JP2012226003A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus capable of operating at preferable timing.SOLUTION: There is provided an imaging apparatus having: an imaging part which performs imaging; an information acquisition part (28) which acquires information of a peripheral environment; a feature extraction part (20) which extracts a periodic feature of the information; and a control part (40) which controls the operation of the imaging part based on the periodic feature.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus that can operate at a suitable timing.

  When shooting a stage such as a music concert or an opera, the occurrence of operation sounds such as shutters and mirrors included in the camera may interfere with the audience around the photographer. For this reason, it is preferable that the camera used in such a scene be as small as possible in the operation sound. However, it is difficult to make the camera quieter than a certain level because it may be a trade-off with other performances of the camera.

  As a camera that detects a sound of the surrounding environment and performs a photographing operation, for example, a camera that performs a release operation in response to a pulse sound input a plurality of times at a predetermined time interval or more has been proposed.

JP-A-4-317039

  The camera according to the prior art performs release by using a generated pulse sound as a trigger, and does not perform a photographing operation by predicting a future state from the periodic characteristics of environmental sound. Therefore, although the camera according to the related art can remotely control the release through the generation of sound, the effect of making the operation sound inconspicuous cannot be expected.

  The imaging device according to the present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide an imaging device that can operate at a suitable timing.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention provides:
An imaging unit for imaging;
An information acquisition unit (28) for acquiring information on the surrounding environment;
A feature extraction unit (30) for extracting periodic features of the information;
A control unit (40) for controlling the operation of the imaging unit based on the periodic characteristics;
Have

  Further, for example, the information acquisition unit may acquire the information related to sounds in the surrounding environment.

For example, the imaging unit may include an exposure unit (20) that performs an exposure operation.
The control unit may control an operation of the exposure unit.

Further, for example, the exposure unit may be a continuous exposure unit that performs the exposure operation a plurality of times in a continuous shooting cycle,
The control unit may control the continuous exposure unit so that the continuous shooting period of the continuous exposure unit is synchronized with the periodic feature.

Further, for example, the exposure unit may be a continuous exposure unit that performs the exposure operation a plurality of times in a continuous shooting cycle,
The information acquisition unit may acquire the information while the continuous exposure unit performs the exposure operation at the continuous shooting period.
The feature extraction unit may extract the periodic feature while the continuous exposure unit performs the exposure operation at the continuous shooting period,
The control unit is configured to change the continuous shooting period according to the periodic feature extracted while the continuous exposure unit performs the exposure operation at the continuous shooting period. It may be one that controls.

In addition, for example, the information acquisition unit may acquire the information related to sounds in the surrounding environment,
The feature extraction unit may extract a frequency component and a phase component of information related to the sound as the periodic feature,
The control unit may control the operation of the imaging unit to synchronize with the loudest sound among the periodically acquired sounds based on the periodic feature.

  In the above description, in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, the description is made in association with the reference numerals of the drawings showing the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The configuration of the embodiment described later may be improved as appropriate, or at least a part of the configuration may be replaced with another component. Further, the configuration requirements that are not particularly limited with respect to the arrangement are not limited to the arrangement disclosed in the embodiment, and can be arranged at a position where the function can be achieved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a camera system equipped with an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a photographing operation performed by the camera system shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a periodic feature extraction process performed by the camera system illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing another example of the photographing operation performed by the camera system shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time chart in the photographing operation illustrated in FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a camera system 10 equipped with an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The camera system 10 includes a camera body 12 and a lens barrel 52 that is detachably attached to the camera body 12. In the present embodiment, an image pickup apparatus mounted on the camera system 10 will be described as an example. However, the image pickup apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to this, and a compact camera, a video camera, a mobile phone with a lens and a body integrated with each other. It may be mounted on a telephone or the like.

  The lens barrel 52 is provided with a photographing optical system 54, a diaphragm 56, and the like. The photographing optical system 54 guides subject light into the camera body 12. An image of subject light guided into the camera body 12 by the photographing optical system 54 is captured by the image sensor 26 provided inside the camera body 12. The photographing optical system 54 may include a plurality of lens groups such as an AF lens group, a zoom lens group, and a shake correction lens group. The diaphragm 56 is a member for adjusting the amount of subject light passing through the photographing optical system 54.

  The camera body 12 includes members relating to the finder such as the penta roof prism 14 and the finder screen 16 and members constituting the exposure unit 20 such as the quick return mirror 22, the shutter 24, and the image sensor 26. Furthermore, the camera body 12 includes a microphone 28, a feature extraction unit 30 that extracts features of the surrounding environment of the camera system 10, a camera drive control unit 40 that controls a shooting operation of the camera system 10, and the like.

  The quick return mirror 22 is located in the optical path except during exposure, reflects the subject light, and guides it to the finder screen 16. The viewfinder screen 16 and the penta roof prism 14 guide an image of subject light to an eyepiece (not shown). The photographer can take a picture while viewing the subject image by looking into the eyepiece. The quick return mirror 22 is driven by a driving device controlled by the camera drive control unit 40 and retracts from the optical path during exposure.

  The shutter 24 is disposed in front of the image sensor 26, and adjusts the exposure time (shutter speed) and the exposure timing at the time of exposure by shielding and passing the subject light. The shutter 24 is driven by a drive unit configured by a motor or the like. The driving of the shutter 24 is controlled by the camera drive control unit 40 as in the case of the quick return mirror 22.

  The image sensor 26 photoelectrically converts subject light to generate an image signal. The image sensor 26 is configured by a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS, but is not particularly limited. The image signal generated by the image sensor 26 is stored in a memory card or the like attached to the camera body 12 after appropriate processing. The generation of the image signal by the image sensor 26 is also controlled by the camera drive control unit 40.

  The camera drive control unit 40 is a member for controlling each member provided in the camera system 10, and is configured by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU). The camera drive control unit 40 includes not only the exposure unit 20 that needs to be controlled during exposure, such as the quick return mirror 22, the shutter 24, and the image sensor 26, but also an aperture 56 provided in the lens barrel 52, an AF mechanism, Control is also performed for other mechanisms included in the imaging unit that performs imaging, such as a correction mechanism. The camera drive control unit 40 can also control the driving of the microphone 28 and the feature extraction unit 30 described later.

  The release switch 36 is a switch for a photographer to input an exposure timing, and is provided on an upper surface portion of the camera body 12 or the like. The release switch 36 can output a half-press signal and a full-press signal to the camera drive control unit 40 according to the amount of depression by the photographer.

  The sound collection start button 38 is a switch for allowing the photographer to select whether or not to adjust the exposure timing based on the periodic characteristics of the sound. The photographer controls the exposure timing based on the periodic characteristics of the ambient environment sound by turning off or on the sound collection start button 38 to perform a normal exposure operation that simply reacts to the depression of the release switch 36. It is possible to select whether to perform the exposure operation to be adjusted. The exposure operation for adjusting the exposure timing based on the periodic characteristics of the ambient environmental sound will be described later using a flowchart and the like.

  The microphone 28 acquires information related to sounds in the surrounding environment among information on the surrounding environment of the camera system 10. The microphone 28 converts, for example, air vibration that constitutes sound into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal to the feature extraction unit 30. As the microphone 28, a dynamic type or capacitor type microphone can be used, but it is not particularly limited as long as it can acquire a signal related to environmental sound.

  The feature extraction unit 30 includes a sampler 32 and a processing circuit 34. The sampler 32 has a function of converting an electrical signal from the microphone 28 into digital data and storing it as necessary. For example, the sampler 32 converts a signal related to sounds in the surrounding environment acquired by the microphone 28 into audio data (digital data) in the WAV format. As shown in FIG. 1, the sampler 32 according to the present embodiment outputs WavData (i) that is generated audio data to the processing circuit 34.

  The processing circuit 34 extracts the frequency component and the phase component of the information related to the sound from the sound data generated by the sampler 32. Further, the processing circuit 34 detects a component having the largest amplitude in a predetermined frequency region from among the waveform components included in the ambient environment sound, thereby obtaining the main frequency and the main phase that is the phase of the ambient environment sound. To detect.

  Further, the processing circuit 34 determines a phase (camera driving phase data) and a continuous shooting period (camera driving frequency) for determining the exposure timing based on the main frequency and the main phase of the ambient environmental sound. The specific calculation method in the processing circuit 34 is not particularly limited. For example, the processing circuit 34 performs fast Fourier transform (FFT) processing on audio data in the WAV format and extracts frequency components and phase components. Is mentioned.

  The processing circuit 34 according to the present embodiment performs, for example, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) process on WavData (i) that is sound data, thereby analyzing the sound data for each frequency band. FFTData (i) Get. Further, the processing circuit 34 sets the frequency component having the largest amplitude in the predetermined frequency region among the waveform components included in FFTData (i) as the main frequency F (i) of the ambient environmental sound, and the phase thereof as the main phase P. (I).

  In this case, it is preferable that the processing circuit 34 selects the main frequency F (i) and the main phase P (i) from an appropriate frequency region in order to make the drive sound generated during exposure in the camera system 10 inconspicuous. Examples of the frequency and phase that make the driving sound inconspicuous include a frequency and phase that match the time signature of music. Therefore, for example, the processing circuit 34 can determine the main frequency F (i) so as to coincide with the time signature of music. From such a viewpoint, the processing circuit 34 can set the frequency region to be selected for the main frequency F (i) to, for example, about 0.5 to 5 Hz (30 to 300 beats per minute).

  Further, the processing circuit 34 is based on the main frequency F (i) and the main phase P (i), so that the timing at which the sound pressure of the ambient environmental sound increases and the exposure timing of the camera are synchronized. i) and camera drive phase data Pc (i) are determined.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a photographing operation performed by the camera system 10 shown in FIG. The control processing shown in FIG. 2 relates to a photographing operation including an exposure operation performed using sound acquired through the microphone 28 among photographing operations performed in the camera system 10. A series of control processing shown in FIG. 2 is mainly performed in the camera drive control unit 40.

  In step S001 shown in FIG. 1, the camera drive control unit 40 starts a series of processes. For example, the camera drive control unit 40 starts processing at the timing when the release switch 36 of the camera body 12 is half-pressed.

  In step S002, the camera drive control unit 40 detects whether the sound collection start button 38 is ON. When the camera drive control unit 40 detects that the sound collection start button 38 is ON, the camera drive control unit 40 performs the process of step S003.

  In step S003, the camera drive control unit 40 outputs a control signal to the microphone 28 and the feature extraction unit 30, and starts a process for extracting periodic features of information related to sounds in the surrounding environment. The microphone 28 and the feature extraction unit 30 receive a command from the camera drive control unit 40 and extract periodic features related to sounds in the surrounding environment. Based on the extraction result, the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc are extracted. (I) is calculated. The calculation process of the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) in the feature extraction unit 30 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S004, the camera drive control unit 40 detects whether or not the release switch 36 is ON. When the camera drive control unit 40 detects that the release switch 36 is turned on (fully pressed) due to depression by the photographer or the like, the camera drive control unit 40 performs processing in step S005.

  In step S005, the camera drive control unit 40 reads the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) calculated by the processing circuit 34 in the feature extraction unit 30. The camera drive frequency Fc (i) can be set to the same frequency as the component having the largest amplitude in a predetermined frequency region among the components included in the ambient environmental sound, for example. Alternatively, the camera drive frequency Fc (i) can be a frequency of 1 / N (N is an integer of 2 or more) of the component having the largest amplitude in the predetermined frequency region among the components included in the ambient environmental sound. . The camera drive phase data Pc (i) can be in phase with the component having the largest amplitude in a predetermined frequency region among the components included in the ambient environmental sound. Alternatively, the camera drive phase data Pc (i) may have a phase in which the peak of the amplitude coincides with a component having the largest amplitude in a predetermined frequency region among the components included in the ambient environmental sound at a constant period. it can.

  In step S006, the camera drive control unit 40 performs exposure by controlling the quick return mirror 22, the shutter 24, and the image sensor 26 based on the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i). Accordingly, the camera drive control unit 40 performs exposure so that, for example, the drive of the quick return mirror 22 and the shutter 24 and the sound generated thereby are synchronized with the timing at which the sound pressure of the ambient environmental sound such as the time signature of the music increases. The unit 20 can be controlled. Note that the exposure operation in step S006 may be to perform only one exposure to obtain one image with respect to a single depression of the release switch 36, and to perform a single depression of the release switch 36. On the other hand, it may be one that obtains a plurality of images by performing a plurality of exposures at a constant cycle (so-called continuous shooting).

  After step S006 is completed, the camera drive control unit 40 proceeds to the process of step S007. In step S007, the camera drive control unit 40 ends the series of processes.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the arithmetic processing mainly performed by the feature extraction unit 30 shown in FIG. In step S101, the feature extraction unit 30 starts a series of processes in response to the control signal sent from the camera drive control unit 40 in step S003 (see FIG. 2).

  In step S <b> 102, the sampler 32 of the feature extraction unit 30 generates WavData (i) that is audio data in the WAV format from the signal related to the sound of the surrounding environment acquired by the microphone 28. Further, the sampler 32 outputs the generated audio data WavData (i) to the processing circuit 34.

  In step S103, the processing circuit 34 of the feature extraction unit 30 performs fast Fourier transform (FFT) processing on the voice data WavData (i), and obtains voice analysis data FFTData (i) analyzed for each frequency band. .

  In step S104, the processing circuit 34 calculates the main frequency F (i) and the main phase P (i) of the ambient environmental sound from the sound analysis data FFTData (i). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the processing circuit 34 uses the frequency component having the largest amplitude at 0.5 to 5 Hz among the waveform components included in the audio analysis data FFTData (i) as the main frequency F (i of the ambient environmental sound. ) And that phase is the main phase P (i).

  In step S105, the processing circuit 34 determines the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc. When the main frequency F (i) calculated in step S104 is equal to or lower than the maximum continuous shooting speed Fmax that is the maximum continuous shooting frequency of the camera system 10, the processing circuit 34 determines that the camera driving frequency Fc (i ) Is the same value as the main frequency F (i). On the other hand, when the main frequency F (i) calculated in step S104 is larger than the maximum continuous shooting speed Fmax, the processing circuit 34 sets the camera driving frequency Fc (i) to 1 / N of the main frequency F (i). And a value that does not exceed the maximum continuous shooting speed Fmax. In this case, in order to make the continuous shooting speed as high as possible, N is preferably set to a minimum value that can satisfy the condition.

  In step S105, the processing circuit 34 determines camera drive phase data Pc (i) from the main phase P (i) according to the calculated value of the camera drive frequency Fc (i). Note that the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) calculated in step S105 may be temporarily stored in a memory (not shown) or the like.

  In step S106, the feature extraction unit 30 determines whether or not to continue a series of processes for calculating the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) from the data related to the ambient environmental sound. For example, when the camera drive control unit 40 continues the release determination process shown in step S004 of FIG. 2, the feature extraction unit 30 returns to step S102 and continues the process. In this case, the feature extraction unit 30 repeats the processing from step S102 to step S105, and updates the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) at a predetermined cycle.

  On the other hand, the feature extraction unit 30 continues to calculate the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i), for example, by turning off the sound collection start button 38 shown in FIG. If it is determined that it is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S107. In step S107, the series of processes shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is an example of a time chart of the photographing operation performed by the camera system 10 shown in FIG. The signal 62 represents audio data WavData (i) calculated by the sampler 32 of the feature extraction unit 30. A signal 66 represents voice analysis data FFTData (i) calculated by the processing circuit 34, and a signal 68 represents camera drive frequency Fc (i) and camera drive phase data Pc (i). Note that i is a variable for specifying data.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the audio analysis data FFTData (i), the camera drive frequency Fc (i), and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) are calculated in the processing circuit 34 by calculating the audio data WavData (i) in the sampler 32. However, it is delayed by FTTtime-lag64.

  In the processing described with reference to FIG. 2, the camera drive control unit 40 detects the voice analysis data FFTData (i), the camera drive frequency Fc (i-2), and the camera drive at time t0 when release ON is detected (step S004 in FIG. 2). The exposure operation is controlled using the phase data Pc (i-2). The signal 70 indicates the exposure timing when the exposure in step S006 in FIG. 2 is not continuous shooting but only one exposure. The convex portion of the signal 70 indicates the timing at which an exposure operation such as mirror UP and shutter driving is actually performed. As indicated by the signal 70, the time a1 from the detection of release ON to the start of exposure is determined based on the camera drive frequency Fc (i-2) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i-2). . Thereby, the exposure timing of the camera system 10 synchronizes with the periodic feature detected based on the audio data WavData (i-2).

  The signal 72 indicates the exposure timing when the exposure in step S006 in FIG. 2 is continuous shooting. In the case of continuous shooting, the time a1 from the detection of release ON to the start of exposure and the continuous shooting period a2, which is the period for performing the exposure operation, are the camera driving frequency Fc (i-2) and the camera driving phase. It is determined based on the data Pc (i-2). Thereby, each exposure timing of the camera system 10 synchronizes with the periodic feature detected based on the audio data WavData (i-2).

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing another example of the photographing operation performed by the camera system 10 shown in FIG. The control process shown in FIG. 4 is performed when continuous shooting is performed in the camera system 10. The processes according to steps S201 to S205 in FIG. 4 are the same as the processes according to steps S001 to S005 described in FIG.

  In step S206, the camera control unit 40 controls the exposure operation based on the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) read in step S205, as in step S006. However, in step S206, only one exposure operation is performed, and then the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S207, the camera drive control unit 40 detects whether or not the release switch 36 provided in the camera body 12 remains ON. If the release switch 36 is OFF, the process proceeds to step S209, and a series of shooting operations is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S207 that the release switch 36 remains ON, the camera drive control unit 40 performs the determination shown in step S208. In step S208, the camera drive control unit 40 determines whether or not the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) are updated in the processing circuit 34 based on whether or not a predetermined time has passed. To do. If the camera drive control unit 40 determines in step S208 that the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) in the processing circuit 34 have not been updated yet, the process returns to step S206. In this case, in step S206, the exposure operation is controlled using the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) similar to the exposure operation performed immediately before.

  On the other hand, when the camera drive control unit 40 determines in step S208 that the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) in the processing circuit 34 have been updated, the process in step S205 is performed. Return to. In this case, in step S205, the camera drive control unit 40 reads the updated camera drive frequency Fc (i) and camera drive phase data Pc (i) from the processing circuit 34. Further, in step S206, the exposure operation is controlled using the camera drive frequency Fc and camera drive phase data Pc (i) newly read out in the immediately preceding step S205.

  A signal 74 in FIG. 5 indicates the exposure timing in the photographing operation represented by the flowchart shown in FIG. As shown in the signal 74, the continuous shooting period from the time a1 from the detection of the release ON to the start of exposure until the time t1 at which the camera drive frequency Fc and the camera drive phase data Pc are updated in the processing circuit 34. a2 is determined based on the camera drive frequency Fc (i-2) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i-2). Thereby, the exposure operation indicated by the signal 74 is synchronized with the periodic feature detected based on the audio data WavData (i-2) until time t1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, after the time t <b> 0 when the release ON (step S <b> 204 in FIG. 4) is detected, the feature extraction unit 30 continues to perform exposure operations such as mirror UP and shutter driving. The acquisition of audio data WavData (i) is continued. In addition, the feature extraction unit 30 also performs audio analysis data FFTData (i), camera drive frequency Fc (i), and camera drive phase data on the periodic features of the ambient environmental sound while the exposure unit 20 performs the exposure operation. Calculation and update of Pc (i) are continued.

  As shown in the signal 74, when the continuous shooting is continued beyond the time t1, the camera drive control unit 40 again performs the camera drive frequency Fc (i) and the camera drive phase data Pc (i) of the feature extraction unit 30. ) Is read (steps S208 and S205 in FIG. 4). The camera drive control unit 40 controls the exposure unit 20 to change the continuous shooting period and the like based on the newly read camera drive frequency Fc (i) and camera drive phase data Pc (i).

  That is, as indicated by the signal 74, the continuous shooting period a4 between the time a3 from the time t1 to the start of the next exposure and the time t2 that is the next update time is the camera drive frequency Fc (i− 1) and camera drive phase data Pc (i-1). Thereby, the camera drive control unit 40 controls the exposure unit 20 to change the continuous shooting period according to the periodic feature extracted from the audio data WavData (i-1) acquired during the exposure operation. To do.

  As shown in the signal 74 of FIG. 5, in the continuous shooting shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the camera driving frequency Fc (i) and the camera driving phase data Pc (i) are updated at a predetermined cycle, and the continuous shooting is performed based on this. Determine the period. Therefore, the camera system 10 that performs the exposure operation shown in FIG. 4 can change the exposure timing following this even when the time signature of the music related to the ambient environmental sound changes during continuous shooting, The exposure operation can be performed in synchronization with the time signature of the music appropriately.

  In the camera system 10 according to the present embodiment, information related to sounds in the surrounding environment is acquired by the microphone 28, and the periodic characteristics of the sound are calculated by the feature extraction unit 30. Further, the camera drive control unit 40 predicts a change in sound pressure after the release is turned on from the calculated periodic characteristics of the sound, and performs an exposure operation such as mirror UP or shutter drive in synchronization with the sound pressure increase period. It can be carried out. Thereby, the camera system 10 according to the present embodiment can make the sound generated by the exposure operation inconspicuous, and can prevent surrounding people from feeling the operation sound of the camera system 10 irritating.

  In particular, when the exposure unit 20 mounted on the camera system 10 is a continuous exposure unit capable of continuous shooting, and when continuous shooting is performed by the camera system 10, a large number of operations are performed by a plurality of exposure operations. There is a problem that sound is generated. However, since the camera system 10 according to the present embodiment can control the exposure timing so as to synchronize with the calculated periodic characteristic of the ambient environmental sound, it is possible to make the sound generated by the exposure operation inconspicuous. It is. In addition, by performing the continuous shooting shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the exposure timing can be controlled in accordance with changes in the periodic characteristics of the ambient environmental sound during the continuous shooting. It is possible to make the sound generated by the exposure operation inconspicuous.

  The camera drive control unit 40 can also perform shutter drive in synchronization with the sound pressure drop period. For example, a percussion instrument player tends to stop moving in the period when the sound pressure falls, and thus the camera system 10 performs shooting with less blur by performing shutter driving in synchronization with the sound pressure falling period. It can be performed.

Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiments, the operation of the exposure unit 20 is controlled using the periodic characteristics of the ambient environmental sound. However, the target to be controlled by the camera drive control unit 40 is not limited to this. For example, the camera drive control unit 40 may control the driving of the AF lens by the AF unit using the periodic characteristics of the ambient environmental sound.

  In the above-described embodiment, information related to the sound of the surrounding environment is acquired using the microphone 28. However, the information from which the periodic feature is extracted is not limited to sound, and may be a video or the like. For example, a camera system according to another embodiment includes an image sensor that acquires information related to image movement caused by subject light, and controls the operation of the imaging unit using periodic characteristics of the image movement. It is done.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera system 12 ... Camera body 14 ... Pentadaha prism 16 ... Finder screen 20 ... Exposure part 22 ... Quick return mirror 24 ... Shutter 26 ... Image sensor 28 ... Microphone 30 ... Feature extraction part 32 ... Sampler 34 ... Processing circuit 36 ... Release Switch 38 ... Sound collection start button 40 ... Camera drive controller 52 ... Lens barrel 54 ... Shooting optical system 56 ... Aperture 62, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74 ... Signal

Claims (6)

An imaging unit for imaging;
An information acquisition unit for acquiring information on the surrounding environment;
A feature extraction unit for extracting periodic features of the information;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the imaging unit based on the periodic characteristics;
An imaging apparatus having   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires the information related to sounds in the surrounding environment. The imaging unit includes an exposure unit that performs an exposure operation,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls an operation of the exposure unit. The exposure unit is a continuous exposure unit that performs the exposure operation a plurality of times in a continuous shooting cycle;
4. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the continuous exposure unit such that the continuous shooting period of the continuous exposure unit is synchronized with the periodic feature. 5. The imaging device described in 1. The exposure unit is a continuous exposure unit that performs the exposure operation a plurality of times in a continuous shooting cycle;
The information acquisition unit acquires the information while the continuous exposure unit performs the exposure operation at the continuous shooting period,
The feature extraction unit extracts the periodic features while the continuous exposure unit performs the exposure operation at the continuous shooting period,
The control unit is configured to change the continuous shooting period according to the periodic feature extracted while the continuous exposure unit performs the exposure operation at the continuous shooting period. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus is controlled. The information acquisition unit acquires the information related to the sound of the surrounding environment,
The feature extraction unit extracts a frequency component and a phase component of the information related to the sound as the periodic features,
The said control part controls operation | movement of the said imaging part so that it may synchronize with the loudest sound among the sounds acquired periodically based on the said periodic characteristic. The imaging device according to any one of the above.

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