JP2009098549A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging device that can more certainly prevent red-eye phenomena of an object and that can further prevent the confusion of the object. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging device comprises a first light-emitting part 2, a second light-emitting part 3, a lens system 4, an imaging section 5, a light receptor 6, and a controller 9. The controller 9 includes: a main light-emitting means 91 for making the second light-emitting part 3 emit light at taking an image; a preliminary light-emitting means 92 for making the first light-emitting part 2 emit the light before the light emission of the main light-emission means 91; a brightness specifying means 93 for specifying brightness of the object based on electrical signals that the light receptor 6 has obtained before taking the image; a standby time determining means 94 for determining standby time from the light emission of the preliminary light-emitting means 92 to that of the main light-emitting means 91 based on results of the brightness specifying means 93, wherein the controller controls the main light-emitting means 91 so that the main light-emitting means 91 emits light after a lapse of the standby time after the light emission of the preliminary light-emitting means 92. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus that enables flash photography. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus that performs preliminary light emission for preventing red-eye phenomenon before main light emission associated with photographing at the time of flash photography.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, imaging devices such as digital still cameras include imaging devices that enable flash photography. In such an imaging apparatus, when the shooting environment is dark, there is a problem that when a subject is shot with a flash, the human eye appears red (red-eye phenomenon). Therefore, many inventions for preventing the red-eye phenomenon have been proposed at present.

  For example, in the imaging apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, when it is determined that a subject exists in an environment in which a red-eye phenomenon occurs, a flash is irradiated to the subject before shooting (preliminary irradiation). Then, after a certain period of time has elapsed from the previous irradiation, a flash is applied to the subject along with the shooting (irradiation during shooting). As a result, the pupil of the subject can be contracted at the time of shooting to prevent the red-eye phenomenon. Here, whether or not the subject exists in the environment where the red-eye phenomenon occurs is determined based on the relationship between the luminance information corresponding to the brightness of the shooting environment and the distance from the focused subject to the imaging device. .

The red-eye phenomenon occurs when light enters from a wide open pupil and the light is reflected on the choroid layer where countless capillaries run inside the eyeball. Therefore, the red-eye phenomenon can be prevented by contracting the pupil.
JP-A-1-235932

  By the way, in the invention as shown in Patent Document 1, there is a case where the effect of preventing the red-eye phenomenon cannot be sufficiently obtained because the irradiation at the time of photographing is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous irradiation. For example, it is said that the human eye with a large open pupil contracts the pupil in about 0.8 seconds after light irradiation (the minimum diameter). There is a case where red eyes are generated when irradiation is performed at a shooting time (for example, 0.8 seconds).

  In addition, the subject may have to wait more than necessary from prior irradiation to shooting. For example, when the shooting environment is about indoor, the pupil of the subject is slightly closed compared to a completely dark environment. Therefore, the pupil can be closed to a state where no red eye is generated even if a certain time has not elapsed since the previous irradiation. In other words, the subject has to wait for a certain time from the previous irradiation even though the pupil is closed. This standby time longer than necessary leads to cases in which the subject mistakes prior irradiation for irradiation at the time of photographing and moves during photographing or closes his eyes.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can more reliably prevent the subject's red-eye phenomenon and can further prevent the subject from being confused. In the following description, the preliminary irradiation is referred to as preliminary light emission. Moreover, the irradiation at the time of imaging | photography is called main light emission.

That is, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a light emitting unit that irradiates a subject with flash light, a light receiving unit that converts light from the subject into an electrical signal, and a control unit that controls the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. With
The control unit includes: a main light emitting unit that causes the light emitting unit to emit light during photographing; a preliminary light emitting unit that causes the light emitting unit to emit light before light emission by the main light emitting unit; and an electric signal acquired from the light receiving unit before photographing. And a standby time determining means for determining a standby time from the light emission by the preliminary light emitting means to the light emission by the main light emitting means based on the specification result of the brightness specifying means. And
The light emission by the main light emitting means is controlled to emit light after the standby time elapses from the light emission by the preliminary light emitting means.

  In this way, since the main light emission is performed after the standby time has elapsed since the preliminary light emission, the red-eye phenomenon of the subject can be prevented more reliably and the confusion of the subject can be prevented. In addition, since the standby time is determined based on the brightness of the subject, it is possible to perform shooting according to the brightness of the subject, and more reliably prevent the red-eye phenomenon.

  Further, the luminance specifying means is configured to specify the brightness of the face of the subject based on the electrical signal acquired by the light receiving unit before photographing.

  In this way, since the standby time can be determined based on the brightness of the face of the subject, the brightness of the face can be reflected and the red-eye phenomenon can be prevented more reliably. This is because by focusing on the brightness of the face, the standby time can be determined regardless of the reflectance of the clothes of the subject and the brightness of the background.

  Further, the brightness specifying unit is configured to specify the brightness of the subject based on the electrical signal acquired from the light receiving unit after the preliminary light emitting unit emits light.

  In this way, the standby time can be determined using the reflected light from the subject due to the preliminary light emission, which is effective when the photographing environment is dark (when sufficient light measurement cannot be performed by the light receiving unit). Since the subject may be changed before the preliminary light emission, the standby time obtained in advance may not be suitable for the subject at the time of shooting. Therefore, the standby time can be determined based on the brightness of the subject after the preliminary light emission, and the red-eye phenomenon can be prevented with higher accuracy.

In addition, the control unit further includes a position specifying unit that specifies the position of the face of the subject based on the electrical signal acquired from the light receiving unit before photographing,
The brightness specifying unit determines a face of a subject that may be red-eyed based on a result of the position specifying unit, and specifies a brightness of the face of the subject based on the determined face of the subject. To be configured.

  In this way, it is possible to reflect the brightness of the face where the red-eye phenomenon is likely to occur in the object field, so that the red-eye phenomenon can be prevented more reliably.

And a first light emitting unit that emits light to the subject by the preliminary light emitting means,
The light emitting unit is a second light emitting unit, and the control unit controls the second light emitting unit to emit light by the main light emitting unit.

  In this case, when the first light emitting unit is configured by a flash device using an LED lamp and the second light emitting unit is configured by a flash device using a xenon lamp, the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit are combined. Compared with the case where it is configured with two light emitting units (xenon lamps), the light emission by the LED lamp can be performed during the preliminary light emission, so that the power consumption can be reduced. In addition, the full emission of the xenon lamp is facilitated during the main emission. For example, when a xenon lamp is used for preliminary light emission, the charge of the xenon lamp is slightly reduced after the preliminary light emission. That is, when full light emission is performed using this xenon lamp, it is necessary to charge the portion used for preliminary light emission to emit light. Therefore, if it comprises two light emission parts, after performing preliminary light emission, the process of this light emission (full light emission) can be performed immediately.

Further, the luminance specifying means includes a pre-light emission luminance acquisition means for converting light from the subject into an electrical signal before light emission by the preliminary light emission means, and a reflected light from the subject after the light emission by the preliminary light emission means as an electric signal. And a preliminary post-luminance luminance acquisition means for converting to
Based on the electrical signal converted by the pre-preliminary luminance acquisition means, a photometric area for measuring the brightness of the reflected light from the subject is determined, and from the reflected light from the subject in the determined photometric area Based on the converted electrical signal, the brightness of the subject is specified.

  In this way, since the person luminance information is specified using the information before the preliminary light emission and the information after the preliminary light emission, the human luminance information more reflecting the luminance of the person can be acquired, and the red-eye phenomenon can be prevented more reliably. it can. In addition, since the area to be measured after the preliminary light emission is limited, the processing time after the preliminary light emission can be shortened.

In addition, a light emitting unit that irradiates the subject with flash light, a light receiving unit that converts light from the subject into an electrical signal, an A / D conversion unit that converts the electrical signal of the light receiving unit into a digital signal, and the light emission And a control unit for controlling the light receiving unit,
The control unit includes: a main light emitting unit that causes the light emitting unit to emit light upon photographing; a preliminary light emitting unit that causes the light emitting unit to emit light before light emission by the main light emitting unit; and a digital signal converted by the A / D conversion unit. A pupil analysis means for analyzing a digital image based on the image and detecting a pupil opening of the subject;
Standby time determining means for determining a standby time from light emission by the preliminary light emission means to light emission by the main light emission means based on the analysis result of the pupil analysis means,
The light emission by the main light emitting means is controlled to emit light after the standby time elapses from the light emission by the preliminary light emitting means.

  In this way, since the opening of the human pupil can be detected, a more appropriate standby time can be determined, and the red-eye phenomenon can be prevented more reliably.

According to the present invention, comprising: a light emitting unit that irradiates a flash with a subject; a light receiving unit that converts light from the subject into an electrical signal; and a control unit that controls the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit.
The control unit includes: a main light emitting unit that causes the light emitting unit to emit light during photographing; a preliminary light emitting unit that causes the light emitting unit to emit light before light emission by the main light emitting unit; and an electric signal acquired from the light receiving unit before photographing. And a standby time determining means for determining a standby time from the light emission by the preliminary light emitting means to the light emission by the main light emitting means based on the specification result of the brightness specifying means. And
Since the light emission by the main light emission means is controlled to emit light after the standby time elapses from the light emission by the preliminary light emission means, the subject's red-eye phenomenon can be prevented more reliably and the subject can be prevented from being confused.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. An imaging apparatus described below converts optical image information into an electrical signal and records the resulting image data (digital signal) on a removable recording medium. In addition, the imaging apparatus includes a light emitting unit that irradiates a subject with flash light, and enables photographing with light emission to the subject. For example, this includes a digital still camera.
(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imaging apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an outline of functional blocks of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

The configuration of the imaging device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.
A first light emitting unit 2 that irradiates a subject with a flash to prevent red eyes;
A second light emitting unit 3 that irradiates a subject with a flash in accordance with shooting;
A lens system 4 for collecting optical signals from the subject;
An imaging unit 5 that converts an optical signal acquired through the lens system 4 into an electrical signal;
A light receiving unit 6 that converts an optical signal acquired through the lens system 4 into an electrical signal;
A first A / D converter 7 that converts the electrical signal converted by the imaging unit 5 into a digital signal;
A second A / D conversion unit 8 that converts the electrical signal converted by the light receiving unit 6 into a digital signal;
A control unit 9 for controlling the first light emitting unit 2, the second light emitting unit 3, the lens system 4, the imaging unit 5, and the light receiving unit 6,
A shutter switch 10 for inputting a timing signal for starting photographing by a user operation;
It is configured with.

And the control part 9 is the main light emission means 91 which light-emits the 2nd light emission part 3 with imaging | photography,
Preliminary light emitting means 92 for causing the first light emitting unit 2 to emit light before light emission by the main light emitting means 91;
Luminance specifying means 93 for specifying the brightness of the subject based on the electrical signal obtained from the light receiving unit 6 before shooting;
A standby time determination unit 94 for determining a standby time from the light emission by the preliminary light emission unit 92 to the light emission by the main light emission unit 91 based on the identification result of the luminance identification unit 93;
The light emission by the main light emitting means 91 is controlled so as to emit light after the standby time elapses from the light emission by the preliminary light emitting means 92. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the imaging apparatus 1 will be described.

  The first light emitting unit 2 is constituted by a flash device having an LED lamp or the like, and irradiates the subject with flash light according to a signal from the control unit 9. This flash irradiation is for irradiating the subject (preliminary light emission) before photographing, thereby preventing the red-eye phenomenon caused by the main light emission. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first light emitting unit 2 is built in the imaging device 1 and configured to emit an LED lamp.

  The second light emitting unit 3 is constituted by a flash device having a xenon lamp or the like, and irradiates the subject with flash light according to a signal from the control unit 9. In the present embodiment, the second light emitting unit 3 is configured to protrude from the upper surface of the imaging device 1 although not shown. When the imaging apparatus 1 is carried or when flash photography is not performed, it is configured to be housed as shown in FIG.

  The lens system 4 includes a plurality of lenses and includes a focus lens and a zoom lens. Thereby, an optical signal can be condensed from the subject.

  The imaging unit 5 is configured by an imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS, and converts an optical signal into an electrical signal based on control from the control unit 9. Then, the imaging unit 5 outputs the converted electric signal to the first A / D conversion unit 7. The output electric signal is amplified or attenuated by an amplifier / attenuator 11 such as an operational amplifier and is output to the first A / D converter 7. Here, the amplification or attenuation level of the amplifier / attenuator 11 is determined based on an electrical signal acquired by the imaging unit 5 or the light receiving unit 6. For example, if it is determined by the electrical signal that the scene is dark, the amplification level is increased, and if the scene is determined to be bright, the amplification level is decreased.

  The light receiving unit 6 is configured by an optical sensor such as a light control sensor or a photometric sensor, and converts an optical signal into an electrical signal based on control from the control unit 9. The light receiver 6 outputs the converted electrical signal to the second A / D converter 8. In the present embodiment, the optical signal collected through the lens and reflected by the mirror 61 is received. The output electric signal is amplified or attenuated by an amplifier / attenuator 12 such as an operational amplifier and is output to the second A / D converter 8.

The first A / D conversion unit 7 is configured by an IC chip such as an A / D converter, and converts an electrical signal input from the imaging unit 5 into a digital signal. The first A / D conversion unit 7 outputs the converted digital signal to the display unit, the control unit 9, and / or a removable recording medium.
Note that in the display unit to which the digital signal is input, the digital signal is converted into an image (visible image) that can be displayed on the display device and displayed on the display device. In the recording medium to which the digital signal is input, RC separation and JPEG compression processing are performed on the digital signal, and the digital signal is stored in the recording medium.

  Similar to the first A / D conversion unit 7, the second A / D conversion unit 8 is configured by an IC chip, and converts the electrical signal input from the light receiving unit 6 into a digital signal. The second A / D conversion unit 8 outputs the converted digital signal to the control unit 9. In the present embodiment, two A / D conversion units are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first and second A / D conversion units 7 are configured by one A / D conversion unit. , 8 may be executed.

  The shutter switch 10 controls the timing of starting shooting based on a user operation. In FIG. 1, it is provided on the upper surface of the image pickup apparatus 1 so that it can detect half-press and full-press from the user. The shutter switch 10 outputs a half-press signal to the control unit 9 when it detects a half-press operation from the user. On the other hand, when a full pressing operation from the user is detected, a shooting start signal is output to the control unit 9.

  The control unit 9 controls each unit of the imaging device 1. The control unit 9 includes a CPU 13, a built-in memory 14, and a timer 15, and controls each unit according to a control program stored in the built-in memory 14. Here, the control unit 9 includes a luminance specifying unit 93, a standby time determining unit 94, a preliminary light emitting unit 92, a main light emitting unit 91, and an elapsed time measuring unit 96. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the red-eye phenomenon. Hereinafter, each means in the control unit 9 will be described.

The luminance specifying means 93 specifies the brightness of the subject (person luminance information) based on the digital signal input via the light receiving unit 6 and the second A / D conversion unit 8. Here, the human luminance information of the present invention is luminance information reflecting the brightness (luminance) of the subject.
A specific processing procedure (steps Z1 to Z3) of the luminance specifying unit 93 will be described. When the brightness specifying means 93 receives the half-press signal from the shutter switch 10, the brightness specifying means 93 starts processing.

  First, in step Z1, a digital signal is acquired from the second A / D converter 8.

  In step Z2, person luminance information (EV value) is specified from the acquired digital signal. The method for specifying the person luminance information is determined mainly by a photometric method used for exposure control. For example, in the present embodiment, the human luminance information is specified using a multi-division (evaluation) photometry method. When the human luminance information is specified using this multi-division photometry method, the light receiving unit 6 divides the object scene into a plurality of areas and performs photometry. Then, weighting is performed so that the brightness of the subject is reflected in the digital signal measured in a plurality of divisions.

Thereafter, the luminance in each divided area (area) is calculated, and the integrated value is calculated using the luminance of each area and the weight corresponding to each area. For example, when the luminance of each region is Bi and the weight is Di (i = 1, 2,..., The total number of regions), the integrated value HB is
HB = ΣBi × Di
It is represented by Based on this integrated value, an EV value is calculated. This EV value becomes person luminance information.

  The EV value calculation method is as follows. First, the aperture and shutter speed are calculated so that the average of the integrated values becomes a preset target luminance value. Then, the EV value is obtained from the calculated aperture and shutter speed using an EV value calculation formula and a correspondence table.

Here, the weighting is configured to increase the weight of the region where the subject is estimated to exist. For example, the presence of a subject in a digital image is estimated from the intensity of luminance in the digital signal. Then, the weighting in the vicinity of the area where the existence of the subject is estimated is increased. Here, in order to estimate the presence of the subject, for example, the estimation may be performed by using the fact that the area where the subject (person) exists has a somewhat brighter brightness than the other areas. Further, a face detection process may be used to detect a person's face and increase the weight in the vicinity of the face area. The face detection process will be described later. In this embodiment, the multi-division photometry method is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a center-weighted photometry method, a spot photometry method, or the like can be used.

  In step Z3, when the person brightness information is specified, the person brightness information is handed over to the standby time determination means 94. Through these processes, the luminance specifying means 93 specifies the human luminance information.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration is such that the person luminance information is specified based on the half-press signal from the shutter switch 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. Luminance information may be specified (luminance specifying means 93a in FIG. 6). In this case, it is preferable that the light receiving unit 6 receives light at regular intervals. Further, after the preliminary light emitting means 92 emits light, the person luminance information on the subject may be specified based on the electrical signal of the light reflected from the subject by the preliminary light emission (luminance specifying means 93b in FIG. 8). In this way, since the reflected light of the subject can be used, the brightness of the person in the subject can be more reliably reflected.

  The standby time determination unit 94 determines the standby time from the preliminary light emission to the main light emission based on the result of the luminance specifying unit 93. Specifically, the standby time is determined based on the person luminance information received from the luminance specifying means 93. The standby time is configured to be shorter as the luminance is increased from low luminance based on the human luminance information. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the person luminance information is medium luminance (EV value of 3 or more and less than EV value 9), the standby time is determined to be 0.8 seconds as in the conventional example. Further, when the human luminance information is a luminance at which the red-eye phenomenon is likely to occur, that is, low luminance (less than EV value 3), the standby time is determined to be 1.0 second. Further, when the human luminance information is a luminance at which the red-eye phenomenon is unlikely to occur, that is, a high luminance (EV value of 9 or more), the standby time is determined to be 0.6 seconds. Thereby, the standby time determination means 94 can determine the standby time. Then, when the standby time is determined, the standby time determination unit 94 delivers this standby time to the storage unit 95. The storage unit 95 stores and holds the standby time in the built-in memory 14. In the present embodiment, the standby time is stored in the built-in memory 14, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the standby time may be stored in a storage device outside the control unit 9.

  The preliminary light emitting unit 92 causes the first light emitting unit 2 to emit light based on a photographing start signal from the shutter switch 10. Specifically, when a photographing start signal is received from the shutter switch 10, a preliminary light emission control signal for causing the first light emitting unit 2 to emit light is output to the first light emitting unit 2. Further, a preliminary light emission start signal for instructing the timing at which the preliminary light emission is started is delivered to the elapsed time measuring means 96. By these processes, preliminary light emission by the first light emitting unit 2 is performed. The preliminary light emission control signal is preferably output immediately after receiving the imaging start signal from the shutter switch 10. In this way, it is possible to shoot with as little time lag as possible from the user's operation of the shutter switch 10, and the chances of missing a photo opportunity are reduced.

  The elapsed time measuring means 96, when receiving the preliminary light emission start signal from the preliminary light emission means 92, operates the timer 15 present in the control unit 9 to measure the elapsed time from the start of the preliminary light emission. In the present embodiment, the timer 15 existing in the control unit 9 is operated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the timer 15 may be provided outside the control unit 9. The timer 15 may have any configuration as long as it can measure time. For example, the timer 15 can be configured using a crystal resonator.

  The main light emitting unit 91 causes the second light emitting unit 3 to emit light when the image pickup unit picks up an image based on a photographing start signal from the shutter switch 10. Specifically, when a shooting start signal from the shutter switch 10 is received, the standby time is acquired from the storage unit 95. Then, the elapsed time from the start of preliminary light emission in the elapsed time measuring means 96 is compared with the acquired standby time. If the elapsed time from the start of preliminary light emission exceeds the standby time according to the comparison result, a main light emission control signal for causing the second light emitting unit 3 to emit light is output to the second light emitting unit 3. In addition, a control signal for causing the imaging unit 5 to perform imaging is output. At this time, it is preferable to control the imaging unit 5 to start imaging immediately after the second light emitting unit 3 emits light. As a result, imaging by the imaging unit 5 accompanied by main light emission becomes possible.

  Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  First, referring to FIG. 5, the operation for specifying the human luminance information based on the half-press signal will be described. The operation of the image pickup apparatus 1 is started when the power supply of the image pickup apparatus 1 is turned on. Preferably, the imaging apparatus 1 may be provided with a mode for preventing the red-eye phenomenon such as the red-eye reduction mode, and the following processing may be performed only when the red-reduction mode is set.

  In step A1, the control unit 9 accepts a half-press of the shutter switch 10 from the user. When a half-press (half-press signal) is received, the luminance specifying means 93 of the control unit 9 receives the half-press signal. Then, the process proceeds to step A2. If half-press is not accepted, step A1 is repeated until half-press is accepted.

  In step A2, the luminance specifying means 93 controls the light receiving unit 6, and the light receiving unit 6 receives an optical signal from the subject. Accordingly, the light receiving unit 6 converts the optical signal into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal to the second A / D conversion unit 8. The second A / D conversion unit 8 converts the electrical signal into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the luminance specifying means 93 of the control unit 9.

  In step A3, the brightness specifying means 93 specifies person brightness information. At this time, the human luminance information is calculated using the digital signal output from the second A / D converter 8. The calculation method of the person luminance information is specified by the method described above. Then, the luminance specifying unit 93 passes the calculated person luminance information to the standby time determining unit 94.

  In step A4, the standby time determining means 94 determines the standby time. At this time, for example, using the correspondence table of FIG. 4, the standby time is determined based on the handed over person luminance information. Then, the standby time determination unit 94 delivers the determined standby time to the storage unit 95. The storage means 95 to which the standby time has been handed over stores and holds the standby time.

  In step A5, the control unit 9 receives a full press of the shutter switch 10 from the user. When this full press (shooting start signal) is accepted, the preliminary light emitting means 92 and the main light emitting means 91 of the control unit 9 receive the shooting start signal. Then, the process proceeds to step A6. On the other hand, when the full press (shooting start signal) is not accepted, the process proceeds to step A1. It should be noted that the determination when the full press (shooting start signal) is not accepted is preferably made when the half-press (half-press signal) of the shutter switch 10 from the user is released. That is, while the shutter switch 10 is half-pressed, it stays at step A5. When the shutter switch 10 is fully pressed, the process proceeds to step A6. When the shutter switch 10 is half-pressed, the process proceeds to step A1. It is preferable to migrate. In this way, since the shooting process is performed by determining the standby time once, the shooting process can be entered efficiently.

  In step A6, the preliminary light emission means 92 that has received the imaging start signal causes the first light emitting unit 2 to emit light according to the preliminary light emission control signal. In addition, the preliminary light emission unit 92 outputs a preliminary light emission start signal to the elapsed time measurement unit 96. Thereby, the elapsed time measuring means 96 controls the timer 15 to measure the elapsed time from the start of preliminary light emission.

  In step A 7, the main light emitting means 91 that has received the imaging start signal compares the elapsed time from the start of preliminary light emission in the elapsed time measuring means 96 with the standby time acquired from the storage means 95. When the elapsed time from the start of the preliminary light emission exceeds the standby time, the second light emitting unit 3 is caused to emit light by the main light emission control signal. Further, the imaging unit 5 is caused to image the subject by a control signal for operating the imaging unit 5. This enables photography with flash photography.

  By repeating these processes, the main light emission is performed after the standby time elapses from the preliminary light emission.

(Modification 1 of Embodiment 1)
Next, with reference to FIG. 7, an operation for specifying person luminance information at regular intervals will be described. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the operation | movement similar to the operation | movement which specifies person brightness information based on the said half-press signal. This process is started when the power of the imaging apparatus 1 is turned on.

  In step B1, as in step A2, the light receiving unit 6 receives an optical signal from the subject and converts it into an electrical signal. Then, the second A / D converter 8 converts the electrical signal into a digital signal and outputs it to the luminance specifying means 93a of the controller 9.

  In step B2, as in step A3, the luminance specifying unit 93a specifies the human luminance information and outputs the human luminance information to the standby time determining unit 94.

  In step B 3, as in step A 4, the standby time determination unit 94 determines the standby time and delivers this standby time to the storage unit 95. And the memory | storage means 95 hold | maintains standby time.

  In step B4, it is determined whether or not a certain time (for example, 1 minute) has elapsed since the time when the power of the imaging apparatus 1 was turned on. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step B1. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step B5. Note that the second and subsequent processing of step B4 is performed by determining whether or not a certain time has elapsed since the previous processing of step B4 was performed. Here, regarding the measurement for a certain time, it is possible to perform processing by a member using a crystal resonator such as the timer 15 described above.

  In step B5, the control unit 9 receives a full press of the shutter switch 10 from the user. At this time, if full press is accepted, the process proceeds to step B6. On the other hand, if full press is not accepted, the process proceeds to step B4. Here, the case where the full press is not accepted refers to the case where the imaging start signal is not accepted.

  In step B6, as in step A6, the preliminary light emission means 92 causes the first light emitting unit 2 to perform preliminary light emission.

  In step B7, as in step A7, the main light emitting unit 91 causes the second light emitting unit 3 to perform main light emission after the standby time has elapsed. Then, imaging is performed by the imaging unit 5.

  By repeating these processes, the main light emission is performed after the standby time elapses from the preliminary light emission.

(Modification 2 of Embodiment 1)
Furthermore, with reference to FIG. 9, the operation | movement which specifies person brightness information based on the reflected light from the to-be-photographed object by preliminary light emission is demonstrated. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the operation | movement similar to the operation | movement which specifies person brightness information based on the said half-press signal. This process is started when the power of the imaging apparatus 1 is turned on.

  In step C1, the control unit 9 receives a full press of the shutter switch 10 from the user. When full pressing is accepted, the process proceeds to step C2. On the other hand, if the full press is not accepted, the process of step C1 is repeated. Here, the case where the full press is not accepted refers to the case where the imaging start signal is not accepted.

  In Step C2, as in Step A6, the preliminary light emission means 92 causes the first light emitting unit 2 to perform preliminary light emission. Further, the elapsed time measuring means 96 operates the timer 15 to measure the elapsed time from the start of preliminary light emission. Here, unlike step A6, a preliminary light emission start signal is output to the luminance specifying means 93b.

  In Step C3, the luminance specifying unit 93b controls the light receiving unit 6 based on the preliminary light emission start signal. The light receiving unit 6 receives an optical signal (reflected light) from the subject. Along with this, the light receiving unit 6 converts the optical signal into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal to the first A / D conversion unit 7. The second A / D converter 8 converts the electrical signal into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the luminance specifying means 93b.

  In step C4, as in step A3, the luminance specifying means 93b specifies the person luminance information, and outputs this person luminance information to the standby time determining means 94.

  In step C5, as in step A4, the standby time determination unit 94 determines the standby time, and transfers this standby time to the storage unit 95. Then, the storage means 95 stores and holds the standby time.

  In step C6, as in step A7, the main light emitting unit 91 causes the second light emitting unit 3 to perform main light emission after the standby time has elapsed. Then, imaging is performed by the imaging unit 5.

  By repeating these processes, the main light emission is performed after the standby time elapses from the preliminary light emission.

  In the present embodiment, preliminary light emission and main light emission are performed using different light emitting units (first light emitting unit 2 and second light emitting unit 3). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one light emitting unit is used. Thus, preliminary light emission and main light emission may be performed. When configured in this manner, for example, preliminary light emission and main light emission are performed by the second light emitting unit 3 of FIG.

Here, in the present embodiment, the first light emitting unit 2 and the second light emitting unit 3 are configured by different light emitting units. This is effective in the following points. First, when the first light emitting unit 2 is configured by a flash device using an LED lamp and the second light emitting unit 3 is configured by a flash device using a xenon lamp, the first light emitting unit 2 and the second light emitting unit 3 are combined. Compared with the case where the light emitting unit (xenon lamp) is used, the power consumption can be reduced since the light emission by the LED lamp can be performed during the preliminary light emission. In addition, the full emission of the xenon lamp is facilitated during the main emission.
Further, in the present embodiment, the light receiving unit 6 and the imaging unit 5 are configured by different optical sensors, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured by one optical sensor.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the standby time is determined based on the person luminance information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the standby time is determined based on the brightness of the face of the subject (face luminance information). May be determined. When configured in this way, the luminance specifying means 93 specifies face luminance information by the following means. The face luminance information is luminance information reflecting the brightness (luminance) of the subject's face.

  This luminance specifying means first performs face detection processing using the input digital signal. Then, luminance information is acquired from the detected face area. At this time, when one face area is detected, the face luminance information is specified based on the luminance information. On the other hand, when a plurality of face areas are detected, the face brightness information is specified based on the brightness information of each face area. For example, in FIG. 10, face areas 20a and 20b are detected as face areas, and face luminance information is specified based only on the luminance of these areas. Here, the face luminance information is specified by the EV value similarly to the human luminance information.

  The method for acquiring the face luminance information is not limited to the above embodiment, and any configuration may be used as long as the luminance information reflects the luminance of the face of a person. For example, when a plurality of face areas are detected, one area may be selected from them, and the EV value obtained from the brightness information of the selected face area may be specified as the face brightness information. Preferably, it has face position specifying means 97 for specifying the position of the face, and it is determined whether the specified face position is a position where red eyes are likely to occur. Alternatively, it may be reflected in the face luminance information. In this case, the determination as to whether or not the position is likely to cause red eyes is made based on whether or not the position exists at the center position 21 as viewed from the left and right of the object scene 22, as shown in FIG. In this case, the face region 20a is a face that exists at a position where red-eye is likely to occur. This is because the expected angle (see FIG. 8 of JP-A-1-235932), which is a condition for generating red eyes, tends to be a certain value or less at the center position 21.

  Here, the face detection process will be described. The face detection process is performed by extracting features from a digital signal (digital image), comparing with features representing a face area prepared in advance, and detecting those having a high degree of similarity. The face area is a skin color area detection in which an area having a high correlation between brightness and the template of the face area prepared in advance is searched from the image, or an area in the HSV color space whose hue is close to the skin color hue specified in advance is detected. , Model human faces as ellipses, detect ellipses by Hough transformation, or use statistical pattern identification techniques to find areas that have a close correlation with previously learned facial feature spaces You may detect by detecting.

  In face detection processing, color determination may be required. The digital signal in this case needs to be acquired from an optical signal received by an optical sensor using R, G, and B primary color filters like an image sensor. Therefore, when face detection processing using color is performed, for example, in the first embodiment, the light receiving unit is configured by an optical sensor using a primary color filter. In another embodiment, it is preferable that a face detection process is made possible by combining the function of the light receiving unit and the function of the imaging unit by configuring the light receiving unit with an image sensor.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the imaging apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, which is another configuration example of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, will be described (FIG. 11). Note that the description of the same configuration as that of the imaging device 1 in the first embodiment is omitted.

The imaging device 1 in the present embodiment includes a first light emitting unit 2, a second light emitting unit 3, a lens system 4, an imaging unit 5, a light receiving unit 6, and a first A / D conversion unit 7. And a second A / D conversion unit 8, a control unit 9 for controlling each unit, and a shutter switch 10.
The control unit 9 includes a main light emitting unit 91, a preliminary light emitting unit 92, a luminance specifying unit 93, and a standby time determining unit 94.
The luminance specifying means 93 is
Before preliminary emission by the preliminary light emission means 92, a preliminary light emission luminance acquisition means for converting light from the subject into an electrical signal;
A pre-light emission luminance acquisition means for converting the reflected light from the subject into an electrical signal after the light emission by the preliminary light emission means 92;
Based on the electrical signal converted by the luminance acquisition means before preliminary light emission, a photometric area for measuring the brightness of reflected light from the previous subject is determined, and converted from the reflected light from the subject in the limited photometric area The brightness of the subject is specified based on the electrical signal. Thus, the main light emission is controlled to be emitted after the standby time elapses from the preliminary light emission.

  Only the configuration different from that of the first embodiment will be described below. The photometric area may be determined by selecting one area from each of the divided areas (areas) or by selecting a plurality of areas.

  The luminance specifying unit 93c includes a luminance acquisition unit before preliminary light emission, a luminance acquisition unit after preliminary light emission, and a person luminance calculation unit, and an optical signal from a subject before preliminary light emission and a subject after preliminary light emission. The person luminance information is specified based on the optical signal (reflected light).

  The luminance acquisition means before preliminary light emission acquires a digital signal via the light receiving unit 6 and the second A / D conversion unit 8 before preliminary light emission. This digital signal is converted based on the optical signal from the subject before preliminary light emission. Then, the acquired digital signal is delivered to the person luminance specifying means 93.

  The pre-light emission luminance acquisition means acquires a digital signal (reflected light) via the light receiving unit 6 and the second A / D conversion unit 8 after the preliminary light emission. This digital signal (reflected light) is converted based on an optical signal (reflected light) from the subject after preliminary light emission. Then, the acquired digital signal (reflected light) is delivered to the person luminance calculation means.

  The person luminance calculation means specifies person luminance information based on the digital signal and the digital signal (reflected light). Specifically, first, based on the digital signal from the pre-light emission luminance acquisition means, a photometric area for measuring the digital signal (reflected light) is determined. This process is preferably performed before preliminary light emission.

  In addition, the person brightness calculation means specifies person brightness information based on the digital signal (reflected light) in the determined photometry area. Here, as for the identification of the human luminance information, a photometric method used for exposure control can be used as in the first embodiment. Therefore, for example, an EV value may be calculated based on the integrated value (unweighted) of the luminance of the digital signal in the determined photometric area and determined as the human luminance information.

  Note that the photometric area determination method is not limited as long as the area in which the subject is present in the digital signal can be determined as the photometric area. Therefore, it can be determined by the same method as described in the weighting method of the first embodiment.

  According to this configuration, since the person luminance information is specified using the information before the preliminary light emission and the information after the preliminary light emission, the human luminance information more reflecting the luminance of the person can be acquired, and the red-eye phenomenon can be more reliably performed. Can be prevented. In addition, since the area to be measured after the preliminary light emission is limited, the processing time after the preliminary light emission can be shortened.

  Hereinafter, the operation procedure of the imaging apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. Note that the description of the same processing as the operation for specifying the human luminance information based on the half-press signal in the first embodiment will be omitted. This process is started when the power of the imaging apparatus 1 is turned on.

  In Step D1, as in Step A1, a half-press of the shutter switch 10 is accepted from the user. If half-press is accepted, the process proceeds to step D2.

  In step D2, as in step A2, the luminance specifying means 93c controls the light receiving unit 6, and the light receiving unit 6 converts an optical signal from the subject into an electrical signal. Then, the light receiving unit 6 outputs an electrical signal to the second A / D conversion unit 8. Further, the second A / D converter 8 converts the inputted electric signal into a digital signal and outputs it to the luminance specifying means 93c.

  In step D3, the luminance specifying means 93c determines a photometric area in the digital signal (reflected light) based on the input digital signal.

  In step D4, as in step A5, the control unit 9 receives a full press of the shutter switch 10 from the user. When this full press (shooting start signal) is accepted, a shooting start signal is input to the preliminary light emitting means 92 and the main light emitting means 91 of the control unit 9. Then, the process proceeds to step D5.

  In Step D5, as in Step A6, the preliminary light emission means 92 causes the first light emitting unit 2 to perform preliminary light emission. Further, the elapsed time measuring means 96 operates the timer 15 to measure the elapsed time from the start of preliminary light emission. Here, unlike step A6, a preliminary light emission start signal is output to the luminance specifying means 93c.

  In step D6, the luminance specifying means 93c controls the light receiving unit 6, and the light receiving unit 6 receives reflected light from the subject. The light receiving unit 6 converts the received optical signal (reflected light) into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal to the second A / D conversion unit 8. Further, the second A / D converter 8 converts the inputted electric signal into a digital signal and outputs it to the luminance specifying means 93c.

  In step D7, the brightness specifying means 93c specifies the person brightness information based on the digital signal in the photometry area. The person luminance information is output to the standby time determining means 94.

  In step D8, as in step A4, the standby time determination unit 94 determines the standby time, and delivers this standby time determination unit 94 to the storage unit 95. And the memory | storage means 95 hold | maintains standby time.

  In step D9, as in step A7, the main light emitting unit 91 causes the second light emitting unit 3 to perform main light emission after the standby time has elapsed. Then, imaging is performed by the imaging unit 5.

By repeating these processes, the main light emission is performed after the standby time elapses from the preliminary light emission.
(Embodiment 3)
Furthermore, the imaging apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment, which is another configuration example of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, will be described (FIG. 13). Note that the description of the same configuration as that of the imaging device 1 in the first embodiment is omitted.

The imaging device 1 in the present embodiment includes a first light emitting unit 2, a second light emitting unit 3, a lens system 4, an imaging unit 5, a light receiving unit 6, and a first A / D conversion unit 7. And a second A / D conversion unit 8, a control unit 9 for controlling each unit, and a shutter switch 10.
And the control part 9 is the main light emission means 91, the preliminary | backup light emission means 92,
Pupil analysis means 98 for analyzing the digital image based on the digital signal converted by the second A / D converter 8 and detecting the opening of the pupil of the subject;
A waiting time determining means 94a for determining a waiting time from the light emission by the preliminary light emitting means 92 to the light emission by the main light emitting means 91 based on the analysis result of the pupil analyzing means 98;
The main light emission is controlled to be emitted after the standby time from the preliminary light emission. Only the configuration different from that of the first embodiment will be described below.

  The pupil analyzing means 98 analyzes the opening of a person's pupil in the subject (pupil opening information) using the input digital signal. Then, the acquired pupil opening information is handed over to the waiting time determining means 94. When there are a plurality of pieces of pupil opening information, it is preferable to hand over information indicating that the pupil is most open. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and pupil opening information obtained by averaging pupil openings may be handed over.

Specifically, the pupil analysis process is performed by first performing a face detection process and detecting a pupil from the detected face area. Then, the detected pupil opening is detected. Specific processing will be described below.
The face detection process is performed by the method described in the first embodiment.

  The detection of the pupil is performed by using the fact that the pupil is projected as an ellipse on the image and detecting the ellipse from the face region using the Hough transform. In addition, the circle that touches the edge is detected by the Hough transform, and the circle is repeatedly deformed and applied to the ellipse. A detection method may be used. Furthermore, the detection of the pupil may be performed directly from the input of a digital signal (digital image) without using the face detection result.

  The detection of the opening of the pupil is performed by using the ellipse detected by the above Hough transform. In addition, when an image region having a high correlation with the feature space created by inputting a pupil image in advance is detected as a pupil, information indicating the size of the pupil opening is added to the feature space in advance, and the detected pupil The opening of the pupil may be detected by using information on the feature space having a high correlation with the image area.

  The standby time determination unit 94a determines the standby time from the preliminary light emission to the main light emission based on the result of the pupil analysis unit 98. Specifically, the waiting time is determined based on the pupil opening information delivered from the pupil analyzing means 98. The determined standby time is stored via the storage means 95. Regarding the waiting time, it is preferable to set the waiting time longer as the pupil opening becomes larger.

  Hereinafter, the operation procedure of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the operation | movement similar to the operation | movement which specifies person brightness information based on the half-press signal of the said Embodiment 1, operation | movement is abbreviate | omitted. This process is started when the power of the imaging apparatus 1 is turned on.

  In step E1, as in step A1, a half press of the shutter switch 10 is accepted from the user. If half-press is accepted, the process proceeds to step E2.

  In step E2, the pupil analyzing means 98 controls the light receiving unit 6 as in step A2. Then, the light receiving unit 6 converts an optical signal from the subject into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal to the second A / D conversion unit 8. Further, the second A / D converter 8 converts the input electrical signal into a digital signal and outputs it to the pupil analyzing means 98.

  In step E3, as in step A3, the pupil analyzing means 98 acquires pupil opening information based on the acquired digital signal. Then, the pupil opening information is handed over to the waiting time determining means 94a.

  In step E4, as in step A4, the standby time determination unit 94a determines the standby time, and delivers this standby time determination unit 94 to the storage unit 95. And the memory | storage means 95 hold | maintains standby time.

  In step E5, as in step A5, the control unit 9 receives a full press of the shutter switch 10 from the user. When this full press (shooting start signal) is received, the preliminary light emitting means 92 and the main light emitting means 91 of the control unit 9 receive the shooting start signal, and the process proceeds to step E6.

  In step E6, similarly to step A6, the preliminary light emission means 92 causes the first light emitting unit 2 to perform preliminary light emission. Further, the elapsed time measuring means 96 operates the timer 15 to measure the elapsed time from the start of preliminary light emission.

  In step E7, as in step A7, the main light emitting unit 91 causes the second light emitting unit 3 to perform main light emission after the standby time has elapsed. Then, imaging is performed by the imaging unit 5.

  By repeating these processes, the main light emission is performed after the standby time elapses from the preliminary light emission.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the control unit 9 emits the second light emitting unit 3 to emit light in accordance with photographing, and the first light emitting unit 2 emits light before the light emitting unit 91 emits light. The preliminary light emitting means 92 to be used, the luminance specifying means 93 for specifying the brightness of the subject based on the electrical signal acquired from the light receiving unit 6 before photographing, and the preliminary light emitting means 92 based on the specification result of the luminance specifying means 93. And a standby time determining means 94 for determining the standby time from the light emission by the main light emission means 91 to the light emission by the main light emission means 91 so that the light emission by the main light emission means 91 is emitted after the standby light emission by the preliminary light emission means 92. Therefore, the subject's red-eye phenomenon can be prevented more reliably, and the subject can be prevented from being confused.

  In the second embodiment, the control unit 9 includes a main light emitting unit 91, a preliminary light emitting unit 92, a luminance specifying unit 93, and a standby time determining unit 94. The luminance specifying means 93 is a pre-light-emission luminance acquisition means for converting light from the subject into an electrical signal before the light emission by the preliminary light-emitting means 92; And a post-preliminary luminance acquisition means for converting into a pre-light emission luminance means for limiting the photometry area for measuring the brightness of the reflected light from the subject based on the electrical signal of the pre-preluminance luminance means, and the limited photometry Since the brightness of the subject is specified based on the electrical signal converted from the reflected light from the subject in the area, it is possible to acquire human brightness information that reflects the brightness of the person, and to prevent the red-eye phenomenon more reliably. In addition, since the area to be measured after the preliminary light emission is limited, the processing time after the preliminary light emission can be shortened.

Further, in the third embodiment, the control unit 9 includes a main light emitting unit 91, a preliminary light emitting unit 92,
A pupil analysis unit 98 that analyzes a digital image based on the digital signal converted by the second A / D conversion unit 8 and detects the pupil opening of the subject, and a preliminary light emission unit based on the analysis result of the pupil analysis unit 98 And a standby time determining means 94a for determining the standby time from the light emission by 92 to the light emission by the main light emission means 91, and the main light emission is controlled to be emitted after the standby time from the preliminary light emission. Openness can be detected and a more appropriate waiting time can be determined.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes.
For example, in the second embodiment, the standby time may be determined based on the face luminance information described above.

In the third embodiment, pupil analysis is performed using the digital signal before preliminary light emission (pupil opening information is calculated). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the digital signal (reflection) after preliminary light emission is used. Further, in the above embodiment, the person luminance information and the face luminance information are specified by the EV value. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and information reflecting the luminance is used. As long as the waiting time can be determined by any means, any means may be used.

  The present invention is applicable to an imaging apparatus that enables flash photography. Specifically, it can be used for a digital still camera, a movie, a mobile phone terminal with a camera function, and the like.

1 is a perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The figure explaining the outline of the functional block of the imaging device which concerns on the same form The figure which shows the structural example of the imaging device which concerns on the same form The figure explaining the brightness | luminance specific | specification means of the imaging device which concerns on the same form The figure explaining the operation | movement flow of the imaging device which concerns on the same form The figure explaining the outline of the functional block of the imaging device which concerns on the modification 1 of the form The figure explaining the operation | movement flow of the imaging device which concerns on the modification 1 of the form The figure explaining the outline of the functional block of the imaging device which concerns on the modification 2 of the form The figure explaining the operation | movement flow of the imaging device which concerns on the modification 2 of the form The figure explaining the brightness | luminance specific | specification means of the imaging device which concerns on other embodiment The figure explaining the outline of the functional block of the imaging device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. The figure which clarifies the operation | movement flow of the imaging device concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. The figure explaining the outline of the functional block of the imaging device which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. The figure which clarifies the operation | movement flow of the imaging device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imaging device 2 1st light emission part 3 2nd light emission part 4 Lens system 5 Image pick-up part 6 Light-receiving part 7 1st A / D conversion part 8 2nd A / D conversion part 9 Control part 10 Shutter switch 11, 12 Amplifier / Attenuator 13 CPU
14 Built-in memory 15 Timer 20a, 20b Face area 21 Center position 91 Main light emitting means 92 Preliminary light emitting means 93, 93a, 93b, 93c Luminance specifying means 94, 94a Standby time determining means 95 Storage means 96 Elapsed time measuring means 97 Face position specifying Means 98 Pupil analysis means 61 Mirror

Claims (7)

A light emitting unit that irradiates the subject with a flash;
A light receiving unit that converts light from the subject into an electrical signal;
A control unit for controlling the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit,
The controller is
A main light emitting means for causing the light emitting unit to emit light when photographing;
Preliminary light emitting means for causing the light emitting part to emit light before light emission by the main light emitting means;
Luminance specifying means for specifying the brightness of the subject based on the electrical signal acquired from the light receiving unit before shooting;
Standby time determination means for determining a standby time from light emission by the preliminary light emission means to light emission by the main light emission means based on the identification result of the luminance identification means;
The imaging apparatus that controls the light emission by the main light emission means to emit light after the standby time elapses from the light emission by the preliminary light emission means. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brightness specifying unit specifies the brightness of the face of the subject based on an electrical signal acquired by the light receiving unit before shooting. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the luminance specifying unit specifies the brightness of a subject based on an electric signal acquired from the light receiving unit after the preliminary light emitting unit emits light. The controller is
Based on the electrical signal acquired from the light receiving unit before shooting, further comprising a position specifying means for specifying the position of the face of the subject,
The brightness specifying unit determines a face of a subject that may be red-eyed based on a result of the position specifying unit, and specifies a brightness of the face of the subject based on the determined face of the subject. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1. A first light emitting unit for emitting light to the subject by the preliminary light emitting means;
The light emitting unit is a second light emitting unit,
The controller is
Controlling the second light emitting unit to emit light by the main light emitting means;
The imaging device according to claim 1. The luminance specifying means includes
Before pre-emission by the pre-emission unit, pre-emission luminance acquisition unit that converts light from the subject into an electrical signal;
After preliminary light emission by the preliminary light emission means, further comprising a luminance acquisition means after preliminary light emission for converting reflected light from the subject into an electrical signal;
Based on the electrical signal converted by the pre-preliminary luminance acquisition means, a photometric area for measuring the brightness of the reflected light from the subject is determined, and from the reflected light from the subject in the determined photometric area Identify the brightness of the subject based on the converted electrical signal,
The imaging device according to claim 1. A light emitting unit that irradiates the subject with a flash;
A light receiving unit that converts light from the subject into an electrical signal;
An A / D converter that converts the electrical signal converted by the light receiving unit into a digital signal;
A control unit for controlling the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit,
The controller is
A main light emitting means for causing the light emitting unit to emit light when photographing;
Preliminary light emitting means for causing the light emitting part to emit light before light emission by the main light emitting means;
Pupil analysis means for analyzing a digital image based on the digital signal converted by the A / D converter and detecting the pupil opening of the subject;
Standby time determining means for determining a standby time from light emission by the preliminary light emission means to light emission by the main light emission means based on the analysis result of the pupil analysis means,
The imaging apparatus that controls the light emission by the main light emission means to emit light after the standby time elapses from the light emission by the preliminary light emission means.

Images