 1, and the process proceeds to S204. If the trapezoidal area is not detected in S203, the process proceeds to S218, where the user is prompted to select an area by operating a UI that can select an arbitrary area. If an arbitrary rectangular area is selected, that area is set as the image area 2. The process proceeds to S205.

  In S204, a trapezoidal correction process is performed on the image area 1 to obtain a rectangular image area 2, and the process proceeds to S205. In S205, distortion correction of the image region 2 is performed in order to erase the finger and the shadow of the finger included in the peripheral portion of the image region 2 (FIG. 9). The distortion correction performed in S205 is performed by filling the peripheral portion of the image region 2 with a color that occupies the widest region of the image region 2, or by cutting off a certain region from the heel portion of the image region 2. The image area 2 whose distortion has been corrected in S205 is cut out as image data 3, and the process proceeds to S206.

  In S206, free space detection is performed for image synthesis of image data 3 that has been resized from image data 2 (FIG. 10). The empty area detection performed in S206 is performed by searching for a white area or searching for an area with low contrast. When one or more vacant areas are detected, the appropriateness as an image synthesis area is ranked based on the area size, shape, and position in the image data 2, and the most image An area appropriate as a synthesis area is defined as an image area 3. If no empty area is detected, the image area 3 is not set and the process proceeds to S207.

  In S207, an image composition area is determined based on the image area 3. In the image composition area selection performed in S207, when the image area 3 is set, it is determined whether the image area 3 is suitable for image composition. If it is determined that the image area 3 is suitable, the area is set as the image composition area. , Go to S208. If it is determined in S207 that the image area 3 is not suitable for image composition, the process proceeds to S210. Whether or not it is suitable for the image composition performed in S207 is determined based on the size of the image area 3.

  In S210, character detection processing is performed on the image data 3. If a character is detected in S210, the process proceeds to S211. In S211, the character data detected in S210 is cut out, and the area from which the character data has been cut out is painted with a peripheral color, and the process proceeds to S212. In S212, the character data cut out in S211 is moved from the original position in the direction of widening the image area 3, and again arranged in the image data 3. At this time, the character data is reduced and rearranged as necessary. If character data is rearranged in the image data 3 in S212, the process proceeds to S206. If no character is detected in S210, the process proceeds to S213, where the user is prompted to select a region by operating a UI that allows the user to select an arbitrary region. Proceed to

  In S208, the image data 2 is resized based on the size of the image composition area. At this time, the compression / decompression 32 shown in FIG. 1 may be used. The image data 2 resized in S208 is set as image data 4, and the process proceeds to S209.

  In S209, a process of synthesizing the image data 4 in the image synthesis area is performed to create synthesized image data (FIG. 11).

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow for operating the image processing unit of the image processing apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. When the image processing apparatus is turned on (S301) and the shooting mode is for shooting / recording an image, the operation unit 70 in FIG. 1 is operated to reproduce the recorded image data. Enter mode. If the playback mode is set when the power is turned on, nothing is done (S302, S303). In the reproduction mode, the image data recorded on the recording medium 200 or 210 in FIG. 1 is displayed on the image display unit 28 in FIG.

An arbitrary image is selected by operating the operation unit 70 of FIG. 1 (S304). It is possible to select processing such as deletion and data transfer using the communication unit 110 for the selected image. From these processes, a document creation process with a face photo is selected (S305). When the face photograph input document creation process is selected, the image processing unit shown in the flow in FIG. 2 operates. At this time, the image selected in S304 is the image data 1 in the flow of FIG. When the image processing is completed, the image data 4 in the flow of FIG. 2 is output.

  The image data 4 is displayed as an image on the image display unit 28, and a UI that prompts the user to select whether to save the image operates (S307). When saving in S307 is selected, the image data 4 is recorded on the recording medium (S308). If it is selected not to save in S307, the image data 4 is discarded. Here, the configuration may be such that the image data 4 storage process of S308 is performed without passing through S307.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow for operating the image processing unit illustrated in FIG. 2, which is different from that illustrated in FIG. 3. When the power of the image processing apparatus is turned on (S401) and it is in the reproduction mode, the operation unit 70 in FIG. If the shooting mode is set when the power is turned on, nothing is done (S402, S403). In the shooting mode, it is possible to display a live image by controlling the signal processing unit 20 and the like by the system control circuit 50 and sequentially displaying the image signal obtained by the imaging element 14 in FIG. 1 on the image display unit 28. .

  In the shooting mode, it is possible to select settings (shooting mode) such as exposure control during shooting, focus operation, and UI display. From these settings, an image shooting mode for creating a document containing a face image is selected (S404). When the image capturing mode for creating a document containing a face image is selected, an area in which a face is to be arranged and an area in which a document is to be arranged are displayed in the image display device in the live image displayed on the image display unit 28 in FIG. A graphic is displayed (S405).

  The user places a subject in accordance with the graphic displayed in S405, and instructs photographing by operating the operation unit 70 of FIG. 1 (S406). When the photographing is instructed, the system control circuit controls the peripheral circuit, performs the photographing by combining AF, AE, and AWB in the area where the face is to be arranged, and acquires the photographed image data 1 (S407). Following the processing of S407, this time, AF, AE, and AWB are photographed in the area where the document is to be placed, and photographed image data 2 is acquired (S408). Subsequently, the area including the area where the face is to be arranged in the photographed image data 1 and the area where the document is to be arranged in the photographed image data 2 are combined to create image data 5 (S409).

  When the image data 5 is created, the image processing unit whose flow is shown in FIG. 2 operates. At this time, the image data 5 is the image data 1 in the flow of FIG. When the image processing is completed, the image data 4 in the flow of FIG. 2 is output. The image data 4 and the image data 5 are recorded on the recording medium 200 or 210 in FIG.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Flow of image processing according to an embodiment of the present invention An example of a flow for operating image processing according to an embodiment of the present invention An example of a flow for operating image processing according to an embodiment of the present invention Image data for explaining the embodiment of the present invention 1 image Face area extraction image for explaining the embodiment of the present invention Trapezoidal region extraction image for explaining the embodiment of the present invention Image region 1 image for explaining the embodiment of the present invention 3 image data for explaining the embodiment of the present invention Free space detection image for explaining the embodiment of the present invention Composite image for explaining the embodiment of the present 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 Signal processing circuit 22 Memory control circuit 24 Image display memory 26 D / A converter 28 Image display part 30 Memory 32 Image compression / expansion circuit 40 Exposure Control means 42 Distance measurement control means 44 Zoom control means 48 Flash 50 System control circuit 51 Image processing means 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 Quick review ON / OFF switch 70 Operation unit 80 Power supply control means 82 Connector 84 Connector 86 Power supply means 90 Interface 92 Connector 94 Interface 96 Connector 98 Recording medium attachment / detachment detection means 100 Image processing apparatus 104 Optical viewfinder 110 Communication means 112 Connector (or antenna)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 120 Gain amplifier 121 Time measuring part 122 Exposure calculating means 123 Brightness level calculating means 124 Correction gain calculating means 200 Recording medium 202 Recording part 204 Interface 206 Connector 210 Recording medium 212 Recording part 214 Interface 216 Connector

Claims (18)

A face detection means, a trapezoid detection means, an empty area detection means for detecting an empty area without a character or a pattern in the trapezoid detected by the trapezoid detection means, and an image of the face portion detected by the face detection means In an image processing apparatus provided with a face image placement means to be placed inside, and a face photo containing document creation instruction means for instructing creation of a face photo containing document,
When the face-photographed document creation instruction unit is operated for one image data including a face part and a trapezoid part, the face detection part is detected by the face detection part, and the trapezoid part is detected by the trapezoid detection part. An image processing apparatus, wherein the empty area detecting means detects an empty area of the trapezoidal portion, and the face image arranging means arranges the face image portion in the empty area to create new image data. .   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a trapezoid correcting unit that corrects the detected trapezoidal part into a rectangle, and performing trapezoidal correction on the trapezoidal part of the new image data using the trapezoid correcting unit. .   Distortion correction means for correcting the distortion of the detected straight part of the trapezoidal part, and distortion correction is performed on the distortion of the straight part of the trapezoidal part of the new image data using the distortion correction means. Item 8. The image processing apparatus according to Item 1.   The distortion correction means is characterized in that the part determined to be a distortion is filled with the peripheral color in the trapezoidal part based on the linearity of the directly manufactured part constituting the trapezoidal part detected by the trapezoidal detection means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the distortion correcting unit is a unit that cuts out a certain region from a heel portion of the trapezoidal portion detected by the trapezoid detecting unit.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an appropriate region in which the entire face enters is automatically selected based on a distance between feature points detected as a face and extracted as a face image.   2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the free area detecting means detects a free area by a method of searching for a white area.   2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacant area detecting means detects a vacant area by a method of searching for an area having a low contrast.   The plurality of empty areas detected by the empty area detecting means are ranked according to which part in the trapezoidal part is located, and the position where the face photograph is arranged is determined. Image processing apparatus.   2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of empty areas detected by the empty area detecting means are ranked according to the size of the empty areas, and a position where the face image is arranged is determined.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of empty areas detected by the empty area detecting means are ranked according to the size and shape of the empty areas, and a position where the face image is arranged is determined.   The embedding face image is resized to an appropriate size and arranged based on the size of the area where the face photograph determined from the empty area detected by the empty area detecting means is arranged. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a low-contrast area of a trapezoidal portion of new image data is painted in white.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a low-contrast area of a trapezoidal part of new image data is painted with a color that occupies the widest area of the trapezoidal part.   A character recognizing unit for recognizing the character in the trapezoidal portion by the character recognizing unit, and cutting out the recognized character when the free region detecting unit cannot detect an appropriate region, and again the free region detecting unit An empty area is detected using the character, the clipped character is arranged at an appropriate position 1 of the re-detected empty area, and a face image is arranged at an appropriate position 2 of the remaining empty area. Item 8. The image processing apparatus according to Item 1.   In a digital camera equipped with an image display device for displaying a live image, an image shooting mode for creating a document containing face images, and a selection unit for the mode, the image shooting for creating a document containing face images is performed when the selection unit is operated. A digital camera which is in a mode and displays a region on which a face is to be placed and a region on which a document is to be placed on the image display device in a graphic form.   The digital camera according to claim 16, wherein in the image shooting mode for creating a document with a face image, appropriate white balance processing is performed in each of a region where a face is to be placed and a region where a document is to be placed.   In the image capturing mode for creating a document with face image, continuous shooting is performed with AF, AE, AWB in the area where the face is to be placed, and AF, AE, AWB is combined in the area in which the document is to be placed. The digital camera according to claim 16, wherein both images are joined together to create a single face image-containing document creation image.

Images