JP2012034018A - Photographing apparatus and display method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing apparatus and a display method which are capable of intuitively understanding a subject frequently photographed by a user and knowing the entire tendency of the photographing.SOLUTION: An image data of a subject image is obtained and the subject image is displayed as a live view on the basis of the image data (S13). The subject image is subjected to image recognition of a plurality of types (S15) and photographing frequency of the same type is determined (S19-S33) according to the result of the image recognition and an icon is displayed superimposed on the live view display according to the photographing frequency (S45).

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus and a display method, and more specifically, a photographing apparatus capable of acquiring a still image, recognizing a subject of a photographed still image, and displaying an icon according to the frequency of the photographed subject. It relates to the display method.

  Some recent photographing apparatuses such as digital cameras not only photograph a subject but also devise a way for users to enjoy photographing. For example, the imaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1 discloses that scoring is performed on a captured image.

JP 2005-39541 A

  By using the photographing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the user can obtain information on the quality of the photographed image, and can enjoy photographing so as to obtain a higher score. However, in the imaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is only information for one frame that has been shot, not information for multiple shots. That is, in the conventional photographing apparatus, it is not possible to enjoy photographing through information according to the overall tendency of plural times of photographing.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an imaging apparatus and display capable of intuitively understanding a subject that is frequently photographed by a user and knowing the overall tendency of imaging. It aims to provide a method.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to a first invention includes an imaging unit that outputs image data, a display unit that displays the image data, and a recognition unit that can recognize a plurality of types of subjects from the image data. A counter unit that stores a count value corresponding to each of the plurality of types of subjects, an icon storage unit that stores an icon imitating the growth stage of each of the plurality of types of subjects, and a subject that controls the imaging unit When the subject is recognized by the recognition unit when the still image is acquired, the count value of the count unit corresponding to the recognized subject type is increased, and the maximum count stored in the count unit is obtained. A control unit that determines a type of a subject corresponding to the value, reads an icon of a growth stage corresponding to the count value from the icon storage unit, and displays the icon on the display unit; Having.

The imaging device according to a second invention is the imaging device according to the first invention, wherein the control unit displays the icon corresponding to the count value when the imaging device is activated or when the still image is acquired. Read from the storage unit and display on the display unit.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first invention, the control unit is configured such that when the photographing apparatus is stopped, the count value stored in the counting unit is a count value when the photographing apparatus is started. When it is detected that there is no increase compared to, the count value is decreased.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the invention, when the control unit detects that the photographing condition is appropriate when acquiring the still image, the control unit counts up. Increase the number of counts by operation.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the invention, the recognition unit recognizes at least a human face.

  A display method according to a sixth aspect of the invention acquires image data of a subject image, performs live view display of the subject image based on the image data, performs image recognition on the subject image in a plurality of types, and results of the image recognition Accordingly, the same type of imaging frequency is obtained, and an icon is superimposed on the live view display in accordance with the imaging frequency.

  According to the present invention, by displaying an icon that grows in accordance with the shooting frequency of the subject, it is possible to intuitively understand a subject that is frequently shot by the user and to know an overall tendency of shooting. Possible imaging devices and display methods can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure mainly having the electric system of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is the external appearance perspective view seen from the back side of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the power activation of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of imaging | photography of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the camera according to an embodiment of the present invention is turned off. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the icon display of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the modification of the operation | movement at the time of imaging | photography of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment will be described using a camera to which the present invention is applied according to the drawings. A camera according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a digital camera, and includes an imaging unit. The imaging unit converts the subject image into image data. Based on the converted image data, the subject image is converted to the main body. Live view is displayed on the display unit on the back. The photographer determines the composition and shooting timing by observing the live view display. At the time of shooting, still image data is recorded on a recording medium. In addition, the subject is recognized at the time of shooting, and icons representing the person and the animal are gradually grown and displayed according to the frequency of shooting the person and the animal.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration mainly including an electric system of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. The photographing lens 216 includes a plurality of optical lenses for forming a subject image, and is driven by a focus and zoom mechanism 218 for focus adjustment and zooming. An aperture 220, a shutter 224, and an image sensor 214 are disposed on the optical path of the photographing lens 216.

  The diaphragm 220 adjusts the amount of the subject light flux that has passed through the photographic lens 216, and the aperture amount of the diaphragm 220 is driven and controlled by the diaphragm driving mechanism 222. The shutter 214 opens and closes the subject light flux that has passed through the photographing lens 216, and the shutter opening time (shutter speed) is controlled by the shutter driving mechanism 226.

  The image sensor 214 photoelectrically converts a subject image formed by the photographing lens 216 and outputs an image signal. Needless to say, a two-dimensional solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) can be used as the image sensor 214.

  The image sensor 214 is connected to an image sensor interface (hereinafter referred to as “image sensor IF”) circuit 212. The image sensor IF circuit 212 reads an image signal from the image sensor 214, performs various processes such as amplification, and outputs the image signal to the system controller 100.

  The focus and zoom mechanism 218, the aperture drive mechanism 222, the shutter drive mechanism 226, the image sensor IF circuit 212, and the image sensor displacement mechanism 228 are connected to the system controller 100. The system controller 100 includes a hardware circuit for performing various processes and a CPU 110 that operates according to a program, and controls the entire camera. In the system controller 100, a central processing unit (CPU) 110, an image processing circuit 122, a compression / decompression circuit 124, an AF control circuit 126, an AE control circuit 128, an AD converter 130, a timer counter 132, an image A recognition circuit 140 is provided.

  The CPU 110 controls the entire camera according to a program stored in the flash memory 340. The AD converter 130 receives a detection signal output from an image signal output from the image sensor IF circuit 212, and AD converts these signals.

  The image processing circuit 122 performs digital amplification (digital gain adjustment processing), color correction, gamma (γ) correction, contrast correction, monochrome / color mode processing, live view on the image data AD-converted by the AD converter 130. Various image processing such as display processing is performed.

  The compression / decompression circuit 124 compresses image data temporarily stored in an SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) 350, which will be described later, using the JPEG method, the TIFF method, or the like. The image compression is not limited to the JPEG method or the TIFF method, and other compression methods can be applied.

  The AF control circuit 126 is an automatic focus control circuit, extracts a high frequency component in the image data based on the output from the image sensor 214, and the photographing lens 216 by the focus and zoom mechanism 218 so that the high frequency component becomes a peak. Controls the focus position. The AE control circuit 128 is an automatic exposure control circuit that detects subject brightness based on image data and controls the aperture value, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and the like so as to achieve proper exposure using the subject brightness. Do.

  The timer counter 132 performs a time counting operation and a counting operation. Further, the image recognition circuit 140 determines whether a person exists in the subject image and whether an animal exists based on the image data. The determination is performed by recognizing the face of a person or animal.

  In addition to the focus and zoom mechanism 218 described above, the system controller 100 is connected to a clock circuit 280, a display element driving circuit 312, a touch panel driving circuit 322, a socket 332, a flash memory 340, an SDRAM 350, and an operation switch 380. .

  The clock circuit 280 outputs date / time information to the system controller 100. The display element 314 is disposed on the back surface of the camera or the like, and has a display monitor such as an LCD (liquid crystal) panel or an organic EL panel.

  The display element driving circuit 312 is connected to the display element 314 and displays an image on the display element 314 based on a signal from the system controller 100. In the present embodiment, the display element 314 displays live view display, quick view and playback display of recorded still images and moving images, and control images such as a menu screen. Further, as will be described later, icons of persons and animals are displayed according to the shooting frequency.

  A touch panel 324 is disposed in front of the display element 314 or integrally with the display element 314. The touch panel 324 is connected to the touch panel drive circuit 322, and when the user touches the surface of the display element 314, the touch panel drive circuit 322 detects the touch position and the like and outputs it to the system controller 100.

  The memory card 334 is a recording medium for recording still image and moving image image data acquired by the image sensor 214, and is detachable from the socket 332. When the memory card 334 is inserted into the socket 332, image data can be written to and read from the memory card 334.

  The flash memory 340 is an electrically writable nonvolatile memory, and stores a program for controlling the camera as described above. In addition to the program, data such as various adjustment values is stored. Further, in the flash memory 340, an area for storing a person shooting count number for counting a value according to a person shooting frequency, and an animal shooting count number for counting a value according to an animal shooting frequency are stored. A memory area is provided.

  In the flash memory 340, an area for storing image data for a baby person icon, an adult person icon, and an elderly person icon to be displayed in accordance with a person's shooting frequency is provided. Similarly, an area for storing image data for a puppy animal icon, an adult dog animal icon, and an old dog animal icon to be displayed in accordance with the shooting frequency of the animal is provided.

  The SDRAM 350 is an electrically writable volatile memory, and temporarily stores image data based on the image signal acquired by the image sensor 214. Further, the SDRAM 350 has a work area, and this work area temporarily stores a person photographing count number and an animal photographing count number. That is, the number of times the person or animal was shot before the power was turned on is temporarily stored every time the camera is turned on and the person or animal is shot.

  The operation switch 380 is an operation member for the user to instruct various operations to the camera. The operation switch 380 includes various operation members such as a release switch, a mode dial, a cross key, a confirmation key, and a power switch.

  Next, the appearance of the camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an external view as seen from the back side, and a display element 314 is arranged at the approximate center of the back side of the camera. As described above, the display element 314 has a display monitor such as an LCD (liquid crystal) panel or an organic EL panel, and displays a live view display or the like.

  Further, when live view display is performed on the display element 314, an icon 314a is displayed on the screen. Image data of person icons and animal icons stored in the flash memory 340 is read and displayed as an icon 314a. The icon 314a is not limited to the upper right as shown in FIG. 2, but may be any one of the four corners of the display panel such as the lower right, the upper left, and the lower left.

  Next, the operation of the camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. These operations are executed by the CPU 110 in accordance with a program stored in the flash memory 340.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation at the time of power activation. This flow starts when the power switch in the operation switch 380 is turned on. When the flow at the time of power activation starts, first, an initial operation is performed (S1). Here, various flags in the program are reset, and the electric circuit and mechanical configuration are initialized. Also, image data is acquired from the image sensor 214 at a predetermined frame rate, and live view display for displaying the subject image as a moving image on the display element 314 is started.

  Once the initial operation has been performed, icon display is then performed (S3). Here, the person photographing count number and the animal photographing count number stored in the area in the flash memory 340 are read, and the icon 314a is displayed on the display element 314 according to the read count number. The icon 314a has a design in which a baby or a puppy is imaged when the count number is small, and a grown figure is imaged as the count number increases. Detailed operation of this icon display will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Once the icon is displayed, the current person photographing count number and animal photographing count number are stored in the work area in the SDRAM 350 (S5). In the present embodiment, when the power is turned off, the person photographing count number and the animal photographing count number until that time are stored in the flash memory 340. Is temporarily stored in the work area in the SDRAM 350. When the person photographing count number and the animal photographing count number are stored in the work area, the flow at the time of power activation is terminated, and the flow at the time of photographing shown in FIG. 4 is started.

  As described above, in the flow at power-on, the icon 314a is displayed based on the person photographing count number and the animal photographing count number stored in the flash memory 340. For this reason, when the camera is turned on, the photographer can know what kind of subject has been photographed with the seed and how often it has been photographed by looking at the icon 314a. it can.

  Next, the operation at the time of shooting will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. When the flow for photographing is entered, first, the display panel is turned on, the operation of the display element 314 is started (S11), the operation of the imaging element is started, and the live view operation is started (S13). Here, the display element 314 provided on the back surface of the camera or the like is turned on, and live view display is performed in which the subject image is displayed as a moving image on the display element 314 based on the image signal from the imaging element 214. In addition, when the photographing is started as it is after the power is turned on, the display element 314 is kept on and the live view operation is continued. If no operation is performed for a predetermined time after the power is turned on, the sleep mode is entered. When the operation switch 380 is operated during the sleep mode and the flow for photographing is entered, the live view is performed in steps S11 and S13. Operation resumes.

  Once the live view operation is performed, the operation of the image recognition circuit 140 starts (S15). Here, based on the image signal from the image sensor 214, the image recognition circuit 140 performs face recognition as to whether the subject image includes a human face or an animal face.

  Once the face recognition operation is performed by the image recognition circuit, it is next determined whether or not the release switch is turned on (S17). When taking a still image, the photographer presses the release button, and thereby a release switch which is one of the operation switches 380 is turned on. If the result of this determination is that the release switch is not on, processing returns to step S13 to continue the live view operation and repeat the face recognition operation by the image recognition circuit.

  On the other hand, if the release switch is turned on as a result of the determination in step S17, still image capturing and recording operations are executed in step S19 and subsequent steps. First, it is determined whether or not a person's face has been recognized (S19). Here, the determination is made based on the recognition result of the face of the person immediately before the shooting performed in step S15.

  If the result of determination in step S19 is that a person's face has been recognized, the person shooting count is counted up (S21). Here, a predetermined number is increased with respect to the person photographing count stored in the work area of the SDRAM 350. The predetermined number is not limited to +1, and may be +2 or +3, and is appropriately determined as a design value.

  If the count-up is performed in step S21 or if the result of determination in step S19 is that a person's face has not been recognized, it is next determined whether or not an animal's face has been recognized (S31). Here, the determination is made based on the recognition result of the animal's face immediately before the photographing performed in step S15.

  If the result of determination in step S31 is that an animal face has been recognized, the animal shooting count is incremented (S33). Here, the predetermined number is increased with respect to the animal photographing count stored in the work area of the SDRAM 350. The predetermined number is appropriately determined as a design value, but may be the same as or different from the case of the person photographing count.

  If the count-up is performed in step S33 or if the result of determination in step S31 is that the animal's face is not recognized, image data is acquired from the image sensor 214 (S41). Here, based on the image signal output from the image sensor 214, the image data processed by the image processing circuit 122 is acquired.

  Once the image data is acquired, an image file is generated from the acquired image and stored (S43). Here, the acquired image data is compressed by the compression / decompression circuit 124 to obtain an image file of jpeg image data. The image compression may be a compression method other than jpeg, or raw data that is not compressed. When the image file is generated, the image file is stored in the memory card 334.

  Once the image file is stored, an icon is displayed (S45). Since the icon 314a changes little by little according to the frequency of shooting, the icon 314a is displayed on the display element 314 after the shooting is completed. Detailed operation of this icon display will be described later with reference to FIG. When the icon display is performed, the flow at the time of shooting ends, but as long as the power is on, the process returns to step S11 to continue the shooting state.

  As described above, in the flow at the time of shooting shown in FIG. 4, each time a still image is shot, it is determined whether or not a human face or animal face is included in the acquired image. Depending on the determination result, the person photographing count number or the animal photographing count number is counted up, and the count result is stored in the work area of the SDRAM 350.

  In the flow shown in FIG. 4, when it is determined in step S17 that the release operation has been performed, first, in steps S19 to S33, the shooting count of the person or animal is increased, and then the imaging and recording operations are performed. Is going. However, it is of course possible to reverse this order and increase the shooting count of a person or animal after performing the imaging and recording operations first. Further, the face recognition of the person and the animal is determined based on the recognition result immediately before the release operation, but may be determined based on the acquired image data.

  Next, the operation when the power is turned off will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the camera is operated (S41). The operation of this camera is various operations such as a photographing operation executed in the flow at the time of photographing shown in FIG. 4 and a reproducing operation.

  Once the camera is operated, it is next determined whether or not the power switch is turned off (S43). Here, the determination is made based on the state of the power switch that is one of the operation switches 380. If the result of this determination is that the power switch is on, processing returns to step S41 and operation of the camera is continued.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S43 is that the power switch has been turned off, it is next determined whether or not the number of person photographing has increased (S45). As described above, the person photographing count number at the time of power activation is stored in the flash memory 340, and the person photographing count number after the power activation is stored in the work area of the SDRAM 350. Therefore, in this step S45, it is determined whether or not the number of person photographing has increased by comparing the person photographing count number at the time of power activation with the person photographing count number after the power activation.

  If the result of determination in step S45 is that the number of person shooting has not increased, the person shooting count is counted down (S47). Here, a predetermined number is counted down from the person photographing count number stored in the flash memory 340. The predetermined number is not limited to 1, and may be 2 or 3, and may be appropriately determined as a design value. If this predetermined number is large, the person icon will rapidly rejuvenate when no person is photographed.

  If the person shooting count is counted down in step S47 or if the number of person shooting has increased as a result of the determination in step S45, it is next determined whether or not the number of animal shooting has increased (S49). As in the case of the number of person photographing, the animal photographing count number at the time of power activation is stored in the flash memory 340, and the animal photographing count number after the power activation is stored in the work area of the SDRAM 350. Therefore, in this step S49, it is determined whether or not the number of animal photography has increased by comparing the animal photography count number at the time of power activation with the animal photography count number after the power activation.

  If the result of determination in step S49 is that the number of animal imaging has not increased, the animal imaging count is counted down (S51). Here, a predetermined number is counted down from the animal photographing count number stored in the flash memory 340. The predetermined number may be appropriately determined as a design value, and may be the same as or different from the case of the person photographing count. If this predetermined number is large, the animal icon will be rejuvenated rapidly when the animal is not photographed.

  When the number of animal photographing counts is counted down in step S51, or when the number of times of animal photographing is increased as a result of the determination in step S49, the power of the camera is turned off after performing a power-off process.

  Thus, in the flow when the power is turned off, the number of persons or animals photographed so far is stored in the electrically non-volatile flash memory 340. In addition, when the number of times of photographing of a person or an animal has not increased at the time of storage, a value subtracted from the number of times of photographing is stored. For this reason, when a person or an animal is not photographed, it is possible to display such that the image of the icon 314a is rejuvenated.

  Next, the icon display operation in step S3 and step S45 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. In the icon display flow, first, the person photographing count number and the animal photographing count number are read (S101). These photographing count numbers are read from the flash memory 340 at the time of power activation and from the work area of the SDRAM 350 at the time of photographing.

  Once the shooting count number is read, the count number is compared (S103). Here, the person photographing count number read in step S101 is compared with the animal photographing count number to determine which is greater. When the person shooting count number and the animal shooting count number are the same, priority is given to person shooting.

  If the result of determination in step S103 is that the person shooting count number is greater than the animal shooting count number, it is next determined whether or not the person shooting count number is smaller than a predetermined value N1 (S105). If the result of this determination is smaller than the predetermined value N1, nothing is displayed on the person icon 134a, and therefore the predetermined value N1 is a value that is considered to be such that there are not enough shootings to display the baby icon. And

  If the result of determination in step S105 is that the person photographing count is greater than N1, it is next determined whether or not N2> person photographing count ≧ N1 (S107). The predetermined value N2 is a number larger than N1, and in this step, it is determined whether the person photographing count number is between the predetermined value N1 and the predetermined value N2.

  As a result of the determination in step S107, if N2> person photographing count number ≧ N1, a baby person icon is read and displayed (S109). Here, the image data of the baby person icon stored in the flash memory 340 is read out and displayed on the display element 314 as the icon 134a. Therefore, the predetermined value N2 is a numerical value that is about the baby as the number of photographing.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S107 is that N2> person photographing count number ≧ N1, it is next determined whether N3> person photographing count number ≧ N2 (S111). The predetermined value N3 is a number larger than N2, and in this step, it is determined whether the person photographing count number is between the predetermined value N2 and the predetermined value N3.

  As a result of the determination in step S111, if N3> person photographing count number ≧ N2, an adult person icon is read and displayed (S113). Here, the image data of the adult human icon stored in the flash memory 340 is read and displayed on the display element 314 as the icon 134a. Therefore, the predetermined value N3 is a numerical value that is about an adult as the number of photographing.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S111, if N3> person photographing count number ≧ N2, the elderly person icon is read and displayed (S115). Here, since the person photographing count number is larger than the predetermined value N3, the image data of the elderly person icon stored in the flash memory 340 is read and displayed on the display element 314 as the icon 134a.

  If the result of determination in step S103 is that the animal shooting count number is greater than the person shooting count number, it is next determined whether or not the animal shooting count number is smaller than a predetermined value N1 (S121). As a result of this determination, if the value is smaller than the predetermined value N1, no animal icon 134a is displayed.

  If the result of determination in step S121 is that the animal shooting count is greater than N1, it is next determined whether or not N2> animal shooting count ≧ N1 (S123). In this step, it is determined whether the animal photographing count number is between the predetermined value N1 and the predetermined value N2.

  As a result of the determination in step S123, if N2> animal imaging count number ≧ N1, a baby animal icon such as a puppy is read and displayed (S125). Here, the image data of the animal icon of the puppy stored in the flash memory 340 is read out and displayed on the display element 314 as the icon 134a.

  On the other hand, if N2> animal imaging count number ≧ N1 as a result of the determination in step S123, it is next determined whether N3> animal imaging count number ≧ N2 (S127). In this step, it is determined whether the animal shooting count number is between a predetermined value N2 and a predetermined value N3.

  As a result of the determination in step S127, if N3> animal photographing count number ≧ N2, an animal icon such as an adult dog is read out and displayed (S129). Here, the image data of the animal icon of the adult dog stored in the flash memory 340 is read and displayed on the display element 314 as the icon 134a.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S127 is that N3> animal imaging count number ≧ N2, animal icons such as old dogs are read and displayed (S131). Here, the animal shooting count number is larger than the predetermined value N3, and the image data of the animal icon of the old dog stored in the flash memory 340 is read and displayed on the display element 314 as the icon 134a.

  If an icon is displayed in steps S109, S113, S115, S125, S129, and S131, or if the result of determination in step S105 or S121 is Yes, the icon display flow is terminated and the original flow is restored.

  In this way, in the icon display flow, the number of times a person is photographed is compared with the number of times an animal is photographed, and if there are many people, a person icon is displayed. is doing. For this reason, it can be seen at a glance whether there is a tendency for many animals such as pets to be photographed or for many persons such as portraits.

  In addition, the display of the person icon and the animal icon is changed according to the shooting count. That is, in the case of a person, it changes from baby → adult → old man as the number of photographing increases, and in the case of an animal, it changes from puppy → adult dog → old dog. For this reason, since the icon grows according to the number of times of photographing, it is possible to perform photographing while having fun.

  As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, when acquiring a subject image, it recognizes whether the subject is a person or an animal, and displays an icon that grows according to the number of times of shooting.

  Next, a modification of the flowchart at the time of shooting shown in FIG. 4 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, when a person or a face of the same part is recognized in steps S19 and S31, the shooting count is increased in steps S21 and S33. On the other hand, in this modification, it is determined whether or not the shooting conditions are suitable for a person or an animal. If the shooting conditions are met, the shooting count is further increased. Since this modification only adds steps S23, S25, S35, and S37 in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the differences will be mainly described.

  The flow at the time of shooting shown in FIG. 7 is entered, and it is determined whether or not a person's face is recognized in step S19. If it is recognized, the person shooting count is increased (S21). When the count is up, it is subsequently determined whether or not the shooting conditions are suitable for the person (S23). Here, the shooting conditions include focus, exposure time, auto white balance (AWB), and the like. In this step, it is determined whether or not the control in the AF control circuit 126, the AE control circuit 128, or the like is controlling the person recognized by the image recognition circuit 140. If the shooting conditions such as focus are suitable for a person, it can be said that the photographer is intentionally shooting the person as the main subject.

  If the result of determination in step S23 is that the shooting conditions are suitable for the person, the person shooting count is then increased (S25). In step S21, the person photographing count is increased, but here, the photographer intentionally attempts to photograph the person as the main subject, so the person photographing count is further counted up. The number of ups may be the same value as in step S21, but may of course be different.

  When counting up in step S25, or as a result of the determination in step S23, if the photographing condition is not suitable for the person, it is next determined whether or not the animal's face has been recognized (S31). In this case, the animal shooting count is increased (S33). When the count is up, it is subsequently determined whether or not the imaging conditions are met for the animal (S35). Here, as in the case of step S23, the photographing conditions are the focus, exposure time, auto white balance (AWB), and the like.

  If the result of determination in step S35 is that the shooting condition is met for the animal, the animal shooting count is then increased (S37). In step S33, the animal shooting count is increased, but here, the photographer intentionally attempts to shoot the animal as the main subject, so the count is further increased.

  When counting up in step S37, or if the result of determination in step S35 is that the shooting condition for the animal does not match, image data is acquired in step S41 and thereafter, as in the flowchart of FIG. 4 (S41). Then, an image file is generated and stored (S43), and an icon is displayed (S45).

  In this modification, not only the shooting count is increased when the face of a person or animal is recognized, but the shooting count is further increased when the shooting conditions are suitable for the person or animal. Yes. For this reason, when a person or animal is the main subject, the speed of icon growth corresponding to the number of shooting counts is increased, so that shooting becomes more fun.

  As described above, in one embodiment or a modification of the present invention, icons imitating the growth stages of a plurality of types of subjects such as people and animals are stored, and are taken when images are acquired. The number of photographing counts according to the frequency is counted up, and an icon at a growth stage corresponding to the number of photographing counts is read out and displayed. Therefore, it is possible to intuitively understand a subject that is frequently photographed by the user, and to know an overall tendency of photographing.

  In the embodiment and the modification of the present invention, a person and an animal are identified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other types of subjects such as plants and landscapes are identified, and according to these subjects. An icon may be displayed. Moreover, even if it is a person, you may make it identify the some specific person registered previously, and you may make it identify an animal also for every kind, such as a dog and a cat.

  In the embodiment and modification of the present invention, the icon is displayed every time the camera is turned on or every time shooting is performed. However, for example, the icon may be displayed only when the power is turned on. It may be displayed when the operation member is operated. In addition, the shooting count is increased when a still image is shot. However, when a moving image is shot, the shooting count may be counted and an icon may be displayed.

  In the embodiment and the modification of the present invention, the icons displayed according to the shooting count number are each in three stages. However, the icon is not limited to this and may be in two stages or in four or more stages. Any icon may be used as long as a person, an animal, or the like grows gradually.

  Furthermore, in one embodiment or modification of the present invention, a digital camera is used as the photographing apparatus. However, the camera may be a digital single-lens reflex camera or a compact digital camera, such as a video camera or movie camera. It may be a camera for moving images, or may be a camera built in a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a game device, or the like.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, you may delete some components of all the components shown by embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... System controller, 110 ... CPU, 122 ... Image processing circuit, 124 ... Compression / decompression circuit, 126 ... AF circuit, 128 ... AE circuit, 130 ... AD converter , 132... Timer counter, 140... Image recognition circuit, 212... Imaging element IF circuit, 214... Imaging element, 216. ..Aperture, 222 ... Aperture drive mechanism, 224 ... Shutter, 226 ... Shutter drive mechanism, 280 ... Clock circuit, 312 ... Display element drive circuit, 314 ... Display element, 314a ... icons, 322 ... touch panel drive circuit, 324 ... touch panel, 332 ... socket, 334 ... memory card, 340 ... Sshumemori, 350 ··· SDRAM, 380 ··· operation switch

Claims (6)

An imaging unit that outputs image data;
A display unit for displaying the image data;
A recognition unit capable of recognizing a plurality of types of subjects from the image data;
A counter unit that stores a count value corresponding to each of the plurality of types of subjects;
An icon storage unit storing icons simulating the growth stages of the plurality of types of subjects;
When the subject is recognized by the recognizing unit when the imaging unit is controlled to acquire a still image of the subject, the count value of the counting unit corresponding to the recognized subject type is increased, and the count A control unit that determines a type of a subject corresponding to the maximum count value stored in the unit, reads out an icon of a growth stage corresponding to the count value from the icon storage unit, and displays the icon on the display unit;
A photographing apparatus comprising:   The said control part reads the said icon according to the said count value from the said memory | storage part, and displays it on the said display part when starting the said imaging device or acquiring the said still image. The imaging apparatus according to 1.   When the control unit detects that the count value stored in the count unit has not increased compared to the count value at the time of starting the imaging device when the imaging device is stopped, the count value The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photographing apparatus is down.   4. The photographing according to claim 1, wherein, when acquiring the still image, the control unit increases a count number by the count-up operation when it is detected that photographing conditions are appropriate. apparatus.   The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recognition unit recognizes at least a human face. Obtain image data of the subject image,
Based on the above image data, the subject image is displayed in live view.
Recognize the above subject image into multiple types,
Depending on the result of the image recognition, the same type of shooting frequency is obtained,
Depending on the shooting frequency, the icon is displayed superimposed on the live view display.
A display method characterized by that.