JP2010252011A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily record information about an image after photographing. <P>SOLUTION: An image formed by an imaging optical system is picked up, the image is displayed, and information 9f, 9h and 9i about the image is inputted. Then, a position on the displayed image is designated, the inputted information 9f, 9h and 9i is displayed in positions designated on the image, and the information is associated with the image and recorded. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus.

  Recognition information and personal information for each person are registered, recognition of the registered person is performed using the recognition information from the photographed image, and communication is performed by displaying the personal information of the registered person in the image. Mobile phones are known.

JP 2006-165821 A

  However, in the conventional mobile phone described above, the non-registered person in the image is prompted to input personal information and the input personal information is registered. However, these functions are only used on the mobile phone. Because it is intended only for people, write down the name and name of the person, background building, mountain river, etc. at any position in the image while watching the image immediately after shooting. It ’s not a feature that makes it easy to remember who and where you were when you replayed an image at a later date. An imaging device is desired to have a function for easily writing down information on a subject while viewing an image immediately after shooting.

(1) The invention of claim 1 is displayed on the imaging means for imaging the image formed by the imaging optical system, the display means for displaying the image, the input means for inputting information relating to the image, and the display means. A designation means for designating a position on the image, a control means for displaying the information input by the input means at a position designated by the designation means on the image of the display means, and information associated with the image in the recording means Recording control means for recording.
(2) The invention of claim 2 is the imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising face recognition means for recognizing a person's face from the image and detecting a face area, and the control means In addition to displaying the face area, if the position within the face area of the person is designated by the designation means, information is displayed in the vicinity of the face area.
(3) According to the invention of claim 3, in the imaging device according to claim 2, when the information about the image is a person name and the mode for inputting the person name is selected, the input means assists the person name input. Start operation.
(4) According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the third aspect, the recording control means causes the recording means to record the personal name in association with the position of the face of the person recognized from the image.
(5) According to the invention of claim 5, in the imaging device according to claim 3 or claim 4, the operation for assisting the input of a person name is a person name priority conversion operation using a person name dictionary.
(6) In the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the information on the image is a place name, and the input unit selects a mode for inputting the place name. Then, the operation of assisting the place name input is started.
(7) In the imaging device according to claim 6, in the imaging device according to claim 6, the operation of assisting the place name input is an operation of detecting the current position by the current position detecting device and searching for the name of the current position from the map data. It is.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily record a memo on an image after shooting, and easily remember who the person is in the photo and where it was taken when the image is played back at a later date. Can do.

The figure which shows the structure of the imaging device of one embodiment The flowchart which shows the note-taking program with respect to the reproduction | regeneration image of one Embodiment Figure showing a display example of a memo-written image The figure which shows the example which recorded the note-writing information in the image file (Exif) of the recording medium in association with the image

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment. The lens barrel 1 includes a zooming lens 2 and a focusing lens 3, and forms a subject image on the imaging surface of the imaging element 4. The image sensor 4 is an image sensor composed of a CCD, CMOS, CID, etc., and outputs an image signal corresponding to the subject image. The image processing circuit 5 performs various processes such as a clamp process, a gain process, a pixel interpolation process, and a color conversion process on the image signal output from the image pickup device 4, and uses a well-known face recognition algorithm to detect a person from the image. Recognize the face and detect the face area. The memory 6 is a ROM that stores various programs, map data, dictionary data, and the like. The GPS receiver 7 receives a signal radio wave from the satellite, detects the latitude and longitude of the current position, and searches the name of the current position with reference to the map data in the memory 6.

  The voice recognition device 8 recognizes the voice collected by the microphone 8a and outputs character data. The display device 9 is provided on the back surface of the imaging device and includes a touch panel 9a. The display device 9 displays an image captured by the image sensor 4 and displays various information superimposed on the image. The operation member 10 includes various switches for operating the imaging apparatus, such as a release switch, a direction key switch, a command dial switch, and a touch panel switch that is turned on / off in conjunction with the touch panel 9a. The recording medium 11 is a detachable memory for recording images and information related to the images, such as a memory card. The control device 12 includes a CPU 12a, a memory 12b, and the like, and executes various types of arithmetic control and sequence control of the imaging device.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a memo writing program for a reproduced image according to an embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a memo-written image. The operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to these drawings. When the image captured in step 1 is displayed on the display device 9, the control device 12 executes the memo writing program shown in FIG. When the memo writing program is executed, as shown in FIG. 3, a personal name input icon 9c is displayed in the upper left corner of the display screen 9b of the display device 9, and a place name weather input icon 9d is displayed in the upper right corner of the display screen 9b. When the person name input icon 9c is touched, person name input assistance is started, and various functions for simplifying person name input such as person name priority conversion and cursor display on the face area of the person by face recognition operate. When the place name weather icon 9d is touched, place name weather input assistance is started, and various functions for simplifying place name weather input such as place name weather priority conversion, current position detection and place name search by the GPS receiver 7 operate.

  In step 2, it is confirmed whether or not the personal name input icon 9c is touched by the touch panel 9a. If the personal name input icon 9c is touched, the process proceeds to step 3, and if not touched, the process proceeds to step 9. If the person name input icon 9c is touched, person name input assistance is started in step 3. Specifically, person name priority conversion using a person name dictionary in the dictionary data stored in the memory 6 is performed. Further, the image processing circuit 5 recognizes a human face from the image, and displays a face recognition cursor 9e in the face area on the image as shown in FIG.

  In step 4, the position touched by the photographer as the person name input position on the display screen 9b is detected by the touch panel 9a. In the subsequent step 5, a text bar is displayed at the person name input position designated by the photographer, the person name input by the soft keyboard is awaited, and the voice name input by the voice recognition device 8 is awaited. At this time, the person closest to the person name input position is set as a person name input target person, and the active cursor 9g is displayed blinking in the face area of the person as shown in FIG.

  In step 6, the name of the person input by the photographer is input using a soft keyboard or voice, converted into characters using a name dictionary, and in step 7, the name of the person is displayed at the name input position on the display screen 9b. In the example shown in FIG. 3, a person name “Mr. A” is displayed at the person name input position near the person whose active cursor 9g is blinking. In step 8, the information of the inputted person name “Mr. A” is recorded in an image file (Exif) of the recording medium 11 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the process returns to step 2 to confirm whether or not the person name input icon 9c has been touched again. The person name input icon 9c is touched, and the person name “Mr. B” 9h is input to the person on the right side of the display screen 9b in the above-described procedure, and the display on the display screen 9b and the recording to the image file are performed.

  If the place name weather icon 9d is touched in step 9, it will progress to step 10 and the place name weather input assistance will be started. Specifically, the place name weather priority conversion using the place name dictionary and the weather dictionary in the dictionary data stored in the memory 6 is performed. Further, the location name of the current position is detected by the GPS receiver 7. In step 11, a position touched by the photographer as a place name weather input position on the display screen 9 b is detected by the touch panel 9. In the following step 12, a text bar is displayed at the place name weather input position designated by the photographer, the place name weather input by the soft keyboard is waited, and the place name weather input by voice is waited by the voice recognition device 8.

  The place name weather inputted by the photographer is input by a soft keyboard or voice in step 13 and converted into characters using the place name weather dictionary. Then, in step 14, the place name weather is displayed at the place name weather input position on the display screen 9b. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the shooting date / time, place name, and weather of 9i are displayed in the lower right corner of the display screen 9b specified by the photographer, “shooting date / time (yyyy / mm / dd), clear, at the summit of Mt. Fuji”. . In step 15, the inputted shooting date / time, place name, and weather information are recorded in an image file (Exif) of the recording medium 11 in association with an image in which the place name weather is written down.

  Thereafter, the process returns to step 2, and it is confirmed whether the person name input icon 9c or the place name / weather input icon 9d is touched again. If neither is touched, execution of the memo writing program is terminated.

  Using information such as person name, place name, and weather recorded in the image file, such information can be printed as a memo at the edge of the photo when printing, or the image can be automatically printed by application software by date, place, person, etc. Can also be organized. Of course, the display or non-display of the memo on the print can be arbitrarily selected by the photographer.

<< Modification of Embodiment >>
In the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which the photographer designates a position for displaying input information such as a person name and a place name weather using the touch panel 9a. However, the operation is not limited to the operation of this embodiment. In the case of the person name input, for example, the face area of the person whose name is to be input touched by the photographer with the touch panel 9a among the face areas of the person recognized by the face recognition and displaying the face area cursor 9e is detected. The active cursor 9g blinks in the face area of the person, and the camera automatically determines a position near the person and the contrast is uniform and the person and the background are not captured. You may make it display a person's name. It should be noted that the person name may be displayed superimposed on the person to be input. On the other hand, in the case of place name weather input, at the bottom of the display screen 9b, the camera automatically determines a position where the contrast is uniform and no person or background appears, and the place name weather is displayed at such a position. It may be.

  In the above-described embodiment, a person name, a place name, a weather, and a shooting date / time have been described as examples of information to be written down. However, the writing information is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In addition to the person's name, the person's profile, address, telephone number, etc. may be displayed and recorded as memo information, but the invention of the present application will show the person, the shooting location, and the situation when organizing the images after a while. The purpose is to record a simple memo for the image so that it can be remembered, and the memo contents are complicated and long sentences are not suitable as memo writing contents.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the names of two persons are recorded separately from “left” and “right”. However, in the case of three persons, the names are distinguished from left, center, and right. In the case of more than a person, they may be recorded in order from “left” or “from right”.

  In the above-described embodiment, the software keyboard and voice recognition have been described as examples of means for inputting information related to the image. However, the present invention is not limited to these. For example, a handwriting input device is provided on the back of the camera, and the display device 9 Information regarding the image may be input by hand while viewing the image displayed on the screen.

  In the above-described embodiment, the GPS receiver is described as an example of the means for detecting the current location. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a beacon transmitter is provided, and a beacon transmitter installed on a roadside or a scenic spot is provided. You may make it receive the present location information from.

  In the embodiment described above, an example of selecting a mode for inputting a person name when the person name input icon 9c is operated and selecting a mode for inputting the place name weather when the place name weather icon 9d is operated. Although shown, the selection method of these modes is not limited to the method of the above-described embodiment, a dedicated switch may be provided, or a menu screen is displayed on the display device 9 to display a person name input mode or a place name. The weather input mode may be selected. Moreover, the operation | movement which assists a person name input and the operation | movement which assists a place name weather input are not limited to the operation | movement of one Embodiment mentioned above.

  The image pickup apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not limited to a compact digital camera, and can be applied to all types of cameras such as a single-lens reflex digital camera and a lens interchangeable digital camera.

  In the above-described embodiments and their modifications, all combinations of the embodiments and the modifications are possible.

  According to the above-described embodiment and its modifications, the following operational effects can be achieved. First, for the image displayed on the display device 9, memo information such as the name of a person in the image and the name of the place taken is displayed at a specified position on the image and recorded in association with the image. As a result, you can easily record notes on the image after shooting, and easily remember who was in the photo and where it was taken when you replay the image at a later date. .

  Next, according to an embodiment and a modification thereof, the human face is recognized from the image, the face area is detected, and the human face area is displayed on the image displayed on the display device 9. When the position in the face area of the person is designated, the information written in the memo is displayed in the vicinity of the face area, so that a memo such as a name can be easily recorded for each person on the image.

  In addition, according to one embodiment and its modification, when a mode for inputting a person name is selected, an operation for assisting person name input, for example, a person name priority conversion operation using a person name dictionary is started. You can easily write down the names of people in the image.

  According to one embodiment and its modification, since the person name is recorded in association with the position of the face of the person recognized from the image, the name for each person is recorded even if there are a plurality of persons in the image. You can write notes securely and easily.

  According to one embodiment and its modification, when a mode for inputting place name weather is selected, an operation for assisting place name weather input, for example, a current position is detected by a current position detection device, and a current position is detected by map data. Since the operation of searching for the place name of the position is started, the location where the image was taken and the weather at that time can be easily written down.

4; Imaging device, 7; GPS receiver, 8; Voice recognition device, 9; Display device, 9c; Person name input icon, 9d; Place name weather input icon, 9e; Face recognition cursor, 10;

Claims (7)

Imaging means for imaging an image formed by the imaging optical system;
Display means for displaying the image;
Input means for inputting information about the image;
Designation means for designating a position on the image displayed on the display means;
Control means for displaying the information inputted by the input means at the position designated by the designation means on the image of the display means;
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a recording control unit that causes the recording unit to record the information in association with the image. The imaging device according to claim 1,
Recognizing a human face from the image and detecting a face area;
The control means displays the face area of the person on the image, and displays the information in the vicinity of the face area when a position in the face area of the person is designated by the designation means. An imaging apparatus characterized by: The imaging device according to claim 2,
The information about the image is a person's name,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit starts an operation for assisting the input of a person name when a mode for inputting the person name is selected. The imaging device according to claim 3.
The image recording apparatus, wherein the recording control unit causes the recording unit to record the person name in association with a position of the face of the person recognized from the image. In the imaging device according to claim 3 or 4,
The operation for assisting the input of the person name is a person name priority conversion operation using a person name dictionary. In the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The information about the image is a place name,
The input device starts an operation of assisting the place name input when a mode for inputting the place name is selected. The imaging device according to claim 6,
The operation for assisting the place name input is an operation for detecting a current position by a current position detecting device and searching for a place name of the current position from map data.

Images