JP2008187590A - Photographing apparatus, and photographing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To capture a photographic image with suitable lightness in each of two areas of an entire photographing visual field and a specific area in the visual field in a photographing apparatus such as a digital camera. <P>SOLUTION: The photographing apparatus comprises an imaging means for imaging a subject to capture image data, a display means for displaying the captured image data, and an exposure determining means for determining exposure conditions in accordance with lightness of the subject, and performs photographing in accordance with the exposure conditions determined by the exposure determining means. The photographing apparatus further comprises an area display means for displaying a predetermined area A2 preset within a photographic visual field A1 on the display means, the exposure determining means determines first exposure conditions based on lightness of the entire photographic visual field A1 and second exposure conditions based on lightness of the predetermined area A2, thereby continuously performing, in photographing, first photography according to the first exposure conditions and second photography according to the second exposure conditions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing device such as a digital camera, and more particularly to a photographing device and a photographing method for photographing a license plate of a vehicle.

  In recent years, violations of traffic rules such as parking violations have become a major social problem, and in particular, enforcement of parking violations has been strengthened by entrusting the monitoring work to the private sector. When a person who has the authority to crack down looks at an illegal vehicle, information that identifies the vehicle, such as the license plate and the entire vehicle, is recorded, and by identifying the offender from this information, fines and penalties are imposed. Etc. are performed.

Therefore, the license plate of the parked vehicle is photographed with a digital camera, the still image data is recorded on a medium, the still image data is read from this medium, and the license plate is recognized and processed to recognize numbers, characters, etc. An automobile license plate reading / input device that identifies a vehicle by inputting the obtained information into a dedicated terminal or the like for collating the information is disclosed (Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-63544

  However, in order to obtain information from the license plate as described above, the captured image data must be in a state where characters and numbers can be recognized. However, when shooting a license plate with a digital camera, the license plate is attached to the lower part of the vehicle, so it may become dark behind the vehicle and darken the vicinity of the license plate. In order to obtain image data capable of recognizing the image, it may be necessary to re-shoot several times.

  On the other hand, in order to record the parking violation as evidence, not only the license plate but also a photographed image including the entire vehicle and the background is required. However, in shooting for obtaining such a shot image, there is a possibility that the vehicle, the background, etc. will be overexposed if the brightness is adjusted to the license plate.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a photographing apparatus capable of acquiring a photographed image with appropriate brightness in each of two regions, that is, the whole photographing field of view and a specific region within the field of view or an object, and The object is to provide a photographing method.

An imaging device of the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
Exposure determining means for determining an exposure condition according to the brightness of the subject,
In a photographing apparatus that performs photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining means,
An area display means for displaying a predetermined area set in advance within the photographing field of view on the display means;
The exposure determining means determines a first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire photographing field and a second exposure condition based on the brightness of the predetermined area, respectively.
At the time of shooting, the first shooting according to the first exposure condition and the second shooting according to the second exposure condition are continuously performed.

  The image pickup means includes a zoom lens, and can take a picture at a different shooting magnification so that the field of view including the predetermined area is expanded to the maximum magnification at the time of the second shooting.

In addition, a second imaging device of the present invention includes an imaging unit including a zoom lens that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data;
In a photographing apparatus comprising display means for displaying the acquired image data,
An area display means for displaying a predetermined area set in advance within the photographing field of view on the display means;
During shooting, the whole shooting for shooting the entire field of view and the predetermined area shooting for changing the shooting magnification so as to enlarge the field of view including the predetermined area to the maximum magnification are continuously performed. is there.

Further, a third imaging device of the present invention includes an imaging unit that images a subject and acquires image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
In an imaging device comprising an electronic zoom imaging means for cutting out an image of an arbitrary region in the acquired image data and generating image data,
An area display means for displaying a predetermined area set in advance within the photographing field of view on the display means;
At the time of shooting, the entire field of view is captured to perform image capturing to obtain image data, and the electronic zoom image capturing means cuts out the predetermined area from the image data acquired by the entire image capturing means to generate image data of the predetermined area It is characterized by doing.

According to a fourth imaging device of the present invention, an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
Exposure determining means for determining an exposure condition according to the brightness of the subject,
In a photographing apparatus that performs photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining means,
Further comprising object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
The exposure determining means determines a first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire field of view and a second exposure condition based on the brightness of the predetermined object detected by the object detection means,
At the time of shooting, the first shooting according to the first exposure condition and the second shooting according to the second exposure condition are continuously performed.

The fourth imaging device includes automatic authentication means for authenticating display contents displayed on the predetermined object detected by the object detection means,
A judgment means for judging whether or not the authentication rate is low by the automatic authentication means,
When the determination unit determines that the authentication rate is low, the exposure determination unit may determine the second exposure condition and perform shooting.

  In the fourth imaging apparatus, the imaging unit includes a zoom lens, and the imaging magnification is changed so that the image is enlarged up to a maximum magnification including the predetermined object at the time of the second imaging. You can shoot.

In this case, automatic authentication means for authenticating the display content displayed on the predetermined object detected by the object detection means,
A decision to determine whether or not the authentication rate by the automatic authentication means is low,
When the determination unit determines that the authentication rate is low, the imaging unit changes the shooting magnification so that the field of view including the predetermined object is enlarged to the maximum magnification and / or the exposure determination unit. However, photographing may be performed after the second exposure condition is determined again.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging unit including a zoom lens that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data.
In a photographing apparatus comprising display means for displaying the acquired image data,
Further comprising object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
At the time of shooting, continuous shooting of the entire shooting field of view, and object shooting that changes the shooting magnification so as to expand the field of view including the predetermined object detected by the object detection means up to the maximum magnification. It is characterized by being performed.

The fifth imaging device includes automatic authentication means for authenticating display contents displayed on the predetermined object detected by the object detection means,
A decision to determine whether or not the authentication rate by the automatic authentication means is low,
When the determination unit determines that the authentication rate is low, the imaging unit may perform imaging after changing the imaging magnification so that the field of view including the predetermined object is expanded to the maximum magnification.

According to a sixth imaging device of the present invention, an imaging unit that images a subject and acquires image data;
In an imaging device comprising an electronic zoom imaging means for cutting out an image of an arbitrary area in the acquired image data and generating image data,
Further comprising object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
At the time of shooting, the entire field of view is shot to acquire image data, and the object detection unit detects the predetermined object from the image data acquired by the entire shooting, and the electronic zoom shooting unit The image data is generated by cutting out the detected predetermined object.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging unit including a zoom lens that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data.
Object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the acquired image data;
Exposure determining means for determining an exposure condition according to the brightness of the subject,
In a photographing apparatus that performs photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining means,
Automatic authentication means for authenticating display contents displayed on the predetermined object detected by the object detection means;
A decision to determine whether or not the authentication rate by the automatic authentication means is low,
When the determination unit determines that the authentication rate is low, the imaging unit changes the shooting magnification so that the field of view including the predetermined object is enlarged to the maximum magnification and / or the exposure determination unit. In this case, photographing is performed after the exposure conditions are determined again.

In the photographing apparatus of the present invention, the predetermined object is a license plate, and the display content is letters and / or numbers displayed on the license plate,
A folder creation unit for creating a folder having a name corresponding to the letters / numbers authenticated by the automatic authentication means;
The image data acquired by the photographing may be recorded in the folder created by the folder creation unit.

The photographing apparatus of the present invention further includes distance measuring means for detecting the subject distance,
A distance measurement result display means for displaying the value detected by the distance measurement means on the display means may be provided.

  The imaging device of the present invention may include file name generation means for generating and assigning a file name according to the content of image data acquired by imaging.

An imaging method of the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
In a photographing method using a photographing device including an exposure determining unit that determines an exposure condition according to the brightness of a subject, and performing photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining unit,
Set a predetermined area in the field of view in advance,
Displaying the set predetermined area on the display means;
A first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire photographing field and a second exposure condition based on the brightness of the predetermined area are respectively determined by the exposure determining means,
At the time of shooting, the first shooting according to the first exposure condition and the second shooting according to the second exposure condition are continuously performed.

According to a second imaging method of the present invention, an imaging unit including a zoom lens that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data;
In a photographing method using a photographing device comprising display means for displaying the acquired image data,
Set a predetermined area in the field of view in advance,
Displaying the set predetermined area on the display means;
During shooting, the whole shooting for shooting the entire field of view and the predetermined area shooting for changing the shooting magnification so as to expand the field of view including the predetermined area up to the maximum magnification are continuously performed. is there.

According to a third imaging method of the present invention, an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
In an imaging method using an imaging device comprising an electronic zoom imaging means for cutting out an image of an arbitrary area in the acquired image data and generating image data,
Set a predetermined area in the field of view in advance,
Displaying the set predetermined area on the display means;
First, shoot the entire field of view and capture the entire image to obtain image data.
Next, the electronic zoom photographing unit is characterized in that the predetermined area is cut out from the image data acquired by the whole photographing to generate image data of the predetermined area.

According to a fourth imaging method of the present invention, there is provided imaging means for imaging a subject and acquiring image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
Object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data;
In a photographing method using a photographing device including an exposure determining unit that determines an exposure condition according to the brightness of a subject, and performing photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining unit,
The object detection means detects a predetermined object from the image data;
The exposure determining means determines a first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire field of view and a second exposure condition based on the brightness of the predetermined object detected by the object detection means,
At the time of shooting, the first shooting according to the first exposure condition and the second shooting according to the second exposure condition are continuously performed.

According to a fifth imaging method of the present invention, an imaging unit including a zoom lens that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
In an imaging method using an imaging device comprising an object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
The object detection means detects a predetermined object from the image data;
First, take a whole picture to shoot the whole field of view,
Next, the object photographing is performed by changing the photographing magnification so that the field of view including the detected predetermined object is enlarged up to the maximum magnification.

According to a sixth imaging method of the present invention, an imaging means for imaging a subject and acquiring image data;
An electronic zoom photographing means for cutting out an image of an arbitrary region in the obtained image data and generating image data;
In an imaging method using an imaging device comprising an object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
First, shoot the entire field of view and capture the entire image to obtain image data.
Next, a predetermined object is detected by the object detection unit from the image data acquired by the whole photographing, and the electronic zoom photographing unit cuts out the detected predetermined object and generates image data. It is a feature.

According to a seventh imaging method of the present invention, an imaging unit including a zoom lens that captures an image of a subject and acquires image data;
Object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the acquired image data;
In a photographing method using a photographing device including an exposure determining unit that determines an exposure condition according to the brightness of a subject, and performing photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining unit,
The object detection means detects the predetermined object;
Determining whether the authentication rate of the displayed content displayed on the detected predetermined object is low;
When it is determined that the authentication rate is low, the imaging unit changes the imaging magnification so that the field of view including the predetermined object is enlarged to the maximum magnification, and / or the exposure determination unit sets the exposure condition. It is determined again to perform the photographing.

  According to the photographing apparatus and the photographing method of the present invention, the first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire photographing visual field and the second exposure condition based on the brightness of a predetermined area preset in the photographing visual field are respectively determined. During shooting, the first shooting in accordance with the first exposure condition and the second shooting in accordance with the second exposure condition are continuously performed. Images can be acquired. For example, when shooting a parking / braking vehicle, for example, the user puts the entire vehicle or background in the shooting field of view, puts a license plate in a predetermined area, determines the angle of view, and gives a shooting instruction. In this way, you can obtain a captured image with appropriate brightness for the entire vehicle and background, and a captured image with appropriate brightness for the license plate. It is possible to obtain evidence photographs that can be confirmed, and photographs that can easily read display contents such as letters and numbers on the license plate and that can identify a parked vehicle.

  Hereinafter, an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, a digital camera will be described as an example of a photographing apparatus according to the present invention. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, for example, an electronic imaging function such as a mobile phone with a camera, a PDA with a camera, It is applicable also to the other electronic device provided with.

  1 and 2 show an example of a digital camera, and are external views as seen from the back side and the front side, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, an operation mode switch 11, a menu / OK button 12, a zoom / up / down lever 13, a left / right button 14, Back (back) is provided on the back of the main body 10 of the digital camera 1 as an interface for user operation. ) Button 15 and display switching button 16, and further includes a finder 17 for photographing, a monitor (display means) 18 for photographing and reproduction, and a release button 19.

  The operation mode switch 11 is a slide switch for switching operation modes of a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, and a playback mode. Each time the menu / OK button 12 is pressed, the shooting mode, flash emission mode, parking shooting mode, self-timer, etc. are turned on / off, and various menus for setting the number of recording pixels, sensitivity, etc. are monitored. 18 and a button for determining selection / setting based on a menu displayed on the monitor 18. The parking shooting mode is a mode for shooting to record a parking violation vehicle as evidence. When this mode is selected, an area display unit 65 described later is activated.

  The zoom / up / down lever 13 is tilted up and down to adjust the telephoto / wide angle during shooting, and the cursor in the menu screen displayed on the monitor 18 is moved up and down during various settings. The left / right button 14 is a button for moving and displaying the cursor in the menu screen displayed on the monitor 18 at various settings.

  The Back button 15 is a button for stopping various setting operations when pressed and displaying the previous screen on the monitor 18. The display switching button 16 is a button for switching ON / OFF of the display of the monitor 18, various guide displays, ON / OFF of character display, and the like when pressed. The viewfinder 17 is used for a user to look into the subject for composition and focus when photographing a subject. The subject image seen from the finder 17 is projected through the finder window 23 in front of the main body 10.

  The contents set by the operation of each button and lever described above can be confirmed by the display on the monitor 18, the position of the lamp in the finder 17, the position of the slide lever, and the like. The monitor 18 displays a through image for confirming the subject when photographing. As a result, the monitor 18 functions as an electronic viewfinder, displays still images and moving images after shooting, and displays various setting menus. When the release button 19 is half-pressed by the user, AE processing and AF processing described later are performed, and when the release button 19 is fully pressed, shooting is performed based on data output by the AE processing and AF processing. The image displayed on the monitor 18 is recorded as a captured image.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a photographing lens 20, a lens cover 21, a power switch 22, a finder window 23, a flash light 24, and a self-timer lamp 25 are provided on the front surface of the main body 10, and a media slot 26 is provided on the side surface. Is provided.

  The photographic lens 20 is for forming a subject image on a predetermined image plane (CCD or the like inside the main body 10), and includes a focus lens, a zoom lens, and the like. The lens cover 21 covers the surface of the photographic lens 20 when the power of the digital camera 1 is turned off or in the playback mode, and protects the photographic lens 20 from dirt and dust. The power switch 22 is a switch for switching on / off the power of the digital camera 1. The flashlight 24 is used to instantaneously irradiate the subject with light necessary for photographing while the release button 19 is pressed and the shutter inside the main body 10 is opened. The self-timer lamp 25 is used to notify the subject of the opening / closing timing of the shutter, that is, the start and end of exposure when shooting with the self-timer. The media slot 26 is a filling port for filling an external recording medium 70 such as a memory card. When the external recording medium 70 is filled, data reading / writing is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the digital camera 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation system of the digital camera 1 includes the operation mode switch 11, the menu / OK button 12, the zoom / up / down lever 13, the left / right button 14, the back button 15, the display switching button 16, the release button. The button 19, the power switch 22, and an operation system control unit 74 that is an interface for transmitting the operation contents of these switches, buttons, and levers to the CPU 75 are provided.

  Further, a focus lens 20a and a zoom lens 20b are provided as components of the photographing lens 20. Each of these lenses is step-driven by a focus lens driving unit 51 and a zoom lens driving unit 52 including a motor and a motor driver, and is configured to be movable in the optical axis direction. The focus lens driving unit 51 step-drives the focus lens 20 a based on the focus driving amount data output from the AF processing unit 62. The zoom lens driving unit 52 controls step driving of the zoom lens 20 b based on the operation amount data of the zoom / up / down lever 13.

  The diaphragm 54 is driven by a diaphragm driving unit 55 including a motor and a motor driver. The aperture driving unit 55 adjusts the aperture diameter of the aperture 54 based on aperture value data output from an AE (automatic exposure) / AWB (auto white balance) processing unit (exposure determining means) 63.

  The shutter 56 is a mechanical shutter and is driven by a shutter drive unit 57 including a motor and a motor driver. The shutter drive unit 57 controls the opening / closing of the shutter 56 in accordance with the pressing signal of the release button 19 and the shutter speed data output from the AE / AWB processing unit 63.

  Behind the optical system is a CCD (imaging means) 58 that is a photographing element. The CCD 58 has a photoelectric surface in which a large number of light receiving elements are arranged in a matrix, and a subject image that has passed through the optical system is formed on the photoelectric surface and subjected to photoelectric conversion. In front of the photocathode, a microlens array (not shown) for condensing light on each pixel and a color filter array (not shown) in which RGB filters are regularly arranged are arranged. Yes. The CCD 58 reads out the charges accumulated for each pixel line by line in synchronization with the vertical transfer clock signal and the horizontal transfer clock signal supplied from the CCD control unit 59 and outputs them as an image signal. The charge accumulation time (that is, exposure time) in each pixel is determined by an electronic shutter drive signal given from the CCD controller 59.

  The image signal output from the CCD 58 is input to the analog signal processing unit 60. The analog signal processing unit 60 includes a correlated double sampling circuit (CDS) that removes noise from the image signal, an auto gain controller (AGC) that adjusts the gain of the image signal, and an A that converts the image signal into digital image data. / D converter (ADC). The digital image data is CCD-RAW data having RGB density values for each pixel.

  The timing generator 72 generates a timing signal. The timing signal is input to the shutter drive unit 57, the CCD control unit 59, and the analog signal processing unit 60, and the operation of the release button 19 and the opening / closing of the shutter 56 are performed. The charge capturing of the CCD 58 and the processing of the analog signal processing 60 are synchronized. The flash controller 73 controls the light emission operation of the flashlight 24.

  The image input controller 61 writes the CCD-RAW data input from the analog signal processing unit 60 in the frame memory 68. The frame memory 68 is a working memory used when various digital image processing (signal processing) to be described later is performed on the image data. For example, an SDRAM that transfers data in synchronization with a bus clock signal having a fixed period. (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory).

  The display control unit 71 is for displaying the image data stored in the frame memory 68 on the monitor 18 as a through image. For example, the display control unit 71 combines a luminance (Y) signal and a color (C) signal into one signal. Is converted to a composite signal and output to the monitor 18. Through images are acquired at predetermined time intervals and displayed on the monitor 18 while the shooting mode is selected. In addition, the display control unit 71 causes the monitor 18 to display an image based on the image data stored in the external recording medium 70 and read out by the media control unit 69.

  The AF processing unit 62 and the AE / AWB processing unit 63 determine shooting conditions based on the pre-image. The pre-image is an image based on the image data stored in the frame memory 68 as a result of the CPU 75 having detected a half-press signal generated when the release button 19 is half-pressed and causing the CCD 58 to perform pre-photographing. is there.

  The AF processing unit 62 detects the focal position based on the pre-image, and outputs focus lens driving amount data (AF processing). In the present embodiment, as a method of detecting the focal position, for example, focusing is performed by using a feature that an in-focus evaluation value (contrast value) of an image is high when a desired subject is in focus. A passive method for detecting the position is conceivable.

  The AE / AWB processing unit (exposure determining means) 63 measures the subject brightness (brightness) based on the pre-image, determines the aperture value, shutter speed, etc. based on the measured subject brightness, and determines the aperture value data and shutter. Speed data is output (AE processing) and white balance at the time of shooting is automatically adjusted (AWB processing). The exposure and white balance can be set manually by the photographer of the digital camera 1 when the shooting mode is set to the manual mode. Even when the exposure and white balance are automatically set, the photographer can manually adjust the exposure and white balance by giving an instruction from the operation system 10.

  The image processing unit 64 performs image quality correction processing such as gamma correction, sharpness correction, and contrast correction on the image data of the main image, and converts the CCD-RAW data into Y data which is a luminance signal and Cb which is a blue color difference signal. YC processing is performed for conversion into YC data comprising data and Cr data which is a red color difference signal. The main image is an image based on the image data output from the CCD 58 when the release button 19 is fully pressed and stored in the frame memory 68 via the analog signal processing unit 60 and the image input controller 61. is there.

  The upper limit of the number of pixels of the main image is determined by the number of pixels of the CCD 58. For example, the number of recorded pixels can be changed by an image quality setting (setting such as fine and normal) that can be set by the user. On the other hand, the number of pixels of the through image or the pre-image may be smaller than that of the main image.

  The compression / decompression processing unit 65 performs compression processing on the image data that has been subjected to processing such as image quality correction by the image processing unit 64 in a compression format such as JPEG, and generates an image file. Additional information is added to the image file based on various data formats. In the playback mode, the compression / decompression processing unit 65 reads the compressed image file from the external recording medium 70 and performs decompression processing. The decompressed image data is output to the display control unit 71, and the display control unit 71 displays an image based on the image data on the monitor 18.

  The area display unit 66 displays on the monitor 18 a predetermined area A2 that is set in advance within the shooting field of view A1 when the parking shooting mode described above is turned on. The predetermined area A2 is displayed as a frame on the monitor 18, and the inside of the frame becomes the predetermined area A2. FIG. 4 shows a display example of the predetermined area A2. FIG. 4A shows a display example when the photographing field of view A1 is horizontally long, and FIG. 4B shows a display example when the photographing field of view A1 is vertically long.

  In the predetermined area A2, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the license plate may be located when the background including roads and buildings and the entire parking violation vehicle are within the photographing field of view A1. Is set to a high area. The size of the predetermined area A2 is the number plate size when the background including roads, trees, buildings, etc. and the entire parking violation vehicle fit within the field of view A1 because the size of the license plate is constant. Set to At this time, the predetermined area A2 is set to be slightly larger in consideration of the difference in the size of the vehicle depending on the vehicle type, the error in the size of the entire vehicle in the entire field of view A1, and the like.

  When the field of view A1 is horizontally long, as shown in FIG. 4A, it is set slightly below the center in the field of view A1. Similarly, when the field of view A2 is vertically long, FIG. ), The position is set slightly below the center in the field of view A1.

  If the user determines the angle of view in which the background including the road, trees, buildings, etc. and the entire parking violation vehicle are within the photographing field of view A1, and the license plate is not located within the predetermined area A2, for example, zoom / The predetermined area A2 may be moved by operating the up / down lever 13 and the left / right button 14 so that the license plate is positioned in the predetermined area A2.

  The internal memory 67 stores various constants set in the digital camera 1, programs executed by the CPU 75, and the like. The internal memory 67 stores the set value of the predetermined area A2, and the stored set value can be arbitrarily set by the user, for example, by displaying it on the monitor 18 and selecting it. ing.

  The file name generation unit 77 generates and assigns a file name according to the content of the image data acquired by shooting.

  The media control unit 69 corresponds to the media slot 26 in FIG. 2, and reads an image file or the like stored in the external recording medium 70 or writes an image file.

  The CPU 75 controls each part of the main body of the digital camera 1 in accordance with operations of various buttons, levers, switches, and signals from the respective function blocks. The data bus 76 is connected to the image input controller 61, various processing units 62 to 65, an area display unit 66, an internal memory 67, a frame memory 68, various control units 69 and 71, and a CPU 75. Various signals and data are transmitted and received via the. The digital camera 1 of the present embodiment is configured in this way.

  Next, processing performed in the parking shooting mode in the digital camera 1 having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera 1. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 75 determines the operation mode according to the setting of the operation mode switch 11 (step S1). In the reproduction mode (step S1; reproduction), reproduction processing is performed (step S16). This reproduction process is a process for the media control unit 69 to read an image file stored in the external recording medium 70 and display an image based on the image data included in the image file on the monitor 18. When the reproduction processing is completed, the CPU 75 determines whether or not the power switch 22 of the digital camera 1 is turned off (step S15). If the power is turned off (step S15; YES), the power of the digital camera 1 is turned on. Turn off and end processing. If an off operation has not been performed (step S15; NO), the process proceeds to step S1.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S1 that the operation mode is the parking shooting mode (step S1; parking shooting), the CPU 75 performs through image display control (step S2). The through image display is a process of displaying the image data stored in the frame memory 68 on the monitor 18. Then, the area display unit 66 displays the predetermined area A2 on the monitor 18 (step S3). Here, the user confirms the monitor 18 on which the predetermined area A2 is displayed, the background including roads, trees, buildings, etc. and the entire parking violation vehicle are accommodated in the photographing view A1, and the license plate is present in the predetermined area A2. The angle of view is adjusted to fit.

  Next, the CPU 75 determines whether or not the release button 19 has been half-pressed (step S4). If the release button 19 has not been half-pressed (step S4; NO), the CPU 75 proceeds to step S2, and the release button 19 The processing after step S2 is repeated until it is half-pressed. If half-pressed (step S4; YES), the AE / AWB processing unit 63 performs AE processing on the entire photographing field A1 and determines the first exposure condition (step S5).

  Further, the AE / AWB processing unit 63 performs AE processing on the predetermined area A2 displayed on the monitor 18 by the area display unit 66, and determines the second exposure condition (step S6). Next, the AF processing unit 62 performs AF processing on the central area of the photographing field of view A1, and determines a focus position (step S7).

  In the present embodiment, the AE process for the entire field of view A1 is performed before the predetermined area A2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the AE process for the predetermined area A2 may be performed first. Good. The AF process is performed on the subject, that is, the central area of the photographing field A1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the AF process may be performed on the predetermined area A2.

  Next, the CPU 75 determines whether or not the release button 19 is half-pressed (step S8). If the half-press is released (step S8; YES), the CPU 75 proceeds to step S2. If the half-press is not released (step S8; NO), the CPU 75 causes the release button 19 to be fully pressed. It is determined whether or not (step S9).

  If the release button 19 is not fully pressed (step S9; NO), the process of step S8 is repeated until the release button 19 is fully pressed. If the release button 19 is fully pressed (step S9; YES), the process proceeds to step S5. First imaging is performed according to the first exposure condition determined in step S10 (step S10), and then second imaging is performed according to the second exposure condition determined in step S6 (step S11). In the present embodiment, the first shooting is performed before the second shooting. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the second shooting may be performed first.

Next, the image processing unit 64 performs image processing on the two images acquired by the first shooting and the second shooting (step S12). At this time, the image data subjected to the image processing may be further compressed by the compression / decompression processing unit to generate an image file.

  Next, the file name generation unit 77 converts the first image data obtained by the first photographing and the second image data obtained by the second photographing into the first photographing and the second photographing data, respectively. A file name is generated so that it can be determined which image data is obtained by taking the image (step S13). For example, the end of the file name of the image data of the entire shooting field A1 obtained by the first shooting may be a1, and the end of the file name of the image data of the predetermined area A2 obtained by the second shooting may be a2. .

  Next, the CPU 75 performs processing for displaying the image subjected to the image processing on the monitor 18 and stores it in the external recording medium 70 with the file name generated as described above (step S14). Then, the CPU 75 determines whether or not an off operation has been performed by the power switch 22 (step S15). If the off operation has been performed (step S15; YES), the power of the digital camera 1 is turned off, and the process ends. If the off operation has not been performed (step S15; NO), the process proceeds to step S1, and the processes after step S1 are repeated. In this way, photographing with the digital camera 1 is performed.

  According to the above-described digital camera 1 and the photographing method using the digital camera 1, the first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire photographing field A1 and the brightness of the predetermined area A2 preset in the photographing field A1. Each of the second exposure conditions is determined, and at the time of shooting, the first shooting according to the first exposure condition and the second shooting according to the second exposure condition are continuously performed. Captured images with appropriate brightness can be acquired in each of the two areas of the entire area A1 and the predetermined area A2.

  Thus, for example, when shooting a parking / braking vehicle, the user puts the entire vehicle or background in the shooting field of view A1, puts a license plate in the predetermined area A2, determines the angle of view, and gives a shooting instruction. A shooting image with appropriate brightness for the entire vehicle, background, etc. and a captured image with appropriate brightness for the license plate can be acquired with the shooting instruction, so parking that reflects the entire vehicle and background, etc. It is possible to obtain evidence photographs capable of confirming the situation and photographs capable of easily reading display contents such as letters and numbers on the license plate and identifying a parked vehicle.

  Next, a digital camera 1-2 according to a second embodiment of the photographing apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the digital camera 1-2. Since the digital camera 1-2 of the present embodiment has a configuration substantially similar to that of the digital camera 1 of the above-described embodiment, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only different portions are described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the digital camera 1-2 according to the present embodiment further includes a distance measuring sensor (ranging means) 78 and a distance measurement result display unit (ranging result display) in addition to the configuration of the digital camera 1 according to the above-described embodiment. Means) 79 is provided.

Although not shown, the distance measuring sensor 78 is disposed in front of the digital camera 1-2. The distance measuring sensor 78 emits light from the light emitting unit to the subject and receives the light reflected and returned to the subject. This is a triangulation sensor that calculates the distance from the angle formed by the light receiving unit to the subject (hereinafter referred to as subject distance). Although the AF processing unit 62 of the digital camera 1 of the above-described embodiment is a passive method, the AF processing unit 62 of the digital camera 1-2 of the present embodiment is an active method that uses a distance measurement result by the distance measuring sensor 78. Good.

  The distance measurement result display unit 79 displays the subject distance value calculated by the distance measuring sensor 78, that is, the distance measurement result on the monitor 18 via the CPU 75. Here, FIG. 7 shows an example of the display of the distance measurement result by the distance measurement result display unit 79. The distance measurement result N is displayed as a bar graph B arranged on the right side of the screen of the monitor 18 as shown in FIG. The bar graph B can display a distance measurement result in a range from 1 m to 10 m, for example. When a parking violation vehicle is used as a subject, for example, if the subject distance is in a range from 2 m to 4 m, this range is targeted. The distance range T can be confirmed by arranging a horizontal line in the bar graph B or the like, and the distance measurement result N is displayed in a different color square or the like.

  At this time, the target distance range T is a distance range in which characters and numbers on the license plate can be read from the photographed image and can be photographed by the parking violation vehicle. This distance range is the performance of the digital camera 1-2 itself such as the number of pixels and quality. Therefore, it is preset according to the performance of the digital camera 1-2.

  Thus, for example, when shooting a parking violation vehicle, the user can easily check the distance to the parking violation vehicle, so that it is possible to perform shooting at a target subject distance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being large or small in the photographed image, and to make the size of the vehicle in the photographed image substantially constant, making it easy to manage the photographed image. The distance measurement result display unit 79 of the digital camera 1-2 according to the present embodiment displays the distance measurement result as a bar graph B. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the distance measurement result display unit 79 displays the distance measurement result numerically on the monitor 18. It can be changed as appropriate.

  The processing performed in the parking shooting mode in the digital camera 1-2 configured as described above is substantially the same as the processing in FIG. The above-described distance measurement result display by the distance measurement result display unit 79 is performed after the through image is displayed in step S2 of FIG. 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the step of FIG. When the release button 19 is half-pressed in S4, it may be performed in parallel with the processing from Step S5 to Step S7, and can be changed as appropriate. In this way, photographing with the digital camera 1-2 is performed.

  Next, a digital camera 1-3 according to a third embodiment of the photographing apparatus of the present invention will be described. The digital camera 1-3 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the digital camera 1 of the first embodiment or the digital camera 1-2 of the second embodiment described above, and the digital camera 1-3 having such a configuration. The process performed in the parking shooting mode will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a series of processing of the digital camera 1-3, and FIG. 9 is an example of an optical zoom in the digital camera 1-3. Note that FIG. 8 is substantially the same processing as the flowchart of FIG. 5, and therefore, overlapping portions are denoted by the same numbers and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, the digital camera 1-3 according to the present embodiment performs the first shooting (whole shooting) for shooting the entire shooting field of view according to the first exposure condition determined in step S5 of FIG. 8A. After (step S10), the zoom lens driving unit 52 controls the step driving of the zoom lens 20b to change the photographing magnification, that is, perform optical zoom (step S17).

  As shown in FIG. 9 (a), the optical zoom is a method for enlarging a predetermined area A2 from a predetermined shooting magnification of an angle of view in which a background including a road, a tree, a building, etc. and an entire parking violation vehicle fit within a shooting field of view A1. This is done by changing the magnification. In step S7, the AF processing unit 62 performs AF processing on the central area of the photographing field A1, and the in-focus position is determined. Therefore, the optical zoom is enlarged or reduced about the approximate center of the photographing field A1. The Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9B, the photographing magnification is changed so as to enlarge up to the maximum magnification including the predetermined area A2. In FIG. 9B, after changing the imaging magnification, the imaging field of view A ′ is set.

  After performing the optical zoom as described above (step S17), the CPU 75 displays on the monitor 18 the through image after the optical zoom, that is, the through field A ′ in which the predetermined area A2 is enlarged (step S18). Second imaging (predetermined area imaging) is performed in which the predetermined area is enlarged and photographed in accordance with the second exposure condition determined in step S6 (step S11). In this way, photographing with the digital camera 1-3 is performed.

  According to the above-described digital camera 1-3 and the photographing method using the digital camera 1-3, the whole photographing for photographing the entire field of view and the predetermined region photographing for enlarging the predetermined region are performed continuously. When shooting a vehicle that violates parking or stopping, the user puts the entire vehicle or background in the shooting field of view, puts a license plate in a predetermined area, determines the angle of view, and gives a shooting instruction. And a photographed image including a background and a photographed image with an enlarged license plate can be acquired. Thereby, an evidence image of parking violation can be obtained, and the display contents of the license plate such as numerals can be easily read.

  Note that the first shooting and the second shooting in the digital camera 1-3 of the present embodiment are the first exposure condition and the second exposure condition, respectively, as in the digital cameras 1 and 1-2 of the above-described embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second shooting may be performed according to the first exposure condition. In addition, the digital camera 1-3 according to the present embodiment performs optical zoom so as to enlarge up to the maximum magnification including the predetermined area A2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the release button 19 is fully pressed. The optical zoom may be performed only during the period.

  Next, a digital camera 1-4 according to a fourth embodiment of the photographing apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the digital camera 1-4. Since the digital camera 1-4 according to the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the digital camera 1 according to the first embodiment described above, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only different portions are described. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the digital camera 1-4 according to the present embodiment further includes an electronic zoom photographing unit (electronic zoom photographing means) 80 in addition to the digital camera 1 according to the first embodiment described above. The electronic zoom photographing unit 80 generates an image data by cutting out an image of an arbitrary area in the image data stored in the frame memory 68 or the external recording medium 70.

  Hereinafter, the process performed in the parking photography mode in the digital camera 1-4 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera 1-4, and FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of the electronic zoom of the digital camera 1-4. Note that the processing in steps S21 to S24 in FIG. 11A of the digital camera 1-4 according to the present embodiment is the same as the processing in steps S1 to S4 in FIG.

  When the release button 19 is half-pressed in step S24 (step 24; YES), as shown in FIG. 11A, the AE / AWB processing unit 63 performs AE processing on the entire field of view A1, and determines the exposure condition. (Step S25). Then, the AF processing unit 62 performs AF processing on the central area of the photographing field of view A1, and determines a focus position (step S26). The AF process is performed on the subject, that is, the central region of the photographing field A1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be performed on the predetermined region A2, for example.

  Next, the CPU 75 determines whether or not the half-press of the release button 19 is released (step S27). If the half-press is released (step S27; YES), the CPU 75 proceeds to step S22. If the half-press is not released (step S27; NO), the CPU 75 releases the CPU as shown in FIG. 11B. It is determined whether or not the button 19 has been fully pressed (step S28).

  If the release button 19 is not fully pressed (step S28; NO), the process of step S28 is repeated until the release button 19 is fully pressed. If the release button 19 is fully pressed (step S28; YES), the process proceeds to step S25. In accordance with the exposure conditions determined in step S29, the entire photographing field A1 is photographed (step S29).

  Next, the file name generation unit 77 generates, for example, a file name in which the end of the file name is all so that the image data obtained by the entire shooting is an image of the entire shooting field of view A1 (step S30). . Then, the image processing unit 64 performs image processing on the image acquired by the whole photographing (step S31), performs processing for displaying the image subjected to the image processing on the monitor 18, and the file generated as described above. The name is stored in the external recording medium 70 (step S31).

  Next, the electronic zoom photographing unit 80 performs electronic zoom (step S32). In the electronic zoom, as shown in FIG. 12A, an image of a predetermined area A2 in the image data recorded on the external recording medium 70 is cut out to generate image data, that is, electronic zoom is performed (step S32). As shown in a), the predetermined area A2 is enlarged and displayed on the monitor 18 (step S33). Then, for example, the file name generation unit 77 generates a file name with the end of the file name as part so that it is the image data of the predetermined area A2 (step S34), and the predetermined area A2 displayed on the monitor 18 Are recorded on the external recording medium 70 (step S35).

  Then, the CPU 75 determines whether or not an off operation has been performed by the power switch 22 (step S36). If the off operation has been performed (step S36; YES), the power of the digital camera 1 is turned off, and the process ends. If the off operation has not been performed (step S36; NO), the process proceeds to step S21, and the processes after step S21 are repeated. In this way, photographing with the digital camera 1-4 is performed.

  According to the above-described photographing method using the digital camera 1-4 and the digital camera 1-4, it is possible to obtain a photographed image of the entire photographing field A1 and a photographed image in which the predetermined area A2 is enlarged by one photographing. Thus, for example, when shooting a parking / braking vehicle, the user puts the entire vehicle, background, etc. in the shooting field of view, puts a license plate in a predetermined area, determines the angle of view, and takes a shot. The captured image including the whole and the background, etc. and the captured image with the license plate enlarged can be acquired, so that an evidence image of parking violation can be obtained and the number plate display contents such as numbers can be read easily Can do.

  Further, for example, when photographing a vehicle parked on a road with a lot of traffic, the digital camera 1-4 of the present embodiment needs to shoot only once, so that the user can shoot quickly and safely. .

  The digital camera 1-4 according to this embodiment includes a distance measuring sensor (ranging means) 78 and a distance measurement result display section (ranging result display means) similar to those of the digital camera 1-2 according to the second embodiment described above. 79 may be provided.

  Next, a digital camera 1-5 according to a fifth embodiment of the photographing apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the digital camera 1-5. Since the digital camera 1-4 according to the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the digital camera 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only different portions are described.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the digital camera 1-5 of the present embodiment includes an object detection unit (object detection means) 81 without including the area display unit 66 in the configuration of the digital camera 1 of the above-described embodiment. ing. The target object detection unit 81 detects a predetermined target object from the acquired image data.

  Hereinafter, processing performed in the parking shooting mode in the digital camera 1-5 having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera 1-5. 14 is substantially the same processing as the flowchart of FIG. 5, duplicate portions are denoted by the same numbers and description thereof is omitted.

  In the digital camera 1-5 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14A, when the release button 19 is half-pressed in step S4 (step S4; YES), the object detection unit 81 is stored in the frame memory 68. A license plate is detected as an object from image data, that is, a through image (step S41). For the detection of the license plate, for example, a license plate recognition method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-318772 filed earlier by the applicant of the present application can be used.

  If the license plate is not detected in step S41 (step 42; NO), the CPU 79 repeats the process of step S41 until the object detection unit 81 detects the license plate.

  On the other hand, when the license plate is detected in step S41 (step S42; YES), the CPU 75 moves the process to step S5, and the first camera as in the digital camera 1 of the first embodiment described above. An exposure condition is determined (step S5), and then a second exposure condition is determined (step S6). The digital camera 1-5 of the present embodiment is different from the digital camera 1 of the above-described embodiment in that the AE / AWB processing unit 63 performs object detection when determining the second exposure condition in step S6. The AE process is performed on the object detected by the unit 81, that is, the license plate.

  Thus, even if the user does not determine the angle of view by adjusting the position of the license plate in the photographic field A1, the license plate is automatically detected if the license plate is in the photographic field A1. Then, a first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire field of view A1 and a second exposure condition based on the brightness of the license plate are determined, respectively. Since the second shooting according to the second exposure condition is continuously performed, it is possible to acquire images with appropriate brightness in the respective regions.

  Then, the CPU 75 shifts the process to step S7. In addition, since the process after FIG.14A of FIG. 14A and FIG.14B of this embodiment is the same as the process after step S7 of FIG. 5, description is abbreviate | omitted. In this way, photographing with the digital camera 1-5 is performed.

  Similarly to the digital camera 1-5 of the present embodiment, the digital camera 1-2 of the second embodiment, the digital camera 1-3 of the third embodiment, and the digital camera 1 of the fourth embodiment. 4, an object detection unit (object detection means) 81 can be provided without providing the area display unit 66. In this case, the predetermined area A2 becomes a license plate detected by the object detection unit 81.

  Next, a digital camera 1-6 according to a sixth embodiment of the photographing apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the digital camera 1-6, and FIG. 16 shows an example of folder creation. Note that the digital camera 1-6 of the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the digital camera 1-5 of the fifth embodiment described above, and therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and different portions are described. Only explained.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the digital camera 1-6 according to the present embodiment further includes an automatic authentication unit 82, a determination unit 83, and a folder creation unit 84 in addition to the configuration of the digital camera 1-5 according to the fifth embodiment. is there. The automatic authentication unit 82 authenticates the display content displayed on the predetermined object detected by the object detection unit 81. In the present embodiment, the automatic authentication unit 82 displays it on the license plate detected by the object detection unit 81. Authenticate the letters and / or numbers being used. The determination unit (determination unit) 83 determines whether the authentication rate by the automatic authentication unit 82 is low. The method for determining the authentication rate will be described in detail later.

  The folder creation unit 84 creates a folder with a name corresponding to the letters and / or numbers of the license plate authenticated by the automatic authentication unit 82 in the external recording medium 70. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when “Shinagawa 55 XX-XX” (X is a number) is authenticated, a folder with the name “Shinagawa 55 XX_XX” is created. As long as the folder name corresponds to the authenticated character and / or number, that is, the vehicle body number, it may be the vehicle body number as it is or a name other than the above corresponding to the vehicle body number. . The folder may be created not in the external recording medium 70 but in the internal memory 67.

  Hereinafter, a process performed in the parking shooting mode in the digital camera 1-6 having the above-described configuration will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera 1-6. In the digital camera 1-6 of the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 17A, the CPU 75 determines the operation mode according to the setting of the operation mode switch 11 (step S51). In the reproduction mode (step S51; reproduction), reproduction processing is performed (step S69). This reproduction process is a process for the media control unit 69 to read an image file stored in the external recording medium 70 and display an image based on the image data included in the image file on the monitor 18. When the reproduction process is completed, as shown in FIG. 17B, the CPU 75 determines whether or not the power switch 22 of the digital camera 1-6 is turned off (step S67). If the power is turned off (step S67; YES). ), The power of the digital camera 1-6 is turned off, and the process ends. If an off operation has not been performed (step S67; NO), the process proceeds to step S51.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S51 of FIG. 17A that the operation mode is the parking shooting mode (step S51; parking shooting), the CPU 75 performs through image display control (step S52). The through image display is a process of displaying the image data stored in the frame memory 68 on the monitor 18. Here, the monitor 18 is confirmed by the user, and the angle of view is adjusted so that the background including the road, trees, buildings, etc. and the entire parking violation vehicle are within the photographing field of view.

  Next, the CPU 75 determines whether or not the release button 19 has been half-pressed (step S53). If the release button 19 has not been half-pressed (step S53; NO), the CPU 75 proceeds to step S52, and the release button 19 The processes after step S52 are repeated until half-pressed. If half-pressed (step S53; YES), the AE / AWB processing unit 63 performs AE processing on the entire field of view and determines the exposure condition (step S54). Next, the AF processing unit 62 performs an AF process on the central region of the shooting field of view and determines a focus position (step S55).

  Next, the CPU 75 determines whether or not the release button 19 is half-pressed (step S56). If the half-press has been released (step S56; YES), the CPU 75 proceeds to step S2. If the half-press has not been released (step S56; NO), the CPU 75 has determined whether the release button 19 has been fully pressed. It is determined whether or not (step S57).

  If the release button 19 is not fully depressed (step S57; NO), the process of step S57 is repeated until it is fully depressed. If the release button 19 is fully depressed (step S57; YES), step S54 is performed. In step S58, the image processing unit 64 performs image processing on the image acquired in accordance with the exposure condition determined in step S5 and the in-focus position determined in step 55 (step S58). .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 17B, the object detection unit 81 detects a license plate from the captured image on which image processing has been performed (step S60). If the license plate is not detected (step S61; NO), the process of step S60 is repeated until the license plate is detected. If the license plate is detected (step S61; YES), the determination unit 83. However, it is determined whether or not the authentication rate by the automatic authentication unit 82 is low (step S62).

  The determination of the authentication rate is performed when the size of the license plate in the photographed image is smaller than a predetermined threshold (the license plate is small) and / or the brightness of the license plate is smaller than the predetermined threshold (the license plate). Is determined to be low. At this time, the predetermined thresholds for the size and brightness of the license plate are set by previously calculating the average size and brightness of the limit that can confirm the letters and numbers of the license plate in the photographed image based on data or the like. .

  Then, when it is not determined that the authentication rate is low (step S63; NO), the automatic authentication unit 82 authenticates the characters and / or numbers displayed on the license plate (step S64), and then creates a folder. The unit 84 creates a folder with the name created as described above in the external recording medium 70 (step S65). The photographed image data is recorded in the created folder (step S66). At this time, as shown in FIG. 16, a file name corresponding to the authenticated character and / or number may be generated, and the captured image data may be stored with the generated file name.

  Then, the CPU 75 determines whether or not an off operation has been performed by the power switch 22 (step S67). If the off operation has been performed (step S67; YES), the power of the digital camera 1 is turned off, and the process ends. If an off operation has not been performed (step S67; NO), the process proceeds to step S1, and the processes after step S1 are repeated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S63 that the authentication rate is low (step S63; YES), it is determined in step S63 that the authentication rate is low because the size of the license plate is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. In such a case, the imaging magnification is increased so that the license plate has a size equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold value by substantially the same method as the optical zoom of the digital camera 1-3 of the third embodiment described above. When it is determined that the authentication rate is low because the value is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the exposure condition is determined again so as to increase the exposure value. When it is determined that the authentication rate is low because both the size and brightness of the license plate are smaller than a predetermined threshold, the exposure magnification is re-determined while increasing the photographing magnification as described above.

  Then, the CPU 75 shifts the process to step S58 and repeats the subsequent processes. In this way, photographing with the digital camera 1-6 is performed.

  According to the photographing method using the digital camera 1-6 and the digital camera 1-6 as described above, even when photographing is performed at a position away from the parking violation vehicle, for example, the display contents of the license plate When it is determined that the authentication rate is low, it will automatically shoot again after increasing the authentication rate, so it is possible to acquire a captured image that can reliably authenticate the license plate, and to reliably identify the parked vehicle Can do.

  Also, by authenticating the license plate as described above, it is possible to create folders and file names using letters and numbers that have been authenticated from the license plate, making it easy to manage captured image data be able to.

  Although the digital camera 1-6 of the present embodiment performs the license plate authentication in step S64 and the folder creation process in step S65 in FIG. 17B, these processes may not be performed. In this case, the photographed image data stored in the digital camera 1-6 may be read by, for example, an external license plate authentication device or the like to authenticate characters and / or numbers, and can be changed as appropriate.

  The photographing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the digital camera of the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed in design without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, an example for a car license plate has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to a person in backlight, a person in a spotlight, or an animal hidden in the shadow. The present invention can be applied to various cases where it is desired to photograph both the entire field of view and a specific object within the field of view with appropriate exposure, such as animals in ecological observation.

Rear view of digital camera Front view of digital camera Functional block diagram of the digital camera of the first embodiment Display example of specified area Flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera of the first embodiment Functional block diagram of the digital camera of the second embodiment Display example of distance measurement result of digital camera of second embodiment Flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera of the third embodiment (part 1) Flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera of the third embodiment (part 2) Example of optical zoom of digital camera of third embodiment Functional block diagram of the digital camera of the fourth embodiment Flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera of the fourth embodiment (No. 1) Flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera of the fourth embodiment (No. 2) Example of electronic zoom of digital camera of fourth embodiment Functional block diagram of the digital camera of the fifth embodiment Flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera of the fifth embodiment (part 1) Flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera of the fifth embodiment (No. 2) Functional block diagram of the digital camera of the sixth embodiment Example of folder creation for sixth digital camera Flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera of the sixth embodiment (part 1) Flowchart of a series of processes of the digital camera of the sixth embodiment (part 2)

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital camera (photographing device)
18 Monitor (display means)
19 Release button (shooting instruction means)
20 photographing lens 20b zoom lens 58 CCD (imaging means)
62 AF processing unit (focusing determining means)
63 AE / AWB processing unit (exposure determining means)
66 Area display section (area display means)
77 File name generator 78 Distance sensor (ranging means)
79 Distance measurement result display (range measurement result display means)
80 Electronic zoom photographing unit (electronic zoom photographing means)
81 Object detection unit (object detection means)
82 Automatic authentication part (automatic authentication means)
83 Judgment Unit (Judgment Means)
84 Folder creation part (folder creation means)
A1 Field of view A2 Predetermined area

Claims (22)

Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
Exposure determining means for determining an exposure condition according to the brightness of the subject,
In a photographing apparatus that performs photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining means,
An area display means for displaying a predetermined area set in advance within the photographing field of view on the display means;
The exposure determining means determines a first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire photographing field and a second exposure condition based on the brightness of the predetermined area, respectively.
An imaging apparatus characterized by continuously performing first imaging in accordance with the first exposure condition and second imaging in accordance with the second exposure condition during imaging. The imaging means comprises a zoom lens,
2. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein photographing is performed while changing a photographing magnification so that a field of view including the predetermined area is expanded to a maximum magnification at the time of the second photographing. An imaging means equipped with a zoom lens for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
In a photographing apparatus comprising display means for displaying the acquired image data,
An area display means for displaying a predetermined area set in advance within the photographing field of view on the display means;
An imaging apparatus that continuously performs whole imaging for imaging the entire field of view and predetermined area imaging for changing the imaging magnification so as to expand the field of view including the predetermined area to the maximum magnification at the time of shooting. . Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
In an imaging device comprising an electronic zoom imaging means for cutting out an image of an arbitrary region in the acquired image data and generating image data,
An area display means for displaying a predetermined area set in advance within the photographing field of view on the display means;
At the time of shooting, the entire field of view is captured to perform image capturing to obtain image data, and the electronic zoom image capturing means cuts out the predetermined area from the image data acquired by the entire image capturing means to generate image data of the predetermined area An imaging apparatus characterized by: Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
Exposure determining means for determining an exposure condition according to the brightness of the subject,
In a photographing apparatus that performs photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining means,
Further comprising object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
The exposure determining means determines a first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire field of view and a second exposure condition based on the brightness of the predetermined object detected by the object detection means,
An imaging apparatus characterized by continuously performing first imaging in accordance with the first exposure condition and second imaging in accordance with the second exposure condition during imaging. The imaging means comprises a zoom lens,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein at the time of the second imaging, imaging is performed by changing an imaging magnification so as to enlarge up to a maximum magnification including the predetermined object. An imaging means equipped with a zoom lens for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
In a photographing apparatus comprising display means for displaying the acquired image data,
Further comprising object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
At the time of shooting, continuous shooting of the entire shooting field of view, and object shooting that changes the shooting magnification so as to expand the field of view including the predetermined object detected by the object detection means up to the maximum magnification. A photographing apparatus characterized by being performed. Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
In an imaging device comprising an electronic zoom imaging means for cutting out an image of an arbitrary area in the acquired image data and generating image data,
Further comprising object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
At the time of shooting, the entire field of view is shot to acquire image data, and the object detection unit detects the predetermined object from the image data acquired by the entire shooting, and the electronic zoom shooting unit A photographing apparatus, wherein the image data is generated by cutting out the detected predetermined object. An imaging means equipped with a zoom lens for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
Object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the acquired image data;
Exposure determining means for determining an exposure condition according to the brightness of the subject,
In a photographing apparatus that performs photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining means,
Automatic authentication means for authenticating display contents displayed on the predetermined object detected by the object detection means;
A decision to determine whether or not the authentication rate by the automatic authentication means is low,
When the determination unit determines that the authentication rate is low, the imaging unit changes the shooting magnification so that the field of view including the predetermined object is enlarged to the maximum magnification and / or the exposure determination unit. Shoots after determining the exposure condition again. Automatic authentication means for authenticating display contents displayed on the predetermined object detected by the object detection means;
A decision to determine whether or not the authentication rate by the automatic authentication means is low,
6. The photographing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the determination unit determines that the authentication rate is low, the exposure determination unit performs the shooting after determining the second exposure condition again. Automatic authentication means for authenticating display contents displayed on the predetermined object detected by the object detection means;
A decision to determine whether or not the authentication rate by the automatic authentication means is low,
When the determination unit determines that the authentication rate is low, the imaging unit changes the shooting magnification so that the field of view including the predetermined object is enlarged to the maximum magnification and / or the exposure determination unit. The photographing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the photographing is performed after the second exposure condition is determined again. Automatic authentication means for authenticating display contents displayed on the predetermined object detected by the object detection means;
A decision to determine whether or not the authentication rate by the automatic authentication means is low,
When the determination unit determines that the authentication rate is low, the imaging unit performs shooting after changing the shooting magnification so that the field of view including the predetermined object is expanded to the maximum magnification. The imaging device according to claim 7. The predetermined object is a license plate, and the display content is letters and / or numbers displayed on the license plate,
A folder creation unit for creating a folder with a name corresponding to the characters and / or numbers authenticated by the automatic authentication means;
13. The photographing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image data acquired by the photographing is recorded in a folder created by the folder creation unit. It further comprises distance measuring means for detecting the subject distance,
The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a distance measurement result display unit that causes the display unit to display a value detected by the distance measurement unit.   15. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising file name generation means for generating and assigning a file name according to the content of image data acquired by photographing. Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
In a photographing method using a photographing device including an exposure determining unit that determines an exposure condition according to the brightness of a subject, and performing photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining unit,
Set a predetermined area in the field of view in advance,
Displaying the set predetermined area on the display means;
A first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire photographing field and a second exposure condition based on the brightness of the predetermined area are respectively determined by the exposure determining means,
A shooting method characterized by continuously performing a first shooting according to the first exposure condition and a second shooting according to the second exposure condition at the time of shooting. An imaging means equipped with a zoom lens for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
In a photographing method using a photographing device comprising display means for displaying the acquired image data,
Set a predetermined area in the field of view in advance,
Displaying the set predetermined area on the display means;
An image-taking method characterized by continuously performing whole image-capturing in which the entire field of view is photographed and a predetermined area image-taking in which the field-of-view including the predetermined area is enlarged so that the field-of-view including the predetermined area is expanded to the maximum magnification. . Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
In an imaging method using an imaging device comprising an electronic zoom imaging means for cutting out an image of an arbitrary area in the acquired image data and generating image data,
Set a predetermined area in the field of view in advance,
Displaying the set predetermined area on the display means;
First, shoot the entire field of view and capture the entire image to obtain image data.
Next, the electronic zoom photographing means cuts out the predetermined area from the image data acquired by the whole photographing, and generates image data of the predetermined area. Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
Object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data;
In a photographing method using a photographing device including an exposure determining unit that determines an exposure condition according to the brightness of a subject, and performing photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining unit,
The object detection means detects a predetermined object from the image data;
The exposure determining means determines a first exposure condition based on the brightness of the entire field of view and a second exposure condition based on the brightness of the predetermined object detected by the object detection means,
An imaging apparatus characterized by continuously performing first imaging in accordance with the first exposure condition and second imaging in accordance with the second exposure condition during imaging. An imaging means equipped with a zoom lens for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
Display means for displaying the acquired image data;
In an imaging method using an imaging device comprising an object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
The object detection means detects a predetermined object from the image data;
First, take a whole picture to shoot the whole field of view,
Next, an object photographing is performed, in which photographing is performed while changing the photographing magnification so that the field of view including the detected predetermined object is expanded to the maximum magnification. Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
An electronic zoom photographing means for cutting out an image of an arbitrary region in the obtained image data and generating image data;
In an imaging method using an imaging device comprising an object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the image data,
First, shoot the entire field of view and capture the entire image to obtain image data.
Next, a predetermined object is detected by the object detection unit from the image data acquired by the whole photographing, and the electronic zoom photographing unit cuts out the detected predetermined object and generates image data. Characteristic shooting method. An imaging means equipped with a zoom lens for capturing an image of a subject and acquiring image data;
Object detection means for detecting a predetermined object from the acquired image data;
In a photographing method using a photographing device including an exposure determining unit that determines an exposure condition according to the brightness of a subject, and performing photographing according to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determining unit,
The object detection means detects the predetermined object;
Determining whether the authentication rate of the displayed content displayed on the detected predetermined object is low;
When it is determined that the authentication rate is low, the imaging unit changes the imaging magnification so that the field of view including the predetermined object is enlarged to the maximum magnification, and / or the exposure determination unit sets the exposure condition. An imaging method, wherein the imaging is performed again after determination.

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