JP2009111827A - Photographing apparatus and image file providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing apparatus and image file providing system capable of specifying a position of a subject. <P>SOLUTION: A subject image is formed on a photo-detection plane of a CCD 14, and a focal position of the subject image is adjusted. When acquiring image information indicative of the subject image via the CCD 14, position information indicating a position of the photographing apparatus itself is detected and azimuth information indicating a direction of the photo-detection plane of the CCD 14 is detected. On the basis of the focal position, a distance between the photo-detection plane of the CCD 14 and the subject, in which the subject image is acquired by the CCD 14, is derived and on the basis of its own position information, its own azimuth information and the distance to the subject, position information of the subject is specified. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus and an image file providing system that acquire image information indicating a subject image by photographing.

  In recent years, utilization methods of photographing apparatuses have been diversified, and various utilization methods such as photographing a still image using a fixed camera such as a surveillance camera have been proposed.

  For example, in Patent Literature 1, when a non-contact IC card passes a fixed point of a reader device by a monitoring system using a fixed point camera, the vicinity of the reader device is shot with the fixed point camera, and a shot image is stored together with time information. It is described to do.

  Patent Document 2 describes that in a crime prevention system using a communication network, a captured image from a fixed camera is stored for each monitoring area, and a user calls and uses the captured image of the necessary monitoring area. Has been.

Patent Document 3 describes that it is possible to specify a photographing non-permitted range in a fixed camera capable of photographing by changing a photographing angle by remote operation.
JP 2001-167306 A JP 2002-165511 A JP 2001-333319 A

  However, in the techniques described in the above patent documents, a fixed point camera is used, and the composition of a still image that can be acquired is limited because the shooting range is fixed. For example, when requesting shooting to a third party who has a camera instead of a fixed-point camera, it is difficult for the third party who is the photographer to grasp the appearance and position of the subject, and to request the shooting. There was a problem that.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a photographing apparatus and an image file providing system capable of specifying the position of a subject.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 forms an object image on the light receiving surface of the image sensor, adjusts the focal position of the object image, and converts the object image through the image sensor. Acquisition means for acquiring image information indicating; position detection means for detecting position information indicating its own position; azimuth detection means for detecting azimuth information indicating the direction of the light receiving surface of the image sensor; and subject by the adjustment means Deriving means for deriving the distance between the light receiving surface and the subject indicated by the subject image based on the focal position of the image, position information detected by the position detecting means, and the orientation information detected by the orientation detecting means And subject position specifying means for specifying the position information of the subject based on the distance derived by the deriving means.

  Thereby, the position information of the subject to be photographed can be specified.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, as in the second aspect of the present invention, the time information that measures a preset standard time and outputs it as time information, and the image information acquired by the acquisition means are acquired. The time information output from the time measuring means at the time and the generation means for generating the image file to which the position information specified by the subject position specifying means when the image information is acquired may be further provided. .

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the third aspect of the present invention, face detection for detecting, as a face, an area having a degree of facialness higher than a predetermined level from the image area indicated by the image information acquired by the acquisition unit. And means for generating the image file further including information indicating a feature amount of the area detected by the face detection means in the image file.

  On the other hand, as in the invention according to claim 4, the present invention provides a receiving means for receiving position information of a subject to be photographed, a display means for displaying an image acquired by the acquiring means, and the position by the receiving means. When the information is received, the position information is acquired by the acquisition means, the direction information is detected by the direction detection means, and the subject position information, the self position information and the direction information received by the reception means are guided. It is good also as a structure further provided with the display control means which displays the guidance screen for doing on the said display means.

  Further, according to the present invention, based on the position information received by the receiving unit, the position information acquired by the acquiring unit, and the direction information detected by the direction detecting unit, as in the invention of claim 5. , Further comprising subject orientation specifying means for specifying orientation information of a subject to be photographed from its own position, wherein the display control means sequentially displays image information acquired at predetermined intervals via the image sensor on the display means. In addition to the display, the azimuth direction information specified by the photographic direction specifying means can be displayed as the guidance screen so as to overlap the image information.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, as in the sixth aspect of the invention, the display control unit is configured to display the subject position when the position information specified by the subject position specifying unit matches the position information received by the receiving unit. A display that emphasizes an area indicating a subject image as a target of position information specifying by the specifying unit may be performed.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the invention described in claim 7, the adjustment unit is configured to perform the photographing based on a difference between the position information detected by the position detection unit and the position information received by the reception unit. The photographing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a focal position at which a subject to be focused is derived is derived, and an adjustment range of the focal position is limited to a range including the derived focal position.

  According to the present invention, as in the invention described in claim 8, the receiving means further receives face information indicating a predetermined feature amount of an image indicating a face of the subject image to be photographed, and is acquired by the acquiring means. A face detecting unit for detecting, as a face, a region having a degree of facialness higher than a predetermined level from the image region indicated by the image information; a predetermined feature amount of the region detected by the face detecting unit; and the receiving unit. A degree of coincidence deriving unit for deriving a degree of coincidence with the received face information, and when the degree of coincidence derived by the coincidence degree deriving unit is lower than a predetermined level, the display unit performs imaging again You may make it perform the display which urges to do.

  Further, according to the present invention, the face detection means and the coincidence degree derivation means may be provided outside as in the ninth aspect of the invention.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided storage means for storing the image file generated by the photographing apparatus according to claim 2, receiving means for receiving the photographing time and subject position as photographing conditions, and the accumulating means. Search means for searching for the image file satisfying the photographing condition received by the receiving means from among the image files stored in the image file, and output means for outputting the image file searched by the search means. .

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imaging device and an image file providing system that can specify the position of a subject.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
First, an external configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the front of the digital camera 10 is provided with a lens 12 for forming a subject image and a finder 58 used for determining the composition of the subject to be photographed. On the top surface of the digital camera 10, a release button (so-called shutter) 56A that is pressed by a photographer when performing shooting and a power switch 56B are provided.

  Note that the release button 56A according to the present embodiment is in a state where it is pressed down to an intermediate position (hereinafter referred to as “half-pressed state”), and in a state where it is pressed down to a final pressed position that exceeds the intermediate position (hereinafter referred to as “herein”). It is configured to be able to detect a two-stage pressing operation of “fully pressed state”.

  In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, the exposure state (shutter speed, aperture state) is set by operating the AE (Automatic Exposure) function by pressing the release button 56A halfway. After that, AF (Auto Focus) function is activated and focus control is performed, and then exposure (photographing) is performed when it is fully pressed.

  On the other hand, on the back surface of the digital camera 10, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as “the eyepiece” of the finder 58 and a subject image, various menu screens, messages, etc. indicated by the digital image data obtained by photographing). 30), a shooting mode that is a mode for performing shooting, and a playback mode that is a mode for displaying (reproducing) a subject image indicated by digital image data obtained by shooting on the LCD 30. A cross-cursor button 56D configured to include a mode selector switch 56C that is slid for setting, and four arrow keys that indicate four directions of movement in the display area of the LCD 30, up, down, left, and right; Is provided.

  Also, on the back of the digital camera 10, a menu key 56E that is pressed when displaying the main menu screen on the LCD 30, and an execution key 56F that is pressed when executing processing specified on the menu screen, A cancel key 56G that is pressed when various operations are canceled (cancelled) is provided.

  Next, the configuration of the electrical system of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the digital camera 10 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 32 that controls the operation of the entire digital camera 10, a first memory 38 that is used as a work area when the CPU 32 executes various processes, And a second memory 40 for storing digital image data obtained mainly by photographing. The CPU 32, the first memory 38, and the second memory 40 are connected to each other via a bus BUS.

  Therefore, the CPU 32 can perform access to the first memory 38 and the second memory 40 and access to the recording medium 42A via the media controller 42, respectively.

  The first memory 38 can be configured by, for example, SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), and the second memory 40 can be configured by, for example, VRAM (Video RAM).

  As shown in the figure, the digital camera 10 includes an optical unit 13 including the lens 12 described above, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 14 disposed behind the optical axis of the lens 12, A timing generator 48 that mainly generates a timing signal for driving the CCD 14 and supplies the timing signal to the CCD 14 is provided.

  The input terminal of the timing generator 48 is connected to the CPU 32 and the output terminal is connected to the CCD 14. The driving of the CCD 14 is controlled by the CPU 32 via the timing generator 48.

  Further, the lens 12 included in the optical unit 13 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of lenses and is configured as a zoom lens capable of changing (magnifying) the focal length. A lens driving mechanism including a motor 50B and an aperture driving motor 50C is provided. The output terminals of the motor drive units 50A, 50B, and 50C are connected to the zoom motor 13A, the focus adjustment motor 13B, and the aperture drive motor 13C, respectively.

  The input terminals of these motor drive units 50A, 50B, and 50C are connected to the CPU 32, respectively, and the zoom motor 13A, the focus adjustment motor 13B, and the aperture drive motor 13C constituting the lens drive mechanism are respectively motors under the control of the CPU 32. It is driven by a drive signal supplied from the drive unit 50.

  When changing the optical zoom magnification, the CPU 32 controls the zoom motor 13 </ b> A to change the focal length of the lens 12 included in the optical unit 13.

  Further, the digital camera 10 includes a correlated double sampling circuit (hereinafter referred to as “CDSAMP”) 16 and an analog / digital converter (hereinafter referred to as “ADC”) that converts an input analog signal into digital data. 18. The input terminal of the CDSAMP 16 is connected to the output terminal of the CCD 14, and the output terminal of the CDSAMP 16 is connected to the input terminal of the ADC 18.

  In the CDSAMP 16, for the purpose of reducing noise (particularly thermal noise) included in the output signal of the CCD 14, the difference between the feedthrough component level included in the output signal for each pixel of the solid-state image sensor and the pixel signal component level. This is a process for obtaining accurate pixel data by taking

  The operation unit 56 including the release button 56A, the power switch 56B, the mode switch 56C, the cross cursor button 56D, the menu key 56E, the execution key 56F, and the cancel key 56G is connected to the CPU 32. The operation state for each of the operation units 56 can be always grasped.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 has a line buffer having a predetermined capacity and an image input controller 20 that performs control for directly storing the input digital image data in a predetermined area of the second memory 40, and various kinds of digital image data. An image signal processing circuit 22 that performs image processing, a compression processing for compressing digital image data in a predetermined compression format, and a decompression processing circuit 24 that performs decompression processing on the compressed digital image data, and digital image data And a display control circuit 28 that generates a signal for displaying the displayed image, menu screen, and the like on the LCD 30 and supplies the signal to the LCD 30. Note that the output terminal of the ADC 18 is connected to the input terminal of the image input controller 20.

  Further, the digital camera 10 detects the physical quantity required to operate the AF detection circuit 34 for detecting the physical quantity required to operate the AF function, and the AE function and AWB (Automatic White Balance) function. And an AE / AWB detection circuit 36.

  As a physical quantity detected by the AF detection circuit 34, an evaluation value (contrast value) indicating a high frequency component of luminance in an AF area of an image obtained by imaging by the CCD 14 is detected. Further, as physical quantities detected by the AE / AWB detection circuit 36, luminance information indicating the brightness of an image acquired via the CCD 14 and color difference information are detected.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the CPU 32 controls the focus adjustment motor 13B via the motor drive unit 50A so that the contrast of an image obtained by imaging by the CCD 14 is maximized as the AF function. A so-called TTL (Through The Lens) method for setting the position of the focus lens is used.

  The digital camera 10 includes a media controller 42 that enables the digital camera 10 to access a recording medium 42A that can be attached to and detached from the main body.

  Furthermore, the digital camera 10 includes a face detection circuit 44 that detects an area in which an image has a facial appearance larger than a predetermined threshold, a position detection circuit 46 that detects position information P indicating the current position of the digital camera 10, and a digital camera. The direction detection circuit 47 that detects the direction information R indicating the direction in which the 10 lenses are directed, the communication control circuit 52 that performs wireless or wired information communication with an external device, and the distance D between the subject and the main body of the digital camera 10 And a distance deriving circuit 54 for deriving.

  As the position detection circuit 46, a circuit for specifying the position by a known method such as GPS (Global Positioning System) is used, and as the direction detection circuit 47, a circuit for specifying the direction using geomagnetism is applied. it can.

  When the distance deriving circuit 54 knows the position information Q of the subject, the distance D is derived based on the position information P of the digital camera 10 and the position information Q of the subject acquired by the position detection circuit 46. To do. If the subject position information Q is not grasped, the AF function is used to specify the focus position for the area indicating the subject in the image acquired via the CCD 14, and the focus position is determined based on the specified focus position. Then, the distance D to the subject is derived.

  The image input controller 20, image signal processing circuit 22, compression / decompression processing circuit 24, display control circuit 28, AF detection circuit 34, AE / AWB detection circuit 36, media controller 42, face detection circuit 44, position detection circuit 46. The azimuth detection circuit 47, the communication control circuit 52, and the distance derivation circuit 54 are connected to each other via the bus BUS to which the CPU 32 and the like are connected.

  Therefore, the CPU 32 detects the operations of the image input controller 20, the image signal processing circuit 22, the compression / expansion processing circuit 24, and the display control circuit 28, and the AF detection circuit 34 and the AE / AWB detection circuit 36. Acquisition of physical quantities, access to the recording medium 42A via the media controller 42, detection of a face area by the face detection circuit 44, detection of position information P by the position detection circuit 46, and direction information by the direction detection circuit 47 The detection of R, the communication with the external device by the communication control circuit 52, and the derivation of the distance D to the subject using the distance derivation circuit can be respectively performed.

  The CPU 32 sets the exposure state based on the detection result by the AE / AWB detection circuit 36 as the AE function. Note that the exposure state is determined by the interrelation between the aperture, shutter speed, photographing sensitivity, and the like. The CPU 32 drives and controls the focus adjustment motor 13B to adjust the focus position, and drives and controls the aperture drive motor 13C to adjust the amount of light incident on the CCD.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to be capable of wireless communication with the imaging request terminal 60. The imaging request terminal 60 includes a request button 62.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the imaging request terminal 60 includes an operation state detection unit 64 that detects a pressing operation of the request button 62, a position detection unit 66, and an information transmission unit 68. The operation state detector 64 is connected to the position detector 66, and the position detector 66 is connected to the information transmitter 68.

  When the operation state detection unit 64 detects that the request button 62 has been pressed, the operation state detection unit 64 activates the imaging request terminal 60 and the position detection unit 66 detects the position information Q of the imaging request terminal 60. Similar to the position detection circuit 46 of the digital camera 10, the position detection unit 66 detects the position information Q of the imaging request terminal 60 by a technique such as GPS.

  The information transmission unit 68 protects the position information Q detected by the position detection unit 66 and transmits it as shooting request information together with ID information unique to the shooting request terminal 60 given to the shooting request terminal 60 in advance.

  In the digital camera 10, when the imaging request information transmitted from the imaging request terminal 60 is received, the CPU 32 executes an imaging request reception process.

  Next, the operation of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  As an overall operation at the time of shooting in the digital camera 10, first, imaging is performed by the CCD 14 via the optical unit 13, and signals indicating the subject image are sequentially output from the CCD 14. The signals output from the CCD 14 are sequentially input to the CDS 16 and subjected to correlated double sampling processing, and then input to the ADC 18. The ADC 18 receives R (red), G (green), and B (input from the CDS 16. The blue signal is converted into 12-bit R, G, and B signals (digital image data) and output to the image input controller 20.

  The image input controller 20 accumulates digital image data sequentially input from the ADC 18 in a built-in line buffer and temporarily stores it in a predetermined area of the second memory 40.

  Digital image data stored in a predetermined area of the second memory 40 is read out by the image signal processing circuit 22 under the control of the CPU 32, and a digital gain corresponding to the physical quantity detected by the AE / AWB detection circuit 36 is added to these. In addition to white balance adjustment, gamma processing and sharpness processing are performed to generate 8-bit digital image data, and further YC signal processing is performed to obtain luminance signal Y and chroma signals Cr and Cb (hereinafter referred to as “YC signal”). And the YC signal is stored in an area different from the predetermined area of the second memory 40.

  The LCD 30 is configured so that it can display a moving image (through image) obtained by continuous imaging by the CCD 14 and can be used as a finder. In this way, the LCD 30 is used as a finder. The generated YC signal is sequentially output to the LCD 30 via the display control circuit 28. As a result, a through image is displayed on the LCD 30.

  Here, when the release button 56A is half-pressed by the user, after the AE function is activated and the exposure state is set as described above, the AF function is activated and focus control is performed, and then the fully-pressed state is continued. In this case, the YC signal stored in the second memory 40 at this time is compressed in a predetermined compression format by the compression / decompression processing circuit 24 and then recorded as an image file on the recording medium 42A.

  On the other hand, when the request button 62 is pressed by the shooting requester T, the shooting request terminal 60 detects the position information Q of the shooting request terminal 60. Then, the detected position information Q is protected and transmitted as photographing request information together with ID information unique to the photographing request terminal 60 given to the photographing request terminal 60 in advance.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of a shooting request reception processing program executed by the CPU 32 when the digital camera 10 receives shooting request information. Hereinafter, the imaging request reception process according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 100, ID information included in the received photographing request information is collated, and in the next step 102, it is determined whether there is a matching ID as a result of the collation. The ID information is collated by comparing the ID information registered in advance with the digital camera 10 and the ID information included in the received imaging request information.

  If the determination in step 102 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 104, and after the protection of the position information included in the imaging request information is released, the process proceeds to step 106. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 102, the actual photographing request reception process is terminated. That is, in the present embodiment, the digital camera 10 accepts only a shooting request from the shooting request terminal 60 in which ID information is registered in advance in the digital camera 10.

  In step 106, the position information Q of the client (photographing request terminal 60) is specified, and then the process proceeds to step 108, where the position information P of the self (digital camera 10) is detected. Direction information R indicating the direction in which the lens of the camera 10 is directed is detected.

  In the next step 112, the distance between the position information Q and the position information P is derived as the distance D to the client, and then the process proceeds to step 114.

  In step 114, a guidance screen showing the relationship between the requester's positional information Q and the current positional information P of the digital camera 10 is generated, and then the process proceeds to step 116, where the generated guidance screen is displayed on the LCD 30. Control goes to step 118.

  FIG. 6 shows a state where an example of the guidance screen generated in step 114 is displayed on the LCD 30. The alphabet shown in the figure indicates east, west, north, and south, and indicates the position information P of the digital camera 10 at the display position of the triangular current location mark 70, and the orientation of the lens 12 in the direction of the apex that is the acutest corner of the triangle. Information R is shown.

  In the guide screen shown in the figure, north (the direction indicated by N in the figure) is fixed to the upper direction of the screen, and the position information P of the digital camera 10 is fixed to the center of the screen. The relationship with the position information Q is shown. In addition, as shown in the lower right of the guidance screen shown in the figure, a scale may be displayed to make it easier to grasp the distance D to the subject.

  In step 118, input of a display cancellation instruction is waited. In next step 120, the display of the guidance screen is canceled, and then the process proceeds to step 122 to perform the photographing process based on the operation of the release button 56A as described above. After the execution, the actual photographing request reception process is terminated.

  In the first embodiment, the mode of waiting for the input of the display cancellation instruction in step 118 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, when a negative determination is made in step 118 of FIG. 5, the process may return to step 108 again, and the guidance screen may be sequentially updated and displayed until a display release instruction is input. . In this case, the photographer having the digital camera 10 can easily identify the position of the client having the photographing request terminal 60.

(Modification 1-1)
In the photographing request reception process described in the first embodiment, the map information is generated and displayed as the guidance screen. However, in the modified example 1-1, the position of the client is determined using a through image. The form to guide is demonstrated.

  Although the modification 1-1 is different from the first embodiment in the shooting request reception processing program, the configuration of the digital camera 10 and the configuration of the shooting request terminal 60 are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for description, and illustration and description thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the shooting request reception processing program executed by the CPU 32 when the digital camera 10 receives shooting request information. Hereinafter, the imaging request reception process according to Modification 1-1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 130, ID information included in the received photographing request information is collated, and in the next step 132, it is determined whether there is a matching ID as a result of the collation. The ID information is collated by comparing the ID information registered in advance with the digital camera 10 and the ID information included in the received imaging request information.

  If the determination in step 132 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 134, and after the protection of the position information included in the imaging request information is released, the process proceeds to step 136. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 132, the actual photographing request reception process is terminated. In other words, in this modification, the digital camera 10 accepts only a shooting request from the shooting request terminal 60 in which ID information is registered in the digital camera 10 in advance.

  In step 136, the position information Q of the client (photographing request terminal 60) is specified, and then the process proceeds to step 138, where the position information P of the self (digital camera 10) and the lens of the digital camera 10 are directed. Direction information R indicating the direction is detected.

  In the next step 140, the distance D from the digital camera 10 to the client and the azimuth information S of the client are derived based on the position information Q and the position information P, and then the process proceeds to step 142.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of an environment where the digital camera 10 is used. As shown in the figure, when the azimuth information R of the digital camera 10 and the azimuth information S of the client are different, there is no client in the shooting range of the digital camera 10.

  Therefore, in step 142, it is determined whether or not the azimuth information R and the azimuth information S match. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 144 to indicate the direction in which the client is present. 74 is displayed on the screen, and then the process returns to step 138 again.

  FIG. 9A shows an example of a through image displayed on the LCD 30 of the digital camera 10 in the state shown in FIG. In the example shown in the figure, an arrow is displayed as the guide mark 74 so as to overlap the through image. As a result, the photographer can easily grasp the direction in which the client is present, and the photographer gradually changes the orientation of the digital camera 10 in the direction indicated by the guide mark 74, so that the orientation information R and the orientation information S are gradually changed. The difference between is shrinking.

On the other hand, if the determination in step 142 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 146, AF control is performed to perform AF control, and then the process proceeds to step 148 to derive the distance _DF to the in-focus subject. Control goes to step 150.

In step 150, it is determined whether or not the distance D _F is equal to the distance D. If the determination is negative, it is determined that the photographer has not yet captured the position of the client, and step 138 is performed again. Return to.

  If the determination in step 150 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 152 to display the target mark 76 on the focused subject, and then the process proceeds to step 154.

  FIG. 9B shows an example of a through image displayed on the LCD 30 of the digital camera 10 when the azimuth information R and the azimuth information S match. In the example shown in the figure, the target mark 76 is displayed so as to surround the focused subject so as to overlap the through image.

  In step 154, a photographing process based on the operation of the release button 56A is executed, and then the main photographing request receiving process is terminated.

  According to the modified example 1-1, even when it is difficult for the photographer to identify the client, such as when it is difficult to find the client in the crowd, it is possible to support the identification of the client by the photographer.

(Modification 1-2)
In this modified example 1-2, a mode in which the requester's position is guided using a through image while fixing the focus lens at a position where the requester is focused according to the requester's position information will be described.

  In the modification 1-2, the imaging request reception processing program is different from that in the first embodiment, but the configuration of the digital camera 10 and the configuration of the imaging request terminal 60 are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for description, and illustration and description thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the shooting request reception processing program executed by the CPU 32 when the digital camera 10 receives shooting request information. Hereinafter, the imaging request reception process according to Modification 1-2 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 160, ID information included in the received photographing request information is collated, and in the next step 162, it is determined whether there is a matching ID as a result of the collation. The ID information is collated by comparing the ID information registered in advance with the digital camera 10 and the ID information included in the received imaging request information.

  If the determination in step 162 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 164, and after the protection of the position information included in the imaging request information is released, the process proceeds to step 166. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 162, the actual photographing request reception process is terminated. In other words, in this modification, the digital camera 10 accepts only a shooting request from the shooting request terminal 60 in which ID information is registered in the digital camera 10 in advance.

  In step 166, the position information Q of the client (photographing request terminal 60) is specified, and then the process proceeds to step 168 where the position information P of the self (digital camera 10) and the lens of the digital camera 10 are directed. Direction information R indicating the direction is detected.

  In the next step 170, the distance D from the digital camera 10 to the client and the azimuth information S of the client are derived based on the position information Q and the position information P, and then the process proceeds to step 172.

  As described in the modified example 1-1, when the azimuth information R of the digital camera 10 and the azimuth information S of the client are different, there is no client in the shooting range of the digital camera 10 (see FIG. 8).

  Therefore, in step 172, it is determined whether or not the azimuth information R and the azimuth information S match. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 174, and the guide mark indicating the direction in which the client is present. 74 is displayed on the screen (see, for example, FIG. 9A), and then the process returns to step 168 again. As a result, the photographer can easily grasp the direction in which the client is present, and the photographer gradually changes the orientation of the digital camera 10 in the direction indicated by the guide mark 74, so that the orientation information R and the orientation information S are gradually changed. The difference between is shrinking.

  If the determination in step 172 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 178, the distance D is displayed on the screen, and then the process proceeds to step 180, where the focus position is fixed according to the distance D, and then The process proceeds to step 182 to determine whether or not there is a focused subject. If a negative determination is made in step 182, the process returns to step 168 again.

  If the determination in step 182 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 184, where the target mark 76 is displayed on the focused subject (for example, see FIG. 9B), and then the process proceeds to step 186.

  In step 186, a photographing process based on the operation of the release button 56A is executed, and then the main photographing request receiving process is terminated.

(Modification 1-3)
In Modification 1-3, a case will be described in which the digital camera 10 is configured to be able to set acceptability / acceptance of photographing request information, acceptance conditions (distance from the photographing request terminal 60, specific ID), and the like on a menu screen or the like. .

  In Modification 1-3, the imaging request reception processing program is different from that in the first embodiment. In addition, regarding the configuration of the digital camera 10 and the configuration of the imaging request terminal 60A according to Modification 1-3, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and here, The illustration and description of are omitted.

  The imaging request terminal 60A according to Modification 1-3 is configured to further include an imaging instruction button 63 in addition to the request button 62. The imaging request terminal 60A transmits information indicating the operation state together with the ID information in accordance with the operation state of the imaging instruction button 63.

  Accordingly, a case will be described in which the digital camera 10 is configured to be able to set whether to perform (accept) remote shooting to validate (accept) the operation of the shooting instruction button 63 of the shooting request terminal 60A.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the shooting request reception processing program executed by the CPU 32 when the digital camera 10 receives shooting request information. Hereinafter, the imaging request reception process according to Modification 1-3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 200, it is determined whether or not the setting for permitting acceptance of the photographing request information is made. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 202. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 200, the actual photographing request reception process ends. That is, in Modification 1-3, the digital camera 10 accepts an imaging request only when acceptance of imaging request information is permitted in advance.

  In step 202, the ID information included in the received photographing request information is collated, and in the next step 204, it is determined whether there is a matching ID as a result of the collation. The ID information is collated by comparing the ID information registered in advance with the digital camera 10 and the ID information included in the received imaging request information.

  If the determination in step 204 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 206 to determine whether the terminal is a specific terminal. If the determination in step 206 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 208, and after the protection of the position information included in the imaging request information is released, the process proceeds to step 210.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 204 or step 206, the actual photographing request reception process is terminated. That is, the digital camera 10 accepts only a photographing request from a specific photographing request terminal 60A that has ID information registered in advance in the digital camera 10 and is set in advance.

  In step 210, the position information Q of the client (photographing request terminal 60A) is specified, and then the process proceeds to step 212 to detect the position information P of itself (digital camera 10). Direction information R indicating the direction in which the lens of the camera 10 is directed is detected.

  In the next step 216, the distance between the position information Q and the position information P is derived as the distance D to the client, and then the process proceeds to step 218.

  In step 218, it is determined whether or not the distance D is shorter than the predetermined distance. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 220. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 218, the actual photographing request reception process is terminated. That is, in Modification 1-3, only the imaging request from the imaging request terminal 60A within a predetermined range from the digital camera 10 is accepted.

  In step 220, a guidance screen showing the relationship between the requester's positional information Q and the current positional information P of the digital camera 10 is generated. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 222, and the generated guidance screen is displayed on the LCD 30. Control goes to step 224.

  In step 224, it is determined whether or not remote shooting is set. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 226, and the operation state of the shooting instruction button 63 from the shooting request terminal 60A is set. Based on this, the imaging process is executed, and then the actual imaging request reception process ends.

  In the shooting process based on the operation state of the shooting instruction button 63, when the release button 56A is half-pressed at the timing when the digital camera 10 receives information indicating that the shooting instruction button 63 has been pressed. Processing necessary for shooting such as execution of the AF function and AWE function executed at the same time is executed, and shooting (storage of image information) is executed when each processing is completed.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 224, the process proceeds to step 228, and after performing the photographing process based on the operation of the release button 56A, the main photographing request receiving process is terminated.

  In the first embodiment and Modifications 1-1 to 1-3, the form in which the digital camera 10 and the image capturing request terminal 60 perform direct image capturing has been described. As described above, the communication between the digital camera 10 and the imaging request terminal 60 may be performed via the server 80. In this case, processing such as collation of ID information and cancellation of protection may be performed by the server 80.

(Modification 1-4)
In Modification 1-4, a mode using a fixed camera 10 </ b> A whose operation is controlled by the server 80 will be described.

  FIG. 13 shows a flow of a shooting request reception process executed by the server 80 when shooting request information is received from the shooting request terminal 60. Hereinafter, the imaging request reception processing according to Modification 1-4 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 274, ID information included in the received photographing request information is collated, and in the next step 276, it is determined whether there is a matching ID as a result of the collation. The ID information is collated by comparing the ID information registered in advance with the server 80 with the ID information included in the received imaging request information.

  If the determination in step 276 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 278, and after the protection of the position information included in the photographing request information is released, the process proceeds to step 280. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 278, the actual photographing request reception process is terminated. In other words, in this modification, the server 80 accepts only a shooting request from the shooting request terminal 60 whose ID information is registered in the server 80 in advance.

  In step 280, the position information Q of the requester (shooting request terminal 60) is specified, and then the process proceeds to step 282 to determine whether the specified position information Q is within the shooting range of the fixed camera 10A. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 284, a shooting instruction is transmitted to the fixed camera 10A, shooting is performed, and then the process proceeds to step 286.

  That is, in the server 80, as shown in FIG. 14, when the shooting request information is transmitted from within the shooting range of the fixed camera 10A, for example, from the position indicated by A in FIG. If the shooting request information is transmitted from the position indicated by B in the figure, for example, the shooting request is not accepted.

  In step 286, the process waits for acquisition of image information by photographing, and in the next step 288, ID information is added to the acquired image information and stored.

  In this case, the storage destination of the image information may be the fixed camera 10A or the server 80, or may be stored in both.

  When managing a plurality of fixed cameras 10A by the server 80, it is determined whether or not the client's position information Q is included in the shooting range of each fixed camera 10A, and the fixed camera 10A including the position information Q in the shooting range. In the case where there is an image, it is also possible to take a picture using the fixed camera 10A.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the form in which captured image information is stored and managed by the digital camera 10 has been described. In the second embodiment, the form in which captured image information is stored and managed by the server 80 will be described.

  In the configuration of the digital camera 10 and the configuration of the imaging request terminal 60 according to the second embodiment, the same parts as those in the configuration according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and illustrated here. The description is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the shooting request information from the shooting request terminal 60 is transmitted to the digital camera 10 via the server 80. As a result, the digital camera 10 shoots as described in the first embodiment and the respective modifications, adds the requester's ID information to the image information acquired by the shoot, and transmits the image information to the server 80. .

  The server 80 includes an ID information storage unit 90 and an image information storage unit 92. The ID information storage unit 90 stores ID information of the digital camera 10 and the imaging request terminal 60 that use the server 80 in advance.

  Further, the image information storage unit 92 stores and stores image information captured and transmitted by the digital camera 10.

  The service terminal 82 is configured as a user interface. The ID information of the photographing request terminal 60 used by the user, the selection of image processing to be performed on the image information to be provided, and the form of providing the image information (print output or recording medium) Etc.) is received. The service terminal 82 transmits to the server 80 search information indicating that the ID information and the image information requested by the user are searched. Further, the service terminal 82 transmits request information including ID information and selection information of image information desired to be provided to the server 80. The request information can include information such as image processing at the time of provision and a provision form.

  The server 80 searches and provides the image information stored in the image information storage unit 92 when the ID information stored in the ID information storage unit 92 matches the ID information received from the service terminal 82.

  In the second embodiment, processing relating to provision of image information taken by the digital camera 10 is different from that in the first embodiment, and other processing is the same as that in the first embodiment. Is omitted.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a flow of image information providing processing executed when the server 80 receives search information from the service terminal 82. Hereinafter, image information providing processing according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 240, the ID information included in the search information is collated with the ID information stored in the ID information storage unit 90. In the next step 242, it is determined whether there is matching ID information. If a negative determination is made in step 242, the process proceeds to step 244, where a notification instruction indicating that it cannot be used is transmitted to the service terminal 82 to notify the user that it cannot be used. finish.

  If the determination in step 242 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 246, and the image information storage unit 92 searches for and reads out the image information in which the ID information added to the image information matches the ID information included in the search information, Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 248.

  In step 248, it is determined whether there is image information whose ID information matches. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 250, and a notification instruction indicating that there is no image is sent to the service terminal 82. By transmitting, the user is notified of the search result, and then the image information providing process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in step 248, the process proceeds to step 252 where the thumbnail image of the image information whose ID information matches is transmitted to the service terminal 82, and then the process proceeds to step 254.

  In step 254, the reception of the request information is waited. In the next step 256, the image information subjected to the processing according to the request information is transmitted, and then the present image information providing processing is ended.

  In the second embodiment, the server 80 transmits a thumbnail image as a search result to the service terminal 82, performs image processing based on the request information, and transmits the image. As a result, all of the image information with the matching ID information may be transmitted to the service terminal 82, and processing corresponding to the processing of steps 254 and 256 may be performed on the service terminal 82 side.

  In addition, a fee may be charged when providing image information in a provision form selected by the user.

(Modification 2-1)
In the second embodiment, the digital camera 10 has been described with respect to the mode in which the ID information is added to the image information acquired by shooting and transmitted to the server 80. However, in the present modified example 2-1, the digital camera 10 A mode for determining whether or not a face registered in advance in the image indicated by the image information transmitted from 10 will be described.

  Note that, in the configuration of the digital camera 10 and the configuration of the imaging request terminal 60 according to the modification 2-1, the same parts as those in the configuration according to the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described here. Illustration and description are omitted.

  The face information is registered in the server 80 together with the registration of the ID information of the photographing request terminal 60. In the digital camera 10, in the photographing request reception process, the ID information is added to the image information acquired by photographing and the server is added. It is assumed that the data is transmitted to 80.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of image information reception processing executed when the server 80 receives image information transmitted from the digital camera 10, and will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 will be described.

  First, in step 260, ID information added to the image information is specified, and thereafter, the process proceeds to step 262, and face information corresponding to the ID information is read. The face information may be image information obtained by photographing a face, or may be a specific physical quantity extracted from image information such as contour information.

  In the next step 264, an area indicating a registered face is detected from the received image information using the face information read in step 262, and then the process proceeds to step 266. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, in an environment where there are many persons near the client T, the client T may not be accurately identified. In this case, since an image in the wrong range 99 is taken, the face of the client T is not included in the image.

  In step 266, it is determined whether or not there is a face that matches the registered face. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 268 to transmit a re-shooting instruction to the digital camera 10, Thereafter, the main image information receiving process is terminated.

  When the digital camera 10 receives a re-shooting instruction, the digital camera 10 displays information indicating that fact on the LCD 30 to urge re-shooting. As a result, the photographer can grasp that the photographing range 99 is incorrect, so that the photographing range is finely adjusted so that a person who is not included in the erroneous photographing range 99 falls within the photographing range, and photographing is performed again. . In the digital camera 10, ID information is added to the image information acquired by photographing and the image information is transmitted to the server 80 again.

  When this re-photographing is repeated, for example, when the photographing range becomes the photographing range 98 shown in FIG. 18, the registered client T is included, so the degree of coincidence with the registered face becomes a predetermined level or more, and the step In 266, an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 270, the received image is stored in the image information storage unit 92, and then the image information reception process is terminated.

  Note that the server 80 may transmit an instruction to delete the transmitted image to the digital camera 10 when the image information reception process is terminated.

(Third embodiment)
In each of the above-described embodiments, the form of requesting photographing by the digital camera 10 using the photographing request terminal 60 has been described. However, in the third embodiment, the position information of the subject is specified by the digital camera without using the photographing request terminal. The form to perform is demonstrated.

  The configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the third embodiment is the same as the configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the first embodiment (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and therefore the same reference numerals are used for description. In addition, illustration and description here are omitted.

  In the third embodiment, there is a feature in the shooting process, and other processes can be appropriately configured to perform the same processes as those in the above-described embodiments and modifications, and each of the above-described embodiments and modifications. A configuration in which the same processing as in the example is not performed may be employed.

  FIG. 19 shows a flow of processing of a photographing processing program executed by the CPU 32 every predetermined period when the photographing mode is selected by the mode changeover switch 56C. Hereinafter, with reference to the figure, the imaging process according to the third embodiment will be described.

  First, in step 300, the camera position information P and azimuth information R are acquired, and then the process proceeds to step 302 to determine whether or not the operation state of the release button 56A is a half-pressed state. If the determination in step 302 is negative, the main photographing process is terminated.

  If the determination in step 302 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 304 where AF control is performed to perform AF control, and then the process proceeds to step 306 where the position information P, direction information R, and in-focus position are set. Based on this, the position of the focused subject is detected. Specifically, the distance D to the focused subject is derived, and a position that is separated from the position information P in the direction of the azimuth information R by the distance D is detected as the position of the focused subject.

  In the next step 308, it is determined whether or not the release button 56A has been operated to the fully-pressed state. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 310. In step 310, it is determined whether or not the half-pressed state of the release button 56A is released. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 308 again. On the other hand, if the determination in step 310 is affirmative, the main photographing process is terminated.

  If the determination in step 308 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 312 to acquire image information via the CCD 14, and then the process proceeds to step 313 to detect the position information and image of the focused subject detected in step 306. Shooting time information indicating the date and time of information acquisition is added to and stored as image information in the image information, and then the main shooting process is terminated.

  FIG. 20 shows an example of the image information 88 acquired by the imaging processing according to the third embodiment and the imaging information 89 added to the image information 88. As shown in the figure, one piece of shooting information 89 is added to one piece of image information 88.

  FIG. 21 shows an example of a configuration for using the image information 88 and shooting information 89 acquired in this way. As shown in the figure, the image information 88 to which the shooting information 98 acquired by the digital camera 10 is added is transmitted to the server 80 by the image provider side device 93 constituted by a PC, a camera, a mobile phone or the like. Stored in the image information storage unit 92 of the server 80.

  The server 80 includes a search unit 96 and an image provision processing unit 98. The image provision processing unit 98 is a user configured by a personal computer (PC), a camera, a mobile phone, or the like. Based on the image request information transmitted from the side device 95, the requested image information is retrieved from the image information stored in the image information storage unit 92 via the retrieval unit 96 and output to the PC 84.

  Here, FIG. 22 shows an example of the shooting information 98 added to the image information 88 stored in the image information storage unit 92 for each camera (for each image provider). The numbers with circles shown in the figure indicate the same data with the same numbers. In the example shown in the figure, the shooting information indicated by the thick frame of the camera 1 matches the shooting information indicated by the thick frame of the camera 4.

  FIG. 23 shows a flow of image information provision processing executed by the server 80 when image request information is received. Hereinafter, image information providing processing according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 350, the search condition is specified, and in the next step 352, shooting information 89 that satisfies the specified search condition is searched. In the next step 354, it is determined whether or not there is information satisfying the condition as a result of the search. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 356 to confirm that there is no image information 88 satisfying the condition. Then, the image information providing process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 354 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 358, and after reading the image information 88 to which the shooting information 98 that satisfies the search condition is read, the process proceeds to step 360 to transmit a thumbnail image, Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 362.

  In step 362, reception of image request information is waited. In the next step 364, the requested image information is transmitted based on the image request information, and then the present image information providing process is terminated.

(Modification 3-1)
In the photographing process described in the third embodiment, the form of detecting the position of the subject in the area where the AF control is performed has been described. However, in the modification 3-1, the positions of all the subjects are specified by face detection. A mode of detecting the position of each subject will be described.

  Although the present modification 3-1 is different from the third embodiment in the shooting process, the configuration of the digital camera 10 and the configuration of the shooting request terminal 60 are the same as the configuration according to the third embodiment. The description is omitted, and illustration and description thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 24 shows the flow of processing of the shooting processing program executed by the CPU 32 every predetermined period when the shooting mode is selected by the mode changeover switch 56C. Hereinafter, with reference to the same figure, the imaging | photography process which concerns on this modification 3-1 is demonstrated.

  First, in step 320, the camera position information P and azimuth information R are acquired, and then the process proceeds to step 322 to determine whether or not the operation state of the release button 56A is a half-pressed state. If a negative determination is made in step 322, the photographing process is terminated.

  If the determination in step 322 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 323 to perform face detection. In the next step 324, position information is detected for each detected face using the AF function, and then the process proceeds to step 326 where the AF function is activated to perform AF control. Specifically, a distance D to the in-focus position is derived for the area indicating each face, and a position separated from the position information P in the direction of the azimuth information R by the distance D is detected as the position of each face.

  In the next step 328, it is determined whether or not the release button 56A has been operated to the fully-pressed state. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 330. In step 330, it is determined whether or not the half-pressed state of the release button 56A is released. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 328 again. On the other hand, if the determination in step 330 is affirmative, the main photographing process is terminated.

  If the determination in step 328 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 332, image information is acquired via the CCD 14, and then the process proceeds to step 334, where the subject set as the AF area in the AF control in step 326 is the main. In step 336, the position information detected in step 324 and shooting time information indicating the acquisition date and time of image information are added to and stored as image information in the next step 336, and then the main shooting process ends. To do.

  FIG. 25 shows an example of the image information 88 acquired by the imaging process according to Modification 3-1 and the imaging information 89 added to the image information 88. As shown in the figure, shooting information 89 of the number of detected faces (three in the example shown in the figure) is added to one piece of image information 88.

  Here, in the above-described shooting process, the subject located in the AF area at the time of AF control is automatically set as the main subject, but there are cases where it is actually desired to change the main subject.

  Accordingly, in FIG. 26, a menu screen (not shown) is displayed with any of the image information 88 displayed, and the main subject executed by the CPU 32 when execution of the main subject setting process is selected. The flow of processing of the setting processing program is shown. Hereinafter, the main subject setting process according to Modification 3-1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 340, image information 88 and shooting information 89 are displayed on the LCD 30, and in the next step 344, selection of any shooting information 89 is awaited.

  In the next step 346, the main subject is changed by setting the selected shooting information 89 as the shooting information 89 of the main subject, and then the main subject setting processing is terminated.

  In FIG. 27, an example of the shooting information 98 added to the image information 88 stored in the image information storage unit 92 of the server 80 according to the modification 3-1 is shown for each camera (for each image provider). Yes. The numbers with circles shown in the figure indicate the same data with the same numbers. In the example shown in the figure, the shooting information indicated by the thick frame of the camera 1 matches the shooting information indicated by the thick frames of the camera 2 and the camera 4.

  As the image information providing process, the same process as in the third embodiment can be applied.

(Modification 3-2)
In this modified example 3-2, a mode will be described in which the positions of all subjects are specified by face detection, the positions of each subject are detected, and face information is also added to the image information.

  Although the modification 3-2 is different from the third embodiment in the shooting process, the configuration of the digital camera 10 and the configuration of the shooting request terminal 60 are the same as the configuration according to the third embodiment. The description is omitted, and illustration and description thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 28 shows a flow of processing of a shooting processing program executed by the CPU 32 every predetermined period when the shooting mode is selected by the mode switch 56C. Hereinafter, with reference to the same drawing, a photographing process according to Modification 3-2 will be described.

  First, in step 370, the camera position information P and azimuth information R are acquired, and then the process proceeds to step 372 to determine whether or not the operation state of the release button 56A is a half-pressed state. If a negative determination is made in step 372, the photographing process is terminated.

  If the determination in step 372 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 373 and face detection is performed. In the next step 374, position information is detected for each detected face using the AF function, and then the process proceeds to step 376 where the AF function is activated to perform AF control. Specifically, a distance D to the in-focus position is derived for the area indicating each face, and a position separated from the position information P in the direction of the azimuth information R by the distance D is detected as the position of each face.

  In the next step 378, it is determined whether or not the release button 56A has been operated to the fully-pressed state. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 380. In step 380, it is determined whether or not the half-pressed state of the release button 56A is released. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 378 again. On the other hand, if the determination in step 380 is affirmative, the actual photographing process is terminated.

  If the determination in step 378 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 382, image information is acquired via the CCD 14, and then the process proceeds to step 384, where the subject that has been set as the AF area in the AF control in step 376 is selected. In step 386, the shooting time information indicating the position information, face information, and image information acquisition date / time acquired in step 374 is added to the image information and stored as shooting information. End the process.

  In FIG. 29, an example of the shooting information 98 added to the image information 88 stored in the image information storage unit 92 of the server 80 according to Modification 3-2 is shown for each camera (for each image provider). Yes. The numbers with circles shown in the figure indicate the same data with the same numbers. In the example shown in the figure, the shooting information indicated by the thick frame of the camera 1 matches the shooting information indicated by the thick frames of the camera 2 and the camera 4.

  As the image information providing process, the same process as in the third embodiment can be applied.

(Modification 3-3)
As a modification 3-3, a mode in which the image provider can set display restrictions will be described.

  In addition, in this modified example 3-3, the same processes and the same configurations as those of the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and illustration and description thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 30 shows a functional block diagram related to image information provision processing by the server 80 according to Modification 3-3. As shown in the figure, the server 80 includes a display restriction information storage unit 94 and stores the display restriction information transmitted from the image provider side device 93.

  The display restriction information storage unit 94 is connected to the image provision processing unit 98. When transmitting image information to the user side device 98, the image providing processing unit 98 refers to the display restriction information storage unit 94 to perform image processing based on the display restriction information and then transmits the image information.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 31, information indicating that the image provider T's face resolution is to be displayed can be set as display restriction information. It should be noted that the area indicated by hatching in the figure indicates that the resolution is lower than the other areas. Further, when performing the setting, it is necessary to register the face information necessary for detecting the face of the image provider T in advance in the display restriction information.

  32 and 33, image information 88A (see FIG. 32A) when the same subject T is photographed from the photographing position PA, and image information 88B (see FIG. 32A) when photographed from the photographing position PB. In FIG. 33A), since the distance D between the subject T and the shooting position P is different, the size of the region indicating the subject in the image information is different.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 32A, the resolution is lowered when the distance D is shorter than the predetermined distance, while when the distance D is longer than the predetermined distance as shown in FIG. You may comprise so that the setting of not reducing the resolution is possible.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 34, when providing image information 88 including a user's face, it is possible to make a setting for providing image information after lowering the resolution of the face other than the user R. May be.

  As shown in FIG. 35, image information 88T obtained by trimming the face of the user R out of the image information 88 including the face of the user R may be provided. When the trimmed image information 88T is provided, a thumbnail image of the image information 88 with the frame T indicating the trimming position attached to the original image information 88 may be provided.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 36, a plurality of face information of the user R is registered, and as shown in FIG. 36 with an asterisk, any one can be selected as the best shot, Image information having the highest degree of matching with the face selected as the best shot may be extracted from the image including the face of the user R extracted from the image information stored in the server.

  It should be noted that the configuration of the digital camera 10 and the flow of various processes described in the above embodiments are examples, and it goes without saying that they can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the distance deriving circuit 54 is mounted on the digital camera 10 and the distance from the subject is derived by the distance deriving circuit 54. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, the distance may be derived by executing a distance deriving program by the CPU without mounting the distance deriving circuit 54.

It is an external view which shows the external appearance of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electric system of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram of a photographing system including a digital camera and a photographing request terminal according to a first embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function of a photography request terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the imaging | photography request reception process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state by which an example of the guidance screen was displayed on LCD by the imaging | photography request reception process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a shooting request reception process according to Modification 1-1. It is explanatory drawing regarding azimuth | direction information. It is a schematic diagram which respectively shows an example of the display state of LCD at the time of execution of the imaging | photography request reception process which concerns on modification 1-1. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a shooting request reception process according to Modification 1-2. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of normal photographing processing according to Modification 1-3. It is the schematic which shows the structural example of the imaging | photography system which concerns on another form. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of imaging processing according to Modification Example 1-4. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the imaging | photography range of a fixed camera, and a client's position. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of the image information provision system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the image information provision process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the image information reception process which concerns on the modification 2-1. It is explanatory drawing regarding the image information reception process which concerns on the modification 2-1, and is a figure which shows the relationship between the area | region shown with image information, and a to-be-photographed object. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the imaging | photography process which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the image information acquired by the imaging process which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, and the imaging information added to the said image information. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the structure for utilizing the image information and imaging | photography information which concern on 3rd Embodiment. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the imaging | photography information added to the image information stored in the image information storage part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment for every camera (for every image provider). It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the image information provision process performed when image request information is received by the server which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of imaging processing according to Modification 3-1. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the image information acquired by the imaging | photography process which concerns on this modification 3-1, and the imaging information added to the said image information. 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of main subject setting processing according to Modification 3-1. It is a chart which shows an example of the photography information added to the image information stored in the image information storage part of the server concerning modification 3-1 for every camera (for every image provider). 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of imaging processing according to Modification 3-2. It is a chart which shows an example of the photography information added to the image information stored in the image information storage part of the server concerning modification 3-2 for every camera (for every image provider). It is a functional block diagram regarding the image information provision process by the server which concerns on modification 3-3. It is explanatory drawing in the case of reducing the resolution of the area | region which shows a provider as an example of display restrictions. It is explanatory drawing of the restriction | limiting regarding an imaging distance when reducing the resolution of the area | region which shows a provider as an example of a display restriction | limiting. It is explanatory drawing of the restriction | limiting regarding an imaging distance when reducing the resolution of the area | region which shows a provider as an example of a display restriction | limiting. It is explanatory drawing regarding the setting which provides image information after lowering | hanging the resolution of faces other than a user, when providing the image information containing a user's face. It is explanatory drawing in the case of providing the image information which trimmed the user's face among the image information containing a user's face. It is explanatory drawing regarding extraction of the image information containing the face selected as a user's best shot.

Explanation of symbols

10 Digital Camera 12 Lens 13 Optical Unit 14 CCD (Image Sensor)
16 CDSAMP
30 LCD
32 CPU (Adjustment means, acquisition means, subject position specifying means)
34 AF detection circuit 44 Face detection circuit 46 Position detection circuit (position detection means)
47 Direction detection circuit (direction detection means)
50 Motor Drive Unit 52 Communication Control Circuit 54 Distance Deriving Circuit (Deriving Unit)
56 Operation unit

Claims (10)

An adjustment unit that forms a subject image on the light receiving surface of the image sensor and adjusts a focal position of the subject image;
Acquisition means for acquiring image information indicating a subject image via the imaging element;
Position detecting means for detecting position information indicating its own position;
Azimuth detecting means for detecting azimuth information indicating the direction of the light receiving surface of the image sensor;
Derivation means for deriving a distance between the light receiving surface and the subject indicated by the subject image based on a focal position of the subject image by the adjustment means;
Subject position specifying means for specifying the position information of the subject based on the position information detected by the position detection means, the orientation information detected by the orientation detection means, and the distance derived by the derivation means;
An imaging device with A time measuring means for measuring a preset standard time and outputting it as time information;
The image information acquired by the acquisition unit includes the time information output from the time measuring unit when acquiring the image information and the position information specified by the subject position specifying unit when acquiring the image information. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a generation unit that generates the added image file. A face detecting means for detecting, as a face, an area having a degree of facialness higher than a predetermined level from the image area indicated by the image information obtained by the obtaining means;
The photographing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the generation unit further includes information indicating a feature amount of an area detected by the face detection unit in the image file. Receiving means for receiving position information of a subject to be photographed;
Display means for displaying the image acquired by the acquisition means;
When the position information is received by the receiving means, the position information is acquired by the acquiring means, the direction information is detected by the direction detecting means, and the subject position information received by the receiving means and its own position Display control means for displaying a guidance screen for guiding information and direction information on the display means;
The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising: A subject for specifying azimuth information of a subject to be photographed from its own position based on the position information received by the receiving means, the position information obtained by the obtaining means, and the azimuth information detected by the azimuth detecting means. It further comprises a direction specifying means,
The display control means sequentially displays image information acquired at predetermined intervals via the image sensor on the display means, and the subject orientation information specified by the subject orientation specification means is used as the guide screen. The photographing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the photographing apparatus displays the image information in an overlapping manner.   When the position information specified by the subject position specifying means matches the position information received by the receiving means, the display control means is configured to display an area indicating a subject image that is a target for specifying position information by the subject position specifying means. 6. The photographing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a highlighting display is performed.   The adjusting means derives a focal position where the subject to be photographed is focused based on the difference between the position information detected by the position detecting means and the position information received by the receiving means, The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the adjustment range is limited to a range including the derived focal position. The receiving means further receives face information indicating a predetermined feature amount of an image indicating a face of the subject image to be photographed,
Face detecting means for detecting, as a face, an area having a degree of facialness higher than a predetermined level from the image area indicated by the image information acquired by the acquiring means;
A degree of coincidence deriving unit for deriving a degree of coincidence between a predetermined feature amount of the area detected by the face detecting unit and the face information received by the receiving unit;
Further comprising
The photographing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein when the degree of coincidence derived by the coincidence degree deriving unit is lower than a predetermined level, a display prompting the display unit to perform photographing again is performed.   The photographing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the face detecting unit and the coincidence degree deriving unit are provided outside. Storage means for storing the image file generated by the photographing apparatus according to claim 2;
Receiving means for receiving a photographing time and a subject position as photographing conditions;
Search means for searching for the image file satisfying the photographing condition received by the receiving means from among the image files stored in the storage means;
Output means for outputting the image file searched by the search means;
A system for providing image files.

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