JP2011013682A - Imaging apparatus, auto focus method, and program for allowing computer to perform the method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus which focuses on the face of a person in a screen regardless of position/range of the person in the screen, to image the person without changing composition between in automatic focusing and in imaging.SOLUTION: A CPU 115a detects the face of a person from input image data, and sets at least a part of the detected face as a ranging area, in auto focus control.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, an automatic focusing method, and a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and in particular, an imaging apparatus having an automatic focusing function and a face recognition processing function, an automatic focusing method, and The present invention relates to a program for causing a computer to execute the method.

  A skillful camera work technique is required to manually focus an object whose distance from the camera changes every moment and manually focus an image. Therefore, an automatic focusing function has been developed so that even an amateur can always take an in-focus image. In an imaging apparatus having a conventional automatic focusing function, automatic focusing is generally performed using one or a plurality of areas at the center of the screen as a ranging area.

  However, in the distance measuring method described above, when shooting a person, it is necessary to automatically focus with a composition in which the person and the ranging area overlap, and after focusing, it is necessary to change to the desired composition and shoot. There is a problem in that it takes time to shoot in focus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and focuses on a person's face on the screen regardless of the position / range of the person on the screen, and changes the composition between automatic focusing and shooting. An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of photographing a person without performing it, an automatic focusing method, and a program for a computer to execute the method.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an invention according to claim 1 is an image pickup apparatus having an automatic focusing function, an image pickup unit for inputting image data corresponding to a subject, and an image input from the image pickup unit. A face detection means for detecting a person's face from the data, and an automatic focus control means for performing automatic focus control using the face of the person detected by the face detection means as a distance measurement area , The automatic focusing control means performs automatic focusing control by setting the size of the distance measuring area based on the size of the face of the person detected by the face detecting means .

According to the above invention, the imaging means inputs image data corresponding to the subject, the face detection means detects a human face from the image data input by the imaging means, and the automatic focusing control means By performing automatic focusing control using the face of the person detected by the detecting means as a distance measuring area, the distance measuring area is set at the position where it is determined that the person is present, and the focusing operation is executed . In particular, the automatic focusing control means performs automatic focusing control by setting the size of the distance measurement area based on the size of the face of the person detected by the face detection means. This improves the accuracy of focusing on the person's face, focuses on the person's face regardless of the position of the person on the screen, and changes the person's face without changing the composition between automatic focusing and shooting. Shooting can be performed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first aspect, the automatic focusing control unit compares the size of a human face detected by the face detection unit with a predetermined value, and If the predetermined value is larger than the size of the detected human face, a first ranging area having the first size is set, and automatic matching is performed based on the contrast information of the first ranging area. Focus control is performed, and when the predetermined value is smaller than the detected face size of the person, a second ranging area having a second size larger than the first size is set, Automatic focusing control is performed based on the contrast information of the second ranging area.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image pickup apparatus according to the first or second aspect , a human face is detected by the display means for displaying the image data input from the image pickup means and the face detection means. If it is, by surrounding the part of a person's face within the image data to be displayed on said display unit in a frame, provided with a notification means for notifying the user of that the face of a person is detected Is.

According to the above invention, the display means displays the image data input from the imaging means, and the notifying means is a person in the image data displayed on the display means when a face of the person is detected by the face detection means. By enclosing the face portion in a frame, the user is notified that a human face has been detected. Accordingly, the user is notified of which part of the image data is detected as a face in an easy- to- understand manner, and the user is confirmed whether the face detection is malfunctioning, thereby preventing a photographing error.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the automatic focus control unit is configured to detect a plurality of faces by the face detection unit. First, automatic focusing control is performed with the face close to the center as the distance measuring area.

According to the invention, the automatic focus control unit, when a plurality of faces are detected by the face detection means, face close to the center portion as the distance measuring area, performs automatic focusing control. If there are multiple people on the screen, the subject with the face in the center is likely to be the main subject.In the group photo, if you focus on the face in the center, the front, back, left, and right faces There is a high possibility that the front, back, left and right faces will be in focus as the depth of field is reached.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the face for the user to set permission / prohibition of the face detection operation of the face detection means. A detection operation setting unit, and the automatic focusing control unit performs a face detection operation on the face detection unit when permission of the face detection operation of the face detection unit is set by the face detection operation setting unit. If the face detection operation of the face detection means is set to be prohibited by the face detection operation setting means while performing automatic focusing control using the detected human face as a distance measurement area, Automatic focus control is performed without causing the face detection means to perform a face detection operation.

According to the above invention, the user sets permission / prohibition of the face detection operation of the face detection means, and the automatic focusing control means is set when the permission of the face detection operation of the face detection means is set by the user. When the face detection unit performs a face detection operation and performs autofocus control using the detected human face as a distance measurement area, the face detection unit prohibition of the face detection unit is set by the user In other words, automatic focus control is performed without causing the face detection means to perform the face detection operation, and the user can set permission / prohibition of the face detection operation when performing automatic focus. For example, when shooting a landscape, there are many cases where no person is included in the screen. In such photographing, it is useless to perform face detection. Therefore, by allowing the user to set permission / prohibition of the face detection operation, it is possible to perform more rapid photographing.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the automatic focusing control unit measures the face of the person detected by the face detection unit. Each time automatic focusing control is performed as a distance area, the distance measurement result is stored in the memory, and the next focus position is predicted from the past distance measurement result stored in the memory.

According to the above invention, the automatic focusing control means stores the distance measurement result in the memory each time the automatic focusing control is performed with the face of the person detected by the face detection means as the distance measurement area. The next in-focus position is predicted from the past distance measurement result stored in the memory. As a result, the next in-focus position is predicted from the in-focus position in the past, and the in-focus state is quickly obtained, thereby enabling rapid photographing.

The invention according to claim 7 is an image input step of inputting image data corresponding to a subject, a face detection step of detecting a human face from the image data input in the image input step, and the face detection the face of the detected person as a distance measurement area in step, seen including an automatic focus control step of performing automatic focus control, and wherein in the automatic focusing control process, the face of the person detected by the face detection step This is an automatic focusing method for performing automatic focusing control by setting the size of the distance measuring area based on the size of .

According to the invention, the input image data corresponding to an object, detects the face of a person from the image data input, as a distance measurement area the face of the detected person, that performs automatic focus control Thus, the distance measuring area is set at the position where it is determined that there is a person, and the focusing operation is executed . In particular, in the automatic focusing control step, the automatic focusing control is performed by setting the size of the ranging area based on the size of the face of the person detected by the face detection step. This improves the accuracy of focusing on the person's face, focuses on the person's face regardless of the position of the person on the screen, and changes the person's face without changing the composition between automatic focusing and shooting. Shooting can be performed.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic focusing method according to the seventh aspect, in the automatic focusing control step, the face size of the person detected by the face detection step is compared with a predetermined value. If the predetermined value is larger than the detected face size of the person, a first ranging area having a first size is set, and based on contrast information of the first ranging area Automatic focusing control is performed, and when the predetermined value is smaller than the detected face size of the person, a second ranging area having a second size larger than the first size is set. The automatic focusing control is performed based on the contrast information of the second ranging area.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic focusing method according to the seventh or eighth aspect , the display step of displaying the image data input in the image input step on the display means, and the face detection means When a face of a person is detected, the user is notified that the face of the person has been detected by enclosing a portion of the face of the person in the image data displayed on the display means in the display step with a frame. a notification step for those comprising a.

According to the above invention, the image data input from the imaging means is displayed on the display means, and when a person's face is detected, the portion of the person's face in the image data displayed on the display means is surrounded by a frame. To notify the user that a human face has been detected. Accordingly, the user is notified of which part of the image data is detected as a face in an easy- to- understand manner, and the user is confirmed whether the face detection is malfunctioning, thereby preventing a photographing error.

The invention according to claim 10 is the automatic focusing method according to any one of claims 7 to 9 , wherein a plurality of faces are detected by the face detection step in the automatic focusing control step. In this case, automatic focusing control is performed using the face close to the center as the distance measuring area.

According to the above invention, when a plurality of faces are detected, automatic focusing control is performed using the face close to the center as a distance measurement area. If there are multiple people on the screen, the subject with the face in the center is likely to be the main subject.In the group photo, if you focus on the face in the center, the front, back, left, and right faces There is a high possibility that the front, back, left and right faces will be in focus as the depth of field is reached.

The invention according to claim 11, in an automatic focusing method according to any one of claims 7 to claim 10, further setting user permission / prohibition of the face detection operation of the face detection process A face detection operation setting step for performing the face detection operation when the face detection operation permission of the face detection step is set by the face detection operation setting step in the automatic focus control step. When the face detection operation is executed and automatic detection is performed using the detected human face as a distance measurement area, while the face detection operation prohibition is set in the face detection operation setting step The automatic focus control is performed without executing the face detection operation in the face detection step.

According to the above invention, when the user sets permission / prohibition of the face detection operation and permission of the face detection operation is set by the user, the face of the person detected by executing the face detection operation is displayed. While auto focus control is performed as a ranging area, if face detection operation is prohibited by the user, auto focus control is performed without performing face detection operation. When performing, the user can set permission / prohibition of the face detection operation. For example, when shooting a landscape, there are many cases where no person is included in the screen. In such photographing, it is useless to perform face detection. Therefore, by allowing the user to set permission / prohibition of the face detection operation, it is possible to perform more rapid photographing.

The invention according to claim 12 is the automatic focusing method according to any one of claims 7 to 11 , wherein in the automatic focusing control step, the human face detected in the face detection step. Each time automatic focusing control is performed using the distance measurement area, the distance measurement result is stored in the memory, and the next focus position is predicted from the past distance measurement result stored in the memory.

According to the above invention, each time the automatic focusing control is performed using the detected human face as a distance measurement area, the distance measurement result is stored in the memory, and the past distance measurement result stored in the memory is stored. Predict the next in-focus position. As a result, the next in-focus position is predicted from the in-focus position in the past, and the in-focus state is quickly obtained, thereby enabling rapid photographing.

The invention according to claim 13 is a program order to execute the automatic focusing method according to the computer in any one of claims 7 to claim 12.

According to the invention, by executing a program on a computer, by setting the distance measuring area in a position where it is determined that person is running a focusing operation, improving the focusing accuracy relative to the face of a person, the screen Regardless of the position of the person, the person's face is focused and the person is photographed without changing the composition between the automatic focusing operation and the photographing.

According to the first aspect of the present invention , in an imaging apparatus having an automatic focusing function, an imaging unit for inputting image data corresponding to a subject, and a person's image out of the image data input from the imaging unit. A face detection means for detecting a face; and an automatic focus control means for performing automatic focus control using the face of the person detected by the face detection means as a distance measurement area , the automatic focus control means Since the automatic focusing control is performed by setting the size of the distance measuring area based on the size of the human face detected by the face detecting means , the human face on the screen is measured. Auto focus operation is performed as a distance area to improve the accuracy of focusing on the person's face, and the person's face can be focused regardless of the position of the person on the screen. Without changing the composition at the time of shooting Shadow it is possible to perform.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first aspect, the automatic focusing control unit compares the size of the face of the person detected by the face detection unit with a predetermined value. If the predetermined value is larger than the detected face size of the person, a first ranging area having a first size is set, and based on contrast information of the first ranging area Automatic focusing control is performed, and when the predetermined value is smaller than the detected face size of the person, a second ranging area having a second size larger than the first size is set. Since the automatic focusing control is performed based on the contrast information of the second ranging area, the focusing accuracy for the human face is improved, and the human face is focused regardless of the position of the human person on the screen. Can be adjusted during autofocusing and shooting. It is possible to carry out the shooting of a person without changing the composition between.

According to a third aspect of the present invention , in the imaging apparatus according to the first or second aspect , a display unit that displays image data input from the imaging unit, and a human face by the face detection unit. If but detected, by surrounding the part of a person's face within the image data to be displayed on said display unit in a frame, and notification means for notifying the user of that the human face is detected, the since comprises, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1 or claim 2, whether to detect which part of the image data as a face to notify clarity to the user, whether the face detection is not malfunctioning The user can be confirmed, and it is possible to prevent the user from making a mistake in photographing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention , in the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the automatic focus control means detects a plurality of faces by the face detection means. In this case, since automatic focusing control is performed with the face close to the center as the distance measuring area, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, it is high. It is possible to focus on the main subject with probability, and also in the group photo, it is possible to increase the possibility of focusing on the front and rear, left and right faces with respect to the center face with high probability.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention , in the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the user sets permission / prohibition of the face detection operation of the face detection means. Face detection operation setting means, and when the face detection operation permission of the face detection means is set by the face detection operation setting means, the automatic focus control means detects the face in the face detection means. When the face detection operation prohibition of the face detection unit is set by the face detection operation setting unit while performing the operation and performing automatic focusing control using the detected human face as a distance measurement area In addition to the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, since the automatic focus control is performed without causing the face detection unit to perform the face detection operation, No need to enable / disable face detection It can be omitted face detection operation, enabling more rapid shooting.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention , in the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the automatic focusing control means is a human face detected by the face detecting means. Each time auto focus control is performed with the distance measurement area as the distance measurement area, the distance measurement result is stored in the memory, and the next focus position is predicted from the past distance measurement result stored in the memory. In addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the next in-focus position can be predicted from the in-focus position in the past, the in-focus state can be quickly achieved, and the rapid photographing can be performed. Become.

According to the invention of claim 7 , an image input step of inputting image data corresponding to a subject, a face detection step of detecting a human face from the image data input in the image input step, as a distance measurement area of the face of the person detected by the face detection process, seen including an automatic focus control step of performing automatic focus control, and wherein in the automatic focusing control process, the person detected by the face detection step Based on the size of the face, the size of the distance measurement area is set and the automatic focus control is performed . Therefore, the automatic focus operation is performed using the face of the person on the screen as the distance measurement area. , Improve the focus accuracy of the person's face, focus on the person's face regardless of the position of the person on the screen, and without changing the composition between the automatic focus operation and shooting Can be taken.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic focusing method according to the seventh aspect, in the automatic focusing control step, the size of the human face detected by the face detection step is set to a predetermined value. If the predetermined value is larger than the size of the detected human face, a first distance measuring area having a first size is set, and the contrast information of the first distance measuring area is set. If the predetermined value is smaller than the size of the detected person's face, a second ranging area having a second size larger than the first size is selected. Because it is set and the automatic focusing control is performed based on the contrast information of the second ranging area, the focusing accuracy with respect to the person's face is improved, and the person's face is controlled regardless of the position of the person on the screen. The camera can be in focus and in autofocus mode It is possible to carry out the shooting of a person without changing the composition at the time of shooting.

According to the invention of claim 9 , in the automatic focusing method according to claim 7 or claim 8 , the display step of displaying the image data input in the image input step on the display means, and the face detection When the person's face is detected by the means, the user is notified that the person's face has been detected by enclosing a portion of the person's face in the image data displayed on the display means by the display step. a notification step for notifying, so it was decided to include the addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 7 or claim 8, to notify which part of the image data easy to understand user whether the detected as the face Therefore, it is possible to make the user check whether the face detection is malfunctioning, and it is possible to prevent the user from taking a mistake.

According to the invention of claim 10 , in the automatic focusing method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, in the automatic focusing control step, a plurality of faces are obtained by the face detection step. 10 is detected, automatic focusing control is performed with the face close to the center as the distance measuring area. In addition to the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 7 to 9, It is possible to focus on the main subject with a high probability, and also in the group photo, it is possible to increase the possibility of focusing on the face in the front, back, left and right with a high probability with respect to the center face. Become.

According to an eleventh aspect of the invention , in the automatic focusing method according to any one of the seventh to tenth aspects, the user is further permitted / prohibited of the face detection operation in the face detection step. A face detection operation setting step for setting the face detection operation when the face detection operation permission of the face detection step is set by the face detection operation setting step in the automatic focus control step. The face detection operation is executed in the process, and the autofocus control is performed using the detected human face as the distance measurement area, while the face detection operation prohibition is set in the face detection operation setting step. If it is determined that the automatic focusing control is performed without causing the face detection step to perform the face detection operation, in addition to the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 7 to 10. The user is allowed to / Can be omitted unnecessary face detection operation by setting the ban, it is possible more rapid shooting.

According to the invention of claim 12 , in the automatic focusing method according to any one of claims 7 to 11 , in the automatic focusing control step, the person detected in the face detection step Each time autofocus control is performed using the face as a distance measurement area, the distance measurement result is stored in a memory, and the next focus position is predicted from the past distance measurement result stored in the memory; Therefore, in addition to the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 7 to 11 , the next in-focus position can be predicted from the in-focus position in the past, and the in-focus state can be quickly obtained. It becomes possible.

According to the invention of claim 13 , since the computer is caused to execute the automatic focusing method according to any one of claims 7 to 12 , a person's face in the screen is automatically set as a distance measurement area. Performs focusing operation to improve the focusing accuracy for the person's face and focus on the person's face regardless of the position of the person on the screen. A person can be photographed without changing the composition.

1 is an external configuration diagram of a digital camera according to a first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital camera according to a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a user setting screen for recording conditions displayed on the liquid crystal monitor when the SETUP mode is selected with the mode change switch of the operation unit in the digital camera according to the first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an AF operation of the digital camera according to the first exemplary embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the digital camera liquid crystal monitor according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the liquid crystal monitor according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a user setting screen for recording conditions displayed on the liquid crystal monitor when the SETUP mode is selected by the mode change switch of the operation unit according to the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an AF operation of the digital camera according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a liquid crystal monitor of a digital camera according to a second embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, preferred embodiments of an imaging apparatus, an automatic focusing method, and a digital camera to which a computer program for executing the method according to the invention are applied will be described (Embodiment 1). (Embodiment 2), (Modification 1), (Modification 2) will be described in detail in this order.

(Embodiment 1)
1A and 1B are external configuration diagrams of the digital camera according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1A is a front view, FIG. 1B is a side view, and FIG. 1C is a top view. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the upper lid is opened. In the figure, 1 is a camera body, 2 is a photographic lens, 3 is a strobe, 4 is a viewfinder, 5 is an upper lid that can be opened and closed, 6 is a hinge that supports the upper lid 5 so that it can be opened and closed, and 7 is the inside of the upper lid 5 A liquid crystal monitor provided on the outside, 8 a sub-LCD provided outside the upper lid 5, 9 an upper lid opening / closing detection switch for detecting the opening / closing of the upper lid 5, 10 a barrier opening / closing knob, 11 an operation instruction for photographing, etc. A release switch for performing the operation, 12 is a mode changeover switch for selecting each mode, 13 is a strobe switch for performing strobe light emission, 14 is an image quality mode switch for setting the image quality, 15 is a cursor key, and 16 is a cursor key. A DATE switch for inputting a date, 17 indicates an ENTER key, and 18 indicates a SELECT key.

  The mode change switch 12 includes (1) a SETUP mode for changing or confirming camera settings, (2) a still image mode for recording a still image, (3) a moving image mode for recording a moving image, (4) Playback mode for playing back recorded files, (5) PC mode for connecting to a personal computer to send files to the personal computer and operating the camera from the personal computer, and (6) Communication via the network This is for selecting a communication mode to be performed.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the configuration of the digital camera according to the first embodiment. The digital camera shown in the figure includes a photographing lens 2 (zoom lens 2a, focus lens 2b), mechanical mechanism (mechanical shutter, diaphragm, filter, etc.) 101, CCD 102, F / E (CDS circuit, AGC circuit, A / D conversion). Circuit) 103, IPP 104, compression / expansion circuit 105, memory card 106, DRAM 107, liquid crystal monitor 7, sub LCD 10, operation unit 108, motor (zoom lens motor 109a, focus motor 109b, aperture / shutter motor 109c) 109, driver ( Zoom driver 110a, focus driver 110b, aperture / shutter driver 110c) 110, SG111, battery 112, DC / DC converter 113, AC adapter 114, controller (CPU 115a, FLASH_ROM 115b, SD) RAM 115c) 115, a communication driver unit 116, and a network communication unit 117.

  The photographing lens 2 is for imaging a subject, and includes a zoom lens 2a for realizing a zoom function and a focus lens 2b for focusing on the subject. The mechanical mechanism 101 includes a mechanical shutter, a diaphragm for adjusting the brightness of the subject, a filter, and the like. The CCD 102 converts the subject image formed by the photographing lens 2 into an electric signal and outputs it as analog image data to the F / E 103.

  The F / E 103 performs preprocessing on analog image data input from the CCD 102, and is output from a CDS circuit that performs correlated double sampling of the analog image data input from the CCD 102 and the CDS circuit. An AGC circuit that adjusts the gain of analog image data, and an A / D conversion circuit that performs A / D conversion on analog image data output from the AGC circuit and outputs digital image data to the IPP 104 Become.

  The IPP 104 performs various types of image processing on input image data. For example, after performing interpolation processing on color image data input from the F / E 103, YUV data (luminance Y data, color difference) (U, V data).

  The compression / decompression circuit 105 compresses YUV data by a compression method conforming to the JPEG method, and decompresses compressed image data stored in a memory card by an expansion method conforming to the JPEG method.

  The DRAM 107 is a frame memory for temporarily storing captured image data, image data read from the memory card 106, and the like. The memory card 106 is detachably attached to the digital camera body, and stores compressed image data as an image file.

  The liquid crystal monitor 7 is for displaying image data and the like. The sub LCD 8 is for displaying the set mode and operation contents of the digital camera.

  The zoom driver 110a drives the zoom motor 109a in accordance with the control signal input from the controller 115, and moves the zoom lens 2a in the optical axis direction. The focus driver 110b drives the focus motor 109b in accordance with a control signal input from the controller 115, and moves the focus lens 2b in the optical axis direction. The aperture / shutter driver 110c drives the aperture / shutter motor 119c in response to a control signal input from the controller 115 to set the aperture value of the aperture of the mechanical mechanism 101 and to open / close the mechanical shutter of the mechanical mechanism 101. Do.

  The SG 111 drives the CCD 10 and 2F / E 103 based on the control signal input from the controller 115. The battery 112 is made of a battery such as NiCd, nickel metal hydride, or lithium, and supplies a DC voltage to the DC / DC converter 113. The AC adapter 114 converts the AC voltage into a DC voltage and supplies it to the DC / DC converter 16. The DC / DC converter 113 converts the level of the DC voltage input from the battery 112 or the AC adapter 114 and supplies power to each part of the digital camera.

  The communication driver 116 is connected to an external device (for example, a personal computer) to perform data communication. The network communication unit 117 is for data communication with the network.

  The operation unit 108 includes various keys and switches (release switch 11, mode change switch 12, strobe switch 13, image quality mode switch 14, cursor key 15, DATE, and the like shown in FIG. 1 for the user to give various instructions to the digital camera. The switch 16, the ENTER key 17, and the SELECT key 18) are provided, and operations of various keys and switches are detected and output to the controller 115. The release switch 11 described above is a two-stage SW, and the first SW is turned on when the switch is half-pressed (first push stroke), and the second SW is turned on when the switch is fully pressed (second push stroke). In the digital camera, the AE operation and the AF operation are executed when the first SW is turned on, and the photographing operation is executed when the second SW is turned on.

  FIG. 3 shows a user setting screen for recording conditions displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7 when the SETUP mode is selected by the mode change switch 12 of the operation unit 108. The user setting screen for the recording conditions shown in the figure shows the setting conditions for each item ("AF / Manual" for "Focus", "ON / OFF" for "Face detection (face detection operation mode)", and "Metering point". This is a screen for the user to set “AUTO / MANUAL”, “ON / OFF” for “LONG EXPOSURE”, and [ON / OFF] for “DATE”.) In the screen shown in FIG. To select a desired item, select a desired setting condition with the SELECT key 18 in the selected item, and set the setting condition selected with the ENTER key 17. In the example shown in FIG. AF], “Face Detection (Face Detection Operation Mode)” is set to “ON”, “Metering Point” is set to “Auto”, “Long Exposure” is set to “OFF”, and “Date” is set to [OFF]. .

  The controller 115 is a unit that controls the overall operation of the digital camera. Based on an instruction from the operation unit 108, the controller 115 uses the SD_RAM 115c as a work area in accordance with a control program stored in the FLASH_ROM 115b. The CPU 115a controls operations, the FLASH_ROM 115b that stores various control programs to be executed by the CPU 115a, parameters and data necessary for control, and the SD_RAM 115c used as a work area of the CPU 115a. The control program, parameters, and data stored in the FLASH_ROM 115b can be distributed via the network, and can be downloaded and stored via the network. In addition, programs, parameters, and data can be written to the FLASH_ROM 115b from an external device connected via the communication driver unit 116.

  The CPU 115a controls a monitoring operation, an AF operation, an AE operation, a photographing operation, and the like. Next, an outline of basic operations of (1) monitoring operation, (2) AF operation, and (3) still image shooting operation executed under the control of the CPU 115a will be described.

(1) Monitoring Operation When the still image mode or the moving image mode is selected with the mode change switch 12 of the operation unit 108, the CPU 115a displays a monitoring image of the subject on the liquid crystal monitor 7. More specifically, the subject image data input from the CCD 102 is processed by the F / E (CDS, AGC, A / D) 103, signal-processed by the IPP 104, and written in the DRAM 107. The CPU 115 a displays a monitoring image corresponding to the image data stored in the DRAM 107 on the liquid crystal monitor 7. The user can determine the composition of the shooting by looking at the monitoring image of the subject displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7.

(2) AF operation After the still image mode or the moving image mode is selected by the mode switching switch 12 of the operation unit 108, when the release switch 11 is pressed halfway and the SW1 is turned on, the CPU 115a executes the AF operation. Specifically, in the AF operation, when the face detection mode is set, first, face detection processing is executed to detect a human face. Specifically, the image data input from the CCD 102 is processed by the F / E (CDS, AGC, A / D) 103, signal-processed by the IPP 104, and written in the DRAM 107. The CPU 115a detects the face of a person from the image data stored in the DRAM 107 using a known face recognition technique (Gabor wavelet transform + graph matching). Then, the CPU 115a executes an automatic focusing process using a known automatic focusing method such as a hill-climbing servo method using the detected human face as a distance measuring area (AF area), and moves the focus lens 2b to the in-focus position. To focus on the face of the person. More specifically, in the automatic focusing process, the focus lens 2b is moved, and among the image data input from the CCD 102, AF indicating the contrast of the subject according to the image data in the distance measuring area (AF area). The evaluation value is sampled, and the peak position of the AF evaluation value is set as the in-focus position.

  Here, the CPU 115a executes the control program to perform face detection. However, dedicated hardware for face detection may be provided.

(3) Still Image Shooting Operation When the still image mode is selected by the mode change switch 12 of the operation unit 108 and the release switch of the operation unit 108 is fully pressed and SW2 is turned on, the CPU 115a performs the still image shooting operation. Execute. The imaging data captured from the CCD 102 is signal-processed by the IPP 104, compressed by the compression / expansion circuit 105, and then written to the DRAM 107. Then, the CPU 115a writes the compressed image data written in the DRAM 107 to the memory card 106 as a still image file.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the AF operation of the digital camera. 5 to 6 are diagrams showing display examples of the liquid crystal monitor 7. FIG. 5 shows a display example when the face of the subject person is one, and FIG. 6 shows a display example when the face of the subject person is plural (two). The AF operation of the digital camera will be described according to the flowchart of FIG. 4 with reference to the display examples of the liquid crystal monitor 7 of FIGS. The CPU 115a executes AF processing when the release switch 13 is pressed halfway and SW1 is turned on after the still image mode or the moving image mode is selected by the mode change switch 12 of the operation unit 108.

  In FIG. 4, first, the CPU 115a determines whether or not it is a face detection operation mode for executing human face detection (step S1). The face detection operation mode is set on the above-described recording condition user setting screen (see FIG. 3 above). If it is determined that the face detection operation mode is set, the CPU 115a executes face detection processing to detect a face (step S2).

  As methods for detecting a face from a subject image, the following methods (1) to (3) are known, and in the first embodiment, any one of the methods is used.

(1) Television Society Journal Vol. 49, no. 6, pp. No. 787-797 (1995) “Proposal of a modified HSV color system effective for face area extraction” is a method of extracting a face area by converting a color image into a mosaic image and paying attention to a skin color area.
(2) Journal of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, Vol. 74-D-II, no. 11, pp. 1625-1627 (1991) “A method for extracting a face region from a still gray scene image”, the geometrical structure of each part constituting the head of a front human figure such as hair, eyes and mouth. Of extracting the head region of a frontal person using various shape features.
(3) In the case of a moving image, the contour edge of a person image generated by subtle movement of a person between frames, as shown in “Video phone face area detection and its effect” of Image Lab 1991-11 (1991) To extract a frontal portrait using GIS.

  Further, when detecting the face of a person, the CPU 115a detects eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Detection of eyes, nose, mouth, and ears in the face can be detected using known methods. For example, eye detection is described in JP-A-3-17696, JP-A-4-255015, JP-A-5-300601, JP-A-9-21611, JP-A-9-251342, and the like. Technology can be used.

  Then, the CPU 115a determines whether or not a face has been detected (step S3). If a face is detected as a result of this determination, the CPU 115a displays a rectangular frame on the face portion of the person (face detection execution result OK display) in the image data displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7, and the face is detected. Is notified to the user (step S4). FIG. 5A shows a display example of the image data (monitoring image) displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7 (in the case of one person's face). FIG. 5B shows a display example when a rectangular frame A is displayed on the face portion of the person in the image data of FIG. FIG. 6A shows a display example of image data (monitoring image) displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7 when there are a plurality (two) of human faces. FIG. 6B shows a display example when rectangular frames A1 and A2 are displayed on the face portion of the person in the image data of FIG. 6A.

  Then, the CPU 115a determines whether there are a plurality of faces (step S5). If a plurality of faces are detected as a result of this determination, the CPU 115a determines whether or not it is a distance measurement area selection mode in which the user selects a distance measurement area (step S6). The ranging area selection mode is set on the user setting screen for the recording conditions described above (see FIG. 3 above). As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the mode is not the distance measurement area selection mode, the CPU 115a sets the face close to the center as the distance measurement area (step S7), and then executes the automatic focusing process described above (step S7). S8).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S6 that the distance measurement area selection mode is set, the CPU 115a displays characters and the like for the user to select the distance measurement area on the liquid crystal monitor 7 (step S11). FIG. 6C shows a display example in which characters and the like (guidance display for selecting a distance measuring area) for the user to select a distance measuring area are displayed on the screen of FIG. 6B.

  Subsequently, a desired position is selected as a distance measurement area from the face recognized positions displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7 by the user's operation of the operation unit 108 (step S12). In FIG. 6C, the user selects one of the rectangular frames A1 and A2 by operating the cursor key 15, and determines the rectangular frame selected by the ENTER key 17 as a distance measurement area. FIG. 6D shows a case where the rectangular frame A2 is selected as the distance measurement area in FIG. 6C.

  The CPU 115a sets the inside of the selected rectangular frame as a distance measurement area (step S13), and then executes the above-described automatic focusing process (step S8).

  On the other hand, if a plurality of faces are not detected in step S5, that is, if only one face is detected, it is determined whether eyes, nose, mouth and ears can be detected in the face. (Step S14). If the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears are not detected as a result of this determination, the CPU 115a sets the center position of the face to the distance measuring area (step S17), and then performs the automatic focusing process described above (step S17). Step S8).

  On the other hand, if the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears can be detected in step S14, it is determined whether or not it is a distance measurement area selection mode in which the user selects a distance measurement area (step S15). As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the mode is not the distance measurement area selection mode, the CPU 115a sets the eye position as the distance measurement area (step S18), and then executes the automatic focusing process described above (step S8). .

  If it is determined in step S15 that the distance measurement area selection mode is set, the CPU 115a displays rectangular frames for the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears on the liquid crystal monitor 7 (step S16). FIG. 5C is a diagram showing a display example when rectangular frames a1 to a4 are displayed on the eyes, nose, and mouth, respectively, in the image data of the subject in FIG. 5A.

  Then, a desired position is selected as a distance measurement area from the positions where the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7 are recognized by the operation of the operation unit 108 by the user (step S12). In FIG. 5C, the user selects one of the rectangular frames a1 to a4 by operating the cursor key 15, and determines the rectangular frame selected with the ENTER key 17 as a distance measurement area. FIG. 5D shows a case where the rectangular frame a3 is selected as the distance measurement area in FIG. 5C.

  The CPU 115a sets the face portion within the rectangular frame determined by the user as the distance measurement area (step S13), and then executes the above-described automatic focusing process (step S8).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1 that the face detection operation mode is not selected, or if no face is detected in step S3, the normal distance measurement area position is set as the distance measurement area (step S10). Then, the automatic focusing process described above is executed (step S8). When the release switch 11 is fully pressed, shooting is performed.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the CPU 115a detects a human face from the image data input by the CCD 102, and automatically uses at least a part of the detected human face as a distance measurement area. Since the focus control is performed, it is possible to focus on the person's face regardless of the position of the person on the screen by executing the automatic focusing operation using the person's face on the screen as the distance measurement area. It becomes possible to shoot a person without changing the composition between the automatic focusing operation and shooting.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, when the CPU 115a detects a human face, the CPU 115a displays a rectangular frame (see FIG. 5 above) on the face of the image data displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user that the face has been detected, and to let the user recognize that the face has been detected.

  In addition, according to the first embodiment, when a plurality of faces are detected, the CPU 115a performs the automatic focusing control with the face close to the center as the distance measurement area, and thus the main operation is performed with high probability. It is possible to focus on the subject, and also in the group photo, it is possible to increase the possibility of focusing on the front, back, left, and right faces of the center face with a high probability.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, when a plurality of faces are detected, the user selects a ranging area from the plurality of faces (see FIG. 6), and the CPU 115a selects the user's selection. Since the automatic focusing control is performed based on the distance measurement area, the user can select which person to focus on.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, since the user can set the permission / prohibition of the face detection operation (see FIG. 3 above), the user sets the permission / prohibition of the face detection operation and sets an unnecessary face. The detection operation can be omitted, and more rapid imaging is possible.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, when the eye of a person's face is detected and the ranging area selection mode is not set, the CPU 115a performs automatic focusing control using the eyes as the ranging area. As a result, it is possible to easily shoot an image in focus on the eyes.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, when any one of the eyes, mouth, nose, and ears of a person's face is detected, the user is detected when the ranging area selection mode is set. Since a focus detection area is selected from the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, and the CPU 115a performs automatic focusing control based on the focus detection area selected by the user, the portion of the face that the user wants to focus on It is possible to focus on the image and reflect the user's intention to shoot.

(Embodiment 2)
A digital camera according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The configuration of the digital camera according to the second embodiment can be the same as that of the first embodiment (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The digital camera according to the second embodiment changes the size of the distance measurement area according to the detected size of the person's face.

  FIG. 7 shows a user setting screen for recording conditions displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7 when the SETUP mode is selected by the mode selector switch 12 of the operation unit 108. The user setting screen for recording conditions shown in the figure shows the setting conditions for each item ("AF / Manual" for "Focus", "ON / OFF" for "Face detection (face detection operation mode)", and "Automatic ranging area" "ON / OFF" for "Setting (ranging area automatic setting mode)", "Auto / Manual" for "Metering point", "ON / OFF" for "Long exposure", [ON / OFF] for "Date" In the screen shown in the figure, a desired item is selected by the cursor key 15, a desired setting condition is selected by the SELECT key 18 in the selected item, and the ENTER key 17 is selected. In the example shown in the figure, “Focus” is set to [AF], “Face detection (face detection operation mode)” is set to “ON”, and “Automatic ranging area setting (measurement) Distance area automatic setting mode) ” ON], "photometric point" is "Auto," long-time exposure "is" OFF], "dated" is set to [OFF].

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the AF operation of the digital camera according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of the liquid crystal monitor 7. The AF operation of the digital camera of the second embodiment will be described according to the flowchart of FIG. 8 with reference to the display example of the liquid crystal monitor 7 of FIG. The CPU 115a executes AF processing when the release switch 13 is pressed halfway and SW1 is turned on after the still image mode or the moving image mode is selected by the mode change switch 12 of the operation unit 108.

  In FIG. 8, first, the CPU 115a determines whether or not it is a face detection operation mode in which human face detection is executed (step S31). The face detection operation mode is set on the above-described recording condition user setting screen (see FIG. 7 above). As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the face detection operation mode is set, the CPU 115a executes face detection processing similar to that in the first embodiment (step S32).

  Then, the CPU 115a determines whether or not a face has been detected (step S33). If a face is detected as a result of this determination, the CPU 115a displays a rectangular frame on the face portion of the person (face detection execution result OK display) in the image data displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7, and the face is detected. Is notified to the user (step S34).

  The CPU 115a determines whether or not it is a distance measurement area automatic setting mode for automatically setting the size of the distance measurement area (step S35). This automatic ranging area setting mode is set on the user setting screen for the recording conditions described above (see FIG. 7). If the result of this determination is that it is in the distance measurement area automatic setting mode, the CPU 115a compares the detected face size with the predetermined value 1 (step S36), and if the face size is not greater than the predetermined value 1, A distance measurement area size 1 is set (step S41). On the other hand, when the face size is larger than the predetermined value 1, the CPU 115a compares the face size with the predetermined value 2 (however, the predetermined value 2> the predetermined value 1) (step S37), and the face size is predetermined. If the value is larger than 2, the CPU 115a sets the distance measurement area size 3 (step S38). If the face size is not larger than the predetermined value 2, the CPU 115a sets the distance measurement area size. 2 is set (step S42).

  On the other hand, if the distance measurement area automatic setting mode is not set in step S35, the user sets the distance measurement area sizes 1, 2, and 3 (step S43). FIG. 5A shows a display example of the image data (monitoring image) displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7. FIG. 9 shows a screen for the user to select the size of the distance measurement area on the screen of FIG. In FIG. 9, the sizes (size 1, size 2, size 3) of three ranging areas having different sizes are displayed, and the user operates the cursor key 15 to display size 1, Either size 2 or size 3 is selected, and the size selected by the ENTER key 17 is determined as the size of the distance measurement area. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the distance measurement area size 2 is selected.

  Then, the CPU 115a sets the distance measuring area that is automatically set or selected by the user to the face portion of the detected person, and then executes the above-described automatic focusing process (step S39).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S31 that the face detection operation mode is not selected, or if no face is detected in step S33, the normal distance measurement area position is set as the distance measurement area (step S40). Then, the automatic focusing process described above is executed (step S39).

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the ranging area automatic determination mode is set, the CPU 115a determines the size of the ranging area based on the detected face size of the person. Is automatically set and automatic focusing control is performed, so that the focusing accuracy can be improved.

  According to the second embodiment, when the automatic ranging area determination mode is not set, the user selects the size of the ranging area (see FIG. 9), and the CPU 115a Since the autofocus control is performed by setting the distance measurement area of the selected size, it is possible to improve the focus accuracy when focusing on a specific part of the face.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described first and second embodiments, and can be appropriately modified without changing the gist of the invention. For example, the following modifications are possible. .

(Modification 1)
The digital camera of the present invention is provided with a person shooting mode (first shooting mode) for shooting a person and a landscape shooting mode (second shooting mode) for shooting a landscape. 12, the CPU 115 a performs automatic focusing control with face detection processing (processing after “YES” in step S <b> 1 in FIG. 4) when the portrait mode is selected, When the photographing mode is selected, face detection processing is not performed, and automatic focusing control (processing after “NO” in step S1 in FIG. 4) is performed based on a normal distance measurement area. Also good. This is because the face detection process is necessary in the person shooting mode that needs to focus on the face, but the face detection process is unnecessary in the landscape shooting mode that does not need to focus on the face.

(Modification 2)
The CPU 115a stores the distance measurement result (focus position) in the FLASH_ROM 115b each time automatic focus control is performed using the face detected by the face detection process as the distance measurement area, and the past distance measurement stored in the FLASH_ROM 115b. The next in-focus position may be predicted from the result. As a result, the next in-focus position can be predicted from the in-focus position in the past, and the face can be in-focus quickly, and rapid imaging is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera body 2 Shooting lens 3 Strobe unit 4 Finder 5 Top cover 6 Hinge 7 LCD monitor 8 Sub LCD
9 Upper lid open / close detection switch 10 Barrier open / close knob 11 Release switch 12 Mode switch 13 Strobe switch 14 Image quality mode switch 15 Cursor key 16 DATE switch 17 ENTER key 18 SELECT key 2a Zoom lens 2b Focus lens 101 Mechanical mechanism 102 CCD
103 F / E
104 IPP
105 Compression / decompression circuit 106 Memory card 107 DRAM
108 Operation Unit 109a Zoom Lens Motor 109b Focus Motor 109c Aperture / Shutter Motor 110a Zoom Driver 110b Focus Driver 110c Aperture / Shutter Driver 111 SG
112 Battery 113 DC / DC Converter 114 AC Adapter 115 Controller 115a CPU
115b FLASH_ROM
115c SD_RAM
116 Communication Driver Unit 117 Network Communication Unit

Claims (23)

In an imaging device with an automatic focusing function,
Imaging means for inputting image data according to the subject;
Face detection means for detecting a human face from the image data input from the imaging means;
Automatic focus control means for performing automatic focus control using at least a part of the face of the person detected by the face detection means as a ranging area;
An imaging apparatus comprising:   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to notify a user that a human face has been detected by the face detection unit.   The automatic focusing control means performs automatic focusing control by using at least a part of a face close to a central portion as the distance measuring area when a plurality of faces are detected by the face detecting means. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. Furthermore, when a plurality of faces are detected by the face detection means, a distance measurement area selection means for the user to select the distance measurement area from the plurality of faces,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the automatic focusing control unit performs automatic focusing control based on a ranging area selected by the ranging area selecting unit. A face detection operation setting means for allowing a user to set permission / prohibition of the face detection operation of the face detection means;
When the face detection operation permission is set by the face detection operation setting unit, the automatic focus control unit causes the face detection unit to execute a face detection operation and detect the detected person Autofocus control is performed using at least a part of the face as a distance measurement area, and when the face detection operation prohibition is set by the face detection operation setting unit, the face detection unit The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein automatic focusing control is performed without causing a face detection operation to be performed. For setting a first shooting mode in which the face detection operation of the face detection unit is executed and automatic focusing is performed or a second shooting mode in which automatic focusing is performed without executing the face detection operation of the face detection unit Equipped with mode setting means,
When the first shooting mode is set by the mode setting unit, the automatic focusing control unit causes the face detection unit to perform a face detection operation, and detects at least a part of the detected human face. While auto focus control is performed as a distance measurement area, when the second shooting mode is set by the mode setting means, automatic focus control is performed without causing the face detection means to perform a face detection operation. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: When the face detection means detects a human face, it further detects the eyes,
The automatic focusing control means, when eyes are detected by the face detecting means, performs automatic focusing control using at least a part of the eyes as the distance measuring area. 6. The imaging device according to any one of 6. When the face detection means detects the face of a person, it further detects its eyes, nose and mouth,
Furthermore, when eyes, nose, and mouth are detected by the face detecting means, a second distance measuring area selecting means is provided for the user to select the distance measuring area from the eyes, nose, and mouth. ,
7. The automatic focusing control unit according to claim 1, wherein the automatic focusing control unit performs automatic focusing control based on a ranging area selected by the second ranging area selecting unit. The imaging device described.   The automatic focusing control means performs automatic focusing control by setting a size of the distance measuring area based on a size of a human face detected by the face detecting means. The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2. Furthermore, a distance measurement area size selection means for the user to select the size of the distance measurement area is provided,
3. The automatic focusing control unit according to claim 1, wherein the automatic focusing control unit performs automatic focusing control by setting a ranging area having a size selected by the ranging area size selecting unit. Imaging device.   Each time the automatic focusing control means performs automatic focusing control using at least a part of the face of the person detected by the face detecting means as a ranging area, the ranging result is stored in a memory, The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a next in-focus position is predicted from a past distance measurement result stored in a memory. An image input process for inputting image data according to the subject;
A face detection step of detecting a human face from the image data input in the image input step;
An automatic focusing control step for performing automatic focusing control using at least a part of the face of the person detected in the face detection step as a ranging area;
An automatic focusing method comprising:   The automatic focusing method according to claim 12, further comprising a notifying step for notifying a user that a human face has been detected by the face detecting step.   In the automatic focus control step, when a plurality of faces are detected by the face detection step, automatic focus control is performed using at least a part of the face near the center as the distance measurement area. The automatic focusing method according to claim 12 or 13. Furthermore, when a plurality of faces are detected by the face detection step, a ranging area selection step for a user to select the ranging area from the plurality of faces,
The automatic focusing method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein, in the automatic focusing control step, automatic focusing control is performed based on the ranging area selected in the ranging area selecting step. And a face detection operation setting step for a user to set permission / prohibition of the face detection operation in the face detection step,
In the automatic focusing control step, when the face detection operation permission of the face detection step is set by the face detection operation setting step, the face detection operation is executed in the face detection step and detected. While performing automatic focusing control using at least a part of a person's face as a ranging area, if the face detection operation prohibition is set in the face detection operation setting step, the face detection is performed. The automatic focusing method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein automatic focusing control is performed without causing the process to perform a face detection operation. Further, a first photographing mode for performing automatic focusing by executing the face detection operation in the face detection step or a second photographing mode for performing automatic focusing without performing the face detection operation in the face detection step is set. Including a mode setting process for
In the automatic focusing control process, when the first shooting mode is set in the mode setting process, the face detection process is performed in the face detection process, and at least a part of the detected human face is detected. While the automatic focusing control is performed as the distance measurement area, when the second shooting mode is set by the mode setting process, the automatic focusing control is performed without causing the face detection process to perform a face detection operation. The automatic focusing method according to claim 12, wherein the automatic focusing method is performed. In the face detection step, when a human face is detected, the eyes are further detected,
The automatic focusing control step performs automatic focusing control using at least a part of the eyes as the distance measuring area when eyes are detected by the face detection step. The automatic focusing method according to any one of 17. In the face detection step, when a face of a person is detected, the eyes, nose and mouth are further detected.
Furthermore, when eyes, noses, and mouths are detected by the face detection step, a second ranging area selection step for the user to select the ranging areas from the eyes, noses, and mouths is included. ,
18. The automatic focusing control process according to claim 12, wherein automatic focusing control is performed based on the ranging area selected in the second ranging area selection process. The automatic focusing method described.   The automatic focusing control step performs the automatic focusing control by setting the size of the distance measuring area based on the size of the face of the person detected by the face detecting step. The automatic focusing method according to claim 12 or claim 13. Furthermore, a distance measurement area size selection step for the user to select the size of the distance measurement area,
14. The automatic focusing control process according to claim 12, wherein in the automatic focusing control step, a focusing area having a size selected in the ranging area size selecting step is set and automatic focusing control is performed. Automatic focusing method.   In the automatic focusing control step, every time automatic focusing control is performed using at least a part of the face of the person detected in the face detection step as a ranging area, the ranging result is stored in a memory, The automatic focusing method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, wherein a next in-focus position is predicted from a past distance measurement result stored in a memory.   A program for a computer to execute each step of the invention according to any one of claims 12 to 22.

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