JP2011135587A - Image-data generating apparatus and image-data generating method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the usability of a photographer who photographs an object, using an image-data generating apparatus, such as a digital still camera. <P>SOLUTION: When a release button is depressed, after the depression of a photographic condition storage button, a digital still camera acquires the feature amount of a target object selected by a user; acquires photographic conditions of the digital still camera at the time of depression of the release button as reference photographic conditions; and stores the feature amount of the target object and the reference photographic conditions in an internal memory so that they are associated. The digital still camera uses the feature amount of the target object and the reference photographic conditions to decide whether the target object is included in the photographic target region. When the target object is included, the camera uses the reference photographic conditions to adjust the photographic conditions, such as the aperture and the shutter speed and photographs the photographic target region to generate image data and stores the image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image data generation apparatus that shoots a subject and generates image data.

  Digital cameras having various functions are widely used. Examples of the various functions include an automatic control function that automatically controls shooting conditions suitable for a subject such as a person included in a region to be shot. The shooting conditions include, for example, an aperture and a shutter speed. Such a digital camera, for example, extracts subjects included in the area to be photographed, and adjusts the aperture, shutter speed, etc. according to the number and size of the extracted subjects, thereby performing exposure correction and focusing. Is going. By using the automatic control function of the digital camera, a high-quality image can be easily obtained.

JP 2004-320285 A JP 2005-284366 A

  However, since conventional digital cameras adjust the shooting conditions for each shooting according to the number and size of the extracted subjects, the shooting is performed under the same shooting conditions as when shooting the extracted subjects. It is difficult to do. Further, adjusting the shooting conditions of the digital camera to the shooting conditions suitable for the subject to be shot is accompanied by a very complicated operation for a user who is not accustomed to adjusting the shooting conditions.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to improve the convenience of a photographer who photographs a subject using an image data generation device such as a digital camera.

In order to solve at least a part of the problems described above, the present invention provides an image data generation device that captures a subject and generates image data.
The image data generation apparatus of the present invention is
Feature amount acquisition means for acquiring a feature amount of the target subject from reference image data including the target subject;
Reference imaging condition acquisition means for acquiring a reference imaging condition that is an imaging condition when generating the reference image data;
Storage means for storing the feature quantity and the reference photographing condition in association with each other;
Generating means for generating subject search image data;
Determination means for determining whether the target subject is included in the subject search image data using the feature amount;
Shooting condition setting means for setting the reference shooting condition associated with the feature quantity of the target subject as the shooting condition of the image data generation device when the target search is included in the subject search image data;
The gist of the present invention is to include a storage image data generation unit that captures a target subject using the set shooting conditions and generates storage image data.

  According to the image data generation device of the present invention, since the feature amount of the target subject and the reference shooting condition at the time of shooting the target subject are stored in association with each other, the reference shooting condition is used when shooting the target subject. Thus, the shooting conditions of the image data generation device can be set easily. Therefore, by using the image data generation device of the present invention, the user can easily set the shooting conditions of the image data generation device according to the target subject and easily obtain a desired image. Can do.

In the image data generation device of the present invention,
The reference photographing condition includes a focusing condition for focusing on the target subject included in the reference image data,
The imaging condition setting unit may set the focusing condition of the imaging condition of the image data generation device so as to focus on the target subject included in the imaging range of the image data generation device.

  According to the image data generation device of the present invention, it is possible to set shooting conditions so that the subject is in focus each time the image data for storage is generated. Therefore, the user can easily focus on the target subject by using the image data generation device of the present invention, and can set a shooting condition other than the in-focus state to obtain a desired image.

In the image data generation device of the present invention,
2 or more of the reference photographing conditions are associated with the feature amount of the target subject of 1;
The image data generation device further includes:
Priority setting means for setting a priority for each reference shooting condition according to the usage status of each reference shooting condition;
The photographing condition setting unit may set the reference photographing condition having the highest priority as a photographing condition of the image data generation device.

  According to the image data generation device of the present invention, even when a plurality of reference conditions are associated with one target subject, a reference shooting condition with a high priority can be set as a shooting condition of the image data generation device. Accordingly, it is possible to preferentially set the shooting condition desired by the user as the shooting condition of the image data generating apparatus.

In the image data generation device of the present invention,
Selecting means for selecting one reference photographing condition from the two or more reference photographing conditions;
The photographing condition setting unit may change the photographing condition of the image data generation device from the reference photographing condition having the highest priority to the selected reference photographing condition.

  According to the image data generation device of the present invention, even when the reference shooting condition with the highest priority is not the shooting condition intended by the user, the reference shooting condition desired by the user is selected and set as the shooting condition of the image data generation device. Can be set. Accordingly, it is possible to flexibly set shooting conditions set in the image data generation device from the reference shooting conditions.

In the image data generation device of the present invention,
The priority setting means may set the priority of the reference shooting condition having a high use count to a high level.

  According to the image data generation device of the present invention, it is possible to preferentially set reference shooting conditions that are frequently used as shooting conditions of the image data generation device.

In the image data generation device of the present invention,
The priority setting means may set a higher priority for the shooting conditions with the new date and time used.

  According to the image data generation device of the present invention, it is possible to preferentially set shooting conditions used in the near past as shooting conditions of the image data generation device.

In the image data generation device of the present invention,
Setting means for setting shooting conditions of the image data generation device;
Image data generating means for generating image data using the set shooting conditions;
Reference image data selection means for selecting the reference image data from the generated image data;
Subject selection means for selecting the target subject from subjects included in the selected reference image data;
The feature amount acquisition means acquires the feature amount of the target subject from target subject image data representing the selected target subject,
The reference imaging condition acquisition unit may acquire the imaging condition set by the setting unit as the reference imaging condition.

  According to the image data generation device of the present invention, it is possible to store a reference photographing condition reflecting the user's intention in association with the feature amount of the target subject. Therefore, the user can easily obtain a desired image by using the image data generation apparatus of the present invention.

An image data generation device according to the present invention,
A storage unit that stores the image data generated by the image data generation unit in association with the incidental information including the shooting conditions at the time of the image data generation;
The reference image data selection means selects reference image data from the stored image data,
The reference imaging condition acquisition unit may acquire the reference imaging condition from the incidental information associated with the reference image data.

  According to the image data generation device of the present invention, the feature amount of the target subject can be acquired from the image data generated and stored in the past by the image data generation device, and from the incidental information attached to the stored image data. Since the reference photographing condition can be acquired, the feature quantity of the target subject and the reference photographing condition can be associated and stored with a simple configuration.

  In the present invention, the various aspects described above can be applied by appropriately combining or omitting some of them. In addition to the configuration as the image data generation apparatus described above, the present invention provides an image data generation method by the image data generation apparatus, a computer program for causing the image data generation apparatus to generate image data, and a computer program for reading the computer program. It can also be configured as a recording medium capable of recording. In any configuration, the above-described aspects can be appropriately applied. As a computer-readable recording medium, various media such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, an IC card, and a hard disk can be used.

Explanatory drawing which illustrates schematic structure of the digital still camera in 1st Example. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of a digital still camera according to a first embodiment. 7 is a screen example showing a reference image represented by reference image data in the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing which illustrates the imaging condition table in 1st Example. Explanatory drawing which illustrates the imaging | photography mode table in 1st Example. 7 is a flowchart for explaining subject photographing condition storage processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a subject search method in the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing which illustrates subject search image data in the first example. 5 is a flowchart for explaining storage image data generation processing in the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing which illustrates the preservation | save image represented by the preservation | save image data in 1st Example. The example of a screen explaining selection of the object subject in the 2nd example. Explanatory drawing which illustrates the Exif information incidental to the reference image data in 2nd Example. It is an example of a screen which illustrates the photography condition selection screen in a modification. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the to-be-photographed object attribute table in a modification.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples with appropriate reference to the drawings.
A. First embodiment:
A1. System configuration:
With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a schematic configuration of a digital still camera as an image data generation apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1A is a front view of the digital still camera 10, and FIG. 1B is a rear view of the digital still camera 10. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the digital still camera 10 includes a release button 11, a lens 12, a card slot 13, a display panel 14, an operation unit 15, an OK button 16, a cancel button 17, and an imaging condition storage. A button 18 is provided. A memory card 30 serving as a storage destination of image data generated by the digital still camera 10 is inserted into the card slot 13.

  When the release button 11 is pressed after the shooting condition storage button 18 is pressed, the digital still camera 10 acquires the feature amount of the target subject selected by the user and the digital still camera 10 when the release button 11 is pressed. The shooting condition is acquired as the reference shooting condition, and the feature quantity of the target subject and the reference shooting condition are associated with each other and stored in the internal memory. In the first embodiment, the feature amount of the target subject and the reference shooting condition are collectively referred to as a subject shooting condition.

  The digital still camera 10 determines whether or not the target subject is included in the region to be captured using the above-described feature amount of the target subject and the reference shooting condition, and when the target subject is included, the reference shooting is performed. The shooting conditions such as the aperture and shutter speed are adjusted using the conditions, the shooting target area is shot, image data is generated, and stored in the memory card 30.

A2. Internal structure of digital still camera:
The circuit configuration of the digital still camera will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the digital still camera 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the digital still camera 10 includes a CPU 100, a buffer memory 110, a ROM 120, a signal processing circuit 101, a display control unit 102, an interface 103, a lens control circuit 105, an input reception unit 107, a distance detection circuit 108, and a SW. A signal input circuit 109 is provided. The ROM 120 also includes a feature amount acquisition module 121, a shooting condition storage module 122, a subject search module 123, a shooting condition setting module 124, an image processing module 125, and a shooting mode storage unit 126. Each circuit and memory are connected to and controlled by the CPU 100.

  The lens driving device 41 is a device that adjusts the position of the lens. The diaphragm blade 42 has a structure in which a plurality of thin black plates are combined so as to form a hole in the central portion, and changes the amount of light passing through the lens via the diaphragm blade 42, that is, the diaphragm value. The lens control circuit 105 adjusts the focal length from the center of the lens to the focal point by driving the lens driving device 41 based on an instruction from the CPU 100 to adjust the position of the lens, and is taken into the CCD via the lens. Focusing is performed on an imaging target within a range (hereinafter referred to as an imaging range in the first embodiment). Further, the lens control circuit 105 adjusts the aperture value by driving the aperture blade 42 based on an instruction from the CPU 100 to adjust the aperture diameter.

  The focal length detection device 36 detects a focal length that is a distance from the lens 12 to the focal point, and outputs a focal length information signal representing the focal length to the distance detection circuit 108. The distance detection circuit 108 acquires the focal length based on the focal length information signal input from the focal length detection device 36.

  The subject distance detection device 37 detects the subject distance from the lens 12 to the subject, and inputs a subject distance information signal representing the subject distance to the distance detection circuit 108. The distance detection circuit 108 also acquires the subject distance based on the subject distance information signal input from the subject distance detection device 37.

  The CCD 22 is an image pickup device including a plurality of light receiving elements corresponding to constituent pixels constituting image data, and R, G, and B color filters arranged according to a predetermined rule with respect to each light receiving element. In the CCD 22, each light that has passed through each color filter is converted into electric charge by each of the photodiodes that are light receiving elements, and is temporarily accumulated. The accumulated charges are transferred one after another and transferred to the signal processing circuit 101.

  The signal processing circuit 101 reads the input charge as an analog signal, converts the read analog signal into a digital signal (A / D conversion), and outputs frame image data.

  The display control unit 102 displays the frame image data output from the signal processing circuit 101 on the display panel 14.

  In the digital still camera 10 according to the first embodiment, various shooting modes such as an auto mode, a person shooting mode, a landscape shooting mode, a night view shooting mode, and the like can be set. The user selects a shooting mode via the operation unit 15, the OK button 16, and the cancel button 17, and the digital still camera 10 sets the shooting mode selected by the user in the digital still camera 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the digital still camera 10 is provided with mode switches mSW <b> 1 to mSW <b> 2. When the shooting mode is selected, the mode switch corresponding to the selected shooting mode is turned on and connected to the SW signal processing circuit 109. The SW signal processing circuit 109 transmits to the CPU 100 a switch signal SS representing a shooting mode corresponding to the connected mode switch. When receiving the switch signal SS, the CPU 100 acquires shooting conditions associated with each shooting mode from the shooting mode storage unit 126 and sets the acquired shooting conditions as shooting conditions of the digital still camera 10. The shooting conditions include, for example, an aperture value, a shutter speed, and a lens position.

  The digital still camera 10 is provided with a switch SW0 corresponding to the shooting condition storage button 18.

  When the photographing condition storage button 18 is pressed, the switch SW0 is turned on and connected to the SW signal input circuit 109. The switch signal input circuit 109 transmits a switch signal SS indicating that SW0 is turned on to the CPU 100.

  When the CPU 100 detects that the release button 11 is pushed down to the first position h1 after the switch SW0 is turned on by the switch signal SS and the switch SW1 is turned on, the CPU 100 outputs the signal. The frame image data represented by the digital signal is transferred to the feature amount acquisition module 121. Hereinafter, in the first embodiment, the frame image data transferred to the feature amount acquisition module 121 is referred to as reference image data.

  When receiving the reference image data, the feature amount acquisition module 121 analyzes the reference image data, extracts the target subject included in the reference image represented by the reference image data, and acquires the feature amount of the target subject. To do. The feature amount includes, for example, color information and shape of the subject.

  The imaging condition storage module 122 acquires the imaging conditions at the time of generating the reference image data from the digital still camera 10 and stores them in the imaging condition table in association with the feature amount of the target subject. The imaging condition table will be described later.

  When the release button 11 is pushed down to the first position h1, the switch SW1 is turned on and connected to the SW signal input circuit 109. When the release button 11 is pushed down to the second position h2, the switch SW2 is turned on and the switch SW1 is turned off, so that the switch SW2 and the SW signal input circuit 109 are connected. The SW signal input circuit 109 transmits to the CPU 100 a switch signal SS indicating which of the switch SW1 or the switch SW2 is connected.

  When the CPU 100 detects that the switch SW1 is turned on by the switch signal SS, the CPU 100 transfers the frame image data represented by the digital signal output from the signal processing circuit 101 to the subject search module 123. Hereinafter, in the first embodiment, the frame image data transferred to the subject search module 123 is referred to as subject search image data.

  When the subject search module 123 receives the subject search image data, the subject search module 123 analyzes the subject search image data, and the subject having the feature amount of the target subject is included in the subject search image represented by the subject search image data. That is, whether the target subject is included in the subject search image.

  When the subject search module 123 determines that the target subject is included in the subject search image, the shooting condition setting module 124 acquires a reference shooting condition associated with the target subject with reference to the shooting condition table. Then, the shooting conditions of the digital still camera 10 are set.

  The CPU 100 detects that the switch SW2 is turned on after the shooting conditions of the digital still camera 10 are set by the shooting condition setting module 124, that is, the release button 11 is pushed down to the second position h2. Then, shooting is performed according to the set shooting conditions, and the frame image data output from the signal processing circuit 101 is transferred to the image processing module 125.

  The image processing module 125 performs various image processing such as white balance and gradation reproduction on the transferred frame image data, generates storage image data, and generates storage image data via the interface 103. Is stored in the memory card 30.

A3. Subject shooting condition storage processing:
The subject photographing condition storage process will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a screen example illustrating the reference image represented by the reference image data in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the photographing condition table 300 in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the shooting mode table 350 stored in the shooting mode storage unit 126 in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining subject photographing condition storage processing in the first embodiment. The subject shooting condition storage process is executed by the CPU 100 by controlling the feature amount acquisition module 121 and the shooting condition storage module 122.

  The frame image data transferred from the signal processing circuit 101 is displayed on the display panel 14 via the display control unit 102. The user operates the operation unit 15 to align the selection frame 200 with the target subject that is a desired subject from among the subjects included in the frame image displayed on the display panel 14, and press the release button 11 to the first position. Press down to h1. The feature amount acquisition module 121 cuts out the subject area 210 surrounded by the selection frame 200 from the frame image data when the release button 11 is pressed down to the first position h1, and analyzes the subject area 210 to analyze the subject. The feature amount of the target subject included in the area 210 is acquired.

  The shooting condition storage module 122 acquires, as a reference shooting condition, a shooting condition set in the digital still camera 10 when the release button 11 is pressed down to the first position h1. When a certain shooting mode among the various shooting modes is selected, the shooting condition storage module 122 acquires the selected shooting mode as a reference shooting condition. When the auto mode is selected, the shooting condition storage module 122 sets the shooting conditions of the digital still camera 10 when the release button 11 is pushed down to the first position h1, such as ISO sensitivity, aperture, and shutter speed. Acquired as a reference shooting condition. The shooting condition storage module 122 associates the acquired reference shooting conditions with the feature quantities of the target subject acquired by the feature quantity acquisition module 121 and stores them in the shooting condition table 300.

  The imaging condition table 300 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the shooting condition table 300 includes the feature amount of the target subject, the reference shooting conditions, and the usage status. In the first embodiment, the subject feature amount, the reference shooting condition, and the usage status are collectively referred to as a subject shooting condition.

  The feature amount represents the feature amount of each target subject. The average Y of the feature amount represents the average value of the luminance of the target subject, and the average Cb and the average Cr represent the color difference of the target subject. In addition, the feature amount may include edge information of the target subject, relative positional relationship of each face part such as eyes, nose, and mouth. The reference shooting condition represents the shooting condition set in the digital still camera 10 when the feature amount of each target subject is acquired. The usage status represents the usage status of each reference photographing condition. “Number of shots” indicates the number of shots taken using each reference shooting condition, and “Last shooting date / time” indicates the closest past date / time when each reference shooting condition was used.

  By the way, even for the same subject, the feature amounts, for example, average Y, average Cr, and average Cb differ depending on the shooting environment. This is because, for example, the acquired feature amount is different between when the same person is photographed in daylight on a clear day and when photographed under sunset light. For this reason, in the first embodiment, even if the subject is actually the same, if the feature amount is significantly different, it is determined as another subject. This is because the shooting environment is reflected in the feature amount, and it is preferable in terms of operation to associate the shooting condition shot under the reflected shooting environment with the feature amount. For example, even if the subject is the same, even if you set the shooting conditions when shooting in daylight on a clear day and shoot the subject under sunset light, the exposure may not be appropriate. Because there is a possibility.

As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the average Y, the average Cb, and the average Cr of the feature amounts of the target subject D are as follows.
Average Y: Y4
Average Cb: Cb4
Average Cr: Cr4

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the reference photographing conditions of the target subject D are as follows, for example.
Aperture value: F2.8
ISO sensitivity: 50
The shooting conditions may include focal length, flash on / off, white balance, and the like. In the first embodiment, the aperture value and the shutter speed have a correlation, and when one is determined, the other is determined. Therefore, the reference photographing condition includes only one of the values.

  Since detailed shooting conditions corresponding to each shooting mode are stored in the shooting mode storage unit 126 in advance, the shooting mode storage module 122 sets the shooting mode in the digital still camera 10 when the feature amount of the target subject is acquired. In this case, only the shooting mode is stored as the reference shooting condition. For example, in the reference shooting condition of the target subject D, “landscape” is stored as the shooting mode, and other shooting conditions (aperture value, shutter speed, etc.) are not stored.

  The shooting mode table 350 stored in the shooting mode storage unit 126 will be described with reference to FIG. In the shooting mode table 350, detailed shooting conditions are set for each shooting mode. For example, when the photographing mode is “portrait”, the aperture value is “F2.8”, the shutter speed is “1/250”, the focal length is “50 mm”, and the ISO sensitivity is “50”. When the shooting mode is stored in the reference shooting condition, the detailed shooting condition stored in the shooting mode storage unit 126 becomes the reference shooting condition associated with the feature amount.

  The subject photographing condition storage process will be described with reference to FIG. The subject shooting condition storage process is executed by the CPU 100 controlling the feature amount acquisition module 121 and the shooting condition storage module 122.

  When detecting that the photographing condition storage button 18 is pressed (step S10), the CPU 100 displays the selection frame 200 on the frame image displayed on the display panel 14 (step S11). The user operates the operation unit 15 to move the selection frame 200 to the position of the target subject.

  When the CPU 100 detects that the release button 11 is pressed down to the first position h1 after the shooting condition storage button 18 is pressed (step S12), the shooting condition of the selected shooting mode is set as the shooting condition of the digital still camera 10. The frame image data when the release button 11 is pressed is acquired as reference image data (step S13). In the acquired reference image data, the CPU 100 cuts out the subject area selected by the selection frame 200 (step S14), analyzes the cut out subject area, and acquires the feature amount of the target subject included in the subject area. (Step S15).

  The CPU 100 acquires the feature amount of the target subject and also acquires the reference shooting conditions set in the digital still camera 10 when the release button 11 is pressed (step S16). The CPU 100 associates the acquired feature amount of the target subject and the reference shooting condition and stores them in the shooting condition table 300 (step S17).

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, the digital still camera 10 stores the feature amount of the target subject and the reference photographing condition in association with each other.

A4. Subject search processing:
The subject search process in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for schematically explaining the subject searching method in the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating object search image data in the first embodiment. The subject search process is executed by the subject search module 123.

  When the release button 11 is pressed down to the first position h1 in a state where the “favorite mode” is selected from the plurality of shooting modes, the CPU 100 uses the frame image when the release button 11 is pressed as the subject search image data 250. And transferred to the subject search module 123. Upon receiving the subject search image data 250, the subject search module 123 starts subject search processing.

  The subject search module 123 specifies the position of each pixel in the subject search image data 250 using the coordinates. As shown in FIG. 7, the horizontal direction is the x-axis and the vertical direction is the y-axis with reference to the upper left pixel D11 of the subject search image data 250. For example, the coordinates of the pixel D11 are D11 (x1, y1), and every time one pixel moves in the x-axis direction in the figure, the values of the x coordinates are D21 (x2, y1), D31 (x3, y1). Increase by one. Similarly, every time one pixel is moved in the y-axis direction from D11 (x1, y1), the values of D12 (x1, y2), D13 (x1, y3).

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, the subject search module 123 determines, as the search window 251, a rectangle in which a straight line including the pixel D 11 (x1, y1) and the pixel Dab (xa, ya) is a diagonal line. The subject search module 123 superimposes a search window 251 on the subject search image data 250 and cuts out an area included in the search window 251 as a search area 253. The subject search module 123 analyzes the clipped search area 253 and determines whether the search area 253 includes a target subject having a feature amount included in the imaging condition table 300. In the first embodiment, the subject search module 123 sequentially moves the search window 251 from the initial position (upper left in FIG. 7) where the pixel D11 of the subject search image data 250 is included, as indicated by a solid arrow A. The search area 253 is cut out by moving.

  In the first embodiment, the search window 251 is moved in parallel by 100 pixels in the x-axis direction, and when the search for the target subject is completed in the x-axis direction, the search window 251 is moved by 50 pixels in the y-axis direction from the initial position. From the position, it is again moved in parallel in the x-axis direction by 100 pixels. In this manner, the subject search module 123 sequentially extracts the search area 253 from the subject search image data 250 and searches for the target subject. If the target subject is not searched even after searching the subject search image data 250 using the search window 251, the subject search module 123 enlarges / reduces the size of the search window 251 and searches again. You can go. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the target subject may be searched using a search window 252 having a size larger than that of the search window 251. In many cases, the size of the target subject included in the subject search image is not constant, but by extracting the search area by changing the size of the search window, the accuracy of the target subject search can be improved.

  The subject search module 123 searches for the target subject as described above, and when the target subject is detected, acquires the position of the target subject D in the subject search image data 270. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the subject search module 123, when detecting the target subject, the upper left pixel Dpq (xp, yq) in the search window 271 and the lower right pixel Drs (xr) in the drawing. , Ys) is acquired as position information of the subject. The subject search module 123 stores the acquired position information of the target subject in the buffer memory 110.

A5. Image data generation processing for storage:
The storage image data generation process will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining storage image data generation processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a storage image represented by storage image data in the first embodiment. The CPU 100 controls each module and executes storage image data generation processing. When the release button 11 is pressed down to the first position h1 in a state where the “favorite mode” is selected from the plurality of shooting modes, the CPU 100 starts the storage image data generation process.

  When the CPU 100 detects that the release button 11 is pressed down to the first position h1 in a state where the “favorite mode” is selected from a plurality of shooting modes (step S20), the CPU 100 acquires subject search image data. (Step S21). A target subject detection process is performed (step S22).

  The CPU 100 determines whether or not the target subject has been detected (step S23), and when the target subject has been detected (step S23: YES), acquires the position information of the target subject in the subject search image data (step S25). ).

  When the target subject is not detected (step S23: NO), the CPU 100 changes the size of the search window (step S24) and repeats the target subject detection process (step S22).

  The CPU 100 refers to the shooting condition table 300 (step S26), and determines whether there are two or more reference shooting conditions associated with the searched feature quantity of the target subject (step S27). When there are two or more reference photographing conditions associated with the searched feature quantity of the target subject (step S27: YES), the CPU 100 acquires a reference photographing condition having a high priority (step S28).

  In the first embodiment, a plurality of reference photographing conditions can be set for target subjects having the same feature amount. Each reference shooting condition is associated with the use status of each reference shooting condition, and the CPU 100 determines the priority of the reference shooting condition according to the use status. In the first embodiment, the higher the priority is, the higher the reference shooting condition is in the usage situation. For example, as shown in the shooting condition table 300 of FIG. 4, two patterns of reference shooting conditions are set for the target subject A. Of the two patterns of reference shooting conditions associated with the target subject A, the number of shots The priority is high for the reference shooting conditions with many images (reference shooting conditions with 30 shots). Therefore, the CPU 100 determines that the reference shooting condition where the number of shots is 30 is a shooting condition suitable for the target subject, and acquires the reference shooting condition.

  If there is one reference shooting condition associated with the feature quantity of the searched target subject (step S27: NO), the CPU 100 determines that the reference shooting condition is a shooting condition suitable for the target subject, and determines the shooting condition. Obtain (step S29).

The CPU 100 sets the acquired reference shooting condition as the shooting condition of the digital still camera 10 (step S30). Next, the CPU 100 adjusts the focal length and the aperture using the position information of the target subject acquired in step S25 and the subject distance obtained from the subject distance detection device 37, and the image within the angle of view of the digital still camera 10 is obtained. Is focused on the target subject included in (step S31).

  When the CPU 100 detects that the release button 11 has been pushed down to the second position h2 after performing the focusing in step S31 (step S32), the photographing of the digital still camera 10 set in step S30 and step S31 is performed. Shooting is performed under conditions, and image data for storage is generated (step S33). The CPU 100 stores the generated storage image data in the memory card 30 (step S34).

  The storage image represented by the storage image data generated in this way will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the target subject D that is in focus is represented by a thick line, and the other subjects B and E that are not in focus are represented by a broken line. The image for storage 400 is focused on the searched target subject D, and the reference shooting conditions associated with the feature amount of the target subject D, that is, the shooting conditions that the user considers suitable for the target subject D. This is an image taken in In this way, by setting the shooting conditions desired by the user for the target subject D and focusing on the target subject D, the outline of the target subject D is clearly displayed and suitable for the target subject D. Pictures are taken with exposure or white balance.

  Note that the subject shooting condition storage process and the storage image data generation process of the first embodiment do not have to be performed continuously, and the user performs the subject shooting condition storage process to change the subject shooting condition when necessary. Store in the digital still camera 10. In this way, by previously storing the subject shooting conditions of the subject to be frequently shot in the digital still camera 10, the user can always set the shooting conditions that the user determines to be suitable for the desired target subject. The digital still camera 10 can be easily set to shoot.

  According to the digital still camera 10 of the first embodiment described above, the feature amount and the reference shooting condition of the target subject that the user frequently shoots are stored, and the target subject is detected when the target subject exists within the angle of view. The associated reference shooting condition can be set as the shooting condition of the digital still camera 10. Accordingly, since shooting conditions suitable for the target subject that the user frequently shoots can be set preferentially, the shooting conditions can be automatically set according to the target subject, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

  Further, according to the digital still camera 10 of the first embodiment, the reference photographing condition can be set to the photographing condition of the digital still camera 10 and the target subject can be focused. Since the subject distance when the reference studio conditions are acquired and the subject distance of the target subject included in the angle of view are often different, the focal length and aperture value suitable for the target subject included in the angle of view are set again. By doing so, not only the adjustment of exposure and white balance but also the depth of field suitable for the target subject can be obtained, and the user can easily obtain an image with good image quality under desired shooting conditions.

  Further, according to the digital still camera 10 of the first embodiment, since the priority of the reference shooting conditions with a large number of shots is set high, when a plurality of reference shooting conditions are associated with one target subject. In addition, the frequently used reference shooting condition can be set as the shooting condition of the digital still camera 10.

  Further, according to the digital still camera 10 of the first embodiment, the feature amount of the target subject selected by the user and the reference shooting condition are stored when the shooting condition storage button 18 is pressed. Therefore, the user can easily store the subject shooting conditions of the target subject to be frequently shot in the digital still camera 10, and thus the convenience for the user can be improved.

B. Second embodiment:
In the first embodiment, when the photographing condition storage button 18 is pressed on the digital still camera 10 and the release button 11 is pushed down to the first position h1, the subject photographing condition is acquired and stored. In the second embodiment, image data captured and stored in the past by the digital still camera 10 is acquired as reference image data, the feature amount of the target subject selected by the user is acquired from the reference image data, and From the Exif information incidental to the reference image data, the shooting condition set in the digital still camera 10 when the reference image data is generated is acquired as the reference shooting condition. The digital still camera 10 stores the acquired reference shooting condition and the feature amount of the target subject in the shooting condition table 300 in association with each other.

B1. Subject shooting condition storage processing:
Acquisition of the reference shooting condition of the target subject in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is an example of a screen for explaining the selection of the target subject in the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating Exif information incidental to the reference image data in the second embodiment.

  Image data taken in the past by the digital still camera 10 is stored in the memory card 30. The user selects reference image data from the image data stored in the memory card 30. The digital still camera 10 displays the selected reference image data on the display panel 14 and displays a selection frame 200 for selecting the target subject on the display panel 14 so as to overlap the reference image data.

  The user operates the operation unit 15 to enlarge / reduce and move the selection frame 200 so that a desired target subject is included, and presses the OK button 16.

  When the digital still camera 10 detects that the OK button 16 has been pressed, the digital still camera 10 cuts out and analyzes a subject area 210 (indicated by hatching in FIG. 11) surrounded by the selection frame 200 and analyzes the feature amount of the target subject F. get. Further, the digital still camera 10 refers to the Exif information incidental to the reference image data, and acquires the shooting conditions when generating the reference image data.

  Exif information of reference image data will be described with reference to FIG. In the Exif information 21, shooting conditions set in the digital still camera 10 when the reference image data is generated are recorded. As shown in FIG. 12, the Exif information 21 includes information related to the image file 20 such as “image title” and “shooting date / time”, as well as various shooting conditions when shooting the image file 20, such as “color space information” “ISO sensitivity”, “shutter speed”, “focal length”, and “aperture value” are included. For example, the aperture value when generating the reference image data is “F3.6”, and the ISO sensitivity is “100”.

  The digital still camera 10 acquires the shooting condition included in the Exif information 21 as the reference shooting condition, and stores it in the shooting condition table 300 in association with the feature amount of the subject F.

  According to the digital still camera 10 of the second embodiment, the feature amount and shooting conditions of the target subject can be easily acquired from the images shot by the digital still camera 10 in the past. Therefore, according to the digital still camera 10, the shooting conditions when the target subject was shot in the past can be easily reproduced, and an image desired by the user can be generated.

C. Variations:
(1) In the first embodiment described above, when a plurality of shooting conditions are associated with one target subject, a reference shooting condition with a high priority, that is, a reference shooting condition with a large number of shots is set in the digital still camera 10. The shooting conditions are set. In the present modification, when a plurality of shooting conditions are associated with the target subject, a reference shooting condition with a high priority is set in the digital still camera 10 and another reference shooting condition can be selected by the user.

  With reference to FIG. 13, the selection of the reference photographing condition will be described. FIG. 13 is a screen example illustrating a shooting condition selection screen in the present modification. As shown in FIG. 13, on the shooting condition selection screen displayed on the display panel 14, a message MSG prompting the user to select one of the reference shooting conditions from a plurality of reference shooting conditions associated with the target subject. And a selection unit 500 including a plurality of selectable reference photographing conditions.

  The user operates the operation unit 15, the OK button 16, and the cancel button 17 to select desired reference shooting conditions. The digital still camera 10 sets the reference shooting condition selected by the user as the shooting condition of the digital still camera 10.

  According to this modification, even when a plurality of reference shooting conditions are associated with the target subject, the user can flexibly select a desired reference shooting condition.

(2) In the first embodiment described above, the case where only one target subject is included in the subject search image has been described. In the present modification, a description will be given of which reference shooting condition associated with which target subject is set as the shooting condition of the digital still camera 10 when the subject search image includes a plurality of target subjects.

  The subjects include subjects that the user frequently desires to shoot and subjects that do not frequently want to shoot. For example, a subject whose attribute is a person is likely to be frequently shot, and a subject whose attribute is a mountain is unlikely to be frequently shot. In other words, it is possible to define the high possibility of being frequently performed according to the attribute of the subject. In this modification, the high possibility of frequent shooting is referred to as the importance of the subject, and the importance is determined in advance for each attribute of the subject. The importance of each subject attribute is included in the subject attribute table 128.

  The subject attribute table 128 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the subject attribute table 128 in the present modification. The subject attribute table 128 is stored in advance in the ROM 120. As shown in FIG. 14, the subject attribute table 128 includes subject attributes and importance levels. The importance is associated with the subject attribute. For example, when the subject attribute is “person”, the subject is likely to be the main subject and the importance is determined as “5”. When the subject attribute is “mountain”, the subject is set as the main subject. Although the possibility is low, the possibility of being used as a background is high, and the importance is determined to be “0.5”.

  The digital still camera 10 acquires the feature amount of the target subject, determines the attribute of the target subject based on the acquired feature amount, and stores the attribute in the imaging condition table 300 in association with the feature amount. When a plurality of target subjects are searched in the storage image data generation process, the digital still camera 10 refers to the subject attribute table 128 and sets the reference shooting condition associated with the target subject having high importance to the digital still camera. Ten shooting conditions may be set.

  According to this modification, even when a plurality of target subjects are searched for in one subject search image, the reference shooting conditions can be set according to the predetermined importance, so that the user can be made with high accuracy. The image data for storage can be generated under the desired shooting conditions.

(3) In the first embodiment described above, when a plurality of reference shooting conditions are associated with one target subject, the priority of the reference shooting conditions is set higher in descending order of the number of shots. In this modification, the priority of the reference shooting condition may be set according to the “most recent shooting date” shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when two reference shooting conditions are associated with the same target subject A, the past reference shooting conditions with the closest “most recent shooting date and time” (in FIG. "Reference shooting conditions of" 2005.8.3 16:13 ") may be set in the digital still camera 10.

  Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and can take various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Digital still camera 11 ... Release button 12 ... Lens 13 ... Card slot 14 ... Display panel 15 ... Operation part 16 ... OK button 17 ... Cancel button 18 ... Shooting condition storage button 20 ... Image file 30 ... Memory card 36 ... Focal length Detection device 37 ... Subject distance detection device 41 ... Lens driving device 43 ... Aperture blade 100 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Signal processing circuit 102 ... Display control part 103 ... Interface 105 ... Lens control circuit 107 ... Input reception part 108 ... Distance detection circuit 109 ... Switch signal input circuit 110 ... Buffer memory 120 ... ROM
121 ... Feature value acquisition module 122 ... Shooting condition storage module 123 ... Subject search module 124 ... Shooting condition setting module 125 ... Image processing module 126 ... Shooting mode storage unit 128 ... Subject attribute table 200 ... Selection frame 210 ... Subject area 250 ... Subject Search image data 251 ... Search window 252 ... Search window 253 ... Search area 270 ... Subject search image data 300 ... Shooting condition table 350 ... Shooting mode table 400 ... Storage image 450 ... Exif information 500 ... Selection unit

Claims (9)

An image data generation device,
Feature amount acquisition means for acquiring a feature amount of the target subject from reference image data including the target subject;
Reference imaging condition acquisition means for acquiring a reference imaging condition that is an imaging condition when generating the reference image data;
Storage means for storing the feature quantity and the reference photographing condition in association with each other;
Generating means for generating subject search image data;
Determination means for determining whether the target subject is included in the subject search image data using the feature amount;
Shooting condition setting means for setting the reference shooting condition associated with the feature quantity of the target subject as the shooting condition of the image data generation device when the target search is included in the subject search image data;
An image data generation apparatus comprising: a storage image data generation unit that captures a target subject using the set shooting conditions and generates storage image data. The image data generation device according to claim 1,
The reference photographing condition includes a focusing condition for focusing on the target subject included in the reference image data,
The imaging condition setting means sets the focusing condition of the imaging condition of the image data generation device so as to focus on the target subject included in the imaging range of the image data generation device. . The image data generation device according to claim 1 or 2,
2 or more of the reference photographing conditions are associated with the feature amount of the target subject of 1;
The image data generation device further includes:
Priority setting means for setting a priority for each reference shooting condition according to the usage status of each reference shooting condition;
The imaging condition setting unit is an image data generation device that sets the reference imaging condition having the highest priority as the imaging condition of the image data generation device. The image data generation device according to claim 3, further comprising:
Selecting means for selecting one reference photographing condition from the two or more reference photographing conditions;
The image capturing condition setting unit changes an image capturing condition of the image data generating apparatus from the reference capturing condition having the highest priority to the selected reference capturing condition. The image data generation device according to claim 3 or 4,
The priority setting means is an image data generation device that sets a high priority for shooting conditions that are frequently used. The image data generation device according to claim 3 or 4,
The priority setting means is an image data generation device that sets a higher priority for a shooting condition with a new used date and time. The image data generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:
Setting means for setting shooting conditions of the image data generation device;
Image data generating means for generating image data using the photographing conditions set by the setting means;
Reference image data selection means for selecting the reference image data from the generated image data;
Subject selection means for selecting the target subject from subjects included in the selected reference image data;
The feature amount acquisition means acquires the feature amount of the target subject from target subject image data representing the selected target subject,
The reference photographing condition acquisition unit is an image data generation device that acquires the photographing condition set by the setting unit as the reference photographing condition. The image data generation device according to claim 7, further comprising:
A storage unit that stores the image data generated by the image data generation unit in association with the incidental information including the shooting conditions at the time of the image data generation;
The reference image data selection means selects reference image data from the stored image data,
The reference photographing condition acquisition unit is an image data generation device that acquires the reference photographing condition from the incidental information associated with the reference image data. An image data generation method executed by an image data generation device,
From the reference image data including the target subject, the feature amount of the target subject is acquired,
Obtaining a reference photographing condition which is a photographing condition at the time of generating the reference image data;
Storing the feature quantity and the reference shooting condition in association with each other;
Generate image data for subject search,
Using the feature amount, determine whether the target subject is included in the subject search image data,
When the target subject is included in the subject search image data, the reference photographing condition associated with the feature amount of the target subject is set as the photographing condition of the image data generation device;
An image data generation method of capturing a target subject using the set shooting conditions and generating storage image data.

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