JP2010171841A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus having high operability and capable of identifying a face in picking up a through image. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus includes: an imaging means; an extraction means for extracting feature value information of a subject's face picked up by the imaging means; a storage means for storing the feature value information extracted by the extraction means; a determination means for determining whether the feature value information stored in the storage means and feature value information newly extracted by the extraction means indicate the same face or not; and a display means for displaying the subject's image picked up by the imaging means, and when the determination means determines that a face included in the subject's image is the same as the face indicated by the feature value information stored in the storage means, displaying information concerned with the face; wherein the display means adjusts a display position of the information concerned with the face in accordance with which position in a display range displays the face included in the subject's image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus having a face identification function.

Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic camera to which face recognition technology is applied. When this electronic camera authenticates a person whose personal information is registered, the electronic camera displays the personal information on the display unit.
JP 2006-165822 A

  However, the electronic camera described in Patent Document 1 only displays personal information on a captured still image. Therefore, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a technique for displaying personal information on a display unit when a person whose personal information is registered during through image capturing is authenticated.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that performs face identification while capturing a through image.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an imaging unit, an extraction unit that extracts feature amount information of a face of a subject imaged by the imaging unit, and feature amount information extracted by the extraction unit. A storage unit for storing; a determination unit for determining whether the feature amount information stored in the storage unit and the feature amount information newly extracted by the extraction unit indicate the same face; and a subject imaged by the imaging unit Display means for displaying an image, and when the determining means determines that the face included in the subject image is the same as the face indicated by the feature amount information stored in the storage means, The display means adjusts the display position of the information related to the face according to which position in the display range the face included in the subject image is displayed.

  In addition, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an imaging unit, an extraction unit that extracts feature amount information of the face of the subject imaged by the imaging unit, a storage unit that stores the feature amount information extracted by the extraction unit, A determination unit that determines whether the feature amount information stored in the storage unit and the feature amount information newly extracted by the extraction unit indicate the same face; and a display unit that displays a subject image captured by the imaging unit And the display means determines that the face is located at a position having a predetermined relationship with the face position indicated by the feature amount information newly extracted by the extraction means when the determination means determines that the same face is indicated. On the other hand, when a position having a predetermined relationship is outside the display range by the display unit, information on the face may be displayed within the display range by the display unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the imaging device which performs a face identification during the through image imaging which is easy to use can be provided.

[1. Embodiment 1]
[1-1. Overview〕
The digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment can identify the face of the subject. The digital camera 100 can identify a face registered in advance as an identification target. When the digital camera 100 identifies a face registered as an identification target when displaying a through image on the display monitor 220, the digital camera 100 displays information related to the face around the identification target face.

  The present invention has been made to further improve the usability of an imaging apparatus that displays information related to a face around a face to be identified.

[1-2. Constitution〕
[1-2-1. Electrical configuration)
An electrical configuration of the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the digital camera 100. The digital camera 100 captures a subject image formed by an optical system 110 including one or a plurality of lenses with a CCD image sensor 140. The image data generated by the CCD image sensor 140 is subjected to various processes by the image processing unit 160 and stored in the memory card 200. Hereinafter, the configuration of the digital camera 100 will be described in detail.

  The optical system 110 includes a zoom lens and a focus lens. The subject image can be enlarged or reduced by moving the zoom lens along the optical axis. Further, the focus of the subject image can be adjusted by moving the focus lens along the optical axis.

  The lens driving unit 120 drives various lenses included in the optical system 110. For example, a zoom motor that drives a zoom lens, and a focus motor that drives a focus lens correspond to this.

  The diaphragm 300 adjusts the amount of transmitted light by adjusting the size of the opening in accordance with the setting of the user or automatically.

  The shutter 130 is a means for blocking the light transmitted through the CCD image sensor 140.

  The CCD image sensor 140 captures a subject image formed by the optical system 110 and generates image data. The CCD image sensor 130 performs various operations such as exposure, transfer, and electronic shutter.

  The A / D converter 150 converts analog image data generated by the CCD image sensor 140 into digital image data.

  The image processing unit 160 performs various processes on the image data generated by the CCD image sensor 140. The image processing unit 160 processes the image data generated by the CCD image sensor 140 to generate image data to be displayed on the display monitor 220 or to generate image data to be stored in the memory card 200. To do. For example, the image processing unit 160 performs various processes such as gamma correction, white balance correction, and flaw correction on the image data generated by the CCD image sensor 140. Further, the image processing unit 160 compresses the image data with respect to the image data generated by the CCD image sensor 140 by a compression format or the like conforming to the JPEG standard. The image processing unit 160 can be realized by a DSP, a microcomputer, or the like.

  The controller 180 is a control means for controlling the whole. Further, the controller 180 can detect a face in the image indicated by the image data generated by the image processing unit 160. Specifically, the internal memory 240 stores the position of the eyes, the position of the nose, the position of the mouth, etc. on the face of a standard person or the like. The controller 180 determines whether there is a portion having a positional relationship similar to the positional relationship of eyes, nose, mouth, etc. stored in the internal memory 240 in the image indicated by the image data generated by the image processing unit 160. To do. If it is determined that there is a part having a similar positional relationship, the controller 180 detects a certain range centered on that part as a face. Further, the controller 180 can identify whether or not the face of the subject indicated by the image data generated by the image processing unit 160 is the same as the face registered in advance in the internal memory 240. Specifically, the controller 180 detects a face in the image indicated by the image data generated by the image processing unit 160. When the controller 180 detects a face, the controller 180 extracts feature amount information indicating the feature of the face from the positional relationship between the eyes, the nose, and the mouth of the face. When the facial feature amount information is extracted, the controller 180 determines whether the extracted feature amount information is similar to the facial feature amount information registered in advance in the internal memory 240. If it is determined that they are similar, the controller 180 identifies that the detected face is the same as the face registered in advance in the internal memory 240. On the other hand, if it is determined that they are not similar, the controller 180 identifies the detected face as a face different from the face registered in advance in the internal memory 240. The controller 180 can be realized by a semiconductor element or the like. The controller 180 may be configured only by hardware, or may be realized by combining hardware and software. The controller 180 can be realized by a microcomputer or the like.

  The buffer 170 functions as a work memory for the image processing unit 160 and the controller 180. The buffer 170 can be realized by, for example, a DRAM or a ferroelectric memory.

  The card slot 190 is detachable from the memory card 200. The card slot 190 can be mechanically and electrically connected to the memory card 200. The memory card 200 includes a flash memory, a ferroelectric memory, and the like, and can store data such as an image file generated by the image processing unit 160.

  The internal memory 240 is composed of a flash memory or a ferroelectric low memory. The internal memory 240 is registered in advance to identify a control program for controlling the entire digital camera 100, information on the positional relationship between the standard facial eyes, nose, and mouth used for face detection, and the face. Stores information related to faces.

  The operation member 210 is a generic name for a user interface that receives an operation from a user. For example, a cross key or a determination button that receives an operation from the user corresponds to this.

  The display monitor 220 can display an image (through image) indicated by image data generated by the CCD image sensor 140 and an image indicated by image data read from the memory card 200. The display monitor 220 can also display various menu screens for performing various settings of the digital camera 100.

[1-2-2. Correspondence with the present invention)
The CCD image sensor 140 is an example of an imaging unit of the present invention. The controller 180 is an example of the extraction means of the present invention. The internal memory 240 is an example of a storage unit of the present invention. The controller 180 is an example of a determination unit of the present invention. The display monitor 220 is an example of the display means of the present invention.

[1-3. (Face identification function)
As described above, the digital camera 100 has a face identification function. The face identification function is a function for identifying whether the face registered in advance and the face of the subject imaged by the CCD image sensor 140 are the same face.

  The digital camera 100 determines whether the registered facial feature quantity is similar to the facial feature quantity included in the image being captured. If it is determined that they are similar, the digital camera 100 determines that the registered face and the imaged face are the same face.

  When the digital camera 100 captures an image of a subject, the digital camera 100 identifies whether a registered face exists in the imaged subject. When it is identified that the registered face exists, the digital camera 100 performs an operation such as preferentially focusing on the registered face.

[1-3-1. Registration of identification target)
A method for registering a face to be identified in advance will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a method of previously registering a face to be identified. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of previously registering a face to be identified.

  The user can set the digital camera 100 to a mode in which a face to be identified is registered in advance by operating the operation member 210 (S100). When the mode for registering the face is set, the controller 180 starts a mode for photographing the target face (S110). When the shooting mode is started, for example, the display monitor 220 displays an image as shown in FIG.

  When the mode for photographing the face to be identified is started, the controller 180 waits until the face to be identified is photographed by the user (S120).

  When the face taken as the identification target is photographed by the user, the display monitor 220 displays a screen that prompts the user to input various information about the identification target to be registered (S130). For example, the display monitor 220 displays a screen that prompts input of information regarding the name, date of birth, and identification priority of the identification target as shown in FIG. Here, the identification priority is a parameter for determining which face is preferentially identified in a scene where a plurality of faces registered in advance are photographed. .

  When a screen for prompting input of information is displayed, the controller 180 waits until various information is input by the user (S140).

  When various types of information are input, the controller 180 associates the various types of registered information with facial feature amount information and stores them in the internal memory 240. When the information is stored in the internal memory 240, the face registration mode ends (S150).

  By such a method, the user can register information regarding the face to be identified in the digital camera 100.

[1-3-2. (Monitor display when shooting using the face identification function)
The display on the display monitor 220 when shooting using the face identification function will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the display operation of the display monitor 220 when shooting using the face identification function. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the display on the display monitor 220 when shooting using the face identification function.

  The user can set the digital camera 100 to the photographing mode using the face identification function by operating the operation member 210 (S200). When the photographing mode using the face identification function is set, the display monitor 220 displays a through image captured by the CCD image sensor 140 (S210).

  When the display image is displayed on the display monitor 220, the controller 180 determines whether or not a face can be detected on the through image (S220).

  When the face cannot be detected, the controller 180 determines whether or not a face frame is displayed at a position where the face cannot be detected (S230). If it is determined that the face frame is not displayed, the controller 180 performs face detection again. On the other hand, if it is determined that the face frame is being displayed, the controller 180 deletes the face frame displayed on the display monitor 220 (S240).

  On the other hand, when the face can be detected, the controller 180 displays a face frame such as the face frame 230 shown in FIG. 5A around the detected face (S250).

  When the face frame is displayed, the controller 180 determines whether a registered face to be identified is displayed on the display monitor 220 (S260). If it is determined that the registered identification target face is displayed, the controller 180 determines whether name information is stored in association with the identified face (S270).

  If it is determined that the name information is stored, the controller 180 determines whether there is a name display space below the face frame (S280). If it is determined that there is a name display space below the face frame, the controller 180 causes the display monitor 220 to display the name below the face frame (S290). On the other hand, when determining that there is no name display space below the face frame, the controller 180 causes the display monitor 220 to display the name above the face frame (S300).

  Name display will be described with reference to FIG. 5A, 5B, and 5C, three persons are displayed on the display monitor 220. FIG. The three persons displayed in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are the same person. Here, in the digital camera 100, two of the three, the left male (“Taro”) and the central female (“Hanako”), are registered as identification targets. These two registered persons are also registered in the digital camera 100 with respect to their names.

  Here, in FIG. 5A, there is a space for displaying a name below the face of “Taro” for which face identification has been performed and the face of “Hanako” for which face identification has been performed. Accordingly, in FIG. 5A, the upper name is displayed below the faces of “Taro” and “Hanako”.

  Here, it is assumed that “Hanako” tries to fade out from the display monitor 220 as shown in FIG. Then, there is no space for displaying name information below the face of “Hanako”. Therefore, in such a case, the display monitor 220 does not display the name below the face, but displays the name information above the face as shown in FIG.

  As described above, the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment includes the CCD image sensor 140, the controller 180 that extracts the feature amount information of the face of the subject imaged by the CCD image sensor 140, and the features extracted by the controller 180. An internal memory 240 for storing quantity information, a controller 180 for determining whether the feature quantity information stored in the internal memory 240 and the feature quantity information newly extracted by the controller 180 indicate the same face, and a CCD image When the controller 180 determines that the face included in the subject image is the same as the face indicated by the feature amount information stored in the internal memory 240 while displaying the subject image captured by the sensor 140, the face related to the face is included. A display monitor 220 for displaying information. Monitor 220, depending on whether the face included in the subject image is displayed at any position within the display range, to adjust the display position of the information about the face.

  As a result, when the place where the information about the identified face is to be displayed is determined in principle, the information about the face can be displayed as much as possible even if the information about the face cannot be displayed at that place. it can.

  As described above, the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment includes the CCD image sensor 140, the controller 180 that extracts the feature amount information of the face of the subject imaged by the CCD image sensor 140, and the features extracted by the controller 180. An internal memory 240 for storing quantity information, a controller 180 for determining whether the feature quantity information stored in the internal memory 240 and the feature quantity information newly extracted by the controller 180 indicate the same face, and a CCD image A display monitor 220 that displays a subject imaged by the sensor 140, and the display monitor 220 displays the feature amount information newly extracted by the controller 180 when the controller 180 determines that the same face is displayed. The position of the face That while information for displaying the position in a predetermined relationship when a display range by the display monitor 220 displays in the display range of the display monitor 220 the information relating to a face.

As a result, when the place where the information about the identified face is to be displayed is determined in principle, the information about the face can be displayed as much as possible even if the information about the face cannot be displayed at that place. it can.
[2. Other Embodiments]
As described above, the first embodiment has been described as the embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to these. Therefore, other embodiments of the present invention will be described collectively in this section.

  Although the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment displays name information below the face in principle, it is not always necessary to have such a configuration. In principle, the name information may be displayed at the top, and the name information may be displayed at the bottom when there is no more display space. In principle, the name information is displayed on the left and the display space is on the left. The name information may be displayed on the right side when it runs out. In short, when the face-related information is displayed at a position having a predetermined relationship with the face position, and the position having the predetermined relationship is outside the display range of the display monitor 220, the information about the face is displayed by the display monitor 220. Any configuration that displays within the range may be used.

  In the first embodiment, the CCD image sensor 140 is exemplified as the imaging unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be composed of a CMOS image sensor or an NMOS image sensor.

  In the first embodiment, the image processing unit 160 and the controller 180 may be configured by one semiconductor chip or may be configured by separate semiconductor chips.

  In the first embodiment, the controller 180 performs face detection and face identification. However, such a structure is not necessarily required. For example, a chip that performs face detection and face identification may be a chip different from the controller 180. Further, the chip for performing face detection and the chip for performing face identification may be different chips.

  The present invention can be applied to imaging devices such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras, mobile phones with camera functions, and the like.

Block diagram of the digital camera 100 Flow chart for explaining a method of manually registering a face to be identified in advance Schematic diagram for explaining a method of manually registering a face to be identified in advance Flowchart for explaining display flow of display monitor 220 Schematic diagram for explaining the display on the display monitor 220 when photographing using the face identification function

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Digital camera 110 Optical system 120 Lens drive part 130 Shutter 140 CCD image sensor 150 A / D converter 160 Image processing part 170 Buffer 180 Controller 190 Card slot 200 Memory card 210 Operation member 220 Display monitor 230 Face frame 240 Internal memory

Claims (2)

Imaging means;
Extraction means for extracting feature amount information of the face of the subject imaged by the imaging means;
Storage means for storing feature amount information extracted by the extraction means;
A determination unit that determines whether the feature amount information stored in the storage unit and the feature amount information newly extracted by the extraction unit indicate the same face;
When the determination unit determines that the subject image captured by the imaging unit is displayed and the face included in the subject image is the same as the face indicated by the feature amount information stored in the storage unit, Display means for displaying information about the face,
The display unit adjusts a display position of information regarding the face according to which position in the display range the face included in the subject image is displayed;
Imaging device. Imaging means;
Extraction means for extracting feature amount information of the face of the subject imaged by the imaging means;
Storage means for storing feature amount information extracted by the extraction means;
A determination unit that determines whether the feature amount information stored in the storage unit and the feature amount information newly extracted by the extraction unit indicate the same face;
Display means for displaying a subject image picked up by the image pickup means,
The display means includes
In response to determining that the determination means indicates the same face,
While displaying information about the face at a position that has a predetermined relationship with the face position indicated by the feature amount information newly extracted by the extraction means,
When the position in the predetermined relationship is outside the display range by the display means, information on the face is displayed within the display range by the display means.
Imaging device.

Images