JP2010251866A - Image processor, method of controlling the same, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology capable of selecting and photographing a main object which is envisioned by an object, when photographing moving images. <P>SOLUTION: The face information of a face detected as the main object when photographing a still image is registered; and in the case of detecting the face information corresponding to the already registered face information when photographing the moving image, it is selected as the main object in moving image photographing, as well. Also, when the object appears in a frame during photographing, timing suitable for photographing the still image is provided for a photographer, according to history information generated on the basis of the still images photographed by the photographer in the past. Alternatively, the still image is automatically photographed with the timing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a computer program.

  A camera or video that detects a person's face from image data and sets it as a main subject and automatically controls the focus and exposure so that the focus and brightness of the main subject become appropriate values is realized. When a plurality of persons are detected, none of the persons is necessarily a subject intended by the photographer. For example, there may be a person who passes by, or there may be a case where only a person who plays a leading role among a plurality of members is focused.

  In view of such a case, a function has been proposed in which the camera automatically selects the person most likely to be the main subject from among a plurality of detected persons in consideration of the composition of the image data. For example, there has been proposed a camera that is automatically selected as a main subject as the detected face is closer to the center of the screen or the area thereof is larger (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-005438 A

  Here, if you take a still image, such as a commemorative photo, there is a possibility that the person who the photographer considered as the main role is in the center of the screen, or the area of the face is the largest high. However, in moving image shooting on the premise that the subject moves, the person regarded as the main character by the photographer does not always exist in the center of the screen or is closest to the camera. Therefore, even if the main subject is selected in the same way as when shooting a still image, the possibility that it is a subject that the photographer considers to be the main role is not as high as that when a still image is taken.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables a subject to be selected and photographed when a moving image is shot.

The present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
Photographing means for photographing a subject and generating video data;
Parameter setting means for setting shooting parameters of the shooting means;
Video processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a video trigger as a video;
Still image processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a still image trigger as a still image;
For video data generated in response to the video trigger, video detection means for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject;
A still image for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject existing in a predetermined area for at least one of the video data generated in response to the still image trigger and the still image recorded in the recording unit. Image detection means;
History information holding means for holding detection history information including face information detected by the still image detection means;
Determination means for determining whether or not the history information holding means holds information corresponding to the face information detected by the moving image detection means;
When the determination means determines that the history information holding means holds, an area where the moving image detection means detects the face information in the video data is set as an area for setting the shooting parameters. An image processing apparatus comprising a region setting means for setting,
The parameter setting means sets the imaging parameter based on the area set by the area setting means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique capable of selecting a main subject assumed as a subject and capturing the image during moving image shooting.

It is a figure which shows an example of a function structure of the image processing apparatus corresponding to Embodiment 1 of invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a function structure of the image processing apparatus corresponding to Embodiment 2 of invention. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the operation | movement sequence corresponding to embodiment of invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the log | history information which the log | history information holding part 121 corresponding to embodiment of invention hold | maintains. It is a flowchart of the process corresponding to embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process of the log | history information reconstruction process corresponding to embodiment of invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the historical information reconstruction process corresponding to embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process of the historical information update process at the time of still image shooting corresponding to embodiment of invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the log | history information construction process at the time of still image shooting corresponding to embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process of the log | history information update process at the time of the video recording corresponding to Embodiment 1 of invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the setting method of the evaluation frame based on the to-be-photographed object detection at the time of the video recording corresponding to embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process of the log | history information update process at the time of the video recording corresponding to Embodiment 2 of invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the display based on the simultaneous recording optimal flag at the time of the video recording corresponding to Embodiment 2 of invention.

  Embodiments 1 and 2 of the invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an image processing apparatus corresponding to an embodiment of the invention. The image processing apparatus 100 in FIG. 1 can be realized as a digital camera capable of shooting moving images and still images, for example. Note that a personal computer, a portable information device such as a PDA, a cellular phone, or the like may be used as long as it is an information processing apparatus having a moving image and still image shooting function.

  In the image processing apparatus 100, incident light is imaged by a lens 101, the amount of incident light is adjusted by an iris 102, and is incident on a sensor 103 made of a semiconductor such as a CMOS or CCD. The lens driving unit 105 performs lens driving during focusing, and the iris driving unit 106 drives the iris. The system control unit 123 controls all blocks according to a mode that is changed by a photographer's operation (power supply, still image trigger, moving image trigger). The image processing apparatus 100 includes a power button, a moving image shooting button for generating a moving image trigger, and a still image shooting button for generating a still image trigger.

  The digital video signal that has been subjected to photoelectric conversion by the sensor 103 and subjected to AD conversion by the AD 104 passes through the selector 124. The parameter setting unit 118 processes the digital video signal and sets shooting parameters under the control of the system control unit 123. The shooting parameters output from the parameter setting unit 118 are fed back to AF and exposure control via the system control unit 123. At the time of still image shooting, signal processing is performed by the still image signal processing unit 114, encoded by the still image encoding unit 115, and stored in the still image recording unit 116. The stored image is displayed on the still image display unit 117 for a predetermined period after shooting. At the same time, the digital video signal is input to the still image face detection / recognition unit 113, and still image detection processing, that is, processing for recognizing the face shape in a predetermined area and detecting face information. The detection result is input to the access control unit 120. The access control unit 120 reads the history information from the history information holding unit 121, compares it with the detection result of the face information, and updates the history information of the history information holding unit 121 according to the comparison result.

  During moving image shooting, signal processing is performed by the moving image signal processing unit 108, encoded by the moving image encoding unit 109, and stored in the moving image recording unit 110. At the same time, the video data is input to the moving image face detection / recognition unit 107, and moving image detection processing, that is, processing for recognizing the face shape and detecting face information is performed. The detection result is input to the evaluation frame setting unit 119 via the parameter setting unit 118. The evaluation frame setting unit 119 reads the history information from the history information holding unit 121, detects the main subject in alignment with the detection result of the face information, and sets the shooting parameter for the frame in which the main subject is detected. Set the area as the area. The information of the evaluation frame is notified to the parameter setting unit 118, and the parameter setting unit 118 preferentially performs the processing of the notified evaluation frame region. As a result, the area in which the main subject is detected is preferentially processed, and the shooting parameters are calculated. The shooting parameters are fed back to AF and exposure control via the system control unit 123.

  The system control unit 123 causes the still image face detection / recognition unit 113 to process a still image stored in the still image recording unit 116 using a period in which shooting is not performed after the power is turned on. The face recognition result in the still image face detection / recognition unit 113 is accumulated in the history information holding unit 121 via the access control unit 120.

  Next, a sequence during photographing corresponding to the embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3A. FIG. 3A is a timing chart showing an example of an operation sequence corresponding to the embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 3A, a sequence for each phase will be described for the three processes of moving image processing, still image processing, and history information processing.

  First, phase F301 is a period of an initial sequence performed after power-on. Here, history information is reconstructed. Next, phase F302 is a period during which moving image shooting is performed. Here, the history information constructed in phase F301 is read out, and the moving image shooting parameters are corrected. A subsequent phase F303 is a period for preview and still image shooting. When a still image trigger is generated in response to the operation of the still image shooting button, the still image face detection / recognition unit 113 performs face detection and recognition processing, and the history information in the history information holding unit 121 is accumulated and updated. Note that the detection operation may be performed even when there is no still image trigger, and feedback may be performed during shooting. Although not shown in FIG. 3A, moving image shooting may be performed in parallel in phase F303. The embodiment will be described below assuming that case. Phase F304 is a period during which moving image shooting is performed, and moving image shooting parameters are corrected using the history information reconstructed in phase F301 and updated in phase F303.

  Next, an example of a data structure of history information held by the history information holding unit 121 corresponding to the embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3B. In the history information table 310, ID 311 as identification information for identifying each history information, face information 312 regarding the face of the subject detected in the face detection / recognition process, and the frequency 313 at which the face is detected as the main subject are It is associated and registered. Among these, the face information 312 is a feature amount extracted as a parameter representing the feature of the face recognized by the still image face detection / recognition unit 113 in the image. The feature amount includes, for example, the ratio of the distance between the eyes and the size of the eyes, the inclination of the line connecting the corners of the eyes and the eyes to the center line of the face, the ratio of the distance between the nose and the width of the lips, and the like. Information for specifying the feature amount of the face can be included. Note that the present invention is not an invention having technical features in the method for determining the facial feature amount, and a known face recognition algorithm can be arbitrarily used as a face recognition method. Therefore, the feature amount here may be any as long as it functions as information for specifying the face of the same subject from a plurality of images. Further, since the face detection / recognition algorithm itself is not an essential feature, a more detailed explanation in this embodiment is omitted.

  Hereinafter, each process in the sequence of FIG. 3A will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. First, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the above-described sequence. The process corresponding to the flowchart is realized by controlling each component of the image processing apparatus 100 by the system control unit 123 executing a program for the process.

  When the power is turned on in S401, the process proceeds to S402, and the history information table 310 is reconstructed by the initialization sequence. This process corresponds to the process in phase F301 in FIG. 3A. In S403, it is determined whether or not the initialization sequence has been completed. If the initialization sequence has been completed ("YES" in S403), the camera enters a shooting standby state. In S404, it is determined whether or not the moving image shooting button has been pressed. If the moving image shooting button is pressed (“YES” in S404), moving image shooting is started. Thereafter, the moving image shooting process is repeated for each frame or field until a moving image shooting stop instruction is received (the moving image shooting button is pressed again).

  Meanwhile, in S405, it is determined whether or not a still image trigger has been detected. If a still image trigger is detected (“YES” in S405), the process proceeds to S407. In S407, simultaneous shooting of a moving image and a still image is performed. At that time, face recognition and face information detection processing are performed, and the history information table 310 is updated. This process corresponds to F303 in FIG. 3A. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S411. On the other hand, when the still image trigger is not detected (“NO” in S404), the process proceeds to S408 and only moving image shooting is performed. In S408, face recognition and face information detection processing are performed. The detected face information is matched with the history information, and the main subject is detected. If the main subject is detected, the evaluation frame setting unit 119 sets an evaluation frame to be described later so that the detection area is processed with priority. The parameter setting unit 118 calculates shooting parameters based on the set evaluation frame. The processing here corresponds to the processing in phases F302 and F304 in FIG. 3A. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S411.

  When the moving image shooting button is not pressed in S404 (“NO” in S404), the process proceeds to S406, and it is determined whether a still image trigger is detected. When a still image trigger is detected (“YES” in S406), still image shooting is performed in S409. The processing here corresponds to the processing in phase F303 in FIG. 3A. During still image shooting, face recognition and face information detection processing are performed on the digital video signal from the AD 104, and the history information table 310 is updated. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S411. When the still image trigger is not detected (“NO” in S406), the standby state continues and the preview display is performed in S410. However, the detection operation continues in this case to prepare for the start of shooting. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S411. In S411, it is determined whether or not the frame period (which may be a field period) has ended. If the frame period has ended, the process returns to S404 and the process is repeated.

  Next, the reconstruction process of the history information table 310 in the initialization sequence in S402 of FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing of history information reconstruction processing corresponding to the embodiment of the invention. First, in step S <b> 501, the system control unit 123 determines whether there is a recorded still image in the still image recording unit 116. If it does not exist (“NO” in S501), this process ends. It should be noted that the present process is similarly terminated when the present process is completed for all of the recorded still images. On the other hand, if it exists (“YES” in S501), a still image is read from the still image recording unit 116 in S503. In subsequent S504, the system control unit 123 determines whether the shooting date / time of the still image is earlier than the predetermined date / time based on the time stamp of the still image. If it is before the predetermined date and time (“predetermined date and time” in S504), the process returns to S501 and proceeds to the next still image processing. If it is after the predetermined date and time (“after the predetermined date and time” in S504), the process proceeds to S505.

  In step S505, the main subject is detected. Specifically, first, the still image face detection / recognition unit 113 determines whether or not a face image included in the image angle of view exists at a predetermined angle of view. In the present embodiment, the predetermined angle of view is a rectangular area near the center of the image angle of view. If it exists, the subject having the face is determined as the main subject (“YES” in S505), and the process proceeds to S506. Information on the main subject is input to the access control unit 120. Here, the main subject information includes at least information corresponding to the face information 312 registered in the history information table 310.

  In step S506, the access control unit 120 refers to the history information stored in the history information holding unit 121, and determines whether the main subject has been registered. Whether or not it has been registered can be determined based on whether or not information matching the face information included in the acquired main subject information is registered as the face information 312 registered in the history information table 310. If registered (“YES” in S506), the process proceeds to S507, and the value of the frequency 313 included in the history information table 310 is incremented by one. On the other hand, if it is not a registered subject (“NO” in S506), the process proceeds to S508 and is registered in the history information holding unit 121 as a new main subject. Thus, in the initial sequence, the face detected at the central angle of view is recognized as main subject information.

  Next, a specific example of processing in the history information reconstruction processing in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining history information reconstruction processing corresponding to the embodiment of the invention.

  In FIG. 6, it is assumed that images A to F exist as images already recorded in the still image recording unit 116. Each image is given a time stamp, and here, a case is considered where the predetermined date and time is March 1, 2008. In this case, since the image A and the image B are images before the predetermined date and time, they are excluded from the processing target in S504. Subsequent processing is performed on the other images C to F.

  An area 601 surrounded by a dotted line for the image C to the image F is an area belonging to a predetermined angle of view. When the face image detected in each image is included in the area 601, it is registered in the history information table 310. In FIG. 6, it is assumed that subjects 602, 603, and 604 appear. First, when the image C is processed, the subjects 602 and 603 are newly registered in S508. Thereafter, in the images D, E, and F, the frequency of the subject 602 is updated in S507. For the image F, the subject 604 is newly detected and newly registered in S508. Thus, the main subject information is recognized in the order of priority of the subject 602 with high frequency after initialization, the subject 604 with a frequency of one time but the subject 604 detected with a new date, and the subject 603 detected once.

  Next, a history information update process at the time of still image shooting will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing of history information update processing at the time of still image shooting corresponding to the embodiment of the invention. This processing is executed when still image shooting is performed in S407 and S409 of FIG.

  When a still image trigger is detected in S405 or S406, a still image is captured by the still image signal processing unit 114 in S701. In S <b> 702, the still image face detection / recognition unit 113 determines whether or not the main subject is included in the still image. Specifically, the determination is made based on whether or not the face of the subject is detected at the central angle of view of the still image. If the main subject is included (“YES” in S702), the process proceeds to S703. Information on the main subject is input to the access control unit 120. If the main subject is not included (“NO” in S702), the process waits until a still image trigger is detected again in S405 or S406.

  In step S <b> 703, the access control unit 120 determines whether the detected main subject has been registered based on the contents of the history information table 310. If registered ("YES" in S703), the process proceeds to S704 and the frequency information is incremented by one. On the other hand, if it is not registered (“NO” in S703), it is registered in the history information table 310 as a new main subject in S705. Thus, the history information is updated for the subject detected at the central angle of view for each still image shooting.

  Next, a specific example of processing in the history information update processing at the time of still image shooting in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining history information update processing at the time of still image shooting corresponding to the embodiment of the invention.

  In FIG. 8, it is assumed that an image E ′ is captured from an image A ′ as a still image. A region belonging to a predetermined angle of view is also set as a dotted line in the image A ′ to the image E ′, and this is equivalent to the region 601 in FIG. 6, and therefore the same reference number is given in FIG. 8. When the face image detected in each image is included in the area 601, it is registered in the history information table 310. In FIG. 8, it is assumed that subjects 602, 603, and 604 similar to those in FIG. 6 appear again and a subject 801 newly appears. First, when the image A ′ is processed from the image A ′, the frequencies of the subjects 602, 603, and 604 are updated in S <b> 704. For the image E ′, the subject 801 is newly detected and newly registered in S705.

  In addition, as processing for constructing history information, history information reconstruction processing for constructing history information from a still image recorded in the still image recording unit 116 after power-on, and history information from a still image taken at the time of still image shooting are performed. Both history information update processes to be constructed have been described. Both of these are not necessarily required, and only one of them may be used.

  Next, an evaluation frame setting process at the time of moving image shooting will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing of the evaluation frame setting processing at the time of moving image shooting corresponding to the embodiment of the invention. This processing is executed when moving image shooting is performed in S407 and S408 of FIG.

  When the moving image shooting is started in S901 based on the operation of the moving image shooting button in S404 in FIG. 4, the system control unit 123 reads the main subject information from the history information holding unit 121 via the access control unit 120 in S902. The subsequent processing is repeated for each field or frame (S909). In step S903, the moving image face detection / recognition unit 107 performs subject detection within the frame of the captured image. The detection result is input to the evaluation frame setting unit 119 via the parameter setting unit 118. In subsequent S904, the evaluation frame setting unit 119 reads the history information from the history information holding unit 121, and compares the subject information detected by the moving image face detection / recognition unit 107 with the history information. Then, it is determined whether there is a subject registered in the history information table 310, that is, whether a main subject exists.

  If there is a main subject (“YES” in S904), the process proceeds to S905. In step S905, the evaluation frame setting unit 119 corrects the evaluation frame information so as to preferentially process an area including the main subject in the frame. When there are a plurality of main subjects, the main subject with the highest frequency 313 in the history information table 310 is given priority. Thereby, an area for controlling AF and exposure is set to an area including the main subject in the frame. Information on the set evaluation frame is notified to the parameter setting unit 118. When there is no registered subject (“NO” in S904), the process proceeds to S906. In S906, the evaluation frame setting unit 119 does not change the evaluation frame. In step S <b> 907, the parameter setting unit 118 calculates shooting parameters based on the frame information in step S <b> 905 or S <b> 906 and outputs the shooting parameters to the system control unit 123. In step S908, the system control unit 123 performs shooting control such as lens driving and iris driving based on the shooting parameters.

  Next, a specific example of the evaluation frame setting method based on subject detection during moving image shooting in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of setting an evaluation frame based on subject detection during moving image shooting corresponding to the embodiment of the invention.

  In FIG. 10, it is assumed that the frames are shot in the order of frame A to frame D as shooting frames. As shown in FIG. 10A, evaluation frames 1001 to 1005 are given to each frame. The evaluation frame is a candidate area that is prioritized when performing AF and exposure control.

  First, in frame A, the subject 602 is detected as the main subject in the evaluation frame 1002. Other subjects 1006 are ignored. It can be considered that the other subject 1006 has a smaller frequency 313 value in the history information table 310 than the subject 602 or is not registered in the history information table 310. Therefore, the evaluation value obtained in the evaluation frame 1002 is processed with priority, and AF and exposure control are performed. Similarly, for frames B and C, priority is given to frames 1003 and 1004 in which the subject 602 is detected. Since the main subject is not detected in frame D, the shooting parameters are controlled based on the average of all frames or the evaluation value of the center frame 1003 as usual.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, face information of a face detected as a main subject at the time of still image shooting is registered, and when face information corresponding to registered face information is detected at the time of moving image shooting, moving image shooting is performed. But select it as the main subject. Since the subject that was the main subject in still image shooting is considered to be highly likely to become the main subject in moving image shooting, main subject information is detected from the still image and this information is used during moving image shooting. Since it is difficult to determine the main subject only from the moving image, the subject information detected from the moving image is not reflected in the history information table 310, and the history information is updated using only the face information detected from the still image. Is done.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform subject detection and shooting parameter setting at the time of moving image shooting using information on a main subject detected in a still image. It is possible to record a moving image.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, Embodiment 2 of the invention will be described. The configuration of the image processing apparatus corresponding to this embodiment is as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the same components as those of the image processing apparatus 100 of FIG. The image processing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment is different from the image processing apparatus 100 in that a main subject field angle detection unit 201 is provided instead of the evaluation frame setting unit 119 of the image processing apparatus 100. The main subject field angle detection unit 201 compares the face detection result in the moving image face detection / recognition unit 107 during moving image shooting with the main subject information read from the history information table 310, and detects whether there is a matching region. If the matching area is at the central angle of view of the frame, the simultaneous recording optimum flag is output to the moving image display unit 111 as a notification signal for notifying the still image shooting timing. The moving image display unit 111 notifies the photographer by superimposing the shooting timing notification on the displayed moving image based on the simultaneous recording optimum flag.

  In the present embodiment as well, the processes as shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 are performed as in the first embodiment. However, the processing at the time of moving image shooting is performed as follows using the main subject angle-of-view detection unit 201.

  First, the history information update process during moving image shooting will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing of history information update processing at the time of moving image shooting corresponding to the second embodiment of the invention. This processing is executed when moving image shooting is performed in S407 and S408 of FIG.

  When the moving image shooting is started in S1101 based on the operation of the moving image shooting button in S404 of FIG. 4, the system control unit 123 reads the main subject information from the history information table 310 via the access control unit 120 in S1102. The subsequent processing is repeated for each field or frame (S1107). In step S1103, the moving image face detection / recognition unit 107 performs subject detection within the frame of the captured image. In subsequent S1104, the main subject angle-of-view detection unit 201 compares the detected subject information with the history information, and the moving image face detection / recognition unit 107 compares the detected subject information with the history information. It is determined whether or not a subject exists.

  If there is a main subject (“YES” in S1104), the process proceeds to S1105. In step S1105, the main subject field angle detection unit 201 further determines whether or not the main subject is positioned at an appropriate field angle. An appropriate angle of view will be described later with reference to FIG. If it exists at an appropriate angle of view, the main subject angle of view detection unit 201 transmits the simultaneous recording optimum flag to the moving image display unit 111. In response to this, the moving image display unit 111 performs display for prompting to capture a still image at S1106.

  Next, a specific example of display based on the simultaneous recording optimum flag at the time of moving image shooting in FIG. 11 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining display based on the simultaneous recording optimum flag at the time of moving image shooting corresponding to the second embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 12, it is assumed that the frames are captured in the order of frame A ′ to frame D ′. The subject appearing here is the subject 602 in the first embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 12A, a region 1301 corresponding to an appropriate angle of view is given to the frame.

  In FIG. 12B, the subject 602 is detected in the frame A ′. Although the face area of the subject 602 is partially included in the area 1201, it is not the whole, so it is not suitable for shooting as a still image. Therefore, the main subject field angle detection unit 201 does not transmit the simultaneous recording optimum flag to the moving image display unit 111. The same applies to the frame B 'and the frame D'. On the other hand, in the frame C ′, the face area of the subject 602 is within the area 1301, which is suitable for shooting as a still image. Therefore, the main subject field angle detection unit 201 transmits the simultaneous recording optimum flag to the moving image display unit 111. As a result, the frame portion of the area 1201 is highlighted (1202).

  Note that whether or not the face area of the main subject is within the area 1301, that is, whether or not the face area of the main subject exists at an appropriate angle of view can be determined based on the ratio of the face area included in the area 1301. For example, when 80% or more of the face area is included in the area 1301, it can be considered that the appropriateness exists in the cabinet. The numerical value of 80% is merely an example, and a different numerical value can be adopted depending on the embodiment.

  In the above description, when the main subject is within the area 1301, the main subject field angle detection unit 201 transmits the simultaneous recording optimum flag to the moving image display unit 111. On the other hand, the flag may be transmitted to the system control unit 123 so that the system control unit 123 automatically performs a still image shutter to perform shooting. In this case, since the still image with the main subject at the center can be automatically acquired without missing the still image shooting timing, the photographer can shoot a movie without worrying about the still image shooting timing. it can.

  According to this embodiment, according to history information generated based on still images taken by the photographer in the past, when a subject appears in the frame being photographed, a timing suitable for taking a still image is given to the photographer. Can be provided. Alternatively, it is possible to automatically take a still image at this timing.

[Other Embodiments]
In addition, the present invention can also realize processing equivalent to that in the first and second embodiments by a computer program. In this case, each of the components including FIG. X may be functioned by a function or a subroutine executed by the CPU. In general, the computer program is stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and is set in a reading device (such as a CD-ROM drive) included in the computer and copied or installed in the system. Become executable. Therefore, it is obvious that such a computer readable storage medium is also within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

Photographing means for photographing a subject and generating video data;
Parameter setting means for setting shooting parameters of the shooting means;
Video processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a video trigger as a video;
Still image processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a still image trigger as a still image;
For video data generated in response to the video trigger, video detection means for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject;
A still image for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject existing in a predetermined area for at least one of the video data generated in response to the still image trigger and the still image recorded in the recording unit. Image detection means;
History information holding means for holding detection history information including face information detected by the still image detection means;
Determination means for determining whether or not the history information holding means holds information corresponding to the face information detected by the moving image detection means;
When the determination means determines that the history information holding means holds, an area where the moving image detection means detects the face information in the video data is set as an area for setting the shooting parameters. An area setting means for setting,
The image processing apparatus, wherein the parameter setting means sets the imaging parameter based on the area set by the area setting means. Photographing means for photographing a subject and generating video data;
Parameter setting means for setting shooting parameters of the shooting means;
Video processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a video trigger as a video;
Still image processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a still image trigger as a still image;
For video data generated in response to the video trigger, video detection means for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject;
A still image for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject existing in a predetermined area for at least one of the video data generated in response to the still image trigger and the still image recorded in the recording unit. Image detection means;
History information holding means for holding detection history information including face information detected by the still image detection means;
Determination means for determining whether or not the history information holding means holds information corresponding to the face information detected by the moving image detection means;
When the determination unit determines that the history information holding unit holds, the face information detected by the moving image detection unit is predetermined in the video data generated in response to the moving image trigger. An image processing apparatus comprising: an output unit that determines whether or not the image belongs to an area and outputs a notification signal for notifying a still image shooting timing when the image belongs. Further comprising display means for displaying the video generated by the video processing means,
The output means outputs the notification signal to the display means,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display unit performs display by superimposing a display for notifying the moving image shooting timing on the moving image according to the notification signal. A control unit that generates the still image trigger and controls the photographing unit;
The output means outputs the notification signal to the control means,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit generates the still image trigger according to the notification signal, and causes the photographing unit to generate the video data.   In the history information, the frequency at which the still image detection unit detects the same face information for at least one of the video data for the still image and the still image recorded in the recording unit corresponds to the corresponding face information. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus is associated with the image processing apparatus.   The still image detection means detects the face information of at least the still image recorded in the recording means, and among the still images recorded in the recording means, the shooting date and time is before a predetermined date and time. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection is performed by excluding a still image. Photographing means for photographing a subject and generating video data;
Parameter setting means for setting shooting parameters of the shooting means;
Video processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a video trigger as a video;
Still image processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a still image trigger as a still image;
For video data generated in response to the video trigger, video detection means for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject;
A still image for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject existing in a predetermined area for at least one of the video data generated in response to the still image trigger and the still image recorded in the recording unit. Image detection means;
A control method of an image processing apparatus comprising history information holding means for holding detection history information including face information detected by the still image detection means,
A determination step of determining whether or not the history information holding unit holds information corresponding to the face information detected by the moving image detection unit;
When it is determined in the determination step that the history information holding means holds, an area where the moving image detection means detects the face information in the video data is set as an area for setting the shooting parameter. An area setting process to be set;
A control method for an image processing apparatus, wherein the parameter setting means includes a shooting parameter setting step for setting the shooting parameter based on the region set in the region setting step. Photographing means for photographing a subject and generating video data;
Parameter setting means for setting shooting parameters of the shooting means;
Video processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a video trigger as a video;
Still image processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a still image trigger as a still image;
For video data generated in response to the video trigger, video detection means for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject;
A still image for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject existing in a predetermined area for at least one of the video data generated in response to the still image trigger and the still image stored in the recording means. Image detection means;
A control method of an image processing apparatus comprising history information holding means for holding detection history information including face information detected by the still image detection means,
A determination step of determining whether or not the history information holding unit holds information corresponding to the face information detected by the moving image detection unit;
When it is determined in the determination step that the history information holding unit holds, the face information detected by the moving image detection unit is predetermined in the video data generated in response to the moving image trigger. Further determining whether or not it belongs to the area;
A control method for an image processing apparatus, comprising: an output step of outputting a notification signal for notifying a still image shooting timing when it is determined that the image belongs to the predetermined area. Photographing means for photographing a subject and generating video data;
Parameter setting means for setting shooting parameters of the shooting means;
Video processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a video trigger as a video;
Still image processing means for processing the video data generated in response to a still image trigger as a still image;
For video data generated in response to the video trigger, video detection means for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject;
A still image for detecting face information by recognizing the face of the subject existing in a predetermined area for at least one of the video data generated in response to the still image trigger and the still image stored in the recording means. Image detection means;
9. A computer for causing an image processing apparatus to execute processing of each step according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising history information holding means for holding detection history information including face information detected by the still image detection means. program.

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