JP2009147527A - Photography recorder and photography recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photography recorder and a photography recording method which records an object with movement automatically as a moving video without becoming aware of switching between still image photography mode and moving video photography mode and can perform recording with no miss. <P>SOLUTION: A photography recorder for generating an image signal 120 representing a field by performing photoelectric conversion of incident light from the field into signal charges and equipped with a still image photography mode and a moving video photography mode comprises a section 36 for detecting movement of an object in an image shown by the image signal 120, and a system control section 14 for comparing the amount of movement of an object obtained by the movement detection means with a predetermined threshold and switching the photography mode from a still image photography mode to a moving video photography mode if the amount of movement of an object exceeds the threshold. Consequently, a user can photo a desired object without becoming aware of switching between photography modes, and an object with movement can be automatically recorded as a moving video. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing / recording apparatus and a photographing / recording method, and more specifically to a photographing / recording apparatus and a photographing / recording method provided with both a still image photographing mode and a moving image photographing mode.

  Conventionally, in addition to a still image shooting mode in which a single object records the state of a subject at a single unit, an apparatus of a type that combines a moving image shooting mode in which a continuous instantaneous state of a subject is recorded as a moving image Exists. Such a device has gained wide popularity because it is not necessary to carry a plurality of devices according to applications, such as a still camera for still image shooting and a video camera for moving image shooting.

  Normally, in the still image shooting mode, a through image is displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, and a still image is shot and recorded when the shutter release button is pressed. For example, the release button is pressed halfway to perform automatic focus adjustment (AF) and automatic exposure (AE) control, and the release button is fully pressed to perform actual recording. On the other hand, when it is desired to record a moving image, an operation dial or the like is used to switch from the still image shooting mode to the moving image shooting mode and to start moving image shooting. In the past, there has been a strong demand from operators who want to easily switch shooting modes and enjoy shooting easily, and various shooting devices have been created.

  For example, in the digital camera described in Patent Document 1, switching between a still image shooting mode and a moving image shooting mode is realized by an operation of a mode dial by an operator, and a shutter is used as a trigger for shooting a still image and starting and ending shooting of a moving image. It is used together.

  In the imaging device described in Patent Document 2, by separately providing a still image shooting key and a moving image shooting key, both shooting modes are seamlessly switched from a shooting standby state common to still images and moving images. .

In the image recording apparatus described in Patent Document 3, a control unit is provided to control to automatically record a still image when the external conditions change under a predetermined condition during moving image recording. It is possible to record a still image without operating the image capturing trigger.
JP 2004-32192 A JP-A-2005-79814 JP 2001-94923 A

  However, with conventional devices, it has been necessary to select a still image or moving image shooting mode in advance by using an operation dial or the like before shooting is started. Moreover, in reality, there are not many opportunities for the operator to shoot a movie, and the still image shooting mode is usually selected in normal times, so if the subject moves unexpectedly, the operation can be changed from the still image shooting mode. Switching to the video shooting mode is almost impossible. As described above, there is a problem in that the operator fails to photograph the subject that moves unexpectedly.

  For example, in the digital camera described in Patent Document 1, it is very difficult to instantaneously operate the mode dial to switch the shooting mode. Similarly, in the imaging device described in Patent Document 2, it is very difficult for the operator to be aware of the moment and to use different keys for different purposes.

  Further, in the image recording device described in Patent Document 3, a still image is automatically recorded when an external condition changes during moving image recording, regardless of the operator's desire. The possibility of recording still images that you really want to record is low. In addition, since it is necessary to continuously shoot a moving image in order to record a subject after a change in conditions for which it is unknown, it can be said that it is not practical in terms of recording a still image.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention is an imaging recording apparatus that allows a moving subject to be automatically recorded as a moving image without being conscious of switching between the still image and moving image shooting modes, and enables recording without missing a shot. It is another object of the present invention to provide a photographing recording method.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention includes an imaging unit that photoelectrically converts incident light incident from a scene into a signal charge to generate an image signal representing the scene, and a still image of the scene is generated. Detects motion of the subject in the image indicated by the image signal in a recording device equipped with a still image shooting mode for recording and a moving image shooting mode for recording a scene. The motion detection means, the motion amount comparison means for comparing the amount of movement of the subject obtained by the motion detection means with a predetermined threshold, and the motion amount comparison means that the subject motion amount exceeds the threshold Includes a mode switching means for switching from the still image shooting mode to the moving image shooting mode.

  The present invention also includes imaging means for generating an image signal representing the scene by photoelectrically converting incident light incident from the scene into a signal charge, and for recording standby for recording a still image of the scene. Motion detection means for detecting a motion vector for a subject in an image indicated by an image signal in a shooting and recording apparatus having a still image shooting mode that is in a state and a moving image shooting mode that is a shooting standby state for recording a moving image of a scene Pattern selecting means for selecting a predetermined motion vector pattern as a set vector pattern, and vector comparing means for comparing the motion vector of the subject obtained by the motion vector detecting means with the set vector pattern selected by the pattern selecting means The vector comparison means determines that the direction of the motion vector matches the direction of the set vector pattern Expediently, a configuration in which a still image shooting mode and a mode automatic switching means for switching to the moving picture mode.

  In addition, the present invention includes an imaging unit that photoelectrically converts incident light incident from the object scene into a signal charge and generates an image signal representing the object field, and is used for recording a still image of the object field A motion detection step of detecting a motion of a subject in an image indicated by an image signal in a shooting recording method including a still image shooting mode in a standby state and a moving image shooting mode in a shooting standby state for recording a moving image of a scene; If the motion amount comparison step compares the amount of movement of the subject obtained by the motion detection step with the predetermined threshold and the motion amount comparison step determines that the subject motion amount exceeds the threshold, still image shooting is performed. And a mode switching step for switching from the mode to the moving image shooting mode.

  Also. The present invention includes an imaging unit that photoelectrically converts incident light incident from a scene into signal charges and generates an image signal representing the scene, and is in a shooting standby state for recording a still image of the scene Motion detection method for detecting a motion vector for a predetermined subject in an image indicated by an image signal in a still image shooting mode and a moving image shooting mode which is a shooting standby state for recording a scene A pattern selection step of selecting a predetermined motion vector pattern as a setting vector pattern, a vector comparison step of comparing the subject motion vector obtained in the motion vector detection step and the setting vector pattern selected in the pattern selection step, If the vector comparison process determines that the direction of the motion vector matches the direction of the set vector pattern, A configuration that includes a mode automatic switching step of switching from the photographing mode to the moving image shooting mode.

  According to the present invention, when it is determined that the amount of movement of the subject is greater than the predetermined threshold, the still image shooting mode is automatically switched to the movie shooting mode, so that the user can switch between the shooting modes. It is possible to take a picture without being conscious of it, and it is possible to prevent the recording from being missed. In addition, a moving subject is automatically recorded as a moving image, and an opportunity to record a moving image increases, which increases the enjoyment of the user for shooting and recording.

  Next, referring to the attached drawings, an embodiment of the photographing and recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging recording apparatus 10 in the present embodiment controls each unit with a system control unit 14, a lens driving unit 16, and an imaging driving unit 18 by operating an operation unit 12, so Is captured by the optical system 20 and an object scene image formed on the imaging unit 22 is captured, and the captured image is processed by the analog signal processing unit 24 to generate the digital image signal 120. The digital image signal 120 is processed as a still image or a moving image by the memory 28, the digital signal processing unit 30, the recording unit 32, and the display unit 34 connected to. Further, the motion detection unit 36 detects the motion or motion vector of the subject in the image, and the still image shooting mode (still image) that is in a shooting standby state for the system control unit 14 to record a still image according to the detection result. Mode) or a moving image shooting mode (moving image mode) which is a shooting standby state for recording a moving image. Note that portions not directly related to the understanding of the present invention are not shown and redundant description is avoided.

  The operation unit 12 is a main operation device for inputting an operator instruction, and supplies an operation signal 102 to the system control unit 14 in accordance with the main operation state of the operator, for example, a stroke operation of a release button (not shown). It has the function to do. In the following description, each signal is specified by the reference number of the connecting line in which it appears.

  The operation unit 12 also includes a threshold level of the amount of motion of the subject for switching from the still image shooting mode to the movie shooting mode, a trigger pattern of the motion vector, an area range that is a range in which the movie shooting mode is continued, and automatically It may have a function capable of setting a reference countdown time for stopping moving image recording. In that case, an operation signal 102 is sent to the system control unit 14 by the operation of the operation unit 12 by the operator, and the system control unit 14 Setting is made by controlling each necessary part.

  The system control unit 14 is a control function unit that controls and supervises the overall operation of the apparatus 10 in response to an operation signal 102 supplied from the operation unit 12. For example, a central processing unit (CPU) You may have. In addition, although not shown, an oscillator such as a timing generator that generates a basic clock for operating the apparatus 10 is provided, and this basic clock is supplied to each unit.

  For example, the system control unit 14 supplies and controls the control signals 104, 106, and 108 generated according to the operation signal 102 to the lens driving unit 16, the imaging driving unit 18, and the analog signal processing unit 24, respectively, A control signal 110 is generated and supplied to the data bus 26, and each unit connected to the data bus 26 is controlled. Further, the control signal 112 is generated and supplied to the motion detector 36 for control. The system control unit 14 according to the present exemplary embodiment displays a through image on the display unit 34 as an angle-of-view confirmation image in which the subject can be confirmed even in a standby state where the power of the apparatus 10 is on but the release button is not operated. For example, the control signal 110 may be generated.

  Further, the system control unit 14 may set a threshold level of the amount of movement of the subject serving as a reference for switching from the still image shooting mode to the moving image shooting mode, and may store the threshold level in advance in the memory 28 or the like. For example, a threshold value arbitrarily set by the operator may be obtained and stored by the operation signal 102, or, of course, a threshold level recorded as an initial setting value in the recording unit 32 or the like may be used. When the detection result signal 130 is supplied from the motion detection unit 36, the control unit 14 further compares the threshold value with the amount of movement of the subject, which is information carried on the signal 130. When the amount of movement of the subject supplied from the signal 30 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 14 supplies each unit with a control signal necessary for switching the photographing apparatus 10 to the moving image photographing mode.

  Further, in the case where the motion detection unit 36 is configured to detect a motion vector and supply a detection result signal to the control unit 14, the system control unit 14 stores a vector trigger pattern in the memory 28 in advance, for example, A motion vector pattern arbitrarily set by the operator may be obtained by the operation signal 102 and stored. When the detection result signal 130 is supplied from the motion detection unit 36, the control unit 14 compares the direction of the stored vector and the direction of the subject motion vector, which is information carried on the signal 130. When the stored vector and the direction of the subject vector match, the control unit 14 supplies each unit with a control signal necessary for switching the photographing apparatus 10 to the moving image photographing mode.

  Further, the system control unit 14 also receives the detection result signal 130 regarding the change in the amount of motion from the motion detection unit 36 after starting the moving image recording, and determines the threshold and the amount of motion of the subject as information carried on the signal 130. The comparison may continue. As a result, when the amount of movement of the subject supplied from the signal 30 falls below the threshold value, the control unit 14 supplies each unit with a control signal necessary for stopping execution of moving image recording.

  Further, the system control unit 14 stores a display range in which moving image recording is continued in the moving image shooting mode as an area range in advance in the memory 28 or the like, and obtains and stores a range arbitrarily set by the operator using the operation signal 102, for example You may do it. In this case, the control unit 14 further compares the position of the subject whose motion is detected in the display screen with the set area range, and determines whether or not the object has gone out of the area range. When the control unit 14 determines that the subject has moved out of the set region range, the control unit 14 automatically generates a control signal instructing to stop execution of moving image recording, and supplies the control signal to each unit for control.

  Further, the system control unit 14 stores a reference countdown time for automatically stopping moving image recording in the moving image shooting mode in the memory 28 or the like in advance, for example, a reference countdown time arbitrarily set by the operator as the operation signal 102. May be obtained and stored. In this case, if the control unit 14 further determines that the subject has left the set region range, the control unit 14 starts counting down based on the reference countdown time. Further, when the countdown ends without the subject returning to the area range, the control unit 14 automatically generates a control signal instructing to stop the execution of moving image recording, and supplies the control signal to each unit for control.

  The lens drive unit 16 is a zoom mechanism that controls the movement of the focus lens in the optical system 20, and outputs a drive signal 114 that drives the lens in accordance with the control signal 104 from the system control unit 14 to realize AF adjustment. For example, the focus lens is driven so that the AF evaluation value is maximized.

  The imaging drive unit 18 controls reading and transfer of signal charges accumulated in each pixel of the imaging unit 22 to be described later. A vertical drive signal, a horizontal drive signal, etc. according to a control signal 106 from the system control unit 14 Is supplied to the imaging unit 22.

  Although not shown, the optical system 20 includes an imaging lens such as a focus lens capable of adjusting the focus, and is a light incident mechanism that captures a desired object scene image and enters the imaging unit 22. Further, the optical system 20 may include a shutter mechanism and a diaphragm mechanism (not shown). The imaging lens of the optical system 20 is driven according to the drive signal 114 from the lens driving unit 16, and the focus is adjusted by adjusting the distance between the subject and the imaging lens to focus the subject image.

  The imaging unit 22 may include, for example, an imaging surface and a horizontal transfer path that form one screen of a captured image (not shown), and the imaging surface includes a plurality of photosensitive units and a plurality of vertical transfer paths corresponding to each pixel. For example, an image sensor such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) may be used. The imaging unit 22 photoelectrically converts the object scene image formed on the imaging surface via the optical system 20 in accordance with the drive signal 116 from the imaging drive unit 18, and each pixel obtained thereby The signal charge is converted into an analog electrical signal 118 and output to the analog signal processing unit 24.

  The plurality of photosensitive units in the imaging unit 22 may be arranged in a square matrix at a constant pitch in the row direction and the column direction, for example, and are arranged at different positions in the row direction and the column direction. Alternatively, a honeycomb arrangement may be used. Each photosensitive portion is an optical sensor that photoelectrically converts light into an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of received light when receiving incident light, and a photodiode is used, for example.

  The analog signal processing unit 24 has a function of performing analog signal processing on the analog electrical signal 118 from the imaging unit 22 under the control of the control signal 108 from the system control unit 14, such as a correlated double sampling circuit and a gain. An analog signal process is executed by a circuit such as a control amplifier, and an analog / digital conversion process is performed by an analog / digital converter to generate a digital image signal 120. The analog signal processing unit 24 supplies the generated digital image signal 120 to each unit via the data bus 26, for example, to the memory 28 or the digital signal processing unit 30.

  The memory 28 is a storage device that temporarily stores the digital image signal 122 supplied from each unit via the data bus 26. For example, the memory 28 processes the digital image signal 120 processed by the analog signal processing unit 24 or the digital signal processing unit 30. The digital image signal 124 is stored.

  The digital signal processing unit 30 is controlled by the system control unit 14 and performs digital signal processing on the digital image signal 120 after analog signal processing supplied from the analog signal processing unit 24 or the memory 28 via the data bus 26. In addition, the digital image signal 124 after the digital signal processing may be output to the memory 28, the recording unit 32, or the display unit 34 via the data bus 26.

  The digital signal processing unit 30 performs processing such as offset correction processing, white balance correction processing, synchronization processing, interpolation processing, linear matrix processing, gamma correction processing and YC conversion on the input digital image signal 120, for example. What to do.

  The recording unit 32 has a function of recording the digital image signal 126 supplied via the data bus 26. For example, the digital image signal 126 may be input from the digital signal processing unit 30 or the memory 28. The recording unit 32 may include, for example, an information recording medium using a package containing a rotary recording body such as a memory card on which a semiconductor memory is mounted, a magneto-optical disk, or the like. Good. The recording unit 32 may compress and record the input digital image signal 126 and decompress the recorded image signal to output it as the digital image signal 126.

  The display unit 34 has a function of displaying an image based on the digital image signal 128 input from the digital signal processing unit 30 or the like via the data bus 26, and an LCD panel or the like is used, for example. In addition, the display unit 34 notifies the operator that the shooting mode has been switched when the system control unit 14 controls each unit to automatically switch from the still image shooting mode to the movie shooting mode. It is desirable to display an icon or the like.

  The motion detector 36 detects the motion of each subject included in the object scene image captured via the optical system 20, and supplies the detection result signal 130 to the system controller 14. The motion detection method employed by the motion detection unit 36 may be an appropriate method as long as it is a method for detecting the amount of motion or motion vector of the subject, for example, a method for detecting motion between frames of image data, There are various methods such as a pattern matching method and an optical flow method.

  In this embodiment, the motion detection unit 36 is supplied with a digital image signal 120 generated by the analog signal processing unit 24 processing the analog electrical signal 118 obtained by shooting including through image capturing. The movement of the subject is detected based on the image shown. Of course, a configuration may be adopted in which the movement of the subject is detected based on a signal supplied via the data bus 26.

  Further, although not shown, it is desirable that the apparatus 10 has a camera shake correction mechanism unit that prevents the image from being shaken due to, for example, the shaking of the hand of the operator who has the apparatus 10. By operating the camera shake correction mechanism, it is possible to prevent the motion detector 36 from erroneously detecting camera shake as the motion of the subject. In addition, when the operator zooms the optical system 20 to adjust the focus, the motion detection unit 36 has a function to prevent the motion vector from being erroneously recognized as an approaching or leaving motion of the subject. This is a more desirable embodiment.

  Next, an automatic transition operation from the still image shooting mode to the moving image shooting mode in the imaging / recording apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In this apparatus 10, first, when the power is turned on and a photographing operation is started, the system control unit 14 controls each unit to perform necessary initialization and the normal still image photographing mode is activated. Incident light enters the imaging unit 22 through the optical system 20 to obtain an analog electrical signal 118, and further a digital image signal 120 is obtained through the analog signal processing unit 24. In the display unit 34, a through image is displayed based on the image signal 120 or the digital image signal 124 obtained by subjecting the image signal 120 to digital signal processing (step S202). During the live view display, the motion detector 36 performs motion detection based on the digital image signal 120 generated by the analog signal processor 24 (step S204).

  The detected amount of movement is supplied to the system control unit 14 as a detection result signal 130, and the system control unit 14 changes the value of the detection result signal 130 and the shooting mode of the apparatus 10 from the still image shooting mode to the moving image shooting mode. A threshold value serving as a reference value for switching is compared to determine whether or not the amount of motion exceeds the threshold value (step S206).

  The threshold level can be set by the operator operating the operation unit 12 in advance and selecting a predetermined threshold level. Of course, the system control unit 14 sets a threshold value based on the operation signal 102 issued by the operation of the operator, and when the operation signal 102 is not supplied because there is no special operation by the operator or from the beginning, When the unit 12 is not provided with a setting function related to threshold setting from the operator side, for example, a method is adopted in which the control unit 14 sets the initial setting value stored in the memory 28 as the threshold value as it is. May be.

  If it is determined that the amount of motion of the detection result signal 130 exceeds the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S210 assuming that the subject has moved. On the other hand, in the case of the determination result that the value of the detection result signal 130 is equal to or less than the threshold value, it is determined that the subject does not move, the process proceeds to step S212, and the operation in the still image shooting mode is continued as it is.

  When the recording apparatus 10 includes a camera shake correction function unit, camera shake correction is performed in combination with, for example, steps S206 and S208 so that camera shake that may be caused by the operation of the operator is not erroneously detected as the movement of the subject. It is desirable to execute the function.

  If it is determined that the subject does not move and the process proceeds to step S212, the system control unit 14 determines whether or not the operation signal 102 generated according to the stroke operation of the release button has been received from the operation unit 12 (step S216). ). If it is determined that the operation signal 102 has been supplied, the system control unit 14 controls each unit necessary for taking a still image of the subject, and records a still image (step S220). On the other hand, if it is determined that the operation signal 102 has not been supplied, the process returns to step S206 to continue motion detection.

  When it is detected that the subject has moved and the process proceeds to step S210, the system control unit 14 supplies a control signal for instructing the shift to the moving image shooting mode to each unit of the apparatus 10. At this time, if the display unit 34 has a function of displaying an icon or the like, the system control unit 14 supplies a control signal 128 to the display unit 34 to automatically shoot a moving image from the still image shooting mode. It is possible to display a moving image icon indicating the transition to the mode. By performing such display, the operator can easily know the switching of the shooting mode.

  Thereafter, the system control unit 14 further determines whether or not the operation signal 102 generated in response to the stroke operation of the release button has been received from the operation unit 12 (step S214). If it is determined that the operation signal 102 has not been supplied, the process returns to step S214 to continue the determination of whether the operation signal 102 has been supplied.

  If it is determined in step S214 that the operation signal 102 has been supplied from the operation unit 12, the process proceeds to step S218, and the system control unit 14 supplies each unit with a control signal instructing execution of moving image recording. To start video recording.

  Even during the recording of the moving image, the system control unit 14 determines whether or not the operation signal 102 generated according to the stroke operation of the release button has been received from the operation unit 12 (step S222). If it is determined that the operation signal 102 has not been supplied, the process returns to step S222 to continue the determination of whether or not the operation signal 102 has been supplied while continuing to record the moving image.

  If it is determined in step S222 that the operation signal 102 has been supplied from the operation unit 12, the system control unit 14 supplies each unit with a control signal instructing to end the moving image shooting of the subject, and performs control to record the moving image. End.

  Note that the flowchart of FIG. 2 and the above description are merely examples, and as illustrated in FIG. 3, when it is determined in step S208 that the value of the motion amount of the detection result signal 130 exceeds the threshold value, Instead of proceeding directly to step S210 for shifting to the moving image mode, proceeding to step S224, the system control unit 14 determines whether or not the operation signal 102 generated in response to the stroke operation of the release button has been received from the operation unit 12. An embodiment may be adopted in which a determination is made, and it is determined that an operation signal has been detected in step S224, and the process proceeds to step S210 for the first time to enter the moving image mode.

  In this way, the present apparatus 10 records an optimal image of a still image or a moving image according to the presence or absence of the movement of the subject. Since shooting is performed by the operation as described above, the operator can record the subject desired to be shot without losing sight without being particularly aware of the switching of the moving image or still image mode according to the movement of the subject. In addition, since a moving subject is automatically recorded as a moving image, opportunities for using the moving image shooting mode are increased, and a more enjoyable image can be recorded.

  Next, in the photographing and recording apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the operation when the motion detecting unit 36 detects a motion vector from a photographed image is represented by the flowchart of FIG. 4 and the vector patterns shown in FIGS. The description will be given with reference.

  The operator operates the operation unit 12 in advance, and selects and sets a pattern as a condition for shifting from the still image shooting mode to the moving image shooting mode from predetermined motion vector patterns (step S302). The set motion vector pattern is stored in the memory 28 or the like. If the pattern selection setting by the operator has not been made, the system control unit 14 proceeds to the subsequent steps with one of the patterns stored or recorded in advance in the memory 28 or the recording unit 32 as an initial setting. You may process.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 10, typical motion vector patterns that can be set by the operator using an object that is captured in the imaging range 50 of the apparatus 10 and moves from the initial position to another position as a subject. An example will be described. In these drawings, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that an object is a sphere, a sphere before movement is a sphere 52, and a sphere after movement is a sphere 54. For a sphere with rotational movement, two different points are extracted from the sphere 52 before movement to be point A and point a, respectively, and points A and a reached after movement due to the rotational movement of the sphere are respectively B Let it be point and b point. Of course, the settable motion vector pattern is not limited to the example shown below.

  FIG. 5 shows a rightward motion vector as a directed line when the subject captured in the imaging range 50 is moving from the left to the right. Similarly, it goes without saying that a leftward motion vector can be set when the subject is moving from the right to the left.

  When the subject does not simply move in the horizontal direction but moves at an angle of θ degrees with respect to the horizontal axis, a motion vector having an angle of θ degrees with respect to the horizontal axis is generated as shown by the arrow in FIG. . It is desirable that such a motion vector can be set because it contributes to the convenience of use.

  When the subject captured in the imaging range 50 is approaching toward the optical system 20 of the recording apparatus 10, the subject captured in the imaging range 60 is gradually enlarged as shown in FIG. For example, a plurality of motion vectors starting from one point in the range recognized as the sphere 52 before movement and having one point in the range recognized as the sphere 54 after movement corresponding to the start point as end points. These occur in all directions so as to diffuse toward the periphery of the imaging range 50, respectively.

  When the subject captured in the imaging range 50 is moving away from the optical system 20 of the recording apparatus 10, the subject captured in the imaging range 60 is gradually reduced as shown in FIG. Therefore, for example, a plurality of motion vectors having a starting point as one point in the range recognized as the sphere 52 before the movement and an end point as one point in the range recognized as the sphere 54 after the movement corresponding to the starting point are captured. Occurs from all directions to converge from the periphery of range 50 toward the center.

  The case where the subject is rotating will be described with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 9 shows a plan view of the rotating sphere in addition to the rotating sphere that is captured in the imaging range 50. In this figure, it is assumed that the sphere has rotated by θ degrees before and after movement.

When the sphere is rotating, motion vectors are generated as indicated by the directed line segments AB and ab. Here, the conditions for determining the movement of the subject as a rotational motion from the two motion vectors of the directed line segments AB and ab detected by the motion detection unit 36 are shown as point A and point a to point B and point b, respectively. In the case of movement, the following expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied.
B−A = sinθ (1)
b−a = 1−sin θ (2)
When the relations of the above formulas (1) and (2) are obtained, it can be determined that the subject is a vector pattern that rotates in the right direction. Of course, even when the subject is rotating left, the motion detector 36 can determine that the counterclockwise rotation is being performed based on the same principle.

  The operator can select and set the motion vector pattern as described above by operating the operation unit 12, but the setting of the pattern is not limited to only one type. For example, as shown in FIG. It is desirable to be able to set conditions by combining each setting pattern so that the shooting mode is automatically switched even for a subject that rotates rapidly.

  A through image is displayed under the still image mode on the display unit 34 after the motion vector pattern is set (step S304). During the through image display, the motion detector 36 detects a motion vector based on the digital image signal 120 generated by the analog signal processor 24 (step S306).

  The detected motion vector is supplied to the system control unit 14 as the detection result signal 130, and the system control unit 14 compares the direction of the vector pattern based on the detection result signal 130 with the direction of the set vector pattern, and Are matched (step S308). If it is determined that the directions of the vector patterns match, the process proceeds to step S310, and the system control unit 14 controls each unit of the apparatus 10 to automatically shift to the moving image shooting mode. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vector pattern directions do not match, the process proceeds to step S312 to continue the operation in the still image shooting mode.

  When the recording apparatus 10 includes a camera shake correction function unit, the camera shake is also detected in, for example, steps S306 and S308 so that camera shake that may be caused by the operation of the operator is not erroneously detected as a motion vector of the subject. It is desirable to execute the correction function. Similarly, when the recording apparatus 10 has a function for preventing erroneous detection of a motion vector during execution of the zoom operation described above, the same steps are performed so as not to erroneously detect the movement of the through image due to zooming as the approach of the subject. It is more desirable to execute the motion vector false detection prevention function in S306 and S308.

  Since the subsequent steps S314 to S322 proceed in the same flow as steps S214 to S222 shown in FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  As described above, according to the recording apparatus 10 that enables switching to the moving image shooting mode in accordance with the motion vector detected by the motion detection unit 36, a moving image can be automatically recorded when a desired motion vector pattern is detected. It disappears and there is no spillage. For example, the operator can select and set a left movement vector and start recording a video when the car starts moving from right to left, or set and select a rotation vector to start recording a video when the human face changes direction. Makes it possible to enjoy shooting with suitable usage. In addition, since it can be set to automatically shift to the video shooting mode even when moving in the depth direction, for example, it is possible to set and select an approach vector so that video recording starts when a pet or child approaches. .

  Next, an example of the operation of the photographing / recording apparatus 10 when automatically ending the moving image recording being performed will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. For example, even after the execution of moving image recording is started by following the procedure shown in FIG. 2 (step S402), the motion detector 36 continues to detect the motion of the subject based on the digital image signal 120 (step S404). ). The detected amount of movement of the subject is supplied to the system control unit 14 as a detection result signal 130, and the system control unit 14 compares a preset threshold value with the amount of movement of the subject (step S406).

  If the amount of movement of the subject is equal to or greater than the threshold, the moving image recording is continued as it is (return to step S402). On the other hand, when it is determined that the amount of movement of the subject is below the threshold, the system control unit 14 supplies a control signal for ending the moving image recording to each unit. In this way, the photographing and recording apparatus 10 automatically ends the moving image recording, thereby eliminating the occurrence of waste in terms of power consumption and recording capacity due to the endless recording of moving images.

  If the system control unit 14 determines that the amount of movement of the subject is smaller than the set threshold value in step S404, the process proceeds to step S408 to end the video recording and send a control signal to each unit to return to the still image mode. You may make it supply (step S410). By adopting such an operation system, it is possible to prevent unnecessary moving images from being continuously recorded. Furthermore, the operator can easily take a still image of a subject whose movement has been reduced and which has become easier to shoot.

  Subsequently, an example of the operation of the imaging / recording apparatus 10 that automatically ends the moving image recording when the subject displayed on the display unit 34 is out of the region range set within the imaging range during moving image recording is shown in FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 14, the object 64 before movement captured in the imaging range 60 and the set area range 62 is captured as the moved object 66 outside the area range as a result of moving in the lower left direction. It represents the situation.

  The operator can operate the operation unit 12 in advance and set an area range 62 that is an area where the recorded moving image recording is continued (step S502). The set area range 62 is stored in the memory 28 or the like. Of course, if the initial area range is stored in the memory 28 or the like in advance and the area range is not set by the operator, the system control unit 14 assumes that the initial area range has been set. Then, processing may be performed so as to proceed to the subsequent steps.

  In the case where the moving image mode is automatically set by following the procedure shown in FIG. 2, even after starting the execution of moving image recording (step S504), the motion detection unit 36 continues to detect the subject based on the digital image signal 120. A motion is detected (step S506). The movement of the subject detected by the motion detection unit 36 is supplied to the system control unit 14 as a detection result signal 130, and the system control unit 14 determines whether or not the moving subject has moved out of the area range 62 (step S508). ).

  When the system control unit 14 determines that the subject exists in the area range 62 as in the case of the sphere 64, the process returns to step S504, and the moving image recording is continued as it is. On the other hand, like the sphere 66, when the control unit 14 determines that the subject has moved out of the area range 62, the control unit 14 supplies a control signal for ending the moving image recording to each unit. By automatically ending moving image recording in this way, it is possible to eliminate the occurrence of waste in terms of power consumption, recording capacity, etc. due to the endless recording of moving images.

  Finally, during video recording, the operation of the photographic recording device 10 that automatically ends video recording when the subject displayed on the display unit 34 has deviated from the set area range within the imaging range for a certain period of time has elapsed. An example will be described with reference to FIG.

  The operator can operate the operation unit 12 in advance to set an area range 62 in which the recorded moving image recording is continued (step S602), and an imaging range 60 in which a moving subject is displayed on the display unit 34. It is possible to set a reference countdown time for continuing the moving image recording even if the region range 62 set within is deviated (step S604). The set reference countdown time is stored in the memory 28 or the like. Of course, if the initial setting value of the reference count time is stored in the memory 28 or the like in advance, and the time setting is not made by the operator, the system control unit 14 sets the initial setting value as the reference countdown time. It may be considered that the process proceeds to the subsequent steps.

  When the moving image mode is automatically set by following the procedure shown in FIG. 2, after the moving image recording is started (step S606), the motion detection unit 36 continues to detect the movement of the subject based on the digital image signal 120. Detection is performed (step S608). The movement of the subject detected by the motion detection unit 36 is supplied to the system control unit 14 as a detection result signal 130, and the control unit 14 determines whether or not the subject has moved out of the area range 62 (step S610). If the control unit 14 determines that the subject is within the area range 62, the process returns to step S606, and the moving image recording is continued as it is.

  On the other hand, when the system control unit 14 determines that the subject has moved out of the area range 62 as in the case of the sphere 64, the system control unit 14 further performs counting based on the set reference countdown time. This countdown is performed so that, for example, the count value with the reference countdown time as the start time decreases with the passage of time, and it is determined whether the count value has become 0, that is, whether the countdown has ended. (Step S612).

  If the predetermined time has not elapsed, that is, if the count value has not yet reached 0, the process returns to step S606 to continue moving image recording, and further continue motion detection in step S608. These steps are repeated until the countdown is completed. If the subject returns to the area range 62 during the countdown, the system control unit 14 sends a control signal for stopping (resetting) the count during the countdown. , And the process returns to step S606 to continue the video recording.

  When a certain time elapses while the subject is outside the area range 62, the system control unit 14 determines that the count value has become 0, and supplies a control signal for ending the moving image recording to each unit.

  By automatically ending moving image recording in this way, it is possible not only to prevent the recording of useless moving images in an endless manner, but also in the case of a subject with particularly intense movement, even if it goes out of the area once. Since there is a high possibility of returning to the area immediately, waiting for the elapse of a certain period of time until the end of moving image recording makes it possible to capture a moving image of the expected subject in a more suitable form.

  As described above, the photographing and recording apparatus and method according to the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and as long as the present invention can be implemented, the arrangement and operation procedure can be changed appropriately. Can be done.

It is a block diagram which shows one Example of the imaging | photography recording device which concerns on this invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of automatically shifting to a moving image shooting mode in the shooting and recording apparatus of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. In the same Example, it is a flowchart which shows another example of the operation | movement which transfers to video recording mode automatically. In the same Example, it is a flowchart which shows another example of the operation | movement which transfers to moving image shooting mode automatically. It is a figure which shows the motion vector pattern of the object which moves rightward. It is a figure which shows the motion vector pattern of the object which moves to an upper right direction. It is a figure which shows the motion vector pattern of the object which approaches toward the optical system of the imaging | photography recording device which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the motion vector pattern of the object which moves away from the optical system of the imaging | photography recording device which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the motion vector pattern of the object which carries out clockwise rotation motion. It is a figure which shows the motion vector pattern of the object rotated to upper right direction. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation for automatically ending moving image recording in the photographing and recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of automatically returning to a still image shooting mode in the embodiment. In the same Example, it is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement which complete | finishes moving image recording automatically, when a to-be-photographed object goes out of the area | region range. It is a figure which shows the example of a setting of an area | region range in the imaging | photography recording device of the Example shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation for automatically ending moving image recording when a predetermined time elapses while the subject leaves the area range in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

10 Shooting and recording device
12 Operation unit
14 System controller
20 Optical system
22 Imaging unit
24 Analog signal processor
28 memory
36 Motion detector

Claims (10)

Including imaging means for photoelectrically converting incident light incident from the object field into a signal charge to generate an image signal representing the object field,
An apparatus for recording and recording comprising a still image shooting mode which is a shooting standby state for recording a still image of the object scene and a moving image shooting mode which is a shooting standby state for recording the object scene as a moving image. Is
Motion detection means for detecting motion of a subject in the image indicated by the image signal;
A movement amount comparison means for comparing the amount of movement of the subject obtained by the movement detection means with a predetermined threshold;
An imaging / recording apparatus comprising: mode switching means for switching from the still image capturing mode to the moving image capturing mode when the comparison unit determines that the amount of movement of the subject exceeds the threshold value.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further executes the moving image recording when the moving amount comparison unit determines that the moving amount of the subject falls below the threshold while the moving image recording is being performed. An imaging / recording apparatus comprising moving image recording stop means for stopping. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is
An area setting means for setting an area in the object scene as a range for continuing the recorded moving image;
Position determination means for comparing the position of the subject whose movement is detected by the movement detection means to determine whether or not the moving object is out of the area while moving image recording is being executed;
An imaging / recording apparatus comprising: a moving image recording stopping unit that stops execution of moving image recording when the position determining unit determines that the subject has moved out of the area. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is
An area setting means for setting an area in the object scene as a range for continuing the recorded moving image;
Position determination means for comparing the position of the subject whose movement is detected by the movement detection means to determine whether or not the moving object is out of the area while moving image recording is being executed;
Counting means for performing counting from a predetermined reference countdown time when the position determination means determines that the subject has gone out of the area;
Moving image recording stop means for stopping execution of moving image recording when the countdown by the counting means ends while the position determination means continues to determine that the subject has moved out of the area. Shooting and recording device. Including imaging means for photoelectrically converting incident light incident from the object scene into a signal charge to generate an image signal representing the object scene,
An apparatus for recording and recording comprising a still image shooting mode which is a shooting standby state for recording a still image of the object scene and a moving image shooting mode which is a shooting standby state for recording the object scene as a moving image. Is
Motion vector detection means for detecting a motion vector for a subject in an image indicated by the image signal;
Pattern selection means for selecting a predetermined motion vector pattern as a set vector pattern;
Vector comparison means for comparing the motion vector of the subject obtained by the motion vector detection means with the set vector pattern selected by the selection means;
A mode automatic switching unit that switches from the still image shooting mode to the moving image shooting mode when the vector comparison unit determines that the directions of the motion vector and the set vector pattern match. Shooting and recording device. Including an imaging unit that photoelectrically converts incident light incident from the object field into a signal charge to generate an image signal representing the object field,
In the shooting and recording method, the method includes a still image shooting mode that is a shooting standby state for recording a still image of the object scene and a moving image shooting mode that is a shooting standby state for recording the object scene as a moving image. Is
A motion detection step of detecting a motion of the subject in the image indicated by the image signal;
A motion amount comparison step of comparing the amount of motion of the subject obtained by the motion detection step with a predetermined threshold;
And a mode switching step of switching from the still image shooting mode to the moving image shooting mode when the comparison step determines that the amount of movement of the subject exceeds the threshold.   7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising executing moving image recording when the moving amount comparison step determines that the amount of movement of the subject falls below the threshold while moving image recording is being performed. A shooting and recording method comprising a moving image recording stop step of stopping. The method of claim 6, wherein the method comprises:
An area setting step for setting an area in the object scene as a range in which the recorded video recording is continued;
A position determination step of determining whether or not the object has been moved out of the region by comparing the position of the subject whose movement is detected by the movement detection step while moving image recording is being performed;
And a moving image recording stopping step of stopping moving image recording when the position determining step determines that the subject has moved out of the area. The method of claim 6, wherein the method comprises:
An area setting step for setting an area in the object scene as a range in which the recorded video recording is continued;
A position determination step of determining whether or not the object has been moved out of the region by comparing the position of the subject whose movement is detected by the movement detection step while moving image recording is being performed;
A counting step of performing counting from a predetermined reference countdown time when the position determination step determines that the subject has gone out of the area;
A moving image recording stop step of stopping execution of moving image recording when the countdown by the counting step ends while the position determining step continues to determine that the subject has moved out of the area. Shooting and recording method. Including an imaging unit that photoelectrically converts incident light incident from the object field into a signal charge to generate an image signal representing the object field,
In the shooting and recording method, the method includes a still image shooting mode that is a shooting standby state for recording a still image of the object scene and a moving image shooting mode that is a shooting standby state for recording the object scene as a moving image. Is
A motion vector detection step of detecting a motion vector for a subject in an image indicated by the image signal;
A pattern selection step of selecting a predetermined motion vector pattern as a set vector pattern;
A vector comparison step of comparing the motion vector of the subject obtained by the motion vector detection step with the set vector pattern selected by the selection step;
A mode automatic switching step of switching from the still image shooting mode to the moving image shooting mode when the vector comparison step determines that the directions of the motion vector and the set vector pattern match. Shooting and recording method.

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