JP2009284411A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a moving image without using a plurality of pieces of still image data. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus including: an imaging section for generating first image data during release and for generating second image data during a time other than release; a motion data-generating section for generating motion data indicating the motion of a subject on the basis of the second image data generated by the imaging section; a recording section for recording the first image data generated by the imaging section and the motion data generated by the motion data-generating section in association with each other; a dummy moving image generating section for reading the first image data and the motion data from the recording section to produce image data for a dummy moving image; and a display section for displaying the dummy moving image on the basis of the image data for the dummy moving image generated by the dummy moving image-generating section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device that captures an image of a subject and generates image data, and an image playback device that plays back the image data.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an imaging device that captures a moving subject and displays a moving image on a display or the like is known.

Among such imaging apparatuses, there has been proposed one that compares captured still image data with previous still image data and sequentially records the difference between the current still image data and the previous still image data. (Patent Document 1 etc.). The imaging device of Patent Document 1 sequentially displays image data on a display at a shutter interval at the time of imaging, thereby displaying a moving image that reproduces the motion of an object at the time of continuous shooting imaging.
JP 2001-320623 A

  However, in the imaging apparatus described above, the still image data obtained by continuous shooting imaging has a large capacity even if only the difference is recorded. Therefore, the amount of data recorded on a storage medium such as a memory has increased, and the number of still images to be recorded has been reduced.

  Therefore, an object of the imaging device and the image reproducing device of the present invention is to display a moving image without using a plurality of still image data.

  The imaging device of the present invention generates first image data at the time of release and generates second image data other than at the time of release, and the second image data generated by the imaging unit. A motion data generating unit that generates motion data indicating the motion of the subject, a recording unit that records the first image data generated by the imaging unit and the motion data generated by generating the motion data in association with each other; Based on the pseudo moving image generation unit that reads out the first image data and the motion data from the recording unit and generates image data for the pseudo moving image, and the image data for the pseudo moving image generated by the pseudo moving image generation unit And a display unit for displaying a pseudo moving image.

  Preferably, the motion data generation unit detects a region having motion from the second image by comparing the second image data generated before and after by the imaging unit, and the motion is The motion data including pixel position information and color information included in a certain area may be generated.

  Preferably, the pseudo moving image generation unit replaces a partial area of the first image generated by the imaging unit on the basis of the motion data generated by the motion data generation unit. The first image data may be arranged in time series to generate the image data for the pseudo moving image.

  Preferably, the motion data generation unit may predict the motion of the subject after the release based on the motion data.

  Preferably, the apparatus further includes a detection unit that detects the movement of the imaging device, and the motion data generation unit does not generate the movement data when the detection unit determines that the imaging device is moving. Also good.

  Preferably, the motion data generation unit detects a region having motion from the second image by comparing the second image data generated before and after by the imaging unit, and the motion is If it is determined that the size of a certain area is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the motion data need not be generated.

  The image reproduction device of the present invention is an image reproduction device that reproduces the first image, and reads the first image data and the motion data from the recording unit to generate image data for a pseudo moving image. A second pseudo moving image generation unit; and a second display unit that displays the pseudo moving image based on the image data for the pseudo moving image generated by the second pseudo moving image generation unit.

  Preferably, the second pseudo moving image generator generates a plurality of frames of image data obtained by replacing a partial area of the first image based on the motion data, and the first image data in time series. The image data for the pseudo moving image may be generated.

  Preferably, a second motion data generating unit that predicts the motion of the subject after the release based on the motion data may be further provided.

  According to the imaging device and the image reproducing device of the present invention, it is possible to display a moving image without using a plurality of still image data.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging device 1 includes an imaging lens 2, an imaging device 3, an A / D conversion unit 4, an image processing unit 5, a buffer memory 6, a control unit 7, a display unit 8, a shake detection unit 9, and an operation. Section 10, recording I / F section 11, recording medium 12, and bus 13.

  The imaging lens 2 forms a subject image on the imaging surface of the imaging element 3. The image sensor 3 photoelectrically converts a subject image formed by a light beam that has passed through the imaging lens 2 and outputs an analog image signal corresponding to each of R, G, and B colors. In the still image capturing mode, the image sensor 3 captures a still image when a later-described release button is fully pressed. Further, the imaging device 3 captures a through image by thinning out reading at predetermined intervals even during standby for imaging. The output of the image sensor 3 is connected to the A / D converter 4. The A / D conversion unit 4 performs A / D conversion of the output signal of the image sensor 3.

  The image processing unit 5 performs various types of image processing (white balance adjustment, color interpolation, gradation conversion processing, contour enhancement processing, etc.) on the data output from the A / D conversion unit 4. The image processing unit 5 also executes processing for compressing in JPEG format or the like before recording image data on the recording medium 12, and processing for decompressing and restoring the compressed data. In addition, the image processing unit 5 generates pseudo-moving image data described later under the control of the control unit 7.

  The buffer memory 6 temporarily records image data in the pre-process and post-process of image processing by the image processing unit 5. The control unit 7 is a processor that performs overall control of the imaging apparatus 1 according to a predetermined sequence program. Further, the control unit 7 generates motion data to be described later based on the through image data. The display unit 8 displays various images under the control of the control unit 7. Various images displayed on the display unit 8 include a still image, a pseudo moving image to be described later, a through image, an image recorded on the recording medium 12, a menu screen, and the like.

  The shake detection unit 9 includes a vertical angular velocity sensor that detects the pitching of the imaging device 1 and a lateral angular velocity sensor that detects the rolling of the imaging device 1. The output of the shake detection unit 9 is connected to the control unit 7. The operation unit 10 includes a release button, an operation button, and the like. The release button receives an input of a release instruction from the user. The operation button receives an operation input on the menu screen or the like from the user. The state of the operation unit 10 is detected by the control unit 7. The recording I / F unit 11 is formed with a connector for connecting the recording medium 12. Then, the recording I / F unit 11 executes data writing / reading with respect to the recording medium 12 connected to the connector.

  Note that the image processing unit 5, the buffer memory 6, the control unit 7, and the recording I / F unit 11 are connected to each other via a bus 13. The output of the A / D conversion unit 4 is connected to the image processing unit 5 via the bus 13. The outputs of the image processing unit 5 and the recording I / F unit 11 are connected to the display unit 8 via the bus 13.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the control unit 7 when capturing a still image in the imaging apparatus 1. In addition, the control part 7 measures the imaging time of a through image and a still image with a timer not shown.

  In step S1, the control unit 7 starts a still image capturing mode. For example, the control unit 7 controls the imaging element 3 to start capturing a through image. Then, the control unit 7 controls the image processing unit 5 to perform an interpolation process or the like on the image signal of the through image that has passed through the A / D conversion unit 4 and records it in the buffer memory 6. Thereafter, the control unit 7 displays the live view on the display unit 8 as a live view.

  In step S2, the control unit 7 determines whether or not the release button has been fully pressed. When the release button is fully pressed (YES), the process proceeds to step S7 described later. On the other hand, when the release button is not fully pressed (NO), the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, the control unit 7 detects a region where there is a motion (hereinafter referred to as a motion region) from the through image by comparing the two frames of the through images captured before and after in step S1. For example, the control unit 7 calculates an output difference for each of R, G, and B colors for each corresponding pixel between two images of a through image captured two frames before and after. And the control part 7 detects the area | region comprised by the pixel whose output difference of at least 1 color is more than a threshold value among R, G, B as a motion area | region. Examples of through images taken before and after are shown in FIGS. Although a vehicle is not captured in the through image of FIG. 3A, a vehicle is captured on the right side of the through image of FIG.

  In step S4, the control unit 7 determines whether or not a motion region is detected in step S3. If a motion area is detected (YES), the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, when the motion region is not detected (NO), the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S5, the control unit 7 generates motion data. Here, the motion data will be described. The motion data is composed of pixel position information and color information included in the motion region detected in step S3. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the control unit 7 calculates the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the pixel included in the motion region with the horizontal direction of the image as the X axis and the vertical direction as the Y axis. The control unit 7 generates motion data for all the pixels included in the motion region detected in step S <b> 3 and records the motion data in the buffer memory 6. For example, the motion data of the pixel A in FIG. 3B is expressed as coordinates (120, 30) and color information (R = 200, G = 10, B = 10).

  Note that the control unit 7 does not generate motion data when the shake detection unit 9 determines that the entire imaging apparatus 1 is moving, or when the total area of the motion region is equal to or greater than the threshold value. In such a case, there is a possibility that the entire imaging apparatus 1 is moving, such as when camera shake is large or the user is examining the composition.

  In step S6, the control unit 7 determines whether or not the release button has been fully pressed. If the release button is fully pressed (YES), the process proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, if the release button is not fully pressed (NO), the process returns to step S3, and a motion region is detected from new through images that are sequentially captured. Thereby, generation of motion data is repeated until the release button is fully pressed, and the movement of the subject is followed. In order to prevent the ratio of motion data in the buffer memory 6 from increasing, the control unit 7 deletes the motion data from the oldest when the capacity of the motion data recorded in the buffer memory 6 exceeds the threshold. Also good.

  In step S7, the control unit 7 controls the image sensor 3 to capture a still image. Then, the control unit 7 controls the image processing unit 5 to perform image processing on the still image data and record it in the buffer memory 6. FIG. 3C shows an example of a still image in which the vehicle is moving to the left side compared to the through image of FIG.

  In step S <b> 8, the control unit 7 determines whether or not motion data is recorded in the buffer memory 6. If motion data is recorded (YES), the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, if no motion data is recorded (NO), the process proceeds to step S10.

  In step S9, the control unit 7 reads from the buffer memory 6 the motion data recorded in step S5 and the still image data subjected to image processing in step S7. Then, the control unit 7 generates the still image file shown in FIG. 4 and records it on the recording medium 12. As shown in FIG. 4, the still image file is composed of still image data and additional information. Additional information includes a still image capturing time, motion data, a through image capturing time, and the like. That is, motion data is recorded in a still image file as additional information of still image data together with various information. Therefore, the user can handle it as a normal still image file without being aware that the motion data is recorded in the still image file. The motion data is composed of coordinates and color information as described above. Therefore, the motion data has a smaller capacity than the image data and does not increase the capacity of the still image file.

  If no motion data is recorded in step S8 (NO), in step S10, the control unit 7 reads out still image data subjected to image processing in step S7 from the buffer memory 6. Then, the control unit 7 generates a still image file in which the motion data and the shooting time of the through image are not recorded in the above-described still image file, and records them in the recording medium 12.

  Next, display of a still image will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the control unit 7 when displaying a still image in the imaging apparatus 1. Note that it is assumed that the control unit 7 receives designation of a still image to be displayed in advance from the user via the operation unit 10.

  In step S <b> 21, the control unit 7 reads a still image file from the recording medium 12.

  In step S22, the control unit 7 determines whether or not motion data is recorded in the still image file read in step S21. If motion data is recorded (YES), the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if no motion data is recorded (NO), the process proceeds to step S29 described later.

  In step S23, the control unit 7 reads still image data, motion data, and through image capturing time from the still image file read in step S21.

  In step S24, the control unit 7 detects a motion area from the still image based on the still image data and the motion data read in step S23.

  In step S25, the control unit 7 generates motion data of the motion region detected in step S24. For example, the control unit 7 calculates the coordinates and color information of the pixels included in the motion region detected in step S24.

  In step S26, the control unit 7 generates motion data after a predetermined time after capturing the still image in step S7 of FIG. 2, that is, after a predetermined time from the release. For example, the control unit 7 calculates an imaging interval between two frames of the through image captured before and after based on the imaging time of the through image read in step S23. Further, the control unit 7 calculates the movement amount of the motion region by calculating the difference in the coordinates of the corresponding pixels between the two preceding and following motion regions based on the motion data read in step S23. Then, the control unit 7 calculates the movement amount of the motion region per unit time based on the imaging interval and the movement amount of the movement region.

  Thereafter, the control unit 7 generates motion data after a predetermined time from the release based on the motion data generated in step S25 and the movement amount of the motion area per unit time. Note that the control unit 7 may generate motion data every predetermined time after the release.

  In step S27, the control unit 7 controls the image processing unit 5 to select a partial region of the still image corresponding to the motion region based on the motion data read in step S23 and the motion data generated in step S26. The replaced image data of a plurality of frames is generated. Then, the control unit 7 arranges the image data of the plurality of frames and the still image data in time series to generate image data for a pseudo moving image.

  In step S28, the control unit 7 displays the pseudo moving image on the display unit 8 based on the pseudo moving image data generated in step S27. An example of an image for a pseudo moving image after the release is shown in FIG. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3D, the control unit 7 displays a pseudo moving image on the display unit 8 that appears as if the automobile is moving from the right side to the left side of the image.

  If no motion data is recorded in step S22 (NO), in step S29, the control unit 7 reads still image data from the still image file read in step S21.

  In step S30, the control unit 7 displays a still image on the display unit 8 based on the still image data read in step S29.

  As described above, the imaging device 1 according to the first embodiment records motion data generated based on through image data in a still image file of the recording medium 12 without increasing the data amount. Therefore, according to the imaging device 1 of the first embodiment, more still images can be taken.

  Further, the imaging device 1 generates image data for a pseudo moving image based on the still image data and the motion data, and displays the pseudo moving image on the display unit. Therefore, according to the imaging device 1 of the first embodiment, the user can view a pseudo moving image in which the movement of the subject before and after the release can be seen only by capturing a still image.

  In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which a still image is captured once when the release button is fully pressed, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be applied to a continuous shooting mode in which still images are repeatedly captured while the release button is fully pressed.

  Further, although the motion data is recorded in the still image file in step S9 in FIG. 2, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a file for recording still image data and a file for recording motion data may be generated separately. In this case, a file for recording still image data and a file for recording motion data are associated and recorded on the recording medium 12.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment of the present invention, the reproduction of the image file generated in the first embodiment is realized by a computer. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the computer 21 in the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The computer 21 includes a control unit 22, an image processing unit 23, a display unit 24, an operation unit 25 including a keyboard and a mouse, a recording unit 26, and an external I / F unit that can be connected to the imaging apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. 27, and receives an instruction from the user via the operation unit 25, and displays an image acquired from the imaging device 1 of the first embodiment and an image recorded in the recording unit 26 on the display unit 24. The image processing unit 23 performs the same image processing (see the flowchart of FIG. 5) as the image processing unit 5 of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment by an image processing program.

  According to the computer 21 of the second embodiment, a pseudo moving image can be reproduced because the same processing as that of the first embodiment is performed.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the control unit 7 when capturing a still image in the imaging apparatus 1. It is a figure which shows the example of an image. It is a figure which shows the example of the still image file with which the motion data was recorded. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the control unit 7 when a still image is displayed in the imaging apparatus 1. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the computer 21 in 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Imaging device, 3 ... Imaging element, 5 ... Image processing part, 7 ... Control part, 8 ... Display part, 9 ... Blur detection part, 12 ... Recording medium, 21 ... Computer, 22 ... Control part, 23 ... Image processing Part, 24 ... display part

Claims (9)

An imaging unit that generates first image data at the time of release and generates second image data at times other than the release;
Based on the second image data generated by the imaging unit, a motion data generation unit that generates motion data indicating the motion of the subject;
A recording unit that records the first image data generated by the imaging unit in association with the motion data generated by the motion data generation;
A pseudo moving image generation unit that reads out the first image data and the motion data from the recording unit and generates image data for a pseudo moving image;
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a display unit that displays a pseudo moving image based on the pseudo moving image image data generated by the pseudo moving image generation unit. The imaging device according to claim 1,
The motion data generation unit detects a region with motion from the second image by comparing the second image data generated before and after by the imaging unit, and is included in the region with motion An image pickup apparatus that generates the motion data including pixel position information and color information. The imaging device according to claim 1,
The pseudo moving image generation unit includes a plurality of frames of image data obtained by replacing a partial region of the first image generated by the imaging unit based on the motion data generated by the motion data generation unit, and the first These image data are arranged in time series, and the image data for the pseudo moving image is generated. The imaging device according to claim 1,
The motion data generation unit predicts a motion of a subject after release based on the motion data. The imaging device according to claim 1,
A detection unit for detecting the movement of the imaging device;
The motion data generation unit does not generate the motion data when the detection unit determines that the image capture device is moving. The imaging device according to claim 1,
The motion data generation unit detects a region with motion from the second image by comparing the second image data generated before and after by the imaging unit, and the size of the region with motion If it is determined that is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the motion data is not generated. An image reproduction device for reproducing the first image generated by the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A second pseudo moving image generation unit that reads the first image data and the motion data from the recording unit and generates image data for a pseudo moving image;
An image reproduction apparatus comprising: a second display unit that displays a pseudo moving image based on the image data for the pseudo moving image generated by the second pseudo moving image generation unit. The image reproduction device according to claim 7,
The second pseudo moving image generation unit arranges a plurality of frames of image data obtained by replacing a partial region of the first image and the first image data in time series based on the motion data, and An image reproducing apparatus for generating image data for moving images. The image reproduction device according to claim 7,
An image reproduction apparatus, further comprising: a second motion data generation unit that predicts the motion of the subject after the release based on the motion data.

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