JP2009055093A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform recording control of various data at photographing, depending on the change in the distance up to an object, when the distance changes. <P>SOLUTION: A control circuit 5 performs photography, by acquiring the photography image data of an object, depending on the operation of a photographer and recording the image data on a recording medium 12. Prior to photographing, the control circuit 5 acquires defocus information of a plurality of focal point detection regions set in the field and calculates a motion vector, based on a variation dependent on the time of defocus information thus acquired. Based on this motion vector, the control circuit 5 stores the data which is based on the variations in the distance information, acquired as the defocus information in the recording medium 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to data recording control in an imaging apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an imaging apparatus that acquires distance information regarding a distance to a subject corresponding to each focus detection area for a plurality of focus detection areas set in the object scene. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a camera that acquires defocus information for each focus detection region and adjusts the focus of the photographing lens.

JP 2002-72283 A

  In the conventional imaging apparatus as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the distance information to the subject is only used for adjusting the focus of the photographing lens, and is not effectively used.

An imaging apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an imaging unit that performs imaging by acquiring captured image data of a subject image in accordance with a photographer's operation and recording it on a recording medium, and a plurality of images set in an object scene. For the focus detection area, distance information acquisition means for acquiring distance information related to the distance to the subject corresponding to each focus detection area, and recording of data based on the change of the distance information acquired by the distance information acquisition means on the recording medium And a recording control means to be performed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first aspect, the recording control means records distance change data based on a change according to the time of the distance information on the recording medium in association with the photographed image data. .
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the imaging apparatus further includes an intruder detection unit that detects an intruder into the object field based on a change in distance information. The detection result of the intruder by the detecting means is recorded on the recording medium in association with the photographed image data.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the third aspect, the extracting means for extracting the main subject region in the object scene, and the distance information acquired for the main subject whose region has been extracted by the extracting means, And a hiding judgment means for judging whether or not the main subject is hidden behind the intruder based on the distance information acquired about the intruder, and the recording control means has the main subject behind the intruder. If it is determined to be hidden, the intruder detection result is recorded on the recording medium in association with the captured image data. If it is determined that the main subject is not hidden behind the intruder, the intruder detection result is recorded. Is not recorded on the recording medium.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the third aspect, the extracting means for extracting the area of the main subject in the object scene, the distance information acquired for the main subject from which the area has been extracted by the extracting means, And a judging means for judging whether or not the intruder is present at a position closer to the main subject based on the distance information acquired about the intruder, and the recording control means has the intruder from the main subject. If it is determined that the intruder is present at a position farther than the main subject, the detection result of the intruder is recorded on the recording medium in association with the captured image data. The intruder detection result is not recorded on the recording medium.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first aspect, an intruder detection means for detecting an intruder into the scene based on a change in distance information, and a main subject area in the scene. Whether or not the main subject is hidden behind the intruder based on the extraction means for extracting the distance, the distance information acquired for the main subject whose area has been extracted by the extraction means, and the distance information acquired for the intruder The recording control means records the result of the determination by the hidden determination means on the recording medium in association with the photographed image data.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the imaging apparatus further includes an intruder detection unit that detects an intruder into the object field based on a change in distance information. Depending on the detection result of the intruder by the detecting means, the photographing operation by the photographing means and / or the recording of the photographed image data on the recording medium by the photographing means is permitted or prohibited.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the recording control means is based on the photographing operation by the photographing means and / or the photographing means based on the direction or size of the intruder entering the object scene. The recording of photographed image data on a recording medium is permitted or prohibited.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first aspect, an intruder detection means for detecting an intruder into the object field based on a change in distance information, and an intruder detection by the intruder detection means. And a crop area determining means for determining a crop area in the photographed image data based on the result, and the recording control means records the data specifying the crop area determined by the crop area determining means in association with the photographed image data. It is recorded on a medium.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first aspect, an intruder detection means for detecting an intruder into the object field based on a change in distance information, and an intruder detection by the intruder detection means. A crop area determining means for determining a crop area in the photographed image data based on the result; and a crop processing means for performing a crop process by extracting the crop area determined by the crop area determining means from the photographed image data. The recording control means records the captured image data corresponding to the crop area extracted by the crop processing means on a recording medium.

  According to the present invention, when the distance to the subject changes, it is possible to control the photographing operation itself and / or control the recording of various data (including the image data itself) at the time of photographing according to the change.

1. Configuration The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an imaging device includes an imaging device 1, a photographing lens 2, a lens driving circuit 3, a control circuit 5, an operation member 7, an imaging device driving circuit 8, a signal processing circuit 9, and a data processing circuit. 10, a compression / expansion circuit 11, a monitor 13, a display control circuit 14, a photometry circuit 15, a shake detection sensor 16, and an AF sensor 17, and a recording medium 12 is further provided.

  The recording medium 12 includes a memory card, a small hard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, and the like. Note that the recording medium 12 may be built in the imaging apparatus or may be detachably mounted. Further, it may be provided outside the imaging apparatus. In that case, the recording medium 12 and the imaging device are electrically connected by wire or wirelessly.

  The taking lens 2 includes a focus lens that adjusts the focus of the taking lens 2 in accordance with the defocus amount detected by the AF sensor 17. The AF sensor 17 detects the defocus amount by a known phase difference detection method. The taking lens 2 includes a zoom lens that adjusts the zoom of the taking lens 2 by operating a known zoom operation member.

  Further, the photographing lens 2 includes a shake correction lens (not shown). The shake correction lens is driven in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the photographic lens 2 by the lens driving circuit 3 based on the output of the shake detection sensor 16. Thereby, the position of the subject image formed on the image sensor 1 is shifted in a direction to cancel out the shake of the image pickup apparatus, and shake correction is performed.

  The imaging device 1 configured by a known CCD, CMOS, or the like accumulates charges for each pixel based on the subject image formed by the photographing lens 2, and uses an electrical signal corresponding to the accumulated charge amount as an image signal. The signal is output to the signal processing circuit 9. Thereby, the subject image is picked up by the image sensor 1, and the subject image is converted into an electrical signal and output.

  The image sensor drive circuit 8 generates a drive signal at a predetermined timing in response to a command output from the control circuit 5 and supplies the generated drive signal to the image sensor 1. By supplying this drive signal, the image sensor 1 controls the accumulation of charges and the reading of the accumulated amount of charges.

  The control circuit 5 obtains information on the brightness of the object field based on the photometric data of the subject detected by the photometry circuit 15, and based on the information on the brightness, the charge accumulation time of the image sensor 1 and the photographing lens. The aperture of 2 and the amplification degree of the image signal output from the image sensor 1 are determined. Note that the brightness information of the object scene may be obtained from a signal output from the image sensor 1. In this case, the image sensor 1 functions as the photometric circuit 15.

  The image signal output from the image sensor 1 is input in the signal processing circuit 9. The signal processing circuit 9 performs various signal processing such as amplification, direct current reproduction, A / D conversion, white balance, and gamma conversion based on the input image signal in response to a command from the control circuit 5. Then, the data obtained after the signal processing is output to the data processing circuit 10 as photographed image data.

  The data processing circuit 10 is necessary for outputting the captured image data output from the signal processing circuit 9 to the compression / expansion circuit 11 and displaying the reproduced image on the monitor 13 in response to a command from the control circuit 5. Resolution conversion processing, that is, conversion of the number of pixels is performed. Then, the captured image data after the resolution conversion process is output to the display control circuit 14.

  In response to a command from the control circuit 5, the display control circuit 14 performs predetermined signal processing (for example, processing for superimposing predetermined overlay image data such as a shooting menu or a cursor) on the captured image data output from the data processing circuit 10. Is output to the monitor 13.

  The compression / decompression circuit 11 performs a compression process using a predetermined image compression method on the captured image data output from the data processing circuit 10 in response to a command from the control circuit 5, and stores the compressed captured image data. Output to the recording medium 12.

  The operation member 7 includes a release button. When the photographer performs a photographing operation using the release button, the control circuit 5 performs photographing on the image sensor driving circuit 8, the signal processing circuit 9, the data processing circuit 10, and the compression / expansion circuit 11 in accordance with the photographing operation. A command is output. When this photographing command is output from the control circuit 5, the above-described processing and control are executed in the image sensor driving circuit 8, the signal processing circuit 9, the data processing circuit 10, and the compression / decompression circuit 11, respectively. As a result, the captured image data of the subject image based on the image signal output by the image sensor 1 is acquired and recorded in the recording medium 12. In this way, a subject image is taken by the imaging device. When the subject image is photographed and the photographed image data is recorded on the recording medium 12, the photographed image data after resolution conversion processing is output from the display control circuit 14 to the monitor 13 as described above, and the subject image is reproduced. An image is displayed on the monitor 13.

  On the monitor 13, a reproduced image of the captured subject image can be displayed based on the captured image data already recorded on the recording medium 12. A mode for displaying a reproduced image of a captured subject image in this way is called a reproduction mode.

  When the reproduction mode is selected in the image pickup apparatus, the compression / decompression circuit 11 reads the photographic image data recorded on the recording medium 12 in response to a command from the control circuit 5, and performs the read photographic image data on the read photographic image data. After performing a decoding process for releasing the compression, the captured image data after decoding is output to the data processing circuit 10. The data processing circuit 10 performs resolution conversion processing on the decoded image data output from the compression / decompression circuit 11 and outputs the result to the display control circuit 14. The captured image data after the resolution conversion processing is output from the display control circuit 14 to the monitor 13, so that a reproduced image of the captured subject image is displayed on the monitor 13.

  The shake detection sensor 16 is provided in the housing of the imaging device, and is configured by, for example, an angular velocity sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like. The shake detection sensor 16 detects the movement of the imaging apparatus, that is, the shake of the housing of the imaging apparatus in at least two directions orthogonal to the optical axis, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the detected shake amount to the control circuit 5. Based on this detection signal, the control circuit 5 performs the shake correction as described above so that the movement of the subject image on the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 1 caused by the shake of the housing is canceled.

2. Overall Operation Next, the overall operation when the imaging apparatus described above performs shooting will be described. When the photographing mode for photographing is set by the operation of the operation member 7, the control circuit 5 executes the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. In step S10, the control circuit 5 determines whether or not the photographer has pressed the release button of the operation member 7 halfway. When a half-push operation is performed and a half-push operation signal based on the half-push operation is input from the operation member 7 to the control circuit 5, the control circuit 5 proceeds to the next step S20.

  In step S <b> 20, the control circuit 5 acquires defocus information for each focus detection area for a plurality of focus detection areas set in the object scene. This defocus information is determined based on the defocus amount detected by the AF sensor 17. The defocus amount represents the magnitude of the deviation of the subject position with respect to the focus position of the photographic lens 2, that is, the amount related to the distance to the subject with the focus position as a reference. Therefore, by acquiring defocus information based on the defocus amount, it is possible to acquire distance information regarding the distance to the subject corresponding to each focus detection region. The acquired defocus information is temporarily stored in a memory provided in the control circuit 5.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a focus detection area set in the object scene. In this example, a total of 11 focus detection areas indicated by reference numerals 20a to 20k are set for the object scene. For each focus detection area, the AF sensor 17 detects the defocus amount and acquires defocus information. Note that the example given here is an example of a setting form of the focus detection area, and therefore the focus detection area may be set in another form.

  In step S30, the control circuit 5 calculates a motion vector based on the change according to the time of the defocus information acquired in step S20. At this time, a change corresponding to the time of the defocus information in each focus detection region is obtained based on the past defocus information temporarily stored in the memory and the current defocus information. Based on the change in the defocus information, a motion vector representing the speed and direction of movement of the subject image and the size of the subject image is calculated.

  A method for calculating a motion vector in step S30 will be described below with reference to the example of FIG. Assume that when the subject 21 is photographed, the intruder 22 crosses the object scene from right to left as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (f), focus detection areas 20a to 20k similar to those in FIG. 5 are set for the object scene, and from all the focus detection areas 20a to 20k at a predetermined detection timing. A defocus amount is detected.

  In the situation as described above, in the case of FIG. 6A, defocus information representing the distance to the subject 21 is acquired based on the defocus amount detected particularly with respect to the central focus detection region 20f. As shown in FIG. 6B, when the intruder 22 enters the object scene, in addition to the defocus information indicating the distance to the subject 21, the defocus detected particularly for the rightmost focus detection region 20 k. Based on the focus amount, defocus information indicating the distance to the intruder 22 is acquired. As shown in FIG. 6C, when the intruder 22 is in front of the subject 21, the defocusing distance representing the distance to the intruder 22 is based on the defocus amount detected with respect to the focus detection areas 20f and 20g. Focus information is acquired.

  As shown in FIG. 6D, when the intruder 22 passes in front of the subject 21, the distance to the intruder 22 is expressed based on the defocus amount detected with respect to the focus detection areas 20c and 20d. Defocus information is acquired. As shown in FIG. 6E, when the intruder 22 is at the end of the object scene, the defocus representing the distance to the intruder 22 based on the defocus amount detected with respect to the focus detection area 20a. Information is acquired. As shown in FIG. 6F, when the intruder 22 disappears from the object scene, the subject 21 is based on the defocus amount detected particularly with respect to the focus detection area 20f, as in FIG. 6A. Defocus information representing the distance to is acquired.

  According to the defocus information acquired as described above, the position of the focus detection area corresponding to the intruder 22 changes with time as the intruder 22 moves in the object scene. I understand that. Therefore, the three-dimensional movement direction including the speed of movement of the intruder 22 and the position change in the optical axis direction can be obtained from the change according to the time of the defocus information. Further, the size of the intruder 22 can be obtained from the range of the focus detection area corresponding to the intruder 22. In step S30, a motion vector is calculated by obtaining these pieces of information.

  Note that the number of focus detection areas by the AF sensor 17 when detecting the defocus amount is smaller than the number of pixels when the image sensor 1 performs the main photographing. Therefore, in step S30, the motion vector can be calculated at a higher speed than in the case where the motion vector is calculated based on the change according to the time of the captured image obtained by the main imaging.

  Alternatively, in step S20, instead of acquiring the defocus information as the distance information regarding the distance to the subject, the distance information itself to the subject may be acquired. That is, the distance to the subject is calculated for each focus detection area based on the defocus amount detected by the AF sensor 17 and the focus position of the photographing lens 2 at that time, thereby corresponding to each focus detection area. Information on the distance to the subject can be acquired. In step S30, the motion vector can be calculated by the same method as described above based on the change of the distance information thus obtained according to the time.

  In addition, when defocus information is acquired as described above and a motion vector is calculated based on the defocus information, an autofocus operation can be performed in parallel. That is, based on the defocus information acquired in step S20, in addition to the calculation of the motion vector, the focus adjustment of the photographic lens 2 can be performed as described above. At this time, either single servo AF or continuous AF may be performed. In the single servo AF, the focus is fixed when the focus is achieved. On the other hand, in continuous AF, focus adjustment is continuously performed according to the movement of the subject.

  Alternatively, a manual focus operation in which the photographer manually adjusts the focus may be performed without performing the autofocus operation as described above. In this case, the AF sensor 17 is used to acquire defocus information and calculate a motion vector, and is not used for an autofocus operation. Such an optical image during focus adjustment can be confirmed by a photographer using an optical finder (not shown).

  In step S40, the control circuit 5 determines whether or not the release button of the operation member 7 has been fully pressed by the photographer. When a full-press operation is performed and a full-press operation signal based on the full-press operation is input from the operation member 7 to the control circuit 5, the control circuit 5 proceeds to step S50. On the other hand, when the full-press operation signal is not input, the control circuit 5 returns to step S10.

  Through the processes in steps S10 to S40 described above, defocus information is continuously acquired and a motion vector is calculated while a half-press operation is performed. The calculated motion vector stores a time corresponding to a predetermined memory capacity in the control circuit 5. When this memory capacity is exceeded, old motion vectors are discarded in order and updated with new contents.

  In step S50, the control circuit 5 performs a photographing process for photographing a subject image. This photographing process is executed in response to the photographer's full pressing operation. Thereby, a subject image is photographed and the photographed image data is acquired.

  The control circuit 5 records, on the recording medium 12, the captured image data acquired in the main imaging process and distance change data representing a temporal change in the distance to the subject or intruder existing in the object scene. This distance change data is determined based on the content of the motion vector calculated in step S30, and is stored in association with the captured image data. Thereby, distance change data based on a change in distance information regarding the distance to the subject corresponding to each focus detection area is recorded in the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data. The specific contents of the photographing process will be described later in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S70, the control circuit 5 determines whether or not an intruder has been detected in the object scene during shooting. By executing step S510 of FIG. 3 to be described later, if an intruder is detected at the time of photographing and the detection result of the intruder is recorded in step S560, the process proceeds to step S80. On the other hand, when the detection result of the intruder is not recorded, it is determined that the intruder is not detected at the time of shooting, and the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S80, the control circuit 5 executes intruder removal processing for removing the intruder detected from the captured image. The specific contents of the intruder removal process will be described later in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. If step S80 is performed, the control circuit 5 will complete | finish the flowchart of FIG. As described above, the operation at the time of shooting is performed.

3. Imaging Process Next, the contents of the imaging process executed in step S50 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S505, the control circuit 5 extracts a main subject area in the object scene. This extraction of the main subject area is performed, for example, by determining the position of the main subject based on the setting position of the focus detection area for autofocus, and using the range of the focus detection area in which the defocus amount equal to or less than a predetermined value is detected as the main subject This can be done by extracting as a region. Alternatively, the area of the main subject may be extracted based on the result of face recognition processing for recognizing a person's face. In step S510, the control circuit 5 determines the presence / absence of an intruding object in the scene based on the motion vector calculated in step S30 of FIG. That is, based on the change in the distance information regarding the distance to the subject acquired as the defocus information in step S20, the presence / absence of an intruder into the object scene is determined. Here, when defocus information that changes with time is acquired for an object other than the main subject, and the motion vector of the object is calculated, the object is detected as an intruder. If it is determined in step S510 that there is an intruder into the object scene, the process proceeds to step S520. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S510 that there is no intruder into the object scene, the process proceeds to step S550.

In step S520, with respect to the intruder detected in step S510, the control circuit 5 determines the positional relationship between the presence region of the intruder and the main subject region in the optical axis direction of the photographing lens 2, and the photographing. It is determined whether or not the positional relationship between the two in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens 2 and the motion vector of the intruder satisfy a predetermined condition.
Here, the predetermined condition is a condition in which the intruder is in a state of blocking the main subject or is highly likely to satisfy the positional relationship and the movement relationship of both (the intruder and the main subject). Is set in the internal memory.
By performing the determination in step S520, it is determined whether or not the main subject region may be shaded by the intruder when the photographing operation is performed, or the intruder is actually the main subject at the determination in step S520. It can be determined whether or not it exists in the area. For example, an object in which the shooting distance to the intruding object in the lens optical axis direction is shorter than the shooting distance to the main subject and the intruding object advances toward the main subject in a plane perpendicular to the lens optical axis. When shooting in the field condition, it is automatically determined whether or not the intruder may hide the main subject area at the time of shooting (the main subject is behind the intruder) or whether it is already hidden. .
In step S520, it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied because the intruder exists in the captured image (shooting screen) obtained by the shooting operation following the determination operation, and the main subject due to the intruder. It is a case where it is inferred that the hiding of the camera occurs. If an affirmative determination is made in step S520, the operation proceeds to the subsequent step S540.
On the other hand, if there is an intruder in the photographed image, but it is assumed that the main subject is not hidden by the intruder, a negative determination is made in step S520 (does not satisfy the predetermined condition), The process proceeds to step S550.
The determination operation as described above in step S520 is performed based on the defocus information acquired corresponding to each of the main subject and the intruder and the above-described motion vector.
As the above predetermined condition, the intruder is moving toward the main subject area except for the shooting distance condition, and the intruder may enter the main subject area at the time of shooting (the main subject is It may be determined whether or not there is a possibility of being in the shadow of an intruder, or whether or not the intruder actually exists in the area of the main subject at the time of determination in step S520. .

In step S540, the control circuit 5 determines whether or not the main subject whose area has been extracted in step S505 is continuously hidden behind the intruder detected in step S510, or is executed after step S540. At the time of the photographing operation (captured image acquisition operation) to be performed, it is determined whether or not there is a possibility that the main subject area of the photographed image is hidden by an intruder.
There is a possibility that the shooting distance to the intruder is shorter than the shooting distance to the main subject and the intruder is moving toward the main subject area, and the main subject area is hidden behind the intruder at the time of shooting. When the determination has been continued from the determination time of step S520, or when the state where the intruder actually exists in the area of the main subject continues from the determination time of step S520, the determination operation in step S540 Is repeated (that is, the transition to the photographing operation in the next step S550 is prohibited).
Then, if the main subject is not hidden behind the intruder or if the possibility is lost, a negative determination is made in step S540, and the process proceeds to the next step S550.
Note that the determination operation in step S540 is performed based on the defocus information acquired corresponding to each of the main subject and the intruder and the above-described motion vector, similarly to the determination operation in step S520.

  As described above, when an intruding object is detected in step S510, shooting of the subject image in the next step S550 is permitted or prohibited by the processing in steps S520 and S540 according to the detection result. Is done. That is, if the detected entry direction and size of the intruder satisfy predetermined conditions and the main subject is hidden behind the intruder, photographing is prohibited until the main subject is not hidden. In other cases, photographing is permitted even if an intruder is detected. As a result, when the photographer fully presses the release button, recording of the photographed image data on the recording medium 12 is permitted or prohibited according to the state of the intruder.

  In step S520, it is preferable to exclude the approach direction corresponding to the movement of the imaging device during panning or tilting from the approach direction in which shooting is prohibited. That is, when the shake detection sensor 16 detects that the imaging apparatus is moving in the horizontal direction, for example, even if the subject is stationary, the subject enters the scene from the horizontal direction. It moves like a knot. Therefore, in such a case, even if an intruder enters the object scene from the moving direction of the imaging device, it is excluded from the determination target in step S520 and photographing is permitted.

  In step S550, the control circuit 5 performs shooting. At this time, as described above, the control circuit 5 outputs imaging commands to the image sensor driving circuit 8, the signal processing circuit 9, the data processing circuit 10, and the compression / expansion circuit 11, respectively. The image sensor drive circuit 8 outputs a drive signal for executing imaging to the image sensor 1 in response to the imaging command. The image sensor 1 receives a drive signal from the image sensor drive circuit 8, performs charge accumulation according to the exposure conditions for main photographing determined based on the photometric data by the photometric circuit 15, and depends on the accumulated charge amount. Output the image signal.

  The signal processing circuit 9 performs the above-described signal processing on the image signal output from the image sensor 1 and outputs it to the data processing circuit 10 as photographed image data. The data processing circuit 10 outputs the captured image data output from the signal processing circuit 9 to the compression / expansion circuit 11, performs resolution conversion processing, and outputs the result to the display control circuit 14. As a result, the captured image data of the subject image obtained by photographing is output from the compression / expansion circuit 11 to the recording medium 12 and recorded on the recording medium 12, and the captured image of the subject image is displayed on the monitor 13. .

  In step S560, the control circuit 5 records the determination result obtained in step S520 on the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data as an intruder detection result. That is, when a negative determination is made in step S520, the fact that there is an intruder is recorded in the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data. With such a configuration, when the captured image data is read out, it is possible to specify a target image to be subjected to a crop process to be described later based on the intruder detection result recorded in association with the captured image data. .

  When step S560 is executed, the control circuit 5 ends the flowchart of FIG. The shooting process is performed as described above.

4). Intruder Removal Process Next, the contents of the intruder removal process executed in step S80 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S810, the control circuit 5 determines a crop area in the photographed image data obtained by the main photographing based on the detection result of the intruder recorded in step S560 in FIG. That is, even when the main subject is not hidden by the intruder, if it is determined that the intruder is present in the captured image (when the negative determination is made in step S520), the area where the intruder is depressed is excluded. Performs crop processing to generate images. Note that the crop area is a portion (a portion to be recorded) excluding an unnecessary portion in which an intruding object is reflected in a captured image.

  A method of determining the crop area in step S810 will be described below with reference to the example of FIG. Assume that a photographed image as shown in FIG. 7 is acquired by photographing in the state shown in FIG. 6E after the intruder 22 passes in front of the subject 21. In this case, each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 is executed by the control circuit 5 at the time of shooting, whereby the intruder 22 is detected at the position of the focus detection area 20a, and the detection result is associated with the shot image data and the recording medium. 12 is recorded.

  When determining the cropping area in step S810, the control circuit 5 reads the detection result of the intruder 22 recorded as described above from the recording medium 12, so that the intruder 22 is detected in the focus detection area 20a. Can be judged. As a result, for example, the crop area 23 excluding unnecessary areas including the intruder 22 (focus detection area 20a) as indicated by the oblique lines in FIG. 7 is determined. Note that the crop area 23 is desirably set so as to have the same aspect ratio as the aspect ratio of the photographed image before excluding unnecessary portions.

  In step S820, the control circuit 5 determines whether or not to execute the cropping process. This determination is performed according to the crop processing execution conditions preset by the photographer. For example, the execution conditions for the cropping process can be set by allowing the photographer to select in advance whether or not to execute the cropping process. Alternatively, when the crop area is determined in step S810, the crop processing may be set to be automatically executed. If the crop processing is to be executed, the process proceeds to step S830, and if not, the process proceeds to step S850.

  When the process proceeds to step S830, in step S830, the control circuit 5 executes a crop process. After the cropping process is executed in this way, in the next step S840, the control circuit 5 records the captured image data after the cropping process on the recording medium 12. Thereby, the captured image data of the crop area from which the area where the intruder exists is removed is recorded on the recording medium 12. At this time, the original photographed image data before the crop processing may be left in the recording medium 12 or may be deleted. In step S830, the cropping process is not executed, and in step S840, the data specifying the crop area determined in step S810 (data specifying the position on the shooting screen indicating the crop area) is cropped. A configuration may be adopted in which recording is performed on the recording medium 12 in association with the original photographed image data before the processing is executed.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds to step S850, in step S850, the control circuit 5 records the data specifying the crop area determined in step S810 on the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data. As a result, when the captured image data is read out by the imaging apparatus or personal computer according to the present embodiment, the candidate region to be subjected to the crop process is displayed in the captured image that has not been subjected to the crop process, and the crop process is performed. The user can also adjust the area to be performed.

  If step S840 or S850 is performed, the control circuit 5 will complete | finish the flowchart of FIG. As described above, the intruder removal process is performed.

According to the embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(1) The control circuit 5 performs photographing by acquiring photographed image data of a subject image in accordance with a photographer's operation and recording it on the recording medium 12 (step S50). Before performing this photographing, the control circuit 5 obtains defocus information for a plurality of focus detection areas set in the object field (step S20), whereby the distance to the subject corresponding to each focus detection area. Get distance information for each. Then, a motion vector is calculated based on the change of the defocus information according to the time (step S30), and various data recording control is performed based on the calculated motion vector (for example, recording of image data is permitted as described above). Recording the data based on the change of the distance information acquired as the defocus information in step S20 by performing or prohibiting, or even not recording the detection result of the intruder. 12 to be performed. As described above, when the distance to the subject changes, various data recording control as described above can be performed at the time of shooting according to the change.

(2) The control circuit 5 records distance change data determined based on the content of the motion vector on the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data (step S50). By doing so, the distance change data based on the change according to the time of the distance information acquired as the defocus information in step S20 is recorded on the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data. Since it did in this way, when reading picked-up image data from the recording medium 12, the mode of the change of the distance to the to-be-photographed object at the time of imaging | photography can be easily known from the content of corresponding distance change data.

(3) The control circuit 5 detects an intruder entering the scene based on the motion vector calculated in step S30 (step S510), and the motion vector of the intruder or the positional relationship between the intruder and the main subject. Is recorded on the recording medium 12 in association with the photographed image data (step S560). Thus, an intruder entering the object scene is detected based on a change in the distance information acquired as defocus information, and the detection result is recorded. Since it did in this way, when reading picked-up image data from the recording medium 12, it can be judged easily whether the intrusion object was detected at the time of imaging | photography.

(4) The control circuit 5 permits or prohibits the photographing of the subject image according to the determination result regarding the intruder in step S520. Since it did in this way, it can prevent that imaging | photography is mistakenly performed when the main subject is obstruct | occluded by the intruder. Note that, regardless of the determination result regarding the intruder in step S540, a configuration may be adopted in which a photographing operation is performed and recording of the photographed image data on the recording medium 12 is permitted or prohibited based on the detection result of the intruder.

(5) The control circuit 5 determines a crop area (area excluding the intruder) in the captured image data based on the detection result of the intruder recorded in step S560 (step S810), and the determined crop area Is recorded on the recording medium 12 in association with the photographed image data (step S850). Since it did in this way, when the said picked-up image data are read from the recording medium 12, a crop area | region can be extracted and a picked-up image can be displayed.

(6) Further, the control circuit 5 performs the crop processing by extracting the crop region determined in step S810 from the captured image data (step S830). The captured image data from which only the crop area has been extracted by this crop processing is recorded on the recording medium 12 (step S840). Since it did in this way, the said picked-up image data can be read from the recording medium 12, and the picked-up image from which only the crop area | region was extracted can be displayed.

<Modification>
(1) Generally, the intruding direction (traveling direction) of an intruding object having a large size (area in the object scene screen) is often the lateral direction in the object field. For this reason, the detection direction of the intruder into the object scene in step S510 of FIG. 3 in the above embodiment is limited to the horizontal direction, and only the intruder entering from the horizontal direction of the object scene is detected. Also good. With such a configuration, the intruder can be detected more quickly.

(2) As a predetermined condition used in step S520 of FIG. 3 in the above embodiment, the magnitude (degree) of the influence of the intruder on the captured image may be considered. That is, the determination operation in step S520 may be performed based on the relative size (area) of the intruder with respect to the size (area) of the main subject and the relative position of the intruder with respect to the main subject. good. For example, when the intruder is a relatively small object such as an insect (which is relatively small with respect to the main subject), or the position of the intruder is at the end of the shooting screen (in the field of view) If the relative distance from the main subject in the object field is large, it may be determined that the degree of influence of the intruder on the captured image is small and the determination in step S520 is negative.

(3) The processes of steps S520, S530, and S540 of FIG. 3 in the above embodiment are not necessarily executed and may be omitted. For example, in the draft state of the camera, it is assumed that the operations of S520 and S540 are prohibited, and the photographer wants to prohibit the shooting while the main subject is hidden by the intruder, and the switching operation (steps S520 and S540). The operation of S520 and S540 may be executed only when the operation of switching the camera operation setting is performed so that the above operation is executed. If the processing in steps S520 and 540 is prohibited, the detection result in step S510 is recorded in the subsequent step S560.
In such a configuration, even when the main subject is hidden by an intruder, the photographing / recording operation is performed, but the processing of steps S520 and S540 is not performed. A quick photographing / recording operation can be performed. In addition, using the detection result of the intruder recorded in step S560, it is possible to easily extract the images containing the intruder from the captured / recorded images as candidates for the imaging failure image.

(4) In steps S520 and S540 of FIG. 3 in the above embodiment, for example, the shooting distance to the intruder is shorter than the shooting distance to the main subject, and the intruder advances toward the area of the main subject. A configuration for determining whether or not the main subject may be behind the intruder at the time of shooting, or whether or not the intruder is actually present in the area of the main subject at the time of determination in step S520; did.
Instead of such a configuration, the determination in steps S520 and S540 may be performed based only on information about whether or not the shooting distance to the intruder is shorter than the shooting distance to the main subject. In this case, the process of step S540 is repeated until this condition is not satisfied.
Even if the configuration is changed to this, even if the AF mode of the camera is set to the so-called close-priority priority AF mode in which the close-up subject is preferentially focused, the main subject is not in-focus but closer to it. It is possible to suppress a fear that a failure image focused on an intruder existing at a distance is captured.

(5) In FIG. 3 of the above embodiment, after executing steps S520 and S540, the detection result of the intruder in step S510 may be recorded on the recording medium 12 in step S560. The intruder detection result is recorded on the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data obtained by the actual imaging. With such a configuration, when the captured image data recorded on the recording medium 12 is read, it is possible to easily identify whether or not an intruder has been detected at the time of capturing the image, and It is possible to easily extract an image containing an intruder from the recorded image.

(6) In step S560 of FIG. 3 in the above embodiment, the control circuit 5 may determine whether to record the intruder detection result based on the determination result of step S540. In other words, if it is determined in step S540 that the main subject is hidden behind the intruder, the detection result of the intruder is recorded on the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S540 that the main subject is not hidden behind the intruder, the detection result of the intruder is not recorded on the recording medium 12. In this configuration, the determination in step S540 is executed, but the process proceeds to step S550 regardless of whether the determination is affirmative or negative.
With this configuration, if the intruder detection result is recorded when the image data is read, it can be easily determined that the main subject is hidden behind the intruder in the captured image. It is possible to easily extract an image in which a main subject is hidden behind an intruder in a recorded image.
In step S560 of FIG. 3 in the above embodiment, the control circuit 5 may record the result of the determination in step S540 in the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data as an intrusion detection result. In this case, the process proceeds to step S550 regardless of the determination result in step S540 (even if the determination is affirmative).
With such a configuration, when the captured data is read out, it is determined whether the main subject is hidden behind the intruder based on the intruder detection result recorded in association with the captured image data. Can be easily performed, and an image in which the main subject is hidden behind the intruder can be easily extracted from the recorded image.

(7) In step S560 of FIG. 3 in the above embodiment, the control circuit 5 records the determination results of steps S510, S520, and S540 on the recording medium 12 in association with the captured image data as the intruder detection result. It is good also as a structure. In this case, the process proceeds to step S550 regardless of the determination result of step S540.
According to this configuration, there is an intruder based on the determination results of steps S510, S520, and S540 recorded in association with the captured image data, but the main subject is hidden by the intruder. The captured images corresponding to the determination conditions set in each of the above determination steps can be extracted separately, such as no captured images, captured images in which the main subject is hidden by intruders, etc. .

(8) Even if an intruder is detected in step S510, photographing is prohibited until it is determined in step S520 that the predetermined condition is not satisfied, or until the main subject is not hidden behind the intruder by the process in step S540. In such a case, the intruder may be excluded from the detection result recording target. That is, when it is determined that the intruder does not block the main subject due to the direction of entry into the scene or the size of the intruder, or before the subject image is captured in step S550, the intruder In the case of moving outside, the intruder can be excluded from the detection result recording target. In this way, it is possible to avoid the recording of unnecessary intruder detection results by excluding the detection results of intruders that did not affect imaging from the recording target.

(9) When the crop area cannot be set, for example, when an intruder detected at the time of shooting overlaps the main subject, the crop area is not set in step S810 of FIG. 4 of the above embodiment. The flowchart of FIG. 4 may be ended as it is, and the intruder removal process may be stopped. Alternatively, the fact that the crop area cannot be set may be recorded on the recording medium in association with the captured image data. In such a configuration, the flowchart of FIG. 3 is configured to proceed to step S550 regardless of the determination result in step S540 of FIG.

(10) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the image sensor 1 and the AF sensor 17 are configured as separate components has been described. However, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-156823, the image sensor 1 and the AF sensor 17 The sensor 17 may be composed of the same parts.

(11) The configuration may be such that the defocus information is acquired for a predetermined time after acquisition of the captured image data by the imaging operation. When the distance between the intruder and the main subject is increased with the passage of time after the captured image data is acquired, the intruder is determined to be an intruder that crosses the object field unrelated to the main subject. On the other hand, if the distance between the intruder and the main subject is not separated with the passage of time after acquisition of the captured image data and remains in the vicinity of the main subject area, the intruder is covered with a delay in time. Even if it is determined that the subject is part of the main subject that has entered the field and there is an intruder in steps S510, S520, and S540, the determination result is not recorded on the recording medium 12. can do.

  The embodiment described above is merely an example of the embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, when interpreting the invention, the correspondence between the above described items and the items described in the claims is not limited or restricted. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above description unless the features of the invention are impaired.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of an imaging device. It is a flowchart of the process performed when it sets to imaging | photography mode. It is a flowchart of the process performed when performing an imaging | photography process. It is a flowchart of the process performed when performing an intrusion removal process. It is a figure which shows the example of the focus detection area set to the object scene. It is a figure for demonstrating the method of calculating a motion vector. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to determine a crop area | region.

Explanation of symbols

1: imaging device, 2: photographing lens, 3: lens driving circuit, 5: control circuit, 7: operation member,
8: Image sensor driving circuit, 9: Signal processing circuit, 10: Data processing circuit,
11: compression / decompression circuit, 12: recording medium, 13: monitor, 14: display control circuit,
15: Photometry circuit, 16: Shake detection sensor, 17, AF sensor

Claims (10)

Photographing means for photographing by acquiring photographed image data of a subject image in accordance with a photographer's operation and recording it on a recording medium;
Distance information acquisition means for acquiring distance information related to the distance to the subject corresponding to each focus detection area for a plurality of focus detection areas set in the object scene;
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a recording control unit that records data on the recording medium based on a change in distance information acquired by the distance information acquiring unit. The imaging device according to claim 1,
The recording control unit records distance change data based on a change according to time of the distance information in the recording medium in association with the captured image data. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An intruder detection means for detecting an intruder into the object scene based on the change in the distance information;
The image recording apparatus, wherein the recording control unit records the detection result of the intruder by the intruder detection unit in association with the captured image data on the recording medium. The imaging device according to claim 3.
Extracting means for extracting a region of a main subject in the scene;
Whether the main subject is hidden behind the intruder is determined based on the distance information acquired for the main subject whose area has been extracted by the extraction unit and the distance information acquired for the intruder. And a hiding judgment means,
When it is determined that the main subject is hidden behind the intruder, the recording control unit records the detection result of the intruder on the recording medium in association with the captured image data, and the main subject When it is determined that the intruder is not hidden behind the intruder, the intruder detection result is not recorded on the recording medium. The imaging device according to claim 3.
Extracting means for extracting a region of a main subject in the scene;
Whether or not the intruder is present at a position closer to the main subject based on the distance information acquired for the main subject whose area has been extracted by the extraction means and the distance information acquired for the intruder And a judging means for judging
When it is determined that the intruder is present at a position closer to the main subject, the recording control unit records the intruder detection result on the recording medium in association with the captured image data, and the intruder An imaging apparatus, wherein when it is determined that an object is present at a position farther than the main subject, the detection result of the intruder is not recorded on the recording medium. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An intruder detection means for detecting an intruder into the object scene based on the change in the distance information;
Extracting means for extracting a region of a main subject in the scene;
Whether the main subject is hidden behind the intruder is determined based on the distance information acquired for the main subject whose area has been extracted by the extraction unit and the distance information acquired for the intruder. And a hiding judgment means,
The image recording apparatus, wherein the recording control unit records the result of determination by the hiding determination unit in association with the captured image data on the recording medium. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An intruder detection means for detecting an intruder into the object scene based on the change in the distance information;
The recording control unit permits or prohibits the photographing operation by the photographing unit and / or the recording of the photographed image data on the recording medium by the photographing unit according to the detection result of the intruder by the intruder detecting unit. An imaging apparatus characterized by that. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7,
The recording control means permits the photographing operation by the photographing means and / or the recording of the photographed image data on the recording medium by the photographing means based on the intrusion direction or size of the intruder into the object scene. Alternatively, an imaging device that is prohibited. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An intruder detection means for detecting an intruder into the object scene based on the change in the distance information;
A crop area determining means for determining a crop area in the photographed image data based on the detection result of the intruder by the intruder detection means;
The image recording apparatus, wherein the recording control means records data specifying the crop area determined by the crop area determination means on the recording medium in association with the captured image data. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An intruder detection means for detecting an intruder into the object scene based on the change in the distance information;
Crop area determination means for determining a crop area in the captured image data based on the detection result of the intruder by the intruder detection means;
A crop processing means for performing crop processing by extracting the crop area determined by the crop area determination means from the captured image data;
The image recording apparatus, wherein the recording control unit records photographed image data corresponding to the crop area extracted by the crop processing unit on the recording medium.

Images